nanowrimo

Tomorrow I will start writing a book. The endeavor is part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and the goal is to write a 50,000-word novella during the month of November. A friend of mine (hi Erika!) suggested this to me last year and I think she gave it a try. Few actually churn out 50,000 words in 30 days. I would not be at all surprised if I don't make it... However, I do have the vague notion of a plot, and am interested to see where it will go. I've actually started writing a few novels in the past, but always got stuck after a few months. The idea here is just to get it out. If I don't care about quality, maybe I'll actually get the whole thing down. I can always refine later if the story seems worth it. I apologize in advance if I seem a little antisocial in November. Another friend of mine is also doing it on my suggestion, and he's my sole "writing buddy" with NaNoWriMo... I'm not joining any writing groups or anything though. I can get caught up in the trappings a bit too easily and find myself without time to write. I need solitude and motivation. We'll see how far solitude and motivation get me this November.

BSG is just too good.

Well it seems Battlestar Galactica has spoiled me for other shows. It is simply that good. It's like seeing a movie in color and then trying to go back to watching things in black and white. I gave up watching "Lost," for instance, because I found I just couldn't keep liking the characters. When they would make morally ambiguous decisions in the midst of very (fantastical) difficult situations, I found myself having no sympathy for them; BSG characters are much more human in their moral ambiguity. (Even the nonhuman BSG characters are more human!) The desert island scenario -- in which we watch a handful of survivors after a disaster -- is also done much better on BSG. And on BSG the desert island is a bunch of really cool ships. On a friend (and fellow BSG fan)'s recommendation I gave the new NBC show Heroes a shot. It has all the elements of a show I would normally like: Globetrotting (enough said!). An ensemble cast so I don't get bored. The gradual intertwining of the characters' lives. A bit of sci-fi/fantasy to gratify my geeky side. Really really ridiculously good-looking people (well, Mohinder and Isaac anyway). Plots that flow from episode to episode instead of being contained within one episode. But it's not good enough anymore. After BSG, even the fairly decent dialogue on Heroes seems stilted. After Lee Adama's father issues, Mohinder's seem childish. I can forgive the pretty bad physics and biology on BSG, but can't forgive the ridiculous genetics on Heroes. The "bad guys" on BSG are fascinating, multifaceted characters, while the bad guys on Heroes are just trying to be. So, three cheers for BSG for rescuing me from wasting time with other TV shows.

who says tv ads are dead?

itunes and DVRs are the order of the day, but a good tv ad will still get watched a lot on goo-tube. i don't have a tv, but does anyone know if this beautiful ad is being shown in the USA? they actually cordoned off a neighborhood in glasgow to film this. this gizmodo post shows additional clips on how it was done. including how they herded the kids out of the way. if i lived in such nondescript housing, i would never want them to clean up the paint. one question: why the clown?