Sunday, February 01, 2009

I was interviewed by Yellowdog Granny. She made up 4 random questions for me. They were not too bad, except for that #3 question... I've spent hours trying to answer it. I even inserted videos, rock songs etc., but to no avail (I took them all out, and, how can you have a rock opera without music? I'm horrified, but I don't know how to add music sound bytes). What was I thinking? Rock Opera? Man. What a lame playwright I am. That's one career I can scratch off!

1.If you could take your Harley and camera to any country and just travel it end to end and do nothing but take pictures which country would it be and why..

Heck, that’s an easy one. Combining two of my absolute favorite LOVES all in one shot... Iceland of course! Not an easy road to travel on a motorcycle, as most of the lone highway referred to as the “ring road” (the road which encircles the country’s outer rim) is made mostly from harsh lava-gravel; not easy-going on a Harley. But the pictures, the views, the landscapes and the birds... ahhhhhh. You need not possess any special talent as a photographer to capture the most fabulous of photos - the natural scenery is breathtaking just as it appears. I would go in the early summertime, when the midnight sun rides the sky and the temperatures are suitable for camping. The love of riding astride my Harley coupled with the miles of unbelievable eye-popping moss-covered lava fields, purple lupine waving on black-sand lowlands, endless waterfalls, blue-iced glaciers and windswept vistas is something one can only dream about.

2. If you could go back in time with your camera and capture one picture of one incident in time that has never been captured in print, what would it be and why?

It sounds selfish, and perhaps it is when compared on the world’s grand scale… but I remember as if it were yesterday the day the tall 15-year old dreamboat (my Bear) stepped forward out of a completely unknown crowd of many other young party-going lads & gals to take his rightfully won place on the back of my black & white pinto Misty for a ride, in exchange for his tall Colt .45. He jumped, in his attempt to mount the horse to sit behind me, at which point he did a complete endo, landing on his handsome head on the other side of Misty in the dirt. It was so funny I’d give anything to have a picture of his dazed face… He was determined however, and gamely tried again until he succeeded in placing himself comfortably and snugly behind me as we rode off into the hot Malibu afternoon…

3. You have just finished a rock opera and it's going to open on Broadway this week..what is is about and who will play the parts?

Okay keep in mind the question: "What is it about, and who will play the parts. "
I struggled mightily with this one for two days - as I know it needs more MUSIC and MORE MUSIC. I haven't seen many Rock Operas - I can think of Jesus Christ Superstar (bleah) and also Tommy (bleah bleah)... I wanted to see HAIR but my grandparents told my parents that it had actual nude actors parading down the aisles, so that one was definitely out (never got to see it). Well, here is my sincere attempt (that I almost DELETED A BILLION TIMES). I do like some of the Hollywood glitz (especially Sam Elliot, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino...) but unfortunately it hasn't translated into Broadway.

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS - IN THEIR OWN WORDS
A portrayal of 3 beings who try (as do we all) to make life work out in a positive fashion, and the evil meanie who tries to thwart their happiness.

FIRST LITTLE PIGGY – Starring Rachael Ray, bobbing happily along in the woods to Grandma’s house with a huge basket of stuff which her studio fridge was too overflowing to store it in. Oops – did I get the plot mixed up with another fairy tale?

SECOND LITTLE PIGGY – Me

THIRD LITTLE PIGGY – Played by The Little Red Hen

BIG BAD WOLF - My former boss

One day the FIRST LITTLE PIGGY built a house made out of straw. She stocked her fridge as if there was no tomorrow & her stage hands wouldn’t be back tomorrow with fresh ingredients. She stacked her picnic basket and blithely took off into the woods. The last time she was seen was on her way to a little chapel in the woods humming

and was never to be seen again. (Hmmm, I think I’m missing part of the story here) Anthony Bourdain took over her TV show and ratings actually went up.


