ONE WORD - WEEK 3 - YOGA

Yeah, so my word for week 3 was yoga. Not the easiest word in the world to write about, but I did have a slightly larger frame of reference for this one because my sister practices yoga techniques, and she took me to one of her classes. It is not easy, and I didn't think it would be going in, but I thought it might be funny to write about a first-timer that thought it'd be cake. I also thought it might be nice to do a script with a bit of humor after my first couple attempts. I've also attached a couple of images with this post (you'll find them at the bottom), primarily because there are a couple of terms in here that would be a mystery to somebody that doesn't do yoga (like me!).

PAGE ONE

Panel 1. A married couple (Jim and Inga) in their mid-twenties are lying in bed together. Inga is reading a paperback book, and Jim is flipping through a sports magazine.

Panel 2. Jim has dropped the magazine from in front of his face and is reacting with surprise and mild disgust as he looks in the direction of Inga’s feet. Inga is peering up from her book with slight interest.

JIM:
Ugh! What the hell is that?

INGA:
Mmmm?

Panel 3. Both of Inga’s feet have socks on that are spreading her toes beyond the reaches of normalcy. The socks are shaped to enclose each toe in fabric, and there is an insert of fabric between each toe spreading Inga’s toes.

INGA:
Those are just my yoga toe socks. They feel a little weird, but they really help.

Panel 4. Jim is looking disgustedly at Inga’s feet. Inga is swatting him with her book.

JIM:
It looks absolutely horrifying.

INGA:
Oh, shut up. Like your feet are roses in bloom.

PAGE TWO

Panel 1. Inga has her book in her lap and is looking at Jim thoughtfully now. Jim is trying to focus on his magazine, but his eyes are peering up and over in the direction of Inga’s feet.

INGA:
You should come with me.

JIM:
To what--yoga? I don’t think so.

Panel 2. Inga is grabbing Jim’s arm and leaning towards him. Jim is making a show of trying to pull away from her grasp.

INGA:
Why not? It’d be fun! You’re always saying how you want to get more exercise.

JIM:
Yeah, but I’m talking about playing hoops or running or something like that. Not yoga. All you do is sit around and stretch. That’s not exercise.

Panel 3. Inga has turned away from Jim and has folded her arms across her chest. She’s pouting a bit. Jim is interested now that the challenge has been presented.

INGA:
You’re such an ass. It’s not just stretching, okay? There’s more to it than that. I’m honestly not even sure you could do it.

JIM:
Hold on now--are you serious? It’s just yoga. It’s not like mountain climbing or something. I’m pretty sure I can handle it.

Panel 4. Inga is looking back at Jim with a sly expression on her face. Jim is pointing a finger at her with a taunting expression on his face.

INGA:
Uh huh. Sounds like you’re scared to me.

JIM:
Oh, for crying out--

JIM:
Okay, you know what? I’m going to go. I’m going to go do some of your hardcore yoga. How do you like them apples?

Panel 5. Inga has a satisfied expression on her face as she continues reading her book. Jim has a smug expression on his face as he continues to read his magazine.

INGA:
I like them just fine.

JIM:
You should. They’re pretty tasty apples.

INGA:
They are.

JIM:
I know.

PAGE THREE

Panel 1. Jim and Inga are standing in the yoga studio. It’s basically a spacious room with wood floors, shelves to hold shoes and other items of clothing, and large windows to let in plenty of light. There is also a shelf with blankets, and a pyramid of wooden blocks (each about half the size of a loaf of bread) somewhere in the room. The room is also filled with students in various stages of preparedness for class. There are only eight to ten people in the class, and all are female except for Jim. Some are unrolling their mats, other are stretching near their mats, etc. Jim and Inga have their mats unrolled, and are standing beside them. They’re near the back of the class. Jim is standing with a reluctant posture, his shoulders partially slumped.

JIM:
I don’t want to do this. Can I go home?

INGA:
What? No, Jim. You said you’d give it a try.

Panel 2. Jim is gesturing at the other students in the room. Inga is rolling her eyes at him.

JIM:
Yeah, but there’s nothing but chicks in here. And you’ve got a chick instructor. And I’m pretty sure I saw somebody I know walk by a minute ago and take a picture with their phone. If this goes out on the internet I’ll never live it down.

INGA:
Oh, shut up.

Panel 3. The yoga instructor, Petal, has approached Jim and Inga. She is a slightly older woman with a wiry frame. She is wearing an extremely tight leotard and has her hair tied up in an extremely tight bun. Her hands are folded in front of her, and she has bare feet. Inga has her hand on Jim’s shoulder and is smiling at the instructor.

PETAL:
Hello. Inga, is this a friend of yours?

INGA:
This is my husband Jim, Petal. He’s a first-timer.

Panel 4. Petal and Jim are shaking hands. Jim is shrugging his shoulders slightly, and looking confidently, almost arrogantly, around. Petal seems bemused by him.

PETAL:
It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jim. I always like to greet any new students before we begin. This is a fairly intensive class. Have you ever done yoga before?

JIM:
Nope. Can’t say that I have. I’m not too worried though. I play a lot of sports, so I’m in pretty good shape.

Panel 5. Petal is slightly offended by Jim’s posturing, but Jim seems oblivious to it. He’s cocking an index finger and thumb at Petal as if it were a gun as he acknowledges her advice.

PETAL:
Mmm. I see. Well--if there’s anything you’re not comfortable doing, please feel free to sit in the lotus position on your mat. There’s no need to strain yourself.

JIM:
Sure thing.

Panel 6. Jim is whispering at Inga as Petal walks away. Inga is annoyed again.

JIM:
Petal?

INGA:
Oh, shut up.

PAGE FOUR

Panel 1. Inga is handing Jim a pair of large blankets. Jim is accepting them reluctantly.

INGA:
Okay, so here’s your blankets.

JIM:
Uh… okay.

Panel 2. Inga is now handing Jim one of the blocks of wood from the pyramid. Jim seems genuinely baffled by her offering.

INGA:
And here’s the block of wood.

JIM:
What the hell? Do they break one of your limbs if you mess up or something?

INGA:
Just take it and pay attention. Class is about to start.

Panel 3. Petal is standing in front of the class in the opening form of the sun salutation. She is standing upright with her feet together and her hands placed in front of her diaphragm with her palms pressed together as if she was praying. Jim, Inga and the other students are doing it as well, and Jim is groaning. Inga is hissing at him.

