Noise in the Shape of Writing

I'd love to get an update from all you KTers.

As for me, I am resolving to get things done. Just in general, like. I am going to finish projects that I have started. I am going to try to achieve goals that I set for myself years ago. I am going to resist starting new projects until old ones are completed. And I will certainly need the help of my fellow tontiners and everyone else to do so.

An important first step for me is getting on to a regimen. Specifically, a regimen of working on my projects. It worked for me when I started exercising again a few years back and I *know* that one has paid off. To get on that regimen, I used positive reinforcement. I only allowed myself to look at my collection of 3,000 newly-bought, unsorted MtG cards if I first exercised, or ate a sensible meal/snack.

It worked. But then it stopped working once the novelty of looking at Magic cards wore off. I had a facebook diet going for a while until I get bored with that, too. Facebook really is boring. Heck, anything is boring after a while. See, the trick is to always use *whatever you are currently addicted to*.

So I am going to deny myself the privilege of reading xkcd until I get some quality time in on whatever my Project Of The Week is.

And, having made another KT update, I have earned myself a peek at today's xkcd... (hope it has the hat dude or the sassy girl)

Hey Karma Tontine 2009 players...

If you are attending MaxiCon ( I know some of you are ), I would like to have a live session over the weekend. Perhaps Saturday evening at midnight before the Armando game.

Is awesome.
If you like Katamari or DDR or WarioWare, and you have a Nintendo DS... you need to get Rhythm Heaven!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_Heaven

My Karma Tontine friends...
It's a crazy month or two here, so I am going to check in now.
I can see that you are mostly all making progress. I will comment individually later, but first -- an update on MY goals.

BIG GOAL: Write something publishable.
Well, I haven't written much in a while. But I have ideas running through my head and I have read a LOT recently that makes me confident that when I do write to be published, it will be better than a lot of swill out there. More writing soon. Nothing compares to that "having written" feeling. Not even -- um -- certain other feelings. So, if anyone can get me writing, the karma is all yours to grab.

SMALL GOAL: Jam
No jamming. God I want to jam. Can any of you play blues/jazz guitar or keyboards? Can you pretend?

OTHER GOALS
As mentioned previously, I always seem to achieve past goals when supposedly working on current ones. And I still feel that that is almost as good as achieving current ones. At least the energy is going somewhere. I guess the chi of the univers knows where I need it. So, this month I found myself applying for the job of my own supervisor. She is being moved over to another team, leaving the position of running the team I am on open. Plus, there will be one extra team member added, and a salary bump for the position itself. Yeah, I jumped on it and surprised everyone. First thing they will need to do is replace me. And I don't mind saying that will be difficult. There are other applicants, so I wont know for a few more days. But this is the most significant challenge I have given myself career-wise... um, ever.

So, how is everyone else doing?

Time for another Karma Tontine check-in.
I know I have not done anything to further my musical goal of jamming on the cello. Still looking for offers.
And my goal of getting some of my writing in to readable shape is equally elusive. I am hoping a trip to Japan will get me into a writing mood again. The most likely course of action on this front, however, is spending this summer writing my first novel again from the ground up with my daughter as co-writer. She keeps coming to me with ideas for plot twists. Obviously the novel intrigues her.

So, the rest of you... how are your goals coming along?
I'd like to point out that I have found from the last two KTs that the year slips  by in no time at all and all your philanthropic inclinations are for naught when the year ends. So, if you feel an inkling of a generous thought... some strange, irrational desire to help someone else out because your own goals seem far too lofty... ACT NOW!!!!

DO SOMETHING, ANYTIHNG to help out your fellow tontiners. It all comes around in the end.

A SHORT SKETCH
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Cast: Sean Penn, Kate Winslett, Slumdog Millionaire kids as needed)

They’re So Adorable!
By Pat Mannion

Kate Winslett is downstage, holding an armful of (yellow construction paper) Oscar statuettes. Below her, in the audience, the Slumdog Millionaire kids scamper by (actors on their knees).

KATE
And here’s one for you. Yes, yes! You get one too! Oh, you little Slumdog kids are so adorable. There just aren’t enough Oscars for all of you! [they grab her final statue] What -- this one? But that’s the one I won for “The Reader”!

Sean Penn enters, holding his own Oscar statuette.

SEAN
[shaking her] Kate, Kate! Wake up -- it's just a bad dream. We still have our Oscars and we still have our integrity. [to his statue] Hey, there little guy. You’re kind of cute. [he licks the statue suggestively]

KATE
Are you sure? I mean -- I worked so hard for so many years. And then these sweet, precious munchkins came along with their irresistible dance numbers and their little nutrient deprived faces and -- [she gives the last statue away] -- You deserve it.

