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 My primary Writing.com blog. |
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Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics). Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:  "The Soundtrackers Group"  "Blog Harbor" "Blogging Circle of Friends " "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" "JAFBG" "Take up Your Cross Blog Forum" Thanks for stopping by! 
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 Prompt #67: If you couldn't live in the state, country, etc. that you currently live in, where would you want to live instead? With the caveat that I absolute love living in California and really don't see myself living anywhere else, I do often think about where else I would possibly want to live as an alternative. Given that it's a California we're talking about, affordability is far more likely to be the driving factor than anything else. Which is a bummer, but at least I'm not in a situation where I might have to move based on the political activism of my state or anything along those lines. If I did have to live somewhere else in the United States, my top three regions would be: 1. Pacific Northwest 2. Colorado 3. New England I like colder weather and I have a feeling I wouldn't want to constantly fight against a regressive or overly-conservative state government, so looking at relatively blue (or at least purple) states, I think Washington and Oregon would be the top choices. I've been to the Pacific Northwest multiple times and I love it every single time. I've never been to Colorado but it looks gorgeous and living nestled up against the Rocky Mountains would be a nice change of pace for someone that's lived a couple hours (or minutes!) away from the beach most of his life. And I've always loved the New England area, although I'm not sure exactly what area. After a lifetime of living in a massive state with a huge economy, I kind of like the idea of living in a smaller, quaint little state like maybe Rhode Island or Connecticut... and I might be convinced to move as far south as Maryland. The idea of a seaside town on the Eastern Seaboard is appealing to me because I do really love the ocean. If I had to live somewhere outside the United States, I'd probably want to choose somewhere with cultural similarities and an entertainment industry that I could work in, which means I'd probably be looking at: 1. Canada 2. United Kingdom 3. Australia Canada would probably be the easiest transition, especially if I just hopped over the border to Vancouver. Australia would probably feel the most similar as there's a thriving entertainment industry in certain urban centers, and it would be interesting to spend a little time in the Southern Hemisphere for an extended period of time. But the one that I think would be the most intriguing would be the United Kingdom, not just for where I'd be living, but for the proximity to the rest of Europe. I could see myself using it as a launching pad to check out a lot of neighboring countries and cities that I've always wanted to visit. Part of me thinks it would be fun to live somewhere absolutely unexpected and off-the-beaten path. Maybe not for a lifetime, but for a few years anyway. I suppose if I were to choose places along those lines, a few of the places at the top of that list would be: 1. Singapore 2. New Zealand 3. Switzerland 4. South Africa 5. Japan With the exception of #5, almost all of these follow the same process as states I chose for the experience of being smaller after spending so long in California. If I had to leave the United States, I think it'd be interesting to be a part of a smaller country (both geographically and from a population standpoint) that still has a decent diversity of people and influences. I haven't been to any of these places so I can't say for sure whether they'd be a good fit, but I'd definitely consider them if I suddenly had to get out of the United States and had to randomly choose another spot to lay down roots. |
| Day 5 is coming to a close here in Costa Rica. We have two full days and a morning left before we have to head back to real life in California. Last night, we ventured outside the resort to try a local restaurant, and boy did it deliver. It was right on the beach, about 600 yards from our resort, so we decided to walk. Which ended up being a very smart decision because it was the end of the day and the road we were walking on was a very narrow beach road that had dozens of cars backed up and trying to get through as others tried to get out from their parking spots on the side of the road as drivers were looking to leave the beach. We ended up threading our way between cars the entire way there. The restaurant was an open-air place with a sand floor that was right across the street from the beach. We started with coconut shrimp (paired with a mango-jalapeno dipping sauce) and local sea bass tacquitos with a spicy aioli, and both were absolutely delicious. If it was possible, the entrees themselves were even better... I had what seemed to be a local variation on paella with fresh mussels, shrimp, octopus, catch of the day, lime, coconut milk, and herbs and spices. My wife had fresh sea bass with seasoned rice, mango-avocado lime salsa, and a beurre blanc sauce. And while my six-year old opted for a traditional mac and cheese and fries, my ten-year-old experimented with churrasco (seasoned strip loin and vegetables that are served with a heated volcanic rock to cook them on, and chimichurri for additional flavor). Everything was amazing, and we actually took the leftovers home so that my wife and I would have something delicious to eat while the kids contently settled for burgers and chicken strips at the resort's restaurant. Today we went horseback riding on the beach, which everyone loved. And I know Kåre เลียม Enga  has traveled extensively here, so I'll give some more details than I usually would for his benefit.  