Kanteker's Craft

A Poem for My Wife

2010-03-28T14:59:00.005-04:00

I'm learning to simply accept these long gaps in posts. Not ideal for readers, but it's the best I can manage right now.

I wanted to share a poem with everyone. This is one that I wrote for my wife, Rihoko, for Valentine's Day. She was trying to figure out what I was planning for more than a week.

I am not a poet. My writing has always leaned strongly toward fiction. But I think poetry is a great method for any writer to stretch their muscles.

After looking at a few different forms of poetry I settled on the Villanelle. It was something new for me, and forced me to adhere to a certain form. I spent small pieces of time on it over the course of a week, finally settling on a draft that I could present to a few critique readers. Yes, I wanted to make sure it was the best poem I could write for her.

I presented the poem to her on the evening of Valentine's Day. We managed to get the kids to sleep on time and were planning on sitting down together, something we don't have the opportunity to do very often with the busy pace of our lives. I lit a few candles for atmosphere, and brought out a bottle of wine. i had actually filled our wine bucket with snow, which we had in abundance at that time. It did a great job of keeping the wine cold, but also looked a lot better than a pile of ice cubes. Then I handed her the journal.

I have several journals which have been gifted to me over time. I'm a writer, and that seems to be a natural option for others when shopping for my birthday or Christmas. Personally, I love it. I enjoy collecting journals, and force myself to work on filling them as frequently as possible.

I have one that was not being used, and decided to try something new to show my affection for Rihoko. Periodically, I would read through some of my books of poetry, trying to find something that would cause me to think of my wife. I've hand written in several poems, both classic and contemporary, that helped me to express my feelings. It was in this journal that I wrote out the poem I've included below. For me it was a much better choice than a dozen roses. Not only did I save money on the increased cost of flowers, but I gave my wife something personal, something she can cherish, something that is unique and hers alone.

Here is the poem I wrote for my eternal beloved, my wife, whom I love very much.

Every Day I Learn to Love You More
by Michael Colwill

Every day I learn to love you more,
and the bluebell brings a melody new;
the sun's caress is warmer than before.

At daybreak's hour, barefooted, you go for
a walk, lightly kissed by the morning's dew.
Every day I learn to love you more.

Tenderly alighting on earth's green floor
the ground trembles at the touch of you,
and the sun's caress is warmer than before.

The give and take of the waves on the shore,
our shaping of each other's heart adds to
my learning every day to love you more.

With a flower's sweet scent you awaken the core
of me, enticing my love your own to pursue.
The sun's caress is warmer than before.

So tread softly before my heart's door,
this key I've entrusted solely to you,
so every day I can learn to love you more.
Your caress, as sunlight, is warmer than before.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards - #2 - #5

2010-01-05T17:28:00.002-05:00

A continuation of the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards, started on January 1st of this year.

"2. Resolved, to be continually endeavouring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the forementioned things.

3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can."

Taken from volume one of The Works of Jonathan Edwards, which can be read for free online here.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards - #1

2010-01-01T12:29:00.005-05:00

This is a list of resolutions that Jonathan Edwards read once every week to keep his mind focused on God. I hope this series containing his resolutions helps you to do the same.

"Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

Remember to read over these resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever."

Stop back tomorrow for the second resolution, taken from volume one of The Works of Jonathan Edwards, which can be read for free online here.

Writing Quote #25

2009-08-13T02:00:00.000-04:00

"I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning and took out a comma. In the afternoon, I put it back in."

- Oscar Wilde

Writing Quote #24

2009-08-11T02:00:00.000-04:00

"Every writer must acknowledge and be able to handle the unalterable fact that he has, in effect, given himself a life sentence in solitary confinement. The ordinary world of work is closed to him -- and that if he's lucky!"

- Peter Straub

Writing Quote #23

2009-08-09T02:00:00.000-04:00

"Most people don't realize that writing is a craft. You have to take your apprenticeship in it like anything else."

- Katherine Ann Porter

Writing Quote #22

2009-08-07T02:00:00.000-04:00

"The reader has certain rights. He bought your story. Think of this as an implicit contract. He's entitled to be entertained, instructed, amused; maybe all three. If he quits in the middle, or puts the books down feeling his time has been wasted, you're in violation."

- Lary Niven

Writing Quote #21

2009-08-05T21:10:00.002-04:00

"My stories run up and bite me in the leg. I respond by writing them down - everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off."

- Ray Bradbury

Writing Quote #20

2009-07-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

"Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind."

- Rudyard Kipling

Writing Quote #19

2009-07-29T16:00:00.002-04:00

The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, and familiar things new."

- Samuel Johnson

Writing Quote #18

2009-07-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

"It's none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way."

- Ernest Hemingway

Writing Quote #17

2009-07-26T16:00:00.002-04:00

"Put weather in."

- Joseph Hansen

Writing Quote #16

2009-07-25T16:00:00.002-04:00

"The first thing you have to consider when writing a novel is your story, and then your story--and then your story!"

- Ford Madox Ford

Writing Quote #15

2009-07-24T16:00:00.001-04:00

"Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers."

- T. S. Eliot

Writing Quote #14

2009-07-23T16:00:00.001-04:00

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

- E. L. Doctorow

Writing Quote #13

2009-07-22T16:00:00.002-04:00

"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist."

- Isaac Asimov

Writing Quote #12

2009-07-21T16:00:00.001-04:00

"A young musician plays scales in his room and only bores his family. A beginning writer, on the other hand, sometimes has the misfortune of getting into print."

- Marguerite Yourcenar

Writing Quote #11

2009-07-20T16:00:00.001-04:00

"Pay attention to the sound of words."

- Dave Wolverton

Writing Quote #10

2009-07-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

"Art is the manipulation of someone else's imagination."

- Sol Saks

Writing Quote #9

2009-07-19T08:00:00.002-04:00

"It's hard for me to believe that people who read very little - or not at all in some cases - should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written. Can I be blunt on this subject? f you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time - or the tools - to write. Simple as that."

- Stephen King

Writing Quote #8

2009-07-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

"I get up in the morning, torture a typewriter until it screams, then stop.

- Clarence Budington Kelland

Writing Quote #7

2009-07-18T14:00:00.000-04:00

"The expert at anything was once a beginner."

- Rutherford B. Hayes

Writing Quote #6

2009-07-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

"Live out of your imagination, not your history."

- Stephen Covey

Writing Quote #5

2009-07-17T20:00:00.000-04:00

"The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense."

- Tom Clancy

Writing Quote #4

2009-07-17T16:00:00.001-04:00

'It takes most of us a long time to learn our craft. So keep at it. Don't give up."

- Jacqueline Briskin

Writing Quote #3

2009-07-17T12:00:00.001-04:00

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

- Douglas Adams

Writing Quote #2

2009-07-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Writing is easy. You just sit down at the typewrite and open a vein."

- Red Smith

Hi, friends. Here's the second installment of Writing Quotes. I wanted to mention that, though I try to verify the various quotes and sources, I don't always get it right. If you happen to notice that the quote I provided was merely a paraphrase of what was really said, or that I attributed the wrong source with the quote, please let me know. Thank you.

Regards,

Michael Colwill

Writing Quote #1

2009-07-16T22:42:00.002-04:00

"You can only write, 'Somebody wants something, something else is in their way of getting it.

- Aaron Sorkin

I'm trying something new here, friends. I've come across so many great quotes on writing and English that I thought I'd start sharing some of them with you. Not all of them represent my personal views on the writing business. I hope that some of these will help to begin a conversation on their content.

Please let me know if you like this addition to Kanteker's Craft.

Regards,

Michael Colwill

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-06-18T02:00:00.000-04:00

Rihoko, the kids, and I traveled to Yokohama to visit some good friends while we were in Japan. On our way we had some time to kill in Atami station. Christopher and I were waiting for Rihoko and Nanami when we spotted these maiko (apprentice geisha), standing outside of the station gates. There were several people going up to the ladies and having their picture taken. As Christopher and I walked closer to the barrier dividing the inside of the station from the exterior the three ladies noticed us and started waving at my four-year-old son. I took the opportunity to snap a picture.

Maiko

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-06-15T02:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a shinkansen (bullet train) which sped through Atami station while we were waiting for its slower version to arrive and take us for the first leg of our trip back to the States.

Shinkansen

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-06-12T02:00:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of us just before having dinner on my father-in-law's birthday. Sorry, my kids were in the other room. From left to right are Tetsuya Tanaka, Sakahe Tanaka, me, and Rihoko Colwill. Note the tempura waiting for us to dig in.

Otoosan's birthday dinner.

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-06-09T02:00:00.001-04:00

Sakura at Mishima Taisha.

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-06-06T02:00:00.001-04:00

Japanese translation of some of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-06-03T02:00:00.001-04:00

These tsunami warning signs were found near the lighthouse pier in Ajiro.

Tsunami Warning Sign

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-31T02:00:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite Japanese dish. Tempura, prepared by my mother-in-law. We enjoyed this delicious meal to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday.

Tempura

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-28T02:00:00.001-04:00

Mt. Fuji
Taken by my father-in-law, Tetsuya Tanaka.

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-25T02:00:00.000-04:00

Ramen Restaurant

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-22T02:00:00.000-04:00

I love Japanese cars. This new Subaru R2 caught my eye one day when we were walking through Ajiro.

Subaru R2

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-19T02:00:00.000-04:00

Japanese Translation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-16T02:00:00.000-04:00

Green Tea from Shizuoka...in Shizuoka.

Japan Pic of the Day

2009-05-14T22:41:00.003-04:00

I took this picture while visiting Mishima Taisha (Mishima Shrine) with my family. The sakura (cherry blossoms) were everywhere. This is one of the lamps around the grounds of the shrine, surrounded by sakura.

Lamp post in Mishima Taisha

A Brief History of ( My Time in) Japan

2008-10-21T20:33:00.006-04:00

Hello, friends. I'd like to take the time to give you a little history about myself. This is primarily for the benefit of new found friends and colleagues that I've encountered and continue to encounter through my involvement in the JET Alumni Association (JETAA). The Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program provided me with the opportunity to teach English in Japan for two years after I graduated from college.

I recently took on the mantle of Representative for the Dakotas Sub-Chapter of JETAA USA. One of my responsibilities with this position is maintaining communication and participation, as much as I'm able, for North and South Dakota. And that brings me to the brief history of my life after college when I lived in Japan. I'll sum up with a brief paragraph on where I'm at today. Yes, I realize that one paragraph is a very small amount of space to summarize where a person is in life, but it will serve our purpose today.

First allow me a chance to introduce myself. I graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota with an English / Creative Writing degree in 1998. That same year I entered the JET Program and began working at Ohito-koko in Ohito-cho, Shizuoka-ken. I spent two years teaching various classes, including Oral Communications A and B to a total of 600 students covering the three grade levels at Ohito-koko.

Ohito-cho was located on the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka-ken. I say was because it has joined with some other surrounding towns to form Izunokuni-shi. I lived in a beautiful valley which ran the length of the peninsula. One of the things I miss the most about my home in Japan is the presence of mountains on either side of me, rising up and then falling down to touch the shoreline of the Izu. Ohito-cho was a very rural location, consisting of about 15,000 citizens.

During my two years I managed to experience a lot of Japan, though I felt like there was far more that I missed out on. One of the first experiences that I went through, a few weeks after arriving in Japan, was to climb Mt. Fuji. About 125 JETs started out together at 11 pm on the last weekend that the mountain was open to the public. Thanks to the cold wind and rain that we struggled against all night there were only about 25 of us that actually finished the climb. Of course, thanks to the aforementioned weather, we did not get a chance to see the sunrise from the top of Mt. Fuji. And no, I don’t think I’ll try it again.

I also managed to visit Kyoto, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Hiroshima while I was there. This, of course, means that I had opportunities to visit such memorable locations as Kinkokujin, Akihabara, the Olympic Arena, and the Peace Museum. I also had the great opportunity to learn join Kyudo and learn this traditional art from some of my own students. They got a real kick out of being able to teach me the proper way to hold the bow and arrow, and the proper stance to use when aiming and shooting. It was also a good chance for them to stretch their English skills outside of the classroom.

Now let’s fast-forward briefly and let you know a little bit about my post-JET Program life. I live in Sioux Falls with my wife, Rihoko, my 4-year old son, Christopher, and my 1-year old daughter, Nanami. My wife is originally from Atami-shi in Shizuoka-ken, and we try our best to make it back regularly to visit with friends and family. I am an unpublished fiction writer and lover of the English language. I currently receive a regular paycheck from a large company in Sioux Falls in exchange for the daily use of some of my brain cells.

Watch out for Double Trouble!

2008-08-03T23:30:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to drop a quick blurb about two extremely talented authors, Philippa Balantine and Tee Morris. Here is an opportunity from Dragon Moon Press to get a free PDF download of the most recent novels by these two writers in anticipation of 08/08/08. The Double Trouble campaign is promoting Digital Magic, by Philippa Balantine, and A Billibub Baddings Mystery: The Case of the Pitcher's Pendant, by Tee Morris.

These two authors are well know for the prequels of these recent releases. Chasing the Bard is a recent podcast novel release by Philippa Balantine. And Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword is a recent podcast novel release by Tee Morris.

I encourage you to support these authors as the print release of the Double Trouble books become available for purchase on August 8, 2008. And, if you take advantage of the free PDF versions of these books go ahead and get the word out about them, including your own review, on you blog, podcast, or website. These two authors are among many talented writers out there that deserve to have their voices heard...beyond their podcasts, that is.

R.I.P. Mr. Cassette

2008-07-30T22:01:00.001-04:00

Check out this article from the New York Times on the death of cassette tapes. Though they haven't been used in the music industry in a long time, publishers had continued to utilize cassette tapes as a medium for audio books. Apparently that has come to an end.

Do You Censor Yourself?

2008-07-28T17:23:00.006-04:00

I've been catching up on my Google Reader content lately and came across this wonderful article by acclaimed Brave Men Run author, Matthew Wayne Selznick. He received a response from one of his readers concerning some of the content in his book. Mr. Selznick then delved into the question of whether author's should be concerned about the content of their works offending their readers. I love his response, and you should read it in its entirety in his article, The Author's Responsibility.

As a Christian I know that I will encounter different things in the books and stories I choose to read that I may find offensive. That is the risk I take as a reader. Most of these things I take in stride as an avid reader and aspiring author. I know that many of the things we encounter are there to help us define ourselves as humans. Especially in the case of the characters in Brave Men Run, who display many of the character flaws you come to expect in teenagers. As others on Mr. Selznick's website have stated, a teenager who never does anything wrong is not believable. That is true of character's of almost any age.

In my own writing I never try to apologize for the things I've written, or the actions of my characters. If people disagree with what I'm writing they can put the book down and find another. And if reading my material changes peoples' personal opinions of me...well, I guess they'll have to learn to accept the way a human mind thinks, including mine. I know I've accepted it, and am grateful for the different ideas that flow through me during the creative process.

Mr. Selznick, congratulations on an incredible novel in Brave Men Run. And thank you for not worrying about any one's opinion but your own.

Randy Pausch Passed Away

2008-07-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

I don't know if you've been following Dr. Randy Pausch or not. He passed away today at age 47.

Writing Resource: Backspace - The Writer's Place

2008-07-22T18:35:00.002-04:00

I just stumbled across a new website for writers. Backspace - The Writer's Place appears to be a very nice resource. I have not had the time to do more than peruse some of the links that they have available. I'll give you more feedback in the future. In the meantime, if you happen to peruse the site first, drop me a comment with your thoughts.

Free Stuff from TOR Books!

2008-07-22T00:02:00.004-04:00

TOR Books recently launched its brand new website. As I understand it, prior to this site being launched they were using an interim site where they were preparing people for their grand new look. On this interim site TOR was giving away free stuff. Free electronic copies of books and fantasy and sci-fi art. Well, now that the new TOR.com is up and running they've decided to make all of the free stuff that was available previously available again...for a limited time. If you are interested in free electronic books by some great TOR authors, or some incredible fantasy and sci-fi art then check out the Freebies Bonanza post from their website. The freebies are only available through Sunday, July 27, so get over there now.

Incidentally, I haven't had time to dive into their new website but, at first glance, I do like their new format. I'm thinking I might stop back again sometime.

Enjoy the free stuff!

Jason Heath Book Signing

2008-07-20T23:05:00.004-04:00

If you are in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area this week I encourage you to check out a book signing by a great friend of mine. Jason Heath is a talented double bass performer, educator, blogger, and podcaster living in Evanston, Illinois. He is the author of Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog and the host of the podcast Contrabass Conversations. Both of which are very well known in world-wide music circles.

He will be having a book singing for "Road Warrior Without an Expense Account," and a talk on music business this coming Thursday, July 24, at the Oak View Branch of the Sioux Falls Public Library. The event begins at 7 pm.

This is a man who has made quite a mark on the world of New Media and I wish him the best of luck with this and future books.

In Japan - More Pictures

2008-04-28T10:07:00.004-04:00

I haven't had as much time as I'd like to get new blog posts out for everyone. We've been busier on vacation than I thought we'd be. It's been fun, though. We've seen a lot of friends and family whom we haven't seen in a long time. For one of them I think it's been about 3 1/2 years. Anyway, by the time I've gotten home and spent time getting the kids fed and to bed I've usually run out of gas myself. It's been more than one night where I've laid down on the bed to read a book while I've waited for Christopher to fall asleep only to wake up an hour later realizing I should have left the book on the dresser. I'm writing this at about 11:20 pm Monday night here in Japan. Once again I don't have a lot of time to write out a "journal" of the events of the past several days. I would like to share a number of pictures with you, however. You can always find these pictures, and more, by visiting my Flickr site and checking out the 2008 Japan Pictorial collection.

Back home we've been complaining about the rising cost of gas. In Japan one liter of regular fuel costs 132 yen. That equates to approximately $5 a gallon. I suppose we're not as bad off as we thought.

I've picked up this same brand of vitamins at the local grocery store back home. I was surprised to find them in Japan, though not surprised how much more expensive they were here.

