Find a spot by the ocean…

Find that place by the ocean that you like. It will feel right when you find it.

 

A place where you’d like to visit me, especially when you feel lonely and need some warmth or a silly thought to cheer you up.

 

And when I’m gone… plant my cremated ass in the ground! Yeah! Turn what’s left of me into a tree!

Maybe I can turn into a natural bonsai over looking some japanese coastline. Then some young hip photographer will get a shot of me.

Then I can get published! And be a tree!

I’ve got a plan. Don’t fill my meaty parts up with chemicals! Screw that! Let me go degrade, and get back into the natural life cycle of the planet.

 

I’m still here,

Pearce

Dear Cultural Industries in Saskatchewan

If you have to deal with anyone for funding and the arts. There is a lot of great wisdom from lessons learned with the blog link below.

Pay attention, the exam is your success to finishing or even starting your dream of creating something amazing.

 

Dear Cultural Industries in Saskatchewan.

 

I’m still here,

Pearce

Flash Fiction : Spirit

The following is part of a flash fiction story (way down at bottom of post is link) that jumped out of my brain. The name challenge Clinton Plenty was on the list. It’s not his story though. This maybe the kickoff for my November writing challenge, depending on how far I get outlining my fantasy trilogy, I may throw some excerpts on, pending reader response.

A huge thanks and shoutout to my guest editor, JC Hutchins. He looked at the first draft of this and applied his mighty old school journalist editing powers to make me realize how much rewriting I need to do. Tighten up prose, check grammar. You know, the basics? Thanks again JC. You are brilliant, and the world will get the 33 eventually. (For those of you who haven’t experienced the awesome work of 7th Son, and Personal Effects : Dark Arts, I’m so jealous that you get to experience it for the first time. But you’ll be jealous that I’ve gone through a lot of his great work.) Also check out his amazing meta-fiction for Discovery Channel.

Without further ado, here’s Spirit (working title),

I’m still here,
Pearce

Throwaway Lines! and Tales of King City : Balance Part 4

Also thinking about starting up a twitter meme. Had a conversation where I had to explain that the ‘throwaway line’ is sometimes better than the punchline, and is actually funnier than any joke. Try it out… when you are walking into a room, just over your shoulder say something like….

We never found the goat.

Her name was Sheldon. Yes, Her.

I couldn’t fill the hole.

Strangest Pie ever. But I liked it. I dream about it.

I couldn’t find the knobs.

But I think Least I Could Do has one of the best uses of the throwaway line. Go read, enjoy, get offended.

What else is going on… Oh yes, had a great writing session today. Got over 2k in words on Balance. As it is first draft, I still like the concept, but I know I can do a better version of this. But as people have been asking for the next part. Here it is. Part Four of Watson Goodstone’s improbable investigation of the extra people inserted into the reality of King City. Previous parts can be found here.

I’m still here,
Pearce
P.S. Check this out for JC Hutchins latest fiction creation for Discovery Channel. Watch Twitter feeds for #stillhere. This is for the next season of The Colony… and one of the coolest uses of social media I’ve seen in quite a while.

The Fun my roommate has…

with EPIC SOUP CAN!

http://post.ly/lFsV

Seriously, needs a hobby.

I’m still here,

Pearce

Can I suggest something for your Summer Reading?

So, I’ve submitted and it looks like my short story made the cut!

From the Dark Side

20 authors submitted stories and poetry towards an anthology, From the Dark Side. Between now and July 9th (release date) excerpts of the stories will be featured on the editors blog.

So here’s the deal, proceeds on purchase of the anthology go towards the Office of Letters and Light. You know the fine folks who put up with writers every November for NaNoWriMo? If they get enough donations throughout the year, they can put “laptop-like word processors in the eager hands of young writers who lack access to computers at school“. So yeah, getting e-published, relatively cool. But proceeds going back towards young creative types? And you get some very original fiction and poetry that you can brag to your friends about. How cool is that?

Electronic format will be available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com for $4.99. It’s over 55K words, so a big read for your Kindle, or E-reader. A lot of different writers and styles, so there is something for everyone. Actually, it’s more suited for the beautiful, the handsome, the adorable, the cute, the gorgeous and/or the lucky. If you are any of those or derivatives thereof, you should pick it up. And get one for your Mom, or that lady who lives down the street who makes things out of other things. Don’t judge, its art!

More details on the following link… Digg it! Don’t forget to check out all the other authors websites for insights and updates on this very cool project.

I’m still here, (and yes insomnia is winning tonight)
Pearce

P.S. The Macguffin that I built for this is way better than James Cameron’s one for Avatar. At least in my opinion… which everyone has, like a bellybutton.

