coincidence/ names/ lesson

Dec. 27 Coincidence: Today at work, I was talking to Silvia.

Me: Did you go to West Edmonton mall?
S: Yeah.
Me: Today I read in the Edmonton Journal about a new restaurant called the Red Piano on Bourbon Street. It says it's really good, but rather expensive. A salad is $13 and the same goes for a sandwich.
S: I was there last Saturday. It's $10 cover charge just to get in. The bouncer said that we had to be 21 and over, but he said: "Well you look like nice girls, so I'll let you in." All the people there were like in their 40s so it was awkward.
Me: Oh yeah, in the article it said it's for people over 25.
S: I bought a drink and it was like $7 and it didn't taste good. It was raspberry- something.

Dream: I had this weird dream the other night. The Jonas Brothers worked at the Soup place. In my head I was thinking: "Well I guess more girls are going to come here."

Job: I want to add that Lisa quit after two weeks and Ray quit. That will be 10 people who quit for the 7 months that I have worked there.

Names: At work, Silvia told me that she knows a guy named Awesome, but it's spelled Aseem.
Me: Is he East- Indian?
S: Yes.
Me: I know a girl named Harmonie. Guess what her sister's name is.
S: Peace. I'm just kidding. Angel?
Me: Melodie. I know this guy named Alpha. I asked: "What's your sister's name? Beta?" He's like: "No, it's Charlene. Do you know how many times I get that?"

I told my sister this.

S guessed right on Harmonie's sister being named Melodie. 

 I asked my brother P what Harmonie's sister name was and he said: "Joy."

Me: I have a friend named Leslie Simpson.
Silvia: What's so funny?
Me: People always tell her that her name sounds like Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons.
That's rare that she didn't make the connection.

Flash Gordon: Earlier this week, I saw a commercial for the TV show Flash Gordon. I know about this show because it stars Edmonton actor Eric Johnson (Whitney from Smallville.) It was on the Sci-fi channel in 2007. In the summer I heard that it will be on the Space Channel here in Canada. I was excited. I tried to look for when the show will be on, but I couldn't find it.

Then I saw that commercial that the show will be on Space on Saturdays. I looked it up on my TV, and it said it will be on at 5pm. Damn it, I'm at work. All I can say is that this show has been airing since September, and I missed all the episodes because I was at work and that I didn't know when it was on. I'll see if I can rent the first season on dvd. I know the show got cancelled from Sci-fi after one season.

Dec. 28: Today I worked on a Sunday from 10:30am-5pm. It was slow so I was able to do some writing.

Lesson: I learned something from the TV show Made in Canada back in 2003. The show is about a group of TV producers in Canada. It's a comedy. The lesson is you can't force someone to quit their job. Well you can, but you will most likely get sued for it. In the episode, Rick Mercer's character Richard and his friend Victor were trying to get another producer fired.

R calls the Producer in the middle of the night: "You need to delete this character and writer her off the show."
V calls the Producer also at the same time: "You need to keep that (same) character and write more storylines for her."

Producer then sues the company for purposely trying to get him to quit the job. Well R and V were being too blatantly obvious in trying to get him to quit. 

When I worked at the Big Company, they basically said to me: "Shape up or ship out. Become good at your job right now, or quit." They weren't trying to get me to quit, they were trying to make me improve or quit.

I also remembered Lisa who used to work at the Soup place. She told me how she worked at Treats in the Commerce building in City Centre mall, and the boss was always yelling at her over little things. I don't think he was trying to get her to quit. He hired her, and then she quit after a week. That guy was basically a jerk.

Dec. 29 Dexter: Today was my day off so I rented the second season of the TV show Dexter. I borrowed two discs. I watched the first six episodes in a row. I wanted to watch the second season for a long time. First I couldn't get it on TV. I watched the first season on CTV when Showtime was airing the second season. Then I had to wait until the second season comes on dvd.

Then when it was on dvd, I was busy working, and there were all these new episodes of my favorite TV shows like Prison Break and Heroes. I get a day off, and there is nothing on TV all day so that's why I watched it. It's a really good show. I'm sure my friend Leslie will be happy that I won't be emailing her if she can burn me the episodes on a cd-rom or a USB key now. lol.

Look alike: Oh yeah, and there is a new character on the show, Special Agent Ted Lundy. He's the same actor who played a serial killer on Criminal Minds. He looks like my Writing for the Ear teacher Derek.

