(Z) Zeronica (Z) Zoso

I have a former sister-in-law. Her name is Zeronica, she is 28 years old. I met Zeronica when she was 15, and I asked her mother about her unique name.

I had given birth and was drugged up. The nurse came in with the paperwork and asked me what I wanted to name the baby. I said "Veronica". However, in my hazy slur, it came out "Zeronica" (she didn't mention that her heavy South Korean accent didn't help). By the time I got the birth certificate, it was too late. When she got older, I asked her if she wanted to change it and she said no, Zeronica was different, she was sure no one had that name.

Zeronica was wrong. I just googled the name Zeronica and I quickly counted 8 other people with the first name Zeronica.

Of course, most people call her Ronnie, she's a pretty young lady (I'm not saying this because my daughter looks exactly like her either).



* * *
It wouldn't be Z without at least mentioning Zoso.

Those of you who are Led Zeppelin fans know that name well. It is the name/symbol Jimmy Page used on the Led Zeppelin IV album. All of them had their own symbol that had a meaning special to them. This symbol is found on many of his clothes from that era. I won't bore you with its mystical meaning, you can always look that up. Here is a WEBSITE that is devoted to the symbols of the group. There is even a book about it, which I own.

I am a huge Led Zeppelin fan and evean a huger Jimmy Page fan. So when I was nearing my 43rd birthday I decided it was time to get a tattoo. I have always wanted one, but wasn't sure which one to get. Then I did. This was a few days after I had it done. I is now almost 1 year old.

(Y) Yearly Pictures

I take a lot of pictures. I noticed I take pictures of my daughter in the same place year after year. Then I realized, this was a good way to see how she grows.

The first time I noticed any difference in my daughter was when I put these 3 pictures side by side. I took a picture of her on Palm Sunday in 2009, 2010 and 2011. What a growth spurt. I am measuring by my son's picture in the background. Looks like she's grown at least a foot.

This one was taken at the New York Botanical Gardens. Since she is part Korean, I make her stand next to the Korean Garden every year. Looks like one year she flat out refused (she hates bugs). This is 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Every year so far from 3 months.

New Blog for my Writings

I've decided it is time to seperate my writing from my book/movie blog. Therefore I started a new one. There is nothing really there yet, so if you are one that follows my writing, please go to the following link:

http://cwbusy.blogspot.com/

All my ROW-80 updates will be in this blog from now on.

(X) Xenophobia in film

Ghosts of the Heartland (2007) Roland Yu, an Asian man, returns from the big city to his small Midwestern hometown at the tail end of President Truman's term. His neighbors question where his loyalties lie. The town is split between racist white people and the Asian community. Actual dialogue from the movie: Why don't you go back to the big city and marry a white woman so your children can disappear into the white race?" -- Oye Vey. This got poor reviews.

Vendetta (1999) Based on a true tale of power, corruption and murder, Christopher Walken stars in the story of the largest lynching in American history. Oh yeah, and Xenophobia runs rampit in New Orleans in 1890. I didn't even know this happened. What a sad and sick part of American History.

Gangs of New York (2002) As waves of immigrants swell the population of New York, lawlessness and corruption thrive in Manhattan's Five Points section. After years of incarceration, young Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon returns seeking revenge against the rival gang leader who killed his father. But Amsterdam's personal vendetta becomes part of the gang warfare that erupts as he and his fellow Irishmen fight to carve a place for themselves in their newly adopted homeland.


People often say they are not racist or xenophobic, like it is a badge of honor. What it is is a bold faced lie. Before 911 I would have maybe been gullable enough to buy that, but not since.

Am I racist? Am I xenophobic? I'd like to say I tolerate all people, but come on, why lie to you? Why lie to myself? Am I outwardly vocal about it? No.

Yes, certain people scare me, I look sideways and certain individuals. YES I DO!

(W) Wa Wa Wa Emimimo

How cool is it to learn a new song in a language you don't normal speak or hear?

When my Choir Director first handed us this song, we all snickered and said, "What is this?" We made funny sounds using WaWaWaWa, we sounded like a bunch of little babies.

Once we heard the song and started singing it, we realized it was pretty darn cool.

It is a traditional Hymn in Nigerian and it means - Come, O Holy Spirit Come.

This is our Church choir singing this song. However, since I'm in the middle of all of us, it sounds very muddled and bad, I assure you, we sound much better. But you get the idea of how the tune goes.



Nigerian
Wa wa wa Emimimo
Emioloye.
Wa wa wa Alagbara,
Alagbarameta.
Wao wao wao. Emimimo.


English
Come, O Holy Spirit, come.
Holy Spirit, come.
Come, almighty Spirit, come,
Almighty Spirit, come.
Come, come, come. O Spirit, come.


Easy enough...no?

(V) Vesti la Giubba

Vesti la giubba (Put on the costume) is a famous tenor aria performed as part of the opera Pagliacci, written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. I'm not an opera fan, but I really love this song. Mario Lanza performs it and it is my favorite version. I will listen to other versions by other opera stars such as Plácido and Pavarotti, but Lanza's version is still my favorite.



Italian
Recitar! Mentre preso dal delirio,
non so più quel che dico,
e quel che faccio!
Eppur è d'uopo, sforzati!
Bah! Sei tu forse un uom?
Tu se' Pagliaccio!

Vesti la giubba,
e la faccia infarina.
La gente paga, e rider vuole qua.
E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina,
ridi, Pagliaccio, e ognun applaudirà!
Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto
in una smorfia il singhiozzo e 'l dolor, Ah!

Ridi, Pagliaccio,
sul tuo amore infranto!
Ridi del duol, che t'avvelena il cor!

English
Act! While in delirium,
I no longer know what I say,
or what I do!
And yet it's necessary... make an effort!
Bah! Are you not a man?
You are a clown!

Put on your costume,
powder your face.
The people pay to be here, and they want to laugh.
And if harlequin shall steal your Columbina,
laugh, clown, so the crowd will cheer!
Turn your distress and tears into jest,
your pain and sobbing into a funny face - Ah!

Laugh, clown,
at your broken love!
Laugh at the grief that poisons your heart!

(U) Urban Fiction

I think I can honestly say I've read every genre, except for Urban Fiction. I've read a Western (Stephen King does count). I've even read Erotica. But one genre I've never read, and cannot bring myself to read is Urban Fiction.

Urban fiction, also known as Street lit, is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside. Profanity, sex, and violence are usually explicit, with the writer not shying away from or watering-down the material. In this respect, urban fiction shares some common threads with dystopian or survivalist fiction.

I'm not a snob by any means, but I feel this way. I live in an Urban area, I'm surrounded by Urbanites all day, every day, why would I want to open a book (which is a form of escape) to read about what can see outside of my window?

Actually, the little I've read of some Urban Fiction, it is much more violent than anything I experience. I just don't like to read about excessive violence, I don't even like to watch it on TV.

There is an author by the name of Relentless Aaron. Who used to sell his books outside of the subway station in my neighborhood. My mother brought one of his books in Harlem one day. She raved about it. While at her house, I picked it up and read the first chapter. I cringed at the thought of reading 300 pages of that.

I went up to Aaron one day and spoke with him. He wanted to know if I was interested in buying one of his books, I told him I wasn't. I was nice about it. He asked me if I read a lot, and I told him yes. He asked me what I was reading at the moment. I can't recall exactly but it was a classic, so it probably was something by Edith Wharton (The House of Mirth) probably. You can imagine the look I recieved.

The bookstore has a whole table dedicated to this genre.  I sit on the subway and many African-American readers as well as some Latino readers are so engrossed in their Urban fiction books, it is amazing.  I'm glad to see so many people reading, but personally, I cannot get behind the genre.

These books have titles like:
A Hustler's Wife
Gangsta
Baby Momma Drama

I will leave it for the younger generation. It is a culture I suppose. I'm not (nor have ever been) into the Hip-Hop culture. People assume that if you are African-American you automatically become part of the culture which includes reading the genre, but I'm so far removed from it, I don't even know what is going on. If I did read an Urban Fiction book, I probably wouldn't understand half of it.

However, I do think people should read whatever they enjoy. We go through High School and college reading all kinds of stuff we have no interest in. So read what you like...just read.

(T) Today Temple Turns 83

Shirley Jane Temple-Black turns 83 today.

If someone where to ask me who my favorite child star of all time was, I would have to say Shirley Temple. I want to go through the TV and grab her and hug her until her head pops off. She was such a cutie, her chubby legs and her chubby face. My favorite Temple movie is Heidi. However, I really do like them all.

