Throwing It Back as Far as I Can

Who that baby?  That baby me!  Who that Mama?  That Mama mine!  I found a baby album that has my first pictures in it, and this one is the first picture in that album.  Notice I already got me some hair.  I weren't ever no bald baby.

Now I master the stroller kingdom!  I am Lord of all I survey!  I am the King of....ah!  The sun!  It burns!  It burns!  Yes, the very beginnings of my sun sensitivity.

Hey, yo.  That's right.  I'm with my Mama.  This picture is later than the first since I'm dressed for colder weather.  Let's see, I was born in Michigan in June, so this is most likely.....AUGUST.

With my beloved Grandma Martin.  Good thing I got a coat on and my head is covered.  Wait...are my legs bare?  What th'?

My Mama and Daddy.  Good Lord, is he tall!  So maybe I'll be tall someday too!  ....OK, no such luck.  But at least my own sons got that gene from Gene and are all taller than me, even 13-year-old Benjamin.

Oh, yes. It's Michigan.  Where they bundle the babies tight and make them twice their size, bundled so think we can stand up in chairs.  All that's missing are the idiot mittens, the ones that have a string attaching one mitten to the other, so, as Bill Cosby says, you can pull on one mitten and smack yourself in the face with the other.

Ripping Good Yarns: Third Annual Favorite Genre Awards

Continuing our glorious television awards, we have our third year winners in the division of specific genres.  Most of this is a gut reaction based on past general comments by Rippers, and by my own choices.  I did not get sufficient votes in most categories to make a vote count be the determinant of the outcome.  We'll work on that, and as the Ripper Movement continues to gain strength, we will have more input to make these decisions.

All categories do not include shows that have won one of our previous awards.

But enough general jawboning.  Let's get on with the awards!

Favorite Science Fiction Show:    

Orphan Black 

Lead actress Tatiana Maslaney is brilliant in multiple (and I do mean MULTIPLE) roles! Rich and imaginative show that had both Alison and myself on the edge of our seats in anticipation.  The fact that Tatiana Maslaney is not nominated for an emmy is one of the great award slights of the century!

Favorite Medical Drama:

Gray's Anatomy
Who can argue with all the years of success of this show?  I've never watched it, but I know it has loyal fans among our Rippers.

Favorite Horror Show:

American Horror Story: Coven

Eerie...creepy..imaginative...this clever cast of witches kept you horrified and guessing right up until the very end!  Jessica Lange is an extraordinary actress and deserves every award she can get.  A great anthology, with a different story-line each year, using an ensemble cast who get to play completely different roles each season.

Favorite Fantasy Show:


Once Upon A Time


Disney figures out once again how to make money off of fairy tale characters.  But they do it so well, who can complain?  Great show, and can't wait to see where they go next season!

Favorite Mystery/Detective Show:


The Blacklist

The Blacklist has been a real gem this season, one that Alison and I follow with much anticipation of it's twists and turns.  James Spader is exceptional as the lead, who is both hero and villain.  When it is at its best, it's almost cinematic in its quality, like watching a first rate movie. his is a great show, slow but moody, building up a storyline over a whole season.

Favorite Western:


Hell On Wheels


I really like this show.  It has been very good, and has shown a lot of potential.  It is a gritty, realistic western.  I'm not trying to take away from this quality drama when I say that I can't think of any other western on television.  I really like this kind of show, and wish there were more of them.  Let's bring back the western!


The next and final category for our television programs will be nominees to the Ripping Good Yarn Hall of Fame.  What are your favorite shows of all time?  Please only nominate shows that are no longer on the air,  also no reality , game or news shows.  M*A*S*H and Seinfeld should not be nominated, as they have already won in previous years, and are our first two entrants.  But now it needs some company!  So get your nominating hats on, Rippers!  You have the whole history of television before you!

C'mon, fellow Rippers!  Let the nominations begin!

Sweet Sweet Sally, Our New Foster

We have a brand new foster at the Strait house.

Now that Ethan (briefly Coney) has been successfully adopted by a local family, it did not take us long to get a new foster dog.  

Her name is Sally, and although you might not be able to tell from the picture, she is in the small dog category.  She is short and long, and we were told that Corgi is part of her mix.  

She is of extremely sweet temperament, and gets along well with our family, pets and people alike.  She has undergone heart-worm treatment, and like Ethan, she will need to be kept as calm as possible the next few weeks.  That is why you see her on a leash in the above picture.  Even though our backyard is fenced, she's not yet ready to run around.

We foster small to medium dogs because that is what fits into our household best.  Unfortunately, the needs for care of big dogs is probably greater in our area.  Some people tend to get dogs too big for what they can accommodate, and there tends to be more big dogs in the shelters than small.  There are foster families that specialize in larger dogs, but the numbers of these dogs almost always overwhelm capacity.

I will try to run more stories of Sally, especially as she gets closer to adoption.  For all those who help support local shelters, for those who open their homes to fosters and rescue pets, for all those who love and cherish and take proper care of your pets, I thank you.

With education, love AND improved financial resources, we can turn this around.

Terrifically Tardy Tuesday Tidbits

I have been laid low today.

