Created On: 10/03/2008 10:21:25 That's "Lowered Expectations"
JerryFeedback from razor: No, that's Lowest Expectations. After all, she's only slotted for the 2nd most powerful position in the country (and the free world.) Why reach for stars there?
Created On: 09/27/2008 14:52:03 Well some people thought Obama’s politeness was condescending and that it was rude for him to call Mccain by his first name. Not my opinion by the way. Personally I think Mccain is about three weeks shy of full blown dementia, and is completely out of touch with reality. Money will do that to you , so I hear. My sister pointed out thanks to DVR rewind that Mccain may be some sort of alien like lizard from another planet because he kept on doing this weird licking thing with his tongue. If you taped it watch it again, no fooling. After the debate my Sister and I became so distraught at the thought of Mccain winning that we did Google searches on defecting and how we could gain citizenship to other Countries. Its three years before you can apply to become a Canadian and Japan is pretty set against new citizens since it takes 10 years before they will even entertain the thought. We decided worst case scenario we could just go to Amsterdam and get wasted until we forget where we came from. Feedback from razor: Funny. I noticed audience approval went down when they showed McCain listening to Obama. He never looked at Obama and seemed to be frequently mugging for the camera (nervously I guessed)with smiles and yeah, the licking thing. I'm sure Obama will do better next time.
As for any supposed rudeness by Obama for calling him "John"...gee whiz. Is somebody thinking he was uppity? McCain probably didn't want anybody to think he knew Obama that well, like he's some newcomer he never saw in Washington before and now this alien being has descended from Allah in the sky to take over America. Of course, if McCain really doesn't know you, he makes you his running mate.
Created On: 09/26/2008 20:40:08 Rejection: I just got a rejection myself today from Coyote Wild. It just wasn't right for them. Ah, the thrill of being a writer, huh?
Created On: 09/26/2008 10:03:39 Menstruation through the nipples? My god can that really happen. Now I have one more weird condition to add to fuel to my hypochondriatic fire (yeah I don’t think it’s a real word) You’re right I suddenly feel very empowered, I am going to go fire my writer right now and make up my own script!Feedback from razor: Bad news: Yup, it's a real word.
Good news: You're a hero now.
Created On: 09/20/2008 00:52:24 Just got done reading your piece about Camus.....
One thing to bear in mind. Camus likely would not have been printed back then in the US or Canada. France is a completely different ball game, as the saying goes. French writing tends to delve so much deeper into the psyche, making the stories much heavier on the character study side of things. If you liked L'Etranger, you almost certainly would also enjoy Le Premier Homme (The First Man), his piece de resistance.
ScottRutherfordFeedback from razor: I see your point, though mine is that Camus wouldn't be published in France today, either. They want more bang for their euro, as well. The climate has changed worldwide.
As a consumer of books--and yes I eat them--I'm guilty, too. For instance, William Styron is noted for a decade between each book and when it comes it's a great big weight useful for both reading and killing good-sized raccoons. I love him, but when he wrote a "book" about his depression (a subject dear to my heart and psyche) I didn't buy it because it looked like a cheat to me. No doubt it's heavy with ideas and good stuff. It was also the length of a magazine article with the narrowest margins, biggest print and largest line spacing I've ever seen in an inanimate object with a spine. I value him, but not so much that I was going to be conned into spending hardcover prices for such a short piece.
Another factor is that paper prices dropped drastically from the 30s, 40s and 50s so there's a greater ease in publishing with new technology and a lower cost per unit. (Despite what green people tell you, we have more trees than in the 1800s and there's also the joy of no paper rationing anymore due to German fascists taking over the world.) Publishers can deliver more content to lure the consumer. Look at the romance market and chicklit where they're combining more characterization with more action for more hybrid genres.
Funny: With old printing technology it used to be more significant when a writer used italics because it was more of a chore to use italics in the printing process. Now it's so easy it doesn't necessarily mean as much. It's interesting how the industry changes and yet still in many ways remains the same: an industry on the margins that just barely makes it if successful, largely on the back of idealistic drones (many otherwise unemployable)who subsidize the industry with romantic notions of hope.
Ew...I need another coffee. Jesus I do go on. Thanks for reading and for your thoughts.
PS Finished L'Etranger last night and thought I'd have got the point if I'd just read the last chapter and skipped the rest so I guess I can't say I "enjoyed" it. He's defintely in the category of "More philosopher than writer" in my useless opinion.
Created On: 09/14/2008 09:42:39 Man is that freedom train to Canada still boarding LOL! Thanks for the update, now go make that money! You just reminded me that I need to go take a walk.
Created On: 09/06/2008 08:30:16 I agree there will be a few people who won't care for your rant today, but these are the people who need to read this and wake up from their eight-year coma.It cracks me up how McCain is running as a reformer. Like you said, he is hoping we forget that his party has been in charge of this sinking ship. It's like they're saying: "let's run those bums out of office and replace them with their crones". Wake up America. The same people who ran dubbya's campaign is running McCain's. They are not agents of change. They are status quo pros. Thanks Razor for this insightful dialog regarding the attempt of the Repubs to pull the wool over our eyes.
Created On: 08/11/2008 13:55:51 Sorry about your Mom Rob I can relate since my moms dealing with the big C as well. Glad your tests came back in the NEG. So sad about Bernie Mac he was very underated in my opinion. I just loved him.
william goldman
chuck pahlaniuk
kurt vonnegut
stephen king
mark twain
alice sebold
jay mcinerney's first 3 books
and...oh yeah...everything else.
really.
quesneg
You just reminded me that I need to go take a walk. 
I can relate since my moms dealing with the big C as well. Glad your tests came back in the NEG. So sad about Bernie Mac he was very underated in my opinion. I just loved him.
