37 posts tagged “qotd”

Have you ever experienced road rage?
Submitted by Question of the Day.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Yes...yes, I have. Every day, in fact. Well, at least every day that I'm behind the wheel here in Los Angeles...or actually, just every day I'm behind the wheel. I find myself just as irritated by Orlando or Napa drivers as I do by big city drivers. Oh, I feel a poem coming on:

R is for the Ramming I would like to do when a driver in front of me leaves, like, twenty car-lengths between him and the car in front of him
O is for the Orange Cones that create more traffic when they pointlessly block a lane
A is for the Accidents at which people can't help but slow down and gawk
D is for the excessive amount of Driving I have to do

R is for the Rubber I would like to burn instead of dawdling along at -3 MPH on the freeway (yes, that means I'm essentially going backwards)
A is for the Anger I feel at other drivers when they decide to talk on their cell phones instead of paying attention to the road
G is for the God that I curse when it takes me an hour to go fifteen miles
E is for the Energy that is drained from me when I spend approximately five years of my life in the car

But yes, I do experience road rage, though not to a point of being dangerous about it. I actually learned my lesson long ago about "acting out" on the road. I had only been here in Los Angeles for about six months or so when I sort of cut someone off as we got on the 405 freeway. To compound this egregious error, I also flicked the guy off...I'm not sure why I did this, but it happened. Anyway, the guy then proceeded to tailgate me, then pulled in front of me, braked sharply, swerved everywhere, then got back behind me and followed me until I got off the freeway. Since then, I haven't flicked anyone off...well, not so visibly, at least.

I think that's it for today...I just can't seem to get myself to write anything else. As usual, I felt like I had a lot to say, and yet, the day has worn me down. More on Monday, perhaps? Between No E-Mail Friday and my boss being out, I just haven't had any energy today...alas.

What's the one thing you're most neurotic about?

Oh, blog...we've been together for months now, and it's like you don't know me at all. I feel like all I do is talk, talk, talk, but you don't listen. One thing? One thing? Where to begin? Sometimes I feel like my entire personality is made up of neuroses, with some being charming, some being annoying, and some being just plain functional. Without neuroses, what would I be? ...I can't believe you just said "happy," blog. Get out. Get out of my house right now. I don't ever want to see you again. And take your damned ceramics with you....

I'm sorry you had to see that. It's just...never mind. Do you want something to drink? Maybe a...

It's just that my blog never "got" me, you know? I mean, when things were good, I told it everything, about all of my neuroses and how they affected me, both inwardly and outwardly. We even laughed about them sometimes, and I would feel better. But then to ask me what one thing I'm most neurotic about? It just shows that it wasn't listening at all. There's no "one thing." I feel like I'm a Woody Allen character writ large (but a character from one of his classic 70s films, not the depressing 80s films or the wretched 90s films), but without the bizarre female catnip that he somehow possesses.

But I guess it's sort of like anything else...there are some times when I feel trapped by my neuroses and some times when I feel comforted by them. I don't feel that the latter is unhealthy, either...some of my neuroses have kept me safe or forced me to make good decisions. Of course, there are always the times when it feels like they're conspiring to merge together and form a full-on psychological disorder...but such is the delicate balance I must maintain. Speaking of psychology, there have even been times when I've been tempted to help chemically balance some of these more extreme feelings and neurotic tendencies...but at the end of the day, I feel like, for better or for worse, these "tendencies" make up who I am, and I'd prefer not to medicate them away.

But enough about me...how are you? Oh, really? No, I haven't seen it...but I did just see The Nanny Diaries last night. I know, it's lame, but after reading the book, I had an intense desire to see what the once-amazing Scarlett Johansson and the writer/directors of American Splendor would do with such a pulpy and addictive whine-fest. Turns out, they mangled it...which is a pretty harsh word to use when the source material was mere airport waiting area fodder in the first place, but I was still surprised by how badly they botched such a seemingly simple concept. I hate to be such a "purist" about the freaking Nanny Diaries, but the changes they made for the movie were pedestrian and useless. Why did Annie/Nanny go from an invested child care professional who knew how to play the Upper East Side game, only to find that this situation was even more than she could handle, to some anthropology major who had never taken care of a kid in her life? Why was nannying suddenly an escape from finding a real job after college? Why was this film over-directed and filled with effects shots? Why did they add a fart sound effect when Annie/Nanny was in the bathtub? And even though the end of the book suddenly made Mrs. X into a literal monster as opposed to the light/dark character she had been up until that point, it was still preferable to the painfully grafted happy ending provided by the movie. It was funny: near the end of the book, Nanny makes Mr. X chuckle about something in the kitchen of their beach home, and as I was reading, I thought to myself, "Oh, God, please don't go down the obvious road of having Mr. X make a pass at Nanny." Happily, the book steered clear of that particular cliche...the movie, however, dove into said trite scenario headfirst. Case closed.

Anyway, thanks for listening. I didn't mean to make such a scene...I should probably go call my blog and apologize. I mean, it listens to so much, I guess I can't expect it to retain every little thing or be perfect all the time...right? Besides, I know I'll need some support for the next week leading up to my vacation...boy, that's selfish. Maybe I should get it some flowers or something. But I'll think about that later...it's only Wednesday in this strange and potentially rough week and I should get back to work. My posts have been shorter this week, I know...I guess I've felt less chatty than usual. Speaking of which, I was looking at Tumblr, which appears to be a different form of blog, wherein one writes a single quote or short blast of feelings and/or thought. I think I would be exceptionally bad at doing that. Maybe that's why I always find it strange when people say I'm quiet or don't talk about things...sometimes, I feel like I'm long-winded and do nothing but blather on about stuff. Oh well.

Oh, weren't you going to tell me about your surgery? But actually, I've really got to get going...next time, though, it's all about you. I promise.

What is your favorite quote and why?