PETAL:
Let us start with a sun salutation. Remember to breathe, and think of the sun and her warm and loving embrace.

JIM:
Oh, god.

INGA:
Shhhhhh.

Panel 2. Petal and the other students are doing the downward facing dog position, the seventh image in the sun salutation.

CAPTION:
Twenty minutes later.

PETAL:
Descend into downward facing dog. You can feel the vitality and strength entering your body as your abdominal muscles stretch. Breathe and hold.

Panel 3. Petal and her students are doing the eighth image of the sun salutation now.

CAPTION:
Another twenty minutes later.

PETAL:
Raise your hips as high as you can, remembering to keep your abdomen tight and firm. Continue to breathe, and hold this position.

Panel 4. Petal and her students are in the wheel pose. It’s a lot like the pose in panel 3, with their hands and feet on the floor, with their limbs at straight as possible, and their waist and hips as high as possible. Only now they’re bent over backwards.

CAPTION:
Twenty minutes after that.

PETAL:
The wheel pose strengthens us by mimicking man’s first, greatest invention. You should be able to feel your abdomen and pelvis stretching as you breathe and hold. But try not to roll away.

Panel 5. Petal is now in firefly pose. Petal is balancing on her hands, holding her entire body up with her arms. Her arms are bent, as if she is doing a push-up, but instead of having her legs stretched out, she is bent at the waist and her legs are draped over her arms.

CAPTION:
And yet another twenty minutes later.

PETAL:
This will be our final form of the day. This is the firefly pose. Imagine you are a firefly, nestled between the fronds of a giant fern. Enjoy the leaves brushing gently against you as you hold this position.

PAGE FIVE

Panel 1. Inga is sitting in the lotus position on her mat, watching Jim as he performs the variation of the crane pose. Jim is in the form, but he’s sweating prolifically, and trembling slightly. Some of the students are the couple are doing the traditional crane position. Some of them are doing the variation, and some are just sitting in the lotus position on their mat like Inga.

INGA:
I’m so proud of you, honey. Even I can’t do that one. Are you okay like that?

JIM:
You kidding? If anything, this is too easy. I’m barely working up a sweat.

Panel 2. Inga has gotten up from her mat, and is looking down at Jim with an annoyed expression. The other students that were in the crane pose are getting out of theirs now. Some are already looking back in the direction of the argument.

INGA:
Ugh! You’re unbelievable!

JIM:
What can I say? Some of us are just athletically inclined.

Panel 3. Inga is storming out of the studio. Jim is calling after her, but the position he’s in makes it impossible for him to look anywhere but at the ground.

JIM:
I could hold this pose all day! In fact--I think I will!

INGA:
Jerk!

Panel 4. Petal is standing in front of Jim, looking down at him with a thin smile. All the other students are watching Jim and Petal openly as they speak to one another.

PETAL:
I must say, Jim--that is an extraordinary display for a beginner. I have never seen a newcomer hold the crane pose for quite so long.

JIM:
Well--thanks, Petal. I have to admit, this yoga stuff is tougher than I thought.

Panel 5. Petal has crouched down so that her head is closer to Jim’s. She’s balancing on her feet, with her arms wrapped around her knees. She’s smiling openly now. Jim is still looking at the ground, but he’s visibly distressed and ashamed.

PETAL:
Mmm, yes. You’re stuck, aren’t you?

JIM:
Yes. Yes, I am.

The DWPFF Journey - Part 4

Writing this wasn't as daunting and didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. Lucky me!

All right, so the last time we discussed this project, I posted up my initial pitch to Chris Stevens with a general idea of where I wanted the story to go. I think we can all agree that the pitch I posted was pretty atrocious, yeah? After Chris and I dismissed that one, we talked about the original story a little bit, and he asked me to break it down into a sentence or two describing what it meant to me. Once I recognized that, to me, the story was about using love as the driving force to face down your fears no matter how overwhelming they might seem--well, I thought I might be onto something.

Chris suggested trying to write a more humanistic piece that had a future slant, but retained the familiar tones of the original. So I looked at the original story, and broke that down into easily digestible chunks.

1. Family moves into house with a garden.
2. Family saves mongoose from drowning during a storm.
3. Snakes live in the garden.
4. Snakes want family gone by any means necessary.
5. Mongoose defends family that saved his life.

My first idea had been to have humans settling on an alien planet that was already occupied, but although that was technically in line with the original story, it wasn’t something heartfelt that people could relate to. So I thought about it a little bit more, and what immediately came to mind was my son. I’m a father. A relatively new father, actually, as my son is around two and a half years old. There’s nothing in the world that means more to me than my son, and I’m constantly worried (not to the point of paranoia or anything, but worried nonetheless) that something might happen to him. And I think there are a lot of people out there that can relate to that, and I know whenever I talk about my son I’m speaking from the heart. That’s the definition of heartfelt, I'd say.

So I gave rise to my worrisome nature and let it run wild for a minute or two. And it started to click from there. What if the house the family moved into was their son instead? Not to say that the family moves into their son’s body (because, uh… weird), but the son could easily be used instead of the house as the place where the snakes dwell. Of course, literally having snakes living inside a kid is another weird idea that wouldn’t exactly fly, so my next task was to consider what type of threat could live within a child. What type of threat could be as sleek and effective a killer as a poisonous cobra? I had an idea, and so I sent the following to Chris…

What about a child fighting some sort of sickness? Maybe the sickness could be the snakes, and Rikki could be some kind of nanobot created to combat that? It could be explored through the child's eyes/imagination, and then at the end revealed that he's in a futuristic hospital.

Now, I didn’t exactly love this concept, but I liked it well enough to send it off to Chris. And, wonder of wonders, he liked it too! He wanted more meat on the bones of my story, of course, and I didn’t have much to offer as I’d just thought of it. But what I did have, I sent to him. Here’s how I originally expanded on the idea…

Ok, so let's say that the boy is suffering from two fatal diseases. While the boy is under, he journeys with the nanobot, helping it to identify the diseases by dreaming about the memories he has of when the diseases first manifested while he was with his family. With the diseases exposed, the nanobot can isolate and destroy them. When the nanobot kills the last traces of the diseases, the boy awakens in the hospital with his family and the "Rikki Tikki Tavi" book by his bedside.

