A Writer’s Dark Night of the Soul

(AKA What to do when your Muse abandons you)

The writer’s life is an up and down struggle, especially for the aspiring writer who is on the verge of breaking through to having their career choice validated (read: publishing success). Unfortunately, writers have their own brand of a “dark night of the soul”. See if any of this sounds familiar:

Continued on Blogging in Black.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

New Message Board Guidelines

I’m not a big rules guy. Most situations tend to handle themselves and people can become overly stringent about keeping to the letter of the law, and I prefer a more organic way of going about things. However, to help facilitate some of the discussions on my message board (since I’ve obviously decided to maintain my own board), I have had to come up with some helpful guidelines so that people know where I’m coming from and what I want the board to be about. I thank my friend and Hollywood Jesus colleague, Mike Furches (who runs the Hollywood Jesus Group on MySpace), for letting me adapt his guidelines.

Hollywood Jesus for many years was among the leading web sites in the world for movie reviews. An important characteristic of the web site was the opening paragraph welcoming visitors to the web site, it stated, as is stated here with this group: Everyone welcome! Hindus, Jews, Christians, Wiccans, Muslims, New Agers, Atheists, Agnostics, Gay, Straight. Come in. Enjoy. Post your views!

It’s been the kind of vision statement that I’ve tried to follow on my message board. A place where people can come, hang out, discuss matters of race, spirituality, and, frankly, my work (it is an author’s messageboard). The board isn’t primarily for Christians in fact, preaching, proselytizing and things of that sort are discouraged from this group. I believe we can all learn from each other. All faiths are welcome and are to be respected, no matter how much they might be disagreed with. The key word is respect.

When a Christian or non Christian continues to operate out of disrespect (and I don’t mean snark), including, not welcoming all people, they will be banned from the group. Now for those that know me, you know I personally have issues with persons being banned from groups, unless that person continues to refuse to respect the concept of the group. My hope is, that I never have to ban someone again, but I expect that won’t happen. So far, since the start of this group, I have banned only a few people.

I welcome the debate and the constant thread derailments, but keep it respected. Feel free to ask questions. My hope is that this is a group that can continue to grow, where all people can feel welcome. I don’t want anyone to leave the group, but in the end, it is my board, and I don’t want to compromise the purpose of my message board: to have good conversations where we can learn from one another.

And now a word from a MOD:

The board will be a lot more heavily monitored because things have gotten out of control and folks are afraid to post for fear of being sniped to death. The Spiritual Journeys section will be the most heavily moderated. People need to be able to post there safely about where they are spiritually without fear of undue harassment or undue criticism. If you don’t like the way this forum is run, you are welcome to find another.

(MOD gets a little testy)


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Not As Entertaining

Meet Adam "Pacman" Jones: On the field, a terrific force in the NFL. Fast, great instincts, a nose for the football. Off, a public nuisance — perhaps worse. Slow to see reality, gutless, a nose for trouble. The Titans love the first Pacman. They tolerate the second one. Too bad. Where there's smoke, there is usually a raging inferno named Pacman Jones ... the club owner said [he] came and left with the man who did the shooting.

Whether we want them to be or not, athletes do tend to represent us. They are ambassadors of what we value and how we compete. This speaks to the importance of having character guys on our teams. Yes, we want to win, but we don’t want to win at all costs. Haywood Hale Broun is noted for saying, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” While sports should be teaching lessons about stronger teamwork or greater self-discipline, instead we get a “me, me, me” attitude, a culture of accommodation, and win at all costs mentality - all driven by money. Rarely is there anything to be appreciated as a “role model” among the athletes.

The Cincinnati Bengals set a record for number of players arrested for off-the-field antics. Closer to home, two Pacers were just indicted for their participation in a bar fight. The Indianapolis Colts running back, Dominic Rhodes, was just arrested on the suspicion of driving under the influence. Coach Tony Dungy said that "It's disappointing. How that's going to impact what we do, we'll have to see down the road. But Dom knows that it's something I'm very disappointed in. But we'll sit down and go through everything and try to sort it out and try to be as supportive as we can.''

In America, we live under the presumption of innocence, and a grand jury indictment does not translate into guilt. However, as mentioned with Pacman, though, where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. The Colts have enjoyed a certain amount of a halo effect, in spite of Rhodes' past domestic battery charge; in spite of Nick Harper’s domestic batter charge; and in spite of Mike Doss' gun-firing incident. Like Bobby Knight when he was at Indiana University, we forgive a lot when you’re winning. You start to slide and all of a sudden you are cut a lot less slack.

Frankly, these athletes’ shenanigans embarrasses themselves, the cities they represent, and the game, distracting from what people should be focused on: the sport. The NBA, suffering through sagging ratings and attendance, attempts to rehab its image. Starting with dress codes to stiffer penalties for stepping onto the court to fight, the league wants to shed its “thug league” image. (Though, interestingly enough, the NHL was never characterized as a “thug league” despite the regularity of its on court tussles. That’s probably a blog for another day) . NFL players, protective of the league’s image, are sick of all the press for their stumblings off the field. The players themselves are taking the initiative to push for a “three strikes and you’re out of the league” policy.

Then again, maybe I’m making too big a deal out of all of this. Athletes, like actors or musicians, are entertainers. And as much as we, as a society, love to build people up, we love to tear them down, or at least make popcorn and enjoy their tumble from grace. We are just as entertained by the off-screen antics of our pop culture icons. Celebrities reduced to tabloid fodder, to the point where people can become famous strictly due to their tabloid exploits. Why should athletes be any different. The E in ESPN does stand for entertainment. And we are just as entertained by train wrecks as we are super star performances.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Friday Night Date Place - Boyz II Men (Girlz II Women)

Alright, I’ll say this plainly rather than dance around this: I get that a lot of folks haven’t had to grow up, but, come on, grow the hell up. How sad is it that a lot of the guys I encounter are still drifting through life, even well into their thirties? Whether it’s living in their mom’s basement, never finishing school, not holding down a job (or working in a dead end job), spinning their wheels with no plan of how to move from where they are to, well, the land of being a grown up.

They may complain about the state of their affairs, but you can’t just keep doing the same things over and over and expect change to magically happen. I’m not talking about the folks who have had circumstances pop up that have caused them to go back home. Or single parents who are struggling. I’m talking about the able-bodied folks who are drifting through life, dreaming of one day being a responsible husband and father, but not taking any actual steps to get there.

