Helen and Teacher
The Story of my Life
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Antique Doll Collector Magazine: Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah! A Peaceful 20...
Antique Doll Collector Magazine: Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah! A Peaceful 20...: We wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season, and a Safe, Happy New Year! Love from all of us at Antique Doll Collector Magazine, and of course,...
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: We Salute and Mourn with the People of Berlin
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: We Salute and Mourn with the People of Berlin: We Salute and Mourn with the People of Berlin Original Wir begrüssen und trauern mit den Menschen in Berlin Heute sind wi...
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Museo de la muñeca del Dr. E: Enero Mini Sneak Peek 2017 antiguo muñeca Collecto...
Museo de la muñeca del Dr. E: Enero Mini Sneak Peek 2017 antiguo muñeca Collecto...: Enero Mini Sneak Peek 2017 antiguo muñeca Collector Magazine Este tema de ADC prometemos empezar el año nuevo con una explosión! En ...
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Sta. Lucia Day
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Sta. Lucia Day: May you have peace on this beautiful day celebrating Sta. Lucia, an excellent woman and child from Ancient times. I always wanted to play ...
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson! 186th!
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson! 186th!: For the Belle of Amherst, an announcement below. Immediately following is one of my tributes to her, published in my book, Sappho, I Should...
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Doll Museum: Seasons Greetings and a Few Announcements
Doll Museum: Seasons Greetings and a Few Announcements: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Doll!!I would like to let everyone know that I am writing fairly regularly for the R. John Wright...
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Holocaust Education
PROGRAMS OFFERED
BY
THE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION COMMITTEE
OF THE GREATER QUAD CITY AREA
SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS
Authors, exhibits, Holocaust specialists and dramatic
presentations are provided to schools, libraries, churches and other community
venues through grants and collaboration with community groups.
INSTITUTES AND WORKSHOPS
Since 1993, Holocaust institutes and workshops have been
offered to Quad City educators, students and community members. Institutes are scheduled in the fall of
odd-numbered years.
TRUNKS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL
MATERIALS
The Jeff Leibovitz Special Collection, housed at the Western
Illinois University Quad City Campus in Moline, provides access to over a
thousand resources, including sets of traveling curriculum cases focused on Making
a Difference, Rescuers and Resisters, and Diaries and Memoirs.
ESSAY AND ART CONTESTS
The Ida Kramer Children and the Holocaust Essay Contest and the
Meyer and Frances Shnurman Holocaust Visual Arts Contest are open to students
in grades 7-12. Submissions are due
annually on February 1.
TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS
Applications
for the Rauch Foundation Teacher Scholarship, from $200 to $2,000, are due annually
on April 1 or October 1 to support professional development. The scholarship covers expenses for travel,
housing, and/or registration for conferences, workshops or tours.
A BOOK BY ME
Youth, 18 years old or younger, interview, research, write
and illustrate a 10-page book about a Holocaust survivor, liberator or rescuer.
Promoting a higher
awareness of the Holocaust as a unique historical event with universal
implications for today
WEBSITE: www.hecqc.org
Monday, November 7, 2016
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Writing Success from A Composition II Student
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Writing Success from A Composition II Student: Plan for Success and Topic Ideas by Rey Marquez, Jr. My writing has improved over time, but it has been a journey. I have learn...
Monday, October 31, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Happy Halloween!
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Happy Halloween!: "Here comes Halloween, Halloween, Halloween . . . . .!!" Courtesy, Joe Spencer and Gethered Traditions
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Museo de la muñeca del Dr. E: Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: There's Just no Clowning...
Museo de la muñeca del Dr. E: Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: There's Just no Clowning...: No te olivdaste Don Payasito y Orlando Furioso!! Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: There's Just no Clowning Around : Clown Dolls Laugh, ...
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Doll Museum: October 19th Rendezvous by Theriault's
Doll Museum: October 19th Rendezvous by Theriault's: October is Doll Month, or at least Theriault's has made it one with several terrific auctions this month. Here is information for the l...
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Dolls and Sweetest Day, "Sweets to the Sweet!"
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Dolls and Sweetest Day, "Sweets to the Sweet!": Dolls for Sweetest Day Ah, love, and love for dolls. Barbara Pym wrote that everyone, especially every woman, needed “somethin...
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: In Memory of our Friend, Linda Sue Stuckel, who on...
