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Nov 10
27

Return of Joshua 2

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1/6/12 UPDATE: Further updates on the project will be posted at realdreamseeker.com.  Oh, and in compliance with Kindle and Amazon contest regulations, we will not make the chapters available here for the time being.

A work in process….

11/27/10 – I’ve taken a approach to writing this novel. I am dictating the novel into my handy-dandy Smartphone , and transcribing it after. As I transcribe, I add some details and edit. I’ve recorded the Prologue and Chapter 1 so far.

I recently used this technique to write a couple of stories, and it worked pretty well. It seems to be a more efficient approach to story telling. It helps that I type pretty fast!

2/26/11 – Just completed transcribing Chapter 2. I recorded my audio notes a few weeks ago. I have an ongoing that delayed the .

I’m enjoying the whole record audio and then transcribe process. It’s more efficient, and I value efficiency. Plus, I can walk away for awhile from a story and relive the vibe behind the story right away when I listen to my audio notes.

I am more motivated than ever to finish this novel. The DREAM SEEKER will live on. The REAL Dream Seeker. If you don’t see or on the cover, you’ve got the wrong Dream Seeker.

8/31/11:

Well, 6.5 chapters completed. I completed a rough draft of three chapters this weekend alone. The method rocks!

loved the chapters: “Writing is very crisp and focused … great way to incorporate recent ‘themes’ we’ve been discussing.”

9/5/11:

Finished a rough draft of Chapter 7. I typed it out. The Rod Serling method is definitely faster, but I felt weird about recording a rough draft at home. The only problem with recording out loud is when other people around! Writing is a solitary practice for me, so if others are around, I opt to type.

12/4/11:

After finishing NaPodPoMo, I decided it was time to take a 30-day RoJ2 challenge! I will work on the RoJ2 novel everyday this month, with the hopes of completing a rough draft by December 31st!

Damian and I also decided to rename the novel RoJ2012, so that it has a dated look twenty years from now LOL. I may also rename it again to RoJ2Q12, since replacing a number in the hundredth place with the letter Q is a magic power ring of book sales.

Anyway, I’ve dictated two chapters, and transcribed one of them. Chapter 10 is next!

12/17/11:

I’ve been working on the book cover. It’s Drudge meets Jack Kirby or Walt Simonson. I like it. Definitely has a great Book of Revelation feel to it.

I’ve also dictated another chapter, and decided to mix in the Soul Patrol chapters I wrote for last month’s NaMoWriMo. The outline is starting to have a Tom Clancy feel to it. Adding these chapters adds a great subplot to the novel. It’s a concurrent storyline which relates to the main story.

This book is going to be outstanding. Can’t wait for you to read it. If you’ve ever read the Book of Revelation, you will appreciate this novel. It has elements from that book, and is appropriate for the 2012 end times talk we’re bound to hear in the next 12 months.

12/24/11:

Did a little transcribing. Got two hours of dictation to go through. And I have more chapters to write.

BIG NEWS: Damian and I launched RealDreamSeeker.com. It is the new homepage for the Dream Seeker.

MORE BIG NEWS: The third installment in the Dream Seeker series of novels, Parabola, is now available on Kindle, and soft cover. Check it out.

We are looking for book reviews for our three books. If you’re interested, and if we still need reviews, leave a comment and we’ll try to send you a Kindle edition.

Looks like I’m going to dedicate the month of January to the Dream Seeker as well. I am splitting duties between writing and marketing.

There is a contest being held by Amazon which opens around January 20th. I would love to have my RoJ2012 manuscript done by then. We’ll see. That would be ahead of schedule, but anything is possible!

RoJ2
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Jan 12
23

Bon Jovi Concert and Hong Kong Chase

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So I had a couple of that merged together. First, I was at .

Side-note: I recently saw pitching for , popping them like Chicklets. I wonder if he still has a , or if he’s on a feeding tube. Crazy. It’s like money over honor.

Anyway, in the dream, covered ’s Don’t Go Away Mad. I guess they thought Lay Your Hands on Me wasn’t holding up well.

The Dream transitioned into some crazy chase scene in . Maybe it was . It was a group of us. Some were chasing us.

We hopped on one of those street cabs. You know, the kind where the guy is pulling you along. Anyway, the guy was hauling. He was fast, faster than the ninjas that were dressed in regular .

We end up at the ’s house. He leaves a clue out front that we were in the house. I was like, “Why?” And the was like, “Let them find us. I dare them to come in.” Of course, I locked the door when we got in the house.

dream journal
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Oct 11
14

Three Dreams, Interconnected: Sphere Roller Coaster

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So, I had last night that were interconnected.

