Category Archives: My original writing

Bored Angels

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Peters photo 02-2013

 

The Arch Angels, Jeff and Matt, were bored. It was a Wednesday, mid-week, hump day. There were no Lenten services, it was the wrong season. Choir practice was done for the year. No one was getting married, no one had died–although Jeff told Matt he smelled like someone had crawled up his ass and expired. “It’s the stale communion wafers! They always give me gas, you know that!”

“Well why do you eat them then?”

“You know very well why–Blood of Christ, Body of Christ–we’re angels, what else can we eat? So I binge on the leftovers once in a while, forgive me!”

“Whatever…”

Bored angels were generally not a good thing. Of course there were all the rules. No interfering with an individuals right to choose good versus evil. No showing yourself to those still alive. No playing cupid, except of course on St. Valentine’s day. Being an angel wasn’t all fun and games. In fact, that was Jeff’s major complaint. He figured it should be all fun and games. “I mean really, I got the golden ticket, right? Why not flowing chocolate fountains?”

“Let’s go check out that big Leadership conference of the Order of the Holy and Pious. I think it started yesterday in Geneva.”

“Sure, it could be interesting. There’s plenty to talk about what with global health crisis’s, child pornography, drug abuse, trashy ecosystems, opportunity inequity, hunger…”

“Well, lot’s has been getting better, too. You shouldn’t always keep harping on the negative! Accentuate the positive!”

“Whatever, let’s see what some of the break-out groups are studying.”

“…we’ll need to increase security to assure safety post-transition, of course…”

“… abstinence, that’s God’s way. We’ll crack down on those having relations for reasons other than procreation! I mean, really, if I had only known what I know now when I was a teenager…”

“…welcome you all to Protecting Yourself from Lawsuits – 1001. This class is vital to the fiscal preparedness of the…”

“…attendance numbers are down in the United States and Europe, let’s hope that the conversion focus on Latin American and Africa can bring back…”

“Oh my God, this just makes me want to break into the communion wine!”

“Come on, Matt. This is worse than being bored. Let’s go see if we can save some poor slob from slitting his wrists over the futility of trying to house, clothe and feed his family of four on his two, no benefits, part-time jobs at McBurgers and Walsmart.”

The inspiration for this story came from my nephew’s drawing.

A Review of “The Book of Mormon” at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis

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“The Book of Mormon”, book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.

Book of Mormon

My friend, Linda, in her on-going efforts to keep us up to date with theater wonderment, spearheaded the procurement of tickets to “The Book of Mormon” for us this weekend. This is a production that has been around now for a couple of years and seems to be perpetually sold out wherever it plays. This afternoon (Sunday, February 10, 2013) was clearly no exception as the four of us slogged through heavy, wet slush to get to the Orpheum Theatre from our parking ramp. The people came in bus loads for what promised to be a funny romp and stomp over the most well known religious practices of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as Mormons.

I’ll start out with a warning / disclaimer. If you are easily offended, have a dark attitude toward foul language, are deeply serious or spiritual or simply unable / unwilling to see comic relief in most every daily interaction we partake in, I suggest this is not the show for you.

If you’re still reading, I assume you’ve decided you’re game for all the above. The show is really irreverent and makes very heavy use of parody. In my view there were also several scenes, at the location of “call” that Elder Price and Elder Cunningham find themselves after training, that have so much actual and referred human misery on a daily basis it becomes difficult to laugh, even at the over-the-top raunchy jokes and musical lines. With that said, I can see the humor in almost anything and parodies of religion accompanied by bad language don’t bother me in the least.

I was very pleased with the cast of Mormon Elders “in training”. They were, with one exception, handsome, slender, talented singers and dancers…the picture of my expectation for door-to-door Mormon salesmen. The one exception, Elder Cunningham, was not slender, but he stole the show with quick, flexible witty delivery of his comic lines and had a very flexible tenor voice to boot. He clearly has the talent and energy to be in the top trio for the show, but I was even more impressed when I read that this show was his professional theater debut. I believe we will see much more of Christopher John O’Neill.

