While I’m getting healthier and more active every day, I’m not always keen on all the charity walks and runs. It’s not that I don’t support the charities (I do, and I do the charity walks for causes I care most about); I just think some charities overuse the charity walk. That’s why I also try to find charities that do more innovative and unique charity fundraisers. I’ve found one with the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan. In fact, I just got back from participating in one of their events today (which is why my posts this weekend have been a bit off in terms of time…that, and the MLB playoffs). I’m happy to say that with the group I went with, we raised almost $1000. That’s amazing!
So, what is this unique event I did? A 24 Hour Movie Marathon. At this event, you’re given complete access to a movie theatre for 24 hours. Add the unlimited popcorn and caffeinated soft drinks, along with raffles, lunch, dinner, midnight snacks, and breakfast and you’ve got yourself a memorable event! It was absolutely fun and I’m proud to say I didn’t fall asleep at all during any of the movies (I can’t say the same for the others in my group).
All in all, we made it through eight movies. We saw Taken 2, Frankenweenie, Sinister, Argo, 7 Psychopaths, Looper, Here Comes the Boom, and End of Watch. It was a great line-up of flicks.
Donating and participating with charities is a great thing to do. I recommend you find a charity you care about and just find a way to help. It’s the right thing to do, and it may just brighten up somebody’s day. If charity walks are your thing good, but I also like to mix it up with some more unorthodox fundraising too.
Lily is trying to take a nap right now, but I didn’t want to jump in the shower until I know she’s 100% asleep, so I’m going to write a quick blog instead. Sure, I should probably tidy up from our morning of fun (which included puppet shows, personal bubble makers, and other random acts of toddler mayhem), but I wanted to get a few things down on paper first. Then comes the shower. As an aside, it’s pretty weird to not take a shower until your daughter naps. While I don’t mind it, I’m so used to getting up, showering, and then going to work. Staying at home, applying for jobs, and playing with your daughter is a different kind of job, that’s for sure…a very fulfilling job (just wish it paid more).
So, as I was writing a thank you letter for this awesome company I interviewed with last week, I was listening to Queen on Spotify. I had a Greatest Hits album on random (protip: Spotify is awesome!), and this song came on. Note: there is swearing in this clip, but it’s one of the best movies ever, so it gets a pass from me. In fact, after listening to this clip while writing this blog, I want to make sure I watch Shaun of the Dead in the near future.
So, when “Don’t Stop Me Now” came on, I realized just how much Queen pumped me up. I was immediately transported back to a time when I was super motivated to write again. It felt inspiring; it felt good; it felt right. So, the next thing I know, I have over 1000 words written on my current WIP that has been festering in my head for a few months now. It involves a struggling company on the brink of bankruptcy (it’s not a book store chain, I promise) and zombies. I know zombies are so cliche these days, but I really like my idea, so I’m going with it. That’s all I’m going to say for now. I may post samples here from time to time if folks seem interested. The way to let me know is to comment in this blog thread. No pressure, though.
So, fast forward a couple days, and I’m at the Michigan football game where I watched the Wolverines face off against my alma mater, Eastern Michigan University. When halftime rolls around, EMU’s marching band came out and did a Queen medley. Holy Listen to the Universe Batman! It’s settled, I’m destined to write this zombie novel. It may be shit (I am rusty after a long time of only writing blogs, reviews, and features), but I don’t care. Unlike the other novel I wrote (which I have tried to forget – it’s about a fat guy who works for a book company – where do I get this crap?), this novel will see the light of day. It looks like I’m even joining a writing group soon, so double bonus points for me.
I’ve mentioned before that the only thing keeping me sane during the end days of Borders was maintaining the Babel Clash blog. I loved being the moderator there and I already miss it. The other guy who worked on the blog and I have plans to start up a new blog. We’ve been pretty incommunicado as of late because of current life circumstances (he’s back in the job world), but I do want to press on. I could make a blog with a cheesy wordpress or blogspot template and call it a day, but for this, I really want to do it right. There are a few blogs I look at on a regular basis and there’s no way I’ll ever be able to compete with them if I come out with a whimper. With the lack of capital coming in due to my current underemployment status, I was thinking of starting a Kickstarter campaign. I’m relatively familiar with the concept and have seen lots of punk bands use the service to fund albums, tours, etc. I got to thinking, if they can get their fans to chip in for that, can I convince a few folks who may know me from Babel Clash or the other blogs I’ve written for to pony up a bit to make a kick-ass blog? I have huge aspirations and ideas for it, but to accomplish everything I want to do, I’ll definitely need people’s help. So, here’s the question. Do you think in this world of online marketing and social media, I can get complete strangers to help me out? Before I approach the Kickstarter idea, I definitely want to see how much everything I want to do would cost. That also means that if you’re someone who knows how to design websites and you want to help out and see what I have in mind, get in touch. I’m only a blog comment away.
Well, sounds like The Sandman has finally defeated Lily’s willpower. Time for a quick shower and then some tidying up. I’m also going to try to make dinner before the Mrs. gets home too. Wish me luck! This all reminds me of some Mr. Mom stuff I’ll want to blog about later. ‘Til next time, remember to eat your vegetables.
Dane Jackson - Musings of a Curious Mind 