Movie: I saw March of the Penguins last night. It's Morgan Freeman narrating the movie. It was on TV. I thought the movie was going to be boring, and I was right. I wouldn't pay to see it in the theatres or rent it. I could get to watch this for free on TV. Patrick is always watching animal documentaries on Discovery Channel. This movie is another documentary I could have easily saw on Discovery. If you like penguins or Morgan Freeman, go watch it.

Blog: This is my 100th blog post on www.badcb.blogspot.com. I started this blog in Basic HTML earlier this year. This is also my last blog of this year. Well I didn't start putting up my weekly emails until April. Also in October, I put up all these old emails I saved so that is how I ended up at 100 posts at the end of the year.

news/ job/ funny

Dec. 25 News: Last night I was watching CNBC with Patrick. Did you know that the average man in Russia lives to be 59 years old. In the US, a average man lives to be 75 years old. Russia is the nation that drinks the most alcohol.

Writing: I realized that I have twenty- three 3.5 floppy disks, yet I only have 5 scripts. Only one is truly complete. Yes, I write on scrap paper, but they don't always make it onto the disks.

I learned something from Glynis. Stories need conflict, and I can create conflict in drama. I can't write conflict in comedy. As I was watching The Mentalist, I decided to write drama, with some comedy peppered in.

Music: I borrowed the new Madonna cd called "Hard Candy" from the library. It's an alright cd. It's got some good dance tracks. I don't really like her voice. She's a good performer in music. Not exactly good in the movies. It's like with Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson. They debuted as music artists, but are more successful in the movies than in music.

Today I saw The Young and the Restless. C'mon, I haven't seen that show since August when I had those days off. It was a Christmas episode. I was eating my lunch and vacuuming and the show was on.

I watched an episode of Tru Calling. Now I'm thinking of rewinding time back to 2003, and telling all my friends to watch the show. That wouldn't make a difference because this show is on FOX, and it would still have been cancelled anyway.

Dec. 26 Job: Today I worked from 9am-5pm. It's the first time I opened by myself. It's a Friday, but it felt like a Saturday due to the stream of customers. I also got to chat with Silvia. She remembered that I used to work at a bank. I also gave her a rundown of all the people who worked here:

"Kristen and Angel worked here for one day, and I never met them. Rashed and Jenna worked here for one day and quit, and I met them. Jennifer worked here for a month and then quit. Dana worked here for a month, and quit. There was a girl who worked here for a week and quit. Mark quit, and Molly took over. Maygen quit three days ago."

Funny: So today was interesting. Silvia said that our co-worker Christine didn't remember her name, even though they have worked for a few years together. Now that I think about, that has happened to me before.

I know this guy Shane Goden since 1999. We went to high school together. I think. Well I know we were in the same gr. 9 homeroom. Then I bumped into him in 2006. I remembered his name, but he didn't remember mine. He did say he knows me.

Then I bumped into Melina whom I know since 1999, and when to high school with. We graduated in 2003. Then in 2005, I bumped into her on the bus. Then in 2006 we met again on the bus. Then a few months ago this year, I bumped into her at the mall. She thought my name was Vivian or something. We've known each other all these years, but the name slipped her mind.

It also happend with this guy Tyler who I went to high school with. I bumped into him 2005. He remembered my name then. Then I bumped into him in 2006, and he was like: "Tracy right?" He wasn't quite sure.

Facebook: Today I gave a Facebook gift to all 54 of my friends there. Omar from MacEwan posted on my wall saying this: "Thanks. At first I was wary of getting virtual cologne--conscientious in fact--and then I realized that everyone was getting cologne, so, I feel better, and delighted too! Merry Christmas."
lol.

movie/ funny/ winter

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008

movie/ funny/ winter

Dec. 21 Movie: Today I saw the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's a great action/ adventure film, and I recommend you all watch it. It stars Harrison Ford. He was in his mid- 50s when he did the first three movies, now he's in his mid- 60s. I also really like Shia LaBeouf who plays Mutt.

My favorite part in the movie, was when Mutt and Indiana are in the diner. They are leaving with FBI and a fight breaks out. I tells M to hit this guy wearing a letterman jacket. The jock is then surrounded by a group of other jocks wearing the same jacket. M is then suddenly surrounded by guys wearing leather jackets like he is. Then pitchers are smashed over people's heads, and chairs are being thrown around with 50s music playing. lol.

There is even a car chase scene in the movie, mixed with a fight scene. It reminded me of The Matrix Reloaded which has a car chase scene and fight scene put together.

Writing: Today is Sunday, my only day off. I must do something productive, so I write. I went and worked on the story about Corrine working for a corrupt company. I opened the disk and see that the last time I worked on it was in August and September. I see so many flaws.

