Appendix B Comedy
 DAY 343: Expand your vocabulary. Find a word you don’t know and write a bit about it.
Today’s word is jocundity. It means cheer. Right now, I’ve been quite merry and cheerful this season. Business was good this year and overall 2012 was very good to me and Jamie. We’ve been slacking a little this December and enjoying ourselves only because we know how hard we worked and how much harder we’re going to be working in 2013. Shooting a feature film, beginning my new client meetings and trying to break my record 2012 sales for MJW Careers will take some long hours. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still working in December, but I’m definitely partaking in more events and spreading some jocundity. Fishing, golfing, Browns game with wings, poker night, Charleston romantic evening with some live Charles Dickens and an annual golf outing is my upcoming week. I’ll sprinkle in some work, especially pre-production on Archdale, but it’ll definitely be tough as we ring in the new year. I don’t wanna jinx myself and I will keep praying, putting in 16 hour days and going to church, because I know I’m blessed right now. The anxiety is at an all-time low since 2008 and things are keepin on keeping on. So thanks for reading my blog, mom, and whoever else! Cheers. Here’s to a nice 2013!

DAY 343: Expand your vocabulary. Find a word you don’t know and write a bit about it.

Today’s word is jocundity. It means cheer. Right now, I’ve been quite merry and cheerful this season. Business was good this year and overall 2012 was very good to me and Jamie. We’ve been slacking a little this December and enjoying ourselves only because we know how hard we worked and how much harder we’re going to be working in 2013. Shooting a feature film, beginning my new client meetings and trying to break my record 2012 sales for MJW Careers will take some long hours. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still working in December, but I’m definitely partaking in more events and spreading some jocundity. Fishing, golfing, Browns game with wings, poker night, Charleston romantic evening with some live Charles Dickens and an annual golf outing is my upcoming week. I’ll sprinkle in some work, especially pre-production on Archdale, but it’ll definitely be tough as we ring in the new year. I don’t wanna jinx myself and I will keep praying, putting in 16 hour days and going to church, because I know I’m blessed right now. The anxiety is at an all-time low since 2008 and things are keepin on keeping on. So thanks for reading my blog, mom, and whoever else! Cheers. Here’s to a nice 2013!

 DAY 341: Edit some of your older material.
Here is an edited scene from a pilot I’m developing about the HR recruiting world. Fuk format!
INT - MANUFACTURING FACILITY - DAY
HOT SALES GIRL (25) walks into plant. Pan from left to right with all those different boxes across the screen popping up 2 at a time until whole screen is filled w/ 8 boxes (so the screen begins black and lights up as she walks past…each box represents another disaster from MALE WORKERS watching her walk through.)
BOX 1: Guy on towmotor crashing into wall.
BOX 2: Welders lifting hat up and welding sparks getting on face and eyes.
BOX 3: Guy dropping heavy hand tool on foot and wearing no steel toes—-make it known that the company doesn’t provide steel toes or hard hats due to expenses cutbacks.
BOX 4/BOX 5: Guy drops box from top area and it falls on Guy below who isn’t wearing hard hat.
BOX 6: Guy turning blue because of material handling chemicals, because he took off his respirator mask to see lady.
BOX 7: Guy falling off ladder.
BOX 8: 2 Guys running into each other and papers going everywhere.
CUT TO:
INT. BOSS’ OFFICE
Hot Sales Girl is meeting with BOSS (55). Hot Sales Girl is blabbing and cue his narrative in his mind of what he’s thinking.
Boss: Man, I wanna get some of that.
Closeup of upper sweating lip and eyebrows. He puckers and licks his lips; tugs his balls; rubs his sweat off; starts bobbing his head; grinding teeth and then more grinding teeth; starts making donkey noises out loud.
FIREMAN (45) enters room and extinguishes him off, hosing him off with extinguisher foam.

DAY 341: Edit some of your older material.

Here is an edited scene from a pilot I’m developing about the HR recruiting world. Fuk format!

INT - MANUFACTURING FACILITY - DAY

HOT SALES GIRL (25) walks into plant. Pan from left to right with all those different boxes across the screen popping up 2 at a time until whole screen is filled w/ 8 boxes (so the screen begins black and lights up as she walks past…each box represents another disaster from MALE WORKERS watching her walk through.)

BOX 1: Guy on towmotor crashing into wall.

BOX 2: Welders lifting hat up and welding sparks getting on face and eyes.

