Quill & Claw/Pen & Paw

Something that Made You Cry The pages of books, even digital pages comfort me, truly. With them, I can make up my mind on what I see when I digest text.   When it says "his internal organs spurted." I can define the size of that spurt and my reaction to it. The power of words is totally within reach of the reader and I've loved that.    I've noticed more and more, lately, I have a thing for crime.   I keep thinking I need to add "borderline criminologist" to my signature page on Micechat.com. I noticed this because the headlines under the topic of "Crime" on  HuffingtonPost.com keep bringing me back. Plus, the only short story I got a rush of   and a response from was about a serial killer trying to kill a homeless kid.   I am impressed, for lack of a better word, with the amount of pain the world is willing to inflict on one another without care or concern.                 I see...

You know that cliché-“The more things change, the more they stay the same?” I saw the clip below from TED (which, by the way, you MUST watch if you’re one of those creative types) and it started me thinking about several things. Now I’m pretty laid back. I taught middle school for God’s sake. Perhaps I’ve even seen the worst of humanity—bad because it’s a phase that all humans must go through. Being a teenager some how make your brain a bit wonky and, well, difficult to deal with. That’s not too out of the ordinary. I was subjected to the behaviors so much, I became immune. And now that I live in Florida, I keep hearing the same song, over and over again. The populace down here is marked by their age. So, really, is it that surprising to hear, basically, this, over and over again? It’s a great play/movie, if ever you get a chance to watch it. If you wanna, jump ahead to Paul Lynde dishing the music a good chunk inwards…. Everyone likes to think their generation wa...

And Then Autumn Arrived The feeling of newness to the condo was hard to be avoided. Surely, the construction of the place was over forty years ago, but the interior had been scrubbed and more-than-spit-washed. Darryl realized he had struck a pose in the middle of the living room with a dish rag in his hand and his bald head gleaming with sweat.     The last box had been destroyed by his hands, just fifteen minutes ago. Life affords everyone second and third chances. This condo was to become his second. He had no idea what had happened to him back in Washington. Perhaps it was being locked up all winter when the snows came; the summers that had an eerie stillness to them before rain. Whatever the case may be, he cleaned everything, moved what few items he had to Florida and found this fantastic deal on this condo.     This very clean and very new inside condo.     He walked out to the alley way, folding the box with such precision, that on...

Being a bookie regular, I had to appreciate this. My favorite? “We’re going to Barnes and Nobles!” Please, please do. I’m sad to see the demise of the bookstore in general, but, hey, there’s always the library! Seriously, keep reading. Especially since next week is the “Banned Book Week!”  Enjoy the LINK: Borders employees list complaints, grievances | Shelf Life | EW.com

Trailer… Movie Review I used to box, but I wasn't very good at all, I hate to admit. I detested jumping around, especially jumping rope, but here's the thing--I was thinner then any other time. Your body does respond. Then I got married and wasn't allowed to spar any more. Not that it mattered. I only sparred three times. Two of those times was against my female kickboxing coach. Yes, she kicked my ass. But the experience was completely meditative. No, seriously. There's something to be said that, when you're in the ring, nothing else really matters. You had a shitty day at work? You might not want to dwell on that. That fucknut who cut in front of you in the line at Disney World? Remember, you do, technically, have the ability to kill him. However, when there’s a fist or two heading towards your head, you can’t really think about those kinds of things. I miss boxing. I don't know if I could ever go back in my current state, really. A...

Look, I have a friend who has posted 32 different videos about September 11th. I guess we all mourn and remember things in different ways. But, well, really? I’m sad and blue today, to be sure, but having angst rubbed in my face isn’t going to cure the nation. Still, as I ask to you to remember the date—the purpose behind it still is not defined. We are still, as a people, reeling and mulling for an answer.  9/11 Anniversary: World Remembers, Reflects On September 11th

You do realize, of course, Wisconsin was the first state to pass a state-wide gay-rights ordinance in the seventies. Then this happens! Seriously? Believe it or not, I’m fine with the showing of IDs. I’m NOT fine with trying to get money for nothing. I’d tell everyone, frankly. Wisconsin Official Instructs Staff Not To Mention Free IDs For Voting

