First, many apologies for the infrequency of the posts lately, but I've been gearing up for some special stuff here in South Florida. Amid all of the rain and floods, there have been some new opportunities on both the professional and personal fronts. Let's just say that we may be changing the name of the blog some time in the not so distant future. Suggestions for new titles are welcome.
In addition, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is upon us. As always, I will be participating along with my students, trying to bang out the next great American novel, or at least a cheap pulp paperback to supplement my teacher's income. So, while I intend to keep up the Monday Morning Haiku (isn't haiku plural for haiku?), I probably won't have time for the cute daddy posts, or shaving or eating either, as I grind out 1700 words a day on my new novel in order to reach my goal of 50,000 words by November 30. I suggest anyone who's even remotely interested in writing, but never gave yourself a chance, take this challenge and see what happens. If even half of what you write is decent, revisable stuff, then you're 25,000 words closer to a dream than you were on Halloween.
This month my novel will be built on the following premise: what if a lowly drug runner with dreams of becoming the next 50 Cent or Rick Ross makes a deal with the devil to secure his success, only to realize the gravity of his choice too late, when his benefactor calls in his markers and demands even more than his soul? Check the blog for dailies to see how the story unfolds, and to encourage me as I commit professional and social harakiri for art's sake.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday Morning Haiku
Meetings with parents,
Like loud music or bright lights,
not good for mornings.
Like loud music or bright lights,
not good for mornings.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Saturday Morning Cartoons
What happened to Saturday morning cartoons? Do you remember getting up on Saturday, I mean early on Saturday, and plopping in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal or, for me, a peanut butter & jelly sandwich? And no, they're not just for lunch. The Smurfs, the Snorks (a lesser show, but worth mentioning), The Gummy Bears, even He-Man, which I thought was a great show up until the last minute, when He-Man would nearly snap his neck by throwing his head back to laugh at some inane joke. My favorites were the Superfriends, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and The Real Ghostbusters, in that order. The ones that have held up over he years, now that I can watch them again on Netflix and YouTube, are The Real Ghostbusters, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and Superfriends, in that order, with Superfriends only serving for laughs and nostalgia's sake.
So where are my kids' Saturday morning cartoons? Sure there are cartoons on Cartoon Network on Saturday morning, but there are cartoons on Cartoon Network every minute of every day. It's freaking Cartoon Network! What's special about that? It seems like even four or five years ago, there was a special line-up of shows on the CW and UPN that had that same old flash and hype to it, when Pokemon and YuGiOh were the top dogs. Now there's nothing. No reason to get up early with the kids on Saturday (not that I'm complaining about that part), no common shows to share with my son. What happened to their childhood?
I think the advent of cable, and especially the On Demand paradigm, has robbed our children of a tradition that is at least as old as the modern television network, according to Wikipedia*. Maybe that plus the - shall we say, less than active - lifestyle of this generation of kids, who would never think of getting up early on a Saturday. Either way, I miss the Saturday line-up, for my kids, and kind of for myself. I miss even the stupid ones, like the Muppet Babies and the Game Master. I miss the September kick-off on a Friday night in September, usually the same week school started, that introduced all of the new shows, and made them seem so spectacular that it took us a month to realize how lame they were. (Punky Brewster, anyone?) Most of all, I miss the fact that there was something for us that was not ten years too mature for us, that didn't have to be hidden from our parents or debated in the town halls. Except for that one principal who told all of us that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were demonic and took all of their story books out of the library.
* That info might not still be on Wikipedia, since it's been a few days since I posted it, and I'm not sure if enough people voted it through.
So where are my kids' Saturday morning cartoons? Sure there are cartoons on Cartoon Network on Saturday morning, but there are cartoons on Cartoon Network every minute of every day. It's freaking Cartoon Network! What's special about that? It seems like even four or five years ago, there was a special line-up of shows on the CW and UPN that had that same old flash and hype to it, when Pokemon and YuGiOh were the top dogs. Now there's nothing. No reason to get up early with the kids on Saturday (not that I'm complaining about that part), no common shows to share with my son. What happened to their childhood?
I think the advent of cable, and especially the On Demand paradigm, has robbed our children of a tradition that is at least as old as the modern television network, according to Wikipedia*. Maybe that plus the - shall we say, less than active - lifestyle of this generation of kids, who would never think of getting up early on a Saturday. Either way, I miss the Saturday line-up, for my kids, and kind of for myself. I miss even the stupid ones, like the Muppet Babies and the Game Master. I miss the September kick-off on a Friday night in September, usually the same week school started, that introduced all of the new shows, and made them seem so spectacular that it took us a month to realize how lame they were. (Punky Brewster, anyone?) Most of all, I miss the fact that there was something for us that was not ten years too mature for us, that didn't have to be hidden from our parents or debated in the town halls. Except for that one principal who told all of us that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were demonic and took all of their story books out of the library.
* That info might not still be on Wikipedia, since it's been a few days since I posted it, and I'm not sure if enough people voted it through.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Tuesday Evening Sonnet (In Lieu of a Haiku)
My daughter has become a woman now,
And needs so many diff'rent woman things,
That I can scarce keep up with what I owe,
Replacing those which to the house I bring.
Is there enough of razors left within?
Or gels and lotions for her hands and feet?
Which soap is best for adolescent skin?
And which shampoo will leave her hair more neat?
I don't think there's enough unspeakables
In case her friend should drop by unannounced.
I'd ask, but fear has made my heart so full
That from the bathroom I would be cast out.
The hardest part of this, I must confess,
Is all the monthly preteen PMS.
And needs so many diff'rent woman things,
That I can scarce keep up with what I owe,
Replacing those which to the house I bring.
Is there enough of razors left within?
Or gels and lotions for her hands and feet?
Which soap is best for adolescent skin?
And which shampoo will leave her hair more neat?
I don't think there's enough unspeakables
In case her friend should drop by unannounced.
I'd ask, but fear has made my heart so full
That from the bathroom I would be cast out.
The hardest part of this, I must confess,
Is all the monthly preteen PMS.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Morning Haiku
The awkward moment
Your daughter sees "Live - Girls, Girls,
Girls," and wants to go.
Your daughter sees "Live - Girls, Girls,
Girls," and wants to go.
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