cats...in...space - part 2!

Here's the good news: Oskar and Klaus' book WILL be going into space!
Not only did they raise the money needed, but they surpassed that goal, garnering more than $7500!!!
Wow!!!
I'll try to keep up with those kittehs as they head into space in 2017.
What a grand adventure!
I know the physicist and I will be wearing our t-shirts with great pride!
Go, cats, go!!!

cats...in....SPACE!

I couldn't help riffing on the Muppets' science fiction segments! I absolutely adored them - and still do!
But I'm not here to talk about Muppets or even pigs.
Nope, this time around it's those adorable kittehs, Oskar and Klaus.
Again.

Their latest adventure, "The Mission To Cataria", has captured the imagination of Story Time From Space. That group's inspiring slogan is: "What you cannot imagine, you cannot do."
What have they imagined?
Children's books about space exploration, read aloud by actual astronauts.
Not only that, as remarkable, and commendable, as that is! No, they have arranged for those real astronauts to read the books while aboard the International Space Station! Moreover, the readings are videotaped and then transmitted into classrooms, as well as being available on their website!!!
None of that endeavor is free.
In order for the book starring Oskar and Klaus to reach the astronauts, their passage must be purchased. The price is $5000.
Here's the update I received.

"Thanks to YOUR SUPPORT, we were able to create a book last year that shows children that blindness is not a barrier that prevents adventure or scientific exploration. Well, this fun, science fiction adventure just got a whole lot more REAL! Thanks to the selection committee of Story Time from Space, Oskar's award-winning children's book, The Mission to Cataria, is literally launching into orbit! It will be read by a real astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and broadcast to classrooms across the globe via video feed! Additionally, a series of experiments which relate to the book will be conducted aboard the ISS and turned into a classroom curriculum that illustrated how blind scientists can effectively study the universe. These will be designed by real astronauts, scientists, and a team from the National Federation of the Blind.
This is an incredible honor and we can't wait to give you updates as we get closer to launch in 2017. For now, we are raising funds to help cover the costs of preparing the actual book for launch and for promoting Oskar's involvement in this awesome program. THE FUNDRAISER ENDS IN TWO DAYS!

When you BUY THIS SHIRT, all proceeds will go toward funding this project. The shirt is really cool. It comes in a variety of styles, colors and sizes. Plus, it even features raised braille and graphics that the visually impaired can enjoy. How cool is that?! You can also just donate any amount you like if you don't want the shirt.
The goal of this project is to demonstrate to blind children that science can be fun and accessible and even a career to blind people! There are just 2 DAYS LEFT to order your shirts:www.OSKARintoORBIT.com
Shirts will ship WORLDWIDE on November 21st!"

Given that the bfe's birthday is November 22nd, the timing is delightful!
I've purchased a short-sleeved turquoise one for me and a long-sleeved indigo for the physicist.
Delightful!!!
Go, cats, go!

star's trek to broadway!

Wow... tonight, I invested once more into George Takei's "Allegiance".
Sadly, I was not able to make it to New York City to see the play during its 111-performance run.
Fortunately, one night's performance was filmed at the Longacre Theatre!
Sadly, there are no plans yet to release the film to dvd.
Fortunately, Fathom Events is bringing the filmed play to Savannah!
Sadly, I stay fairly well booked up at this time of year.
Fortunately, I had left my schedule pretty open, as I knew I would be recovering from carpal tunnel repair.
Even more fortunately...the event is scheduled for a Tuesday!!! That will be Tuesday, December 13, at 7:30 PM.
I know exactly who I'll be going with!
Kevin, of course.
I've just purchased the two tickets for us, at $19.26 each.
That's about quadruple what we would normally pay per ticket for our Tuesday outings...
but I know it will be a much more memorable experience.
Not only will we see the musical, but there will also be interviews with the cast as well as behind the scenes footage, as those are staples of the Fathom Events.
I've even taken the time (at last!) to view the videoblog, "Trek To Broadway". The nine episodes had been completed in time for Christmas last year...but my time had been booked solid, between holiday revelry and planning for a full-time semester at a new school.
Curious about the nine episodes?
Here they are, with their titles and my interpretations of the contents, in terms of the science fiction world that Takei is best known for inhabiting.

Episode 1: God I Hope I Get It
In search of a theatre to call home.

Episode 2: All We Need Is The Girl
In search of a backup star (songstress).

Episode 3: Art Isn't Easy
In search of an iconic image.

Episode 4: Te Point Of No Return
In search of a new path through the fog.

Episode 5: Moving Too Fast
In search of the right stuff.

Episode 6: You Could Drive A Person Crazy
In search of perfect tech.

Episode 7: Put On A Happy Face
In search of audience tweaks.

Episode 8: Magic To Do
In search of a finale that sings.

Episode 9: Ishi Kara Ishi
In search for connection no more.

My many thanks to George Takei for sharing that journey!
I applaud him, and his entire group, for the tremendous effort put forth in this work.
I believe the 78-year-old veteran actor, of television, film, and (at last!) the Broadway stage, has certainly blessed the world with this legacy of forgiveness and love.

i thank You, God, that it will be soon shared with me!
And that the event will be close to Mama's birthday.
I had not realized until now that he is the same age my mother would have been, were she still living.

bridge partner passing by!

The film has finally made the festival circuit and is free to be viewed by all!
Here's the email received earlier today!

