Fringeblog 2005

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

From the Yahoo! Blog
Mood:

down

TITLE: MY BLOG IS BACK!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/20/09 06:23 pm
STATUS: publish
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Oh, blog, blog, I've missed you, blog!  Really I have! I've spent the last few months making notes on Facebook, but somehow it's just not the same as my Yahoo! Blog.  I wonder why? http://www.facebook.com I was afraid Yahoo! would lose my entries, but I think they're all here.  I have stuff to take care of, so I guess I'll check it out another day. Welcome back, blog!
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TITLE: The Black Irish
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/18/09 01:27 am
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/ee92.jpg?mgI6QYoCHbc35u3s" width="103" height="120"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ileafobama.com/lib/images/ladies-t.png">http://www.ileafobama.com/lib/images/ladies-t.png</a> I saw in the March 17 AM New York a feature about St. Patrick's Day-themed items. One of them was a T-shirt that said, "I (shamrock) O'Bama!" For the past couple of days Kenee and I have been hunting the stores for decent-quality digital converter boxes. It seems most outlets we hit carry only one or two brands, and many had run out. Anyway, we bought March 16 an RCA model from a Target in Valley Stream or Westbury or thereabouts; March 17 we got a Digital Stream from a Radio Shack in Rego Park. The RCA model doesn't pull in Channel 7, and the DS model doesn't pull in Channel 13. Does each brand eschew a particular channel? Is this a vast conspiracy to get us to buy digital TVs sooner than we would have? Anyway, my coupons expired March 17, so we had to act fast. This morning (March 17) I watched the parade on TV at Elena's house. I wore a light greenish-blue top. After we bought the second convertor box, we ate at a pub named Annie's. We had Irish soda bread, and I had Irish beef stew while Ken had fish and chips. Later I tried to get Irish soda bread at a Key Food in Forest Hills, but they had run out. I bought a few food items, and later on I baked potatoes, boiled cabbage and carrots, and reheated deli corned beef. Angela didn't want any, but Brandon had some. Purim was last week, and Thursday evening I bought Purim favors--groggers and other noisemakers, plus Mardi Gras-style beads--for a celebration at our small group meeting. We saw a cartoon about Purim, and we acted out Chapters 5 and 7 of Esther. I think a couple of us caught the acting bug! Right now I'm watching Jimmy Fallon taste Guiness; it looks like a dark variety. Sunday afternoon at the church I attended a class about biblical dream interpretation. It might be irresponsible to go here into some of the symbolism, but maybe I'll report on it later--particularly about the color gray. 
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TITLE: Worst President Ever!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/14/09 09:32 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://cmacivor.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/bush_worst_president_rs4.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://cmacivor.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/bush_worst_president_rs4.jpg">http://cmacivor.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/bush_worst_president_rs4.jpg</a> Someone commented about Obama on one of my more recent posts. Here's an excerpt of my reply to him: I don't think Obama is all about image versus substance. In fact, some are concerned he's overextending himself and trying to do too much at once, wearing himself out. I also this G. W. Bush seriously damaged this country, enacting or enabling the following: destroying the balanced budget; enriching the rich while ignoring the poor and decimating the middle class; more downsizing and especially outsouring; starting an illegal war (Iraq) on a false pretext; imprisoning people (mostly foreign, but some American) without charge, attorney, or even family notification; outing the CIA wife of a staffer who disagreed with him; cronyism, which allowed for no-bid contracts for Halliburton and others in Iraq, and the mishandling of Hurricane Katrina; lost jobs or engagements for celebs (and some ordinary citizens) who disagreed with him, including Bill Maher, Linda Ronstadt, the Dixie Chicks, and Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins; stifling teachers' and students' creativity and teaching/learning styles with No Child Left Behind (which regulates what is taught to the minute!); lack of regulation which led to our economic collapse, and probably to the toxic spinach, lead paint toys, and peanut butter scandal; no action on health care issues while HMOs denied life-saving procedures to save some money, leading to patients' deaths... Wow, do I need to go on? All these disasters prove to me that George W. Bush has probably been our WORST PRESIDENT EVER! And you're complaining about Obama? <img src="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/u/i/1/worst_president.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/u/i/1/worst_president.jpg">http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/u/i/1/worst_president.jpg</a> <img src="http://www.bushcoin.com/images/coinbanner2.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bushcoin.com/images/coinbanner2.jpg">http://www.bushcoin.com/images/coinbanner2.jpg</a> 
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TITLE: The Piper's calling you to join him...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/14/09 08:21 pm
STATUS: publish
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 <img height="313" width="350" border="0" src="http://www.little-piper.com/lp_mapf2.gif"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.little-piper.com/lp_index.htm">http://www.little-piper.com/lp_index.htm</a> I'm continuing to try to peddle Piper, my screenplay. I've also been asked to showcase a musical adaptation of mine, and I've submitted Shua: the Lamb of Freedom to the 2009 Fringe Festival. I recently found part of a script of an unfinished play, The Patchwork Bride, started circa 1994. I may as well mention another work: The Coachman and the Princess, a novella written as a present for my church small group around 1996. In the light of Piper, I want to note here a few rock and roll "flute things". Until recently, I didn't realize the song "Stairway to Heaven" included the lyrics "The piper's calling you to join him". "Stairway to Heaven", Led Zeppelin <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60R7ptQ4t5Q">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60R7ptQ4t5Q</a> symphonic version: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys0hBEEM2Lo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys0hBEEM2Lo</a> "Flute Thing", Blues Project <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rlmK1IFAc8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rlmK1IFAc8</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLKouiOa0pQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLKouiOa0pQ</a> "Steve's Song" (covered by The Castiles, 1967) <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKiim0bq8Eo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKiim0bq8Eo</a> cover of a Blues Project song, where the intro had been played on the flute "Bouree", Jethro Tull <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2RNe2jwHE0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2RNe2jwHE0</a> (of course, flute was prominent in this band) "Giving to You", Traffic <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEeC5Gjfhoc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEeC5Gjfhoc</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7oD1kTMCI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7oD1kTMCI</a> (another band with a few "flute things") "Comin' Back to Me", Jefferson Airplane <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiZ_XQ9USTs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiZ_XQ9USTs</a> (actually, Grace Slick on the recorder) How's this for a study in irony? <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/ellen/art/932073-4-the-flute">http://www.redbubble.com/people/ellen/art/932073-4-the-flute</a> 
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TITLE: Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/12/09 04:38 pm
STATUS: publish
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The college campus where I work experiences a goose invasion at least twice a year. They're back! And it's Purim, or just after, which means a full moon. Last night, walking from work on campus, I heard the honks and I saw the geese flying toward the rising full moon. Full Moon Geese <a rel="nofollow" href="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2459140600100160823tyrEaQ">http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2459140600100160823tyrEaQ</a>
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TITLE: What is an ornamental pen holder, anyway?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/12/09 03:48 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://www.whitehousehistory.org/01/subs/images_subs/2004_g.jpg&usg=AFQjCNEotcbygwHxc8WWYPYovVbbCaD0uA"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.whitehousehistory.org/01/subs/images_subs/2004_g.jpg">http://www.whitehousehistory.org/01/subs/images_subs/2004_g.jpg</a> Following up my last blog entry, I went looking for a photo of the pen holder Obama received from Brown. The pen holder was made from the timbers of the HMS Gannet, aka HMS President, and the desk in the White House's Oval Office was made from the Gannet's sister ship, the HMS Resolute. Doing a Google image search, I saw the picture above, and I thought it was the desk! It's the pen holder. Talk about culture clash! [Addendum: oops! It is the desk! I got confused by the blog entry on which I found this picture, and by the laptop I was using, which kept losing my work. Wikipedia: Resolute desk <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolute_desk"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolute_desk</a> It would be funny, though, if the pen holder resembled the desk! Now read on...] When I think of a wooden pen holder, I think of something like this: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000FUX624/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen"><img height="280" width="280" border="0" alt="Desk Accents Business Card Holder with Pen By Chass" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31oTnmZPLvL._SL500_AA280_.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/">http://www.amazon.com/</a> A British (?) blogger, who appears as anti-Obama and ultraconservative as you can get, wrote this: Thursday, March 5, 2009 <a rel="nofollow" name="135061025759631641"></a> <h3><a rel="nofollow" href="http://nomatomipavo.blogspot.com/2009/03/it-is-thoughtlessnes-that-counts.html"> It is the thoughtlessnes that counts</a> [excerpt]</h3> Mr. Brown bestowed upon our fear inspiring leader gifts such as an ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, once named HMS President. The forethought of this gift became apparent when the holder was placed on the Oval Office's Resolute desk which just happened to have been carved from the salvaged timbers of Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute. Carrying the "theme" forward, the President was also bestowed the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolise Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria. Finally, Mr Brown gave Obama a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert. In return, Barack tossed to Gordon a collection of 25 DVD movies he got from Roland Burris as a White Elephant gift at Governor Blago's house last year. I don't even think he wrapped them. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.accentfurniture.com/ProductImages/aviation/hvh3d_sm.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://www.accentfurniture.com/ProductImages/aviation/hvh3d_sm.jpg"/></a> Mrs Brown didn't fair much better with America's top model of a First Lady. Sarah Brown gave Sasha and Malia Obama an outfit each from Topshop, which has just opened its first American store in New York. She also picked six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America. What did Michelle offer in return? She handed over a toy replica of Marine One. British columnist Sarah Vine sums it up so well writing in the Times: <blockquote> 'These were gifts chosen in the true spirit of present-giving: to please the recipient, not the giver.' </blockquote> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://nomatomipavo.blogspot.com/2009/03/it-is-thoughtlessnes-that-counts.html">http://nomatomipavo.blogspot.com/2009/03/it-is-thoughtlessnes-that-counts.html</a> I agree with that last statement about 70%: a present's aim is to please the recipient. However, a gift should also reflect the giver. When Brandon graduated from middle school last year, I spotted a little stuffed gorilla that I wanted to get for him. Becky agreed to lend me the money. She thought it was a decent gift, but not something she'd give on this occasion. "That's a Melanie gift, not a Becky gift." On another occasion, I think Joanne's birthday, Joanne was suprised that I didn't give her a book, which often my standard gift. Getting back to the pen holder: even the concept of what a pen holder can be shows a bit of a culture class. I don't know if I've ever seen a pen holder where the pen is hidden inside--that is, if I'm reading the design right! It's super-ornate. I even think I see an American eagle in the front. It's an elaborate gift, and very thoughtful. This doesn't mean Obama's gift was any less thoughtful, albeit less ornate and less rare. Think of it: how many people have those 25 top movies in their DVD collections? I don't. According to one report in a British paper, Obama had heard that Brown was a film buff. Even one report that had criticized Obama said that he had consulted the American Film Institute on this one. In fact, I think the packaging came directly from the AFI, and not from the local Blockbuster. The article indicates that Obama inquired into this a month before! And you're telling me that's not forethought. Even if American DVDs don't typically fit British players, it's possible that: 1) the AFT picked a compatible format, and 2) Brown owns an American player too, or an adaptor, or he can easily get his hands on one. Obama's gift reflects both American culture and Brown's love of movies. Michelle's gift reflects the source of the gift (the White House) and a typical little boy's interest in toys that move, especially toys that pretend to fly. Even the Browns' gifts reflect the givers. The pen holder was made from a British ship. The dresses and necklaces for the Obama girls came from a British store. Blowing your top over a gift? That sounds like an excuse to blow your top. But that said, now that I see the ornate pen holder, I can understand why many in the British press were disappointed in what came from the Obamas. And THAT said, maybe those naysayers need to read Unplug the Christmas Machine. Maybe I should send them a copy! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0688109616/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link"><img height="240" width="240" border="0" alt="Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61T098VHXML._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Unplug-Christmas-Machine-Complete-Putting/dp/0688109616/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236888491&sr=8-1"> http://www.amazon.com/Unplug-Christmas-Machine-Complete-Putting/dp/0688109616/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236888491&sr=8-1</a> 
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TITLE: Bad Gifts, Bad Press, Bad Form
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/11/09 08:42 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/86/__sr_/a552.jpg?mgI6QYoCdhwaTwFn" width="250" height="250">I've just submitted this column to Metro New York: Bad Gifts, Bad Press, Bad Form By Melanie N. Lee, March 11, 2009 My Dear Nieces and Nephew, Please accept my most abject apology for the chintzy, horrible gifts I’ve given you over the years. I thought books, CDs, videos, and the occasional homemade bookmark were good ways to help celebrate Christmas, birthdays, and graduations. I thought gifts selected with care and given with love were to be received with gratitude, or at least graciousness. That’s what you kids have done. However, the way some British newspapers have lambasted Barack and Michelle Obama over their presents to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his family, I think we’ve been wrong about this graciousness thing. You see, when the PM and wife Sarah visited the White House recently, Gordon gave Barack a pen holder crafted from the wood of a19th-century warship, while Obama gave him 25 DVDs of American film classics like Gone with the Wind and E.T. While Mrs. Brown gave Sasha and Malia trendy Top Shop dresses with matching necklaces, plus some British books, Michelle gave Sarah plastic toy models of the Presidential helicopter for her little sons. Don’t the Obamas know that a gift exchange should match dollar for dollar? The British press went ballistic! “As exciting as a pair of socks!” “Rudeness personified!” I would have made the same mistake. Like the Obamas, I wasn’t raised superrich. A book I’ve loved, Unplug the Christmas Machine, states that a gift’s size and cost aren’t proportionate to the giver’s love and regard for the recipient. However, these British newswriters believe the opposite. So, B., I apologize for buying you that CD/DVD set of Oliver! instead of the Guitar Hero that you and your sister A. enjoy. And R., instead of that book about Harry Potter and God as your belated birthday gift, I’ll secure you an actual Hogwarts jacket signed by Daniel Radcliffe himself! After all, imagine those British reporters, who value luxury and rarity over mere thoughtfulness, making the same mistake at home! “Mum, this Beatles box set reeks! I want an Xbox 360!” “Dad, why this cheap watch? I want an autographed first edition of Huckleberry Finn!” Michelle Obama had better FedEx to young Fraser and John Brown some Rocawear or Sean John ASAP! As for you, dear children, I’ll see, if I can afford it, about getting you front row seats to the Broadway revival of West Side Story—unless you want new Blackberries instead! Love, Aunt Melanie <img alt="The Boutique" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/ConsumerDirectStorefrontAssetStore/images/colors/color7/cms/pages/home/home-0000001009/images/boutique_hero_030209.jpg"/> from the Top Shop website <img alt="Newbreed Girl Player Tee" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/12N08UBLE_thumb.jpg"/> <img alt="Clown Girl Tee By Boutique" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/25T26TCRM_thumb.jpg"/> <img alt="Newbreed Girl Safe Lunch Tee" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/12N07UYLW_thumb.jpg"/> <img alt="Petite Ditsy Smock Dress" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/26D05URED_thumb.jpg"/> <img alt="Realitees Stag Dress" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/12R17UBLK_thumb.jpg"/> <img alt="Washed Stripe Jersey Dress" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/10D14UGRY_thumb.jpg"/><img alt="Print Empire Frill Dress" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/10M02UCRM_thumb.jpg"/><img alt="Large Ornate Stone Pendant" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/61N76UCOR_thumb.jpg"/> <img alt="Suede Wrapped Necklace" src="http://media.topshop.com/wcsstore/TopShop//images/catalog/61N95UCRM_thumb.jpg"/> 
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TITLE: Farm Help
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/05/09 07:08 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/84/__sr_/f8e0.jpg?mgI6QYoChjmiGwVS" width="333" height="91">I want to remind myself of some international farm help charities that I've either been meaning to give to, or could consider giving to: <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" border="0"> <tr> <td align="right"> <a rel="nofollow">RSS Feeds</a> | <a rel="nofollow">Sitemap</a> | <a rel="nofollow">Login</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td height="8"></td></tr> <tr> <td style=""> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.farmsanctuary.org/"><img height="55" width="257" border="0" title="Farm Sanctuary: Rescue, Education, Advocacy" alt="Farm Sanctuary: Rescue, Education, Advocacy" src="http://www.farmsanctuary.org/images/logo.gif"/></a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.farmsanctuary.org/">tp://www.farmsanctuary.org/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.183217/"><img border="0" alt="ending hunger, caring for the earth" src="http://www.heifer.org/atf/cf/{E384D2DB-8638-47F3-A6DB-68BE45A16EDC}/hp_logo_tag.gif"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.heifer.org/site/lookup.asp?c=edJRKQNiFiG&b=4821779"><img height="162" width="130" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.heifer.org/atf/cf/{E384D2DB-8638-47F3-A6DB-68BE45A16EDC}/ChinaEarthquake_MatchBlurb.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.heifer.org/">http://www.heifer.org/</a># <img src="https://giving.samaritanspurse.org/skins/skin_1/_resource/dropImage.jpg"/> Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog 2009 <a rel="nofollow" href="https://giving.samaritanspurse.org/c-7-gift-catalog.aspx?skinid=1">https://giving.samaritanspurse.org/c-7-gift-catalog.aspx?skinid=1</a> 
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TITLE: Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Nacirema
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/04/09 08:55 pm
STATUS: publish
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I found out about the Nacirema, a peculiar ethnic group, a few months ago at my job when one of the students had an assignment an article about the Nacirema. I was thinking about the Nacirema this morning as I was getting ready for work. I must admit that I, too, am a member of the Nacirema. This morning I followed a regular ritual of my people. I stepped into my Temple of Purification, and let the ritual water run over me as I applied the solid magic potion to myself using a ritual piece of rough cloth. Then I thought this might make a good Encyclopedia Brown mystery. That teenaged con artist nemesis--who I was thinking was named Wilbur but is actually Wilford Wiggins--uses the Nacirema in his latest get-rich-quick scheme. He gathers the children of Idaville by the usual place, the town dump, and tells them of a secret archeological dig of a site belonging to the ancient Nacirema. After listening to Wilbur's spiel, Encyclopedia steps forward and says, "Save your money, kids. I've heard about the Nacirema before, and they are--" What? Here is an excerpt of an article about the Nacirema, which Wilford might excerpt and use in his pitch to the Idaville children: Professor Linton first brought the ritual of the Nacirema to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago, but the culture of this people is still very poorly understood. They are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Creel the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. Little is known of their origin, although tradition states that they came from the east.... The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. Despite the fact that these people are so punctilious about care of the mouth, this rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. It was reported to me that the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalized series of gestures. BODY RITUAL AMONG THE NACIREMA Horace Miner <a rel="nofollow" href="http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~thompsoc/Body.html">http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~thompsoc/Body.html</a> From Horace Miner, "Body Ritual among the Nacirema." Reproduced by permission of the American Anthropological Association from The American Anthropologist, vol. 58 (1956), pp. 503-507. Now, as author Donald Sobol always provides the answer to his mysteries, I will, too. Read the excerpts above, read the article at the link, even, and think about what secret Encyclopedia might tell the Idaville children about the Nacirema. And if you still can't figure it out, go here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacirema"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacirema</a> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/3.gif"/> The Nacirema shrine: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://tariqh.blogspot.com/2007/08/nacirema-shrine-photo.html"> http://tariqh.blogspot.com/2007/08/nacirema-shrine-photo.html</a> A Nacirema cartoon: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://anthropology.si.edu/outreach/anthnote/fall01/images/dollbill.gif"> http://anthropology.si.edu/outreach/anthnote/fall01/images/dollbill.gif</a> More about the Nacirema: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beadsland.com/nacirema/"> http://www.beadsland.com/nacirema/</a> 
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TITLE: Melanie needs...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/23/09 08:59 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/c47c.jpg?mgI6QYoC6Z.M34xP" width="129" height="100">Caption this: Melanie needs to study <a rel="nofollow" href="http://daytimeconfidential.com/2008/12/caption-this-melanie-needs-to-study"> http://daytimeconfidential.com/2008/12/caption-this-melanie-needs-to-study</a> On Zoomdoggle.com I discovered this Internet game: you put into Google your first name with the word "needs". Here's my entry on the Zoomdoggle page about this game:<img height="32" width="32" alt="" src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/3ba4e04da33c0516f19b7a811e541793?s=32&d=http%3A%2F%2Fen.gravatar.com%2Fuserimage%2F4939253%2Ffe4869326af5ffc9f97ad13ba6a55e46.png&r=G"/> <cite><a rel="nofollow" href="http://360.yahoo.com/mnl_1221"> Melanie N. Lee</a> says:</cite> <a rel="nofollow" title="" href="http://zoomdoggle.com/2009/02/quick-what-do-you-need-find-out-the-fun-way/#comment-5575"> February 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm</a> Melanie needs: 1) to find a “happy medium between being a strong female and being oversealous in her opinions”. 2) to add some sparkle and colour back to her wardrobe. 3) A BF ! 4) to travel a long way in a short time. 5) a 48 hour day so I can do everything I want to do! 6) to Study. 7) a diamond necklace. <img alt="8)" src="http://zoomdoggle.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif"/> help. Much of this is true! Much of this is also off other Googled “Melanie needs…” lists!<img height="32" width="32" alt="" src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/3ba4e04da33c0516f19b7a811e541793?s=32&d=http%3A%2F%2Fen.gravatar.com%2Fuserimage%2F4939253%2Ffe4869326af5ffc9f97ad13ba6a55e46.png&r=G"/> <cite><a rel="nofollow" href="http://360.yahoo.com/mnl_1221"> Melanie N. Lee</a> says:</cite> <a rel="nofollow" title="" href="http://zoomdoggle.com/2009/02/quick-what-do-you-need-find-out-the-fun-way/#comment-5576"> February 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm</a> that “cool happy face” was a number 8 followed by a parethesis! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://zoomdoggle.com/2009/02/quick-what-do-you-need-find-out-the-fun-way/#comment-5576"> http://zoomdoggle.com/2009/02/quick-what-do-you-need-find-out-the-fun-way/#comment-5576</a> Most of the "Melanie needs" entries I found came from other "Melanie needs" lists! The photo I used came from the first one pictures on the Images section of this search. It's from the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Now Melanie needs to get off the Internet and go home! 
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TITLE: The Editing Bin
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/23/09 07:55 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/56fe.jpg?mgI6QYoCDtwzifpH" width="300" height="300"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theeditingbin.com/about.html">http://www.theeditingbin.com/about.html</a> My niece Rachel is part of a venture called The Editing Bin--three women giving their responses to the movies they see. At this moment I'm listening to a podcast (voice only) of their latest episode, about the Oscar-nominated movies. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile&id=109792815363"><img alt="the editing bin" src="http://profile.ak.facebook.com/object3/147/26/l109792815363_9767.jpg"/></a> I am so impressed with Rachel's enterprise and hard work! Not just talented, but accomplished! They have a page on Facebook, too. 
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TITLE: Trapped once again by the Internet
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/20/09 04:04 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/4eb6.jpg?mgI6QYoCgzX0mZTd" width="300" height="299">I have stuff I should be doing, which now will have to wait until Tuesday. Okay, I'm an Internet addict. Today's distraction in the band Traffic, which I may have mentioned before in this blog. In fact, more music that Ken played in my childhood has been coming to me, different bands, though I can't remember them now. I'm listening to Amazon.com samples of their album Traffic, aka Heaven Is in Your Mind, after one of the songs on the album. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Your-Mind-Traffic/dp/B00004WF69/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235160205&sr=1-9"> http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Your-Mind-Traffic/dp/B00004WF69/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235160205&sr=1-9</a> I found a couple of cuts on YouTube as well; actually, the "Giving to You", a jazz instrumental, is an alternative version; no one's posted the album version yet. Correction: someone did. "Giving to You" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7oD1kTMCI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7oD1kTMCI</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEeC5Gjfhoc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEeC5Gjfhoc</a> "House for Everyone" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1QZcW-0G4M">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1QZcW-0G4M</a> "Berkshire Poppies" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDqiEhtz6og">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDqiEhtz6og</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH6Fxodq4eM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH6Fxodq4eM</a> And I found some commentary on "Giving to You" including some of the chatter in the cut: On "Giving To You", the chatter at the beginning of the mono version is "I said it's like, er, stop makin' it man, it's like, er, it's er, er, you know what I mean, er, jazz", while the stereo version has "is is is, you know where it's at, I mean, you know, I mean, I mean you know where I'm at, but I mean jazz". And the lyrics in the alternative version: "Moving and grooving through country so soothing, My mind taking five now and then, Relaxed at the wheel I'm beginning to feel, That life is worth living, And living is giving to you." <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.winwoodfans.com/comp-traf.htm">http://www.winwoodfans.com/comp-traf.htm</a> Here's another comment: “Giving to You” bookends a great shuffling instrumental, complete with organ, pounding drums, near-frenzied guitar solos, and a mellotron, with the hilarious come-ons of a jazz freak: “sweetheart, I mean, you know, jazz, its there man, where its at!” <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.17097/Music">http://www.listology.com/content_show.cfm/content_id.17097/Music</a> Some commentors seem to frown on "House for Everyone", "Berkshire Poppies", and "Hole in My Shoe", the latter two being a couple of my favorite cuts. Sometimes I sing "Berkshire Poppies", as much as I know of it, while walking down the street or waiting for the bus. 
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TITLE: ...and that was the end of the monk, the monk!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/19/09 09:51 pm
STATUS: publish
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A few days ago, a 14-year-old pet chimpanzee named Travis, who had been featured in TV commercials, went violent and mauled and critically injured his owner's neighbor, and the police ended up shooting him. Days later, after President Obama signed the new stimulus bill, the ever-lovin' New York Post ran this cartoon: <img height="366" width="539" border="0" title="This cartoon image provided by the New York Post appeared in the Post's Page Six Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. The cartoon, which refers to Travis the chimp, who was shot to death by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner, drew criticism Wednesday on media Web sites and from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton." alt="This cartoon image provided by the New York Post appeared in the Post's Page Six Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. The cartoon, which refers to Travis the chimp, who was shot to death by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner, drew criticism Wednesday on media Web sites and from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton." src="http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2009/02/18/1234980038_3497/539w.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/02/18/ny_post_cartoon_seems_to_link_obama_to_dead_chimp/">http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/02/18/ny_post_cartoon_seems_t...</a> Sure, I was offended. Then I thought, "What if this cartoon had run when Bush was President?" I probably would've gone "Ooo!" and then laughed. But then, would the New York Post have run it then? I wrote and sent off this letter to the editor: Suppose Travis the chimp had been shot dead two months ago. Would the New York Post have run this same cartoon while President Bush-- whom some called "Chimp"--was pushing his stimulus bill? I'm not sure an editor should be fired over this. Still, the Post should realize, intentional or not, the racial overtones of the cartoon and the implication of assassinating Obama. For me, this cartoon and its caption also echoed the Sean Bell incident. I know while Bush was President, some of his supporters perceived even a hint of a threat against his person as treason. Today, some feel the same way about Obama, and want the Post to face criminal charges. Others want a Post editor fired. Quite a few, including the reliable Al Sharpton, are protesting. New Yorkers to boycott NY Post over "racist" cartoon <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090219/us_nm/us_chimp_attack_cartoon"> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090219/us_nm/us_chimp_attack_cartoon</a> Now I feel Obama, as President, must come under his fair share of ribbing and ridicule and criticism. That's the American way: we put our leaders under a critical and comical eye. However, Bush, the 2000 election debacle notwithstanding, had to earn his "Chimp" status over years of incompetence and cronyism. Obama hasn't earned being compared to a chimp. Even if you think he or the Congress are chimps for passing this stimulus bill, is a shooting--by police, yet!--a fair punishment? Won't this bill help some police stay in uniform, and hire yet more? We know there are those who'd like to see Obama killed, and he not even a month in office yet. And I don't think it's because of this stimulus bill or shutting Gitmo. I think it's because of his color. In any case, if hinting at harming Bush was treasonous a few years or a few months ago, can't we say the same for hinting at harming Obama? No, I'm not saying we should file criminal charges against the Post. I am saying that the Post shouldn't appear to be advocating assassinations. Addendum: a few hours after I posted this entry, the 11:00 news announced that the Post was printing an apology of sorts in their paper. THAT CARTOON Wednesday's Page Six cartoon - caricaturing Monday's police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut - has created considerable controversy. It shows two police officers standing over the chimp's body: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," one officer says. It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill. Period. But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize. However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/02202009/postopinion/editorials/that_cartoon_156032.htm"> http://www.nypost.com/seven/02202009/postopinion/editorials/that_cartoon_156032.htm</a> In other words, if you're the average Joe or Jane offended by the cartoon, we apologize, but if you're Al Sharpton offended for the same reasons as the average Joe and Jane, we do not. Also, there is no reference to the idea that the cartoon may, intentionally or not, depict or condones assassination. Here's a page of letters to the editor with a myriad of reactions: POST'S MONKEY BUSINESS: RACISM OR SATIRE? <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/02202009/postopinion/letters/posts_monkey_business__racism_or_satire__156018.htm"> http://www.nypost.com/seven/02202009/postopinion/letters/posts_monkey_business__racism_or_satire__156018.htm</a> 
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TITLE: Valentine Sweets
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/14/09 04:08 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/f844.jpg?mgI6QYoCugnSD2OT" width="304" height="222"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/epicurious/107716/chocolate-heart-layer-cake-with-chocolate-cinnamon-mousse;_ylt=As9yTlPyuVJFbuSi6e9FRJBIY.Y5">http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/epicurious/107716/chocolate-heart-layer-cake-with-chocolate-cinnamon-mousse;_ylt=As9yTlPyuVJFbuSi6e9FRJBIY.Y5</a> As you may know, I don't have a Valentine sweetheart. I'd intended to run some errands today, and still may, but once again I'm on the computer doing lots of stuff: checking e-mail, writing song parodies, and answering Valentine questions at Answers.yahoo.com. Before I continue, I want to record something for future reference: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.personalcreations.com/personalized-product-8A5106-1-210-21001.html#"><img width="220" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.personalcreations.com/estore_assets/images/shop/product/P0072955.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.personalcreations.com/personalized-product-8A5106-1-210-21001.html">http://www.personalcreations.com/personalized-product-8A5106-1-210-21001.html</a> A handful of people will know what this means to me. In honor of Valentine's Day, I want to feature here a video, or a link to one: a scene from the 1976 movie Sparkle with Irene Cara and Philip Michael Thomas in a very romantic duet, "Look into Your Heart", that can bring a tear to my eye: photo from IreneCara.com <img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTb_l3M5dJ2CoAtNujzbkF/SIG=12ah2sfmf/EXP=1234732279/**http%3A//www.irenecara.com/images/PMThomasSparkle-sm.jpg"/> <img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTbx8HNJdJaM0AEoOjzbkF/SIG=12d9h0117/EXP=1234732423/**http%3A//www.cynamite.de/imgserver/bdb/34600/34680/190x.jpg"/> photo from Cynamite.de <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPzMdUH4dQU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPzMdUH4dQU</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI8ANqPNv98">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI8ANqPNv98</a> Some time ago I discovered Jake Bronstein's project of sending 1,000 love letters to strangers. ABC-TV News ran a feature about him two days ago: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6865992"><img title="loveletters" height="598" width="600" alt="" src="http://zoomdoggle.com/wp-content/uploads/loveletters.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6865992">http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6865992</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://zoomdoggle.com/2009/02/update-love-letters/">http://zoomdoggle.com/2009/02/update-love-letters/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://zoomdoggle.com/2008/12/you-send-the-address-well-send-the-love-letter/">http://zoomdoggle.com/2008/12/you-send-the-address-well-send-the-love-letter/</a> Anyway, I've gotten involved, even to the point where Jake mentions me in his blog's "Update: Love Letters" entry! Thanks to Jake's blog, I've also discovered, and exploited, a site through which you can send virtual flowers: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flowers2mail.com/">http://www.flowers2mail.com/</a> I sent a bouquet to myself, and went I printed it out, the woman here told me I could print it out in color, and then she asked me to print out one for herself. "They're beautiful!" she said. "Just don't charge me for that one," I said. I'll do more work online. I think tonight I'll treat myself at the local Mexican restaurant. I haven't had their mole poblano in a long time! BTW, yesterday I submitted my play Shua: the Lamb of Freedom to FringeJR of FringeNYC 2009. 
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TITLE: Equus and Worship
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/08/09 07:37 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/4a24.jpg?mgI6QYoCoHonDR9u" width="333" height="261">from the UCLA Asia Studies webpage, from a 2005 production starring George Takei This is my second attempt at this entry. My first attempt was wiped out by the computer. I wrote a lot of heartfelt, personal stuff that I would have a hard time re-creating. I hate when that happens. Maybe God didn't want me sharing stuff that deep in public. <img src="http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/05/23-End/equus.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/05/23-End/equus.jpg">http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/05/23-End/equus.jpg</a> Anyway, I saw Equus this past week, on Tuesday evening. It was the last week of performance--today's the last day--and my brother Ken lent me the money. I had a discount coupon from my job. I had gone to see a production of Equus about thirty years ago at Queens College, but one of the actors was sick and they cancelled the play. I've read the play a few times--it's probably one of my favorites--and I even used a monologue of Dora, Alan Strang's mother, to audition some ten years ago. But I haven't seen a production of it--not even the movie--until now. Daniel Radcliffe as Alan was superb. Richard Griffiths as psychiatrist Martin Dysart was very good. I felt Kate Mulgrew as the judge was weak in some points, but her character gives her little chance to emote; she was stronger in a scene that called for more passion. The horses were great and stirring in their choreography. When I first came here, recalling the "pagan" worship of Alan re-creating kneeling and raising his hands to worship Equus, the god he'd created, I remembered Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", and its main character's repulsion at the wild, free, frenzied worship of the African natives at the riverbank. This comparatively staid Englishman thought their actions inhuman, yet somehow undeniably human. I wondered how he'd react to the "rock and roll" style worship at my church! I read the story in lit class during my graduate days at Queens College. Here's some commentary I've found: The Saddle and the Damage Done <table> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left" colspan="2"> Written by <a rel="nofollow" style="outline:true;" href="http://www.acedmagazine.com/component/option,com_comprofiler/task,userProfile/user,62/Itemid,61/"> Danilo</a></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" colspan="2"> Monday, 05 March 2007, ACED Magazine <a rel="nofollow" href="http://acedmagazine.com/content/view/114">http://acedmagazine.com/content/view/114</a> This article is a fascinating read! Here's a quote: Alan is just like many other mortal men broken by the demands of obedient worship and attendant suffering - he lashes out against God. It is so common that worship, freely and joyfully given to start, takes on an edge of resentment when self-sacrifice and self-denial train on. The articles also compares brilliantly Alan's nakedness in Act II with the nakedness in the Garden of Eden. More webpages: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 7:00 PM <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td><img height="1" width="30" border="0" alt="" src="http://x.myspace.com/images/spacer.gif"/></td> <td> reflections on equus... Current mood: <img src="http://x.myspacecdn.com/images/blog/moods/iBrads/cold.gif"/> sad Category: Art and Photography <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=13189118&blo...">http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=13189118&blo...</a> </td></tr></table> Second-Graders Wow Audience With School Production Of Equus January 25, 2006 | <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theonion.com/content/index/4204"> Issue 42•04</a> <img />Equus" height=166 alt="Second-Graders Wow Audience With School Production Of Equus Alan Strang (Kyle Keever, 7) prepares to blind a horse (Kate Piper, 7). <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/44683"> http://www.theonion.com/content/node/44683</a> I should say this much: previously I wrote about my own struggles with worship, how hard it is to keep worshipping something you can't see or touch. And then again, maybe I do worship in ways that I don't recognize while I'm doing it. For example, is Piper an act of worship, and if so, of God? I certainly poured a lot of passion into it, before, during, and after writing it. Maybe I'll write more in my hardcopy diary. </td></tr></table> 
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TITLE: My personal AIDS Quilt
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 01/26/09 08:02 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/4bb0.jpg?mgI6QYoCgxpQWx6." width="333" height="333">Thankfully the search feature at AIDSQuilt.org is up and running again after months of being "down". One day I may create my own webpage of My Personal AIDS Quilt, featuring the panels of those commemorating people I knew, loved, or admired. <img height="512" width="512" src="http://64.32.160.70:591/FMRes/FMPro?-db=search%20the%20quilt.fp5&key=35729&-img"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.aidsquilt.org">http://www.aidsquilt.org</a> <img height="512" width="512" src="http://64.32.160.70:591/FMRes/FMPro?-db=search%20the%20quilt.fp5&key=36874&-img"/> <img height="512" width="512" src="http://64.32.160.70:591/FMRes/FMPro?-db=search%20the%20quilt.fp5&key=43128&-img"/> 
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TITLE: Pepsi-'Bama
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 01/25/09 08:13 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/364a.jpg?mgI6QYoCAyavCLAI" width="205" height="150">Watching the inauguration last Tuesday, I noticed that the big O circle with its red, white, and blue wavy stripes, used as the logo for Obama's swearing-in day, looked a lot like the traditional Pepsi-Cola logo. For the life of me, partly in thanks to this slow-as-molasses computer, I can't find yet a single picture of that logo on the Internet. However, I did find several articles comparing Obama's campaign logo--which has a blue arch like a rainbow or a sunrise over a "land" of red and white stripes--to both traditional and newer Pepsi logos. <img height="150" width="205" alt="Pepsi Logo (R), Obama Campaign Logo (L)" src="http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/123054/2180708/2196697/080820_POL_logos.jpg"/>An article at Slate.com called "Obama: The Pepsi Candidate", run August 2008, compared Barack's youth appeal to the decades-old "Pepsi Generation" campaign. Another website accuses Barack of ripping off Pepsi's newer logo, and another website says it's the other way around. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/obama-pepsi.jpg"><img title="obama-pepsi" height="125" width="284" alt="" src="http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/obama-pepsi.jpg"/></a>This one is from an article called "Yes We Can Steal the Pepsi Logo" from Logoblog.org. Maybe the "sunrise" logo might evoke the Pepsi shape and colors, but it's nothing compared to the inauguration logo--which I still can't find! 
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TITLE: Beautiful Me
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 01/22/09 08:57 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6ef4.jpg?mgI6QYoC93Vb6pQm" width="333" height="250">Lately I've looked in the mirror and seen beauty! Now I'm far from perfect: overweight, acne, aversion to make-up. Yet these days I look in the mirror and I see a somewhat beautiful woman. I think there are two reasons for this: 1) The new--and very expensive--eyeglasses I got two years ago as a gift. 2) The relaxing I got in my hair, back in Spring 2008, I believe. I think it was in April or May, while rehearsing for Fiddler on the Roof where I played Fruma Sarah and a Villager. This pic is Becky and me at the New Life Fellowship New Year's Eve party last month. I'm the one on the right (our left). <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/6.gif"/> BTW, I have a rather active account on Facebook.com: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com">http://www.facebook.com</a> (You can't really see anything unless you sign up as a member. So there!) <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/106.gif"/>
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TITLE: May I have this dance for the next four to eight years?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 01/20/09 11:40 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/c66b.jpg?mgI6QYoCcY1FvydU" width="333" height="166">Saturday evening, Ken asked me to come to Elena's house to watch the kids because he and his girlfriend Margie were going to Washington, DC for the inauguration. So Sunday morning I washed clothes and packed a little travel bag, and since I had to shovel some snow, I was very late to church. Sunday evening Angela told me that Ken and Margie were coming back with some food. It turns out they didn't go because they couldn't get in contact with the person with whom they were supposed to stay. (They got in touch with her later.) The next day was Martin Luther King Day--and the significance of this MLK day coming before the inauguration of our first Black president wasn't lost on a lot of commentators. Ken and Margie decided--or really, Ken decided--not to go after all. I asked to stay over anyway and they consented. So today we were together watching coverage of the inauguration--preparations, swearing in, luncheon (parts of it), parade, inaugural balls. Plenty of interviews with the people in the crowds. Margie prepared a soul food meal: ham, beans, rice, collard greens. I made cornbread; Ken bought a mix made with whole wheat flour. Finally, the two went off to an Obama party in a church in Staten Island. Becky was with us during part of last night, bringing Leila home from the airport after her upstate trip. (Leila spent three years of high school upstate, staying with a family she'd befriended through a summer program.) While Becky was there, she commented, "We must be getting old, because otherwise we'd be there," meaning the inauguration. True. Four years ago, during the 2004 election, I donned my Patriotic Jester costume from that Halloween and went down to Rockefeller Center to see the returns, and probably to distribute some thematic tracts. This year, I didn't go down to 30 Rock for the Obama-McCain contest. Then again, I wasn't as afraid of a McCain presidency as I was of a second term of George W. Bush--for good reason, it turns out. BTW, this morning while the coverage was on, before anything really started, I dreamed I was in the NBC Building planning to watch the inauguration on the big screen. I went outside to see what souvenirs were selling. I saw a parade of Fifth Avenue and a big poster of Barack ride by. But then I got lost in some side streets. I kept asking people "Where am I?" but no one told me, or gave me non sequitir answers. Then someone told me I was in Dyker Heights, which is in Brooklyn. I didn't remember crossing any bridges or tunnels. I spent a little time on Facebook, and I sent a couple of messages to Joanne, who is spending a few months studying abroad in Barcelona--and this is only her sophomore year! BTW, I found this interesting inaugural spoof: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRjtwlB2XUs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRjtwlB2XUs</a> 
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TITLE: Webber or not
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 12/02/08 04:49 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/2703.jpg?mgI6QYoCH0RccAJC" width="333" height="333"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-99864185228711_2030_337375530">http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-99864185228711_2030_337375530</a> Back in Ravenswood, an eight-siblinged family named Webber was prominent in our playground behind our apartment. They lived in the apartment building behind the playground. Maria Webber has written to me in the wake of Elena's passing. Now I'm being called to work, but I'll write more later. Katrina Webber: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=1389217">http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=1389217</a> Steven Webber: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://uspacegallery.com/stephenawebber.html">http://uspacegallery.com/stephenawebber.html</a> 
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TITLE: The Best Mother in the World
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 11/29/08 09:13 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/c794.jpg?mgI6QYoCnmFYhim5" width="296" height="333">Elena's wake was yesterday, and the funeral was today. I won't go into much detail yet. On her casket were a large bunch of white roses, with a white banner in gold sparkle lettering: THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD <img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefVB_TFJ6qQAlJajzbkF/SIG=12c03d3fc/EXP=1228099265/**http%3A//www.coffeyfuneralhome.com/irs-opencasketspray.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.coffeyfuneralhome.com/irs-opencasketspray.jpg">http://www.coffeyfuneralhome.com/irs-opencasketspray.jpg</a> 
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TITLE: Death Takes No Holiday, Part 2
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 11/26/08 04:08 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/f377.jpg?mgI6QYoCRxAidW_t" width="195" height="333"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.msbgifts.com/Mother--Elements-_p_150-1105.html">http://www.msbgifts.com/Mother--Elements-_p_150-1105.html</a> My sister Elena has been battling breast cancer for a few years now. She lost the battle this past Monday. The "doozy" that happened the night of Michelle's wake was this: Elena failed to show up at the wake. No one could contact her by cell phone. We called around and spoke to people to get clues. I'd said that I'd spoken to Elena the night before. Elena was planning to go to chemo the next day, and she seemed confused about trying to go to both chemo and the wake. A couple of her friends went searching for her, and eventually found her in her car not far from the chemo place. She had left the place, got very sleepy, decided to rest in the car, and fell asleep there for hours as the night got colder and colder. They took her to the hospital. I visited Halloween night in my Female Joker outfit before going to Greenwich Village. She was in the lounge with Ken, Margie, Elena's friend Arlene, and a few others. Elena's boyfriend William came by, too. Becky wasn't there when I was. Elena was going to go home Election Day, but she had a seizure and went into a semi-coma, or was put under heavy sedation. She hung on for a few weeks. Ken, Margie, and I were in the room when she went just before 2am. Her four kids, Becky, and Rachel returned to the hospital. I talk about it here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/christmasblog/">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/christmasblog/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://members.tripod.com/mnl_1221/christmasblog/index.blog/1859975/well-have-to-muddle-through-somehow/">http://members.tripod.com/mnl_1221/christmasblog/index.blog/1859975/well-have...</a> Elena may have been deeply disturbed by Michelle's death, also from cancer. Now, all but one of the sibling groups on both sides of my family have lost at least one person. I haven't felt much like crying yet. Now I've been online and on my cell phone, revising the obituary, talking to the priest and to the church's music director (who was the music director for Fiddler!), talking to Ken, Margie, and Joanne, who's designing the program. We've selected a line-up of music for the funeral service, including these: "Lord of the Dance" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=13eBCf1gIgc">http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=13eBCf1gIgc</a> "Precious Lord" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=gu6XKhCSJ3s">http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=gu6XKhCSJ3s</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ShyZtq-JQ">http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ShyZtq-JQ</a> "Let There Be Peace on Earth" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=kbSuyPB57GQ">http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=kbSuyPB57GQ</a> We've also selected "Whatsoever You Do", but I can't find that on Youtube. I visited Answers.yahoo.com and saw a Christmas question about a fast song from Home Alone. I went to Amazon.com, to the Home Alone Soundtrack, and saw "Carols of the Bells" listed, and found another answerer had linked to the same tune at Youtube. I started listening and thought, I'm ready for Christmas. I'm ready for Advent. Then I felt tears well in my eyes. But still, I haven't really cried yet. Anyway, we've been meeting a lot at Elena's house. Ken and Margie are staying there every day, sorting out the bills, providing meals for the kids, and so on. Tomorrow for Thanksgiving, Rachel plans to cook the entire meal. From her discussion with her cousins yesterday, she may forgo the turkey and cook duck or goose instead. 
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TITLE: Makeba Sings! in Heaven
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 11/10/08 01:29 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/2976.jpg?mgI6QYoCHiKzblWX" width="240" height="240">We grew up with two Miriam Makeba albums, Pata Pata and Makeba Sings! I just learned that she died of a heart attack she suffered while singing "Pata Pata" onstage. Makeba was 76. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_re_af/eu_obit_makeba;_ylt=ApXs0jk.YvY7kjM7DsxLE_us0NUE">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081110/ap_on_re_af/eu_obit_makeba;_ylt=ApXs0jk.Y...</a> Kilamanjaro <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WI9kfdpNbY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WI9kfdpNbY</a> In other news, I just saw this poster advertised in one of my e-mails: <img height="211" width="160" border="0" src="http://s3.moveon.org/images/shep_email_160.gif"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://pol.moveon.org/shepposters/?id=15090-6892974-zu9Xvax&t=3">http://pol.moveon.org/shepposters/?id=15090-6892974-zu9Xvax&t=3</a> It looks like a postage stamp, doesn't it? 
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TITLE: Why so serious?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 10/30/08 02:30 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/77c7.jpg?mgI6QYoC1pB8mLq8" width="333" height="222">Ah, yes! Courtesy of my churchmate Gideon, who's in the photo, here's a preview of me as the Female Joker. The pick was taken at my church's Family Fun Night, our annual fall/pre-Halloween bash, last Saturday evening. Thanks, Gideon! BTW, our immediate family had a doozy of an incident the evening of Michelle's wake, and I'll report on that later. 
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TITLE: Death Takes No Holiday
