Nightcrawler

Rated R / 1 hr 57 min / Crime - Drama - Thriller

What is it about?

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou, a down on his luck man who will do anything to build a new carreer. Lou notices a car wreck on the side of the road, so he pulls over to observe. He encounters Bill Paxton filming the accident and then negotiating with a news station on the price of the footage. He asks Bill for a job, but is denied. He decides to go freelance with a camera he purchased from a pawn shop using stolen goods. He makes a deal with one of the local news stations, and thus his new carreer is born.

You will like it if..

You like thrillers with Jake Gyllenhaal. Jake Gyllenhaal nails this performance as a manipulative psychopath. The script isn't as good as Gone Girl, but it isn't too far behind it. The movie has a deliberate pace that will turn off some. Gyllenhaal himself sells the movie. His character is the type that makes you not want to miss what kind of craziness he is going to do next. His ambition is unmatched. If Gone Girl wasn't still in theaters then this would be the best movie in theaters right now. It's worth seeing if you are interested. The previews don't make it look as good as it is.

NFL Week 8

My fantasy teams for the most part are looking pretty good. I have one team that is up 60 points coming into tonight. That gap may lessen because the opposing team has Jordan Reed and Demarco Murray. I still have Jason Whitten in that league, so I doubt they will make up that difference. Another team has a 30 point lead with the other team having Dez Bryant. Bryant is certainly capable of a monster game. It's good that the Redskins have a fantastic seconda..  man I almost made it through that sentence with a straight face. The team I'm worried about is my third team. I basically need Colt Mccoy to outscore Demarco Murray by a few points. It's not looking good for that league, and yes I was desperate with Cam Newton facing Seattle's defense. Next week I will have to shuffle things around. Brian Quick who has been a solid and consistent piece of all my teams is done for the season with a shoulder/collarbone injury. Also Matt Forte is going to be on a bye week next week, and I have him on two of my three teams.

Redskins vs. Cowboys

The Redskins defense looks decent in the first quarter, but they aren't getting much pressure on Romo. If we can't get some pressure on him on third down without blitzing then it might be a long night for us. The Cowboy offensive line looks like the real deal. They might have the best O-line in the league, but it could also be that Hazlett has no imagination in the way he uses his pass rushers. The defensive linemen for the Redskins just line up and rush straight forward over and over again using the same moves. Jarvis Jenkins is out with a foot injury which will hurt. He's one of those big bodies that consistently pushes double teams backwards. Kerrigan finally gets home on the last play of the half on a stunt.. finally Hazlett does something different! Kerrigan is continuing what looks like it could be a strong Pro-Bowl type of year. He might be the only Pro Bowler on the Redskins. Hazlett brings an all out blitz on third and eleven with one of the Redskin middle linebackers coming free, and Romo is down in pain. This has happened a couple of times this game. Romo isn't adjusting protection because he doesn't know where the blitz is coming from or if it's coming. I hope he's OK, but I wouldn't cry if he was out for the game. In comes Brandon Weeden, and he hands it off to Murray for a big run.. the one guy the Redskins need to stop and they can't do it. Breeland and Ammerson are both playing very well for being so inexperienced. Ammerson has played well in his first two seasons, but Breeland was the one on Dez Bryant at the goalline and came up with two huge plays. It's the 4th quarter and we can't stop the run. No one covers Whitten on a short pass, and it's a tie ballgame once again. Romo is back for a final drive! Big blitz from Merriweather and a fumble! Kerrigan falls on it, but of course they go to commercial before you can see what happened. Somehow the ball got in the hands of a Dallas player. The refs have called a great game thus far, but they just missed a big hold on a Romo pass for a first down on 3rd and 8 from the goalline. Intentional grounding on Romo on 3rd down, Dallas will punt.

The Redskins offense has had a good break with the Cowboys turning the ball over. Mccoy then does exactly what Cousins did to get benched. He threw the ball into double coverage for an INT. He comes back to throw a bomb to Desean Jackson. It was a little short, but he wasn't going to overthrow Jackson anyway. Now that's three passes he's tried to get to Jackson that were a short. Jackson adjusted and had a chance to catch these next two, but failed to come down with them. Mccoy came out this second half and so far is playing smart. So far he's set two audibles that set up big runs for Alfred Morris. Morris is proving once again that he is a beast if given the chance. Feed him the ball in the right situations and the Redskins march right down the field. Touchdown Morris, and the Redskins take the lead in a tight game. Colt's adjustments in the run game opened up a play action pass for Jackson to give the Redskins the ball in the red zone. Mccoy shows his toughness on a QB draw for a 7 yard TD to take the lead. The Redskins are dinking and dunking their way down the field, and a short pass to Jordan Reed leaves them with a 4th and 1 situation. It looks like the Redskins might go for it. Derrell Young for a first down! We need to take the air out of the ball here. The more time we take off the clock the better, and then we can kick a field goal. Mistakes killed that idea.

