| This is the spring-summer (2004) edition
of Scribal Tales.
It has taken a while to get this to press. The fault lies
with its editor and publisher, me, not the wonderful writers
and readers who have always been ready with their material
and desires to get Scribal Tales out to the world, as it exists
on the Internet.
First, of course, are the events that have occurred and/or
will occur during this three-month period:
Birthdays (June-August 2004):
Murray Olarnick: (84 - Don't tell Murray I gave
his age away, since he looks to be about 65 and I hate being
scolded by "The Old Man."
Tom Volberg: (40) Ah, what a party we expect to
unfold, an all day affair. Perhaps we can get another member
of the "family" to report on what should be the
birthday party celebration of 2004!
Michael Mediavilla: (39) Hey, Mike, you're catching
up. Can't wait for next year.
Angela Volberg: (No man, even an erstwhile scribe,
ever reveals a lady's age): The matriarch of the Volberg Clan,
wife of Peter; mother of: Peter, Tom, Terry-Ann, Annie, Madlyn!
Wow! And I didn't even mention the grandchildren. Perhaps
this year, another surprise celebration with Terry-Ann. More
to come on that!
Careen Votens: (A woman's privilege invoked as
to age) Family friend.
Elissa "Joy" Olarnick: The baby niece
is no longer a baby. She's 18 (August 31, 2004) and beautiful.
Love and kisses from all of us to you on so special a birthday.
The Web
Goddess doesn't age, but if she did, she'd be 35 on August
29th.
May 2004 Wrap-up: A wonderful voyage began on May
31, 2004, a 7-day cruise to Bermuda on the Celebrity's cruise
ship Zenith to celebrate the birthdays of Peter and Angela
Volberg. Terry-Ann, Dan "O", Madlyn & John (the
forever honeymooners) all joined in for a wonderful time.
The cruise was elegant, as will be evidenced by the fond memories
we all have in the celebration of a wonderful birthday celebration
for Peter and Angela. Let's do it again next year!
The Baseball Season is in full swing at Diane and
Tom Volberg's house, with Thomas and Christopher starring
for their respective teams.
Pilar Mediavilla - First tooth (May 25, 2004).
My how quickly time flies.
Annie and Mike Mediavilla: Congratulations on the
new house. Mike is working overtime on this one. He'll be
finished just in time to find another home, because this one
is too small: Annie announced she's pregnant. I'm betting
on a girl. Boy, that Annie never fails to come up with a surprise!
Joy, good health and happy wishes from all.
Olivia and Julia: Stars of their dance recital,
beautiful and graceful. We're proud of both you girls. Stop
growing up so fast!
A Special Announcement! (Drum rolls, please): Peter
Volberg (The Dad) has announced his retirement. Those of us
who know him, wish him well, but know that there has to be
yet another career around the corner for this vibrant man,
officer, soldier, statesman, who knows what's next!
Graduations: Anna and Olivia from Kindergarten;
Thomas from grade school (great party at Tom and Diane's).
Nicole Morales: A wonderful graduation party for
Nicole held at Nelson and Evelyn Carlo's palatial home. Gabe
Morales (Author of Torment) reports that the "Mistress
of Fire" made her appearance during the festivities.
Congratulations on achieving your law school degree, Nicole!
(With honors, we might add).
Murray Olarnick visited New York to celebrate Father's
Day with his sons and family for the first time in 10 years.
Thanks Dad, it was great being able to celebrate that special
day with you. Terry-Ann prepared dinner! Wow!
Not that we would ever think of missing the day with Peter
Volberg, Terry-Ann and I celebrated with an infamous Bagel
and Lox spread for breakfast at the Long Island retreat.
Happy Anniversary to John and Madlyn Singer: On
their 1st Anniversary (How about a reunion at the castle -
wouldn't that be grand?), and on their new home's total renovation,
and on your continuing commitment to love. They are enjoying
life the way it is meant to be enjoyed.
Best wishes to Chivas, on being fully recovered from her
surgery.
Lloyd and Amy Klausner: Happy 10th Anniversary.
Celebrated in the life-style of the Rich and Famous, a week
in Bermuda at the Southampton Princess.
Congratulations to Keith and Elissa Olarnick: A
total apartment makeover.
Terry-Ann and her "Girls" Spa Weekend:
Terry-Ann, Rachel Simone, Carol and Amy Knapp, away for a
spa weekend, driven there in Rachel's new Infinity. A wonderful
time had by all. But, can anyone explain how Terry's new white
outfit is now all pink - ah, the great wine incident - designs
by Amy.
How come, if the weekend was so relaxing, every one of
the "girls" were fast asleep by 10 p.m. come Sunday?
Hmm, wonder what was going on?
Comings and Goings at 60 Centre Street: Another
great summer get-together held for the court reporters at
Harbor Lights. Congratulations to the Party Planning Group.