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 10/29/08 04:44 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/f71a.jpg?mgI6QYoCeE6i9Xq5" width="309" height="245">Last weekend my cousin, Michelle Wilson, aka Michelle Grace, died of brain cancer, I believe, a day before her son Ian was to be married. I haven't seen that much of Michelle since childhood--and I do mean when we were in the single digits. Back in the 60s, in the Ravenswood projects where we lived about two blocks apart, some days after school I'd go to her house and play with her a few hours. I was about eight, and she about 5. She couldn't say "Melanie", so she'd say "Mony" or "Monie" instead. Aunt Dorothy (her mother, of course, who died circa 1980) would be there, too, and sometimes her older brothers. There was a parakeet, and I think a cat. Michelle--whom they called "Mimi" and in later years called "Missy", and I heard she hated that nickname--would play on the floor with me, probably with dolls and other toys. In later years she married and had a son. There's more, but not that I'd readily share here. I last saw Ian, after many, many years, last year when his cousin Alexis got married. Michelle may have been there, too. So anyway, I'm going to the wake tonight. There's a burial of ashes on Friday afternoon--Halloween!--but I don't know if I'll go to that. Thinking of Ian, I think of what happened with Isaac's marriage in Genesis, soon after his mother Sarah died: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=24&verse=67&version=31&context=verse">Genesis 24:67</a> (NIV) Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. All have died on both sides of my parents' generation (counting my parents and their siblings and most of their spouses), except for one aunt on each side. And now five of my cousins have died, mostly female. The Wilsons have lost two: Michelle, and Michael a few years ago. 
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TITLE: The Creature from the Black Lagoon is Your Father!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 10/27/08 05:26 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/7eff.jpg?mgI6QYoCUJhU3Ijv" width="333" height="333">Maybe because it's nearing Halloween, today I suddenly remembered the calypso tune, "The Creature from the Black Lagoon (Is Your Father)". My mom taped it onto a reel-to-reel from the radio when I was a child in the 60s. We kids would play that tape a lot. On the same tape was another calypso tune about male ugliness, "Son of an Ugly Animal". I was aware of a third song of the same theme, "Mama, Look at Bubu" (various spellings of "mama" and "bubu"), recorded by Harry Belafonte, which we had on 45 rpm. (What's that? say the kids.) Later on, I wondered if these songs' personas thought they were ugly because they were black. Well, after some searching, I found the "Creature" song on a website dedicated to the Creature from the Black Lagoon, aka Gill-man: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.buffaloshideout.com/creechs/Lord.mp3">http://www.buffaloshideout.com/creechs/Lord.mp3</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.buffaloshideout.com/crech.html">http://www.buffaloshideout.com/crech.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.buffaloshideout.com/creechs/Lord.mp3">Audio: The Creature from the Black Lagoon is Your Father</a> I'd write and thank these guys for posting the song, but I don't see a contact e-mail for them. It turns out all three "ugly" songs were written (and recorded) by a calypso artist, Lord Melody, whose birth name was Fitzroy Alexander. Apparently he had an ongoing rivalry with The Mighty Sparrow, who recorded "Wanted Dead or Alive" circa 1980. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Melody">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Melody</a> List of songs written by Lord Melody: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.akh.se/artists/lordmelody.htm">http://www.akh.se/artists/lordmelody.htm</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kaiso.net/melody.html">http://www.kaiso.net/melody.html</a> Here's a record of his, without "Creature", on Amazon.com: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Melodies-Lord-Melody/dp/B000008NNI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1225141786&sr=1-3">http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Melodies-Lord-Melody/dp/B000008NNI/ref=sr_1_3?...</a> I can't find "Son of an Ugly Animal" on video or audio. Here's Belafonte's "Mama Look-a Boo Boo": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E2qg6bRu6M">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E2qg6bRu6M</a> 
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TITLE: How's this for audacity?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 10/22/08 08:52 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefjOx_9Iw3cB6LijzbkF/SIG=1324fehp4/EXP=1224808782/**http%3A//www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/outofline/racist16_400.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/outofline/racist16_400.jpg">http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/outofline/racist16_400.jpg</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/outofline/2008/10/calif_gop_denounces_racist_gra.html">http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/outofline/2008/10/calif_g...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_obamabucks21.448d595.html">http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_obamabucks21.448d5...</a> Apparently this graphic was created by a liberal blogger as a satire, and then usurped by a Republican group for racist reasons. 
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TITLE: Dreamwriting
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 10/16/08 06:58 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTbx9qzfdIowUAfUKjzbkF/SIG=12hai5m14/EXP=1224285930/**http%3A//www.richardjessewatson.com/images/dreamstaircover1.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.richardjessewatson.com/images/dreamstaircover1.jpg">http://www.richardjessewatson.com/images/dreamstaircover1.jpg</a> I suppose other writers have had this experience: I'm in a dream and I think of an idea for a story or poem or song or line. I want to remember it, so I think the idea over and over, and even write it down--in my dream. Then I wake up--often having to go to the bathroom--and within a few seconds or a few minutes the idea has gone! I might remember the ghost of the idea and jot down a word or two, but that doesn't jog all my memory. Then there's the dream where I see something I've written, or that perhaps someone else has written, something original and new, but I can't read it, so of course when I wake up I can't remember it. Maybe there were no specific words to remember. Now the day before one of the students I tutored had this fantastic writing prompt--pretending to have your own rock band or singing act. Haven't I done that already? I found a webpage interpreting writing in a dream, but it's not talking about creative writing: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dreamsleep.net/writing_dream_meaning.html">http://www.dreamsleep.net/writing_dream_meaning.html</a> Anyway, I dreamed last night about a pair of twins I knew in childhood: a boy and a girl. They were grown up now, say about 30, and they were at a party in what looked like a combination library and dance hall, a very big room. I believe their mother was there, too. Some of my family may have been there. Anyway, at one point the boy was descending the stairs and the girl was standing at the top of the stairs, perhaps leaning on the railing. Wooden railing framed the stairwell like a subway entrance, only the wood was dark and polished like in someone's house, with orbal decoration (posts, I think), and it led from an upper floor to a lower floor. Then I saw in front of me a poem or song that I'd written about the twins. The lyric was in two sections: the first for the boy, the second for the girl. The two sections could have been two sonnets. It was written on what looked like legal pad paper, resting on a clipboard. A man, African-American, approached me and said he liked the song very much, and asked me for a copy of it. When I woke up, at about 5 am, I realized I hadn't read the poem in the dream and had no idea what it said. I had some sense of what it may have been about: the characters of each twin, or their relationship to each other or to the world, and about loss. I felt I coul write something now in the pattern of that dream poem. I happened to have a white legal pad in the room. What flowed out was a disco-y type song: I even had a tune but couldn't record it because I don't write sheet music and I didn't have a tape recorder at the ready. I'll record what I think was the first three lines of each section: Boy: I don't want to stay here./Poof! I'm outta there./Watch me as I descend the stairs. Girl: Who told you to leave here?/Hey, you! Come back here!/Who told you to descend the stairs? Not exactly a sonnet, but I went with whatever flowed out of me at the moment. Actually, I think the Girl's first line had an extra syllable, and just now I found the words to change it. In fact, "Who told you to leave here?" conveys the message better. It could also be, "Who said you could leave here?" I write a lot of lyrics and half-lyrics but I don't yet have an outlet for them. I'm like what Paul Simon described: "People writing songs that voices never share." Late at night it can be annoying to be a writer. Still, I'm grateful to God for giving me this talent. <img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefjCzPdIri4BtZCjzbkF/SIG=12e1jnidc/EXP=1224285762/**http%3A//www.buildthedream.co.uk/Images/stairs/stairs2-a.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.buildthedream.co.uk/Images/stairs/stairs2-a.jpg"> http://www.buildthedream.co.uk/Images/stairs/stairs2-a.jpg</a> This staircase design is close to the one in my dream. Here's what that website said about dreaming about twins: Twin Dreams - the Hidden Meaning Psychological Meaning: Twins represent polarities within the psyche. Examples are: introversion and extroversion, ego and shadow or masculine and feminine. Perhaps the dream is simply saying that you are ‘in two minds’ about an issue or that you have to duplicate everything you do. Mystical Meaning: Many ancient cultures considered twins to be divine. A very widespread and ancient belief, found among many peoples, says that twins always have different fathers. One of these dads is supernatural, a god or spirit of some kind. Your dream may be showing you the spiritual side of yourself. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dreamsleep.net/twin_dream_meaning.html">http://www.dreamsleep.net/twin_dream_meaning.html</a> And descent: <a rel="nofollow" name="Descent"></a> Descent Dream Meaning Meaning of Dreams about Descent Descent Dream Meaning Psychological Meaning: In many dreams this may represent descending into the unconscious. In particular cave entrances, wells, tombs and cellars can represent entrances to the netherworld of the unconscious. Alternatively, you may interpret this as a downward phase in your life- you may feel 'down' as the Hippies say. On the other hand, perhaps you are over the worst and everything is down hill from now on. See articles: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.psychics.co.uk/psychicart/"> Psychedelic Art</a> Descent Dream Meaning Mystical Meaning: Legend has it that the ancient people of Crete built temples in underground caves. Here they held their strange rituals and bull dancing ceremonies. Since the earliest times, the descent into the underground world has been a symbol of man's search for divinity and spiritual empowerment. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dreamsleep.net/meaning-of-dream-d2.html#Descent">http://www.dreamsleep.net/meaning-of-dream-d2.html#Descent</a> Surprisingly, I didn't find "Stairs" or "Staircase", so here's "Ladder": Ladder Dream Meaning Psychological Meaning: A ladder may represent the different levels of consciousness between man and his divine self. It is a symbol of achieving personal wholeness. As a worldly symbol, climbing a ladder may represent progress such as achieving status, power or an important goal. Descending a ladder may represent the opposite or an <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dreamsleep.net/meaning-of-escape-dream.html"> escape</a> from your spiritual responsibilities. Mystical Meaning: The Biblical story of Jacob’s ladder is a symbol for the communication between this world and the spiritual realms. Similarly, in Mesopotamia the Ziggurat was named ‘the ladder to heaven’. In psychological terms this mystic symbolism can be understood as the communication between the true self and the ego. Consider this quote from Twitchell: “The higher one climbs on the spiritual ladder, the more he will grant others their own freedom and give less interference to another’s state of consciousness.” <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dreamsleep.net/ladder-dream.html">http://www.dreamsleep.net/ladder-dream.html</a> 
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TITLE: More Female Joker-ing, video style
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 10/02/08 12:04 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img height="100" width="77" border="1" alt="Image Preview" src="http://joepekar.com/gallery/albums/Girls/JokerGirl_JoePekar.sized.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://joepekar.com/gallery/albums/Girls/JokerGirl_JoePekar.sized.jpg">http://joepekar.com/gallery/albums/Girls/JokerGirl_JoePekar.sized.jpg</a> I've found a couple of videos which feature female Jokers: <a rel="nofollow" title="Permanent Link to The Dark Knight of Bel-Air" href="http://www.gigglesugar.com/1838157"> The Dark Knight of Bel-Air</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gigglesugar.com/1838157">http://www.gigglesugar.com/1838157</a> This one mashes up Heath Ledger's Joker--as performed by a woman, whom I imagine is Giggle Sugar--with Will Smith's old TV theme. [Addendum: Oops! That's not a female Joker! And Giggle Sugar might be a person, but she's a category on a site of groups of categories with the name Sugar!] Here are female Jokers on Youtube: Tainted Joker <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0IZ6znOfM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0IZ6znOfM</a> A woman with a Joker face "dances" to "Tainted Love" and displays her collection of Joker books and graphic novels. Batman: The Dark Knight Trailer Spoof w/ Clinton & Obama <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeJE3isCSM8"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeJE3isCSM8</a> With a Batman-like Obama, Hillary as The Joker, and John McCain as Tw0-Face. I also found a couple more musings on Batman and Jesus--one of which I'm seriously considering using as a tract this Halloween: <a rel="nofollow" title="The Biblical Batman" href="http://rosshoss.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/the-biblical-batman/"> The Biblical Batman</a> by the Ross Hoss, 7/23/08 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rosshoss.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/the-biblical-batman/">http://rosshoss.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/the-biblical-batman/</a> 5 reasons why you should watch ‘The Dark Knight’--The Blewog Blog July 25, 2008 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rhodribrady.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/reasons-why-you-should-watch-the-dark-knight/"> http://rhodribrady.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/reasons-why-you-should-watch-the-dark-knight/</a> Window shopping recently, I spotted a light-green wig at Party City (Party Barn?) in Steinway, and a pair of light-green pants in a store in Rego Park. At this point I think I'll eschew the VistaPrint clown card, and print up a tract instead, probably using "The Biblical Batman" and part of my own "Female Joker and the Dark Knight of the Soul". 
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TITLE: Oh, Shea, Can You Squeak? Guess Not!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/28/08 06:27 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/75e6.jpg?mgI6QYoCERBDIoMI" width="333" height="111"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_Stadium">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_Stadium</a> And so Shea Stadium fizzles into the sunset, going the way of Studio 60 of the Sunset Strip and Veronica Mars--not to mention the current Yankee Stadium--into that big Entertainment Venue in the Sky. For the second year in a row, the New York Mets fell one game short of the playoffs. In the worst case scenario, they lost and the Milwaukee Brewers won, giving the Brewers the last wild card spot. How appropriate that I wore all-black today instead of blue-and-orange. BTW, I don't think I told you that last year while swimming in a cove in Hawaii near sunset, I saw in the blue-and-orange haze--or I thought I saw--the Mets cursive logo forming in the clouds. <img title="http://logoshak.com/" height="85" width="150" alt="Go to fullsize image" src="http://re3.yt-thm-a01.yimg.com/image/25/m1/1980548900"/> Back in 2000, before Game 6 of the World Series, walking in Flushing, I looked toward the west, towards Shea Stadium, and saw a blue-and-orange sunset. Good omen, I thought. I misread it. It was a blue-and-orange sunset. The Yankees, for the first time in years, aren't in the playoffs either. That doesn't bother me as much. Not since 2000. At least this year's Mets Meltdown wasn't as bad as last year's. Still, I was hoping this time I'd write a song parody at Amright.com called "Squeak! The Mets!" No, it will be "Bleep! The Mets! Part 3". (Part 2 was the firing of Willie Randolph.) Bleep! The Mets! Bleep! The Mets!/No, they couldn't squeak, the Mets! <a rel="nofollow" title="Shea Stadium logo, commemorating the stadium's final year" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NLE-NYM-Shea.PNG"><img height="160" width="150" border="0" alt="Shea Stadium logo, commemorating the stadium's final year" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/da/NLE-NYM-Shea.PNG/150px-NLE-NYM-Shea.PNG"/></a> 
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TITLE: Will they never make a Halloween costume starring me?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/23/08 03:17 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6229.jpg?mgI6QYoCOhEDLiJG" width="243" height="333">from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://fatwonderwoman.blogspot.com/"> http://fatwonderwoman.blogspot.com/</a> Rewriting a lost answer of mine on Yahoo! Answers: On Yahoo! Answers an asker--I'll assume a woman--asked about finding appropriate costumes to fit her plus size, that the costumes at Torrid didn't turn her on this year. Now I went to the restroom before answering the question, and in my thoughts I discovered something about myself. When I wrotemy answer, my musing went something like this: Thinking about this question, I discovered something about myself. Rather than choose a costume to fit your size, choose what you want to be, then adapt the costume to you. For example, The Joker in the comics is thin. But the fatter Jack Nicholson portrayed him in the film, adapting the costume to fit his style. In the same way, don't adapt yourself to the costume, but adapt the costume to you. For example, last year I dressed as Wonder Woman. I dressed in a red turtleneck, gold headband-as-tiara, gold belt and rope, etc. Most people who saw me knew what my costume was. Take a look at the costumes I've done over the years: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/halloween.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/halloween.html</a> What if I chose the costume to fit my type: an overweight, African-American, middle-aged woman in glasses? I'd be limited to playing Al Sharpton, Al Roker, or Della Reese. Come to think of it, have I ever played an African-American character or person for Halloween? Yes: Debi Thomas, the figure skater, in 1988. I was also an Olympic gymnast in 1992, and a couple of them were black. I was a generic Native American in 1990 (I'm part Native-American). In the early or mid-1980s I was Zorro, who is Hispanic. But on the whole, I don't let my ethnicity--or much about my appearance--guide my costume choices. My choices are inwardly guided, and I suppose my inner guide, at least for Halloween costumes, doesn't refer to my ethnicity. Then again, there aren't many Halloween costumes--or many cultural or media images--that reflect my type: a black, plus-sized, middle-aged, bespectacled woman. To the world at large, my type barely exists. Now sometimes I will reject a costume idea that I feel I can't carry off. For example, in the late 1990's I felt I couldn't carry off Phil Hartman, so instead I was the Blue M&M, which he voiced. So my advice to you remains: decide inside yourself what you want to be, and then adapt the costume to fit your type. BTW, this year, I'm going to be The Joker. ***** I'm saddened and angry to think that my original message may have been deleted because of racism. Gee, if I'm right, they really don't want to see or hear from my type, do they? If this blog entry gets deleted, I'll know something is up. BTW, I discovered today this site, called Big Beautiful Wonder Woman, with illustrations: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://fatwonderwoman.blogspot.com/">http://fatwonderwoman.blogspot.com/</a> 
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TITLE: Was a Yahoo! Answers entry lost to racism?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/23/08 02:45 pm
STATUS: publish
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Late last night I answered a question from someone on Yahoo! Answers (answers.yahoo.com) asking about dressing up in a plus-size outfit. I wrote some advice, which lead me to musing in my answer about there being so few Halloween costumes, or media images, of a black, middle-aged, bespectacled, overweight woman. Later I was thinking what a beautiful answer I made and that I should copy and paste it here or even make a column out of it. I go back to Yahoo! Answers and I can't find it! It's not among the list of answers that I posted last night. I don't know if the question is gone or just my answer. Now I'm suspicious that the asker, or maybe a staff member of Yahoo!, deleted the question because of my answer--that someone didn't want to hear any musings from a black woman, or maybe a black overweight middle-aged woman, about how the media and the culture don't reflect images of her kind. I feel as if my voice, and my message, have been silenced. I feel that way a lot. I intend to rewrite it, but it's hard to do that with something that I wrote "hot-and-burning" about 15 hours ago. Too bad I didn't print it out. 
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TITLE: Lefty Wishes and Bushy Dreams
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/22/08 08:45 pm
STATUS: publish
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A few days ago I dreamed I was having a private conversation with George W. Bush in front of the Ravenswood Projects on 12th Street, my childhood home. I was trying to be a good listener while he poured out his thoughts and feelings about his presidency. Then he said, "One thing I really regret is starting this Iraq war." I said, "Yeah, that was a stupid thing to do." I thought, hey, this guy has connections. I'm not sure I'd want to work for any of his connections, but what the hey, I should give him my resume. But when I looked through my papers in a folder that I currently carry around with me, I couldn't find my resume! When I told this dream to Becky, she said, "You've heard of a compassionate conservative? You were being a compassionate liberal." 
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TITLE: Female Joker, and the Dark Knight of the Soul
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/16/08 03:05 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6321.jpg?mgI6QYoC_Tf8a9Pu" width="333" height="145">A gallery of traditional Jokers. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Romero.nicholson.ledger_(joker).jpg"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Romero.nicholson.ledger_(joker).jpg</a> Like many people, I'm going to dress up as The Joker for Halloween--not Heath Ledger's Joker, but closer to a pastel version of the traditional Joker: lavender jacket, lime-green blouse, maybe some light blue or gold or peach. We'll see. BTW, I made this decision shortly before the movie came out. I've searched for Female Joker or Jokeress and even Jokress (less successful) on Yahoo and Google. Among my finds: <img height="375" width="500" title="" alt="Female Joker, Male Harley by El Bigote." src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2725241719_45ce134a20.jpg?v=0"/> Female Joker, Male Harley <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigote/2725241719/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigote/2725241719/</a> <img height="500" width="315" title="" alt="Jokeress. by arafel3873." src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2711542745_fb07623771.jpg?v=0"/> Jokeress. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/arafel3873/2711542745/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/arafel3873/2711542745/</a> <img height="500" width="375" title="" alt="100_1528 by madhatterofoz." src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/79/254865510_43cdba93aa.jpg?v=0"/> Female Joker <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madhatterofoz/254865510/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/madhatterofoz/254865510/</a> <img height="666" width="500" border="0" alt="" src="http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g48/blueyz88_2/100_5253.jpg"/> Female Joker <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=257992.0">http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=257992.0</a> Also: Jokeress <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=2348748">http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=2348748</a> Rachael Ray = The Jokeress <a rel="nofollow" href="http://flickr.com/photos/73381989@N00/345996142">http://flickr.com/photos/73381989@N00/345996142</a> Female Joker is both attractive and creepy. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://picasaweb.google.com/manawhorl/ComicCon08#5228672556695305538">http://picasaweb.google.com/manawhorl/ComicCon08#5228672556695305538</a> Of course, The Joker--Batman's Joker--is an iconic figure, as is The Joker of the playing cards, and clowns and jesters in general. The Joker is the quintessential Evil Clown. As played by Jack Nicholson and then Heath Ledger, he's the person who stretches the boundaries until they break, the person with no rules, who dares to do what we don't dare. The trickster, the jester, the "holy fool", is the person who turns tradition upside-down. He, or she, isn't necessarily doing this to destroy the good. They may do this to destroy what some people think is good. In a way, Jesus, particularly Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem, is a "holy fool", ready to challenged the supposed goodness of the Pharisees and priests of his day. The Joker would appeal to females, for we, too, have our "dark side", our "Stranger", our inner person ready to break out against what's prudish and proper. As Billy Joel sang about "The Stranger": "...he is not always evil/And he is not always wrong". Now Becky took me to see The Dark Knight in IMAX Sunday evening, at a aviation museum in Garden City, LI. I've been thinking of Harvey Dent, the would-be "White Knight", as portrayed by Aaron Eckhart. Harvey wanted to clean up Gotham in an above-board way, unlike The Batman who operated from underground. However, Harvey cracked under the extreme pressure the Joker put on him, and his dark side broke through, illustrated in the melted, broken side of Two Face. Harvey wasn't aware of his dark side, so it rose up and took over; Batman perhaps channels his dark side, and uses it to his advantage. (Refer to the Star Trek episode where Kirk is split in two.) I wonder now if Jesus had a dark side. The Bible says he had no sin in him, and didn't have a sinful nature, although he certainly had a human nature. The Bible also says he was tempted in every way we are. Does that mean that he was inwardly tempted, that he desired, even fleetingly, to do what we all want to do that's wrong, or that he was outwardly tempted, that others, including Satan, put lures in his way to try to string him along? I think many of us want to believe that he knows what it's like firsthand to be inwardly tempted like the rest of us. It's part of being human. I think the Bible says that God has no darkness in him, but also that he works in darkness and that he can be found in darkness. Anyway, so far I've assembled--in fact already owned--a lavender or lilac jacket I got from Aunt Gladys as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, and a light-green long-sleeved cotton blouse from the same source. I've bought an aqua blue cowboy-style hat decorated in leather cord and cowrie shells, which I may or may not use. I also have an orange scarf. I might dye a stained off-white pair of slacks into a lavender color, or maybe light green. I have a golden vest but it might not "work". I also found at Vistaprint.com an appropriate business card: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vistaprint.com/gallery_proxy.aspx?ueid=86199&destURL=%2fvp%2fns%2ftext.aspx%3fpf_id%3d088%26combo%3d28927.130.30.91094%257c91094%257c137%257c0%26uei%3d86199%26icparts%3dyes%26ag%3dtrue%26combo_id%3d80009%26filter%3d9%3a10013%7c%7c1%2c4%3a10003%7c%7c1%2c3%3a10001%7c%7c1%26xnav%3dpreviews"><img height="116" width="200" alt=" Premium Business Cards - Print Premium Business Cards with VistaPrint, the best place for professional, full color Premium Business Cards." src="http://www.vistaprint.com/sf/_langid-1/_/library/ic_cross_quick/ssr/1033/ns_front/28927/28927.130.30.91094.91094.137.0.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vistaprint.com/gallery.aspx?pf_id=088&pg=1&keywords=clown&page=1&pagesize=60&sc=-1&preid=3&xnav=search"> http://www.vistaprint.com/gallery.aspx?pf_id=088&pg=1&keywords=clown&page=1&pagesize=60&sc=-1&preid=3&xnav=search</a> And I found some beads at Amazon.com: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dozen-Aint-Joke-Mardi-Beads/dp/B000NGRL3U/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1221601704&sr=8-9"> http://</a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000NGRL3U/sr=8-9/qid=1221601704/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=165793011&s=toys-and-games&qid=1221601704&sr=8-9"><img height="280" width="280" border="0" alt="One Dozen (12) " src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51r2LhUNdOL._SL500_AA280_.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dozen-Aint-Joke-Mardi-Beads/dp/B000NGRL3U/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1221601704&sr=8-9"> www</a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dozen-Aint-Joke-Mardi-Beads/dp/B000NGRL3U/ref=sr_1_9?ie..."> .amazon.com/Dozen-Aint-Joke-Mardi-Beads/dp/B000NGRL3U/ref=sr_1_9?ie...</a> Now I looked up "Dark Knight of the Soul" on Yahoo and found some interesting sermons, musings, and reviews: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://burrintheburgh.blogspot.com/2008/07/st.html">http://burrintheburgh.blogspot.com/2008/07/st.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blogs.courant.com/colin_mcenroe_to_wit/2008/07/dark-knight-of-the-soul.html">http://blogs.courant.com/colin_mcenroe_to_wit/2008/07/dark-knight-of-the-soul...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.johnsmulo.com/component/content/article/14-culture/410-dark-knight-of-the-soul#comments">http://www.johnsmulo.com/component/content/article/14-culture/410-dark-knight...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beliefnet.com/story/168/story_16885_1.html">http://www.beliefnet.com/story/168/story_16885_1.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/2008/07/batmans-dark-knight-of-the-sou.html">http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/2008/07/batmans-dark-knight-of-the-sou....</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://katiesmith.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/dark-knight-of-the-soul/">http://katiesmith.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/dark-knight-of-the-soul/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Philosophy-Knight-Blackwell-Culture/dp/0470270306">http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Philosophy-Knight-Blackwell-Culture/dp/0470270306</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.reeltalkreviews.com/browse/viewitem.asp?type=review&id=2703">http://www.reeltalkreviews.com/browse/viewitem.asp?type=review&id=2703</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://jameswatkins.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/dark-questions/">http://jameswatkins.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/dark-questions/</a>
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TITLE: Too Bad She Rides the Elephant
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/10/08 12:43 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/b2db.jpg?mgI6QYoCYpPtZ115" width="310" height="333">"Caribou Barbie" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.collegeotr.com/college_otr/sarah_palin_as_caribou_barbie_realized_11282"> http://www.collegeotr.com/college_otr/sarah_palin_as_caribou_barbie_realized_11282</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://redriverpak.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/sarah-palin-barbie/"> http://redriverpak.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/sarah-palin-barbie/</a> I actually like Sarah Palin as a person. I'm tempted to vote for her. Almost. Searching the internet, I've found she's very marketable. <img alt="" src="http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/01/75/80/image_7480751.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2008/09/04/polimerch_0904_02.html"> http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2008/09/04/polimerch_0904_02.html</a> When I first saw and heard her on TV at the RNC, she struck me as a cross between Tina Fey and Sally Field. <img height="334" alt="Palin" width="250" border="0" src="http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/tgoodman/2008/08/29/sarah_palin2250x334.jpg"/> <img height="375" alt="Fey." width="250" border="0" src="http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/tgoodman/2008/08/29/tina-fey-portrait250x375.JPG"/> <img hspace="5" width="150" align="left" alt="" src="http://www.nationalpost.com/769721.bin"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=24&entry_id=29640"> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=24&entry_id=29640</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.topix.com/who/sally-field/2008/09/sarah-palin-channels-sally-field-to-republicans-you-like-me-you-really-like-me"> http://www.topix.com/who/sally-field/2008/09/sarah-palin-channels-sally-field...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/09/04/sally-field-for-vice-president.aspx"> http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/09/04/sally...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.newsobserver.com/2191/story/1207812.html"> http://www.newsobserver.com/2191/story/1207812.html</a> In fact, last Saturday's SNL rerun had Tina Fey hosting, and when veteran SNL guest Steve Martin joined her during the opening monologue. well... <img src="http://www.cbc.ca/arts/images/babymama3.jpg"/> from--coincidentaly--"Baby Mama": Tina Fey and Steve Martin <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cbc.ca/arts/images/babymama3.jpg">http://www.cbc.ca/arts/images/babymama3.jpg</a> <img src="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/16_2008/palin.jpg"/> John McCain and Sarah Palin <a rel="nofollow" href="http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/16_2008/palin.jpg">http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/10/104169/16_2008/palin.jpg</a> Of course, I'm not the only one who's seen a Palin/Fey or Palin/Field comparison. And someone else has already said she was Nana Mouskori (sic). Anyway, I set about writing a parody of "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" parody on Amiright.com, called "Sarah, You're My V.P. Now": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/porgyandbess2.shtml">http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/porgyandbess2.shtml</a> Many others have their Palin parodies, and I evaluated one and included my opinion: I actually like Palin as a person: cute, tough, feminine without being a girly-girl, a beauty pageant runner-up with five kids, who worked her way up from small-town beginnings (although she's still a big fish in a small pond), and she hunts (which doesn't seem so bad in Alaska), and she's a personable, spunky kid. She does seem like the librarian who could "let her hair down"! I also like that she's a woman of faith who doesn't seem holier-than-thou; after all, she didn't toss out her kid who got pregnant! I'm tempted to vote for her--almost. However, her disparaging remarks about community organizers show me that she doesn't understand big-city--or even suburban--politics, and doesn't care to. Now those quips coming from Palin are understandable, because they're outside her experience. But from Rudy Giuliani?! My God--the former mayor of a big city shows contempt for community organizers, and by extension, those whom they represent? Shows where he is. I'm happy to say I never voted for the guy. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/traditional1584.shtml">http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/traditional1584.shtml</a> Now today I was musing on Palin as Barbie: I was telling my sister on Sunday that, win or lose, `Sarah Palin dolls would sell. The next day on TV, I saw Sarah Palin action figures on sale, though with lower-cut hemlines than I thought appropriate for her: <img src="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20080910/000802ab80180a3186b404.jpg"/> Not exactly Emma Peel, is it? <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20080910/000802ab80180a3186b404.jpg"> http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20080910/000802ab80180a3186b404.jpg</a> Sarah Palin is Barbie. This isn't an insult. Barbie is not an empty-headed bimbo, oh no. She's been an Olympic athlete, an astronaut, a veterinarian, a teacher, a bridesmaid, a bride, a fashion designer, and even a candidate for President of the United States. Barbie has even been Eliza Doolittle, Scarlett O'Hara, and several ethnicities from around the globe. <img border="0" src="http://i22.ebayimg.com/08/i/001/09/75/7d0a_1.JPG"/> <img border="0" src="http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/0b/08/33da_1.JPG"/> <img border="0" src="http://i2.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/f0/ca/b140_1.JPG"/> <img border="0" src="http://i24.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/0a/0e/dcc1_1.JPG"/> images from eBay.com Although Palin hasn't been a Mexican or been to outer space, she comes across as an adventurous jill-of-all-trades. She's a beauty contestant, a hunter, a city council member (?), a mayor, a governor, and wife and mother of five. Palin has applied her tenacity and intelligence to a variety of roles. She's pretty, spunky, multi-faceted, and multitalented. She's Barbie come true. Unfortunately, this Barbie rides the elephant. It's wonderful to see that a woman can do ultrafeminine things like a beauty pageant and marriage and motherhood, while persuing erstwhile gender-crossing activities like hunting and governing. I like Palin as a person. If this were high school, I might want to be her friend or her "frenemy", butting heads with her. I'm not sure I'd want her governing me. I might not mind having her on my committee or joining the cast of The View. She lacks the toxicity of Phyllis Schafly or Ann Coulter, the latter being a Barbie doll (for looks alone) with poison. However, Palin did make those "community organizer" cracks along with Giuliani, highlighting one of my main fears of the Republicans: dismissing the powerless, especially the powerless of color. Palin may have some of the same bullying qualities as Giuliani or Democrat Eliot Spitzer. I suspect she's a Reagan admirer, and I couldn't stand him. Also, in the wake of the Reagan and especially Bush II administations, I just don't trust the Repubs to look after the good of this country. They've proven other these last eight years that they'll put corporate profits over the well-being of the average worker--not even the poor and downtrodden, but the average worker, therefore adding to the ranks of the poor and downtrodden. Perhaps McCain-Palin would care more about the average Joe and Jane than the Reagans and Bushes (and Roves and Rumsfelds) of the Republican Party. But I just can't trust that. Obama, as a community organizer, has proven that he will use his "elite education" not only for himself and for rich companions, but for the poorest of the poor. If the Repubs had said, "He doesn't have enough experience," I could understand that. But they behaved as if taking an Ivy League education and applying it to the poor as a community organizer is laughable. They called his accomplishments not "Not Enough", but "Zero". That dismissive attitude scares me. It's too Bushy. Obama has my vote. Hmm...I know there are some Obama dolls already. One of them looked like Al Roker! BTW. someone on eBay has customized the dark-haired 2008 Barbie for President: <img alt="" src="http://spectre-studios.com/100_2894.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ooak-Vice-President-Sarah-Palin-Barbie-doll-custom_W0QQitemZ330268693567QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330268693567&_trkparms=72%3A1163%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"> http://cgi.ebay.com/ooak-Vice-President-Sarah-Palin-Barbie-doll-custom_W0QQitemZ330268693567QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330268693567&_trkparms=72%3A1163%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14</a> More articles: Palin comparison ... GOP VP choice looks like a bunch of TV characters P osted Sep 1st 2008 5:25PM by <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tvsquad.com/bloggers/allison-waldman"> Allison Waldman</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/09/01/palin-comparison-gop-vp-choice-looks-like-a-bunch-of-tv-charac"> http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/09/01/palin-comparison-gop-vp-choice-looks-like-a-bunch-of-tv-charac</a> <a rel="nofollow" title="SHANNYN MOORE: JUST A GIRL FROM HOMER" href="http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/"> </a><a rel="nofollow" title="SHANNYN MOORE: JUST A GIRL FROM HOMER" href="http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/"> SHANNYN MOORE: JUST A GIRL FROM HOMER</a> Painting a Red State BLUE, one stroke at a time…. <a rel="nofollow" title="Permalink to The Selling, Buying and Processing of Sarah Palin" href="http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/the-selling-buying-and-processing-of-sarah-palin/"> The Selling, Buying and Processing of Sarah Palin</a> September 4, 2008 – 9:01 pm <a rel="nofollow" href="http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/the-selling-buying-and-processing-of-sarah-palin/"> http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/the-selling-buying-and-processing-of-sarah-palin/</a> 
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TITLE: Workforce1 to Workforce Won?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/09/08 06:28 pm
STATUS: publish
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Recently I registered with the NYS Dept of Labor's Workforce1 in Jamaica. Sunday afternoon Becky took me clothes shopping in a Lane Bryant in the Queens Center Mall which is closing down. Yesterday and today I was in interviewing workshops. Now for the past several months I've been quite weepy at times, and I was crying all the way to the workshop (someone on the E train gave me a pack of tissues), and even wept a little in the workshop. We were paired off to do interviews. I had this one guy, Ted, who's a technical expert, but had some posture trouble. I won't go into much detail, but I found myself coaching him on facing a person head-on to the best of his ability. It's not that I learned something new from that, but I remembered something I'd forgotten: that I love to bring out the best in people and show them how to express themselves and how to organize, to a degree, what they're presenting. On the way in I was reading a QCC Continuing Ed brochure which featured teaching GED. Now why couldn't I do that? The couple of times I've asked about it, I found my way blocked. Thursday I have the Advanced Resume workshop. They also have a workshop in personal assessment, or whatever it's called, about helping you find a career path. I know I want to be a writer, be involved in theater, and be involved in education--probably in that order. What I need to figure out are the specifics, and then the inroads. 
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TITLE: Fringing with the Master of Time
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/20/08 07:44 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefT7qqxIDW0ApZyjzbkF/SIG=12bhhqkc6/EXP=1219361915/**http%3A//www.womanrock.com/features/images/laura_nyro.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.womanrock.com/features/images/laura_nyro.jpg">http://www.womanrock.com/features/images/laura_nyro.jpg</a> Well, I've been going through my third go-round of summer reviews for nytheatre.com, the highlight being the annual International New York Fringe Festival. Due to a bunch of personal upheavals concerning my utilities and threatened cutoffs (and I did lose my outgoing phone service for a few days), my reviews were delayed. I just finished the last one, Piccola Cosi. That show's abrupt ending Sunday afternoon rattled me. That evening I was on the Internet trying to finish previous reviews, and listening to Laura Nyro on YouTube. I'm listening to her now. Here's an excerpt of what I wrote in my notebook Sunday afternoon--not as review, but as reflection and reaction: 8-17-08 approx. 2:30pm The show seemed to end in the middle of a rape and a marriage proposal--from two different men at parallel times. In a strange place she felt freee enough to do what she wanted to do--or try: sing jazz. And she found herself the target of predatory men. But that's not what she said. She'd been the shy girl who never had a boyfriend, but here quite a few men--some of them jazz musicians--wanted to kiss her, feel her, make love to her, or force themselves upon her. She was a virgin. And an artist. And a student. And a young person in a strange place. Some twenty minutes after the show ended, I was crying. What is it with men? Either they don't want you or they are all over you. It's never just, Hey I'm interested, I like you, I want to spend time with you, I want to get to know you. It's either I want you now or I won't want you around. If I'd had enough money I would have sat in the Starbucks and stuffed this down. I almost entered the Spring Street subway station but I couldn't let myself. I thought of going to Fringe Central but the M6 bus driver thought I wanted to go to Tenth Street, when I had asked about Broadway and Prince Street. (Prince Street was two or three blocks away, but not Broadway.) So here I am at Bryant Park, sitting in the shade at a green metal table, weeping. Where is life? Is it in singing in jazz clubs feeling all sexy and vulnerable and communicative, and attracting guys who want to eventually take you? Is it the husband and 2.3 kids and the picket fence? Either of those things could lead to deadly dullness and numbness. Life is where joy is. It's in challenge and learning and accomplishment and connection. Some parts of me are just plain dead. I'm sexually starving and don't dare feed on anyone but me, or to let anyone feed on me--not that... I was about to say "not that anyone would want to", but didn't that neighbor of mine say "I want you" to me two weeks ago, and I refused? I want a place where I can feed safely, where it's mine all mine. And I don't think I'll get that in this life. At least not sexually. I'm emotionally wounded. Here is more hope for recovery. and even a clear way of how to do it. Love. God. Friends. Improvement. Forgiveness. Outreach. Insight. Input. I will never be unwounded in this life, but I can be more that just wounded. That was the mistake my mother made in her final years. She was little beyond a nonwalking wound. Success: artistry and gain. Career. Vocation. Avocation. Artistry: well, artistic drive and passion I have in abundance. I have a lot to say and a lot to explore. I have works in completed draft, works in thought, works interrupted, works produced. I may not have enough skill. Oh, I have more skill than the average person, but do I have as much skill as the average successful person. Skill is not the same as purpose. I lack connection. Or I don't know how to use the connections I have. Or I or my works are not appealing enough, or they're too scary, too challenging. Or is that a lie I tell myself? Anyway, I have four reviews to write. One is due today, and one is overdue. And I have so little money to work with! And I'm tired. I still have a gaping wound inside me, and I still want to stuff some food into it. Well, if a show can move me to tears because of the weird place where it ended, and because it dealt with artistry and passion + musicianship + sexuality + daring + risk + danger--isn't that the heart of why theater exists? To touch us to move us to challenge us, and in an entertaining, amusing way? Well, I said I would write an excerpt, but I wrote the whole thing. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/BryantPark.agr.JPG"><img height="600" alt="Image:BryantPark.agr.JPG" width="800" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/BryantPark.agr.JPG/800px-BryantPark.agr.JPG"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BryantPark.agr.JPG">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BryantPark.agr.JPG</a> 
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TITLE: MAD's turn: Alfred E. Obama
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/10/08 05:45 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/9700.jpg?mgI6QYoCuSnQbMnp" width="258" height="333">Well, MAD has stepped into the political satire cover fray, but not as I expected--at least not yet. This cover on the latest MAD is probably not a reaction to the New Yorker cover, but was probably planned before the New Yorker's cover was released. Usually when MAD does a political candidate on its cover, it provides an alternative cover of the other candidate either on different copies of the same issue, or on the back cover, or at least on the inside. Why not this time? Well, MAD may not have provided an alternate McCain cover, but there are two different movie poster spoofs inside: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/04/Mad%20Obama.html"><img height="323" width="250" alt="Mad Obama.jpg" src="http://blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/04/Mad%20Obama-thumb-250x323.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/04/Mad%20McCain.html"><img height="323" width="250" alt="Mad McCain.jpg" src="http://blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/04/Mad%20McCain-thumb-250x323.jpg"/></a> Ah, equal time! Sources for pics: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/mads_obama_and_mccain_the_movi.html"> http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/mads_obama_and_mccain_the_movi.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-mad-magazine-is-here.html"> http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-mad-magazine-is-here.html</a> Y'know, I remember years ago seeing on the subway a dark-skinned guy--maybe Asian Indian or some kind of Indonesian--who looked like Alfred E. Neuman! Really: freckles, ears sticking out, even, I think, the grin! 
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TITLE: Floria Tosca en ingles
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/04/08 01:06 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/566d.jpg?mgI6QYoChR5mDClI" width="333" height="333"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://toscasprism.com/">http://toscasprism.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Toscas-Prism-Moments-Western-Cultural/dp/1555536166/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217868951&sr=1-2"> http://www.amazon.com/Toscas-Prism-Moments-Western-Cultural/dp/1555536166/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217868951&sr=1-2</a> If I knew how to say "in English" in Italian rather than in Spanish, I would have done so. I'm editing down Piper to enter into a screenwriting contest. Because of a minor character's name, I'm inspired to look up, among other things, Floria Tosca, heroine of the opera. I find a website, ToscasPrism.com, companion to a book of the same name. And one of the editors, Deborah Burton, has put online her English-language translation of Victorien Sardou's original play, La Tosca! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://toscasprism.com/">http://toscasprism.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.toscasprism.com/LaToscaACTI.pdf">http://www.toscasprism.com/LaToscaACTI.pdf</a> I've always wanted to read an English translation of the original play! Now some 15, maybe 20 years ago, I saw an Off-Off-Broadway play, Tosca 42 (or was it Tosca 44?), which updated the story to the Nazi era, where Scarpia was, of course, collaborating with the Germans. I imagine that, except for the updates for era, the plot and characters remained the same, including a teenaged manservant for Mario and a conductor for Floria, who don't appear in the opera. I also wonder if Burton has published her new translation. Maybe I should e-mail her. 
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TITLE: Titanic en espanol
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/28/08 05:30 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/ab83.jpg?mgI6QYoCqfOYeSCn" width="290" height="333"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/knolleary/83438808/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/knolleary/83438808/</a> In her book about the 45 archetypal characters, Victoria Lynn Schmidt called the 1997 movie Titanic the female Star Wars, a perfect example of a female archetypal (archetypical?) journey of descent. The Wizard of Oz is another example. Schmidt sees Rose DeWitt Bukater as a "a caged Amazon" (Artemis archetype), whereas Tami Cowden, who also uses Titanic as an in-depth story example in her book, sees Rose as a Waif who evolves into a Spunky Kid. I've seen the movie at least twice, so I thought it would be a good study to see it dubbed in Spanish when the film was shown on Channel 47 last night. I know spoken Spanish, oh, every tenth word or so. I think it's a good practice to see a movie you know--perhaps even one you don't know--in a foreign language to see how well a story is told through pictures and images. <img src="http://www.zhaba.com/kate/pics/kw/kwt7.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.zhaba.com/kate/pics/kw/kwt7.jpg">http://www.zhaba.com/kate/pics/kw/kwt7.jpg</a> 
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TITLE: And now it's MAD's turn?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/23/08 12:44 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/5f08.jpg?mgI6QYoCDfegeAS_" width="245" height="333">Vanity Fair, who had their own "issue" with Miley Cyrus recently, bravely steps into the controversial political cover fray. Let's see what MAD Magazine does with this one! <a rel="nofollow" title="Go to the Vanity Fair homepage" href="http://www.vanityfair.com/"><img alt="Vanity Fair" src="http://www.vanityfair.com/images/elements/print/vanityfair_printlogo.gif"/></a> <h5><a rel="nofollow" title="Politics and Power" href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/"> Politics and Power</a></h5> pluckArticleIds = new Array; <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/new-yorker-cover.html">Vanity Fair Covers The New Yorker</a> by <cite><a rel="nofollow" title="search site for content by Vanity Fair" href="http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/bios/vanity_fair/search?contributorName=Vanity Fair">Vanity Fair</a></cite> July 22, 2008, 12:10 PM <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vfdaily.com/politics/assets/Cover-McCain2.html"><img height="339" alt="Cover-McCain2.jpg" width="250" src="http://mtblog.vanityfair.com/online/politics/assets/Cover-McCain2-thumb-250x339.jpg"/></a>We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with our downstairs neighbors at The New Yorker. We play softball every year, compete for some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank. (You can tell the ones who are headed to the 20th floor by their Brooklyn pallor and dog-eared paperbacks.) And heaven knows we’ve published our share of scandalous images, on the cover and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/06/miley200806">otherwise</a>. So we’ve been watching the kerfuffle over <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/covers/slideshow_blittcovers">last week’s New Yorker cover</a> with a mixture of empathy and better-you-than-us relief. We had our own presidential campaign cover in the works, which explored a different facet of the Politics of Fear, but we shelved it when The New Yorker’s became the “It Girl” of the blogosphere. Now, however, in a selfless act of solidarity with our downstairs neighbors here at the Condé Nast building, we’d like to share it with you. Confidentially, of course. Illustration by Tim Bower. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/new-yorker-cover.html?printable=true&currentPage=all">http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/new-yorker-cover.html?print...</a> 
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TITLE: Fracturing the Heart of the Sunrise
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/20/08 04:46 pm
STATUS: publish
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I'm about to write a parody of Yes' "Heart of the Sunrise" for Amiright.com. I found a Youtube.com video of a teenage band from the Paul Green School of Rock SF fracturing the song. Well, they give it a good earnest effort, and the pieces are pretty good, but they drop a lot. I include this not to disparage them, but to show just how difficult a song this is: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voXa03ljZP8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voXa03ljZP8</a> And here's the original song: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-6xmcGvJHc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-6xmcGvJHc</a> I also found a video of Irene Cara's (nearly?) all-female band, Hot Caramel, rehearsing and recording "Life in the Fast Lane": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.irenecara.com/watchvideos_FastLane.html">http://www.irenecara.com/watchvideos_FastLane.html</a> 
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TITLE: Political Parody
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/14/08 02:05 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/d11d.jpg?mgI6QYoCPDFzAZfv" width="227" height="333"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Barack-Obama-illustration-provided-New-Yorker-magazine-cover-July-21-2008-issue/ss/events/pl/020807obama/s:/politico/20080714/pl_politico/11719/im:/080714/480/adbaab2dfc544d1ab4f30612a2e46cd7/;_ylt=AnpTA3JggZAramg25rz.FpvCw5R4">http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Barack-Obama-illustration-provided-New-Yorker-m...</a> I know from personal experience how hard it can be to learn to laugh at yourself if you're the constant butt of jokes. I've also learned how important it is to learn to laugh at yourself anyway. As an occasional parodist, I have something to say about the current New Yorker Obama cover. I have every intention of voting for Obama in November, and I voted for him in the primaries. I'm also very much in favor of this cover. Here's why: First of all, it's funny without being vicious (except maybe for the burning flag). Secondly, it points to the stereotypes and misfirings that the extreme right is trying to pin on the Obamas. Third, it's romantic--yes, romantic! The Obamas look very fond of each other. Fourth, this does appeal to my F-the-sytem, stick-it-in-their-face side. No, the Obamas aren't looking to destroy America or be terrorists or impose their religion on this country. They don't have to. Just being a pair of intellectual, intelligent, well-mannered Black people who are well-qualified and poised (posed) to move into the White House is enough to scare the bejeebers out of those who think America is purely white people and whitebread. (See my entry about the All-American Kid You Want to Punch in the Nose.) Among the revolutionary types, and even the pseudo-revolutionary types, this cartoon might even gain votes for Obama! It's like the story "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black". It sticks it right in the face to those who think that to be God you must be white. Or rather, to be human you must be white. I bet the editors of MAD magazine are tearing their hair out, saying, "We wish we'd done that!" Obvious solution to the cover: do a similar cover about McCain! He's sitting in the Oval Office attached to an IV machine and other life support, while appointing a viceroy to Iraq! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.newyorker.com/">http://www.newyorker.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080714/ts_alt_afp/usvoteobamamedia_080714163937">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080714/ts_alt_afp/usvoteobamamedia_080714163937</a> 
