“Are you kidding?  You - the master of the English language at a loss for words?”  I asked him. I was talking to the world-famous author of  “Romeo and Juliet” about the alluring woman named Suzi who has been texting and calling him for the last few days.

“Her voice is very soft and gentle and very feminine,” he said.  “And you know how I like that.   It takes my breath away.”

“So,” I asked, “do you know what she looks like?”

“I’ve seen pictures,” replied the Bard.  “There’s this awesome one of her at the dinner table where she looks very mature and sweet, with this angel glowing in the background.  And then one where she’s posing with a chair where she looks somewhat serious.  Her smile is absolutely charming, she does a mean rendition of Kristofferson’s ‘Why Me, Lord?’ and her eyes are incredibly expressive and playful and and full of sweet light.”

“How do you know?”  I asked.

“I’ve seen video that she was kind enough to send me” said William.  “And you will not believe how cute she looks in overalls.  I might even write a sonnet about her.  Let’s see, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?  Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”

“But,” he continued, “all these wonderful qualities are overshadowed by her love of Christ and God.   She understands the desire to seek God with all your heart, to give up materialism and to trust in God for everything, even with no safety net.”

“And she has this wonderful wisdom about her that wants to have true intimacy and commitment and honor and she’s willing to do what it takes to have that.  She understands that a husband and wife are reflective of the incredible intimacy that will be shared by Christ and His Bride.”

“Wow,” I said.  “She sounds like a very special lady.”

“She is a very special woman.  And I’m hoping and praying that one day she might even allow me to be in the same room with her,”  he laughed.

Sanity is a relative term in the realm of Hollywood directors who generally function on a mental health continuum ranging from borderline OCD cases on the benign end to paranoid schizophrenic megalomaniacs on the deeper end.

On that far side, James Cameron has long sat as Hollywood’s, raging at all within his grasp, building cruise ships and sinking them; the sort of man whom makes one constantly thankful that film directors aren’t allowed to use and shoot off real tanks and bazookas and aircraft carriers and near-future laser weapons.

But while Cameron’s mania is well developed version of a teenager’s desire to see stuff realistically get blown up and see a cartoon characters supernatural boobs, on a more ethereal level of the spectrum, floating above Cameron, is German director Werner Herzog. Whereas Cameron is incapable of articulating his vision of a world built around things getting blown up, Herzog is a poet of obsession and devastation, who can beautifully articulate his world view, as he did in his documentary Grizzly Man describing nature as “a place of chaos, hostility, and murder.”

And while Cameron is on the brink of releasing his zillion-dollar Avatar, enhanced with specially invented cameras to motion capture every pulse of a human eyelid, Herzog’s world is about to be nakedly on display in his first dramatic film in years, the low-budget, exploitation-invoking Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. And while the world’s press will spend the next month fawning over Cameron’s auteur’s journey into the world of a bunch of new gadgets, a piece in the LA Times captures the sense of a truly visionary megalomaniac at work with nothing but an equally off-kilter actor and some lizards.

The film which stars Nicholas Cage in his finest performance in a decade as an out-of-control, drug addicted cop in post-Katrina New Orleans. Audiences will have the sense, familiar from late 70’s - early 80’s films, of being in a film about a world out of control when at some point during the two hours it is no longer clear whether it is the just characters who are drugged out of their mind, or is it the filmmakers, or perhaps, the feeling grows on one, it may in fact be the audience ourselves, you’ll wonder as you check to see if anyone has slipped something into your popcorn.

The LA Times piece reveals, however, it being a Herzog set, the director himself asked many of the same questions:

Cage’s tweaker technique was so realistic, it caused the movie’s director, Werner Herzog — who worked with Kinski on five films — to call into question what the Oscar winner was really putting up his nose.

“We had prop cocaine. Nicolas would sniff it, and I would ask him to shift positions,” Herzog recently recalled. “From the moment I would ask him to move, he would be acting erratic. All of a sudden, I had the feeling: For God’s sake, has he taken cocaine?”

Within the movie there a couple moments which have caused noted mirth and distress in early screenings when the film switches to the point of view of an iguana. While these moments stood out to many as some obvious candidates for the cutting room floor, Herzog reveals they are the very heart of his vision:

Herzog’s epiphany took place at a party about midway through shooting. “Werner had had a couple of drinks,” Cage said. “He said in this distraught voice, ‘The iguanas are the best thing in the movie. And I must have five minutes of iguana time! And if I don’t have my full five minutes of iguana time, I will never make another movie again!’ “

Cameron may have his 3D, but until he can see the world as a lizard, he’ll always be just a boy playing with toys.

