... is just about the only way to get through some days. My son was reminded of that over the course of the last couple of days, as he tried to navigate the strange landscape of admissions and registration at FSU-PC. I was with him in the early going yesterday, and Debra accompanied him for most of the morning today, and not only did every single person give different instructions, but some of them treated you like you were crazy when you reminded them what they had told you earlier, some esoteric procedure that they now were contradicting.
Anyway.
Today's word is PATIENCE.
And my Pick of the Day is Life on Mars. I've been catching up on the Americanized version with episodes on my DVR, but I first became a fan of the original British series when it ran on BBC America. The big concept is that modernday police detective Sam Tyler is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973, with David Bowie's song playing on the eight track in his car. He may be dead, or in a coma, or maybe he's actually in the past. He tries to figure it out while working for a rotten police unit and trying to drag them into the 21st century with his modern methods and sensibilities. Highest recommendation.
Sam Tyler isn't even sure what moment he's living in. In order to make his future real, he has to make his now work.
Wow. That was almost deep.
Peace.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Monday, January 05, 2009
Invitation to a Happening
The second annual Arts Night will take place at the Unitarian/Universalist Fellowship of Bay County on Friday, Jan. 16, from 7 - 9 p.m. The Fellowship is located at 1410 Airport Road in Panama City, FL, at the intersection of Lisenby and Airport roads. Admission is FREE. Light refreshments will be served, free of charge.
I've been invited to read selections of my prose or poetry (I'll probably go with something from the 366 Days project). I will also have my books available for purchase.
Jeanine "Dr. Jazz" Normand, from the sister U/U Fellowship in Fairhope, AL, will start out the evening with her jazz piano. Lynn Wallace of Gulf Coast Community College will read selections of original prose and poetry, and his books will be available for purchase.
Local artist Jim Davis' paintings will be displayed throughout the building. Jim will be featuring some of his work from the 1970s and '80s that has never had a public showing before. His artwork will be available for purchase.
Rug-weaver and jewelry-maker Emily Pritchard will have her work set up for display and for sale. The Panama City Belly Dance group will perform. Group leader Kira Burdeshaw will talk about the history and ancient traditions of the dance.
Last year, I'm told, they had a full house, and I hope it will be just as successful this year. Please join us in our celebration of the arts!
For more information contact Paul McAuliffe: ravenbear47@yahoo.com
Today's Pick: I've been listening to lots of different music in recent weeks as I put together a couple of mix CDs for Twitter pals. One artist in particular has had me hooked for a while: Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie. His "Passenger Seat" will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Today's Word: Zen. (Be prepared to participate.)
Peace.
I've been invited to read selections of my prose or poetry (I'll probably go with something from the 366 Days project). I will also have my books available for purchase.
Jeanine "Dr. Jazz" Normand, from the sister U/U Fellowship in Fairhope, AL, will start out the evening with her jazz piano. Lynn Wallace of Gulf Coast Community College will read selections of original prose and poetry, and his books will be available for purchase.
Local artist Jim Davis' paintings will be displayed throughout the building. Jim will be featuring some of his work from the 1970s and '80s that has never had a public showing before. His artwork will be available for purchase.
Rug-weaver and jewelry-maker Emily Pritchard will have her work set up for display and for sale. The Panama City Belly Dance group will perform. Group leader Kira Burdeshaw will talk about the history and ancient traditions of the dance.
Last year, I'm told, they had a full house, and I hope it will be just as successful this year. Please join us in our celebration of the arts!
For more information contact Paul McAuliffe: ravenbear47@yahoo.com
Today's Pick: I've been listening to lots of different music in recent weeks as I put together a couple of mix CDs for Twitter pals. One artist in particular has had me hooked for a while: Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie. His "Passenger Seat" will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Today's Word: Zen. (Be prepared to participate.)
Peace.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Finally got to see the new movie with Keanu as Klaatu, and while it won't survive time like its forerunner starring Michael Rennie, it was a diverting entertainment. Definitely one for the big screen, as swarms of nanites devouring everything manmade just won't translate to the ol' 19-inch, I think.
Ultimately, unsatisfying, however. I like an ambiguous ending more than most, but in this case I'd have liked to have seen something more, like a "Six Months Later" epilogue or something.
The original was a true marvel of its time, coming as it did in the early days of the Cold War, and having a message of worldwide peace. (Also using Christian symbolism in its portrayal of this saviour from beyond the heavens.)
It's my Pick of the Day.