Sean yanks the Oscar and gives it back to Kate.

SEAN
No, Kate. No. It’s just a nightmare. You finally won that Academy Award. And I got one too. They can outsource tech support, computer programming, envelope stuffing -- all of that stuff -- but they’ll never steal our craft ! Hollywood is still safe, Kate.

KATE
It is?

SEAN
It is.

KATE
[gazing at her statuette] This Oscar isn’t a dream?

SEAN
No. The Oscar is real.

Kate has been sliding her legs apart during the last few lines. She hands a book to Sean and begins to strip.

KATE
Then read to me, Sean. Read to me like Hollywood is an illiterate whore and I am her John. Read to me like I am a Nazi conspirator and you are my mentally retarded, mystically rivered, dead man walking. Read to me like Bobby DeNiro just read your name out loud -- cause I feel an Oscar coming on. [she orgasms]

SEAN
Oh! I am Sean Penn and  I am here to recruit you!

BLACKOUT - END SCENE

If I keep putting off an update until I have fantastic things to say, it will never happen.
So sound off here about your KT2009 accomplishments. Here are mine:

(BIG) Write something "publishable":  No writing, but I have shared my 2007 novel (in summary form) with a few people who loved it. The more I think on it, the more and more publishable I am certain it is. Or will be. After a complete top to bottom rewrite. My 2008 novel is in need of far more work than the 2007 one.

(SMALL) Jam: No jamming yet in 2009, but I did listen to a recording of my 2008 jazz/blues cello jam and have to admit there were a few sour notes in there. I need to practice more.

Assume the money is acquired legally, the taxes, fees, licenses, dues are all paid, etc. You have this lump sum as a U.S. treasury note(s) in your hand. Other than that, your life is exactly the same as it is now.

Reply in your own blog. Feel free to froward.

1. $20
Somw Hendricks Gin

2. $100
Dinner at Origami.

3. $1,000
Another season ticket for the LA Galaxy.

4. $5,000
A really nice new computer.

5. $25,000
Remodel the back room. As if that would cover it.

6. $100,000
Give it to my sister to help buy a house.

7. $250,000
Can't you like fly at zero G for that much dough? I'd do that.

8. $500,000
New house. Stat.

9. $1,000,000 (million)
Fund a good portion of the year's expenses for  thetruth.com

10. $1,000,000,000 (billion)
Promote happiness/healthiness  through philanthropic corporation.

My daughter has been performing on stage recently and to broaden her knowledge of the trade we have been seeing a lot of local performances. The last two were at the  Glendale Centre Theatre which is a fantastic company. They put on a yearly Christmas Carol that is top notch. Right now, they are putting up Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" (through Feb 7). It is amazing. The cast is superb and I heartily shook their hands after the performance I saw on Friday. I was laughing so hard the entire two hours that I truly felt my season tickes had been paid for with the first show alone.

The best thing about this place is the building itself. Not only is it next door to Portos (one of the best Cuban bakeries/restaurants in LA), but it is a theater in the round (well, square, actually). Watching an expert cast and crew act in all four directions and make scene changes a foot away from you is extremely exciting.

I highly recommend you catch this show in the next week. The lead is staring in an indie zombie comedy this summer that looks pretty funny, too.

Over the next few days, please post your Goals for the Quixotically-Named 2009 Karma Tontine.

One BIG goal and one SMALL goal, and any number of other goals you care to throw in.
Remember, you don't have to work on your own goals, per se. If you spread the Karma, the Karma will come back to you when you least expect it.

Reply below with your goals when you have them.

Okay, so now that we are already two weeks into 2009, I am going to call an official end to the 2008 Karma Tontine. But really, does it have to end? I say it does not. In a couple days I will open the floodgates again and ask for your 2009 Tontine goals.

But first, a recap of 2008...

popepat 

BIG GOAL: Get some sort of massage credential or classwork under my belt.

I keep putting this on my tontine and I keep falling just short of what I want to achieve. But as I've said in the past, ANYTHING you can do towards a goal -- even if only tangentially related -- still counts toward that goal. This year I:

1. Bought a massage table for $15. It's a nice one and now I can stop using "no table" as an excuse.
2. Arranged to get some guidance from chartreusekitty 
3. Traded massages and techniques with my cousin, who is an irregular practicioner of chair massages up in Oregon.
4. Kept my body in shape throughout the year so that I don't look ridiculous while giving massages someday.

SMALL GOAL: Make Popepat.com a regularly updated gaming site.

I only added one entry this year, though I almost added a second. I'm going to need motivation on this one people. Can anyone help? That's what the Karma Tontine is for. I call out for help and you give me whatever motivation you can because, well -- helping me helps you! So what did I do that can *sort of* qualify for this goal?

