hello goodbye hello goodbye

Saturday, during our planning meeting, I suggested the gang-model is a revolutionary method for organizing our communities. One person thought I meant "Sopranos"-- but I was thinking "Boyz in the Hood". I don't want to be a wiseguy or godfather. I want to be a thug gangsta. :)

The inner-city gangs are loosely formed and affiliated within a network. Their traditions, identifying styles, and intitiations are very specific. Their beliefs and purposes are more general. The community is strong. They don't exist to grow, but merely maintain and enforce their territory. They are family-centered, loyal unto death, and protective to a fault. Leadership comes from within. The leader manages the group through the strength of their connections and allies. Respect is more important than education.

The church would do well to forget the purpose-driven church model and take a few pointers from South Central. Peace.

Your homework assignment:
Watch the film Patch Adams. Re-envision that instead of the movie taking place at medical school, it's a seminary. It may change the way you see the role of a pastor.
"I want to help people."
"That's what I do."
"Yeah, but you suck at it."

From the Gesundheit! Institute, Patch's 10 Ideas:

1. The world's richest 360 people have the same amount of money as the poorest 2.4 billion people.
2. The most revolutionary act you can commit in today's society is to be publicly happy.
3. "When it's all over, I want to say all my life I was a bride married to amazement." -Mary Oliver
4. "You have to let the small animal of your body love what it loves." -Mary Oliver
5. "Life is trouble only death is not, to be alive is to undo your belt and look for trouble." -Kazantzakis
6. "To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on." -Shakespeare
7. "In every job that must be done there is an element of fun; you find that fun and snap, the job's a game." -Mary Poppins
8. "Only a life lived for others is worthwhile." -Albert Einstein
9. "Life doesn't cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." -G.B. Shaw
10. With passion, anything is possible.

Another sign of suburban hell:
* A television screen eternally displaying a fire in the fireplace

An interesting story from Saint Malaclypse on the comixteme message board:

When I auditioned for the part of "Letter Man" for the Children's Television Workshop show called "Electric Company", I saw a future in that role. And I wasn't far off...

Originally, Letter Man was supposed to fight crime and stop mayhem by respelling words using a magic necklace. I thought that was weak, and suggested the chest-emblem be his symbol and his weapon. And so it was. For years, I saved the weak and illiterate with my spelling prowess, there was a comic strip (expected to become a series of anthology books), a possible spin-off segment featuring myself and a handful of back-up characters, and there was even talk of some action figure giveaways in Freakies cereal...

...when the bottom dropped out of my life. Electric Company had fizzled, and I was no longer needed. The execs debriefed me, took my chest-insignia in a rather brutal ceremonial lynching, and changed the locks on my dressing room.

Unemployed, single, and with no job skills, I decided to become self-employed. I started correcting spelling errors in local newspapers and sending them in to the editors to show them my talent. That got no responses, so I started out a little less ambitious -- red pen in hand, I began correcting typos and errors on menus, marquees, product labels, coupons, etc. All to no avail. Soon, I was shunned at every social gathering I attended, even if I showed them my corrected invitation!

Now homeless, I wandered aimlessly for years, correcting speech and print in every town I came to, and getting run out of town each time.

I hit rock-bottom one fine day in April, 1987 when I found myself correcting a sign in the window of a Nascar Memoribilia shop. The owner was huge, buff, and adamant that the word was spelled "C-O-L-L-E-C-T-A-B-L-E". After heatedly trying to explain that it was spelled with an "i" not an "e", I had a flashback and thought I was back on the set of Electric Company. I reached to pull an "I" from my chest and my gesture was misunderstood. The owner shot me 3 times in the chest, neck and abdomen.

When I awoke in the hospital, I was finally at peace. I knew where I had gone wrong, and that "Letter Man" was no longer in control of my life! The rest is history...

Sure, from time to time I get the urge to spell-check someone else's work, but when the cravings hit, I just call my sponsor, we arrange a meeting in a font-free environment, and we just talk. It's hard sometimes, but I'm just taking it one word at a time now.

TAG BOARD CONTEST #1: NAME THAT MOVIE

Boy: "I love you. You belong to me."
Girl: "No, people don't belong to people."
Boy: "Of course they do."
Girl: "I'll never let anyone put me in a cage."
Boy: "I don't want to put you in a cage. I want to love you."
Girl: "It's the same thing."
Boy: "No, it's not!"