As an older actress, my favorite of her films is Since You Went Away (1944), she was 16.  She grew into a beautiful young woman, however, she quit acting in film in 1950 but continued to act on TV and entertain until 1965.

In 1972 she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She was the first prominent woman to discuss this disease openly.

She was appointed Representative to the 24th General Assembly of the United Nations by President Richard M. Nixon.

She was appointed United States Ambassador to Ghana by President Gerald R. Ford.

She was appointed first female Chief of Protocol of the United States and was in charge of arrangements for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration and inaugural ball.

She was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

(S) Stations of the Cross

You gotta love Providence. The last Lent post of the alphabet, I promise. But I couldn't let this one slip by, it is too perfect.
Today, I will be singing in my choir at 3pm for Good Friday. Before that, at 1pm, our church has a procession. This is live reinactment of the "Stations of the Cross". I will be walking in that for the first hour (the second hour I have to practice).
Since this post is coming before I do the walk, I will share pictures from last years procession. My friend Chris was Jesus. He let his hair grow long for the part.


The 3rd Station - Jesus Falls for the First Time


The 4th Station - Jesus Meets His Mother
The Stations themselves are usually a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:
1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus is given his cross
3. Jesus falls the first time
4. Jesus meets His Mother
5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus' body is removed from the cross (Deposition or Lamentation)
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.
Although not traditionally part of the Stations, the Resurrection of Jesus is sometimes included as a fifteenth station

(R) Resucitó/He Is Risen

What are the odds that R would fall on Holy Thursday ??

As you may know, or recently learned from my postings, I am part of a Church Choir. I've been a member of this choir for 4 years. Before this, I didn't know a Catholic Hymn from a pop song, however, I've learned the difference now!

People often think of church music (especially Catholic Church music) as boring and drawn out, however, there are some very awesome songs. Most of them are not in English, go figure. The one I will be talking about today is ONLY sung at Lent during the Easter Vigil (Saturday night) and Easter Sunday.

One of the songs I learned is called Resucitó/He Is Risen. It is usually sung in Spanish. It is a beautiful song, I wish I had a video of my choir singing it, but I don't. However, here is another choir doing it justice.


Estribillo
Resucitó, resucitó, resucitó, aleluya. Aleluya, aleluya, aleluya, resucitó. Final: Aleluya (hold).

Estrofas
La muerte ¿dónde está la muerte?
¿Dónde está mi muerte?
¿Dónde su victoria?

Gracias sean dadas al Padre
que nos pasó a su reino
donde se vive de amor.

Alegría, alegría hermanos,
que si hoy nos queremos
es que resucitó.

Si con Él morimos,
con Él vivimos, con Él cantamos.
¡Aleluya!

Verses in English - not pure translation
And death now, vanished is the fear now,
banished are my tears now,
death has passed away.

The kingdom, praise to God, the kingdom!
Raised up to the kingdom,
we shall live in love.

Our gladness, blessful in our gladness,
this will be our gladness,
that he is alive.

With him then, die and live with him then,
rise and sing our hymn then,
sing alleluia.

(Q) Questionable Names

I know that some of us know someone with a name that is different. There once was a funny letter going around the Internet about this, but I can no longer find it. I was thinking about people I know and stories I've heard.

Below I have listed some really 'different' names. These are real names, either from repeatable sources or personal experience. And I'm not talking celebrities either, No Apple's or Coco's here. Some are just first names, some have middle names, others are first and last names. Blue are boys, pink is girl, green is "I have no friggin idea". Good Lord, what are these parent's thinking.

Majesty ~ Chaos ~ Tutu ~ Clever ~ Cowboy ~ Crash ~ Felony ~ Furious ~ Zero ~ Loser and his brother Winner* ~ Midnight Moonlight ~ Charman Toilette ~ Chastity Beltz ~ Wrigley Fields ~ Justin Credible ~ Michele Lynn ~ Unnamed Jones (pronounced you-NAH-med) ~ Brook Traut and his daughter Rainbow Traut ~ Iona Knipl ~ Ima Hogg ~ Shanda Lear ~ Superman (was going to be 4Real) ~ Satan

I thought I'd stop here, but of course, I had to find some more, I just couldn't leave these out. These are names from the US Census. I am unsure of most of the genders.

