October 2005 Archives

For anybody who has never participated in NaNoWriMo, but is interested in trying it this year, here is a quick checklist of what you will need to complete the 50,000-word marathon in November:

• Coffee
• Skittles
• An MP3 player (loaded with songs) or your own personal rock band
• Every waking moment At least an hour a day
• A computer or laptop with a working spacebar and at least one functioning letter key
• A comfortable chair, but not so comfortable as to cause sleepiness
• Ten fingers (one minimum)
• One brain (half minimum)

It's Monday morning and I'm on the northbound train to work. Today is also Halloween, but nobody onboard is wearing a costume. I would be disappointed, but since I'm not wearing a costume either, I suppose I have no right to be.

Of course, I'm not completely lacking Halloween spirit. Last night, I bought a couple bags of Skittles fun packs to hand out tonight. I hope to get home before all the children finish their rounds so that I can see what is hip and fashionable in the world of kids' costumes. If I miss the crowd, I guess that will mean more Skittles for me. (Note to self: Skip the train and walk home.)

I also bought a plastic pumpkin bucket to hold the candy because it was a whole dollar cheaper than a plastic candy bowl. Now, you're probably thinking, "Holy smokes, he's a stingy one for buying a bucket instead of a legitimate bowl!" But I beg to disagree. I'm merely being cost-conscious about the candy container. If I were stingy, I would get home early, trick or treat through the neighborhood with my pumpkin bucket and then pass out the candy I collected, keeping the Skittles for myself.

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Besides being Monday and Halloween, this is NaNoWriMo Eve. Writers around the world are eagerly awaiting the stroke of midnight to begin writing or procrastinating. Since I'll be soundly asleep at midnight, go ahead and include me in the latter group. If anybody happens to know what my novel will be about this year, please tell me. The sooner I find out, the sooner I can start procrastinating.

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I'm currently sitting on the sunny side of the train. Usually, it would be dark outside, but falling back an hour gave the sun a sixty-minute head start today. I can feel its warmth through the window. With the train also heated, it feels comfortable here. Happiness is a toasty train on a cold October morning.

Song on my mind... "Don't Talk" by The Beach Boys

I can hear so much in your sighs
And I can see so much in your eyes
There are words we both could say
But don't talk, put your head on my shoulder

Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and let me hear your heart beat

Being here with you feels so right
We could live forever tonight
Lets not think about tomorrow
And don't talk put your head on my shoulder

Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and listen to my heart beat
Listen, listen, listen

I thought I'd share a few of the photos of the Merced River I took when we visited Yosemite last month. The water level was so low in spots that we were able to walk out to the middle of the river. While standing there, I thought about what I would do if all the water that was supposed to be there suddenly came rushing back in. I envisioned a wave similar to the one Arwen summoned in Fellowship of the Ring (in the movie, not the book) to wash away the pursuing Dark Riders, watery horses and all. I wondered what I'd do and the answer seemed pretty clear. I'd say something profound (like "Good golly!"), attempt to run, trip over a rock and drown. Given the recent rise in deaths caused by elf-invoked waves, I consider myself lucky to have taken these shots and survived.

I saw my first Christmas tree of the year on Monday. It was in the window display of a store I passed while getting on the freeway in south San Jose. The tree was an unnatural shade of blue, as though somebody had wrapped the light strings around it too tightly and had cut off its air supply. I suspect the malls and early bird houses will begin their seasonal decorating this weekend.

I finally finished reading Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, the first book in his series of naval adventures featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. The historical setting and the camaraderie of the two main characters drew me into the story. Aubrey is unsophisticated and a man of action. Maturin is refined and a man of science. It would seem they would never get along, but through their mutual love of music and adventure, they quickly become friends. The book took longer than expected to read, not due to poor writing, but due to my own ignorance of nautical terminology. I constantly found myself wanting a dictionary and a diagram of a ship to know what and where things like the fo'c's'le, mizzen topsail and fore topmast studding sail were.

