Flypaper

Only the synopsis button is hyperlinked. This is a demo, only.



Flypaper, Stories That Stick. Get it here Free!

New Toy

1. Flypaper

I've been wanting to learn flash for a while, but in the class I took six years ago, by the end of the course, all I could manage was making cirlces and squares move around the page. BUT! I stumbled upon this tool this week. It's free to download on flypaper.net. I toyed with it for a while and discovered that it's very user friendly. I didn't have to watch a tutorial or read a manual. I just slapped this together in a couple hours:

http://community.flypaper.net/s/JLeigh/Stories/riff_front/item_preview_page.aspx?id=3797

Now, if I were to make a Riff page, and maybe at some point I would, it wouldn't look like this. It's a little busy and not terribly pleasing to the eye, but this was more of a test to see if I can actually do it. I hope the link works. I know there's a way to post it on the blog, so maybe I'll try that next.

Problems with the software? Yes, there are some. One is that if you have Vista, you have to run as administrator, which is a pain in the butt. Also, it did crash on me once, but it hasn't lately. And finally, I had a terrible time trying to upload and had to email them because it kept freezing on me. I still don't know what's wrong. Their reasons were things like "maybe you're on a proxy server" "maybe your Windows isn't updated" "maybe your firewall is blocking it" "maybe your computer clock is off by more than five minutes." I kid you not. The clock?!


2. Events

Lots of things happening here on campus.

-Sones de Mexico is an ensemble that I am heading up for CAB. They're a Mexican folk group.
-English Club professors vs. students volleyball potluck readings and such
-Byron Hurt lecture. Just saw his documentary today. I was really good. I'm excited for the lecture.
-Speak! I'm taking over Eng Club's open mic night this year.
-Undergraduate Research Convention. Considering submitting to this because it's in LaX, but it depends on if I get my grant. This isn't until April though.


3. Work. Ehck.

-homework -- well, that's normal
-studying for GREs. I just got my practice test CD today. Yippee. Was that supposed to sound excited?
-more grant stuff -- need to refine the abstract and make lots and lots of copies
-CAB stuff -- again, need to make copies of things, make phone call, make program
-Eng Club stuff -- making the club brochure, scheduling cellar for Speak!
-Eng website -- contacting new staff members to get bios and pics

September Updates

1. Writing

I've been doing a number of things with writing (and reading) including writing my grant proposal, getting 25 Riff readers, and experimenting with words. Check out the latest updates at: http://j-leigh-nelson.livejournal.com/


2. I had a dream

that it was December 12, 2012 (for those of you who don't know, that's where the Mayan calendars stop, so some ppl think it's the end of the world, for instance by a polar shift). And in the dream, I was really scared that the world really would end. In reality, I'm not too worried about that exact date, just as Y2K never bothered me. But then I had a dream right after that where two of my friends were getting married out in the woods and a volcano went off, so we had to run back to the cars. I did a little research this morning and learned that some people think that Mars had a polar shift because of a really heavy volcano. Could that be what destroyed a Martian civilization? I don't know. Are these two dreams a coinicidence? Probably. But I have been known to have premonition dreams before.


3. New School Year

Check out my new place:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120282&l=653b0&id=73405296
(more pictures to come on that very soon)

And also, I've already done enough CAB stuff for the whole year and I've only had one day of classes! But I'm excited about our upcoming shoes. This link will be continuously updated with CAB pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2121312&l=61d7f&id=73405296

All for now.

Welcome to August

I thought you deserved an August update. So here it is. I wish it and it comes true.

1. Riff

Yes, I finally finished draft 2! I'm getting it edited by members of the general public including peers and people who actually know what they're doing. I currently have 19 people on the list of readers. If you would like to be added to the list and give me feedback by mid-Dec., drop me a line at no1getzs0da@yahoo.com. For more information, check out my writing blog at:
http://j-leigh-nelson.livejournal.com/

2. Online Portfolio

For my summer course, I now have a super-duper online portfolio, which gives samples of my writing to prospective employers. It's password protected, so I'm afraid you can't view it without my permission. I was going to post a screencap for you, but Blogger.com is having "internal errors." I tell ya, blogging websites are frequent let-downs. Haven't had any trouble with Live Journal yet, though. Sorry Blogger.com. It's not MY fault you can't upload pictures.

3. Drawings

Well, I was going to upload some drawings for you too, but. You know the rest. I will tell you that I busted out the paints and made a circus scene. I'm not very good with paint, but it amused me for about an hour. I did make some good digital art for Riff that you can now view on my website. www.simple-assault.com

4. Website

Speaking of my website, did you notice the tinypic pictures? I think it's great that there are services like tinypic to provide free image hosting. On the other hand, I may have gotten carried away. The pictures, especially on the film page, make it look very cluttered. What do you think?

