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This is an ever-evolving story of a girl writer and her two greatest loves, the movies and travel. As she hikes the trenches of Hollywood, you're brought along for the ride.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Farewell, My Dear Apple...

As I look to the future, I mourn for my lost companion.  For the last 7 years, my Apple iBook has been a part of my life.  Together we've traveled through countless states and lived in three.  We've composed books, uploaded zillions of photos, surfed oceans of webpages, written three feature-length screenplays and several shorts, and typed 119 posts to this very blog.  

Two days ago, my "Little Mac" started having problems.  She was having memory issues  and difficulty recharging.  When her battery gave out, she lapsed into a self-induced coma.  Her indicator light pulsated like a heartbeat ready to give out at any last moment. 

My Apple iBook lasted all 7 years on one battery which must be some sort of record.  She endured a keyboard replacement "surgery" a number of years ago after I spilled water on her and had to rush her to the Mac Emergency room.  Five years ago, my negligence caused her to be thrown from the roof of a vehicle.  To my astonishment, she went back to work the very next day-- with only bumps and bruises.

Last night, I made the painful decision to take her off life support.  Her adaptor was the only thing keeping her alive.  

Going along with Little Mac's wishes as well as mine, we've chosen to donate her "organs" (applications.)  They will be received by the Macbook Pro I just purchased TODAY.

So, goodbye Little Mac... I'll always remember you and the time we spent together all those years.

And Mac Pro?  We're just getting acquainted with each other this afternoon, but I'm excited for our future together.  May it last at least the next 7 years...

P.S. I promise to be more careful this time around.

Copyright 2008 - KLiedle




Monday, October 20, 2008

Self-Publishing Success: "Once More With Feeling" Now Available!

After many hours of working on writing, drawing, layouts, and combating technical difficulties, I've learned many things about self-publishing.

Above all, I've learned that despite all the difficulties and the times when I wanted to scream and give up, the fruits of labor have been sweeter than cherry pie.


Now, I have something to show for my efforts.

Now, I know the next time will be oh, so much easier.

Now, I can say officially that my first published storybook,
"Once More With Feeling" is available for purchase at two online retailers: Createspace and Amazon

"There once was a sad girl who thought she'd never find love again..."


Fairytales can come true and love can strike more than once. "Once More With Feeling" is a storybook romance about second chances.


"Once More With Feeling," Written by Kendra Liedle. Illustrations by Scott Vogel and Kendra Liedle.



Friday, October 10, 2008

No Gifts Necessary For This Wedding...

Yesterday, I went to a wedding. I didn't dress up nor did I bring a gift.

It wasn't a real wedding, but it sure felt like one. "Rachel Getting Married," written by Jenny Lumet and directed by Jonathan Demme is the story of a family in the midst of a weekend-long wedding celebration. Like many weddings, it's full of conflict, dysfunction, unresolved family issues as well as love, family, music, connectiveness, renewal, and private moments of letting go. Rachel may be getting married, but this story centers on Kym, Rachel's unconventional sister, back from rehab in order to participate in the festivities.

Kym (played with precision by a remarkable Anne Hathaway) comes off as a rebel with a seemingly indestructible exoskeleton. However, she is so much more complex and fragile than even her family gives her credit for. Their family, in all its glorious dysfunction, tries to hold together for the sake of Rachel's wedding, but they are not exactly a tight-knit group. They're seen more like a cobweb trying to hold together during a rainstorm. Old family issues, yet unresolved, rise up like ghosts with Kym's arrival. She is a reminder, a bookmark of sorts, to a chapter the family would soon like to forget, but can't.

The film's beginning is a shaky one-- literally. Shot documentary-style and mostly hand-held in its first moments, we are introduced to a world that seems confusing, uneasy and off-kilter. This may be off-putting to some filmgoers, yet it is purposeful, for we are most definitely seeing the world through Kym's eyes.

A wedding is a momentous occasion, full of love and joy yet also full of heartbreak and anxiety. Amid constant music and the hustle and bustle of wedding preparation and out-of-town guests, Kym joins the crowd, but doesn't really feel like she's a part of it. Everyone feels like they know her 'personal business' and for someone in recovery mode, that's not an easy thing.

