Gasp!

Book Review: Healing from the Heart by Timothy Dawes

My review of "Healing from the Heart:  A Practical Guide to Creating Excellent Experiences for Patients and Their Families" by Timothy Dawes was published in the Birmingham News. 

This one was a more of a workbook-type of thing for those in the medical profession. 

An excerpt: "Difficult patient relationships can lead to burnout and malpractice lawsuits. "Healing from the Heart: A Practical Guide to Creating Excellent Experiences for Patients and Their Families" by Timothy Dawes instructs nurses and doctors on how to communicate effectively with patients and co-workers."

A shortened version of the review also ran in the  Kalamazoo Gazette.

Book Review: Who Are You and What Do You Want by Mick Ukleja and Robert Lorbe

Time to catch up on book reviews. 

My review of "Who Are You And What Do You Want: A Journey for the the Best of Your Life" by Mick Ukleja and Robert Lorbe ran a while back in the Birmingham News. The review was also picked up by a South Carolina Mountain Region paper. Though it says I'm an AP writer, they got the review through Newhouse. A truncated version of the same review also ran in the Atlanta Journal Constitution last weekend.

An excerpt: "If you know who you are and what you want but are afraid to get it, this book won't be very helpful. But if you'd like to rediscover your true path in life, be sure to sharpen your pencils because there's plenty of work ahead."

Swingtown & Women's Liberation

 I've got issues with Swingtown, but it's not for the reasons you think.

Here's a line from CBS's advance press release:

"From the director of "Big Love" and "Rome," SWINGTOWN peeks into the shag-carpeted suburban homes of the 1970s to find couples reveling in the sexual and social revolution that introduced open marriages and women's liberation."

<sarcasm>Lumping open marriages and women's liberation together just makes it seem so... Oh I don't know... Like its the same thing. Because you know, whenever I see the words 'open marriage' I automatically think of women's rights. Aren't they the same thing?</sarcasm>

As Amy struggles with sexism in the Movement, I've been leafing through a variety of early documents from the late 60s. Some of the earliest feminist documents were created in 1965-66. In 1968, women's liberation began to gain momentum. 

Swingtown takes place in 1976. It was the year Veronica Geng in Harper's Magazine declared women's liberation dead. So to mention it in the press release is sloppy history - at best. I also think that they're catering to a segment of the population who views "women's liberation" and "open marriages" as the same thing: perversion.

If you look at the early documents from the women's movement, you will see that they weren't exactly concerned with how many guys they could sleep with. Instead, it had to do with empowerment and identity. 

I'm getting on a soap box here because our generation (post Boomers) are inclined to not notice these things. I've heard the late 60s ridiculed endlessly or misrepresented. It's either due to ignorance or an underlying agenda. 

I'll probably make it a point to watch Swingtown. Maybe I'll even like it. And I'd suggest that if you do the same, be sure to wear a good pair of glasses for your critical eyes.

This Week in Death

It's been almost a week since Dick Martin died. Best remembered for Laugh-In, he was also a frequent guest in Match Game. 

One of the most fascinating aspects of 1968 is the culture's ability to laugh at itself. The humor - broad, absurd and chaotic - gave people the freedom to laugh at the unexpected.

Despite the horror of the assassinations, riots, poverty and brutality of war and violence, society had the ability to laugh at itself. The humor - broad, absurd and chaotic - gave people permission to laugh at the unexpected. 

Comparing 1968 to the current year, it's disappointing to see how much of a demoralized society we've become. Terrified and plagued with free-floating guilt, the underlying themes are ones of escape and revenge. Everything is literal and people are just waiting to be offended. 

So here's to happier times... 

Busy During Our Swimming Party?

We spent this weekend dealing with the backyard of our house. Jethro finally got around to uncovering the pool. I don't think I've ever seen liquid so green before. 

I raked leaves, earned myself a blister and saw a black widow spider near our house.

Who knew holiday weekends could be so fun.

