Don’s Ego

03/08/2010

Inspiration, Part 6: I Want to be Featured in an In Memorium Montage

Filed under: Inspiration — Tags: — donkowalewski @ 12:44 am

More than any other awards show, The Oscars are the most inspiring – and depressing. On the one hand, it reminds me, I want to be creative and make movies, or write things, that move people. I don’t know if I have that type of talent inside me, but I’ve always marveled at the people who can do something that takes my breath away. And I love that feeling. I love how I felt at the end of The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects, or Shawshank Redemption. Completely and utterly stunned and in awe of how a writer, director, and a group of actors, camera men, and editors can take you out of the real world and into a fake world, and how they make you buy into it.

It may seem like an odd goal, but I don’t want to be Matt Damon or Tom Cruise. I don’t want to be James Cameron, Stephen Spielberg, or Martin Scorsese. I’d rather be the person who puts the words into their mouths and the ideas into their brains. Mainly, I’d like someone to read something I may have written and, at the end, just say, “whoa.”

So, as I said …inspiration …because at 36 years old, I’m still young. And luckily for me, even in a world with Twitter and Facebook and blogging, most of my ideas are still only swimming around in my head.

And when I watch The Oscars, and I see so many grey-haired people up there accepting awards, and when I see names and faces I don’t recognized in the In Memorium montage, and those people are simply listed as “Writer”, I think, “hey …I can still do this.”

What stops me? Pretty much the same thing that always has, and what I think is the difference between people who do things and those who don’t. Those people on The Oscars are the people who didn’t write a blog entry about the thing they wanted to do, but instead did the thing they wanted to do.

And as I go back and proof read this entry …well …there’s the depressing part.

Get it?

I read a blog once about a person who chronicled his journey from blogger and call center phone-answering-guy to sit-com script writer. Now, that’s interesting. How do I make this blog that interesting? Maybe with this. I dunno. It’s a stupid song, but damn if it isn’t sorta catchy.

02/22/2010

Happiness, Part 1: A New Blog Entry Title Header

Filed under: Happiness — Tags: , , , , , — donkowalewski @ 2:32 pm

Sometimes a blog entry just doesn’t fit nicely into “passions”, “inspiration”, or “random.”  Certainly, this entry is pretty random, but it’s more than that.

Someone sent me a link to a trailer for a MacGruber movie. There are some poor fools who don’t think the MacGruber sketches on SNL are funny, but you’re not reading the blog of one of those people. This movie …is gonna be awesome. Well, I can’t really guarantee that, but I bet there’ll be at least a dozen funny parts.

And then there’s this thing. Here’s the latest from Timbaland (who I don’t like all that much) and Justin Timberlake (who I want to trade places with in some sort of Freak Friday or Vice Versa movie-type scenario). Have I ever mentioned that I think Justin Timberlake is one of the coolest MFrs on the planet?  Hmmm. I should write the script about a guy who changes places with his idol, instead of that father-son or mother-daughter predictable stuff. Prediction: I won’t write that screenplay.

02/19/2010

Inspiration, Part 5: spunkybean, Don, and more Don

Filed under: Inspiration — Tags: , , , , , — donkowalewski @ 2:47 pm

Greetings, all (or should I say “spunky new year!!!”)-

“The only thing better than watching TV or seeing something for yourself, is reading someone else write about those very same things you’ve already observed.“   -spunkybean

It’s that time of year when I randomly email about 1,000+ people and tell them, “look at me!!!” What started as a stupid little hobby on a blog with about 5 or 6 people reading each week, has grown into a website with some great and talented writers, and for me …a couple hundred weekly readers of my American Idol recaps. At this rate, I’ll be dead long before I’m ever famous.

Added this year are my The Bachelor recap(s). But that’s not all you can enjoy at spunkybean. We’re also the best place on the interweb for Lost, Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor. And every Monday, we give you our View-Do Lists, a guide to important things on TV that you need to watch. And don’t forget Heroes recaps, Bound, Beaten, Brewed & Viewed (a guide to books, video games, beer, and movies), FlashForward recaps, Simpsons articles, and in-depth analysis of Big Brother and much more.  We still call it a “zesty pop-culture stew.” And for the moment, it continues to be some blogging-slash-writing friends of mine writing about TV and movies, all while they pursue stand-up, script-writing, sketch-comedy, and more.

For the long time readers …thanks! Hopefully this is still as fun for you as it is for me.

For the old readers who don’t read anymore …what the?!?!?!  Dude! What have I ever done to you?

