A Life For Itself

Category: blog

Blog Entries

  • hanging at home – 19 march 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

    today's inspiration

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Today’s joy:

    I spent almost 3 1/2 hours talking playwriting and theatre with other Black playwrights on Clubhouse. First time I ever participated in a room on there. Most of the time, I just get on there and sit in the back and listen. But I went up to the stage this time and talked and it was good. I enjoyed talking conflict and Lorraine Hansberry and stagecraft and Afrofuturism. Definitely what I needed.

    A past joy:

    Just over a year ago when we were finishing up The Unexpected Guest. How much fun I had. How gratifying it was, especially that last night. Full house. There was a kid in the first row making noise, but it’s all good. It’s live theatre. I thought a lot about it tonight.

  • Catching Something Good – 18 March 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Today’s joy:

    A past joy:

  • Some Later Things – 17 March 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

    No more hiding

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Today’s joy:

    Sleeping later than usual.  It meant a late start on all the writing I had to do, but it felt good to sleep as long as I could.  It was a cold morning and I appreciated staying under that comforter until the last possible minute.  I felt a lot of gratitude to be able to do that.  

    A past joy:

    In my younger years, March 1 was always the beginning of baseball, whether it was tryouts or getting into the mindset of actually playing baseball.  I never, ever stopped thinking about baseball, but as with all things, there’s a time for it and by this time of the month, high school ball would be almost about to start and before then, I’d be taking my glove out to oil it, getting ready to check my cleats out, all that.  Even when really cold out.  I think one year, it snowed in April and we had to postpone games.  That didn’t matter because just being there in uniform and playing was all that mattered.

    It looks like Baltimore City Public School System is going forward with Spring sports, but with plenty of rules and regulations, given the state of things.  This year, there won’t be any fans at any sporting events, not even parents, from what I understand.  Participants will have to adhere to masking and some other rules; I didn’t read them all.  The main thing for me is there won’t be fans present.  I enjoyed going and taking pics of games the other year and I was hoping to go to at least a couple of City baseball games since sports are going forward, but that’s not happening.  There’s always next year for that.  I can still keep up with scores and root for the current generation of Knights via Twitter.  The still reigning and defending Baltimore City champions.

  • My Favorite Consist – 16 March 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd_UcjMusUA

    The technique and artistry of this.

    Today’s joy:

    My little cousin texted me to check up on me and see how I’ve been doing. I’m not used to that from the under-30 crew these days.

    A past joy:

    I don’t miss working in an office, and especially if that office is in D.C., but I do miss catching the train. Walking through Union Station. Eating lunch there. There used to be a great Indian restaurant in there on the restaurant one level down from the Amtrak (and MARC and VRE) concourse level, that served the best mango lassi anywhere. Amtrak unveiled the original Acela trainsets while I was working in D.C. and I walked through one the day they started running. If I remember correctly, MARC also began rolling out the Kawasaki MARC III bilevel trainsets around the same time. Those became my favorite ever trainsets.

    And the boarding process at Union Station for commuter trains is nowhere near as insane as trying to get New Jersey Transit trains at Penn Station New York.

  • Common Things – 15 March 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

    Monday weekly creativity prayer call. A lot was said. A lot I needed to hear.

    Today’s joy:

    Being able to slow down some and breathe more. Get quiet more.

    A past joy:

    Watching a performance where a grown adult was pushed around in the basket of a shopping cart, then lifted out of it and placed into an automobile. It was hilarious mostly because they were pushed quite a distance and I was wondering how this was all going to end. Other weird stuff had happened as well. You had to be there, I guess.

    Speaking of my commonplace book idea, back in 2016, at the Chesapeake Writers Conference, I took a bunch of notes. I was taking notes like my entire reason for being there had been to just sit around and take notes. I even took notes at the opening convocation. Took them in all of our workshops and lectures.

    When I got back, I scanned every page of my handwritten notes, printed them at my job, and put them into plastic page protectors. Put the page protectors inside of a three prong folder. I put the notebook that I took the notes in, inside of the folder, too. And there, the whole entire package stays to this day. That’s definitely part of the idea of this commonplace book.

    I really should have become a librarian.

  • Five Things – 14 March 2021

    Yes, I’m happy about Daylight Savings Time.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The question was simple enough –too simple, in fact– so I’ll just name three of my favorite Denzel performances.

    • Malcolm X
    • Mo Betta Blues
    • Fences

    I want to create a “commonplace book.”  I’ve noticed that a lot of what I want to put into it is digital — tweets like the one I put into yesterday’s post, clips from web pages, snippets from books I own in electronic form.  Even scanned versions of notes that I’ve digitized.  So, I’m searching for an app I can use to form the book digitally.

    But I also want to have a paper copy and that might mean getting a binder and even more plastic page protectors.  Print out the electronic snippets that I collect, scan my handwritten notes that I take or that I write in my journal and such.

    It’s not an immediate project, but I had been leaving bookmarks and other ways to mark places in my journals that I want to come back to down the line for my writing.

    I should have become a librarian.

    I don’t watch The Walking Dead closely –episodes here and there throughout the show’s run– but I’m fascinated by the fact that Seth Gilliam’s Father Gabriel character wears his clerical dress despite the obvious dissolution of the Church and I guess, all organized religion, in the zombie apocalypse on that show.  It’s probably been addressed by the character at one point another, but I imagine that he continues to wear it as a reminder of the old world, which is probably seen as much better than the one that the characters find themselves in, as well as of his own faith, which he may or may not struggle, or have struggled, to retain.  It’s interesting that in this world, religion is almost a relic and he’s a reminder of that.

