Finale class

Last night was a great class! We added a four-part sax harmony to our score. I learned a ton, which I'll make great use of this summer. A great class! Working my tail off, of course, but a great class.

Popular vote spin

In the Dem primary zoo, H supporters are beginning to hallucinate. They now are saying, perhaps hoping to get back the spotlight after the John Edwards endorsement of O, that H leads in the popular vote. They figure this way: count the votes of MI and FL. If you do that, H leads the pop vote by 29,471. The trouble with this is O was not on the MI ballot, so he gets zero there! If you give him even a small portion of the 40% who voted for "Uncommitted" rather than for H in MI, O leads again. Even more important, if you count MI and FL, then also count IA, NV, ME and WA, caucus states who did not report popular vote because they're not required to! If you estimate their pop vote based on delegate distribution, O has a commanding lead -- in other words, he leads in pop vote if all states are counted. The H folks never seem to worry about IA, NV, ME and WA pop vote when they bring out the crying towel about MI and FL.

All these facts and figures are neatly listed at
RealClearPolitics, a non-partisan site that takes away the spin. Here's a summary of the popular vote:

Playing by the rules: O leads by about 594,000 without estimates for the 4 states whose votes count but who did not report popular vote; by about 784,000 if you add them.

H's rules: Add MI and FL but not the 4 above, H leads by 29,47.

Who said this was going to stop getting ugly?

Not with a bang but a ...

clipped from hosted.ap.org Ants swarm over Houston area, fouling electronics DALLAS (AP) -- In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers. The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as "crazy rasberry ants" - crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and "rasberry" after Tom Rasberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on. "They're itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they're just running everywhere," said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. "There's just thousands and thousands of them. If you've seen a car racing, that's how they are. They're going fast, fast, fast. They're crazy."

The day ahead

Reading student scripts all morning ... off to the dentist ... back for a bit and then off to Finale class, for which I'm ready. Ought to be a challenging class, we do a 4-part sax arrangement to input to our score.

Politics

Since it's the season ...

Politics is pissing in public.
--Norman O. Brown

A politician is a statesman who approaches every question with an open mouth.
--Adlai Stevenson

At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols.
--Aldous Huxley

What we need is a rebirth of satire, of dissent, of irreverence, of an uncompromising insistence that phoniness is phony and platitudes are platitudinous.
--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.
--Confucius

The Democrats seem to be basically nicer people, but they have demonstrated time and again that they have the management skills of celery. They're the kind of people who'd stop to help you change a flat, but would somehow manage to set your car on fire. I would be reluctant to entrust them with a Cuisinart, let alone the economy. The Republicans, on the other hand, would know how to fix your tire, but they wouldn't bother to stop because they'd want to be on time for Ugly Pants Night at the country club.
--Dave Berry

Anyone that wants the presidency so much that he'll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office.
--David Broder

Madness is rare in individuals - but in groups, political parties, nations, and eras it's the rule.
--Nietzsche

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
--George Orwell

Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
--Groucho Marx

A national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in.
--H. L. Mencken

There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.
--John Adams

Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.
--John Kenneth Galbraith

Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them.
--Lily Tomlin

The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet.
--Mark Twain

A politician is a man who will double cross that bridge when he comes to it.
--Oscar Lavant

Public opinion, I am sorry to say, will bear a great deal of nonsense. There is scarcely any absurdity so gross, whether in religion, politics, science or manners, which it will not bear.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.
--Sinclair Lewis

A politician looks forward only to the next election. A statesman looks forward to the next generation.
--Thomas Jefferson

Elections are a good deal like marriages. There's no accounting for anyone's taste. Every time we see a bridegroom we wonder why she ever picked him, and it's the same with public officials.
--Will Rogers

Oregon primary

I left the Democratic party in disgust years ago and have been a registered Independent ever since. In Oregon's closed primary, therefore, I didn't get to vote for Prez. I wasn't even tempted to re-register so I could, my dismay over the Democrats in general being pretty strong. Indeed, I'm not a fan of the two-party system. An early primary fantasy, seeing the enthusiasm for Obama, was that Hillary would get the nomination but Obama would lead a walk out and found a new progressive party, which would get 30% or more of the vote and lay the foundation for being a viable permanent party. If this had been done in the 60s, we wouldn't be where we are now. I think we have one party, called Corporations.

