Podcast Backup

I stopped playing World of Warcraft about 2 months ago. The game kept me locked in-front of the computer for hours on end. One of the things I miss most about it is that I don't get a chance to listen to my podcast library.

Sure, this is a minor complaint. I am starting to see podcasts as my "shows". Similar to the weekly installments of stories, podcast provide a good amount of entertainment for me. With television, I get a story or infotainment that lasts between 30 minutes or an hour (2 -3 hours if you count wrestling programs). Podcast give me that same thing. Instead of getting some plot driven, acted out story, I get people feeding me impressions, news and personal outlooks on a variety of topics.

The funny thing is that a majority of the podcasts I listen too are World of Warcraft based. While playing the game, it's easier to immerse myself in the world while listening to people who have a love (or hate) for the game. While news and review seem to be the outline for many episodes, it usually breaks script to delve into the personalities of the hosts. I think that's what I like the most. I like to listen to people talk that are passionate about what they are covering. I listen to some podcasts, just because I like the way the hosts interact with one another.

Funny thing is, I don't listen to any comic book based podcast. I guess I deal with enough comic book commentary in my normal life that I don't need to deal with it in the off hours. I once thought of doing my own comic book podcast. It seems to be the one geeky topic I have a vast experience with, considering my job. I just would want to put something new or interesting out there. I am just lazy and don't want to do the research.

So, for now, I will relegate myself to searching the internet for things to distract my eyes, while I catch up on the podcasts I have been missing. When that fails, I will transfer what I can to my iPod and listen while playing Skylanders or Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD.

Bored...

It's that time of night where it's too late for me to start anything to big but not late enough for me just to pack it all in for the night.

It's at these moments when I decide to type. It's terrible that it is now that I actually write something. I should be doing this everyday, not just when every other form of entertainment has failed me. Entertainment likes to fail me as of late. Maybe it's a sign.

Unfortunately, I have no real topic aside from the blather about not knowing what to write about. I think I could write a book about not writing a book. Seems to have worked for some young adult novelists. I'm kidding. They at least had a direction, even if it was marked with dollar signs.

Problematic with no real excuse

I was going to attempt the second helping of writing prompts for the new year. There arose a problem though. Apparently, Open Office doesn't want to open for me.

This time around I am not just laying my things out on the blog. I am actually attempting to compose written works with a word processing program. Get my saved files saved somewhere.

So, for now, I will post this in lieu of a real post with said prompt.

Yes, I should just write it all here, but I guess I am just swimming for excuses. Open Office isn't actually opening for me for some reason, though. Weird.

Onward to 2012

So, how about another stab at this writing thing?

Over the holidays I was looking for something to do. On a near daily basis, someone asks what I have been writing. I usually respond with the truth and say, “Nothing at all.” To my actual surprise this upsets people. As far as I know, I don't know anyone that I actively interact with that has actually read any of my creative writing. It doesn't help matters that my creative writing ended back in college oh so many years ago.

I decided that I should change some of that. Around this time a couple years ago, I made a semi-New Year resolution to write more. In fact I gave myself the task of attempting to write 500 words a day. I did just that for a couple weeks. Things happened and I just stopped. I want to say that I was busy with other stuff, but I probably wasn't. The real culprit is a lack of ideas that made me want to write.

With this being a new year, I am attempting to write again. I have a couple reasons for this. One of them being that I can stop saying that I don't write. Granted, I may not be stringing these letters along in a fictional sense at the moment, but at least they are being committed to a sharable medium. (That's fancy speak meaning that I am writing something, even if it just comes across as stream of consciousness).

I found a helper this time though. Being the nerd that I am, I like going to book stores way too much. This is especially bad because I spend a fair amount of money while there. Sure that wouldn't be a bad thing, but when I don't read the stuff I buy, it adds up. I have piles of books scattered everywhere ranging from recommendations of literature, gifts of fiction, somethings that looks cool, and resources material, like mythology books. I barely skimmed through some of them. One of the things I sometimes buy is Writer's Digest.

The names says it all. It is a magazine about being a “writer”. The one I dug up is a special issue from June 2010 called Writing Basics. Contained within is a creativity article with writing prompts. 52 of them to be exact. A weekly idea to write every week. Now, since it was from June, it starts in June. This is January though, so I am going to start from January. Of course, the obvious first week of January prompt is about New Years resolutions.

