An extraordinary storyteller....

For my storytelling example, I chose the beginning of a short story by Harlan Ellison, Prince Myshkin, and Hold the Relish:

"It's not only that Pink's has the best hot dogs in what we have come to accept in the civilized world (and that includes Nathan's, the original stand out at Coney Island, not those fast-shuffle mickey-mouse surrogates they've opened up from time to time all the way from Broadway to the San Fernando Valley, which, in a less enlightened era, I thought was the dispenser of the ne plus ultra of franfurters), it is also that Michael, who works at Pink's, is one of the best conversationalists on the subject of Dostoevsky in what we have come to accept as the civilized world (and that includes the academic-turned-screenwriter from New York who did a sorta kinda Dostoevskian film about an academic-turned-gambler, back in 1974).

"Which double incentive explains why I was down there at 711 N. La Brea Avenue, almost at the corner of Melrose, at Pink's, founded in 1939 by Paul Pink with a pushcart at that very same location where a heavensent hot dog cost a decent 10 cents, what now sets one back a hefty dollar-and-a-quarter punch under the heart, even if the quality of dog has not dimished one iota, or even a random scintilla...quality and Michael Bernstein who knows what there is to know about the Fabulous Fyodor were the double incentives to drag me out of bed at dead midnight."

From this point you know the story will be about hot dogs and Dostoevsky...can it get any weirder? Oh yes, it does. Even the cover of the Ellison Anthology has a story to tell....

Day of a thousand commas.....

I spent Monday doing my new favorite thing....editing! I know it sounds weird, but I really do enjoy it. However, editing for academia and for a newsletter are two COMPLETELY different things!

Anyway, while editing a 58-page law review article, I was amazed at the amount of commas that were used. The professor was writing like she was speaking and everywhere she had a pause, she inserted a comma. I lost count after 148. Needless to say there was a lot of editing and paragraph restructuring. I went home with a very tired brain.

The good news is that while I was editing, I kick-started my narrative project for class. I had been bouncing a lot of different ideas around in my fevered brain and suddenly it was all there! I took a twenty-minute break and completed a full outline of what I wanted to do, right down to the dialogue. It's funny how doing one creative thing fuels another.

The image worth a thousand words....

When I was searching for an image to use, I tried to think back on images I had seen that had an instant impact. This picture from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests was the first to come to mind.

Taken by Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener, the photo embodies how protesters around the world feel - one lone voice against the "machine" of the government. This picture, and the video that was captured during the turbulent May and June days, brought home the desperation of the people and the crushing power of the Chinese Government in ways that Americans couldn't begin to understand.

I can remember watching CNN and other news broadcasts hoping that the Chinese Government would acquiesce and give in to the massive demonstrations for democracy, all the time knowing that the eventual outcome would result in the loss of hundreds of lives.

Time Magazine dubbed the lone protester the "Unknown Rebel" and named him one of The Most Important People of the 20th Century. "Almost certainly he was seen in his moment of self-transcendence by more people than ever laid eyes on Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and James Joyce combined." His identity was never confirmed and the Chinese Government will not report on his whereabouts to this day.

Warm weather...

....is making me antsy to get out and work in my garden. 64 today? 69 tomorrow? Time for steaks or chops on the grill!

I had a battle with an SUV on my way to work today. I was crossing Baltimore and Paca streets with the light and a Ford Excursion came whipping around the corner, even though I was in the crosswalk. I stopped (I had no choice) but he kept going, honked his horn and gave me the finger. I guess he felt his life was more important than mine and I was in his way. When I last checked, Maryland law says that vehicles have to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. But with the size and speed of vehicles today, who wants to take the chance? Especially in Baltimore City.

This incident really resonates with me because I just finished reading "Talk to the Hand" by Lynne Truss. It's basically a rant about the demise of good manners and concern for your fellow man. The book is written from the British point of view, but many things she said really hit home.

So who really has the right of way in this situation: the lowly pedestrian with the law on my side or the huge SUV with the mass advantage? It boggles the mind.

A few of my favorite words....

OK, it has nothing to do with my favorite words, but say hello to my cat Dante! He's the one that sleeps in the bed next to my computer. If I have a mental block, he's a ready distraction. He always seems to know when the wheels grind to a screeching halt.

Back to the words......

• BLOVIATE (talking just to hear yourself talk)

This is perfect for where I work! I haven't had much opportunity to use it in a sentence, but it's still a very cool word!

A few others....

• Obsequious
• Salamander
• Funk
• Groove
• Shiny
• Slither
• Manhandle
• Smattering
• Shiver
• Thrill
• Purr
• Sargasso
• Seaweed
• Manic
• Golden

Can't believe it's Wednesday already

I finished reading the assignment in Oldach for this weekend. I heartily agree with his thoughts on creativity and space. If you don't have a conducive space, you can't be creative. I consider myself lucky because I have a window in my cubicle at the law school. It is right across from the bus stop and sometimes I sit and watch what happens. I make up stories about the woman with five kids, the man in the wheelchair, the group of high school students walking home. It's a great way for me to take a break from all the legalese and just sit. I've also created my own space at home....one that is laid out my way, decorated my way, furnished my way. Here's a pic of my "creative space." The white disk on the left of my computer is a cat bed. My pets love to come in my room and help me work! The cats are very helpful in the "holding down the papers and books" department and the dog is the best foot warmer around!

Like I said, I can't believe it's Wednesday! Where has the week (and January and February) gone? Finally got the newsletter out the door yesterday and I have some space to breathe. Inhale, exhale. OK, that's about all the time I have.