Monday, February 27, 2006

A Little of This, Little of That

So, my co-Regent and I brainstormed this past Friday on my Star Trek mess. We ran a few of the ideas by the elfin princess, Wendy, and she seemed to dig them. I am fairly excited about some of the ideas and potential story points I walked away with. PoD, you are my hero! I started outlining the pilot and such over the weekend & I'm hoping to work on it some more before I go to work.

Speaking of Friday past, did anyone else think they were going to need a paddle and a boat? I'm not complaining in the least! But, Good Grief! I thought I was going to see Noah and his arc float by any moment that night. I'm hoping to see more rain... Goodness knows we need it.

The Olympics are over... didn't see hardly any of it this time around. All I can say is that I'm glad to see the Costas go away... eeck! Though, I admit, mocking the Costas with my nearest and dearest is quickly becoming an Olympic tradition... I'm thinking of going for a medal next time.

The Dallas Stars start playing again this Saturday... whoohoo! 'Nuff said.

I have to say that one of my new favorite yummy food places is Pei-Wei. (I think I spelled that right....) My Sunday school class went there a couple of Sundays ago and, let me tell you... it was so yummy!

I am currently reading 'The Ever-Loving Truth' by Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. We heard him speak at The Heights not too long ago and I was inspired and intrigued by much of what he had to say. Anyone interested in the Christian faith and the cultural war we are currently in would do well to pick up and read this book.

On a sad note- we lost a trio of actors this past weekend. It could be said that they were each heroes to someone. All three were loved... Here's a question. How many of our heroes know how much we love them? Don't get me wrong... I'm not necessarily talking about celebrity heroes... What about our everyday heroes? Have you taken time lately to tell them what they have meant to you? If so, that's awesome. If not... why don't you? It's just a thought.

Thanks for reading!
Until next time- see you around the flower garden!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Diverging points and Hockey...

Okay, now I remember why I started to get frustrated about a year ago!

It's insane for me to try to work on two very different and very time consuming writing projects at once, especially when I have fourteen hundred other things that require my attention as well... blasted responsibilities getting in the way! Ahh, imagine the bliss of sitting in a pretty pink office, surrounded by the knick-knacks and brick-a-brac that I love so dearly... A frosty Diet Dr. Bobish by my side, my cat having a nap nearby as I wander the enchanted wonderland that is my imagination, stopping only to take a meal and relax with friends and loved ones...

But, I digress... where was I? Oh, yes... writing two projects at a time.

My brain was clearly not wired for such activity. So, I'm going to work on one story right now & I'm leaning toward the Star Trek story. I'd like to get the basic thread fleshed out and get a episode or two written. Then, I'll ask PoD (very nicely with a cherry on top) if he'll take a look and give me his opinion. EEck! What a thought!

And then, well... we'll see. I don't really know what I will do with this ST story, but I'm not convinced that I have to do anything with it. Then, I'll go on to concentrate on my original story.

Anyway~ went to the Texas Tornadoes Jr. Hockey last night. It's not the Stars, but hey... what is? We had fun. They played their hearts out and put up a good fight, though they did lose. I didn't know that they are co-owned by Mike Modono... learn something new every day! It was good fun and those kids (and I mean kids) went flying across the ice and were quite aggressive. There was some flagrant pushing and roughness.... ah, the joy of hockey! They are 2 time champions~ something else I didn't know. Anyway, anyone who likes hockey should go check them out. It's a lot of fun and the tickets aren't nearly as expensive as Stars tickets (well, duh, Taylor, huh?).

Allrighty~ that's all I have for today. I now return you to your regularly scheduled Thursday.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

The Muse returns...

After many,many moons, I am coming back to several writing projects that I had previously walked away from. Well, walked away isn't really the phrase... run away, screaming into the night would be a better description. Writer's block is a horrible thing & when the Muse runs away, she runs away.

But the Mad Hatter that is my imagination seems to want to play again. And so, like a moth to a flame, I am back to my stories... (Why do I have the mental image of getting zapped with a bug light?... hmmm... anyway...)

The two stories that I'm working on right now are.... (insert drumroll.....)

My Star Trek series. Yes, I created my very own series with original characters and all. Why? Because I'm a dork. Do I need another reason? Oh, I do? For the challenge of it. I did it to see if I could. And let me tell you, its not as easy as one might think. It's a challenge (and I think the Prince of Darkness will back me up on this) to take a pre-existing cannon with its own quirks and personality and then put your own distinctive stamp on it.

This I have been writing in script form... which I find easier than any other, to tell the truth. I like writing dialog much more than I like the other stuff. I'm having fun with the characters and, honestly, sharpening my writing. I love Star Trek and this has been a wonderful outlet.

My Wendy-Lou read part of a first draft and seemed to enjoy it. ~ If she wasn't just lying to her bestest friend in the whole wide world to make her feel better.

The other story is my very own concept. Frightening, huh?

It's a sci-fi, of course, and has yet to see the light of day to anyone but me. It's gone through many changes since its inception. It's humble creator has been molding it, ever so steadily, searching for the right shape. The backbone of the story hasn't changed much. However, I have been experimenting with the format & trying to hammer out the theme and thread.

It's coming along, slowly... but it is coming along.

It's odd, but for the longest time I had lost my yearning to write. I just didn't care. Then, I couldn't seem to put a single word to paper. Like I said, writer's block is frightening for a storyteller. It is a chilling feeling when you're not able to do what your heart says you must.

But, as with the dawning of a new day, I can feel the passion for my stories building with the sunrise.

