An update

You may well have noticed that I haven't been publishing much on this blog in the past several days. I haven't given up on my daily writing goal- far from it, in fact. I'm doing a fair bit of writing every day. The reason I haven't been posting any of that writing is because I am working on a particularly long document that is very fluid right now.

I've started writing a screenplay! I'm not doing this because I hope to move to Hollywood and chase some dream of working in film or because I think I will ever be able to sell a script. I'm doing it because I love films and I think it's a great medium to really push myself creatively. It's certainly a challenge to write a screenplay well.

The plot I've come up with is basically this: a zombie apocalypse type event occurs in 7th century England and King Arthur and his Knights are the only ones who can stop it.

Not exactly high concept, but I've got some ideas for some deeper meaning and character development.

Anyway, I'll update about the screenplay as often as I can and I will continue to post other writing here as often as it gets written.

Super Heroes, pt 2

Iron man, who is Marvel Comics’ Batman equivalent, operates in a similar manner but has a different motivation. While Batman is driven by a desire for revenge, Iron man (Tony Stark) is driven by a desire for redemption. Stark, a billionaire genius, owns a multi-national conglomerate centered on defense contracts and arms dealing. After being kidnapped by a terror group in the Middle East, Stark is confronted by the reality that the arms his company makes and distributes are causing more harm than good. Tony stark puts his exceptional engineering skills toward building a suit of armor to make him nearly invincible. Stark uses this suit to fly across the world and attack the terror cell that held him and destroy their arms cache. What is particularly interesting to me about the Iron Man story is what Tony stark chooses to do with the suit he has invented. Rather than distribute the suit to American soldiers to keep them alive and further the defense of American interests, he chooses to keep it to himself and to personally fight America’s enemies as well as his own. This self-centered approach speaks to Stark’s motivation. He is more concerned with personally righting the wrongs he and his company committed that he is in administering justice and enforcing peace.

This is illustrative of some of the larger issues I find with super heroes as a genre of popular media. With the exception of Superman, who I still don’t quite understand, all super heroes are motivated by a deep personal emotional need, usually some form of guilt. Their actions are devoted to suppressing the guilt, not to actually making the most meaningful contributions to solve the problems they claim to fight. The popularity of the self-centered, vigilante super hero is also reflective of one of the self-centered, vigilante gun culture that has permeated the United States.   

Super Heroes, pt 1

In popular culture today super heroes are everywhere. There have been several big-budget blockbuster films, ranging from Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” Batman trilogy to the seemingly endless stream of “Avengers” films. There have been TV programs, such as Gotham and Daredevil. Super heroes appear across all media, but are they truly heroes at all? What does the prevalence of this type of mythology in our society tell us about ourselves?

I believe a super hero is an individual who:

1.    Possesses extraordinary skills or supernatural abilities

2.    Claims to act on behalf of justice and/or morality

3.    Uses his skills or abilities to administer his perception of justice and/or morality directly and without respect to or in direct defiance of traditional law enforcement agencies and procedures.

4.    (Generally) Operates under a pseudonym or complete anonymity.

While I believe a hero is an individual who:

1.    Displays courage and selflessness

2.    Acts voluntarily to help others in spite of increased risk to his own property or life

3.    Acts within the law, so far as laws are just

4.    Operates openly

At first glance, these may seem to be very similar qualifications. Using Batman as a case study illustrates the key differences. Batman is a character that wears a costume and mask at night and uses his elite training in martial arts to attack and incapacitate criminals in Gotham. His stated objective is to “save” Gotham from the criminal element by which it is overrun. Nearly always portrayed as a vigilante, Batman cooperates with police agencies only when it suits his objectives. In fact, he is often at odds with law enforcement. His actions and motivations appear just and moral, and while his methods are far from orthodox, he seems to be accomplishing his goal.

