Seminar

Spent almost all day yesterday at a screenwriting seminar. Chris Vogel who was teaching the class has been working on movies since 1980. He's written a book, which is what he had condensed for the seminar, in order to get everyone to then run out and buy it. He's helped out on the scripts for Lion King, Aladin, Hercules and other Disney movies. He talked about what it takes to get a script accepted, someone asked if he has sold a script, he has -- to a film in Germany, but it has not had international release. Hark! Verily! does that say how hard it is to sell a script!
The class was more about the different stages of a story and how the same stages of a story apply to the process of writing one. I really did learn a bunch of material and feel like I got my $75 worth.
Santa Fe Screenwriters is also having a screenwriting conference May 27 - June 1. There will be top agents and producers to pitch stories and try to sell scripts. All for the low low price of $695 for the conference, $200 to gain access to agents and producers, or $795 for both. If you sign up before Nov. 30 they knock off $150, and because I attended this seminar they'll reduce it another $100. Well golly gee I'd get all that for just $545 plus the cost of motel room and meals, gas and other incidental expenses. Kind of glad I write novels instead of movie scripts. Think of all the money I'm saving by not goint to this event.
Let's see I skipped Glorieta's Christian Writer's Conference earlier this month that's another $400 to $500 dollars I saved. Grinnygranny shouldn't fuss too much because I bought another 20 books since the Publisher had a 50% off special. Somehow she doesn't see things the way I do. For some strange reason she thinks I should be making money off these books and somehow all the expenses compared to what I've collected doesn't compute. When I go the the Southwest Writer's Workshop almost all the other authors are in the same boat I'm in. I keep telling her that not every person who picks up a basketball makes the amount of money they pay Shaquille O'Neal.
Anyway I have a fresh new supply of books to sell -- going cheap for a collector's item (book signed by the author)only 20 bucks. Just e-mail me and I'll get you a copy.

Painting

Here's a picture of the painting my "Twin" sent. It looks wonderful over the fireplace. I'm calling it Aspens in Colorado. It also makes for wonderful wallpaper on the 'puter.

balloon

Trying to figure out how to download avideo onto the blog site. Think I've got it. Here's a balloon that flew over the house. We have them coming by all year long to land behind the house.

Update

Thanks for all who have offered prayers and support, Penni is home after 10 days in the hospital. She's still going through radiation and chemo, but has started eating and her bowels are starting to function again. So far good news. She still needs prayer as well as Mom and daughter who are acting as taxi service. Mom has a more complete update at her blog.

Is anyone out there?

I don't seem to get too many comments when I get on my soap box for some reason. BUT I'M GETTING ON IT ANYWAY!

Paul Krugman in today's Opinon page of the New York Times gives both barrels to the Great Sound Machine sliming a 12 year old boy suffering from head trauma for daring to speak truth to power.

All in all, the Graeme Frost case is a perfect illustration of the modern right-wing political machine at work, and in particular its routine reliance on character assassination in place of honest debate. If service members oppose a Republican war, they’re “phony soldiers”; if Michael J. Fox opposes Bush policy on stem cells, he’s faking his Parkinson’s symptoms; if an injured 12-year-old child makes the case for a government health insurance program, he’s a fraud.
Meanwhile, leading conservative politicians, far from trying to distance themselves from these smears, rush to embrace them. And some people in the news media are still willing to be used as patsies.
Politics aside, the Graeme Frost case demonstrates the true depth of the health care crisis: every other advanced country has universal health insurance, but in America, insurance is now out of reach for many hard-working families, even if they have incomes some might call middle-class.
And there’s one more point that should not be forgotten: ultimately, this isn’t about the Frost parents. It’s about Graeme Frost and his sister.
I don’t know about you, but I think American children who need medical care should get it, period. Even if you think adults have made bad choices — a baseless smear in the case of the Frosts, but put that on one side — only a truly vicious political movement would respond by punishing their injured children.

Politics politics politics

Sometimes a political cartoon says it all!

At the Huffington post John Cusack has two interviews with Naomi Klein, author of Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism who has figured out the method to the madness of Bushco. Click here for part 1, and here for part 2.

Here's a quote:

Klein: You hear people complain about how Hezbollah is a "state-within-a-state" in Lebanon -- what about Blackwater in the USA? And that's just one company of hundreds, and a relatively small player compared to Lockheed and GE and Booz Allen. But once again, we can't keep being surprised by this shadow world -- it is an inevitable consequence of Rumsfeld's vision of an outsourced and contracted-out state. A right-wing journal in the U.S. called Blackwater "al Qaeda for the good guys" and it's a striking analogy. Wherever the disaster capitalism complex has landed, it has produced a proliferation of armed groupings outside the state. No surprise, really -- when countries are rebuilt by people who don't believe in government, the states they build are invariably weak, creating a market for alternative security forces, whether Hezbollah, Blackwater, the Mahdi Army or the gang down the street in New Orleans.

