I didn’t do too well with NaNoWriMo last November. However, I have told members of my writer’s group I will at least attempt ScriptFrenzy. And I have the barest outlines of an idea for a plot — heavily based on real occurrences so that will help me move the plot along.

I also need to practice the poems I’m going to be reading for the Poetry Showcase on June 16th. I need to have them memorized, and it’s been several years since I’ve memorized poems. But this is a slam poetry showcase, and while I can get away with reading from a chapbook at an open mic, a poetry slam is a different animal, and this is being videotaped, so I need to have it memorized.

I know what’s more important. And it’s not ScriptFrenzy. However, the idea for the screenplay has been eating at me since I began thinking about it, and I’ve been anxious for June 1st so I could start writing. And while I may put it aside to prepare for the showcase, and I may not write 20,000 words in a month, I do want to get it down on paper.

I found this nowhere but my own brain and research. I did write a short poem back in 1994 exploring some of this, which I recently rediscovered. My writer’s group last night told me the references were too obscure. They were probably right – and it’s somewhat dated now. But it makes for a good table.

update added fascinating Body Snatchers factoid.

On a trip to Jefferson City yesterday I saw two billboards for a festival June 2nd in “Downtown Olean, Missouri.” Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to snap a picture as I drove past.

Olean apparently has a population of 163, so I’m not sure how much of a downtown they have. It’s likely this festival more than doubles their population. Politically, they are part of Miller County, which was solidly Bush in 2000 and 2004.

That’s just to give you a mental picture, because the fesitval is the 14th Annual Testicle Festival.

As a poet, I must say that’s a near-perfect three-syllable rhyme there. Very impressive. However, as I stated above, you’re going to have to be mighty hungry to attend this festival….or eat beforehand. Unless you have a taste for this delicacy. From discussions of past years it says they’ve had pig, lamb, bull and turkey testicles to eat. (My initial guess was that the last was for those who are a little squeamish, as I thought turkeys weren’t blessed with that particular body part. Research suggests I was wrong. It’s just located on the interior, by the liver, but it can be retrieved by a butcher, and eaten. Yummm.) It’s possible they also prepare different parts of the animal. I’ve also read that in 2005 they had a drag queen contest, but I’m not sure about this year. (I guess I could call the info number on the link in the third paragraph of this post. If I was a reporter I’d do that. But I’m a blogger, so I’ll just note the phone number is there, and if you’re interested in more details, you can call.)

1) Set time machine to early 1500s – Petite Lyon, France.
2) Don Jester outfit
3) Step into machine
4) Push button

Voila!

Oh my g-d! What happened to my beard?
I look like I looked 5 years ago!

Oh, wait, it is me 5 years ago.
This time machine is screwy.

I will work on fixing it, and maybe I can get a better picture by tonight.

What is wrong with these landlubbers?

They go to see a pirate movie, and they turn around and run, from their seats, almost literally, several minutes before the end of the movie. Stupid gits. Movies costing what they do today, leaving before the movie ends is insane, unless you didn’t like the movie…and are going to ask for a refund. These idiots, though, watched it up to the beginning of the credits. They bolted as the credits began to roll.

Completely missing out on the treasure at the end of the credits.

landlubbers, I tell ye.

Lucille Ball is listed as the grandmother of her husband, Desi.

When you look at the details, it inserts someone inbetween them, and all it says is “Living ___” where ___ is a last name that’s irrelevant, but obviously someone had a little fun and said that Lucille was their mother, and Desi their son. It’s kind of like WikiAncestry, but there’s no one correcting the vandals.

That doesn’t disprove anything though.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago I think I’m descended from Chaucer

I was asked in the comments if I’ve verified this, and I admitted, I’m not sure how to. One idea was to find out which of my famous cousins are related to each other according to this website, and then hope others might be intrigued and do the research on them. Because I certainly don’t want to do the legwork when all it can do is disprove the theory, because I already believe it.

So in that regard, according to OneWorldTree:

Emily Dickinson is the 7th great grandchild of Alice Lambert who lived between 1554-1620.
Henry David Thoreau is the 6th great grandchild of Alice Lambert.

Shirley Temple is the 8th-great grandchild of Elizabeth Stoughton, who lived between 1600-1647
Ray Bradbury is the 9th-great grandchild of Elizabeth Stoughton.