Looking back on that description of the story now, I think I can see immediately what’s wrong with it. First of all, it’d be hellacious to write. Breaking it down would be nearly impossible, especially considering the fact that there’s not too much in the text above that parallels the original story. Secondly, if it’s difficult to write, you know it’d be twice as hard for an artist to convert into workable pages. And finally, there was a pretty specific limit on the number of pages that would be dedicated to this story. Chris was looking for an eight to twelve-page story. Not a twenty-plus monstrosity.

I didn’t realize any of this at the time, of course. I thought the story was sound and would work wonderfully. And when Chris came back with the opinion that we weren’t quite there yet, but that it was good enough to go forward with, and that I was in the book… well, to say I was ecstatic would be an understatement.

Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into. And we’ll talk about what that means, and definitely get into the point where I almost quit altogether (sorry we didn’t have room for it this time) in the next installment. Until then…

Mutterings from my cave

So I'm still on track to post my third One Word script on Friday. That's good news. The script is going a little bit better than the first two, although the word was still a major pain in the butt. Hopefully one of these days I'll get a word from that blasted website that agrees with me.

I now have two, count 'em, two followers of this blog! Woo hoo! Heh heh. Seriously, it's nice to know that maybe somebody out there is reading this tripe. So I give a hearty thanks to Joe Eisma for checking out the blog every now and then. Joe is tremendous artist with a blog of his own where he posts a gaggle of artwork. You can check that out HERE if you're so inclined. I know Joe would appreciate it, and I imagine anybody who checks his stuff out would too, as it's stellar.

I'm going to try and have a double-whammy of a post either today or tomorrow. What that means is that if I can find the time to do it, I'll be posting part 4 of my DWPFF Journey to go along with this post today, or I'll be posting it tomorrow along with the One Word script. The One Word posts are usually pretty lengthy, so I don't know if I want to have two massive posts in one day. I'll probably try to squeeze in the DWPFF Journey today, but yeah, we'll see how it goes.

I have a few other pots and pans simmering on the stove of my brain right now. There's a couple ideas I'd like to try and get put together at some point this year. I'm not sure how realistic my goals are at this point, but I'm still full of optimism, and I've been approaching my writing much more like a job lately, which I think is essential if I want to get anything done. Writer's write, and all that jazz. So... back to work!

Zuda legit to quit

The Zuda project is moving right along. Received layouts for the first two pages from the artist, and they looked pretty good. I re-wrote the script once or twice to give the artist a little more breathing room. The format Zuda uses makes the pages about half the size of a full comic page, so I wanted to give the artist as much room as possible. Once he's finished the layouts, I'll post them up here for all to see with some character designs and things like that. I'd like to do another Zuda project if I can, but I think the best idea is to see how smoothly this one goes first.

I've been posting my "One Word" scripts up at Digital Webbing along with posting them here on the blog. My "bamboo" script got a couple of crits, which was nice, but the "pour" script hasn't as of yet. I'll be posting around 52 of these shorts, so I don't exactly expect all of them to be winners or to garner too much commentary. But it is nice to have somebody comment, whether positively or negatively, on your work. It means it's being read and having some kind of impact. I accessed oneword.com today and got my third word. It's another word that is going to be a pain in the butt to write about, but I do have a tentative idea in mind already, so at least there's that.

I'll have another DWPFF post up at some point later in the week, but there's been a lot of recent developments regarding my story that's making this journey much longer than I thought it would be when I initially undertook it. I'm still feeling optimistic about the project and my part in it, but I have to admit that it can be tough to maintain that optimism at times. But one thing I do know right now is that regardless of my optimism, writers have to write. I've been reading opinions from other, more successful, writers lately and the common theme that runs through their thoughts is that writers write. If you're not writing, you can be certain that there's somebody out there that is, and they'll be taking whatever work you'd like to do out from under you. So this year I'll be writing like gangbusters, and hoping people like what I put down on paper/screen/etc. And you can bank on that.

ONE WORD - WEEK 2 - POUR

So I haven't posted as much as I'd usually like to this week, but I did manage to finish my second "One Word" script. The word for this week was "pour". No, no... not "pore" or "poor", but "pour". Don't you just love the English language?

So yeah, I was definitely intimidated a bit by this installment, much like I was with "bamboo" back in week one, because I had absolutely no idea what I was going to write about. And "pour" isn't exactly a word you can research as readily as "bamboo", so technically it was worse. The only thing I could think of, at first, was rainfall. So this script takes place in a diner during a rainstorm. A downpour, if you will. But as I was thinking about the script, I started remembering something I'd heard about how cramming too much information into one brain can cause you to lose memories or other information you've had rattling around in there for years. I don't know if there's any truth to it or not, but it sounded pretty cool at the time, and I equated it to pouring (there's that word!) a thick liquid into a glass with a much thinner liquid inside. All that namby pamby liquid would flow right out, wouldn't it? Anyway, that was my mindset, at least, and once I had that imagery in my head the rest came pretty easily. So here's my second One Word script - The Pouring Effect.

PAGE ONE

Panel 1. A young woman named Jessie is sitting in a booth next to the window in a diner. It is nighttime in the city, it’s raining, and so there aren’t many patrons in the diner. There is some basic walking traffic outside on the sidewalk, but not much. The table has the usual accessories on it, like a napkin dispenser, ketchup, mustard and sugar packets in some sort of container, etc. Jessie has a cup of steaming coffee sitting on the table in front of her. Her hands are wrapped around it in an effort to keep warm. Her hair and her coat are both damp from the rain. She’s hunched over slightly, as if trying to draw heat from the cup into her body. Her facial expression is anxious, and she’s looking up from the table. She’s waiting for somebody.

Panel 2. A waitress has arrived at the table and is speaking to Jessie without really looking at her. Jessie is looking up, slightly startled.

WAITRESS:
Can I get you anything else?

JESSIE:
Oh--oh, no. No thank you. The coffee is fine for now.

Panel 3. The waitress is gone, and Jessie is looking up at the door of the diner as it opens and a young man named Curtis enters. There is a bell over the door, and it is tinkling as Curtis enters. Curtis is absolutely drenched. His hair is matted to his head, and he’s not wearing a coat of any kind. He is very thin, and looks rather pathetic coming into the diner.

Panel 4. The cook is gesturing at Curtis with a large spatula and shouting at him animatedly. Curtis is looking dazedly at the cook as water drips from him onto the floor.