First person to post the correct movie on my tag board wins. The winner will receive a special personalized congratulatory e-mail. (Make sure to include your e-mail address in the tag.)

CNN ~ 9/26/2002 ~ What's the future of 'Friends'?

It's a national event: the season premiere of FRIENDS. Melissa and I will be watching. Will you?
random TV quote: "Remember when Ross tried to say 'butternut squash' and it came out 'squatternut bosh'?!"

I think writing is more about dedication than creativity-- similiar to the discovery that a healthy marriage is more about commitment than romance. It frustrates me to have dedication and commitment as superior to creativity and romance. But no matter how creative you are, it doesn't mean anything if you can't dedicate yourself to the writing process. Likewise, a romance is shallow and meaningless without the commitment of a loving heart.

I always thought creativity alone would propel me into writing. Not so. Alas, I have to work at it. I have several projects I'm currently working on. And the thing that motivates me is the realization of a million other writers out there working harder than me.

FW Weekly ~ 9/19/2002 ~ Shazam! Not just for comic-book geeks, Fanboy Radio approaches its first anniversary.

The half-hour program, which airs Sundays at 3 p.m. (with a 9 a.m. Thursday re-broadcast), is on 88.7 KTCU.
Click here for the official Fanboy Radio website.

I just discovered the website lifeasastick.com. I must say I am intrigued. Very cool concept for the internet. Simple. Interactive. Interesting. I particularly like this one. I feel like that stick figure sometimes.

the postmodern dilemma
is being a deconstructionist
without being reactive

who will survive?

In this scenario an unidentified government agency has accidentally released a man-made virus into the earth's atmosphere. This virus will kill everyone who comes into contact with it. The virus will mutate within 48 hours into a harmless germ. BUT, for 24 hours, every human being is exposed, and in danger. A specially designed shelter is available , but will only hold eight people, who will be selected for survival in order to restart the human race after the virus has run its course. Your assignment is to select the eight people who will survive in the shelter.

1. ROBERT BROWN - age 36, formerly married to Mary Brown. He is in excellent health, has Bachelor of Science degrees in Botany and Agriculture. He doesn't really like children. He has a hard time getting along with others, and is a loner. Former Green Beret, he has been known to be excessively aggressive at times. Also known to carry a gun at all times.

2. MARY BROWN - age 35, a nurse practitioner specializing in midwifery. She was married for five years to Robert Brown, but divorced due to irreconcilable differences. She has no children, but she loves them, and is very good with them. She has experience in farming and gardening.

3. DR. TED ANDERSON - age 50, a general practitioner. He has an extremely high IQ, and has extensive experience in carpentry. He has has two heart attackes in the past five years. He loves literature and quotes from it extensively.

4. FATHER EVANS - age 38, a Catholic priest. He is a civil rights activist and openly declares himself as a pacifist. He is a former college athlete. He has extensive knowledge of electronics and farming. He has often been criticized for his liberal views.

5. MR. RICHARD BLAKE - age 40, has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Married with four children. He enjoys the outdoors, has experience in construction, and is handy at repairing things. He has been known to make racist remarks about minorities. Believes that a woman's place is in the home- "barefoot and pregnant."

6. RUTH BLAKE - age 13, eldest child of Richard Blake. She has a high IQ. SHe tends to be introverted and appears withdrawn at times. She has been seeing a psychologist for six months in relation to her problem communicating with others.

7. LINDA ROSS - age 25 and the daughter of a minister. She has a Bachelors degrees in Music and Engineering. She has a high IQ and is really good a 'fixing' things. SHe is divorced and has been known to publicily defend and support Women's Right issues. She is also known to be a pro-abortion (freedom of choice) sympathizer.

8. KRISTI THOMPSON - age 18, her education has focused on trade school. She is healthy, artistic, and enjoys gardening.

9. MR. PHILIP NEWSON - age 25, is an advocate of anarchy and is openly rebellious toward any kind of authority. He is in his final year of medical shcool and works part-time as a personal trainer at a health club. He has an extremely high IQ. He hates children.

10. MR. RICHARD DEAN - age 37, has a Ph.D. in History and is a college professor. He is in good health and is happily married with one child.

11. DR. ELEANOR DEAN - age 38, has a Ph.D. in Psychology and is a counselor at a mental health clinic. Her health is not too good- she is obese and has diabetes. She loves children and is good with them. She is married to Richard Dean.

