Archive for October, 2006

Sorry about this not being Halloweeny. I can’t work up much thought about Halloween. (Maybe after I watch “Rocky Horror Picture Show” I’ll feel more in the mood.) So. What do I feel like posting about and getting comments about? Hmmm.

One of the things that I rely on in my life is music. If my life had been shaped just a little differently I would’ve loved to have been in the business: a producer or an editor or something. I have had times in my life when music has been very pivotal.

Let’s let that be the way this Sunday Night Thing begins:

Tell us all about some time in your life when music played a pivotal role. Did you do something because of a song on the radio, that you wouldn’t otherwise have done? What music really affects you; either postitively or negatively and why? ( Seriously if this Thing tanks, I’ll still keep posting. But I hope you can think about it at least. I’ll probably post a few of my most musical moments. )

(I’m hitting the Publish button . . .NOW.)

Posted by teddyt on October 29, 2006 at 9:49 PM under Uncategorized.
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Writing this to let everyone know I’ve changed the settings on my comments. Anyone can now comment without being previously moderated. Yikes! I know. I know. I’m in for it, now.

I’m just about to put this site “out there”, though, and I really want lots of comments. (If I get SPAM it will be deleted within hours or days if not moments. )

I have decided to really, really, use this site to say things that are inside me. Yes, I’ll get hassled. Yes, I’ll get into trouble.  But, I have found that I need something explosive in my life. I want to shake and be shaken. I want to talk and be talked about. I want everyone to wonder who I am. ( I will not be posting my name, address and phone number. Yes. I am still a huge chicken. )

I’ve almost entirely given up on the rest of the site. I might use it in the future for some things that I might think of, but for now it is useless to me. ( The links will still work, but they probably won’t be updated, much. ) I keep the domain purely because I like the .com of it and because I might want to run a small business enterprise from it one day in the distant future. (Perhaps sell a few books. One never knows.)

I am oddstilllife.com . This is oddstilllife.com . It will remain oddstilllife.com until I find something better to call it (or until other disasters occur. ) So, welcome to oddstilllife.com . We hope you enjoy your stay.

One thing that I’m doing is starting discussion thingies. I’d call them forums, but that’s another thingy entirely. These will be a comment driven enterprise. For this to work, readers must comment. If you don’t want to, fine. I understand. But please comment. I promise not to bite.

( One of my favorite places on the web, www.x-entertainment.com calls their discussion thingy the Saturday Night Thread. I won’t call mine a thread and it’s starting on a Sunday, so. . . for starters I’m just going to call it the Sunday Night Thing. It’s not starting right this minute. I’ll post again, in a few. Be patient. )

Patience is a virtue, after all. I’m trying to get this thing on track and keep it that way. Daily? Maybe. Weekly? Surely. Monthly? So far. I feel this. I like it. (I might even love it one day.) Return often. I would love to hear from all of you. (Even the ones who disagree with me.) Until next time. Peace and good will to you all.

Posted by teddyt on October 29, 2006 at 9:10 PM under Uncategorized.
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Alright, boys and girls. They are ready to make the movie of one of the best science fiction books ever written. If you have never read “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card, please stop now and go find it. Read it. Read it, again. Then come back here and agree with me about who I think would make the ideal cast for this movie.

(I’m waiting.)

Okay. That’s long enough. The ideal cast for the movie (being that you can’t actually find six to nine year olds that can actually act and remembering that “Sixth Sense” was a looong time ago —sob!—) is . . . . get this . . . most of the cast of Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified. I am not kidding you. These are great kids and since they want to skew the movie towards an older audience anyway, this would be the way to do it.

Tell me this is not the perfect idea. At least they should definitely get the kid that plays Ned as the lead. I can’t imagine a more perfect Ender.

If you read below this line you will sort of get the vague idea of what happens at the end of “Ender’s Game” so if you’re only half way through the book, DO NOT PROCEED!

(O.K.. I did a quick Google on Orson Scott Card and came up with  a few very interesting articles written last year. So, let me say this. I completely disagree with almost everything political that Card has EVER said. I deeply, deeply hope his public persona is fake — sort of a parallel to the political ideas in “Ender’s Game”.  I mean it’s sort of like listening to “Kentucky Woman” or “Walk on Water” and later finding out that Diamond might be a misogynist. I really want to believe in the words a writer writes. )

That being said it does not mean that he didn’t write a darn good book. “Ender’s Game” is almost perfect. You wind up feeling sorry for Ender, not because of what he has done, but because he is a dupe and a child. There were people pulling his strings when he didn’t even know he had any. And he felt bad. And he hated what he had done. The mass murderers of the world ( and we’ve had real ones — all the way back to the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition ) are extremely non-sympathetic. They did not care about what they had done. NOT EVER. And they were usually NOT CHILDREN. ( Yes. Pre-teens count as children in my book. )

The last pages of the book are stunning and strange. You will be moved and you will want to read the next book. (Unfortunately, I have not been able to get past the first chapter. I’m sure it’s wonderful. It just doesn’t flow for me like “Ender” did. )

All in all, I hope there are no real conspiracys. I hope that Card is not trying to take over the world. I hope we can all sit back and watch a wonderful movie, based on a wonderful book, with a wonderful young actor — Devon Werkheiser — in the lead. I hope all of this takes place before that wonderful young actor (or whoever they pick) turns 21.