This leaves their significant others in an untenable situation. On the one hand, they may love these guys and accept them the way they are, but they will have to draw the line of how much frustration they will put up with while these guys are spinning their wheels. Women shouldn’t have to be their significant other’s mother and on the flip side, he shouldn’t want to date his mother.

The problem some women seem to have is in identifying which guys are men and which ones are boys. They can both be fun, but you can usually only truly count on the men. I recently wrote about what it means to be a man, but a friend of mine came up with 20 signs of the differences between boys and men:

1. Boys will drop a pick up line on you and grin at their own cleverness. A man can flirt without showing off.

2. Boys like fart jokes and everything about them. Men like the jokes too, but they don't feel the need to act them out for you.

3. Boys hold onto fantasy women ideas and hold torches without ever being able to ask the person out. A man knows that everyone is flawed and will ask her out anyway.

4. Boys take rejection as a personal attack. A man realizes that he isn't going to be attractive to everyone and that she may just not be in a place to be dating.

5. Boys try to take what isn't their's to have. A man works to have what he values.

6. Boys yell, argue, and fight. A man is calm and walks away from trouble when he can.

7. Boys hit. Men hold.

8. Boys say hurtful things to denegrate and diminish others. A man builds others up and is quick to compliment.

9. Boys bitch and moan about problems. A man prays and asks for help when he needs it.

10. Boys hold their pride or rep in the highest regard. A man knows that having a good name is worth more than gold.

11. Boys take the easy road out of any trouble. A man faces the consequences of his actions and does the right thing.

12. Boys cheat. A man knows that a good woman is the greatest of blessings from God in this life and puts her before himself.

13. Boys run from trouble. A man handles his responsibilities.

14. Boys look for you to take care of them. A man looks for you to take care of each other.

15. Boys can't maintain eye contact. A man can look into your eyes and let you know how attractive you are without a word.

16. Boys look for hot chicks. A man knows that every woman is beautiful in her own way.

17. Boys have to top your story with a better one of their own. A man asks you questions and lets you be the center of attention.

18. Boys are all about “me”. Men are all about “you”.

19. Boys go to the game, or play X-Box when their kids come over for the weekend. A man helps with homework and plays Candyland.

20. Boys boast. Men deliver.

As much as women have become so “independent”, too many men have become ... actually, they haven’t become anything. Hey, some men are doing the best they can, not for someone else, but for themselves. That’s one thing, and folks have to weigh whether or not they can accept that. Some men aren’t doing close to their best and are just trying to get by. And they should go bye-bye.

Stand up and be the kind of man a person would want to spend the rest of their life with. Pull your life together.

***

Ladies you aren’t off the hook: My message board mod came up with her own list of girls vs. women:

1. Girls ask how they look every five minutes. Women are confident enough to know they look good and smart enough to know if it truly matters.

2. Girls are needy and clingy. Women are independent and have interests outside of you.

3. Girls freak out if you don’t return a phone call. Women are rational and realize that things happen and life is unpredictable. And if you’re truly just not returning her calls, she knows you’re not worth her time.

4. Girls dress provocatively to gain attention. Women can be sexy no matter what they’re wearing.

5. Girls need to have every guy like them, even if they don’t like him. Women know that they aren’t everyone’s type.

6. Girls get their friends to find out if you like them. Women just ask.

7. If you piss them off, girls blog about it and tell all their friends. Women decide whether it’s really worth being pissed over and if it is, they talk to you about it.

8. Girls look to blame everyone but themselves for their shortcomings. Women own up to their mistakes and work to fix them.

9. Girls gossip and speak badly of other girls behind their backs in order to make themselves look good. Women don’t feel threatened by other women and can even sincerely agree when you compliment another woman.

10. Girls are catty and throw each other under a bus to get a guy. Women stand back a minute and know that if you choose the dumb bimbo over her, you aren’t as smart as you look.

11. Girls expect you to read their minds. Women are upfront and honest.

12. Girls take rejection as an insult and plot to make you jealous. Again, women realize that they aren’t everyone’s type and that it’s not a personal attack.

13. Girls bring up your past mistakes in arguments, even the ones you’ve apologized for. Women deal with the problem at hand and know to let things go.

14. Girls create drama and demand that they are the center of attention. Women realize that life has enough drama of it's own and they cherish the "boring" moments.

15. Girls are in constant need of rescuing. Women can discern when it's time for them to be the hero.

16. Girls get drunk and use it as an excuse to act like a ho. Women know that a true man will love her for herself, not because she's easy.

17. Girls avoid confrontation and have no backbone or opinions of their own. Women have their own views and convictions and hold strongly to them, even in the midst of adversity.

18. Girls justify it when a boy treats them like sh*t. Women let them know exactly what "no" means.

19. Girls won't accept help from others, refuse to listen to their friends and family, and stubbornly take the path they know is doomed. A woman surrounds herself with wise people whom she can trust and she heeds their advice.

20. Girls compare you to other men. A woman appreciates each man for his unique qualities and characteristics.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Ghost Rider - A Review

Ten minutes.

That’s how long I got into Ghost Rider before checking my watch. Written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson (Elektra, which should have been my first warning), I feel pretty comfortable laying the blame for this debacle squarely at his feet. A comi-serious production with all the trappings of a horror flick, everything about the movie was over-the-top, apparently going for that coveted comic book nerd/WWE crosssover market. What could have been goofy fun decided to take itself far too seriously, despite the ridiculousness of the script and cast.

Based on the eponymous comic book, Ghost Rider reminded me of a phenomena that occurs quite often with Stephen King stories adapted to the silver screen. Some things you can believe or look good on a page, but play out as ridiculous on a big screen. The key to a successful comic book translation is the movies ability to make the audience suspend its disbelief. A movie like Batman Begins works because it is layered with intelligence and grounded in “reality”. Ghost Rider feels glib, as if gloating that it is smarter than its audience, when actually it is a “just cuz” movie: why did that happen? Just cuz. Why does anyone do anything in this movie? Just cuz.

“Tall tales to help us make sense of things too big or too terrifying to believe.” Caretaker (Sam Elliott)

This movie isn’t quite tall enough for us. Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) inadvertently sells his soul and is cursed to become the Ghost Rider. The Ghost Rider, the devil’s bounty hunter, collects on the devil’s deals, sent to hunt down anyone who escapes from hell. There is a germ of a good idea here, mucked over due to poor execution.