After an agonizing fourteen innings and five hours of play, the White Sox defeated the Astros last night. Houston has lost the first three games of the World Series, which means it could all be over tonight. It's almost a given that Chicago will clinch it, but it would be nice if Houston won just one game, if for no other reason than to avoid the sweep.

Today, I noticed Richard Bangs Adventures: Expedition Eiger on Yahoo!, which follows John Harlin III's attempt to ascend the Eigernordwand, one of the world's most difficult mountain climbs. What makes the quest compelling is the fact that Harlin's father, John Harlin II, a famous mountaineer, was killed attempting to climb the very same mountain nearly forty years ago. The whole expedition strikes me as an adventure National Geographic would typically sponsor and report, which is why I'm surprised that Yahoo! (in cooperation with MacGillivray Freeman Films) is providing the daily coverage.

Last night, I ate a quick dinner at the new Pita Pit in downtown San Jose. It's located on Second Street, in the Pavilion building, between Quiznos Subs and the recently opened (and deserted) Lollicup. It fronts the busier side of the Pavilion and shares the same block as Camera 12, Starbucks and House of Siam.

I tried a roast beef pita with lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, alfalfa sprouts, pickles, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce. I said barbecue sauce without really considering how it all might taste together. That thought only crossed my mind as I was taking my first bite. Thankfully, Saint Pita was watching over me. The pita tasted just fine.

Overall, the price was reasonable and the service was fast and friendly. The place was clean and had a continuous flow of customers, which was nice to see (busy, but not crowded is good) and was one of the reasons why I decided to try it. The other reasons were hunger and, of course, random curiosity. With the light rail traffic, surrounding office buildings and the university nearby, I think The Pita Pit will do well.

As for Lollicup, which was empty except for the bored employee behind the register, it faces stiff competition from Cafe Boba and Lee's Sandwiches, both located only a block away. By the first of the year, I predict it either will reduce its hours (it's currently open until 11 p.m. on weeknights) or will go out of business.

Song on my mind... "To Make You Feel My Love" by Billy Joel

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

There are days when I wallow in the waters of self-pity that have flooded the basement of my mind. On such days, I'm thankful for songs that help drain the negative feelings, that act as a musical sump pump so I can deal with the source of the emotions and try to repair the damage. Music only provides a temporary relief, but it's a welcome relief.

Thanks to the pitching of Roy Oswalt, the Astros are advancing to the World Series. On Wednesday night, he kept the Cardinals to just one run as Houston went on to beat St. Louis by a score of 5-1.

That means that tomorrow's showdown will feature a team that has never been to the World Series (Houston) and a team that hasn't won the World Series since 1917 (Chicago). If nothing else, this year's Fall Classic will be historically satisfying.

I'm rooting for the Astros, partly because of my natural leaning towards the National League, but mostly because of Biggio and Bagwell. I know I'm repeating myself, but to me, they symbolize loyalty, something I wish the sport would value more.

In the ninth inning, a television camera caught their reaction as they watched the game from the dugout. As soon as the team won, the two long-time friends and teammates gave each other a look that seemed to say finally, we made it and then hug. It was a small, but satisfying moment. I hope they win it all this year.

For a team like the Chicago White Sox, a late-inning, one-run deficit is a minor obstacle, a narrow ditch. For teams like the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals, teams that have struggled to score throughout this NLCS, a one-run deficit is a vast canyon.

So last night, when Houston trailed St. Louis by a run entering the bottom of the seventh inning, I had already accepted the fact they were going to lose. When it isn't your team in these high stakes, high stress games, it's easier and much less emotionally draining to give up on them early.

Even when two men reached base with only one out, I was still at peace. I had seen the Astros develop the same promising situation in the first, second and fourth innings and only produce one run from it all, so I wasn't impressed.

I was calm in my resignation until Lance Berkman's bat made contact with the ball. If events had gone the way I assumed they would, the ball would have reached the shortstop's glove in two hops and Berkman would have been on the backend of an inning-ending double play. Instead, he belted a three-run home run.

That changed everything. It not only gave the Astros the lead, but it also rekindled my hopes for Houston. With the Cardinals behind by two runs, I was certain Houston would clinch the series. How could St. Louis possibly overcome two whole canyons?