Kym's presence forces her sister and her parents to confront things they'd rather keep buried. This is a difficult thing, but necessary for the family to move forward. Without giving much away, the film showcases the conflict between honoring the past and letting it go, and most importantly for Kym, learning to forgive oneself.

"Rachel Getting Married" feels real because it it's loosely constructed and free-flowing. It feels like we're watching it in real time-- full of family drama, unspoken moments, and joy. It's also, by far, the coolest wedding I've ever seen on a movie screen-- apart from perhaps "Monsoon Wedding."
"Rachel Getting Married"
Starring: Anne Hathaway (Kym); Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel); Bill Irwin (Paul); Debra Winger (Abby); Tunde Adebimpe (Sidney); Mather Zickel (Kieran); Anna Deavere Smith (Carol); Anisa George (Emma)

Directed by: Jonathan Demme; written by Jenny Lumet. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Copyright © 2008 KLiedle

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Politics Of Fear


Recently I received yet another forward... This one, however, wasn't laden with lame jokes. It wasn't warning me of the next computer virus or masquerading as an e-chain letter. This forward was political. Although it came arrived to my in-box titled, "Know Your Candidate,"its words stemmed out of fear, not knowledge.

I showed it to a politically charged friend of mine. He couldn't just let it go. He took it as his personal responsibility to respond...in an intelligent, articulate manner for all of those out there who nurture fear and fear change.

Below is the full text of his response to the forward, "NoBama>>Know Your Candidate"

Note: So that the response makes complete sense, you may want to scroll down and read the original "NoBama" post (Green text below) first.

Subject: "KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE" Re: NOBAMA Post

Yeah, so? Despite all the drama you attempt to inject into your bulletin, there's nothing actually there. Fluff. Air. The answers to all of these things are easy to find and rather boring. Read a book about the guy.

The real question is what are you so afraid of? Free your little mind of it's narrow ways. Even the Limbaugh Hannity fear machines have acknowledged they're grasping at straws with this stuff. You could put a little flier together about anyone and inject it with mystery and suspense to insinuate there are things we should all be very concerned about.

Barack Obama is a Christian man & always has been. So what's that make you? It doesn't matter to me what your beliefs are, but don't tell me you're a Christian, because if that's the case, you're a hypocrite & a liar. A liar to yourself first & foremost, as Jesus himself never spread fear & lies. His universal message was love one another & treat others as you would have them treat you.

You must ask yourself why you're so afraid. Is it because honesty doesn't look quite as you expected it to? Is the skin color wrong or the ideas too bold? Free yourself. This perpetual state of fear isn't what your Creator had in mind for you, and in your heart of hearts, you know you're very lost because what's feeding on you is dark and distorted & can't quite see the light. Reality isn't open to interpretation, my friend. Your eyes might see again if you'll let them.

Reality isn't "What they don't want you to know!" or "What they're hiding!" or "Their REAL motives-- Oh my!" You think Obama's going to invite Al Qaeda to tea parties at the White House? This is an intelligent and articulate man with good intentions and if you really can't see that, then I feel sorry for you. You're in a world without light. You have become the dangerous one. You are what you most fear...

To quote Franklin D. Roosevelt;

"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

I want to tell you a bit about me. This may or may not surprise you. I'm a caucasian male, 40 years old, and I consider myself fairly conservative. As in, I believe in fundamental values, I work hard, I don't buy things I can't afford and I know what's right.

The choice in this election is obvious to anyone with a clear mind & no hidden agendas. You have two candidates who put themselves forward as Christians, yet rely on fear, distortion & character assassination to scare people into voting for them. On the other side you have two candidates who actually live by true Christian ideals; faith, solutions & helping those in need. Buddy, if you don't understand that Jesus was a liberal democrat in the truest sense of the term, then again, you're in a world of darkness. Look up those two words. Democrat: One who practices social equality; relating or appealing to the common people. Liberal: Generous, bountiful; Tolerant, not narrow in judgement.

So go ahead, vote for the Republican ticket. The upside to me is that, if McCain & Palin are elected, then in four more years there truly will be nothing left of the Republican Party. The downside is that the rest of us, and what's left of this country, have to go down with it.

