“Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”  Will Smith in the movie as Chris Gardner from his book The Pursuit of Happyness

The Book: Something Written This Way Will Come

I drafted some notes and put down a plan to write my book that’s been in my head for a while. I still have questions and will need to find both some information and some inspiration about it, but the main thing is to write. Walter Mosley the celebrated author told me to take a year and do it. Leonard Maltin the well-known film critic told me to just write and expand my presence on social media. Mario the marketing guy at the Fox Sports party said I have a story and I should tell it. 151 blog followers are telling me to do it, indirectly at least.

Everyone at South by Southwest who is creating something is saying by example that I should do it. Mostly, those 10,000 miles I rode are telling me to do it. OK, Universe, I get it! I’ll do it! I am doing it. Will I ACTUALLY do it — and FINISH IT? And get published or become an electronic book that people can get and read? Come back in 364 days and we’ll find out.  In the meantime maybe occasionally I’ll put some snippets.  Hm, snippets.  That’s a fun word.  Are those like Muppets?

Walking and Biking

Last week over six days I put in a respectable 77.7-mile week, including 21.2 on Sunday, according to my Strava statistics:

The “XT” at the bottom shows walks, or “extra training.” I got 10,000 steps the first four days so figured that was good enough but it appears I missed a day of making those steps or a 30-minute walk. Given all the extra walking I’ve been doing, and the fact that I wasn’t doing it much at all before January 1st, I’m really not worried about it. It’s an ingrained habit now but I do have to be diligent and make sure not to backslide.

There may be many days where I can’t walk at all at some point due to being laid up with something. And eventually, we all stop walking.  So it’s good to be grateful for it now even if sometimes it’s a chore. The benefits for bone density, stress-reduction, mobility and more are all good.  As soon as you’re done reading this blog, why not go for a walk?  (Tell me in the comments if you do.)

SXSW Day 4

After yesterday’s adventures (shown through photographs), today I got downtown earlier. Finally I attended a couple of Interactive workshops, one on job search, the other on imagination using a product called Audiojack. Alot of things had very long lines so I didn’t bother. I finally did stand in one for an hour, which went by fairly quickly due to chatting with folks in line.

That was for the world premiere of the movie Boundaries, a funny but emotionally impactful and honest movie about a woman and her son who go on a difficult road trip with her father. I really loved it mostly because of some iconic actors like Christopher Plummer, Christopher Lloyd and Peter Fonda, but especially Vera Farmiga. I caught this fuzzy photo of her out front and got to hear her speak with the UT-Austin Film School graduate and director, Shana Feste.  This was a fictionalized but true story, and very personal for her.  Awesome!

I’ve been watching the cable TV show Bates Motel, where Vera (we’re on a first-name basis) plays Norman Bates’ mother, Norma. Pretty nice coincidence.  I know you’re happily married with kids, Vera, but can we be friends or pen pals or something?

SLEEP Concert

I then went to see another premiere (in the US, at least): SLEEP by classical and film composer Max Richter. Using piano, synthesizers, looping, one voice and a small string ensemble, he created lush, ambient textures he’s known for in movie soundtracks. It was very minimalist and Phillip Glass-like, but hypnotic and I found myself dozing or at least drifting off. Oh, and by the way: I just saw and heard the first two hours of the eight-hour concert, and the UT Performing Arts Center stage was full of beds! The first 40 lucky people to early to line up got to stay all night and listen or sleep as they wanted to. Those of us in the seats had to leave at 2 am. A Dude dozed a bit.  Pretty interesting!

I won’t go over everything else I did and saw, but I did get around some and learned a few things, had some fun, and of course, rode my bike. Check back tomorrow in more photos, and my next post which should be on Wednesday.

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