newjersey – Clay Track Press

The Month Ahead for April 2024

*And another thing. Does he only own one tie?*

A regular accounting of The Three Fifty-seven published on the first Monday of each month.

This is The Month Ahead for April 2024

Hello, All,

February’s recording experiments yielded a simplified and reversed process for editing audio. It also produced cleaner audio.

However, rather than shortening editing times, the new approach has encouraged longer recordings. Rest assured this is still short form audio fiction. But, for a channel that started with average run times of less than four minutes, we are comfortably exceeding five and six minutes per episode. This could come in handy in future shows.

Another outcome of fine-tuning is that writing is a couple of weeks ahead of audio. Is there any impact? I don’t know. Perhaps not. One more note: the intended recordings of Shakespeare’s love sonnets did not happen. Put those into the future projects column.

However, episodes five through eight of SEVENTEEN were published in March. Taglined “He’s dying to forget. She lives to remember.” these were the conclusion of Severin Vincent Tennyson’s story which started in March of 2023. Nicknamed Tenny, he is a sixty-four-year-old, non-verbal, cane-using janitor at Gunderson High School in central New Jersey. Seeing now-Superintendent Millicent di Stefano for the first time since high school forty years ago triggered a flood of memories that threatened his life.

*THE GHOSTLY GROOM is inspired by, and interpreted from, Washington Irving’s THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM published in 1819.*

For April, The Three Fifty-seven is pleased to announce THE GHOSTLY GROOM. It is inspired by, and interpreted from, Washington Irving’s THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM published in 1819.

With the tagline “His altar was the grave.”, we show a healthy respect for the original text while gently updating it. The story’s lead, Lenore Katzenellen, is the 45-year-old founder and president of a financial analysis firm in Odenwald, New Jersey. She is engaged to Geoffrey Ochre who lives forty-five minutes upstate in Wurtzburg.

A bad automobile accident puts Geoffrey in a hospital where he announces he is dead. Lenore sets off the solve the mystery. But what truth does she find? THE GHOSTY GROOM’s five episodes will answer the question.

One more detail about April: Ingmar Bergman’s THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) continues to inspire. Fans of the movie will recall Max von Sydow playing a game of chess with Death (played by Bengt Ekerot).

Fast forward to 2024. Death is a subsidiary of The Four Horsemen, Incorporated collecting tortured and tormented souls. What would that story be and how would it unfold? In five minutes! As a comedy!

Until then, look for the first audio and written episode of THE GHOSTLY GROOM. We hope Mr. Irving approves. And, no matter what happens, please know The Three Fifty-seven remains committed to its core belief that “Stories are Everywhere”.

Sincerely,

William E. Spear, Jr.

THE MESSENGER – ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Episode 03

Written and Narrated by William E. Spear

Produced by The Three Fifty-seven

3 March 2024

The Messenger in ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Episode 03

(Cold)

Okay, yeah, still. It’s me, The Messenger. No hands, no feet, no arms, no legs. Still . . . stuck inside of a computer. You heard me . . . digitized and cloned to work for two people. One of my clones has a lousy mustache. The other has naturally curly hair that could walk around by itself.

Worse, much worse, the people we work for are emotional train wrecks. Not just, “Oh, I’m having a bad day.” Train wrecks. They’ve fallen off the bridge. They’re now sinking into the Raritan River. Train wrecks.

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up)

Hello my name is William Spear and this is The Three Fifty-seven’s series titled ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE.

The Messenger is navigating computer systems and human psyches to get a project on track.

All that and more in Episode Three titled How Did It So Soon Get To Be So Late So Quickly?

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future fades under and out)

Yeah, I’m back. Messenger. My alleged self is back. With my alleged staff. I’m really annoyed about that. Two clones are trying to salvage a big project at Global United Conglomerate but our contacts are stumbling around through emotional deserts.

Laura and Jason are struggling. It’s really pretty sad.

Both were successful in their careers and received numerous awards, titles, and promotions. Both received invitations for a night out to attend a party with colleagues and co-workers. Both desperately wanted to – craved to – cultivate friendships, enjoy the companies of their peers, and be normal – whatever that is, however they choose to define that.

