Splendora – Top 15 Uploaded Scripts on The Black List

Hey gang, been a while since I updated this.  So what have I been doing with my time?  Writing, of course!

Thought I’d tell you about my latest spec script…

SPLENDORA.

Here’s the logline: For her 18th birthday, a sheltered teen just wants to kiss a boy. Instead, she gets supernatural powers, a kidnapped mom, five deadly sisters to battle, and the disturbing news that her dad is the Prince of Darkness.

The script was recently in the Top 15 Uploaded Scripts at The Black List and it’s enjoyed a lot of attention as a result.

What people have been saying:

“One of the best un-repped scripts I’ve ever read.”
- PDFScreenplays.com

“The script is a fun blend between action, fantasy, and comedy and has a very original premise.  A consistent string of comic and thrilling sequences, Splendora is a well-written script that isn’t too far from being production ready.”
- Blcklst.com

“[The] writing style is already industry standard.  Confident and strong.  Not too many Black List finalists give a reader this much old-timey rollicking good fun.”
- 10ptt.com

If you’re an agent, manager, producer, or executive and would like to give it a read, shoot me an email HERE.

Getting to know you some more.

As the readers of this site continue to grow (hi everybody!) I want to make sure I never allow you guys to turn into numbers.  My goal has always been to build relationships, not to collect readers.

With that in mind, I’d love to get to know you a bit!  Whether you’re an old friend or a new reader, take a look at the questions below and respond in the comments.

1. What’s a favorite non-social network website that you visit daily?

2. If you had to be stuck in a fallout shelter with one person (alive or dead, famous or friend) for a year, who would you choose?

3. What’s your favorite super hero movie?

4. Name one song I should go download right now. 

5. What types of posts would you like to see more of on here?  Essays?  Original comics?  Best of lists?  Interviews?  More opinions on comics, film, or writing?  Inspirational type stuff?  Practical, “breaking-in” type stuff?

Thanks guys!  Look forward to hearing from you!

On the Same Page

Memories and anecdotes from my last long-term relationship. Presented here out of context and out of order.  Updated every Wednesday.

This is probably the last one of these that I’ll do for a while.  There is more to this story (wait, this is a story?) that I want to tell, but I’d like to play around with some other art things that I’ll be testing out here in the near future.  But if you enjoy these dumb little comics and wanna see more, please let me know!

Rooney’s World on Aint It Cool News

For the past ten years, I’ve started every day off by reading aintitcool.com.  So it brings me the greatest of pleasure to have them link to and review our short film, Rooney’s World.

Hudson Phillips has a kickass short here for us with a style I’m head over heels for.

Read the entire article and view other great short films here.

CHEER!

The View from the Middle

So, I live in Roswell, GA.  It’s a suburb of Atlanta.  And as much as I love living in Atlanta, the big thing we’re missing is a body of water.  The closest beach is about a 5-hour drive.  (Unless you count the local lake… which, I mean, come on).  We do have a perfectly good river though, and thanks to that river, we in Roswell have a waterfall.

Roswell has a lot of history to it.  The town was built around an old cotton mill – a mill that was once used to make Confederate uniforms for the Civil War (before it was burned to the ground).  And to power this mill, they built a 30 ft. dam.

The ruins of this mill and the dam are now one of the most beautiful areas in the Atlanta area.  It looks like this:

Today, while exploring the falls, I was trying to navigate my way up a rocky path.  As I looked up, it was clear there was only one way up.  Every other possible path was either too dangerous or blocked by thick brush.

So I followed this one and only path to the top and looked back down.  What I discovered was this:

The brush wasn’t as thick as I assumed.  The dangerous rocks were safe and level.  There were many paths to the top.  I just couldn’t see them because of my limited view.  

And as I stood at the top, looking back down, it occurred to me… this is a great cheesy metaphor!

But that’s what life is like, right?  Especially for creatives.  We may be paralyzed by fear of the unknown.  We may be convinced that the path we want to go down is blocked or that the journey to the top is too risky.  It’s only when we make it to our destination and look back down that we see how clear the path really was.

I met a guy the other day who referred to himself as “an unsuccessful writer.”  When I told him that “success is just a mindset,” he replied “that’s something only successful writers say.”

