Autumn And All Of Its Attendants

Despite the lovely weather, autumn has arrived. There's a certain chill in the morning air that was not there before. In my parent's garden, the walnuts are pattering down in vast quantities. On our farm, the pumpkins have matured and are lying about in orange resplendence. Shorter days and lengthening nights. The hills here are burnt brown and holding their breath for the rain. The tractors, though, are working seven days a week and at night in order to work the ground up before that rain. We run Caterpillar Challengers, and they look like yellow dinosaurs, lumbering about the fields with the dust blowing around them.

We really don't have much of seasons here in California, but I do appreciate the hints and pieces that appear.

KookyChow

When I worked at VeggieTales, way back in the old days, I had a good friend there in the 3-D department by the name of Bryan. He was (and is) a very interesting fellow who typically came to work in his pajamas and beard. He's now an art professor at a college in the midwest.

Of more specific interest, though, is the fact that he maintains a site on odd edibles called KookyChow. If you're extremely lax on time, you might want to visit it.

The Interesting Case of the Aussies

I find myself becoming more and more interested in Australia as a culture these days. They are refreshingly outspoken and candid in their views, whether it be a government minister or a Catholic prelate or the average man on the street. At least, that's the quality that comes out in press stories these days.
When you think of that quality in light of how Australia has gone off to war several times now on behalf of other countries (the World Wars, Iraq, Afghanistan), there's a pleasing sense of aptness there. Candidness and sturdy duty: they fit well together.

I once spent about ten days down in eastern Australia, working on a BBC documentary (actually, two documentaries: one about asthma and one about a rather famous and retired BBC personality named Peter France). Australia struck me as a more laid-back and friendly version of my home state California.

Perhaps I'm reading the whole thing wrong, but there really is something impressive about the Aussies. Particularly when you realize the culture has such shabby roots in terms of being a veritable prison colony.

If anyone can recommend a book on Aussies that explains them, let me know.

Pointless Family Photo of the Year

Okay, okay - I know I am being a cretin in terms of cultural awareness, tolerance, diversity, sensitivity, lovingkindness and all of that. But...I just can't help myself with this one!

And, yeah, the image looks photoshopped.

Seriously, though, I realize that there are all levels of modesty within different societies. Pacific Islanders have one idea that they subscribe to, Eskimos have another, and my mother has a third. However, I would argue that the enforced modesty of Islam has less to do with actual issues of modesty than it does with issues of female subjugation and the idea that women are property.

I need to pipe down about Islam for a while. There are other topics, aren't there? Ravioli, organic farming, the environmentalists around here who are driving us farmers crazy, pharmaceutical plots to rule the world, Hollywood (I'm really tempted to start posting trailer reviews), God, and, of course, any fine book that wanders past my eye.

Ah, books. People should read more, spend more time on their porches (where have all the porches gone?), raise tomatoes in their gardens, and, (well, you fill in the blank)______________.

Jasmine for the Wall

Bought a small, potted jasmine for the south wall of the garden. My wife had been hankering after such a plant, and I figured that $4.86 was not too high a price to pay to make her smile.
Jasmine climb. White flowers in the summer. Rather nice fragrance, though we'll have to wait a good year enough for that.
I do hope the Islamists behave themselves long enough for us to enjoy our new jasmine.

Outcroppings of Fiction

Interesting story in the Wall Street Journal about the fact that many unknown writers are achieving followings by writing stories that jump off pre-existing books. Case in point, there's a lady that is writing stories about Harry Potter's grandparents.
Hmm. I wonder if I should do something similar to jump-start my non-career as a novelist? Perhaps I should write a tale about Sidney Carton's grandmother? A Tale of Two Teacups. Or maybe a short story about the Grinch's uncle Feester? The Feester Who Keistered Easter.
Or maybe not.

Is Hollywood Insane?

Browsing through the trailers of upcoming movies at Apple.com is instructive in a disheartening sort of way. The vast majority of the movies seem to be about: dysfunctional families, psychos, traitorous policemen, murder, infidelity and just seriously screwed-up people making stupid, depressing choices with their lives. Who wants to see films about such things?

Whatever happened to the studios that made such films as Bringing Up Baby, That Darn Cat and Where Eagles Dare?
I wish someone would lock all the studio heads into a room with a bunch of Ritalin-deprived chimps with endless supplies of rotten tomatoes to hurl (the chimps would do the hurling, not the studio heads; the studio heads would run about and whimper like mewling infants).

425 Pages And Counting

I'm now officially 425 pages into my book. Why do I keep writing the thing? That makes more than 1300 pages total across the trilogy. The odds against publishing are astronomical.

Still, you have to try things in life. Attempt a few wild dreams, otherwise, you'll live haunted by regret, and that just won't do.

Does anyone out there know a good literary agent?

Pope Backing Down

Darn. Now the Pope is backing down and saying that his earlier, rather pertinent and to the point quote about Islam does not reflect his views in any way.

Rubbish.

Go read the damn Kuran and the Hadiths. They're brutally to the point, as in the point of a sword. Convert the heathen by violence if necessary. Make all others pay subjugation tax (dhimmitude). All the world must be converted to worship of Allah.

Islam is a culture of violence and degradation. It isn't just a religion; it cannot be dichotomized from culture or politics. It IS politics, culture and religion all wrapped up into one.

May porridge be upon Muhammed's wicked head (or PBUHH, as the Islamists always seem to be writing).