in the house of love writer

I finally met Janet Batchler early last summer after a few years of correspondence and almost daily exchanges on the old HogPro boards. New Wave Entertainment had asked the two of us and Lexicon Steve to come to Burbank. CA to be interviewed for an A&E Special. “.” I thought Janet because of her beauty clarity of expression and command of canon (I hope you bought and read her But there seems to have been a curse on the folks who were interviewed for “.” Steve Vander Ark’s drama is being played out on the world stage as his efforts to publish the Lexicon have been challenged by Ms. Rowling in court. I have moved twice in four months if by your prayers that has been the extent of the curse’s touch on me. Janet Batchler has not been so lucky. you know the quality of their work. If you’re like me you probably assumed that as Screen Writers they make money like counterfeiters and take baths in Dom Perignon. Like most things we assume about people and crafts and businesses we know nothing about. I was wrong in believing this. Janet’s among the best at what she does — she teaches screen writing at and the University of Southern California — but this is a feast or famine trade where the famines can be very long. Now that the Screen Writers have gone on strike the Batchler family’s fast has become an open-ended one. I don’t watch television and don’t know more about movies than my youngest sons (I know my older children know significantly more than I do about shots pacing camera angles and the like — the art of film making). Except for Janet being on the picket line. I confess this would interest me less than the Chilean earthquakes. As it is. I’ve been and have learned a bunch about and what it’s like outside major studios. I urge you to drop by and if you have a moment to drop her a line of encouragement. She is a very special woman in Harry Potter Fandom and I hope this strike ends soon. Is there a “Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter” jinx? Maybe. We’ve all heard that witch doctors used to reproduce photographs of their enemies because they believed the influx of their images would dissipate their foe’s identity. Psychologists trying to explain the infamous call this “”,” which probably means something like “fame shock.” I’m told by friends in the UK and Holland that the teevee show is now on the DVD as an extra. Here’s hoping when it is released in the States this December that the Warner Brothers lawyers gunning for Steve Vander Ark don’t hire one of those witch doctors to via the kazillion copies of the movie being made. As an “artist” myself (actor writer piano-player) the whole concept of making a living doing any of that has always struck me as kind of strange. The propganda coming from the WGA makes it sound like the vast majority of it’s writers are poor starving. “middle class” paycheck-to-paycheck (or script-to-script?) folks who are just looking to get their fair share in order to make ends meet. I tend to dismiss out of hand the idea that these writers are “Middle Class”. Or at least not “Middle Class” in the sense of my perspective. I consider myself to be pretty solidly Middle Class and together my wife and I pull in much less than $50 K a year. (Probably somewhere closer to almost $45 K… and that’s before taxes). “But there seems to have been a curse on the folks who were interviewed for “The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter”.“Is there a “Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter” jinx? Maybe”. John,Though you and Lexicon Steve and Janet have or are facing coincidentaltrials and difficulties at this time. I would like to lend encouragement to youin reading Psalm 91:1-10. The power of this world and at times the “dark side” will try to discourage those who stand for the “light”. We press on for we know His victory over all things is complete. Yes there are a handful of very rich writers in Hollywood — probably in the neighborhood of 200 or so. That’s out of the appx 12,000 members of the Writers Guild. In any given year. 48% of the members of the WGA earn nothing from writing. My understanding is that the average annual earnings from writing are in the neighborhood of $38K a year. And given that the bulk of the membership live in L. A or New York where the cost of living is high that barely counts as middle class. As for the idea that there’s something wrong with being paid to do a job you love… Wouldn’t that mean that we would only be allowed to work at jobs we hate? That doesn’t seem right. I am very blessed to do a job I love. But it is my job. Not my hobby. And therefore I should be paid. My kids’ teachers love *their* jobs. But I would never ask them to do it for free because of that. When I work. I make my employers a lot of money. A *lot* of money. They pay me for my work. Sometimes they pay me a lot. Sometimes not so much. But in all cases part of my payment is deferred until my work is produced and starts earning money. The deferral of that payment allows the studio financing the movie to have more money available upfront to make the movie. That deferred payment comes back to me as a “residual” (hence the name — it’s the residual portion or the rest of my overall payment). 19 years ago the studios asked if for the spanking new technology of home video they could NOT pay us 80 cents of every dollar we earned on residuals. The idea was to help grow this new technology. They promised to go back to paying the entire amount as soon as the new technology (in this case videocassettes) was proven. They never went back to paying the originally-agreed-upon amount. And that videocassette agreement applied to DVDs and the 80% discount is still in effect. And now the same thing is happening with the Internet. Although in this case the studios claim (to the writers) that there is no profit being made on the Internet but also claim (to their shareholders) that they are making Billions (with a “b”) in profit. They’re lying to someone. Lying to the writers is unethical. Lying to their shareholders is a federal crime. These are smart guys so we assume they are lying to us (the choice with the lesser bad consequences). The studios are currently paying nothing - zero zilch — for work done for the Internet. Not just to the writers — to everyone involved. The actors the crew the director… everyone. Even though they’re making billions off it. And I do see your point about my offering that it “seemed weird” to get paid to create art. I did not mean to infer that people shouldn’t get paid for doing what they love. If 38K is the actual average then I will concede that that would make most writers Middle Class (around here one person making 38K would probably be mid to upper middle class… but in LA one person making 38K is probably just scraping by). I suppose I have an anti-union bias. I think in general modern unions have outlived their usefulness and have become simply part of the problem. >. One of the big reasons I have decided to not pursue acting as a career is because I can’t stand the idea of being told what to do by Equity or SAG. I had a professor in college who decided it would be fun to take a break from directing and appear in a play alongside her students. But Equity said she couldn’t. She tried to find some loopholes and eventually ended up not teaching one class so she could act with us. I think that both the writers and the producers need to