Dez Bryant is a beast. I can't explain it any other way. He just made a rediculous move against two Redskins defenders and then stretched out for a touchdown. The Redskins have been able to stop Demarco Murray in spots, but they've also been gashed by his tough running on a few plays. It looks like it's getting harder and harder to stop the Cowboys. Henry Melton is playing like he did in his prime with Chicago. He has been very impressive this game.

Niles Paul just made a huge mistake on a holding penalty that negated a good ten yard run for Morris. It's immediately followed by a delay of game penalty. We can't keep making these dumb mistakes and expect to beat a team with a 6-1 record when we are the visiting team. False start on Compton hurts with the game tied in a tough game. Delay of game on a critical 3rd and 5 then a tough sack to put the Redskins out of Field Goal range. This is a disappointing end to the drive in a close game. Big mistakes made by an inexperienced quarterback who up until now has played a scrappy tough game.

Overtime

Redskins win the toss, and will take the ball. A touchdown will end the game. I love the first two playcalls so far in OT. Helu cuts to the wrong side on 2nd down to lose yardage. Jordan Reed bails them out on 3rd and short. HOLY CRAP! Jordan Reed makes a highlight reel catch on the sideline. Refs miss a minor facemask call. Morris turns a loss into a 2 yard gain. It's 3rd and short again. They run one of those screens that I hate on third and short to Reed, but as it has been over and over again they stop him short of the first down. Gruden has an unnatural love for that play on 3rd and short, but it's too predictable and doesn't work very often. Running comeback routes or curls or running a draw or sweep works more often. Forbath takes the lead with a field goal.

Dallas has the ball and we just need to stop them. Once again we can't stop the run. Riley makes a beautiful play on Murray on a check down throw. Riley makes another beautiful play on a fake all out blitz on Whitten. Game's on the line 4th down and 3. Cowboys take a timeout. Romo shaken by the pressure chokes once again. Redskins win! Wow! What a game!

Colt didn't play a perfect game, but he gave strong scrappy performance. All the experts called him 'noodle-armed', but I didn't see any of that. Accuracy was a problem on some throws, but he put it where his teammates could make a play. The biggest thing is that Colt helped to get the run game going by making some great adjustments. If the Redskins run game is going then we can beat anyone.

Other Thoughts

Who else is tired of political ads all over the television? I just saw a TV ad for Ed Gillespie who is running against Mark Warner. Gillespie's ad says that he supports the Redskins name and we should elect him because Dan Snyder should be able to name his business whatever he wants. This completely ignores all of the real issues that matter to people. I love the Redskins, and I don't want their name to change. I would much rather have my favorite football team be renamed something else than to have Gillespie in office. It makes me sick that he would use my football team as a crutch to get votes instead of tackling the tough issues and answering the glaring questions we all have.

Focus!

Maintaining your focus can be a tough goal to achieve in today's world. There are so many distractions begging you to look at the shiny rather than finishing what you are working on. The TV, smartphones, social media, games, books, movies, that tuna salad in the fridge with the mold starting to grow on it...  mmm  tuna salad.

I am not going to write about how do maintain your focus because that has been done to death. The stick that was used on that dead horse broke a while ago. I do love me some Vitamin B, and I would recommend it to anyone who is having a problem maintaining focus.

What I want to talk about is how important it is to maintain focus in what you are currently doing. With all of these distractions, it is very easy to only partially pay attention. When you do that you are doing a disservice to whatever you are doing at the time. It's going to take longer to do, you are going to make more mistakes, and the overall quality is not going to be as good as it could be. This makes babies and puppies cry. Don't make babies and puppies cry.

I love to play poker, and unless you like to lose a lot of money then you spend a lot of time folding. The goal is to make money over a longer period of time if you play the right way. You might lose 50 hands in a row by folding, but that one hand you win can make it worth it. I was spending the time in between hands writing, but now I have decided to stop doing that. The quality of the writing and my poker play suffered as a result of trying to do both. I inflicted unneeded pain on my characters and wallet. Now I inflict needed pain on my characters in more creative ways. My wallet is thanking me as well.

So go forth ye unwashed masses. Share your tale of how maintaining your focus has helped you in the comments while texting, tweeting, and listening to a Taylor Swift song. This blog post has been brought to you by the letter F and the number Pi.

John Wick

Rated R / 1 hr 41 min / Action - Thriller

What is it about?