BOX 3: Guy dropping heavy hand tool on foot and wearing no steel toes—-make it known that the company doesn’t provide steel toes or hard hats due to expenses cutbacks.

BOX 4/BOX 5: Guy drops box from top area and it falls on Guy below who isn’t wearing hard hat.

BOX 6: Guy turning blue because of material handling chemicals, because he took off his respirator mask to see lady.

BOX 7: Guy falling off ladder.

BOX 8: 2 Guys running into each other and papers going everywhere.

CUT TO:

INT. BOSS’ OFFICE

Hot Sales Girl is meeting with BOSS (55). Hot Sales Girl is blabbing and cue his narrative in his mind of what he’s thinking.

Boss: Man, I wanna get some of that.

Closeup of upper sweating lip and eyebrows. He puckers and licks his lips; tugs his balls; rubs his sweat off; starts bobbing his head; grinding teeth and then more grinding teeth; starts making donkey noises out loud.

FIREMAN (45) enters room and extinguishes him off, hosing him off with extinguisher foam.

DAY 199: Rewrite a piece so it starts with a different joke.
Former:
GOOD PRISONERS - Talk bout how we root on prisoners when we want people like Madoff to get raped in prison.
Latter:
GOOD PRISONERS - I love how we work as a society. Some guy who ponzi schemes his way into $64 billion is worse than some asshole who raped and murdered his ex girlfriend. But, we hate on a Bernie Madoff much more than some asshole who acted a fool a little too much that night. But, instead of making the 2 comparable, we favor the one side. We’re like “Oh, I can’t wait till the brothers take care of Madoff in jail, man. Boy is he gonna get it.” We see reports that he “fell” in prison and we’re like “yeahhh, already starting.” We root on the prisoners. They become “good prisoners.” We want them to take out Madoff and rape the shit outta him. We’re like “c’mon guys, put on your rape faces, we got a fresh fish that’s in the limelight. Let’s get him!” I feel like we could literally buy tickets, go sit in some makeshift stands with a fucking pom-pom and watch yard time for an hour. Just to see him get pushed around during basketball. I’d love to have loge seats for lunch to see some shit pop-off. We’d make signs that say “Plug Madoff with your anacondas!” or “Put your wiener in him!” or “Up with hope, down with Madoff dropping the soap!” But, I’ll admit, I say fuck him up! I’m on Team Tyrone.

DAY 199: Rewrite a piece so it starts with a different joke.

Former:

GOOD PRISONERS - Talk bout how we root on prisoners when we want people like Madoff to get raped in prison.

Latter:

GOOD PRISONERS - I love how we work as a society. Some guy who ponzi schemes his way into $64 billion is worse than some asshole who raped and murdered his ex girlfriend. But, we hate on a Bernie Madoff much more than some asshole who acted a fool a little too much that night. But, instead of making the 2 comparable, we favor the one side. We’re like “Oh, I can’t wait till the brothers take care of Madoff in jail, man. Boy is he gonna get it.” We see reports that he “fell” in prison and we’re like “yeahhh, already starting.” We root on the prisoners. They become “good prisoners.” We want them to take out Madoff and rape the shit outta him. We’re like “c’mon guys, put on your rape faces, we got a fresh fish that’s in the limelight. Let’s get him!” I feel like we could literally buy tickets, go sit in some makeshift stands with a fucking pom-pom and watch yard time for an hour. Just to see him get pushed around during basketball. I’d love to have loge seats for lunch to see some shit pop-off. We’d make signs that say “Plug Madoff with your anacondas!” or “Put your wiener in him!” or “Up with hope, down with Madoff dropping the soap!” But, I’ll admit, I say fuck him up! I’m on Team Tyrone.

DAY 117: Update all your business documents—resumes to web pages.

Done. Here’s a new Dale Archdale video mocking the absurdness of Sexting.  I mean, how does one do this? It takes waaaaaay too long I’d imagine.

I am going to begin posting a series of sketches I wrote when I took the Second City Writing Lab back in my Los Angeles days.  I will not be rewriting any of them, so sorry if my 2007 brain is either lamer or better than my current early 30’s brain. Also, I will not be editing it so it’s structured correctly, so sorry to all the screenwriters out there.
Assignment #1: Fish Out of Water Sketch

INT. SPACE MILITARY BASE – in a Far, Far Galaxy


A man, MATT YONKINYORK, awakens to the sound of beating drums.  He has been tied up and it’s dark.  Wait!  It’s bright now!  His blindfold has been removed.  We now see 2 beautiful women standing above.


HOT GIRL #1:  Good morning Mr. Matt.



