Archive for January, 2009
Is there a better movie than Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart? Okay, I say this about a lot of movies, but I think that’s more a testimony to fine filmmaking than it is to my inability to decide what is the best movie ever. I think if you love a genre, you can’t have a favorite. And if you have absolutely locked in favorites, then I question those choices. It shows a lack of exposure to good film and perhaps a lack of dimension.
As for Harvey–it’s wonderfully acted and the direction quite good. Take a good look at the shot compositions and tell me you don’t see room for Harvey. As for Jimmy Stewart, he can say more in a quite phrase and thoughtful look than a lot of other actors can throughout a full reel. Really, if you’ve never seen this movie, why the hell not? Check it out at your local rental store, library, or Netflix. It even shows up on TV every now and then.
You won’t regret it.
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I’ve posted a review of Douglas Coupland’s JPod at Forces of Geek and will post of a review of The Gum Thief by next Wednesday.
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Work-wise, I’m still plugging along a number of projects. The Trustus Plays by Jon Tuttle (Intellect Books) is just about ready for the printer. The editors need to send me three words that need changing in the text, and we’re done. I’m going through the extensive edits for The Accidental Mousketeer and Acting Foolish. I’m doing some photo shifting for the Hardcastle and McCormick book, and awaiting the last changes to the SFWA Bulletin.
Plus a few other things in various prep stages for others and for myself. Always keeping busy.
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Today’s link takes you to a very interesting story, presented in a graphic novel as webcomic format, called Lovecraft is Missing. The artwork is excellent and the story is entertaining and well-wrought so far. It doesn’t hurt that part of it is set in dear old Providence and I recognize several of the settings from the Brown University area. If you’re a fan of Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, or the early pulp era, you will want to check this out.
Cheers!
Filed under: Book layouts, Movie review, Webcomics | |No Comments
This is tomorrow’s journal entry a day early. There’s a bit going around facebook where one makes a list of 25 random, possibly interesting things about them, then puts them into the Notes section and tags 25 friends to find out more about them.
It’s a fun little exercise and an interesting way to learn about who you thought you knew.
If you’re reading this at www.johnteehan.com or my webjournal site you don’t have to tag anyone–but maygbe you’ll want to put up a similar post on your own blog page. If you do, let me know.
If you’re reading this on facebook, and you’re someone I tagged, then make up your own list and tag 25 more people.
Cheers!
25 Things About John…as if you asked…
1. I have no depth perception which makes driving at night tricky, yet I am a crack shot with a rifle. Despite being a crack shot with a rifle, I’m not a big fan of guns.
2. I’m not a good liar which is good. I have less to keep track of.
3. I quit drinking nearly ten years ago for many reasons and they’ve all paid off. I still miss it, though.
4. I play the Irish tenor banjo, 5-string banjo, mandolin, guitar and bodhran–and am only a passable musician at best, but I have so much fun with it that I’ll never give it up.
5. I love to draw but can’t draw a straight line to save my life. I tried once seven years ago and nearly killed a guy.
6. I can read enough Japanese to follow a comic book, but I can’t read a lick of music.
7. My wife and I met online years before we ever met in real life. When we met in real life it was pretty much inevitable we would be together and married. I didn’t know it in the “front” of my head at the time, but she did.
8. I’ve had a number of interesting jobs over the years. I’ve been a roadie, a bouncer, an administrative assistant, a personal chef, a camp counselor, graphic designer/layout artist, typesetter, and writing tutor. The last one was one of the best jobs I ever had.
9. I’ve also had a number of lousy jobs. Fast food cook, dishwasher, copy monkey, and janitor.
10. One of my most prized possessions is a photograph of a blue-yarn actopus named Tammy O’Tulip.
11. At one point in my life I wanted to be a college professor. I am so very glad that didn’t work out. I really dodged a bullet. Most folks I know who went on to college academics are miserable.
12. I believe that organized religions have caused more pain and suffering in the world than anything else in history, but I still enjoy gospel music and consider myself somewhat spiritual. When asked, I call myself a ‘devout agnostic.’