My first thought was “He’s somehow been fooled into thinking I’m a successful writer!  What a sucker!”  But I suppose it’s true, I have found a little success in writing.  I’m still not doing it full time, but I do have a body of work to show for the past 8 years.  I’ve sold screenplays.  I’ve made a well-received short film.  I’ve had comics published on websites that I respect.  I’ve spoken at a conference on storytelling.  But it’s only looking back on these accomplishments that I feel anything resembling success.  While in the middle of the journey, these are very small steps surrounded by ten times that many disappointments and failures.

The only difference between me and this “unsuccessful writer” was that he just couldn’t yet see his path.  The further you climb, the clearer the path becomes.  You just have to keep moving forward.

Success is just a combination of time and consistency.  To constantly be producing over a long period of time.  Focus on the good, not the bad.  Overcome your fears.  Put your head down and keep climbing.  You’ll have plenty of time to figure out the path when you get to the top.

Tiny Opinions on a Gigantic Comic-Con

Got back from San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday so I should be fully adjusted back to normal life… sometime next year.

What an amazing experience!   For those of you who haven’t been, the best way to describe it is MASSIVE.  So like picture in your head what you think ComicCon is like and multiply that times a thousand.  130,000 people, a GIANT convention floor with thousands of booths and exhibitors, barely able to move through the crowd, and literally 100 things to do every hour – most of which sound awesome.

There’s something for everyone – video games, animation, comic books, role-playing games, cosplay, movies, television, toys, visual arts, books, anime, manga, and every mixture in between.  I mean, you’d really have to be a douche-bag to not be into at least one of those things, right?

And there’s something about being surrounded by so many like-minded people…

I’m now having withdrawals.

We were invited to take part this year by screening the short film I wrote, Rooney’s World, at the convention and therefore got free professional badges, which was totally rad.  The screening was a lot of fun.  We had a decent turn-out and got to do a Q&A following.

My favorite part of the week was (arguably) the meet and greet time we had with other filmmakers.  It’s an odd thing, making movies.  You put SO much time and effort into this creative outlet and put it out there, hoping it finds an audience.  It can be very nerve-wracking when this product, which is a huge part of you, is rejected.  It can be soul-crushing.  For example, we were turned down for ten festivals before Comic-Con accepted.  So it was nice to discuss with these other filmmakers the ups and downs of the process… to know that we weren’t the only ones going through it.

And that in a nutshell is what Comic-Con is all about: 130,000 people getting together and validating each other – learning that our passions (whether that be film or cosplay or toys) are worthy passions.  Isn’t this what we all want from life?  To be understood?  To connect with other human beings?

I encourage you to find your own group of encouragement – a small group of people in your area that share in your passions – to be your light through the darker periods of your creative endeavors.

Putting ourselves out like this is a risk.  We’re not always going to get that validation we’re looking for.  We all need to be reminded during those times… WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Postpartum Humor

Memories and anecdotes from my last long-term relationship.  Presented here out of context and out of order.  New comic every Wednesday.

Who are you?

I’ve recently been testing out some tactics on WordPress to boost readers of this site.  Posting more often, being more interactive, checking out the blogs of others.  And it’s helped.  Views have steadily been going up.  But I quickly grew uncomfortable with this idea of self-promotion, because it turned people into numbers and I’m a little grossed out by that.  I had to reevaluate the purpose of this site.

I realized my real goal is not to boost readership, but to boost relationships.  

So, with that in mind – I want to get to know you as a person, not as a number.  Maybe you’re a new visitor, maybe you’ve been coming by for a long time, maybe you’re a friend or family member, whatever it may be, I invite you to fill out this little quiz and post your response in the comments.

1. Where are you from?

2. What is your creative passion?

3. What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie?

4. Which author (alive or dead, fiction or non-fiction) would you want writing your biography?

5. Do you have a blog or other online home?  If so, where can I find it?

I’m gonna try to keep this a regular thing, post one of these every couple of weeks. Look forward to getting to you know you!

HeroesCon

Just made it back from HeroesCon in Charlotte yesterday.  Such a wonderful convention, HIGHLY recommended to anyone interested in creating comics.  I was only there for a day and a half but was able to set up a booth and do some Rooney’s World promo, caught a panel on pitching comics by Chris Schweizer, met dozens of AMAZING comic book artists and creators, ate lots of food, drank lots of drink, and made lots of new friends.  Sleep?  Not so much.  Thanks to everyone who was so awesome to me.

