Laboring on Labor Day

Hey! I'm actually writing this on a computer at an Internet Cafe in Times Square. $5 for 4 hours of internet use, not bad.

First, I want to wish my sister a Happy Birthday today! I won't tell you how old she is, she'd kill me, but we both celebrated significant birthdays last year.

I still haven't heard from my friend, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that she's safe.

I have to just say how amazed I am by the way people have stepped up in the wake of the Katrina disaster, considering how ineffective the Federal government has been to respond. I don't just mean the celebrities like Harry Connick jr, Wynton Marsalis, Tim McGraw, and Ellen Degeneres, but I'm talking about ordinary people, who have taken the time to raise money and to get supplies to those affected by the disaster.

I was watching Ellen this morning, and she told a story about an ordinary guy who managed to find a truck and gather supplies, and then drove to Memphis, and then managed to get the supplies to New Orleans. The Romance community has been out in full force to raise money for those of in the community who have been hit by Hurricane Katrina. It just goes to show you that people can make a difference.

Meanwhile George Bush is wandering around looking like an idiot, spouting meaningless platitudes, and threatening to jail the people who have been looting to survive. I just don't think that he really gets it. When Kanye West said on NBC that Bush doesn't care about black people, I think the correct answer is that Bush doesn't really care about anyone who can't contribute to the republican party. He's a privileged white boy who has been shielded all his life from the harsh realities of life. His daddy and his daddy's friends constantly rescued him from every disaster, so that he came out smelling like a rose.

Now, Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed away, leaving two spots on the Supreme Court, and I'm a little frightened as to who else Bush is going to nominate for the other spot. He already wants Roberts to be Chief Justice.

On a lighter note, I've actually spent the weekend re-reading my manuscript. I have alot of work to do on it, but at least I have some idea of how I want it to end now. I'm going back to my original plan for the ending, and cutting a scene that now seems a bit cliched. Now I know why it never worked. I still need at least two more good scenes for the book, so I'm going to be brainstorming those scenes this week.

I'm having a bit of a dry spell in terms of reading. Apart from Alison Kent's latest Blaze, nothing is really grabbing my attention right now, so I'm re-reading an old book on the mystery of who murdered director William Desmond Taylor in 1922, a mystery that was never solved. Giving me some interesting ideas for the paranormal that I want to work on.

I also watched several movies this weekend, including Ali, The Woods, and the Upside of Anger with Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. I have to say that I didn't particularly like Ali, I thought Will Smith was out of his league playing Muhammed Ali. I was so bored that I didn't even finish watching the movie.

The Woods, I figured out what was going within the first ten minutes of the movie. No surprises there. I still like M. Night Schmalayan, but he needs some new tricks. Upside of Anger, I really liked, and I'm hoping that both Joan Allen and Kevin Costner have their work recognized at Oscar time, and I never thought I would say that about Kevin Costner.