Missing a rare work day due to not feeling well.  It has taken me awhile to face the computer today, but I am finally recovered enough to do it.  I normally write my blog stories at around 6 in the morning, and I am writing this one at 4 in the afternoon.

Nothing major.  Fever that is now over, nausea that has eased, dizziness that has diminished, and foot pain that I thought I was over.  I expect to be back to my regular schedule tomorrow.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did get to re-read The Dixie Swim Club, the play that I will be directing at WACT.  It is a very funny play, with characters you can care about.   The key to success is to have well-attended rehearsals where the comedy is timed to the tee, and the actresses get to build up the rapport with each other that convinces the audience that these are close, lifelong friends.

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I still have no pictures of our new foster dog, Sally.  Hopefully, that will be rectified soon.  She is sweet, recovering from heart-worm treatments, and deserves to be seen.

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Impeachment.  Seriously?  Can anyone tell me what the hell they are thinking?  Of all the Presidents in my lifetime, I cannot think of a President LESS impeachable than President Obama.  Just remember, if the Republicans win the Senate, this is the kind of madness/crap we'll hear for the next few years.  Meanwhile, any problem we need to solve will be completely ignored.

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I am horrified by what is happening in Gaza.  I don't have any great insights, other than I hope John Kerry and others keep the pressure up for negotiation.  There has to be a better solution to their problems than this madness.

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To all my young friends who are gearing up to start a new year of school and/or college, I wish you the best! Learning is fun, and participation in extra curriculars can really make school special.  We are looking into the possibility of Benjamin starting Chorus.  He has developed a deep, rich bass voice, and I think he would have a lot of fun doing it.

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I had been cleaning my study, trying to get my writing refocused, when I ran across a couple of old yearbooks from my high school.  That was a great trip back in time.  Gives me some great new ideas for characters in History of the Trap.

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I have two important gentlemen in my life going through some serious hip and back problems.  Dr. Ray Eleazar, whom I know from church, and has always been kind and appreciative to me  is one of them, and is undergoing a painful recovery at the local hospital.  Jack McDevitt, the best-selling science fiction, and with whom I shared so much time with at a recent Writer's Conference, has undergone hip surgery, and is now at home for a long recovery.  Prayers and thoughts for both of them would be greatly appreciated.


Best wishes to everybody,

T. M. Strait

Dawn of the Work Week and Other Monday Musings

Please....excuse me a moment while I do a "we got to see a movie last weekend" dance!

Please...excuse me a moment while I replace a lamp.

Okay.

It was worth the wait.  If there was going to be such a long gap between trips to the movie theater, I'm glad this was the movie I came back to see.  Extraordinary story extraordinarily done well.

I won't spoil the story, but suffice to say that, for a story centered so on apes, it was a very "human" story.  The foibles that lead us into horrible. out of control conflicts were very much in evidence. It shows, on both sides, how an individual's bad actions can reverberate and poison everything, and what following leaders out of fear can lead to.

Sometimes when they do large numbers of apes, you're a little conscious of the manipulation of CGI.  But when the movie focused on small groups of apes, the personality of the apes came through loud and clear, sometimes even more clearly than the human characters.

The Strait family gives this movie two enthusiastic thumbs up!  It is a bit intense, however, so it is not for the wee ones.

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Speaking of movies, next weekend we will make it two in a row by attending our most anticipated movie of the summer, The Guardians of the Galaxy.  We are big fans of Chris Pratt, and of the Director, James Gunn, so we intend to be some of the first to see it.  Which means I should finally be able to give you a timely review.  Woohoo!

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We have a new foster dog!  Her name is Sally.  I don't know what her real mix is, but she looks like a cross between a corgi, a boxer, and a tiger.  Pictures soon!

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I have decided to direct a play at WACT (Waycross Area Community Theater).  It will be my first time directing since Young Robin Hood almost two years ago at Flying Dragon, where I had A LOT of help from my friend, Karissa Cook.  This time I may be more on my own, and the play is The Dixie Swim Club.  It is about the funniest script I have ever read, and it features five women who will age in the play from mid-forties to mid-seventies.  And who better than me to understand what women go through in dealing with life over the years?

Oh.  I might have to re-think this.  What did you say, WACT?  It's too late to change my mind?  Oh well, then.  BRING IT!!!

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Another reminder to my friends of this blog, on Facebook, or those who actually get to see me as a physical entity.  I am an intensely political person, and I make no apologies for that.  Not only that, I am highly aware that my politics differ than most of the people in the area that I live.  I am aware that I have cherished, conservative friends, some whose politics make me weep.  I also have MANY friends who squint and squirm at any politics, as if they were approaching a very smelly outhouse.  Just keep in mind that I will not back down in this area, and that there will be politics on The Strait Line, and on my interactions and postings on Facebook.  You can tune me out altogether, or just turn a blind eye to that part of it.  But it's not going to stop.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Hobby Lobby and Democracy's End Saturday Political Soap Box 88

It's taken me awhile to follow up on this.  This atrocious decision has been forced out of the headlines, by stories both domestic (child refugees from Central America, the Morons for Impeachment drive) and foreign (civilian planes shot down, Gaza, disruption in Iraq).  But just because something isn't driving the current headlines doesn't lessen the damage that it is doing.