And just for fun, click here for Today's Word.
Peace.
Ultimately, unsatisfying, however. I like an ambiguous ending more than most, but in this case I'd have liked to have seen something more, like a "Six Months Later" epilogue or something.
The original was a true marvel of its time, coming as it did in the early days of the Cold War, and having a message of worldwide peace. (Also using Christian symbolism in its portrayal of this saviour from beyond the heavens.)
It's my Pick of the Day.
And just for fun, click here for Today's Word.
Peace.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
The Girl from the Wrong End of Time
Today's Story: This is a follow-up to yesterday's story, but while Emele is featured, she's never actually named and the story is told from another person's POV. Hope you enjoy it.
Today's Word: Parallax. (See "POV" above, and "perspective" below.)
Today's Pick: Gotham Central (Vol. 1): In the Line of Duty. I just picked this up today at the Bay County Public Library, which has a growing collection of graphic novels. (Look for them in the adult section by the story collections, and in the children's section in the far corner.) It's a highly realistic look at crime fighting from the street level, regular-joe's perspective, written with real grit by Rucka and Brubaker.
-----
Spent the evening last night at Crossbridge Church, not for services, but to hear some bands perform. A storefront at a 15th Street strip mall, it is rented out as a venue on Fridays. Got to hear my son sing as lead vocalist of Not Ourselves, which includes his girlfriend Ashley Rader on keyboards and vocals, and they had their friend Giles on guitar for a couple of tunes. Have a listen right here.
Peace.
Today's Word: Parallax. (See "POV" above, and "perspective" below.)
Today's Pick: Gotham Central (Vol. 1): In the Line of Duty. I just picked this up today at the Bay County Public Library, which has a growing collection of graphic novels. (Look for them in the adult section by the story collections, and in the children's section in the far corner.) It's a highly realistic look at crime fighting from the street level, regular-joe's perspective, written with real grit by Rucka and Brubaker.
-----
Spent the evening last night at Crossbridge Church, not for services, but to hear some bands perform. A storefront at a 15th Street strip mall, it is rented out as a venue on Fridays. Got to hear my son sing as lead vocalist of Not Ourselves, which includes his girlfriend Ashley Rader on keyboards and vocals, and they had their friend Giles on guitar for a couple of tunes. Have a listen right here.
Peace.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Day Two (of a limited series of 365)
In honor of the New Year, I present this short story, "Love in the Year of the Comet," which originally appeared in City Limits, the official literary anthology of the Panama City Centennial (Vol. 1, 2007).
Today's Word: Change.
Today's Pick: Ex Machina, a comicbook series by Brian Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Lost TV series) and Tony Harris (Starman). I've been buying the collections, which are now up to volume seven. The art is incredible and was the hook for me (some of the collections show the photo reference-to-finished art, which you have to see to believe). But the story is the substance and reason for coming back volume after volume: Mitchell Hundred is the only superhero in a world exactly like our own, and on Sept. 11, 2001, he managed to stop the second jet from striking the World Trade Center. That's all backstory that gets revealed a little along. He's now mayor of New York City, and the politics and intrigue of that is the central storyline. You owe it to yourself to read this. It's smart, hip, controversial and thoughtful.
Peace.
Today's Word: Change.
Today's Pick: Ex Machina, a comicbook series by Brian Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Lost TV series) and Tony Harris (Starman). I've been buying the collections, which are now up to volume seven. The art is incredible and was the hook for me (some of the collections show the photo reference-to-finished art, which you have to see to believe). But the story is the substance and reason for coming back volume after volume: Mitchell Hundred is the only superhero in a world exactly like our own, and on Sept. 11, 2001, he managed to stop the second jet from striking the World Trade Center. That's all backstory that gets revealed a little along. He's now mayor of New York City, and the politics and intrigue of that is the central storyline. You owe it to yourself to read this. It's smart, hip, controversial and thoughtful.
Peace.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
A New Year, A New Mission
Welcome to 2009.
The past year has been difficult for many of us, but a new year (while admittedly an imaginary demarkation) promises a fresh start. I'm taking that as my theme today and each day for the foreseeable future, by breathing fresh life into this old blog.
If you check previous entries, you'll see that this blog has been many things, mostly random. This year, it will be updated daily with all kinds of fresh content.
You see, I make my living on the Web, as the online content editor for The News Herald in Panama City, FL, where I also write a weekly column for the Lifestyle section and blog regularly. I also have an ongoing daily fiction project called 366 Days, at the PCityLive site, which I've been doing for just over five months.
