music therapy and poodle skirt flirts
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Dante, Elric, Evangelist, Journal, Karla Sasser
If you were sitting in my family room right now, watching me dance at the keyboard, you’d probably figure out pretty quickly that, despite the fact I am wearing my earbuds, I am listening to Morris Day and the Time performing Jungle Love. The moves are obvious.
But I am not here to talk about my sublimely masterful footwork. Nope. I am just here to say good evening and lay out the schedule as I see it over the next few weeks or so.
I am postponing a final decision on the tracks for Evangelist for two weeks. This will hem in the production schedule, but it’s my work so I get final say.
No new book until next Spring, if then (we all know how I suck at keeping those promises), tentatively entitled Return of the Ronin. Of course, I like the title so much I might steal it for a CD. We shall see.
I am going to spend next week in California. It was supposed to be this early in the year or solo, but I have ample offers for company and I will not be bored. I will not be reading in California. Under my own name. In any place you’d think to look for me. Ha!
Thanks to the lovely lady in the poodle skirt for helping me get my head on straight, and I would be remiss if I did not credit the amazing Karla Sasser for her updates form the City Streets Music Festival in Birmingham for helping me keep balanced.
Please, be thinking of the people in Iowa, battling the floods, and those who will continue to be displaced and challenged by our own folly in neglecting the climate until practically too late. The truth is the Hell on Earth we have manifested in foreign lands seems to be coming home to roost.
I may be taking on a new crew of proteges. More on this, perhaps, later. I am tired and have a busy few days ahead of me.
The boys, with their mother’s help, gave me a nice Father’s Day dinner.
just a smile before I go
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal, Muses, People
Before I take my vacation/pilgrimage to Los Angeles, I thought I’d fire off a quick smile to my readers. Not the most flattering picture I’ve ever had taken, but it catches a certain puckish menace.
Infinite thanks to those of you who have been so supportive, creative and passionate in helping me sort a few things out.
I have a few things to wrap before I head West, but I would like to thank Karla, Sarah, Dan, Robert, Dave, Mac, Ellen, Billy, Jay, Thomas, Peri, Larry, Elric, Dante, Jennifer, Bonnie, Jazz and K.
Now get out the way, I have about 30 hours worth of stuff to get done in the next 18 1/2 hours.
Good odds for any Greek.
my tarot for the trip
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal, Links
I am not a spiritualist or supernaturalist. Those who know my stance on these matters know that, while I have respect for arcane aspects, I do not make them a part of my life, for we are at war, they and I (why do I keep ending up dating witches, don’t ask…).
But once in a while, in an attempt to encourage my free association, I wander over to www.facade.com and take advantage of their free Tarot readings online. Considering the curious way my impending California trip came up, I decided to ask about it, about its yet obscure purposes on my path.
I asked the site to choose my deck and selected the Celtic Cross as my spread.
The questions I asked was simply "What is the purpose of my trip?"
Here is what the site’s reading said., thanks to Facade.com Some interesting aspects that may indeed influence my observations and actions over the next week. I comment in the table (In parentheses).
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The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. Nine of Swords (Cruelty): Debilitating mental anguish or ill health. Being dragged down by the dishonor of others. Participation in a shameful or regrettable act. Inescapable guilt, mistrust, and doubt. May indicate a death or other catastrophic loss. (Hmmm…interesting) |
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The card visible at the center of the cross represents the obstacle that stands in your way - it may even be something that sounds good but is not actually to your benefit. Ace of Swords, when reversed: The seed of defeat - perhaps as yet unseen. A challenge met with the invocation of force, leading to disastrous results. Reason and intelligence misdirected or cast aside, resulting in injustice and falsehood. An excessive power abused. May suggest new ideas or information with dangerous implications. (Unseen, perhaps. uh oh. Sounds bad.) |
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The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. The Tower: Unforeseen catastrophe. An abrupt change, perhaps leading to a new lifestyle and enlightenment. May indicate a broken relationship, divorce, or failure in business or career. (More unseen stuff. Gheeze, I need new glasses. Oh, broken relationship. Someone get TPTB up to date…) |
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The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Three of Pentacles (Works): The commencement of business, commercial transactions, or employment. The constructive use of creative talents, and the expression of artistry in workmanship. Skill and labor turned to the crafting of things of value. Using the conventional as a medium for expressing the exceptional, in order to build something of great renown and glory. (Actually, the trip is being initiated as a high-value courier job) |