•Uranus Stukey •Ghoul Nipple •Acne Fountain •Lust T. Castle •Mary A. Jerk •Ima Whore •Mutton Bucker •Hugh Jass •Fanny Whiffer •Tackle Feigenbutz •Envy Burger •Bum Snoddy •Mule E. McCart •Lard Mooney •Good Hell •Emma Royd •Noble Butt •Naught E. Bishop •Stud Duck


And I thought names like Dick and Igor were cruel. This is why Denmark has the name law. Perhaps some countries (including the US) should have some type of law to protect the poor children. Call in Social Services...someone!

*If you didn't read the book Freakonomics: Winner is in jail a convicted felon, Loser is a police officer (he goes by Lou). Talk about your irony.

(P) Period Pieces (Costume Dramas)

I love Period Pieces, also known as Costume Dramas. These are movies that take place in the past. My favorite Period Pieces era(s) would be anywhere from the 1400 to the early 1900s. Although I do like a good World War II drama. But I enjoy the older history more, and especially if they take place in the UK. I don't have a preference in subject, it could be about royalty or farm people in Ireland. I've watched movies about Aristocrats and I've watched movies about Nanny's. I enjoy the stories of course, but sometimes the costumes are something else.

To clarify a Period Piece is always a Costume Drama, but a Costume Drama is not always a Period Piece. For example: Harry Potter is a Costume Drama, but since it takes place in present day England it will not be (or ever will be) a Period Piece. However, most people bring to mind Period Pieces when they hear the term Cosume Drama. And being the list freak I am, here are some that I've watched and enjoyed. These are movies as well as TV shows and mini-series.

The Borgias (Showtime series) - 1450s
The Tudors (Showtime series) - 1500s
Clarissa (Mini series) - 1732
Aristocrats (Mini series) - 1742-1798
Wuthering Heights (Movie) - 1771
Poldark (TV Series) - 1783
Sense and Sensibility (movie) 1795
Pride & Prejudice (Mini series and movie) - 1797, 1811, or 1835 (depending on which one you watch)
Little Dorrit (Mini Series) - 1805
Emma (Mini Series and movie) - 1815
Jane Eyre (Mini Series and movie) - 1829
Cranford (Mini Series) 1841
North and South (Mini Series) - 1851
The Barchester Chronicles (Mini Series) - 1855
He Knew She Was Right(Mini Series) - 1860s
The Way We Live Now(Mini Series) - 1870s
Return of the Native (Movie) - 1870s
The Buccaneers (Mini Series) - 1873
The Forsyte Saga (Mini Series) - 1874
Lark Rise to Candleford (BBC series) - 1890s
Berkeley Square (Mini Series) 1902
Downton Abbey (Mini series) - 1912
Lillies (Mini Series) - 1920

Others not listed are movies like Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Quo Vadis?, The Robe...etc. You get the idea.

This list goes on and on, these are just some of my favorites. If you want a full list (up until the timeline of 1937) please check Period Dramas dot com

And to be honest, I love the clothes and the manners, but especially the clothes. Oh yeah, the story is usually pretty good too.

(O) Other Hobbies

I've talked about my major hobbies during this challenge: Reading, Movies, Writing, Music and Guitars. However, occasionally I do get to do some other stuff. I so have Adult ADHD. Here are just some of my OTHER hobbies.
JEWELRY MAKING - I don't get to do this too much anymore because of room constraints. However, I can make jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, broaches, watch bands...etc.

PHOTOGRAPHY - I've been taking pictures since I was 10. This is one of my recent favorites. View from my livingroom.
JEWELED NON-GROUT MOSAIC - This is the last thing I made. I made this in the fall 2010. It is a mirror with various beads/jewels attached. No grout, so it is rather delecate.

SEWING - Again, space in my apartment plays a factor. I sew. I made this patchwork skirt for my daughter in 2009. REFASHION - Why throw out things if you don't have to. Obviously, this donated skirt was too big for my daughter. Well I fixed that. I refasion/repurpose clothes and objects.

REPURPOSE - This used to be a Blue Diamond Almond container. Now it is a Mini Mary Shrine.

SING - Oh yeah, I sing in my church choir. That is me, the tall one in the back. My daughter is in the front with the silver head band. My son took this picture, so it isn't the best, oh well.

