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Daily Hotsheet: |
August 25, 2000
The boys are back in town ....It was the summer of 1977 in Spencer Iowa. Thin Lizzy was the hottest band on the radio, and The Boys Are Back In Town was our theme song. Cruising in a '61 Ford with that tape playing, working nights and spending the daytime at the sandpit beach with Diane and Linda or working out in the batting cage with my best friend Tim, I was 17 and on top of the world. Parties at the drive-in theater were the highlight of evenings off, cranking up the 8-track to speaker-shattering volume in Jeff's Baracuda and dancing to Jailbreak on the hood of the car, while Dick and Mike mixed run and cokes in the back of a battered green GMC pick-up, preparing for the dozenth viewing of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We were all together that summer, one last time. We swore it would always be that way.
I relived every emotional memory of that summer yesterday in the 4 minutes it took the song to play on the radio. Driving in heavy traffic 1,800 miles and 22 years away and concentrating on getting my own kids ready for the start of school, I heard that distinctive opening riff and slipped far away. The memories are bittersweet; the things I know now that I didn't know then, how capricious the fates are and how fragile are the plans we make.
Now it's my oldest daughter in her 17th summer, and I remember it all like it was yesterday. I cried a little at the end of the song, but mostly I sang along at the top of my lungs and smiled. At the kids' insistance, I refrained from dancing on the hood of the car. It's not too practical in a minivan, anyway.
August 21, 2000
Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It's been two weeks since my last confession...."Sorry about the lapse, guys! It's been a hectic time. The traditional Getting Ready For School rituals are in full swing here, complete with trips to the mall. I did, however, buy myself a pair of jeans of my own while we were there. A shirt, too! Also done is the supplies run to Office Depot. Still remaining, more clothes for Meredith and shoes for everyone.
Also checked of the list now is Julie's senior pictures. We saw the proofs last week and ordered a bunch. (Note to those who haven't done this yet - take a tranquilizer before you go. It's easier that way.) My little baby is a woman now; and a beautiful one at that. *sniff* Still left on her to-do list is more college visits, to be accomplished over the next two months.
This weekend was dedicated to canning. As of midnight, we have 8 jars of plum jam put away, and 18 jars of jelly. I won't mention how much is left to do -- the tree is mocking me as I type. Let's just say that in addition to more plums, there's pears and apples to be dealt with. But aside from the heat and mess, it's a lot of fun, and the house smells great. All tart and ruby pink.
The writing continues to go well, if in odd directions. By thought process got sucked inside out at Green River, and that's a good thing. So I'm going with the flow.
On the reading front, I just finished The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Though in my opinion the structure faltered toward the end, overall it's one of the best things I've read in years. It's a midrash on the biblical Dinah, only daughter of Leah, and a powerful historical (herstorical?) novel. Some of the amazon.com reviews label it heresy (her-say?), so if the idea of controversy frightens you, it may not be for you. But if you want to think and reach and examine, don't miss this book!
In closing....
I just checked the Hurricane Names page and saw that Hurricane Tony is on this year's list. Like he's not every year in this house?
August 7, 2000
I'd planned on doing a little reflective entry today about my learning process and my problems with resistance, but I changed my mind. What changed it was a a five minute segment on the Clark Howard Show which aired while I was running errands half an hour ago. He was discussing the bankruptcy of ToySmart, and the Antiprivacy brief filed by TRUSTe in the case, which triggered an FTC lawsuit. Being the good little skeptic that I am, I immediately came home and started looking into it to verify what I heard.
The basics: ToySmart was an online retailer. It's majority stock and board seat holder is/was Disney Corp. When the e-tailer went belly up, it put its customer list and database up for auction in the Wall Street Journal to pay its creditors.
The snag: ToySmart's on-line privacy statement specifically promised to never share this information to third parties.
Oops.
At question is not the ethics of the situation, but the legality. Selling off assets, such as these databases, is S.O.P in bankruptcy court. The wildcard here seems to be TRUSTe, who claims that the action constitutes "unfair and deceptive marketing," because they displayed a TRUSTe seal, and thus places them in violation of their contractractual obligations to the program. The potential implication for internet privacy could be huge.
That's the extent of what I was able to discover. I hope our own legal eagle John Savage will look into the case and explain it better than I have. In the meantime,
August 3, 1000
I'm home from Kentucky (as you can tell from the entry I forgot to upload yesterday), and with the exception of laundry I'm mostly caught up. The Green River Writers' workshop, while not quite what I expected, was an energizing and rewarding event. I met sff-ian Lena Sawyer for the first time, as well as some delightul writers whose careers I intend to follow. And invite out for a beer at every opportunity.
Friday night began with public readings of pieces (not written by ourselves) which held special significance to us. I chose Crusoe In England, by Elizabeth Bishop. Beginning Saturday morning, the creativity track featured half-day workshops in the other arts; movement/dance, music, visual art, and theater. All but the music class contained directed writing on the experiences. Continuing on Monday through Friday were coaching workshops, designed to develop our skills as dramatic readers of our own work. The topics ranged from trees to suicide to urban rage, with everything in between. Friday night the group presented a reading at the Milltown City Hall. We had a nice attendance, and all survived the experience.
