Wendago

Welcome to October. It’s a good month for anyone working in the horror industry because it means old scary flicks will see a boost in rentals and purchases and tv time. It also promises much candy for anyone willing to yank a trick or treating pumpkin from the hands of a frightened ten-year-old.

Mel and I took part in “Corpse Bride” but quickly lost interest and ended up at Starbucks. It happens. Not often but it happens. Perhaps the movie is great and we just weren’t in the mood. Perhaps the movie was dull and we had better things to do.

Elliot, a local Librarian, Allen, a teacher slash literary agent, Mel and myself took the walking tour of the neighborhood and ended up at the ocean.
I’m told I’m a water person due to my affiliation with the guild of Scorpio but I’ve never given it much thought. However, now that I find water a nearly daily part of my life I’m digging it.

I am not, however, a bird poop person but it seems oceans and birds go hand in hand. For every heads there is a tails I suppose. As the High Council of Positive Mental Attitude I’m trying to be more negative…for purposes of balance.

I am a fan of good food, atmosphere and large quantities of booze. Not necessarily in that order.
Well, perhaps “large quantities” isn’t the term I’m looking for. I can recall many years ago spending several hours in the bathroom of a strip club hurling constantly into the nastiest toilet on the planet. I think I’d still be there had my buddies not taken me away.
So let’s go with the idea of High Qualities of booze.

I’m also a fan of fascinating women. Obviously one in particular.

She scored a “Passionate Lover” on this very scientific measuring system. I, of course, scored two phases higher with “Uncontrollable” which just goes to show you how accurate this clearly NASA designed equipment is.

So currently I’m spending my time split between two worlds. The World of Los Angeles and the World of Anywhere Else. I could, of course, buy an overly priced home in the greater Los Angeles area and settle down like everyone else but I’ve never been one to follow the most popular path. Besides, if everything goes as planned (and my evil schemes come to fruition) the city of the Angels will be at the bottom of the ocean by 2012.
But currently I drive back and forth.

Which, of course, allows me the pleasure of waking up and looking out my kitchen window to see the Los Angeles/Ventura County fires burning their way towards my High Def TV, Alienware computer and expensive art work. Perfect.

You basically got two choices, you can run or you can keep your fingers crossed and try to get your work done. I crossed fingers and tried to get work done. I knew I was in the wrong headspace. I knew I should have postponed…but I didn’t. And in the process gave one of the dullest pitches of my life…which they loved and will be partnering with me for even more pitches. Which just goes to show you, “It don’t freaking matter.”
After hearing our neighborhood on the evacuation list we started gathering our junk and filling the Explorer…only to later learn that there are two forms of evac.
Voluntary and Mandatory. We were still at Voluntary and fortunately for us the Fire Boys and Girls stopped the flames at Westlake Blvd and we were able to stay. Much luckier than the Loreys who ended up on the mandatory list which had them startled awake at 4 AM by loud speakers telling them to run.
We, however, stayed.

But why would ya want to? I like “Lord of the Rings” as much if not more than the next guy, but who wants Mordor in their back yard?
So, we reloaded the Explorer and pointed the grill North.

So let’s talk about Butterflies.

Now my understanding is that they are born on the Peninsula we call our second home and from there they fly North to Alaska. Now we’re two hours south of San Fransisco. I gotta think I run faster than your standard Butterfly (considering wind speed and solar flares, of course) but it would still be one heck of a trek.

But, to each his own. So these Butterflies, they fly their little butts all the way to Alaska where they hang out, do some ice hockey and make fun of the Canadian tourists.

At some point they get cold. We are talking Alaska after all. This is a place where spit freezes before it hits the ground and if you spit hard enough you can put out a fella’s eye. So, anyway, they get cold and they say to one another, “You cold? I’m freaking cold. Let’s go back now.”

So they start their long flight back to the small peninsula that I like to call my second home.

Many don’t make the trip due to 70 mph windshields and the great feathered descendants of dinosaurs hungry for a colorful snack.

But eventually they find their way back home, to the tiny peninsula I like to call my second home, and it is here that they throw down and get all dirty girl so they that the little baby butterflies will be born and the whole process can start all over again.

And in celebration of this great journey the wee humans living on the peninsula I like to call my second home throw a big parade.

Thus any day now the little Butterflies should be arriving. I’m told the numbers always vary. Some years will find only a few making the final trip other years produce thousands.
And, of course, killing a butterfly in these parts is a hangin’ offense.

