Just Another Manic Monday....Musing

The calender whittles down to the end of another tax season.  85.714% is now complete.  Two more weekends shortened, and then my schedule changes.

That's the big difference.  Our work at the firm doesn't end, not by any means.  We have routine deadlines connected with payrolls and compilation reports, we have other tax deadlines including non-profits and those who have extended, and we have special audit assignments throughout the year.

But it does mean, for the most part, that I get to resume my 10% retirement, and take most of my Friday's off.  I should be able to concentrate more on writing and performing.  I am very much looking forward to that.

-------------------------------------------

I am of the age where many of the people I know who are of related age (younger or older, but within a decade) are retiring or stepping back significantly in the work world.  It ain't easy to watch, and I struggle to control my jealousy.  But I do like things, such as food and shelter, and I have a boy's college to help with, so I will do what I can.  I think I have kind of a plan, that has several stages moving towards independence, so I will keep that in mind.

--------------------------

Those who read my blog story A Special Moment of Nerd Zen may be interested to know that the boys worked more on the game, Friday and Saturday, and are talking about having more sessions throughout the week.  The game is called To Crown A King, and is inspired by my short story, and my world of Pazoria.  You heard it here first!

--------------------------------

We saw the movie Captain America: The First Avenger this weekend, in preparation for the new Captain America movie, which comes out this weekend, I believe.  Marvel has done an excellent job of weaving their movies together, to form a cohesive and fascinating universe.  They are doing a much better job with their movies than their comic books, which have devolved into an incoherent mess of unrelated and contradictory stories, irrationally renumbering and random numbering without rhyme or reason.

-------------------------

I cannot begin to tell how much I was shattered, sports wise, by the loss of both Michigan and Michigan State, in the NCAA Basketball tournament.  Now there are two SEC teams in the Final Four and only one Big Ten Team, and the same crap I have to listen to about football I now have to listen to about basketball.  It's very depressing.

-----------------------------

I have a story submitted to a contest where the results will be announced Tuesday.  I thought they would inform winners early, and I have heard nothing, so every day that draws closer, I grow more pessimistic.  I need to put more story submissions out there so that I am not so crushed when one is rejected.  Maybe in a few weeks I can get more out there.  I need the illusion that if it wasn't this one, it will be the next one.  Ah, the tricks we play to keep hope alive.

------------------------

The Walking Dead is over for the season, and now we have to wait until October.  Ugh!  Well, at least A Game of Thrones starts Sunday!  Woohoo!

------------------------

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

History of the Trap: August Blues Part 3

There were no more horrendous accidents in August, nothing on the scale of July.  We were just faced with diminished hopes of ever escaping, of seeing our parents and loved ones ever again.  It was true that my father and my sister were trapped with me.  But I missed my mother.  I wondered how she was coping with all of us being gone.  I missed her cooking.  I missed her love and comfort, her unconditional support.  Heck, I even missed being nagged about cleaning up after myself, or doing my homework.

I missed my grandparents.  My Grandmother Martin was terribly ill, and feared I might not ever see her again, that even if we got out today it would already be too late.  She was loving and kind, and had encouraged me in my creative endeavors, in acting and writing.  I wanted to get out and tell her how much I loved her, how much she meant to me.

I even missed the sillier things.  I missed television.  Even though I wasn't a big a fan of The Three Wiseguys as some of my friends were, there were other shows I watched, like The Incredible Hulk and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  And there was that show that Mel Brooks did - I forget its name.  I didn't normally watch a lot of westerns, but I must admit to missing that one with the four brothers. 

I missed the American League, and baseball.  We were huge Tiger fans in my family, and we had wondered if 1974 could be the year.  Now it was the end of August and the season would be into the pennant races.  And we were missing it.  They play sports here, but it's not the same.

We had the books in the library, but I had read many of those.  Whatever new was coming out, we were missing.  I knew Kurt Vonnegut had released a book called Breakfast of Champions, and I wanted to read it, but of course our library had not carried it yet.

I was a comic book fan, and missed my monthly fix of new comic books. I missed Superman, my favorite, but there were others, including Plant Lad and Spider-Man.

We went to the movies often, a habit that my parents started us in, even when we were little and went to the drive-in.  Later we would go to the large theatre in downtown Huron, the Coliseum, which had two balconies.  There were no movies in the trap with us. Just some school footage of sports events, some graduation ceremonies, and a band concert.  We were stuck with the Lookout Variety Hour of Power, featuring episodes of the soap I wrote, The Sands of Loren.  My father and his staff struggled hard to figure out ways to keep us entertained and occupied.  But there was nothing as satisfying as going to the movies.

Food was surprisingly plentiful, at least so far.  There were concerns since the tunnel collapse, but the faculty said that a previously undiscovered warehouse of food items had turned up.  That didn't seem very logical to me, but I had to believe my Dad if he said it was true.  Nevertheless, for the first time, some began to seriously contemplate what would happen when the food ran out.

All of this, and more, was weighing on many of us.  The month was filled with despair, despite my father's best efforts.  Sadly, Sue was not the only suicide (if that's what it was) experienced in August.  There were at least twelve, accelerating as the month went on, almost as if they were some sort of contagion.  None of the others were of people that I was close to, not that they weren't tragic in their own right.  Except the last one.

He had been taking on more and more responsibility as the ugly month went on.  Every tragedy, every life lost, weighed on him.  He spent many conversations with my Dad, trying to figure out how he could have done things differently to stop the awful stuff from happening.

Then in the last week, he pretty much stopped talking altogether.  He tried to do his job, but he was only going through the motions.  Then he disappeared altogether, and my father couldn't find him anywhere.  He was missing two days when he was found in a supply closet near the gym. He was pallid and almost blue, his tongue out and eyes bulged.  There was a chair knocked to the floor, and he hung from a rope.

