a month late, but appropriate reposting: Forever Lasts Tonight

Posted on September 6, 2008 by t. sterling — Leave a comment

Orange meets purple, here comes the tide.
The shore begins to darken, waves continue to ride.
As the sun kisses the sky goodnight,
a group of friends approach in the lunar light.

Sandy beaches under star speckled skies.
The full moon shines down where a blanket lies.
Familiar music plays that I know I never heard
but some how I’m able to sing each and every word.

Unaware that perception of time seems to fade,
understanding memories were meant to be made.
Laughing, living, loving with carelessly gentle ease
as the natural and comforting warm summer breeze.

Slowly, silently, we lament that time is not still.
We all agreed, if we could, it would be our will:
this summer’s night would last forever.
The night will always reign a month before September.

We found tranquility in our little piece of the world.
If only we could share it with every boy and girl.
Alas, time moves on, and the sun returns to reign,
forcing the moon, stars and night from whence it came.

The friends continue to marvel at the beauty of hues.
The sun melting away darkness into light yellows and blues.
We, too, think it’s due time we slip into sleep,
but we’re too afraid to leave a place so serene and sweet.

Inspiring poems, stories, dreams, memories and songs.
It’s hard to go home when it seems this is where we belong.

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Forever-Lasts-Tonight/103927

Posted in poetry, seasons, writing

newnesses (maybe not a word, but fun to say)

Posted on September 4, 2008 by t. sterling — 3 Comments

I couldn’t resist a quick little woot for myself and other. For one thing, I finished a random short little script/scene I started a couple nights ago that made my Tuesday feel like a really bad Monday. And no, I’m not about to admit I had a case of the “Mondays.” I hear you can get hurt from saying things like that. Now I feel like watching Office Space all the more. But my Psych DVD is taking up the time.

Anyway, I finished a random quick script that can be used as a short film, or an important scene in a movie. I like the short film idea, and if it comes to me or someone says I should expand, then maybe I’ll see where else I can take the characters. The story is about a young couple in love having a humorous but somewhat romantic conversation while staring at the ceiling above them. I wrote it in a rush because I was trying to record the words as I heard them in my head before the thought went away. I may have lost some of the “magic” when I picked it up the following night where I passed out at… But I let a friend read through it, so I’m awaiting her critique.

As for work… it’s going pretty good. I had a rough first couple of days. Besides the whole bloody nose thing… Some of the programs we need to use weren’t working like they were supposed to, making processing very frustrating to do. When I get super frustrated mixed with boredy, it makes me sleepy. As hard and wobbly as my new desk is, it doesn’t make for a comfy pillow. I tried anyway. As for my chair? I think I will name it Jake. No reason. I just like giving inanimate objects names, especially names that sound like actual people. Remember Sam? Yeah, he’s still at the hospital. I’ll call about that tomorrow, or just stop by after my lunch at the office.

The other newness is my upgrading to Internet Explorer 8. Ever upgrade to a new program and it feels new, shiny and clean? I had that feeling too. It was also maybe because I cleared some of the dust off the screen. But now my Yahoo home page looks nice and cool due to the upgrade, and I finished off updating my own blog’s design. Nothing significant… except for the blog roll, the ability to RSS, and my blog picture of my desk. The other newness blog related is a blog I love reading, sometimes more than once, Writing Forward by the lovely melissa who is an inspiration to practically anyone who goes there. Little known fact, she’s the reason why blog so much now. I have the Indoob, my movie reviews on MySpace, and I contribute to Wolfgang Puck. I haven’t lately, since it’s not my blog and I don’t want to hog it. But I learned that you need to love your blog. And by loving it, you gotta write in it. And doggone it I’m gone write!

I really need to go to bed. And I’m thirsty. And hot. And sexy. Sorry, couldn’t resist, it’s like a catchphrase with me. Except I can’t type in a Barry White-esque “voice” …but I do what I can. Anyway, for those working 4 day weeks, Happy Friday yall!

Special shout out to jaden @ http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com –also a very useful blog and great resource for knitting sweaters, just like the website says.

