Thanks for the laughs, George!

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.


—George Carlin

Snow in June

Where I live, it's 100 degrees outside. This photo was taken yesterday in New Mexico.

Think cool. Listen to Platinum CD, Snow In June by Canadian group, The Northern Pikes or read the play of the same name by Chen Shi-Zheng.

Let's Help!

Devastation has rocked Myanmar and rural China killing and injuring thousands. 

Please help, if you can.

The Writer, May issue

I've got a piece (cover story) in the May issue of The Writer.

Spring Fever

Anyone else experiencing this?

A feeling of restlessness, excitement, or laziness brought on by the coming of Spring.

Exciting New Site

Check out this new site:

Interesting Non Fiction for Kids

hht://inkrethink.blogspot.com

Praise the Writer!

Congrats to DIABLO CODY for winning a well deserved Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

An Education in Graphic Storytelling

Persepholis is a must see. An animated "comic novel" about a girl growing up during the civil war in Iran. Beautiful animation and strong story. Political, personal, charming, touching, humorous, and thought-provoking.

Caldecott Winner!

If you didn't read this last year when it came out, you might want to now. It's a world worth getting lost in for a few hours.

Not a Review, but a Hearty Suggestion

I can't help but agree with the raves about this book—a top choice of many reviewers for 2007.

Melting Hitchhikers

If you're traveling over the next few weeks (or even if you're not), keep warm and have a fabulous time.
Happy Holidays!

With so much to do this time of year, I feel a bit like this guy:

As Thanksgiving Approaches

The following is one stanza from THE PUMPKIN, by John Whittier Greenleaf, written sometime during the mid-1800's.

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South comes the pilgrim and guest;
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored;
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before;
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye,
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

A Bronx Tale

I just saw A BRONX TALE with Chaz Palminteri, his one-man show, which was made into the well known movie by the same name starring Robert Deniro. The actor lives the part—or parts of the wonderful characters in this play. Amazing and brave performance, taking me right to that neighborhood making the gangster and his crew, the kid, and all of Belmont Avenue fill the stage.

A few words from an interview with Mr. Palminteri about why he wrote A BRONX TALE:

My father said, 'What a waste of talent.' He always said to me, 'The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.' He wrote it on a little card and put it in my room. It was something I would see every day, I kept it there, and I think it's kind of what made me do what I did, to write this movie and do this.

J.K. Rowling Wants to Fall in Love

This excerpt from Reuters:

Rowling gave no clues as to her next project, but told an audience of 1,600 children that Harry Potter would be a hard act to follow.

"I want to fall in love with someone the way I fell in love with Harry. I never think about a particular genre. It is all about the story and the characters, but it has to be something I adore," she said.

Something about the Moon

There's something about the moon, isn't there, that inspires?

Letters From Iwo Jima

This film is beautiful and horrifying—the DVD extras are excellent, too, only adding to my respect for Clint Eastwood as a director. Real life superstar of a Japanese boy band, Kazunari Ninomiya endures every sad moment on Iwo Jima in such a way that you just have to watch.

“More than any of us can bear.”

Giuliani's answer when asked how many had died on September 11, 2001.

From a high spot in New Jersey, I watched the skyline change before my eyes.
Buildings, people—no buildings, no one.
That vista is now an empty, screaming space—a void of blue sky.

Madeleine L'Engle

Thank you for the words you wrote and shared.

Vacation Time

Try writing magazine articles when the folks you need to interview are all vacationing. I know how this will go—I won't reach anyone until an hour before deadline. After a psuedo-relaxed phone interview, I'll slam the keyboard, pounding out my thoughts, scatter research notes everywhere to reach the finish until I can finally hit the sexy SEND button. Here, Editor—take me, take my work. It's all yours.