Thursday, May 31, 2012

Is THIS Rubbish?

You know, I'd just said to someone (okay, I typed it to Jesse Rowden [a.k.a. Musapan], ) the other day that I'd like to read the other submissions for the 'Peter Pan Sequel' contest held many years back.

It turns out another one of the authors whose work had been entered decided to unleash theirs upon the world as well.  Peter Pan and the Amazing Machine of Lord Rubbish by Max J. Aldridge.

Peter Pan and the Amazing Machine of Lord Rubbish is a sequel to J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. It is set in 1907 in the same location as the original story. At school, Wendy becomes best friends with Betty, a little orphan who is under the care of her uncle, Lord Bryan, a wealthy businessman who runs two orphanages in the heart of London and has recently won the City Council contract to dispose the city’s rubbish. Wendy whispers a secret to Betty: Peter Pan has promised to come and fetch her as well as her brothers and they will spend a few days in the Neverland before going back to school. For his part, Lord Bryan is more worried about making good use of the enormous amount of rubbish that lies in the city dump. As such he forces the young boys who live in his orphanages (who call him Lord Rubbish) to sift through the garbage and pick out anything that is of economic value. But Lord Bryan’s greatest dream is to utilize the refuse to produce cheap food to sell to the poor.

Granted, I have not read this one yet, so I can make no official judgment as per se.  But there already is a contradiction from just there in the story description: Wendy's brothers never went back to the Neverland.  And what of the Lost Boys who became Darling children?  They don't seem to be around at the beginning of this book (from what can be read online.)  It cannot be considered as a tale "inserted into" the original novel, since they would have to be there.

There doesn't seem to be much effort to recreate Barrie's style, though - an observation, not a slam.

It's also interesting to note that a kind of environmental angle has been taken with this novel, too.  Though if I may say so (without having fully realized the scope of this novel) it's material that seems to fit better when magnifying the island to a planet as I have done. 

I can only imagine that Hook is still running amok in the Neverland in this, since one of the requirements for the sequel in the contest had been that he be in the book as well.

I suppose at some point I will have to read it for myself... but I don't have too much anticipation of it being inserted into the Pan-theon of the Boy's adventures. 

All in all, it just goes to show the enduring power of Pan.

And to play my own pipe - I still think the sequel should have something from Barrie in it.  Which is one of the reasons I love Michael Pan especially.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

A Capital Idea

There is a small difference between Barrie’s Pan tales and mine by way of some capitalization. Specifically the Native American characters as a race and Pan’s “gang.” i.e. Redskins & Lost Boys.

It’s true, Barrie does not have them with capital letters. Yet I do. Am I being inconsistent, against what I claim? I suppose on one level, yes. But on another, no. (Could have expected that, right?)

Why do I make them proper nouns instead? In the case of the “Redskins” I just think it entirely disrespectful toward the Native Tribes of the Americas that we don’t give them such a distinction. After all, it’s not exactly the nicest way to refer to them. Yet I cannot have them listed as something other than what’s in the original text. (And I give a reason as to Barrie's motives for doing so in my Foreword.)  Thus, I’ve tried to rectify the situation a little by giving them a shred of dignity as per their moniker.

As for the boys... well, they’ve become quite iconic since Barrie first introduced them, no? It’s my belief that we tend to think of them as a “tribe” in their own right, and so I’ve capitalized them now as well. Within the world of Pan [story-wise], tales of the eternal boy are retold and passed down... so who is to say that they haven’t acquired “proper noun” status by the time the events of Peter Pan’s NeverWorld roll around?


I can just hear someone with a counter-argument using this notion [i.e. that the story is passed down over generations] in the sense of being able to therefore disregard any of what’s in the story by chalking it up to being altered by oral tradition. Consider, though, this text from the Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens : ...if you ask her whether he rode on a goat in those days, she says she never heard of his having a goat. Then is it to be believed? Of course it is. For the Narrator goes on to say: Perhaps she has forgotten, just as she sometimes forgets your name and calls you Mildred, which is your mother's name. Still, she could hardly forget such an important thing as the goat. Therefore there was no goat when your grandmother was a little girl. This shows that, in telling the story of Peter Pan, to begin with the goat (as most people do) is as silly as to put on your jacket before your vest.

