Kurt R.A. Giambastiani's Blog, page 63
December 16, 2013
Make the World Your Ashtray
The last one is gone. Yesterday, the last of my Deities of Cinema, Peter O’Toole, passed away at the age of 81. Born on an unknown date in an unknown location, he was the son of a Scottish nurse and an Irish bookie who made their way through the underclassofwar-torn Britain. O’Toole came from little, […]
December 13, 2013
Hit & Miss
The British television industry has a tradition of creating short-lived series. In America, a show may have 23 episodes in a season; in Britain, it is often only half that or, as fans of the recentSherlock reboot well know, only three.In addition, the Brits will create a “series” that is only expected to live one, […]
December 12, 2013
Blowing a Gasket
It’s hard not to anthropomorphize. My lawnmower is cranky and only likes to start if I tip it on its nose when I prime the engine. I have oftendescribed my computers as malevolent or downright evil. I’ve named every car I’ve ever owned, and have been known to plead, cajole, and beg, as if my […]
December 9, 2013
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Though they show no particular affinity for me, I love dogs. At my core, I’m a cat person, but I adore thedogness of dogs and the unique relationship they can have with humans. And though it may sound strange, I love the humanity of dogs, their willingness to love us and to trust us (whether […]
December 4, 2013
On My Birthday
On my birthday, I shall ignore the numbers, ignore the grey in my hairbrush, ignore the aches that travel in my hip pocket, enjoy the moments and not fret about the day. On my birthday, I shall read of death while standing among strangers, look around as I blink back tears, marvel at the beauty […]
December 2, 2013
Of Cars and Erector Sets
I miss Erector Sets. I blame my car. Pepper (or Peppah-Girl as my Hawaiian friends call her) came home last week and since then I’ve been somewhat…preoccupied. She was in the shop for a loooong, long time, but it was necessary. I let the pros fix all the critical issues (like steering and brakes and […]
November 25, 2013
Nov 25, 2013, 7AM
shoreline foghorns mourn trees wear wispy scarves of smoke sunlight paints the clouds
November 22, 2013
Remembering
Fifty years ago, I was four and a half. Fifty years ago, I learned that people die. By that age, I knew what death was; I had already experienced the death of a loved one. One morning our cat, Cricket, dragged herself home, wounded beyond repair, crushed and half blind. My parents put her down. […]
November 20, 2013
Bad Juju
What do writers have in common with baseball players? We’re incredibly superstitious. A writer friend composes all her novels on this laptop. She sits on the couch, has the computer on her lap, and types away. It’s the way she works (and boy, does she work!) Well, one day her laptop was giving her problems […]
November 13, 2013
Stoking the Fire
Pen has hit paper onThe Wolf Tree. Admittedly, it’s nothing to shout about. I’ve merely written and rewritten the opening line about two dozen times. We talked about opening lines a while back, and the decision I made then was to take more time working the opening line for this book. Well, I’ve been doing […]
