Sarah responds

Wow, this girl can write lyrics! She had this to say:

Nah C-Dawg - yo rap lyrics be all strange an sh*t! fo shiz you got da rhyme down, girl, but you aint makin no sense wit da story, ya feel me?
An there aint no cursin in yo rap. Where is the anger, yo? Word.
I say

Girl, you came to be like a b*tch to a bone,
With an ass like dat I hadda take you home,
We pop champagne and drink the foam,
I aint no pimp like Sean P. Comb(s),
Girl I wanna lick ya like an ice cream cone

(hee hee)

Worst rap song ever

I'm working on a rap song. I think I will sell it to Cisco or someone. So far I have this:

You came to me like a dog to a bone

So I had to take you home

And shove my cream in your cone

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

I was just lamenting what a bad job I did taking fireworks photos when I found that iPhoto can drastically improve them!

BEFORE

AFTER

New food ideas

Hmmm!

Writerly stuff

1. Ned Vizzini has been working for two years on a book that's more than 400 pages long. He finally sent it to his agent. They just had a phone conversation in which the agent gave a lot of criticism and they both decided to put the book off indefinitely.
Surprisingly, he's not upset. He actually is a bit relieved.
This turn of events, and the fact that he has a newer project he's more excited about, is not so unusual in the writing world.
Anyway, here's his journal entry about this, which is interesting and a good slice of the writing life.
It's just too bad I'll have to wait longer to read the next Ned book, because his two novels were great.

2. An article about submtiting your short stories or essays to literary magazines. There's usually low or no pay, but it gets your work out there. And sometimes it even gets your work to a "Best of..." collection, where there IS some financial reward. Plus it may get the attention of agents or editors. Junot Diaz rose to prominence by getting his first story in STORY Magazine when it existed years ago. Agents saw it and ultimately he got a book of short stories published.

Mammatus clouds at sunset

The battle of who could care less

I've heard some of my peers (not most, but some) saying they really don't care about Michael Jackson's death. Usually I don't care much about celebrity deaths either, but you have to realize that even if you didn't like him or his music, he was one of the biggest celebrities of the world, and an '80s phenomenon. And I *did* like him and his music. That said, even if I feel bad (and shocked), it's not exactly going to affect my daily life.

The whole thing got me to thinking about celebrity deaths I cared and didn't care about. Luckily, most of the celebrities in my age group probably have a lot of living to do. The exceptions, like Kurt Cobain or the (younger) Heath Ledger, I really didn't care about much.

But I remember feeling really affected by River Phoenix. I'm not sure why; maybe because he always seemed so soulful in his roles, particularly in "Stand By Me" and "Running on Empty." (The latter was a depressing, intense, and excellent film that I highly recommend).

I guess it'll be pretty terrible when we get old enough that a lot of the celebs our age start passing away.

Lisa Marie Presley talks about trying to 'save' Michael Jackson

Worth reading. I wonder how many people who walk away from a relationship with a destructive person have those feelings of regret & sadness that they couldn't save or change them...

Click HERE.

Men at Work song accused of ripping off folk song

I hear a lot of songs that sound like other songs. What's different here? Anyway, the comments below this story are funny.

Jon & Kate

I don't watch the show. But being on a reality show - where the producers are only going to make money and get an audience if there's drama - is a recipe for disaster. In this case, I don't think these two could help it, since how else are you supposed to pay for a family of 10? So it's a shame. But look at the ratings! The family's loss is the producers' gain.

(More from Pittsburgh.)

Who am I to judge?

From the internet:

Hugh Hefner has been blessed with three new very gorgeous blonde beauties — two of which are twins. But despite his romantic relationship with 19-year-olds Karissa andKristina Shannon, the men’s magazine mogul admitted at the recent Playmate of the Year party at The Palms in Sin City that he still can’t really tell them apart.

"I have one little trick, one has a little mark," Hef said, motioning to his neck. "Other than that, I don’t know."

