The View Up Here

Today’s my fifth day in L.A.. I’ve spent most of my time going back and forth along 134 between Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Burbank and Glendale. The Steves at Ithaca College’s L.A. center were instrumental in helping me feel at home here, as have been Kristen Elizabeth and Katy Whiskey, both former students of mine who are living the dream here. I’ve also made a new friend, a project manager at Disney Animation Studios, who, as it turns out, is a fellow nerd girl, and a talented Shakespearean actor. She invited me to see the end-of-summer show for the Disney Animation employees’ arts classes, which were part of their professional development – only instead of taking a class to improve the skills they already used, they were encouraged to take something that was outside their comfort area. There was sculpture, digital photography, water color, creative writing, and five monologues from Shakespeare. My new friend played Viola from Twelfth Night (my favorite of the comedies I’ve seen or...

Hey y'all. I'm in L.A. right now, and I promise to write about that soon, but first I want to express my thoughts about the Rod Serling Conference at Ithaca College held Sept. 9-10, for which I served as Academic Coordinator. The week leading up to the conference was a bit nutty, as you'd expect, made even nuttier by the fact that the Northeast had just been slammed by a tropical storm (I forget who) that left flooding, evacuations, power outtages and destruction in its wake. Thankfully, the Ithaca, NY area was spared, but many of our attendees and presenters had to carefully pick their routes among roadways and airports not underwater. A few people did have to back out at the last minute, which was very unfortunate. Still, we were ready to go Friday morning, and as if to honor the mood of the Twilight Zone, the fog was intense and didn't let up until close to noon. Our presenters were wonderful, and the overall quality of work presented was by far the most academic o...

First of all, how the hell did it get to be September? I hate to admit it, but it does feel like late summer. There's that heavy, pregnant feeling, a bit sluggish, things slowing down just a bit, harvest ready to gather. I can feel this as clearly as I can feel my own heartbeat. It has always been one of my favorite times of year, but this year it has a sad tinge to it. This summer has been so awesome for me that I really don't want to see it slip away. Nevertheless, it is September. The harvest this year: two important events. The Rod Serling Conference at Ithaca College is next weekend (registration is still open!). Working as the Academic Coordinator has been an honor and a wonderful learning experience for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the Serling family and my colleagues at I.C. on this celebration of the work and life of Mr. Serling. The other event is my 2-week recon mission to Los Angeles. I'll head out on the 20th and stay through Oct. 4. ...