Therefore, the establishment of certain elements of Peter Pan’s history can’t be ignored or forgotten. We have the cannon text. It [a la the Narrator] obviously knows what from what and when from when, so we have to follow strictly. Something as trivial as whether or not “Lost Boys” is capitalized, though, well, that’s subject to change - either in thought or in the text as per how much importance one winds up placing on them. And as I’ve said, the Lost Boys, in my opinion, have earned the right to be given proper credit with a proper noun.  And the Native People?  Let's give them the respect they deserve, too.

Gee, I’m not too hyper-speculative or anything, am I?  ;)

Monday, May 21, 2012

For Those Who Care...

Seems the movie adaptation of Peter and the Starcatchers is moving forward at Disney.  Just reporting it, as it's Peter Pan related.

As you either know (or as can be inferred from my posts and such), I am not fond of this book/series outside of it being a fun adventure tale on its own.  A prequel to Peter Pan?  To Disney's, perhaps.  To Barrie?  No.  I often wonder if the authors even read Peter and Wendy.

I hope that all who like the book are satisfied with the movie... for I know how upsetting that can be otherwise.  I also hope all who like this book actually read Peter and Wendy and discover the truth about the depth, psychology and magnitude of Barrie's genius as opposed to the watered down, erroneous presentation of Pan past.

(Find the staggering list of differences [aka blatant disregard] to Barrie's novels here.)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Tock-ing about the Croc

Imagine this... but I've just gone through Peter and Wendy again.  There's a reason... but I'll save that for later.  I know, I'm a tease that way.  Suffice to say I've mentioned it before to the tune of restoration... but another development has come up, too.  I'll reveal the 'news' soon.

SO, what (among much) did I notice this time around?

Disney calls the crocodile "Tick-Tock."  Clever.
(Oops, got some sarcasm on you.)

Well, in the book, the crocodile never TOCKS.  Just ticks.

Just saying...

Saturday, May 12, 2012

A-Scoring Fans?

My friend Doc Holiday, who doesn’t get mentioned on here all that much (by no reason other than circumstance) has a crazy dream:
The Magic Scoreboard.
That’s what he calls it. What does it do? Well, it can answer any question. ANY question at all, so long as the query can be put forth numerically. Doc Holiday claims that it’s possible. If one knew how to phrase “The Meaning of Life” in terms of Mathematics, all would be revealed. (42?)

But the real reason to have this “Magic Scoreboard” is to be able to know certain odd things as they arise. Like, say you’re wondering how many pitchers have had a perfect record in the history of baseball. Voila. Answer appears. Okay, perhaps the internet would tell us... but he thought of it long before the internet, folks.  Consider, though, that the query doesn’t even have to be plausibly able to be discerned (after all, it is a MAGIC Scoreboard!) For instance: How many people seated in a car [at the time of asking] are wearing purple in their outfits? Voila, it would know and display. Granted, who would need to know such a percentage? {Shrug} Not the point... stuff just arises in curiosity, ya’ know?

So, okay, I’m mentioning the Magic Scoreboard because I have a question to pose it:

What percentage of devout fans of the original (or TV reboot) of Dark Shadows are up in arms about the new Tim Burton version? Really. I’d like to know!  For you see, I do sympathize with them. How could I not, purist that I am?

Okay, it’s true that I haven’t been, nor am I now, a fan of the show. [Vampire. See this post.] But that isn’t to say I haven’t seen it (both versions) a little. I make no judgment calls on either one.  But I did get enough of a gist to know that a Fish-Out-of-Water Screwball Comedy is NOT the nature of the series. So, again, how many purists of Dark Shadows are disgruntled about such a depiction?

Note that I am not saying that one cannot or should not make such a deviation in a film version. Done right and with purpose, a parody or the like can be welcomed for sure. Had that been the intent? If I had anything invested in it other than this cheap curiosity, I’d look into it. But as it stands, I don’t have to do so. However, that does not negate my utter sympathy for those who are upset by the treatment.
But how many are there?

If only the Magic Scoreboard could say....


Friday, May 11, 2012

Books DO Burn Up

Often ideas or novels being written will go on the back burner. For any number of reasons. Perhaps it’s not fully formed quite yet. Or it’s not flowing. Or another project demands action instead. Whatever the cause, there always seem to be simmering stories.

But can they ever burn up completely?

Probably not officially, as one can just never tell what will rise from the ashes if they do. But that’s not to say that they can’t become ash first.

I suspect They Never Left, a novel of mine on said back burner, will no longer have more written upon it. It’s kind of sad, I suppose. But then again, there’s so much else to be done, I can’t really cry over blank pages. Why is it allegedly defunct now? A few reasons, actually.