Well especially after I got all those tips from Glynis for my Fighter script, I see that I have to do a lot of editing on this other script. Corrine started off really boring. She applies for a job at a company. You see her pass out her resume, do an interview, blah, blah, blah. Delete that and go straight to the party where the action starts.

James Franco: I saw James Franco on Jay Leno the other night. JF talked about how when he was in gr. 8, he and his friends started stealing tester cologne bottles from the department stores. They did this for weeks. Eventually the stores chained the tester bottles. JF and friends then sold the bottles to gr. 7 boys before the dances. The bottles were worth $50, but they sold it for $25.

JF: If I'm going to hell for something, it would probably be this. If there is a kid we didn't like, we would give him the bottle where we peed in it.
The audience laughs.
JL: That's why they call it "au toilette" (on the bottle.)

JF talks about when he was in jr. high and high school he worked at a golf course to earn money for a car. He bought a used car, and that car had already gotten into an accident with the front.
JF: I was on the highway. Fortunately, I pulled out of the highway to the JC (junior college). I was in the parking lot, and the brakes didn't work. I was driving 60 mph, and I was trying to stop. I drove onto the lawn and it was either I hit a JC building or a tree. I then went and hit the tree. The front ripped like paper. I got out and security was running towards me.
JL: And they said "Nice cologne."
The audience laughs.

Winter: The only thing I like about the winter, is that when I used to work in Chinatown back in 2003-2005. Chinatown is ghetto. In the winter, there aren't any bums standing outside. A couple of times, some scary looking guys entered my workplace and they had to be kicked out. My friend Chamnouer agrees with me. She used to live a ghetto- like area, and she likes that in the winter there aren't any people yelling outside on the streets.

I read this in a magazine years ago. Possibly Cosmoplolitan. Rapes occur more in the summer when women are vacationing. The women are more caught off guard on vacation. Also in the article, it's mentioned that a guy can't get a erection in the cold.

Dec. 22 Funny: I looked up Matt Dallas who plays Kyle on Kyle XY. I found this interview with him on Jimmy Kimmel. MD told us a story about how he was a NY club: "I was standing by myself because one friend was at the bar, and the other was in the washroom. This girl comes up to me and reaches under my shirt and touches my belly button. Then she whispers in my ear: "I touched it." She leaves. I didn't know what to do." lol.

JK then shows his belly button, and MD shows his. On Kyle XY, his character doesn't have a belly button. He looks so hot wearing that gray suit and button down black shirt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY2qry_ggF4

MD tells a knock- knock joke. He's so cute and funny here.
M: Knock-knock.
Girl: Who's there?
M: Interrupting cow-
M: Moo!
lol. I kind of predicted it, but it was still funny,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFfKFfg_idQ&feature=related

Serious: With Youtube, one thing leads to another. I found MD doing a PSA on drinking and driving. Then I found Lane Garrison (Prison Break) doing a PSA on one too. LG was actually arrested for drinking and driving and he got someone killed. He's in jail right now. I'll give him points for doing this commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf1WtKqi6mc&feature=related

Dec. 23: Last week I was watching The Mentalist. My little brother P came and sat down.

P: That woman looks really familiar.
Me: The dark- haired woman?
P: Yeah.
Me: Hello, it's Veronica from Prison Break. I thought the exact same thing too. I saw an episode and after an hour later, that's when I realized who it was.

Today I saw The Mentalist, and I recognized an actress who was on the TV show In Plain Sight.

lesson/ funny/ movie

Dec. 13 Lesson: I don't know about you, but today I learned that you're not supposed to put styrofoam in the microwave. Actually I kind of learned that lesson last Monday, but today it confirmed the lesson. I was going to put styrofoam last week, but my dad and my sister said not to put it in the microwave.

Today I was going to microwave soup in a styrofoam bowl, and a customer said not to put in it. Then my co- worker Don said not to put it in. Now I know. Nothing bad has ever happened when I microwaved styrofoam so that's why I never really learned the lesson.

Michael Trucco: I saw him on Law and Order: SVU earlier this week, and I'm still thinking about him. I went and watched some Battlestar Galactica interviews with him, and even One Tree Hill episode clips of him in it. I only saw a bit of OTH. It was ep where two girls were being held hostage by this psycho guy. The two girls then have to fight back.

It was like a horror movie on this teen drama. I guess that's the only reason I stayed to watch it on that weekend afternoon.

