Extra Credit

Writer: Selah Saterstrom


"One ended up having a happy life...One ended up having a sad life."

Selah Saterstrom is the author of The Meat and Spirit Plan and The Pink Institution and is currently working on a piece called Slab. Her readings weren't quite as dynamic as some of the other readers I've seen but her humor mad up for it in greatly. Some quotes from Slab happen to be the following:
"Well, you look about as board as road kill"
"Boredom when identified leads to new opportunites"
"'Well, listen," I said, "Everybody loves something'"
"When there is a plan, its all right"
"One ended up having a happy life...one ended up having a sad life"
and my favorite
"Black dog, Mo$$% FU@#%&"

The one I would like to expand upon is "one ended up having a happy life...one ended up having a sad life." In her works, she frequently uses dogs. This saying happen to spark a memory of mine while watching the movie The Missing. In the movie there are a few lines about the part Tommy Lee Jones said by the antagonist that I vaguely remember, but I remember the point. The antagonist said Tommy has two dogs inside of him, one good one evil, and they are fighting. Then he asks which one wins. Tommy replies with which ever one I feed the most, I guess, or something along those lines. The antagonist tells him he's wrong! By his inner dogs being in turmoil, they wer killing him, niether one was winning. Unless Tommy did something about this, in other words, he would die. There are two outcomes "One ended up having a happy life" or... "One ended up having a sad life." Being I don't want to ruin the ending, lets just say Tommy dies but it is up to use to decide if he died happy or sad.

Favorite Video

Josh Turner: Long Black Train

When I first heard this song on the radio, I immediately fell in love with it. Ever since, I find myself singing along with it on the radio as well as in the shower! It's a great feeling to echo my voice with such deep resonance as his only my voice needs some tuning. The video is surprising to me because it refers to this long black train as beautiful yet deadly at the same time. It is much like a fast car in a sense. When I see one, I wish I could ride on it, but in this case to do so would mean the end of me. I can hear the "chug-chug" of the wheels on the tracks and the wistle of the engineer. He calls out all aboard, yet I find my self hesitating on the edge of something dreadful like standing on the edge of a knife. Which way will I turn? Quickly my mind shifts to what would happen if I waited for the train while on the tracks? Will it pass over me if I lie down or will it mutilate my body to pieces? Will I react fast enough to move out of the way or will I be so distracted by a beautiful lie that it hits me dead on at 50 mph. Steam rolls from the engine as if it was on fire-like burning hell, yet the engineer is standing there feeding it with more lost souls as if the heat gave him strength. Who is next in line to be tossed into his fire? "Certainly not me," I say to myself, yet time after time I find myself staring at it in awe, oblivious to what it really is. Maybe I could just ride for a few minutes and hop off when most desperate. No, that would only lead to me being caught in its trap doomed to die a fiery death. So I ask myself, where is the white light when all I see is this long black train? Where is my other option? Have I been staring in awe for so long that the other door has already shut meaning one way or other I end up taking a ride on that long black train?

Screwtape Letters

Currently I am reading some insightful material in my free time. One such reading happens to be by C. S. Lewis. It is called the Screwtape Letters. Funny title, I know. C. S. Lewis, a Fellow of Magdelan College, Oxford, is a literary genius when it comes to delving deep within the human mind, actions, passions, and falsehoods. The Screwtape Letters are written in a form just like the title suggests. It is a series of letters were Lewis uses the Characters Screwtape, Wormwood, and Patient in a remarkable fashion. Each letter is written by the character Screwtape addressing how Wormwood should tempt and deceive his "Patient" in order to feed themselves and their father below. Screwtape and Wormwood are fallen angels or devils carrying out the will of the Lucifer. As of right now I am on chapter, or letter, XVIII. Throughout the letters, Screwtape is advising and teaching Wormwood his nephew on how to best "serve" Wormwood's Patient. Patient is a human, a male man on earth, that is being tempted and misdirected by Wormwood. At first he is not a Christian, but by the second letter, Screwtape is set aback by the fact that Wormwood has allowed Patient's status to change to being a Christian. Being Screwtape is Wormwood's uncle he has went to the efforts of directing the fledgling wormwood on how best to procede with the situation. Even though Wormwood has been taught by Slubgob a demon at a college for new demons, Wormwood doesn't seem to be the brightest tempter and still has much too learn. Surprisingly, C. S. Lewis did not write any letter from Wormwood to Screwtape, so everything that is happening between Wormwood and his Patient are stated and addressed in Screwtape's letter. This approach has kept me very interested in the suspense caused by this intuitive writing style. For those of you reading this post, I suggest to read both the Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast. They can be found at the following links: Screwtape Letters, Screwtape Proposes a Toast.