Temporary Technical Difficulties

Typepad is having problems right now. It hasn't affected this site as much as Project 1968, where Janine's entries have disappeared into the ether. I'm guessing this is a temporary problem. The worrisome part is that I contacted Typepad yesterday afternoon, when I first discovered the issue. I have yet to hear back from them.

I'm not sure this is going to post, so I'm going to hold off doing anything until things change.

Struggling Thoughts

While I'm at it, I might as well continue... There are two reasons why I haven't updated this blog recently.

 

The first is quite obvious. Project 1968 is taking the sum total of my waking hours. It's difficult to live in 2008 and 1968. Because I'm writing in the voices of the characters, I'm also experiencing their thoughts and feelings as if they were my own. It's different than playwriting in that I'm not outside the scene looking in. I'm also not experiencing these characters briefly before becoming a neutral third party. I spend most of my time considering what they are doing during their day while I go through my day.

 

It's distracting and overwhelming. Since this blog requires me to be 100% present, it's the one that falls by the wayside. I ended up taking a blog hiatus back in 2005, when I was at the LBJ library. The weight of the material doesn't leave me much choice. 1968 is a full-scale buffet and not a finger food.

 

The second reason I haven't updated is more abstract. The Project is a different type of blog, one that is dramatic and informative. I've worked hard not to let my opinion overtly make their way into that material. The goal of the project is to present different sides and allow readers to form their own opinions. Now, obviously my thoughts sneak into it. Book discussions are usually the place I let them slip in.

 

Working on this type of blog makes the "usual type" of blogging seem self-indulgent and stupid. That's terrible for me to say, isn't it? I've battled with this line of thinking before. And I suppose when the Project is over, I'll go back to being self-indulgent and stupid. After all, I won't lie. It's fun.

 

For people looking for my regular posts regarding my published book reviews... I've even lacked the motivation to link to them. At some point, I'll list them all so they can go on my permanent record.

Ted Kennedy

I'm breaking my blog silence to note the news on Ted Kennedy. Out of all the Kennedys, I think Ted has had the most difficult journey. It has always astonished me how people could literally seethe with hatred for the man, without considering what has happened to him throughout his life.

By most accounts, growing up Kennedy was stressful. Coupled with pressure to succeed, the assassination of two of brothers, public scrutiny, and other assorted issues, it's amazing that Kennedy remained a cohesive force in American politics.

I found it particularly stunning that there was pressure for him to step into his brother's shoes after Bobby was murdered. Can you imagine what it felt like to even deal with that?

You can look at the facts of someone's life without ever grasping what they might've gone through. History without context or emotion is dead.

Regardless of your political persuasion, I hope you can at least have some compassion and look at the totality of his life.

Blog Bye

Although I didn’t take part in the discussion, I just wanted to say a “blog bye” to Scott Walters. I quit reading most theater blogs for a long while there, and only occasionally have breezed through a handful of them.

I still hung out at Scott’s, though I wouldn’t take part in any discussions.

Best of luck in the future, Scott.

David Axelrod Does Not Equal Laura Axelrod

LOL. Someone in the political blogosphere thinks I'm related to David Axelrod... and of course, that's why I'm doing Project 1968.

(sarcasm) Because every single person with the last name of Smith is also related. (/sarcasm)

For the record, as far as I know I am not related to David Axelrod. We happen to have the same last name, but that's as far as it goes. I've never even met the man.

Believe me, I was related to him, I'd hit him up for money. He's probably making more than I am.

I love conspiracies as much as the next person...

But please people. Aim your tin-foil hats toward Roswell. You'll have better luck there.

(On a side note: It's been seven months since I was accused of being a "red-state blogger," so I guess it's about time for me to be labeled a "liberal blogger." Sheesh.)

UPDATE - 5 minutes later: Jethro has just informed me that there's a Jim Axelrod on CBS news. I'm not related to him either.

UPDATE - 15 minutes later: I've changed right-wing blogosphere to political blogosphere. Evidently the radio show host is a liberal and the person who yelled conspiracy is a wack-job... But we knew that already.