Moby Dick, the Masterpiece

Moby Dick is a big book, full of deep images and stark characters set against one of the harshest jobs ever undertaken by man--whaling.  Herman Melville, a writer of great vision and views that were decades ahead of their time, poured his soul into Moby Dick.  Sadly, he died broke, and several years after his death, critics finally realized the power and scope of his novel.

For the first-timer picking up Moby Dick, it is quite the task.  The novel is dense with allegory and references to Shakespeare and the Bible, to name just a few.  If you decide to read the book, I have a few simple suggestions.  I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I have read the novel almost a dozen times.

First, skim or skip all of the sections about whaling.  More specifically, where the descriptions of the rendering of the blubber and other whale harvesting chapters are concerned, skip them.  They show Melville's knowledge of whaling, but do little to further the momentum of the story.

Now, when the men are on the whale boats, chasing, harpooning, and killing whales, these pages give great insight into the main characters.  Read these and enjoy the high adventure.

Second, think man vs. nature.  After all, it is the crux of the novel.  Moby Dick took Ahab's leg and the maniacal captain wants revenge on the white whale.  By the time you finish the book, you will also see a mythical side of Melville as evidenced by this enigmatic white whale called Moby Dick.

And Melville, having been on whalers and traveled a great deal to faraway islands with different races and cultures, made a statement that is just as true today as it was a century and a half ago.

Ishmael, the narrator of the story, thinks about sharing his bed with Queequeg, a South Sea islander, headhunter, and possible cannibal.  At minimum, he is most assuredly a savage.  Ishmael rationalizes the situation simply.

   "What's all this fuss I have been making about, thought I to myself--the man's a human being as I am: he has just as much reason to fear me as I have to be afraid of him.  Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian."

A beautiful passage.  Very thought provoking.  A novel idea for 1851.

Catching up on movies...

Well, summer has arrived and the Missus and I have started to catch up on some movies that we missed.  Finally, we have seen the Avengers (after being ridiculed by tons of friends, and you know who you are).  Excellent movie.  Hulk smashing Loki back and forth like a rag doll was epic.  Best part of the movie.

From there, we saw the new Bond movie, Skyfall.  Another great movie with an opening chase sequence to rival any other Bond chase scene.  Great fun, great film.  I really enjoy Daniel Craig as Bond--very suave.

Next, we tackled (lame football reference), Silver Linings Playbook.  Another fine movie, and in case you just climbed out from under a rock, check out Jennifer Lawrence.  Phenomenal actress, and not too shabby on the eyes.  Also, check out Winter's Bone; Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as a tough girl under tough circumstances in the Ozark Mountains.

Monday, I watched Brave (by myself), the Pixar movie about a Scottish tomboy named Merida.  The movie won Best Animated Film of the Year.  I rarely do animated films (the Missus, never), but this was fantastic.  Funny, heart-warming, and profoundly original, I am not ashamed to admit, that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Well, it was inevitable.  Because Moby Dick is my all time favorite book, not to mention the greatest American novel of all time, I will post a blog soon about lessons from Moby Dick, that still apply today.

If you haven't read Moby Dick, go buy a copy today.

Perils of Writing...

Where to begin?  Imagine that, a blog about writing, by a writer who can't find a place to start a story.  Let's cut the shit.  I have too many ideas in my head and not enough time to write.  And I'm not bitching.  Just stating facts.

I am currently editing 9 stories, editing a novel-length piece of 478 pages, and trying to work on five new stories, 2 of which will probably end up at 200 pages or so.  I am having a hell of a time organizing myself.

Hope to have a book of short stories for e-book sale on Amazon and B&N (and the other outlets) by the end of the month.  Waiting for some artwork and for a few beta readers to get through the stories.

I have a tentative title in mind for the stories, but not written in stone just yet.

I made a list this morning, a very detailed list, of how I am going to approach this conundrum.  Everything has to be worked on based on how important they are--in other words, the novella that is bouncing around in my head shall take no precedence before the nine stories that should be for sale by June 30th.

Organize, yourself, man.  Keep writing you bum...

By the way, if you happen to stop by and check out my musings, feel free to leave a comment.  Good or bad, they will be appreciated.

Memorial Day

Another long weekend has come and gone.  Weather was perfect for all of my weekend plans.  I had no big plans, but I kind of like it that way, especially after having 2 weddings on back to back weekends.