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: In Memory of our Friend, Linda Sue Stuckel, who on...: I was shocked to learn of Linda's death yesterday. For many years, my mother and I went to Blue Castle Treasures during Spoon Riv...
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Why Writing is Relevant
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Why Writing is Relevant: Here is an October 2016 sample blog post from freshman rhetoric: I am taking classes to get a degree in Business Management and writing wi...
Monday, October 3, 2016
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: R. John Wright Design Journal and Pumpkin Moonshin...
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: R. John Wright Design Journal and Pumpkin Moonshin...: My latest post on the RJW Blog: http://rjohnwrightblog.com/weblog/2016/9/15/tom-sylvie-and-pumpkin-moonshine Thanks, Rachel Hoffman and R...
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Mud Toys and Paper Dolls
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Mud Toys and Paper Dolls: From In Order to Live . . . by Y. Park: "Yong Ja and I were the same age, and we lived in the same part of town. I liked her because...
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Museo de la muñeca del Dr. E: Hemos llegado al siglo XXI en nuestro recorrido pa...
Museo de la muñeca del Dr. E: Hemos llegado al siglo XXI en nuestro recorrido pa...: Hemos llegado al siglo XXI en nuestro recorrido pausado a través de la cronología de las muñecas. La moda de muñeca espeluznante está aún ...
Monday, September 12, 2016
Daily Egyptian - The student news site of Southern Illinois University
Daily Egyptian - The student news site of Southern Illinois University: The student news site of Southern Illinois University
Friday, September 9, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: National Teddy Bear Day and More!
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: National Teddy Bear Day and More!: Dolls are everywhere! In the aftermath of an apartment house fire today on the news, a girl who survived was rejoicing that she found ...
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Stephen King and Anne Rice Talk Writing and Readin...
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Stephen King and Anne Rice Talk Writing and Readin...: Writers are the best writing prof of all; they literally live and breathe reading and writing everyday. Below is advice from two of the ma...
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: What happens when Chemotherapy Ends
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: What happens when Chemotherapy Ends: From our friend, talented writer, artist and excellent woman, Stephanie Hammonds: http://www.curetoday.com/community/stephanie-hammonds/20...
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The Fierce, Forgotten Library Wars of the Ancient World
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-fierce-forgotten-library-wars-of-the-ancient-world?utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20160831&bt_email=tsagariselle@yahoo.com&bt_ts=1472652490501
We these in grad school. People sabotaged articles and The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Books alsomysteriously disappeared around the time papers were due. There was one jerk who stole the stalking statute out of our law library when he heard I was looking for it. He was opposing counsel, and an idiot's idiot. It's quite a story, when I was stalking victim and virtual co counsel all wrapped in one.
Shades of Kostova's The Historian, anyone? All poor Drac wanted was someone to curate his books!!
We these in grad school. People sabotaged articles and The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Books alsomysteriously disappeared around the time papers were due. There was one jerk who stole the stalking statute out of our law library when he heard I was looking for it. He was opposing counsel, and an idiot's idiot. It's quite a story, when I was stalking victim and virtual co counsel all wrapped in one.
Shades of Kostova's The Historian, anyone? All poor Drac wanted was someone to curate his books!!
Monday, August 15, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Dolls of Memory: ...
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Dolls of Memory: ...: Memoir; Writing your Life Story: Dolls of Memory: Halloween and Autumn : I belong to a Facebook Group titled “For the Love of Fall and Hall...
Monday, August 8, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Dolls of Memory: Halloween and Autumn
I belong to a Facebook Group titled “For the Love of Fall
and Halloween.” That says it all. We love, love autumn. We countdown the days to Halloween, and share
our collections of Halloween decorations and autumn leaves. It is inevitable that the dolls and figurines
of the season also frequently appear. I
love the season because of the memories it evokes. When I started school, it always seemed to
get cooler much faster than it does now.
Fall meant apples and new school books, new clothes, new friends, and
new classes. My mother would be sewing
my Halloween costume, and we would be planting mums in different colors.
Autumn meant caramel apples and The Spoon River Scenic
drive. It meant leaf collecting, and
handmade ink blocks to make our own leaf designs and stencils. Fall fashion meant new sweaters and boots,
plans for Thanksgiving, and cool, crisp nights.