A Convention Get-Together in Chicago at the Lakeside Green
Room, hosted by Ross Upshaw, Daniel Olarnick and Terry-Ann,
where we plan to celebrate the defeat of the dreaded "stenomaskers."
Convention Souvenir Special: A Convention Souvenir
Lollipop with the inscription, "Don't be a Sucker - Vote
No!" will be available to all who request it. A promotion
idea thought up by Terry-Ann! It is sure to be a collector's
item.
Heroine of the Month Award! This month's prize
goes to:
Aunt Tick. "Aunt" Tick supplied me with all the
notes of what went on during the past few months, after a
computer crash caused all my files to vanish. Knowing whom
the family historian is allowed this section of the column
to be written. Let's have a big, "Thanks, Aunt Tick,"
from everybody. Perhaps our favorite silent reader can be
persuaded to become the monthly news gatherer.
The "Streak" Continues: That feared casino
twosome, Peter and Karen (aka Peter Pan and Tinkerbell) continued
their wonderful gambling streak with a visit to Vegas, as
guests of the Palm (no kidding, all expenses paid). Congratulations,
the "streak" continues. Those of you who visit the
Palm will be able to see Karen's picture in the Hall of Fame
of Winners. She hit a "royal" for 4 Big Ones and
the Palm took a picture of our smiling Tinkerbell. As for
Peter, smart idea to be partners with the little lady. Isn't
it about time you contributed something to this "streak?"
Just kidding. They make a wonderful gambling team. Whatever
they're doing, don't change it. The "streak" lives:
Three years and counting! Wow!
Kids Keep You Young: I thoroughly enjoy relating what
I feel are these short glimpses of how a child's mind works.
It keeps you young and laughing.
Christopher Explains the Rules:
Christopher Volberg, godson of Terry-Ann Volberg, and perpetual
family joker was overheard engaging in a conversation with
his sister, Olivia, as follows:
Christopher: Aunt Terry, can I have a Slurpie, please!!!
Olivia: Christopher, you know, mom said you can't have
a Slurpie because …
Christopher: -- Oliv, let me explain, when Aunt Terry
watches us, there are no rules! You can have whatever you
want as long as you don't "roughhouse," or wander
off, 'cause then she'll get a headache. So, that's it. We
can have what we want as long as we don't give Aunt Terry
a headache!"
Anna Paige Explains Heroes to "Uncle" Danny:
As my niece, Elissa can tell you, I love to "tease"
my nieces and nephews (I've been teasing Elissa for close
to 18 years). I do the same to all the children. Thomas, Christopher,
Olivia, Julia, and Anna Paige.
One afternoon, while watching Beauty and the Beast with
Anna, I began teasing her as to how handsome Gaston, the antagonist
to Belle and the Beast, really is.
Uncle Dan: You know, Anna Paige, that Gaston is so handsome,
I bet Belle falls in love with him.
Anna Paige: Oh, please! (Exasperated)
Uncle Danny: No, really, that ugly beast is trying to
fall in love with Belle, but she'll end up marrying Gaston,
because he's handsome. I'm sure she'll see how handsome and
brave Gaston is when he fights the ugly, ugly beast.
(I then continued to expound upon Gaston's virtues, much to
Anna's dismay at my lack of knowledge concerning Beauty and
the Beast, until she couldn't take it any moreJ!)
Anna Paige: You know, Uncle Danny, the hero is not always
handsome - sometimes -- (exasperated even more) -- the Beast
is the hero!"
So to all my fellow fantasy writers, remember: Sometimes
the Beast is the Hero!
Coming Events: The Chicago Court Reporters Convention.
Another cruise for Terry-Ann and Dan "O". This
time it is a special occasion (again): The celebration of
birthdays, Terry-Ann, Murray and Careen.
Recently Read:
While I haven't had much time to write, I did begin the
Stephen King series, "The Dark Tower." It is King's
opus, so to speak, a series he started 20 years ago and is
still working on finishing. Talk about persistent. I have
now completed the first two books of the series and have started
the third. I'll give it a solid 8 out of 10. It is interesting
to see how King has matured as a writer over the years. His
basic style has remained the same, but as he has matured,
so has his writing.
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. A prequel to The Da Vinci
Code. Excellent. A great summer read. The author entices the
reader with a spellbinding tale displaying the conflict between
scientific dogma and the esoteric hierarchy of the church.
What you can expect to find in this month's issue of
Scribal Tales:
Shared World: Janice Jackson
enters a tale about some of her favorite characters, in this,
her first chapter of what a typical day is like at the Black
Dragon Inn.
Janice spent quite some time developing on this chapter,
developing the characters, and "hinting" at background
stories.
Those who know Janice understand how she hates rewrites.
