October 29, 2014

The Soundtrack of Life


A musical counterpart to the book lists that are traveling around Facebook.

The challenge is to list ten songs that come to mind that most clearly and powerfully evoke the memories of your youth (well, we're still in our youth, but even younger). For me, most of them will be high school, college, I'm guessing. And its impossible to limit it to ten.

Here are mine:

1. Jane Says, Janes Addiction
2. INXS, By My Side
3. Soul to Squeeze, Red Hot Chili Peppers,
4. Where is My Mind, The Pixies
5. Egg Man, The Beastie Boys,
6. Out of the Blue (and Into the Fire), The The
7. Who's Gonna Drive You Home, The Cars
8. Tomorrow Wendy, Concrete Blonde
9. American Pie, Don McLean
10. Country Feeback, REM

Honorable Mention Five Pack: (I'm cheating here . . . .)

  1. Good Feeling, Violent Femmes
  2. With or Without You, U2
  3. Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
  4. Just Can't Get Enough, Depeche Mode
  5. Plainsong, The Cure
  6. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon

Books of Impact


10 books that I have read that stayed with me.

Here are mine:

1. The Star Belly Sneetches (Dr. Seuss, short story).
2. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
3. Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut)
4. White Noise (Dellillo)
5. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Madness (Pirsig)
6. Catch 22 (Heller)
7. Native Son (Wright)
8. Cloud Atlas (Mitchell)
9. Any Tom Robbins but esp. Skinny Legs and All and Jitterbug Perfume
10. Kafka on the Shore (Murakami)
*11. Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman)

* Bonus selection. Too many more to list...

October 24, 2014

Lauren's Writing Prompt Story #1: An engineer … who has ... a super power … and a universal language

Lauren shared this awesome writing prompt generator that she uses for creative writing at school. The next evening, she sat on the couch at the computer and pounded this story out.
As I told her after I read it, there is no way I could put together a funny well-told story like this on the spot!
She beamed when I told her she was a far better writer than I, and then asked, as I was leaving:
"Daddy, is there an age you have to be in order to be a writer for The Good Men Project?"
No. No there is not.
 
* * *
The Story
[Prompt: An engineer … who has ... a super power … and a universal language]
 
Hi! I'm Ted, and I'm an engineer. Funny story: Um, when I first got the job I had to take a test to show that I knew how to fix things.
The first time I took the test, I got an "F" which means fail. But, at the time I thought it meant fantastic. So, the next day I went in and said, "Hi! I'm Ted the engineer!" They thought I got the job. So, I went along with it and well, look at me now. Now, I know that "F" means fail not fantastic but I have the job.
I know what you're thinking. What did the man who gave me the grade do when he found out I was working. After I "got the job" I went and had a talk with him. Turns out he was the manager. He asked me, "Why should I hire you to work for me." I said," Well, I have a secret that I haven't told anyone. I have a superpower. I can glow and make things glow. To be honest I don't know how to be an engineer, but you can teach me. If you don't, then I won't show you my superpower."
"All righty! I guess I can trust you," he replied.
Over the next years I learned a lot, showed the manager my power (he spread the news so I had to show everyone on the job), and eventually retired. I had fun on the job, but I started it at the age 39 and retired at the age 51. It was hard to leave all my friends from engineering, especially the manager because I had created a good bond with him.
 
Then, I went home and went to bed.
When I woke up I had a crazy idea. I would make up my own company.
What will my company be?
I will create new languages.
My business has been very successful. Here are some of my words from my newest created language called Aglefloosh - Oxeless, Dertre, and Wuelt, which means: I have to go to the bathroom so bye!
-End-
 

October 6, 2014

Bee-sts: A Story by Lauren and Michael Kasdan (Chapters 1-5 ... Exciting Conclusion To Come!!)


Bee-sts

By:       Lauren Sylvie Kasdan
            Michael Joshua Kasdan


Chapter 1: The Invasion of the Beasts


It was a rainy day in the Great Forest of The Bees.  The Bees didn’t like it one bit.  Some of them were trying to fly, but the water on their wings was weighing them down.  Some of them couldn’t even lift themselves off the ground.