We got out the blow mold ghosts and masks we loved to
decorate with, and took out my cutouts for our window. Some were vintage examples, scarred with
ancient scotch tape but still beloved.
Others, equally loved were now faded, collage projects of construction
paper, poster paint and old magazines.
My favorite decoration along these lines was a Halloween poster the
local 7th graders made for Bell
My collection of witch dolls, some from Salem
On Halloween night, after we decorated with gourds and as
many jack o’ lanterns as we could carve; my dad took me and my friends
trick-or-treating.
The next day, sugar skulls and assorted skeletons and Calaveras decorated the house for The
Day of the Dead, an important holiday to my mom and me; we both taught Spanish.
By the time “The Nightmare before Christmas” came out, I was
in Halloween Heaven! I also recommend Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree and the Bradbury narrated animated film of the
same title.
At Thanksgiving, my Pilgrims and Native American dolls
decorated our table along with turkey statues and chicken candles. We hardly had room to eat!
In memory of those wonderful days, and of my family that
made them so good, I share with you some of the fall dolls and collectibles
from my collection. Turn out the lights,
plug in the blow mold décor, switch on the led candles and turn up the air
conditioning so you can cuddle up under your favorite blanket as you enjoy this
tour of autumn dolls, toys, and collectibles.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
My Speech; It's all Original!!
06/16/2000
Along with our Executive Director, and the rest of Quest
College, I’d like to welcome you to our school.
Our new name stems from an ancient word that also reflects our mission
in Education.
The word quest was first used in 1303, and over the years
has been associated with seekers and explorers who had the courage to set goals
to follow dreams, even in the face of great obstacles. For most of us, perhaps, the word is most
associated with the knights errant of old, who set out on expeditions to
accomplish what was most dear to them.
In an educational setting, we at Quest like to think we prepare our
students to be inquiring professional and intellectual knights and dames,
Renaissance people capable of excelling in their chosen careers, and able to
thrive in the professional world.
Among other duties,
the Academic Dean oversees Academics and serves as am ambassador between the
students and faculty of our institution.
Therefore, our curriculum is
important to me, and I am very proud of
our classes, our students, and our faculty. An integral part of the team that makes up
academics at quest is the Distance Learning School. Our online school adds strength to our residential program, and
removes time and place barriers that many students may otherwise
encounter. We at Quest believe in
learning across the curriculum, and our colleagues in distance are part of a
team that makes that possible.
Our academic team is also part of an academic program that
rivals that of our sister two and four year institutions through the bistate
area. We are an old and respected member
of the Quad Cities community, and we are proud to serve the members of that
community, and even more proud that many of them return that debt by staying in
their community to further their careers.
We look forward to our new Bachelors programs in Applied Management and
Information Technology Applied Management this fall, and to continue serving city,
state, and country.
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Some Teaching, Writing, Legal Research Experience ...
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Some Teaching, Writing, Legal Research Experience ...: Partial Listing for Early 2000s; see also my LinkedIn Profile. I am available for Free Lance Writing, Professional Blogging, Editing, Fict...
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Moussaka Recipe For the Gentlewomen of No Fond Ret...
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Moussaka Recipe For the Gentlewomen of No Fond Ret...: Moussaka; Sort of a Greek Lasagna! 1 egg plant 1 large red pepper, or squash, green pepper, etc as desired 3 medium Idaho potatoes; ot...
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Μουσείο κουκλών του Δρ Ε στα Ελληνικά : In Memory of George Kieffer, Home is the Sailor, a...
Μουσείο κουκλών του Δρ Ε στα Ελληνικά : In Memory of George Kieffer, Home is the Sailor, a...: Ρέκβιεμ ο Robert Louis Stevenson Κάτω από την μεγάλη και έναστρος ουρανός Σκάψει τον τάφο και με επιτρέψτε να βρεθώ. Ευτυχής ζωντα...
Monday, July 11, 2016
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: MISS PYM'S DAY OUT (Patricia Routledge) (1991)
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: MISS PYM'S DAY OUT (Patricia Routledge) (1991): I wrote my dissertation on Barbara Pym, and this is Patricia Routledege starring as Pym. You may know her from the sitcom, "Keeping u...
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Miss Pym Keeps up Appearances
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Miss Pym Keeps up Appearances: I've just posted a link for "Miss Pym's Day Out", (1991), starring Patricia Routledge, aka, Hyacinth Bucket of "Keepi...
