Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Wilson From 'Cast Away' Discovered -- Part 2




You thought it must be a pretty barbaric culture that have  gymnasiums full of people who clap and get all excited every time you'd  get punched or spiked not to mention how rejected you'd  feel when the other side of the net would do a block to keep you from coming on their side?

Well......to tell you the truth Wilson I don't think anyone has given this any serious thought.  You say that's no excuse, that people need to get on the ball, and start doing that very thing?  You say you should never have to be told the line that, "You need to have a thick skin!" and you have every reason in the world to be sensitive about abuse? 

Well....perhaps you're right....maybe we humans have been nothing but a bunch of air heads for not having thought about it.  You say don't speak of air heads in such a condescending way for that's what you are?  Oh gee Wilson....I'm sorry...really I am, and I sincerely hope you'll readily bounce back if I've offended you.  Concerning you however being subjected to the type of abuse  you speak, well....I hardly think so.  You've got to understand you're really the most famous ball of any sort in the world! 

You say that's all the more reason that someone might want to take a shot at you so they'd be able to boast they punched or hit the one and only Wilson, Chuck Noland's buddy?  And even if they didn't hit you, you just couldn't bear to see your fellow balls, as in other volleyballs or soccer ones abused on a daily basis?

I see....well you can stay on my blog island if you like and never go back to the bigger world, but I must tell you it's  my hope to want to bring  people  here.  I'm hoping some might want to stay all the time and participate on my blog, or others might just want to pop in periodically for a visit.

 I will however promise you this  that I won't allow any abusive  individuals who want to bully balls to set foot on this place! I'll even go as far to say that Rule No 1 is, NO PLAYING GAMES WITH WILSON OR USING HIM IN ANY AGGRESSIVE MANNER WHATSOEVER! 

You still have your doubts  it would work but you'll roll it around in your thinking?  Fair enough, I guess I can't ask for more then that.  Absolutely Wilson!  Sure we might allow an odd guest blogger to come on and talk with you.  Come to think of it maybe  even Tom Hanks might come ashore to do so!   Who's he?  Well you might say he's a very good friend of Chuck Noland's  and I'm sure he's a great fan of yours too!

End Of Wilson Series---Perhaps my thoughts on the TV series 'LOST' might be of interest to you? Please Click on Link---->  http://bob-richards.blogspot.ca/2014/05/my-thoughts-on-tv-series-lost-2004-2010.html

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Monday, October 25, 2010

Wilson From 'Cast Away' Discovered --- Part 1




I can't believe it!  Wilson....Wilson!  This is really incredible!  You're Wilson from "Cast Away" and you're here on my lonely blog island!  Nobody is going to believe it and I'm not even sure I should but....HERE YOU ARE!  Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined  I'd meet you!  Wow!  Let me just say what an honour and privilege it is to make your acquaintance.  Sure, I'm picking up on your thinking....I guess the same way Chuck did.  The last thing I recall  you fell off of his raft and were considered lost at sea!    

Quite frankly I think everybody  assumed you were a goner!  You're right!  Why should anyone  think it strange that you wouldn't have survived and perhaps made it to some island shore?  Yes, that's true you do float....I don't know Wilson...I guess it was just assumed the ocean is....well...just so big and vast that it was thought your fate was forever lost. 

Oh yes Chuck eventually was rescued.  After finding him, was there a search party sent out to find you?  Well....I really can't answer that...but let me tell you knowing how fond Chuck was of you I'm sure there probably was.  You do recall how he jumped in the water  to save you?  Well yes, he did have to give up and let you go lest he drown but let me tell you he balled like a baby for hours  after loosing you. 

Eventually some cargo ship did happen to notice him and brought him on board.   No, he and Kelli never really did get back together although they did meet and had a talk.  Sad for Chuck but she had moved on and had married another .....can't say I blame her though....she thought for sure he was dead. What do you mean you've been feeling guilty all these years?  Why would you possibly feel that?   You can't be serious!  You're saying when you fell off that raft with Chuck it wasn't an accident? 

You're saying you nudged yourself off on purpose and that you wanted to go back to the island?  What do you mean you were afraid?  Afraid of what?    I see.  You  had heard while you were a brand new ball still in the package what happens to soccer and volley balls, not to mention base balls that every day they're punched, hit or kicked and you feel it's grossly unfair?  You feel for a culture that prides itself on being civilized and enlightened it still has a long way to go and you wonder how sane it really is?

The above was Part 1...I hope you don't want to miss Part 2 of my conversation with Wilson---Please Click On Link--->  http://bob-richards.blogspot.ca/2010/10/wilson-from-cast-away-discovered-part-2.html

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

Wilson From 'Cast Away' Discovered On Lonely Blog Island!