From their hive, in the distance, they saw huge shadowy figures, and they were coming closer!  As they approached, The Bees saw that the figures were actually all sorts of large beasts, like Lions and Tigers and Bears.  But it looked as if they were floating in mid-air.  They got even closer.  Amazingly, these beasts had wings!  And they were huge!  They were like terrifying giants to the Bees.

Seeing these Beasts zooming into their land, the Bees, whose wings were working, began to flee out of the hive, leaving the Queen Bee in danger of being killed.  As a first, she was already running low on honey, and now this!  The Beasts soared in, quickly capturing the Queen and taking the hive with her. They then turned their attention to the other bees. Taking to the air, they began to track down, catch, and even kill many of the bees that were trying to escape.

In order to survive, the Bees flew in groups and then split off in many different directions, to try to distract the Beasts.  One group of 27 bees survived and they had a different strategy for survival.  The leader of this troop was a brave and courageous bee that was very determined.  His name was Derek, and it was he who came up with their survival strategy.

Derek was a teen bee, and he was a worker bee.  Derek was not only brave and determined, but he was also very handsome.  In fact, he was the most handsome bee of all, and a favorite of all the girl bees.  More importantly, he was smart and quick on his feet.  As per Derek’s orders, his group of bees flew upwards to the skies.


Chapter 2:  Through the Gates


High above, above the tallest tree in the Great Forest, there was a cloud.  Rumor had it; there was a castle on that cloud.  But no one knew if the legend was true.  The ancient stories told of an old bee, the eldest living bee in the world at age 200.  This bee was named Old Gray.  Derek had heard she was the wisest bee ever to live in the Great Forest.   

His plan was to find Old Gray and to ask her advice about what to do.  Derek led his group through the clouds.  They looked everywhere for Old Gray.  Soon they came upon her castle.  At first, they thought it was a cloud shaped like a castle.  But then they realized it was a real castle. A strange place for a bee to live, anyways.

First, they tried to push the front gates open.  They were locked.

Then, Derek saw a small hole in the door.  No bee of any size could fit inside. Derek looked under the welcome mat, and lo and behold there was a tiny key!  He flew up to the hole with the key in his mouth, and used it to unlock the gate.  They were inside!  There was a giant courtyard, and right in the middle of the courtyard there was a guard bee.  This bee was rather big and muscular.  The total opposite of Derek and his crew.

Derek stepped forward.  “It is important that we see Old Gray as soon as possible.  We have traveled very far.  And there is a great problem in our land.  We need her help!”

“No trespassing of any kind!” the guard bee said in his big, booming voice.

The bees backed up but Derek stood his ground.  “Did I mention that you’re rocking those boots”? Derek said.

“I like them too.  I don’t know if anyone likes them.  Maybe Old Gray likes them.  Do you think I should ask her?” replied the over sized bee.  While these very words came out of the guard bee’s mouth, Derek and his crew hurried by.  Being very agile and silent. 


Chapter 3:  Old Gray


Soon Derek and his group arrived at the castle of Old Gray.  As they flew in through a shattered window, Derek began to remember how he first learned about Old Gray and her castle.

            Every day when Derek was young, he would go to the hi-brary (the library high in the sky).  One day, Derek discovered a secret room of ancient books of legends.  He was browsing the book stacks, and saw a dusty, giant, old book, entitled “The Forbidden Book.” 

Derek was fascinated, and he decided to take a look.  He reached for it.  On the back of the book, there was gum attached to a trigger that would open the door to a secret room.  As Derek pulled the book off the shelf, the room was revealed.  Derek was shocked, and walked in.

It looked as if no one had been in the room in hundreds of years.  It was filled with giant ancient books.  The biggest one was lying open in the center of the room. Derek turned the book to the front cover, and it said: “Old Gray: Told Through Her Words.”  He sat down and began to read.  That night, he read it from cover to cover.  He learned that Old Gray lived in a castle on a cloud and that she was the keeper of generations of wisdom.