I thought this small freight truck had a unique design. The sides actually open up like a hatch, allowing full access to one side of the freight container at a time. It seems a little easier to get to your cargo than if you can only open the rear doors.

We ate at a Denny's restaurant here in Japan. Christopher enjoys going to Denny's back home with Grandma and Grandpa, so he wanted to go to the one here as well. We were surprised to find baby food on the menu. Also, Christopher and Nanami both got these little egg toys. Each one had a little penguin character inside. They also go puzzle to take with them. I was fairly impressed...with the service, not the food.

Recycling is taken very seriously here. This is just a small example of the different types of things that are recycled, including paper, cans, plastic bottles, and burnable garbage. When I was living here I had one closet that contained about ten different containers for all the different things that are separated and recycled here.

This is the back of an ATM machine that is located in a 7-Eleven. The name of the store in Japan is actually 7 & i-holdings, after 7-Eleven merged with Ito Yokado, a Japanese department store chain.

Here's a train we had to stop for while we were traveling to church this past Sunday. Every vehicle is required by law to stop at every single railroad crossing.

I was surprised to see this RV. Vehicles of this size are not very common in Japan. This one belonged to the All Japan Kickboxing Federation.

I hope you enjoyed this sampling of pictures that I've taken. I actually have a lot of additional ones that I think you'll enjoy, but they're still on the camera. I will be transferring them to the computer tonight, however. I need to make room for all of the pictures I'll be taking in Ginza tomorrow.

We'll be taking the train for a 2-hour ride up to Ginza for the national holiday tomorrow. Rihoko's uncle Hirokazu is an artist, and he has an exhibition in Ginza. We will then head over to one of the many upscale department stores to meet a college friend of mine and his wife. The afternoon will be spent having a late lunch and visiting with our friends. Our return to Ajiro will most likely be dictated by the tolerance our kids have for the crowds and the travel. I'll hope to have some pictures from that trip up later this week.

Dark Roasted Blend Appearance

2008-04-24T03:19:00.002-04:00

I'm still getting the next Japan post put together for everyone. In the meantime enjoy this link to The Dark Roasted Blend. It's a pictorial blog that contains some amazing and amusing collections.

My "be careful to tsunamis" picture from this past week made it into a collection of "Senseless Signage." It first appeared in my recent post on our first few days in Japan.

In Japan - The first few days

2008-04-21T05:08:00.003-04:00

Well, we made it to Japan. Between spending time with family and friends, and fending off jet lag, I haven’t had much time to work on my blog articles. We’ll see if I can’t get enough done to get something posted here today.

Our travels began as we boarded the small plane that would take us from Sioux Falls, SD to Minneapolis, MN. We had a few hours of layover in Minneapolis so we stopped in a few shops to browse a little, and had lunch at the Chili’s Too restaurant located close to our concourse. We then boarded the big plane that would take us across the Pacific.

We actually lucked out in the end. We were sitting just a few rows from the back of the airplane, in the middle section. There were four seats available in the middle section, and we had the three on the right. There was a man sitting in the far left seat. He seemed a nice enough person, traveling to see his daughters who were living with his estranged wife in the Philippines. After hearing how talkative my nine-month old daughter is, though, he quickly found another empty seat to occupy. We ended up with all four seats to stretch out in. This turned out to be very nice once Christopher needed to sleep. He was just about the right size to put a pillow on my lap and stretch out over the middle two seats.

Rihoko and I didn’t manage to get very much sleep on the plane, but the kids both did. I was actually surprised at how much sleep Christopher got. When he finally woke up for breakfast, just a couple of hours before landing, he ended up crying quite a bit. He doesn’t like being woken up in the middle of the night, and back home this would have been around 3 am. He finally settled down enough so that he could eat a little. All in all, our kids didn’t make much of a fuss on the plane. Not as much as some of the crying kids, at least.

Anyway, once we arrived at Narita Airport we had to go through passport control. They allowed all of us to go through together. Usually, Rihoko would go through a “Japanese Citizen” line. Christopher would have gone with her this time. And, even though Nanami is a Japanese Citizen, she would have to go with me. Nanami currently has an American passport, but not a Japanese one. We’re planning on taking care of that while we’re here.

After passport control was done we collected our luggage and went through customs. We then left the secured area and met some of Rihoko’s family. Rihoko’s mother, Sakahe, sister, Arise, and cousin, Hisao, all came to meet us. Hisao recently bought a brand new Honda StepWgn. I’m not sure if he had the Stepwgn, or the Stepwgn Spada. I’ll try to get pictures of it later. In the meantime, here’s one picture of a Honda Stepwgn we found while walking around Ajiro. I was amazed that Hisao even managed to fit all of our luggage in the van. We had two large suitcases, 2 small suitcases, 1 large garment bag, 2 duffel bags, and one backpack. Usually we have to ship our larger suitcases from Narita to Ajiro. We usually receive them by the afternoon of the following day.

This is the first time we haven’t taken the train from the airport to Atami. We drove all the way back from Narita airport. It took a little longer than the train. Being a Friday there was a lot of traffic heading out of the Tokyo area. But we followed the whole trip on the GPS map assistant on a small screen which was built into the dash. Hisao switched the screen back and forth between the GPS map and local TV stations, which he was picking up in the car. That’s something I’d not seen before.

We finally passed through Atami, arriving in Ajiro a little after 10:30 pm Japan time. That would have made our arrival around 8:30 am Friday CDT. With the car ride I had expected our trip to take longer than usual. All said, door to door travel was right around 24 hours, maybe slightly less. We left our home in Sioux Falls around 8:30 am Thursday morning, CDT. Rihoko’s father was waiting to greet to us at the door.

On Saturday we went for a long walk along the Ajiro waterline. There’s no real beach in Ajiro, though there is a nice one in Atami. Ajiro is a small fishing town. There’s a nice path just inside the breakwater that is created by piling up what looks like enormous concrete caltrops. (I’ll get some pictures for later.) We passed by a number of wire frames where the families of the fishermen put fish, squid, seaweed, etc. out to dry. Ajiro is very well known for its dried fish and squid. No, I am not a big fan of it. Though Christopher enjoys it.

Along the path we walked past a Buddhist cemetery. It’s amazing how even the cemeteries can seem crowded when you see all of the tombstones, or hakaishi, set so close together. You can also see the sticks that people place in front of the tombstones. These are called toban. As I understand it, in the Buddhist religion, when a person dies they get a new name. This name is written on one side of the toban. The living head of the house has their name written on the opposite side. This may be a spouse, or oldest living child.

Most of our little walks in town end at the lighthouse. This time we continued on for a ways. We passed through the fish market which is very active in the early morning. I believe Rihoko said that they are usually selling fish around 5 am. We’ll have to see if I get up that early and wander out to the fish market. It would be interesting to see. They sell live and dead fish out of this market. The live ones are kept in the tanks that you see scattered around the edges of the market. There were only a couple of tanks with fish still in them.

We then passed through some of the narrow streets of Ajiro to get back home. Along the way I took a number of pictures of the little potted gardens that people had outside of their homes. These plants and flowers provide the only real yard that most of these homes have. You’ll also notice the picture of the Tsunami warning sign. This is a warning to people that tsunami waves could reach this far into the town. Notice the English translation, “be careful to tsunamis.” I guess they don’t want to hurt their feelings. I’m hoping to get more Japanese signs for you to view, both humorous and interesting. Along the way we also saw valve covers for onsen water. Residents of Ajiro can pay to get natural hot springs water piped directly into their home. These valves provide access in front of each building. And then, of course, we saw a lot of the fire hose storage boxes scattered throughout town. The fire department would use these when they bring their water trucks in.

In the evening their was a brief hanabi (fireworks) display in Atami. We were able to see the lights quite well from our location in Ajiro. Japanese hanabi are truly amazing to behold, especially if you are close to the action. Not only are the lights and shapes provided by the fireworks awesome to see, the concussion blast from the hanabi explosion is quite strong as it passes you.

Sunday morning we went to church at Hope International Fellowship. This is an interdenominational church which I attended while I was living in Japan from 1998 to 2000. At the time I joined the church was meeting in the home of the pastor, Dennis Sager. Dennis met his wife, Kaku, while attending a Bible School in Oregon. They still live in the same house with their two kids. During my stay in Japan the church moved into an old convenience store location. We cleaned the place up and built a stage on one end of the building for the pastor and worship band. The refrigerated cases were turned into our bookshelves. No we didn’t cool off our library. The church is currently renting the two bottom floors in this building, but are looking at expanding once again. They don’t have any room for Sunday schools, and don’t have a lot of room for member growth.

That afternoon Rihoko and Christopher and I went shopping at the local grocery store, Yaohan. I didn’t take a lot of pictures in this small store but I thought this one would be interesting for everyone. They sell all kinds of bread, sweet and otherwise. The loaves are usually fairly small, as people in Japan tend to buy less and shop more often. In the bread section you can find these pancakes, “hotcakes,” precooked and packaged for your convenience. I wonder how many preservatives you’d need to use to keep the pancakes fresh.

Monday morning Rihoko ran out to take care of some errands. She set up health insurance for her and the kids. The really nice thing about the kids having Japanese citizenship is that they pay no money for health care when they carry insurance. While she was doing that we took Nanami out in the stroller to a nearby open space so that Christopher could play with his remote control car. This is a car that is nearly as long as Christopher is tall. He received it as a 1^st birthday present from his Japanese grandpa and grandma. It ended up being too big for them to ship over to America, so we play with it whenever we visit. Unfortunately, Christopher tripper while playing and scraped his knee and elbow. That put a quick end to playing with the remote control car.

After lunch we all went out to Komuroyama Koen with Christopher and Nanami’s Jiji. Jiji is short of Ojiisan, which means grandfather. Koen is Japanese for park. You’ll likely see that a lot in these entries. Anyway, we had a chance to ride up a chair lift to the top of this mountain where we had a great view of the bay and surrounding mountains. Through the haze we think we even saw the coastline around Odawara in Kanaga Prefecture, and maybe as far east as Chiba Prefecture. These chairs are wide open so you can get on and off easily. I was surprised how well Christopher did, as he had to ride on my lap. I was a little nervous as I was the only thing keeping Christopher from falling off, but he did really well. And he really enjoyed going up and down the chair lift.

Down in the main area of the park they have a number of flower gardens, as well as a war memorial, This memorial was set up to remember all those who had died in World War II. We didn’t go in, but I got some nice pictures of it.

You know, I think I’ve actually caught up to our trip so far. I don’t think my future entries will be quite so lengthy. I worked on this on and off all day today. I will continue to add more pictures for everyone to enjoy, though. You can also check out all of my pictures in this Flickr collection for our trip. You may notice that I don’t include any pictures of my kids in these articles. As a general rule, I don’t put them out on public websites. If you are a good friend of mine you can always request to be added to my Flickr contact list. But this is generally reserved for people I know in person. No offense, I’d just rather be safe where they’re concerned.

We will continue to enjoy our vacation in Japan. I hope that all of you are enjoying it as well, as vicarious as your experience is through this article. If you have any questions about the pictures here or in my Flickr collection feel free to email me or leave a comment. Also, if there is something particular you’d like me to try to get a picture of let me know. I can’t guarantee finding what you’d like to see, but I’ll do my best.

In the meantime, here are the sets of pictures under my new Flickr Collection, 2008 Japan Pictorial.

I'm still expanding and organizing these sets of pictures, so some of the names and/or links may change. But enjoy the pictures, and leave comments for the ones you like.

Until next time, matta ne!

We're Visiting Japan Soon

2008-03-29T16:45:00.003-04:00

Well friends, my family and I are moving closer to our planned trip to Japan. We've been hoping to get over there to see friends and Rihoko's family sometime in late May or June. However, due to increasing prices in airline tickets we decided to move our trip up earlier. We'll be flying over to Japan on Thursday, April 17. I will be staying about three weeks, returning home on Friday, May 9. Rihoko, Christopher, and Nanami will stay with Rihoko's family for an additional nine weeks after that, returning home on Friday, July 11. Yep, I have to get used to an extended period of bachelorhood once more. The longest that we've had one of these separations previously has been around five weeks, so this is going to take some work. The worst part of them being in Japan longer is that I'll be missing Christopher's fourth birthday. Fortunately, they'll be home before Nanami's first birthday in late July.

Of course, I am trying to focus on the three weeks we'll have together in Japan. It's going to be an exciting time for all of us. We haven't made it back to Japan in about a year and a half, so Rihoko is very anxious to see her family again. And none of them have met our daughter Nanami yet, except through pictures and digital video clips. They've even informed us that they may take the shinkansen (bullet train) trip out to meet us at Narita Airport. I don't think I'd mind that, as having some extra hands to care for the kids would be nice after a twelve hour flight. But I don't expect them to come up, as it is fairly expensive to ride the shinkansen.

So what will the trip entail for us? Well, we'll be flying from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Minneapolis International Airport. From there we'll take a direct flight to Narita International Airport, east of Tokyo. Once we've gotten through immigration at Narita we'll send some of our luggage ahead via a Japanese shipping company, similar to UPS. We'll then purchase tickets to ride the Narita Express straight into Tokyo Station. Once we get there we'll have to cross to the opposite side of the station, during Friday evening rush hour I might add, and reach the platforms for the Shinkansen lines heading west. Fortunately, the shinkansen ride will only take 45 minutes for us to reach the Shinkansen station in Atami (site in Japanese, or check out the Wikipedia article), where Rihoko is from. We will ride on the Kodama version of the 700 Series of shinkansen. The 700 series can reach a maximum of approximately 167 mph. The Kodama, however, is on the slower end for this series because it stops at all of the smaller stations along the line.

Once we've reached Atami we will either take a local train line south, or travel by car to reach RIhoko's parents house. They live in Ajiro, a small fishing town on the south side of Atami. Our total travel time is usually 24 hours, door to door. I haven't added up this trip, but I assume it will be about the same.

Atami is located on the Izu Peninsula, which is part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The Izu is a beautiful resort are that is widely visited by people residing elsewhere in Japan, and abroad. Shizuoka is probably best known for Mt. Fuji, which is located in northern Shizuoka. I actually had a great view of Mt. Fuji from the desk in my home office when I was teaching there. And I even managed to climb to the top...once. Shizuoka is also famous for it's green tea. About 45% of all the green tea consumed in Japan is gown in Shizuoka. And it's my opinion that they grow the most delicious green tea in the world. Check out this list of "number ones" related to Shizuoka. Shizuoka also played a major role in Japan's opening of its borders to the outside world in the 1850s. Shimoda, which is a port city located on the southern tip of the Izu Pensinula is where Commodore Matthew Perry's "black ships" landed and negotiated the opening of this port to American trade.

I'm sure that we will have a fairly busy schedule while we are in Japan. Though our main reason for going there is to spend time with Rihoko's family, we will also likely travel around the area to see friends, and do some site-seeing. Rihoko's parents are really good about taking us to many of the numerous parks they have in this region. The parks are beautiful in Japan, and offer an inexpensive form of entertainment for the kids. Some friends of ours have also talked about taking us up to Tokyo Disneyland while we are there. I think that would be a lot of fun to do with Christopher. Nanami is still too young to really enjoy anything there yet. I wouldn't mind visiting Tokyo Disney Sea Park, but we'll probably settle on only one of the theme parks.

One thing I'm really hoping to do is share this trip with all of you. During our stay I intend on carrying a notebook and camera with me as we travel around, or as we hang out at home. I will then do my very best to get a new post up on this blog every two to three days. Our priority, of course, is spending time with family and friends. But I hope to take advantage of the vacation time to do some additional writing and work on my blog. I also hope to spend a good amount of time after I return to kick my writing into high gear. Since I'll be away from my family for nine weeks I think I'll need to focus my energies somewhere to distract me. What better work could I throw myself into than my writing. If you follow me on Twitter I'll be sure to update you when each new post goes up. And I'll no doubt be adding pictures to my Travel and Japanese Pictures collections on my Flickr account.

If there's anything concerning Japan that you'd like me to write about, or you'd like me to get a picture of, please let me know. I can't promise I'll be able to accommodate everyone, but I'll do my best. Until then, take care my friends.

Long Live Joss Whedon's Firefly

2008-03-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

Legion - Unfinished Fiction

2008-02-08T22:16:00.000-05:00

I believe this piece of fiction was written in the Fall of 1996. It was turned in as my fiction piece for a Creative Writing course I was taking. "Legion" is an unfinished tale, darker in nature than most of the prose I was writing at the time. I have not edited the material since it was turned in, so there are some obvious sections which have the sign of amateur writing cast all over them. Despite that I enjoyed thinking through this tale. The copy I have on my computer has an additional three pages of copious notes on potential directions this story could have taken. Perhaps one day I will pick it up and realize that I need to finish it. Until then I hope you enjoy this first section...

Legion

by Michael I. Colwill

God help me, I’m probably the only one that knows what’s going on. It’s now been a full week since the killings started, brutal slayings that resulted in a great loss of life. The police have been unable to discover any clues as to the identity of the butcher. I wish I was as ignorant of everything going on in town as they were.

I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one that truly cares. So many people I know slain, and the rest of the town seems to grow steadily more callused as the numbers increase. Even with the fire at the grade school. Mrs. Misolt and five third graders burned to death before the fire fighters even got into the building. The whole town seems to be going to hell recently.

It all seemed to stem from my walk through the woods two weeks ago. The deadline for my new story was coming up fast, and I was still lacking a concept to put on paper. Everything I thought of seemed foolish, amateur, or done before. The pressure was just too much for me to take much longer. I decided I had to take a day off and relax.

That Saturday I slept in for the first time I can remember in years. After a hearty breakfast I decided to spend the day wandering around in the forest to the west of town. I knew the chance to get back to nature would help clear my head and relieve some of the stress I was feeling lately. So I slipped on my hiking boots and grabbed my favorite walking staff I had found nearly three years ago, when I first started to explore the woodland outside of town. The stick was roughly rounded on one end, the end I considered to be the top, and stood slightly taller than me.

