Penning gaming news has its rewards, but sometimes it’s just clever regurgitation of press releases. One of the things I enjoy about the Examiner gig is being able to explore the creative side of game writing and sometimes get a bit of coin for it!

“Dream Collaborations” is a regular feature I’ll be writing for Examiner.com, designing the ultimate game (if only in my imagination) using the signature trademarks and specialties from some of the best game developers out there…if only they weren’t all competitors.

In “The best racing game never made” I tackle imaginary contributions from Nintendo (rubber band theory), Infinity Ward (bombastic PR), Codemasters (menus!), Nadeo (track design) and a bunch of others. If you’re a racing game fan, I hope you enjoy it!

I’d also love some ideas for future Dream Collabs, so lay ‘em down in the comments here or there.

Expect these “verbal doodles” (instead of Mental Doodles…get it get it?) from time to time. Today’s installment: brainstorming the next podcast.

Yes, the title of this post is tinged with a not-so-subtle splash of anger. Nah, perhaps anger isn’t the right word. If what I’m feeling had a visual representation, it would be a casual and dismissive wave of the hand, the backdrop a slow motion shot of 2008 calendars going up in flames.

This last year was unmatched in terms of personal accomplishments, and personal failures, with potent family drama to balance things out.

-I’ve gone through a divorce

-My mother went through a divorce

-We all lost my awesome Grandfather

-Thanks to poor decisions  in 2007 & a dirtbag partner, I found myself $20,000 in debt

-For the first time since 2003, Insomnia Radio was not part of my everyday life.

-For the first time since 2001, my daughter was not part of my everyday life

Do I mention these things to complain or draw sympathy? No way. I have a rich and fascinating history of drama and survival, so I’m used to it thanks :-)

Instead, it’s awesome to be able to take the drama in one hand, and analyze the successes in the other. While Insomnia Radio became practically dead to me, so did Thimble Media, and it has allowed me to pursue several things this year that otherwise would have been impossible because of the major time suck my previous ‘career’ was.

My grandfather’s passing led to an extended stay in Fresno, early 2008. Shortly thereafter, my ex-wife and I (who I remain good friends with) decided to part ways. Shortly after THAT, my mother’s marriage crumbled. What was the bright side to this dismal series of events? My mom was left with a higher mortgage than she could pay alone, and I was left practically homeless. The simple solution was to move back in to my mom’s house, something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager. We were both in a situation to help each other – and thank goodness for that.

So yes, I’m 33 and I live with a parent. Fortunately I have no current interest in dating…But I pay half the mortgage, so no wisecracks people :-)

I also found myself with 2 new jobs this year, as well as 2 new professional-ish hobbies! To recap, you’ll find me on any given day doing at least two of the following:

1: Hustling games at a brand new Gamestop in Fresno, as the Senior Supervisor.

2: Ridding the world of viruses and spyware and convincing people to switch to Macs which yes, I realize, would put that hobby to rest…weird…

3: Working funerals in the Central Valley and creating multimedia slideshows for memorial services

4: Editing, managing, and enjoying all the chaos over at http://www.gamesareevil.com

These are all things I’m proud to be doing, and all things that saw their 1st breath of life in 2008. I even found myself writing a novel, which is a slow (and temporarily halted) process, but it was liberating and exciting all the same.

So, good riddance 2008, because 2009 will have no shadows of the past, no regrets to overcome, no “what-if’s” and no wrong choices. It’s time to map out our lives – and enjoy the various paths we take to reach those goals.

All of you who still follow this blog, thanks for sticking around.

Have a stellar 2009 gang;

~J.

Since late in 2007, I’ve been clinging to a fantasy that has been unraveled by the reality of debt, and the overeating of Top Ramen noodles.

When Thimble Media went under and I handed Insomnia Radio off to Charles & Stuart, I vowed never to touch an online network again. Boy, that didn’t last long ;-)

The point is, I’ve always considered myself an entrepreneur in some capacity. If I can brush away modesty for a moment, not everyone can start a podcast network in their sunroom with a $5 microphone, and end up producing CD’s for the city of San Diego, or land mainstream press coverage in the New York Times, CMJ, and Wired Magazine. Unfortunately for me, I sided with an evil human being who absolutely wrecked Insomnia Radio’s image, went AWOL, and threw me into the poorhouse.

(By the way, his name is Justin Parnell – if you ever run over across him, do let me know, huh?)

Now I’m at the helm of a fairly successful video game website, and loving every second of it, but it’s profitability is a long ways off.

The time has come to get a job…the kind that hands you a steady paycheck.

Gamestop. For many a hardcore gamer the word incites furious anger, and the company is constantly bashed online for taking advantage of the 2nd hand (used) games industry and cheating gamers with inflated prices. Well, they’ve never wronged me, and I’ve actually had positive experiences with a certain Gamestop location here in Fresno, so I figured yes…I enjoy working with people, bringing out their abilities, and I love video games. How about combining these things?

I emerged from the interview last weekend with a Supervisor position (or in their terms “Lead Game Advisor), which I start next week, and I’m looking forward to that steady paycheck…

I’m sure there will be many reports from that front – but for now I’m just relieved that I can fight away some of the debt. And scared to death about getting back into retail after what, 5 years away from it?

Talk to ya soon;

Jason

I figured if I didn’t pre-advertise the fact I was attempting to quit smoking and thus jinx myself, I may have a shot.

