End of an Era

The end of an era!

No, this is not a reference to a political event, although it would be special if it were the year that Trump and Pence resigned, and we got our first female President (Nancy Pelosi, third in line of succession).

It's not an oblique reference to our deteriorating climate, although...SPOILER ALERT!  Global warming and the adverse effects from it ARE ALREADY HERE!

It's not about the end of a Sports Dynasty.  No, Alabama's professional level football, well, their tide is just gonna continue to roll in, over and over and over again.

Am I leaving Higginson & Paulk?  Are we moving?  Is Game of Thrones ending on TV?  Is Benjamin wrapping up high school?  Well, those last two are true, but not the era I'm referring to.

It's the end of the era of morning blogging.

Yes, in an attempt to return to more fiction writing, starting tomorrow, I am surrendering my morning writing time to my fiction projects, both books, and short stories.  I have slacked horribly on my fiction projects, and it is the best way I can think of to restore a regularity to it.

I intend to start writing on my fiction projects after a morning walk.  On days I go in for accounting work, that will probably be about an hour of writing.  On days I don't go in, that should be two to four hours.

Does that mean the blog will disappear?  No, hopefully not.  But I will have to write on it in the late afternoon, or in the evening.  What effect that will have on the frequency, I don't know.

Blog traffic has been down of late.  It could be the quality of what I blog, but I think it has as much or more to do with social media.  I suspect that Facebook is putting my blog postings on fewer and fewer newsfeeds.  This means the number of people who even see my posts are dwindling.

I may transfer my blog to a site that will allow for advertising.  I was banned from getting advertising money several years ago, and it's been frustrating to not earn money from the blog, even if it was only a couple hundred a year.

I am going to try to use Facebook less, and scroll it less often.  I will continue to post blog stories and the Song of the Day, but I am going to try to post fewer memes and non-TM Strait written articles.  It's tempting to repost the anti-fascist memes I see, especially when we are in such a deep crisis.    But I'll try my best to concentrate my firepower in my blog efforts.  We'll see.  A major theme of my life the last few years has been trying to wake up the Trumpeteers in my life,  It's hard to surrender in that regards.

I am also abandoning my newspaper column efforts.  I've already withdrawn for the last month or so, and none of the groups I used to send them to have seemed to have noticed.  I need to concentrate on projects that will earn at least a tiny bit of money.  I can't say that I won't ever produce a newspaper column - it's just no longer a high priority.

A priority not directly related to writing is to become an audiobook narrator.  That is a dream job for me, and something I believe I could do extraordinarily well,  My hold up is technological, as I have to create the facility and become a sound engineer (at least enough to allow me to record).  If I can conquer that, then choo choo choo!  That train is leaving the station!

So, goodbye morning blogging!  You're a decade old habit I am bringing to an end.

Hello, morning fiction!  It's time to finish writing The Extra Credit Club, and then to start the sequel to History of the Trap!  It's time for new Crowley Stories, and to finally come up with that killer science fiction short that a sci-fi magazine can't resist!

It's time to prove to the naysayers that I CAN make money creatively!

Ok, maybe I'll still be unsuccessful doing that.  But I'm going to try.

By golly, I'm going to try.

2018 In Movies & TV

Please note;  These are for movies WATCHED in 2018, not necessarily made in 2018.  I am presenting them with a minimum of commentary.  I may update later with additional comments.  We'll see.

10) Jumanji (2017) This was a real surprise, easily exceeding the low expectations I'd set for it.  Jack Black is a particular blast, taking on the persona of a male avatar inhabited by a teenage girl.

9) A Patch of Blue (1965)  This Sydney Poiter classic, where he portrays a black man that a blind young woman has fallen in love with.  Shelley plays the girl's mother, blinded by rage, jealousy, and racism.

8) Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)  Like a modern film noir, it builds an imaginative, twisty tale, highlighted by the great acting of Jeff Bridges.

7) Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

6) Hositles (2017)

5) Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018)

4) The Shape of Water (2017)

3) A Quiet Place (2018)

2) Isle of Dogs (2018)

1) Avengers: Infinity Wars (2018)

Television

10) Supergirl (CW)

9)  The Walking Dead (AMC)

8)  The Cool Kids (Fox)

7)  GLOW (Netflix)

6)  Homecoming (Amazon Prime)

5)  The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Prime)

4)  The Good Place (NBC)

3)  Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (ABC)

2)  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)

1)  The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

I would love to track my favorite books and comics for 2018, but I did not do as good a job at recording them.  I will see if I can do better in 2019.

Sorry, this summary is so brief.  And yes, it is quirky as it is my opinion, and I have admittedly quirky tastes.

