COMMENTARY: Arachno-Funk, Part 1

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone.....

You've all probably heard the old folk song, but it's true.  I never really appreciated the education I got from Oklahoma City's inner-city schools until Barack Obama ran for President the second term.

An article I read described President Obama as being able to understand world problems better because he grew up as an "international kid."  He learned from living in Hawaii and visiting various countries how other cultures work and how to get along.

I got some of that coming up at Central Junior High and Classen High.  Unlike my Wonder-bread elementary school, we had Black, Native American from half a dozen or more different tribes, Hispanic, and in my last years, Vietnamese students all mingling in the melting pot of public education.

Yeah, it was stressful, but it was good. I learned about fry bread and kitchens (not the kind you cook in), appreciated the accordion in conjunta music, learned to sing gospel well enough to be asked to join the Gospel Choir, and appreciate bun. (Vietnamese dish) And that's just for starters.

I wish I could say my school experience was like that. I'm one of those old hippie types who really does want everyone to live together in peace. Sadly, no. We had our share of racial tension. Even had a special pep assembly to try and get us to come together. The Student Council Vice President who suggested we should get along got a brick thrown through his windshield.

On the other hand, two years after I graduated, Classen High School kicked the KKK off the campus. This was a united force representing all the races of the student population. I was never so proud of my old school.

Now, Classen is an advanced studies magnet school, in 2009, one of the top in the nation. Do they always clean up the place after I'm gone? Perhaps it's karma from the Class of 1978!

I really did learn a lot about different cultures from Classen, but what I'm talking about today is learning how cultures share an iconic image in their mythology.

In this case, it's this guy and his kin:

It's Mythology class right after lunch and we're discussing Greek, Roman and Norse myths.

"Why are we learning this?"  I hear from one of my fellow students. "Do you see any Greeks, Romans or Norse folk in here?"

A show of hands revealed none of us believed we were such. Only our teacher had any Norse connection and that was on her husband's side of the family. We had some pretty diverse culture represented:  American Indian, Black, and I spoke up for Scotland.

"What do you suggest?" Mrs. Adams asked. "This is the textbook we've got. What are we going to do about it?"

Can you hear the pin drop in our classroom? 

"Those of you who want can do special reports on myths from your culture," Mrs. Ericson said. "It's extra credit and will help you with your final."

My hand shot up first. Yeah, I'm that kind of student--in English class--plus, I had a bad case of Senioritis and that whole idea sounded a lot better than studying hard for a final when I had invitations and Baccalaureate and all that graduating stuff to do.

This was easier said that one; however. Our small school library had tons of books on mythology. Unfortunately, they were all pretty much related to Zeus/Jupiter and Odin.  Lucky for us, OCU was close and if you looked really sad and promised not to mess up anything, they'd let you in their library.

I picked the kelpie or Ech Uisque--the waterhorse of Celtic myth which often lured humans to their death in the rivers and lochs. The ech uiqque plays a part in one of my short stories which has yet to see the light of day. For more on that legend, click here: 

Kelpie Legend

But Crystal picked the mythical character who had me entranced:  Anansi. I hope Crystal decided to be a Griot. She rocked that report.

Of course, I was prejudiced.  I still had my Creepy Crawlers set from when I was a kid and I "cooked bugs" every Halloween from a carefully-cadged supply of "goop."  I cooked the spiders. The rest of the molds bored me.

One of our Native American students added that Vehoo was a Cheyenne legend and a trickster like Anansi.

"Spiders were considered beneficial in Celtic myth," I added. "There's even a story where a spider helped Robert the Bruce kick the English out of Scotland."

Robert the Bruce and the Spider

You ever have a moment where you sit and look at your friends and classmates and realize yeah, we're different, but we're also alike.  We write stories about the things and creatures that are important to us and we pass them along to future generations, first beside campfires and on into the classroom. 

I was a fan of mythology since fifth grade when my teacher handed me a copy of Bullfinch's Mythology, but they were just tales until then....