I asked that question when Brad "Lights Out" Lidge was on the mound facing David Eckstein with two outs (consecutive strikeouts) in the top of the ninth. I asked the same question when he faced Jim Edmonds after Eckstein singled to left and stole second base uncontested. And I asked it a third time when Albert Pujols stepped to the plate after Lidge walked Edmonds.

Pujols got sick of the stupid question and replied with a three-run homer that had enough distance on it to cross two canyons and half the state of Texas. The ball hit the wall of the Astrodome with such force that stadium officials should have an engineer inspect it for structural damage. Lidge managed to strike out Reggie Sanders, the next man he faced, but it was already too late. Pujols put St. Louis ahead to stay. The final score was St. Louis 5, Houston 4.

Lidge was just one strike away from sending his team to their first World Series in franchise history. Now he and the rest of the Astros will have to sweat it out tomorrow night in Game 6, back in St. Louis, for any hope of a championship. So much for lights out.

The last book I read: The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
The book I'm reading: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
The next book I'll read: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

Like Halloween and Christmas, people have started celebrating NaNoWriMo earlier every year. November is still two weeks away, but I've already seen houses in the neighborhood with NaNo decorations up.

One house had strings of lighted typewriters framing its windows and a seasonal flag that read, "I'll Sleep in December". As usual, the neighbor across the street had to do one better. On their lawn, they had an eight-foot inflatable snowman typing on a laptop. When they turn off the fan, the snowman collapses in a giant heap the same way your typical NaNo participant does after a lengthy writing session.

Which reminds me, if you happen to see a poor soul sprawled on the front lawn with a PowerBook laying nearby, be kind and help him or her to the front door. If he or she can't be roused, gently drag the exhausted writer off the grass before the sprinklers come on. If all else fails, at least save the PowerBook. Trust me, the drenched novelist will be eternally grateful to you for rescuing his or her word count hard work.

The most inspiring NaNoWriMo display I've seen so far was the house with the traditional Joshua tree in the front window. Tiny note cards with character sketches and story ideas hung from its branches. A small sprinting figure carrying a large pencil stood atop its highest branch. On the front door, an antique, copper word meter rested in the center of an autumn wreath. Candlelight flickered through the flaming typewriter pattern carved into a pumpkin on the front porch.

I was staring at the beauty of it all when I noticed the sound of a piano coming from the house. I took a few steps towards the porch to listen more closely and heard children performing the rarely sung NaNo carol, "No Plot? No Problem!" It begins:

If your story makes no sense,
That's no reason to feel tense.
If your narrative's a mess,
Keep on writing, don't obsess.

No plot? No problem!
No plot?! No problem!!

I don't remember the rest of the lyrics, but my favorite verse is the one that has to do with character development and camels. That aside, seeing all of the excitement building around the annual writing event has lifted my spirits. This will be my third time participating in NaNoWriMo and I'm looking forward to seeing what this year's cornucopia of words has in store.

August 15, 2002

Yesterday, three blocks of housing in the Smoggy Heights district were condemned to make way for the new Beantown Green.

The Green is part of Mayor D.C. Stone's attempt to create a buffer between the town's quiet residential neighborhoods and its noisier industrial sector.

"In our eagerness to meet the demand of developers, we surrendered our town's precious open space. We never intended for smokestacks and swing sets to be so close together. Today, we mean to right that wrong. True, a thousand residents will be displaced, but with the development of high density housing in the wealthier Blue Sky District, I promise that they'll have new homes next month or my name isn't Daniel Cedric Stone."

Within hours of the mayor's announcement, residents were evacuated and demolition of the tenements began.

August 15, 2005

Yesterday, in a shocking reversal of Mayor D.C. Stone's environmental policy, the Beantown Green, established three years ago, was cleared to make way for the Smoggy Heights Shopping District.

"Our citizens need places to shop. Everytime a Beanie buys products from neighboring communities, Beantown suffers. And while trees offer plenty in the way of beauty and shade, they offer little in the way of boutiques and sales tax revenues. True, many trees will be displaced, but with the development of the Beantown Greenlet in the Blue Sky District, I promise that a percentage will be replanted or my name isn't Daniel Cedric Stone."

