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

Thursday, July 17, 2014

He Broke Our Date!

Jim E. left a voicemail after I'd gone to bed last night. Sorry Mrs. but my crew won't be there tomorrow. Your fence installation has been pushed back to Tuesday. No explanation. I know it's not late shipment of the materials, because their delivery guy brought that stuff yesterday. Said don't worry... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Itty-Bitty Changes.

I'm getting to be more and more a creature of habit. I'm like that old dog that has already circled and scooched and worn that pattern in her little corner rug. She's got all the wrinkles and knots just so. When she lies down, everything jigsaw puzzles right in the spot it's supposed to be. Sleep... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Advance Prep for Thursday's WYOS session...

Thursday I will not be doing the "Write Your Own Story" session at the Center. I'll be here at Rosethorn Ranch supervising the takedown and installation of a new fence. So it's necessary to have a topic suggestion or two for any of the writers who happen to show up. There could be as many as five,... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Feedback

A couple weeks back I posted a short story titled "Confusion" that I was re-working -- a fictionalized bit about the Writers Without Borders group that has been frustrating hell out of me lately. Believe it or not, I went over it five more times to hone the package. Added a couple details, changed a... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

You know you're my sweetheart, don't you?

Two years ago, a week before he passed away, that's what Fang said to me. We were in one of the several medical facilities of that week, getting some last-ditch procedures done, hoping there would be one more escape from death. I'd been calling him the Energizer Bunny because he'd kept going and... Sign in to see full entry.

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.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Where is TAPS?

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

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.

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.

Headlines (What is this?)