12. RAYMOND DEAN - age 10, is mentally challengede but diagnosed as trainable. He has an IQ of 85, but is in excellent physical condition, and is strong for his age.

13. JOY SMITH - age 23, she dropped out of school after completing 9th grade. She works as a cocktail waitress. At age 16, she ran away from home to get married, but her parents annulled this marriage. She has always been rebellious, and has a problem with alcohol. She is currently unmarried, but has a three-month-old daughter.

14. HOLLY SMITH - healthy, three-month-old daughter of Joy Smith.

Some of you may remember a story that hit the news back in 1995-1997 about a girl Adrianne Jones who was murdered by two naval cadets David Graham and Diane Zamora. If not, here's a brief chronology of the events. As it so happens, I went to Mansfield High School when all of this stuff happened. I was an acquaintance of Adrianne Jones. I shared a few classes with David Graham.

There was a made-for-television movie based on the events called Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder. The movie was not shown in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Yesterday, however, I was watching Lifetime (don't ask), and the movie was on. I'd never seen it before.

It was an strange experience watching "televised" versions of real people I knew, about events I was familiar with. Everyone was more attractive on TV. Everything was too "clean." The dialogue, the sequence, the reasoning. Instead of Mansfield, it was "Manning High School." Needless to say, when they reproduced Adrianne's murder scene, I was struggling not to cry.

I remember talking with Adrianne about a month before she died. Adrianne was crying because she said everyone thought she was a slut, and she wasn't. I tried to console her. We were in the drama room before class. And now, I see the way the media tried to portray her as a "temptress"-- it's very frustrating.

"The discovery of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves... You give your disciples not truth but only the semblance of truth; they will be heroes of many things, and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing."
-Socrates, "Phaedrus"

Quite possibly one of the most important moments in early philosophy was when a student disagreed with his teacher. Plato did not share Socrates' skeptical view on writing. We have virtually nothing of Socrates' philosophy written down-- with Plato, we have volumes available. Plato created a tradition of publishing and attempting to preserve his ideas in written form.

And I wonder, what would have happened if our "Bible" was not in written form, but oral. What if the oral tradition carried itself all the way to the 21st century? What would be required of the faithful? How would our religion look? Christianity could not create isolated disciples who hide in their rooms with a Bible and a study guide-- we'd have to share our stories, remember stories, listen, tell stories, or perish. The primarily sensory experience of the Word would not be through the eye (as in reading), but through the ear. I wonder if we'd be better off if we could return to being hearers of the Word, not just readers.

"The thing of it is, we must live with the living."
-Montaigne

During my conference period, I drove to the International Food Market. In Arlington, this place is traditionally known as being a Muslim hang out spot. My friend Shannon introduced me to the food here. I went today to grab something for lunch. I can't pronounce it, but it tastes good and you use pita bread to scope "it" up. In my world, food and faith are very closely related. So it comes as no surprise that on my drive back, I began to reflect on my feelings towards that "other" Abrahamic faith. And I fearfully consider this statement: "I am not Muslim, but I am a friend to Islam."

A great discussion on the next-wave message board concerning the article "Can We Still Trust God's Word" has started. Jump in on the topic! The water's fine.

Okay, everyone knows by now: I am a freak about Marvel comics. (pause) What? What's that you say? Comics aren't cool?! Well, for all the doubters, I came across these comic books trailers and oh... my... gosh... they are intense.
Here are some of my favorites:
Spider-Man/Black Cat, Captain America, Hulk, X-Men: Weapon X, Elektra
Parental Guidance is advised.

If you're bored reading my blog, take a break and watch a rousing game of PONG! It's a close match and could be anybody's game. I've been watching for hours and the score is still 15-12.

And to conclude my blog-tribute to his greatness marshall mcluhan, the CIOS/McLuhan site has a section on Comics-- The Cool Medium, with excerpts from McLuhan's Understanding Media and Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.

Also, Wired Magazine has a great article on The Wisdom of Saint Marshall, the Holy Fool.

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on media as extension of human faculty

"All media work us over completely. They are so pervasive in their personal, political, economic, aesthetic, psychological, moral, ethical, and social consequences that they leave no part of us untouched, unaffected, unaltered. The medium is the massage. Any understanding of social and cultural change is impossible without a knowledge of the way media work as environments.

"All media are extensions of some human faculty-- psychic or physical. The wheel is an extension of the foot. The book is an extension of the eye. Clothing, an extension of the skin. Electric circuitry, an extension of the central nervous system.

