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planetary-bound-star · 4 years

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Isolation Journal: Day 1

So I found these prompts today for an Isolation Journal / ways to stay creative despite stress and anxiety. And while I wouldn't say that I've felt isolated in a 'feeling lonely' or 'wanting to be around people' sort of way, I have been feeling the effects of my partner's isolation and of the fact that there aren't many ways to have true alone time to recharge my social batteries. Having constantly half-empty social batteries happens to really hamper my creativity, especially when I'm in the same room with someone else, knowing that at any moment they're likely to intrude on whatever thought I'm trying to communicate through my stories. I've tried going into different rooms -- and sometimes that even works -- but given the fact that the other humans in the house are awake and exist, I can't get completely comfortable in my creative space unless they're asleep.

So I've been struggling to motivate myself to create, to finish homework assignments, to do more than the most basic chores and / or acts of self-care, etc, which only adds to my anxiety and depressive tendencies. I've tried setting a strict routine, which worked for a few days max. I've tried setting a very loose routine, which worked for a bit longer, but ultimately didn't long-term. I've tried no routine, and that DEFINITELY doesn't work, and while writing a to-do list first thing in the morning can help, I have to remember to do that every day BEFORE I get distracted by other things and / or my partner and our other housemates, which is rare at best.

Really, I'm ready to try anything, right now. And this seems like a good idea at the best of times. So I'm going to attempt this challenge. Luckily, it seems pretty relaxed, so if I miss a day, it's not like I miss the prompt or have to start over or anything, which should help especially in a 'not adding to my anxiety pile' sort of way, and it is likely to also add significantly to my overall daily mental health! So... that'd be a definite plus.

So! Here goes: Day 1 [Prompt: Write a Letter to a Stranger]

Dear Seth and Stephen,

I've been watching you both for comfort since before the Florida Orange Man took office, and likely will long after he leaves (I hope). I can't remember when I first took note of you. I know that with you, Seth, it happened not long after the 2016 Elections, when YouTube offered me the lifeline of suggesting one of your A Closer Look or The Check-In segments, and I subscribed the same night. With you, Stephen, I first noticed you during your The Werd segments from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I noticed you initially when I was a young Republican teen still living at home with my Papa, and I found you again as a newly emerging, bleeding-heart Democrat.

Now, you're both a huge part of the intricate net of lifelines that keep me afloat day-to-day in this completely bonkers world.

When I first imagined spending my days working from my home as a writer, I imagined waking up each day to a warm cup of tea, some hot cereal or oatmeal or fried eggs, and some toast. I never considered who would make those things or how I might teach myself the focus and rigorous morning routine needed to do all of that without wasting hours of my day due to distractions, derailments, and depletions of energy.

In my mind, this morning routine would take place on a patio or deck or balcony, outside on a warm and sunny, but not too overwhelmingly bright day, a light breeze keeping the worst of the sun's heat from burying itself in your skin and clothing. The outdoor space would be surrounded by greenery and flowers and walls, any human-made sounds (aside from maybe a fountain or, possibly, wind-chimes) would be silenced somehow.

Then, after breakfast (again, clean-up energy and time never entered into my imagination before now), I would retreat to a comfortable, cushioned window-seat, warmed by the sunlight streaming through the windows, reclining, and spending several hours a day reading through entire novels and, thus, getting through them in a few days to, at most, a week.

Finally, after my reading time ends (at a decent, if not perfect, stopping point in the novel, if at all possible so that the story isn't nagging at the back of your mind the rest of the day), I would move to my writing space to... you guessed it... write for many more hours.

Granted, the writing bit should probably take place after a lunch of some description and / or many (ideally healthy) snacks at hand, but I never imagined these details either in my initial plans. Nor did I factor in dinner. I do love food when I have the time to enjoy it, but given my schedule and levels of focus on the regular, I'd genuinely be happy to go to an all liquid diet with only quick and nommy solid foods to snack on here and there. I loathe the necessity of eating, so I keep it as nommy as possible to force myself to fuel my body in a mostly appropriate manner. It's only natural that I'd forget about this irritating necessity in my daydreams, really. They are, after all dayDREAMS, not dayREAL-LIFES.

