Things are not what they appear...

The email quote this morning was from W.S. Gilbert : Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream.

Which naturally made me think of the lyrics to a song, "Things are not what they appear", but I could not for the life of me remember what movie the durn song came from. Finally, at 5 pm, I can stand it no longer. Google reveals all:

Things Are Not What They Appear
Radcliff:
Your royal highnesses, lords and ladies of the court, and our distinguished guests from the forests of the new world.

Performers:
Things are not what they appear
As tonight will make quite clear
But what is real will be revealed
I can feel the moment's near
Things are never what they seem
That will be this evening's theme
A music sites for your delight
Perhaps a few to make you scream

Radcliff:
You will be surprised to see whose disguise
Is the cleverest one of the lot
After our show the whole world will know
Who's pretending to be what they're not
If a jester's grin or a dancer's spin
Should be pleasing, please say, yea




Yep, the ever popular, Pocahontas II. What a thing to remember.

And to connect a Disney direct to DVD animated movie to the venerable Gilbert and Sullivan. I am ashamed. But, as the wise one said, Skim milk does masquerade as cream.

Vote for your favorite first line...

I'm experimenting with a new project, so if you have a few minutes, tell me which first line makes you want to keep reading, or makes you want to put a gun in your mouth.


1. Sometimes, you wake up one morning and realize that your life is just a rough sketch and you really need to start taking the time to color it in.

2. We are such caricatures sometimes, having the shape of a real life, but not actually the life itself.

3. They said it would be just a research facility. But I know better. Research is a corporate euphenism for "We have no idea what the f*** we're doing."

On writing

I have an addiction to writing books. Actually, not the How to books, not the better dialogue in three easy steps, or Formatting your manuscript type books. I like the ones by real writers, one's I've heard of. Stephen King's On Writing, David Morrell's Lesson's from a Lifetime of Writing, and Terry Brook's Sometimes the Magic Works.Sure, there are some other one's out there, but if I like the authors' books, I tend to like the advice better. I also note a lack of women on my list. Hmmm.

But I did find an interesting quote from Erica Jong of all people. A war quote, in her book, Writing for My Life.

Young people feel immortal. That's why old people can send them to war.

Ten things I learned this week....

1. Running 13 miles when the temperature is in the mid to high nineties is stupid.

2. The fellow who cuts my hair has wonderful book and movie recommendations. His reading list alone is worth the price of a hair cut.

3. I can never predict what time the mail carrier will come to my street and I never will be able to guarantee the mail will be in the box in time.

4. Watching golf on tv is a great sleep aid. Unless Phil Mickelson is melting down.

5. If you can't really use the name Sara Pride for a character because it's someone's real name, then the name Arianna Hubris will do just fine.

6. There's a t-shirt I'm trying to find. It says, "If I only have one day to live, take me to a swim meet. They last forever." I really want that shirt.

7. A really great blog for Screwtape letter fans: Beezleblog This guy is good.

8. I've personalized my browser so much, it's going to be a step down to upgrade. But I'm a whole version number behind and some sites don't work as well. Time to suck it up.

9. I really don't like vampire books. From experience now.

10.Long walks are still the best way to plot a book.

Oh, and a quiz! It's Bonus Day at the Story Factory!

Which OS are You?

Which Nigerian spammer are You?

Tyranny of the Ordinary

I've been a bit busy doing some things for the local school district GT parent committee. Which brings back my own memories of life in "g/t" programs in middle school and the first year of high school. Once I moved to Texas, apparently, I didn't require special "services" anymore. I just went to classes with the next grade up.

I like tyranny of the ordinary, for a title. Read a book, "Smart Girls" a while back about mentoring gifted girls and it was remarkable how many gifted women lead absolutely ordinary lifes. Not for lack of choice, but because of an overwhelming amount of choices, they simply drift into whatever takes the least amount of conflict. Which reminds me of the little "sessions" they used to make us go to in ninth grade, in the couselors office. I can remember a few names, Sarah P., Maryann N., Barry E, Steven S, Shari, John, Craig? Elise was gone to Nigeria by then.

But the main thing was the repetition, we could be anything, do anything. Cream of the crop, etc. Yet now, thirty years later, I can't even google any of them. Are they doing anything, being anything? Could they be doing something significant and yet have absolutely no web presence? I know Maryann dropped out of high school her senior year to mary some sailor.

So now, I wonder what happened. And the only way to wonder is to write about it, naturally. So Tyranny of the Ordinary. Kind of a Now and Then kind of thing, except the preciptating event won't be a school reunion or a wedding/funeral. It'll be the purchase of land by a petrochemical company. Now off to work...