I have watched a TON of movies, and I have begun to get a somewhat decent understanding on how to craft the perfect story. You need something that captures. Like a well crafted horror story, or a thrilling action story. Given that my favorite genre of films is disaster films, I might go ahead and try to make a rough outline, with a log line that really intrigues.
The problem is, that most disasters have been pummeled to death. Skyscraper disaster movies: Skyscraper and The Towering Inferno. Extreme disaster movies: Independence day, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, Deep Impact, San Andreas. Ship disaster movies: Poseidon, Titanic.
I need to come up with a story, that is completely unique. Something that hasn't been done before. I could write a space disaster movie, but Gravity has that covered.
I'm gonna go into thinking mode, and write some stuff down. Who knows, maybe I will write something that will get made into a movie at some point, but that's not my main objective at the moment. I just want to start writing, and write a few complete movies. After that, we'll see what happens.
I had to end my volunteer bit prematurely, since they somehow had to let me go, due to some things I did during the night shift. Apparently, I let too many people on foot walk through. To put it into context: The gate I was working at, was Gate 3. That gate is reserved for cars, trucks, buses and bikes, and not people on foot. They will have to go Gate 3A, which is located 20 meters away from Gate 3. Unfortunately, some people don't respect that, so I have to turn away the people, and force them to go to 3A. It is impossible to get everyone to do that, so I had let around 50 people through Gate 3. 50 people in 8 hours. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for the leader of the group I was volunteering at, so they called me, and told me that I wouldn't be let in to the site today to work. That resulted in me going home to calm down, because I was so annoyed and disappointed, that I would have said something I would regret.
This is the second time that a festival has treated me like someone who has committed an unspeakable crime, so it is time to make a decision: Do I skip next years festivals, or do I just simply stop volunteering at festivals? I think the answer is clear: Stop volunteering at festivals in general. I will not put up with being treated that way.
So now I am just relaxing, with some music. It's past midnight here, so I am thinking about going to bed. I know, it's early to go to bed on a Saturday, but I am absolutely shattered. These past few days of volunteering has put my energy levels to an all time low. The night shift alone was murder. When I got home, I just laid on my bed and fell asleep, fully dressed.
I think I just need a few days to recover. To eat some good food and just relax in general. Not spending any money at all.
I know that some of you might be tired of hearing about my travel-preparations, so I am starting to name my blogs "New York Trip Preparations - Part (blank)", starting with this blog. That way, you can just skip those blogs, and read something else.
With that out of the way, it's time to dive down into the blog!
I went to the exchange agency again for the second time this week, to get some more US dollars for my trip next year. I ended up with $353, and with my $50 from earlier, I am now at $403. 40% of the way to my goal, which seems like it's manageable to reach.
If i am careful with my spending here, and if I can put away DKK400 every month for 9 months, that means I will get $56 every month. $56 times 9 is $504, which puts me at $907. I do have some saving that I can use as well, so I am confident I will hit the magical $1000, which was my goal all along.
I am also slowly preparing my list for the week I am going there. My friend has volunteered to take me to New York City, which I will not turn down. She suggested that we found a hotel for a night, making it a 2-day trip. I am not going to complain at all. It's gonna be awesome! I really want to see the American Museum of Natural History. I want to get up close to a T Rex skeleton! That is one of my dreams! Luckily there is an exhibition of that, that runs throughout August 2020. There is a $23 entry fee, which I will gladly pay. I also want to visit Ground Zero. So many plans, and so little time, I feel. I will just have to come back at another time.
I have bought myself a travel bag. It's called the Haglöfs 40, and it's supposedly a very spacious bag. Hopefully I can fit a weeks worth of clothes into the bag. I might just bite the bullet and get myself a carry-on bag, and pay the fee to have it in the cargo hold. I am not allowed to store it in the overhead bins, which is total f*cking bull.. Anyway, where was I.. Oh yeah..
That bag I bought was on sale. 30% off, which was a welcome surprise. Particularly since I am travelling on a budget. Regarding the budget - I sent mine to my friend that I am visiting, and I asked her if I was totally wrong, or if I was on the right track. She said I should raise it by $100 at least, and have as close to $1000 with me, in order to get some more wiggle room for souvenirs and such.
Next thing for me to do is to get a job, so I have something to tell the CBP officer when I land in Newark next year!
I am beginning to lay a budget for my USA trip. These are based on my estimates, how much I usually spend here in Denmark, and how much I anticipate to spend each day.
My first draft came in at $196, which I thought was a bit.. Low.. I am going to be there for a week, after all, so $196 would seem a bit too low. I then did some tweaks, and added some things to it. This time, it came out to $536 for a week, which seems a bit more reasonable.
