Project Thanksgiving

Low and behold time marches onward and it’s November.  Let that sink in a moment – NOVEMBER.  Christmas junk has been in the stores now for over a month (all hail the spirit of commercialism!), we’ve just turned the corner on Halloween, NaNoWriMo is underway (all the best to those participating!), Election Day is nigh (yes you should vote in the hopes that something will eventually change somewhere), Veterans Day too, and then Thanksgiving – one of my favorite holidays. 

“Why is that – Thanksgiving being one of your favorite holidays?”

Because it’s still genuine.  It’s untouched by the greed of other holidays.  Thanksgiving hasn’t sold out and, frankly, we need to pause and take account of all the blessings (yeah, that’s the right word) that we have and be thankful.  I don’t say this to make you feel guilty, Gentle Reader.  I say it because it is true.  I live in the South Jersey area and up the road in Atlantic City, five major casinos are closing.  That translates to a LOT of people out of work; a lot of families who are going to be scrambling to make the rent, buy food, or pay bills.  Forget, Black Friday; to paraphrase Billy Joel, surviving will be the noblest fight and, yes, even in surviving we can be thankful – it’s much better than the alternative.

If you would like to help ease the burden for some families in the South Jersey area this year I humbly suggest supporting the Project Thanksgiving Turkey Drive (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Thanksgiving-NJ/302695739793341).  The nuts and bolts are as follows:

On November, 22^nd from 9:00 – 5:00 PM, there will be collection points set up at both Shoprites in Vineland and the Shoprites in Millville and Bridgeton; as well as, the Mullica Hill and Sewell Shoprites and the Venice Italian Eatery in Pitman.  They will be accepting frozen turkeys, store certificates for free turkeys, cash, and checks payable to the Food Bank of South Jersey or the Salvation Army.

So there it is.  If you have a spare turkey consider giving it over to Project Thanksgiving on November 22^nd.   They have a way of uniting turkeys with people who need them.  It’s a win – win; you get extra space in your freezer and the knowledge that your turkey has done some good in the South Jersey area.  It’s a win – win because, even in these incredibly uncertain times, we have much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

  

Nigel & Alex

 

Stuff & Things

“Evil Chicken?” you may ask, Gentle Reader, “What have you been up to?

I’ve been doin’ stuff; you know, things.  Here’s some cool stuff with a few things for you to peruse…

It’s Election Day: Go vote.  Participate in the process.  If you don’t then you have no room to complain and, let’s face it, that’s what the lion’s share of political discourse has devolved into anyway.  Make it legal.  Vote.

It’s Guy Fawkes Day!  And here is an oldie but a goodie concerning the Fifth of November: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2006/11/gunpowder-treason.html

My wife, Mother Hen, is the stage manager for Cumberland County College’s performance of, “Les Misérables”.  Here is a convenient collection of information on the play including a link for where to buy tickets: https://www.facebook.com/events/605140639532059/    

I still seek TEAM MATES who will march arm in arm with me into the frozen & briny deep come mid-January!  If not team mates then perhaps donations to Special Olympics.  I work cheap, just sayin’.  Join me in the Polar Bear Plunge.  It will be groovy.  Here’s my page: http://wildwood-pbp.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1083486&lis=0&kntae1083486=73D20F10486F4102A7668A9719B8883A

This woman celebrated Halloween and Día de Muertos at the same time!

Say, that would make a good Project 365 shot!

I met some members of the South Jersey Writer’s Group (http://www.meetup.com/South-Jersey-Writers/pages/Welcome_Visitors!/) and, I gotta tell you, it was an uplifting experience.  It was an honor to meet the souls that I did, to sit down & drink coffee with other writers.  [Note to self, become a member soon!]  They have a book out now called, “Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey”.  I’m enjoying it thus far.  Consider showing them some love – you can find copies right here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1478106190/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1478106190&linkCode=as2&tag=thgeougi-20   

“The Walking Dead” is back and in its fourth season!  I recently met the wonderful woman who writes the following blog, Ms. Marie Gilbert.  Her Kung-Fu is strong.  If you are a fan you owe it to yourself to read it.  You’re welcome.  Booyah: http://biffbampop.com/2013/11/04/the-walking-dead-s04-e04-indifference/

It is November and that means it is National Novel Writing Month!  NaNoWriMo is near and dear to my heart.  It turns out I’m not alone with that sentiment.  Here is an excellent blog about NaNoWriMo by Mr. Glenn Walker.  It is certainly worth your time.  For those about to write, we salute you!  http://south-jersey-writers.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-thoughts-on-nanowrimo.html

Project 365 is still underway.  I have been enjoying it far more than I suspected I would.  The idea is to take one photo a day and post it.  It is photojournalism on a personal level.  The benefit that I didn’t expect is the time travel.  Doing a Project 365 is not just taking snapshots of a picture; it also connects you to a certain place and time.  Here is a blog I wrote when I first dipped my toes in the water of Project 365: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2012/12/project-365.html.  Not to boor you but here is my Project 365 on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/theevilchicken/project-365/.    

