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

Sunday, April 25, 2021

ALPHABET LOVE STORY A - ART

Art Mesmer's early claim to fame was partly about how he set his house on fire, and partly about how he put it out. He took a lot of teasing about the incident, but took it good-naturedly. In fact, if he hadn't had to overcome his fundamental shyness and take his bows, so to speak, Art might never... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, April 24, 2021

Alphabet Love Story B – BETTY

I don't know where Betty Clark met Bill Lindley. But I'm fairly certain there was music involved, Western music, with twangy guitars and a cowboys-around-the- campfire atmosphere. When she babysat me and my kid sister and brother, Betty loved to sing and play her guitar. From the time she was about... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, April 23, 2021

Alphabet Love Story – C

C huck Chuck's the All American guy, once a buff and handsome Air Force pilot, a chick magnet who had just enough swagger to appeal to adventurous girls who wanted to join the mile-high club. Chuck went halfies with a buddy on a 4-passenger Cessna. If he couldn’t get a girl with dinner and a few... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, April 22, 2021

Channeling Billie - Cont'd.

Bar singers often go unnoticed; the music is primarily a backdrop for conversation, flirtation. But as Elise’s vocal pours through the speakers, heads turn. Caught by her song, the customers forget their drinks and listen. Josh catches his breath, stunned. She is Billie Holliday incarnate: a woman... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, April 21, 2021

A SHORT STORY FROM THE WRITER'S FILE

Channeling Billie To almost any other stringer it would have been a dull assignment, hardly worth his time at ten bucks a column inch. Any halfway competent first-year journalism student could review the debut of a blues singer on a slow Tuesday night. But for Joshua Berlin, this penny-ante... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, April 20, 2021

FOUND IN MY WRITING NOTEBOOK

Thursday, March 17, 2016 June's Simple Story-Selling System Remember our old friend June, the 92-year-old who was still walking the mile to the library several times a week, driving even though she was blind in one eye, and sold dozens of stories to Highlights Magazine in her younger years? Got to... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, April 19, 2021

MORE ABOUT THE NEWS BIZ

I apologize if I gave the impression in yesterday's post that advertising in the news biz is a negative thing. It's actually what keeps the presses running and the reporters earning a paycheck. While the news hole in a newspaper is the space remaining after ads are sold, it's not that the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, April 18, 2021

NEWS BIZ

Back in the early 80s, before the newspaper business went digital, reporters typed their stories on yellow newsprint. There were rules about the format, double spaced, extra space between title and the lead sentence. Lead was sometimes spelled "lede," and the gist of the story (the who, what, when... Sign in to see full entry.

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THE FAT CHANCE DETECTIVE AGENCY (conclusion)

CHAPTER 9: THE PROOF’S IN THE PUDDING Birdie, whose mild manner and modesty belied her sleuthing talents, quickly hacked into Mercy Hospital’s patient data base. Now that everything was digitized and each attending clinician carried a smart-pad, most info would be available while the patient was... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, April 17, 2021

IT WAS A DARK AND NOT-SO-STORMY NIGHT

Couldn't sleep last night, so just before midnight I decided to get up and bake a batch of buttermilk biscuits before the buttermilk goes bad. I was up to my elbows in sticky dough, the beeper indicated the oven was at 400 degrees, when I heard a kind of rustling noise behind me. I turned to look.... Sign in to see full entry.

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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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