John Wick's wife has just died from an illness that caused her to gradually expire. She sends him a cute little puppy to be delivered after she dies with a note trying to help him move on. He then goes out for a drive where he encounters some Russian gangsters at a gas station. One of them takes a liking to his 1969 Ford Mustang and offers to buy it. He refuses. The Russians then come to his house to steal the car they also kill his puppy (those bastards!). The Russian who wanted the car is the son of the man who runs the Russian Mafia. John Wick used to be their assassin and now he wants revenge.

You will like it if...

You like action movies with a revenge theme. The action sequences are well above average. If you are an action junkie then you should love this movie. The seedy underbelly of the city is interesting with each establishment having it's own set of rules to be followed. The problem is that the script is rather bland. There aren't any iconic lines in the script for Keanu to sink his chops into. Instead they try to sprinkle in some sylized subtitles to reveal what is said in Russian. It's not as fun as some of the other classic revenge movies like Taken, Memento, or Kill Bill. If you enjoy straight action then this is worth checking out, otherwise Redbox will be your friend when it comes out on DVD.

Writer's Playlist - October 23 Edition

The writer's playlist consists of fifteen songs that make a playlist of close to an hour. If you have any song suggestions for the list please leave it in the comments!

The List

Link to the list in Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/user/12145759073/playlist/2zNMcOS0RNzMgHSlPwtfWS

1. Drake - 0 to 100
2. Mary J. Blige - I'm Goin' Down
3. TLC - Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg
4. Iggy Alzalea / Rita Ora - Black Widow
5. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
6. The Weeknd - Often
7. Mario - Let Me Love You
8. Musiq Soulchild - teachme
9. Kendrick Lamar - i
10. The Isley Brothers - Contagious
11. Ne-Yo / Juicy J - She Knows
12. Nirvana - Come As You Are
13. Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven
14. Alicia Keys / Kendrick Lamar - It's On Again
15. Mc Serch - Here It Comes

Shame On Timothy Stanley

The Fox News style of opinionated psuedo-journalism is spreading across all media as it has been proven to produce ratings. Apparently people love the comedy of misinformation and ignorance. Enter Timothy Stanley, who I'm sure is not the only person who is spreading this infection of media backed cyber-bullying. For the purposes of this blog post I am singling him out for his opinion piece that is featured on CNN.com as an "Editor's Pick".

The Article

"Ignore the fact that she was patently not the primary victim in the Zippergate affair (poor Hillary Clinton was) or that any comparison with someone suffering a disease, especially at a time when people are dropping dead from Ebola, is tasteless in the extreme."

Whoa wait a second there Mr. Poopypants. Hillary was the victim as a result of the affair that was played out on TV over and over again. People felt sorry for Hillary while Monica was vilified as a whore everywhere. So now she's not allowed to be thought of as a victim of those people who lashed out at her? Let me tell you a secret that isn't really a secret but you're not bright enough to get Mr. Stanley.. There can be more than one victim in a story like this.

He also mentions Ebola, which is the scariest most media overblown threat to grace our TV screens in a while. Ebola has claimed one life out of three victims so far this year in the United States. I get that the total is much higher in Africa, but Monica Lewinsky isn't campaigning in West Africa. Suicide on the other hand has claimed many many more lives this year within the United States. It stands to reason that cyber-bullying may possibly be responsible for more than 1 death in the United States this year which would make it a more pressing matter to the audience Ms. Lewinsky is reaching out to. Wouldn't it? *listens for the echo within Mr. Stanley's skull*

"she said she was inspired to speak out by the story of Tyler Clementi, a student who committed suicide after a video of him kissing another boy went up online. Young Clementi was the victim of societal homophobia as well as an invasion of his privacy, and his death makes any comparison with Lewinsky's self-imposed troubles ridiculous."

So if Monica had commited suicide then her speaking out against cyber-bullying would be valid? Or if she had sex with Hillary instead of Bill? Is that what you are trying to imply? Holy frozen poop on a stick Batman! This level of stupid makes me want to headbutt a wall until it stops.

"But while Lewinsky grabs some TV time talking about her own liberties, she forgets those of her fellow sisters -- the mistreated wives. Imagine that your husband was caught cheating and the contents of your marriage were discussed every night on television. Would you feel happy about his mistress reappearing 16 years later to drag the whole thing up again, and even to play the victim? Does Hillary Clinton not have a right to put this scandal behind her and have a political identity separate from her husband's?"

The focus of the campaign is cyber-bullying. Let's try to stay on topic maybe? It's not Monica's fault that the mere mention of her name makes Fox News correspondents want to replay the entire incident with white froth spewing from their mouths. Be better than Fox News. Why is that such a difficult concept? Why is Monica to blame for what others are doing on TV? Why was Flash Forward cancelled? I loved that show.

"Lewinsky says that she wants to take on the "shame game." But what she did all those years ago and what she's doing now makes her a perfect candidate for a good, old-fashioned shaming."