This blog will carry those updates, as well as a couple of fresh features, such as journal entries, updates on how I spend my time (books, music, movies, TV, art and other distractions), a word of the day (see below), ruminations on the life of a professional writer, updates on my current publication projects (see this link to see what has gone before) and much more.
I hope you'll join in by sharing your thoughts, reactions, and favorite distractions as well.
Today's Word: Peace.
Today's Pick: One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was Tori Amos Comicbook Tattoo, a collection of leading and independent writers and artists who created short tales inspired by Amos' songs. My friend, Chris Arrant, wrote a tale inspired by "Glory of the 80s," which was illustrated by the talented Star St. Germain. The introduction is by Neil Gaiman.
Peace.
The past year has been difficult for many of us, but a new year (while admittedly an imaginary demarkation) promises a fresh start. I'm taking that as my theme today and each day for the foreseeable future, by breathing fresh life into this old blog.
If you check previous entries, you'll see that this blog has been many things, mostly random. This year, it will be updated daily with all kinds of fresh content.
You see, I make my living on the Web, as the online content editor for The News Herald in Panama City, FL, where I also write a weekly column for the Lifestyle section and blog regularly. I also have an ongoing daily fiction project called 366 Days, at the PCityLive site, which I've been doing for just over five months.
This blog will carry those updates, as well as a couple of fresh features, such as journal entries, updates on how I spend my time (books, music, movies, TV, art and other distractions), a word of the day (see below), ruminations on the life of a professional writer, updates on my current publication projects (see this link to see what has gone before) and much more.
I hope you'll join in by sharing your thoughts, reactions, and favorite distractions as well.
Today's Word: Peace.
Today's Pick: One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was Tori Amos Comicbook Tattoo, a collection of leading and independent writers and artists who created short tales inspired by Amos' songs. My friend, Chris Arrant, wrote a tale inspired by "Glory of the 80s," which was illustrated by the talented Star St. Germain. The introduction is by Neil Gaiman.
Peace.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Which mask is yours, and what is under it?
There are stories behind the masks. Not just the ones you’ll see hanging in restaurants and shops over the next couple of weeks in downtown Panama City, or those at the Mask Parade gala, but also those we don each day when we stand in front of the mirror to decide what face we’ll put forth in the world.
These are the stories we hide with our masks, stories not in the mask itself but in the decision behind it. Look in the eyes behind the holes in the mask and you can see the story. Sometimes, then, when only the mask remains behind, we must use it to interpret the story by reading the negative spaces — sure, the mask has things to say, but what about things it doesn’t say? Things it was designed to hide?
These are the stories we tell with our masks, the bright things hidden, dark things revealed.
These are the sorts of ideas I mull when I consider the blank slate of a plaster mask for Covenant Hospice’s annual Mask Parade. I’ve been privileged each of the past four years to paint or otherwise construct a piece of (questionable) artwork around one of their blanks, and maybe I’ve thought too much about such things.
Maybe, considering the outcomes, I’ve thought too little.
You can be the judge this weekend, as the community is invited to the opening reception of Covenant’s Mask Parade Tour and Exhibit on Friday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Visual Arts Center, 19 E. Fourth St. After a recep tion, guests can participate in a guided walking tour of masks on display at The Pink Alligator, Olde Towne Antique Mall and Chef Imondi’s, with a final stop at Modeo’s for hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
According to a news release, the Mask Parade features more than 80 one-of-a-kind masks created by local artists and national celebrities, including Paul Brent, Roland Hockett, Courteney Cox, Ray Romano and Bill Cosby. The Junior Museum also has an exhibit created by children as part of the Junior Mask Project.
Admission to the tour is free. For more information, call 785-3040. The masks will be on display at these locations until Feb. 9, or to see them online, go to www.convenanthospice.org/mask
The fourth annual Mask Parade Gala is Feb. 11 at the Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City Beach. Tickets are $75 per person. Attire is semi-formal. For tickets and information, call 785-3040 or e-mail maskparade@covenanthospice.org
The gala includes dinner, bidding on the masks, and vignette performances based on the sights and sounds of destinations around the world. Backgrounds for performances in the “golden age of travel” are the creations of art students from each of Bay County’s high schools. Proceeds benefit Hospice efforts in the Panama City area, providing services to patients and loved ones coping with end-of-life issues and illnesses, when masks are stripped away and only our stories — our memories — sustain us.
Peace.
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