So, I’m ridiculously happy to report that I’ve been smoke-free now, cold turkey, for 6 days. It feels exceptional, although I really do miss the habit, truth be told. It was the only way I had to unwind, or ease the stress. It’s time to form some new habits around NOT smoking. Like, perhaps, more writing…

As for EVERYTHING else…this calls for about 14 additional blog entries :-)

Talk soon;

Jason

I’m reading (for the 2nd time) Napoleon Hill’s “Think & Grow Rich” and there is a poem in the 2nd chapter which has been resonating:

I bargained with life for a penny
And life would pay no more
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store

For life is just an employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid.

It hits home because the truth of it is so simplistic, yet you don’t actually wrap your mind around it until your mind is ready.

So, where have I been? Absorbed in self-help books, absorbed in my own book, purposefully distancing myself from the internet, picking up random computer tech jobs, and mapping out a future.

I’m also still wrestling with post-Insomnia Radio. Just this afternoon, I had an intense desire to revive that crumbled empire of Insomnia Radio, KillYourFM Magazine, ResonateTV, and the stillborn “Owned” sites. The practicality of solid “real world” work clashing with the hopes and dreams of online media.

Is it possible to do both? Isn’t bridging the real world to the internet (in this case with music) what I was trying to do all along? Why didn’t it work? This and many more questions, on the next Mental Doodles & Lost Thoughts!

(kidding)

(slaps face, gets back on point) * No, the reason I posted that poem is simple: I’ve come to believe that if you take a $10/hour job, and keep it for too long, you’ll believe that’s what your worth. And if you burn all bridges of retreat, and chase down what you REALLY desire, and are REALLY worth, then you’ll eventually find it.

I’m in a weird yet hopeful position in life. The only question is: What do I want to do?

Enjoy your week…
J.

According to a study by the Cancer Council Victoria, men who masturbate roughly five times per week are 1/3 less likely to be struck with prostrate cancer. 

As Rob puts it “Pure Comedy Gold” for the Twitterverse.

So, uh, next time Twitter asks you what you’re doing, you can be honest. After all, it does have healthy implications :-)

Jason Evangelho is, among other more trivial things:

• The creator of Insomnia Radio, an indie music podcast network that launched in October 2004 when there were less than 50 podcasts in existence.
• A funeral clerk in Fresno, California
• The author of the novel-in-progress “The Funeral Diaries“
• Addicted to short-attention-span videogames like Lumines, Geometry Wars, & Audiosurf.
• Addicted to African coffee beans
• A rabid fan of user-generated content & new media
• A Recovering Catholic
• Probably editing this post right now
• A Recovering Social Network junkie
• Addicted to Twitter (disregard last bullet point)
• Gearing up for the next major push
• Will never partner with another douchey conniving scum sucking partner media company
• Someone who hates any radio station whose call sign begins with the letters K, W, or N. (yes, exactly)

Over the past 3 weeks, I’ve been slowly adding a few more RSS feeds to my collection. Nope, not podcasts, but actual blogs. Blogs that focus primarily on productive writing, zen-like tips for killing writer’s block, and lists that get the juices flowing. Man, are there a shitload of lists. 

Don’t get me wrong, the wealth of knowledge on the nets geared towards writers is comprehensive and awe inspiring. Little nuggets of advice collected for the well-being and success of other struggling (and successful) authors out there. It’s just that, I’ve been reading ten times more words about the craft itself, than I have written actually doing the craft…and that gets under my skin. 

Oh, and get used to these posts o’ mine – I realize they’re disjointed and meandering, but they also help to validate whatever little roadblocks I’m trying to hurdle at the time. 

Last week I set a goal of penning 1000 words per day, and I missed the mark. I managed 5000 this week, but over the course of 3 days (playing “catch up”, heh.) I’m bummed, but not enough to let that poison further productivity, you know? (although since I’ve proclaimed publicly, on Twitter and elsewhere, that YES, this book IS COMING DAMNIT, I can’t but feel a LITTLE under the gun!) 

Yes, self inflicted pressure. It’s good motivation!

Anyway, one of these lists I stumbled across really hit home like blunt force trauma. I found it here. Boy, can I relate. If you’re an aspiring writer, go read it. To summarize: you can’t be a writer AND an editor simultaneously. Separate the two ASAP. That’s the problem I’ve been facing without consciously realizing it. 

(I’ll throw in a tip I haven’t read elsewhere: Turn off your damn spellcheck. Fix it LATER, get the ideas onto the page NOW.)

The Funeral Diaries progresses – I’ll keep checking in. 

#

PS: Jasper Sorensen, the main character of the novel, can be found on Twitter…

If you’re cruising in this direction from the Insomnia Radio site, welcome and thanks for your attention. Charles has done an excellent job burning the torch in my absence, and I really hope you’ll stay subscribed, as IR’s mission will be the same regardless of what voice sits in front of the microphone: Kick ass music to propel indie artists forward. 

There’s not much to THIS site yet, but I encourage you to subscribe to the feed to stay updated. I’m in the progress of penning my first novel, entitled “The Funeral Diaries” and until it’s website and podcast launches, I’ll be scribbling my mental doodles here, and whatever other randomness I can think of. 

It’s good to be back online. Hope you’ll join me. 

All my best;

Jason