Hi KK---
Please excuse my use of pencil* today. My "good pen" has died-but its replacements should arrive tomorrow. Before getting to the latest revelation regarding Ms. Richardson's untimely death, let me comment on your always enjoyable column "OUTSIDE THE BOX":
>Calling All Kellys!: Question: Were you really fired in 'l5 for having a blog? That sounds a bit extreme. Seems as though there should be a federal law or something! You mentioned "co-workers" and an office" - do is it a wild guess that you started your own business after that?
Your take on the Craigslist ads and your responses was outstanding! The only saving grace for the male of the species is that a male Kelly would have received similar inane & "clever" responses from females out there. "Kelly Kelly" - wife of Raymond Kelly--so clever...
"Live Three or Die: I'm betting this column hit home with lots of folks. Who among us (me included) have not used a number or number of actions to try to bring luck or ward off the bad, OR to counteract a perceived negative vibe from whatever.
This column really reflected the "Sex and the City on steroids" attitude that you mentioned when you first mentioned the column. So funny:-)
The paragraph about dates "to the right of you" reminded me of that "Seinfeld" episode where both George & Jerry can't "make a move" unless they are on a certain side of their date.
So-thanks for those. I should tell you that, given the situation, I do a lot of reading but clearly not many Internet columns or blogs, etc. So I really enjoy & appreciate your smart columns filled with attitude & sass & humor.
...
Now to a more serious topic. Earlier today I heard a report that the transcripts of Natasha Richardson's ambulance ride have been leaked or released. They supposedly show that she was disoriented ++ while "en route." It wasn't clear whether this was in the ambulance going from the resort to the local hospital or the ambulance that reportedly took her from that hospital to the medical/trauma center in Montreal. But let's consider both possibilities:
#1: Resort to local hospital: Since there was a lucid interval after her head injury--any paramedic or ER nurse or ER physician would be totally cognizant that an epidural hematoma was a distinct possibility. The lucid interval is virtually pathognomonic of the presence of an epidural hematoma-which is almost always fatal unless treated NOW.
So: If this was known in the first ambulance, and the history of the lucid interval- then the patients needs only two things--an urgent CT scan and/or surgery to evacuate the epidural hematoma (more on that in a minute) -burr holes.
If the local hospital had a CT scanner--then it could have done the scan--and any surgeon (or competent ER doc) could have immediately done burr holes--full patient recovery.
If there was no CT scanner--the local hospital should have been bypassed and she should have been taken immediately to the Montreal trauma center, which is reported to have been 50 miles away.
Again--upon arrival--emergency CT scan and immediate surgery.
#2 If her symptoms were present during the second ambulance ride--actually even better--full trauma center less than an hour away with the patient still conscious but disoriented. CT/Surgery/Recovery.
A few more points:
>From the moment the history of the heady injury & lucid interval was discovered--the entire EMS system should have been focused on ruling in or out an epidural hematoma.
> Once an epidural hematoma is seen--burr holes can be done quickly. They are actually not brain surgery. The CT Scan tells you where the blood clot is--you open the skin, drill the hole (usually three close together) - and there is the clot-lying above the dura that covers the brain (hence the term "epidural"). You suck it out---problem solved--pressure on the brain is relieved.
>Here is the real kicker: You don't need a neurosurgeon to do burr holes. Any general surgeon knows how to do them/Most ER physicians today know how as well.
>And finally you don't even need a CT Scan. If the symptoms are there, and the patient is worsening, you can do burr holes in the most likely spots.
When I was in Africa--with no CT scanner, within almost an entire nation--we did burr holes on many patients after accidents or falls. Saved quite a few. If there is no epidural hematoma-no problem. Burr holes cause no lasting damage--you plug them up and move on.
Like I said before--no one in an industrialized, medically sophisticated first world country should die of an epidural hematoma--assuming they enter the EMS/hospital system in time.
If the first hospital wasted valuable time or if the Montreal hospital did not immediately scan & operate there may be one more thing in play : The fact that she was a celebrity and sometimes hospitals & doctors are afraid of aggressively treating such a patient--especially when they can "turf" the celebrity to a larger hospital or to the U.S. "home hospital."
True Story: March 1981-Reagan is shot in Washington D.C. He is taken to George Washington University Hospital--where is is treated exactly as if he were a crack addict shot during a robbery. His chest wound was much more serious than initially--and he could easily have died had in not received the standard trauma care for his wound.
The bottom line of my mad medical rant is this: There may be valid reasons why Ms. Richardson died--unavoidable reasons--BUT IF NOT, then this is a HUGE story.
Please tell me that someone is in Canada tracking down every detail of exactly what happened-from the moment of her injury to her removal on life support.
And if they aren't, when do you leave? I just assume that you know people on the major newspapers & know if they are working on this.
***
Recently finished re-watching the first season of "LOST." Appreciated the writing & complexity & intricate flashbacks even more the second time around. Remember the scene [early II I think] where Desmond is now walking in the Dharma station with the computer, and he asks his coworker about the previous worker. The coworker points to the stain on the ceiling and says "that's Radzinsky." "He blew his brains out."
Flash Back (and forward!) to the current Season V, which is taking place at the Dharma Initiative in the 1970s. Now we see Radzinsky-a Dharma architect who built several of the stations.
You are totally right on "PRIMER". It is "nerdy and hard to follow," and tedious early on. But...Virtually every film or TV Show ever made about time travel involves saving the world or time jumps of millenia or centuries or killing Hitler, etc. This film is about time travel of 22 hours set in an industrial park & self-storage facility! Really Original--too bad his budget was only $7,000~
I love discussing books & films & plays & music--perhaps even more so when people disagree. Taste and "liking" the arts is such a subjective thing, isn't it?! Especially music and comedy.
Last year during the TV strike, CBS showed the first season of "Dexter". From what was reported, the CBS version was almost identical to the SHOWTIME version. Extremely entertaining; and again, very original. Also, of course, jet black in mood & plot.
Like the other shows we've touched on ("LOST", etc.) --the writing is simply brilliant. The character of Dexter is unique on TV so far as I know.
Definitely a show we could discuss. Let me know what you think. Like most good films or TV-the "lesser" characters are as good as the leads: in "Dexter", his girlfriend is pitch perfect played by (I think) Julia Benz.
Must wrap this up, but one comment on Africa that I think is important and we can of course discuss in much more detail: No one in the United States can possibly appreciate the breadth & devastation of the AIDS pandemic, if they have not seen ground zero in Africa. I worked in four nations there-imagine 30% infection rate-no AIDS drugs-babies routinely born with HIV- and women forced to have unprotected vaginal and anal sex with their infected husbands.
Even the worst days in San Francisco General in the mid and late 1980s pale in comparison.
With my obsession with Ms. Richardson's treatment & outcome temporarily abated by sharing with you--I promise more on Africa (wasn't all gloom & doom) and what I can tell you about my time here & what brought it about.
Write when you can, KK/Send anything else you've written, and anything else you think I might find interesting.
Take care and talk to you soon.
Michael
*My God-Pencil plus snail mail. Doesn't that equal the Nineteenth Century?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Letters from the Inside, Michael Swango, #6
Hi KK---
Where to begin? First-Received your letter earlier today [they always seem to arrive on a Thursday.], so once again let me write a relatively brief missive today so it goes out before the weekend---and then a second letter Sat/Sun when I have more time. However, with our largest snowstorm of the season moving in today, both
letters may not go out until Sunday night. We already have about 5" on the ground-but it's supposed to last until mid-morning tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll have a foot plus total. Two feet expected in the aptly named Wet Mountains to our southwest. And of course, like LaGuardia & Newark & JFK-Denver's DIA will be shut down until further notice.
Not surprising. March is actually the snowiest month in Colorado.
Now that I have unfortunately put you to sleep with the snail mail version of the Weather Channel :-)... let me wake you up with my strong suggestion for you or one of your journalistic colleagues to go to Canada, do the legwork & research, and lay bare the absolutely avoidable tragic death of Natasha Richardson.
I will expand significantly on this over the weekend, but the bottom line is this: In an industrialized first world country, with the best medical care & equipment & doctors in the world [U.S./Canada/UK/France/W. Europe/etc.]--NO ONE should die of an epidural hematoma. Some one or some place really messed up badly in Quebec--and Ms. Richardson is dead because of it.
If no one is actively working on this-someone needs to be
I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgets what they've written or sent! However, it occurs to me that you may have only answered my first letter and not the second yet. I actually like having several letters going back & forth -- keeps things interesting!
You did send The Ball of Lint trade-up-column. Brilliantly done (it reminded me of the coyote ugly analogy.)
And you had also send me "Calling All Kellys!" Perfect for someone with one of those interesting first/last names.
Comments on that and "Live Three or Die" to follow.
