Karen & Billy

Since my brain is still FAR from being functional I am going to lean on Karen's post about awards and then on a personal frustration..

Karen asked that people post a picture of an award or plaque or certificate that had been awarded to them. This she asks of someone who couldn't win a horse race if the race only had one horse! But there was a time "long long ago" that I entered a embroidery I did in a Fair. It did win 2nd place and a blue ribbon. However, since moving a number of times since then, I can no longer find the Blue Ribbon to take a photo of... so I did the next best thing I could think of and have a photo of the Embroidery that won second place.

This is it... it's rather large (about 36 inches wide by 52 inches tall). It took me the better part of a year to do it. If you read Fantasy Fiction you might recognize it as part of the Pern Series of books.. "Ruth" The White Dragon to be specific. It once was framed but now it's folded up in a box, but even after nearly 25 years I still have it. So.. that's my "award" photo, such as it is.

************************************************

Now on to the next subject: Frustration.

As many know, about a month ago I went to a LOTR convention. I needed to have a little time to call "my own" and to try to "not think" ... but for most of that weekend I still could not break the "habit" of worry and depression. I called home everyday to make sure things were "ok".. I watched the phone in my room to see if it was going to light up and tell me I needed to go home.... but it did not.

I had no great expectations for the convention. Just hoped being among people who were out to enjoy theirself, that maybe some would rub off on me. Maybe despite myself I would forget for a while and feel like I was a real person.

I met some nice ladies, and watched the guests each day, and in general I had "moments" but they flew by so fast I couldn't be sure I actually had them. Then Sunday came... the last day of the convention. I woke with a depressed feeling because I knew it would soon be over. This day the guest would be Billy Boyd, who played Pippen in LOTR. I can't say I had ever heard anything about him before so I didn't know what to expect. I figured it would be a question and answer hour like all the others, but I hoped I would enjoy it..... little did I know what this young man would do for me.

Billy Boyd. A name I won't forget anytime soon. This young man came on stage and indeed, he talked and answered questions from the audience. He was VERY animated, in the same way old time comedians were. He smiled a lot. He joked a lot. He seemed to know the right buttons to push to make his audience laugh.

It was probably half way through his time on stage when I realized I was in a constant state of a smile. Then I heard myself laugh. The sound is unfamiliar to me anymore... but I knew one thing once it happened... there's hope of once again laughing for those who think there is none.

His time was coming to a close, the audience was applauding (so was I). I think I led the audience up to their feet for his walk off stage. Then I sat down and breathed deeply so that I wouldn't cry. (it was over too fast!)

It took nearly an hour before I was in the line for his autograph in my LOTR book I had bought with me. All the time in the line I wanted to thank him for making me forget for a while... to thank him for making me smile. When I got to him he looked up and said hello.. a meek "thank you" came out, for which I am sure he thought was for the signature he had just put on the book.

For a month now I've searched for a way to be able to send him a letter explaining what I wanted to say to him in that moment in time. I've done all the things I've done before when a real urge to write to someone has hit me. I searched the web over and over. I've called Screen Actors Guild in CA. (who say they have no listing) I've asked a favor of someone I know who has contacts with actors agents. (He even called the agent in England to no avail: "we do not forward letters to Billy:) And, did you know it's illegal to send mail to England to be forwarded to another? Yep.. it's right on the USPS website. I've never felt so frustrated.

And so I take it out on those reading this... because I have no more directions I can take.. and who knows? Maybe Billy reads journals?.. and probably not. But if by chance he sees this let me say: Thank You Billy. Thank you for making me smile. Thank you for your ray of sunshine. Thank you for reminding me that there are still reasons to laugh.

So.. now that I am ready to hit the save button, do I feel any better about my frustration? Not at the moment, but maybe there's hope I will finally let go of the want to send that letter... maybe.

For Those Who Asked/ Who am I?