My father had lost another one of his closest friends.  Oscar Crowler had as much as he could bear.  He ordered him taken down, and a respectful service was conducted.  My father spent a short time grieving, and then came out more determined than ever to restore our hope and determination to survive.

With  Joe Oliver, the Guidance Councilor murdered last June, and Vice Principal Crowler now gone, my father would have to rely more and more on Kevin Tate, the Vice Principal who was in charge of discipline.  Over time, this would have dire consequences.  If only Mr. Crowler had known what a difference his presence would have made, maybe he would have made a stronger effort to hang in there.

I sure wish that he had.

My Special Moment of Nerd Zen

It was a board game that I remembered from my youth.  It was designed to simulate the Indy 500.  It was primitive and fun, and somehow I did not retain possession of it.

It was not just an auto race game to me.  As I read and wrote fantasy, it became an inspiration for my own designed fantasy board game.  I wrote a story called To Crown A King (available on this blog and Wattpad), about ten fantasy characters competing to win the crown of Crow Island, set on my imaginary world of Pazoria.  But like many brainstorms of youth, my fiery enthusiasm for it dissipated and nothing came of it.  How and when I lost the game, I do not know.

A few months ago, I saw the game available on eBay.  I could not resist bidding it for it, and without having to go very high (surprise!), I won it.  When I told Benjamin about it and my plans for it, he was very excited.  He started to create character cards for it.  He read my To Crown A King story, one of the few things I have written that he has read.  But just like me, his passion for it soon burned out, and he moved on to other things.

Until last night.

Benjamin had three friends over, to have a get together sleepover now that Spring Break has begun (for him and Alison - not for me....there is no Spring Break in accounting).  Amazingly, they got tired of video games and TV, and Benjamin mentioned role playing games. They wanted to create their own, and Benjamin remembered the auto racing game.  He asked me to help find it, and they got the game out and the character cards he had designed, and they started chattering away about how to create the game.

Then Benjamin remembered the story.  He had me look it up on Wattpad, and he started to read it to them.  Eventually another boy read some, and then I finished it up.  It held their attention!  And I could see them visibly react to it!  For a budding author with delusions of making it bigger, it was a grand moment.  To have your son want to share one of your stories, and have that inspire their imaginations - well, that was a very special moment of nerd zen, and I will cherish the memory of it the rest of my life.

I had to go bed (damn tax season!), as they sat around the table, game out, brainstorming idea after idea.  Now that I am up this early AM, I see that the game is still out.  Will they keep focused on it, and help develop into something special?  I doubt it.  Like I did, like Benjamin did a few months ago. the fires will quickly burn out and they will go to other things.

But that's okay.

I had this moment, and that is a very precious thing.

A precious moment to carry me through tax season and beyond.

Thank you, Benjamin.

Wishful Wednesday Wanderings

Rather than spend all my time here, in my windowless office...

.....becoming slowly engulfed in work, much of which has incomplete information...........

.....I'd be rather be here, starting our long dreamed of trip to Ireland...

...or here, beginning our trip to California, to see San Francisco and Los Angeles, and see my son Greg and Alison's cousin, Suzi...

....or even here, amongst my books, comics and music.....

...but most especially with these two, Alison and Benjamin, as they get ready for a ten day Spring Break.  Sigh!  But I can't forget the cardinal rule of working in a CPA firm....

"There is no Spring Break in accounting!!!"

Cinderella Misses the Ball: March Madness 2014

Go Blue!

The media will talk differently, but in my opinion, a genuine Cinderella did not make the Sweet Sixteen.  There are some surprises, and a few intriguing underdogs, but no Cinderellas.  How so?  Herewith now, the patented Strait classification of Sweet Sixteen Competitors -

 Overdogs - these are the teams whose seeding indicates they are supposed to be in the Sweet Sixteen.  They are teams seeded 1 to 4.  Mathematically, they were seeded to survive.  They may be great teams, with supportive followings, but being in this group is expected.  Included in this group are a whopping 10 out of the 16 teams; Florida, UCLA, Virginia, Michigan State, Iowa State, Arizona, San Diego State, Wisconsin, Louisville and Michigan.  They include my favorites, Michigan Wolverines (my alma mater) and Michigan State Spartans (the team that was my father's favorite - he followed Spartan basketball more closely than any other sport or team in his final years).  

Surprises -  these are the teams who indicate they are quality teams, but are not the first line in who would expect to be there, seeds 5 to 8.  There are three Sweet Sixteen teams in this category.  Connecticut, Baylor and Kentucky are all teams that are a surprise to be there, but certainly within the range of normal possibilities.  All three are teams with great basketball pedigree, with Connecticut being a past winner, and Kentucky being perhaps the best program in the history of college basketball.

Underdogs - these are teams that no one really expected to see in the Sweet Sixteen, but have managed to endure.  Seeds 9 to 12, they have talented teams, but ones not expected to compete on the same level of the first two categories.  There are three teams remaining in this category; Dayton, Stanford and Tennessee.  Dayton is the most fascinating, as they come from a less prominent conference (Atlantic Ten), and beat both in-state rival Ohio State and Syracuse to get here.

Cinderellas -  these are the genuine jawdroppers, the ones no one saw coming, the ones when they win they make movies about.  They are seeds 13 to 16, and this year there are - NONE, NADA, ZIP!  Oh, well.  Maybe next year.  The enjoyment of teams making it into this category is the rarity, anyways.  There was one upset of the ages, when 14 seed Mercer beat perennial powerhouse Duke in the first round, but alas, Mercer was beat by Tennessee in the second round.

But don't lose faith, Cinderella fans!  Seeding definitions change as the tournament advances.  By the final four, seeds 2 to 4 become the surprises. 5 to 8 the underdogs, 9 and higher are the new Cinderellas.

Only either Dayton or Stanford will make it to the Elite Eight, as they play each other next.  Tennessee, of course, will be dismantled by Michigan in the next round. Soooo.......

Go Flyers! Well, at least until you get beat by MSU!

