As is probably obvious from the various bits of weird stuff which show up in this blog, I “collect” things which strike me as amusing, strange, cute, clever, annoying, or in some way as being of enough interest to think they might be worth a second look. Since I retired, I have spent many hours trying to make some sense out of what was a large (and continuously growing) mishmash of these items. In other words, I guess I was channeling my mother (the librarian) to try to make some kind of order out of the chaos. Needless to say, I haven’t sorted things out to a degree which would make sense to anybody but me (and even I can’t always find things as quickly as I could wish). Still, it’s been a bit of a challenge, though it hasn’t been unpleasant. It’s even been of some use in finding stuff to post about. Which gets me to the point of all this.
In thinking about what to write about this time, I was looking through my large folder of stuff entitled “Waiting for a Blog Post” and noticed that I have a lot of stuff in a folder entitled “Advice.” It even has sub-folders specifically for “Advice for Men” and “Advice for Women,” but I decided to stay in the broadest category this time.
Now, at about this point some readers are probably saying to themselves, “Why should we pay any attention to you? You’re just an old, tired, run-down ex-professor who thinks he knows a lot.” Well I’ll confess to being, old, tired and run-down, but I’ve always known there were many others who knew at least as much as I, and probably a good deal more. Still, I think it’s the duty of those of us who have lived a while to try to assist those who come along behind us to have an easier time. So, while I have never participated in activities such as shown below, I know that they exist because us “old” folks find it hard to resist making suggestions and offering advice, when we think they might help.
In thinking about what to write about this time, I was looking through my large folder of stuff entitled “Waiting for a Blog Post” and noticed that I have a lot of stuff in a folder entitled “Advice.” It even has sub-folders specifically for “Advice for Men” and “Advice for Women,” but I decided to stay in the broadest category this time.
Now, at about this point some readers are probably saying to themselves, “Why should we pay any attention to you? You’re just an old, tired, run-down ex-professor who thinks he knows a lot.” Well I’ll confess to being, old, tired and run-down, but I’ve always known there were many others who knew at least as much as I, and probably a good deal more. Still, I think it’s the duty of those of us who have lived a while to try to assist those who come along behind us to have an easier time. So, while I have never participated in activities such as shown below, I know that they exist because us “old” folks find it hard to resist making suggestions and offering advice, when we think they might help.
As suggested above, advice from “old coots” like me may, or may not, be of much value. That’s probably why I “borrow” much of it from others who may well be brighter than I. That’s to say nothing of the fact the I wish I’d said some of these things. See below:
Okay, Morgan Freeman probably isn’t God (although he has played him) but I hope you’ll agree that this statement rings fairly true. On the other hand, I think that the voice of God would have to sound a lot like the voice of James Earl Jones. That’s the sort of voice which suggests the sort of power and authority I tend to associate with the Deity more than any other I can think of. It’s unfortunate, however, that it’s also the voice of Darth Vader, whom I don’t tend to think of as resembling a Deity, although he does have some pretty impressive powers.
The picture below probably should be in one of my “Signs Seen Along the Way” posts, but it seemed to fit how I was thinking while I was putting this together. I DID live in the South for a long time, after all. Of course, I was told that I could never qualify as a “true” Southerner (which is probably fair enough), but I did qualify as “A Gentleman of the North.” That was good enough for me. Although I thought then, and still do think, that such regional designations were silly and unproductive. I’m an American! My family, in one form or another, has been here since a good while before the United States was even thought of. Still, I find regional differences to be a source of some amusement, as long as they don’t use them to imply that some of us are better than others. After all, I could argue that almost all of you are “johnny-come-lately” immigrants, whom we “real" Americans shouldn’t have let come in to “spoil” our country. Of course, then we would have to figure out a way to deal with the peoples who arrived before we did, but we can certainly do that, because “those people” don’t really count, do they?
Anyway, I saw this in a shop somewhere and liked it a lot. I THINK it may have been in the “Traditions” shop in Antler Hill Village on the Biltmore Estate, but I’m not sure. Obviously, it was in a store, as it was on a table with some other stuff. In any event, it struck me as an amusing (and somewhat true) comment about Southern behavior, based on over forty years of living there.