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The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. The Devil, when reversed: Resistance of temptation. Freedom from bondage. The pursuit of higher goals despite the influence of luxury and pleasure. Release from obsession with money and power. Liberation from fear, weakness and indecision through communion with higher powers or the inner voice. (Let me get this straight, I need to resist resisting temptation. After all this hard work? I need to release my release from obsession with money and power? Get greedy?) |
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The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. The Emperor: Worldly authority and power. Social mastery and oratory. One who is intelligent, experienced, confident and reasonable. A patriarch or primary male influence. The motive force of politics and society. The ability to fulfill plans and use mental control over the emotions. (Okay, is that someone I know, will meet or an aspect of me? Aigh, where are the Ephors when you need them?) |
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The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Nine of Cups (Happiness), when reversed: Vanity, conceit, and smugness in romance, friendship, or other relationships. Achieving what you always thought you wanted. Overindulging in food, drink, or the pleasures of the flesh. A state of joy and abundance that is shallow and fleeting. (Again, the time line is off, or maybe I’m about to hit another brick wall? How many of them are there in this life? Smug? Only one person on this planet do I know stupid enough to accuse me of that. But, in later sentences, the notion of thinking I had or have found what I was looking for and now it is revealed as fleeting, I can get behind that.) |
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The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Six of Cups (Pleasure): Opening your heart to the simple pleasures of life. Fond memories fuel the playful embrace of love and life. Experiencing the joy of youth and sexual innocence. Engaging in acts of gentle kindness. Harmony of natural forces without effort or strain. Meeting an old friend. (A lot of old friends are coming out of the wordwork…more to come, I am sure…) |
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The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Seven of Cups (Temptation): Daydreams and things seen in the glass of contemplation. The scattering of energies by strong desires and unrealistic goals. The pursuit of illusions and the dissipation of energy on false choices. Intoxication, delirium, and hallucination, leading to the negation of effort. Under rare and extreme circumstances, may indicate the revelation of transcendental spiritual truth. (So I am to go up into the High Desert next week and be tempted? How Messianic can you get? (Laughing) Maybe the rare and extreme circumstances will manifest?) |
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The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Knight of Swords, when reversed: The dark essence of air behaving as fire, such as a tornado: A merciless and skillful warrior, unfettered by emotion or conscience. A nihilist who can refuse not even the most insurmountable of challenges. A person who inspires fear and hate through their domineering nature and the power of their presence. Speaking without tact or tolerance, in a sarcastic manner. May portend the swift initiation or conclusion of conflict, through the calamitous invocation of force. (Well, that does not sound like fun, unless I am the Knight of Swords and the can of whup-ass is opened by me. We shall see.) |
advice from an old friend
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Blogsphere, Journal, Muses, Thoughts about Life
First off, let me start by pointing out the Feed Burner box to the right. If you use it, they will email you what I post here, without you having to come here to check. No kidding. I know many people who use it and I think you should think about it, unless you like to see the design and leave comments (a rarity here).
Secondly, the weekend of weirdness continues. I just got off the phone a few minutes ago with the fifth from last person anyone would ever guess.
No, not Ann (second ex-wife). And no, not Nancy (first love). Not the other Nancy (Brigit), either. And, no, not Alisha (that would even shock me).
It was my friend, former lover and peer Karla Frances Sasser, aka The Mad Gypsy. Seems she’s been following my professional and relationship news via my newsletter and was on her way back from a weekend with my poetry family..my big sis, Claibie and the amazing Larry Sampson, Dear old friends. I feel positively sustained and I promised to stop by the next time I make a cross country exile dash (I feel one coming on),
I was mucking around on Face Book briefly this evening when I came across an application I had all but forgotten, relating to my resolutions and goals for 2008. We’ll assume the one I flipped over on Day One is still valid, and that we can focus on the other four: Return to California, finish novel (or two), finish screenplay and find something true.
Truths, I have found, are a dime a dozen. Relevant truths a bit tougher to come by, Karla reminded me of that, and I thank her. She told me that no one she knew was better dealing with difficult times than me.
