Ladies and gentlemen and all viewers of my blog, I would like to announce to all that in June, I will begin another blog. Those who enjoy the current blog will enjoy Life in Hyperion. As regular viewers will know, that is the title of the book I am currently writing. I have decided to post it in daily segments. I have about 1/3 written so far and I hope to post more as I write more.
Also, I will be bringing back my shuttle update series from February in order to mark the final flights of orbiters Atlantis, Enveadour, and finally Discovery, which will close out the the program. The second set of updates will include, as usual, my opinion on the day's events and how revelant this last flight is to us here on Earth as the shuttles march into retirement one by one.
There are no further changes to announce but I will still use the current blog to publish opinions, short stories, and any other news relevant to you and me, and the two certainly don't go hand in hand but it doesn't need to so. Until the next posting, see ya later!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
To Mark Twain: 100 Years With Halley's Comet
.On November 30. 1835, two weeks after Halley's Comet made its closest approach to Earth, a child was born in Hannibal, Missouri, along the banks of the Mississippi River. His parents dubbed him Samuel Longhorn Clemens. When he was older, he felt his birth name is lacking, so he gave himself a name that he heard in his childhood from the boatmen as he made sure that their craft is in deep water: Mark Twain.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death and after 100 years, or a full century, his writings are considered the cornerstones of American literature. Indeed, before him, there was no such things. There were American writers and novelists but they wrote like their European counterparts and rarely wrote about the country they lived in. Twain wrote what he saw, and he saw America.
Traveling as a newspaper reporter throughout the wild west of the 1860s, he saw many things and heard many stories. His interest was in writing down the tall tales that made up any kind of American literature at the time and making them interesting. It was during this time that his first short story was published, his own tall tale, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".
It was in the 1870s that Twain's career took off, with his novels about the American experience and everything else. He wrote about life on the Mississippi River and the wild west. For someone who was told he would never amount to much, he sure became a hero to many for writing what he believed in.
As Twain's life moved him into middle age and then old age, his travels became few and his opinions many. His collection of papers, failed stories, and the like still linger on as a testament to his genius. Twain suffered the pains and trials of old age and used it to write the deepest material of his collection.
As the end of his life drew near, he remembered what event had brought him into this world. He wrote in 1909, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It's coming again next year and I except to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt, 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'."
Sure enough, Twain died, at age 74, on April 21st, 1910, the day after Halley's closest approach to Earth. The two unaccountable freaks had indeed gone out together. Just like Halley's Comet, Twain's writings return once in a while to amaze and shock audiences with its brilliance. Althought I don't trust my fate to a comet, I believe that Twain would be happy to know that with each pass of Halley, his work gains its own brightness.
Until the next posting, see ya later!
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Twain's death and after 100 years, or a full century, his writings are considered the cornerstones of American literature. Indeed, before him, there was no such things. There were American writers and novelists but they wrote like their European counterparts and rarely wrote about the country they lived in. Twain wrote what he saw, and he saw America.
Traveling as a newspaper reporter throughout the wild west of the 1860s, he saw many things and heard many stories. His interest was in writing down the tall tales that made up any kind of American literature at the time and making them interesting. It was during this time that his first short story was published, his own tall tale, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".
It was in the 1870s that Twain's career took off, with his novels about the American experience and everything else. He wrote about life on the Mississippi River and the wild west. For someone who was told he would never amount to much, he sure became a hero to many for writing what he believed in.
As Twain's life moved him into middle age and then old age, his travels became few and his opinions many. His collection of papers, failed stories, and the like still linger on as a testament to his genius. Twain suffered the pains and trials of old age and used it to write the deepest material of his collection.
As the end of his life drew near, he remembered what event had brought him into this world. He wrote in 1909, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It's coming again next year and I except to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt, 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'."
Sure enough, Twain died, at age 74, on April 21st, 1910, the day after Halley's closest approach to Earth. The two unaccountable freaks had indeed gone out together. Just like Halley's Comet, Twain's writings return once in a while to amaze and shock audiences with its brilliance. Althought I don't trust my fate to a comet, I believe that Twain would be happy to know that with each pass of Halley, his work gains its own brightness.
Until the next posting, see ya later!
Friday, April 2, 2010
To One Not Among Us Anymore: The 57th Birthday of Debralee Scott
The usual trend when a birthday rolls around is to celebrate what has occurred in the last year and look forward to the year ahead. I'm under the belief that such celebrations should not stop once a person has passed from the Earth. To prove my point, I offer a woman who would have been 57 years old today, had not she passed in 2005 (in three days, if you must know): Debralee Scott.
