Post BSG

Battlestar Galactica had its series finale last night. I am basking in the fullness and glow of a well-earned completion. Ron Moore said no one had guessed the ending, though once seen, the ending would seem inevitable. I didn't blog about it on the BSG blogs, but three weeks before the ending, I DREAMED THE ENDING. The details weren't all the same (for example, Dwight Shrute from The Office was there with newfound heroic qualities-- I was quite sure that wouldn't be in the script, but the trajectory and events and outcomes were dead-on.

I have a history of dreaming into greater forces and happenings. This is the first time I've connected in this way to a television show, but then, Battlestar Galactica isn't just a television show. It has transcended television in the way that fine literature transcends the mere title of "book." A rare thing.

I've had various favorite shows throughout the years -- usually just watching one special one at a time. Jon still laughs that one of my favorites was the Beauty and the Beast series. But I loved it. Most of them deteriorate as they go, or have less resonance. Some stay good, but none has had such a profound impact on me as Battlestar. I feel a personal debt of gratitude to Ron Moore and the amazing actors who have brought this series to life. Having channeled into it through my dreams, I feel bound to it in a way that is beautifully clear and fully mysterious at the same time.

A year ago I visited a shaman and psychic healer in Beverley Hills. I was told I was part of a visionary group who incarnated together -- including John Malkovich and Salman Rushdie. Ron Moore, I think you are part of that group. Perhaps someday we will work together on a project. For years, I've seen myself moving to film or TV at some point (though not quite yet.) First, I need to solidify my writing and "vision" through books, I think. Though if Ron calls me after what I hope is a nice rest, I am willing to reconsider.

Melts Her Pen Goes International!

Exciting news: As of this week, Lisa Melts Her Pen has an international readership! A long-lost Spanish friend found me through my blog -- how, I don't quite know, as many of my friends here haven't even found it (possibly because I neglected to mention where to find it).

So, a big shout-out to Carmen Gutierrez in Madrid! I am so happy to be back in touch after more than 20 years! I lived in Salamanca, Spain for a year and a half during and after college. Carmen and I were "intercambios," language-exchange buddies. We took turns stumbling over our words in English and Spanish until we finally didn't much notice which language we were using. It's a beautiful thing when another language ceases to be the thing you notice and the meaning of what you're hearing and saying moves to the forefront. And then when you stop noticing even that because you're too busy becoming fast friends and going out on the town (and the farm), well, that's just the best.

If you want to read about a cool event I participated in at Carmen's parents' dairy farm in the beautiful north of Spain, look up "Special Delivery" in the awesome book Travelers Tales: Spain. It's in the original edition, but not the later one which was edited down into a smaller book. I have another story, "Toro, Torero" that is still in the second edition, which you can also check out. You can click on a link on my website: www.LisaMeltzerPenn.com under "Writings" to preview a big chunk of "Toro Torero" if you're not already running to the bookstore. Or, just click here.

So, Carmen, THAT'S actually your surprise, and a long-overdue copy of the book will be on the way to you soon!

Love, Lisa

Pot 'O Gold

I could have blogged last week. But it would have been from a strange space-cadet kind of place with a weird reverb from Vicadin and muscle relaxants and lots of Advil. Normally I don't take even one Advil. But when I need them, I'm pretty desperate. The whole right side of my back was in muscle spasms all week after "ski week" in Tahoe. I wasn't actually skiing, just trailing the kids around the mountain dragging a heavy tote bag on my shoulder. It had my whole book manuscript, which I decided to revise again and somehow thought I would have hours a day to work on while everyone else skiied, and a heavy journal, again that I would theoretically be writing in, plus all the miscellany and water bottles and extra jackets, etc.

So this week, instead of blogging, or doing much of anything else, I spent the week moaning, napping, and eating. A lot of eating. "Oh, yeah," my doctor told me when I went in for my yearly physical today and almost passed out when I saw the number on the scale, "Vicadin does have a munchies effect." That would explain the loaf of bread, two sticks of butter, and "secret" chocolate stash that mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the week.

This week it's just raining a lot. Except for having to drive in it, I don't mind it so much. It reminds me of home. We also saw two rainbows today. And that's pretty lucky.