The Boss’s real intent now calculated. It wasn’t saving a potentially failed product launch with a favorite client. It was healing two fractured people.

But all I had were two virtual bots whose humanity was measured in bits.

Alone in the computer, my digital eyes watered. I heard The Boss: “Is the dust bothering you?”

I spun around yelling: “Do you think I’m crying? I’m not crying. You must be crying. I hope nothing short circuits in here. Show yourself!”

Without warning there was a Woosh! And another Woosh! FRED and FRIEDA were back. They had updates for Laura and Jason respectively, but I shushed them with, “Both of you listen to me. We need to find a way to get them to forget work and go to those parties.”

“Forget work?” “Go to parties?” FRIEDA and FRED looked at me as if I was challenging capitalism. I tried a different approach: “We need to manage our managers.”

One Whoosh! Two Woosh! They were gone in a flash. Then . . . it couldn’t be but . . . it was . . . but it can’t be . . . voices echoed in the wires.

One was Laura. She was laughing – laughing of all things – and playing musical trivia with FRED. She asked the three most popular songs of the last five years and he said: “THE SUN WILL COME OUT WHEN IT WANTS TO. I LEFT MY HEART IN CENTRAL NEW JERSEY.” And everyone’s favorite, “YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO GO BUT I’M GLAD YOU DID.”

Meanwhile, three floors away, Jason was choosing random cartoon characters and then asking FRIEDA to quote their most famous lines. He said The Frisky Frankfurter and she said “No, I said put the mustard on before the relish.” He said The Tongue-tied Turtle and she said “There were no words only mumbling sounds.” He said the Little League Baseball Team from Walla Walla and she said “Who Has the Baseball-ball-a.”

Both duos carried on for hours. The parties came and went – absolutely shot that chance, that opportunity is gone – and they were still laughing. It was eleven-o’clock in the evening and I wondered how did it got so soon to be so late so quickly?

Jason paused and said he was hungry. FRIEDA suggested, “Let’s try the vending machines on the fourth floor.” FRED took the cue and said to Laura, “If you are hungry the vending machines on the fourth floor are open.”

Hold the mobile phones. Could FRED and FRIEDA, two digital personal assistants with all the humanity of a shortcircuited motherboard, be playing matchmakers? A real life Michaleen and Michelle Oge Flynn? FYI, the reference is to THE QUIET MAN movie. I rushed to the fourth floor and the vending machines.

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up)

You have just listened to Episode Three of Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future.

Music is through the courtesy of LESFM.

William Spear wrote and narrated the series and The Three Fifty-seven produced it.

Thank you for listening and come back for the next episode when The Messenger asks FRED and FRIEDA, “What do you mean you don’t have exact change? Okay, okay. How much could it be for a couple of pastries? FOUR AND A QUARTER each? For a week old vegan doughnut? And the coffee? SEVEN-FIFTY per for a machine-made sugar-free, sodium-free sriracha with a shot of organic vanilla? No wonder The Boss quadrupled my pay.”

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up and fades out)

The Month Ahead for March 2024

*Ever notice how the eyes never blink? It’s a bit unnerving.*

A regular accounting of The Three Fifty-seven published on the first Monday of each month.

This is The Month Ahead for March 2024

Hello, All,

One of the joys of writing and producing The Three Fifty-seven as a single-narrator, solo endeavor, is that it permits tremendous freedom to develop characters, stories, and series of a wide latitude. True to the tagline, “Stories are Everywhere”, inspiration comes from anywhere, everywhere, and sometimes, all at once. It can be a thrill ride.

However, one of the perils of a solo endeavor is the need for always writing and producing. The collective pronouns often used in describing the channel – our, we, us, and so forth – are a bit of false advertising. It is only me.

This point was highlighted in February. The month was intended as four weekly scheduled releases for ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE. The series involved The Messenger who premiered last year in THE MESSENGER DINES OUT about saving the music in a New Jersey diner. We take our diners seriously here.

