... and the frosted grass in the yard crunch under my step. The dogs have been fed and I face the day. Hoping that this one sees the end of this write.

This was the longest hump... writing-wise that I've been on. Now that I'm over it things are flowing much better. Still any distractions at this point will just kill the momentum. Tally Ho!

It wasn't quite the all-nighter. I cheated by 2 hours by hitting the sack at 4 PM and up again at 6 to continue the write. I'm plodding along but progress is being made. Just thought I'd let you know.

Oh, I did post a blog HERE though.

Cheers!

... if pulling another all nighter will actually knock this out.



coffee? check!
cigs? check!
music? check!
sanity... Sanity... SANITY???!

::tumbleweeds roll by silently::

all systems go.

EDIT:
So, are magicians worldwide pooling their monies to put a hit out on this guy?

It's simple, short and to the point today.

It is my favorite of American holidays. One that is not directly tied to any religious affiliation which makes it inclusive. That counts so big in a country that was founded on the idea of freedom. It's that ideal that should be cherished. It is also an ideal that we should be vigilant of. So, I count the ability to be thankful and celebrate this holiday and the idea of it as there is much to be thankful for. Hope you all had a good one.

If you want to know what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign.

Labels: da count

Talk about Da Big Count, huh? Let's see what chimes in tomorrow.

CLICK HERE for a cool turkey!

For those who are not watching the games on the tube... there are also time wasters HERE, HERE and HERE.

... but I've been on a steep, geek and creative learning curve. It took 2 days but I think this ain't bad for self learning over 2 days. Yes, I also loopy from the lack of sleep... but it's been worth it. I'm just leaving this below up for just a day. If you missed it you can find it HERE.

EDIT: 3:47
If the above makes no sense what so ever... the video that was on this post (that I made) can now be found...


Feel free to come back and comment here if you so desire.

... I get a call from Thereminman announcing to me that he is coming over in the morning and dragging me out of my cave for a day trip to San Francisco. I agreed only if I could make certain arrangements at the homestead. I have to admit what appealed to me most about this was that it reminded me of my college years... the whole adventure of pick-up-and-go. 4 guys on a road trip with no real purpose except... to go.

We got into the city, drove down Lombard Street and found parking in North Beach... not far away from Coit Tower. We checked out shops, made our way to the City Lights Bookshop then for lunch in Chinatown. After that we headed to the Height/Ashbury area to do more window shopping. Then drove through the fog and got home just before midnight.

A fine day was had with a great bunch of blokes who just wanted to get out and stretch for a bit. Wonderful company, great conversation and a brief but sweet distraction that I think did all of us a world of good.

... that there use to be a time I felt free to call for a favor... and now I don't. Not a complaint... just an observation.

This week I'm counting coffee. It has been my friend on this write. I've been pulling odd hours and a steaming cup of java has been a comforting companion. I'm counting it also because we often take our consumables for granted. How fortunate am I that food and drink is readily available when in many places in the world basic nourishment is a luxury.

If you are wondering... I've made good headway... but the write continues. A deal is a deal... so, feel free to chide me for not having it completed when I hoped I would have already.

If you want to know what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign above.

Labels: da count

BTW... I'm still at it.
Cheers!

I'm at it so don't expect to hear from me until Friday.

EDIT: 4:12 AM
I've been up since 2:30 AM. I just warmed myself up some dinner and am between spoonfuls of rice and curry as I post this. There is a pot of coffee brewing. Meals are set up for the next couple of days so there is no need to even leave the house. I am resolute on finishing this write over the next 2 days.

Cheers on the rest of your week.

Yeah, that's what it's been like for me of late. Days are just melding into one another. It seems as if I never leave the homestead unless I have to go out for supplies. In the last 2 weeks I've turned down free tickets to performances by the Blue Man Group and the Dixie Chicks. It's downright insane, that's what it is.

I am plodding. That's the best description I can give you. Plodding in this write... plodding in life in general. I really did not expect this write to be this much of a challenge. Granted I have not written a new piece in over 5 years. Granted I stepped outside of what and how I usually write. Granted I am obsessive about detail. But this is has now reached the point of ridiculous... and the project that started off as a "fun little write" has now presented the golden boot and is royally kicking my ass.

On the upswing though... my learning curve took a steep rise this weekend. You can see the results here. And in so doing, it thrills me to no end that an essential part of my modus operandi is still intact. Now that I have put my big foot into my big mouth... I have no choice but to produce the results.

My goal is for a completed first draft by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. If I don't... please feel free to chide me mercilessly.

Oh, did I mention that this blog will be moving to a new home soon?

EDIT: 6:15 AM
This is what my horoscope said today... lol: You might be wondering if you're really up to any new challenges that you may have recently set for yourself. Now's as good a time as any to prove yourself, so don't give up too easily. Don't worry, you should have all the skills necessary to be able to get things done right now.