Within hours of the mayor's announcement, trees were uprooted and construction of the strip malls began.

October 12, 2005

After a two-month investigation, local reporters discovered records revealing that Mayor Stone's given name isn't actually Daniel Cedric, but is in fact Dolphin Charisma. Contrary to his published biography, he was not born and raised in Beantown, but was born in a lime green VW Van and raised in a commune on the outskirts of Berkeley, California.

A new investigation has begun to learn the exact whereabouts of the relocated residents and trees of Smoggy Heights.

This was inspired by actual simulated events that occurred during last night's SimCity 4 session.

This weekend, I

> saw highlights of the lengthy struggle between Houston and Atlanta. It ended with the Astros beating the Braves in the 18th inning. They will face St. Louis in the NLCS (National League Championship Series).

It's the matchup I wanted to see. My gut believes St. Louis will win, but the rest of me secretly hopes Houston will make it. I've always had a soft spot for the Astros. They were the visiting team against the Giants in the first major league game I ever attended. I remember Nolan Ryan started for Houston.

I'm also a fan of Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Until this season, the two were mainstays at the top of the Astros lineup. Both have also played for the same team their entire careers (Biggio since 1988, Bagwell since 1991), a rarity that is becoming ever more rare these days.

> watched the Angels clinch their series from the Yankees. I'm happy for three reasons. First, it's always fun to watch the Evil Empire fail despite Steinbrenner's millions. Second, it helped alleviate some of the disappointment of the White Sox sweeping the Red Sox. And third, New York's defeat made Joe Buck and Tim McCarver eat humble pie. Those two Fox broadcasters drive me insane.

Now that it's between Chicago and Los Angeles, I'm rooting for the White Sox. And just in case somebody is thinking I have a grudge against the Angels because they beat the Giants in the 2002 World Series. I don't. I have a grudge against them because of their thunder sticks and crazy rally monkey.

> saw Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and loved it. It's hard to believe that stop-motion characters can look so alive. Nick Park is a master with Plasticine. The movie had an abundance of action, humor and rabbits. The scene where Wallace and Gromit catch rabbits on Lady Tottington's estate with the Bun-Vac 6000 is classic. I also got a kick out of the scene where Gromit flipped on the radio and heard part of a Simon and Garfunkel's tune, a random reference to a less cheery movie also involving rabbits.

> rediscovered SimCity 4. It's probably unhealthy to have this much fun planning a city, but I can't help it. It certainly beats playing violent games.

Currently, I'm attempting to improve the standard of living for the citizens of Beantown, a town of 12,000 simulated souls. The most pressing problem is the pollution. One solution is to create open spaces like parks or forests, but so far, I haven't been so successful. For somebody who loves open spaces, I have had a difficult time resisting the urge to zone every available square of land. This evening, I'll have to be strong and decide which developed areas I'm going to demolish and clear to create the Beantown Green, the first step in an effort to bring breathable air back to the people.

> finally cleaned a room I swore I would clean for the last 91 years. I had been meaning to do it for so long that it actually appeared on my to do list decades before I was born.

Bright eyes
Burning like fire
Bright eyes
How can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes

Three weeks ago, a l tagged me with a meme. It looked innocent enough, at first, but once I got into it, I found myself getting stuck repeatedly. Every other day or so, I would take a stab at it between reading and writing other entries. Don't get me wrong. I had fun. It was just well-paced fun. You are most welcome to try it yourself. I can almost guarantee that your answers will be more entertaining than mine.

7 things that scare me:

1. sudden, loud sneezes
2. the alarm clock in the morning
3. some of the things I see and read in the news
4. books thicker than a brick with fonts smaller than should legally be allowed
5. people on the bus, especially those that openly talk about how they were just in jail for knifing somebody
6. clowns
7. my reflection (seeing myself in the mirror is the visual equivalent of someone jumping out from behind a couch and yelling, "Boo!")