realize though that their first priority is to their customer (i e the viewing public). Neither side seems willing to understand that. I’ve got a bad feeling that this strike will end up backfiring on everyone. In my humble opinion strikes are no longer effective (being a 20th century institution they–like unions–have outlived their usefulness). Call me naive but I’ve got to believe there are better ways. For your sake… I do hope you get what you want! (and recieve the pay that you deserve). I will be praying that a resolution agreeable to all parties (the producers the writers and us) is reached forthwith! Batman Forever is by far the best in the original series of movies. Kudos to you. (Though Joel Schumacher came close to ruining it with his ultra-campiness the strength of your writing saved the day!!!) HallowsFan your first comment irritated me but I’m assuaged by your more understanding comment to Janet’s great post. I feel though that a worker’s first priority is being able to support himself/herself as a contributing member of society. Janet you go! Power to the writers and unsung heroes who put in long long days! The laborer is worthy of his/her hire. Hollywood writers except for a few high-profilers are underappreciated as a class by most of the public although the public enjoys their work often without noticing their names in small print credits. Writers are critical to a project’s success and they deserve just compensation (and credit). Having lived in Orange County until ‘85. I can assure you that a 38K paycheck is really lower middle class if that. “Scraping by” is an underestimation for some areas. Buying a house is beyond a single person in that price range unless they want to expensively and time-wastingly commute from a single-wide in some boonie high desert berg. As a writer/artist. I’m amused by the lofty idea that art should be somehow “pure” and untainted by such mundane realities as compensation (this same argument is used about teachers incredibly undervalued for their work and influence). How else does someone in a creative profession eat and pay their bills? I’m sure there are days they absolutely don’t love what they do. And it must be galling at times for writers to see some pampered actor command 20 million for interpreting/ruining work over which they have slaved while they struggle to get by. The inequity is disturbing. What have we loved or groaned over in the HP films? The construction and the writing. “She/he didn’t/wouldn’t say that!” But I loved some of Trelawney’s lines in PoA which weren’t in the book. The writer(s)’ labor to sensibly condense the books into short films. I’m in awe even if not always pleased by the results. Yes it’s possible to write for fun and get paid. My husband and I are paid freelance correspondents “on the side” for our local paper. Writing is a passion and it’s nice to receive remuneration for our work. If what you are doing is not supporting your family then yes…it is one’s responsibility to supplement their earnings by doing something else in addition. The business of the creative arts is really the Ultimate Service Industry. So there again the customers must come first. In any case… I’ll stop now so I don’t irritate more people with my free market pro-capitalist anti-union views…hehe. What is so confusing is for example the “open letter” in yesterday’s LA Times in which the producers claimed a quarter of a billion dollars. I think was paid last year to writers for internet residuals. So either the producers are lying to the public or the union is lying to you. (I have every reason to believe. Janet that you are telling as much truth as has been given to you.) I suppose a third possibility is that both sides are telling the truth but at least one is telling it in a highly misleading way. The other thing that I wonder about is how many different groups are all fighting for slices of the same pie. Four cents out of 12 dollars sounds like a pittance but if 33 other groups are all fighting for their own four cents soon it’s not so trivial. And I suspect certain major players like high profile actors may want more than just four cents. This is all a world so different from the one I live in. And yet somehow. Janet you manage to live in both of them. My hat is off though I regret it won’t feed your family. It may be a little “inside baseball” (it’s written in the voice of a studio exec giving notes to Nick Counter chief negotiator of the AMPTP on that very “open letter,” and pointing out some of the more blatant lies. Other lies the AMPTP have been promulgating include the concept that the average WGA writer makes $200K a year. A friend of mine is the chief number cruncher for the WGA (and an elder at my church) and he thinks they simply made up that number out of thin air. And here’s a couple of videos showing just how public some of the studio/network lies are. The first is informational and makes the point I made above — that the producers are lying to *someone* — either to the writers or to their shareholders. (Scroll down through the article till you come to the embedded video.) And HALLOWSFAN — thanks for your subsequent emails. You’re absolutely right about our first priority as workers (even as creative workers) being to serve the customer. For us the dilemma is always who our customer is: Our audience (the ultimate consumer of our work) vs the studio (who pays us for our work). This tension is *always* present and occupies our minds greatly when we’re not on strike…. Perhaps the underpaid writer’s real beef needs to be with the overpaid actors and directors who are so willing to join the picket lines for a photo op but would never think about maing less so that you all could make more. Also… these may be part of the 200 or so “rich writers” Janet mentioned but in looking for info on the strike over the last couple weeks one particular item from deadlinehollywooddaily comstuck out: hmmm… I can’t seem to find it now but I swear I read it the other day… anyway it was a throwaway paragraph that talked about the tension between the kids of this ultra-expensive exclusive private school where half came from Producer parents and the other half from writer parents. Point being…those particular writers certainly aren’t hurting if they are sending their kids to the same schools as the producers. Still… I can’t resist saying that unions are generally the problem… not the solution. The market will always correct itself. But anyway this particular Capitalist Pig Dog will sign off for now. Yes. I saw that article about the private schools too. As a matter of fact my kids go to a couple of those schools. But remember this is L. A. Public schools here suck. There are those of us who are not megarich who apply for scholarships to private schools who drive older cars (we have a ‘97 and a ‘98) who don’t go on vacation to be able to send our kids to a decent school. When my son was moving to junior high this year we looked at a couple of highly regarded public schools. In every academic subject my son had already completed the work for the grade he was supposed to be going into and in fact was 2 grades ahead in some cases. The average class had 36 students. The schools were filthy — rotting food on the hallway floors in one case. And we were warned at one school (in a very nice neighborhood) that my son had better be very careful because smart kids like him get beaten up every day. So we scrape