But I argue that Batman is misguided at best and intentionally allowing the criminal underworld to thrive at worst. Batman’s alter-ego is Bruce Wayne, the wealthiest and most powerful business magnate in Gotham. He is a multi-billionaire with connections. Bruce Wayne has the capital and the influence in Gotham to affect a meaningful, systemic change to the city through the political system. It is demonstrated in The Dark Knight that Bruce Wayne essentially has the power to get anyone he wants elected. Why doesn’t he form a PAC and finance candidates that will change the city from the top down, with sweeping legislative changes? Would this not be better than spending all night every night in fisticuffs with mafia bosses’ goons and mentally disturbed criminals?

Bruce Wayne doesn’t actually want to fix what is broken in Gotham. The reason he became Batman in the first place was due to his parents’ murder when he was yet a child. In various animated iterations, Batman identifies himself by saying “I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batman!” When asked by Alfred, his butler, why he chose a bat as his symbol, Bruce says “It’s time my enemies share my dread”

Batman needs a fight. He needs to frighten his enemies. He is vengeance. Batman is not actually interested in doling out justice or in saving a corrupt city. He is looking to live an absurd revenge fantasy rather than confront his own pain and guilt surrounding his parents’ death  

-continued tomorrow-

   

Brief Making Update!

I’ve been doing a lot of work in the old workshop lately. I’ve got all my most useful hand tools on custom made tool holders on a French cleat system running the length of the wall. I’ve built an outfeed table/workbench for my table saw and I’ve built a scrap wood sorting rack. I finished a birdhouse a while ago that I’m pretty proud of and I’m working on a pretty neat project now for the house. I’m building a calendar. It’s a 2ft by 1.5ft oak plywood board with a sheet of plexiglass held in front of it by a aspen wood frame. The plexiglass has the grid for the calendar painted on the back side so we can write on the plexiglass with dry erase markers. It’s a pretty neat project. I’ll post some photos of all this stuff sometime soon so you have some idea what I’m trying to describe.

One upcoming project that I’m particularly excited about is building some work stations for K’s bead studio room. She’s making do with a cheap computer desk for now, but I’m planning a pretty deluxe set up with cupboards and drawers and a big countertop to work on. She and I are working out the details of that plan so we can get started. Along with my daily writing, there’s a lot going on! I’ll post photos along with a proper “State of the Workbench” post very soon.

The categories and merits of rainy days

Rainy days get a bad rap. It isn’t fair, when you think about it. Warm, sunny days get all the glory. Everyone wants to be out on a sunny day. Nobody complains when the sun is shining and the sky is blue. To be sure, rainy days deserve a more nuanced sort of enjoyment, but they are wonderful days when you know what to look for.

There are so many varieties of rainy day, and rainy days are not all created equal. There are days the sun struggles to shine through the light grey ceiling of soft, low clouds. On these days, the rain comes as a soft, light mist. Birds still sing and the squirrels still scamper about hiding acorns with their tails, as umbrellas, spread above their heads. These are the sort of rainy day to be outside for. The air is warm and the soft rain is cool. The sky is still bright in spite of the thin, grey clouds. There are few occasions as peaceful as a walk through a light grey misty day.

There are days the sky is darkened by tall, poofy, dark clouds that seem to rise for miles. The rain falls in many fat drops that ricochet off the windows and the skylights with a gratifying, gentle patter. Outside, the birds still sing and the squirrels retreat to their homes, their tail umbrellas no match for the fat, heavy raindrops. The air is darker and heavy with the smell of freshness. These days are perfect for bowls hot soup and curling up with a favorite novel. These dark grey days are for writing and reflection and deep thinking- The natural consequences of being sequestered indoors by the persistence of raindrops on the pavement.

There are days the sky is obscured by a dense wall of raincloud. The rain falls all at once and forever. The birds and squirrels stay tucked away in their nests, just like we are, to wait out the downpour. The rain pours off of the roof and splashes down the window panes. Large puddles form at the end of the driveway. These days are for distraction. These days are for blankets and movies and ice cream bars. These days are for building forts out of furniture and for losing track of time as we wait out the soaking storm.

