June 2011
22 posts
June 1, 2011
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IN NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT LINE I continue to work my way through Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer,” not because it’s a large book or because his style is difficult or because his concepts are complex. None of that is true. The book is 166 pages, the sentences are crisp and he draws upon experiences common to most of us. My progress is slow because his...
Jun 1st
May 2011
31 posts
May 31, 2011
NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER As I wade into my 75th year, I admit I’m not doing much complicated cooking. So, on a rainy afternoon, recently, I culled through my recipe books, determined to be rid of most of them. My progress was slow as the collection was encrusted with memories. One volume, published in 1948, was given to me by my stepmother: “Nutritious Recipes and...
May 31st
May 30, 2011
MEMORIAL DAY We remember. (Joe Rosenthal, AP: “Raising the Flag on Mt.Suribachi, Iwo Jima”)
May 30th
May 27, 2011
OUTRAGEOUS THOUGHTS ON SHARING I am revisiting Eric Hoffer’s work of the 1950’s, “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.” Though it is 60 years old, the ideas are as relevant and fresh as if a paint can had been opened and its contents thrown against a blank wall. His thesis is that discontent alone does not make for change. Those perilously poor and on the...
May 27th
May 26, 2011
A LIFE OF FAME OR IMMORTALITY — WHICH MATTERS MOST? The other day, an acquaintance, learning my third novel, “Trompe l’Oeil,” had been accepted for publication, asked what writer my work most resembled. For a moment, I didn’t know how to answer. The question was one I’d never considered. I write what I write with no thought of who might have influenced me. Then I remembered a...
May 26th
May 24, 2011
THOUGHTS OF STEW AND THREE CORNERED HATS There have been several novels written about teenage rebellion, “Catcher in the Rye” being among the most famous. But the impulse to strike out on one’s own, to establish one’s identity begins early, long before adolescence kicks in. I caught a glimpse of that impulse the other day on my way to the park. I’d stopped at a mail box to post a...
May 25th
May 23, 2011
ODE TO A HUMORIST Humorists are folks with a good eye for hypocrites, posers, and truth benders and who can be relied upon to bring the offenders down a peg or two with a few rapier words. In my political life I received a few good lickings from my detractors and if it was done well, if I could see a grain of truth in what was said, I wouldn’t deny myself a smile of recognition. I felt that...
May 24th
May 23, 2011
A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS Sunday, May 22, 2011 marked the end of the first year of my blog. The entries are 300 in number rather than 365 as I write 5 days a week and I took two book tours during which time the blog fell silent. Still, I marvel at the effort and rewards of reaching out to readers on the Internet. Some of you have dropped in from far corners of the globe and I have been energized...
May 23rd
1 note
May 20, 2011
ENTERING THE TWILIGHT ZONE Yesterday, I wrote about doppelgangers, shadows of our potential other selves, the theme from Henry James’ short story, “The Jolly Corner” (blog: 5/18/2011). After my experience today, I wonder if there is a word for meeting one’s past as a perfect stranger. “De je vous” doesn’t seem to fit as I’m not talking about reliving my life but looking at how ...
May 20th
May 19, 2011
THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY IS MORE THAN FICTION Recently, I met Gloria Steinem at a television interview and had an opportunity to ask her a question. It was one I’d been thinking about for a while and was unable to resolve. If, I asked, President Obama were considering a national policy on burqas as the French have done, what advice would she offer him? (BingImages) Her reply was measured....
May 19th
May 18, 2011
MORE THOUGHTS ON FRIENDSHIP “Doppelganger” is a name for an alter ego, usually presumed to be someone who is dead or in another dimension, though not necessarily. One of the most fascinating doppelganger stories is a work of fiction by Henry James called “The Jolly Corner,” a narrative that is anything but jolly. The central character, Spencer Brydon, returns to New York for a...
May 18th
May 17, 2011
THE DOUBLE SUNRISE SHELL For his birthday, I recently took a friend to lunch at an Italian restaurant. I would have loved a glass of wine but as he wanted none, I also refrained. He would have loved a bite of my dessert if I had ordered it, but I seldom eat sweets. While he sat amazed that he’d turned 60, I was dismissive. In a few months I’d be 75. I would exchange my years for his, I told...
May 17th
May 16, 2011
CONSPIRACY THEORY ONE TRILLION AND ONE Recently, a friend sent me information on a group that is attempting to “educate” people about United Nation’s Security Council Resolution 21, established in 1947, which these patriots believe is a ploy by certain power brokers to achieve world domination. The latest fear is if countries unite to save the environment, it will be the first step down a ...
May 16th
Panchomanetti
Yes, "Puppet on a String," that's it. Wow! Thanks for the memory!
May 15th
Hi Panchomanyeti
Saw your blog about the Euro song fest. I remember them as far back as the 1960s. England had a winner one of those years, a catchy tune that I can no longer remember. How lovely to be taken back to that special time and place of my youth. I had no idea thoses fests were still continuing. Let the music begin... or should I say "continue."
