Follow Friday Blog Edition

Yes, it's not Friday. I know. Read these blogs:

http://bmwooddell.wordpress.com/

My friend Woody is really smart and passionate. He's also opinionated, and he knows how to write. I don't always agree with him, but I always respect his thoughts. He's doing a really cool series of blogs right now that I might end up stealing.

http://idiocracyrising.com/

My roommate Ashley is trying to get back into blogging. He's another excellent writer, and he's always got something interesting to write about.

http://ryanclaunch.com/

My friend Ryan's photo blog. He has a really great talent for photography, and he's got some really cool photos. Check them out.

VIP Treatment

For the second consecutive Sunday, I went to a golf tournament. But unlike last week, when we went around to see several different golfers, we were only going to follow one golfer.

As I said before, I'm not a golf fan. If you sat me down, on the spot, with a piece of paper and a pencil and told me to write down all the active golfers I know, I could probably get about 20. Maybe a few more or a few less. So when I was told I would be following a "Keegan Bradley", I didn't know who that was. The first time I saw his face was the first hole he teed off on, and I found out his age (24) a few minutes later.

But my friend Kara (who recently was converted from "Ashley's friend" to my friend") knows Keegan, and Keegan provided the tickets. So we owed it to Keegan to follow him around. This also gave me the opportunity to see all 18 holes at the Byron Nelson...something I wasn't able to experience at the Colonial.

What was interesting was that I'd actually heard of the other half of Keegan's twosome: 17-year-old high school amateur Jordan Speith. Kara was annoyed that Keegan was going to be part of this big mob of people following the local kid, and she braced herself for the crowds that would be overwhelmingly in favor of the other guy. And they were. As soon as Jordan shot, people started moving and talking. A couple of times, the crowd had to be stopped because Keegan was going to make a shot.

And while he was close all day, Keegan went into the clubhouse down a couple strokes...needing some help to win. But then one of the golfers in the lead bogeyed consecutive holes. And before we knew it, Keegan was in first place. It took a nice putt by Ryan Palmer to get to a one-hole playoff. Which Keegan ended up winning.

Kara was ecstatic. She had followed Keegan around for three of the four days of the tournament, and she'd mostly done it by herself (or just with us). Of the thousands of the people at the tournament, Kara might've been Keegan's only true fan. After all, he's not local, and it's his first year on the tour.

But someone else noticed...one of the volunteers working Keegan's twosome was aware that Kara was following Keegan around. He'd noticed her following Keegan (not just today...other days too) and wondered if Kara was, perhaps, Keegan's wife. And when Keegan won, he was quick to show up and offer high fives to the group.

But then something weird happened. Kara asked where Keegan would go after the win, and the volunteer said that he would be taken to the media tent for an interview. Then he asked if she'd like to go.

After that, weird things kept happening. As Keegan was ushered off, we followed him. The volunteer chaperoned us, getting us into the exclusive after-tournament party. We got to the front of the room as Keegan thanked all the volunteers and the military personnel on site. Keegan got to the exit, near us, and hugged Kara and the others in our group. We congratulated him, and it was pretty cool.

But Keegan still had to do his press conference. The volunteer, again, asked if we wanted to go. Not wanting to turn down more VIP options, we were driven by golf cart to the media building. Ushered by security again, we ended up seated at the Byron Nelson's champion's press conference.

It was a bit unreal. The day had gone from a vague notion of knowing one of the players to sitting in the media room as this guy got interviewed. After it was over, Keegan approached us again. I shook his hand, and I congratulated him on his big win. He said it was nice to meet all of us, and he seemed like a genuinely good guy.

Again, I don't really follow golf. But it was still a cool experience to be ushered around like VIPs. We were treated like Keegan's special guests (which, I suppose, we were in a way), and it was really cool.

So, if anyone asks me who my favorite golfer is, I have an answer. It probably won't be a name anyone recognizes (unless he keeps winning), but it will actually be an honest one. I'm not sure if I'll follow golf any more than I did before...but now I, at least, have someone to root for. And, at the end of the day, that's why I watch sports in the first place.

Sports Tour Around the Metroplex

In one week, I took in a lot of the sporting events that the DFW Metroplex has to offer. I love this town, and I love sports...but I rarely take full advantage of what the area can deliver. This week, I did not.