For the new readers getting this crazy email for the first time …hi!  Guess what? I write stuff and now I’m begging you to read the things I write.

There’s still Don’s Ego, where I talk about my hair, my random observations, tell stories, and dump my brain from time to time. My goal for 2010 is to write something there just about every day…no matter how boring … but because the topic there is “me”, you know it’ll be riveting.

And finally there’s the new and improved Mel Robbin’s blog. Because of my first blog, and then spunkybean, and some luck and some fool-hearty stick-to-it’dness, last year I enjoyed taking off my “sillly” hat and wearing my “motivational” hat and I tried to turn the smart things Mel says into worthwhile blog entries. You thought I was preachy in 2009 …just wait until 2010 really gets rolling.

Thanks to everyone for reading. Thanks to those who didn’t put my email on a “Blocked Sender” list. I promise …these emails only come once a year. Have a great year.

And finally, you can email me at don@spunkybean.com, follow me on Twitter @spunkybean or @donkowalewski, friend me Facebook, become a fan of Don Kowalewski or spunkybean on Facebook,

–
Don Kowalewski, Writer/Creative Director
http://spunkybean.com/ http://donsego.com/

p.s. over at spunkybean, if you know someone who likes TV and movies, we’re always looking for new words written by new people. Talk to me.

02/11/2010

Random, Part 13: Hot Mess

Filed under: Random, music — Tags: , — donkowalewski @ 4:34 pm

Until last year, I had never heard the phrase “hot mess”. It appears to describe the girl at the party (I suppose a male could also be referred to as a “hot mess”) who can’t find her phone, her panty-hose are ripped, maybe she’s carrying her shoes under her arms, her drink spilled all over her, her hair’s a wreck, she can’t find her friends, she’s completely wasted (and probably crying), confused, and too stupid to go home. Am I understanding correctly?

Cobra Starship, a group I’m only supposed to like if I’m a h.s. girl, I guess, has a new song and I like it. I knew some hot messes back in the day.  Enjoy.

Seriously, when I say a blog entry is “random”, don’t think I’m kidding. I’m not always going to hide the meaning of life inside blog entries. Sometimes these are just here so some evening when I’m sitting at home playing Soduku on Facebook, I can remember I heard this song on a radio station and I want to download it. For all I know, I’ve written that last sentence dozens of times prior.  I’m a hot blog-mess, I guess. Shut it.  (p.s. I also don’t know if I’m legally supposed to embed this video, so you might be reading about a song and not have any idea what I mean. If so …click here.

02/10/2010

02/06/2010

Random, Part 12: Snuggie

Filed under: Random — Tags: — donkowalewski @ 5:28 pm

My household now owns a Snuggie. It’s pink. So I won’t be showing up at any outdoor sporting events in it, but I was pretty stoked to finally have one. Though I laughed at the commercials, from the first time I saw a Snuggie I knew it was awesome and I wanted it. But now that I have one, I’m not so impressed.

The most disappointing thing about it is that it falls off if you walk around. I walked 30 steps from my family room to my kitchen and it fell off me as if it was an untied hospital gown. And, it’s not very warm as far as blankets or afghans go.

I envy the guy that invented it (and no, I’m not going to look it up). I’ll bet for years he drove everyone crazy explaining how we was inventing a “blanket with sleeves” because “ya know how when you are all cozy under a blanket and you need to change the channel or answer the phone, you can’t get your hands free?” And his family and friends all were like, “um, well …I just uncover myself and work the remote. It’s not that big a de’” …”No, no, no,” he protested. “It’s a pain in the rear-end, man. A blanket with sleeves, man. Everyone’s going to want one.”  And whenever he left the room …I’ll bet they all howled.

Well, he now has the last laugh and he’s made a mint. I need a horrible idea that I can pursue with reckless abandon. But I’m comin’ up blank.

The other purpose of this blog entry (well, the main purpose) is to see if Kodak Easy Share Gallery now has pictures as permalinks that can be linked into blogs. Short answer …they do. And Flickr isn’t doing that for me anymore. Bummer.

