A word about the political atmosphere, or something

I just saw on the Drudge Report on Saturday, May 30, a reference to an article in "Pravda" about the U.S. of A. turning Marxist, so I had to read it.

Sure enough, it said in an opinion that America was descending into Marxism at a rapid pace, and not even caring about giving up its freedoms without fighting anyone, just accepting it as a pre-done thing. Whereas, the Russians fought like crazy men before throwing in the towel, and gloated over the results.

And all I do is look around me, watch a little TV, read a newspaper and some things on the internet and I have to agree with the author. The American has been brainwashed for many years, especially in the schools in my opinion, and on TV, and it's all worded in such a manner that they accept it all, and go on with their "free" lives. What has become of us, letting Congress and the Presidents do things so easy?

And, at my age, I say the heck with it, too, if that's the way the American people want it, they are certainly going to get it. No one listens to the voice of reason, it's too much trouble.

A brilliant idea strikes in the dark of night!

I had a startling idea early this morning, and it wouldn't let me go back to sleep for the longest time, so I was unable to pull myself out of bed until 4:30 AM. The idea was hilarious and a bit scary. What if mankind had evolved a little differently? Like, everyone's upper body was turned around facing to the rear. What if we had evolved that way? About everything that has been designed for comfort would have to be redone, causing a lot of employment. How wouild the seats of a car be constructed to enable use of the brakes and gas pedal? No chair or seat would have a back cushion unless it was some sort of arm rest. How would stadium seats and bleachers be designed? The one behind is usually higher than the one in front, but that's where the feet would rest.

You wouldn't be able to face your true love for those intimate moments, and in some cases that would be fine, but may be difficult matching up the parts. Maybe there wouldn't be so much time talking about love and such on TV, or maybe there would be more. A person would be able to eat fine sitting backwards, and that may lead to more alcoholism somehow. Everybody would have to learn to walk and run backwards, making for slower sports games, and if somebody had mastered running, he would be a superstar. It could possibly cut down on drinking and drug use, when people started stumbling and falling down all over the place.

I imagine people would get used to it, though, after a few thousand years or less, since it would be natural. A cowboy would have to adjust his balance in the saddle as he rides along, and he would have to run backward when he was running to untie a roped calf. His pistol and belt would have to be relocated, but that would be easy, and he wouldn't have any trouble with the fast draws.

I've told my wife some of the things that keep me awake at night, and she just shakes her head and says, "No wonder you can't sleep. What do you have to think about that stuff for?" And I don't have a good answer.

Reading/My new novel

I've been reading "Boone's Lick," by McMurtry, and it may take awhile to plow through it. I don't mean that it's not well-written or humourous or interesting. No, I just can't stay awake long enough to read more than one or two chapters at a time. I save my entertainment reading until the day is done in most cases and use it to take my mind off the day's doings. I find that when I get involved in writing a story, I'm thinking about it most of the time and it will pop in and say hello at any time. And I'm wondering what I should do next as the story advances to keep it, or make it, more interesting, if that's possible (ha-ha). So it takes me a long time to read a book, and the longer it is, the longer it takes, of course.

I'm proceeding pretty well with "The Bloody Gulch", which is now called "Blood Runs in the Gulch." I may call it something else before it is finished, but I've written about 25,000 words and it should go another 20- or 25,000, or so. One of the secondary characters is trying to make up his mind about two girls, which one is he going to ask to marry him, or will there be someone else come along? He's been hired on as a Deputy to help the Sheriff take care of business. The sheriff is expecting trouble from the CB Ranch hands who want to run things around town. They're a new bunch who have moved on to a ranch a few miles south, but a couple three of them are troublemakers.

We shall see how it progresses. I never know how it's going to come out until I've reached about three-quarters, then it seems to fall in place for the finale.

True West Mag Comments

I'm back after a good week of running around town and having a good time. Needed the break.

