Second Life 'Wrap Party' for The Block - Details

The party will be this Saturday, July 1st - 6:00PM PST in Second Life on Podcast Island in the Podcaster Lounge. Look for me, Tommy Burma. Questions? Email me at theunrealoc@gmail.com

See you there!

Me On My Space?!? C'Mon! Well, OK

OK - As if this graphic doesn't say enough. . .Yes, I finally joined My Space. You can find me at www.myspace.com/theunrealoc . I just joined yesterday, and as you can see - I'm off to a roaring start! How many people do you know that can actually say that they have ZERO friends, and can verify it? Anyway, what kicked me into deciding to set up an account was I listened to 'The Bitterest Pill' on Friday, and Dan mentioned that he checks his 'My Space' page all the time to see just how many new friends he has. I thought - hey - What a great way to interact with the podcasting community, make new friends, share stories. . . I'm not even sure how My Space works. Do I have to invite people? Do they just show up - uninvited? Pitiful - I know. But don't fret. By this time next week that '0' should be in the triple digits, and I'll post it right here for all of you to see so I can stand proud and say "I HAVE FRIENDS!"

The Block - Season Finale 'Wrap Party'

Join me and a few other podcaster friends including Lance Anderson (Verge of the Fringe, The Lance Anderson Radio Experiment) next Saturday evening - at 6pm - 7pm PST for a 'Wrap Party' in Second Life celebrating the end of season one of The Block. Check this UnBlog is a few days for party details!

Thanks!

New Frappr Mappers

I'd like to thank listeners Al from Burlington, Vermont, Drew from Anaheim, California, Bellamacchina from Santa Cruz, California, and Tim from Tustin, California for placing a push pin on The Unreal OC Frappr Map.

There seems to be a conspicuous lack of pins in the middle part of our fine country, as well as the middle parts of South America, Australia, Africa, Asia, and - well, Greenland. . .C'mon Greenland! Well, actually, I don't remember seeing any stats from Greenland, but I know I have some listeners in Australia. . .where are you?

OK - I'm done harassing my listeners. Time to blast off to work. See ya.

The Block - Characters - Brent

Samantha was looking for a loveable rebel with whom she could attach herself for the sole purpose of getting her mother, Christine's attention. But if 'loveable rebel' sits at one end of the 'bad boy' continuum, Brent sits at the far, opposite end, in the 'bad seed' category. Your typical rebellious teenager is scared to death of people like Brent, and for good reason. He isn't going through a teenage phase - he's nurturing a life-long commitment to corruption. While other bad boys try to figure out which liquor stores might accept their fake ID's, Brent scouts out the one with the weakest security so he can knock it off and grab the cash from the register. Brent lives with the unfortunate delusion that he has nothing to lose. That he wasn't made for this world, and this world certainly doesn't want him around for long. In his mind, Samantha was delivered to him by whatever dark forces rule the universe. Yes, you could say that with Brent, Samantha got more than she bargained for.

The Unreal OC - Emails, Voicemails and More

Hi folks - Some exciting news on this end - My audience doubled during the month of May, and I'll bet that much of that increase is due to you telling your friends about the show. That's terrific! As a podcaster, It's easy to get caught up in trying to build your listener base - at any cost. When I find myself going in that direction, I try to focus on who really matters - meaning you fine folks who do listen to the show - not the 5.2 billion others who don't. It's like the old theater adage about playing to the audience who IS in the theater, and not worrying about the next performance or what the people in tomorrow's audience might think (maybe that was a baseball adage. . .oh well). My point is: You people - reading this blog and listening to my podcast - are the ones that matter. Your loyalty is very much appreciated - so thank you.

I think I've mentioned this once in the past, but it's worth repeating - Did you know that I answer ALL my emails. I know what it's like to write an email to a podcaster and not get a response. That's why - early on - I decided I'd take time to answer all listener emails. AND - If it's appropriate, I'll read the email on my show. My email: theunrealoc@gmail.com Aside from Email, there's all kinds of way to talk back to The Unreal OC - Here's a few more:

• Show comments can be left on my The Unreal OC Hotline at 1 (206) 333-1185. I'll play these on the show.
• Then there's my Frappr Map, where you can place your pin on the map, letting me know where you're listening from. You can leave a message there too if you'd like.
  
• Finally, there's the ability to leave comments on each of these UnBlog posts.
  

So let me know how you like the show, or . . .how you don't like the show. C'mon - I can take it - give it your best shot!

Thanks again, and remember to stay tuned for The Block - part 4 - Coming this Saturday.

Tom

The Block - Characters - Christine and Samantha

There isn't enough Zoloft in the known universe to explain Christine's perpetual perkiness. She walks through each day with the same contrived, contorted smile that's plastered on real estate signs throughout our neighborhood. I suspect that there's probably a real person somewhere beneath the synthetic sales persona she projects; but I've never seen it. Perhaps Swingin' Steve will be able to peel back her layers and expose the real Christine.

Samantha, Christine's 17-year-old daughter, has learned well from her mother on how to project a false personality while keeping the real, more fragile one safely hidden. Between cheerleading, drama club, her advanced placement science and math classes, Samantha has tried every conventional way she knows to win the attention of her mother. Now, with those attempts apparently failing, she's forced to take a less conventional, more dangerous approach.

The Block - Characters - Swingin' Steve

Everyone should have a friend like Swingin' Steve. He's a carefree, party-at-the-drop-of-a-hat kind of guy who seems to float through life. He's the kind of guy your parents would have hated for you to associate with because he seems to live 'outside the system,' yet he isn't really a rebel - that would take too much effort! He's found success despite himself, bypassing all the things you've learned that are important to becoming successful. He's perpetually tardy (possibly because he doesn't own a watch), not entirely tactful (remember the incident with Herman at the BBQ?), and, to an outsider, seems careless and irresponsible. Christine finds all of this fascinating. Possibly because she is the polar opposite of Steve. Will their hook-up at the barbeque turn into something more than a casual romp? Hmmm. . .Only one way to find out. . .stay tuned.

The Block - Characters - Scott and Charlotte

Thoreau said "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Well, I don't know about "the mass of men," but Scott certainly does. He's just found out that he only has weeks, perhaps a few months to live, and he's got some housecleaning to do before he leaves. His wife, Charlotte, sees life through the distorted, green hue of a wine bottle, and doesn't know yet about Scott's fate. She's walking the line of infidelity that Scott swore would be the final straw in their already disastrous marriage. Can Scott maintain his fury as the end of his life draws near? Can Charlotte maintain her fidelity in the light of her new, young fireman friend? Stay tuned to find out.

The Block - Characters - Julie and Jerry

Every neighborhood should have a couple like Julie and Jerry. Young, carefree, fun-loving, and fit, they seem almost too perfect. But these are real people who harbor real secrets; and they're finding that the more open their lives become as they entwine themselves into the block's social scene, the harder it is to keep their darker natures private.

We all build walls around us. Some of us do so to keep the ubiquitous negative forces at a distance. Others, like Julie and Jerry, might build theirs to keep those forces close.