02/05/2010

Inspiration, Part 4: Look at What I Didn’t Do Last Year

Filed under: Inspiration — Tags: , — donkowalewski @ 10:18 pm

Last year I read a really cool article about being a writer, and a guy bought all these composition books and filled them day after day, month after month, with ideas and pictures and idea-starters. And from that, he launched a super successful writing career. So I thought, “gee, I’m going to do that, too.” And I went right out to Office Depot and, lucky me, they were selling these composition books for, like, .50 cents each. I liked everything about this idea …(a) I’d  have some place to write lots of stuff. I could graduate from my spiral bound notebooks which kinda fall apart, and are currently full of writing-class  homework, stand-up bits, jokes, clippings from newspapers …really, all sorts of random stuff. So random in fact, I may burn them one day to avoid post mortem embarrassment when someone opens them up someday (like my kids), reads the, and then they all will have to come to grips that their old man was borderline insane.

What I’m saying is, I need to really make sure my journals and diaries reflect the person I want to be remembered as, and not the random, bizarre person I might actually be.

Oh, the other reasons …(b) writing in composition books has a very cool “Dead Poets Society” type vibe that made the idea seem pretty cool. If I could write only in leather bound journals using an ink quill and feather quill pen, I would. Trust me.  It’s like …well …imagine keeping a diary on a series of sheets of loose leaf paper all stapled together. That would suck and the Feng Shui would be all wrong. Put those papers in a three ring binder. Better. But use a composition book, and keep careful track of margins and style and …well …now you’ve got something historians can marvel over.

And the last part …(c) having a stack of composition books all full of prose and quotes and stories, full from cover to cover, stacked 20, 30 or 50 high – that’s just damn impressive.  “Oh, hey, Don …what are those.”  “Oh, those? Those are just my random thoughts and observations and some unfinished stories I’ve been writing over the past 4o years.” (Note: I’m having this imaginary conversation when I’m in my 60s, and I’m also an accomplished author and columnist at that point. Otherwise, my journals are no better than the ramblings of the Unibomber).

So, there you have it. One year later …another new year resolution unfulfilled. Guess how many pages I’ve filled in the four pictured composition books? Guess.  Nope, lower.  Lower still.  Yep. 12 hole pages.

What will it take me to follow through and fill those?

01/18/2010

Passions, Part 6 – 2,010 Miles

Filed under: Accomplishments — Tags: — donkowalewski @ 11:26 pm

Something I’ve been Tweeting and Facebooking about is my new year resolution of moving  my body 2,010 miles, whether that be running, swimming, or biking. It’s ambitious (probably overly ambitious). Doing the math, it works out to 40 miles per week, seeing as I didn’t start it until the 3rd week of 2010.

Hopefully I don’t have to explain the significance of 2,010 miles.

Here’s the reason I did this. Most Facebook status messages and most resolutions I see or hear are all about “quitting” something or “losing weight”. And at the risk of sounding like I’ve read The Secret too many times (I read it once, and I hated it for the sham it is), it seems when you resolve to do a negative thing, you’ll struggle. And, I haven’t thought about how a person who wishes they didn’t need cigarettes every day should word their resolutions. Maybe they need to stick with the “quit” verbiage.

But …with regards to those excess pounds, that cholesterol, your resting heart rate, think about what you can do and will do to make a difference. Specifically, one status message said, “2010 will finally be the year I lose these 30 extra pounds.” And I got to thinking, that was my goal too. But rather I focused on the fun of running, the challenge of training for a triathlon, signing up for trail-running events, and you know what happened?  I had tons of fun, did more outdoor and exercise type things than I have since I was a kid, and I lost weight and inches everywhere.

So let that be your mantra if you want 2010 to be different. Vow to walk or run 10 miles a week. Or eat 1 carrot, 1 green pepper, and 1 cucumber every day, and one apple (“an apple a day…”). It’s safe to say, you do that, you’ll spend so much time eating healthy things, I’ll betcha your cravings for junk food will diminish at least a little bit (I’m no Dr. Oz, I’m just guessing). Resolve to drink 80 ounces of water every day. If you buy 7 cucumbers, green peppers, and carrots every week, you’re budget for Doritos and Oreos is going to be cut by quite a bit.

The other good thing is this – you can totally track it. As I’m doing with my 2,010 miles. I invented this stupid idea 8 days ago and I’ve knocked out 14 miles, already.

Don’t lose, quit, or suffer. But set a goal and achieve it. The rest of your goals will come along for the ride.

12/09/2009

Inspiration, Part 3: I’m on the Runway

Filed under: Inspiration, Uncategorized — Tags: — donkowalewski @ 2:35 pm

I thought it was going to be a slow day around blog headquarters, and then someone hit me with this song and video. “Got me feelin’ so hot …models on top! …you ain’t this hot!”