It just occurred to me that the only photo I took was the one to the left.  NOTE TO SELF: Take more photos next year.  Love, Hudson.

You should make it a point of being there next year and come hang out with us.  Yes, YOU!

Candy’s Not Supposed To Be Sour

Memories and anecdotes from my last long-term relationship.  Presented here out of context and out of order.  New comic every Wednesday.

 

Empathy

All wars begin because of one thing.  Romantic break-ups, political disagreements, family fall-outs, religious persecution… all because we lack EMPATHY:

The ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others.

If you want a successful marriage, if you want a successful business partnership, if you want a successful marketing campaign with your clients or customers – the key is empathy.  It’s not about convincing someone else what you want, but it’s finding what the other person needs.  And the only way to do that is to put yourself in their shoes.

I had an old friend contact me the other day for coffee.  I hadn’t seen him in years and thought it would be good to catch up.  But the moment we sat down, he goes into a pitch on something he’s trying to sell me.  He only cared about what he wanted at that moment.  He could care less about what I needed.  And I haven’t talked to him since.  A much wiser decision would’ve been to catch up, build a relationship, get to know me on a personal level and find out if I even needed what he was offering.

Why do we have such a hard time with empathy?  I think mostly because it’s difficult.  It takes work.  It’s much easier for us to corner ourselves off in this black and white world where we are always right.  Where the world revolves around us.  Where all relationships exist to help us reach our goals.

Just about every time I see my step-dad, we argue over politics.  He tries to convince me that his political beliefs are “right” and mine are “wrong.”  I always kind of laugh and shrug it off (he doesn’t care for this response).  But what does he gain from me agreeing with him?  What does he lose by me disagreeing with him?

Because the moment we clash with someone who might have a different perspective, our black and white world becomes grey and all those walls we’ve built up around ourselves crumble.

Being empathetic is being vulnerable.

It’s not enough to just assume what the other person wants (humans are really bad guessers) but we have to actually communicate to find that out.  Listen to your clients.  Listen to your spouse.  Don’t try to impose your view on them, but accept their view as their own and figure out how you can serve that view.

We all come from different walks of life and we are going to have different needs, but it’s important to realize that it doesn’t make one person wrong and one person right, it just makes us different.  And we have to celebrate those differences, not impose our point of view on everyone else.

What can you do differently this week to empathize with your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, co-worker, boss, mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, neighbor, fan or client?

Rooney’s World Update – Watch it now!

Hey guys, you can now watch the short film I wrote and produced over at rooneysworld.com.

Let me know what you think in the comments below!  Tell your friends!  Hope you enjoy!

• Stop following your dreams! (or why Joss Whedon & Adam WarRock were depressed)

“Follow your dreams.” 

A mental picture immediately arises at this phrase.  Maybe it sits in your brain somewhere next to rainbows & unicorns.  Or maybe your mind goes to those American Idol-ish kids who want SO bad to be a singer, but they are vocally & socially terrible at it.

The phrase “follow your dreams” has an air of UN-reality to it.  I mean, dreams aren’t real right?  They are things we WAKE UP FROM, born in our imagination.  Things that get in the way of “real life.”  It’s something lazy people do when they don’t want to get a real job, right?

But I don’t think “following your dreams” is an accurate description of what that phrase really implies when people use it.

I think a more accurate phrase is FULFILLING WHAT YOU WERE MEANT TO DO. 

Whether we believe in a divine creator or not, I don’t think it’s a far stretch for us to believe that we were put on this earth for a reason.  That our life has a PURPOSE.

Riki Lindhome recently had a fantastic interview with Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, the Avengers) on her Making It podcast.  Riki talks with Whedon about a particularly dark period of his writing career and she asks him if he wrote every day during this time.  His response:

“You know, not every day.  Sometimes I’d go weeks without writing and then I’d be depressed and I wouldn’t be able to figure out why.  It’d be like ‘I don’t know why I’m depressed!’  And then I’d be like ‘Oh, I’m not writing.  So stupid.’  Like, every time I’d forget.”

Anyone who connects with the phrase “fulfilling what you were meant to do” can relate to what he’s saying here.  For Whedon, his decision to be a writer is not a choice.  It’s not a “dream.”  It’s not a cop-out.  It’s WHO HE IS.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself in the very same position, sitting around, being bummed out, but not understanding why.  Circumstances may be in my favor on any given week, but if I’m not writing, I don’t feel alive.

