Comments on: Inciting Incident: Koo Koo Roo edition http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition A ton of useful information about screenwriting. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:40:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: storyteller http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-125253 storyteller Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:42:02 +0000 /?p=443#comment-125253 <p>Dear Mr. August,</p> <p>This is a very old post so you might not see this. I'm reading it as a "featured article." I would like to say thank you for asking (attempting to, at least) if everything was okay.</p> <p>You see, it is not at all surprising to me that she was calm. Have you ever tried to live as a young woman in LA? Once I was getting off the 10 freeway & realized the lane I was in would force me to go the wrong direction so I turned on my blinker, looked for some space to change lanes, changed & waved thanks. I would normally have liked to have more of a gap before changing lanes but the car didn't have to slam on the brakes or anything. Anyway, the guy decides he didn't want me to change lanes in front of him (I was very sorry if it felt like I cut him off because I truly didn't mean to or think it would have that effect) to take his car and weave in & out of lines trying to slam his car into mine. I got on my cell phone very calmly & called 911 & described his car. When he saw me on my cell phone, he refused to do anything besides stay even with me so that I couldn't get his license plate. Then, he hurriedly took off. I was very sorry I changed lanes in front of him, especially when I saw how upset it made him but the way the freeway exit was confused me & took me by surprise. At any rate, it didn't merit him weaving in & out of lanes to try to cause an accident with me & risk colliding into other people driving.</p> <p>That is only one story. There are others. Let's see. The man who wanted my parking space as I was leaving Barnes & Noble but who pulled up so close I couldn't get out & who refused to move. (He insisted that if I went the other direction & squeezed, I could get out that way.) Again, I calmly tried to reason, then was about to get on my cell phone when a parking guard came over. He saw the guard & backed up. </p> <p>Then there were the run-ins with the weird man on the bus who likes to rub against people. (That is probably why the person at the bus stop didn't react--just used to weird people on the bus, which is unfortunate because it can be convenient for short trips in areas where parking is really congested.) </p> <p>There was the friend of a friend who asked to use my bathroom & came out completely naked. Again, I responded calmly.</p> <p>Calm communication tends to be more effective. But that doesn't mean we don't appreciate it when a kind, considerate person asks to help & injects some normalcy into the situation. Like the guy who scooted over so I could move away from rubbing man. We appreciate it. Thanks!</p> Dear Mr. August,

This is a very old post so you might not see this. I’m reading it as a “featured article.” I would like to say thank you for asking (attempting to, at least) if everything was okay.

You see, it is not at all surprising to me that she was calm. Have you ever tried to live as a young woman in LA? Once I was getting off the 10 freeway & realized the lane I was in would force me to go the wrong direction so I turned on my blinker, looked for some space to change lanes, changed & waved thanks. I would normally have liked to have more of a gap before changing lanes but the car didn’t have to slam on the brakes or anything. Anyway, the guy decides he didn’t want me to change lanes in front of him (I was very sorry if it felt like I cut him off because I truly didn’t mean to or think it would have that effect) to take his car and weave in & out of lines trying to slam his car into mine. I got on my cell phone very calmly & called 911 & described his car. When he saw me on my cell phone, he refused to do anything besides stay even with me so that I couldn’t get his license plate. Then, he hurriedly took off. I was very sorry I changed lanes in front of him, especially when I saw how upset it made him but the way the freeway exit was confused me & took me by surprise. At any rate, it didn’t merit him weaving in & out of lanes to try to cause an accident with me & risk colliding into other people driving.

That is only one story. There are others. Let’s see. The man who wanted my parking space as I was leaving Barnes & Noble but who pulled up so close I couldn’t get out & who refused to move. (He insisted that if I went the other direction & squeezed, I could get out that way.) Again, I calmly tried to reason, then was about to get on my cell phone when a parking guard came over. He saw the guard & backed up.

Then there were the run-ins with the weird man on the bus who likes to rub against people. (That is probably why the person at the bus stop didn’t react–just used to weird people on the bus, which is unfortunate because it can be convenient for short trips in areas where parking is really congested.)

There was the friend of a friend who asked to use my bathroom & came out completely naked. Again, I responded calmly.