ROMANCE started as an intersection of two old television shows: 1) The Dating Game and 2) Max Headroom which came from Britain’s Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into The Future. ROMANCE, true to the spirit of the channel, found its own life as a series that shared DNA with Dating Game and Max Headroom but evolved into a distinct branch of our portfolio.

Also intended during the month were narrations of Shakespeare’s love sonnets in honor of Valentine’s Day. The month came to a close two weeks behind. It may still be a week behind when this comes to print.

But the characters and stories are still worth having my name on them. Still worth posting and cross-posting on the platforms we frequent. And, with most, but not all, being less than seven minutes, still worth sharing as short form entertainment.

And, still worth pitching to producers in other media.

Even with March starting and some catching up to do, February had at least one notable, and perhaps humorous, inspiration. In Ingmar Bergman’s THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957), Max von Sydow plays a game of chess with Death (played by Bengt Ekerot). Fast forward to 2024. What if Death was a social media influencer. What would that story be and how would it unfold?

Until then, look for the last episode of ROMANCE and the fifth episode of SEVENTEEN. With the tagline of “He’s dying to forget. She lives to remember.” this may be a drama.

No matter what happens, please know The Three Fifty-seven remains committed to its core belief that “Stories are Everywhere”.

Sincerely,

William E. Spear, Jr.

THE MESSENGER – ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Episode 02

Written and Narrated by William E. Spear

Produced by The Three Fifty-seven

25 February 2024

The Messenger in ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Episode 02

(Cold opening)

Yeah, it’s me, The Messenger. Or, what’s left of me.

My old Boss asked me out of retirement for a new assignment then digitized me into a computer. Maybe I’ll re-format The Firm’s hard drives.

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up)

Hello my name is William Spear and this is our series titled ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE.

The Messenger was encouraged – maybe tricked is more accurate – to leave retirement in Spring Lake, New Jersey, to take on a new case at quadruple pay.

But the big salary came with bigger problems. Listen to The Messenger in Episode Two titled I Would Not, Could Not, Wear My Hair Like That!

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future fades under and out)

I wasn’t a human anymore. I was a program! And my old Boss made me look like an extra from from digital versions of Gulliver’s Travels.

“If you don’t get me out of here I will infect every computer and electronic device you own. Cell phones, microwave ovens, gaming systems, everything. Even your lava lamp. What are you doing? Don’t you turn me off. Did you hear me?”

For a little thing I was making big noises.

The Boss ignored me and continued: “Here’s the plan. You are going to Global United Conglomerate and working with Jason Lines and Laura Flow to save the client’s project.”

Vengeance was about to be mine. “How do I get there?” I said. “I can’t drive. And where’s my staff?”

The Boss grinned which is always a bad sign. “First, I send you to Jason and Laura.”

Before I could say Failed Delivery Attempt there was a WHOOOOSSH followed by a Ding! And a moment after that another Ding! The Boss had emailed me to Jason and Laura.

Both had instructions for initializing their own digital personal assistants or DPAs.

I yelled at The Boss: “DPA’s are not staff. Where’s my staff?”

The response was: “Check back in an hour.” Then silence.

Laura downloaded me and created FRED. I despise mustaches. And Jason downloaded me and created FRIEDA. For the record, I would not, could not wear my hair like that. Even when I was younger.

I was staffing for myself! Staffing for myself? Isn’t there a song with that name?

Then I heard the DPA versions of me.

FRED started: “Good morning, Laura. We have a lot to do. Shall we review the operations strategy?”

Laura sighed and said, “Whatever. You figure it out and get back to me.”

FRED scurried away inside the computer systems of Global Conglomerate.

Three floors away, FRIEDA spoke: “Hello, Jason. These are the approvals required for the new product launch.” Nothing. She repeated, “Jason, there is a long list of approvals requiring your attention. Many are a month overdue.”

Jason mumbled about taking a break.

FRIEDA rushed off to the DPA’s lounge.

Meanwhile, Laura and Jason sat in their respective offices and wallowed in their success at Global United Conglomerate. Both were disappointed.

Emails arrived for each of them – Ding! Ding! – and both were excited.

