Okay, gang.

It was about 6PM last night before I was finally able to just sit down at my desk and re-read the original screenplay for “Tell My Bones: The Helen LaFrance Story.”

I had spent a chunk of the afternoon yesterday just trying to get everything organized — all the original notes, photos, original signed “Life Rights” paperwork, signed by both Helen LaFrance and Wanda Stubblefield. Get a current address on file for Wanda, and make sure she’s still alive (she is). I also had to re-register the script with the WGA because the original registration had expired.

And then separate which notes were from the original screenplay and which were from the theatrical version. (The folders from both versions, when stacked together, weigh about 40 pounds! Not joking. And this doesn’t count an entire briefcase full of stuff that Gus Van Sant Sr gave me regarding Helen.)

When I was finally able to just sit and focus on the script, I was worried about how I was going to feel. There are so many things I love about the theatrical version. But the screenplay version is totally 100% family-friendly and meant for general TV viewing. I was worried that the writing wouldn’t hold up after all this time.

But, wow, gang. Except for a couple of words that need to be capitalized, I would not change a thing.

I sat there for almost 2 hours, just reading. I was so caught up in it. It’s just a beautiful script.

Not that a director won’t want changes (and they might want to pull in aspects of the theatrical version), but I’m totally 100% okay with shopping it as it is. (Back when I first wrote it and sent it around, the feedback was great. And it scored very high at the Austin Film Festival and it won in its category at the Cleveland International Film Festival.)

I had been worried that I would feel too critical of it now, since it’s so “G-rated”, but I absolutely wasn’t. And of course, Helen LaFrance has long-since passed away, but I felt her spirit last night filling my room, wanting her story to finally get told.

It was a really incredible feeling. So I’m excited. And just feeling so blessed.

With Sandra attached, there are producers at both streamers and cable TV channels who will want to read it, but there is also a director I want to pitch it to, first. I will probably do that on Thursday. He’s not known for directing TV movies but I’m going to pitch him anyway.

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Okay!

Well, if you saw my quick post from yesterday afternoon, you’re well aware of how excited I am about the publication of my upcoming novel, too! (The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.)

What a thrill that was to find her official “Welcome” announcement in my Instagram feed!

And I was not kidding about needing some help with filing! And a filing cabinet!!

But for now, I stacked everything in the bottom drawer of the dresser in the guest room. At least everything from the last 5 years is in the same place and the cats can no longer get at it.

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Okay.

And another WOW!

My drive on those backroads to go to the Social Security office yesterday morning — just spectacular. The same roads I took to that mall to ostensibly “see a movie” back in the Fall (I ended up walking out on the movie). There was still some snow out on the fields and the trees and rolling Appalachian foothills, but the SUN was just everywhere. It was so beautiful.

And so now the Social Security stuff is off my plate. (After about 2 years of them taking money out of my retirement check every month.) (And now all they do is take an even larger chunk of money out of my retirement check for Medicare…)

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Well, I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t had time to be on Instagram much or what, but I still found nothing cool to share here today, so I’m back to the private desktop stash!

This might be of interest!

Here in the US, public schools have the Scholastic Book Club.

Back when I was in the 7th Grade (12 years old), you didn’t have to join it or anything, the magazines came to our classrooms and you ordered whatever you wanted through the teacher.

I practically died and went to heaven when I was able to buy THIS poster through Scholastic!!

And when it finally arrived (the packages were delivered to us at school), I was so excited that I went to the Nurse’s office and said I was sick and needed to go home.

Since I never, ever went home sick from school, she called my mom and let me go home right away.

I went directly up to my room and stuck the poster on my wall, then got in bed (pretending to be sick) and I turned on the radio, and stared at that poster for hours!!

I usually post a cropped version of this photo here on the blog, but in the actual photo you can sort of see the poster!! (The photo of me was taken over a year later, though.)

So that is in lieu of my Keith photo for today.

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And it is now 11 days until this! (Buy tickets here.)

And here’s this!

This is from when Bob Dylan saw the Wild God Tour here in Crazeysburg. Oops, of course I meant in Paris.

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And I guess I better get going, gang.

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!!

This cassette tape is currently in my retro boombox next to my bed. (I can’t believe I saved all these cassette tapes, gang. I must have known this retro boombox was in my future…)

And this morning, when I pressed the PLAY button, this was the song that came bouncing out!!

(I actually sort of knew Fred Schneider when I lived in NYC, gang. Enough to say “Hi, how ya doin’?” whenever I saw him on the street down in Chelsea and he would smile back and wave and say, “Hey!”)

“Dry County” from that terrific album, Cosmic Thing, by the B-52s!! 1989. Enjoy, gang!

“Dry County”

It’s one of those lazy days
I’ve got nothing to do
Let the wind blow round my head
Let a cloud be my bed
When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head
Throw ’em to the floor and kick ’em out the door
When the blues kick you in the head
And you roll out of bed in the morning
Just sit on the porch and swing
Sit on the porch and swing

The heat of the day’s got me in a haze
Those lazy days of summer are here

When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head
Throw ’em to the floor and kick ’em out the door
When the blues kick you in the head
And you roll out of bed in the morning
Just sit on the porch and swing
Sit on the porch and swing

Just let the breezes flow,
Through your mind,
I feel so fine

When the blues whomp you up on the side of the head
Throw ’em to the floor and kick ’em out the door
When the blues kick you in the head
And you roll out of bed in the morning
Just sit on the porch and swing
Sit on the porch and swing

Here come the girls up the road
What they want to do they can’t do
Cause it’s a… Dry County

Kicking stones and laughing low
Nowhere to go. It’s a dry, dry, such a dry, dry,
Dust devils blowing in your hair but what do you care
When there’s nowhere to go
It’s a dry, dry, county

c – 1989 Julian Strickland, Catherine Pierson, Frederick Schneider, Cynthia Wilson