The woods had been my favorite place to relax since I moved here from the city. It spanned a great distance, several dozen miles, from north to south. And stretched almost half that from the edge of town to the point where the landscape became more rugged before ascending into a lofty mountain range. I had only wandered about the outskirts of the forest that touched the edge of town. Come to think of it, I knew a majority of the people that lived in town, and nobody I had spoken to had ever traveled more than five miles into the forest.

I had all day free, so I decided to travel deeper into the forest than I had on previous excursions. But knowing that the afternoon could easily slip away before the march of the nighttime sky, I decided to keep track of how far I had gone. Although I loved to go camping, I really didn’t have any fondness for spending the night in these woods all alone. By the time I reached the edge of the forest the morning was passing into afternoon. I figured I had plenty of time to roam about, and still make it out before nightfall.

I traveled in what I thought was a fairly straight line as I entered the forest. I wanted to get past all the sites I had already explored. The first hour of walking was spent doing just that. The entire time I wandered in those woods I didn’t see another living creature, save two deer. And those I had seen on the very outskirts of the woods as I began my walk. The sun seemed to be making it through the mesh of branches hanging over my head without too much trouble. Although shadows seemed to cover most of the ground, there was still plenty of light for me to determine what direction I was headed.

There seemed to be some sort of barrier between the forest area I had traversed in the past and this new part standing before me. I reached up to wipe a bead of sweat from my brow. A sudden fear washed over my body as I gazed into the darkness before me. Slowly I began to walk further into the woods. It was almost like walking into a cave. The branches overhead were much thicker and shadows loomed everywhere the eye could see.

As I walked onward the woods seemed to grow thicker about me. It was almost as if the trees were closing in, preparing to snare me in some trap. I definitely felt something affect me like a physical thing—a warning that tripped my emotions. And a chill hung in the air penetrating my bones, dampening my soul. The hair all over my body seemed to be standing on end, as if expecting something to happen. The light grew dimmer as I continued further into the forest.

My heart was beating faster than usual, as the tension ran through my body. Something inside of me tried to convince my legs to turn around and return to the safety of the town, to the comfort of my own home. The only thing I could do was keep on walking into what was turning out to be a veritable maze of tree trunks and branches.

I don’t recall how long I was walking before I came to a small clearing, although the sunlight did not permeate the thick web of branches that hung over the grassy barren patch of ground. In fact, the space was completely empty, save for a fallen tree trunk stretched across my path. I stepped over the log and sat down on it to rest for a moment.

It was then I noticed the quiet of the woods around me. I closed my eyes for a second and strained to hear anything in the forest land surrounding me. But the only thing that met my ears was the cold empty reply of silence. After opening my eyes I quickly scanned the trees. I had a strange sensation there were a million eyes on me. I simply couldn’t shake the feeling I wasn’t alone here. I saw only shadows keeping me company this afternoon. There didn’t seem to be any animals out there. I expected to at least hear the chirp of a bird or the hum of insects coming from somewhere. But I could pick out no sign that there might be something else out there, other than some kind of intuition telling me there was.

I decided I had to continue hiking into the forest and try to find a reason for this strange feeling I had. As I reached for my staff which I had set down next to me I paused. The stark difference in color between my staff and the wood of the tree trunk I was sitting on was remarkable. My staff retained its natural light brown color that it always had. But the wood where the bark had fallen off of the trunk was a mixture of ashen gray and the blue of a stormy sky. As I looked at the trees around me, they all seemed to exhibit a similar color. I merely would have thought it the result of the shadows on the wood. But the shadows didn’t have any sort of effect on my own staff. It was as if the wooden rod were the only bit of wood that ever knew life. The rest of the forest around me seemed frozen in a place only familiar with death. I pondered why this might be so as I took my staff and departed from the clearing, moving deeper into the forest.

I walked for a long time before I even considered returning to town before dark. I quickly glanced at my watch and muttered a curse. It had stopped at 3:47 PM, the second hand resting exactly at twelve. I tried to estimate what time it might be. But there was nowhere near enough light coming through for me to even venture a guess. I decided it was time to start heading back, although I knew I wouldn’t get out before the sun fell behind the mountains, casting their shadows over the forest.

I tried to determine in what direction the sun was shining from. But no matter how carefully I examined the few streaks of light that broke through the canopy I couldn’t make out in which direction the town was. It was then I discovered my first piece of evidence that someone else was in these woods. I could smell something drifting past me on a light breeze that seemed to be coming from nowhere at all. My mouth began to water as I realized that it was some sort of food being prepared. I couldn’t seem to make out a particular scent, however.

I decided from which direction I thought the aroma was coming and headed towards it. The trees began to grow even closer as I moved deeper into the woods. It was almost as if the very forest were trying to persuade me not to investigate the source of the smell that seemed to rest on all of my senses and draw me forward. I had to practically climb over spots in which the ground seemed to consist mostly of tree trunks sprouting from the forest floor.

And then the trees ended, as if someone set some border which they couldn’t cross. I came upon another clearing in the forest, this one being much larger than the last. And on the far end of the clearing there was a cabin facing me. It was really more like a hut or a cottage, a simple one-level dwelling with a thatched roof. The cottage was built out of the trees of the forest, giving it too a cold blue-gray color. There was a simple wooden door in front of me. And off to its left there was a warm light pouring through a small round window. Sticking up from the back of the house was a simple stone chimney, a small line of smoke slowly drifting up and away from the cottage.

But it was the light from the window I focus on right away. My heart lifted slightly, knowing I was not the only soul in these woods. Perhaps I would not have to spend the night in the cold dark clutches of these lifeless trees. As I closed the distance between me and the front door, that hopeless oppression which had been weighing me down out in the forest was lifting.

I hesitated for a second before I knocked on the door. For some reason I had the crazy notion to walk away from this cottage and take my chances wandering through the black trees behind me. Right away I shrugged this insane notion from my mind and let my knuckles lightly rap on the door three times. Not hearing any movement from inside I knocked four times on the door, louder than before. I waited for what seemed to be a long time, and still no movement from inside. Starting to panic slightly at the thought of being stuck outside overnight, I pounded my fist on the door quickly seven times.

As soon as my hand lifted from the wood after the seventh knock a gust of icy cold wind swept past me, sending a black chill through me. The door of the cottage swung quickly away, causing me to jump and almost scream. The sound froze at the edge of my mouth, however, as I gazed at the figure standing before me. The light from inside blinded me to the details of his face. All I saw was the silhouette of a tall man clutching a black cloak around him. My eyes quickly started to adjust and I noticed the dark beard that hung from his pointy chin. And then I saw them, red as hot coals peering forth from two black pits that were the hollows of his eyes.

I fought the sudden urge to run as I gazed into those searing eyes that seemed to burn their way into my very core. Realizing how I must have looked to the man I tried to compose myself. Closing my mouth I waited for the color to start to return to my face.

“I’m sorry,” I stuttered, “You startled me.”

“Trust me, son, it was by no means intentional. You’re a long way from home. Is there something that I can assist you with?” His face was still in shadow, masking his features. Yet his voice had a melodious tone to it. I sensed the welcoming smile hidden by what seemed to be some obscure mask.

Forcing a smile to my own face I weakly replied. “I seem to have gotten myself lost. I’m sorry about bothering you, but you wouldn’t be able to point me in the direction of town, would you?”

“Dear man, you don’t mean to attempt returning home through these woods in the dark of night, do you? You would sooner find yourself in the middle of the mountains than you would back in town. Join me for the evening. You may rest here and wait for the morning light to guide you back to town.”

It was then that he stepped back from the doorway, allowing the light to fall upon his face. His red eyes did not glow so brightly now, perhaps that was just my imagination running wild. But they were set deep in his head, as if trying to remain in darkness. His thin nose came to a sharp point above his black mustache which ran down either side of his deep red lips to flow into the dark beard that hung from a slender face. His hair was black as night, descending past his shoulders.

The black cloak that the man wore covered a robe of the same color. This was pulled close about his waist by a scarlet rope, the ends hanging down the front. The sleeve of the robe draped down as he gestured for me to enter.

His invitation had a very calming and welcoming feel to it, I couldn’t refuse him. And so I crossed the threshold of the cottage. As I stepped onto the wood floor I felt an inexplicable warmth rise through my body. My previous fears forgotten, I let my gaze wander over the inside of the cottage.

It seemed strange how there could be so much room here when, from the outside, the cottage had seemed so small. Off to the left there was a kitchen area. A wooden table stood across from several wall cupboards that I assumed contained food and dishes. Near the front of the cottage, in front of the only window, stood a small round table upon which rested a single candle. A wooden chair sat on either side of it. To the right of the door was a large desk covered with scattered papers and dusty tomes. Pressed against the wall on top of the desk was a two-level bookcase, full of more books. All of the leather bound volumes seemed to be coated in dust. Near the back of the cottage was a gray cloth-curtained partition hanging from the rafters overhead. I assumed that the man’s sleeping quarters would be found on the other side.

Sitting on a large rug were two high-backed chairs, a small end table sitting between them. The circular rug was covered with several ornate designs and rested in front of the most dominating feature of the room. This was the fireplace, which lit the entire area. Inside of this stone hearth hung a large black cauldron. It was from here that the unusual smell I’d sensed earlier had originated. Inside the cauldron I could see some meat floating in a dark boiling liquid.

Above the fireplace was a wooden mantle, upon which I could see several objects. There were a couple of large candles, in extravagant brass holders. In between these two there were several carved stones and crystals in many different geometric shapes. In the center of the mantle sat an ornamental brass circle upon which rested a large glass sphere. This sphere seemed remarkably flawless, other than the fact that it didn’t reflect any light at all.

“Do make yourself comfortable.”

I forced myself not to jump at the sudden intrusion of that euphonious voice into my thoughts.

I started to slowly walk away from the door where this strange man stood. Cautiously I approached one of the black chairs that sat in front of the mesmerizing flames which danced around the bottom of the cauldron. I was suddenly aware of the way I had been clutching my walking staff. I started to loosen my grip on the wood, letting the blood flow back through the knuckles. But I still retained a firm grip, realizing that the presence of the staff brought comfort in this strange place.

The sound of grating wood caused me to spin about. A heavy wood beam had been placed across the door. The man was facing me now, a smile curled upon his lips. My heart skipped a beat as he began to walk toward me.

“You never know what might be lurking in the shadows. A person can’t be too cautious out here in the forest.”

He passed by me and moved to the chair closest to the curtained area.

“Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the dark chair on the other side of the small table.

I lowered myself into the armchair after I rested my staff against the high back. The seat was extremely comfortable and I felt myself relaxing with the warmth from the fireplace. As I glanced over at the man I noticed that his sight rested on something beyond me. He appeared to be looking at my staff!

The empty far-away look disappeared from his eyes as they shifted and glanced into mine. A smile passed across his face as he spoke, “I apologize for being so rude. I am called Akuma. And you would be?”

“My name is Michael,” I replied. Akuma lifted an eyebrow at this, apparently interested at the discovery.

“Does this mean that you are a man of God?” he inquired. The puzzled look on me prompted him to elaborate. “That is what your name means, you know.”

“Oh. Well…yes, I guess it does,” I replied. “I guess it’s been a long time since I’ve thought about that.”

He sat looking at me expectantly. I was about to question the stare when he repeated his previous question that I had yet to answer: “Are you a Godly man, Michael?”

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “I suppose I am. I never gave it too much thought.”

I didn’t feel like giving him the entire history of my spiritual life. Over the last few years there hasn’t been much of one to speak of. I had been raised in the church and had always considered myself an active Christian. However, the complicated manipulations of organized religion had set fire to the cross which I had unquestioningly loved as a youth. I saw the hypocrites it had made out of several of the friends I used to associate with when I was younger. I decided not to let it do that to me.

A clawing noise brought me out of my daydream. I again noticed Akuma examining the staff that rested against my chair. I was about to ask him about his interest when that noise once again occurred. It seemed to be some sort of clawing coming from behind the curtain. My sudden glance at the curtain seemed to pull Akuma from his own thoughts.

“Do not concern yourself over that,” he said. “It is merely my pet, Zouo. He poses no threat to you at all, unless I wish it, that is.” This last seemed to be some twisted attempt at humor, although I felt it as more a threat than as humor.

“Tell me,” he continued, “where did you come by your staff?”

My hand wrapped around the shaft as I glanced over at it. I lifted it from the back of the chair as I turned to Akuma. “Why do you ask?”

“It seems to be remarkably well made,” he explained. “The material that it’s made of appears very strong. I was merely admiring the craftsmanship.”

Satisfied with that I shared the story of my staff’s discovery. “A few years ago, during the winter, I decided to take a walk in the woods. This was nothing unusual, as I tend to do this to relax. As I was walking along that day I came to an area that seemed to have some particularly deep snow drifts. Seeing no way around them, I decided to plod my way through. I’d made it no more than ten feet when I tripped on something buried in a drift. After I picked myself up I glanced back to see what I had stumbled on. I found the rounded head of this staff protruding from the snow that was white enough to blind a man. I dug it out and found it to be the perfect size for a walking stick and it seemed to have been carved by someone who knew what he was doing. So I kept it.”

He looked like he was going to reply when both of us heard a scratching noise on the floor behind my chair. As I glanced around I felt something grab hold of the bottom of my staff and try to take off with it. Luckily I had firmed up my grip before it got loose. It was then that I noticed the lizard-like creature that was attempting to steal the staff.

It was incredible. Scurrying back and forth on the floor was what appeared to be a miniature dragon. It was only about three feet long from head to tail. But the thing was a spitting image of all the dragons described in those fantasy books I’d read in my youth.

I stood up to try to loosen the thing’s grip on my staff. As I rose, the thing gave a quick jerk on the staff, throwing me off balance. I started to trip forward, my hand still grasping the staff. There was no chance for me to correct my balancing problem. And so I reached out to grab the only thing I saw that might be able to keep me from falling on my face—the gray curtain.

There was a ripping sound above me as the entire curtain fell to the floor with me. I heard a small gasp, or was it a curse, from Akuma and what must have been a bark of sorts from the dragon. Then there was only silence in the room. I threw the curtain off of me and quickly gained my feet, prepared to apologize for the damage I’d done. It was then that I saw what that gray curtain had been hiding. My heart froze as I tried to comprehend the horror that stood before me.

Sitting against the wall where Akuma’s bed should have been was an altar. It’s base consisted of packed earth that had bones of all sorts protruding from it. Sitting atop this was a row of human skulls of various sizes. Some of them were sitting upright, others tipped this way and that, and a few of them had been flipped upside down. Resting on the skulls was a large piece of marble, several inches thick. Resting above this was some sort of padded cushion that encircled the outer rim of the marble. It was nearly a foot tall and a foot wide. This cushion created a wide gaping hole the size of a large man in the center of the altar.

It was this cushion-like barrier that caused my stomach to turn. It was covered with human flesh. The flesh had been stretched taut and neatly sewn together in large patches. I could make out various parts of anatomy that had been used to make this detestable shrine. In one spot could be seen several thin strips that came from a hand. Sewn in above that and to the right was a large piece that had several hairs sticking out of it, having come from a man’s leg. And below this was the stretched and distorted mask of a human face. The gaping holes where the eyes had been stared at me like vacant black pits.

I wanted to run, but my feet were frozen. I couldn’t help but find myself gruesomely fascinated with this monstrous construction. The fear that was coursing through multiplied a hundredfold when I found myself approaching the devilish tabernacle.

Some force that was beyond me was compelling me to advance towards the altar. I quickly found myself standing in front of the thing, staring into the gaping hole in the top. I didn’t seem surprised to find that the hole opened into a great shadowy pit. I couldn’t see anything inside of the hole, only an emptiness that stretched eternally downward. I screamed in terror when I looked into that shadowy world where no light could ever hope to intrude. Then came the other screams. They started individually and quietly, and slowly added shriek to shriek. In a very short time the entire cabin was shaking with the tormented cries of millions of lost souls.

The terror suddenly freed me from my frozen position before this demon’s altar. I began to back slowly away from the gaping hole, my eyes fixed on the darkness. Then I remembered Akuma. I spun about, holding my staff in front of me to fend off any advances he may have made. He stood in front of the chair where I had left him. I stared into his eyes, the red glow having returned to them. A thin smile was curled upon his scarlet lips. The dragon pet was nowhere to be seen.

“What the hell is that thing?” I screamed at him, readying my staff for a swing.

“That is us, my dear Michael. That will be your home once we’ve finished with you. It is a place full of nothing but constant darkness and fear.”

As he spoke he took a step towards me. I swung the staff with all my might, trying to knock him out so I could escape. He ducked underneath my swing with surprising agility. But I was ready for this. I tightened my grip, preparing to take him with a back swing.

Just as I started to bring my staff around again, I felt something slam into the back of my left shoulder. I righted myself holding the staff out in front of me. Akuma still stood in front of the chair, and Zouo was now crouched on the floor near the cauldron, his black eyes fixed on the staff in my hands.

Akuma showed no concern over the staff as he once again stepped forward, raising a hand as if looking for an opening to tear me apart. This time I managed to surprise him. I brought the bottom end of the staff up, connecting with his left knee. A blinding flash of light sparked from the end of the staff as I heard a hundred voices scream out in pain.

I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye and reversed my grip on the staff so that I could lash out at Zouo. Seeing the rounded end of the staff flying at him, the creature leapt into the air and scurried away. The staff struck the cauldron with another blinding flash. The cauldron was thrown against the back of the large hearth, splashing some of the black liquid inside out of it. I brought my right arm up to fend off the spill, but some of it splashed against the underside of my forearm. The pain was nearly unbearable, and I fought to retain consciousness as my vision started to blur.

My sight cleared and I saw Akuma kneeling on the floor, clutching his left knee. As he looked up at me I saw my own death in his eyes. Out of fear for more than my life, I weakly swung the staff at him again. He almost managed to clear the swing, but it caught him on the left side of his face, cutting through his thick beard. This threw him back against the floor, and I saw my opportunity to escape. I darted past the great hearth, scaring Zouo away with another swing. Then I redirected my charge towards the small table below the window. As I neared the wall I threw my body forward in a full dive, right through the window.