Here's to the Blue AND the Green!

Marshmallow Monday Musings

A date night was long overdue.  We wanted to see the new Veronica Mars movie, but as usual, any movie beyond a handful, were not going to come here to Waycross.

I found a theater in Jacksonville playing it.  But the trip would have been expensive,  The gas, theater admission, a meal out, gas, and probably the irresistible pull of shopping.  It was way more money than we had budgeted, and we were trying to conserve what we could for our vacation to California.

Thanks to Amazon streaming, we were able to rent the movie, and thanks to Reeal BBQ in Blackshear, we were able to have a cozy evening home.  I am very grateful that the producers of the movie made it available at the same time it was in theaters.  I think it is a unique idea, and very beneficial to movies that don't play widely, and are not destined to be Avengers-style blockbusters.

And if you were a fan of the TV show, it was a great extension of the series.  Kristen Bell fell right back into the snap of Veronica, and it was a lot of fun to see all the old characters again.
------------------------------------

79.05% of tax season is now complete.  I wish seeing that in print gave me greater relief, or a sense that the end of season was getting closer, but it doesn't.  I still feel like it has no end.

-----------------------------------

Benjamin had his last Cotillion Dance of the season.  Pictures to come later in the week.

-----------------------------------

MSU and Michigan still in the big Dance!  Woohoo!  Overall, though, in the office pool this year, I think I got decimated.  Despite media hype, I don't see this as a great year for underdogs.  There are smattering of those defying expectations, but it's shaping up to be a pretty bland March Madness.  Unless one of the Michigan teams takes it all - then I completely change my mind.

-------------------------------

Did my first yard-work, cleaning up branches, pine-cones and other yard debris. I am sore now, but the worst thing is that it took up my fiction writing time.  It will be a struggle to get back to for the next three weeks, but I will do what I can.

--------------------------------------

Reducing my level of contact on social media for Lent has not been easy.  But I don't think it's supposed to be.  I feel like friends are drifting away from me, and that I am causing myself to lose connection with them.  That feeling is probably illusory, but time will tell.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

OHC Writer's Guild Spring Into Storytime!

It's Spring!  And the Story Telling has sprung!

This Friday, March 21,  in the main lobby of the Mayo Clinic Hospital, the OHC Writer's Guild will be reading from their stories and poems.  An extravaganza of  storytelling skills and feats of poetic daring-do!

So far, lined up to share -

Lamar Deal - humorist and gifted storyteller

Julianna Lacefield - a vibrant, vivid and personal poet 

T. M. Strait - that's me.  A blogger who does his best.  I will share stories of my wayward (translation - nerdy) youth and a Crowley Story (my first public reading of a Crowley Story - slice of life tales set on the swamp's edge).

We are still lining up storytellers, so there may be additional surprises!

12:30 PM!

Mayo Clinic Hospital Main Lobby!

UPDATE:  Great thanks to Ms. Nelson of the Mayo Clinic for inviting us!  Thanks to Lamar Dael, Julianna Lacefield and Connor Griffin for lending their remarkable talents.  

Those listening came in and out, as we were in the main lobby of the hospital, but often there were those in rapt attention.  

One of Julie's poems caught the attention of the head of Nursing, a poem that was about being a nurse, and they requested a copy to keep up at the hospital.  Super kudos to Julie!

We hope it is the beginning of many more similar events to come!

Local organizations - if you're looking for guest speakers or programs - don't forget about the Writer's Guild.  WE WILL ENTERTAIN YOU!

Julianna Lacefield at our reading.

Ripping Good Yarns: The Problem with the Children

A young Carl Grimes, played by talented young actor Chandler Riggs, is standing next to his mother, Lori Grimes, played by Sarah Wayne Callies, in a scene from early in the series, when he was around 10.

Carl Grimes now.  As you can see, the boy is now a young man.  I know, with  my son, 13 year old Benjamin, having gone through similar growth spurts.  When he was 10, he was only about half his mother's height.  Now he is taller than me.

The problem with children on dramas that take place over shorter periods of time is that they grow faster than the time that passes on the series.  Carl has gone from a small boy to grown teenager. Normal growth spurts for a young man over four years.  The Walking Dead, in the period that Carl has aged four years, has probably passed no more than a few months to a year.

Carl is such a central character to the Walking Dead mythos, that he gets a pass and they deal with it as best they can.  But I'm sure the producers realize that having a whole passel of young kids, growing faster than the show's chronology, was going to be a problem.  Which may help explain why every kid from the beginning of the season is now gone, except for Carl and the infant, Judith.  Infants are easy to trade out for other infants and/or toddlers early on.  If the show lasts many more seasons, it does not bode well for Judith.  Most likely, her character would "disappear" for awhile, and then come back older.

We have a very talented local actress, Kennedy Brice, who appeared in the first half of The Walking Dead's current season.  She is pictured here standing behind the girls with the gun.  When the prison was lost, and the characters scattered, it was unclear where her and the boy pictured went.  It was implied that a character named Beth may have found their remains by a train track, when she saw a child's shoe.  It is unclear, but given their secondary character, probably the only clue we'll ever get.  If Kennedy reappears as Molly, I will be very surprised.  Who knows?  Maybe in a few years when she's a teenager, she'll reappear.

The Game of Thrones has similar problems.  The Stark children are growing like weeds.  Sansa is taller now than most of the cast.  Arya has to have her chest strapped down.  Expect to see very little of the youngest child, Rickon, for awhile.  And so it goes.

On some shows that take place in real time, they often lose patience with young children, and they may be jumped in age dramatically after coming back for a hiatus.  Daytime soap operas are notorious for sending young children off to boarding school, and having them come back a few months later as much as a decade older.  Even a primetime sitcom like Modern Family, rushed the aging of Mitchell and Cameron's adopted daughter, Lily.  One season she could barely crawl, and the next she was a talkative school-age girl.

