Dru, Steinbeck and the Book of Deer

Dear Juliet Sorry I'm late, there was a lot of laundry and ironing to do. I don't think I can manage much tonight, but there's an important anniversary I should observe so I'll reprint this blog entry from Dear Miss Landau . Ground Zero, afterwards   There’s always a girl sitting alone on a bench.   Work goes on to put up a new building in place of the lost towers, and the sound of the ta-pocketa ta-pocketa machines reverberate above the din.   The skeleton of the new edifice rises from the foundations.   Raw-red girders are just beginning to climb skyward, but she’s always there. I cross the causeway to West Street and Battery Park. A young man brushes by me on the escalator, wrapped tight in his own private little world of finance and shutting out all else with headphones. I met another young man like him once, in the plaza before the towers fell. I come to the water’s edge and relative silence greets me. There’s Lady Liberty in the distance and clo...

Dear Juliet Just a quick one, sadly lacking in deep inner meaning. Shifnal's having a scarecrow carnival , and I picked up a couple of photos. Hope U Like. Just back from the dental hygienist, four calls tonight in Bridgnorth, no crying in the layby. Well, maybe not. I even think of you when I'm having my teeth done... I hope you're okay? Son of Monsterpalooza 's next up, I understand. Simpler title than Offspring of Monsterpalooza, to be sure. I hope you have a good time, and don't run into the Wicker Man at the door! Love, James

Dear Juliet I had a thought, based on your seminar in Murray ... Pretty simple, really. No, you're not hideously ugly. I have looked at hundreds of images of you over the years, seen you close-up, even given you the odd hug. You are not ugly. You have wonderful cheekbones and marvellous eyes. A great figure. Nice smile, too. First time I saw you, you looked magnificent. Nice blue dress as well. You still do. Thought I'd better just say that, and write it in stone. Mind you, I did wonder whether or not you're a bit of an introvert? And this reminded me of Adrian in Rocky . I've been looking forward to I Play Rocky , taking a bit more interest in the making of the original film, seeing a few analogies with today and remembering Adrian occasionally reminded me of you. You called yourself a wilted flower, Talia Shire described Adrian as shy, as a broken flower . There are similarities. But no one ever said a broken flower couldn't bloom, and although it's not a perf...

Dear Juliet I'm a bit worried about you this morning, so I've found this resource in Hollywood. You probably know about it, but on occasion a bit of repetition does no harm. And there was one funny coincidence... Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund) 1630 Schrader Boulevard #100 Los Angeles 90028 Tel: 323 933 9244 Email: western@entertainmentcommunity.org Direct services portal: entertainmentcommunity.org/services-programs (I think) Yeah. Schrader Boulevard. It's right next door to the former hostel on Schrader. I liked that place. Bright primary colours, very clean. Nice staff. If it was still there, I'd go back. So, same old thing: you're free to do as you please. But, please, think about giving them a call. You could even take a walk down that way one afternoon. Hollywood Boulevard, tinged a little red and grey, looks good late on a summer's day ... I remember getting the bus, the morning after the second time I saw you, first trip, 2010 i...

“There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world ... we lead the world in only three categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita. Number of adults who believe angels are real. And defence spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined. ... The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world any more. Enough?” ( The Newsroom , HBO, 2012)   But it could be, but it won’t happen unless we all do a serious reality check, and perhaps get a bit angry.   So here, for my sins and my perdition, are my observations and my prescription: A girl in Chicago who’d worked for the Board of Trade and blown the whistle because of all the corruption she’d seen.   The bureaucrats lining their pockets and killing their country.   They’d fired her for it and she ended up living on welfare in a tent city near San Fran...

Dear Juliet Don't overdo it. Don't sleep in the subway, darling... I can see your itinerary for today (frame, mental health, ZepFEST wrap-up) so just try to conserve your energy. It'll be okay. So anyway, this is really just a foreword for the next blog, which is a reprint of one I wrote just after the second crossing, 13th September 2012. The new and freshly-minted real published author, firmly in command of the original Enterprise . I think I was peaking about then although I'm not exactly past it yet. It was another era. Obama's America. And the past's another country. Well, I hope you enjoy it. Love, James My cousin Keith with President Obama, August 2012. Juliet the Notebook in Chicago.