I feel like that's how I'd like to end every day, come to think on it: Writing. Typing frantically into a word-processor to transport the pictures in my mind on the ship of words until the images dry out and evaporate in the sun, or the words dry up on the tips of my fingers. I want to write for hours, take a break for necessities (like dinner and dog-walking and spending time with loved ones), then write for hours more... until I can write no more and my pillows start tempting my brain. I want to write until I pass out every night, then get up the next day and do all of it all over again.

Lately, I've imagined a small, one-room Hobbit-hole constructed in the hill behind Sam's house. A soundproof structure partially underground with a window-seat for reading, a space for writing, and another space for singing and playing and making a lot of noise without worry of being a nuisance to any neighboors or family members, but also without them interrupting my thought or creative processes while I'm working. Maybe that space is just a creative space large enough to transition for sewing, painting, drawing, writing, singing, playing, and, even, rehearsing, but small enough to feel safely enclosed, like a shed or... a fucking Hobbithole. ;P

I think it can be done, and maybe with the money I make from my first sold artistic project, I can attempt to make it a reality. And I feel you're both nerdy enough to understand how awesome a reality that would be!

I just want a space that doesn't give me any excuses not to create and the space to just spend time creating. And yet... here I am, home all day with nowhere to be, and I'm not creating. I have a myriad excuses for it all, and I will also say (to be kind and fair with myself) that my mental health has been tricky to navigate throughout all of this.

But these excuses are allowing me to escape creating and doing... pretty much anything that brings me joy. Essentially, the whole reason I quit full-time work and decided to go through the stress and uncertainty of putting myself through college is the one thing I'm not using my suddenly AMPLE HOME TIME doing.

And I'd very much like to change that.

So here I am... writing this letter. Telling you random things that are on my mind. Knowing... (hoping?)... that neither of you will EVER read this. Right? Maybe, after all of the other prompts are finished or whatever, I'll continue writing to you both about my day and my struggles and my projects. Because why the hell not? You're both already like the nerdy, understanding, choice-affirming fathers I never had?

My papa wasn't bad, he was just a stereotypical dad, who expected his kids to be tough all the time, couldn't deal with emotions, and watched football with a beer in his hand yelling at the tv on Sundays. He didn't understand the proclivity to read all day or write well or watch shows on sociology and scientific experimentation. He didn't understand much of anything that wasn't 'working on a career' or 'sport-related current events.' He definitely didn't understand how to deal with a child who moved away from home, started learning about the world intellectually and largely unbiasedly for the first time, and developed views and opinions of their own, for themself, after seeing how the world really worked with their own eyes.

So I see you, my two tv dads, as the parent he's unlikely to ever be... and it helps me to know there are dads like you out there, even if parts of it are shows put on for your audiences. And I do hope to meet you both one day, as one of your guests, and (if we can ever hug again) give you both hugs to thank you for helping to raise me, keep me informed, and prepare me to survive the batshit, bonkers world that currently exists around us all.

My best to you both and to your families,

#isolation journal #day 1 #journaling #me #mine

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thesffcorner · 5 years

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and it follows Rick Dalton (Leonardo Di Caprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pit), an actor and his stuntman as they struggle to get work and stay relevant in the film industry at the precipice of the 70s. Dalton was a former TV star, who after a mediocre stunt in film is now trying to score a pilot, this time as the heavy, while Cliff is his stunt double, who really doesn’t have a lot of motivation outside of work and whatever Rick wants him to do.

If that synopsis sounded kind of weak and vague, that’s because this film is the purest definition of slice of life I can think of. It’s not a film with an overarching plot or a 3 act structure; it’s a series of vignettes that are loosely tied by circumstance and location, and we follow a wide set of characters, not just Rick and Cliff, living their lives and making do in Hollywood. The vignettes are all well written and excellently acted, with some heavy league performers in bit parts, but for the most part, the film’s narrative structure is very loose and at points aimless.