I barely noticed the cold chill that hung in the night air as I hit the ground, groaning as I thudded. I forced myself to my feet, my arm still searing from the burn of the cauldron’s dark contents. I fought off the urge to faint as I charged to the trees opposite me. I reached the first heavy clump and climbed my way through at breakneck speed. Before I knew it, I was tearing through the thicket aimlessly, driven by a need to put as much distance between me and that cottage as possible.

“Michael!!!” The scream ripped through the night air, slashing into my mind as if it hadn’t been spoken aloud. “Run to the meek safety of your town. But know this, you will join us at our altar. You belong to me-e-e!!!”

That scream burned into me, stealing all of the energy from me. I couldn’t force myself to go any farther. As I started to collapse among the dead trees all around me, I prayed that I had run far enough. The last thing I remembered before the darkness overtook me was pressing my staff firmly against my body, as if it would shield me from the shadows.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

BEEP - BEEP - BEEP - BEEP - BEEP! I lashed out at the alarm clock sitting on the night stand next to my bed. I missed terribly, my hand striking the base of the touch lamp that sat there. The small light slid across the surface and then crashed to floor. BEEP - BEEP - BEEP! After a small curse I launched a second assault at the alarm, this one meeting with success.

After repeating this four times, I dragged my weary body out from under the heavy quilt that my grandmother had made for me years ago. I stood tall, stretching my hands towards the ceiling in order to work all the kinks out of my back. With only one eye slightly cocked open, I stumbled across the clothes garnished floor to the bathroom.

I clumsily stumbled through my morning routine half-consciously. After the first twenty minutes of my shower I began to wake up. Walking out of the bathroom, still drowsy but alert, I struggled to pull a pair of faded blue jeans on.

As I zipped up the comfortable jeans I turned toward the bedroom door and noticed my walking staff leaning against the wall in one corner of the room. I froze , the horrific images returning to me. I quickly spun around, scanning my room. It was then that it occurred to me that that frightful event might have been the results of the leftover pizza I had scraped out of the fridge before going to bed.

I started to laugh. Wow! That was one of the most vivid nightmares I have ever had. It was so damn scary just thinking about it, I thought it would’ve made a great story. I’d have to find the time to sit down and write it up.

I brought my hands up to rub my temples, and then ran them through my thick brown hair as I remembered the cold pepperoni pizza and peach wine cooler I had while watching one of the hundreds of late late shows on cable.

My hands froze at the crown of my head, the color drained from my face as I looked into the mirror mounted on the back of my bedroom door. On the underside of my right forearm I saw three large marks. I pulled my right arm down to examine them. The skin seemed to be ripped away as three dark red scars bulged up on my arm. I ran my left hand carefully across the three numbers they made: three, four, seven.

Children and Shelfari

2008-01-10T18:06:00.000-05:00

Most of you will be surprised to learn that I have not forgotten about this blog. Unfortunately life has been a combination of busy and complicated. My son is now 3 1/2 years old and seems to be catching up on the infamous "terrible twos" and "terrible threes" that all parents of older children seem to delight in telling new parents about. Actually, he's not that bad. We have had some issues recently with following direction and a rebellious attitude. I am aware that this behavior will continue to an extent as he grows older. My wife and I have been challenged by this and have discussed at length how to best handle our son, including how to best discipline him when necessary. I believe that is always a challenge for young parents. You get to a point where the kids have you run to a level of exhaustion that starts to try your patience, and then you have to stir up that extra endurance which prevents you from snapping and disciplining your children inappropriately primarily based on your level of exhaustion and not on the nature of their discretion.

Our daughter is nearing six months, so we don't have near as much to do in the nature of discipline and making sure she follows our instructions. However, a six-month old does not always follow the same daily schedule as us.

All in all, we're both very happy about our children. We love them very much and enjoy seeing them grow and develop. Our son, Christopher, is now at the point where he is reading half of his bedtime books to me. And our daughter, Nanami, is trying valiantly to roll over on her own. I know that I've never focused on family in this blog, and that may change in the future, but I thought everyone deserved to know some of what is occupying my time.

That said, I am working on some essays concerning various writing topics. These include dialogue, setting, point of view, etc. I am currently working on dialogue, as this has always been one of my challenges as a writer. I am also continuing to do research for and make background notes for a story I am working on currently. This is one I mentioned previously involving a modern fantasy set in both the Midwest of America and in Japan.

I will leave you with a link to my Shelfari account. You may have noticed in the sidebar the virtual bookshelves displayed there. And even though Goodreads has its benefits for keeping track of, and discussing, the books you own, have read, want to read online, I have the majority of my books listed on Shelfari. In fact, I have 307 books listed on my account right now, and have not gone through three boxes of books, or entered about 3-4 additional shelves of books. Now these include many of the books that I have read and previously owned. But the majority of them are ones that are sitting on my bookshelf...or on my desk, or on the side-table in the living room, or on the floor by my bed. Well, you get the picture.

I still need to go into my account and start rating and reviewing all of these books, but I at least have them listed there. Feel free to send me a friend request if you happen to be part of Shelfari, or of Goodreads. I'd love to meet avid book addicts like myself. If you'd like to learn more about what Shelfari is all about check out their own description here.

I do hope I can share more with you in the near future. Look for those essays on writing somewhere down the road, and I'm always looking for great stories and pictures from Japan to share with you. Until then, be well.

Japanese Buildings

2007-11-20T17:21:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't vanished due to NaNoWriMo. I've simply been swamped with work-related and personal projects. Many of the personal projects are ones that have been sitting around for quite some time. I am actually cutting back on most of my writing so that I can get these off of my plate. I order to let you know that I am still alive and kicking I thought I'd treat you to more pictures from Japan. These are, as always, taken by my father-in-law, Tetsuya Tanaka. I hope you enjoy these pictures of different Japanese buildings.

I like the way the sun shining on the red and yellow leaves give the impression that the house is one fire in this last one.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday, everyone!

More than a month

2007-10-29T22:46:00.000-05:00

I apologize for my absence on this blog over the past month. I have been prioritizing my time lately and this didn't fall high enough on the list to warrant constant, or even occasional, attention recently.

I have been devoting a great deal of my time to my family. My daughter, Nanami, just turned three months old. My wife and I seem to be losing a lot of sleep lately. Nanami takes a long time to settle down to sleep at night and it drains us of energy pretty fast. She has been great fun, though. It's a delight to come home from work, say a few words to her, and get a great big smile in return.

The other things that have been occupying my time are activities I'm involved with at my church. I attend Southern Hills Church, a United Methodist Faith Community. My wife and I love being a part of this church. We are nearing the completion of phase one in building an addition to our church. This coming weekend we are actually hosting a number of concerts and activities to inform the community as to what we are doing with out facility.
Part of what I've been doing is managing an Online Newsletter (blog) for our church. I've put a lot of time into getting information and getting it out there for everyone to see. I've also been helping in the organization of our Miracle Weekend, as we are calling this coming weekend. If you want to see a little about what has been taking up so much of my time please visit the Southern Hills Church Online Newsletter. In the "Important Articles" section on the right, click the "Miracle Weekend Schedule" link. It will tell you all about what we've been preparing for.

I sincerely hope to find some time in the near future to tell you about my struggles to organize my writing during this busy time. And about my latest distraction. I recently purchased the DVD collection of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" TV series. I've become hooked to all things relating to Firefly. I think the story concept and the writing are superb, especially the dialogue throughout the series. If you haven't seen this yet check out the DVD collection, or look for the movie which was made after FOX canceled the series entitled, "Serenity". I will try to give you some of my opinion on the overall series, the canceling of it, and the movie that resulted from the uproar of the fans. Anyway, more of that to come.

I'll leave you with a picture of a taiko drummer. Taiko is another topic that I've been wanting to write about, as I have a great collection of photos. This is thanks to my father-in-law, Tetsuya Tanaka. Enjoy, and be well.

My Article on Dark Roasted Blend

2007-09-20T23:44:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have an article out on Dark Roasted Blend. If you've never checked them out before you should. They feature collections of pictures ranging from the weird to the wonderful. This can include collections of photos of cool advertisements to funny signs to pictures featuring the latest technology and a lot more. Some of my favorite collections are those related to the space shuttle and outer space. My article is on the great variety of Japanese vending machines that exist.

You'll also find articles like this one on there written by my friend Jason Heath. Jason has been mentioned here before. He is the author of the Double Bass Blog and the podcast Contrabass Conversations. Jason has a great style of writing and his pictorial article on Dark Roasted Blend is well worth looking into.

I want to thank Avi Abrams for contacting me and giving me the opportunity to join the team of writers at Dark Roasted Blend. I consider it quite an honor to be able to contribute content to one of my favorite blogs.

I hope all of you enjoy a dark roast as much as I do.

Work in Progress and Pictures of Mt. Fuji

2007-09-18T20:16:00.000-04:00

I am planning some posts with more substance, honest I am. However, a three year old toddler, and a seven week old infant tend to take up a great deal of time and attention. My intention is to finish up on a story outline for what, I'm hoping, will eventually become a podcast novel for me. I'm trying to meld things I know from life here in the Midwest and my time in Japan and add an element of the fantastic to the results. I'll try to keep everyone updated on the progress, though it may be slow getting the ball rolling again.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy these two pictures of Mt. Fuji. I enjoy the way they focus on the elements of Japanese life in the foreground, allowing Fuji-san to stand back, keeping watch over his land.

Japanese fishing boats. I believe this is in Suruga Bay, to the west of the Izu Peninsula, though I'm not positive.

An open field in front of some Japanese dwellings. I'm not sure exactly what kind of field this is. No, not a rice paddy.

Japanese Pictures

2007-09-09T00:39:00.001-04:00

Here are more wonderful pictures from Japan, though not necessarily of Japan, all taken by Tetsuya Tanaka.

Standing Buddha statues at a sculpture's workshop.

The town of Ajiro.

Paper lanterns on the side of a Matsuri float.

Grapes.

Japanese fishing boat.

Wind blowing past Fuji-san.

A Question of Loyalty

2007-09-09T00:21:00.000-04:00

Here's another essay that I wrote during my college years. With the addition of Japanese material on this site I thought this would be a good one to include for everyone. I hope you enjoy it.

The United States of America possesses a short, yet rich history. This history also contains many dark episodes that our people would rather forget about. One such incident occurred after the Japanese Military attacked Pearl Harbor. This attack gave the citizens of the West Coast an excuse to show their racial prejudice openly.

The U.S. Government made a decision based on prejudice and fear of people of Japanese ancestry. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This government document “paved the way for a massive eviction and subsequent imprisonment of Japanese American” (Tateishi, xviii). This document was clearly an attack on the Japanese people, but America didn’t seem to realize it. People didn’t seem to mind that the document left people of German and Italian ancestry virtually untouched, save those who had been specifically singled out by the intelligence agencies as security risks.

The Nisei, second generation Japanese Americans, believed that they would receive fair treatment and be received as the citizens that they were. This was continually proved to be a false belief, despite their attempts to show the loyalty they had for their country. Even when approximately 33,000 Nisei served in the military during World War II, acts of racism occurred frequently. Despite the lack of faith that America showed for its Japanese American soldiers in the U.S. Army, these Nisei continued to perform to the best of their abilities to protect the land that they called home.

The Nisei involvement in the war began with the formation of the 100^th Battalion in Hawaii. These men began as a part of the Hawaii National Guard, but were requested to remove themselves from active duty by the by the War Department. Hawaiian Commander Lieutenant General Delos Emmons wanted to keep this from happening. “He needed the manpower and had been impressed with the desire of many Hawaiian Nisei to prove their loyalty. After much discussion, Emmons recommended that a special Nisei Battalion be formed and removed to the mainland” (Personal Justice Denied, 256).

After the 100^th Battalion finished their training they shipped out for North Africa and were immediately sent north to Italy to join in the combat. These men entered into a bloody campaign that slowly moved the Allies up the Italian peninsula. The 100^th Battalion suffered several casualties as they refused to give up in their efforts for the Allies. Warren Fencl, who fought near the 100^th said of it, “The only time they ever had a desertion was from the hospital to get back to the front” (Personal Justice Denied, 256).

During the time that the 100^th Battalion was earning over 900 Purple Hearts, the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team had been formed and trained back home. The 442^nd landed at Naples and immediately moved north to meet up with the 100^th, who had engaged in heavy fighting on their way to Rome. At this time the 100^th officially became a part of the 442^nd.

The 442^nd definitely showed their ability to serve their country during World War II. And with this they also showed their loyalty for the United States. During seven major campaigns, the 442^nd took 9,486 casualties. They were one of the war’s most highly decorated regiment combat teams. The 442^nd received seven Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations and earned 18,143 individual decorations—including one Congressional Medal of Honor, 47 Distinguished Service Crosses, 350 Silver Stars, 810 Bronze Stars and more than 3,600 Purple Hearts.

On July 27, 1944, Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, Commander of the Fifth Army, awarded the 100^th Battalion a Presidential Citation and commended the other units for their performances, saying:

You are always thinking of your country before yourselves. You have never complained through your long periods in the line. You have written a brilliant chapter in the history of the fighting men in America. You are always ready to close with the enemy, and you have always defeated him. The 34^th Division is proud of you, the Fifth Army is proud of you, and the whole of the United States is proud of you (Personal Justice Denied, 257).

But the whole of the United States was not proud of the accomplishments of the 100^th Battalion or the 442^nd Regiment Combat Team. In fact, the participation of Japanese Americans in the U.S. Military was enough to drive some peoples’ prejudice to the point of rage. This racial hatred drove people to act terribly towards Japanese Americans they saw in soldiers uniforms. “In the little town of McGehee, a Nisei soldier was attacked and yelled at. “You dirty Jap!” Such an assault on a U.S. soldier reverberated throughout the internment camps” (Tsukamoto and Pinkerton, 153). There are also much more violent stories of outbursts against U.S. soldiers. “Private Louis Furushiro was shot at when he stopped at a café for coffee. His assailant was a 72-year-old man who had two sons in the service. He fired at him from just ten feet away; Louis dodged just in time and escaped with only powder burns on his face” (Tsukamoto and Pinkerton, 153). One of the most well known stories of discrimination against Nisei soldiers is the story of United States Senator, then Captain, Daniel Inouye. “Captain Inouye had lost his arm in combat. In San Francisco, on his way to Hawaii, Inouye went to a barbershop. He was in uniform, medals and empty sleeve pinned to his chest. The barber refused to cut his hair. ‘We don’t serve Japs here,’ he said” (Levine, 128).

Of course, American citizens were not the only ones that looked down upon those Nisei that chose to serve the United States in the military. There were several groups of Japanese in the camps that frowned on all those that would serve a country that locked them up like this. One woman, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, that experienced life in the camps recalls how her father showed support for the United States, and how he wouldn’t back down on his view, no matter what the others thought about him. He was even willing to fight for his opinion. She told of how several men in the mess hall one early morning started whispering inu (dog) about her father. One man had jumped up and made the accusation aloud. “Papa went for him. Now, outside in the dirt, Pap had him by the throat and would have strangled him, but some other men pulled them apart. I had never seen him so livid, yelling and out of his head with rage” (Houston and Houston, 76). Later that evening, her family huddled in their cabin from a dust storm, Jeanne heard her father singing the Japanese national anthem. Unlike other anthems, this was not a martial song, or a victory song, but rather a poem. It is a poem that goes back to the ninth century, and can be read as a personal credo for endurance,

Kimi ga yo wa chiyoni

yachiyoni sa-za-re i-shi no i-wa-o to

na-ri-te ko-ke no musu made.

May thy peaceful reign last long.

May it last for thousands of years,

Until this tiny stone will grow

Into a massive rock, and the moss

Will cover it deep and thick

(Houston and Houston, 78).

Several Americans could not bring themselves to understand that the Japanese American 442^nd Regiment Combat Team was one of the driving forces that allowed the Allies to win the war. Some would say they even shortened the war by at least two years. How could a group of people, who’s families were still locked away in camps back home, fight so effectively and relentlessly for a country that didn’t know if it could trust them? One soldier, Tom Kawaguchi, from the 442^nd gave some of the credit to his ancestry. “I think the Japanese culture really came into play, all the things that we were taught as kids—honesty, integrity, honor, and haji, ‘not bringing shame on the family’” (Tateishi, 182). These cultural teachings brought a great sense of unity to the 442^nd. They were constantly looking out for each other and worrying about their fellow soldiers. They knew that if they were hit they’d never be left out there.

There was a great deal of opposition to the Nisei involvement in the war. But along with this could be found a lot of support for these young men who fought valiantly and accomplished incredible feats for their country. One soldier, Mitsuo Usui, experienced both rejection and acceptance through the same experience, which was one common to what many returning veterans would face. Mitsuo had boarded a bus. A lady sitting in the front of the bus saw him and cursed him for being Japanese. Mitsuo was a proud soldier returning from the war, decked in his new uniform and new paratrooper boots, all his campaign medals and awards proudly displayed on his chest. When the lady made her remark the bus driver pulled the bus over and asked her to either apologize to the American soldier of get off of his bus. She simply got off the bus. Mitsuo relates his response, “Embarrassed by the situation, I turned around to thank the bus driver. He said that’s okay, buddy, everything is going to be okay from now on out. Encouraged by his comment, I thanked him and as I was turning away, I noticed a discharge pin on his lapel” (Personal Justice Denied, 260).

Another person who appreciated the Nisei soldiers was Yanina Cywinska. She was a Polish Catholic who was being held in a Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, Germany, with her family because her father was helping Jews escape the Nazis. This camp was liberated by the 552^nd Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 442^nd Regiment Combat Team. At the time of the camps liberation she was blindfolded by the Germans and expected to be shot. As she recalls,

Next thing I knew, a little Japanese man pulled off my blindfold. I said, ‘Go ahead and shoot, get it over with.’

But he said to me, ‘You are free. We are Americans.’ I started to touch him, cry and hug. To this day, if anyone says the word ‘Jap,’ I become a vicious woman. I adore Japanese people for giving me the chance to live (Levine, 127).

