UPDATE

The play I'm working on is now at mid point. Fifty pages written, about fifty pages to go. It's progressing. Coming along. A third of the way there. Daylight on the horizon.

(Hmm. Until this moment I've never thought about how far away a horizon actually is. And when I get there, how will I know I've arrived?)

In the meantime, I've not fully responded to comments and questions aimed in my general direction. A serious character flaw, that.

So here they come - the answers, and not in any special order. Other than addressing individuals by name and adding pictures, the persons asking questions shall remain anonymous.

SAM. Yes, I will be there. How could I say "no" to a sweet face like that? I will be there - I will move heaven and earth to be there. Unless I have to work, in which case I probably won't.

BIRDIE. Thank you for sending me the picture of you on jury duty. You neglected to tell me which one is you.

MARK. Very nice. Personally, I favor something with four wheels. And a bathroom.

NANCY. Yes, there is hope for you. You appear normal. On the other hand, "normal" is subjective, isn't it? I mean, things that seem normal to a hundred and fifty pound rabbit may or may not ...

Excuse me. It's past time for my meds. I can hear the alarm. I think they are looking for me.

Sh-h-h-h ...

jb

And how was your day?

Now Here's A Good One ...

So I got this little notice on my computer - "Upgrade your security system," followed by the magic word "free."

So naturally I did. Free is good. Cookies are better, but free is still good.

So I upgraded. In the process, some interesting buttons appeared on my computer.

One of them was a map of my house. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the button. Sure enough, there was my house. Beside it, a car I no longer own, and in the back yard I saw - me! No extra charge. I always wondered what the top of my head looked like.

Another button said "suggested sites," indicating places I'd like to go. One was my mail, another was a free dictionary site (excuse me, aren't they all free?), and the last was the very site you're reading at the moment. I must admit I was disappointed with this button. At the top of "places I'd like to go" should have been the beach on Pango-Pango, and it didn't even make the top five!

The last button was/is by far the most interesting. It's labeled "Answers." With trembling fingers I touched this magic button. Imagine - answers!

And there they were;

(1) Yes.
(2) 3.14159265358979323846
(3) LaOtto Indiana
(4) Fish breath
(5) To get to the other side.

Uh-huh. Gotta be some kind of code. I mean, if answers were for just ANYBODY, then ... then ... well, you know ... everybody would have ... answers ... and where would we be then?

I'll get back to you later on this - after my sudden headache goes away ...

There's one more button. It says "Add more buttons."

Should I?

jb


And how was your day?

THE TEAPOT COLLECTOR

Back to working on the play ...

I have now written about 50 pages, and am keeping 36 of them.

Progress.

I am being influenced.

A couple of years ago a friend was commenting on a work at the time, and suggested that a particular description of an event was "blah blah blah." She said - correctly - that although the description was accurate, it had no heart.

BLAH BLAH BLAH is now my screen saver, a reminder to occasionally stretch myself as a writer.

THE TEAPOT COLLECTOR has become a labor of love, and a true stretch. No Pratt falls, no chase scenes, everybody stays dressed. It would be nice, for once, if the merits of one of my plays would center around actual character development and plot.

In an earlier post, I wrote about an actor who is as unlike me as two people can get, yet I deeply value his friendship. A comment on the post said that my friends were like "a bouquet of wild flowers." I hadn't really thought about it that way, but it's true.

And, because of that, THE TEAPOT COLLECTOR has evolved. It started out to be a study of a friendship between an old man and a young girl. It has now expanded to include his relationship with a mean-spirited relative and a former co-worker. Each individual is represented by one of the teapots he collects.

Sounds good. We'll see if it works out that way.

And that's where I am so far. I'm still trying to come up with a logo for the play, but so far no pitcher has come to mind ...

Sorry. I can only stand it for

so long.

jb


And how was your day?