Gingerbread Haunted Houses

I think that this would be a fun project with kids. It'd also be a dentist's nightmare. Perfect Halloween Project. Plus, gingerbread is good no matter what holiday it is. Very spooky, but I would go Godzilla and/or Cloverfield monster on one of these babies.

Haunted Gingerbread House

Ashley Todd: stupid, racist, ridiculous

Ashley Todd is a 20-year-old McCain volunteer that faked a mugging. She said she was assaulted by a tall, black man at an ATM, beaten up and then the alleged mugger carved a "B" into her face while telling her she's going to be an Obama supporter.

Well, she's a liar. And she's a pathetic human being. Read: McCain volunteer charged in attack hoax

I can't wait until Nov. 4 so the McCain campaign can be put out of its misery, cause this is getting absurd.

Writing is hard. Writing is fantastic.

My employment history in its entirety could make a nice, long novel. Chances are that it probably will one day. I realized today that writing is my most difficult work. This changed over the years, because when I was writing for the college paper and as an intern for the Wings, I was a writing monster. I produced articles weekly. I barely had the time to think. I only had time to write.

Currently my work is not writing focused, so now I have time to think. There are aspects of my profession that include writing, but my paycheck isn't based on articles and other creations of the written word. Until just the other day.

I got back on the horse and started back into sports feature writing. It was great to see fellow writers and my radio buddies. My first deadline in a year went relatively smooth, but that's because I had time with my article. I took notes. I collected information efficiently. Interviewing is what always makes me most nervous and I always seem to get through it while having fun. Even the transcribing seemed less painful, though still quite despicable. I sat down to write it, got it done in pieces and turned it in on time.

How did I write before? I was a machine. Journalists write like this for a living and my first deadline in a year reminded me why I can't be a daily writer - I can't write that fast. I simmer in my writing. I think about it. I listen to my interviews. I make a plan. Slowly, I proceed slowly. I never start writing until I'm ready to sit down with a really solid idea of what's coming next. In a world of daily deadlines, that's not acceptable. But in the world of freelancing, where I only take as much work as I see fit, I have comfort.I have time.

Though I feel like I have improved in different parts of my writing processes. I thought I did fairly good interviews. Added good facts. Created a workable outline., I still thought it was challenging. Maybe it's because it's been my first sports piece in such a long time. Sure, you get in a groove and all the sudden a 1,000 words appear, but I realized that those words came with a price - time, thinking, note-taking, re-writing. Then you reread, you realize there are some problems. You fix the problems. You rearrange. You find a synonym.

The writing process invigorated me and stressed me out at the same time. Not quite as stressed as I was before (read unpaid), but I felt that "write until done" urgency. When the last word is written and the editor has had his/her fill, it is like heaven. Nothing feels better than that of completing a piece of writing. It is an accomplishment that even in its smallest form or on a most meaningless topic, it is still complete. It is still good work.It was written.

Writing for this blog is nothing like finishing a piece on time and then getting a check mailed to you. There's nothing like having the eyes of many read your work. There's also something that delights me about seeing my name in print and not on a screen. It was my work. It made me happy. Others will read and enjoy it, I hope. It is my way of sharing. And this hockey article brought me to an understanding that the work that goes into writing is hard. It is very hard and it's a long journey. And I love it. I love every step of the way. Every word. Every letter.

Food and boundaries

Lately I have paid more attention to my diet. I'm not a good eater, but I'm trying to improve. I'm brown-bagging it much more often and eating lots of fruits and veggies. But I like eating a lot of food. There's very few foods that I dislike.

Then I found this quote by Tom Hanks and it put a very interesting perspective on eating anything you want:

"Eating everything you want is not that much fun. When you live a life with no boundaries, there’s less joy. If you can eat anything you want to, what’s the fun in eating anything you want to?"

Good call, Tom Hanks. Good call.