Sunday 5/15 - Texas Rangers

Tim invited us to the Rangers game, and since the Mavericks weren't playing, we decided to go. It was my fifth game of the year, and it was really nice to get out to a day baseball game before it gets too hot. Obviously not new to me, Rangers' games are still really fun. It was a pretty generic game and nothing really to note.

Monday 5/16 - Frisco Roughriders

More baseball, but this time, it was the younger guys. The Rangers recently signed a Cuban defector named Leonys Martin. We've heard that, sooner or later, Martin will be the starting centerfielder for the Rangers. He has speed, defense, and a solid bat (in other words, he's everything that Borbon was promised to be). And I wanted to check him out as quickly as possible. And since the Rangers' number one prospect (Martin Perez) is also at Frisco, it was a simple solution: find a game where Perez is pitching at home and go.

Sunday night, I was talking with Ashley, and we decided to simply buy tickets at the gate. It's Frisco, its the middle of the season, and outside of hardcore Rangers' fans, there wasn't a great deal of Martin buzz.

But I arrived to work on Monday morning and my friend Matt (who also planned on going) walked up to me and said, "I think Nelson Cruz screwed us." Not having any idea what that meant, he went on to explain that All-Star Cruz was going to be doing a rehab assignment at Frisco starting Monday. Matt had checked online and saw that, presumably because of the assignment, the game appeared mostly sold out. The only tickets he could find were $20 ones.

Ashley was out if that was the case, and I was debating it. After all, we only spend $15 for the big league club...$20 for the minor leaguers seemed a bit much. But Matt decided to call, and I told him that we were in if we could get $10 seats. He called, and he was surprised when they told him that there were four $10 seats available on the first row of the 1st base line.

We assumed that some extra tickets had been released because the web site was pretty insistent that no tickets remained. But when we got to the park, something was off. No one was there. No one.

Maybe they were stuck in traffic on the Toll Road? Nope. No one was there, and no one else was coming. There were times when the stadium was so silent that you could hear the first baseman walk on the dirt of the infield.

But that also meant that the game was ripe for heckling. I've never really been a heckler (mostly because I'm generally quiet and I never sit close enough to do it.) But with Ashley, Matt, and Matt's friend also participating, I went for it. My prime target was a poor kid (who we later found out was from the Metroplex) named Petey Paramore.

Petey, huh? Not Peter or Pete? And this wasn't a 19-year-old guy...he was almost 25. It was time to go by a more adult name, and we let him know it. The highlight for me was when I noticed that Petey was hitting .169. So I yell, "Let's go, Petey! You're so close to .170" The joke being, of course, that .170 is still terrible.

Everyone around us laughed. And I knew I'd made a good heckle when I noticed that the Roughriders' 1st baseman was laughing too.

Some of it may have been a bit mean, but heckling might actually be part of baseball's DNA. The fans are allowed to try and get in the heads of the players, and I think they know that. We also picked on a couple other players, including a guy from New Jersey who had these terrible douche-like giant reflective sunglasses in his official picture.

But the game was pretty fun. Martin and Perez played well, and it was good to see Cruz hit again. If you want to see young players desperately trying to make the big leagues, it's really fun. Frisco is cheap, and they try to make the games fun for people of all ages. It's distracting sometimes, but it's a good time. I recommend it.

Tuesday 5/17

Tim texted me Monday and asked if I wanted to go to game one of the Western Conference Finals. I said yes and asked about the price. He said $125.

And while I'm definitely on board the Mavs' wagon, I was a bit hesitant at the price. I don't spend that much on tickets much, and I didn't want to spend $125 just to see the team lose. But I figured the Mavs would show up for the game, and I bit the bullet.

Now, prior to this season, I was a bit nervous about going to Maverick playoff games. I'd been to two before, both against the Spurs in separate seasons. In 2003, I went to the game in the Western Conference Finals where Dirk got hurt. In 2006, I went to the game where Jason Terry got suspended for punching Michael Finley in his special area. Two losses and two big negative marks.

But I went to the first playoff game of the season against the Blazers this season, and they won. So, as part of my effort to be less superstitious, I decided to go for it.

Now, I've been to playoff games before. I've been to Stanley Cup games. I've been to regular season sellouts. And, generally, traffic around the American Airlines Center flows pretty well.