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TITLE: Kevin on Earth
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/11/08 07:12 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/3c1e.jpg?mgI6QYoCBhwdHov9" width="333" height="333">My brother Ken owned some albums by The Soft Machine, growing up. So, every now and then, the tune "Lullabye Letter" plays in my head, plus another, jazzier tune which incorporates some lyrics from Lullabye Letter. It turns out the first tune was written or co-written by bandmember Kevin Ayers, and two of his bandmates wrote the second tune, "As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still", using lyrics and perhaps some melody patterns from "Lullabye" and a second song "Why Are We Sleeping?" "Perfectly Still" talks about Kevin, and apparently it's a tribute to him after he left the band. Now that's information I can use! "Lullabye Letter": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQr0W8PD4Bg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQr0W8PD4Bg</a> "Why Are We Sleeping?": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwc_gosvQ_A">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwc_gosvQ_A</a> "As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsxLFEfb3Z4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsxLFEfb3Z4</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://sintonizate.net/musica/soft-machine/613300.html">http://sintonizate.net/musica/soft-machine/613300.html</a> Here's the same tune covered by a Japanese band, a young woman on piano singing the lead: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_r-uEgq4fw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_r-uEgq4fw</a> BTW, here's a flute quartet playing Debussy's "Golliwog's Cakewalk": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6nv-zmgrss">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6nv-zmgrss</a> As notes to myself, here's the website of FDCAC, whose classes I attended in the 1980s and early 1990s: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fdcac.org/docs/workshop.html">http://www.fdcac.org/docs/workshop.html</a> And the Queens Council on the Arts is giving out grants, particularly for Queens-based projects: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.queenscouncilarts.org/qcastatic/qcaf_artists_grants.html">http://www.queenscouncilarts.org/qcastatic/qcaf_artists_grants.html</a> Now to remind me of something else I did today, I'll put this up: <img src="http://www.virtualchocolate.com/images/cp1234-155.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/chocolatewar.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/chocolatewar.html</a> 
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TITLE: Trois mouvements perpétuels for 9 Instruments, op. 14 (1946)
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/09/08 08:00 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/10b8.jpg?mgI6QYoCsrKSAokA" width="130" height="130"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Pot-Pourri-For-Flute-And-Guitar/dp/B0000030RN/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215647161&sr=1-7">http://www.amazon.com/Pot-Pourri-For-Flute-And-Guitar/dp/B0000030RN/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215647161&sr=1-7</a> It's amazing what you can find on the Internet! I knew Poulenc's Mouvements Perpetuels on piano from one of my mom's old LPs by Oscar Levant. As an ASCAP worker circa 1990, I heard the piece on flute in the background of a commercial. All YouTube has is pianists playing it, but apparently, from what I saw on Wikipedia, Poulenc wrote it for nine instruments! Maybe that's what I heard on commercial. Anyway, I've just found an arrangement of it, on flute and guitar, through Amazon.com, at where I can hear brief samples. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Poulenc">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Poulenc</a> I've found a blog on which a musician describes his/her project, to adapt the first movement: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mmmusing.blogspot.com/2008/04/un-mouvement-perptuel.html">Un mouvement perpétuel</a> Wednesday, April 23, 2008 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mmmusing.blogspot.com/2008/04/un-mouvement-perptuel.html">http://mmmusing.blogspot.com/2008/04/un-mouvement-perptuel.html</a> I found on Amazon.com records with the tune in orchestra, violin, and of course, piano--not all, unfortunately, with listening samples. Here's an Oscar Levant CD including some of his old familiar tunes: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00004WZTJ/sr=1-10/qid=1215649121/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music&qid=1215649121&sr=1-10"><img height="240" width="240" border="0" alt="Oscar Levant" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RuGBkCXJL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Levant/dp/B00004WZTJ/ref=sr_1_10">http://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Levant/dp/B00004WZTJ/ref=sr_1_10</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/45111/Francis_Poulenc_Trois_Mouvements_perp%E9tuels">http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/45111/Francis_Poulenc_Trois_Mouvements_per...</a> 
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TITLE: A Rather Powerful Archetype
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/08/08 07:29 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/c3c7.jpg?mgI6QYoCRn86GXOB" width="105" height="150"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://wardley.org/images/graphics/kokopelli/kokoline2.gif">http://wardley.org/images/graphics/kokopelli/kokoline2.gif</a> I may have unleashed something deep in hooking onto the name Piper. What started years--decades--ago as a mere nickname has become much more. I've been fishing around on the Internet, and here's an example of what I've found: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.druidry.org/board/dhp/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12367">http://www.druidry.org/board/dhp/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12367</a> I don't want to turn this into an archetypal stereotype. However, there are shadows of the archetype(s) in the story, and a mythic element will make the story resound all the deeper. I realized a long time ago that art, sexuality, and spirituality all come from the same source in the human soul. They are all creative, communicative, and powerful. They can blend and mingle well and reflect each other well, or they can be at war with each other, depending upon both the individual and the culture in which she finds herself. I've stumbled upon the phrase "keepers of beauty", and depending upon which website you see, this can apply to either gay people or to women. It definitely doesn't apply to the typical macho man. I could say so much more, but it's too private to share here. It has to do with why one character wants another. Ten years ago I published a letter in Backstage, a theatrical trade paper, responding to an article called: Catholic League Blasts Plays: Reaches Beyond "Corpus Christi" To Slash Other Plays By Roger Armbrust Publication: <a rel="nofollow" title="BackStage: 19981002" href="http://www.allbusiness.com/backstage/19981002/4583995-1.html"> BackStage</a> Date: Friday, October 2 1998 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4584025-1.html">http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4584025-1.html</a> I was suprised to find the actual article online! Anyway, I responded with this letter, which I had copied onto one of my earlier websites. Here's what I posted online: ARTISTS AND SCHOLARS: ENEMIES OF FAITH? In the Oct. 2-8, 1998 issue of Back Stage, the theater trade magazine, was an article to which I wrote this response: I just read the article "Catholic League Blasts Plays". I'm not surprised the league's president believes "the artistic community...hates Catholicism most. The higher education community is a close second." Artists and scholars need to question, explore, probe. Religion based upon fear hates scrutiny. I say the faith that can't stand up under questioning is no faith at all. Centuries ago, actors and jesters were welcome in church events--remember miracle plays?--until actors satirized church abuses. Then theater was labeled satantic and tossed out of the church--like the Pharisees' reaction to Jesus' parable against them (Luke 20:9-19). [the parable of the tenants] Yes, sex is part of the arts/religion controversy. I believe art, sex, and spirituality have the same source in the human soul--the source of inspiration, sensitivity, passion, high aspiration. Fearful religion seeks to shackle the soul all to itself. True faith puts God first, releasing the soul to love and respect God and people without fear. Art and sex are cherished, expressed appropriately-not repressed. God is creative; so are we. The Bible endorses most arts, especially music, dance, pageantry, poetry, and fiction (parables). Sculpture and crafts helped build the Tabernacle and Temple. You could say holy communion is a living sculpture, a "performance art", of Jesus' sacrifice. Often we misuse the arts like we misuse sex, money, power, intellect--and religion. With God, we individuals each represent God differently, like rainbow colors from One Light. We are God's finest artwork. Without God, we--artists, churchgoers, politicians--misrepresent Him. 10/2/98 (Biblical references: Psalms 45, 149, 150; Exodus 25-31; II Samuel 12:1-14; II Chronicles 3-5; Luke 22:14-20) (Backstage printed this letter in late Oct. or early Nov. 1998) MNL's Thought Waves! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/index-2.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/index-2.html</a> Well, once again I'm on the Internet too long, and I neglect my laundry. But this time, at least I'm on a library computer, and it's free! Lately I've been thinking of the word "dissipation" in connection to myself. I'd better watch it! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/borolad259/34498146/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/borolad259/34498146/</a> <img height="375" width="500" alt="" src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif"/>
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TITLE: Feedback
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/07/08 08:10 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/dd96.jpg?mgI6QYoCi5JZAIQb" width="333" height="222"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wantedcowgirls.com/images/open-45.jpg">http://www.wantedcowgirls.com/images/open-45.jpg</a> I'm happy to report that one of my former teachers has read Piper and given me mostly positive feedback! He did say one of my story elements might be a bit cliche and pat, and suggested a way around it. He liked my dialogue, characters, and feeling for time and place. Here's a female-led version of "Play That Funky Music": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhLwYVwWTH4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhLwYVwWTH4</a> And a couple of handy links: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wgaeast.org/">http://www.wgaeast.org/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.copyright.gov/">http://www.copyright.gov/</a> I have this bad habit of being on the local Internet cafe longer than I should, or than I planned to. Right now I'm listening to a Youtube recording of the movie Cat Ballou. Why? I planned to be here about two hours and then go do some much-needed laundry. It's now been four or five hours, and it's eating up my money at two dollars an hour! I have work tomorrow! 
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TITLE: Gay for a Day, and Who I Am Makes A Difference
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/29/08 09:43 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefPsOWhI13oANKqjzbkF/SIG=12b5j9r5v/EXP=1214876524/**http%3A//www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/Extras/WhoIAm.gif"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/Extras/WhoIAm.gif">http://www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/Extras/WhoIAm.gif</a> Here's a letter I just fired off to my siblings and their children (slightly edited): Dear Family: Today I went to the Gay Pride Parade after church. (No, I am not gay; I went for research, and for fun.) Among the giveaways the paraders threw to the crowd was a purple ribbon with the message: WHO I AM MAKES A DIFFERENCE. I was very impressed with that message; I needed to hear it. I felt like God was telling me that who I am, indeed, makes a difference. I decided to look online for that message, and I found a video telling a story about a blue ribbon with that message. It's a great video, and I highly recommend you watch it: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/i-made-diff.php"> http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/i-made-diff.php</a> It's all about appreciation and letting people know how important they are to you. Of course you know that you are the most important people in my life, and I love you all! So, watch the video, spread the news, and think of ways you can let the people in your life know that who they are makes a difference, because... Who you are makes a difference! <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/i-made-diff.php"> http://www.inspiringthots.net/movie/i-made-diff.php</a> another version of the story: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/WhoIAm.htm"> http://www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/WhoIAm.htm</a> graphic: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/Extras/WhoIAm.gif"> http://www.trent.karoo.net/blueribbon/Extras/WhoIAm.gif</a> Love, Melanie I've also found a website dedicated to the project: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blueribbons.org/">http://www.blueribbons.org/</a> <img height="75" width="250" src="http://www.blueribbons.org/Difference%20Makers%20International_files/DMI-Logo-New-tag-may-06.jpg"/> <img height="288" width="520" src="http://www.blueribbons.org/images/bluehome_whoIam.jpg"/> I suppose the ribbons were made purple today to make them more gay-specific. I went to the first service at church, then took the subway to Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue. I sat under a tree on my white shawl and waited about an hour. At about 1:15 the "Dykes on Bikes" showed up. Another group came. Then the parade stalled. Over a half-hour. I got tired and went into the sushi place. Soon the parade got moving again. Then the rain came. In buckets. In droves. After a while the sun broke out. I went back out and viewed the parade. Most of the paraders, and the spectators, wore outfits that were normally colorful for the creative crowd in New York City, probably less startling than what you'd see at a New Orleans Mardi Gras. I saw that guy with the colorful hair and the parrot. I saw only one marching band; most floats came with disco or dance music with those on the float shimmying. One float was full of well-built white males buffed and practically in the buff--the kind of float that an ultra-right-wing group would film and display as a "typical" example of gayness. But most were full of females and males off all colors dancing and cheering. After a while it started raining again and my legs were tired, so back to the sushi place for another round of rolled raw fish. Among the giveways, besides the purple ribbon, was a "Mardi Gras" bead necklace from Diet Pepsi, with plastic Pepsi can medallion, silver beads, and tiny Diet Pepsi soda cans. I noted how more quickly I put on the corporate logo than I would put on, say, a rainbow flag. I judged, and I judged my judging. I also put on a pink terrycloth armband advertising a new gay cable network. And some fuschia beads I picked up from the street. I saw some rain-soaked T-shirts but left them alone, or rather, draped them across the railing. Tonight I wrote a letter to John Weir, novelist and QC professor, asking him to read and evaluate my script. BTW, Youtube already has a few images up from today's parade: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gay+pride+parade+New+York&search_sort=video_date_uploaded">http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gay+pride+parade+New+York&search_...</a> For the record, I should say that although I like much of the "side effects" of gayness--flamboyancy, creativity, dealing with being different--I don't like homosexuality itself. However, I like gay bashing even less. Here's an article about Pepsi and the Gay Pride Parade: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thegully.com/essays/gay_mundo2/wilke/040729_gay_pride-pepsi.html">http://www.thegully.com/essays/gay_mundo2/wilke/040729_gay_pride-pepsi.html</a> 
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TITLE: Piper...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/26/08 07:42 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/f574.jpg?mgI6QYoCwlnE5RVf" width="240" height="240">Piper Can they make beautiful music together? How many rules can one friendship break? Childhood friends form band. Female pianist desires male flutist. Okay, I've done 20 out of Viki King's 21 days! My first draft was 107 pages; the revision extended to 122! Maybe I added too much. I felt an incredibly sad feeling when I ended up on page 122 of the second-draft-plus-tweaking. This could be for several reasons, one of which is that this project is coming to an end. But it's really the ending of one phase, and the beginning of another. King wrote in her book that when one goes from A to Z, Z is not all you get; there's something beyond Z. I've listened to lots of songs on Youtube.com while working on this script. After I finished the third act "tweak", I searched on Youtube to see if anyone put King's book there. No, but I did find a video called "4 Minute Film School - Writing a Script": <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t21VNzc3jjc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t21VNzc3jjc</a> The video mentioned other sources, including: Sharks and Structure: Creating Dramatic Structure for Screenplays <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/3act/">http://www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/3act/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.celtx.com/">http://www.celtx.com/</a> (Scriptwriting Program) Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Aristotles-Poetics-Screenwriters-Storytelling-Civilization/dp/0786887400">http://www.amazon.com/Aristotles-Poetics-Screenwriters-Storytelling-Civilizat...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=KouceSpxXdcC&dq=%22aristotle's+poetics+for+screenwriters%22&pg=PP1&ots=4Qh1BITtdz&sig=znkEg-ed0yO61OwdDSUN8_Xr978&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPP1,M1">http://books.google.com/books?id=KouceSpxXdcC&dq=%22aristotle s+poetics+for+s...</a> The video mentions a handful of movies that inspired the narrator, including Cinema Paradiso and Night of the Hunter, which I've seen, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, which I haven't yet seen. My niece Leila, who's majoring in Media Studies, has the book Screenwriting for Dummies, which I believe went with her screenwriting course. A friend of hers has a video on My Space. I believe Leila has already penned something, though I haven't seen it yet. Anyway, Screenwriting for Dummies lists ten must-see films for screenwriters. I think this includes American Beauty, which I've seen perhaps twice, and The Princess Bride, which I own, and which I've seen over and over again. Anyway, my script is called Piper, and above are some taglines according to Viki King and according to Aaron Frankel's book Writing the Broadway Musical. I took Frankel's class at NYC during Fall 2003. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0306809435/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link"><img height="240" width="240" border="0" alt="Writing the Broadway Musical" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qYL%2B9ql6L._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1580650244/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link"><img height="240" width="240" border="0" alt="The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51u%2BBe4Qm8L._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1582970696/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link"><img height="240" width="240" border="0" alt="45 Master Characters" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512PGZ73VNL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg"/></a> As I was writing, I kept thinking of, though not referring to, Tami Cowden's The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes, and I wondered what types Terry and Andy could be. Today I rememberd 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, a book I borrowed from the library about two years ago. (I remembered something I read in the book really gelled with one of Pete Scazzero's sermons at the time. I think it had to do with descent, with humility, or with going deeper.) I wondered if Terry was going on the feminine journey of descent. Schmidt said Dorothy's journey in The Wizard of Oz was a perfect example of the feminine journey of descent; that's why it rang so well with audiences. I believe both books make good use of the 1990's movie Titanic. Terry would probably be an Artemis type among Schmidt's archetypes. I'm not sure what Andy would be. I don't want to say yet how they'd fall into Cowden's archetypes. Here are those author's websites: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.victorialynnschmidt.com/45MC.htm">http://www.victorialynnschmidt.com/45MC.htm</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tamicowden.com/archetypes.htm">http://www.tamicowden.com/archetypes.htm</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vikiking.com/products/book.html">http://www.vikiking.com/products/book.html</a> Here's something I'll want to look at later: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CIjH0iYjWE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CIjH0iYjWE</a> I'll need to create a list of characters. I also want to list the tunes I listened to or included in the script. And I'll need to find "experts in the field" to read the script, plus experts in music, medicine, and other fields. Here's to Piper! 
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TITLE: George Carlin goes to the comedy club in the sky (or does he?)
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/23/08 09:23 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/5ecc.jpg?mgI6QYoCYXmWUSWS" width="333" height="333">photo from amazon.com; photos below from link from georgecarlin.com <a rel="nofollow" href="http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/laughstore_2007_1040511"><img height="180" hspace="0" width="180" align="left" border="0" alt="Click to enlarge" src="http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/laughstore_2006_14404103"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/laughstore_2007_1002132"><img height="179" hspace="0" width="180" align="left" border="0" alt="Click to enlarge" src="http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/laughstore_2006_14064445"/></a> George Carlin on death: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PiZSFIVFiU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PiZSFIVFiU</a> I owned George Carlin's FM & AM when I was a teenager, and had occasion to listen to tracks of Class Clown. I saw him as Saturday Night Live's premiere guest host in 1975. The guy was hilarious, and had good insights both into politics and into the everyday details of growing up as an Irish Catholic kid in New York City. I'm not Irish Catholic, but I knew a lot of them in grade school, high school, and college. Now George's view of the afterlife are different from mine, so I'm praying that God will be very very forgiving. God bless, George! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/25.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/24.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/19.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/59.gif"/>
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TITLE: Yay! and the "All-American Kid"
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/18/08 07:31 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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I finished the second draft! That's Day 17. Days 18, 19, and 20 are the "tweak" part--one day for each "act". I'm printing out my second draft, but something's wrong with the printer. As Roseann Rosannadanna (Gilda Radner) said, "It's always something!" BTW, the printer jammed at page 77--which was right around the page where I got stuck for a week! I think there's something cosmic about that! After about 10 minutes, the script unjammed. One staff member here said, "I just have to come over here and threaten it, that's all!" BTW, while doing the revision, I remembered something Elena used to say now and then about certain kids: "The All-American kid you want to punch in the nose." Of course, I didn't understand that phrase back then as much as I do now! (And I suspect, neither would Elena.) Becky said she said that phrase, too, though I don't remember her saying it. (This was when we were children or young teenagers.) I looked up the phrase, and variations of it, and Yahoo and Google, and couldn't find it. Was this phrase unique to my family or to my neighborhood? Maybe I should ask my sisters. So now I have my script, now 115 or 116 pages depending on the caprice of MS formatting. I was hoping to find an "all-American kid" cartoon image, but mostly I found real children! Here come the images: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefgAl1lIFJIALBuJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBxbW1zMGYxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzcgR2dGlkA0kwODFfMTAz/SIG=1lephbnfj/EXP=1213917312/**http%3A//images.search.yahoo.com/images/view%3Fback=http%253A%252F%252Fimages.search.yahoo.com%252Fsearch%252Fimages%253Fei%253DUTF-8%2526p%253D%252522all%252520american%252520kid%252522%2526y%253DSearch%2526fr2%253Dtab-web%2526fr%253Dyfp-t-501%26w=344%26h=450%26imgurl=www.pagesoftheheart.net%252Fgallery%252Fdata%252F500%252F235all_american_kid.jpg%26rurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.pagesoftheheart.net%252Fgallery%252Fshowphoto.php%252Fphoto%252F25971%252Fsort%252F1%252Fcat%252Fall%252Fpage%252F2%26size=51.6kB%26name=235all_american_kid.jpg%26p=%2522all%2Bamerican%2Bkid%2522%26type=JPG%26oid=bce966b3ff390afc%26no=1%26sigr=12mif86d6%26sigi=120gjui65%26sigb=13kbjk8ta&tt=66"><img title="http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/25971/sort/1/cat/all/page/2" height="140" width="107" alt="Go to fullsize image" src="http://re3.yt-thm-a01.yimg.com/image/25/m2/2214900761"/></a> formerly on pagesoftheheart.com <img src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/340000/images/_342726_anakin150.jpg"/>I never really liked Jake Lloyd, although Eric Lloyd is pretty cool. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/340000/images/_342726_anakin150.jpg">http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/340000/images/_342726_anakin150.jpg</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefaBl1lIosIAP7OJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTByaW4yYmx2BHBvcwMxNwRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANJMDgxXzEwMw--/SIG=1kagr80i8/EXP=1213917441/**http%3A//images.search.yahoo.com/images/view%3Fback=http%253A%252F%252Fimages.search.yahoo.com%252Fsearch%252Fimages%253Fei%253DUTF-8%2526p%253D%252522all%252520american%252520kid%252522%2526y%253DSearch%2526fr2%253Dtab-web%2526fr%253Dyfp-t-501%26w=650%26h=456%26imgurl=www.chloelexi.com%252Fbedding%252Fimages%252Fnormal%252Fallamericankid%252Fallamericankidwhite_big.jpg%26rurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.chloelexi.com%252Fbedding%252Fallamericankidset.html%26size=66.6kB%26name=allamericankidwhite_big.jpg%26p=%2522all%2Bamerican%2Bkid%2522%26type=JPG%26oid=e051b94cd1508e06%26no=17%26sigr=11npf7ttk%26sigi=12itin33v%26sigb=13kbjk8ta&tt=66"><img title="http://www.chloelexi.com/bedding/allamericankidset.html" height="105" width="150" alt="Go to fullsize image" src="http://re3.yt-thm-a01.yimg.com/image/25/m5/3165180759"/></a>"All-American Kid" bedding from Chloe's Kids. Hmm, this is pretty cool! <img alt="Betsy and Steve" src="http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/parentsteachers/program/img/char_betsy_and_steve.gif"/> Betsy and Steve Steve is an impetuous, spirited, and athletic all-American kid. Betsy is Steve's spunky and clever younger sister. They're not quite sure how to take George, but they know they can count on him to spice up the neighborhood. From Curious George, pbskids.org. <img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefNfmFlItP0ApzWjzbkF/SIG=1293379ut/EXP=1213917663/**http%3A//www.baby-cakes.com/images/allamericankidlg.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.baby-cakes.com/images/allamericankidlg.jpg">http://www.baby-cakes.com/images/allamericankidlg.jpg</a> <img src="http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/bmz_cache/a/a66ceb7bdd346384aad3f281af974759.image.200x200.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/bmz_cache/a/a66ceb7bdd346384aad3f281af974759.image.200x200.jpg">http://digitalscrapbookpages.com/digitals/bmz_cache/a/a66ceb7bdd346384aad3f28...</a> <img src="http://forwardmktginc.com/images/100_Sticker_-_All_American_Kid.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://forwardmktginc.com/images/100_Sticker_-_All_American_Kid.jpg">http://forwardmktginc.com/images/100_Sticker_-_All_American_Kid.jpg</a> Y'know, of all the "All-American Kid" images I saw of real children, all of them were white, and Nordic, light-haired, Germany-and-north kids at that. Quite a few parents have put photos of their all-American kids in frames surrounded by stars and stripes and red, white, and blue. Now I have a small American flag flying outside my house right now. But, not surprisingly, no blacks, no Asians, no Native Americans, no Middle Easterners, no Hispanics (that I could tell), not even any Mediterranean whites, were among the "all-American kids". People of color and off-whites just don't go for super-patriotism on the whole. I'm amazed that many "ultra-white" people can't begin to understand, or even want to understand, why we of the darker hues are not as proud nor as "rose-colored glasses" about this country. Many of us love it, but we don't love it blindly, because oftentimes it hasn't loved us well, or at all. Maybe one day people will think of, or include, the image of the "all-American kid" as a child who looks like a blend of all Americans. 
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TITLE: Getting unstuck...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/16/08 10:02 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://www.crystalsrocksandgems.com/images/AquamarineRings2312.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.crystalsrocksandgems.com/images/AquamarineRings2312.jpg">http://www.crystalsrocksandgems.com/images/AquamarineRings2312.jpg</a> <img width="300" align="right" src="http://www.limogesjewelry.com/products/L660317477L.gif"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.limogesjewelry.com/Custom.asp?productid=6603&srccd=OTC-mercshopzil...">http://www.limogesjewelry.com/Custom.asp?productid=6603&srccd=OTC-mercshopzil...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.limogesjewelry.com/Custom.asp?productid=6603&srccd=OTC-mercshopzilla&mr:referralID=af303e54-3c0f-11dd-990b-000423bb4e79"></a> <img height="325" width="325" align="left" border="0" title="" alt="" src="http://www.diamondocean.com/prod_imgs/big/MGR000199W.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.diamondocean.com/detail.php?pid=2018&mpid=1">http://www.diamondocean.com/detail.php?pid=2018&mpid=1</a> By now you must realize that I've been posting here images of things that are in my script. I was stuck on Day 15 of King's book for about a week now, unable to move forward in computer (although I did read and make notes and write execises in longhand at home). I was also stuck on my Single Black Female review. Last night, or today, I played my tutoring tricks on myself. "What's the most important thing you want to say in ths review? What are some other important things? Write them down? List them. Then write into the spaces underneath them." I did that more or less on the computer this afternoon, tranferring my work onto MS Word. In the middle somewhere, somehow, I had my breakthrough and the words flowed. I submitted my review around 6pm. Then I went to my script and wrote--revised--from about page 79 to 100, reading the appropriate chapters--Day 15 and Day 16--along the way. Tomorrow I'll do the final pages, Day 18. Days 19, 20, and 21 are "tweaking" days. I've been here since just after 2pm. It's almost 10pm now. At $2 an hour, that's $16 plus printouts. Ouch! I've printed pages 79-100 at 16 pages per page, which should be only 2pages, just to remind myself to print out again later. 
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TITLE: Saint Tarcisius, boy martyr
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/12/08 06:52 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6ca5.jpg?mgI6QYoCoAM6Y_p4" width="222" height="333"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/Saint%20Tarcisius%20Costume.jpg">http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/Saint%20Tarcisius%20Costume.jpg</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/Catholic_Children's_Costumes.htm"> http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/Catholic_Children's_Costumes.htm</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_UBfu7De7oTk/RykWWd9BxtI/AAAAAAAAAG8/n41ZkhipF74/s1600-h/St+Tarcisius.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_UBfu7De7oTk/RykWWd9BxtI/AAAAAAAAAG8/n41ZkhipF74/s320/St+Tarcisius.jpg"/></a> Pronounced tar-SIH-shus, this was a Roman boy who carried Jesus in the Eucharist to the condemned Christians under the noses of the Roman guards. When caught, he died rather than allow the Eucharist to be profaned. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://zoomtimes.blogspot.com/2007/10/s-tarcisius.html">http://zoomtimes.blogspot.com/2007/10/s-tarcisius.html</a> <table border="0"> <tr> <td> ST. TARCISIUS </td></tr> <tr> <td> Tarcisius was a twelve-year-old acolyte during one of the fierce Roman persecutions of the third century, probably during that of Valerian. Each day, from a secret meeting place in the catacombs where Christians gathered for Mass, a deacon would be sent to the prisons to carry the Eucharist to those Christians condemned to die. At one point, there was no deacon to send and so St. Tarcisius, an acolyte, was sent carrying the "Holy Mysteries" to those in prison. On the way, he was stopped by boys his own age who were not Christians but knew him as a playmate and lover of games. He was asked to join their games, but this time he refused and the crowd of boys noticed that he was carrying something. Somehow, he was also recognized as a Christian, and the small gang of boys, anxious to view the Christian "Mysteries," became a mob and turned upon Tarcisius with fury. He went down under the blows, and it is believed that a fellow Christian drove off the mob and rescued the young acolyte. The mangled body of Tarcisius was carried back to the catacombs, but the boy died on the way from his injuries. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus, and his relics are claimed by the church of San Silvestro in Capite. In the fourth century, Pope St. Damasus wrote a poem about this "boy-martyr of the Eucharist" and says that, like another St. Stephen, he suffered a violent death at the hands of a mob rather than give up the Sacred Body to "raging dogs." His story became well known when Cardinal Wiseman made it a part of his novel Fabiola, in which the story of the young acolyte is dramatized and a very moving account given of his martyrdom and death.</td></tr></table> from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/tarcis.htm">http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/tarcis.htm</a> <img hspace="5" align="left" vspace="5" border="1" src="http://www.ministranten.be/images/tarcisius.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ministranten.be/tarcis.html">http://www.ministranten.be/tarcis.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/true-stories3.htm">http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/true-stories3.htm</a> Three more images: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=72734&c=111375&i=231851727"><img height="253" width="195" border="0" src="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/saint_therese_costume.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=72734&c=111375&i=235663396"><img height="215" width="148" border="0" src="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/saint%20joan%20of%20arc.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=72734&c=111375&i=195273466"><img height="238" width="130" border="0" src="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/images/kateri.jpg"/></a> Therese of Lisieux, Joan of Arc, and Kateri Tekakwitha, an early American Mohawk. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/Catholic_Children's_Costumes.htm">http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/Catholic_Children's_Costumes.htm</a> 
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TITLE: Hallmarky moments in "Chocolate"--and Hot Vanilla
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/12/08 05:38 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/3380.jpg?mgI6QYoCmIpjD9r1" width="175" height="201"><img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefNJk1FIrJYAWAajzbkF/SIG=13cpka37n/EXP=1213392073/**http%3A//www.scrapbook-bytes.com/gallery/data/9408/11530DebF_ChocolateValentine_sample.jpg"/>Isn't this beautiful? <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/gallery/data/9408/11530DebF_ChocolateValentine_sample.jpg">http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/gallery/data/9408/11530DebF_ChocolateValentine...</a> <img src="http://images.google.com/url?q=http://www.itsablackthang.com/images/African-American-Exp/AAE-MD21-L.jpg&usg=AFQjCNHZJF7mxNk3aR1cNZytKAIBcBZFJw"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.itsablackthang.com/images/African-American-Exp/AAE-MD21-L.jpg">http://www.itsablackthang.com/images/African-American-Exp/AAE-MD21-L.jpg</a> Now I wanted to upload a Hot Vanilla picture, but the search engine warned me that some results might be pornographic! So I had to do some searching site-by-site, and found this: <img height="201" width="175" align="left" alt="Hot Vanilla" src="http://familyfun.go.com/Resources/Cookbook/FeatureRecipeImages/1207_hotvanilla.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50502">http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50502</a> <a rel="nofollow" title="pic0" href="http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/gallery.php?rid=97376"><img src="http://img.recipezaar.com/img/recipes/97/37/6/small/picGbK5M9.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.recipezaar.com/97376">http://www.recipezaar.com/97376</a> <a rel="nofollow" title="pic0" href="http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/gallery.php?rid=197195"><img src="http://img.recipezaar.com/img/recipes/19/71/95/small/picmDU3y0.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.recipezaar.com/197195">http://www.recipezaar.com/197195</a> Hey, I'm supposed to be writing a review of an Off-Off-Broadway show, Single Black Female! 
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TITLE: Ravenswood and Queensbridge
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/11/08 08:54 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/10c4.jpg?mgI6QYoCy0BxhTi8" width="333" height="220"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggoapa/2784574/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/oggoapa/2784574/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjamin_harrison/421518605/"> http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjamin_harrison/421518605/</a> I spend most of my childhood in the Ravenswood Projects of Long Island City, Queens (though Mom had written Astoria as our address), and my first year in the Queensbridge Projects. Now I did go by the old neighborhood--Ravenswood--last summer, going to a showing of a couple of films about music in the Socrates Park on the East River, which, to my knowledge, hadn't been there when I was growing up. Today one of my co-workers mentioned she'd taught at PS 111 for 29 years, starting in 1979. My brother went there in the 1950's and 60's; my sister and I went to the now-defunct St. Mary's School in LIC. PS 111 has generally been known as a failing school for about three decades, though there may have been recent efforts to pull it up. About ten years ago, I heard a bull from a traveling rodeo escaped, entered the Ravenswood projects, and got shot by cops there. Over the past couple of decades, Queensbridge, seen as the worse of the two housing projects, has spawned several well-known rap artists, including NBA-er Ron Artest. My co-worker quoted some well-known local line saying the 'Woods were better than the 'Bridge. Yet the 'Bridge gets more press. Even Wikipedia's profile of Queensbridge is much longer than Ravenswood's. I guess it's the "squeaky wheel" thing. Here's a quote from the Wikipedia article: <a rel="nofollow" title="Queensbridge Houses as seen from the Queensboro Bridge." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Queensbridge_Houses.jpg"><img height="300" width="400" border="0" alt="Queensbridge Houses as seen from the Queensboro Bridge." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/de/Queensbridge_Houses.jpg/400px-Queensbridge_Houses.jpg"/></a> During the 1950s, the management changed the racial balance of Queensbridge by transferring all families whose income was more than $3,000/year, a majority of whom were <a rel="nofollow" title="White (people)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_%28people%29"> Caucasian</a> , to middle-income housing projects, and replacing most of these tenants with <a rel="nofollow" title="African American" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American"> African American</a> and <a rel="nofollow" title="Latino" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latino"> Latino</a> families. While this policy provided safe and sanitary housing to many low income African American and Latino families, it also resulted in racially motivated conflict between their children. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensbridge">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensbridge</a> I suppose that's what happened to my family: we got caught up in the $3,000+ move circa 1957. Recently, Becky said it was no accident that the Afr-Am families such as ours--that is, better educated, with better potential for financial or career success--were placed in the Ravenswood projects. I'll add, we may have also been the families with more lighter-skinned members. Among those grown-up children of those families today are medical doctors and teachers. More from Wikipedia: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenswood%2C_Queens">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenswood%2C_Queens</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_City">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_City</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria%2C_Queens">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria%2C_Queens</a> I've found a couple of websites defending Queensbridge's honor: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.queensbridgetheotherside.com/">http://www.queensbridgetheotherside.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.queensbridge.us/">http://www.queensbridge.us/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://maynovproductions.spaces.live.com/">http://maynovproductions.spaces.live.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4540">http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4540</a> In contrast, I've seen only a few shots of the Ravenswood Houses. Some sites mention Ravenswood as all that area between Long Island City (Queensbridge and south) and Astoria, and show phots of the neighborhood near, but not in, the projects. Some confuse the tall Queensview co-ops with the Ravenswood houses, only six stories tall. Forgotten New York shows Ravenswood without the projects: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/ravenswood/ravens.html">http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/ravenswood/ravens.html</a> Here's a rapper from Ravenswood, and he has a cut called "Queens Anthem": <img src="http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/files/itsnotarumor.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/mixtape-directory">http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/mixtape-directory</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/dj-whoo-kid-a-pinks-its-not-a-rumor">http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/dj-whoo-kid-a-pinks-its-not-a-rumor</a> Here are more websites mentioning Ravenswood: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sorabji.com/2002/december/9/">http://www.sorabji.com/2002/december/9/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ravenswoodihad.org/">http://www.ravenswoodihad.org/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/developments/queensravenwood.shtml">http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/developments/queensravenwood.shtml</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/newsletter/mar06_deb_diary.html">http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/newsletter/mar06_deb_diary.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=10813">http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign....</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.longislandexchange.com/brooklynqueens/ravenswood.html">http://www.longislandexchange.com/brooklynqueens/ravenswood.html</a> Now as for my current neighborhood of Corona, Queens, Forgotten New York as a page full of photos of sites that I see almost every day: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/corona/corona.html">http://www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/corona/corona.html</a> I'm very tired. I saw a play last night whose review will be due tomorrow or the next day. Meanwhile my script stays at standstill, though I keep reviewing chapters of the book and making notes on the first draft copy. Does this neighborhood talk have anything to do with my script? Well...let's just say I'm thinking of asking my co-worker to "vet" it! Hey! I found a picture of the corner which has the old (and current) Q103 bus stop I'd get off on my way home! I remember that restaurant! Maybe the management has changed but it's the same location! Too bad you can't see a marker for the bus stop itself! Scroll down: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/lic/ravenswood/vernonblvd/">http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/lic/ravenswood/vernonblvd/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/lic/ravenswood/vernonblvd/5136av.jpg">http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/lic/ravenswood/vernonblvd/51...</a> Actually, I think I do see the bus stop pole, but the sign is missing! 
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TITLE: I seem to be stuck...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/10/08 05:09 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6170.jpg?mgI6QYoCXrYnSi8A" width="214" height="333">photo: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://aidsquilt.org/store/index.html"> http://aidsquilt.org/store/index.html</a> I came as far as about page 79 on my rewrite and for about three days I haven't gone forward. There are several factors here: 1) I'm very low on money; 2) I'm very low on time, as we're doing a critical thinking workshop at my job and that leaves less "down time"; 3) today I'm reviewing a play in the Times Square area at 8pm and I should leave here no later that 5:30pm. It's nearly 5pm now. I spent most of yesterday evening transferring the script to a floppy disc and correcting the formatting that got skewered in cutting and pasting from script to e-mail. You see, the computers at the Internet cafe in my neighborhood sometimes get very slow. One was so slow it just would not upload the script as attachment to my e-mail. So I'd cut-and-paste that day's work and sent to my Yahoo accounts. One account preserved my typesetting but messed up the formatting; the other did the opposite. Everything may be cool now except that now I have a problem of Word 2007 versus Word 2003... Also, it's a difficult part of the script now, where deaths are setting in. Also I'm concerned of the logistics of the time period: what was possible, what wasn't. I can't really let that get in my way until the "tweaking" stage (Day 20 or so), or even beyond. So, it's a tough bump interfering with the 21-day schedule. I'll get this done. I just have to negotiate this bump. At this point I'm using audio rather than visual aid. I write down old song titles that come to mind, and listen to them on YouTube. Here's one: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0eWPqgshQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe0eWPqgshQ</a> Maybe in a few days I'll list and link the songs. Why the AIDS Quilt reference in the photo above? Why not? 
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TITLE: First draft done!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/02/08 09:51 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/85f0.jpg?mgI6QYoCGUITJ123" width="333" height="250"><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif"/>Congratulate me! I've finished the first draft of my new screenplay, following Viki King's book How to Write a Movie in 21 Days. I finished the draft Saturday. Sunday Becky and I attended a membership meeting at church, and also visited our sister Elena. Before the meeting, I had her treat me to a hot fudge sundae at IHOP in Jackson Heights. This morning, after putting out the garbage and doing some weeding, I spotted one of my old diaries from 1992. That was a tough year, with plenty of deaths, including that of Tom Brown, a composer who'd worked at the Tape Department of ASCAP, and my 101-year-old grandmother. I also found out about the death of a childhood friend three years before. So I read over the diary, and also looked at an entry from early 1980. Then, following the instructions of the King book, I read the script. I'm thinking of e-mailing Ms. King telling her what it's like to adapt her typing instructions to the computer. I wonder if she has updated the book with such info. Much involved in the stoyr of the 1992 diary was Tommy Femia, who was also working for ASCAP at the time, and has since become a local celebrity impersonating Judy Garland. I looked for his website at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tommyfemia.com">www.tommyfemia.com</a>, but it's disappeared. I hope he hasn't! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/11.gif"/> addendum: <img src="http://bluebuddies.com/gallery/Super_Smurfs/jpg/40229_Piano_Smurf.jpg"/> I added the Smurf pictures because I added them in them middle of the script! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://bluebuddies.com/Smurfs_Promo_Smurfs-16.htm">http://bluebuddies.com/Smurfs_Promo_Smurfs-16.htm</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://bluebuddies.com/gallery/Super_Smurfs/jpg/40229_Piano_Smurf.jpg">http://bluebuddies.com/gallery/Super_Smurfs/jpg/40229_Piano_Smurf.jpg</a> Two more: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blueimps.com/z20204var.html"><img height="120" width="120" border="0" alt="Click Here" src="http://www.blueimps.com/images/photos/RegularSmurfs/20204_flutesmurfette_small.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blueimps.com/normalsmurfs201to418.html">http://www.blueimps.com/normalsmurfs201to418.html</a> <img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTbx.avkVIQ5cAxcijzbkF/SIG=135n57oaq/EXP=1212616730/**http%3A//www.blueimps.com/images/photos/individualsmurfs/20048flautistvar1compa.jpg"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blueimps.com/images/photos/individualsmurfs/20048flautistvar1compa.jpg">http://www.blueimps.com/images/photos/individualsmurfs/20048flautistvar1compa...</a> 
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TITLE: Ten Years Later--I Miss Phil Hartman
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/28/08 02:28 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/eb89.jpg?mgI6QYoC6wDx2t.u" width="180" height="192">(As much as I hate the New York Post, I can't find online the Daily News front page of 10 years ago that blared the news SATURDAY NIGHT CURSE: COMIC PHIL HARTMAN SLAIN BY WIFE, so for now I'll use the NY Post headline. Found at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/8135/hartman.html">http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/8135/hartman.html</a> ) <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/2.gif"/> Today, May 28, 2008, marks ten years since Brynn Omdahl Hartman fatally shot her famous husband Phil Hartman in his sleep, then a few hour later shot herself to death. <img height="293" width="478" border="0" src="http://www.jimandkelly.com/images/Hartmanstone.jpg"/><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.jimandkelly.com/hartman.htm"> http://www.jimandkelly.com/hartman.htm</a> This gravestone photo was taken "at an undisclosed location" by Jim Van Schaick. Now, Phil was cremated at his ashes scattered off Catalina Island off the California coast; I don't know what happened to Brynn's body. So, maybe Catalina is the "undisclosed location". And tomorrow marks the ten anniversary of the day I first entered the Internet--precisely to find out more about Phil's murder, and about Phil himself. What I learned about him--his grace and humility, as well as the scope of his talent, particularly in voice characterizations--inspired me to keep pursuing theater and to go to graduate school. Now I have an MA in English-Creative Writing (drama/playwriting concentration), and I've been in several community theater productions, and had one of my plays produced Off-Off-Broadway in the Fringe Festival, albeit to mostly horrible reviews. How Phil inspired me: he showed that you could be a decent person even in show business. It seems most of the press, compared to Sinatra's tenth annivesary two weeks ago, have largely ignored Phil, except for a bried "This Day in History" mention, such as: Ten years ago: Pakistan matched India with five nuclear test blasts of its own, raising fears of a nuclear arms race. Comic actor Phil Hartman of "Saturday Night Live" and "NewsRadio" fame was shot to death at his home in Encino, Calif., by his wife, Brynn, who then killed herself. California astronomer Susan Terebey announced she had photographed what may be a planet some 450 light years from Earth. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_to_in_hi/history_2"> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_to_in_hi/history_2</a> However, the Brantford Expositor, newspaper of his birthtown in Ontario, Canada, has run a couple of articles: one about his impact as seen on the Internet, and one with recollection from his sister Nancy (whom I'd had contact with that first year) and another sibling. I was going to copy the first article here, but since I'm writing so much, I'll just provide the link. After death, Hartman's fame grows Posted By Susan Gamble <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1041030">http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1041030</a> Two of Brantford-born comic legend Phil Hartman's siblings share their memories, on the 10th anniversary of his death <h4> Posted By Joel Tansey <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1041064">http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1041064</a></h4> Gamble writes: "Bloggers reminisce about Phil in plaintive, wistful tones. In fact, Googling the phrase 'I miss Phil Hartman' brings more than 1,500 hits." So let me be among those hits. Now, with the exception of some cheapy Amazon.com booklet--I'm assuming it's a cheapy booklet--there's still no printed biography of Phil Hartman. In 2004, as part of its "SNL Curse" Week, A&E Biography ran an episode about Phil, but four years later that episode is still not on sale. I think the Hollywood people may feel such guilt or paranoia or shock about the violent way a gentle, humble person like Phil died that they can't bring themselves to create and release a definitive story of his life. Not even a TV movie. There is the Hartmania! website I created December 1998, which contains much info about Phil and his aftermath, including products like the DVD Flat TV and the Simpsons' figurines of Phil's characters Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/hartmania.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/hartmania.html</a> Ten years ago we didn't have Wikipedia or YouTube, but we do now! YouTube has tributes to Phil both sentimental and off-color--"gallows humor", if you will. I created some "gallows humor" myself at the now-defunct Deathsucks.com (formerly the Dead Celebrities Society). Here's a site with some jokes: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/8135/hartman.html">http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/8135/hartman.html</a> Some four years ago, comedian Gary Shapiro did this solo sketch portraying Hartman writing in his diary on his final day: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2ZGMutfXE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2ZGMutfXE</a> On the first anniversary, I went to St Patrick's Cathedral, the NBC Studios, the Museum of TV and Radio, and then a comic place on 23rd Street. In time I bought these two pins and joined them together. (The St. Genesius pin isn't the exact one, but it's what I could find online.) <img height="200" width="200" alt="NBC Peacock Pin" src="http://www.nbcuniversalstore.com/img/product/resized/00007990-903273_200.jpg?k=d5243671&pid=7990&s=catl"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.stpatscathedralgiftshop.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=515"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://www.stpatscathedralgiftshop.com/ProductImages/JC-3100-1MFT.jpg"/></a> Duty calls! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/2.gif"/> 
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TITLE: Terry and Claudio (who?)