13. I don’t like to drive.
14. After my term at the University of Exeter ended, I spent three weeks busking on street corners. It was my sole source of income for food, shelter, beer, and a bus back to Heathrow. The British people were very generous. The experience was used in my short story “Digger Don’t Take No Requests.”
15. While I don’t really regret having taken LSD in my younger days, I don’t really recommend it either. There was a reason why a stopped. An ugly, blood-fueled reason.
16. I was a founding member of the Retro-computing Society of Rhode Island and vice president of the Rhode Island Japan Language and Culture Center.
17. I used to play drums for a garage-punk band originally known as The Widemen, then Lack of Foresight, then finally Gothic Snowtire. I left for academic reasons and replaced by a much better drummer.
18. My friends have had a profound influence on me over the years. Mary kept me independent and self-reliant. Chris got me into comics and movies. Bill got me into music. Jill got me into poetry. Mike convinced me I could write. Judi taught me about survival. Denise convinced me it’s okay to be a nice guy. Al taught me how to listen to jazz. Andrew shows me you don’t have to be religious to be a good person. Bob encouraged my musical delusions. Ben encouraged my publishing delusions. And there are lots more. It’s fun to be me.
19. I’m three degrees of separation from Hitler, but only two degrees from Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
20. As I get older I find it easier to stop caring about useless crap. I also find it easier to not fret about past mistakes. It makes life much easier and pleasant.
21. It’s fun to be me. It really is.
22. I love my wife very much. I’m too lucky sometimes, but I ain’t complainin’.
23. Once, after a roadie gig, I met Stevie Ray Vaughn and had a drink with him. He was pretty cool.
24. My father, and the memory of him, is my greatest inspiration.
25. I can guarantee you that my wife didn’t know at least one of the above items. It’s not that we keep secrets–I’m just always full of surprises.
Filed under: Blogosphere, Writing | |No Comments
Ever wake up with a poem stuck in your head? This morning was one I’ve not thought of in years… Wallace Stevens’ “Emperor of Ice Cream.” Check this out:
Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month’s newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.
A collage of images set to music.
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My banjo habits are weird. I’ll spend months practicing the same tunes over and over, unable to learn new tunes, then bam.. I’ll pick up three or four new bluegrass tunes in the space of a week or so. I’ve recently picked up “Red Wing,” “Lonesome Road Blues,” “Down the Road,” and the first parts to “Liza Jane” and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” You watch….those will be the last new tunes I learn until May. Instead, I’ll suddenly pick up half a dozen new Irish tunes for the tenor banjo instead–which is fine with me. I haven’t really picked up a new tune for the tenor since “The Gravel Walks.”
Why does it work that way? I suppose with the five-string banjo, it’s a question of internalizing fingering techniques and roll patterns. I get some down so I can do them in my sleop, and only then am I ready to move onto to something else. Maybe something more complicated. With the tenor, where there aren’t roll patterns to internalize, maybe it’s more the rhythms and intonations. It’s been over a month since I’ve picked up the guitar. I wonder what will happen then?
Hell, why question it at all? It’s not the fact that the bear dances a waltz, but that he’s dancing at all.
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Lots of work still to do, and miles to go before I sleep–figuratively. The February issue of Medicine & Health/Rhode Island has been delivered to the printer. Issue 181 of the SFWA Bulletin will likely go to the printer tomorrow morning. I’m continuing with the extensive edits and changes to the Hardcastle & McCormick book and really need to get the new cover finished. Lewis Stadlen sent me some new text for his book, Acting Foolish and Lonnie Burr has sent me some new photos and edits for An Accidental Mouseketeer. On top of that we’ll be putting out a new edition of Spotlights & Shadows: The Albert Salmi Story. Plus some little errands here and there. Contracts, promo copy and such.
Busy busy.
And prepping something for this weekend. Still intending on announcing Project X for February 2.