Not this night. Tim and I got to the area around the arena around 7:20, and we got in our seats after the lineups were announced. It took a while to get to the parking lot, we had to park in an auxiliary lot a lot further than I've ever parked, and there was a giant line to get inside the arena. I've never seen anything like it before.

But it was good. The crowd was electric and loud, and Dirk Nowitzki carried the team on his shoulders. It just goes to show you that this town is desperately hungry for a championship, and if the teams show us something, we'll do our best to carry them.

5/22 - Colonial

I've never been into golf. To me, the sport is for rich old men, and it's just never been that entertaining to me. But a few years ago, I was invited into a fantasy golf league, and it kinda changed things. I've always maintained that fantasy sports are great for me because they get me interested in games/events that I don't care about. Because for me to watch sports, I have to have a reason to cheer for one of the teams. Fantasy sports give me a reason.

So if I was bored and golf was the only thing on, I could try to root for the guys I chose for that tournament.

One day, I was hanging out with Ashley's church group, and one of them was talking about fantasy sports. I mentioned that I had played fantasy golf (and that it was actually fun), and one of them (Kara) decided to start a league. And she did, and I've been one of the few people to keep up with it.

Kara is a Chicago Blackhawks fan, and I gave her my seats for the Blackhawks-Stars game at the end of the season. To pay me back, she offered me a ticket to the Colonial.

I've obviously never been to a golf tournament, not ever having been a big fan of the game. But because I'm trying to get out more and try new things, I decided to go for it (which, yes, is a theme). I don't know Kara very well, but she's always been really nice to me and I knew it'd be fun to hang out with her.

So I woke up early Sunday morning and drove out to Fort Worth. I parked at TCU, and I was a bit embarrassed to know how close the Colonial course was to the campus (I didn't really know where it was, and I didn't know I could've walked there from campus).

And it was a pretty good time. I don't have a favorite player, and the field didn't have big names like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. But I recognized a few names, and I was able to see some of the bigger names. One of the ones that had a huge crowd was young gun Rickie Fowler. He was dressed head-to-toe in bright orange, and his fans dressed the same way. It was pretty cool to see that, since it was as close to a "big gallery" as you could get.

And it was pretty cool to see how close you could get to these pro golfers. One time, we were walking up, and Kevin Na was just right in front of us. He'd hit his ball way off course, and he was looking for it. It ended up right in front of a big concession tent, and I watched all the drama unfold as Na argued with officials about where the ball should be dropped. I was literally three feet from them, and I heard everything. For some reason, the behind the scenes stuff of sports really fascinates me (they're normal people?!?!) and that was pretty cool. Particularly since they do such a good job of segregating the fans from the players usually.

Which is one thing that really bothered me. The way that tournament officials, caddies, and the players are so paranoid about noise and movement. If you're walking around when someone is taking a shot, they make you stand. If you're whispering anywhere, the caddies glare at you. There must be total silence or the golfers can't do their jobs.

Which I think is really stupid. As I mentioned earlier, part of baseball is heckling. Part of basketball is an electric crowd. Fans in every sport are allowed (and usually encouraged) to make as much noise as possible. They're part of the game, and it's always been that way.

But golfers can't play if someone is walking behind them? Or if someone is whispering at a level where the golfer can't possibly hear them? I know that's also tradition, but it seems pretty anal to me.

So I'm declaring, right now, that I will one day sponsor a golf tournament that I can believe in. Fans will be encouraged to cheer (and, yes, heckle within reason) at the golfers. There will be music playing. Movement will be allowed. Let's see if these guys can do it without silence and stillness.

But, outside of that, it was a good time. I got some sun, got a lot of walking in, and it was a new experience. I'm not sure I'd go all the time, but I'm sure I'd have fun every once and a while.

One week, four different sporting events in four different venues. Definitely good times.

First Draft - Complete

I finished the first draft of the first season of (codename) Bumblebees Are Impossible today. It was a huge process, but I was able to write nine full TV scripts in the last couple of months.

Now, the hard part begins. Editing, writing, and re-writing what we've already got down. But while it should be hard, it should also be fun. Looking forward to the process, and I'm hoping to look back on this post and smile. Because this could be the start of something cool.