A car took us from our resort in Playa Flamingo to the nearby Playa Brasilito. A guide walked us down the beach, then over the hill to Playa Conchal where the Westin and W hotels both have (very expensive) resorts. There were a lot of local vendors selling things, and we traveled down the length of the beach (all the way to Playa Puerto Viejo), then back along the horse/ATV trails that parallel the beach behind the hills. The beaches were stunning, as were the jungle areas. The kids got a kick about riding on a horse for the first time, as well as all the wildlife that our guide pointed out, including an iguana, monkeys, and a stingray in the water near us. We arrived back where we started a little saddle-sore, so we spent the rest of the day at the resort, enjoying a little more pool and boogie boarding time. Now that we only have two full days left, we're trying to decide what else we want to check off the to-do list before we head back; tomorrow we'll likely head to a nearby animal sanctuary to see some sloths and other animals, and then we're debating whether we want to do zip-lining or maybe a sunset catamaran cruise for our last day. Either way, I don't think we can go wrong; everything we've experienced in Costa Rica so far has been really fun. |
It's the end of our third day here in Costa Rica, with five days of our trip left. The first day was quite an adventure. We got to the airport with plenty of time and the flight was pretty uneventful — other than being seated in the midst of an entire group of friends or family reunion group all traveling together, whose kids lost their minds screaming and roughhousing for the last hour of the flight  — and we even landed a little earlier than scheduled. We opted to fly into Liberia International Airport, the smaller airport in the northwestern part of the country, and way closer to our destination than the capital city of San Jose, which it four and a half hours away.We got our bags and found the rental car shuttle we needed to be on without issue, but that's where the issues ended. The rental car company we opted for (Sixt) was one that we had an amazing experience with in Maui a couple years ago, so we decided to give them a try here too. Apparently not all branches are equal, because the shuttle drove us out to a small strip mall in the middle of nowhere (not quite the "short distance from the terminal" they advertised), dropped us off, and immediately took off again. At that point, the rental car agent pulled the, "Oh no, it turns out that the minivan you reserved is actually this one..." and points to a manual-transmission cargo/delivery van in the corner of the lot. And then goes, "Unfortunately we don't have any other cars available at the moment, except this much smaller vehicle which is actually more money because it's a 4x4... otherwise, you'll have to wait for a couple hours until someone else turns in a car and we can clean it for you." I was tempted to just take the van to spite him (I do know how to drive a manual transmission), but ultimately I had read that some of the roads in Costa Rica are quite gnarly (unpaved mountain roads, etc.), so I didn't want to chance it and just paid the $125 for the "upgrade" to a smaller car with an automatic transmission. Then he tried to sell me on additional insurance (he claimed the insurance I purchased for the rental online wasn't valid in Costa Rica  ), and when I didn't pay up, he got quite testy and just wanted to get rid of us.We left the car rental place about 30 minutes later than we had hoped, but still had plenty of time to get through the hills before dark and enjoy our first sunset on the beach. Unfortunately, we exited the strip mall directly into traffic because there was apparently construction on the small two-lane highway we needed to take. What was supposed to be a 45-minute driver ended up being a three-hour drive, which meant the sun went down and it got dark just as we were driving through the hills. The highway through those hills was super narrow and full of tiny little towns where people were randomly walking down (or across!) the highway in the dark, all while cars were whipping along the road at 40 miles per hour. Several sections of the road were unfinished and had unclear markers... it made me very glad that I opted to upgrade to the smaller vehicle with the automatic transmission, but it was probably one of the more terrifying driving experiences I've ever had. We rolled into the resort with just enough time to check in, have dinner, and go to bed. Service at the resort has been amazing so far. Everyone is super friendly and we got a free upgrade to a suite (and put on the