The Mind of Tom - Very, Very Strange

I can't explain it.
I'm just reporting.
Late Saturday. March 7, 2009.
   This afternoon I saw the Clint Eastwood movie Grand Torino. Lots of violence. Great profanity. Politically incorrect. Some foreign language spoken WITHOUT subtitles. In the end, a guy is killed by gunfire - lots of gunfire. He was shot maybe 200 times. It was wonderful.
    I fell asleep upon returning home and dreamed of riding off with Dirty Hairy into the Colorado Rocky Mountains. We were in a streaky-green Hummer. I think we shot a Sasquatch wearing a Rockies cap.
   Woke up at 6 p.m., having missed my 5:30 meeting. No guilt about that. Clint showed enough of that character trait in the film.
   An hour and a half later I found myself sitting in the Ninth Avenue United Church of Christ watching a performance of The Longmont Chorale. They sang some stuff by Franz Joseph Hayden ... celebrated his being dead 200 years.
   The highlight was a performance of "Missa in Angustiis" (the Lord Nelson Mass). For the most part it was sung in Latin. I cried a little. I have not heard a Mass sung in Latin for 55 years ... about the same time as Clint Eastwood's Grand Torino character was fighting in the Korean War.
   I was not in Korea - I was in Miss Craig's Latin class learning the language and getting subliminal instruction in how to become a good Catholic.
   My friend Sally got me a ticket to the Chorale performance and overall, it was great. However, they put her on the riser behind a woman with a tall blond wig. Sally could not see the faces I made at her. Silently I prayed that Clint Eastwood would come along. He'd known some cool stuff to do about the blond.
   About 9:15 my mind started really acting up. I imagined that the Grand Torino foreigners were yelling at Clint in Latin. I became convinced that the old lady sitting beside me had died. (It was just past her bed time.)
   Before I crossed that invisible line beyond which psychotherapists are needed, I heard their singing of Dona nobis pasem! It was the final stanza of the performance (and rightly it means "grant us peace.")
   It was a wonderful event. However, the whole day was very, very strange. As I go to sleep, I pray that God doesn't waste his time explaining the diversity of my entertainment to me. Don't want to hear it ... might have something to do with the word "nuts."

With Respect & Gratitude,
Tom
http://aronbestsellers.com

Money - Money - Money

"It is more satisfactory to live richly to than die rich."
                                            Sir Thomas Browne

   "I want the last check I write in life to bounce."
                                from the movie - Oceans Eleven

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Alaska is getting older and so am I

Wow! It surprises me to realize that when I worked in Juneau, the State was less than ten years old. That also was the era of the people and events I wrote into my novel Sour Rain.
I do not feel ancient, but I think that my bear-hunting days are behind me. I'd still go to Alaska to try to catch a fat trout or a huge salmon. Yep, no more bears and I never was excited about the moose, a caribou, or the teenie weenie coastal deer.
Maybe I should consider doing something I long believed was too tame for me to do ... find a date and take her on a cruise to Alaska. A guy should go to Alaska at least once every fifty years!

With Respect & Gratitude,
Tom
http://aronbestsellers.com

1-800-208-0200 Free BrochureContact

Alaska's 50th Anniversary Happy 50th Birthday Alaska! Alaska became the 49th State of the Union on January 3, 1959. The United States congress signed the bill authorizing a vote for statehood by Alaska residents in the summer of 1958. The following year, on January 3rd, 1959 Alaskan's voted to become a state and President Eisenhower ratified the count later that day. The historic photo to your left shows President Dwight Eisenhower with the Secretary of Interior Gerald Ford and Alaska's territorial Governor, Mike Stepovich. Statewide celebrations began as early as last summer and will continue throughout the year. This summer will be a special time to visit Alaska as many communities and tourism businesses continue to recognize the anniversary locally through special events and special savings for travelers. In Anchorage, the Anchorage Museum is celebrating its grand reopening after completing a $106 million expansion. The Museum has special that exhibits will mark the anniversary including the American Museum of Natural History's traveling exhibit "Gold!" that will be sure to amaze summer visitors with more than 300 gold objects. The Anchorage Museum will add an Alaska-specific gold exhibit titled "Pay Dirt!' explaining why there is gold in Alaska, how gold has historically affected the state's economy and what life was like during the Gold Rush. In addition, the Anchorage Museum will offer a special exhibit honoring the 50th Anniversary of Alaska Statehood called "Life in Alaska Leading to Statehood" Also new for the year, The Alaska Railroad is beginning premium Gold Star dome service to Seward. A ride via the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward is one of the most scenic routes in Alaska and traveling via the Gold Star dome car will make it an even more memorable experience. The Alaska Native Heritage Center is celebrating its 10 year anniversary along with Alaska"s 50th anniversary. The Center's theme this year is "Changing Lives, Living Values" to reflect the changes that have occurred to Native Alaskan culture in the modern era and the effort to maintain their traditional values. This summer is sure to be a unique opportunity to save on Alaska Tour & Travel"s custom vacation packages as there are terrific values to be found on our web specials page including our "Turn 50 with Alaska and travel FREE" offer which provides the opportunity for visitors who are turning 50 in 2009 to travel free both on the Alaska Railroad and on the Park Connection motorcoach.