May 13th
1 note
May 13, 2011
LOOKING FOR A PATTERN Eric Hoffer was an unschooled, original thinker who was frowned upon by academia despite his literary acclaim. His most recognized book, “The True Believer,” explains how mass movements arise and, given events in the Middle East, it has gained a new relevance. But for me one of his most interesting arguments held that western civilization gained primacy over...
May 13th
May 12, 2011
THE LAST LAUGH When I was an undergraduate, my college put juniors through a grueling set of qualifying exams before they could enter their senior year. These exams occupied eight hours so that by dinner time, students staggered to the cafeteria, squinting like ground hogs on the first day of spring. That evening a group of my fellow juniors and I arranged to see a movie. The only requirement...
May 12th
Anonymous asked: When is memoir fiction? When is fiction memoir? That is the question. (Ahem. Those are?)
May 11th
TO:Dacieldahfw
Welcome to my blog.  Delighted you found me.  Saw the lovely pictures on your sight.
May 11th
May 11, 2011
WHAT DOES THE BOOK MARKET WANT? There have been a number of writers of late who have attempted to pass their fiction off as fact and have been exposed, all of them authors of best sellers. One doesn’t have to ponder long to understand why they did it. Statistically, non-fiction has a wider readership than fiction and publishing houses, like blood hounds, always chase the trend. But who has...
May 11th
May 10, 2011
WRITERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUDIENCE Statistics are figures that can mean anything in the hands of someone with an agenda; but I ran across a surprising set in a recent writers’ publication. I’ve probably commented on the book industry changing more than most people care to know, but the rate of change seems to be growing incrementally. Ebooks could overtake print editions in a few years. Here’s...
May 10th
May 9, 2011
WHERE DOES DUTY LIE? Yesterday, during my walk in the park, I was caught in a downpour without my umbrella. Knowing the season, I’m usually prepared but on that morning, with the hope of sunshine brightening the clouds, I forgot to carry it. My mistake.   As I scurried home with my collar turned up against the pouring rain, I came upon a homeless man who’d taken shelter under a pine tree. Seeing...
May 9th
May 6, 2011
LOOKING AT CLOUDS A friend, who has taken up meditation, recently sent me an excerpt from the teachings of Sogyal Rinpoche, author of the best seller, “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.” Rinpoche is a respectful title for an honored teacher and Sogyal Rinpoche has earned his by traveling the world sharing his insights with others.  While I no longer practice meditation in the form...
May 6th
Message for Voisintotogk
Hello!  I’m sorry if I’ve been slow to recognize your presence but I know something about your interests already.  You are a dog lover with a sense of humor.  Welcome to my world.
May 5th
May 5, 2011
AESOP IN MY GARDEN A blue jay has moved into my garden. I haven’t seen one for a few years and so I was surprised to glimpse him sitting on the tree branch outside my kitchen window, his color bright and his crown a spray of black feathers. I admit I don’t do much to attract birds to the yard. I have a bird bath filled with fresh water and a ball of suet that hangs from a chain where I can...
May 5th
May 5th
May 4, 2011
THE SIN OF POSTPONEMENT A friend of mine, who turned 60 last month, recently took a vacation in California where he met with family and friends and enjoyed a wonderful concert. He came back refreshed and so invigorated, he vowed to do it again… sooner rather than later. Naturally, being older and with a greater sense of time’s passage, I encouraged him in his profligacy. “If not now, when?”...
May 4th
1 note
May 3, 2011
MEDITATIONS OF AN OLD WOMAN Recently, I was invited to speak at a luncheon given by a civic group. The organization is dedicated to charitable work and my topic was “The Purpose of Purpose.” As I began to jot down my thoughts the words of Buddha visited me:           “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” (Pieter Verelst: “Old...
May 3rd
NEW BOOK CONTRACT
 Happy to announce I have just received notice of a contract for my 3rd novel, Trompe l’Oeil.  Don’t know when it will be out but will let people know.  Suspense novel set in the France in 1960’s during the French/Algerian War.  An American girl, just out of college, gets a mysterious invitation to work and live at a chateau in France, doing research. Think of dark and stormy...
May 2nd
tetw asked: Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have been looking for the essay but am having no luck... if you know the title, or something else that would help me locate it please let me know http://tetw.tumblr.com/ask.

You might be interested in this:
http://www.harpers.org/media/pdf/dfw/HarpersMagazine-2001-04-0070913.pdf
It also deals with the relativity of knowledge, but...
May 2nd
ON THE DEATH OF OSAMA bin LADEN
I awoke this moring to learn of Osama bin Laden’s death.  My first reaction was relief for the country and the families and victims of 9/11. I marvelled too at the heroism of the soliders who managed what appeared to be mpossible and honored the intelligence teams who have worked for years to right a henious wrong.  But for me, the time is one for reflection rather...
May 2nd
May 2, 2011
MYSTERY TRAILS I mentioned I’d visited my branch library recently and checked out two mysteries (Blog: 4/28/11). Usually, I prefer to buy books rather than borrow them as I like to support my favorite writers. But, as I said in that earlier blog, I happened to find two hardbacks available that I wanted to read and so I checked them out. As it was an April day with the weather flickering...
May 2nd