Eugene Ahn, the pop-culture hip hop artist better known as Adam WarRock, recently posted his inspiring story over at youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily and it’s totally an amazing read.

Being drawn to hip hop in college, Ahn nevertheless put his head down, graduated and became a lawyer.  He talks about this difficult period is his life:

“For four years, I stopped making music, and really doing anything creative. When you’re in school, you can put your head down and focus. You have goals. You have stuff to get done, whether you like it or not. When you have a job, you come home at the end of the day and just sit there. You wait for the next day of work. It took me about four months to realize I had fallen into a deep depression. I was drinking by myself, a lot. I was refusing to go out, I was always tired. One of my best friends, a former hobbyist rapper himself, pulled me out of the mire and told me that I needed to make music again… I reluctantly agreed, and suddenly everything cleared away. Suddenly I was making music every night again.”

“When I first stepped on stage to perform, I could’ve made myself throw up if I just let a different stomach muscle flex in a weird way. But when I start performing, I lose all sense of self awareness. I lose inhibition. I don’t feel scared, I don’t feel insecure, I don’t feel anxiety. I just feel like I’m the person I should be.”

This to me doesn’t sound like someone who is “following his dreams.”  It’s not some random desire that pops into Ahn’s brain.  He is empty without making music.  It makes him who he is.  Being on stage is like being at home.  And I know most of us can relate to that feeling.  This is what it means to fulfill what you were meant to do.

Another important difference between the two phrases is that “following your dreams” implies that one day you magically arrive at your dreams, whereas “fulfilling what you were meant to do” is more immediate.  It’s something you can wake up and do every day.  Success really has nothing to do with it.  That period of time that Joss Whedon references above – none of his scripts were getting made.  Yet, just the very act of writing fulfilled his purpose.  I believe 100% in setting goals and achieving them, but we don’t need to find “success” in order to fulfill our purpose.

So lets leave the fruity “follow your dreams” talk at the door…  What’s inside of you dying to get out?  What are you built to do?  What gives you energy?  What inspires you?  What makes you feel like you’re at home?  What pulls you out of those moments of depression?  What gets you up in the morning?

What were you meant to do? 

And the answer to that should leave no question as to where you should be spending your time and energy.

• 2011 New Years Resolutions

Resolutions are a tricky thing.  In my experience, we are often in control of our destiny, but not necessarily the timing.  In setting New Years Resolutions, we are essentially limiting our timeline (to a year  [or less if we give up!]), which can lead to disappointment.  Resolutions, goals, are a free-flowing thing.  They should be constantly on your mind.  The point of resolutions isn’t so much the end result, as it is helping you focus on spending your time wisely.

So, I’m not going to list my 2012 resolutions here.

However, I AM going to share with you some of my 2011 resolutions.  Many of these resolutions weren’t one year resolutions at all, but part of a 5-year or 10-year plan, and I was blessed to see them come true ahead of that plan.  There were others, not listed here, that were part of a 1-year plan and they look to be another year or two down the road.

I keep a little notebook with me at all times.  It looks like this:

Inside this notebook is a number of things,

• A list of my top 6 priorities,

• A list of my top 4 values,

• A list of my top 4 emotional needs,

• A list of my top 3 life lessons,

• A list of things I’m grateful for,

• A list of all the things I’m looking for in a girl (you’re never seeing this one).

• A list of goals.

Many of them are too personal to list here, but all of the goals are written as if they have already happened: “I weigh 165 lbs.” for instance, even though I didn’t weigh that when I wrote it.

So every day, I repeat these goals to myself, often aloud, as if they are true, and as a result, you FEEL the results of these goals coming true, and eventually they do.  Sure it’s a little new-agey, but this is the first year I’ve really put this positive energy into practice and just in case you have any doubts, I’ll share with you my results.

Here are the 2011 entries which have come true:

1. I spend quality time every week with friends and family.
This is the first year that I haven’t been in a romantic relationship in a very long time.  This allowed me to spend more time with my family and friends and rekindle some old lost relationships.  For many this is an easy thing, but I so quickly get lost in my own world, that I occasionally have to force myself out of the house, hence the goal.

