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.

A Dead Dynasty

Tonight, the Spurs lost to the Grizzlies. It means several things:

1. The Spurs fans will throw out their tired "4-0" argument. Which is fine.

2. The Spurs become the second team to lose to an 8 seed in the NBA playoffs. Welcome to the party, San Antonio. It sucks.

3. The Spurs Dynasty is dead. Duncan is done. Ginobili is losing it. Parker can't do it by himself. It was a great ride, and you accomplished a lot. Yeah, you cheated to get into the lottery. Yeah, you had the most improbable lottery win in NBA history. And, yeah, you happened to have that happen in one of the few years when a franchise-changing player was available. Congratulations. But you sold your soul for four titles...enjoy mediocrity for the rest of your franchise's existence.

It's over. Forever. And I love it.

Mavericks Update

Let's see what this team is made of tonight. There are a couple possibilities that I see:

1. Tyson Chandler (and company, which could include Shawn Marion and maybe someone else) takes this team on his back. Emotionally and physically. And finds a way to get over the Mavericks' past angst. He seems to be the only guy strong enough to absorb all the Mavericks' demons, and even then, I don't know if he can. The team will rebound, take command back in the series, and move on to the second round.

2. As they've done time and time again, this kind of adversity simply kills them.

If #1 happens, I'll believe again. If #2 happens, I've already applied for a temporary fan card for the Memphis Grizzlies. It's been approved, but I still have to sign it.

Show me something, Mavs.

The F%&#ing Mavericks

If you're the type that believes in reincarnation, I would like to introduce the following theory:

- Fans of the Dallas Mavericks are being punished for sins in a previous life.

It's the only way to describe the gut-wrenching horror that it is to be a Mavs fan some days. Yesterday, of course, the Mavs had one of the most epic meltdowns in NBA playoff history. With a 23-point lead late in the third quarter (2 minutes to go), the Mavs found a way to lose again. Just like the 2006 NBA Finals and dozens of times since and before.

The Mavericks are the most pathetic franchise in the history of pro sports. From the 1990s, where the team was one of the worst performers in sports history...but still couldn't get the #1 overall pick ever (compare to the Spurs, who threw games to get into the lottery and won with a single ping-pong ball). To the 2000s, where the Mavs are the only team in NBA history with as many wins in a decade without multiple titles (let alone the zero the Mavs have).

And it makes me laugh so hard when Spurs fans go out of their way to scoreboard Mavs fans. Does Bill Gates scoreboard homeless people? If so, he's as big a douche as most of the Spurs fans I know.

And I know I've said a million times that you have to support the home team. I get really mad at all of the Lakers fans in Dallas. Or the Yankees fans in Dallas. Or the Red Wings fans in Dallas. People who have grown up in Texas but choose to cheer for a team in a city they've never been to.

But I don't know if I can cheer for this team anymore. My heart just isn't strong enough. Because it isn't just that they choke...they have to make you believe first. They seduce you with magic and then break your heart.

Because two weeks ago, I couldn't imagine getting upset about the Mavericks. They were playing awful, and they were limping into the playoffs. I said that they might be the worst #3 seed in NBA history, and they were overwhelmingly getting picked to get beat by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Then I actually got invited to game one. I watched and had fun, and the team won. Then they went out and, despite low odds, won game two in relatively overwhelming fashion. To add to that, the Spurs and Lakers both lost their game ones, making both of them look beatable.

And I started to wonder. The team was dominant with DeShawn Stevenson starting earlier in the year, and now he was back in the starting lineup. Turnover machine and false messiah Rodrigue Beaubois was hurt and couldn't blow games anymore. Jason Kidd looked young and revitalized. Even Jason Terry looked like he'd played before. Things were looking up.

And even game three made me feel better about the team. In a hostile environment, with the Blazers making every shot they took, the Mavs were still able to hang in. Terry brought something offensively. And then there was the fact that Dirk really hadn't shot the ball well yet, despite being the strongest candidate for MVP of the series.

Then game four. A critical game. A Mavs win, and they just needed to win one of three with two at home. A Portland win and they have the momentum heading back to Dallas.

And in the third quarter, the Mavs played great. Portland didn't hit a shot until 2 minutes left, and Dallas was drilling everything. They took a 23-point lead. I look at my phone and Caron Butler, Dirk's strongest Tonto, was cleared for contact and practice.

Then Brandon Roy hits a 3-pointer to knock the lead back down to 18. And something hit my gut. I realized something, and it made me sick.