Posted in babbling, blogging, DVD, newness, news, office, scripts, WAH, writing

what i want for Christmas…

Posted on September 2, 2008 by t. sterling — 3 Comments

LMAO!! Okay… I don’t know what the stank this is… But I kinda want one. 1) to play to see if it’s any fun, 2) to be a television for Halloween and 3) wear it to meetings so I can hide my true emotions… like being asleep. No doubt people would enjoy watching me better than whatever I might be watching inside of it. Even if it was empty.

I found this picture listed under World’s Ugliest Gadgets. I have no idea whatsoever what this thing really is, other than some kind of video game, or flight simulator… yet I’m curious how this poor girl can manage all the weight of the be-a-boob-tube helmet. You need a strong neck if you’re going to have a TV for a head. I’m just going to stop and admire the hilairity of the picture. This was worth waking up in this morning to see. This makes me happy.

Allow me to complain about nosebleeds. I haven’t had one since 1990. Okay, so it’s a guess… but a bleeding nose is rare for me. Yes, they used to frighten my when I was wee, but now that I’m older, it’s just annoying. I was only scared because the grown-ups around me would freak out. “OH MY GOD!” “YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING!” “THIS KID’S NOSE IS BLEEDING!” “GET THE NURSE!” “TILT YOUR HEAD BACK!” “GET HIM A TISSUE!” “THERE’S A FIRE… sale!”

I don’t know why my nose was bleeding, but I just wanted it to stop, which it did. I hate when my garbage looks like a murder scene/surgery scene, and me looking like I’ve been beaten up. The concern people show me only make it worse.

It wasn’t too bad of a distraction from today’s work. I actually didn’t mind going back to work today… except that the program we use still has issues. By the end of the day, things were getting back to normal, except the fact my drowsiness had settled back on me. What I really felt like doing was jumping up on stage singing Stevie Wonder hits. But I stayed put and got some decent work done. Not enough, but tomorrow I should be back on track.

One of the reasons I was so sleepy, I started a new script for a new short film. I couldn’t sleep with these “voices” having this conversation that I needed to write down… or type. Ironically enough, it was about a couple who were wide awake in the middle of the night too. They didn’t finish their late night chat because the writer suddenly had a strong case of the sleepies. I slept for about 2 hours, then went to my office for the real work. Oh, I made myself a huge pot of coffee which left me with the feeling of wanting to explode. Fortunately, I didn’t.

Lastly, my grandmother is killing me. No, not with knives or poison. I’m not crazy about blueberry muffins, but she made them again today, and she’s turning me into a fiend for them. And each time she makes them, I find myself eating them until there are no more left. I’d creep down in the wee hours and steal one or two, and smuggle them back to my room for snacking like a raccoon. I’m so hungry right now. And so sleepy. What am I to do? I’ll steal a few winks before I steal a muffin and then steal a few more lines of dialogue. Sounds like a plan to me.

Posted in coffee, food, music, office, scripts, sleep, WAH, writing

Writer’s Wretreat – August ’08 [part 4]

Posted on August 31, 2008 by t. sterling — 2 Comments

I’ve been home since about 11am. I didn’t appreciate my uncalled for wake-up bang at the door. No sirree. It was about 9am and the lady wanted to come clean house. I was scared half to death and almost wet the bed I was so scared. I never did get any pants on, but I went to the peep hole and she was already wheeling her cart away. Meanwhile, my heart that had burst out of my chest was somewhere on the bed, so I managed to pull myself together and breathe normally. I eventually went back to bed for a short while… very short. A friend called looking for a ride to church which I wasn’t planning on attending. I gave up trying to go back to sleep, and finished packing and cleaning up, then dropped off my junk in the truck.

I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do. I never did finish up the projects like I wanted, nor did I get to read Our Uncle Sam or finish off A Purpose Driven Life. I have the rest of tonight and possibly tomorrow. I’m hoping there are no surprises, like going to Uncle So-and-so’s for a cookout or something.

Once I got home, I went directly to sleep. I still don’t feel I slept long enough. Friends and family apparently missed me, so they felt the need to tell me so with text messages, phone calls, and more knocks at the door. There is no rest for the weary.

I said it before, but next time I’m serious. I will write out a schedule, if you will, or a to-do list, of things I must complete or at least put some chunks of work into. And I probably need to schedule time for all of the projects that I started that still aren’t fleshed out. I think I was holding off because I wanted to retreat with someone else whom I could bounce ideas off of, help in the story building process or someone who could read something freshly written. I already know that you can’t let just anyone read your stuff. They need some sense of how screenplays work, and how to tell a good story.

