Below are the 30 most recent journal entries recorded in The Brother From Another Planet's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
11:46 am	"I'm not bald. I shaved my head, okay--understand?" So, I shaved my head today, again. Shaving my head feels like a hassle, even though it shouldn't be. It never takes any longer than 15-20 minutes, and I'm left over with a smooth head (save for a few dents and bumps). I never really feel one way or another about it because I've been doing it for so long now. After the radiation process, there's a fairly large spot of real estate up there that takes forever to grow back, so I've just shaved everything for the most part. Anyway, every now and then I feel the urge to just check out where they opened up my skull, and man...it's still really cool. I have this kinda linked dual-hexagon of titanium screws up there, and it's still so funny to think that somebody has actually seen the Inside of my Brain. I got my new bulletin from Mayo Clinic, and usually I don't look through it, but I did a few minutes ago: "New Brain Tumor Trial Opens A vaccine that has significantly increased life expectancy in early tests of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)- the most common, most aggressive form of brain cancer in adults -is now being offered through a clinical trial at Mayo Clinic. About 40 percent of GBM tumors display a particular protein on the surface of the tumor cells, and the vaccine is designed to trick the patient's immune system into thinking the protein is "foreign"* to mount a killing response. The average survival rate for patients with GBM is 12 to 14 months, but earlier studies of the vaccine showed average survival increased by more than 50 percent compared to the typical outcome." This is fantastic news. It's also the first time I've ever seen the odds. I personally have only been on chemo this whole time and have managed to have relatively great results with only that. I wonder if the sample they took from me helped to speed this along, and that will have been fabulous news. Regardless of who says what, I feel like Rocky (from parts 1 and 6, respectively/respectfully). Say all you want about whatever, but among the many things it's taught me is that sometimes, all you have to do is go the distance: "You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth! But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody." The last movie is pretty much a complete metaphor for Stallone's career at present--thought to be long-gone, coming back again to write and direct after the odds had counted him out years ago. He flew in the face of all the naysayers and critics ...if only to punch them in said face. There are a few preachy speeches, of course--but that movie makes me feel like I know what it is to be in a fight. We're all in a fight, somehow! If you're not in one, I feel very damned happy for you because you're a lucky so-and-so. Look at you--you, without your personal El Guapo. When I think about fighting now, I think about Beau. He's a friend that I met through John, and recently he found a tumor and is also going through chemotherapy and all that mess. Unlike me and my fake skills, he is an actual Martial Artist Who Is Physically Fit (my graceful frame is forged by a solid core of marching band, welded to an abiding, steadfast love for cheeseburgers). Like so many people out there, we're in it together, and I know he knows what's up. Here's to you, Beau! *pills* Where was all of this going. Oh! I have a visit to Mayo on Friday, and I'll see about this vaccine bidness. February marks the 3rd year after my 2nd surgery. I'm just glad to be enjoying the time I have spent with everyone, and try not to take it for granted. Everybody, go out and get what you're worth--sometimes it may feel like you're not making progress, but you made it through another day, and that's enough. Screw odds! *Arab. Isn't that really harsh? The pamphlet actually said that! I'm just kidding--God bless the Clinic. And Arabs. What's so crazy about standing toe to toe with someone saying, "I Am?" (3 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
10:07 am	¿Donde es Usted...Jorgè Quiñones? One of the first times I can recall meeting fellow high school classmate Jorgè Quiñones well before we started taking classes together was outside the breezeway that connected middle school to high school. He was a bigger dude and talked incredibly fast at times because he spoke Spanish incredibly fast as a first language. People would pick on him because although he was larger, he was relatively peaceful, and I don't have to tell you how often kindness was mistaken for weakness, especially in high school. He would usually be found playing his violin, which resonated very well in the breezeway's concave, tunnel-like structure. I can't recall if I was younger and caught his playing the theme from "Cliffhanger" (guh) at an impressionable age, or if I just recognized it because I was in high school and it was just a few years after the fact. This game of Name That Movie Tune went for a little while, and I saw him again in Chemistry class. As far as the class went...Hm. I'll start by saying this: I had done exceptionally well as far as Chem I went, and figured, "Hey, maybe I wanna be a chemist! Yeah!" So, I took the AP course the next year instead of Physics I, which a part of me regrets. However, In AP Chem, there were a total of 5 of so young minds, myself included. Now, this may be a little ignorance on my behalf, but my entire image of chemistry had been warped by my imagination (mixed with Frankenstein's lab)--beakers spitting geysers of hot fiya, invisible airwaves crackle with life--bright antennas bristle with the energy, you know! Oh, and the spiraling tube. My good lord, that's all I ever wanted to work with--I didn't quite know what real chemists actually did, so long as they used that spiral tube that the liquid goes down, and the liquid be glowing, I figured I'd be fine. Jeez. I was 17--how could somebody not have told me what it was by then! Needless to say, AP Chem kicked a lot of my ass all up and down the laboratory. There was only one glass tube, and it was really long, and we just measured liquids out of it constantly. I'd pass the time talking about movies and making scripts with good ol Jorge. He'd always sketch concepts, and we'd have crazy Ideas. A lot of this would later become my tried-and-true process of retrofitting movies that could have been amazing...if they'd only done these things. An