Ghost Rider marks another mis-step in the up-and-down career of Nicolas Cage (Amos & Andrew, and almost every movie where someone has convinced him that he’s an action star). A comic book geek who went so far at to name his son Kal-El (after Superman’s birth name), he has angled to play just about every super hero role that has come down the pike. He has no clue, and little direction, how to play Johnny Blaze so he came up with an Evel Knievel meets Elvis persona. An affectation for Carpenter’s music, monkeys on television, and jelly beans do not make a character. Once he becomes the Ghost Rider, any tension quickly dissipates as none of his threats come close to matching his power. It’s the equivalent of Superman vs. muggers.

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” –Matthew 12:25-26

The bulk of the plot revolves around Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) sending Ghost Rider on an errand to dispatch the devil’s son, Blackheart (Wes Bentley), and his minions, the rest of the four horsemen of mediocrity. A fight fire with fire scenario that lacks Constantine’s Machiavellian twists and layered characterizations when it comes to dealing with (fallen) angels.

“If somebody makes a mistake, a big mistake, do you think they have to pay for it every day for the rest of their lives?” –Johnny Blaze

Armed with his penance star, however, this is what the movie is mostly about. In the face of the bad choices we have made, our journey becomes one of the search for redemption. There are many kinds of “spirits” in the world that profess to offer freedom; the life of you always getting and doing what do you want, of living under your own will and direction. [“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.” I John 2:15-17].

Johnny Blaze seeks control over his possessing spirit, an internal battle, as he seeks what we all seek: a second chance

“You ain’t making the choice, the choice is making you.” –Barton Blaze (Brett Cullen)

That’s it. I’m done wrestling with this movie for any sort of insight. This was strictly horror by numbers, cornball dialogue, cliched imagery buried in "end of days" claptrap, making up the mythology as they went along. A cheesefest of overacting, that is, when they bothered to act at all. Throw in the headache inducing score and you have an overblown Tales From the Crypt episode, without the fun.

None of which will matter a bit, since Ghost Rider debuted with the highest opening numbers for a President’s Day weekend or Nicolas Cage career. In other words, come sequel time, make the best of your second chance.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

On Venting

From the mailbag: "Is it hypocritical to vent about someone but act nice to their face?"

We all need to vent from time to time, to blow off steam about a person or situation. When venting becomes gossip or slander, now we’re veering off into real issues.

There are several potential dangers. Pick your venting friends wisely. My “vent circle” is pretty small, usually my wife and another friend or two. Of course, I like venting to the people I have issues with. I’d like to say that is because venting does not good if the people I’m venting about don’t know what’s wrong. In truth, it’s because I simply delight in not wasting good lines behind people’s back. That’s my own issue.*

The reason I mentioned gossip and slander is because what seems like harmless venting can sometimes shape people’s perceptions. I know that if I vent to someone who doesn’t know the person I’m venting about, my venting caricaturization of them is what will form the basis of their impression of them. I can’t then turn around and wonder why once I introduce my friends to each other, they don’t quite get along.

We’re called to love, even when we don’t always like someone. The true test of what we claim to believe lies in whether we can love our enemies and those not easy to like. Granted, sometimes the most loving thing we can do is put some distance between us and certain folks, but I would imagine the best road to take would be to be loving to their face and loving behind their back.

Which is exactly why Jesus gets on my nerves sometimes.


*Being self-aware doesn’t make it better. It usually makes me twice the jerk since I’m aware of what I’m doing and thus increases the likelihood that I’m doing it deliberately.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Run, Obama, Run

In keeping with my recent track record, my vote is up for grabs. Either party. I'm just waiting for someone to convince me to vote for them. Honestly, is the most interesting part of the electoral process how we treat the election like a horse race? Since politics as entertainment is a blog for another day, several horses have announced their entry into the fray, but I’m particularly intrigued by the excitement Barack Obama has generated.


As a writer, I’m all about storylines and right now, the most interesting storyline so far in the race is Obama. Sure, one of the reasons why he has gotten so much attention is because he’s black. Not just black, but a popular candidate with a real shot at getting the nomination. There are many things that have been covered with respect to Obama, from the trivial (he’s handsome, he SMOKES!) to more relevant discussions (his experience, a conversation that ought to subside considering Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s bid). However, it is the question of his ontological blackness that intrigues me.

He didn’t come up through the civil rights political machine, which means there are those who question his “commitment to the cause” (the usual suspects being those who want to hold him at a distance while still reserving a dinner spot at the power table in case he wins).

"Black," in our political and social reality, means those descended from West African slaves. Voluntary immigrants of African descent (even those descended from West Indian slaves) are just that, voluntary immigrants of African descent with markedly different outlooks on the role of race in their lives and in politics. At a minimum, it can't be assumed that a Nigerian cabdriver and a third-generation Harlemite have more in common than the fact a cop won't bother to make the distinction. They're both "black" as a matter of skin color and DNA, but only the Harlemite, for better or worse, is politically and culturally black, as we use the term.

I get what the writer is saying, though I whole-heartedly disagree with her final assessment. Building on her semi-point, a race of people could be defined as a people with a shared story, that is, experience, heritage, culture (insofar as it goes deeper than appreciating the aesthetics), and most importantly, history. History is the story of individuals coming together. Authentic blackness is about personal responsibility, pride and a sense of history and community. It means staying true to yourself, your faith, your life and constantly seeking the truth. This whole “blacker than thou”/”I’m I black enough for you” game is utter foolishness. It buys into the racist construct of race in the first place, and smacks of the days of classifying black people by the amount of black blood that they had (octaroon, quadroon, etc.). Plus, it ignores the fact that Obama self-identifies as black.

On the flip side, while he’s not black enough for some, you can tell he’s “black enough” for others. I’m a strong believer in the fact that words mean things and how words can shape us. All of the talk I’m hearing (while trying to ignore the air of surprise when he’s described) about how “clean” and “articulate” Obama is reminds me of Chris Rock’s routine describing General Colin Powell as “so well-spoken.” Translated, white people, this is your cue that he’s alright to vote for. You want to find out how black someone is, if the “clean” and “well-spoken” talk doesn’t clue you in, then apply the Klan test: you can be as articulate as you want from the end of their rope.

Though, I’m already on record believing that a black male will be president of this country before a woman of any color.

My hopes for Obama are high, and it’s not because of the “black thing.” It’s because he communicates hope. We live in a cynical age, a time of particular distrust of our president and government. One of the most important, and under-appreciated, roles of the presidency is to be our national cheerleader. The best two, of recent memory, at speaking to the people were Presidents Reagan and Clinton. Obama is under the microscope, the anal examination that comes with increased media scrutiny, his every word parsed, speech dissected, and gesture analyzed. He may be young to public life, but the process will mature him quickly. Maybe Obama is too “racially transcendent” for some, but maybe that’s exactly what this country needs right now.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Snow Daze

We are slowly digging out from the recent snowfall.