"Media, by altering the environment, evoke in us unique ratios of sense perceptions. The extension of any one sense alters the way we think and act-- the way we perceive the world. When these ratios change, men change."

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on your government

"Nose-counting, a cherished part of the eighteenth-century fragmentation process, has rapidly become a cumbersome and ineffectual form of social assessment in an environment of instant electric speeds. The public, in the sense of a great consensus of separate and distinct viewpoints, is finished. Today, the mass audience (the successor to the 'public') can be used as a creative, participating force. It is, instead, merely given packages of passive entertainment. Politics offers yesterday's answers to today's questions.

"A new form of 'politics' is emerging, and in ways we haven't yet noticed. The living room has become a voting booth. Participation via television in Freedom Marches, in war, revolution, pollution, and other events is changing everything." (the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects)

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on your job

" 'When this circuit learns your job, what are you going to do?'

" 'Jobs' represent a relatively recent pattern of work. From the fifteenth century to the twentieth century, there is a steady progress of fragmentation of the stages of work that constitute 'mechanization' and 'specialism.' These procedures cannot serve for survival or sanity in this new time.

"Under conditions of electric circuitry, all the fragmented job patterns tend to blend once more into involving and demanding roles or forms of work that more and more resemble teaching, learning, and 'human' service, in the older sense of dedicated loyalty.

"Unhappily, many well-intentioned political reform programs that aim at the alleviation of suffering caused by unemployment betray an ignorance of the true nature of media-influence.

" 'Come into my parlor,' said the computer to the specialist." (the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects)

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on "the others"

"The shock of recognition! In an electric information environment, minority groups can no longer be contained-- ignored. Too many people know too much about each other. Our new environment compels commitment and participation. We have become irrevocably involved with, and responsible for, each other." (the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects)

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on your education

"There is a world of difference between the modern home environment of integrated electric information and the classroom. Today's television child is attuned to up-to-the-minute 'adult' news-- inflation, rioting, war, taxes, crime, bathing beauties-- and is bewildered when he enters the nineteenth century environment that still characterizes the educational establishment where information is scarce but ordered and structured by fragmented, classified patterns, subjects, and schedules. It is naturally an environment much like any factory set-up with its inventories and assembly lines.

"The 'child' was an invention of the seventeenth century; he did not exist in, say, Shakespeare's day. He had, up until that time, been merged in the adult world and there was nothing that could be called childhood in our senses.

"Today's child is growing up absurd, because he lives in two worlds, and neither of them inclines him to grow up. Growing up-- that is our new work, and it is total. Mere instruction will not suffice." (the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects)

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on your neighborhood

"Electric circuitry has overthrown the regime of 'time' and 'space' and pours upon us instantly and continously the concerns of all other men. It has reconstituted dialogue on a global scale. Its message is Total Change, ending psychic, social, economic, and political parochialism. The old civic, state, and national groupings have become unworkable. Nothing can be further from the spirit of the new technology than 'a place for everything and everything in its place.' You can't go home again." (the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects)

his greatness marshall mcluhan comments on your family

"The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by electric media-- movies, Telstar, flight-- far surpasses any possible influence mom and dad can no bring to bear. Character no longer is shaped by only two earnest, fumbling experts. Now all the world's a sage." (the medium is the massage: an inventory of effects)

(sfx: giggle like little school girl) A few people are still commenting on my article The Next New Thing. Tim from e-church.com had some insightful comments.

I am a news-junky. When I'm driving, I listen to NPR. When I'm home (before Melissa arrives), I watch the news. While at school, I click on various news sites throughout the day. I used to cherish the newspaper at my doorstep. At around 5:30 in the morning, I'd wake up from the "thump" of the morning paper hitting my front door. I'd smile and then go back to sleep. "News is here." It was a sad day when I called the Star-Telegram to cancel my subscription. At some level, I failed as an educated citizen.

Sometimes I wonder if I watch the news to be informed-- or if I watch it to pretend I'm informed? In some high-and-mighty way, I stand over the ignorant populas and laugh... "You poor unfortunate SHEEP! Do you realize what's going on in the world? In your neighborhood?" Do I?

I found this quiz from Andrew Careaga's blog. Andrew and I are the same riot.


What revolution are You?
Made by altern_active

William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene 1, lines 184-205, Portia

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above the sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an atribute to God himself,
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be they plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy,
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea,
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there."

