Ed and Paul:

The Kaldanes, Ed! These symbiotes, particularly the one who accompanies Tara, are so superbly conceived by Burroughs that it was upon reading of them that I had my aha experience about the connection between Burroughs and Vance. Vance is the only other writer I can imagine who would have taken such a dreadful creature, and given his fate such a surprising outcome.

Paul, you have inspired me with an idea for a film script that I will never write. In an age wherein televised sports have become so unchanging that even former die-hard fans are beginning to groan at the idea of watching another contest, and ad-sponsorships are dwindling, TV producers create a reality show in which the sf archives of books, film, and TV are looted for ideas, and then the sports are replicated in physical life. One-shot tournaments are held, and the games that attract the greatest audience-response are given actual leagues that hire the players and get ad-deals with television coverage. But teams whose games get the lowest ratings by the end of the season are required to run the Robles. I won't give away the twist at the end because there isn't one; it is a worthless idea, but I have had five minutes of fun with it. Thanks!



"Symmetry and asymmetry are convivial. The paradox of order and chaos in simultaneous improvisation is such a challenge to hold in focus. But in that balancing, (for it is surely in infinite process and never totally balanced)--- in that conversation, -- in that music, the new enters the patterns."

~ Nora Bateson

Friends Along the Road: Sanctuary for Those in Grief * Caring Emotional Support
Lilli Pierce and the Big Trip: Life, death, afterlife, grief, love, friendship, spirituality, and more
I PLUS ULTRA I