The first one, I was away at a training seminar. About halfway through, I stopped doing the coursework. Lost interest. bored. I remember planning to travel back with a co-worker; it was a long drive, like, 20 hours or more. I was up at 2am the morning of the trip.

Dream two was interconnected with dream one: former co-worker was at the training seminar. We were talking Real Estate. Turned out he lived near the house in that I am losing to in real life. The actual area was a fictional looking , like a mix of Florida and . Anyway, he had moved there and I was telling him how to get to my old house. Not sure why I was giving him directions … to give him furniture? Who knows.

Dream three: I was at a with the family. They had this amazing . Second time I’ve seen it in a dream. Basically, there are these huge, clear spheres that are lined up on the track. Two people can step in the . It opens like a clam and then closes. There was a beachball-size magnetic ball inside for each person. You’re supposed to hold on to the magnetic ball during the ride. That’s it. No straps, no seats, no harnesses, nothing.

Sphere indoor roller coaster

It was an indoor coaster, and yet it stopped when it rained?

The ride begins. You’re sitting in the . When the coaster starts to turn, you twist around. The ball you’re holding on to keeps you oriented and inside the . At certain points, the clear you’re in opens up, and the ball somehow keeps you from flying out, as long as you hold on. You can hang if you want, but just don’t let go! Very unsafe ride, right?

Anyway, it started raining just as our coaster was going. So, they stopped the ride and let us off near this where people watched the coaster go by. The coaster was not allowed to run when it rained, for some reason. It was a mostly indoor coaster!

One thing led to another and my son snuck off and walked across the tracks to where the coaster ends. I noticed and started yelling for him to come back. He sat down. I couldn’t tell if he was sitting on a seat or the actual track; the obscured the view. Turned out he was sitting on the track.

Luckily, the person operating the coasters saw and stopped the incoming coaster before it ran him over. It stopped right on top of him. I feared the worst.

Bubba did not realize he was sitting on a track. He thought he was safe. I made it over there, panicked. He was fine.

So, … it makes me think of times in my life where I’ve felt overwhelmed, like now….

dream
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Aug 11
21

The figurative Realtor

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2011-08-18_18-10.mp3 Listen on Posterous

discusses:
– audio book
–
– Panda
– Star Trek Traveller
– Beyonce

The figurative Realtor's hand is in many things. Many folks have signed up. There is no to counter his reality trade.

Uncategorized
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Jul 11
01

Arawaks vs. Aliens

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A Justice Crew Tale

The Spanish ships appeared, intimidating as a Hollywood movie alien invasion. The natives greeted and his sailors in a friendly manner, offering numerous trinkets to their would-be conquerors.

Would-be. The Arawaks did not know the future.

Several mile-wide discs appeared in the sky. This time, the Spaniards stared in awe and curiosity. Jet-packed
predators in armored space suits flew out of the nearest disc, landing and immediately killing and the sailors around him.

A ten-story tall walking tripod landed on the beach. It began blasting the Nina, , and Santa Maria out of existence and history books.

The back of the tripod had a custom plate with the letters WR PRGRS. Inside the tripod, a Howard Zinn book was tucked into the back of the pilot’s seat.

Over the next few months, the combat aliens trained the Arawaks in the art of 21st century warfare, complete with weapons, munitions, body armor and enhancers.

Rose from the watched the progress from her cabin in the main floating disc. gave her the ability to be very productive with her free, uh, time. She never aged due to the curse, which made these sojourns possible. While Sean, Eva, Maria, and the others slept the night away in the present, Rose time-traveled for months.

She smiled, even though she had merely created an alternate timeline. It was not possible to undo the injustices in her own timeline, but she found solace in that she had created a new reality where an evil event had been prevented and rectified. 

Soon, the Arawaks and other natives would sail the Atlantic and, ahem, visit . One good turn deserved another, as far as Rose was concerned. She hoped was among the first to bite the dust.

“Machado created the ,” telepathically commented the R’chtr Z’thms alien crystal that had befriended Rose and made all this possible.

Exactly, thought Rose.

fiction, short story, soul patrol
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Jun 11
13

List of People I Defend: LeBron James

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There are certain celebrities and athletes that I will apologize for no matter what they say or do, much like the fictional character The Apologist in the Seeker Universe. One person that I feel compelled to defend at the is .

The man wears that number 6 proudly, doesn’t he, Enneagram fans? He is such a paradox. is dominating and friendly. He can be insensitive to others when he speaks, and yet appears sensitive to personal attacks. He’s a dominant scorer who likes to pass. He blows talcum powder in the air during his player introduction, and yet he wants to be respected. The LamESPiN media doesn’t know what to make of him.