There have been many quotes throughout history, and as with movies and snowflakes, no two are alike. Therefore, it's not possible to select a "favorite" quote (in my opinion). However, I can say that, when I read this question, only one quote immediately came to mind: "Moose...Indian...." Those were author Henry David Thoreau's dying words, and really, I think that quote sums up the human experience better than any long-winded Bible passage or philosophical argument ever could.

Oh, and speaking of deathbed proclamations, I forgot to mention in my post from yesterday: while it doesn't necessarily qualify as something I want to do before I die, I should say that I still have my last word all ready to go (Chris should know what I'm talking about)...I'll fulfill that promise, to be sure. It's kind of handy having one's last word(s) all picked out beforehand...sort of like laying out one's clothes for the next day. This way, I don't have to fumble around for the right tone or the exact word to express my feelings when I have more important things to worry about (specifically: dying). I think it's somewhat of a miracle whenever anyone says anything relevant or witty as their last words...it seems to take skill (though really, I bet they had their last words pre-selected, too...it's totally the way to go, no pun intended).

So what else is going on? It's No E-Mail Friday again...though given that it happens every Friday, I guess it doesn't make sense to keep calling it out as "No E-Mail Friday"...it's just Friday. But imagine a Friday with no e-mails...that's what No E-Mail Friday is like. I came in this morning and found three new e-mails in my inbox...three! That's probably the lowest number first thing in the morning since I started here. In addition, some alarm is currently going off here in our building...it's not a fire alarm, though. It's just a "building alarm," which makes me wonder what exactly is going on. Apparently, all of the doors in our hallway electronically slammed shut when the alarm started...which makes me wonder how we would get out of here if there really were an emergency.

Additionally, I'm half looking forward to/half wary of this upcoming wedding. I know it seems silly to get even potentially bent out of shape about it, as it's just a wedding, but such is my "way." On the one hand, I'm really looking forward to it: it'll be nice to get dressed up, to see people from the "olden days" (particularly looking better than I did then and having some minute degree of professional pride), to attend an event based on happiness and fun, to revisit Sarasota (it's been about four years since I've been back, and even then, it was only for a night or two here and there). And since I'll be in the area anyway, it might be a good time to take a slightly nostalgic trip down memory lane...see a movie at the Hollywood 20 (I would say Sarasota Square East, but I've heard that doesn't exist anymore), take a stroll down Siesta Beach, go to the Ringling Museum, take in a show at the Van Wezel (not really), visit Pine View (time and extreme sense of nostalgia permitting).

On that last note, as I'll be in the area on a Monday during the school year, it did occur to me that this might be an interesting opportunity to visit Pine View (my old elementary, middle and high school), as I haven't been there during school hours since a post-graduation visit in May 2001 (which isn't to say that I've been there during non-school hours...I've really only driven past it since 2001).

Actually, I'm of two minds on the subject of Pine View and Sarasota and nostalgia and all of that, too (I know I'm digressing from a digression and that my train of thought is now on about forty different tracks, but bear with me). In actuality, I've purposefully avoided Sarasota for the last four years, and before this wedding invite, I had been planning on staying away from it until our ten year high school reunion (in 2010). The reason behind that wasn't because I necessarily dislike Sarasota...it's a charming place where I have a lot of good memories, even if I have no desire to ever live there full-time again. But the thing is, one can't get all nostalgic for a place when one visits it every few months. During college, I would end up visiting Sarasota during practically every major break from school to see friends (my parents moved to Orlando after I graduated high school, so it's actually a visit to see Sarasota, not just a "trip home," so to speak). By senior year, it got slightly ridiculous to drive by my old house and see the old sights that I had seen just four months prior.

Therefore, I imposed a moratorium on Sarasota and proclaimed that I wouldn't be back until I absolutely had to return (which I thought would be that ten year reunion). With this wedding, though, it seems like a decent time to go back for a weekend...four years isn't exactly a long time away, but when you're only 25, 4 years is less than 1/6th of my entire lifetime...I'm not sure if that helps my point or hurts it. Either way, I'm going back, and now seems like a good time to be a little nostalgic. Forgive my pretentious digression here, but given that I've been working so hard on getting to the next part of my life (the terrifying "achieving my main goal" part), now feels like a good time to reflect on where I've been...plus, the friend getting married has many Jewish sorority sisters, so perhaps I can reflect myself into their pants.

Actually, speaking of that, it's funny: the friend getting married keeps trying to set me up with her younger sister. The thing is, I remember the younger sister from when we were all in elementary school, but I really don't know much about her...I'll see her at the wedding, for sure, but it seems strange, for some reason. I can't really feel one way or another about it because I really don't know anything about the younger sister. Perhaps it will yield an interesting story when I return from the wedding...or perhaps not.

All right, let me try and backtrack to figure out what topics are still pending in this post...oh, Pine View. So yeah, I'm thinking of going back that morning and seeing if I even recognize a single person there anymore. True, I believe the principal is still the same and there are likely some random teachers with whom I never really had any contact still around, but I certainly won't know any of the kids. Plus, I think all of the teachers who would matter to me are pretty much gone. I'm not sure what I intend to accomplish there, really...more than likely, I'll make uncomfortable small talk with some of the people in the main office when I get my visitor's pass, I might see one or two teachers I recognize (Dr. Schleifer...?), and then I'll wander the campus, remembering fun times and getting a chance to use my fancy new camera. But most importantly, I'll get some school lunch...I can't tell you how much I miss Turkey Supreme and all of its fellow casserole-type meals. Beyond that, though, I don't think that there will be that much substance to my PV visit.

And to backtrack even further, I'm wary of this wedding because, while there will be people from "olden tymes" there, the group isn't really comprised of my good friends...it's more acquaintances and "pals" rather than friends. So it kind of sucks that there won't be anyone key there with whom I can really have fun. It would be nice to have the whole package: getting all fancy and stuff, visiting the "homeland" and hanging out with good friends...but two out of three isn't so bad. Plus, in all honesty, there's not that much to do in Sarasota...after seeing a movie, going to the mall, walking the beach and visiting Pine View, it's really just your ordinary, every day town...ie: boring (but with more humidity than most). While some of my very close friends still visit their families there once in a while, they won't be doing so during this weekend, and really, it's the people that made Sarasota worthwhile. Oh well.