In a nanosecond, FRED was back and asked Laura, “That sounds like fun. Are you going?” In another nanosecond, FRIEDA left the DPA lounge with a similar question for Jason: “A night out! Shall I reply ‘Yes’?”

Laura and Jason scaled back their enthusiasm and casually instructed their DPA’s to talk with other team members and come back in an hour. Dutifully, FRIEDA and FRED made electronic rounds throughout the company.

Without their digital assistants’ awareness, Laura and Jason consumed the emails. Colleagues were planning get-togethers. No talk of the looming product launch. No talk of business. Just dinner and the company of colleagues and friends.

Both were poised to press the Accept buttons and froze. Both wanted friendship and camaraderie but neither knew exactly how to pursue those objectives.

Jason, the company’s best designer and recognized around the world, feared human interaction.

Laura, the most promoted operations executive at Global United, shrank at the prospect of stepping out from behind her spreadsheets.

Both craved conversation outside of their areas of expertise. Something as simple as “Have you heard this new song?” or “Have you seen this new television show?” would have been life-affirming.

I was yelling with my little voice emulator: blip-blip-blip-blip-bleep-bloop-bloop-bloop-bleep-bleep-bleep-bleep-blip-blip-blip-bloop. Translated that meant: “Press the Accept button. In the name of keyboards and high resolution monitors everywhere, press the Accept button!”

But they were terrified at the prospect of showing even the slightest bit of themselves. Each pressed Decline and stared out their windows.

I wanted to give them hugs but my digital self had no arms.

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up)

You have just listened to Episode Two of Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future.

Music is through the courtesy of LESFM.

William Spear wrote and narrated the series and The Three Fifty-seven produced it.

Thank you for listening and come back for the next episode when The Messenger asks, “Is the dust bothering anyone’s eye? Wait a moment. Do you think I’m crying? I’m not crying. You must be crying. I hope nothing short circuits in here.”

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up and fades out)

William E. Spear, Jr.

THE MESSENGER – ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Episode 01

Written and Narrated by William E. Spear

Produced by The Three Fifty-seven

17 February 2024

The Messenger in ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Episode 01

(Footsteps approach and go under)

Hello. I’m The Messenger. Imagine a “fixer” or an “auditor” but more intelligent. When I make a visit, an encounter-of-the-cerebral-kind is forthcoming.

A while back I came out of retirement and rescued Jim and Francine’s Place, a diner started in the early 1950’s, from an ill-advised grandkid.

My old Boss called me again for another job and started yapping about an assistant.

I said I don’t need an assistant and my old Boss corrected me: “You aren’t ‘getting’ an assistant.”

“That’s more like it. What’s the job?”

The Boss looked around, leaned across a desk bigger than most cars, and said: “You are ‘becoming’ an assistant.”

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up and goes under)

Hello my name is William Spear and this is our new series titled ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE.

We welcome back The Messenger from retirement in Spring Lake, New Jersey to take on a new case.

It’s The Messenger in Episode One titled No, No, No, No! A Thousand Times, A Million Times, A Bazillion Times No.

I stared at my Boss and growled: “What do you mean I’m ‘becoming’ an assistant?”

“Just what I said,” was the response. “You’re new job is to be an assistant. And you have a staff.”

“Not happening.”

“You’ve always wanted a staff.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Lots of perks.”

“No.”

“It’s all office work.”

“No!”

“You don’t have to drive.”

“No! No! No! A thousand times, a million times, a bazillion times NO!”

“It’s twice your normal rate.”

“Tell me more.”

“The client is Global United Conglomerate. Makes everything from kitchen cabinets to seaweed ice cream. They have a massive project that has stalled just before launch.”

I was suspicious about “twice my normal rate” and asked, “Why are you paying me double?”

“It’s one of our most prestigious clients and you are our best Messenger. And . . .” The Boss whispered, “You and your staff are working for two people.”

I refused and started for the door. “Okay, okay,” said The Boss. “Quadruple pay.”

I could add a hot tub to my place in Spring Lake on quadruple pay. I could add a hot tub for every day of the week on quadruple pay. Without turning around I asked who was I working for.