Fun. Not just for kids.

One of the joys of being a highly creative person is the extreme silliness that comes up in every day life. Its enjoyable, adding in random fun, much like asking random people for cookies. (Learn more!) I’ll let you know how my thousand margarita pitcher theory does at the end of the year.

I first heard about laughter yoga when watching the BBC documentary The Human Face with the incredibly talented John Cleese. In it, he first experiences and goes to a Laughter Yoga club, and learns that just by laughing as an exercise, you can help boost your immune system. Long term benefits include better cancer treatments, reduce overall stress without medication. (Click here for a laugh, organized.) Check your local area for laughter clubs. I myself, have found that when I get a cold or sinus bug, comedies do help. Just keep watching them, the laughing is good for lung exercise, and the natural endorphin boost is really good for you.

Fun of imagination, put on a paper hat, pretend to be a pirate, or turn it sideways and make people call you Commodore. Wear birdcage liners for hats! Wonder what is going to happen in the digital age. Will we be able to fold motherboards or retired iPads into fun fashion?

The age of video games, something like over 2 billion dollars per year. Destroyed by a piece of reinforced cardboard and some dice, some small plastic figures. You got it, there has been a resurgence into board games as entertainment. there is something satisfying in letting your hands determine the random rolls as you shake the dice. There is something more about the strategy of winning a game, by reading the person who is right across the table. Plus its also lots of fun. Call it a need for going back to your youth. Plus now we’re at the age (some of us) where we have the income to get the really cool games. Find your own gaming group in your local area. Use the internet, don’t let it use you. What? I’m not going to do all the fun for you…

But there are ways that allow minor parts of fun in everyday life that actually enhance everyday life. The Fun Theory is a group of people that are out to change peoples behaviour for the better, by making mundane things fun. Even as simple as going up a flight of stairs. My personal favorite for their experiments is adding the sound and sensor to trash can, so when you throw something into it, the cartoon sound of something falling is heard. Result? More litter into those trashcans.

But Pearce, what’s with the pants? you ask. I reply, they are comfortable.

There is also fun in one of the biggest growing sports on the planet. It’s part puzzle, part hike, part hide and seek, and all fun. Geocaching. The simple joy of going for a walk may not always be enough for motivation to get outside. Yeah, you’d rather catch up on Tivo or the like. Or you can get your GPS and look for hidden caches around the planet. It appeals to the little kid for a sense of adventure, it appeals to the puzzle sense, it also can bring you to places that you’ve never been to before. Geocaching It has gone mainstream as well, with a recent episode of Law and Order. Always thought they would feature it on CSI first. The rules of geocaching are pretty simple. You find trash along the way, pick it up. This is known as Cache In, Trash Out. You can take something from the cache as long as you replace it with something of equal or greater value. There are also a lot of different types of caches, some involving puzzles that you need to figure out first to get the LAT/LONG coordinates. It is a lot of fun, especially when you find the cache. Besides as the t-shirt says, I use billion dollar satellites to find tupperware in the woods. What’s your hobby?

Fun. Not just for kids. It’s more complex and multi-layered. And a lot cooler now that we’re older.

I’m still here, having fun where I can at every opportunity,
Pearce

I miss things

I miss things. And lately I’m thinking that I’ve been taking things for granted.

I miss the way KFC tasted before the takeover. I miss the flavor of coca-cola before the cola wars. Now I can have my KFC in fourteen gazillion flavors and drink bathtubs of coca-cola without a single calorie…. but it doesn’t taste the same. Mountain Dew of my youth, came in a green bottle with a hillbilly on the logo. I miss comic books that cost 75 cents or less. Remember any of that? I remember morning cartoons, watching Scooby Doo, Rocket Robin Hood, when there was only 2 channels, 3 if the weather was good. Remember when the sunday night Disney movie would even get your parents to watch? Now, there are literally hundreds of channels catering to every taste. This is too many. We spread the good out too thin, and not concentrate on the few things that are good.

Think back, why were those things special in your youth? You can now go to the specialty candy store where they do make the original candy from your youth. (mmm… bottlecaps.) Nothing like playing on your nostalgia for simpler times when you are paying for it on a rewards credit card that allows you to save up for fondue set so you can make your friends and neighbors jealous… See what I mean?

Everything becomes one big overwhelming non-movement of complacency, where even the most fantastic becomes average because of the sheer volume of choices. That’s where we have to simplify things. Ignore the masses, find those true gems that do shine.

I also miss Benny Hill. Combination of burlesque show and vaudeville.