Due to their great accomplishments, Japanese American soldiers even received recognition from the government. One person who commented on the contributions they gave to the war effort was General Joseph Stilwell, who commanded Nisei troops in the Pacific. “They bought an awful hunk of America with their blood…. You’re damn right those Nisei boys have a place in the American heart, now and forever. We cannot allow a single injustice to be done to the Nisei without defeating the purposes for which we fought” (Levine, 118). When the troops of the 442^nd Regiment Combat Team returned to the United States, they went first to Washington, D.C. President Harry Truman presented the regiment with a special Presidential Unit Citation. He also stated his gratitude for their efforts. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the privilege of being able to show you how much the United States thinks of what you have done…. You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice…and you won” (Stein, 44).

The Nisei soldiers of the United States Army did indeed fight prejudice as they battled the enemy overseas. And in many respects they did win against prejudice. But despite the victories of these small battles against prejudice, they continued to meet with racial animosity from many Americans. In many places the struggle still goes on for recognition as an American citizen, fully deserving of every right provided by the U.S. Constitution. But until our government and populace can put to rest their fears based on racial prejudice these people will continue to struggle for the place in American society that is rightly theirs.

WORKS CITED

Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Personal Justice Denied. United States of America: Civil Liberties Public Education Fund and University of Washington Press, 1997.

Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki, and James D. Houston. Farewell to Manzanar. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1973.

Levine, Ellen. A Fence Away From Freedom. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995.

Kawaguchi, Tom. And Justice For All. Ed. John Tateishi. New York: Random House, 1984.

Stein, R. Conrad. World At War, Nisei Regiment. Chicago: Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises, Inc., 1985.

Tateishi, John, ed. And Justice For All. New York: Random House, 1984.

Tsukamoto, Mary, and Elizabeth Pinkerton. We The People, a Story of Internment in America. United States of America: Laguna Publishers, 1988.

Japanese Picture - Matsuri Float

2007-08-26T22:28:00.001-04:00

Here's a float that was built for a festival held in my wife's hometown of Ajiro. I have a number of wonderful pictures from this event and many more great festivals in Japan.

Photographer: Tetsuya Tanaka

First Among Sequels

2007-08-20T23:39:00.000-04:00

The new Thursday Next novel by Welsh author Jasper Fforde was released this past July. I have not read it yet myself, but I have read the previous installments in the series. If you have not discovered the incredible writing of Jasper Fforde you are missing out on a wonderful experience. I hope to go into detail on the story of Thursday Next and why you should read these books in a later post. For now I will simply direct you to one of the places you can find a copy of Thursday Next: First Among Sequels. Please check it out...after you've read the first four installments, of course. (Trust me, this is a series worth investing in. Or at least worth visiting your local library.)

Amazon.com - Thursday Next: First Among Sequels

Japanese Picture - Catch of the Day

2007-08-16T00:06:00.001-04:00

Ajiro is my wife's hometown. It's where she was born and where she grew up. Ajiro is a small town on the southern tip of a small city called Atami, located in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Dried fish is one of the specialties prepared in this small fishing village. Any morning you choose to go for a walk along the seaside you will see countless drying racks with a wide variety of fish, squid, and other catches from the previous day and night. I hope you enjoy this picture, taken by Tetsuya Tanaka, looking out toward the lighthouse in Ajiro.

Japanese Expansion

2007-08-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

Well, friends, I've decided to expand on my content. I am planning on including pictures and articles about Japan, it's culture, people, literature, etc. I am doing this for a number of reasons. One of which is simply the desire to provide more material for my readers. Looking beyond that, though, is the fact that I am doing some research on all things Japanese right now. I am planning on writing a novel-length work that is taking place primarily in Japan. I am hoping, in fact, to write it for future publication as a podcast novel.

Why Japan? Well, I fell in love with the country when I lived there for a couple of years. The Japanese people, existing in their melded world of ancient tradition and modern technology, fascinate me. Also, I have some great sources I can call upon for information. Not only is my wife a very well-educated native of Japan, but her family and numerous friends of our are still living over there.

To start this off I will present you with a picture that was taken by my father-in-law, Tetsuya Tanaka. Tetsuya is an amateur photographer. And I use the word amateur to mean that he simply doesn't get paid for his incredible pictures. He has an eye for the artistic side of Japanese nature. I think that you will love his pictures.

The following picture is kind of a tribute to my good friend Jason Heath over at the Double Bass Blog. Jason has two cats and has numerous posts on his blog related to cats. Check out the page for cat labeled posts. You'll love watching the Cats listening to various styles of music post. This is a picture of a cat sitting on a wall with Mt. Fuji in the background. The photo was taken on January 2, 2005. I believe this is a view of the south face of the mountain, though I may be wrong about that. I hope you enjoy it.

Story Starters - Number Two

2007-07-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

Here are some additional story ideas for you. I invite you to take these and use them as exercises for your writing practice. Or, if something about them strikes your muse and fires up the inspiration, go ahead and make what changes are necessary to bring your vision to life. These are a collection of ideas that came to me, and that I will not likely be using personally.

If you do take one of these ideas and start your own story, or stories, because of it I would love to know. Please comment and let me know if these story starters are helpful to you. If you happen to take one of these ideas and mold it into a finished product, I will not ask to be credited in any way. These are ideas that anyone can come up with, and I am sharing them freely with you.

The protagonist is an avid reader. He/She has been reading all of his/her life. Recently, as extraordinary as is may seem, many of the events from the protagonist’s books are starting to occur in the real world. Now determine what kind of literature your protagonist likes to read: mystery, romance, sci-fi, horror, etc.

This situation is similar to the previous one; only in this situation the reader finds himself/herself entering the book world that they are reading about.

Your protagonist lives in a large suburb. One day she wakes up to find a large shape or design of some sort painted on the front of her garage. She learns that several seemingly random houses have been marked in the same fashion.

It's a girl! - Part Two

2007-07-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

Like the original "It's a Girl!" post, I've decided to remove the pictures of my family for my peace of mind. See my full comments in the original post. I hope you enjoy the rest of the articles here.

It's a girl!

2007-07-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

Greetings, friends. We have wonderful news to share. After a great amount of anticipation our daughter has arrived. Due to a low level of amniotic fluid the doctor decided to move Rihoko's C-Section up from 9 am on Tuesday, July 31 to 10:30 am on Thursday, July 26.

At 10:37 am, Thursday, July 26, Nanami Elizabeth Colwill was born. She weighs 6 lbs. 4 oz. I'm not sure of the length right now. My family and some friends were here, or arrived shortly after Nanami's birth to meet her and insure that Rihoko is doing well.

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Yes, I used to have pictures of Nanami, Christopher, Rihoko, and me on this post. As traffic to Kanteker's Craft increases I've decided to remove the pictures of my family for my own peace of mind. You might catch one or two that slipped into a Public status on my Flickr account, but I felt better not keeping them here. Plus, the post served it's purpose of informing my friends and letting my in-laws in Japan, my brother in Ireland, and my wife's "international siblings" in England, Brazil, Sweden, and France see our new daughter.

If you are family or friends of ours please contact me directly. I could then look at adding you to our Flickr contacts as a friend so you can see more pictures of us.

Story Starters - Number One

2007-07-22T00:28:00.001-04:00

Here's something new for you. I've decided to put to potential story ideas out there for people to enjoy. If the concept strikes you with inspiration run with it. If you think it would make a great idea, but needs a few details altered, go ahead, make it work for you. These are ideas that don't fit with any of my current projects, and I won't likely use them in the future. And even if they don't lead you to your next novel, they should give you some good writing exercise. Enough rambling, on with the ideas.

You are sitting in the cafeteria at work. As you're eating your lunch you overhear some people at the table behind you having a conversation about an individual who apparently died in a tragic accident. When your name is mentioned a minute later you ask the group of people what they are talking about. One of them hands you a newspaper article recounting the details of the accident and giving your name as that of the deceased victim.
You receive a phone call in the middle of the night from a friend or former colleague whom you haven't spoken to in twelve years.
While working in the basement of your home (or place of business) you notice a brick protruding slightly from the wall. While examining the brick you find it easy to remove from the its place. A dark space is revealed behind the brick wall. You find it impossible to see anything behind the wall so you set out to find a flashlight.
You find yourself sitting in your cubicle at work taking care of things on your computer. Suddenly every phone in the building starts ringing at the same time. (Variations on this include having every land-line start ringing, but none of the cell phones, or vice versa.)

"The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." - Mark Twain

Strategies to Move Your Muse

2007-07-22T00:17:00.000-04:00

One of the worst enemies of an aspiring writer is the ability to get himself or herself started writing. I’m not talk about writer’s block. This isn’t a situation where you’re having a lack of ideas. You’re problem is a lack of time and motivation. Or, perhaps you have the motivation, and finding time is the issue. Whatever the case, every aspiring writer, and some of those who are published, can always use some tips on getting themselves organized, prepared, and working on their writing.

This inability to set a structured schedule that allows me to produce my ideas is one of the issues that I have. I’m a married man; I have one son and a daughter whose arrival we are expecting any day now…in fact, I could actually say any hour now. On top of all this I work a full-time job that takes a lot of my time and energy to excel at. (No, I may not have to pour so much energy into a “day job”. But I believe if you want to excel at your writing, you should strive for excellence in all areas of your life.) The opposition I face with my writing is trying to find the time to write and not take away so much sleep that I am ineffective in my various aspirations.

Another problem that writer’s often face is one that can occur for writers even when they are able to find the time to work. This is the dilemma of moving your muse. Again, I’m not talking writer’s block, per say. Sometimes a writer must be in the mood to write. Though not necessary to produce writing taking action to put yourself in the mood for the material you are working on can often improve the quality of your end product.

I have taken the time to compile a number of the suggestions that I have run across. Some of these are from books or magazines I’ve read, some from the internet, some from friends and peers I’ve talked with. I am sharing these with you in hopes that they will help to move your muse. I’ve place these in no particular order, so browse a bit and see if you can’t find something that appeals to you.

Set productive goals for yourself. One example is setting a number of words or pages that you expect to accomplish each day. You must then make the time to reach your goal. Or you might decide to work for two hours every day. Once the end of those two hours is reached you power down your computer or put down your pencil until tomorrow. Or you might strive for a chapter each week, putting in the time when and where you can. One thing to remember with goal setting is that you want to be realistic. Don’t try to show off to yourself or others by setting goals that are out of your reach. I’m not trying to hold anyone back, but if you set reasonable, achievable goals for yourself you’ll find that gradually you’ve written that book.
Schedule a writing period in your day where writing takes priority of everything, save emergencies.
If you must limit your time due to family or a need for sleep try setting an alarm. Place it somewhere in your office where you won’t be watching it all the time, then eliminate other clocks and time pieces that might be distracting. This eliminates counting each minute or second, and keeps you from overworking, losing needed sleep, or creating tension in your family.
Accountability. Form a group of friends or peers, in person or on the internet, who can keep after you when your realistic goals aren’t being met. It helps, of course, when this group consists of other writers with similar aspirations, but it’s not a necessity.
Keep a word count in sight. This can help keep you motivated and will also let others know how you’re progressing so they can offer support and encouragement.
Outlining. This is a technique that works for some, but not for all.
Eliminate outside distractions for a period of time in order to devote more time to your writing. This can consist of a week, two weeks, a month, or longer. Items that you might consider eliminating your exposure to include television, radio, internet, email, computer games, or radio.
Write in a stimulating environment. This could include your neighborhood coffee shop, a café, or even your nearest library branch. Another option would be to decorate your office or writing space with items that put you in the right mindset for writing.
Take a walk. Whether you live in the city or out in the country somewhere, walking can be a great stimulant. Not only do you absorb ideas from your environment, but you have quiet time to let that latest idea mull about in your head. For those who don’t enjoy walking, ride a bike or drive your car. I lean away from the car idea, though, because walking and biking are great ways for a writer to get some exercise.
Find an outdoor hobby that allows you time to think. This can include the aforementioned walking or bike riding. Other ideas are hiking in the countryside or mountains, swimming, or kayaking. Check out some of these hobbies, or others that I haven’t mentioned. Again, they give you a great opportunity to empty your mind of distractions and just let the ideas simmer for awhile.
Pick up a book to read. This can be something that is similar to what you are writing, but does not have to be. It’s entirely possible that the latest suspense novel by one of your favorite authors holds an idea that could turn your fantasy story into something really exciting.
If you write for a younger crowd you can garner ideas by telling improvisational stories to your kids. Try coming up with a story idea that they would find interesting and add to that each night. Then, after the kids are asleep, write down as much as you can remember. You never know what the result might be. In fact, this is how Tolkien’s The Hobbit came to be.
Find some music that helps put you in the right mood for your current plot progression. I find that instrumental soundtracks to movies are some of the best stimulants. You can pick similar scenes to the one you are working on and play the background music that was used in that scene. Or just put the disc in your CD player and see what images start to take shape.
Be prepared for your writing at any time. Do this by carrying a small notepad or digital recorder with you everywhere.
Keep a journal.
NaNoWrimo. National Novel Writing Month takes place in November and is a great way for aspiring writers to dive into that novel. You will be struggling to boot that word count at the same time as aspiring novelists all over the world. Though I have not participated myself, I have followed the progress of the NaNoWrimo over the last couple of years and I believe it would be a wonderful stimulant for the person who can dedicate a lot of time to their writing during that month. Learn more about it at http://www.nanowrimo.org.

There are a lot more helpful hints out there than what I have shared with you here. I encourage you to check out some of the writing books at your local bookstore or library. Also, do some hunting on the internet; check out some of the blogs that other aspiring writers are posting to. Learning from other peoples’ experience can be a great advantage when you want to avoid some of the potential pitfalls out there.

I will leave you with an anger management tip for writers. Save often.

Good luck and good writing.

Tolkien - Chapter Four

2007-07-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

Tolkien's Legacy

by Michael I. Colwill

J.R.R. Tolkien is a man who will be remembered whenever people talk about fantasy literature. He alone has given more to the genre today than perhaps any other author that has ever written in the genre. And all of this from the fame that came with the publication of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This devoted Oxford Professor of Philology and Literature gave birth to a story that is just that, a wonderful story. It was not a work of allegory that was attempting to spread Tolkien’s ideals and opinions among the minds of his readers. These stories were for the pure enjoyment of those who enjoy a good read during the evening after they’ve come home from work.

Because of his success Tolkien bent the road on which the fantasy genre was traveling. He not only gave the genre a formula to follow in his epic journey by a group of friends that have put aside their differences for the good of all, he revitalized it and made it popular once again. According to best-selling author R.A. Salvatore he “took all of the common folklore of western European culture and put them in an enjoyable format. He brought them to the masses, so to speak, and since publishing, books or games, is a business, that popularizing of the genre allowed it to blossom” (Salvatore).

No, it was not just books that were influenced by Tolkien. He also had a great influence on games of all sorts, but his greatest influence was probably on role-playing games. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons has long been one of the most popular of all role-playing games. And just by looking at the format of the adventures that take place one can notice the resemblance to the fantasy quest that occurred in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons a few individuals create characters that they will portray during the adventure which is led by the Dungeon Master, or judge of the rules. These characters can be one of many different humanoid races and can choose from one of many different adventuring careers. It was from Tolkien’s stories that the so called “party of adventurers,” or “adventuring company” came to be. So it is quite possible to end up with a party consisting of the same kind of adventurers that banded together in order to guide Frodo Baggins to the lands of Mordor in order to destroy the Ring of Power in the Cracks of Doom. In all the years that I’ve played the game it remains true that a group of people are bonded together for a time in order to accomplish some task of great importance, just like in The Lord of the Rings.

And it isn’t just Advanced Dungeons and Dragons that came about because of the ingenious story-telling of Tolkien. There is even a “Lord of the Rings” role-playing game that is based in Middle-Earth and takes place around similar characters that were in the novels. There are also several forms of video games and computer games that are based on the epic structure that Tolkien put in his books. At the time that he wrote the books, I’m sure that Tolkien had no idea how far spread his influence would be around the world.

Unfortunately, there are those out there who think that there really isn’t much to the writing of Tolkien. They think that it has nothing to share with its reader that will teach them something useful. And this is why, for quite some time, it was hard to find a copy of The Hobbit in the children’s section of your local libraries. One author who is very prominent in the fields of fantasy and science fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin, made this statement, “I shall never cease to wonder at the critics who find Tolkien a ‘simple’ writer. What marvelously simple minds they must have!” (Le Guin, 107).

Those critics who find Tolkien simple must have not read into the origins of the book. It is a work that was born out of a love for language, not out of an attempt to write an entertaining story. As Tolkien himself put it in the foreword to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings, “I desired to do this for my own satisfaction, and I had little hope that other people would be interested in this work, especially since it was primarily linguistic in inspiration and was begun in order to provide the necessary background of ‘history’ for Elvish tongues” (Tolkien, 5). And so you see, it was the language that gave birth to the story, not the other way around. Sound like the work of a ‘simple’ writer?

Tolkien has been a great influence and inspiration in a lot of places and a lot of areas. However, it is in the area of writing fantasy literature that Tolkien’s influence is most clearly seen. It is not an uncommon thing these days to pick up a contemporary fantasy novel and notice the peculiar similarities to the epic quest of Frodo Baggins and his friends. There are probably no writers of fantasy out there today that have not read anything of Tolkien’s. And in all of those that have you can see the influence of the master.

One of these writers is best-selling author Terry Brooks. Terry Brooks is author of one of the best-selling fantasy novels of all time, The Sword of Shannara, having outsold even Tolkien’s trilogy. His story about the quest of a simple vale man against the great Power of Darkness, the Warlock Lord, is quite similar in format to The Lord of the Rings and Frodo’s own quest against the evil of Sauron. Terry Brooks admits to being influenced by Tolkien, along with every other fantasy writer out there today. “Tolkien’s influence was at least two-fold. He pioneered modern fantasy and he influenced an entire generation of writers in the field” (Brooks).

