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Archive for August, 2009

Avery’s Daily Tweets

  • @Knunez please tell me you're doing this on the 360. Open for an online match? in reply to Knunez #
  • I've never seen a single episode of Battlestar Galactica, although I caught a recap once. Is it really *THAT* good?? #
  • I wonder if I'm just not all that into sci-fi anymore. District 9 was very, very disappointing. #
  • @scottsigler I've heard, but I also heard that the show itself practically changed scifi television. Is it that epic? in reply to scottsigler #
  • @scottsigler last question; is the opening mini-series "Caprica"? Or is that something else? in reply to scottsigler #
  • @tsutv I found it boring and predictable. Not BAD, just nowhere near as good as everyone made it out to be. in reply to tsutv #
  • @tsutv are you on Facebook? I'll blog the whole thing later. in reply to tsutv #
  • @tsutv iRobot is excellent. Friend request sent. in reply to tsutv #
  • I love Tim Roth when he's playing the most abhorrent people imaginable. Otherwise he's just okay. #
  • @scottsigler thanks for the link, checking out presently. I didn't hear good things about Caprica. Only curious. in reply to scottsigler #
  • @tsutv lol I don't even know what those shoes are…I've never paid more than $20 for a set of shoes in my life. in reply to tsutv #
  • @dpb2262 thanks for the recommendation…and nice to meet you! in reply to dpb2262 #
  • See, this is why we like the Hulk. He just split a car in half and used Tim Roth's head for anger management. Classic. #
  • @Sixtiesguy this is where I'd prefer American manufacturing. A Toyota just couldn't take the beating. in reply to Sixtiesguy #
  • Abomination? Meet the brick wall. #
  • @Sixtiesguy Avery's life is doing pretty good. Always a struggle, but nothing to complain about. Happy to be alive. How about you, Dan? in reply to Sixtiesguy #
  • He said Hulk smash. I nearly wet myself in childish glee. #
  • @Sixtiesguy I try not to complain. I hit things instead. Avery smash. in reply to Sixtiesguy #
  • @Sixtiesguy you have to press one for English because two is for Spanish. Duh. in reply to Sixtiesguy #
  • @zoetewey this is the first time I've seen it. It was better than District 9, and I like how this movie has ended. in reply to zoetewey #
  • Hugh Jackman/Edward Norton. Think about it. Fans want it, and it can be done. #
  • Iron Man becomes the final movie of the weekend. Only five more days till the weekend. *sigh* #
  • The blog about why I didn't like District 9 will come out at the same time as Chapter 26 of Universal Warrior. #
  • Tomorrow, I plan to catch up on my reviews. #
  • @AliveinMe added to my plans is to pray for you and success with the dr's tomorrow. in reply to AliveinMe #
  • @AliveinMe hey, I have a wild idea; how about you see what the dr has to say before pulling out the butcher knife? ^_^. Good luck, ma'am. in reply to AliveinMe #
  • Universal Warrior Uprising Chapter 26: The Right Thing is now LIVE!! PLEASE RT!!! http://bit.ly/3KVGeH #
  • When I'm Running http://bit.ly/B38JC #
  • Why I Didn't Like District 9 http://bit.ly/12gqWr #
  • So-called players always get every single girl except the one they want. That's why I never considered myself one. #

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When I’m Running

Seven in the morning is a great time to be up. The city isn’t quite awake yet, it’s not warm enough to be uncomfortable, not cold enough to be chilly.

It’s a good time for a run.

I originally started running because I was told it was the best way to keep type two diabetes in check (and they were right), but as I’ve gotten more into a routine, I’ve come to enjoy it.

For about forty-five minutes, my feet beat the pavement, my heart pounds like a hammer in my chest, and my lungs expand and contract as I regulate my breathing. For just forty-five minutes a day, I’m Busterwolf all over again.

I begin the run from the rear of my apartment complex. It’s a gentle downhill slope to start before crossing to the left and beginning the incline through a small suburb, just west of an old abandoned shoe factory. I’ll run over the highway and make my way to the park before doubling back.

I’m thirty-two years old. I’m physically past my fighting prime, but any fighter will tell you, you can’t just turn your instincts off and on, even if your body won’t keep up anymore. Although I can still fight, it’s not like it used to be, and it never will be again. I may never accept this.

