Anti-Depressant

Fourth blog in 4-days! I'm on a roll! That's what happens when you neglect your blog for over a year, then suddenly have stuff to talk about. Ever been depressed or stressed out? Of course you have, unless you aren't a sentient living creature. Everyone gets the blues and overly stressed-out at one point or another, especially in a fast-paced, workaholic American society. Everyone also has their own ways of dealing with such things. Some bad, some good, some questionable... Until recently it's been very difficult for me to find my own method of de-stressing or pick-me-up. Some of the more popular ways people try and defeat stress and depression are as follows:

EXERCISE: A lot of people exercise after a stressful work day or after receiving bad news, etc... This has never worked for me personally as I never exercise, even when I'm not upset. Exercise just makes me feel defeated and in serious pain. It may not work for me, but it works for a lot of people out there. When I visited New York City, I noticed the hundreds of people jogging, biking, etc... in Central Park, undoubtedly attempting to exercise-away the stresses of life in a large and fast-paced metropolitan environment.











LISTENING TO MUSIC: This form of de-stressing actually has worked for me in the past, but not as well as it does for others. There's nothing like coming home from a hard day at work and listening to your favorite tunes. Blasting some more heavy music can a lot of times defuse internal anger, at least for me it does. Chill music can also have the same effect.









DOING ART: Believe it or not, this has never worked for me. Doing art can be anything from writing, to drawing, to playing music. Whatever activity causes creative stimulation as opposed to negative stimulation would work well here. When I'm upset, I can't process art. Yes, I know this is strange coming from the person who did the crude rush-job drawings seen in this blog, as well as a host of other artwork... Doing art can be very therapeutic for the artistically inclined.











SUBSTANCE ABUSE: This is probably the most popular of all of the ways people de-stress and combat depression. How many times have you heard someone say, "I need a drink" after something crappy happens to them? Bars get most of their revenue from upset people that go there to "drink their cares away". Drug use is also prevalent. Rather than visit the bar, a lot of people will go home and enjoy their favorite illegal drug of choice (and sometimes visit the bar afterward). I personally don't recommend this particular way of handling things. It hasn't worked for me, and quite frankly, it could harm you or someone else. Alcohol is considered a "depressant". The reason people go to alcohol to drown-out their sorrows is beyond me. It only worsens the feelings.










SEX: Yes, sex is a very effective way to de-stress. It's also good for the heart. Although the main issue with sex is that you have to rely on your partner's willingness to partake. If you're having a bad day and want to "fool around" a bit but your partner is not "feeling it", you can find yourself in a much more frustrating position. In some cases your partner may also be the very reason you are upset or stressed. Angry sex is like alcohol, once the buzz is over you really don't feel any happier.










VIDEO GAMES: I have tried this many times in an attempt to take my mind off of the negative things of the day. While it has typically been a good form of escapism for me, I find myself getting incredibly frustrated and angry if I happen to be playing a challenging game that I'm not winning. This works for a lot of people that are casual, as well as frequent gamers. For me, this method could end in me throwing my controller through my television screen in a fit of rage...












MEDITATION: Meditation has worked to calm humanity for thousands of years. The founding principles of Buddhism are built upon the act of meditation. Meditation can be a very peaceful and soul-calming exercise. Prayer can also fall into this category. As much as I would like to say that I can meditate, I cannot. My mind is like a circus taking place in the middle of a traffic jam. I have yet to establish a mental "off switch" for myself so meditation is even possible.








Those were just a simple run-down of some of the more popular methods of handling stress and depressing things. Different things work for different people. There can of course be more severe degrees of stress and depression that require consultation either by a counselor or doctor. Conditions of that severity should definitely not be ignored. Suicide is definitely not a way to de-stress or reach a peaceful state. Life is too beautiful of a gift to throw it away.


So I wanna know; how do you de-stress, fight depression, etc...? Oh... yeah.... You're probably wondering what actually does work for me? Cartoons from my childhood. I have found that watching a couple episodes of "DuckTales" after a horrible day can brighten my mood and cause me to forget about all of the negative things. Watching these things seem to bring me back to a time of carefree innocence and fun. Plus, who doesn't love a little nostalgia? One animated sequence in-particular brightens my mood like no other these days. I've posted it for your enjoyment below!