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Today’s link goes to a time-waster… a page of old, corny computer geek jokes. Newer jokes appear at the top, which means as you scroll down, the jokes get older and more obsolete. Fun for classic fans such as myself…and archaeologists.
Filed under: Book layouts, Humor, Magazine layouts, Music | banjo, geek, poetry|No Comments
Still in recovery from a wonderful little mini-vaction to Florida. And I’ve come home to a decent pile of work which I need to get cracking on right away.
Florida was fantastic. Warm. Upper 70s which is like heaven compared to the frigid temperatures that welcomes us when we got home. We stayed at the very pleasant Floridays resort which gave us a full kitchen, dining area, living room, two bedrooms two bathrooms, and porch. I got to have my own bathroom! (This may not seem like a big deal, but you married guys…you know what I’m talking about. Right?) So we had nice digs. There was a fine pool and even finer hot tub. We didn’t do a lot with The Mouse this time around aside from a stop at Downtown Disney mostly to dine at the Rainforest Cafe–easily one of the best restaurants around. We did check out the new Sea World Aquatic park. Nothing like doing a waterpark in the middle of January. Lazy river rides past dolphins and tropical fish. Rapids. Wave pools. Slides and sun. Well worth checking out if you’re in the area. And not too expensive as Orlando spots go.
And this mini-vacation afforded me a long-overdue opportunity to catch up on my reading. The morning of the flight down, I cracked open Douglas Coupland’s JPod (actually, I cracked it open the previous week, but only got a few pages into it) and finished it by Saturday night. I say to Margaret, I say, “We need to get to a bookstore so I can get another book by this guy.” There we are, in the middle of Orlando where there are thousands of diversions available and I want to go to a bookstore.
So we went. And I picked up The Gum Thief by Coupland. Another fantastic book and now I’m wondering when we can get to a bookstore again so I can find more. I may find myself making a trip downtown this week to get another fix. Yes, I’ll be reviewing both either here or at Forces of Geek later this week. I ended up finishing The Gum Thief on Sunday night, but thankfully had also picked up a Charles Bukowski collection. (We also nabbed the paperback edition of President Obama’s Audacity of Hope which I will get around to reading at some point.)
But I’m home now and there’s lots of work to be done. I should be able to wrap up and send to the printer a couple of jobs. I have edits to do for a bunch of others–some minor, some extensive. My work is cut out for me and my dance card is full.
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Today’s link is for Old-Time Radio fans. It’s a collection of 104 mp3s and streaming audio files for the The Great Gildersleeve–one of the classics of OTR. From the website:
The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957) was the arguable founding father of the spin-off program, as well as one of the first true situation comedies in broadcast history. It revolved around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio hit Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest period in the 1940s, when Harold Peary graduated the character from the earlier show into the sitcom and in a quartet of likeable feature films at the height of the show’s popularity.
Some good stuff here.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Book review | Coupland, Disney, OTR|No Comments
The morning is afire. Lot’s of stuff to get done today. The fellow with the mohawk here is Len. He’s involved somewhat. You’ll find out how soon enough.
But first…did you hear that the FBI is investigating the pilot from that plane that did the emergency landing in the Hudson? Apparently they found evidence of several e-mails and phone calls between the pilot and executives at ABC which suggest that the incident was planned intentionally in order to raise awareness of the season 5 premier of Lost.
No. Not really. But wouldn’t that be something?
And yeah, I promise…my last Lost post for a while. The season five premier was a confusing mess and I loved every minute even as I was cursing it. My brain is Patty Hearst and Lost is the Symbionese Liberation Army. You do the math. I’ll come out of this okay, but it’s gonna be a weird ride and there will be atrocities and the need for a presidential pardon at some point.
Speaking of atrocities, I recently watched The Player directed by Robert Altman and starring Tim Robbins. I really looked forward to this movie based on everything I’d heard about it, but I think in the end I was a little disappointed. Altman didn’t seem to believe in endings that made you feel comfortable. There’s always death involved. And someone responsible usually gets away with it to some degree. He is always forcing one to look at conflicts between morals and actions. How we see ourselfves vs. how others see us.