The picture below probably should be in one of my “Signs Seen Along the Way” posts, but it seemed to fit how I was thinking while I was putting this together. I DID live in the South for a long time, after all. Of course, I was told that I could never qualify as a “true” Southerner (which is probably fair enough), but I did qualify as “A Gentleman of the North.” That was good enough for me. Although I thought then, and still do think, that such regional designations were silly and unproductive. I’m an American! My family, in one form or another, has been here since a good while before the United States was even thought of. Still, I find regional differences to be a source of some amusement, as long as they don’t use them to imply that some of us are better than others. After all, I could argue that almost all of you are “johnny-come-lately” immigrants, whom we “real" Americans shouldn’t have let come in to “spoil” our country. Of course, then we would have to figure out a way to deal with the peoples who arrived before we did, but we can certainly do that, because “those people” don’t really count, do they?
Anyway, I saw this in a shop somewhere and liked it a lot. I THINK it may have been in the “Traditions” shop in Antler Hill Village on the Biltmore Estate, but I’m not sure. Obviously, it was in a store, as it was on a table with some other stuff. In any event, it struck me as an amusing (and somewhat true) comment about Southern behavior, based on over forty years of living there.
Having worked in theatre most of my life, I confess that I grew tired of the notion of a great many folks that the “proper” way to do a production was “the way it was done in New York.” That, of course, can lead to difficulties when producing a script which may not be modern enough to have originated in New York, but some would argue that we, as a culture, have “outgrown” such quaint scripts as those of the Greeks, the Elizabethans, Moliere, etc. After all, they were such a long time ago that they couldn’t possibly be of any interest today, could they? Besides, they were first performed in such “antiquated” styles as to be incomprehensible to “modern” audiences.
Now I don’t think one should ignore original production ideas, but I would argue that each of us has the right, as actors, designers or directors, to develop our own ideas as to how best to develop an approach to our work on a production. I, personally, have been a part of a wide variety of productions from various periods and in various production styles. Some of those productions have, probably, resembled their original productions, but many have not. Some have even used techniques from other periods, cultures, and styles. (NOTE: unabashed plug for the value of studying theatre [and other forms of] history.) Of course, it's also true that it’s illegal for designers and/or directors to steal (copy) the intellectual property (design, choreography, direction) of someone else (original production team), but it also has to do with the idea that we can learn things from those who came before us.
In any event, when my sister exposed me to the work of Mary Engelbreit, I became very fond of this picture from a coffee mug, which now belongs to Bonnie and me. It reminds me that the “New York way” isn’t, necessarily the only, or even the best, way to accomplish something.
Now I don’t think one should ignore original production ideas, but I would argue that each of us has the right, as actors, designers or directors, to develop our own ideas as to how best to develop an approach to our work on a production. I, personally, have been a part of a wide variety of productions from various periods and in various production styles. Some of those productions have, probably, resembled their original productions, but many have not. Some have even used techniques from other periods, cultures, and styles. (NOTE: unabashed plug for the value of studying theatre [and other forms of] history.) Of course, it's also true that it’s illegal for designers and/or directors to steal (copy) the intellectual property (design, choreography, direction) of someone else (original production team), but it also has to do with the idea that we can learn things from those who came before us.
In any event, when my sister exposed me to the work of Mary Engelbreit, I became very fond of this picture from a coffee mug, which now belongs to Bonnie and me. It reminds me that the “New York way” isn’t, necessarily the only, or even the best, way to accomplish something.
I accept that some others may not appreciate my opinions and/or advice, but I don’t wish to be too harsh in my judgement of them. After all, forgiveness is a good thing. However...
See below:
See below:
Still, while I do believe in “turning the other cheek,” there are times when some people should stop and consider the idea expressed below:
Yes, even I can be pushed too far. The notion which some (many) marketeers (and scammers) apparently have that my phone lines and email systems were invented for them to sell me stuff I don’t want and/or to cheat me out of my money annoys me a lot. My kids are now too old for me to be able to apply this bit of advice, but I encourage you to pass it along to as many people who CAN use it as possible.
That’s clearly enough of this sort of thing for the time being. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with something else for your possible edification and/or amusement.
LLAP
Dr.B
LLAP
Dr.B
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