I will try to elaborate as time allows.

2018 Year in Politics: Saturday Political Soap Box 199

2018.

A year when the 35 to 40% of us that are Trumpeteers were challenged again and again, their delusions continually being tested by truth and reality, exhaustedly trying to blow in the ever-changing directions of their fearful leader's contradictory and demeaning tweets. 

Deficits soared.

The Stock Market tanked.

Interest rates crept up.

Asylum seekers were vilified as thugs and murderers, and made to look like an army of orcs and trolls straight out of Tolkien.  They were caged and families separated, taken to inadequate facilities, where two young children have lost their lives.

The government is suffering under a purposeless shutdown, trying to force a useless, wasteful Wall that will achieve nothing except make us look like the villains of the world.  And it's 100% on Captain Bone Spurs.

Every element of Trump's criminal enterprise is under investigation, and criminal wrongdoing is being exposed.  The Mueller probe is closing in on him, and Trump is acting like a cornered wounded bear.

And there was the rise to the Supreme Court of this extra-nasty scumbag.  It didn't matter what this sneering creep did - the Republicans were going to put him on the Supreme Court.  What a disaster. Why did Trump want him so bad?  You think it was to criminalize women's reproductive rights and place the government between a woman and her doctor?  Oh no, that was just side gravy.  The real reason is he was the lower-court judge with the most unambiguous record of not believing a President could be indicted, one who would most consistently side with Trump in any court case involving Mueller or others in pursuit of our criminal President.

The environmental health of the nation is being set back as environmental regulations and enforcement are being chopped away.  Global warming is real and already causing damage worldwide, and the USA is leading the way - to an increase in carbon levels and temperature that can only be described as Hell on Earth.

Our President sides with authoritarians over democratically-led countries, even to the point of tolerating the murderous slaughter of an American Resident.  I mean, he was just a reporter, anyway.  Trumpeteers are constantly confused as to who they're supposed to be liking or hating internationally this week, as their narcissistic leader careens wildly between whoever is kissing his butt the most, or providing him the most graft.

He announces the withdrawal of troops in Syria in such a way that emboldens the dictators of Russia, Iran, Turkey,  and Syria, and leaves our allies, the Kurds, exposed and vulnerable to persecution and genocide.  

And the Trumpeteers hang in there.  Inexplicably. Irrationally.  In a way that continues to break my heart and causes me to lose sleep and hope.

And yet, there is hope on the horizon.

The Democrats recapture the house, by the largest percentage margin in the modern era.  They gained a mammoth 40 seats, and are led by an exciting coalition of young progressives, including my personal favorite, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Nancy Pelosi will be Speaker of the House, the most competent and professional Speaker of the last several decades.  I may not agree with everything she does, but she knows how to vote count and whip up support.  She knows how to lead.  

Things won't be easy.  They won't be pretty.  Trump will blame everything on the Democratic House.  He will foam and spittle and incoherently tweet at them.  The Trumpeteers will circle the wagons.

But there is hope.  So, I can't write off 2018 as a complete loss.

To quote 19th-century abolitionist Theodore Parker in a saying often used by Martin Luther King, Jr. -

 “Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” 

It often seems like we are bending away from justice instead of towards it, but I pray that we rebound, and people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez do give me a glimmer of hope that we will one day right our course.

2018: All About the Me

Theatre

Any year review of me should probably start with theatre.  It's been something I've been doing since 9th grade, and it's a rare year when I haven't been in one thing or another.

From the picture above, you can see the highlight of the year for me was performing as Fester in The Addams Family.  Not only did I get to perform with my son, Benjamin (who played Pugsley), I was able to sing onstage.  The Moon and Me song was a career highlight for me.  It was in my vocal range and had some high notes that I DID NOT MISS!  Great comedic acting?  Check!  Enjoyable singing performance?  Double check!  Dancing?  Uhhhh...in a fashion, yes.  Best I can say about that is....nobody got hurt.

There were other good theater experiences.  I was able to do Love Letters with my good friend, the very talented Julianna Lacefield, for a Valentine's performance at my church.  I played multiple parts in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  I was the railroad conductor and narrator of The Polar Express.

2019 may be even lighter, as I am holding off and only doing shows with Benjamin (at least until he starts college in the Fall).

Travel

Regular followers of this blog will know about our trip of a lifetime to Ireland.  Above pictured were my traveling companions - Alison, Doug, and Paige.  I won't go into the trip here,, as that could be quite detailed.  Please follow the tag Ireland for plenty of great commentary and pictures from this sensational trip.