Dec. 14: Today I went and watched my Tru Calling dvd ep "Putting out Fires" where MT plays a firefighter. You can watch a fan video of him here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbTKLEdBU3c

Blog: Today, Michael from MacEwan asked what my blog url was. I was happy to tell him. I always advertise it on Facebook, but I don't know if anyone even checks it out.

Writing: Today there are no new episodes of TV shows I want to watch. I could have went to Rogers Video to rent some dvds, but instead I stayed home. I did something productive and worked on my script. I also checked my 3.5 floppy disks if they are still working because I had to make room for my third version of The Fighter.

News: Cruscoe is getting cancelled. Knight Rider may end up getting cancelled too. There was the original order of 21 episodes and it's been cut down to 17 episodes due to low ratings.

Dec. 15: I did some more writing and editing. Also this girl Cherie from MacEwan accepted me as a friend on Facebook.

Dec. 16: Yesterday I sent my script to Glynis Whiting again. I only wrote 10 more pages to it making it to be 56 pages long. I guess I should go watch Red Belt and Confessions of a Pit Fighter for inspiration.

Funny: Today my friend Dan who I met in the Arts and Cultural Management program stopped by my job.

D: I got a job at HMV at West Edmonton Mall.
Me: Yeah, I did a job interview at the HMV in Kingsway and City Centre, but they didn't hire me.
D: They pay like $9/hr.
Me: $9.10 /hr.

D: Is that the minimum wage?
Me: No, the minimum wage is $8.40/hr.
D: My other job paid way better, but the contract ended so I had to go and work somewhere else.

D: Are you done your Christmas shopping?
Me: In my family we don't exchange gifts.
D: Really? That must be nice.
Me: It is, you should try it. You didn't tell me why you got into that fight at the bar.
D: I was being a jerk.

D shows me his gifts that he bought.
D: I was going to buy some lingerie.
Me: Too much information.
D: I was going to bring a friend to do that, so it wouldn't be so awkward.
lol.

Dec. 17:

Me: So have you been reading my weekly emails?
D: You send me weekly emails?
Me: Yeah.
D: On hotmail?
Me: Yeah.
D: Well send it to me on Facebook. Do you have a pen?
Me: We're friends on Facebook.
D: Oh really? I'm sorry.
Me: Since 2006.

Rant: This is a complaint of mine. The other day I waited for the bus for 30 min. Then yesterday I waited for the bus for 50 min. Then today I waited for 60 min. Fortuntately I got to wait indoors and be able to sit inside the Stanley A. Milner library. It's also for me to go home. It's good that it doesn't make me late heading to work.

Movie: I saw The Polar Express on TV. It's a really good movie. Great animation and story. I recommend you all watch it if you haven't seen it. It's an unpredictable movie. I read this book in elementary school, but I forgot how the story went.

Dec. 18: My life is just like that TV show Free Ride where the lead character comes back from college and bumps into three people he knew from high school in one day. Yesterday I bumped into Dan, then today I bumped into Megan from my Writing program. We sat and chatted for 15 minutes while she drank her soup. We mainly talked about writing.

M: I always bump into you. The last time you worked at the other store.
Me: Xcetera.
M: That didn't work out?
Me: No.
M: How long have you been working here?
Me: 7 months.

Then after work I went to HMV and looked around for 15 minutes. I decided to kill time instead of sit and wait for the bus. Then I went to the library and waited. Then Dan from my Writing program showed up. We took the bus together and chatted about writing.

Dec. 19: I went on Youtube to see the trailers for Red Belt and Confessions of a Pit Fighter. The trailers didn't make the movies look really interesting to me. I'm surprised Tim Allen is in RD. He doesn't really do good movies. I was also surprised to see Flavor Flav in PF.

Last night I saw 30 Rock, and finally saw the episodes with Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston guest- starring on it. Really good episodes.

The actor Michael Trucco is still inspiring me. I saw him on an interview on Youtube and he said he is friends with the actor JR Bourne. I like Bourne. He often plays the bad guy. You may have seen him as the antogonist in the TV movie Selling Innocence, the bad lawyer in Thirteen Ghosts, and the cheating boyfriend in The Mentalist ep, and the bad guy in Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning.

quote/ funny/ party

Dec. 10 Quote: I was on Facebook and I read my friend Lorraine's status: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Funny: Today I was watching Michael Phelps on Jay Leno.

MP: It's funny. When I go out to dinner with my mom, the people who I used to go to school with are now servers.
The audience laughs.
MP: No, that's not the funny part. They say to me: "We used to go to school together." I'm like: "Yeah, and you used to pick on me." Now we're friends, that's weird. Well I was picked on in middle school and high school. In high school, not as much because most of my friends were football players so they kind of protected me.