Now he was about to meet her!

As he and his group, flew through the castle, they came to the main hall.  It was over a mile long and very wide too.  In fact, it would be the biggest castle ever known if anybody knew about it.  It seemed to go on forever.  At the end of the hall, was a small room with a single old bee sitting on a dusty couch. 

She looked up with kind eyes as they approached:

“I’ve been waiting for you, young man.”

Chapter 4:  The Plan


Derek was surprised, but he flew up to her anyways.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“What I mean by this is,” she said in her old, creaky voice “I can read your mind.”

“No you can’t.”

“Just you wait.”

“Fine.  What am I thinking?” said Derek.

“You think Melanie Blackback is soooooo cute and you want to marry her.”

“Yep.  I really do think that.  Wow!  You really can read minds.  That’s cool,” replied Derek in his high-pitched voice, which was the total opposite of the voice of Old Gray.

“Surely, you didn’t come all this way so I could guess the bees that you fancy,” said Old Gray with a smile.  “Tell me what is going on below.”

At that, Derek told her of the invasion of the beasts, and all the terrible things that had happened, and how he and his team had escaped to seek her wisdom.  When he finished, he looked up, and softly asked, “So, can you help us?”

“I can,” she said, and then went on: “I believe that you should not fight the beasts, nor should you flee in fear.  You must figure out what they want and why they came.”

“But,” said Derek, “how will we get the beasts to calm down?  If we go back down there, they will kill us!”

Old Gray cocked her head and replied, “You must get their attention.  You must convince them to listen to you.”

“How will I do that?” asked Derek.

“You must be confident and strong.  If you believe in yourself and are not afraid, they will respect you.  If you convince them that you can help them, they will listen to you.”

Derek smiled and flexed his arms.  “I can do that.”

Old Gray shook her head.  “Not strong of body.  Strong of mind.”

Derek understood.  He went back to his group of bees, and explained what they would be doing.  They were very worried that they wouldn’t be able to convince the Beasts to listen to them, and they were flying towards a certain death at the hands of their enemies.

Derek listened patiently, like a good leader.  He then began to speak.  He stood before them and explained that he had got them this far: “Trust me.  Old Gray’s plan will work.  I know it!  If you won’t come with me, I will go alone.  If you are with me, come stand with me.”

One by one the bees flew to Derek’s side.  They were nervous but they trusted him.  When the entire group was ready, they left the clouds and flew downward towards their home.

Chapter 5: The Big Bee-Beast Meeting


As they came down from the clouds, Derek’s group was gripped with fear.  They looked all around frantically as they flew – hoping that the Beasts wouldn’t get them.  Luckily, they were able to land safely at the top of the tall tree.  There, Derek yelled with all his might:  “Beasts of the Land, I am Derek of the bees, and we need to talk about why you are attacking.”

The leader of the Beasts stepped forward and looked upwards.  To Derek’s surprise, the Beast leader was a mix of a lion, tiger and bear.  He had the body of a tiger, a head of a bear, and the tail of the lion.  Not only that, but he had huge wings that soon carried him to the top of the tall tree until he was eye-to-eye with Derek.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just kill you all?”

Derek was afraid, but steadied himself and answered: “We didn’t do anything to you.  We have lived peacefully all this time, and this is our land.  We do not understand why you came here.  If we know why you are here and why you are so angry, maybe we can figure out a solution together.”

The Beast leader lowered his head, and Derek saw tears forming in his eyes.  He started to speak, this time quietly:

“Well, we beasts for the past few months have been living with no food, barely any water.  It’s miserable.  Something to our land – everything dried up.  We couldn’t stay there anymore. And the thing is we need help.  We attacked because we need a new land to survive; we knew this was your land, and attacking seemed to be what we needed to do.”

“Why do you come here for help?”

“This is the land that is closest.  It is a good land.” 




. . . . MORE TO COME!