A Celebrity on Campus

In 2004, I spent a month in Miami. During that time I drove all over the city and interviewed many people as part of my job. One of the things that remains in my mind from that experience was a certain sign on billboards and the sides of buses all over the city. It was an advertisement for a television show on ABC called Karen Sisco. The show was about a fictional, beautiful, female US Marshal in Miami. Carla Gugino played the lead.

Gugino has one of the most beautiful faces I've ever seen. Her image, ten times larger than life on the billboard, burned into my brain-- permanently, I guess, as I can recall it quite easily and distinctly. The show had a short run and was cancelled. But whenever I saw her face on television again, I remembered it. She also starred in a CBS show a year later called Threshold, about an alien spaceship that crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. That show also had a short run before getting the axe.

The last thing I remember seeing Gugino in was a small guest role in HBO's series Entourage. She was as beautiful as ever, and I'm really surprised that she never broke through to become a huge star like Sharon Stone. I mean, I would pay money to watch her in a movie.

So you might understand my surprise when today in the library I rounded a corner and there stood a woman looking very much like Carla Gugino.

It stopped me in my tracks. She was standing near the circulation desk, talking to another woman. Both were dressed in all black business suits, but the one who did not look like Gugino wore a WCU name tag that said "Patti, VIP Services."

I had to stop and stare for a moment. This woman looked so much like her. She was a little shorter than I imagined Gugino being, and I could see the outline of her cheek bones more so than the real Gugino, but I have heard that television makes you look bigger and heavier than you really are.

Before they could notice me staring at them, spontaneity inspired me to walk up to the two women.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like Carla Gugino?" I asked.

The woman turned and smiled, pleased. But it was Patti of VIP Services who answered. "That's because she is Carla Gugino."

I'm really not sure what I said next. Maybe it was "Wow!" or "Holy Smoke!" I do remember asking, "So what are you doing here at Western Carolina University?"

"I'm interested in a position in the Theater Department," she said, "and I've come to see what living in a little town near Asheville might be like."

"Oh really," I said. "You're going to be a professor here?"

Patti broke in. "The school wants to bring her in as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Acting."

"Okay, Okay," I said, nodding rapidly and beginning to stammer a bit. It was sinking in that I was standing in front of Carla Gugino, and she was looking straight at me. Her eyes were huge, an impossible shade of brown not found elsewhere in nature. They reflected light in a way I'd never noticed eyes to do before.

I lost my bearings.

"The school would be great... the school, Double-you-see-you would do good to have you... Miss Gugino."

Patti sensed one of her duties and tried to pull Carla Gugino away from me. "We've got to get to the Ramsey Center and to lunch, " Patti said to her-- not to me.

"It was nice meeting you," Carla Gugino said in a quick, cheerful tone. I'm sure she'd done this a thousand times with dumbstruck guys like me.

"Yeah," I gurgled out.

They started to walk away toward the entrance of the library.

Images and thoughts shot through my mind: "Carpe Diem." "You only live once." "Don't be a porch puppy." "What's the worst that could happen?" "It's Carla Gugino." "The woman from the billboard." "The woman from Miami." "MOVE!"

I almost ran to them, consciously and deliberately taking two giant breaths in the hopes my words would come out plainly.

"Miss Gugino?"

Both women stopped and looked at me.

"I'm going to law school next year. Even if you become a professor here, this is probably the only time in my life I will see you. I think you are beautiful. I saw you on a billboard in Miami. Would you like to have dinner with me?"

It was Patti's reaction that I noticed first. Her jaw didn't exactly drop, but she frowned in disbelief and something akin to horror. It was not the first time I'd seen such a look after asking a girl out, so I stood there bravely and waited for Carla Gugino's reaction.

She smiled and did not seem to be surprised. "What is your name?" she asked me.

"Nathan Marshburn."

"How old are you?"

I told her.

"You know some good places to eat here?" she asked.

"Oh yes," I said. "There's.. there's 553 in Sylva. That's nice. They have good wine."

"Well, I think I'm free tomorrow tonight. There are no plans or activities on the agenda for me, are there Patti?"

Patti, bewildered, said "No. Not if you'd like to have dinner with... Nathan."

"Okay, then, Nathan. It looks like we have a date."

Patti reluctantly gave me Carla Gugino's phone number, which I wrote down with a trembling hand, along with the time to pick her up. My mind was such Swiss cheese at this point that the conversation and details became a little blurry.

I remember Carla Gugino smiling at me and then walking way. Her walk was an actress's walk across a stage. Absolutely stunning. Absolutely beautiful.

So tomorrow night, I have a dinner date with Carla Gugino at 553 Restaurant in Sylva. I have no idea how to act, but I couldn't resist telling the world about it in a blog. Maybe I'm not blowing it. We'll see what happens.