Food: $30 the first 6 days and $25 on the last day, for a total of $55.
Drinks: $62 for the week. I am not planning on going binge drinking. 3 crates of coca cola, a 40-pack of water and 4 drinks at $6 each seems reasonable. I might spend more or less on the drinks, but we'll see.
The biggest expenditure is entertainment. A massive $160 for the week, which gives me more than enough room to spend less, if needed. I don't think I will spend $20 a day on that, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
I will spend $76 on souvenirs for myself. I have found the perfect set for me to buy!
I am still going to bring close to $1000, which gives me a surplus of $464.
I will still tweak it a bit, but so far it looks alright. I am being picked up at the airport, and I am not going to stay in a hotel or do some sightseeing in NYC, since I am staying at her place in upstate New York, and I am pretty good with saving money anyway. This month, I have managed to live of $300. This is in a country that is 9.2% more expensive than the United States.
Given that there is a while until I travel, please bring your best money-saving tips, and let me know if my budget looks completely stupid.
I never really got the hype about Stranger Things, so I decided not to take part in viewing the show.
Now, however, I have decided to give it a chance, to see what everyone is raving on about. So, was it worth it?
The first season is about a young boy, who disappears. It's then up to his mother, a police chief, and his friends to confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.
Season 1 has a number of different subplots, that all merge at the end, and it's a pretty well-crafted series. It's VERY slow, but the first season is all about character building. The season has it all: Horror, suspense, action, humor and emotion. It's an extremely impressive first season, so I will definitely begin season 2 right away.
Let's hope this is more fast-paced, because if I have to see ONE more interrogation, so help me... That is the only reason why this first season gets an 8/10. Not bad but not perfect!
I had a look at some travel videos, particularly videos about flying into the US. Someone said in one video, that you had to fill out a TSA form, that lists your name, where you are from, your DoB, where you are staying and if you have anything to declare.
"Oh my," was my first thought. Then I found out, that the TSA asks five questions, when you arrive: Purpose of visit, length of stay, where you will be staying, what you do for a living and if I have anything to declare. The answers are similar to the form I have to fill in on the plane, so if I give the same kind of answers that I wrote on the form, I will be let into the US. I need to sort most of the things out, but, as someone pointed out in one of the comments on an earlier blog, I have a LONG time to go before my trip, but it doesn't hurt being prepared. I am an old boy scout, so I live by their motto: Be prepared!
Given all this light stress about securing my entry into the US, I have begun saving a lot of money. I do that by buying cheap items, that I can mix into something edible and tasty. I am also beginning to cook in batches, so I can freeze the food down, and thaw it up later. Yesterday, I spent $12,76 on things, that would result in two days worth of food. I am usually not a big eater, so I can easily get by with spending $15 per week. In Denmark, at least. I am not sure how long $100 will last me in the US. I might do some research on that. Which is the cheapest store to buy food?
In order to be VERY prepared, I plan to lay a budget for my entire week in the US. I really want to buy souvenirs to bring back home with me. Or maybe just something for myself. A flag or something. Maybe some shoes as well.
But in general, I am looking forward to the trip, as you can probably tell by my constant rambling about it. It's my first blog about this subject in four days, so it's not like I am bombarding you with blogs about the subject. As we get closer to my departure date, I will probably write a lot of blogs about it.
I was told about a movie called Point Blank, and it was hyped up to be a fun action movie, so I decided to see if it was worth the hype.
The movie, which is a Netflix production, stars Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie, two people who have worked together in the MCU. The story is extremely straight forward: To save his pregnant wife, an emergency room nurse teams up with an injured murder suspect in a race against time, rival criminals and renegade cops.
I enjoyed myself watching it, and I caught myself laughing a lot during some of the bits. It has everything you could ask for in an action thriller: Fights, shootouts, explosions, intense bits and the ever present "Oh man, who will survive at the end of it?"
Besides Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie, the movie stars Marcia G. Harden, Christian Cooke, Teyonah Parris, Boris McGiver and Markice Moore.
The task of controlling all those actors, and bringing a film to life, has fallen to Joe Lynch, who has directed tv series, low-budget horror movies and a Faith No More music video.
I really liked this movie a lot, and it is a fun hour and a half of entertainment.
Rating: 7/10
Point Blank streams NOW on Netflix!
I went to the local money exchange agency, Forex, and I got $50. I am now home, and I decided to take a closer look at them.
They feel weird. The Danish currency feels smooth and paper-like, while the American one feels rough and coarse. Like sand.. I don't like the sand.. There was a reference there. If you know it, you have scored ten points.