Next day, the SECOND LITTLE PIGGY went into the woods, fully intending to gather the sticks needed to build her house. She procrastinated on her chore, and soon became enthralled when she discovered an ancient raven habitat, and never made it back to the homestead at all, instead finding solace and peace living among the Corvid tribe.



She was welcomed back among her own and lived happily ever after.


Finally, the THIRD LITTLE PIGGY came along and after much ado managed to supervise the organization of enough of her offspring to build a complete luxury brick house, spa included out the back.

Knock Knock: “Who is that knocking at my door” asked the third piggy.

“The big bad wolf” said he. "I am here to take away your job, your paycheck, destroy your close family ties with your co-workers, and steal your dignity. If you don’t let me in, I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down."




The third piggy gathered her kin, found out who owned a shotgun between them all, and blew a big fat load of rock salt into the cowardly Big Bad Wolf’s butt, sending him howling into the sunset, never to return.

THE END


4. You are granted the ability to cure one disease...what disease would you cure and why?

My younger Sister Tammy died at age 38 from Lou Gehrig’s disease only one year after her diagnosis. There are so many diseases which take or destroy the lives of our loved ones, that it seems silly to imagine a cure for only one of them. But since the question was personal, finding a cure for such a cruel sickness as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s, which takes the ability to freely move and breathe away from an otherwise healthy person seems reasonable. With the onset of this disease, the victim has perfect cognizant skills and sense of physical touch – comprehending and aware of the same things as you & I are all the way up until the last day of their life. The illness robs the luckless stricken person of all ability to move their limbs, lungs, mouth… eventually requiring intubation for feeding, breathing etc. though the person is just as aware of every feeling in every nerve as you or I. It is devastating, and if I could find a cure for such a torture I would do it in a heartbeat. The inability to breathe on her own, sentencing her to a breathing machine and no voice (she had to sacrifice her speaking ability for the greater necessity of breathing) was torture and eventually killed my Sister when the breathing machine malfunctioned and she suffocated. The amazing Stephen Hawking British Theoretical Physicist has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years and has left him almost completely paralysed. The long gevity of his condition however is an anomally, as the usual expected time from diagnosis to death is 2 or 3 years.

Thank you Jackie Sue for making me think, making me reflect, and finally for making me fume and fret until this dang post was finished. :)

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Peace at last in the blog world,congrads on the post...XoXo Bear

Tom & Icy said...

That really was the best blog entry I have seen anywhere in a long time. A lot of hard work and thought went into it, obviously. Makes me do a lot of thinking and want to read it over several times.

SOe said...

You made me laugh (get rid of the bad wolf :-)) and think (ALS). Thank you for spending so much time on this post! I enjoyed it very much.

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Those were some pretty fine questions and you gave some pretty fine answers. A wonderful post.

yellowdoggranny said...

wow.!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so impressed...you did the questions more than justice..you rocked them..I love the rock opera and your personal reasons for finding a cure for ALS is heart breaking...I'm so glad I know you...think this was my favorite interview...

lime said...

terrific post. yo umake me want to go to iceland. and the fairytale cracked me up!

i am so sorry about your sister. that truly is a horribly cruel disease.

javajazz said...

you worked so hard
on this one...!
awesome!
you take your blogging
seriously...
a great role model
for us all...
except for me
who obviously
is a crappy blogger..
hells, i'm even late
for bunny bunny..sheesh!
Ynnub Ynnub...xo

G said...

Terry, what an amazing post! I love your rock opera and will want to re-read this from home again. I am so sorry about your sister's suffering; reading about ALS in this way made me really reflect. So you and Bear go back aways :)

I have to make time for catch-ups if only to read such posts. xox from your ECS.

Ariel the Thief said...

Very interesting post!

1) I immediately knew the answer to your first question. :)

2) What a precious and funny moment!

3) I liked it. Ah that middle pig! I'd love to see Billy Bob Thornton in your rock opera.

4) Even if I lived for a 1000 years, I could not imagine the misery and fear your sister went through...

Ariel the Thief said...

My butt very interesting, Terry, it was wonderful!

Intense Guy said...