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, March 2013

COMMENTARY: The Next Big Blog Thing

With my sincere thanks to the lovely and talented Ellen Herbert, who suggested I join this blog hop. Check out her blog here: 


Ellen Herbert's Blog

My current WIP is new to me. The inspiration came like most do in the middle of the night via a dream.

Since I have so much trouble writing a pitch, I'm starting with it.  Here's the tentative: 

Who says Romeo and Juliet have to die?  Sometimes, star-crossed lovers do mend fences between feuding family. Generations ago, Jordon and Morgan's many times great-grandparents did just that between the Crossers and the Necromancers. They didn't realize that the marriage would null their offspring's gifts--until a pair of fraternal twins are born--and are nearly torn apart when they discover their powers.

And like any good blog hop (which is pretty much the chain letters of long ago), I am passing the torch on to an amazing author of steampunk and horror, Allison Dickson:

Allison's Blog

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, March 2013

MOVIE REVIEW: Oz The Great and Powerful

Director:  Sam Raimi
Writers:   Mitchell Capner and
               David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay)
               Frank L. Baum, The Wonderful World of Oz
Cast:     

James Franco     Oz
Mila Kunis           Theodora
Rachel Weisz      Evanora
Michelle Williams   Annie-Glinda
Zack Braff            Frank/Finley
Bill Cobbs            Master Tinker


Seldom do I see a movie where I want to just remain in my seat and see the next show--and the next, until the theater staff tells me it's time to go home. Among those are ET and The Princess Bride. 

I was predestined to either love or hate this movie. I've been an Oz junkie since I was three or four. The film would come on television every year about Halloween time and after the first, I was prepared. I sat down spellbound with my Welch's grape juice and my popcorn and not even my father, who usually had ultimate control of the television, dared complain.  When I got older, and leaned that The Wizard of Oz was based on a set of books by Frank L. Baum, I found them in the library and read them all. And yes, I've read Gregory Maguire's take on Oz as well. I've seen Wicked from near the front and loved the musical.

No, I don't have any snow globes or Oz dolls in costume...I do own the remastered Blu-Ray where I realized to my utter shock that the opening scenes of The Wizard of Oz were not black and white as I originally believed, they were sepia!

Tony and I were there on opening night for Oz The Great and Powerful. We went on a matinee with hope in our hearts. And, yes, I could have stayed until the theater shut down.  I want to see the film at least once more before it goes off the big screen--maybe at a theater with better sound and visual resolution. I'll own the movie--and I might even splurge for some swag if they have the right Christmas ornament.

Oz opened in Kansas with a carnival charlatan seducing a young woman to be his assistant. Enter Oz, the wizard. The only reason he gets in the hot air balloon in the middle of an impending tornado is because the young woman he was about to seduce was another's girl and he was about to receive a well-deserved beat down.

After some peril, Oz lands in Oz and learns he is the wizard that was foretold of. Then the magickal politicking begins. Theodora and Evanora, the sisters, are trying to get him on their side so he can kill the Wicked Witch by breaking her magic wand.

Then, he meets Glinda and realizes who he needs to side with. As she tells him, "Perhaps you are not the wizard I expected, but you are the wizard we need."

There's a lot to love about this film. Of course, it pays homage to the original WOZ by beginning with the mundane world in black and white. (Might have preferred sepia, but I'm not quibbling) The casting was excellent. James Franco is a perfect scapegrace with devastatingly brilliant ideas.

One change I really appreciated was that in the original Oz the only color aside from Caucasian we saw was green. This modern Oz is integrated and the folks join together for a common cause.

Love seeing more evidence of steampunk's influence. Baum and Wells certainly were the original steampunk inspiration. It's good to see the Tinkers working--and tie in how Oz appears in the original film.

Yes, we will go back to see this film in the theater and we're definitely going to own the Blu-Ray.  I'm excited about the possibility of sequels. I hope they film quickly, because they do not want to lose a single member of this cast.