~Dale S.

NO BAMA>> "Know Your Candidate" original post

For months now, I have been sending editorials to family and friends stating, KNOW YOUR CANDIDATE. This perfect example of know YOUR Candidate. Any Candidate, All Candidates. If we don't replace some of those idiots in Congress and Senate, there is little A President can do own his own. Your questions are certainly food for thought, to all you have addressed.

The only logical conclusion is vote NOBAMA.......................................Bill

I Would Like To Know...?

MAYBE I'VE GOTTEN THIS ALL WRONG - JUST BEING AN AVERAGE MIDDLE CLASS GUY WITHOUT MUCH FORMAL EDUCATION BEYOND A M.B.A. DEGREE...BUT NOW, CHECK THIS OUT:

THIS MAN WANTS OUR VOTE FOR U.S. PRESIDENT - HIS FATHER WAS A KENYAN, AND A BLACK- WE SAW ALL THOSE PICTURES OF HIS NICE AFRICAN FAMILY.

HIS MOTHER IS A WHITE US CITIZEN FROM KANSAS, AND DECLARED ATHEIST. SO, WHERE ARE ALL THOSE PICTURES OF HIS NICE WHITE MOTHER AND HIS NICE WHITE KANSAS GRANDPARENTS - THE ONES WHO RAISED HIM ALL THOSE EARLY YEARS?

LET’S SEE - HIS FATHER DESERTED HIS MOTHER AND HIM WHEN HE WAS VERY YOUNG AND MOVED BACK TO LIVE WITH HIS FAMILY IN
KENYA (THAT'S
THE ONES IN THE MEDIA PUBLISHED PICTURES).

HIS WHITE MOTHER THEN MARRIED AN INDONESIAN MUSLIM AND TOOK HIM TO THE CITY OF
JAKARTA WHERE HE WAS FIRST SCHOOLED IN A MUSLIM SCHOOL.

HIS MOTHER THEN MOVED TO
HAWAII AND HER SON WAS RAISED BY HIS WHITE, MIDDLE CLASS - AMERICAN GRANDPAREN
TS THERE.

UMMM…NOW HERE'S THE BEGINNING OF THE HARD PART FOR ME (HELP ME OUT HERE, IF YOU CAN):

SOMEHOW, SUDDENLY - HE WENT TO THE BEST HIGH DOLLAR, UPPER CRUST PREP SCHOOLS IN AMERICA, AND NEXT HE GOT INTO A TOP IVY LEAGUE COLLEGE, AND LATER, INTO HARVARD LAW SCHOOL - HOW? WHO SPONSORED HIM? WHO PAID FOR ALL THAT SCHOOLING?

(HAVE YOU LOOKED AT TUITION EXPENSES TO ATTEND UNDERGRADUATE YALE LATELY?)

HOW ABOUT
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL? (SOMEBODY PAID A LOT OF BUCKS FOR THIS KID'S IVY LEAGUE EDUCATION.)

WHO? HOW? FROM WHAT WE’VE READ HE APPARENTLY DID NOT HAVE SCHOLARSHIPS THAT PAID IT ALL.

HE ALSO DID NOT HAVE TO
BORROW FOR C
OLLEGE, ALSO FROM WHAT WE READ. SO???

THAT BRINGS US TO THE MORE CURRENT
YEARS, A U.S. SENATOR'S SALARY IS NOT THAT GREAT, BUT THIS YOUNG MAN AND HIS YOUNG WIFE JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT A $1.4 MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE THAT HE ACQUIRED THROUGH A 'DEAL' WITH A WEALTHY FUND RAISER FRIEND; A FUND RAISER FRIEND WHO APPARENTLY IS A CRIMINAL LAW BREAKER ,PER THE NEWS OF HIS RECENT CONVICTION IN CHICAGO FEDERAL COURT.

WHAT SORT OF 'DEAL'?

AND, RIGHT OUT OF HARVARD LAW, HE 'WORKED' AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST IN CHICAGO. WHAT KIND OF PAY IS THIS, WE CAN ASSUME IT IS LITTLE OR NOTHING PAY WISE! OR IS THERE OTHER KIND OF PAY INVOLVED??

