Oops.

Well, I’ll have you random inter-people know that I’m starting a fairly writing intensive project on the 1st of April, and plan to blog about it every week, on the Sunday.

So we’ll see how well that goes.

The writing project, by the way, is suspiciously similar to Script Frenzy because it is. April 1st to 30th. 100 pages of script.

…We shall see.

Hopefully, you are as excited as I am when you hear that potential script is about zombies in medieval France.

I thought so.

Well then. Until next time.

PS: This is short because this is filler, to get me back in the blogging mood and to tide people over until Sunday.

I don’t, and can’t, hold it against you. There are only 3 million people in Toronto, and I’m pretty sure that only a handful of people read this anyways. This is not your fault.

My location has damned me on many occasions. Thanks to the internet — Twitter, specifically — I have a lot of friends where I am not. At the very least, acquaintances. All over the world. Different parts of Canada, East & West coasts of America, the weird middly part of America, the UK, probably someone else in Europe, and even Oz, Land of Backwards Toilets and Marsupials.

Those places are not here. They are quite not here. But one day, I will be there. One day soon.

I have a wanderlust that grows within me each day. I’ve only been to America 4 times (San Diego, Ft. Lauderdale, and New York), but the travel bug bit me hard, then paralyzed me and crawled down my throat, laying its eggs in my insestinal tract.

Here’s the thing, though. I am not rich. There is no way I’ll be able to travel to everywhere you folks reside. So that’s where you come in.

In the comments below, make known the city in which you dwell, if you enjoy the city, WHY you enjoy the city if you do, and whether you’d desire my company there. Spread this around, re-tweet this, re-blog it, link to it, anything. I want to be directed.

Also. If you *are* in the Toronto area and you’re reading this: Cool. How’s it going? We should hang out.

Next week, I might be more interesting.

Until next time.

Ah well. I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.

So, late last night, I was discussing songwriting with a friend. I’ve been playing instruments for 4 years, and have become somewhat skilled on the ukulele, bass guitar, and acoistic guitar. That said, I’ve only ever written two songs. One is about a unicorn forest, the other is about Nathan Fillion. They’re OK.

While talking with this friend, he could not believe that I was not writing songs. I’m a writer! I told him the truth: Songwriting to me is writing about songs. He told me to roll with it. I did.

THE SONGWRITING SONG
Lyrics by Daniel Sos

This is the intro verse
And it’s pretty chill
This might be a sign that this is a happy song
G chord
Is your home base
Never stray too far from it.

E chord
is like a sign
That points you write into the chorus

Chorus
This is the song writing song
come on sing along
or not
maybe you don’t want to
You could learn a thousand songs and play
them all but you’ll never find your but
the song writing song
Will help you play your song!

That was the chorus
It is pretty swell
You can come back to it once you finish the verse
The verse
is what we’re doing now
the lyric change
So they aren’t so easy
The e chord
a familiar face
it’s leading you right into the chorus

[chorus]

This is the bridge
it’s optional
optional
A friend of mine said Bminor
was a god bridge chord
Use a bridge to give your song
a litte variety
iety
They’re over quick, so now we transition

[solo over chorus]

The final verse
It’s a tearful one
it means your song is almost over.
to summarize
intro chorus verse bridge end
oh, one last thing
play the chorus twice right now!

[chorus x2]

end!

So that was the Songwriting Song. Hope you enjoy it. Comment, link to my blog, tell your friends and companions. Anything helps.

Until next time.

For the past week my life has been OK. I’m gonna start with Friday and work my way to today.

Friday: I wake up and IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! I was fairly excited about that. Many of my friends (most of them on Twitter) congratulated me and showered me with praise, which isn’t a terrible thing to wake up to, I’ve realized. Spent the evening surrounded by family and friends, enjoying myself immensely. Ate cake. Went to sleep. That was fun.

Saturday: I wake up and meander over to my father’s house. He’s waiting for me, and he gives me an iPhone 4! That was immensely cool. We did some cleaning, and some friends came over. We watched Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and played some video games. So that was also pretty fun.