(NOTE: The character featured in my crude drawings is NOT supposed to be me! I know a lot of people will assume this. If you think that "stock dude character" is me, then I suppose it is just another example of art being a reflection of self. It would also be worth noting that the "stock girl character" that appears in the SEX picture is not anyone in-particular. "Any likeness to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.")

Art for the People

Everything that's "hot" and trendy in the mainstream had its origins in someone's art. Yes, it's true. I went to an art college/film school for 4-years where the collective consciousness in the atmosphere could be described using words like pretentious, pessimistic, and cynical. If your ideas weren't 100% original, you might as well be labeled a "sell-out". Mainstream was in essence seen as the root of all the evils in the world. I once heard a fellow film student state, "I don't make films for an audience." It had to be one of the most idiotic and snobbish statements I have ever heard. That would be like the sun saying, "Hey man, I don't shine to give light." Art is meant to be seen, shared, and experienced by others. It doesn't have to be a private thing. Creative expression is just that. It's EXPRESSION! Do you creatively express to a wall?

After graduating from college, I struggled to enter the entertainment business. During this time I heard some wise words from a musician that has enjoyed a comfortable level of success over the last 30+ years. He said,

"Appealing to the mainstream doesn't mean you have to compromise your art."

This is coming from a man who is an absolute artist in his own right and has various platinum albums hanging on his walls. Those words of wisdom have impacted me greatly. They are also words that sting a lot of the cynical "art student" folks out there. When you think about it and unpack exactly what that statement means, you come to realize that everything that has ever been popular and mainstream has had its humble beginnings in an artist's work. The big corporate emperors and suits didn't create the "vampire craze" that we're currently experiencing, they're only trying to capitalize on the fact that it grabs a large number of the public. If an artist (filmmaker, author, musician, etc...) creates a work of art that touches a large number of people, the suits will take notice, seeing the $$$ and attempt to capitalize, thus creating the new trend. This is the mainstream at work. The reason these trends in the mainstream fade is due in part to oversaturation. Suits are like robots that cannot be reprogrammed. If the art continues to collect $$$, the suits will continue milking it until the public becomes overwhelmed and grows tired of it. At that point, the suits will try to find another new work of art that is grabbing the people, continuing the cycle. The suits don't make the trends. They're only interested in business.

An artist becomes a true sell-out when they try, much like the suits, to bend their art to emulate the current mainstream trend in order to capitalize on its success. Because of this, many of these artists quickly fade into obscurity once the trend has become exhausted. Living in Nashville has allowed me to witness different musicians carry out this very practice. Some young musicians in-particular sacrifice what made them unique and stand out among others in order to capitalize on the current trends, essentially becoming nothing more than a cookie-cutter shape or emulation of dozens of others. These musicians will find themselves wondering why their careers have already ceased by the time they reach 30. Had they continued with the art that made them authentic, unique, and garner tons of fans on a grassroots level, they could have achieved a greater level of success and career longevity.

It's ultimately about the people. If you create works of art that grab the people, you're heading down a path to success. The more people you grab, the more likely the suits will take notice, and before you know it, you'll be the originator of one of the hottest things on Earth. You didn't compromise anything, you just spoke to the people, and to me, that is what creating art is all about. It's about connecting with people. There are over 6-billion people on Earth. Connect with them!

"But Bill! What if I don't want my art to connect with lots of people." Don't expect to be successful then. Get a cubical job and do your art as a hobby.