My first notice of her came from my love of game shows, the old ones from the 1970s that I watch so often. Specifically, it was Match Game. What really help me notice her was a decision to make her the mother of one of the characters in my upcoming book "Life in Hyperion" (those who have looked at my previous attempt at a blog will know who).
Making sure that this character was the best offspring to come from her, I needed to research her the best I can. This means taking note of her game show appearences and also taking a look at her acting roles. What I've learned is someone not too different from myself. I believe that the two of us would have been friends if our paths had ever crossed.
The roles to her credit show a variety not seen in today's acting world. The early roles were mainly movies, TV or film. Then, in the mid-1970s, she started to appear on television shows. She made her big break when she was casted as Rosalie 'Hosty' Totsy in an episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter", pulling a fast one on the sweathogs (fans will know how).
However, her biggest role was in one of the most iconic seventies faux-soaps: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Playing Mary's sister Cathy, known for taking a guy at the drop of a hat, she played a free-willed counterpoint to the more conserved Mary. This casting lead to the game shows appearences that mark her career.
One thing I've noticed is that she's almost always cast as a sister to a character. Fans of her work, if there are any, will take notice and wonder why that was so. It also lead to a decision not to settle her offspring with an sibling. Her career eventually ran out of steam in the 1980s, save appearences in two of the "Police Academy" films (numbers one and three).
Getting out of show business by the end of the '80s, she moved to New York City and managed a troupe called Empowered Artists. It was also during this time that she fell for an police officer for the Port Authrity, going as far as being engaged. The two never wed, however, due to his death in the tragedy of 9/11, which rocked the country.
In 2005, Debralee made her way to the Florida coast to care for one of her two siblings. Ironcally, during her stay, she took ill for several days and was discharged on her 52nd birthday. Three days later, she laid down to rest for a few and never awakened, thus ending her time on this Earth.
For those of us on Earth, left with her work, I feel that some form of award or aknowledgement is needed, for her work in top-rated sitcoms and shows and films and working with some of the great actors of times past and times future should be noted in some way. That's why I went for the parentage angle for a character. Offspring are the best way to ensure a legacy and her offspring tried their best to do so.
A.R.I.P (Always Rest in Peace) Debralee.
My first notice of her came from my love of game shows, the old ones from the 1970s that I watch so often. Specifically, it was Match Game. What really help me notice her was a decision to make her the mother of one of the characters in my upcoming book "Life in Hyperion" (those who have looked at my previous attempt at a blog will know who).
Making sure that this character was the best offspring to come from her, I needed to research her the best I can. This means taking note of her game show appearences and also taking a look at her acting roles. What I've learned is someone not too different from myself. I believe that the two of us would have been friends if our paths had ever crossed.
The roles to her credit show a variety not seen in today's acting world. The early roles were mainly movies, TV or film. Then, in the mid-1970s, she started to appear on television shows. She made her big break when she was casted as Rosalie 'Hosty' Totsy in an episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter", pulling a fast one on the sweathogs (fans will know how).
However, her biggest role was in one of the most iconic seventies faux-soaps: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Playing Mary's sister Cathy, known for taking a guy at the drop of a hat, she played a free-willed counterpoint to the more conserved Mary. This casting lead to the game shows appearences that mark her career.
One thing I've noticed is that she's almost always cast as a sister to a character. Fans of her work, if there are any, will take notice and wonder why that was so. It also lead to a decision not to settle her offspring with an sibling. Her career eventually ran out of steam in the 1980s, save appearences in two of the "Police Academy" films (numbers one and three).
Getting out of show business by the end of the '80s, she moved to New York City and managed a troupe called Empowered Artists. It was also during this time that she fell for an police officer for the Port Authrity, going as far as being engaged. The two never wed, however, due to his death in the tragedy of 9/11, which rocked the country.
In 2005, Debralee made her way to the Florida coast to care for one of her two siblings. Ironcally, during her stay, she took ill for several days and was discharged on her 52nd birthday. Three days later, she laid down to rest for a few and never awakened, thus ending her time on this Earth.
For those of us on Earth, left with her work, I feel that some form of award or aknowledgement is needed, for her work in top-rated sitcoms and shows and films and working with some of the great actors of times past and times future should be noted in some way. That's why I went for the parentage angle for a character. Offspring are the best way to ensure a legacy and her offspring tried their best to do so.
A.R.I.P (Always Rest in Peace) Debralee.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)