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And now for a meme that Shelly did too.............
WHO AM I?
01- I was born and raised in a small town in NJ
02- I have lived in FT Pierce Fla, and Sherman Oaks CA and now back in NJ
03- I am old. (I was young when "Broadway" was a prairie!)
04- I have a lot of depression and anxioty and stress.
05- Iam 15 lbs heavier then I care to be ...and i feel every pound of it!
06- I enjoy reading Fantasy Fiction
07- I love movies.
08- I enjoy playing in Paint Shop Pro
09- I wish I knew a lot more about computers!
10- I am on Lipitor for Cholestrol (take it every other day and it keeps it at 180)
11- I like to collect autographs
12- I did volunteer work for 3 yrs when in California for Shambala Preserve
13- I love animals
14- I would love to live in the woods!! (love love love)
15- I miss laughing alot
16- I enjoy helping celebrities at autograph shows
17- I miss being "silly"
18- I am grateful for my computer, and feel lost without it.
19- I have one brother, but my father married a few times and somewhere I have 1/2 brother or sisiters or both.
20- I was in a rock and roll band when i was young
22- I drove a 360 Honda Motorcycle for a few years when i was in my 30's
23- I have a tattoo
24- I have 2 sons
25- I am currently VERY frustrated because I want to send a letter to Billy Boyd and his agent doesn't forward mail and I can find no way to send it to him.. and I REALLY want to send this letter. (it's NOT a fan letter)

TheWalk of Fame..

Hi-de-ho, and welcome to Kermit's Star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood California!

I thought since I talked about Mann's Chinese Theater earlier that I would make a post about the Walk of Fame. It won't be the first time I mentioned the Walk of Fame.. I may have mentioned it here when I talk about DeForest getting his star.
If you ever go to Hollywood it would be impossible to miss the fact that as you walk down the street stars will be under your feet! Any tourist in Hollywood always has a favorite movie star/ television star/ radio star/ recording artist or theatrical star, and they watch as they walk hoping to find their favorites.
In doing a bit or research on the Walk I came upon some Trivia you might be interested in....,
Gene Autry is the only person to have been honored with all five stars.

At Hollywood and Vine, a special "round star" on each of the four corners commemorates the Apollo 11 astronauts. Each astronaut (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Aldrin) has a star and there's a joint star for NASA's entire Apollo 11 mission team.

In 2005, companies became eligible for Walk-of-Fame-type stars; the first recipient was Disneyland, in honor of its 50th anniversary. Company awards are on private property near the Walk, and not part of the Walk itself. Companies must have a strong Hollywood presence and be at least fifty years old to qualify for this award. Entertainment industry publications Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are among the planned recipients.

There are two film actors named Harrison Ford with stars. The first was Harrison Ford ( a silent film actor in the 1910s & 20s) whose star is in front of the Musso & Frank restaurant at 6665 Hollywood Blvd. The second is the present-day Harrison Ford, whose star can be found in front of the Kodak Theater at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who were seventeen at the time they were awarded their star, are the youngest celebrities and the only twins to receive a star. They were honored for their contributions to television.

Queen Latifah is the first female hip-hop artist to have a star.

Fictional characters that have stars include Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Winnie the Pooh, Donald Duck, Godzilla, Pee-wee Herman, Kermit the Frog, C-3PO, Lassie, The Rugrats, The Simpsons and Snow White.

Tommy Bond, whose career spanned 65 years and 72 movies; who portrayed "Butch" in the Little Rascals; and cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the original "Superman" movies in the 1940s, was denied a "Star" in 1998, but that same year three local disc jockeys received their "Stars". Mr. Bond died September 24, 2005, still without a star. On the same note, neither Academy Award winner Tim Robbins, nor Oscar winner Ruth Gordon (who was in films for over 4 decades) have received "Stars"; yet newcomers such as Ryan Seacrest have received stars.

Of the entire cast of the original Star Trek TV series, only Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) does not have a "Star" along the Walk of Fame.

Pat Sajak commented on Wheel of Fortune that his star has the wrong emblem. His emblem is the movie camera when it should be the TV set. He quips on the show that "someone should pry it off and sell it on eBay, it's a collectible!"

All My Children's Susan Lucci, who earned her star in 2005, was the first woman to earn her television star solely on the merits of acting on a soap opera. The first male actor to earn his star in television in the field of soap acting was the late Macdonald Carey of Days of our Lives.

Stolen starsThere have been four stars stolen from the Walk of Fame.

The stars of Jimmy Stewart and Kirk Douglas, which had been removed during a construction project, were stolen from the site on Vine Street. The culprit was a contractor who was later caught with the two damaged and unusable stars, but not until after they had been replaced.

One of Gene Autry's stars was also taken from another construction project. That star was found in Iowa.

On November 27, 2005, thieves sawed Gregory Peck's star out of the sidewalk near Gower. Cameras are now being placed on the walk district to catch thieves.

