CHRISTINE TRZYNA - WRITERLY LIFE

10/29/26

SAME AS IT EVER WAS : TALKING HEADS

10/19/26

BROKEN PLEA : THE EXCERPT THAT IMPACTS : CHRISTINE TRZYNA BOOK REVIEW and OPINION

Broken Plea is by author Christopher Whitcomb and published by Harper Select. It's about 431 pages in the hardback. I can understand why Bryan Kohberger would want to trade his plea deal for a trial.

Excerpt pages 413-414 : CAPTER TITLE : DRUNK OR NOT, DEATH ROW, the NEW NORMAL

No one knows what really happened inside that house early Sunday morning - but we all know what did not.

We know the killer did not stop at Dylan Mortensen's room on his way upstairs toward his intended targets. We know that the assassin did not, by himself asphyxiate, beat, sab, and hack away at Kaylee Goncalves while Maddie Mogen lay quietly in bed beside her without fighting back or running away. We know that a complete stranger would not take the time to slice each of their throats twice, postmortem, before suggestively posing their p\bodies in an assault that Bill Thompson himself said was not sexual in nature.

We know that Dylan Mortensen did not apparently hear the extreme violence of the attacks though her bed was directly beneath Maddie's in a house where she told police, "You can hear everything." We know, despite Bryan Kohberger's admissions of guilt, that police have not produced a shred of evidence linking him to any of the victims of the two survivors. There is no indication in the terabytes of investigation that he ever visited or stepped inside the house.

In terms of means, motive, and modus operandi, we know the killer premeditated his crimes, wearing black clothing and a balaclava to the scene, though we don't know why. We know he left blood transfers on the walls and flat surface s in the stairwell but not on the floors. We know he did no interact with Murphy, because the dog was lying on Kaylee's bed when p[police arrived with no signs of injury and not a drop of blood on his fur. We know from Bethany (Bethany Funke - a housemate), neighbors, and Ring cam audio that Murphy was barking from the outside the house forty-five minutes after the murders, but we do not know how he got back inside.

Moving downstairs, we know that the killer did not stop at Dylan Mortensen's room on his way out. We know the killer attacked Xana (Xana Kernodle - a housemate) in or near the kitchen, chasing her across the living room as she screamed so loudly it was picked up on a Ring Camera down the street, but we do not know why no one heard her in the house. We know from lab reports that the killer splashed Maddie's and Kaylee's blood on the living room walls, but we do not know how every droplet ws found to have been "diluted with an unknown substance." We know blood was found on the floors of both murder scene bedrooms, but we don't have a clue how the killer walked through the house without tracking anything around on his shoes. ...

Editing to include full names is mine. As Joel over at Surviving the Survivor says, it is important to name the victims. It reminds us they were human, individuals.

Yes there is more. And yes you should get the book and read it. This is a mystery that thousands of individuals - those into True Crime - those who, like me, have become captivated, are hooked on, coming up with theories, speculations, and hopes of true justice.

As per past posts, I have not been sure that Bryan Kohberger commit these murders at all, and this book has convinced me that whomever did murder these college students didn't do so alone. I've watched so very many YouTube videos/stations and there are some very good ones out there.

I previously mentioned thinking of Surviving the Survivor as an excellent True Crime channel. Since my interest has been only on this particular crime, and Joel over there went on to reportage of other crimes, I veered away from his station. I'm going to mention two that have compelling information:

It's my policy to not knowingly post any video that has commercials attached to it so I'm only going to provide links:

*****

Amber Vance IMPRESSIVE TIMELINE - Extensive Research and collection of information

J. Embree INTERESTING RECREATION OF AUTOPSY EVIDENCE proving more than one knife used indicating more than one person used a knife.

Although I realize that a great amount of time, money, and expertise has been given to this case, it is my feeling that one or more persons do have more evidence but are terrified to give it over. I think whomever did this may have IMAGINED they had a relationship with Kaylee. Unfortunately these days there seems to be a great number of persons - especially men - who have FANTASY RELATIONSHIPS with other persons - especially women - who they have no rational reason to think of as theirs. We see this with CELEBRITY STALKERS. In other words, someone who is mentally ill and, if local, may have been fixated on having a woman who was not interested, perhaps because she was involved with someone else, or not at a time in her life where she wanted an exclusive relationship.

