I’ve been working on a sitcom script for the last little bit and that’s meant wrestling a lot with dialog. I know good dialog starts with being a good listener, and I’ve been trying to get out a little more…
Author: Cecil Vortex
Gathering My Stones
Other boys stay out late and smoke. They use bad words. They worship false gods. When they ask me to come along I say I’m busy. I’m keeping my hands clean. It’s been hard work, really really hard work keeping…
The Deathmarch to the Lighthouse, Week 4
Who was the maroon who scheduled a Deathmarch right in the middle of election season? Oh yeah, I was the maroon. Sorry to all excellent Deathmarchers. I’ve really punked it up this week, missing Week 4 on Wednesday and remaining…
He can’t feel his paws
Chicken and eggs lobbed from twelve feet away keep him fed. They comb his mane when he’s sleeping. They clean his chin with a sponge. Planted in someone’s garden next to the tulips. Cool dirt and pebbles pack up tight…
Earth, Wind, and Fire Fighters
It’s comforting to know we still have fire fighters amongst us — people dedicated to finding fires and then fighting them. Fire needs to be fought. There are other primal forces that need to be fought, of course. I’d like…
Criticizing Things I Know Nothing About: The Waldorf Schools
In which young students are prohibited from engaging in activities that move their lower bodies. That what? Yes, that move their lower bodies. Like soccer. In which bass-heavy music is banned. In which children are scolded for singing “Brick House”…
The Deathmarch to the Lighthouse, Week 3
Never let it be said that I didn’t post the thread for Week 3 before midnight on Wednesday. Never! Still, this is really just a placeholder. Life — what with elections , Halloween, and all the time I’ve had to…
One of the best hugs
you’ll ever get from your six-year-old is the one that comes after you’ve taken him and a friend of his trick or treating two skipping ninjas out in the dark going as long and as far as they want extracting…
x-post: East Bay Exhortation Sensation
I’ve had a great time phone banking for moveon.org in their Oakland office the last two nights. Read all about it, and get yerself good and exhorted over on edgewise. 0
The Middle Ages
I’m 39 and convinced that I’m middle aged. Which is fine by me. In fact, I like it. It’s kind of like I’m floating around in the middle of a lake in an inflatable tube. There’s lots of water on…