June Sweeps - Day 496

I have to go to the cabin to paint again tomorrow, so I focused on work today, and got very little else done.

After my run, I watched some YouTube videos, and I saw an ad for Amazon.com that featured one of their employees talking about how good he felt knowing he was helping people get what they need (and want) in a fast an affordable manner.  He seemed so genuine and affable, that I started to cry, and didn't hit Skip like I normally do.

I cried because Amazon treats and pays its employees so deplorably.

Sit-ups Today: 111
Sit-ups In June: 1216

I did drive over to the store that had the big dinosaur egg so I could kill two birds with one egg--create cover art for my story "Hatchling," and give my nephew a present for his fourth birthday--but it was gone.  I walked through both toy aisles twice, scouring the area for it (when I first saw it, three weeks or so ago, there were three or four of those overpriced eggs).  No go.  And I feel dumb now about it.

But no way am I spending twenty-five bucks on it, when I balked at spending twelve.

Push-ups Today: 182 (whoops, I think I did too many today)
Push-ups In June: 1355

The end of the night reached me with absolutely no words written, and nothing in mind to work on.  I was hoping to get excited about something, anxious to work on it, because that's when I'm the most productive--when I have a project or scene I'm passionate about, and lose track of time while writing it.

In the end, I decided to sit down and at least start writing the Monty Python sketch I mentioned on here the other day.  I had intended for it to be something for me and somebody like Renee, who expresses her revulsion for Monty Python quotes, and that--either because she has disdain for it, or because the rules of magic have forever dictated against it.  I had a punchline in mind to end the sketch, but pretty much nothing else.

To my surprise, I ended up writing a sketch for Big Anklevich and me, where I go to his house for a barbecue, and he has just gotten married, and warns me not to bring up Monty Python with him, because his marriage will end if he ever quotes the show (or movies).  It's not at all funny--not even close--but I enjoyed writing banter for Big and me, and then I had his wife show up at the end of the sketch, so the punchline could still be made as planned.  

I tried to think of various sketches or lines of dialogue that could get brought up (not finding opportunity for such gems as "That's the sort of Philistine pig-ignorance I've come to expect from you non-creative garbage," and "Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is great," and "This is an ex-parrot!" and "That was never five minutes just now," and "Mrs. Nilkerbaiter's exploded," which I know is a misquote, but hey), but you can't fit in everything.  At least I can't.

What I ought to do is send the sketch to Big and ask him where I can put a few jokes (since this is, perhaps, the first sketch I've ever written without any jokes in it*), but you know me, I won't do it.  The thing is, he's the biggest Python fan I know, a much bigger one than me, and I'd love nothing more than for him to say, "This is genius, the greatest tribute to Python ever!  If only Michael Palin were alive to hear us do it!"

I wrote the whole darn thing, which was over a thousand words, and there was still time for me to watch "Modern Family," so I went to bed feeling like I'd accomplished quite a bit.

Words Today: 1221
Words In June: 8702

*I did have an idea for a joke, where he makes a Basil Fawlty reference, and she says, "Oh, that's fine.  Magical decree states Fawlty Towers quotes are totally allowed."  But I didn't do it, once the wife character was dropped.