HOT GIRL # 2 (overlapping Girl # 1): Good morning Mr. Matt. 

MATT: Well hello. What up with you? (beat) Where the hell…


Immediately, gates open and we now see that Matt is inside some sort of spacecraft, bound to the bed.  The women begin untying Matt as a team of men enter all wearing military garments (and rifles) and leading 2 different men in the back that stand out.  One is a general and the other is his bitch, the Proctor of Police Academy.


GENERAL TSO: Ahhh, good you’re awake Matthew.  I take it you have been getting acquainted with the pleasantries of our starship. The help – and I’m assuming you’ve already been…helped.  


The team of hot girls begin laughing as they are continuing to untie Matt and as he struggles to cover up his woody (not poking through, just pushing pants up).


MATT: Da fuck is going on?


GENERAL TSO: We picked you up outside the Boolean Galaxy some 4 quattors away.


MATT: Boolean Galaxy?  And what the fuck is a quattor? Is this a dream?  Am I on a Fox reality show? Is this Candid Camera? Must be a VH1 project.


GENERAL TSO: You are certainly a different breed of human, aren’t you?  Are you apart of the Nebaholix or Serasurso tree?


MATT: Well which one’s more Irish?  Wait!  I always do that.  I lose focus!  Get it together!  Get it together! Where am I? 


General Tso claps his hands to the beat of “HEY MICKEY” and the girls immediately run out of the room.


GENERAL TSO: There will be a time for all of your questions.  But now, we must prepare for feasting.


As General Tso exits and closes the 2 doors by pulling them shut and staring at Matt with an evil smile and Matt notice and gasps at the very end.


MATT: What kind of party was that last night?


We immediately hear alarms begin to blaze aloud.  We hear a Voice of a woman come over the PA stating “Please evacuate immediately.  This is not a test.” We begin to hear chaos outside of people walking by.  Matt anxiously gets up and opens the door to see what’s going on. We see people, robots and droids quickly trying to hold onto loved ones and scurry down the hall, past Matt’s door. We also see some military men approaching and checking each of the rooms.  That is Matt’s cue to start moving.  So he immediately closes the door behind him and starts to think quick.


MATT: OK…OK…OK…OK…where is there an opening in this place?  An opening.  An open—NING!



Matt scurries to find a way out.  He then luckily comes across a little ventilation.  He jaws off the cover, situates himself a little, puts the cover back on, and climbs through.  We begin to hear gunshots and screaming as well and this is now where Matt realizes he isn’t fucking around. Matt climbs around to a spot where he has a view of what’s happening.  It appears that there are other marked military personnel saturating the walls of the military base.  More and more ships keep landing on the base and more military appear with weapons.  Fighting is taking place.  THEN!  Gunshots come spraying in Matt’s direction. He realizes that some alien looking motherfucker just noticed him, so he makes a quick duck back into the ventilation and keeps moving.  Matt then hears over the PA. 

PA: Intruders in the vents!  Repeat!  Intruders in the vents! 


Finally there is a way out and Matt sees the light at the end.  He jumps out of the vent and onto the ground.



FROFRO: Owwww! 


Matt seems to have jumped onto someone.  We see the man come from under the covers that made him blend into the environment. 

MATT: I’m sorry!  I didn’t see you.


FROFRO: Oh! Thank god you’re here!  Have you come for all of us?


MATT: Huh?  Come for all of us?  Who’s us?  Who do you think I am?


FROFRO: Well aren’t you a keymaster?


MATT: What is this, fucking Ghostbusters?


FROFRO: Aren’t you here to save mankind?  To save all of us?



MATT: Save mankind?  From who?  WHERE AM I!!!!????! 

FROFRO: You’re on a slave base.  We’re all slaves here.  And you must save us from him.  The man who started all this…


MATT: WHO!!!!!!!!!?????!!!!!????


FROFRO: Matt Yonkinyork.


MATT: Do you guys have any space beer?

I am going to begin posting a series of sketches I wrote when I took the Second City Writing Lab back in my Los Angeles days.  I will not be rewriting any of them, so sorry if my 2007 brain is either lamer or better than my current early 30’s brain. Also, I will not be editing it so it’s structured correctly, so sorry to all the screenwriters out there.

Assignment #1: Fish Out of Water Sketch

INT. SPACE MILITARY BASE – in a Far, Far Galaxy

A man, MATT YONKINYORK, awakens to the sound of beating drums.  He has been tied up and it’s dark.  Wait!  It’s bright now!  His blindfold has been removed.  We now see 2 beautiful women standing above.

