Monday, May 04, 2009

5-4-09 - Neurosis of the Liver

I haven't written in a while, but I'm beginning to think that my life has become made up of a series of axioms that manifest themselves in my brain in the form of what I like to call "psycho-tweets" (perhaps "neuro-tweets" has a more pleasant ring to it and is more accurate, but I'm not prepared to establish a scientific justification for my own adorably invented buzzwords).

This has become a nuisance,and is continuing evidence of my media/tech addled brain's desire to turn all things analog to digital. I used to just think thoughts, and not immediately list the pros and cons for their inclusion on facebook or Twitter. I would walk up my front porch at night, and not press the remote button on my keys in a vain attempt to unlock the front door. How many more shortcuts do I need? Why do I and so many others feel the desire to upload our existence? When will all my thoughts be readily available to the "WWW" with just a mere thought of the word "post" at the end of a "mind sentence"? Wow do I have a way with coming up with catchy buzzwords or what?

Well the truth is I need fewer shortcuts in life. It's beginning to cripple my work ethic, and thought process. I'm ready to become the modern day tech equivalent of an aging mid 90's hipster. Vinyl just sounds better.
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The above being totally disregarded, here are a list of neuro-tweets I've had of late and while I work at my desk today:
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1 - Freedom must be paid for. This is a truth that has been readily established on a grand scale, but because I love to trivialize important issues, I'm bringing this into my average workaday experience. If I want to spend 8 hours in the library writing, I need to spend 8 hours in the office working.

2 - I feel smarter when I'm writing. It proves to my future self when I forget that I was at one time able to type out a cogent thought.

3 - If I can learn how to iron a shirt in less than 8 minutes I can do anything.

4 - I know I've spent enough time working on a certain subject when I begin to dream it. E.g. - Dreaming in Flash Websites seems strangely fascinating, but oddly unhealthy.

5 - I've come to a time of reckoning with my hair. It's "cut or be hippie". Only one of us will survive.

6 - Sometimes things just need to be put simply, and finding out the best way to do that can be really hard.

7 - The best days I've had have been preceded by less than 7 hours of sleep.

8 - When I'm angry or upset about something I love to clean. Is it a good sign than that my room is almost always a mess?

9 - 3 Projects that I've needed to get done for at least 3 years and have yet to do:
1. Put pictures in albums...Estimated time required: 3 hours
2. Put together proper acting reel...ETR: 3 hours
3. File papers...ETR: 3 hours.
Hm...What do these have in common?

10 - Writing a book is the only place where you have complete control through production. It doesn't take 7 weeks of prep, and $5000 for equipment rental, and your actors don't mouth off or need to be fed (not that I've ever worked with actors who've mouthed off, or even fed them that often).

11 - Constantly beguiled by the idea that small events like a roommate leaving chapstick in his pocket while doing his laundry can impact my life in a much larger way than say...swine flu. Don't sweat the what now?

12 - Why would I look to celebrities as proof that true love doesn't last, when they have so little grounding in real life? Tina Fey has been happily married for 8 years; proof positive that she is not a celebrity. Thank goodness.

13 - Multi-tasking...the unsworn enemy of today's working artist.

14 - Diversification...the other unsworn enemy of today's working artist.

15 - New goal...to be prolific in one thing.

16 - It takes 21 days to establish a habit.

17 - "I'm not the man I am"...sometimes.

5 comments:

vonblake said...

Great post Jeff. I check your blog every day even though you post rather infrequently. That's what brothers are for!
-KC

Unknown said...

Good Post. Check out the devotional from yesterday. Bednar speaks on this I think...but then again I could be way off.

Unknown said...

I wouldn't be so hasty about the book writing being a place where you have complete control. I've worked for a lit agency. Not true, my friend.

Send me some longer stuff. I want to see some writing you've been working on.

Jeff B said...

Yeah James you're right. I believe I'm thinking of the process I've been through without an editor...before a publishing house even looks at it. But I'm sure one day if I ever do write a book I'll have it ripped apart before my very eyes.

I'll try and wrangle up some stuff. I haven't written anything but screenplays lately, and they are just in such awful format right now that I would have a hard time showing them to anyone. You've just given me a new goal, or at least reiterated an old one.

Brittany Krallis Stapf said...

if i ever get around to it, i want to rip off friends' quotes that i find particularly inspiring or insipid (as the case may be... present company excluded of course as i find no insipidipity here). may i be granted permission to quote your brain by way of my blog?