for lack of anything good to write

today, i grovelled another step back into the second of two abusive relationships that i am currently far too invested in. the first, of course, is my well documented "i-can't-help-but-love-them-despite-the-fact-they-continually-beat-
me-down" relationship with united airlines.

the other? sony.

due to an upcoming job, i bought a new laptop about 6 months before i thought i would need to. despite the fact that i have no extra money and i have had nothing but trouble with my vaio notebook for the last year and a half, i went shopping. and, when i saw this little guy staring up at me with his big, ultra-bright screen and his gigabyte of memory...how could i say "no?"



it's compatible with everything i own (due to my excessive dependancy) including my desktop. i can run all of my current software on it AND do any presentation that i will ever need to while on "the job."

yep, it's the same mistake i made 3 years ago.

it will run great for the next year or so, then slowly but surely, it will start bumping into the furniture and forget to put in it's dentures. i'll give it a quick pick-me-up when windows vista comes out later next year. then, it will just be a matter of time until the slow and painful spiral into senility and uselessness begins.

sony telephone support techs in india...i got a new one. warm up your phones.

until further notice...

my trip to mexico is being re-evaluated on a hour-to-hour basis due to the fact that that media-whore, emily, is bearing her ugly ass down on the gulf coast of northern mexico/southern texas.

the trick isn't getting TO durango (which is safely on the other side of the continent) but rather getting stuck there as the rain moves in here for good on tuesday night.

on the plus side, i have never been in a hurricane, so there may be stories yet.

two other blog-related things since i'm here

1) university of kansas imposes 2-year sanctions on itself due to infractions in it's 3 major sports programs.

re: men's basketball: thank you roy williams, for allowing your "mistake" to further twist the knife in this, the worst off-season in the 107 year history of the KU program. have fun in your golden tobacco plantation with your precious national title and enjoy your free pass as you watch the aftermath without tarnishing your "beloved" reputation. bastard.

2) the kansas city royals and detroit tigers in a bench-clearing brawl sunday after runelvys hernandez hits his 3rd batter of the game...in the head. total of 7 players and coaches eventually ejected. note to detroit's carlos guillen: why were you upset? he didn't do it on purpose. he's a ROYALS pitcher. they don't have that kind of control.

mexico for dummies

since i've had a lot of people ask me exactly where i am going in mexico next week; and since i am completely and unabashedly addicted to google earth, i have posted a map.



all you need to know is that:

a = beverly (aka. "home")

b = my parent's house in south texas

c = durango, mexico (where i will be the first half of next week.)

you can also click on the map itself to open a bigger version with more points of reference if you still need them.

talk to you all soon.

ten things i hate: all-star game edition

1) baseball on FOX. i am actually considering not watching any of the post season this year because the games will be on the "gimmick" network. so far this season, i have avoided games on FOX because of things like MLB.com and direct tv extra innings (thanks gentry.) tonight, the first pitch wasn't even thrown yet and i remembered why i hate it.

oh, and by the way..."this time it counts" doesn't fly any more. we know it counts. it's been 3 years. it's not new anymore.

2) scooter needs to be shot! i hate him. i want him dead. i want him to go the way of the "bartman ball" and explode. i know i am not alone. there is no excuse for an annoying CG baseball explaining what a change-up is. oh, and this is hysterical.

3) diamond cam.


i am assuming that there will be one on every base, aimed in every direction come october. there were no fewer than 4 in tonight's game (pithcer's mound, first base, two on home plate)...and the image quality was so poor it hardly seems worth the groundskeeping nightmare.

4) tim mccarver compared bobby abreu's left hand to that of a pianist.

5) playing "God save the queen" before the game to "show support" to those in london. all well and good, i suppose. i'm sure that both of the british citizens who understand, like and are able to watch baseball really appreciated it. although, the simultaneous B-2 flyover seemed a bit ominous.

