Sunday morning round-up: The hissing of summer lawns, and the moans of zombies

Sunday morning round-up...

The sprinkler is on. How do you describe the sprinkler's sound? Hiss, maybe, as in "the hissing of summer lawns" (thanks Joni Mitchell). It sounds like summer, especially in this dry climate. We've had only a trace of rain this month. No snow, either, although there is still plenty of September left for that. I remember driving I-80 to the Salt Lake City Book Festival during a first-day-of-fall blizzard, WYDOT closing the road behind me. It snowed on us one Sept. 15 as we moved into our house. Sept. 11, 2014 -- eight inches of wet snow in Casper, all melted by evening. Moisture -- we'll take what we can get.

Rep. Allen Jaggi wrote an op-ed for today's paper. The headline: "Keep an eye on the money." This is one Republican legislator's response to Republican Gov. Mead's idea that the state, faced with declining energy revenues, should dip into its $2 billion rainy day fund. Jaggi doesn't like that idea, although he never takes a swipe at the Gov. He does take a swipe at the Game and Fish Department which is having a tough time living within its means as license fees decline (20,000 fewer, according to Jaggi). That figure is really amazing when you think about Wyoming's reputation as a hunting destination. Rep. Jaggi mentions that higher-end state employees make from $80,000-$200,000 per year (P.S.: I'm nowhere near that level). He also mentions that "we have the biggest state government per capita of any other state" and bemoans the "rapid growth of our state agencies." But he also points out that a Wyoming family of four gets $27,000 in state services and only pays $3,200. The minerals industry makes up the shortfall in this state with no income tax. He seems to be arguing that as mineral revenues go down, so should state services. And what happens to families with a special-needs child who can't get help from the Department of Family Services? One can only conclude that Wyoming Republicans don't care.

I didn't watch this week's Republican debates. I'm still recovering from the first round.

My daughter Annie and I visited the fifth annual Zombiefest yesterday. Actually, she wanted some lunch (brains!) and I wanted to visit the adjacent farmer's market (pears!). Annie settled for a chicken kabob sandwich from the Kabob Truck while I munched on plums from Jeffrey Farms in Palisade, Colo. Zombies wandered the downtown plaza. Many of them pushed children in strollers. The crowd was more my daughter's age than mine, which is terrific. No casualties were reported, although a pair of old Army Jeeps (Zombie Hunters!) were adorned with skeletons. One of the films being screened at the Atlas Theatre was the original "The Hills Have Eyes." It featured Michael Berryman as Pluto, who attended the Zombiefest. He also was one of R.P. McMurphy's fellow residents of the asylum in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

In Ken Kesey's novel, narrator Chief Bromden remembers the nursery rhyme that his grandmother once sang to him:

Vintery, mintery, cutery, corn,
Apple seed and apple thorn,
Wire, briar, limber lock,
Three geese in a flock,
One flew East,
One flew West,
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

Perhaps this is will be the voice mail message that Wyomingites seeking mental health services will hear should Republicans have their way with the budget.

Call for entries: What's sexy about the zombie apocalypse?

This isn't exactly my cup of tea, but thought I'd pass along this call for entries because it comes from a local press. Who knows, I may even try my writing hand at zombie erotica. As they say, write what you don't know -- you might learn something.

This comes from Angelic Knight Press editor Stacey Turner:

That's right, folks! Our new anthology project is all about zombies. Well, zombies and erotica. What's sexy about the zombie apocalypse? You tell us!

What we're looking for is short fiction, 1k-2k words, featuring zombies and erotica in some form or fashion. I'll be taking 50 stories for the anthology. Subs may be submitted starting today. The deadline for submission is December 31. The proposed date of release is February 14, Valentine's Day.

Regardless of the subject matter, stories must be well written and interesting, with definite emphasis on originality. Please read our submission guidelines page and submit accordingly.

Payment will be shared royalties.

Where did this idea come from? KillerCon of course! It actually began as a joke, but so many people thought it interesting that we decided to run with it. I have to give credit for the title to Benjamin Kane Ethridge. There are already several authors from KillerCon sending stories, so join them and us in this project!

What are you waiting for? Get writing!

Zombiefest in Cheyenne looks frightfully good

See it now -- Wyoming Video Contest

Big Horn Samurai Sinema's home-grown filmmaking talent on display in Wyoming Video Contest. Scary, too. Music by Ten Sleep's Jalan "Trailer Park Fire" Crossland.

Should Zombie Apocalypse arrive, Wyoming will be ready

Rep. David Miller (R-Riverton) has proposed a "Doomsday bill" to allow Wyoming to prepare for the coming Zombie Apocalypse.