After the parade the tourists stand around looking dull and wondering if that’s it while the locals fall in behind the parade and make their way up to the school where baked tatters and…

…nachos are to be had in abundance.

And if one desires you can buy and wear assorted butterfly wings or paint your head.
Oh. And on the work front. I got a new gig. I’ll be writing the feature film version of a survival horror video game but I should wait for the story to hit the trades before I go into any details.

I understand there’s this overwhelming feeling that all things plastic will destroy the planet but thanks to Pen and Teller, I no longer believe in recycling…well tin cans are still good. But come on, how can you not love Red plastic cups? Drink, Dump, Repeat. Nuff said.

It’s raining at the moment and the thunder woke me. I took this pic earlier as the dark clouds rolled in bringing with them lightning, thunder and wet deck furniture. It made me think of “Thunder” this fantastic script Dean Lorey and I wrote together which is now sitting on a shelf because those who make movies are presently scared to death of anything not based on a book, comic, video game, TV show or previously made film.
In all honesty, I’m not that worried. It’ll get made. It’s too good. The boneheads driving the boat through this silly business are currently navigating through the Islands of Previously Made Material but eventually they’ll circle back up through the Coast of Originality.
Currently you got one of two options as a writer. You can build a fire, drink coconut juice and wait it out or you can carve a canoe and paddle south toward the islands.
Me you ask? I’m writing comics, video games and have recently started contract negotiations to write a film based on a successful video game. Next week I start pitching a Ghost Story based on book inspired by a true story. I’m paddling.

Couple months back Mel and I visited the Redwoods. Big suckers. Mel and I have been spending alot of time together lately. Yeah, we were separated. After eleven years we’d decided to call it quits. Although we’ve succeeded at just about everything we’ve tried over the years, we failed miserably at separating. We really did try. Thought we’d both be happier. But we were both miserable. Took us a while to figure that out though. I chalk it up to ego and boneheadedness but I’m sure the list is long and complex. In the end, staying apart simply wasn’t fair to each other and certainly not to those we tried to date. Not to mention I was slowly going insane.
But live and learn. We came out on the other side stronger than we could ever imagine. We learned about each other and learned a thing or two about true friendship. It’s easy to have friends through the good times…but those who stick with you through the darkest times? Well, words just don’t describe.
Dean, you’re a better friend than either of us deserve.

The simple fact is, I love my wife and nothing’s ever going to change that.

Bugsy has now taken possession of the Bean Bag. I’d like to say I will one day get it back but the outlook ain’t so good.

He’s also started writing. Well, says he wants to write. If I had a dime for every time I’ve caught him passed out at the computer…

I mentioned comic books before. Not only are films based on comics a hot item in the city of the Angels…well comics are just plain fun. My dad gave me a box of coins he’d collected as a kid and although I still have them and will pass them on to my lil’ Farmer one day I started collecting comics. No offense, pop, but comics are a bit more fun. And I’ll also have a few comics to pass down in which my little brain helped create. So, I’m still working with the very cool, Steve Niles.

And our partner in crime, Actor Tom Jane…whose wife just won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in A Drama Series. We watched the premiere of Medium last night (gotta love TiVo). It’s a great show.
And speaking of Emmy winners, a buddy of ours, Jim Vallely and the show’s showrunner Mitch Hurwitz won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
I won one of those giant stuffed animals at Six Flags once. For throwing a Styrofoam soft ball into a milk jug. It was a highlight.
Our buddy Dean Lorey is also working on Arrested Development this year so we rewatched season one on DVD and would have watched Season Two in preparation for last night’s premiere had Fox released it. Sigh, the boneheadedness of Hollywood. We’re lucky, we got TiVo. We’ll let this season’s shows collect on the TiVo and on October 10th we’ll grab Season Two and tear through it before starting on this season. I know, it seems silly but it’s an obsessive compulsive thing. But it really is an amazing comedy. I rarely laugh so hard I cry but I have several times while watching Arrested.
Been watching a bunch of new series as they’re popping up. I liked Barely Legal. Threshold won me over on the first night. And Reunion was surprisingly good. Bones was okay but still needs to find itself. I’m sticking with Rome cuz I like blood and nudity. And As for Surface?

I’d rather take a nap. I was disappointed. It seems a bunch of new shows are jumping on the Lost bandwagon. That whole mystery series thing where the answers won’t come anytime soon if ever.