MP said he had ADHD back when he was a kid. He took Ritalin, and then he stopped. When he started swimming, he put all his energy into it and he was able to control himself. He mentioned about teachers telling him that he will never be successful. JL asked if MP could sign MP's book No Limits: The Will to Succeed.

I'm getting a flashback. When I was 13, I read a book written by Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller. It was a good book. I looked it up on amazon.ca and it was called Winning Everyday.

Here's the amazon.ca description. It's rather inspirational to read:

"When I'm focused, there is not one single thing, person, anything that can stand in the way of my doing something. There is not. If I want something bad enough, I feel I'm gonna get there."

Michael Phelps is one of the greatest competitors the world has ever seen. From teen sensation in Sydney to bona fide phenom in Athens, he is now -- after the Beijing Games -- a living Olympic legend. With an unprecedented eight gold medals and world-record times in seven events, his performance at the 2008 Games set a new standard for success. He ranks among the most elite athletes in the world, and is both an inspiration and a role model to millions. The incredible focus he exhibits in practice and during competition propels him forward to his unrivaled excellence. In No Limits, Michael Phelps reveals the secrets to his remarkable success, from his training regimen to his mental preparation and, finally, to his performance in the pool.

Behind Phelps's tally of Olympic gold medals lies a consistent approach to competition, a determination to win, and a straightforward passion for his sport. Like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, he has learned to filter out distractions and deliver stellar performance under pressure. The road has not always been easy; from the very beginning, Phelps had to overcome physical setbacks and emotional trials. When he was younger, he was diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; other kids bullied him; even a teacher said he would never be successful. Later, he had to work through injuries that jeopardized his career. In this book, Phelps talks for the first time about how he has overcome these and other challenges - about how to develop the mental attitude needed to persevere, not just in athletic competition but in life.

His success is imbued with the perspective of overcoming the obstacles that come your way and believing in yourself no matter the odds.

No Limits explores the hard work, commitment, and sacrifice that go into reaching any goal. Whether it is on the starting block during an Olympic swim meet or in the weight room on a typical day, Phelps's dedication has led him to unparalleled excellence. Filled with anecdotes from family members, friends, teammates, and his coach, No Limits gives a behind-the-scenes look at the makings of a real champion. One of Phelps's mottos is "Performance Is Reality," and it typifies his attitude toward achieving his goals. It's easy to get bogged down by doubt or to lose focus when a challenge seems out of reach, but Phelps believes that you can accomplish anything if you fully commit yourself to it. Using the eight final swims of the Beijing Olympics as a model, No Limits is a step-by-step guide to realizing one's dream.

Dec. 12 News: I found this on Yahoo news: "More than 30 percent of girls in the United States become pregnant before they reach age 20, and many become pregnant a second time before their 20th birthday, according to NCTUP.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, nearly half of all 15- to 19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once."

That reminds me of Tyra Banks show. She did say 1 in 3 girls will get pregnant before they're 20.

Party: Today I went to the Christmas party at work. We went to The Asian Grill House in Chinatown. It was cool and fun. I brought my friend Angela to it. It turns out A doesn't like the TV show Secret Life of the American Teenager either. I got my secret Santa gift from my manager Steven and it was candy and chips, so that was cool. I will end up giving it to my boyfriend John.

That mug I will keep. It's a nice mug with blue plaid pattern on it. I was the secret Santa for Lorraine and got her a $15 Sobeys/ IGA gift card. The Asian Grill House is a good restaurant. Good buffet food. You can cook it, or you can eat the already prepared food. There is the chocolate and vanilla ice cream machine. There is a "twist" where you can put both together.

Fortunately I got chocolate ice cream before it later broke down. I haven't had ice cream in such a long time, maybe months. My family doesn't buy it. Angela and I talked about my weekly emails. A did say that she knew that most restaurants close down within the first two years and not five years. She worked at Mary Brown's when it first opened back in 2000. It's still open. Coincidently the Soup place also opened back in 2000.

writing/ Michael Trucco/ movies/ Religious Girl

Dec. 6 Writing: Today after work I worked on my script The Fighter for one hour. Glynis Whiting gave me this tip that I should use fewer words. I was being too repetitive and having the characters say what the audience already knows. That reminds me of this comment on twop.com on the thread Secret Life of the American Teenager. All the characters talk around in circles.

