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 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
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This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| If you want to brush up on your geography, which is helpful if you watch Jeopardy, try to do the Lizard Point maps. Go to your search engine and type geography quiz, and several types will come up. I like Lizard Point the best. They're interactive and you get 3 chances at each question. Choose Africa or any other continent. You can break it down further like USA, Canada, or East Africa vs West Africa, Eastern Europe, etc. It's fun when you can do a whole section correctly. You can then choose capitals after you do states and territories, or countries, or you can choose rivers and lakes. It's a fun way to spend time with your kids in competition and learn something at the same time. And then you'll notice how often those names come up in books or the news, and you'll know where it is! |
| The local summer theater put on Shear Madness this week. It's a salon, not a barbershop, that does men mostly and one matron. The owner is a stereotypical gay man of small build. Two of the male customers are undercover cops, and one a business man. It's a comedy and murder mystery with audience interaction built-in. The other hairdresser is a single younger woman, ditzy, of course. The murdered party is an elderly musician upstairs and is never seen. Lots of local humor was thrown in. Places, street names, businesses, even a local radio personality were used. There were lots of simple, obvious jokes, double entendres, but we all laughed hysterically at even the dumbest jokes. So apparently, they were delivered well. What was different is that when the detective started replaying the days events to solve the mystery, like a mystery dinner set-up, suddenly the house lights went on, and over a hundred eye witnesses were called to help. When he recounted a story incorrectly, the audience would boo or call out, and the detective would ask someone what really happened. He gave the front row a hard time when they couldn't remember what went into the brief case at the edge of the stage right in front of them. (The stage was below us.) They couldn't predict what the audience would say or miss, but they played along great. Then during the intermission, they all carried on, the detective entertained questions in the lobby, the "gay" guy asked me for cooking advice. The younger woman dried the hair of the matron who had her hair washed in the first act. Then they resumed, by letting the audience ask questions of the actors. The young people got a charge out of that. One actually came up on stage and made a phone call to the phone number in the matron's purse and she relayed the answers to the rest of us. A vote was taken on who the audience thought was guilty. Then the lights went down, and the person we voted for proved guilty. There were 3 viable suspects, so they had 3 endings ready to go (like the dinner games, again), It was very funny throughout, only a few very risque things, so I wouldn't recommend it for under 12 years old. But 12 and up should find it very funny. A lot of white-haired people were there and enjoyed it tremendously. |
| I have come across a historical perspective that is new to me. In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner presented a thesis on the western frontier. It's called both the Turner Thesis and Frontier Thesis. He claimed that western expansion, or the wild west as we know it, shaped America into what it became. His focus was on equality, democracy, optimism, individualism, and self-reliance. The folks back east had a more direct connection to Europe, old loyalties, church ties, etc. There was more "establishment" there and traditions. The Founding Fathers sought to break the old ties to the royalty and the old ways. The Revolution severed the ties and set forth new principles, but it was still civilized. They had begun anew, adapting old ways to the wild new environment. But as people began moving westward, it got wilder, and even less traditional. Western expansion actually began as soon as settlers began to move out of Yorktown and Plymouth to settle elsewhere. So pioneering began long before the revolt against England. As the borderline kept shifting further west, settling had to begin over and over. Lawlessness, no established church, no family or relatives watching from across town, This helped develop that self-made man concept, the self-reliance, and individualism that we know as American spirit. Turner claimed that without the westward expansion and all the wildness of its reputation, we wouldn't have as strong a democracy, where everyone is equal, and not just in theory. The critics say there was too much mythology (stories of gunmen) involved in it, that Hispanics and slaves weren't included in the Turner Thesis. Teddy Roosevelt didn't buy into it either. Yet a black filmmaker and novelist, named Oscar Micheaux, claimed in his projects that the West was a place where blacks could transcend racial issues through hard work and perseverance and experience success. Some historians support Turner's ideas in explaining the growth of Mormonism and Cumberland Presbyterians. They claim out of this pioneer spirit came itinerant preaching, revivals, and camp meetings, Others claim that writers and filmmakers, as well as popular history, fell under Turner's influence. These promote individualism, frontier violence, and "rough justice". FDR and the New Dealers espoused the Frontier Spirit in presenting their programs. The frontier for them was inward, want, need, hunger, jobs, fear. The concept gave them a way to communicate and sell their platform. Today we find the concept in the areas of science and medicine. JFK actually used the basis of Turner's Thesis for his platform The New Frontier. He pushed the frontier of space and technology. Others use the concept to support or criticize our involvement in other countries, as in money given in foreign aid or police action to protect democracy in other nations. No other country going through expansion such as the USA has done it the same way. Studies have been done in Canada, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil (all which raise cattle and have cowboys), but none developed like the US or had the same results. Only the US has taken one period from its past and iconized it like the US has done. Yet world over the cowboy is a symbol of America. According to Turner, it wasn't just a phase the country went through. It was a part of our very fabric. It's a part of who we still are. |