example of that would be me having a massive list about what to do with the Star Wars Prequels (if indeed you read past step one: "Burn Them.") Anyway, the thing I remember most was talking about this one clip that we had both seen on the Independent Film Channel, and would spend a lot of our time pestering the teacher by reenacting its main repeating phrase, starting with "Why have you stopped?": So, that happened a lot. My grade suffered a bit. I'd do alright, but I just didn't see the point of being there anymore--the lab felt like a C-Clamp grip on my brain. AP Chem led me to wanting to know as much as I could about movies, in that that's all I'd ever talk about. One of the instances that turned everything around was a talk from the teacher: "Kirk, if you took all the stuff that you knew about all of these movies or whatever and applied it to these titrations, you'd be getting an A." Nuff said, right? I told him I'd try, sure. I did not do that. In fact, my mom caught me trying to synchronize an action sequence from Hard Boiled (the Dock shootout with that awesome shot of Chow Yun-Fat escaping the shotgun blast) with some sweet metal music. I got yelled at, but things were fitting together, and I realized that Chemistry was out. I should have done something like Driver's Ed or physics and just gotten it all done with...but things would be different now, and you can't go back, so why think about it? Where was I, Oh--Jorge! I had this weird dream last night, and the last of it that I can remember was at some place that your mind geographically makes up of all these bits and pieces you've seen. My roommate Dan and I were trying to meet up somewhere around campus, when he had to go walk an old lady across the street (he's like that, just ask anybody). The campus was split up into different areas, so I walk to where my class is going to be. From the left, coming down some massive building with steps of marble and heavy Cyrillic writing carved on it, comes Jorge, who I've never seen in a dream, ever. He's wearing an ushanka and had a few more scars on his face for some hard times he'd gone through. I figured he was in the military, for what reasons I don't know. We walked through the cold night air, and talked about how life will generally kick your ass with ruthless indiscrimination. I ended up getting to my class, which turned out to be something about "Movie Adaptation Books." It was a lame way to end a dream. Anyway, I got thinking about all the ways some of us feel sidetracked by something--be it a physical illness, a mental block, or something you're not ready to face. I think a lot of us are caught in this vortex of having self-imposed rules that keep us under some imaginary gun, training us to say we don't have the time to do what would make us happy. Feeling like someone who's on borrowed time right now after the things that I go (and have gone) through, I feel as though I should make a bigger effort to realize my goals. I'm really glad to still feel like myself all that could have happened. If anybody sees Jorge, tell him I said hey. (spill your blood)
Friday, September 7th, 2007
9:42 am	"We already pulled a boner out there on the ice." About to go to Waffle House and then to Pensacola to celebrate a(nother) friend's marriage. It's spreading! I'm watching the original version of The Thing From Another World. It's good! I should screen them back-to-back. Carpenter's remake is exactly how to do it. Nobody learned, though. Mayo clinic went just fine--the scans are good and I'm back on chemo. I'm finally paid and will get that much-deserved Xbox 360...SOON! Catch y'all later. Current Mood: patty melt plate, vanilla coke. (4 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Friday, July 27th, 2007
11:41 pm	"Have you ever gone mad without power? It's boring. Nobody listens to you." The Simpsons movie was actually really freakin' funny. I did my MRI today after some delays, and I'm going to Mayo Clinic after I go toobin' (c) Atari) for the first time tomorrow morning. I hope to hit up that awesome bookstore that's in Jax and perhaps see some friends that I haven't seen since their wedding since I'm going down a day early. It's been three whole years since my first brain surgery. I'm glad I'm doing so well and I'm glad to have been around all the people that I know and still am able to stay connected. I realize that I am a semi-professional patient--I have my papers and cards in order, I can fill out a set of new patient scan forms like that, I have a personal assistant and road manager. This is the life that chose me. In other news, the job is going sweetly--everybody that had articles assigned got them to me on time (apparently, a complete first for Edge magazine). That's how we do now!!! My soul will not truly rest until I have this. When it comes, I will try and arrange some sort of lock-in on a cold, rainy day, wherein we marvel in its beauty and eat lots of soba noodles. Yes? (3 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Monday, July 16th, 2007
12:06 am	Episode 1,981, aka "Finding Chemo." As expected, chemotherapy is kinda a big drag. Not only do I have to take it, I have to jump through serious hoops. As I don't have the mad ca$hmoney to re-up my phone all the time to deal with automated machines, my mom takes the brunt of these hassles. I'll never know the true amount of time she spent sifting through all the bullshit that it takes just to make one change, and no amount of times she hears my gratitude will equal how much I owe her. It's very much like 2pac's "Dear Mama," except that she never was a crack fiend, mama. I have to stay alive, only if to pay her a gojillion dollars and Make It Rain. "Work" on the magazine is going well. We're always looking for new talent, and the thing I'm looking for right now is a decent photographer. Apparently, that takes gear. Maybe I'll look up some low-budget lighting techniques, or pair a crewless pro with an art school student's access to lights. We've got some exciting writers and some really cool stuff on the horizon, for sure. I think our slogan should be "Edge Magazine: What do you want for nothin'?" I saw Once yesterday, and I really liked it. I'm not really big on musicals, but I really liked the way the songs came from the song writing/singing process and the emotion that each performance contained. Highly Recommended, unless you don't like heartfelt music*. My only regret is that the Miracle 5's soundsystem is wiggity-wack. I also saw the return of Harry Potter and