Anyway.
On American dollars, there are Presidents on one side, and The White House on the other. On the Danish money, it's bridges on one side, and some artifacts on the other. The dollar also says "In God We Trust", which the Danish money doesn't, because Denmark isn't embracing God as much as the US does.
The notes I got was three times Hamilton and one Jackson. I would like Benjamins, but not now. Later, perhaps.
So far, in two days, I have planned a USA trip, gotten my ESTA and my first $50. I am $950 short of my target, which I have just over 9 months to get. Average: $100 per month. It's gonna be tough, but I have Christmas coming up. I can wish for some dollars there.
Anyway, that's all for me today. Toodles!
At this years Goodwood Festival of Speed, Volkswagen unleashed the ID. R. It is a fully electric prototype vehicle designed as part of Volkswagen's I.D. Project, and included within Volkswagen's R series of cars designed specifically for competing in motorsport events. It is the first electric racing car designed by Volkswagen.
The power comes from two electric motors, located at each axle, allowing for a combined 507 kW; 689 PS (680 hp) and 649 N·m (479 lb·ft) of torque. The I.D. R weighs under 1,100 kg (2,500 lb) and has a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of 2.25 seconds.
It's seriously fast, as this video shows:
Besides Goodwood, the I.D. R holds the record at the Nürburgring. It went round in 6 minutes 05.336 seconds, demolishing the record set by the NIO EP9. The NIO took a slow 6 min 45.9 seconds to get round the Ring, even though it has 1,341 horsepower. That means, that the NIO has 661 horsepower more than the I.D. R, and still it was slower. It was also heavier than the I.D. R, which is why it was slower.
It's amazing what we can achieve with electric cars now!
I know, I know.. I am still a LONG way away from actually going, but it's not too early to make a list of things I need to do and get!
So first up: Book the flight. That's the main thing. I did that. I found a good deal on Google. The trip is from Copenhagen to London with British Airways (rated 5.9/10 in 2018, making it the 17th best airline that year), and then American Airlines (Rated 6.4/10 in 2018 on
making it the best US airline) from London to Newark.
A return ticket was $348,59, making it a FANTASTIC deal. I am in basic economy, which is the cheapest ticket, which is fine. I am not really picky when it comes to seating on a flight. As long as I get there, I am happy. I might even sleep for the majority of the flight. Read more about the basic economy here
Next up on my list: Get an ESTA. ESTA stands for "Electronic System for Travel Authorization", and it's an automated system, that checks to see if I have been a bad boy regarding law enforcement, terrorism and other nasty stuff. Since I am clean, I don't see why they wouldn't approve it.
Third entry on my list: Read up on the US. Specifically how to tip, since I know it's expected of me to do so, when I visit a restaurant. I think it's 10% you leave in tips, but if that's not true, please feel free to correct me on that.
Fourth entry, and this is important: Dollars. I need money to spend whilst I am in the US. I am thinking around $1000 would be sufficient, given I am there for a week only. It gives me roughly $142 per day to spend, which should be plenty.
So far, that is all on my list. Of course I need to pack as well, but I plan to pack a carry-on bag, that will fit underneath the seat, since my ticket doesn't include an overhead bin. If I have to check a bag, that will be extra at the airport. We'll see what I do, but if I have to pack for a week, I might just shove it all into a duffelbag and put that under my seat. I will pack the day before I leave, which is still months away.
I might come up with more items on my list, when we get closer to my departure.
I applied for the ESTA yesterday, and I paid $14 for it. I have just looked at the application, and, as I suspected, it was approved.
I can now sit back and relax, since I am allowed to enter the US. The ESTA is valid for two years, so I will need to renew it in 2021.
One of the questions they asked me, to determine if I was worthy of an ESTA was: "Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?"
In the drop-down menu, I put in "yes" by accident, to which the popup said "Are you sure? If yes, please contact DHS for help". I then quickly selected "no", and then all was fine.
I need to shop for a duffel bag, since I don't have one. I am not sure how expensive they are, but they shouldn't be that expensive.
By the way, I loved what it said on the ESTA site: "Welcome to the USA".
Thank you!
I have just booked the flight to Newark Liberty International Airport (3 stars out of 5 on Google) on may 1st, 2020. It's gonna be my first time ever in the US, so I am looking forward to it a lot!
The trip takes me to London, England, where I have a 2 hour layover in Heathrow, before the trip to the USA. MAN I am excited for this! My first ever time in the US, but it's so far away! Time wise, I mean. 10 months away!
Those 10 months have to fly by!
But the main thing is: I am coming to the USA!
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