Sorry your letter was cut short by your migraine. Just one glass of wine?! By the way, I love words & language (as I know you do, obviously)--thanks for letting me see "dastardly" used for the first time in a while!
Must get this in the mail now. Take care and talk to you soon. Longer letter to follow. Write when you can.
Where to begin? First-Received your letter earlier today [they always seem to arrive on a Thursday.], so once again let me write a relatively brief missive today so it goes out before the weekend---and then a second letter Sat/Sun when I have more time. However, with our largest snowstorm of the season moving in today, both
letters may not go out until Sunday night. We already have about 5" on the ground-but it's supposed to last until mid-morning tomorrow, so I'm sure we'll have a foot plus total. Two feet expected in the aptly named Wet Mountains to our southwest. And of course, like LaGuardia & Newark & JFK-Denver's DIA will be shut down until further notice.
Not surprising. March is actually the snowiest month in Colorado.
Now that I have unfortunately put you to sleep with the snail mail version of the Weather Channel :-)... let me wake you up with my strong suggestion for you or one of your journalistic colleagues to go to Canada, do the legwork & research, and lay bare the absolutely avoidable tragic death of Natasha Richardson.
I will expand significantly on this over the weekend, but the bottom line is this: In an industrialized first world country, with the best medical care & equipment & doctors in the world [U.S./Canada/UK/France/W. Europe/etc.]--NO ONE should die of an epidural hematoma. Some one or some place really messed up badly in Quebec--and Ms. Richardson is dead because of it.
If no one is actively working on this-someone needs to be
I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgets what they've written or sent! However, it occurs to me that you may have only answered my first letter and not the second yet. I actually like having several letters going back & forth -- keeps things interesting!
You did send The Ball of Lint trade-up-column. Brilliantly done (it reminded me of the coyote ugly analogy.)
And you had also send me "Calling All Kellys!" Perfect for someone with one of those interesting first/last names.
Comments on that and "Live Three or Die" to follow.
Sorry your letter was cut short by your migraine. Just one glass of wine?! By the way, I love words & language (as I know you do, obviously)--thanks for letting me see "dastardly" used for the first time in a while!
Must get this in the mail now. Take care and talk to you soon. Longer letter to follow. Write when you can.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Letters from the Inside, Thomas Bart Whitaker, #3
Dear Kelly,
Howdy from the [unreadable.] Thank you for your rather complicated letter, which I received on the 12th. I should apologize for the delay in my response. I normally attempt to stay on top of my correspondence, but the Gods on top of Mt. Huntsville sent me down to the hospital for 2 weeks. I returned last night sans operation or any explanation for the little field trip. It was probably for the best, as I think it benefited me to have a few days to think about how to respond to your letter. I hope you will understand that I am not being condescending when I say that most people who write to me have shallow motives. I generally answer with inane chatter, if I answer at all. you present me with a whole different set of motivations, and inevitably expectations. On one hand, this pleases me, because I am seriously lacking in intelligent conversation. You seem to be a fascinating individual, and I do not use such words/adjectives lightly. The flip side of all of this is that you could do a colossal amount of fucking damage to my goals, which may or may not have something to do with saving my sorry hide. Humans have a nasty tendency to desire explanations which flow from A to Z almost instantly. More often however, elucidation comes via process--and that is what [unreadable] is about. It's never about where I am, but about where I was, and where I am going. My worry is that you are smart enough to sense the dislocation, and want more than I am willing to hand out. I guess the best place to start in your quest for "why" should be an easy one for most to comprehend, though most seem to have missed the bus entirely: don't' believe a word of the material reported in the media. When you discount the rosy, suburban paradise illusion paraded about by the media, it starts to make more sense. We are all a product of our environments. If there seems to be a disconnect between what is "known" about someone's past and their present behavior, one must logically assume that the data or the past is faulty. for fame or shame, I am exactly what I was built to be.
Enough of that for now. In your letter you mentioned that is was "hard to write about this because I'm scared I will offend you." Please Kelly, don't fret about this. My skin may just be a tad thicker than I have indicated online. I very much doubt you yet possess the data necessary to offend me. That is a two-way street, though, so know that if you open a door, I may step through it myself. I have a low tolerance for bullshit, intentional or otherwise.
On that note, an example: You say you are "neutral completely and offer no feelings about your crime or punishment." Really? NO feelings whatsoever? No deep, dark sentiments of "you reap what you sow", or casual revulsion about the fact that a few years from now, I will not be able to write you back, because I will be in the ground? I am fine with you sliding either direction on the scale, but I will not accept a middle ground. You have an opinion--if you did not, you would be something less than human and I've no desire to waste my words on plastic fake-men. Blast me if you want/need to--I'm fine with that. To prove it--I will permit you to copy/paste anything from these letters in your blog, with the hope that you will at least try to explain the content of the highlighted comments. What I mean by all of this, Kelly, is: be human to me. Friend, foe, whatever, but don't be neutral. All my life I've known indifferent people, and I am soul-sick with grey humanity. I secretly relish my hate mail, because at least these people care about something, even if their logic is cretinous beyond belief. In short; editorialize all you want..
By the way, I loved the story of what you did after being fired. Absolutely loved it. In the patois of my world, we would say you have heart. A giant middle finger aimed at fate and the status quo. I've always found it curious how willing most people are to be the victims of history, rather than the agents of it. Some deep sub-conscious understanding of the purposelessness of life? Whatever, you made lemonade out of lemons, which is noble in my context.
You seem to have a sort of prevailing theme in your letter about writing to understand why someone would engage in evil acts. Such reasons are as varied as humanity, Kelly. If you are asking in general terms, this is one of the great questions theology and philosophy have banded about for millenia. I'm afraid I no longer look to the heavens for a solution. I doubt very much the answer is even a simple one, but in general terms, the "evil" we do can be attributed to us being a broken, half-evolved species of mammals, with over-large adrenal glands and too-small frontal cortexes. I know this answer is cold and clinical. People tell me its not good enough. They want some metaphysical reason for their pain. And they call me a narcissist! What makes us so valuable to the cosmos that our falls much be ordained by great powers? I need no demons or devils to explain the SS, or why earthquakes kill whole villages. Such desires are always linked to our desire to give life some meaning, and to avoid the fear that this life might be all there is. I don't know what happened to you exactly. I can make guesses, based off what you've written. May I suggest to you, my potential friend, that you not spend too much time working out the mathematics of evil, and concentrate on living a life of purpose and happiness. Anyways, I'm sorry Columbia didn't work out. Sounds ridiculously expensive. I myself am a student once more. Not for my BA, alas. The prices for tuition keep going up, and every time they do, all of that gets further out of my reach. In the meantime, I've signed up for a 2-year paralegal course, which should only take me half as long. I'm already a month ahead of schedule. Not Columbia, certainly, but it is enjoyable to be tested. I feel as if my brain has been in a state of atrophy, for a long time.
Jesus, you really fried your ex, didn't you? Hope I never get on your bad side. [Ed.: I sent him my column where I interviewed Wm. about living in his office.] Ain't love grand? I thin it was Donne who said, "tis better to have loved and lost..." etc. etc. I've been in love and lost, and my response to him would be to dig up his sorry corpse and punch him in his lying jaw. Well, maybe not, as that seems to entail a lot of work, but you get my point.
Well, I hope this finds you well, Kelly. It's 74 degrees F outside right now, so maybe it will soon be warm enough for you to fight over the pool seats again. :-) Can't believe you have your own stamp. Pretty cool. [Ed.: I have postage stamps with my picture on them.]
---Not that cool,
T
Howdy from the [unreadable.] Thank you for your rather complicated letter, which I received on the 12th. I should apologize for the delay in my response. I normally attempt to stay on top of my correspondence, but the Gods on top of Mt. Huntsville sent me down to the hospital for 2 weeks. I returned last night sans operation or any explanation for the little field trip. It was probably for the best, as I think it benefited me to have a few days to think about how to respond to your letter. I hope you will understand that I am not being condescending when I say that most people who write to me have shallow motives. I generally answer with inane chatter, if I answer at all. you present me with a whole different set of motivations, and inevitably expectations. On one hand, this pleases me, because I am seriously lacking in intelligent conversation. You seem to be a fascinating individual, and I do not use such words/adjectives lightly. The flip side of all of this is that you could do a colossal amount of fucking damage to my goals, which may or may not have something to do with saving my sorry hide. Humans have a nasty tendency to desire explanations which flow from A to Z almost instantly. More often however, elucidation comes via process--and that is what [unreadable] is about. It's never about where I am, but about where I was, and where I am going. My worry is that you are smart enough to sense the dislocation, and want more than I am willing to hand out. I guess the best place to start in your quest for "why" should be an easy one for most to comprehend, though most seem to have missed the bus entirely: don't' believe a word of the material reported in the media. When you discount the rosy, suburban paradise illusion paraded about by the media, it starts to make more sense. We are all a product of our environments. If there seems to be a disconnect between what is "known" about someone's past and their present behavior, one must logically assume that the data or the past is faulty. for fame or shame, I am exactly what I was built to be.