Still spending time between LA and PG. I gotta stay close to LA. I have meetings. I have friends here. But PG is cold and the ocean is clean and it’s quiet and the people are…normal. Nothing against LA…it is what it is. And I ain’t saying I’m normal…far from it but at least I feel normal when I’m there. Not to mention I get three times as much writing done there as good ol’ Mother Angeles.

Not sure what it is about the ocean. I’ve never considered myself an ocean kind of guy but I was clearly wrong. Oh, I got no real desire to get in the ocean…well, I got no desire to pop into a bathing suit and swim in it but I am looking into diving. I’ve never gone diving. And I grow’d up on Van Halen’s Diver Down. It just seems like the right thing to do.
I’m also starting the path that is Brazilian jujitsu. I’m told that of all the Martial Art techniques out there jujitsu is the best for beating up old people and children.

Another great thing about PG is the food and drink. Simply amazing. The freshest fish on the planet. Now granted, all you gotta do is stand near me and I can tell you your temperature due to the plethora of Mercury coursing through my veins but good food is good food.
I really am looking forward to the coming Christmas which will be spent in the PG. Hollywood will shut down for the most part just after Thanksgiving and I plan on rewriting a couple of specs which I can easily do there without the standard big city distractions…distracting me. I’ve also started a brand new spec and I’m currently mapping out another. Yeah, I realize we’re still in the Islands of Previously Made Material but I smell a change coming.

Of course, PG is haunted. As a matter of fact, the script I’m in negotiations on currently takes place in the area. We took this pic while walking back from Monterey one night. Them there glowy things is eyes. And that’s the doorway to a church. We’ve since joked that the glowy eyes belonged to Satan…but that was just a joke. I know the eyes don’t belong to Satan. I’m thinking a lesser demon of some sort.

Seriously. You blame me?

Contrary to overwhelming belief. I am not Superman.

Okay so I missed August. That’s what happens when Love, Work and Insanity all click on the same beat.
The book ZEN SHORTS written by a buddy of mine, Jon Muth, has been nominated for the Quill Awards. Voting ends on September 15th. The book is wonderful so if you haven’t read it, pick up a copy.
Vote for ZEN SHORTS
On the work front…just amazingly busy. Guess it just happens that way sometimes. I tend to be very picky with development projects and rarely have that many on my list to do. But recently I’ve found myself with a big ol’ heavy stack. It’s just that several crossed my path that were worth the extra work effort.
A more detailed update is coming. I always feel guilty blogging away when my list of Things-To-Do is glaring at me.
In closing…when life gets heavy just remember the boys Python hanging on crosses singing about the Bright Side of Life. It makes me grin.

For me, the Con started Thursday night. The plan was to check out a screening in LA and drive down after. But plans changed so I drove down early. I ended up at the Scholastic party. Them’s the fellas what brung us ‘Arry Potter.

I joined Mel and sat in with Allen Spiegel and his band of artistic brothers under a starry night in a rooftop setting.

Sigh. You see, I don’t always do these little journal entries in one sitting. Sometimes I take a break to work, play or even go to the grocery. Have you ever gone to the grocery, bought a couple hundred dollars worth of junk, shoved them into the trunk then drove home where you ended up watching the last hour of Hellboy? Then might clip your toenails, take a nap, write for a few hours, wash some dishes, talk to that moron, Dean, as he drives home from work and then say to yourself, “Hey, I should finish my journal entry.” And as you sit doing your journal entry you remember that your two hundred some odd dollars worth of groceries are still sitting in your trunk. Has that every happened to you?
Yeah, me neither.

So, as Mel waxed poetic with John Muth I gazed around and took in the rooftop setting…

…good friends and the ‘Arry Potter bought and paid for open bar. I had no complaints. It’s times like these in which I feel silly about times in which I allow myself to be overpowered by stress. It was a good night.

By nine-o-clock Friday morning we were in line. A long line. Comicon is not unlike E3 with the addition of tons of strangeness.

Well, strange to the dullishly normal folks out there in the world. To me it was a toy store and I was eleven again.

Or perhaps candy store if that is indeed your poison of choice.

Everywhere you looked there was a cult favorite celebrity signing autographs and/or taking pics. Some were having the time of their lives. Lance here, seemed joyous. Kenny Baker, who has spent several years inside R2D2, Rob Zombie…

…my old buddies Tom and Steve…these guys seemed to be having a blast. They were all embracing that which is Comicon. Heck, even I found myself approached for the assorted picture or autograph…which should be creepy considering I could only be recognized by my severed head. Kind of fun, you know?
Then there were those cult fav celebs who seemed…well…grumpy on the verge of rude. Therefore they do not earn the right to be mentioned or pictures posted. Shame on you.