Because I’m no sexist, my wife did all the shoveling.

My favorite round of American Idol just wrapped up: Hollywood week. Since I’ve already looked at it from the perspective of writers and editors, Hollywood week is like having whittled down the slush pile down to the stack of maybes.

Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones are my early picks, which means look for one of them to be knocked out with four weeks to go. I still haven’t forgiven America for bouncing Tamyra Gray in season one (the showdown should have been Kelly vs. Tamyra).

But what is with the guy nerdfest? (Though I’m rooting for Sundance Head)

Oh, and my new Intake column is up. A few thoughts on “Black History Month.”


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Pan’s Labyrinth - A Review

“The Passion of Ofelia”

Pan’s Labyrinth suffers from the spoiled expectations of being marketed as something it isn’t. Genre film lovers are kind of programmed so that when we see the word “Labyrinth,” we can’t help but conjure up images of the fantasy classic. However, the latest opus from director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy) feels like a follow up to his Devil’s Backbone. This lush, imaginative production had the feel of a very personal movie, like a much darker The Lady in the Water (which also knows a thing or two about being marketed as something it isn’t).

Drawing on the primal urgency of the original fairy tales before they were cleaned up for mass consumption, Pan’s Labyrinth is magical realism - fantasy firmly rooted in reality. A little girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) under the fascist regime of 1944 Spain, accompanies her pregnant mother, Carmen Vidal (Ariadna Gil) to meet the man who she is to now call father, Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Except that “father” is “more than just a word” to her. We are plunged into her imagination, and the harshness of her situation, as she embarks on a journey to a magical world within her own. A world of fantasy and wonder, to escape from as well as deal with, her reality.

“How do you know what you say is true?” –Ofelia

Her kingdom awaits the return of a dead princess whose true father waits for her. Pan’s Labyrinth layers stories within fairy tales within stories, as it interprets an ancient story within the context of a fairy tale. Fantastic creatures, from Pan to the Pale Man, wander through the film like imaginings from Clive Barker’s Abarat world.

Here, the message is the magic. A visual feast of stunning images alongside graphic ones (such as the Captain suddenly turning and beating a young man to death), Pan’s Labyrinth is both gruesome and spell-binding. In a lot of ways, faith and spiritual concerns are essentially magic. We believe a lot of things when we are children. We have the ability to wonder, to look at the world around us with awe, full of its own brand of magic. It’s a shame that we lose the ability to dream as we get older.

The power of story is being able to portray magic in the ordinary.

“She forgot who she was and where she came from.” –Narrator

A common fantasy trope is that of the changeling: the idea that a child was born of parents different from the ones that raised him. That they are, in fact, someone special, children like Harry Potter. The land where Ofelia was from anxiously awaits the return of their princess.

Modeling Christ’s journey of self-discover of his messianic consciousness, she dwelled fully human among her adopted parents as she discovered who she was. Ofelia had to find her way herself, though she possessed The Book of Crossroads, basically, her scriptures, that informed her mission and journey.

In being taught how to follow instructions, realizing that there were consequences to be paid if she didn’t, she learned what it meant to obey as she grew in surrender to the will of her father, all for the sake of knowing her true father. Her journey parallels Christ journey as he had to discover what it meant for him to “be about my Father’s business.”

“The essence of [God's] forgiveness lies in His word and in His mystery. Because although God sends us the message, it is our task to decipher it. Because when we open our arms, the earth takes in only a hollow and senseless shell. Far away now is the soul in its eternal glory. Because it is in pain that we find the meaning of life and the state of grace that we lose when we are born. Because God in His infinite wisdom puts the solution in our hands. And because it is only in His physical presence that the place He occupies in our souls is reaffirmed.” –Priest

This is a cruel world– the cruelty of man embodied by her earthly father–full of both tragedy and magic. We’ve “talked about pain. But never about the promise of eternal life.” We cling to the hope of eternal life, a life beyond the pain of this existence; a greater glory and kingdom. Yet it shouldn’t be a “pie in the sky, when we die” brand of belief, but rather one realizing that this kingdom life begins now. We leave behind small traces of our lives–in the little things, in the moments–if you know where to look. The trek may be dangerous, full of poison thorns, but it is worth it, to get that rose of eternal life.

The theme of sacrifice winds it’s way throughout the movie. Ofelia sacrifices her throne for the sake of another. She sheds her blood for the sake of another. But these weren’t the final steps in her journey of faith.

“To obey - just like that - for obedience's sake ... without questioning... That's something only people like you do.” –Doctor Ferreiro (Álex Angulo)

The ultimate test of her faith was to learn when to question. Ofelia questions the rules presented to her in order to find true faith and her true father. We often confuse doubt with a lack of faith, questioning as the first step of falling way, when in reality, doubting proves thought. How we arrive at truth depends on our ability to think and reflect, to contemplate our own existence. I’m reminded of something Ann Lamott said in her book, Plan B Further Thoughts on Faith: “The opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and the discomfort and letting it be there until some light returns.”

Pan’s Labyrinth conjures up so many images from stories I grew up reading. The Minotaur. Persephone. Orpheus and Eurydice. Labyrinths were a feature of many medieval cathedrals and are used by many today as a spiritual discipline. Unlike a maze, it is a single path of concentric circles that leads to a center point, and then returns the same way. People walk the labyrinth slowly, as an aid to contemplative prayer and reflection, to calm their minds as a spiritual exercise. The path has three stages - the 'inward' journey (letting go of things which hinder our wholeness), the center (a space of meditative prayer) and the 'outward' journey (reaching out to others in light of our relationship to God). In other words, walking and praying it is a tangible picture of our spiritual journey.

Pan’s Labyrinth has a magical quality, like Spirited Away with CGI effects. It is myth for adults, with all of its attendant elements - woven with death and loss, courage and love and sacrifice. Its graceful and elegant cinematography paints a vivid canvass for such an unvarnished fairy tale. Indeed, it is a rare treat of a movie.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Sexism and Genre Conventions?

Well, in a little over a month, the World Horror Convention convenes. This year, the Stokers Banquet is a part of the festivities, so it’s like two conventions in one. Yet some folks are dreading it, if not outright skipping it, namely a lot of female peers of mine. Actually, it reminds me of an on-going discussion Chesya Burke and I have about whether or not it’s easier to be female or black in the genre. When she asks whether I’d rather be a white female or a black male in the genre, I paraphrase Chris Rock: I’m going to ride this male thing out. So this might be an occasion of male privilege leading to male guilt.