Why is this one of the Supreme Court's worse decision ever, ranking up there with Dredd Scott, Bush v. Gore, and Citizen's United?  Let me count the ways -


1) It damages our commitment to each other's health care.


So sorry, my conservative friends.  Health care is a right.  It's our right as an American.  It's our right as a human being.  And this decision stomps on that right by trying to devalue part of the contract we have made with each other to take care of each other.

Insurance systems work best the more inclusive they are.  The greater the pool is, the lower the costs for everyone.  This works in any type of insurance.  You need low risk people to take your policies as well as high risk.

That means when people try to a la carte their services, restrict it to just the ones they believe in, the costs go up for everyone else.

Don't believe in birth control, or you take pride in holding the inaccurate, unscientific view that some of the methods are abortion drugs?  Fine.  DON'T USE THEM.  I'm sure there are parts of the health care system that you will use abundantly that I and my family don't.

Why should I support smoking cessation programs when I don't smoke?  The fact that helping people get off cigarettes reduces ALL our medical costs is not my problem.  Same with drug rehabilitation.

If I'm a Jehovah Witness, why do I have to pay for your drug transfusion?  If I've signed a form for no extraordinary measures to cure or resuscitate someone, why should I help pay for someone else's extraordinary measures?

Because WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

You either get that or you don't.

2) It's a disgraceful, demeaning way to treat women.

Why do we constantly insist that we must place our self between a woman and her health care decisions?

Study after study has clearly shown that a society is at it's strongest when women are treated as equals, with full rights.  Democracy and civilization are only enhanced when we do so.  Don't believe it?  Look at the state of countries where women are treated even worse than they are here.  Those countries are dark, brutal, tyrannical places.  Think abortion is the worst problem in the world?  Try infanticide for sex selection, genital mutilation, no right to vote, women covered up and treated like possessions of property.  No, America is not as bad as that.  But we are not what we could be.

The whole focus on birth control reeks of the double standard.  I don't want to shock you but....men like sex.  Women like sex.  Adults have sex.  It's a natural part of things and it SHOULD be included in our health care system.  So stop it with the slut shaming crap.  I'm sick of hearing it.

And yes, there are women who use birth control for other than sexual activity.  You need to come to grips with that reality as well.

3)  We are making the rights of corporations greater than the rights of people.

This is so sad.  An employer can determine your access to parts of the health care program.  We have descended into madness.  Now not only are corporations people, but they are more important people than YOU are.  Insanity.  As George Orwell said in Animal Farm - "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

If Hobby Lobby wants to only carry Christmas crafts and not Hanukkah, more power to them.  But they have no business picking and choosing what laws they have to follow in regards to their employees.

The Supreme Court has busted through a wall of separation that we will all regret them breaking.  You're afraid of Big Government?  Increasingly in this country, what is Big Government?  As Bill Maher recently said "Big Government IS Big Business."

4)  You really want the Supreme Court picking what is religious or not?

This is so sad.  I have heard so much commentary that this is where it stops.  Really?  Why?  Because a few Supreme Court Justices say so?  That this is the one religious objection worthy of disrupting over 200 years of jurisprudence?  Why in the world do you think it will stop there?

They have already inundated the courts and process with additional changes.  Why cover birth control at all?  Why are conservative right wing Christian's grievances legitimate, but not any other groups?  

What if it's against my religious beliefs to support drones?  Can I opt out of that?  What about blood transfusions (Jehovah's Witnesses), mental health care (Scientologists), Shaira law (Islam), any medicine (Christian Scientist) and on and on and on?

They have opened Pandora's Box, and it will flood us with more and more, and the only way to stop it is if the composition of the Supreme Court changes.

My final recommendation to anyone who is even the slightest sympathetic to what I have stated here, besides boycotting Hobby Lobby?  Vote.  Vote in every election, not just the Presidential years.  We are the majority.

IF we decide to show up.

History of the Trap: November Harvest Part 2

2

Since I was the one who found her, her throat cut, sliding out of the chair, staring at me with blank eyes, I was the first one they questioned.  Mr. Tate grilled me intensely.  It wasn't that he didn't believe me.  He just could not afford to show favoritism to the Principal's son.

Fortunately, several people could verify my whereabouts before I went into the theatre.  We had no forensic science experts, but Mr. Bruchow, our biology teacher, was certain that she had to have been dead several hours before I arrived on the scene.  He based that on body temperature, and the early onset of rigor mortis. 

Robert Pelley was not so lucky.  After his outburst at the school dance, he was taken away by Mr. Tate, but they did not hold him overnight.  He was supposed to report to detention the next morning.  There was a room that used to be the foreign languages lab, with cubicles set up for hearing tapes, that was a perfect place to isolate those who acted up.  But the concept of overnight detention had not been necessary.  That would change.

So Robert's whereabouts were unverified from the time they released him at 11 PM.  They escorted him to the room that he normally slept in, with other boys with last names starting with the letter P.  Although one boy, Alex Parsons, remembered Pelley coming in, no one else could verify that he was there later, and Pelley was not there in the morning when the first of the group started to wake up.