Okay, so it wasn’t an atrocity, and Altman succeeded in what he set out to do. I’m not sure anymore what I was looking for–maybe something with like Barton Fink. That movie made sense.
I’m not saying The Player was a terrible movie, but I think the folks who are going to be the most interested in it are, as usual for Altman movies, hardcore movie buffs–and in this case in particular, those interested in the industry. It’s a very cynical story. And probably very true. And therefore very depressing when you think about how the deck is stacked against writers in the Hollywood system. The movie is something like 15 years old, and I’m sure some of the atmosphere in Hollywood has changed.
But not by much.
Do I recommend it? Not for the casual movie viewer. For movie buffs and those who like watching cameos, it’d be a good rental.
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Today’s link goes to Peter Bagge’s Hate (and Other Neat Styff). I’ve been a fan of his since the early days of Hate and Neat Stuff and have nearly every issue. This site has a great gallery of covers, interviews, bio and great links. It’s worth a good and hearty browse.
Cheers!
Filed under: Comics, Humor, Movie review, Reviews | Lost|No Comments
I don’t know if it started with a 2001 episode of The Oblongs by Jace Ruchdale, of its origins are older, but I really wish I had invented this idea..maybe mini-meme..
Jared (to Milo): Listen twerp! We don’t want no Valley kids hanging around our women. If we catch you around here again, we’re going to beat your face in. Comprende?
Milo: Everything but comprende.
Jared (confused): But if you.. no.. wait.. argh..
tosses Milo into a trashcan
That’s more or less how it played out. I could dig up my DVD, put it in, and transcribe the scene perfectly, but I don’t get paid enough for that sort of accuracy. You get the idea.
Apparently I’m not the only fan of answering a “comprende” question with “everything but comprende,” but I do wonder who started it and if they ever got the delicious cake they so richly deserved.
Good writing deserves delicious cake. Bad writing?
Poisoned cake.
Comprende?
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Busy busy day. Issue #181 of The SFWA Bulletin is just about done. I just need to get the cover straightened out. We have an artist, I’m waiting for her to receive the contract, then we’re good to go. Today we finish up the changes to The Trustus Plays and turn that in. I have a few edits to the February issue of Medicine & Health/Rhode Island. Then tonight, before I get sucked into the return of Lost, I’ll be working on the Hardcastle & McCormick ch-ch-ch-changes.
So why am I hanging ’round here? Why to drop my link o’ the day, of course!
Diamond Distributing which is responsible for getting the vast majority of comics and graphic novels onto shelves and racks around the world, has changed some of their policies in handling small publishers. Dan Vado of Slave Labor Graphics responds with An Informal Letter on Diamond’s Edicts at The Comics Reporter. Dan is very reasonable in acknowledging that Diamond is trying to survive during a very shaky economy, and Diamond has done more good than bad over the years. He also offers an alternative for indie comics publishers. It’s a pretty darn good one too.
Cheers!
Filed under: Comics, Humor | Oblongs, Work|No Comments
I know what the island is!
Okay…okay…Lost…yeah, I know. When will I shut up about it? Soon, probably. We finished season 4 last night, so we’re all set for the start of season five this week. Whew! Four seasons in what? A couple of weeks? I just hope my dreams go back to normal now. I’ll say this about season 4: I like the new scientist characters. The character of Benjamin has to make the top ten list of most complex fictional characters ever. The writing staff is the network TV equivalent of a drug cartel. They don’t care who they hurt so long as you get hooked.
But the biggest thing for me is the revelation of what the island is. I have it all figured out now and it works so perfectly that I feel like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. Some of the symbols, the machinery, little visual clues in the last episode…I’ve seen those before. Hundreds of times. I didn’t recognize them at first…it’s been a while…but later last night I felt as if struck by lightning with recognition. Of course! I’ve purposely avoided any Lost discussions or sites online in order to not to contaminate my thinking, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else has already suggested this…
Well, no. Not gonna tell you. The picture here is a hint of sorts.