I happen to have a fairly current listing of over 2,000 names and addresses on the Walk of Fame.. if you have a favorite leave a name in comments and I can tell you if they have a Star and the address it can be located at. (I can't promise a photo as the ones shown here I found by searching images in google)
Oh, and by the way.. DeForest's Star is located at: 7021 Hollywood Blvd. (heh, just thought I'd mention that !)

Oprah's Repeat

Oprah's repeat show this past Thursday:... "What Is Your Class?"...

Began her show saying 40% of America's income is owned by 1% of the richest people and that middle class is all but disappeared... Boy, do I agree with that!

Even with 2 parents working, those that call their self "middle class" are mostly people in very deep debt, and I don't consider that "middle class" if you aren't really making it without the kind of debt that you could never really pay off unless you sell everything you own.

She discussed issues as to what makes you think someone is upper or lower class.. re: education/ job/ cleanliness, and asked if you can "see" lower class people by the way they look. She had some people in the audience that she asked how they can see if someone is lower class. The so called "indicators" were: appearance, poor table manners, lack of diction and cursing, were what they said were clues to the lower class person.

There were some she asked if they would date someone who was of a lower class than they were.(income) Their response was mostly "no".. I guess that means only "money counts", forget if the person is a good individual.

Later in the show there was a doctor that agreed that Middle Class was all but gone, and getting worse all the time. Well gee.. let me see... the fact that everything has gone up in price until only the rich can afford it might have a little something to do with that!

When I was younger and married my husband bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on a half acre of land in Florida..the cost was just a few thousand dollars over double his Annual Income... today most would have to make 250,000 dollars a year to find that same home for 500,000.. sorry I can't say I know many folks that earn 250,000 a year.. not that there aren't any.. I'm sure there are quite a few, but "middle class" they would not be. The price of the house in Florida is now the price of a car... the same car that is a necessity for getting to work each day.

I know I'm not middle class anymore.. and haven't been for some time now. I was born very poor, married and my husband worked his way up to "middle class".. I can't even say if it was upper or lower middle class. Now I'm old and divorced and back in "P"-poor class, back where i started.

Oprah's show made me mad the first time I saw it... and it made me mad again today. Why is this happening? Is it the people's fault? Is it the governments fault?

Why is it only 1% of people in America are the "upper class".. with middle class all but gone from the running.. and leaves most of the 99% of the people in the "low class"?? 1% of Americans own 40% (FORTY PERCENT! THAT'S NEARLY HALF!) of ALL of America's income... while 99% split the other 60%..

Something is definitely wrong with that.

Your thoughts?...

Feline Friday

Remember last week on Feline Friday when I showed BooBoo Kitty and Peanutchew "play fighting?"... well this is what happens when two kitties "play" for too long!

Today...

Thought I'd just write a little update and more or less explain why many of my recent posts have been more about subjects others suggest than my own. (re: round robin/ Monday photo shoot etc)

My mind still is not able to focus or concentrate. My brother is still in rehab (which is good) but nothing seems to get resolved and i find myself unable to concentrate at all. When someone talks to me it's as if nothing is sinking in at all.. you know the "it went right over her head" effect.

We need a hospital bed here before my brother gets home.. but the insurance and whoever it comes from say "he has to be released first". Ummm, well if he's released first where do we put him while we wait for the bed? On the floor?

My brothers legs swell easily from all his ailments.. so what does this rehab place do? They put him in a wheelchair and won't let him back in bed until after dinner... ummm excuse me?... while i agree being in bed all day isn't good neither is having the legs hang all day... how about mid afternoon you put him to bed so his legs don't continue to swell? So what happens? On the weekend when there is no therapy... they leave him in bed all day! sigh.

no matter where i turn nothing gets resolved... i feel incapable of a thought of my own.. and it's scaring me that I seem not to be able to think at all or to "hear" anything being said... I have no idea what the symptoms are at the very beginning of Alzheimer’s or Senility... right now i just hope like hell this isn't it!

Round Robin...

Today is the day for The Round Robin post!.. the subject for this is "Transportation". Re: facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods. The act of transporting something or someone from one location to another.
Wow, this could go almost anywhere! One could post a photo of a pair of shoes that they walk in.. that's a mode of transportation. So is biking or skating, boating or trains or flying, and of course there's always the "who can any longer afford the gas? Car".
No one sits still, so "Transportation" is everywhere... Birds transport their self by flying a lot cheaper then we can fly, and animals have no need to buy shoes to walk in.
It would seem that if getting from one place to another hadn't fascinated anyone items like our cars and trains and planes never would have been invented! We'd still be using the old horse and buggy to get around. (though more and more that's not sounding so bad! The "fuel" for the horse won't ever run out and the green house effect would probably drop down into the safe zone once again!!)
I thought about posting on Space Transportation, since that is our inevitable future, and since I love the space program so much..and since "Dr. McCoy would have wanted me to!" heh.. but... that's not what I'm choosing for my mode of transportation post today.