Dateline - October 14, 2009:  An article by Mary Brian Durkin:

Evelyn Underhill is recognized as one of Great Britain’s outstanding religious writers. Her books, lectures, retreat conferences, and letters of spiritual advice offer insights into ways to develop and maintain a sane spiritual life. In these works, often in homey and humorous ways, Underhill shows how the natural and supernatural life are compatible and can be fully integrated by anyone willing to make the effort. “You don’t have to be peculiar to find God,” she insists, “but you do have to make a willed commitment to make Him the center of your life, all aspects of it!” (House of Soul, p. 90).

Adoration and charity must be paramount, she states: “Adoration is caring for God above all else. Charity is the outward swing of prayer toward all the world…embracing and caring for all worldly interests in God’s name.” (Ways of the Spirit, p. 142). Charity, Underhill insists, makes us a tool, a supple instrument reaching out, working, caring, healing, ministering selflessly in whatever ways the Lord directs us. Only by our loving, generous self giving, first in the prayer of adoration and then by our dedicated actions, will his redeeming work in this world be accomplished.

Insisting that a truly spiritual life must be founded on prayer, Underhill advocates setting aside a specific time, preferably in the morning, for adoration, spiritual reading, and meditation. “Old fashioned practices,” she admits, “but it’s the only way!” (Mixed Pasture, p. 72). So many people don’t understand that this regime of prayer, time alone with God, is the spiritual food that sustains and nourishes, she told an advisee: “They only do it when “they feel in the mood” or “when they can.” Once you’ve started, never give up this practice, despite discouragements or ups and downs (Letters, p. 71).

She counseled a friend: “Try to arrange things so that you can have a reasonable bit of quiet every day and do not be scrupulous and think it selfish to make a decided struggle for this. You are obeying God’s call and giving Him the opportunity to teach you what He wants you to know, and so make you more useful to Him and to other souls. (Ibid, p. 141).

Like Teresa of Avila, Underhill advocated simplicity and flexibility in prayer. Don’t be held down to any set plan or model; follow a style that suits you; change when you think it wise, she advised. A simple rule or regime of prayer, to be followed whether one is in the mood or not gives backbone to one’s spiritual life, as nothing else can, she counseled: “If you fall later into a state in which you cannot, without strain, practice meditation or mental prayer, you can spend the time in spiritual reading, only try always to keep the time intact and not use it for other things.” (Ibid, p. 312).

To an advisee who complained bitterly that she had to earn her own living doing “stupid typing” and hence had little time to spend in prayer, Underhill replied that the long train ride from Beckenham Hill to the city offered ample time for prayer, providing it was not spent “reading the rags.”

Underhill believed that beginners in the early stages of developing their prayer life often placed too much emphasis on feelings and not enough on will. She chided an advisee: “If by losing the spirit of prayer, you mean losing the heavenly sensations of deep devotion, I am afraid that does not matter a scrap.” (Ibid, p. 103). She advised another to make an act of willed attention to God, to stop fussing over the lack of emotional feelings: “The will is what matters—as long as you have that, you are safe.” (Ibid, pp. 147-148).

In another letter, she underlined this entire sentence: “Never forget that the key to the situation lies in the will and not in the imagination.” (Ibid, p.82). To truly develop a spiritual life requires self-discipline and will power. To emphasize this point, Underhill quotes St. John of the Cross: “The whole wisdom of the Saints consists in directing the will vigorously toward God.” She then adds, “The way that is done by ordinary people like ourselves is by aiming at Him in all circumstances of life.” (Mount of Purification, p.8).

Underhill’s admonitions are succinct, practical, and understandable: “The direction and constancy of the will is what really matters, and intellect and feeling are only important insofar as they contribute to that.” (Letters, p. 67); “Remember God is acting on your soul all the time, whether you have spiritual sensations or not.” (Ibid, p. 184).

Although adamant about the necessity of maintaining a regime of personal prayer despite bouts of aridity and spiritual flatness, Underhill also insists that this fixed period of private prayer is not the only time of union with God; every bit of work, every thought and action, done for God and in His name, is a prayer: “Never let yourself think that because God has given you many things to do for Him…pressing routine jobs, a life full up with duties and demands of a very practical sort—that all these need separate you from communion with Him. God is always coming to you in the Sacrament of the Present Moment. Meet and receive Him there with gratitude in that sacrament; however unexpected its outward form may be receive Him in every sight and sound, joy, pain, opportunity and sacrifice.” (Life as Prayer, p. 186).

Though certainly not a new concept, Underhill frequently stressed the sacramental value of the finite and temporal in mundane activities and the importance of seeing or finding God in everyday life. She wrote to an advisee: “Take the present situation as it is and try to deal with what it brings you, in a spirit of generosity and love. God is much in the difficult home problems as in the times of quiet and prayer, isn’t He. Try especially to do His will there, deliberately seek opportunities for kindness, sympathy, and patience.” (Letters, p.137).