2. I have all the tattoos I want.
This year I got my first tattoo.  While it definitely isn’t “all the ones I want,” it was the first step towards that.  It looks like this:

3. I produce films.
This is one of those 10-year goals that just happened to fall into place this year when I produced a short film I wrote.  On top of that, I officially started a production company with two of my pals: The Brothers Ray, LLC.  Represent!

4. One of my scripts has been made into a movie.
TWO movies were filmed this year that I wrote – 1. “Crackerjack” – based on the screenplay “Church League,” an old script by myself, Lance Herd, & Kyle Gibson and 2. “Rooney’s World,” the short I wrote and produced this Summer.

5. I write three scripts a year.
I wrote two full length scripts this year – a rewrite of my script “Creature Seekers,” and “Midlife High” (alongside my partners Lance Herd & Kyle Gibson); and one short – “Rooney’s World.”  In addition to a handful of comic book scripts as well.

6. I mentor young writers.
Another 5-year goal that happened to fall onto my plate this year – I was invited to speak at a media conference on storytelling to a group of mostly college-aged kids.  A real dream come true.

7. I weigh 165lbs.
Just weighed myself today – 163 (with shoes on!).

I say all this simply to say, this has been, by far, the most productive year of my life.  And I owe it all to simply keeping those goals on the forefront of my mind.

RECOMMENDED READING:
If you’d like to learn more about setting and following goals, I recommend the popular book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

 

• Hello World Racers!

Tonight I gave a talk on storytelling, inspiration, & facing failure at the Adventures in Missions Media Training Seminar.  Had incredibly amazing time being inspired by all the attendees who are about to leave on an 11 month(!), 11 country(!) round-the-world trip serving those in need.  So blessed to be a small part of it.

To all of you guys in attendance, I would love to keep up with your adventures!  Find me via facebook, email, twitter, or comment below.

Thanks!

• Look Them in the Eyes (or how everything I know about networking I learned from dating)

My brother is a born salesman, he’s constantly rising the corporate ladder of whatever fill-in-the-blank company he’s currently working for.  He quits one job, immediately gets a new higher paying one.  He started a coffee shop from scratch, only to turn around and sell it six months later.  He’s one part Gordon Gecko, one part Patrick Bateman.

If “born salesman” is at one end of the spectrum, then “starving artist” as at the other.  One look at my bank account, and I’ll let you guess where I land (usually in the negative).

I have a theory for this.  I believe that creatives usually have some kind of pain in their past, and as a result disappeared into their imaginations to deal with it.  This is certainly true of myself.  And while this has led to a rather creative & talented mind, it’s also led to a terribly shy, somewhat bumbling personality.  If you’re anything like my brother, then this essay is not for you.

For us creatives, the problem is that if we ever want to be successful (read: pay our rent) then we have to be salesmen.  We have to master self-promotion.  Here is my 4-step process to doing so.

1. Get out of your comfort zone.

I would much rather sit at home typing safely into my computer than put myself out in the real world.  The real world is harsh.  Rejection is personal.  Technology provides us with a buffer of safety.  You don’t have to look in the eyes of someone who is telling you your life-long dream is a terrible idea (there’s also nothing more satisfying than looking into the eyes of someone who “gets it.”)  But in the world of writing, at least in film or comics, it is extremely hard (if not impossible) to “break-in” from behind your computer.

In the past month I’ve gone to two events – Nashville Screenwriting Conference in Tennessee and HeroesCon in North Carolina.  Both provided me with experiences and contacts that would never be made sitting at home.  I personally believe that you don’t have to move to a new city to follow your dreams (some professionals disagree with me), but I do believe you have to at least travel to where others in your industry are from time to time.  Both comics & film are about relationships.  Talent takes you a long way, but nothing replaces relationships.

2. Look them in the eye.

Craig Mazin, the screenwriter behind Hangover 2, told a story at the Nashville Screenwriting Conference about an anonymous writer who slid a letter under his hotel room door.  In the letter, the author introduced herself and stated that she had left her script for Craig to read at the first desk.  Craig said that this person made the wrong decision and he refused to read the script.

This was of course an awkward story as the author was sitting in the room, but it was a very important lesson.  If you want to make it, you have to have the guts to put yourself out there.  Nothing replaces a handshake.  Nothing replaces looking someone in the eye.  Craig will forever know this writer as the writer too afraid to face him in person.  Would he have read it if they did talk to him in person?  Maybe not, but they would have at least had the opportunity to make a good first impression.