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/21/08 05:48 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/8566.jpg?mgI6QYoCPyyarFfW" width="84" height="128">I attended college somewhere in Westchester County in the mid-1970s. I believe in my junior or senior year I started creating the characters who would haunt, sustain, and inspire me all my life. I almost completed a novel about them in senior year, high schoolers forming a rock band. Later I decided they belonged in college. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/105.gif"/> Around 1989, after I started working at ASCAP, I discovered this book called How to Write a Movie in 21 Days, by Viki King. I reasoned, I'm having trouble writing my story as a novel, so why not write it as a screenplay. Lo and behold, I complete the story: Terry and Claudio. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif"/> Two college sophomores, a Black Hispanic girl named Terry Devereaux and an Italian-American boy named Claudio Neri, are at odds with each other, eventually struggling through a love-hate relationship as they, separately and together, deal with classes and with campus activities, particularly the campus radio station. During the story, Terry and her friends Andy Hogan and Lisa Pickett--both white, both blond--form a folk trio that performs at a campus theater night. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/65.gif"/> Of course, the story is loosely based upon my own college sophomore year. I used Viki King's book to write two more screenplays, called Starfinder (a Western, total fantasy), and A Cloth for Alex Hartmann, a AIDS drama. I shipped these screenplays around to a couple of contests; Starfinder actually got me to the second tier of one contest--but in the end, no success. I may have even send a letter about T&C and sample pages to Erica Gimpel. The fish didn't bite. (No, I'm not calling her a fish!) Fast forward to 2007 and 2008. About a year ago--perhaps significantly, a year after my mother's death--Terry and Andy and the others come back with a vengeance. I have ideas for two sequels: one about Terry's junior year where she gets more involved in theater, and one post-college, where Terry, Andy, Lisa, and two others re-form the band. That second one particularly has been on my mind; in fact, last fall I imagined plenty of scenes that left me weeping. Maybe that was one way of crying other my mother, which I hadn't done much of. I read long ago that your tears catch up with you. Yesterday I went searching online about King's book. I have a copy or two somewhere, but I don't know where they are. So this morning I search my very messy bedroom looking for How to Write a Movie in 21 Days--and I find Terry and Claudio, which I searched for and couldn't find a few months ago. Go figure. I take the time to read the script before I go to work. It's pretty good, I think. Now Viki King says that the "movie in your heart", the screenplay you are writing, has to do with issues you are facing now, even if your story is set in the past. I can't say what was happening when I wrote T&C, except that my first nieces were being born--oh yeah, I did have a love-hate relatioship with one of my co-workers at the time. Starfinder was when a divorce was happening in my family. Alex Hartmann was after I learned of the death of a childhood friend. Now maybe it's not wise to expose all this publicly--but heck, I've been living with this story for over three decades, and with the screenplay for 18 years! Maybe I should turn it into a novel, or a stage play. We'll see. Now, whom did I imagine playing Terry, Claudio, Andy, et al? And who might play these roles now? <img height="250" width="223" border="3" src="http://www.questmedia.net/images/Irene%20Cara.jpg"/> I've always admired Irene Cara. I met her backstage of the Broadway flop Got Tu Go Disco, a year before Fame made her a huge star. I thought she'd make a good Terry. Others I've thought of include Erica Gimpel, the girl from Watch Your Mouth, and maybe Melanie Henderson. Who could play Terry today? Jordin Sparks? Jennifer Hudson?<a rel="nofollow" href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://l.yimg.com/img.tv.yahoo.com/tv/us/img/site/08/44/0000040844_20070702160729.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tv.yahoo.com/jordin-sparks/contributor/2271332/photos/1&h=1024&w=690&sz=178&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=8xHipq0wOImFDM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522jordin%2Bsparks%2522%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG"><img height="150" width="101" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:8xHipq0wOImFDM:http://l.yimg.com/img.tv.yahoo.com/tv/us/img/site/08/44/0000040844_20070702160729.jpg"/></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/stylewatch/gallery/hair/jennifer_hudson.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20014889_4,00.html&h=400&w=300&sz=41&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=JskTpQy0T7R3bM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522jennifer%2Bhudson%2522%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG"><img height="124" width="93" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:JskTpQy0T7R3bM:http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/stylewatch/gallery/hair/jennifer_hudson.jpg"/></a> <img height="239" alt="Boys" hspace="4" width="200" align="left" vspace="4" border="0" src="http://www.talkinbroadway.com/Icons/boys.jpg"/> As for Claudio Neri, I can't even tell you who I first imagined playing him; I think it was someone from my childhood, morphed into a late teenager. But then in my senior year of college I met an actor named Bill Penna, and he, perhaps somewhat morphed as well, became Claudio. I believe that's Penna, grown-up, on the right, in a 1999 Off-Broadway play called Boys. In theater and in TV commercials since childhood, he never became a star, but I did see a couple of his shows in community theater and Off-Off-Broadway in the 1980s. Now, if we went with a known star of the 1970s or 1980s--hmm...Scott Baio? I see the pictures of Baio as a teen and I don't want to post them; he's not right. Claudio would be probably the hardest to cast. Who would play him today? <img height="240" width="320" border="0" src="http://lancekerwin.homestead.com/files/Kerwin055.jpg"/>For Andy, I first pictured Vincent Van Patten, but when he got too large--since Andy is small--I settled on Lance Kerwin, who is a terrific actor and somewhat of a musician as well. Most of the pictures I found of him online were too "heartthrobby", so I selected this one. And who could play Andy today? Dominic Monaghan of Lost might be too old (over 30), but he might be the right type. Haley Joel Osment? <img height="400" width="316" align="bottom" border="2" src="http://www.pamelynferdin.com/gallery/space_academy/space_academy_01.jpg"/>Actually, I'd first imagined Pamelyn Ferdin playing Terry, until I realized that Terry was really Black like me. Eventually I created Lisa Pickett and Ferdin stepped into that role. I've seen her sing and play guitar on TV. Who could play Lisa now? And American Idol finalist or winner, like the two I listed above? Anna Paquin? Kirsten Dunst? BTW, I did some research on IMDB.com, and from what I saw, Irene Cara, Lance Kerwin, and Pamelyn Ferdin never worked together, in any combination. I always thought Jodie Foster and Lance Kerwin should have worked together--especially playing sister and brother--but that never happened, either. As for the other characters--any other characters, in any stories--I might picture a mixture of famous actors and people I've known in real life. I do want to mention one more person. As I was writing my Western, Starfinder, I pictured as the title character Sydney Penny, who I think is one of the most beautiful girls and women ever! I also thought of Nia Peeples and Sandrine Holt, but Penny was the most consistent one in my mind. I'm sorry she ever cut her hair! I can see her now on All My Children. <img height="140" hspace="6" width="130" align="right" vspace="6" src="http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/images/featureart1/december2004/sydneypenny1.jpg"/> So, if any of you actors mentioned above come upon this website, know that you have helped to fuel and populate my imagination. And if you, Bill Penna, come upon this website, please don't sue me! I think I wrote this stuff down here somehow to practice been more vulnerable and exposed--which, I suppose, is how I'd be to a degree if my stuff had been, or would be, published or produced! Didn't I go through that somewhat when I did Travis Tanner at the Fringe Festival three years ago? 
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TITLE: Memorial Day: Windsor Terrors
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/21/08 03:10 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/f60e.jpg?mgI6QYoCFf.FMhTj" width="222" height="333">photo from Flickr.com My brother Ken just e-mailed us this notice that his band Windsor Terrors will be performing this Friday, kicking off the Memorial Day weekend. Now attached to this e-mail was a flyer with a photo of the band performing at a street fair last summer, in front of the Chips Restaurant, specializing in British fare, in Brooklyn. I'm trying to transfer that photo to here; no luck so far. Anyway, here's another picture from the same day, from Flickr.com: <table cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr valign="top"> <td> <img height="335" width="500" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/222/512522271_e5528ba141.jpg?v=0"/></td></tr></table> And here's the pic from the flyer! <img height="500" width="500" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/512485798_562cf20fe1.jpg?v=0"/> Unfortunately, I have my cell group that night, but I thought I'd put these up anyway. I don't know if these photos are from the day I was there, I believe in August 2007, or maybe early September, but I got to borrow a tambourine, sit behind them, and play along with them! The Flick website says the upload was in May 2007, so it wasn't the same day! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/55.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/16.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/65.gif"/>
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TITLE: Yum! But...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/21/08 02:55 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/bc72.jpg?mgI6QYoCd_pNXOoX" width="165" height="262">Last week shopping at my local Walgreens in Corona, Queens, I spotted these two little tiny bottles of CocoaVia Rich Chocolate Indulgence Beverage. Now CocoaVia (which I'd mistakenly thought was CocoaVita) has put out a line of supposedly healthier chocolates, with higher cocoa content. So I bought these two last bottles and took them home, and drank one. Yum-yum! Though I intended to save the second one, I promptly drank that, too. Now I've been kind of down on milk lately--that is, I haven't had much in the house, and maybe drinking those two bottles had something to do with what happened that night, and maybe it didn't. Four times I woke up with some sort of cramp in my leg. The first time, if I remember correctly, a painful cramp in my left thigh. I got up screaming and wincing, hobbled over to the bathroom and kitchen, warmed up my washcloth in the microwave, and rubbed it against my thigh. The second time, a cramp in my left foot, which I stretched out. The third time, a cramp in my right foot which suddenly shot up my leg, concentrating on my right calf and right thigh. YEOOOOWWWW! Another hobble, another microwaved washcloth compress. The fourth time--and it was light by then--on my left thigh again. What, again? I think I stayed up that time. All through the day I felt like I had a pre-cramp in both my thighs, or maybe a leftover post-cramp. I never felt that way before after a cramp. Permanent damage? How'd you like to walk around feeling like your legs were about to cramp any minute? I went on line and looked up leg cramps and thigh cramps. One of the probable causes: potassium deficiency. That night I bought and ate some bananas. The "pre-cramps" left sometime in the middle of the following day. I don't know if the CocoaVia had anything to do with the cramps--maybe a calcium overload after some time of deficiency. But...yum! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/6.gif"/> I haven't seen CocoaVia in the Walgreen's in Corona since. I found CocoaVia's website, and they sell the stuff in several Walgreen's in Queens, including one near my church in Elmhurst. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cocoavia.com/products/milk_chocolate_beverage.aspx">http://www.cocoavia.com/products/milk_chocolate_beverage.aspx</a> 
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TITLE: The 311 on Pay Phone Calls
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/16/08 02:19 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/5041.jpg?mgI6QYoCtZW4VDzo" width="320" height="240">photo source: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://roadtonewyork.blogspot.com/2007/08/training-week-5-long-run-queens-ny.html">http://roadtonewyork.blogspot.com/2007/08/training-week-5-long-run-queens-ny....</a> The 311 on Phone Booth Calls <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/100.gif"/> By Melanie Lee, May 15, 2008 Passing through Flushing, Queens on my way to work, I open the little green Metro New York newspaper kiosk—and see a large gray plaid cloth bag stuffed inside. My first thought: Uh-oh, will this explode? Second thought: Any money in that bag? Taking my life in my hands, I unzip the bag and see inside a bulk of brown knitting. Not caring to feel around for any hidden wallets, contraband drugs, or used hypodermic needles, I zip up the bag and put it back. I pull out the newspaper beneath the top copy, in case the bag is laced with anthrax or itching powder. Seeing no cop or police car nearby, I decide to do my civil duty and call 311. I own no cell phone, so I dial the pay phone a few feet away. “Please deposit 25 cents for the next four minutes,” a female automated voice drones. The nonemergency police number isn’t free? I fish for my change purse and deposit the dimes and nickel. I hear an automated spiel about parking, then finally a live voice. I say, “I’m calling from Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street in Flushing, Queens, northeast corner, and I just found a big gray cloth bag in the little green Metro New York booth.” “Did you see anything dangerous in the bag?” she asks. “No: just a brown knit something, probably a sweater. I figure—‘If you see something, say something’—I’d call it in.” “Hold on; I’m going to transfer you to the dispatcher.” I see my Q27 bus come and go. A new voice answers, and I repeat, “I’m calling from Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street in Flushing, Queens, northeast corner, and I just found a big gray cloth bag in the little green Metro New York booth…” “Hold on…” and I hear the telling clicks. How fast can four minutes tick away as I’m transferred from one person to another to another? That Burger King across the street is looking pretty good. The third voice: “Police—what’s the emergency?” “No emergency,” I reply. “I’m calling from Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street in Flushing, Queens, northeast corner, and I just found a big gray cloth bag in the little green Metro New York booth…” Sudden silence—then, “Please deposit 25 cents for the next four minutes, or your call will be disconnected.” I recall those long-gone golden days—the 1990s—when you could continue your phone call as you searched for your coins. Not these days. “Can you hear me?” I say. No reply. Drat, this is a nonemergency! I find my coins and put in the slot one nickel, another nickel… “Your call is being discontinued due to insufficient funds.” The phone booth has the grace to return my change. I’m cut off from 311—the very people who could save us from unspecified terrorism or a kidnapper’s drop-off or a drug dealer’s switch-off or illegal winter clothing storage. Would the sudden cut-off frighten the dispatcher into sending a cop car with sirens screeching? Minutes later, my apple pie and chocolate milk from Burger King in hand, I wonder if I should try 911 this time. I see no cops nor cop cars, just another Q27 with a diminishing line of passengers. Heck, I’ve done my civil duty; I’m late for work. If the City of New York didn’t see fit to make 311 a free call, why should I fret? It’s not my fault if the little green kiosk blows up. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/102.gif"/> Note: I edited this column down to about 420 words and submitted it to Metro New York last night. Coming home, I thought: hey, aren't the kiosks orange now, not green? Sure enough, that kiosk at Main & Roosevelt, NE corner, is orange with a green label. However, as you can see from the photo above, the Metro New York booths used to be green! Amazing how some past details can get stuck in your mind, and confused with present details! 
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TITLE: Fiddler on the Roof, Andrean Players, Spring 2008
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/05/08 08:47 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/7215.jpg?mgI6QYoC97i3Hkz8" width="330" height="202">All done as of yesterday! The show, and my Fruma-Sarah, got very good responses! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thetablet.org/04262008/columns_talk.html">http://www.thetablet.org/04262008/columns_talk.html</a> I wrote a comment responding to a review of a different Fiddler production in Pittsburgh: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A44475">http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A44475</a> Gotta go; computer lab is closing! 
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TITLE: Faith on Film, or vice-versa
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/23/08 02:00 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/4274.jpg?mgI6QYoCEXw1pkLZ" width="333" height="259">(sign produced at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.churchsigngenerator.com"> www.churchsigngenerator.com</a> ) <img height="29" width="26" src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/16.gif"/> Today's Religion and Ethics weekly on PBS featured a report about Hollywood and religion, particularly, how Hollywood desires to, but so far has failed to, cash in on the conservative evangelical Christian audience which evidenced itself over The Passion of the Christ some four years ago. Here's the article: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1125/cover.html">http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1125/cover.html</a> And related articles: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1125/interview.html">http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1125/interview.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1125/exclusive.html">http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1125/exclusive.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week937/exclusive.html">http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week937/exclusive.html</a> I like some of the conversation in the "What Would Jesus Direct?" article: MR. WINTER: The kind of stuff that Jesus might direct would be a little darker, thought-provoking, stimulating, and cause a lot of that discussion to happen afterwards. The question of the panel -- what would Jesus direct? I was thinking about some of the parables that Jesus tells -- the parable of the prodigal son. The older brother in that story was directly aimed at religious professionals, and Jesus knew he was going to piss them off by telling that story. The story is a little dark. I mean, it opens with the younger son going to the father and saying, "I want you dead." And he goes off and spends money and lives wantonly and ends up in a pigsty to eat; it's the only food he has. At the end, the older brother and the dad have some serious family therapy to go through. Maybe Jesus would direct a movie like that, whereas sometimes Christians -- we want to go after movies that have happy endings. No darkness, no subtext. MR. FLAHERTY: No fun. LAWTON: No bad words. MR. WINTER: So I wonder if Jesus wouldn't be directing an R-rated art film that might play at this festival. MR. BOCK: I think he would direct things that would be very populist. He pissed off the religious elite and was speaking directly to the people. I think it would have all the elements that all great films do. I think it would be funny. I think it would be poignant. I think it would be commercially successful. You know, the reason that the Bible is still around today is in part due to the fact that they are universal stories that have stood the test of time. And I think that's the kind of stories that he would tell even now. MR. GOODING: They'd rather find the truths … Mr. FLAHERTY: … than be spoon-fed. <img height="120" hspace="5" width="155" align="left" vspace="5" border="0" alt="Photo of Panel." src="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week937/pics/p_exclusive_panel2.jpg"/> LAWTON: Or sledge-hammered over the head. MR. GOODING: The sequel to RADIO is what Jesus would direct. RADIO GOES TO CHURCH. I'd like that one. LAWTON: And you're available for that? MR. GOODING: I'm available, Jesus. We can cast Satan as a redneck. LAWTON: Uh oh … watch out. We'll cut it off right there. <a rel="nofollow"><img height="98" width="132" align="right" border="0" alt="Did you like this story? How can we improve our program or Web site?" src="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/images/layout/did_you_like2.gif"/></a> BTW, look at this: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iji6UUWr6eg&feature=related"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iji6UUWr6eg&feature=related</a> Now, on PBS/Channel 13's new Saturday night series, "Reel 13", they're featuring a show of a classic film, short film, and indie film. About their first feature, "The Robe"--one of my favorite films as a child--the host said that because of the McCarthy witchhunt, Hollywood was afraid to make any film too controversial, so they turned to Biblical and Biblically-inspired epics like "The Robe." <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thirteen.org/reel13/films/classics/the-robe/">http://www.thirteen.org/reel13/films/classics/the-robe/</a> It saddens me that the film community did films, many of them great and well-made, such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Samson and Delilah, David and Bathsheba, and Jesus films like King of Kings and The Greatest Story Ever Told, only because they were cut off from darker or riskier or politically challenging films. Although some of the film techniques and acting styles and dialogue could seem hokey today--although, in the case of The Ten Commandments, poetic--the stories are fascinating and the characters rich, and the themes deep. It's unfortunate if "Hollywood types" see religious people these days as shallow and conformist, but hey, unfortunately, many are. I for one am sick of the Hollywood bashing from the right-wing, especially from the so-called Christian right wing. I'm tired of the liberal-bashing as a whole, bashing was is good about liberalism--caring for the poor and the environment and for the fair treatment of workers, for example--as well as what is bad or questionable, such as the usual "abortion, homosexuality, and school prayer". On the other hand, I'm bothered by those in the artistic or intellectual community who act as if any show of religious faith indicates a dead brain or a reactionary mindset. Bill Maher, whom I admire tremendously, seems to have fallen into that trap. Recently he said something like anyone having "Reverend" before his name doesn't have a brain. This is the same Maher who, on his first "Politically Incorrect" episode after 9/11, included, I think, an Episcopal priest on his panel. I believe that man was there for comfort and perspective, not ridicule. I'm looking forward to Maher's "Religulous" movie next month, but does he feature anyone remotely like me, a born-again Christian or firm believer in Jesus who has mainly liberal politics? Although I think it's all right for filmmakers to cater some films to a Christian or religious audience, there are several traps here: --wanting to make a film "safe", and therefore bloodless or mindless. --not mining or developing Christian or spiritually-minded writers. --pandering to the right-leaning believers and ignoring left-leaning or politically-moderate believers; not realizing that Christians aren't monolithic. --ignoring technique or quality in favor of message. --ignoring character or story or authenticity in favor of message. --ignoring message in favor of profit. "The Sound of Music" featured a woman who, although she gave up the convent for husband and children (at the convent's bidding, too!), never gave up her faith. "Fiddler on the Roof" featured a man who, although he bent a little on his traditions concerning his daughters' choices of mate, never gave up his relationship with God. In contrast, "The Godfather" and its sequels featured men who kept up some traditions of their church, but violated their church's teachings through murder, greed, and power plays. There must be room in filmmaking, and in the arts in general, for characters who are true believers and hypocrites, traditional and radical, sure and doubtful, and all the shades in between. Addendum: Here's a comment I'm submitting to PBS.org in reply to the "What Would Jesus Direct?" article: I found this article, "What Would Jesus Direct?", after seeing today, Sat Feb 23 2008, the feature on R&EN about God and Hollywood. Jesus did not tell safe pretty stories to please the religious conservatives of his time. He told stories with colorful characters, identifiable settings, intriguing plots, and deep themes--stories the common people can relate to, both then and now. As a Black, female, politically-liberal born-again Christian, I can sympathize with Cuba Gooding Jr.'s comment, "We can cast Satan as a redneck"! Addendum 2, responding to the interview with Dick Staub: Wow! I've been wondering why I've been dissatisfied with much of the worship music in my church over the last few years. In his talk about Hollywood and the Christian audience, I think Dick Staub hit the nail on the head: "They actually don't feel the need to make great music, because they've been able to make money off of music that's imitative of the culture, and so the evangelical culture has failed to produce an intellectual and an aesthetic attitude and mindset." I'm an aspiring playwright who wants to create a work that will live on after I die, a work that will touch and influence people. I wonder if something Staub said might be a warning to me: "And in the article the New York Times writer said evangelicals have discovered that film is very influential in culture, so they want to make films to influence culture. Great filmmakers don't make films because they want to influence culture. They make films because they love to make films. They love film, and they love great stories. You know, Steven Spielberg was a storyteller. If he would have been a cave man he would have been drawing pictures on the walls of the cave. Inside himself he was a filmmaker. So what you have now is a whole generation of evangelical kids who've been told if you want to influence the world make films, and they tend to think propaganda when they think films, so they don't make great films." Some time ago--a decade or two?--the conservative Christian community came up with the word "soulish", meaning something that may "hit your gut" or appeal to you as a a human being, but, in their view, doesn't please God. I wonder now if that term was use to "guilt" us into divorcing ourselves from a part of humanity, especially the part that would question, or want to be emotionally satisfied, or would want something beyond the shallow and conformist. I think the Republican-evangelical marriage has wanted to produce children that would accept a reactionary, extreme-right sociopolitical agenda without question. An agenda that would, for example, have "true believers" thinking that it's okay with God to pollute the earth that he created, or to put profit for corporate leaders over decent wages for workers. I'm a Christian, and of course my faith (and unfortunately, my sin, too) will influence any story I create. I don't want to tell stories that are necessarily "Christian", but which do reflect reality, or the dreams of hope, or both.
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TITLE: Remember when Valentine's Day was fun?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 02/15/08 03:49 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/d09e.jpg?mgI6QYoC2Co_ob3b" width="250" height="333">I'll cut and paste this from my new MySpace blog: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=334942479">http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=334942479</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myspace.com/mnl_1221">http://www.myspace.com/mnl_1221</a> Friday, February 15, 2008 <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td><img height="1" width="30" border="0" alt="" src="http://x.myspace.com/images/spacer.gif"/></td> <td> Remember When Valentine’s Day Was Fun? Current mood: <img align="absMiddle" src="http://x.myspace.com/images/blog/moods/iBrads/chipper.gif"/> adventurous Category: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewCategory&FriendID=334942479&BlogCategoryID=25"> Writing and Poetry</a> Welcome me to MySpace! I don't know how often I'll be here, since I already have a blog on Yahoo! and blogs on Tripod. However, now I have an additional Internet presence. Here's a column I submitted recently to the free newspaper Metro New York. They considered running it as a letter, but in the end did not run it. <img src="http://x.myspace.com/images/blog/smileys/heart.gif"/> Remember when Valentine's Day was fun? Melanie N. Lee, 1/29/08 "Remember when Valentine's Day was fun?" writes Bennett Madison in Chapter One of his book I Hate Valentine's Day. The author cherishes the grade-school days when every kid gave a Valentine to every other kid. He bemoans the pressure upon adults every February 14 to have the perfect Valentine sweetheart, the elegant Valentine dinner, and the fantastic Valentine sex. Books like The Anti-Valentine's Handbook by J. More, as well as websites and newspaper columns, decry V-Day as a "Hallmark holiday", designed to coerce card- and flower-buying among the romantically involved, and to heighten loneliness within the romantically deprived. But why should Valentine's Day celebrate only romantic love? What about friendship love, family love, love for humankind, love for God? I doubt it was a mash note that the legendary bishop Saint Valentine sent to his jailer's daughter, whom he was curing of blindness. According to legend, the day before his February 14 martyrdom, he sent her a note signed, "From your Valentine". One early February, as a romantically-unattached college sophomore, I complained to our campus counselor about facing yet another meaningless Valentine's Day. She suggested that instead of being sad about receiving nothing, why not give things? So I got some stickers and white cardboard, and fashioned tiny cards for six male classmates, including the BMOC I had a mad crush upon. I also gave a heart-shaped box of chocolates to my best female friend. Over the next three decades I've given cards, candy, or flowers to family members, co-workers, church friends, favorite celebrities, and myself. I've even written a love poem to God. Romantic love isn't for all people at all times. Love for humankind is. Are you facing February 14 alone? Why not expand your definition of love, as Madison's book suggests? Give a box of chocolates to a good friend. Mail a semi-mushy card to that actor you love. Slip those schoolroom Valentines onto your co-workers' desks along with some Hershey's Kisses. Mail those 99-cent cards to your nieces and nephews. Give your Mom a rose. If you're willing to risk a punch in the nose, hand Valentine lollipops to strangers on the subway. Make cards out of construction paper again. Do those things for your friends and relations even if you do have a sweetheart! Give your inner child—and your inner lover of humanity—permission to play. Remember when Valentine's Day was fun? <img src="http://x.myspace.com/images/blog/smileys/heart.gif"/> Metro did publish a column of mine, "Christimas at My (Limited Budget) House", on December 19, 2005: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ny.metro.us/metro/blog/my_view/entry/Christmas_at_my_limited_budget_house/366.html"> http://ny.metro.us/metro/blog/my_view/entry/Christmas_at_my_limited_budget_house/366.html</a> Well, again, welcome me to MySpace! <img src="http://x.myspace.com/images/blog/smileys/artistic.gif"/></td></tr></table> 
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TITLE: Got to Get a Knutt
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 01/24/08 04:59 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/88ab.jpg?mgI6QYoC4c6msMxJ" width="200" height="200"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.jonolivermusic.com/images/album_covers/birth_day.jpg">http://www.jonolivermusic.com/images/album_covers/birth_day.jpg</a> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/105.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/24.gif"/> I'm thinking now that, if you're really skilled and get together with the right people, being a musician and singer must be the greatest job in the world. Today begins a new semester at QCC, and we had tutor orientation. During this time, now and then, a song from the early 1970's, particularly its trumpet riff, would come to me. The song, really an instrumental with ad libs, spoofed or quoted TV ads of the time. "Try it, you'll like it/Try it, you'll like it/But I tried it, I tried it/And it was sh**!" I went searching for it online, but I couldn't find the lyrics. This same song haunted me about two years ago, and I posted something on the Bill Maher Message Board--which message is probably erased by now. I recalled an album cover with black eggs. I looked it up and eventually found the album Birth Day by New Birth. However, audio clips were rarer then, and I didn't know much about operating the audio on the Internet, and I didn't own earphones. I was, as far as the Internet was concerned, virtually deaf. But not now. After the orientation was over, I took to the Internet and searched on Amazon.com, whose albums now carry plenty of samples of their cuts. I lit upon "Got to Get a Knutt" and heard the familiar trumpet riffs. I went searching other sites for samples and free downloads. I found these: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://djspeed.imeem.com/music/UoxuxMlq/new_birth_got_to_get_a_knut/">http://djspeed.imeem.com/music/UoxuxMlq/new_birth_got_to_get_a_knut/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tradebit.com/director.php?file=pub/8/Got%20To%20Get%20A%20Knutt%20-Extended%20Version.mp3&user=scheme05">http://www.tradebit.com/director.php?file=pub/8/Got%20To%20Get%20A%20Knutt%20...</a> Back in 1974 this wasn't the kind of music I would have chosen, when I was a senior at the now-defunct Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood in Manhattan, as Upper Manhattan as you can get. Although I'm Black, I'm not too funky or too ghetto, at least not then. However, a group of girls, mostly if not all from Harlem, would gather in the auditorium and play this album, chanting along to "Got to Get a Knutt". They did this during lulls in our Talent Show rehearsals, or on their own, or both. (Goes to show you how liberal our school was, that they were allowed to do this!) I remember Karen Gulley, who did both JV basketball and Varsity cheerleading, and Gail Royal, same story. So just now I was listening to these audiofiles, over and over, getting into the groove. The band sure sounds like they're having a lot of fun! I also found a comment on funk and other Black music strains and the record industry, which I haven't read through yet but I've printed out: The Revolution will not be homogenized <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/various/various-flyingfunk.shtml">http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/various/various-flyingfunk.shtml</a> And I've been thinking about varieties, or degrees, of being Black. Last night I watched a rather disturbing Law and Order, inspired by the incident where a black father shot and killed a white boy who was with other white boys menacing the black father's son. Gentrification was one of the bugaboos here; it seems that with at least some white people, they can't stand having black neighbors whether it's a black family moving into a white neighborhood, or whites moving into a black neighborhood. Complaints to the authorities about littering and loitering, and rent hikes designed to drive lower-income blacks away since the property values were now risen (!), were among the tactics used. Also, the Afr-Am lieutenant Anita Van Buren firmly told the new white male ADA that he didn't understand about the "No Snitching" policy now spreading among black neighborhoods. I wish she had explained it, because I don't understand it either. A black community worker offered to get his people talking if the new acting DA, Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy, would push to get landmark status for an important old church, Saint Rita's, which was threatened with demolition. (And is destroying places that serve as community centers another gentrification "tactic".) I have no problem with whites moving into a black neighborhood. I would certainly have a problem with those whites, or those who want them in, driving out the blacks, as if we're vermin to be gotten rid of rather than neighbors with whom to fellowship. My own neighborhood is mostly Hispanic, very few blacks, with an influx of Middle Eastern Muslims, plus a smattering of other kinds. It's funny: one answers.yahoo.com question asked how we'd feel if Muslims moved next door. I answered that they already have, and that this family makes good neighbors. Actually, from what I've heard in church, the nearby neighborhood Elmhurst, Queens, NY is the most ethnically-diverse neighborhood in the world! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/67.gif"/> Anyway, listening to these musicians and singers ad lib on this track, they must have been having a lot of fun, enjoying the groove and the music and each other. I hope one day that I will have such an experience. BTW, I've auditioned for Fiddler on the Roof at St. Andrew Avellino Church, and it looks like I'll be playing Fruma Sarah! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/79.gif"/>
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TITLE: Happy Birthday, Marty!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 01/15/08 04:57 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/515b.jpg?mgI6QYoC4G95zfo6" width="249" height="333"><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/6.gif"/>Today's the actual birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., as opposed to the official American holiday coming on Monday. In answers.yahoo.com, someone asked if anyone remembered MLK today. In fact, I had printed from my e-mail a column I'd tried to publish two years ago, but no one would run it. Here's the longer version of that column: What am I doing with Martin Luther King Day? In mid-January, around Martin Luther King Day, I watch TV shows or films about race relations or the civil rights movement, such as the two-part TV movie King. When I see in such films the actions of the white racists--jeering, spitting, beating, kidnapping, killing--I wonder, are those racists who are still alive today now ashamed of themselves? And, would I have risked my job, my freedom, my life, marching in those streets? Are such racists impressed when they hear that black people invented or developed traffic signals, peanut butter, and the blood bank? Or are such racists threatened? If they recognize the permeating African presence in nearly every form of American music—jazz, rock and roll, gospel—do they feel enhanced, or infected? Conversely, do we see the use of Africanic forms by non-blacks as sharing, or stealing? When African-Americans venture into nonstereotypical roles, do we see them as expanding their horizons, or “acting white”? On MLK Day 2005, Jay Leno on the Tonight Show quipped that the color divide is no longer between black and white, but between red states and blue states. I don't believe the current ideological divide is as color-blind as all that. Anti-racist talk didn't become fashionable in white evangelical churches until the 1990s; Bob Jones University in Greenville, NC struck down its rule against interracial dating in March 2000--five years ago! Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice notwithstanding, most African-Americans think the red-state mindset doesn't have their best interests at heart. Now as a Northern-bred black woman, I might find it too easy to judge the actions of white Southern racists from the safe distance of New York City. I could talk instead about the Howard Beach incident, the Tompkins Square Park police riot, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Alberta Spruill, and conversely, the Crown Heights riots, and the Central Park Jogger--but I won't. I could imagine what Martin Luther King would say about evangelical Christian America's favorite issues--abortion, homosexuality, and school prayer--or other issues like the Iraq War, outsourcing of jobs, voting procedures, health care, Social Security, and the red state-blue state divide--but I won't. As the Reverend Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson said during his keynote speech at the 2005 MLK Day celebration in Albany, NY, quoting Carl Wendell Himes, Jr.'s poem "Now That He Is Safely Dead": Dead men make Such convenient heroes: They cannot rise To challenge the images We would fashion from their lives. So what do we do with Martin Luther King, Jr. and his Day? We can look at his impact on the world, and at what we can learn from his life. We can make sure we're not honoring a "safely dead" martyr while we dismiss or curse those who act like King today. We can ask ourselves, in these post-9/11 days, if we're sacrificing love and justice for fear and power. We can dare ourselves to be the greatest persons God intended us to be, even if it's to be, in King's words, a "streetsweeper [who] should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted". And what do we do with Black History Month? We can accept, in a culture historically tailor-made for white males, that people of color, different ethnic groups, and women need to appreciate their own achievements and embrace themselves as well as others. We can look at the shameful parts of our country’s past with honest yet forgiving (not excusing) eyes, and heal what remains broken in our present. We can learn a little more each year about African-American contributions to arts and letters, science, politics, business, spirituality, and other fields. We can study the strong, beautiful black threads running through the fabric of our lives. --Melanie N. Lee, January 19, 2005 revised January 27, 2005 <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/67.gif"/> BTW, here's something I wrote at Amazon.com: So you'd like to... Celebrate a meaningful Martin Luther King Day <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/1H11AKOSLZWTQ/ref=cm_syt_dtpa_f_3_rdssss0?pf_rd_p=253470201&pf_rd_s=sylt-center&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000047JL&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0RC7DQHY4DGF9F4Q1B06"> http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/1H11AKOSLZWTQ/ref=cm_syt_dtpa_f_3_rdssss0?pf_rd_p=253470201&pf_rd_s=sylt-center&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000047JL&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0RC7DQHY4DGF9F4Q1B06</a> and <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" border="0"> <tr> <td> So you'd like to...Rescue Christianity from ultraconservatism <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/8FQF8C591837/ref=cm_syt_dtpa_f_2_rdssss0?pf_rd_p=253470201&pf_rd_s=sylt-center&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000047JL&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0RC7DQHY4DGF9F4Q1B06"> http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/8FQF8C591837/ref=cm_syt_dtpa_f_2_rdssss0?pf_rd_p=253470201&pf_rd_s=sylt-center&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000047JL&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0RC7DQHY4DGF9F4Q1B06</a> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/53.gif"/></td></tr></table>
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TITLE: Halloween 2007
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 11/02/07 01:03 pm
STATUS: publish
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I dressed up as Wonder Woman for Halloween: "an overweight, bespectacled, African-American, walking-on-a-cane Wonder Woman" as I wrote in answers.yahoo.com and in my "Don't Fear the Terror: Scriptures for Halloween" website. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://members.tripod.com/~MNL_1221/halloween.html">http://members.tripod.com/~MNL_1221/halloween.html</a> I decided to see the Jackson Heights Halloween Parade this year, the second-biggest Halloween parade in the city of New York. I arrived late, perhaps missing half the parade, but I saw plenty of children in mostly store-bought costumes, plus plenty of marching bands from local schools and community groups. I paid special attention to the flutists, or is that flautists? Now and then I'd seen an adult in a semi-outlandish costume, such as the one in the shower curtain with toiletries glued or tied to the closed curtain. One local celebrity clown, a man with multicolored hair and, I think, a parrot, came near the parade's end. Afterward, I distributed some goody bags I'd pieced together, which, to go with my Wonder Woman outfit, contained a Superman-themed Christian tract from the American Tract Society. I know the costume kids mulled around me merely for the goodies, but while they were crowding around me, I felt popular. Actually, this may be the first time I remember specifically feeling that way--or recognizing feeling that way--while giving out Halloween treats. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://shop3.gospelcom.net/epages/atsdirect.storefront/472b57690075c783271d45579e7b06be/Product/View/21997">http://shop3.gospelcom.net/epages/atsdirect.storefront/472b57690075c783271d45...</a> More later! Gotta work! 
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TITLE: Distractions
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/30/07 08:07 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif"/>I came to a computer lab at my job to do some work on my script, Shua: The Lamb of Freedom, but I got distracted by other things, including answers.yahoo.com and youtube.com. In fact, I saw the controversial Produce Rap video. I also joined Youtube today! It's unlikely I'll post any videos, but I can certainly comment on what's up there, and create a storehouse of things. In fact, last week's Backstage had an article about removing illegal postings of Broadway productions from sites like Youtube. While I agree about not posting current Broadway shows on the Internet, I can certainly benefit from postings of community theater productions, and of movie clips! I should write a rebuttal letter to Backstage. Maybe tomorrow, or soon. Maybe I'll focus and get my work done, too! BTW, I also answered an e-mail having to do with my favorite novel, The Chocolate War. Rehearsal soon. Gotta go! Addendum, 11/2/07: a few days after this, I submitted my one-act play Shua: The Lamb of Freedom to Playscripts.com. It may take them a few months to review the play and give me an answer. Wish me luck, and pray for me! 
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TITLE: Art Rock, Youtube, and Ken
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/25/07 09:42 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/ff82.jpg?mgI6QYoCorhfE3WC" width="216" height="216">I just finished my final review for FringeNYC 2007, Stand Up Black Britain. It's too bad I'm so low on money--really, I currently have about $10.33 in the bank and about a dollar in change in my pocket--otherwise, I'd have checked out some other shows I didn't review, such as Jesus Rant. Also, I didn't get to see a Fringe musical this year. Silence, a Silence of the Lambs musical from a year or two ago, is opening Off-Broadway soon, and if I can afford it in the near future, maybe I'll get to see that show. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fringenyc.org">http://www.fringenyc.org</a> While on school, library, or Internet cafe computers writing or checking e-mails or doing other business, I've taken now to listening to Youtube.com videos or or samplings on Amazon.com. At times I'd watch old cartoons, like the Herman and Katnip of a month or two. More recently, I've listened to or watched videos--originals, covers, and amateur videos set to the originals--of bands such as Yes, Traffic, Love, and Tears for Fears . The first three are 60s bands, and my brother Ken owned the albums. Now at age 50, I'm amazed how over the past several years Ken's musical influences have come up to claim me, from the Forever Changes concert in 2003 (which he took me to) to me writing a parody of "We Have Heaven" for amiright.com. Lately I've been imagining some of my unpublished, unproduced fictional characters, whom I've written or thought up stories for in their preteen, teen, and college-age years, into their twenties, forming a pop/rock/jazz/soul band. I've imagined them covering songs of the Beatles, Motown, Love, Yes, Laura Nyro, Tears for Fears, and so on, and creating their own music. I discovered a new term yesterday: "art rock", defined in Wikipedia. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_rock">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_rock</a> I realized, mulling on it, that a lot of Ken's selections of music would fit into "art rock". The Wikipedia article says that many "art rockers" went to art school, and Ken studied graphic arts in high school--Brooklyn Tech--and for a while at CCNY as well. I should mention that he now belongs to a band that plays 1960s British (and American?) Top 40 hits: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.myspace.com/windsorterrors">http://www.myspace.com/windsorterrors</a> (and that's him singing lead on the audio samples!) Heck, I wish I belonged to a band. I did, in a way, as a member of the worship team, then the choir, at New Life Fellowship. But now I want to sing secular songs, not just God songs. I wish I had a place to sing these songs with other people, be it a band or just a sing-along. I get this to a degree at the John Lennon memorials at Strawberry Fields annually on October 9 and December 8. Maybe this is a deep wish for me, as well as wanting to publish a long-living written work that outlasts me. I might also want to perform on Broadway or Off-Broadway--and well, I am in the chorus of the Free Synagogue of Flushing's production of Oliver this November. I want to note here an amusing video set to Traffic's "Hole in My Shoe", and a couple of places to hear music samples: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-VgR_1UFPE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-VgR_1UFPE</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wherehouse.com/music/product-detail.jsp?id=970322">http://www.wherehouse.com/music/product-detail.jsp?id=970322</a> and Yahoo Audio and Video, and Google Video. I mention one unproduced screenplay of my musician characters at this webpage: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/grad.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/grad.html</a> Today two of my characters were discussing their relationship, and I thought of an analogy of fairy tale types: the big ogre, the handsome prince, and the little sprite, plus a hard-working pauper or peasant, an ordinary guy. Then I thought of what types of women there might be. I thought of madonna/whore, and then thought of fairy, witch, wise woman, Amazon/tomboy, wench, peasant woman, and damsel in distress. I wondered if my female character--and by extension, me--even has a whore. I mused that I'd drowned my whore and exchanged her for Cinderella. A whore exchanges her favors for success. Cinderella exchanges service for security. I played Cinderella to my mother for two-and-a-half years, and perhaps longer than that. I don't think I want a "handsome prince" to rescue me. I want a little sprite, a magical being who assists and who opens doors. There was a guy at my church years ago whom I wanted to play "little sprite" to me. He did the opposite--he closed doors to me. Sometimes now I want to ask him why he did that. In thinking of these fairy tale types, I remember what Paul said to Lili about his puppet characters in the movie Lili. Paul said that he had all these diverse characters in him, as they are in every man. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/Lili.html">http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/Lili.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://allrss.com/wikipedia.php?title=Lili">http://allrss.com/wikipedia.php?title=Lili</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili</a> Viki King, who wrote How to Write a Movie in 21 Days, says the things your characters are going through reflect the things you are going through now. I'm imagining my 20-something characters forming an "art rock" band. Is that what I want? Do I need to resurrect my inner "whore"--without letting her get out of hand--in order to, as Tears for Fears put it, "put your clothes on and (to) face the world"? <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.brumbeat.net/mrfantsy.jpg">http://www.brumbeat.net/mrfantsy.jpg</a> BTW, Rob Darnell, whom I worked with once, has a couple of Poetic Notion videos on Youtube, including: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufnDTiq-5RU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufnDTiq-5RU</a> 
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TITLE: Fringe Firsts
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/17/07 10:38 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/b3f3.jpg?mgI6QYoC5T3kIb7o" width="160" height="241">I have attended two Fringe shows to review so far: The Mercy Swing, which I saw yesterday afternoon, and Action Jesus, which I saw about two hours ago. I've been saying that The Mercy Swing is "pretty good", but after Action Jesus I ended up hugging the performer. Both stories deal with sex, from two very different ends of the spectrum. Actually, Action Jesus deals with the commong ground of art, sexuality, and spirituality, as it follows a middle-aged woman who has a pretty good life in New England and yet seeks a more real, liberated spirituality, and tries out her ears for God, so to speak, during a 0ne-month vacation in New York. On the other side, The Mercy Swing deals with a young woman stuck in her sexuality--stuck by a childhood affair of seduction/molestation/experimenation with a boy three years older. Her story is also set in New York. Of course, rather than write a treatise comparing one work to the other, I must write two separate, distinct reviews, judging each work on its own merits. And I think I have a lot to say about both plays. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.leslieharrelldillen.com/">http://www.leslieharrelldillen.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ootbtc.com/">http://www.ootbtc.com/</a> 
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TITLE: Hawaii called--and I answered!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/15/07 10:06 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/5b6f.jpg?mgI6QYoCLUJZwnwi" width="333" height="219">I've spent the last week-and-a-half in Hawaii--August 2-13, arriving back here August 14. Becky takes a trip every five years to a convention of the National Medical Association in Waikiki, and this was her third time. Ken and Rachel have always gone with her. Five years ago Mom and Leila went along. This time, Rachel's boyfriend Giancarlo went. I asked about going, and after she booked the trip, she invited me to come along, too--with the understanding that she and Ken are lending me this money. Ken had gone to Mexico, and joined us halfway through the trip. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nmanet.org/">http://www.nmanet.org/</a> So on Thursday August 2 I flew on Continental Airlines on a nonstop from Newark to Honolulu, and stayed at the Ohana Waikiki West--a place to which I must remember to give a positive review at Yahoo! Travels. On Friday Aug 3 Becky's friend Rosemary, whom Becky knew from our Ravenswood childhood, drove us to the North Shore. We went swimming in Turtle Bay, above a coral reef, and also had some drinks and food at a nearby restaurant. It was early afternoon, and swimming on my back, looking up, I noticed how the wind played in the clouds, blowing the patterns so quickly, stretching the clouds into streaks like a artist running a brush through paint. I saw clouds on either side of the sun, and the wind blowing streaks of each cloud toward each other across the sun. I must have seen three or four rainbows there--faint rainbows, not too strong, not lasting too long. On the way back I saw another rainbow or two above the mountains, looking as if they were touching the sky. Rosemary said at one point, "We're driving through 'the hood'." "Whose hood?" I asked. She said the Micronesians lived in that part of Honolulu. The next day, Sat Aug 4, the conference began in earnest for Becky. Rachel and Giancarlo did the romantic lovers thing and stayed to themselves. I went to the Hawaii Opera Theater for a production of South Pacific which featured a local Tahitian dance troupe in the Bali Hai scene. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.hawaiiopera.org/showText.aspx?settings=Summer%202007">http://www.hawaiiopera.org/showText.aspx?settings=Summer%202007</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=hawaii+opera+theatre+south+pacific+tahitian+dance&fr=yfp-t-471&u=news.hawaii.com/article/2007/Aug/01/il/hawaii708010368.html&w=hawaii+opera+operas+theatre+south+pacific+tahitian+dance&d=QQ2S7OljPOjl&icp=1&.intl=us">http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=hawaii+opera+theatre+south+pac...</a> (I'm more appreciative of the Tahitian dancing than this reviewer was.) That evening, at the Duke Kahanamoku Statue at Waikiki Beach, I saw a local troupe of musicians and hula dancers put on a show during the sunset. The female lead singer wanted us to write the mayor to encourage more of these shows. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.webshots.com/g/32/33361-sh/64864.html">http://www.webshots.com/g/32/33361-sh/64864.html</a> Sun Aug 5, Becky and I went to church at the place the Hawaiian royal family attended in the 19th century: Kawaiaha'o Church. It has a strong Hawaiian influence in language, dress, and attitude. Some of the deaconesses wore long flowing white dresses with flower prints. The congregation was encouraged to hug each other, or at least greet each other. In the back were booth in which the royals probably sat. Afterward one of the deaconesses gave a brief lecture about the church's history. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kawaiahao.org/">http://www.kawaiahao.org/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaiahao_Church">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaiahao_Church</a> Then I went with Becky to a women's luncheon at her conference. Keynote speaker, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, gave an impassioned speech about black women and AIDS. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sherylleeralph.com/">http://www.sherylleeralph.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sometimesicry.org/">http://www.sometimesicry.org/</a> She's only a few days younger than I am! I don't remember what we did that evening. It may have been Mon Aug 6 that I went swimming alone among the surfers at Waikiki Beach, near the Duke K statue. I had been told that box jellyfish appear 10 days after the full moon, and that 10th day was approaching. I know you're not supposed to swim among the surfers, but I suppose I was feeling adventurous and wanted to observe them up close, almost as if I were surfing myself. (I'm over 300 pounds and out-0f-shape, and I had to watch my money, so surfing was out for me.) I may have come close to getting beaned once or twice, but I was basically okay. Now both Turtle Bay and Waikiki have sharp inclines at their beaches, and soft sand that's easy to sink into, so climbing into and especially out of the water was tough. I don't think I've understood the term "sinking sand" until now! I believe Ken arrived that night, sharing the hotel room with me. (Becky, Rachel, and Giancarlo were at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, a block and a half away.) Over the next two days the five of us went to the Iolani Palance and the Bishop Museum, with Ken and I taking in the Ohana's pool on Wednesday morning, I believe. The Iolani Palace was the royal residence of Hawaii's ruling family, and the Bishop Museum was created by the white widowed husband of one of the princesses. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.iolanipalace.org/">http://www.iolanipalace.org/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bishopmuseum.org/">http://www.bishopmuseum.org/</a> Before Ken came, I took in an evening show at the poolside of the Princess Kaiulani: a father and two daughters, white, singing Hawaiian songs and other songs, with native hula dancers accompanying some of the numbers. After Ken arrived, he, Becky, and I think Rosemary and Rachel took in an afternoon show at a nearby hotel, with a slack key guitarist. Among his numbers, he sang "Kalua" from the movie Bird of Paradise, which I saw as a child. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.vh1.com/movies/movie/52571/plot.jhtml">http://www.vh1.com/movies/movie/52571/plot.jhtml</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0043343/">http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0043343/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=bird+of+paradise+kalua&y=Search&fr=yfp-t-471&u=www.kalena.com/huapala/Kalua.html&w=bird+paradise+kalua+kailua&d=E2sgt-ljPAKz&icp=1&.intl=us">http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=bird+of+paradise+kalua&y=Searc...</a> "Kalua" song: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1XV2eeSTow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1XV2eeSTow</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-PlFh3ryIw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-PlFh3ryIw</a> We also met up with a friend of Kenny's called Rick. We went to a local eatery and then a nightclub--or was that two different evenings? We also went to Rick's house and spent time with him and his wife. More details another day--the Kauai part of our trip. Over the next three days I have three FringeNYC shows to review! Photo to download: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.digitaldutch.com/arles/tutorials/thumbnail_tags/galleries/thumbnail_tags_with_size/images/Hawaii.jpg">http://www.digitaldutch.com/arles/tutorials/thumbnail_tags/galleries/thumbnai...</a> 