Enough of that for now. In your letter you mentioned that is was "hard to write about this because I'm scared I will offend you." Please Kelly, don't fret about this. My skin may just be a tad thicker than I have indicated online. I very much doubt you yet possess the data necessary to offend me. That is a two-way street, though, so know that if you open a door, I may step through it myself. I have a low tolerance for bullshit, intentional or otherwise.
On that note, an example: You say you are "neutral completely and offer no feelings about your crime or punishment." Really? NO feelings whatsoever? No deep, dark sentiments of "you reap what you sow", or casual revulsion about the fact that a few years from now, I will not be able to write you back, because I will be in the ground? I am fine with you sliding either direction on the scale, but I will not accept a middle ground. You have an opinion--if you did not, you would be something less than human and I've no desire to waste my words on plastic fake-men. Blast me if you want/need to--I'm fine with that. To prove it--I will permit you to copy/paste anything from these letters in your blog, with the hope that you will at least try to explain the content of the highlighted comments. What I mean by all of this, Kelly, is: be human to me. Friend, foe, whatever, but don't be neutral. All my life I've known indifferent people, and I am soul-sick with grey humanity. I secretly relish my hate mail, because at least these people care about something, even if their logic is cretinous beyond belief. In short; editorialize all you want..
By the way, I loved the story of what you did after being fired. Absolutely loved it. In the patois of my world, we would say you have heart. A giant middle finger aimed at fate and the status quo. I've always found it curious how willing most people are to be the victims of history, rather than the agents of it. Some deep sub-conscious understanding of the purposelessness of life? Whatever, you made lemonade out of lemons, which is noble in my context.
You seem to have a sort of prevailing theme in your letter about writing to understand why someone would engage in evil acts. Such reasons are as varied as humanity, Kelly. If you are asking in general terms, this is one of the great questions theology and philosophy have banded about for millenia. I'm afraid I no longer look to the heavens for a solution. I doubt very much the answer is even a simple one, but in general terms, the "evil" we do can be attributed to us being a broken, half-evolved species of mammals, with over-large adrenal glands and too-small frontal cortexes. I know this answer is cold and clinical. People tell me its not good enough. They want some metaphysical reason for their pain. And they call me a narcissist! What makes us so valuable to the cosmos that our falls much be ordained by great powers? I need no demons or devils to explain the SS, or why earthquakes kill whole villages. Such desires are always linked to our desire to give life some meaning, and to avoid the fear that this life might be all there is. I don't know what happened to you exactly. I can make guesses, based off what you've written. May I suggest to you, my potential friend, that you not spend too much time working out the mathematics of evil, and concentrate on living a life of purpose and happiness. Anyways, I'm sorry Columbia didn't work out. Sounds ridiculously expensive. I myself am a student once more. Not for my BA, alas. The prices for tuition keep going up, and every time they do, all of that gets further out of my reach. In the meantime, I've signed up for a 2-year paralegal course, which should only take me half as long. I'm already a month ahead of schedule. Not Columbia, certainly, but it is enjoyable to be tested. I feel as if my brain has been in a state of atrophy, for a long time.
Jesus, you really fried your ex, didn't you? Hope I never get on your bad side. [Ed.: I sent him my column where I interviewed Wm. about living in his office.] Ain't love grand? I thin it was Donne who said, "tis better to have loved and lost..." etc. etc. I've been in love and lost, and my response to him would be to dig up his sorry corpse and punch him in his lying jaw. Well, maybe not, as that seems to entail a lot of work, but you get my point.
Well, I hope this finds you well, Kelly. It's 74 degrees F outside right now, so maybe it will soon be warm enough for you to fight over the pool seats again. :-) Can't believe you have your own stamp. Pretty cool. [Ed.: I have postage stamps with my picture on them.]
---Not that cool,
T
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Letters from the Inside, Michael Swango, #5
Dear KK---
Continuing with "Part 2" of this letter: Before I forget, I wanted to mention a couple of films to you on your radar screen (although it's clear to me you don't miss much!):
>"SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK": came out on DVD today. That is, or course, the extremely strange & offbeat film by director Charlie Kaufman, who wrote "Being John Malkovich" & "Adaptation." I was able to read the amazingly glowing review by Manohla Dargis from the Times; but I also saw & heard numerous commentaries just ripping the film to shreds.
With its layer upon layer of complexity, it sounds like a film I might enjoy... but no one I know has actually seen it. So-like "PRIMER", ifyou are able to see it I would be very interested in your opinion. Thanks.
KK Ran across this mini-review ."Sunshine Cleaning": This film will inevitably draw comparisons to "Little Miss Sunshine" - for its cheery title, suicide jokes, dysfunctional family, and casting of Alan Arkin. But in place of children's pageants, "Cleaning" immerses us in the world of human-remains removal. It's the story of Rose Lorkowski [Amy Adams], who, with the help of her sister [Emily Blunt], trade in her maid-on-wheels gig for a more lucrative (and stomach-turning) job cleaning blood and guts from crime scenes. The morbid work helps the women wash way some emotional residue of their own family tragedies, but what's most memorable about the film is it's visceral joys: a surprisingly complex performance from Clifton Collins Jr. ["Capote"] as a one-armed store clerk and scenes about botched biohazard disposal and dried brain matter. There's a lot of heart to "Sunshine Cleaning", and luckily, plenty of blood to keep it beating." --David Walters
Now back to your letter & highly entertaining columns:
>Your first questions was about answering letters I receive. As mentioned when I first wrote back to you--only, a few. To be honest, I think lots of people in the e-mail, IM, text world of today have extreme difficulty trying to communicating via written or typed letters. Two relatives with whom I maintain regular [albeit fairly boring:-)] correspondence tell me that the only personal letters they receive are from me , and the only letters they write and mail are to me. One told me this way he could teach his son how to write letters when he's old enough, in case the technique & knowledge goes the way of the 8-Track and the Videotape!
However, the exception are the occasional academic requests for input on various topics. Since keeping one's mind, brain & memory operating at peak efficiency is always challenging under any circumstances,--but more particularly here--I always try to respond, whenever possible. [i.e.--a nursing graduate student writing a practicum paper on workplace conflict; a physician writing a book on tropical medicine.]
Anyway, there you have it, since you asked! Now back to your letter--with its wide range of interests many of which mirror my own...
One more comment on a show we both agree has some of the best writing on Television-"LOST". I mentioned that you see things on second viewing that suddenly make total sense based on the whole series. Example: Alpert [the "Other" who never ages] witnesses John Locke's birth in California in 1956, and returns to see him when he is 6 or 7. We have no idea precisely why. Then this season, with the Island's & Locke's time travel, we discover that Locke visited Alpert's camp on the island in 1954 when the H-bomb was leaking...as an adult...and he told Alpert that he was actually born in 1956. And then Locke vanished in a flash.
MICKEY ROURKE: I was also disappointed that he did not win the Oscar. I think Sean Penn's win was influenced by the unexpected defeat of Proposition 8 in California, and the current case before the California Supreme Court.
In any event--I hope this means many more roles for Mr. Rourke in future, serious films.
I have read some fantastic reviews of the film you mentioned: "TWO LOVERS"--sort of a minimalist romantic tragedy stripped of all the usual Hollywood claptrap. Paltrow tends to choose her roles carefully, so I am not surprised at her involvement in what sounds like a very good film. Tell me a bit more about it when you have the time. And if I do see it, I promise a full commentary!
Not sure if I mentioned that "The Graduate" was just shown again a few weeks ago. It has been years since I had watched it. "Lost in Translation" -- Agree. Fascinating film with Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannson. Only saw it once, however. Will watch again at some point.
"Pretty Woman"-- I did like the songs by Roxette!
As with "PRIMER", will be interested in your take on "SAVE THE TIGER" when you get a chance to see it.
And a final film note: Just last week saw "CHINATOWN" again--Polanski's masterpiece.
By now, you know I could talk about movies in detail with someone like you for hours & hours! "Mephisto", "The Servant", "Angels and Insects"... These and many more in future letters...
AFRICA & other places: I need to devote a full letter(s) to those details that really tell the story, and I promise I will-- but let me mention three things touched on in my last letter:
>Egypt: Like a total eclipse of the sun, the pyramids are something that should be seen in person, if at all possible, by everyone. Pictures & film simply do not convey the staggering historical immensity and sense of endless enduring time that one receives when standing in the desert next to these 5,000 year old eternal monuments.
>I am astonished anew every day now by new details of the total disintegration of the nation of Zimbabwe. I was there in the mid-late 1990s--and it was a highly functioning, safe nation with infrastructure & living conditions the envy of most of Africa.
