The Tao of Zen Nihilism
Mr. L
John, what would it take to get you to help us out here?
Me
(thinks for a moment)
Health insurance. Full autonomy. Ownership of my IP. Pay me triple my current salary. And all in writing.
Mr. L
(without knowing my current salary and without missing a beat)
Done. I’ll have the papers drawn up this week.
(extending his hand)
Anything else?
I may not end up voting for any Democrat or Republican, but here’s one of the many reasons I didn’t vote for Bill and I won’t vote for Hillary.
Not because of the issue, but because of the blatant lying.
Thanks to nikchick for the headsup.
I try to spend an hour a day practicing. I have a little mp3 player I plug into my ears and an hour later, I’m sore, happy and need a shower. Here’s the track list:
1) Don’t Walk Away (ELO)
2) Last in Line (Dio)
3) The Prickly Bush (Steele Eye Span)
4) Teenagers (My Chemical Romance)
5) Hey Hey What Can I Do? (Led Zeppelin)
6) You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Meat Loaf)
7) Nobody Again (The Awful Lot)
8) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
9) Dear God (Sarah McLachlan)
10) Kick Out the Jams (MC5)
11) Something for Nothing (Rush)
I like ending with that last song for a lot of reasons. I can barely keep up with Peart’s basic patterns–let alone his absurd fills–but just trying pushes my abilities to the limit. And the lyrics are great way to end a hard rehearsal.
You don’t get something for nothing
You can’t have freedom for free
You won’t get wise with the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dream might be
Damn, I wish they’d play that live.
So, here’s some Rush, mixed with some Full Metal Alchemist, for your listening pleasure.
My buddy Matt Colville is keeping a journal over at www.squaremans.com.
Matt says a lot of smart things, has keen insight and is a damn fine essayist. He also infected me with the “mans meme.” (For which, I am eternally grateful.) You should check him out.
In lieu of the Wesboro Baptist Church announcing their demonstration outside Heath Ledger’s funeral, I thought I should make something clear.
He’s right. God hates fags. Says so right in the God Book. You can check it out here.
If JHVH/Christ is your God and the Bible is His Word, you can’t ignore some of His Word. You’ve got to follow all of it. Cherry picking the good parts and ditching the parts you don’t like? That’s not kosher.
It’s God. He doesn’t misspeak. He doesn’t make mistakes. Everything is intentional.
Again: if you are a Christian (don’t matter what flavor) or a Jew (again, don’t matter what flavor), the Bible is the WORD OF GOD. Otherwise, it’s just a book of ideas written in the Bronze Age by humans who were makin’ shit up.
And if you believe that, you belong on this side of the fence. Otherwise, you’re standing on the same side as this guy:
Is there a Mekhet Bloodline that has Dominate as the extra Discipline?
And, as a bonus question, is it cool? Or do I have to make one up myself?
Starting Feb 1, I will begin writing the Houses of the Blooded novel.
I’ll be drawing inspiration from all three of the popular forms–pillow book, opera, and theater–to create something… very different. This will not be your typical fantasy novel.
The book will have an Overture and four Acts; structured like an opera rather than a novel. Choruses, stanzas, the whole lot. I’ll be using the Seven Fools and the Servant characters. Part of ven opera is guessing which characters fill those iconic roles. Is Lady Shara playing The Rake or the Swordsman? Clues for both answers until the truth is revealed. And once you know the truth, you know how it will all end.
Planning from now until February 1, then I start writing. The goal will be 3,000 words a day for thirty days (official last day of writing will be March 1), giving me 90,000 words. A good chunk.
I’m also using Stanley Kubrick’s Non-Submersible Units to outline the book, Elmore Leonard’s Hooptedoodle for the voice and Chuck Palaniuk’s egg timer to keep me writing.
I’ll keep you updated as we go.
Ten more days. I’ve got most of it plotted. Just a matter of cleaning up the outline before we begin. And having someone out there waiting for the words keeps me honest.
I’ll probably fall behind. I’m counting on that. But a stated, public goal reminds me of what Harlan Ellison said about the secret of great writing.
“Keep writing!”
Given that I’m really not looking for a relationship right now (I’m too busy), my results were… interesting.
I found myself not liking the answers and compromising for the answer that was better than the other one but still did not fit.
Fans of Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love are in for a surprise.
PT Anderson has been possessed by the ghost of Stanley Kubrick, and the results are finer than either director could hope for.