In Memory of David Lynch – Keep Your Eye on the Donut and Not on the Hole

 

David Lynch has passed away, and his words "Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole" may sum up his career and skewered world view better than I could here. Usually, I hear or read about celebrities passing away, think about them for a few moments, and then move on with my day. Hearing about Lynch's passing yesterday – in a throwaway two lines spoken on the radio – felt like a gut punch. I couldn't follow Lynch's advice because all I could focus on was the hole I felt inside me. 

Since I first heard the news yesterday, I have read, heard, and watched other reports about Lynch's passing, and there are lots of similar words being thrown around – "surrealistic," "avante-garde," and "off-kilter" to name a few – and, while those words apply, his work and the man himself was so much more than those words. He was a master of the visual art of film making and storytelling. 

All of Lynch's work seems indelible and unforgettable. He could capture the larger scale or epic tale as he did in Dune (1984) – which I really enjoyed despite the naysayers – but Lynch could also focus on the small scale in examining the human condition in a film like The Elephant Man (1980) or the other side of terror and madness in Blue Velvet (1986). I know that if  you mention one of his works, for example Wild at Heart (1990), I can picture scenes from that film and the actors who played the roles in it. There is something about all of his work that stays in my mind, almost like a catalogue in my memory banks that can I access because the impression is lasting.

Another way of testing Lynch's mastery of film making is stopping the film you are watching. Unlike many other directors, his frozen frames are like a work of art. There is symmetry and color and placement of objects and characters that is utter perfection. It seems that nothing has been left to chance. That kind of attention to detail is not only awesome but testimony to his respect for the art of film making.   

By the time the original Twin Peaks (1990-1991) debuted on television, I was more than excited about all the possibilities it could have in store for me. In my humble opinion its two seasons, the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and the follow up third season Twin Peaks: The Return are the masterpieces of his very impressive body of work.  

Twin Peaks featured an ensemble cast led by his unforgettable frequent collaborator Kyle MacLachlan as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who comes to the small Washington town to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), a young girl found dead on a beach. But this was no ordinary detective series. It featured supernatural elements as well as regular stories about people in the town, some of whom tried to hide the darkness that hung over the place.

Lynch also cast himself as hard of hearing FBI Agent Gordon Cole, who is good natured but speaks in an elevated voice. While we can talk about his directorial skills, Lynch's comedic acting skills are in full display for us when he graces an episode. Please see the clip below to get an idea about how funny he was in the show. 

In Twin Peaks Lynch reaches the pinnacle of his creativity, drawing on all his powers to craft something that lingers long after seeing the shows and film. There are characters who can be empathetic and scary all at the same time. And season two's cliffhanger, while leaving some viewers unsatisfied, gets resolved 25 years later in Twin Peaks: The Return, which in many ways is superior compared to the first two seasons and the film. 

The music composed by Angelo Badalamente, including the theme for the series, is haunting and memorable. The tone of the third season leaves the viewer on the edge of the seat or sometimes causes one to fall off it onto the floor. There is a deeper sense of dread here, as the heft of the darkness hanging over the town becomes more apparent. 

Later in his career, I was able to see Mr. Lynch online on an almost daily basis as he gave his tongue in cheek daily weather reports (you can watch them here). Sometimes he would make comments about more than the weather, but it was always delightful and felt like he was talking directly to me. It was in these moments that we understood Lynch as a regular person, with sometimes a touch a Gordon Cole coming into the report. 

David Lynch has left us too soon, but his legacy is everlasting. There were many others who tried to imitate what he did, but they did not have much success. They didn't realize that was because Lynch and his work were the donut and the hole, and that is impossible to replicate.

Rest in peace, David Lynch. 

*Please check the hilarious scene between Lynch as Gordon Cole and Madchen Amick as Shelly Johnson. Also check out Julee Cruise singing the Twin Peaks theme song. 

FIRST LOOK AT NEW NOVEL'S BOOK COVER

 

This is a first look at the book cover for my new novel, Life and Death in Venice The story is about a New Yorker who relocates to Venice after his divorce (because he cheated on his wife). 

Now based in Venice, he is trying to write a novel but keeps getting distracted. He makes new friends, finds a woman whom he starts dating, but things get complicated when another woman who he was seeing wants more from him.

The scene depicted on the cover takes place in the book. It is when he meets her at a carnival party, and she flees the party and he follows her. She stops on a bridge, and they have this encounter. The image of the Grim Reaper is a reminder that no one escapes Death.  