Much to talk about re Zimbabwe if you are interested, including the stunning underestimated prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Forget the triple cocktail or any hope of viable treatment.
>Djibouti--Along with Delhi, India, one of the hottest & most humid places on earth. But when you feel the brutally hot wind off the Red Sea, you know you are in Africa.
I still haven't finished everything in your letter! I have no problems discussing the reasons & misjudgments & misadventures that put me here, I just have to avoid certain areas due to ongoing legal procedures, etc.
But will comment on it. Not "touchy" at all :)
However: Running short of time again--so let me comment on your dating column "OUTSIDE THE BOX": So funny, a unique take on the old "it takes a guy/girl to get a guy/girl.":
(Trust me, KK, I am not one of "those type" of correspondents. There is nothing I haven't done or seen, especially overseas--and whenever the topic of sex does come up, it is usually the most clinical, anatomical, boring way possible!)
[Ed. note: I'm not sure what he is referring to. There was no discussion with him of any sex-related topic.]
>"It was either him, the homeless or the incarcerated." KK! I take that personally!
> The "ball-of-lint" to "The House" with no transition. Like Jackie Chiles said in the Seinfeld finale: "Girl--you have a nickname for everyone!
Sorry "HW" didn't work out. But clearly he wasn't your type!
Really must get this in the mail within minutes. Will tie up loose ends in my next letter. Hope I haven't rambled on too ADD-like for your tastes. Still have your third column "Calling All Kellys!" Very original--will have a few comments.
So--write when you can. Hope the business is staying above water in this economy and again, feel free to send me more columns on a continuing basis and any and all blogs that you grace with your comments. No problem with content--send whatever!
Take care and stay safe.
Michael
P.S. I see the Madoff mea culpa is Thursday (3-12) He will no t like MCC-Manhattan.
Continuing with "Part 2" of this letter: Before I forget, I wanted to mention a couple of films to you on your radar screen (although it's clear to me you don't miss much!):
>"SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK": came out on DVD today. That is, or course, the extremely strange & offbeat film by director Charlie Kaufman, who wrote "Being John Malkovich" & "Adaptation." I was able to read the amazingly glowing review by Manohla Dargis from the Times; but I also saw & heard numerous commentaries just ripping the film to shreds.
With its layer upon layer of complexity, it sounds like a film I might enjoy... but no one I know has actually seen it. So-like "PRIMER", ifyou are able to see it I would be very interested in your opinion. Thanks.
KK Ran across this mini-review ."Sunshine Cleaning": This film will inevitably draw comparisons to "Little Miss Sunshine" - for its cheery title, suicide jokes, dysfunctional family, and casting of Alan Arkin. But in place of children's pageants, "Cleaning" immerses us in the world of human-remains removal. It's the story of Rose Lorkowski [Amy Adams], who, with the help of her sister [Emily Blunt], trade in her maid-on-wheels gig for a more lucrative (and stomach-turning) job cleaning blood and guts from crime scenes. The morbid work helps the women wash way some emotional residue of their own family tragedies, but what's most memorable about the film is it's visceral joys: a surprisingly complex performance from Clifton Collins Jr. ["Capote"] as a one-armed store clerk and scenes about botched biohazard disposal and dried brain matter. There's a lot of heart to "Sunshine Cleaning", and luckily, plenty of blood to keep it beating." --David Walters
Now back to your letter & highly entertaining columns:
>Your first questions was about answering letters I receive. As mentioned when I first wrote back to you--only, a few. To be honest, I think lots of people in the e-mail, IM, text world of today have extreme difficulty trying to communicating via written or typed letters. Two relatives with whom I maintain regular [albeit fairly boring:-)] correspondence tell me that the only personal letters they receive are from me , and the only letters they write and mail are to me. One told me this way he could teach his son how to write letters when he's old enough, in case the technique & knowledge goes the way of the 8-Track and the Videotape!
However, the exception are the occasional academic requests for input on various topics. Since keeping one's mind, brain & memory operating at peak efficiency is always challenging under any circumstances,--but more particularly here--I always try to respond, whenever possible. [i.e.--a nursing graduate student writing a practicum paper on workplace conflict; a physician writing a book on tropical medicine.]
Anyway, there you have it, since you asked! Now back to your letter--with its wide range of interests many of which mirror my own...
One more comment on a show we both agree has some of the best writing on Television-"LOST". I mentioned that you see things on second viewing that suddenly make total sense based on the whole series. Example: Alpert [the "Other" who never ages] witnesses John Locke's birth in California in 1956, and returns to see him when he is 6 or 7. We have no idea precisely why. Then this season, with the Island's & Locke's time travel, we discover that Locke visited Alpert's camp on the island in 1954 when the H-bomb was leaking...as an adult...and he told Alpert that he was actually born in 1956. And then Locke vanished in a flash.
MICKEY ROURKE: I was also disappointed that he did not win the Oscar. I think Sean Penn's win was influenced by the unexpected defeat of Proposition 8 in California, and the current case before the California Supreme Court.
In any event--I hope this means many more roles for Mr. Rourke in future, serious films.
I have read some fantastic reviews of the film you mentioned: "TWO LOVERS"--sort of a minimalist romantic tragedy stripped of all the usual Hollywood claptrap. Paltrow tends to choose her roles carefully, so I am not surprised at her involvement in what sounds like a very good film. Tell me a bit more about it when you have the time. And if I do see it, I promise a full commentary!
Not sure if I mentioned that "The Graduate" was just shown again a few weeks ago. It has been years since I had watched it. "Lost in Translation" -- Agree. Fascinating film with Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannson. Only saw it once, however. Will watch again at some point.
"Pretty Woman"-- I did like the songs by Roxette!
As with "PRIMER", will be interested in your take on "SAVE THE TIGER" when you get a chance to see it.
And a final film note: Just last week saw "CHINATOWN" again--Polanski's masterpiece.
By now, you know I could talk about movies in detail with someone like you for hours & hours! "Mephisto", "The Servant", "Angels and Insects"... These and many more in future letters...
AFRICA & other places: I need to devote a full letter(s) to those details that really tell the story, and I promise I will--
>Egypt: Like a total eclipse of the sun, the pyramids are something that should be seen in person, if at all possible, by everyone. Pictures & film simply do not convey the staggering historical immensity and sense of endless enduring time that one receives when standing in the desert next to these 5,000 year old eternal monuments.
>I am astonished anew every day now by new details of the total disintegration of the nation of Zimbabwe. I was there in the mid-late 1990s--and it was a highly functioning, safe nation with infrastructure & living conditions the envy of most of Africa.
Much to talk about re Zimbabwe if you are interested, including the stunning underestimated prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Forget the triple cocktail or any hope of viable treatment.
>Djibouti--Along with Delhi, India, one of the hottest & most humid places on earth. But when you feel the brutally hot wind off the Red Sea, you know you are in Africa.
I still haven't finished everything in your letter! I have no problems discussing the reasons & misjudgments & misadventures that put me here, I just have to avoid certain areas due to ongoing legal procedures, etc.
But will comment on it. Not "touchy" at all :)
However: Running short of time again--so let me comment on your dating column "OUTSIDE THE BOX": So funny, a unique take on the old "it takes a guy/girl to get a guy/girl.":
(Trust me, KK, I am not one of "those type" of correspondents. There is nothing I haven't done or seen, especially overseas--and whenever the topic of sex does come up, it is usually the most clinical, anatomical, boring way possible!)
[Ed. note: I'm not sure what he is referring to. There was no discussion with him of any sex-related topic.]
>"It was either him, the homeless or the incarcerated." KK! I take that personally!
> The "ball-of-lint" to "The House" with no transition. Like Jackie Chiles said in the Seinfeld finale: "Girl--you have a nickname for everyone!
Sorry "HW" didn't work out. But clearly he wasn't your type!
Really must get this in the mail within minutes. Will tie up loose ends in my next letter. Hope I haven't rambled on too ADD-like for your tastes. Still have your third column "Calling All Kellys!" Very original--will have a few comments.
So--write when you can. Hope the business is staying above water in this economy and again, feel free to send me more columns on a continuing basis and any and all blogs that you grace with your comments. No problem with content--send whatever!
Take care and stay safe.
Michael
P.S. I see the Madoff mea culpa is Thursday (3-12) He will no t like MCC-Manhattan.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Letters from the Inside, Richard Allen Davis, #2
I do not like offering commentary on these letters. That isn't what this is about for me. I merely want to present them to you and you can draw your own conclusions based on them. I enjoy reading your notes to see what these letters evoke in you. I will rarely offer my own commentary, but will offer some editorial explanation occassionally if the inmate letter references something that would make no sense to the reader.