Not in order of importance, one factor is that the world in which it takes place is rapidly diminishing. The irony here, of course, is that I’d set it in non-fictional Chicago. Sounds like it’s not possible, right? But back in this post, I explained how many of the actual locales I’d written into the tale no longer exist. Lots which have been vacant for many years have been built up, for instance, or shops have gone away. How can I create real-Chicago on paper when the places I want to use keep disappearing - or else have new additions? Turns out Gil lives very near one of the most important locations in the book... and I see there’s now a statue there. [I don’t want the statue there! ;) ]  (Not to mentiion a crucial bit being painted over.)

Another issue is that I’m finding the “point” behind the tale might better be served in a different book on the back burner. It seems issues I’m addressing in narrative form have a bit of crossover. That’s to be expected, given the issues are important to me. But if one tale is able to carry the same message just as well as the other, do both need to be written?

That, I suspect, depends on the power of the story. Does each hold enough merit to warrant its own novel? If I’m to be honest with myself, thinking back on it, there’s not much excitement to hold interest in They Never Left. At least for me. And if I’m not "gung ho" about it, can I really expect others to be? They Never Left, as it stands, tells of two buddies (a guy & a girl) who are out to assemble a particular group. Thus, right now it’s naught more than solving puzzles to find each member and convince them to reconvene... fun and engaging as it happens, sure – but on the whole? Once the group is assembled, it will likely turn out to just be a “heady” novel without much action. Probably best not explored, especially when the seed concept can be incorporated into a better tale  It is true, though, that two folks read what I have so far [Doodles and Air] and they enjoyed what they read.  But to reiterate, it doesn't have the potential to pan out into something great.  There is one particular line that I’m reluctant to lose, though. But it’s certainly not worth completing the novel for that one stab at reality. Maybe I can work it into the other novel, but it doesn’t fit as well that I can see at this moment.

I will, however, absolutely hate to abandon the one character. I’ve gotten pretty darn fond of him. Mostly because of his defiant nature. Not so much within the storyline, but with me. He’s a strong-willed creation who has no trouble telling me what he does and doesn’t like or just what’s up in general. [Such as that hairstyle as seen in the pic.  He INSISTS on it!]  Sometimes I miss him... which stands to reason that I shouldn’t throw him away. And I don’t have to, certainly, but then – how can I get rid of his best friend? He’ll squawk at me for sure! Don’t get the impression that I dislike her. On the contrary. It’s just that she’s the catalyst for the novel’s progression – she’s the one who’s determined to find the group. Besides that, she’s sort of set up to be in this story. And I just don’t see her truly functioning outside of her namesake.

I also really like the ending.  It's the sort that establishes another part of the story, too.  A la sequel.  In fact, They Never Left had been meant to spawn any number of sequels, limited only by the resource materials.  And there'd been quite a bit.  Truth is, though, that beyond book two the notions were too vague.  But it would have been a terrific conclusion/cliff-hanger!

One might think that the solution is easy... to place these two friends as characters in the other novel instead. Won’t work, however. At least not how I conceived the other novel. This one is the “ghost story” that I’m dealing with – and the living characters in it are not meant to be prominent. As I’ve already said, the guy I like is quite outspoken and he just wouldn’t stand for being secondary. Or not hearing his name.  [It's quite a name.]

And thus, I’m thinking that They Never Left to have charred away instead of simmered. 'Tis a pity, for a ton of research and work went into this book.  But then, that's true of any book I write.  Naturally, I can rescue the guy and girl from the pages. They might not fit in the other novel, but who’s to say they won’t have another adventure I need to write? I hope so. For I really do like him.

But one thing is for sure – should these two show up again in my pages, they’ll be living in a fictionalized Chicago – or at least one that's not so damn accurate.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Not SO Horrible

Well, well, well...


There seems to be another remake I can see the merit of doing. Granted, I'm not chomping at the bit for it, nor do I even particularly want it... but at least they've picked something that makes sense rather than another slipshod watering-down of a movie that had been just fine as is.

Roger Corman's classic Little Shop of Horrors. Yeah, okay, it could be fun to see a visually stunning man-eating plant. Right?

I must admit I have not seen the original movie all the way through. Cuttings of it, yes. I have, however, seen the musical movie. And then I'd been perturbed to discover they gave it a happy ending. Seeing the Broadway revival had been a real treat (what with 6 different Audrey II [plant] puppet/contraptions - the final of which moved its giant bulbous head/mouth over the entire audience!)