Oh, and by the way, though the date on the blog says March 31, it is actually now past midnight on April 1. This is my April Fool's Day blog.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn

An Open Letter to the Candidates

The views and opinions expressed in this blog belong to the author and are not necessarily those of Western Carolina University, its employees or its representatives. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I encourage you to voice your opinion. There is a comment box at the end of the blog. Just keep the language free of obscenities, and avoid threats of violence.

Dear Mr. Obama, Mrs. Clinton, and Mr. McCain,

Soon one of you will be the President-Elect of the United States. When that time comes, you will have an opportunity to change this country like no other President since Franklin Roosevelt when he replaced Herbert Hoover. As you well know, a myriad of issues face our nation, but I am going to ask for your help on just one.

The health care in the United States is in desperate need of a massive overhaul, the likes of which we have not seen since the creation of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

I am proud to be an American. My family came to the United States from England in the 1650s. My great great grandfather fought at Pickett's Charge, and I have a great grandfather who carried messages across enemy lines during World War I. America can be the best country on earth. No one comes close to our potential.

But there are some things about this country that I am not proud of. I see some members of my family sliding from the middle class into poverty, along with many other Americans. The United States is fast becoming a land of rich and poor, with no middle class. I see aunts and uncles who lost the terrific jobs they had in the 1980s, and who now struggle to find work that offers a decent benefits package.

I see family members and friends who some months go without medication they need because their insurance will not provide the coverage, and they can not afford the out of pocket expense.

I see friends and family members who are denied coverage by insurance companies due to pre-existing conditions, or I see them offered a premium that is far too much for them to afford.

I also personally know the uncertainty and bad feelings that come when I unexpectedly lose health care coverage and worry that years of savings could be wasted and bankruptcy inevitable if someone hits me with their car or I get sick while I try to find a company that will cover me. To some degree, I have that fear right now as the school's health insurance is not very good. It stipulates a cap on coverage and says you must stay enrolled as a student in order to maintain coverage.

Frankly, this is disappointing and beyond disappointing.

No citizen of America should be denied health care due to cost. The government owes the people that.

So how do we fix the problem? My esteemed leaders, we study and copy systems that work. Look at the best examples in Europe: The United Kingdom, France, Germany.

Americans and American politicians need to get over the fear of "socialized medicine." It has its problems, but it works far better than our current system. No one is left out in socialized medicine if they do not want to be left out. As a German friend of mine (also a member of Germany's conservative party) said, "Just because you are in favor of socialized medicine does not mean that your country will become socialist or communist!" He does not understand why this is such an issue for conservatives in the United States.

Where does the money come from to perform these changes?

We get the funding for overhauling our health care system by cutting back on spending for useless high-tech weapons systems that antagonize our neighbors, encourage an arms race and serve to make those at the top of the military industrial complex even richer. We get the money by eliminating policies such as "preemptive war" based on false pretenses that cost billions of dollars, not to mention the sacrifice of human life.

Let me say before going further that I respect what our military forces do. I am thankful for the protection they provide against this 21st century threat of terrorism. Because of their efforts I can write this blog and not worry about being thrown in jail or worse. But I also believe that in many ways they are being misused and abused for things that are not in the best interest of the country. Iraq is now more complicated than it was when the war began, but how about trying to get our soldiers home from a war we started and making sure that soldiers and every member of their family has proper health insurance?

We will probably also have to raise taxes to win this fight in overhauling health care, but I for one am willing to pay higher taxes when it comes to peace of mind about health care for myself and my family.

Health care in this country is in crisis, and it will not get better without revolutionary change. I think you as American leaders know this.

I'm confident you know in your clearest thinking that this change is the right thing to do. You must fight through the special interests and the lobbyists who represent a small percentage of the wealthiest Americans, even though these individuals contribute more to your campaign than the rest of America combined. These individuals are a main reason you will be elected. They will not agree with what you know is right to do. But if you fight and make possible the changes the country needs, you will leave a legacy that ranks with the greatest American leaders of all time. To succeed in health care reform will be to succeed on the scale of Abraham Lincoln saving the Union and Franklin Roosevelt helping America out of the Great Depression.

And to Representative Shuler, Senators Dole and Burr:

You as members of Congress have the opportunity to be a part of this wave. You will have as much power as the President. If you as a body desire to succeed, you will, and your names will go down in history as part of the most bi-partisan effort this country has ever known. If Republicans and Democrats could unite on this issue, we could end the health care crisis in a very short period. I ask that you, as my representatives in Congress, not only cooperate in the effort to revamp health care, but take an active, leading role. This is a tremendous opportunity for your legacy as well. If a Dole-Burr bill or a Shuler bill instituting socialized medicine passed Congress, we would name hospitals after you and build busts and statues of your likeness in North Carolina.

I encourage you to not be a "Senator NO," as we have had in the past, and realize the government is there to help the people when the private sector has become too greedy, too concerned with profit margins to care about what is best for American citizens.