Life Is What We Make It

"Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be."
– Grandma Moses
 

                              About Grandma Moses

American folk artist Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses, began painting in her late 70's when arthritis made it difficult for her to wield an embroidery needle. She was born in 1860 in rural New York and lived most of her life as a farmer's wife until an art collector discovered her work gathering dust in a shop window. She became a success at age 80 for her colorful, primitive depictions of country life and her feisty, down-home personality. She died in 1961 at age 101.


With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Hope & Expectation

"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something wonderful tomorrow."
– Orison Swett Marden

                          About Orison Swett Marden

Orison Swett Marden, the American writer who is considered the forerunner of motivational authors, wrote an average of two books a year from 1894 to 1924. He was born on a New England farm in 1850. During college, he worked in hotel management. He then used his seed money to buy a resort in Rhode Island. Wanting to inspire people as he himself had been inspired by British author Samuel Smiles, he began writing books like You Can, But Will You? and founded Success Magazine. He died in 1924.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

The Economy Of The Heart

"Forgiveness is the economy of the heart.…forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."
– Hannah More
 

                                      About Hannah More

English writer and philanthropist Hannah More, one of the most influential women of her time, is seen as a proto-feminist because she argued for true education for women. She was born near Bristol in 1745. When her long engagement to a local landowner ended badly, he gave her a yearly stipend in apology, which allowed her the freedom to move to London and write plays. She later shifted to philanthropic work and writing popular religious tracts. She died in 1833.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Goals Aren't Just For Hockey

February 22, 2009 Quote of the Day "The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." – Benjamin Mays

 

                              About Benjamin Mays

African-American minister Benjamin Mays laid the foundation for the civil rights movement with his books and speeches and as a mentor to Martin Luther King. He was born in 1894 in South Carolina to tenant farmer parents. His study, The Negro's Church, co-written with Joseph Nicholson, was a groundbreaking look at the black religious experience. Mays served as president of Morehouse College from 1940 to 1967. His work emphasized the inherent dignity in all people. He died in 1984.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Being Discontent Can Be A Blessing

This is true for me right now - February 19, 2009, at 4:50 a.m. ---

"Discontent is the first step in progress. No one knows what is in him till he tries, and many would never try if they were not forced to."
– Basil Maturin

                                About Basil Maturin

British cleric Basil Maturin, renowned for his oratory skill, was ordained as an Anglican but later converted to Catholicism. He was born in 1847 in Ireland. He ministered in Philadelphia before returning to England in 1888 to resolve his conflict about his religious identity. He died on board the Lusitania when it was sunk by a German U-boat in 1915. He was observed giving last rites as the ship sank, looking pale but calm.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

A Very Special Tevye

   One of the great privileges I enjoy is to witness a live stage performance, be it music, dance, or drama. Every performance is a unique expression of talent, even if the production has been done thousands of times. 
   The priceless value is that each show is dynamic. The performers usually want to improve their presentation in every show. Equally important is that each audience can participate by feeding the actors with its energy.   
   I get to participate in a live show without involving my inadequate talent, yet the performers feel it, respond to it. 
   That means I get an original art work every time, unlike films or videos that always are the same. Their good scenes are always good and their gaffs always remain a flubber. I can throw a pillow at the TV set and the video does not change.
   However, in live performances there never can be identical ones, never another one exactly like the one I attended. Live performances never have the same audiences and the energy in the theater is always slightly different. 
   Each show always is "one of a kind."
   Therefore, with great anticipation I went to the Boulder (Colorado) High School presentation of Fiddler on the Roof. Not only was I not disappointed, I was amazed with the precocious talent of several of the actors, especially Noah Kloor who portrayed Tevye.
   Noah was not just "good for his age." He was good - period. For me Tevye now will always look, sound, and act like Noah Kloor of Boulder in 2009. He will succeed wherever he goes to college. 
   
With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Imagination Is The Beginning

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."
– George Bernard Shaw

                      About George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw, the witty British playwright best known for Arms and the Man and Pygmalion, is the only person to win both a Nobel Prize and an Academy Award. He was born in Dublin in 1856 but moved to London in the 1870s to begin his literary career. He wrote five novels, all rejected, before becoming a music critic; he began writing plays after a stint as drama critic. He was an outspoken Democratic Socialist; his plays include highly political prefaces. He died in 1950.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

High Inspirations

Far away in the sunshine are my highest inspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead."
– Louisa May Alcott
 

                           About Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott, the beloved American author, is best known for her semiautobiographical novel, Little Women, which was made into a movie five different times. Born in 1832 near Philadelphia, she grew up in Massachusetts. Her family lived in the genteel poverty depicted in her fiction. She wrote lurid stories anonymously to bring in money but gained fame under her own name with young adult novels, which held readers with their warm characterizations and simple, engaging style. She died in 1888.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

I Don't Need To Know The "How," Just The "What"

"Once the 'what' is decided, the 'how' always follows. We must not make the 'how' an excuse for not facing and accepting the 'what.'"
– Pearl S. Buck
 

                            About Pearl S. Buck

Prolific American author Pearl S. Buck is best known for her 1931 novel, The Good Earth, which depicted peasant life in China; the book, published by the John Day Company, won the Pulitzer Prize. She was born in West Virginia in 1892, but her missionary parents raised her in China. She and her first husband lived in China until 1934, when they had to flee the political strife. She later divorced and married John Day's publisher, Richard Walsh, in 1935. In 1938, she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. By the time of her death in 1973, she had published over 70 books, including collections of stories, poetry, and children's literature.