Friday night we partied with Paul Morrissey and the boys and girls of Tokyopop. With a thumping head, I crawled over to the Con Saturday morning to meet up with several business friends and by that afternoon Mel and I were watching our way through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp. He’s so dreamy.
Still feeling nostalgic about Scholastic paying for our Thursday night booze we grabbed a couple limited editions of the new ‘Arry Potter, Mel took a cab to the airport and I pointed the little blue car north for my end of Comicon 2005.
Saturday night, Sunday and Monday morning found me reading the Half-Blood Prince. Wow. Book five had some wonky moments but she really caught her groove on this one. I highly recommend you read it so we can talk about it.
Last week was a busy week…but lately…every week is a busy week. With visions of our partying with the Tokyopop crowd I hunkered down and finished the project I’m doing with them. I finished a new page for Tom and Steve but as of this weekend I now have a new page to do. Sweet. I’m set to meet with Mike and Mike this week to discuss the Grave’s End plan as well as Unknown Subject and a yet untitled cop project we are set to pitch at Fox. Patrick wrote 13 very strong pages on Mass D before running off to play with Williamson. I made a pass through Past Tense (which still needs to be renamed) and I started work on Boners (which just might need to be renamed). And I gave some real serious thought to starting on a little idea Mr. Lorey came up with a few years ago. SekretAgent sent over a little project they and Depp’s company are looking at and although I’m not certain I have the time I was sparking to the idea and making myself chuckle. That’s always a good sign.

Saturday I bought me a little something and tooled up to Pacific Grove to get a divorce.

Mel and I had a fantastic time together. She picked a beautiful place to live. PG (as the locals call it) is this little chunk of heaven shoved out into the ocean. And the food is amazing. Evidently there’s a culinary school there so we never had a bad meal. I recommend Bubba Gump’s if you ever make the journey.

PG is small enough that you can get away with walking everywhere…as Mel normally does. However, this is not recommended if you are wearing flip-flops as I normally do.

We walked so far my feet are still screaming. We figured it up and it was around 15 miles. But we did take some time to lay naked on a table and let our bodies get some massage love. Which helped.

We crammed as much as you can cram into a Pacific Grove day and I gotta say I dig the place. A little cold…but then…I prefer it a little cold.

That night we ate some excellent cow and then, of course, we walked back to Mel’s place where I crashed like a rock and she played Warcraft.
Monday morning we grabbed a quick breakfast and I was on the road south by 8:30 in the AM. I rolled back in town in time for a meeting with SekretAgent, farmed a few phone calls and was back making the magic before the sun had set.
All in all it’s been a good couple of weeks.
So, in closing, a big shout to cousin Kayla…Get Well Soon.

Spent July 4th in Malibu with a stunning view of the ocean and a bubble machine that briefly went a little nutty.

I became somewhat intimate with this red stuff. I know there’s some fluffy term for the mixture but it slips my mind at the moment. Suffice to say it was strong and turns your pee pink.

But these dead creatures were certainly a highlight. It was always standing room only around the table filled with East Coast Crab. Digging into dead crab is very carnal…very…kill or be killed.

Steve Niles (with wife Nikki) was the ring master behind poking fun at little ol’ me…after cutting my finger on one of the buggers he was quick to point out and laugh that I’d been wounded by a dead thing.

Host, Tom Jane, lived at the table and would win the award for ripping into the most crustaceans, if such an award were to exist. If I recall the story correctly, he and Frank Darabont came up with the idea.

On the surface it would look like a typical Hollywood party. Actors, writers, directors, producers and so forth. But, the truth is, it was simply a circle of friends. And that was the overwhelming feeling. Pictured above, Co-Host, Patricia chatting with Miguel and Chris in the background.

Niles, myself, Bernie Wrightson and Jane gathered for a group pic. And due to the many comic book guys present Comicon was an on-going topic of interest.

Mrs. Wrightson and I exchanged photos displaying the cameras we’d both purchased the day before. The Canon SD400 Elphs. Wonderful little camera. Smaller than my old one and way better than the Fuji I’d returned the day before.
Sadly, I hadn’t charged the battery as I found out later that the little how-to booklet recommended so that was my last pic with the camera.
Fortunately the ol’ Treo 450 has a split personality and can be used to take crappy low res photos in a pinch.