Later in the year, we were able to spend a weekend with my sister, Carol, and her spouse, Michael, at St. Simons.  Time with them is rare, and it was a great weekend just to eat and talk.

Writing

It was a good year in that I got two new things out for sale - Crowley Stories: Swamp's Edge and A Christmas With Pegasus (cover done by local professional actress Kennedy Brice, who is roughly the age of the lead character in the story).  I also won first place in both Story and Poetry in the Fifth Annual Okefenokee Heritage Center's Writing Contest.  The story was The Chicken Hut Changes Its Name, and the poem was Step by Step.  Both are available on this blog.

It was a bad year in that nothing I published sold well.  At all,  A real disaster.  And I spent $1600 with Bookbaby thinking it will help not only publish but promote my book.  The results were horrible, and I'm having a hard time coping with taking away so much money that could have been used for the family.

I'm a fair writer, but a lousy publicist.  It's a problem that will dominate 2019.

I've written a good chunk on The Extra Credit Club and I've been trying to market My Europa.

I need to reorganize my writing time, and this will be a significant 2019 goal.

Clubs and Organizations

I remain a participant in the Okefenokee Heritage Center Writer's Guild.  Pictured above is Grace Lee at her 90th birthday party.  Attendance this year has been down, but I remain committed to getting Grace Lee to the meetings.

As I am trying to move away from accounting, I an refusing Treasurer's positions, but Purlie Productions got grandfathered in.  Their commitment to socially relevant theatre productions is a real beacon for this area, and I hope they continue to do well.

Grace Episcopal Church continues to be a cornerstone of my life.  I am a lector and prayer reader there, and I went as a representative to Convention.  I hope to do more for charity in 2019, in conjunction with church activities.

Work

I worked part-time at Higginson & Paulk.  I'm having great difficulty making money creatively (which some of my more cynical friends are not surprised to hear), so I will probably be there for the foreseeable future, working about 40 to 50% work schedule compared to full time.  The people there are very friendly and easy to work with, as long as I don't express myself politically.  It helps make having to continue in accounting much more tolerable.

Politics

It was a tough year.  A lot of scary, dangerous things coming from the Trump Administration, but also glimmers of hope in a new Democratic House coming in, and the Mueller report moving forward.  I spoke out often on Facebook, my blog, and in newspaper columns.  I supported Lisa Ring for Congress and Greg O'Driscoll for State House.  Neither won, but it was an honor being able to vote for them and have choices.

I continue to be depressed by the Trumpeteers in my life.  How they can not see what a foul creature Captain Bone Spurs is, is beyond me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

T. M. Stait

2018 in Family

Benjamin

Benjamin begins his Senior Year! 

Academics were a challenge his first semester, with four college-level courses, but he came through it very well!  His grades are good enough to keep him qualified for the Zell Miller Hope Scholarship.  One semester to go!

He was in a musical, The Addams Family, one I am proud to have been in with him.  He got to use his beautiful singing voice, and show off his comedic talents.  We won't talk about the Strait dancing skills, although he was better than his old Dad.

He is a first-rate Dungeon Master and has friends over at least once a week. 

The pictures above show the cast of The Addams Family, and then one of Benjamin as Pugsly with Grandma.  I am hooded in the cast picture, as I had not yet shaved off my hair.  What did I look like bald?  Interesting that you should ask.

Back to Benjamin.

Benjamin had a great year.  He learned to drive and has become the driver of his mother's 2004 Toyota Camry.  He has taken up the martial arts. He is an usher and lector at church and enjoys summer camp at Honey Creek.  He is kind and generous, funny and nerdy, and yes, young ladies, he is single and available.

Alison

She sits on the throne of the Giant Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Because, yes friends, we finally got to take our dream vacation - ten wonderful days in Ireland!

Thanks to my son, Doug, who gave us his sky miles, we were able to afford the most beautiful trip of our lives.  Everything about it was extraordinary, from Dublin to Killarney to Belfast, from the Cliffs of Mohr (pictured above) to Blarney Castle to the walled city of Londonderry.  For those that wish to see more, please search out the blog label Ireland, centered around June 2018.

We were also witness to this special moment, where Doug proposed to Paige, in a site researched and selected by Alison.

Alison also got her first new car in fourteen years, this fantastic Subaru Outback.  It's been hard for the rest of us to get a chance to drive it, she loves it so much.

She had a good year at work, settling in with a new head of Nutrition.  She gets along with everyone and is known as the most helpful person in the office.  Working for a living can be a pain, but I think she makes it more pleasant with her generosity of spirit, and with teamwork and friendship.