Part of this goes back to what it means to be a professional. It’s a shame that we would even have to say “keep your hands to yourselves” as a part of professional conduct. I get that there’s a bit of the old con mentality that plays into some of this: that “what happens at a con stays at a con,” like the rest of their lives don’t matter, or at least exist outside of what is supposed to be a convention of professionals.

It’s bad enough that they still have to contend with schools of thought that believe women can’t write horror, or that vampire erotica is all they can write. Tired of the constant condescension, as if they aren’t expected to be able to speak in whole sentences. Of course strides have been made, but in a lot of ways, there is the lingering perception of the genre still being a boys club. Of that being how deals are often brokered and anthologies put together.

Their sex becomes a two-edged sword. On the one side, if they find publishing success, they become dogged by rumors of how they got their deal. On the other side, some may use their looks to sell their fiction. If you think you have to use your body, your sexiness to sell your work, maybe you can’t claim hurt when you aren’t thought of for your writing first; but all of us use what we have to our marketing advantage.

Convention fatigue sets in when women become tired of being constantly propositioned. I’ve heard disgusting tales of women being pinned in corners, elevator rides that have gone horribly wrong, and convention stalking. Is it so much a leap that women want to be seen as writers, not potential lays. The saddest part is how some of the worst behavior comes from the ones they had never guessed it would come from: their friends, their confidantes, their supposed peers.

Women, especially women horror writers, don’t need me defending them. Maybe I’m making a big deal out of a marginal problem. Though I’ve been told that were a woman to have written something like this, it would have fallen on deaf ears. We'll see what kind of discussion this generates.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Once More Into Valentine’s Breech

Men, I’m taking a stand against this Hallmark endorsed day of male oppression. That’s right, someone’s got to do it. That’s right men, stand up, cry out with one voice: “We are not going to participate in this made up holiday for the sake of going through the motions of showing some token affection as if this gets us out of anything during the rest of the year. We know that this so-called holiday is just another opportunity for us to screw up and we refuse to be the objects of scorn presented to your girlfriends as Exhibit A in the case of how men are worthless.”

See? I’ve grown since that blog or at least, I’d like to believe so. I’m older, have matured, and most of all, have realized that after nearly seven years of marriage, I’m stuck with Valentine’s Day.

Unlike Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, the traditions of Valentine’s Day predate the greeting card industry forcing fake holidays down our throats. Oddly enough, it has it roots in pagan traditions (in a feast called Lupercalia to honor Lupercus so that no harm would come to the shepherds and their flocks), was Christianized (or mythologized) by the actions of St. Valentine, and then romanticized by Chaucer (though, having read Chaucer, I can’t claim there’s anything romantic about Middle English).

We’ve come a long way from marking the occasion of seeking the affections of women by giving out handwritten messages of admiration citing Valentine's name. Sadly, handwritten notes have largely given way to greeting cards because, as you know, we are incapable of surmising our own thoughts and feelings - at least, not with the poetry, wit, and beauty of nameless card scribe #12. I’d daresay that it is the endless marketing and commercialization of the holiday that leaves a bad taste in people’s mouth. However, for me, the day comes back to the idea of remembrance.

I am all about remembrance. We, as a culture, have notoriously short memories and notoriously hard hearts and heads. We need rituals to draw our imaginations back to certain things, to stir our affections, to serve as reminders to what is important in life. Valentine’s Day is a ritual of memory for my wife and for those around us who have our affections. It’s an opportunity to take the time to honor them.

It shouldn’t be a matter of fulfilling some sort of “affection duty”. No one wants duty, especially those who are supposed to own our affections. They want our hearts, our choice to love them. With that in mind, once again this year I am going to make a choice to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Once again I’m going to honor she who guards my heart.

I know, it’s early, but I have to mentally gear up for this. I still ain’t buying Sweetist’s Day though. I had to squash that would-be tradition early.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Thunderbolts

“Faith in Monsters" - Number 110
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Mike Deodato, Jr.
Published Marvel Comics
Price $2.99

The idea of using a group of super-villains to do good is a long standing one, DC’s Suicide Squad springs to mind. When they were first introduced to the Marvel Universe, the Thunderbolts had the interesting premise of villains pretending to be heroes and then eventually working to become heroes. Because of the scenarios spinning out of Marvel’s Civil War event, a new group of villains have been brought in to protect the public by tracking down and apprehending unregistered superheroes. There is a track record of the rehabilitative element to the work paying off, which has led to much of the original team turning over a new leaf. But, let’s face it, this go around, you’re asking super-villains to track down their enemies and not be punished for it (in fact, to be pardoned and then rewarded).

Under Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Planetary, The Authority), a mix of Marvel’s most popular villains, mixed with a couple of B-listers, are put on the same team (ala, the villains answer to The New Avengers): Venom, Moonstone, Bullseye, Songbird, the Radioactive Man, Penance and Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) - clearly one of the most outlandish, potential combustible line-ups ever. The insane, spree-killing duo of Venom and Bullseye alone do that. Add the fact that it takes strong, manipulative personalities to hold the team of villains together (Norman Osborn as the head, the liason with the government, and Moonstone in the field) and you have a list of bad ideas waiting to explode at any moment.

Whereas I get the sense that Garth Ennis (The Boys) does things strictly to shock, I get the opposite sense from Ellis - like he is taking shocking things and forcing you to accept them. Maybe it’s simply that Ellis has a lighter touch with more macabre ideas. Here you have a collection of serial killers sanctioned by the government.

Coming out of the cynicism of Civil War, the book has a cloud about it. That might stem from the fact that there is a sense that nothing done under Ellis’ year long run will matter. In essence, it is a mini-series within the series that will be forgotten in a year (do I need to re-hash the track record of these sort of things? Okay, one word for you: Onslaught). Not that there aren’t moments to enjoy. The Bullseye scenes are terrific. Ellis is masterful at making both Bullseye and Norman Osborn scary, each having an “I’ll kill you if you give me the chance” vibe dripping from every line of dialogue.
“None of us should be arrogant or stubborn when American heroes offer us redemption.” –Norman Osborn

A friend of mine had an objection to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off show Angel: he couldn’t get past the idea of using evil to vanquish evil. He had particular problems with the idea of using evil to do good. Granted, I argued that he missed the entire point of the show, but I can only imagine that he would have fits with Thunderbolts. The biggest thing that gets over looked when pointing out the sins of others is that people usually miss the fact that we’re all in the same boat. None of us are perfect. None of us live up to our potential of who we were meant to be. In that regard, we are all broken vessels, flawed, with feet of clay. What sets us apart isn’t how less we sin, how less villainous we are; what can lead to us being “heroic”, is our search for redemption.