all-inclusive plan, even though we didn't ask or pay for it). The resort is right on the water; we can walk less than a hundred meters and end up in the Pacific Ocean. The ocean is delightfully warm, and the beach has good boogie boarding waves but is still calm enough for the kids to play in the surf. We've spent the past two full days basically alternating between playing in the ocean and playing in the pool, and eating at the different restaurants around the resort. After an unpredictable journey to get here, we're finally starting to unwind and relax, with plans to book a few excursions in the coming days. Each member of our family picked one thing they really want to do while they're here, so we're looking at doing some horseback riding, zip-lining, food eating, and sloth sanctuary visiting. I'll update more as those experiences are had. |
 Prompt for Day 2605: Library. "A library is thought in cold storage." — Herbert Samuel. Do you go to a public library? Are libraries still important in our lives? With easy access to the instant gratification that comes from ordering an ebook, or even hard copies that can be bought at a local bookstore or delivered in the mail within 24-48 hours, libraries have fallen out of favor with a lot of people. So many of us have been conditioned to order things on Amazon, it's almost second-nature to think about a book you've been wanting to read, add it to the cart, and have it delivered to your doorstep just a few hours later. In some ways, this is better for a reader like me, who often wants to read something very specific. It can be frustrating to go to the library, realize the exact book you want isn't in stock, and then have to figure out if you can request it from another branch. I've never been the kind of person who can be like, "Oh, I want to read a Michael Connelly book but I don't care if I read #10 or #20 in the series." I've always been the kind of person who goes, "The last book I read in the series was #7, so if I'm going to read another one, it's going to be #8." That said, I also have a lot of reading interests, so I'm never at a loss for what to read. Where I do excel at using libraries is having a list of things I want to read, and then going through their online catalogue to see what's in stock and put it on hold before I head to the library to pick it up. I'll often cycle through the book series I'm reading to see what's available. "I'm on Stormlight Archive #2, Harry Bosch #8, Orphan X #9, Gray Man #7, etc. ... let's see which one of those I can pick up now..." I also happen to have library cards at multiple local libraries, so I can also forum shop a bit if I'm looking for something really specific. I will almost always check to see if I can find something at the library before I spend money to purchase a copy, especially now that many libraries will also loan ebooks and audiobooks. I do think that libraries are one of the most important aspects of society, and I wish they were better utilized. It's kind of wild to think about, that you can literally go to a place (probably relatively close to your home) and borrow books for free, or even in some cases avail yourself of many of its other free services like renting a quiet study room, using a computer with internet access, participating in community events, etc. Ever since we adopted our kids, we've been trying to instill an appreciation for them by going every couple of weeks and checking out books, then returning them and getting more, etc. And for a family that reads so much, it's super cost-effective to borrow books and return them rather than to keep buying new books (which in my case often only get read once)! Lately, I've been really discouraged at the political fights that have been waged at libraries (mostly in terms of what books should or should not be allowed to be stocked). I'm really hoping that common sense prevails at some point and people realize that, unless we're taking about examples of some very fringe books in a specialized library setting (like the one at an elementary school), libraries should be places where you can discover new things. I saw a quote online the other day and I'm not sure who it's attributed to, but it said something along the lines of, "We should spend less time trying to control what information people have access to, and more time being the kind of people who others can process with when they come across information that's challenging, confusing, or unsettling." We shouldn't be defunding libraries and making it harder for people to find information at all; we should be investing in making libraries safer spaces to encounter new things and make new discoveries as we seek to better understand ourselves and the world around us. |