Introduction 

In 1950 Jimmy Stewart starred as  Elwood P. Dowd  in a film called, "Harvey,"  a fun filled, light hearted picture  about a man who talks to an invisible friend, a 6 foot rabbit by the name of which the film is entitled..."Harvey".   Only Elwood  could see him and the question of his family was should they allow him  to receive a serum  at a hospital to cease him  from experiencing what they consider to be  delusions.  IMDb rates the film, Harvey with a 8.1 out of 10 rating.  

Jimmy Stewart enjoyed the story immensely and beside the movie, did a six month long run of the play in London, England.  In more of the present era we see a very touching but more serious look at a similar type of  theme with the  Russell Crowe film, 'The Beautiful Mind'. In the Ron Howard film, 'Cast Away' we see an even different approach with Chuck Noland [Tom Hanks]  finding himself alone on a deserted island. 



While collecting debris from the plane from which he crashed he comes across  a brand new volley  ball  still as yet unpackaged, a product of the Wilson sporting goods company.  Chuck paints a face on the ball and acts as if it's his friend, calling him Wilson  talking and responding to it as if it's conversing with him.  The film became a hit, the Wilson volley ball became an icon, and arguably became the most well known ball  in the world. 

One reviewer stated it showed the incredible power of the imagination that an audience could actually be shedding tears, for an inanimate object, in this case, a ball. It is therefore my pleasure, for those who found themselves distraught over the demise of  Wilson that I can announce to you the following good news! 

Wilson has been found inflated and well!  I discovered him while exploring the shores of my lonely, blog island!  While he's quite shy and not much of a talker but I was able to procure from him his thoughts on various matters and was quite surprised with a new revelation concerning the 'Cast Away' story!  I'm confident that you'll find my exchange with him most interesting in my new two part series entitled, "Wilson From "Cast Away" Discovered On Lonely Blog Island!  I'm sure I don't  have to remind anyone what an incredibly well-rounded personality he has who's a lot of fun and a REAL BALL to be around!

Ok...If you come with me now I think you'll enjoy Part 1 of my conversation with Wilson-->Please Click on Link----->   http://bob-richards.blogspot.ca/2010/10/wilson-from-cast-away-discovered-part-1.html

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Sweet Details Of Early Life / Part 7

I had been a moderator of a pretty well known international web site, which is I guess is rather a moot point for what's not  international?  A moderators responsibility is to maintain a certain basic sense of order and respect and by far such is the desire of the greatest majority wanting the same.  

A small percentage however do not and are commonly referred to as trolls.  Every internet site has at least a few of them regardless of how good it might be, just like no matter how classy and splendid a fine restaurant  is, you'll always discover  one or two flies  buzzing around,  irritating the patrons.

Is that apart of Murphy's law that you must have something to cause problems?  To get to the point,  a troll made the charge that the moderators didn't have a sense of humour!  I had a real belly laugh over that,  for my very policy for overcoming being upset  about such a charge is to take everything with a grain of salt but also with the very thing they claimed we didn't have....ASOH.  Now look,  I well appreciate what ASOH appears to look like but if you examine it more carefully I can assure you you'll see it's a abbreviation for  [A Sense Of Humour] 

A couple of more chuckles rose up deep from within me as I considered what they said. I was confident there was at least some that didn't share their opinion.  My family for one and might I suggest one US Presidential contender  who years ago read I believe,  a few of my humour ideas, on how shall I put it, on another one of them  international internet  sites, concerning some humour pieces i'd use in his campaign. 

Imagine how shocked and stunned I was to see  my recommendations carried out to the letter on television  commercials a few weeks later!  You say that claim provides you a belly laugh and you'd conclude I must be kidding, pulling your leg and joking around as well?

Ah, but even that would demonstrate, would it not that I have ASOH?  [A Sense Of Humour]  I would sincerely and genuinely  hope so!   I would never want to leave the impression that I always come across as too cerebral as I might have in my 'Early Life' series. Tomorrow I'll make it a day for not being serious at all,  or perhaps I'll pick the opposite.   Maybe that's really the answer to the problem, when it comes to establishing a humour/serious balance  and that is to  consider one day to be a 'Joke Around Day'  but the following  for more serious matters, you might say splitting it up 50/50.

 Keeping balanced is a tricky thing but if you regulate it by the hours on the clock then you're going to have the right mix for sure! One problem though.....one could be saying something and be totally serious and the other is thinking they're joking, or they may be joking and the other would consider they're serious which would lead to the problem of the other, never quite knowing the day!   Problem solved!

 If one day they  wear a cap stamped with a JA which stands for joking around, and the next day wear an S cap which stands for being more serious, wouldn't that keep things in line?  Do you think maybe the United Nations should create a law to make it so?    If nothing they say can ever be taken too seriously despite the fact that they think it should,  we give them a D cap which stands for Dunce, Deluded or Dummy that way nobody can get  mislead, misguided or  confused. 

