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

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

A Flash of Fiction:

Missed Opportunity His name was,... well, let's say Gene. He was a few years older than my 27, the on-site consultant in charge of planning and ordering materials. I'd been at the university for almost three years, department secretary in the maintenance office. I’d taken a couple months off a year... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:41 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, April 4, 2011

Wild Sunday...

It was windy and wild all day. Broke a record that stood since 1882, got up to 90 degrees here, but didn't feel that hot because of the winds. Long after sundown it was still 80, but thunder and lightning came around midnight, and by six this morning it felt downright chilly, at 53 degrees. It's... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:18 AM | add or view comments (1) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Coup tears...

Wiley asked about these. Coup tears are the tattoos near the eye that look like tears. The way I heard it -- each tear represents a kill of a rival gang member or some other enemy. I've seen mug shots on crime shows of guys with those tears, and you see them in thrillers & action movies. Brrrr. Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:27 AM | add or view comments (1) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Imaginary gang war

There's a town a few miles west of here that sits a bit north of Nowhere. Nowhere is a scary place, all ghetto and dark, full of criminal elements and a police force that could be compared to that of any Mexican border town. Nowhere kids know the difference between the sound of a Magnum.357 and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:45 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, April 2, 2011

I was right, dammit!

I was right! Cold comfort, knowing this since someone beat me to the dream. Remember when I had that idea for a coffee shop bookstore for writers? Remember, it was to be called the Write Angle? The Kriege Hardware building a historic local business was wiped out by the big boxes Home Depot and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:40 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, April 1, 2011

Guy walks into a bar...

Always gets you ready for a joke, that line. You're ready for a little shock, a surprise, a laugh. Guy walks into a bar. Why wouldn't he walk in? He's entitled to a happy hour at the end of the week. Never mind he's one of those "little" men whose job is to entertain the workmates with his clever... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 8:19 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Older men, younger women

My first date was with David Z, a nice Polish boy who lived up on the ridge above Highway 12. Well, I shouldn't say "boy," since David was 24 at the time, but he was a bit "young" if not downright slow. It was mid-August when we went out. At the time I was a few weeks shy of my 15th birthday. These... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:31 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, March 31, 2011

It's the kind of town where...

They have bumper stickers that say "Keep Portland Weird." In Seattle, people waited for the "walk" light even during the WTO demonstrations in '99. They don't say hi as they pass you on the street, but they want to see the title of the book you're reading. In Mundane, when Habitat for Humanity... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:12 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lost in a book

As I was coming back from shopping yesterday, waiting to turn left onto my brick street, I saw a boy, maybe fourteen or so, at the intersection reading a book. We were near St. B's, and it was a somewhat small book. The way he concentrated made me wonder if it were a Bible, if he were a boy... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:49 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Rewrite of Chapter 3: Post-Mortem

Did a cold read of last November's NaNoWriMo project (922 Holyoake Road) about George and Isabel, a husband who killed his wife 100 years ago, and his wife/ghost. Frankly, reading it made me tired. Overwritten, repetitive, in serious need of pruning. I've been editing, cleaning, making it more... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:14 AM | add or view comments (5) | 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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