That also reminds me of the TV show 7th Heaven. Both of those shows are created by Brenda Hampton. I didn't realize that my script did have repetition in dialogue. Now I'm going over it, and Glynis did point out specific scenes to dialogue I could have deleted. I then deleted it.

Dec. 7 Charity: Starbucks is doing the "red thing" like the GAP. Everytime you buy a cup of coffee, 5 cents will go to the Red charity that will help people in Africa who have AIDS.

News: I read this in the Journal a couple of weeks ago. Coca- Cola is obviously trying to sell their products to kids with animated polar bears and Santa Claus. They say they aren't, but it's pretty obvious that they are. At work, we got this big poster board of Santa giving a bottle of coke to a baby polar bear.

The coke people gave us these big decorations to decorate the restaurant with. They let us keep them which is cool.

Health: Last night I took two Gravol pills and I end up feeling more sick. It's like that song by Pink called "Just like a pill." The lyrics: "You're just like a pill/ Instead of making me better/ You're making me ill." Extra strength Tylenol and Gravol aren't working. Gravol says it will specifically stop you from vomiting.

I'm not a hypocondriac, but the other day I thought this may be stomach cancer. It did make me think about life and death. It kind of motivates me to finish that script now. It is done, but it needs to be at least 90 pages and I'm at about 50 pages.

Dec. 8: Today I can say I am healthy again. I got my appetite back.

Dec. 9: My sister said that 80% of restaurants close down within the first 5 years of opening. I can take her word for it because she was in business. I also remember hearing something like that from Desperate Housewives when the Scavos open the pizzeria. Lynette also mentioned on the show that most of the profits are made from the alcohol so a liquor license is important.

Funny: The other day S was ranting to my dad about this classmate of hers: "This was the same classmate who told me about that job that paid $7.50/hr. That happened 4 years ago, and I'm still mad about it." Ha, S is just like me. She is mad about old things. I'm sure we still get mad about things that happened years ago.

Religious Girl: I probably ran this to ground, but I still think about that girl who is in a religion that doesn't allow her to talk to boys. I remember Jeff Woodman asking: "What if a guy starts talking to her? What does she do?" Miss Johnston: "She pretends that she doesn't speak English or didn't hear him."

Now I think about all these other questions:

What if a policeman asks her a question? She can't walk away from him.

Is she allowed to chat online?

What if the other person is a guy?

Can she pick up the phone and if it's a guy on the other line, does she hang up or pass it to someone else?

What if male teacher ask her a question, can she answer?

What if a teacher ask her a question?

She answers in front of the entire class with male students, is that allowed?

Is her mom in her religion?

 If she is, how did she get married?

What if she wants to get a job?

What job can she get when she can't talk to guys?

I doubt Miss. J could answer those questions.

Michael Trucco: Today I was watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I read in the Metro that Michael Trucco guest- stars in it. I don't know who it is. I went on imdb.com and saw that MT was on the show Battlestar Gallactica. As you know, the most well- known actor who guest- stars on the show, is most likely the guy who did it. Yeah, MT did it.

Kelly Hu, the Asian woman from the movie X2 guest- starred in it too. She had the sharp nails and fought Wolverine. MT is hot. Check out his photos.

Here's one in color:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2616629504/nm0873998

Here are his headshots in black and white:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm579377664/nm0873998
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3912146176/nm0873998

I feel like these photos don't do him justice. In the episode he looked good. He's also 38 years old, and I don't really like guys that old. He's the exception.

Dec. 10: It turns out I have seen MT before. He was on the old TV show Tru Calling back in 2003. On that show, I had this crush of Shawn Reaves who plays Tru's brother Harrison on the show. He's so cute and funny.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2561120768/nm0714188

I still remember that old episode where Harrison goes to a job interview.

Boss: You don't have a resume.
H: What is a "resume"? (Uses air quotations.) A list of jobs that didn't work out?

I also want to say that there is an exception to the rule of the well- known actor in a Law and Order episode is the guy who did it: I saw an episode where Stephen Collins (dad from 7th Heaven) guest- starred and he was a bad guy, but he didn't commit the crime.

