Things I could be doing instead of watching House

Anyone who knows me at all knows that one of my vices (?) is watching television. You don't arrive at the decision to be a screenwriter hating TV. Lately, with my crappy employment and living situations I spend most of my day watching reruns on USA. This network has the pleasantly comforting habit of showing marthons of some sort everyday, i.e. Monday NCIS all day, Tuesday SVU all day, etc and my favorite days are the House marathon days. Of course, I wouldn't be watching these shows if I didn't enjoy them but at some point at least once a day I ask myself how productive I could be if I didn't watch episodes that I'd already seen dozens of times. It's not like I don't have plenty of new things to watch/read/write. The RTD rejuvination of the Whoniverse alone provides many, many hours of episodes, behind-the-scene features and interviews. And what about exercising? Getting out in the sunshine from time to time (Granted, I could exercise while watching TV but I don't)? I think I shall start a little experiment today and (try to) turn off the TV and explore some other options (but no way am I giving up my daily Gilmore Girls fix. Some things are just sacread). Who knows? Maybe it is the one impediment preventing me from taking over the world! Narf!

Did this show make itself?

So, yeah.  I've already faltered on my vow to write a blog everyday.  Like so many events in my life this year the universe knocked me for a loop.  A friend died very unexpectedly, I had to pack up the remnants of my life with the same person for ten years who has now left, divorce papers arrived...it was just a sucky few days and that's all there is to it.  OK, this is my blog not my journal so lets move on the the subject of the day.  With my recent reminder that life is indeed very short and not having any place to be most days I have been refocusing on my writing.  I couldn't help but notice that most of the blogs/websites/books were based in the UK.  This might have something to do with the fact that all the screenwriters I am in contact with are based in the UK.  In all cases they are contacts I made at a con (Gallifrey 1, to be specific).  One of my absolute favorite things about this particular con is that so many of the guests are writers, directors, producers, etc. of Doctor Who and many other British dramas.  I am on the British Media Fan Track of one the biggest cons in the world, Dragon*Con and I take great pleasure and pride in this, but any writing panels/guests are reserved for novels and comic books.  This has a lot to due with the fact that screenwriters don't draw people the way that "celebrities" do, and the bigger the attendance the better quality of con that we can provide.  It's not that American writers are sub par (well, most of them anyway).  Some of the best shows ever made like House, The Closer, and Six Feet Under are made in the good ol' US of A, and they are popular but who amongst us can name the creator of House (It's David Shore, by the way)?  I guess what I'm saying is if you have a show or film that you really love, go look and see who wrote it.  Write them a letter or find out if they have a Facebook page or Twitter account and leave them an appreciative message.  Let the cons you attend know that you'd like to have them as guests. Trust me, in this industry appreciation is few and far between.