Not meaning to boast or to blow my own horn but to come up with this particular solution I suspect there might be at least some who might think I should be wearing an S cap . Not that I'm being totally serious but maybe just a little bit smart!  Have A Nice Day And Please Don't Forget To Wear Your Caps!
 End Of Early Life Series

Monday, October 11, 2010

Sweet Details Of Early Life / Part 6

The school year finished off  and no sooner had I put my feet up to get  ready to enjoy  a nice two months summer break when the phone rings and much to my surprise it was one of my former teachers. I kid you not,  my first thought was that he was phoning  to inform me that they had made mistake in tailing  up the numbers to give me a passing grade to the next year!  After assuring me that was not the case he was quick to tell me what he had on his mind. 

Apparently he and two other teachers wanted to make a movie using one of my plays as a script.  He asked if I would agree and wondered if I'd be interested in playing, or could I say starring in one of the main roles?  Me,  a movie star,  imagine that! 

I enthusiastically  agreed but made a decision of the most steadfast quality that I would never allow fame and notoriety  to change me, no sir!  My friends would always be able to say  that it didn't turn my head!  I would always still be known as  'Down To Earth Bob'  and regardless of how many would be seeking autographs I'd make it my policy not to disappoint. 

Confident that I made sure my humility hadn't slipped, I wholeheartedly  agreed!  My play had been about the two renown French  explorers Radisson and Groseilliers  who traversed North America in 17th Century.  Being quite tall as I was in my last years of grade school I think I passed as a credible Radisson, wearing all the make up and buckskins and one of these teachers played Groseilliers.  It was a fun filled and adventurous day paddling a canoe down Indian River, near Peterborough, Ontario, playing the role of one of these brave and venturesome characters from the past. 

It was probably one the cheapest, low budget pictures ever made, filmed on their own home cameras, and to my knowledge was only shown once to the student body the following year before filing it  under G, but one thing I'll say is how much I appreciate  the kind and special gesture they undertook  seeking I'm sure to inspire and encourage me on to greater heights! 

I never did however become a writer, that is, not as a profession. I was fortunate to have I guess what some might consider a profitable type career of a different type and sort but now with the sun nearly setting on that, and with no intention to retire but rather to re-fire  I explore the possibility of asking the question, is it possible to recapture a long lost cherished dream of writing?  Some might say yes, and other no and we'll expand on this before you know it in Part 7 soon to arrive.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sweet Details Of Early Life / Part 5

See Parts 1-4 in the archive

Time marched on and eventually I arrived at the seventh grade. It was here that something considerably significant took place which marked my thinking to the  present day. The teacher had made it a part of the daily curriculum  that every student was to keep  a diary and on certain appointed days on a rotation basis each student would take a turn in front of class to read their entry for the day.    Well as it turned out everyone in the class seemed to enjoy hearing mine most of all and it wasn't but a short period of time that I was asked by the same teacher if I wouldn't mind reading mine each and every day!

  He claimed I had a pretty good talent for writing short stories and had a good imagination.  I asked him, "You want me to read my diary every day in front of the class?" He responded in the affirmative.  Don't misunderstand me at all I was flattered to say the least but I also thought how strange  that if another does a diary and find out even one other person has forged their way in to have a look and a peak, how perturbed and upset they become and here I'm going to be sharing  with the world, my most personal inward thoughts to  be an open book for all to see.

Oh well, I guess  nobody could say  that I wasn't one fully transparent individual and Id probably be known as the one who had no secrets for the simple reason I wasn't allowed to have any!  Joking aside I did feel honoured and flattered like I say that he asked me to do it so I willingly complied to his request.  Some weeks later he then asked if I'd consider writing a children's book and another student of the class who was particularly talented at art would do the illustrations. This was never published professionally but just an in school thing and was to be read and hopefully enjoyed by students in  the lower grades.

 I recall even to this day the title of my story was 'Hot Day Gold'.  The theme had to do with a little  boy walking along side a creek bank and happens to observe  some gold, glittery objects in the water. He runs home grabs his wagon and tells a friend along the way. They both then hurry back down to the creek with the  wagon in toll with  the intent of doing some prospecting,  knowing that for sure they were going to become rich and prosperous, making their parents  proud to say the least, or embarrassed....I'll let you take your pick.

Both boys thought they had found the proverbial gold at the end of the rainbow and if there ever was a list of those among humanity who would soon strike it rich they felt  their names most most assuredly were on the top!    I think all in all we made about 200 copies of the book and if it so happens that some of those students in later life embraced a profitable prospecting career then maybe they`ve  got me to thank.  It could be just as true however that I need to apologize to them for inspiring them to have such a dream but I think I was quick to point out that all that glitters isn`t necessarily gold a lesson i'm sure we can apply to a great many other things in life as well.

After completing the book I was asked if i would consider writing a play.  I wrote two different ones both of which were performed by our class to younger grades, plus to a parents night visiting the school.    The town newspaper reported about my play and took pictures of it being performed. I HAD ARRIVED!  I WAS FAMOUS, at least among  the twenty-five or thirty kids of my class which probably forgot all about it one week later.

Part 6 soon to arrive