There was a lot of concern about the Harry Potter series, that the children age in time with the series.  Fortunately, with the them doing the movies at one a year, instead of Hollywood's usual three to four year gap, and the fact that each novel takes  place over a school year, the aging fit, and made it an interesting part of the movie series.

Children can be an important part of serial storytelling, but they do present a challenge.  One day she's sweet Hannah Montana, and the next she's swinging naked on a wrecking ball.

Here's to Carl!  He might be aging quickly, but, you know, sometimes the Zombie apocalypse can do that to ya!

Short Blast "O' Tuesday Tidbits

Have to keep it short today....large and in charge of Benjamin today...Alison is in Macon at a semblynar and it is my responsibility to roust the boy and make sure he does not go to school half-clad.

Spring is just around the corner!  Everything is shrouded in a delightful film of yellow pollen!  Oh, well.  It is raining now, so maybe that will wash away.

With the rain, the dogs look at me like I'm insane when I try to encourage them to go out.  And Pixie keeps looking for Alison.  The cat?  Sweet Skitty?  Yeah, she is heartbroken....NOT.  Humans fill bowls - that's about it.

New play tryouts!  Driving Miss Daisy Duke!  Ok, that might not quite be the title.  I'm having to pass again, but I do wish awesome luck to those who do try out.   WACT is going from a cast of dozens to a cast of three.

I am having some trouble with the picture that it selects to run when I post from my blog to Facebook.  It wants to default to one of my ad pictures rather than my profile picture, and sometimes instead of the pictures I run with the blog story.  I don't like that, and I am trying to figure out how to fix it.

Really want to see the Veronica Mars movie, but I don't want to chase to Jacksonville to see it.  May have to wait for streaming at home...sigh.

I'd give my opinions about something political this morning, but that would require the concentration of too much brain wattage.  And as the tax season drags on, concentration is becoming a very difficult thing.

I closed my eyes to try to think of the next thing to say.  That was not a bright thing to do.

Now it is time to roust the boy.

Have a nice day.

In the Wayback Machine and Other Monday Musings

Ah, yes.  I went out with Benjamin Saturday, and took a trip into the Wayback Machine, reliving a very well done update of a classic cartoon from my childhood, Mr. Peabody and Sherman.  They were part of the additional cartoons that ran with The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, and also included Fractured Fairy Tales and Dudley Do-Right.  They were very clever, satirical cartoons, with enough adult references that they became fascinating to watch even as I grew older.

There have been a good number of movies made meant to connect with moviegoers nostalgic for old programs of their youth.  Very few of them succeed.  Mr. Peabody and Sherman is on e of the rare ones that do.  flashing through history in a fun and playful fashion, they emphasized the charm and strength in the relationship between the two, gave Sherman and interesting foil and developing friend in Penney.  The voice talents are very good, including a cameo  voicing by Mel Brooks

This might be a B+ where The Lego Movie is an A, but it is still a worthwhile trip to the movie theater.

------------------------------------------

I suppose I should say something about this being St. Patrick's Day.

It's St. Patrick's Day.

Don't get me wrong.  I respect and admire the Irish, and their cultural roots.  Heck, I'm part Irish.  But I have to be honest with you.  The holiday has never been that engaging to me.

I drink very little.  I'm not quite a teetotaler, but it is fairly rare and inconsequential when I do.  The wearing of the green was earlier in my life mostly a shield from not getting pinched.  I've never been around that many people who were very intense about the holiday.

And that's particularly true now. All holidays in the first three and a half months are greatly diminished.  Martin Luther King's Day and President's Day are virtually ignored.  The only recognition at my work that those two are holidays would be this conversation -

"Hey, I can't get The Bank of the Rock to come to the phone!"

"Oh, I think it's some kind of bank holiday."


Aaaaaand that's it!  For Valentine's Day, one or two people might leave early (6 instead of 7 or later), and that's about it.

I don't think anyone I work with would notice whether you're wearing green or not.  I don't think anyone will mention the holiday, even in passing.  Even clients who come in - mentioning that is St. Patrick's day is the furthest thing from their mind.

-------------------------------------

The Wizard of Oz wrapped up at WACT.  They sold out virtually every show, and had a spectacular run.  The cast and crew have posted hundreds of photos and dozens of posts about the show and their fondness for it and the people in it.  It's been fun to see, but sometimes I feel like a starving orphan with his face pressed up against the window of the candy store.

--------------------------------------

Fiction writing is becoming harder, but I did manage a chapter part of History of the Trap.  I wish I had time and the brain wattage to do a chapter of both that and Crowley Stores each week, but that is just not happening.

---------------------------------------

Brief political interlude: update of the speculatron - looks to me like a Clinton/Bush confrontation in 2016, like it or not.  I can't believe someone as off the deep end as Rand Paul will be a contender, but he is the front runner of the far right challengers.  The 2014 elections I have a great deal of fear for.  At this point, I am scared that rationality will not prevail, and that the Republicans will hold the House and take back the Senate.  This will be a terrible, terrible thing if it happens, and I'm not sure it's what the majority of Americans want, but what with the lower, more conservative voter turnout in midterms, it's probably what they're going to get.

---------------------------------

72.4% of tax season is complete. Whoopity-doopity-doo.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

History of the Trap: August Blues Part 2

2

It should be noted that Sue Boschman was a very pretty girl.  Yes, she wore glasses, and was not as fastidious with her brunette hair or worried about her clothing as much as others did.  Sometimes she switched into the extra jeans that were available, but most of the time she wore a navy blue skirt that came to just above her knees.  She always wore a pair of penny loafers that were just beginning to wear out.  That was an issue not fully faced up to, as there were not as many extra shoes as they was clothing.  The administration did its best to enforce a no barefoot policy in the building, but was sometimes more lax out of doors. 

She wore the washer with the industrial diamond on it on her wedding finger.  I think in her mind they were husband and wife.  The ceremony they had planned was just going to be a formality. 