Calm communication tends to be more effective. But that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate it when a kind, considerate person asks to help & injects some normalcy into the situation. Like the guy who scooted over so I could move away from rubbing man. We appreciate it. Thanks!

]]> By: Hunter http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-123475 Hunter Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:24:49 +0000 /?p=443#comment-123475 <p>The man was a Valet. He probably left something vitally important, like his wallet, or GREEN CARD inside the car. He desperately needs it back. Maybe his paycheck was in the wallet and his rent is due, and this man REFUSES to be late on his rent.</p> The man was a Valet. He probably left something vitally important, like his wallet, or GREEN CARD inside the car. He desperately needs it back. Maybe his paycheck was in the wallet and his rent is due, and this man REFUSES to be late on his rent.

]]> By: Scott http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-121450 Scott Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:53:26 +0000 /?p=443#comment-121450 <p>Here's a similar story with details:</p> <p>HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. - A man fighting with his girlfriend clung to a car roof and punched her through the window as she drove more than a mile on a busy road, hitting several other cars, police said.</p> <p>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080224/ap<em>on</em>fe<em>st/odd</em>brawl<em>on</em>wheels</p> Here’s a similar story with details:

HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. – A man fighting with his girlfriend clung to a car roof and punched her through the window as she drove more than a mile on a busy road, hitting several other cars, police said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080224/aponfest/oddbrawlonwheels

]]> By: Crystal http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-114164 Crystal Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:47:39 +0000 /?p=443#comment-114164 <p>Having been a victim of being grabbed in public when I was 12 by a guy in his 20 years and held against the side of a building and kissed so I couldn't scream out when the police - yes the police - rolled by and helped by nobody on the streets and yes, there were people -- I'd say find a way to call 911... even if it is while you are getting your chicken... they have phones in there, don't they?</p> <p>Worse that can happen is the police ignore you or the people get cited for being a public nuisance, but you could actually be stopping a crime in the making.</p> Having been a victim of being grabbed in public when I was 12 by a guy in his 20 years and held against the side of a building and kissed so I couldn’t scream out when the police – yes the police – rolled by and helped by nobody on the streets and yes, there were people — I’d say find a way to call 911… even if it is while you are getting your chicken… they have phones in there, don’t they?

Worse that can happen is the police ignore you or the people get cited for being a public nuisance, but you could actually be stopping a crime in the making.

]]> By: johnaugust.com » I Heart Shortbus http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-22231 johnaugust.com » I Heart Shortbus Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:05:55 +0000 /?p=443#comment-22231 <p>[...] Mr. Mitchell and I used to eat lunch at the same Koo Koo Roo — yes, the notorious one — back when he was a bit player on the short-lived sitcom Party Girl. I want to claim that I knew him before Hedwig, but the truth is I only knew who he was. Important distinction. [...]</p> [...] Mr. Mitchell and I used to eat lunch at the same Koo Koo Roo — yes, the notorious one — back when he was a bit player on the short-lived sitcom Party Girl. I want to claim that I knew him before Hedwig, but the truth is I only knew who he was. Important distinction. [...]

]]> By: Brian http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-2316 Brian Tue, 07 Jun 2005 10:46:19 +0000 /?p=443#comment-2316 <p>Koo Koo Roo is a all poultry restaurant. It has various meals from wraps to burritos to bowls to skinless chickens. Also, there are various sides and soups. My favorite meal is the Tostada bowl :). I should know all of this coz I work at the Koo Koo Roo in San Diego, CA. However, after they upped the prices back in November, a lot of the regulars I used to see have stopped coming.</p> Koo Koo Roo is a all poultry restaurant. It has various meals from wraps to burritos to bowls to skinless chickens. Also, there are various sides and soups. My favorite meal is the Tostada bowl :). I should know all of this coz I work at the Koo Koo Roo in San Diego, CA. However, after they upped the prices back in November, a lot of the regulars I used to see have stopped coming.

