In the wake of collapse

“Drug deaths, fueled by prescription drug overdoses, now surpass motor vehicle deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” from an article on Yahoo! News, http://news.yahoo.com/houstons-death-spurs-look-her-doctors-meds-230640043.html

So why is it that we blame the doctors–did they say to take the xanax with alcohol? Probably not. Only in the case of Michael Jackson does a physician seem rightfully questioned for some serious lapses in judgement — administering a drug used in anesthesia to a known intravenous opiate user is clearly a sign of a doc who’s lost his way.

But this latest ‘celebrity’ death? Why is it the doctor’s fault when celebrity’s over-indulge and underestimate their resilience? And why do we care more about them than the guy on skid row who became a junkie after his father beat him to a pulp his whole childhood or the girl who was raped hides in some sort of inebriated mess of an existence? No, we mourn the celebrities, forgive them their excesses, while continuing to demonize anyone our daughters may come into contact with (a junkie who became that way because his pain went untreated by the medical establishment — found pain killers and then, what are you gonna do?). Or the crack head or speed freak who started off just recreationally–like the banker or the barmaid down the street. We forgive you if you don’t get into the hard stuff. We eulogize you if you do the hard stuff and come out the other side, as long as you’re a successful pop star or favorite movie star. And if you happen to die when too much of everything is NOT enough (my take on the Grateful Dead/Robert Hunter lyrics)–well, then we feel really, really sorry in a way we only reserve for public figures.

Try applying some of this mercy and forgiveness to the next ‘bum’ you see and think, ‘Oh, that could never be me,’ from your BMW with your iPhone5 and over-priced everything. Oh, and when your doctor says don’t mix with alcohol, maybe forget you are a celebrity with lots of comebacks still to come, and act like a mere human.

I am deeply respectful of anyone’s memory when they die, as we say ‘tragically,’ but I just question why a celebrity’s death is considered ‘tragic’ when every day on Skid Row, people are suffering and most people just scoff and say, “They deserve what they had coming to them, good riddance.”

Poor form for the lost and broken. Just as it is pathetic to me how we treat people in death so differently than when they were alive. All of a sudden, people are coming out of the woodwork with kind words for someone who a few years ago they would have dismissed as a has-been crackhead.

Hypocrisy at its finest. Here was a desperate woman, sad and belligerent in her final appearances, who didn’t have anyone close to her who really understood how to help her. Sad, very sad.

Now I can go back to my own suffering and how I sometimes don’t want to live myself. Not when I can’t even make a living and I am expected to survive on $ 30 for 3 weeks after rent took all my unemployment and I can’t find a job to save my soul.

Tumbleweed Bar

Tumbleweed Bar

Originally uploaded by Lost America

Abandoned but still lit.

Pavlov’s Art

“Art must suppress violence, and only art can do so.”
— Tolstoy

Book of days

Book of days

Originally uploaded by Sean Hawley

And who says beauty is a fragile thing?

The great unknown

By *ilaria*aka*Lacollega
from Scotland
A photographer whose work I admire.

Newspeak, Styron & What am I doing here?

From a blog I like:

George Orwell: 6 Questions/6 Rules
Time for another list or two I think – these are from the great stylist and thinker himself and are on his writing habits, or perhaps self-editing habits might be more accurate:

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect
5. Could I have written it more shortly?
6. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a

The Sky is Falling

Or it’s going to
there’s simply nothing
to say
about it

when the world
crashes
around and all you
can come up with is
a cliche

You want
to lead by example
erase that bad record
or build it up
get a rhinestone coat

and be on your way
but you get stuck
on the orange line
to mediocrity

and have to exit
where the shitstorm
begins
on the outskirts of town

begging your way
without shoes
just like the son
of the maker

of all this mess
what’s left to hold onto
haul
hope for at the end of that

dirty rainbow

If it’s Thursday…

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” ~ Joseph Campbell

…this must be payday, one would hope. I wanted to remind myself to keep on the up & up with the bliss factor, try to make my motivation as pure as possible (which is hard in reality tv) and not get so stressed out, zonkers, bonkers, yonkers. I want to have fun but do my job as needs to be done. How to do that? We’re not saving lives (ok, maybe, one never knows the magic that can come from a bar stool) and although always important to do a good job, I have to keep perspective. But my body has also been given way to the lack of healthy lifestyle infusion — how long to heal that, I don’t know. Would like certain pains to go away. We’ll see what vit c and attitude adjustments do. Next up, mta schedule & the labyrinth of the valley.

“start now and it will grow…”

There are many who are in need of miracles.

http://opsafeintl.com/2011/01/how-to-pray-when-disaster-strikes/

meme me

Logged into Pandora, checking out my ‘brand’ identity online, first plays “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’” into “Revolution” and now “The Weight.” Should I be worried? It’s all so perfect.