Either way, it'll be nice to have a vacation...and besides, Sarasota is only a part of this whole vacation. I'll also be in Tampa seeing family and friends, Orlando seeing family (and going to Universal), and Syracuse seeing family (and potentially having relations with someone else's family member...just kidding!). But for now, I must return to concentrating on work...six more hours until the weekend....

If you had one month to live, what five things would you do?
Suggested by Acerebel.

Hooray for lists! Seriously, I cherish them...structured questions that allow for digressive rambling and/or witty retorts just get me hot and bothered. If you're ever interested in seducing me, just ask me my top five favorite Simpsons episodes or ten things wrong with movies these days (along with the crucial question of WHY...instruct me to show my work) and I'm yours. I'm sure it all has something to do with a need for attention and blah, blah, blah, but I still love making lists. And while I'm against calling it a "Bucket List" (hell, I'm even against seeing The Bucket List), I do think that speculating on this sort of scenario can be interesting, alongside the equally popular (and more relevant) "What ten things do you want to do in your lifetime," which eliminates the "dying in a month" aspect of things and makes it more of a list of general goals (it's less gimmicky). I might do that sort of list, as well, but not right now.

First, let's get the usual disclaimers out of the way: in order to answer this question in a fun manner and not a depressingly realistic manner, let's say that whatever is killing me in a month is not debilitating. In other words, I've gone to a psychic and they've said that some random, painless aneurysm will kill me in my sleep one month from now. Because in the real world, if you've got one month to live, it's probably because of something that will rob you of your ability to enjoy anything in your last month of life. That's not a fun scenario.

In addition, let's say that I'm at least 50 and have a family of my own and kids and all of that. I know that's sort of cheating, but it's too depressing to make this list as a single 25 year old...it would consist of "Try to get some girl pregnant before you die," "Apologize to parents for not giving them grandkids," "Decide on schedule for saying goodbye to divorced parents so they don't have to spend time together," "Try not to let worlds collide by having Los Angeles friends and New York friends sit together at funeral," etc. Also, let's say that I've accomplished my over-arching life goals, ie: making movies. Without that, my list would probably become about 4,000 items long as I attempted to cram fundraising, pre-production, production and post-production into one month (not to mention getting it into at least one festival). And let's say I have money, plenty of money.

Okay, with those parameters set, I can now begin to outline a list (in no particular order).

- Travel somewhere fun
With only a month to live, it's difficult to really plan any sort of comprehensive worldwide trip...I don't particularly want to spend my last weeks walking the Great Wall of China when I could be, you know, spending time with my loved ones. But it also seems like a waste to have tons of money and not at least go somewhere great for a few days. Of course, presumably, if I've had money for a while, I'll have probably gone everywhere I wanted to go prior to this bad news. So it might not have to be somewhere exotic...maybe more nostalgic. If for some reason I'm living outside of New York City when I get this diagnosis, then I'd probably rent a penthouse suite at the Plaza for the month and live there until the end. Yes, that sounds good...except for the fact that the room will then be called "haunted" after I die in it. Hm...I'll have to sign a No Haunting Agreement with the management...but that's nothing that a few hundred thousands dollars couldn't fix. So I guess I'd just go to New York and live there, if I'm not already...and maybe even if I am already, why not go to the Plaza anyway?

- Eat whatever I want
While I certainly didn't enjoy being a hundred pounds overweight and embarrassed by my appearance, I have to admit that I at least enjoyed the freedom of eating whatever the hell I wanted back when I was fat. So if I only have a month to live, I might as well have all the fattening and extremely unhealthy foods that I want. Huh...I guess I'm not going to be leaving a good-looking corpse. Still, whether it's to excess or just without as much restraint, I do enjoy food such a great deal that I would make sure not to deny myself that particular earthly delight before dying.

- Some vaguely dangerous activity
Wow, so far my choices are really predictable and boring: I'd live in New York and eat a bunch of crap. Given that I was doing that during college anyway, it doesn't seem like I'm really going to be living on the edge during my last month. And indeed, even though it's pretty trite, I guess I'd also take the opportunity to sky dive or wrestle a bear or something. Skydiving does look enjoyable, though, and it's not super dangerous, really (I mean, in theory it is, but it's pretty safe, relatively speaking). I don't really want to wrestle a bear or bungee jump, though. I think it would have to be skydiving. How original.

- Travel into space
Just to shake it up a bit, I'd commission my own space flight, wherein I'd launch into space, circle the Earth, and then land...all in one day. That would be fun and slightly different...expensive, too (why let my family or some charity have my money? Fuck them). As an added bonus, I would try and do a (very, very expensive) space walk. Take that, kids who never visit!

- Make one last movie
I know it seems a) impossible (what with the extremely limited timeframe) and b) unnecessary, given my "already achieved goals" parameter above, but a director's last film is often unassailable (that is, if they're critically praised...for instance, Brett Ratner's last film will still get terrible reviews). If Steven Spielberg makes the most boring, pedantic, treacly mess of his career as his last film, it will still make millions and be called "the brilliant final word from a master artist" (Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun-Times). In other words, if Spielberg had died while making The Terminal, that's what would have happened (rimshot). So while I don't plan on having this bizarre "one month to live" scenario foisted upon me (God forbid), I do plan on having a final script at the ready, which will be placed in a glass box labeled "In Case of Imminent Death." I'll then hire a young director whose own style of filmmaking is obviously aping my own to be on set and finish the film as I would have in case I die during production (the old "Robert Altman/Paul Thomas Anderson switcheroo"). Of course, if I do live to complete the film and then go on to live for ten or twenty more years, that would be a bummer (sort of), because I'll have already used my final words...I'd have to fake my own death, take on a pseudonym and continue making films that way. That might be fun, too.