What a perfect send-off. Tell everyone that Monica deserves it, so go fling poop at her. No one deserves it except for maybe those who are flinging poop to begin with. Just so you know sir.. flinging poop makes you look like a deranged monkey. Stop it.

You can read the full article here:http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/21/opinion/stanley-monica-lewinsky-shameless/index.html
CNN Also has the other side of the story, but it's not featured at the top like the article I just ranted on. You can read that here: http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/06/opinion/robbins-lewinsky-strength/index.html

NFL Week 7

Tough decisions face me this week in fantasy football. I am absolutely stacked at Running Back in almost all my leagues. My Wide Receivers look relatively week by comparison. I have one league where I am hampered by having AJ Green and Jimmy Graham. I was fortunate enough to pick up Jordan Reed, but now I have a difficult decision because Graham is going to play a limited role in the red zone for New Orleans. I have one league where my running backs are Matt Forte, Giovani Bernard, Branden Oliver, Justin Forsett, and Fred Jackson. All of which are top 15 options according to fantasy football experts. My wide receivers are struggling as Norv Turner has no clue how to use Cordarrelle Patterson. Wes Welker has also gotten lost in the mix in Denver.

I am getting increasingly annoyed at the commercials that they are showing during football. In particular the iPhone and Honda Fit commercials. They make me want to punch someone in the face. They are both so smug and annoying. It's not like the things these products can do are anything new. Apple copied Samsung and made the screens of their new iPhone larger, and they are trying to present it as if it's something that hasn't been done before. Is anyone else annoyed by these commercials?

Tennessee Titans vs. Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins continues to scare the crap out of me with his lack of ball security. One play wasn't his fault, but it would have been counted as an interception if the defender had held onto it. Throws like the one that Cousins just tossed to Desean Jackson make me want to love the guy, but he has just as many head-scratching throws. Colt Mccoy has replaced Cousins to start the 2nd half. I'm glad to see him in the game unfortunately. He doesn't have the same ability to make perfect throws into tight coverage, but he also doesn't make the same mistakes. He gets the ball to Pierre on one of his first plays, and Garcon shows that he has better than average speed to take it for a touchdown. Colt isn't making the best decisions, but he's also not turning the ball over. He decided to run the ball for negative yardage rather than throwing it away, and the next play he held on to the ball too long. These are things he could have avoided if he had more live game experience.

The Redskins offense is looking like it should early on here. Gruden is feeding the ball to Morris, and so far the Titans can't stop them. Just as I type that Morris goes down the an ankle injury. I hope he's OK because he's the motor that makes the offense go. Crisis averted, Morris only missed 1 play due to the injury. Washington can use Morris to get up and down the field all day, but they always seem to abandon the run when it gets iinto the red zone. So far we're settling for field goals because of it. Gruden is continuing to use Morris as the workhorse he is in the second half. Like I have said all season. Using Morris as your workhorse running back gives you a much better chance of winning. If Colt had started the game, the Redskins may have won by more than 2 points.

The Redskins continue to be one of the worst teams on 3rd down. A big part of the reason is poor playcalling. On 3rd and 3 they just called a run to Helu into the strength of an overstacked defensive line. 3rd and 7 in the red zone, and they run a shovel pass option play. It was poorly executed, but it's just as bad a playcall. Special teams mistakes extended a Titan's drive, and they take advantage with a late first half touchdown. Gruden has an unnatural love for the bubble screen. We ran a bad screen pass followed by a worse bubble screen. Garcon somehow turned the terrible play into a gain, but punting was our only option after that play. The Titans just made a critically bad special teams play, the muffed punt gave the Redskins the ball just outside the red zone.

So far the refs have been doing an excellent job for the most part. They had to review two plays right off the bat, and in both cases they got the call right. The refs have continued to be a non-issue in the 2nd half. This is one of the best officiated games I have seen this season. I come into writing this post expecting to complain about the refs, but this officiating crew has done very well.

Surprises

Carolina is supposed to have one of the best defenses in the league. I keep hearing about how good they are on that side of the ball. Green Bay has 21 points in the first quarter, and Cam Newton has 0 passing yards. I hate Cam Newton and his bipolar performances as one of my fantasy quarterbacks. Maybe he'll salvage the day as there is still a lot of time left in that game. Cam finishes with a decent fantasy day, but his team is still crushed by Green Bay as they put up 38 points on Carolina's defense.

Miami is destroying Chicago right now. Miami has played tough defense in spots, but they are holding one of the more potent offenses to 7 points so far. I wonder if that will last. Chicago is able to put a few more points on the board, but Miami holds on for the win.

The Rams are currently beating the snot out of Seattle. Seattle is supposed to have one of the best defenses in the league, but the Rams have put up 21 points to Seattle's 3. I see that they had a kick return for a touchdown, so that explains part of it. Seattle comes storming back, but it's too little too late. Rams win.

