The View Up Here

A few things of note over the last few months: End of May/Beginning of June:  Got food poisoning. Badly.  Was hospitalized for four days and nights. Still paying back the loan I took from my boss to pay for that bad boy. I was told the offending bacteria was campylobacter, usually associated with chicken. Funny thing is, I hadn't had chicken at all for several days. I think the culprit came from a food cart at which I'd eaten some kimbap earlier that week. Never. Again.  No more street food.  End of July:  The Great Kitten Drama  Nearby my apartment building is a completely empty entire city block wrapped in green tarp fencing, into which people throw their trash. Inside, stray cats have made their home.  One night coming home from work I heard the plaintive and unmistakable mewings of a tiny kitten. Long story short, the mama cat deposited one of her two kittens outside my building's steps. I took the kitten in for a few hours and let her cool of...

 There is a lot to report on, friends. Let's run down the list! My short film has been renamed "Souled," which fits the theme and style of the film much better than the long-standing working title Dream House. "Souled" is moving right along in postproduction. I'm in the process of hiring a composer, and I've secured a fantastic sound mix man and a color correction guy. The edit is allllmost picture lock... We're very close! Also the poster is well on its way. That will appear here and everywhere else I can post it as soon as it is ready. Another dream is about to become a reality! I'm headed back to Korea this September to make a pilgrimage to my former town of residence and to the holy sites of the Catholic Korean martyrs. And yes, I'm going to make a film about the experience. The project formerly known as "Korea Dreambus" is being resurrected...appropriately as a Catholic pilgrimage film. Much more on that in the coming weeks! Le...

It's time to round up 2023 and cast a gleaming eye toward 2024.   Quickly, because it's cold, and I have to go find a cup of hot tea in the kitchen to warm up: published my short story "Vinny and Luca" in the June issue of Lake Effect Magazine . This was my first short story publication, and it's one of the stories I've written as part of a collection. shot my short film "Dream House" in October after one postponement and a reschedule. We had an amazing cast and crew, a beautiful location, and a lot of generous help. The footage is now with an editor who hopes to have a rough cut in the next few days. started as a journalist for our diocesan Catholic paper, writing features and briefs on the happenings and people in the county. learned how to create video content for Instagram. learned T'ai Chi Yang style 32-move sword form started with a new spiritual director (who was then reassigned to someplace far away and with a far busier schedule... this ...

You win a prize if you catch the reference in this blog title. Comment or message me and we'll work out what the prize will be! I'm currently at my main digs for writing these days, a place in Fairport called Junction 361.  Coffee house and beer bar all in one. And steps from the Erie Canal. New artist show every month. Barista with a thing for K-dramas. Can it even get any better? I think not. I come here with my writing partner on Monday nights (most weeks), and on a Saturday night, this is where I need to be to get sh*t done.  I'm working on getting an editor for Dream House, and I'm writing a new screenplay that involves... wait for it...  a time travel emergency at a mall in 1973. I know! Trust me, it's going to work. I've been creating video reels for Instagram at work and can say that I'm now feeling pretty comfortable editing on the Instagram app.  Not bad for a Gen-Xer with a Boomer brother and Greatest Generation parents.  Yes, I'm happy and pr...

In recent years, I've approached Advent at a breakneck speed, hyper-aware that I'm supposed to "do Advent" before I "do Christmas." The years I spent teaching and working for parishes were the ones I felt the most disconnected from Advent, ironically, because I was so busy preparing Advent liturgies, crafts, and activities that I missed out on the prayerful, silent, wintry season leading up to Christmas. (And let's not forget the excitement and stress of hurling myself across the NYS Thruway/MASS Pike every December to be home with my family.) The Moon getting ready for Advent (taken over my house this morning) The focus of Advent is to prepare for Christ in his Second Coming as well as commemorating the coming of the Second Person of the Trinity into Earth's history.  The liturgical season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas, and this year, it starts on Dec. 3, which means the Fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. In es...