Internships v. Volunteering

I was talking to a guy taking classes at my Alma Mater. He thought he'd like to get into marketing and wanted an internship. I asked if he visited the internship office and he said he did, but thought that there were some strings attached. I told him it was just like looking for a job, but the difference was that he probably wouldn't get paid. There are internships where you get paid, but they're kind of rare. Heck, if you find one, though - go for it!

It may seem that an internship sounds suspiciously like volunteering, but it's not. The difference is that you're getting school credit, hands on experience in your field and you're only doing it for a short time. If you volunteer, they know they can get you for free and indefinitely. If you do an internship and impress them, the only way they can keep you is to hire you.

Internships are invaluable. They're kind of a pain in the butt to find, but I recommend a couple things:

• The obvious: go to your school's internship office! If your school doesn't have an internship office, go to the nearest university that does.
  
• Ask upperclassmen where they've looked. You might know someone on the inside.
  
• Go to the library, for crying out loud.
• Go to a job fair.
  
• Search CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com and the like
• Figure out where you'd like to work and inquire. Remember, you're probably not going to get paid, so at least enjoy the work.
• Don't limit yourself to internships in your direct area. I could have taken my own advice, but I was blessed by awesome internships. Fact is, sometimes there are amazing opportunities in all kinds of places - from huge metropolises to small towns. Besides, it's for a short time.
  

Book Review: Choke

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

This book was terrible. There were exactly three passages I enjoyed and I've included them. Normally, I would go off on how lame the book was, but I'll save it. Let's just say I don't really like sex in books and this one was about a sex addict. I really probably should have just read Fight Club.

Here are the three parts of Choke that I enjoyed:

p. 29 - This is the worst problem with living history museums. They always leave the best parts out. Like typhus. And opium. And scarlet letters. Shunning. Witch-burning.

p. 40 - Then she turns on the television, some soap opera, you know, real people pretending to be fake people with made-up problems being watched by real people to forget their real problems.

p 180 - Besides deforming the poor chickens, these fourth-graders, they all walk in here carrying some germ. It's no mystery why Denny's always wiping his nose and coughing. Head lice, pin worms, chlamydia, ringworm - for serious, these field trip kids are the pint-sized horsemen of the apocalypse.

Web Goodies: Economy, Detroit, Philly Fan v. Palin

Economics 101 and Financial Crisis Guide - Here's all (and probably more) than you ever wanted to know about the economy, the global markets and finance. Kudos to Kristiana Burk, a former librarian and teacher, for creating the guide. Thanks to T-Bone for passing this link along.

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Stuff about the D - I've had an eye for some solid Detroit-area news and I found it in a few places:

• Detroit Today - I love WDET. Always and forever. This is a great podcast to have, but I've noticed it doesn't always download with haste. The show is on Monday through Friday from 10am-12pm on 101.9 WDET or you can listen to the live stream at http://www.wdetfm.org/listenlive/.
  
• Think Detroit - Let's just say that I really, really like this Cooper person. Cool and interesting information about the D.
  
• The Incorrigible City - This is a neat blog and has quite a few excellent sidebars. These sidebars are all about Detroit. Well worth a look.
  

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Get ready for Pechu Kachu Night Detroit - Part Deux on November 24 - venue TBA (very mysterious). I discovered the photographic artwork of Amy Palomar at the last one in August. Check out her pictures on Flickr at AmyPalomar.com. You can also see her MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/cherrybrooklyn.

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Palin gets booed, drops puck at Philly Flyers game
OK, so this might show my true colors, but hey, I'm not the only one that thinks everything about Sarah Palin is friggin' hilarious, including this fantastic video of her being totally booed by Philly Fan. And that's solid booing, boy. Well done, Philly Fan. Maybe you're not so bad after all.

I'm sure the following questions aren't exclusive to me. Like who the hell thought, "Yeah, Philly Fan is going to adore Sarah Palin - let's have her drop the puck guys!" I almost feel that it's a cruel joke by someone in the Flyer's organization. And it was genius. When you hear the first boos, it's a wonder that Philly Fan wasn't scaling the glass. It sounded like they were ready for a beat down. Not a happy bunch that night.