As we examine our lives, where we’ve been, how far we are from where we should be, we may find ourselves asking if we can ever do enough good to balance the scales for all the evil, all the mistakes, you've done in your past? The past shapes who we are, but it doesn’t define who we can be. We are more than just sinners. We are first Eikons of God, created to relate to God, to relate to others, and to govern the world as Eikons. There is all the difference in the world in depicting humans as simply sinners and seeing sinfulness as the condition and behavior of a cracked Eikon.

As such, the good news of our situation isn’t just that there is a pardon and (eternal) reward for us. That is only part of the message, only part of the journey that begins with being repentant and turning our backs on our old ways of living. The rest of the message becomes about seeking wholeness, being restored in all the dimensions of humanity, being fully human. However, it doesn’t stop there: being the beneficiaries of grace, a grace represented in the pardon, should move us to outward expression. Doing good, being blessings to the world.

Paired with fan favorite artist, Mike Deodato, Jr., and his hyper-realistic art style, Warren Ellis delivers a book sure to please. If it doesn’t quite hit on all notes, well, that might be the price of playing in a toybox of such established characters. The original Thunderbolts team was about voluntary redemption, villains trying to reform and live a better way. This team is mercenary; redemption, if you can call it that, as a means to an end. What saves this book is Warren Ellis. Like Grant Morrison, he’s an original thinker, wringing new ideas and perspectives from tired concepts. Plus he’s a skilled writer, bringing his usual wit and satirical edge to the book (come on, the ads for the Thunderbolts action figures?). In his hands, Thunderbolts is a ride you can sit back and enjoy.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Action Comics - A Review

“Last Son” - Number 844
Written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner
Art by Adam Kubert
Published by DC Comics
Price $2.99

I have never been much of a Superman reader for the simple reason that it’s tough to make me care about Superman. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve put in my time trying to care about him, it’s tough for storytellers to find interesting ways to deal with him. I followed the Man of Steel and the rest of John Byrne’s re-boot run. I loved Alan Moore’s Man of Tomorrow story. I even casually tuned into the stunts that tried to garner attention to what should be DC’s flagship books: Superman’s death and resurrection, his Red/Blue phase (granted, it’s no clone of Spider-Man storyline, but still), even his wedding to Lois Lane.

However, when all is said and done, Superman is basically this all-powerful figure who has it all and does it all. Not much can hurt him and he seems to do the right thing all the time. His fights have to be big to be interesting and he’s barely relateable as a character. His problems are “uptown” problems. Which is why I was intrigued by the possibilities of the current story line.

Geoff Johns (Infinite Crisis) and Richard Donner (Superman II, whose mythos pretty much defined Superman Returns) come aboard to give us “Last Son”. Like the coming together of Superman’s wedding timed to coincide with the then wedding of Lois and Clark on the popular television series, we once again find ourselves with a jump on point for people returning to the book after Superman Returns. Because of the history ret-conning of 52, we have a lot of continuity shifting in the Superman mythos (Pa Kent is alive, a de-aged Jimmy Olsen) as we try to reconcile the various Superman interpretations (ignoring the current television incarnation, Smallville, apparently).

In “Last Son,” a new child of Krypton arrives and Superman struggles to figure out what to do with the child. This story appeals to the strength of John’s writing: characterization. There are elements of Superman that this story draws out that are quite relateable: his sense of feeling alone, isolated, a minority trying to live among a people not his own; him trying to relate to a(n emotionally) distant father; Superman wanting to have a family and a connection to the history of his people; him wanting the ties of community; and most importantly, the thrill of being a new dad. What is rife with potential excitement is the same thing that makes it rife with the potential for disaster: where Donner goes, General Zod, the defining villains of the Superman movies can’t be too far behind.

He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:48-50)

We tend to cling to a narrow definition of family. The simple biology of blood does not necessarily make one family. For many, a circle of close friends can be more family to than blood kin, as they are family you choose for yourself. With the myth of Superman already percolating with messianic imagery, an overlooked theme to his story is the power of adoption. The potential of being adopted into a family after thinking yourself alone. The opportunity to find belonging and maybe even a sense of identity and purpose.

Grafted into a family, natural born, or choosing a missional community as family - family is family, in every sense of the word. They will be far from perfect, and suffering their faults will often be a pain, but that doesn’t negate the idea of what families should be about. Family should be about community, about support.

Let me comment on the art. I might be committing fanboy heresy, but I was not a fan of what Adam Kubert is doing here. It is too stylized for my tastes (which I thought of Bill Sienkiewicz. art during his New Mutants run, so guaranteed I’ll think him a genius ten years from now). His faces are particularly odd, as if incomplete or rushed. While the layouts and overall visual storytelling was great, the fact that every stray line had to be inked proved distracting.

I’ll admit, my big fear is that this storyline will be an end-around throwback to Superbaby tales. Putting that fear aside, this will be one of those rare Superman runs that I will follow. With any luck, it may rekindle my interest in the character, I’m sure what the creators (or at least the corporate machine behind them) ultimately want. We’ll see, but I’m cautiously optimistic.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

The Boys - A Review

Issues 1 - 6
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Darick Robertson
Published by DC/Wildstorm Comics
Price: $2.99

We live in a time of entrenched cynicism about our institutions. Where we are distrustful of government, distrustful of churches/religion, and distrustful of (super) heroes. Why? Because they have given us plenty of reasons to be cynical about them. It’s no wonder we’ve grown uncomfortable with the idea of unchecked (super) powers moving about at will, no matter their stated good intentions. This theme continues to unfold in many of the most popular comics today.

The events of Identity Crisis, Civil War, Powers, to Squadron Supreme, we see this unifying thread of “who watches the watchmen?” Which brings us to Garth Ennis’ latest opus, The Boys.

The Boys are a team of five super-powered individuals, recruited by Butcher, the kind of “alpha dog holding [the pack] together.” He’s the brutal sort of barely redeemable bastard character Ennis loves to write who we’re to believe is two steps ahead of everyone around him. His sidekick is his dog, Terror, with the power to hump anything on command. The Boys work for one of those shadow departments that seem so prevalent in the U.S. government with their job requiring them to monitor and keep in check superhero behavior. The Boys are the government’s tool to keep superheroes on a tight rein, or put down as need be.