It is my opinion that Dylan Mortensen did move about the house after the murders and the horror of what she was seeing put her in a terrible state, which she indicated by using language such as "frozen shock stage." I think it went beyond frozen. However, I say that also knowing that DNA evidence does not indicate that she herself was a witness to the murders, only the aftermath. She has been highly criticized for reaching out to friends rather than the police. Such is the behavior of someone who simply cannot believe it.

Shamefully I used AI to provide you the following information, which I have not head speculated about on any True Crime videos that I listened to. Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic seem to the the sources for the following:

The medical or psychological term for memory loss regarding the details of a traumatic event or episode of acute stress is retrograde amnesia or post-traumatic amnesia, often occurring alongside a dissociative response.

Retrograde Amnesia: An inability to recall events that occurred just before or during a specific trauma, injury, or shock.

Post-Traumatic Amnesia (PTA): A state of confusion and memory loss that follows a concussion, head injury, or severe physical shock, where the person cannot remember the incident or the immediate aftermath.

Dissociative Amnesia: A psychological response where the mind blocks out autobiographical or event-specific information following severe emotional shock, abuse, or violence.

Transient Global Amnesia (TGA): A sudden, temporary episode where a person cannot form new memories or recall recent events for a few hours, while otherwise remaining alert and knowing who they are.

C 2026 Christine Trzyna
All Rights Reserved

10/9/26

BLITZKRIEG BOP : THE RAMONES

Joey Ramone (1951-2001)

Johnny Ramone (1948-2004)

Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002)

Tommy Ramone (1949-2014)

The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles hosted the exhibition "Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk" from September 16, 2016, through February 28, 2017

Exhibition Details : Anniversary: Celebrated the 40th anniversary of the band's 1976 self-titled debut album.

10/4/26

I'M READING ...

BROKEN PLEA The Explosive Search For Truth Behind the Idaho Murders

by Christopher Whitcomb

AMERICAN TRICKSTER The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda

by Ru Marshall

9/28/26

JIM MORRISON INTERVIEW : HE WAS 26 YEARS OLD : HE WAS INTERESTED IN JAZZ

Interview The Doors (Jim Morrison) Canadian 1970

So very interesting... Morrison says the rock stations just play 30 songs over and over 24 hours a day

9/26/26

LOS ANGELES IN THE 1970'S : CHRISTINE TRZYNA BOOK REVIEW

David Kukoff editor.

LOS ANGELES IN THE 1970'S

Subtitle : Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine

I wasn't living in Los Angeles in the 1970's. Yet, I can say this book is relatable.

I loved the essays - from diverse writers - personal experiences and viewpoints. New Yorkers moving West; I do remember the posters that they used to sell that you could flip, one side showing palm trees, the other showing skyscrapers and words like "I'd take LA over New York any day." All very interesting. Many pros. A writer's book by writers.

Get this book. If you can't find it, say something to the right people to get it republished... Mr. Kukoff? Maybe try Los Angeles Public Library.

9/21/26

THE SEEKERS BY JOHN DENSMORE : CHRISTINE TRZYNA BOOK REVIEW

Yes, in case you're wondering, I was once in the same very small room as John Densmore, who was making an appearance for no pay. I can't remember what year it was and I didn't exactly meet him. If I said two words to him, I would tell you.

Lately I'm on a Doors reading jag and this is one of the books I've read by a musician who was in the Doors or someone considered to be a person accomplished when it comes to writing music bios. I'm so impressed with this book because Densmore weaves personal experience and some of his history and Doors history with profiling some of the musicians who have impressed him. George Harrison; Densmore was in the room with him. Ravi Shankar - ditto. Patti Smith - the same. It's a short but sweet read but impactful just the same.

Densmore also writes about the creative process and spirituality, how that influenced him or was a factor in developing his art and a philosophy of life. That I think would be of interest to any creator.

Now I'm not sure if I will review the other books that crisscross the story of the Doors or not. I will say that so far these books are so much more worth the time reading than some of the other music memoirs I've reviewed here which I've criticized because the writer(s) seemed to have no introspection.

9/14/26

INTERVIEW WITH CARLOS CASTANEDA

https://youtu.be/ymylx-nrldc?si=Wyiw5M_4TN4zz5uI

Carlos Castaneda Interview with Theodore Roszak 1969

DON JUAN THE SORCERER - Carlos Castaneda interviewed by Theodore Roszak. Author of "The Teachings of Don Juan" discusses his experiences with hallucinogenic substances used under the guidance of his Yaqui Indian teacher, don Juan Matus. BROADCAST: KPFA, 30 Jan. 1969.(37 min.) BB2038 Pacifica Radio Archives.