Monday, June 27, 2016
Making a Murderer
Making a Murderer
This Netflix
series/documentary tells the story of Steven Avery of Wisconsin
As both a legal professional and crime victim, I can tell
you that the system is far from perfect.
Most officers have way too much discretion in my jurisdiction, and the
Das office wants to make everything either domestic, which they don’t want to
deal with, or civil, which they can’t deal with.
Victims are just a piece of evidence. We have not rights, and if we do not hire our
own attorneys, we can’t rely on the victims’ rights advocates; they work for
the DA.
No one seems to understand probably cause, and if you are a
victim, there must be something “suspect” about your own behavior.
The beat cops and traffic cops have never heard of Miranda
v. Arizona
Protective orders become mere” suggestions.” If the
defendant can explain why she was at the prohibited location, it’s “Okey Dokey”
with Officer Friendly.
We have a local states attorney who left in disgrace, and a
county sheriff that followed suit. One
judge now stocks toys at a local big box store because of repeated traffic and
DUI offenses, and another judge in federal prison.
We had several ADAs trying very hard to get a job with me in
private sector; one was budding novelist who Xeroxed her stories about raven
haired lasses with crotchless panties on the county’s copy machine. In one
case, she told me she could not represent the victim because she worked for the
DA and didn’t want to upset him. We
can’t blame the DA for not caring, though; he was too busy pursuing his
non-legal grad school studies and covering up for his baby girl’s DUIs.
Catherine Crier has a point.
Read her publications on corruption in the legal profession.
This is the tip of the iceberg. I was a stalking victim for over ten years,
with property damage and a lot of stress.
My family, church, and employer were all targeted. No one wanted to do anything. I plan on publishing the blog I kept over
those years. Maybe someone will benefit.
As a legal professional myself, I am ashamed for my own
people. This is not the way we were
taught to uphold the law or deal with the public. What happened to our courses in ethics and
victims’ rights?
When did our motto become “everything is legal!”
Next time, my rants on home health care and care
giving. This is the biggest, most
disappointing racket, yet, and there is no help. My dad’s experience during a brief stay at Fiendish
Manor rehab, and their attempts at retaliation, will fill a book. Perhaps these
“Memoirs” will prevent someone else from suffering.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Working Bibliography: Teaching Methods
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Working Bibliography: Teaching Methods: Working Bibliography: Teaching Methods Resource List: Adjunct info: A Journal for Managers of adjunct and Part-Time Faculty ...
How to say "Get Bent!" in Different Languages, Very Tongue in Cheek!
Get Bent
Bentez Vous French
Voulez Vous Bent? French
Bentapolous Greek
Kunichiwa Bent
Bentakis Greek
Bu Hau Bent Chinese
Buono Serra Bent Italian
An Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory: A Class I Taught on Anne Rice
An Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory: A Class I Taught on Anne Rice: Courtesy, Gathered Traditions, "Scarlett" Anne Rice at CommUniversity February 2006 “Before you can see the light, you have...
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Monday, June 6, 2016
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: In Memory of my friend, B.J. Flaherty
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: In Memory of my friend, B.J. Flaherty: Today, I chose to honor my friend BJ, who left us so quickly ten years ago, but whose birthday would have been today. She was beautiful, sm...
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Doll Museum: Mr. James Patterson, Toys R Us, and Nursery Rhymes...
Doll Museum: Mr. James Patterson, Toys R Us, and Nursery Rhymes...: Today on "Sunday Morning", CBS, author James Patterson was profiled. I have been addicted to his books for some time, and as a wr...
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Greetings!
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Greetings!: Welcome to any GEC conference attendees and presenters visiting our blog!!
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Greetings!
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Greetings!: Welcome to any GEC conference attendees and presenters visiting our blog!!
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Greetings!
Online Literary Magazine for CM 220, CM 107 Classes and Friends of KU: Greetings!: Welcome to any GEC conference attendees and presenters visiting our blog!!
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: "Idoling" Pym
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: "Idoling" Pym: I would like to begin a serious of posts on how dolls, figurines, and similar collectibles fit into Pym's world. As a collector, doll b...
Monday, May 16, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Wild Wedding,Courtesy Tonner.com!