Prompt #47: Do you think you have a good imagination? Why or why not? I think the answer to this question, at least for me, depends on what you define as imagination. One of the common dictionary definitions of imagination is "the ability of the mind to be creative or resourceful," and I actually think those are two completely different skillsets. In a lot of ways, I suppose imagination then is a lot like intelligence, where you can have different types of intelligence and some people are gifted in some ways but not others. For example, someone might have exceptional logical-mathematical intelligence, but have very low interpersonal intelligence or bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. I'm not sure that anyone's actually broken down the concept of "imagination" into different types the same way intelligence has been studied and diversified over the years, but I think the methodology still applies. On the one hand, I don't think I'm particularly good at coming up with original concepts. Whether it comes to writing, or ideating in everyday life, I tend to be a very linear thinker and don't spend a lot of time wondering about different ways to do things. When it comes to tasks, after some trial and error, once I find a process for something that works for me, I tend to stick with it. And similarly with writing, I don't think I'm often the type of author who comes up with completely off-the-wall concepts that make people say, "Wow, I don't think that's ever been done before!" I don't think I'll ever be the kind of person who invents something (even though one of my earliest memories is wanting to be an inventor), because I just don't tend to think outside the box in that way. So in terms of imagination being raw creativity and ingenuity, I wouldn't say that I have a particularly good imagination. On the other hand, I do think I'm quite good at putting unexpected twists on things, or combining things in creative ways. As a writer, I'm really good with taking a prompt for a writing contest and spinning it on its head. I'm good at mashing up multiple genres and using the conventions of each. In my everyday life, I'm good at synthesizing information, organizing data, and making sense of a lot of different factors and then finding an efficient way to make use of them. My imagination kicks in when I'm thinking of different possibilities and configurations, rather than staring at a blank canvas. So I suppose like there are different types of intelligence, there are different types of imagination. And I'm more imaginative in the "resourceful" kind of way than I am imaginative in the "creative" kind of way. It's why I've always done better with adaptations and and prompts and rewrites as a writer, rather than staring at the blank page and coming up with something wholly original to write. Which is why these "Blog Harbor" prompts and so many other activities that offer inspiration for what to write are so great for me personally, and why screenwriting is so appealing to me. |
Prompt for Day 2604: Road Trips. “As we crossed the Colorado-Utah border I saw God in the sky in the form of huge gold sunburning clouds above the desert that seemed to point a finger at me and say, 'Pass here and go on, you're on the road to heaven.'" — Jack Kerouac, On the Road. What do you think of road trips? Do you have any memories you'd like to share with us? I spent a lot of time on road trips as a kid. My parents were fishing and camping enthusiasts, and I was active in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts until I turned 18, so it was a common occurrence in our household that we would pack up on a Friday afternoon and head off to some river, lake, etc. or another for a weekend of "roughing it." My parents were also quite frugal, so family vacations were matters of driving a car rather than getting on a plane whenever practicable. Full disclosure, practicable by their definition meant anywhere within driving range of 1-2 days which meant pretty much anywhere in the Western United States was fair game for a road trip. My favorite road trips as a kid were when my family would drive from Sacramento up to Montana to visit my grandparents for the summer. That was a two-day journey (one to get from Sacramento to the Nevada-Idaho border, then a second day to get from the Nevada-Idaho border to my grandparents' lake house in Western Montana), and even though it was a very long trip those were some of my favorite memories as a kid. The excitement of getting to the lake house for a summer of swimming and playing games and horseback riding and river rafting and eating raspberries, combined with the things my parents did to make the road trip fun: buying us those huge books of crossword puzzles and word searches from the grocery store, along with a handful of books to keep us busy in between rounds of the license plate game, or "I Spy," interrupted only when we had to stop for gas and would load up on junk food at the mini-mart while we were at it. Those moments (combined with a brutal commute driving through the vast majority of Los Angeles each day for the better part of twenty years) are probably why I find being in the car comforting. Or, if not comforting, at least less stressful than most people seem to. I almost never mind driving somewhere within 2-3 hours (day trip to San Diego or Santa Barbara? Sure, why not!), and I still have a dream of one day driving across the country and stopping at all of the places between this country's West Coast and East Coast. That said, road trips are not without their troubles, and I have plenty of those stories as well... of being stranded by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck, and having to make the rounds with him as he picked up a bunch of other cars as well. Or just barely making it to a tire shop after realizing that there's a slow-leaking puncture in your tire about a hundred miles into a four hundred mile road trip. But at the risk of going full "dad mode" at this point in my life... those are also the experiences that have built character and given me stories to tell. |