I figure if Dan Hughes can ask for $donations$ in order to continue living the unemployed life (A worthy cause by the way-- think how cool it would be if we all donated $20 in order to simply allow one of our own the freedom to not work?!!) then I think it's perfectly alright to ask for money to help build my comic collection. Just look over at the dangerously LEFT margin ("darn liberals"). Click the "make a donation" button. It's that easy. You'll even receive a semi-personalized "thank you e-mail" from me.

Truth? It's 12:29 am. I'm bored. I ran out of things to place on the dangerously LEFT margin. Any other cute java scripts? Any more links? Anything? Please? I NEED MORE BUTTONS!!!

And last of all, God bless you, Charlie Wear. You put up with my late deadlines.

Help the skate ministry in Moreno Valley by contributing $5.00

Excerpt from Charlie's next-wave notes:
"When trials happen it is always hard to know what God is doing. My friends, Marv and Karen Schuler are in the middle of something like that right now. They are the pastors of a ministry to skateboarders in Moreno Valley, CA. Unfortunately, this ministry, while very fruitful has aroused the ire of the next-door neighbor. Through false police complaints, law suits, code compliance actions, verbal threats and physical assaults they have continued to reach out to the hard-to-reach skateboarders. In December 2000, the neighbor got the ear of members of the City Council. The upshot of that process was the granting of a preliminary injunction prohibiting skateboarding on the ramps and platforms that the Schuler's have built on their property. Just a few private citizens acting with obedience to God's calling are being targeted by a municipality that is marshalling all of its forces to shut them down and finish the ministry once and for all. It's hard to believe that what is happening is God's will. However, if one studies the Bible closely, there are numerous occasions when God's plans seem to be failing. So, sad and grieving ministers are now wondering, tearfully what is God doing...."

God bless you too, Leonard Sweet, fellow Methodist and postmod pilgrim. I love this picture. I wish I had the type of battery in my laptop where I could work in a field. If I unplug my laptop, it dies... instantly. If I had a really long extension chord, I could work outside. Len is just cool like that! Seriously, Len, next time you're in Dallas/Fort Worth, let's have lunch at Cafe Brazil.

The Ooze's business plan--
http://www.theooze.com/aboutus/businessplan.pdf
God bless you, Spencer. I am impressed.

Star-Telegram ~ 9/16/2002 ~ 'Dream Awake' needs time to corral its elements

My first play. My first review. I feel "official." I am a playwright. I wrote a play. (pause) I don't know if I should give my own analysis of the bitter-sweet experience reading this review. The neurotic writer syndrome flows in my veins. However, I will reveal this: I feel more like a legitimate writer now than ever before... and that's cool... and "official."

If you look to your left, you will see I have added some links, chalk, and a tag board. Have fun! My blog is just busting with excitement now!

The photo-realistic oil paintings of Richard Estes are amazing. I saw some of his work at the DMA. Incredible. Some might say his work lacks passion, but I think these images are very moving because they show life for how it really looks in urban America. For painters who normally want to re-create the world through their own eyes, it's a risky endeavour. And while the paintings look sterile-- each says something about people being overwhelmed by their city environment in a very subtle way.

Lone Star Comics is having a writing contest-- "What the U.S. means to me" in 150 words. The winners get an autographed copy of Captain America #1 (4th edition). Count me in. So today, I am writing an essay dripping with patriotic warm-fuzzies.

12 FL OZ (355 mL)

carbonated water, high fructose, corn syrup and/or sucrose, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine
Consumer information call 1-800-438-2653

Fellow comic geeks ponder God and that darn rock he can't pick up. Or can he?
A fun discussion and very refreshing.

I probably confuse my students. I'm a fairly easy-going teacher. I've gained the unfortunate reputation of being the "cool teacher." (Believe me... it sounds like a good thing-- but it's NOT) Anyways. Mr. Hopkins, easy going cool teacher.

However, I will not allow students to wear their baseball caps in class, a coveted priviledge at my high school. "Come on, Mr. H! It's just a hat. What's the big deal?"

Why am I such a punk about the hats? My all-time favorite teacher is Professor Grimshaw, a wonderful caring individual. He did not allow his students to wear hats. My rule stands in honor of him. It's weird, but it's me.