Boss-A-Man sez - What about me???  Well, the pets had a great year too!  We had our full squad set for the year, no new additions.  They all have their individual quirks, but they all share one thing in common - they love us, and we love them!

And me?  Trust me, I'll get to more me later, in another blog story.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Strait Family.

Tis the Season for Hissy Fit Shutdowns: Saturday Political Soap Box 198

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Let's bring in the Christmas season with a partial government shutdown brought to you by.....

President Donald J Trump

in a special edition of Government by Hissy Fit sponsored by.....

Fox & Friends!

Ann Coulter!

Rushy Limbaugh!

Laura Ingraham!

Don't get me wrong.  I think the WALL is stupid, unamerican, ineffective and an utter waste.  You might as well take 50 billion dollars (an estimate of its ultimate cost) and flush it down the world's biggest toilet.  Ever heard of boats?  Planes?  Ladders?  Overstaying VISAs?  This problem can't be solved by brute force and hate.  You can't "cage children" your way to victory.

But if there's going to be a WALL (correction; the new politically correct term for it, per Trump, is now STEEL SLATS (translation: fence)), then it has to be done the old-fashioned way.  You have to have the political strength to pass it through Congress.  And if you can't pass it through a Republican-controlled Congress dominated by Trump sycophants, when can you pass it?  

Yes, border security is essential.  You never know when you're going to get a flood of Canadians trying to escape the horrors of single-payer healthcare.  Seriously, things can and should be done. And Democrats are willing to do them.  If Trump had any brains, he'd be swapping things out, negotiating and dealing.  But he's not a deal-maker.  He's a temper-tantruming moron, led by the nose by right-wing media, ready to take us all over a cliff just to put a temporary smile on Rushy's face.

Real people are going to be hurt by this.  And at Christmas time.  

Trumpeteers, don't delude yourselves (that may be naive - delusion appears to be your middle name)!  This is HIS shutdown, 100%.  Congress reached a number of compromises, and he negated them all.  He wanted this to happen.  And now it's here, at Christmas, and you and your Presidente. El Capitano Bone Spurs,  OWNS IT.

Despite everything, I do not lose hope in you, my dwindling Trumpeteers. It's Christmas, after all.  Like Scrooge, maybe you'll be visited by the spirits of Christmas (or, if you prefer, the divine love of Christ) and you will wake up with your eyes opened.

Okay, probably not.  Nevertheless...

Merry Christmas!

God Bless Us

EVERY ONE!!!!!

Santa, Can You Hear Me?

Santa, can you hear me?

Do I pray silently? 

Do I speak out loud?  Toward the sky? To the north?

Do I go to the mall and wait in line to talk with you?  I'd sit on your lap, but you might not ever be the same after that.

I know.  You've heard it all before.  But you haven't heard it from me.  And shouldn't that be worth something?

It's not really a material thing, not entirely.  Not there's anything wrong with asking for material things.  I mean, that's the whole nature of what you do, right?  You're not a deity, neither an angry nor a loving God.  Mostly, you're a way for the young to focus their gift lists enough that they can be dealt with.  I won't get it into it, but that can be a real boon to parents.

And people ask for non-material things, some sincerely, some not.  It's heartbreaking when children tell you their wishes for others.  That Mommy and Daddy get enough to eat.  That Baby Bobby's pneumonia is cured.  That Daddy stops hitting Mommy.  That Uncle Dud not be alone with them again.

There are even wishes for world peace, for the end of gun violence, that the poor are taken care of, that the bullies leave Roger alone.

Some wish for gifts for others.  That their sister gets the doll she wants, that Mommy gets a new dress, that the Echols family gets a nice Christmas Ham. 

That's where I come in.  I have a present that I want Santa to get to someone.  Someone important.  Someone whose rage and fear is hurting so many.  And it can't just be me that gives it to him.  It has to come from someone magical, someone who can make the gift open up and commence the journey that needs to be taken.

I want Santa to bring President Trump a copy of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  And I want Santa to be sure that, as big of a non-reader that Trump is, that he at least starts it, and put it by his nightside, replacing Trump's beloved copy of Hitler's speeches.  And then he when he goes to sleep, Fox News left on, Melania in her own room. that the ghosts come, and that he goes with them, and that he wakes up, like Scrooge did, a new man, a caring man, a changed man.


At this point, it's the only thing that can save us.  A Christmas miracle.  A magical transformation that reforms him and saves the nation.

So, where are you Santa?  I need to get this message to you.  A lonely, frightened, desperate nation needs you.

And if you can't do that, I'll settle for resignation, impeachment or the 25th Amendment.


Just do it quick, Santa.

We may be running out of time.