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, March 2013


 

MOVIE REVIEW: Rise of the Guardians

Director:  Peter Ramsay
Writers:  David Lindsay Abaire (screenplay) William Joyce (book)

Cast:  (voiced by)

Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher

An evil spirit named Pitch plans to destroy the hopes and dreams of children. For the first time, the Guardians (Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, The Sandman and their newest member, Jack Frost) must work together to save themselves and the future of the world.

2012 was a banner year for animation. ParaNorman, Hotel Transylvania, Frankenweenie, Brave, just to name a few. Rise of the Guardians, which is based on William Joyce's multi-book young adult series, is one of the best.

Casting was well done. The voices fit their characters and it's obvious the actors were into their roles. Animation brought life to the screen. I saw this film in the theaters and immediately went searching for a pre-order. I'm so fond of it, I'm adding the film to my annual Christmas viewing.

Overall, I seriously hope to see more films from this franchise in the future.

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, February 2013

COMMENTARY: The Hard Choices

Above are the crew of the Columbia STS-107. (L-R) mission specialist David Brown, commander Rick Husband, mission specialist Laurel Clark, mission specialist Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist Michael Anderson, pilot William McCool, and Israeli payload specialist Ilan Ramon. All were killed when the shuttle disintegrated over Texas February 1st, 2003.

I honestly don't remember where I was when I heard that Columbia disintegrated over Texas. I remember crying, but that's all. 

What I hadn't known until ten years later was that NASA knew the astronauts were in trouble before the crash. Wayne Hale, the person who later got charge of the shuttle program, talked about the incident in his blog:  

"After one of the MMTs (Mission Management Team) when possible damage to the orbiter was discussed, he (Flight Director Jon Harpold) gave me his opinion: 'You know, there is nothing we can do about damage to the TPS (Thermal Protection System). If it has been damaged it's probably better not to know. I think the crew would rather not know. Don't you think it would be better for them to have a happy successful flight and die unexpectedly during entry than to stay on orbit, knowing that there was nothing to be done, until the air ran out?" 

This has to be the hardest decision anyone had to make. Imagine, working with people, knowing them, caring for them, learning a bit about them and their family...Knowing also that they were the best the US had to offer up for this mission, and realizing they were going to die and you had to make a choice of what to tell them.

I sat here and contemplated their choices. If the astronauts were told, they'd have minutes in a cabin of decreasing oxygen knowing they were going to die. Even if they were the best, the worst of their natures could come out. On the other hand, they went out on a high-note. I think they believed they were going to make it.

Of course, they didn't have a chance to say goodbye. But, I suppose they did so as they were leaving--just in case. Nothing comes without a price. I know the crews who took off for the stars were willing to pay. May they fly through the stars forever.


Rebecca McFarland Kyle, February 2013

COMMENTARY: Happy 200th Birthday, Pride and Prejudice

Learning to read wasn't easy for me.  My eyes didn't want to work scanning the lines of writing.  The Adventures of Dick and Jane left me staring off into space. The first reading that captured my full attention was Dr. Seuss, aka Theodore Geisel. No surprise I am still a fan of the colorful, the whimsical, and the amusing. Make no mistake, there was wisdom buried beneath the laughter. Green Eggs and Ham taught about prejudice. The Lorax made us want to walk more softly on this earth.

Mostly after that, I just read what I wanted. My first taste of The Reading List and the classics came in Mrs. Cowden's fifth grade class. Intimidated by the high shelves of the library, I asked her for some recommendation. She handed me David Copperfield. After I got past my shock at the book's heft, I was sold. I read everything Dickens, London, Twain, and Shakespeare that library held.

Then, she handed me Jane Austen. I grew up in the Sixties and there weren't a lot of options for women. This was the first time that I read a classic written by a woman. I sat and looked at her name on cover page the tattered book (most of the books Wilson Elementary for their fledgeling library were second-hand and repaired with duct tape by Glenda Vickery, our librarian, and my Mom) for a bit and wondered. What was it like writing then?

I knew people who wrote then did so on typewriters, mostly manual. But, Jane Austen had to have written that whole book by hand. Why I never thought of the process before was something of a mystery then. I realize now part of the reason was that writing something that good seemed inaccessible to me before that moment. 

