"Falling" premieres Off-Broadway on October 15

I just got this note from Deanna Jent, the playwright who adapted Imaginary Jesus for the stage. One of her plays from last season is starting in NYC this October!

Hello!  I’m beyond excited to let you know that my play FALLING will be opening on October 15 at the Minetta Lane Theatre in NYC!  Previews will begin September 27.  Below are some links to information about the show – if you could help me out by sending this on to anyone or group that you think might be interested, I’d be very grateful.  We need word-of-mouth to get some attention in the Big Apple.  Also, I’ll be there for all of the preview shows, so if you’re able to come see it during those weeks, let me know!  Also please post on any social media sights you have …. Thanks so very very much!  Deanna

 "FALLING" webpage  
 Facebook 
Article with all the details 

Here's what critics have been saying about FALLING:

“a gripping piece of theatre, emotionally wrenching and theatrically astute”

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“a thoughtful portrait of a family struggling to hold on in particular and challenging circumstances”

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“it will kick your guts”

Riverfront Times

I haven't seen the show, but I did read the script and it is powerful. I cried while reading it. 

And, in case you haven't already made plans to join us, here's the info about Imaginary Jesus, first show November 15th in St. Louis!

My daughter says hilarious things when we see animals

At the Clark County Fair we saw an alligator snapping turtle, just laying in the water in its tank, its mouth wide open, wiggling its tongue around. I called my kids over... the turtle at the fair was much more disgusting than the one in the picture here. My 11 year old, Z, said something funny that I thought you would enjoy.

Me: See how its tongue looks like a worm? He just lays there underwater with his mouth open, wiggling that tongue, and when a fish comes along and bites his tongue, he snaps his mouth closed and eats it!

Z: That's disgusting.

Me: Yeah. Pretty awesome.

Z: Hey dad, what if there was a predator that ate humans and it had a really yummy looking hamburger for a tongue.

Me: Ha ha ha. That would be funny.

And, on further consideration... it would work.

Of course, in nature it might look more like this, which the more discerning humans would know to pass up:

Alright, people, be honest. What kind of food could a predator catch you with?

What was that sound?

This is the conversation I had with my 3 year old daughter a few days ago.

Baby M: Dada, what was that sound?

Me: Oh, I think the kids left the video games on in the other room.

Baby M: No. The sound came out of my butt.

It just makes you want to hold her and say, "Never grow up, baby, never grow up."

The Internet makes me laugh

 

Which one is your favorite? And are there more I should be seeing?

My family acting out Empire Strikes Back

"I am... your Mother. Search out your feelings. You know it to be true."

Feel free to add your own geeky Star Wars references in the comments.

And don't worry, the baby has a robotic hand now.

Wonderful Wednesday: Adults dressing as monsters and robots and then wrestling as if in a Japanese monster movie

Someone tell me that this still exists and continues to happen somewhere. Because I am ready for a road trip.



WHO IS IN FOR OUR ROAD TRIP?

This came from Josh Young.

LINKS! The sausage of the Internet

Hands, feet, no eyes. But still reading. Weird.

Well. It had to happen. I mean, it always happens in the comics. SUPER VILLAINS ARE TRYING TO MAKE SUPER HEROES ILLEGAL. In the real world.

In other superhero news, Flying Color Comics in Walnut Creek, California, is taking a stand against domestic violence.

Also. My friend Matt Hiller is in Hawaii at the Pokemon World Championships because his son totally rocks at the Pokemon game. Which means that my daughters better stop cleaning their rooms and start playing video games. GET TO WORK, KIDS!

Luc Reid shared this interesting article about neuroscience, fiction and what happens to your brain when you read fiction. Short answer: You become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

Eavesdropping With Matt (Episode Sixty-One: Maybe we disagree on the definition of 'classy')

Now THIS is classy. Buy some
 classy Star Wars art from Greg Peltz here.