All right, I should probably start working...there's not that much to do and too much time with which to do it. I have to go in for a tuxedo fitting this weekend, which might be interesting. I'm excited to have an excuse to wear a black tie outfit again...I just hope I don't look ridiculous. Actually, speaking of this wedding next month, it's going to be a weird experience, and not just because the girl getting married was my first "girlfriend" (in 4th grade and it was just for a week or two...it doesn't really count...though we did talk on the phone every night, and she did give me stickers and my first kiss [on the cheek]...I should incorporate that into my wedding toast).

Rather, it's going to be weird because it's at my old synagogue (where I was Bar Mitzvahed) and a bunch of people I haven't seen in years are going to be there. In case any of you readers happen to remember a certain Brett G., he'll apparently be there, which is fucked up. I had a weird friendship with that kid during elementary and middle school, but I haven't seen him since high school. So...that should be interesting. I'm quite surprised that he was invited, honestly...no offense (though this is inherently a wildly offensive statement), but it kind of devalues my invite if he was also invited. Wow, that was mean...but it's not like they were such close friends, either.

Still, this synagogue is where I attended Hebrew School, too, so I don't have the fondest memories of the place...or my classmates. I never really fit in with them...there was another Jeremy in our class (who was also in my grade at secular school) and I always felt like they liked him better (because THEY DID). Also, I moved to Sarasota halfway through third grade and started at both regular and Hebrew schools halfway through the year, which always made me feel like an outsider (which I eventually got over at regular school by around middle school...I never got over it at Hebrew School). It was a class of only about ten or fifteen and while they didn't "bully" me or anything like that, they never included me or talked to me (aside from a few people, like this girl, but I was friends with them from regular school, too). Oh, but then there were some of the slightly older kids...they did "bully" me (not physically, but they sure did make fun of me).

Anyway, at least I get to wear a tux (and potentially have business cards by then...that'll be fun). All right, back to work so that I can pay for this whole trip.

Love it or hate it, many of you lost an hour of sleep last night due to Daylight Saving Time? Worth It? Do you like it more/less now that Daylight Saving Time occurs earlier (and later) in the year?

Despite the somewhat convoluted nature of this question, I did have some Daylight Saving Time thoughts that I wanted to post (because I have my finger on the pulse of society and I feel that this "Daylight Saving Time" issue is here to stay and should be addressed by the blog-osphere). But stay tuned, because I might digress from this topic later on...just maybe....

Yesterday, I praised Daylight Saving Time...today, I have come to bury it...but still praise it a little. Indeed, when I woke up at almost 7 AM yesterday morning, I was thrilled...of course, it was really only 6 AM, but since I always seem to wake up between 5:45 and 6 AM on the weekends, the fact that it was already almost 7 was quite exciting (even if it was actually the same time of day, technically speaking). I was also excited because it meant that I wouldn't have to wait for the local Noah's Bagels to open at 6:30 to get my morning coffee (I do have a coffee maker, but I accidentally broke the carafe last week, so until the replacement arrives, I have to purchase my coffee). So that was nice.

Of course, the real boon came in the evening, when I didn't find myself going to bed until later than usual, thanks to my old friend Daylight Saving Time. This was especially helpful last night, as I had some weekend work to accomplish and had put off doing it all weekend. All of this, plus the fact that it didn't get depressingly dark at 4 PM lead to my slight nod of acceptance in the direction of DST.

That slight nod of acceptance quickly became a steely-eyed glare of anger this morning when I had to get up at my normal 5:45 AM, only to find that it felt like 4:45 AM. Had Daylight Saving Time been personified and hanging out in my apartment this morning, I would have delivered it such a passive-aggressive cold shoulder.... But still, the fact that it will still be light out when I leave work this evening will make up for this unfortunate change in routine. So all in all, I suppose I welcome Daylight Saving Time, even if it does mean an end to all of my pre-work enthusiasm and energy (so much for working out in the mornings...but at least I'll have more energy to do so at night).

Other than that, my weekend was slightly better than past weekends, but I'm not really sure why. I guess there was a little bit less laziness involved, but not much less. Perhaps I could chalk it up to Daylight Saving Time...that seems to be the primary difference. I also started a new book, which made me feel more productive than just watching movies...unfortunately, the book in question was The Nanny Diaries, which is grippingly trashy and comfortingly predictable. I need to get back to reading some classic literature, or at least some well-reviewed modern novels that don't have the words "Harry" or "Potter" in their titles...unless it's "Harry Potter and the Confederacy of Dunces."

But speaking of The Nanny Diaries, I can tell that I'm in a precarious state of mind with regards to my "female troubles" due to the bizarrely personal reaction I had to certain passages of the book. In case you're unfamiliar with this addictive modern-day Mary Poppins tale, let me sum up the plot thusly: "OMG!! Rich people are spoiled, inhuman robots who care so little about raising their children that they hire people like me to raise them, all while I use my trenchant wit to complain about my chosen profession...and they got me EARMUFFS for Christmas?!?!" However, if I were sitting on a plane or waiting in a doctor's office while reading it, I'd probably nominate it for a Pulitzer.

Anyway, in the book, the main character, Nanny (by the way: I sort of get the sociological cuteness of using "Nanny" as the main character's name and "Mr. and Mrs. X" as the family's names, but it's a little distracting, too, and seemingly unnecessary...just give them normal fake names and I wouldn't always be noticing this "adorable" stylistic choice), encounters some long-haired douchebag that she dubs "Harvard Hottie," or some such nonsense.  So for the first half of the book, they have a protracted meet-cute, wherein she makes excuses to see him and sets the ray gun of her mind to "Date." Eventually, he ends up kissing her and then they proceed to engage in puppy love dialogue for the next eighty pages (I'm only a little more than halfway through the book...but unless he explodes in a fiery midtown taxi crash, I don't think it'll get less irritating). Oh, and here's a late-to-the-party "spoiler alert" for those of you who haven't read the book....

But it's not this fictional character's love life that got to me (well, it was a little bit...for someone who complains so much about her life, this character still lives in Manhattan, has a fun circle of friends, goes to NYU...aka Jeremy's life circa 2003) so much as it was her mindset when it came to this "Harvard Hottie." While these thoughts may have been those of a fictional character, they were written by two very real women...so they're not even just the thoughts of some random woman, but the agreed-upon conclusion from two (and possibly more) women. This book is a virtual male guidebook through the female psyche, and I think I'm off the map.

