Fun Things I Did This Weekend

Found an old book I had kept (A Short History of a Small Town, by T.R. Pearson) and reread it to see why I had kept it.  Yep, It’s a keeper.   In the 70s, I took a course at Cal State Long Beach called Fiction Now.  It was taught by someone who was to become a well-known poet and author, Gerald Locklin.  He introduced me to Tom Robbins and John Gardner.  He had me read Mary Hemingway, too, but then, nobody’s perfect.   If Pearson had been around back then, I think Jerry would have had me read that author, too.  Actually, I wish he had because then I would have known this guy was around.  Truth is, I’ve spent a lot of years looking for good female writers.  A vestige of my roaring feminist past, I guess.   I can see many weekends ahead gorging myself on Pearson.

Watched a movie from 2004 (Connie and Carla).  Only got 2-1/2 stars from the DISH-TV review but 6+ in my book.  But then I’m partial to comedies and musicals, especially since my brother was a Broadway percussionist specializing in musicals in the 60s.  I bet I know almost every lyric to every musical back then.  My canary, TJ, and I sang all the way through a TV no-commercials showing of  Oklahoma.  My mother-in-law said she couldn’t hear herself talk.  Neither could I.  Heheheheh.

Went to the site of a WP blogger (writingforfoodinindy) who had liked my quad-observational post and wrote a very nice, succinct critique of it.  I’ve found a new writer to follow and with whom I look forward to many interesting discussions.

Had a surprise call from my high school buddy and spent over an hour talking about old memories and making new ones.  I hate talking on the telephone.  Whenever it rings, I hope it’s either a wrong number or a telemarketer just waiting for me to slam the receiver down in his/her ear.  I almost didn’t answer this call.  I would have missed a highlight of my weekend.  When will I learn to think of the phone as my friend?  OK, so never.  So any friends who might be reading this, I apologize ahead of time if your call doesn’t get answered.  I’m sorry.  Really.  I know, I can be a real asshole at times.

Went through an old journal from the ’70s and found some of my writings that I reworked and posted here.  Gave me some impetus for writing again.  More than stuff like this post.  I hope.  And that made me think just now about what someone long ago had said in one of the many writing classes I’ve taken over the years:  Ya gotta write it all out, good and bad, and keep writing and getting it out there.  Get it all out, the good, the bad and the ugly, until nothing is left but the good.  Or the ugly.  The ugly is good, too.  OK, so no one said that last part except me.  I think it’s pretty ugly;-)

Explore posts in the same categories: Authors, Blogs I Like, Books, Memoir, Movies, Small Town Life, Writing

Tags: Broadway theatre, Cal State Long Beach, Connie and Carla, entertainment, Gerald Locklin, John Gardner, literature, Oklahoma, Short History of a Small Town, T.R. Pearson, telephones, Tom Robbins, weekends, Writing

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