Dedicated to the four people behind me eating dinner at Thai Noon, who were having a VERY LOUD conversation that really did not require any eavesdropping as such.

Guy 1: With one or two exceptions, the strip clubs in San Francisco are slutty.

Guy 2: What do you mean?

Guy 1: They're just full of skinny women prancing around and taking their clothes off. They're not classy.

So... a classy strip club would require... that it not be a strip club. I can agree with that definition. Strip clubs are not classy. That's practically the definition of classy.

Now it's time for you to read more Eavesdropping with Matt.

ATTEMPTED MURDER!

I saw this on the UFO Facebook site and I said I was going to rip it off. And I am a man of my word.

Kids are funny

Earlier this week I told my three year old it was time to go to bed. She started throwing a tantrum, which is not typical (evidence, I suppose, that she needed to go to bed). As I carried her up the stairs, she pulled her hand back to slap me and I quickly said, "No. You will not hit me." She put her hand down and started crying harder.

When we got to her room, I laid her in her bed and she started kicking and flailing. I told her I would go out in the hallway and she could call me in when she had calmed down. Pretty much immediately she started crying and calling, "Daddy, daddy, come hold me!" Which was sweet. So I did.

So, while I was laying there on her bed, with her arms wrapped around my neck, she started to relax and finally she said, "Daddy, I really want to hit you so bad. But I never want to hit you." Then she gave me a kiss.

This made me happy today

What do you think?

Wonderful Wednesday: Japanese Robot Battle Armor Car Thing

You know that here at BHR when I put up a "Wonderful Wednesday" post it's 65% likely that it will be something about Japan, the country most full of wonderful.

Today is one of those days!

The Dark Knight blows his cover

I can't believe I still haven't seen this movie.

Kids love giant pythons so much!

If you don't like snakes, you will not like this video.

Apparently this kid loves snakes a lot.

Invisible Mercedes is rad

Speaking of invisible vehicles, this was a really cool idea. Now I just need a bunch of LEDs and some cameras.



Also, if someone would like to donate a Mercedes, I would allow that.

God is not a white man

UFO Kickstarter Campaign

You may recall this announcement that I have an upcoming humorous short story about a down-on-his-luck vampire who is hired by a bunch of ignorant townsfolk to deal with their supernatural problems.

Well, now's your chance to pre-order the book and get lots of cool extras.

Alex Shvartzman, the editor of Unidentified Flying Objects just put up a Kickstarter campaign. You can preorder the book and get things like: free stories, a hardback copy of the book, editorial feedback on one of your own writing projects, dinner with the editor or a writing workshop with the editor, all depending on how much you pledge.

UFO has a story from Mike Resnick (one of the biggest award winners in the science fiction community) and stories from Nebula and Hugo award winning authors. And also me.

Anyway, check it out, and throw a couple of bucks into the campaign.

AND, if you would like to get a sneak preview of the stories, check out this story by Nebula Award nominated author Jake Kerr. It's a story about the Twitter feed on the day that aliens come to destroy the entire Earth (except for Canada).

Zhao's invisible bicycles!

I enjoyed this art project by Zhao Hausen where he's taking pictures of people commuting in China and then removing their bicycles from the picture.

Top 5 Posts in July

Here are the top five posts from last month. Kittens, groin punches, the Olympics and writing are all represented here, which is to say, it's a pretty typical month!

1. The Olympic hymn and performance that NBC thought that Americans shouldn't see.

2. The post where I get punched in the groin.

3. The post in which I reveal the excellent news about my new book, The Sword of Six Worlds!

4. The post linking to my article in this month's Relevant Magazine.

5. This video, in which my kids are teaching kittens to go down slides.

"A New Conversation"; Mark Charles responds to the US government apology to Native Americans

My friend Mark Charles posted this video this week, and I thought it was both insightful and moving.



You can find more information about the US government's apology to Native American peoples as well as info about the event Mark is hosting in D.C. this December on his website.