Pelley reported to the detention room at 10 AM, the same time I was supposed to meet Lisa.  That was a full two hours later than he was supposed to have reported.  No one knew where he had been.  He was wearing a different shirt than he had worn the night before; not highly unusual, but not always the case given our limited clothing, particularly for someone his height.  The theory was that he had to change shirts because of blood splatter.  Robert had no explanation as to where the shirt was that he wore the night of the murder.  He couldn't remember where he put it.  A massive search began to try to find the missing shirt, but nothing came of it.

Despite his story inconsistencies, Robert Pelley insisted that he was innocent. Circumstantial evidence was not in his favor, and the administration had to decide what to do with him.  Mr. Tate just wanted him arrested, a confession obtained by any means, and then him permanently detained until the trap ended.  My father felt we should do more than that.  He was formally arrested and read his Miranda rights, as if we were still in America.  Then a lawyer was assigned to him, Mr. Branch, the social studies teacher who, with his wife, was responsible for the Jeopardy game.  Mr. Tate would lead the prosecution.  A trial was set to occur at the beginning of December.  There were to be three judges; my father, a representative from the teaching staff (Miss Schram, our journalism teacher) and a student representative (Jan Houser, our Student Council President, and well respected for being even handed and fair).  Mr. Branch protested that it was unfair, given the nature of the case, a violent attack on a woman, to have two females as judges.  He was overruled by my father.

There was to be no jury.  The judges would decide guilt or innocence, and the extent of the punishment.  My father would act as the presiding judge, and make the determinations regarding bench rulings and deciding attorney objections.

But what to do with him until the trial?  For all sides, it was decided that he should not just roam free.  Daytime detention was not enough. He needed to be confined day and night.

The shop wing of the school had several bays that were behind padlocked chain link fences.  One of those bays was cleared, and a cot was put into the room.  That was where Robert Pelley would stay; only coming out to be escorted to the rest room.  All his meals were taken there, and receive any visitors and attorney consultations.

It was the beginning of a jail setup, one that would be greatly expanded over time.  But more about that later, Doctor Duncan.

How did I feel about Robert?  At first, I spent a lot of time plotting in my head as to how I could sneak in and separate his head from his neck.  But the more I thought about it, the more I was just overcome with grief for Lisa.  Nothing I or anyone did would bring her back.  I wanted him to suffer, yes, but I was prepared to let justice take its course.

And there was a nagging doubt, a little buzzing in my mind, that maybe; just maybe, he was not the guilty party.  It all seemed a little to pat, a little too neat.  But perhaps I had just read and watched too many murder mysteries.  Too much Perry Mason.  Too much Sam Smith Private Eye.

So I was anxious for the trial as anyone else, to help resolve in quelling doubts.  Why was she there?  Did I miss-hear her?  Did she say "Meet me in ten" rather than "Meet me at ten?"  A witness in her room said she left the room very shortly after I left her there.  Was she killed because I misheard one word?

We all have things that haunt us.  Things that we fear would have happened differently if we had made different decisions.  I should have listened more carefully.  I should have never left her side.  If I was going to stop or kill Robert Pelley, or whoever committed this horrible crime, the best time to have done it was before they could hurt her.  Of all the demons that haunt us, maybe hindsight is the most terrible.

Ripping Good Yarns: Best Comedy Award 2013-14 Season!

My legion of Ripping Good Yarn fans, I am proud to announce the fourth award for 2013, given in the category of Comedy Series!  Two awards will be given in this category, one will be the Ripping Good Strait Award that is solely determined by me because well, to paraphrase one of my least favorite politicians, Ronald Reagan, "I own this microphone!"  The first will be the Ripping Good Fan award determined by all of your votes!

Ripping Good Fan Award, Comedy

About A Boy received 4% of the vote.

Parks and Recreation received 15% of the vote.

A Young Doctor's notebook received 20% of the vote.

The Big Bang Theory received 23% of the vote.

And the winner with 38% of the vote is....

Modern Family!

This amazing family comedy scores ahead of The Big Bang Theory for the first time in two years!  Each episode is like a mini-concert of events bwtween the three inter-related families.  It;s hard to pick a single standout in this well balanced cast, although my favorites are probably Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, the father who is 75% 13 year old boy, and Eric Stonestreet as Cam Mitchell, the more flamboyant and dramatic of the gay duo.  But my favorites can vary from episode to episode as different cast members shine. 

Ripping Good Strait Award, Comedy

Parks and Recreation!  

Alison and I streamed all the episodes of this program last year, and kept up to date this season.  What a great way to see a show, and what a great ensemble cast.  Leslie Knope is another Hall of Fame character, surrounded by an even more diverse and entertaining cast than The Big Bang Theory.  We love this show.

I had a lot of trouble getting votes for this one.  I reposted this blog story several times and got very little response.  It is only when I just listed the names of the shows in a post  that people finally responded.  That kind of breaks my heart, but what can you do?  Like Willy Loman, I can just take my briefcase full of blog, and keep trying to sell myself.  I am not averse to tilting at windmills.

The next set of awards will be genre specific, like science fiction, police procedural, mystery/thriller, horror, medical, and family drama.  Please let me know if you have any ideas in this regard.