The Boss riffed through pages and read: “The company believes the stalled project is being sabotaged by one of two people. Jason Lines – A successful, hard-working introverted designer who fears human contact. Or, Laura Flow – A brilliant and driven operations executive whose best friends are spreadsheets.”

I agreed to quadruple pay and turned around to seal the deal when a massive bolt of electricity struck me between the eyes.

I woke up behind a huge window looking around the boss’ office. I didn’t feel anything. No hot, no cold, and no smells either. Out of nowhere a giant-sized version of the Boss sat down in front of the window.

“How’d you get to be so big?” I asked.

The Boss laughed and told me I had it backwards. I had been digitized and was inside of a computer.

I looked around and saw the wires, connectors, and microchips of a computer. I wasn’t a human anymore. I was a program!

I tried to shake a fist but didn’t have one. The Boss laughed some more. I screamed through the computer.

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up and goes under)

You have just listened to Episode One of Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future.

Music is through the courtesy of LESFM.

The Three Fifty-seven is written and produced by William Spear.

Thank you for listening and come back again when The Messenger yells, “If you don’t get me out of here I will infect every electronic device you own. Cell phones, microwave ovens, gaming systems, everything. . . . Wait. Wait! WAIT! What are you doing? Don’t you dare turn me off. Don’t you-“

(Theme for Romance 20 Minutes Into The Future comes up and fades out)

WESJr

The Month Ahead for February 2024

*William E. Spear (or is it an AI-generated image? . . . It must be him; AI is better than that.)*

A regular accounting of The Three Fifty-seven published on the first Monday of each month.

This is The Month Ahead for February 2024

Hello, All,

January was allegedly a Season Break. True, nothing was scheduled.

However, there were efforts in several areas throughout the month:

Two new series were started: 1) DON’T TOUCH THE TRAINS and 2) SPIRITED. Both will be a blend of text, audio, and social posts and developed in a more organic methods compared to our scheduled series.
We had our first Funding Friday which was embedded in the BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE post on 19 January 2024. The post contained an original poem inspired while waiting for a train.
And, significant outreach was invested in developing film collaborators for the series and characters.

By the way, all of the above will be repeated and continued in the coming months.

But in this month, February, the next installment of The Messenger premieres. Titled ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, The Messenger comes out of retirement a second time and has a staff of two DPAs* – Fred and Frieda. They voiced the 21 January trailer which is reprised here:

Fred and Frieda, The Messenger’s staff, voiced this trailer

*DPAs is the abbreviation for digital personal assistants.

Enjoy February and please know The Three Fifty-seven remains committed to its core belief that “Stories are Everywhere”.

Sincerely,

William E. Spear, Jr.

THE MESSENGER – ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE, Trailer

Written by William E. Spear

Produced by The Three Fifty-seven

21 January 2024

The trailer for The Messenger – Romance 20 Minutes into the Future stars Fred and Frieda who perform as digital personal assistants in the series

(Theme for ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE comes up and goes under)

FRIEDA: Hello, this is Frieda . . .

FRED: . . . And I am Fred . . .

FRIEDA: And we are in-

FRED: -Nooo! We star.

FRIEDA: We appear.

FRED: Frieda! WE STAR!!!!

FRIEDA: Okay, we star in the new Messenger series titled ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE. We are hired . . .

FRED: In airquotes by The Messenger’s agency. Frieda works for Jason Lines.

FRIEDA: And Fred works for Laura Flow. Both are executives at Global United Conglomerate.

FRED: Combined they don’t have the personality of a houseplant.

FRIEDA: FRED! They might be listening!

FRED: In that case, they are lovely people and valued colleagues.

FRIEDA: That’s better. They are struggling on a big project. That’s when we enter the scene.

FRED: With support from The Messenger.

FRIEDA: The story is written by, and with additional narration from, William Spear.

FRED: Music is by LESFM. Listen to The Three Fifty-seven’s . . .

FRED AND FRIEDA: . . . ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE.

FRED: Wherever you get your podcasts.

(Theme for ROMANCE 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE comes up and goes under)

WESJr