I also use the morning run as a chance to brace myself for the coming day. When I walk in that door, and approach my desk, I’m stepping into the ring. My opponents are going to be the hundred-plus people I call that day. I secure a victory by out-thinking and outmaneuvering them, getting to the heart of their objections so I not only sell them something I believe is of better value than what they’ve got, but make sure that they are comfortable with it when I hang up the phone.

This is how I fight now.

So maybe, when I’m running, I’m not bracing myself for work. Instead, as I run, and my breath quicker, and my heart rate accelerates, I’m preparing for that one last fight. The one last fight that every great fighter has; where they step up against an opponent who takes them to their very limit before falling to the ground, defeated.

And then I realize I’ve been legitimate for two years now. I always feel as though I’m standing above this great abyss, peering over into what my life was, and could be again. I look back behind me at the rising sun and the endless land that represents everything I’ve done, and I know that my last opponent is, indeed, Busterwolf – taking me to my very limits, threatening to pull me down into defeat by tempting me into going back to the old ways.

Quitting this job, stuffing what will fit into a single bag, and heading back into the wild blue yonder.

But I won’t do that. I can’t do that.

And so I turn around, head home, and get ready to get on the phones.

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Why I Didn’t Like District 9

I went into District 9 with high hopes and emerged from the theater greatly disappointed. I nearly fell asleep on the film in a couple of places.
This is supposed to be the summer’s big hit; while I try to live against the grain, failing to understand why some things are popular could be detrimental to my future. So I sat down and tried to figure out why, exactly, I didn’t like this film.

District 9’s plot is simple; alien refugees find themselves stranded over Earth (Johannesburg, of all places, one of the films high points). The country’s government gives the aliens asylum in the slum-like District 9. As the aliens are forced to live in impoverished conditions (I laughed aloud seeing alien gang signs in the alien ghetto), crime breaks out, and humans soon grow tired of it. Two decades after their arrival, MNU plans to evict these aliens (referred to derogatorily as ‘prawns’) to a “better” location—two hundred miles away from civilization.

So what didn’t I like about this film?

1). Predictable
The film revolves around two characters—one human, one prawn—as they work towards individual goals that coincide with each other. There are many ways this situation can play out, and District 9 paints by the numbers from beginning to lackluster, predictable end.
In my humble opinion, stories are a lot better when protagonists have to sacrifice something, maybe everything, to achieve their goal. In the case of two protagonists, one, usually the more oppressed, accomplishes their goal while the other protagonist sacrifices their own to aid the lesser character. In doing so, the sacrificial protagonist becomes a better person/thing/whatever in putting aside their own needs for a greater good. District 9 follows this formula as though it’s the first time they’ve ever heard of it. The film is set up so that midway through it, you know how it’s going to end.  When you figure it out, you’re on your way to bed.

2). Same old Aliens
I’d like to know why aliens in modern movies are all pretty much designed the same way; sure, most of them don’t look like anything you’ve seen before, but most still have at least two eyes, two legs, and two arms. They’re also freakishly strong. I wonder if this is meant to prey on subconscious fear; something that looks like you, but is way beyond you. I imagine it was cool back when Alien first came out, but in the year 2009? It seems a bit campy.
The prawns weren’t so far removed that I couldn’t tell that people may have been playing these things in costume. While one can speculate on the prawns’ origins (another high point of the movie, driven home after the ending), in the end, it felt more like a cop-out.

District 9 isn’t a bad movie, it just wasn’t worth what I paid to see it. My main complaint is that it lacked any originality. Everything in this movie is something you’ve seen somewhere else. At some point, I’d like to see some new ideas on the big screen.

