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 |    My primary Writing.com blog. |
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Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics). Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:  "The Soundtrackers Group"  "Blogging Circle of Friends " "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" "JAFBG" "Take up Your Cross" Thanks for stopping by!  |
 Prompt #46: If you could go back and change your major in college, what would it be? If you never went to college, would you go back if you could? If so, what would you want to study? With the qualifier that I'm actually quite happy with my film studies/production major in college, I sometimes wonder what my life would be like with a different kind of career. From a pure interest and fascination standpoint, at one time I considered majoring in architecture, journalism, or business. The last one probably would have been the most relevant to the type of career I ultimately ended up in, which focuses on business administration and organizational/project management. If I was going to completely restart, though, and pick an entirely different career from what I'm doing now, I'd most likely go into some kind of public service job, so I imagine a degree in public policy/administration, international studies, political science, urban planning, etc. would probably be where I'd focus my studies. I'd even consider a job in the legal field, which I swore I'd never do after working so many years in entertainment law departments. But, honesty, I think that's because transactional law where you're negotiating personal services agreements doesn't really appeal to me. I'd get bored arguing over the nuanced language of how much money someone is going to be paid, or what perqs they have for the days they're shooting in whatever filming location. But I do kind of naturally have the type of mind that works well with legal language. I'm very process oriented, organized, and focus on the details of specific phrasing and language usage; I could see applying those skills in a legal arena of some kind, but I think it would be in something like civil rights, constitutional, immigration, or international law. I could see myself working on court cases for a prosecutor's office, or redlining a piece of legislation to incorporate an elected officials' policy positions. I would also want to supplement that with a minor (or two), just because I really enjoy learning things. I think it'd be fun to have some sort of professional training in the culinary arts or, if my major course of study didn't have an international component to it, taking some sort of international studies as a minor, to learn more about the world around us, or at least a small part of it. |
Prompt #40: Congratulations, you're a bestselling author and they're letting you plan the book tour. What twenty cities are you going to visit and why? I'm going to keep this list strictly to domestic cities because if we go international, I'm not sure I'd be able to stop at just twenty cities.  I'm even going to do this in "preferred route order" to make it a little more fun!1. Los Angeles, California. I'd start close to home because... why not? Most of my friends are here, so home field advantage would be a great way to kick off this book tour. 2-4. Salt Lake City, Utah & Denver, Colorado & Santa Fe, New Mexico. I've never been to any of these cities (or states, for that matter!) and have always heard about how much natural beauty they have. It'd be fun to kick off the tour with whirlwind tours of three cities at the top of my "to visit" list. 5. Austin, Texas. I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Texas in general, but I have been to Austin twice and it's an interesting enough city that I think it'd be fun to visit. 6. New Orleans, Louisiana. I've never been to the Big Easy, but I'd go just for the fact that I can pick up some beignets as a snack before or after the event (or both! ).7. Miami, Florida. If there's any state I'm less enthusiastic about visiting than Texas, it's Florida. But I haven't been there since I was about eight years old, so maybe it's time to give it another chance. I'd love to see Miami and maybe take a drive down to Key West while I'm there. 8. Savannah, Georgia OR Charleston, South Carolina. I've never wanted to live in the south, but I've always wanted to see a city with some real southern charm. Either of these cities would probably help me check that item off my bucket list, and check the state off my "visit all 50 states at least once" lifetime achievement goal. 9. Washington, DC. Assuming that my book tour isn't anytime in the next 1,408 days  , I'd love to see our nation's capital. I'm really interested in politics and history, and I feel like I could spend two weeks here just taking in all the sights and visiting all of the institutions that are found here.10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Assuming none of their sports team are contending for a title, I'd love to see Philadelphia for the same reason I'd love to see DC; there's just so much of our nation's history that can be traced back here. If a Philadelphia is in the middle of a playoff season for any of their sports teams — and thus the city at risk for being trashed, win or lose  — maybe Baltimore instead?11. New York, New York. It's been a few years since I've been to New York, and I've always enjoyed my time there. It's one of my favorite "fun to visit, but wouldn't want to live there" cities, so I'd definitely jump at the chance to visit again for a couple of days. 12. Providence, Rhode Island & Boston, Massachusetts. Two more cities that I've never been to and always wanted to visit. I hear that Providence is absolutely gorgeous, and Boston is another historical city that I've never been and would love to spend some time just walking around and exploring. 