| Not a word you hear a lot, I once thought I had the gift of exhortation. Maybe when I first started this blog, a little of that was still going on in my head. I had been through some situations where I did "exhort" someone, and it went well, and won the approval of others. So if you're not accustomed to hearing it, it means to use words to encourage someone. You can see the right and the wrong, and offer advice to help them make decisions or just to see the positive in a bad situation. You counsel so as to avoid self-pity or making decisions out of anger or despair that they'll regret later. There are weakness to this, like being an excuse to being cold-hearted or not letting someone grieve appropriately. You could disguise nagging or controlling as exhortation. If you see it as a spiritual gift, "exhortation" excuses your impatience and fault-finding. But it does have its strengths. People going through chemo need someone to push them to keep going, and not give up. When young parents are neglecting their children and being self-centered, the kind thing for everyone is to help them face their responsibilities. The opposite of exhortation is to sit and weep with someone who is crying. I think sometimes that is the best thing to do, depending on the circumstances. That's a gift, too--the gift of mercy. The person with mercy will hold your hand while you wait for the sentence for your guilty verdict, will sympathize with your black eye and never tell you to leave your abusive husband, or will give you a meal when you've spent your whole pay check on lottery tickets. Mercy is definitely good. Once you've committed a crime, it's too late for a lecture. If your spouse is abusive, your self esteem is so low you need to feel like someone still cares about you. If there's no food in your house, it might be your fault, but you can still use a peanut butter sandwich. Now, I think it's desirable to have a balance between the two. Maybe the real gift is the wisdom to know which to do when and how much. When do you stop the mercy and start the exhortation? These days, I think I'm more balanced. I want to encourage, but exhort with gentleness, tempered with mercy. |
| I can remember when I was young, maybe college age, telling my mother that I just wanted to make the world a better place. I didn't want to be rich or famous or "successful". I wanted to help the poor, to teach, to do good deeds.My little corner of the world would be a better off because I was in it. She didn't laugh at me. Then I got older, and I realized I should have had a better sense of self-preservation. Better pay, savings for a rainy day, some sound investments--they could have come in handy when I had severe health set backs or went through a bad divorce that left me worse off than before I was married, not to mention old age. I missed an awful lot because I wasn't ambitious (and I married a man who couldn't handle money). I took low paying jobs and did volunteer work. Then I ended up relying on the mercy of others just to get by. So I've been forced to suck up my pride a few times and take the help of others. At least I had some decent people who were willing to help without being asked. I learned humility and to be gracious. I've had to admit I made some bad career choices, and a bad choice of a spouse. The worst of it is I don't think I've had much impact. I can't point to any programs I've done or lives I've saved or changed. But we can't rewrite history. I'm not moaning or groaning over things not working out the way I wanted. As long as I still have breath, I can keep on trying. I can never plan on retiring, but that's okay; I'll keep on working, if that's what I have to do. The story isn't over yet. I still have hope. |
| My mother had a sense of what to do in emergencies. She could become hysterical at times, but not in true emergencies. I think some of that she passed to her kids. Kids learn by example as well as directions. For some reason today, I recalled an instance when I was a houseparent. I was working with boys age 7-15. It was a Saturday morning. I hadn't gotten dressed yet, but had made them breakfast and was cleaning up. One of the kids ran to tell me that Ricky had fallen in the bathroom and cut his head. I ran into the bathroom between two sleeping areas, and a 7 year old cutie with blond hair was holding his head with blood everywhere. 9 year old Kenny had knocked him down while they were racing, and he was panicking, too. They thought I was going to scold them. Not my priority at that moment. I had a kid who was bleeding. I was about 24. I did then what I would do now. He was small, so I reached down and scooped him up. I carried him out to the front door, putting the 13 year old in charge until I got back. (The 15 year old had gone out on a church trip.) We were on a campus at The Home. I crossed our private robe in my shoes and housecoat and went to the infirmary across the street. I carried him inside where I knew the resident nurse would be up and about. She was older, maybe my age now. She took over, and said she would send him to the hospital. She called one of the men working on campus to come take him to the hospital while I went back to my cottage. Hours later he was returned to me by his driver with instructions to keep him quiet and use a wet comb to gently get the dried blood out of his hair over the weekend. He was a little excited from his visit with the doctor and the one on one time with his driver. These kids were so needy. While he was gone, I had thanked the 13 year old for maintaining peace and quiet, the rest of the boys for getting with their chores, and talked to Kenny about not horsing around. No one was punished. Ricky spend a lot of time leaning against me that weekend while I ran the wet comb through the ends of his hair untangling and working further up as he could stand it without touching his stitches. By the time I went off duty Sunday night, the clots were mostly gone. It gave us a little quality time, and he got a little affection he needed so much. The boys handled the upset very well overall, and normalcy resumed. He told me how afraid he had been. He knew he was in trouble for misbehaving. He saw all the blood start and he was afraid he might die. And it hurt. But he also said that when I picked him up so fast, he knew everything was going to be okay. Imagine that. These kids were from abusive homes, were neglected, knew instability and dysfunction. Yet this one could recognize his feelings and put them into words. And he was only 7. So many adults can't do that. When I acted swiftly to protect him instead of complaining or losing my cool, he trusted me. One second and his fears were gone. With those words he won a place in my heart forever. |