Remember, we're looking for shows with compelling characters, colorful and exciting plot-lines, and continuing story elements.

Fellow Rippers, I await your input!  Well, you know.  Whatever I can get.

Plea From the Non-Poetic Heart

As you may have heard, this Friday is a very special event sponsored by the Okefenokee Writer's Guild.  We are having a Poet's Corner Night at the Okefenokee Heritage Center at 7 PM.  It is a first time event, and I'm very unsure of the crowd levels we'll get.  Barbara Griffin and Lamar Deal have done an incredible job promoting and preparing for the event.  I appreciate everything that they are doing.

I have poetry, but I've never had much confidence in it.  I have no ability to distinguish between the quality of the poems that I have, so I am highly unsure what if any I should try to read.

If anyone would like to check out the Strait Line for poetry, and note to me the ones you would most like to read, it would be of a great guidance to me.  You just go to my blog and follow the pseudo-poetry and psuedo-poetry labels.  Just let me know by comment or message if there is one that you thing would be good for me to read.

I will be reposting on Facebook different poem possibilities over the next couple of days.  If you happen to read and like it, please mark it like on Facebook, and I will read those poems most liked.  Based on the reaction to my Song of the Day feature, or my sparse voting in the Ripping good Yarn contests, this may not be very promising, but hey, what else can I do?

Thanks,

T. M. Strait

Writer's Block and Other Monday Musings

This weekend there was a BLOCK of great writers, at the Wayne County Writer's Conference,  a block that included the Wayne County Arts Council House of the Arts and the neighboring Jesup Presbyterian Church.

Some forty plus attended the opening banquet and keynote speech given by Jack McDevitt, national best-selling author and Nebula Award Winner for Science Fiction.  He had many important and profound things to say, and in speaking with him and his wonderful wife, Maureen, I was able to bring my writing goals into sharper focus.

What a great conference!  Yes, it's just starting out, and the attendance was good but not spectacular.  But that gave you plenty of opportunity to interact with the different seminar leaders, and learn thinks in a more direct, personal way.

It has helped me refocus my writing goals. This is what I hope to concentrate on - 1) make a more concentrated push, both with newer stories and some that have been floating around for the last few decades (re-editing where necessary), into breaking into one of the top science fiction magazines.  This may mean a lot of rejection, but if I can break through, besides being a lifelong dream in and of itself, it would help pave the way to other goals.  2) As far as novel-length fiction goes, I'm going to, at least for now dismiss the idea of self-publishing.  If I'm going to have novels in print, I'd prefer to concentrate on someone who can get it in bookstores around the country. 3)  I will look at self-publishing my autobiographical works, and the works connected to my father, particularly on an e-book basis.  4) I will look at the smaller literary markets for my poetry - I would love to have enough confidence in it to drop the pseudo label.

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The international scene is troubling.  Situations in the Ukraine and in Gaza seem to be quite dire, not to mention other problem areas in the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.  I am internationalist enough to know that the United States can't bury its head in the sand and do nothing, and I am isolationist enough to not want to do anything that involves US troops.  They are not easy situations to handle, and although I don't want to give the President a blank check in handling it, I certainly don't feel like standing on the side, ready to take the opposite side of the administration, just because my hatred of them is more intense than my caring for this country or the globe.

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Another weekend without going to a movie.  Can't help that the love of going to the movies has been ingrained in me since I could crawl, and I have gotten better over the years, going longer periods without going.  Hopefully, I'll be able to catch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this weekend, and then Guardians of the Galaxy next weekend.

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I have to decide on an obligation that is partly what I love to do, but also something that might distract me from my writing goals.  I'm not sure which way to go yet.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Join the Writer's Guild

Check out the Okefenokee Writer's Guild!

Meeting the second Tuesday of every month

at the Okefenokee Heritage Center 

in Waycross, Georgia
Meeting the fourth Saturday of every month
for Writer's Workshop!
Check with the Guild for monthly location!

Something for everyone who writes or just loves to read!

We have:

              Self-published Authors

              An Award winning playwright

              Bloggers

              Newspaper and Article Writers

              Poets

              Readers

              .......and many more!

Story Contests!  Advice and sharing!  Food and fun!

Okefenokee Heritage Center

• 1460 N Augusta Ave
• Waycross, Georgia 31503

Phone	(912) 285-4260
Email	okeheritage@gmail.com
Website	http://okefenokeeheritagecenter.com

Also check out Facebook's OHC Writer's Guild Group page.

Being Radowskied

The names have been changed to protect my patchy memory.

I like politics.

No big surprise, eh?

But I've never done too much, because I am at heart a shy person, and it's not a game easily played by the shy.  And my organizational skills  sometimes have gaps, particularly in communicating by phone and soliciting other people's help.

I did run for Junior Class President.  I loved putting up posters, and giving speeches, passing out buttons.  As long as I had a definite spiel, I did okay.

I was running against one of the most popular boys in the school.  He was all A's AND athletic.  The other athletic guys followed his lead.