Well, I know what to make of LeBron. He’s a still-maturing 25 year old who happens to be incredibly talented AND wealthy. He is listened to because of his basketball skills by the , but let’s face it: he’s still growing up. LeBron skipped college. His adult life has been a childhood for everybody else. He’s a dominant player who can carry a team of lesser players into the playoffs.

So what he puts his foot in his mouth? So he insulted owner Dan Gilbert and because of the manner of how he left for Miami. I’m sorry, but what does that say about Gilbert, that he put so much stock in a kid who was still wet behind the ears? When did athletic skills = maturity, anyway?

Honestly, I don’t care what LeBron has to say at this point. He can belittle us poor people and lash out at mutant Twitter users all day; I get that he’s a kid, and I don’t really know him. He’s a image on my screen, playing for a team that I happen to root for. He’s part of my entertainment package. His prowess on the basketball court helps me forget for worries, if only for a brief moment. I’m rooting for him to work on his jumpshot and post-up game in the off-season, ala and Michael Jordon, and that’s about it.

As far as him quitting against Boston back in 2010: it does appear that when he gets tired of a bad situation, and he knows there’s an escape route (free agency, next season), he will pull back. I totally relate to this. I remember one time, I was working real hard on a project called Digistar, back in the 90′s, and the managers knew a bunch of us were about to be laid off. It was after the lay off happened that I recognized the look of sadness on their faces as I gave 110% to get a job done. So, they knew my effort was for a lost cause.

Sorry, folks, but giving 110% all the time, even for a lost cause like Digistar or the 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers is the path of the easy mark. I don’t blame LeBron for taking it easy when playing for a team that can’t acquire talent for him.

Returning to Dan Gilbert: he should be frustrated at himself for not recruiting players to come and play with LeBron when he had the chance. Gilbert’s tweet last night, “Old lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. ” is incredibly LAME, considering the Cleveland basketball organization tried to take a shortcut to a championship by drafting LeBron and surrounding him with B-List talent.

Anyway, I wish LeBron James the best in his future basketball endeavors, and I hope he unplugs from the ESPN/Twitter matrix. Continue being a great defender. Work on that jumper. Work on that post-up game, ala . Keep passing that ball, ala Magic.

Lebron James: NY Yankees fan

Yankees fans unite!

Apologist
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May 11
13

Does Burson-Marsteller = The Realtor?

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When I was reading about the Facebook smear campaign against Google, I was amazed by the description of Burson-Marsteller, the PR firm that hired to conduct the smear. I read terms like:
- “Evidence-based Communications”
- “”
- “Global Public Relations”

I was reading this and thinking to myself, “Is this the Realtor’s organization in real life? Is this the company that buys, sells, and trades realities to the masses? Have they been caught red-handed?”

Well, let’s see: Burson-Marsteller has been around 58 years. Not that long, in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps this is like the Realtor when he sheds an identity like a snake sheds its skin, and redefines himself for a generation or two.

I checked out 90 year old Harold Burson’s blog, and he seemed like a nice old gentleman. He did not seem like the Realtor at all.

I watched a video with current CEO , COO , and Realtor-wanna-be Josh Gottheimer, and except for Josh, they all seemed to be nice. Sure, has the of an CEO, sharing the same personality as Dream Seeker icon the Gambler, but he was aggressively pitching evidence-based PR, tracking performance, data-driven approaches. He sounded like a acolyte more than a Gambler.

Then again, the Gambler knows how to play the odds, and understands the .

And let’s not forget what brought Burson-Marsteller into the world of tech news: their attempt to accuse of . Their ; in this case, two workers decided to take on an unethical project from . If these two workers felt comfortable taking on such job, what does that say about the corporate culture at Burson-Marsteller? Gamblers know how to play the odds, but they also tend to play things fast and loose.

If you think about it, you could argue that all Public Relations is a calculated gamble. PR firms attempt to influence public opinion, which is about as predictable as knowing which number will face up when the die is cast. You know the odds, and you can place your chips based on that knowledge, but you can’t predict outcomes to 100% accuracy.

I think all the talk of being data-driven and evidence-based is just a gambler bragging about how he counts cards at the Black Jack table. Burson-Marsteller and their CEO, Mark Penn, understand the odds when it comes to PR, and they played the game better than anybody.

Until this week.

Anyway, if I were to compare Burson-Marsteller to a Dream Seeker character, I would compare them to the Gambler.

Whether Mark Penn is actually an , or perhaps a 2w3, is open to debate.

editorial, gambler, realtor
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May 11
07

Realtor: Welcome to the New Economy

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We’ve invited Seeker character the Realtor to give his take on some photos Tony took, as well as to talk about the new economy we’re living through currently.