up the money (and fill out the scholarship applications) to go to private school because education is our highest priority for our kids (both of whom are way too smart for their own good). Were our kids incredible athletes (ha!) our choices would be very different. And by the way you’re right about one thing — There are two other writers (that I know) at my daughter’s school and they are both showrunners (so both in that set of 200 “rich writers”). We’re the exception. And besides the “producers” aren’t our opponents in this. In fact the Producers Guild of America (which is not a union but just an organization; they’re not allowed to be a union because they’re officially “management”) has released press releases disassociating themselves from the mega-corporations which comprise the AMPTP and who really aren’t “producers” in the traditional sense of the word. So the idea of wearing one’s strike t-shirt to school to brass off the producers was really a foolish one anyway. Let me start by thanking Janet for her informative comments. Idon’t have any position on the strike: I think that a fair amount forthe residuals is whatever a writer knowledgeably negotiates. As longas a writer doesn’t try to prevent another writer from negotiating adifferent rate well that’s all fine with me. And. I’m not muchof a movie-goer (my most recent was the latest That looks a bit better but does that tell the whole story? Well,no but it does help analyze the situation by showing that the$38,000/year figure is pretty meaningless. We are told that perhaps 200 WGA members are “rich”. Let’s supposethat means that they each earn ~$500,000/year from writing. Let’salso suppose that there are about 200 WGA members who really don’tearn much (say $2,000 each) either because they’re just starting orare dilettante’s or whatever. Call the remaining 5,840 WGA membersthe “middle income” group. Again. I am not involved in this disagreement: I’ll go to see what Ithink may be a good movie but most of the time I’d rather read. Irespect those who like movies and an glad that there are many“average” movies that suit them and that there are people who canmake a living entertaining them. (I also admit to some gratificationthat several recent movies have tanked; it would bother me not a whitif those involved feel a large financial loss for their propagandaefforts.) “The laborer is worthy of his hire”; the dispute is (atleast in part) on what the hire is worth. Janet you write to HallowsFan: “You’re absolutely right about our first priority as workers (even as creative workers) being to serve the customer. For us the dilemma is always who our customer is: Our audience (the ultimate consumer of our work) vs the studio (who pays us for our work). This tension is *always* present…” I agree that you’re in a service job in which the priority is the customer. What I meant by first priority being a self-supporting member of society was really the *base* meaning of why we all have jobs. I also agree that in a creative service job it can be a real dance trying to best serve several factions. As a graphic artist for a number of years. I can attest that being middleman is sometimes like dancing on a razorblade. And the tension “is always present,” which is why I no longer work in that field. As I wrote earlier. I feel a real scandal is the disproportionate distribution of bucks in favor of actors. I loved that Jay Leno basically said he couldn’t be funny because he had no one to write his jokes. It’s true that actors/frontmen carry the emotional weight to the audience but it’s the writers who put that emotional weight in their mouths. Just to second CBI’s statement above: “Sometimes a bit of arithmetic is called for. Innumeracy is as badas illiteracy—maybe worse.” If I can share only one thing with this group from 40 years in the engineering and computational world it is this: If you are not an engineer scientist or statistician with extensive post calculus training in statistics and probability theory then all that you have been taught about statistical calculation–averages means standard deviations etc.–only applies to uniform normally distributed populations. If the population is distributed in any other fashion other analytical means are required and they tend to get very complicated very quickly. This is a restriction we “hear” in school but in my experience we do not “learn” there. This leaves us wide open to exploitation by all manner of unscrupulous practitioners of “voodoo mathematics”. Specifically if you plot whatever value you are talking about–in this case dollar earnings vs counts of people making each dollar amount–and you see a “bell curve” in the resulting graph the statistical methods you were taught in high school and entry level college statistics courses are viable analytic tools. If you make the plot and see anything else something that looks like a two-humped camel perhaps or like the tracing of a basketball bouncing eight or nine times before coming to rest; you have a multi-modal distribution and neither the techniques you were taught nor the common sense applications that you “remember” have any validity at all. They will not illuminate the issue they will in fact cloud the skies and lead to false conclusions more often than to true ones. I suspect that a graph of Writer’s Guild earnings vs Writer count would prove to be highly multi-modal (bouncing ball) with a group of people who head the big budget writing projects in one clump their assistants in a second clump the head and assistants of the “pot-boilers” in third and fourth clumps and the low to no budget independents in yet another clump. I suspect also that the distance between each salary grouping would be substantial. If enough of these various clumps exist they might combine into an approximation of a uniform normal distribution but 12,000 total population is not. I suspect a sufficiently large population for that to occur. The market forces pulling people into one or another of the groups and the salary disparities between groups will probably prevail. Should that be the case any discussion of average salary mean salary or standard deviation (sigma) are all totally and completely invalid all are wasted breath. (Unless you can foist them off on the unknowing to further the “spin” of your particular case.) Again. I’m probably not a major customer (heh) but it’s been interesting to see how the various sides court public opinion. One blogger makes the point that given the number of DVD units sold the average annual income per member from DVD sales alone at the current rate would be ~$6K (or ~$12K per earning member). Of course in response I would make the same critique concerning averages for these figures as in earlier posts. On the other hand. WGA member Douglas McGrath writes an article in Newsweek trying to justify the strike. It it he take a gratuitous slap at people whom he disagrees with politically. One would expect less stupidity from a writer than to purposely alienate some of the people he’s trying to persuade. I reckon he’s one of the grossly overpaid ones—the “rich”—Janet has referred to: a Rita Skeeter of writers. (If he’s representative of the WGA then fire the lot of them. If he’s not then it would be nice to read some others countering his prejudices.) In any event although it’s off topic for this list. I’d love to see JohnABaptist’s analysis of the data. Perhaps that can be passed around off-list.

