Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

By Pat_B - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Saturday, April 2, 2011

I was right, dammit!

I was right! Cold comfort, knowing this since someone beat me to the dream. Remember when I had that idea for a coffee shop bookstore for writers? Remember, it was to be called the Write Angle? The Kriege Hardware building a historic local business was wiped out by the big boxes Home Depot and... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Guy walks into a bar...

Always gets you ready for a joke, that line. You're ready for a little shock, a surprise, a laugh. Guy walks into a bar. Why wouldn't he walk in? He's entitled to a happy hour at the end of the week. Never mind he's one of those "little" men whose job is to entertain the workmates with his clever... Sign in to see full entry.

Older men, younger women

My first date was with David Z, a nice Polish boy who lived up on the ridge above Highway 12. Well, I shouldn't say "boy," since David was 24 at the time, but he was a bit "young" if not downright slow. It was mid-August when we went out. At the time I was a few weeks shy of my 15th birthday. These... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

It's the kind of town where...

They have bumper stickers that say "Keep Portland Weird." In Seattle, people waited for the "walk" light even during the WTO demonstrations in '99. They don't say hi as they pass you on the street, but they want to see the title of the book you're reading. In Mundane, when Habitat for Humanity... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lost in a book

As I was coming back from shopping yesterday, waiting to turn left onto my brick street, I saw a boy, maybe fourteen or so, at the intersection reading a book. We were near St. B's, and it was a somewhat small book. The way he concentrated made me wonder if it were a Bible, if he were a boy... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Rewrite of Chapter 3: Post-Mortem

Did a cold read of last November's NaNoWriMo project (922 Holyoake Road) about George and Isabel, a husband who killed his wife 100 years ago, and his wife/ghost. Frankly, reading it made me tired. Overwritten, repetitive, in serious need of pruning. I've been editing, cleaning, making it more... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Starla's Secret

Carl wants to ask me out. I've seen him stumble over words before, hesitate over a rehearsed speech, uh-ing and ah-ing and deciding whether or not to take the chance. He's big, walrus-like, huge shoulders and upper body, and he shuffles, moves from side to side as he walks like a Beachmaster in a... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Life is but a dream... or is a dream but life?

It snowed yesterday, great wet flakes that melted on the road and the sidewalks, but clung to every angle of every branch. It clung to the chain link fencing at the daycare play yard for St. B's. It was the pure white whipped cream snow that promises no real chill, just great packability for... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Clothing optional...

"Laugh In." Remember the popout doors, the funny remarks, the jokes with double entendres, the guest stars, the fun? There were tiny political jabs, there and gone like a pinprick, to be laughed about around the water cooler the next day. There was the old perv sidling up to the woman on the park... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

It's not you, it's me.

I was a little ticked off at Fred, the yard guy. Fred's been mowing my yard for about five summers now, including trimming along the sidewalks and blowing away the clippings at $30 a pop. He was super-reliable at first, but last summer it seemed to me he was showing up more or less when he felt like... Sign in to see full entry.

About this Blog

Sometimes you have to write it down in order to learn what you really think about life, what it means, how to do what's best. Sometimes you need feedback from someone else to put things in perspective.

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