]]> By: Kenn http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-2021 Kenn Mon, 23 May 2005 04:01:23 +0000 /?p=443#comment-2021 <p>Back in the day, there was this kid that lived in my town. He was a very strange dude with a very strange laugh that kinda freaked people out. He worked out all the time in his garage with the garage door open so everyone could see him. He didn't seem to have any friends, no one ever saw him hanging with girls and he also never talked about them, so his sexuality was definitely questionable according to the guys in town. Oh yeah, when he was younger he had serious trouble with acne. By this time, with the help of some medicine, the acne was gone. Yet the combination of the scarring and the medication (we think) caused his face to look like shiny plastic. It is any wonder that he was nicknamed "Plastic Face". One night, my friend, Rod and I took a ride over to see our friend, Michelle. She came out and hopped into the backseat of my car and we sat in front of her house talking for an hour. The sun was going down, when we saw a car take a sharp turn about a block in front of us. As the car took the turn, the passenger seat flew open and a naked girl fell on to the pavement. The car was driving slowly so she was unhurt. She stood up laughing, brushed herself off and hopped back in the car. We all watched in silence as the car drove off. None of us could see who else was in it. Well, that was a bit odd, but we continued our talk. Rod and I in the front seat, Michelle in the back. About a half hour later, I happened to look in my rearview mirror. I would never forget what I saw. A naked girl walking down the center of the street right towards us. Did I say, naked? She wasn't just naked, she was "Raquel Welch at eighteen years old" naked. And no, it wasn't the same girl that had previously fallen out of a car. I asked my friends to turn around and make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Rod assured me I wasn't. Suddenly, Michelle said, "Holy sh*t, I know that girl!" She then proceded to roll down her window and yell, "Yo Lisa, what the heck are you doing?" And the naked girl yelled back, "Michelle? Wow, I haven't seen you in ages." And then she came over to our car, leaned over and shot the breeze with Michelle...naked. On a summer night, on a suburban street in North Brunswick, New Jersey...naked. She said that she and her friends had been skinny dipping in her friend's pool a street over and she felt like getting a little air. Oh, and of course she had been drinking all day. It was at this point when the car we saw earlier pulled up next to us. They, she said, were her skinny dipping friends. Inside, the "falling to the pavement" girl waved "hi". She was still naked, as was the driver of the car. A kid called Plastic Face. She hopped back into the car and all we were left with was this story...and no doubt about Plastic Face's sexuality. That lucky bastard!</p> Back in the day, there was this kid that lived in my town. He was a very strange dude with a very strange laugh that kinda freaked people out. He worked out all the time in his garage with the garage door open so everyone could see him. He didn’t seem to have any friends, no one ever saw him hanging with girls and he also never talked about them, so his sexuality was definitely questionable according to the guys in town. Oh yeah, when he was younger he had serious trouble with acne. By this time, with the help of some medicine, the acne was gone. Yet the combination of the scarring and the medication (we think) caused his face to look like shiny plastic. It is any wonder that he was nicknamed “Plastic Face”. One night, my friend, Rod and I took a ride over to see our friend, Michelle. She came out and hopped into the backseat of my car and we sat in front of her house talking for an hour. The sun was going down, when we saw a car take a sharp turn about a block in front of us. As the car took the turn, the passenger seat flew open and a naked girl fell on to the pavement. The car was driving slowly so she was unhurt. She stood up laughing, brushed herself off and hopped back in the car. We all watched in silence as the car drove off. None of us could see who else was in it. Well, that was a bit odd, but we continued our talk. Rod and I in the front seat, Michelle in the back. About a half hour later, I happened to look in my rearview mirror. I would never forget what I saw. A naked girl walking down the center of the street right towards us. Did I say, naked? She wasn’t just naked, she was “Raquel Welch at eighteen years old” naked. And no, it wasn’t the same girl that had previously fallen out of a car. I asked my friends to turn around and make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Rod assured me I wasn’t. Suddenly, Michelle said, “Holy sh*t, I know that girl!” She then proceded to roll down her window and yell, “Yo Lisa, what the heck are you doing?” And the naked girl yelled back, “Michelle? Wow, I haven’t seen you in ages.” And then she came over to our car, leaned over and shot the breeze with Michelle…naked. On a summer night, on a suburban street in North Brunswick, New Jersey…naked. She said that she and her friends had been skinny dipping in her friend’s pool a street over and she felt like getting a little air. Oh, and of course she had been drinking all day. It was at this point when the car we saw earlier pulled up next to us. They, she said, were her skinny dipping friends. Inside, the “falling to the pavement” girl waved “hi”. She was still naked, as was the driver of the car. A kid called Plastic Face. She hopped back into the car and all we were left with was this story…and no doubt about Plastic Face’s sexuality. That lucky bastard!