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TITLE: Celebrity Deathmatch: Jon Lovitz vs. Andy Dick
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/25/07 04:35 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/af14.jpg?mgI6QYoCr3r01EM7" width="254" height="333">Last week, The View reported that comedian Jon Lovitz, late of SNL, and comedian Andy Dick, late of NewsRadio (which featured Lovitz in its final season), got into a fight. No--a fight is when two people are going at each other. Lovitz attacked Dick after Dick said some rather rage-provoking things to Lovitz. From my entry on the Bill Maher Message Board: This morning The View reported that comedian Jon Lovitz beat up fellow comedian Andy Dick recently because reportedly Andy had given Phil Hartman's wife, Brynn, cocaine at a party after she had been sober for ten years. She got readdicted, and months later fatally shot her husband and himself. Wow. Hartman's death was nine years ago. Imagine living with that all these years, I thought, that you (meaning Andy Dick) did something that led to a friend's death. Imagine the guilt that must go with that! I wondered if Lovitz had known this all these years or if he had recently found this out. Normally, I like Jon Lovitz better than I like Andy Dick. I almost don't blame Lovitz for what he did; it's perfectly understandable, even if it's wrong. However, in this situation I feel more sorry for Andy Dick, because he's carrying the heavier burden. He needs a huge dose of forgiveness. Apparently the beating wasn't that serious or damaging, or else Lovitz would have been arrested and/or Dick would be in the hospital, and we would have heard about it on the news. Checking the Internet, I saw that the NY Post's Page Six broke the story first. Most of the reaction I see applauds Lovitz's action and says Dick has had this coming for a long time. Lovitz and Phil Hartman had known about Dick giving Brynn the drugs, and Phil had been furious over it. Also, according to the report, Dick goaded Lovitz until Lovitz finally snapped. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=62803"> http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=62803</a> Lovitz told his side of the story on Dennis Miller's radio show, and Miller, who knows all the parties involved, in turn gave his view on Bill O'Reilly's show. For once these days, as far as his comments on O'Reilly's show go, I agree with Miller 100%. Lovitz also spoke on Larry King, and later Dick gave his pov on Tom Green's internet show. I've recorded it all on the Maher thread: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=62803">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=62803</a> Lovitz's 50th birthday was this past Saturday, and I mailed him a greeting card in care of the Laugh Factory. I do hope Andy Dick learns to take better care of himself--and I don't mean in self-defense, either! <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/66.gif"/> 
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TITLE: Love and Israel review, 072107
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/23/07 10:41 pm
STATUS: publish
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The computer I'm using won't let me send an attachment, so I'm copying the first draft of my review here as back-up: Love and Israel Review by Melanie Lee Seen July 21, 2007 Love and Israel: Collected Stories of an Enduring Romance is a sweet travelogue exploring impressions of the love for Israel from American Jews, Israeli Americans, and American Israelis. A company of four women and three men present 12 monologues about the troubled yet passionate relationship between person and country. The play begins as a voiceover treats the audience like passengers on El Al about to land in Tel Aviv. A slender young woman with bobbed blonde hair (Sissy Block, also co-producer) appears on the bare stage, accompanied by “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” in the background, and tells in rapid-fire delivery how she and Israel fell in love. “I was 16; Israel was 38,” she reveals. Another woman (Iuliana Gedo), intimidated into picky eating by American obsession with thinness, tells how she lets loose in Israel, gorging on hummus and other ethnic goodies. “(Israeli) bagels are not as good as the bagels I don’t eat in New York,” she says, and adds, “I’m hungry for a place where there’s something more important than how I look.” A third woman (Mindy Raf), writing a letter to Birthright, tells how one of their agents, whom she discreetly calls “Really Common Jewish Name”, seduced her with “a milk and honey body wash” and other amorous delights only with an eye to signing her up for a Birthright pilgrimage. (This monologue is preceded by a disclaimer.) Women’s voices seem to dominate, yet the men get their say, too. A Chicagoan (Paul Weissman), marveling that he is “Joe” in America and “Yossi” in Israel, tells of his dual-citizenship life with his father, which includes Ben Gurion and Meir at his bar mitzvah, and the unexpected killing of an old friend. A New Yorker (Nathan Brisby), a “reserve soldier” in the Israeli army, proud to be “part of a team of Jewish superheroes”, agonizes over watching the Gulf War on CNN from the safety of his bed while his unit fights half a world away. My favorite performer of the group, Jordana Oberman, plump with curly brown hair, portrays in one monologue an Israeli reporter who witnessed the bombing in Kenya (“How traumatized our nation must be!”). In her second monologue, after a folk guitarist (Avi Reinharz) sings “San Francisco on the Water” in Hebrew, she jumps up from among his listeners and conveys her joy in music (“I hear a Hebrew song and Israel is where I want to be”), even as she tells how the words of a peace song were found in the pocket of the slain Prime Minister Rabin. Oberman is attractive, animated, and compelling. Directed by co-producer Ilana Lipski, performed in a black space with folding chairs and black boxes, Love and Israel proves entertaining and informative, as the monologues, written by various writers, cover patriotism, relationships, culture, and war. I didn’t find this work as gut-wrenching or agonizing as I thought it should have been, even as the characters talk about the violent deaths of friends. Maybe the characters, or the director, is too caught up in their romance with Israel to convey the depths of the dark side of this love. Still, I recommend Love and Israel as a worthy time at the theater. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://loveandisrael.com/">http://loveandisrael.com/</a> 
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TITLE: Deathly Hallows Eve
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/21/07 09:50 pm
STATUS: publish
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So yesterday evening I went down to the Barnes and Noble in Forest Hills to absorb all the Pottermania. Sometime later Elena and her children showed up. I said, "I just got into it last week." She said, "I understand: it's the final book and your last chance to get in on all the excitement." I left at about 10:30.
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TITLE: Expecto Patronum!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/16/07 07:07 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/d1a0.jpg?mgI6QYoCYp_hX2cT" width="333" height="137">Now I remember what from the third Harry Potter film that I found so memorable. It wasn't so much a wise saying, but a situation. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has creatures called Dementors who, from what I observed, could suck the soul out of anyone who was either guilty or emotionally wounded--and they couldn't, or wouldn't, distinguish between the two. Guards of a prison, they were allowed to patrol a school full of children while searching for an escaped prisoner. Tell me, what responsible school would allow such irresponsible, careless creatures around children, unless the school was forced to by the government, or unless they feared the escaped prisoner more than the fearsome guards? I guess you could imagine how some African-American communities feel around racist cops--the guards are worse than the so-called criminals. Shades of Sean Bell! Anyway, the Dementors attacked Harry for some reason. It turned out that since he's seen a lot of sorrow in his life, he's especially vulnerable. (And now I'm thinking about being teased in school. Wow, this has echoes!) In the fifth movie, someone tells Harry that he's not a bad person, but a good person to whom many bad things have happened. Back to the third movie. Dumbledore--or was it Sirius Black?--tells Harry he must fight off the depression-wielding Dementors by bringing up his most joyous memory, and pouring that positive energy into a spell called Expecto Patronum. The spell brings up a white shield which protects the would-be victim from the spectres. In the third movie, the spell briefly brings up the image of a deer--which happens to be an animal I might identify with. In the fifth movie, Harry teaches this spell to the other students, whose spells conjure up shiny white images of different animals. There's a sweetness to this tapping into joy. I found this psychologically sound, and maybe spiritually true. Joyful memories can fight off depression. A sense of lightheartedness, love, etc., can keep one peaceful amidst the gloom. Since them I've read more about the Patronus and the Dementor in Wiki--and Wiki calls them opposites. I think when all the newness rubs off, J. K. Rowling's fantasy world will take its place among the classic fantasy worlds such as Oz, Neverland, Narnia, and Middle Earth. It may even be understood as a Christian or semi-Christian allegory. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/25.gif"/> BTW, Ken sent me this link to a radio interview about the boy wizard: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2007/07/11/segments/81930">http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2007/07/11/segments/81930</a> 
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TITLE: Harry Potter and the Blogger of Doom
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/15/07 10:33 pm
STATUS: publish
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When did the Harry Potter series begin--around 1999? Whenever it did, it took me some eight years to get into it! I saw the first movie a couple of years ago on ABC-TV--a four-hour presentation where they were promoting another movie alongside. Then I saw the movie a few months ago on ABC, sans cross-promotion. Last weekend I bought the third movie from a local video rental store for $1, and then this weekend I rented movie #2 from the same store. Tonight I saw the fifth movie on the big screen. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry, now 15, is tormented by the death of a schoolmate in the previous story (which I haven't seen) and by other horrific memories, including encounters with You-Know-Who. The Ministry of Magic, refusing to believe that Voldemort has returned, appoints a woman to the school who dresses like Jacqueline Kennedy and acts like Eva Braun. She posts rule after rule to curb her students' freedom. In reponse, the kids goad Harry into teaching them the defensive magic arts that Professor Braun--I mean, Professor Umberage--refuses to teach them. By now, comparisons of Lord Voldemort to Darth Vader, Hitler, and the villains of the Lord of the Rings and Narnia sagas should be well-forthcoming. And why not? As J.R.R. Tolken and C.S. Lewis responded to the recently-vanquished Nazi threat in their books, perhaps J.K. Rowlings, as a second- or third-generation author to those literary luminaries, sees a neo-Nazi threat in our world. Who'd a thunk that 11-year-old Harry Potter who had faced personal demons would now be facing political demons at age 15. The Chocolate War and its sequel came to mind as well, as I mentally compared Harry to Jerry Renault traumatized first by the death of his mother and then by the actions of the Vigils. Even the secret society plays in. Imagine if the Vigils were the good guys? When I saw the first movie on TV, I thought that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone played somewhat like a Nancy Drew mystery, even if the hero looked more like Encyclopedia Brown. My niece Joanne is into the Potter books. Two years ago I gave her a book called The Gospel of Harry Potter, which found Christian themes rampant throughout the novels. I read one chapter that hinted that the wise, forgiving Dumbledore is like God, or like Jesus Christ, in character. I'm not giving anything away to say that Dumbledore is killed in the sixth book. Who's to say that he won't rise again somehow in the seventh? Anyway, I doubt that I'll take time to devote myself to the books. The movies are enough for me. I don't plan to delve into Pottermania, but these are some entertaining stories with some worthwhile lessons. Some of these lessons spoken in the films even challenged me: "Character is not a matter of ability, but a matter of choice." (Not a direct quote, but the gist of it.) There's another memorable one from the third movie, but right now I can't remember it! 
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TITLE: The Sunset of Studio 60
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/20/07 06:17 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/b4ba.jpg?mgI6QYoCqHptt_Jj" width="254" height="333"><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/20.gif"/>With all the stuff I've had to deal with this year, I couldn't invest much time in trying to save my favorite new show, and probably among the Top Ten of my all-time favorite shows, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I did sign the online petition to save it, but that's about it. When it was running Mondays at 10pm in the mid-winter, I'd joke that on Monday nights I'd watch "84"--24 on Fox, then Studio 60 on NBC. According to the Studio 60 Flowchart <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.defamer.com/hollywood/studio-60/studio-60-the-flowchart-218142.php">http://www.defamer.com/hollywood/studio-60/studio-60-the-flowchart-218142.php</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://cache.defamer.com/assets/resources/2006/11/studio60-flowchart.jpg">http://cache.defamer.com/assets/resources/2006/11/studio60-flowchart.jpg</a> I would love Studio 60 because I "work" in the entertainment industry (aspiring and twice-produced playwright, plus occasional amateur actress), but wouldn't have a clue about it because I'm poor. Do you have to be rich to enjoy this show, if you're not a show-biz or arts-and-letters type? I guess ambition trumps income. Matt and Danny are the buddy-buddies who love each other. Jordan is, or has been, the boss from Heaven who has your back. Harriet is the born-again Christian who has a brain and a haert, who doesn't live in the Religious Right's back pocket yet would appear on the 700 Club to support the average Joes and Janes among her fellow Christians. Browsing on the internet at work after my shift was over, I was reading about Studio 60 on Wikipedia and decided to look up "Crazy Christians" on Yahoo! I came across two contrasting articles about Christians and Studio 60, one screaming from the Right Wing's back pocket, and the other left-of-center: NBC’s "Crazy Christians" Show by <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mediaresearch.org/bios/lbb/bozellbio.asp">L. Brent Bozell III </a>September 14, 2006 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2006/col20060914.asp">http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/entertainmentcolumn/2006/col200609...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/15/nbcs_crazy_christians_show">http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/15/nbcs_crazy_chris...</a> Why Christians should love Studio 60 Posted Sep 28th 2006 11:28AM by <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tvsquad.com/bloggers/chris-thilk"> Chris Thilk</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/28/why-christians-should-love-studio-60/">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/28/why-christians-should-love-studio-60/</a> It would be interesting to compare and contrast the comments made at each of the above articles. I bet most comments fall into the party lines of right and left, respectively. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/15/nbcs_crazy_christians_show?page=full&comments=true">http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozellIII/2006/09/15/nbcs_crazy_chris...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/28/why-christians-should-love-studio-60/#comments">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/28/why-christians-should-love-studio-60/#comments</a> And here an article from Beliefnet: Monday, September 18, 2006 <h3><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/idolchatter/2006/09/studio-60-not-so-crazy-christian.html">"Studio 60" & the Not-So-Crazy Christian</a></h3> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:r_Fzdhw7vAEJ:www.beliefnet.com/blogs/idolchatter/2006/09/studio-60-not-so-crazy-christian.html+%22crazy+christians%22+%22studio+60%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us">http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:r_Fzdhw7vAEJ:www.beliefnet.com/blogs/ido...</a> (If the link doesn't work, try "cache-ing" it at Google or Yahoo. What really bothers me is that network TV seems to have no room these days for a show with a limited yet loyal following, a show that some love and some hate, a show that doesn't aim for the lowest common denominator, a show that everyone doesn't have to agree upon for it to be successful. What's true for network TV may be true for commercial theater, too. If I have my facts straight, a London production of a musical version of Lord of the Rings recently opened to mixed reviews: some lauding it, some lambasting it. Apparently praise from only part of the press wasn't good enough; the show has closed. I'd think a Lord of the Rings musical, depending on how it was done, would go over well with many people! I hope they will, or have, put out an album. This is sickening. Some can please many, but no one can please everyone. Sometimes cheap commercial entertainment on TV is all I can afford--and I suppose you get what you pay for. Oh, I love many shows that appeal to the many--Lost, 24, Conan O'Brien--but I'd also love some that can only appeal to freaks like me. If shows like Studio 60 might only survive on cable TV, how will I watch them? <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/20.gif"/> I forgot to include my response to another Studio 60 article, which incorporates my response to the right-winged article : I absolutely LOVE Studio 60! I signed the online petition to save it, and I'll be sorry to see it go. Matt and Danny are the buddy-buddies who love each other. Jordan has been the boss from Heaven who's got your back (though her recent pregnancy arch has obscured that trait). Harriet is the born-again Christian with a brain and a heart, who hates neither the right nor the left. I was surfing the web and decided to look up "Crazy Christians", and came upon right-winger L. Brent Bozell's slam of Aaron Sorkin and his "left-wing" shows, and this website's article "Why Christians Should Love Studio 60". I agree with the latter article. I'll add that Jesus of Nazareth founded Christianity, and that we human beings keep screwing up what he established. Let me share with you the e-mail I sent to Bozell: Dear Mr. Bozell: In your zeal to criticize Aaron Sorkin and his ilk, you forget that the fictional liberal President, Josiah Bartlet, was a devout Christian himself! Bartlet, like the actor Martin Sheen who played him, is a devout Catholic who talks to God and who prays. Just like Jesus assailed the Pharisees in the First Century A.D., Bartlet assailed the ultraconservative Christians in his 1990s White House. I LOVE Studio 60! Harriet is a born-again Christian with a brain and a heart. She hates neither the right wing nor the left. She's not a perfect Christian, but then, who is? You? Me? Apparently Sorkin, while skeptical of organized religion, is able to create and write for Christian characters who don't shove themselves into the Religious Right's back pocket. Yes, Mr. Bozell, such Christians, even such born-again Christians, do exist. I'm one of them! Peace, Melanie N. Lee Corona, Queens, NY re: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/04/05/heres-why-30-rock-was-renewed-and-studio-60-wont-be/"> http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/04/05/heres-why-30-rock-was-renewed-and-studio-60-wont-be/</a> Oh, and from the Bill Maher Message Board: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=58831&highlight=studio">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=58831&highlight=studio</a> 
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TITLE: Rare songbirds: Soprano Rock and Alto Opera
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/14/07 01:15 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/8206.jpg?mgI6QYoCR6xxCz5a" width="260" height="260">I was going to write a letter responding to today's op-ed in Metro New York, but musical thoughts seized my mind. There are few soprano voices in rock and roll, and few leading contralto voices in opera. Why? The Broadway stage makes room for both, although they're generally divided between the sweet lyric soprano and the jazzy, brassy, belting alto. This is illustrated near the end of Guys and Dolls where soprano Sarah and alto Adelaide are reprising their songs, overlapping each other, lamenting over their wayward gambling men. Then they join forces and sing "Marry the Man Today", a song left out of the movie version. A rock-and-roll man might soar into a high falsetto, but it's rare for a woman to rock that high. Janis Joplin comes close. Laura Nyro often let her alto-y voice soar up into the stratosphere. Then there's probably the ultimate soprano rocker, the lead vocalist of Heart. "Barracuda" really gets up there; it's a soprano belt. (Whether it's Ann or Nancy Wilson, I don't know.) Deborah Harry of Blondie comes close here and there. Maybe it's traditionally hard for a woman to be strong and sweet at the same time, and she has to make a choice. The book The Angel's Cry talks about the "jouissance" of the soprano diva, the point where the soaring voice takes the listener spiritually upwards, to a kind of emotional orgasm, if you will. An example is the moment of Isolde's transfiguration, with those soaring notes that she cannot even reach; the violin does it for her. The mezzos--Carmen, Delilah--often belong to a darker realm, of women whose feet are on the ground and whose morals might be in the gutter. Yet Bess is Porgy and Bess, a gutterish woman, is given a soprano voice, perhaps to indicate her waiflike side, or her capacity to change. One non-guttery recent mezzo role in Sister Helen Prejean in the new opera of Dead Man Walking. And where is the alto or contralto? From the Wikipedia article "Alto": Contraltos are fairly rare in <a rel="nofollow" title="Opera" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera">opera</a>, since there is very little work that was written specifically for them. Most of the time, contralto roles are limited to maids, <a rel="nofollow" title="Mother" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother">mothers</a> and grandmothers, but they do occasionally get notable roles, with <a rel="nofollow" title="Witch" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch">witches</a> being the most common outside of the three former roles (a common saying among contraltos is that they are only allowed to play "witches, bitches, or <a rel="nofollow" title="Trouser role" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trouser_role">britches</a>"). <a rel="nofollow" title="Baroque opera" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_opera">Baroque opera</a> features a large number of alto roles. I think the lack of contralto roles stems from the man's fear of a strong woman--and a deeper voice seems stronger and more commanding than a higher voice. As for rock and roll, I suppose it is hard to belt out in a high range--at least for women--and the "covered" or operatic voice sounds inappropriate for rock singing. I wonder if anyone has written an analysis of this topic? On a different topic, I wonder if anyone has written an analysis of what I call the "60's riff": dat-dat, dat-dat, dat-dat, da-da-dat CC, DD, Eb Eb, D Eb D C D Eb C D Eb Eb, Eb D C B C D Is that a tritone? That riff appears in different forms in several 1960s songs and beyond, including "Society's Child", "Farmer Joe", "Compared to What", and "Richard Cory". It seems to indicate trouble, a crisis. It also seems to swing with "hipness".
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TITLE: MNL, Newport News, VA
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/05/07 06:54 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/d736.jpg?mgI6QYoCsPVAIXPm" width="168" height="222">I'm in Newport News, Virginia, with Becky, taking part in a conference called Arise, Mighty Warrior. It's a Native American Christian conference, scheduled to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. We arrived in Newport News on Saturday, and the conference started Sunday afternoon. We've had speakers in the early afternoon and in the early evening. A husband-and-wife couple spoke the first two afternoons, and their words really resonated with me. They've written a book which I think is called Warfare with Honor, about restoring honor to Native Americans and to their culture. One major point of this conference is that Native Americans, as the original inhabitants of the land, have the spiritual authority to take the lead in healing and restoring it. Yesterday evening's speaker had some good points, but his style was too much like Falwell or Swaggart, and I found dashes of right-wingism throughout his talk. Oh, well: people are different, and if I expect others to accept my difference, I have to accept others' differences. This afternoon we went to the Virginia Living Museum. We went through an outdoor walkway where we saw deer, turtles, herons, ducks, coyote, wolves, a raccoon, and other wildlife. I want to return another day to their gift shop, because we didn't have time today before the museum closed at 5pm. Only seven minutes left on this computer, so I'll wrap up now. BTW, I told a couple other attendees at the conference about my blog from my Pine Ridge trip: MNL, Pine Ridge, SD <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/pineblog/">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/pineblog/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.restoringnations.org/index.html">http://www.restoringnations.org/index.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.restoringnations.org/special_pages/mighty_warrior.html">http://www.restoringnations.org/special_pages/mighty_warrior.html</a> 
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TITLE: Falwell Farewell
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/15/07 06:47 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6156.jpg?mgI6QYoC84LqTsaa" width="180" height="135"><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/13.gif"/>Believe me, I'm no fan of Jerry Falwell. I could barely stand to look at the guy. To me, he was one of the epitomes of all that was wrong with ultraconservative, so-called evangelical Christianity, which was really, IMO, the wolf of Right-Winged Republicanism disguised as the sheep of the follower of Jesus. This guy, and guys like him, are responsible for the surge of political movement that eventually brought George W. Bush to the White House and brought us this illegal war and this lopsided "prosperity" that goes to the rich and further deflates the poor. Yet, I imagine that Falwell is in heaven now with the Lord--in spite of himself, not because of himself. I'm being too cruel, too partisan. I have no problem with Jerry going to heaven. I do have a problem with God saying to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Then again, as the Good Book says: <h3> Romans 14:4 (New International Version)</h3> Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. So who am I to judge this person? About a week ago, Pete Scazzero preached about the Parable of the Talents and "doing a few things well"--not everything, but a few things. So maybe, in spite of what I think of things he's done that I disapprove of, Falwell did do a few things well. I know he founded Liberty University, a place, perhaps, for certain students who just want to concentrate on learning a few skills and who don't want their worldviews challenged. Maybe, for young people on shaky ground, that can be a good thing. And maybe a few years from now--hopefully not too soon--God will be staring down at me saying "Well done, good and faithful servant", concentrating on the things I have done well, and not upon the mistakes I've made. God bless, Jerry. See you in heaven. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/25.gif"/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.falwell.com/">http://www.falwell.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/ap_on_re_us/jerry_falwell">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/ap_on_re_us/jerry_falwell</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=60152">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=60152</a>
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TITLE: They don't like, they don't like, they don't like Cocaine
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/08/07 05:54 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/8090.jpg?mgI6QYoCt8s1XjFY" width="179" height="122">Check this out: <h5><a rel="nofollow" href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/afp/brand/SIG=ofqlv2;_ylt=AprvvmmELtBJcKskZWfqGeaGOrgF/*http://www.afp.com"><img height="45" alt="AFP" width="100" border="0" src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/th/afp_lo_1.gif"/></a> </h5> 'Cocaine' energy drink to change name after pressure by 'the man' <a rel="nofollow" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070508/ts_afp/lifestyleusdrink_070508185149">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070508/ts_afp/lifestyleusdrink_070508185149</a> Now I'm no fan of illegal drugs, but I am a fan of humor. I just sent this letter to the makers of Cocaine Energy Drink, busybody that I am: Dear Cocaine Energy Drink: I only became aware of your product a couple of days ago when I saw a can of Cocaine in the mall on West 34th Street and Broadway. Since you have to change your name now, how about something clever like: Coco Cane Coco Kane Koko Kane Ko Kane Kane Ko Caine Co. Cainco Kainko Cane Coco Coak Annie Coak Ain Popaine Quoquaine You get the picture. Now I think Coca-Cola has a decent case if they try to sue you over copyright infringement. Your red can design, and your name, do recall their product. Why not use purple or pink or orange or yellow instead of red? Or how about fuschia? Anyway, good luck with your product and with your future marketing. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/24.gif"/>
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TITLE: Two beautiful words: Musical Theater!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/05/07 07:34 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/7d02.jpg?mgI6QYoCkVzhJ8eb" width="218" height="263"><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/21.gif"/><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/41.gif"/> I think John Kenrick, author of Musicals101.com, said that "musical theater" are the two most beautiful words in the world. I came onto the Internet today--staying longer than I planned, as usual, missing the Queen at the Kentucky Derby--to send a thank you note and to look up Bill Maher's appearance on Charlie Rose last night, most of which I saw. I also wanted to see if there was a response yet to my latest submission to Metro New York, but there isn't. Anyway, Becky sent an e-mail responding to my announcement that the Free Synagogue of Flushing was holding auditions next month for a Fall 2007 production of Oliver! "Are you trying out?" she asked. I replied, "Of course!" I said that I remembered, since sending the e-mail, short solos in the "Who Will Buy?" number, for example, an alto singing, "Who will buy my sweet red roses?/Two blooms for a penny." I was on YouTube listening to some Bill Maher TV appearances. (One day I'll write an entry exploring why I love that guy!) Since West Side Story is playing on Channel 13 tonight, I decided to check out some related videos. I saw Vanessa Williams as Anita and Audra McDonald as Maria in a performance of WSS's "Tonight Quintet" as part of a Stephen Sondheim tribute. I saw scenes of high school or college productions, particularly the Somewhere ballet and the final scene. Then I decided to search for performances of "Who Will Buy?" I saw a group of mostly girls in a kitchen or other room rehearsing the street sellers' solos. Then I watched a teenaged girl in performance of the musical singing "Who will buy my sweet red roses..." My tears started falling. Right now, I'm tearing up again. Then I looked at the Who Will Buy production number from the movie with Mark Lester and company. I had to blow my nose at the end? Why does it affect me so? Would "Consider Yourself" make me cry? I think Who Will Buy is reminiscent of Gershwin, of Porgy and Bess in its style and content, particularly the Strawberry Woman song and "I Can't Sit Down", the pre-picnic song. "Who Will Buy" has a spiritual component, an expression of deep longing, even the desire for rescue, salvation, and peace. Oliver is praying he can stay in the rich--or at least middle-class--part of town where it is safe, sunny, and bountiful. Notice that the Strawberry Women in Porgy and Bess and Oliver! are both sopranos. I'm an alto, though I can sing high notes on a good day. I hope that if I'm in the FSF production selling the sweet red roses, I won't tear up while I'm singing! <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com">http://www.youtube.com</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.musicals101.com">http://www.musicals101.com</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.risd41.org/ri/rockislandhigh/Curriculum/music/theatre2002.html">http://www.risd41.org/ri/rockislandhigh/Curriculum/music/theatre2002.html</a> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/69.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/53.gif"/> BTW, I'm not the only person to note the Porgy and Bess quality in "Who Will Buy": There is no denying that the song itself is a derivative of Gershwin's street songs from Porgy and Bess and the treatment is hardly original. But originality isn't the only virtue in art. Bart's imitation is an excellent one, while the tried-and-true staging is superbly suited to the material. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/c_reed/filmography/031.html">http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/c_reed/filmography/031.html</a> Do you remember the lovely "Who Will Buy" sequence from the movie Oliver!, when a London square woke to the cries of a score of dancing street vendors? Or, in Porgy and Bess , the plaintive cry of the strawberry peddler in the black quarter of old Charleston? <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197105/the.street.cries.of.damascus.htm">http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197105/the.street.cries.of.damascus.htm</a> See also: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/literary/quotes.htm">http://www.fruitfromwashington.com/Recipes/literary/quotes.htm</a> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/53.gif"/>
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TITLE: Critiquing "Richard McBeef"
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/24/07 06:02 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img height="31" width="48" src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/100.gif"/> Along my internet travels I came across this: Deadly prose: How should creative writing teachers handle students who turn in gruesome stories? By Sarah Elizabeth Richards <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/20/creative_writing/index.html">http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/20/creative_writing/index.html</a> Here's a sample of posts responding to the article: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://letters.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/20/creative_writing/view/index1.html?show=ec">http://letters.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/20/creative_writing/view/index1...</a> And here's a related story: "I think he was just a confused kid" A high school classmate remembers Cho Seung-hui as "supersmart" and "a really, really quiet guy," while a dorm mate says few even knew Cho lived there. By Joe Eaton <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/17/shooter/index.html">http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/04/17/shooter/index.html</a> While I was laid up with my chest cold one evening--and actually, I may have come home from some local grocery shopping or from an Internet cafe--I turned on the radio hoping to listen to part of the Dennis Miller rebroadcast. Instead, on the same station, I came upon a show called "House of Wachs". They announced that the "House of Wax" players were going to perform "Richard McBeef", written by the Virginia Tech shooter. As a playwright, erstwhile writing teacher, and writing tutor, I was intrigued. I listened. I won't link to the play itself, fearing the possible rules of Yahoo! blogs, but you can find the text at aol.com and thesmokinggun.com. Afterward, the radio men asked for someone to call in to critique the play. I called in and explained my credentials, and soon I was put on the air. The radio personalities were impressed that they had a "professional" to review what they had just read. I replied, "Professional? Well, I am a professional tutor." I basically said that when one is a young adult just learning to write, one has to learn to deal with self-expression, learning skills, and dealing with personal issues. I said the play iteslf was imbalanced. (I didn't mean imbalanced-crazy, but imbalanced-unfair or one-sided.) The way it was written, you'd sympathize more with the man than with the boy. The boy is ranting accusing the man of molesting him and of murdering his father to marry his mother, but we see the man do nothing but put his hand in the boy's lap--an act that might or might not be inappropriate, but isn't much in itself. [Also--although I didn't think to say this on the air--the play has no mystery and no build. It's a rant, a rail of anger, understandable in the beginning playwright. We don't get to wonder if the accusation is true, nor, if it's proven true, how the boy will resolve the problem or get others to believe him.] Wachs and his companion(s) asked if I thought the play was "horrible", or whatever word they used. I said if I were "vetting" (wrong word, I think) the play for a festival, I'd say it was horrible, but as a teacher, I wouldn't say such a thing. I might advise him to turn the play into a farce. Both during my segment and after, Wachs and Co. pretty much spoke against trying to help such a crazy who was beyond help. Actually, I did say that when I was teaching English 101--without revealing too much--I actually came across a student's writing that indicated that that student or a friend might be suffering abuse. I took the student aside for a private talk, and mentioned counseling. I think I also mentioned this to someone else in the English Department. After my segment, the radio men wondered if it was worth it to send his kid to college, that 90% of college professors were living in a fantasy land, and that unless you were studying medicine or law, what was the use of going to college studying something like philosophy that would earn you no money? Actually, I was held over for another segment, because the men wanted to know what had happened on American Idol that night, and I had seen it. That's right--I had turned off the TV at around 10pm and turned on the radio. We discussed Sanjaya. When I mentioned Melinda Doolittle, the man said she could sing well, but he didn't want her to win because her teeth were too big. "And you can't get past that?" I said, surprised. "No, " he replied. He wanted his American Idol to be cute and sexy. "We're more than just sex objects," I said. "Didn't you learn anything from Imus?" "No," he said, rather emphatically and defiantly. On the whole, it was a pleasant two sessions, and they thanked me for my participation, and I thanked them. Later I wrote an e-mail saying what kind of reality is it that, understandably, doesn't want to make room for a emotionally-disturbed young man turned killer, but also doesn't make room for an excellent singer whose teeth are too big? I also said that there's more to higher education than making money, such as things of the soul, spirit, and mind. As Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and Money." Larry Wachs may or may not read that e-mail on the air. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.houseofwachs.com/">http://www.houseofwachs.com/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://923freefm.com/">http://923freefm.com/</a>
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TITLE: Three weeks fallow
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/23/07 08:16 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/31.gif"/><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/28.gif"/><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/59.gif"/><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/57.gif"/> Friday, March 30, I came down with a sore throat, and by late afternoon it developed into a "whooping" cough. For the next three weeks I was mostly homebound, doing not much more besides sleeping, eating, and watching TV. I caught up on a lot of sleep. I wrote in my hardcopy diary. Pete Scazzero has preached a lot about the need for the Sabbath rest. I remember when God was about to toss Israel out of its land, he said something about the 70-year exile and the ground finally getting its rest, the rest the Israelites denied it by not observing the sabbatical for the land. I wondered if it looked like our Dust Bowl. So perhaps I've been fallow, catching up on nearly six months of Sabbath rest! 
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TITLE: I finally spoke to Dennis Miller!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/29/07 08:00 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/f46c.jpg?mgI6QYoCX8.Y5.Dd" width="333" height="222"><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/100.gif"/>I posted this on the Bill Maher Message Board two days ago: For four years I've been wishing I could talk to Dennis Miller directly about his political hard right shift. This morning, I finally did. Miller began a new show on the Westwood One radio network yesterday. To my knowledge you can't hear it live in NYC, but you can hear the taped rebroadcast at night, 9p-12m. The show goes live 10a-1p Eastern Time. Yesterday evening I went to his new website: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dennismillerradio.com/"> http://www.dennismillerradio.com/</a> And found out the broadcast times, which for me is New York City WFNY-FM 92.3, 9p-12a. (There are no markets in NJ or Connecticut, though his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA apparently broadcasts him live.) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dennismillerradio.com/stationfinder"> http://www.dennismillerradio.com/stationfinder</a> Anyway, I listened to part of the show last night and got the phone number and call-in times. I called in this morning around 10:15 and got to speak to him around 10:40 or 10:45. They had the feed over the phone, and he said, "There's a listener named Melanie from New York City who doesn't like my politics." I said, in effect, "I liked when you used to be an equal opportunity insult comic, giving it to all sides, like MAD Magazine. But since 2003, it's like you decided that the right can do no wrong, and the left can do no right. It's like just when we needed you most--the marginalized, the poor--you hurled us to the wolves. That's one point. The other is that you had this guy last night, Horowitz, talking about leftist college professors who make $100,000 a year with four months' vacation. Well, I was an adjunct last semester teaching in the CUNY system, and I made about $7,000. Some 50% of college courses today are taught by adjuncts who are struggling with the money." He said, very politely, "Well, first of all, it wasn't since 2003; it was since 2001, 9/11." He went on about the war on terror and keeping them from blowing us up. He continued, "When you said 'marginalized', you said 'we', so I imagine you include yourself in that." 'Uh-huh," I said. He said, "I didn't mean to throw you out to the wolves." In effect, he said, "I'm for giving up to 50% of my earnings in taxes. Beyond that, it's ____ socialism." [I didn't catch the word before "socialism".] Basically he said he had no problem paying his share of taxes, presumably to help the poor and marginalized. I understand the constraints of live radio and the need to take turns, and that he couldn't give me time to debate some more. I thought Miller treated me quite well. Of course, given time, I could argue that unbridled support for the Republicans and neocon policies does ultimately hurt the poor and marginalized, but that argument will be for another day, another method, given the chance. Possibly you might catch my segment of the show tonight, in the first hour (within the second half-hour), if they broadcast the tape of the show at night in your area. BTW, here's the phone number to call in 10a-1p Eastern Time: 866-559-RANT(7268). (Although I thought it was 509-RANT: I don't have my copy of the phone number in front of me right now.) <a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=58156">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=58156</a> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/6.gif"/> <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/41.gif"/> Here's what I wrote into a "contact us" space at dennismillerradio.com: Dear Dennis: For four years I've been wishing I could speak to you. Today, it finally happened! Thanks for taking my call during the first hour of your show, and thanks for being so polite when you responded. If we had had time, I would have pointed out how unbridled support of Bush, the Republicans, and neoconservative policies ultimately does hurt the poor and marginalized--for example, outsourcing, downsizing, and no minimum wage increase for ten years! I hate this current business practice of More Work from Fewer People for Less Pay. But I digress. I posted a summary of our talk on the Bill Maher message board: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=58156"> http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=58156</a> BTW, I saw a transcript on the Internet of how you defended Bill Maher to Bill O'Reilly. I appreciate your loyalty to Maher (and his to you). Four years ago, April 7, 2003, I wrote an open letter to you on a website that grew to be quite obsessive. Anyway, the original letter is here, at the top of the webpage. Please take the time to read it: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/dennismiller.html"> http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/dennismiller.html</a> I also wrote an essay about you on Amazon.com, which simultaneously advertised your products: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/Y5QPFBDI9U4F/ref=cm_syt_srch_f_2_rsrsrs0/104-4478452-7519937"> http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syl...478452-7519937</a> That's enough for now. Enjoy your new show. Thanks again for the time you gave me, and please consider what I've said. Peace, Melanie N. Lee Corona, Queens, NY <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dennismillerradio.com/pg/...tact.jsp#form3"> http://www.dennismillerradio.com/pg/...tact.jsp#form3</a> Okay, here's the audio stream. With commercials removed, my little segment comes around 24:00: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dennismillerradio.com/programhighlights;jsessionid=E4D34EB989A079FD3634390D1A9BB70C?pid=1065">http://www.dennismillerradio.com/programhighlights;jsessionid=E4D34EB989A079F...</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dennismillerradio.com/pro...BB70C?pid=1065"> http://www.dennismillerradio.com/pro...BB70C?pid=1065</a>
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TITLE: Is Jack Bauer the new John Wayne? Is 24 the new Birth of a Naton? What have I done?!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/19/07 06:00 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/9709.jpg?mgI6QYoCEguEwI_o" width="184" height="233">Through my e-mailed connection to Beliefnet.com I stumbled upon a blog entry commenting on an American Conservative article about 24 and terrorism and the neocon taking Jack Bauer as a model of how we should fight terrorism today. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/crunchycon/2007/03/rights-jack-bauer-fetish.html">http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/crunchycon/2007/03/rights-jack-bauer-fetish.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_03_12/cover.html">http://www.amconmag.com/2007/2007_03_12/cover.html</a> Which leads me to ask: is Jack Bauer the new John Wayne? Is 24 the new Birth of a Nation? And what have I done, being an ardent fan of the show--which airs tonight, BTW? <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/13.gif"/> I hate John Wayne. I can't stand Ronald Reagan. I love Jack Bauer. Maybe it helps that Jack Bauer resembles the Worship Pastor of my church, just as Dennis Miller somewhat resembles my Senior Pastor. Becky once told me some people in the church were talking about 24: "You know, the one with Peter Rohdin in it." Personal associations aside, I find 24 an exciting drama with engrossing characters and riveting plots, with the unusual format of each hour-long episode in "real time" representing an hour of one very harrowing day--hence the title 24. However, even as I was enjoying it and Keifer Sutherland's performance as the main character, I wondered if the American viewership wasn't slowing being seduced into a worldview where it was okay to do anything as long as it was for the "good guys". What lifts 24 to, or near to, the moral gravitas of serious theatrical tragedy, as one writer put it, is that Jack, a tragic figure himself, deals with the physical dilemmas while, in parallel, President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) deals with the moral dilemmas. And they are dilemmas. Was John Wayne ever in a dilemma, besides in The Searchers? Or did he just know that he was the good guy and that the bad guys deserved whatever he got. Heck, the Wayne persona was a character who was in The Searchers considering killing his own niece because she had had sex with an Indian!--even if the sex was most likely coerced. Did Ronald Reagan in real life as President ever see that he was in a dilemma? Even if not, at least he saw that you couldn't always go in with guns blazing--sometimes, maybe, but not always. Then there's Birth of a Nation, the 1915 movie that saw breakthroughs in film technology and story-telling, yet with the horrendous message that the "good guys" had to keep the blacks from getting out of hand, lest they rape the white women and keep the right to vote! I've heard that lynchings went up, and stayed up, after that film was distributed. So if John Wayne made it okay to kill "bad guys" and Indians (in retrospect), and Birth of a Nation made it okay to lynch blacks ("now" and in the "near future"), what is 24 telling us? That it's okay to torture bad guys and terrorists to get the information we need? Here's a quote from the Beliefnet blog: Liberals who sneer at conservative complaints about the deleterious social effects of film, television and music would do well to consider this point about "24" and torture. In her New Yorker report, [Jane] Mayer continues: <blockquote>Since September 11th, depictions of torture have become much more common on American television. Before the attacks, fewer than four acts of torture appeared on prime-time television each year, according to Human Rights First, a nonprofit organization. Now there are more than a hundred, and, as David Danzig, a project director at Human Rights First, noted, “the torturers have changed. It used to be almost exclusively the villains who tortured. Today, torture is often perpetrated by the heroes.” </blockquote> I do think that gratuitous, unnecessary sex or violence in a work of art, or too much sex or violence, can be detrimental to at least certain kinds of viewers. On the other hand, I'm wary of censorship. I'm especially wary of political censorshp. However, if I enjoy 24--presented by the Fox network, no less!--am I helping to promote a neoconservative point-of-view that asks us, when it comes to torture and our (perceived) enemies, to throw away restraint, decency, and compassion--not to mention law--in the name of safety and patriotism? I think not. Part of watching a story in the arts is learning what NOT to do. Yeah, Jack Bauer illegally broke into a Chinese consulate to capture a witness and accidentally killed a diplomat in the process--and spent two years tortured in a Chinese prison for it. Macbeth and his wife, urged by three witches' prophecy, murdered the king and others and seized the throne--and they died for it. A good girl named Maria in West Side Story, caught up in extreme circumstances, tried to run away with a boy she had met the night before--and that boy died in her arms. Neocons shouldn't mistake catharsis for instruction. <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/102.gif"/>
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TITLE: My Fair Kelsey: Just Loverly!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/08/07 07:19 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/6bee.jpg?mgI6QYoCkEkK4u5." width="110" height="194">I've whittled down my previous post to some 450 words to submit to Metro New York. Since my December 2005 publishing, I must have thrown in some eight columns to submission, with no bites. My new boss thinks this latest column is excellent! Anyway, I've run into a positive review of Avery Fisher Hall's My Fair Lady in the New York Daily News: <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tr> <td>This 'Lady' just loverly </td> <tr> <td>Frasier shines at Lincoln Center </td></tr> <tr> <td>BY JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ DAILY NEWS THEATER CRITIC </td></tr></table> (excerpt) Grammer has a pleasant singing voice and actually sings his songs, unlike Rex Harrison, who originated the role on Broadway and won an Oscar for the movie. But Grammer's at his best hurling Higgins' zingers about Eliza, such as, "She's so deliciously low, so horribly dirty." <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/503570p-424682c.html">http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/503570p-424682c.html</a> More later, maybe. 
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TITLE: My Fair Lady, my poor purse
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/07/07 04:23 pm
STATUS: publish
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Starting today, Kelsey Grammar will star as Professor Henry Higgins in a partially-staged concert version of My Fair Lady, to run until this Saturday. I can't afford to go. Right now I have about 50 cents on my person and $19.96 on my unemployment insurance debit card--just four cents short of the minimum requirement to make an ATM withdrawal. Nope--I bought a buttered muffin and a white hot chocolate at Dunkin Donuts late last night. Make that about $16.46. Anyway, I don't get my first payment from my new job until Friday. Even so, $65 for the cheap seats would make a huge dent in the paycheck of someone who hasn't paid the bulk of her utilities for two months. Just as well: the cheap seats are sold out already. Only a few of the $125 top dollar seats remain. Had it been BrynTerfel, the operatic baritone, filling the Higgins role rather than TV's Frasier, perhaps the cheap and expensive seats would sell out at equal pace. Then again, even without the TV-associate mass appeal, enough poor aspiring singers, composers, and librettists live in New York City to grab all the cheap seats to a four-day run of a classic American musical. I hope to God that PBS is taping this event. Why not? After all, PBS taped that 2000 concert version of Sweeney Todd at Avery Fisher Hall that I couldn't afford, as well as the Candide at Fisher Hall that I didn't even know about, and last year's South Pacific concert at Carnegie Hall that I couldn't afford. Perhaps next season I can enjoy Kelsey Grammar's Higgins, Brian Dennehy's Alfred P. Doolittle, et al, from the comfort of my own late mother's chaise lounge. PBS, of course, comes under occasional fire from those Republicans and other rightists who see no need for government subsidies for art. "Arthur Miller didn't need the NEA to write Death of a Salesman!" one such pundit declared. No--Miller needed the WPA. Speaking of Millers in arts and entertainment: when he was still an equal-opportunity insulter back in the 1990s, comedian Dennis Miller ranted about public funding for the arts: "Who do we find ourselves locked in this pointless pas de doo-doo over something called ' arts funding' ? The federal tab involved here is a lousy 500 million dollars. One-fifth the national budget! Less than the money spent on 1-900 calls from Air Force One. " Dennis reminds us that "Arts Funding" is far less than 1% of the federal budget, and though art can't build houses, it does educate, beautify, and display human potential. To paraphrase Miller for a general audience: "Ninety percent of arts is crap, four out of five is crap with an asterisk, but oh, that one percent!" Since 9/11 "changed him", Miller has jumped on the right-wing bandwagon proclaiming no need for arts on the public dole. In one TV talk show appearance, Miller said, to paraphrase again, this time for lack of exact memory rather than for verbal decency, "We don't need to subsidize the arts. Good art will always find support." Aside from the fact that that's simply not true, Miller and others like him forget that it's not just about producing good art. It's about getting good art to the people. Since I can't afford to get into Avery Fisher Hall this weekend, I will have to wait until PBS brings that good art--I'm assuming it will be good art!-- of Kelsey Grammar in My Fair Lady into my TV set--provided that PBS can hang on that long. BTW, I forgot to mention that My Fair Lady has been on my mind now and then ever since I decided to have a cincuentanera--which I haven't had yet, BTW. In my Cincuentanera list on Amazon.com, I included the movie of My Fair Lady and wrote, "For some reason I keep thinking of My Fair Lady and wishing I had the video. Maybe I'm both Henry and Eliza: teacher and emerging lady." I borrowed a library copy and watched it at home about two months ago. I have on audiotape the London recording with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. Over the past couple of days I've been singing the score in the shower. Maybe on Saturday night I'll hang out around Avery Fisher Hall and hope to pick up or buy a program. I think it's supposed to be 50-degrees warm by then. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Cincuentanera-50-is-the-new-15/lm/R3FR5JSYT3Q991/ref=cm_lm_pdp_title_full/103-2885727-9132659">http://www.amazon.com/Cincuentanera-50-is-the-new-15/lm/R3FR5JSYT3Q991/ref=cm...</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://nyphil.org/attend/season/index.cfm?page=eventDetail&eventNum=937&seasonNum=6">http://nyphil.org/attend/season/index.cfm?page=eventDetail&eventNum=937&seaso...</a> It seems like the top price has dropped down to $75, but there are very few tickets left! Some websites are selling those tickets for over $400! Rip-off! 
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TITLE: Cincuentanera: Happy 50th Birthday!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 12/21/06 05:33 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/79.gif"/>Today's my 50th birthday! I've made it this far! Happy Cincuentanera to me! 
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TITLE: Cincuentanera #6: cake idea
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/26/06 10:08 pm
STATUS: publish
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I just ran across this idea: the doll merged into the cake.  Maybe this could be a side cake?  There's a craft store on Jamaica Avenue, I believe, that sells such dolls.
They also have People Molds, for shaping your own sugary figurines.
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sugarcraft.com/">http://www.sugarcraft.com/</a>
 