13. Nashville, Tennessee. I've been to Nashville once and now have multiple friends and a few family members that live nearby, so I'd love a chance to explore more of the city. I love the music scene there, so I'd definitely take in a few shows while I'm there. 14. Chicago. This is probably #1 on my "major U.S. cities I've never been to" list. There's so much I'd love to see in Chicago, I'd have a hard time actually fitting in the bookstore! 15. Anchorage, Alaska. I've never been to Alaska, so why not take a trip during the book tour? Just preferably not during the whole "30 days of night" thing. I've seen the movie, and it does not end well.  16-17. Seattle, Washington & Portland, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is one of my favorite places in the world. If I didn't have to live in Los Angeles for work, I would absolutely want to live in or near one of these two cities. They'd have to be on my list as I headed into the home stretch of the tour. 18. San Francisco, California. Growing up, San Francisco was always the biggest, coolest city to visit that was only a couple of hours away. I know it's lost a lot of its luster in recent years, but I'd definitely have to hit it up during the last few stops of the tour. 19. Sacramento, California. I think every book tour requires you to visit your hometown, right? 20. Irvine, California. I'd definitely end the tour at a local bookstore close to where I currently live. What's the point of being a bestselling author (at least in this fantasy) if you can't imagine supporting a local business, and the store that you frequent most yourself? Maybe I'll do an international version at some point when my ego's even larger than what this prompt made it, but for now these are the twenty domestic cities I'd want to put on my book tour if I ever become a bestselling author. |
 Original lyrics: Oh, I hope you know, I will carry you home Whether it's tonight or fifty-five years down the road Oh, I know there's so many ways that this could go Don't want you to wonder, darling, I need you to know We were talking to the sunset Throwing dreams against the wall I know none of them are stuck yet But I bet it on you, honey Oh, I would risk it all These days, these nights been changing My love, my mind is set on you I'm not afraid to say it To say it's true Oh, I hope you know, I will carry you home Whether it's tonight or fifty-five years down the road Oh, I know there's so many ways that this could go Don't want you to wonder, darling, I need you to know In this and every life I choose us every time We were California dreaming Our whole life fit in that car Didn't have a bed to sleep in We kept each other warm under a ceiling full of stars These days, these nights been changing My love, my mind is set on you I'm not afraid to say it To say I do Oh, I hope you know, I will carry you home Whether it's tonight or fifty-five years down the road Oh, I know there's so many ways that this could go Don't want you to wonder, darling, I need you to know In this and every life I choose us every time Oh, I hope you know, I will carry you home Whether it's tonight or fifty-five years down the road Redaction poem: I will carry you down; there's so many ways to wonder. You were talking to the sunset, dreams stuck, yet I bet on you. I would risk it all. These days, these nights, my mind is set. I'm afraid to say it's true. Fifty-five ways this could go, Darling, I need you to know, In this life, I choose time We were dreaming in that car, kept warm under a ceiling of stars. These days, these nights been changing. My mind is afraid to say I do. I hope you know, whether it's tonight or down the road, there's so many ways to wonder. I need to choose us I will carry you home, tonight or down the road. |
To qualify for my Watch List every month, the following has to be something that I've watched that's new to me. It doesn't necessarily have to be a current show, but it can't be reruns or rewatches of something I've already seen. So if I'm including it in this list, it means this month is the first time I've watched it. I'll put "DNF" (Did Not Finish) next to anything that I stopped watching and have no immediate plans to finish. Movies  Captain America: Brave New World Dog Man The Gorge Paddington in Peru TagThere wasn't a lot in the way of really good movies this month. Captain America: Brave New World was okay, but not one of our best, and Paddington in Peru was fine although I'm definitely not the audience for it, since it's clearly made for very young kids. I kept wondering if it was actually a bad movie, and then I realized it's just over-the-top because it has to be to really resonate with the five year olds who are watching it. My daughter (who is five, incidentally) absolutely loved it. The Gorge and Tag were both pretty forgettable, and I think Dog Man may have been one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. Like Paddington in Peru, it's clearly made for very young kids... but unlike Paddington, it didn't seem to be made with any passion or love. It seemed like something a bunch of executives agreed to make hoping to cash in and make a quick buck off the popular book series, without much concern for quality. Television