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That’s out of the way now. Hokay, three-day weekend is over. The snow has been dealt with. I have a lot of work to do today and, as the Three Stooges said in “The Chiropractors” episode: “Let’s get cracking!”
Today it’s the SFWA Bulletin and the Trustus Plays. For anyone wondering what’s up with Project X, the prepwork is still happening. I’m trying to put together a decent webpage for it, and need to do some scans. I have a meeting tomorrow with some folks and need to go over some things with my partner in this endeavor. Soon after I may announce something officially.
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Today’s link goes to the story at the International Herald Tribune chronicling the sad passing of John Mortimer. He was the creator of the iconic Rumpole of the Bailey of which I’ve read in numerous stories and seen brought to life on ITV television by the late Leo McKern. Every now and then I’d see a new Rumpole story come out and snap it up. Sadly, those days are now no more.
Court now in recess.
Filed under: Blogosphere, Reviews | Lost, Rumpole|No Comments
Rough morning. Digging out the car and doing the Sunday chores on Monday. Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Sunday…at least how we’re doing it. Good thing too as we got walloped with snow. After digging out and shoveling yesterday, we essentially blockaded ourselves inside and had a marathon Lost session. This morning I wake up to the exact same amount of snow as fell yesterday. More digging, more scraping. And the news mentions chance of snow this afternoon, and some more tomorrow.
My spirit.lays shattered like a piece of fine china at an angry bull convention. I don’t mind the cold. I can even enjoy it at times, but snow and ice? Argh.
So screw it. I’m done shoveling for the day. Maybe if my new best friend Walter comes by (local kid who shovels walks) I may shell out, but I’m done. Phooey.
And today I’m at that weird combination of holiday and workday. Pretty Maggie has the day off, and we have plans for later in the day, but I still have work to do. So I’ll get as much done as I can today, and get a super-early start tomorrow.
Lost be damned.
Well, not reall. Damn show is still messing with my dreams And it just gets weirder and weirder. Still, we might complete our Lost-quest to see every single past episode in time for the season 5 start.
Not for wimps.
Okay, got a late start, so time to post this and get back to work. Today’s link takes you to The Old Farmers Almanac website. When I was a kid, I used to look forward to getting this every year for its puzzles, trivia, woodcraft, and weather predictions. Over the years it seemed to get more and more packed with advertising and became less fun to read. Still, it’s good to see an online version of it.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere | hell on earth, shoveling, snow|No Comments
So Pretty Maggie is looking up on the internet how bacon might affect cats. One of our cats, Nemo, loses his furry little mind whenever I cook bacon and she wanted to make sure that giving him such delectible tidbits wasn’t too unhealthy. So there she is typing in “cat” and “bacon” without specifying if the bacon is to be applied internally or externally.
Yeah, I know. Right? So…
She finds this link, then comes to me. “Who’s that science fiction writer you’re always pushing on people?”
“Which one. There are a couple.”
“Scalzi-something.”
“John Scalzi?”
“That’s him. Here, come look at this,” and she hands me her laptop. The screen shows the picture you see here and a blog post from September 13, 2006.
It’s a piece about taping bacon to his cat. That’s an idea I can get behind. If I had any bacon in the house, I’d be looking for the tape right now. I make bacon and eggs for dinner at least once every couple of weeks…so here kitty, kitty, kitty.
But what caught my eye more in the piece was that this was something on Scalzi’s to-do list. “#9. Tape bacon to the cat.”
Yesterday I wrote about how I’m an obsessive list-maker, but it’s usually a very particular list of things that need to be done, and there is little room for silly. That’s what my calendar is for. I like to take a new calendar and fill in random boxes through the year with suggested goals like “World Domination” and “build model of Devil’s Tower out of mashed potatos” and “tape fried eggs to cats.”