Not the greatest pics but good enough to show Frank Darabont revealing some of his recently acquired Bernie Wrightson artwork, while Niles, Jane and myself Ooh and Ahh.

Every year a neighbor would schedule a barge out on the ocean to shoot legal bombs into the sky as celebration. However, as darkness fell word floated through that the neighbors weren’t doing it this year. so there was a scramble to gather bombs and soon the back yard lit up. And as it turned out the little Treo came through for me again.

Dean, Mel and I started playing a bit more. We made a few loot runs through Dire Maul until the server locked up and we along with Stegan and Pull stood frozen in the above poses for 5 or 10 minutes.

And finally…ordered on May 30th…my couches finally arrived. At least now I have somewhere to sit when I do the TiVo dance.

After logging in one night with no plans of sticking around long I was farting around in Southern Winterspring when I found the entrance to Hyjal. It’s basically a zone that has yet to go live. There’s a trick to sneaking into such zones thus since I was bored and not planning to stay long…I stumbled in.

On the work front I’m currently living in the land of outlines. I hate outlines. Basically because they’re the hardest part. It’s during the outline or treatment that you really figure out the story. So, it’s work. Not a fan of work. I actually love the first draft. I love sitting down to create the world (having already worked out the details). The glory that comes when your characters and situations sometimes spin and take you somewhere unexpected. This is why I’m here. It’s why I don’t drive nails anymore.

The goal was to get all of the quote unquote comic book stuff I’d been working on finished or at least caught up by this week’s Comicon. And for the most part I’ve done that. I still have some details left to work out on one more project.

Patrick and family have returned from their European vacation. He and I met last week to discuss a couple of projects we’d put on hold due to others screaming more loudly. And this is a good thing. Sometimes it’s just nice to work with a buddy rather than always trudge through creation alone.

Patrick sent me some prayers. Don’t know who wrote them so whoever you are…you made me chuckle.
FEMALE PRAYER
Before I lay me down to sleep,
I pray for a man, who’s not a creep,
One who’s handsome, smart and strong,
One who loves to listen long,
One who thinks before he speaks,
One who’ll call, not wait for weeks.
I pray he’s gainfully employed,
When I spend his cash, won’t be annoyed.
Pulls out my chair and opens my door,
Massages my back and begs to do more.
Oh! Send me a man who’ll make love to my mind,
Knows what to answer to “how big is my behind?”
I pray that this man will love me to no end,
And always be my very best friend.
Amen.
————————
MALE PRAYER
Lord, Gimmee a deaf-mute nymphomaniac with a SMOKIN’ hot bod, who owns a liquor store, and has a bass boat and a hunting lodge.
…and season tickets. Courtside.
…and a hot bisexual best friend.
I know this doesn’t rhyme.
Oh, yeah, Amen.

Thursday night I’m hitting LA for a screening of “The Godfather of Green Bay.” It was written and Directed by a buddy, Pete Schwaba. After the screening I’ll hit the road to San Diego. Perfect timing in my book because I’ll miss all the traffic. At least I hope I’ll miss all the traffic.

Mel’s flying to the Diego tomorrow where she’ll meet up with Sarah and the Sexy Olga. And I’ll join them Thursday night.

I have meetings while there but they’re more like get-togethers. All of the guys I know in the comic world will be there and half the guys in the video game world. My guess is, we’ll catch Willy Wonka and most likely stop in at the zoo to visit the imprisoned animals.

I was alone in the land of Hyjal. No friendlys, no unfriendlys. There was a massive pool of water beneath the giant tree two pics above. I turned myself into a seal and took off for the bottom where I found nothing but a rock issuing air bubbles.
It’s fun to explore and sadly I’ve pretty much seen it all except for the adventures that require 40 players and 13 hours of flawless battle. Eh…who has the time?
I do wish Blizzard would add more single or small group content for the high level game. Today was patch day and I noticed they added another 40 player encounter. Yeah, yeah, did I mention, who has the time?

The other night Purity, Gawd, Kindrid, Coal and myself tore through Blackrock Deep and had a blast. Toward the end, Coal needed to call it a night which left the four of us to tie up the loose ends. Luckily, while surrounded by evil, we found a spot to have a seat and take a rest.
In closing, I found the following while looking at a buddy’s site on MySpace. Obviously it came from CollegeHumor.com and before that the more gentler times of our past.