Wish us luck.

Another First Draft

I wrote the first draft of a novel back in 2007. I wasn't working at the time, and I decided that it would be worth my time. I had an idea, and I finished it in a couple of months. Then, almost immediately, I got the idea for another book. I finished that first draft a couple months later. Then I wrote the first draft of a movie script. Then the first draft of another movie script.

Four first drafts. Zero editing to this day.

I'm fantastic at pumping out first drafts. Maybe even pretty good first drafts. But I've never gone back and edited any of them. Let alone polished.

Could they end up being pretty good? Maybe. The books might be lost causes, but they were both more cathartic than anything. I think my writing style might be suited more for the scripts?

And the scripts? The first was well received by my friends, but my aunt ripped it apart as being pretty offensive. I've gone back and edited a lot of the first half, but it still probably needs quite a bit of work. The second script was also pretty well received, but the entire thing needs to be worked because it's about 25% narration (aka 25% lazy). That's gonna take a lot of work.

And enter "Bumblebees Are Impossible" - the code name for the TV show that Tucker and I are writing. Again, I'm good at knocking out first drafts. I've already written eight full episodes, and we have a show meeting tonight to discuss the ninth (and final one) we will write.

This time, however, I have a backup plan. Tucker is responsible for making sure that we go back and edit. And polish. And maybe try and get the damn thing sold. I do the first step, and he makes sure we both follow through on the next ones. Plus, Ashley is there as a gunner with his editing/polishing/storymaking experience. If this show gets made, Ashley will be right there with us when/if we need him.

But, today, the creative juices are bubbling again. I have the idea for a sitcom, and I started thinking about ways to do it. I came up with a list of characters, possible character arcs, recurring characters, and a general Pilot plot.

Not going to abandon "Bumblebees" - but it's exciting to have a new project to work on. Something fresh and new that I can build. It seems I'm much more interested in building the foundation and walls of a house...but not as concerned with the inside and furniture.

But we'll work on it. And I'll start working on this on the side. And, that way, if we ever get a meeting with an agent or a studio, and they pass...I can always say "Oh, by the way...I also have..."

Osama Bin Laden

"I've never wished a man dead, but I've read many obituaries with great pleasure" - unknown

Osama Bin Laden is dead. And I'm not ashamed to say that I had great pleasure in that statement. I've read a lot about whether or not we, as Americans, should be happy at the fact that someone else is dead.

But there hasn't been a man this hated in this country since Adolf Hitler. Osama Bin Laden masterminded the most vicious attack in most of our lives, and he killed many others with no regard for anything. He deserved to die, in my opinion.

The Bible says that we should love our enemies. God said that vengeance belongs to him. And that's what we're taught to believe, but it's much harder in practice. As for vengeance, I'm often told that God performs miracles through people. Isn't it possible that God also performs vengeance through people?

I've thought a lot today about whether or not it would've been better if he'd been caught alive. I had a dark smile every time I think about Osama being brought to New York City for his trial, with small stops in most of the NYC fire and police precincts. They each get a few minutes with the man, with the direct orders not to kill him. Anything else goes.

Maybe throw him in gen pop with all the hardcore New Yorkers that love their city more than anything. Give them a chance to have a run-in with him in the shower room.

But, at the end of the day, I think it's better for everyone that we just killed him. Save everyone the trouble of a trial where the man hasn't shown remorse or hidden his own guilt. Besides, I can't imagine the nightmare that would go along with trying to protect the man responsible for thousands of deaths. Angry Americans would try and kill him, while his fellow extremists would try and break him out.

Will it make him a martyr? Probably. But the word is that Bin Laden was much more than just one man to this organization. That it will be close to impossible to replace him.

And, with that in mind, it is totally worth it. To rid the world of a terrorism mastermind? To rid the world of a symbol of evil? To rid the world of someone who has caused so much death and devastation? Good. Do it.

What do I think God would think? I think it's pretty interesting that, yesterday, our church started a sermon series on Hell. It's tackling questions like: "Does Hell exist?" "Why would a loving God have a Hell?" "Who is in Hell?"

If there's a Hell and people are there, I think Osama Bin Laden is there. He's killed, and he's distorted the word of God. The Koran says that if you kill one person, you might as well be killing the whole world. Which is about as far away from Bin Laden's teachings as you can get. So even if He has mercy on almost everyone, if anyone is beyond God's mercy...it's Osama Bin Laden.

