Gasp!

Sharp Schisms in Culture

I haven't written an original thought here in a while. My thinking cap is being harnessed for Project 1968, but I do want to weigh in on Isaac's comments on Sarah Ruhl.

This post will have little do with theater. I have never read a play by Sarah Ruhl; nor have I seen a performance of her work. But the backlash doesn't surprise me and here's why:

Our world situation is rapidly changing in ways that we have yet to understand.

Economically, things aren't going well. People are losing their homes, municipalities are in deep financial trouble, and gas has nearly doubled from what it was at the beginning of the Bush presidency. The war in Iraq continues. Venezuela and Columbia are in conflict.

When the culture sudden shifts, art that express old values are no longer valid. It's the reason why pop culture has to constantly reinvent itself. Art that hopes to transcend the present must be rooted in a universal experience. It must go beyond the expression of what's currently fashionable.

Reading what others have written about Ruhl's work, I suspect that's what people are picking up. The culture has shifted; the writer has not.

If current trends continue, I suspect that more of our almost past-tense culture will feel woefully dated. I don't think that's a bad thing.

Hi Stranger

Last week was rough, and I apologize for the lack of posting. Here's what I learned during my time away.

I found an interesting online financial audio program. Whether or not it's any good is a matter of opinion. It made sense to me, so I'll recommend it.

I discovered that Villa Alegre, that 70s PBS show, had a My Space page. Are you old enough to remember that show?

I learned a bunch of new things from writing Project 1968, which will be the subject of another entry. Despite my lack of Gasp posting, Project 1968 continues updating twice daily.

You can cheat at online Scrabble.

More later...

Things I love

I miss....

• snow, although it seems like we're in for it this weekend.

• friends, who seem either tied up or far away.

• stories simply told, like those from the Circle Repertory Company.

• City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.

• the vibrant saturated color of the Golden Gate Bridge.

• writing in coffee shops with other writers. Alone, yet together.

• Christopher, my cat.

• sitting under the tree at the LBJ Library.

• sweaty, Texas days. Oh, I never thought I'd say that.

I'd also like to thank E. Hunter Spreen for the mention on her blog about Project 1968, as well as her note to me. It's a risk, putting creative work out there. Especially considering that Blog Docu-Novels are a new thing and I'm making the form up as I go along. So her kindness meant a great deal.

Comments - Pro & Con

Here's a question for you, and I really need your feedback on it. What do you think of a blog without comments? Does it upset you? Do you feel that it's a freedom of speech issue? For a blog that is sharing information, are comments necessary?

I've seen some people turn comments off because it either interferes with the blog or they just decided that it was about the author being able to write interrupted. I have to admit, I can't blame a few websites especially when the topics are controversial. It becomes apparent that commenters are either in competition with the blogger or are trying to distract people with a phony point.

But does turning comments off prevent a community from being established?

This is not a throwaway question. Nor is it about turning comments off on Gasp. But I would like your feedback on it. I have my reasons...

TV - General Hospital

I could tell you that television is beyond the scope of this blog, but I would be a crying liar. After all, I was the dense girl who stayed home almost every Saturday night to blog a TLC home renovation show. Yes, it was worth the fame and fortune (okay, maybe just the Fox Atlanta link that inundated me with hits for several days) but that only lasted thirty-six seconds. So by my calculations, I still have 14 minutes and twenty-four seconds left on my ticker.

It would be so much easier to tell you how Jethro phoned the dish people and cancelled our service. (He did!) How much disdain I have for pop culture. (I do!) And how little respect I have for people who blog television shows. (I'm lying!)

For example, I've mumbled on here how addicted I've become to General Hospital. My viewership began as a tribute to my grandmother, who passed away after almost thirty years of watching that show. She even subscribed to Soap Opera Digest. Through her, I learned that soap operas were nothing to be ashamed of, since they brought the old lady lots of happiness during her lonely last days.

I've watched this show religiously for months now and I admit that I'm completely baffled as to why the writers have chosen to go down this gnarly path. Their holiday show was filled with death and grief. Don't they know their audience? I can't imagine anything worse than unleashing a serial killer during the holiday season. And then, they had a few miscellaneous deaths because of a mob war. What a way to celebrate Christmas. Have I mentioned that the serial killer preys on the "good girls" on the canvas? Or how the smart women have been caricatured into raving baby-hungry maniacs?

Soap Opera Weekly had an interview with Cady McClain last week in which she said, "I cannot understand why in a medium that caters to women, intelligent female characters have to be set up to be stupid and emotionally impulsive... "punished" for actions they never would've taken without a gun to their head... and left begging and pathetic... I have to wonder what the hell is going on these days. Are strong, smart women so threatening that they have to be vilified?"

For more ranting on this and other soapy topics, I usually go to the hippest forum for making fun of soap operas. Serial Drama is one of the best TV blogs, even if you don't watch the actual show and have no idea what's going on. Even the comments are a hoot.

A Thought Collage

Rather than do a bunch of little posts, I thought I'd try to get it all down in one.

• Prague Daily Photo has a absolutely gorgeous picture titled, "Slavia Cafe and National Theatre." I love rainy nights and glistening streets. The lit detail on top of the theatre is stunning.