Underhill advised one facing a difficult situation that by increasing her prayer time to an hour at least, then she should be able “to handle the situation even though just now the “sacrament of the present moment” may take a rather knobbly sort of form. Still God is in it—and it is there that you have to find a way of responding to Him and receiving Him.” (Ibid, p. 258). Repeating Teresa’s dictum that the aim of the spiritual life is “Work, work, work,” Underhill reminds retreatants that usually this means just doing one’s job, enduring the drudgery, monotony, yes, even the meanness of it all, for Christ’s sake. Your prayer of adoration and your outward swing to others by dedicated, disciplined service, graced by creative initiative, courage, gentleness, and compassion, indicate a requisite balance has been achieved. To minister to others requires the virtue of patience which Underhill defines in down-to-earth terms: “Patience toward God is the quiet acceptance of life, bit by bit from his hand. Patience toward others is bearing evenly all that is uneven in character, prejudice, and habits…It is meeting with equal countenance the nasty and sunny sides of the human person…It is equanimity toward the people who offend our taste…who ask for a cup of cold water at the wrong time, the stupid, the querulous, the obstinate. Each of us can fill up more blanks for ourselves! (Ways of the Spirit, p. 170).

There is only one way to learn patience, Underhill asserts, and that is to study the life of Jesus Christ. Ponder his actions: his compassion for the sick, the marginalized, the hungry and weary, the troubled and bereaved. He never criticized one person, except the self-righteous. He overlooked rough, uncouth manners; forgave his tormentors; and found joy in doing his Father’s will, even on the Cross.

She writes: “In my relations with my father which are difficult and where I’m often met by coolness and indifference, I am constantly tempted to be cold and indifferent in my turn and feel it more and more difficult to be or feel loving or anything but a stranger. Yet I know that this too is a test if I could take it rightly.

“As towards my husband, I often fail to show interest in his affairs and amusements, not rousing myself to respond when I’m tired or concerned with other things, forgetting he is very patient with me and our difference in outlook must be just as trying for him.” (Fragments From An Inner Life, p.94).

Underhill’s journal entries and excerpts from letters to her spiritual advisors reveal that she “lived” the advice she gave to others. Admonishing herself to use the “domestic bits” of life as means to mortify impatience, uncharitableness, sensitivity to slights, she resolves, despite familial friction, to preserve an interior spirit of tranquil joy: “There is no place in my soul, no corner of my character, where God is not.” (Ibid, p.86).

Another entry in Fragments reveals that of her types of active service for Christ: direct teaching, books, and lectures, and also the direction of souls—she considered the latter to be of more importance. Her followers today would not dispute that evaluation; her influence is widespread and growing. Her pithy, practical advice on ways to balance and unify a contemplative and active life continues to inspire many of their spiritual journeys.

Excerpted from Spiritual Life (Winter 1997), pp. 236-43

From http://www.evelynunderhill.org/her_work/articles/durk2.shtml

Image of rhinovirus from http://www.virology.wisc.edu/virusworld/images/rhi-rhinovirus-3_CNN_NYT.jpg

An elementary translation process depended on two timescales: the time during which a tRNA remains bound to its codon (hybridization) and the time it takes for the amino acid on that tRNA to form a new chemical bond with the amino acid next to it (polymerization).

Image is a closeup of Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The orange color is due to cyanobacteria, one of the earliest forms of life on Earth.

For me, the spiritual well and the writing well are sometimes so similar, it’s hard to tell them apart. Hemingway warned writers to be careful not to completely exhaust their waters; do not overtax the mind by, say, continuing to think about your writing even when you’re not writing, or you will be so fatigued you will not have energy to work. For him, the day consisted of working hard at writing and then spending the rest of the day finding ways to keep his mind off the writing, so that, subconsciously, his well would be filled.

Jesus spoke of a spring within the Christian that wells up to eternal life. He also said we must work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work. The day is the time when the Spirit is active and overflowing. The night is when the Spirit is depleted or withdrawn. So we must work when the Spirit is bubbling up within us. When the Spirit is depleted all we can do is wait for the sunrise. But this is the nature of the kingdom of God; it grows while we sleep and we know not how.

This calls for patience. Wait upon the Lord and He will renew your strength so that you will mount up with wings of eagles.

Supplies:

* A combination tool – battery post brush and battery clamp brush, obtainable at any auto parts store. These generally come in two designs, one employing wire brush elements and the other using two cutting blades and a reamer. Though old pros prefer the latter, either will work and either is suitable if you’re not cleaning battery posts on a daily basis.
* Locking pliers (vice grips).
* Toothbrush.
* Baking soda.
* Water.
* Clean, lint-free cloth.
* Wrench.
* Grease or petroleum jelly.

