John profile picture

John

BUHHHH-NEEEEEEEE!

About Me

I teach screenwriting and freshman composition at Ball State University AND Ivy Tech Community College in Muncie, Indiana. My screenwriting classes are part of an undergraduate collaborative filmmaking project that spans four colleges and 5 departments and involves more than 150 students and a bunch of faculty members. I can tell you're impressed because you're giving me the same look that mountain climbers give each other when they run out of food.

Speaking of food...

I am overeducated, underemployed, and scratch out a living. I have a lot of bills. I am old and boring. I do not like outdoor activities. You will not find me hiking, sailing, camping, or fishing. I like to stay indoors and write, watch good movies, listen to good music, and hang out with my girlfriend, who is almost as boring as I am, but she is better looking. I do not party (much). I certainly do not like to boogie. I do not smoke anything (ever). I do not vote for Republicans, not because I'm a Democrat, but because Republicans are funny when they're angry. Seriously. They get red faced and shake, and they really, really believe what they say, and if I'd just listen instead of thinking about real people and reality in general, I'd see things their way. God, it's funny to watch them shake. I do not care what you think, really.

I used to write a regular column for INtake Weekly . My last one ran Nov. 2, 2006. I blog at NUVO with minimal commitment.

This is worth noticing.

Sometimes, I look at Holly and forget every crappy thing that I normally spend all day thinking about. Then she usually calls me a dork, and then I kick her down the stairs.

My Interests

Holly. people with funny accents. people who have something to say that's worth hearing. ego-free TCOM students. good writers. former students with jobs. screenwriting. op-eds. teaching. writing. funny stuff. sleep. music. film. my imac. my ibook. my ipod. things with lower-case "i" in front. the intense amount of pressure to remain mediocre. dissecting manipulative ads and making fun of transparent marketing ploys with my girlfriend. things that rock. time well spent. sentence fragments as stylistic choices.

I'd like to meet:

If I don't know you, write me first.

If I know you and you're not completely psychotic or annoying, feel free to add me.

Music:

Rush, Bob Mould, Henry Rollins, R.E.M., Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Black Sabbath, Pavement, Steve Earle, Son Volt, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Jesse Malin, Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Ben Folds, Megadeth, Patty Griffin, Peter Gabriel, Pixies, Dream Theater, Queensryche, Van Halen, Warren Zevon, Death From Above 1979, Massive Attack, Social Distortion, Spoon, Morphine, Mofro, The Clash, tons more.

Movies:

I have 300+ DVDs and spend most of my waking time either writing or watching movies. When I'm not doing that, I'm teaching college students how to do the above.

Television:

Lost, Letterman, Entourage, Battlestar Galactica, Scrubs, Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office, Arrested Development, Freaks & Geeks, The West Wing, House, Deadwood, The Price Is Right.

Books:

Five of many:

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers

High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - Sherman Alexie

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

Heroes:

Fictional: Peter Parker, Lloyd Dobler, Dr. Perry Cox, Felix Gaeta.

Living or Dead: Bill Hicks, Henry Rollins, and Johnny Cash.

Questionable: Bigfoot.

My Blog

Open-Minded Music Lover Likes All Kinds Of Metal

From The Onion.June 20, 2007 | Issue 43"25LOGANSPORT, INArea music enthusiast Curt Webber, 22, is completely open to enjoying "all kinds" of metal, the self-described eclectic iconoclast said Monday....
Posted by John on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:32:00 PST

The Faces of Orson Welles

The career of Orson Welles fascinates me. Look at this arc, set chronologically.Citizen Kane: The Third Man: Schill: Asshole: Drunken Parody of Himself: U...
Posted by John on Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:09:00 PST

MySpace Owner's Manual

Thank you for signing up for a MySpace.com account! MySpace is the place where you can connect with friends, meet new people, hear new music, and keep track of everyone you know without having to cal...
Posted by John on Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:04:00 PST

Might as well face it...

So I found this cover of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love."Check it out here.Pretty wild stuff.
Posted by John on Fri, 25 May 2007 10:03:00 PST

Spidey 3

I saw Spider-Man 3 for the second time tonight, and because I ate too much garbage at the show, I'm up with a painful stomach and can't go to bed for a while. So...you get my take on the film.SPOILER...
Posted by John on Sun, 20 May 2007 01:00:00 PST

Of note...

In a sleep-deprived delirium brought on by too much Ivy Tech work and job hunting stress combined with '80s Black Sabbath, I found myself over at Ye Ole Blog a few minutes ago, and here's what happene...
Posted by John on Fri, 18 May 2007 01:38:00 PST

Robert Duvall

The answer to tonight's trivia question during the Reds-Padres game was Robert Duvall.Anyone who took my Fall 2005 screenwriting course should understand the magnitude of this event.Both announcers go...
Posted by John on Wed, 16 May 2007 08:51:00 PST

The Rattley Carrot of Doom!

This is our rabbit. Enjoy. For 14 seconds. ...
Posted by John on Tue, 08 May 2007 09:32:00 PST

Returning to normal...

Well, five of six classes are done. I can feel the stress going away.I get to spend the weekend grading scripts, and the grades for the one final class get submitted on Monday morning.This is a good ...
Posted by John on Fri, 04 May 2007 10:40:00 PST

...neighbors.

I just had the most entertaining telephone conversation with a neighbor. Here's a transcript, at least as well as I can recall it:CALLER: "Hi. How's it going?"ME: "Fine. Who's this?"CALLER: "Lionel...
Posted by John on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 01:43:00 PST