"Dear fliss,
Just in time for Halloween, after 40 festival screenings around the world, we’re releasing “The Bridge Partner” online for the world to see and premiering on Film Shortage! Thank you so much for supporting this project, I’m so grateful to you for making this venture possible.
One last request, online views and shares the first couple days are critical to amassing attention, so if you have a moment to watch the film or spread the word on social media, you can amplify the incredible impact you’ve already made by clicking below and sharing. Don't forget your headphones ; )

Film shortage link: http://filmshortage.com/shorts/the-bridge-partner/
Direct link: https://vimeo.com/188568367

Again, thank you so very much, and I’d love to hear what you think of it.

Gabriel Olson
http://www.thisisgabriel.com
www.thebridgepartner.com"

Supercool treat, not a trick!
Sure I had read the script when I first got it... but that was almost two years ago. There's been a lot of water flowing since then!
(smile)
It's good to have faces behind the paper characters.
Beth Grant is fabulous as Mattie Whalen, an aging housewife whose hobby is playing bridge badly. (You may best remember her from 1994's "Speed" - the older woman losing her mind on the bus-sized bomb.)
Sharon Lawrence is Olivia Korhonen, the European exotic who arrives late and is stuck with Mattie as her bridge partner for the day's game. (Interestingly, she played a counselor named Maddie - close, right? - on 1996's "Caroline in the City".)
So, that means the frowsy and self-deprecating marm was teamed up with the elegant and suave fashionista.
They lose, of course.
To everyone else, Olivia presents an image clad in silk gloves...
but she shows her talons to Mattie...
and that's where the fun begins.
Woohoo!
Miles Hankins has crafted a first-rate soundtrack to accompany this fine tale, building the tension and setting the tone very well.
I highly recommend this award-winning suspense-laden film!
Not quite fifteen minutes of fame...but at 13:34, it's very close!
(smile)

dancing on the ceiling with my invention!

(This is reposted from my primary blog.)

When the man on the telephone asks, "Are you sitting down?", you should always sit down, then answer, "Yes".
The tremble in the voice is optional.
(smile)
What marvelous news Kurt Nelson had for me!
The precious funds spent to research my invention had returned favorable news: My design is unique!
Not only is it unique, but totally marketable, copyrightable, and patentable!
Yeah, I think I may be making up words now...
but I am so very excited!!!
What am I talking about?
My version of the Periodic Table!
The one I created this past summer!!!
The one original I had packed up in case I fled Hurricane Matthew.
The research had found that NO ONE ELSE has EVER had my idea!
Not ever!!!
Amazing, isn't it?
Honestly, I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face!
(SMILE!)

On Tuesday at two, I'll be chatting with Michael Meyers (no, not that one, and certainly not that one) about what to do next.
Soooooo excited!!!
I'll have to see about a crowd-sourcing campaign to raise the funds for the industrial patent - the twenty-year version which my invention warrants!!!!!
Mama and Daddy would have been so proud of me!!!
i thank You, God, for granting that inspiration!

smoothing the bumps for a boy and his dog

My many thanks to fellow member of the League of Savannah Bloggers, Ivan, for this timely post. As soon as I read it, I knew action was warranted.
After all, Sam Johnson would have wanted it that way.
I consider it a belated, by three months, birthday gift for him.
The project involves the restoration, and publishing in dvd and blu-ray formats, of fifteen animated silent short movies.
That's right, I said silent animated shorts.
Tommy José Stathes is the young man with the plan to re-introduce today's audience to the antics of Bobby Bumps and his dog. The films were created for about ten years, beginning around 1915, by Earl Hurd, one of the pair of inventors of cel animation, the tool that allows all of the beloved animated shorts in the annual film festival right here in scenic Savannah as well as all over the world.
Thanks, Earl!
T.J. Stathes has already set it as his task to rescue the works of the Bray Studio from obscurity. Thanks to the Bray Animation Project, he has been doing so with restoration of other animated comics into two collections for the public.
Now, on IndieGoGo, T.J. Stathes has "Historic Bobby Bumps cartoons on Blu-Ray and DVD!". His goal with this third project is to acquaint today's cartoon-lovers with Bart Simpson's great-great-great-great-great-Uncle.
Thanks, TJ!
I am now the 73rd backer of this worthy undertaking!
In memory of my dear friend, Sam Johnson, I have added a mere thirty dollars into the project's coffers. Should it be successful, I'll be rewarded with a signed postcard from Mr. Stathes and my very own copy of the cartoon collection of Bobby's antics and misadventures with Fido.
I'll be waiting...!
(smile)

MVP, that's me!

Mighty Valuable Person?
Well, I like to think so.
I especially believe that I regarded as such because I have volunteered to be part of the Million Veteran Program.
That's right: I volunteered to be a member of this genomic study.
In the interest of advancing knowledge, in the interest of advancing science, in the interest of advancing medicine, and for the greater good of the world, I have given the most valuable resource I have.
My money?
No, that isn't needed here.
My time?
A little bit, when filling out the background paperwork.
My blood?
That's a bit closer to the truth, as I gave that yesterday.

I gave my most valuable resource, the very essence of myself.
I gave my deoxyribonucleic acids, that genetic information which describes everything about my body and how it works.
Collectively, the DNA information from me and more than five hundred thousand other veterans of the United States military will be used to solve medical maladies which affect both civilian and military components of the world's population.

I hope they will soon reach their goal of one million veterans.
What an incredible databank that will provide!