What are your New Years resolutions for 2011 (we'll change that to 2012)? What specific writing goals do you have for the upcoming year, and what do you plan to do to accomplish them?

I think I already covered a bunch of my writing goal in the paragraphs preceding the prompt. Still, I plan on attempting to just write more. Maybe I will have at least on actual, real short story under my belt by the end of the year. That's an attainable goal, I think. Just one story with no real set length.

My only real other resolution is that I see my friends more. I tend to go into hermit mode and keep to myself too much. I stay home, isolated. I fear major travel, so I avoid it as much as possible. I don't like change, so I don't like to go to new places. I also don't like getting lost. My car isn't the best in the world, but it works for me, but I feel it's love for me will crap out as soon as I have to travel on a road it hasn't been before.

How I am going to accomplish these goals is to just overcome fears and push through. I am tired of feeling like a bad friend. The unfortunate thing of Facebook has allowed me to keep a modest account of some friends lives, but that doesn't include face-time. So, I will just have to actually plan things on a real calendar and stick to them. Friends are a good thing from what I am told.

As for the writing stuff, I will just try out this prompt thing. I kind of want to go through each one, one-by-one. I don't think I may necessarily do one a week though. If I can crank out all 52 in 52 days, then I'll do it. I'm sure that will be a lot of words, but so be it. With the creative writing, I'll wash something through my head and see if I can make something work from it. Failing that, I will just take some popular genre with the young adults and butcher the hell out of it for easy profit.

So, there you have it. One down, a bunch more to go. I will probably keep posting these on my blog just to put them somewhere to prove to readers that I do write. Maybe just to prove to myself as well. If things get too personal with these prompts redaction may occur.

It's Halloween

I have run the gamut of emotions this season. This season isn't even remotely over yet either.

My mind is in flux. I'm not quite sure what to do with it. Poking and prodding from outside sources only lead to more confusion. I was exceptionally bored tonight, which is typical for a Sunday. Unfortunately it shouldn't be typical for the night before Halloween.

Halloween is an enjoyable time of year for me. I like Fall weather, which there was some of. There was a snowfall that occurred a day ago, but that was thankfully melted by the Sunday sun. The weather is still a little cold for the usual crispness of fall, but I'll deal. When I think specifically of Halloween, I actually think of the movie Halloween and its' setting. I envision the suburban neighborhood with leaves blowing in the wind. Orange and black (go Flyers) decorations mounting every porch and windowsill. Now, I haven't watched Halloween in any of its' parts this year, but the season and AMC's plentiful commercials always remind me of it.

I think the first problem I ran into this year was the lack of costume ideas. typically, I make my costume in some way. I like to wear real clothing for when I am out. It just feels more comfortable. I am not a girl, so I doubt I could get away with strips of lingerie and call myself vixen. Many people would find it hilarious if I was to do that, but it isn't happening, at least not this year. Still, I didn't have an idea on what to really be to get my creative juices flowing.

The past few years I went all Batman villain-like and portrayed The Riddler and the Scarecrow. I gathered supplies from various sources and slapped some hot glue and sewing skills together for something that wasn't too shabby. I was attempting to be characters I have never been before. When I was a kid I had an old school handmade Batman and Robin outfit that was made by my mom. They resembled the Adam West series costumes. When the Tim Burton Batman film was big, I was the Joker. In high school, I went as a not so great version of Two-Face. My scarred, make-up filled side decided to leave my face early. This year I just didn't think of another character to portray with the limited time available.

 I have dressed in store bought costumes before. I have masks galore just because I like masks. I wear glasses, so masks aren't usually the best option. I don't like to wear make-up too much because I know I will mess it up. This year I went fairly cheap and easy. I dressed as The Doctor from the current Doctor Who. I already had a sonic screwdriver that I got from work. I owned a bow-tie. I bought a tweed coat from the Goodwill store and stopped by Wal-mart for a pair of suspenders. I even picked up a Halloween cowboy hat because fake Stetsons are cool. The Doctor wore a cowboy hat for like 3 scenes in as many episodes. I wanted a fez, but couldn't find one on such short notice.

Right now, I am on a lull. I'm not feeling the greatest, or even the average-ist. I have another Halloween shindig to attend, but that's before Thanksgiving. The bar I regularly frequent is having a late Halloween party complete with prizes! I have no idea what to wear to that. I'm probably thinking Scarecrow.