Best Short Stories

One of my favorites hit # 3:

“The Snows of Kilimanjaro” by Ernest Hemingway: A writer on safari in Africa is close to death and looks back on his life regrettably in this short tale.

I’m not sure why the link doesn’t show up, but this is it:

http://www.onlineclasses.org/2011/01/20/the-50-best-short-stories-of-all-time/

Keep Your Chin Up

Delays are not denials- keep going, keep your vision clear. Perseverance does wonders.

Current CV

Katherine E. Walker
Producer-Director Writer
Reality/documentary/episodic television & features. Editorial, supervise all cuts through online & delivery.

Scriptwriting, copywriting, grant writing. Non-fiction business magazines; columnist; published poet.

Work History, 2000-Present

• Consulting Producer, “Bar Rescue,” Spike

• Producer, “Cal-Fire,” BBC Worldwide Reality/OWN
  

• Producer, “American Hogger,”Pilot episode, A&E

• Producer, “Super Saver Showdown,” OWN

• Producer, “The Colony,” seasons 1-2, Discovery/Original Productions

• Director, “South African Solar Challenge,” Documentary presentation, SHARP solar

• Writer, “Anatomy of a Recovery,” one-hour documentary, Discovery-Asia

• Executive Producer, “Model Latina,” Season 1, 13-episode series, SiTV  Show Runner – Supervised all creative elements for 13 EP series, directed all multi-cam set-ups, supervised post-production, online and all branding materials. Managed staff for series; developed and oversaw task – branding department, for product integration.

• Executive Producer, “Backstage,” Pilot Episode, SiTV

  Co-Executive Producer, “WIDE AWAKE,” 6 webisode-series, Miggs Band/McDonald’s Corp.
  Supervising Producer, “Ghost Intervention,” 4-episode series, TLC/Pilgrim
  Supervising Producer, “Showdown on the Sand,” One-hour, Discovery 3-D
  Show Producer, “The Apprentice,” seasons 1-5, NBC /Mark Burnett
               Nominated for two primetime Emmy awards. Field: 33 EPS; Post: 18 EPS

• Producer, “Instant Beauty Pageant,” 4 one-hour episodes, Style Network

• Story Producer, “The Restaurant,” 4 one-hour episodes, NBC/Mark Burnett

Associate Show Producer, “The Amazing Race,” CBS/WorldRace
Post-production, four episodes, winner of Emmy award for episode 311

Segment Producer, “Paradise Hotel,” FOX / Mentorn
Turned around episodes in 3 days, 2 shifts, team of editors.

Producer/Writer, “A Personal Story,” 8 half-hours, strip series for TLC/FGE
Producer/Writer, “2 for Las Vegas,” 14 half-hours, strip series for Travel Channel/FGE
Producer/Writer, “Fixing the Body,” One-hour documentary, Discovery/FGE
Producer/Writer, “The 200-Pound Tumor,” One-hour doc, Discovery Health

Production Staff, A.D. department [on set] 1996-2000
FEATURES: Castaway, Family Man, 15 Minutes, Gone in 60 Seconds, What Lies Beneath, Love & Basketball, Blue Streak, George of the Jungle, Six Days, Seven Nights, Mighty Joe Young & The Lost World. Responsible for lead talent on-set, including Nicolas Cage, Harrison Ford & Robert DeNiro.

SCRIPTED TV: Roswell, The X-Files, Cab to Canada, Extreme Duress, Beyond Belief & the COMMERCIAL, music videos the MTV Music Awards at Universal City. MOS segments.

Education
University of Virginia, Bachelor of Arts, English/History, 1987 ; Vancouver Film School, Certificate, Filmmaking, 1995; University of Hawaii, Documentary Filmmaking, 1992; University of Hawaii, Television Broadcasting, 1991

Ideal Job

Creative position utilizing my unique skills and abilities which include but are not limited to: multi-tasking like a ______ (you fill in the blank); creative thinking and problem-solving; troubleshooter; fixer; collaborating with like-minded people; being able to take a project-idea to the next level.

THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in… – StumbleUpon

THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in… – StumbleUpon.

All things classic myth, from family trees to the order of things.

HE FIRSTof these were thePROTOGENOIor First Born gods. These were the primeval beings who emerged at creation to form the very fabric of universe: Earth, Sea, Sky, Night, Day, etc. Although they were divinites they were purely elemental in form: Gaia was the literal Earth, Pontos the Sea, and Ouranos the Dome of Heaven. However they were sometimes represented assuming anthroporphic shape, albeit ones that were indivisible from their native element. Gaia the earth, for example, might manifest herself as a matronly woman half-risen from the ground ; and Thalassa the sea might lift her head above the waves in the shape of a sea-formed woman.

THE SECONDwere the natureDAIMONES(Spirits) andNYMPHAIwho nurtured life in the four elements. E.g. fresh-water Naiades, forest Dryades, beast-loving Satyroi, marine Tritones, etc.

