Friday, January 27, 2012
When I was a student there in the early '80s our university had an award-winning journalism program - its students won prizes for depth reporting, investigative features, first-person interviews, etc. It was a Hearst Award-winning program, and stood up well against other highly praised programs in... Sign in to see full entry.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
About Football...and "fans" who make death threats
I may boycott the superbowl this year. Not that anyone would notice. I just read an article about the game strategy used by team A -- sorry, I can't remember its name -- to go after a particular player on Team B -- a guy they knew had had four concussions in previous games. Not only did they go... Sign in to see full entry.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Happy New Year 4710
I didn't remember when I titled my blog yesterday that today would be the first day of Lunar New Year 4710, the Year of the Dragon. This is the day to give lucky money in red envelopes for good luck. A Vietnamese co-worker of mine at Seattle Central Community College a few years ago gave me one, and... Sign in to see full entry.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Shake your fist at the dragon.
Sometimes a puny sword can scare off a dragon's first swoop if we stand tall and ignore his horrible hot breath, if we take a swipe as he gets close, maybe nick his scaly hide and draw a drop or two of his acid green blood. But we know he'll be back. Sat. a.m. - an overnight rain froze on... Sign in to see full entry.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Writing a Biography
My mother lived in interesting times, as the old saying goes. I lived with her through some of those times and lived to tell the tale. But I couldn't. Tell the tale, that is. Too much emotion came to the surface as I dug into things that happened. Recently I found an angle from which to tell my... Sign in to see full entry.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Seen around town
If you remember "Bambi" and the great stag who was the fawn's father, you'll have a mental picture of the "king of the forest" who seems to have claimed parts of Mundane as its territory. Son Guy went out to get in his car a couple days ago. There was the stag, his impressive rack turned in a kind... Sign in to see full entry.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
On Writing
Author's Memory Writing a story is remembering something that never happened. It’s seeing what happens and where it takes place, knowing how each action-reaction affects everything else and the eventual result. I call it “author’s memory.” At times a writer is of two minds or more as she adds... Sign in to see full entry.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
My haunted house...
There was something about that house on the corner that seemed to invite me to come in. It was a block up the street from the university's satellite offices known as the Wagner Center. In 1966, my chief clerk's job and the print shop where Fang worked were located there. We drove past that corner... Sign in to see full entry.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Ninety-Four Hamsters (from MSNBC online)
About five years ago Lonely Guy bought a couple hamsters and a setup for them, to share his small apartment. He fed, watered, watched and cleaned up after his happy little companions. Then Buddy and Sissy begat little Joe, Judy, and Mike. No-longer-lonely-guy added to the habitrail system, put in... Sign in to see full entry.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
You've seen that look
If you're over 60, or if you've ever told the same story twice to the same person, you've seen that look. The eyes slide to one side. There's a sigh, and then it comes full on: the look that says 'please, just get to the end. I can't take much more of this." Doesn't matter if the listener loves or... Sign in to see full entry.