You pretty much know what you’re going to get with a Garth Ennis (Ghost Rider) project. Other than Preacher, Hitman, War Stories, Constantine, and arguably Punisher (I get that a lot of fans love his run on Punisher, I simply got bored of it), he tends to mine the same territory with his standard bag of “look how shocking I can be” moments. Unchecked Ennis, reminds me of “extreme” horror writers: crude, crass, visceral, over the top. Because it seems easy to do (and much more difficult to do well), things done in the name of extreme too often lead to all effect without much substance. Sure it allows more freedom, but sometimes complete freedom to push the boundaries allows some folks to give into their excesses. Back to Ennis, even with Preacher, he was relatively reigned in. There was a sense of his excesses not wanting to overshadow his story. With The Boys, and an insatiable need to keep pushing the envelope, he teeters on distracting us from what he’s trying to say.

“I can’t decide if its worth staying to find out whether or not it was all worth it.” –Hughie

After putting the band back together, Butcher directs The Boys to go after the sidekick supergroup, Teenage Kix (analogous to The New Warriors group whose actions precipitated the events of Civil War). Another group of out of control amateurs putting on spandex and running amuck with the power of a weapon of mass destruction in their hands. The story feels artificially bloated (to fill out the magical six issue initial story arc in order to make a tradepaper back from).

Actually, I wish more of the story was told through the eyes of Hughie (a bystander who’s fiancé was killed when a super hero runs into/through her; he is the last recruit to The Boys) or Starlight (the newest addition to the Seven, an institution of super heroes similar to the JLA or the Avengers). Through their eyes, yes, everything would be shocking, but it wouldn’t feel so forced, as much of Butcher’s antics seem to be.

“They’re all so scared of losin’ whatever little fortune it is they thing they’ve got ...” –The Butcher

The Boys boils down to an examination of institutions. Sometimes, even institutions we need or hold dear degenerate into hotbeds of corruption, from illicit sexual scandals to squabbling over money. They become self-satisfied, full of pride, bloated, or over confident. They could become irresponsible with their actions (such as the superheroes acting without concern for innocents) with others, the faithful, allowing or making excuses for them (such as the government giving the heroes a casualty allowance of 60%). In other words, they lose their sense of mission.

Whenever an institution has lost its way, the Spirit behind the need for them, the work of the mission remains. Other organizations may spring up to do their job or otherwise leave the original organization behind. If the organization is paying attention and sees an erosion of some sort, it might be spurred into reform and a renewed sense of mission.

“I’m over here about a job. Only I don’t know if I’m gonna take it ... I think I might enjoy it quite a lot. It’s just ... some of the people ...” –Hughie

Advertised as out-Preacher-ing Preacher, The Boys has to live in the shadow of raised expectations. Considering that it lacks Preacher’s scope and complexity, it barely out-Hitmans Hitman. The Boys lacks the intimacy, the emotional depth of his best work, instead it goes for the crass laugh. There is a casual disregard, disrespect for women and a trading on homophobia that serves as a springboard for a lot of the humor, which makes it kind of hard to “laugh along with the boys” about. So while it treads the line of being smothered by its own excesses, one can see the emerging threads of stories to be told, such as the background stories of Mother’s Milk, the Frenchman, and the Female (of the species). Plus, The Seven need to be taken down.

However, the book is already cancelled. Rumor has it that it is too rough for DC/Wildstorm, even though it stood among the top-selling of Wildstorm books. However, like Fallen Angel, it is sure to find a new lease on life with someone else.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Friday Night Date Place - No One Wants to See That

One of the criticisms that haunted my wife and I was that we weren’t very affectionate in public. This criticism would especially rear its head during “marriage and the family” month at an old church we used to attend. By some folks judgment, we didn’t sit close enough together, didn’t hold hands often enough, didn’t act like much of a couple, much less a married couple.

[Of course this criticism came from the “family is everything” crowd in the church, the one that has put “family” on an altar and believes the mission of the church is solely to strengthen and encourage families. The same crowd that reduces singles to second class citizens within the church (there are three levels to full citizenship: Level one: you get married. Level two: you have kids. Level three: you homeschool. I’m just saying). But I digress.]

We didn't take it as a sense of busy-bodyness that our married friends intruded, assuming that our marriage is in trouble because we never acted "couplely". We always appreciated their concern, because that’s the whole point of being in a community of friends: we look out for one another. However, we pointed out that they forgot that we ministered mostly to singles ... who don't want to see people drooling all over each other.

Sometimes relationships have to walk a fine line of being a couple among your single friends and not retreating from your single friends. In the spirit of lazy blogging, how about a mediated discussion between the moderators of my message board (read: blogging catfight ... get your popcorn):

You guys can't tell me that you've never had a set of friends fall off the face of the earth because they started dating. I know you have. Either that or I'm the only one with these kinds of people for friends. Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy asks girl out, boy and girl all but disappear. You guys can't get mad at me for assuming this. You've had it happen to you. Maybe you've even done it in the past. And I've done the whole swearing up and down that I'll never do it and make my friends promise not to let me. I've also had friends who asked me to do the same for them and then when they start dating, what do they do? "I'm not spending all my time with him/her." "I don't get to see him/her very much." "I still see you." "I know I said that but things are different now."

This is the age old story. It’s a bit of a chicken and an egg situation: who pulls away first, the couple of the single friends? Does one precipitate the other? Does it matter and there is simply an inevitable pulling away?

i seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from many of my single friends from different circles. basically, my stance is that just because i'm in a relationship, doesn't mean that i'm on house arrest. i'm not becoming a nun, i just now have a partner to help me fight my battles and win my triumphs. i've found that many of my single friends avoid me like the plague when i'm in a relationship. i try to call and if they answer, they make the conversation short. or if i invite them to do something, even just me and them, they're suddenly busy. or when i finally do see them, and go to give them hugs and kisses, i get a butterfly pat as a sorry excuse for a hug. then these same people turn around and complain that i've changed!! i don't get it. is there some unwritten rule that as long as friends are single, they can stay friends, but if they get involved, then they have to quit being friends until either they break up or the other singles get involved, too?

This was the situation my wife and I faced. Our single friends pulled away from us, though we fought and scraped to assure them that just because we were married didn't mean that we were going to fall off the face of the earth (by our reasoning, it made it more convenient since it meant one party household instead of having to drive back and forth between us - like one stop shopping for friends). Yet it still seemed like we were plagued with relational cooties. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do, some of your single friends may simply retreat:

It's been a natural ebb and flow with my friends. One minute we all find ourselves single and throwing popcorn at the stupid chick flick we decided to torture ourselves with. The next everyone is acting all mushy and flirty and talking about some guy like he's the best thing since sliced bread ... I'm happy for my friends. Most of them are dating (or have not-boyfriends or un-boyfriends or fiances) men who seem to be wonderful guys. And I hope that they spoil you all rotten and talk as much mush as you want and treat you like the queens that you are.

