(Blip/YouTube)

The executives at Glee are accused of stealing intellectual property. How do they react?

(Blip/YouTube)

Red Ribbon Reviewers

The Ganssle men sat down to talk Tolkien for over 120 minutes. Here’s 41 of them.

(Blip/YouTube)

In non-Whale Yale news, my brother and I discuss Disney’s animated video game comedy!

(Blip/YouTube)

Just where *have* I been, anyway? And where am I now?

Watch Some Jerk With A Camera’s Epcot video here!

Also, to help hold you off until the next Dave Does Disney…here’s something that happened at the Magic Kingdom shortly before Halloween.

EDIT 11/10/12:

It looks like I found a job! And more importantly, my employment status helped launch an epic, bizarre, hilarious Twitter conversation, which I’ve storified!

(Blip/YouTube)

Dave and friends watch the conclusion to the Nolan Bat-Trilogy.
Check out Boggs’ written review!

Yes, folks, yesterday was my 25th birthday, and like all birthdays, it made me reflect on things. Last year, I listed a few goals I had for the month of July, and now, one year later, I completed one and three-fourths of them. That would be discouraging if I hadn’t been accomplishing so many other things, things I hadn’t even dreamed of at the time.

Sure, Dave Does Disney still isn’t QUITE finished, but despite being busy with a lot of other things, I’m almost done editing the Resorts episode and the Beauty and the Beast bonusode. The Fantasmic bonusode has been pushed back a bit, but it’s going to be awesome.

I was also invited to join GeekVision, a new site that showcases a lot of fun and talented reviewers and videomakers. The site now features Dave Does Disney, as well as some of my other reviews, sketches, and convention videos right here. I have tremendous respect and admiration for the other GeekVisionaries, so I’m quite excited to be part of the team.

I’m also in YET ANOTHER standup comedy showcase coming up at the Orlando Improv on Wednesday, July 11. These classes have been tremendous fun to take, and I really enjoy these performances.

I’m also nearing the end of preproduction on a short film, and I’m in a long-distance relationship that I’m very happy about. (The relationship part, not the distance part. The distance part sucks, but we make do.)

Sure, on a day to day basis I don’t feel very productive, partly due to focusing so much energy on my low-paying job. My move to Los Angeles will be postponed for a while due to financial reasons. I’m not crazy about the state of Florida as a whole, and I’d rather live somewhere closer to my girlfriend. But despite all these setbacks, I’m pretty happy with my life’s direction right now.

But I’m also aware there’s room for improvement. I’m trying a few different techniques to help myself focus on my projects. I’m trying to make myself write every day, even if most days said writing only produces unusable garbage. I want to get Dave Does Disney all completed and released. As happy as I am with the series and as much as I’ve enjoyed working on it, it HAS been taking up my creative energy (and my hard drive space) for over two years now. I’m sure I’ll do videos about Universal and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens before I leave this state, but I don’t ONLY want to be “The Theme Park Guy”. (Certainly not when I’m not even the best or the funniest theme park reviewer on Geekvision!) I’ve got other webseries ideas I want to pursue, some of which I’ve toyed around with for years but still haven’t so much as formally outlined. I want to stop just dreaming about projects and actually take action to get them done. But hey, one step at a time, and I’m not going to launch headfirst into another ambitious internet release without wrapping things up for the Dave Does Disney fans.

What a surprise, this post got a little rambly. Short version: I’m halfway to fifty and I’m surprisingly okay with it, but I’m not complacent.

I should blog more often so I don’t have to cover so many emotions in a single post.

(Blip/YouTube)

It’s about time somebody talked about this movie on the internet!

Since last month saw not a single video and ONLY a single text post on this blog, I suppose the least I can do is give you a little update on all of the things I claim I do.

I. SCRIPTFRENZY

My final tally was…52 pages. Well, I got *halfway* there! AND now I have 52 more pages than I had the month before! They’re not GOOD pages, not even remotely, but at least it allowed me to stretch my writing muscles. Well, for the first half of the month, anyway. In the second half of the month, every moment not spent at work was spent in more or less a vegetative state. More on that later.

