For 20 in 04

I now have a long line of videos to watch, simply for research...okay, so maybe some of them are for fun but what the hey. If i'm going to write a screenplay might as well write something that i'd like to watch, which is what I am discovering at the moment.

What gets to me is that:

a) not only have they remained unopened-- a first since I have this compulsion to open things that I just bought even if I don't need them yet (no "let's keep it fresh and minty" thing for me, I say let `er rip!) --but

b) my parents are totally okay with it. Of course, I have to elbow my dad out of their room if I want to watch something from their TV (which is bigger than my paltry 17 incher) but they don't really argue if they see me watch and rewatch a movie, with a pad in hand to take notes for the second viewing. But what really blows me away is

c) I don't have enough time.

Not enough time to watch TV?

I wish I could say that I wasn't a slave to the tube, but it's only recently--more like when I started working--that I actually took a break from the idiot box.

Not to fault my parents, who were wonderful and tried to engage me in other activities growing up--but I pretty much grew up around television.

I went out, played sports with the other kids and with dolls and other outdoor games. I wasn't cooped inside just watching TV.

But even at age three, I had the network weekly line-up memorized, including those obscure chinese cooking shows at odd parts of the day. (The lady who cooked everything with soysauce was my favorite)

I still have pretty good recall of most of the things I watched before. On some days, I find myself remembering something that I saw and only just getting some of the plots and jokes...let's say a MAFIA conspiracy was still a bit too complicated for a kid in nursery school.

My favorites were the afternoon specials, which in this country is usually Steven Spielbergs Amazing Stories or Ray Bradbury.

During my early years, I was hooked on things such as The New Twilight Zone, The Monsters (the spin-off one) and Friday The 13th, the series.

I had some interesting viewing choices.

Now there's a lot of talk about bringing these shows back on DVD. I know that The Twilight Zone people are going all out with their franchise, with NTZ coming out this year. Although the newer version with Forest Whitaker kind of sucked. Maybe because it was too short, but I just think that even though it was supposed to be unexplained, they should have at least done some groundwork.

Suffice to say, I will be scrimping money just to buy the season one NTZ DVD for when it comes out this year.

But this time, those things are making it up my "viewing list".

Most of the time I end up staring into space just building bridges in my head, trying to piece together stories and plots. Something which may not be physically taxing but time consuming. Especially now that I've dug out my old "fantasy" obsession.

Having Bridget Jones and Christopher Pike living next to each other is tedius at best, to have them both in your head is just...you know what, I lack the words.

Let's just say that one has got me staying up most nights trying to frighten the shit of me just to be inspired while the other has me shopping.

I even found some old plot notes I had from when I was 10 and saw that most of my ideas were fantasy...and a lot of the girls were ghosts.

Considering that I was this cute (hit the awkward stage at 11 and never quite left it) popular, girlie "class rep" and cheerleader...what the hell was I thinking?

Maybe it was all those earlier influences shining through the Debbie Gibson exterior (it was the 80's)

In any case, I will have to get back to "work".

And to my friends at DAI...I dreamt about you guys (Sally and Laarni) It was a Twilight Zone kind of dream, but I was the one that eventually got eaten.