No panic here, only insane, delirious joy. Okay, I'll stop now.

I thought I saw something scamper behind my class and there are little round footprints on my napkin; (goodnight DeCamp/Pratt, wherever you are).

I think I was younger than Rocket at his age.

Hey, Chap, want to feel old? Check these guys out now...

Eddie-Beave-WallyOld (14 Kb, 12 downloads)

Not down yet, "and I think it's gonna be a long long time."

Golly!

Jeepers!

That's a lovely dress you're wearing today Mrs. Cleaver....

(B-Two?)

Oh! Here it is! I did open the wrong door earlier! Ah, much better. I think I'll just put my feet up and have a pipe.
Oh, yeah, Rocky, the reason I was fading in and out? I need to get my refractive index adjusted a bit. My friend Robby gave me improperly mixed reagent by mistake the other day...

Robby_23b.jpg (12 Kb, 6 downloads)

Robby's the best! He's on my 4-E poster too! Always loved him and the movie Forbidden Planet, classic stuff.

I've got the DVD of "Forbidded Planet" and "The Invisible Boy"! Mayn't we all settle back with some fresh chowder and watch these classics together?

My Fav:

http://blog.lewrockwell.com/day%20earth%20stood%20still.bmp

Mine, too.


Dr. Barnhardt: "There are several thousand questions I'd like to ask you!"

Hey, everyone! Wow, I got into this room, saw everyone kicking back, chilling out, and nearly panicked myself because I was looking for the room to go when you ARE in some degree of panic. Then I looked back up at the first sentence and saw I was in the right room.

If you are just relaxing, don't mind me as this will be a long one. As mentioned in another thread, I just returned from the Festival of the West which you can read all about here http://www.festivalofthewest.com/ where I met my favorite actor, Robert Fuller, who you can check out here http://robertfuller.info/official/welcome.htm and many other wonderful talents whose work I have greatly enjoyed over many years.

I first saw Mr. Fuller on Thursday and by the time I got to talk to him late afternoon Friday had seen him about three times without letting on who I was, of which he did have sort of an idea, but not what I looked like. Luckily by then I did have my business card, so I handed it to him and said, "Take a look at this and see if you remember getting my book. I *know* you got it because your friend handed it to you PERSONALLY."

He looks at the card and yells, "Yes! My friend said you might come up and say hi to me! WHAT TOOK YA SO LONG?"

"Um, well, we've never been in the same place at the same time before."

"You were here yesterday!"

"Yeah, well, I was just too scared then."

He was like, totally scolding me for going up to him about three times and not saying boo about who I was. He has this cute way of scolding in a rather rough voice, though not quite as abrasive as Dr. Brackett who left many a traumatized ten-year-old in his wake, myself among them, but he scolds smilingly.

So I said, "So you DO have my book?"

"Why, certainly."

"Maybe someday you'll even read it."

And he just looks down at me and says, "Huh."

THAT'S ALL, but it's my own interpretations of the possible meanings of this one syllable which is landing me in it, deep, with Mr. Fuller's most devoted fans. So I decided to make a clean sweep and tell y'all about it. I would never have suspected, before he said it, and I started to analyze it, that there could be so many possible different nuances, interpretations, and depths, to "Huh," followed by silence.

I took it at the time to mean, "You don't want much," like I had given him this book undoubtedly not worth anyone's time and then had the gall to suggest he might read it.

Keep in mind, I have spent a gazillion hours watching this guy.

"Emergency!" all the way through, probably 2-5 times each depending on the episode. I haven't really kept track but am starting all the way through again with the DVDs. Just got Season Three.
"Laramie" every episode three times through, starting on the fourth go-around.
"Wagon Train" every episode on which he was a regular (I have his two earlier guest appearances but haven't watched them) at least once, some twice, plus any number of movies, TV shows, and guest appearances. NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING, MIND YOU!

There was just that little, tiny, itsy-bitsy bit of a possible suggestion (and not saying he even SUGGESTED this, just that such an implication is one way it COULD be taken) that his work was worthwhile and mine wasn't, which some people might find insulting. I didn't answer with anything approaching sarcasm as I could certainly not find it in myself to work up anything resembling resentment, but I couldn't just let this guy go without a little friendly teasing, so I said, "Well, maybe sometime when you're out fishing, not catching anything, get REALLY, REALLY bored, and haven't anything better to do."

And he just totally didn't take the bait. No answer of any kind, just staring at me, like, "Say something else."

So I said, "Well, as long as you have it, that's what I wanted to know," and he said, "Certainly" and left it at that.

So now I am in trouble with some of his fans for "expecting too much" of Bob. This has raised my hackles with the implication that my book is not worth anyone's time and I shouldn't expect that it would be, so here's what I wrote the fans:

Total agreement here with everything good said about Bob, but for anyone waiting for me to "cave" and "admit" that I EVER passed off anything second rate to ANYONE to whom I sold, gave, or loaned my writing, keep waiting, that is simply NOT going to happen! (Tony, where are you? YOU have my book, and you read it! Testimonials, I got testimonials! NOTE: Tony is Bob's #1 fan who arranged the event, to whom I gave a copy of my book some time ago.) No, really, I mean...my work speaks for itself regardless of whoever reads it. I'm sure everyone there (meaning, all the actors at the Festival) would say the same about their acting. None of "them" grilled "us" on whether we'd seen "everything" of theirs--but were all so great with what we shared regarding what we did see--whether or not they "need" us to see it...see?

I also sent my novel to my favorite author, Ray Bradbury, with a pretty good indication that he wouldn't read it as he receives 100 books a year and his eyesight allows him to read four pages a day--do the math! But I did receive a very gracious letter saying how great it was that I completed a book when many people just talk about writing. It was the second best letter I ever received in my life. The first was also from Ray Bradbury in response to a gift I sent.

I'm just attempting to portray my true feelings--some of which, as I said, "is me" and not a reflection on Bob. What I WILL say about Bob was my being so extremely vulnerable at the time gave him the chance to crush me like an insect should he so choose. (Not saying he *would*--this is just the situation from MY viewpoint.) After years of avoidance, I chose to risk giving him that chance and agreed with myself that the MOST I would ask (for those thinking I was asking too much) was that he not take it. PERIOD. I respectfully requested (in my own mind--I didn't SAY this to Bob or anybody) not to be KILLED, nothing more, and I was willing to accept even being killed--at least by him--there's a pretty good bet I wouldn't offer the others that privilege--should he deem it really necessary, but I got SO MUCH MORE. I truly, sincerely believe, which should be obvious as I get on with the story if I am at all doing my job as a writer, that Bob really liked me as a person and he was NOT "just being polite" or faking IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. He is good, but he is honest and there are limits. Yes, my feelings were mixed, being such an admirer of his work, I would have preferred he either liked mine or at least gave me some credit for trying, but this was FAR OUTWEIGHED by him liking me as a person without my having to "prove" anything but just be myself!

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I want to mention that something similar happened with Peter Brown, who you can read all about here: http://www.peterbrown.tv/ I haven't even had time to write out all the details, as we've all been so hung up over the whole "Huh" thing, the true meaning of which, if any, "Bob only knows," but there was an incident Saturday afternoon in which I thought Peter Brown made the distinct implication that a check of mine might be somewhat less than perfectly valid.

I went up to him a few minutes later and said, "It really WAS a good check. I would NEVER write a bad check. I know better." Well, he was absolutely horrified, REALLY JUST HORRIFIED, that I thought that he thought that my check was no good and explained how that was not what he meant at all! And really helped me connect with someone to get a check cashed!

Anyhow, what I discovered from this, which it had never occurred to me to think about before, was that I would ACTUALLY rather have someone think I would write a bad check, than a bad book! Honesty is very important to me and I do realize how other people place a very high premium on it. It must be EXTREMELY important to Peter Brown or he'd NEVER have reacted the way he did. I was way more okay with it than he was! And yet, writing is that important to me that I'd actually rather have part of my integrity, at least as a check writer, somewhat called into question, than as a book writer. Go figure! Thanks, Peter, for helping me see what writing really means to me!

You are a writer, aren't you?!
Now.
Take a breath, sit down here.
Recline a bit - that's fine.
Now, here's your drink.
Rocket, would you be so good as to massage Dandy's feet a bit while I load "Invisible Boy" into the viewing mechanism? Or shall we watch some "Wagon Train"?

Funny, my message to that group has not appeared yet. They may not print this either, but:

Opportunity Lost. And really kicking myself now. First, I don't think ANYONE has the right to judge the possible worth of my book who hasn't seen it, and to my knowledge the only people here fitting that description are myself, Robert Fuller, and Tony.

What I'm kicking myself over is, after Bob didn't respond with more than, "Huh," that instead of saying what I actually ended up saying, which drew no response at all, that I didn't immediately call Tony, who was RIGHT THERE, and ask him to give an on-the-spot fair opinion of the worth of my book. HAD I DONE SO, maybe Bob would have said he wasn't questioning its worth and this WHOLE THING would have been cleared up! As it was, at the time I was just too stunned to have that kind of presence of mind, and later it just didn't seem relevant. Bob seemed to genuinely like me for myself, regardless of whether or not I had written a book, and I just didn't question...I mean, if someone you like that much seems to like you that much, would YOU question?

I still say that anyone waiting for me to back down and say I shouldn't give my book to anyone, as it isn't worth anybody's time, is in for a GOOD long wait. I genuinely believed it to be not only a well-written book but on a subject with which Bob has some connection. This would apply even had Bob told me to my face that the book was no good, only I am SURE Bob wouldn't do that. His manners are far above that. This only leads to the conclusion that whatever he meant, it wasn't that, but I can't venture any further to guess what it possibly was, except probably some variation of what has been said, of not having time to read everything.

P. S. I could be happy watching some "Wagon Train on Mars."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: dandelion,