5. Purchases

I bought some things that are fun a while ago. I got both seasons of Life on Mars on DVD and the first season of Ashes to Ashes. I now have a used universal DVD player, so I am able to play these things on my TV here in America. I also got the Time Machine Tour (Darren Hayes) DVD, which oddly is very zoomed in on my television set, but works on larger screens. I also bought some books. The only one I've read so far is Mr. Emerson's Wife, which is quite good, especially being a genre I'd never read if Thoreau wasn't in it. I started looking at the Discworld Graphic Novel, which is massive. I also have From Where You Dream, The Pilo Family Circus, and The Secret History of Moscow, all of which I plan to read soon. But I've got more important things to read for now, including stuff for writers group and Bob's novel, which I have been reading on the bus to and from work. Oh and I bought Jonathan Rundman's Sound Theology CD too because a lot of the songs in the samples on Amazon sounded too good to pass up.

6. Audio Book

I recorded a sample chapter of Riff with my webcam as an audio book. It pretty much failed. While the image quality is decent, sometimes it echoes. I don't mean reverberation. I mean ECHO Echo echo echo. But it was fun to do all the different accents.

Some news

1. Bleak House commercial. Check it out and buy the book this month at bleakhousebooks.com. ps. I made this commercial at my internship. You can tell because it's my house.




2. Livejournal. There have been some updates on my writing blog here.

3. Drawing. Life on Mars. Drew it by hand. Colored and added bkgd in Photoshop. (Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt and John Simm as Sam Tyler.)

Post Density

I know I just wrote a day or two ago, but I've got more to say.

WRITING

Learn about Riff Chapter 3
Learn about Riff Chapter 4



SAD DAY

My grandma, Joan, passed away early this morning in the hospital. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Additionally, if you know of anyone who wants a new cat, let me know.
serenityyrd@yahoo.com



THE KOOKS

I just ordered tickets to see The Kooks at the Barrymore in Madison on October 9th. That's pretty sweet considering I forgot to order them half an hour ago and there were still seats available. I know I don't have class that night or the next morning, but I hope there's not a CAB event that I have to attend that night. Can't find my calendar, but things are constantly being updated anyway. The Kooks are pretty awesome. Thanks to Katie who introduced me to their music.



READING

I know I rant a lot about TV, but seriously, I don't sit in front of the TV all day. I've been doing a lot of reading too. After tomorrow, I will be exactly half way through the entire Holy Bible. That's pretty exciting, right? 20 minutes a day for 300 days and you too can read the Bible in a year. I've been reading books by my creative writing professors, Cashion and Treu. Haven't finished either yet, but I'm working on it. It's good to have stuff to read while I'm on the bus to and from my internship.

Charleston and rant

Writing and stuff

Check out my other blog to get updates on my writing. I've downloaded a fun new program and found this weird site that reads your novel aloud to you.

http://j-leigh-nelson.livejournal.com/3066.html


Website

Check out my website at simple-assault.com because I've added some pictures using TinyPic.com. More to come! I've also updated the links and about me page. And now there is an official page for masks rather than a link to off-site albums.


Charleston

South Carolina was great. Here's a couple pictures (really, there are HUNDREDS). There were dolphins and a beached shark and lots of seagulls and pelicans. Ghosts in the haunted jail. Salt in the ocean. Tornadoes in the sky. Alcohol in the slushies at Wet Willies. Faeries in the Angel Oak tree. Sunset in the cruise. Awesomeness in the flat. Cat in the bag. Spice in the chicken. Hats in the market place. Rubber ducks on the runway. Eerie halls under Moultrie. Cannons on the battery. Shells on the beach. Fish under my feet. Sunburn on my foot. Foot in the ocean!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112622&l=ba6fc&id=73405296


Life on Mars Rant

Life on Mars is a BBC show from a couple years ago. It's my favorite at the moment. It's innovative. Actors that can act, directors who know what they're doing, and original writers. And now America wants to remake it. If America wants it so badly, they should release it on region 1 DVD, not give it to ABC to mess with. I just saw the new trailer and they've make it QUIRKY. PLUCKY. The directors act like all they know about 70s policing is the Ben Stiller Owen Wilson version of Starsky and Hutch. The music makes it look like a comedy. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they weren't making it the EXACT same plot. But shot for shot, line for line, it's the same. Except they've Hollywoodized it, so the action is more intense and the quick comebacks are cliche. I don't know how O'Mara will be as Sam, but I remember the original directors saying how fortunate they were to get John Simm b/c few actors can handle a complex character like Sam Tyler. And Gene Hunt needs ATTITUDE, not just violence. And as nice as it is to see someone from Big Wolf on Campus back on TV, she's way to sassy to be Annie. I hate to say it, but I think they've MODERNIZED the 70's.

