The Rapture

Apparently tomorrow is Judgement Day, May 21 2011. This is the day, that according to the Bible, that Jesus will come back down to earth to bring his true followers to Heaven and leave the rest to torture before the end of the world 5 months later.

I'm a little freaked out.
I mean, I grew up Catholic (and still identify with some of the religion) and that fear (sadly) was part of it. (So was guilt, and we definitely won't talk about that.) There has always been a high level of mysticism placed around Jesus, as well as the second coming. But it's hard for me to believe that Jesus would be that vindictive.

Of course, I'm not a fundamentalist and not one who takes the Bible word for word, so obviously I see things in a different light.
Even so, part of me wonders what will really happen tomorrow.

Maybe this is selfish to think, but some things in my life are finally starting to work out, and it's hard for me to believe that I'm going to have those snatched away from me as soon as they are presented to me.
On the other hand, I can think of a way for the next 5 months to be torturous for me based on other areas of my life.

As I'm assuming you're noticing, I'm assuming I'll be one of the dammed. Not that I think that I've lived a sinful life, because I haven't...at all. However, I've also not lived my life according to the way you're suppose to if you follow the Bible and religion to a tee.
What way is right, though? Who is to say that I'm living closer to the way of the Lord than those to take it literally. I don't want to get into a heated religious debate, but there are questions.

Anyways, so tomorrow is when the Saved are going to be brought up to Heaven while the rest are left on Earth to suffer. Okay. What's that going to look like? I guess no ones knows, just that it's going to happen. But what's going to happen to those who believe this so much when it doesn't happen to them? That's what I'm beginning to fear more.

I don't think if I survive the day tomorrow that I'm going to Hell. (Of course, if my friends and family and I do survive, I guess that means we'll all be in Hell together.) I don't think the world is going to end any time soon, not now or Oct 21 or Dec 2012.
But what are those people going to do who did think so? Are they going to change their belief? Are they going to change their expectations for the actual day? Was there a delay at the TSA line? (sorry, probably a bad joke) I guess the only thing we can do is wait. Wait and see what really is going to happen tomorrow.

Uh...

I had a great topic to talk about today, one that I thought would be thought provoking and would be something worth writing. Of course, I can't remember what it was. Oh, yes, yes I do. I'm not going to change the title, or this beginning. It's interesting that we can plow through our brain, retrace our thoughts to try to remember something, and then it pops in your mind out of no where.

What I wanted to talk about was sports. Okay, so maybe it won't be as thought provoking as I mentioned, but it'll make you think nonetheless.

I'm a supporter of sports teams. I'm a huge UT football fan. I bleed orange, fa sho! I also support the Vancouver Canucks. I love watching the Olympics, and even watched the World Cup last year. I've seen my share of basketball and volleyball games, and have even been to a few baseball games. I even sort of pay attention to rankings and what's going on in each sport.

I'm not a huge fan of various teams, though. I'll watch the sport and enjoy it, but the only teams I actively support are the Horns and Canucks. This made me think; what's the point.

Unless you are betting on the games, or are players on said teams, as a fan it really doesn't matter if they win or lose.

Sure, you can have your fantasy leagues or bragging rights, but as far as your every day life it doesn't matter. Having your favorite team win won't determine whether you get the promotion or not, or whether your best friend is going to have dinner with you that night. (Yes, you can debate they will or not depending on if a game is showing, but that's besides the point.) So, if the majority of the population won't be directly affected, why are we such a sports obsessed culture?

I have no idea other than it makes us happy. It's fun to watch games, especially if you like to play sports yourself. The people who like to watch sports are usually active anyway, so it's just an extension of who they are. It's just an interest people have. There really isn't a right or a wrong answer, this is more rhetorical anyway. (Obviously...)

What made me think about this was the fact that I'm totally involved in the Stanley Cup finals. A huge reason of this is because the Canucks are in the playoffs. (Only one more round! Come on Canucks!!) This really doesn't effect me because I'm in Texas, far away from the cool breeze of the Pacific Northwest. No one, other than my mom, is watching the games with me. Half the time I find out the final score either through my app (totally have a Canucks app) or the paper. I mean, I have watched my share of games, but you know.

Anyways, me being a Canucks fan isn't going to help me finish my script or make me have new friends. Well, I take that back. I might meet some new people because of my interesting love of the Canucks. That would be awesome, wouldn't it? Besides the point...

It's just something that I enjoy doing. Watching hockey games are fun, and it's not just because there are some major hits in this sport. It's watching skilled people executing their talent for the masses.

This could of been just a total waste of time. Of course people are going to be into sports even if they are effected by the outcome or not. It's just an interest. Duh.

Absent

I really failed on the twice a day thing, didn't I? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've been writing more.

I'm actually well into my second act, and pretty happy with it so far. It does help that I had a scene breakdown and used that as my outline. I'm about half way done, maybe less, and think if I can get a few solid hours of pure writing down I'll be done soon. A little over my May 1st deadline, but you know.

One of the best things at the moment is that I can divide into this script, these characters, and forget about my crazy life. It's nice to have an outlet. This is also why I'm such a media person. I like to escape sometimes, forget my problems and enjoy myself for a few hours. Don't get me wrong, I also love beautiful art, but it's nice to check your head at the door.

The other outlet I've acquired lately is kickboxing. I've been going to a shadow kickboxing class for several months, but am about to start my third week of classes with bags. Man, there is nothing like an emotional release/clearing of the mind than punching and kicking a 200 lb boxing bag. It's brilliant. I totally in love.