... doing webwork. Not much to write about tonight. Perhaps I'll have more in the morning.

EDIT:
Wondering what I've been working on? Go to the Theatre J'Nerique site... click the logo to see.

EDIT 2:
Oh Yeah... this blog may be moving to a brand new home soon. I'll keep you updated. Promise.

Today I'm counting all of you who have left kind comments on the news of my friend's recent loss. You didn't have to... I didn't ask you to... but you did. That speaks volumes! I told him about it yesterday and sent him an e-mail today with a link here. I am very moved by the compassion you have expressed and I'm sure he will take comfort in it as well.

Just a note: The words that flash in Da Count come from a play of mine that was originally dedicated as a gift to 2 girls on the celebration of their birth the year it was created. The play was about celebrating life... one of those girls, Laura, has now left this one. Her father, my friend was in the original production. Last night... despite his own devastating loss... it was he who provided comfort to us with his own embrace of life.

I am also counting the special pod of friends I joined to visit him last night... as well as others who could not be there... you know who you are. We may have had our differences on this strange journey over the years... but that has only made our association with each other interesting. And those differences always dissipated to preserve the friendship. However, when it came down to the brass tacks... you guys always came through with flying colors. I hope that I have and continue to come through for you as well. Your presence in my life (no matter how kooky my ideas may have been) has truly been a joy and an honor.

All of you have and continue to allow me to celebrate life.

If you want to know what Da Count is all about... click the flashing sign above.

Labels: da count

... went to visit our friend tonight who recently lost his daughter. We sat and talked and ate and let him know that we are there for him. We shared stories, smiled and even laughed. Funeral services are this Friday... tonight though we celebrated life. As I returned home I couldn't help but marvel and was warmed with the knowledge that I know this pod of friends and feel fortunate for it.

... hope you did your civic duty. This year certainly was an interesting and entertaining one. I'm not particularly a political junkie but I do like to watch the theatre of it all.

There may be updates later.

UPDATE:
I have a strong inkling that it's gonna burst today. So, I'll see you on the other side.

Cheers!

UPDATE 2:
There's been some talk that the election yesterday may have been rigged. Here is evidence that SSM was screwing around with the election process yesterday.

... died in an auto accident today. He called me from the hospital to tell me just after he received the sad news from the attending doctor. I just cannot even begin to imagine how tough it is for a parent to lose a child.

That's all I have for today.

... meeting/barbecue took place in my humble garage tonight. The food was fair but the drinks were a plenty. There are still adjustments to be done but most of it is accomplished. The best part... I only had to provide the venue.

For most of the evening I hung out with the "non-scheduling" folk on the outside eating and drinking while the song from the clip in yesterday's post kept running through my head. Yet another distraction away from the write... but this was a pleasant one as I have been deprived of company for a while in this self-imposed prison. Though I will say that I have an inkling that tomorrow afternoon may just be the blast off to no return. (One can only hope.) And If my abilities of deduction are still as acute as it use to be... it will be a non-stop 36 hour spew on the script from this mangy brain. But for now I will slurp on the wine left over and slide into the ether of the evening.

I was thinking today... as much as I float on a natural high through the act of creation it still humbles me to no end. I am constantly faced with my own fallibility during these periods. Not so much a case of second guessing but more a sense of dread that I know not what I do. There is this strange mixture of urgency to get it done swirled in with a dollop of solace that somehow it will be accomplished. I can sit and stew over 3 lines for an eternity... like it's some tie-breaker that will cause a shift in the axis of the earth. Yet in the periods when the write does flow free it almost seems as if my mind is a vacuum as the words splatter onto a page. Perhaps it is true that those who are the most accomplished in the arts are those that require less thought... that somehow they achieve by opening themselves to be a conduit for that which needs no explanation. All I know is that once it is done I forget what is and how it got there.

So, here is one of the last write-tracks you will get from me. Savor it while you can. Once the write stops... so will the tracks. Hope this helps to set up your week. Cheers!

The selection for the WRITE-TRACK for today can be found HERE. (Hint: If you right-click and "save target/link as..." you'll be able to download it to your computer.)

... waiting for it to burst. It's unlikely to happen tonight. That much I know. The rising level of distractions though tells me that the end of the write is near. It has happened this way on several other writes. To where I don't have a choice but to write. Trying to make it happen only leads to futile scratchings and useless over plotting that would only frustrate and ultimately waste time. It has to come with a burst. A simple burst. One that dissipates the fog up front and unveils the clarity of road ahead. I just have to lie in wait for it while distractions spin around me faster and faster. And as it always has in the past... it will come at the most inconvenient time. But as I've said so many times before... nothing worthwhile was ever accomplished at one's convenience.