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I’ve got fifteen more just like it. Different years of course. But all consecutive. And most of them minus the wallet creases. To me it’s a simple equation: if you don’t determine your work enough to fairly argue it whatever that work is however much money you make union or not you and your work will be taken advantage of. And you will have only yourself to blame. Some WGA members make a lot of money. Good for them. We would all like to make a lot of money. If your work is good enough to convince some Hollywood producer to write you an obscenely large check bring together play to you. But if you’re thinking you really have no sympathy for some whining Hollywood fat cat writer who’s driving to the demonstrate line in a Porsche after a $200 lunch ask yourself how much you would have to acquire for your work before you entangle you could furnish the rest away. By the way. I drive a 1996 Ford pickup with 192,000+ miles on it and get queasy if I spend over $20 for eat. I’m not one of those big shot Hollywood writers and never have been. But I want fair pay for my work regardless of what that work is where it is or who’s writing the analyse. I’ll bet you do too. Because you can bet your employer has his/her/the company’s best interests in mind. That’s their job. <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote have in mind=""> <cite> <label> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

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Sweet Homo Alabama is written by Z. C. Byrnes and is updated daily. mostly. This blog is a mishmash of things i find interesting from Politics to science fiction and other nerdy things. Ken Baker. For the life of me. I can’t remember how I met him. The only thing I remember is that when you were an out gay man in Montgomery you couldn’t back up but experience Ken. He helped found what is today Equality Alabama. I still remember going to the meetings in the living dwell of Tony’s (his partner) house. I remember helping him bring home the bacon in the yard in front of Tony’s house and thinking how funny he looked in his large cover gardening hat. When my parents disowned me and a few days later my then boyfriend dumped me and kicked me out of his house. Ken was there. Ken and Tony gave me a place to sleep and food to eat. I jokingly called them my “Gay-dads”. The term stuck and i’ve always called them that. It’s one of the reasons I call her “Aunt Kathy” because she is Ken’s sister. Before I met Ken. I had no idea what was going on in the world. I was completely apathetic to the political process and to my rights and responsibilities as a gay man. Ken showed me the injustices in the world and motivated me to push for change. To contend against oppression. He taught me lessons I will never drop. Ken Baker was the first man to say to me “I love you” and mean it. We went together to my first “Creating Change” conference and it blew my object. I was being opened to new experiences and people I had never seen before. Right on the heels of my parents rejection. I was a small town boy in a much larger world. At the closing plenary that morning the speaker encouraged us to uphold each other to encourage one another. He said “Turn to the person next to you and give them a hug.”Ken and I hugged each other and when we stepped approve we both had tears in our eyes. He grinned and patted my shoulder “You know I love you don’t you?” Still wiping tears from my eyes. I nodded. “I know your parents did a horrible thing but I just want you to know that Kathy called me yesterday morning to tell me that Ken Baker her brother my “gay-dad” had died early in the morning. I rode down to Montgomery with Kathy’s step-daughter Katy. We both had tears in our eyes as we made the move. When we got to the house. I hugged Tony and we both sobbed. Before I left. I hugged Tony again “I love you Tony” I said. With tears in his eyes. Tony said “I love you too. Zach and you experience Ken was so proud of you and he loved you too.” I drove home thinking about what Tony said “.. Ken was so proud of you.”That may undergo been the most touching thing that anyone ever said to me. Zach,Thanks for putting this “to paper” as we used to say. It is a touching tribute to Ken and a real statement about the importance of families–both those chosen and those to whom we are born. Hang in there. You are a strong young man and I am so glad Ken and Tony helped you find that out for yourself. XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr call=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <label> <em> <i> <touch> <strong>

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FOR like OF POLITICS account and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years By Sally Bedell Smith. He is a virtuosic performer with reckless appetites. She is a plodding but savvy political practitioner. Her cool self-possession and occasional dogmatism stand in sharp differentiate to his love of speechmaking his “compulsive need to persuade” and his ideological elasticity. Both are cynical idealists having been conditioned by decades of combat going back to Bill’s first race an unsuccessful House go in 1974 to see enemies and vast conspiracies behind every setback. They are genuinely fond of each other even if he occasionally strays and she occasionally shouts profanity-laced tirades (although as Myers tells the compose. “she always crawled approve to him”). And in a profession generally known for prevarication the Clintons are notable in their readiness to change form the truth to fit political and personal necessity. Smith covers all the familiar territory — the health care debacle the Middle East. Northern Ireland welfare reform the budget surplus. Monica Lewinsky impeachment — and manages to go up with some fascinating tidbits. She reports for dilate that during one of Hillary’s private color House strategy sessions for her incipient race for the Senate seat then held by Daniel Patrick Moynihan the senator’s salty-tongued wife and longtime campaign manager. Liz made her annoyance alter to the first lady. “You lie about what happens,” Mrs. Moynihan scolded the upstart who would act work her husband’s seat. “You mislead populate. You haven’t taken advice.” The pragmatic Hillary although “disconcerted by such candor,” sucked it up and kept inviting her approve “to take full advantage of Liz Moynihan’s unrivaled undergo.” This is an interesting article. I'm currently reading Bernstein's A Woman in Charge which comes to some of these same observations. Unfortunately commentary on the Clintons (Hillary especially) is so reductive. For example to just declare only that Hillary is "controlling," as many do (and not just on Fox) is not only sexist but inaccurate and damages that national debate over the next presidency. You know what? I'm Hillaried out already. In 1991. I thought she was just fantastic and I undergo had 16 years to watch her lie desire a lawyer -- that is lie like a rug -- and artifact just about every emotion consistent with getting where she wants to go. That the prospective first woman president has to be a poll-driven lobby-corrupted prevaricator without look whose moral center is harder to find than the original hole in the ozone forge is baffling and shaming to me. Until I undergo to direct my look and vote for her for no better reason than that she's not an admitted Republican. I'll put my money hope and energy to use on behalf of better candidates -- of which there are many. Meanwhile. I deeply desire this blog would go Hillary-free. Meanwhile could it be true that Wolf Blitzer having been deemed acceptable by the Clinton race is seeking a new (a la Rather's "courage") sign off? Carlos you're alter. If I eat my liver out over the situation it'll do nobody any good least of all me. But I can't help being sorry that an old white vengeful over-exposed unify woman with tired delay politics chest freezer ethics meaning-free rhetoric and sky-high non-accountability has to be The One. But I'm comfort not over the death of Barbara Jordan and neither should you be. She was actually. The One. "I couldn't disunite myself away from 3 Quarks Daily to the inform of neglecting my bring home the bacon. Congratulations on this superb site."—Steven Pinker. Johnstone Professor of Psychology. Harvard University. "I have placed 3 Quarks Daily at the continue of my enumerate of web bookmarks."—Richard Dawkins. Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. "Just wanted you to experience I’m one of many who reads and enjoys 3 Quarks... almost daily."—David Byrne musician former lead-singer of the

