Come Wander with Me (#BOTB & #IWSG)

We might have an idea where we think we are going, but the strangest things can set our journey awry landing us in places we never expected...

My last gig with Morris Costumes at the 2009 Halloween Trade Show in Las Vegas (that's
me behind the "Doctor")

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 

The co-hosts for the January 2 posting of the IWSG are Patricia Lynne, Lisa Buie-Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and Fundy Blue--be sure to stop by their blogs to express your appreciation.

A Spirit of Adventure

        

          As I've alluded to in past posts, my writing fire has diminished somewhat--or maybe changed horses in midstream.  My mind has been wandering in many realms and my body has been tempted to follow suit.  Oh, I'm still writing regular blog posts--barely and without spirit--and I'm still tinkering a bit with my songwriting. But my thoughts have been in some distant place and time.

            Rarely does anyone ask about my writing, nor do I give them much reason to ask.  I still think of myself as a writer, yet my present ambitions would not declare this position to the world.  To outside eyes I'm just another guy with little to distinguish me from any other guy.  My day will come, I'd like to think, but the question is when.

           Then again, maybe it's not coming.  Maybe it's up to me to pursue that day.  They say nothing worth having comes easy.   For me that's not always been true, but that statement makes for an encouraging cliche about life, about attaining goals, about getting what we want in life.

           We can wait for a knock on our door, but we might be waiting a long time.  Our chances for success are increased by doing the door knocking ourselves.  Plans are usually the best way to go, however there is something good to be said for wandering a bit, whether in our minds or from a geographical perspective.

            I've got some wandering to do.  Would anybody care to wander with me?  I wonder.

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.


Come Wander With Me

          To celebrate my current state of mental wanderlust I've chosen this beautiful song by Jeff Alexander.   This song was written for the final taped Twilight Zone episode with the same title as the song featured in it.

        Bonnie Beecher, who played the lead role as well as the one who sings the song heard throughout the episode, was the replacement for Liza Minnelli after the more famous actress was rejected because of her nervousness during the audition. Beecher had been a friend of Bob Dylan in his early career.  Her singing and acting career never took off as expected though she secured a place in pop music history with this one appearance on the legendary television show.  She has been married for over 50 years to hippiedom's own legendary Wavy Gravy.

         This song has been recorded by a number of artists as well as having appeared in several films and television productions.

         I'm always hesitant to use an original that's not part of the Battle, but in this case I thought some of you might be interested in listening to the source for my Battle.  PLEASE DON'T VOTE ON THIS VERSION!!!  IT IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE ONLY!   If you don't care about listening to it then just scroll down to the versions I'm using for the Battle...

Bonnie Beecher  "Come Wander With Me"  (1964)
       And remember--don't vote on this version...
      




Now for the Battle!!

       Please vote for one of the following versions.


Émilie  Satt  "Come Wander With Me"  (2009)

        This French artist is one half of the duo known as Madame Monsieur. Her vocals are stylistically similar to Bonnie Beecher's original, but the instrumentation has been updated to have a more commercial modern appeal.

     







Jay Lamm  "Come Wander With Me"  (2013)

     From Louisiana, Jay Lamm is the founder of the progressive metal band Cea Serin.  Though this cover is soft and mellow, the metal influence can certainly be heard.






Time to Vote!
     Before you wander off, please vote in my first Battle of 2019.  What's your favorite between these two choices?   Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

         Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Angel's Bark  

Debbie Doglady's Den

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside

A I Love Music


Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday January 7th

           Once you've voted, please don't forget to see if your choice won the Battle.  In the meantime I'll be wandering about.

             Has your life journey taken you to where you expected or have you been taken by surprise?  After losing focus on a project, do you tend to see things more clearly after you've meandered a bit?    Where do you see 2019 taking you?

****************************
          Happy New Year!  
         Have a great 2019!
     *********************

Ask Arlee: Answering Some Questions

English: Rear of the Clover Hill Mill in Maryville, Tennessee, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   
      Today I'm going to answer some questions posed at L.D. Masterson's blog L.D. Masterson.  It was all part of an award, but I left the award at her blog since I already got one of those some time back.  But I'll answer the questions to fill up my space today.

        The problem here is the questions are about favorites.  I usually have a tough time playing favorites because the choice can often depend on time, place, occasion, or whatever.  Ask me a favorite and I'll come up with a list.  My favorite today may be different tomorrow or next week.  I'll play along by naming what comes to mind first or what I'm leaning toward for the moment.

1. Favorite color --Blue.  No green.  Wait--blue.  Green.  Blue green?

2. Favorite animal--Elephant.  I used to like to draw elephants when I was a kid and I thought I did a pretty good job at that.

3. Favorite number-- 7

4. Favorite non-alcoholic drink--Chocolate milk.  Yeah, that's healthy.  I have gotten better than I used to be at drinking more water.

5. Favorite alcoholic drink--Brandy mixed with Grand Marnier

6. Facebook or Twitter?--I use Twitter the most, but I find Facebook to be more interesting and functional.  

7. Passions--Writing, music, movies.

8. Prefer getting or giving presents?--I hate shopping but I enjoy making people happy by giving them something they like.

9. Favorite City--I could probably live just about anywhere because I can usually find something good about wherever I am.   In the U.S. I'd probably opt for Maryville, Tennessee.  Outside the U.S. borders I am mighty partial towards the Canadian city of Toronto--I've always loved being there.

10. Favorite TV Shows--I tend to prefer the classics I grew up with like "Twilight Zone", "The Ed Sullivan Show", or "The Jack Benny Show".   I have a post planned about television and I'll have more to say about modern TV at that time.

         Do you think posts like this are just trivial space fillers?   Do you have a hard time playing favorites?   Do you want to share any of your own answers (here or on your own blog if you need to fill some space)?   Do you have any new questions for future ASK ARLEE posts?

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Sparkfest!!!!!

        I'm away on vacation this week.   Sparkfest hosted by The Writer Coaster seemed like another one of those interesting concepts where I could pay tribute to some of my favorite authors or books to give some idea of where my influences come from.  I will try my best to make my rounds to the entries of those participating, but my internet access may be limited so please bear with me.  I will be posting Sparkfest entries throughout this week.

Here's what Sparkfest is all about:

What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer? 

What author set off that spark of inspiration for your current Work in Progress?

Or, Is there a book or author that changed your world view?

As writers, we're always striving to get out a message of inspiration to others. This blogfest is a celebration for those who have done this for us. Join the Spark Blogfest, aka Sparkfest, by posting your answer to any of the three prompts above (or make one up as long as it fits the theme).

I'll make it worth your while!

• There will be three Amazon Gift Cards ($15, $10, $5) awarded to random participants!
• The blogger who writes my favorite entry will get an interview on my blog so they can tell us more about their awesome source of writerly inspiration!
• By networking with other writers, you gain followers and comments for your own blog.

Only one Sparkfest post August 22-26 is required to participate.

What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer? 


       I won't say it was so much a particular book as it was a writer.  Rod Serling was a screenwriter who was the voice and genius of the classic television show The Twilight Zone.  I was in third grade when the show first aired in 1959 and I was immediately hooked. 


          This was the first television show that had real impact on me and it was primarily due to the writing.  Most of the episodes were written by Serling himself.  Stories that I wrote as a child were modeled after Serling's style.  Later when book anthologies based on the show were released I would add them to my home library.  I would read and reread the stories.   I incorporated Serling's use of twists and irony to create stories of horror, science fiction, and social commentary.  


          For me, Rod Serling was much like Stephen King has been to more recent generations of writers.  The stories of Twilight Zone were my earliest inspiration to write.


          Are you a fan of Twilight Zone?   Do you have a favorite episode?  


          To visit other participants or join in with your own influences visit The Writer Coaster.






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