The return to California, which I have been envisioning as a whirlwind vacation a deux seems still on the books (I haven’t been told otherwise) but it is likely now to be part of a full on move back "home". Let’s face it, people, I was never happier than in Venice Beach. In the absence of a stabilizing and motivating relationship, which is where my heart really resides and I would live in a shed in Antarctica if that’s what it called for, my physical address should be just south of Santa Monica. The extra money I can generate in that environment will help fix many, many other things. The ability to focus is tuned by the night blooming jasmine. The Pacific Ocean has the second strongest draw on my soul of all things. You-know-who has a permanent lease.
The screenplays and novels are in the works, something you may notice if you associate with my new blog "Random Drafts and Chapters". It is interesting finally getting some of these to air.
So progress is slow, reverses are inevitable and life goes on. I’m weak but game, and my natural romanticism (which has, let’s face it, been brutalized in the past by some rather nasty treatment) is reasserting itself with a vengeance. Even my ex-wife Jan has expressed sympathy.
Wow, am I that beat up?
going home for a visit
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal
Well, it’s about time.
In about 18 hours my plane lifts for the Golden State. Just for a visit, mind you.
But a visit full of rebirth. I will reconnect with old friends, a former muse or two, spend time teaching poetry in schools, and visit with my daughter and her husband, Brian (including seeing him direct the Gore Vidal play "The Best Man").
I will try and grab a meal at Roscoe’s, maybe the Pier View is back in business and I can have some of their incredible fish and chips. I’ll eat some cheap Chinese food, hang around Venice, and maybe pay my respect to my brothers, the sand dragons.
It’s about time.
Of course, the topic of my love life will come up. I’ll just smile.
wither California?
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal
I put out word the other day that I am thinking of making an escape to California later this year…not to stay but as a vacation (with maybe some readings mixed in).
Then it occurred to me that I am not honor-bound to the beloved Golden State. If the stars are not aligned right and there is not some sense of a welcome (for instance, if no friends or family seem delighted by my potential appearance and make no offer to me for crash space, etc), then I will throw the whole net wide and see what other regions of the country where I have friends, family and, yes, fanbase, that may be more welcoming.
Yes, LA and Venice Beach and Salinas are homes to me in many manners, but so can New Orleans, Mobile, Austin, Birmingham, Atlanta, Tampa, Houston, Denver, South Carolina, Boston, New York, Sault Ste. Marie and many other areas lure me with little effort.
Let’s see what happens…
Nice letter from California
Posted by William F. DeVault | Filed under Journal, Muses, Peri
Actually, two of em (emails) from my old friend Yvonne, whom I worked with a few years ago. Very supportive and earnest.
She’s a nice Irish lady with a serious addiction to chocolate (her bumper sticker reads: "Just Give Me the Chocolate and No One Gets Hurt")…I don’t know if I would’ve made it through this past year without her insights…she has been priceless. Add to that her MSW and years of counselling experience and I’ve probably saved a fortune from her good advice.
I told Tag (Dan McTaggart, a worthy poet in his own write, whom I hang with from time to time) that I would probably, after the P’cycles, only do books of that magnitude going forward…let’s face it, from a marketing standpoint, I can keep doing the 60-90 poems collections that you can hide in the bookshelf and let them go for 11.95 or thereabouts…
or I can carpet bomb the universe with massive (inch thick), novel length (500-600 poems, 40,000 words +) collections that are definitely designed to be left on your coffeetable and retail for 25-30 dollars. we’ll see how the media splash spins before making a final decision.
events are converging very nicely…I told M the other day that it seems whenever I have a difficult choice, something obvious and unexpected gets dropped in my lap to make it easier (the job in LA, the AEI honors, etc.) I credit that from my prayers, to be honest. I don’t pray for world peace, or money or the safety of those around me. I just ask to be shown the path.
And, despite my best efforts sometimes to screw things up, I am on it, and looking for the next clue…I am tired and beaten up, but people marvel at my energy, attitude and strength, so I must have something going for me. when I get insurance again I should get a checkup…I know a couple of things that need some work, but at this point it is prohibitive, financially…
shaved off the moustache to get back to the look from my most common pr shot…might as well accept that this will be my public image for now and live with it (one person described it as "intimidating"…okay)
and yes, I am still leaning (52-56%) towards a return to Los Angeles or Monterey this fall (hearing from the grapevine that the original Panther is now loose in MY city (well she did promise me she’d move there, under different circumstances, several years ago) and my daughter lives there, too…I know the odds are long, but the thought of those two coming face to face makes me cringe.
hmmm…maybe I should move to Canada now.
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