Travel Journals

This week's reading were all about different places in the world, as told by Janet Flanner, Jamaica Kincaid, & Zora Neale Hurston. Each author wrote about a different location. The thing about the places is that I did not get enough about each place. Flanner wrote about her experiences in Paris. In the writings, she did mention briefly about Paris life, but mostly the writings were about the adaptions of Gide for the stage. I wanted more on Paris life, and less on the reviews of Gide's work. Kincaid was a little better. She did talk about New York City life, which was great. I did want more of it, and less of the letters to the editor. The letter was insightful because it offered the reader a glimpse of what an outsider is experiencing. But I just did not care for it. However, the letters were a bit funny on the second reading, especially the one letter to the editor which described, in detail, everything that was grown in a lo9ng run-on sentence. Hurston was the best because it was about a subject that the author knew a lot about. I just didn't want the introductions to each piece. I wanted her own words to tell me of each place because anything else would be just awful.

Stephen King Prompt

Well today I have written out a prompt that was given to me by Stephen King in his book, On Writing. I am surprised at how many pages I have written. I have not written over three pages of fiction in a long time. I am really glad to do it. I decided to do the prompt over a two day period. I wanted to write at least a page and a half on each day. I did with flying colors. The only thing I think might be wrong with it is it is mostly summary, everything is told and not shown, and there is too much back story. Well, I'll let the reader decide it in the end.

Letter to God

Dear God, I know I should be praying more for my enemies, but this is a rather important subject that I must cover. My mother, as you know, is going through a tough time with work right now. I know that you are giving me words to say to her. I just hope that my words are in some way reaching her. My biggest thing I want her to do is just verbally vomit out her frustrations on what is bothering her. It helped me when I was sick to my stomach. In a lot of ways it helped me to get my appetite back on track. I just hope it gets her appetite back on track as well.
Also, as far as praying for my enemies, I was drawn to a table that had Palestinian conflict propaganda. All of the material was pretty well laid out. I was curious about one particular thing. It was a summary of the conflict over the land. It seemed that the land was chosen, not by you, but by followers who felt that this was the place of the holy land of Biblical times. I wonder about if what Bible maps depict, could be inaccurate because of these extremists, who felt that this was the location of the holy land. Is what was once deplicted in the Bible, now just a place in the dust? It could be that the location could have been a place entirely different. It makes me want to read how Your word was written prior to the pilgrimage. If this could be solved, then all problems could be solved, couldn't it?
All of this I pray in Your name, Amen

Story Ideas

A couple of weeks ago, I got a story idea about the guy who takes pictures that last longer. You know the guy. He is the creepy one who stares at couples making out. You tell him the famous phrase, but he shrugs it off. As you are continuing to make out, instantly a flash occurs. You think nothing of it until it happens again. This time you see him sheepishly grinning with a camera in his hand. The thing you do not know, is that this guy is totally insane. He finds people making out, takes their picture, and does something cruel. This man does not just take young couples' pictures at random. He actually finds them through ex-lovers, spouses, and other significant others. He publicly humiliates them if they are cheaters. But for the rest, he puts them all on a wall in his house, and violently masturbates to them. This only gets him exited for the next part. The next part involves the ancient art of voodoo. For the cheaters, before exposing them for their shame, he uses voodoo dolls to "castrate" the males and rape the women. The faithful ones get something just the opposite, they get pleasure. He knows these people because of how the love they share is like a prayer to him. In fact, there is a group that has sacrificial lovemaking to appease him. For this person is none other than a love god with a twist. His name is Evol, love spelled backward. He can truly be your best friend or worst enemy.
Another story idea comes from Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft. In the book, he suggest to his readers to have a story about what happens when a escaped lunatic comes home to their family. He suggested that the lunatic be a woman, and to write at least three thousand words about it. I might try it just to see how it goes.

Andre Gide reflection

This Frenchman knows a lot it seems about the horrors of Tuberculosis. This is seen in his opening of his book, "The Immoralist." The whole section read like a person revealing to his friends about the horrors of what was happening to him. I can see why, in his journals, he was scared of having a large amount of books being published. Tuberculosis is a scary thing to write about. I know that if I were writing about a sensitive topic, I would try and have my book limited because of what might happen. I would not want word spread around to the wrong people, whatever topic I am covering, because my work might become banned. I might get thrown into the street and killed. The journal entries for this week were a little better to read because the entries felt like the writer was writing a narrative of his daily routine. He mixed it up with prayers to God. I thought that was really bold of him. It made me want to go and write prayers in my prayer book, for those moments that are especially tough.

Dreams on A Friday

Yesterday, Friday, was a day unlike any other. I spent the whole day it seems in dreamland. I awoke in the morning from dreams that seemed too real. I awoke from them in a daze, and went back to sleep. This prompted another round of dreams that seemed like an entire day's worth of events. This as it turns out was only a couple of hours. I decided to have a late breakfast and spent the majority of my time channel surfing. Later, after a small pizza, it was back to dreamland. I got the same feelings as before. This sort of feeling is like a hangover, but no nausea and a light headache. The only real cure to this is making sure that I read something, or get a little exercise. Either is fine, as long as I get better rest.

