tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53186732024-02-19T16:09:24.807-08:00Moving Fingerswould writ more if they could type fasterMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-28411791348992229202010-12-24T18:35:00.000-08:002010-12-24T18:38:48.496-08:00 I like Christmas, but Christmas Doesn't Like Me
I have a perverse relationship with this season. I always have had. I'm a lapsed Judeo-Christian so I understand the religious significance. I read so I know the pagan ritual roots thing. I paid attention during science Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-38917554765288379202010-12-18T09:01:00.000-08:002010-12-18T09:01:00.729-08:00 Warning: This one's probably not going to be funny. Maybe in time...
I have to move in 2 weeks and, at the moment, I have nowhere to go. In large part this is my own fault, and I really have no excuse other than I went through an unfortunately timed depressive episode after giving notice.
The situation sucks. It's of my own Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-65159936111071230592010-12-01T21:43:00.000-08:002010-12-01T21:43:56.837-08:00 A couple of non-related things.
There's a difference between a re-imagination of something and a remake and a reboot. It's a fine distinction sometimes. Example: Batman Begins is a re-imagining of an established character but it's also a reboot of an established franchise. A reboot of a franchise becomes necessary when a) The last movie in the series is soMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-23566936840194679792010-11-25T20:51:00.000-08:002010-11-25T20:52:33.151-08:00 The Boys
I like documentaries a lot. I have, in fact, committed the heresy of saying that I preferred "The Making of Gone with the Wind" to the actual movie. Same with "Hearts of Darkness" and "Apocalypse Now". I think that any balanced documentary beats out any biopic hands down. Since I'm a movie geek I Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-34989377120472878252010-11-23T20:52:00.000-08:002010-11-24T00:04:57.467-08:00 Happy Birthday, Boris Karloff...
William Henry Pratt never fit you, you always looked like a Boris Karloff.
There is a story attributed to Karloff, that he was working at Universal playing bit parts and one evening he was given a ride home by the Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-3364781200458155342010-11-23T01:28:00.000-08:002010-11-23T01:30:11.195-08:00 Solipsism is the New Black
It's my birthday next Monday (the 29th) and I'll be 51. I was born with almost exactly a month left in the 50's, or if you will a month to go 'til the 60's. It's a moot point because I don't think I've Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-37641415237303880872010-11-21T15:27:00.000-08:002010-11-21T20:35:50.617-08:00 Almost Crazy is Not for the Feint of Heart
I've been dealing with psychologists and psychiatrists from the ripe old age of 8 or so, for a variety of reasons and issues. Believe me it wasn't my idea.
Teachers started it because of the "not living up to potential" thing. I was the poster boy for not living up to my Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-59523059664074996092010-11-20T17:20:00.000-08:002010-11-20T17:20:49.752-08:0010 Minutes on Obsession (not the fragrance)
I'm the type of person who doesn't merely develop an interest in something. Unfortunately I'm the type that has to dissect a subject. I need to take it apart and see how it works. I delve into the history attempting to find out the why, put it into context of a when, and maybe somewhere along the line I can figure out aMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-65927763554477892222010-11-18T16:48:00.000-08:002010-11-18T16:48:55.553-08:0010 minutes on Bullying
In the schoolyards of my youth we had bullies. They had different prejudices but it amounted to the same thing. I don't understand you, therefore I will beat the living crud out of you. Pretty simple philosophy when you think of it, but probably ends up taking up a lot of your time because you probably don't understand a lot.
It was a Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-80004617574153547102010-11-17T12:18:00.001-08:002010-11-17T12:18:21.781-08:00PostTen Minutes on Music and ChildhoodI was a rock and roll kid, with pop tendencies, and a touch of blues thrown in to taste. in my house everything was played, pretty much. There was Jimmy Reed, Johnny Cash, Richie Valens, Bill Haley, Clyde McPhatter among others. As I started to develop my own tastes I naturally drifted towards what I heard on the radio and saw on TV. And what was on radioMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-80314953902864479732010-11-16T11:54:00.000-08:002010-11-16T11:54:27.166-08:00This weekend I was introduced to the ten minute writing exercise as a means of uncorking the blockage that some writers go through. It was during the Fabulous Soul-O theatre workshops run by Tracy Erin Smith who is a great artist and a great teacher. The idea is to simply start writing and keep writing til the time runs out. Stream of consciousness, improvisation, call it what you will. You take Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-46216307412519775192009-11-16T19:24:00.000-08:002009-11-16T21:54:29.363-08:00
Adventures in Theatre
(1)
“What a Drag!”
I’m not sure why it started. Nobody in family, to my limited knowledge, ever did it so genetic predisposition is out. It’s like a mutation, I guess. It just kind of happened.
