μέντορας

The above word means mentor in Greek. I studied Greek a semester at Fresno State. It was one of the hardest but most beloved classes I had the pleasure of having.

Today at work, a co-worker and I exchanged phone numbers. She just got into the Master’s program at State and was informing me that today would be her last day working with me. I said good, now we can be friends. She replied, “even better, I need someone like you to mentor me. You can teach me all you know about English and literature and make me a better writer.”

Another co-worker quickly jumped in that he had a mentor while in college and it changed his life and opened doors in business and made available many opportunities for growth.

In life, we are given many people that really change our paths. Some may be family, or friends or college professors. The first mention of a mentor can be found in Homer’s The Odyssey. The word mentor actually derived from such a story.

In Greek mythology, Mentor was a great trusted friend of Odysseus and tutor to his son Telemachus. Odysseus’s wife Athena would often assume the form of Mentor and give advice to their son while Odysseus was off fighting the Trojan war, thus beginning the role of a mentor in one’s life. The name mentor means wise and trusted counselor.

I may no longer be in college, but I don’t think one is ever to old to have a mentor. I know now, as a mother and wife, and writer, I too, would love a mentor. I am going to have to find one or bring an old one back. Like a former boss of mine, who does non-profit work. She made such a huge impact on me and although we are still in contact, finding time to meet with her proves harder and harder. But I may just have to find the time. The conversation today really opened me up to the fact that we all need someone to look up to, to confide in and grow from and with and not just a friend but a mentor.

Here are some great famous people that I came across that had influential mentors. So who is your mentor?

 
William Jefferson Clinton : Nelson Mandela was Clintons mentor. Clinton has this to say about Mandela-"He came out of twenty-seven years in prison a stronger, greater man than he was when he went in," Clinton wrote. "He said his transformation began when he realized his tormentors could take everything from him 'except my mind and my heart. Those things I would have to give them. I decided not to give them away. And neither should you.' "

Stanley Tucci ( I just love this guy. He is so amazing): says his father, head of a high school art department in New York, was also his greatest mentor. "As a teacher he had humor and patience, adapting himself easily to each student's needs, personality, and ability," Tucci wrote. "Most important, he taught without judgment, believing that grades should not even be given in art.... it was for these reasons that I grew up not being afraid of my creative impulses, but following them."

And of course the amazing Supreme Court Justice. My hero, Sonia Sotomayor.“When a young person, even a gifted one, grows up without proximate living examples of what she may aspire to become--whether lawyer, scientist, artist, or leader in any realm--her goal remains abstract. Such models as appear in books or on the news, however inspiring or revered, are ultimately too remote to be real, let alone influential. But a role model in the flesh provides more than inspiration; his or her very existence is confirmation of possibilities one may have every reason to doubt, saying, 'Yes, someone like me can do this.”
― Sonia Sotomayor

& a few more celebs.

Christian Dior, fashion designer, mentored Yves St. Laurent, fashion designer

Maya Angelou, poet, mentored Oprah Winfrey, actress and talk show host.

Oprah Winfrey mentored Dr. Phil McGraw, psychologist and talk show host

Sylvia Plath

            

It was summer 2002, when I first read her work. The sun was fervent as always in Fresno,  piercing life with its heat. while I sat on the floor of the Humanities building at Fresno City College, speed reading my English assignment. Class would begin in less than thirty minutes, and I knew the instructor for this class loved to call on random students in the classroom and ask, ....so what did you think of the poem, tell me how it made you feel…. I didn’t want to be oblivious to his queries. So as usual, minutes before class, I read the three poems assigned. The last one, Daddy, I read, and read, and reread, and wrote on the side of the page, highlighted words, like-  Ach du  and  lines, like- I used to pray to recover you & The boot in the face, the brute, Brute heart of a brute like you.

I mouthed the stanzas slowly, allowing each word to drizzle out of my mouth, like molasses, sweet to the tongue, a treat for my ears as her written words were spoken, Plath’s poems were like a revelation to me, revealing the beauty of words and its power. Plath’s work had a heartbeat; it was alive. Each poem was full of the abundance life offers, complete with fear and the quiet beauty of it all. Even today, her work still lives on.

 Soon after i found myself  purchasing Plath’s “The Bell Jar” in audio format, it was read by celebrity Maggie Gyllenhaal, such a great choice. Maggie’s voice was perfect, no other woman, save Plath herself, could have done it justice.

This year is the 50^th anniversary of her life. In honor of this during the London Literature Festival, several British actors and writers will be reading from Plath’s book “Ariel”. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be than there come May 26. Hopefully, it will be broadcast on an American network so American fans of Plath can partake of her poems being read aloud. There really is something about poetry being read aloud that is so beautiful and Plath's words are the best.  