Movies: Last night I was checking what's on TV and saw that there is a movie called Confessions of Pit Fighter. It's about mixed martial arts. I have never heard about it before and it came out in 2005. Here's the synopsis from imdb.com:

"Confessions of a Pit Fighter is a character driven action film about regret, consequences and the triumph of the human spirit. Eddie Castillo is a quiet man. He has survived seven years of incarceration in the state pen and wants nothing more than to live out his life in relative tranquility. He moves in with you younger brother David who as a kid, idolized him. Castillo soon learns that the "tranquility" he was seeking is shattered by David getting involved in illegal underground fights, the same type of fights that coincidentally led Castillo to Prison. As much as Castillo tries to get David to go straight, he has to make his own way. David eventually gets killed in an underground fight and this sets Castillo on a collision course with destiny. Having no other choice, Castillo goes back into the underground fight game to find his brother's killer. Castillo sets out for revenge and in the process forsakes it for redemption. "From the day I was born I had to fight to survive. I fought everyone and everything that came in front of me. On the streets, confessions are made in Blood. They say that when you confess your sins, only then can you be redeemed. This is my redemption. This is my confession."

I saw Never Back Down over the summer. That movie came out this year. I should check out Red Belt another fighting movie. Here's the imdb.com synopsis:

"Is there room for principle in Los Angeles? Mike Terry teaches jujitsu and barely makes ends meet. His Brazilian wife, whose family promotes fights, wants to see Mike in the ring making money, but to him competition is degrading. A woman sideswipes Mike's car and then, after an odd sequence of events, shoots out the studio's window. Later that evening, Mike rescues an action movie star in a fistfight at a bar. In return, the actor befriends Mike, gives him a gift, offers him work on his newest film, and introduces Mike's wife to his own - the women initiate business dealings. Then, things go sour all at once, Mike's debts mount, and going into the ring may be his only option."

I have to do my research on fighting movies because I'm writing one.

writing/ movie/ health

Dec. 4 Writing: I checked my email today and I read that my friend Jessica invited me to join a group to not have a government coalition. I see that my friend Angela thanked me for wishing her a happy birthday. I then saw Glynis Whiting has emailed me back with her tips on how to improve my script.

I then went on my blog where I keep all my weekly emails. I see that I emailed her back on Nov.19. So it took her about two weeks to read the script and write notes about it. I was so happy that she wrote back. Here are some of her notes:

"Although this has improved significantly since the last draft, it still needs work. More complications would make it more interesting. It reads more like a one hour than a feature film because of the simplicity of the story and character development."

Some good constructive critism. The most important thing she said was: "...improved significantly." I then printed all 46 pages of my revised version of my script. Now I can do some more writing on it.

I have an excuse for not writing. This past week I was sick the entire time.

Dec. 5 Movie: The other night I saw the movie called Dark Water starring Jennifer Connelly. She is a single mom with her 6- year- old daughter. They move into a rundown apartment building. They are being haunted by a ghost of a young girl. It was kind of scary. I think I watch too much of A Haunting and found this kind of boring.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a TV movie on the Women's network called Confessions of a Go-Go Girl. A young woman got accepted into law school, but she really wants to try out that acting school. Her parents don't support her, and she will have to make her own money to support herself. At the school she meets a girl passing out fliers for her boyfriend's photography. Actors need headshots.

The young woman and girl becomes friends. It turns out the girl is a go- go dancer. It's kind of like stripping, but you don't take everything off. Then later the young woman does the same thing to make money to support herself and help with her acting/ performing.

I'll say the movie was kind of creative. The girl does cocaine. She doesn't die due to an overdose, but when she gets breast implants, the anesthesia conflict with the controlled substance of cocaine that was in her body.

Health: I was thinking about how I took 6 Tylenol pills and 6 Gravol pills from the first aid kit at work. I felt kind of guilty, but then again I did give back that Polysporin that they lent me. This is my health benefit plan.

News: I was reading in the Journal that soap operas are competing in ratings against talk shows. The Bold and the Beautiful has decreased by 17% in ratings for the past two seasons. It is mainly women who are the viewers, and they are decreasing because they are at school and work.

charity/ coincidence/ funny

Nov. 29 Charity: The other day, the Mustard Seed charity sent a letter to my house. It wasn't directly addressed to me. They help homeless people. A coincidence was that, the door bell rang, and it's a guy advertising this children that helps children in third world countries.

News: I read in the Metro that the bad economy is making people spend less money on entertainment. It will then increase people watching TV.

Dream: I had this dream a few weeks ago. It's a sign that I have watched too much A Haunting. I watch MADtv now during the timeslot because the show is getting cancelled after this season. My house was haunted, and the ghosts only confront you when you're alone in the washroom. There is a ghost who is a young guy. Then there is his mom who's a ghost.

There was a black guy in my house, and I tell him to look in the phone book to call for some ghost hunters or psychics because when you live in a haunted house, that's what you do. I was trying to get the ghost angry by describing to the ghost hunter that the mom ghost was overweight. The ghost hunters come. For some reason my friend Jessica was in the dream too.