As one becomes Old.. ummm, Older... Aged.... Mature... oh hell, once you are an old fart like me, "Time" begins to weigh heavily on your mind. So for today, I chose "Time Transportation" ........even though it's not real..... yet.
It seems I'm not the only one that this sort of mode of Transport interests. As far back as 1898 H.G. Wells was writing aboutinventing a Time Machine. Ahhhh yep... that's what I want all right.. a Time Machine!
Just imagine being able to "be transported back (or forward) in time". You could leap forward and find cures for any illness, or jump back and remember how things used to be! wow.. would that be fantastic or what?!!


H.G. Wells wrote the Time Machine . In 1960 "The Time Machine" , starring: Rod Taylor. /Alan Young. /Yvette Mimeux. / /Sebastian Cabot was released to the public.
Plot Summary for The Time Machine :From the book by H.G. Wells, a scientist and tinkerer builds a time machine and uses it to explore the distant future where there are two races, a mild gentle race, and a cannibalistic one living underground. His machine is stolen by the underground race and he must risk capture himself (and being eaten) to return to his own time.

(2002) The Time Machine Starring : Guy Pierce 

Plot Summary for The Time Machine : Based on the classic sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells, "The Time Machine" stars Guy Pearce in the role of scientist and inventor, Alexander Hartdegen, who is determined to prove that time travel is possible. (ask me if i'd get in a Time Traveling machinewith HIM! heh, why.. yes i would!)
There were other people who were interested in being transported by Time Travel and some made it to a little thing called Television, among them a program called Sliders...


(1995) Sliders Starring: Jerry O'Connell. /Cleavant Derricks. /John Rhys-Davies. /Sabrina Lloyd.
Plot Summary: While trying to develop an anti-gravity device, physics genius Quinn Mallory instead creates a device that opens portals to alternative realities. After an accident leaves them lost, Mallory and his companions: his physics professor, Professor Maximillian Arturo, his work colleague and potential love, Wade Wells, and a washed-up soul singer, Rembrandt Brown, "slide" from reality to reality in search of home.
And where would we be without Stargate: SG-1? Yet another means to be Transported through Time!... This time, a very ancient portal.

(1997) Stargate:SG-1 Richard Dean Anderson./ Michael Shanks. /Ben Browder./ Amanda Tapping. / Beau Bridges. /Christopher Judge

Plot Summary: General Hammond summons Colonel Jack O'Neill out of retirement to embark on a secret rescue mission. O'Neill confesses that he disobeyed orders to destroy the Stargate on Planet Abydos, and that scientist Daniel Jackson may still be alive. Arriving on Abydos with his team, O'Neill meets up once again with the scientist, who has discovered a giant elaborate cartouche in hieroglyphics. All signs point to the fact that this is a map of many Stargates that exist throughout the galaxy - a development that makes the dream of the SG-1 team to travel throughout the universe in time a reality.
And if I don't mention Quantum Leap here, Karen, of Outpost Mâvarin would never forgive me!! But if you want more specifics on Quantum Leap... just as Karen! 


(1989) Quantum Leap Scott Bakula. Dean Stockwell
Plot Summary: Theorizing that one could time-travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top secret project known as Quantum Leap. Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Dr. Beckett prematurely stepped into the project accelerator... and vanished. He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own. Fortunately, contact with his own time was maintained through brain wave transmissions with Al, the project observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Dr. Beckett can see and hear. Trapped in the past, Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap would be the leap home."

..... of all of these fancy-schmancy forms of transportation, I think I'd choose to travel with Guy Pierce and his Time Machine...yeah that's the ticket! I'm ready when you are Guy! Where, oh where shall we go first?!!

House (no, not the kind you live in!)

Anyone out there (besides me and Julie) watch "House"?.. 