 
 
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TITLE: Cincuentanera #5: the dress!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/26/06 09:01 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/3a5a.jpg?mgI6QYoCpHGwOL0y" width="250" height="333">At the Oh So Dressy! in Corona, I'd spotted on Wednesday afternoon, I think, an Onyx Nite dress, velvet, black roses, with matching jacket.  When I went back Saturday afternoon, however, I tried on a slew of dresses, including, I believe, a Karen Miller purple--"eggplant"--gown with short sleeves.  The black roses one was nice and sentimental, but the purple outfit made me look like a star!  I bought it.  A couple of days later I read in Proverbs 31:22 (NIV): 
She makes coverings for her bed; 
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
I don't think the dress is linen, but it is purple!
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.markhenryfashions.com/catalog/item_detail.cfm?styleid=536&catid=12&startRow=17">http://www.markhenryfashions.com/catalog/item_detail.cfm?styleid=536&catid=12...</a>  
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TITLE: Cincuentanera #4: Another Taste of Heaven
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/25/06 10:02 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/ada1.jpg?mgI6QYoCRFvFr.Xa" width="167" height="224">This picture goes more with my old theme than my current theme, but here goes:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.atasteofheaven-online.com/">http://www.atasteofheaven-online.com/</a>
Just for the record.
 
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TITLE: Life at the Speed of Light
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/19/06 09:46 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/04.gif" alt="Image"/>  In a couple of days I'll get my first paycheck as a QCC college instructor--okay, adjunct lecturer.
"She works far into the night."--from Proverbs 31.
I've beenworking far into the night composing my response for my Practicum tomorrow, and starting the syllabus for my second English 101 class, a late- start class.  Besides the Practicum and my two classes and the composing of assignments and the correcting of papers that involves, I'm starting to plan my Cincuentanera, still wrapping up business connected with Mom, starting to pay bills on my own, trying to clean up the house, do shopping, find time and money to do laundry, etc.  On top of all that, I have a civil court date tomorrow morning, Capital One versus me, and they're represented by a rather unscrupulous company named Rubin and Rothman.  A few months ago, they'd commissioned a rather nice lawyer, unassociated with them, to face me in court.  Now he/they were supposed to send me a hardship form, but they didn't.  And with me dealing with Mom's death and a new job, who could begin to think of a credit card lawsuit, which up to now I can't afford to pay anyway?
I'm going to argue that $1,300 is too big an inflation for a debt that was originally $300.
I feel as if my newly-, or nearly-independent life is going by in a blur.
Did I forget to mention that I'm now on the leadership team of the Kairos singles group at New Life Fellowship?  Saturday morning I attended a Leadership Conference at NLF.
Well, it's time to stop writing about my busyness and go home and get some sleep!
<img src="http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/24.gif" alt="Image"/>
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TITLE: Cincuentanera #3: a taste of heaven!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/17/06 04:45 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/a38d.jpg?mgI6QYoC39DosWem" width="200" height="116">I think I have a God-given theme for my Cincuentanera: a Taste of Heaven!
This came to me in church today.  I don't want to spill all the details now, but I'm thinking of positive images from the book of Revelation, including the Lamb, the white clothing, the harps, the stars, the city with twelve gates of pearl, and the wedding feast of the Lamb!
For colors, I'm thinking white, gold, and red, with splashes of green and maybe purple.  Since my birthday is in December, the colors will blend in with Christmas, as will the theme.  I would still include secular music and splashes of the theatrical.
How's that for not spilling too much?
Taste of Heaven:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.aish.com/spirituality/odysseys/A_Taste_of_Heaven.asp">http://www.aish.com/spirituality/odysseys/A_Taste_of_Heaven.asp</a>    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thetasteofheaven.com/">http://www.thetasteofheaven.com/</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/Opinion/A-taste-of-heaven/2004/12/21/1103391735177.html?oneclick=true">http://www.smh.com.au/news/Opinion/A-taste-of-heaven/2004/12/21/1103391735177...</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.my-tgif.com/tasteofheaven.htm">http://www.my-tgif.com/tasteofheaven.htm</a>
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TITLE: Serious Job Hunt #5: Got one!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 09/17/06 04:26 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/ad11.jpg?mgI6QYoCaCdtBi8l" width="86" height="130">Congratulate me. I'm now working as an Adjunct Lectuter, an instructor of two classes of English 101 at Queensborough Community College--CUNY, Bayside, Queens, NY. They called me about a week before classes started, somewhere around August 22. My first class started Thursday, August 30, and a late-start class began three days ago, Thursday September 14. Already I've used in one class the article "The Absence of John Lennon and Other Spiritual Dilemmas" by Becky Burgwin, and an op-ed piece on 9/11 in the classroom run in the Daily News on September 7. I'm thinking of using an excerpt called "Faith and the Pool" from Pete Scazzero's new book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, which came out a few weeks ago. Using QCC's standard English 101 textbook, Across Cultures, I'm having my first class follow the Popular Culture and Cultural Encounters units, and my second class the Work unit and a second unit to be determined later. I'm enjoying this, though it is challenging finding time enough to correct papers. And I'm still not getting enough sleep! 
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TITLE: Godversations, FringeNYC, review, seen 8/19/06, plus notes
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/21/06 09:47 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/a210.jpg?mgI6QYoCiNYGUvbY" width="123" height="109">Godversations FringeNYC, seen 8/19/06 Reviewed by Melanie N. Lee Welcome to Godversations. Check your offend-o-meter at the door, and put your most cherished beliefs and concepts about God on the back burner--or under a microscope. Godversations, penned by Larry Brenner and directed by Betsy Karic, is a series of rapid-fire skits in which God talks to Satan, Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah, Abraham and Isaac, Moses, Job, and Barry, a modern-day talk show host. On a bare stage with only a few chairs and a trunk which doubles as an altar, God tries to cope with the humans he created and the humans try to cope with pleasing and understanding a supreme being. This God (Gil Parkin), dressed in white toga, sandals, and heavy eyeliner, is quite annoyed, even way uptight. He hates being disobeyed, yet he prefers common sense over blind obedience. All he wants is to create and to be appreciated. At first God talks in Jacobean "thys" and "thous". Satan, acting as his secretary, keeps reminding God of details of creating the world. When God tells the solitary Adam to "Be fruitful and multiply", Adam asks, "How?" Eve, when created, and told the Garden of Eden’s rules, asks, "If we're not going to eat of that tree, why did you make it?" God gets fed up with the questions: "Why not a ‘thank you’ to the guy who gave you life and gave you the WHOLE FREAKIN' WORLD?!!" He’s unimpressed with Cain’s gift of fruit: “So that's what you think of me, that I'm a dog who can eat your scraps? ...I just want to know that you care!” When Moses suggests giving the confused Israelites a set of rules, God creates a commandment about attitude—covetousness—explaining, “I want everyone to know they’re a sinner, so I put in a toughie. Keeps them from being holier-than-thou. I can’t stand people like that.” Parkin is funny as his God transforms from needy and bitchy to more relaxed and self-aware. The other players—Mark Cirnigliaro, Carly Robbins, and the playwright Brenner—perform their multiple roles well. Although Godversations contains some clever insights into what God may really want from us, it somehow lacks the gravitas due its subject matter. I'm not saying that this play should've been more somber, nor longer. The rapid delivery may be responsible for Godversations’ fluffy, throwaway attitude, as if director Karic was afraid to give the audience time to think about what it was hearing. It's making an appetizer of what could've been a meal. Other than this, if you can put aside your most offendable sensibilities for 45 minutes, you may come away with a funny, enjoyable time of sketch comedy theater. *************** Notes on Godversations Bare stage, trunk, chairs Satan is God's secy G Be fruitful and multiply A How? "thy" language for God A If I don't need ribs, why did you give them to me? G Touche ...A: One rib per mate, right? G I name you Eve E O....kaaaayyy. E You want some sort of harem? I wasn't raised that way. A You weren't raised at all. E if we're not to eat of that tree, why did you make it? G Why not a thank you to the guy who gave you life and gave you the whole freakin' world?!! G We're done here. Let's do this thing again from the top! --God is way uptight-- Cain: You're so passive-aggressive. (about the present) G Let's just say I'm not impressed. ...Abel, he sacrificed the fattest sheep he had. Now that's a gift. --sacrifice-- G So that's what you think of me, that I'm a dog who can eat your scraps? ...I just want to know that you care! I know I'm not that easy to get along with...but I'm tired of seeng you go halfway all the time. C Give you something no one else can. --quick skits: Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah-- G The rest of the human race, they're so full of themselves. N God..have you been drinking again? --a romp through Genesis-- (N shocked at idea of drowning humanity) Abraham: I saw what you did to Sodom and Gomorrah, and I wasn't going to argue. "Your only kid" G Not everything I say [should be taken] so literally! ...if you have a question, ask it! --embarrassment of two men telling each other I love you (God & Abr)-- Moses: No one really knows what you want them to do. G Do I have to spell it out for you? It's common sense. Be a good person! G I want everyone to know that they're a sinner, so I put in a toughie. (covet) Keeps them from being holier-than-thou. I can't stand people like that. Job Now you tell me there’s no plan, and it’s all because of a stupid bet? J I need some space G You know, technically, I’m everywhere. Barry modern TV talk show host, interviews God G I could do anything…whole? Responsibility issue G At creation, I was the man. I’ve learned to delegate since then. I put Satan in charge of everything bad…You could call me the father of the father of all lies. --God in white robe, Satan in green sash— G Life is about learning, Barry. …to learn about myself, who I am, how I grow. G I could make people happy, or I could tell the truth. G I need to be the creator as much as you needed to be created. G (about films) You have no idea what it’s like to see your ideas come to life like that! Songs: Help!, Losing My Religion, What if God Was One of Us --level of simple, funny skits Deep issues of God’s relation to humanity, creativity, and “space”. This God, although he hates being disobeyed, loves common sense above blind obedience to rules. 
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TITLE: Girl Scouts of America, FringeNYC, review, seen 8/11/06
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/13/06 05:33 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/374e.jpg?mgI6QYoC75H87i76" width="333" height="266">Girl Scouts of America 
FringeNYC, seen Friday August 11, 2006 
Reviewed by Melanie N. Lee 
 
I remember seeing cartoon Girl Scouts on a Smokey the Bear TV ad in the early 1960s. One day I donned my sister’s old Brownie uniform and cooked my first piece of toast. At nearly age 12, I finally joined in 1968 as a Cadette. According to the play Girl Scouts of America, this makes me a dork. That’s okay. 
 
Full of clever dialogue, hilarious observations, and memory-jogging details, Girl Scouts of America is penned by Andrea Berloff and Mona Mansour, the former the screenwriter of the film World Trade Center. Directed by James Saba (a former Boy Scout!), GSA presents satiric scenes and skits tracing the growing pains of four young women. The actresses, who perform well, each possess a main character, yet play multiple roles. 
 
Froggy (Barbara Pitts) and Atlanta (Deb Heinig), proudly sporting their camp names, are loud, enthusiastic Camp Winaka counselors who wear Junior-level Scout sashes, with Brownie Fly-Up decal, over their seafoam-green T-shirts. They wave the “quiet sign” at the audience and lead a Brownie song. The two tease and squeeze each other in a way suggesting more involved actions to come. 
 
Andrea (Karen Zippler) of Massachusetts is a shy, oft-teased girl who “made friends with the lunch lady.” When her mother decides Andrea might make friends through the Scouts, the girl complains, “But Mommy, only the geeks are in Scouts!” Mother replies, “Well, sweetie…?” in a “look in the mirror” tone. In Scouting, Andrea befriends a bookish girl—“a true honest dork just like me!”—and together they unearth arrowheads later displayed in a museum “to this day!” 
 
Meanwhile, Southern Californian Mona (Nisi Sturgis) meets a girl who leads her on a pond-jumping adventure; Mona’s parents forbid the friendship and send Mona to the Scouts for discipline. When Andrea’s and Mona’s sisters each fall seriously ill, their respective parents send Andrea and Mona to Camp Winaka. 
 
Before seven colorful panels resembling cookie boxes, the girls strive to earn gigantic badges such as the Self-Esteem Badge, the Realizing that Childhood Really Sucks Badge, and the Big Girl on Her Own Badge. The girls sing, sometimes in sweet harmony, Scout standards like “Make New Friends” and “Kumbaya”, as well as 1970s and 1980s hits. They watch, while “scarfing down s’mores”, a camp skit improbably pairing founder Juliette Gordon Low with abolitionist Sojourner Truth. A girl, flashlight circle in face, tells a scary campfire tale about a thumping human heart in a hollow tree. As the play advances, Froggy and Atlanta take a very adventurous canoe ride, while Mona and Andrea try to take their Scouting lessons into college dorm life and then temp agency work. 
 
“Dorkiness” is a central theme to this play. Are the writers trying to say that one enters the Girl Scouts a geek and comes out a lesbian? I would ask, why is an organization offering fun, skills, and character-building considered horribly uncool by the characters and their tormenters? Yet GSA exhibits some pride in that uncoolness. (Consider that one “dork” wrote a critically-acclaimed hit movie!) 
 
This hilarious, nostalgic play could trim maybe ten minutes from its length. The end seems a bit long, the energy sagging a little in its adult scenes. My brother, a former Boy Scout who saw the play with me, thought Girl Scouts of America, though interesting and well-acted, might appeal more to girls and women. As for me, well, I might want to unearth my old Cadette handbook and complete the requirements for those Puppetry and Chef badges that I never earned. 
 
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TITLE: Jay Leno and the Mistress of the Universe
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/08/06 05:37 pm
STATUS: publish
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Inspired by what happened on last night's Tonight Show, I wrote this: Jay Leno and the Mistress of the Universe, or how feminine words get trashed By Melanie N. Lee, August 8, 2006 On the “Headlines” feature of the Monday August 7 edition of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno displayed a newspaper with a newly-crowned Miss Universe 2006 with the headline, MISTRESS OF THE UNIVERSE. What makes the tag funny is our interpreting the word “mistress” not as the female version of “master”, but as a word for a paramour—“Lover/Sexual Partner of the Universe”, so to speak. Had a headline of a Mr. Universe winner declared him “Master of the Universe”, we might only be tickled by memories of a 1980s action cartoon or of an old <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000185/"> Dolph Lundgren</a> film. Our slang lexicon turns many words for a female in power into insults or slams. For example, culled from the online American Heritage Dictionary at Yahoo! Education: A master is: 1. One that has control over another or others. 11a. An artist or performer of great and exemplary skill. A mistress is: 6. A woman who has a continuing sexual relationship with a usually married man who is not her husband and from whom she generally receives material support. A king is: 1. A male sovereign. 2. One that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere. A queen is: 6. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man. A wizard is: 1. One who practices magic; a sorcerer or magician. 2. A skilled or clever person: a wizard at math. 3. Archaic A sage. A witch is: 1. A woman claiming or popularly believed to possess magical powers and practice sorcery. 3. A hag. 4. A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing. A buddy is: 1. A good friend, a comrade. ETYMOLOGY: Probably alteration of brother. A sissy is: 1. A boy or man regarded as effeminate. 2. A person regarded as timid or cowardly. ETYMOLOGY: Diminutive of sis (that is, sister). A father is: 1. A man who begets or raises or nurtures a child. 4. A man who creates, originates, or founds something: Chaucer is considered the father of English poetry. A mother is: 11. Vulgar Slang Something considered extraordinary, as in disagreeableness, size, or intensity. (This, I’m sure, comes from the twelve-letter compound expletive noun which the dictionary says means: Vulgar Slang 1. A person regarded as thoroughly despicable. 2. Something regarded as thoroughly unpleasant, frustrating, or despicable.) Why the need to defang words that refer to a woman in charge (queen, mistress), a woman with skill (witch), or even a woman who influences our decisions (mother, sister)? Are we so afraid of power in a woman, that we must turn a word for a woman possessing power, skill, or influence, into an insult? On the flip side, why doesn’t a woman graduating from college get her Spinster’s degree, or from graduate school her Mistress’ degree? Yet I suppose many women in life have advanced in title from Spinster to Mistress. Now do I mean “Mistress” as in a “Mrs.”, or a woman in charge of her domain, or a woman making illicit love to her universe? Ask Jay Leno. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/headlines/">http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/headlines/</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/">http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/</a>
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TITLE: American Girl and the 7 train
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/07/06 05:46 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/4b66.jpg?mgI6QYoCHHWhaD7V" width="333" height="333">Saturday afternoon, I was riding onthe 7 train to go to the new "FringeCENTRAL", the 2006 headquarters for the 2006 Fringe Festival.  At 61st Street in Woodside, a small group of about seven girls and four women came on.  The preteen girls, all blondes, carried American Girl dolls, all blond, except for a doll with light-brown hair carried by a girl with tawny-ish blonde hair.  "They can't be native New Yorkers," I thought.  Something about their attitude, or lack thereof.  Are they from Long Island or Westchester or upstate, or out of state?  
One of the girls looked sickly, maybe about to cry.  I caught the attention of one of the women and made room for a seat, but another girl, perhaps another feeling not-so-well, sat down.  I overheard someone said that for one girl, this was her first subway ride.  "That's it," I thought, "I've got to ask!"
I called to one of the women.  "Excuse me...where do you all come from?" I asked.  She replied they were from Long Island, from Babylon.  They were riding on the LIRR when the train was interrupted because, reportedly, someone had falled between two cars onto the tracks.  (On the news later, they reported that a teenaged girl had fallen, or jumped, onto the tracks at the Woodside station, which is below the 7 train at 61st Street.)  Then I said, "You're going to American Girl Place, right?"  They said yes.  It was a birthday party, and I greeted the birthday girl--or was in the middle of greeting her, when someone else in the group started talking.  I shared that I have four nieces so I'm familiar with American Girl, too, and in fact had bought one for myself.
Going into Manhattan, they were planning to get off at Times Square, but I told them Fifth Avenue was closer.  We were trying to figure out which street the American Girl store was on.  Another woman rider piped up: "Forty-Ninth Street--I go there all the time!"  
When we got to Fifth Avenue and the train doors opened, the group wasn't budging, so I called out, "Go!  It's your stop!  Go!"  Apparently a man was blocking them, and a woman said that he thought they were getting off at Times Square.  But the group got off the train.
For what's up with me and the Fringe Festival this year, go here:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://members.tripod.com/mnl_1221/fringeblog/">http://members.tripod.com/mnl_1221/fringeblog/</a>
American Girl and American Girl Place:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://store.americangirl.com/pls/ag/AG_pagestyle?catid=375805&groupid=437650">http://store.americangirl.com/pls/ag/AG_pagestyle?catid=375805&groupid=437650</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.americangirlplace.com/agp_ny_splash.php">http://www.americangirlplace.com/agp_ny_splash.php</a>    
The LIRR accident:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wnbc.com/news/9635221/detail.html">http://www.wnbc.com/news/9635221/detail.html</a>  
BTW, I found an interesting site featuring bridal faux pas, according to the webkeeper's friend:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.visi.com/~dheaton/bride/the_bride_wore.html">http://www.visi.com/~dheaton/bride/the_bride_wore.html</a>
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TITLE: Humor and the Holocaust: oy, what a question!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/03/06 05:56 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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Someone just asked this on Yahoo! Answers:

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<a rel="nofollow" title="View Mohammed Salah's Profile" href="http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt=AnvKNwaXfHbmo6XvTntw.eMezKIX?show=82f9219dd35e1e63767ce05d26b4bb8eaa"> Mohammed Salah</a> 
12 minutes ago 


 

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<h3> Any jokes about the holocaust? I think the holocaust itself is a joke ... LOL?</h3>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20060803143513AAmXy6P&r=w&pa=FZptHWf.BGRX3OFMhDBTVMw8SmEbXetI8uAcvtyGFDwwabnS5A--#NbUvWjK1UDTNFmf2wLn">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20060803143513AAmXy6P&r=w&pa=FZptHWf.B...</a>_
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt=AnvKNwaXfHbmo6XvTntw.eMezKIX?show=82f9219dd35e1e63767ce05d26b4bb8eaa">http://answers.yahoo.com/my/profile;_ylt=AnvKNwaXfHbmo6XvTntw.eMezKIX?show=82...</a>
I looked up "holocaust jokes" on Yahoo! search and found the kind of stuff he was probably looking for.  Then I did something on Amazon.com and found a book about the uses of humor during the Holocaust.  I put "holocaust humor" in the Yahoo! search engine and found an article and a proposed doctoral thesis on the subject: the idea of usig humor to survive grim, dire circumstances.  So I posted this answer on Yahoo! Answers:
Try these: 
 
Laughter in Hell: The Use of Humor During the Holocaust 
by Steve Lipman 
<a rel="nofollow" title="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568211120/103-0812185-4135046?v=glance&n=283155" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568211120/103-0812185-4135046?v=glance&n=283155"> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568211...</a>   <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568211120/103-0812185-4135046?v=glance&n=283155">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568211120/103-0812185-4135046?v=glance&n=28...</a> 
 
Humor as a defense mechanism in the Holocaust 
Thesis confirm by the Senate of Tel-Aviv University to conferred 
the Degree "Doctor of Philosophy" 
to: Chaya Ostrower 
supervision: Prof. Avner Ziv 
<a rel="nofollow" title="http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract.html" href="http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract.html"> http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract...</a> 
<a rel="nofollow" title="http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absractf.html" href="http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract..."> http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract...</a>   <a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract.html">http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absract.html</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absractf.html">http://web.macam98.ac.il/~ochayo/absractf.html</a>
Humor in the Holocaust: Its Critical, Cohesive, and Coping Functions 
by John Morreall, Ph.D. 
<a rel="nofollow" title="http://www.holocaust-trc.org/holocaust_humor.htm" href="http://www.holocaust-trc.org/holocaust_humor.htm"> http://www.holocaust-trc.org/holocaust_h...</a>    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.holocaust-trc.org/holocaust_humor.htm">http://www.holocaust-trc.org/holocaust_humor.htm</a>
 
Here's a topic worthy of study!  I'd compare it to the humor of the African-Americans during slavery.  Remind me to tell you someday the "black heaven, white heaven" joke.
 