The way Nanny thinks about this guy and focuses on getting a date with him seems to be completely at odds with how my own "Brentwood Beauty" (ie: Jamie) reacts to me. Rather than making up coincidences to encounter me or unsubtly hinting that, hey, we should get dinner or drinks or whatever, she treats me like...well, like a friend. To that end, there's another guy in the book named Josh who, at the beginning, helps Nanny lug an air conditioner from her dorm to the third floor of an Upper East Side walk-up apartment. He then gives her helpful advice about which nannying job to take and, later in the book, helps Nanny out during a key crisis. At the beginning of the book, I was confused: is this "Josh" her boyfriend? He seems to be something like that.... Of course, by the time she's hooking up with the bastard from Boston and telling her best gal-pal and Josh all about it, it was pretty clear that Josh was, ostensibly, just another gal-pal (I should have been clued in when she let him see her sweat as they were lugging the air conditioner...that never would have happened if she had been interested in him). So yeah, it's pretty clear that I'm Josh to Jamie's Nanny...which leads me to wonder who will be her "Harvard Hottie." I probably won't know him...but I won't be able to help knowing of him....

I think I deserve some sort of medal for segueing from Daylight Saving Time into a lament about my situation with Jamie. It should almost be a challenge of sorts: people give me completely random topics ("the sun," "that extra button on shirts," "my imaginary childhood friend") and I bring them back to Jamie. That would be a fun game...right?

But anyway, who knows? This book is pretty predictable and I am only slightly more than halfway through it...it seems too pat and boring for them to spend all this time building up the meet-cute part of the relationship only to have it continue forever into a happily ever after scenario. Maybe the "Harvard Hottie" will reveal that he's a cheating asshole or is ultimately boring and pedestrian and good old standby Josh will be there to clean up the emotional mess...only this time, Nanny decides to go against her intrinsic desire for muscles and dominating personalities and kisses Josh, only to find exactly what she's been missing: an interesting, unique friend who cares deeply for her and with whom she can create a strong bond based on actual love and trust rather than flash and glitz.

Yeah, right.

How do you think having siblings (or not having siblings) affects who you are as a person?

This is an interesting question, and given that it's Friday, I can't really be bothered to try and come up with my own topic for discussion...it was either this or another survey (and I can't say that I won't do the survey a little later today). But this question seems to have come up a lot over the last year or so, particularly with regards to a friend of mine who has a one year old. She is under the impression that not providing a sibling for a child causes loneliness and/or is a general detriment to the child's well-being. I rest near the other end of the spectrum of opinion...not at the complete opposite end, but certainly far enough away.

In my opinion, having a sibling or not having a sibling doesn't make a huge amount of difference with respect to how someone develops as a person. And of course, I can really only work from my opinion here...I don't pretend to offer any solid facts. I was an only child from the time I was born until January of 1994 (therefore making me 12), when my half sister was born. However, in reality, I've pretty much always been an only child, given that, due to living arrangements and the vast age difference between us, my sister and I spent very little time together between 1994 and 2000, when I went away to college (plus, when spending time with my mom, I'm still an actual only child). Ironically enough, this arrangement has also essentially allowed my sister to grow up as a de facto only child, as well.

But more to the point, I don't feel that I would have become a different person had I had a sibling around during my formative years. In fact, given that I'm already a highly competitive and occasionally jealous person, I don't feel that a sibling would have been necessary to contribute to these factors...that is, even though I had no real competition for parental love and attention, I'm not complacent when there's position-jockeying afoot...you know? Basically, I look at people who had siblings and I look at myself, and outside of basic, normal personality differences, there's absolutely nothing glaringly different between us.

I think the only potential benefit to having siblings would be learning more about sharing at an earlier age...but then, I also know people who do have siblings who are bad at sharing, too. Actually, I will say that there is a solid benefit to having siblings, but it really has nothing to do with one's childhood: siblings can be helpful when everyone gets older and "the kids" can help out with aging parents and family members. When it comes to my dad and stepmother, I do feel like my sister can help me out one day when they need elderly care...with my mom, on the other hand, it's just me, and that scares me a little.

And indeed, I'm not saying that having siblings is a bad thing...it does seem nice to have that built-in friend when you're younger (though that's not guaranteed) and that kindred spirit when you're older. It's funny: with the two feature-length screenplays I've written, both incorporate some sort of sibling connection, be it either a brother/sister bond or a family of five kids. It's something I didn't have as a kid, really...and it makes for decent drama. And in a way, now that I'm over the initial jealousy and anger surrounding the birth of my sister, and now that she's at a fun age (14), we've been connecting a lot more over the last four years or so, and it's kind of nice. In fact, when I'm in Florida next month for this wedding, I'm going to sign her out of school and take her to lunch one day. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

But all of that aside, I still denounce the concept that it's "mean to a child" not to give it a sibling, or that one becomes a better person if one has a sibling. With all of my flaws, I'll still hold myself up as living proof that an only child won't automatically become a serial killer or some social reject. I absolutely disagree that the decision for or against a second (or third, etc.) child should be based on what may or may not be best for the first child. If the parents have always wanted multiple kids, then by all means, have more kids (up to a point...those of you with four or more, please stop), but don't do it for the good of your existing kid(s)...that's a narrow point of view, and frankly, it's slightly offensive.

Anyway...speaking of offensive, there's a town just outside of LA that's trying to limit cussing. First of all: it's "cursing," not "cussing," if it has to be anything. Ugh...that's like calling Two-Face "Harvey Two-Face"...it's just dumb (that side note has been brought to you by this summer's The Dark Knight, wherein Two-Face will appear and apparently be called "Harvey Two-Face"...lame). But secondly, this is a silly idea...it's just going to want to make some people curse more and it's limiting free speech. If I want to say "fuck," I'll say "fuck." In theory, it's a magical idea that will raise the level of discourse, stop gangs dead in their tracks, and bring about world peace. In reality, it's just plain stupid.