In this next letter's case, I feel I have to offer an explantion and my quandry. Based on Richard Allen Davis' last letter, I didn't want to continue to correspond with him. This was for dual reasons. First, I didn't feel he was a sociopath or at least the type I hope to write to. All my other inmates are extremely bright and have been classified in press and their trials as sociopaths. The second is that Richard creeped me out.
Another odd thing I noticed about this letter is he dates it 3/17/09 but that is today. I checked the postmark and that reads 3/13/09 so he really wrote this letter on the 12th or a bit earlier. Hm....
So I chose not to respond to his letter to me, hoping that would be it. But then today I got another letter from him. The odd thing is he is acting like this is his first response to me. Is he being manipulative to get me to write back again or is he forgetful? I find it hard to believe he has so many letters he'd be confused at who he responded to. Especially because he references my card both times.
I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to correspond with him. I fear if I don't, I'll get a third letter....
***
GOOD EVENING,
I HOPE THAT IT'S EVENING. I DO WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR NOT ANSWERING SOONER. I RAN OUT OF STAMPS AND HAD TO APPLY FOR SOME WELFARE ENVELOPES "NSF", AS YOU CAN SEE. IT WAS EITHER THIS OR WAIT LONGER.
I WWANT TO THANK YOU FOR THINKING OF WRITING TOO ME, THANK YOU. IT IS REALLY NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE CONSIDER TO WRITE AND OFFER TO CORRESPOND.
YOUR CARD, WITH YOU ON THE FRONT, THAT'S VERY GOOD HOW YOU CHOSE TO PUT THE STRIPES. I HAVE TO SAY THAT YOU DO NOT EVEN LOOK TO BE 38, YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TOO YOU.
YES FRIENDS ARE FAR AND FEW TO BE FOUND. I AM NOT TRYING TO VIEW EVERYONE AS THOSE I'VE (DELF) OOPS! DELT WITH, WHO STATE THEY WISH TO BE FRIENDS AND WILL STICK BY ONE. WITHIN SIX MONTHS THEY STOP WRITING--LOL--THEY MOSTLY EXPECT TO BE KICKED DOWN CARDS DRAWN. IF ONLY THEY HAD JUST WAITED WITHOUT ASKING, THEY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHING SOONER OR LATER.
AS TO FAMILY, I HAVE ONE SISTER YOUNGER AND TWO OLDER BROTHERS, WE NEVER WERE CLOSE. MOSTLY BECAUSE OF MY PARENTS DIVORCE AND MY DAD GETTING CUSTODY. HE DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE US LIVE WITH HIM, SO IN HIS GREAT WISDOM, HE LET US CHOOSE WHO WE WANTED TO LIVE WITH. MY TWO OLDER BROTHERS WERE FIRST AND THEY CHOSE OUR MOTHER. MYSELF BEING NEXT AND TIRED OF THE OLD MIDDLE KID ISSUE, I CHOSE MY DAD AND THOUGHT TO FINALLY BE THE ONLY ONE :-l? I NEVER THOUGH MY TWO YOUNGER SISTERS WOULD FOLLOW ME. i WAS 11-12 YEARS OLD AND THEM 7 & 5 YEARS OLD. MY OLDEST SISTER DIED 4-5 YEAR LATER. AND i ENDED UP RAISING THEM AND MYSELF, FOR THAT SUMMER AND ALMOS THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
THE ONLY CONTACT "FAMILY" IS WITH MY NIECES "SISTERS KIDS", BUT THEY HAVE THEIR LIVES GOING ON, SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE.
I WOULD APPRECIATE READING THESE STORIES YOU WORTE AND BEING PUBLISHED. VERY IMPRESSIVE. "INK PEN CHANGE"
HELLO AGAIN, YES I'M SORRY ABOUT THE PEN INK FADING OUT. THIS ONE ISN'T SO HEAVY WITH INIK, I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED SOONER. THESE STATE INK FILLERS THAT ARE HANDED OUT, ONE NEVER KNOWS HEOW THEY WILL RUN TILL YOU TRY IT.
BACK TO THESE STORIES YOU WROTE AND HAD PUBLISHED. I GUESS I'LL FIND OUT WHEN i READ THEM--LOL-, I WAS GOING TO ASK IF THEY WERE ABOUT WHEN MOVING TO NY OR ABOUT WHERE YOU GREW UP.
I KNOW NY IS ALWAYS BIG ON "ST. PATRICKS DAY", SO I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOURSELF AND BE SURE TO WEAR GREEN--LOL--OR EXPECT TO BE BLACK & BLUE.
AGAIN, THANKS FOR WRITING AND I DO SEND MY BEST THOUGHTS AND WARMEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOURS.
TAKE CARE
SINCERELY
--RICHARD--
PS: SO YOU KNOW, MAIL NORMALLY TAKE ABOUT 10 WORKING DAYS TO GET TO MY CELL.
In this next letter's case, I feel I have to offer an explantion and my quandry. Based on Richard Allen Davis' last letter, I didn't want to continue to correspond with him. This was for dual reasons. First, I didn't feel he was a sociopath or at least the type I hope to write to. All my other inmates are extremely bright and have been classified in press and their trials as sociopaths. The second is that Richard creeped me out.
Another odd thing I noticed about this letter is he dates it 3/17/09 but that is today. I checked the postmark and that reads 3/13/09 so he really wrote this letter on the 12th or a bit earlier. Hm....
So I chose not to respond to his letter to me, hoping that would be it. But then today I got another letter from him. The odd thing is he is acting like this is his first response to me. Is he being manipulative to get me to write back again or is he forgetful? I find it hard to believe he has so many letters he'd be confused at who he responded to. Especially because he references my card both times.
I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to correspond with him. I fear if I don't, I'll get a third letter....
***
GOOD EVENING,
I HOPE THAT IT'S EVENING. I DO WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR NOT ANSWERING SOONER. I RAN OUT OF STAMPS AND HAD TO APPLY FOR SOME WELFARE ENVELOPES "NSF", AS YOU CAN SEE. IT WAS EITHER THIS OR WAIT LONGER.
I WWANT TO THANK YOU FOR THINKING OF WRITING TOO ME, THANK YOU. IT IS REALLY NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE CONSIDER TO WRITE AND OFFER TO CORRESPOND.
YOUR CARD, WITH YOU ON THE FRONT, THAT'S VERY GOOD HOW YOU CHOSE TO PUT THE STRIPES. I HAVE TO SAY THAT YOU DO NOT EVEN LOOK TO BE 38, YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TOO YOU.
YES FRIENDS ARE FAR AND FEW TO BE FOUND. I AM NOT TRYING TO VIEW EVERYONE AS THOSE I'VE (DELF) OOPS! DELT WITH, WHO STATE THEY WISH TO BE FRIENDS AND WILL STICK BY ONE. WITHIN SIX MONTHS THEY STOP WRITING--LOL--THEY MOSTLY EXPECT TO BE KICKED DOWN CARDS DRAWN. IF ONLY THEY HAD JUST WAITED WITHOUT ASKING, THEY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHING SOONER OR LATER.
AS TO FAMILY, I HAVE ONE SISTER YOUNGER AND TWO OLDER BROTHERS, WE NEVER WERE CLOSE. MOSTLY BECAUSE OF MY PARENTS DIVORCE AND MY DAD GETTING CUSTODY. HE DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE US LIVE WITH HIM, SO IN HIS GREAT WISDOM, HE LET US CHOOSE WHO WE WANTED TO LIVE WITH. MY TWO OLDER BROTHERS WERE FIRST AND THEY CHOSE OUR MOTHER. MYSELF BEING NEXT AND TIRED OF THE OLD MIDDLE KID ISSUE, I CHOSE MY DAD AND THOUGHT TO FINALLY BE THE ONLY ONE :-l? I NEVER THOUGH MY TWO YOUNGER SISTERS WOULD FOLLOW ME. i WAS 11-12 YEARS OLD AND THEM 7 & 5 YEARS OLD. MY OLDEST SISTER DIED 4-5 YEAR LATER. AND i ENDED UP RAISING THEM AND MYSELF, FOR THAT SUMMER AND ALMOS THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
THE ONLY CONTACT "FAMILY" IS WITH MY NIECES "SISTERS KIDS", BUT THEY HAVE THEIR LIVES GOING ON, SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE.
I WOULD APPRECIATE READING THESE STORIES YOU WORTE AND BEING PUBLISHED. VERY IMPRESSIVE. "INK PEN CHANGE"
HELLO AGAIN, YES I'M SORRY ABOUT THE PEN INK FADING OUT. THIS ONE ISN'T SO HEAVY WITH INIK, I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED SOONER. THESE STATE INK FILLERS THAT ARE HANDED OUT, ONE NEVER KNOWS HEOW THEY WILL RUN TILL YOU TRY IT.