The thing that was beautiful about Sue was, like Lisa, her bright and intelligent mind.  I think that's what attracted Tom to her.  He just loved the way her mind could go a mile a minute.  Even if some of her ideas were outlandish, they reflected a brilliant imagination and a fiercely independent logic.  Although I didn't buy the conservative hysteria that surrounded it, at that point in time I ground her belief that what we were experiencing might be a military experiment gone awry, as credible as anything else I'd heard.

But all of that was unraveling for Sue.  She looked not fit anymore, but thin and haggard.  There were dark circles under her eyes, and she had traded her skirt out, only wearing jeans and a t-shirt she did not tuck in.  She smelled funky, most likely not having bathed since the tunnel collapse.  Lisa spent a lot of time with her, trying to get her talking, trying to help her move forward.

I spent less time with Lisa, partly as a consequence of the time she needed to spend with Sue.  I did not mind that all.  I was worried about Sue as well.  Also in the back of my mind was my meeting with David Izzner.  Yes, he clearly said he was going to back off the two of us, but that didn't alleviate all my concern.

One night, as I sat nearby trying to write the next episode of The Sands of Loren (the little soap opera felt more stupid to me than ever, but it was an important part of helping to distract us and move forward, so like it or not, it was my small bit to help), when I heard Lisa trying to talk Sue away from the abyss.

"I'm telling you, Lisa, there is a reason they won't let us down there, "rattled Sue, in a breathless conspiratorial tone.  "They don't want us to stumble into who're keeping us here.  Tom was on the verge of opening up a way out, and I don't think the explosion came from him."

"It was an accident, Sue," said Lisa, trying to rationalize with her.  "David Yankovich thought he knew what he was doing with the explosions, but he didn't.  Tom knew that but couldn't stop him."

"Oh, really?  Well, if Tom knew that, why didn't he stay further away from the site of the detonation?  Why didn't he keep more people farther back?"

"I think he was just doing his best to make sure it worked.  Tom was a hero.  You know that.  I'm sure he tried to do what he could," reassured Lisa.

Sue looked at Lisa as if she just wasn't getting it, as if she were missing the logic to a basic algebra problem.  "That's just it, Lisa!  Tom would have known how to protect people.  From David's detonation, yes.  But not the military when they fired back to close up the opening we created."

"Well, I don't really think that's what happened.  Nothing anyone has said has indicated that here was a second explosion.  None of the survivors saw anything like that."

"Really?  How do you know?  Have you been done there?  Has anyone besides administrators and staff been down there?  They won't let any students go down there.  Why do you think that is?  Because they're afraid of what we'll find!"

Lisa was puzzled.  "What do you mean?  You don't believe Principal Martin?  I'm sure that he...."

"Hush!" interrupted Sue.  "His son is right there!  Sure, I like Lance, and he's your boyfriend and all, but that's his father!  How do you know he's not in on it?"

I got up and told Lisa I was leaving to go to the TV studio.  What Sue was saying was ridiculous, but I didn't want to inhibit their conversation, or Lisa's opportunity to help her out.  As difficult as it was, I felt like I had to give them the space to work it out.

There were innumerable conversations between them over the next couple of weeks.  Sometimes Lisa would just hold her, sitting silently together.  At times Sue would seem a little better, and at other times almost catatonic. And then she would have almost manic states, animatedly insisting that we needed to go down into the tunnels and find evidence that it was the military that trapped us.

On Thursday, August 23rd, Lisa frantically came to me and Artie, upset that she could not find Sue anywhere.  We enlisted the aide of my father and the administration, fearing where she had gone.

She was found early the next day.  She had slipped down into the tunnels by herself. They found her at the very heart of the explosion site, on a pile of rubble.  She was holding a bouquet of lilacs and wildflowers, purple and yellow, with green grasses and brown twigs.  When and where she gathered them, we never knew.

Was she trying to find a way out?  Was she just getting close to the place where she thought her lover had breathed last?  We never really knew.

She laid there, a slight smile on her face, her eyes open, seeing only whatever the dead see.  It was concluded that she asphyxiated, but no one was quite sure how.  Was it suicide, or was she killed here?  If it was suicide, did she do it alone, or did she get help?  The only thing Vice Principal Tate and his investigators could conclude was that there were no other fresh footprints but hers.

We had thought that maybe with the tunnel collapse, the most horrible times were behind us.  We were wrong.

Ripping Good Yarns: Marvel Joins the Whedonverse

The amazing cast of Agents of Shield!  From left to right, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Ming-Ne Wen as Agent Melinda May, Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Chole Bennet as Skye, Ian De Casetecker as Leo Fitz, and Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons.

I ain't gonna kid you.

The best television creator is Joss Whedon.  Period.  Buffy, Firefly, Angel, Doll House - the list goes on and on.  Not to mention his work on the Avengers, helping it become the third highest grossing movie of all time.

And now he is bringing the Marvel world of characters to television.  The Agents of Shield has been a great show so far, with it's great strength lying in  it's well drawn and vibrant characters.  Ably led by Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, every episode is bringing the cast into sharper focus.  Whedon is particularly adept at creating incredibly strong and incredible women, women that defy stereotypes.  Ming-Na Wen is the most physically strong member of the group, playing Agent Melinda May, and with an understated quietness to her character. Even with that reserve, each episode is revealing more and more about her. Chole Bennet is fabulous as the junior computer whiz who has hacked her way onto the unit - she is a beautiful actress and has a Buffy level awesomeness to her character.

Each and every character is sharply defined and getting more interesting each episode. One of the key ingredients to a successful fantastical story is to inhabit it with very real characters.  And like Stephen King in the book world, Joss Whedon is an absolute master at this in television and movies.

The ratings for this Marvel-lous series have been good but not spectacular.  They have been far superior to any other  Whedon show (his fans are very dedicated, but not as many as for some of the lowest common denominator shows).  If had any recommendation for the show, it would be to go bigger in including them in the Marvel Universe.  This isn't Smallville - don't be afraid of capes.  The most recent episode involved two Asgardians, Sif and Lorelia (a version of the Enchantress), and the ratings were improved significantly from other recent episodes.