I was wondering if ...

clipped from news.yahoo.com STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. - Hours after being routed by Hillary Rodham Clinton in West Virginia, Barack Obama picked up two more superdelegates, offering fresh recognition from Democratic leaders of his inevitable nomination.

West Virginia

To hell with the election, I'm blown away that there's somewhere in the country where you can rent a studio apartment for $250 a month! A starving young writer's paradise. Go work in Alaska for a summer and live 9 months writing in WVa on what you save up. At least that was the strategy when I was a struggling young writer. Live as cheaply as possible so you have as much time to write as possible. Do young writers still do this? I haven't seen many but then I only see the ones in my classes. Many of them drive a better car than I do ha ha. And when I was their age, I was living in a tree house in Berkeley!

Hyperdrama CD-ROM

I made a CD-ROM based on my recent hyperdrama project, called Hyperdrama: A Video Introduction, and I got my test copy today. It looks good. I'm selling it at cost, hoping to spread the word a tad (giving some to libraries, for example).

Attention starving writers

Trying to exist on little income? Check out West Virginia! In all the news regarding the primary today, I read that it has the lowest average income -- so I figured rents must be cheap. Indeed they are! I was looking through a Charleston paper and found lots of 2 BR apts in the $350-500 range, which is astounding by Portland standards. There were studios under $300!! So get yourself a grant, move to WVa, and write away! You don't have to LIVE there, just write there ha ha.

Major screenwriting gripe

Something that upsets me in the world of screenwriting is the pitchfest that charges writers to pitch a script. The screenwriters' union, the WGA, does not approve of agents who charge a reading fee. Now tell me -- what is the difference between an agent charging a reading fee and a producer charging a pitch fee? Both say, I'll look at your story idea if you pay me. It either case, it's asking a writer to PAY for the opportunity to show you something that might make you a lot of money. The wGA really disappoints me by not condemning these pitchfest affairs the same way they do agents who charge reading fees. It's the same kind of conduct. Shame on the WGA. End of sermon.

Tough term

Remind me not to take three courses in a term. Well, I'd do it again because I'm learning so damn much but this clearly is a tougher term than I prefer. I'm too old for this ha ha. But the summer is close now and then I can put all this recent learning to practical use. I can't wait. This is going to be a very productive summer indeed.

One of our local newscasters, whom I happen to watch all the time, has written a screenplay, so I agreed to look at it and give him some feedback. I was shocked to glance at it: it looks like a screenplay! Most beginners' scripts look like a novel. So I'm encouraged.

Obama picked up four more superdelegates today and is only 150 short of the nomination. He ought to do well in Oregon.

Silent movie test clip

Except I haven't taken the sound out. Testing "the look." Maybe too yellow, change the blue setting from 70 to 80 or 85 to move more toward B&W. Hmm.

Silent movie

Fiddled with some short video clips, changing saturation, color balance, and speed, and finally got "a look" that I like for the summer silent movie. I noted the settings and put them in the new project file. I still need to get back to the script but might not until the term is over. But it's satisfying to get the look I want.

Home boy

Well, instead of driving 100 miles for chicken and dumplings, I paid bills, practiced the piano, and started a new screenplay, which actually is a variation of an old screenplay, which itself is based on a novel of mine. So I'm tweaking this story concept all over the map.

I still may go for a cruise, despite gas prices.

Goofing Off Suite

Pete Seeger used to pick a little ditty with this title. Reflects my mood. Having caught up with my reading of student work, I feel like goofing off rather than editing or practicing the piano or yard work or a jillion other things I could do. Grab the dog and head up the gorge. Maybe have lunch in Hood River or The Dalles. There's a great chicken and dumpling joint out that way. Hmm.

