Many who know me, and many who read my work know that I am not a fan of television. I am loyal to a handful of shows that have made me laugh over the years such as Family  Guy, Kevin Spencer and Cheers. The Simpsons remains my absolute favourite sitcom. It is attached to many positive memories of my youth.

I’ll never forget it. A cold Friday night in downtown New Glasgow and this kid in my Martial Arts class was talking about this animated show and how brilliant it was. “A cartoon on a Friday night?”, was my reaction. “Yep” said this other kid who happened to shared the last name as the beloved animated family.

It may have been that very Friday night, or the Friday night a week later when I saw my first episode, “Bart The General”. It rang out to me especially as a victim of bullying. In this classic piece of American television, Bart teams up with his grandfather, local military antique dealer Herman and other neighbourhood kids to rail against bully Nelson Muntz.

In the following few Fridays I would see several more episodes of Season 1. I was hooked and entertained. The Simpsons were at the beginning of something really amazing. This was a revolutionary show that would push the edges of humour to a whole new level. Shirts started turning up in stores along with other merchandise.

You could only imagine my disappointment when suddenly the show was not on a channel we could get at the time. My theory is that the CBC received a ton of complaints from parents and religious nuts who completely failed at realizing it was comedy, so they yanked any airing of the show completely.

It would be quite a few years before anyone in Nova Scotia (and perhaps Canada) without a satellite dish could see more episodes. What a great time it was once we could see them! Once a few seasons were in the can, we could see more of them running in syndication every night of the weekday. Usually about an hour after supper I was able to catch up on the show. Eventually I was able to catch new episodes as they aired.

The Simpsons still are a great lesson in the ups and downs of a television series. I could go through different seasons and point out where I thought the writing was weak and attempts at humour were weak or even misguided. Season 2 remains my absolute favourite of the entire lot. Most of the episodes are absolute gems. Season 2 has the best written material and contained some of the most memorable moments in the shows history. When I re-visit an episode from this season sometimes I still find a new brilliant discovery within the dialogue, despite knowing much of it from memory.

When I ended up with a collection of episodes on VHS I was finally able to catch some of the initial shorts of The Simpsons which were on the Tracey Ullman Show. Anyone who has seen these (most fans now have) gets insight into the early introduction of the characters and the type of humour audiences would see.

No one really knows how much longer the show will be on the air. When it wraps, it will no doubt run in syndication for many decades to come.

Although this is not really in any particular order beyond my number 1 all-time favourite, here are my five favourite episodes in the show’s history.

5. “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson”. Home has to go to New York after Barney borrows his car and, well, leaves it there. the amount of amazing detail that went into capturing the City in this episode was nothing short of remarkable.

4. “Simpson and Delilah”. Homer bills the Power Plant Medical Insurance for a baldness cure. Harvey Fierstein appears in this episode as Karl, the motivating personal assistant to Homer who ends up throwing himself under the bus and taking the fall for the fraud.

3. “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”. Mr. Burns runs for Governor, and his campaign is ultimately thwarted by Marge’s serving of a fish that suffered from radiation poisoning. Burns’s rambling drunk dialogue near the beginning of the episode is worth the weight in funny alone. This episode is arguably one of the greatest political satires ever written.

2. “Blood Feud”. Mr. Burns falls gravely ill but his life is rejuvenated by a donation of O-Negative blood from Bart. Home expects some great reward but is met with disappointment. At the end, Burns sends a rather expensive piece of art as a gift. All this after reading a rather cantankerous letter from Homer expressing his frustration at just getting a card.

1. “The Way We Was”. Homer and Marge recall the days of how they first met. After all these years this episode still remains my personal favourite. We get to see what Marge’s Dad was like, and get insight into “solid C student” Homer. This episode has wit, wisdom and whimsy.

The Simpsons has now captured the imaginations of a generation and is being introduced to new younger fans. Although the show will likely come to an eventual end, most fans would like to see the show eclipse Gunsmoke’s record of 635 episodes. It is true that The Simpsons has been on longer, but Gunsmoke shot more shows in a shorter period of time.

This Sunday, I shall raise a glass to my favourite show that still makes me laugh after all these years, and 500 episodes in.

Depression and Anxiety Disorders leave an alarming number of people in dark places in their mind. Working to overcome these debilitating conditions is akin to forcing open a window that is cemented shut. One is always looking for a light and to have that light shine brighter. That window must open one way, some way. People want to break open that window at any cost.