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that modern fantasy writers have been influenced in a good way by Tolkien. Though recognizing the talents and accomplishments of Tolkien’s work in the area of fantasy, they do not believe that every writer who comes in contact with him produces good work based on what they have read. Brian Attebery, in his book, The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature, claims that “undigested Tolkien has produced some literary nightmares of the first order” (Attebery, 155). One author that is specifically mentioned by Attebery happens to be Terry Brooks. Trying not to disrespect the author “who may have intended homage to Tolkien,” Attebery claims that Brook’s novels “attempt to evoke wonder without engaging the mind or emotions, and they threaten to reduce Tolkien’s artistic accomplishment to a bare formula” (Attebery, 155).

I have to disagree with Attebery on this point. In his argument he claims that Brooks has copied many of the elements that are found in The Lord of the Rings. He believes that these elements were deeply rooted in Tolkien’s own life and philosophy. With this I cannot argue. I know that Tolkien’s creations were deeply rooted in his life. However, Attebery also claims that:

To attempt to copy Tolkien is necessarily to misread, to mistake the mechanics of his tale for the substance. Roger Sale makes a good case for The Lord of the Rings as a study of “modern heroism,” very much the product of two world wars and the upheavals of English urbanization. Elves and rings and hobbits are part of Tolkien’s way of confronting his life. (Attebery, 155-156).

Even though every writer will be in some way influenced by the events that surround him, Tolkien did not write The Lord of the Rings based on the World Wars and other incidents that affected his life. Humphrey Carpenter quoted Tolkien’s friend, C.S. Lewis, as saying of The Lord of the Rings, “These things were not devised to reflect any particular situation in the real world. It was the other way round; real events began, horribly, to conform to the pattern he had freely invented” (Carpenter, 190).

Terry Brooks gives a little insight into the different things that have influenced him, and into how Tolkien has influenced him:

My writing was mostly influenced by the European adventure story writers of the past century—Stevenson, Scott, Dumas, etc. I started out as a writer thinking to do something along those lines, but not in an historical context. Tolkien gave me the format I was looking for. So I cloaked the traditional adventure story in fantasy trappings (Brooks).

And Brooks does not pull his plot ideas from Tolkien, but rather from events that he reads about in newspaper and other places. “All of my work deals with current issues, if you take a close look. Environment, violence, family disintegration, and so on” (Brooks). Where Tolkien stays away from the real events that go on about him, Brooks draws from these. I do not see how Brooks could possibly be called a bad imitation of Tolkien. He has simply absorbed Tolkien and used his format to give life to his own ideas.

Another fantasy writer that has been influenced by Tolkien is best-selling author R.A. Salvatore. Salvatore has written over 25 novels, all in the fantasy genre. And he, like others, recognizes Tolkien as a true inspiration for him to become involved in more classical reading and eventually his own writing. Salvatore recalls his freshman year of college when his sister gave him the boxed Tolkien series for Christmas:

I remember reading The Hobbit and wondering why I had never realized how enjoyable and fulfilling reading could be. I changed my major to communications so that I could take more literature courses and went on to appreciate the classics—Shakespeare, Chaucer, and James Joyce. Those same classics, brought to me through Tolkien, were my truest inspiration (Salvatore).

Salvatore was introduced to the fantasy world by Tolkien, and has since gone on to bring life to his own worlds and creations. He is another example of a writer who has come in contact with the work of Tolkien, absorbed it, and moved on to his own writing. He gave an appropriate thank-you in his dedication of one of his books, The Woods Out Back, to the master of fantasy. “To the memory of J.R.R. Tolkien and to Fleetwood Mac, for giving me elfs and dragons, witches and angels, and for showing me the way to find them on my own” (Salvatore, The Woods Out Back).

I have one more example to share with you of someone who has been influenced by Tolkien. That amateur writer is me. I have aspirations of one day being published as a writer in the field of fantasy. And Tolkien has been a great inspiration to the work I have done so far. This past summer I read Humphrey Carpenter’s authorized biography of Tolkien and drew information and inspiration from the love and dedication that Tolkien had for his own work. That coupled with the experience of journeying through Middle-earth while reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings has influenced and inspired me to devote myself to the stories that I work on. And like Tolkien’s work, mine has become a labor of love.

One of the many things that I have learned from Tolkien is the need to pay attention to detail. Tolkien wholly devoted himself to the perfection of his work, which contributed to the great quality it possessed as a finished product. He has also reaffirmed something that I learned the hard way, the need for maps while writing stories in a created world. In a January 1971 interview with BBC Radio 4 program ‘Now Read On…’ Tolkien was quoted as saying, “I had maps of course. If you’re going to have a complicated story you must work to a map otherwise you can never make a map of it afterwards” (Interview). I attempted to map out a story that I wrote about a year after it was finished and discovered the difficulty in this.

Like Tolkien, I wish to give people a story that will allow them to dream for a few hours of things that can only be seen by their minds eye. I want them to run with the unicorn, fly with the dragon, and dance with the elf. In his letter to me, R.A. Salvatore told me to “do the master proud” (Salvatore). I can only hope to carry on the legacy started by Tolkien as well as the others have that came before me.

WORKS CITED

Attebery, Brian. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980.

Brooks, Terry. Letter to the author. 6 Apr. 1997.

Carpenter, Humphrey. Tolkien: A Biography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977.

Le Guin, Ursula K. “Science Fiction and Mrs. Brown.” The Language of the Night. Ed. Susan Wood. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons: 1979.

Salvatore, R.A. Letter to the author. 11 Apr. 1997.

Salvatore, R.A. The Woods Out Back. New York: Ace Books, 1993.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954.

Enjoy a Dark Roast

2007-06-29T23:55:00.000-04:00

I was introduced to the Dark Roasted Blend blog by my good friend, Jason Heath. No surprise there. Jason has been making a name for himself in the blogosphere with his Double Bass Blog. He is also a very popular podcaster, being the host of Contrabass Conversations. All in all, a great friend to have when you're learning the ropes. Jason has included a number of posts on his blog about posts that have appeared on Dark Roasted Blend, bringing incredible material to his readers.

Dark Roasted Blend specializes in articles surrounding collections of photographs. Though I have not delved into the inner workings of this well-crafted blog I have enjoyed the majority of their posts over the last several months. The content ranges from comical to inspirational to awe-inspiring. Dark Roasted Blend is a page maintained by Avi and Rachel Abrams. They began the blog, one of many they have, in October of 2006. In their short time in the blogosphere (look who's talking) they have made an incredible impact and attained a readership most bloggers can only dream of.

The reason I wanted to mention them today is due to a post that appeared on Dark Roasted Blend on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. Their "One Day in Space" post includes several photos from NASA's recent Atlantis shuttle mission. These pictures fall under the awe-inspiring category. Especially one that shows the shuttle flying over a mountainous terrain. It almost feels as if the shuttle isn't really in space in this photo. I haven't included a copy of the picture because I haven't researched who actually owns it. And, being new to the blogosphere, I don't want to break any rules...or laws. But check out One Day in Space at Dark Roasted Blend and discover why this blog has such a loyal following.

Trying To Be Well

2007-06-29T23:50:00.000-04:00

I still haven't posted Chapter Four. I'm sorry about that. I will try to get it up for everyone sometime this weekend. I have just been trying not to push myself lately. I've had this terrible cough for the last 3-4 weeks, and it is driving me nuts. The second week that I had it I also had bronchitis, which was no good. I saw the doctor again tonight and they did some blood work and chest x-rays. Everything looked OK, so the doctor is assuming some nasty virus is holding on for dear life in my body. We'll have to see how this next round of prescriptions works.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble about personal issues. This was not meant to be a personal journal. I just hate coughing my lungs out. Stay tuned, I have some more information to share in a separate post.

Tolkien - Chapter Three

2007-06-21T22:21:00.000-04:00

The Choice of the Ring

by Michael I. Colwill

When reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, one is reading an epic in the form of a novel. In giving us this tremendous tale, Tolkien has kept in mind the style of the epic story. The story should follow a particular person who resembles a hero both mentally and physically. This hero ought to embody the ideals and values of a particular group of people. Like the heroes in The Odyssey and Beowulf, this hero will go on a journey and experience several adventures. And after surviving many hardships during his journey the hero will return once again to his own home and people.

In writing his epic, Tolkien has given us several variations on the typical format of the epic. In the classic epic the hero encounters a collection or council of gods; in The Lord of the Rings we are shown the council meetings at Rivendell. The traditional epic hero usually visits legendary places during his journey that are spoken of in legends; Tolkien’s hero visits places of legend in Middle-earth, such as the house of Tom Bombadil, the Mines of Moria, and the kingdom of Mordor. During the traditional epic a bard is usually found singing about the history of times past, such as the deeds of ancient heroes; this is found continually in the use of song and tales throughout The Lord of the Rings. In the epic a hero will often travel to an underworld of sorts and return with information that allows him to go on with his journey; during Tolkien’s story we see the descent into the Mines of Moria. We sometimes see visions of the future being granted to a hero in the epic; such glimpses of things to come are given from Galadriel’s mirror in Tolkien. The epic hero will frequently be held captive in the arms of a beautiful woman who prevents him from continuing on his journey; Tolkien brought in an ironic twist to this element through the use of Shelob, the giant female spider. But perhaps one of the most significant changes for Tolkien was his use of a hero. The hero, Frodo Baggins, is a distinctly unheroic figure.

The Lord of the Rings does contain its heroic characters, like Aragorn, son of Arathorn. But the continuous use of unheroic characters throughout Tolkien’s novels seems to imply that Middle-earth must be saved by someone who is quite ordinary and even humble in many respects. Tolkien’s hero is made great by the fact that, despite the obvious lack of mental and physical heroic qualities, he decides to take on the task of destroying the one Ring of his own free will. It is the personal choices of Frodo Baggins throughout the story to continue with his quest that truly makes him a hero.

It seems, however, that not everybody shares my opinion of free will in The Lord of the Rings. C.N. Manlove recognizes Tolkien’s use of an unconventional hero in his book, Modern Fantasy: Five Studies. He tells us that Tolkien chose “a little man, a four-foot halfling of a race happiest just to eat and sleep. The idea is to give us in Frodo a protagonist who grows into being a hero as his journey proceeds” (174-175). It is here, says Manlove, that Tolkien’s problems begin.

Manlove goes on to say that the conception of any hero “demands that the hero’s actions be substantially based on free choice and human will; and Tolkien certainly seems to have meant this to be a major spring in the action of his fantasy” (175). He believes that the decisions Frodo makes in the Shire and at Rivendell are simply arranged to appear as if they are acts of personal choice on the part of the hobbit, “in each case he is presented with the facts and we are to believe that he has a choice between the comforts of staying and the rigours of going which he alone must decide” (175).

Free choice is not meant to be the sole thing that drives the action in The Lord of the Rings. After all, it was the Ring that chose Frodo to be its carrier. With one exception, a Ring-Bearer is never the one to make the decision to pass on the Ring. Bilbo, though with some regrets and persuasion, willingly passes on the one Ring to Frodo. Even Gandalf hints at the already made decision for Frodo to carry the ring by saying, “only a small part is played in great deeds by any hero” (The Fellowship of the Rings, 283). However, the whole idea behind the Ring is that its bearer is constantly tempted by the power it has to offer, and must make a conscious decision to resist every step of the way.

Manlove also goes into the fact that in all of his most important decisions Frodo always seems to choose correctly. By some stroke of good luck he is led along the correct paths throughout his journey to Mordor. “And if he is in doubt,” states Manlove, “as he is at Parth Galen whether to go to Minas Tirith or Mordor, he is pushed into making the right decision” (177). In this case it is the attempt of Boromir to possess the Ring, thinking that it will aid him in conquering the evil forces that threaten his people, that pushes Frodo. The result appears to be a continuous run of correct choices that cause the reader to expect Frodo to never go wrong. In fact, this makes the possibility of making a wrong choice all but disappear, and with it goes the very thought of choice.

There are several examples of this luck that seem to be surrounding Frodo during his quest. Many of these examples occur during his near encounters with and narrow escapes from the Black Riders. On one of these occasions a black rider turns away from Frodo’s hiding place when he is nearly upon him. We realize what an unusual occurrence this is when Aragorn later describes the Black Riders’ heightened senses. “’In the dark they perceive many signs that are hidden from us: then they are most to be feared. And at all times they smell the blood of living things, desiring and hating it. Senses, too, there are other than sight or smell. We can feel their presence…they feel ours more keenly. Also,’ he added, and his voice sank to a whisper, ‘the Ring draws them’” (The Fellowship of the Ring, 202). There are also other near encounters where Frodo and his party are saved by elves that appear to protect them. And we never find out why the Black Riders do not guard the road to the Shire when they already know that the Ring is in the possession of a Baggins there.

Manlove continues his argument; “The treatment of the Black Riders is only one strand in a whole skein of apparent coincidences and luck by which the hobbits are protected” (182). Tom Bombadil rescues them from Old Man Willow on the one day of the year that he is found in the Old Forest. Gandalf finally discovers the spell that will open the gates to Moria as the monster that was residing in the Sirannon Lake emerges. Sam Gamgee happens to wake in time to stop Gollum from stealing the Ring off of a sleeping Frodo. The giant eagles rescue Frodo and Sam just in time before the molten lava that surrounds them from all sides swallows them.

In the face of all this, any conception that the reader might have had of Frodo or the others as heroic will battling against giant adversaries fades into oblivion. It may be true that from the point of view of the characters themselves, the constant assistance is not expected, and that to themselves, their fear and courage are real; but for the reader, who sees that it is not mortal luck which is the architect of success, the struggles with the evil forces become unreal (Manlove, 183).

Manlove seems to indicate that, from the reader’s point of view, Frodo was not moving through the narrative by way of his own free will. I do not agree with what he has been saying. I think that it is evident to the reader that Frodo was moving through the narrative based on personal choices that he made as he went along. For him there were a number of possibilities for the future. He could conceivably have taken an entirely different route with different occurrences in order to reach his final goal, but that is not how Tolkien wanted it to happen, or perceived it happening. In his essay, “The Quest Hero,” W.H. Auden makes this comment, “Man is a history-making creature for whom the future is always open” (40).

When the decision has been taken to send the Ring to the Fire, his feelings are those of Papageno [The Magic Flute]: ‘such dangerous exploits are not for hobbits like me. I would much rather stay home than risk my life on the very slight chance of winning glory.’ But his conscience tells him: ‘You may be nobody in particular in yourself, yet, for some inexplicable reasons, through no choice of your own, the Ring has come into your keeping, so that is on you and not on Gandalf or Aragorn that the task falls of destroying it’ (Auden, 55).

Yes, this could be seen as a removal of Frodo’s power of free will. However, being human, he still has the choice to refuse the task of destroying the Ring. Frodo knows that the Ring has come into his possession through some higher fate than he is aware of. Knowing that he can’t pass on such a task to someone else, and still have a clean conscience, Frodo makes the decision to carry this item of power that has worked its way into his life.

In his book, Master of Middle-Earth, Paul H. Kocher speaks about Frodo being chosen to bear the Ring. Frodo is not quite sure as to why he was chosen and not someone else. He is sure that it is not because of any past merits that he has. Gandalf tells him that even he is unaware as to the reasons that Frodo was chosen, but assures him that he has been chosen and must now use what wit and strength he has. “Gandalf carefully goes on to inform Frodo that he is free to accept or reject the choice: ‘…the decision lies with you.’ The option not to cooperate with the grand design is open to Frodo’s will, as it is to that of all other intelligent creatures who are aware of the issues” (Kocher, 36).

In order to show that Frodo’s decision to make the journey to Mordor with the Ring was one of his own free will, we should look at what could have caused him to make that decision. Frodo seems to have an extraordinary sense of what is right and what is wrong. And he possesses a conscience that helps him determine the right thing to do. “If Frodo’s acceptance would be ‘right,’ would not refusal be, if not ‘wrong,’ at least an abdication of duty, diminishing him morally?” (Kocher, 41-42). The refusal of the Ring is not in Frodo’s character. In order to do what he knew was the right thing, Frodo made the conscious decision to be the bearer of the Ring on the journey to its destruction.

Tolkien does want to give his readers a mystical sense that some divine hand may be guiding some of the action; however, he does not want to cause this theme to overshadow the fact that his characters have a choice in what they do. He does not want to take away the suspense from the narrative by allowing the reader to know that Frodo will make it to his next destination safely. Kocher says that one “technique Tolkien finds handy is to couple every incident anyone calls foreordained with some notable exercise of free will by one of the characters involved in it” (40). An example that is given is the encounter of Bilbo and Frodo with Gollum. Both hobbits are said to have been chosen as Ring-bearers. This is where they have no choice in the matter. However, when either one of them comes across Gollum, they have had at least one chance to do away with the evil creature that is driven insane by a mad longing to possess the Ring, and passed it up. They spared Gollum’s life.

This free will that both Bilbo and Frodo have shown in their decisions to spare Gollum, and throughout the rest of their adventures, is something that Tolkien has believed in since he was a child. It was taught to him at an early age by his mother when she was teaching him the basic convictions of the Roman Catholic Church. As the scripture says from the Book of Joshua, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (NIV Bible, 225). Even after all that God had done for them, the Israelites still had a fundamental choice to make. It is this ability to choose that Tolkien places in Frodo’s character.

This choice that Frodo makes inevitably has a great impact on the outcome of his adventure. At the Cracks of Doom the Ring seems to finally gain power over Frodo. He, like many of the bearers in the past, cannot stand the thought of parting with the Ring, and slips it on his finger. Frodo’s salvation ends up being the mad creature, Gollum, who leaps out of the shadows and wrestles with the invisible form of Frodo until he manages to bite off his ring finger. And then, while dancing about in triumph, with both the ring and Frodo’s missing finger, he slips on the edge of a cliff and falls into the flames below.