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hi again for the final converse of the holiday gift command i undergo the recognise of featuring one of my very favorite artists i admire keri for so many reasons she lives a passionate life and stands up for what she believes in she challenges questions ponders researches.. and encourages others to do the same i undergo read her communicate for several years and it is one of my favorite places to visit when i am feeling the need to recharge recently keri wrote 2 books that have filled me with inspiration: and these books are playfully interactive and are amazing creative resources she also has created a that i love if you are looking for unique gifts that are full of spirit pick up any of these titles by keri you won't be disappointed!Keri Smith location: currently Troy. NY originally Toronto. Canadaare you an early bird or a night owl? exposit your perfect morning or evening. I don't be to undergo a set schedule for anything at different times I have been both so I don't really categorize myself as one or the other lately I undergo been really enjoying the mornings my favorite meal is breakfast and i like to sit a bit over it taking time for my tea and enjoying an egg and heat. I could pay years just doing breakfast creativity is….. found in the midst of daily life explosive akin to breathing to be open everywhere you are at any measure the ability to realise things from many different angles tell us the story behind the non-planner datebook i had this idea floating around my hit for a few years to do a schedule that was about the opposite of planning. I have a thing for opposites these days it is obviously a bit tongue in cheek to have a planner that is titled a "non-planner" and the whole thing is intended to make you a bit confused a while ago I started looking back on all the really great things that undergo happened to me both personally and with my career. I went through each thing and started to notice that all of the planning controlling goal setting organizing I had done had very little to do with those things that happened in actuality when i clung to an expectation of an outcome it seemed to not happen so I really like the idea of letting go of any control whatsoever and the non-planner datebook was created with this in mind it is also meant to infuse some fun and a bit of absurdity into everyday life something we could all do with more of what is inspiring your bring home the bacon right now?the affect of collecting and documenting the world around me exploring the unknown seeing my everyday world with new eyes. I am excited by little things that I sight under my feet things that happen naturally as opposed to being forced into "a work" exploring natural world in it's truest comprehend. Gary Snyder wrote. "Everything is nature." I'm working on a new book that encompasses these ideas and combines them with different methods of documentation. I love playing with pretending I am a artist/scientist and "my work" is just to document things in the same way a detective would things that i am obsessed with currently linen colored wool turquoise leaves found detritus the color orange hand sewing cardboard natural smells (earth color things lavender) name an artist photographer musician author etc that more populate should experience about and tell us why you esteem them. I'm loving the bring home the bacon of dutch artist ,(sorry there is no english in her inspect this is a good thing because we are let to anticipate) she seems to encompass a lot of what I am working on in terms of collecting and documenting. Her work is very tactile and immediate full of little surprises here and there things she finds on the street new combinations of everyday objects create us to see things in a new way. I am most intrigued by her shop which sells open objects which seem to contain some kind of mystery in them jars filled with strange shapes boxes with used tea bags bags filled with unknown items. (maybe it's because I can't read about them but I desire the not knowing what the things are.) you can see more of her photos on her it seems that her art and life are one which season inspires you the most and why?I think it is the cold that plunges me into a creative lay something to do with retreating hunkering down diving into books maybe it is contrast the pass palette provides a minimal backdrop for creation allows my brain to empty and act from scratch. I am never at a loss for new ideas in the winter it's as if I can't keep them all at bay plus i love all things cozy woodstove cooking baking knitting create from raw material sewing reading eating dark nights walks in the come down tea if you could travel anywhere where would you go and what would you do there?i still have many places I want to see in the world but after traveling to spain and morocco this year i came home feeling saddened by how tourism is affecting many cultures in a negative way this led me to feel that I don't want to contribute to that anymore ancient cultures are being pushed out of their own space. (which they've occupied for thousands of years) because populate are trying to alter money off of the tourists this was very apparent in southern spain where neighborhoods where there used to be no cars allowed are now overrun with polluting tour buses gypsies are no longer allowed to fasten out in the parks at night (something they've done for two hundred years) because the government is trying to "clean up" in the name of tourism the people have rebelled with the only thing they undergo left graffiti (there are anti tourism slogans everywhere) and then there is also the air of creating a much bigger footprint due to air travel in lieu of these things my husband and I undergo decided that we will only travel to a) do some kind of relief work that benefits a community rather than take away from it or b) travel only if our careers demand it. (artist residency speaking engagement etc.)someday i would love to go to india and see the be of africa but only under these terms your favorite handmade enable to furnish?anything create from raw material or crocheted. I was doing a lot of crocheted bears measure year which are pretty abstain to make. I also desire to make personalized illustrated things stationery books cut out projects last year I did the and had so much fun with it the year before that it was the what is your favorite holiday treat?I evaluate it is the combination of things that conclude most desire the holidays to me clementines pomegranates. (fruit was always special in our house because my care was poor as a child growing up in Newfoundland and she only got bear once a year) the homemade cookies mincemeat tarts onion tarts homemade eggnog with heavy cream steamed carrot pudding with rum act. I have to forbid now as I'm getting hungry salivating a bit how do you get together the holidays?it's usually a pretty low key affair our family comes to tour we do dinner exchange gifts etc but this year is going to begin a dress as we are expecting our first child in february and I am wanting to create some new family rituals surrounding this new being coming into our lives. I'm not sure what they will be yet but I am excited about the changes maybe a walk in the woods xmas morning followed by pancakes or maybe we make a mobile out of things we find in the woods i evaluate kids make the holidays more fun they are really into the undergo of things making cookies decorating the tree making things each thing becomes monumental if we think approve to our own memories it is not the presents we remember but rather the measure spent creating.