- photo of house with graffiti, announcing that the house has already between vandalized once

Graffiti on house tells vandals to stay away

Graffiti on house tells vandals to stay away.

“The house already looks vandalized. The graffiti is overkill.

“This is a great example of what is wrong with the economy. People have no pride in what they own. This homeowner should invest some effort in making the house look good, which would increase the value of the home and the surrounding neighborhood.

$7.99 Wii games

Remember when Madden 10 and Red Steel were $49.99?

- $7.99 Wii games

“That’s capitalism. Demand goes down, and so do prices. is reacting to the market by announcing a new console for 2012.

“You can’t blame Walmart for selling you a that cost $49.99 two years ago that only costs $7 today. Heck, you got to play that back when everyone was playing it. It was part of your social experience, bonding with fellow players as you played We Ski or Red Steel. Connecting with friends and family is always worth the full .”

Half-eaten Chicken Sandwich on the floor at gas station

What? Perfectly good food tossed in front of a ?!

- half-eaten McDonald’s chicken sandwich laying on the ground, in front of a

“Heh, Tony . I just have to laugh at this photo because it proves my point: the recession is in your mind. If gas prices were really that bad, that sandwich would be in someone’s , and not the floor.

“The fact that we throw out so much food proves the economy is still strong, despite what the naysayers claim. Including you, Vahl.”

Economy, realtor
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May 11
03

Real Shadow Gentleman: Welcome to the Real Miami

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Oh, yeah. Check out that adult video store right on the river.

Look at the trash on the concrete bridge.

Look at the endless pillars holding up empty offices and stores.

While you’re watching the spectacular Goodyear blimp shots of the AAA and celebrities like P. Diddy watching the , understand that the REAL Miami is just a few blocks away. Homeless, derelict shops, pan handlers, toothless dudes talking to themselves and walking towards you.

This place needs a hero. Miami needs the Shadow Gentleman.

Miami, shadowfall
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Apr 11
30

Real Life Soul Patrol: Choices

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Recently, and I had a conversation about the choices someone we know has made during their life. We’ll call this person .

So, has a that is difficult to overcome. Difficult, but possible.

Over the years, Ariadne has let me down many times, big time. While I sympathize with her condition and the traumatic experiences she’s lived through, I’m not a punching bag. When a person repeatedly abuses my friendship and trust, I eventually write them off. The person is no longer worthy of the bond I develop with friends, so I sever the connection.

This is very similar to what the does in the Seeker novel The Velvet Mask and other stories, but I’ll get to that.

Ariadne recently stopped taking her medications and had a series of incidents that landed her in the . pointed out that she made the choice to stop listening to her doctors, and she made the choice to give in to her impulses.

Damian is quite correct. In a free society like the , you have free will, and you are held accountable for your actions. Ariadne made a foolish choice, and now she must live with the fact that she is in the .

However, when I write someone off, I disregard their choices. So, my accounting mind was having trouble reconciling accounting for someone’s free will when I’ve already written them off.

People like that are like ghosts, as fast as I’m concerned. When I encounter Ariadne, it feels like I’m reliving the past from a distance, and I’m in the present. It’s like watching an old horror movie again. It’s like without the butterfly effect.

Yesterday, I finally reconciled the equation. It occurred to me that Ariadne made her choice years ago; she did exercise her free will. So, while I disregard her future choices, it’s because she made poor choices in the past. What’s done is done, and I am under no obligation to give her the benefit of the doubt in the future.

This reminds me of the Soul Patrol; the group’s mission in life is to capture humans who have lost “it,” the vital human quality that helps us choose to overcome our base urges and desires. People who lose “it” are like walking human husks. They have no soul anymore. They keep society stuck in neutral with their vapid existence.

Since there is no in real life to perform this function (just American Idol fans), people like me, who strive to be and remain self-actualized, have to write people off and disconnect from people that could drain us and bring us down.

Does that sound harsh? It’s not as harsh as someone like Ariadne, who leaves you stranded when you need her the most. She makes no apologies for her harshness towards her husband, children, family, and friends; I make no apologies for defending myself, my family, and my friends against her madness in a world that is already sufficiently crazy.

"It", American Idol, soul patrol
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Feb 11
26

Dream Deja Vu; Ripping the Nihilist

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Welcome to the inaugural edition of the podcast, where DailySkew co-founders and talk about their and characters.

On today's podcast, discusses a real life scenario that reminded him if a , how he sees the future in his , and rips people that act like character , a.k.a. the Nihilist.

dream journal, dream seeker, podcast
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