Of course, the improved ratings could also be due to NCIS being a repeat.  Sigh.  Yes, I have a lot of Rippers who follow this show.  But many of you may have the ability to record programs, and/or stream them.  Please do so!  I think it if you give it a few episodes, you too will start to fall for the characters, and become happy members of the Whedonverse.

And the more of you that join in, the better case we can make to bring back the crown jewel of the Whedonverse...........Firefly!

Long live the Browncoats!

Our Cowardly Lion

That's my son, Benjamin Strait, as the Cowardly Lion, in the Flying Dragon's first production of The Wizard of Oz, back in 2011.  He gave a wonderful performance, charming the audience.  Here he is either in mid-roar or mid-yawn.

I played the Wizard that year, and here we are just outside the theatre, ready to greet the patrons as they come out.

Here he is, all curled up by the beauticians of Oz.  Also in the picture is Amara Grace Jeffords, putting in a super performance as Dorothy.  Over the course of three years, many children got the opportunity to play Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and all the parts in Oz.  Flying Dragon is a great place for children to gain experience and confidence.

Benjamin puts up his dukes.

The entire cast of Flying Dragon's 2011 Wizard of Oz.


Flying Dragon is a wonderful organization,  achieving an important role and service for our children, connecting them with the arts, inspiring them, helping them grow and gain in talent and confidence.  They have put on many great shows over the last five plus years, and have given many, many, children their first stage exposure.

But the fact is that more people came out to see the Wizard of Oz at the Ritz in one performance than saw the entire run of Flying Dragon's 2013  Wizard.  More people will see WACT's Wizard in one weekend than will have seen all three years of the runs Flying Dragon did.

Flying Dragon deserves your support.  They perform a vital community service.  They need your attendance.  They need your financial support.  The Jeffords and other core families have struggled heroically to keep this worthy enterprise afloat, but they need your kind help to keep going, and to get stronger and better.

They have a great show coming up in late March, called Beauty is the Beast.  It is important to note that they also support local playwrights as well, including Chris Jeffords, Kimberly Beck, Jason Chancey, Rem Farr, Barbara Griffin, and little ol' me.  Please keep watching The Strait Line for news of Beauty is the Beast, and other upcoming productions, and help give this fine theater the support it deserves.

Last Chance Weekend to be Off to See the Wizard!

Sarah Elizabeth Crutcher was a magnificent Dorothy,  not just because of her excellent singing and stage presence, but because she clearly showed the most important part of Dorothy's character that is sometimes overlooked - spunk.  Dorothy is supposed to be a spunky, determined woman, with a spirited imagination and great confidence.  L. Frank Baum was an early feminist, and featured many strong female characters in his books, and Dorothy is a leading light amongst them. Bravo, Sarah!

The Scarecrow represents the American Farmer, and this group had many struggles at the time L Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz.  Naive, but with a native intelligence that often didn't get acknowledged, he was often strung up and controlled by financial forces and climate woes beyond his control.  Blake Kildow plays this seminal character without a single false note, in one of the best theatrical performances I have seen.  His voice and mannerisms are always completely correct, and he conveys perfectly that newborn naivete, but with an underlying intelligence that eventually shines through.

The Tin Man is the American Worker, trying to do with increasing industrialization and mechanization. Despite the dehumanizing nature of his work, the true spirit and heart of the American Worker comes through. Michael Kwalei Jaleel Hawkins plays the part brilliantly, letting the tender, human nature of the mechanical man shine through.

L Frank Baum based The Cowardly Lion on one of his favorite politicians, William Jennings Bryan, a man  who ran for President as the Democratic nominee, and lost all three times.  He felt that Bryan's bluster was greater than his bite.  Stephen McQuaig as The Cowardly Lion is a genuine show stealer, with a woof and a woof and a royal growl!

The Wicked Witch of the West represented the wild, untamed forces of the western parts of the United States, and the more elemental parts of  nature.  She is also another strong, female character from L Frank Baum, representing a different side of femininity.  She is almost gleeful in her desire not to be controlled by anyone, and it took musicals and rethinkings like Wicked to truly see the richness of this character.  Nadine Sbriglia Borelli does an excellent job of letting the richness of this character come through, so that she is more than just a Snidely Whiplash.

Ah, the Wizard!  He represents all the cheap, little politicians in Washington who live by the motto, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bulls----"  Mark Williams plays him to a tee, the bluster and charm of the Great American Con Man abundantly clear.


If you have not reserved seats to see The Wizard of Oz this weekend, you must do so NOW!!!  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, call 283-2161 and make your reservations NOW!!!  It is selling out at record speed!

Thursday through Saturday at 8.  Sunday Matinee at 2:30.  At the Ritz.

The Year's Shortest Weekend and Other Monday Musings

Dorothy and her magnificent friends, the highlights of another triumph by WACT at the Ritz.

I don't care what the clock says.  

It's really 5 AM as I write this, not 6 AM.

Thank you, powers that be, for making the shortest weekend of the year in the middle of tax season.  One less hour to enjoy on an already brief weekend.  Oh, well.  It's over and done now.  Sooner or later, my biological clock will adjust.  

------------------------------------

On the bright side, we enjoyed a magnificently performed musical at the Ritz Saturday night.  We saw The Wizard of Oz, and the performances were excellent.  Great set and staging, and with a live orchestra!  Both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon were sold out, and the crowds loved it!

This was not a straight interpretation of the movie, or the book, but a very interesting retelling, with enough interesting changes to keep even the most dedicated Oz-a-phile on their toes.  I wasn't completely surprised because I had seen the version a long time ago when I was living in Stone Mountain, but I don't think many people have seen it.  If you are anywhere near Waycross, or can be this weekend, and you have not seen it yet, you owe yourself to go ahead and make reservations right now.  It will be performed Thursday to Saturday night at 8 PM, and Sunday afternoon at 2:30.