I laugh, but I’m sure about six months from now I’ll see these cats on MTV Video Music Awards, and they’ll be cleaned up, manufactured, processed and over-produced and I’ll be downloading this single.

One thing I know, I’ll be singing the stupid chorus for the rest of the day.

It seems the group is known as Ameling, but I really can’t tell from their YouTube page. Either way …with talent like this, who needs marketing or information. Do the sun and the moon need to market themselves? Hellz no, they don’t. You just look up, and there they are. And people stop and stare. Same thing’ll happen to Ameling …or WeMakeTV …or whoever these geniuses are.

The rest of my day pales in comparison. Tonight is a big advertising industry shindig and I’ll be shaking hands, telling funny stories, laughing at other people’s funny stories, and promising multiple people that we should “get together soon” and “have lunch” or something. But it’s OK …a hundred people will say the same thing to me, and I know what it means …”see you next year at this holiday party.”

There’s a romance and charm to big shiny holiday parties with hundreds and hundreds of industry peers – doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. And the routine usually starts with (a) you tell everyone you don’t want to go, even though you have to – but more than that, you want to, but it’s not cool to say that. (b) On the day of, you say you’re going, but you aren’t staying late. (c) You leave work early – which is odd, because you didn’t want to go in the first place, and now you’re meeting up with people even earlier. Then (d) you get there and you swear you’ll just say ‘hi’ to a couple of key people, and then you’ll hit the door. And finally (e)  you fumble with the keys to your house at 1am, open the fridge and eat anything salty you can find, guzzle some water, and fall asleep on your couch so as not to wake the rest of the family.

Alot happens between (d) and (e), but this is a family blog …children may be reading.  And then of course there’s (f) …when you wake up the next morning having slept on a couch, in a suit, and having only gotten 4 or 5 hours of sleep but, again …family blog.

To you and yours and all your holiday parties …be safe, have fun, and see you next year.

12/08/2009

Random, Part 11: Shelf Indulgence with Chuck Klosterman | Borders Media

Filed under: Random — Tags: , — donkowalewski @ 10:32 am

Shelf Indulgence with Chuck Klosterman | Borders Media.

I recently became obsessed with Chuck Klosterman. I love pop-culture, and he writes about pop-culture, and he writes about it in a random, free-flowing, train-of-thought type of way, which is exactly how I like to consume text, music, movies, or TV – anything really.

Klosterman will be telling a story about how Tommy Lee used to drink alot, and why rock stars drink alot, but then he’ll tangent into a story about himself, where he gets drunk alone in his apartment. He’ll talk about drinking alone and how, at some earlier point in his career, he played the role of a drunk, creating a character in himself who would write his columns for some college newspaper.

Then he’ll jump back to Tommy Lee and glam, hair, heavy, and speed metal and use Tommy Lee, his own story, and the liner notes in Megadeth’s third CD to then make a point. Or he won’t make a point at all. And for me? That’s totally OK. Because there was a good chance, while reading whatever he wrote, I was daydreaming about Pamela Anderson, college hockey, and my cousin’s old apartment in Cedar Village up at Michigan State.

I had some great times in my cousins apartment.

I also really like Chuck Klosterman’s books. I want to meet him, and because we’re both more comfortable writing, we’ll awkwardly talk about his books, which will be a new conversation for me, but an old – very old, like he’s had it 10,000 times – conversation for him.

Which, then, makes Chuck exactly like any rock star who ever sat at a table at a backstage meet and greet, which Chuck talks about in Fargo Rock City (I just finished reading it a second time through, and might very well read it a third time), and some sort of circle-of-life will be complete.

I’ll bet that’s odd. Rock stars and movie stars have back-stages and dressing rooms where fans can wait to get autographs. And being a rock star or movie star makes these people recognizable, so they have to have a buffer. But an accomplished author and columnist has no back-stage or dressing room. The more accomplished authors might get a table at a bookstore, or might get Oprah’s couch, but mostly I think their fans need to first recognize them, and then simply approach them. And I think that must be odd – to be treated and recognized a bit like a rock star, while at the same time not given much more real estate at a bookstore than, say, the local Girl Scout troop selling cookies in February.

And I wonder if anyone has ever asked Chuck Klosterman if they could get 3 boxes of Tag-A-Longs and some Thin Mints. Probably not, but I’ll bet, at one point in time, someone asked him where the Historical Fiction section was located and I’m guessing, if he had time, he politely showed them.

And, finally, watch the video linked at the top of this entry.

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