Now that is scary!

Busy busy busy

• "Twin" sister came to town over the weekend. I know it's confusing because my real sister is so much in my thoughts and prayers and mentioned here, but "friend" just doesn't suit when speaking of Anne. She made some wonderful contacts for her children's book and a number of writers are wanting her to illustrate their books.
• Replaced the garage door that died last Thursday. Nice to have it actually open and close without assistance.
• Had a fun round of golf with some balloon pilots from Arizona on Monday at UNM South, in for the balloon fiesta. Unfortunatley there was an accident and a woman fell and died that day. The first fatality at the fiesta since 1994. With over 700 balloons taking off every day for 9 days every year this is a rare occurance.
• After the round of golf I had a writer's workshop and fortunately got home in time for the last half of the Dallas game against Buffalo. WAS THAT A GAME OR WHAT?

In need of prayer

My sister is in the hospital truly fighting for her life. She's had radiation and is set for another round of chemo Monday. Mom and M are spending nights with her so she isn't left alone. I could hear in Mom's voice, when she called, the terrible toll it's taking on her. It's hard hearing every few days what's happening there and not being able to be present. Thank the Lord for a daughter willing to put her life on hold in order to help out.

Nausea

I want to gag, to spew out of my mouth the foul stench of a recurring advertizement by a member of my state's national representative. Little Miss Nasty. In little more than a year she is up for re-election again, and the putrid aroma of her pressuring a Federal Prosecutor to rush indictments still lingers over the country and the state and my city, which she so horridly misrepresents.
This abomination of false advertizing has to do with the S-Chip vote that was recently cast. She is proclaiming to all that this vote will help insure millions of needy children and it's all her doing it even asks the viewers to call in and thank her. (Ulp, gasp, gag, urp)
Well pin a medal on her! (heavy of the sarcasm).
She fails to mention that the northern Democratic representative also voted for the bill, and that the southern Republican representative voted against it. Also absent is the almost certain VETO by Der Decider leaving the children of this country with less health care not more!
Oops, excuse me I just had to retch.
So what is making me so sick? The dawning realization that the morons in this city will swallow the putrid garbage she's dishing out and probably re-elect her.
It's enough to induce permanent bulimia.

Quiet week

Had grades due this week. Other than that had a real quiet week. Don't feel like getting on a soap box --- must be mellowing out.

Random Thoughts

• I'm still thinking about the journey that this summer began, but right now it's still to raw to write about.


• I wasn't too sure about trying to teach this year, and I did look into retiring, but the normal routine has been cathartic which is right now what I need. As much as it galls me to say anything positive about the school's administration, they have been exceptionally supportive an understanding before the year started and since I came back. I only wish they had been this human last year when Robin was dying of cancer and they went out of their way to make her last few months miserable.
• Scott Horton is so articulate today about how George W. Bush meets all the requirements for the term TYRANT. If anyone is reading this check it out.


• I've been watching the "talking heads" heads on the idiot box analyzing suicide bombers again. Whether its New York Times, Washington Post or even the Huffington Post they can't reconcile reality to their theory. They always say that poverty is what causes people to become desperate enough to blow up those around them. But Osama is OIL RICH! The bombers at the World Trade Center were MIDDLE CLASS and well educated. It's understandable that those with nothing to lose would opt out for the "Take as many with me as I can take" attittude, what motivates those who have education, wealth or both to become fundamentalist be it Christian or Muslim? They are the ones wanting to blow up the world just to see a spectacular sight. Anwer: they find their education and wealth doesn't give them meaning or purpose.


• Here's my take: Religion is about MEANING and PURPOSE. Fundamentalism's meaning and purpose is to keep morals of the religion pure. All other aspects of the religion take a back seat. The be-all and end-all is morals, and the morals focus almost exclusively on sex. Lying, cheating, stealing, false witness, murder are all rationalized away in order to keep the marriage bed sacred -- just as long as MEN control the marriage bed. Men can stray from the marriage bed with mistresses if they can afford them -- plural marriages stops this practice, or with prostitutes -- just so long as the practice is illegal and prostitutes are the criminals. Let a woman stray and watch out -- civilization will crumble!