Directions:

1. Remove the battery cables from the battery terminals by loosening the nut on each cable clamp. Once they are loose, always remove the cable clamp from the negative terminal first. It’s marked with a minus (-) sign; the positive terminal has a plus (+) sign. Reverse the procedure, positive first, negative second, when replacing the cables. The cable may not come off easily. You will have to wiggle it and lift it upward until the clamp comes off the terminal post. Sometimes, especially if there is a lot of corrosion, you may need the assistance of pair of locking pliers. Be careful not to short any tools you use against the car when they’re in contact with the battery.
2. Examine the battery cables and clamps for excess wear or corrosion. Should damage appear extensive, replace the cables and clamps to avoid future problems.
3. Check the battery case for cracks and the terminals for damage. If you find either, replace the battery.
4. Secure the loose cables so that they don’t accidentally flop back onto the terminals.
5. Pour some baking soda directly onto the posts.
6. Dip a toothbrush in water and use it to scrub the baking soda into the terminal posts and cable clamps. Skin and eye protection is recommended.
7. If the toothbrush isn’t doing the job, Use a battery terminal cleaner brush on it. Also shine up the insides of the cable clamps by using the clamp cleaner that usually comes attached to the terminal brush or use a plain, soap-free steel wool pad.
8. Dry everything off with a clean, disposable, lint-free rag.
9. Smear grease or petroleum jelly on the posts to slow down the formation of corrosive deposits. Cover all exposed metal surfaces on the battery posts, battery cables, and clamps.
10. Replace the positive clamp first and then replace the negative clamp. Tighten them down with the proper sized wrench.
11. Replace the rubber boot or plastic shield that covers the positive terminal. If you don’t have one, go and buy some from your local auto parts store.

In general, wake at first light and start working.  For Hemingway, this meant waking up somewhere around seven-thirty (did they have daylight savings time back then?).  He had some breakfast and was usually working by nine a.m.  He would usually work straight through until 2:00 p.m.

As far as attitude, awake with the ambition - your own ambition - to be the best prose writer ever and be ready to work hard at it.   You have to have the confidence that you are and can be a champion.   Work every day.  Writing prose is a full time job.  There must be discipline, the discipline of Flaubert.

And be prepared to say NO.  A writer is a fool, says Hemingway if he adds or takes hindrance after hindrance after hindrance to being a writer.  “Taking refuge in domestic successes, being good to your broke friends, etc.  is merely a form of quitting. ” I’m just quoting here.   Hemingway says he was pretty ruthless about other types of interuptions.  And, on a related note, writers work alone.

Sometimes the smell of early morning is all you need, but Hemingway believes the best way to get started is to read everything you have written on the story or book so far, correcting as you go along.  He never read anything else before he started work in the morning.  Then, where you get to where you stopped the day before, you can go from there with new writing.  Once your work becomes so long that it’s impractical to do this every day, just read back two or three chapters each day.  That’s how you make it all one piece.

Your word production is going to vary.  Hemingway found that 400 or 600 well done words per day was a pace he could hold, so he was happy with those numbers.  Yet, some days he would hit 1200 or 2700 words and that, he said, was something that made you happier than you could believe.    Some days it took him the full morning of work just to write a paragraph.

The best place to stop is when you are going good and when you know what will happen next.  Always stop when there is still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that feed it.   The best of writing is done in your subconscious.

Now those five hours is not all there is to the writing discipline.  There’s the rest of the day, too.  First, once you’ve finished writing for the day, don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. (That way, your subconscious will work on it all the time).  Otherwise, you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.  Learn not to think about it.  Here are some ways that Hemingway recommends for doing just that.

Get something to eat.

Exercise.  It’s necessary, to tire out the body.  Play tennis or swim or something “just to keep your bowels moving.”  You need physical exercise all your life for good functioning of body and mind.

Have sex.

Fish.   To break up the pattern of work, Hemingway and his buddies would fish the Gulf Stream.

Read.   Read after your work.  Reading is for that empty time of day or night.  Not only will this help keep your mind off what you’re writing, but you should read everything in your genre so that you will know what you have to beat.  You should always write your best against dead writers that we know, so read them.  Don’t fight with the poor pathological writers of our time.

Side note:  Although this may not have to do with writing discipline, it does relate to choosing a subject and you surely can’t do much writing if you don’t have anything to write about, disciplined or not.  Hemingway says you can’t do something someone else has done.  Nevertheless, it’s worthless to invent something that is not true, and as you know, Hemingway was all about writing that one true sentence.  “Invention, ” he says, “is the finest thing but you cannot invent anything that would not actually happen.”  He’s  not saying don’t be creative and he’s not putting down the fantastic.  He’s saying the characters you invent can’t act in a way that is contrary to their character.

Finally, get plenty of rest.  You need healthy rest in order to work at your best.  It is better to produce half as much, get plenty of exercise and not go crazy than to speed up so that your head is hardly normal.   Hemingway may have been thought of as a hard drinker, but he says he never drank before or during writing and he never drank after dinner….when he was in the midst of writing.