There are days the sky is black and the wind howls. The rain crashes and the thunder roars. Outside, the darkness is broken in instants by jagged bolts and bright flashes as the air carries their rumbling. These are the days for lighting candles and seeking refuge under the warm covers of bed. These are the days for holding a loved one close and the blankets closer. These are the days we huddle in basements and try our hardest to look unafraid.

There is beauty in rainy days. There is happiness to be found on rainy days. They bring renewal and freshness. The smell of moisture in the air and the feeling of damp grass underfoot are wonderful. There are few experiences more relaxing to me than sitting with a good book and listening to the raindrops dancing down the window or more comforting to me than snuggling close to my wife in a thunderstorm. I don’t get these moments on sunny days.

Sunny days are for working. Lawns get mowed, hedges get trimmed, furniture gets moved, trash gets taken out, shopping gets done, cars get washed, dogs get walked. The tempo of life is faster on a sunny day. There’s always somewhere to go and something to do. There’s always somewhere to be. That’s not all bad, of course. Sunny days are also for beach trips and long walks downtown. Sunny days are for eating a sandwich on the patio of your favorite café. Sunny days are for doing.

I love the quiet contemplation of a rainy day, though. I love the slowness and the gentleness. I love watching the horizon as rainclouds roll in over Lake Michigan. I love staying indoors with my thoughts. Nobody expects you to get anything done on a rainy day. They are soft and meditative days.

Rainy days get a bad rap. It isn’t fair, when you think about it. They really are beautiful when you know what you are looking for.

Introducing the 1K a Day challenge!

I have decided to write one thousand words every day for the next year. Writing is a skill that, like all skills, needs to be used in order to improve. To be a better runner, one runs. To be a better guitarist, one plays. I want to be a better writer. I’ve decided that, in order to accomplish the goal of improving my writing skill, I must write a lot and write often. I believe that getting in the habit of writing a specific amount of text every single day will force me to become a better, more creative writer.

                I’m not a professional author. In fact, my profession has nothing to do with writing. Professionally, I sand things at a prototyping firm. I’m not writing because it is my career or because I hope somehow to make money in the dying medium of long-form writing. I am doing this simply for the pleasure I get from writing for writing’s sake. I’ll write meandering essays about super heroes. I’ll write short stories. I’ll write sharp political rants. There may be days- in fact, I’m certain there will be days- when I don’t feel like writing anything at all. On those days expect to see one thousand words about how I don’t feel like writing.

                I’ve always had problems with following through on ideas. I could list dozens of projects I have started and that remain incomplete. I am nearly always thinking up some new plan, some fancy new project. I even start some of them. My problem is that before I can scrounge up the motivation to finish a project, a new, more exciting idea has come to my mind. It’s something of a vicious cycle.

                This will not be one of those failed attempts. I am committed to this. I’m going to write. Every single day, I am going to write. I may write nonsense on some days. I may write badly on most days, but I am going to write. I may sit and stare at the little word counter in the corner of my computer screen forever as my fingers aren’t typing, like I am right now, but I will power through. I have to. I have to prove to myself I am capable of a long-term commitment to a creative process. I have to prove to myself I can find the motivation. I need to know I can do this.

                That might sound stupid.  I mean, it’s just writing. I know. But there’s a deeper meaning to this to me than just getting words onto a page. I struggle with motivation. I have Major Depressive Disorder, commonly just called “ depression”. Some days, I’m fine. I can be creative and positive and happy and successful. But on other days, I can scarcely do anything. On those days, I don’t have the motivation to even get out of bed. I’m not just proving to myself that I can write. I know I can write, and write well. I need to prove to myself I am in control. I need to know that I can overcome the times of no motivation. I need to know I can make myself do something I love.