Mark Evans is a singer / actor with many credits to his name and I believe the Book of Mormon will be another star added. He brought energy, terrific dance moves, a marvelous and expressive face and beautiful delivery of prose and verse to the other star role as Elder Price. To round out my top trio in this play, Samantha Marie Ware, as Nabulungi at the Elder’s “call”, did a great job as the local enthusiasm builder and “text” junkie. She was a talented singer as well, but suffered from some high register flatting that might have been associated with the sound system, as I mention later.

The production itself was quite good. I loved the costumes for the song “Turn It Off Like A Light Switch”. Let’s just say that the quick addition of color to the black pants, white shirt, black tie was a real surprise and looked fabulous! The song is a great little lesson in how to keep all those pesky emotions organized and controlled. The setting for the “call” also provided opportunity for several costume changes. Baptismal white was one of my favorites. The only fault I have for the production is that the sound seemed like maybe it was pushing the limit of the speakers. There was some distortion that made it difficult to understand the words at times.

Finally, I always enjoy visiting the Orpheum Theatre. It’s a classic beauty and was wonderfully restored about 25 years ago. The beauty of the massive chandelier, suspended by a single chain, is always a thing of marvel for me.

Orpheum Chandelier

However, the comfort of the seats leave much to be desired and I sincerely hope that the next restoration takes into account theater goers need for a little additional leg room and proper back support.

If you don’t have tickets yet, check out the Hennepin Theatre Trust Box Office. I understand there is a lottery for a few $25 tickets prior to each show. You need to be there and respond really fast if your name is called!

Beautiful Pleasure

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Once there was a much loved Mother that gave birth to a son.

He was beautiful and round and brown and soft and she loved him so.
He cried and he suckled and he smiled and he suckled some more.
As he suckled she thought to herself “I shall call him Beautiful Pleasure, because he brings me pleasure and he is beautiful.”

The son grew, happy in the shadow of his mother, constantly aware of his surroundings and gentle in his heart.
His life was like a train ride with some track smooth, some bumpy and some so rough that the cars seemed as they would be bounced apart.

As happens sometimes in life, the rough parts overtook the smooth and the gentle soul was snatched out of the son’s body, leaving only a husk, with no promises of return.
The husk was not allowed to die, nor was it allowed to live…exactly.

Through it all, the much loved Mother never quit her Beautiful Pleasure and the husk never lost all the oils that had once made it smooth and soft.

When the land helped smooth the rails again, as nature has a habit of doing, the gentle soul slowly resurfaced.
Renewed, and still gentle, but with a stronger covering, the boy sprouted and grew and survived and overcame and succeeded.
Now he was again beautiful and round and brown and soft.

But now he also had a fire light shining within him.
Sometimes it burned blue and soft, while other times it burned red and hot.
It wasn’t always controllable, but it was always true.

The much loved Mother, who thought of her Beautiful Pleasure often, but saw him not, was able to feel the fire light.
Most often it warmed her, but indeed, even she was scorched at times.

When she felt the scorch, she said, “My beautiful, round, brown and soft acquired a rocket that will not be tied down.”

And together they smiled, in their hearts, knowing and loving each other well.

Copyright 2012

A Review of “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni

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I saw “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni, presented by The Guthrie Theater, based on a recommendation from a friend who was familiar with the actor who played Truffaldino in the play. This play falls within the classic Italian comedy style called “Commedia dell’arte” and it’s author, Carlo Goldoni, was a well educated and prolific writer who was very successful in this genre in the 18th century. This style of play is characterized by having a handful of well known “types” in every production (from merchant, doctor / lawyer / professional to lovers, etc.) and, originally, the scripts tended to be heavy on scene setting, but light on written dialog. The success of these plays was very much dependent on the energy of the actors and their ability to excel at improvisation.

I love Italian opera, am a fan of the professionalism of Guthrie Theater productions in general and would love to live a life of comedy, but I was a newbie to this well established genre, “Commedia dell’arte”. After a couple initial “what the devil…” moments, I quickly proceeded to snickers, guffaws, eye rolls and was soon quite sold and thoroughly enjoying the evening.

The cast was so full of energy, at times it seemed like I was watching a slightly sped up previously recorded version of the play. I was impressed that they could keep the level of energy up throughout the play, which almost all the seven primary actors did. My favorite two characters in the play were Truffaldino, played by Steven Epp and Il Dottore, played by Don Darryl Rivera. Steven Epp brought tremendous energy and excellent improvisation skills to the servant, Truffaldino and Don Darryl Rivera played the short, round, impatient, professional father with great humor and pomposity.