But that's not up to me. I hope there's a world where everyone can be forgiven at some point, and if it takes getting his head blown off to open his eyes, that's probably worth it...right?

Edgefest 21

A few weeks ago, my friend Ryan told me that he and his girlfriend had bought tickets for Edgefest 21 in Frisco. He said the main performers were Weezer and Jane's Addiction, and that didn't exactly get me excited. But I'd been to two previous Edgefests, and both times I'd had fun. So, in my continuing effort to grow musically, I decided to go with them.

In between then and now, Ryan had given me over a thousand songs for my iPhone to listen to at work. This was all music that he thought I'd like, and most were from bands I'd never heard of (or heard of but hadn't listened to). So as I looked at the lineup, I actually recognized a few more bands than I would've otherwise.

So Ryan and his girlfriend picked me up, and we headed out to Frisco. We got there about noon, which was the end of the very first set. If you've never been, they usually have two or three stages, and they stagger the bands so one band is playing while another is setting up. And yesterday, they were working perfectly...where one band would start almost immediately after the other band ended.

As far as the music goes, New Politics (and their breakdancing lead singer) and Neon Trees (and their insane lead singer) were two of the best acts. I'd become familiar with their music, and I really liked seeing both of them live. I think these type of things work for me because you get to hear the hits, and you get to hear a lot of different types of music.

Which brings me to one of the best parts of Edgefest: the people watching. Because of the eclectic musical types, there are all kinds of people. Because while most people like different types of music, one band probably brought each person to that show. And so you had so many different types of people. You had douchebags with their shirts off with their girlfriends in bikinis and jean shorts. You had emo/goth people head-to-toe in black. You had different emo people in pants and hooded sweatshirts. There were people with dozens of tattoos and people with dozens of piercings. It was really fascinating.

And it was interesting seeing people get really excited about their favorite bands, and it really made me think how much music matters to people. And no matter where you come from or what you look like, certain music impacts people in ways they can't quite explain. And since none of the bands that played were my favorite (although there were some that I really liked), I was able to sit back and soak it all in.

Food and drinks were ridiculous. Beer was $11 and even water was $4, and the only food available was typical stadium crap. The stadium slowly but surely started filling with empty cups, particularly because of the unexplainable shortage of trash cans. The unmistakable smell of marijuana filled the air.

And that's basically how it went for most of the day. Then the afternoon started to slow down, and the four big acts showed up. Seether was first, and they were okay. They did a pretty cool cover of "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana, and we joked that they might need to switch to an all-Nirvana cover band. Then Social Distortion came on, and I was surprised at how many of their songs I recognized.

Then came Weezer. It had already been decided by the three of us that we didn't really care about Jane's Addiction, and that we were going to leave after Weezer.

Now let me talk for a second about Weezer. It wasn't until recently that this band even factored into my conscious. I'd, of course, heard most of their hits, and I liked what I'd heard. But I never invested enough time in them to call myself a fan. But I figured they'd put on a good show, and I thought it would be cool.

And they were the best act of the night. They were great with the crowd, playing a lot of their big hits. They played big fun songs and a couple slower "guitar jams." The lead singer sat back as the bass player sang a song. And then there was the crowd interaction. He fed off the crowd most of the night, and he eventually jumped into the pit area and physically interacted with a lot of people. He went deep into the crowd, way off to the sides, and everywhere in between. He had energy, and it made the crowd love him.

They even did an encore, prompting the crowd to chant the band's name (the only time it happened all day). The stadium was as full as it was all night, and everyone seemed really into it. After showing nothing but ads all day, the large screens on each side of the stage were changed to video of the acts, and it also helped make the scene cool. And, of course, a lot of the girls that were shown on stage (after hours of beer and other substances) took advantage of that time to flash the audience. I saw plenty of boobies by the end of the night.

But, all in all, it was really a good time. I heard some cool music, saw some of my newer favorites play, and I had a lot of great people-watching. And while that's not necessarily "my scene" most of the year, it's something pretty cool that I like to do on rare occasions.

So, thanks Edgefest (and Ryan and Carrie) for a really fun and energy-filled Saturday.