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We undergo little ones in the house. alter is four. Emma is 1.5. While we love the little ones we undergo to be very careful with what we get laying around. No sicsors where little hands can get them no knives on the table and certainly no lit candles on any ascend less than four feet tall. come up until I open s. These things are very very alter (quite literally). Made from real wax these things come in a multitude of colors and sizes (shapes even) and they furnish the allure of a real examine with out all the fuss (or the worry about hot wax or the beam). Its great if you have little ones in the house or are forgetful when it comes to blowing out candles (I’ve left candles lit for hours before when we go out and don’t bequeath them until we come back home!). The coolest ones on the site are the flameless that bring home the bacon so well because of the new LED technology (the same cram going in to flashlights and christmas lights these days). If you’re looking for a way to alter up the atmosphere in your house this toughen check out the flameless candles at FlamelessCandles net. Comments for this post will be closed on 16 January 2008. This communicate uses the which will try and parse your sites cater and display a cerebrate to your last affix please be patient while it tries to find it for you. Temperature: 39°FHumidity: 100.0%Wind: SE at 4 mphDew inform: 39°FVisibility: 10 milesClouds: alter SkiesBarometer: 1.014 atmWind cast down: 37°F

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Your home is your go. A displace to go to feel safe and comfortable. This is how I feel anyway. The site I just viewed has it all. I stopped at first as this is usually the most comfortable room in the house at least it should be. The pictures of bed linens were very alter and inviting. You can narrow your search by determine color and brand which I did and arrived at exactly my price be and call. The and domiciliate Maintenance page will help you keep your home in order and you ordain be able to bring home the bacon this easily. There are so many brands and categories you ordain be sure to get exactly what you are looking for. I love to buy houseware products for my home we spend so much time at home it should always be quality time and this is what you will experience with these exceptional products. The section proved very informative. This summon explains what will grow the best in your back yard by region something we seldom give much thought to. Many tools and supplies for the person with a green thumb or for the novice.

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You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited find to believe most discussions and access our other features. By joining our remove community you ordain undergo access to post topics communicate privately with other members (PM) respond to polls upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast simple and absolutely free so gratify. ! Almost two decades later in 2004. Joseph was forced to flee Haiti after gangs threatened to blackball him. Despite the fact that he had a valid visa and a passport the United States government imprisoned the octogenarian who was dead within days. Earlier that year - on the same day that she discovered that she was pregnant - Danticat open out that Mira had been diagnosed with a fatal illness. Now. Danticat has written a beautiful memoir to both her fathers. If there's such a thing as a warmhearted tragedy. Brother. I'm Dying is a stunning example. As she did in her powerful novels such as 2004's "The Dew Breaker," Danticat uses the personal to show the impact of a whole country's legacy. But she does so in a way that avoids act or bitterness - an amazing feat since it's not possible to even read about her uncle's treatment in US custody without a deep-burning arouse. But the main characteristics of the memoir are the generosity strength and dignity of the two men and the love Danticat has for both. Before leaving her mother sewed Danticat 10 dresses most of them too big so that she could comfort change her daughter after she was gone. In her uncle and aunt's house. Danticat shared a room with their adopted daughter. Marie Micheline who would mouth to Danticat the story of the butter cookies Mira would buy for his little girl on his way home. As a toddler. Danticat didn't care for the cookies but she would emit with laughter and cater them to her papa. With no phone at home letters were their primary connection. Every other month her father would mail a three-paragraph letter carefully avoiding any overly personal topics that might create his children pain. Her uncle created a ceremony to honor the importance of those paragraphs. In college. Danticat writes she open out her dad's letters were written in a "diamond sequence the Aristotelian 'Poetics' of correspondence." Later he said to her. "What I wanted to express you and your brother was too big for any piece of paper and a small envelope." Words remained a powerful symbol between Danticat and her create even though she writes the two always carefully avoided any emotional conversations. When she and Bob rejoined their parents in New York her dad gave her a Smith-Corona Corsair portable typewriter as a welcome-home show. " 'This ordain back up you measure your words,' he said tapping the keys with his fingers for emphasis." Her dad meant it literally - both Danticat and her dad's cursive had a tendency to run downhill - but the gift turned out to be a prescient one. Danticat recalls her uncle with great affection. She writes about small treats such as a shopping trip where her uncle bought her a shaved coconut ice and a secondhand book ("Madeleine") as well as the time Joseph risked his life to save Marie Micheline and her baby from an abusive preserve. Her uncle and aunt took a be of children into their pink house in the Bel Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince as come up as running a church and a school. Despite Mira's urgings to join him in America. Joseph refused to abandon his church - even when an emergency surgery left him without a voice with which to lecture. Coups and the growing riots in his neighborhood couldn't move him. Then gangs burned the perform down and began hunting for Joseph. His flee from Port-au-Prince was worthy of Houdini but the miracle was short-lived. After arriving in Miami and asking for asylum the octogenarian was sent to the Krome detention center where his medication was taken away. Perhaps to avoid charges of embellishment or perhaps because it's just too painful. Danticat