Bad Monkey (Season 1) — DNF Cobra Kai (Season 4) Cobra Kai (Season 5) Last Week Tonight (Season 11) The Real Housewives of New York (Season 15) The Sex Lives of College Girls (Season 3)I started watching Cobra Kai again after making it through the first three seasons a couple of years ago. It's a fun show and I love the way they keep bringing the original actors back from the movies of my youth, but it's definitely a little overly melodramatic (and they really have to shoe-horn in a lot of plot devices and random misunderstandings to get all the karate kids to fight one another all the time ), but it's a fun watch. The series ends with Season 6, so I only have fifteen more episodes to go to wrap this series out.The Real Housewives of New York isn't something I so much watched as tolerated being on in the background while I did other things, but it's my wife's guilty pleasure watch and we all deserve a couple of those. I really enjoyed the third season of The Sex Lives of College Girls and thought they did a great job replacing one of the leads with a new actress this season. The storyline worked out pretty well and the new character is a great addition to the group. It would have been my favorite show of the month, if not for finishing up the eleventh season of Last Week Tonight in preparation for the new season. I love the humor of the show, and the way I walk away every week feeling like I learned something thanks to their deep-dives into all kinds of subject matter. They've won so many Emmys and, honestly, they're all very well deserved. TOP PICK: Last Week Tonight (Season 11) |
 "Murder On The Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor DAY 28 — Anyone who's watched Saltburn will immediately recognize this song because it played a pretty iconic part in that movie. It was a decent international hit when it was released in 2001, but had mostly fallen into obscurity until being featured in Saltburn in 2024, which then made its way to TikTok, and resulted in Ellis-Bextor's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. I thought it would be a fitting end to my "The Soundtrack of Your Life" blogging this year because it's got a great sound and fun lyrics that create a real ear-worm. Until next year! |
"I'm Not Crazy" by charlieonafriday DAY 27 — I must have listened to this song a half a dozen times thinking, "Where have I heard this before?" until I realized that it's a sample of Matchbox 20's "Unwell." It's a pretty good update to the original, with enough original material that it feels like a fresh and unique version rather than just a cover. I'm not too familiar with charlieonafriday as an artist, but I'm interested in listening to some of his other tracks if they're as good as this one, or similarly cover songs that were pretty iconic when I was growing up. |
"Heart of Stone" by Natalie Paris from SIX The Musical DAY 26 — I haven't had a chance to see this musical myself yet, but my wife saw it on a trip to New York in spring of 2024 and came back raving about it. Apparently it's a modern retelling of story of Henry VIII's six wives, and each of them is modeled after a famous pop star (Catherine of Aragorn is based on Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, Anne Boleyn is based on Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen, Jane Seymour is based on Adele and Sia and Celine Dion, Anna of Cleves is based on Nicky Minaj and Rihanna, Katherine Howard is based on Britney Spears and Ariana Grande, and Catherine Parr is based on Alicia Keys and Emeli Sande). This song is by Natalie Paris, who originally played Jane Seymour and it's such a beautiful song. I've listened to this throughout the year and would honestly go see the musical just for this song. |
"Boy From Carolina" by Ashley Kutcher DAY 25 — This is a sweet, uplifting song that I found myself listening to a lot this past year. Honestly, I can't even really explain what it is about this song that makes me want to listen to it so much. It's got a bit of a folksy pop sound, and the lyrics have a nice structure to them; I suppose that's why I found myself listening to it a lot this year. |
"The Older You Get" by Daniel Seavey DAY 24 — This is another song that I found via Spotify recommendations, and I really liked the message of it. The beat is pretty catchy, and it was ordered in my playlist right after one of my Top 10 most listened to songs of the year, so it frequently came on right after and I'd just listen to this one straight through as well. I haven't heard any of Daniel Seavey's other songs, but based on this one I might have to check some of them out. |
"See You Later" by The Band CAMINO DAY 23 — My other favorite band from recent years (other than A R I Z O N A), these guys just have such a unique sound. I also like the fact that they have two different singers who take turns being the lead vocals on their songs, which adds a lot of variety to the kind of sound that they can offer. I tend to prefer Spencer's songs (like this one), as his voice really complements the sound they produce. This is the fourth or fifth time (I think) that I've featured The Band CAMINO on my "The Soundtrack of Your Life" and, assuming they continue to produce music, I doubt it will be the last. |
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Not many of those around here. Who's your favourite team/driver? My favourite, Valtteri Bottas, doesn't have a seat for the 2025 season. I'll be hoping for Hamilton, Piastri and Tsunoda to be successful this season, though I also like Alonso and Leclerc.