crew, and I enjoyed it very much. This is the first time I felt an emotional connection to the material, aside from Azkaban. I'm looking forward to the next, especially since the same director is doing it. And She's in it, which helps. Last week I watched a 70's flick called Silent Running, an early outing by some dudes who worked on Blade Runner and Star Wars. Douglas Trumbull--definitely an early innovator of special FX and the things we take for granted today. Anyway, Silent Running's about this space station that's home to a lot of shipping containers and three large, organic forests--the last ones in existence, I believe. In charge of the forests is Bruce Dern, an actor that's been in many a classic film, mostly playing the conceited, smarmy jerk. He's so good at it! Anyway, he's pretty much a jerk in this movie, a hippie-type who is all smug about winning at space-poker** and being able to grow stuff well. The other 3 dudes, all shippers don't suffer him lightly and zip around his gardens in their sweet go-karts when they get a chance. Anyway, Home Base gives word that the shippers and everybody can come back to Earth (which is apparently some sort of super-regulated place where all temperature is the same and everything is made from synthetics), and they can also get rid of those forests, while they're at it, too. Everybody's all about going home, except for our man Bruce, who is obviously Not Having It. Upset over the decision, he argues with one of his shipping friends, and ends up killing him in self-defense. Unable to morally turn back, he sends two of the forests out to be nuked, along with the other shippers. From there, he gets the drone robots to fix the injuries he sustained. He also renames the robots Huey, Louie, and Dewey...and they rock. They're all played by multiple amputee little people - a pre-cursor for r2-D2. He teaches them to play poker and tend to the gardens--most of the movie is him hanging out. ** The whole thing is a tough posit--do you side with a bunch of cargo-carrying dudes who just want to get back to a crappy homogeneous Earth, or what could possibly be the Biggest Hippie Jerkass in the Entire Universe? I still don't know. Even he can't get over how much of a jerk he's been, so he sends Dewey to tend to the last remaining forest as he waits for home base to pick him up. He destroys the space station with him inside via nuclear detonation-a very 70's ending, I might add. Now why did I write all that just then? Hm. It's a pretty good social commentary for sure (two of the songs in the movie are sung by Joan Baez, go fig) and it's got a good (if overbearing) message. However, what really struck me as odd is that 1972-Era Bruce Dern... looks uncannily like Michael Bay!!! Don't tell me you don't see it. I think it's odd that Jerky Bruce Dern pretty much does the exact opposite of what Mr. Bay does with his latest movie, which is take pretty great care of the robots and only blows up himself. If only the reverse had been true for ol' Mike... _____ Everybody's leaving town and growing up/doing something, it seems. I FINALLY got to do Spaghetti Western Weekend with John, Liz and Lindsey (who are all leaving in a matter of weeks). The ladies got to see the first two Eastwood/Leone flicks, much tasty spaghetti was had, and the next day, Once Upon A Time In The West was screened with a doughnut breakfast. Ironically, OUATITW was actually filmed in the "Real" West, but whatever. It's Leone, it rules. Anyway, I'm gonna miss my friends a ton. I'm cool with having a job here and all, but it's gonna come time for me to find some new hangout buddies and I'll be on the lookout, so hit me up! Also, next week marks a big blow-out housecooling party at John's. It's also a My/Paul's birthday celebration, and should be great. Also, The Lookout is playing at SLB. If anybody has a wad of money lying around, I'll ask that you please check out my Wish List and see if you'd like to hook me up. Might I add that my birthday is also my Cancerversary? I think this will be the last time to milk this coincidence of ailment and birthday. *coughguilttripcough* *or, Irish people. **It's just poker--nothing flashy like Star Wars/Trek. ***Has anybody ever seen a movie where people in space pretty much just hang out? I'd love to see that. A lot of my favorite sci-fi movies involve people doing ordinary stuff, just in space--then some alien/entity/disaster breaks out. What happens to all the Hanging Out? Let's write something! (5 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Monday, July 9th, 2007
1:21 am	A Movie Review From Yours Truly. "But yeah, basically I felt like the idiot child who got caught smoking a cigarette and then had to smoke pack upon pack until I went to the hospital for nicotine poisoning... Then I got run over by the ambulance on the way out." Can you guess what I saw? Hint: It's in theaters only...unless you pirated it via camcorder, but why would you? (4 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
6:49 pm	Episode 607a: "Jay-Oh-Bee" Can't post pics here. Do I have to pay to do that? Whatever. I'm posted here for all the details. Chemo Totally Sucks. However, I did get the job at Edge magazine as Editor. I have the opportunity to make something super cool and fun in this town, and by gum I'm gonna take it. It should be okay! Yay for jobs and having them. (spill your blood)
Monday, June 11th, 2007
11:48 pm	Episode 533: Chemo Williams: The Adventure Continues (again) Went down to Mayo. Tiffany came this time, which meant more laughs and more singing. Two checkups, one with the Neurosurgeon and one with the neuro-oncologist. I got to see my brain. What happened during the surgery is, basically he took out everywhere that looked like the tumor could show up again...and then some. Seriously, I'll have to get my hands on a scan--there's nothing in that right frontal lobe area. You couldn't tell me anything's missing but bam. Blank space, up front, of about a little over a square inch of territory. I wonder if my brains slide around any. I should have asked about that. I better be able to still ride rollercoasters. I got my stitches out, too! It feels soooo good. I can't get it wet for another day, but I'll hold out--that's what shower caps are for. Basically, what happens next is I'm back on chemotherapy. It'll be in pill form, just like last time, with Temodar as the medicine of choice. There'll probably be some really sucky days, seeing as it's a 21 day cycle instead of the usual 5, but it's a smaller, more