    Had pizza on pi day.  It counts.

    Today’s inspiration:

     

     

     

     

    Today’s joy:

    Sunday baseball.  Even if it’s Spring Training.

    A past joy:

    Entering a scene.

  • this can be a mess – 13 march 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

    Aren't you glad you chose yourself?

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Today’s joy:

    First time in a long time that I started a poem from a list.  First time in a long time that I’ve started a poem at all.

    A past joy:

    Playing Uno all night on the porch.

    In our creativity circle this morning, we talked about hiding.  One of the members of the group talked about their background, how they were raised, their social circle, and how that contributed to them hiding.  And they’ve been struggling with putting their work out there out of fear of being rejected by those people in their family and friend circle.

    It really goes back to the question that Dr. Thema asks in that tweet.  

    It can be difficult.  It can be messy.  People get used to you being a certain kind of way with them and they don’t want to see you any other kind of way.  And if you’re doing something new, something that’s out of the millieu in which you’ve existed with those people, they may not like it.  They’re not ready to experience you in that way.  Sometimes we go the opposite way and hide ourselves to avoid having to be that person in front of those people, which can cause unhappiness with you, since you know you’re not being yourself.

    It’s an issue I’ve struggled mightily with.  Even recently

    So, it goes back to that question.  

     

  • Longer days, fuller nights – 12 March 2021

    Today’s inspiration:

    This post from #blkcreatives about joy. As well as some really good train travel videos on YouTube. 

    Today’s joy:

    Being out and about in really nice weather.

    A past joy:

    Being out and about in really nice weather, but playing baseball.  Also, being out and about in really nice weather, but down the ocean (or down the shore, however you refer to it).

    Almost immediately after I woke up this morning, I got quiet.  Still.  Touched that joyous place within.  Cut out the background noise.  It was a great way to start what ended up being a pretty good day.  Went out in the evening.  I’m still a night owl.  I love the night.  I prefer it.  It’s ironic how happy I am that it’ll be daylight out longer in a couple of days.  That’s probably a holdover from having to go in when the streetlights came on.  I’m going to enjoy it staying light past 7, but I think I may stay up all night tomorrow night reading and working on this play.

  • An interesting exegesis – 11 March 2021

    Today’s joy:

    It’s one I partially saved yesterday.  At the behest of another wrestling fan, who told me this would be awesome, I watched the episode of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions podcast with Sasha Banks, yesterday and finished it today.  I know there are lots of wrestlers, managers, and others associated with professional wrestling who can give you valuable insight into their business and how it functions.  But I have rarely heard someone discuss wrestling in the context of storytelling the way that Sasha did in this podcast.  “Character,” “character,” “character,” she kept driving home.  People tune in to wrestling to see characters, she said.  Not just moves and spectacle, but the drama. 

    Today’s inspiration: 

    Watching YouTube videos where people walk around, ride around on bikes or scooters, or drive around and talk and make their living that way.  There really must be an audience for everything.  Perhaps even for me.

    A Past joy: 

    Sitting on the balcony at the Inner Harbor Barnes and Noble and reading and drinking a tea or lemonade on a spring or summer day.

    To illustrate her notion further, Sasha gave a story about when she was fresh in WWE NXT.  She would show up to the TV tapings and she’d wrestle somebody.  Just a match, nothing big.  Come back the next month, same thing.  And she’d just repeat the process.  Eventually, she asked the writers why she was just doing matches, but didn’t have a storyline that might build up to something.  She was told that the reason was that she was a good wrestler, good at her craft, and because of that, they used her to make other wrestlers look better.

    At that moment, she understood that she had to create a character for herself.  She said that Tyler Breeze, another wrestler who was there at the time, had written several character biographies.

    What?  This is stuff you learn in like regular acting class.

    So she did her work and she came up with the character you see on TV these days.  It’s a fascinating interview, even if you’re not into professional wrestling, of a person who pursued their dream and also who became a master of their craft.  I definitely recommend it.

     

  • A Great Pleasure – 10 March 2021

    Today’s joy:

    Last night, I started rereading Erotique Noire.  A couple of the poems in the first chapter.  Plus, the other day, CTA uploaded new ride-the-rails videos of the CTA Brown Line in the snow.  Good railfan viewing.

    Today’s inspiration:

    The Delroy Lindo interview towards the end of today’s episode of Keep It! Podcast is so good.  He discussed his process as an actor, working with Spike Lee, working in theatre, especially doing August Wilson plays, and other good stuff.  I should have listened twice.  It was worth listening just to hear him talk about his craft as an actor.

    A Past joy:

    Sneaking off and reading stuff my mother didn’t want me reading.  Hiding a copy of Erotique Noire under my bed was my version of hiding Playboys, I guess.  That wasn’t the only book I hid under there, though.  Long story.

    Erotique Noire.  In my late teens, I first borrowed an older relative’s copy, with their blessing.  I was interested in the subject and I was mature enough to read the content.  I didn’t want to give the book back.  Eventually, when pressed, I did, and bought my own copy of it.

    I liked the stories, but the poems were the best part for me.  Some of them inspired me to explore the topic in my own poems.  Well, more than I already had at that time.  I’m starting with the poems as I’m reading it this time.  I may even skip the fiction.  We’ll see.

    Listen to Delroy Lindo’s descriptions of some of the events that took place during the filming of “Da 5 Bloods.”  It’ll excite you if you’re into craft and he gives a great glimpse into his performance in that movie.  He even talks about working with Aaliyah and Jet Li in Romeo Must Die.  It’s a really good interview.  I can’t wait until we can gather again for theatre.