The story takes place in Venice itself and the islands that surround it. The book will come out in late spring. Keep coming back here for updates. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Let's Look Back at 2024.

 

At this time of the new year, it is often an opportunity to take a look back at the year before. There are reviews of the best films of the year, a look at famous people lost, and a plethora of commentaries about the political world.

But what about how we connect the most over the course of the year? The above video gives us an opportunity to see some hilarious videos from the past year.  

So, get some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy The Best of the Internet (2024).

Happy New Year!

Last Week of Goodreads Giveaway for My Novel 'Unicorn: A Love Story'

 

I am celebrating the first anniversary of the publication of my novel Unicorn: A Love Story with a Goodreads Giveaway. 20 people will win a free copy of the book. This is the last week to enter the contest. 

During the Christmas season, a book is a great gift. If you know anyone who likes to read stories about the difficulties of complicated relationships occurring in various places across the globe, this will be the perfect Christmas gift for them. 

To enter to win a free copy of the book today go here.

Was Jesus Really Born on December 25?

 

What day was Jesus born? Does it even matter? The video attached below gives a good explanation about when Jesus was probably born. It also gives interesting reasons why the Romans, after the empire converted to Christianity as the official religion, decided to place Jesus' birthday in December.

It does not bother me if Jesus was or was not born on December 25. The thing that matters most is that he was born. Whether you believe Jesus is the Son of God or not, it is certainly a fact that this carpenter from Nazareth had a major impact on the history of the world. 

So, I hope you enjoy the video and learn something from it. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, or any other holiday that you may celebrate at this festive time of year. May we all pray and hope for peace: true, lasting peace, in 2025!

 

Snow Good or No Good?

 

Snow good or no good? I asked myself that this morning as I glanced out the window. Today is the winter solstice, my first day of Christmas vacation, and features the first snowfall of the season. I was not certain how I felt but, after breakfast, I ventured outside to grab a shovel and get to work.

As the gray skies went away and the sun came out, it started to get warmer. As I shoveled, the brisk wind made the air feel colder than it was, and it did not help that the wind was blowing snow into my face and onto the sidewalk I had just shoveled. I started thinking – snow bad!

A Gray Area

A very gray area is where the neighbor's sidewalk meets mine. On one side , the neighbor had not shoveled yet. As per my usual policy, I shovel some of the snow away from their sidewalk on the line where our properties meet. This way I made a little effort. 

On the other side, the neighbors had shoveled, but left jagged remnants of snow on their side and on mine. I do not know what to make of that except that it seems to send a message – the property line does not matter when it snows. 

Once the shoveling was done, I stood holding my shovel like a farmer with a pitchfork looking over the landscape. I could not deny the beauty of what Mother Nature had done during the night before. Her brushstrokes of snow and ice on tree limbs, bushes, and houses sparkled in the cold winter sunshine. The snowfall takes an ordinary world and turns into a wonderland.

My Inner Scrooge

When I turned around, I realized that the cars in the driveway had to be cleaned off, and the driveway itself had to be shoveled. I started grumbling again. As I worked, I quickly blurted out "Humbug!" several times. 

Is this snowfall a foreshadowing of a winter of many snowfalls? Or is it an anomaly, and we will have mostly mild temperatures and little or no snow as we have had in recent years? I had no answers, so I kept on working.

White Christmas

As I finished up shoveling the driveway, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" was playing on the radio in the garage. My inner Scrooge vanished, and when he sang the words "like the ones I used to know," I remembered being a kid and the sight of a new snowfall – especially right before Christmas – would have put joy in my young heart. 

Thoughts of Summer

When I was done doing everything, I leaned on my shovel and looked at my yard. The picnic table, where would enjoy our food from the barbecue, was covered with snow as were the chairs where we would sit. Now they were freezing cold metal that would serve no purpose but to catch snow. Still, there is something comforting in knowing that they will be there again next summer when we can enjoy sitting there again.

I went inside, had some hot cocoa, and looked out the window at what I had done outside in the cold. As I sat there in the warmth of the house with a twinkling Christmas tree, I realized how beautiful the snow looked a few days before Christmas. I decided that the the snow was good – at least this time. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah, and to everyone else, enjoy this season!

Lou Carnesecca – He Proved His Greatness in Quiet Act of Kindness

 

 

When I heard of the passing of basketball legend Lou Carnesecca, I did not think about his glorious run as head coach of St. John’s University’s basketball team for 24 years or his three-year stint as head coach of the New York Nets. It was a quiet act of kindness that proved the measure of his greatness, and I was fortunate to have experienced this in person and will never forget him or that moment.

