Links and Stuff

Hello! I skipped last week’s “Links and Stuff” because… I forgot! Sorry. Well, it’s the time of year to get caught up in doing other things. As much as I want this to be a regular feature, that’s not going to happen consistently. Bear with me, folks!

What’s been going on with me? I submitted a short story to a magazine a few weeks ago. I need to do more of that kind of thing, see if I can get something published. Also, I don’t think I mentioned that I came in runner-up in a flash story contest I entered in October. My plan for this year was not to enter any more contests (other than Janet Reid’s writing contests on her blog), but this one came when I was just in the mood for a writing challenge. The contest was hosted by Ink After Dark. Click HERE to go to the results page where you can read my story, and the winning story.

While unpacking boxes a few weeks ago, I finally got around to watching “24”–yes, I’m slow to the party. For those who don’t know, “24” follows the exploits of Agent Jack Bauer, who works for the Counter Terrorism Unit of the U.S. government. The series is supposed to be “real-time,” so each episode of each 24-part season represents an hour. They even account for commercial breaks! I’ve watched three of the eight seasons so far, and it is thoroughly addictive. Definitely not for the feint of heart, since it’s non-stop action and cliffhanger upon cliffhanger. The writers of the cartoon show “South Park” one time made an insightful observation, captured on this video. Now, I’m not a fan of “South Park,” but they are absolutely correct that a compelling, lively plot needs to connect scenes with “but…” or “therefore…” not with “and then…” So far, every series of “24” I’ve seen has exemplified this principle.

Last week, it was reported that actor Andrew Sachs had died. Probably the role Sachs is most known for is the hapless waiter, Manuel, in the British TV series “Fawlty Towers,” which starred and was co-written by ex-Monty Python star John Cleese. That series is comic genius, and Manuel was the perfect foil for Cleese’s Basil Fawlty. If you’ve never seen Fawlty Towers, do yourself a favor and hunt it down. Here’s a clip in the meantime:

Finally, yesterday night marked the 36th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. He was murdered at 10:50pm Eastern Time in the US on Monday, December 8th, 1980, which was 3:50am in the morning on Tuesday, December 9th in the UK. It’s not inappropriate, therefore, to mark the occasion today, since I first heard the news on December 9th. As I recall, the first I heard of John Lennon’s death was on the six o’clock news that evening, where it was the story. I had been at school all day, and if anyone mentioned it there, it clearly didn’t register with me. When the news anchor reported Lennon’s death, I asked my Dad, “Who’s John Lennon?” He told me he was one of the Beatles, and then I understood why such a fuss was being made. The BBC preempted all programming that night to show the Beatles’ movie, “Help!” as a tribute. I watched it, as well as the other Beatles and Lennon specials that came on over the following days and weeks. Indeed, it was that horrific, tragic event 36 years ago that led me to become a Beatles fan, and eventually to learn guitar and piano. So this is a landmark occasion for me in more ways than one.

I’ll sign off for the week with one of my favorite Lennon solo songs, appropriate for the time of year: