Copying the Anchoress

The Anchoress has her own Quiz results posted. That’s why I went to the Quiz Farm to take the “Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in?” test. The results are below!

Serenity (Firefly)		94%
Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica)		75%
Deep Space Nine (Star Trek)		75%
Babylon 5 (Babylon 5)		69%
Millennium Falcon (Star Wars)		69%
SG-1 (Stargate)		69%
Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix)		69%
Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda)		63%
Enterprise D (Star Trek)		50%
Moya (Farscape)		50%
Bebop (Cowboy Bebop)		44%
FBI’s X-Files Division (The X-Files)		31%

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

So, what results do you have? Are you stranded with the original cast of “Lost In Space”? Hey! Lemme know, why don’cha?

Taxes? Yeesh!

Just when I think I’m confident in my ability to do something, change comes along. As always with the Gubmint, the change is not exactly for the better.

Tele-File is dead. I’ve been tele-filing my taxes for a few years, now. It had gotten pretty easy. The IRS mails you the returns, you fill them out, and you call them at the 800 number. The computer voice walks you through the process, and when you are done … BINGO! … your taxes are filed!

Not no more, Compadre!

No, the IRS sent a nice, multi-colored postcard – a bog thing! – to say that the Tele-File was dead. It then directs me to go to the IRS E-file page, online. Easy, right?

Wrong!

Before, I refused to efile my taxes, because you were required – as far as I understood! – to use a tax program, like Quicken or something. A program that you had to purchase! Yeah, I was gonna do that. Buy something I couldn’t afford to do my tax return so I could, maybe, pay the Gubmint money I didn’t have. Ohhhh, yeah, thats a good idea to me!

Okay, so I type the addy in my browser, and off I go! So far so good. Except … you cannot simply file your return at the IRS. They aren’t equipped. Or they aren’t interested in being equipped. No, you have to go to an outside website to use a tax-preparer. This is through a link to an IRS page called FreeFile. Isn’t that special, eh?

Okay, so I’m off on a new adventure. I click on a link and head to a new site – that of a tax-preparer. Off-site. Away from the IRS. A third party! Just what I wanted. I like having my meager earnings seen, possibly, by a third party, don’t you?

Trust me, I do not like doing this stuff without enough information at hand. Too many places give you little iconic links to help you. But when you click on them – within the form you are working on – you end up with your form erased. Luckily, this site does not do that. They are fairly into the 21st Century.

So, I doggedly filled in the tiny blank boxes, and hit the “next” buttons, and progressed through the site. It was tedious, but not as difficult as I had feared. I actually finished in less than a half-hour. Now, that’s because I have damn near nothing. But I did finish. Not too many error pages popped up during the ordeal.

So, I learned a lesson, I think. I did what I had to do. I was afraid it would be hard, or impossible to complete. It wasn’t.

“…I’m scared o’ lots o’ things. But y’ can’tlet that run yer life. Sometimes y’ gotta . . . grit yer teeth

‘n go ahead. Usually what yer afraid of doesn’t happen. Or

it’s not as bad as you were expectin’.”

Isaac Benning, 1780 – “Benning’s War”

Hallmarks

“Hometown Evening” – 1998 by Thomas Kinkade

Well, Hick, this might or might not be Placerville. But I do like it. It’s odd, seeing paintings of an America that only exists in dreams. Don’t you agree?

Thomas Kinkade has a series – Sweetheart Cottage? – that’s like that. Beautiful setting for each, but only a dream setting. And still, I have to return to gaze at it. For Kinkade, it’s that “Painter of Light” hallmark that puts him in his own class. The illusion of light – candles, lampposts, reflected moonlight, and so on – that is the hallmark of a Kinkade painting is widely imitated. Sometimes those imitations have been quite good. They are, in their way, an homage to Kinkade. But there are a mountain of bad imitations, too. Yet, you can always seem to pick out the Kinkades from the fakes.

“Moonlight Cottage” – 2001 by Thomas Kinkade

Look at the puddle, the reflection within it. Sorry, those of you who find this pedestrian, lower-class, beneath you. This is Art. I love it! Complete with Kinkade’s hallmark – the light!

Yes, Kinkade seems to be doing the Warhol thing in recent years – mass-producing product, dabbing a few bits of paint on an assembly line of canvases to add his ‘touch’ to the copies (copies that are hand-painted, just not by him) before they go on sale. That part seems tawdry at first glance. Commercial as opposed to Artistic.

Well, why not? He isn’t the first! I can’t remember if it was DaVinci or Michelangelo, but one, or maybe all of them did similar things. Using a school of apprentices to do the work under their guidance, the classic painters still garnered the credit, money, and plaudits for the finished product. Kinkade simply is doing what the painters of old did. And doing it very well, indeed!

I think that’s the worst of it, too. To the Elite critics, it’s his success that is his sin. Artists must suffer in their own time, and be incomprehensible to most people to be true artists. Otherwise they are ‘commercial’, simplistic, good only for placemats in diners.

So color me plaid and give me a Big Mac! I don’t care! The Critics are idiots with inflated opinions of themselves. Piss on ‘em!

I’m just sayin’. LOL

“Almost Heaven” by Thomas Kinkade

 

Yeah, I know. It looks kinda like something from Field & Stream, but still, it’s pleasant to see, isn’t it?

Now, I need to find something by him from his paintings of Placerville. ‘Hick’ mentioned that, so I’m looking. Click on that picture to head on over to Kinkade Central.

Maxfield Parrish coming, too!

Fine Writing

There are so many fine novels out there. So many fine works of non-fiction, too. And it’s quite hard to pick a favorite. But I know that many of you tend to keep your books, regardless of whether or not they were good or bad.

I keep way too many books, that’s true. But I like to know that my favorites are where I can find them. As well, I like to buy copies of my favorites as gifts for friends and loved ones.

I just finished re-reading one of my all-time favorites: “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. Love this book. It still manages to give me chills. Here’s what one synopsis said about it:

“A classic fantasy novel about a mysterious carnival that arrives in an Illinois town and begins to damage the lives of its inhabitants. Two boys are the only ones who realize what is happening and it is up to them to fight a growing evil that destroys all it touches.”

Or here’s an Amazon.com reviewer on the book:

“A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, Something Wicked This Way Comes is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a “dark carnival” one Autumn midnight. How these two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. What would you do if your secret wishes could be granted by the mysterious ringmaster Mr. Dark? Bradbury excels in revealing the dark side that exists in us all, teaching us ultimately to celebrate the shadows rather than fear them. In many ways, this is a companion piece to his joyful, nostalgia-drenched Dandelion Wine, in which Bradbury presented us with one perfect summer as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old. In Something Wicked This Way Comes, he deftly explores the fearsome delights of one perfectly terrifying, unforgettable autumn. –Stanley Wiater”

Not bad, but this misses the fact that this tale is written so poetically that it almost brings tears to your eyes.

Now, I don’t particularly care for poetry. And modern poems do nothing for me. Somehow the loss of rhymes and a kind of rhythm makes these ‘poems’ seem, to me, to be just short prose. At times they read, to me, like stream of consciousness. Not for me. I don’t really want to read what somebody’s psychiatrist should be reading.

That being said, Bradbury’s prose here goes to a different place. It is not poetry, but reads so much as if it is. It is lyrical, melodious, rhythmic.

Now, whether or not you care for Fantasy, Horror, or Science Fiction – another of Bradbury’s genres – this a novel that must be read. And savored. Read “The Martian Chronicles” , “Dandelion Wine”, or “October Country” for some of the Bradbury flavor.

All I can tell you is that Ray Bradbury makes for some fine reading. He is a Master of Fine Writing. Go to the library, or the book store, or your favorite online book store, and find some Bradbury. You won’t regret it!

I sorta forgot …

Y’know, when my book got to the publisher, they sicced an interviewer on me! LOL

No, actually Parker Owens is a very nice person. She emails her questions, asks you to answer them, and when you’re done she will send it back to you for your final approval. How sweet is that?

And nobody can whine that they didn’t say that! So, Parker Owens interviewed me!

Does that mean I’m a real Writer? An Author? Heheheee!

Read, and I hope you enjoy! I don’t think I came off sounding too odd, did I?

The Eyes Of The Beholder

Look, I know that we all have different taste. In many things. Food, Music, Art, Writing. Well, you name it. I know people who, honestly, enjoy eating Brussels Sprouts! Can you imagine? *shudder*

So, when I hear supposed ’smart’ people denigrating things, simply because they exist for, or appeal to, the ‘common man’, I have a pretty good idea that they are elitist snobs who need to eat some Nachos, sip some cold beer, watch some Three Stooges short films. Why do they need these things, or something similar? Because they’ve been poisoned.

Yep! Poisoned! Ever hear this, or something like this: “If you have to ask what it is, you just don’t understand ‘art’.”

I have. Oh, not aimed at me! Nosir! I don’t usually parade my plebian tastes to the Elite, y’know? But I’ve heard it. What that person usually means is, “I have no idea what it is, but the label says it is ‘Peace’ (or ‘Horse with Love Ankles’ or ‘Heart Sack One’ or … see?) and I’m not going to look foolish by saying it looks like a twenty pound slab of bacon, dipped in chocolate, and dropped from a twenty-story building.”

Thus, the Elite have denigrated Norman Rockwell for ages. They poo-pooed Maxfield Parrish. The composer of “The Nutcracker Suite”, Tchaikovsky, was nothing. And so on, for many creative people whose only crime was to create things – music, art, poetry, books – that everybody understood and enjoyed.

This is a painting that I enjoy. It’s “Garden Of Prayer” by Thomas Kinkade.

Not my favorite, mind you. My favorite is Maxfield Parrish’s “Moonlight”. But this I find beautiful. Thomas Kinkade is a solid, talented painter. He’s found a niche in the market, and his fans love him. Therefore, to the Elite, he’s dull and his work is garbage.

The same is true of some of the most popular novelists. When did you last read the book that won the Nobel prize for literature?

Thought so.

Can you look at the above and not enjoy it? Be honest, now.

How I Became an F2K Mentor

F2K is a free writing course hosted by Writers’ Village University. It’s a really good writing course. So good, in fact, that I signed up for it three times! After the second session I joined WVU as a member. Been there ever since! I highly recommend it to any writers out there.

Anyway, back to F2K.

Very early during my first trip through, I found that staying in my own classroom was not quite my ‘cup of tea’. I liked to peek in at the other classes, see who was in there, read what they were writing. And I’d give a little feedback, too. Hey! For me, that was fun. And I had the time, being single – hint! hint! Ladies! – and curious.

Got to know quite a few writers – fellow students – and came to be known as a ‘kibbitzer’ around F2K. Truth is, I know I infected a few others who then became ‘kibbitzers’ as well. Hehehee!

There are always a few writers who, for some unknown reason, do not get many comments or feedback on their writing. Some just show up late, and they never catch on with the others. Some don’t feel qualified to give feedback, so nobody gives feedback to them. And, yes, some write horrible stuff.

It’s true.

So it feels good to add some feedback to an empty board. Know what I mean? Besides, I read some very nice things in my Kibbitzing travels.

Well, fast forward to my third trip through F2K in the Autumn of 2005. I may be a better writer now, but I still enjoy the ‘kick in the pants’ that F2K can provide to any writer. So there I am. Taking the lessons again, and doing my thing. My thing being … remember the word? … Kibbitzing!

Heheheee! Yep, Ol’ benning was kibbitzing the different classrooms again, even ticking off one of the Mentors. Mentors are volunteers who guide the students, answer questions, and keep an eye on things. There’s a Mentor for each classroom. So, for me, nothing had changed, really. Except …

Well, seems they needed another Mentor or two. Seems they did notice that Ol’ benning got around, met the students, gave advice or steered the students to the right people to ask, and just generally helped out. Did Ol’ benning know that’s what he was doing? Hardly. Ol’ benning was having fun. Period.

So the Head Mentor, whom I call ‘MA’, emailed me and asked if I’d be interested in becoming an F2K Mentor. Sheesh! Me? But that’s a responsibility, right? *sigh*

Well, ‘MA’ and the others are friends of mine, y’know. We’re all members of WVU. If they ask, they must think I can do it. Right? That’s what I figured. So, I said, “Sure, I’ll do it.”

Some procedural things followed, and then ‘MA’ wanted to know if I had a Name for the room I would have. See, all the classrooms bear the name of a writer. Some I’ve never heard of, so I know the Mentor named it for some obscure favorite. One room is named for a former F2K Mentor – Colin R. Onstad – who passed away. Well, I’d think about it, right? I’d want a good writer to grace the nameplate of my room, right? You betcha!

Emailed ‘MA’ a few minutes later. “Can I have the Robert A. Heinlein room?” If you never heard of him, look him up! Sheesh!

And that’s the room I’m Mentoring in right now. LOL

So far, in this, my first run at Mentoring, it’s been interesting. But it’s still very early. We’ll see if I can actually do what the veteran Mentors can. But I haven’t scared any students away. Yet.

We’ll see.

Hit those links at the top of this post, or over to the left there. Great places for writers. Trust me! I’m not a politician!

Starting out

This is new for me. Although I’ve created web pages in the past, I found I needed a place that would not have pop-up ads or banner ads covering everything, and getting in the way. Those things are also a huge annoyance! So here I am! We’ll see how easy this is and whether I can figure it out.