I am waste of space . . .

Ok, I'm not really a waste of space . . . just sort of.

I had one of those writing days, where you do nothing but write. But in my case it was a re-writing day. Clay (the world's most awesome agent) had sent me his notes on my most recent pilot script, Dunswitch Academy. Shockingly enough, he loved it. He really loved it. So I did a quick turn around on the notes (I am in fact the fastest writer ever. I think Dunswitch is the very first first draft that took me over a week to write. If I can make the time and have a good idea 60-100 pages a week is not unheard of for me. Hence, why I believe I am destined to be a head writer/show runner in the land of TV.)

So now he hands it off to the owner of the agency and we get her input. I'm also waiting to hear back from my readers! (You know who you are!)

Now that I've written the pilot, I'll go through a round or two of notes and "tweekage," and then I end up where I am now, which is slowly starting to compose the show bible for the pitch. I just have to be careful to give them enough work that they can see my vision but not too much so they think I'm inflexible and a tool. Remember, in TV the NETWORK knows best. And after the Network it will be whatever show runner I can get to work on my show.

So I'm now in the process of coming up with episode ideas . . . hence why I need my readers to finish the pilot so I can start bouncing plots off of them. This is the tough part. The ideas have to be good enough to use, show thought and be creative . . . but I know that they will probably never be used.

Once you get a writing staff, actors, audience response, Network folks, directors, crew etc. The show will change. You'll love writing for some actors, hate others - love some characters, kill off some others - TV changes and rarely goes according to plan. Plus the first few episodes of any new show is basically a reboot of the pilot until the TEAM figures out how best to tell this particular story - this way.

I also had a ton of "Business" stuff to deal with yesterday. Stuff I can't talk about on here for fear it will jinx my best laid plans -plus it's just not cool. Let's just say Clay and I are putting our plans for a take over of the entertainment industry into motion . . .

Oh the agency did just place a script idea from another writer into my lap . . . I think they want me to do a re-write on it. I have to be careful about these things. I can't give away my best, most creative stuff without assurances. Since I've been burned this way before - I'm going to read it through, see how much work it needs - pull it apart and put it back together. But if the agency and this show creator want to see what I've done - I'm getting it in writing. No more favors etc for other writers unless I get a contract.

I am no longer anyone's butt-monkey!!!!

But it will be fun to change gears. Dunswitch is a teen/horror/suspense/smut type of thing . . . this new idea is . . . well it's gritty hyper reality. So it will be a fast and furious change of pace.

BUT- I digress. Due to writing all day yesterday I didn't workout. And yes I feel fat, depressed and toad-like. I had planned a day of legs and core work with weights and then hill work.

That didn't happen. I hadn't had a rest day in almost two weeks so I justified it that way. I still felt like crap for it.

On the upside it's Saturday so that means I get to Jiu Jitsu. It will be an over crowded class but we will get an hour or two of open mat. Open Mat is where we get to separate the children from the men. I love taking a guy (younger than me) who looks like he should be in great shape and who should be able to to physically hand me my fat ass on a silver platter - and then I make him quit.

Making someone turn to me and say, "No Mas."

In some ways its getting back at my brothers and all of those people who were better at sports than me in high school. I know it is ego driven and wrong . . . but I do take great satisfaction in it.

And no, I'm not all spazzy relying on brute force - those guys I love to shut down. It's that I'm crafty, I think outside the box (fighting in a gi helps that) and that despite my years of self abuse though chemicals and cigarettes - I have a bottomless gas tank on the mat. I am a cardio machine.

Also, at this point in my life -my heart - that weird thing that makes me want to fight in the first place - is bigger and stronger than the other guy's. I guess I feel like I have something to prove. Somewhere along the line I developed what guys who fight dogs call gameness. I never had it as a kid or all through my teenage years - but now, as an adult - somehow it developed. I guess I'm just a late bloomer.

I realize that I haven't posted a recipe yet. I will do so now. Although Mandy and I had slight words about this. Mandy feels that my recipes belong on her blog. They are my recipes. So I believe we may have a "blog war" on our hands over recipes . . . or she could just copy and paste from my blog.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries (serves 4)

*pre-heat oven to 425

1 1/2-2 Lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch strips.

1/4 of a cup of olive oil

1/2 Tb kosher salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp red pepper

dash of black pepper

Stick the 1/4 strips in a bowl or in a zip lock bag, add the wet and dry ingredients and mix generously coating everything.

Take a baking sheet, cover in aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Lay 1/4 in strips in a single layer across pan.

Reduce heat to 400 and bake for 15 minutes.

Turn the fries over so they bake and crisp up evenly.

Raise heat to 425 and bake for another 15 minutes-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Here's an extra treat kids! My Low fat, Low cal home made MEAT LOAF recipe!!

HEALTHY MEAT LOAF

(250-350 cal per serving - 2 1/4 inch slices.)

1 Lb. 90% lean ground beef

1Lb Turkey Sausage without the casings.