HOT GIRL #1:  Good morning Mr. Matt.

HOT GIRL # 2 (overlapping Girl # 1): Good morning Mr. Matt.

MATT: Well hello. What up with you? (beat) Where the hell…

Immediately, gates open and we now see that Matt is inside some sort of spacecraft, bound to the bed.  The women begin untying Matt as a team of men enter all wearing military garments (and rifles) and leading 2 different men in the back that stand out.  One is a general and the other is his bitch, the Proctor of Police Academy.

GENERAL TSO: Ahhh, good you’re awake Matthew.  I take it you have been getting acquainted with the pleasantries of our starship. The help – and I’m assuming you’ve already been…helped. 

The team of hot girls begin laughing as they are continuing to untie Matt and as he struggles to cover up his woody (not poking through, just pushing pants up).

MATT: Da fuck is going on?

GENERAL TSO: We picked you up outside the Boolean Galaxy some 4 quattors away.

MATT: Boolean Galaxy?  And what the fuck is a quattor? Is this a dream?  Am I on a Fox reality show? Is this Candid Camera? Must be a VH1 project.

GENERAL TSO: You are certainly a different breed of human, aren’t you?  Are you apart of the Nebaholix or Serasurso tree?

MATT: Well which one’s more Irish?  Wait!  I always do that.  I lose focus!  Get it together!  Get it together! Where am I?

General Tso claps his hands to the beat of “HEY MICKEY” and the girls immediately run out of the room.

GENERAL TSO: There will be a time for all of your questions.  But now, we must prepare for feasting.

As General Tso exits and closes the 2 doors by pulling them shut and staring at Matt with an evil smile and Matt notice and gasps at the very end.

MATT: What kind of party was that last night?

We immediately hear alarms begin to blaze aloud.  We hear a Voice of a woman come over the PA stating “Please evacuate immediately.  This is not a test.” We begin to hear chaos outside of people walking by.  Matt anxiously gets up and opens the door to see what’s going on. We see people, robots and droids quickly trying to hold onto loved ones and scurry down the hall, past Matt’s door. We also see some military men approaching and checking each of the rooms.  That is Matt’s cue to start moving.  So he immediately closes the door behind him and starts to think quick.

MATT: OK…OK…OK…OK…where is there an opening in this place?  An opening.  An open—NING!

Matt scurries to find a way out.  He then luckily comes across a little ventilation.  He jaws off the cover, situates himself a little, puts the cover back on, and climbs through.  We begin to hear gunshots and screaming as well and this is now where Matt realizes he isn’t fucking around. Matt climbs around to a spot where he has a view of what’s happening.  It appears that there are other marked military personnel saturating the walls of the military base.  More and more ships keep landing on the base and more military appear with weapons.  Fighting is taking place.  THEN!  Gunshots come spraying in Matt’s direction. He realizes that some alien looking motherfucker just noticed him, so he makes a quick duck back into the ventilation and keeps moving.  Matt then hears over the PA.

PA: Intruders in the vents!  Repeat!  Intruders in the vents!

Finally there is a way out and Matt sees the light at the end.  He jumps out of the vent and onto the ground.

FROFRO: Owwww!

Matt seems to have jumped onto someone.  We see the man come from under the covers that made him blend into the environment.

MATT: I’m sorry!  I didn’t see you.

FROFRO: Oh! Thank god you’re here!  Have you come for all of us?

MATT: Huh?  Come for all of us?  Who’s us?  Who do you think I am?

FROFRO: Well aren’t you a keymaster?

MATT: What is this, fucking Ghostbusters?

FROFRO: Aren’t you here to save mankind?  To save all of us?

MATT: Save mankind?  From who?  WHERE AM I!!!!????!

FROFRO: You’re on a slave base.  We’re all slaves here.  And you must save us from him.  The man who started all this…

MATT: WHO!!!!!!!!!?????!!!!!????

FROFRO: Matt Yonkinyork.

MATT: Do you guys have any space beer?

DAY 50: Take the articles you’ve read that you thought were boring and make them funny.

Being that this task is a big one, here’s another video from the early year’s vault.  It deals with Unemployment and filing each week.

 DAY 35: Organize the funny articles you’ve read.
Yet another organizing task. For that, another caption pic. I’m loving these lately, huh?

DAY 35: Organize the funny articles you’ve read.

Yet another organizing task. For that, another caption pic. I’m loving these lately, huh?