A capella

After listening to Star Wars Acapella (search it on Youtube) so much, I have that sort of "words set to soundtrack" theme set in my head. Recently, I listened to the Bond theme from Casino Royale again.

You can set the notes to key Bond lines/themes:

Sha-ken-not-stirred on the smoother Bond line in the back

Li-cense-to-kill on the horn accents

On the swooping sting that leads into the main body: The name's Bond (BOND) James Bond (BOND) Double-Oh-Seven!

At the end, four License-to-kills, followed by the fadeout "Bond..."

It would need a lot more work, but it would be sooo much fun.

Random Zombie Scene Lines for Storage

"How much of your brain did they eat anyways?"

Amy on Harold's music: "I prefer my blood inside my ears."

More on Post Apocalyptic Zombie Humor

Amy and Harold are living in a small refugee camp, housed in an abandoned building of an urban center.

Harold (who prefers his given name to Harry) gets through the days by listening to his battery-powered stereo. On trips to forage for safe food and other essentials, Harold will often make detours, sometimes dangerous, to look for batteries.

Amy has had enough. Harold listens to his music non-stop when he has the batteries, and gets sulky when he doesn't. She is tired of both and also of his not noticing her. She has a definite thing for Harold, and the stereo is a woman in her way. Accordingly, said obstacle gets thrown out a window several stories up.

Harold is immediately dismayed; he looks down immediately, trying to ascertain the condition of the stereo, the (KISS?) CD in the stereo, and the batteries. Though the stereo and the CD appear intact, the zombie's post-death twitching knocks the batteries into a nearby sewer grate.

"I spent weeks getting those batteries! Weeks!"

Harold begins to suit up, loading his weapons to reclaim what he can from the wreckage and replace what he can't elsewhere. Amy is dismayed; her plan has backfired, and now she wants Harold to stay in. It's safer, she says. You don't need the music. You'll die.

Harold, angry as he is about the stereo, doesn't see immediately that she likes/loves him. He argues with Amy, saying that the music is the only thing keeping him sane, that he can't kill zombies without it.

Eventually, Harold realizes that Amy likes him; this surprises him, and he likes it, but at the moment it's irritating because it complicates things. One thing it doesn't do is deter him. He is all set to go when Amy starts putting on her own gear. He asks her to stop, tells her to leave, and then realizes how much she's willing to give for him. They sort of make up (and kiss? no, too soon) and wade off into the zombie horde for replacement stuff.

USC Creative Challenge B

A zombie apocalypse of sorts has descended on the world; in one major city, a group of refugees have holed up together. They're hiding out in an easily defendable spot, with plenty of supplies and ammunition. Male X has prized possession A, which he has made his sole comfort in the world that they are living in. Person Y (male or female) is in a really bad mood and is sick to heck of Male X's prized possession, so he/she throws A out the window. Male X is upset beyond words, and prepares to brave a zombie horde to save A; Y, realizing that he/she does not want X to leave, desperately tries to convince X to stay.

This works with two refugees of almost any age and relationship. I think potential lovers, an old married couple, and siblings are the best marks.

A Simple Habit

I tend to go for walks at night. My afternoons are too busy most days to do a quick run, and my folks are a little antsy about me running past 9. Therefore, if I need to get some fresh air, or process tough emotions, I'll head out, either along a few chosen routes or at random, to work out physical and mental kinks.

I wonder who else has this sort of wanderlust. I've heard of sketchy people roaming Reading's streets at night (and wonder if I'm one of the ones spoken of): what are they like, and how would they interact if they ever met?

It's a character-driven piece more than plot if it's to be made. Either that, or there has to be some really good reasoning behind the plot.

Real Life Fiction #1

I really love the way that Nabokov talks about creative writing, how we're creating the world around us, allowing the chaos to flow and then sucking it all back up.

Something happened tonight. I was pushing the pirate ship home, and a man on the other side of the street stopped playing with his son to offer me help. He was very concerned, asking me where my friends were, why I was doing it to myself. He offered to help push, even to tie it to the roof of his car and drive it (one might have helped, but I rationalized against it, and the other wouldn't have worked because of the fragility). I politely refused, and when I did, he said that his name was Ben, and that if I ever needed a favor, I should come to his house.

We live in a world where the most unlikely things can happen. Stories walk out of the air.

That wasn't all with the ship today. I struggled for forty-five minutes getting the ship out of the scene shop and for over an hour pushing it home because I was too proud and too conscience-ridden to accept help. What stories do I write about that?

More on AP Calc BC Series

One of the great things about Mr. Mooney is that he's so material-rich (and I swear on my muse that I will ask him for permission to do this tomorrow). He's loud, funny, occasionally throws things, doesn't have explicit favorites but does have one or two nemeses.

He's also married to another teacher in the school. What about the story of how they met and fell in love? There are, of course, wild rumors, none of which I will repeat in this blog, but if ever there was a basis for a good serial romance, that's it.

OK, now it is even more imperative that I talk to both of them. Oh well. These are the demands of my art, and so be it.

What's also great is that I can play with the relationships of students within the class as I wish, as long as I keep the scenes within, or largely within, the about fifteen people who will populate the class.

One of the BC students needs tutoring; another signs up as a tutor. What is the relationship between them? How do they interact with Mr. House?

Listening to the theme from House ("TearDrop," by Massive Attack) has me thinking about this idea. The first lesson we had on Friday in BC Calc was about limits, which would make a great title for an episode in which one of the students almost immediately drops out due to the already intense pressure from the course.

Interestingly, AP Calc (BC) could just as easily be done as a series of ten minute plays as a series of hourlong episodes. In fact, it might be easier.

The year would start, with everyone fresh and enthusiastic. The review packets would unnerve the focus student, who was already worried about doing four APs, and especially this one. They would have difficulty with the early lessons, and would show signs of dropping out. The Mr. Mooney analog would protest, and use all sorts of nasty tricks to try to boost the students morale to keep them in the class. In the end, the student would leave the class; the note of explanation showing a graph: Time vs. Difficulty of Mathematics Coursework, which would look something like the graph of

1

----

x-5.

I really like this idea. Stylistic parody is so cool.

More on this later.

More Random Ideas

First, a good quote. Someone offers to sing. His friend replies, "No, I prefer my blood inside my ears."

Concept: Mr. Mooney looks a little bit like Hugh Laurie. His teaching style is a little bit like House's bedside manner (not a lot, but just a little bit). Because there are only fifteen or so kids in Calc BC, you could dramatize the experience, exaggerate something here, diminish something there, and create a dramedy (drama/comedy) based on the class. It could be a stylistic parody of House, or it could take on a life all its own.

Random Idea Number 1

"Feta or cheddar, whichever is better."

Sounds like a poem to me, especially if spoken by a character with a Boston accent.