Pumpkin Seeds: Mental Reboot Edition

1. NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 3: 2,076 (-2,925) 2. Damn election! 3. The novel is happily percolating in my brain, flowing easily whenever I've found the time to write, but it's been 48 hours since I've found such time, so I'll need to spend my lunch hour on it before the well runs dry. And a late night tonight, I suspect. 4. Post-election America; a reanimated Babe Ruth and his zombie army; teenage sex! Diane's random-ass plot idea has been extremely liberating and my inner-editor has remained relatively quiet, letting the words flow freely. Lacking an outline, pre-determined cast, or…

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Christmas came early for the Gonzalez kids this weekend as family and friends came through with toys o'plenty. So much so, I had to do some pruning of their existing stash lest they overrun anymore of the apartment. Annoying noise-making toys and a bagful of stuffed animals were the primary victims of the purge. Only two Elmos remain: the bi-lingual plush and the "Mr. Potato Head" knock-off. Reluctant as I am to credit anyone with giving the "best" gift, especially in this case, I have to admit that Isaac's Clap & Laugh Microphone Set ranks in the Top 5 ever.…

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Late-Friday Randomness... Assuming this cold we're all fighting doesn't ruin things, tomorrow's birthday party for the kids should be fun. We're expecting 12 kids altogether, the most by far to be in our place at one time. Never mind the 20 or so adults accompanying them! Isaac was sick as a dog for his first birthday party and he and India have both been coughing with runny noses for the past few days. They're two handfuls normally, and sick kids become cranky kids, so this morning was a nightmare getting them out of the house without Salomé. Plus, I feel…

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Pumpkin Seeds: Same Old Song Edition

1. If circumstance dictates action, then overindulging on video games and fantasy sports is the married man's equivalent of late nights and loose women. 2. I'm George Bailey-tired but there's no Mr. Potter to tempt me, no Uncle Billy to screw me, and no Bedford Falls to reassure me. 3. There's millions of stories about people moving to the "big city" to pursue their dreams, but very few about the reverse commute -- and even then, it's usually a homecoming as opposed to a journey into the unknown. 4. Life in New York City is like running on a treadmill:…

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Pumpkin Seeds: Nouns I Don’t Get Edition

1. Gwyneth Paltrow. Dime a dozen white girl with zero personality and limited acting ability. 2. Neil Gaiman. Just another imaginative writer lacking in fundamental skills. Much ado about nothing. 3. Beyoncé. Destiny's Child had one good song - Independent Women - before she went solo, and her own album is a testament to the power of good production over talent. Did Jay-Z threaten everyone in the media? 4. Jay Leno. He's as hit or miss as the wannabes on Last Comic Standing and yet dominates late night. 5. Men. Specifically the ones who believe whistling/catcalling/leering at a woman from…

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The Forgotten is nothing like The Sixth Sense and to suggest otherwise is reductionism at it's worst. If anything, the most appropriate [reductionist] synopysis, and quite possibly the studio pitch, would be to say that it's like Ransom crossed with the X-Files, with a strong female lead. Of course, that probably wouldn't sell very many tickets as an ad campaign! Unlike the Sixth Sense, though, the ill-conceived trailers for The Forgotten, while incredibly effective as attention-getters, leave very little room for any mystery regarding what's actually going on. You know pretty quickly that there can only be one explanation, but…

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Pumpkin Seeds: End of the World Edition

1. What the hell is going on? Multiple hurricanes and random tornadoes, an earthquake in California and now the threat of Mt. St. Helens erupting again? Plus, there's the whole mega-tidal wave in the works, just waiting for another volcano to go off in Africa! If I were a Republican, the obvious explanation would be that God doesn't want John Kerry to be President. 2. To be honest, I think it would be kind of cool to see this election overshadowed by massive global disasters. The God of the Bible certainly has that kind of sense of humor. 3. I'm…

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