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TITLE: Cincuentanera #2: 50 is the new 15
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 08/01/06 05:55 pm
STATUS: publish
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Before coming here, I changed by avatar to reflect someone in mourning singing, as I sang with my brother Ken, sister Becky, and niece Rachel at Mom's funeral on Saturday.  Elena did a Scripture reading, as did Becky and I.  I put the Mexican background in the avatar because Mom took frequent trips to Mexico decades ago.
Now I'm thinking again about the Cincuentanera idea.  "50 is the new 15!"  Guess what: that phrase isn't totally original, either!  I found it a handful of times online:
 The eldest of the boomers are now 57, with crook hips and arthritis. But they still see themselves as the rebels and the taboo-breakers, fighting against the strictures of their parents' generation. It is the young who are supposed to rebel but the baby boomers, selfish and greedy as ever, want to keep such trappings of youth to themselves, along with their groovy hair and taut skin. 
 Instead of moving over for the young, they expect their children to parent them, Saffy-style a la Ab Fab. Fifty is the new 15, in their minds.
Generation of taboo breakers are a selfish lot, July 10 2003,  by Miranda Devine   <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/09/1057430278896.html">http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/09/1057430278896.html</a>           (quoted in a few blogs, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22fifty+is+the+new+15%22&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t389&x=wrt">http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22fifty+is+the+new+15%22&prssweb=Search&ei=...</a>
This was written partly in reaction to something Germaine Greer had written, something I haven't quite found yet.
And under "50 is the new 15": this following one had to be written by a man:
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<dt>Rhymes with Nifty -- Mon Jul 24 -- (AARP-Bait) 
 email: anon-185965931@craigslist.org 
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Things I didn't know about being fifty until now that I am fifty: 1. Your body doesn't automatically fall apart upon your fiftieth birthday. In fact, if you're careful, you can still turn heads rather than stomachs when you walk down the street. 2. Viagra is NOT necessary if you're a healthy male age 50. Maybe when I'm 70... 3. Everyone was right -- the King Brothers are not your friend (you know, Smo- and Drin-, the King Brothers). The less you see of them, the more you'll see of your waistline and erection. 4. Hair is definitely different than it used to be. Now it grows everywhere but where you want it to. On the other hand, being bald is simply a side-effect of a high level of testerone, which is not necessarily a bad thing (see item 2). 5. For me, war is over, unless they start bombing San Francisco. 6. AARP has some great discounts! 7. Due to some societal misconceptions, everyone will think you look young for your age. Also, everyone thinks that aging isn't as bad as it used to be, unless of course you're trying to date online. 8. Nearly everything I used to worry about seems meaningless. I don't even remember why I ever worried about most of it. 9. Yes, I will die. But not right now. 10. And last but not least: I can safely say that marijuana is NOT a gateway drug. At least not yet, but then I've only used it for 33 years. Have fun out there, youngsters! Remember, 50 is the new 15 ! 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=%2250+is+the+new+15%22&prssweb=Search&e...">http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=%2250+is+the+new+15%22&prssweb=Search&e...</a>
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Is there a BWW age rite of passage? 
Posted On: 4/23/06 at 08:53 PM by Over_the_Moon



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As of late, one of my BWW cohorts and I have noticed that there is a certain group of posters that have the impression that since they have surpassed age eighteen, that they are now the BWW sh!t. Are they right in thinking so? 
re: Is there a BWW age rite of passage? 
Posted On: 4/23/06 at 09:07 PM by PalJoey



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50 is the new 15. 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=894872">http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=894872</a>
I've also been thinking about an appropriate gown, suggestive of a Quinceanera, yet appropriate for a Cincuentanera.  How about a black-and-white one: the innocence dotted by maturity?
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cellinifinegifts.com/fmdimages/fmd_jackieblkandwhitegownb.jpg">http://www.cellinifinegifts.com/fmdimages/fmd_jackieblkandwhitegownb.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.promdressshop.com/ppp/images/P527promdresses.jpg">http://www.promdressshop.com/ppp/images/P527promdresses.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://gownsbysimpleelegance.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/EL3030-BlackWhiteFullFront.jpg">http://gownsbysimpleelegance.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/EL3030-BlackWhit...</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.aboyd.com/images/rub90252.jpg">http://www.aboyd.com/images/rub90252.jpg</a> (how Scarlett O'Hara of you!)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thebridalshop.com/mon_cheri/images/24209-Black-White.jpg">http://www.thebridalshop.com/mon_cheri/images/24209-Black-White.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dollandgift.com/alexanderimages/large_gifs/large_blackandwhiteball.gif">http://www.dollandgift.com/alexanderimages/large_gifs/large_blackandwhiteball...</a> (cincuentanera doll?)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.decodolls.com/MSLALA.htm">http://www.decodolls.com/MSLALA.htm</a> (or this cincuentanera doll?!)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://stores.dutchpond.com/catalog/imperiale_full.bmp">http://stores.dutchpond.com/catalog/imperiale_full.bmp</a> (or this doll, though I'm not the "mermaid" type)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.paintboxdesigns.net/checks1.jpg">http://www.paintboxdesigns.net/checks1.jpg</a> (checkerboard doll)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.indianservice.com/barbie/ascot.jpg">http://www.indianservice.com/barbie/ascot.jpg</a> (Barbie as Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.whatacharacter.com/g-o/l0705093.jpg">http://www.whatacharacter.com/g-o/l0705093.jpg</a> (how ghoulish!--but it does give me an idea on how to work with a dress that I already own!)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.yosa.com/catalog/fantasy/silverJ.jpg">http://www.yosa.com/catalog/fantasy/silverJ.jpg</a> (for style more than color)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.everafterformal.com/mom's%20gowns/Labelle/LB7452LB7491.htm">http://www.everafterformal.com/mom's%20gowns/Labelle/LB7452LB7491.htm</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.everafterformal.com/mom's%20gowns/Labelle/LB7466.htm">http://www.everafterformal.com/mom's%20gowns/Labelle/LB7466.htm</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.askginka.com/themes/images/7425t.jpg">http://www.askginka.com/themes/images/7425t.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://alldresses.com/mas_assets/product/d4436.jpg">http://alldresses.com/mas_assets/product/d4436.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.victoriantradingco.com/store/catalogimages/2b/2b111.jpg">http://www.victoriantradingco.com/store/catalogimages/2b/2b111.jpg</a> (here's a winter wonderland!)
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dancesportimage.com/sands/thumbnails/blackandwhitethumb.jpg">http://www.dancesportimage.com/sands/thumbnails/blackandwhitethumb.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dancesportimage.com/sands/blackandwhitefront.jpg">http://www.dancesportimage.com/sands/blackandwhitefront.jpg</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.zinniabridal.com/gown/eveb.htm">http://www.zinniabridal.com/gown/eveb.htm</a>
Black and white/Hollywood themed favors:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.askginka.com/themes/hollywoodtheme.htm">http://www.askginka.com/themes/hollywoodtheme.htm</a>
Accessories: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://promdressshop.com/ppp/images/HBP527.jpg">http://promdressshop.com/ppp/images/HBP527.jpg</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.promdressshop.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl?IT=P527">http://www.promdressshop.com/cgi-bin/cart.pl?IT=P527</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.favorsbyserendipity.com/bridal_product_pages/p-col-02.html">http://www.favorsbyserendipity.com/bridal_product_pages/p-col-02.html</a>
Anyway, you get the idea.
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TITLE: It's a lot of work planning a funeral!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/27/06 06:50 pm
STATUS: publish
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Over the past few days I have, or have helped in, writing the obituary, plotting the program, selecting songs, selecting clothes, calling or e-mailing friends and family, selecting flowers...have I left anything out?
I probably have very little time left on this computer.  Viewing tomorrow, funeral Saturday.
 
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TITLE: RMD Lee, 1923-2006
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/25/06 09:42 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/40.gif" alt="Image"/><img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/40.gif" alt="Image"/>  My mom died at the hospital Sunday evening.  Becky and Rachel were with her.
We met at the funeral home today and planned the funeral.  Yesterday I was doing a lot of calling around.  this evening I composed a very long draft of the eulogy.  Kenny, Rachel, and I each want to write it, and we've agreed to collaborate somehow.
It's getting late, so I'm going to leave the computer now.
I've shared this on the Bill Maher message board:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=47821">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=47821</a>
Peace out.  Peace, Mom.
<img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/21.gif" alt="Image"/>  <img src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/40.gif" alt="Image"/>
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TITLE: Hyperthermia hits home...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/19/06 09:40 pm
STATUS: publish
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I came home yesterday evening shortly after 8pm and found my mother on the floor, breathing weirdly, and incoherent. I called 911, and I called Becky, who came over. We followed the ambulance to the hospital, and stayed all night there. For a little while when I relieved Becky at my mother's side, I ended up singing softly to her (or to myself) a series of mostly show tunes, including A Simple Song from Bernstein's Mass. I also sang Let It Be. We've been having this killer heat wave (pun not intended) in New York, and across much of the country. A news report I read online said that at least 12 people have died in the US because of the heat. Because of some complications, we think Mom won't survive this. She is 83, and she's said often enough that she is tired of living. Well, it's a day later, and to my knowledge she is still hanging on. I stayed home from work and did laundry. Since this is a public blog, I don't feel comfortable sharing all I did and all I thought and felt during this very personal crisis. But I find it kind of weird that yesterday afternoon, on Yahoo! Answers, I posted a question asking people to share what they've imagined, or what they'd want, for their funeral. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An8w6yU3Gn23rvFRDdIR3BLsy6IX?qid=20060718124115AAR40CG">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An8w6yU3Gn23rvFRDdIR3BLsy6IX?qid...</a> What might be the equivalent of a Jim Henson-ish funeral for my mom? BTW, I started creating this a little before Mother's Day, but haven't finished it yet: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/rose.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/rose.html</a>
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TITLE: Little Blessings at a Greenwich Village Street Fair
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/16/06 03:11 pm
STATUS: publish
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Yesterday I went to the SoHo or Tribeca area to review a play for nytheatre.com.  Afterward I decided to take the scenic route up Sixth Avenue to 42nd Street via bus.  However, on the way, just south of West 4th Street on Greenwich Village I noticed a street fair, including a booth with the sign "Thai Food: $1".  Since I love street fairs and had very little money to spend, I got off.
Now I should say that Mom had given me some money to run some errands for her, with not too much to spare.  I bought a shish-kabobbed chicken strip and a vegetable roll for $1 each.  I walked the lengths and widths of the fair, looking a jewelry, toys, clothing, other doodads.  I bought two zeppole for $1 and a stuffed grape leaf for 75 cents.  Nearby a bookstore sold little books for $1, and I got two for Elena, whose birthday was that day.  (Happy Birthday, Elena!)  I also got her a tiny knit finger puppet of a llama and baby.  
By now I was aware that I'd crossed the threshold of what I could've safely spent.  That is,  I'd gone too far.  Did I have enough for my errands?  I was wishing I could buy something to drink but thought I couldn't spare the money.  Then someone comes by with little samples of a strawberry smoothie.  I want to take two but I take one.  Thank you, God!
I remember I can get some of my errand items cheaper at Kew Gardens.  So I rode the subway back to Queens.  Well, not only is the item cheaper; it's on sale!  Back in Corona, I get the final item--a Daughter birthday card for Mom to give to Elena--but I'm afraid I may be a few cents short.  Lo and behold, I see a penny on the floor near the cashier.  Well, every little bit helps.  I bend to pick it up and see a dime beside it.  The 11 cents gets me over with a few pennies to spare.  Thank you, God!
BTW, the Daily News ran a truncated version of a letter I'd written in reply to columnist Lenore Skenazy's criticism of Jews for  Jesus.  I'll wait till tomorrow to post that.
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TITLE: Hiking with Wildman Brill, July 4
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/05/06 04:59 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/5465.jpg?mgI6QYoChav_UiM8" width="247" height="333">My sister Becky invited me to join her for a July 4 nature hike with Wildman Steve Brill.  This guy teaches us about edible food found in the wilds of New York City parks.  So yesterday Becky drove me to Forest Park near Union Turnpike, and my brother Ken and his girlfriend Margie came, too.  (They only stayed for the first half of the hike.)
Among the edibles and usables found were these berries, akin to raspberries, that are ripe when red, and a clover relative whose leaves taste lemony.  (As you see, I'm blanking out on the names!)  One real find was some chicken mushroom, which looks and tastes like chicken--but you have to cook it that very night or it grows maggots!  Brill also told us a sad story of the FDA's banning of sassafras, which we found in the park.
The second half of the walk took its toll on me.  I started out with one walking stick and had to pick up a second!  I was lagging behind the leader a block, two blocks' worth.  
At one point some five people on horses passed us.  I pretended I was thumbing a ride.  The fifth horse, Rocky, stopped beside Becky, and Becky commented on what a beautiful horse he was.  Then the horse tried to grab at Becky's bags full of greens!  Becky stepped back and I hid the bag behind me.  Then the horse walked to the side of the road, dipped his head, and grabbed his own mouthful of greens!  The other riders yelled for Rocky's rider to catch up.  "I can't control him!" she shouted back.  They threatened to leave her behind.  Anyway, the horse finally consented to let the rider ride him back to the group.  I gave Becky back her greens.
Near the end of the walk, clouds were gathering and it was getting darker.  Becky instructed me to wait at a bench on Metropolitan Avenue and she'd bring the car around.  By this time my feet were starting to hurt and my legs were starting to cramp.  Eventually she came around with the car.  I threw away one walking stick but kept one.  I said I wanted to go to some place air-conditioned.  She took me to the Parkside Restaurant in Corona.  Nice place, good food.  I commented that the white wine she ordered, that I ordered as well, was "easy to drink".  We had salad appetizers, and I had bass and she had veal.  We took a crab and avocado salad home for Mom.
We watched the traditional Fourth of July evening fare: A Capitol Fourth from PBS, the Macy's Fireworks on NBC, and a celebration from Ford's Theater on ABC.  We cooked the chicken mushroom in olive oil, white cooking wine, nutmeg, curry, and a little salt; Becky added lime juice and some garlic mustard seeds; the seeds were found in the nature walk.  Very good chicken mushroom, though Becky thought it was too salty.  We're saving a little for Kenny.  We also ate the garlic mustard seeds, which are pretty hot if you eat too many at once.  
Today is Mom's birthday.  She's in her 80s.  I boiled a tea made of spice leaves we found yesterday.  I think I used too much water.
 
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TITLE: Serious Job Hunt #4
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 07/05/06 04:21 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/632c.jpg?mgI6QYoClmLeP_ws" width="150" height="214">Congratulate me; I may be on my way to Rutgers!
Last month we had this group interview, and the director, Dr. Kurt Spellmeyer, told us about the rigors of teaching Expository Writing (English 101) and what would be expected of us as we learned how to do this.  It's a lot of work, but it sounds worth it!  Anyway, I've submitted by mail a yellow sheet that asked for ideal time slots and such, and what courses we might like to teach in the future.  Spellmeyer gave each of us the text of the class, with reading assignments to complete before the orientation preceding the fall semester.  I've read, at this point, all but one of the required texts.  We also have to study the English 101 websites:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://wp.rutgers.edu/courses/101/index.html">http://wp.rutgers.edu/courses/101/index.html</a>        <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wp.rutgers.edu/teachers/101/index.html">http://wp.rutgers.edu/teachers/101/index.html</a>                  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://wp.rutgers.edu/index.html">http://wp.rutgers.edu/index.html</a>
I wonder if I'm being terribly indiscreet, sharing all this here.
I've also peeked into the webpages of the Theater department.  Knowing me, if I'm working in the English department, I'll find a way to "minor" in Theater as well!
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.masongross.rutgers.edu/theater/thea.html">http://www.masongross.rutgers.edu/theater/thea.html</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.masongross.rutgers.edu/theater/MFAPlaywriting.html">http://www.masongross.rutgers.edu/theater/MFAPlaywriting.html</a>
I wonder at times about furthering my education.  I'd love to study for the MFA in Musical Theater Writing at NYU.  Rutgers has an MFA in Playwriting, including playwriting, screenwriting, and dramatic adaptation.  Can one get a Ph.D. in writing?  It seems only Ph.D.'s or Ph.D. candidates are allowed to teach literature.  Would I want to do that?  What would I study pursuing a Ph.D.?  Might I do that comedy and spirituality study that Leila was doing in Travis Tanner?  Would I probe more deeply about gays and musical theater, or about American opera?  Whom would I ask about this?
Also, I'd thought that curriculum vitae was just a fancy word for resume, but according to my fellow interviewees, they are two different things, and what I currently have is a resume.  I'll have to study up on this.  
I'm back at work now, my writing tutoring job, perhaps my last session of doing this job.  It has been five years.  I don't know if I want to sever my ties with CUNY.  If I get another appointment at, say, QCC or KCC, then I would definitely leave my current job.
 
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TITLE: Progressively yours in Christ...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/10/06 10:26 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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First of all, I've published my first review in nytheatre.com:   <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/prnn/12.htm">http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/prnn/12.htm</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/B06rev_01.htm">http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/B06rev_01.htm</a>
And my reviewer's bio should be coming up soon:    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/reviewers.htm">http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/reviewers.htm</a>
Secondly, as I've reported, amNew York has printed my letter, which was essentially the text of my blog entry, "Where is the Martin Luther King of the Religious Right?" :    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amny.com/news/opinion/am-0608lett01,0,5286501.story?coll=am-letters-headlines">http://www.amny.com/news/opinion/am-0608lett01,0,5286501.story?coll=am-letter...</a>
Since then I've been in e-mail contact with Becky Miller.  Through a series of links, I've found a very relevant posting on a blog called The (Liberal) Girl Next Door.  This excerpt comes from the end of her entry called "The Gloves Are Off", June 8, 2006:
  Now certainly, not all Christians are bad, evil, bigoted people, it would be ridiculous for me to paint them all with the same brush, but Christians that continue to take a passive approach to dealing with their most vocal advocates are contributing to the problem, and by their silence are giving their consent. Those of us outside the church carry no influence with the Ann Coulters, Sam Brownbacks, Pat Robertsons, Bill O’Reillys and Jerry Falwells that speak so loudly on behalf of Christians. Only those within the church have any sway with them at all. Until Christians start speaking out en masse, the rest of us have no assurances that their religion has been hijacked for purposes they don’t support. In fact, their silence suggests the opposite, and these regressive bigots are furthering an agenda with broad Christian support. If that is not the case, by all means stand up, speak up and clear out the rubbish. For all of the damage that these loudmouthed hate mongers are doing to this country, they certainly aren’t doing real Christians any favors either.      <a rel="nofollow" href="http://liberalgirlnextdoor.blogspot.com/2006/06/gloves-are-off.html">http://liberalgirlnextdoor.blogspot.com/2006/06/gloves-are-off.html</a> 
She has a very valid point, of course.  Disagreeing Christians seem as silent to mainstream America as disagreeing Germans in the 1930s.
Now the majority of that post seemed to lump all Christians together in this extreme right-wing behavior, and she backtracked from that lumping in a subsequent post.  I added a comment to that post, "Hell Hath No Fury", June 10, 2006; she, in turn, posted a reply:
<dt><a rel="nofollow" name="c114999046667460567"></a>Anonymous [because I don't have a  Blogger account] said...
<dt>I like what you said in one of your previous posts, that nonextremist Christians need to speak out en masse against those who would hijack Jesus for the extreme right-wing agenda. You are absolutely right. 
 
Some of us nonextremerightist Christians are doing just that. 
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sojo.net">http://www.sojo.net</a>
<dt><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.liberalslikechrist.org">http://www.liberalslikechrist.org</a>
<dt><a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/liberal.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/liberal.html</a> (this one's mine) 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/kerrybush.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/kerrybush.html</a>  (this one's mine, too) 
 
The New Christian Right--ain't 
(written in the 1980s) 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lovinggrace.org/Book_Excerpts/living_in_love/livingin6.htm">http://www.lovinggrace.org/Book_Excerpts/living_in_love/livingin6.htm</a>
<dt> 
Healing America's Wounds, by John Dawson 
(written in the 1990s) 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830716939/ref=cm_bg_d_2/104-5476486-2397531?v=glance&n=283155">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0830716939/ref=cm_bg_d_2/104-5476486-2397531...</a>
<dt> 
amNew York published my letter which asks, "Where is the Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Christian Right?" 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amny.com/news/opinion/am-0608lett01,0,5286501.story?coll=am-letters-headlines">http://www.amny.com/news/opinion/am-0608lett01,0,5286501.story?coll=am-letter...</a>
<dt> 
I know: we're not that effective yet. The Bible does say something about not despising the days of small beginnings. 
 
Peace, 
Melanie N. Lee 
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://360.yahoo.com/mnl_1221">http://360.yahoo.com/mnl_1221</a>   6:47 PM
<dt> </dt>

<dt><a rel="nofollow" name="c114999101755391469"></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/14309741">The (liberal)Girl Next Door</a>  [<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/14309741">http://www.blogger.com/profile/14309741</a>] said...
<dt>Melanie--Thank you for the links, I will check them out! As a secularist, I appreciate your efforts greatly. 
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://coastalrain.tripod.com/americanchristian/">Here is another site about liberal Christianity</a>    [<a rel="nofollow" href="http://coastalrain.tripod.com/americanchristian/">http://coastalrain.tripod.com/americanchristian/</a> ] that has some very insightful commentary on the subject.
<dt>6:56 PM </dt>
Now I've been tracking these sequences on the Bill Maher Message Board, and I want to share here what I put there.    Posters had replied to me: "I'm sorry but not even MLK would ever make me take serious anything the religious right says," and "There can be no Dr. Markin Luther King Jr. of the extreme right wing, because the practices of Dr. King fly in the face of loyalty to such a subversive and radicalized ideology."  I replied:
The MLK Jr. of the Religious Right would not be an extremist. He or she would be someone who espouses many of the usual conservative values--self-reliance, pro-business, pro-tradition, anti-abortion, anti-homosexuality, pro-prayer-in-public-places, and so on--yet is still willing to listen to the other side and dialogue with them as "worthy opponents" and not treat them as demons. 
 
Actually, some 10 or 12 years ago this New Zealand man wrote a book called Healing America's Wounds, which included a chapter, "Left! Right! Left! Right!" From this chapter the author appears right of center, yet concedes that the left is right about the environment. The author even apologizes to leftists on behalf of the right wing for the demonization. From the other chapters, the author is clearly anti-racist and anti-woman-bashing (I'm not sure he's pro-feminist). 
 
He is a clear contrast to Ann Coulter, who tore up a protest letter handed to her, clearly demonstrating that she's not interested in hearing what those who disagree with her have to say. 
 
***
Hmm...maybe I should make that a question on Yahoo! Answers: "Who could be the Martin Luther King Jr. of the Religious Right?"
 
</dt></dt></dt></dt></dt></dt></dt></dt></dt>
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TITLE: Serious Job Hunt #3
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/09/06 10:44 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
Rutgers University has invited me to an interview later this month.
Tonight, while writing my first theater review for nytheatre.com, I applied online to John Jay College--about an hour of filling out an application.  I decided to print preview and print before I hit "submit"--and the darned machine froze in the middle of the printing process!  It took over a half hour for the whole thing to clear so I could press "submit".  At least I could submit the thing, though I didn't get the whole application printed in hardcopy.  Talk about testing your patience!
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/TeachingTOC.htm">http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/TeachingTOC.htm</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/015950.htm#P-11_0">http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/015950.htm#P-11_0</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/employment/">http://johnjay.jjay.cuny.edu/employment/</a>
 BTW, amNew York printed my letter yesterday!
 
 
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TITLE: Where is the Martin Luther King of the Religious Right?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 06/07/06 03:59 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/47e2.jpg?mgI6QYoC3zB2lO1y" width="250" height="165">When I read about Ann Coulter's new book "Godless: The Church of Liberalism" and her diatribe against the 9/11 widows, I thought to myself, "Where is the Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Christian Right? Where is the guy or gal who fervently believes in and fights for his positions, yet offers his hand in reconciliation to his opponents, hoping to change their hearts?" The closest I've seen is conservative Oregon writer Becky Miller, who three years ago defended Al Franken's book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them". Miller expressed a desire to work alongside good-hearted liberals, and blasted right-winged pundits like Coulter who pervert conservative values for power and money. I don't know whether or not Miller is a Christian. Is there any right-winged follower of Jesus out there who isn't condemning the left wholesale? My fear, of course, is if a right-of-center MLK did show up, he or she, too, would be shot dead. To look at what Becky Miller said, go here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-U4HEIkY8daqtGh5EdQw5FQ--?cq=1&p=50">http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-U4HEIkY8daqtGh5EdQw5FQ--?cq=1&p=50</a> graphics: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change%20Pics/kkk.jpg">http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change%20Pics/kkk.jpg</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.holidays.net/mlk/images/numlk.jpg">http://www.holidays.net/mlk/images/numlk.jpg</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1541/images/mlk13.jpg">http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1541/images/mlk13.jpg</a> Here's a new Becky Miller column, which I haven't read yet, but will: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.blueoregon.com/2005/03/from_winger_to_.html#comment-18258931">http://www.blueoregon.com/2005/03/from_winger_to_.html#comment-18258931</a> 
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TITLE: Serious job hunt #2
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/30/06 07:15 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
This might be worth looking at:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://blog.360.yahoo.com/y_answrs_team?p=4294#comments">http://blog.360.yahoo.com/y_answrs_team?p=4294#comments</a>
Yahoo! Answers is seeking people.
Also, this week I answered NYTimes ads from Rutgers University and from Marilyn vos Savant, both via e-mail.
 
 
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TITLE: For a serious job hunt...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/27/06 09:09 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img alt="Image" src="http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/33.gif" alt="Image"/>  I'm making a note to myself here.  If and when I'm ready, willing, and able to make a serious job hunt, rather than the stops and starts I've experienced, here are some websites to use:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.playbill.com/jobs/find/">http://www.playbill.com/jobs/find/</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.craigslist.com/cgi-bin/search?areaID=1&subAreaID=0&query=new+york&catAbbreviation=wri">http://www.craigslist.com/cgi-bin/search?areaID=1&subAreaID=0&query=new+york&...</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/TeachingTOC.htm">http://portal.cuny.edu/cms/id/cuny/documents/jobposting/TeachingTOC.htm</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://jobmarket.nytimes.com/pages/jobs/">http://jobmarket.nytimes.com/pages/jobs/</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.labor.state.ny.us/careerservices/CareerServicesIndex.shtm">http://www.labor.state.ny.us/careerservices/CareerServicesIndex.shtm</a>  (already registered here)
And...
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/resume.html">http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/resume.html</a>  (needs updating!)
 
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TITLE: Becky Miller and "Lying Liars": a column that should live on
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/18/06 12:55 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/e431.jpg?mgI6QYoClHK00OfD" width="79" height="120">Nearly three years ago The Oregonian published a column by Becky Miller of Woodburn, Oregon.  This column has since disappeared from The Oregonian's website; fortunately, several bloggers and others saw fit to save the column.  I'll do the same here:
A conservative's review of Al Franken's 'Lies and the Lying Liars'     
The Oregonian, October 17, 2003
I must say that only once before in my life have I ever felt as utterly shocked as I am at this moment. The time before was when I first realized that my boss at the time, Bill Sizemore, was greedy 
and dishonest. The foundations of my universe shook. What has utterly shocked me today is Al Franken's latest book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."  
 
I read the book in one sitting. It is an amazing book, and -- if you're a decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue conservative who listens to Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly and watches Fox News -- an earth-shattering book. 
To be aboveboard, I must tell you that Franken and I are friends.  Well, OK, the truth is I made a wisecrack to him at a book signing, and he looked at me. (Read the book -- the part about Ann Coulter --and you'll get it.) 
Until I read this book, I believed the Bill Sizemore/Oregon Taxpayers United mess was a bit of a fluke. (In 2002 I testified against him in a civil trial in which a Multnomah County jury found that his charitable foundation and political action committee had committed fraud and forgery, and that Oregon Taxpayers United had engaged in a pattern of racketeering to obtain signatures on initiative petitions for tax measures drafted by Sizemore.) The spin, the lies, the greed, the disregard for the everyday person -- I thought it was all just a fluke and really limited to this one little pustule of filth that had festered in a little storefront in Clackamas, Oregon. Boy, was I wrong. 
I believe Franken is telling the truth in his book because it meshes perfectly with what I personally have observed. And I think every decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue conservative owes it to himself to read it. Hold your nose if you must -- Franken is as foul-mouthed and crass as his reputation would lead you to believe (and quite mistakenly believes Christians love Israel because it is the center of prophecies that include the fiery deaths of all Jews)--but read it anyway. 
The other day on talk radio, I heard a guy tell an incredulous Lars Larson that he wouldn't believe Rush Limbaugh was a drug addict involved in a drug ring even if Limbaugh himself admitted it. If 
you're that guy, don't bother reading Franken's book. You will really just drive yourself even more crazy. 
The leaders we conservatives have trusted have taken advantage of our trust to line the pockets of the wealthy and powerful, and it's time we rose up and drove out these greedy liars. They've hijacked and distorted our belief system for their own gain, and in doing so are destroying our credibility. 
And if we decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue conservatives of this country neglect the duty we have to our children and grandchildren, we will never be able to work with those decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue liberal Americans that these lying creeps have taught us to despise. We will never be safe to debate them or, when warranted, to listen to them and maybe 
even agree with them. We will never be safe to work out our differences or to work together. And we will never be able to build on the all-American sense of unity that burst forth following 9/11, only to disappear shortly thereafter in a cloud of lying, greedy partisan politics. 
I'm still a decent, honest, hard-working, patriotic, true-blue conservative. But Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and the rest of you lying liars -- I'm through with you! 
 
(Read the book, and you'll get that one, too.) 
Becky Miller of Woodburn is former senior aide to Bill Sizemore, president of Oregon Taxpayers United. 
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://tinyurl.com/rd7d">http://tinyurl.com/rd7d</a>
The webpage I took this from added this comment:
-- 
"In an age of Rambo patriotism, it is good to be reminded of Capra patriotism--to remember that America is not just about fighting and winning, but about defending our freedoms. If we defeat the enemy at the cost of our own principles, who has won?" 
--Roger Ebert 
Tim 
"Fair and Balanced" 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.usenet.com/newsgroups/talk.politics/msg06028.html">http://www.usenet.com/newsgroups/talk.politics/msg06028.html</a>
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/">http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/</a>   <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.asylumnation.com/asylum/_r/showthread/threadid_31676">http://www.asylumnation.com/asylum/_r/showthread/threadid_31676</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bobbeckel.com/board/read.php?action=print&TID=73">http://www.bobbeckel.com/board/read.php?action=print&TID=73</a>  
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TITLE: Mother's Day Blues
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/15/06 07:33 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
Yes, I have a mother.  Most people with Mother's Day Blues have dead mothers, missing mothers, or impossible mothers.  Mine comes closest to the third--not totally impossible.  Maybe improbable.
Anyway, I wrote this essay about the dilemma of perfect Mother's Day cards, way-less-than-perfect Mother.  This library computer won't let me cut and paste, so the actual essay will have to wait until tomorrow.  Meanwhile, it's on the Bill Maher Message Board under Family, and referred to in Yahoo! Answers under Holidays.
Okay, here's the essay:
The Dark Side of Mother’s Day: when you care enough to send the very—truth? 
 
Regarding Mother's Day: are we allowed to peak at the dark side of motherhood? 
 
Do the writers and editors at Hallmark headquarters in Kansas City, MO, all have perfect mothers? If your mom falls way short, how can you, in all honesty, buy her a Mother’s Day card that says “You’re always supportive, always understanding, always there for me”? From some sons and daughters, such a card would be an outright lie. They might instead hunt for some beautiful cards that merely say “God bless you!” or “Have a wonderful day!” without reveling in “How wonderful you are!” 
 
This spring I’ve performed in a neighborhood production of the musical Gypsy. A Wikipedia.org article says the lead character, Rose Hovick, was a bigger monster in real life than in the musical. When her daughter June was about to elope, Rose tried to shoot June’s intended—but the gun was on safety. In later years, Rose harassed her grown daughters—burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee and actress June Havoc—demanding money. Rose also reportedly shot dead a boyfriend of hers, who had made a pass at Gypsy. What Mother’s Day card would Rose inspire? “We love you, Mom, but stay away”? 
 
Imagine a card to Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie: “Happy Mother’s Day to a woman who turns disappointments into disasters.” Or Mary Tyrone of Long Day’s Journey into Night: “Dear Mom, Thanks for escaping into a morphine stupor while I’m facing isolation and possible death in a TB sanatorium. Love, Edmund.” (Not that Edmund’s Dad would rate any florid Father’s Day cards, either.) 
 
Greeting cards lay on thick the nurturing ooze, but not even all good moms are great nurturers. 
 
In a positive light, decades ago, my mother closely resembled the TV character Kate Lawrence (played by Sada Thompson) of the drama series Family. A musician and teacher, Kate was strong, no-nonsense, accomplished, and intelligent, with a critical, demanding, yet not unfair eye toward her children. Other characters resembling my childhood image of my mom may be the superformidable cattle baroness Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck) of The Big Valley, or, in a lighter vein, pop musician Shirley Renfrew Partridge (Shirley Jones) of The Partridge Family. “Bosses” rather than “Nurturers”, Lawrence, Barkley, and Partridge were more leaders than cheerleaders. Their Mother’s Day cards wouldn’t laud their sweet cuddly affection, but their strength, wisdom, and intelligence. 
 
In my teen years, a Baretta episode featured a wimpy mother who had thrown out her pregnant teenage daughter who had been raped by her mother’s boyfriend and his friends. I fervently thanked my mom for not being that kind of mother. 
 
Unfortunately, age, sickness, and depression have eroded both physical and emotional strength from my mom. Sometimes the person with whom I can have a deep, intelligent conversation pops out. Last year, she even invested money in a play I had written and produced. However, this current version of my mother doesn’t want my accomplishments. She wants my servitude, my unquestioning loyalty, and maybe my affection. 
 
What kind of Mother’s Day card does perpetual crankiness inspire? Hallmark, American Greetings, et cetera, don’t write “Mom, I love you in spite of…” cards, and no mother wants such cards. Well, I could create my own. However, I found a pink Hallmark card with a cute bear carrying flowers, which basically says “I love you”, not “I love you because…” 
 
Melanie N. Lee 
April 25, 2006 
Revised May 11, 2006
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=46028">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?t=46028</a>
Possible graphics:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://meathedz.com/images/Your_Mama_web.jpg">http://meathedz.com/images/Your_Mama_web.jpg</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.streetcredart.com/graffiti/Are.you.doing.what.your.mama.large.jpg">http://www.streetcredart.com/graffiti/Are.you.doing.what.your.mama.large.jpg</a>
 
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TITLE: Say has anybody seen my sweet Gypsy Rose?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 05/01/06 06:27 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/d593.jpg?mgI6QYoCyTPml3TW" width="284" height="333">We finished the first weekend of Gypsy at St Andrew Avellino church in Flushing, NY. Attendance was decent, though we could use more bodies in the seats! Our Rose started having some serious voice troubles, but she plowed through, and our audience was pulling for her! If I find a published review, I'll let you know! 
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TITLE: Browsing at Tiffany's: what's the opposite of slumming?
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/27/06 09:03 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/ffde.jpg?mgI6QYoCMyqjzyNp" width="288" height="282">Tomorrow I'm performing in the opening night of Gypsy at St Andrew Avellino Church, Flushing, Queens, NY.  Among my duties as an "extra" is to portray a Tiffany's clerk in a "Salute to New York City" sequence starring Gypsy, which includes a giant blue box.  I heard a female cast member say, "Any woman would know what the blue box means."  Well, not this woman.
 
So this afternoon I treated myself to a field trip to Tiffany's: unnecessary research, but, I figured, it would be fun and informative.  As I explored the store I noted the black outfits of the female clerks.  I asked one clerk for a shopping bag and she obliged, giving me a small bag, but she said she wasn't allowed to give me a box or a cloth bag.  Anyway, I explored three floors of the store.
 
Everyone was nice and no one treated me like I didn't belong.  In fact, I went up to one Afr-Am male floorwalker and asked him, "What's the opposite of slumming?"  He thought I was telling a joke.  I said I was poor and he said, "No you're not."  He basically said that if I had good health or a good mind, I wasn't poor.
 
Anyway, I later thought of a possible opposite to slumming: "ritzing".
Addendum:  I did a little search and found "ritzing" used in a couple of webpages:
Ritzing Away on Restaurant Week     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mrbellersneighborhood.com/story.php?storyid=264">http://www.mrbellersneighborhood.com/story.php?storyid=264</a>
Yes, I felt under dressed (what's the opposite of slumming it - ritzing it? hmmm sounds good) 04/06/2006     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/Ky5Y1JbytbUvxyIfJZ03EQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz/Ky5Y1JbytbUvxyIfJZ03EQ</a>
 
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TITLE: My former senior pastors are dying...
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/25/06 06:08 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/40c3.jpg?mgI6QYoCQ_HBiCxg" width="146" height="200">William Sloane Coffin, former senior pastor of Riverside Church, died earlier this month.  I heard about this from PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.  Then two days ago I read in The Tablet that Father Thomas Fox, formerly pastor of Saint Paul's in Corona, Queens, died recently.
When I was living in Lefrak City, Corona, Queens, in the 1970s and 80s, I would at times attend St Paul's Church, over which Father Fox presided.  He preached about living out the Christian life in the mundane, everyday world.  I would talk to him at times.  I remember one time just before my confirmation--at age 23!  I was questioning some traditional Catholic beliefs; he accepted them all, but handled my doubts rather gently.
Meanwhile, my Mom would listen to William Sloane Coffin and the Riverside Church broadcasts over WRVR-FM, a jazz stationthat suddenly went defunct shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected, and near the time that John Lennon was killed.  (Yes, I think you can associate those three events!)
In late 1979 or early 1980 I started going to Riverside Church.  In contrast to the local everyday-living preacher like Fox, Coffin spoke about how Jesus' message related to current events and social justice issues.  A well-known liberal activist, Coffin was meant for the world stage.  Once I wrote him a letter reasoning how Ronald Wilson Reagan could be the Antichrist.  When Coffin and I spoke later, he commented about trying to interpret literally was was beautiful poetry in the Bible.  "But it means something," I replied.  Still, I was grateful for the exchange.
Anyway, I wanted to note the passings, apparently in the same month,  of these two senior pastors under whose leadership I once was.  God bless them both. 
William Sloane Coffin  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/news/article.php?id=78">http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/news/article.php?id=78</a>    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/news/files/ul/coffin_funeral.pdf">http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/news/files/ul/coffin_funeral.pdf</a>
The Tablet's article about Father Fox isn't yet on line, but here's the link:  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dioceseofbrooklyn.org/tablet/">http://www.dioceseofbrooklyn.org/tablet/</a>
 
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TITLE: Proclaim Liberty throughout the Easter Parade--here's the hat!
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/19/06 12:20 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/7b88.jpg?mgI6QYoCkwfl4KCf" width="333" height="250">Timothy Mathews responded to my e-mail and sent me this photo of him in the Immigration Bonnet.  Beside him is, as he puts it, "my wonderful girlfriend Brittany Turner, in her fabrege egg hat."  
For the sake of convenience I'll repeat the description I put in the last blog entry: At the top was a bunny dressed as the Statue of Liberty, carrying in its left arm a plaque saying "Pathway to Citizenship".  At its base, tiny bunnies of various colors marched carrying flags of various nations.  On the back was this sign: "The love of one's country is a splendid thing.  But why should love stop at the border?"--Pablo Casals. 
Thanks for sharing, Timothy!
As for the rest of my Easter: I began at church, New Life Fellowship, going to an earlier service which began at 9:30, but arriving late as usual, around 10am.  I remember wrapping up the service singing a worship song, "Hallelujah, Jesus is Alive!", a rather stirring piece.  Afterward I rode the E train to the Easter Parade, then after that rode the E again to join Elena and her family.  She made roast lamb, string beans, baked potato, and potato salad.  Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was playing on TBS, and Brandon watched much of it with me.  Kenee and Becky arrived later.  In the evening we all traveled to Mom's house, where I live.  Rachel, who had been working that afternoon, didn't want to come at first, but I convinced her to go.  We were all together except Leila.  However, the movie Like Water for Chocolate was coming on, and Mom didn't want to watch it, so I went to the back to watch it.  Although it was on Spanish language Channel 47, the film had English subtitles.  
Like Water for Chocolate has a lot to say to my current situation, as the youngest daughter reluctantly serving her mother.  Ken pointed out that, unlike Tita in the story, I wasn't forced; he said, "You made your bed and you're lying in it."  I replied, "Literally," since I was lying in bed at the time.  I'll add here that several circumstances do help me remain "trapped", but I could leave tomorrow if, say, the perfect job with a living wage fell in my lap along with a decent affordable apartment, and if I didn't mind leaving behind a perfect mess.  Actually, I did just that some 13 years ago, but then I got downsized from the job.  Oh, well.  I do think this film does possibly explain the source of my mother's attitude.  I think she wishes she were a Mexican aristocrat.  BTW, I wondered if Rachel felt abandoned by me, even though the rest of the family was present.   I'd seen that movie once years ago, and I had been strongly desiring to see it again.
Anyway, I felt Lord of the Rings and Like Water for Chocolate were pretty good Easter fare!  
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TITLE: Proclaim Liberty throughout the Easter Parade
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/18/06 06:39 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/801c.jpg?mgI6QYoC0R8min_q" width="222" height="333">I wish I could find on the Internet the Easter bonnet at Sunday's Fifth Avenue Easter Parade that so impressed me, that for the first time I wish I'd brought a camera.  A man named Timothy Mathews wore the hat.  At the top was a bunny dressed as the Statue of Liberty, carrying in its left arm a plaque saying "Pathway to Citizenship".  At its base, tiny bunnies of various colors marched carrying flags of various nations.  On the back was this sign: "The love of one's country is a splendid thing.  But why should love stop at the border?"--Pablo Casals. 
 
