Reading unprinted stuff

I have a box with seven manuscripts sitting in my room. They are submissions for a local small press' constest. The people than run the press ask us readers to read at least fifty pages of each manuscript and recommend to them whether or not each novel is worthy of a more detailed reading by the staff. I have about two weeks to go and today I finished up the first one. I stopped at page fifty but I had desire to keep reading it. I guess that's a good sign. It's the story of a boy growing up in a mill town in South Carolina back in the fifties. The writer seems to be pulling from personal experience and it was a nice little journey. I can only hope that the rest of the manuscripts are just as good. I dread picking up a crappy one.

Being able to participate in something like this is another of those cool perks that comes with being a librarian. I was thrilled to be asked to do this. Heck, I am even going to get a small payment for doing it.

Jesus, is that the best you can say?

Our vide prez campaigning today: "We don't want to turn that responsibility over to somebody who doesn't have deeply held convictions about right and wrong," Cheney said.

Right and wrong? Bush should be president because he can tell difference between right and wrong better than some other guy? What did they do, give him a test? Maybe they held up some flashcards of common acts and he responded. Boom! They hold up a flashcard of man shooting another man. Bush says, "Wrong." Boom! They hold up flashcard of different man shooting another man but this time the shooter is an American soldier. Bush says, "Right."

This is even better: "We need a commander in chief who is steady and steadfast." That is the same thing they used to say about Jesse Helms.

The president is full of shit

A quote from W's speech yesterday: "Now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and almost 220 days after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance," Bush said. "After months of questioning my motives and even my credibility, Sen. Kerry now agrees with me."

Dear Mr. President,

Mr. Kerry voted to give you the authority to invade if you deemed it necessary. I think we can all agree now that you were going to invade no matter what so you betrayed his vote and are now using it against him. Again, I repeat, he did not vote for the war. He voted to give you authority which you abused.

Also, he and others that voted to give you authority were pussies and now they are paying for it by having to confront comments like this from your Vietnam-dodging ass.

Your buddy,

Ed

A rooma zoom zoom

I gotta tell you, nothing makes you feel more alive that flying down I-77 in a 1989 Honda Civic at 70 mph in the middle of a ten-mile-long work zone. Lane shifts, tractor trailers and white knuckles. I thanked god at least ten times today that I don't have to use that Hell's Highway for my daily commute to work as I was heading to the North County branch to do a noon book talk.

...Mustn't...make...snotty...comment

This news story from CNN sounds like a script for a B movie where the president is a dink:

"Bush misspoke as he delivered a speech at the signing ceremony for a $417 billion defense spending bill.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said.

"They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

No one in Bush's audience of military brass or Pentagon chiefs reacted."

This scene would take place right before the misunderstood scientist saves the world like in Indpendence Day.

Dad again

My Dad was one of those guys that liked to play with kids. One of his favorite games was to have small children from his biceps. They would always be amazed that one arm could lift their whole body. Piggyback rides, swinging kids around by their arms and legs and spinning us on the carousel at the park at an unsafe velocity.

Whenever there would be a gathering at my grandmother's home I, my sister, step brother, step sister and various cousins would end up trying to take him down. We were all between the ages of five and twelve and he was a laborer so he would destroy us. One or two of us would get held down and tickled until the required "uncle" was cried. Another would get pushed on her butt once and walk away. His brother's daughters would climb on his back and he would pick one off at time and tickle her until each surrendered. My sister, though, would not stop. She would go all berserker on him and just wouldn't stop coming. Eventually he would say to her "If you don't stop one of us is going to get hurt and it ain't going to be me." That would only make her come at him with more ferocity.

My grandmother would say, "Julie, you know you can't win. Stop before you end up crying." Ignoring all warnings Julie would march toward my Dad with fists swinging. Eventually as the play got rougher she would get hurt. Nothing serious. She would fall too hard or he'd pinch her to make her stop. Then she would cry and it would be over.

These battles between my dad and us kids were always strange to me. No adult would step in. All the kids knew that when attacking my dad they were going to end up with a little bump or a bruise and all the parents knew that also. It was kind of like bear cubs or young chimps attacking an older critter just to learn how to fight and take a little pain. Call it kiddie bootcamp.

Seat back too far

Every now and then when I start my car I don't depress the clutch far enough to flick that switch that allows the engine to start. Up until I had that minor electrical problem it wasn't a concern. Now when it happens my brain fires off a panicked "fwiggin' car ain't fwiggin' starting" message to all recieving stations. It'll wake you up after a long day at work. Know that.

Bringing people together

Looks like vice-president Cheney's speech continues the administration's policy of uniting America by blaming everything that has gone wrong on the Democrats. Yeah, drilling for oil in Alaska is going to solve our energy problems for about two years. Good thinking, Dick. I don't suppose encouraging Americans to quit living like kings is a possibility, is it? How about alternative energy sources? Nah, fuck it, there's no money in solar power. Those fucking hippies are trying to destroy America.

You also gotta love how he tosses the word liberal around like a redneck says "homo." I see, also, that he continues a policy of this administration of appearing in front of hand-picked supporters. God forbid you should be forced to answer a difficult and unscripted question. That would just throw a wrench into the whole proceeding.

Of course it's hard to be too critical after watching a few hours of that choreographed Democratic handjob that they called a convention. When the party you support makes you gag I can't imagine the indigestion the Republican convention is going to cause me.

All of this reminds me of that Bill Hicks quote: "I believe the puppet on the right supports my ideals. Well, I believe the puppet on the left is more to my liking. Hey, the same hand is controlling both puppets!"

Just a couple of things

My special Larry King stream of consciousness post.

One of my favorite apsects of having a blog is being able to check Haloscan in order to see what kind of searches bring people to my site. Sometimes it's pretty damn funny.

I mentioned and linked to an artist I bought a couple of small items from at the Heroes convention a couple of months to go. I see she linked to my site. I'm a little embarrassed that I referred to her as a "daily crush." In her blog she mentioned she didn't break even by coming to the convention. Made me feel guilty I didn't buy more from her.

What is it about some people that they actually think you want to hear the minutiae of their daily life? Every person's life is prett much boring. What makes blogs fun for me is how each person has their own subjective view of the world. Rattling off your troubles to a captive audience is, like, the opposite of that, I reckon.

With that tropical depression turned hurricane that has been sitting off the Carolina coast for a few days we have seen some beautiful clouds here in Charlotte. Carolina blue skies and big puffy clouds. It's like the beach is thirty miles east of us. Nice illusion, God.

If you get a chance check out the book section in Today's online NY Times. There is a review of Penn Jillette's new novel by his partner, Teller. If Penn's book is as funny as Teller's review then I might have to give it a shot.

Two days until my next booktalk and I am sick of my topic. I think I am ready to go now.

A question I axed myself today

At what age will Troy's daughter say, "Daddy, if you take one more picture of me I am going to run off with a rock and roll band!"