My Lions Club in Trouble

I am a member of a Lions Club in San Mateo. At this last Thursday's meeting, there seemed to be a lack of enthusiasm for the club's morale. I am the Vice President, and I was leading the meeting. There was especially a lack of enthusiasm from the other Vice President. His name is Lion Bill Arthur. He was not even at the meeting. It was told by club members that he just is too tired of being a Lion. He is the kind of person who feels that nickle & diming people for their spare change is bad. He want to go after the big bucks. Well at this last meeting, we discussed over some huge gains in funds we got from "Legacy Through Giving." It was at this event where we had a silent auction that really brought in funds. But, somehow it didn't seem enough. My mother, the President of our club, wants to do a fundraising co-op with another club, so that we can get better in learning how to do those kinds of events. But before it can be done, our treasurer wants the specifics on how the money is supposed to be split. All of this makes me wonder how I will do as President next year. I want to go and see Bill Arthur to find out what it is about Lions that he wants changed.

The Hunter returns

After it was all over, the Hunter returns to his old camp. He is weary from the fighting that took place just up the trail. Going back to the camp was like going back home for him. He was familiar with all that land. He knew the way because he had been there so many times. As soon as he reached the stockade into the camp, he knew he was home. The only thing that was missing was the rest of the gang. They, of course, had moved on into the higher ground because the fighting was needed there. He did not care. The only reason he went back to that spot was to recharge the batteries a little. He wandered over to the mess hall, an open area that had a couple of nice benches, and sat down. He knew that there still was fighting to do, but he was not about to surrender easily. Just being here was the best thing for him.

John Steinbeck- a man who knows his "Grapes"

This week's readings were very "real" to me. I have read Steinbeck before, but I never really got to know what his process is for his works. I first read his article on migrant workers. In this he describes the conditions for the working poor, who have to go on day by day, and have to travel thousands of miles to get work. He goes into detail of the different farming communities that exist. In The Grapes of Wrath, the scene was of the "Joads" having to get a loaf of bread to feed their families. This is an interesting chapter because, as in the whole book, Steinbeck mannages to give the reader a hidden essay about daily life for a truck stop waitress. The "essay" chapters are interesting because they often fortell what is going to happen to the main characters, either indirectly or directly. I was curious as to why he created these "essay" chapters. This led me to read his journal that he wrote while creating The Grapes of Wrath. I really liked it because he did write about what happened while writing the book. One of the things involved the writing of his other books. He wrote about how important the book needed to be written by certain times. The notes in the back were helpful, but did not need to be so long. Overall, I would definatly pick up his journals just to see if there are any interesting entries of how to write your own masterpiece.

Spring Break report-part 2: Easter Sunday

Well nothing exciting happened to me for the rest of the week. I did visit my two nephews, William & Jake, in Concord on Wednesday. I helped my sister with her housework, as well as wrestling the boys. When William, age 2, went down for his nap, I watched Shutter Island while keeping Jake, age 3 1/2 months, quiet enough to get the proper key points in the story. When the movie was over, William awoke, and the three of us went to get some gardening supplies for my sister's garden. Then we came back to her home to prepare dinner. After dinner was served, I got a call from my dad about the weather becoming bad.
The weather was raining. I happened to have my car at the San Bruno BART station because I thought I would be coming back that way. As it turns out, with the weather the way it was, I got a ride from my sister back home.
So the next day, Thursday, I got my car back, triesd to do a little money exchange at the airport, and ate donut holes and milk at Krispy Kreame before heading back home to develop film I had taken for one of my classes. Friday and Saturday are a blur.
I do remember Saturday night going to a fashion show that my Lions Club was a part of. The fashion show benefits non-profit organizations, and is called Legacy Through Giving.
The most interesting thing happened on Sunday. Easter Sunday to be more specific. On this day, I got to visit my nephews again, as well as see my father's parents, Nana & Daddy Bob. I am really glad to have them still in my life.
The most memorable thing about Easter is that it seems to lead into culinary disasters for my mother. On at least three occasions, she has had such disasters. The first was of Lamb shanks flying across the room. This was because of a faulty table leg that gave out. The shanks flew across the room, and landed in my Papa's, mother's father's, lap. He thought it was so funny. The second disaster happened when I was probably three years old. My mother decided to have Quail. This was a disaster not because of the food flying across the room, but because of a certain three year old's manners in how to properly eat food. He delicately picked up the Quail, placed it in his mouth, and began to rigorously shake his head side to side, making a growling noise in the process. This made the quail juices go flying in all directions. The result was a sound spanking, as well as being sent to his room. But by far, the most remembered culinary disaster happened recently. This was not because of flying or thrashing, but was because of a stomach flu. The perpetrator was William, and it just so happened that he mixed his strawberrys with ranch dip to trigger this disaster. He was calmly waching Wall-E when up the vomit came. This made everyone scatter about in frenzy for paper towels and cleaner. But once was not enough for this stomach. He promptly, half an hour later, came again. The trigger this time was a chocolate bunt cake. The drill was the same. And by his third go round, the smell of Daddy's beer a likely cause, everybody was anxioius to leave. So, needless to say, I have had a great, if not entirely uneventful, Spring Break.