Supernatural and Grim

Wattpad

For the past few months I have been using a neat little feature on the Wattpad app that allows you to quote text from a story in your library. It's great promotional tool for social media like facebook, instagram, tumblr, etc.. You can see the latest graphic to the left. The quote is from the last update for my story Grim that is updated on Mondays. Within the app you can select text from a story, click share, and then you can pick a background. There are several premade backgrounds to choose from. You can also use the story's cover graphic or a custom graphic of your choosing.

I would highly recommend Wattpad for any writer, but this feature is a bonus for any professional. It is quick, easy, and effective. The Wattpad app is severely lacking in some aspects compared to the website, but they have made some great improvements. The upgrades have made the Wattpad app more than a simple e-reader for the stories on the website. I can't wait to see what updates they put in place next.

Supernatural

When promoting my story Grim, I have been using the hashtag #supernatural because the story is a supernatural thriller about a grim-reaper. Whenever I post one of these promotional pictures on instagram, I get a quite a few likes from people I don't know. There is apparently a group of people that will like anything under that hashtag all because of a TV show titled Supernatural.

I happen to enjoy the show, and the 9th season of Supernatural is now available on Netflix. I watched the last episode of that season today, and I would recommend the show to anyone. It's got a bit of everything, Angels, Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Leviathans, etc.. and there are nine seasons of the creamy goodness to consume. One of the things that I enjoy most about the show is how it always seems to introduce new themes to the same story without becoming stale. It feels old and familiar while bringing along something fresh and new. I try to do the same with Grim.

Grim can be read on Wattpad here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/15571872-grim
The first 9 seasons of Supernatural can be seen on Netflix: http://www.netflix.com
Season 10 of Supernatural is currently airing on Tuesdays on the CW: http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural

Fury

Rated R / 2 hr 14 min / Action - Drama - War

What is it about?

Brad Pitt plays Sgt. Don Collier who is the commanding officer of a tank crew. They are helping to make the last push of the allied army into Germany during World War II. The Nazi army is desperate, and their tanks are technologically superior. Their gunner was killed in the last battle, and is replaced by a kid that was trained as a typist with no combat experience. Their unit is tasked with rescuing some soldiers that are pinned down and then helping to take a town. Outgunned and outnumbered they have to figure out a way to complete their objectives.

You will like it if...

You like gritty World War II movies. This isn't as good as some of the other classic war movies of the past, but it has been several years since we have had a good war movie like this. Brad Pitt seems to be continuing his performance from Inglorious Basterds with the accent toned down and fewer iconic lines. Shia Lebouf doesn't completely ruin his role. Sometimes I just want to punch him in the face for his performance, but that could just be when he's in a Michael Bay movie. The tank battles are intense and quite possibly the best part of this movie. As with most war movies there isn't much story to tell. War is hell and the soldiers go where the battles take them. This is where a lot of the classic war movies bring something new to the table. This movie just does a few things better than it's predecessors. It only feels fresh because it has been so long. If you like WWII movies then this is worth checking out.

Bad Guys and Anti-heros

What makes it so much fun to write these types of characters? Every character has their complexities. They all have their own obstacles to overcome. The difference being a cruelty that pushes others away or forces others to work with them out of fear. They are either leaders or loners. They don't usually follow others, and don't take direction well. They are rebellious in a way that we all wish we could be at times. How many times have you been at work performing a task thinking about how stupid the task is?

The difference between the villain and anti-hero is their sense of morals. What they perceive to be right and wrong. The anti-hero is compelled, most times reluctantly, to do the right thing. The villain has no qualms about doing whatever they want no matter how illegal that may be especially if they think or know that they won't get caught. The freedom to do what they want feels like it is stolen from us as life chews us all up and spits us back out over and over. These characters still have that freedom and many times use it in a way that we all wish we could. The villain and anti-hero are both selfish archetypes that live in different shades of grey that this world is painted in. There are more than fifty of them, and they don't all lead to bondage sex... unfortunately.

The actions that these characters are able to take resonate with all of us. These characters feel more real than the heroes who always do the right thing. No one always does the right thing all the time. Any character that does is going to be ultra boring. You might as well call that character 'Grass Growing Man'. Hmm.. depending on what kind of grass maybe they wouldn't be so boring after all. These characters tend to act with confidence and certainty like we all wish we could, but from time to time they are brought back down to earth so we can identify with them. Mistakes are what make us grow and learn. Confidence and anger help to move the story, but uncertainty and vulnerability make the story feel genuine. Not knowing what to do can lead to mistakes and a more interesting outcome. It's sometimes nice to see that our heros don't always have the answer either.