I guess I should, at some point, rehash all my geekiness, and pretend that you are all incapable of rereading or remembering previous posts about my personality quirks. Yeah, I could do that. But I like to think that most of my readers are smart people and don't need a teacher-lecture on how they should review my history. You're being spared. So, yeah, I knew I'd probably like Thor before going to the theater. This summer has a long list of titles ready to go- Pirates 4 , X-Men prequels, Green Lanterns . Probably each one of them following the formula for cinematic success-Fate forbid that a studio invest a few million on an original concept. Thor is formula, if ever there was one. It's predictable in so many ways, like that very comfortable sweatshirt, it fits the summer of movies like a glove. Everyone in the movie was having so much fun and was so beautiful, it was like watching the beach from a telescope and taking pictures with my phone to prove it to peop...

TRON: Legacy was sneaked into a presentation at ComicCon in San Diego back in 2008. The crowd went wild. Cellphones were held up high to try to capture a bit of video-a segment of film that didn't even end up in the final film-to post on YouTube and keep the buzz alive. Disney didn't even worry about the copyright infrindgement. They had stumbled across their Star Trek. Tron had legions of fans that would happily overlook any flaws and pay full price, maybe even extra for 3-D, regardless of the quality of the film. That is the beauty of Marvel comics and serials. You know you can bring those audiences in again and again and again, no matter what the quality. The first Tron, I will admit, I was smitten. But I like to think I'm smart too. The first Tron was crappy. It was like a Tim Burton movie; it looked great and that rose above the shitty material. It was all over the map, but like a really big train wreck, it was amazing to see in action. And it played to the geek...

I read a scientific report once that talked about why normal adults completely lose it when watching animated Disney movies. It was facinating and pretty much hit the mark. The films bring on a recollection of childhood while offering true human emotions...without the baggage. Sure, Meryl Streep can make even the most stalwart vagabond cry, but since you might find her sloped-face a bit unattractive, it may not always hit its mark. However, a collection of talking toys, colorful fish or perfectly rounded balloons gets that center-lineman from the local high school to complete their waterworks. The emotions are real. They are tucked away, where you can't physically see them, in the story, but they are there-not unlike a subliminal message that infers you to drink more water and vote for that GOP candidate. I suppose that's what keeps bringing me back. I watch kids today, who lose themselves in the worlds created by video games, and, in many ways, that animated world is a la...

RESOLUTIONS: Okay, so here’s the deal. I like to make resolutions, but, well, I’m weird. I don’t really look at them again until the year is over. Works this way—a good resolution related to self-improvement should be inherent in your daily living. I mean, it shouldn’t be such a radical change that you can’t function. It should be organic, a natural part of a human’s life. I believe strongly in competitive theory. I told everyone when I was quitting smoking, so it was much more motivating knowing people were going to ask me about the process. If I didn’t do it, I’d have to answer to that. So I’ll go ahead and post my resolutions right here and right now. That way, I cannot escape them! SPIRITUAL: --I really want to get back to some kind of spirituality. It’s something that my weekly living is missing. Yeah, we all know the church is no friend of mine, that’s for sure, especially recently, but I cannot help thinking I’m missing something. I used to meditate daily. But with the ...

The power of a good movie is its rewatchability-every time you see it, something new pops off the screen. Now here’s the trick, mind you, it has nothing to do with the movie. It has everything to do with you in the audience. To admit that you’ve changed since the last twenty minutes since you’ve seen such a picture seems like a silly notion, but there is a truth to it. I used to work in a movie theatre. I remember having Batman on four different screens. However, even on days I saw it twice (we only had five screens, so my options during break were limited), I’d notice something different. Sometimes it was the choice of advertising by the filmmakers (“Is that a Camry she’s driving?”) or something deeper, like his house is like a bat’s cave—he hides in there even when he’s in there. But it happened. I came to the documentary Man on Wire (a play on the words, ‘man of fire’) with a ton of baggage. My life is just starting to settle a few months into moving to Florida. I am starting to ...