Ripping Good Yarns: Book Before the Horse?

What comes first?  The movie or the book?

Ah, yes, reading, my old friend!  Certainly one of the things that has been difficult for me to fit in.  Normally I have several books to report that I am reading on.  Today, there are only two that I am reading, and those very slowly. there are

One is The Promise by Jonathan Alter, covering Barack Obama's first year in office.  The book is pro-Obama, but not in a fawning or blind to flaws sense.  It has been very illuminating in showing the character of the administration and how policy was shaped.  We are very fortunate to have this calm, rational pragmatist at our helm at this rocky time in our country.  I started the book before the election, and wondered what it would be like to read if the election were decided against him.  Fortunately, that scenario did not occur.

The other book is The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen.  It centers on an agent from the future who is trying to preserve his present.  They prevent others from coming back and changing the past.  But what they preserve are often events of great horror, such as making sure 9/11 DOES happen.  They want the same crisis's to develop that leads to the Great Conflagration that leads to their present time, which they call the Perfect Present.  Only the agent gradually realizes that the present may not be so perfect after all.  I'm early on, but it's one of those kind of books that make you think, "Hay, this might make a great movie!"

So, should you read the book or see the movie first?

It's a dilemma, and I don't know if there is an easy, simple answer.  A book allows you to paint the picture of the words in a way that might be very individual to you.  This may not fit the vision of a particular director or Hollywood studio.  There is invariably disappointment in the way a character looks or how a landscape or city or house look.  There are things from the book left out and other things inexplicably altered.  It can be very frustrating.

On the other hand, I find that if I've read the book, I still want to see the movie.  If I've seen the movie, I often don't go back to read the book.  So, for me, yes, the book comes first, or it often doesn't come at all.

I have read the entire Harry Potter series.  I've only seen the first three movies because that is as far as Benjamin has read, and we didn't want to see the movies until he had read the books that they were based on.  Benjamin is reading more, in fact accelerating very well with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.  I may have to rethink this as I have waited a long time to see those movies.

It's discouraging sometimes to see where Hollywood takes things, and sometimes I feel I am too familiar with the story and not able to be taken by surprise, but iIcannot imagine having seen much of what I've seen without the backdrop of the book first.

So, I guess, for me, it's book first.  Or no book at all.  Just the way I roll.

Emerging From My Hidey Hole

Yesterday I was laid low.  Stomach virus and/or food poisoning kept me home.  And it wasn't like when I fantasize about getting to stay home.  No television, no catching up on reading, no computer.  I couldn't hardly get out of bed.

I don't miss much work due to illness.  I don't say this with pride.  You should stay home if you're sick. And lord only knows I have a lazy streak a mile wide.  And I have many, many hours of accumulated personal/sick time.  I just find it very, very hard to use.

My father was the high school principal, and he did not broach us laying out.  We had to have a raging fever in order to stay home.  I've often gone to work feeling awful, not able to get much done, and Alison would ask, "Why don't you come home?"  and I would tell her, "Because my fever isn't high enough."

I feel much better today, so it's back to work I go.  Assignments and deadlines await me.  It's enough to make one's stomach queasy.

Oh.  That might still be the lingering effects of yesterday's illness.  Never mind.

Big John Eli Takes the Stage!

Big John Eli takes the stage in Young Robin Hood!  Eli Cook will be four next week, but it is already on his way to being a fine young actor,  /Here he prepares to defend the pass and stand against the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Here is a glimpse of the fine set built by the Jeffords for our performances of Young Robin Hood.  To see more of this set and Eli and our other fine actors, please come to The Flying Dragon Arts Center this Friday and Saturday at 7 PM or Sunday at 3.  The Flying Dragon is located in downtown Waycross at 405 Tebeau Street, right next to the Downtown Sandwich Shoppe, and is located in the old bus depot.  Admission is only $6 with children 5 and under free.  Come enter Sherwood Forest this weekend!

The Racket of November and Other Monday Musings

A busy November continues to rumble through.  Events pass, but with other events still on the horizon.

The wedding is past.  Two beautiful ceremonies and my middle son Doug is now a married man.  There's not many people who get to see their son married in both a Hindu Temple ceremony and a beach wedding.

Ramya, Doug's wife and my new daughter-in-law, has gone back to California to resume her job with a prominent computer company near San Francisco (well, Northern California).  Doug has resumed his work on a Master's degree at Georgia Tech.  Hopefully, by May, Doug will be able to join Ramya in California,  Then I will have two sons in that great state.

We are halfway through the run of Young Robin Hood.  The kids involved have really stepped up to the plate and delivered a great show.  Opening night was very good, with a very enthusiastic opening crowd.  Saturday night was another good sized audience, but they were somewhat less responsive.  Sunday's crowd was appreciative, but smaller and quieter. I hope that this wonderful show will get the large, responsive audiences it deserves next weekend.

The election is over, and the results were very good.  The President won reelection, and although I would have preferred even greater margins, it was an undeniably decisive win.  We may have finally put the death knell to the politics of conservative hatred (the politics based on the fear of the other). The Affordable Care Act will survive and become the law of the land.  It is an important building block towards true universal health care, which is what we really need,  The Senate remained in Democratic hands, with many exciting victories by women, including one of my favorite politicians, Elizabeth Warren. The most important thing for Republicans can learn is that for the most part, tea party extremists cannot win Senate seats,  Finally in the house, we were treated to the spectacle of the Republicans retaining control even though they did not win the majority of vote nationwide.  This was in large part due to the aggressive  partisan redistricting that was done by Republican controlled state legislatures.

Our moving plans are being stymied by a lack of being able to find a good place to rent, one that will allow month to month leases AND will take pets.  The home we purchased may not be move-in ready for several months, so we are feeling the stress of trying to figure that out.

