Month: April 2023

Spring Break Short Story Recommendation 2023: “Barn Burning”

The Portly Politico10 Comments

In lieu of the typical Monday Morning Movie Review today, I’m dedicating most posts this week to reviews of short stories (and possibly one short novella).

Spring Break has sprung, which means it’s time for my annual Spring Break Short Story Recommendations.  Spring Break is one of the few times each year where I find myself with the leisure time necessary to read literary (and non-literary) short stories, and to celebrate this wonderful format.

It seems that in our age of hyper-connectivity and bite- (and byte-) sized content, we’re either reading massive amounts of digital fast food (like this blog), or settling in over the course of many evenings with long-form novels.  My perception could be completely slanted towards my own experience—quite likely—but I get the sense that the noble short story has suffered somewhat.

(A quick aside:  for the best bite-sized writing I’ve yet to find on the Internet, check out Stacey C. Johnson‘s blog Breadcrumbs; her writing is so inviting and mysterious, and probes at the interesting corners of life.  Check out her piece “Survey of Poetry“; it’s excellent, and it’s about a mischievous [and real!] octopus.)

Even if I’m wrong about that assessment, I am right about this one:  the short story is a form worth preserving.  I have long harbored, though not acted upon, ambitions to write a collection of short stories; perhaps I’ll one day put cursor to digital paper and get the thing done.  My own incalcitrance, however, is no reason for you not to read (or write!) short stories.

All philosophical ramblings aside, let’s get to today’s short story:  William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning“:

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Lazy Sunday CXCVII: Easter III

The Portly Politico4 Comments

Easter is here!  He is Risen!

I’m fortunate to teach at a school that recognizes Good Friday as a day worth honoring, so my Spring Break always coincides with it (actually, we start on Maundy Thursday, which is pretty nice).  I’ve long advocated for a long break at Easter, a la the two-week Christmas Break.  Many countries (especially in Latin America) take two fulls weeks for Easter, paying proper respect to Holy Week.

Wherever you are today, and whatever you are doing, take a moment to thank God for Giving us His Son, Jesus Christ—and know that Jesus Lives!

Happy Easter!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

SubscribeStar Saturday: Scramblin’

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Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

Last Saturday was the annual Lamar Egg Scramble.  It also marked my first foray into the world of arts and crafts selling, as I obtained a vendor spot to attempt to sell some of my paintings.

I managed to land a vendor spot in exchange for playing the Taste of Lamar, so I was able to market test my paintings in a festival setting.  While I’ve made a few private sales to family and friends, I’ve not had much success selling my paintings online.

Finally, I had the opportunity to discover if I’m just a delusional hack, or if there actually is a market for amateurish, Primitivist paintings of squids and landscapes.

It was an abject failure.

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Good Friday, Bandcamp Friday, New Book Friday

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Today is Good Friday, a day to remember the Sacrifice Christ Made on the Cross so that we might be saved.  The fun part of the celebration is Easter, when Christ Arose from the tomb, proclaiming victory over Death.  Today, we Christians reflect on the magnitude of His Sacrifice.

It’s also Bandcamp Friday, which means I hope you will reflect on the magnitude of sacrificing a few bucks to buy my music—or my second book!

The first Friday of a bunch of months in 2023—February, March, April, May, August, September, October, November, and December—will feature this pro-indie music observance, a day on which Bandcamp waives its usual 15% commission on sales.

In other words, when you buy my music, almost 100% of it goes to me, instead of almost 85%.

Currently, my entire discography of ten releases is $9.50, a savings of 45%, which is not bad for ten releases.  That’s $0.95 per release—not too shabby!  To purchase the full discography, click on any release, and you’ll see the option to purchase all of them.

I’m also selling all of my paintings for $10, with free shipping in the United States, regardless of how many you purchase.  They’re one of kind, so once a painting is purchased, it’s gone.

I’ve also joined Society6, a website that lets artists upload their designs, which can they be printed onto all manner of products (like this throw pillow, or this duvet cover).  Why not get a bookbag with a mouthy droid on it?