The old show



The new show



Funny rant -- very true



Mixing the two shows

Movie trailers and more

Hello one and all. It's father's day in ten minutes. So happy father's day to all you fathers. And for all you non-fathers, have you gotten something for your father?

FILM
So, I've uploaded my movie trailers to my website:
http://www.simple-assault.com/film.htm
So check them out. I realized that I didn't have a movie trailer for Sans Design yesterday, so I made one. I'm embaressed to tell you how long it took me. All right, it was three hours. That can't be right! But I think it is one of the best, if not THE best, trailer I've ever made, so watch it.

WRITING
Check out the writing blog to learn what's been happening
RIFF CH 1
RIFF CH 2
Books

VACATION
I'm going to Charleston in less than a week. You'll be lucky to hear from me on here before then. Unless I'm really productive. Maybe on the writing blog. I have the next 3 days off of work, and I plan to read writers group stuff and write more Riff. I hope I don't get riffed out this summer. Anyway, South Carolina, here I come!

WATCHING TV
So Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes aren't on Veoh anymore. I was only on episode 5!!! Does anyone know where I can buy Life on Mars on DVD in the States? I know it's PAL region 2 but I don't care. And Amazon.uk is weird because it charges a bunch for conversion rates and crap. Can't amazon be amazon the world over? Actually, Amazon is a little evil because it's killing the bookstores and preventing people from browsing which prevents anything not on Oprah's bookclub from being discovered. But it's good for the things you can't get anywhere else. Except Life on Mars, which it doesn't even have because it's British. How rude. And Ashes isn't even on DVD yet. Ehhh.

WATCHING MOVIES
The Happening. Go see it. I don't care if you don't like M. Night. This is a movie to see in theatres. Unless you're under 16. It's got Night's humor and his scariness and the whole idea is really cool...and a little too realistic to be comfortable with. And hey, it's John Leguizamo and Zooey Deschanel. Alan Ruck had a cameo too. Don't tell your friends what's "happening." It's a secret.

Summer Goals

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH WRITING?
Well, lots! Check here for updates: http://j-leigh-nelson.livejournal.com/1802.html

GOALS FOR THE SUMMER
1. Read Bible 20 minutes per day in order to finish whole Bible in 1 year
2. Internship at Bleak House Books (in charge of Evan's book tour)
3. Edit Riff (that's a doozy)
4. research grant to get $$$ for editor
5. prayer journal
6. idea journal
7. scrapbook the rest of last semester
8. scrapbook spring break 2007
9. Read QBQ before mid July
10. Read other books on my list
11. Go to Charleston
12. Pack for Charleston (not in that order)
13. writers group
14. Read/critique Bob's book (finished ch. 2 today!)
15. edit and submit White Elephant to places
16. summer class: portfolio
17. finish watching Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes

MOVIE REVIEWS
We have NetFlix now, so we're getting a lot of movies. I've seen some in theatres too.
Martian Child wasn't bad, a lot like K-Pax. Amanda Peet wanted to kiss John Cusack in Identity but didn't get to. In this movie, it was the most awkward kiss ever.
The Good Night was strange -- surprising ending. I mean, I get it. The pivotal line is Danny DeVito saying the neverending dream is the ideal, but I don't know if that was put strong enough. But hey, Simon Pegg was in it, yeah?
Slipstream was WEIRD. It was cool, but it didn't make a whole lot of sense. It was the first thing Anthony Hopkins ever wrote, and you could kinda tell, but the characters were developed, the acting was good, and the artsiness was super. I just didn't follow the story very well, but I think that was the point.
The Orphanage was pretty cool. It kind of reminded me of The Others for some reason. Maybe it's because it's a ghost story about a concerned mother in a creepy house.
Iron Man was good while it wasn't being the cliche super hero movie. It was really unique until the fight scene in the street which echoed Fantastic Four.
Indiana Jones. Huh. Worst first scene to a movie ever. The big secret of the Aztecs is really disrespectful to the Aztecs not to mention the disrespect of making Russians evil. It had it's good moments. It was funny when it wasn't being cheesey.
Cloverfield...why is it called Cloverfield? Anyway, it was scary, made me very nervous, so good job. In the last scene, you can totally see something falling from the sky. Very realistic both in acting, writing (beyond the obvious), and camera work. There were a couple things that were wrong like the camera's ability to focus in blinking lights and lack of smudge after blood splatter, but we'll let it slide.

TELEVISION REVIEWS
A while ago, I dubbed Torchwood as my new favorite show because season two blew my socks off, but now I think Life On Mars is my favorite. I've only seen 9 of 18 episodes so far, but they're fantastic. The last episode I saw, one about football, was so funny (two scenes: chicken and drunk). And I've seen two episodes of its spin off, Ashes to Ashes. I'm not sure that woman can carry a show like John Simm can, but the "supporting cast" basically steals all of her scenes. Philip Glenister can hold his own.

Room makeover 2008