You know he wrote all the music for every episode? You just can’t get decent wholesome ‘appeal to 12 year old boy’ humor like this anymore.

Except on dvd to watch on your 5.1 surround sound, THX laden, high definition, italian leather furniture laden home theater system with 18 remote controls.

I’m still here,
Pearce

Avatar, Basterds, Recycled Storylines, and Why Jar Jar would never survive against a samurai sword

Avatar, huge special effects, weak story. This is what I’ve heard so far.
I’ve yet to see the film, but hearing from so many other sources, I pretty much know what it’s going to be about.

(The following has been recopied from a posting on Matt Wallace’s blog,

http://www.matt-wallace.com/

I liked the flow I was going with, so decided to use it for my own blog And expanded on it. If you haven’t read his Next Fix, do yourself a favor, go buy 2 copies give one to a friend who likes great stories.)

I expect the huge conversations long shots between 2 characters, building of tension and then sudden bloody violence from any Tarantino film. He’s taken the parts of low budget mid 60′s – 70′s films and distilled them into a format which he calls his own. Its all the parts of modern cinema that no on else uses, but it works for compelling character development. And yes, we needed more of the Basterds in the film. But the secondary story of the heroine in Inglorious Basterds did feel like the other side of the popular late 70′s books that you would flip over and get a somewhat similar story. Its also hilarious about the last chapter of the film that pokes fun at the whole film industry.

Cameron does a lot of innovative new technology into the film industry, and it’s funded by the viewers of the film. That’s his venue. The Abyss lead to better underwater technology, which lead to better underwater subs, which lead him to Titanic, and Kate Winslet side boob. Avatar may lead to… 3d in home entertainment? Or if following the same progression towards side boob shot of some japanese popstar/waif in Battle Angel Alita scheduled for 2011?

But yes, we need more celebration and concentration on good scripts and story telling. Best version of Avatar I saw was 1998 film The Beast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_(1988_film) it follows the same story line. Soldier fighting in war, gets exposure to the perspective of the enemy, realizes what he was doing and rebels. Think this is on page 12 of ‘generic war story for large screens’.

But it sells.

And there aren’t enough well selling war stories that can be recycled. Can you imagine a reboot of Bridge on River Kwai starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence? Studios would put money into a comedy like that. But a reboot of River Kwai starring Hugh Laurie and Warren Ellis doing the treatment on the script? That’s big film budget investment, but great story investment which will get people to talk about how great that film is for generations.

While we’re at it, can we send Pixar films a new story outline? The ‘outcast with distinguishing feature comes back and saves tribe’ storyline has been used too many times. I think they ran out of dead horses to flog in the late 90′s.

Also while we’re at it, can we get Lucas to rewatch the Kurosawa films? I’m quite sure Jar Jar was never a character in the samurai genre.

http://www.moongadget.com/origins/kurosawa.html

Yes, do yourself a favor and read the above link, you’ll thank yourself if you have ever enjoyed the Star Wars films. Essentially a character that is primarily concentrated for one portion of the audiences entertainment and does not move the story or affect the other characters is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Yes, I’m still bitter over the prequel films.

At least I can still watch Yojimbo or Das Boot, thankfully there are escapes from the modern marketing machine. You won’t find them in your local video store, because when was the last time you saw ‘guaranteed to be there’ when its referencing Key Largo? We need a shift in direction from the large big budget film towards the smaller independant film makers. It’s up to you to decide, choose well.

I’m still here,
Pearce

This is not a best of 2009 post.

This is not a best of 2009 post. However! This maybe one of the best things to do in the new year.

As storage is now shifting from CD’s and DVD’s to flash memory, thumb drives and similar technology; it maybe time to throw away those CD spindles, or use them to take your lunch with you.

Say what???

I love Lifehacker, great ideas, gets you thinking differently, and any website that makes MacGyver references and your lunch is all good.

http://lifehacker.com/5342899/

Brilliant!

Perfect size for bagel, and flip it over for for taking salad. Figure the 25 disc ones good for single bagel sandwich, and the 50 disc for salad. Now I need to find some old school film cannisters for salad dressing.

I’m still here,
Pearce

P.S. This maybe the last post of the year. Sunday I’m on plane to Anaheim with my daughter, 3 days in Disney, then once we get there, decide if we want to go to Universal Studios, or down to San Diego to Sea World.

Happy holidays, merry christmas, kwanza, good tidings, angry festivus cursings, etcetera etcetera etcetera.

But for all year round, and if there is one thing you should remember it’s this. Pain shared is lessened, joy shared is increased.