Masterful monologue from Masters of Sex

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The fascinating new Showtime series Masters of Sex is based on the story of Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson, pioneers of research about human sexual behavior.

The truths of intimate relationships abound in this show. Here’s just one example.

Allison Janney in Masters of Sex
Photo ~ Margaret Scully’s pained plea

The wife of the university provost, tired of being ignored, stumbles into her own affair. Recently dumped by her lover, she sits recovering at the bar and, by chance, strikes up a conversation with (unknowingly) her husband’s young male lover. Her husband walks in to meet the guy, and the truth silently reveals itself.

Allison Janney, who plays the provost’s wife, shined tonight with her pained plea to the young man:

Stay single.
I only say this to you because, when you’re young and in love, everyone thinks they’ll be the exception.
Sure, maybe Mom and Dad slept in separate beds and then separate rooms.
Maybe the older couples you know bicker or fight.
At your age, you can’t imagine it will ever be you
but it will be,
which is bad enough, but what’s even worse
is how much you’ll feel like a failure.
Because when the person who knows you best loses interest
that really takes something out of you
like surgery almost
and you really start to wonder
if you’ll ever be whole again.

Even those of us who don’t miss a single minute of those old relationships can identify.

Keep it simple: cast nice people

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Have you ever compared your life to a movie, for which you are writer and director?

Who are your co-stars?
Who’s in a cameo role?
And which actors should be fired?

Appreciate Oscar-worthy co-stars. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from Jessica, Sally, Pamela, and Kellen. For example, avoid interrupting a story with your own anecdotes. Don’t judge. Balance your desire to protect one from pain with the knowledge that life is pain. We’ve made some great movies together.

Some actors in cameo roles deserve Oscars. Betty is cast in that role. Wicked sense of humor, a great listener, full of wisdom, and, most importantly, boldly herself. She inspires me to be a more generous, compassionate person.

Keep it simple. Cast nice people.
Photo ~ Or keep it simple. Cast nice people.

In lieu of an Oscar, learn how to give good hugs…a hard lesson for some of us.

Playing with a new lens

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Playing with a new lens in my backyard.
Cheery yellow flowers

The 50mm f1/8 is a popular lens for street photography. For years, I primarily photographed landscapes and my humorous basset hound Star. Star died, and taking pictures of flowers got old. One day I decided to start taking more pictures of people. Many factors contribute to an expressive candid photo. I have to be in bubbly/chatty mode to start talking to strangers on the street. The subject must be receptive to conversing with a stranger and have a few minutes to spare.

Here’s a photo from the Mission district in San Francisco. The gap-toothed smile of the Arabic woman struck me, with those rosy cheeks. The little girl in her rhinestone-studded shirt and fuzzy tendrils. Mom spoke little English but did understand when I held up my camera. Smiles are universal. Mother and child

Paul Flack, an artist at Raleigh’s Artsplosure, had no problem being himself.Paul Flack

Here’s a photo I took near the corner of Cyril Magnin and Ellis in San Francisco one morning as everyone rushed to work. My intent was to catch the handsome Lenny Kravitz lookalike in front. Somehow, the yawning little guy sneaked in, probably not an intentional photobomb. The yawning interloper

Always be curious

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I had an interesting (I dare say “fascinating”) discussion with Greg and Stephanie today about the value of summer interns and tips for working with them. Stephanie is in the masters in tech comm program at NCSU and works with Greg on his web site.

There’s much to say, which might end up in an STC Carolina newsletter article, so I’m not going into great detail.

Summer interns can be cheap labor, sure.  Sometimes they’re stuck with unglamorous tasks, such as taking dozens of screenshots or categorizing wiki pages.

But they have different skill sets and perspectives that we older folks (the 30 and over crowd) can adopt. For example, Stephanie bends WordPress to her will and is building her resume. Greg will have a fabulous web site, he’ll know WordPress like the back of his hand, and he’s learned a lot about search engine optimization (SEO).

