Hello, Again, Hello

So you're probably wondering what the heck happened to me. I haven't posted in ages. Well, simple answer, I've been -- gasp -- writing. Yes, I know, it's so unlike me. After all, this is a blog about procrastinating from writing, so I don't want to sound hypocritical or anything. I like to practice what I preach. And don't get me wrong, I'm still a practicing procrastinator... why look at me right now. Besides, there's been TV to watch in between the beads of blood pouring from my forehead and fingertips... and you know how much I like my TV shows. Breaking Bad's been as amazing as ever. I don't know how they consistently can churn out such well written scripts, but they're doing it. Watching Walter White's transmogrification is always a trip. I've also been enjoying True Blood. Kind of like a guilty pleasure. Well, not exactly kinda. And there's a steady stream of junkfood teen paranormal and sci fi TV shows that are usually on in between taking breaks from... gasp... work. You know which they are, I don't need to mention them here. (okay, so I'll mention a few: The Nine Lives of Chloe, Teen Wolf (yay, Vlaming), Switched at Birth, Alphas, Torchwood, Game of Thrones repeats,) You know you like them too, don't give me those looks.

As far as reading goes, I always have two or three books going at a time while I'm "indisposed." Right now, I'm enjoying the hell out of The Borrower, and crazy loving Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad.. Goon Squad is definitely my favorite book of the year. It's one of those books I love so much, I am savoring it and reading it super slow because I don't want it to end

I read a whole ton of YA recently, but unfortunately, much of it's kind of wasn't really great enough to stand out. Only a few really knocked my socks off. Like Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me and Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why. The latest dystopic, futuristic offerings (my favorite genre) have to be Lauren Oliver's Delirium and Before I Fall (I loved Delirium so much, it made me get her earlier book, Before I Fall, which I liked even more. Also, had another look at the classic, The Giver so, so good. So see, just when you think you won't find another book you love as much as The Hunger Games trilogy, you do.

I've been thinking about going to the gym quite a bit lately. I do realize that my penchant for procrastinating about writing has now moved to that of going to the gym, as my growing ass and hips will attest. I rather like my gym though. It's got a fabulous pool, even more fabulous jacuzzi, one of those cardio theatres, which, let's face it, were designed for media junkies like me -- sure they always play movies I've seen already, but it doesn't matter. I'll stay on a recumbent bike or treadmill for 2 hours just to watch the end of Salt again, (which I liked more second time around), or Oceans 11, 12 and 13 (I think they're up to 13, who knows, they're all kinda like the same movie but who's going to walk away from George Clooney... not I certainly. The person who programs these movies for my gym has great insight into the female psyche, that's for sure). In any case, these days I'm spending more time reminiscing about the gym rather than pumping up. Blame it on the damned writing. Blasted. Too bad you can't lose weight just by thinking about working out. I'm not talking about just thinking about it for a second or two; I mean, really putting yourself out there. But NOOOOO, you actually have to do the exercise for it to have any affect. Pffft!

Anyway, until next time.

Bluesy

PS.. you know I spent at least an hour playing with the new blogger template designer with all its cool customization settings. I mean, it's hard to pick one background from all the cool offerings and then it has to be something easy on the eyes so you can read the actual post and not be distracted by all the eye candy (I mean, you wouldn't find me putting George Clooney in the background, because while I'd probably get a much higher readership, no one would actually read anything I had to say... not that I'd blame them).

All this to say, don't tell me I haven't done my job in giving you many ways to avoid writing in this post, reading all these books, watching all these cool TV shows, movies... of you could go to the gym for me, I wouldn't mind.

Why is this Blog Different than All Other Blogs

I've been blog surfing today, the only kind of surfing I'll ever do, despite living in the Beach Boy state. And I must say, I'm appalled at how much of a slacker I've become when it comes to this BLOG thing.

I have friends, like Ingrid Sundberg, whose blogs are so informative and consistent, she should get paid for being such a valuable resource. Other YA blogs are amusing and entertaining, Heather Kelly's blog "Edited Within an Inch of My Life" made me laugh in title alone. Her report on the latest NESCBWI conference aftermath was quite amusing.