6) a-rod starting at 3rd base for the american league. that was just one yankee too many, in my opinion.

7) tim mccarver commenting on "all the hairstylists tuning out" after johnny damon left in the 4th. that shouldn't cause too many problems with our friends in the gay and lesbian community.

8) chevrolet's ninja-like umpire.


lacking buyers in the anime market there, guys?

9) taco bell is "good to go."

10) uh...baseball on FOX. i keeping expecting joe buck to complete his sell-out transition by dressing up in a chicken suit and singing "take me out to the ballgame" in falsetto. that's about all that's left.

it was just a matter of time...

the AP just released this article:

Stone to Direct WTC Film Starring Cage

and, in a related story...

Man's Head Explodes as a Result of Trying to Think of a Movie He Would Rather See Less Than This One

a casting call OR wrestlin' with myself

sometimes...no, make ALL the time, i get frustrated with my lack of desire.

my current "why can't i do anything" situation involves something that should inspire me: a short script that i actually finished in may. it's a project that i have worked out over the course of the last couple of years. is it perfect? no. is it written? yes. and THAT is a huge step for me. i think it will be somewhat entertaining when it's shot and finalized, and that's all i can really ask for.

so, my problem is this: i'm lazy. i have never really worked to accomplish anything (other than my travel goals, but spending money is easy) in my life. jobs, opportunities, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. things have always just kind of fallen in my lap. but, now i am on the edge of making a short film from scratch and where most people would be proactive, all i am doing is waiting.

i am blessed with a job that allows me free time to take on projects exactly like this. so why am i not going forward with it? that is a superb question.

my story is of a group of friends reunited to help one get through a rough patch. a reunion that they all desperately need whether they know it or not. simple. 2 1/2 of the main roles have been cast (1/2 because i heard he wants to do it, but haven't actually talked to him) leaving me with 3 roles to fill.

and i can't figure out why no one has knocked on my door looking to play a part in an experimental indie short. i mean someone has to show up, right? that's the way it works.

i can't even get into the storyboarding process that i could EASILY be doing right now. (note: this film MUST be storyboarded well, it would be impossible to shoot otherwise.)

the point is, i have no motivation. no desire. and frankly, it terrifies me that i don't. why would i rather watch a netflix movie or contemplate how i could best change my room around to better use the space than follow a dream? because it takes effort? boy, that's a sad excuse and it makes me angry.

i don't know the answer. just something i needed to get off my chest. i pray for passion and desire. i pray for anything.

it's raining outside right now. i'm going for a walk.

got injustice?

boy, do i have the answer for you.

i usually avoid daytime television, but given that wimbledon coverage has been split this week by ESPN and NBC, i have watched my share of local commercials geared at the downtrodden and hopeless.

every city has the shady lawyer who hocks through 30 second spots during all my children and passions. the commercials consist of some sort of dramatization of an injury or other wrong and then the lawyer pipes in with the answer to all our problems.

in boston, we are blessed to rely on the legal stylings of barry feinstein and jim sokolove. while, i would love to discuss feinstein's faux-law & order-type commercials (next time, brooke), i will concentrate instead on sokolove's newest set of ads.

each spot (there are at least 20 at last count, usually airing in pairs) consists of a "dramatization" of an injured party. a close-up on their face, with a black backgound. and the pleading begins:

"my baby was born without a head. it was the doctor's fault. now thanks to jim sokolove, i have the money i deserve." *

or

"they sent me home from the emergency room after a heart attack. jim sokolove hunted down the doctor and killed him. and then got me some money." *

or some variation of that theme.

they all end with uncle jim himself reassuring the viewer.

"i'm jim sokolove. when doctors make mistakes, i make them pay."



i say all of this because this morning i stubbed my toe. it was unfair...and someone is going to pay. jim, expect a call soon. and thank you for caring about the little guy.



*- testimonials MAY have been embellished slightly for comedic purposes. but just slightly.