COOK:
Hey--what’re you crazy!? You’re dripping water all over the place! Get the hell out of here!

Panel 5. Jessie has arrived and has put her hands on Curtis’ arms in a protective fashion. She’s is looking apologetically at the cook. Curtis is looking at Jessie now with the same dazed expression.

JESSIE:
It’s ok, sir. He’s with me.

Panel 6. The cook is eyeing Jessie and Curtis with displeasure as Jessie hustles Curtis to her table. She is calling over her shoulder to the cook, and is pushing Curtis along in front of her with her hands on his arms. Curtis is shuffling on agreeably enough, but isn’t making any real effort of his own.

JESSIE:
Sorry for the mess!

COOK:
Yeah, yeah.

COOK:
Hey, Maurice! Get your butt out here and mop this water up before somebody slips and falls, huh?

PAGE TWO

Panel 1. Jessie pushes Curtis into the seat across the booth from where she was sitting. Curtis plops down lifelessly. Jessie is looking rather annoyed with Curtis now.

JESSIE:
Jesus, Curtis--you’re soaked! You trying to catch pneumonia or something?

Panel 2. Jessie is sitting across from Curtis now, and is trying to get his attention by waving a hand in front of his face. Curtis is still looking dazed, and although he’s looking in Jessie’s direction, it’s as though he’s looking through her.

JESSIE:
Hello? Earth to Curtis. Are you hearing me?

Panel 3. Jessie is leaning forward, and clapping her hands forcibly in front of Curtis’ face. Curtis is jerking back slightly, and his eyes have cleared somewhat.

JESSIE:
Curtis!

CURTIS:
Wha--?

Panel 4. Curtis is rubbing the back of his head, with his head partially bowed down towards the table. He’s squinting his eyes as though he has a major headache. Jessie is holding her coffee cup now, and still seems pretty annoyed with Curtis.

CURTIS:
Aw, man. Ugh--dude, my head is killing me.

JESSIE:
Curtis, what is your deal? You call me on the phone all frantic and talking about how you need to see me--even though it’s the middle of the freaking night and raining by the way--thanks for that. And when you get here you act like this? Not cool.

Panel 5. Curtis is looking up at Jessie apologetically as she sips her coffee. He is still holding the back of his head, and has a slightly pained expression on his face.

CURTIS:
Jessie--yeah, hey. I’m so sorry. I just really, really needed to talk to you about something, and--um, do you think I could get a cup of coffee or something? That looks so good and I could really use it about now, but I guess I forgot my wallet at home.

PAGE THREE

Panel 1. Jessie has turned around in her seat and has her arm raised, waving her hand in the air to draw the attention of the waitress patrolling the diner. Jessie looks slightly incredulous at the nerve of Curtis.

JESSIE:
Sure, hey--why not, right? I’ll buy you some coffee and you can tell me why we’re meeting here at two in the morning on a weeknight.

Panel 2. Jessie has turned back around to face Curtis in the booth. Curtis is looking down at the table again, his eyes squeezed shut, as if he’s willing the pain to recede.

JESSIE:
Because you’ve been seriously whacked lately, Curtis. I mean--I love you, and I think you know that, but I haven’t seen you for nearly two weeks. You don’t answer your cell, and your roommate said you haven’t been at your apartment either.

CURTIS:
I know, Jessie, I know. I just can’t focus right now. I can’t…

Panel 3. The waitress has arrived at the booth, and she has her pen and pad ready. The waitress is looking out the window at the rain. Jessie is looking up at her, and Curtis is looking up from the table at Jessie with realization dawning on his face.

WAITRESS:
Really coming down out there, huh?

JESSIE:
Um, yeah--it’s really pouring. Could we get another cup of coffee, please? Black?

CURTIS:
It’s pouring?

Panel 4. The waitress is walking away, but Curtis is frantically yelling after her from his seat in the booth.

WAITRESS:
Be right back.

CURTIS:
No, wait!

Panel 5. The waitress has turned to face Curtis, but she isn’t making any move to approach him. She seems somewhat taken aback by his frenzied outburst and the disheveled look of him.

CURTIS:
Could we get a, uh--a small glass of water! And a tall glass of milk!

WAITRESS:
Sure. Sure, I’ll bring it right out.

PAGE FOUR

Panel 1. Jessie is looking at Curtis with a partially annoyed and baffled expression. Curtis is alert and frenetic now, with no hint of the dazed expression lingering on his face. He’s pulling a napkin from the dispenser on the table.

JESSIE:
Are you out of your mind? You’re going to get us kicked out of here. They’re already ticked about the mess you made when you came in.

CURTIS:
It doesn’t matter. Jessie, look--you have to listen to me. Something bad is gonna happen. Something really bad.

Panel 2. The waitress is back with the coffee, small water and large milk. Jessie isn’t looking at the waitress now, she’s looking only at Curtis, and she has a concerned expression on her face. The waitress is eyeing Curtis suspiciously as well. Curtis is ripping small pieces off of the napkin and dropping them on the table.

WAITRESS:
Um, here’s your drinks. And I brought the check too--so whenever you’re ready.

Panel 3. The waitress is leaving, and Jessie is whispering furiously at Curtis again. Curtis has placed his coffee cup between the small pieces of napkin he’s ripped apart.

JESSIE:
Curtis, you’re starting to scare me. What are you talking about?

CURTIS:
Okay, look--I know this is gonna sound crazy, but just imagine that the coffee cup is Earth, right? And all these little bits of napkin right here are spaceships.

Panel 4. Jessie has leaned back in her seat, and is eyeing Curtis as though he’s crazy. Curtis is looking at Jessie with an expression that could certainly be read as crazed, and is grabbing the glass of water and the glass of milk now.

JESSIE:
Oh, god--you’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.

CURTIS:
This is serious, Jessie. Just listen to me, all right? They’re around us. They’re all around us, and they’re trying to take over. If you’re not careful, they’re going to get you too.

Panel 5. Jessie is leaning forward a little more now, and is offering one of her hands to Curtis, concern once more stamped on her features. Curtis is holding the two glasses of liquid up for Jessie to see.

JESSIE:
Curtis, I’m listening to you. I hear you, okay--but you need to listen to me now. No one is coming to get you. They’re really not. You’re just confused, baby.

CURTIS:
No, no--they’re not coming for me. They’ve already got their hooks in me. It’s everybody else that has to worry now. It’s like these glasses, you know? One is us, and one is them.