Just please wait until I leave the room.

Couples need time alone to figure themselves out, what “we” are. Accommodating a new person into your life can be quite the adjustment, especially if you aren’t used to carving out that space. You need time to focus on each other, learn about each other, before introducing them to the rest of your life.

Just as long as they are brought into the rest of your life.

When relationships become islands, it should throw up a red flag. Not that there’s something inherently wrong with cocooning (though I'd be on the lookout for controlling behavior), but relationships can become ... claustrophobic when it is reduced to “all each other all the time.” When your significant other is brought into the rest of your life, one still needs to be mindful of their single friends. It’s easy to give them the sense of you rubbing their nose in your coupledom. On the flip side, singles need to allow their coupled friends room to be themselves also.

The bottom line is that relationships, of any stripe, aren’t static. Take a look at your current circle of friends. There’s a good chance that a year from now, maybe two, the complexion of your circle of friends will be different. People whom you shared intimate secrets with one day drift (or storm) out of your life. People move, switch social circles, life, circumstances, what have you - you wake up one day and realize that some folks aren’t as close to you or aren’t as much a part of your world as they used to be. There is a natural ebb and flow to relationships.

One of the reasons me and my wife still hang out with singles is to let them see the (realistic) joy of marriage. If I’m drooling over my wife, I’m probably in a deep sleep.

Frankly, I’m still stunned that she puts up me.


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Twenty Years Already

Well, I opened up my Inbox only to find this letter:

Fellow High School Classmates of 1987:

I'm sure that you have all heard the buzz of a 1987 Northwest High School reunion floating around. Suffice it to say, it is all true. Curtis Burhannon, Bridgette Dawson, Devon Stovall, Adrena Jones (Morris), Danielle (Tootie) Arnold, Tawnya Harrison and I have been planning this special event since October. We know that we didn't have a ten year reunion, but we definitely want the twenty. Therefore, here are the plans:

The event is going to be August 10th - 12th of this year. That Friday we're going to have a social at the skating rink (at Roller Cave Skating Rink 8734 E. 21st St. Indianapolis, IN 46219) from 8:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. where we can catch up on old times. Saturday evening we'll have a formal (at the Julia Carson Building 300 E Fall creek Pkwy off of Fall creek and Delaware) with our spouses or significant others from 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. That Sunday afternoon we're having a cookout at Eagle Creek Park (Eagle Creek Park shelter A 1p-6p) where we'll bring all of our spouses, significant others and children. The fees for the entire event are as follows:

$35.00 for singles with no children
$40.00 for couples with no children
$45.00 for singles with children
$50.00 for couples with children

These fees cover everything except entry into the skating rink on Friday evening ($7.00) and the per car fee to enter Eagle Creek Park ($4.00).

Adrena Jones (Morris) is our treasurer. The committee has already paid their fees and we need others to jump on board as well. We are asking that you send in your fees as soon as possible so that we can begin to make purchases as well as other necessary deposits. Please make your checks out to NWHS 87 Reunion and forward it to the following address:

P.O.Box 26872
Indianapolis, IN 46226

What we also need from you is to get emails from everyone you know from our class as possible and forward it to me so that I can send this email information to everyone. If people don't have email, just get their addresses. Whoever you know that graduated with us, send their information to me so that I can place them on our email contact list. That way they will always be informed about what is going on. You will all get an email from me about once per month regarding the updates from the committee about the reunion. [You may also e-mail me at northwest_highschool (at) yahoo.com].

Be on the lookout to volunteer for various committees that we'll have in place. Right now Tawnya McCrary (Harrison) is over the Sunday cookout. She'll need help. If you are interested, her email address is: trmassociates (at) yahoo.com. Bridgette Dawson is over the Saturday evening formal. If you're interested in helping, her email address is: nadene35 (at) yahoo.com.

I look forward to hearing from and seeing you all. Don't forget to tell folks!

Myron C. Duff, Jr. (Stynk)


I’m officially depressed. I was just hanging out with these knuckleheads yesterday. Well, it feels like yesterday. Well, it felt like yesterday, yesterday; today it feels like twenty years ago.

Over on my Intake Column, the issue of Hurricane Katrina and the issue of “convenient caring.”


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

Five Things

Apparently I have been tagged. This is a pretty tough list to compile since I’m a pretty open book and blog about anything that pops into my head. Do you want me to link to my previous blogs of embarrassing medical mishaps (from lactating part I and part II to the catheter incident)?

1. I collect things. Sure, there are the comic books. I also collect salt and pepper shakers. China patterns (Russel Wright American Modern and Fire King stuff). Not to mention shot glasses and DVDs. You pick the obsession, I have compulsed it.

2. I am convinced I am going to die from some sort of brain disorder, probably a stroke but I haven’t ruled out an aneurism. I don’t have a fear of death as much as a fear of incapacitation or losing “who I am.” All that to say that I have only seen the season finale of Homicide: Life on the Streets season 4 once and have great difficulty watching Andre Braugher’s performance during season 5. Oh, Homicide: Life on the Streets is my favorite television show of all time.

3. Sadly, I am a direct descendant of Captain Morgan. Yes, that Captain Morgan. This comes from my mother’s side of the family, the Jamaican side.

4. I have a fear of heights and a fear of open water. This practically translates into a fear of bridges, too. I’d like to apologize to my fellow drivers on I-65 between Kentucky and Indiana. However, crossing the Ohio River is usually done white-knuckled and at 20 m.p.h.

5. I have had my identity stolen. I have retained dual citizenship as I’m an American, but was England born. I moved to America when I was pretty young and lost my British accent almost immediately (on purpose, actually: it’s tough enough being “the new kid”, trying to fit in, without people always coming up to you saying “say something English for us”). Anyway, a distant cousin apparently took my information and is living in England as “Maurice Broaddus”. The reason I know is because my aunt busted him. She didn’t tell me then, only after he pissed her off over money.

I’ll throw in a freebie that obviously some people don’t know: I hate being tagged with stuff. But, in the spirit of cyber community, I hereby tag Lauren, Anthony, and Wrath (Lord help us with stuff we don’t know about Wrath).


***
If you want to make sure that I see your comment or just want to stop by and say hi, feel free to do so on my message board. I apologize in advance for some of my regulars.

The After Party

People have all of