Like most of the classics, place and time are as strong a character as the people living through them. The times were vastly different for women. "Entailments" meant that the property held by the Bennet family could not pass to any of the five female daughters. When their father died, they'd be left penniless unless they found a husband. I followed the sisters' trials and tragedies with a sense of awe. Imagine just walking out in the rain and ending up gravely ill? 

You remember the Sixties Virginia Slims cigarette slogan: You've Come a Long Way, Baby. Well, indeed we had. Just looking at my college-educated Mom who taught school before she married told me that. Mom could vote, which meant she even had a say in our government. She was four years old when my Grandma got the right. She told me more than once to always make best use of my right to vote, too.

I laughed through the antics in Pride and Prejudice. And I loved the characters. But, I thought about the change in times and what that meant for me.

And I kept thinking about that as I moved from Jane Austen to the Bronte Sisters, and finally to Louisa May Alcott. Like many young women, particularly of the Southpaw nature, I had perpetually ink-stained fingers. I looked at my hand and I realized then whatever I wanted to be I was going to write.

Today, women in Afghanistan are proudly showing their ink-stained fingers because they, too, can now vote.

I viewed these pictures with tears because they made me realize that we've still got a long way to go, too. Women everywhere are fighting for the right to vote, to walk the streets safety, and to have the right to choose whether or not to keep a child foisted upon them by a rapist.


This entry is part of Courtney Webb of Stiletto Storytime and Alyssa Goodnight's 200th Birthday Celebration for Jane Austen. 

List of participating bloggers is available on Alyssa Goodnight's page at http://alyssagoodnight.com/2013/01/pride-and-prejudice-anniversary-party-blog-hop/



Rebecca McFarland Kyle, January 2013

COMMENTARY: Challenger

For my generation, we marked our lives by where we were when President Kennedy was assassinated. For the next, the crash of the space shuttle Challenger was a keystone event. 

It was a cold, dry and windy day in Oklahoma City warmed by hope and anticipation.

For the first time in my career, I was going to see a shuttle launch live. I was working for the Oklahoma Historical Society as secretary to Mary Lee Boyle, the senior archivist, and we had a television set for the Oral History Program. We were all particularly hyped that Christa McAuliffe was going up as a payload specialist. Many of us followed the Teacher in Space Program that President Reagan announced two years before Challenger. Added bonus:  she was a History Major and a Social Studies teacher. Her mission was to teach the world about the new frontier.

We were all aware of the delays this mission faced as we crowded into the tiny equipment-filled office vying for a good spot to see the 19-inch color screen. We'd planned to see the flight on the initial take-off date just six days before on January 22, 1986. Nobody really anticipated trouble. It was a long time since Apollo I and NASA had twenty-four prior successful missions.


No big deal. I still had hope in my heart of going to the moon on American Airlines. Back in fifth grade, Mrs. Cowden encouraged each of us to write and get on the waiting list for moon-flight. At that time, I still had the card American sent everyone who did write.


The launch went fine. We were all cheering and high-fiving each other when the vapor plume split into two.

"What happened?" I asked. I'd come late to the party and didn't have a great view.

For a few hope-filled moments, nobody knew. Maybe this was a scheduled event. Maybe....

Then, the announcer told us the shuttle exploded. I remember tears springing to my eyes. Chris Bittle, the photo archivist, hugged me. I think Mary Lee and several others did as well. 

Christa had flown with our hopes and dreams and those were gone now.  In some ways, I suspect this was the beginning of the end for President Kennedy's aspirations for us. NASA took a long hiatus to make sure they were functional. The Columbia disaster followed and set us back even further.

All I can say is Rest in Peace--and rest in the star stuff where all life is conceived.

The seven crew members aboard the Challenger Shuttle seen from left: Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Mike J. Smith, and Ellison S. Onizuka.

To watch CNN's live coverage of the Challenger take-off, follow this link:







Challenger Take-Off and Explosion

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, January 2013