I believe that Tolkien has done a wonderful job of mixing the use of intervention by a divine force, and the free choice of the characters to drive his narrative forward to its conclusion. The divine force, which represents God, watches over Frodo as he willingly makes the decision to carry the Ring of Power to Mordor and the Cracks of Doom. He also seems to take part in the story at those times when Frodo and his friends are most in need of help. Some examples include, the apparent resurrection of Gandalf after his fall with the Balrog, and the narrow escapes that Frodo has from the Black Riders. And we cannot forget the timely appearance of Gollum at the end to steal the Ring away from Frodo, who is unable to bring himself to destroy it in the volcano’s fire.

Tolkien uses these to drive home one of his great themes: that good shall triumph over evil. Richard Mathews says, in his book Lightning From A Clear Sky, “free will is of paramount importance in Tolkien’s moral scheme” (20). And Burton Raffel comments on the continuous appearance of deus ex machina like rescues. He says that these rescues are “part of the delight that we take in the story…discovering for us how Good is to prevail over Evil” (241). And the story of The Lord of the Rings is, ultimately, a story of a small force of Good against an extraordinarily powerful force of Evil, and how that Good came to triumph. In no way does the use of divine luck and intervention take away from the narrative that centers around the free choice of a small halfling to carry the greatest power in Middle-earth to its destruction.

WORKS CITED

Auden, W.H. “The Quest Hero.” Tolkien and the Critics. Ed. Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo. Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press1968.

The Bible. New International Version.

Kocher, Paul H. Master of Middle-Earth: The Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1972.

Manlove, C.N. Modern Fantasy: Five Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975.

Mathews, Richard. Lightning from a Clear Sky. California: Borgo Press, 1978.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954.

An Introduction

2007-06-21T22:19:00.000-04:00

Because I am proud of this paper I feel I have to introduce it properly. In the next post you will have the opportunity to read the Agnes Hyde award winning essay, "The Choice of the Ring" by Michael I. Colwill. I hope you all enjoy it.

A Postponement

2007-06-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

I know. Another blog post with no real content. The world is rich with more than enough of these. However, after my sparse beginnings with nearly a month going by between posts, I wanted to insure everyone that I've gone nowhere.

The bronchitis (the doctor confirmed it's presence on Friday) is still holding on tight. And, since I cannot afford to miss any work this week I am performing light duty with my personal projects.

I do intend to publish the third chapter in the Tolkien Papers sometime this week. This coming chapter, titled "The Choice of the Ring", is probably the best out of the four. It is with this essay that I won first place in the Anges Hyde Writing Contest for the essay section. After reviewing it for this blog I've realised that I am quite proud of this one. I hope that you all will find it equally thought-provoking and enjoyable.

I hope that my praise of Chapter Three does not prepare you for a disappointing Chapter Four. Chapter Four was a lot of fun for me due to the sources I had available. You see I wrote to a few best-selling authors in the Fantasy genre to find out what they thought of Tolkien. And I received letters back from two of them. These two men happen to be among my favorite authors. It is with their novels that I first started venturing into the realms of fantasy fiction. The authors are Terry Brook and R. A. Salvatore. I hope that wets your appetite for the fourth installment. Don't worry, there's plenty to enjoy between now and then.

Also, I wanted to encourage everyone to let me know if you have something to say about your personal writing, a particular genre that you enjoy, or a good book that you are reading or have read recently. I would love to open up some discussions and see what everyone has to say out there. For example, I just finished "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire. Wikipedia calls this a parallel novel. I think it could also be referred to as fan fiction. At any rate, there are some wonderful themes and topics for discussion in that book. Let me know if you've read it. As my tastes tend to jump around I am also reading "The DaVinci Code", by Dan Brown, and "Guns, Germs, and Steel", by Jared Diamond. The latter book was referred to me by my good friend Jason Heath of Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog. Check him out in the links section for a great variety of articles. Jason has a talent for writing that I'm sure you could all appreciate.

Well, it's time to take my medicine...I mean that literally, you know. I hope to give you more information on writing, and on Tolkien in particular, in the near future. And while I'm working on that, tell your friends and neighbors about me. And if they aren't interested ask them for a list of everyone they know who might be interested. Well, you don't need to go to that extreme...but it would be nice. I'll be typing to you all real soon. In the mean time, enjoy a good book.

Tolkien - Chapter Two

2007-06-11T22:24:00.000-04:00

The Man That Was Tolkien

by Michael I. Colwill

What is a legend? According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, a legend is “1 a story handed down for generations among a people and popularly believed to have historical basis, although not verifiable; 2 a) a notable person whose deeds or exploits are much talked about in his or her own time b) the stories of his or her exploits” (771). This can help us to understand who Tolkien was and how he came to be a legend in the hearts and minds of children and adults alike.

Tolkien is a name that will live on in the world of literary fantasy. He is a man that will long be remembered by scholars in the areas of philology and medieval studies. What causes a man to stand out in his field as Tolkien did? Possibly it was the childhood and life that he lived. But, as Kathryn Crabbe put it, “Tolkien could have found abundant material in his own life to provide plots and incidents for novels in the mold of Oliver Twist, or, in a more modern vein, for ironic little stories of men who lead lives of quiet desperation” (1). I like to think that it was the fanciful nature in Tolkien that always had him looking towards that dreamy world of escapism.

Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Named John Ronald Reuel Tolkien by his parents, the young boy was the first son of Arthur and Mabel Tolkien. Tolkien’s dreamlike nature seemed to stem from his mother who didn’t like South Africa as a home for her family. She disliked “the oppressively hot summer and cold, dry, dusty winter” (Carpenter, 12) which seemed to try her nerves far more than she cared to admit to Arthur. The oppressive weather that Mabel disliked also seemed to get the best of Ronald at a young age. So it was that in April 1895, Mabel, Ronald, and the youngest child, Hilary, born on February 17, 1894, left South Africa to spend some time in Birmingham. The change in climate did wonders for Ronald’s health and Arthur longed to join them. Unfortunately, after a bout with rheumatic fever, Arthur suffered a severe hemorrhage and died on February 15, 1896, in Bloemfontein.

It was at this point that Mabel knew she would have to be strong in order to give her children the very best. Being knowledgeable in several areas of literature, she tutored the boys in Latin, French, and German. Mabel hoped that she could prepare them enough so that they would be able to pass the entrance exam to King Edward’s School in Birmingham. Mabel wanted them to attend this school for two important reasons: it was the school that Arthur had attended, and it was the best grammar school in the city. Ronald’s mother seemed to instill in him the good study habits that would carry him through school, and eventually help him in the creation of Middle-Earth.

During this time of study, Mabel decided to find lodging for the boys in the country. She moved them to the hamlet of Sarehole, a mile or two south of Birmingham. This would give them a chance to enjoy the fresh air and countryside. The boys would have something to make them happy despite the family’s poor financial situation. This was probably one of the greatest things to happen for Tolkien’s imaginative mind. Ronald and Hilary spent much of their time running around the countryside playing games of pretending. It is this landscape that is reflected in many of Tolkien’s countryside descriptions in his novels.

During his education from his mother it seemed that Tolkien’s favorite times were those spent on languages. Even though he learned several languages, the sounds of Latin and English seemed to appeal to him the greatest. It was also during this time that Ronald became talented in drawing, which later helped him when he decided to illustrate his own novels.

Mabel gave Ronald all kinds of books to read when he wasn’t studying. He read such books as Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, and many others. He never seemed to enjoy them as much as the stories about Red Indians. And even more than these stories he was pleased by the ‘Curdie’ stories of George MacDonald. Although he would be less pleased with the moral allegorical content of these book later in life, it was in these stories that Tolkien discovered remote kingdoms and goblins that lurked in the shadows. Best of all the books that he read, though, was the Red Fairy Book of Andrew Lang. Lang was best known for his collections of fairy tales for children, named for various colors. He was also an important force in the folklore that came out in the nineteenth century. It was in Lang’s Red Fairy Book that he read the tale of Sigurd and the dragon Fafnir. It was this tale that introduced him to the Norse mythology, which would later have an enormous effect on his studies and writing. It also brought him closer to the fantasy stories that would appear in his own books. Tolkien wrote in his essay On Fairy Stories, from his collected works entitled The Tolkien Reader, “I desired dragons with a profound desire. Of course, I in my timid body did not wish to have them in the neighborhood…But the world that contained even the imagination of Fafnir was richer and more beautiful, at whatever the cost” (64).

It was shortly after reading these stories, in fact, that Tolkien began to compose a story of a dragon himself. The most significant thing that Tolkien can recall about this story was a philological error that his mother had pointed out to him after reading it. Although he couldn’t recall the error made, Tolkien thought that this may have been a significant occurrence, for it sparked his interest in the structure and mystery of languages.

Tolkien’s interest in languages was only encouraged after becoming a student at King Edward’s in September of 1900. The family was forced to move closer to the school and took up residence in a small house in Moseley. The view was not an improvement over Sarehole. One sight caught Tolkien’s eye right away. He was caught up by the roar of the nearby railway line and the trucks that rushed past from the coal-yard not far away. He was also interested in the strange names that he read on the side of the coal-trucks as they drove by. It was through the study of these new words that Tolkien discovered the Welsh language. For Tolkien this was very exciting. He had stumbled across a language that he had never encountered before, “a language that was old and yet alive” (Carpenter, 26). During his schooling Tolkien also discovered Greek and Middle English, both of which were great contributors to his own philological pursuits.

On November 14, 1904, Ronald and Hilary were struck a blow that scarred them deeply: the death of their mother. A dear friend of the family, Father Francis Xavier Morgan, took it upon himself to help care for the children and find them lodging. He became like a father to them in the following years. Ronald was hurt greatly by the loss of his mother, whom he had loved dearly. The recipient of this love seemed to become the Catholic church after his mother died. She had always been a very devout follower of the church. Ronald himself had grown to be a devoted Christian because of his mother. This is a love that Tolkien kept for the rest of his life, and indirectly reflected in a lot of his writing.

As his studies continued, Tolkien dove deeper into the languages that he was learning. Instead of just knowing the Latin, Greek, and other languages, he wanted to understand why they were what they were. It was at this time that one of his professors, George Brewerton, introduced him to Anglo-Saxon. Tolkien immediately jumped into the history of where his own language had come from. From here he looked once again at Middle English and further researched why his language had come to be.

Two of Tolkien’s younger cousins had some influence on his love of creating languages. They had come up with a ‘private language’ with which they could talk to each other and adults would not understand them. When the older of the two cousins lost interest in this game, the younger cousin and Ronald, now in his late teens, came up with a more sophisticated language for them to use called Nevbosh, or the new Nonsense. As he grew older, Tolkien found himself making up many Greek-style words. It occurred to Tolkien that he would like to attempt a language much more organized and serious than the childish Nevbosh. Through the discovery of several new languages, Tolkien worked on a number of different languages, some of which he never finished. He would often find another language to study that intrigued him more than the one that was influencing his current work.

Later when Tolkien stumbled across a language that would have an enormous effect on him, Finnish. Tolkien was already familiar with many of the tales told in the Kalevala, a Finnish heroic epic. But he had never heard what they sounded like in their original language. He learned enough of the language to start working his way through the Kalevala. “The effect was exhilarating: ‘It was like discovering a wine-cellar filled with bottles of amazing wine of a kind and flavour never tasted before.’ Later, he [Tolkien] invented a new language based on Finnish, which eventually appeared in The Lord of the Rings as High-Elven” (Crabbe, 12).

Tolkien soon found another interest that intrigued him more than his languages, Edith Bratt. Edith was a roomer who lived directly below Ronald and Hilary when they resided at Mrs. Faulkners, a lady who had small musical gatherings for several of the Fathers in Birmingham. Father Francis thought that this was the perfect place for the boys to concentrate on their studies. He didn’t count on a romance blossoming between the 19-year old roomer and the 16-year old Ronald. During this time “Ronald was supposed to be working for an Oxford scholarship, but it was hard to concentrate on classical texts when one half of his mind was occupied with language-inventing and the other with Edith” (Carpenter, 40).

Although Father Francis did not approve of this relationship, and even went so far as to send Edith away so that Ronald could concentrate on his studies, he could not prevent the love that had taken root in the hearts of Ronald and Edith. At midnight on January 3^rd , 1913, Ronald celebrated his 21^st birthday by writing a love letter to Edith. In this letter he explained that he was 21, the age of majority, and could now legally marry. In their separation, Edith thought that there was little hope of them being allowed to get back together, and so she had accepted a marriage proposal from a man named George Field. Tolkien’s love for Edith was strong then, as it would be all his life, and so he was determined to win her back. He caught a train and traveled the 50 miles to where she was in order to spend the day with her. As David Collins said, “By the end of the day, her [Edith] engagement to George Field was broken. Ronald Tolkien had won her back” (50). And although Father Francis disapproved of Ronald’s decision, he did nothing to alter that which Tolkien pursued with his heart and soul. And it was a good thing, too. For Edith’s love would prove a great support for Tolkien’s literary and scholarly work in the future.

In 1914 England declared war on Germany, and Ronald Tolkien signed up to join the British war effort. He would go through the military training while finishing his education at Oxford University. After he graduated from Oxford with first class honors he became a second lieutenant in a British regiment called the Lancashire Fusiliers. He was assigned to train and drill incoming soldiers. This work always seemed to bore Tolkien. He was never a great fan of war. “There was nothing enjoyable about activities focused on ‘the art of killing’” (Collins, 58).

Tolkien enjoyed his work when he began to learn signals for the military. Being a lover of languages he found this especially intriguing. He would often spend hours improving his ability with light signals and flag signals. He even worked with carrier pigeons as a form of communicating his messages. It was shortly after all this that Tolkien knew he was going to be sent to France. The continuing news of those that had been killed in action frightened Tolkien. Ronald and Edith decided to be wed before his departure. And so it was that on March 22, 1916, at the age of 27, Edith Bratt became Edith Tolkien.

Tolkien was lucky in that he came down with the dreaded “trench fever.” This fever caused high temperature and dizziness in the troops. When treated a soldier could normally return to his post in two weeks. However, Tolkien’s illness persisted beyond two weeks and he was transferred to a Hospital back in England. Tolkien’s fever seemed to come and go a lot. He would just seem to be recovering from it when he would be hit hard by dizziness again. This lasted long enough to keep Tolkien away from further fighting in France. But even so, the pictures that scarred his mind stuck with him and seemed to have some influence on his war descriptions throughout his novels.

After he finally recovered, Tolkien searched for a teaching job. He began by returning to Oxford and attempting to find a position there. Unfortunately, all of the departments seemed to be doing fine for staff. However, Tolkien’s old teacher of Icelandic, William Craigie, offered a small position. Craigie was working with the staff of The New English Dictionary. Tolkien readily accepted the position that Craigie offered him and began work seeking out the history of several words. Tolkien found it to be fascinating work. His love of languages and their histories grew even more during this period. He also earned money to feed his wife and newborn son by tutoring some of the students of Oxford.

Tolkien took the position of Reader of English at the University of Leeds for about 4 years before he was accepted as the Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford. He served this position for twenty years and was then elected Professor of English Language and Literature.

It was here that Tolkien established many of the lasting relationships that would be most meaningful to him during his life. One of these relationships was with a newcomer who had recently been elected Fellow Tutor in English Language and Literature at Magdalen College, Clives Staples Lewis. Although C. S. Lewis could be considered a rival of Tolkien’s, the two soon became good friends and spent many hours talking and drinking beer together.

Tolkien and Lewis had a profound effect on each other. Theirs was a friendship that was built out of a longing for the company of others and common interests that they both held to be important. Some of these interests included the importance of Christianity, myth, and literary study. Lewis was very humble when describing the effect of his life on Tolkien’s. We find a quote of his in Crabbe’s J.R.R. Tolkien:

In 1959 Lewis wrote to an American scholar who had proposed to study his influence on Tolkien, saying, ”No one ever influenced Tolkien—you might as well try to influence a bandersnatch. We listened to his work, but could affect it only by encouragement. He has only two reactions to criticism; either he begins the whole work over again from the beginning or else takes no notice at all.” And Tolkien agreed: “The unpayable debt that I owe to him was not ‘influence’ as it is ordinarily understood, but sheer encouragement. He was for long my only audience. Only from him did I ever get the idea that my ‘stuff’ could be more than a private hobby.” (19)

This ‘stuff’ that Tolkien refers to is his work on giving his invented languages an origin in myth and story. Tolkien decided to give his new mythology a home in England. He had a great love for his homeland and felt bad that it did not possess its own rich history of myth and folklore. Tolkien knew that it would not be an easy task, but he was longing for the opportunity to create new words, characters, places, and events. And so began Tolkien’s work on “The Book of Lost Tales,” which would later be known as The Silmarillion.

Twelve years after that moment, in 1929, Tolkien gave birth to a new character that was to become known and loved world-wide: the hobbit. The hobbit came about one Summer’s day when Tolkien was sitting by a window marking School Certificate exam papers. One of the candidates had left a page blank. Tolkien saw the blank page and decided that something belonged on that page. As Carpenter quoted him, “I wrote on it ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Names always generate a story in my mind. Eventually I thought I’d better find out what hobbits were like. But that’s only the beginning” (172).

And so it was that the foundation had been laid to tie together the fascinating stories that Tolkien often told to his children before bed. He had begun what would become the world’s introduction to hobbits, and to a form of fantasy unlike any they’ve ever been exposed to. Allen & Unwin published The Hobbit in September of 1937. It was instantly recognized by the public as a wondrous story to be read by children and adults alike. A reviewer in The Times wrote that everyone “should take note that a new star has appeared in this constellation. To the trained eye some characters will seem almost mythopoeic” (182).

After the popularity of The Hobbit, Allen & Unwin requested another story about hobbits. And even though Tolkien longed to publish his mythological work, he agreed to begin work on another hobbit story. However this one took on a much darker and serious tone. Tolkien found the opportunity to include much more of his mythology in this creation.

Sadly enough, one of Tolkien’s greatest loves, The Silmarillion, never saw publication during his lifetime. It was only after his death on September 2, 1973, that his son, Christopher, finished putting together all of his father’s notes and stories so that his mythology might be read by the country to which it was dedicated as well as the world.