Mr. Mathews gave me his e-mail; hopefully someone has send him a photo of the hat which he can send to me.  And if anyone has a photo of the hat, please send it! 
 
mnl_1221@yahoo.com 
 
The photo I'm using here is from Newsday (NY), taken at the Easter Parade. 
 
BTW, I was wearing Easter Bunny ears with a little lamb sewn inbetween; the lamb was also wearing bunny ears.  If you have a photo of me, please send it! 
 
 
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TITLE: Baseball and Prophetic Dreams
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/15/06 07:47 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/e2e1.jpg?mgI6QYoCR4qoWhon" width="130" height="76">Twice within a week I dreamed that my sister Elena and I were going to go somewhere together, and either missed it or had to wait. First dream, she and I were in a hotel in midtown Manhattan, in the West 60's or thereabouts, ground floor, planning to walk over to a TV studio to participate in a talk show. We'd at least be in the studio audience, and I might get a chance to be interviewed and tell a sob story. So Elena and I waited in the hotel room, watching the preceding show on TV. Then the show we intended to attend came on. "We're supposed to be there!" I shouted. I thought, should we start rushing to get there now? You're supposed to get into the studio as the studio audience before the show begins! Next dream, days later, also involved my boss and co-workers, but I won't get into that part. Elena came over to the house I was in; she was supposed to take me to a Yankee game. However, for some reason or other we had to sit and wait. I had this dream late Wednesday morning during a nap, the first day of spring break. A day or two later, I think, I called Elena to start making some plans for Easter Sunday. I'd learned from my brother Ken that he and our sister Becky would join our Aunt Edna for Easter dinner in a hotel restaurant: probably a little expensive for me or Elena. She said maybe she'd make roast lamb and I could come over. I told her about the dreams I had about her--she was flattered that "you thought about me!"--and I suggested maybe she and I should go somewhere Easter week, maybe to a movie. (I later thought, maybe a Met game, though I don't think I suggested this to her.) Around 12 noon today I called her to solidify our plans for tomorrow. Lo and behold, she's picking up a friend of Joanne's to go to a Mets game! "What time is the game?" I asked. She said 1:00. She said she would have invited me, but she thought I'd be busy with play rehearsals. (I'm an "extra" in Gypsy at St Andrew Avellino Church in Flushing later this month.) I told her we were taking a break from rehearsals for the holiday, to resume Monday. Then she says she has an extra ticket, and would I like to go? I accept, and I remind her of the dream I told her about her taking me to a Yankees game. "It's a Mets game," she said. Well, close enough for me, and I prefer the Mets, anyway! So I rush through a shower. Unfortunately, I needed to make Mom some lunch before I went, so when she arrived, I couldn't go with her; also, my hair was undone. She left the ticket with me. I was ready about 25 minutes later, and took the 7 train to Shea Stadium. It was quite a hike up into the nosebleed section! Anyway, the Mets lost 8-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers. Can't they ever win when I'm there? Some might say that dream wasn't truly prophetic because it wasn't accurate. Perhaps God was alerting me that Elena would soon invite me somewhere, and I should go. As it is, I plan to join her for Easter tomorrow after church and the Fifth Avenue Easter Parade. 
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TITLE: My Own Private Villa Roma Passover
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/13/06 06:08 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/7155.jpg?mgI6QYoCXQdfCphd" width="200" height="150">First of all, a shout-out to Angela and to Becky, whose birthdays were last week! Now some sad news. Two days ago, a fire destroyed the main building of the Villa Roma resort in upstate New York, just a day before Passover. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/06-04-13/head1-villa.html">http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/06-04-13/head1-villa.html</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=tr12764&p=guest&AID=3394808">http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=tr12764&p=guest&AID=3394808</a> I believe it was four years ago, 2002, when I was up there during Spring Break/Holy Week/Passover. My sister Elena had booked a unit there thinking her Easter Break began that Monday, while it really began days later. She was teaching elementary school, while I was a grad student and also a part-time college tutor. My break began that early, and I asked her if I could stay up there those first few days. So Palm Sunday afternoon, she drove me up there, along with supplies for her and her family when she came. She didn't ask me to pay for anything, but requested one thing: that I not eat up her food. (I did put a dent into her box of lemon cookies, but that was it.) That was the first spring after 9/11, and God had mercifully given NYC a soft winter, with no snowfall. In fact, I saw my first snow of the season that March on the hills of Villa Roma. Many Orthodox Jews had come to Villa Roma to spend Passover, which I believe began that Monday evening. Late Monday afternoon, I was doing laundry, and two young girls came to do theirs. After washing one load, I conceded the washer and dryer to them so they could finish before sundown. (Well, I may have dried some clothes while they washed.) (I had written much more to this story, but something deleted it. I finish it later.) Addendum: it's almost two years later--February 23, 2008--and I may as well finish as much of this story as I remember. While we were doing our laundry, I heard what sounded like chanting or praying outside my room. I peeked out. A couple of doors away or so, the two young girls were reading from a book, sitting by the wall. When sunset came, I could barely hear the muffled sounds of the families celebrating Passover in their units. Well, I had my own private Passover. If I remember correctly, I had brought matzo, grape juice, and maybe some haroset ingredients like apples or other fruit, and I probably had some sort of greens purchased from the store nearby. I definitely remember a small prepackage serving of roasted or barbecue chicken, including a leg. For my egg for my seder plate, I had a red Silly Putty egg! I had my Bible, and a "Chocolate Seder" guide from the Hillel of Queens College--I'd attended their Chocolate Seder either that year or the year before--and a baby picture book called, I believe, My First Passover. So I arranged my seder and sat down and read and prayed and chanted. I probably sang "Go Down, Moses" and "Dayenu". And I ate my chicken. Later on I went to Villa Roma's restaurant. They had karaoke some days, and a comedian one night. The place was nearly empty, understandably, with most of the current clientele Orthodox Jews that had come for Passover. So I did a lot of singing--"Dust in the Wind" and a whole lot of other songs. Now on Palm Sunday Elena and I had gone swimming in the pool. But I didn't go swimming while I was there. I think I rented some videos. I tried finding Easter or Biblically-themed videos, but there weren't any. I did rent two films, but I forget what they were. I remember seeing or hearing "What's New, Pussycat?" probably over a cable channel, and also viewing part of a Jesus at Holy Week film in Spanish. In the mornings or afternoon a Catholic cable station aired a priest's thoughts on Holy Week, and I viewed that. I also remember buying some gifts at their shop, particularly charms for a charm bracelet. Elena and her kids probably came Thursday or Friday. I believe we went swimming again. Elena and I may have also gone to the restaurant one night. I believe I was leaving on Saturday, so the night before I prepared Easter gifts, which included some stuffed animals, Beanie Baby like, carrying Coca-Cola bottles from different countries. I'd found them on sale at Kay-Bee in Flushing (closed down in January 2008); they had an international theme, each animal representing a country. I did my best to choose animals with an Easter theme, such as the bunny and the lamb. (I had gotten myself a Canadian moose, which I still have.) <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.2collectcola.com/page/ACC/PROD/BBI/1BI99-4">http://www.2collectcola.com/page/ACC/PROD/BBI/1BI99-4</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.2collectcola.com/page/ACC/PROD/BBI/1BI99-5">http://www.2collectcola.com/page/ACC/PROD/BBI/1BI99-5</a> Elena and I practically got lost trying to find the bus stop on Saturday, driving around in empty, sometimes wooded, country. But we found the depot in time to put me on the bus back home. 
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TITLE: Poll: God and politics
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/05/06 06:10 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/8168.jpg?mgI6QYoCV1DauPOe" width="215" height="274">Here's a poll for your consideration.
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TITLE: Wanted: white patchwork vest
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/05/06 06:00 pm
STATUS: publish
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<img src="http://a367.yahoofs.com/blog/49b0699bzecd7338e/87/__sr_/5ace.jpg?mgI6QYoCP2POCZTU" width="300" height="323">About 10 or 15 years ago, I attended a quilt show at a pier on the West Side of Manhattan.  Among the things I saw there was a beautiful patchwork quilt, white and off-white, maybe a little tan or gold thrown in.  It reminded me of a wedding dress!  It might be a wonderful offbeat thing to wear at a wedding, maybe even your wedding!
Today I did some searching, and found a similar design: 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/">http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/gallery/gallery.htm">http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/gallery/gallery.htm</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/gallery/galcream.htm">http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/gallery/galcream.htm</a>     <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/gallery/galwhiteheart.htm">http://www.loopylace.com/crazyquiltstudio/gallery/galwhiteheart.htm</a>      
Could I have found the designer?     
Anyway, if anyone knows of this vest or its creator, please let me know!  Not that I'm planning to buy it, but I'd like to know.
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TITLE: 50 is the magic number? (includes poll)
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/05/06 05:50 pm
STATUS: publish
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From my hardcopy diary, April 3, 2006, 1:05 am:
I just finished watching a PBS documentary about Eugene O'Neill.  Although he had been successful and won three Pulitzer Prizes early in his career, something shifted, broke, or deepened within him around age 50, leading him to stop "experimenting" with gimmicks such as double-casting a role, and getting down to the bare bones.  Out of this he wrote The Iceman Cometh (which I don't know) and Long Day's Journey Into Night (which I do).
American Experience: Eugene O'Neill: a documentary film  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oneill/">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oneill/</a>
We read Long Day's in Spring 2000, I think, in a drama lit class, the one about manhood.  Relating it to my life, I compared Mary, who couldn't rise out of her own troubles to assist and counsel in a family crisis, her son's TB, to my own mother...
Anyway, back to O'Neill.
Maybe turning 50, or thereabouts, allows you to culminate your life experience into something deeper, or to shift in your outlook and see more clearly, if you let yourself.
I'm 49.  So is Pete Scazzero [senior pastor at my church, New Life Fellowship].
He's shared some amazing insights lately.  Today, in a sermon about delighting in the Sabbath, he bemoaned the current Christian culture's overemphasis on man's wretchedness, as if humans were no good.  He said even the worst human had the breath and image of God in him.  I had the same kind of revelatory moment I used to have watching Bill Maher [who turned 50 in January] on Politically Incorrect: "He's said what I've been thinking but what no one else has said."  Even better: Maher's thoughts had already fully formed in my mind, whereas Scazzero may say something I was only half-thinking, or  semiconsciously thinking, and his mentioning it brings the thought to the surface and I say "Yeah!"  I shared these thoughts with Scazzero after church, including the Maher reference...  
New Life Fellowship: God's Invitation to a Beautiful Life sermon series, Genesis 1 & 2    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.newlifefellowship.org/index.cfm?">http://www.newlifefellowship.org/index.cfm?</a>
I haven't had the success of O'Neill or Maher or even Scazzero, but maybe as I approach 50 this year I can have a shift in focus and can see more clearly to the bare bones of truth.
Is it different for women?
Maybe Travis Tanner, if and when improved, or even Shua, won't be my greatest work.  Maybe my greatest work hasn't begun to form yet.  I have thought of how my current situation might form as a play.  That Dog Hates Everyone.  The Biblical Equivalent of F.U.  [See the story of Rehaboam in 1 Kings.]...
While still a grad student, I listed in one of my notebooks all my ideas for stories, both written and unwritten, and I suppose half-written.  ... I do see my current  situation as a microcosm of how those with money exploit those without, trying to get the most work for the least investment, a situation exacerbated, which I hate, in today's workworld.
Anyway, such thoughts about how an artist or philosopher may undergo a deeper shift in insight around age 50 may be a good topic for a column.  And a good hope for me. 
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TITLE: Living in Interesting Times
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/05/06 01:43 pm
STATUS: publish
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This is from a hardcopy diary entry, October 10, 2004:
**********
So here I am living in interesting times, or on the brink of interesting times, and artists are needed to record it, reflect it, shape it.
In young adulthood I'd imagine that in my 40s this country could get dangerous for people like me.  Now we have Guantanamo Bay, a possible precursor.    If Bush stays in power, we might go that way, I believe.
**********
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TITLE: Answers.yahoo.com, and Why I'm Not a Wedding Planner
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 04/04/06 07:49 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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There's a lot I want to say, and yet, answering questions (and asking them!) on answers.yahoo.com is so fascinating, it eats up all my time!
In my hardcopy diary, I wrote some observations about Eugene O'Neill (recent PBS special), Bill Maher, my pastor Pete Scazzero, myself, and turning 50.  Eventually I'll get around to transferring it to here!
I found an interesting cacheted blog entry, which I'll copy here:
Why I'm Not a Wedding Planner, by Sirenita, May 18, 2004 
Looking up "wedding clown" on Yahoo!, I stumbled upon the cachet website of a blog called Sirenita (<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sirenita.com)/">www.sirenita.com)</a>, run by "El Guisado y Terri". Unfortunately the website no longer exists, but the "Wedding Planner" entry is too good to die! 
 
Why I’m Not A Wedding Planner 
 
I keep coming up with FABULOUS ideas for our upcoming, some day, maybe, who knows, wedding that might happen. Maybe. 
 
Unfortunately I am a chucklehead. I am missing the part of the female brain that wants giant puffy white dresses and dignity and ceremony on the very special day on which two people vow to love one another forever. Instead, I’m really enthused about the idea of making us look like jerkoffs. 
 
Here’s my ideas so far: 
 
Wedding Pinatas: Everybody loves a pinata. So why not make one for each table of guests? At a certain point during the reception, everyone can get up, put blindfolds on, and beat blindly at the air above their tables until they wack open their pinata. Here’s the thing that will make it genius though: ONE of the pinatas, and we won’t tell anyone WHICH one, will be filled Wesson oil. 
 
Getting married at the zoo: For not really all that much money, you can rent a big green area at the Oregon zoo and have an event there. For a little bit extra, you can actually STAY THE NIGHT at the zoo. So why not force the guests to have a wedding slumber party at the zoo with us? Also, as Stewart says, from then on the smell of monkey poo will be romantic. 
 
A wedding clown: I thought we should have a clown wandering up and down the aisles during the ceremony, making obscene balloon animals. If not a clown, a mime would do. 
 
The Ex-Boyfriend Table: I want to invite every single one of my ex boyfriends, and seat them all at the same round table, so they all have to spend the reception staring at one another. I am deeply enthralled with the idea of them all glumly saying, “So. dj’ya do’er?” “Yup.” “Huh. Good steak, huh?” “Yeah, it’s okay.” “…Yep.” “Watch out for the Wesson oil on your chair, dude.” 
 
The Wedding Dress and Tuxedo: We should go all out on the huge white dress and floor length veil and tux with tails and all of that. However, Stewart should wear the dress, and I should wear the tux. Alternatively, Stewart should wear the tux, but let my mom hem the pants, thus ensuring that we will have a great view of about three inches of his socks during the “ceremony.” 
 
We think we should also have an open mic and a canister of helium for the friends, pre-reception, so they can take turns singing things like “Wind Beneath My Wings” and Whitney Houston standards in midget voices as everyone takes a seat. I was also lobbying for contacting Bobcat Goldthwaite to see if he’d officiate but Stew thinks he’s probably still going to cost too much. You know how everybody jacks up prices for weddings. 
 
Filed by Terri at 10:52 am under Uncategorized 
No Comments 
May 18, 2004
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=%22wedding+clown%22&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&x=wrt&u=www.sirenita.com/%3Fm%3D200405&w=%22wedding+clown%22&d=FD-x8hbfMQb_&icp=1&.intl=us">http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=%22wedding+clown%22&prssweb=Search&ei=U...</a>
 
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?p=662310#post662310">http://boards.billmaher.com/showthread.php?p=662310#post662310</a>
 
Maybe I should share my thoughts about "dream weddings"!  But it's now nearly ten minutes to closing in this office!
 
Here's an entry I made today at answers.yahoo.com:
 
Although I've never had any prospects, I've thought of this now and then. (And what's a single woman with no prospects doing in the Wedding section?) I've had a few offbeat ideas: 
 
1) Wedding on the Cheap: As inexpensive as possible, yet still pretty, creative, and fun. A simple gown, maybe found in a thrift shop. Simple decorations, like balloons and craft flowers. Sheet cake. Drive the wedding machine crazy. 
 
2) Halloween wedding: everyone in costume! 
 
3) Wedding clown: once I went to a church wedding, and after it was over, a woman dressed as a clown coincidentally was returning from the church from an outreach event. I thought: wouldn't it be fun to have a "wedding clown" at a reception! Later that year, I dressed up for Halloween as half-bride, half-groom! 
 
4) Musical Theater reception: This IS my dream: a show put on by my family and friends, singing wedding songs from Broadway, such as "One Hand, One Heart" and "When I Marry Mr. Snow". 
 
5) Patchwork Wedding: about a decade or two ago at a quilt show at a NYC pier, I saw this off-white patchwork vest that so reminded me of a wedding gown. I thought a touch of patchwork on a bridal gown--perhaps over the chest--would be wonderful, along with a patchwork bridal bag! And how about a patchwork ring pillow! 
 
6) Chocolate Wedding: I just thought of this today when I saw a chocolate ring pillow. How about a bride in white with chocolate trim or in very light chocolate ice cream tan, with bridesmaids in Hershey's brown and silver! Yum! 
 
That settles it! If I ever marry, it'll be a Patchwork/Chocolate/Clown wedding with a Musical Theater reception! 
 
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...100604 0410660">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...100604 0410660</a>
 
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TITLE: LibraryThing.com
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/28/06 06:21 pm
STATUS: publish
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I found out about this site at answers.yahoo.com:
Library Thing
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php">http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php</a>
I've begun my bookshelf!
Oh, Internet, you're so addictive!  I could live on the Internet!
 
 
 
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TITLE: Entry for March 28, 2006
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/28/06 02:17 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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I've been very busy this past week.  Among my activities:
--rehearsals of Gypsy at St. Andrew Avellino Church, Flushing, NY.
--attended a women's seder Sunday morning at Free Synagogue of Flushing, NY--skipping my own church that day to do this.
--attending a Minority Teachers Job Fair in Brooklyn the Saturday before.
Tomorrow, one of my former professors, John Weir of the English department of Queens College, is to have an event at the B&N on 6th Ave and 22nd Street.  His new novel is "What I Did Wrong".  I've been told it's based on a real incident in 1999; as part of a sorority initiation, some students "kidnapped" John and took him on a trip around the city.  I don't know if I'll buy the book yet, but I'd love to read it!  (And will I or people I know be in it?)
 
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TITLE: Entry for March 27, 2006
AUTHOR: Melanie N. Lee
DATE: 03/27/06 06:16 pm
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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Hello!  I'm Melanie Nieves Lee, resident of Queens, NY, 49 years old, sometime-published writer, community theater performer, and future librettist of the Great American Opera!  
(I know, I know: Ira Gershwin did that already!)
Gotta go: I'm part of an upcoming production of Gypsy in Flushing, NY!
 
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Posted by mnl_1221 at 7:09 PM EDT

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Monday, August 7, 2006

FringeNYC 2006: All aboard the Tenth Anniversary Special!

Fringe 2006 is beginning this week!

This year Martin Denton asked me to join nytheatre.com's Summer Review Squad. So far I have three non-Fringe reviews posted:

Red Carpet Live! http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/prnn/12.htm

King Lear http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/king3224.htm

Love in the World of Fruit (two plays: Real Smiles, and Tales from the Big House) http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/prnn/29.htm

and here's my nytheatre.com bio (scroll down): http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/summrev.htm

I'm scheduled to review five Fringe shows:

Girl Scouts of America http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fpreview_comedy2.htm http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp?ltr=g http://www.girlscoutstheplay.com/

Ana 3/11 http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fpreview_intl.htm http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp http://www.centuryproductions.biz/

Grace Falls http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fpreview_musical.htm http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp?ltr=g http://www.gracefallsthemusical.com/

Godversations http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fpreview_improv.htm http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp?ltr=g http://www.godversations.bravehost.com/

Women and The Trojan Horse http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/fpreview_intl2.htm http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.asp?ltr=w

Posted by mnl_1221 at 5:04 PM EDT

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Martin Denton Strikes Again!
Mood:

party time!

Last month--or was it two months ago--I attended a party celebrating the release of Plays and Playwrights 2006, Martin Denton's latest anthology of Off-Off-Broadway plays. In addition to the ten or so playscripts included in the book, Denton lists the productions of the 2004-05 season, including the Fringe Festival works, including Travis Tanner. I'm listed as the author, and DJ the director. Unfortunately, Robert was left out as composer. According to the listing--"by Melanie N. Lee"--you wouldn't know it was a musical. Perhaps because of my past correspondence with Denton, he was more aware of me than of Robert. Oh, well.

I arrived late to the party, but early enough to grab some food and to view most of the scenes from the published plays presented by the actors. My favorite scene was from THE EXPENSE OF SPIRIT by Josh Fox: a woman throws a Christmas Eve party in her video store, only to be interrupted by servicemen with news about her daughter, in the military in Iraq. I managed to meet the author and tell him that his was my favorite.

I also met Denton, who recognized me, during the party, and I met his mother, too.

http://www.nyte.org/pp06.htm

I've reached my blog limit on Tripod--three allowed. I've started a new blog on Yahoo!, which has recently opened up blogging to its customers. This blog of mine, Living in Interesting Times, will deal with everyday events and thoughts. You can find the blog on my Yahoo! 360 page:

http://360.yahoo.com/mnl_1221

Posted by mnl_1221 at 2:25 PM EDT

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Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Ah Tosca, finalmente mia!
Mood:

lyrical
Now Playing: Tosca
Maybe because it was Valentine's Day, or maybe because the Winter Olympics are now playing in Turin (Torino), Italy, but I'm in an operatic mood. Two weekends ago I played "Madame Butterfly" on an audiotape, and sometime I hum or intone some music from that while I shower. Today I'm thinking heavily of "Tosca". I looked on the Internet and discovered a recent novel, "Floria Tosca", which tells the tale from Scarpia's point of view.

Some interesting links:

Tosca & Religion
by Wendy Neikirk, Boston Lyric Opera
http://www.operaworld.com/cornerstones/Tosca/tosstudy.htm

Timeless Tosca: Close-Up on Tosca
by Susan Nicassio
http://www.nycopera.com/learning/resource/articles/article014.aspx?detect=yes
(This talks about resettings of Tosca into different time periods. I'd once thought about resetting Tosca into modern NYC, and into the Civil War South and slavery.)

Floria (Paperback)
by Paola Capriolo
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1852423811/002-6884728-3852063?v=glance&n=283155

Floria Tosca
By PAOLA CAPRIOLO
Translated by Liz Heron
CHAPTER ONE
http://partners.nytimes.com/books/first/c/capriolo-floria.html

I called my composer Robert and spoke briefly with him a couple of weeks ago, but haven't reached him again since, though I left a message or two.

I'd been thinking recently about the importance of tragic flaws in some stories, plays, musicals, and operas. There isn't one in La Boheme. In West Side Story the tragic flaw is suspicion or distrust, carried by several characters, but not Tony or Maria. In Madame Butterfly it's displaced loyalty; Tosca, jealousy, same as Othello (and Scarpia makes reference to Iago before he provokes Tosca with the fan); Sweeney Todd, revenge; in Death of a Salesman, blind ambition; in Oedipus and in Antigone, probably pride or stubbornness; in Macbeth, ambition.

Not that Travis Tanner is a tragedy, though I have a mind to bring it to the brink of tragedy. So then, what would be the tragic flaw?

As I understand it, a tragic flaw is the personality trait or characteristic, usually within the main character, which drives the plot to its tragic results. Without the tragic flaw, the tragedy may have been avoided. If only he/she hadn't...

Here are some thoughts about tragic flaws:

Hamartia (Wikipedia)
MSN Encarta: Tragic Flaw

Posted by mnl_1221 at 5:43 PM EST

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Tuesday, December 20, 2005

My guest column in New York Metro, 12/19/05
Mood:

special
I submitted a column to New York Metro last month, and resubmitted it last week, and gosh darn, if they didn't go and run it!

Christmas at My (Limited Budget) House
Christmas at my (limited budget) house

My View: Poor of pocket are rich in holiday spirit
(go to page 10)

Amazon.com: Listmania!: Christmas at My House

Well, the transit strike is on. Happy Christmas, NYC!

There's a lively discussion about that right now at the Bill Maher Message Board, and of course, as the representative native New Yorker, I'm taking part, too.

Posted by mnl_1221 at 12:58 PM EST

Updated: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:00 PM EST

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Monday, November 7, 2005

Revenge served cold...almost
Mood:

cool
Not really cool: a little happy, a little sad, a little mischievous.

Bless Martin Denton: he included a link to my blog on his blog, with this comment:

Finally, capping this brief weekend posting, here's a link to another theatre artist's blog—this one belongs to playwright Melanie Lee, who wrote Travis Tanner, a show that was in this past summer's FringeNYC festival. Melanie quotes from one of my postings about theatre reviewing, and then adds a number of interesting, cogent comments that are worth your time. I'm sure she'll welcome responses at her blog or, again, here [e-mail link to nytheatre.com].

I hadn't specifically pointed out to Martin about Bender requesting my script and what he eventually did with it, but the details are below in this blog. (See entries of September 3 and 6, 2005.)

Revenge served cold? Hot? Lukewarm? Or is it justice, or a step toward it?

"Vengeance is mine; I will repay," says the Lord. Did I violate that? Or am I right to report what this guy did, and in the way that I reported it?

TAKE NOT YOUR OWN REVENGE
Romans 12:19
http://www.zianet.com/maxey/Roman24.htm

Of course, your comments are welcome! Advice, too.

Posted by mnl_1221 at 4:05 PM EST

Updated: Monday, November 7, 2005 4:42 PM EST

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Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Gee, Mel, can't you just get over it?
Mood:

on fire
I've been muy busy this past month, between The King and I rehearsals and getting ready for Halloween. For a day, Monday, I was the Whore of Babylon. When I get an online picture, I'll post it here:

Don't Fear the Terror! Scriptures for Halloween

And, as for The King and I, we open in Flushing Saturday night!

Free Synagogue of Flushing

Instead of applying for a grant from the Queens Council for the Arts, which was looking for unproduced work, I applied for an open grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts. I traveled to their offices and delivered my package, including a 20-page excerpt from the middle of Travis Tanner, on the afternoon of the deadline, October 3.

New York Foundation for the Arts: Artists' Fellowships

I received my final payment--on time, no less!--from Elena Holy for the production of Travis Tanner. She also asked us participants to contribute stories of Fringe participation for a publication for the upcoming Tenth Annual FringeNYC. Here's an excerpt of the e-mail I sent to Elena:

In your letter you have asked for stories for the tenth Fringe Festival. I'm thinking
of writing a challenge to reviewers not to play it glib and cool at our expense, but
to give us honest feedback that tells us, even briefly, where we playwrights and
producers went right and where we went wrong. As a tutor, I'm learning more and
more that effort should be acknowledge and honored, even if the product falls short.
After all, we aren't Broadway producers with millions of dollars and a huge staff at
our hands. Many of us, as Martin Denton pointed out, are producing on shoestring
budgets while holding down day jobs.

As glad as I was to have Travis Tanner accepted into the Fringe and as grateful that I
am that it was performed, doing the show cost me much financially and emotionally.
The reviewer should respect that effort, and the vision that inspired the effort, even as he
or she tells me in specific and correctable terms why my show, in his/her opinion, sucked.
To walk out on a show after only fifteen minutes, as Hy Bender did, and then give a flippant,
rather than valid, reason for doing so, violates the purpose of a reviewer and the trust of a
playwright. I want to say as much in a public forum.

Here's what Martin Denton said on his blog:

Theatre artists are workers, and they're craftspeople; they have pride in their work, same as you or me. They're also, in the off-off-Broadway world, almost certainly doing this work for little or no money, in time they've squeezed in around "day jobs" that pay the bills. For this reason, generosity becomes what it's all about: these folks are being generous with their time, trying to create something meaningful and/or artistic and/or entertaining for us. The reviewer must be generous to the artist in return.
--Martin Denton, The NYTheatre i, Monday, September 26, 2005 10:22am
http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/i.htm

On my blog I've also written my questions and ideas of improving upon Travis Tanner.
I may remove or adjust the September 27 entry, which may give away too much to
the public.

Also, I've received from the Dramatists Guild notice about an upcoming Bad Musicals
Festival. Since three out of four reviewers thought my show was irredeemable, I might
shorten the work to an hour and submit it!

I also told Elena I intend to volunteer for FringeNYC 2006.

I'm considering sending Hy Bender a copy of the Martin Denton quote.

Hey! I never shared here the last developments in the Bender-Lee e-mail exchange!

I had sent him an e-mail asking him what specifically about the story and content of my play he found objectionable. He wrote back, essentially saying that at this point it would be unhealthy for us to continue our exchange. I don't mind so much being called unhealthy--in some ways, I am. I do mind being publicly yet meaninglessly castigated by someone who sets himself up as an expert, yet won't give helpful specifics on his criticism. I find this lacking self-awareness at best, and cowardly at worst.

Now as an example of my own reviewing, I sent him my take, a mixed review, of the movie The Polar Express. He said subconsciously by referring to that movie, I might be answering my own question: "That film devoted tens of millions of dollars on special effects and elaborate cosmetic details; but it lacked heart, and characters we could care about, and a compelling story. And even though it had Santa Claus -- an iconic figure of childhood -- it didn't have the gravitas or sense of wonder that Santa is all about. This amounted to holiday name-dropping sans a firm grasp of the spirit of magic."

I had spend a few thousand dollars, and although my script involves celebrities, it was much more than that that moved me to write the script in the first place. And I had written an original story, not adapted and expanded a popular book. I wrote back to Bender, 9/13/05:

Dear Hy:

You couldn't possibly "know" within 15 minutes that Travis Tanner "lacked heart".
Something about that story disturbed you, but you won't share it with me, or you
won't even recognize it yourself.

There was plenty of heart and intelligence in the story for much, or at least some,
of the audience. One woman, who doesn't know me, told me I'd written "an intelligent
script". On the other hand, my own sisters, who loved what I'd done, nevertheless
each told me a different thing they thought the story was lacking. If you want to
know what it was, go here:

http://mnl_1221.tripod.com/fringeblog

Two of my teachers told me I'd written a wonderful script, though neither thought it
was perfect.

However, as Leila had to let go of Travis in the end, now, if you can give me no more,
I have to let go of you. Good luck and God bless.

Peace,

Melanie

Yes, I did let it go briefly, but it's back again, at least in this moment. And I really think there's a parallel between Hy Bender and Travis Tanner, a parallel he subconsciously "grabbed" and couldn't deal with. Look at the opening lines of the show that made him so "uncomfortable":

TRAVIS:
I didn?t build a career by being real
I built it by being shrewd
Years ago, this was the deal:
To be astute, and cute, and rude.
Now I?m older
Guerillas are bolder
And things are too real.
Is it time for a new type of deal?

Perhaps Hy also has build his career by being shrewd instead of real. And he couldn't stand my version of "reality".

Posted by mnl_1221 at 4:34 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, November 2, 2005 5:12 PM EST

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Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Finally! Travis Tanner is a...
Mood:

bright

Fringeblog 2005
Travis Tanner: a contemporary oratorio
New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) 2005: show listings, "T"
(scroll down)

The good folks at BuckFush.com were kind enough to design that banner and run it on their website during the show's run.

(The above is an excerpt from a new entry at my Christmas blog--which I accidentally at first posted here!)

A breakthrough came last Thursday. After my appointment with my therapist, I was in Flushing, sitting on the steps of the Post Office, resting before I entered to mail a small package of Travis Tanner playbills to an advertiser.

I was resting, cooling off, taking my time before I had to report to a King and I rehearsal at the Free Synagogue of Flushing. Travis Tanner started playing through my mind and I said to myself, Okay, I'll go for it. I'd had before a new song idea, and I inserted it mentally between "Career Advice" and "God's Own Party". Also, a new ending came to mind, with the plot complication I'd indicated earlier. At rehearsal later, I jotted down ideas between bouts of singing.

After rehearsal I sat in the lobby of the synagogue about a half-hour, sketching down a new scene.

On the way home, thinking about the character Travis, it came to me:

***here's where I edit what I'd originally written; I don't want to give it all away! Here's a clue***

I thought of Balaam the prophet in the Bible...
(Numbers 22-24). Heck, Balaam's donkey could be Leila!

So anyway, I jotted down scenes and lyrics, which I'll return to later.

Coincidentally--or perhaps cosmically and spiritually--Becky and Mom were doing major clean-up at home the day I had this breakthrough. Their clearing out of junk may have helped the break the heavens and given room for these ideas to come through! Of course, I didn't know they were doing this until I came home.

Also, last week I attended a conference of the Queens Council on the Arts concerning one of their grants. Their individual grant is to develop brand-new unproduced work, so Travis Tanner would be ineligible, but I might apply anyway just for practice. The deadline is October 6.

Posted by mnl_1221 at 4:06 PM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, November 2, 2005 4:17 PM EST

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Monday, September 12, 2005

September 11 and contributing vs. publicizing
Now Playing: Still Behind Blue Eyes, with a little Somewhere and You'll Never Walk Alone thrown in

If not for 9/11, I probably wouldn't have written Travis Tanner. The oratorio contains several references to the incident, including this poem:

LEILA:
From high towers
To a deep hole
Lower Manhattan
Wasn’t just castrated
It was given a sex change
So it’s time for introspection
Not intervention
It’s time for Gestalt
Not assault.

And this lyric:

RED CHORUS:
And where’s the relief
That was promised after nine-one-one?
We need that cash for war—
In the name of the Son
For an overseas run.

In fact, Leila's first line is:

LEILA:
I watched the plane
As it crashed into the second tower.

And I may as well include 9/11 references from Jim:

CHORISTER:
You said—

JIM:
I said the 9/11 hijackers were smarter than Bush.
And Bush could’ve been reading My Pet Spruce Goose.
Well, Heil Georgie, so I’m cancelled today!

And Travis:

TRAVIS:
When they blow up our buildings,
It’s time to play it rough,
Avenging all the killings,
Kicking ass and getting tough.

Just to show you how different people can react to the same event.

I started September 11, 2005 getting ready for church and watching the Ground Zero memorial service on TV. At New Life Fellowship, Pete Scazzero preached on Jesus' telling of the signs of the end times, according to Matthew. Nothing on Earth is permanent, not even the United States of America. Then I went online at the Flushing Library, where I got onto a test blog site at Dennis Miller's incomplete website, and I posted a thought or two:

Dear Dennis,

It's the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 incident and I'm thinking intensely of you today. You said 9/11 changed you. But now do you see the destruction wreaked by the guy you supported? Will Hurricane Katrina change you again?

Since the failure of your CNBC show, you're taking a year off to be with your kids (and I assume, your wife), which I think is the wisest thing you can do now. Regroup, refresh. Listen to your heart, your gut, your conscience. Listen to God.

What are you thinking on this day? Have you reflected on the things you've done over the past two or three years? Has a new seed been planted in you, and will you give it a chance to grow?

Praying for you,

Melanie N. Lee

P.S. Travis Tanner did well with some/much of the audience, but not with the critics or with the box office. Oh, well. You, too, know what it's like to be panned.

Posted by: Melanie N. Lee (mnl_1221) at September 11, 2005 11:02 AM
http://www.safesearching.com/dennismiller/blog/archives/000004.html
(scroll way down)

At the Free Synagogue of Flushing nearby, at 3pm they held a special 9/11 service. If I remember correctly, because I was so sleepy, Rabbi Jo David spoke against how our country played up the fearmongering. Rabbi Emertius Charles Agin mentioned how the middle of the word "life" contains "if"--I suppose "if" as in possibilities or uncertainties--whereas in Hebrew, the middle of the Hebrew word for life, "chaim", contained twice a word or letter which means "am" or "I am"--"I am, I am"...he said it in Hebrew, close to "Yahweh", that is, the name of God. Life must have God in the center. Afterwards they served cookies and coffee and tea downstairs.

Probably while I was either walking to the subway, or on the subway to the World Trade Center site, or when I arrived at the site itself, I got the idea of taping Travis Tanner playbills to the fence. After all, as I said, 9/11 indirectly inspired Travis Tanner.

On the way there, I was reading another character archetype book, 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters , by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, which I'd borrowed from the Central Library in Jamaica, Queens. I was reading the section about the Masculine Journey, imagining Travis' journey in the story. (Earlier, I'd read over the Feminine Journey, imaginging Leila's.)

I arrived at Ground Zero around 6pm. Since I was last there (a year ago?), they've built up the PATH train area, and now you can look into the site one level below ground. I did so, then took an elevator up to the gates surrounding the site. Flowers, pictures, flags, and whatnot had been strewn across the gates. I took out one of the several playbills that were in my tote bag. On it I wrote:

If not for 9/11, I might not have written this.
--Melanie N. Lee
9/11/05
God bless and help us!

Below I wrote "FringeNYC" and the URL of the Travis Tanner website.

Now I've been carrying tape, glue, and paper clips around with me for a few weeks now--probably Fringe-related. I taped the last page of the 12-page to the gate, anchored the side of the first page with tape, and put the paper clip--a white one--over the middle pages.

I walked along the fence viewing the flowers and reading or glancing over the photos, letters, poems, and cards. I put up the playbill again, with similar writing (adding the word "librettist") in the middle of the fence. A group of Jewish Christians, including one I know from New Life, came to pray. At or near sunset, they blew shofars and raised their hands.

My playbill caught the attention of a man in a green shirt who was on crutches. (He'd tripped over a manhole.) He was intrigued by the playbill and wanted to know more about the show. I got his e-mail address. The man praised my offering over the "sideshow" of a small firetruck parked in the street, which on its roof sported a mock missile bomb aimed for Osama and Saddam.

Almost immediately after, another man and his girlfriend read over the playbill. Essentially, this man asked me why I was publicizing my show on the backs of the dead. "This is my contribution, my response," I said. He said others had had one-man shows and plays and they weren't putting their playbills up here. "Maybe they should," I replied. He asked something about what the Democrats who died here had to do with...with what? With my play? He mentioned something about the play being against the President and his policies. I said that President Bush and his administration used 9/11 as an excuse to start a war they always wanted to have. At that point the man waved his hand and walked away with his girlfriend. "It's clear we disagree," I said as they left.

It's also clear how strongly one's politics influences what you think is a "sideshow" or "publicizing yourself".

Okay, publicizing did play a part, a small part--but the show is over, and the CD, if there is one, is months away. All I really publicized was the website. But a bigger part was showing the play as my response to 9/11, and that this incident had inspired this particular work of art. I'm probably the first playwright to post her stuff, or a symbol of her stuff, on the gate, but I'm not the only playwright with a 9/11 play! I think someone should gather an anthology of 9/11 plays and screenplays: The Boys, for instance.

I placed the playbill on a third spot, near the corner across the street from a new Burger King.

The real reason why I went down there at all was to get a full view of the blue beams of light which would shoot up into the sky after sunset. I've only seen them briefly and dimly from a distance before. After I'd strolled along the gateway, I crossed the street and sat on some steps and stared at the light beams, and also sat with my thoughts and feelings and my taking in (or letting out) the whole experience.

This, I believe, was my fifth visit to the WTC site post-9/11.

I forgot: while I was walking by the fence, on the ground they had sheets and an American flag for people to sign. At the lower left corner of the flag, I wrote:

Where have all the levees gone?
Gone to bad war, every one!
When will they ever learn?

--and I signed my name and the date.

Posted by mnl_1221 at 3:34 PM EDT

Updated: Monday, September 12, 2005 3:58 PM EDT

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Friday, September 9, 2005

More thoughts on Travis Tanner, the man
Mood:

quizzical
Now Playing: Behind Blue Eyes, the Who; Andmoreagain, Love
It was either "quizzical" or "bright" (with a light bulb). I was looking for "pensive".

Before writing these thoughts, I looked up the lyrics of the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes". I understood many but not all of the lyrics, so when I read this, I gasped:

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

If that doesn't describe Travis Tanner, what does? I almost wish I could lift that song for my oratorio!

Yesterday while showering, I was listening to my CD of Love's Forever Changes, which contains the tender, almost plaintive ballad "Andmoreagain". I was imagining Travis singing it. Then it hit me: in the Fringe production, Travis had no deep, tender, or plaintive songs. Oh, I had written some lyrics that could have been so. But, I'd cut two, the composer gave other lyrics to the chorus, and had Travis argue rather than sing another, and the director cut yet another. In fact, Louis Sacco, the actor playing Travis, was having a hard time liking his character. He wished he could have a song like "Positively, Negatively Me", the "Kermit the Frog" song (as they called it) given to the character Jim Frank.

Now, I do want Travis having a moment or two where he's in his high tenor voice, singing slowly, facing a problem that scares him, or searching himself, or maybe even asking for help. Yet, I can't violate his character while doing so. Travis is intelligent but shallow; even Leila realizes this, at least for a moment. But she believes, and I believe, that his shallowness is a surface covering for something deep and painful. (Which prompts Travis' song, "Dig This!" where he's throwing off Leila's probing of him.) I just haven't reached what that is yet. Can I invent it? I'd rather discover it.

I've thought of other villanous or semi-villanous characters and how they sing, or would sing. There's the Duke in Rigoletto, a tenor role and the romantic interest of Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. The Duke is shallow and careless, and he ends up seducing then abandoning Gilda, or perhaps even raping her. His two songs show his cavalier attitude toward women, and his second song blames them! Yet he's attractive and fun, and perhaps his dangerous side even attracts Gilda (as Travis' dangerous side attracts Leila--yet is Travis that dangerous? Verbally, yes, as he proves in "Dig This!")

When DJ and Jen and the staff were discussing things in production, we got onto the topic of such "bad boys" and how women fall in love with them and try to change and reform them--"which is what Leila is trying to do with Travis", DJ said. As long as Travis scatters his dangerous tongue upon varied targets, Leila loves it. When he trains it on the left while shielding the right, she hates it.

There's also Archie Costello in The Chocolate War. No musical yet, though I have written a musical playscript for it, and my Archie would be a blue-eyed tenor. (Okay, eye-color isn't that important.) Archie is attractive to the Trinity boys because he's intelligent, crafty, confident, bold/brazen, and because he always wins. "I am Archie; I cannot lose." But we come upon Travis when he is losing, when is talent isn't delivering the goods, when his columns of support are shattered, like the Twin Towers. I've read about writing: "Take your character, kick him in the balls, and see how he reacts." Is Travis Archie at forty, nearly fifty? Maybe. But is Travis as evil and heartless as Archie? I don't think so. I could be wrong. Archie is all confidence. Travis is trying to shore up his confidence--or bravado--against overwhelming odds. If Archie were tossed out of the Vigils or even Trinity, what would he do?

Now the Duke isn't a leading character. But Travis is the male lead. That he should have a tender or plaintive or scared or vulnerable moment isn't unreasonable.

So, I'm going to look at those discarded or transformed moments where Travis was tender, and see what I can come up with--maybe a tender moment between "Career Advice" and "God's Own Party".

Behind Blue Eyes
http://www.ckdhr.com/hrose/songs/behind_blue_eyes.html
http://www.thewho.net/discography/songs/BehindBlueEyes.html
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/limpbizkit/behindblueeyes.html

Andmoreagain (which I thought was Ann Morgan)
http://www.goldlyrics.com/song_lyrics/love/forever_changes/andmoreagain
http://www.guitarboard.com/l/love/andmoreagain-15292.php
http://www.lyricshead.com/show_lyrics/love/andmoreagain-lyrics.html

Posted by mnl_1221 at 3:57 PM EDT

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