And by the way, I also think Sarah Davies rocks. I've seen her speak at a few SCBWI conferences in NY and LA, and would also love to have her give me notes with that perfectly proper British accent. I imagine it the sort of comfort akin to Julie Andrews advising a spoonful of sugar in times of distress.

I read Ms. Davies' blog regularly, and not just because I aim to send her my YA book when I'm done. Perhaps it's because I feel a kinship; after all, my precious daughter is also a "Sarah," I'm one of the few Americans who enjoy a good cup of tea and a scone slathered with lemon curd; not to mention what a huge fan of BBC serial dramas I am. MI5, Wire in the Blood, Being Human, Torchwood, Primevil, Dr. Who, Ballykissangel, Monarch of the Glen, Ashes to Ashes, Abfab -- need I go on?

Sarah, it's obvious we should talk, or at least email.

Also, one of my regular author blog haunts is Lisa Yee of "Absolutely Maybe" fame, and her fabulous "What's Peep up to Now?" pictures. Today she has her dog in lieu of Peep, but I figure everyone needs to shake things up once in a while.

I noticed everyone's extraordinarily helpful and kind in the YA field -- though I confess, I do miss the days of Miss Snark, who always made me laugh with her crap-o-meter and comments like "you send me something like that and I'll need to set my hair on fire with lighter fluid."

Oh sure, Hollywoodland blogs still have plenty of snarkiness. And from time to time, I get a kick out of checking out The Hollywood Temp Diaries, after spending my twenties working as a super star writer's assistant slave, getting coffee cups chucked at my head and being told how many other folks were dying to do my job for free (Memories, like the corners of my mind.)

But YA is a very kumbaya crowd.

Don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the time, effort and warm fuzzies I receive from these blogs. They're helpful, inspiring and there's oodles of them. I could spend all day reading these come hither words of what's hot, what's not, what to put in a query letter, when to write a query letter, how to approach a publisher, how to not piss off a publisher, how to be patient. In fact, I DID spend all day reading these blogs.

Only problem is, I kinda need to write. Even writing this blog is yet another excuse not to get going with those promised pages. Which leads me to the self realization about what this blog really should be about, if its to be a true reflection of the author.

So instead of telling you how to write, what to write, how I write, why I write, what I'm writing, etc. etc. I shall instead enthrall you, gentle reader, with my amazing, astounding suggestions and realizations upon the best ways NOT to write. That's right, I'm going to tell you the best ways to procrastinate and keep from writing.

For today's entry, let's say reading others blogs can be a truly fine way to spend the day and NOT get one single word written. You can walk away with the feeling that you've taken care of your writerly needs by doing all this fabulous research for what to do when you've finished your book/screenplay/graphic novel/autobiographical tomb.

Stay tuned for more fabulous, unique and fascinating ways NOT to get your writing done. And, if you have suggestions that you think are worthy of these pages, please post. I'd be honored to know that I was the one who encouraged your deep seeded need to clean the bathroom floor grout.

Confessions of a Closet Anglophile

Okay, I have a feeling that all this time I've been an Anglophile and didn't know it. Sure there were signs through the years... various friends from England, good friends, close friends, friends who introduced me to the benefits of Twinning's English Breakfast Tea and Constant Comment, with milk and sugar... and then there was that British Canadian punk biker loser I briefly dated, but I think that had more to do with his motorcycle than the accent, though some things might work on a subconcious level. Then there's the self confessed "Dr. Who" fixation in my very early Elementary school formative years... Dr. Who, Fred Flintstone and the Jetsons, I was a strange kid.

And then, in high school... I somehow got my hands on AbFab... how could anyone not love AbFab, right? And authors? Love Martin Amis, Nick Hornby, Janet Winterson... love 'em.

But it's taken until now, when the rest of our shortened TV season has ended post haste, before the summer goodies like Rescue Me and Burn Notice come back to entertain us, to discover how much I really really love what they're doing on the BBC these days.