THE THIRDwere the body- and mind-affectingDAIMONES(Spirits). E.g. Sleep (Hypnos), Love (Eros), Joy (Euphrosyne), Hate (Eris), Fear (Phobos), Death (Thanatos), Old Age (Geras), etc.

THE FOURTH class consisted of the THEOI (Gods) who controlled the forces of nature and bestowed civilised arts upon mankind.

CHIMERA (Khimaira) A creature with the fore-quarters of a lion, the rear end of a goat, a goats head on its back, and a fanged serpent-head for a tail. It was slain by the hero Bellerophon who rode into battle on the back of the winged horse Pegasus. 

Words to Live By

Che sera sera

“If you’d like to reach me / leave me alone!” – Sheryl Crow

My Favorite Mistake

This song seems to come up in my music genome project more than any other (other than “Monkey Man” by the Stones) — and that can be attributed to the chord logic and probably the despondency of the lyrics turned into something else entirely. If Trent Reznor, whose music I like and admire == and most certainly for his ability, much like Eddie Vedder, to get filmmic reality and the soundtrack genre–but if they can do that I can enlist Sheryl and Lucinda Williams (with the old stand-bys if they’ll agree to be composing consultants T Bone Burnett and Danny Elfman, two great cinematic composers, that the guy in charge of Lost’s sound design.

But first I have to write the script.

you treat me like I was your ocean / you live in a land of illusion

-steve miller band

 

Tennessee, the perfect name for a downtown drifter and a horse in Wyoming, is in a room with some regulars playing a secret society card game and running the old school crack head numbers just about the right time and right place

 

Loggins & Messina

girl in a paper cup

even tho we ain’t got money / I’m so in love with you honey

in the morning when I rise / bring a tear of joy to my eyes

and tell me

everything’s

gonna be alright

Difficult Teachers

 

get me out of this place!

