Steampunk Ironman Approves!

Love that photo. Photographer is Chris Schmidt, for the NatGeo traveler photo contest.

Greetings and salutations to whomever has stumbled across this here particular blog. It is I, Dave the Occasional Blog Updater, feeling the increasingly-rare need to wax random in text form. And you, brave wanderer, get to reap the results, such as they are...

I have felt the update urge a few times between this moment and the last time I updated (three weeks ago!), but usually it's at a time and in a place where updating is impossible... such as, in transit to or from Los Angeles... or as I drift off to sleep in the silent, wee hours of the night... my mind defragging as I slip towards a hopefully-steady slumber... "Ah, I need to mention that on my blog! Hope I remember to do it tomorrow... zzzzzz...."

So here I am.

I have two new screen-writing gigs! Along with my slow progress on the next chunk of Beyond the Impact, my screenwriting services have been secured for a second web series, called Momentum, which I am really not at liberty to discuss at the moment... um... but it is a nice, solid concept, and it's crammed full of action... I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into it in the next few weeks. 12 episodes, about 10 minutes long each. Sweet.

Plus, I'm involved in a blossoming Steampunk heist short film (20 minutes, give or take) that could turn into a series, should the interest and execution be there. In this project I have (at the moment) fairly free reign to create the characters and the story. It is also very fun, in concept and feel. Both of these projects are moving forward simultaneously. I don't know whether either of them will yield any acting roles for myself, but as far as writing, I couldn't ask for a cooler pair of projects.

So all things considered, these are great times, writing-wise.

As far as the acting side of things, the twice-a-week classes up in LA are ALWAYS awesome. I'm so glad I'm going. According to my coach (the Magnificent Rob Adler), I'm starting to come into my own. It's a great feeling. I really look forward to whatever lay ahead, as far as acting. At this point, it looks like the 48 Hour Film Festival in July. Unless I decide to put on a summer play at the church I attend. Oh, and there's a SAG short film that will be shot locally, concerning Napolean the evening before a battle, that I am slated to audition for very soon. Perhaps that will yield a role.

So creatively speaking, these are great days for me.

Steampunk Ironman approves!

What have I been reading lately? I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman. Honestly, it was thoroughly "meh"... I tried to read Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest, and it's really dull. I may bail on it. I'm trying to find good steampunk novels, as research for the short film I mentioned above. There's plenty of great art online, for inspiration, but I'd really like to get a hang of settings and vernaculars, so I don't embarrass myself by writing something way off-mark.

At the moment, however, I decided to try something a little more substantial from authoress  Laini Taylor (author of the achingly-beautiful "Night of Cake and Puppets" short story), called Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Good stuff so far. Just started it today.

This is one of those moments when I wish I had written down all of the awesome, random, non-acting/writing stuff I wanted to tell you. Because, for the life of me, I'm drawing a blank, staring at this half-written post, feeling very sorry for you, for having to read such a boring post. Good grief, is my life getting that mundane? I mean, to me, from Ground Zero (if you will), the stuff I've written here is very important and interesting... but at the same time, I'm painfully aware of how tedious it would be to anyone not me.  So I feel pressure to entertain you!

And there's a very high possibility that no one is even reading this, and that I'm worrying myself for no reason! Still, I find myself lamenting the "good old days" of this blog, when I would routinely wax random in a satisfyingly-entertaining way... what if those days are gone forever? What should I do!?!?!

So I suppose I should pack it in for the night. I should also make another empty promise or two about "updating the blog again very soon! Trust me!" Yeah, that'll happen...

Time for bed. I'll think of cool things to type as I drift off to sleep, I'm sure. Then it will be gone by morning.

Sorry about that.

Dave the Apologetic

Release the Quacken!

Yes, I wrote my wife a poem for Mother's Day. Hey, I'm sure it is/was as big a surprise to her as it is to you!

It's odd. I fancy myself a writer - I enjoy it and I'm pretty good at it. Plus, I fancy myself an artist. I can draw, and paint, and do graphical things that are visually impressive. Heck, I can even play guitar quite well (thanks, dad!) and write songs. I'm a pretty good singer. You'd think with all of those things at my disposal that I would always be writing and painting and drawing special things for certain loved ones on special occasions...

But I don't. And I'm not sure why.

My wifey and kids are always making homemade cards and little artsy projects for Gramma and others... I know it means a lot to them, and I know it would mean a lot to them to receive such things as well. I mean, part of me knows that. And that part of me is compartmentalized. It never seems to interact with the part of me that decides what to do with my time.

For some reason, at long last, those two parts of me met and shook hands, in time for me to write a poem to my wife for Mother's Day. Surprise surprise!

Now, I know I've occasionally vented in this blog about the rocky road that is my marriage. Hey, nothing new under the sun, right? Every marriage is rocky. I suppose it was poor form on my part to vent such nonsense in such a forum, but my argument has always been that, hey, it's my blog, it's about me and what's on my mind, and hey, people don't have to read it... I don't necessarily write this blog for other people (though it is nice to know people do occasionally visit here), but rather I write it for myself, to help maintain a certain level of sanity that allows me to function socially at acceptable levels.

That having been said, I know I've occasionally waxed honest about certain domestic grievances, but I don't know how often I've balanced it out with the good stuff. It isn't all difficulties and frustrations, there are plenty of moments of fun and joy as well (thank God). As much as it may have been an embarrassment to vent my spleen in here about things that were likely best left in the dark, I'm afraid it has also been an embarrassment to neglect balancing things out with the positives.

So... sorry about that!

I have lots to be thankful for.

All that to say, I wrote a poem! And no, you can't read it! It's personal!

So I recently finished reading the first two books of Brandon Sanderson's Stromlight Archive -- The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. A 2,100 page journey, and I loved every minute of it. I'd write a lengthy review of each for you to skim, but I haven't the strength. So I'll summarize: 5 stars for both titles. Great characters, great action, wonderful dialog, terrific world-building, a robust magic system... top to bottom, a terrific ride, highly recommended. I even pulled a trio of monologues out of the text, to add to my collection.

Oddly enough, Wifey recently started reading Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, at my recommendation. She devoured (and loved) the first book in the series, and quickly moved on to book 2. It's funny... we have something new in common now! I'm not sure we'd ever read the same book before... I'm going to have to re-read the trilogy again, so we can talk about it!

And now, the Most Interesting Man in the World...



So cool. What a great acting story...

Perhaps some day, I'll have a great acting story of m'own!

BTI Update: Currently laboring away on the next script. And there's talk of a convention and an appearance on a radio program in the near future... stay tuned, eh!

I'm loving the acting classes up in LA more and more. Believe it or not, it's worth the trip, though it's putting crazy miles on my car. I'm leasing it. Man, I'm going to take it in the shorts when it comes time to turn it in... anyways, yeah, 110 miles up, 110 miles back, twice a week... and it's worth it.

I'm thinking it's time to resurrect my Wagnervana website and make it my professional actor site... I think I have enough to make a good demo reel now, between BTI and the two 48-Hour films I did last year, and the Lazarus film we made at Mt. Zion a couple Easters ago... I should be able to pull together a good 2 minutes... You know, I wonder if it would be too unprofessional to simply add a page to this blog instead? Going to have to think about that some more. Anyways, time to kick things up a notch, as far as my acting presence, etc.

Going to turn in for the night. Hey, it's 1:33am! I need my beauty sleep!

Adios for now. More soon, I promise...

Dave the Goof