• Am I wrong? I cite stong examples Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Compare their Presidencies. The one charge the fundies could level at Bill was that he was a womanizer. George has been as far as we know quite faithful to Laura, but every other commandment in the entire Ten Commandments have been consistently broken and overlooked by the Blind Faith fundamentalists.


• Christian and Muslims are at war with the modern world because of its focus on sex. Hey SEX sells. Ever since the "It Girl" advertisers have sold toothpaste, soap, cars, air travel, and even hemoroid creams by using a pretty face or large bosom. Movies and television shows have to display bare breasts of women and bare bottoms of men. Now I ask you does the whole world have to go up in flames and all life on this planet die just because Hugh Hefner, Bob Guccione and Larry Flint have made fortunes selling sex to the masses?

College Friends

Since attending my college reunion in Feb of 2006, I've been e-mailing a number of friends from College. It has been very helpful to have their prayers and concerns the last few months. One of these friends has recently helped get me in touch with a very special friend from College.

This friend has the feminine version of my first name and we both went by the same dimenuative -- Pat -- as well as having the same first initial on our last name. We both played chess and were in the tournaments that the school hosted,

and a number of our opponents commented that they were confused as to who they would play when they saw the bracket posted. We laughed about it the first year and

from that we started calling each other "Twin" So this is a real special friend as she is my unofficial "Twin Sister."

She e-mailed me and we've started catching up on

thirty years. Here are some pictures of her paintings, and not only that, unlike my novel, she's making money off her art. She paints under the name Anne Littlewolf. And though I may be rather partial they're quite good.

School Failure

Round about way to get to this, but Bruce mentioned this on his blog and I went to the link he provided and like it so much I thought I would reproduce it here, This is an excerpt by Ed Sunday-Winters concerning Public School Failure.

Ed Sunday-Winter’s
10 Ways Public Schools Fail Students

10. They fail to exclude students with physical or mental disabilities that make learning difficult.

9. They fail to exclude students who don't live in the right neighborhoods. Public schools are everywhere, not just in the backyards of suburban churches.

8. They fail to exclude students who cannot afford tuition, books or supplies.

7. They fail to let children go hungry who cannot afford to pay for lunch or breakfast.

6. They fail to exclude students because of race, ethnicity or religious creed.

5. They fail to teach from a narrow, outdated worldview that does not recognize advances made in all academic fields of study.

4. They fail to advocate the beliefs of one particular religion.

3. They fail to recognize that some children just cannot be taught.

2. They fail to quit teaching children when confronted with a barrage of criticism from political and religious leaders.

1. They fail to refuse any student the education needed to live life, embrace liberty and pursue happiness.

Indeed, our public schools are failing in these and many other ways. And I am glad that they are doing so.

However, one thing that all of our schools need--be they public, private or home schools--is our prayers. Please remember to pray for our students and those that teach them this week.

The worst part of being a history teacher is that you can see things coming and you feel like Casandra -- No matter how much you try to warn people what is going to happen, they won't listen!
Within a week of the attack on the World Trade Center, when Bush finally came out from the rock he was hiding under, I could tell he was going to use this disaster the same way Hitler used the burning of the Reichstag to disband the German Parliament and take over total power.
Six months later the American Patriot Act started the burning of the Constitution. No more need for Warrants, assassinate people you don't like -- that's called a Bill of Attainder -- expressly forbidden in the Constitution -- Forget Habeus Corpus -- call a press conference, announce you've captured a terrorist and lock him away for three years without charge, subject him to mental and physical abuse then convict him for leaving fingerprints on a piece of paper. Stalin at least made the innocent sign blank sheets of paper which would later hold their confessions before sending them to the Gulag. Arrest all your political opponents on trumped up charges so you never have to fear the outcome of an election. The polls are showing the American Public is fed up with the dog and pony show. Now if we can just get some backbone into the Democrats before more damage is done.

Hard Times

Mom has been over a couple of times to make sure daughter is properly packed and taking everything she needs to stay with her. They are leaving in the morning. Mom's friend is driving with them and will fly back so they can all take turns at the wheel.
Penni had a colonectomy today, and they are inserting a feeding and hydration tube in her stomach to try and clear the bowel blockage. They will start chemo therapy in a few days. The doctor is telling her not to give up hope, but she has gone down so fast it's hard not to think the worst. Bruce has been with her for the last few days and will be there this weekend as well.
It's hard being 800 miles away, but there's nothing I can really do either here or there except pray.

Bruce has posted a picture of Penni with her daughter. Penni wrote one of the chapters in this book that deals with Ovarian Cancer. TORCH: Tales of Remarkble Courage and Hope.