tolerable dose. I'm pretty much being groomed for the Editor (in Chief!) spot at Edge Magazine over the summer, and I gotta get some wheelin' and dealin' done--I know that Big Bend Transit helps people with disabilities get places (and fresh surgery/seizure medication Better qualify), so I'll see if i can fast track an interview and see what's up for the summer, job-wise. So, that's the rundown. In other news, I have recently been reading Watchmen again for the first time since early high school and dang if it isn't one of the best things I've ever read. It's like i'm reading it for the first time all over again. I missed all of the awesome stuff the first time around--the moral ambiguity, the allusions, pretty much everything that makes it fantastic. I hope that means I'm smarter now. Seriously, I am enjoying it so much. I should make everybody read it. It's gonna be made into a movie by the guy who did 300 and the Dawn of the Dead remake. He supposedly has real love for it. I have a little faith, but if he effs it up, tons of geeks will be screaming for his head. It really should be an HBO miniseries or something, like Preacher, which they've announced (and I have a definite lack of faith on that one). What else? Uh, Dan and I are watching the craziest movie I've seen in a long time. It's so strange and random, I'll write about it when we get it done. Just...insane. I guess that's it for now. Current Mood: D-D-Dope boy fresh? (2 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Monday, May 28th, 2007
11:00 am	Episode 499: Surgery Vacation, aka "Candid Cancer" Okay. I'm back from my trip down to Jacksonville! I got down there, ready to rock. We ended up at the Wingate Inn, a sweet place where I got to hang and watch episodes of the Greatest Show Ever and some other stuff. I base hotel quality solely on whether or not their continental breakfast has some sort of belgian waffle-making capacity. Waffle Maker? Single serving styrofoam cup and twisty handle? Free syrup? Five Stars. End of review. As a sidenote, it must be said that hotel workers make the greatest eggs of all time. It doesn't hurt to bring in some shredded cheese or seasoned salt for that little extra quality, for those long hotel stays. I get to my first battery of tests, and I realized that I've never sterilized myself in such a manner before. 3 sterilized towelletes? Wipe off what? Okay. Take off that lid but put the cup in a bag but don't touch the inside of the cap after I'm done? Fine. As always, women have it worse. Before all the tests and stuff, we got to hear a lot of older, richer, sicker-looking people talking about being totally rich and sick. It made me want to rob them. However, all those delicious dreams of robbery faded away once I saw that everybody was treating me exactly like anybody else (which is funny because I don't think I could pay for one checkup appointment out of pocket, seriously). The next day I got x-rayed and ECG-ed and everything, so they could make sure that my breathing and heart rate would be okay for anesthesia (NONE of which was made sure of at Tallahassee Memorial, might I add), and it was. After that we ran into BooksAMillion and I eyeballed that new Making of Star Wars book that looked pretty great--It's all A New Hope, none of that Special Edition crap, woo! I got a magazine, and we went to TGI's for the baby back ribs with the Jack Daniels sauce on it. Soooo good, for a "last" meal. Went back to the bookstore and the price off the SW book was lifted by a hefty amount--Score! It's a good read. I like reading about scripts and budgets and restraints and all that stuff. Highly Recommended for geeks. I had a good sleep and we went back to the hospital the next morning. I get all prepped up and changed out for the big day. I wait in a pre-op room with a bunch of other patients for a reeeeeally long time until the anesthesiologist comes up. Everybody calls him Mr. Ed. He showed me what he'd be using--I wished they'd had somebody like Doc Block on board. Anyway, I was with him for a while and got all relaxed and groggy until the Doctor came in. Fading away, I reminded him that I did sign off for the upcoming study, in which my strong immune system could be one of the factors for helping out people with this disease*. So, one of these days I could be like the Antidote! I faded away shortly thereafter and woke up all wrapped up in head gauze and stuff. It's never too hard--the doctor did all the work with something called BrainLab, and it seemed to be the coolest thing--very Jedi/3D Death Star II map. I recovered pretty quickly--read, ate, slept, watched lots of tv, a little Puzzle Quest, and was out by Sunday afternoon. Before I forget, they also put this thing in me called...the Foley Catheter. It's great, and terrible. Great, because you never have to get up to go pee. It's terrible...because it's got to be taken out someday. It doesn't feel good at all. Ever. I wouldn't wish my sickness upon anybody, but the Foley would probably go to an arch-nemesis or something a few times down the line. Be looking for it. * I just want to say thanks for everybody who left messages and called and stuff. It didn't really hit home just how bad a disease this thing is (I don't even want to tell everybody the survival odds, just know that I'm really in this to win it, and I won't back down.) I appreciate all your love and support, and I really will try not to give up because I can't think of anything else to do, seriously. Let's get some milkshakes! (6 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Monday, May 21st, 2007