DRAW/PAINT - A talent I get from my father I suppose. Haven't drawn or painted anything in quite some time though. DECOPAUGE/MIXED MEDIA - Sometimes I have the urge to glue things.
  MOSAIC - I was a mad mosaic lady at one time (when I had lots of room). I loved working with tiles, stained glass and grout. Made some awesome stuff in the process. This is a candy dish, a Christmas gift I made for my mom. KNIT - I made this afghan for my daughter some years ago. I still do pull out the yarn occasionally.

CROCHET - I crochet too. I do traditional crochet and Tunisian chrochet. The above is the latter. This was a scarf for charity.

ROW-80 Check-in 4-17

I missed last Wednesday's check in! I've been so busy lately.

I started plotting a story. I haven't put them on index cards yet, still trying to thicken the plot. I've written some scenarios and am working on some sub-plots. I need to find away to make the story more interesting.

I've not written any short stories. I wrote a sketch for an on-line class but that is it.

I haven't even really read my writing books this week, but I have been reading. Hopefully I'll have some more exciting news to share by next Sunday at least.

(N) New York City Guitar School

I notice when I run out of ideas for the alphabet, I can always find something related to my guitar.

For over a year, I've been learning to play guitar (seriously). I searched for a school that would help. When I was 24, I took classes at a nearby music store, it was one on one, but I didn't learn too much. There is a music store in my neighborhood, but I already knew that I wouldn't be happy. Then I found it.

New York City Guitar School
Each class (for adults) is 10 weeks. The first 5 classes are as follows:

Beginning Classes:

Guitar I: Guitar for Absolute Beginners
Guitar II: Guitar for Near Beginners
Guitar III: Guitar for Intermediate Beginners
Guitar IV: Giant Review of Chords, Strums and Fundamentals
Guitar V: Guitar for Advanced Beginners

I'm currently on Guitar V. These of course, are for people who have never played. If you have experience, you don't have to start at Guitar I. They will assess you and put you where you need to be. Once you finish the Beginning classes, you can move on to the electives.

Some of which are:

Blues Guitar Basics
Songwriters Circle
Music Theory for Guitarists
Play The Rolling Stones
Nineties Rock for Guitarists
Metal Guitar Basics
Play The Beatles

They also offer Rock Band classes for those who want to play in a group.

The staff is really nice, and the teachers are amazing. My teacher is Vince DeMasi who is the best teacher ever, I've had him for all 5 classes. You don't have to keep the teacher you start with, but why mess with perfection. Another one of the most beloved teachers is Jon Diaz who will make you laugh while you learn to play.

This school is not just for children. They have a kids/teen class which my daughter attended for over a year. With the kids, you pay monthly, so they can stop at any time for any reason and you are not out a chunk of money. Therefore, their levels are different. Unlike the 10 week sessions for the adults, the kids go week to week until they master what they need for their level. They are then tested and move up.

There are many open-mics and concerts for both children and adults that take place at certain venues in NYC.

I can honestly write about this school all day and not get tired of it.  The founder of the school is Dan Emery, he is a really awesome dude.

I'm a happy customer.

(M) Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia on January 31, 1921. Mario comes from his mothers name which was Maria, Lanza was her maiden name. I was never a fan of opera. One day I was flipping through the channels and I came across this handsome man singing opera. He was singing something by Enrico Caruso in the film. The film was called The Great Caruso. The name Enrico Caruso wasn't foreign to me, however, I didn't care about opera, but I watched the movie because I was mesmerized by this man.

Beautiful voice

Beautiful face

It was an interesting movie and it held my attention, then this man started to sing Vesti la Giubba, a famous tenor aria from the opera Pagliacci. Enrico Caruso made it famous with a recording in 1904, which was the first million selling record in history. I heard bits and pieces of this song in the past, but the way Mario Lanza sounded blew me away. I haven't heard a version I like better, not even Placido sings it like Mario.

After watching this film, I had to find out what other movies Mario Lanza had made and what other music had he performed.

Winged Victory, 1944 (uncredited chorus member)

That Midnight Kiss, 1949

The Toast of New Orleans, 1950

The Great Caruso, 1951

Because You're Mine, 1952

The Student Prince, 1954 (singing voice only)

Serenade, 1956

Seven Hills of Rome, 1958

For the First Time, 1959

The one's I saw are in red. He was an OK actor, I think if he had time, he could have developed into one of the greats. Unfortunatley, he would not get that chance.