I received the first True West magazine from my free subscription, and enjoyed reading the articles, although I would prefer a fiction mag. There was an article about the Western Writer's of America group's selection of the 100 best Western movies, although the author, Henry Cabot Beck, didn't show the list, but suggested some movies that should have been included. So, I haven't seen the list of 100 yet, but I suppose I might take a look at it one of these days. To me, there never has been a bad western made. Critically, I guess there are a passel of them, but what the heck, I've never seen a really bad one, although I have seen some really boring ones. But, they all have a certain redeeming fascination that leads me to overlook the boring parts in them.

Back in the '30's I saw one in which the line, "The son of a bitch stole my gun," which was totally outrageous in our little community of Mormons. The thought of using swear words in a movie then was sacrirelegious and shocking, and sent the attendees into a whirlspin of argument. The Bishop addressed it in the following Sunday's preaching, reiterating how bad it was and immoral, it would surely lead us all into Hell. But, I don't know how many non-survivors actually went to Hell for watching it, of course. I don't think it made any permanent impact on me, especially the way the actors throw the bad language around these days, but it did make an impression, is why I even remember it. Hence came censorship in the movies.

An article on "Lonesome Dove" was interesting by Johnny D. Boggs on the movie and the actors who were selected to play the major roles and those who were not.

And there was an article by Bob Boze Bell entitled "Photos Don't Lie!", in which he takes aim at Western movie acccuracy.

I like the Calendar of Western Events, which shows the upcoming festivities of the west. If I want to attend one or two, I can refer to the list and make a choice, near or far.

A very interesting magazine for followers of the West.

Some pondering on humor

There won't be a blog next Wed or Thurs, and maybe Sun, due to other commitments.

It's time for some light-hearted pondering, so start pondering:

A bus station is where a bus stops. A tain sation is where a train stops. What happens at my work station?

Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?

If Fedex and UPS were to merge, should they call it FEDUP?

Does fuzzy logic tickle?

Oh, Stop! Stop it! I can't see for the tears in my eyes? Humor is in the eye of the thinker. I've composed humorous items one day and the next didn't think they were at all funny. I try to incorporate some humor in everything I write, sometimes subtle and sometimes overt. Whether the reader catches it or thinks it funny, doesn't really matter as long as the story goes forward and meets my very liberal standards. There doesn't seem to be too much room in a western novel for much humor in order to maintain the serious aspect of the whole thing. But in my estimation, there is always room for a little of it to add a little spice to the piece.

Sometimes it's just accidental and not meant to come out that way, even I don't catch it until I've read it over once or twice. If I like it, I don't change it.

There "ain't" enough humor in these bleak times, with the expectation of unemployment hanging over everyone's head. There have been several or many times over the years that I wished I had been fired from a particular job, but I was too stubborn to quit and look for something else to do, since my bank account hung near zero all the time. I put up with a lot of unnecesary crap in order to draw the next paycheck, like many unhappy people, but all in all, I guess it wasn't too bad.

Some people just have no sense of humor and don't like it at all. It would give them a heart attack to laugh at a joke, if they even caught it.

More on my world

Shucks! I missed posting another blog on Sunday, 2 May. I didn't exactly miss it, I didn't have anything ready to go because of the interruptions. I hope to get back on schedule with this one to be posted Thursday, 7 May. Mondays are a waste most of the time because of other goings-on, but the rest of the week looks almost empty.

I plan to pick up "The Tarnished Star" by Jack Martin, and "Trail of Tears", by Marsha Ward, both new Western novels that came out last month. I just finished reading "Wild Horse River" by Wayne D. Overholzer, and enjoyed it very much, although in parts it was a little tedious, but builds up to a terrific ending, thoroughly readable. I'm not going to be reading very much, other than my great grandfather's autobio, which is long and somewhat boring, but interesting since it was written by him. That family traveled from Dryden, New York, to a place near Kirtland, Ohio, in the first half of the 1800's, and the journey cost less than $15 from the figures posted for daily expenses, being usually between one and three dollars a day. They stayed in "taverns" and traveled by wagon. And I am trying to finish McMurtry's "Boone's Lick", another good one.

I'm still working on my own a little every day, have gone past 50 pages, but am struggling with it. I need to do some deep thinking on it, where do I want it go? What's it doing now? But, I've had my mind on other things lately. Springtime is a busy time of the year.