It does take a lot of energy and I'm worn out by the end of the hour, but I feel great. I feel energized, clear, stronger, more confident. I still need to work on some of my kicks, since I'm focusing more on form than power at the moment, but I feel I've got a killer hook. Now only if I could get a bag for my garage and be the typical movie cop. I'm the only one to find that funny, right?

I better get started on my script. The longer I wait, the more procrastination elements I find. That's one reason why I love Demetri Martin's "Circle of Procrastination." So true. I guess I could lock myself out of the internet service...but then there's always Solitaire on the computer. I did figure out my key to total focus. Music through headphones. Now, if only I can decide what album to listen to first...

Write Now, Edit Later

That's what I keep telling myself. I just need to get the ideas in my head on paper, and then once I have that done I can go back later with a fine tooth comb. Cross the tee's, dot the...lowercase jays.

We don't have a lot of work to do right now, thank you TAKS, so I'm free to write during the day. I've written a lot in the past two days. 28 pages to be exact. That may not seem like all that much, but it is. I'm done with Act I, well into Act II, and still have my climactic Act II ahead.

Act II, as it usually does, is causing me problems. Well, not so much problems, but just not sure it's playing out like it should. That is where this title comes into play: write now, edit later. I think it's shaping up to be something great. I know what scene I will write to push it into Act III, so as long as I write towards that scene, I should be good.

Even though I have most of the scenes laid out for me, a blueprint of the script, things still pop up and the characters are shaping the story. For example, I have two characters that 'told me' that they had a relationship together back in the day. A relationship they never fully got to explore, so to some extent are not over and still consider each other 'the what-if.' I didn't mean for them to have much interaction, but somehow through writing it came out. I like this new element, and it brings some more conflict. Conflict, that if done right, could be really good.

I really hope this turns out to be a good script. I love the concept and story, I just hope I can do it justice. I'm happy with it, don't get me wrong, but I also know that it can be so much better.
I guess, though, in the long run that's a good thing. It's a good thing that I know that I can write the shit out of this script. That I am indeed writing the first draft, that I each draft after this one will get better and better.

Write now, edit later.

Twitter

I never thought I'd actually use Twitter. I was totally against it when it first became popular. I thought it was stupid and didn't care about what over-privileged people thought of the world. Or maybe it was just because I didn't like Ashton and Demi's stupid tweets.

Fast forward just about 2 years later, and I'm on it.
I didn't mean for it to happen, and to my defense I had some legit reasons for joining.

The first one being that I joined last year during SXSW so I could keep up with my bff and found out where he was so I could hopefully be able to see him sometime that week. He also has some really great tweets about underground music, right before they pop. It's interesting and I love being able to see him 'work' when I'm not there.

The second, my in-law totally convinced me to get on based on our boys, Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright, tweets. They are hilarious! I love those guys, and they have funny nerdy tweets. More so Pegg, but it's still great. Then, I'm totally up to date on their films and projects and in the know.

Those are find and all, but I never expected to start tweeting myself. Some of my friends and family are also tweeting, so it's a fun way to be stupid. Not to mention I don't have to censor myself on Twitter. I mean, my niece is on Facebook. Half the time I don't know what to post, and feel like I have to be funny or say something interesting. Most of the time I think I fail in that department.

Since joining, though, my list of people I follow has grown. I'm following quite a bit, and I'm constantly getting new posts. Most of them are either comedians or actors from my nerd love (like Buffy or Harry Potter). It's ridiculous how nerdy my list is. I heart it!

I think it's finally come into it's own, so I don't feel so bad for being on it. It's a way for people to inform you about projects, promote things, and a way for you to get fresh comedy daily. You feel closer to the celebs you love, and that's cool too. Although, they do keep a distance, which is appreciated. You don't want your fantasy personality of a particular person to be burst, ruins the fun.

So, while I never thought I'd be apart of this pop culture phenom, I am fully engaged.
When it comes to pop culture, though, are we ever really able to avoid it for long?

But I don't want to do it...

Sometimes I feel like this.

Time

The concept of time is an interesting beast. Sometimes it feels like the day is dragging (like today) and other times it feels like it's flying by. You think back to when a year in your younger years was a LONG time, and now it's something that seems manageable. We all know that actual time doesn't change throughout the years, but it changes with age.

Ugh. Age. I am beginning to hate that word. I've actually hated it for a while now. It started back when I experienced ageism. Granted, I wasn't as "adult" as I thought I was at that time, but I also was as "childish" as they expected me to be. What, that is neither here nor there.
Age affects us in may different ways; from re-evaluating yourself and who you want to be and who you will be, to how you perceive certain things. This goes back to time.

I have no concept of age (again with age) of other people. I used to be pretty decent about guessing how old someone is. Now, I assume everyone younger than me is 12, maybe 15, and those older I'm afraid to ask cause then I feel like a loser. (Sarah Michelle Gellar is only 4 years older than me...Buffy is just a few years older....) I feel like I haven't done enough with my life at this point when others have. Okay, so they are all famous and were in the limelight since a young age, but still.
And when it comes to the kids younger than me, was I ever that bad? One second thought, don't answer that. I know I had my moments of stupidity with my friends, thinking we were cool for being loud. One thing I'm grateful for, though, is that the interwebs weren't a normal everyday part of my teenage years. I would not have been strong enough to deal with that shet.

Back on the topic of time.
I'm sitting here at work, having worked on the last chapters of a book, did a math test, and finished up several vocabulary pages. I still have an hour and half left of work. Ugh. And it's Friday, which makes it worse.
I just think when you look at how time is perceived at different moments of your life is interesting. Like the old saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun."

I have no idea where my train of thought is going on this topic. I thought I would have something interesting and mystical to say, instead I just keep thinking, 'I'm just trying to make something cool out of the fact that I have an hour and a half left of work and am bored.'