| WDC 48-Hour Challenge: Media Prompt | Prompt ▼ I still remember when this song first came out in 2007. At the time, Colbie Callait was a 22-year-old singer-songwriter releasing her first studio album — Coco — and I was a slightly-older twenty-something in the midst of planning his wedding. I distinctly remember listening to this song repeatedly during those months because it was soothing and relaxing at a time when I was stressing out over the wedding details a lot. (My wife and I basically planned our entire wedding ourselves thanks in no small part to limited family involvement and a wedding planner who was less helpful than we would have hoped!) Similar to my recent experience with Avril Lavigne, Colbie Callait has released a number of albums in recent years that I apparently didn't realize she had released, so I have a bit of catching up to do, but I remember that each of her early albums had a number of songs that I really liked. Coco had this one and "Realize," Breakthrough had "Fallin' For You" and "I Never Told You," All Of You had "Brighter Than The Sun" and "What If," and Gypsy Heat had "Try" and "Break Free." Not to mention the non-album single "Hold On" which is probably one of my favorite songs of hers. There's something about her musical style that I really like, especially in her more carefree songs. There's an easygoing style to it, and a lot of her songs are definitely relaxing listens; the kind of thing you could have playing from a bluetooth speaker out on the beach, or during a summer backyard barbecue. I will admit that for the longest time I was convinced that she was Canadian for some reason (maybe the French-sounding last name? ) and I was surprised to find that she was born in Malibu, California and raised in nearby Newbury Park as I was doing some research for this blog entry. I also didn't realize that she spent 2018-2020 as part of a country quartet called Gone West (which, sadly, is not the same group as Go West, an 80s duo whose hits included iconic "King of Wishful Thinking"), which is something I'm definitely going to look into more as I put together my Spotify playlist for future listening. She's got a great voice that I imagine would go pretty well with an easier-listening country music style.Callait's most recent album is 2023's Along The Way, which also marks her return her career as a solo artist. If anything, this month's Media Prompt definitely reminded me that I need to listen to that and see what else I've missed while she's been under the radar for the past few years. She also apparently did a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" sometime in 2022 which is a great song. Honestly, the Goo Goo Dolls are a band I need to give another listen to again sometime soon as well. They had quite a few songs featured in regular rotation during my high school and college years as well. |
| To qualify for my Watch List every month, the following has to be something that I've watched that's new to me. It doesn't necessarily have to be a current show, but it can't be reruns or rewatches of something I've already seen. So if I'm including it in this list, it means this month is the first time I've watched it. I'll put "DNF" (Did Not Finish) next to anything that I stopped watching and have no immediate plans to finish. Movies  The Accountant 2 Ballerina Elio F1: The Movie How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Ice Age: Collision Course Love HurtsI saw more movies in the theater this month than I have in ages (four!), and it was fun to get back to the idea of prioritizing viewing a movie in a quiet theater where the movie itself is your only focus, rather than watching it home where you might have a bunch of other distractions keeping you from focusing on the story and the characters. And with the sole exception of Ice Age: Collision Course (which is one that my kids picked to watch one day), I thought all of the movies I saw this month were decent in their own way. The movie that I was most excited about was F1: The Movie since I've been following Formula 1 racing a lot lately. While the movie wasn't by any means perfect, it was really engaging and I liked it a lot. I can't remember the last time I was a movie that was over two hours that I didn't think could stand to be edited down a bit, but this one flew by. The racing action was really great, and it was a fun watch. I definitely want to go back to see it again in a 4DX theater (where the seats rumble and move)! Television Goliath (Season 1) Goliath (Season 2) Top Chef (Season 22)Goliath was an interesting show. The first season was an excellent legal drama, and then the second season was almost nothing like the first, as the show turned into more of a crime investigation/thriller with very few legal aspects to it. I heard that the showrunner changed after the first season so maybe the new one just didn't want to make a legal show, and instead make a crime show where the lead character just happened to be a lawyer? I've heard mixed things about the third and fourth seasons, so we'll probably watch them at some point, but we're not rushing to do so. The only other thing I watched this month was Season 22 of Top Chef which was a good if unremarkable season of the show. Maybe it's just starting to feel a little old, but I wasn't really wowed by anything. I was rooting for the person who won, so I was happy in that respect, but I'm not sure how memorable it'll be in the long term. TOP PICK: F1: The Movie |