The anti-heros and villains that are most interesting are mostly outsiders or misfits. People who don't feel like they belong with others in this world. Cerebral giants who can't seem to relate to others like Batman, Lex Luthor, or Thanos. Fighting badasses who don't seem to care for much of anything like The Punisher, Wolverine, or Bane. Completely insane characters like Deadpool or The Joker. I mention comic characters because they seem to be the most enduring and iconic. What are some of your favorite bad guys or anti-heros and why? Comments are always appreciated and never punished with the wet spaghetti whip treatment.. unless you're into that kind of thing.

NFL Week 6

Fox decided that we all wanted to watch the Bengals and Panthers tie rather than watch the entire first quarter of my beloved Redskins. Then three minutes later they decide to show a "gamebreak" to inform us of the tie instead of showing a replay on a possibly critical play. Good Job Fox.

At least they don't have their crappy Cowgirls team announcing the Redskins game like they usually do. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck should NOT be announcing Redskins games. They are so biased against the Washington team that they spend several minutes professing their love of Jerry Jones when they should be talking about the game. It's disgusting.

Redskins vs. Cardinals

Cousins is looking good again this week so far. Arizona is trying to make sure they are in his face every play. Cousins is making good quick decisions with pressure in his face. He's been able to shift his feet enough to buy a second or two at times to get the ball out before he gets hit. Poor playcalling on third down is killing drives for us. No more bubble screens on third down please! In the second half the Cardinals are mixing it up by showing pressure and backing off into coverage. Cousins just made his first mistake. The ball floated on him a bit for an easy INT for the Cardinal safety. The Redskins are still throwing the ball at a two to one ratio which is idiotic considering how many yards per carry they have been able to generate through Alfred Morris. The play action pass they keep running isn't effective if they don't run the ball. Again a poor playcall on 3rd down results in an INT on a bubble screen where Desean Jackson doesn't attack the ball and Roberts doesn't block the corner who caught the ball. The Cardinals played deep and then the bubble screen worked for once. Cousins looked amazing on that drive, but the Cardinals were playing off. Not a lot of time left. 29 seconds left and we need a field goal to tie and Cousins tosses a pick 6. Ballgame over.

The Redskins defense is putting pressure on Carson Palmer nearly every time he drops back. The front lines on both defenses look strong so far. David Amerson went out early, and now we are down our top starting CBs. Our Secondary is in trouble. Fitzgerald isn't getting open, but he's catching everything that is thrown his way because he's pushing off. The refs aren't calling it because it's Larry Fitzgerald. Carson Palmer just made an amazing play with three Redskins draped all over him. Ryan Kerrigan is a beast. He has made some great plays on 3rd down to send the Cardinals punt team on to the field. I don't see how he could not be a pro bowl player this year.

The refs just made a terrible pass interference call. The cornerback has just as much of a right to play for the ball as the wide receivers do, but all too often when a wide receiver tries to run back through the defender and gets that pass interference call. The refs need to let those types of plays go. Defenders can't run through receivers, and receivers initiating contact shouldn't get rewarded for it with a penalty against the defender. The refs just cost the Redskins the ball. It was clear from the replay early in the 4th quarter that Roberts' knee was down before the ball pops out. Again, the refs need to make the effort to get the call correct instead of trying to say that their poop doesn't stink. All the fans know your poop stinks! I just about threw my tablet through the window because of that call. That cost the Redskins three points and two minutes off the clock.

Surprises

Joe Flacco tosses five touchdowns in the first half. Wow! He's a streaky player, and it looks like he got on a hot streak this week. Baltimore rolls in a blowout.

Cleveland beats the Stealers badly this week. Cleveland hasn't been nearly as bad so far this season as they looked in preseason. In preseason their offense looked absolutely awful. Brian Hoyer and Manziel both looked terrible, and there were lots of people calling for Johnny Football to be the starter. You don't hear anything from those people now. Hoyer is playing well, and it looks like the Offensive Coordinator for Cleveland has discovered that Jordan Cameron is a strong target in the pass game. Everyone knew that last year.

The Cowgirls are playing tough against the Seahawks. Everyone keeps expecting Seattle to roll over the teams in the NFC East, but so far they've had a tough time with the Redskins and now the Cowboys. It won't matter as long as they get the W, but right now they're losing to the Cowgirls. Dallas, now that they have become more of a running team, is built to compete with a team like Seattle. The Cowboys win in what looks like it was a tough battle.

The Raiders are hanging tough with the Chargers. The Chargers blew out Seattle not too long ago. They have looked strong on offense and defense, but the game is tied right now. Tony Sparano is a decent coach and the Raider's Derek Carr has given them a spark on offense. I wonder how they will look for the remainder of the season with their new interim head coach. The Chargers hold on in a close game to win 31-28. That must have been a great game to watch!

Dracula Untold

Rated PG-13 / 1 hr 32 min / Action - Drama - Fantasy

What is it about?