Portland was shooting terrible. The law of averages said that they would rebound. That meant they would hit most of their fourth quarter shots.

And they basically did. The fourth quarter was a massacre. Not just to the Mavs but to my heart. I knew they were a tease. I knew they couldn't be trusted. I knew that they were just a painted-up harlot with too many years on her tires and nothing left to give. But I fell for it. I believed. Again.

They didn't go to the basket. They settled for bad jumpers and three pointers. They didn't give the ball to Dirk Nowitzki.

And on defense, they sucked. Ashley said they played good defense, but I couldn't disagree more. All I saw was Brandon Roy rushing to the basket for easy layups. Slashing passed Shawn Marion. And, of course, the officials giving dozens of free throws.

I knew they were going to lose from the moment that Roy 3-pointer hit at the end of the third. I just knew it. I sat there hoping that I was wrong, knowing it but just not being able to believe it. I still don't believe it.

One of the great traditions of Dallas sports fans is the question of what team will win it all next. And I think I know the answer. And the answer is "no one." This city is done winning. None of the teams have bright futures or strong horizons. The only hope is the freakin' Rangers, who are made of just as much fools' gold as the Mavericks are/were. No bullpen and average starting pitching won't get it done. They're just a slightly better version of the late 90s teams with all offense and no pitching.

But I'll keep watching. Keep believing. Keep hoping. And maybe my sentence for prior-life sins will slowly erode. Maybe, one day, my time will be served. But, from the looks of things, I have a life sentence.

The John Lennon Question

If John Lennon was 20 today, would he still be a musician? If so, what kind of music would he do, and would he be successful?

This question popped into my head today for no real reason. I was listening to the radio, and some song from the 90s came on (I actually don't remember what it was). And I started to wonder if the artist in question would've been successful today. Or did her musical talent just happen to fit what happened to be popular in the 1990s?

And that's no fun. Who cares about some random female singer in the 1990s? Let's make this significant. So I picked John Lennon, who many regard as a musical genius. And no matter what you think of the man, he changed music forever.

So take John Lennon, and give him the exact same childhood and upbringing fifty years later. So he'll have the same interests, the same morals, the same ethics, and the same personality. Now, I understand that part of what made him John Lennon was the music of his time and his reaction to it. But, for the sake of the thought, let's pretend that John Lennon is John Lennon today.

The first question: does modern John Lennon go into music? Was the music of his time so influential to him that he had to go into music, and would the music of our time have the same effect on him? If not, would he have done something different in his life? Maybe a different form of artistic expression? Or does he end up working at Merrill Lynch?

The second question: if he chooses music, what kind of music does he do? And I guess the next question would actually be whether or not the void left by John Lennon being snatched out of history was filled by anyone else? And I think, again for the sake of the thought, that someone filled John Lennon's role and music is the exact same.

So what type of music would he do? This is the part where I'm no longer qualified to answer. So I went to a friend, who is much more qualified. And I'll let you in on his answer, not revealing his name just in case he doesn't want seven other people to know his thoughts.

"Yeah, he would be (a musician), but with the Internet and just how the world is, he'd be more of an artist who just also happens to make music. I would say he'd be more like Jason Collette and Broken Social Scene, but not overly successful. That is, if he's on his own and there wouldn't be a modern day Beatles"

Very interesting answer. It's hard to say exactly what would happen, but it brings me to the most important question.

How much of success depends on when you're born? Or do geniuses find a way to work with what they have in the environment they're in?

Was John Lennon a genius that understood the music scene, found a void, filled it, and revolutionized the way music sounds? And, being a genius, could he do the same thing today? Or, like the 90s singer, did he just happen to thrive in an environment that embraced his particular skill set? Would John Lennon form a Coldplay-like band and be massively successful? Or would he be a struggling artist in London, forever wondering why no one understands his genius?

How many John Lennons are out there right now, wondering why they weren't born in the 40s? How many people would've been better off in a different era, past or future? How many people would've been much worse?

Or does it not matter? Does success just find certain people no matter what? Would Einstein have been as influential if E=MC2 had already been discovered? Would he have discovered something different? Or would he be some random guy in the patent office, trying to think of the next Snuggie?

Would Abraham Lincoln be a successful politician? Would George Washington be a successful military leader? How would Aristotle function in today's world? Would Martin Luther find a way to make an impact on modern religion? What about Da Vinci? Or Napoleon? Or Julius Caesar?

It's a really interesting question to me. And, hopefully, you find it just as fascinating.