--------------------------

Lent is now officially underway.  Ash Wednesday service was very nice, and so was the first Sunday in Lent.  Traditions and the style of worship changes slightly.  The altar is more "stripped down", and the service is simplified in some ways.  I will not be able to participate in as much as I would like, but I will be doing everything I can.

My step down of use of social media has not been easy.  It is hard not to share and engage.  But I continue to post blog stories and other basic tasks, including direct messages and e-mails.

---------------------------

66% of tax season is complete.  Whoopee do.

------------------------------

The missing plane out of Malaysia is very baffling story, almost like a real life Lost.  Hopefully, we will find out more in the next week, for the sake of those families who have loved ones that were aboard.  There is a ton of speculation as to what happened, but no one has a solid idea yet.  The boarding of people with stolen passports is deeply troubling.

-----------------------

Benjamin and I spent an hour or so Saturday at a Community Yard Sale that occupied much of downtown Blackshear.  It was overall nice to get with Benjamin, and we saw some friends and family, but it was kind of depressing to see books go so cheaply.  One table basically told me to just take the books for free - they just seemed to want them gone.

---------------------------

It was a down weekend for writing,  I received some negative news about some of my attempts to get published, and I was rather discouraged.  Nothing fictional emerged from me.  I shook my feelings off long enough to post something from my Dad's genealogical research, but that was about it.

I'll get back on the horse again, no matter how much it's like tilting at windmills.  Better that than giving up.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Stories from a Stony Land: The Last Will and Testament of Mary Long Straight

The Last Will and Testament of Mary (Long) Straight

My father continues his research into our early family with more court documents.  It is a natural consequence of reaching that far back, but is revealing of the differences and similarities of that time with ours.  This was written in 1750, seven years before her death in 1757.  I have tried to preserve my father's recording of it as accurately as possible.

In the name of God, Amen, the fifteenth day of September in the year of our Lord God One Thousand Seven Hundred & Fifty, I, Mary Straight of East Greenwich in the county of Providence in the colony of Rhode Island, & a widow being weak in body by reason of age, but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God; therefore calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, have made this to my last will and testament, that is to say principally and first of all, I recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it; and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a Christian like and decent manner at the discretion my Executor hereafter named, nothing doubting but I shall receive the same the same a gain; at Resurrection at the last day, and as for the earthly estate where with it pleased God to bless me with, in this life I give demise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form ------------

First I will that me debts that I engrtght (??? - not able to translate word here from my Dad's notes) or conscience owe any person or persons; with my funeral charges be paid and discharged in convenient time after my decease ---------

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved grandson John Straight now residing in Coventry my feather bed and coverhead and bolster and piller and bedstead; and one puter platter marked N.S. and one pair of tonges to him my said grandson John Straight his heirs and assigns forever-----------likewise  I give and bequeath unto my aforesaid grandson John Straight my iron kittle to him and his heirs and assigns forever--------------

Item: I give and bequeath unto my cozen Thomas Shippey my iron pot to him his heirs and assigns forever-------------

Item: I give and bequeath unto my cozen Sarah Bentley my two quart puter bayson, to her, her heirs and assigns forever-------------

Item: I give and bequeath to my cozen Anne Spink my three pint puter bayson to her, her heirs and assigns forever-------------

Item: I give and bequeath to my sister Shippey widow my clothes box, to her, her heirs and assigns forever--------------

Item: My will is that my loving cozen John Tarbox sell my cow after my deceased and pay to my grandson John Straight's seven children: ten shillings apeice (VIZ)  (my Dad wrote in notes here to indicate that a pound was roughly 20 shillings, and that one shilling was 12 pence (pennies)): to Thomas, to Phebe, to William, to Hannah, to Henry, to John and Job: to each ten shillings as aforesaid, and the rest to defray my funeral; with all the rest and residue of my estate I give and bequeath to: aforesaid cozen John Tarbox, whom I make and appoint whole and sole executor of this last will and testament; utterly revoking all other and former wills and bequests whatsoever ratifying and confirming & no other be my last will and testament:

In witness wherof I have hereunto set my hand seal ye day and year above written------------

Signed sealed published pronounced and declared in the presences of us

Here follows names of witness and the county clerk, and finally Mary Long Straight.  As mentioned earlier, Mary lived a long life, dying in 1757 at 92.  Whether this was truly the final will or not, I don't know.  It is the one in the records that my father was able to find.

Bust My Buttons! Who Rang That Opening Bell?

What a magnificent cast!  This awesome group of thespians opened The Wizard of Oz last night to great fanfare and success!  It continues this weekend tonight and Saturday at 8, with a Sunday matinee at 2:30, and then next week Thursday through Saturday at 8 and one more Sunday matinee at 2:30.  The cast and costumes look fantastic.  Note the green one in the back - who could that be?  The Cowardly Lion, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and Dorothy all look amazing,  And Toto/  Toto too!

Our four heroes!  I have seen Sarah Crutcher  (Dorothy) and Blake Kildow (The Scarecrow) in other plays and musicals before, and the area just does not have finer talent than these two.  I have heard many, many fine things about The Cowardly Lion  and The Tin Man (Stephen McQuaig and Michael Kwalei Jaleel Hawkins).  Yes, as of writing this, I have not been privileged enough to see the show yet, but we are getting tickets for Saturday night.  Have you reserved your tickets yet?

Two of my closest friends making their stage debut at the Ritz, Kimberly Beck (center) and her daughter Emily (not the one with green hair - Ty Etheridge).

Another good friend, Michael Lee, with Kimberly, in a picture that I hope is not representative of a shotgun wedding.

UPDATE:  I have seen the play and it is indeed through the roof awesome!  One more weekend to see this show, and please be warned.....call and reserve early because these shows have been selling out!