My blog has suffered considerably.  Although I still post, I am not as able to monitor and repost strategically, and my page-view numbers suffer accordingly.  I am looking forward to writing on a regular basis, and maybe have some more time to write a little bit more fiction.

Of course, that presumes we move someplace where I have Internet access.  At this point, I am not sure.  Heck, we may be moving to a van down by the river.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Young Robin Hood Brings Sherwood Forest To Tebeau!

Benjamin Strait, Noah Cook, Devin Biyrch, Hannah Hitt, Emma Jacobs, Elizabeth Beck and Crystal Pheil rehearse a scene where they play the "nerd pack".  We also see the back of the head of our busy co-director, Karissa Cook.

In the upper left corner are two of the Young Merry Children's Association, Jabari Howard and Marin Jeffords.  In the upper right hand corner are Crystal Pheil, emma Jacobs and Amara Grace Jeffords.  The picture below that has a number of our fine thespains getting ready for an important scene.

Rbin Hood meets the villagers of Nottingham.  We have Amara Grace Jeffords, Blake Barnhill, Michael Jarrad, Cash Stewart, Devin Burch, Crystal Pheil and Sammi Jo Kuhbander.

Our young Robby Hoodley, played by Blake Barnhill, prepares for a special song solo.

Robin Hoodle finds himself back in the past as Young Robin Hood.  Blake Barnhill, Amara Grace Jeffords, Michael Jarad and Cash Stewart.

Here come the Merry Men in Wizard disguises!  Blake Barnhill, Banjamin Strait and Emma Jacobs.

Our royalty!  Nawin Hyers as Sir Reginald and Elizabeth Beck as  Lady Jane.

Karissa Cook practices her Director's speech for the beginning of the show.  Without he energy and devotion, this show simply would not have happened.

True B Door, played by Aidan Jeffords, introduces himself to Robby Hoodley played by Blake Barnhill,


Flying Dragon Arts Center is bringing Sherwood Forest to Waycross in November! Kids from ages 2 - 18 are gearing up, dressing up and bringing the Merry back to Merry Men or uh... Merry Kids! Waycross’s children’s theater’s next show will be “YOUNG ROBIN HOOD” and will showcase the talents of 35 youngsters from Ware, Pierce and Brantley Counties. There’s a little Modern times mixed with Medieval. A

...story of Robin Hood told like no other but with some VERY familiar song tunes. The story’s writers, T.M. Strait and K.D. Cook are directing the band of Merry Kids, the Sheriff and his Henchmen, Maid Marian, a fine group of Villagers and of course, Robin Hood, Little John and his unique crew of supporters as he stands up to the Bully Sheriff of Nottingham. The play will show for 2 weekends: Friday, November 9th, Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th. Then Friday, November 16th, Saturday, November 17th and Sunday, November 18th. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:00 pm and Sunday shows are at 3:00 pm. Concessions sold before show, intermission break and end of play. Tickets will be $6.00 for ages 6 and up. Ages 5 & under are free. Pre-Sale tickets available at theater. Season Tickets on sale now at Flying Dragon Theater’s NEW LOCATION, 405 Tebeau St, Waycross beside Downtown Sandwich Shoppe. Above written by K.D. Cook.

Intermission Is Through

The lights blink once.
I wonder if I have time to get my drink.
It is signing only once.
No need to raise a stink.

The drink cannot be taken back to the seat.
It's not that kind of a theater.
No drinking there, surely no bare feet.
Just a show to see within the theater.

The lights blink twice.
I cannot finish my refreshment.
The call is only twice.
 I'm sure that's what it meant.

I return to my seat, right next to LuWanda,
The show is about to start Act 2.
In my seat I begin to wondah
If I will still be awake in a few.

The stage is lit.
The cast is in place.
The crew is fit,
The audience carries mace.

A story recommences.
A fly lands on my knee.
I'll need no recompenses.
I think the script is about me.

The girl onstage looks out at us
She removes a belt with a buckle of tin
Her eyes meet mine without a fuss
Act Two is now set to really begin

Ripping Good Yarns: Drawing A Blank

It's no secret that I'm a media/storytelling buff.  I like fiction stories in all their forms.  Television, movies, books, theatre, anything that has a plot line and characters.  Not everything fascinates me, but I do like a pretty broad range of genres and types.

So I would love to tell you about some great stories.  But it's very difficult right now.  My DVR is stacked up, I haven't been to the theatre in quite a while, reading books and comics has slowed to a crawl.  Even when I'm been very busy in the past, it seems like I've made some time for these things.

But the impending switch in homes, the wedding activities that ended this last weekend, and most importantly, the play that I've been working on at Flying Dragon, have made my time and my focus very limited.

If you are anywhere near the vicinity of Waycross, I would love for you to be able to come to see Young Robin Hood.  It is a play that I wrote, along with my co-writer and co-director, Karissa Cook, and it is a very interesting script if I do say so myself.  It is a great mix of kid-friendly themes and fun, with send ups of familiar songs and lots of popular movie references.  It centers on standing up to bullies, and has some interesting cast variations from the norm.  Except for a few fleeting seconds that I am on to play King Richard and then the Principal, it is an entirely children's cast, ranging in age from 3 to 15.  It starts this Friday in Waycross at the Flying Dragon Arts Center at 405 Tebeau Street next to the Downtown Sandwich Shoppe.  That's Friday Nov 9th and Saturday Nov 10 at 7 PM, and Sunday at 3 PM, and then the same times the next weekend.

So, my fellow Rippers, let me know what exciting things are going on, and I will do my best to catch up in a couple of weeks.

Until next time,

T.M. Strait