That Aha Moment

That aha moment.  That moment when the waters cleared, and the depth revealed itself.  That moment when I realized there was so much more to the written word than what floated on the surface. Treasure lie beneath. It engendered my love for literature, created a desire to read more, learn more, study more, and eventually write more.  Reading and writing became more than just words, but ideas.  Ideas are power.  Yet to successfully wield such power, the writer must be able to rhetorically craft a piece worthy enough to entice and persuade the audience.  For fifteen years now, I have had the opportunity to share this love, knowledge, and craft with creative, young minds, hopefully guiding each to the realization that not only can great ideas be discovered in the written word of others, but ensconced in their own as well.  My journey began with the desire to teach college classes when fate opened the door to a high school classroom instead.  Tarleton’s English master’s program, which incorporates dual credit teaching, would allow me the ability and opportunity to continue teaching high school students at a college level.  Aha – the best of both worlds.

Mornings

Everyone's happy and content.  Sleepy mornings.

A Book Is...

I love this.  It always amazes me to think that we have the ability to look into the mind of someone who lived long ago.  To realize that thoughts, feelings, emotions are universal, timeless.  Though the physical body may be long gone, ideas remain and often spark new thoughts and possibilities for those of us presently inhabiting this planet.  But we must always remember that freedom is vital to the continued passing on of ideas.  In Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451, Faber indicates that for ideas to make a difference three things must exist:  "Number One: quality of information. Number Two: leisure to digest it.  Number Three: the right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the two.  May we never lose the right or the desire to examine, appreciate, wonder about, and learn from the ideas of others.

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.  Just get people to stop reading them."  ~Bradbury

Illusion

Just finished reading Frank Peretti's new book, Illusion.  A very enjoyable read but went on a bit too long.  There was a point before the climax that seemed to drag.  Having said that it was an interesting story overall.  Though I prefer the style of his previous books.

Fright Night - Not So Frightening

One of the movies that I remember really enjoying as a cult classic is Fright Night.  Presently watching a remake and not really sure how I feel so far.  There always seems to be something "classic" missing from the remakes.  House on Haunted Hill, Hill House, Wax Museum.  There is a mood, an atmosphere that seems lost in translation.  (of course, there are very few like Vincent Price out there either). 

Giving the new version a chance, but so far it is not looking promising. 

Love This Article!

 I did not write this, but love it.  Leaving the link to the author's site.

David Borgenicht

7 Life Lessons You Can Learn From 'Star Trek'

Let me start out by coming clean: I am a closet Trekkie.

I went to my first "Star Trek" convention when I was nine. I have owned dozens of "Star Trek" toys, models, props and books over the years (and yes, I used to make my Kirk and Uhura action figures kiss). I even have a communicator app on my iPhone (and I'm eagerly waiting for the tricorder app now that Siri has arrived). I don't own a uniform, but I wish I did (Hint hint: Channukah's coming, family. I'll take the classic Captain's shirt in M, please, so that it rips easier when I get into fights).

My love of "Star Trek" began at an early age and has lasted to this day. But why? It isn't just because of the campy sets and costumes that are still iconic. It isn't because of the terrific performance by Leonard Nimoy (Spock) or Captain Kirk's Shatnerific overacting. It isn't even because of the superb sci-fi storytelling and writing or the fact that the toys and accoutrements were (and are) so cool that the culture seems to be obsessed with making them real. Although all of that is true.

No, my love of "Trek" has lasted this long because of what I have learned from my friends on the Enterprise over the years.

From the joys of exploration to the simple pleasures of curling up in your own quarters (often with a hot yeoman and a cold drink), from the value of friendship to the value of calling someone's bluff, I've learned dozens of life skills, lessons and even values from the iconic show that ran only three years in prime time when it originally debuted (before I was born).

I think that's what ultimately motivated me to create and publish (via my company, Quirk Books) "THE STAR TREK BOOK OF OPPOSITES," as an attempt to familiarize children today (including my own) with the world of "Trek."

There are no great life lessons in "THE STAR TREK BOOK OF OPPOSITES" (although learning the difference between BIG and LITTLE, HOT and COLD would certainly serve anyone well). But beyond the basics of opposites, the book is a great way to introduce kids to the world and characters of "Star Trek," in the hopes that someday they will come back to it and begin to appreciate its power and cultural resonance.

I would say there are seven life lessons I learned from "Star Trek" that I take with me to this day. These are lessons I hope to pass along to my own children someday--but for now, I will share them with the interweb.

1. The best way to travel is to boldly go where no one has gone before. This is true for vacations, for self-exploration, for life itself. If you want your days filled with adventure, laughter, love, learning and the occasional mind-meld, follow this route.
2. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few--or the one. Sometimes you must make great sacrifices for the greater good. And, like the Genesis device, it will all come back around.
3. Expressing your emotions is a healthy thing. Sure, McCoy seemed angry all the time when exclaiming, "Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor not a mechanic/bricklayer/soothsayer," but he knew that by expressing his anger and frustration it wouldn't get the best of him and he could then perform at his peak capacity.
4. When estimating how long a job will take, overestimate--and when you do better your captain will always be impressed. Replace the word "captain" with "teacher" or "mom/dad" and you'll see what I mean. Sure, Mr. Scott might have been telling the truth--maybe it would take six hours to get the warp engines back online in the heat of the battle. Or maybe he was padding things so he looked good. Either way, when the engines did come back on line, everyone was happy.
5. Wearing red makes you a target. This is true of cars, dresses and, most especially, shirts. Red gets you noticed--which is good if you want to be noticed, bad if you don't want to end up vaporized.
6. When you don't know what to say, pause. It will give you the time to figure it out. Or at the very least, you'll sound like you're being thoughtful. "But....Spock.....why?"
7. The most powerful force in the universe is friendship. It's more powerful than phasers, photon torpedos, even more powerful than the force itself. With friends, you can accomplish any task, escape any perilous situation, defeat any enemy--and you get to laugh together when it's all over.

I am convinced that these lessons will serve us all, adults and children, well as we seek out new life, new civilizations, new experiences. In short, thanks to "Star Trek," we may all live long and prosper.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

By Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

I have never been one to care much for change.  I love small changes, tiny twists in the road that allow for surprises, renewal, and a feeling of "newness."  Yet, large changes have always made me feel a bit sad.  But reading through this poem again tonight, I think of the story of Midas and his golden touch.  Maybe it is not so bad that the gold cannot stay.  Maybe it is the knowing that it is fleeting that allows one to appreciate it all the more.  And since change is inevitable - the only true stablility in life - just maybe learning to appreciate life's fluidity is learning to appreciate life.