2.
The process of gearing up towards the move to Los Angeles was an interesting mix of taxing and exciting. I made the decision early on to get rid of all my furniture, most of my DVDs and the majority of my material possessions. Now I'm not advocating that you should go out and ditch all of the stuff you have and/or love and move into a monastery (although being a Shaolin monk might be pretty cool), I am simply stating that I found a sort of pleasure out of getting rid of said possessions and adopting a more utilitarian/Spartan lifestyle. I gave many of my clothes to charity and many more of my worldly possessions to my closest friends. They seemed appreciative, and I in return felt as though I was being generous (for a change). It was a different sort of sensation than I was used to.
Years earlier, I had tried to comprehend this association in my philosophy class. There was this philosopher a couple hundred years ago by the name of John Stuart Mill and he was regarded as the father of an ethical doctrine called Utilitarianism. One of the basic principles of this was the differential of pleasure. In his book (the colorfully titled: Utilitarianism) he goes into detail:
"Human beings have faculties more elevated than the animal appetites, and when once made conscious of them, do not regard anything as happiness which does not include their gratification…" (Ch. 2, Par. 4)
It's been four years and I still don't entirely understand what that dead fucker is talking about. But, from my understanding, his deal breaks down to this: by doing stuff other than physical pleasure (e.g. sex, eating, drugs & alcohol) that might benefit others, we will feel a different yet still as enjoyable form of pleasure. That's not to say I'm giving up any of the physical pleasures all together. Please! Have you met me? I'm just saying it's a new and interesting concept to me.
The process of getting ready for the trek financially was not as enjoyable. But it's odd how practices from video games still apply to my and, by extension, your life. I remember playing Breath of Fire years earlier and learning the process by which to upgrade your possessions. You sell your old one, save up some extra cash and then buy the newer/better version. To this end I sold my TV, DVD player, stereo and a few appliances in hopes of buying better versions in Los Angeles. God, I'm retarded.
After my lease was up in Austin, I moved in with my parents for a few weeks to get my shit together for Los Angeles. There I sold even more of my shit in a garage sale and cleared up my credit. A few years back I had moved into this apartment complex in Austin called Indian Creek (now called Westdale Creek). That was the second worst apartment I have ever lived in. It sucked in every aspect. But the coup de grace came a few months after I had moved out. According to them I never gave notification that I was leaving, despite the fact that I did, and they charged me $600+ and threatened to fuck up my credit. After contesting for months, they ushered an ultimatum and I was forced to pay. Even after paying, they still marred my credit. I will personally pay $50 to anyone who makes their lives hell.
So, after that little party, getting health insurance, new tires, a tune up, PC upgrade and couple of other expenses I had blown about $2500 of the $5000 I had saved up living in Austin. With what I had left, I booked two hotel rooms for the road trip in Las Cruces, NM and El Cajon, CA. By doing this I had cut my trip into three legs: Texas would be day one, Arizona and New Mexico day two and California day three. All in all I would be adding about 1500 miles onto my car's odometer. By the week before my scheduled departure I was losing sleep because I was losing faith that this was the right thing to do. I had no job, no apartment and no friends in LA. What the fuck was I thinking? Still, that little voice that had inspired me a few months earlier was still there, just a little quieter: "Dude, it'll work out. It's the right thing to do. You need this right now. Fuckin' Road to El Dorado, dude." Still scared shitless, I loaded up my car for the trip through the American Southwest on the night before the 28th of August.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Origin Story Vol 1.
(I wrote these on Myspace back when people used visit that site. Written from December 2006 - January 2007)
A note to the reader:
I must warn you ahead of time: I am not a linear thinker. Most of my thoughts branch off of the main topic and then veer off into the stratosphere. It takes serious cognitive strain for me to get back on topic. For this, I apologize. Also be aware that my vocabulary is comprised of a mix of vulgarity, large words and numerous colloquialisms. So this might not be the best toilet-top reading. Or maybe it is. Who knows? So forewarned, this is the story of my recent journey.
1.
The decision was a hard one to make. I think when I actually made the concrete decision to move to Los Angeles I was sitting at my desk in my apartment in Austin. It had been a year since I had graduated from college and I had to reflect upon my life. I had done my internship with Monument Productions for about eight or nine months and I had learned about the industry. However, I would later come to realize that the real industry was significantly different than the façade that Austin calls its film production. I thought I was ready for anything they threw at me. Shit, was I wrong.