7 things that I like most:

1. a good story
2. a good laugh
3. a good hike
4. a good cup of coffee
5. a good tune
6. a good baseball game
7. a peaceful night of sleep

(I don't know if I like these things the most, I just know I like them.) 7 important things in my room:

1. bed
2. pillow
3. blanket
4. curtains (to keep out the light)
5. alarm clock
6. television (in case the alarm clock fails)
7. door (for easy access to the other six important things)

7 random facts about me:

1. I started drinking coffee during my third year of college
2. Dimes are my favorite coin
3. I find it easiest to work and write with instrumental music (classical, surf and trance) playing in the background
4. I've worn glasses since I was nine
5. If I like a piece of clothing, I will wear it until it falls apart from too many washings
6. Growing up, I never dressed as a ghost for Halloween. I think it was because we didn't own any plain white sheets and I would have been too embarrassed to be draped in Peanuts print
7. If I had to choose a favorite spot in Disneyland, I would pick the lakefront near the Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland

7 things I plan to do before I die:

1. visit England
2. visit the Statue of Liberty and the Baseball Hall of Fame
3. visit as many national parks as possible
4. have a midlife crisis that doesn't involve a sports car
5. learn how to make great espresso
6. see Brian Wilson in concert
7. finish this meme

7 things I can do:

1. listen to the same song over and over again tirelessly (presently, it's "God Only Knows")
2. eat a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting
3. read in most moving vehicles (without moving my lips)
4. fall asleep almost anywhere
5. wander through bookstores, REI and Target for hours without growing bored
6. get myself easily turned around on clearly marked trails
7. sit for an unhealthy amount of time trying to think of a seventh thing I can do when I'm pretty sure I'm capable of doing lots of things

7 things I can't do:

1. burp the alphabet
2. be a telemarketer (at least not a successful one)
3. speak Klingon
4. run a marathon (yet)
5. wear velour (it's more won't than can't)
6. spell occasionally without saying, "one s," to myself first
7. whistle loudly

7 things I say the most:

1. "Um."
2. "Nice!"
3. "Huh?"
4. "What?"
5. "What the -?!" (with variations of - being heck, hey and hooey)
6. "Dude."
7. "Good golly!"

(Obviously, I'm the master of sophisticated exclamations.) 7 Celebrity Crushes:

1. Sandra Bullock
2. Sela Ward
3. Lisa Loeb
4. Ashley Judd
5. Kate Beckinsale
6. Audrey Tautou
7. Rachael Leigh Cook

The following is practice for NaNoWriMo, which begins in twenty-six days.

The sun rose over the sea of skyscrapers and gave the smog an attractive tint. The wind picked up and caused litter cyclones. In an unusual convergence of corporate, municipal and natural forces, a fast food chain paid the city to sponsor the swirling trash at its busiest intersections.

On a particularly gusty corner, a pair of legs, clothed in oversized cargo pants (with precise rips), trudged through a tornado of chicken sandwich boxes and large soda cups. The legs belonged to Lenny, who, once he removed the cheeseburger wrapper (and cheese) from his face, looked far from loving it.

He rushed, in a leisurely sort of way, into one of the high rise buildings. With determination, he casually strolled through the lobby, past the empty security desk, to the elevators and pressed the call button. In two heartbeats, a bell chimed and one of the elevators opened. Lenny stepped in and pulled a post-it note and red pen from one of his baggy pockets.

This morning, he was dressed sloppily, as he was every morning. His coworkers attributed his appearance to laziness, but he knew better. He had to wake an hour early to look like he just woke up. His shoes were untied and his hair was uncombed. More accurately, his hair appeared uncombed. In truth, it took hairspray and enough saliva to lick thirty envelopes to make the cowlicks stay. He took great care not to shave and made sure to leave most of his shirt untucked. A deliberately hastily made peanut butter sandwich threatened to escape from his strategically unzipped backpack. Were one to notice his unusual attention to carelessness, one would have known Lenny's true nature. He was anally apathetic.

He pressed the button for Floor 108 and tried his best to slouch properly. He glanced at his reflection in the silver elevator wall and gave himself a disapproving look. He shook himself to loosen his muscles and tried again. After two more shakes, he felt sufficiently slouchy. As the elevator began its ascent, he eagerly practiced an expression of sheer boredom.

