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, February 3, 2013

Birthday Magic...

Baby Kaitlin was born a year ago yesterday, and her folks posted that first photo again a couple days ago. New mother Nicole sitting up against the pillows of her hospital bed, holding daughter in her swaddle of blankets, studying the little face and thinking what a mother thinks when she first... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:27 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Focus Group, Part 3

Later, the banker and the Indian argue about the culture clash between indigenous peoples and the European settlers. The banker shook his head in denial. “What we brought was progress. We turned empty wasteland into economically viable real estate.” Dustmann said confidently. “Progress, Banker? My... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:32 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, February 1, 2013

Woman's Work, conversation with myself - Focus Group part 2

(Eloise just asked me where I was going with her character...) Now we’re getting somewhere, I think. She’s put her finger on something. “When I started the story I was working in pissed-off feminist mode. You were supposed to use every weapon in the female arsenal to beat men at their own game,” I... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:36 AM | add or view comments (9) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Woman's Work... (conversation w/ myself about the story)

Scene: loft space in Seattle, morning. Focus Group Meeting between the author and her characters to iron out some plot problems. Everything’s ready: shiny metal pitchers and water glasses, paper napkins, a steaming coffee urn, three dozen assorted doughnuts and bagels, crockery mugs, sugar, cream. A... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:58 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

From the archive - Conclusion

Jillian was about half-convinced the whole thing had been a dream. But they hadn’t smoked anything, no shrooms, no acid. All they’d had were a couple shots of José Cuérvo. They kept the radio on as they ate breakfast and packed away their gear. Jillian’s heart raced as the newscaster reported the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:55 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

From the archive - part 2

“I’m a scout. We are explorers.” The creature’s lips did not move, she simply heard the words in her mind, a calm, modulated, almost feminine voice. There was no “take me to your leader” or any other cliché. Jillian felt warmth in various parts of her body, even her head, as the alien examined her.... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:18 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, January 28, 2013

From the archive - part 1

CLOSE ENCOUNTER The summer of ’49 Jillian and a couple friends rented an RV and headed forRoswell,New Mexicoto see for themselves where the UFO had crashed. For a year it had had been the focus of half the conversations at the Mill Run happy hour. Joe Kessler said flatly it was impossible, nothing... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:30 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Color me strange, but I like Mondays...

It's a beginning. There's always hope at a beginning. And there are real programs on TV, not reruns of true crime shows from ten or fifteen years ago, not so many infomercials, and my faves: Judges Judy or Marilyn, the local news, my soap opera with lunch. When I was still on the job, Monday meant... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sands through the hourglass...

He's in gathering mode, shopping for details, fitting them where he thinks they go in the puzzle he's putting together. Click. That fits. Stop, that doesn't. When I pause to catch a breath while building to a point, he takes the opportunity to get back to what he was thinking. So I stop contributing... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:13 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Bureaucracy...

It's not one of the seven words you can't say on TV. Gee, I miss George Carlin and hearing his take on things. The guy turned profanity into an art form, and his thinking was most often common sense. The Beauracracy I'm talking about is the military records center. They sent me an email a day or so... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:23 AM | add or view comments (6) | 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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