When I was in kindergarten I got Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-54162035063187905682009-11-10T12:54:00.000-08:002009-11-10T12:54:54.071-08:00 Mr. Scary
With everyone it’s a little different. In my case it basically starts in the pit of my stomach and starts making its way up my spine. Once it hits the central nervous system, the party really starts. It can range from a coughing jag to the utter conviction that I’m going to drop dead any moment. Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-5801780833247980412009-01-09T12:37:00.000-08:002009-01-09T12:40:17.438-08:00 THE DAY KLAATU SAID WHOA! (Warning! Spoilers!)When I saw the trailer for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" I knew it was going to be trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with D and that stands for dumb. Just to set the record straight, I'm not one of those classic movie geeks who's against remaking any and all old movies. Some of them work. Both Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments are Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-27708943010435391682009-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:002009-01-09T12:36:00.679-08:00 What the Dickens?! ‘Tis the season, as they say. No, not baseball season. I mean the Festive Season and all that stuff. Virgin Birth, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, you know...Stressmas... Yes, Christmas comes but once a year, thank Christ... Don’t get your undergarments in a tizzy. It stopped being a religious celebration a while ago. Let’s face it, if Christmas Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1158177108544793192006-09-13T12:11:00.000-07:002006-09-13T12:51:48.613-07:00Finding Faith Chapter 4 “Sisterly Love…” Phil approached the funeral home in a state of hazy dread. Although he had spent most of the last 48 hours on or near his bed, almost none of it was spent sleeping. So this morning he felt like a zombie on a brain fast. And it was not just brains he was deprived ofMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1157822549269138132006-09-09T10:04:00.000-07:002006-09-09T10:23:29.760-07:00Finding FaithChapter 2“Prepare ye…”It was dull and cloudy outside so the view from the front window of Art’s Haus was less than inspiring, but it kept Phil from looking at, and hence wanting to strangle Margot Morelli as she prattled on about “…responsibility to our subscribers and to our mandate, as well as being mindful of the fiscal bottom line”. He was being backed into a corner, yet again, Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1157745603782521722006-09-08T12:41:00.000-07:002006-09-08T13:01:58.163-07:00So I got some requests to post what I wrote during the 3 Day Novel Contest, because...Oh hell I don't know. Some people are gluttons for punishment. So here is the First Chapter...More to Follow. Hell Maybe we'll turn this into a Dickensian Serial, only not as well written.Enjoy...Finding FaithChapter 1“What’s past is prologue…”It was one of those mornings Norman Rockwell would put on a Saturday Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1156257370689653422006-08-22T07:33:00.000-07:002006-08-22T07:39:47.096-07:00 Summer Movie StuffSo the Summer is half over and the usual bunch crap has been dumped out for the movie going public to sit through because hey, it's hot outside. And like the rest of you I've sat through my share of dross. For no purpose other than to vent my spleen ( I have to vent it occasionally or it explodes and makes a big mess) here are my utterly valueless thoughts on what I've seen so Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1146631503195344982006-05-02T21:44:00.000-07:002006-05-02T21:45:03.216-07:00The Three Burials of Miscellaneous Blogada ...in which we put together a mish mash of topics in the hope that it will come to a cohesive end… Well, we can always hope. So, how was your weekend Mike? Glad you asked, Self! It was one of those weekends where the Carol was gone to San Diego andI was left to my own devices. Usually this is a Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1143672833731425212006-03-29T14:51:00.000-08:002006-03-29T15:19:45.953-08:00In Praise of Older Geeks I was lucky enough to see a preview of a direct to DVD documentary called "The Sci-Fi Boys". The movie itself was just okay, but the panel was something else. It was held at the Egyptian Theatre AKA American Cinematheque. The star of the evening was the legendary (among our people....Geekus North Americanus) Forrest J Ackerman, one of the original fanboys and creatorMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1137100140839832812006-01-12T13:06:00.000-08:002006-01-26T16:19:49.513-08:00 Never Mind the New Year, Gimme an Old One So here we are in 2006. We’re 6 years (5 for purists) into the so called “New Millennium”and thus far I’m not impressed. Where are the flying cars we were promised? Huh? I have yet to see one lousy flying car in anyone’s garage, let alone everyone’s . And what about the personal rocket packs? I don’t have one, do you?To be fair,Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1133869747336996622005-12-06T03:46:00.000-08:002006-01-26T17:10:11.756-08:00It’s PETER JACKSON’S King Kong and Don’t You Forget It!Warning!! Spoilers Galore!!There was a point where I just knew. It was on the way to Skull Island when the young rascal of a former stowaway Jimmy, and now crew member of The Venture, is reading a copy of “Heart of Darkness” he purloined from the New York Public Library, and asks the stoic first mate, Mr. Hayes, why Marlow continues up river Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1133299905716510582005-11-29T13:30:00.000-08:002005-11-29T13:31:45.726-08:00Happy Birthday to MeNovember 29th is my Birthday. I share this birthday with (among millions of others no doubt) John Harvard (whom Harvard College is named after) Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) Busby Berkeley (director of 42nd Street and many other elaborate musicals) C.S. Lewis (author of the Narnia Books among many others), Merle Travis (songwriter 16 Tons, Smoke, Smoke, Smoke), Madeleine Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318673.post-1133061345086457542005-11-26T19:13:00.000-08:002006-01-26T17:12:12.610-08:00In Which we discuss Theatre just because I wanna...So the Carol and I saw David Mamet’s “Romance” at the Ahmanson Theatre, for her birthday (she’s 12 for about the 4th time, give or take a time or half), and we were thoroughly enjoying it right up until the very last line of the play, which was such a dud that it came pretty near to negating what had come before. But it was educational, because Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08296259514457437822noreply@blogger.com0