The set was simple, but effective, with a couple of lighting effects that made the audience “ohh” and “ahh” at the right times and some simple sound effects that continued repetition made funnier. Costumes and hair are often excellent at the Guthrie and this production was no exception. However, I must say that, as a writer, the single thing that fascinated me the most  about “The Servant of Two Masters” was the language. I don’t speak any Italian, nor am I an expert of 18th century English, but I know when innuendo, jokes and double-edged meanings work in this time period. I think I must send my applause in two directions, to Constance Congdon for her adaptation of this work, and to the actors, for well played and placed verbiage and ad-lib lines. Huzzah to you both!

For me, this production worked on so many levels. It is classic Italian stage work that intrigued the actor, singer, verbal lover in me, but it is also accessible to people that would never sit through an opera or who might be bored to tears with a non-English language production of a 200 year old work. Take your Mom, take your teenager, take your boyfriend. I think they’ll all leave laughing.

The next big thing, self interview blog…

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Sarah R. Yoffa invited me to participate in a blog series she is doing called “The Next Big Thing”. Since the next big thing, in my case, is pretty close to the first big thing and could use all the press it can get, I readily agreed.

A self interview is quite a bit like an informal chat with friends, except by yourself. I like informal chats and I find that I talk to myself a lot as well. Sara gave me the following list of interview questions and I took my best shot at the answers:

1) What is the working title of your current/next book?

Alexander’s Tail. I have to admit that I am loving the story and the characters, but not the title so much right now. I also haven’t done much tweaking of the title at this point.

2) Where did you get the idea for that book?

Unlike some of my story ideas, that have literally come to me in dreams, this one came through channels solidly tethered to earth. The three main characters began as real people and quickly morphed. Even more so, the situations are ones that hovered around the edges of real interactions. The inspiration was bringing the story and the characters together to play, I guess. That said, I must state that the situation(s) in the book have not been experienced by me, or anyone that I know, and none of the characters portrayed are remotely real. They are both composite figments of my (often provocative, sometimes ill) imagination.

3) What’s the genre of the book?

Ugh, I knew this question was in here and I’ve thought about it dozens of times. I don’t like the question simply because, as a writer whose characters are often gay, I feel like my stories will get pigeon-holed into the “Male – Male Romance” genre. At the point I am at in my published writing career, the very cusp of it, if you will, I guess it is what it is. However, I have other themes and stories started and hope that I can break out of this label sometime. Time and the quality of my writing will tell, I guess.

4) If you could pick actors to play the lead characters in your story, who would you pick?

If I can freely use hair dye…maybe lifts…and a time machine…I would choose Orlando Bloom to play Alexander, Cory Monteith to play Brice, and Taylor Lautner to play Nico.

I’ll never get over Orlando as the tall, slender elf. That physical presence is what I am imagining for Alexander.

Brice is just as tall, but built heavier and it is his nature and demeanor to be more innocent and open. Cory Monteith fits this bill for me.

Finally, I need someone dark and muscular, serious, older and shorter in this triumvirate. The boys use their height to their advantage, but Nico has power from within and doesn’t need to tower over anyone to dominate. I must admit, who plays Nico was the biggest struggle for me. It’s not a type I’m generally on the lookout for, but I think Taylor Lautner would carry Nico off well.

5) How would you describe your book in one sentence (10 words or less)?

Alexander’s Tail is about love, neglect and broken personality.

6) (a) How will your book be published, submitted through the traditional route to a traditional publisher or will you be handling it yourself through Indie Publishing methods?

Hmm, excellent question. I haven’t thought it through yet, but I’m pretty sure I will not be looking at traditional brick and mortar print publishers.

6) (b) If you’re an Indie Author, will you be publishing through your own Indie Publishing company or in a collective with other Indie Authors?

Again, I must say, I have not yet decided. I’ve been talking to a number of authors who have published using several directions and it surprises me how many options there are to successfully publish a book without every approaching a traditional publishing company. The market for books is so very much larger than it was when I was a child growing up in Baudette, MN. Then, if I couldn’t get the book from the library, which housed mainly traditional titles and authors, or one of the drug stores in town, which was the place to go for paperback best sellers and romance novels, I was out of luck. Today, the options for finding reading material are almost as unlimited as your imagination.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of this book?