See; stuff and things have been happening.

Stay tuned for further stuff & things in the very near future.  Until then, Gentle Reader, I bid you adieu.

54,726

NaNoWriMo 2011 is about to come to a close at 12:00 AM tonight.  To my fellow writers out there, whether you won or lost you still played the game and I, your humble peer, SALUTE YOU!

ROCK on wid jer bad self, writers.  Straight up.

 

Thanks to Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant and all the rest of the fine people from the Office of Letters and Light.  

I hope to see you again in April for Scriptfrenzy!

National Novel Writing Month 2011

Here is one for the writers out there or for those who out there who want to be.  National Novel Writing Month (i.e. NaNoWriMo) is almost upon us.  That means it just may be your time to shine.  I am seriously thinking of throwing my hat into the National Novel Writing Month ring once again (knowing that if I can do it anyone can) and possibly nudge YOU, Gentle Reader, into joining me on the quest.

“The quest?”  Yes, the quest.  The quest is to write a novel in the month of November – 30 days, 50,000 words.

“That’s not a novel.”

Says who?  Probably all the people who have never written one says I.  Do yourself a favor and push out all that negative energy – you have a novel to write!  To date I have participated in about 4 of them, NaNoWriMos that is.  Twice I crossed the finish line so I know for a fact it can be done.  In days of yore a geocaching friend of mine introduced me to NaNoWriMo and I have spread the love ever since, even in the years that I took off.  I talk to a lot of people; some of them have something to say or a story to tell.  Well, if you believe YOU are one of those people that I am talking about, November may just be the excuse you’ve been looking for.

Tell your story. 

November is coming.  NaNoWriMo draws near.  Make your plans & your provisions; let us Quest together!

Oh The Things I Could be Writing About

Please let it be known, Gentle Reader, I have never meant to abuse this blog. Hey, I love Chicken Scratch! That being said there have been some pretty cool things that have come and gone without me even typing a peep of it. That's too bad really. What can I say? Life has a way of encroaching on the things that we would really like to be doing verses the things that must take priority as a means of getting things done.

Here is a brief list of stuff that I really should be writing about but, for one reason or another, have not...

1. The Christmas play, "Glorious Impossibilities" by Kathryn Ross is coming up at my church and I'm still trying to learn my lines. It is gonna be a blast this year - seriously. I get to unleash my inner Stooge. I am really excited about this one. If you can make it come on out!

2. Work. I make a clear effort to never discuss work here on Chicken Scratch. Let's just say there's been some interesting things afoot.

3. We, the EC-5 went to Washington DC for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on 10/30/10. I have a thing for John Stewart and Steven Colbert. They did not disappoint. I will be blogging about this at some point but until such time know that we had a blast, had some interesting adventures in Social Studies and would do it all over again.

4. Netflix. Brick and mortar is quickly becoming obsolete. That being said, some of the people who work at MY local Blockbuster are simply wonderful individuals who love film and are doing their best to keep things together and going. I will continue to rent my Blu-ray discs and video games from my local Blockbuster BUT Netflix is just the shape of things to come. In an instant gratification world they deliver - instantly. No longer does one have to wait until their Blockbuster queue is depleted to see that samurai, gangster, ninja, zombie flick that they have had a hankering to see - no, that sometimes month long wait has been replaced by the press of the button on my remote, X-box, laptop, Nintendo Wii, smart TV, or even Blu-ray player. Bickety-Bam; instant gratification. I don't have time to wait on movies. Now I don't have to. My middle aged attention span is longer than some others but is not designed to handle the onslaught of all the other things screaming for my attention. This being said, I am not giving up on Blockbuster; there are some great people there and that is the only source of Blu-ray and video games in South Jersey. Netflix, however, cuts the price more than HALF ($8.99 a month VS. $20.00). That's a lot of cabbage.

5. The progress of our Turtles. We have two turtles; Van Goff and Sheldon/Bertha. I could be writing about their progress and how they came into our home but NO! I have not done so.

6. NANOWRIMO? I have no time for National Novel Writing Month this year. I'd write and tell you about it but I simply don't have the time.

7. Downed Trees. A cherry tree limb snapped off and hit a maple tree limb in my yard - both of which collapsed in my driveway. Thanks to my Ford I was able to pull them onto my front lawn. Thanks to a friend (Thanks Rich!) and his chainsaw the gravity challenged limbs are no longer an issue. I could have written about this but the time just did not materialize.