My allergies have been killing me all weekend. My nose needs to be detached. Just for a few hours. Please? I’d like to breathe without being tickled at the same time. I’d also not want to have feeling of sneezing, or that look like your face is about to explode, every 5 mins… or less. Not cool.

Overall, I had a good time this weekend. I did get some rest. I got to do absolutely nothing for a couple hours. I did some hardcore typing for many hours (sounds so vulgar), and I watched things I already saw but enjoyed even more. I even caught some sunrise, which is always beauty at it’s best.

Posted in blogging, family, retreat, sleep, writing

Writer’s Wretreat – August ’08 [part 3]

Posted on August 31, 2008 by t. sterling — Leave a comment

It’s the crack of dawn early Sunday morn… I’m just now realizing I have the perfect view of the sunrise. I think I neglected that fact before due to it being rainy and cloudy yesterday morning. It’s hard to determine the sunrise when the cloudy clouds are blocking the sunny sun, no? Maybe I’ll draw back the light blocking curtains and watch the sun rise live. That almost sounds like a concert. Ooo… That’s a good idea. Have a musical concert from about 5am to 8am or something… No one steal it! I claimed it here first! Growl.

Even though I’ve been sitting in the same spot for about… 7 hours, I still haven’t done much editting to Sam’s One Night Stand. I think that’s what I’m going to go with as a title. I got some feedback from a friend I sent the initial script to. I just sent her the newer version, but it’s not the final completed version. If I still have energy, I may just get that over with and call it a night. Or morning. Or day. I think I’m going to start preparing to go home. With a suite like this, do they expect me to wash my dishes? I brought the wrong camera to document my stay here. I would’ve had some awesome shots of the silverware, food I ate, amazing stunts I did that people should never do in their own home. I jest. Like last time, I mostly sat at the desk.

Ocean’s Thirteen came on HBO 2 unexpectedly. What’s even more uncanny is Ocean’s Eleven was on TBS at the same time! What a choice to make. I went 13 since it was uncensored and commercial free. I lucked out though because 11 came on a 2nd time… So you know where I was for about 4 hours. Yep, in the ugly brown recliner that is nowhere as comfy as the one at home. And I munched on my complimentary bag of buttered free popcorn that I almost burned, and decaf coffee that I brewed myself. Aren’t I special?

So that was part of my vacationing, and it was good. I had to get back into workmode which was a little difficult. I was distracted and inspired by reading my new favorite blogs and the comments people make. Then I decided to get snacks. All of that helped me to… [insert drumroll]

Write a brand new story! I haven’t started the script, I don’t know if I will do it now… but either way, I’m feeling accomplished. What is it called? Working title would be The Writing Retreat. I like puns… and there really isn’t one in that title. Concept: A struggling young writer taking a weekend off at a hotel to focus on writing new material, meets an unexpected muse that changes his life forever. The fun thing about that concept alone, it’s based on a true story. As for the story itself, well, it’s partially based in truth, but later in the story, my imagination takes over. But it’s not like crazy imagination. It’s a story I could easily film if a bunch of actors were in the room next to me and they worked for free and on a whim.

Speaking of neighbors… what is with the people about me??? Who does that much walking?! Seriously! At least they are sitting now, I hope. I may have to write that in the script, what my character would be thinking is going on in the room above his. A dance party? Musical chairs? A ballet performance chef? People warming up for a marathon?

Good God in the sweet heavens above me, I would like a nap.

I was going to have a Seinfeld marathon… but I’ve stuck with Psych. This show makes me happy. I thought I’d get through both seasons, but I’m still on season one. And the movies I rented? Didn’t touch them since I’ve been here. Go fig. I know why though. I couldn’t write something new and watch something new at the same time. Plus, watching familiar things that I love, inspires me to write, and hopefully it’s up to par to whatever I’m watching.

Crap in a hat… my eyes are too weary to continue. I’ve seen too many words in one sitting. I’m going to clean up a bit, open the curtains, enjoy more Psych, as I float off to La La Land. It’s nice, they like me there.

Oh yeah! Bounty towels are really awesome! They really are as tough as the commercials say. And yes, I’m amazed by the simplest things in life.