Vlad the Impaler is played by Luke Evans. He has been home for a short while enjoying peace after being a soldier for the Gummy Bear Army for several years. A Turkish scout's helmet is found washed downstream on his land. He's wary of a possible invasion because the Turks only send scouts to lands they intend to conquer. He goes to negotiate with them, but they want a thousand children to join their Gummy Bear army. When he pleads his case to a man he was raised with as a brother, the man demands that Vlad's son be added to the thousand that are handed over. Vlad decides to fight against the Turks, but he has no army. His only choice is to turn to a dark power hiding in the mountains (otherwise known as One Direction?).

You will like it if...

You like movies that put a new twist on old stories and vampires. The twist on this tale is interesting in that they try to link the historical Vlad the Impaler with the character from Bram Stoker's classic. The movie doesn't try to stick with either story too closely, and ends up forging a new tale. The acting is decent led by a brooding Luke Evans who gives his best 'I'm in charge so let's act serious' face. He does manage a smile here and there, but he mostly sticks with what he does best. The CGI animations of bats are well done and remind me of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies. The script has a few unintentionally campy parts that are truly terrible. You can tell they were trying to be clever, but the level of fail matches so many youtube videos of people falling directly on their face. If you can get past those moments then the movie can be entertaining. It's a better than average movie, but not anything special. I would recommend Redboxing this one if you are interested in seeing it.

Writing at 3 AM With A Cold

Being sick sucks more than a Michael Bay movie. It's even worse for a writer/author who is trying to make it in this business. You are trying to maximize your time and energy towards your goal of finishing that next story or selling the current one. When you are sick you don't have any energy. You just want to take some Nyquil, curl up into a ball, and sleep. Unfotunately you may end up staying up until 3 AM working on something that is already past it's deadline.

I was in this situation last Monday. I usually work on Grim chapters on Sundays, but this past weekend I had a job to do that went quite a bit longer than expected. No, not quite as long as the Jolly Green Giant's uh.. just no. Don't ask me how I know. I just do. Anyway, I didn't get a chance to work on it then. Monday night my softball team had a double header and I played both games. During the course of the night I could feel the sickness sinking in like the Titanic.

I have a few tips to help you accomplish your writing goals while still sick.

1. Eliminate Distractions - This is generally a good idea when writing. I am still sick now, and I can tell you that all day it has been like I have a severe case of A.D.D. I have been distracted by every little noise or blinky thing or shiny thing that I have come across. Earlier today I spent five minutes staring off into space thinking about Hello Kitty. It all started with a blinking light on my phone.
2. Ramble On - I tend to go on and on about nothing when I'm sick. Type out your nonsensical ramblings within your story. You can always delete the paragraph about rainbow flavored dust bunnies later, or it may be so hilarious that you have to keep it. Magic can happen within these moments.
3. Read, Edit, Reread, Re-edit, etc.. - The delirious ramblings of a medicated sick person are definitely not something you want to go out to the public unedited. You might need to have a friend read what you wrote before submitting it for public consumption. I had two parts in the last chapter of Grim that I posted where I had thought out the entire paragraph in my head, but didn't type it out. That put gaps in the story that I had to fill later. It's a good thing I didn't hit submit as soon as I finished!
4. Manage Your Time - You should delay or cancel anything on your schedule that you can. You're going to have a lot less time. Staring off into space, seeing tiny pink elephants, looking at the shiny thing, thinking about how awesome chocolate is.. Your time will disappear quick. You also need to make time to rest.
5. Get Better Quick! - Rest as much as you can. Drink your fluids. Do everything you need to get back to your normal healthy self. Once you are better, you can play catch up if needed. Don't stay up until 3 AM like I did. I paid for it the next day. I was completely wiped out the next day. Learn from my mistake!

Fantasy Football Week 5

I missed posting last week about the NFL, so here's a bonus post about my fantasy football teams. It's like an extra piece of chocolate you weren't expecting that gives up it's creamy goodness. Mmmm.. chocolate! I will be doing my usual NFL Update tomorrow during the S&M spanking everyone is telling me my team is going to get. I'm going to wear my ball gag and leather zipper suit during that. For those of you who don't know, I have three fantasy football leagues that I am currently in. Let's take a look at my matchups! I'm going to list the players on my team on the left vs. the players on the opposing team.

ABG League

Team Name: Jerry Jones' Tourbus
Record: 2-2
Last Week: I got absolutely crushed by one of the worst teams in the league. Every player on the opposing team, that hadn't done anything all year, scored 20+ points. I still can't sit properly after that whoopin'.