Too good to pass up

I found this post at Scott Horton's No Comment and like it so much I copied and pasted. I hope he doesn't mind.

Scott Horton

Brontë on Convention and Morality

Charlotte Brontë, a colored drawing from 1873

Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last. To pluck the mask from the face of the Pharisee, is not to lift an impious hand to the Crown of Thorns. These things and deeds are diametrically opposed: they are as distinct as is vice from virtue. Men too often confound them: they should not be confounded: appearance should not be mistaken for truth; narrow human doctrines, that only tend to elate and magnify a few, should not be substituted for the world-redeeming creed of Christ. There is — I repeat it — a difference; and it is a good, and not a bad action to mark broadly and clearly the line of separation between them.
–Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, preface to the second edition (1847)

Q & A Game

Yesterday I answered the questions spookyrach asked of me. If you are interested in playing the game here are the rules:

1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Whirlwind and questions

Just came back from four days of almost non-stop driving. We spent some time Saturday night and Sunday morning with Mother-in-law. They're talking of releasing her from the hospital Tuesday and she's actually looking forward to the nursing home. After the initial diagnosis this is amazing. She has COPD and came down with Pneumonia which put quite a strain on her heart. She is rallying and will be back on her feet in a few weeks. It was good to see her and spend a couple of meals with Grinnygranny's brother and family.

Spookyrach picked me while I was away to answer some questions. So here goes.

1. What is the most embarrassing CD or Ablum you own?
I've always had a thing for Iron Butterfly's Innagoddadavida. I played it over and over again when I was a senior in high school and drove Mom crazy. I studied to it in college at an institution 40 miles from the nearest known sin. My room mates weren't pleased. I had a tape player that I listened to on the bus when we traveled for Track and Cross-country meets. I was playing it once when the coach was filling up with gas. He got on and started up the bus just as the music hit the rift where they are scraping the guitars shifting from the drum solo back to the melody. Coach turned off the engine and started it back up thinking the bus was throwing a rod. When he figured out it was the music and not the bus he gave me one of "Those" looks. Whenever I listen to it at home wife and kids either leave or close their doors. But I still love the song and groove on the drum solo.
2. Which could you better tolerate - leaving the country permanently or never leaving your current state?
I seem to be traveling all over the place outside my state and have lived elsewhere. If I had to I could live in another state, but I don't think I would want to live outside of the good-ol-US of A.
3. Who would play you in a movie of your life, and why?
It would have to be someone not too tall, a little overweight, but not bald with a good sense of humor. Tom Arnold comes to mind.

4. What is your greatest fear and how do you conquer it?
I was a summer missionary in Grant's NM the summer after my sophomore year in college. I spent two weeks in a small house by myself. It was fine for the first week, but the second week the walls started caving in on me. The lady who owned the house was visiting her daugher for those two weeks and when she came back I was very grateful. After my ex-wife left Ft. Worth when I was at Seminary I spent the rest of that semester and the next alone in student housing. Even though Bruce was not far away I hated the feeling that if something happened to me no one would know about it for weeks or months and I've never regretted leaving seminary to come home. I guess my biggest fear is being alone. God has been gracious to me all my life that I've have been surrounded by those I love and the times of solitude have been of short duration.

5. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you?
I was hired at a job once. When my supervisor took me around to meet my co-workers he introduced me to a guy I had never met before, but when he told him my name he said he knew my ex-wife, who my brother married, knew I was married to grinnygranny, and my first roommate in college. When I learned his name it made sense because his son was my age and was in the church youth group I attended in high school. He was also a fellow deacon with my Father-in-law at their church. I really did learn just how small the Baptist circle was in Albquerque that day.

Deep Breath

Sister-in-law called again. Mother-in-law regained consiousness, is aware of where she is and has talked to the doctor. Grinnygranny talked with her mother a little bit. She's not out of the woods yet, but her condition is more promising than when we got the first call. Could be a case of dehydration and when they got an IV in it brought her around. We'll be taking a trip up there this weekend to check on her.

Out of the blue

Grinnygranny's mother is in the hospital with heart failure and not expected to survive the day. Sister-in-law called and told her that she pushed the call button in her apartment and the EMT's arrived, but that her heart is giving out. By the time they got her to the hospital she was unconcious and they don't think she'll last more than twelve to twenty four hours.
We had planned on taking Auntipesty up to see her after graduation, but time ran out on that trip. We were going to try and make it up there this July, but the situation with Dad didn't make that possible. We were planning on going to visit either at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but now it's too late.
This is getting tough.