Sniper fire!

In a democracy, we get the leaders we deserve. This can be unfortunate.

Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat. But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican.

“I heard that Obama is a Muslim and his wife’s an atheist,” said Mr Simpson, drawing on a cigarette outside the fire station in Williamson, a coalmining town of 3,400 people surrounded by lush wooded hillsides.

Here's what Wayne Morse had to say about the electorate:

MORSE

So if you asked me, Wayne Morse, name
the one thing in our country that you
think will do more to strengthen
American foreign policy in the next
half century, you might be surprised
at my reply. I would say, Do something
to protect the educational standard of
American boys and girls. Do something
to protect American brain power.
Because the only sure and lasting
defense of peace is a highly educated
and enlightened citizenry.

(From my play, American Gadfly.)

Alas, some would say it's elitist to be educated. How many? I guess we'll find out.

Taste, strokes, and other variables

We went to Aida this afternoon -- and mutually decided to leave at intermission. I'm not a great fan of Grand Opera (it's not the length: I recently saw Wagner's Tristan..., almost 6 hrs. long, and was on the edge of my seat the whole time), with all its spectacle, and H is not a fan of Italian opera in general (H on Aida: "two beautiful women in love with the same short fat fuck -- who cares?"). H also was stressed because she flies out tonight and her suitcase handle broke -- so she's off the buy a new suitcase, and this gives her more time.

But I came home to learn that a producer is looking at my screenplay Sad Laughter, which I've been marketing forever and forever because I believe in it so much, though it's a spendy historical piece, and one day maybe someone will agree with me. It's always exciting when a producer is at least intrigued to look at it.

I have a lot of class work to catch up on tomorrow! And piano work, too. I should be able to do it.

Dog parks

There are dog parks, and there are dog parks. Often we just go up the street to a Middle School and let Sketch run around there but as the weather gets better, the soccer teams take over the grounds. I don't like either of the two closest parks with dog-running areas. Our favorite is at Mary Young State Park, about ten miles away, because it has a large unfenced area for dogs to run in, it's usually not very crowded, and the sprawling park on the river has lots of trails for human exercise as well. And it's just a beautiful park. We took Sketch there today, then stopped by the Tillamook Creamery in Lake Oswego for lunch. A nice break.

Now to get back into a work rhythm. Or not. At least I got a lot of student work read this morning, though I have more to do.

Thesis script

Spent the morning with a grad student's thesis script. She's a rewrite away from a solid screenplay. Her defense is in early June, so plenty of time for a final rewrite. I've really enjoyed seeing this script develop.

Renewal

The killer week is over. Got through it. I still have tons of work to do, of course, but the frustration of the week is gone. Back to more normal tasks.

H takes off Sunday, east to yet another family affair.

Supposed to rain this afternoon, so I'll try and get some yard work in first. Have some advanced student work to read, first on my weekend list of tasks. The term definitely is on the downhill side now.

I'm ready for warm weather. Rumor has it some is coming next week. I'll believe it when I start sweating.

Married life

A man and a woman who had never met before, and were both not married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a Trans-continental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly.....
He in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying :
'Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold.'

'I have a better idea,' she replied . 'Just for tonight, let 's pretend
that we're married.'

'Wow! That's a great idea!' he exclaimed.

'Good,' she replied. 'Get your own fucking blanket.'

After a moment of silence, he farted.

Thanks to H. for the link.

Popular essay

I didn't realize my essay on the boozing life was so popular. I guess there's a built-in audience ha ha.

clipped from coudal.com Liquor and Lit The single most-requested Friday Drink Link. "I quickly met my second wife, a brilliant graduate student who liked to brag that she had never met a man who could drink her under the table. Then she met me." Liquor and Lit, by Charles Deemer. -jc.05.09.08 #