8. Weight loss. I don't want to but I must. I'm too fat but I have a taste for butter, egg yolks, red meat and salt. I would write about it but I'm just too busy. Let's just say that I'm gonna be eating a LOT of salad and veg in the future; I may even write about it.

9. The Christmas movie season. There are some decent offerings this holiday season. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I", "True Grit" and the one I'm really waiting for, "Tron Legacy" will all be hitting theaters in the next month and a half. Yeah, if I had time I'd be writing about those too.

10. Injustice and false representation. I don't like to wallow in this for too long since the stench sort of follows you around. Just like... Well ya know, Thumper's mother was right, if you don't have anything nice to say about someone it's best to not say anything at all.

Gentle Reader, please forgive me. Also let me just say that these days my life is NOT my own and I am actively looking forward the END of the holiday season when I can relax with my family, play some video games with the girls and do some geocaching with Mother Hen - oh yes, and spend some quality time right here at Chicken Scratch. I am happy to be busy and a part of things greater than myself this time of year but I'm looking forward to a time when the wheels are not spinning as fast as they are right now.

Stay tuned, Gentle Reader, the best is yet to come.

National Novel Writing Month 2009

The MIGHTY NaNoWriMo is poised to RETURN in but a few days. The one question for YOU, Gentle Reader, is “Are you in?”

Here is the main website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/, it will answer any questions that you have and, if you have a novel in you wanting to escape, is your portal to a wonderfully insane creative activity. You see, in the month of November YOU, if you sign up and are dedicated enough to the cause, are going to write a novel.

“That’s impossible.”

NAY! It is possible all you have to do is start on November 1st, follow through and finish on November 30th with 50,000 words under your belt. Congratulations; YOU have just written the draft of your first novel.

Honestly.

It is a lot of fun and a personal challenge. I’ve participated in four of ‘em and have crossed the finish line twice. If a hack like myself can do it so can you.

So… are YOU in?

The Game is Afoot!

Gentle Reader, I am sorry. I am sorry that I have not checked in recently. Rest assured, I still love you, it's just that my attentions have been other places recently... I blame the addtion of HDTV and Blu-Ray to my life. For a movie geek like me it is like manna from Heaven. I've been enjoying it so much that I will be starting a feature here on Chicken Scratch in the VERY near future on different Blu-Ray releases.

That being said there is also much afoot. Work, a topic that I do not trouble you with, has been quite... interesting lately. NaNoWriMo is going to be starting in November, I'm still colaborating on a script with a buddy of mine, I'm looking forward to James Cameron's "Avatar" & "A Christmas Carol" (in the theaters real soon), and I am mourning the loss of one of my childhood icons, Captain Lou Albano. Each of these particular items is "blog worthy" but for now please consider this Yours Truly, "checking in".

We will talk in greater depth soon, Gentle Reader, I promise.

Rest in Peace, Capt. Lou!

A Poet and Didn’t Know It

GACK! That’s a horrible title for a blog. More importantly – yesterday was a blast!

“Why’s that?”

I’ll tell you all about it – you see, Gentle Reader I had the pleasure of meeting, listening to, and performing with a large community (I’d say of about 24 souls) of poets / musicians / artists right here (in the South Jersey area) at Bogart’s Books and Coffee (http://www.bogartsbookstore.com/). The talent there just blew my socks off. Which is exactly what I told them when it was my turn to perform “Script Frenzy – The Poem”. Now I have never participated in a “poetry slam” before so it was uncharted waters for yours truly. It went well, very well; in fact it was a blast. That community of artists that I mentioned at the beginning is also, apparently, quite forgiving. I am truly looking forward to next months gathering. Ms. Rita Lyman is the master of ceremonies and what a wonderful job she does. The group meets every third Sunday so if you are at Third Friday celebration know that Sunday afternoon is going to be cool too.

That’s not all. The poetry group formed a few years ago to support a 30-day poetry-writing event; POEWAR (I think); and they have been meeting ever since. Ms. Lyman as I was stepping down from the microphone mentioned that some of the group also participates in something called, “NANOWRIMO”. She pronounced it “Na No REE Mo” – I’ve always said, “Na No RYE Mo”. At the end of the day we’re both right; Potatoes – Potatoes. Still hearing it made me smile.

“No Way!” I said, “This (meaning Script Frenzy) is from the same people!” We were no longer poets or playwrights at that moment – we were writers. There are more of us here than I was aware of and that makes this particular purveyor of chicken scratch quite happy. I do believe some writers will be joining the Frenzy. So thank you to Bogart’s and thanks to Ms. Lyman.

I can’t wait for next time.