After my internship I spent a few weeks sifting through North Austin for some means of income. Something entertainment related would have been nice but I was up for anything…anything not food related…and preferably not retail. I lost out on the last part. In October of '05 I was hired by a Postnet franchise to work as a CSR (customer service representative). Basically I photocopied papers, shipped stuff UPS, FedEx, DHL and through the post office. Awesome, I know. While working there I discovered (or possibly re-affirmed) the mind-numbing repetitive nature of the retail business. After a few months, I knew my shit backwards and forwards. I knew the difference between certified and certified return receipt, which services delivered on Saturdays, how to get the copiers to print out on 11x17 rather than 8½ x 11 and other women-seducing information. I was getting $10/hr, making a net profit in my bank and living very comfortably.
My social life had never been better. During my academic days I had never been much of a socialite, tending to keep mostly to myself unless in the company of trustworthy friends. But the last few years of college and beyond I had settled into a group I was comfortable around and vice versa. I was living with one of my best friends, I was within a mile of my best friend and I had an out-of-town girlfriend who came into Austin very frequently (a very good situation for a solitary gentleman like myself). And since my work schedule was from 12 until 7pm, I frequently went out at night for various activities.
The most infamous of which being Whiskey Night at Trophy's every Tuesday night. This entailed buying a bottle of Kentucky Deluxe Whiskey and a three-liter bottle of coke and having whiskey and coke until 2 am or we ran out of hooch. You must understand, dear reader that this was a significant aspect for me. Many of my literary inspirations came from this event. Numerous stories have spawned from this ethanol-fueled congregation. Usually all of my friends would gather for this weekly decathlon with the occasional stray guest star from out of town. Tuesday night was also open mic night, which lead to some interesting performances.
But something inside me realized that all of my goals in life couldn't be achieved if I stayed in Austin. There is so much camaraderie in the city and so much to do (both socially and vocationally) that it is hard to leave and may blind you to the truth of your own situation. But if I wanted to run and own my own production studio as well as achieve some kind of significant acting success there is no way to get that done in Austin. As much as the city and its inhabitants claim to be the "Third Coast" it cannot hold a quarter of a fucking candle against the City of Angeles. The solution was simple: light a fire under my own ass. Get out. Get real experience. Build up contacts. Climb the fucking ladder. Then, after a few years, if either A: nothing has or never will happen, or B: I have enough pull and/or power to work in the industry, wherever I may roam, I would decide which city I love more: Austin or L.A.
In a conversation with my boss at Monument Productions we had discussed the appeal of Austin and how, for many people it seems, the city is very hard to move away from. She described Austin as a "city of lotus-eaters"; a group of people so addicted to a lifestyle they don't even realize they are practically slaves and will never experience the outside world. Life is about the journey.
Here is the passage from Book IX of The Odyssey:
"I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days upon the sea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the Lotus-eaters, who live on a food that comes from a kind of flower. Here we landed to take in fresh water, and our crews got their mid-day meal on the shore near the ships. When they had eaten and drunk I sent two of my company to see what manner of men the people of the place might be, and they had a third man under them. They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their return; nevertheless, though they wept bitterly I forced them back to the ships and made them fast under the benches. Then I told the rest to go on board at once, lest any of them should taste of the lotus and leave off wanting to get home, so they took their places and smote the grey sea with their oars."
A note to the reader:
I must warn you ahead of time: I am not a linear thinker. Most of my thoughts branch off of the main topic and then veer off into the stratosphere. It takes serious cognitive strain for me to get back on topic. For this, I apologize. Also be aware that my vocabulary is comprised of a mix of vulgarity, large words and numerous colloquialisms. So this might not be the best toilet-top reading. Or maybe it is. Who knows? So forewarned, this is the story of my recent journey.
1.
The decision was a hard one to make. I think when I actually made the concrete decision to move to Los Angeles I was sitting at my desk in my apartment in Austin. It had been a year since I had graduated from college and I had to reflect upon my life. I had done my internship with Monument Productions for about eight or nine months and I had learned about the industry. However, I would later come to realize that the real industry was significantly different than the façade that Austin calls its film production. I thought I was ready for anything they threw at me. Shit, was I wrong.
After my internship I spent a few weeks sifting through North Austin for some means of income. Something entertainment related would have been nice but I was up for anything…anything not food related…and preferably not retail. I lost out on the last part. In October of '05 I was hired by a Postnet franchise to work as a CSR (customer service representative). Basically I photocopied papers, shipped stuff UPS, FedEx, DHL and through the post office. Awesome, I know. While working there I discovered (or possibly re-affirmed) the mind-numbing repetitive nature of the retail business. After a few months, I knew my shit backwards and forwards. I knew the difference between certified and certified return receipt, which services delivered on Saturdays, how to get the copiers to print out on 11x17 rather than 8½ x 11 and other women-seducing information. I was getting $10/hr, making a net profit in my bank and living very comfortably.