For years I was one of those people working to force open that window. Starting in my childhood I fought with depression and generalized anxiety disorder, while trying to balance out obsessive compulsive disorder. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with terrifying panic attacks and feeling like a truck was driving over my chest. If you can think of a medication for these conditions, chances are I was on it at one point.

Opening that window has set me free. I reached a point  where I felt I had the strength to get through life’s obstacle course. Any energy I might have spent on feeling down has been re-directed to my professional and personal pursuits.

I did not do it all alone though. I reached out for help and surrounded myself with supportive people. Too often many people still do not reach out. With Bell’s #Letstalk, hopefully more people will reach out. More resources are becoming available and people need to be encouraged to pursue paths to recovery.

I hope that part of #Letstalk the over-prescribing of medication will be addressed. As necessary as medication is for treatment of symptoms, there are still far too many side effects from all of these meds. There is significant hope in knowing that researchers are constantly working to improve on treatments. My personal experience put me in a place where medication was just no longer an option. Tools I was given or discovered on my own, I ran with. Literally, I ran.

Willpower and a positive attitude are great, but may not be enough to treat these conditions. Build that support network of family, friends and healthcare professionals. It may be great to try to do it on your own, but having help along the way will be beneficial.

Getting to a point of freedom has been a great learning experience. I discovered more about myself and unlocked a greater potential for who I am and who I could be. I am in a constant state of gratitude for the live I have and the life I am living. Overcoming these disorders can and will take time and one will learn lots along the journey to recovery.

It is a journey to better health, and a better life.

How appropriate that I should use a Black Sabbath song for a blog title. Won’t be the last time I assure you.

Friday’s for many seem to be the one day of the week where everyone finds themselves. Even for a brief few minutes or hours, everyone rides in the wave of relief that the opening of a weekend presents. A “Friday” does not necessarily have to be on the same day of the week. It is so associated with the end of a work week than many who work say Tuesday-Saturday (as I once did), would look at Saturday as their Friday. And so on,,,

Actually, for the longest time, I loved having Sunday/Monday off. There was something great about being able to stay up a little later Sunday night and not worry about rushing out with everyone else first thing Monday. It was a time when I worked a horrible labour job and would have been better off working the Sahara Desert as a flood watchman.

Last weekend I texted a family member that I didn’t talk to since Christmas. In my initiation of the text-versation what I was going to write was not really clear. So I found myself giving advice that could often be reflected in the mirror. When it comes to the weekends, own them. Make them yours for the taking.

The same really could be said for every single day. Why wait until the weekend to own more of the time you have for yourself? Reality is even if you slug it out in some drab cube somewhere mentally working to build a bridge to something better, or work the factory line willingly, or no matter whatever you do, you can still dream big and be in constant pursuit of a better life. I live and breathe every single day of my life knowing that in the darkest moments, somehow someway I have always found  glorious solitude.

A classic line from one of my favourite singers reminds me “If you feel alive, in a darkened room, do you know the name of your solitude”. That moment brilliantly captures the second when I feel like my thoughts have recovered from negativity.

Part of finding that solitude has been discovering how great life is. When I say people need to go looking for today, it means to acknowledge the present moment and all the great things within it. It can come in the form of a close embrace from your significant other, a smile from across a crowded room, a great meal you might have enjoyed, or even the freshness of crisp clean air. Looking for today will not take long. Find it, own it and make every day your day.

http://bit.ly/yEJ3Ol

My latest short. This was an idea I wrote in August of 2010. I wrote out a description in the video summary.

There is no point in my getting into the description. It will speaks for itself. Enjoy. If you like it, send it to others who might need a laugh.

Walking is not just good for overall health. It is good for writers who are looking for a few extra minutes to develop ideas in what few brain cells we have not burned out.

I take some justifiable pride in how much I devote to my overall health physically and mentally. Since around 2000, I gradually started to take more of an interest in improving my personal health in small steps. Best thing about this whole process is every time I set myself back, it seems I always find ways to take several more steps forward.

Gotta love self-redemption.

This particular Saturday I found myself wanting to find a different way to exercise that might be a little bit out of the norm. I dressed up appropriately for the cold and went for a long walk. It was well worth it. During the brief tour of the area I am currently based, something I remembered reading on Twitter jumped out at me as an sub-topic that needed to be included in my book manuscript.

