Tom, this is a Toastmaster's group known as Funnybones. Marty, they meet Tuesdays, 7:15, a block down from the Italian restaurant we went to a couple of times with Carlo. This was a contest Toastmasters regularly conducts in the category "Tall Tales." Ranjo has dabbled at Toastmasters. This coming Tuesday I'm in charge of Table Topics. And the nights theme is "Foreign Films." If you and Blair and Jeff and Mary Claire wanted to wade into the fear zone with a table topic, Funnybones would be glad to see you.
Ellis, what a fantastic and captivating tale! You my friend are a true and original artist and your creativity keeps finding new canvas - it knows no bounds.
Thanks Dok. One of the main things I am doing with all the unemployed down time is reading and reading. This was me dabbling in short story as much as anything. It is also great to watch and remember how often I thought the talk had slid completely off the cliff and was burning on the way down. That insecurity doesn't show nearly as bad as you imagine. And with more prep, it will hopefully get better. It's a good crowd.
Baba Yaga is a fun bit of research. Mike Mignola and Fritz Leiber have both dabbled in stories about her. One of the things I'm getting from Jim Thompson and Charles Willeford, by reading bio material as well as their fiction, is how they take people and events that really happened and then launch themselves into "lies" about them. Granny was real, she had a hump, there was an marble tombstone that formed part of her front gate, and she had a large , iron, black cauldron in the front yard that was for washing clothes and making lye soap. Very easy place to use as a jumping off point for a story or two.
Ellis, I heard similar stories about Granny from my mother. One tale involved killing a neighbor's pig who was rooting around in her garden. Granny had a row or rocks on the window sill near her sink she would throw at that pig to scare it off. One day she was doing dishes, looked up and saw the pig destroying her garden and without hesitation she threw fastball so hard that when it brained that hog, the swine dropped dead instantly. The best part about this particular yarn was that the neighbor with the trespassing pig was also the mayor.
Did you ever hear that one or witness it? Mom has so many stories about Granny.
Ronnie, I think I may have heard that story. And I'm not sure if I heard it from Dad or your mother or both at the same time. I may have even been fortunate enough to have heard them telling it on Granny in her presence.
I always thought it was cool that Granny liked fictional Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies.
Ellis, I loved your spoken word tale about Granny. Sounded just like Mom's stories about her. Mom loved Granny so much and every time she speaks about her, I see a little movie in my head. Being around her must have been something else. I wish I could have met her, but she was gone before I was born.
16 comments:
Ellis. The video looks pretty good! I'll try recording in a smaller format next week.
Russ
Grannie was a hunchback!!
Tall tale, indeed! This needs to be illustrated.
Oh, there are some choice ELlis-isms in there...I have to watch it again and collect some more...
This was some sort of storytelling seminar or contest Ellis? You must fill us in!
Tom, this is a Toastmaster's group known as Funnybones.
Marty, they meet Tuesdays, 7:15, a block down from the Italian restaurant we went to a couple of times with Carlo.
This was a contest Toastmasters regularly conducts in the category "Tall Tales."
Ranjo has dabbled at Toastmasters. This coming Tuesday I'm in charge of Table Topics. And the nights theme is "Foreign Films." If you and Blair and Jeff and Mary Claire wanted to wade into the fear zone with a table topic, Funnybones would be glad to see you.
Ellis, what a fantastic and captivating tale! You my friend are a true and original artist and your creativity keeps finding new canvas - it knows no bounds.
Thanks Dok. One of the main things I am doing with all the unemployed down time is reading and reading. This was me dabbling in short story as much as anything. It is also great to watch and remember how often I thought the talk had slid completely off the cliff and was burning on the way down.
That insecurity doesn't show nearly as bad as you imagine. And with more prep, it will hopefully get better.
It's a good crowd.
Ellis, joining you on one of these evenings would be really fun.
And I didn't know you're Grannie was Baba Yaga!
I also like how the title screen seems to show you carrying a handgun.
"Laff, varmit--or else!!"
Baba Yaga is a fun bit of research. Mike Mignola and Fritz Leiber have both dabbled in stories about her.
One of the things I'm getting from Jim Thompson and Charles Willeford, by reading bio material as well as their fiction, is how they take people and events that really happened and then launch themselves into "lies" about them.
Granny was real, she had a hump, there was an marble tombstone that formed part of her front gate, and she had a large , iron, black cauldron in the front yard that was for washing clothes and making lye soap.
Very easy place to use as a jumping off point for a story or two.
"Backwoods Baba Yaga, or, My Grannie the Hunchback"
I'll buy it!
Ellis, I heard similar stories about Granny from my mother. One tale involved killing a neighbor's pig who was rooting around in her garden. Granny had a row or rocks on the window sill near her sink she would throw at that pig to scare it off. One day she was doing dishes, looked up and saw the pig destroying her garden and without hesitation she threw fastball so hard that when it brained that hog, the swine dropped dead instantly. The best part about this particular yarn was that the neighbor with the trespassing pig was also the mayor.
Did you ever hear that one or witness it? Mom has so many stories about Granny.
Ronnie, I think I may have heard that story. And I'm not sure if I heard it from Dad or your mother or both at the same time. I may have even been fortunate enough to have heard them telling it on Granny in her presence.
I always thought it was cool that Granny liked fictional Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies.
I'm glad you checked in on the topic of Granny , Ronnie.
Ellis, I loved your spoken word tale about Granny. Sounded just like Mom's stories about her. Mom loved Granny so much and every time she speaks about her, I see a little movie in my head. Being around her must have been something else. I wish I could have met her, but she was gone before I was born.
That was really fun! Thanks for sharing, Ellis!
Thanks Rick. I'm aiming for that ease you have in front of a crowd
Post a Comment