Sunday and Monday: The holiday weekend. It was Thanksgiving, so I spent a lot of time on Sunday and Monday just being thankful for all my friends, all my acquaintances, my shinies, my musical tastes, everything. I’m still thankful that I’m alive and breathing, and not consumed with depression. It’s become a weird slimy coating rather than sponging in. Still not good. But better!

See? I’m totally happy right now. No, I’m not just opening my eyes really wide. Happy.

Anyways.

Tuesday: Back to school. Nothing interesting happened on Tuesday. I watched Glee and Caprica. Glee and Caprica good. Yeah, Wednesday wasn’t really interesting, and I’m starting to realize that neither is this blog entry. Uhh….

Wednesday: It doesn’t get really interesting until the evening, so I’ll skip to there. I get home, and on the kitchen table is a gigantic box addressed to me. I cut the tape, open the flaps, and staring me in the face was The Complete Battlestar Galactica, and the first season of Caprica! Oh my god that was amazing. I’ve enjoyed Caprica, and am still enjoying it, and I just started watching Battlestar Galactica, and I’m loving that too. I’ll be reviewing Caprica and BSG on this blog, too, as soon as I get around to it. Maybe next week?

It was pretty exciting. I was excited.

Thursday: Another exciting evening. Same scenario as Wednesday, smaller box. I open it up – a Cthulhu! Made of lavender wool. This beautiful creation comes to me from Ruth, who is also known as Cthulhu Chick on occasion. She makes these cuddly monstrosities, and made this one special for me! I love it.

After the auspicious arrival of Zane, I thought it was high time to purchase my #CrafterBirthday items. If you’re new here, #CrafterBirthday was my way of helping the homemade community, as well as myself, by buying homemade items from my favourite crafters. Unfortunately, I was not able to make purchases from everyone, but I was able to procure:

• A Pumpkin Spice Whipped-Up Sugar Scrub and a Boba Fett Soap from Kylee Lane!
• A Mystery Block soap and a Mighty Monarch soap from Lesley at GeekSoap!
• A Tardi-soap and a Mana Bar soap from Jessica at GeekyClean!
• An OMG BOOKS shirt from 2 amazingly creative people, Ruth and Jess!
• A red, blue and black plaid cowl from Pip Robins! (this item used to say “sold” because I had bought it. I love when my decisions affect things.)
• Finally, a caffeine-molecule-printed bag from Lyndsay at Dragon ChowDice Bags! It’s not on the site, because I bought it.

So that’s how I spent my Thursday. Hopefully all this stuff will be coming very soon.

Friday: Went to my grandfather’s 80th birthday party. He’s healthy and happy, and is winning a fight against cancer! It’s all very nice.

All throughout the week, there have been times of badness, depression, etc. But you know what? Those times get less numerous every day, and that’s good.

My life isn’t that bad. Which is good.

If you’d like to see anything on my blog next week, let me know in the comments.

Until next time.