I was surprised to see Hugh Laurie on the cover of Entertainment Weekly,.. but I probably shouldn't have been . His show is renewed and he's popping up on shows like Actors Studio. Hugh was born in Oxford, England on June 11, 1959. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge. Son of an Olympic gold medal in the sport, he rowed for the England youth team (1977) and for Cambridge (1980).
One of the surprising things about Mr. Laurie is the use of his American accent for the series. To be honest, after I saw him using his "natural voice" I wonder why they made him use an American accent? Oh well.. I really enjoy the show no matter what voice he uses. It's strange.. as his character, sometimes you want to smack him upside the head and other times you could only wish for a real doctor as smart as he is!
Try to Google his name -he's all over the web!! Gad zooks!
For anyone interested in him, in case you don't know he's also an author. He wrote a book in 1996 (released in the states in 1998) called The Gun Seller. And a new book is due out called The Paper Soldier.
I guess the actual reason I decided to put his picture up and write about him is because the magazine was delivered to the house! And of course it doesn't hurt to promote someone you enjoy...

Another NJ day..

When I lived in Florida I lived on a dirt (sand) road.. dusty? yes. But oh so much nicer to look at. Often, back when my children were younger, yet we still lived in NJ, we would visit my in-laws. They had retired to Virginia, a small town named Boydton, located on the boarder of VA and North Carolina. Actually they lived outside of it but the mail went to Boydton.. they lived in the country.. dirt roads and lots of trees around. Boy how I loved that place. You could walk to the "lake", which was actually a reservoir named John Kerr Reservoir. You could also walk to a camp area not far from where they lived. Even after a big breakfast of your own, the minute you walked into the woods of the camp grounds you would get hungry all over again! You could smell the coffee brewing on open fires, and bacon! Ohhhh, the smell of bacon in the open air!! Help me please! How can I be hungry? I just ate! I am obviously not a city person at heart.
Now I live with my brother, across the street is a stone business of some sort. Trucks going in and out all day long. Loud bangs as they dump things from the trucks and the back flap flies back to hit the truck.. sigh. I miss the quiet of the woods.
The other day I had an email requesting that I be a Guest Editor for aol journals. Wow, that was nice! I had to turn it down though because I don't really know enough new journals or blogs to recommend them. I have picked up a few that I can say I haven't noticed other guest editors lists but most that I read have been mentioned before.
I generally don't find new journals only because of the time involved. I read many now and most of those post everyday so it's a lot of reading. The newest ones I've been reading are not on aol. Not that I have a preference in journals that are somewhere else, I don't care where they are as long as I enjoy them... but I may have checked them out from someone's comments and liked what I read. I thought I would mention the 3 newest ones that I've been reading even though I'm not doing the guest editing.
The first one I picked up is called Here In The Hills. This is Naomi's journal. She writes alot about her cactus plants, most of which bloom these extraordinary flowers! And her kitty Sweetie, who even has her own blog! And even with all that to write about, she also writes about her friends, of which many are celebrities. It's nice to read about them in the "everyday sense" and know they are good people, just like we hoped they would be.
The next one I am enjoying is Sandra Ruttan: On Life And Other Inconveniences Sandra is a writer, and is about to have her first book published called Suspicious Circumstances. I'm not sure what it is about her journal that keeps me going back, but she has a way of writing that certainly makes it enjoyable to read, even if I'm not a person in that business. Often she posts the greatest pictures of her kittens which I enjoy too. I think her book will do good if she writes stories anything like she does her blog.
The third and last new journal I've gotten attached to is THE DRAGON: 050376 Kiyotoe, as he calls himself, is a very fine writer. So much so that I found myself going back and reading in his Archives. He has a way of writing that makes you want to read everything. Though when I went to his journal today it seems to have disappeared! I'm certainly hoping it's a glitch with blogspot because I'd hate to loose reading his journal.
I've been stressed more than usual lately and my journal isn't all that has suffered.. I seem to have lost any thoughts other then the things I can't do anything about. I sure hope this passes soon... I'd like to get back to my writing and more regular on my journal again.. right now it's mostly like I have a "blank mind" to do anything..sigh.. this too shall pass... I just don't know when!

Your Monday Photo Shoot:

This is John's Monday photo shoot...

I went to the web sites John left links for and only managed to find one of the photo's I had in my folder. I had the 4 photo's below for years now, but didn't have the names of them. After looking at all the Hubble shots on the sight I finally gave up but I am putting them up anyway because now I think "at least they won't all be repeated on other sites!"