With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

A Pun From A Funny Guy

"I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian."
                        -- Renz Edwards
                        Scottsdale, Arizona  

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

The Famous "Rough Rider" - TR

   I've been a fan of Teddy Roosevelt since I was in elementary school. He actually stayed in an old, famous inn up at Estes Park a hundred years ago. There's an unusual rocky ridge south of that town known as "Teddy's Teeth." Now I've got another inspirational reason to think of him with respect ---

I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do!. That is character."
– Theodore Roosevelt

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Alaskan Job Opening (non political)

Position: Surveyor

Salary: $200 per hour (tax-free)

Qualification: Must be fast on your feet

Isn't it comforting to know that when you are about to become a bear's breakfast your buddy is standing there taking photos?

A Very Significant Quote For Me

   Oh, yeah, I need this quote branded
       on my consciousness forever!

"Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own instead of someone else's."
– Billy Wilder

                                 About Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder, the Austrian-American film director who gave us classic films like the farcical Some Like It Hot and the sardonic Sunset Boulevard, was a true rags-to-riches success story. Born in 1906 in the Austria-Hungarian empire, he fled the Nazi regime in 1934, arriving in Los Angeles with $11 and speaking almost no English. By the 1950's, he had become one of Hollywood's greatest directors, directing more than 60 films. He won six Oscars and the National Medal of Honor. He died in 2002.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

My Thought For Today

January 23, 2009 Quote of the Day "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps today of its strength." – A. J. Cronin

About A. J. Cronin

Archibald Joseph Cronin, the Scottish novelist who wrote as A. J. Cronin, had a full career as a doctor before turning to fiction. He was born in 1896, worked as a Royal Navy surgeon during World War I, and later was appointed Medical Inspector of Mines in Wales. Some of his most famous books are The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom, and Pocketful of Rye. His works were known to reflect both his religious beliefs as a Roman Catholic and his medical training. He died in 1981.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

More Bear Love

More information about the bear. You see, we can move them around wherever we want, right?
Remember, these are trained professionals. Don't try this on your own when visiting Alaska.

With Respect & Gratitude,
Tom
http://aronbestsellers.com/

----- Check out these photos -----

Next time, I'll take the pictures.. AND

..............and YOU can let the f*king bear out!!!

My Memories of the Alaska Brown Bear

   While in Alaska I never shot a bear and no bear ever bit or clawed me. However, several of those big critters scared the beans out of me, up close and personal.
   I also watched several autopsies on the mutilated bodies of brown bear victims. The awesome power of those brutes caused unbelievable harm to the guys who didn't get out of their way fast enough.
   No one really seemed to have a surefire way of beating an Alaska Brown in his home domain.
   This quote pretty well describes what I came to believe about dancing with bears in Alaska:

A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice.
                       (Quote From Edgar Watson Howe)

Pithy American newspaperman Edgar Watson Howe was known as the "Sage of Potato Hill." He was born in Indiana in 1853. He learned the printing trade at his father's shop. He left home at age 14 and by age 18, he was editing a local paper in Colorado. In 1877, he established the Atchison, Kansas, Daily Globe. He also wrote fiction; his most successful novel, The Story of a Country Town, was a bleak portrayal of life on the prairie. He died in 1937.

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With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

"I Know My Rights!"

   While I was an Assistant District Attorney in Juneau, Alaska, no one had tasers or nonlethal enforcement stuff more sophisticated than a stout night stick. However, the Troopers I knew had amazing persuasion power. If any of those old boys are still around, they probably would be envious of this Patrolman's technical advantage.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

Click on this video:

Lawnmower DUI Taser Arrest

Inspired Today

"Hope is not a dream, but a way
of making dreams become reality."


With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

My Alaska Dream Is Still There - Just Different

I was a dreamer about Alaska 50 years ago and got to live and work there 40 years ago. Those dreams were lived out in the pages of my novel Sour Rain.
I still have Alaska dreams, but now they are different. They are more "civilized". See the message below. My friends tell me that it's a great way to live.

With Respect & Gratitude,
Tom
http://aronbestsellers.com/

Alaska Trips - Cruise and Land

We know Alaska. Big ships, small ships,
land only and low prices.

http://www.alaskacruises.com/

Are You going To Finish Strong?

This is worth every second it takes to watch. http://www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html With Respect & Gratitude, Tom http://aronbestsellers.com