                Woah, that all got pretty deep there. Anyway, I’m writing. I’m actually pretty excited about it. I’ve already got a handful of ideas to write about. It’s going to be quite a mixed bag. I’m going to experiment with different formats and media. I’m going to try writing in all sorts of different tones and voices. I’m going to write essays about subjects nobody cares at all about.

                I was telling a friend just yesterday that I want to write more and told him my idea for a paper analyzing the motivations and backgrounds of various super heroes and draw conclusions about if they are actually heroes. (I’m going to write that one soon.) He said “you know nobody’s going to read that, right?” and you know, he’s right. I bet there aren’t that many people who are interested in the stuff I want to write about, but I don’t care. I want to write for the sake of writing. I want to create for myself, not for an audience. If an audience finds my work enjoyable, that’s great, but I’m not writing for the sake of an audience. I genuinely enjoy the act of putting words to pages. I enjoy structuring statements in just the right way. I love the feeling of crafting the perfect sentence. I want to be better at that. That’s why I’m writing.

                Two hundred thirty seven words left. Didn’t exactly realize how many one thousand is. Oh well. I’ll get better at that, too. It’s all part of the growing and learning experience I’m aiming to have. By the time a year is complete, and I have typed 365,000 words, I’m sure I’ll be a lot better at a lot of things.

                I’m super excited about this project. I think it will be super beneficial to me to have some creative output every day. I don’t get to be terribly creative in my work, so I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to make myself be creative on a daily basis. I’m already excited by the prospect of the potential. I can write whatever I want! It’s going to be fun.

                I’m not sure if anyone’s reading this, but if you want to play along and do some daily writing of your own, let me know! I’d love to read what you are writing daily. It’d be kinda fun to have a daily writing club or something. I’m thinking of calling this the “1K a day challenge”. Might be kinda corny, but I don’t care. I think it would be fun to have a group of people all doing it.

But even without a group, I’m still doing it. One thousand words a day for a year. Three hundred sixty five thousand words. What have I gotten myself into?

The state of the Workbench April 2015

Confession time: I don't really have a proper workbench anymore. What I have is a computer desk and an entertainment center cobbled together to generate a work surface.

It's nowhere as good as a workbench.

Especially when it looks like this:

Looks the way my mind feels...

When it's clean, it's adequate for homework and CAD and limited amounts of 3D printing. It is not suitable for the grinding, cutting, drilling, gluing, and painting that I want to do.

The good news is that we are buying a house this month and I will soon be setting up shop in our garage.  In addition to the 9 1/2 hour days at work and the general repairs/improvements we will be making to the house, I will be spending much more time on making this summer and I'm super excited about that!

I'll actually have a proper workbench to write updates about.

-JTB

Updates!

My goodness I've been busy lately. K and I are in the process of buying a house! We close at the end of April. There will be plenty of work to do to make the place our own, and I'm excited about that.

I've also started a new job at a prototyping company called Eagle Design and Technology. It's an amazing place and I love working there. Up until two weeks ago, I had been working second shift (3pm-11pm) for three years. Now work starts at 7:00AM and I typically don't get out til 4:30. I've been tired for two weeks.

Now for the fun stuff: projects on the burner

1. Stop motion animation
My good friend Jason Trosper, owner of Trosper productions, and I have taken on learning stop motion animation together. He's a huge batman fan- to the point that his basement is completely decorated in batman memorabilia. We are planning a short film in which a Lego batman chases and fights a Lego joker through the various shelves of batman stuff.

Here's my first attempt at stop motion with a Lego guy:

And here's Jason's and my first attempt together:

2. I'm working over a few ideas for some prototypes of some useful gadgets. One's a hands free dog turd bragger and the second is a lightweight, impact resistant iPad case that has a built in tripod mount. Look for more on those later.

I'm also working on a few other projects that I'll update you on soon. 

Lots happening! Stay tuned!

-JTB