THE POINT IS, I started a bunch of scenes, sketches, and vignettes that I will now proceed to ignore in favor of other writing projects (hopefully). And who knows, perhaps someday I shall return to one of these vignettes and figure out how to salvage it into something good. And if not, well, at least I know what premises to avoid.

There *was* something freeing about writing without pressuring myself to make anything good, but at the same time, there was something…unsatisfying about it. When I removed all the pressure, it got me to write stuff, but the knowledge that said stuff would probably never amount to anything meant I didn’t find a whole lot of joy in it, which is one of the reasons I didn’t quite finish.

So, I don’t write when I pressure myself to be perfect, and I don’t write when I remove all of the pressure. I just need to find the amount of pressure that’s juuuuuuuust right. (Dammit, I didn’t get into writing because I wanted to be Goldilocks! I got into writing because I wanted to be Hansel and Gretel! When am I gonna kill a witch and eat some gingerbread, huh?)

II. EMPLOYMENT

My new job at SeaWorld has its ups and downs. It’s no worse than any other “summer job” type of work, but it can be a bit draining, hence the vegetative state. My hours are quite limited, and my paycheck reflects that. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay afloat on this salary alone, but I also don’t know where I’ll find the energy to work more hours or find a second job. But it’s too early to tell, and I’m sure as I continue to get used to the job I’ll find a better internal balance.

It’s a shame, though. I’ve been working at SeaWorld for a month now, and I still haven’t seen the vast majority of what the park has to offer. Shocking as it may seem, these days I’m actually not in the mood to go to theme parks in my free time at all. Which brings us to…

III. DAVE DOES DISNEY

I’m still editing the Resorts episode and the Beauty and the Beast bonusode. Blame the aforementioned vegetative state for the lack of progress. The Fantasmic bonusode hasn’t been shot yet–there are a few pretty exciting things I have to line up before I go full steam ahead on it–but progress is being made. The script has a first draft, and it’s longer than anything else Dave Does Disney-related, but I think it’s also funnier. If you’ve seen Fantasmic, you know how much material I have to work with, and I’m really looking forward to this episode coming together.

IV. THE SITE ITSELF

You probably noticed that I went from that barely-legible white-text-on-dark-blue theme to a modified version of WordPress’s default Twenty Eleven theme. I’ll be using my EXTREMELY limited knowledge of coding to try out some tweaks, attempting to make the design more customized and interesting. If you have any suggestions for the layout, let me know!

After I get a look for the site I’m happy with, I’ll be working on releasing all sorts of new content. (Style before substance, that’s my motto.) I’ve got a couple ideas for a very simple specialized vlog/review series or two, ideally allowing for more regularly updated content amidst the eternal wait for the theme park reviews.

Of course, what I *really* want to do is more narrative stuff and sketches, but that takes more time, energy, people, and money to put together. I have some time, little energy, and no money. I *might* have people, but I haven’t approached them yet, so I don’t know how interested they’d be. Hopefully in my ongoing quest to actually write stuff, I’ll write something actually entertaining that can be done in little time with no money and few people. (Again, if you have any suggestions…)

So! That’s what I’ve been up to. How was YOUR month?

I. ENTERTAINING RANDOM DRUNK PEOPLE

Last Wednesday, I performed in a standup comedy showcase at the Orlando Improv. This was the “graduation” for the class I was taking for the two months prior. I’m taking the next class AS WE SPEAK (provided we’re speaking on a Monday at 6:00 PM in April 2012).

It was my first time in years being on any sort of stage, and my first time ever being on stage all by myself performing material I wrote to a room consisting mostly of strangers.

And shockingly enough, the strangers seemed entertained.

There was fairly consistent laughter, and while they never went into a riotous fit of hysterics, I *did* get applause for one self-deprecating joke. It was a blast to do, and I look forward to exploring this particular avenue of entertainment further. Maybe next time I perform, YOU will be in the audience! Because you probably weren’t there THIS time, you horrible friend, you!

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out. I’m still a little stressed out because of the car troubles I had on Saturday.

