A Late November Post of some sort

Fuck.

I think the good part of fall has passed me by somehow and I feel a little bit cheated (I think).

For reasons that may someday be more apparent to me (I hope), Gretchen came over to my apartment and then asked if maybe I could go to the movies or something so she could be alone, but also be with the cat. I’m not sure if this is too personal, but this sort of thing occurs on occasion.

Generally I get all red-assed about it and grouse about perhaps her going home, or flat refusing, or getting drunk or something, but oddly I had wanted to go to the movies and alone, and if she hadn’t told me this right at 7pm, I would have seen Southland Tales, which no one in their right mind would want to see with friends, but accompanied only by the Uptown Cinema’s buttery, warm popcorn the treck actually seems like some sort of delight. Well, anyway, that didn’t happen, and the only flick playing (that hadn’t just started at 7) that I wanted to see was Margot at the Wedding on Capitol Hill.

I had only minutes to get their before the previews for other snotty indie flicks started playing, so I raced to my secret underground lair, hopped in the Winchester Doom Bunny, and sped off to my former home neighborhood to catch the flick at like my 3rd favorite theater (Harvard Exit). I parked partially on the sidewalk in between two scooters (I had visions of tipping one over, giggling and surreptitiously righting it again; this did not happen).

I had visions of running to the theater, but decided instead that I could probably miss a couple minutes in exchange for a chilly, solitary stroll through my old stomping grounds. It’s a place that I miss a little bit, in that you can’t get the same kind of peaceful feeling here in Belltown without the persistent shouts of the mentally ill falling all over you like bits of disrupting mental dandruff.

So I made it to the theater, and they were out of Cherry Coke, my usual alone soft drink accompaniment, and watched the movie which was okay and probably worth a rental on a day like today. It wasn’t as good as Squid & Whale, but I liked Nicole Kidman in a movie for the first time that I can recollect, so that’s certainly something.

Anyway, I’m back home now and trying to round up some ideas to forge ahead for a couple more pages on the script I’m working on. I started over from scratch on Sunday, but it really only consists of me copying the best bits from before into a new Final Draft document. I just like the idea of starting over, more than the actual re-writing of every damn thing.

I’ll post it on Thursday or Friday sometime.

-Matt

The Greatest Album (Cover) Of All Of Them

I saw this album cover last week or so on Rhapsody (not sure why I was looking up BOC albums, but you know how it goes). I saw this and immediately I wanted this album on vinyl. On a trip to find food last Friday, Gretchen and I happened past the Jive Time in Fremont, as as she was looking for Queen’s “A Day at the Races” as well as “A Night at the Opera”, I figured it would be worth a feeble attempt to find Townes Van Zandt records. Of course, I end up with this and I know that someday, I’ll have it on my wall and my cat will hate it.

Also, for Thanksgiving I made cranberry sauce, and in celebration of Tara visiting Seattle today, I conned her into buying me lunch.

Next step for me after the lunch is a long con. I’m thinking of pulling the old “Jamaican Pork Steak” manuever. I’ll let you know on that.

-Matt

I’ve been communing with idiots

Instead of kicking ass, as I so boldly proclaimed, I feel that this week I’ve been squashed into something resembling cold maple syrup. Which by my estimation, is just gross.

So I did the thing, that any norma, law abiding consumer might do and I bought a pair of shoes and a copy of Super Mario Galaxy. I then took my lady out for dinner and then went home and cleaned my bathroom.

This is not the story of one who is kicking ass, but one who is merely trying to avoid the obvious quandry of my (or any of our) times:

What the fuck should I be doing with myself?

I have been writing and plotting and getting drunk and cowering in fear alternately for the past few months, that much we can discern from recent blog posts. I think there is one more thing, but I honestly can’t remember it. In any case, this combination is not working out exactly how I’d liked, so maybe I’ll try and put in like ‘arc-welding’ or ‘making bread’ to the list of things. I don’t know.

Though I am pretty sure that once bread-makers are purchased they are ostensibly never used after maybe one time where you try and make a nice dill bread, and it tastes like mole breath.

I’ve been talking to Canadians

I love listening to Neil Young Live albums (especially with Crazy Horse). I have been sort of obsessively listening to different versions of Powderfinger and Cortez the Killer for a couple of days now for no apparent reason. It’s weird how every few years I appreciate Neil Young for different reasons. There is a lot of his music I just haven’t listened (mostly his 80s stuff) but maybe in a few years something will drive me towards that stuff.

What I’m working on.

An excerpt from my notes on the screenplay I’m working on “Handmade and Skintight” is below the fold. I guess I just feel like posting my thoughts all day today.

I use notes like these to give me an idea of what the characters are thinking, as screenplays by their nature leave that kind of detail out. I like writing this way when I’m trying to go more for a feel than a story. The screenplay is going to have a lot of Down by Law and Band of Outsiders in it.

Ass-Kicking Metrics

Monday - 4 Asses Kicked

Tuesday - 2 Asses Kicked

Wednesday - None so far, but the expectation is to kick at least 3 asses.

Organ Donors

I’m having a hell of a time wrangling my apartment into shape. It’s getting close, but with Gretchen practically living with me (on account that I am somewhat untrustworthy when it comes to taking care of living creatures), I just see clutter everywhere.

I’ve already made something like 11 trips to the Goodwill this year to dump off stuff, so I’m kind of suspicious that the answer is getting rid of more things (though it might help).

I should just rent the apartment two doors down as well, and go from there.

Ready to Disengage

I woke up at 7am this morning, according to daylight savings time, or the lack of it really. I knew the clocks were changing, but figured I’d spit in the face of expectations (and my extreme hatred of DST) and just get up earlier than hell in order to feed the cat and feel cranky.

I decided a little bit ago that I’m going to go and get a haircut when Rudy’s opens at 11, and then I’ll probably check some football scores and then I can’t really say where things will go after that.

I went over to have cheap pizza and play Scattergories with Jamie and Scott yesterday. I passed on a birthday party at 88 Keys in Pioneer Square, and hung out in Bothel instead. We almost played Guitar Hero III, but Scattergories, seemed like the way to do things. Like usual, I started the game without really understanding the rules and my sister won, because she always wins.

She also just bought a new car and neglected to tell me about it.

Otherwise, I’ve decided to start kicking ass and taking names, which is a pretty cool development for me and the world at large. I think you’ll see what I mean here soon.