If you've never had the pleasure of reading any of Sylvia Plath poems, I recommend stopping by any bookstore or even google some of her work and enjoy. Open your mind and heart to poetry, it is the best thing for the soul or at least that's what my physician says. :)

~~~ Francine

 

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Movie Review ** a bit of a spoiler alert

There is not a better actor in film today than the wonderful, Ryan Gosling.

                                      

In "The Place Beyond The Pines" he gives another polarizing performance.

The movie starts off with Gosling, a chiseled, tattooed motorcycle risk taker, working in a traveling fair. It takes no time at all to realize that Gosling is a risk taking loner. He is mysterious and confident and by the looks of it a criminal with nothing to lose.

Eva Mendes shows up within the first twenty minutes of the movie. She is remarkable. Her acting is done with such a feminine frailty. It is clear she holds a burden, one in which she wants to share with Gosling but instead holds the dilemma within. He explains he wont be back for an entire year. She agrees with this and again states she is okay and has nothing to say. Although it does not show in the movie that they were ever a couple, rather just maybe a one night stand.

The movie picks up a year later. Gosling is back in town for his risky motorcycle act and he stops by Ro's house ( the name of Mendes's character). Her mother is there, she is holding a white, blue eyed baby and her mother explains the baby belongs to Gosling.

This baby changes the course of his life. Prior to this knowledge Gosling is a free-living, wild, daredevil without a commitment in the world. Yet, that all changes when he sees his son. Unfortunately, Ro is in a relationship and tells him this. Nevertheless, he is committed to being a father. So he quits the bike riding stunts and dedicates his life to being a father, or trying to be.

Everything after this he does for his son, good, bad, law abiding or not. The movie takes the audience on unexpected turns. Gosling meets another loner man who compliments Gosling's fast bike riding skills and the two become instant friends. Bank robberies occur, violence, another fling between he and Mendes and moments shared with his son that are truly heartbreaking.

Ro never leaves her boyfriend and within time refuses Gosling the privilege to even see their son, Jason .

Bradley Cooper comes in shortly after this. He is astounding. He plays the good cop, fresh out of law school and focused on Justice. Ray Liotta who is fantastic in everything he acts in plays the corrupt cop. Although Liotta is always a pleasure to see on screen, this story line is a little fluffy, and could have been left out. But it paves the way for Cooper to show his good law abiding goody-goody side. Complete opposite to Gosling character.

There is a scene where Cooper's character Avery is in therapy, the expression on his face when asked a question, the real believability he is able to demonstrate, the sadness in his eyes, his expression, shows that Cooper is not just the funny man from The Hangover, but rather that he is a true talent with so much more to dish out in his career.

Sadly, Gosling is in half the movie. And trust me his absence is felt. I kept wanting more of him and this character that he plays with such a polarizing punch. He takes this bad boy loner, with nothing to lose and makes him something no one wants to see go. He has such great charm even in a tattooed hardcore biker role.

The biggest mistake the director did was to kill him off mid -way in the movie. I longed for more of him and really rooted that he would get a chance to be a father.

I don't want to ruin the entire film and trust me , I could go on and on. I loved this movie. I loved the storyline , I loved the acting. I loved the directing. I loved the writing.

The director is Derek Cianfrance  who also directed Blue Valentine which also stared Ryan Gosling and is another one of my favorite films. The Place Beyond the Pines takes place throughout 17 years. You see the lives of many change and yet, stay in he same place with hurt and fear and regret.

A fathers blood runs deep and calls out even from the grave, sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and this movie shows this precisely. I can not say enough how Ryan  Gosling's acting was miraculous. For me, his best performance was in Half Nelson, he was also nominated for an Oscar for that film, and rightfully so. He played a crackhead high school teacher perfectly.

Yet, In The Place Beyond the Pines, he is better. He is amazing. He is movie-heaven-sent.. If he does not get an Oscar nomination and an Oscar for his performance in this movie there is no justice in the world. I hope you watch this film and enjoy it. It is worth watching at least four or five times. It will leave you in awe, deep thought and such an appreciation for real acting & great screenwriting. It will have you singing the praises of Ryan Gosling like a church choir on Holy Ghost fire.  *** perfection!!!



By Francine McMillon

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Writing & Waiting & a Congratulations!

It’s Wednesday, the entire day I thought it was Tuesday, no joke. After having been on vacation for some time and my workweek beginning on a Tuesday, rather than the typical Monday. I was a tad thrown off.

Not to mention, I took a sleeping pill last night, slept like a baby, but woke like a drugged lunatic, unbalanced, lethargic, and forgetful. I was late to work, nearly ran out of gas. I had to pull off on 99 to Belmont Ave for emergency gas. My steering wheel was already a hardened mess, which is a strong indicator that the tank is running dry.

Eventually, I made it to work. My morning had started terrible. However, things changed around noon. When in my email was a bold “Congratulations” in the subject line, of a miracle email. It turns out, a short story I submitted for publication earlier this year, was accepted and will be published, alongside other great Fresno writers in, “Flies, Cockroaches & Poets”.

I am so excited that the world of journal readers, will finally meet my “Birdie”. I wrote the story titled, “The Valley Heat and You” over three years ago, never submitted it anywhere, just keep reading and editing, until I felt it was right. And I guess it now is.