Writing prose for a contest about “words into actions” is ridiculously ironic. I’d just like to start with that.
It has taken me a long time to go from idly musing about this on the streetcar home to actually putting this into writing, which is even more ironic, and you’ll learn why.
The focus of this writing sample is procrastination and writer’s block. At its root, procrastination is the inability to turn words into action. Let’s look at this more.
As a hyper-active teenage geek with lots of free time and nothing to do, I think a lot, and I do a lot of things for a very short time. At the moment I have 5 unfinished songs, a half-completed Dutch lesson, an unopened Mandarin lesson, a list of TV shows to watch, a list of books to read, a list of video-games to play, an unopened CD, plans to start a pillow-sheet making company, an unwritten writing obligation, a novel-writing contest looming, and, of course, this. In my defence, I’ve made an effort on at least half of these projects. Some of them I’ve even worked on for more than a day. Some for more than a week! That’s impressive.
But in the end, all these projects (or most of them, anyway) fall to procrastination. I lose interest, and, having a typical attention span for someone of my age, this happens remarkably quickly. What’s more is that I am perfectly capable of recognizing this trend. I am so comfortable in my procrastination that I can move from a failed project (say, knitting decorative leg-warmers) to another project, equally doomed for failure (making ninja stars), and be completely OK with that. I don’t even think that these projects are going to succeed any more. I hope I can find the initiative to do some of my better ones, but a lot of these are just doomed from the start, and I know that.
The problem here is that in this one habit, I am not unique. The majority of students at most public schools are chronic procrastinators (I don’t have many sources or concrete statistics – I was too lazy to find them), and it is affecting schools as a result. Many teachers have introduced a “cut-off date” in addition to the due-date of an assignment, which is the latest a project will be accepted. Even so, many students attempt to hand in assignments after that, and some teachers let them.
This ends up being incredibly counter-productive in adult life. Many people of the ‘me generation (it should be called the ‘meh’ generation, partly to do with apathy and partly to do with a lack of awareness in spelling.)’ will be unprepared to enter the workforce, to pay bills, to shop, to clean. I’m kind of worried about it myself. As aware of the problem as I am, I can’t be bothered to fix it.
Wikipedia’s article on procrastination (It was the first result and I was lazy) says that it comes in 2 forms – relaxed and nervous. Relaxed procrastination is where no work is ever done, and no work is ever worried about. From the perspective of a relaxed procrastinator, no work was ever given, so there is no problem. I can relate, insofar as I have forgotten entire classes on more than one occasion. On the other hand, a nervous procrastinator is fully aware of his or her workload, and it scares them silly. They are so paralyzed by fear that they cannot bring themselves to work. I can also relate there, as I’m usually in that state. Neither of these things is good, and neither of them breeds good work habits.
Really, now that I’m nearing the home stretch, I’m feeling good about this (though I did spell ‘stretch’ wrong the first time). Maybe what people need isn’t a lot of projects, maybe it’s just the sense of accomplishment from one? Maybe? Interesting.
I’ll think about it later.

By the way, I’m going to be doing an awesome post-birthday post to accompany the tweets that go with it. And a Caprica review.

Right now, however, I can’t think of anything to write.

Yep.

So this is my post.

I’ve been watching Caprica, I guess. It’s pretty good.

Don’t hurt me.

Fillion by Daniel Sos
composed on ukulele, where it sounds best.

E———————-C
He drove head-first into the Black
G————-D
To save his crew and his space ship

(chord progression continues)

He jumped on to a moving van
And pushed a girl into garbage

He stuck his thumb in Xander’s eye
Now he’s solving crime’s with Stana Katic

Is there anything he can’t do?
…. Probably not!

(chorus)

E——-C——-D
Fillion! Totally awesome!
Fillion! Canadian dream!
Fillion! His first name is Nathan!
Fillion! Bam said the lady, yeah!

(solo over E C G D, 8 bars)

(verse)

He’s double rainbow all the way
He ain’t afraid to do the weird stuff

He was a gynecologist
I didn’t really watch One Life to Live!

He’s gorram shiny!
But I can’t think of anything to say in Mandarin.

(chorus x2)

C————–D—–E
Bam said the lady, yeah!
Bam said the lady, yeah!
Bam said the lady, yeah!

(let last chord ring)

I hope you liked it. For a short version, use the first verse and the ending chorus part.

Thank you.

As an emotionally-heightened, but rationally minded person, I consider myself very insightful and self-aware. I like to think that I give good advice. Honestly my track record isn’t that bad, except for accidentally breaking up my friends one time. We shouldn’t dwell on that. Even if I can’t give advice, if I’ve never had to deal with something of that magnitude or that specificity, I’m always there with a hug, or a kind word, or a place to vent.

Here’s the thing: this extends to everyone.

Did I meet you yesterday? Doesn’t matter, you need help. Do I hate you? I can hate you later, I must mend you. Is this the internet (this last one happens a lot)? Don’t care, /hug and a smiley-face. I have a hard time not offering encouraging words to sad people on the TTC. People are important to me, especially people’s happiness. Especially especially happy people’s happiness.