Posted in babbling, food, psych, retreat, sam cooke, scripts, seinfeld, sleep, writing

Writer’s Wretreat – August ’08 [part 2]

Posted on August 30, 2008 by t. sterling — 1 Comment

Woot woot! Yes, yes yall… I have all, or most of the written words needed for my script to be at it’s completeness. I’m going to go through later tonight to do some revising before I’m satisfied with the main results. I’m currently at 36 pages, which is a little less than I expected, but in screenplay terms, that still qualifies as a short film, and technically equals about 40 minutes. But the album itself is about 36 mins long, so clearly, the movie will be longer than that. Clearly.

I had a great sleep by the way. I want to smuggle these pillows out because of their awesome fluffiness. I am reminded of a Seinfeld episode with George being annoyed that his sheets are tucked in too tightly. I sort’ve had the same issue, but I dealt with it… and slept peacefully from about 6am to noon. Now here it is just about 3pm, and I am mostly complete. I need a quick nap before I do some hardcore reading… and probably some food too. But I have the rest of the night for that, and I can probably work on some other back burner projects OR start a brand new one. And by brand new, probably something that has been in my head but hasn’t seen the light of a laptop, or been heard by any ears other than the one inside my head. That makes me sound all kinds of weird, doesn’t it?

What’s weird is who else is up at the wee hours of the morning walking around constantly? And no, it isn’t sounds of beds moving way more than they should, it’s actual footsteps. Believe me, I know the difference and I don’t wanna talk about it. Anyway, the footsteps went on and on all night. It’s a good thing I wasn’t trying to sleep! Man, some people. My other deductive reasoning would have me believe that it’s because my room is right next to a stairwell. So, that could be the reason for all the footsteps. Still… why so much walking at 3 – 4 am? And my TV goes off every few hours. I’m thinking it’s an energy saving thing, but still… it’s a little creepy sometimes.

Well, ’tis time for a wee nap. This is a partial vacation, I should be able to lounge around and do absolutely nothing for a little while, enjoy some free cable and a big comfy bed. But the productiveness shall continue indefinitely.

Posted in retreat, sam cooke, scripts, seinfeld, sleep, vacation, writing

[Writers] WRETREAT!!!! [august ’08 – part 1]

Posted on August 30, 2008 by t. sterling — 2 Comments

I pretty much came up with the idea of getting away to do some hardcore writing last night. I’ve been wanting to go away for the past couple months. I’ve been annoying people about it for weeks. So much so, they were ready to kick me out already. It’s too bad. All my plans to go here or there all fell through, and I’m left vacationless. Hence is why I never left. Did I use “hence” correctly there?

I have a more relevent question. Is it considered a “staycation” if I’m still in the same city? I’m going to pretend I’m in another country by watching BBC America. Monty Python is on. Good stuff. Bloody hilarious, actually. But I brought half of my DVD collection with me, so I’ll have some familiar backgrond noise to keep me going in my writings. And this time, I’ll be staying long enough to actually get some sleep. I tell you, when I get serious about writing, I don’t think sleep is that important. Maybe I should take a nap now.

Since I’m on a retreat, I’ll report a bit more frequently than I have been just because I can. I also brought my camera, so I may do some recording as well as document with pictures of what I’ve been doing while here. I’ll leave out the parts with the college party with illegal narcotics, harlots, and booze galore.

Posted in blogging, retreat, writing

running out of time… and days off

Posted on August 28, 2008 by t. sterling — 2 Comments

I’m almost at the finish line of this script that I’ve been talking about for… a month to a year I suppose. Honestly, this was a script I never thought I’d be writing until years from now. Why? It’s one of those projects I didn’t want to attempt until I was well established and somewhat known and trusted to get the financing to handle it. But the other thing I keep forgetting is I can always write it now and save it for later. I must remember what my screenwriting teacher at Middlesex taught me. “All of the leading ladies can’t be hot latin women!” Wait, no, she didn’t say that. Build up a portfolio, then worry about selling and production stuff like that later. And to get an agent after. Which means I should go back to my other plan of writing scripts strictly for selling. Wow, strict scripts is as hard to type as it is to say out loud. I’m going to blame the pizza.

I tried a new pizza place that was recommended to me today. They already won points by getting here in 20mins. I feel bad I gave them a lousy tip. When I order from them again, I’ll make up for it. I’ll give them a Hallmark card that says “Thank you.”