      There’s a reference in one of the books of Don Juan’s Magical Mystical journeys by Carlos Castenada, via my father’s recounting, therefore embellishing a tale was simply a matter of course, to the worth of ‘difficult teachers.’ How those who make our lives painful while we are going through a certain experience (in work or school or finding life’s purpose) can often teach us the most.
      With that in mind, as one ‘difficult’ experience was passing, an old extremely severe ‘teacher’ who brought great pain and suffering as a by-product of his demanding persona, came into view, causing me to think about, thus far, the lessons that could possibly be extracted from this latest painful excursion into needlessly traumatic SOP and how that related, full-circle, to those other ‘lessons’ extruded, biopsied and laid to rest, until the next one comes along.
      THE OBVIOUS SUBDUED BEATS BIG & BOLD, IF YOU CAN’T PULL BIG & BOLD OFF FLAWLESSLY.
      DON’T SAY TOO MUCH TO THOSE WHO ARE MORE THAN 51% OF THE TIME TALKING SOME KIND OF SMACK.
      EVEN BEING FOCUSED ON BEING THE BEST ISN’T ENOUGH IF YOU WANT TO STAY SUBMERGED IN GOODNESS. THERE WILL BE THOSE WHO FIND IT UNSETTLING, THAT DEFINITIVE KNOWLEDGE, FROM EXPERIENCE. THAT OLD SAYING ABOUT EARNING, GAINING, DEMANDING, DESERVING, RELINQUISHING RESPECT JUST DOESN’T RING TRUE. THERE SEEMS TO BE LESS AND LESS OF THAT, MORE AND MORE OF THIS FAST-TRACK SHORT-HAND TO NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL BUT SOMETHING PROTECTIVE OF THAT BANAL, MEANINGLESS EXISTENCE WHERE SMALL TALK IS ALL ABOUT HOW TO TAKE SOMEONE ELSE DOWN, TO MINIMIZE THEIR EXPERIENCE, THE ULTIMATE CYNICISM LACED IN BACON-FLAVORED PRIVILEGED-STAMP ON BACK OR FOREHEAD, TATTOOED ON THE INSIDE OF THE EYELIDS: YOU ARE RIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE IN POWER, HERE, NOW, AND IF SOMETHING DOESN’T SERVE YOUR BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND CERTAINLY ANYTHING THAT CALLS ATTENTION TO PROCESS OVER EGO AND GETS INTO THE MUCK OF THE LAND WHERE THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WHO JUST DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT. AND SO IT GOES. THAT’S YOUR FIRST MISTAKE. THINKING YOU PLAY BY EVEN REMOTELY SIMILAR RULES BECAUSE YOU ADHERE TO SOME MYTHOLOGICAL VALUE PLACED ON THE WORTH OF COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, ELEVATING THE MEDIUM (WHATEVER THAT MAY BE BUT ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE SOMETHING A LITTLE BETTER FOR HAVING BEEN THERE) AND TRYING TO BRING SOME INTEGRITY TO THE OVERALL message, product, method, meaning, process, interchange, professionalism, rules of the game.
      Coulda been accused of taking herself too seriously, or not realizing when things were going south and how to fix it; not having enough support around the general — this is a big one — if you can’t trust your immediate surroundings, then you are screwed. It’s not even about betrayal but constant undermining and purposefully misunderstanding — then using that to your advantage, as gameplay. Gosh I am so ridiculously naive but this has taught me that to me in the role of captain at the helm, to have the creative ‘vision’ that is supposed to keep everything else afloat, you really can’t have a ‘down’-second, and because you must always be ‘working,’ the rest of the crew, as Guy Richie pointed out, really has their own ‘agenda,’ so sometimes your moving with intensity is perceived as going against the grain of whatever pace has been adopted around — what? In this case, some bad moments that got sprouted like bad seeds from someone with bad intent who was texting horrible things about someone to another who is off-set — why involving them? And there it goes. Rumors. Negative untruths. Spread so far as to go off the periphery of the set, and why? It’s not clear but it was something to learn from, whether it’s simply adapting and not being a moving target–but how does one do that? Is that bulls-eye something that can only come off with comet & bleach?
      Or what can be over-thought is probably not worth miring one’s mind in for too long, best to get back on the horse, moving forward, not sure what all that means or why things are thought or certainly why actions sometimes have minds of their own, but, God-willing, the next go-round will be sweeter, a little less painful, a little more fluid, I swear I am ready for that–not necessarily easy but something where I can bring something truly into the mix, am allowed to shine, for the betterment of the whole, where the spirit of collaborative generation of ideas — and how that makes a thing better — is truly understood and valued. Like-minded for some project you can really get behind, like the amazingly under-amped “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” for being well-constructed, and so through-line savvy without being overly fawning or gratuitous in its references. An homage as well as a movement forward in the thinking, somehow managing to integrate all precursors (the good of each put in the mix) and explore how the story came to be. That’s a hard sell. How Ulysses got to page 1. Or Faust determined that it was worth selling his eternity for the here-and-now (a true nihilist? or early Existentialist-thoroughbred who’s creation at hand was the only thing that mattered) or an excision of all that has been held ‘true’ and absolute, or real and the platitudes, for the likes of those in attrition from the ever-present belied (Archaic . to lie about; slander) wearing the scars of the ideas that wont’ give way, the mind’s pit bull jaw-hold strong and steady.
     So in the end, it’s keep your mouth shut unless you are given both the authority (general, commander-in-chief, her majesty, the one who people ask and then actually listen to) and the responsibility (true ownership in the process, utilizing every individual’s key and dynamic strengths, finding a way to fit them together like a rubrix cube rather than a mangled, ripped apart Tibeten prayer flag with good intentions in some blue blood’s front yard, all feng shui’ed to hide the buried bones, ancient history, things better left unsaid.
     To try to be true to oneself. To try to be honest, forthright, willing to change what ails others willing to listen and respond, hoping for an open environment (not sure how to react when this becomes apparently off-kilter, that someone is pulling some seriously sinister strings, getting tied up in motivation when there probably isn’t a clear one, or one that can be understood with logic.) SO YOU ALWAYS FAIL when trying to extract meaning and avoid at all costs; in general, it’s better to figure out a solid, even keel and let the mess wash over you, this one sucked in like the Perfect Storm, and here’s the latest wreckage, determined not to let this kind of knock-me-over happen again, at least for a little while, so I can get my bearings.
    These are the difficult lessons. There are many kinds of difficult teachers.

Harry’s Bar: Writer’s Block

Harry — Act 1, trouble writing, meets Shelly (Shelby) & Jacob (Miller) at the Tuscanoonee Bar & Grill off route 631, far ballast and beyond. All seated.

HARRY: I can’t seem to finish Act 3.

SHELLY: What are you afraid of?

HARRY: I don’t want it to end.

JAKE: Like waking up to your average day. [GETS UP, GOES TO DART BOARD, ENGAGES YOUNG, HOT FEMALE WITH FLORAL DRESS TO PLAY IN BG THROUGHOUT. SHE WILL BE ONE OF MANY BENEFICENT HITCHHIKERS TO CROSS THE TRAVELERS' PATHS.]

HARRY: I mean, I know how it ends.

Shelly: And you don’t want to see it.

THROUGH THE DASHBOARD, HOT LIGHT, MID-DAY, CONVERTIBLE OPEN TO THE SUN AND WIND, TRAVELING FROM WATERING HOLE TO WATERING HOLE. JAKE DOCUMENTING FOR HIS THESIS (ON DEATH & THE DESERT), SHELLY AS PART OF HER CREATIVE DESTRUCTION RESEARCH PROJECT, FUNDED IN PART BY HER GENIUS McCARTHUR GRANT. And Harry who has a day job as a technical writer and has recently gotten some literary fame (and a decent deal of ass) since publishing three short novellas in a row. Very earthy, sexy, relevant, deadly.