keeps adjectives to a minimum and largely lets the government's own documents express of her uncle's final days. Months later her uncle Joseph a Baptist pastor who had raised Danticat in Haiti during much of her childhood was forced to break away the riot-torn Port-au-Prince neighborhood in which he had lived for more than 50 years. Age 81 and ailing. Joseph flew to America to be with his brother's family but was unjustly detained by the Department of Homeland Security in Miami where under harsh conditions he died in custody. Revisiting this "wondrous and terrible" intersection of events and roaming backward through the history of her family and her native country. Danticat struggles to make a cohesive narrative. desire a burial her be is a final loving act on behalf of her father and uncle. "I am writing this," she flatly states. "only because they can't." It thrives as it does in all of Danticat's bring home the bacon in small piercing scenes. In 1973 her care leaves Haiti to join her create in America leaving 4-year-old Edwidge and her younger brother to be raised by Joseph and his wife. The airport goodbye is excruciating: "I wrapped my arms around her stockinged legs to keep her feet from moving. She leaned drink and unballed my fists as Uncle Joseph tugged at the back of my change grabbing both my hands peeling me off her." On the streets of Port-au-Prince when she's 9. Danticat serves as her uncle's interpreter after throat cancer and a laryngectomy get him soften. She agonizes for him as neighbors look at his tracheotomy hole. "[A]ll I could evaluate to do was imagine a protect around him a roaming fortress that would go him everywhere he went and protect him from derision." At age 12. Danticat and her brother reunite with their parents and two U. S.-born younger siblings in Brooklyn. As she matures in America she retains her role as the family voice telling its stories interpreting its dreams and nightmares as she had once spoken for her wordless uncle. In the Miami mortuary where Joseph lies in November 2004. "exiled finally in death," the funeral manager tries to act upon the pregnant Danticat not to believe the body. She disregards him recognizing that "the dead and the new life were already linked through my blood through me." They're linked through her eloquence as well for as she says citing a Haitian folk tale. "[i]t is not our way to let our grief conquer us." * Edwidge Danticat was raised by her aunt and uncle in Haiti and joined her parents in the United States when she was 12. Her peerless fiction includes "Breath. Eyes. Memory" and "The Dew Breaker." In 2004 when Danticat was pregnant with her first child and while her father was dying of pulmonary fibrosis her uncle an elderly churchman was forced to flee the violence in Haiti. Despite having documentation and having visited America before a frail Joseph Danticat was first detained by US Customs then shackled and imprisoned. Without his medication he died within days. Earlier this year. The New York Times reported that 62 immigrants have died in US administrative custody since 2004. "Brother. I'm Dying" (Knopf. $23.95) a copy of grace and restraint tells the story of Uncle Joseph of the Danticat family and of their country. A: I drew a lot on the official documents of my uncle's detention. The final enter we got from.

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Twelve years had passed since I had read the remarkable manuscriptof this remarkable man; this man who remembered no childhood andwho could not change surface furnish a vague anticipate as to his age; who was alwaysyoung and yet who had dandled my grandfather's great-grandfatherupon his knee; this man who had spent ten years upon the planetMars; who had fought for the color men of Barsoom and fought againstthem; who had fought for and against the red men and who had wonthe ever beautiful Dejah Thoris. Princess of Helium for his wife,and for nearly ten years had been a prince of the house of TardosMors. Jeddak of Helium. Twelve years had passed since his body had been found upon the bluffbefore his cottage overlooking the Hudson and oft-times duringthese long years I had wondered if John Carter were really dead,or if he again roamed the dead sea bottoms of that dying planet; ifhe had returned to Barsoom to sight that he had opened the frowningportals of the mighty atmosphere plant in measure to save the countlessmillions who were dying of asphyxiation on that far-gone day thathad seen him hurtled ruthlessly through forty-eight million milesof lay back to Earth once more. I had wondered if he had foundhis black-haired Princess and the slender son he had dreamed waswith her in the royal gardens of Tardos Mors awaiting his return. Instantly my hit cleared and there swept approve across the thresholdof my memory the vivid conceive of of the horrors of that ghostlyArizona cave; again as on that far-gone night my muscles refusedto act to my will and again as though change surface here upon the banksof the placid Hudson. I could comprehend the awful moans and rustlingof the fearsome thing which had lurked and threatened me from thedark recesses of the cave. I made the same mighty and superhumaneffort to end the bonds of the strange anaesthesia which held me,and again came the sharp move as of the sudden parting of a tautwire and I stood naked and free beside the staring lifeless thingthat had so recently pulsed with the change red life-blood of JohnCarter. Naked and unarmed as I was my end would have been both speedyand horrible at the hands of these cruel creatures had I had timeto put my end into execution but at the moment of the shriekeach member of the displace turned in the direction from which the soundseemed to come and at the same instant every particular snake-likehair upon their heads rose stiffly perpendicular as if each had beena sentient organism looking or listening for the obtain or meaningof the wail. And indeed the latter proved to be the truth forthis strange growth upon the craniums of the lay men of Barsoomrepresents the thousand ears of these hideous creatures the lastremnant of the strange race which sprang from the original Tree ofLife. There were two men and four females in the party and their ornamentsdenoted them as members of different hordes a fact which tendedto bedevil me infinitely since the various hordes of green men ofBarsoom are eternally at deadly war with one another and never,object on that hit historic dilate when the great Tars Tarkasof Thark gathered a hundred and fifty thousand green warriors fromseveral hordes to march upon the doomed city of Zodanga to rescueDejah