My social life had never been better. During my academic days I had never been much of a socialite, tending to keep mostly to myself unless in the company of trustworthy friends. But the last few years of college and beyond I had settled into a group I was comfortable around and vice versa. I was living with one of my best friends, I was within a mile of my best friend and I had an out-of-town girlfriend who came into Austin very frequently (a very good situation for a solitary gentleman like myself). And since my work schedule was from 12 until 7pm, I frequently went out at night for various activities.
The most infamous of which being Whiskey Night at Trophy's every Tuesday night. This entailed buying a bottle of Kentucky Deluxe Whiskey and a three-liter bottle of coke and having whiskey and coke until 2 am or we ran out of hooch. You must understand, dear reader that this was a significant aspect for me. Many of my literary inspirations came from this event. Numerous stories have spawned from this ethanol-fueled congregation. Usually all of my friends would gather for this weekly decathlon with the occasional stray guest star from out of town. Tuesday night was also open mic night, which lead to some interesting performances.
But something inside me realized that all of my goals in life couldn't be achieved if I stayed in Austin. There is so much camaraderie in the city and so much to do (both socially and vocationally) that it is hard to leave and may blind you to the truth of your own situation. But if I wanted to run and own my own production studio as well as achieve some kind of significant acting success there is no way to get that done in Austin. As much as the city and its inhabitants claim to be the "Third Coast" it cannot hold a quarter of a fucking candle against the City of Angeles. The solution was simple: light a fire under my own ass. Get out. Get real experience. Build up contacts. Climb the fucking ladder. Then, after a few years, if either A: nothing has or never will happen, or B: I have enough pull and/or power to work in the industry, wherever I may roam, I would decide which city I love more: Austin or L.A.
In a conversation with my boss at Monument Productions we had discussed the appeal of Austin and how, for many people it seems, the city is very hard to move away from. She described Austin as a "city of lotus-eaters"; a group of people so addicted to a lifestyle they don't even realize they are practically slaves and will never experience the outside world. Life is about the journey.
Here is the passage from Book IX of The Odyssey:
"I was driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days upon the sea, but on the tenth day we reached the land of the Lotus-eaters, who live on a food that comes from a kind of flower. Here we landed to take in fresh water, and our crews got their mid-day meal on the shore near the ships. When they had eaten and drunk I sent two of my company to see what manner of men the people of the place might be, and they had a third man under them. They started at once, and went about among the Lotus-eaters, who did them no hurt, but gave them to eat of the lotus, which was so delicious that those who ate of it left off caring about home, and did not even want to go back and say what had happened to them, but were for staying and munching lotus with the Lotus-eaters without thinking further of their return; nevertheless, though they wept bitterly I forced them back to the ships and made them fast under the benches. Then I told the rest to go on board at once, lest any of them should taste of the lotus and leave off wanting to get home, so they took their places and smote the grey sea with their oars."
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sisyphean Hope
There are very few things in life that launch me off into a mental spiral into an all-day daydream like the prospect of never having to work again.
In case you don’t keep track, the Megamillions lotto is up to $244,000,000 tonight. This being the case I find myself going through my usual routine. I buy a ticket and wait for my golden ticket to freedom. As I wait and pray (or whatever) numerous scenarios and numbers roll through my head. Behold.
The first thing you have to do is figure out how much you will actually walk away with after the government does their fiscal castration. According to the California Lottery Commission if you, and you alone, win the jackpot and opt for the cash value option you would be awarded $155,000,000. Luckily the state of California does not take taxes out of lottery winnings over $5,000. This is stupid, for the record. Speak to my aching, beaten Saturn and the continuing war against potholes in Southern California. But the federal government takes 25% of all lottery winnings. So now you’ve got $116,775,000. Now the real fun begins.
There have been numerous people who have won the lottery and claimed that it cursed them for the rest of their lives. Some people just don’t know what to do with that much money.
I remember reading an ethnography in my anthropology class back at UT that some people are so ingrained into a specific caste mindset that if presented with something as exalting as a massive fortune, they would simply revert to their usual lifestyle but with more gaudiness. The notable example would be after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After being paid restitution for the massive destruction of New Orleans by FEMA, instead of using the money to rebuild their homes or lives, some residents chose to spend the money on superfluous eccentricities such as bling or rims.
There are others who suggest that the best thing to do with sudden wealth is to give it all away, whether to a charity or religious intuition. I’ve heard from some that the first thing you need to do when you win is to give half of your winning away, even after taxes just to keep the Feds from MC Hammering your ass. This bumps us down to $58,387,500, which is still a ludicrously large amount of money.