II. THE TERRIFYING TALE OF THE TROUBLES IN TRAFFIC

On Saturday, I was driving in my car, as I am prone to do, when I noticed the “Check Engine Soon” light was on. Now, this light can mean anything from “YOUR CAR IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE” to “Your engine is lonely and needs a pat on the back”, so I didn’t think much of it, other than making a mental note to have it looked at.

But on the way home, my car started slowing down to about 20 miles per hour. No matter how hard I floored it, it wouldn’t go above twenty. Nervous, I got off the highway as fast as possible and parked for a little while. When I turned the car back on, it started out fine, but soon switched back and forth between going normal speed and slowing down to twenty. So I parked again, this time at a Krystal. For those of you who have never been to a Krystal, picture a really, really, REALLY ghetto Hardee’s.

I turned the car back on, and this time it barely moved at all, just sputtering. I also noticed the engine was overheating, so I turned off the car and called AAA. They said a tow truck should arrive by about 10:30. It was 9:30 now, so I made a huge mistake.

I actually ate something at Krystal.

Then my internal “Check Engine Soon” light came on.

At 11:15, the tow truck finally arrived, and took me the seven miles home. On Monday morning, I took my car into the mechanic a block over, and before too long, I found out I needed a new radiator. The good news is, it only took a few hours to get it replaced, and it only cost $550.

The BAD news is, at some point during adulthood, $550 went from being an ungodly sum to being a number that warrants the word “only”.

But hey, at least I got the car back in time to get to work!

III. SERVING FOOD TO SEAFARERS

Guess what, I’m employed again! At least, I’ve been told I am!

It’s a food service job at a certain popular nearby theme park with an aquatic theme, and so far, I’ve undergone part one of the 478-part orientation–which is to say, I’ve filled out a lot of paperwork, had my hair sample taken for a drug test, and tried on a uniform. The next phase of the orientation isn’t until next Tuesday, so I have a few days of not-quite-employment left. I think I’ll celebrate by sleeping.

Of course, this job means I won’t be doing Dave Does Disney-esque reviews of this park, or its nearby sister parks, in the near future. But that’s fine, because I have plenty of other things to be writing.

IV. WRITING A BUNCH OF STUFF YOU WON’T READ

So, I’m doing ScriptFrenzy this year. For those of you who don’t know, it’s basically NaNoWriMo for screenplays, and without the name that, while fun to say, kind of sounds like a character from a bad Star Wars fanfic.

I realized one of the reasons I don’t write as much as I should is because I put way too much pressure on myself to make everything I write (A) good, and (B) shootable. I’m my own harshest critic (well, aside from maybe the Ariel actresses who downvoted my review of the Little Mermaid live show), and my tendency toward perfectionism before I even begin writing hasn’t exactly served me well. I’m also so anxious to shoot something all the time that I don’t want to write anything unless I can shoot it with my current resources…but when I actually have an idea, it usually requires a resource I don’t have, such as a budget or a cast.

And I’m sick of not writing anything because my brain keeps waiting to write the *perfect* thing. I need to remind my brain that the more imperfect, unshootable things I write, the closer I am to finding that perfect, shootable one. Writing something imperfect and unshootable now won’t prevent me from writing something better later, and it means I’ll at least have SOMEthing.

Thing is, I…don’t have any feature ideas right now. At least, not ones that I haven’t already started and gotten too far on to be comfortable using them here. So instead, I’m writing scenes. Sketches, vignettes, shorts, whatever comes to mind, with minimal preplanning. Maybe the scenes will come together to form a while story, but I’m not going to force it. I figure worst case scenario, I come out of this with twenty unusable sketches, but more likely than not, at least three or four of them will turn out to have actual potential. But even if not? Hey, at least I’m writing something other than rants about animatronic versions of Tim Burton’s man-crush.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been doing in the past seven days. You can keep updated on my Scriptfrenzy pagecount here. I’ll let you know if any of it is relatively un-embarrassing!

A very brief surprise Dave Does Disney bonusode! Without warning, Dave went to Magic Kingdom on Saturday to check out the very first open section of the New Fantasyland. This episode isn’t funny, but look at all the pretty Disney magic!