This man, this legend, that was J.R.R. Tolkien has truly proven himself as a contributor to the structure of the fantasy genre. He has shown us the wonders of being able to create your own world and mythology. He has given us wonderful contributions through his great scholarly work that he did throughout his lifetime. He is remembered for the creation of a being that easily comes to mind whenever his name is mentioned, the Hobbit.

His contributions can perhaps be summed up in a segment from his short story Leaf by Niggle. A segment that was read at a memorial service held by some of his American Admirers.

“Before him stood the Tree, his Tree, finished. If you could say that of a Tree that was alive, its leaves opening, its branches growing and bending in the wind that Niggle had so often felt and guessed, and had so often failed to catch. He gazed at the Tree, and slowly he lifted his arms and opened them wide.

‘It’s a gift’ he said.” (Tolkien, 113)

WORKS CITED

Carpenter, Humphrey. Tolkien: A Biography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1977.

Collins, David R.. J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Fantasy. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1992.

Crabbe, Katharyn W.. J.R.R. Tolkien. New York: Continuum, 1988.

“Legend.” Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Third Edition. 1996.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Tolkien Reader. New York: Ballantine Books, 1966.

Ahead of Schedule

2007-06-11T22:08:00.000-04:00

I'm sick. I have a severe cold that is bordering on bronchitis. Along with this my family and I unexpectedly have to leave town for a few days to take care of an unforeseen circumstance. All in all, not the best series of events that could be transpiring right now. I'm not looking forward to driving a car for more than four hours while trying to keep my head mucus free, or at least to a normal level, and also trying to prevent my germs from spreading to my wife, my son, or my mother, all of whom will be traveling with me. I actually purchased some medical face masks to wear while I'm in the car.

In America we don't take very many precautions to prevent the spread of our germs to those around us. We take our medication, stay home from work if we have to, and try to cover our mouth when we cough or sneeze. We would never think of wearing an unsightly mask over our nose and mouth all day long as we work and go about the rest of our daily routine. I learned that this is exactly what people in Japan do. If you are sick, or even have a case of the sniffles, you simply have to go to your medicine cabinet where you will have these face masks well stocked. A cold is no excuse to miss work, so this is the most polite solution. It's those little details that made me fall in love with Japan.

But I digress. Due to everything going on in my own life I decided to get Chapter Two of the Tolkien Papers published on the blog for you now so you don't have to wait until I'm feeling better and everything else has been taken care of. This is the biographical chapter in the papers, where you will learn about the man's life and loves. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I will hopefully have the opportunity to publish Chapter Three sometime this coming weekend. Of course, that means I need to get to writing as well. I don't want to run out of material for you. I'll make you a deal. If you keep reading, and telling other people about what you're reading, I'll keep worrying about the material and the writing. Deal? I was hoping you'd say that. May you read good words, my friend.

Tolkien - Chapter One

2007-06-08T00:28:00.000-04:00

Fantasy and Tolkien

by Michael I. Colwill

When people talk about the fantasy genre of literature it is not uncommon for them to think about J.R.R. Tolkien. In fact, it is in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings that we see a catalyst for shaping a lot of contemporary fantasy today. Tolkien has had a profound influence on the fantasy genre and writers in that genre. However, it is also true to say that fantasy has had a profound influence on Tolkien. To see the relationship between to the two we will examine fantasy as a genre and look at other’s opinions before discussing the effects of Tolkien’s masterpiece on the genre.

It is difficult to find a definition of fantasy as a genre that fully encompasses all that it is. The Oxford English Dictionary lists no less than seven separate meanings with many additional subdivisions. According to Dieter Petzold in his Modern Fiction Studies article, Fantasy Fiction and Related Genres, “The definition ‘a genre of literary compositions’ appears only in the 1972 supplement” (12). In Webster’s New World College Dictionary, we find fantasy to mean, “a) a work of fiction portraying highly imaginative characters or settings that have no counterparts in the real world b) such works, collectively, as a literary form; specifically, those works dealing with dragons, elves, ghosts, etc.” (491). Even this definition is rather broad compared to how a lot of experts have defined fantasy.

It should be expected that writers and workers in the field will not come to a consensus as to what the definition should be. As long as we are aware that every author is likely to have his or her own concept of fantasy we will be able to enter a discussion of the topic and not get confused.

Dieter Petzold shares some of the problems that people face in attempting to define fantasy. He tells us that fantasy “cannot be defined in terms of subject matter, form, or function. Though all of these aspects are certainly important for an understanding of the genre, they are secondary insofar as they do not provide categories that can be used in a rigorously systematic way. Any list of ‘typical traits’ will be in danger of appearing arbitrary” (13). Whenever taking a particular trait to define the genre, one will always be forced to exclude certain works that are normally considered fantasy simply because they do not meet the requirements in the description. Take, for instance, the descriptor of magic. If we consider the presence of magic to be the key factor in what is and isn’t fantasy, look at all of the fantasy works that would no longer be considered part of the genre. Two that come to mind right away are Doktor Faustus and Watership Down.

John H. Timmerman has attempted to define and describe the fantasy genre in his book, Other Worlds: the Fantasy Genre. In this study Timmerman has identified “six traits which must be present to some degree to characterize the work as fantasy…. These six traits are the use of traditional Story, the depiction of Common Characters and Heroism, the evocation of Another World, the employment of Magic and the Supernatural, the revelation of a Struggle between Good and Evil, and the tracing of a Quest” (4).

Timmerman’s process of determining if a work is fantasy or not is an acceptable one to an extent. However, we must keep in mind that he did express the fact that each element only has to be present to some degree. In Tolkien’s creative world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings we are experiencing an environment that is foreign to us. However, throughout the narrative we discover that the world we know is simply the age that follows that in Tolkien’s story. So Tolkien has included elements of another world, but only in the way of describing our own world so that we can’t recognize it.

The purpose of fantasy is another area where opinions differ. Sometimes authors stress the use of allegory in fantasy as a means to share their own ideals, or enlighten their readers. Others describe fantasy as a form of escapism. And then there are those who say that it is simply a story, something for personal pleasure and enjoyment.

Tolkien has first and foremost stressed the fact that he wrote his books and tales for the sake of the story. It was not with the purpose of influencing the reader or impressing his personal opinions on the reader through any form of allegory. In fact, Tolkien has often expressed his dislike of allegory in literature. He writes for the sake of creating a world for the wonders of his imagination to take breath in, for the sake of his readers’ enjoyment.

One thing that Tolkien does not place the highest importance on in his fantasy is the believability of the story. For him it’s not a matter of whether or not the story is true, as he describes in his essay On Fairy-Stories:

at no time can I remember that the enjoyment of a story was dependent on belief that such things could happen, or had happened, in ‘real-life.’ Fairy-stories were plainly not primarily concerned with possibility, but with desirability. If they awakened desire, satisfying it while often whetting it unbearably, they succeeded (Tolkien, 63).

One of the things that Tolkien believes a person should get out of reading a Fairy-story is recovery. According to Tolkien himself, “Recovery (which includes return and renewal of health) is a re-gaining—regaining of a clear view. I do not say ‘seeing things as they are’ and involve myself with the philosophers, though I might venture to say ‘seeing things as we are (or were) meant to see them’—as things apart from ourselves. (Tolkien, 77). This, in a sense, could be like renewing the prescription of the lenses in your glasses. We’ve spent so much time in this world with so little change that all the common things in our lives have fallen out of focus.

When we read a fantasy novel we see these common things set against some very uncommon characters and stories. We begin to notice them more and realize what it is they are. The success of a fantasy novel could, in one way, be judged by how much you notice the trees and flowers and grass when you put down the book. Not to mention the very nature of humanity as is moves about you. “Actually fairy-stories deal largely, or (the better ones) mainly, with simple or fundamental things, untouched by Fantasy, but these simplicities are made all the more luminous by their setting…It was in fairy-stories that I first divined the potency of words, and the wonder of the things, such as stone, and wood, and iron; tree and grass; house and fire; bread and wine” (Tolkien, 78).

Another element of the Fairy-story that Tolkien touches on is escape. He speaks of how fairy-stories, though not the only form of escapist literature, is probably the most obvious and outrageous form. Escapism in literature is not always looked highly upon. This is mostly true with those who believe literature should be a tool which allows people to reach a higher level of human understanding. In fact, there are several people that believe the use of fantasy, and other literature, for escape can be harmful to one’s personality. In fact, Ursula K. Le Guin recalls a story in her collection of essays, The Language of the Night, that one of her good friend’s told her. “All right, I’ll tell you something fantastic. Ten years ago, I went to the children’s room of the library of such-and-such city, and asked for The Hobbit; and the librarian told me, ‘Oh, we keep that only in the adult collection; we don’t feel that escapism is good for children’” (39).

Tolkien defends the use of escapism with a couple questions, “Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?” (Tolkien, 79). Like the prisoner, there is no reason to scorn the sub-creator of a fantasy for wanting to break though the prison-walls of real life. Nothing can offer as great an escape from real life as the fairy-story that carries its reader to another world where, though real life may influence the events, a happy ending is a more likely occurrence than not.

There are people who would say that using forms of literature for escape is not healthy. We can already see this from the story that Ursula K. Le Guin shared above. But when you take this combined with the recovery and consolation that one receives from fantasy literature you find that it is not a dangerous thing. It is not harmful to dream, or fantasize of a place that is different than our own lives. Sometimes we need that change to bring about a recovery from the everyday routine that has become boring to us. And some people may long for the consolation that is to be found in fantasy. Readers realize that they are not physically departing from the world around them. But for a few brief hours they can dream about their world becoming a fantastic place, where their imagination learns to see things from a different point if view.

This brings us to an explanation of the third element that Tolkien claims we receive from fairy-stories, consolation. This is the resolution of the fairy-story that lets the reader know that everything will turn out right in the end. As Tolkien puts it,

the ‘consolation’ of fairy-tales has another aspect than the imaginative satisfaction of ancient desires. Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy stories must have it. At least I would say that Tragedy is the true form of Drama, its highest function; but the opposite is true of Fairy-story (85).

Tolkien has termed this happy ending Eucatastrophe; being the sudden joyous turn in the story where everything starts to bring the ending together through a kind of grace. This is the turn that can never recur in the narrative, it is the pinnacle of the story. Tolkien claims that this is not simply denial of the existence of dycastrophe, being sorrow and failure. In fact, he says that it is the possibility of failure in the narrative that is necessary for the so called deliverance brought about by the eucatastrophe. It is this that readers rely upon when looking for consolation in the fairy-story. It can bring to the reader a feeling of deliverance. Even though the deliverance they read about is in an imaginary world it can give them something that may relate to their own world. They realize that happy endings are not a myth, they have occurred in the past and will occur again in the future. One must simply be patient and enjoy the journeys in between.

Tolkien often related things to his personal faith as a Christian. He was a very devout Roman Catholic and he saw the Fairy-story as a way of looking at the Christian story:

in God’s kingdom the presence of the greatest does not depress the small. Redeemed Man is still man. Story, fantasy, still go on, and should go on. The Evangelium has not abrogated legends; it has hallowed them, especially the “happy ending.” The Christian still has to work, with mind as well as body, to suffer, hope, and die; but he may now perceive that all his bents and faculties have a purpose, which can be redeemed (89).

These are the things that a reader will find in a truly great fairy-story. The recovery of everyday creation, the escape from the prison-walls of everyday life, and the consolation that is brought about by the joyous deliverance at the end of the fairy-story. All of this is brought about by the sub-creation that every writer experiences when their fantasy world is first given birth in their minds. Brian Attebery discusses this in his book, The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature,

Coleridge divided the imagination into two parts, a primary imagination that perceives and a secondary one that invents. J.R.R. Tolkien postulates a similar division in the power of belief. Using Coleridgean terminology, Tolkien describes a ‘primary belief,’ which can be applied to a tree, to the laws of entropy, or to a myth, and a ‘secondary belief,’ which is applied at will to the creations of the (secondary) imagination (34).

“What really happens is that the storymaker proves a successful ‘sub-creator.’ He makes a secondary world which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is ‘true’: it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside” (Tolkien, 60).

When you have entered this secondary world you live by the rules that apply to that world. You see and experience many of the things that are common to real life, yet with them is combined those extraordinary characters, events, and elements of the secondary world that help to make the fairy-story so fantastic. While ‘inside’ this secondary world the common things that are so familiar will help to strengthen the reality of the writer’s narrative, causing the reader to believe the events that are taking place in the world. As Timmerman states, using Tolkien’s words, “fantasy is that ‘power of giving to ideal creations the inner consistency of reality’. Fantasy arranges the image, and the artist’s vision and beliefs, into a perceptible form” (51-52).

And so we see the things that Fantasy can bring to us through the Fairy-story. We see the effects of having been recovered, and having escaped, and having been consoled. But these things are more things felt, emotions that are the effects of the fairy-stories. As C.N. Manlove puts it in his book, Modern Fantasy: Five Studies:

The only way we will really know that ‘Recovery’ has worked is by going out for a walk and seeing whether trees, grass or stones have a new fullness of identity. The only proof of our having been ‘consoled’ is a form of mystical experience; of our having ‘escaped’, a shiver of delight down the spine; of our having ‘turned’, ‘a catch of the breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to (or indeed accompanied by )tears, as keen as that given by any form of literary art, and having a peculiar quality’ (169).

WORKS CITED

Attebery, Brian. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980.

Le Guin, Ursula K. The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction. Ed. Susan Wood. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1979.

Manlove, C.N. Modern Fantasy; Five Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975.

Petzold, Dieter. “Fantasy Fiction and Related Genres.” Modern Fiction Studies. 32 (1986): 11-20.

Timmerman, John H. Other Worlds: The Fantasy Genre. Ohio: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1983.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Tolkien Reader. New York: Ballantine Books, 1966.

Webster’s New World College Dictionary. 3^rd Ed. New York, Macmillan.

A Precursor to the Tolkien Essays

2007-06-08T00:04:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, the essays on J.R.R. Tolkien, the first of which I will be publishing today, were originally written in the Spring of 1997 for an Advanced Expository Writing course. I took this course at Dakota Wesleyan University, under the tutelage of Dr. Joseph Ditta. Dr. Ditta was a great influence on the quality of my writing while I was at Dakota Wesleyan. And the skills that I learned from him, though not practiced as regularly as they should be to remain sharp, still linger in my mind and emerge from my fingertips in the writing I do today.

The essays were written in standard MLA format. Due to this I will be including the Works Cited section at the end of each paper. This should take you back to those research paper days of yore. I hope that you enjoy the posts on Tolkien, and I would be grateful of any comments or questions you might have. I would be especially grateful of any corrections that you find need to be made. I did a lot of research, but my words, like any writers, are not guaranteed to be the gospel truth.

A Birthday Celebrated

2007-06-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Christopher! My son turned three years old today. In the time-honored tradition of all parents who have walked before us, my wife and I held a birthday party for my son. We had eight adults and five children attending as guests, not counting family. Despite the fact that four of the children visiting were toddler boys, we managed to get through the evening with no blood stains on the carpets. My son, being an only grandchild, was spoiled rotten as usual. All in all, it was a very fun afternoon, and I'm glad to have it over with.

You can all be thinking of me tomorrow morning. I will be attending a job interview that kind of fell in my lap earlier this week. I don't know a great deal about this business, as my name was given to them by a third-party (a friend's brother), so this will be as much an interview of them as it will be of me. The exciting thing about this is I'd be in a field where I'd have more opportunity to use my English and writing skills. No, it's not a direct link to selling my own writing, but it could be a positive step for my family and I. I'll keep you posted on how things turn out.

Posts to Come

2007-06-05T17:21:00.001-04:00

Forgive me Bloggers, for I have procrastinated. It has been 44 days since my last blog post.

Life seems to happen and I follow along, trying to catch a breath now and then. I'm sneaking in a quick post today before I run out with my son and wife to my son's Kindermusic class. My son, Christopher, will be turning three years old on Thursday. He's very excited. I think he's more excited about the play set/swing set that his Dad built for him in the back yard. Luckily I had help from a carpenter fried, or it never would have been finished before his birthday. As it was I spent twelve hours straight outside in the sun on Memorial Day working on it. And that was only one of the days we worked on it.

We are also fast approaching the arrival of my daughter. I don't believe I mentioned before that my wife and I are expecting a girl. Her name is Nanami Elizabeth. Nanami is Japanese for, "seven seas". It's a very pretty Japanese name, which grabbed our attention. But it is also a rarer name in Japan, which my wife likes. Her name, Rihoko, is another uncommon name used in Japan. Should Nanami cooperate we will be meeting her on Tuesday, July 31. We are very excited as this is the first granddaughter, second grandchild, on both sides of the family.

I want to inform everyone of some upcoming posts. Yes, I've taken the advice of people more experienced and blog-wise than I, and have planned out a few of my posts ahead of time. I am actually pulling from some college material. I will be sharing with you a four-chapter paper I wrote on J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a paper that I wrote in the Spring of 1997, yes 1997. I know that's ten years ago. And yes, I believe there's still good information in what I wrote back then. I have to, of course, acknowledge the fact that there have been so many wonderful developments in all things Tolkien during the last decade. Not the least of which was a little movie project you may have heard of. I am hoping to write another essay on the movie and its subsequent impact on the world of fantasy, particularly in its relationship with Hollywood.

The papers that I will be sharing with you are as follows:

Chapter One - Fantasy and Tolkien
Chapter Two - The Man That Was Tolkien
Chapter Three - The Choice Of The Ring
Chapter Four - Tolkien's Legacy

It was a lot of fun for me to brush the dust off of these papers and do a little editing to bring the style and voice more in sync with mine today. No, I did not alter them greatly. I realized that back in college, when I took the time to write, I produced some good material. That was great incentive for me to "make" more time in my life today so that I can re hone my skills and bring myself back to the level I know I can achieve.

I'll leave you with a quote I used in Chapter Three, by W.H. Auden.

"Man is a history-making creature for whom the future is always open."

Be well, you'll hear from me soon.