Long Haul

Seven and half-hours later, I've finished another draft on story #9 for my Ten-in-Six. This one's called "Movie People," and explores the morality of eating and who ought to decide how much you have and when. I'll let 9 cool and start on 10. Getting them all written in five months will be an accomplishment. That'll leave me the sixth month to find homes for nine unsold stories. Noooo problem. -:)

And I've five more stories after that in various stages. That'll be the next stage, hopefully to include writing one story in the first person for a change. And maybe one story that isn't completely linear. And maybe one with lots of French words so the reader feels dumb, per my old faculty mentor.

Wrath of Con

Plenty to pick at GeekCalender.

Jack Kirby Heirs Fight For His Rights

The Fruits of Work-for-Hire. Jack Kirby's heirs are in a legal tussle with Marvel over rights to Kirby's work. The noted artist crafted memorable characters such as X-Men and Spider-Man. Alas, as the article below concludes, the heirs are probably doomed to disappointment. It would be like Paul Rugg and I suing Warner Bros. for rights to Animaniacs characters. Kirby worked-for-hire, meaning Marvel paid him a salary and kept all rights forever to anything he created. At first it seems like a wondrous deal, but eventually you'll die poor.
Marvel Sues to Keep Spider-Man, X-Men Copyrights
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(Photo: flimgeeks.com)

Sing a Song of Facebook

h/t: perrybarton via Obi's Sister

20k's Worth of Photo

Scroll down as Coach Kiley shows off the scenery at the Lasse Viren 20K (12.4 miles.) This Malibu trail run is named after famous Finnish runner, Lasse Viren who scored four Gold Medals at the '72 and '76 Olympic Games, (twice winning the 5K and 10K). I'm not sure, but I think Viren brought the word 'fartlek' to American running. In addition to being a way to publicly say 'fart,' the Swedish word for "speed play," taught runners to alternate speeds during training to build up cardio. Thanks Lasse, rest well in your dank forest land. (Photo: juanjosemartinez.com.mx)

Team Meeting

Went to meet Ernesto at the Brookside Clubhouse restaurant. Ran into a table load of Team in Training chums. They were celebrating the last training run prior to the final Winter '09 event—next week's Phoenix Marathon. Some will run, others coach ala me last year. Several are leaning toward triathlons of various lengths. I could, at least, practice the swimming and cycling parts so I have someone to train with. But that would require a commitment. This afternoon, I sent writing samples to a video game company. Their site, and automated email response, were light and whimsical. Perhaps they'll have some part-time work to supplement the kingly income I'm drawing from short-story writing? Much talk at the restaurant today about chi walking, initiated by me in response to the question, 'Are you running again?' I have been chi walking several times this month, feeling mild soreness but no pain. Soreness usually falls between what I might feel running and riding in a golf cart, which covers a fair amount of sensation.

Colin Clocks In For the 'Ghan

Via Facebook: Colin's finally out of Kuwait, back in the 'Ghan, heading out of Kandahar, enroute to the job site. Come back safe in July.

Anubis Markets

Thanks to khalptah for putting this together. The morning of the "Mission: Freakazoid!" recording we got a rare call from the studio saying the original name for the supermarket chain was taken and we needed a new one. I suggested Anubis because I figured even the Egyptians wouldn't name a supermarket after the god of mummification and the afterlife. So far, that theory stands.

h/t: khalptah

New Sherlock

Well, perhaps Limbo. But plenty of fun stuff in Sherlock Holmes. Downey Jr. and Law sometimes come off like gay roommates, and the film suffers occasionally from quick-cut syndrome, but there's plenty of good lines and robust CGI action afoot.
(Photo: covershut.com)

Humorous Bear Video

Try this at home, it's Okay.

h/t: m36ad3th

More From Boxes

As I continue to sort, I uncovered a stack of magazines from my publishing days. That was a depressing, transitional time as I had graduated college, collected fiction rejection notices, started and stopped a novel, and tried acting again. I got involved in a play that was months in rehearsal with actors dropping in and out of roles—they were smarter than I—and an eventual opening that failed in every way except getting reviewers to attend. Boy, did they attend. They attended with a vengeance. My fellow thespians and I were blistered. (Except the male lead, who staggered in at curtain drunk on his ass. He was praised for his "passion and energy.")

A few months later, I applied for an internship at a magazine and got it. Thus began the year 1989, which turned out to be life-changing. I met my future wife at the magazine and started improv classes with Acme Comedy Players. (Called Sweeney's workshop back then, after our founder and director.) From there, eventually, came a Warner Bros. animation script that Sweeney and I wrote together. (His wife is Sherri Stoner.) And from that came a shot at writing a script for Animaniacs.

Now I'm sending out fiction and collecting rejection emails.

I hope I don't meet another wife or start improv classes again.

Whatever happens, I'm not doing another play.
(Photo: boyomovers.com)