Torchwood. Have I talked about Torchwood lately? Love it. LOVE it. Top notch sci-fi writing, very good acting (which is key when you're playing people who shoot hokey looking monsters that look like they're Creature Feature castoffs... but honestly, it's not about the effects or the great make-up for me in these things... it's all about the story, and do I buy into this world... in Torchwood, totally). Now Torchwood is, no surprise, a spin-off from Dr. Who... but a Dr. Who I confess I never watched, this new Dr. Who doesn't quite cut it for me.... I'm a loyalist, old fashioned. But taken on it's own value, Torchwood is hot. And sexy. And where else can you get a flagrantly bi-sexual immortal Tom Cruise lookalike playing the lead... BBC, you naughty Brits, your repressed reputation is such an undeserved bad rap... this show makes American shows look like a buncha puritans, legalized gay marriage aside. I mean Will and Grace, totally tame compared to some of the smoochy sex scenes and risque banter going about in this show...But the main thing is, like I said, really good sci fi stories, great premise, love it.

But it's not just sci fi that I love with the Brits lately... I then got hooked on Wire in the Blood... great show... about a psychologist who gets in the midns of serial killers so he can help the police catch 'em... excellent writing and Robin Green is awesome. Very addictive TV.

After I watched every one of those, I tapped back into the ol' Blockbuster Online queue and checked out MI-5. MI-5 has totally taken my breath away. I'm at the end of the second season in my DVD viewing and am so thrilled to see I've got 3 more seasons to go to catch up on (mind you, I don't get BBC America from my cable company... I tried to get them to buy into it, but they're not biting). MI-5 is just the piece de la resistence, I think. Why don't we have anything like it here? It's a mix of James Bond, Mission Impossible and the Mod Squad... but all done in a very modern day crisis, post 9-11 mentality which makes it fresh, and refreshing.... vital.. .and nothing like anyhthing I've seen here. I know they've tried to do CIA stuff but it's just missed the mark in making a good ensemble cast with good chemistry and very human, personable stories that we really care about. It's like the Grey's Anatomy of Spydom, or Spookdom as they call themselves "Spooks" after all. Everything's a crisis that's really worth freaking out over and the results are NOT that predictable... After the first season, I thought for sure they killed off some majorly sympathetic characters. Tears were shed. Thank God I could immediately have that all rectified by the beginning of the second season... I could never have waited months to find out what happened.

Anyway... what's next that I'm missing? East Enders? I'm not a soap fan but it seems there's no genre they're doing at the BBC world that I'm not liking. Come to think of it, I did used to really love Ballykissangel and Monarch of the Glenn... so this BBC fixation isn't new but... well, those things were more Scottish after all.. not sure if it fits the Anglophile profile, even if it was done by the BBC.

I know I'm not the only one, in any case. David E. Kelly's bought the rights to Life on Mars (which I've never seen, but sure I'd love) and is bringing it to "the states" this fall.

Now if only someone would pick up MI5, Torchwood and Wire in the Blood... Nah, why bother. The originals are great and still on the air... I'll just brew myself a nice cupa tea and get some bisquits and curl up with the DVD collections when they come out. That'll at least hold me until September.

Oh and yeah, we all know I'm supposed to be working on my next script, writing... which I am doing. It's a drama... by the way. And I'm also working on a Kyle XY spec script... really. But they put off the deadline off until July 31 for the Disney Fellowships so... why write today what you can write tomorrow... right?

Until next time... ciao, uhm cheery oh... oh Bollocks! Just take care of yourself, have some fun, wear sunscreen!

Bluesy

Here's a really funny BBC parody of Torchwood.





PS. You can order your own DVD collection of Torchwood, MI5, Wire in the Blood and more from this link.




Also, the latest season of MI5 (season 6) which hasn't been on BBC america is available in January from this link. I know that I'll be pre-ordering mine now.

Pre-order Hot Upcoming Releases Now at BBC America Shop!

Trapped in the Drive-Thru

Now for something completely different...You've been writing long enough, you need a break or you'll get neck cramps... but what to do? Wax the floor (nah), laundry (why bother), do the dishes (gross)... I got it, spend 11 minutes watching a painfully funny video by Weird Al!!!!!! Genius!!!!!