Thursday, December 31, 2009
Twilight Zone Time
The Twilight Zone Marathon marathon started today. Watching this has become a tradition at La Casa de Spihntingle. It never gets old and I love seeing all of the famous actors (or not so famous at the time) who are in some of the episodes. Captain Kirk, Oscar Madison, Will Robinson & Dr. Smith, Rober Vaughn, and too many others to mention. Rod Serling was an incredible talent and if you have the opportunity, I recommend reading the short stories that some of the episodes are based on. I found a great compilation book at the library. Happy New Year to everyone!!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Vacation Reading
Along with my very much appreciated Christmas gift, Stephen King's "Under The Dome", I'm also reading a couple more intriguing novels. One of them, "The Church of the Dead Girls" by Stephen Dobyns, I got based on title alone, and it has been interesting so far. The other is "Regeneration" by Pat Barker. I'm not too far into it, but I like the premise and for whatever reason, the writing remindeds me of "The Talented Mr. Ripley". Lastly, "Under the Dome" has been very good so far. It's amazing that Mr. King can essentially re-use the same formula over and over again, yet still produce such great entertainment.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Spot
My
Ebony friend
Living on me
A sun feeding serpent
New shapes and sizes
On my shin
Malignant foe
Adieu
I was playing around and pretty sure this is not an offical format but, my rules were: 1) First letter in each line had to combine to spell a word and 2)The line structure had to be, 1 word, 2 words, 3 words, 4 words, then 4, 3, 2, and 1.
Ebony friend
Living on me
A sun feeding serpent
New shapes and sizes
On my shin
Malignant foe
Adieu
I was playing around and pretty sure this is not an offical format but, my rules were: 1) First letter in each line had to combine to spell a word and 2)The line structure had to be, 1 word, 2 words, 3 words, 4 words, then 4, 3, 2, and 1.
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Great Escape
I can remember the exact moment, two years ago, that I decided to leave the humdrum confines of my hometown. This is not a knock on the town. Humdrum is good. The catalyst of this epiphany was the infestation, or more accurately, the scourge of “reality” television. I had to escape, or risk becoming one of the millions of human marionettes the media has created. Fortunately, I had the financial means required for my journey. I could talk endlessly about the fascinating places I visited, people I met, and things I learned, but for now, I will only share a few.
There was bullfighting in Spain, marlin fishing in Cuba, drinking absinthe in London, fashion week in New York, and traveling with the Hells Angels in California. I have been to Ireland, India, The West Indies, Australia and South Africa.
During my journey I have met leaders of counties, CEO’s, writers, actors, everyday people, and even a yuppie serial killer.
I can tell you about a group of young campers in Arizona who saved hundreds of buffalo from a gratuitous slaughter, a mountain in Montana that is actually one big diamond underneath the trees and dirt, a painting where the man in it physically ages as time goes on. There was the king who killed his brother to take his throne, the prospector in Alaska who was so frozen, he had to light his own hands on fire to keep warm. These are just a few of the things I could tell you about.
Along the way I laughed, cried, loved and hated. I was scared, haunted, guilty, remorseful, resentful, and grateful.
The cost of this extraordinary journey was absolutely nothing, and I never traveled further than my own house. There is no fee for a library card in my hometown. We who live in this small slice of Americana are lucky. Our town is not, as far as I know, run by people with special interests and hidden agendas. Inquires into fiscal or hiring decisions are not met with smug or indignant replies. Most importantly, the town has not reverted to numerous attempts at Proposition two and a half overrides. It is understandable that police and fire departments could outgrow their buildings, need more up to date technology, or require certain staffing levels to perform their duties.
What I find totally unacceptable is the use of scare tactics that use the public library as part of the coercion. It is a disgrace that such treasured institutions are forced to justify their existence and worse, beg and plead for their livelihood. The library is a precious resource and should be treated as such. It is a sanctuary that gives freely, asks absolutely nothing in return, and should never be compromised for any reason.
There was bullfighting in Spain, marlin fishing in Cuba, drinking absinthe in London, fashion week in New York, and traveling with the Hells Angels in California. I have been to Ireland, India, The West Indies, Australia and South Africa.
During my journey I have met leaders of counties, CEO’s, writers, actors, everyday people, and even a yuppie serial killer.
I can tell you about a group of young campers in Arizona who saved hundreds of buffalo from a gratuitous slaughter, a mountain in Montana that is actually one big diamond underneath the trees and dirt, a painting where the man in it physically ages as time goes on. There was the king who killed his brother to take his throne, the prospector in Alaska who was so frozen, he had to light his own hands on fire to keep warm. These are just a few of the things I could tell you about.
Along the way I laughed, cried, loved and hated. I was scared, haunted, guilty, remorseful, resentful, and grateful.
The cost of this extraordinary journey was absolutely nothing, and I never traveled further than my own house. There is no fee for a library card in my hometown. We who live in this small slice of Americana are lucky. Our town is not, as far as I know, run by people with special interests and hidden agendas. Inquires into fiscal or hiring decisions are not met with smug or indignant replies. Most importantly, the town has not reverted to numerous attempts at Proposition two and a half overrides. It is understandable that police and fire departments could outgrow their buildings, need more up to date technology, or require certain staffing levels to perform their duties.
What I find totally unacceptable is the use of scare tactics that use the public library as part of the coercion. It is a disgrace that such treasured institutions are forced to justify their existence and worse, beg and plead for their livelihood. The library is a precious resource and should be treated as such. It is a sanctuary that gives freely, asks absolutely nothing in return, and should never be compromised for any reason.
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