BACK TO THESE STORIES YOU WROTE AND HAD PUBLISHED. I GUESS I'LL FIND OUT WHEN i READ THEM--LOL-, I WAS GOING TO ASK IF THEY WERE ABOUT WHEN MOVING TO NY OR ABOUT WHERE YOU GREW UP.
I KNOW NY IS ALWAYS BIG ON "ST. PATRICKS DAY", SO I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOURSELF AND BE SURE TO WEAR GREEN--LOL--OR EXPECT TO BE BLACK & BLUE.
AGAIN, THANKS FOR WRITING AND I DO SEND MY BEST THOUGHTS AND WARMEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOURS.
TAKE CARE
SINCERELY
--RICHARD--
PS: SO YOU KNOW, MAIL NORMALLY TAKE ABOUT 10 WORKING DAYS TO GET TO MY CELL.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Letters from the Inside, Sarah Pender, #2
Kelly,
Thank you for your letter and the enclosed article you authored. Cute. I am interested in how freelance-writing works. Do you just write and send them into a paper or magazine editor and hope they like it? Are phone calls and connections needed? Do you generally write for small local papers? Is it easier than the more widely circulated publications? You write well and I can see why your stories would be popular for short articles-seems like something for Elle, Allure or Cosmo.
Okay, you keep a blog. I'm not exactly sure what a blog is, since the only time I used the internet, both before I was arrested (8 years ago) and while I was out, but limited it to use or work related website search engines, research, news, weather, tech support, etc. I've heard of blogs and think they are like a space for people to respond to a specific topic or writing. Am I correct? How do people find your blog? Do they subscribe or just go to it? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
I don't have internet access and am not even allowed to receive info. that's printed straight from the internet. I as given your article, but warned that I had to tell you. If you print anything from the internet, it can't have the header/footer that shows its origin. You can cut/paste it to a word processing program or simply cut off the header/footer. Whatever works. Just so you know.
Basically, I spend 23 hours a day locked in a 6X10 cell. I have a hard pillow and mattress, a stainless steel sink and toilet combo, and a formica shelf bolted to the wall that serves as a writing table, but I use it to store books, papers, etc. There is a mesh door at one end, with a heavy solid outer door, and a double hung window at the other end, covered by a heavy metal screen that looks out over an alley lined by century old houses, often neglected with boarded up windows or graffitti. Stray cats and dogs plague the alley, and forage through large trash cans or litter on the ground. Small children play unattended, drug deals are conducted on the nearby street corner, and other crimes can be witnessed several times a year from this window.
In the hour I spend outside this cell, I shower in a three sided steel shower stall, and I get cuffed and walked to another room with my choice of radio or a TV with like seven channels. I don't' watch TV often, but I like to turn the radio on the college station and listen to classical music while I write. It's my peaceful time away from the cacophony of loud voices yelling and carrying on down our hallway of 14 cells. Obnoxious and loud pretty much sums up the majority of the women who reside in lock. (Downstairs, in open population, things are VERY different. It's also significantly different between prisons.)
Women are sentenced to lock (Disciplinary Segregation) for 5 days to 1 year per offense, depending on the severity of the offense and frequency of write ups. Being in an unauthorized area, fighting other inmates, arguing, being smart or insolent with an officer, theft, having ex, assaulting staff, failing a drug screen or in my case, escape, are all reasons (among many others) women come to lock.
While I am here, everything is restricted, from the cheapest hygiene items, to our phone calls and visits. Meals are served in our rooms on plastic trays three times daily: 6:30AM, 11AM, 4:00PM. Our governor privatized the food service and cut the cost of food per prisoner per meal from 1.41 to .99. You can imagine the quality of our food. Um. Yeah. That's a story in itself.
I spend most of my day writing letters to friends, family, and making new connections that are positive and mutually supportive. I read books, most recently received Long, Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg and am waiting on The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Vanto. a Landmark Forum Leader. Have you ever heard of landmark Education, or the Landmark Forum? I'm working through some of the curriculum with a leader, and intend to put together a proposal to bring the Forum to this prison, once I am out of lock and put into population. I want to help cause the transformation of these women's thinking and limited boxes they live in, to empower them and improve the quality of their lives and raise their goals in life beyond drinking, mooching money off welfare programs, sex, drugs and clubbing. Break out of the labels, the stigmas, the stereotypes. Be something greater.
And I plan to do that right after I write my book. I decided to write it after the first of the year, and have about 130 pages finished. I could write it faster, but I need to wait on some transcripts to get here, line up people to help, (working on getting a typist to type up and email to editor) and waiting on a book about copyright laws, and laws on publishing true crime and autobiographies, as well as I still need to get a book on Getting Published: 101, or something. So it's cool, you felt compelled to write, given your hobby of writing. This is all new to me. All the writing I ever did was in high school and college courses, letters or short stories for fun. I would like any instruction you could give.
Your travels sound exciting! Never s pent much time travelling (mostly because I've been in prison for 8 years) but have traveled to several US cities. I like travel magazines and photos when my friends/family go on vacation. My aunt recently dated an Alaskan cruise captain and went on several cruises up to the snowy state. I wonder if you see the aurora borealis up there? That's one thing I've always wanted to do. It's magical. (Well, I get that it's electro-magnetic disturbances in the atmosphere, but it's still neat.)
Anyone I've ever known from NYC says they fell in love with the city, and the busy-ness of it all. I didn't really understand that until I went to Chicago. Definitely not the same scale, but I get the allure of so much variety in culture, architecture, low and high income homes, big and tiny business, corporate downtown, big shopping, or a little café. There's everything you need right there. I traveled by car, bus and train and found you can get just about anywhere you need to go on public transportation if you do it right and aren't picky about the occasionally smelly person or being smashed in on a subway at rush hour. Always an experience. I invested in an MP3 player and found peace.
Yeah, real estate prices around the country are so low, but they saw that coming for a while. "The housing bubble" would burst, they said. I saw a map of houses that had been foreclosed on just in Chicago and it as staggering! Anyone who has plenty of money would do well to buy now, so when the market stabilizes, they could reap the benefits, at least that seems practical to me. I know high-end real estate is different, though. How many people have an extra 13 million to toss around for a cool pad? A small percentage of the US population. Am I off base here?
Do you like your job?
I agree about karma. A fine example: my escape. The universe blessed me for the good I sent out from my life. Sure, I've done things not worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize, but overall, I expect lots of good things and people in my life. and do not shrink back when the storm comes through. Not sure what I think about reincarnation. Possible, yes. Probable? Not a clue.
I'd love to read your published stories, and get to know you. Thanks for reaching out and making a connection.
Sarah
Thank you for your letter and the enclosed article you authored. Cute. I am interested in how freelance-writing works. Do you just write and send them into a paper or magazine editor and hope they like it? Are phone calls and connections needed? Do you generally write for small local papers? Is it easier than the more widely circulated publications? You write well and I can see why your stories would be popular for short articles-seems like something for Elle, Allure or Cosmo.
Okay, you keep a blog. I'm not exactly sure what a blog is, since the only time I used the internet, both before I was arrested (8 years ago) and while I was out, but limited it to use or work related website search engines, research, news, weather, tech support, etc. I've heard of blogs and think they are like a space for people to respond to a specific topic or writing. Am I correct? How do people find your blog? Do they subscribe or just go to it? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
I don't have internet access and am not even allowed to receive info. that's printed straight from the internet. I as given your article, but warned that I had to tell you. If you print anything from the internet, it can't have the header/footer that shows its origin. You can cut/paste it to a word processing program or simply cut off the header/footer. Whatever works. Just so you know.
Basically, I spend 23 hours a day locked in a 6X10 cell. I have a hard pillow and mattress, a stainless steel sink and toilet combo, and a formica shelf bolted to the wall that serves as a writing table, but I use it to store books, papers, etc. There is a mesh door at one end, with a heavy solid outer door, and a double hung window at the other end, covered by a heavy metal screen that looks out over an alley lined by century old houses, often neglected with boarded up windows or graffitti. Stray cats and dogs plague the alley, and forage through large trash cans or litter on the ground. Small children play unattended, drug deals are conducted on the nearby street corner, and other crimes can be witnessed several times a year from this window.
In the hour I spend outside this cell, I shower in a three sided steel shower stall, and I get cuffed and walked to another room with my choice of radio or a TV with like seven channels. I don't' watch TV often, but I like to turn the radio on the college station and listen to classical music while I write. It's my peaceful time away from the cacophony of loud voices yelling and carrying on down our hallway of 14 cells. Obnoxious and loud pretty much sums up the majority of the women who reside in lock. (Downstairs, in open population, things are VERY different. It's also significantly different between prisons.)