The elevator chimed at the second floor, the doors opened and another man entered. He was in his early thirties, nearly the same age as Lenny, but was clean-shaven and had slicked back, saliva-free hair. He carried a briefcase and was primly dressed in a pressed blue pinstripe suit. His tie had tiny elephants and donkeys on it. The animals were shown in various positions that suggested the owner of the tie wasn't a fan of a certain two-party system. He nodded at Lenny and pulled a red pen and post-it note from his jacket pocket.

"Lenny."

"George."

"Ready?"

"Ready."

They leaned against the sides of the car with pens poised over their post-it notes. The doors closed and the elevator accelerated upward. As people entered and pressed buttons, both men glanced at the lighted button, intently scanned their scraps of paper, and occasionally made marks.

As the car climbed, the tension between the two seemed to mount. George looked grim while Lenny aggressively tried to appear unaffected.

At the 94th floor, a senior executive entered. Lenny recognized the man, shifted and assumed his game face. George glanced at Lenny and immediately knew something was up. It was never a good sign or a comfortable sight to see Lenny manage an expression of nervous boredom. He knew Lenny was close, but he was close, too. It all depended on what the man did next.

They watched with anticipation as the executive's finger zeroed in on a button. 98? 101? 104? The finger hovered over 104 for a second and Lenny let slip a squeak.

Then the man pressed 103. Lenny gaped, but quickly covered his shock by gaping nonchalantly.

George scanned his post-it note feverishly. With a shout, he marked it and waved it wildly in the air.

"Bingo!"

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar." – Wash, the pilot (played by Alan Tudyk), attempting to navigate Serenity to safety, pursued by relentless Reavers, through the onslaught of Alliance ships.

I saw Serenity on Sunday and enjoyed it immensely. The film picked up where the series left off, but I think Joss Whedon did an adequate job of reintroducing the background and characters, enough to bring newcomers up to speed on the key points. My greatest fear was that it would feel like I was paying $6.50 to see a television show. Admittedly, the first part felt more suitable for the small screen than the big screen, but I think that's only because I was familiar with the series.

Actually, when Firefly was on television, I sometimes felt like I was watching a film. Part of it had to do with the special effects and part of it had to do with the set design. Whedon and his crew built both levels of Serenity in their entirety. That doesn't seem like much, but it allowed for camera angles that put me in mind of a movie. The camera could also travel the length of the ship without having to cut away, which was a nice touch.

The movie featured the entire original cast. I was happy about that because one of Firefly's strengths was its ensemble. If some of them had been missing, it would have undermined the sense of family, one of the major themes of the show and movie.

One of my other fears was that the movie would try too hard to be funny, characters becoming caricatures of themselves. That didn't happen. There were plenty of one-liners and sarcastic remarks, but they were one-liners and remarks the characters would normally make. There was also some great physical humor, in as much as fight scenes can contain physical humor. Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Malcolm Reynolds, has a way of taking a punch that makes me both cringe and laugh at the same time (an odd sight to see in itself).

Given the medium, Whedon had more freedom to do what he wanted with the story and characters. In most television shows, primary characters have an invisible safety net that protects them from irreparable harm. If a regular is shot, he or she makes a full recovery by the next episode. The safety net reduces the sense of real danger. Extras and guest stars are poor substitutes for the characters that viewers know and love.

With two twists, one I saw coming and one that blindsided me, Whedon ripped away the net and put his characters in real peril. By doing that, I think the emotions his characters expressed - fear, desperation, anger and resolve - felt more real.

Compared to other shows made into movies – I'm thinking primarily of Star Trek – Serenity is one of the best I've seen. In fact, the movie was so good, it might very well be one of the best I've seen this year. With the way it ended, I have mixed feelings about a possible sequel. I would love to see the story continue, but at the same time, I would be quite satisfied if this were the end. In either case, I'm looking forward to the DVD release. I would see it in the theater again, but I'm saving my next $6.50 for Wallace and Gromit.