He’d taken up his first discipline, playwriting, and had a swift rise to acclaim followed by the shadow of the abyss, from which he recovered, by marketing his soul. IT wasn’t the precise moment of unclarity–that felt like forgivable desperation when justified, or a bad, nasty night out where there was a blackout, and he was too old to black out, except now his whole life felt like one…

horror scope

Unfortunately, placing too much attention on the details can spoil the fun by taking the spontaneity out of the day.Actually, no, drifted into updating ongoing brand. Have to focus on something. Other than self-medicating. Decided on therapy goals, if ever should be lucky enough to procure. I have faith that this is going to be a good year.

Avoid getting swept into an unnecessary power struggle just because you believe that your way is the only way.  I suppose this could be symptomatic of living with a Pisces-Aquarian cusp, emotional upheaval but incredible supporting, loving, kindness and a certain secret knowledge I thank you for, til death do us part, for better or worse, in sickness & in health, truly, no matter what the outside thinks or tells us, love is something that sustains us as creatures and give us reason to live.

Lessen the pressure on the current circumstances by consciously choosing acceptance over fear. true dat

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Leadership branding and design creativity and innovation arts and entertainment travel & photog, social good. Wood like more food & bev specialties now that I think abou tit.

IDeas for good, I suppose. I’d like to purport those lost in the shuffle, things on a local scale, then things that are global and overwhelming. Survival is the same everywhere when it’s threatened.

The rights of water. The Peace Corps. Something where I can get paid to research, enough to pay bills and have a small treat once in a while. Yeah, something for the common good, become a monk, oh wait a minute, you can’t.

Stopping by Woods on a Snow Evening

Stopping by WOods on a Snow Evening

Robert Frost

Guqin (goo-chin) master

This is about ‘the lofting mountain and flowing water.’

Why is it that I have been driven (or drawn?) to mostly eastern content these past few days, the Buddha, GrossNationalHappiness and now this amazingly melodic, sorrowful and at ease and reflective of beauty, it’s as if they SLOW down more than this western mindset we’ve devised.

the flowing water
which has been
wandering thru
the universe today
I feel

That is beautiful  and is the song (with no lyrics).

“The Chinese Parasol Tree” is regarded as a sacred tree, representing masculinity and righteousness

can attract the Phoenix..the singing of which…is the most beautiful in the world.”

Guqin — bet that’s not allowed in Scrabble. 91 harmonic tones can be played.

“The Phoenix Pond” and “The Dragon Pond.”

Responsibility for maintaining moral principles (and ruling the country). Where is this today China? They seem to just hasten (and want to) our demise. Is that their new version of ‘righteousness.’

Intergrateion of feeling and setting

voice beyond the string

So what does all this mean to me, that I have the time now to watch a meditative documentary on Chinese culture (the symbol for yin yang, I believe, is the merging of characters for Sun & Moon) and I wonder how will this apply when I am called back to the rat race?

Thoughts for a new day in a new year, that I slept most of, so far.

films to watch

films to watch

 

Written by Film Slate Magazine Staff

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As we come to the close of another year, we here at Film Slate Magazine have decided to give you, the reader, what you clamor for the most: another year end, best of list. While it seems that 2011 was a mixed bag as far as cinema goes, there clearly were some diamonds in the celluloid (and digital) rough.

So here, in no particular order, are the ten films that have gained some kind of consensus as the best of 2011. (Editor’s note: Follow the links to read the full FSM reviews, excluding “The Artist” and “50/50″)

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” may not be a heartwarming film for this time of year, but it tackles the difficult subject of violence against women in a strong and resonant fashion. Director David Fincher’s strength has always been to keep the rough edges of real world horrors, and “Dragon Tattoo” is no exception. Led by a convincing performance from Rooney Mara as anti-hero Lisbeth Salander, the procedural film glorifies the mundane world of investigation. Salander’s unwillingness to accept victimization while reeling from the effects of her torturous past makes for an intriguing character and makes “Dragon Tattoo” a worthwhile entry into the year’s best.

“Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2” – How do you possibly wrap up the most successful franchise in film history? Like this. “Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2” was visually stunning, emotionally satisfying, and simply a great time. Diehards and newbies alike flocked to the conclusion of this epic tale, and left with a greater understanding of the power of love and sacrifice. As so many studios attempt to milk lesser stories (ahem, “Twilight”) for all they’re worth, it’s exciting to see that Hollywood can still create larger than life films that honor their source material, while also managing to elevate the genre. Thanks, Harry. It was quite a ride.

“The Descendants” – “The Descendants,” from Alexander Payne, is the quintessential “slice of life” film. It presents an intimate and comprehensive look at a few weeks in the life of Matt King (George Clooney) as he wrestles with the complications and legacy of his comatose wife’s affair, relationships with his daughters, and a real estate deal which would sell 26,000 acres of pristine land on Kauai entrusted to the descendants (of which King is one) of a marriage between Hawaiian royalty and American missionaries. Yes, it is a particularly dramatic and trying few weeks but there is nothing neat about this package and that is what lingers with the audience. The questions are not easily answered in this stunningly shot film. No matter how raw the emotion, relationships are not resolved.