Women are sentenced to lock (Disciplinary Segregation) for 5 days to 1 year per offense, depending on the severity of the offense and frequency of write ups. Being in an unauthorized area, fighting other inmates, arguing, being smart or insolent with an officer, theft, having ex, assaulting staff, failing a drug screen or in my case, escape, are all reasons (among many others) women come to lock.
While I am here, everything is restricted, from the cheapest hygiene items, to our phone calls and visits. Meals are served in our rooms on plastic trays three times daily: 6:30AM, 11AM, 4:00PM. Our governor privatized the food service and cut the cost of food per prisoner per meal from 1.41 to .99. You can imagine the quality of our food. Um. Yeah. That's a story in itself.
I spend most of my day writing letters to friends, family, and making new connections that are positive and mutually supportive. I read books, most recently received Long, Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg and am waiting on The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Vanto. a Landmark Forum Leader. Have you ever heard of landmark Education, or the Landmark Forum? I'm working through some of the curriculum with a leader, and intend to put together a proposal to bring the Forum to this prison, once I am out of lock and put into population. I want to help cause the transformation of these women's thinking and limited boxes they live in, to empower them and improve the quality of their lives and raise their goals in life beyond drinking, mooching money off welfare programs, sex, drugs and clubbing. Break out of the labels, the stigmas, the stereotypes. Be something greater.
And I plan to do that right after I write my book. I decided to write it after the first of the year, and have about 130 pages finished. I could write it faster, but I need to wait on some transcripts to get here, line up people to help, (working on getting a typist to type up and email to editor) and waiting on a book about copyright laws, and laws on publishing true crime and autobiographies, as well as I still need to get a book on Getting Published: 101, or something. So it's cool, you felt compelled to write, given your hobby of writing. This is all new to me. All the writing I ever did was in high school and college courses, letters or short stories for fun. I would like any instruction you could give.
Your travels sound exciting! Never s pent much time travelling (mostly because I've been in prison for 8 years) but have traveled to several US cities. I like travel magazines and photos when my friends/family go on vacation. My aunt recently dated an Alaskan cruise captain and went on several cruises up to the snowy state. I wonder if you see the aurora borealis up there? That's one thing I've always wanted to do. It's magical. (Well, I get that it's electro-magnetic disturbances in the atmosphere, but it's still neat.)
Anyone I've ever known from NYC says they fell in love with the city, and the busy-ness of it all. I didn't really understand that until I went to Chicago. Definitely not the same scale, but I get the allure of so much variety in culture, architecture, low and high income homes, big and tiny business, corporate downtown, big shopping, or a little café. There's everything you need right there. I traveled by car, bus and train and found you can get just about anywhere you need to go on public transportation if you do it right and aren't picky about the occasionally smelly person or being smashed in on a subway at rush hour. Always an experience. I invested in an MP3 player and found peace.
Yeah, real estate prices around the country are so low, but they saw that coming for a while. "The housing bubble" would burst, they said. I saw a map of houses that had been foreclosed on just in Chicago and it as staggering! Anyone who has plenty of money would do well to buy now, so when the market stabilizes, they could reap the benefits, at least that seems practical to me. I know high-end real estate is different, though. How many people have an extra 13 million to toss around for a cool pad? A small percentage of the US population. Am I off base here?
Do you like your job?
I agree about karma. A fine example: my escape. The universe blessed me for the good I sent out from my life. Sure, I've done things not worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize, but overall, I expect lots of good things and people in my life. and do not shrink back when the storm comes through. Not sure what I think about reincarnation. Possible, yes. Probable? Not a clue.
I'd love to read your published stories, and get to know you. Thanks for reaching out and making a connection.
Sarah
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Letters from the Inside, Michael Swango, #4
Dear KK---
Hi! Received your letter on Friday, so I was able to read your most entertaining stories/slices of NYC life over the weekend. You definitely capture the mood & cadence of "Sex and the City" -- except that yours are much more realistic; because, of course, they are real!
Anyway, several comments on the three stories a bit later. Two quick notes: 1) If I switch to pencil and/or back & forth, it will be because good pens can be hard to find [Much like "good men" in your stories.]
2) good chance another letter will follow tomorrow--this letter is already pretty long in my head. We'll see how it goes.
Well, we have two shows in common--actually more. I believe "Mad Men" could almost be used as a screening device. If someone says the show is awful, I'm not sure a conversation with them would last very long!
Utterly brilliant writing. I started watching it at the very beginning--and have been more impressed with each episode. (There are now 26). Just by sheer coincidence with your letter--AMC started re-running the 2nd Season this evening. (you might recall it begins the the Valentine's Day episode.) Just as good the second time around.
I've read several articles, talking about how exquisitely precise the show's creators are about exactitude in recreating the early 1960s down to the last detail. But of course, what gives the show so much verisimilitude is the smoking and drinking and the place of women in the social structure. In Season 1 we see a pregnant woman smoking--and second-hand smoke everywhere--for the kiddies too.
I totally agree with you that it is an "amazingly good show." It rightly has won multiple Emmy's & Golden Globes--including Best Actor in a Drama for Jon Hamm. I think I heard that a 3rd & 4th season are already "locks." I'm sure you can confirm that with an on-line check. The 3rd Season should be later this summer or thereabouts.
"LOST": Talk about great writing. This is another show I have watched since the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 on 22 Sep 04!
The true genius of this incredibly complex series is that the writers from the very beginning realized that simply staging a modern-day "lost at sea" saga would not be enough. Enter the flashback. And not just a brief image of past life--but entire hour-long episodes creating these characters in minute and striking detail... And they continually up the ante & approach the bounds of creativity. First the absolutely fascinating "Dharma Initiative", --->Kelly: The "Dharma Initiative" deserve an entire show of its own---then "The Others," and then the "flash forwards after the rescue--actually the three-year interlude before the return... Did I mention an island that actually moves through time and space? ! "Complex & confusing" do not begin to describe "LOST."
This is another show that bears delicious fruit upon re-viewing. Watching the earlier episodes again you realize even more how intricately each piece of the puzzle fits together.
If truth be told, the best writing in entertainment today is probably in series television, especially the cable channels.
As you point out, even some of the highly praised films turn out to be notso much. I have heard the same criticism of "Benjamin Button" that you called "shock and disappointment." And regarding Revolutionary Road--you & I simply must read the original 1961 novel by Richard Yates--which is supposed to be simply brilliant and utterly bleak, totally capturing the ennui, disappointment, and tragedy of the shattered "Great American Dream." Yours in an opinion I value, so I am surprised that you found the movie quite uninspiriting. Too bad, with such excellent source material.
Re some of the other show you mentioned: >Love "30 ROCK"--period. Tina Fey & Alec Baldwin are gold. Also like "THE OFFICE". (I've seen some of its British original, and it holds up quite well.)
>Unfortunately, I'm not able to see "BIG LOVE", but everything I've read & heard confirms your opinion. Chloe Sevigny is one of several actresses who I will watch in almost anything they are in. Amazing talent.
>Another of those actresses if Toni Collette. I've read rave reviews of her as a woman with dissociative disorder in "United States of Tara." Have you seen any of that?
>Again unfortunately, I'm not able to see the latest incarnation of Bill Maher's political gabfest. You might recall the cancellation of his "Politically Incorrect" show on ABC in the days after 9/11, when the thought & opinion police were at their peak.
I try to catch Maher whenever he appears in another venue. I don't always agree with him, but he is always "entertainingly opinionated."
>Even though I don't watch "The Bachelor," I could not help but hear about the latest inane "controversy" with the two women (staged, I am sure!) However, if you were on the show I would watch just for the fireworks I am sure you would provide! :-)
Before leaving television, may I recommend another Series, which-coincidentally--just started its second season tonight (8 MAR): "BREAKING BAD"
The story of a high school chemistry teacher who finds out he has terminal lung cancer, and decides to cook crystal meth with a former loser student of his, who is now a low level drug dealer. Complications ensue. Actually---I have a review which I will enclose.
The first season, due to the strike was only about 8 episodes, if you decide to DVD it. There are some quite memorable scenes -- but I'll save my comments for another time.
[By the way, have you ever considered expanding your writing to include TV and/or film reviews/criticism. sounds like you would be a natural*]
*Absolutely best TV criticism ever: Two books long and exquisitely detailed written in the 70s/80s by the outstanding writer Harlan Elllison:THE GLASS TEAT & THE GLASS TEAT II. Ellison spend months watching television almost 24/7. The two books are cultural touchstones of that era. Like so many books, I read them in Africa.
Well, as you can see--give me a paragraph on a subject (television) and I'll give you a few pages! Let me close the TV Guide portion of this letter---BUT I definitely have some more shows to discuss in future letters.
{i.e.--my confession, yes, I addictively watch "Gossip Girl" OMFG!! XOXO. Shameful but true...]