HE THEN ENTERED POLITICS AT THE STATE LEVEL WHICH CERTAINLY IS A LOW PAYING JOB, AND THEN MOVED RIGHT TO THE NATIONAL LEVEL. DID HE "FUND RAISE" TO GET THE FUNDS TO GET ELECTED? WHAT KIND OF PROMISES DID HE MAKE?

NOW, HE SCRAMBLES TODAY WITH A NICE SMILE BUT VERY MINIMAL EXPERIENCE IN ANYTHING - WHILE OTHER PEOPLE WRITE HIS RAH-RAH
SPEECHES FOR HIM.


IN ALL HIS MINIMAL TIME IN THE STATE, AND NATIONAL LEGISLATURES - HE’S NEVER LAUNCHED ANY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION, NONE WHATSOEVER.

MOSTLY, OF LATE FOR SOME TWO YEAR
S, HE'S BEEN OUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, USING OTHER PEOPLES MONEY.

THEN COMES THE ENDORSEMENTS FOR HIM FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, ONES THAT ARE NOT EXACTLY
USA FRIENDS, LIKE THE IRAN PRES, FRENCH PRES, AND THE IRAQ MINISTER THAT WANTS THE USA OUT. HMMM…WHAT DO THEY SEE IN HIM THAT THEY LIKE?

HE CLAIMS TO BE 'PROUD OF HIS AFRICAN HERITAGE'. VERY NICE, BUT IT SEEMS THAT HIS ONLY CONNECTION WITH AFRICA WAS THAT HIS DEADBEAT AFRICAN FATHER GOT A WHITE AMERICAN GIRL PREGNANT AND THEN DESERTED HER.

UMMM....WHERE IS THE OUTSPOKEN PRIDE IN HIS WHITE HERITAGE? AFTER ALL - IT WAS WHITE GRANDPARENTS THAT RAI
SED HIM!

FOR OVER 20 YEARS HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF AN 'AFROCENTRIC' CHURCH IN
CHICAGO THAT BLANTANTLY PROFESSES THAT ITS MEMBERS SHOULD HATE WHITES, HATE JEWS, AND BLAME AMERICA FOR ALL THE WORLD'S FAULTS.

HE REPEATEDLY COVERED UP FOR THE PASTOR, DESCRIBED AS HIS “SPIRITUAL COUNSELLOR”, AND THAT CHURCH - SAYIN
G THAT HE CAN SEPARATE THE RELIGION FROM THE POLITICS, WHEN HE HEARS A HATE-WHITEY SERMON.

HE CLAIMED THAT HE WAS SIMPLY UNABLE TO CONFRONT HIS RESPECTED PASTOR OF 20+ YEARS ABOUT THE PASTOR'S DEMONSTRATED UN-AMERICAN BIAS.

BUT -- HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE THAT HE C
AN CONFRONT NORTH KOREA, IRAN, RUSSIA, ETC. WHEN THE TIME ARISES TO TAKE AMERICA'S SIDE.

YEAH - WITH HIS “EXTENSIVE POLITICAL BACKGROUND” AND “GLOBAL EXPERIENCE”, HE “HOPES” THAT HE COULD BE A "UNITER OF OUR GREAT NATION" AND BRING US ALL TOGETHER. (a Sheep Sheerer posing as a Shepard and gathering another man’s flock to lead them to slaughter)

BUT - WE ARE LEFT TO THINK THAT HIS REAL 'HOPE' IS THAT HE REALLY HOPES THAT NO ONE WILL PUT ALL THESE PIECES TOGETHER, AT LEAST NOT UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION.

LIKE IT OR NOT, THESE ARE REAL FACTS THAT POSE REAL QUESTIONS REGARDING A MAN THAT WANTS TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT; YOURS, MINE, OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS. PLEASE THINK…THEN GET OUT AND VOTE.
*************************************************************************************

No matter what your political affiliation is, I urge you to vote for Hope Over Fear


Picture credits:
linde "Freedom From Fear," stuart63 "Fear of the Dark," amoeba84 "Hope Over Fear."
Copyright © 2008 KLiedle

***This post includes text written by those other than the blog author.***