Well, that was very nearly rather hairy... the wife's on the computer last night and... well, the accounts vary, but apparently one of the cats stepped on the power strip and *fzzzt*. No more computer. Power out, won't reboot. I tried everything, but no dice. This morning, I got on the phone with Dell and, after long sessions of opening up the computer, removing cards, replacing cards, moving jumpers, disconnecting drives, reconnecting drives... we isolated the problem to my CD-RW drive. Apparently that little power snap fried my CD burner and a replacement will be here Friday. Thanks a million, Gilbert, ya goon.
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The newest script is up. From what Carey tells me, it's terrible. No, really, it's rude and offensive and degrading. Well, what can I say? With apologies in advance, the title of this wretched creation was supplied by the one-n-only Danielle Nadzan of St. Petersburg, FL: There's Junk in My Trunk. Danielle not only had the nerve to explain what her title means, she also offered up plot and character suggestions. Easy, Danielle, there's only one hack on this website and that's yours truly.
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Well, McDonald's finally called and they were actually exremely gracious about my whole tearing-through-their-property-like-a-wrecking-ball thing. In the end, the cost is about $900, which is far less than anticipated. The dilemma now, however, is whether or not to involve the insurance company. Dad (insurance guru ad infinitum) says yes, I should, but I'm just a couple of short months away from a totally clean record - speeding tickets and all - and I hate to tarnish it... hrr...
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Gotta take that fricken monkey off my homepage... my laziness is beginning to surprise even me...
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Gary Underwood, a dear chum from Akron, OH, visited over the weekend. Unfortunately, I was only able to spend a couple of precious hours with the gent because his true purpose in making the trip out was to attend the Fiesta Bowl. Being a die-hard Bucks fan, he was flying high. Way to go, OSU. Anyway, it was great to see him.
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Thanks to those who've recently sent title suggestions. Some of them are absolutely brilliant and I wish I had the time to do nothing but these 1-pagers for a living. By the way, I think I've mentioned this before, but... I usually favor the shorter, more abstract suggestions. While "The Day Elvis and William H. Macy Rescued the World from Nuclear Disaster" might indeed make for an interesting story, it tends to limit my plot possibilities. Have faith, though, if you've sent in a suggestion, I am trying my best to get to it.
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Well, the New Year. What can I say? Taking a cue from a certain Wailing friend of mine, I'll often assemble a set of best-of lists. Usually, they're mostly made up of Oscar-style film categories, though. Unfortunately, there was no clear-cut victor for Jer's Best Film of the Year. However, I shall dole out my awards forthwith...

Jeremy Bear's Best of 2002

In films...

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis - Gangs of New York

Best Actress
Emily Watson - Punch Drunk Love

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Catch Me if You Can

Best Supporting Actor
Jack Black - Orange County

Best Special Effects
Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Best Cinematography
Minority Report

Best Makeup
Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Best Director
Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Best Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson - Punch Drunk Love

Best Original Song
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem - 8 Mile

Best Picture
???

Honorable Mentions
Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love
Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me if You Can
Robin Williams in One-Hour Photo
Tom Cruise in Minority Report
Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorscese, and P.T. Anderson for excellence in directing
David Fincher's amazing cinematics in Panic Room
M. Night Shyamalan's eerieness in Signs
Colin Farrell, who deservedly seems to be the Next Big Thing


..........
Other misc. categories

Best Song
Lost Cause - Beck

Best Dramatic Television Series
The West Wing

Best Comedy Series
Scrubs

Most Impressive DVD Release
Jackie Brown

Favorite Book of 2002
From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell

Most Siginificant Event
Relocating from Hilliard, OH to Long Beach, CA

Most Time-consuming/Rewarding Project
Design and upkeep of JeremyBear.com

Honorable Mentions
- Writing, Directing, & Producing Passion Fruit video short with other members of Be Still My Wild HeaRt Productions
- Adoption of a new kitten - Calliope
- Near-demise of our other cat - Gilbert
- Freelancing with Steve Harpster (including published artwork in the form of children's books and activity books)
- Authorship of 35 one-page Suggest-A-Script experiments
- Gainful part-time employment with Binary Pulse in Costa Mesa, CA
- Attending premiere of Blind Justice, independent short film of a screenplay I penned in college
- Participation in campaign to re-zone commercial property in Hilliard for Life Community Church
- 1st place in Morpheus Forge's comic art contest
- Church-planting Ekklesia in Huntington Beach, CA


..........
And finally...

The 2002 JeremyBear.com Award for Person of the Year
Carey Bear

(Through the good, the bad, the frightening, the funny, the poor and the plenty... Carey's steadfast support and encouragement endured. It was the scariest and riskiest year I believe I've ever lived, and, throughout, she managed to remain the perfect partner. I could not have come through without her. Thanks, Care.)

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All in all, not bad. 2003 already has a great deal on tap, though, and here's hoping for a good one.