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, July 12, 2014

What's the difference between TV news 30 years ago & now?

Adjectives. Modifiers, words designed to influence mood/opinion. Sensationalism, "ain't-it-awful" comments from the anchor. Conjecture masquerading as fact. These were all considered sins when I signed up for Journalism 101 in the early '80s. Now the anchor is the star, his/her "likability" and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 9:14 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, July 11, 2014

Where is TAPS?

I miss her, and I hope to see another haiku soon. Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:14 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

What's in a name? Storyteller's choice.

One of the writer's challenges is picking a name for the characters. For the good guys we want a common name, a salt of the earth moniker we can identify with. Think Joe Friday, or Mike Hammer. All you need to hear is Bond, James Bond and thanks to Ian Fleming, we know exactly what to expect of that... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:59 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, July 10, 2014

What we find offensive

What does it say about our culture that we find cursewords and middle fingers more offensive than poverty mass starvation wars corrupt governments etc. Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:57 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Shopping Cart Pet Peeve.

You go to the store, you're in a hurry. And there dawdling in the aisle leaning on her shopping cart is Ilean Dover, slouching, barely dragging one foot after the other. She's blithely unaware her tube-top is not quite the fashion statement she intended, apparently too exhausted to stand up... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:44 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Frogs, fences and squirrels...

In May there were frog songs. Choirs of bassos and tenors trilling in and around the little pond. Some of the louder ones seemed to be singing at my very feet when I stood just outside the kitchen door on the upper deck. If I'd had the door open, they'd have serenaded me all night long. In June... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:07 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, July 7, 2014

"Always at my back I hear / time's winged chariot hurrying near,,,"

Andrew Marvell. "To His Coy Mistress." I had liked the poem even before we studied it in a writing class. I believe the class was the one taught by Dickie Spurgeon, who lectured in iambic pentameter and read some of his own hilarious poems to illustrate points. He was a good old southern boy,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:23 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, July 6, 2014

London Bridge is Falling Down...

Sometimes the thought that pops unbidden into my mind in response to something is a song lyric. I see someone with bug bites or stitches and up pops "I've got you under my skin." Or in the work-a-day world there'd be the Tuesday staff meeting, and as the boss got up to "inspire" us, I'd hear "Wake... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:53 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Birth reminders... on Facebook

It seems my kids are tagging me on Facebook about being their birth parent. First it was "Joe" who posted his. FB must have some new nudge going. And yesterday it was Robin, my new about-to-be lawyer. Both their birthdays are in March, so my curious self is wondering why they're doing this now, in... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:53 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, July 4, 2014

Celebrating the 4th of July in the late '60s.

When my kids were small we celebrated the 4th of July at the riverfront along the Mississippi in Alton. My husband's dad worked at the flour mill there, and we staked out a place near the loading dock on the river side of the grain elevators. We brought an ice chest of cold drinks, lawn chairs for... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:58 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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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