I caused her to do five rewrites as her "editor."
Then on the final corrected copy, I lost my computer files.
So, if you find any broken thoughts in this chapter, blame
the publisher and editor. However, to all fantasy writers,
send your characters to the Black Dragon Inn, where Karl Strange
is anxious to meet fellow adventurers to commence any quest
for adventure in the mythical valley called Talos!
Hybrid Tales: At last, a new
entry! Our own illustrator, Dan Mills, submits, "The
Last Roundup," a short story, rated "R" by
this editor. It is not for anyone under the age of 18. Dan
has a wonderful illustration to go along with this short story.
I expect that Michael Battaglia (The Pretentious Twit) will
review this short story in the next issue.
Pretentious Twit:
In this Corner, Gabe (Torment) Morales v. Michael (Pretentious
Twit) Battaglia!
Wow, what a month this column has in production overtime.
In the last issue, Michael Battaglia reviewed Gabe Morales
first chapter of Torment, explaining to all the readers of
this column how much Michael dislikes fantasy, but how much
he enjoys reviewing, and giving forth his odd-sense of insights
to both the reader and the author.
Gabe Morales fires back with an Open Letter to the Pretentious
Twit ("Dear Twit"), where Gabe gave as good as he
got.
Not to be outdone by any author, Michael fires back with
a 2000 + word response. These two heavyweights can really
slug it out. Read the correspondence. Not only is the correspondence
well written, but also it displays the technical skills of
both writers.
Alas, your editor was not spared either. Michael "B"
was really in high gear this month, as he reviewed my second
installment of Ebon Grupe. Michael has tremendous insight
into my writing, and I am sure I will pick up some of his
pointers. Some of the areas he commented on, I agreed with,
others I totally disagreed with. I do tend to write in a short
and concise manner, allowing the reader to see the image form
in their minds, rather than to write specific references.
However, I enjoyed the review and rate it A-plus for a
reviewer called the Pretentious Twit, that is!
To say that Michael was real busy during this three-month
cycle is a bit of an understatement. He answered Gabe's letter,
reviewed Ebon Grupe, took the time to review Gabe Morales'
second chapter of Torment!
This turned out to be an in-depth review and shows the
technical skill that Michael possesses and how he appreciates
Gabe's talent.
But wait! Michael wins the Writer of the Month Award,
as he submits a short story, Stretching the Tear. (For
Michael, it is a short story, for most "normal"
authors, it would be considered a novella!)
Fantasy Tales: Darkness
of the Night by Gabe Morales, rated PG 14 (Young Adults
- Older Adults who love Fantasy).
Gabe continues to thrill us with his wonderful tale, Torment,
featuring his wonderful cast of characters.
Gabe's writing is very visual. He brings to life not only
the characters, (who are on a quest, but for what they have
yet to discover) but also the customs and lands found on the
planet Odessa. I am delighted with this new chapter, as Gabe
introduces a wonderful new character, Rasa, a shape-shifting
gnome.
The chapter's title is, Darkness of the Night.
Here is a paragraph that will show you how well Gabe brings
to life this character to the reader:
Hadrian turned to Valdor and began speaking, "His
name is…" but was unexpectedly cut off by the little
gnome. "My name is Rasa Dergaineous, loyal aide to the
Great Sorceress of Quaron, Sidria Ailema!" As he finished
replying to Valdor, Rasa turned to Hadrian and held a vicious
stare at the halfling, arching his left eyebrow.
That's fantasy writing in its purest state!
Tristian's World -
Science Fiction Tales:
Stretching the Tear, by Michael Battaglia. This is
a short story about a sad time in "Tristian's" life.
It took me a while to get into the story, and then I started
to review it, privately, for Michael, as is our wont. I reviewed
it page by page. Towards the mid-point of the story it began
to take shape, to send a message to all the readers: That
life is short, or long, but life is not forever.
Read this tale. Michael is a master craftsman with the
written word, and an author who really knows his character
and the world he has created.
Illustrations: Dan Mills
has created a new artwork, The Dragon Slayer. Dan is
entering this work in two art contests. We'll be posting the
results, but for your viewing pleasure, you can see it now
in our Illustrations section.
Flash: Our Pretentious Twit, Michael Battaglia, must have
found some spare time in his very hectic life and reviewed
Gabe Morales' second chapter of Torment. Get ready
for September, folks, because I'm sure Gabe will be commenting
on this review, as well as defending Ebon Grupe's slightly
tarnished reputation!
In closing: I'm sure I missed some announcement,
some article, some celebration (like the July 4th celebration
at Hidden Lake New Hampshire, the Volberg spring-summer-fall
getaway retreat) but if you write me at Dolarnick@aol.com
and give me a heads up, I'll be sure to mention it in the
September issue. Until then, have a wonderful summer!
Dan "O"
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