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Wild Wedding,Courtesy Tonner.com!: Wilde Wedding and Bride Dolls From Tonner.com” Since her debut, collectors have come to love Ellowyne Wilde; she has grown up wi...Publish Post
Friday, May 13, 2016
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Castle News Features The Olympic Doll, that S...
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Castle News Features The Olympic Doll, that S...: The Holocaust Doll The Olympic Doll that resides at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Two Schildkroet Dolls have Ties to The H...
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Rebekah Kaufman; Calling all Teddy Bears!
Have you hugged your teddy bear lately?
Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Rebekah Kaufman: Rebekah Kaufman giving appraisals on cloth stuffed toys When did you start collecting? My passion for collecting dolls and b...
Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Rebekah Kaufman: Rebekah Kaufman giving appraisals on cloth stuffed toys When did you start collecting? My passion for collecting dolls and b...
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Shakespeare
Yesterday was a literary milestone, albeit one overshadowed by the death of Prince, truly another artist and musical genius of his. We must at this point, say, with no pun meant, "Good Night, Sweet Prince; Flights of Angels sing thee to they Rest."
Shakespeare was allegedly born, and did die, on April 23d. He shares dates of birth and death with Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote de la Mancha" and "La Gitanilla." Some critics feel the greatest works of literature in the world are The Bible, Cervantes' works, and Shakespeare's works, not necessarily in that order. James Joyce also died on April 23d, but in 1941. He shares birth dates and death dates with V. Woolf, 1882-1941.
I have had the privilege of teaching Shakespeare, and of co-authoring a published article about him, for several years. I've amassed quite a library of my own materials on the immortal bard. I have a lot of memorabilia, and I have twice been to the Stratford, Ontario Royal Shakespeare Festival.
Yet, I am the first to say, no one can know all there is to know about him. Still, I will say that 10,000 years from now, all of our other literature may be forgotten, but people will still be teaching Shakespeare. He is enduring, he is adaptable. His truths are universal. He wrote of other cultures, of other worlds, of people of color, long before multicultural studies were born. His women are astounding individuals, brave and strong, and assertive. He addresses major issues of the day, even to criticizing monarchs, as in Richard II, The Henry Plays, and the most dangerous of all, Macbeth.
Most of what I learned about teaching I learned from him, and from my Shakespeare professor.
If I could only take one book with me on a desert island, it would be The Complete Works of Shakespeare.
Happy Birthday, indeed.
Shakespeare was allegedly born, and did die, on April 23d. He shares dates of birth and death with Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote de la Mancha" and "La Gitanilla." Some critics feel the greatest works of literature in the world are The Bible, Cervantes' works, and Shakespeare's works, not necessarily in that order. James Joyce also died on April 23d, but in 1941. He shares birth dates and death dates with V. Woolf, 1882-1941.
I have had the privilege of teaching Shakespeare, and of co-authoring a published article about him, for several years. I've amassed quite a library of my own materials on the immortal bard. I have a lot of memorabilia, and I have twice been to the Stratford, Ontario Royal Shakespeare Festival.
Yet, I am the first to say, no one can know all there is to know about him. Still, I will say that 10,000 years from now, all of our other literature may be forgotten, but people will still be teaching Shakespeare. He is enduring, he is adaptable. His truths are universal. He wrote of other cultures, of other worlds, of people of color, long before multicultural studies were born. His women are astounding individuals, brave and strong, and assertive. He addresses major issues of the day, even to criticizing monarchs, as in Richard II, The Henry Plays, and the most dangerous of all, Macbeth.
Most of what I learned about teaching I learned from him, and from my Shakespeare professor.
If I could only take one book with me on a desert island, it would be The Complete Works of Shakespeare.
Happy Birthday, indeed.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Sunday Night and 60 Mins
Lately, I've been thinking a lot of "Our Town" and Emily's wish to go back to earth for just one more day, one more ordinary day with her family. I often want that, just one more ordinary day with my mother, and my dad, the way things used to be. We'd watch "Dragnet", or "Hec Ramsey," or "Dirty Sally," and I liked baking chocolate chip cookies.
Mom made orzo soup, or we ordered Harris pizza as a treat, with mushroom being my favorite. Usually, my homework was finished. Before I had my dogs, Killer and Smokey, I might ride my bike in summer, or catch "The Wonderful World of Walt Disney."