3. Sell a personality.

Great stories are about great characters.  The first ten minutes of a film should set up your character so that the audience falls in love with them, so they are invested in that character’s plight for the next 90 minutes.  No matter how great the plot is, if the character’s aren’t worth investing in, the story suffers.  The same applies to your career.  You could have a great plot (written ten screenplays, shot a bunch of shorts, created a 1000 page graphic novel) but if the powers-that-be are not interested in YOU, then they won’t be interested in your art.  (And by powers-that-be I mean the gatekeeepers: agents, publishers, pros, managers, producers, investors, etc.)

If you stay behind your computer screen, you are nothing but a product.  A faceless, personality-lacking, dime-a-dozen drone.  Your greatest product is yourself.  Get out and sell you.  BUT your first goal should not be to “sell them.”  Just like a bad salesman, the gatekeepers can see you coming a mile away.  Don’t be the telemarketer.

I don’t know much about sales, but this sounds like something they would say: “You have to earn someone’s trust before you can sell to them.”  The key is trust.  The key is friendships.  If you come up to someone and immediately start in with your pitch, they never get a chance to know your personality, only your product.

4. It’s a date.

Practically speaking, how do you “sell yourself?”  Well, think of it as a date.  What’s the worst thing you can do on a first date? Talk all about yourself.  The key to getting that second date is asking questions (and to actually be interested in the answers).  Getting to know the person sitting across from you.  If it’s a good date, they’ll be interested in you as well, and that will hopefully lead to a second “date” where you can talk more about your career and goals.  And if they aren’t, then you politely move on to the next suitor.

The thing is, in the grand scheme of things, these friendships are going to be more important than whatever career you have anyway.  The friendships I’ve made in the industry, I wouldn’t trade for anything, not even “success.”  Life is ultimately about relationships – the people we bump into while we’re busy living life.  Those are the moments that really matter.

In the opening paragraph I made my brother out to be this superhero, but the truth is his success lies in the same principles I’m discussing here.  This was made clear to me when he recently shared his definition for success, quoting Sir Winston Churchill: “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Just like dating, you’re going to have some bad ones.  You’re going to get hurt.  You’re going to be beat down and disappointed.  You’re going to fail a lot.  But if you keep at it, you will find what you’re looking for.

- Hudson

• Strawberries (Free Comic)

Artist Brandon Earnhart and I created a short comic called Strawberries for a competition over at iFanboy.com (where we were really excited and flattered to get a runners-up nod).

Strawberries tells the story of a monk, a tiger, and two kids in love.

Click here to download a pdf (or view jpg’s at the iFanboy link above).

Would love to get your feedback! Look for more from Brandon and I in the near future.

• Shaun Tan’s “The Arrival” and thoughts on Second Chances

I don’t do reviews much… mainly because I’m not that great at it… and also, you can find a thousand reviews of just about everything out there possible.

However, I took a gander at Shaun Tan’s breathtaking book, “The Arrival”, recently and I just can’t keep my mouth shut.

The Arrival is a story told all in pictures.  Beautiful, painstakingly drawn pictures.  In the credits of the book, Tan mentions that the book took 4 years to complete, and it shows.  Even without the story, the artwork is stunning on it’s own.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a wordless story, but what I discovered was a wonderful lost art form.  Usually reserved for children’s books, Tan uses the technique to tell one of the most touching stories I’ve read all year.

And the story itself is what really got me.  The Arrival follows a man as he leaves his wife and young daughter to journey to a new land in order to give himself and his family a new home and a new hope.

It is an incredibly imaginative allegorical retelling of the immigrant story.  Instead of escaping wars and turmoil, the characters escape creatures and giants.  The language and customs of the new land are like nothing you’ve ever seen.  And what you find is, in today’s society, of being so modern and in touch with the rest of the world, Tan’s take on the immigrant story is really the ONLY way to really get across the confusion and strangeness of a new world.

The Arrival, ultimately, is about second chances.  The book touched me deeply in this way.  I’ve always held such deep respect for the immigrant.  To not settle for the hand you’ve been dealt, but to dream of greatness, and to do whatever it takes to make that greatness a reality.  And I think that’s something we can all relate to, whether the hand we’ve been dealt is being born poor or sick, or whether we just live with regrets & mistakes.