“Drive” – At the top of my list is the completely unexpected, weird, gory, and stylized “Drive,” starring Ryan Gosling. The trailer left most expecting a car chase flick, leading one woman to even try and sue over her expectations of another “Fast and Furious” type film. Instead, movie-goers were given much more. At first, “Drive” is subtle and slim on dialogue until a switch is flipped and the film turns into an over-exaggerated blood soaked revenge plot. The car chases are much more focused on skill and thought rather than how many cars can be destroyed. Gosling, as the unnamed stunt driver, is supported by excellent performances from Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston. From the hot pink script opening titles to the synth heavy soundtrack, “Drive” brings along the 1980s feel but leaves all the cheese out. Director Nicolas Winding Refn and screenplay writer Hoseein Amini take James Sallis’ book of the same name and create something much more intriguing, much more mysterious. “Drive” is a haunting, violent, noir film that delivers beyond all expectations.

“The Tree of Life” - Quite frankly, Director Terrence Malick is a visionary filmmaker and “The Tree of Life” is the most ambitious achievement of his illustrious career. The film spans the breadth of the full life-cycle spectrum–creation, birth, life, death and the afterlife. He does this through a combination of both spectacular images of creation of life on earth (from primordial ooze to the age of the dinosaurs) along with a slice of 1950s Americana featuring a down-trodden family of five living through tough times in Waco, Texas. The depiction of life for this family in the 1950s is just as powerful as the incredible cinematography (by Emmanuel Lubezki) of the creation sequence. Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are the 1950s parents — both giving career-defining and highly believable performances. The eldest of their three sons, played by newcomer Hunter McCracken, is also depicted in the film by actor Sean Penn who plays his current day self as he battles through life and eventually, the afterlife. A wondrous film to watch.

“Midnight in Paris” – One of the most satisfying Woody Allen movies in years, “Midnight in Paris” has Owen Wilson channeling his inner Allen as Gil, a successful Hollywood screenwriter (but struggling with his first novel) who takes a trip to Paris with his overbearing and much less romantically inclined fiancée and her rich, conservative parents. Gil falls in love with the City of Light, but it is when he is transported back in time and meets the spirits of 1920s literary and artistic figures such as Gertrude Stein, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and Pablo Picasso, leaving his present day life behind, that he begins to find meaning in his work and questions his feelings for his fiancée. Allen deftly plays with two eras; and Gil’s desire to live in Paris (and the past) leads to some important revelations about his life.

“Melancholia” – Lars von Trier’s meditation on sadness works on every single level: as a sci-fi, end-of-the-world yarn, as a stark exploration of emotional imprisonment, as a work of art and a relatable character piece. Every actor in “Melancholia” is at the top of their game, as is the director, who has given the audience his most accessible film yet. If any filmmaker alive is holding aloft the banner for Stanley Kubrick, it is von Trier. All cinema lovers should mark their calendars for his next offering.

“The Artist” – Beyond a period piece, beyond an homage to “the good old days” of the silent film era, “The Artist,” from Michel Hazanavicius, is an astonishing blend of golden age Hollywood sentiment and modern technology against the backdrop of love, a fear of “progress,” and the power that images and sound have held over us since the dawn of the cinematic era. Silent era star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), accompanied by his canine sidekick, feels that he is up against the clock when he is told that sound in motion pictures will soon be all the rage. As his career and life spiral downwards, it was the chance meeting with fan Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) years before that may offer the chance for both personal and professional redemption. While the modern movie audience has become overly accustomed to shaky cameras, ear splitting soundtracks and dump truck editing, “The Artist” proves that a black and white, mostly silent (apart from the appropriate silent film soundtrack) movie can still be powerful in the 21^st century.

“Hugo” – Of all the nostalgic odes to cinema that were released this year, Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” was easily my favorite because it is so much more than just that. It is also a moving film about second chances and broken people trying to fix one another. “Hugo” is truly magical filmmaking from one of our finest directors working with his talented collaborators all maximizing their abilities.

“50/50” – It is hard to make a movie about cancer and do it right. With the exception of “Terms of Endearment,” most films dealing with this subject matter are either too schmaltzy or just plain insincere in their depiction of this tragic disease. “50/50” does get it just right. When Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds out he has a rare–and most likely inoperable, form of cancer–he is forced to deal with his own mortality at the young age of 28. His support network includes his stoner buddy (Seth Rogen, typecast) somewhat frigid girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard in another hateful character role), and an overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston). Where other filmmakers might have turned all of these characters into stereotypes, “50/50” director Jonathan Levine (with a script from Will Reiser, based on his own experiences) doesn’t. All of the performances are deeply layered and the drama is mixed with enough light moments to keep the film from being a total downer. You will leave this film feeling good and that is a compliment to the actors who make it real.