Out of Tarantino’s own body of work, the film this most reminded me of was Pulp Fiction; the meandering plot, the expansive cast of characters, and the distinct lack of forward momentum. The difference is that all the plots we follow in Pulp Fiction get tied up in an explosive ending, and though this film attempts to do the same, it’s really not successful; more than Reservoir Dogs, this is a film that feels like Tarantino’s first effort, which is concerning since this is his 9th official release.

In terms of filmmaking the film is excellent; the attention to period detail from the sets to the clothes is impeccable. Los Angeles and especially Hollywood likes like a postcard of it’s Golden Age, and I especially loved the little details like the labels on the food, the plastic beer bottle holders, the boxes in which the demo reels are kept. Even the way the characters speak felt authentic, and there were numerous references to the Vietnam War, and a prominent subplot involved hippies.

Tarantino is also a master of the filmmaking craft itself; I loved the way he presented the different styles of shooting, the aspect ratio, the way a take is carried out in TV vs in film. My two favorite moments were the interview for the Dick Van Dyke show where the double camera setup was perfectly visualised and the weird, ‘improper’ cuts in the conversation between Rick and Timothy Oliphant’s character. This is a film for filmmakers and lovers of the medium; there is a lot of love for the craft itself and I absolutely loved that aspect of the film.

Where this film faltered for me were the characters and the plot. Now, I don’t need a film to have a commercial structure or strong throughline to like it; some of my favorite films are The Nice Guys, The Brothers Bloom, Last Night and the Fall, which have very loose plots. I even like Coffee and Cigarettes which is even more aimless than this. What I took issue in this film was that it was inconsistent; it tried to be a slice of life drama, while also having Tarantino’s staple suspense and explosive ending, and as a result, neither part was very well done.

I think it will be easiest to explain if I talk about the characters. First, as a blanket statement all the performances were excellent; the stand out for me was Brad Pit, but everyone else, even the bit parts were stellar. That’s actually where my first gripe comes in: the bit parts. This film has a lot of characters and a lot of them are completely unnecessary, episodic parts, some played by Tarantino regulars like Kurt Russel, Michael Maddsen, and Bruce Dern, and others by big league actors like Luke Perry, Dakota Fanning and Al Pacino. The two most egregious examples of wasted scenes/characters were Luke Perry and Mike Moh. Luke Perry plays Charlie (cough cough), who ends up being crucial to the film’s ending, and he’s mentioned a few times throughout the film, but we only see him in one super brief scene where he drives an ice cream truck, asks a question and leaves. He’s such a bit part, I would have completely forgotten about him, had I not known that Perry played this part, because I wanted to see what his role in the film was.

Poor Mike Moh; it’s been a while since a scene has caused this much dumb contraversy. Let’s start with the obvious: Bruce Lee never said anything about making Cassius Clay a cripple, and he never even remotely implied he could beat him. The fact that he would be so easily beaten in a fight by a random tall white dude is also iffy, even if the whole point is that his arrogance blinds him to Cliff’s abilities (which is a whole other can of worms). The real kicker is that this scene is completely and utterly UNNECESSARY. Yes, it’s a fun scene, especially Kurt Russel’s bit at the end, but it could have easily been a daydream, or any other martial artist working at the time. It’s inclusion is dumb, and I wasn’t a fan.

The second wasted character was Margot Robbie. She plays Sharon Tate, whose inclusion I thought would cause more controversy, but for whatever reason Bruce Lee was the worse of the two. First off her entire character could have easily been cut from the film, and not only would have the film not lost anything, it probably would have been better. Her character barely interacts with Rick, and never with Booth, she doesn’t do anything in the film, and her being Sharon Tate means nothing. We never see her life with Polanski, and because of the alternate ending, unless you already know exactly who she is, you wouldn’t even find out why the film focused on her so much. If you DO know who she is and what happened to her, you will just mostly be uncomfortable, because the way the film focuses on her in the last bit you think it’s going somewhere you’d rather not see.

