Summer Reading: Pores and Flies

School's out, for me anyway, and I'm into my self-directed summer reading program. Just finished Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. My edition has a great author interview at the end--he's cranky, but in a good way.

One of my favorite sections in the novel is about writing:

"The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more 'literary' you are. That's my definition anyway. Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies."

Here's to touching life and making pores.

Chihuahuapalooza

Meet Zorro and Rosie, expressing themselves in their favorite pastime.



Speaking of dogs, I saw the fabulous "Wendy and Lucy" last night and I'm still not over it. Sniff.

Question: Favorite dog movie ever?

Happy Birthday, Toni Morrison

Today is Toni Morrison's birthday (thanks for the reminder Writer's Almanac.) Here's what they had to say about one of my favorite authors:

It's the birthday of Toni Morrison, born in Lorain, Ohio (1931). She started writing when she was in her thirties, unhappily married, working as an editor, and raising two children. She said, "It was as though I had nothing left but my imagination. I wrote like someone with a dirty habit. Secretly. Compulsively. Slyly." She went on to write nine novels, including The Bluest Eye (1969), Song of Solomon (1977), Beloved (1987), and in 2008, A Mercy. In 1993, she won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Morrison's latest novel, by the way, is worthy of the buzz. On writing, I especially like her simile: I wrote like someone with a dirty habit.

Makes me wonder...what or who do I write like? What modifiers would I apply? How about you?

5 Things I Did This Weekend

I finally took the red pill and joined Facebook and have enjoyed catching up with old and new friends. If you're on FB (a cool acronym which, I've learned, stands for FaceBook), come see me.

Also, if you're on Facebook, you've probably been inundated with requests for 25 Things about You. That seems like a pretty exhaustive list to me, so instead here are 5 Things I Did This Weekend, in no particular order.

1. Read William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. May be my favorite Faulkner novel yet. He allegedly wrote it in six weeks and announced that he intended to write a tour de force. He succeeded.

2. Ate Almond Roca candy. One of my favorite Valentine's treats. The chocolate comes wrapped in these little gold foils. Fancy!

3. Knitted an irregular-shaped kitchen towel. I was shooting for square; it turned out rectangular. Totally irritating, because it had this wierd pattern and took much longer than it should have. Especially for something that's meant to wipe countertops.

4. Saw Elvis at Half Price Books. He had jet black hair, gray roots, those fabulous alcoholic farmer glasses, and was purchasing one of his own albums. He was trying to be incognito, but I'm no idiot.

5. Put together a style exam for my technical writing class. Passive voice + dangling modifiers + faulty word choice = tons o' weekend fun. Still, I amuse myself by creating truly awful, and sometimes funny, sentences for my students. I mean, if you've got to make the grade, you might as well have a good time.

Your turn. Want to share a quick 5 things?

Elvis and Travis

Happy Birthday to the late (allegedly) Elvis Presley. While I'm not a huge Elvis fan, he did write one of my favorite songs -- "Always on My Mind." Willie Nelson's version, in my opinion, is the best. Heartwrenching and true.

Speaking of heartwrenching, my thoughts and prayers are with my Amarillo friend and blogging icon, Travis Erwin. He lost his home to a fire this week. He and his family survived without injury, for which I thank God. If you know Travis, or simply want to express a kindness or two, please stop by his blog.

If you want to help the Erwins (and you will after reading his poignant account of the fire), please visit Habitat for Travis. Every little bit counts.

Cheers and Jeers

This past Saturday morning I sat at the kitchen table with my family, drinking coffee, eating breakfast, and reading the paper. Like many local newspapers, ours has gotten thinner from loss of revenue and circulation, but thankfully, the Star-Telegram has kept one of my favorite weekend features: the Cheers and Jeers section.

Cheers and Jeers is a special Saturday edition of the opinions where readers can send in short comments, positive or negative. The comments range from thanks to medical centers ("you made the stay of this grouchy old man much more tolerable") to broader diatribes on society ("jeers to a world in which everyone over 5 years old has a cellphone glued to their head"). Of course, I always get a bigger kick from the jeers.

Here are a couple excerpts.

"Cheers: To the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Sundance Square for providing the only public restrooms during the Parade of Lights. Jeers to the city for not having enough portables for the crowd." --M.R. Ormsbee, Haltom City

I'm with you, M.R. Although, I will risk great internal damage before using a portable under any circumstances, long lines or not.

"Jeers: To the person(s) who knocked down a large section of our 6-foot wooden fence and left the scene in the wee hours the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Were you too loaded with presents from Black Friday, or just too loaded to make the curve? We are older and on a fixed income, so this comes out of our pockets. Oh, maybe that was why you left your side mirrors, signals and other parts in our yard. How thoughtful. We can sell them on eBay to pay for the damage you left behind."--Ralph Briggs, Arlington

Way to go, Ralph! Not only did you get in a pun (loaded!) but you displayed an internet savvy uncharacteristic to your age group. Here's a tip of the coffee cup to you, fine sir.

Question: Do you read the newspaper? What's your favorite section?

My Town Monday: Cowboys, Books, and is that bacon?

Merry Belated Christmas, everyone. We celebrated the holiday with much food, family, and frivolity. Except for the spectacular demise of the Cowboys' playoff hopes, it's been a pretty good break.

For My Town Monday followers, today is a balmy 68 degrees in Fort Worth, Texas. I just got back from one of my favorite local haunts: Half Price Books. Extra 20% off everything through tomorrow. Whoopee! Thank goodness I wore my best shopping flip-flops. I came home with three prizes for next semester's coursework. (Speaking of which, I finished my M.A. this fall, and in January I'm entering the doctoral program at the University of North Texas in Denton. Because I'm crazy like a fox. Or like a fighting eagle, which is our school mascot.)

Anyhoo, on my way home from the book store, flip-flops on and sunroof open, I listened to a new compilation CD my son made for me for Christmas. Some favorite tracks:

More than a Feeling by Boston
Your Song by Elton John
She Talks to Angels by the Black Crowes
Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith
Faithfully by Journey
You Can't Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones.

Seriously, how cool is my kid?

Also on the drive home, enjoying the tunes and the balmy weather, I spotted a neighborhood teenager cruising down the sidewalk. He wore short-sleeves, a skull cap, skinny jeans, and was carrying a skateboard. He also had, in one hand, what appeared to be a large jar of Bacon Bits.

The beginnings of a short story, perhaps?

Question: What was one of your favorite presents you received this year?