The only thing I can tell you about them is the name of the jpg when I got it long ago..The second photo down was called "orphan", the third one down is called "twisters" (yep it looks like tornadoes in space alright), and the 4th is called "best and brightest". I find all of them ( to quote Star Trek's Spock...)fascinating...

A Test...this is only a test...

This is a test of us, older kids! The answers are printed below, but don't
cheat.

Ready???

01. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the
grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked
man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know why, but he left this
behind. What did he leave behind?____________

02. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all watched
them on The _________________ Show.

03. "Get your kicks, ___________________."

04. "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been
changed______________! "

05 "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________"

06. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we "danced" under
a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a
dance called the "_____________."

07. "N_E_S_T_L_E_S," Nestlé's makes the very best _______________. "

08. Satchmo was America's "Ambassador of Goodwill." Our parents shared
this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was
_________________.

09. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________

10. Red Skelton's hobo character was named __________________ and Red
always ended his television show by saying, "Good Night, and
"_______________."

11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning
their____________.

12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the
front was called the VW. What other names did it go by?
____________ & ____________.

13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, "the day the music died."
This was a tribute to ___________________

14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did
it. It was called____________

15. One of the big fads of the l a te 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring
that we twirled around our waist. It was called the ________________

Now for the answers......Scroll Down

ANSWERS:

01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02. The Ed Sullivan Show
03. On Route 66
04. To protect the innocent
05. The Lion sleeps tonight
06. The limbo
07. Chocolate
08. Louis Armstrong
09. The Timex watch
10. Freddy, The Freeloader, and "Good Night, and may God Bless."
11. Draft cards (Bra burning was an equal rights thing)
12. Beetle or Bug
13. Buddy Holly
14. Sputnik
15. Hoola-hoop

Did you get them all right? heh... hard to admit it huh? !

On the subject of...

Writer's Weekly Question #27:
Have you ever killed one of your characters before? If so, what was the motivation behind the death?

I find this question a really interesting one and would like to tackle it in a different way... in general... not specifically pertaining to my Kesterwood stories which is the only thing I've ever written.

Before I really get into this subject I'd like to mention JK Rowlings and the Harry Potter series which Auielalata mentions in her post along with the question.

JK Rowlings upset me with something she said at an interview about killing off "one or more of her characters in the last book". Of course I was sad to hear this and no matter which character or characters it may be, even if it is Harry or another main character in the story, what bothered me even more was when she said she was doing this so that no one else may ever use her characters after she dies .. THAT bothered me most of all!

Since I have attempted to write a story, I do know the possessive feelings that you have for the characters you've developed.

And I also know the feeling that since they are YOUR characters, no one else could possibly know them well enough to do them as much justice as you can yourself. I found that small blurb in her interview disturbing. I feel that even if this is how she feels (and why wouldn't she?) that it was inappropriate to pt it out there for the public.

Not only do I feel she is a very fine writer, but I was way up there on the ladder applauding the fact that she stood her ground, never gave up in the face of years of rejects from agents, and in the end became the victor. I have always admired her and felt ohhhh so happy for her! Until that statement. Now I'm glad this is the last book, for if I had not read all the others(and enjoyed them immensely!) I would NOT purchase the last book when it comes out.

In my heart I know where the statement came from, and even know I'd feel the same way if I were the author of such great books, but.... now that she is such a success and even richer then the Queen of England.. the statement hit me of greed.

I mean... if I were her... and after I no longer existed.. and all rights were bestowed upon my heirs... is there really such a need for that statement to even be made aloud? Even though it's how you personally feel?? Just do what you feel is right.. don't tell those who are your fans that "I'm going to see to it that Harry and his friends ALL die with me." And that's what I felt she said when she made that statement. I felt as if she was taking something from me. (ME! Someone who helped put her where she is today) Not that I would really expect to hear of her characters ever again once she died. But if she's not here to do that for me, but another is..AND it's all done legally and the heirs still make money on it... then ... why not?

I love the characters I have made.. and inside, I feel as she does about not wanting anyone to use MY characters that I feel came from within ME... but once I am gone.. if someone could do justice to them and it's all done legally... then I'd want my characters to live on. I'd want those that loved my characters to have more.

I'd like to read anyone's comments (or better yet a full post!) on this subject. How would you feel about the possibility of your characters living on after you die? (and leave a link in comments so I could read them.)

Ok.. that said, down to business on the original question about killing of characters and why.

In the course of my readings, many characters have been killed off for one reason or another.