Coincidence: A couple of weeks ago, in one week I bumped into three people I knew. Tyler and Chelsea from high school, and my friend Sonia. Today my friend Daniel Newark passed by and we chatted for a bit. He tells me he's bruised up because he got into a fight.

Me: Was it at a bar?
D: Yeah.
I guessed right on that one. Maybe because I always write fight scenes in my script and it often occurs there. Then again that occurs in real life too.

I remember this one time back in 2006 I saw that TV show Free Ride. It starred Edmonton actor Josh Dean where he plays a guy who went to college for four years. He comes back and bumps into three people he knew from high school in one day which I found unrealistic. I would be lucky to bump into one person from high school or college once a month.

Crazy: Yesterday I watched a little bit of Tyra because I had time. They had Robert Pattinson on from Twilight. I then went to Tyra's website and saw an upcoming episode on Thursday Dec. 4: "Tyra talks to sex workers who are desperate to leave the industry because of dangerous, scary experiences they’ve had. One of Tyra’s most controversial guests, Summer, returns to confront her father -- who pushed her into prostitution and even waxed her bikini line. Summer confronts her dad and the hot new protégé who took her place when she left the business!"

I find the episode description somewhat false. I saw that episode months ago and I remember it. It was Summer who wanted to be in the sex industry, and she wasn't pushed into it. The dad decided to help her. I am shocked that the dad went and got another girl to manage.

I posted the above on twop.com. I had just saw the video preview of it, but it looks like Summer is yelling and crying at her dad that he really did push her into it. The first time I saw that episode, they had other women talk about prositution, and Summer had some part in the segment. It looks like this episode is all about her this time. It shows Tyra yelling at the dad: "Have you lost your damn mind?!" I have to watch it.

I said it before that I only watch Tyra when they discuss teen pregnancy and prostitution. This ep looks really good.

Nov. 30: Last night there was a car accident a couple of blocks away from my house. I was on my way home from work, and the bus had to stop. I walked the two blocks to my house.

Gift cards: Some say gift cards are bad gifts. They aren't. It's like cash, but there is thought put into it because of what store the gift card is for. Last Christmas my parents got a Sobey's gift card. However we didn't use it for months because we use Superstore and Safeway. However, a Sobeys opened in downtown and I went there. They have great lasagna, sushi, and Indian food.

It is a good gift. Today I tried to put money on the card, but it didn't work. Did you know that after you use up the money on the card, the card can't be used again? I had to buy this other gift card instead.

Dec. 1 Sick: Today I had a stomach ache and went home two and a half hours before worke ended. I looked at what I ate: A small slice of cake from a Chinese bakery which has whip cream and a little fruit in it. A ham sandwich, a cup of coffee, half cup of pop, and lots of water. I didn't spend time with anyone who has a cold. I dress warmly and wear my hood to keep my head warm. Did you know that you lose 25% of your body heat through your head?

It was rather warm today, especially for a December and still no snow. Maybe wind blew at my stomach from underneath my coat, and that's how I got a stomach ache.

Funny: I was reading the Globe and Mail and it talked to people who hired bad employees. One person said that he hired this guy who worked for a week, and the guy said he was going to Florida for a week and if it's okay. The boss said no. Then the guy kept calling in sick every day of the week. He comes back with a tan. lol. There was another woman who got hired, and on the second day of the job fell asleep in the CEO's office.

Well it makes me look like a good worker. I remember this one time I was watching 20/20, and they talked to Ivanka Trump who started her job as a Vice- President of the Donald Trump company. I was indifferent with her being there. I figured if the company crashed and burned because Donald put his daughter into the Vice- President position, that's not my problem. I now think if I got hired there, I might end up bringing down the company from the inside like I did with the bank. Well Ivanka said she went to business school, and sometimes works 19 hour work days. She is working hoe s Vice- President would work as.

Green: I was reading an article in the Journal about a family that doesn't buy anything for one year. They were really happy, got out of debt, and put money in their savings. They only bought necessities like food, socks, and underwear, bills, and rent. You can go to this website where they blog about it.
http://www.sfcompact.blogspot.com/

Dec. 3: I'm still sick, but getting better. I took Gravol which makes me really drowsy. I should have read the side effects. I took two pills and I slept for 13 hours. Today I took 4 pills and I took a nap after work and slept for one hour.

Here's another coincidence: Not only am I sick, but so are my co-workers Maygen and Molly.