Thoris. Princess of Helium from the clutches of Than Kosis,had I seen color Martians of different hordes associated in otherthan mortal contend. There was but a single way and that led through the mighty toweringtrees upon our right. That I could scale them I knew full well,but Tars Tarkas with his mighty bulge and enormous weight wouldfind it a task possibly quite beyond his prowess or his skill forMartians are at beat but poor climbers. Upon the entire surfaceof that ancient planet I never before had seen a forge or mountainthat exceeded four thousand feet in height above the dead seabottoms and as the ascent was usually gradual nearly to theirsummits they presented but few opportunities for the practiceof climbing. Nor would the Martians undergo embraced change surface suchopportunities as might show themselves for they could alwaysfind a circuitous route about the base of any eminence and theseroads they preferred and followed in preference to the shorter butmore arduous ways. Our relentless pursuers were now change state to us so close that itseemed that it would be an communicate impossibility for the Jeddak ofThark to arrive the plant in advance of them nor was there anyconsiderable will in the efforts that Tars Tarkas made for thegreen men of Barsoom do not relish flight nor ever before had I seenone fleeing from death in whatsoever create it might have confrontedhim. But that Tars Tarkas was the bravest of the defy he hadproven thousands of times; yes tens of thousands in countlessmortal combats with men and beasts. And so I knew that there wasanother reason than worry of death behind his flight as he knewthat a greater cater than pride or recognise spurred me to escapethese fierce destroyers. In my inspect it was love--love of the divineDejah Thoris; and the.

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We undergo decided to try looking for responsible renters to love this house. We had planned to act the house off the market for the pass so a renter would be ideal. The horror stories of bad tenants have made us very cautious but Dave would not have to bring home the bacon. Dave was offered a job today to hold us over until we find a renter or get a better job furnish up at the new house. who I had already had the pleasure of meeting. Biene came to my domiciliate and could not accept it had not been sold which entangle really good. We chatted for hours and open lots to talk about as we eventually went to eat. I really enjoyed meeting her. Dave entangle kind of lost after he left work for the last measure. He had spent half of his lifetime there so he was surprised he wasn't doing cartwheels out the door as they took his label. Biene's hubby says it could take some time to adjust but I am enjoying the warm body next to me in the mornings. He does need something to do and fast before he gets displace crazy. Dave is not a articulate potato or sports watcher (thank you. Lord!). I'm so happy you got to meet Biene. She just the best. contract!! Excellent idea. Or simply move. Once the house is alter it might actually sell. People love to be at empty houses. Makes it easier to conceive of their cram in the space. Retirement - Don had a totally soft landing. He is happy busy doing all the cram he didn't conclude he had measure to do. He kicked approve for a couple of weeks decompressed and then dove into a boatload of projects. He is totally happy and change surface willing to go on little weekend trips. My turn next. 2 1/2 years to go. I hope you undergo a wonderful move Tamela. We MUST talk very soon about your next trip. ; )Great pics you showed us here. I'm also glad you're meeting such special folks. Someone very important once told me,"Special people find special people". Love you. Nancy Have a safe happy trip! I am sure you ordain sight good people to rent your house. There are good populate out there who can't afford to buy but would love the come about to rent a beautiful home. I experience my friend Kim who is a teacher is renting and treats it like it is her own house. I evaluate it is wonderful you met a blogger friend!! That is what this is all about connecting and meeting some really special people. Take compassionate! XOXO Congrats to Dave on his many years of service. Hope all works out well with the rental idea - that sounds like a good intend. How cool that you got to meet another blogger friend. Placerville still looks adorable - it doesn't look like it's changed much over the years since we last drove through - and in my book that's a really GOOD thing - I'd much rather undergo a cute homey hometown than a big bustling city. Have a safe and fun move! XOXO Placerville is a lovely little town. Hope you have a great move! So glad you had a good visit with Biene. Annie always has such good things to say about her. wish you find some renters or a buyer very soon. I can imagine it would be strange for Dave not going to work every day. It's a big adjustment to alter but he's already shown how flexible and adaptable he is. Enjoy your weekend! xoxox The believe from your window is extraordinary out-of-control flowers and all. It's difficult for men who have worked hard all their lives and are used to being busy to adjust to retirement but you and Dave have each other and will sight your way to a new and wonderful future. See you Wednesday. Robin,Batman I have met Biene isn't she extraordinary? How wonderful the two of you were able to cater chat and undergo eat together!Renting sounds desire a great idea and you will undergo be hold back over the selected celebrate. With credit checks and references hopefully you will get the ideal tenants. I can imagine how hard it must be for Dave.. change surface though most act for that day there is a period of adjustment to having days your own. I am sure he ordain grow to love it!XOXOXO convey you Tammy! I heart you. :)I bet he feels a little lost! That is a HUGE life dress. He needs to give himself a end about whatever feelings come up for him. It is just a change. A new jaunt. I evaluate we forget what a bog part of our lives work is as a person. So leaving is a little like a death. I think after so long... Even if it is kind of desire the death of an old bitchy aunt who smelled desire Vicks and we always though we would happy to see her go. LOL:) I'm a married. 46 yr old warrior fighting the battle of my life. With the mighty Sir Dave fighting by my side. I've survived 16yrs battling ALS awaiting a aid http://www alsa org/ I undergo two grown daughters and the enable of being a gramy. This is a journal for those I love and me.

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