| I did a little research and discovered that I should not continue my writing project as planned. But I'm not scrapping all the months of research and planning. I just have to have different names and take them in a different direction. It's better than a legal battle. I have seen sequels to other people's work or rewrites that escaped prosecution. But it's better to be safe. I discovered in an unrelated matter that a screen writer with a number of successful screenplays for TV behind him could not do a sequel a decade later using a character he personally invented. The original production company had been bought by someone else, the original creators had passed away, one of the actors had bought a piece of the syndication, and a legal entanglement began that lasted for years. It ended in confusion while no one could figure out who actually owned the rights to the original, even though the original characters and story lines would not be used. Only the character developed by this one writer would be used. He had to give it up. An article by Ivan Huffman states that writers/creators should copyright everything. "Own it" is his advice. The original work, say a children's book, may not be as valuable as the merchandise or services that may be derived from it. Say a friendly crocodile may become a plush toy, an emblem on clothing, or games, video games, songs, puzzles, toys, etc. So it's best not to use someone else's characters or continue what they started. We know many people have modern versions of Shakespeare's plays, Steve Martin did his version of Cyrano de Bergerac and Silas Marner. But when it comes to TV or modern books, unless we know the original owner, we are safe to stay away from the idea. How the other group were able to use my inspirational characters without pause I don't know. They either knew the right people or bought the rights or they're gambling. I'll play it safe. |
| We're trying a summer movie night, with a G rating, open to the general public. The movie is going to be offered free to the general public, with free movie popcorn, juice boxes for the kids, and lemonade for everyone else.The kids can bring a blanket or floor pillows, so they can relax like at home. The floor is carpeted, and there are padded seats for everyone who prefers a chair. There are two subdivisions and two apartment complexes involved on this little mountain road. We've put up flyers, signs on the street (as permitted by the county on the scenic drive), and sent emails via neighborhood associations. The only church in the vicinity is offering the facility. I'm helping clean-up and facilitating. We're just outside the city limits. There have been numerous break-ins, vandalism, and larcenies in the last 8 months in an otherwise quiet vicinity. There's more growth coming, so it will be extremely populated over the next several years. A free movie, a night out for the kids, a break for parents could be a nice way to draw the community together. I expect a small turnout. People would rather stay home and do re-runs than go inside a church or mix with strangers. First steps have to be small. Maybe we can start a whole new tradition with one feeble first step. |
| I do declare! I just took one of those silly Facebook quizzes, and found out I'm only 90% Southern. I don't know where I went wrong. I use "Y'all" occasionally. I say "You all" when I'm trying to sound more sophisticated. Well, sometimes, nothing else seems right. Nothing else quite means the same as "Y'all". My family drink is iced tea. It's good for all occasions but breakfast. My dad prefers sweet tea. His mother used to make the best sweet tea ever. ("used to" I believe is a Southern expression.) My state capital is called the "Iced Tea Capital of the South". I only live an hour away. I prefer unsweetened tea, so I can then sweeten it myself the way I like it. We know about hushpuppies, spoonbread, greens-you know: collards, mustard, turnip greens, kale, spinach, and mixed-all properly seasoned. And barbecue--the many varieties of sauces, pork or beef, sliced or pulled, and homemade cole slaw. And then there's barbecued chicken and ribs, corn on the cob, and lima beans. Oh, my. Times have changed, however. We don't sit on the front porch like we used to. But we still have vegetable gardens, and homegrown tomatoes are the best. We still like our ceiling fans and complaining about the humidity. I'm not in the deep south. We don't do crayfish or jambalaya except when we're being exotic. When I travel out west, people claim they like to listen to me talk. It can't be my non-existent accent. People who live in my state or deep South say I sound like a Yankee. But I am a Southerner. Only 90%? I think the quiz was mistaken. |
| You know you had a good source of inspiration when the same story that compelled you to write a story built on that one when someone else does the same thing! I could spit nails! I've been working on an idea for months, developing characters, setting, scenarios, and trying to be practical. I want my story to be believable to those who know the original, and historically accurate for the nonfiction parts. And somebody else has created a version of it in modern times, four generations up! Mind you, I'm not mad at them. They're lovely people with good intentions. They have no idea other people are cooking up things. The other work is not a book, but a TV series for children. But it uses the same characters as ancestors. I have given those people descendants but only 2 generations up, and there is no way they'll match in names or circumstances, maybe not gender. of course, my story is aimed at adults, but it's clean enough.The same core audience that liked the original will be the audience for both the current works, except for the kids. Theirs has become a large group project and will be on TV by the end of the year. That core audience will be well acquainted with it before I can get my solitary work done. Theirs is a sure thing. Mine might never see the light of day. Should I keep going? Should I change all the names and make them similar but not direct? If I did get published, would that be overkill on the subject line? Too much of a good thing. TV always gets more press. Sequels have been written to other works after the author's death, and nobody competed. So should I proceed, knowing it might never come to anything? Or just drop it? |
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