Saturday.  A slow, meandering day, topped off by a monthly beer meeting.  Our Tipplers Beer Society has been meeting for over a year.  And though we do drink a fair amount of beer, we actually discuss and evaluate the merits of each beer.  This past meeting featured summer beers (my least favorite seasonal).  Christ it seemed as though we spent a good part of the afternoon swilling back Lemon Pledge.  Horrific.

Sunday.  The Missus, my brothers and myself went to a German Spring Fest.  Great music, great food, and three giant liters of beer (including Hofbrau Oktoberfest).  Awesome.

Monday.  Lazy day.  Read a lot, watched TV, and played some Xbox.  Drank a few beers.

Also thought a lot about the people around the world who do what they do, so I can do what I want to do.  I toast their efforts and think about God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood.  Cheers to all of the fine men and women who give so freely...

Thank you.

Weddings -- Part 2

The second wedding is over, and I've come out on the other side safe and sound.  And sane for the most part.

I would like to report that wedding number 2 went off without a hitch, but I'm afraid I can not.  About halfway throuh the reception the beautiful bride took an unfortuante tumble on the dance floor, spraining her knee.

Initially, people assumed that she would carry on.  That opinion changed when the ambulance and the EMTs showed up.  The music played on while she and her new husband fist-pumped their way out of the reception and to a local hispital.

The reception continued, though a bit of somberness had fallen over the crowd.  Fueled by Miller Lite and a bit of Jack Daniel's, I was able to carry on as well, even filling in for the groom for what seemed like a two hour Polish apron dance.

Good news, bride is OK and she and the groom are enjoying their honeymoon, though perhaps at a slower pace (stupid crutches).  They will certainly have an interesting story to tell for the rest of their lives.

Well until the next wedding...

Weddings...

Well, the first of two consecutive weekends of back-to-back weddings is over.  A drive to South Carolina, a quick two day stay, and then back home.

I am a veteran of over two decades of wonderful marriage.  It still makes me happy to go to a wedding (every now and then), and see a young couple embark on a life together.

Am I getting soft in my middle age?

To be truthful, I dreaded the drive, both there and back, and dreaded the ceremony.  I even dreaded the reception.  But you know what, it was ok.  Really better than OK.  Good food, good friends and family, a dance with the Missus, and an open bar all added to my enjoyment.

This Saturday's wedding I am dreading also.  I'm the best man, you know the toast giver, ring monitor, and all that other jazz.

I'm sure that once I get there and the festivities begin, I will enjoy myself as is usually the case.  Again, there should be good food, good friends and family, the beautiful Missus, and for the groom's sake, an open bar.

Cheers to Zack and Jen.  And cheers to last weekend's happy couple, Sara and Christopher. 

Death Comes in Threes?

Good morning.  Sorry about the delay.  I guess it has been a good delay since my last musing.  So many ideas to write about and so little time.  I've got to get better at organizing my ideas and dividing up the writing hours accordingly.

Anyway, I wanted to discuss the idea of death coming in threes.  I'm not superstitious at all, but apparently this notion of the three-pronged death cycle is quite old.

If we look at the music industry in the last two weeks, somewhat of a more open-mind than me, might link the deaths of three people.

George Jones, country legend, world-famous drinker and otherwise notorious outlaw, died on April 26th at the age of 81.  Less than a week later, Chris 'Mac Daddy' Kelly from Kris Kross, died at the age of 34 (way too early for anyone to die) on May 1st.

The very next day, May 2nd, Jeff Hanneman died.  Jeff was a guitartist for one of my absolute all-time favorite bands, Slayer.  He was only 49.  Too young.

I share a personal link with all three of these artists.

In the late 80s and early 90s I kind of liked rap.  I could understand what the artists were saying, and in general, it didn't suck like it does today.  But, to each his own.  I liked Kris Kross' big hit, Jump along with other artists like Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Kool Moe D, and A Tribe Called Quest.

Later I got into country music, preferring bluegrass and classic country to the newer pop-style country.  George Jones was always a favorite.  Still love two of his big hits today -- He Stopped Loving Her Today and I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair.

My first love, though, was always rock n' roll.  Kiss, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Saxon and countless others.  I still listen to the same old stuff today.  I like new rock n' roll, but it's just not the same.  Maybe I associate those old songs with my youth, or maybe the music was just better back then.

Whatever the case, it's only rock n' roll, but I love it.  Always have, always will.

I think I'll listen to Slayer's World Painted Blood today.