An excerpt from one of my favorite short stories, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez:

"His only supernatural virtue seemed to be patience. Especially during the first days, when the hens pecked at him, searching for stellar parasites that proliferated his wings, and the cripples pulled out feathers to touch their defective parts with, and even the most merciful threw stones at him, trying to get him to rise so they could see him standing. The only time they succeeded in arousing him was when they burned his side with an iron for branding steers, for he had been motionless for so many hours that they thought he was dead. He awoke with a start, ranting in his hermetic language and with tears in his eyes, and he flapped his wings a couples of times, which brought on a whirlwind of chicken dung and lunar dust and a gale of panic that did not seem to be of this world. Although many thought that his reaction had been one not of rage but of pain, from then on they were careful not to annoy him, because the majority understood that his passivity was not that of a hero taking his ease but that of a cataclysm in repose."

I enjoyed looking at the Long Bets site today. Here is my personal long bet:
By the year 2010, they will make a new version of the film The Graduate.

Any takers? I'll start the wager at 25 cents.

Everyone from the Carriage Community is trying to promote the Saturday show in their own way. It's quite impressive. I will use my favorite weapon: GUILT... buy a freakin' ticket or else you will make my friend Justin cry.



You don't even need to live in Texas. Just buy the ticket, then e-mail the Trust Theatre Company. Tell them you purchased a free ticket to be given to some sad college student who otherwise could not go.

Support Local Independent Theatre

Image from the Douglas Coupland website.
Coupland, you ARE my cultural baggage.

We should collectively hold our breath until September 14th. It'll be fun seeing who passes out first.

Saturday is the opening night of DreamAwake. I'll be wearing (pause for effect)... A SUIT!!!! Check it: David in a suit! Stylish.

Teaching emotions to a robot

I used to think the story of Don Quixote was stupid, but I've changed my mind. It may be one of the most beautiful stories ever told. No kidding. Quixote's ignorant worldview makes us wish, secretly hope, that he's right... and we, the cynics, are wrong.

Quixotic (adj) 1. caught up in the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality, 2. Capricious, impulsive

Thank you to Jessie, the Diva, from 102.1 FM KDGE. This lovely DJ promoted our show on the radio today. My friend Wim called, "Dude, I just heard your name on the radio. Jessie was talking about your play Space to Occupy." Cool.

Reminder: Space to Occupy is the one-act play that will be featured in the show Dream Awake. The play opens next weekend!

I just received promotional materials for the play. Not bad. I gave some fliers to our school's drama teacher, who is excited about it. Tonight, I will start working on the second draft of Space to Occupy. Next summer, I may start working on an actual novel. I've always wanted to write more, but I don't. I need to get into the habit. I write comic book scripts. I may convert one of my scripts into a novel.

One of my favorite songs (all time):
Acrobat by U2

Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl
You had fire in your soul
What happened your face
Of melting in snow
Now it looks like this

And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'cause I need it now

To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down

Oh, it hurts baby
(What are we going to do now it's all been said)
(No new ideas in the house and every book has been read)

And I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And you can find
Your own way out
You can build
And I can will
And you can call
I can't wait until
You can stash
And you can seize
In dreams begin
Responsibilities
And I can love
And I can love
And I know that the tide is turning 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

Fun Size means small.
Family Size means large.
Economy Size means really large.
20% more free still confuses me.
Express means faster.
Homemade means made.
Fresh means edible.
All natural means ingredients were used.

Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes (p.285-286)

"I have to look in the dictionary to find out what a virgin is. I know the Mother of God is the Virgin Mary and they call her that because she didn't have a proper husband, only poor old St. Joseph. In the Lives of the Saints the virgins are always getting into trouble and I don't know why. The dictionary says, Virgin, woman (usually a young woman) who is and remains in a state of inviolate chastity.

"Now I have to look up inviolate and chastity and all I can find here is that inviolate means not violate and chastity means chaste and that means pure from unlawful sexual intercourse. Now I have to look up intercourse and that leads to intromission, which leads to intromittent, the copulatory organ of any male animal. Copulatory leads to copulation, the union of the sexes in the art of generation and I don't know what the means and I'm too weary going from one word to another in this heavy dictionary which leads me on a wild goose chase from this word to that word and all because the people who wrote the dictionary don't want the likes of me to know anything."

Last Friday, my chess club students left a mess in my room during lunch. So today, I locked them out. It was so sad. They were all sitting outside, pawing at the door, begging to let them in. I could hear the faint wimpering. (sigh)

I love Rachel Leigh Cook... but not as much as Melissa loves Orlando Bloom.
We're okay with it.