The First Script

First of all, I'm back! I haven't had a blog in over a year, but my sister's recent jump into blogging has inspired my return! You can peep her blog at http://kellycornelius.blogspot.com While unpacking some boxes a few months ago I happened across the first script I had ever written when I was but a young lad of 13. The script was called "Route-21", based on my actual school bus route when I was in middle school in the Chicago suburb/hell-hole of Dekalb, Illinois. Most of the characters in the script were based on real people that rode the bus everyday with me, even to the point of me naming these characters after the real people, myself included. I attempted to write an action/thriller about these people on this bus route just to add a little fun fantasy to the monotonous and sometimes nightmarish reality of the time. I wrote this during the time of my life when I was being constantly bullied at school. It was common for me to create fantastical stories in my head to escape from the reality. In this script I even tried to create a fantasy scenario for myself and the first girl I ever had a legitimate "I'm old enough to like girls now" crush on. Funny right? After finding this script, I posted the front cover image on my Facebook wall just to share in the old-timey goodness. I soon received a number of comments from people requesting that I share the script, turn it into a flash cartoon, or have a table read for it. All of these things horrified me because, really.... this thing was written by a 13-year old! So now I've settled and decided to share it with the world if only for a good laugh. I had written it in stage play format because that was all I was familiar with at the time. If while reading you find yourself scratching your head, just remember; a 13-year old wrote this! Also note that it switches from past tense to present tense for no apparent reason. None of the content has been edited and is presented to you in its original form. Have fun!


"ROUTE-21"
ACT-1
SCENE-1

Its a normal morning in Dekalb, Illinois and Bill is setting off towards the bus stop. He rides Route-21. The people that ride his bus are John, a large 8th grader that loves to show off. Charles, a tall 8th grader that loves basketball. Nicole, a soft talking 8th grader. Steven, a small annoying 1st grader. Carolyn, an 8th grader who liked Bill at one time. Carl, a small annoying 7th grader. Eric, an 8th grade big athletic show off. Kirsten, a half chinese half white 8th grader that loves to start arguments. Brent, a nice athletic 9th grader. Oliver Armstrong or "O", the strict bus driver. And then there's Katie, a beautiful blue eyed 8th grader that has attracted Bill. Yeah, just a normal morning. The long yellow school bus pulled up and Bill and the others got on.

O: Good mornin.

BILL: Morning

(Bill sits down and across from him sits John.)

JOHN: Hey Bill.

BILL: Hey.

JOHN: I had this weird dream last night that the bus was hijacked and we were on it for days!

BILL: That would be bad.

JOHN: Yeah really.

(Bill pauses and glances over at Katie.)

JOHN: You like her don't you?

BILL: Well... Umm...

JOHN: Yeah, I know you do. Hey why don't you go ask her out?

BILL: I don't think so. I'm too shy. And besides, she doesn't really know me anyway. She doesn't even know I exist.

JOHN: Well thats too bad because Brent is over there talking to her.

(Bill and John both turn and look at Brent and Katie. Katie laughs at something Brent says.)

BILL: Ohhhh! I hate to see that!

JOHN: Your jealous aren't you?

BILL: I guess you could call it that.

JOHN: Your too late Bill. Brents already got her.

(Bill takes a deep breath and sighs.)

BILL: Yep.


SCENE-2

That afternoon on the bus Bill sits by himself and watches in horror as Brent takes advantage of Katie.

(Bill sighs again.)

STEVEN: Are you looking at my sister?

BILL: What?..... No!

STEVEN: Yes you are! I saw you!

CARL: Shut up Steven!

BILL: Hey! Don't tell him to shut up! He's just a little kid!

CARL: Geez Bill! Sorry to hurt your little friend's feelings!

BILL: He's not my friend!

CARL: Yeah! What ever!

(Meanwhile Katie and Brent are having a conversation.)

KATIE: So you go to the high school?

BRENT: Yep. Believe me, when you get there you'll have a lot of homework.

KATIE: Ohhh I can't wait!

BRENT AND KATIE: (Laughing.)

BRENT: We're almost to our stop. Do you need help carrying books?

KATIE: Yeah sure. Carry this. (Katie hands Brent her coat.) Thanks.

BRENT: No problem!

(Everyone gets off the bus and goes home. Bill walks in the door of his house slamming his backpack on the table in anger.)

BILL'S MOM: Whats wrong?

BILL: Nothing!

(Bill runs upstairs to his room.)

BILL: If I were only stuck with Katie for a long time I could get her to like me. But thats never gonna happen.

(It is night and Bill goes to bed hoping for a better tomorrow.)


SCENE-3

Its the next morning and Bill walks to the bus stop as usual again. Brent is talking to Katie. And John is acting crazy to impress others. Bill got on the bus and noticed a man on the bus. He had a pony tail and a mustache and wore sunglasses.

STEVEN: Who are you?

MAN: I'm Dan McRoberts. Who are you?

STEVEN: I'm Steven.