If we had been to church, we ate out at Bishops Buffet. Without fail, I had creamed chicken. The first or last Sunday, we went to flea markets after lunch. Then, I did my math homework.
When I was very little, I might get to watch "Bonanza" or "To Rome, with Love", then I took a bath. For years, I associated the them from "Bonanza" with bubble bath scent. I feel asleep to Tom Jones singing; my folks use to listen to him sing on his TV show after "Bonanza".
Later, after I came home from school, we went out to Sunday brunch, and drove to flea markets or antique malls for short day strips. The three of us could be very impulsive, and if weather permitted, Smokey dog would come with us, a puppy born to the open road.
Those were innocent times, and they seemed to go on forever. Sundays have become stressful days, now, full of work and constant movement. It seems to be always cold, and the sun doesn't shine much. Dad isn't well, and the future is very uncertain.
At this point in my life, when I seem to be equidistant from 30 as from 80, I don't want much. I just wish I could have one more Sunday with my family, just one more batch of chocolate chip cookies for the road.
Mom made orzo soup, or we ordered Harris pizza as a treat, with mushroom being my favorite. Usually, my homework was finished. Before I had my dogs, Killer and Smokey, I might ride my bike in summer, or catch "The Wonderful World of Walt Disney."
If we had been to church, we ate out at Bishops Buffet. Without fail, I had creamed chicken. The first or last Sunday, we went to flea markets after lunch. Then, I did my math homework.
When I was very little, I might get to watch "Bonanza" or "To Rome, with Love", then I took a bath. For years, I associated the them from "Bonanza" with bubble bath scent. I feel asleep to Tom Jones singing; my folks use to listen to him sing on his TV show after "Bonanza".
Later, after I came home from school, we went out to Sunday brunch, and drove to flea markets or antique malls for short day strips. The three of us could be very impulsive, and if weather permitted, Smokey dog would come with us, a puppy born to the open road.
Those were innocent times, and they seemed to go on forever. Sundays have become stressful days, now, full of work and constant movement. It seems to be always cold, and the sun doesn't shine much. Dad isn't well, and the future is very uncertain.
At this point in my life, when I seem to be equidistant from 30 as from 80, I don't want much. I just wish I could have one more Sunday with my family, just one more batch of chocolate chip cookies for the road.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
The Physical Art of Handwriting; Some Thoughts
It's a shame so many schools no longer teach cursive writing. Think about it; we are depriving our kids of the pleasures of writing the capital S's, G,s and L's in cursive, again to line drawing or contour drawing, similar to the ampersand and Treble Clef in drawing pleasure. Each writer writes as uniquely as his fingerprint leaves images on objects. Calligraphers and sign painters who do lettering know the beauty of physical writing, as well as the near mathematical precision. Think the illuminated letters on The Book of Kells and other manuscripts. Handwriting analysis proves the uniqueness of our own penmanship, and beautiful penmanship gracing old letters is itself a visual treat. I have terrible handwriting, but I appreciate it. It's mine. My penmanship tells my life story, and I never got carpal tunnel from it as I did from typing. I love following the curves of small a's, and the tiny curves on b's and capital Ps. I love handwriting notes in Spanish, too. I studied a little Mandarin in college, and was intrigued by how the characters were brushstroked. Creating a certain signature is also a pleasure, on that is lost for many kids today.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Cat and Mouse
Alex Cross, Cat and
Mouse, 1997. Hachette Book Group USA – Vision, 1998.
James Patterson is so prolific, that we might forget what a
good storyteller he really is. It is
easy to dismiss him as a literary guppy that reproduces book after book after
book, in every conceivable genre or media, which books then find their way onto
drugstore, airport, and supermarket book racks.
Yet, Patterson is a powerfully successful author, and a
riveting story teller, one who generously shares his craft by teaching classes,
and by selecting co-authors to travel with him on his amazing literary
journeys. (PS; if you read this Mr. Patterson, just Google me to contact me!).
Like Shakespeare, Patterson understands revenge tragedy,
history, and passion. He creates panoply
of Everyman characters that appeal to everyone on the globe, which may be why
he can boast that he can look out of his taxi window in Morocco and see a woman in the next
cab reading one of his novels. The Women’s Murder Club series features law
enforcement professionals of every ethnicity and social strata, who happen to
be women as well as brilliant practitioners at what they do. Suzanne’s
Diary for Nicholas is a brave, sad story of a doomed family, their love for
each other, how they live with the devastation of loss, how they move on. Rather than descend into the kind of
saccharine melodrama that I’m ashamed to say makes me laugh, not cry, the book
is consolation to anyone whose life has been interrupted by inexplicable and
sudden loss.