I only get 10% of the sales made there, but some of the stuff looks really good—I really want these notebooks with my “Desert View” painting on it (which again, is just $10 for the one-and-only original).  Some of them are straight-up goofy, like this church doodle I made celebrating the presidential pardon of Roger Stone (the description for the piece is “Anger your friends with this doodle commemorating the presidential pardon of America’s most dapper political operative“).

I have a few new paintings from my highly unsuccessful foray into selling at the Lamar Egg Scramble, and I have two new doodles for just $5 each:  Robo Talk 23 No. 1 and No. 2.  I’m also working on quite a few more doodles for Society6, which will also end up here.

My first book, The One-Minute Mysteries of Inspector Gerard: The Ultimate Flatfoot, is $10 in paperback, and just $5 on Kindle.

My second and newest book, Arizonan Sojourn, South Carolinian Dreams: And Other Adventures, is $20 in paperback and $10 on Kindle.

Thanks again for your support!

Happy Friday!

—TPP

TBT: Spring Break Short Story Recommendation 2022: “Witch’s Money”

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It’s SPRING BREAK!  One of my multiple cushy, extended breaks—the primary perk of dedicating one’s life to the molding of young minds—has now commenced, which means next week I’ll be inundating you with reviews of short stories, as is this blog’s Spring Break tradition.

One story I read last year was John Collier‘s “Witch’s Money.”  It’s the tale of a haughty artist who succumbs to the ignorance and greed of peasants who think that checks are a magic source of money. I read it when I was quite young—to young to appreciate its nuances at the time—and it made an impression on me.  Don’t write a check your butt can’t cash… or, at the very least, don’t write checks in lands where people don’t understand the basics of modern banking.

With that, here is 20 April 2022’s “Spring Break Short Story Recommendation 2022: ‘Witch’s Money’“:

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Myersvision: A Possible Language

The Portly Politico8 Comments

Audre Myers has done real yeowoman’s work in the realm of “sane, evidence-based Bigfoot belief.”  There are a lot of cranks out there, as Audre would be the first to admit, but she brings much-needed rationality to the study of Bigfoot, all while retaining her childlike sense of wonder.

Recordings of Bigfoot abound, but beyond mere yelps and screeches, the creatures apparently possess language.  This ability makes sense, as I intuit at some gut level that, if Bigfoot does exist, he is not merely a woodland ape, but something containing intelligence.  It might not be human intelligence, but it is intelligence nonetheless.

Audre breaks down their language—called “Samari”—in this cogent post.  Perhaps in addition to finding the Bigfoot, we might also find his Rosetta Stone, unlocking the language of another intelligent species.

With that, here is Audre on the language of the Bigfoot:

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Monday Morning Movie Review: Ponty’s Top Ten Best Films: #1: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Portly Politico18 Comments

Here we are—the end of the long countdown of best films of all time.  Ponty delivers, as always, with his clear, detailed analysis.

Boy, did he pick a great film.  This flick was a perennial favorite on cable television in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  You can pick up with the story pretty much anywhere and it is gripping.

I won’t dilute Ponty’s review further with my commentary.  He has done it so well, I cannot add anything of additional value.

With that—and at long last!—here’s Ponty’s #1 pick:

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Lazy Sunday CXCVI: Hono[u]rable Mentions

The Portly Politico8 Comments

The long countdown of mine and Ponty’s favorite films ends tomorrow with Ponty’s #1 pick.  What will it be?  Weekend at Bernie’s II (1993)?  Porky’s (1981)?  That video he and Tina made that no one else is supposed to know about?  In twenty-four short hours, we’ll know all.

In the meantime, here are our respective hono[u]rable mentions lists.  I did mine in one succinct, efficient package; Ponty spread his over three massive posts, full of lovingly rendered detail and pathos:

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

SubscribeStar Saturday: Spring Concert 2023 Postmortem

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Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

My Middle and High School Music Ensembles had their big Spring Concert this past Monday, 27 March 2023.  Before their performances, my little school’s Dance and Choral classes gave their performances, so it was a jam-packed night of arts and entertainment.  The visual arts were part of the fun, too, with displays of students’ artwork.

It was a long day, but extremely worthwhile.  Few things bring me as much joy as hearing my students share their talents confidently and comfortably.

In the tradition of this blog and my music program, I’m going to breakdown the evening, focusing particularly (and naturally) on my two ensembles and their pieces.

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