Down Here

So I found this group, DownHere. Maybe you have heard of them? Canadian (Caw-Naw-Dee-En) Christian Rockers. Yeah, that's what I said. Some of their stuff would be "banned" in certain un-named places but I thought you all should check this vid. out. At first I said, "Are they mocking?" But then I realized that they were actually laying down a challenge:


And this one makes Belle cry



Tell me what you think

The Looking Glass Wars

So, Belle and I were at Borders one night. It was a rare, almost freak like date that we had. (She just asked me where the "freak" came from and I said it was because it was our second date in two years, yes, that's including our anniversary) When we first got together [courting, dating, interested in each other (you get the picture)] that was our Hot Date. We'd get a cheap dinner and then go to Target or someplace and then end up at the book store for an overpriced cookie and some Stuart's Orange and Cream.

I love books. I have always been envious of those libraries that you see in shows with thousands of leather bound volumes stacked to towering heights.

It was on that night when we were at Borders that this caught my attention

I guess you can see why.

Now of course, I was naturally suspicious. The whole "Fantasy Just Declared War on Reality" line will do that to you. So, I picked it up and read the back cover (it was the paper back edition) and my curiosity was further piqued, so I read the prologue, and then thumbed to about the middle and read a few pages and then thumbed toward the back and read a few more pages, and having done that, I decided that I wanted to read it. I checked the price: eight somethin'. No biggie. BUT, I have made a commitment that I will never buy another book without first knowing that it is not a waste of money. The last book I bought on a lark burned me. Did the whole skim through previewing and missed some junk. I don't even remember what it was much less what it was about. That's where those kind of books belong: forgotten.

So I did some digging and found it at one of the local libraries (we have three libraries within 12 miles) and of course I made a special trip and picked it up.

I was surprised. Not only did I like it, but it is actually really good.

It is written for about the 13 and up range. It's simple, without being juvenile, and engaging enough for me. Maybe I'm telling on myself too much. Hmm. It is in fact better written than many adult target books that I have recently read.

I know, I know, you're all demanding; "BUT, WHAT IS IT ABOUT?!"

It is about Alyss Heart. What really happened and how her true story came to be twisted and turned into a nonsensical thing called, Alice in Wonderland, by none other than Carrol Lewis (Yes, it's supposed to be like that).

I was expecting it to have witchcraft and magic, what with the word "Fantasy" printed on the front cover, but it didn't. Oh, what a relief. Imagination is the tool of preferred use and that only works in Wonderland, mostly. Oh, did I forget to mention that it takes place in both Wonderland and "our" world. It does. And I found it to be in keeping with Mr. Doug Phillips essay on fantastic writing. Black is black. White is white. And the author, Frank Beddor, makes some very good observations and statements. And from what I can remember of Alice in Wonderland (it's probably been fourteen years since I read it) it's better than the original. Just like the old saying: "The imitation of the original is better than the original, but the original is better than the imitation of the imitation." Of course, it is probably not that hard to write something better than an opiate trip induced hallucination.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the sequel (it's a trilogy), Seeing Redd. And it ended like a stand alone. I hate books that end right in the middle of major action and say: "Buy the next one to find out what happens, and we're going to make you buy another to really find out what happens."

So if it sounds interesting, read it, and we can Book Club it.

On Thugs Striking

For those who enjoy my deranged sense of humor, I am so glad that you have finally joined me over here, on the funner side of life. (Yes Jak, that was said, shall we say, "tongue in cheek")

Well, I know that at least Kristi had the courage to waste about ten minutes of time and enjoy The Feast from start to finish. Yes, some are not so funny, but it helps to get a break every now and then, keeps it from getting stale and as far as who thinks these things up . . .Geniuses. With far too much time on their hands! Belle loves "The Feast is Ruined" and "Thief"-'Yoiks, and away.'

Has anyone else heard about the writers strike in Loonywood? I got my bubble pipe out when I heard that they had actually gone through with it and started dreaming about writing to the producers of my favorite shows and letting them know that I would do the same job for LESS money. There are some really good (of course we are talking about Crazywood so "good" is comparative and relative) shows out there. It would be a shame to see them get postponed. Of course if they did get postponed then I might actually do something productive, like further my walk with God, spend more time with my girls, WRITE. You never know. And these crazy strikers. Bunch of thugs. Oh I totally understand where they are coming from. The writing of a script is the most important part of a show (big or little screen). I don't care how good the Directors or actors are, if the script is lousy, specifically the dialogue and the realistic continuity, then the show stinks at the worst and suffers greatly at the least. Case in point, the latest StarWars movies. I don't doubt Lucas' creative ability (never mind its origins), but he can't write, or direct actors for nothin'. Doubt me? Watch the StarWars movies and tell me that they get better with time. Oh, the special effects are progressively more awesome but watch them and then tell me that The Empire Strikes Back is not the best one out of all six. Why is it the best? Because he didn't write the script or direct it. "Man's got to know his limitations." Now, of course I totally understand why he did direct the last three: they were his creation and he wasn't going to let anyone else get any credit for the work. That's okay. "A smart man surrounds himself with men who are smarter than he is."

But I got distracted. The writers, I heard, are striking because they want a cut of the DVD sales and rentals. As I said earlier I totally understand where they are coming from. I mean, they get what, 400k for a script? When the the lead actor comes in and gets 7 figures? To do what? Just repeat some lines that he doesn't even have to memorize (by memorize I mean commit to semi-permanent memory like a stage actor has to) Now, I'm not disparaging actors because we all know that there are actors (Matt Damon) and then there are hacks (Casper Van Dein) for example. Tell me though, who did all the REAL work? Without a script, the Director has no vision to shape and form; without a script the the camera man have no baseline instruction to follow; and without a script those marvelously high paid stars have no lines to repeat. BUT, and it's a big one, (Perhaps it should be more like BUT) what these strikers have done, is latch onto the the Aristocracy of Pull. They have become thugs, demanding goods over the top of a gun barrel. All strikers are thugs. The greatest part about America, besides being God's gift to the world, is that if you don't like the hand you have been dealt, you can go seek out another hand. YOU are your only hindrance. The glory of the open marketplace, is that the consumer and not the manufacture determines what goods survive. All competition is good for business. It drives the producers to strive for a more excellent, more appealing product. When you suborn realistic requests with unrealistic demands, you place creativity in jeopardy, and elevate banality.

Hopefully there will be a massive restructuring in the writing community and those who want to write in the free market will have their fresh originality produced and the hacks, with their tired cliches, will find themselves no longer receiving Top Dollar for substandard tripe.

And maybe the type of things that we really want to see will be produced, not the garbage that the elitist proclaim as enlightened, like the Emperors new clothes.

Aren't you tired of the critics saying "Oh this is the most magnificent piece of work ever made, and if you don't agree, then you are a stupid, red necked, hayseed, christian hick, and you should go kill yourself to save the whales"

But of course, I guess there is a need for a reality check: I am talking about an industry that exist for one purpose: entertainment. Entertainment that profits very little. But man its fun to escape for a little while every now and then!

So okay, I'm going stop "soap boxing" now and leave you with a little levity. Enjoy