One time, in a hallway near the gym, this guy, we'll call him Wilbur Jones, saw me by myself, with my campaign materials.  He was with his athletic buddies.  He asked me, "Why are you running?"  I gave him a long, spirited answer, filled with facts and and detailed solutions,  I was at my rhetorical best.

When I was finished, he just looked at me, and said. "Strait, you're crazy!"  All his buddies yelped their agreement, thumping Wilbur heartily on the back.  They left me standing there, by myself, drained, alone, feeling like I had made an utter fool of myself.

But "the girls who actually ran things" - the intelligent, popular girls, the cheerleaders and civic leaders had a different plan.  for whatever reason they told me confidentially that they had decided to back me.  To this day, I have no idea why.  Maybe they thought Wilbur was arrogant, maybe they liked some of my plans.  Whatever the reasoning, I stunned everybody and won.

My administration was what you would expect.  Lofty ambitions that either got ignored or done by somebody else.  I gradually figured out that the "girls who ran things" were indeed the girls that ran things (I'm not trying to be sexist - they were all females - just the way it was).   They would listen to me a bit, and then go off and do what they wanted.

Our first fundraiser was a dance, and I had had some experiences with dances, as the chief fundraiser and organizer for the Student Council's Sadie Hawkins Dance.  If I may say so, I was a damn fine Student Council Rep, often being the leader in promoting student's rights (even with my Dad as School Principal).  But I wanted help in organizing this one.  I enlisted the aide of, we'll call her Veronica Radowski, and she proved to be a big help.  She was so reliable, that I delegated more and more stuff to her, allowing me to do other things.

She did do a great job.  And afterwards, she let everybody know it.  She let everybody know that it was really HER that did the dance, and I was virtually no help at all.  This became such a well known meme, that she ran for Senior Class President.

She didn't win, but neither did I.  Because, in part, I didn't run. I felt that I had not done the job that I promised to do, and therefore, I bowed out of running.  The person that won was a joke candidate, someone elected as a lark.  That person wound up in a lot of trouble, for embezzling a large part of our Senior fundraiser.

I should have run, if nothing else but to help divide up the looney vote.

As I grew older, and became involved in different civic projects, I have always feared being "Radowskied" again.  That I will delegate too much and then a person or persons will start dissing me to others.  But I do have frail organizational skills, and I do need help.  It's a dilemma.

It's certainly not a matter of giving credit.  I freely and gratefully acknowledge anybody who helps me with a project, in the most effluent and positive language possible.  It's the behind the scenes bad-mouthing that bothers me.

The one thing that depresses me most from that time was that the Student Council, which I had been elected to for three years in a row,  I ran and lost my Senior year.  Fellow students couldn't distinguish between my job as Junior President and my position as Student Council Representative.

And that was sad.  Because I was a damn fine Student Council Rep.

So it goes.

Ripping Good Yarns: Vote for Best Comedy TV Series!

After mucho delay (gotta love that California vacation!) we are ready to resume this season's TV awards.

It's time to vote for Beast Comedy award!

Choose between these five finalists!

About A Boy (NBC) is a comedy, about a boy, I do believe.  It's about an immature man having to grow up in a hurry when he discovers he's a Dad.  This has been one of the bright spots on NBC's schedule, and is returning for a second season.

UPDATE:  Ok, I got this show all wrong,.  Sloppy research on my part.  A single guy has a single Mom move next door, with an 11-year-old boy.  The single guy finds the boy coming over and at first resistant, finds that women find single Dad irresistible.  So the dingle strikes a deal to use him as a pretend son, and the boy gets to eat non-Vegan food at his house.  THANK YOU, IMDb!

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) has dominated network television, virtually from the time it has been on.  And why shouldn't it?  Great characters in very funny situations, including Jim Parsons as Sheldon, a real Hall of Fame level character, up there with Archie Bunker, the Fonz, and Leslie Knope.

The best family comedy on TV?  Modern Family (ABC), of course!

Parks and Recreation (NBC) is the perfect ensemble comedy, with an entire cast that clicks on all cylinders, led by the incredible Amy Poehler.

A Young Doctor's Notebook may be the quirkiest and hardest to find of our nominees, but look who it stars - Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm!  Critics and fans who have seen it rave about it.   If you haven't seen it yet, it should be worth seeking out.

Please vote here or by facebook!  Select your favorite of those mentioned.  If you haven't seen any of them, then vote for one the one you think you most want to see.  But please....VOTE!

Pasadena: Family, Friends & Fun Jobs

The last days of our trip was spent in Pasadena, the town where my son Greg lives.  On the walk to his house, we found this, near where people's mailboxes were, that was somebody's lending library, just right by their house!

Unlike our San Francisco part, which was city tour, or the Coastal Highway part, which was scenic, the last part of our trip was more family and relaxation.

We did take the time to tour an older home called The Gamble House (from the family in Proctor & Gamble).  Alison loves touring these old craftsman style homes, and she was in HGTV heaven.  I went with her for the hour plus tour and.....I was happy that she was happy.

I would show pictures from the inside, but they didn't allow that.

Benjamin playing with his second cousin, Myles.  Part of our visit was spending time with Alison's cousins, Suzy and Charley, and Suzy's husband, Greg.

Suzy with husband Greg.  She is pregnant with Myle's baby brother, and is due in October.  