I soak up emotion like a sponge left in a puddle of sad. It really gets to me that even the mere mention of a negative emotion makes me experience it. Of course, this works both ways. If I encounter genuinely happy people then I’m thrilled. But mostly, everyone is sad behind the dyke of a happy face, and all it takes is one event to have all the sadness water pour out. Which is where I try to come in. A sponge might not be able to save Amsterdam, but it can make a person feel a little better about themselves. That metaphor/simile was confusing.

Besides, I actually have a deep love for people. I want us to stay awesome.

Anyways, the reason I’m posting this is that Monday looms for me, and for a lot of people I know. And last week was a shitty week. People just experienced badness all over the place, wherever they were. And I, for all the reasons mentioned above, can’t let that happen again. I have prepared a counter-measure, perfected using the ancient arts of being silly and positive-fu.

I’m introducing #KTWA: Kick The Week’s Ass. That’s the hashtag I’ll be using to chronicle my usage of this. It’s a simple system really. Whenever you’re feeling down, depressed, or just plain beaten, find a quiet place away where you won’t be disturbed, with enough space to move, and hopefully where you can’t break anything. After you do that, bow, deeply. When you rise, you are not Joe or Sue, or Bobby, or anyone. You are a badass kung-fu master. The evil Lord Weekdays has sent his mooks after you, and you must use your skils of martial arts to defeat them. Then, go crazy. Jump around, do roundhouse kicks, double punches, crane stance, judo chops, backflips, scream “HIYAH!” “HONG KONG FOOEY!” “WA-CHOW!” or something similar, offer hilarious quips about the sorry state of the mooks while you dispatch them. This might even be fun. It should be. Remember that while you are doing this awesome kung-fu awesome, you are defeating the day. You are winning. You are kicking the week’s ass. After you feel you’re done, and can once again take on your schoolwork/job/whiny child/scary uncle/spouse who is angry at you/Cheerios bowl/etc, bow again, and you’re back to regular ol’ you. Then go and do that, knowing you have destroyed multiple assailants in combat and survived, to kick the day’s ass once again if need be.

If you don’t have the time or ability to leave and go have an extended fight scene, then Lord Weekdays has truly got you. He needs only send one assailant to take you out. However, being the awesome fighter that you are, not only do you know where this assailant is, but you can take him out in one strike. Conservation of Ninjustu, etc. You do not need to bow. Merely squint and imagine a flute playing an ominous tone in your ear. Take a deep breath, for a minute suppress your shame glands, and STRIKE! Punch over your shoulder! Sweep kick and curb-stomp! Karate chop! Yell a satisfying “YAH!” while you do it, and return to your work, knowing that even the most trained of Lord Weekday’s servants got his ass formerly whooped my you.

So that’s how I plan on dealing with my stress for the next week. If you like this intiative, then reblog, retweet, tell your friends, anything. We want Lord Weekdays’ sway on us to get gone. Post a comment letting me know what you think. Do it, that’s the important part. Tweet it, use the hashtag (#KWTA). All that.

Have fun. Until next time.

Also, KTWA should look something like this:

For the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling terribly depressed. Like, “can barely function and is trying to cry out for help” depressed. I’m pretty sure I know why, but I’ll get to it later. Right now I’m going to talk about something else.

Yom Kippur is a Jewish holiday, and it is one of the most important. About a week and a half after the new year begins, it starts. Yom Kippur translates into the Day of Atonement. For 24 hours on this day, people around the world atone. We ask God to forgive us for all the terrible things we’ve done the year before, and at the end of it, we’re given a new year to work with. It’s a very important holiday, and it holds a lot of significance for me.

I do a lot of bad things. I make a lot of bad decisions. I have many regrets. But come this holiday, I can ask for forgiveness. I do, too. At the end of the day, even though I’m hungry (you’re not allowed to eat on Yom Kippur), I still feel emotionally fulfilled. But not of this one. I’ve made my apologies, asked for forgiveness, et cetera, but on this day, I think I have to apologize to a specific person.