4:09 pm	Episode 323: Third Time's The Charm, aka "Knife To Meet You!" Alright. I knew something was up the second they asked me to get an examination by the neurosurgeon and a second opinion. We get down there, meet the surgeon's assistant and everything, everyone's very positive and optimistic. After actually seeing the scans of what's been progressing, it's apparent that something must be done. There were other options, probably involving chemotherapy, but the safest would be this surgery (which is an easy one, in a "good" place--an inactive area of the brain with little risk, increased only by prior surgeries.) I don't want to take a risk on chemo and have something happen where it's an emergency and I'm too weak to take on whatever could happen. Whatever it is, they're heading it off at the pass. Mayo Clinic is the Delta Force, the IMF, the Five Deadly Venoms, the Dudes that went into South America Before They Got Messed Up by The Predator. Cancer is the Terminator, a rusty T-800 model, and I am RoboCop (again), except I have armor plating grafted onto me which is actually a T-1000 alloy. How dope is that? The only thing right now is that the secretary's office isn't in sync with the doctor, and we have to get my folks back home so they can get their affairs in order. I'll have to be down there hopefully this Wednesday, and then surgery's Thursday, and 2-3 days of recovery in Jacksonville. Keep the faith! Also, pulling into the Kangaroo gas station today, we saw the freakin' General Lee getting gassed up. It wasn't doing that, but I wished it was. Never meanin' no harm! Double Also: Since I saw it twice today, on two separate occasions, I thought I'd make a poem about it to make my feelings heard. Ahem. Razzies, You Sure As Hell Are Not Real Candy. Razzies, You sure as hell are not real candy. Get over it, you're gum. If your tagline is "First it's a candy, then it's a gum" ...then you are not candy. You always WERE gum. Be proud of what you are. Keep it real. remember, even though you're on sale, i'm not buying you. See also: Skittles Gum. Thanks for all the well wishes throughout the years, this is yet another in a long line of instances where we'll look back and wonder how the hell we did it. I love y'all! (4 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007
8:18 pm	blurgh. Okay. I got back from the Mayo Clinic--there's a slight hiccup in the usual checkup. The doctor found a little spot that he's been watching for a while. It's where the tumor had originally developed. He found a small spot that could be evolving dead cell tissue (i got Zombie Brains!), or the beginning of a recurrent tumor. The evolving tissue is most definitely the cause of the seizure I recently had. I'm going back on Monday to get a scan. If the neurosurgeon thinks it's best, they may have to go in (again-again, for those at home). There are always several ways to go about treatment, so I'll keep everybody posted. Cross fingers for me--this exact same situation happened around 2 years ago, and everything went well. I'm a little tired and need some people around, so I'm gonna hang at John's for a little bit and feel better. After all the riding and news today, I'm freakin' tired. At least i'll get to see Pura soon. Everybody take care--and well wishes to my buddy Kevin, who's been in surgery (back-eotomy) for almost a full 11 hours, sheesh! Everybody stop getting sick. (3 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Saturday, May 5th, 2007
10:20 pm	Spider-Man 3... ...Ate a D. I could write a paper. I won't, cause that would anger up my blood. It makes me sad, like rich people who don't give any away any money. Succinctly, to quote an influential man of our times: "When I think about it, it makes me want to fart." Current Mood: disappointed (6 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
2:09 pm	Episode 438: Seisures and Leisures (reposted from blog) So, yesterday, I'm at home, feeling a little sick. Dan's there as well, off with a cold. We settled in to watch Suspiria (great cinematography/gore, what I saw of it), and I end up falling asleep. I am unaware of what happens for the next few minutes, because when I came to, the EMT guys were there, ready to take me off to the hospital. The only thing else I remember during that time was a desperate need to go to the bathroom, which can happen because of doctors performing a frontal craniectomy--that part of the brain is affected. Anyway, yesterday marks the first time i've ever had a seizure. I had originally thought the seizures were the beginning of a new tumor (which gave me a little pause), but I hadn't had one ever in the nearly 3 years post surgeries. Apparently electrical impulses kinda jump in a strange fashion sometimes, causing what happened to me. Dan says my eyes glazed over after I started stretching outward for too long and I kinda moved around for a couple of minutes, thus making Suspiria 'The scariest movie he's ever seen." Thanks to Dan, Leslee, John and Steve for coming to check up on me and keep me company in the Interminable Wait Room. So, Now I'm back on seizure meds and I have to find a primary care physician to check up on me, and that'll probably go down tomorrow. The worst thing is that my right shoulder got pulled really hard again. The scans came out fine, and everything should be okay. Right now i'm really sore in my limbs and muscles. If it happens again, don't put anything in my mouth and give me room, and pretty much make sure i'm lying on my side. if it lasts for more than five minutes, ambulance time! (14 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Thursday, March 29th, 2007
4:01 pm	We're going to see This. Who's We? You and me, that's who. Yes, you. It should be here this weekend. Mayo clinic scans went okay, still beating cancer, so that's good news. No more night pills, so bring on that sweet sweet liquor. Hardly know her. Heh. (4 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
7:41 pm	wrote about my trip. Wrote about my trip. Don't feel like linking/reposting. My headcold sucks and I can't hear well. Too tired to get all hot linky and posty, so Go Here to read about my trip! Current Mood: lackadaisical/headcoldy (1 tiger claw strike | spill your blood)
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
6:58 pm	West Bound and Down. Gone to Austin for South By Southwest's Film Fest tomorrow. I'll try and update. Current Mood: Spring Break? Woo? (2 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Monday, February 26th, 2007
11:44 pm	When there's no more room in hell, the Kirk will walk the earth. Which movie was this quote from? Get your own quotes: (spill your blood)
Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