Weird houses

An interesting site

Depressing commercial regarding depression

The Cymbalta commercial has such sad music. I wonder if it's meant to make people even more depressed than they should be!  I actually found a YouTube video on line where a dog howls along with the commerical.  Maybe it gets to him too.

A semi-rant

Like many people, I watch the increasingly popular "Real Housewives of New York" series on Bravo.  I can't claim any educational value; it's a reality show about wealthy people and their catfights.  It can be pretty amusing.

Anyway, they often put a single woman on the show among the housewives.  With the New York Housewives, that woman was Bethenny.  Bethenny was funny, successful, pretty, and...single in her late 30s.  Whenever another housewife was in a fight with her, and they wanted to insult her, they could point to the fact that she was alone as some sort of failing.  She agreed on the show that being alone makes her vulnerable to all sorts of insults.

I think it's unfair that that's the case.  Recently, in my town, we had a mayoral election.  Some of the activists who were single women are often derided on local message boards for speaking their mind.  This is one comment that was posted today about a female activist who speaks at council meetings:

"I have a personal question for you are you always this inept? Do you always find you fail at everything you do. For example no boyfriend or for that matter a girlfriend. your charming personality made you miss the boat with both sexes.

Why are you so lonely is it because of your weight? Personality or lack thereof? Your looks?

I really feel sorry for you it must be very lonely having so much animosity burning inside you and so much animosity directed against you.

Do you think a therapist might be helpful?" 

End of post.

Well...would they direct this kind of insult against a single man?  Doubtful.  But a woman being single, plus the ever-popular weight problems, which are always good for some extra unfair jabs...that's something that can easily be used it you want to stop someone from speaking out.

There are lots of reasons people may be single.  There are the obvious - just haven't met the right person yet, some failed relationships, just ended a long-term relationship, or for all you know, their fiancee died on 9/11.  How would you know?  People shouldn't criticize a woman who speaks out by pointing out her single status.  But that's just how people judge in society.  Especially about women.  Their choices are so often judged.

Then again, about 10 years ago, there was a very outspoken female activist in town who was married with three kids.  Some guy would post on the message boards saying she should stop causing trouble and pay more attention to her kids.  Well, they never say that about male politicians or activists, do they?!

Stats through the friggin' roof!!!

07 Jun, Sun	11
08 Jun, Mon	19
09 Jun, Tue	21
10 Jun, Wed	16
11 Jun, Thu	6
12 Jun, Fri	11

Pittsburgh is a dirty-minded place

I kept seeing these messages everywhere, even on the bus, saying "Let's Go Penis!"  My husband insists I was reading it wrong, and it had something to do with hockey, but I know better.

Is it just me?

Ever since getting a cell phone, I often think I hear the sound of it ringing, even when it's not.  That ring can really stick in your head.

Things that make you go hmmmm...

It occurred to me today that we never saw any of the girls take the subway on "Sex And the City."  Nope, I guess none of them would deign to be seen in the subway.  It was all taxis.  They never even took a bus, even though Carrie's column was advertised on a bus.  

They should do a TV show like that with broke nerds dating.  I know just which chick-lit novel they could base it on, too...heh heh.

Enhanced with iPhoto

Pittsburgh 'Ghost Signs'

Fading signs on sides of buildings are affectionately known as 'Ghost Signs.'  Here is one website talking about their history, how they were painted, and detailing some 'Ghost Signs' in Texas.  According to the site, the people who painted them were sometimes known as 'Wall Dogs'!

Someday they will fade into oblivion, or just be knocked down, so I am glad when photographers capture them.  Wouldn't all of us like a guarantee that we won't fade?

Here are some from our recent journey to Pittsburgh.

Sack Store Fixture Co.  Can't find much about it on the web.

Penn Bowling Lanes.  Also not much on the web, but one guy took a picture of it from the alley, in the snow, and was quite pleased with the result.  He also got some compliments on Flickr.