DAN: Nice to meet you Steven. I'll be on your bus for a while.

STEVEN: Okay!

(Dan gave Bill an evil look as Bill passed him. It was as if Dan McRoberts had some diabolical plan.)

BILL: That guy is scary.

STEVEN: Who? Dan? Hes nice.

BILL: Really?

(Bill still became very disturbed as he heard Katie and Brent laughing and talking.)

ERIC: That guy up there looks B.D.

JOHN: Yeah I know.

BILL: How if he pulls out a gun?

ERIC: Shut up Bill! We weren't talking to you.

(Eric had always had a problem with Bill. Bill never could figure out why.)

(The bus reached the high school and Brent got up to get off.)

KATIE: Brent!

BRENT: See ya Katie!

CAROLYN: Are you and Brent going out?

KATIE: Yeah. I guess.

KIRSTEN: You didn't tell me you and Brent were going out!

KATIE: Shut up Kirsten! We're just good friends.

CAROLYN: He is really cute.

KATIE: Oh be quiet!


SCENE-4

On the bus in the afternoon everyone is quiet. Dan looks even more vicious than ever. And Bill gets eager to get off the bus.

CHARLES: Does that guy have a problem or somethin, man?

NICOLE: Who is he?

BILL: His name is Dan McRoberts and he doesn't look too friendly.

(O bends over to ask Dan something.)

O: Dan. Could you hand me that route map?

(Dan looks at O with an evil eye.)

DAN: Sure.

(Dan jumps from his seat, pulls out a gun, and shoots O in the shoulder! Everyone on the bus screams!)

DAN: Okay! Nobody moves! This bus is mine now!

(Katie throws her arms around Brent.)

KATIE: Brent! Save me!

BRENT: Don't worry Katie! I'll protect you!

DAN: Everybody shut up and sit down!

(Dan fires his gun blowing a hole in the seat in front of Eric. Everyone screams again.)

DAN: You think I'm jokin?! I'm not!

(Dan stomps down the aisle and grabs Katie's arm.)

KATIE: Nooo! Please! Brent!

(Brent gets ready to stand up and attack, but then Dan puts his gun to Katie's head.)

DAN: If anyone moves! She dies!

KATIE: (Scream!) Pleease!

(Bill looks at the glove box on the bus dash board and notices a wrench. Bill quickly gets up and grabs the wrench.)

DAN: Hey!

(Dan fires his gun at Bill missing and hitting the front windshield. Then Bill takes the wrench and throws it at Dan. Dan gets hit in the head and about falls down.)

DAN: Ohhh! Man!

KATIE: Help me!

(Bill runs and grabs ahold of Katie then ducks behind a seat.)

DAN: Ohhh! Your gonna die boy! But theres no time for that. We gotta go!

(Dan jumps in the driver's seat and begins driving the bus. The bus had been hijacked! John's dream came true! They were all doomed!)


ACT-2
SCENE-5

It was night and the bus was speeding quickly south of Dekalb.

O: Please man! Don't hurt the kids!

DAN: Oh would you shut up! I'm surprised we haven't run into any cops yet. I'm goin about 90 in a 65 zone!

(In one of the seats in the back of the bus Bill had his arm around Katie. Katie was frightened and was crying.)

BILL: It's gonna be okay. Don't worry. The police will catch him. Hes goin too fast.

KATIE: I scared! We're all gonna die!

BILL: No we're not! We'll be fine! ....... I hope.

(Charles looks out the window.)

CHARLES: There's police cars out there!

NICOLE: We're saved!

DAN: Quiet back there! I don't want to come back there and......

(Dan notices a police car on his tail in the side view mirror.)

DAN: Crap!

CHARLES: Heh! Heh! We're saved now!

KIRSTEN: Ohh! I hope!

(Dan presses his foot down hard on the gas pedal and starts making the bus swerve back and fourth on the road trying to knock the police car off his tail.)

O: They're gonna catch you!

DAN: Shut up!

(Dan hits O with the handle of his gun.)

COP: Uh.... Base. We got a school bus full of children going almost 100 mph. Its trying to knock me off the road. Could you send back up?

BASE: Ten four.

COP: I'm gonna try to ram it!

(The police car speeds up and bumps the rear of the bus.)