Anyway, I received Our Uncle Sam yesterday from author Erik Greene, who is the great nephew of Sam Cooke. I was already hooked by the beginning. It’s exactly what I was looking for to help with my script. I’m going to see how quickly I can read it. But I want to finish one thing at a time, of course. Which means the pizza is first on my plate… literally. Well, if I was eating from a plate. I normally just take the box and run.

I also managed to watch a slew of movies, which I’ve reviewed all on my Myspace blog. Movies recently reviewed? 21, Park, College Road Trip, Penelope, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. I will probably continue this movie span in the next few days. This helps in my writing process in so many ways. “How to make a movie that doesn’t suck.” Speaking of movies that will probably go down in flames, isn’t Disaster Movie‘s title really just punctuate the movie itself? I’ve seen enough trailers that have me convinced I want to cry if I had to pay to see this movie.

Someone is drumming very badly next door. They really should stop or I might sneak in their house and fill their drums with cement.

Speaking of which, I still haven’t received word from Dr. Bob… So I may once again hold off until NEXT week, possibly Friday, to get Sam (the car) out of the hospital. So this weekend, I may finally get a wee retreat. I need to spend time away from this house. I’m thinking back to Candlewood Suites. It’s nice there. Plus I never really got to sleep in the bed since I only stayed for one night and practically sat at the desk the whole time I was there. I only slept for 2 hours there. I melted into the mattress before I had to peel myself out when the cleaning lady came a’knockin. So yeah, $300 should cover a couple nights wherever I choose to go for a couple nights.

Methinks I need a nap now. Which some would see as odd since I didn’t do anything today. On the contrary, last night I typed out Bible study questions for my dad. About 7 chapters, all in one sitting. Oh, my poor fingers. I wanted to detach them and sit them in some cooling waters, then hang them to dry. But sleeping for about 7 hours worked too. All I want now is just 15 mins of a nap. Or more. We have to sing tonight in Middletown at some service that I think is outside… It might not be… I’m not sure. But I need to rest. So rest I shall. And drink plenty of fluids. And don’t call me in the morning.

Posted in babbling, church, food, movie, pizza, retreat, sam cooke, scripts, writing

mcdonalds

Posted on August 26, 2008 by t. sterling — 3 Comments

I’m considering taking tomorrow off due to the lack of work, or more accurately, my ability to do the work I need to do. There’s no way in Hell, Michigan I’m going to make the numbers I need by the end of this week. In fact, this entire month is going to go below my usual numbers. Oh well, it happens to the best of us once in a while, right? I’ll get over it. September will be a new month. Back to basics. (Ha! Someone thought I was about to say “back to school!” Face!)

My day today has been so-so. I slept with my window open, inviting a cool breeze that helped put my body in a such a deep sleep that I slept through both of my alarms. By “both alarms” I mean 2 separate alarming devices that went off at least 3 times each. My mom called me around 9 asking if I was going to work. Yes, it’s possible to be late when you are working from home. I threw some clothes on and headed to the office–a whole hallway and flight of stairs away.

Later my grandmother surprised me with lunch, brought to you by McDonald’s. I love my grandmother dearly, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her I don’t eat McDonald’s. Before any anti-Mickey D people get too excited, let me explain WHY I don’t eat their food. It’s not because they are all over the world and #1 or maybe have shady dealings or make false claims about having the best fries or the chicken is make-believe or they have a weak breakfast menu. No, it’s none of that. And I’m not ashamed of admitting I’m a corporate or brand name whore. I’d name a child Sony if I could get away with it. I also like the names Phoenix and Nefertiti, but again, that’s something to discuss with the mother* who at this point is non-existent. (*Applications are in the main office by the door. Attach a photo and brief discription and wait about a week for a response.) I dislike McDonald’s because after consumption, my tummy starts to hate me and wreaks havoc on the rest of my body causing me to growl and scowl involuntarily, sometimes frightening small nearby children in the process. If only I could get the words “Don’t eat McDonald’s” I might save them from the same fate. They won’t think those Happy Meals are so jolly anymore. Well, I can tolerate the apple pies. But I won’t give in to too much of their food unless I don’t have any other choice and there wasn’t a field of fresh grass to nibble on until I could get to a Taco Bell or KFC, which is a step above McD. I don’t eat too much fast food, but when I do, I’m on the picky side.