Greg (Suzy's spouse) is an animal trainer at a ranch with animals used in commercials, television and movies.  We got to see lions and tigers and bears...oh, my!  And one hyena named Banzai, that Greg actually raised in their home as a cub (puppy?).  In Hollywood, Banzai is considered the go-to hyena.  

Benjamin's totem animal is tiger, and here he is actually getting to feed one!

There were many more experiences there, but we were limited in the pictures we could take, and actually pretty much wrapped up in the whole experience, including feeding marshmallows to Grizzly Bears.

Their animals have been in a large number of productions, including The Happening, which Greg himself was in (getting his arm ripped off as an animal trainer whose big cats go awry), and the tiger in The Hangover.  Banzai the hyena was featured in an American Express commercial with Ellen DeGeneres.  Currently, some of their animals can be seen in Deliver Us From Evil.

One of the last things we got to do on our trip, and perhaps the most special thing to me, was a visit to where my son Greg worked.  Here he is in his ginormous office, seated at multiple panels of the sophisticated instruments he use to perfect the color in the TV shows you may be watching.  

It is a huge office, and includes couches and chairs for executives and clients to see episodes of what's being worked on.  On the wall opposite Greg is a huge screen, as big as a small theater movie screen, where he gets to see, frame by frame (or whatever they call the digital stuff nowadays), the shows that he is working on.  The shows are recorded with the color being kind of flat, and it is up to Greg to bring it out, in a way that makes the scene come alive.

Greg has worked on many. many shows.  One of the more recent ones you may be familiar with is Hawaii Five-O.  Often, Hawaii does not look like it's postcards.  Often, it is overcast and gray.  He helped make it look like the Hawaii people are more familiar with.  If you watch that show and want to visit Hawaii, my son is partly responsible for that.

While we there, he worked on a couple of shows, the most exciting of which was a new series that premiered just a week ago, and featured a very famous movie star in her first TV series in a very long time, produced by perhaps the most successful Director in movie history.

All in all, this was a very exciting trip for us Straits, and I think you for catching these travelogue slide shows.  We are busily saving our travel points again, and looking forward to going back as often as we can!

Auditions for Little Mermaid Jr - Be Under the Sea with the Flying Dragon!

Come auditon at the Flying Dragon for this great opportunity to be part of a very special play!

At the Flying Dragon Theatre

426 Tebeau Street

Next to Downtown Sandwich Shoppe

Auditions Tuesday,Thursday and Monday the 21st. Times 6pm 7pm and 8pm.All roles 18 and under. Please send your name, age and the date and time you will audition. email livethearts@gmail.com


New Audition Format

We now ask those auditioning for a role to message us with your Audition Day and Audition Time. The Little Mermaid auditions will be Tuesday July 15th, Thursday July 17th, and Monday July 21st. You must also pick a time 6pm, 7pm or 8pm.
We have open auditions. You are welcome to watch other auditions. Each auditioner is required to introduce yourself on stage and read from a script provided or repeat lines given. LM is a musical so most main parts require singing. Each auditioner should be prepared to sing for us.
Have a short acapella song ready to sing.
The choice of song is not important. There will be parts for those who do not sing. We are looking forward to an outstanding cast.


LOOK AT ALL THESE ROLES!!! SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!!!

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN FOR THE LITTLE MERMAID JR.

HOME OUR PROGRAMS SRO TEEN Fall: RENT! SHREK CAST LISTS PRODUCTION STAFF		ARIEL Ariel, the heroine of our story, is a little mermaid who longs to be human. Looking for a strong singer and dynamic performer in this role. Must be able to convey meaning through gesture once she loses her voice.  CARLOTTA Carlotta is the headmistress in Prince Eric’s palace and Ariel’s greatest human ally. Needs to be warm and maternal to make Ariel feel welcome.  CHEF LOUIS Chef Louis is the over-the-top head chef in the palace. He is always wild and frenetic. This is an excellent featured role for a comedic performer.  CHEFS The Chefs are Chef Louis’s assistants. The music in “Les Poissons” can be challenging, so chefs need to be good choral singers. FLOTSAM & JETSAM Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursula’s slippery spies. These electric eels are sinister and sneaky, Looking for performers who can be underhanded and devious and project! FLOUNDER Flounder is Ariel’s sincere and sensitive best friend who is loyal to the end. This spunky fish also has a show-stopping solo in “She’s in Love.” GRIMSBY Grimsby is Prince Eric’s prim and proper valet. He is rigid in personality and constantly trying to guide Prince Eric towards the throne. Strong actor. GULLS The Gulls are Scuttle’s flock of zany “back-up singers” who help explain human stuff to Ariel. KING TRITON KING TRITON rules the sea and is a force to be reckoned with. Needs to command the stage as a strong leader but also show the tenderness of a parent.  Father to Ariel and the Mersisters.  LAGOON ANIMALS The Lagoon Animals try to convince Prince Eric to kiss Ariel. MERFOLK The Merfolk of King Triton’s Court MERSISTERS The Mersisters (Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana) are Ariel’s siblings and full of personality and sass. These are great roles to showcase talented singers and dancers who can create and play six distinctive characters.  PILOT The Pilot is the head sailor on Prince Eric’s ship. This nautical expert  entertains the sailors with wild tales of the sea. Needs good singing voice.  PRINCE ERIC Prince Eric is the adventurous prince who captures Ariel’s heart. Looking for a charming performer and a strong actor with a sensitive nature. PRINCESSES The six Princesses try everything they can to win the heart of Prince Eric. None of them posses the voice Prince Eric is searching for. Looking for actresses/singers who can create an exaggerated and comedic personality through song. SAILORS The Sailors are the crew of Prince Eric’s ship. They are eager for adventure and ready to tackle a storm. The Sailors can be played by boys or girls.  SCUTTLE Scuttle is the know-it-all seagull who serves as Ariel’s expert on humans. He is funny and off-beat. Looking for a good singer with good comedic timing who will rock 'Human Stuff," and is willing to have fun with Scuttle’s eccentricities.  SEA CREATURES The Sea Creatures are the ensemble under water animals in King Triton’s court. Will showcase these singers and dancers in “Under the Sea.”  SEAHORSE The Seahorse is the court herald for King Triton. Clear speaking voice SEBASTIAN Sebastian is the meticulous and anxious crab who tries to keep Ariel safe while getting to lead some memorable songs. Looking for a strong singer who can also handle Sebastian’s emotional range. TENTACLES The Tentacles are extensions of Ursula, perhaps the poor unfortunate souls who are now trapped in her lair. Looking for performers who work well together and can move as a unit.  URSULA Ursula is the manipulative sea witch who tries to overthrow King Triton. She is cunning and devious and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Looking for a performer who can bring out this villain’s humor while finding texture in Ursula’s complexity. Need strong singer who is comfortable with Ursula's challenging solos.