Now it would be ill advised to just throw all of that into a checking account. Most fiscal advisors would…uh…advise that if you are under 40 you should keep your cash split 75-20-5. 75% of the amount in stock and mutual funds, which are likely to return 10% or more every year. 20% should be in locked assets such as CDs, though at their current interest rates you might as well just keep it in your sock. The last 5% should go into your checking and savings account. This has been your financial soapbox lecture.
Here comes the ugly: the odds. CA Lottery says that the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 197,911,536. Let’s compare. (INHALE) The chances of being killed by lightning are roughly 2,650,000 to 1. You are still 6 to 45 times more likely to die from a lightning strike than you would be to win the lottery. You are 18 to 120 times more likely to become infected by a flesh-eating bacterium. You're a whopping 180 to 1,200 times more likely to die a snake bite or bee sting. Statistically, you are 30,000% to 200,000% more likely to die in a legal execution than to win the lottery You are 450,000 to 3,000,000 times more likely to die in an asteroid collision in the year 2029 than to win the lottery. If you drive 10 miles to purchase your lottery ticket, it's three to twenty times more likely for you to be killed in a car accident along the way than to win the jackpot.
Bummed out yet? Bored? K. How about this: if you take that 5% of the winnings we were talking about and keep it in a savings account at a pathetic 1% interest rate, you would make $58,387. Every year. Forever. I think that’s worth a dollar.
UPDATE: FUCK!!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
God, I love being right...
Hey.
Remember back in the day when I said that Liquidmetal would be used to make the newest version of the Macbook Pro? Well another refresh came and went without a new body. New processors, graphics and features, sure. But it's still the same unibody design with the same materials. But there are very low rumblings that Jobs has another trick up his sleeve. Supposedly, if we aren't wiped out by The Rapture, Apple will release a completely redesigned Macbook Pro, possibly with the new "rapid, low-cost fabrication" metal. The company's stocks have seen a rise since rumors speculated that the newest version of the iphone would NOT be using liquidmetal and that it's most likely for the Macbook Pros. So I wasn't wrong, just a little early.
So bide your time and stock up on liquid nitrogen, in case it's nothing more than another trap from Skynet.
Yeah, it's the same joke. I'm lazy.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Word came down the hall...
I have just been informed via the proper authorities that i will be attending E3 this June. Expect pictures and blogging from the road as well as a report on the swag. My level of excitement is almost tantamount to my esteemed colleague Jon (pictured here) when we were at E for All in 2007. He will not be going with me.
*snicker*
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sexual Education in SPAAAAAACE!
This one of the weirdest things I've read in a while. Give it a read if you ever wanted to know what hooking up in space, Antarctica or on Mars would be like...
After this month's conference about arsenic-based life, it looks like there will be no Star Trek-esque hybrid children, though. At least not yet.
*hyper-cute Miss Martian by Chou-Roninx via deviantART
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Dawn of a New Adventure...
I'm following in the footsteps first pioneered by James Rolfe in his AVGN segment, but I think this is a seriously hardcore and air-tight concept.
In 1982 Atari started a contest to promote the release of four new games for their Atari 2600 Console entitled Swordquest. Each game was based on one of the four classic Greek elements (i.e. Earthworld, Fireworld) as well as having a room structure for each based on classical theological elements (The Zodiac, The Tree of Life, etc.) . The concept was that if players were smart enough to decipher the clues in each game they would be eligible for a prize that was custom made by Franklin Mint and valued at $25,000 in 1982 USD. The Earthworld contest had a prize of the"Talisman of Penultimate Truth". Fireworld's prize was "The Chalice of Light". Waterworld's prize was to be the "Crown of Life" and the last game, Airworld, was to have the prize of "The Philosopher's Stone". After these four contests were completed, the champion of each game would compete for "The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery".
Earthworld was released in October of 1982. it came with a gaming manual, cartridge, poster and comic book by DC Comics. Players were to solve the riddles in the game, find the associated clue in the comic book, submit their entry into the contest and pray that Atari would select them to be in the final competition. The final competition consisted of a variated version of Earthworld that the players would have to solve in 90 minutes. The final winner, Steven Bell, was given the Talisman of Penultimate Truth.
The second game, Fireworld, was released in February of 1983. Atari again had the contest but now had many more contestants this time around, so they held a secondary elimination round before Michael Rideout claimed the second treasure, The Chalice of Light.
Fate intervened before the third game's contest came to fruition however. The Video Game Crash of 1983 cause Atari to cancel the tournament at the last minute and the Crown of Life went unclaimed. Similarly, with the whole contest cancelled, The Philosopher's Stone and The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery faded into the echoes of Obscurity. $100,000 worth of treasure, lost for the ages.