Finally, we come to the magnificent and brilliant
Renaissance man, African American detective, psychologist, sometime profiler, pianist,
cop, family man, good friend, and devoted husband, Dr. Alex Cross.
What I find appealing about the Alex Cross series is how the
titles borrow and incorporate themes of nursery rhymes, children’s games, and
children’s literature. Mary, Mary, Roses
are Red, Violets are Blue, Four Blind Mice, London Bridges, The Big Bad Wolf,
Along came a Spider, Jack and Jill, and
Cat and Mouse skillfully incorporate themes of childhood into chilling
stories of serial killers and depraved hearts that remind that Grimm’s Fairy
Tales and many current children’s classics, did not begin as children’s stories
at all.
Cat and Mouse, in
particular, takes the reader on a true cat and mouse journey with Dr.
Cross. The already wild ride gets even
stranger and wilder when Cross tracks two serial killers, one a cruel
psychopath whose violence was triggered by a vintage set of Lionel Trains, and another
dual personality killer who on the one hand, is a doctor detective tracking a
vicious killer on two continents for the FBI, but on the other hand, is a
murderous monster who performs autopsies on his still living victims. The
second killer is also a curious allusion to Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
which was being performed as a play during the Jack the Ripper murders of
1888. At one time, the actor in the
starring role was a suspect.
Something particularly interesting in Cat and Mouse is that
Patterson gives us a portrait, albeit a brief one, of at least one of the murderers’’
victims. Many suspense/slasher
mysteries like this only tell us enough
about the victim to reinvent him or her as piece of evidence crucial to solving
the case. What struck me as I read this
novel was that Dr. Abel Sante, one of the victims brutally killed, is allowed
to introduce himself to us. We learn of
his regrets, of his remorse for not marrying his long time girl friend, of his
likes and dislikes, of his fear, of how he tries to give himself hope as he
awaits slaughter at the hands of his killer.
So, once Dr. Sante [a pun on “health” and “saint”] reveals
himself to us and becomes a real character, why is he killed off anyway? His death seems abrupt to me, as if it were
literally a loose end in the aftermath of sewing up after an autopsy. I’d like
to read the novel of Dr. Sante’s life, and what in his life journey set him on
the path of a collision with the derailed mind of a serial killer, one who is
also a doctor.
Of course I understand that mystery writers cannot always develop
their victims’ personalities as we might like.
They are there, as I said, to be evidence, and to give us enough
information to rouse our emotions and outrage.
If people we like, who are like us, can die this horribly, why not
us? That fear, along with the gore and
violence, help to move the story along.
Yet, it is a sad comment on the judicial system that in the
real world, victims are nothing more than a piece of evidence, or a witness to
the crime against the people. In fact,
it is the People of the State, or of the United States, who are the
plaintiff’s in a criminal action. The
offense is against them as a society, not against the individual. I have been on both sides of the bench in
these matters, as someone working on criminal trial gathering evidence, and as
a victim, barred from her attacker’s trial in the name of justice.
This is why victims’ rights advocates exist, if the victim
can find one. They aren’t much help to
homicide victims, who are perhaps the ultimate collection of evidence there is.
So, without digressing further and giving the story
completely away, read Patterson for the master storytelling, for his amazing
portrayal of Dr. Alex Cross, for his literary allusions, and if you can admit
it to yourself, for the thrill of the violence and the gore. If nothing else, Patterson will make you want
to reread you collections of children’s literature, young adult novels,
Shakespeare, and even as I did, reread your copy of Baudelaire’s The Flowers of Evil. Yes, that book, too, makes its appearance in Cat and Mouse. It jumped out at me from my own bookshelf
shortly after I began Patterson’s book.
One more thing, read Cat
and Mouse in a well-lit room, preferably with other people present or a
very big dog standing sentinel, and schedule your doctor’s appointments several
months after you finish the book.
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Ellen's Take from R. John Wright Blog
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Monday, February 29, 2016
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Memories of Dolls
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