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Twittering–Weekly Digest

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

  • For some reason, not getting my replies on tweetdeck. Ah well; to work. #
  • The deeper I get into this story, the more I realize that I don't understand it's most critical villain. Hm. #
  • Trying to get my head on straight and on this kick where I can't get enough of Richard Marx/Donna Lewis "At The Beginning". Love this song. #
  • Ah, crud. I don't know what's worse; realizing that you don't know your villain, or that you only have two days to figure it out. Great. #
  • @AliveinMe have you heard any Mark Schultz? I love a lot of his work. in reply to AliveinMe #

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

  • I feel really good about EVERYTHING right now. Got the synopsis preview sent off for a client, planning some UW stuff before dinner. #
  • Open question; what in your life is worth fighting/dying for? #
  • I'm a little ashamed of myself for not getting the reviews done on time. I'm getting backed up. #
  • Putting a blog together about why I run. #
  • @chrisbrogan one that challenges you, and at the same time can be attained. in reply to chrisbrogan #
  • Watching @wilw on this week's episode of Leverage. #
  • @AliveinMe thank you, ma'am! You as well! in reply to AliveinMe #
  • I LOOOOOVE Parker. #Leverage #
  • Google Toolbar Fail; Doesn’t Work On Chrome http://ff.im/7dtzR #
  • New Apple Tablet Interface Pics? Probably Not, But Who Knows. http://ff.im/7dtQD #
  • NetVibes Gets Into Website Design http://ff.im/7durH #
  • RT @bookwormm21: RT @netta50: RT @charbrown: A closed mouth gathers no foot. (Good lesson.) #

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On Writing: Keeping Your Characters Happy

For this blog, let’s pretend your imagination is an apartment—and within reside your characters.

When your characters and story are new, the apartment is empty, but you’re looking for things to fill it up with. So you hunt for inspiration (furniture).

Building a home takes time, dedication, and hard work. The same can be said of a good story and believable characters. You sit, you make the time, and you flesh out your characters. The more time and energy you invest, the better your world turns out. Soon, you have a couch, recliner, flat-screen TV, and anything else you need to make your story shine.

Your characters still have to pay rent, and they do so by telling you their story. When you give time to them, they give time to you. To me, this is how the writing process works.

Now, if you’re a bad landlord, and you’re not taking the time to keep the apartment up and running, well, tenants tend to move out. Don’t spend any time with your characters, they stop talking to you.

I’ve had Universal Warrior in my head since I was eight years old. I know these characters and their stories back and forth. I’m grateful for the success of the story, but to be honest, I had come to take it for granted. I’ve been living with these characters, and this ‘epic’ plot between good and evil for so long that I was able to think of Uprising’s plot within a couple of weeks. Suddenly bound by restrictions and deadlines, I was almost relieved when the site went down. I needed the break.

I didn’t think about Universal Warrior at all for about six weeks. I wrote the returning chapter without any planning or foresight—and man alive, am I dissatisfied with it. While I accomplished what I wanted (reintroducing the main character and his motivation) my execution was sloppier than last year’s Detroit Lions.

The lesson I learned is that if you value your characters and your story, regardless as to how you present them, then you have to invest time into them. I never should’ve taken so much time away from Universal Warrior. I could’ve kept things going with short stories. I could’ve planned out the—surprise. I could’ve done anything other than drop the project.

If I leave you with anything, invest time and energy into your creations whenever you can. They’ll reward you for it. Neglect them, and expect the same in return.

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The Truth About Telemarketing and Those Who Rock At It

I passionately despise traditional salespeople; and telemarketers in particular. In this I’m not alone; general loathing for telemarketers tends to range somewhere between the Third Reich and the LAPD. I don’t blame anyone for feeling this way. Occasionally, I receive calls on my cell phone (my freaking cell phone?! Are you serious?!) from my cable company trying to get me to pay for something I don’t need. Often, out of sympathy, I’m polite. But I don’t want to hear it and get off the phone as quickly as possible.

What I hate most about traditional salespeople/telemarketers is that they reek phony; the plastic smiles, the fake camaraderie, the façade that they care about you when they’re more interested in what’s in your back pocket. I may be many things, but I am not phony.

Now, I should probably take this moment to say that not all salespeople and telemarketers have a personality as appealing as something you just stepped in. I’ve come across quite a few genuine people who work in the profession and honestly care about the people they deal with. It is these people who never seem to last, though.