EDIT: sunday morning.
One of my distractions was watching Austin City Limits last night and being quite mesmerised by Sufjan Stevens. Here is a CLIP.

... of what I've been working on. This is especially for those of you who have been sticking with me and Morty on this crazy ride.

It's just a 2 page excerpt... but I think it will give you a bit of a flavor of the piece. Because you get this insight... there will be no write track from me today. Perhaps you could suggest one of your own.

This is also my count today. That even though it has been (and continues to be) a challenge... I have managed to get back on the playwriting horse once again after a 5 year hiatus attempting an original piece. And to get on with a genre that I have never tackled before. I'm also counting all of you who have endured this with me. There is still a bit more to go... so, there is a bit more to endure.

Cheers! Click the flashing sign if you are curious about Da Count. Now go visit each other and begin the weekend with a smile.

Now, here is the excerpt...

MS. WHITE
Well, you fucked her, didn’t you? My mother? Right under my father’s nose. Then again, I don’t blame her. Yeah, I can see what she saw in you. I can see what attracted her. But I’ll give you a little tip, Hunter… if you’re going to fuck your best friend’s wife… make sure she doesn’t own a diary.

HUNTER
I wish you wouldn’t do that.

MS. WHITE
What?

HUNTER
Dishonor the memory of your mother.

MS. WHITE
Oh, that’s funny. That is hilarious! I am dishonoring her memory?

HUNTER
We’re done here.

MS. WHITE
Come on, Hunter. Go for the Triple Crown… might as well fuck the whole family.

Hunter grabs a hold of her.

MS. WHITE
You gonna hit me? You like it rough? Is that how she liked it?

He pushes her into the chair. Ms. White grabs his shirt off the chair and throws it at him.

MS. WHITE
Take that off! I’m not buying that for you.

Hunter turns to exit. She takes his gun out of the holster that’s on the chair.

HUNTER
Look, there’s something you need to know about your father…

Hunter turns around. Ms. White has the gun pointed at him.

MS. WHITE
Oh yeah, what?

HUNTER
What’s this about?

MS. WHITE
What does it look like?

HUNTER
You want to put that down?

MS. WHITE
Not really.

HUNTER
I think you should give that to me.

MS. WHITE
Sure. Where do you want it? Smack between your eyes… clean through your heart… or shall I just shoot your balls off? You were right about surveillance cameras and surveillance tapes. It is the age of big brother. How do you think the last 5 minutes is going to look to the cops… without sound? It’s always the guy’s fault, don’t cha know?

HUNTER
What do you want?

MS. WHITE
Sit down.

HUNTER
And then what?

MS. WHITE
Then I’m gonna straddle you… slide this nozzle into your mouth and fuck you until you bleed. Just sit down!

Hunter sits.

HUNTER
I’m not sure I understand where this is going.

MS. WHITE
We are venturing deep into the dark forest, Hunter. Let’s get to the point, shall we? My stepmother hates me… she always has. She’s going to lose the kingdom once my birthday comes around. That’s powerful intent. You know it’s her! I know it’s her! Case closed.

_______________________________________

EDIT:

TO THE PARTIES WHO ARE IN DISAGREEMENT AT THE MOMENT

STOP IT!

1. If you have a beef... have the balls to face each other and settle it! And when I say "Settle It!" I mean in a grown-up way.

2. Starting a flame war on each other's site is like walking into each other's housing and taking a dump on the rug! This is a public forum and you parties in disagreement have a PRIVATE issue... keep it that way.

3. The "need to be right" is exactly how wars get started and if you haven't caught a clue on that score "NOTHING GOOD COMES OUT OF WARS"!

4. None of us are taking sides and what is happening is making EVERYONE UNCOMFORTABLE! We really don't give a heck who started it... we just want it to STOP... and only YOU have the power to do that!

5. GROW UP! The moment you point an accusing finger... there are 3 pointing right back at you... from your own hand. Karma is instant!

END OF DISCUSSION

Labels: da count

I have been checking my site meter and my hits have dropped by 30 per day. LOL! I guess I'm just not sexy anymore. I've stopped doing HNT's, I'm on a write so posts are being a little erratic, and because I'm on a project I don't visit and comment as much as I use to. Yeah, I understand that. I'm not as much as a comment whore as I use to be. But a drop of 30 hits per day... oh yeah!

Really, it's OK. For those who have come by (even the lurkers) Thank you! For those who have commented... bless you... your presence has given me the inspiration to forge on. For the rest of you... will a picture of my ass bring you back? (Yeah, right!)

Anyway... here is the write-track... ironic as it may seem.

The selection for the WRITE-TRACK for today can be found HERE. (Hint: If you right-click and "save target/link as..." you'll be able to download it to your computer.)