I was looking forward to an afternoon of work. So after recording audio for my latest short film, My first book manuscript visited me again. It is an old friend I have come to cherish and love dearly considering the investment of time that went into working on it.

Today, this book I have written has eclipsed the 27 thousand word mark. It is one of those moments where the pride of being a writer just magnifies itself tenfold.

At my home office desk is a wonderful list of ten daily habits that make a good writer. Off hand I forget where they came from, but I treasure the wisdom contained. The first thing on that list is to eat healthfully, the second is to be physical.

To my colleagues reading this, by all means please remind me who sent this to me and who is credited with writing this great list.

The other eight things on this list are worthy of observation for another series of posts altogether. Today was a great reminder of the two I mentioned. Seems that a clearer mind is a great assist to great content creation.

Write 4 Life and Live 2 Write

It’s one of those mornings. Maybe it’s one of those weeks.

Certainly would be a good day to land at Grand Central for lunch. Man, I reflect fondly on those times.

Grand Central refers to a home in Trenton where my Grandfather still lives, the home he shared with my Grandmother for much of their life together. Before I left Nova Scotia, my daily routine had included a noon-time visit to their home almost 5 days a week. I was in the midst of taking a course in town which only went until around noon. After that I usually made a point to land at or just before noon. I ended up having lunch there at least 3 days of the week. My Grandmother especially cherished those moments just as much if not more than I did.

I was still consuming an appalling amount of Pepsi and Coke at the time, so she started upping the amount that she kept around the house. Not just for me though, although I’m certain I ended up drinking most of the stock every week.

As years have gone on, a few things have changed. My grandmother is no longer with us, I have replaced the colas with tea, and am much more mindful of what I eat not just wish sandwiches, but with the rare sweet that may go with it.

Every time I return to this house it has become tradition that I take a walk through it and remember what I can about the different rooms. The back yard is still a sprawling open area where their dogs ran freely near a bountiful garden. As much as I miss being close to this house, the memories are stronger than the missing.

The seemingly down moments in this business can be turned into the most sobering and uplifting.

Last night I started to picture what a recovery room would look like, full of some of the people whose work I respect and admire. Further, I picture how each of these great talents might have gotten through a few brief minutes of lost self-confidence the easiest way possible. By continuing to work. A writing recovery room is just a state of where you might be feeling while trying to work, and a place where writers can have themselves working through the “blocks”.

Christopher Hitchens was one of the most prolific word arrangers the community has ever had. Within hours of hearing of his passing in December, I was listening to an interview with one of his close friends who mentioned that “Hitch” was literally working almost up to the last possible time when he could not work no more.  He insisted on having a writing desk near his hospital bed in order to continue working. Part of me thinks that Hitch may rarely if ever had to spend any time in his own writing recovery room. Given how prolific his output has been, perhaps any moments of misguided literary energy were short-lived.

One of the books I am currently reading is the brilliant “Iron Man” from Metal Legend and Black Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi. Thanks to this book, I have been reminded of finding brilliance in moments of the unexpected. Could only really imagine what it would have been like to be in the room while they were trying to come up with something while under a tight studio timeline and budget. Mind you, this is under a different type of circumstance. Seems like going to the Pub was part of the band’s writing recovery. They might have been on to something. A pint or shot of something is surely not always the best way to get things going again.  But it has worked for a few people.

One of my favourite ways to recover from a lack of professional self-confidence is contained within one of my favourite movies. “Stranger Than Fiction” should absolutely destroy any “blocks” for anyone. I relish in the brilliance of Emma Thompson as she portrays a novelist pushing through a long-overdue manuscript for her publishers. You must see this to get where I am coming from. No point in going through the whole screenplay here!

Time best spent in the writing recovery room should be spent seeking out inspiration in between work or while working. Humour never fails to ignite something in the few brain cells I have. Retreating to reading also helps many, as it is certainly helping me.

I think everyone in this business has their down moments. Lesson is to learn how to turn those down moments around.  Grab paper or turn on a computer screen and write out your thoughts until you come across an idea worth developing. Turn a failed article into a fab opportunity to sharpen skills and re-build. Find that favourite movie, episode on television or book and really study the lines in it that get you thinking or laughing. Write it all down, and then some.

Find comfort, find yourself, and regain the voice that seemed temporarily lost.

Coming soon to my Twitter Account @WriterDann , I will be periodically writing out #Trendstories.