Three ideas stood out to me from the book that I would say are key to second chances:

1. Determination – The hero of the book sets out on his journey with no doubt that he will soon be reunited with his family.  He hits a number of road blocks and a great deal of time passes, but he never gives up.  He never says “this is too hard” and falls back into the hand he’d been dealt.

2. Simplicity – The hero of the book doesn’t immediately search for lavish surroundings or a quality job.  He takes what he can get.  To him, to simply be in a new, safe, free country is all he wants.  He doesn’t need more than that.  His goal is simple.

3. Community – The hero of the book quickly surrounds himself with people who help him along the journey.  Along the way, they help meet his needs, point him in the right direction, and provide a joyful escape.

If you haven’t read it already, please take a look at Shaun Tan’s The Arrival.  It is a very simple, but very beautiful story.  And as you face your second chances, keep these ideas in mind and know that no matter what you are facing, it is possible to overcome whatever hand life has dealt you.

• How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part 1)

Every summer, my high school friends and I spend a weekend together, in part to remember our great friend Marcus, who died tragically in the summer of 2000. For the past few years, we would rent a lake house about an hour outside of Atlanta. It’s generally considered the best weekend we spend every year. For a few of my friends, it’s the only time I get to see them, as they have moved out to New York or L.A.

This summer was different, however, as one of our friends, Mark (who hasn’t made it for the past few years since moving to Dallas), was getting married in Amelia Island, about 6 hours away from Atlanta off the coast of Florida. We decided to move the dates of the MRMGT (Marcus Ray Memorial Golf tournament [golf is rarely played]) to this weekend in August (normally in July). What we didn’t count on is a tropical storm called Fay.

The 5 of us (Dan, Lance, Kyle, Steve, & myself) arrive at our beach house Thursday evening. The first sign that it’s going to be an interesting weekend is that there is a tree, blown down on it’s side, blocking the entire entrance to the neighborhood.

Once around the tree, we arrive at our beach house, only to find no key in the lock box (where the owners said the key would be located.)

So, we call the owner, who tells us that she wasn’t expecting us until tomorrow (even though our paperwork said exactly what day we were coming on… I believe what she really meant was “I wasn’t expecting you guys until after the TROPICAL STORM was over.”)

She tells us, however, that she’ll call her friend John Holmes, who lives down the street to come bring a key. Well, about fifteen minutes pass (of all 5 of us standing on a very small porch in the pouring down rain), and no John Holmes. So, we call back and she tells us that she can’t reach John Holmes, but will send someone from Jacksonville, an hour away, to come bring a key.

We decide to hit up the store to buy some groceries while we wait on the key. It takes us about two hours and we get back and still no key. So, we call back and the owner gives us the number of Mr. Ed, the person who will be bringing us the key. We call Mr. Ed and a woman answers. She tells us that she doesn’t know how to get to the house, and can we give her directions (we, who have only been there once). So, we just tell her to sit tight and we’ll come meet her.

Around this time, the owner calls to check in and we tell her the story, that it’s not Mr. Ed, but some woman who is lost on the way to the house, and that we’re about to meet up with her. The owner, at this point, is very confused.

We meet up with the woman, and it turns out, the woman is in fact Mr. Ed, and Mr. Ed just happens to have a very high pitched voice. Whoops.

So, Mr/Mrs. Ed follows us back to the house to make sure we get in. The key fits, and all is good. We wave goodbye to Mr. Ed, and are at this point joking, very loudly about our mistake with Mr. Ed’s voice when the doorbell rings. We answer, and of course, it’s John Holmes looking very confused and holding a key.

We tell John Holmes that Mr. Ed just dropped off the key and that we’re all good. John Holmes seemed to have no idea who Mr. Ed was, but nodded and walked away confusedly.

Tune in next time for Power Outages! Midnight Tropical Storm Swimming! America’s First All Black Beach! And More!

• A short break.

Due to some personal set-backs, I will be taking a break from regular updates.

I will resume updating the site towards the beginning of July and have some great new articles planned. So please check back then. I may chime in with some random thoughts here and there, but no major updates.

I will also be attending HeroesCon in Charlotte and would love to meet anyone who occasionally happens upon this site, so if you’re going to be there, and you see me walking around like a doofus, come say hi.

Also, I’m looking for a new day-job. My background is in graphic design, creative writing, & marketing. So if anyone knows anyone who knows anyone… let me know. You can contact me via the contact link to the left.

Thanks! See ya soon…