A little more than a year (I’m hoping, lol). I began in December of 2011 and I am almost done with the first draft. Rewrites and editing are my next big worries at this point.

8) What other books within your genre are similar to yours?

None, mine is totally unique *eye roll*.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The original inspiration came from within, after a number of life changes. The on-going inspiration came from a group I call my original “have your back” friends. Most of them have read different stages of the draft and given me constructive feedback and fraternal enthusiasm. A couple of them have inspired and helped me every step of the way.

10) What about your book will pique the reader’s interest?

Everything, I hope! But, realistically, the creation of characters that are able to have strong relationships with each other, while being engaging, funny and multidimensional, is what drives and motivates me.

I’m thanking Webbiegrrl Sarah for asking me to do this blog and tagging several of my favorite authors to ask them about their “Next Big Thing”. The tag is a surprise for some and expected by others, so we’ll just see where it goes!

Tag, you guys are it, I hope you want to play! –> Andrew Ashling, James Austen, Alex Akira, Edward Jakob and David G. Hallman.

For anyone that feels the need to rummage through this site and look at what I’ve posted about Alexander, Brice, and Nico already, click here.

 

The Rumford fireplace

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This is the time of year that I like to fill this thing with wood and sit with a book all evening.

The design is an interesting one called “The Rumford”, based on Count Rumford’s London design from around 1796. It has a tall, wide opening with a not-so-deep firebox and a flue restrictor whose purpose is to speed up air and improve updraft for a less smokey fire. The better updraft allows for the more shallow firebox, bringing the warmth of the fire closer to the front and more into the room.

I’ve spent many a pleasant Friday evening with my toes pointed at the fire and my nose buried in a book, with three happy dogs sprawled together, held back from the heat only by the fire screen.

A trip down memory lane…

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I spent a lot of time in churches this past weekend. I went to Sioux Falls, SD with my mother and partner, Paul, primarily to attend the celebration of the finished life of a good friend’s mother.

This friend, let’s call her Cammy, has always brought feelings of “it’s a small world” and “six degrees of separation” into my mind. I met her about 15 years ago at the very liberal church I attend in St. Paul, MN. She is PhD musician, stunning blond and stands straight and tall at 6’1″. She was married to an even taller black man and has three friendly, statuesque children with him. The reason I think it is a small world is because her father was a pastor (he has passed away) and just happened to be the pastor at my Mom’s home church in Renner, SD. Cammy spent many years at that church and was married there by her father. At the time, this didn’t go over very well, especially with some of my relatives, for reasons I’ll let you imagine. Cammy’s father also buried my grandfather (my mother’s father) and Mom never forgot the wonderful service he performed for her dad.

Cammy’s mother’s service was at St. Mark’s Lutheran in Sioux Falls, where her parents attended for the last 10 or 12 years. It was so clear how much her mother brought to these people and how she and Cammy’s father embodied the very meaning of Matthew 25:31-46.

Mom, Paul and I also visited the home church, West Nidaros Lutheran Church in Renner, SD. This was originally a successful farming based church that has made the transition of farming and suburban community church. It was probably appropriate that there was a baptism, or celebration of new life, during that service. There were lots of friendly faces, many of which were related to Mom and I. We visited the replica church built in honor of the original Nidaros in Norway, the log cabin of relatives, moved and rebuilt to emphasize the roots of the church and, of course, the grave markers for my grandparents, uncle and aunt on Mom’s side of the family.

Lastly, we drove by Mom’s home place, which is still in the family, but rented out. The owner makes sure the place is well maintained and beautiful.

When I go back to my grandparents place, the church they attended or the family reunions organized by those left around Renner, SD, I am reminded how far and wide is a family. I talked to 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins after church and thought about how we are all connected through blood, gospel, friendship, race, sexual orientation, etc.

So many family members, so little time. Now that I’m 53, I think even more often about not wasting  my precious time avoiding, criticizing or hating people that are family in so many senses of the word. The world has plenty of haters, what it needs is more lovers.