The Pittsburgh Association for Improvement of the Poor was organized in 1875, according to the web.  One photographer notes that what is written in the "white triangle" are "Family Welfare," "Homeless Men," and "Fresh Air Camp."  

Eiben & Irr was a jewelry store. Last year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote: "C. Mel Eiben was talking about his life when an employee at his Downtown jewelry store said she should follow her boss around with a tape recorder and write a book.

"It came to me: 'Who better to write it than the person who lived it?' '' Mr. Eiben said.

For the next seven years, Mr. Eiben, 85, of Shadyside, jotted down notes about his life experiences.

They include his military service as captain of an amphibious Landing Craft Tank during World War II; his career as co-founder of the former Downtown institution Eiben and Irr jewelers; and, for a time, his experience as an entrepreneur for a resort at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland.

Still, he said, his favorite role was that of loving husband for 46 years to his wife, Winnie, who died in 1990."

Jerky men

Here is one of those stories that will make you very glad you're not dating.  (And it gives girls a point in the age-old debate, 'Who has it worse in dating, men or women.')

Pittsburgh and D.C.

We took a road trip to Pittsburgh and D.C. over the past week.  We were bad luck for the Mets, who lost both games we attended (sorry, guys), but other than that, it was a fun trip.  (And thanks, hubby, for all the driving!!)

I found Pittsburgh to be a very colorful city with lots of old and interesting buildings worth photographing, so I did, as you can see below.

Things I learned:

1.  A waitress in Pittsburgh might just look at you like you're crazy if you ask for egg whites.

2.  She will, however, offer you hot sauce on your eggs without batting an eye!

3.  Pittsburgh has lots of old historic theaters that are currently used as...theaters.  It was and is more of a cultural mecca decades ago than I realized.

4.  Most of the bridges in the city are yellow, because of the colors of the sports teams (my hubby explained it).

5.  Hockey is BIG.

Here are perhaps my three favorite photos from Pittsburgh.

Some other representative shots...

Eventually in another entry I'll post some photos of old signs I saw painted on buildings, always a favorite topic of mine because they are such a clue to past history.

They fly south, ya moron

M.S., a reader, sent this in:

[Salinger Sues Over Unauthorized Catcher in the Rye Sequel]

 

I have one simple question? Does the book say where the ducks go in winter? I mean it isn’t really important but well, sometimes I just wonder about that. Sometimes I can’t sleep and I feel like I’m just a madman.

What do you say that we stop and have a drink? I’ll buy. I got plenty of cash. I might not look like it but I’m loaded. Where do those ducks go?

Extra! Extra!

I had to immediately apprise all five of my readers about this, from Publisher's Marketplace:

Salinger Sues Over Unauthorized Catcher in the Rye Sequel

J.D. Salinger filed suit in a NY Federal Court against the anonymous author of the forthcoming sequel 60 YEARS LATER: Coming Through the Rye, also naming UK company Windupbird Publishing, Sweden-based Nicotext, and SCB Distributors (which sells Nicotext books in the US) in the action. The complaint declares, "the sequel is not a parody and it does not comment upon or criticize the original. It is a rip-off pure and simple."This Courthouse News piece adds, "Salinger says the defendants are acting in bad faith to confuse the public, which is likely to think that he wrote the sequel. He wants publication enjoined, all copies of the book destroyed, damages and costs."

Book Expo of America, NY, NY

If you say so.

NNNNEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRDDDDSSSS!

Freebies.

Quotable?

If you look at the bottom, it looks like I've been quoted in a Webster's book of quotes, 2008!  Can't find out which quotes were used, though (stuff from Carrie Pilby, I guess...)  Gotta find out.

Update: Actually it's hard to make heads or tails of.  Oh well.

The teeming masses

In case you were wondering if I really DO have only six readers, here are the actual stats from the last few days:

24 May, Sun	6
25 May, Mon	10
26 May, Tue	15
27 May, Wed	10

Take points off for me and for the hubby.  So I'd say it may be closer to 10!