And really, I'm not one for violence, but this 14 year old boy who started the No Cussing Club (McKay Hatch...is that really his name?) so deserves a punch in the cock. Grow up, kid...I'm all for making the world a better place and accomplishing that through small steps in the right direction, but go start a No Litter Club or a No Prejudice Club or something. I think this sentence really says a lot, though: "'My mom and dad always taught me good morals, good values, and not cussing was one of them,' said McKay Hatch, the founder of South Pasadena High School's No Cussing Club, during a recent break between study hall and tennis practice." Tennis practice, huh? Somehow it doesn't surprise me that this kid's biggest beef with the world is cursing....

I personally believe that so-called curse words have their place in language. There's a right place for them and a wrong place for them, and as long as they don't become every other word out of one's mouth, what's the big deal? I will agree that some people use them as a crutch, but that doesn't mean we should outlaw them...because really, that worked so well with Prohibition. And I'm not even going to equate cursing with alcohol...curse words are just words, they don't rot livers or break bones. Just use them judiciously and everything will be fine.

But let me end this discussion with this final brief quote from the article: "'I've cussed before, I'm not gonna lie to you,' Hatch quickly added. 'But I try not to cuss any more.'" Way to go, McKay...just stay on the wagon and everything will be just fine....

What's your morning beverage of choice?  Coffee, tea, juice?  Homemade or store-bought?

I like how this Question feels the need to give examples of morning beverages, as though someone might mistakenly write "eggs and toast" or "blue." In any event, this is a squishy Nerf ball of a question, which is fine for this morning. Sadly, I wasn't able to write much last week...and I'm not entirely sure why. I guess it was busy, but I don't recall it being insanely hectic. On Friday, though, I did go to the Disney studio lot in Burbank for a "Best of CES" presentation, wherein we again demoed our BD-Live functionality for the general Disney employees (Disney apparently brings these CES demos to their studio every year to keep their work force connected and interested, I suppose...not a terrible idea). Still, given that our demo was geared toward the in-the-know CES attendee, it was met mostly with shrugged shoulders by the general "workaday" masses, as they weren't even terribly familiar with Blu-ray in the first place. So as the day went on (I was there from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM), I gradually shifted from demoing our new-fangled interactivity to just showing off the pretty pictures...which garnered more interest.

Don't take that as a judgment, though...it was just the wrong content for the crowd. Still, some people were pretty rude about it. It's not like we were trying to sell them anything right there and then...it's just a demo and doesn't require a haughty "not interested," complete with storm-off. So between the less-than-interested reactions from the crowd and the standing for eight hours aspect, I teeter on the brink of using the word "grueling" to describe the day. But really, it was an interesting adventure and was exciting to see another studio lot and get out of the office. Plus, my day was over at 3:30 as opposed to 6, so that was a bonus. And they had a really nice commissary...the Disney lot is much like a college campus, as opposed to our Sony lot (which used to be the MGM lot...they've filmed everything from The Wizard of Oz to Spider-Man 3 here), which is far more movie-studio-esque. It was really neat to see the Animation buildings, though, given the history of it all (though I believe the Animation building I saw was built in 1988...still, given that movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King were all made there, that's enough history for me). Anyway, it was an adventure, and it was flattering to be asked to present there by the higher-ups.

Oh, but the Question: I have coffee in the mornings and I make it at home, alongside my oatmeal or cereal or what have you. I tend to save my orange juice for dessert, though I will have it alongside my coffee if I know I won't be at home for dinner that night. Fascinating, I know.

Outside of that, I don't really have much to discuss at the moment. As anyone who has seen my Flickr page already knows, I bought a new digital camera last week, as my old one died after returning from my December trip to New York (it actually died on New Year's Eve, thus depriving me of captured memories from that evening...which might be for the best). I'm kind of in love with it, as it takes high-def pictures and is infinitely more advanced than my old one (and slimmer, too). Plus, thanks to my Sony discount, I didn't have to go into debt to acquire it...which is nice.

I haven't really seen any movies of note lately...certainly nothing in theaters. I was a good son and watched The Jane Austen Book Club with my Mom this weekend...oh, it's painfully bad, but it was light and frothy enough to not make much of a scar. I also saw Elizabeth: The Golden Age on Friday, which was pretty and dull (though I wasn't enamored of the first Elizabeth, either...I do like period dramas, usually, but these...not so much). I also re-watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, now on Blu-ray, and enjoyed it again. Why the Academy saw fit to nominate Jason Fucking Reitman (his full name) instead of Andrew Dominik is beyond me. It's not the Greatest Movie Ever Made, but it's a fine film with a definite skill behind it. I would recommend it if you like nearly-three-hour dramas where you already know the ending (ie: Titanic...but without the spectacle and excitement). I'm also in the midst of watching Hidalgo, that horse movie with Viggo Mortensen...kind of boring, as well.

But I will take a quick separate paragraph to say that I've revised my opinion on Con Air. It's vastly stupid, predictable, and represents the worst of Hollywood in some ways...but it's also pretty damn entertaining. That's all I really have to say about that.

All right, that's about all I have for right now. Don't worry, I don't think you missed much during my absence last week...and I'm certain I'll have a meaty diatribe about Valentine's Day this week (my least favorite "holiday"). But for now, I'll leave it at this.

What are 10 things you want to say out loud but you can't? 
Submitted by alix.

Hm...there may or may not actually be any things that I want to say out loud that I haven't already, either in public or private, so I'm not sure if this post will a) meet the requirements set forth by the Question of the Day Committee, or b) remain serious or devolve into sarcasm. I suppose we might as well start off and find out.

1) "Am I wearing pants today?" This comes from a somewhat odd constant fear/concern that, despite my best intentions, I accidentally left the house without pants on. It's never happened, but for some reason, I feel like it will one day...but until that day, I will guard against it with every fiber of my being.