I like the French. They have given great things such as croissants, Love Me If You Dare, Amelie and Paris, je t’aime, the city of Paris (for which the film is named after), Daft Punk and what I used to think was Napoleon ice cream… But I was confusing the French ruler(s) with Italian desserts. BIG difference. That has nothing to do with anything I was doing today other than listening to Daft Punk and wondering if French toast is really from France… And it isn’t. At one point it was called German toast. Then French. I never heard “Freedom toast” back when they had “Freedom fries.” Anyway, look it up on Wikipedia. ‘Tis quite interesting.

Lastly, I’m going to post a video of a past performance of which I rarely ever watch due to that queazy feeling I get from watching myself on screen. You are your own worst critic, as they say… I’m no exception to myself. But this is me singing “A Change is Gonna Come” for the first time in public, back in 2007, January 27th… which was 2 days before my birthday as I celebrated by throwing a poetry party/show at my church. My sister is introducing me as the host/emcee of the evening, as well as the featured poet later that night. And my fam and I all dressed alike–black and jeans. Anyway, I would need to perform this again so I can feel better about myself knowing there is a better performance of this song with my name attached. I dunno when that will be… I do like my hair at this time though…

Posted in babbling, blogging, food, office, sam cooke, WAH, writing

progress and pizza

Posted on August 24, 2008 by t. sterling — 3 Comments

As they say in Hollywood, cut to the chase! I’ve never been there, but apparently its a catchphrase that has spread to modern use to tell whoever is telling a story, to get to the action-packed chase scene. Thus, my interpretation. And have I cut to the chase yet? Absolutely not!

How would one write a chase scene anyway? I have a feeling it’s almost like writing directions from point A to point B, except you break as many laws as possible in the process of the trip. That isn’t always true since I managed to get myself in a chase scene one morning. Good times. Well, not at the time. Had an amusing conversation with a grocery store clerk moments later while I was trying to take cover. Okay, it wasn’t really funny ha-ha… just awkward, perhaps. I felt endangered, paranoid while still clever and mildly witty, and she didn’t want to be awake nor did she care of my peril. She just wanted me to buy my Cinnamon Toast Crunch and leave. And I did. And it was delicious… whenever I ate it.

None of that has anything to do with the Sam Cooke project. I’ve written technically 25 pages. My creativeness is done. Now I must type out the lyrical portion of the historic yet unknown/underrated concert. Like Arrested Development, my feelings are you either love it, or don’t know about it. My mission is to alert the world and spread the word of Sam’s greatness. We’ve heard about Ray, we’ll get a taste of Marvin, we just lost Isaac and we recently honored Al. When is Sam going to get his? Huh? HUH?!

Allow me to calm down. Still taking my anger out on those trees over the weekend. I hope that saga is over as of tonight. I’m so tired of outside. The last tree my dad cut down I had to help move across the 1000 acre woods which is my yard, to the side of the street. Fortunately we found a little red wagon. Wheels make the world so much better. Let that be the invention of the era.

I finally started using my little Moleskin notebook. And once again, my dad proves where I get my personality from. A co-worker asked him: “Why are you so mean?” Dad: “Why do you ask dumb questions?” Yep, that’d be something I’d say too.

Oh yeah! I went shopping today. Not that it’s that exciting, but I bought a pair of jeans that I swear were placed in the wrong department. The tag says “Mens”… but they make my legs look like a woman. And not in a good way. They also feel like low-rise. Which are super-sexy on women. But me? No. In any event, I do shop like a guy, and I made good time considering I went into a busy store, in the middle of the day on a Saturday at the end of tax-free week. Picked out 3 shirts and 3 pants. Well, 2 pants… one is going back because I think they were built for women. Or men skinnier than me. Like Snoop Dogg.

I’m rambling… yet again. The pizza reference in the title? I have a couple slices in front of me that I regret taking big bites of. I need to roll over and probably keep rolling. And probably in the direction of the gym. It’s hard being friends with both the gym and the pizza place. They missed me though. The pizza place that is.

Mmmm. Cheese.

Posted in babbling, blogging, food, memories, nature, sam cooke, scripts, writing