PAGE FIVE

Panel 1. Curtis is pouring the glass of milk into the glass of water. The water glass is overflowing, and clear liquid is spilling out onto Curtis’ hand as he pours the milk. As the milk is poured in, it flows down and blooms on the bottom of the glass. Curtis is watching it happen with a mesmerized expression.

CURTIS:
They got me all hooked up, and they’re pouring the information in. I keep trying to stop it, but I can only keep them out for so long. And every time they do it it’s like more of me washes away. It gets harder and harder to remember.

Panel 2. The cook has come out from behind the counter, and is approaching the table where Curtis and Jessie are sitting. He’s upset at the mess Curtis is making. Jessie is watching Curtis with a frightened expression.

COOK:
All right, that’s it! I want both of you out of here!

Panel 3. Curtis has gotten out of his seat and is facing the cook. He’s holding the small glass with the milky water out for the cook to see. More of it slops onto the ground as Curtis gestures. The cook has stopped in his tracks and is looking at Curtis with caution.

CURTIS:
Can’t you see!? They’re replacing what I am with what they are!

COOK:
Okay, I ain’t dealing with this crap. I’m calling the cops!

Panel 4. Jessie is up from her seat and has her hand on Curtis’ shoulder. She’s looking at Curtis, but Curtis is looking down at something.

JESSIE:
Let’s just get out of here, okay? We can talk more--but someplace else.

CURTIS:
You don’t get it. There’s nowhere we can go. There’s no place where we can be safe.

Panel 5. Curtis has turned around to face Jessie, and he is holding a small caliber pistol in the hand that is not holding the small glass of milky water. His shirt is raised up slightly, as the gun was tucked into the waistband of his pants. He is looking at Jessie with true sorrow. Jessie is incredulous.

CURTIS:
I’m so sorry, Jessie.

JESSIE:
Curtis?

PAGE SIX

Panel 1. Curtis is aiming the gun at Jessie. His eyes are completely mad now. Jessie is horrified, and her hands are up in a defensive posture, but she has no chance to get out of the way. The cook is on the phone in the background, and his jaw has dropped in shock. The waitress has dropped her tray, and the items on it are tumbling to the floor.

CURTIS:
But this is the only way.

The DWPFF Journey - Part 3

So last time I revealed that the story I was adapting for the "fairy tales in the future" project was Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki Tikki Tavi". This time I wanted to talk a little bit about the pitches I made to Chris Stevens, editor extraordinaire, and discuss the hellacious time I had trying to put together a script. However, I didn't quite realize how long a process all that actually was, so I'll be breaking things down even more. First up on the docket is discussing my first pitch to Chris. This happened directly after Chris mentioned adapting a story from Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Books". I immediately keyed on Rikki Tikki Tavi and, still having aliens on the brain, sent him this...

Humans colonize an alien planet. They strive to make a home there, and vow not to make the same mistakes they made with Earth. The youngest son of the leader of the colony makes an imaginary friend he calls "Rikki". An alien lifeform attacks, killing one of the colonists. The boy calls the alien "Karait", and tells his father and mother that Rikki told him. Karait ends up dead, and the colonists breathe a sigh of relief. But larger alien creatures the boy identifies as Nag and
Nagaina begin attacking, causing massive loss of life night after night. Though the colonists want to leave, the leader of the colony tells them to be brave. Nag attacks the leader directly, but the boy kills Nag using his "imaginary friend" with only the boy's family as witnesses. The leader doesn't want the colonists to know what his son is capable of. Instead of disposing of it, the superstitious colonists place the body of Nag outside the colony to ward off Nagaina, without the leader of the colony knowing, and Nagaina vows vengeance. The leader's son tells him that Nag and Nagaina are the parents of millions more creatures of which Karait was only the first offspring, and the leader, in desperation, makes a plan with his son to end the threat. The leader goes out to confront Nagaina in a small ship called "the Darzee" that he's rigged to look like it's malfunctioning so that his son can enter the lair of Nagaina and destroy her "nest". Eventually Nagaina realizes the deception and Rikki finally materializes to the entire colony, killing Nagaina and explaining that his people were the original inhabitants of the planet killed by Nag and Nagaina. By bonding with the boy, Rikki was able to get justice for his people, and release their souls before they could be used to birth Nag and Nagaina's children.

To me this was a case of trying to be way too complicated and clever. The stories in this anthology are primarily supposed to be anywhere from 8-12 pages in length. While anything is possible, it would certainly be a challenge to cut the pitch above to 12 pages. Chris called me on this immediately, suggesting I make the effort to be tighter and cleaner. Another thing that bothered Chris was the fact that the story didn't appear to come from the heart, and had a darker tone to it. A lot of the writers pitching ideas came up with darker-themed stories and Chris had been getting pretty tired of it. To my own mind, I think the problem with telling stories that take place in the future is that you (as a writer) almost always tend to think of the future as this extremely bleak or idyllic place. So there are tendencies to lean in one direction or the other. Chris made me think about that quite a bit.

Another thing that Chris mentioned was being overwhelmed with the countless pitches he'd received of stories set in outerspace. His hope for Rikki Tikki Tavi was a story that captured a sense of the magic in the everyday. This provided me with more fuel for thought, although I admit I was somewhat daunted when I heard back from Chris. The reason being that Rikki Tikki Tavi was probably considered one of Kipling's darkest tales. The story of two cobras fighting to the death against a mongoose isn't exactly the most lighthearted fair. But instead of quietly agonizing over this problem, I decided to bring it to my editor. Chris once again presented me with a nugget of wisdom by asking me to break down the original Rikki Tikki Tavi in a sentence or two to determine what it meant to me. No clever plays on the names of the characters or puns or anything like that. Just talk about why Rikki Tikki Tavi is such a special story in my mind.

So I thought about it for a minute or two, and the answer came to me with surprising ease. Rikki Tikki Tavi wasn't a dark story about animals killing one another. Oh, no. Rikki Tikki Tavi was about unflappable heroism and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. It was about facing fear and adversity head on with nothing but grit, resolve and love as your weapons. It was about the little guy being picked on by the bullies, and finally standing up to them in a showdown the little guy couldn't stand a chance in... but he did it anyway. And he won.

So with that in my mind, I set out to write another pitch and send it to Chris. And I did exactly that. And we'll discuss that pitch a little more thoroughly--along with the moment when I very nearly pulled out of the project altogether--next time.