I should also mention that Shirley Temple, according to OneWorldTree is the 15th great grandchild of Chaucer, and cousin to O Henry and Walt Whitman, neither of whom are my cousins, so it doesn’t help me or hurt me if you prove or disprove that. I’m not descended from Shirley, but we are supposedly cousins, which makes sense, if we are both directly descended from Chaucer.

Interestingly, their “Famous Relative” script only works it’s way up from the first person, because when I ask for famous relatives of Chaucer, it comes up blank. It should at least list Shirley.

While it doesn’t help me, I’d love to know if Humphry Bogart’s 7th great grandfather is really John Alden of Mayflower fame.

Or if Henry David Thoreau is really descended from Romanovs, and is first cousins (22 times removed) with Empress Anna of Russia

TIME has an article on the Science of Star Wars

To quote from the article:

The most prominent areas of research inspired by the film are “hyper drive,” like that achieved off and on by Han Solo’s foundering Millennium Falcon, and robotics research inspired by Luke Skywalker’s ever-reliable R2D2 and somewhat neurotic C3PO.

“We physicists have been fascinated, have been inspired by the warp drive,” Kaku said. It has been so fascinating to them … that they have found an equation of Einstein’s that mimics warp drive.

Now, on paper, scientists know how “warp speed” works and what it would take for Chewbacca to get the Millennium Falcon into gear.

Sorry. You can’t credit Lucas with the Warp Drive.

Star Trek – Warp Drive – 1966
Star Wars – Hyperspace Drive – 1977

Similarly, Kaku says, some people saw the movies’ robots and started working in artificial intelligence theory to create robots of their own.

Isaac Asimov – I, Robot – 1950 (origin of the word ‘positronics’)
Alan Turing – Invented the Turing Test – 1950
John McCarthy coins the word “Artificial Intelligence” – 1956
ELIZA – 1965
Star Wars – 1977

Sorry, can’t give Lucas credit for inspiring Artificial Intelligence theory either.

I attend the St. Louis Renaissance Festival every year. Over the years I’ve been working on putting together a jester outfit. A colleague asked me if there were jesters in Renaissance Europe — he thought they were more medieval.

A little research suggests they ended in England in the 16th century, but were existent in France up to the French Revolution (late 18th). The Wentzville Faire is set in France, under the reign of Francis I, early 16th century. He ushered in the Renaissance for France, and his court Jester was perhaps one of the more famous court jesters — at least in literature. Triboulet, star of Victor Hugo’s Le Roi s’Amuse (The King’s Diversion), and Verdi’s remake into an opera – Rigoletto.

Hugo took liberties with the real individual, but here’s a few illustrations for his character:

What isn’t clear from the illustrations is he’s a hunchback. Hugo liked characters with that deformity apparently. Not sure if I’ll work that into my costume, but I already have the beard.

I talk about politics a lot here. I don’t know how many people care what I think. It’s not like I’m running for congress. (I think some of the poetry I’ve written pretty much eliminates any possibility of that.) Here’s a series of statements I’ve put together about one of the freedoms from the First Amendment. It’s partially in response to some discussions I’ve had with friends and others. I may put together something similar for the other freedoms. Feel free to comment, and to make suggestions. (Note: “We” is not necessarily always the plural of “I”)

Freedom of Speech

Barbra Streisand is free to express her opinions.

Charlton Heston is free to express his opinions

Natalie Maines is free to express her opinions.

Toby Keith is free to express his opinions.

If we disagree with the opinions of any of the individuals above, we are free to express our disagreement.

We are free to say that these individuals shouldn’t express their opinions as entertainers.

We are free to say that Rush Limbaugh, Bill Maher, Bill O Reilly, and Al Franken should express their opinions, even though they are also entertainers.

We are free to be hypocritical and support the free expression of some, but not others.

We are free to point out hypocrisy in others when we see fit.

We are free to burn books, cds, dvds. (if they belong to us)

We are free to destroy any object that belongs to us, alone.

We are free to tell people who burn books, cds, dvds that they are Philistines.

They are free to disagree with us and/or keep on burning.

Residents of Philistia are free to be offended by the comparison, even though they’ve all been dead for centuries.

Radio stations, newspapers, publishing houses, and bookstores are free to follow the money, and remove particular artists from airplay, column space, publication, shelves if they feel it will please their readers, listeners, or customers.

Readers, listeners, and customers are free to show these radio stations, newspapers, publishing houses, and bookstores that their business decision was the incorrect one, by staging a boycott, and trying to affect their bottom line.

We are free to express our opinions.

We are free to express our disgust with the opinions of others.

They are free to express their disgust with our opinions.