So many months have passed since I took to this blog. Here's a sweeping update: started new job at the new parish in a new town moved into a sweet studio with a giant back yard, functional if small kitchen, attached garage, lovely neighbors/landlords finished revised draft of Black Doves; it's with the publisher now. Hoping for publication this year. finished short story "Working Man"  started writing other short stories that will be collected together in a self-published work at some point in the future Sadly, I must also report that my brother Patrick was diagnosed with stage III stomach cancer just before Christmas. I am asking the Lord to open doors for me to move there -- yes even though I just moved here. It's time to go home. I need my family, and my family needs me. I've already blown through all my PTO and I don't have the money to keep schlepping back to the South Shore on long weekends. By the way, my new profile pic is of him and m...

I've been offline quite a bit this year. Another year of changes, as it has turned out. The big change is that I was invited to interview for an open Director of Faith Formation position at a parish two hours north of Elmira, in Macedon, NY, and I was offered the job. I accepted, but it meant a 3-week turn around on a move. Whew! That's not the fastest bug-out I've ever done - two weeks from interview to start date is my record (for the job at Cornell in 2005, NYS Move #2, incidentally). Because God is in the details, I have friends from college who live in Palmyra (next door to Macedon) in a giant 1800s farmhouse they've renovated over the last 20 years, and they invited me to stay with them while I looked for an apartment. I moved in on August 1st, started my job August 5th, and tomorrow, September 6th, I'll move into my new apartment just up Rte. 31. How wonderful! But really, moving, AGAIN. The older I get, the harder it is to move. God certainly keeps me o...

When God closes a door... or in this case, opens a door I wasn't expecting. I was invited to interview for and then got the position of Director of Faith Formation/Director of Religious Education/Catechetical Leader II (all synonymous and interchangeable in the Diocese) at a new parish about 30 minutes east of Rochester. So yes, I have moved (again...) and have started a position with more responsibility in a wholly different kind of parish. Today was Day 4 at the new gig, and it was as chaotic and wonderful as could be. For now, I'm staying with friends until I get a place that suits me (hopefully soon!), so most of my things are in storage. It is, as you can imagine, very disorienting. But, it's good change, and I've felt that it was the right thing to do from the beginning. So God opened this door and I was free to say no or to say yes. I said yes, but I do need more in the way of total surrender. Things at this parish are very different than they were in my las...

As I've continued to understand myself in this process of discernment, I've realized that it is essential for me to live a life where the Liturgy of the Hours (aka the Divine Office) are prayed. The reasons are several, and I understand them to be universal, not tied to my own personal preference. We are called to pray unceasingly by Jesus Christ. Sanctifying the hours of the day permeates what we do, who we are, and how we love one another. Stopping our work to pray is a reorientation toward God against the temptation to make our work about us, rather than about the Kingdom. The Benedictine Ora et Labora isn't just a simple "prayer and work" translation; rather, prayer is work/work is prayer and it all points to God's will. The classic Catholic both/and, in other words. Prayer informs our ministry, ministry informs our prayer. There is an ebb and flow here, not a "now we do this" and "now we do that" binary concept. In the short...

Much has happened in these last few months. Jesus has been whispering in my ear... In a nutshell, I am now the Confirmation and Adolescent Catechesis/Youth Ministry Administrator for the Elmira Catholic Churches. That's right - I'm back in Elmira, the place I despised for so many years. I came here to visit last summer, and the lure was instant - somehow it felt all glowy and attractive. Now that I'm here, the vibe is even stronger. I am where God has longed for me to be! My work is precious and wonderful, and my lifestyle is more beautiful than I could have imagined. I live at the bottom of a wooded hill, close to work. I can easily buy local produce, hit the Wegmans for necessities, walk along the river, hang out at Harris Hill to watch the gliders take off, and best of all, I am a few minutes' drive from Mount Saviour Monastery (Benedictine monks). Compline (Night Prayer) at Mount Saviour Monastery. The freedom I feel inside is indescribable and bea...