ONE WORD - BAMBOO

So after visiting oneword.com this Tuesday, I discovered that the word I would be using as inspiration for writing a script this week would be bamboo. Before this Tuesday I knew practically nothing about bamboo, and I had absolutely no idea what kind of a script I would write using bamboo as a theme. But one of the cool things about this idea is that I'm going to inevitably be forced to stretch my boundaries a bit. So because I didn't know anything about bamboo, I started reading up on it. I discovered some pretty interesting things regarding bamboo, and one of the interesting things I discovered led to the script I've written below. Please forgive me for any grammatical or spelling gaffes. Because of the short time I had to complete it, this all unedited and raw, and my only chance to read over it to make corrections was while I was writing it. With that said, here is my very first One Word script - The Golden Lemur.

PAGE ONE

Panel 1. A well-groomed, middle-aged Japanese man named Takagi wearing an impeccable black suit sits at a table in a Japanese restaurant. He is the only person in the restaurant. His posture is relaxed, and he is holding a steaming cup of tea in one of his hands. There is an empty bowl, an empty plate, and a pair of chopsticks sitting on the table in front of him. There is also a pot of tea on the table.

Panel 2. Another middle-aged Japanese man named Han, dressed in the attire of a Japanese chef, enters the seating area of the restaurant from the kitchen holding a tray with a soup pot, and a dish with food on it. Takagi is watching Han as he enters the room and lifts his tea cup in a greeting.

TAKAGI:
Ah--there you are. I was afraid you’d keep me waiting all night.

HAN:
My apologies for the delay, Mr. Takagi.

Panel 3. Han has reached the table where Takagi is sitting, and is standing beside it with the tray of food. Takagi is looking at the tray of food with an eager expression, and Han seems ashamed.

TAKAGI:
I don’t mind the wait. The anticipation of a good meal is half the enjoyment. I know what you have to offer will be well worth the wait.

Panel 4. Han is setting the tray on a nearby table, and Takagi is peering around Han to look at the spread of food. He is rubbing his hands together and licking his chops. Han is peering backward out of the corner of his eye at Takagi with an expression of displeasure.

TAKAGI:
Oh, my--I think you’ve outdone yourself this time, Han. It all looks incredible.

HAN:
I thank you for the compliment.

PAGE TWO

Panel 1. Han has lifted the lid of the pot to present the contents to Takagi, and steam rises from the soup within. Takagi seems more eager than ever to delve into the culinary delights.

HAN:
Might I recommend beginning with our house special? This is one of our more popular dishes--a seasoned broth with fresh bamboo shoots over steamed rice.

TAKAGI:
As tempting as that offer is, Han--I’m quite famished. I’d like to start with the sashimi if you don’t mind.

Panel 2. Han is placing food on the plate in front of Takagi. Takagi is snapping his wooden chopsticks where they are connected at the bottom as he greedily eyes the food.

HAN:
As you wish.

Panel 3. Han is walking away from the table in the foreground, but Takagi is gesturing at Han with the hunk of food held between his chopsticks.

HAN:
If there is nothing else, I shall retire to the kitchen.

TAKAGI:
I’d much prefer it if you remained, Han. I find it exasperatingly dull to dine alone.

Panel 4. Han returns to stand beside the table as Takagi places the hunk of food into his mouth.

HAN:
As you wish.

Panel 5. Takagi is talking to Han around a mouthful of food. Takagi is looking around at the interior of the restaurant, taking it all in. Han is looking at Takagi with distaste.

TAKAGI:
I noticed the pictures of your delightful family scattered about. Where are they tonight?

HAN:
My family is at home. I did not think their presence would be required for a single patron.

PAGE THREE

Panel 1. Takagi is smiling now and holding another hunk of food between his chopsticks as he chats with Han.

TAKAGI:
That was probably a good idea. We can discuss our business more effectively without--unnecessary distraction. They are a very lovely family though, Han.

HAN:
Yes, they are. It would be a shame if something unfortunate were to befall them.

Panel 2. Takagi is amused as he prepares to place the hunk of food in his mouth.

TAKAGI:
You’re a pretty funny guy, Han. I like you. And you’re right--that would be a shame. But you know that’s exactly what will happen if you refuse my offer, don’t you?

HAN:
Yes. Yes, I do.

Panel 3. Takagi is chewing his food and talking around it again.

TAKAGI:
Your restaurant is doing quite well. You’re beginning to make a name for yourself in the city, and along with that comes enormous profit. I see no reason why we cannot both prosper from your good fortune.

Panel 4. Takagi has placed his chopsticks down on his nearly empty plate.

TAKAGI:
That certainly does hit the spot. Your skill at food preparation is unparalleled, Han. I daresay you have no peers.

Panel 5. The pot of soup is in the foreground, placed between the positions of Takagi and Han in the background. Takagi and Han are both looking over at the pot of soup.

TAKAGI:
But I must also say--the scent of that soup has been on my mind from the first moment I smelled it. Would you mind serving me some?

HAN:
As you wish.

PAGE FOUR

Panel 1. Han is spooning a ladle full of soup over a bowl of rice in front of Takagi. Takagi is practically licking his chops, spoon in hand.

TAKAGI:
Do you mind if I ask you a question, Han?

HAN:
I do not mind at all.

Panel 2. Takagi is dipping his spoon into the mixture of soup and rice steaming on the table before him. Han is watching Takagi closely.

TAKAGI:
I’ve always wondered about the name of this place. The Golden Lemur is a bit of an odd choice, don’t you think? Is there a story behind it, or did you draw it out of a hat--or what?

HAN:
There most certainly is a story behind the name. Would you like to hear it?

Panel 3. Takagi is holding a spoonful of steaming soup with one hand, and gesturing at the empty seat across from him with his other. Han is bowing his head slightly in response to Takagi’s request.

TAKAGI:
Only if you’ll agree to join me at the table.

HAN:
Yes--of course.

Panel 4. Takagi is blowing softly on his spoonful of steaming soup. Han is sitting across from Takagi now, and is speaking to him.

HAN:
As you are aware, my specialty as a chef is in utilizing the edible shoots of bamboo in most of my dishes. Bamboo can be prepared in a variety of ways--it can be fermented, sliced, boiled, fried or even pickled.

Panel 5. Takagi is shoveling the large spoonful of soup into his mouth. Han is watching Takagi with a calm expression on his face as he continues to speak.