To each his own. But good on Scalzi. Over two years after the fact, he gave me a grin. And it’s today’s link. (click Home to get back to current days.)
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This morning, as I’m working, I have on the 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth. A classic bit of movie starring my man James Mason and Pat Boone–yeah, that Pat Boone. And Gertrude the duck as herself. It’s a fun little movie. Silly in spots. Good adventure in others, Some sensawunda here and there.
It’s a recommendation for cable or rent. Sure, its special effects can’t compare to today’s, but it’s not all about special effects. Remember?
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Humor, Movie review | cats|1 Comment
Meet my latest…obsession. Okay, you’ve met it before. This makes the fourth time I’ve ranted about Lost. We’re over halfway through season 3 right now and with every question answered, two more arise. Pretty Maggie and I seem to be on a mission to watch all the past episodes so we can dive into Season 5 starting January 21. I doubt we’re going to make the deadline, but we’re hoping that we can not fall far behind due to the good graces of Verizon’s On-Demand or, if need be, bitTorrent. Considering how much we’re shelling out on DVD sets for seasons 1-4, I trust ABC won’t begrudge us one or two pirates episodes.
They’d have to catch me first.
Locke remains my favorite character, although I don’t like the shift in his character this season. I liked him better as a mysterious, quasi-mystic bad-ass. Hurley still rocks, of course. I loved the episode where he, Jin, Sawyer and Charlie find that xvg in the jungle and manage get it jkuifre so they can ewvbe the knujlp. A very feel-good sort of episode which I think this series needs a couple of each season. Hurley’s good for that. I hope he gets a happy ending.
Am I still pissed at the writers? Not as much, although I can see why people said this was a weaker season story-wise. It’s not that there’s a lack of story, but there does seem to be an unclear direction happening here. I have high hopes that Season 4 re-establishes a focus (and I suspect it will) and that the writers strike doesn’t hurt it too much.
Friends of ours who have watched them all merely gves us this one cryptic remark: “Everything Changes” which of course are the words you ktt on the sgheem in the room when they rescue Jkqw.
Huh. Maybe I better stop now. But before I do, let me state that I still have problems with the black smoke.
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Thank the Great Kazoo for my obsessive little lists. It’s been a busy week, it ain’t over, and it’ll like be a busy next week as well. But every day I jot down on a little list everything I have to do that day and at by the end of it I look at said list and nod in satisfaction. It’s good to get stuff accomplished.
This week I’ve been working on updates to the Lewis Stadlen book and the Hardcastle and McCormick book. The former looks pretty close to completion. The latter will take a bit more time. I also set up printer files for new press runs of The Baby Snooks Scripts, Vol. 1 by Philip Rapp and . On other fronts, I have the latest round of edits for The Trustus Plays from inTellect, edits for the February issue of Medicine & Health/Rhode Island, and the latest issue of the SFWA Bulletin
So yeah, a little busy. It’s not that bad, though. Like I said, it’s mostly works in various editing stages. I should have everything done by tomorrow afternoon so my weekend is free and clear.
Just in time to take down the Christmas stuff.
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Today’s link is a recipe for Chocolate Truffle Cookies. Why? Because they look good, and it’s a recipe I’m going to try out sometime soon. I recently made a batch of the same style of cookie using the chocolate truffle brownie mix from Trader Joe’s, but after they cool they harden quite a bit and involves more work to eat than I’d care to see in a cookie. Looking over this recipe, I can substitute the butter with a soy margarine we use, and I can find dairy-free chocolate. I think I’ll give it a try. If anyone else gives it a go, let me know how they came out for you.
Cheers!
Filed under: Book layouts, Layouts, Publishing | cookies, Lost|No Comments
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Is there a better movie than Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart? Okay, I say this about a lot of movies, but I think that’s more a testimony to fine filmmaking than it is to my inability to decide what is the best movie ever. I think if you love a genre, you can’t have a favorite. And if you have absolutely locked in favorites, then I question those choices. It shows a lack of exposure to good film and perhaps a lack of dimension.