1:07 pm	If it's up to us, we got to take it* home... Some weekend, huh? Thursday went off, full with promise, I got picked up, we snagged some grub and headed on our way. There was much merriment and trivia and partaking of Drizzlecorn. It was pretty cold most of the weekend. Who knew at the time that the entire ordeal would be tinged with the bitterness of a winter's touch? Checked into the hotel, everything's aces, we laid out our raiment bedecked with Skullz.. That night, we went around to Uno's pizza and got stuffed. Later on, Downtown Disney provided us with some fun--we went to Virgin Megastore and i snagged an Entertainment Weekly Pop Culture Quiz book and a sweet Taschen book on 70's films for cheap. How did I not know about Taschen? Everybody asks me this. The next day we awoke, dressed in our gear, and headed to the lobby for the Pop Culture World Series tryouts, all to the tune of Savin' the Day (from the Ghostbusters soundtrack.) I wouldn't even call it defeat. We got into the room, got the legal crap, which said that we were in no way to discuss this information with the outside world, lest we lose our chance at the big shot. I will now go on to discuss in great detail everything that I can remember from the experience inside that ballroom. We sat in columns, team-wise. The team next to us was also from Tallahassee, and they were...something else. The questions were so easy--Point Break! Life Goes On! Beaches, even (shoutout to Liz). Song Lyrics (Destiny's child), Coen Bros. questions, all that. 50 questions, and I felt that I answered 40+ with Absolute Confidence. My teammates also said that they felt they did well. However, of the 15 or so teams that all came down, only two made the grade high enough to get to the interview round. We were unable to find out how well we did, what the cutoff was, and the grading took less than five minutes before we were all kicked out. My only joy in getting dusted off the lobby floor was that the team next to us didn't win...or the soro-looking girls in pink ringer T-shirts (labeled "BUSTY, BRAINY & BITCHY," respectively**). The teams picked for interview were "The Breakfast Schlubs," a team dressed in red flannel and fingerless gloves, a la the one and only John Bender, and ironically, a team named "Sho'Nuff." I didn't even get to tell anybody about my triumph over brain cancer. Fuck a duck. Fuck Three ducks. Respectively. Back in the hotel room, we drunk deep the vicarious pleasure of watching the Hulk coaster at Universal Islands. We also watched people shoot out between the giant Astro Pops in that crazy elastic chair, which I remarked looked a lot like a giant clown hooker's legs. Nobody had seen that before me. We played some DS and watched part of a shitty Seagal movie (Belly of the Beast. It's Wack.) Anyway, as a pick-me-up, Pat decided that the only way to make this trip worth a damn was to hit up Medieval Times, and later on we turned our collar to the cold and damp night and did exactly that, after picking up Paul from Casa De Beavis. It was a fun night--I drank an alcoholic beverage out of my commemorative goblet (which I am looking at right now, I think I'll drink everything from it now, like a pimp cup), the Green Knight almost triumphed. He was a total badass, and even threw a flower to fair maiden Holly! He got killed, most unceremoniously, and by nefarious means, kinda like our team's hopes. I accidentally spilled a Pepsi in outrage/triumph. Later we went to BW3 to meet up with John, Paul, Zack and Jessica, and did some trivia, which we also did well at. Whatever. Next day: We're up and at 'em, ready to go to Megacon. Saving us from the dreaded lines and money, the FSView passes provided by John and Paul allowed all six of us to do the Kansas City Switcheroo and get past old security guard women into the wonderful world of the Mega Cornvention. Did I say wonderful? That's what I meant, just switch out "wonder" with "dread" and you got it. Sometimes I slip up. Imagine, dear readers, a sea packed with grossness, of black t-shirts, of mostly awful costumes and smells--say a bag of cornchips and armpit wrapped in grilled onions and butt. So many trenchcoats and ponytails and face-acnes. Holly was scarred for life. All of this was barely redeemed by seeing Battlestar Galactica's President Roslin (Mary McDonnell, who was too swamped in the adorations of smelly geek to even approach, let alone proposition for love), Sean Astin (I fucking SAW Rudy/Samwise/Mikey the Goonie. Hot shit!), and Lou Ferrigno. The best thing that happened besides actually seeing the finest BB guns of all time was finally meeting Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Films and director of all of my beloved Toxic Avenger movies. He autographed my book. I should have pulled a Lloyd Face, because I knew that he would. Dang. I usually have a thing about meeting celebrities--for the most part, you're a fan and don't really say much that has an impact on their day. However, he was right there, and I've been waiting most of my adolescent-to-adult life to meet him, so I had to do it before some deranged fan crushed his skull (happens all the time in his flicks, trust me). The theme of the weekend can be summed up as "Fuck It." I did happen to have a sweet milkshake and fish sandwich for lunch, and later we went to Downtown D again so I could return that damn Entertainment We(a)kly book and kick it at the lego store. Later on, we went to BW3 again, sans Holly, sadly. It was packed, so we checked out this pub full of babies and smoke and a semi-obnoxious karaoke woman named Erynn. We split out of there asap. Back at the B-Dub, we did (more) trivia, met up with Beavis and Illy, I ate too much shrimp, and we left. Next day: We check out of the hotel, fight the freezing wind and dip right the fuck out of town. The weekend was a cold, farty cloud of disappointment peppered with a few great laughs, a better understanding of Dog: The Bounty Hunter, and traffic. I now have to tell everybody I know that I didn't even get to kick ass. At least I can start concentrating on video ideas for local bands, as well as screenplays and work, instetad of Grey's Anatomy (the absolute worst thing I've ever seen in my life). What is it that people say? When fate closes a door, break in through the window, and if you can't even do that, you should probably rob a bank or something because the good lord wants you to. *"it" being our collective shame. **though not "respectfully". (3 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Thursday, February 15th, 2007
12:30 am	Back In Town: The Short Version Back in Tally! Nice Digs, staying with nice folks. Looking for a little work. Headed out of town to try out for this. Wish us (Holly, Pat, myself) luck. Saw a picture of Rashida Jones in this week's EW that made me want to cut it out and put it in my locker, even though i've not had a locker for about 8 years. -Said picture was going to be a Valentine's Poem, but since I already wrote that (and am mostly Valentine Neutral), I'll try this: Good New Television Shows, Stop Being Like The Girls That I End Up Liking Sometimes Television Shows, Stop being like the girls that I end up liking sometimes. you know, when I first see you, and everything's cool, and i'm blown away Cause you're awesome. Then I find out that everybody Totally Likes You And you end up being everything to everybody. Don't stretch yourself thin, Television! Can't we kick it For just a season or two? Just give me the answers. (4 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Friday, February 2nd, 2007