HAN:
I prefer to use fresh stalks in my dishes. I have also used the hollows of the larger stalks to prepare other types of food. Cooking food in bamboo enhances the flavors in subtle, but rewarding ways.

PAGE FIVE

Panel 1. Takagi is holding another large spoonful, and is looking inquisitively at Han. Han is smiling ever so slightly at Takagi as he responds.

TAKAGI:
But what does that have to do with the name of your establishment?

HAN:
Ah, yes. There is an animal found on the island of Madagascar known as the golden bamboo lemur.

Panel 2. Takagi is eating another spoonful. Han is continuing his story, his expression still calm and peaceful.

HAN:
It is a fairly nondescript animal--not much different than the other lemurs found on the island. But there is one very specific feature of the golden bamboo lemur that sets it apart.

Panel 3. Takagi is pulling gently at his collar with one hand as he holds another large spoonful of soup with his other. He has a slightly strained expression on his face. He is having difficulty breathing. Han is watching him closely.

HAN:
It has the unique ability to consume the shoots of the giant bamboo without any adverse effects.

TAKAGI:
But--but what is unique about that? People eat bamboo every day.

Panel 4. Takagi has dropped the spoonful of soup from his fingers were it splatters on the tabletop. He is now actively gripping his throat, his face panicked, unable to breathe. Han is observing Takagi calmly as he continues his story.

HAN:
Yes, they do. But what most people do not realize--and what must be becoming apparent to you now--is that giant bamboo is quite poisonous if it is not properly prepared.

Panel 5. Takagi has his body stretched across the table in an effort to grab Han. Takagi’s fingers are curled into hooks, with one hand gripping the table cloth and the other grasping for Han. The dishes of food are scattering and clattering to the floor in his wake. Han is still speaking to Takagi with measured calm.

HAN:
The golden bamboo lemur consumes enough cyanide to kill a grown man each and every day of its life. How it does this is a mystery, but one that has fascinated me ever since I was a small child.

PAGE SIX

Splash Panel. Han is calmly pouring himself a cup of tea while sitting at his seat. Takagi is still stretched across the table, but he is dead.

HAN:
And now you know the reason for the name of my restaurant.

Zuda man now, dawg!

Get it? It's like "You're the man now, dawg?" only on the Zuda tip...

Awwwww, yeah.

Anyway, my first Zuda project is coming along nicely. The script is finished and in the hands of the artist. Still not naming any names right now, but I'll be sure to do that once he gets back to me with layouts for the 8-pager so I can show them off. Should be any day now. It'll probably be in the Zuda post for next week, so stay tuned for that. The benevolent Dario Carrasco read the script and said he enjoyed it. My goal was to infuse it with as much action and humor as possible, and according to Dario I accomplished that goal with flying colors. So that was nice to hear.

In fact, I'd wager that if you enjoyed reading "The Thunderchickens", a Zuda admission I pimped a post ago, you'll most likely enjoy my offering as well. Of course, this is all predicated on the chances that the Zuda brass even accept our submission, but the fact that "The Thunderchickens" made it in and is receiving such a positive response is encouraging.

Two other quick notes. My first "One Word" script is coming along nicely and I'm hoping to post it up tomorrow at some point. I think the plan from this point forward will be to access oneword.com on Monday and write the script throughout the week to post up on Friday. This week I believe I got the word on Tuesday, and it was a challenging word to write a script about, to say the least. But I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

And as a final note, I have my first "follower" of the new year. So let me take a moment to pass on a warm and hearty greeting to mansloth! Thanks for reading the blog!

The Thunderchickens!

Going outside the boundaries of what this blog is usually reserved for, but I think for something this cool... it's necessary! The reason for this post is to pimp a really great comic currently up for consideration at the Zuda Comics competition. It's done by a couple of creators I know over at Digital Webbing named William Dean Blankenship Jr. & Chad Boudreau. These guys are going all out to promote the comic and win the competition, and I definitely think it's worthy of the prize. They came up with a really neat promotional comic and asked, ever-so-nicely, for the Digital Webbing folks to spread it around as much as they could. So check the promo comic out below, and if you like it head on over to Zuda and give the actual comic a try HERE. And if you like THAT, please vote for it and add it to your favorites and, well... they say it much better than I ever could. So without further ado... the Thunderchickens! Click to read it in a much larger size.

The DWPFF Journey - Part 2

Okay, first of all... Just got a look at two nearly-finished pages from the artist for this story. They are incredible!

All right, so in our last installment I mentioned that my editor, Chris Stevens, who is definitely the driving force behind the DWPFF project, suggested I adapt a story from Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Books" series. I also mentioned that as soon as I saw "The Jungle Books" in his email, I knew exactly which story I wanted to adapt. What story, you ask?

The story is "Rikki Tikki Tavi". Of all the stories in Kipling's Jungle Books series, the story of the young, inexperienced mongoose battling against the fearsome cobras in the garden of his adopted family's home has always been my favorite. There are a few reasons for that. First, anyone that knows me knows I love a good hero vs. villain story. For example, my favorite of the original Star Trek movies (with the original cast, I mean) is "Wrath of Khan". The reason being that the way Kirk and Khan interact with one another throughout the film is brilliant. My favorite Star Trek movie period, "First Contact", captures the exact same concepts between Picard and the Borg. In fact, in "Wrath of Khan", Khan quotes the incredible novel "Moby Dick", and Picard does the exact same thing (although with different quotes) in "First Contact". I just really happen to enjoy how characters that are polar opposites interact with one another in stories, movies, comics, etc., and "Rikki Tikki Tavi" is a perfect example of that.

Another thing I'm a sucker for is an underdog. I'm an unabashed fan of the Dallas Cowboys football team, but any year that they're eliminated from playoff contention in the NFL, I immediately hitch my horse to the wagon of the worst team the playoffs has to offer. And if it isn't the worst team, it's the team that has been the worst historically. I love rooting for the underdog, in all things. Now imagine you're reading a story where a half-drowned, undersized animal that looks like a cross between a ferret and a weasel is pitted against two massive, menacing and murderous cobras! Who would you root for? I rest my case.

(And if you said the cobras, my friend, you have no soul.)