Like I asked of the Presidential candidates, I am asking you to do what is right for the masses, not those who are your largest campaign contributors.

Help us fix this ugly stain upon what is otherwise the greatest country on earth.

Sincerely,

Nathan Marshburn

The Red Maple Leads the Way

Spring is almost here. WCU has already had its spring break, though the break always takes place in the winter and is usually pretty cold. The weather is gradually warming up, though. I see girls walking around in shorts with deep tans.

Some of the trees are starting to bloom. A tree beside Coulter exploded today with pink flowers. I believe it is an apple or cherry tree. The cherry blossoms lining the walk to the bell tower are also about to bloom.

The red maple tree just outside Madison dormitory where I live was the first that I noticed to show any activity after the winter deadness. About two weeks ago, red buds appeared all over it. They continue to grow larger and soon small red leaf petals should be everywhere. The huge white oak tree just down the hill from the red maple has yet to do anything.

I like the trees outside Madison. The red maple has a twisted and knotty trunk. When I first moved here in August, my parents sat under the tree for a while. Mom said it reminded her of trees she reads about in the Harry Potter books.

On Friday of this week, Dr. Denson, my Cherokee History Professor, took the class on a field trip to Brasstown, NC where we stopped at the John C. Campbell Folk School. I'd never heard of the school, but it is a fascinating and beautiful place. It also would be a spot I'd recommend for a vacation. For about $1000 per person, you can spend a week here and take a class in all sorts of subjects including blacksmithing, woodworking, basket making, nature studies that include daily hikes to study plants, rocks, etc. There are many classes on many subjects. The above price includes lodging and all meals. I did not get a chance to see the lodging, but the buildings for the classrooms and the dining hall are first rate. It is like a huge bed and breakfast tucked away deep in the mountains, with the Brasstown Creek cutting right through campus like the Tuckasegee River runs through our campus. I'm sure students and instructors come from all walks of life. I talked to a couple of acrylic artists who were there applying to teach one of the courses. They seemed like very nice people. Below is the link to the school. I encourage you to check it out.

http://www.folkschool.com/index.php

Until next time,

Nathan Marshburn

The Impact of Roy Scheider

On February 10 of this year, one of my favorite actors, Roy Scheider, passed away in Little Rock, AR. I was rather startled to hear the news, the same as I was startled when I heard that George C. Scott, who played the title character in Patton and the insane General Buck Turgidson in Dr. Strangelove had died. The same as when I heard on the CBS Evening News in Petersburg, VA in the summer of 1999 that Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, was gone. The same as when I heard Ingmar Bergman, director of The Seventh Seal, had passed away.

Roy Scheider was a great actor who played in some of the movies most memorable to me. Most famously, he was Police Chief Martin Brody in the 1975 groundbreaking film, Jaws. He also had large roles in The French Connection and Marathon Man. Watching the commentary track for the French Connection, I remember laughing when hearing the story of how the director made the comment that Scheider was too short while Scheider auditioned on stage. Scheider heard that comment, coming out of the dark in the audience, and proceeded to curse the director for making such a remark while he performed. At any rate, Scheider got the role.

What especially surprised me is that I had thought of Scheider about three days before he died. He and another actor (whom I will not name out of fear of hexing him) crossed my mind as two old men whom I had not seen in film or TV recently. I remember thinking that I would not be surprised to read their obituaries soon. Scheider's came, and it is the first time in my life that I called it that closely. This is not a skill I wish to develop.

When I was an undergraduate at WCU, I took "Themes in Film: Existentialism" with Dr. Meigs in the English Department. One of the films we watched in the Natural Sciences auditorium was All That Jazz starring Roy Scheider. Released in 1979, Scheider plays Joe Gideon, an overworked Broadway director nearing death. Jessica Lange plays "Angelique," literally the angel of death who begins visiting Scheider's character as he prepares for open heart surgery. The film can be intense at times, with Gideon talking to Angelique and recalling the most important moments and people from his life. As he comes to the end, all those people are there in a vision, cheering him on. I remember seeing Roy Scheider gulp, his Adam's Apple move up and down as he heads down the black tunnel not to return.

I thought, "Someday that is going to be Roy Scheider for real, not just the character he plays. I wonder how that will feel to him. Will he remember this role? Will it help him?"

That was nine years ago I took the class and saw All That Jazz. It seems like yesterday. Well, now Scheider's time has come and gone. I don't know the answers to the questions I asked then, but new thoughts come to mind now that Scheider is no longer with us in this world: One day that is going to be me, not Roy Scheider or the character he played. I wonder if I will remember his movie. I wonder if it will help me. Nine years ago was yesterday. Will my time be tomorrow?

Wow. Maybe this is a little too heavy for a student blog.

I do wish Roy Scheider was still alive, and my condolences go out to his family. I enjoyed watching him work.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn