‘In a way, the house was very much like me. It looked good. It had tremendous possibilities, but it needed work.’
Author: Sue Young
Don’t Let Art Take A Back Seat
Don’t let art take a back seat
To your job or profession
You have to pay the bills
But never let that take precedence
I know that’s hard
As are the hundreds of worries that assail our minds
Day in, day out
Causing interference
In our brain waves
But persevere, be steadfast.
Have loyalty
And faithfulness
To your talents
To your dreams
More important than any job
And more important than
Most things in your life
Treat your art like a life partner
Your creative ability
And creative energy
Is an essential part of your soul
Do not let it rot and blacken
On the vine of your heart
Do not let creative atrophy
Silence your spirit
If it doesn’t come
Don’t panic
It’ll come.
When you least expect it
When you’ve given up
Or said, I really can’t be bothered with this now
Then you’ll pick up a pen.
And you’ll be writing
And you’ll think
Where did that come from?
It was there all along
Just waiting
Waiting for the right time and place.
Middle Of The Road
Either hot or cold
Up or down
No centre ground
No temperate clime
Sweet or Sour
Here or There
Passion or placid
Love or not
No grey area
No neutral zone
Fast or slow
No sideline
No sitting
On the fence
Good or bad
Rain or shine
No point being
Lukewarm
Or tepid
Or mediocre
Or middle of the road
Because if you’re in the
Middle of the road…
You get hit by cars.
Quote Of The Week
‘It’s scary to stand up and tell the truth.’
Mike Smith – Hollywood Stuntman https://www.outofshadows.org/
Autograph Surprise For The Star Trek Lady
I was feeling a bit down…
(Oh hang on a minute, I’ve just done a post that began that way. No, this is different. Honestly. This isn’t a rehash. I’ll start again. Bear with me please. Ahem…)
I was feeling a bit down and opened up a Star Trek Next Generation Novel, which I bought for a couple of pounds from a local gaming/comic book store.
And got a lovely surprise!
Marina Sertis’ autograph!
She’s one of my favourite actresses on that sci fi series. She plays the character Deanna Troi.
The day just got better!
Who needs beer gardens?
And, as if I’d ever go to a Star Trek convention?
Well, you never know. I am in my autumn years. ( Well maybe late summer. Very late).
One of the sales guys hasn’t seen me for a year because of lockdown, and didn’t recognise me for about 30 minutes. Finally, after studying me for a while, and not getting who I was because of the winter coat, hat, mask and a year of lockdown, clocked the eight Star Trek Next Generation novels, piled up high in my arms.
When the penny dropped, he said in a loud and impassioned voice, ‘Oh, I know who you are now, you’re the Star Trek Lady!’
Lovely man.
It’s a title I joyfully accept.
Tomato Juice Garden
Lockdown has eased.
There’s a spring
Not just in the air
But in everybody’s step
Because now
We can all go to beer gardens.
It takes so little to make the human being
Happy and content.
If only beer gardens were always the answer
Llike when you give a dog a treat
And they feel they have found
The ultimate happiness.
Let’s flock to beer gardens the nation over
Just because we can.
I’ve avoided them like the plague.
Like the plague of recent times
I’ll take my poison on my own terms
Don’t want to be forced to drink
Just so I can be with people I care about
Then again
I suppose you could always get a tomato juice.
Quote Of The Week
‘I’m going to write myself out of this shithole.’
Whatever Happened To…Ted Neely
Ted Neely was born in Ranger, Texas in 1943. As a young man, he formed a band called ‘The Ted Neely Five’.
He played the lead in two productions of ‘Hair’ and also starred in a production of ‘Tommy’, which led to him performing on Broadway in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ but not as Jesus. He had originally auditioned for Judas but became part of the chorus and understudy for Jesus instead. He played the title role in the L.A stage version and eventually the film version of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ in 1974, where he met his wife, Leeyan Granger. (She was one of the dancers in Simon Zealots and King Herod’s Song). They have two children, Tessa and Zackariah. He received a Golden Globe nomination for best actor and New Star Of The Year.
After his success on the big screen, he released a solo album and sang in ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band on the Road’ and appeared on T.V, with his band. He returned to the stage to reprise his role in Jesus Christ Superstar in the late seventies.
As well as releasing solo and collaborative albums, he became songwriter, arranger and producer for many well known artists, including Tina Turner, Ray Charles, The Kinks and Meatloaf. He also wrote musical scores for movies and T.V series, including A Perfect Couple 1979 and NBC’s Highway To Heaven. He returned to playing with his new band ‘Pacific Coast Highway’ in the late seventies.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original film, the ‘A.D tour’ of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ ran from 1992 to 1997. He played Jesus a reputed 1,700 times. (It’s obviously a bit more than that now)!
In 1999, Ted played in rock musical, ‘Rasputin’, as the title role. In the next five years, he performed in the world premiere of Murder in the First and Waiting For Godot by The Rubicon Theatre. He was also sound consultant for Harry Chapin revue, ‘Lies and Legends’
He performed in a one night benefit of JCS at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood in 2006. The new ‘A.D Tour’ followed, with a minimalist set and lasted between 2007 and 2010.
2012 saw Ted back on the road with new group, ‘The Little Big Band.‘ performing songs from Hair, JCS, Sgt Pepper, as well as their own songs.
Ted played the role of ‘The Publicist’ in Alleluia ! The Devil’s Carnival in 2015.
Ted was invited to Rome to play Jesus in JCS, directed by Massimo Romeo Piparo. Italian group Negrita also featured on stage, as well as a 12 piece orchestra. For a year, the show toured in Italy with overwhelming positive responses and sold out signs.
Another return to Italy for another JCS Tour. This time extending into The Netherlands and Belgium before coming back round to Italy in 2017.
Easter 2018, saw Ted back in the Netherlands, followed by Bulgaria and Spain. Then an Italian tour until December of the same year. I’m sure it would have continued if it hadn’t been for Covid, but knowing Ted, and his optimistic outlook, the tours will return again soon.
Missed Opportunities
Ever had a missed opportunity?
Whether it’s just a neighbour
Who waved at you
Across the way
From the window
And you froze
And didn’t wave back.
In lockdown.
And now you don’t know
How To Pull it Back.
‘Cos maybe won’t take rejection a second time
And yet, you won’t put your neck on the block
Even though it was them who put their neck on the line
That first time
And you are lonely and isolated
And have fantasized and wished
For a long time
That they would wave at you again.
But you know it’s not their call
And you know you would wave back manically
If they waved back at you again.
‘Cos you just froze
Like you always do.
And backed away from the window
Now they turn away from their window
When you are there
Or look away
Won’t take rejection a second time
But sometimes they stare
Straight at you
Hoping you’ll return the kind gesture
They gave you
But you can’t be spontaneous
Or even planned
Would rather crawl on the floor
Then pass by the window again.
And have often done, to your shame.
Ahem, okay, let’s get off this train of thought
Where was I?
Oh yes, look…
Perhaps there was an job opportunity
A job you didn’t take
Or applied for
Because you didn’t think
You were good enough
Or worthy enough
Or could do it
And sustain it
And authenticate it
Or believe you could do it
Or a romantic relationship that
Passed you by
Because you knew it was wrong
Or maybe it was right
And you fought it tooth and nail
And murdered your feelings
For an easy life
Or because it wasn’t what you were
Or what you were supposed to do
But it never led to an easy anything
Did it?
Ever had a missed opportunity?
When you haven’t smiled
Or didn’t stand up for yourself
Or didn’t say the right thing
The thing you wanted to say
Or didn’t say anything
And let that moment pass
That valuable, precious moment
Hindsight is
20 20 vision
Sometimes.
You didn’t say the right thing
Didn’t do the right thing
What is the right thing?
Is there such a thing?
As a missed opportunity?
If you didn’t do it the first time round
Maybe there is a good reason.
Your natural self reacted
Responses are instinctive
Sometimes not fast enough
For other people
Who Live Their Life
In The Fast Lane
Or you were pre-emptive
But it’s not always what you think it should be
It doesn’t have to be anything
Don’t beat yourself up
Over missed opportunities
Don’t regret these so called
‘Missed opportunities’
We just don’t know
How it would have turned out
If it had happened
It might have been the worst thing
We ever did.
But next time,
As a result of all the missed opportunities
Maybe we might be
More spontaneous
The next time round
And if not
It doesn’t matter
As there’s always a next time
And God Is Good
And will give you limitless opportunities
To miss opportunitiies
Or to hit them
On the bullseye
Every single day
Of your life.
Sow Discontent
Governments
And People
Sow Seeds Of Discontent
The opposite of Discontent
Is Gratefulness
Oh yes, let’s start becoming ungrateful and want something else….
A completely new and different life…
That was never had before
And not within our grasp
It promises
A present and a future
That was better than
What we had before
We Buy into the Discontent
It makes a person
Or a Nation
Or a Country
Want to start wars
Or destroy marriages
Or themselves
Countries that were once happy
Now unhappy
Marriages that were happy
Now unhappy
Nations that were happy
Now unhappy
And so on,
Nation Will Rise against Nation
And Kingdom Against Kingdom
If you Sow Seeds of Discontent
War Begins.
Things In My Head 