| To qualify for my Watch List every month, the following has to be something that I've watched that's new to me. It doesn't necessarily have to be a current show, but it can't be reruns or rewatches of something I've already seen. So if I'm including it in this list, it means this month is the first time I've watched it. I'll put "DNF" (Did Not Finish) next to anything that I stopped watching and have no immediate plans to finish. Movies Aftermath Exterratorial Gladiator II Havoc — DNF Lilo & Stitch (2025) The Magician's Elephant Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Sniper: The Last StandOf all the movies I watched this month, I probably liked Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning the most. It wasn't my favorite movie in the entire franchise, but I do really like these films and it was engaging, if a little long. For an "end of series" entry, I think the stunts and other action were a little lackluster, but I did find the story engaging. This was also a month where I saw two of my friends' movies, which debuted on Netflix. They were both kind of generic action movies, but I'm super excited for both of them; it's really cool to be able to turn on Netflix, see a movie a friend of yours wrote, and watch their names go by in the credits. If you like direct-to-video style action movies, you could do a lot worse than Aftermath and Sniper: The Last Stand. Television Abbott Elementary (Season 4) Andor (Season 2) Hacks (Season 4) Killer Heat (Season 2) — DNF The Rookie (Season 7) Shifting Gears (Season 1) — DNF Sirens Will Trent (Season 3) Your Friends & Neighbors (Season 1)I'm honestly surprised at how much television I watched this month. From really good new shows like Sirens and Your Friends & Neighbors to the return of older favorites like Hacks, it was a really good month for television. Pretty much the only things I didn't like were Will Trent (which my wife likes having on in the background), and Shifting Gears which is Tim Allen's new show where he basically just plays Tim Allen again, this time with a slightly different "manly" job and family situation, which he uses as a foil to criticize modernity and lament the loss of the good old days when the world was simpler and more conservative. The standout show this month was clearly the second season of Andor. I thought the first season was really good, and this one exceeded my already lofty expectations of what a sophomore effort would look like. Knowing that they were heading into a specific result (i.e., Cassian Andor's journey leading up to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), they broke the show up into four, three-episode blocks, each tackling one year in the life of all the revolutionaries, building the nascent Rebellion into a movement that could realistically defy the Empire. It was a really well done political drama/thriller that raised a lot of questions of morality, intrigue, commitment to a cause, etc. If you like political shows, even if Star Wars isn't your favorite, it's really great. And it perfectly leads into Rogue One, which in turn leads perfectly into A New Hope. TOP PICK: Andor (Season 2) |
 PROMPT: "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..." This is one of those songs that just seems to perpetually come around every few years. It was originally released in Fall 2013 as a promotional single for Magic!, which was then re-released by a major label (Sony) in Winter 2014. Over the course of 2014, the band performed it all over the place, including on both morning and late night talk shows, and the song ended up being one of the Top 10 bestselling songs of the year. It's also been covered a remixed a number of times, including by some very popular artists like Zedd and Selena Gomez. I think the last time that I listened to this song regularly was during the pandemic. While everyone was sheltering in place for COVID-19, my wife and I were stuck at home with two young children, and we spent a lot of time listening to music and watching videos. Music videos were particularly popular in our house, and there were quite a few that played on repeat because the kids liked the song and the video captured their attention. This was one of them, and I think we watched it so much that the YouTube algorithm still populates it in my personal feed of music videos whenever I put on a playlist. As with so many of the songs that I listened to during that time, there's a part of me that feels nostalgic whenever the song comes on. After all, I've heard it enough to practically memorize the lyrics and the melody is instantly recognizable. On the other hand, it's a reminder of what was a very difficult, borderline traumatizing time in all of our lives, so the memories that come flooding back with songs like this are often quite vivid. None of that changes the fact that it's a catchy, feel-good kinda song though. |
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