In April 1959, Lanza suffered a minor heart attack, followed by double pneumonia in August. He died in Rome in October of that year at the age of 38 from a pulmonary embolism after undergoing a controversial weight loss program colloquially known as "the twilight sleep treatment," which required its patients to be kept immobile and sedated for prolonged periods.

Betty, his widow, moved back to Hollywood (from Rome) with their four children, but died five months later at the age of 37 (Drug OD).

Does this story get happier? Nope. In 1991, Marc, the younger of their two sons, died of a heart attack at the age of 37; six years later, Colleen, their elder daughter, was killed at the age of 48 when she was struck by two passing vehicles on a highway. Damon Lanza, the couple's eldest son, died in August 2008 of a heart attack at the age of 55.

Elisa is the only child still living.

(L) Lark Rise to Candleford

Lark Rise to Candleford is a TV show is based on a book trilogy by Flora Thompson. The BBC show appeared on BBC One and ran for four seasons.

It stars the beautiful Olivia Hallinan as Laura, the very likable heroine. The books and movies are partly based on Flora's (Laura's) life. It is about a small town girl from Lark Rise who works in the neighboring bustling city of Candleford. She works in the post office which is run by her older female cousin.

There are a lot of strong female characters in this story. Aside from Laura and her cousin Dorcas, there is also the Sisters Pratt, Caroline Arless, Queenie and Emma Timmins.

There are a couple of likable fellas as well: Robert Timmins, Laura's father, played by the very handsome Brendan Coyle and Alf Arless, a childhood friend, who is young but head strong and determined.

The case is rounded out by many other colorful and important characters that makes one want to live among them, although they are very poor indeed. And of course there are many guest stars who roam in and out of Candleford

Unfortunately, Lark Rise to Candleford will not be returning for a fifth season, to many of the fans dismay. I hate to see it end. If you are into costume dramas (period pieces) you will absolutely adore this show.

If you are a British history buff, you might run into a few anachronisms (on the DVDs). The story takes place around the mid-1890s and one such anachronisms is one of the characters is imprisoned for debt, however, that practice was abolished in 1869. In another episode during Christmas they sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem", which wasn't written until 1904. I mean it goes on from clocks to cricket balls, but it is still a fantastic show and visually stunning.

I have not finished watching it myself, I'm currently making my way through season 3 (it just came out) and will be watching season 4 straight away.

I hate when I find a good BBC TV show and it ends. The last time I felt a loss like this was when I was watching the BBC TV show Bramwell. It felt like losing a friend.

The author, Flora Jane Timms Thompson was born in Oxfordshire in 1876, she worked in various post offices in southern England as a postmistress. She married John Thompson and had 3 children (2 sons - Peter and Henry and a daughter - Winifred). Her son Peter would be lost at sea during WWII in 1941, which caused her great grief until her death in 1947.

I've not read the book, but I find the story so compelling I have put it on my TBR list.

The books are easily found in bookstores, and all seasons of the DVDs can be found in stores, Libraries, Netflix (etc.)

Flora Jane Timms Thomspon

(K) King, Stephen

And for those of you wondering, yes I like 60-something year old white men. LOL! Stephen King is my favorite author. I don't get to read as many of his books as I'd like, but I do manage to watch his movies. To my knowledge I've seen most of them.

Upcoming Release:

• 11/22/63 - To Be Released November 8, 2011

King Books I've Read:

• 1974 - Carrie

• 1977 - Rage

• 1979 - The Long Walk

• 1996 - The Green Mile (serial books)

• 1999 - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

• 2000 - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

• 2000 - Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing

• 2000 - Dreamcatcher

• 2003 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (revised edition)

• 2008 - Duma Key

• 2009 - UR (e-novella available only on Amazon.com's Kindle)

• 2009 - Under the Dome

Owned - TBR:

• 1979 - The Dead Zone

• 1987 - Danse Marcabe (non-fiction about the horror genre)

Books About Stephn King (That I've Read):

The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King - Stanley Wiater

King Movies That I've Seen:

2007 The Mist

2007 1408

2006 Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King

2004 Riding the Bullet

2004 'Salem's Lot (TV movie)