Writing can be a whirlwind of disappointment, rejections and waiting, o the waiting, is sometimes the worst. No matter what, I love it. Writing is life to me. An acceptance letter reminds me I am doing the right thing by following what adds the pulse in my life, the push in my step.

“Congratulations” to life & to words. May they keep on coming.

Francine Ramos McMillon

    Contact me for all your writing needs @

                                     pennedperfectly@gmail.com *  559-777-0746

 

One Today

                             "One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores....

.....All of us as vital as the one light we move through......."

                                                                                          Richard Blanco

My highlight of the year thus far, hands down, not unlike a story I read by Tobias Wolff, that lit a fire in my soul, a fire for the love of words, the beauty and power that it ordains in one’s life; today, again, I feel that, along with the sense of  pride in being an American.

During the Inauguration, American Poet Richard Blanco created & read the most beautiful and delicately powerful poem titled, “One Today”

If you were unable to watch the Inauguration, I suggest to Google Blanco and hear his amazing words. The poem is truly breathtaking.

Movie Recommendation

Last night, we ordered pizza & watched a great movie. Total relax-mode, it seems this past week we have had very little of that, if any. Will & I work long days at our grueling jobs then spend nights in a gym watching my oldest son & his undefeated Edison Freshman Basketball Team play some great basketball.

So last night we chilled, got under the covers, ate pizza, talked,  vegged out & watched: Jeff, still lives at home. It is not often I endorse a film, but this is one that is a must see. It is a great, modern family centered film, filled with understanding, believing in signs, marriage, infidelity, and the love of brothers and the internal bonds that families share that through it all remains a uniting force.

So if any of you whom glimpse my page, I recommend watching it.  

 

J -- Francie

A Good Life

While attending Fresno City College years ago, I took several English classes; one of the two most influential instructors I had classes with was named Bill Riddlesprigger. RIddlesprigger was an English 1A instructor. He was always saying these detailed stories about events in his life, usually it would correlate to what the class was reading.

One short story we read that I fondly recall was called “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, the title of that story stuck in my mind, but not nearly as much as the tale Mr. Riddlesprigger confessed to a classroom of Jr. College students  

The story written in 1930 by Katherine Anne Porter tells the tale of an elderly woman who is jilted in her younger year & her later. At the end of her life, as she lay in bed, a priest at her side, prepared to offer Granny Weatherall  a blessed departure as she leaves this world with her bridegroom (Christ).

However, as long as she has waited for her groom, again he never arrives- she is jilted this time not at the alter but at the thresshold of life and death. She was ready to pass on & does not; she was ready to be a bride twice & again, still, is not. Another said cry for Mrs. Weatherall whom by now has literally, weathered it all.

Mr. Riddlesprigger went on to say that he too was once jilted and that that having happened to him was by far the best thing that could have occurred, because life had different plans for him. He had this great dry sense of humor and made light of Grannie Weatherall and sentences describing her dismay over another jilting. There were periods in that class where all we would do was laugh, nevertheless, learn by his stories sprinkled with dry-laidback-humor.

The last thing I remember about him happened the final week of class. He asked how many of us students were continuing on to University in hopes of an English Degree, myself and a few others raised our hands. He told us how after graduating from Fresno State with a BA in English and having just finished a Shakespeare class that he was so excited all he wanted to do was talk Shakespeare. So he went back to the West Side of Fresno and the first chance he got which was at a bar, he started talking about plays like Othello and Hamlet and immediately noticed that everyone he dared share his passion of literature with seemed bored and uninterested .

So he went on to get a Masters and teach. His last words were something like, so now people have no choice they must stick around, and act interested because they are my students and want a passing grade. We all laughed.

I’m sure he didn’t think that a twenty-something student, who always ran a little late to class, sat closest to the door was taking in every word he spoke, every advice-filled speech he delivered but, I did. I eventually went on to Fresno State and majored in English, there were certain instructors along the way that made a huge impact on me and  Mr. Riddlesprigger was one of them.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting front and center at my son’s high school basketball game at  Edison, next to me sat a middle aged man and his family, we got to talking  and it turns out he is the brother to my former teacher Mr. Riddlesprigger. We spoke for a while about him, I told him my fond memories of his brother, my former instructor. He also informed me that his brother had passed away nearly two years ago. He told me before the basketball game ended that he enjoyed me sharing what an impact his brother had made on me and that he often missed his brother, “My brother led a good life”, he said.

Mr. Riddlesprigger was a leader in the Fresno Community, a brother, family man, storyteller and instructor. It is so interesting how life sometimes plays out. You never know who is listening to you when you speak. So live good, treat others well, give encouragement rather than discouragement. Your words just may be what someone needs to hear.

RIP Mr. Bill Riddlesprigger.

Tomorrow was far away and there was nothing to trouble about. Things were finished somehow when the time came; thank God there was always a little margin over for peace: then a person could spread out the plan of life and tuck in edges orderly.                
                    ~~The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

 -By Francie