The two biggest lessons you learn as an adult:

1.  Keeping your mouth shut is often much smarter than saying something.

2.  It's pointless to be jealous of anyone else, because almost everyone has problems you don't realize.

You may be reading both of those and saying, "Duuuuuuuuuh," but they're not all that obvious when you're younger.  There are still times when I consciously employ #1 because my stupid comment is really unnecessary, even if I might think I'm funny.

And #2 really applies to almost everyone.  There is pretty much no one who has a perfect life.  But when you're a kid, you sure think so.  Your friend's parents seem way cooler than yours, and your other friend has a nice three-story house, and your other friend is popular.  Then you find out years later that those friends' parents were into "wife swapping."  (You only find this out because your dad bumps into one of them at "Parents without Partners.")

Even knowing that it's silly to be jealous, I used to get jealous a lot -- mostly in my twenties.  Your twenties can really be about that.  Some people spend age 21-29 stumbling around, and other seem to fall quickly into a permanent life plan.  You measure your life against those latter people.  You see them in the Times wedding section:  Classmate, 26, a newly minted lawyer (law school only takes four years, you remind yourself), married to someone he/she met two years ago in law school.  They've already trumped you in occupation AND in relationships.  You don't mind too much, because you know 26 is young, but you don't want EVERYONE to get married and figure out their whole career before you do.  It's not always about jealousy;sometimes it's about just worrying that you're not doing something right.  

I had to stop reading the Sunday Times in my late twenties because I was too jealous of too many parts of it.  It started with the weddings page, then went to the book reviews.  And then, jealous of other classmates who were writers and had essays or stories in the Magazine, the Travel section, the New Jersey section...

But I digress.

Of course, ending up in the right place in my life finally stopped me from being jealous.  But I learned early enough that you can't envy someone else's perfect life, because it is rarely perfect.

Failed attempt

We got "Mall Cop," hoping it would be funny but not stupid.  It was sometimes funny, but mostly stupid.  Oh well.

When does "He's Just Not That Into You" come out?  That might not be so bad.  Maybe.

Those half-deserted streets

Even though I took a lot of photos in Paterson yesterday, why did I settle on this seemingly ordinary one to post today?  It makes me think about the people who live on this block in Paterson.  It's just around the corner from a main downtown street full of bars and old shops, and across the street from the waterfalls, but decades removed from any real liveliness.   The silk industry left town eons ago, so this street slumbers quietly, with people passing through town not realizing the neighborhood's significance or history.

Imagine strolling this street on a hot summer night.  In the distance, the sign for the liquor store blinks on and off, and if you approach, you can hear its low buzz.  The muggy air sticks to your skin, and you look off, not seeing anyone else, knowing that they are likely inside, in front of those TV sets you see glowing blue through the open windows.  Most people are smart enough to be off what have gradually become less safe streets.  You are looking for something but you don't know what - maybe signs of life where there used to be so much.

Ways to procrastinate from writing, Tip # I

Do weird things to your photos.

Great Falls, Paterson, NJ

Second tallest waterfalls on the East Coast. Hubby and I went there today. 

(By the way, he proposed to me in front of a waterfall! But not in New Jersey.)

RECOMMENDATION: preface with a trip to roadside eatery Rutt's Hutt in Clifton, eight miles away, known for their hot dogs, and then follow up at Applegate Farm in Montclair for great ice cream flavors.

Hubby knows me well

I was on the phone with our nephew today.

ME:  Do you have any Twix bars?

HIM:  You always want Twix bars!  I'm keeping them away from you.

ME:  Twix bars are delicious.

HIM:  Yes, they make my mouth feel fine, but you won't have any of mine.

ME: You know, if you put them in the m-

HUBBY:  DON'T GIVE HIM ANY IDEAS!!!!

(I was going to say that if you melt them in the microwave, they are great on ice cream.  Hubby is smart.)