2) "When girls put the strap of their bag between their breasts, it's kind of unappealing." I think this is something I actually would say out loud, but since it was pointed out to me by someone in college, I haven't been able to think anything else when girls use their breasts as moorings for their bags. It just...separates them in a weird, unflattering way....

3) "I don't like sushi." Normally, I wouldn't mind saying this to people, as I have many times before, but here at work, when one goes to lunch with executives and whatnot, one doesn't get picky about where one eats...but unfortunately, sushi is a popular upper management/California-type meal, and I just don't like fish. But I would never say that I don't like it...I don't know why, really, as they wouldn't mind going elsewhere, but...now it's just gone on too long....

4) "I miss those plastic-like omelets that they used to serve as breakfast on planes in the 80s." Again, it's not something about which I'm necessarily ashamed, but they were a guilty pleasure. Do you remember the days when airlines used to actually serve meals on flights? As I flew back and forth between Syracuse and Orlando (between my parents), I would usually ask for seconds of these chemical-filled, made-four-months-ago, no-actual-eggs-used omelets. The day they stopped serving these was the day my childhood truly ended.

5) "I'm slowly becoming more nostalgic for the 90s than for the 80s." I will clarify, though, that I'm talking about "my" 90s: Smashing Pumpkins, the public birth of and initial wonder surrounding the internet (and chat rooms), a time when a $200 million movie was mostly "unthinkable," Kevin Smith movies were an event, Bush (the band, not the President), Live, President Clinton, the rise of Starbucks, Seinfeld, a good economy, Austin Powers (before it got really old), certain aspects of grunge and/or Gen-X culture, Friends, Scream movies (the first two), etc. I'm NOT referring to my sister's 90s (she was born in 1994), which involved Barney, Teletubbies, the rise in cellphone use, emoticons, Rugrats, Pokemon/Magic: The Gathering/Pogs/hackey-sack (I know those were more "my" 90s, but I'm lumping them in with her generation), etc. But this is actually somewhat of a change for me, as I've always rattled on about the glorious 80s...which were still glorious, but aside from the movies, music and TV of that era, it wasn't so spectacular...and besides, the 90s are when I was really cognizant of the world around me...for better or worse, that's "my" decade.

6) "I don't like cellphones." I just don't...I understand how they're useful in so many ways, but there's still a part of me that just hates using them. In addition to the whole "unreliable service" issue, there's the tumor/cancer quandary, the battery issues, the over-dependence quagmire, and never really being able to "just get away from it all."

7) "I just don't really care that much about politics." I mean, I care enough to vote and put a Democrat in the White House, but outside of the broad issues (no more war, pro-choice, gay rights, a general platform of "no evil and/or corruption"), I just don't get into politics like some people do. My cousin, for instance, works in Washington DC and is highly politicized (as are her parents)...they can sit around and debate policy and bills and all of that for hours. And it's not that I wouldn't have an opinion if I thought about it, but...eh. Don't take this as an "I don't care about our country or what happens to it" stance...rather, I just don't usually find the detailed inner workings to be an interesting topic for discussion. I'll listen to others, sure, but I'll rarely put in my two cents. And I do appreciate a good Aaron Sorkin speech about politics....

8) "I don't think I'd want to marry a heavy girl." Okay, this sounds really bad, but it's actually not...and when I say "heavy," I mean obese or really unhealthy (and I don't mean in terms of eating habits...she can eat like shit, but not if it results in 50 extra pounds). I certainly don't mean girls that are at a normal weight and/or some pounds over...I also wouldn't be interested in marrying an anorexic stick. But due to my past and current battle against over-eating and being fat, I feel like my kid(s) would probably get some unhealthy genes from me already...I might as well counter-balance that with someone who's at least not heavy themselves.

9) "Showers are boring." Let me also clarify that, despite this boredom, I still take showers every day...but while most people seem to find them relaxing, I just find them dull. I mean, it's one thing when you've been exercising and are sweaty and dirty and all of that...then it can be nice to wash away that stink and grime and feel clean. But the day-to-day showers that don't wash away much of anything...boring. This may be a result of taking showers in the mornings, as I'm usually tired and not excited about starting my day, but still.

10) "I don't remember your name." I'm so bad with names. Literally, someone will introduce themselves to me, and I'll be concentrating so hard on shaking their hand with just the right amount of pressure and registering their face that their name will just blow right by me. It's only later that I realize, "Hey...what was that person's name? I really don't remember. Oops." I used to go into work with my mom when I'd visit her and all of her co-workers would say, "Good morning, Jeremy!" And I wouldn't remember any of their names, so I'd just say, "Good morning!" And my mom said that was rude, that because they used my name, I should greet them with theirs. Since then, I still haven't been able to remember names, but now I feel bad about it. And here at work, it's really bad, because I meet lots of people, and most times...nothing. But the thing is, it's not just a bad name-memory...I also have a fear of getting someone's name wrong when I do try to remember it. So even if I think I know someone's name, or really, even if I know I do, I might still refrain from using it, just because I'm afraid to be wrong. But slowly, over time, once I get more comfortable with someone, I'll start using their name.

Well, there we go...I didn't devolve into sarcasm. Then again, my answers weren't exactly scintillating...there were only four or five that I would actually refrain from saying out loud, and with some of those, it just depends on the company. All right, I have to go do some work...once again, it's No E-Mail Friday, but I may not even be at my desk that much today. First, I have to go and select some clips from various movies (it's part of my job...the reasoning behind it is a long story), some good, some bad. Then later today, I have a four-hour meeting to discuss our release schedule for FY 2009. I actually still want to write a big post about that aspect of my job...though obviously, it's difficult to discuss it with much specificity, given that I'm not supposed to talk about it. Still, I will say that my goal for this meeting today is to get a few titles for which I've been yearning on the schedule. If I can ever get a certain 1982 film about a red-headed orphan on our Blu-ray release schedule, then my work here will be done.

Do you think real love can last throughout any distance, or will long distance end most relationships? 
Submitted by Miss Joy.

