quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Dark:
Well, I love England, so the apparently willful censorship of "The Rocket Man" is distressing, as it precludes this great story to much of the British population!

:-(

Hey dito I love America, my father, now an American citizen lives out there with you guys, out in the good old "Lone Star State" home of the texas blue bonnets. Oh and I love San Antonio some great restaurants and night life!...ah the life...oh where was I.
Anyhow of course I could be wrong with all of this publication hoohah around "The-
Rocketman."
"The Short Stories of Ray Bradbury" which ever volume I have could well be an american import. I must root it out of my mother's loft at some point.

I'm in the Lone Star State; about 200 or so miles north of San Antonio. California was really pretty (Pacific Ocean, mountains), but people out here have been soooo nice. What we lack in geography, we make up for in weather! Tornado Warnings/watches, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings/watches, Flood Warnings, etc. Never a dull moment. My first summer here, we had 60 consecutive days over 100 degrees. Plenty of weather!

Hey Rocketman, On Your Side Of The Pond You Also Have A Ray Who "mixes nostalgia, eerie and ethereal, that are haunting and romantically sad". Mr. Raymond Douglas Davies Of The Kinks, The Greatest Songwriter Ever. They Even Share The Same Middle Name.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Dark:
I'm in the Lone Star State; about 200 or so miles north of San Antonio. California was really pretty (Pacific Ocean, mountains), but people out here have been soooo nice. What we lack in geography, we make up for in weather! Tornado Warnings/watches, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings/watches, Flood Warnings, etc. Never a dull moment. My first summer here, we had 60 consecutive days over 100 degrees. Plenty of weather!

Sorry I forgot to mention my father lives out in Dallas a place called Carrolton. luckily when Ive been out there I havent experienced tornados but have experienced some dramatic thunderstorms that makes UKs storms look like a bathroom shower. I remember one instance where my dad and myself had just got in the front door of his house and the heavens just opened. You could smell a mixture of static and flowers in the air. To look outside we just couldnt see no more than two feet in front of us... Wow!. I can see where Bradbury gets his inspiration from, when thunderstorms are involved in his stories.

I confess to a certain discomfort (chicken-ness?) with tornadoes. The severe thunderstorms would be more enjoyable if they didn't carry the risk of spinning off tornadoes. On the other hand, we have hailstorms that can literally kill people. In case I remember seeing (on tv) in Fort Worth, the hail was so large it was pounding a kid it had knocked to the ground in a parking lot. A cop ran out and lay across the boy until the storm was over. The cop was covered with bruises! We recently had a hailstorm that did property damage in the tens of millions. Earthquakes were nothing compared to these things.

Carrolton is a nice town within about 15-20 miles of me.

When you look at stories like "The Long Rain" you can see where these thunderstorms (I lived in N Dakota previously) would create the images you see in some of those things. (Like the novel, "Damnation Alley"). The lightning ("cloud to ground" as it is lovingly called) can also be killer. I've read that lighting is the #2 killer in terms of natural disasters. When I first moved out here, I dressed to go out for a run in the rain. The people I was staying with thought I was a lunatic. They convinced me to stay in. Five minutes later I understood why. We also lose people to flooding. They think their pickups can navigate any water. The next thing they know, the truck has been taken right off the road. When they say seek shelter during these storms, you really have to take them seriously!



[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 05-02-2003).]

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Dark:
I confess to a certain discomfort (chicken-ness?) with tornadoes. The severe thunderstorms would be more enjoyable if they didn't carry the risk of spinning off tornadoes. On the other hand, we have hailstorms that can literally kill people. In case I remember seeing (on tv) in Fort Worth, the hail was so large it was pounding a kid it had knocked to the ground in a parking lot. A cop ran out and lay across the boy until the storm was over. The cop was covered with bruises! We recently had a hailstorm that did property damage in the tens of millions. Earthquakes were nothing compared to these things.

Carrolton is a nice town within about 15-20 miles of me.

When you look at stories like "The Long Rain" you can see where these thunderstorms (I lived in N Dakota previously) would create the images you see in some of those things. (Like the novel, "Damnation Alley"). The lightning ("cloud to ground" as it is lovingly called) can also be killer. I've read that lighting is the #2 killer in terms of natural disasters. When I first moved out here, I dressed to go out for a run in the rain. The people I was staying with thought I was a lunatic. They convinced me to stay in. Five minutes later I understood why. We also lose people to flooding. They think their pickups can navigate any water. The next thing they know, the truck has been taken right off the road. When they say seek shelter during these storms, you really have to take them seriously!

[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 05-02-2003).]

I remember having some great Picnics/BBQs at Lake Tawakoni over in Kaufman with dad and freinds. But I cant think for life of me, is there still a catfish restaurant over near there or is it near another man made lake?. Its just before you go over one of the lakes bridges. If so thats a great restaurant and it was the first time I tasted catfish.

The Illustrated Man was my first foray into Ray Bradbury's written work, though I had seen the 1966 "Fahrenheit 451" several times on summer broadcast television in the 1970s. My sixth-grade teacher had a read-aloud time for us, where he would read his favorite science fiction books. Ray Bradbury and John Christopher were the two which stuck with me, and, in seventh grade, I read everything by Ray Bradbury the school library had.

Still, The Illustrated Man holds a place dear in my heart as my favorite.

the illustrated man has been my favorite book since gradeschool. throughout all my wanderings and travels it seems to be the one book i always buy again, my library never feels complete without it. it amazes me that a book of stories written so long ago can still resonate so stongly in modern times, it's truly timeless. i recently gave birth to my first child and i am already reading to her, i feel certain it wont be the last time. i would like to send him a letter to thank him for giving me(and everyone) such a precious gift. anyone know where i can send it? to a publisher, "agent", or PObox?

Publisher seems to be the best way.