Archive for July 2010
Useless word
As a writer, certain words annoy me. For example, the word minute, an indication of 60 seconds of time, is spelled the same as minute, meaning small. I hate this. I have been forced to abandon the use of minute, meaning small, more than once because of the confusion that it causes when read. In…
Read MoreCareer advice
Even though Elysha and I are on the no call list, we still receive the occasional unsolicited calls from telemarketers. Usually these are companies that we already do business with who are looking for more business. Credit card companies, The Hartford Stage, our alma maters, etc. Sometimes I’m sort of glad that we do. The…
Read MoreTop 3 blogger on this blog
A friend of mine recently started doing business with one of the “Top 3 dermatologists in New York City.” There is a select breed of person in this world who loves to assert that their doctor/lawyer/psychologist/tanner/lion tamer is one of the top three in their respective craft in their respective city. I hear this expression…
Read MoreBacking into trouble
I watched a woman grind her enormous SUV into a Subaru station wagon as she was backing into a parking spot at Shaw’s supermarket today. My question: Why does anyone ever back into a parking spot? Can’t we all agree that it’s infinitely easier to back out of a parking spot into an empty lane…
Read MoreA contest! Everyone loves a contest! And there are fabulous prizes, too!
Okay, I have a contest, and hopefully enough of my readers will be interested to make it worthwhile. On August 25, I will be appearing at WORD in Brooklyn, NY as part of my book tour for UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO. As part of the promotion for the event, WORD has created a webpage that provides the…
Read MoreClever brats-turned-friends
I’ve reach the point in my teaching career when some of my first students are now becoming young adults. As such, many of them are now becoming people who I am proud to call my friends. I play golf and basketball with former students. I discuss writing and books with them. They attend my readings…
Read MoreContrition or liberation?
Thomas Friedman wrote an article that talked about how the world has become more transparent. With the advent of blogs, cell phone cameras, and social networks like Facebook and MySpace, anyone who wants to publish their opinion can do so with ease, and therefore a person’s actions and words can be instantly beamed to the…
Read MorePerhaps my publisher should triple the price of my book
It is a sad fact that price seems to equate to pleasure in human beings. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology recently studied a subject’s reaction to wine after being informed about the price of the bottle. Of course, the researchers were not truthful about the price. Two of the wines sampled were offered…
Read MoreFuture caveman?
I took a misanthropic quiz today. I turned out to be 70% misanthropic. The results read: Here’s the truth: Most people suck. You are just lucky enough to know it. You’re not ready to go live alone in a cave – but you’re getting there. While some of my friends might not find these results…
Read MoreCruel design
I don’t understand bikes. Have you ever noticed that the placement of the bar connecting the front half of the bike to its back end is different on a traditional boy’s bike (on the left) in comparison to a traditional girl’s bike (on the right)? See the difference? Elysha explained to me that this bar…
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