• QBs - Cam Newton vs. Peyton Manning
• RBs - Matt Forte and Giovani Bernard vs. Demarco Murray and Rashad Jennings
• WRs - Wes Welker and Brian Quick vs. Emmanuel Sanders and Percy Harvin
• TEs - Greg Olsen vs. Julius Thomas
• Flex - Alfred Morris vs. Darren Sproles
• K and Def - Cody Parkey and Cincinnati vs. Steven Hauschka and Philadelphia

It's not looking good for me with the opposing team projected to score 20 more points than me. I like the combination of Forte and Giovani Bernard as a better RB combo, but Demarco Murray is leading the league in rushing yards and Rashad Jennings has a fantastic matchup this week. Overall I think these teams are about even, but this week the opposing team has fantastic matchups. I also had the head exploding decision of having to start Cam Newton or Kirk Cousins. Instead of worrying about it I'm just going to say Giovani Bernard. I love that name. Say it with me G I O V A N I!

The Right Coast League

Team Name: P-Funk Allstars
Record: 4-0
Last Week: I won last week mostly thanks to Phillip Rivers outscoring Tom Brady by 20 points which is about what the difference in points was. Can you believe I waited until Round 8 to draft my starting QB? It was on sale so I bought it!

• QBs - Phillip Rivers vs. Aaron Rodgers
• RBs - Arian Foster and Reggie Bush vs. Jamaal Charles and Giovani Bernard
• WRs - AJ Green, DeAndre Hopkins, and Brian Quick vs. Emmanuel Sanders, Pierre Garcon, and Steve Smith Sr.
• TEs - Jimmy Graham vs. Rob Gronkowski
• K and Def - Cody Parkey and Buffalo vs. Mason Crosby and Baltimore

Oh Noes! I'm playing against Giovani in this game! My sweet Giovani! I'm projected to win this game by about half a point, BUT Green Bay already played this week. Both of the opposing team's players on Thursday scored less than their projected amount. The problem with this team every week is the 5 running backs I have that are all injury prone. How can I decide who to start when they are almost all basically the same player??? I have Arian Foster, Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw, Ben Tate, and CJ Spiller. You have to start Foster if he's 100%, but that's rare. Everyone else you're just throwing darts.This week I went with Bush because Joique Bell (I don't know how to pronounce it either) is out, so Bush won't be splitting time as he has been.

The Spartans League

Team Name: Kiss Your * Goodbye
Record: 3-1
Last Week: I destroyed an 0-4 team. It didn't feel very satisfying. I want Tony Romo's tears from missing the playoffs the last game of the season every year. Bottle it up and I would buy it!

• QBs - Drew Brees vs. Peyton Manning
• RBs - Matt Forte and Giovani Bernard vs. Montee Ball and Rashad Jennings
• WRs - Jeremy Maclin and Brian Quick vs. Cordarrelle Patterson and Keenan Allen
• TEs - Larry Donnell vs. Delanie Walker
• Flex - Justin Forsett vs. Eddie Royal
• K and Def - Cody Parkey and Houston vs. Dan Bailey and Philadelphia

I'm projected to score about 9 more points than the other team. Montee Ball hasn't done much all year. I feel like making a sign on my couch that says 'Reserved for Montee Ball'. Everyone was expecting him to have a breakout season and it just hasn't happened so far. Forsett is one of my favorite players in the league. When he's gotten a chance, he dances like Beyonce. Unfortunately he never really gets the chance even though he's the best option. Reminds me of another of my favorite Dora the Explorer lunchbox guys, Fred Jackson in Buffalo. Forsett is finally getting a good chance to play now that he's on a good team with a coach that recognizes his talent.. or rather lack of talent in his other RBs.

Gone Girl

Rated R / 2 hr 29 min / Drama - Mystery - Thriller

What is it about?

The Batfleck (Ben Affleck) is hanging out with his sister at a bar that they both partially own. He then gets a call that his house cat has gotten out. He goes home to find that his wife is gone, and it looks as if someone had broken in. The police get on the case right away because of some recent violent crimes. They find traces of blood inside the house. There is also an envelope labeled 'Clue #1' with a riddle that might lead them to where the missing wife had gone. All of the clues seem to point towards the Batfleck as being the guilty party. He doesn't help his case by keeping secrets from the police.

You will like it if...

You like psychological thrillers. Holy crap is all I have to say about this movie. You NEED to go see this movie. The script is fantastic. When I finish this I'm going to download the book and start binge-reading it until I pass out. You all know the book is almost always better than the movie! The acting in this movie is superb. Rosamund Pike is fantastic, but she is very rarely given a role this complex. It's OK guys. She is capable of playing with Legos. Reindeer Games gives the same likeable performance he has given before in other movies. This is a crazy movie. If you have any interest in seeing it then go see it now. If the theater is closed then break in and watch it anyway! Don't let things like 'law' and 'jail' stop you from seeing this movie! OK well maybe you should wait until the theater is open.