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Posts Tagged ‘career change’

Monday muddle

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on July 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

In no particular order: Wondering how the bug bites on my butt and upper thighs (well above the hem of my shorts) happened. Either a mosquito had a party in my pants or his stinger was sturdy enough to puncture my khaki. Either prospect disturbs me. And I haven’t even begun to contemplate the logistics [...]

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Hot days and inflatable rafts

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on July 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

OK, so we’ve entered our fourth straight day of blistering, withering temperatures here in the Northeast. The TV weather guy said today might feel as hot as 105, with the heat index. And I suspect he might be right because, after schlepping a watering can around the back yard for about 20 minutes this morning, [...]

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Wrestling the octopus

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on March 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

For Rooftop’s few enthusiasts, I’m sorry I’ve been so absent from this space. Lately, I’m frazzled and feeling tugged in eight different directions. But, you know what? That’s precisely why I cordoned off this patch of roof: to reflect on (or vent about) whatever seems to be filling my day. So, tugged or not, here I am.  [...]

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New life stirring on the Shelf

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 15, 2010 | 2 Comments »

So, I recently hinted that some version of my old work blog, Shelf Life, might be rising from the ashes. Well, last night it did. I’ve started reporting on all things local and literary at a new online home. It’d be marvelous if you’d check it out, early and often, for news about Central New York books being published or reviewed, [...]

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Slovenly peace

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on February 12, 2010 | 8 Comments »

After I pried my crusty eyes from the computer screen, rose from my chair and clunked down the stairs toward the coffeemaker — fuzzy slippers on my feet, a wake of blue fleece robe trailing behind me, smudged pair of reading glasses sunk into a riot of unwashed curls – I realized something: I’m a walking cliche. Then [...]

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Sweet lemonade

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on February 3, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and positively recalibrated after watching a documentary called “Lemonade,” about a group of advertising folks, each of whom squeezed new opportunities and inspiration out of the lemon of a layoff. “Make something. Make yourself into something.” Yes!

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Tick tock tick tock

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 2, 2009 | 2 Comments »

I think maybe I need to read some bad writing. For several weeks, I’ve been slowly consuming Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs. The pace is by no means a commentary on the quality of the book. A lit class has monopolized some of my reading time, and my own glacial speed takes care of the [...]

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Catching up to songs gone by

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on November 12, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Let life catch up to the songs you listen to, and some will actually transform from pleasant diversions into anthems that electrify your marrow. I first heard and watched the video for Idina Menzel’s song, “Brave,” early last year, before the diagnosis and career implosion. I remember enjoying it, then turning back to the day’s [...]

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Fraud of another color

Posted in blogging, career transition, fiction, journalism, newspapers, tagged , , , on October 15, 2009 | 1 Comment »

All through my career in newspaper journalism, I kept waiting for someone to reveal me for the fraud I knew I was. No, I never pulled a Stephen Glass or Jayson Blair; I never padded my copy with fabricated details or sources or quotes. And, yes, of course I always strived for Accuracy, Balance, Relevance, Objectivity … [...]

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Hard habit to break

Posted in career transition, fiction, journalism, newspapers, tagged , , , on October 7, 2009 | 5 Comments »

Last night I went to an author lecture — my first since leaving the newspaper. Best-selling author Khaled Hosseini, (“The Kite Runner,” “A Thousand Splendid Seasons”) opened the 15th season of the lecture series I covered for 12 years. And I gotta be honest: It was weird. For a dozen years, I sat wedged between regular [...]

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