7:04 pm	Nothing left to chance, all is working. Last transmissions from the Georgia area. I'll be in Tally with the quickness! Expect less articulated plans and more quality time, instead of me trying to get to a bunch of people in a 48/72 hr timeframe. See ya soon, city! Current Mood: 4, 3, 2, 1... (2 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
1:45 pm	"Research." I agree with this. I have to watch it...if i want to be Number One (aka "The best in the mission, the man in the making," etc--see Real Genius). The things I go through for pop culture and the shot at Them Dollars. (6 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Friday, January 12th, 2007
12:22 am	Ever look over your shoulder... while on IM or whatever, and after flipping thru random channels, find that you've been listening to Telemundo for a half hour? It happens to me a lot--either that or the home shopping network. Suzanne Somers's house burned down, speaking of HSN. I wonder if she still gets residuals from Step by Step. Anyway, I'm thinking about coming back to tally for a few days while my mom and dad go celebrate her 50th birthday. It would beat spending that weekend alone, I tell ya! The only things i wanna do are: -Hang out, -check out my leads on places to be when i return, and go see these movies, Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men, and Perfume--all of which will be out during that time. Come see them with me! I'm your pal. (4 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007
11:15 pm	Coming Soon: Doctor Detective And The Creatures of the Sea... In the Twenty-Fourth Century! I have a treatment done. Something along the lines of Timebelt is what i'm shooting for. I don't want to give too much away, but expect Sexy Sassy Cyborg Sidekicks and at least one Aquabot 3000. Can anybody sew an Octopus suit? Gonna need one. Also, the cellular world busts its collective nut. It may not be a total cureall but damn, it's hot. I wish I could stomp on my current phone right now. Tomorrow i'll write something interesting for the blorg. Something about mummies, at least. (1 tiger claw strike | spill your blood)
Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007
11:24 pm	Pop open a bottle of bubbly. Yeah. Hey, it's the New Year! I actually went out this year, unlike the start of 2006, dubbed "Crappy Boo Year." Went with John and the crew to see Flux Capacitor, an 80's cover band at the local sports bar. They were quite good! The keyboardist bore an uncanny resemblance to the king Adrock (which helped when he led the crowd with the Brass Monkey cover). A great time, but it did sadden me to see a room packed full of people who don't know how to do the Humpty Dance. It's not hard. And also, it's your chance to do The Hump. Your only chance. After that, it was bidness as usual, i.e., beer, guitar hero, and only the finest in Nerf gear. It's not a resolution or anything, but I received a track suit for xmas and decided to rock it out most every day by waking up pretty early and walking for long periods up and down our cul-de-sac, which has a moderately steep hill. As long as I have my Jamz with me, i'm good to go. The training for the pop culture world series is...going. Given our assignments, I'm taking the hit with Grey's Anatomy, which causes me severe discomfort. You can't change my mind about it. Holly is working on Sex & The City, and Pat has been watching some seriously bad popular movies on HBO (in HD, no less). We're doing it, not only for love of the team, but also for that sweet ca$hmoney. I think we have a real shot to bust some heads. Over the past couple of weeks I've realized how much I miss the simple pleasures of hanging out. If I don't leave soon, I will do something crazy, and not in the crazy-good way. I reeled myself back from the brink, and am now trying to whip up a plan to Tallahassee. If not there, then I'll definitely try to venture out to Austin, somehow--and if not there yet, then someplace with the remote chance of people to enjoy and a variety of eateries and places of entertainment. If anyone knows anything about a place to stay, let me know. I'm moderately clean (don't leave food around for bugs, will stack many objects for the illusion of cleanliness, have washed the occasional dish), I can contribute, and last but not least, you'll add several hundred films to your personal library at the blink of an eye. I'm looking to get a camera, do some work-- make my way the only way I know how. I'm good people! If you know somebody who's not an axe murderer,* I'd appreciate it if you told them about me. I'm trying to work out something right now but i'm not completely sure that it'll work out. *I am not entirely against the idea of living with an axe murderer. Don't rule out those crazies! (5 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Monday, December 25th, 2006
9:30 pm	Shristmas? Man. I feel crappy. Like, full of food, empty in spirit. I don't think it's about christmas and giving and getting or whatever. I think I have this self-fulfilling prophecy where if i can't see an out, I don't see anything and I get irritated and it's just the worst. It's probably worse than being on chemo--at least I knew why I felt so terrible. I know there are things to look forward to, I just don't feel good (having remembered that the effects of the medicine can come back far after treatment is done). At any rate, I can't find anything to put my mind at ease (though Spirited Away on Cartoon Network is kinda doing the trick), my ambition feels like it wanes dramatically in this house, I can't concentrate, and I feel very resentful. I feel like I should pop my last ambien and call it a night before i go crazy go nuts on this town with my giant nerf gun. Update: Venture Bros. Marathon on the Swim. Thank you, baby Jesus! (3 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Wednesday, December 20th, 2006