One of my hustles was to get a telemarketing job, usually while I was healing. I would stay at this job until my bosses realized that I had no intention of selling strangers, and then bounce—usually with a nice little piece of change in my pocket. Truthfully, I expected to do the same thing at this job. Although it’s still very much a sales job, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how differently they do things. They invest more into your training than any other job I’ve been at. Thanks to the training and access to the product I’m selling, I’m not so bad at this job. There’s still no sense of security, but at least I’m succeeding.

Telemarketing is a tricky hustle; you have five seconds or less to convince a total stranger, sight unseen, that you are worth their time. What fascinates me about this job—and the people I work with, all of whom were kind enough to allow me to use their real names in this blog—is how we manage to get our customer’s attention. So many things factor into the initial five seconds; tone, inflection, and pace of voice. Being able to accurately read the customer’s reaction and respond appropriately. The real challenge—and where I fail—is convincing someone to spend more money than they need to. I do my best when I am able to save people money.

We all have our reasons for doing this. Me? Same reason I do everything else; I love the challenge. I tend not to participate in the promotions (unless they involve time off) because it’s just one more thing to keep track of. If it’s meant to come to me, than it will. I’m in this for the fight. The moment I live for is when I am exhausted, usually dealing with the beginning of a headache, and I’ve had someone on the phone for ten minutes when they finally agree to buy what I’m selling. That’s what I live for.

We take over one hundred calls a day. On average, we sell a tenth of them. The rest of the time, we’re being called every name under the sun and told to do very bad things with our mothers.
In this job, I have also spent more time around people than I have in a long time. I can listen to some of the people I work with forever, because they’re natural salespeople. I can’t tell if they’re being genuine or they’re just after the bottom line, but these are the ones who keep my attention the most.

Dorothy is someone I actually look forward to seeing at work. She’s the only person who doesn’t seem to ‘switch modes’ when she gets on the phone. Her technique is happiness; no matter what, she’s always smiling, always goofy, and her customer’s pick up on that. It is the cheerfulness in her voice that either disarms or infuriates the people she talks too. She seems to do well with female senior citizens, probably because she’s so endearing. The thing I like about her is that when she gets of the phone, she’s the exact same way. She’s one of the genuine people I know at the job, and she can make anyone laugh in any situation.

Brad is arguably the best salesperson we have on our team, and to be honest, the boy scares the hell out of me. Brad chases his money down harder than any hustler I’ve ever come across. If he’s not on the phone at work, he’s on his cell phone, either buying something he intends to sell or selling something. Always, always, always about the bottom line—and he’s damn good at it. What scares me is that as hard as I try to read the kid, I can’t tell if he’s genuine or the world’s greatest con artist. Off the phone, he’s a nonchalant, easygoing country boy who doesn’t care what others think of him. I like him; I’m just not sure what to make of him. I’m never sure what to make of anyone who never appears to get upset.

Lacey…Lacey is something else. Her weapon is her voice; she has a very singsong, hypnotic, melodic voice that makes you feel bad if you insult her. Her other weapon is that she is very, very good at making people see what she wants them to see. This isn’t to say that she’s a bad person, not in the least. In fact, she’s a very sweet young girl. But the innocence is an act that hides a new bad girl’s fledgling curiosity.

Ray is a younger, less angry version of myself. He carries his contagious energy onto the phone, barely keeping it in check long enough to sound professional—and he puts numbers on the board. He has the stress of a young player, taking nothing seriously, very popular with the girls in the office (if they don’t want to kill him). He was among the first to reach out to me, and I’ve actually had a couple of adventures with the kid. Occasionally I see flashes of seriousness in his eyes—he knows reality is closing in on him, and his playing time is limited. I think it’s this knowledge that impresses me most about him; he’s not stupid.

These are just four people who have the biggest impact on me at work. The fifth one I’m not mentioning—Reya—I’m staying quiet about until I figure out how to sum her up. Mostly, she’s a kindred spirit and a little sister.

We all come from different backgrounds, and we are all on this job for different reasons. The tie that binds us is that when we get on the phones, we become single-minded in our dealing with the customers. None of us, not even Brad, have an easy job. You have to be a little crazy to do it. I think we lean on each other in times of weakness, brag up our successes, but in the end, we’re all just trying to make it.

Telemarketers are people too, and we’re just trying to earn a living. Keep that in mind if we happen to call.

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