This a special version with many interesting variations, one of which, I have to admit, is that NO ONE RINGS A BELL!  Which makes the title of this story somewhat inaccurate.

Oh, well.  No plan is perfect.

The Circle of Debt

I have a friend who detests President Obama, and to be fair, many other politicians, because they spend more than they take in. Any conversation about politics may result in him popping up the debt clock on his computer, it's numbers furiously clicking higher.

Like President Clinton before him, President Obama has substantially reduced the deficit, at a faster clip than anyone thought possible.  We are not yet in a surplus situation, but the current President was left in a much deeper hole by his predecessor, really earth-shattering deficits.

The deficit, although shrinking, could shrink faster if we had a Congress willing to more aggressively spend our way out of the near-depression we were in, or raise additional revenues.  But with the Republican Party firmly in the grips of the far right Tea Party, we're lucky to have paved roads much less an economic recovery.

I pointed out the rapidly shrinking deficit to him, and he quickly declared that didn't matter a whit, and popped back up the rapidly whirring debt clock.

I sympathize. I really do.  In the long run, the debt could cause some problems.  If it exceeded a certain ratio of GDP, and others believed that the United States would not honor its debts, it could be bad.  Which is why the Tea Party playing chicken with whether to raise the debt ceiling was so dangerous. It led to the perception that we might just be stupid enough to default.  We are still suffering the effects of that moronic brinkmanship.

The national debt is NOT like your family budget.  You can't create Treasury bonds.  You can't print money. You don't have to smooth out the macro-economics of a nation, and often an entire planet.

Restoring the economy after a recession, protecting the country in case of crisis and conflict, helping the disadvantaged (we're not really Ayn Randian Social Darwinists are we?), education and infrastructure are vitally important as well.  More important than the size of the debt at any particular moment.  The greatest cure for resolving these problems is a growing economy, and it takes money to make money.  Austerity will lead to decline and doom, whereas targeted investment is the best shot at restored prosperity, particularly a prosperity that extends to all, and not just a few at the top.

The debt problem, such as it is, may never be solved.  That's because as soon as we get into surplus, the politicians go crazy.  They increase spending on stupid stuff, cut taxes (particularly to the wealthy), enlarge corporate subsidies.  This is not academic or theoretical.  It's already happened.  It took a couple of short years for President Bush Jr, to turn our surpluses into massive deficits. Yes, either political side is capable of doing this, but frankly, Republicans have made it an art-form in the modern era.

So, my friend, I think the President is doing the best he can with the deficit AND the debt.  If you want more done, you;ll have to take a more careful look at who you vote for in the legislative races, and the messages we send them. The quicker we help each other, the faster the economy will grow.  The faster the economy grows, the more in control the debt becomes.

And So Lent Begins

It's Ash Wednesday.  And the beginning of Lent.  Time to put away the beads and the fat of Shrove Tuesday, and live a leaner, more reflective life.

Lent is a time of contemplation and reflection, the forty days (excluding Sundays)  leading up to Easter and the Resurrection.  It is a  tradition practiced by many churches, including Anglican and Catholic churches, and is at least recognized to one degree or another by a good number of other churches.

It is a time of prayers, reflection and atonement.  We have a family devotional that we intend to use, that offers a bible quote, a short commentary, and a prayer, for every day of Lent.  Our church also has Wednesday evening Lenten services that will be difficult for me to get to, but I think that Alison and Benjamin may try to attend.  We will be doing the Stations of the Cross on Friday afternoons, an important ritual that takes you step by step through the final days leading to Easter.

It is a time for fasting and sacrifice.  The church Wednesday suppers are soup.  There may be some missed or stepped back meals throughout Lent.

Coming during tax season, the sacrifice part has always been  a little tricky to figure out, as I am already giving up quite a bit.  The point is to get in better tune with Christ.  It does not necessarily have to be something you give up - it may be something that just puts you more in Christ, and being a faithful servant.

It could be adding another level of prayer or devotion.  I started reading a chapter a day of the bible during Lent one year, and it continued through the many months it took to get through the whole bible (including the apocrypha).  I read it including some commentary found in the Oxford Bible.

It could be something you do to be a better steward in Christ.  Giving more of yourself to a worthy cause, helping those in need, becoming the hands and feet of Christ in serving the needs of your community, stepping up your financial commitment - these are all ways to participate in the spirit of Lent.

It could be a sacrifice of something that you enjoy, something to sharpen your sense of surrender and purpose, a very small measure of the sacrifice Jesus made.  It could be a food item, or category of foods.  In various years I have given up Colas, pizzas, sweets, etc.  I joke that I will give up tax returns for Lent, but somehow that never seems to work out.

This year, I am stepping down my participation in social media.  If you are connected to me through it, I will still post from my blog, maintain the Writer's Guild, and continue with the Song of the Day.  I will happily answer private messages and e-mails.  It may not seem like much, but for someone with mild selective mutism, written social media is my dominant way of interacting with people.

I got a few Facebook posts off my chest last night, in preparation for the drought.  About the really repulsive way some on the right have been glorifying Putin as a strong leader to contrast with Obama being a weak leader.....watching the right and my conservative friends scramble to object to whatever the President does...trying to scope out whatever position is the opposite of his.  About my quixotic journey to get an Obamacare hater to come up with a coherent plan to cover and protect MILLIONS of Americans with health insurance....I have been asking this question for months and have had no takers...it is so much easier to snipe from the sidelines than to come up with something concrete....and they have so much trouble because we already have the REPUBLICAN plan, which Obamacare largely is...to go further right is a descent into madness and cruelty, into the abyss of Ayn Randian Social Darwinism.  About my quest to get comic books to use whole numbers...okay that one is probably gonna take too long to explain...trust me, it's important to me.

Anyways, may your Lenten season be one of devotion and reflection, an important part of your faith journey, as you discover how best to be the hands and feet of Christ!

Peace be with you!