I sure hope they have the ending from the non-movie musical. (Good gracious, I don't know Corman's actual ending!)

But at least this Hollywood hootennany has a modicum of sense.  Replant.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

BARRIE DAY, But of course!

SHAME ON ME!

The date today DID sound familiar, I assure you.

But not until Andrea Jones sent me a "Happy Barrie Day!" on Facebook did it hit me.

Fie on me, who forgoteth to demarcate the anniversary of the man who would not stop playing games and brought the world such a joyous myth.

Hail to thee, Sir James Matthew Barrie.  Forgive my behaving like your most beloved character!

Composing a Compass


Originally the post about Gil had been meant as a quick note regarding how Life really does imitate art...
as in how I have a way of relating everything to Peter Pan...
or, really, on the same (panpipe) note, that we cannot escape storytelling, even in our own lives.
But then, given the way Life played out, it became a reminder that even though it may seem as if we can at times, we cannot truly know tomorrow.  As much as we may want to plot out or lives, the story always takes a few turns.
 
I said I’d remark on another way it reminded me of a story.  Well, here ‘tis.

In college my best friend Laughter and I knew this guy.  I won't reveal his actual real name either, but I will say that his first name is on this page and his surname is found on a compass.

There'd been something weird about Compass.  What sort of weird?  Much.  And this is coming from a guy who shouldn't be calling the kettle black.  Ask Laughter and he'll tell you the same thing (on both accounts.)

First (is this really first?) let me say that there'd been an instant attraction to Compass.  I loved him immediately.  But I also feared him.  Compass had a kind of hold on us.  What I mean is, if Compass said, "Hey Pete, let's go to the mall and play Turtles!" I would do it.  Despite spending the very last of all my money, despite knowing I shouldn't, despite not being in the mood, despite having better things (like schoolwork, perhaps) to do.  [Oh - 'Turtles' refers to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game.]  It seemed I’d do anything Compass wanted and spend lots of time with him.  It had been a magic spell.  Laughter's 'enchantment' might have been lesser than mine (I'm not sure), but the ability of Compass to get his way still applies.  Watch a movie that's seriously nothing more than a vehicle for gore at two in the morning when you have class early in the morning?  Sure.  Go out to eat after already eating in the cafeteria?  Sure.  You get the idea.  I'm not proud of it, not by a longshot.  I cannot rationalize it, it just... yeah.

So anyway, Compass's weirdness didn't merely stem from his puppeteering.  It's as if he came from another world or something.  He didn't seem to know basic things.  Using a spoon.  How to pronounce "crepe."  He would brag about his girlfriend back home who had allegedly been a model (but whose picture seemed like the kind that came with the frame.)  Realizing that most people didn't want to be discussing the ramifications of zombie guts at dinner.  To be honest, it's been 23 years now, I can't recall every single instance of oddity.  But trust me, he'd just been "off."  To the point of actually wondering if he'd just been a half-baked imaginary friend.

I managed to break the spell, but that’s another story.  I still hung out with him, but the magic fizzled.  Then Compass, quite suddenly, announced that he would be leaving.  That he'd not be coming back next school year.  In fact, he didn't even finish the term, as I recall.  Just decided to go... fueling the fire of thoughts that he'd not even been real.

Laughter and I would joke about him in the sense of being some sort of demon sent to thwart us.  A writer certainly couldn't help but think of it in terms of a book.  What if he actually were an "entity" here to teach us a lesson or something?  The idea developed... if "Compass" came back… hmm, it would make a cool novel.  Later on in life, Compass out of the blue.  And what if he'd come before?  But I knew that I didn't have the wherewithal to write such a tale.  Not yet at least.

Well, 23 years later, along came Gil.  Let me clarify here... Gil is nowhere near the magnitude of Compass.  I liked him immediately, yeah.  But the way I love him now grew with time.  And Gil doesn't have power over me.  Gil's also not bizarre like Compass.  There's things he doesn't know, but they're easily explained in that he's many years my junior.  (And he does know about spoons!)  Unlike Compass, Gil reciprocates everything from help to meals.

So it hadn't been until the sudden event of Gil leaving that I remembered Compass.  The parallels all became clear.  An amazingly friendly and playful guy comes out of nowhere for whom the attraction is great and strong.  Gil could convince me to do anything, but not ANYTHING, having learned my lesson with Compass.  He's gotten me to watch things out of my nature - and I've enjoyed them.  Gil loves playing video games and I'll happily watch or play.   He has his marvelous backstories.  Also, Laughter is quite fond of him.  Maybe it doesn't seem all that clear, but it did (and does) to me.  I see each manifestation of Compass to be different, but reminiscent, a guide tailored to the stage of Life in which he appears.
 