1 cup onion diced

1 cup carrots, grated.

1 1/2 cup mushrooms diced

4 cloves of garlic

1 cup oats or oatmeal

2 egg whites

1 cup Ketchup.

Salt & Pepper - other spices to taste

Pre heat oven to 375.

Mix the meats in a bowl

Saute in olive oil the onion and carrots for 3-4 min. then add garlic, cook over med heat for another 3 min.

Mix all of your ingredients except the ketchup.

Your hands work best! Make sure they are clean!

Add 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of ketchup.

Now, you can either cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (and cooking spray) and shape the loaf there OR you can put it in a bread pan. The difference is that on the baking sheet -the extra oil, fat, etc can leave the loaf. In a bread pan it gets absorbed by the oats.

After shaping the loaf, take the remaining ketchup and cover the loaf. I used a basting brush and it worked perfectly.

Bake on 375 for 50-65 minutes. (I used 65 minutes and it was perfect - but that's my oven - beware -don't undercook turkey - it must reach an internal temp of 165.)

Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Until next time True Believers . . .

Mandy made me do it . . .

I am finally sitting down to write something. I've been horribly busy but Mandy has cut me no slack. She threatened to stop being a follower of my blog (even though I have no posts) if I didn't start posting, so here it goes . . .

So glad to be back after a two week hiatus from Jiu Jitsu. I was on vacation for a week with Mandy's family. (Where I learned that some people consider "Italian" a food group.) I gained ten pounds. I cried when I stepped on the scale. So I went out and ran ten miles. No really, it was my long run day. But I was heavily satisfied by coming back from the run 7 pounds lighter.

The date of Sept. 27th can't get here quick enough. I want to run the half marathon and get it over with already. I've had the realization that I'm a runner. I love running. I feel free and my heart fills with joy when I run. BUT, training for 13.1 miles is a bit of a bore. My Monday long runs are starting to hang heavy on my heart. I never thought I would have the boredom issue, but I am. Training wise I'm way ready for the race. I think I've peaked in my training a little early and I feel like I have no where to go with it until the race. My long runs are now a game of mental endurance. I also need to run someplace other than Liberty State Park.

I think I have one marathon in me. Just one. And then I will resign myself to a life of one half marathon a year and then all the 10ks and 5ks I can sign up for.

As to my original thought - Jiu Jistu. I got to be Issac's chew toy (A purple belt testing for his brown shortly) for a good half hour/45 minutes today. I almost didn't make it to class this morning. I woke up at 8:30 (need to be on train by 8:45). I was tired from the day before and really whiny. Then I thought to myself, "Wes, get over yourself! There are tons of dudes who would love to have the opportunity to train Jiu Jitsu and here you are taking it for granted and pissing away a day of training" . . . so I went. It was awesome. Small class of four guys with Issac and Nuno teaching. We did a half our of technique and then an hour of open mat. I got home glowing and happy - but now a case of trainwreckitis (if I may quote the author Mark Law from his book, Pyjama Game: A Journey into Judo) has set in.

I guess I overdid it yesterday. I did 45 minutes of weights which was brutal and I was pretty much gassed about halfway in. Then I did a run of 5.3 miles in 47:39. So I averaged 8:59 minutes/mile. Not bad for someone who just did a total body weight workout inclusive of 5X5 squats and 50 body weight squats.

It looked something like this . . .

warm up with squats - light weights leading up to

Squat 5x5

Press 5x5

Push ups 3x failure

Seated cable row 3x12

Sit ups on decline bench 3x25

50 body weight squats

Bicep Curls 3x12 (each arm)

I know I'm vain and should forego the bicep curls but I have to admit, since doing the Experiment 7 film I've been wanting Ving Rhames type arms. It makes me look and feel bad ass. (Or at least as bad ass as my hippy trippy look/persona will allow.)

On the writing front, I finished my most recent pilot idea! The first draft of The Dunswitch Academy is done! Now I'm waiting on my few readers to tear it apart as well as my agent Clay to take me to task on it.

I'm soooooo impatient and like a kid waiting to open presents . . . so please readers . . . get off your asses and read it!!!

I like the script - I need some perspective on the second half of it so I can go back in and improve it. The first three acts I think are really solid. I actually felt sort of rushed with the second half of the pilot - like I needed to hurry up with it and get to the ending scenes and the tag. The problem is act 5 is over 15 pages. Which is long for an hour episodic. So maybe I should write it as a TV miniseries and let it be what it wants to instead of making the last half of the pilot almost all events or jolts instead well done storytelling/plot?

We'll just half to wait and see what my few readers say.

As for dinner tonight?

Broccoli with lentils in a chicken broth, steak strips, and baked sweet potato fries. We'll see if Mandy gets around to posting my home made, low fat, low cal meat loaf recipe . . . then MAYBE I'll let her post my baked sweet potato fries recipe.

Until Next Time True Believers . . .