2004 Secret Window

2003 Dreamcatcher

2002 Carrie (TV movie)

2001 Hearts in Atlantis

1999 The Green Mile

1999 The Rage: Carrie 2 (characters only)

1999 Storm of the Century

1998 Apt Pupil

1997 Stephen Kings: The Shining (TV mini-series)

1997 The Night Flier

1996 Thinner

1996 Children of the Corn: The Gathering

1995 The Langoliers

1995 Dolores Claiborne

1994 The Shawshank Redemption

1994 The Stand (TV mini-series)

1993 Needful Things

1993 The Tommyknockers

1992 Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice

1992 The Lawnmower Man

1990 Misery

1990 It (TV movie)

1990 Graveyard Shift 1990 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie

1989 Pet Sematary

1987 The Running Man

1987 Creepshow 2

1987 The Lawnmower Man

1986 Stand by Me

1986 Maximum Overdrive

1985 Silver Bullet

1985 Cat's Eye

1984 Firestarter

1984 Children of the Corn

1983 Christine

1983 The Dead Zone

1983 Cujo

1982 Creepshow

1980 The Shining (Kubrick)

1979 Salem's Lot (TV movie)

1976 Carrie

(J) Juvenal

Satura tota nostra est. Satire is all ours.
Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, known in English as Juvenal, was a Roman poet active in the late 1st and early 2nd century AD, author of the Satires. (I can see your eyes drooping...relax I'm not going there).
I never heard of this man! I never heard this name until I watched a movie entitled Touch.
The main characters name was Juvenal (no last name). He is a modern day healer, a stigmatist who was once a Franciscan Monk. Played by Skeet Ulrich he has the ability to heal the sick. He's kept this a secret, but now his secret is leaking out, thanks to some shady and psychopathic characters.
I would not have normally be interested in this type of movie, but Chris Walken was in it and I see everything he does, and of course looking at Ulrich isn't exactly painful!
I'm not sure how I feel about this movie, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. It was predictable and I was unfulfilled at the end. Walken does a fine acting job, Skeet is just a cutie pie, Fonda is slightly annoying and Tom Arnold is the most hysterical I've seen him in a while.
Oh and what does this have to do with the orignal Juvenal? Well, this movie is a Satire. I'm sure he would have approved.

(I) Insidious

Insidious a James Wan film

Leigh Whannell and James Wan the makers of the "SAW" movies and the "Paranormal Activity" movies give us a new ghost film. Those of you who know me, know I don't scare easily. I don't flinch at "The Exorcist" I yawned at "Paranormal Activity". But this movie scared me. Very few movies scare me. Among those are "Ju-On", "Ju-On 2" and "Gothika".

I had to do some research because most American movies are NOT scary. The Japanese or Korean films are very scary, I just knew this had to be a re-make. However, it isn't. I think the American filmmakers are taking notice of the Asian Horror film style.

It started out slow, and I thought, Oh boy this is going to suck. But about 20 to 30 minutes into the movie it really picks up.

Part of what made it work I believe was the low budget. Don't get me wrong, you can't tell it is low budget, but even the creators said they think it worked in their favor. No frills, just honest to goodness terror.

I was glad I wasn't alone in that theater. Usually during the week no one is home to go to the theater in the middle of the day, but there were 6 of us. And they had this movie in an upstairs back theater, sheesh!

ROW80 Check-in 4-10

I did some more reading on the craft, that was one of my goal. As far as writing goes, I didn't do too much, nor did I do much editing. I am lacking motivation, I am lacking direction. I'll get it, I'm not licked yet.

(H) Hong Kong Cinema

I don't remember how I got into Hong Kong Cinema, I think it was an old co-worker named Chris. I used to watch them some, but he really opened my eyes up to the genre. I watched a lot of Hong Kong Cinema, but Chrs got me into Hong Kong Action Cinema. The obvious difference is the latter falls under the genre of Action & Adventure. Where as the prior encompasses all, but in my case it was the Dramas I watched.
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural appeal. In recent years, the flow has reversed somewhat, with American and European action films being heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions.
My favorite HKAC actors include: Jacie Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun-Fat, Anthony Wong Chau San, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, Ziyi Zhang, Bruce Lee and Takeshi Kaneshero.
Many of te above actors are also in a lot of the Drama's as well. These are some very busy actors/actresses. Many of them also are in Hollywood films these days, but they started out in Hong Kong.
HKAC Movies I recommend:
Hardboiled 1 & 2
Supercop 1 & 2
Drunken Master 2 (The Chinese language version not the re-release dubbed in English)
Enter the Dragon

HK Wire Fu:
It is a combination of two terms: "wire work" and "kung fu".
House of Flying Daggers
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Fist of Legend
Hero

HKC (Dramas):
All About Ah-Long
The Wooden Man's Bride
Raise the Red Lantern
Shanghai Triad

Category III HKC:
"No persons younger than 18 years of age are permitted to rent, purchase, or watch this film in a movie theatre." These movies are violent & extremely graphic.
Ebola Syndrome
The Untold Story
Taxi Hunter

And yes, they are all subtitled. Of course you can find some dubbed versions, but why would you want to.