DAN: Ohh! Crap! Hes tryin to force me off the road!

ERIC: That cop is tryin to knock us off the road!

STEVEN: That police man will save us. Right?

BRENT: Yeah. I hope.

(The bus receives another jolt as the police car rams it from behind.)

COP: Its too big! I can't get it off the road!

BASE: The bus is heading into Indiana. I'll contact their police force.

COP: (Sigh) Ten four.

(The police car slows down and breaks it's pursuit as the bus enters Indiana.)

DAN: Yes! We got away!

O: Don't be so sure!

(O jumps out of his seat and grabs Dan from behind trying to choke him!)

O: Somebody get to the radio!

(The bus swerves back and fourth out of control! John gets up, runs to the dash board, and grabs the radio speaker!)

JOHN: Hello! Hello! Please help we're on a bus trapped! Hello?!

(The radio was not getting John's signal. Dan throws O over his shoulder into the aisle and then pulls out his gun!)

DAN: Turn that thing off!

JOHN: Oh crap!

(Dan fires his gun hitting the radio and destroying it! John jumps back into his seat!)

DAN: When we get to Florida I'm gonna kill you all!!!

(Everyone on the bus shrieks.)

CAROLYN: We're goin to Florida?

ERIC: I guess, but it ain't gonna be too pretty when we get there.

(Meanwhile in the back of the bus Bill calms Katie.)

KATIE: Uhhh.... Isn't your name Bill?

BILL: Yeah.

KATIE: I'm Katie... Uh.... Thanks for.... you know..... saving me earlier.

BILL: Yeah no problem.

KATIE: Could you stay here?..... With me?

(Bill starts to blush and put his head down.)

BILL: Oh..... Well.... I guess.

KATIE: Your shy aren't you?

BILL: Yeah. Kind of.

KATIE: Thats alright.

BILL: Umm.... Katie? Don't you like Brent?

KATIE: Well.... Brent helped me with my coat, but he didn't save my life.

(Bill and Katie stare quietly into each others eyes.)

BILL: Hmm.... So..... Uhhh.....

(Katie slides closer to Bill.)

BILL: Umm!.... Uhh!..... We're goin to Florida!

(Katie scoots back away from Bill.)

KATIE: Yeah, but that Dan guy is gonna kill us when we get there.

BILL: Don't worry..... Umm..... I'll see to it that, that doesn't happen.

KATIE: I know.

(Katie scoots close to Bill again. They stare at each other. And then Katie gives Bill a small kiss.)

BILL: (Huff) Thanks.

KATIE: We're doomed.

(Bill puts his arm around Katie.)

BILL: We'll make it. Don't worry. We'll get home.


SCENE-6

Bill's mom is at home in Dekalb watching the news in horror. She is terribly worried about her son.

NEWS CASTER: Late this afternoon a school bus from Dekalb, Illinois was hijacked by an unknown person. The bus was full of kids and there hasn't been any radio contact from the bus. Right now the bus is about to Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indiana police are tracking it down.

BILL'S MOM: Ohhhh my gosh!!!

(Bill's stepdad, Mike steps in the front door after returning from a business trip.)

MIKE: Connie I'm home!

BILL'S MOM: Ohhh Bill!!!

MIKE: Whats wrong?

(Bill's mom points to the T.V. and Mike gasps.)

BILL'S MOM: We've gotta go to Indianapolis!

MIKE: When?

BILL'S MOM: Right now!

MIKE: Okay! Lets go!


ACT-3
SCENE-7

It is late at night and the bus is still moving. The lights from the city of Indianapolis are glowing in the distance. Everyone on the bus is quiet.

FIN???


And that's all I wrote! I never finished it! I know you've been on the edge of your seat the whole time you've been reading this! I get a cold sweat from reading it, primarily because of embarrassment... We've all gotta start somewhere and this is where I began as far as script-writing is concerned. After this script I wrote a script called "Techno Vampires" that I actually finished. It was about emo vampires that take over a high school (YEARS before the "Twilight" craze). That script would be followed by the script that became "Lavorsia" and so on, and so on... Anyway, that was "Route-21". I hope this thoroughly satisfied all of the people that wanted to experience this script. Make up your own ending!