It's late (for me), and I'm tired, but I wanted to jot a few thoughts down. On Oct. 1 we celebrated St. Therese, and three days later on the fourth, we celebrated St. Francis. I sometimes wonder if I'm called to Franciscan spirituality. Is there such a thing as a Franciscan/Carmelite hybrid community? If there is one, please sign me up. Here in Utah, and at my job at the cemetery, I am surrounded by God's beautiful creation. I constantly hear Him calling me to "come outside and play (or pray)!" This has been the case since I was a child scampering in the trees and dashing through puddles in our yard on the South Shore. These days, I am quite literally living the vow of "Lady Poverty" I took 2 years ago (as well as obedience to God's will, and a celibate life of inclusive love). I live for daily Mass, for spending just a few moments with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every morning. Honestly, I couldn't get through my days without Him...

Today's title refers to a lovely song that reminds me of a good friend of mine who is currently in Australia. She and I are working on a book project together (about Australian theater, TV, radio and film acting industry via the legacy of one particular family), so she's there doing interviews and researching. Last weekend she spent with me and we had a marvelous time going to the Mojave Desert, Huntington Gardens and Museum, interviewing Nick Tate for our book, and generally enjoying each others' company. My friend is from Ottawa, so we rarely see each other. I will see her again on her way back through L.A. to Ottawa. Let's see, what else... I started working at Holy Family High School College Preparatory earlier this month. This is an all-girls school, and for the moment I am supporting the Admissions/Development person, who is all about getting scholarship money for girls who would otherwise not be able to attend. They will probably be moving me around in the ad...

I've been writing a lot of spiritual and religiously themed posts, so I thought I'd update some of what's going on with me personally. I've returned to working on the screenplay that was once called 'Eden.' I have to rename it because some kind of twaddle just came out with the same moniker. I'm doing some heavy Act II restructuring now, which is my least favorite thing about writing a screenplay, but it's going pretty well so far. I've also not forgotten about the project I'd started researching last year on Mary Magdalene. I'm not sure what I'm doing with that; it's still in a very nascent stage. I was also thinking of looking at other women in Yeshua's ministry and life, but we'll see how the Spirit leads me on that one. People keep asking me when Black Doves will be released, and unfortunately I have to keep saying the same thing: I don't know. It's in the pipeline at Powys and it'll come out when it'...

I had my 45th birthday two weekends ago. It did feel a bit momentous, but that soon passed, because truly, age means nothing at all to me.   Life has been busy, with spiritual retreats, Eucharistic ministry, writing, and enjoying the fabulous weather. This is a gorgeous time to live in SoCal, and I praise God that I let him lead me here, even though I had no idea in 2011 how I would get by or what would happen. My religious vocation discernment continues. I've opened myself to a broader range of religious orders, and this seems to be affirmed in how many congregations I have recently discovered. The search continues, but in the flow rather than as a matter of project-management. Big difference, that. My time as the interim assistant at ICLA is nearing an end. I have applied for the permanent position, but it remains to be seen what will happen. I was experiencing quite a bit of stress over this, but again I've been continually reminded to trust in God's providence. Go...

All that chilly vaulting has caught up with me. I don't do well in damp, stagnant, chilly air. Woke up sometime around 4:00 a.m. drenched in fever with a banging headache. Took some Advil and went back to bed until Spaz came in to snuggle with me. This was a pleasant surprise, by the way. She hasn't been coming in to snuggle with me for the last couple weeks. Of course, the snuggling didn't commence until after she'd run across my chest a few times and knocked something off the nightstand onto the floor (couldn't tell what it was). So I'm home for the day, wrapped in a blanket. Just had my morning cuppa, but will be switching to tea. A funny thing. Whenever I'm sick, I just completely lose my taste for coffee; I only want tea. This is how I know I'm actually sick and not just grumpy. Oh - one thing I do need to share before I forget. As I was pushing papers around my desk at work the other day, I came across a form that corrected the spelling of some...

According to Spaz the Cat, I live to serve and obey and open doors for her so she can go in and out. Back and forth. Outside. Inside. Outside. Inside. Open door, close door. Open door, close door. I am like Spock without his brain, and Spaz holds the controller. "Meowwrr! Let me ouuuuutttt!" Added to the brainlessness is another day in the Vault of Limitless Boredom, where I put things in numerical order and then file them. That's all I do. All day long. But during that time, what's left of my mind wanders into my own personal story-land and the book I'm currently reading (review to come!), feeling like I'm missing out on what's happening with the characters while I'm not reading. My iPod is a saving grace (which reminds me I want to change up the playlist tonight), as are wearing sneakers and toting a travel mug of black coffee. Friday at 5:00, I'm getting my brain back as I walk out those doors for the last time. Oh, and speaking of last times,...

The temp job is making it difficult for me to do anything useful. I sit on my butt for 7.5 hours a day pushing papers and trying to drown out the country music station and the sound of the call center babes that surround me with their nasally Upstate accents. Thank God for my iPod, which has been on the charger all night since I ran the battery down yesterday in the middle of the day. Meanwhile, I'm having a hard time getting anything done that needs to be done in my life - job applications comes to mind first and foremost, dealing with excess furniture that belonged to my mother also comes to mind. This assignment is over next Friday, then I will be done temping, because at that point I'll have a month before I head back to L.A. and I gotta be ready. For now, though, blogging right before I leave in the morning is about all I've been able to manage. And today's post is pretty lame, so I will leave you with this:

Today I wrapped up the temp job of fame and ill repute. Augustus Gloop who hit on me last week made sure to give me the cool farewell of "best of luck to ya" while not looking up from his book. A few of the folks stopped to say thanks and wish me good luck (for real) in L.A. on their way out. And of course my candy-loving pal and I said a sad farewell. I accomplished this by paging him as Barry White. Yes, that's right. Well, when's the last time your co-worker called your desk to play Barry White over the phone? Henceforth, my chocolate-craving former coworker will be known as Barry White in these blog pages. Thanks, Barry, for making my boring days of waiting for the phone to ring much less boring, and for making me smile when I was grumpy. I didn't end up getting that temp gig at the insane asylum, so tomorrow I'm back to my freewheeling writer life on Funemployment. Tutoring, editing, writing, looking for freelance work. Back to dreaming and planning for ...

This morning I arrived late to the temp job as I had an interview for another, long term temp job at a local insane asylum institute of higher learning. My entire morning routine was obliterated as I stressed over what to wear, how I'd park on campus, the fact that I didn't have bus fare, etc. Ultimately, the interview went very well, I thought, and I'm psyched at the prospect of working there for my remaining 2 months in I-town. But by the time I got to my current temp gig, I was out of sorts and just grateful that WICB has a Reggae show on Thursday mornings, followed by 2 hours of jazz in the afternoon. And since I only had part of a cup of coffee this morning, I am drinking the weak office swill because I am an addict. There, I said it. But you know what? Other than the fact that my cat is very annoyed at me for being gone all day (after weeks of freelancing from home), I'm very grateful that I have some place to be in the mornings. Getting out of the house is good...

As you know, I'm gearing up for my big move to L.A. on January 5, 2012. Big news on that front: I've just confirmed an apartment - different from the one I was going to take - that will keep me in Burbank and cost a fraction of what the other place would've cost me. I'll have a roommate, a friend of TL's who also works at Disney. Really looking forward to it! I'm so grateful this worked out, because I was stressing over the high rent of the other place. Next big hurdle (other than getting a job, OBVIOUSLY) will be getting a car. Well, actually the next hurdle is selling my current car at a decent profit so I can afford to buy a car in L.A. Speaking of which: FOR SALE: 1998 Nissan Sentra, 134,000 miles, in great mechanical condition, some cosmetic sadness here and there, just inspected, 4 snow tires with a couple seasons left in 'em AND 4 new all-season radials. Automatic, 4-door, maroon color, Ithaca Sufferjets and Bluestockings bumper stickers. It d...