I think I may have already made my thoughts on this topic pretty clear over the course of this blog's existence, but since I feel like writing something, anything, I might as well answer this Question of the Day. Or maybe I'm only thinking that I've written about this topic in my blog when it was really just in private conversations with friends. Either way, I do have some strong opinions about this subject.

Bottom line, I think a long distance relationship is one of the most difficult things that a couple can endure (along with serious illness, cheating and perhaps getting married too early and discovering that one still goes through a lot of changes during one's twenties...the latter is primarily in reference to my long-divorced parents). Out of the two serious relationships I've had, both involved a degree of being separated, and both times, it didn't end well. Sure, there were plenty of other problems in both of those involvements, but the long distance aspect served to amplify and distort any and all problems.

The thing is, I believe that a long distance relationship can work...if both people go into it being one hundred percent honest about their intentions and are actually fully dedicated to making that relationship work. If there's even a smidgen of doubt or a solitary shrug of indifference, it's over. I know I've basically made true love sound like training for a sport, but it does take endurance, strength (of character), dedication and an unwavering desire to "win" to make it work. I'm sure that can be said about any relationship, really, but doing it all from a distance is like taming a lion on a tightrope over a floor of spikes. Sure, you could just knock the lion onto the spikes, but then you still have to get down off the tightrope...and that thing is really long...and it's windy. Besides, someone else owns the lion, so you really shouldn't just kill it. But I digress.

I don't really feel like getting into the nuts and bolts of why both of my prior long distance entanglements didn't work (though I've basically given a primer on what not to do above, so you can extrapolate, if you really want), but needless to say, I will never get into another long distance relationship again (if I can help it). Of course, what does make me sad is that, in reality, it's been about nine years since I've been in a relationship that wasn't long distance...I've really had very little experience actually dating someone on a normal, regular basis and not coordinating it around visits and phone calls. But again...I digress...sort of....

This is probably becoming a little maudlin, so let's switch topics to...um...I don't know. I guess it's a good thing, but with CES being over and with my out-of-town trips at an end (for now) and with my personal life returning to its standard flatline state of being, I feel somewhat uninspired, writing-wise. Sometimes I wonder if I'm actually a boring person...I mean, beyond remarking on events and discussing other people, am I really that interesting? But then, doesn't everyone remark on events and discuss other people? It's not like I'm incapable of discussing a wide variety of topics. But still, I sometimes fear that I don't have much to say outside of reacting to external events...even though I know that's not really true. I do tend to be somewhat quiet when I'm around people who make me nervous in one way or another, and here at work, that tends to happen more often than not...and indeed, I am, by nature, a somewhat internal person. What makes someone an interesting person, anyway? Is it natural charisma? Humor? Kindness? Being a good storyteller? Cruelty? Violence?

I suppose that question has been one of the main reasons why I've resisted having a blog for so long...who really cares about my day to day musings? It'll be one thing when I've made my movie(s) and am rich and famous...even if I'm not interesting, who cares? People love reading the day to day musings of famous people. I could talk about the grout in my bathroom and I'd get at least a few hits and a comment or two (not because of me personally, but because of the fame). I'm not above it, either...if Tim Burton had a blog where he wrote a fourteen part series on how he gets his hair just right every day, I'd read it.

Though that also brings up a good question: when I become famous, is it better to go the Kevin Smith "talk to your fans all the time in every conceivable way" route or the Terrence Malick "become a renowned recluse who is spoken about in hushed whispers" direction? I feel like I'd try and strike a balance: I wouldn't want to be quite as overexposed as Kevin Smith, but I also don't think I'd necessarily want to drop off the face of the Earth for twenty years. I kind of like what Steven Soderbergh does: he participates in commentaries for films that he likes (The Third Man, The Graduate) but he's not super-accessible.

What's this? My cart won't move...yet the horse is attached. Oh, I see! The cart is in front of the horse! How silly of me. It should really be the other way around, I think...yes, yes, that's right.

Anyway, I should probably start doing things here at work...maybe if I do that instead of blogging, I'll actually get out on time tonight. Crazy!

How do you keep calm? 
Submitted by L33tchica.  

Hm...that's a good question...and one for which I don't have a set answer. I guess it depends on the situation, really. With worries that are of a real-life, serious nature, I guess I try and take my mind off of it for a while with movies or being with friends, etc. But then with things that are less realistic and more just my mind going off in paranoid and neurotic directions, I try and reassure myself that I'm being foolish and stupid and just try to ground myself in reality...and then I watch movies and spend time with friends. Then with minor things, like day-to-day worries or less consequential work things, I guess I try and take my mind off those concerns with...well, movies and friends. So really, my answer involves movies and friends. I guess that wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be.

I tend to fall into this trap on Monday mornings: I gear up for the week by blogging and getting my mind going, but then when actual work comes along, I don't want to stop blogging to address it. Thus, I get resentful of work and leaving my post (literally and figuratively) and I end up doing a bad job at both, which also starts my week off with a dull thud instead of a bang. I suppose I should end that cycle before things get started here today and cut this post off now...not that there's even so much to discuss, anyway. I had a pretty uneventful weekend, which was somewhat welcomed, but also somewhat boring. I watched most of Damages: Season One, which was actually pretty entertaining...not perfect, but still an enjoyable "page turner" of a series. I also bought Burnout: Paradise for the PlayStation 3...damn, that's a fun game. I'm far from being a "gamer," but God, I love the Burnout series. Mindless crashes with detailed damage, reckless driving with no regard for safety...it's a nice relief from the real-life traffic I endure on a daily basis...now with high-def graphics!

Anyway...I suppose this post really begs the question, "Is it worth posting if you have nothing of interest to discuss?" I generally feel that, yes, it is, because a) this blog isn't primarily for public consumption and is a good way of discussing things for myself on paper, b) it keeps my writing skills sharp (or at least somewhat pointed), and c) it's a nice way to take a break from work. And besides, as some people who have read my blog have said, many of my posts are a bit wordy in nature...so this short post is for you. Sorry it sucks.