A B C. “Always be closing,” as Alec Baldwin’s character repeated in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.

or

A B C. “Always be curious.”

Continue to learn about the latest developments in technical communication, the more effective tools and writing methods.

The Society for Technical Communication is a great place to start. With live online webinars, recorded webinars, online access to conference presentations, you’re on the right track. The archived seminars are free. And you’ll learn from getting to know other technical communicators and participating in your local chapter.

STC membership is what you make of it.

Hmmming about The Hum

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My previous residence was in one of the yuppiest areas of Cary, North Carolina, a few hundred feet from a busy road. The apartment was so noisy, I spent little time there. And sleeping was impossible without earplugs. Green Acres Farm across the street provided visual but no aural consolation.

Fast forward to my current residence in a quiet, cozy cul-de-sac. Listening to the humming crickets and katydids is so relaxing. For the first time in decades (for many reasons), I actually enjoy being home. It’s my little nest.

On one side of the house, I’ve discovered a different kind of hum at night…a deep rumbling vibration that comes in swells. I envision a neo Dr. Frankenstein in some musty basement, with Rammstein masking the cries of his subjects.

Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein
Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein

I Googled “constant hum” and discovered that Dr. Frankenstein does not live down the street and I’m not delusional.

Turns out, people around the world also hear The Hum. One likely source is cell phone towers, many of which live in my vicinity beginning a few blocks away. Go to AntennaSearch.com and look up your own house.

An article in the Journal of Scientific Exploration provides details about this worldwide phenomenon. The Hum: An Anomalous Sound Heard Around the World. Written by David Deming (College of Geosciences, University of Oklahoma), the fascinating read concludes:

As a working hypothesis, it appears probable that the Hum can be attributed to electromagnetic radiation that some people have the ability to interpret as sound.

(Mathematicians, skip to page 19 for the equations.)

Is electromagnetic protection in order? A Star-Tri Pack Resonator, perhaps? Hmmmm….

Other information:
Wikipedia article on The Hum
The Hum Heard Around the World
Mysterious Hum: Viewers Guess What Causes the Strange Noise

Competition for free time

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Free time these days is divided among the following activities in no specific order:

Regarding item #3, I’m the STC Carolina chapter president for 2013-2014. The eternal questions for the chapter president and admin. council are “What makes members happy?” and “How do we attract new members?”.

This I know: One of the most crucial issues is free time. STC activities are up against tough competition. Loving (or not so loving) families and friends. Work. Play. Sleep or the attempt to get said sleep. Shiny new electronic gadgets. Netflix.

Where does the STC fit in the above list? What are the compelling reasons to attend a two-hour monthly meeting every third Thursday of the month or write an article for the newsletter? I will attempt to answer these questions in the next year. And I’ll share my personal answers in future blog posts.

Regarding my free time, item #2 is calling.

Close encounters with a cockroach

Sheila Loring2 Comments

A cockroach tried to kill me tonight.

She (let’s call her Candy) and I first met the previous night when I spotted her flitting across the living room floor. It’s a wooden floor, so flitting didn’t take much effort. She saw me and took cover behind my weight stand.

Killing is low on my list of OK things to do in life. Plus, it’s messy. The first low-impact, natural, environment-friendly method that came to mind was drowning. I once read that dousing a cockroach in water would result in death…the death of the cockroach that is.

Turns out, unexpected dousing incites anger, and Candy ended up chasing a shrieking Sheila across the kitchen and then disappearing. Somehow I managed to sleep.

Fast forward 24 hours. Guests are coming over tomorrow night, and the kitchen is a mess. I feel something land in my hair. Swatting the air (and my hair) madly, I look up and see Candy spinning through air. After that, all I remember is a tumble of curse words and a scratchy creepy sensation spreading over my body. A vengeful cockroach? Surely not.

A cockroach tried to kill me tonight.

Death by dousing, unsuccessful. A powdery delicacy known as boric acid…mission accomplished.

Candy, blanketed in the pretty white powder, let out a death rattle, a metallic screech of pained anger.

I acted in self defense.