Many people have wondered what became of the Lost Treasure of Swordquest. Some say it rests gathering dust in the basement of Atari. An undated picture floating around the internet seems to lead credence to this theory:
Another, more sinister theory stems from Atari's CEO Jack Tramiel.
Born in Poland in the 1920's, Tramiel spent his time during World War II in a garment Factory under German occupation. After being liberated, he emigrated to the US 1947, where he purchased a typewriter company in 1953. From this company he made various connections and founded Commodore Business Machine, which would eventually evolve into the computer producing company the name is known for. After sparking a price war that would leave some of his competitors bankrupt, Tramiel stepped down from Commodore, started his own company (again) and then purchased Atari Inc from Warner Communications. Tremiel decided to pull focus away from marketing and game budgeting leading to the downward spiral of Atari in the light of other consoles, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Some employees say that the work environment during this era was volatile and even go so far as to say their careers have been ruined by Tramiel and his sons.
The treasures of Swordquest is most likely in the possession of Jack Tremiel and his sons. But if they aren't, where are they? Are the original two treasures still in the hands of the winners? Have the five items of the trove ever been reunited since they were pulled from the forge in the early 1980's? Have they merely been melted down into a new toilet for Jack Tamiel?
These questions will haunt the original participants and subsequent gaming generations alike. Will we ever know the answers? Someone needs to find the truth. Someone needs to launch a NEW Swordquest...
In 1982 Atari started a contest to promote the release of four new games for their Atari 2600 Console entitled Swordquest. Each game was based on one of the four classic Greek elements (i.e. Earthworld, Fireworld) as well as having a room structure for each based on classical theological elements (The Zodiac, The Tree of Life, etc.) . The concept was that if players were smart enough to decipher the clues in each game they would be eligible for a prize that was custom made by Franklin Mint and valued at $25,000 in 1982 USD. The Earthworld contest had a prize of the"Talisman of Penultimate Truth". Fireworld's prize was "The Chalice of Light". Waterworld's prize was to be the "Crown of Life" and the last game, Airworld, was to have the prize of "The Philosopher's Stone". After these four contests were completed, the champion of each game would compete for "The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery".
Earthworld was released in October of 1982. it came with a gaming manual, cartridge, poster and comic book by DC Comics. Players were to solve the riddles in the game, find the associated clue in the comic book, submit their entry into the contest and pray that Atari would select them to be in the final competition. The final competition consisted of a variated version of Earthworld that the players would have to solve in 90 minutes. The final winner, Steven Bell, was given the Talisman of Penultimate Truth.
The second game, Fireworld, was released in February of 1983. Atari again had the contest but now had many more contestants this time around, so they held a secondary elimination round before Michael Rideout claimed the second treasure, The Chalice of Light.
Fate intervened before the third game's contest came to fruition however. The Video Game Crash of 1983 cause Atari to cancel the tournament at the last minute and the Crown of Life went unclaimed. Similarly, with the whole contest cancelled, The Philosopher's Stone and The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery faded into the echoes of Obscurity. $100,000 worth of treasure, lost for the ages.
Many people have wondered what became of the Lost Treasure of Swordquest. Some say it rests gathering dust in the basement of Atari. An undated picture floating around the internet seems to lead credence to this theory:
Another, more sinister theory stems from Atari's CEO Jack Tramiel.
Born in Poland in the 1920's, Tramiel spent his time during World War II in a garment Factory under German occupation. After being liberated, he emigrated to the US 1947, where he purchased a typewriter company in 1953. From this company he made various connections and founded Commodore Business Machine, which would eventually evolve into the computer producing company the name is known for. After sparking a price war that would leave some of his competitors bankrupt, Tramiel stepped down from Commodore, started his own company (again) and then purchased Atari Inc from Warner Communications. Tremiel decided to pull focus away from marketing and game budgeting leading to the downward spiral of Atari in the light of other consoles, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Some employees say that the work environment during this era was volatile and even go so far as to say their careers have been ruined by Tramiel and his sons.
The treasures of Swordquest is most likely in the possession of Jack Tremiel and his sons. But if they aren't, where are they? Are the original two treasures still in the hands of the winners? Have the five items of the trove ever been reunited since they were pulled from the forge in the early 1980's? Have they merely been melted down into a new toilet for Jack Tamiel?
These questions will haunt the original participants and subsequent gaming generations alike. Will we ever know the answers? Someone needs to find the truth. Someone needs to launch a NEW Swordquest...
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