******

This interview is about shamans and hallucinogens.

******
I met a woman who studied Anthropology at UCLA and was in his lecture class during the brief time that Carlos Castaneda was teaching there. I regret not quizzing her about it. She became an PhD. anthropologist studying and recording the music of the a certain ethnic tribal group in Mexico and Central America.

I'm sure that - through the years - I read most of his books beginning with The Teachings of Don Juan though I remember only a couple scenes from those books. I felt confused about what I was reading. I noticed that my local libraries seem to no longer have these books as if they haven't bothered to reorder them when old copies were stolen or fell apart from popularity.

Years later, years ago, I met a woman who was studying to be a hypnotherapist (not a hypnotist) and we had a brief conversation about Castaneda. Very basically, she said, ..." but he was right."

I've read some criticism of Castaneda. I read some books by women who were called "witches" who we might call devotees or students or members of a cult. I also read Amy Wallace's Sorcerer's Apprentice. (July 3, 1955 – August 10, 2013 : Amy Wallace.) This book came out in 2003.

I thought of these things today because my Taisha Abelar posts have always gotten a lot of interest. Years ago a woman who worked at a favored coffee house loaned me her copy and said "You have to read this," so I did. I found it fascinating...

Because I fear cults.

Because I once honed an interest in Native American cultures. Because I still think anthropology is more interesting that sociology or psychology. (And I know the distrust of anthropologists that many tribal people felt. Which, forgive me, might explain why Don Juan might have been playing with Carlos Castaneda.)

Because I used to walk in the Hollywood Hills and Santa Monica Mountains and learned enough to identify many native plants including ones that were used by the Tongva and Chumash for hallucinogens. I believe such experiences should only be part of a spiritual adventure and while closely attended to by others more experienced; this is not about a party or addiction.

Because I've heard people dismiss all creative writers as "liars." I hate that.

Should his books (besides this one) be considered Fiction?

Because I've read Castaneda's memoir three times, years apart, and I think that even if he wrote nothing else, there is valuable advice for writers in it.

And it is a whole lot about Los Angeles.

Because the "missing" four of the five "witches" are still missing - since 1998, But here's the thing: for various reasons their disappearances might not have been suicide as is hinted at in Amy Wallace's book. (Amy Wallace also suggested that she had seen evidence of Castaneda's field notes and travel in pursuit of the wisdom of Don Juan and other Shamans.) (I think the terms witches or sorcerers used to describe these women is in error because those terms bring up notions of women who are conjuring, doing magic for personal gain or to revenge enemies. Rather they worked on themselves.)

******

https://youtu.be/J6_5LAstxHE?si=BfXaK1ob1ZwUmYDF

What Happened to the "Witches" of Carlos Castaneda? Sean Munger

Because many people just wish they could drop off the grid. It's possible these women are still alive. Erasing personal history being part of Castaneda's belief system.

C 2026 Christine Trzyna

9/9/26

GLORIA STEINEM said

"The truth will set you free but first it will piss you off." - Gloria Steinem

THE NEW YORKER : GLORIA STEINEM GAVE IT ALL by Emma Watson

Excerpts:

I have always felt a strange protectiveness toward Gloria, which is absurd when you consider that Gloria Steinem has spent her life protecting the rest of us. She is one of the greatest heroines of the twentieth century.
...

As the eclipse passes, I think about how quiet I have been for quite some time now, and I realize that something about that has to change, because if Gloria is leaving us, then some of us are going to have to get louder. It feels less like a decision than like a law of physics: I think of gravity, of black holes, of the way one body continues to exert a force on another across apparently empty space. I feel Gloria’s gravity still, pulling me toward the horizon and toward a world she could already envision.

She did not get to see it.

9/8/26

UNDER WATERFALL : THE DOORS

9/3/26

WHATCHA SEE IS WHATCHA GET : PEPE MARQUEZ - BILLY MONDRAGON - ANDY VARGAS

8/31/26

JONI MITCHELL said

"I don't like being too looked up at or too looked down on. I prefer meeting in the middle to being worshipped or spat at." - Joni Mitchell