Thus, "Compass" had shown up again, in a way.  Naturally it got me thinking about him.  And the to-be-written novel.  Are my experiences with Gil to serve as inspiration for another section of the book?  Am I going to now write the book?  Not likely sooner than later.  I have PLENTY to work on already.  Besides, who’s to say Compass won’t show up again?  I’d rather the tale be self-contained with no sequel.  ;)  But I'm talking about it because I learned something else from all of this: Sometimes a novel takes a lifetime to be able to write.

That's pretty darn profound to me.  I guess up til now-ish I figured a story, when set down to be writ, would just spring to life with a little help from the characters.  As I always say, they've lived the tale and they relate it to us.  So the idea that one’s own lifetime is required to play out before a particular tale can truly be told – without the focus being a chronicle of one’s life – intriguing to say the least.

*Love referred to is Plantonic.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Send Off for Sendak

Another great has passed on today...

Maurice Sendak's page has gone blank.

His most famous work, Where the Wild Things Are, is actually one of the first books I ever cherished. I don't think my mother understood the fascination.  (But that might be par for the course. Both with that particular book and my favorites in general.)

Mr. Sendak's ability to tap into the collective and primal psyche is a force to be reckoned with, that's for certain. Like Barrie, he semed to walk on the border of childhood and adulthood - utilizing that marvelous and mysterious grey area to the fullest. In fact, I seem to recall Mr. Sendak saying that he doesn't write for children or adults. That's the way I like it. And the way I, too, function.

Farewell, Maurice Sendak!

Thanks for the inspiration, stories, illustrations and just in general - sharing your wild imagination.


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Immortalized on the Game Again!


Good gravy!  I truly am running out of ways to say:
1) It happened again.
2) Is it just that I am prone to looking for it... or does someone at Jeopardy! love the boy on the island as well?

The category "The Immortals," I must say, did not actually make me think of Pan.  But there, hiding first off under the $200 spot he showed up.

It's interesting that they did classify him as an Immortal.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it isn't correct.  Just that it's never (ha!) directly stated that Pan is immortal.  Only by the context and clues of the story as it unfolds can we make that claim.  Gotta love irrefutable inference, am I right?




Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Know What? Never, Actually...


If you're a follower of my posts here, it's likely that you've read about my friend Gil.

I met Gil last June.  Since then he's become one of my favorite people.  We've been through a lot and are great friends - to the tune of hanging out as many as four or more days a week.  We have much in common and make each other laugh.  The truth is I'm quite a bit older than him.  And not just a little, really quite a lot.  But it didn't put any stops in our friendship.  I've got a Peter Pan complex, remember?  I act his age most of the time (not meant in any bad sense) anyway.  [Most people mis-guess my age by as much as 15 years!]  In fact, the age difference worked out well, for he'd been able to put me in touch with "current" ideas, culture and lingo and by the same token I've "taught" him a bunch of "old school" things.  But usually, the gap straight up didn't matter a whit.   Just an all around great buddy, my best friend here in the city [as opposed to Laughter, my true best friend - who, by the way, is also very fond of Gil.]  So you can imagine how devastated I'd been when it came to pass that he'd be moving away!

Yep, an opportunity arose out of the blue, and he decided to jump on it.  It wouldn't be any small move, either, but of the distance and life-changing variety.  I'm here in Chicago and his plans would take him to Baltimore.  Those plans?  A sweet job [which would also involve trips to South America] and otherwise being just an hour or so from his home turf.  Which meant not only would he be doing something he figured he would love, but also being that much closer to HIS actual best friend, not to mention other members of his family.  Truly happy for him, I had to let that outweigh my sadness.  And it did, but being bummed would creep in from time to time.  And time seemed quite short.  For he'd be leaving in just two weeks [from when the opportunity arose]!  We'd been looking forward to a fantastic Summer of fun.

We decided to make the most of our time and spent nearly all of it together, more than usual if that's even possible.  But as can be expected with expecting every moment to count, we'd grated on each other a bit.  Don't get me wrong, everything had been and is fine between us.  It's just that we needed some patches apart, too. Familiarity breeds contempt as they say... But the clock kept ticking, right?  I'll be damned, though, if I didn't seem like I'd spent an entire two weeks crammed into one!

To put a fly in the ointment, as the saying goes, my excellent and long-time friend Sunshine came to town the final weekend that Gil would be here.  I'd known about Sunshine's visit for a couple of months in advance [coming to perform in an Improv Troupe as part of the Chicago Improv Festival] and I'd been uber-excited for her to meet Gil.  So you can imagine the turmoil and churning inside knowing I'd have to deal with dividing my time between the two of them - and that circumstances would prevent Gil and her from coming face to face.

I find it's nearly impossible for me to NOT relate events in my life to the tale of Peter Pan.  So it's no surprise that I felt like him - and my favorite Lost Boy would be going off to grow up!  Not that I'd be alone on the island by a long shot.  But no one wants to see a best friend no longer be around, especially when the adventures together had been so sweet.  And so, that's ONE way that my friendship with Gil ties into the art of storytelling.  There's another, but I shall save that for a different post, as it deserves its own.  For you see, as it turns out... this tale had been far from over!
 
I'd been ultra lucky enough to be able to spend all day Friday with Sunshine beginning with breakfast, joined by NutTree (a mutual friend from college) as well as Zoey.  Sunshine and I had a magical visit full of reminiscing, running amok downtown, excellent improv theatre and laughs.   Later in the day, I got to meet her lovely, funny and enjoyable friends who would be performing with her.  They're friends of Sunshine, how could they not be utterly entertaining and wonderful folk?  Even better, Doodles came in from the suburbs on Saturday afternoon and we had a great time as well.  We met up with Sunshine, but of course (we had all gone to college together, you see), and we cheered for her in her moments of glory on the stage when performance time rolled around.  For the record, Banky and Clara came to see her show, too!  And Zoey again – oh.  She’s a long-time friend of mine, along with Sunshine and Doodles.  But I digress... I -had- been talking about Gil.  But it's not as if his leaving had been out of mind during all of this joy either.

Gil had a window open on Sunday, so off I went to spend the day with him...(missing another performance of Sunshine in the process!) which I knew just might prove to be the last time I'd see him in who knows how long.  But something happened.  To put it in a nutshell:  Gil had heard from the "other end" of things and apparently the tune of what would be happening changed.  It no longer seemed so wonderful, one might go as far to say shady.  Suddenly it did not seem like a good move (figuratively and literally) at all.  But we weren't sure.  A genuine dilemma.  Thus, we (us and his sister) had been in limbo.  Gil in a different and much more dire version of it, naturally.  He had his whole future on the line!  I’d just been dealing with the possible "loss" of a great friend.  When I left that night the decision had still not been made - as info had yet to come from the other end.  As much as I would love to have him stay, I certainly wanted the best for him.  If only what’s best had been clear...

The next day he texted me to come over in the early evening.  I’d be able to meet his mother (another Peter Pan reference!) for her plans in the city finally left a spot open.  I’d been thrilled.  I’ve talked with her on speaker-phone and heard great things about her.  So I went off, got re-tracked (by Gil, in mid-transit) and wound up at a bar/grill with them.  Needless to say, I now know why Gil's so charming - his Mom is pure delight. 

I know you’re in suspense as to how this turned out.  Just imagine how it felt for all involved, right?  Over the course of the visit there in the booth, Gil let me know what had been decided.  After all that roller coaster, full of bittersweet and emotionally charged incidents, he’s staying!  He decided to give Chicago another go and make his major life shifts here instead.  And he has!  The very next day, would you believe it, Gil landed himself a sweet job.  How great it had been to hear the joy in his voice when he called to tell me.  Way to go, Gil!
 
So there you have it...  QUITE a weekend, eh?

If there's one thing I've [re]learned over the past month, it's that if we think we know what tomorrow will bring, we're just pretending.  Or, let me say it via a lyric from my favorite band:

All that you dream of will echo surprise – and all you have to do is just believe.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Peter Pan is 100 - AGAIN!

Well, folks, another Peter Pan Centennial has arrived!

As of today, the statue of the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up has been drawing visitors to it for 100 years!

Yep, having appeared without warning (as if by magic) as per Barrie's request on this date, it's a testament to the enduring quality of the magnificent character.

Now if only it looked like Barrie's photos instead... but, I'm just being a purist again.  Not meant in any way to slight George Frampton's statue, it's a masterpiece in and of itself.  I know, I had the good fortune to see it in person from every angle.  I spent a good chunk of time there! ;)