Now there is a rock opera I want to see on Broadway - I hope you get "your" role.

Your reply to the last question was thought provoking and moving. I can't imagine living (or dying) the way your sister did. I hope they find a cure - the treatment(s), like with cancer, sound pretty horrible and nearly as bad as the illness.

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear about your sister.
Peace.

Anonymous said...

That "opera" is truly a travesty, and if I were your supervisor and by some accident you were still employed, I would be sure to find it inappropriate on so many levels that suppression would be a mere formality!

Anonymous said...

That "opera" is truly a travesty, and if I were your supervisor and by some accident you were still employed, I would be sure to find it inappropriate on so many levels that suppression would be a mere formality!

Anonymous said...

Sorry Dr. Minnie commented twice. It can be very hard to shut her up when she is sending outraged memos.

Logophile said...

Terry, you are so fabulous. I love this post. It speaks of your heart, and your brain, your artistic eye, your sense of humor.
The whole package is AWESOME
So glad you got those questions and gave us another glimpse into the wonder that is you.
Fun, touching read

tsduff said...

Anonymous - Awe come on, it wasn't THAT bad :)
xoxo T

Tom & Icy - Thank you. What a nice thing for you to say. I did spend a bit more time on it than was reasonable (the Bear was without a companion for a long time).

SOe - Thanks for reading my questions and answers. I was glad to get rid of the big bad wolf.

Lone Grey Squirrel - I'm glad you came by. Say, I have 7 squirrels in my yard right now - they are indulging in a riot of gluttony on the huge bag of unshelled peanuts I left out last night. I'm sure there are so many peanuts buried in my yard now it would feed an army of pups.

Yellowdog Granny - That dang rock opera was the hardest one. I couldn't even think of a story, let alone the rock aspect and I love rock and roll. Thank you for the interview - it was thought provoking and I did like doing it.

Lime - Why wouldn't anyone want go to Iceland, LOL! The rock opera was a bit funky - but then, as I said, I'm no playwright. ALS is a horrible disease, and it is surprisingly more common than folks think.

JJ - Yep, worked hard but I couldn't tell you why on earth I do it. And, I'm so sporadic I would scarcely qualify as a good example. I happen to like your style - not much in the way of the new, but your blog is always alive and available for commenting on. That's saying something.

G - Yes - we do go back a bit of a ways. He was my first (and best I might add) boyfriend. Great way to meet, don't you think? Very nice to hear from you out there in the EAST - hope all is well with you and the fam. xo from your WCS

Ariel the Thief - LOL at Billy Bob Thornton... would he be the Big Bad Wolf... sort of like Bad Santa?

Glad you liked.

Intense Guy - Thank you for visiting and commenting. I doubt you will see me any time soon on Broadway LOL so don't hold your breath. There were many experimental drug programs in progress at the time of my Sister's death, but none worked. I haven't heard of anything that helps slow it down.

Weirsdo - Your kind comment was appreciated.

Dr. Minnie Strator - Welcome, and that is what I love about you. There is never any doubt how you feel. Nope - still not employed but by your opinion that is a good thing, yes?

Weirsdo - Quite alright - comments with extra exclamation marks are refreshing

Logophile - When I grow up I want to be an author like you... who make even mere comments poetic. Thanks for making my day.

Anonymous said...

I went to my friend Cindy's blog and played in a stack of little black boxes and found you!

Your meme was sensational, I am glad I came by for it.

tsduff said...

Quilly - Coming from you, I'm walking around on cloud feet... remember I've got similar connections to Friday Harbor - takes one to know one. Your word prowess at the Dawg and at Dr. John's is widely known. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to check me out. PS - I still love that black box :) It is a great stress reducer, isn't it? (Except that I keep finding that Fred always shows up at least a hundred times...)

won tong said...

Blown away is all I can say you can fill in the blanks as you are probabley the only one with the perfect words..Wow....Thankyou for shareing this I am so thankful for you in my life.. love xxoo Anne & George...