(Just found out he’s 16 and Card doesn’t want anyone over 12 or 13 to play the part. I’m weeping. But look at it this way. He’s not really a 13 year old, but he plays one on tv. )

I’m still a chicken, but I’m hitting publish anyway. Ehem.

 

Posted by teddyt on October 29, 2006 at 7:50 PM under Uncategorized.
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Neil Diamond rocks. And rolls. Saying Neil Diamond is not “rock and roll” is like saying Elvis Presley is not “rock and roll”. Anyone on the face of planet Earth who says that Neil Diamond doesn’t have a (large) place in rock and roll history is brain dead or simply doesn’t know what the words “rock and roll” mean.

Children. — I’m speaking to anyone over the age of 10 and under the age of 30 — Most of you have never heard a “real” ROCK recording. Pop in a “Neil Diamond — The Classics” CD or anything by Elvis Presley. That is real “rock and roll”. Basically rolling, rapid, smooth and loud R&B (stands for rhythm and blues, boys and girls — most of you have never heard of rhythm, either.)

Yes. I, along with most of the Neil Diamond admirers that I know — who consider him to be the really real King of Pop — will admit that he is also the epitome of Pop(ular) music. But he is to be admired for that. (I suppose. Sometimes I think if it hadn’t been for him helping re-invent pop music, we could’ve completely bypassed the Boy Band years of the late ’90s and early ’00s.)

I do not love everything he has ever done UNCONDITIONALLY like many of his dyed in the wool fans do. ( I will not mention those that I hate I will simply sniff and wipe a tear. ) I do know that he deserves a deep respect from every person (very young to very old) who has ever put on a head phone or put in an ear-piece. He is usually honest, occasionally brilliant and always creative.

So, here is a tip to all you kids out there that think that rock and roll is something played through a fake keyboard guitar or sung without being able to recognize a word or a note at the top of the voice of a guy or gal with pink or green hair and a spike through their tongue. Hook up your six speaker surround sound, put in (the original) Hot August Night (cd, cassette or better yet find a record) and turn it up to 8 (or 18 depending on your residential situation) on the volume dial. That, my children, is rock and roll.

Posted by teddyt on October 28, 2006 at 9:37 AM under Uncategorized.
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Sorry. I lost my train of thought. That’s been happening a lot lately. Well, anyway. . .

No. I didn’t lose it again, I was searching for a decent segue and fudged it. (If that isn’t how you spell “seg-way” I can’t help it.)

So. . . . What have I been doing for the last two weeks? A) Dealing with the aftermath of a leaky water heater. B) Trying to decide whether to give up on a novel idea that I’ve had since late May 2001. C)Struggling with a few emotional situations that are very personal.

Other than those three main things I’ve been checking out some new sites and products such as:

Youtube.com ( www.youtube.com ): This is not a new new site, but it is new to me and I’m in freakin’ love. You can find almost anything on this beautiful site, for free. (For now. Heaven only knows how the Republicans will screw it up for everybody.)

ArtRage  ( www.artrage.com ): This is a fan-damn-tastic reasonably new, almost totally free painting program. I loooove it. (As Wheezie the dragon would say. — Don’t ask.) Those people over at Ambient Design really know their stuff. The free version is very great and from the looks of it the full price version would be very worth the price (if I could afford it — which I can’t — did I mention a leaky water heater?)

(Pay no attention to the very end of that last section. I have no idea how to punctuate it. I hate punctuation!)

There is new stuff coming to the regular site very soon. And a post a day is coming in November and staying until . . . maybe forever, you never know. (Unfortunately “First Lines” has been delayed for I know not how long. ) Thank you for your patience. Peace and happiness to you all.

Posted by teddyt on October 25, 2006 at 11:45 AM under Uncategorized.
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I promise I am not a lost cause. I’ve just been taking some time off to reevaluate my life and set some new priorities. I was getting bored with some things and trying to figure out exactly where my everyday life was going.

I like writing here. It is a good way to break through a wall of writer’s block. It is also a good way to get something off your chest.

(I have accumulated enough stuff in the last two weeks that I can rant here for the next two years. It is unbelievable what you find out about yourself if you just stop everything and take a really good look.)

I have much to say, but I am extremely busy right this minute. I will come back later. (Say, in an hour or so.) So, go away but not too far.

 

Posted by teddyt on October 14, 2006 at 12:36 PM under Uncategorized.
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