The Stand

Random notes:

• Darin likes listening to the traffic reports around LA, because they always refer to something called a "sigalert." I have zero idea as to what this refers to in the streets and on the freeways of LA, but evidently it is also a term used in UNIX. Darin, in case I haven't mentioned it before, is a nerd.

• All of the news reports on the blood alcohol level of the driver of Di's car mentioned that he had "alcohol" and "antidepressants" in his blood, without ever mentioning why that's a significant combination -- he was on antidepressants! Eeek!. So I'll assume that not everyone out there is on Prozac and tell you that SSRI antidepressants (if that's what they were) decrease tolerance to alcohol. That is, one glass of wine hits you a lot harder than it normally would. It's not the antidepressants themselves. Sheesh.

• The other day I got dinked in the Austin Heart of Film screenwriting competition. While my ego was slightly bruised, I was over it. Darin asked me, knowing how hard I take these things, "So, are you going to quit writing?" I said, "Oh, please. I have another year of USC. Then I'll quit writing." Darin gave me a look, and I said, "I'm kidding!"

  I repeated this conversation to Linda. She said, "He said that?"

  I suddenly realized what it sounded like. Oops. "No no no no!" I said. "Darin is far more encouraging about my writing than I am. Honest."

  Turns out Linda's ex-husband actually did say stuff like that to her, completely demeaning anything she tried to do. Urk. Probably part of why he's the ex-husband.

  If you have anyone who does that to you, leave.

Yesterday I went to the Episodic Pilot class to watch the pilot for NYPD Blue (another show I've watched since Episode 1...sigh). Most of today's Episodic class was there as well. Very few of the people in the Pilot class participated in the discussion.

I answered almost every question, after waiting a beat to see if anyone else in the damn class was going to answer. The teacher said, "How did they keep the action moving after Andy got shot? They didn't do an aftermath scene, what did they do?"

I checked my notes. You all took notes, right? "John went and did something." (He confronts the Mob boss responsible for the guy who shot Sipowicz.)

"Exactly."

And so on.

I had to wait around from 12 to 6 again after this class. I remembered one errand I had to do (go into the Registrar and formally drop the Episodic Pilot class, because the phone computer won't let me do it) and forgot another one (schedule a yearly checkup).

I went back to the Cinema/TV library and spent a couple of hours working on my beat sheet and reading The Rise of Endymion. At 3 I said, God, there's got to be something else to do, and I realized that, hey, I'm in the Cinema/TV library. What do they have there? Cinema and TV.

I checked the list of available movies and TV shows on laserdisc and video tape, and checked out The Stand. (If you have to ask why, check the cast list. It also has a great opening that I remembered quite clearly.) I actually got more fleshing out of my idea watching that than I had doing anything else.

This reminds me of a question: is there anywhere on the web to buy compact discs and laserdiscs, a la Amazon? Please let me know.

At 6 I headed over to Critical Studies: Comedy. The lecture was fine, and Duck Soup, as always, was funny. I left after that, thinking I should spend my time working on writing stuff. Also, I have zero interest in Laurel & Hardy or WC Fields.

I came home and went to sleep, which is also something important.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

No running today or yesterday.