1. I worked a lot on Suitcases, my card game and likely swan song (actually, I'd prefer that Mural or Letter Race be my legacy, but Suitcases is good, too).
2. I worked on other people's websites, which felt nice.
3. I worked on other goals entirely because... well... because I totally forgot what my goals were.

OTHER GOALS I ACCIDENTALLY WORKED ON INSTEAD OF THE ABOVE:
-  I wrote my second novel (man did that feel good!), and I edited my second novel in to something that I am willing to share with others WHO TAKE THE NANO CHALLENGE. And that felt REALLY good! Finishing a novel is great, but there's something just as fulfilling about finishing an edit.
-  Theatergoing. Last year I went to a dozen stage performances... some drama, some musical, some ballet. It was fantastic. I took my daughter to all of them. I saw Cats. I laughed. I cried. I want to see it again and again. It was much better than itself.
-  I came to terms with my job. It pays crap. It's choc full of drama. It drives me to primal screams every other month, but I have accepted it. I love the product I am selling and I love the way it is being sold. I may not love my current limited zone of influence, but that will come when I am not looking for it. It's zen like that.

So what about the rest of you?
Here is a link to the 2008 Karma Tontine.
notjenschiz swmartin essentialsaltes ian_tiberius zorker postgoodism jsadler ... how did you do in 2008? Did I aid in any way? Or did I completely forget about each of your goals? Were there behind the scenes machinations that I was unaware of? Did the karma flow? The karma must flow!

Regardless of how you feel you did in 2008, look for a Karma Tontine 2009 post soon and sign up for one more year!

(Okay so it needs a catchier name...)
Here's an idea I got while watching the Mike Oldfield video that Cky posted. In that video, Mike played 10 instruments at separate times and then mixed the videos into one montage so that you could hear the entire song and also see him playing each part. It's cool. Go watch it.

I wish I had done this when I was in grade school. Maybe it's not too late to get my daughter to do it, though.

1. As soon as you learn your first instrument as a kid, record a song of your own composition using only that one instrument.

2. Ten years later, record an accompanying part using whatever instrument you are playing at that point in life (or one you have picked up in the past ten years).

3. Do the same thing ten years later.

4. When you reach your late eighties, you will have created an octet with yourself using eight different instuments.

5. Mix it, listen to it once more and die happy.


Or, you could do it generationally:

1. Record a song of your own composition using one instrument.

2. Hand the recording down to your offspring.

3. Guilt them into doing the same and passing it on to their children.

4. If your kids leave you grandchild-less, play the composition in whatever unfinished shape it is in over and over whenever they come to visit until they stop visiting you.

5. Die happy.

We finally ponied up for a license for Fantastic Contraption.
Oh, how I love blowing stuff up.
Or just keep things simple.

This morning while driving I saw several crows roosting in a tree.

My first instinct was to slow down, so as not to scare them, to equip a hand grenade, and to blow them to smithereens in order to harvest their gold, shotgun shells, and more grenades.

I am playing far too much Resident Evil 4.

Hello world.
I'm back. My second novel "Green Grass and High Tides" clocked in at 50,349 words. If I ever finish it, it will probably end up somewhere in the 70,000 word range. Not a long novel by any stretch.
And not a fantastic novel (as written). However, I am happy with it. I am at peace with it's monstrously numerous flaws. But seriously, I did learn a lot this second time around:

1. I can write more than 1 novel.
2. I can write different genres (contemporary fantasy last time, satire this time, albeit in a fantasy setting)
3. Novel Writing is infectious. I got a coworker hooked on it.
4. I didn't lose that "magical window" into my first novel's world just because I delved into a new world. Much to the contrary, I now have two windows into two worlds. It's like finding out you can love two children! (whoa... let's not get carried away)
5. When you get totally socked in by writer's block, here's something to to tell yourself: "You created these characters out of nothing. You can damn well make them dance like dumb little puppets if you want! Dance, dumb little puppets, dance!"
6. Led Zeppelin is the freakin bomb.
7. Snickers satisfies and nothing nets you 3,000 words in one night like a sugar rush!
8. Beer has calories. I stopped exercising, but I also (mostly) stopped drinking beer this month and have never received more compliments on my weight. so I guess it was the beer! or maybe I just drink too much beer...
9. Satire is hard to write.
10. Outlines are good. I should try one some day.

And now, I dedicate December to reading what you all have been doing for the past 30 days.

Nearly there!
In fact, I think I will wait until November 30 to write that last 1500 words of my NaNo.
I think I need the clarity that a ham, a turkey, a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey, and a keg of Foster's Lager will bring.

For those wondering where I went to (LJ-wise), I am still busy writing my second novel as part of NaNoWriMo.
There are some other Enigmans competing as well. Send us all your good thoughts to ward of the writer's block.
.
.
.
(It's been tough getting from 15k to 20k.)