He actually doesn't mention zombies in his bill. He does mention the U.S. debt which could somehow spiral out of control and all heck would break loose. Not to mention the Mayan Calendar predictions and the coming end-of-days scenario foretold by both certain versions of the Bible and many TV preachers.

The bill does not mention the worse case scenario of Rick Santorum being elected president.

That's when I head for the hills.

Read about Miller's bill here.

Not Zombie lobbyists -- just Zombies lobbying for a new Wyoming film

No, this isn't just another batch of Zombie energy company lobbyists. They are Zombies though, gathered in front of the State Capitol during the annual Legislative session. This was a flash occupation (note the upside-down "We are the 99%" sign) to promote a new movie being filmed in Wyoming. "From the Trailer to the Grave" is an all-Wyoming production, a "Redneck Zombie Romantic Comedy" with auditions this week around the state. Producer/director is Harrison Sweeney, Worland native and UW grad, last seen in good-ol'-boy roles in "Rizzoli & Isles" and a Foster's Beer commercial. He's the guy (back to camera) with the scarf snapping Zombie photos. Harrison will be talking about his film on Meg Lanker-Simons' bitchin' Friday night radio show this Friday 10 p.m.-1 a.m. on KOCA-FM, 93.5 in Laramie. 

On Valentine's Day, redneck zombies need loving too

Zombies live amongst us.

Zombie wannabes, anyway.

Filmmaker K. Harrison Sweeney wants you for roles in his feature film, “From the Trailer to the Grave.” The film is set in a post-apocalyptic Wyoming. It’s being billed as a “redneck zombie romantic comedy.”

So it’s “redneck zombies” that he wants.

Many of the principle roles have already been filled. But Harrison, a Worland, Wyoming, native and UW grad, says that several supporting roles will be open to Wyomingites. He will be holding auditions in Casper, Cheyenne, and Laramie during Valentine's Day week, which seems strangely appropriate.

He says that most of the roles that are available “will be for zombies and people who turn into zombies. We are looking for people from all walks of life – oil tycoons, teachers, children, roller derby dames, politicians; all are encouraged to try out.”

What about aging state workers? He doesn’t say.

As a Wyoming guy, Harrison says that it’s important to shoot his film in Wyoming. He’d like to help kickstart the state’s film industry. Many films that are set in Wyoming's great wide open (“Brokeback Mountain,” "An Unfinished Life," "Did You Hear about the Morgans?") end up being shot in Wyoming stand-ins -- British Columbia and New Mexico. He wants to change that. Wyoming seems to have better luck starring in sci-fi films. Witness "Starship Troopers," its creepy off-world scenes filmed at Hell's Half Acre, and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," partially filmed at Devils Tower because no stand-in exists for this distinctive national monument, not even in Canada. So perhaps Harrison is right on target with this alternative reality film. Who would know alternative realities better than someone who grew up in Worland?

Auditions in Casper will be held on Sunday, February 12, at the Wagon Wheel Roller Skating Rink at 305 Van Horn Ave. There will be a workshop on "Zombie Behavior & Movement" from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Auditions will then be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon. 

The Cheyenne workshop from 3-3:30 p.m. at the Atlas Theatre on Wednesday, February 15. Latecomers will not be admitted. Auditions will commence immediately thereafter from 3:30-5 p.m.

The Laramie workshop will be held later in the week (his press release didn’t specify a date) and will go from 5-5:30 p.m. at the UW College of Agriculture auditorium. Auditions will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. UPDATE: Date for Laramie event is Sunday, Feb. 19. 

Zombie wannabes cast for the film need to be available for shooting during the last three weeks of September and the first week of October.

My wife Chris and I attended the screening of Harrison’s short film, “Undead Lovers,” last August in Laramie. The short is basically a teaser for the larger film project and was filmed at the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie and at The Virginian Hotel & Bar in Medicine Bow. It features a variety of Wyoming talent, including a bevy of Naughty Pines Derby Dames and a title song by Jalan Crossland of Ten Sleep.

As is the case with most up-and-coming filmmakers, Harrison has tapped into a variety of sources to raise funding. He’s done successful online campaigns on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo. He’s probably maxed out his credit card (if he has one) a la Kevin Smith and has hit up everyone in his orbit. He’s a working actor, too, getting small film and TV parts to finance his habit. His good ol’ boy persona has appeared in “Rizzoli & Isles,” in commercials for Foster’s and Prius, and is one of the voices in the Wild West video game “Red Dead Redemption." He has a small part in an upcoming Eddie Murphy film.

Get more info on Harrison and his films at www.fromthetrailertothegrave.com.