Then we have the hippy subplot which we can group with Cliff, because they tie together. Even though it’s the plot that is closest to tying up the ending, it’s both absent from most of the film, and significantly less interesting than Rick’s plot. It’s also full of plot threads that come out of nowhere and go nowhere.

First, if Cliff wasn’t interested in sleeping with Pussy (barf), and knew she wasn’t 18 (which was obvious from the first scene we see her in), then why would he give her a ride? Because he wanted to see the ranch? The scene where he wants to check on Joe was great; the suspense of the ranch, him meeting all the characters, going to the house and seeing the state it was in, it was all excellent. But ultimately, it didn’t contribute to anything; it was funny at the end that he recognized Tex while he was high, but the hippies weren’t there for him, they weren’t even in the right house!

Second, as a character Cliff didn’t make much sense. He has no motivations or goals; he more or less does Rick’s bidding, and it’s not clear if it is because they are friends, or Rick pays him, or there are some unresolved feelings between them. The movie tries to cover it’s ass by hinting that both men are interested in women, but the women are barely present in the film, and in Cliff’s case, he goes out of his way NOT to have sex with her (probably the only good decision he’s made the whole film). Also, for a stuntman, and the freaking astounding shape that Pit got in, he does 0 stunts.

Finally we have Rick. Rick had the strongest character motivations in the film, and the most interesting plotline, but by the end he gets no real resolution. His character isn’t a real person, but he doesn’t need to be; plenty of actors have been in the same situation of wanting to expand beyond the material that made them famous and potentially destroying their career in the process. I really liked Rick overall; he was emotional and dramatic, and the few scenes where he just loses it were both hilarious and kind of heartbreaking. He even gets some moments to shine acting wise; I was so interested in the plot of Lanser, the show he was filming that I would have been ok with the whole film just being him and Timothy Oliphant taking the pilot away from the real Lanser who we never see on screen.

His interactions with the rest of the crew were great; I really enjoyed his banter with the actress (sorry actor) who plays Lanser’s daughter. She was really sharp and funny and I wish the film focused more on their friendship. I also enjoyed all his scenes with Booth and looking back now I’m surprised how few scenes they actually share together.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad film. I find it to be one of Tarantino’s weakest, but it’s still an entertaining glimpse at a specific time in film history. I think you should watch it and make up your own mind; just don’t expect a masterpiece.

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#once upon a time in hollywood #quentin tarantino #moni talks #film review

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martinqftt102-blog · 4 years

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15 Gifts for the Workers Compensation Attorney Dallas Lover in Your Life

Speak to numerous legal representatives prior to working with one to manage your case. Many personal injury attorneys offer a complimentary initial assessment to discuss your case. This assessment provides you the opportunity to ask the legal representative questions such as: what does it cost? experience she or he has; what the charges are; exactly what he or she feels your possibilities of having a successful case are; who will be working on your case (it might be an associate rather than the person you have the initial consultation with); and how long he or she feels it will take for a resolution of your case.

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It is advisable that when you had yourself hurt, or you had a mishap, you need to immediately speak with a lawyer to know the benefits you have for a case. Certainly, getting the services of injury attorneys to assist you on the steps to take would be a smart thing to do. Filing a formal complaint the soonest you can, will speed up things up, and will provide the impression of a real cause of action on your part.

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Accident cases are serious matters. They often involve serious injury, long-term special needs, and even death. Victims depend upon the injury attorney to recover financial damages that are needed to cover their medical treatments, replace permanently lost earnings, and compensate for their pain and suffering.

We’ve all seen the advertisements for an injury attorney on tv, on billboards and in papers, but when should we consider seeking advice from personal injury lawyers? An accident claim can be made when an individual suffers an injury through the neglect of another person. Carelessness is when a person's actions are considered to put another individual in unreasonable threat. If this negligence results in an accident then there is a case for an accident suit.

Law Firm of S. Craig Glickman

4925 Greenville Ave, Suite 200

Dallas, Texas 75206

(214) 407-2607

http://craigglickmanlawfirm.com

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#Car Accident Compensation Claims Dallas

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