What Life Comes To

Am I just another soon-to-be casualty as I sit here, not even indignant anymore, but a mixture of brief flashes of anger that soon subside into a not-quite-bitter, but still protective armor shield of resignation–am I just another shoved aside by the unfortunate lies of circumstantial evidence? That being smart no longer assures anything, as if it really ever did.

Yes, of course the guy who gets off firing people wins the first two states, and why Iowa and NH determine our fates, I’ll never know, must be a holdover from the time before forgetting, a time no one even cares about anymore, as they only care about the last 6 seconds.

The only thing that holds me, captures my wayward attention these days, is the political, ergo economic, ergo human canvas, circus. How I want to be a part of it. As if my suffering and experiences could be of any value to anyone anywhere on this planet, in this galaxy, as understood by no one, not even me, who usually can make sense of almost anything, being supremely logical (to a fault).

 

Poet

Poet

“I Won the Lottery And You Didn’t!”

…is a suggested ‘good title’ for making one’s blogs more noteworthy, searchable and generally a vacuum for others unhappy with their bittersweet moment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Word of the Day: Sand-bagger

	Sandbagger	25 up, 6 down
	In grappling competitions, a sandbagger is known as somebody who fights down his/her normal skill level in order to get easy wins.For example: A grappler who has an intermediate skill level (2-4 years experience) will decide to drop down to fight in the novice or beginners divisions in order to sweep everyone out of the division and win the gold.

‘the morning’s hush’

I am

the

penultimate

haze

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft star-shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

mary frye

:betterrun

day started with Hamilton Beach BrewStation 47214

everybody’s a superhero

 

you leave the beverly hills hotel and youre in trouble (about deliverance!)

That was so yesterday…

And so it begins, not really fully lit, but the motor is turning over. The day, with its same intents and lost causes coming through the petina of barely broken limbs of trees scattered and no-telling when the digital signal will come back in.

I am married, in your pocket

there is no telling

where we’ll go

with all our dreams

intact

besotted

with a deliberate

memory

still

taken

too many things

are trying

to get

my attention

it seems

but then again

who cares?

 

It would be entitled “Autumn Morning,” a) if this were autumn and not a revisiting of summer, L.A.-style, where it’s hot then cold

then hot again and now cold, so everyone can get sick at least once this winter.

or b)

every poet c. 1957 on (with their head in the oven, or not) has written an ode to a autumn morning (blek), which

automatically makes it suspect (thanks Kurt Cobain for being the poster child of such cynical branding).

The post-modernists would go deliberate and call it WINTERTIME (sadness). On-the-nose but still manages to leave you wondering,

make you PARANOID for reading their

shitty verse.

How did that happen, again?

Here I am getting my A+s and Fs, but not necessarily in that order.

 

On why I am reading Hunter S. Thompson

“I think the gov’t getting involved in what we watch is always a bad idea, and I create content and get ripped off with the best of them.” – I wrote that.

…because I am uninspired

…or should I say, not inspired enough to write my own words, although I do still believe in ‘soaking it in.’ Has not everything been written, already? Maybe not. But for today, I will allude to the same vein as HST, who 40+ years ago was writing about the Death of the American Dream.

The gig I have in mind is an opening research shot at the Pentagon, featuring attempts to interview the Joint Chiefs…by a man who got tired, many moths ago, of seeing them referred to as a nameless, yet ominous cabal that seemed to be in charge of almost everything crucial. I don’t really expect these worthies to indulge me, but I think their lack of indulgence will be the beginning of my narrative, to wit: ‘Who are these people who won’t talk to me? Where did they come from and why are they in charge? How far does their power extend? Where does their power originate? Why them, and not me?’ And — once we’ve established some answers in the form a pattern (or historical framework — ‘Where now?’

—Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing In America, The Gonzo Letters, Volume II, 1968-1976

Abstractions in Envelopes

What used to come typeset from ink on ribbon, that coveted response from some literary giant, Plimpton in Paris, erudite praisers of prosaic gist in the NY-ersatz opening. Of the flood gates, so long forlorn & closed off to visitors, friend or foe, at bay while sadness looms, blankets the known universe of selective thinking. A new day bleeds out from the old. Try hope? Just a smidgeon lest the inevitability of disappointment take hold, so soon, after crumbs of possibility scatter, abide, span the globe.

Biodiversity: Rare Florida butterfly gets protection

Reblogged from Summit County Citizens Voice:

Can emergency endangered species protecting bring the Miami blue back from the edge of extinction? By Summit Voice SUMMIT COUNTY — A delicate blue Florida butterfly that’s been buffeted by hurricanes, habitat loss and invasive species now has the full protection of the Endangered Species Act — but will it be enough to save the tiny insect. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week that the Miami blue butterfly gets emergency protection under the landmark environmental law, but only a few …

A beautiful creature in this world…

When Darkness Becomes Visible

 

 

That was yesterday:

Stand back to re-evaluate your long-term goals, especially if you feel pressured to take a specific action today. Instead of being coerced into a bad decision, it’s time to withdraw so you can maintain your position. You recently learned an important lesson and now you can teach others how to achieve success. Integrate your feelings into your social interactions by sharing what’s in your heart. Don’t miss this opportunity to let down your guard and open up to someone you trust.