I don't know if any of this will ever be fit for public consumption. It's quite likely that I'll get hacked at my creation and go medieval on it before anyone sees it and throw it into the trash heap... then again, perhaps not.

We'll see.

Monday, February 06, 2006

A Matter of Blessings...

My niece, Kennedy Elizabeth, was born Friday afternoon and I was once again reminded of the pure blessing that children are. When my other niece and nephews were born, I saw them as blessings, to be sure but there was something about Miss Kennedy that drove the point home. Saturday, I was informed that she had a fairly serious case of jaundice. Now, jaundice is a rather common malady for newborns, but when that newborn belongs to you in any way, shape or form... it becomes completely UNcommon. I'm happy to report that Kennedy is home with her mother tonight and is on the rode to recovery.

Perhaps the current lesson in my Sunday School class (I refuse to say ABF) has caused me to take closer look at the present circumstance...

How many of us take our blessings for granted?

Everyone raise your hand. We're all guilty of it. But... I think we are given another chance, with every new dawn, to see clearly what we have in our lives.

But why do we fail to see these gifts from God?

Sometimes, I think its fear. It's so much easier to stick our heads in the sand than to truly recognize what's right in front of our faces, because (perish the thought) we just might have to act! And, there's nothing more frightening than stepping out into the unknown. I'm amazed, time and again, at the penchant the human race seems to have for obstinately refusing to see what's right in front of their face. Truly amazing.

But... perhaps, for some, the risk is just to great... Perhaps they feel that couldn't take the pain if all they hoped for didn't come to fruition. Life happens and that's unacceptable for them.

Then there are others that refuse to look up because it might disrupt their carefully laid plans... Those souls can't stand the thought of not being in control, so they steadfastly refuse to acknowledge anything that might jeopardize that control.

Others are so embittered by their past that they can no longer see the joy around them. They cling to their anger, their pain, and their rage... and every blessing in their life just passes them by.

Blessings are joy. Sometimes they are little more than the sunrise in the morning and then sunset in the evening... being around to see another- that's a blessing. A gift from God, Himself, wrapped up in shiny paper with a big bow. Other times, blessings are so big that they knock our socks off... relationships... children... husbands and wives... friends...

But, blessings also come with a price tag... We must see and, when appropriate, use those blessings for the kingdom of God... And that's something that most of us have a problem with. That's the risk. Being friends with others is a risk... but a blessing. Dating is a risk... but a blessing. Being married is a risk (first one must ask/be asked, then there's the work of keeping that marriage alive)... but a blessing. Children are a risk (anyone who's ever been around children can fill in this blank)... but what a blessing they are!

Life is a risk... but it's the biggest blessing of them all. It's our time to make the most of God... of Jesus. I can't think of a bigger risk or a bigger blessing.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

While building a media shelf...

I got this brand, spankin' new media shelf to hold my dvd's yesterday... assembled it myself, thank you very much and all I have to say is... I have a lot of movies!

However, I think that's a good thing. Once upon a time, I scheduled my night by what was showing on the telly. Not any more. So much of what's currently showing is trash. We have cable at my house and, as such, have about five hundred channels to choose from. Night after night, it amazes me that there is so little engaging television now. But... there are a few shining lights-

FoodTV: Love that channel! There's Emeril, and Iron Chef America. Both are reality tv that I can get behind! There's Rachael Ray, my personal cooking hero! I'll watch any of her shows... she's going to get a talk show in the fall. A show such asGood Eats with Alton Brown , actually educates one as it entertains! What a concept!

SciFi: Aahh... does it get better than SciFi Friday? That's a trick question! The answer is YES! If my beloved Richard Dean Anderson would once again grace the screen on SG1, then I would be a happy little lady! There's only so much I can take of Daniel Jr. and Dominatrix Spice. Atlantis, however, continues to delight each and every week. Oh,how I adore science fiction... a noble realm of entertainment that doesn't get near enough respect.

A&E: The First 48... Cold Case Files... etc. Those are great shows! Fact based and interesting!

The WB: Gilmore Girls... not everybody's cup of tea, but I love it. I have oft been likened to Lorelai... hmm.. wonder if that was a compliment or not...

Then, on various channels, we can find old shows that have just gotten better with time (and in most cases, have been released on dvd):
M*A*S*H: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I remember watching this with my mom when I was a little girl and not getting any of the jokes. Thankfully, I have grown into the humor and adore this comedy.

Gunsmoke: Marshall Matt Dillon, a hero from childhood. The good guys always won and the bad guys got smoked... This was the show I bonded with my D-Daddy while watching. Every time I see it on tv, I think of him.

Dallas: Yeah, I know it was soap opera, but it was a good soap opera. The Ewing clan held court over the American mindset for thirteen years and, in many countries, it's still watched with devotion.

StarTrek: Aaahhh... it can all be traced back to here. My deep and abiding love for all things sci-fi started right here with with premier of The Next Generation in the late 1980's. I've been geeking out ever since.

SeaQuest: Okay, I can hear people laughing... Stop it! The first season was great tv. It was fun, entertaining and really did stretch the bonds of sci-fi. True, there were some "What's that Lassie, Timmy fell down the well again" moments with Darwin the dolphin, but that dolphin was cool... and Chief Brody commanding a sub... that's even cooler.

Throughout it's history, there has been some very good television. However, I think the quality this medium has suffered lately with the massive quantity of channels. I think that TPTB figure that they can afford to put crap on the tube as long as it has explosions and graphic language, violence, and etc. The shock value is what keeps many tv shows on the air, not the merit.

I love tv... always will. But, for the near future, I'll keep to the channels I know and love and keep my dvd collection close.