 I woke up at 5am having just run through the coolest LARP ever. It had boffers, Nerf balls, plastic armor, and a line of kids out the door. So, since when did start enjoying boffer LARPs?

Well, in my dreams, apparently. My sleep-infused rose-colored memories include the following cool elements:

-  The game took place in a series of vacant office suites, thus making it easy (and cheap) to move the game from location to location as open office spaces became available... in shopping centers, office buildings, strip malls... wherever venues are rentable on the cheap.

- The game included training runs for all newbies... as much as they needed... in a big training room (once they paid in full).

- The game itself took the form of a series of a half dozen rooms with one encounter in each. If you succeeded, you branched forward in the story arc (into better and more challenging rooms).

- If you failed in a room, you branched off towards easier rooms, where -- if you did well - you might be able to get back into the main story arc. But mostly a few failures meant heading off toward a simple ending and then back to the training room.

- Each encounter was like an Infocom puzzle (in specific, the Hitchikers Guide Infocom game) in that you would only progress through the encounter if you continually made correct choices. In this way it was a lot like the old Dragon's Lair game in which you would pay a quarter each time to learn one more correct maneuver to add to the ever-lengthening chain of correct moves.

- There was no actual flailing of boffers. All combat was non-aggressive and done in theatrical form. There was also an understanding that if an NPC's weapon touches you in any way, you are wounded (and often killed... but not to worry because new lives are very reasonably priced). All boffers are EXTREMELY flimsy and non-harmful.

- Players at the door (next in line) could listen, but not watch the player ahead of them. In this way they would get some clues,  but not see everything spelled out.

- The game mechanics  (and maneuvers) were HEAVILY fashioned in the style of video games. In fact, the whole enterprise was built on the assumption that MOST players know how to play video games and will gladly pay for round after round of the LARP as long as the game felt like a vid game in that there was gradual progression with each successive play.

- Some rooms involved stealth, some were play-combat, and some were strict role-playing.

- An example of a room (the only one I actually remember verbatim from the dream):
There is a stone golem in the center of a room. First player enters and immediately swings his boffer. Golem counters by touching him. Encounter over. Next few players fail, but eventally a player enters and tries to sneak around. Gets most of the way before golem awakes. Player throws a fireball. Golem moves about blindly and on fire, player heads to exit but golem flails blindly and touches player. More players enter and fail, but one eventually enters and sneaks, fireballs, then remains quiet. Golem flails his way over to the exit and falls back to sleep. Failure again. Eventually someone figures out that the winning order is Sneak, FIreball, Wait, Throw Random Item toward Other Side of Room, Wait, Sneak, Exit.

A very simplistic encounter, but in the dream it was sublime. I remember offering the organizer lots of startup capital in order to market the game. But then, as with any dream that goes over the top, I woke up.

Must have been the part about me having money to throw around.

http://xkcd.com/489/

laughing at google only shows how much I love them...

Originally published at PatGames @ PopePat.com. You can comment here or there.

“Password” ©2008 Brian Z.

Equipment: a few scraps of paper
Players: 3 or more

RULES
If you’ve been looking for a new way to play “Tag” – and really, who hasn’t – here is Guest Game #002: “Password”, courtesy of Brian Z.

Password is best played in a backyard or at a park, but other locations will work almost as well, as long as it is safe to run. To begin the game, each player needs to choose their “base”. It can be a patio, a group of bushes, a swingset… anything that has plenty of hiding places for a scrap of paper.

Next, each player writes down a word on their paper. This is their “password” and it will be the job of the other players to discover it. Examples might include: “Swordfish”, “Moose Pie”, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” or even “This is my really awesome password!” Once each player has written their password, they should then hide it somewhere in their base. To be fair, players should not peek at each other while they are hiding the papers.

Begin the game once everyone is done hiding their password by yelling “Go!”. Players may immediately begin running to other bases and looking for passwords. Alternately, they can stay in their base and tag anyone who comes near them in their base. If you tag someone in your base, they must immediately either go back to their own base, or else go to someone else’s base.

Once you find someone else’s password, simply yell out the password (read the paper out loud!). Assuming the password is correct, the player who yelled the password is the winner.

OPTIONAL VERSION
If you would like to add an element of challenge to the game, have each player create both a real password and a fake password and hide both of them in their base. Make sure the fake password says something that will make it obvious that it is fake. Examples might include: “I’m a fake password!”, “Ha Ha Try again!” or “I’m a little teacup short and stout, here is my handle, here is my fake password, boy am I a bad singer!” If a player yells out a fake password, they must go back to their home base before trying to find another password. The game then continues as normal.