 

And this is today:

It’s easy to get distracted with someone’s big plans today, yet you aren’t sure that it’s such a good idea. Fortunately, you don’t have to jump on board; all you need to do now is be a good listener. You are like a sounding board; allowing your friends to share their ideas without the need to defend their positions enables them to take a radical new strategy to the next level.

Delicious Ambiguity

I always wanted a happy ending… Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.
Gilda Radner
US actress & comedienne (1946 – 1989)

testing thy brethren

Joseph Tests His Brothers

44 Then he commanded pthe steward of his house, q“Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, 2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his rsteward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? … ’”And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they wtore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

… 16 And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out zthe guilt of your servants; behold, we are amy lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

18 Then Judah went up to him and said, b“Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and clet not your anger burn against your servant, for dyou are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ …’ 22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, hhis father would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, i‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’

… 25 And when jour father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ 26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me ktwo sons. 28 One left me, and I said, l“Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. 29 If you mtake this one also from me, nand harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’

30 “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, o‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

WHAT A MESS! AND ALL OVER FOOD?

Writing Exercises

English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Story Writers

More Exercises:

1. Write the first 250 words of a short story, but write them in ONE SENTENCE. Make sure that the sentence is grammatically correct and punctuated correctly. This exercise is intended to increase your powers in sentence writing.
2. Write a dramatic scene between two people in which each has a secret and neither of them reveals the secret to the other OR TO THE READER.
3. Write a narrative descriptive passage in a vernacular other than your own. Listen to the way people speak in a bar, restaurant, barber shop, or some other public place where folks who speak differently (“He has an accent!”) from you, and try to capture that linguistic flavor on the page.
4. Play with sentences and paragraph structure: Find a descriptive passage you admire, a paragraph or two or three, from published material, and revise all the sentences. Write the passage using all simple sentences (no coordination, no subordination); write the passage using all complex-compound sentences; write the passage using varying sentence structure. The more ways you can think to play with sentence structure, the more you will become aware of how sentence structure helps to create pacing, alter rhythm, offer delight.
5. Focus on verbs: Find a passage that you admire (about a page of prose) and examine all of the verbs in each sentence. Are the “active,” “passive,” “linking?” If they are active, are they transitive or intransitive? Are they metaphorical (Mary floated across the floor.)? What effects do verbs have on your reading of the passage?
6. Take a passage of your own writing and revise all of the verbs in it. Do this once making all the verbs active, once making all the verbs passive. Then try it by making as many verbs as possible metaphorical (embedded metaphors).

Characters: There are two types of characters: well rounded and flat.

1. Create character sketches. This is a good exercise to perform on a regular basis in your journal. Sometimes you can just create characters as they occur to you, at other times it is good to create characters of people you see or meet. Some of the best sketches are inspired by people you don’t really know but get a brief view of, like someone sitting in a restaurant or standing by a car that has been in an accident. Ask yourself who they are, what they are about. The fact that you don’t really know the person will free you up to make some calculated guesses that ultimately have more to say about your own vision of the world than they do about the real person who inspired the description. That’s okay, you are NOT a reporter, and ultimately the story you intend to tell is YOUR story.
2. Write a character sketch strictly as narrative description, telling your reader who the character is without having the character do or say anything.
3. Revise the above to deliver the character to the reader strictly through the character’s actions.
4. Revise the above to deliver the character strictly through the character’s speech to another character.
5. Revise the above to deliver the character strictly through the words/actions of another character (the conversation at the water fountain about the boss).
6. Often when we call a character “flat” we mean that the author has failed in some way; however, many good stories require flat characters. Humor often relies on flat characters, but often minor characters in non-humorous pieces are also flat. These characters usually appear to help move the plot along in some way or to reveal something about the main character. A flat character is one who has only ONE characteristic. You can create whole lists of these and keep them in your journal so that you can call upon them when you need a character to fit into a scene.
7. Young writers are prone to write autobiographical pieces. Instead of writing about people like yourself, try writing about someone who is drastically different in some way from you. Writing about someone who is a good deal older or younger than you will often free up your imagination. It helps to make sure you are delivering enough information to your reader so that the reader can clearly see the character and understand the character’s motives.
8. Write a scene of about five hundred words in which a character does something while alone in a setting that is extremely significant to that character. Have the character doing something (dishes, laundry, filing taxes, playing a computer game, building a bird house) and make sure that YOU are aware that the character has a problem or issue to work out, but do NOT tell your reader what that is.
   

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This page created and maintained by Jim Manis; last updated February 10, 2000.

 

We are what we repeatedly…

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle