An Exchange of Words: David B. Coe’s Weblog

Today’s post, “A Holiday for Storytellers,” can be found at http://magicalwords.net.  Enjoy!

Happy Passover, everyone!  We didn’t get to have a seder last night, but we’ll be attending one tonight.  Passover is just about my favorite holiday, and I’ll be blogging about why I love it so much tomorrow at www.magicalwords.net 

Stay tuned!

My kids came down to breakfast today all riled up because they’d heard on the radio that Barack Obama was dropping out of the Presidential race.  My nine year-old, who is a Hillary supporter (yes, like the National Democratic Party, ours is a house divided) was excited.  My twelve year-old, who is an Obamaniac, was a bit more skeptical, but she wanted to make certain that the report they’d heard on the radio (which apparently included a clip of Obama announcing his withdrawal “in his own voice”) was merely an April Fools’ prank.  I assured her that it was.

Maybe it’s just me, but this seemed a pretty clumsy attempt to fool people.  If you’re a radio station looking to trick your listeners, and your target audience turns out to be somewhere between the ages of 9 and 12, you’re aiming too low.  Off the top of my head I was able to think of several false stories that would have been far more convincing.

Let’s start with the obvious:  tell us it’s Hillary Clinton who’s dropping out rather than Obama.  THAT would have gotten my attention.  I still would have been skeptical, but at least she’s in more of a position to give up the race.  The guy with the lead in money, delegates, popular vote, and current horse race numbers probably isn’t going to quit….

Or tell us that John McCain has chosen his running mate and will announce the name at noon today.  Drop a few names as possibilities — Crist, Rice, Huckabee, Romney, Pawlenty. And then throw in a whopper just to make it interesting:  Lieberman.

Or, with baseball season starting up again, tell us that new names have surfaced in the steroid scandal, including not only several current major leaguers, but also Vice President Dick Cheney.  As proof, point to Cheney’s baldness, his jowly look, his hyper-aggressive statements and behavior.  That one I’d believe….

Happy April Fools’ Day all.  Oh, and by the way, did I mention that I’ve decided to pitch the whole writer thing and run for Congress?  Yeah.  I think voters here in rural Tennessee are ready to elect a liberal New York Jew with a beard and an earring.

Today’s music:  Sphere

To all my friends who celebrate Easter, I hope this is a happy one.  And I hope it’s warmer where you are than it is here.

I don’t usually bet in March Madness pools — I did back in grad school and came close to winning one year (out of six — I probably could have done just as well using a dart board to pick my winners).  But I still fill out a bracket every year, just to see how well I can do.  My bracket this year is in shambles.  Duke, Georgia (my Dark Horse — turns out, not so much), Vandy, Pittsburgh (thought they’d make the Final Four).  There are more “X” marks on my sheet than there were on that high school calculus test that finally convinced me to give up on advanced math.

Anyway, the rest of it should be interesting.  I’m looking forward to watching.  But it’s a really good thing that I have no money riding on the outcome.

Today’s music:  Tony Rice

First of all, a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.  I don’t have any Irish ancestry, but my wife does, and we named our second daughter Erin.  And as they say, on this day we’re all a bit Irish.

After having one child or the other (or both) home with me every day for the past month (snow days, pneumonia, school breaks) I finally am back to a normal work environment.  And none too soon.  I have a book to revise, and then I need to begin writing the next one in the trilogy, which also happens to be the series finale.

So, I’m off to work.  

May the roads rise to meet you. May the wind be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall soft upon your fields.

Today’s music:  Russ Barenberg

How many times have you wished for an extra day?  How many times have you thought that if you just had one day without obligations you could catch up on chores long neglected, or take the time to write a letter to that friend you’ve been missing, or spend extra time with your kids or spouse or partner without feeling that you were shirking professional responsibilities?  How many times have you thought that it would be great just to slip away unnoticed and give yourself a day to do whatever you wanted to do — maybe go for a walk in the woods, or a drive in the country, or maybe just sit around and read a book, or pretend to read a book and actually take a nap?

That’s what Leap Day should be.  February 29th should be a national holiday.  It’s a freebie, an extra day.  It’s like found money.  We shouldn’t use it for business as usual, nor should it be commercialized into a Giant Sale Day, or a day for giving senseless greeting cards and chocolate.  (Though, if you have chocolate lying around and want to have some, by all means, go ahead.  It’s Leap Day.  Knock yourself out.)  Leap Day should be each of ours to do with what we want.  

So have a happy Leap Day.  Or not.  It’s really up to you.

Today’s music:  Lowell George (Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here)

Okay, at the risk of revealing myself as a total West Wing nerd, I’d like to ask if anyone else has noticed the amazing similarities between this year’s Presidential race and the Matt Santos-Arnold Vinick race that dominated the show’s final season.

I was in Australia for the final season of The West Wing and didn’t get to watch the episodes as the season unfolded.  Instead, the Christmas after our return to the States, Nancy gave me the complete 7 season DVD collection, which I watched from beginning to end over the course of 13 months.  That’s right:  I only finished watching season seven a few weeks ago.  And I was blown away by how closely the narrative of the 2008 race has followed that of the fictional election.

On the Republican side, you had Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda.  Vinick was from California rather than Arizona, but in other ways he was the television doppelganger of John McCain.  He was a moderate Republican who had bucked party orthodoxy on a number of issues, earning the admiration of centrists and independents, but alienating the party’s right-wing base.  Now the fictional Vinick was actually to the left of McCain on social issues — he was pro-choice, supportive of gay rights, and in favor of gun control — but he was also a fiscal hawk and someone who had extensive foreign policy experience.  As the campaign went on, he was forced to take stances on issues that were more conservative than he would have liked, but his appeal to the political center made him a formidable candidate.

The Democratic nominee, Matthew Santos, played by Jimmy Smits, was a Texas Congressman with relatively little political experience.  But in this fictional America he was perceived as being honest, he inspired voters with brilliant, passionate rhetoric, and he came to be seen as an agent of change. He was also a minority candidate, a Latino who was seeking to become the first Hispanic President in the nation’s history.  He ran an insurgency campaign against the better known establishment candidate and managed to win the nomination after a bitter primary battle that went all the way to the Democratic convention.  Any of this sound familiar?

I’m not going to give away the ending, though if you know anything about The West Wing and it’s creators you can probably guess.  But one of the things I always loved about the show was it’s uncanny ability to be utterly original while so closely mimicking real-life political circumstances.  Still, I never would have believed that the show’s creative team could so accurately predict what has happened so far this year. 

First off, I’ve blogged today at a new site that I’ve launched with fellow fantasy authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, and C. E. Murphy.  The site can be found at http://magicalwords.net.  Come over and take a look.

Second, a very happy Australia Day to all my mates Down Under.  Australia Day, January 26th (by the time any of my Aussie friends see this post it will be the 26th there), commemorates the establishment of the first European settlement on the continent.  It’s similar in many ways to our July 4th celebration, in that occurs in midsummer and is generally celebrated with barbeques, beer, and fireworks.  Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!  Oi, Oi, Oi!

I’ll be in Chattanooga tonight and tomorrow for Chattacon, the first of several sf/fantasy cons that come to the Scenic City each year.  I’ll be there for opening ceremonies tonight, and will be busy tomorrow with a reading at 10:00 am, and panels at 2:00 and 3:00.  If you’re in the area, come by.  Chattacon is always a good time.

Happy weekend, all.

Today’s music:  Soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Was on the road with my family for 10 days, and though I left with every intention of posting along the way, it was nice to get away from writing for a little while.  Saw many friends and spent time with family (mine and Nancy’s).  Lots of driving, but we had Harry Potter books 2 and 4 on cd with us and that kept all of us, including the girls, happy and entertained for 2,400 miles.

Now we’re back, and aside from sitting beside a fire, watching a little football, and taking care of a few small chores around the house, we have nothing planned for today.

I have resolutions for the New Year, of course.  Some are obvious — write more, blog as often as possible, be more efficient with my work time, continue to exercise, etc.  Others I’m less willing to share.  I know the things I need to do to make myself a better person, a better Dad, a better friend.  And I’ll try to do them.

My wishes for 2008 (aside from happiness and good health for my family and friends, and an end to the war):

1) A pennant for the Mets.  Yeah, I know.  But I can dream, can’t I?

2) A bestseller.  Not really; I know better.  But I would enjoy a year of good reviews, improved sales, and big fat book contracts.

3) A Presidential Campaign that addresses real issues, rises above the politics of ”swift-boating” and  wedge issues, mud-slinging and personal attacks, sound bites and pandering.  If we’re going to stretch out the political season, let’s at least have a debate that edifies, that makes people think about the issues and about the real sacrifices we will all have to make in order to solve the problems facing this country.

Happy New Year to all of you.  May 2008 bring you joy, love, prosperity, and good health.

The Festival of Lights begins at sundown tonight.

Happy Hanukkah to all of you.  May your holidays be filled with light and love and joy.

D.