(G) Gibson and Gretsch Guitars

Gibson - This is the guitar I would love to have. But I would need to get a hold of a lot of money. The cheapest I have seen a Gibson (used) was $2,000.
Gibson introduced its first solid-body electric guitar and its most popular guitar to date—the Les Paul.
As of now I can't afford this, but Gibson makes a cheaper model under the brand of Epiphone. It looks the same, but it is more affordable.

Another desired guitar, a Gretsch and this one in particular. It runs almost $2,500.

(F) Fender

I'm going to take a moment out of my usual posts about books, movies and writing to talk about another love of mine...guitars.
I've been taking guitar classes for over a year. I received my first guitar when I was 23. My husband at the time bought it for a Christmas present. It is a Lotus Electric guitar with a Strat body. I was taking classes at that time, but my son was young and there wasn't much time to pursue it. I still have the guitar and it works fine. And although it has a Strat body, it is not a Fender.
A Short Bio: The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top horn for balance while standing.
I had always wanted a Fender Strat, and still do. However, I saw another brand and tried it and fell in love with it. What brand is that? Come back tomorrow to find out. But for now look at all the pretty Fenders!
So if my arm was twisted and I HAD to buy a Fender, I'd get the glittery gold one. Oh boohoo....:)

(E) Elizabeth I (E) E-Reader Questionnaire

My favorite queen is Queen Elizabeth Tudor.
House House of Tudor
Born 7 September 1533
Died 24 March 1603
Reign 44 years, 127 days
There have been several movies about this popular queen.
Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) both starring Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth.
Elizabeth I (2005) starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth.
Elizabeth R (1971) a Masterpiece Theater production starring Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth.
Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (2005) a more recent Masterpiece Theater production starring Anne-Marie Duff as Elizabeth.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) starring Bette Davis as Elizabeth.
This queen makes me love my name. I used to hate it as a child, it was too long, but now it is regal, although I go by Liz now a days.

E-Reader Questionnaire, courtesy of Wendy at Wall-to-Wall Books
1. What kind of e-reader do you own - Nook color and Kindle 2nd Generation
2. How long have you had it? - Kindle 2 (April 2009) Nook (1 week 2 days)
3. What was your first bought book? - K2 - Vernoica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho, Nook - Room by Emma Donoghue
4. Name 3 random books on your e-reader "shelves" or in your "library" that are waiting to be read - Room by Emma Donoghue, A Boy Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer, Emma by Jane Austen
5. Name 3 random books on your e-book "wish list" - Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor: Being the First Jane Austen Mystery by Stephanie Barron, The Long Run by Matt Long, The Red Tent: A Novel by Anita Diamant
6. What will the next purchase probably be and why? - The Secret Miracle: The Novelist's Handbook by Daniel Alarcon, I am currently writing a lot more and this book was suggested by Michelle from Thetruebookaddict, it also got some good reviews, so it will most likely be next.
7. If you get music (nook color gets Pandora) what was the last song or singer you looked up? - ! I have 2 Pandora accounts so I'm hooked up with one of them on the Nook. I haven't looked anyone up yet.
8. How often do you use your e-reader? - Daily (one or the other, I'm reading one on each)
9. Have you downloaded any magazines? - Yes, 1 - Asamov's Short Stories
10. How did you ever survive without your e-reader? - HAHA What you don't know, you don't miss.

ROW 80 - Check in 4-6

1st post for Round 2 (although this is my 1st round) Monday was not much of a writing day for me. I did work on my assignment for WVU some. Tuesday I did more reading on the craft. I'm reading 2 books Writing Fiction for Dummies and The Modern Library Writers Workshop. It takes me a long time to get through them because I'm always taking notes. I'm also listening to Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I'll be working on my class assignments this week, one of which is to edit a short story.

I also did some long-hand writing in my book. Just germs, but I hope to put them into a future story or work into a book idea.