Concept

Monday morning, I was very amused by the order of which trends appeared on Twitter. So much so I improvised a short few sentences based on the order the trends appeared. It turned out to be really funny. So, whenever I see a good trend list I will improvise something and write it out on the spot. There is no real goal here except entertainment. I also hope it might spark some improv from a few others on Twitter. It’s like being a comedy writer using as little actual words as possible.

My plan is to not just stick to trends that may be happening in Canada. I will periodically check out trend lists from other countries and even regional lists, and take it from there. You will see those tweets tagged with #Trendstories and if necessary the respective region the list is drawn from.

It will be lots of fun and I hope some of you can join into the madness. No doubt will come up with some funny stuff in due course.

Surely you would think I have learned to never write on little sleep by now after all this time in the game. Brain never stops working. A major mistake I have made is having any caffeine later into the evening even from a mild blend of tea. This is taking a mild form of speed. Logic sometimes completely escapes me on a few of the evenings that I work.

I was just about asleep at the helm of my office when a client sent a payment for some work I did this past weekend. It woke up my bank account and it woke me up for all of about 5 seconds. Caving in, I dragged myself away from the desk craving a duel with a Vegas Blackjack dealer. Settled for a battle with a computerized Android based application. Apparently I had ten thousand dollars left, but won on a stood hand of 12 while the dealer drew to 17. With twenty-thousand dollars of fake money, I could make a few fake car payments I suppose.

I seriously doubt I would ever drop that high amount of real money on a single hand of Blackjack….

The Cat did it….

Although I rarely watch the news, I do follow certain streams of information that allow me to get some interesting and odd bits of entertainment headlines. When I think of some of the news headlines that were front and center in 2011, one that most stands out to me is the insanity that Charlie Sheen brought on. For certain the trademark agents who helped him register brilliant catchphrases such as “Tiger Blood” and “Winning” can retire on the money he paid them to get the famed copyright symbol next to these words.

In the space of a few short days, Charlie Sheen managed to make more money off of simple english words. In related news, Donald Trump is working to incorporate “You’re Fired”  into Sheen’s more memorable word blasts (Editor’s Note copyright infringement not intended)……

The concept of winning is forever associated mostly with sports triumphs and political victories. We rarely hear tale or read writing of the battles waged and won against ourselves. Sure we rightfully delight in viewing or reading stories about survivors of major illness and injuries. Reality television has also given a preliminary personal glance into the self-battles involving addiction. It can be argued to infinity whether this is a fight a person brings on themselves or whether they have invited a form of illness into their personal space.

A brief evening chilly walk around the residential area where I am based reminded me of a place that once in a while seemed colder than the worst Canadian Winter.

Ten years ago, I was renting a garage that had been converted into an apartment in Southwest Calgary. It felt like an igloo with no walls in the wintertime, and a glorious walk-in cooler in the summer. I reflect rather fondly on my time spent in this neighbourhood. Once in a while I have visions back to walking through the nearby market while drinking overly expensive coffee.

I had started to work harder on making more positive changes, yet lost sight of the fact that this is would be a  never-ending quest. The concept of setting personal goals was always something I felt was easily understood and achievable.

This was ignorant thinking at its brightest.

Whenever I lashed out at life occurrences it may have been out of frustration or a complete lack of understanding. Much of the blame was directed at medication bottles containing various things which I no longer consume. Even today once in a while I will slip and catch myself using pills as an excuse for things I have said and poor decisions made past-haste.

I refused to take full responsibility for how I dealt with so many things and just kept on forging ahead. This was often with the worst attitude possible and a sharp axe to grind with society. I was standing on a battlefield, a soldier looking to fight every reason and blame others for every problem I seemed to cause. Most of which I may have brought on myself. It was a personal war and it seemed like I was losing badly. Most of this was a result of the negativity I was attracting to myself.

I had lost touch rather significantly that year. In the midst of this seemingly never-ending storm it didn’t dawn on me once that one must always work to improve themselves. Too often, too many spend time looking for the quick fix rather than giving themselves reasonable windows of opportunity to take small steps forward.

In the last ten years I can reflect fondly on the glorious steps forward I have taken. When I have needed help in my personal wars, I have asked and graciously received that help.

Once you are able to win smaller battles and build up to bigger things, you will gradually be able to take yourself on in grander wars of self-struggle and come out victorious every time.

Ten years after, I feel like now I am always “winning” the war against myself even on what may seem like the worst of days. Seems that with wisdom comes more wit, and therefore more “winning” days.

Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks to all family, friends and fans for your support.