The Prodigal Son Returns and Other Monday Musings

What do we do at camp this year, guys?...........The same thing we do every year, boys - try to take over the WORLD!!!!!

Honey Creek was last week, Benjamin's fifth time attending summer camp.  Unlike Alison and me, Benjamin is a cradle Episcopalian, and he has been able to enjoy Honey Creek in the womb!  So, technically, this is his sixth camp. as Alison and I attended Cursillo at Honey Creek while she was pregnant with Benjamin.

At Camp, the boys played a game of Risk, a game he learned under the tutelage of myself and his big brother, Doug.  Those kids probably didn't know what they were in for.

A class of  square dancing instructions has Benjamin being introduced to his partner,  Benjamin looks like one of the taller boys matched up worth one of the taller girls.  Thank you, Rollison's and Cotillion, for helping Benjamin shine in this!  We asked him if he met any girls there.  He said yes, but all other details were impossible to come by.  Ah, they grow up so fast!

Anyhoo, Benjamin is back safe and sound.  He is emotionally and physically in great shape.  It definitely looks like the Honey Creek Summer Camp tradition will continue!

We did not get out to see a movie this weekend, what with picking Benjamin up Saturday, and other obligations.  I really would love to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and have a big fat review for you.  And next weekend looks dim to see a movie too.  Alison and I did watch the HBO movie A Normal Heart, a very touching and emotional movie set at the beginning of the AIDS crisis.  It was really depressing watching how slow and callous the response to this was.  Even today, we seem to not recognize the millions of casualties this has caused worldwide.  Mark Ruffalo was outstanding as the writer who was pushing so hard to expose the crisis and get people involved, pushing harder than even the gay activist community  Julie Roberts was great as a concerned, brusk doctor, suffering herself from polio.  And Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) had a pivotal role, the same role he had in the Broadway play.  If you real dramas rooted in real life events, than I highly recommend this compelling movie.

Last Wednesday, we had supper with some new friends.  It was a very nice evening, and it was good to get know them in a relaxed atmosphere.  I don't normally like Olive Garden, but this time the food was good and the staff friendly, with a not too long wait time.  

We were not so lucky Saturday.  We went to Longhorn in Brunswick, and our simple lunch turned into an almost two hour ordeal.  The place was not packed, but they were severely understaffed, and the waitress that dealt with us also managed the bar and all to go orders.  The food was okay, but it was not worth the interminably long waits.  It confirmed my worst fears about the Darden restaurants, that they deliberately make you wait longer than you should for food that is over-priced.  They need to be careful, as the business model for a successful restaurant is changing with the times.  They have already lost Red Lobster.  They need to a serious look at how they do business with their remaining chains.

I wrote stories for three projects this weekend, so it was a good writing weekend.  Still, I feel like I am creeping along on most things, and that it will be forever before I actually complete something.  I am also failing in my desire to submit more poems and stories.  I try to focus on it, but my stomach just churns up with insecurities and fears of rejection.  I know.  you can't win if you don't play.  No matter how mediocre some people are making me feel about my writing, I have to gut it out anyways.  It's hard.

Speaking of insecurities, I am starting to go through another withdrawal period from organizations.  I am fighting it as hard as I can, but it is becoming harder.  I have missed a number of plays and events, part due to being away or the time that they were on, and part due to the sheer inertia of staying home.  I will do my best, and try not to let people down, but periods where I lack social aggression - it's gonna happen.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait