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Postapalooza
Seriously. I might have to start reconsidering my post-free-weekend policy, because I just keep coming up with things that I want to post about. So let's get straight to business.
First of all, writing update: meh. This book isn't working "as is," and I need to come up with some ways to make it work. Now I'm beginning to think about overhauling the POVs in the book--limiting it back to one. I don't know. It's all based on a good core concept, but I feel like it's drifting away from that core and off into places I don't feel like going. This is upsetting to me, since it means that instead of writing, I'm planning. And I'm tired of planning. But if I don't plan, the writing will be bad. Conundrum. No fun.
Second: I saw two films over the weekend. The first I wholeheartedly endorse: King of Kong. For those of you who haven't heard about it, it's a documentary that focuses on an average guy who decides to try and break the world record for highest score in Donkey Kong, not knowing that he's treading into ubergeek territory, since the current record holder is the equivalent of a video game geek god. A fascinating look into a world I never really knew existed, and I'm not exactly a non-geek myself. Four stars (despite finding out later online that some of the facts of the movie are a little misrepresented--it still works great as a film).
The second movie I watched is an obscure comedy with Peter Sellers in a supporting role, called The Smallest Show on Earth. My expectations for this were rather low, since I'd never heard of it at all. But honestly, it was quite enjoyable. A couple come into what they believe is a vast inheritance, only to discover it's really just a run down movie theater. When they try to eke some money out of it, humor ensues. Two stars, but since my expectations were so low, I had a three star experience. Lowered expectations: the key to enjoying mediocrity.
NCAA Update: Duke tanked, which seemed to put my standing in the blog pool in jeopardy. Then Georgetown tanked, which put the only other competitor in the gutter, too. So now it's a hotly contested battle. I'm down by 40 points, but I might still pull this out. In the family bracket, all hope is lost. That's what happens when you're competing against 14 other people instead of just one. Oh well. There's always next year.
Next on my list is a shout out to all you fellow tightwads out there. The wife and I are always trying to figure out a better way to budget, and I've recently found my favorite tool yet. It's called Mint. This website logs in to your accounts and keeps track of your purchases, then shows you in handy pie charts where all your money's going. Better yet, it lets you set a budget and keeps track of it for you each month. It's taken me some time to get the hang of it, and I suppose some of you might be reticent to divulge your account logins to a website, but if you can get over that, it's really fantastic. And they say it's safe, too. I trust them, but this is something you'll have to decide on your own.
And finally, a diet update. I've discovered my Kryptonite. Orange rolls. I made some yesterday and then went to town. (Is that like Superman making his own batch of the green stuff?) So I gave up all the progress I made, but I had a spiffy Easter dinner, so oh well. Then again, I made enough orange rolls to last me for the next month or so. Foolish me!
That's all I have for you all today. And if that isn't enough, then you really need to lower your expectations. :-)
First of all, writing update: meh. This book isn't working "as is," and I need to come up with some ways to make it work. Now I'm beginning to think about overhauling the POVs in the book--limiting it back to one. I don't know. It's all based on a good core concept, but I feel like it's drifting away from that core and off into places I don't feel like going. This is upsetting to me, since it means that instead of writing, I'm planning. And I'm tired of planning. But if I don't plan, the writing will be bad. Conundrum. No fun.
Second: I saw two films over the weekend. The first I wholeheartedly endorse: King of Kong. For those of you who haven't heard about it, it's a documentary that focuses on an average guy who decides to try and break the world record for highest score in Donkey Kong, not knowing that he's treading into ubergeek territory, since the current record holder is the equivalent of a video game geek god. A fascinating look into a world I never really knew existed, and I'm not exactly a non-geek myself. Four stars (despite finding out later online that some of the facts of the movie are a little misrepresented--it still works great as a film).
The second movie I watched is an obscure comedy with Peter Sellers in a supporting role, called The Smallest Show on Earth. My expectations for this were rather low, since I'd never heard of it at all. But honestly, it was quite enjoyable. A couple come into what they believe is a vast inheritance, only to discover it's really just a run down movie theater. When they try to eke some money out of it, humor ensues. Two stars, but since my expectations were so low, I had a three star experience. Lowered expectations: the key to enjoying mediocrity.
NCAA Update: Duke tanked, which seemed to put my standing in the blog pool in jeopardy. Then Georgetown tanked, which put the only other competitor in the gutter, too. So now it's a hotly contested battle. I'm down by 40 points, but I might still pull this out. In the family bracket, all hope is lost. That's what happens when you're competing against 14 other people instead of just one. Oh well. There's always next year.
Next on my list is a shout out to all you fellow tightwads out there. The wife and I are always trying to figure out a better way to budget, and I've recently found my favorite tool yet. It's called Mint. This website logs in to your accounts and keeps track of your purchases, then shows you in handy pie charts where all your money's going. Better yet, it lets you set a budget and keeps track of it for you each month. It's taken me some time to get the hang of it, and I suppose some of you might be reticent to divulge your account logins to a website, but if you can get over that, it's really fantastic. And they say it's safe, too. I trust them, but this is something you'll have to decide on your own.
And finally, a diet update. I've discovered my Kryptonite. Orange rolls. I made some yesterday and then went to town. (Is that like Superman making his own batch of the green stuff?) So I gave up all the progress I made, but I had a spiffy Easter dinner, so oh well. Then again, I made enough orange rolls to last me for the next month or so. Foolish me!
That's all I have for you all today. And if that isn't enough, then you really need to lower your expectations. :-)