• I would love to know how much the collapsing dollar is affecting the book trade. I listened to an interview yesterday with Ian Lawton on Coast to Coast. He's a proponent of what he refers to as "rational spirituality" and the interlife. Much of what he said rang true for me, and I really wanted to buy a few of his books. Alas, he's in the U.K. and the exchange rate is even worse than usual. Twenty U.S. bucks for a paperback gives me great pause and slight heartburn. I'm probably bite the bullet and buy it, but it makes me wonder how the falling dollar is hurting independent publishers.

• One of the myriad of reasons I've been taking an active stance regarding copyright is that I'm shifting my creativity from theater to books and the web. It's in my best interest to study up on these matters. I think it's in your best interest as well, if you choose to publish or produce on the web. However, I do think that Prince is going a wee bit overboard. Sheesh.

• Since I collect vintage paperbacks, I've taken special interest in Marty's interview with Bruce Black. Good job, Marty.

• The ten Mafia commandments struck me as being odd.
  

  That's it for now.

The Real Axelrod

Here's an odd one. I did a Google search of my name, because you know, I sit around bored out of my mind all the time. Since I only allow partial feeds, that's all this scammer could scrap.

I took a snapshot. Of course, within a second it redirects to a porn site.

I don't think I'd ever name my blog "Axelrod" and title the blog entry "Axelrod." And throw a few Axelrods into the entry itself.

Or maybe I could.... AxelrodAxelrodAxelrod

Live Protesting

At long last, honest emotion on television. Bill Maher gets interrupted...

Lame Meme

Oh, when I saw this meme making the rounds, I seriously hoped that it wouldn't land on my lap. But since Patrick has tapped me, I'll do it.

List 5 things that certain people (who are not deserving of being your friend anyway) may consider to be "totally lame," but you are, despite the possible stigma, totally proud of. Own it. Tag 5 others.

Lame? No siree, I'm *never* lame. And I'm certainly not proud of any of this. But here you go.

1. Back in the 90s, I seriously believed that California was going to have a big, devastating earthquake. I thought Gordon-Michael Scallion was right about the Western US falling into the ocean. Oh, how wrong we were. The lamest part? I made many roommates uncomfortable by telling them we were all going to die. What a joy I was to be around.

2. When I was younger, I made for good cult-fodder. With alarming frequency, members of odd cults would pick me out of a crowd and try to talk me into going to their meetings. Or whatever you call whatever they did. The lamest part? I decided to join one once. It didn't last.

3. Yes, we've got all sorts of wild animals here. Snakes, turtles, a neighborhood Bobcat and the ever-present coyotes. Whenever we hear those coyotes, Jethro runs out the door with his gun. The lame part? I really, really, really, really hope that the coyotes escape. I don't want any animals killed. Furthermore, I don't even want animals to kill each other. Why can't we all just get along?

Last weekend, I avoided hitting a black garden snake with the car. I try to rescue insects from the pool. Back in Austin, I used to rescue crickets that ended up inside our office. It's totally lame... Unless, of course, you're the insect.

4. For over 30 years, my Grandmother watched General Hospital. As a tribute to her, I started watching it. Now, I'm addicted. Every day, I waste an hour watching that silly soap opera. The lame part? Do you have to ask?

5. I believe - strongly - that I have the superhuman ability to read every book I already own, every book that I will buy in the future, and every book I receive for review. The lame part? Those are some seriously high expectations.

Oh well. I'm supposed to be proud of all that. If I took it down a notch, it might be admirable. Perhaps.

And now, I throw it to Owentew, Cormac, Intermission, Megan, Elizabeth

Patrick's Meme

Oy, Patrick Gabridge has tapped me for his meme. It’s called “Five Strengths.” Here’s it is:

"Make a list of five strengths that you possess as a writer/artist. It's not really bragging, it's an honest assessment (forced upon you by this darn meme). Please resist the urge to enumerate your weaknesses, or even mention them in contrast to each strong point you list. Tag four other writers or artists whom you'd like to see share their strengths."

1) I have lots and lots and lots of ideas. I don’t seem to ever run out of them. In fact, I probably have more ideas for articles, books, films and other creative projects than I will ever be able to implement.

2) I’m very good at taking a form, tinkering with it and creating something new. This extends beyond writing to day jobs. My office resume states that I excel at creating new processes. I gravitate towards cutting-edge, which is probably why theater and I didn’t get along too well.

3) I love rewriting. I love getting rid of extra verbiage. It comes from writing poetry as a child.

4) I keep an open mind. I’ll entertain all sorts of ideas – from the absolute wacky to the unbearably rigid. It doesn’t matter who thought the thought; only the thought itself matters. I can listen to Air America, Far-Right Radio, Coast to Coast, Whitley Strieber and give it all equal credence. Anything is possible. Isn’t that what creativity is about?

5) I’ve always read a tremendous amount of books and magazines. And I’m glad to finally come out of the closet about it. Especially since I was taught to never talk about things that other people may not know about. Yes, that’s weird, but that’s why I always kept my reading a secret. If I didn’t, I was accused of being a braggart. So, in an effort not to make people uncomfortable, I never talked about anything I read.

Now, I have to give this to five people. Too bad I’m “in-between communities” right now. Patrick, can we expand this meme to include people in other professions? How about “five strengths for your particular profession.” Sigh. I hope I’m not breaking the rules. I’m such a rule-freak.

Here it is. Scott, Joshua (because I know you guys still read Gasp), Cormac, Owentew (even though I don’t know if he’ll do it) and Megan.