]]> By: easy B http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-2012 easy B Sun, 22 May 2005 22:04:32 +0000 /?p=443#comment-2012 <p>Not being a left-coaster, I'm curious: what knd of chicken does Koo Koo Roo serve? In the Japanese language, kokoru means heart; is there any tie-in with what is served?</p> <p>(Okay, cut me some slack- I just spent a week in Finland and instead of catching up on much needed sleep, I'm visiting this website for the first time... I plead jetlag!</p> Not being a left-coaster, I’m curious: what knd of chicken does Koo Koo Roo serve? In the Japanese language, kokoru means heart; is there any tie-in with what is served?

(Okay, cut me some slack- I just spent a week in Finland and instead of catching up on much needed sleep, I’m visiting this website for the first time… I plead jetlag!

]]> By: tony http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-1994 tony Sun, 22 May 2005 16:25:43 +0000 /?p=443#comment-1994 <p>comment by heidi - 5/09 is best. her comment was honest. it still surprises me how we all make excuses for what we know is not normal behavior. why do we rationalize? what is it within our makeup? it scares me because then we have to live with each one of those terrors lodged in our memories and it makes us feel so inept. one other comment. why did you go through the trouble of circling the block and losing sight? I would have just made a u-turn in the middle of the street.</p> comment by heidi – 5/09 is best. her comment was honest. it still surprises me how we all make excuses for what we know is not normal behavior. why do we rationalize? what is it within our makeup? it scares me because then we have to live with each one of those terrors lodged in our memories and it makes us feel so inept. one other comment. why did you go through the trouble of circling the block and losing sight? I would have just made a u-turn in the middle of the street.

]]> By: Larry http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-1975 Larry Sun, 22 May 2005 03:40:41 +0000 /?p=443#comment-1975 <p>That's my favorite Koo Koo Roo. But if you really want to see action, go to the Taco Bell parking lot a mile up Vine.</p> That’s my favorite Koo Koo Roo. But if you really want to see action, go to the Taco Bell parking lot a mile up Vine.

]]> By: Gypsy Boots http://johnaugust.com/archives/2005/inciting-incident-koo-koo-roo-edition/comment-page-2#comment-1973 Gypsy Boots Sun, 22 May 2005 02:30:38 +0000 /?p=443#comment-1973 <p>Once, years ago, when I was riding the NY subway, I noticed a drunk/high girl, about 23, who was being creepily stalked by a guy who (I swear) had his teeth filed to points. He was leering at her and grinning, and generally looking like everyone's picture of a pervert.</p> <p>Although anything could have happened, I guess, the fact that he was stalking such obviously helpless prey made me think he was not interested in a confrontation. I looked blatantly at him to let him know I knew what was up.</p> <p>I sat next to her and tried talking to her. She was extremely out of it, probably has no memory of me or that night, but babbled incoherently and slumped against me, etc.</p> <p>It was 2 a.m. before the guy finally got off. I had ridden the line back and forth by this time,and for the last hour or so we had been the only three people in the car. I tried to get her to say what her stop was. I'm not sure I got a correct answer, but at least that one guy was several stops away.</p> Once, years ago, when I was riding the NY subway, I noticed a drunk/high girl, about 23, who was being creepily stalked by a guy who (I swear) had his teeth filed to points. He was leering at her and grinning, and generally looking like everyone’s picture of a pervert.

Although anything could have happened, I guess, the fact that he was stalking such obviously helpless prey made me think he was not interested in a confrontation. I looked blatantly at him to let him know I knew what was up.

I sat next to her and tried talking to her. She was extremely out of it, probably has no memory of me or that night, but babbled incoherently and slumped against me, etc.

It was 2 a.m. before the guy finally got off. I had ridden the line back and forth by this time,and for the last hour or so we had been the only three people in the car. I tried to get her to say what her stop was. I’m not sure I got a correct answer, but at least that one guy was several stops away.

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