A few weeks ago, I was rejected by a girl. It was for very good reasons, and we’re still friends, but every day it tears at my insides and gnaws my mind like a feral fox. It’s not that I’m angry. It’s not that I’m sad. I’m not especially happy either, but it has nothing to do with emotions. I want to apologize.

When people tell me that I don’t need to apologize, I get angry. If I didn’t need to apologize, I wouldn’t have offered it as a suggestion in the first place. Let me apologize, is all I’m saying.

So I’m going to.

I’m sorry that I have frustratingly bad timing.

I’m sorry that I added to an already stressful week.

I’m sorry that it’s a little awkward now.

I’m just sorry.

And to everyone who read this, I’m sorry you read through all this adolescent angry whining. I really don’t like being like this, but I kind of had to get it off my chest.

Thanks for reading, if you did. I’m feeling a little better now. If you feel like it, comment.

Also, because I am loath to end my blog on a somber note, I like this song. See if you can make up your own lyrics in the same style.

In the middle of July I sent the wonderfully talented Kylee Lane an email asking for a custom soap, one that at time of writing I will tell not a soul about. She responded quickly, and in early August, she was on track to a finished product. That same day, unfortunate circumstances reduced my available spending money to a little less than zero, and regrettably, was forced to cancel my order.

And then I recieved quite possibly one of the nicest samplings of 140 characters in my life.

Because I can’t find the tweet, she essentially said “Hey, I’m gonna make your soap for free, k?”When I read that, my jaw dropped. My vocal chords began uncontrollably squealing. My eyes achieved anime-like shine and size. I. Was. Thrilled to my balls. So happy.

I’ve actually been kind of obsessed with crafters since then, especially geeky ones. They have so much talent, so much passion. So much drive! I envy them, If I can be completely honest. And while I could not count myself as one of them, I’d like to help them as much as I can. That being said, here’s #CrafterBirthday!

My birthday is October 8th. This is a Friday. I will probably recieve some birthday greetings, a cupcake or four, and some good cheer. The next day is my #CrafterBirthday. I am inviting every single person I know who will not threaten to stab me (this rules out a lot of my friends, acutally) to this party, and it will be awesome. Halo, Left 4 Dead, bad movies, cake. A geeky teen’s haven. And then everyone at the party will give me $20 as a present. That’s what I ask for.

Each $20 I recieve will go directly to a single crafter. Whatever I can buy for $20 is going to be purchased. This means that at least 3 of the people on the following list will have products purchased, for me, by me, from them. Ow. That sentence hurt.

I mentioned a list, didn’t I? Here it is (link is to their Twitter accounts)

• @KyleeLane, the aformentioned maker of soaps.
• @geeksoap, her partner in crime, and another soap maker.
• @GeekyClean, a third soapmaker. I will have a lot of soap.
• @GEEKLEETIST, a crafter of awesome designy things.
• @piprobins, who makes cowls (awesome scarf-things that really come in handy in Canada)
• @UberDorkGirlie, the creator of UberDorkCafe, a program I support more than possible at all times.
• @GeekyLyndsay, who makes dice bags, an essential for RPG gamers (which I am)
• @GeekyCookies, who makes cookies shaped like geeky things. I don’t even. So cool.
• @thinkgeek, a company that stockpiles geeky stuff. I’ll be spending $40 on them, because there’s just so much stuff.
• @cthulhuchick, who makes mini plush Cthulhus. Just… yeah. So awesome.
• @RayGunRobyn, making all kinds of sorts of fabric geeky amazingness (I lust for the Serenity shirt)
• @missmonstermel, who has amazing drawing skillzo, and whose artbook I will welcome into my home.

On the 9th,  I will roll a d10 for evenry $20 I recieve. I will then add $20 to that corresponding crafter. At the end, it’ll be awesome.

This is my way of giving back. I have no skill as a crafter, and cannot as of yet make my geek-music, but I am a damn good consumer. Om nom nom.

Also, I might be getting an iPhone 4. FFFFUUUUCK YESSSSS!!!!

Until next time.