***
Because I need to get this in the mail, let me comment on your first story: "Outside the Box: The Big Bangs Theory." As you would expect from any individual reaction to a particular piece of writing, my comments will be highly idiosyncratic and personal!:
--I will remember the phrase "Asperberger's Cut"! By the way, do you know that Aspberger's Syndrome has popped up in the plotline of seemingly every show on TV.
--"Bad bangs are the leading cause of suicide."
--"Fine line between hip & shortbus." [Ed.: I didn't write that line; Adriana Mole coined that one.]
Great lines, KK!
--Absolutely true: "When I was younger--a slightly older woman taught me all about men shaving their 'nether regions--or rather the highly erotic & sensual shaving of the man by the woman. And at the risk of sounding too personal, [but it is your topic :-)] --I will not discuss the unique "joys" a man experiences when he is with a woman who completely shaves her nether regions. Suffice it say they can be incredible. I'm sure, however, that you know.
--Finally: totally changing from sensuality of hair (of lack there of) to the yeccchh factor. My only "back hair" story. When I was in the Marines--we had a guy in the platoon by the actual name of ZOOK. However, his nickname became "ZOO Freak" when it was discovered he has large, large amounts of the aforesaid.
Even writing this now, I get shudders of disgust. Despite all I've been though & seen since.
Your next two columns, plus some of your other questions & ideas, in Part 2 of this letter---probably tomorrow or Tuesday... Letter-writing in here, Mickey Rourke, Two Lovers, Movies of the 60s & 70s...
Will absolutely tell you all about Africa. Much to say, especially with your cosmopolitan interests.
AND how I cam to be here. Some things I'm not allowed to discuss--but I think I can fill in some gaps.
Your take care, KK. Please do send me more columns and any & all blogs that you post. I really am interested, and will always give you my honest response.
Thanks again. Hope to hear from you soon.
Yours,
Michael
Hi! Received your letter on Friday, so I was able to read your most entertaining stories/slices of NYC life over the weekend. You definitely capture the mood & cadence of "Sex and the City" -- except that yours are much more realistic; because, of course, they are real!
Anyway, several comments on the three stories a bit later. Two quick notes: 1) If I switch to pencil and/or back & forth, it will be because good pens can be hard to find [Much like "good men" in your stories.]
2) good chance another letter will follow tomorrow--this letter is already pretty long in my head. We'll see how it goes.
Well, we have two shows in common--actually more. I believe "Mad Men" could almost be used as a screening device. If someone says the show is awful, I'm not sure a conversation with them would last very long!
Utterly brilliant writing. I started watching it at the very beginning--and have been more impressed with each episode. (There are now 26). Just by sheer coincidence with your letter--AMC started re-running the 2nd Season this evening. (you might recall it begins the the Valentine's Day episode.) Just as good the second time around.
I've read several articles, talking about how exquisitely precise the show's creators are about exactitude in recreating the early 1960s down to the last detail. But of course, what gives the show so much verisimilitude is the smoking and drinking and the place of women in the social structure. In Season 1 we see a pregnant woman smoking--and second-hand smoke everywhere--for the kiddies too.
I totally agree with you that it is an "amazingly good show." It rightly has won multiple Emmy's & Golden Globes--including Best Actor in a Drama for Jon Hamm. I think I heard that a 3rd & 4th season are already "locks." I'm sure you can confirm that with an on-line check. The 3rd Season should be later this summer or thereabouts.
"LOST": Talk about great writing. This is another show I have watched since the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 on 22 Sep 04!
The true genius of this incredibly complex series is that the writers from the very beginning realized that simply staging a modern-day "lost at sea" saga would not be enough. Enter the flashback. And not just a brief image of past life--but entire hour-long episodes creating these characters in minute and striking detail... And they continually up the ante & approach the bounds of creativity. First the absolutely fascinating "Dharma Initiative", --->Kelly: The "Dharma Initiative" deserve an entire show of its own---then "The Others," and then the "flash forwards after the rescue--actually the three-year interlude before the return... Did I mention an island that actually moves through time and space? ! "Complex & confusing" do not begin to describe "LOST."
This is another show that bears delicious fruit upon re-viewing. Watching the earlier episodes again you realize even more how intricately each piece of the puzzle fits together.
If truth be told, the best writing in entertainment today is probably in series television, especially the cable channels.
As you point out, even some of the highly praised films turn out to be notso much. I have heard the same criticism of "Benjamin Button" that you called "shock and disappointment." And regarding Revolutionary Road--you & I simply must read the original 1961 novel by Richard Yates--which is supposed to be simply brilliant and utterly bleak, totally capturing the ennui, disappointment, and tragedy of the shattered "Great American Dream." Yours in an opinion I value, so I am surprised that you found the movie quite uninspiriting. Too bad, with such excellent source material.
Re some of the other show you mentioned: >Love "30 ROCK"--period. Tina Fey & Alec Baldwin are gold. Also like "THE OFFICE". (I've seen some of its British original, and it holds up quite well.)
>Unfortunately, I'm not able to see "BIG LOVE", but everything I've read & heard confirms your opinion. Chloe Sevigny is one of several actresses who I will watch in almost anything they are in. Amazing talent.
>Another of those actresses if Toni Collette. I've read rave reviews of her as a woman with dissociative disorder in "United States of Tara." Have you seen any of that?
>Again unfortunately, I'm not able to see the latest incarnation of Bill Maher's political gabfest. You might recall the cancellation of his "Politically Incorrect" show on ABC in the days after 9/11, when the thought & opinion police were at their peak.
I try to catch Maher whenever he appears in another venue. I don't always agree with him, but he is always "entertainingly opinionated."
>Even though I don't watch "The Bachelor," I could not help but hear about the latest inane "controversy" with the two women (staged, I am sure!) However, if you were on the show I would watch just for the fireworks I am sure you would provide! :-)
Before leaving television, may I recommend another Series, which-coincidentally--just started its second season tonight (8 MAR): "BREAKING BAD"
The story of a high school chemistry teacher who finds out he has terminal lung cancer, and decides to cook crystal meth with a former loser student of his, who is now a low level drug dealer. Complications ensue. Actually---I have a review which I will enclose.
The first season, due to the strike was only about 8 episodes, if you decide to DVD it. There are some quite memorable scenes -- but I'll save my comments for another time.
[By the way, have you ever considered expanding your writing to include TV and/or film reviews/criticism. sounds like you would be a natural*]
*Absolutely best TV criticism ever: Two books long and exquisitely detailed written in the 70s/80s by the outstanding writer Harlan Elllison:THE GLASS TEAT & THE GLASS TEAT II. Ellison spend months watching television almost 24/7. The two books are cultural touchstones of that era. Like so many books, I read them in Africa.
Well, as you can see--give me a paragraph on a subject (television) and I'll give you a few pages! Let me close the TV Guide portion of this letter---BUT I definitely have some more shows to discuss in future letters.
{i.e.--my confession, yes, I addictively watch "Gossip Girl" OMFG!! XOXO. Shameful but true...]
***
Because I need to get this in the mail, let me comment on your first story: "Outside the Box: The Big Bangs Theory." As you would expect from any individual reaction to a particular piece of writing, my comments will be highly idiosyncratic and personal!:
--I will remember the phrase "Asperberger's Cut"! By the way, do you know that Aspberger's Syndrome has popped up in the plotline of seemingly every show on TV.
--"Bad bangs are the leading cause of suicide."
--"Fine line between hip & shortbus." [Ed.: I didn't write that line; Adriana Mole coined that one.]
Great lines, KK!
--Absolutely true: "When I was younger--a slightly older woman taught me all about men shaving their 'nether regions--or rather the highly erotic & sensual shaving of the man by the woman. And at the risk of sounding too personal, [but it is your topic :-)] --I will not discuss the unique "joys" a man experiences when he is with a woman who completely shaves her nether regions. Suffice it say they can be incredible. I'm sure, however, that you know.
--Finally: totally changing from sensuality of hair (of lack there of) to the yeccchh factor. My only "back hair" story. When I was in the Marines--we had a guy in the platoon by the actual name of ZOOK. However, his nickname became "ZOO Freak" when it was discovered he has large, large amounts of the aforesaid.
Even writing this now, I get shudders of disgust. Despite all I've been though & seen since.
Your next two columns, plus some of your other questions & ideas, in Part 2 of this letter---probably tomorrow or Tuesday... Letter-writing in here, Mickey Rourke, Two Lovers, Movies of the 60s & 70s...
Will absolutely tell you all about Africa. Much to say, especially with your cosmopolitan interests.
AND how I cam to be here. Some things I'm not allowed to discuss--but I think I can fill in some gaps.
Your take care, KK. Please do send me more columns and any & all blogs that you post. I really am interested, and will always give you my honest response.
Thanks again. Hope to hear from you soon.
Yours,
Michael