5:18 pm	"& a WHOLE LOTTA CUTTYS!!!" Operation: Tally Christmas is going quite well. got to see my homie Paul and have a rollicking time, as well as meet up with people and enjoy exotic food combinations and whatnot. Gave and got an ungodly amount of sweet gifts for people--I'm seriously thinking about forming some sort of Nerf league with crazy modded guns for everyone. It's a lark! These past few days have been rather enlightening in that I've realized that aside from starting huge amounts of notes for screenplay ideas, I have contributed nothing to the social and creative scene that is Austell, Georgia. All of it is crushing my soul a little bit. Recent events have come to light that would possibly allow me to make a semi-triumphant return to The Hass. I realize that where you are comes in second to what you make of it, and I feel that i'm ready to Make Something. I've been offered to direct a video for Steve's band (and possibly, after getting the right equipment, do stuff for other local acts as well, like the incomparable Keep Bullfighting). I could also try my hand at looking for scholarships for grad school or internships around town. I only left because i thought i could save up enough and be gone in a short time, and sadly that's just not true. I have a few negotiations in place right now and if all goes well, I could be back in a few short months! City, will you have me back? I promise that I won't litter... unless you count the joy of friendship as non-biodegradable materials. This move could help me get back on track in a Serious way, folks. Game Night, I'm lookin' at you!! I can't stop watching that. And, after seeing this, my eyes have opened up to a whole new world of wonder and fascination on that particular subject. I've never been so seriously astounded by a complete magazine cover before. I also have a whole new subset of lingo. Straight Donk. Also, I'm not sure if everyone knows this, but my friends Patrick and Holly and I have been selected for a casting call at Vh1's World Series of Pop Culture, on Feb. 16. I feel rather confident in this team, and the competition may be in for a world of hurt. Sorry for those who wished to be chosen--i had to get the applications and photos turned in deadly quick. Wish us luck! Our team is named SKULLZ FLAMETHROWER. Current Mood: World Champion(s) Hopeful. (spill your blood)
Wednesday, December 13th, 2006
11:43 am	sore! Sore! Had to visit the ER last night--allergic reaction to some sleeping aids. I had what was diagnosed as "Feelings of Doom" when unable to go to sleep because I couldn't tell what was happening or if i would make it thru the night. They actually call it Feelings of Doom. Metal, or emo? you decide. the worst thing is that i fucked up my shoulder pretty badly again somehow, and now i gotta ice it up hardcore. I think. I'll probably have to go to phys. therapy again. I should still be able to rock Tally this coming week. Victory! Current Mood: sore! (3 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
Sunday, December 10th, 2006
10:59 pm	A stance...on Stantz. Mayo Clinic check up tomorrow, everything should be okay. Important Posit: In Ghostbusters, Ray's summoning of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man was crucial in defeating Gozer. The Puft was more or less easily dispatched, relative to the choices one could pick from--the team would have never been able to just leave their minds blank. At any time, any one thought would have come along and surely have destroyed them all (even "Nothing" as a thought would manifest itself in the unmaking of the planet, at least...or a giant wolf, and then The Nothing). Ray Stantz, though faulted for the mishap, can now in hindsight be declared a genius and the savior of the city in the film. Long Live Ray. Current Mood: Forth Eorlingas! (spill your blood)
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
7:37 pm	Happy Day Of The Ninja. Technically, I made a compromise, since it's so frickin' cold, so it's a day for New Coats, too. Rejoice! Current Mood: Poison Dart. (2 tiger claw strikes | spill your blood)
1:06 am	on videogames, swords, headphones, the supposed existence of the outside world. Since Christmas negotiations have begun in earnest, I'm really pulling for the Nintendo Wii. Why? Cause games have got to be fun again, and at an affordable price, hot-dammit! That being said, I will most likely be looking sideways at the 360, waiting for a price drop. I'll do Gears of War and Halo three sometime next year and then maybe I'll end that sordid game-tryst. I also watched this documentary on why samurai swords are so frickin' sharp, down to the atomic level. (Hint: Carbon displacement). Kids, knowledge is Power...for real. My indomitable ear-clip headphones of joy are now less-than-indomitable. After about 2 years of faithful service, they've finally started to short a just a little bit. I'm thinking about replacing them with the same, but I've also been looking at these , cause they fold well, or some more retractable ones, like these, cause they're retractable, too! They're about the same price. I love headphones, but i hate earbuds and can't afford the glory of Bose (yet). Also, I can't go back to the mid-range Sony monitors cause they break on my awesome cranium with but a thought. This was a good run for me. Anybody have suggestions? Speaking of people, I haven't confirmed that anybody lives in my area. I've never seen any of my neighbors. Every few days or so, a new Dodge Charger parks on the sidewalk. It's got a silvery finish and red racing stripes, and on the side there's a flame decal with the word "FIREMAN" underneath it. I assume it's from the Lil Wayne song (which actually is not bad at all, that album is sweet), and not the occupation. I could be wrong, and it could actually be both! Anyway, I guess that car is my best friend around this area. I see it sometimes when I pick up the mail. This, you see, is my problem. I am contemplating checking out some sort of search where I can find like-minded people (geeks, swinging towards the cool side--not so much the dudes at best buy that try to make me watch stargate episodes past the first movie and some of the MacGyver seasons. Fuck Stargate. ) I am trying to avoid the twisty, misty maze of Myspace, but I may check that just to be sure.. Anybody had good experiences elsewhere? I've been playing this song a lot. It feels like a clear, winter day. It is alternative and sad, but for some reason it lifts me up. Maybe it's because I share none of the qualities that the singer is singing about, or maybe it's the chord progressions. It'll work on a road trip(it's on the Kingpin soundtrack,--the Farrelly Bros. know how to make a road trip movie, that's really all they did). Anyway, It's my song of the week! Current Mood: crescent fresh (1 tiger claw strike | spill your blood)