One the challenges was to produce work flowing directly from the weekend workshops, in a form other than our chosen norms. For me, that meant poetry. Without the guidance and support of the brilliant poet Sherry Chandler, I don't think I could have done it. Sherry's acceptance--as well as her emotional honesty in her own work--got me through it. I was also greatly inspired by Mary Pat Nimon, whose story My Caroline was the literary highlight of my week. No matter what venue she chooses for its publication, it should be an award winner.
On the disappointment side of the scales, I didn't have time to work on my novel--too busy doing new things. Nor did I manage to make it to the Speed Art Museum, any historical sites, or the waterfront downtown. Or to spend any significant time at Rivercon, which I only managed to make for a few hours on Friday night and Saturday am. But these failings were more than balanced by the laughter and company of kindred souls. Ernie, Sherry, Karen, Erin, Mary Pat, Lena -- thank you all for a great time! I'm looking forward to next year.
From the family department: while I was away, Kerwin and the kids all participated in the Baroque Festival held in Riverfront Park and sponsored by allegro. I've posted pics for anyone who'd like to see them.
August 2, 2000
Some book alerts from around the horn:
Hannah Rowan's paranormal romance Til Death And Beyond is now available from Starlight Writers Publications. I had the pleasure of reading this novel in critique and gotta tell you folks, if you like a healthy dose of horror with your romance, it's not to be missed.
Rick Montanari's long anticipated suspense novel KISS OF EVIL (I've been pacing over this book for nearly 2 years) has a firm publication date of March, 2001 from Harper Collins. While you're waiting, indulge yourself in Deviant Way and The Violet Hour, if you haven't already. I'll remind you again as the date gets closer.
Trish Jensen's Against His Will, from Leisure Lovespell is now on the stands. I haven't had the privilege of reading it yet, but knowing Trish, it's dynamite!
July19, 2000
Today I'm frantically doing laundry and packing. Not just for me, but for the girls, who leave for church music camp three days after I do. This reminds me that in less than one year, Julie will be heading off to college. That means I'm going to have to stick my nose out of my foxhole and shop. Not just for luggage, bedding, small appliances and other necessities of dormatory life, but for clothes. For me.
Forget the Empy Nest Syndrome. Empy Wardrobe Syndrome is even worse.
As I work today on packing 3 separate suitcases going 3 different directions, I'm coming up short. None of the clothes I wear belong to me. I lost my shoes when they hit 3rd grade and fit into them. When they hit jr. high, my t-shirts became community property. By high school, my jeans, skirts and blouses started disappearing, obstensibly for Nerd Day and 70's Revival Day. (Does that give you an idea about how often I shop?)
By default rather than design, I've lost the habit of having my own clothes. Since I don't work outside the home, I have no need for fancy duds. I live in their t-shirts and discarded jeans. If I need something, I just grab whatever the girls aren't currently wearing. At any given time I'm a walking billboard for Central Valley High School Marching Band, Odyssey of the Mind, Evergreen Jr. High volleyball team, Big Rock Fiddlers, etc. Except now, they're taking all those things with them.
Next week is only a foretaste. When Julie leaves home next fall, I'm going to be faced with the choice between shopping and going naked. As tempting as nudity sounds by comparision, the rest of the world disagrees, so I'll have to bite the bullet. My only consolation is that neither of them have grown into my bra.
Yet.
July 17, 2000
Remember me? Guess it's been awhile, huh. We spent the last 3 weeks on the road, returning to the midwest to visit family and to begin the ritual of Prospective Student Campus Visits. Right now, Julie's top choice is the University of Iowa, so she attended a tour there. She even ate the traditional turkey tetrazini at the cafeteria and came out alive.Right now I'm frantically getting ready for my first intense writers' workshop and retreat. I'll be attending the Green River Writers in Louisville, KY from July 21-29. Last night I was thrilled to discover that Rivercon is happening at the same time. Even better, from the speaker list I see that Steve, Lisa, and Linda will be there! If anyone would like to get together for coffee and chat, please let me know.
June 2, 2000This week's reading list:
The Hidden Gospel; Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus by Neil Douglas-Klotz
The Coffin Dancer by Jeffery Deaver
A World Lost by Wendell BerryJust finished:
The Toughest Indian In The World by Sherman Alexie
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie
Devil's Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver
Shock Radio by Leigh ClarkA heads-up to Blues Traveler fans: The Red Rocks Run tour dates have been announced. If you're near Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Lawrence KS, Denver or Boulder, check it out! Since this coincides with our Iowa drive, we're hoping to make the Denver concert on July 4th.
Speaking of travel, we spent Memorial Day Weekend in Seattle at the Northwest Folklife Festival, where Meredith's group, The Big Rock Fiddlers, performed on Saturday afternoon. They're an orchestra group (grades 6-9) who play traditional fiddle music and "kick bootie" as Mere would say.
All in all, a fun weekend.
Past months:
May, 2000
Feb/March, 2000
December, 1999
November, 1999
October, 1999
September, 1999
August, 1999
July, 1999
June, 1999
May, 1999
April, 1999
March, 1999
Thanks to Shannon Wendt for the award!
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