This week I came across two articles for writers that I thought I’d pass along.
The first article comes from my friends over at The Noble Dead website. Barb and J.C. Hendee are bestselling authors with nearly a score of books to their collective credit. J.C. is also their webmaster, and trust me, he knows his stuff. Continue Reading »
Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged author websites, blogging, creative writing, novel writing, reader-writer interaction, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips | 2 Comments »
People used to send flowers.
My mother died when I was five, so my memories of the house at that time are sketchy and incomplete. I remember with clarity that awful day when I learned the news, a congregation of black in our kitchen and living room, and the nightmares that tormented me through the following months. The house was likely filled with flowers, but I do not recall them.
Since that time, the sending of flowers has fallen out of favor. Death announcements now direct us to send contributions “in lieu of flowers.” How ironic that the “Flower Power” generation has turned this expression of sympathy and grief into a faux pas. Continue Reading »
Posted in Culture | Tagged bereavement, mourning, sending flowers | Leave a Comment »
Y’know, I get really depressed when my recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup a la David Chang continually gets more hits than my current posts on writing, culture, and current events…
…but then a vee of Canadian geese fly in from the south, happy, crossing overhead, cheering each other onward, their chatter echoing across the cul-de-sac until it fades away to the north…
…and I feel better. Chicken noodle soup for everyone. Enjoy.
k
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blogging, canadian geese, chicken noodle soup, david chang | 4 Comments »
Some tips for your kitchen. (Sorry…best I can do this week.)
Today: dealing with fruit flies, and storing your onions, and potatoes.
Posted in Food | Tagged cooking, fruit fly trap, keep onions fresh, keep potatoes fresh, kitchen tips, kitchen tricks | Leave a Comment »
Sgt. Saulet of the KCSO
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has had some bad PR lately. The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) has had its share as well.
That’s assuming, of course, you call punching, kicking, and killing citizens “bad PR.” In fact, they’ve received so much of this “bad PR” that the SPD were investigated by the Department of Justice, and the KCSO was the subject of a scathing internal audit. They have repeatedly used excessive force, and have a reputation for “escalating ordinary interactions into volatile, sometimes violent, situations.” That, my friends, is bad PR.
And today, they got some more. Continue Reading »
Posted in Politics, Seattle | Tagged citizens rights, DOJ report on SPD, KCSO, King County Sheriff, photographing police, Seattle PD, SPD | 3 Comments »
Yesterday, champagne to celebrate of our 30th Anniversary.
Late last night, a phone call.
Today, calls to funeral homes, setting up final arrangements for my wife’s mother.
Tomorrow?
It’s a funny world.
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
In 1983, carrying a cellular phone was like walking around with a stick blender in your hand (except heavier), and cassette-playing Walkmans were de rigeur.
In 1983, we argued VHS versus Betamax (I lost that one), saw the birth of the internet, and wondered what Microsoft WIndows would look like.
In 1983, M*A*S*H was ending but “The A-Team” was starting up, Debra Winger died in “Terms of Endearment,” and George Lucas disappointed the world with Ewoks.
Also, in 1983, on July 30, I said “I do, I shall, I will,” for the first and only time, standing before a company of friends and family beneath a canopy of redwoods in a hometown park. Continue Reading »
Posted in Culture | Tagged anniversary, marriage, what marriage is, what marriage isn't | 13 Comments »
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 