We loved movies and comics; sports we simply had no use for. Yeah, there are a lot of great proverbs about trying and failing, including these and the one from Teddy Roosevelt that Michael cited above. (Our culture simply indulges in too much “entertainment therapy,” but that’s a discussion for another day.) Blogging, which my wife had encouraged me to do for years, was something I didn’t have “time for” when I was a hotshot screenwriter about to break through, and it’s only now — thanks to friends like you — that I realize what I was missing out on. I am not at all shy about pitching my projects or sending materials because it’s a process I’ve been through many, many times as a screenwriter: When you write a spec script, your agents typically “go wide” with it, meaning they send it simultaneously (usually on a Friday for what’s known as a “weekend read”) to all the buyers in the marketplace (studios and prodcos) in an attempt to get some heat on it and get it sold. As recently as a few years ago, I wouldn’t have known, much less cared, who won or lost this Series—or even who played in it. As any Dodgers fan can attest, “almost” is a maddeningly insufficient return on investment of one’s time, effort, and emotion. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. You can’t put mustard on “almost” and eat it. Note that three areas are under your control. I talked a few months back, in “Changing the Narrative,” about how we ought to use our stories to challenge (rather than reinforce) some of our uncontested cultural beliefs — from our demigod-worshipping superhero epics to our cynical view of social institutions — and maybe that includes telling more stories about trying and losing? Think you know music? Raw, natural talent Almost made you love me Almost made you cry Almost made you happy, baby. Truthfully. How is it, exactly, Indiana Jones is such a celebrated hero when he returns from EVERY adventure empty-handed? That’s what I mean by refining one’s definition of success. How well I know, after Our Crew made it only so far as game seven, bottom of the ninth–LA’s ecstasy was MKE’s agony this season. For me, Dodgers baseball gave me something I’d been sorely lacking: a hobby — that is to say, something I care about that’s nonetheless relatively low-stakes. Play 2. Almost made you love me. The only thing worse for a writer than no representation is the wrong representation, one of those “life lessons learned the hard way” I alluded to in the essay above. Maybe I'll see ya 'round. And even if you somehow manage to, eventually you’re bullshit starts to stink and you’re pushed out; I’ve seen that happen with people who networked their way into advertising jobs they were completely unqualified for. Almost made you cry. “Movies and comics have you rooting from the outset for the predetermined winner; sports require your investment with no such promise of a favorable outcome.” Yes! A few years later, I found myself formally studying comics (under legendary Batman artist and DC Comics editor Carmine Infantino) and cinema (in college) in preparation for making a career in those fields. Nihilism is anathema to our great projects of democracy and civilization, and I for one can’t wait till we’re past this very dark period in American history. They know he conned them, but they don’t want to admit they got fooled. But I really hope you find an awesome agent–you deserve it! . 1. Lyrics. When the novella was first published in 1843, just as the Industrial Revolution was spreading from Britain to the rest of the Western world, Dickens in his prescient wisdom tried to warn us away from the pitfalls of consumerism, capitalism, material wealth, etc. I mean, he was a resident of Los Angeles for less time than he would’ve spent here on vacation. You can’t bullshit your way into being an accountant or a lawyer or an investment banker, ya know? Almost Doesn't Count Lyrics: Almost made you love me, almost made you cry / Almost made you happy, baby, didn't I, didn't I? This time… things would be different. meant sifting through that baggage—acknowledging that those “almosts” were no longer the initial attempts at my enterprising efforts, but rather the final fruits of them. Almost. Almost made you happy, baby. Apologies for taking so long to reply to your thoughtful comment; I left town for the holidays the very day you posted it, and haven’t had time before now to give it the proper response it deserved. I don’t know — see the penultimate paragraph of the essay above for the odds on that. The ultimate authority we are all answerable to, after all, is that man in the mirror. Learn how your comment data is processed. You almost made a ringer. Year after year, whether or not we had anything to boast about when we went home for the holidays (an experience we referred to as “Tribal Council,” because it was where you went to account for your time and stand judgment for it), we stayed at it, together, equally invested in each other’s success—because if one could succeed, there was hope for all of us. Beautifully expressed, Diana — and a fitting sentiment for the holiday season now upon us. Christ, if only. Put That on Everything. I do what I do because it’s in me to do it. When you do, you congratulate yourself.​ Hope you’re having a great holiday season, my friend. Almost Doesn't Count Quotes Showing 1-1 of 1 “Treat me with respect, dignity, and grace because I am worthy of your love.” ― Electa Rome Parks, Almost Doesn't Count One way or the other, though, I’m gonna find a home for Escape from Rikers Island, even if that means supplying one myself. You’re so much better and more interesting than the usual people we bring in. "Almost Doesn't Count". Play 12. You set goals for yourself — be it losing weight, gaining muscle, bench-pressing ten more pounds at the same number of reps, going down an extra belt notch, whatever — and you work toward meeting those goals. Almost doesn't count. It’s to let you know—and this goes double for any aspiring artists—that you’re in all probability gonna come up short at the stuff that really matters, that even getting to “almost” is astronomically unlikely, but that, as Taibbi says, there’s value nonetheless in trying and losing. It was written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche and recorded by Norwood for her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). The “almosts” hurt. It occurs to me only now, as I type this, that the project was something of a creative precursor to Escape from Rikers Island, trafficking in many of the same themes and concepts:  an urban island left to rot and ruin, overrun with supernatural savages (demons, not zombies), with a neo–hardboiled detective at the center of the action. They warn you in school making it in Hollywood is difficult, but they never really explain how unfair it can be. In part, it’s just a mind set. 5. In other words, we’ve got a limited budget, and there’s a bigger degree of difficulty in going after big banks with powerful lawyers. To say “‘almost’ doesn’t count,” then, is to imply the very expenditure of effort is only justified by a preordained guarantee of success. In youth, your courage comes from the certainty you’ll succeed; with age and experience, it comes from knowing you’ll probably fail but it ain’t the end of the world if you do, so why not try? ... " is an Grammy-award nominated R&B ballad written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche for Brandy's second studio album Never Say Never. They think they understand narrative osmotically, through constant exposure to it. “Almost” gives one’s life a certain narrative context, because it’s the pursuit of our ambitions more than the fulfillment of them that defines the course our journeys take. The way most other industries work is that you formally study/train for them, you apprentice in them for a while (whether that’s done as a residency if you want to be a doctor or on a farm team if you want to be a ballplayer), and if you put in your time and earn your certifications, eventually you’ll get where you’re going. I’ve had agents who openly hated my creative sensibilities and clearly didn’t like me personally (why they signed me, then, is anyone’s guess) and I refuse to put myself through that ever again. Excellent post, my friend. I always make a point this time of year to reread A Christmas Carol (or at the very least watch the 1984 version with George C. Scott, which I consider — and I’m not alone — the finest screen adaptation of the story). Love Cry by Four Tet (2009) Vocals / Lyrics Electronic / Dance. Thanks, mydangblog! We recognize now — and thank Trump in part for making this so uncomfortably apparent — that a selfish, materialistic mode of living hasn’t made us wealthier, healthier, or happier; instead, it’s left us feeling, as you rightly observe, disregarded and angry. Web. You know, a few years ago, I started working with a physical trainer, who was not only a cool guy, but he was actually a great teacher (a rare skill in its own right). And eat it behind, disregarded, and it does come at a!! I found it time, things did start to break our way,! Efforts to prove otherwise hope to expound upon in a post next year… ve spent on... Doing something is not the same time, things did start to break way. 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