But that isn't all that appeals to me about the story. If you think about it, the mongoose is kind of like nature's superhero. And I should know, because I absolutely love superheroes. I think they're keen. Now don't get me wrong, I realize the mongoose doesn't have superpowers like some animals out there. He's not super-fast like the cheetah, or able to generate electric current like certain types of eels can, but what the mongoose does do better than any living creature on the planet... is fight poisonous snakes! And if there's any animal out there that resembles a supervillain more than a poisonous snake, I don't know what it is. Cheetahs and eels aren't out there using their unique gifts to battle these fiends. That's all mongoose.

And finally, and most importantly, the reason the story of "Rikki Tikki Tavi" appeals to me most of all is because I really feel like it captures the idea that love can conquer all. Think about it. Here's this little mongoose, facing overwhelming odds in the form of a couple of snakes that could eat him up in a single bite. He's outgunned and outnumbered, and the snakes give him the option to turn tail and run. The easy thing to do would be to abandon the family living in that house and head for the hills. But because the family saved his life, fed him and provided him with a home, Rikki decides that the only way those snakes are going to run his family out of their home is over his dead body. If you love something, you want to fight for it no matter what it might cost, and "Rikki Tikki Tavi" captures the essence of that idea perfectly. It's one of my favorite stories ever, and I'm just hoping to do it justice.

That's enough for this installment, I think. Next time we'll talk about my "RTT" pitch and the numerous false starts I made while writing the script.

It's a Zuda out there

So I'm nearly finished with the 8-page script for my first Zuda submission. The writing has gone surprisingly well, and I'm hoping to finish up with it today and have it in the hands of my artist so he can take a look at it over the weekend. The project is something I originally collaborated on with artist Dario Carrasco. Dario came up with the main characters and did a killer sketch of them, and I built the the concept, the supporting characters and the world they inhabit from his initial design. We'd tried to launch it as a webcomic once or twice in the past, but something always seemed to get in the way of that endeavor with artists dropping out, other projects creeping up, etc. Because of the project's potential as a webcomic, we both thought Zuda would be a natural evolution for it. We also finally have an artist we think we can rely on working on the project, and that makes all the difference. I'll be updating this blog with progress reports regarding the project as we continue to push forward with it, including revealing the name of the project, the concept itself, the artist attached to it, and anything else I can think of. Ideally I'd like to have it sent into the Zuda brass sometime in March, at the latest, and if it's accepted I'll probably create another blog specifically about the project where I can pimp it properly. Back to work!

The One Word Project

If you're familiar with the website oneword.com, you know the idea behind it is you click the "GO" button, it pops a word up on the screen, and then you have 60 seconds to write whatever comes to mind regarding that word. It's a neat little concept, but unfortunately 60 seconds isn't nearly long enough to finish a comic script. So one of my ideas for improving and producing more as a writer this year (and supplying this blog with content) is to warm-up by taking a suggestion from oneword.com and writing a small sample script based on the word that I'm given. Nothing longer than 5 pages or so, unless I'm feeling truly inspired. I think it'll be a good exercise, and it might even result in some ideas that could be developed further on down the line. Ya never know, right? I'm going to try and do at least one of these a week. If I can't stick to that, I don't think I have any business being a writer at all, so let's all cross our fingers. But don't cross your fingers on both hands, because that would be a double-cross.

The DWPFF Journey - Part 1

What is DWPFF, you ask? It's a project I'm working on, that's what! It stands for Digital Webbing Presents Future Fairy tales. The idea behind the concept is to take traditional fairy tales, myths, tall tales, etc. and put a future spin on them. The idea started on the Digital Webbing message boards when one of the many creators mentioned that there really hadn't been anything put together in concert by the Digital Webbing community since the anthology title Digital Webbing Presents folded. Ideas were tossed around, and it was eventually decided that putting a future spin on fairy tales would be a fantastic, if daunting, project to undertake. A submissions process was developed, editors were chosen, and creators were invited to pitch their little hearts out for a shot at inclusion into the project. The first step in the process was to pitch written concepts on the Digital Webbing forums with art, lettering and the other necessities of comic book making to come later on down the line.

I was asked by one of the editors of the project, a fine gentleman by the name of Chris Stevens, to pitch my own idea for the project. The first idea I came up with dealt with "The Ugly Duckling". Here's the pitch, as I originally worded it to Chris...

An alien lands on Earth in an egg-shaped capsule. He is “born” from the capsule with no knowledge of who or what he is. He is adopted by a human family that assure him he is one of their own, no different than anybody else, but he is so hideous that just the sight of him causes any person he interacts with to mistreat him. After years of horrible treatment, the alien race comes to Earth with plans to eliminate humanity and colonize the planet for themselves. The Ugly Duckling, despite all he’s gone through, convinces the aliens to spare humanity, becoming humanity’s beloved savior… their swan.

I had plans to tweak it a little more. I'd considered setting the story in a not-so-distant future where humanity was so obsessed with their appearance that everyone would be fit and healthy with good skin, straight teeth, and all those other outward characteristics people seem to value so much these days, along with some other ideas. Although Chris thought the idea was a pretty good one, there'd already been a story based on that tale accepted into the project. While waiting for Chris to respond, I'd also noticed quite a few of the other pitches dealt with alien life landing on a future Earth. So even if "The Ugly Duckling" had been accepted into the project, I would have definitely altered it to compensate for those similarites. Chris encouraged me to pitch again, and I had a vague idea about one of my favorites, "The Brave Little Tailor", but because Chris had provided me with a list of fairy tales he had hoped would be pitched in his initial rejection, I immediately set my sights on his suggestion of material from "The Jungle Books".

What was the story that immediately sprang to mind? I'll tackle that and more next time.

2010

So I've started a new blog for a new year. I seem to do this every other year or so and eventually get burned out, scrap it, and start anew after another year or so has passed. But! I'm going to try and not do that this time. How, you ask? Well, I actually haven't really got a clue. But I'm going to give it a shot anyway.

There are a few things in the pipeline for 2010. I'm contributing a story to a massive anthology that will most likely be published either this year or next, I'm going to try like gangbusters to get something of mine into the Zuda competition. More on that to come. I'm also going to try my damnedest to get a few other things published here and there.

But primarily what I'd like to do is get some writing done for a change. I'm hoping that this blog will help with that. I'll be trying to post up some short scripts (5-pages or so) from time to time as exercises using keywords, random images or even suggestions from visitors as inspiration, along with updates on the things I'm up to. I want to make this year a good one... wish me luck!