Many die at the end of books so that it's an "official ending" and to know this character will not be written about again. (supposedly)

Sometimes a main character is killed off so that others are allowed to evolve.

And other times it's just a necessary part of the story so that the basic story can make an abrupt turn and go in another direction.

Then there are the times when you never even had a thought about killing off a character but once these characters take on a life of their own, they lead you to killing someone off. (talk about surprises! ha!)

I'm looking forward to reading those who respond to this writer's question, for I truly believe there are as many motivational reasons for killing off characters as there are writers who write them!!

And besides, for those of us who love fantasy/ sci fi... there's just as many ways of bringing them back as there are ways of killing them off!! Heh! Gotta love Fantasy Fiction for that reason alone!

Feline Friday

Well, It's Feline Friday once again. Today while Steven is on vacation Carly is hosting the Felines! Don't forget to check out Elvis at Carly's blog and to find others who have posted their Kitties. (this week, for the first time, my girlfriend Annie is posting pictures of her Kitty Lady!!)

For my Friday photo I am featuring Peanutchew...

Over this whole week NJ has been in one heck of a heat wave. Temps each day being around 98-99 but "feeling like" 110-115! Add to this that upstairs in my room and the hall there is no air conditioning! Why any cat would come upstairs when they could be sleeping downstairs in the air is beyond me.. but here you see belly up sleeping in the heat upstairs by Peanutchew.

Whew, I'm getting hotter just looking at her!!

Meanwhile, another journal friend Astaryth has finally found a way to get back on line after moving to the boonies of Florida. So if you had her bookmarked before stop on by once again and visit at Adventures of an Eclectic Mind! And if you haven't read her before .. give her a try! Eventually, I know she will return to having some of the greatest animal photo's around!! (yes, that's a hint JJ!)

It's always something..

It's not like me not to post at least something each day.. but yesterday was a busy day.

My brother is finally in the hospital..not sure what will come of it. (He can't stand up long enough to move his butt to the potty seat).. I'm sure they will run their usual tests on him since he is diabetic and paralyzed on one side and hasn't been to the doc in a number of months.. up until he couldn't stand we managed to take him once a month or every 6 weeks so they will want to run tests. (blood test/ urine etc) Also because sooner or later he will have to go on dialysis..so far it's surprised the doctors that he hasn't needed to go on that yet. Then maybe a therapy place for a week or two.. maybe.. don't really know what will happen next, and it takes nearly an act of God to find out anything.. oh well.. I actually feel less stress right now because he's there where he can get the sort of help that David or I can give him. I just hate the hospital trips each night, he and David talk a bit, then they watch television until it's time to leave. It's a long 2 hrs. each night.

Aside from that it's all the heat! It was 99 yesterday but the news said from the humidity it was like 112!!.. and yes the minute you step outside it's nearly even hard to breath let alone even walk to the car. More of the same today and tomorrow.. t hen a "cold front" is due to pass thru.. which means severe storms AGAIN, and "cooler" (mid to high 80's) temps.

My room has no air conditioner in it... need I say more? I've had to shut the computer down and leave it turned completely off because the tower generates heat that this tiny room sure doesn't need! I think I will try to daydream that I am back at the roomy hotel with the air on!

Kiyotoe asked in comments on my blogspot journal where the convention was. I guess I blanked on that bit ..heh. It was at a Crown Plaza Hotel in Secaucus NJ. That's at the Meadowlands where Giants Stadium is located. As you saw from the photo's I posted it's really only a short distance to NY.

I used to go to NY quite a bit when I was 17-20 yrs old but other thanone convention years and years ago I haven't been back there. During those young years I used to "hang out" in Grenwich Village, where all the hippies went. In reality, it was a true melting pot of people. As it turned out the place we'd go to hear a great jazz band was call Downstairs of the Upstairs (or Upstairs of the Downstairs.. or something of that nature!) Downstairs had small jazz bands... Upstairs was a bit more expensive ..dinner and celebrity bands and singers. It became one of the places to go later on.

On yet another topic I see where AOL is going free to those on high speed. (dialup remains) I'm not sure if it's the full program or not. So much I am upset about with AOL but they have great spam blockers and pop up blockers!.. so much so that I nearly stopped going on the web they were so disgusting.. . I wonder if those things come with the free aol? Ah well, guess I'll learn soon enough.

Getting hot in my room so I guess it's time to shut the computer down again... this sucks as much as turning it off for lightening storms, only it's sunny out and I still have to turn it off!.. argh!