My Initiation to College Teaching

Back in 1988, I was in my first year of my doctoral fellowship in the English department at St. John’s University. To say I was overwhelmed with my coursework is an understatement. I thought I had worked hard getting my undergraduate and master’s degree, but I had never experienced the level and intensity of the requirements to do well in doctoral courses.

Besides my academic work for my evening classes, I was required to teach courses during the day. I had experience as a middle school teacher for five years, but teaching English at the college level was at first very intimidating. As the fall semester moved along, I found my bearings and realized that teaching composition at the college level was very similar to what I had been doing before but just with increased expectations.

A Struggling Student

A student in one of my classes – let’s call him Kevin Jones – was struggling to say the least. He had failed a couple of quizzes, and his writing assignments were getting poor grades. I did ask him to come to me for extra help – I was also a tutor in the writing center – but he did not take advantage of this option. I was aware that he was on the basketball team because he had given me a paper with the dates that he would miss my class in November and December due to having games, and I realized that he was having a hard time juggling his academics and his sport.

A Coach Who Cared

At that time, I basically spent the whole day on campus because I was teaching during the day and taking classes in the evening. One afternoon I was in my cubicle – a small space I shared with another doctoral fellow in the basement of St John’s Hall – alternately marking papers and trying to do my readings for my classes. I heard a knock on my door, and I looked up to see Lou Carnesecca standing there wearing one of his colorful sweaters.

To say that I was shocked is not sufficiently describing the moment. A legend was standing in the doorway of my humble cubicle, and I dropped what I was doing and stood up. He asked in a soft voice, “May I come in?”

“Yes, of course, please sit down,” I said motioning to a chair next to my desk. I had not put two and two together at first – that Mr. Carnesecca was there about Kevin – because I was so awestruck by his presence.

After he sat down, Mr. Carnesecca said, “I’m here about Kevin Jones in your English class.”

My eyes must have opened wide and then I made the connection. I explained what was happening and that I gave Kevin a midterm warning that he was in danger of failing the class.

With great dignity and respect, Mr. Carnesecca said, “Professor Lana, I am not asking for anything special for Kevin, but I want to know what he can do to improve his work in your class.”

I explained that Kevin never came for extra help in the writing center, and that he had failed quizzes and his papers had been poorly written and received poor grades. I said that if he could put more effort into his work, Kevin’s grade would improve.

Mr. Carnesecca nodded his head as I spoke. When I was done speaking, he said, “I am just asking for you to give him a chance. I will speak to Kevin, and you should see a change in his efforts in your class.”

Of course, I thanked him as we stood up and shook hands. After Mr. Carnesecca left my cubicle, my hands were shaking. I had met a legend, and he proved in those few moments we were together that he deserved all the accolades he had received and then some.  A man of importance and fame, the coach had gone out of his way to visit me and try to help one of his players – because if Kevin continued in the direction he was going, he would fail my course and not be allowed to play for the team. In his own respectful and quiet way, Mr. Carnesecca was hoping to make a difference. 

A Changed Student

The next day, Kevin came into the writing center looking for help. We sat down and went over the next paper that was due in my class. I made some suggestions and pointed out a few grammatical errors. When the paper was due during our next class, Kevin handed it in and he got a B. He also started not just passing quizzes but doing very well on them. For the rest of the semester, Kevin came to the writing center and did well on his remaining papers. He did extremely well on his final exam, and he earned a great and well-deserved final grade. 

I have no idea what Lou Carnesecca said to Kevin, but Kevin turned his semester around in my class. For those of you to have been lucky enough to watch him coach, Lou Carnesecca was all over the place on the court’s sideline – making gestures and audible comments during games, displaying energy and passion. He obviously loved his players as much as he loved the game, and he is a basketball legend and a New York City icon.

I know that Kevin graduated from St. John's but did not go on to a career in basketball. I saw him once on the subway on his way to a job in Manhattan. Maybe the story would have been better if he played for the Knicks, but Kevin seemed very happy to have played basketball for St. John's and grateful to the coach who wore the colorful sweaters who quietly made that happen.  

A Beloved Coach Will Be Missed

I have no doubt that Lou probably helped many Kevins over the course of his career both on the court and in the classroom if they needed help. Please watch the video, and you will see how fondly his former players and fellow coaches speak about him. I am sure that there is an ethereal basketball court up in heaven waiting for him where he be welcomed. Rest in peace, Lou Carnesecca.