My second question is: what's up with kissing everyone Sarah Palin? The winking was quite enough, thanks. I don't need you planting your kisses all over the NHL. They have enough problems, yo.

Simultaneous sweet and sucky Sunday: Nine Inch Nails albums

Today's simultaneously sweet and sucky thing I discovered was the fact that there are NO Nine Inch Nails albums available through MelCat.org (with the exception of those I own). That's sweet because it indicates people are rocking out to the oldies but goodies. Of course, it's also sucky, because I cannot enjoy the goodies. I mean, come on, Pretty Hate Matchine? March of the Pigs? That's good stuff. But, I shall be the good little librarian and wait my for my stinkin' turn.

I'm well overdue to see a dang NIN show.

Decision Dashboard

Looking for a one-stop shop for the Presidential Election? I just found the Decision Dashboard on MSNBC. I'm sure all the conservatives hate it, but I like it!

Why being poor is great

As I sit here and listen to all the world slowly sink in financial ruin, it makes me feel good to know that little of it has to do with me. I'm sure that won't last, but for the time being, it comforts me to know that myself and those around me are just a little too poor to be too affected.

Counting makes it all better

Never thought I'd write something like that. I hate math. Always have. But I've been using my brain (and fingers and toes) for a lot of counting lately. This has the scent of OCD, but I'm cool with that. Counting has really been helping me. Here are my latest counting endeavors...

• When I saw the economy taking a nose dive I really started thinking about finance seriously. I started listening to business podcasts, paying attention to industry trends and just keeping abreast what was going on. Obviously, things looked real bad and I acted on something that I have heard personal finance experts shout from the mountaintops - CREATE A BUDGET! You can't begin to make changes to your spending habits if you don't know what they are. This can be said for the following points as well. It's kind of a pain in the butt at first, but you get used to it and you learn about where your money is going.
  
• About three months ago, I quit smoking for good. No longer would I put myself through the torment of the habit. It was not easy. I found that when I was in bars I would count how many cigarettes people smoked. Man, do they speed up when they have a few adult beverages in them! That was pretty appalling. Yet, perhaps the best way to use counting to QUIT SMOKING is to count how much money you save. When I smoked, I would purchase two packs of cigarettes a week at $5 a pack. I haven't smoked in twelve weeks, meaning I saved $60. That may not seem like a lot, but at least it's being spent for something that isn't going up in smoke. I'll probably put it toward a pair of running shoes.
  
• I've been on a pretty strict DIET lately and I'm exercising more. I have been calorie-counting like crazy. It's miserable, don't get me wrong, but it is so enlightening. You have to know your bad spending habits before you can fix them and you have to know your bad eating habits before you can fix those. Hence, I'm much familiar with the nutritional values of my favorite foods, what healthy portions look like, where I can cut out sugars and the like. I've been trying to keep a count of my calories, both consumed and burned, on this website called myfitnesspal.com. It's worked pretty well so far and it also lets you add your own foods.

Now if I could just apply some accurate measurement to making a decent cup coffee in the morning, I'd be all set.

Book Meme - Nice!

Generally, I waste people's time with memes on social networks, particularly MySpace, not on my blog. But this one was cool, innocent and something I'd love to see others fill out. Thanks to Amy Derby for passing it on...

What was the last book you bought?

Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Name a book you have read MORE than once

I don't think I've ever read a book more than once.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

Yes, Fahrenheit 451 introduced me to Ray Bradbury, which I think is my favorite American writer ever. I took a whole new perspective on writing and the creative process after reading more of his work.

Also, Night by Eli Wiesel.

How do you choose a book - eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

Well, I'm a librarian, so I have a whole host of book-choosing methods. Sometimes I read a good review or hear a great podcast about a book. Sometimes I hear an interview with an author or an excerpt from the book. I get into moods, like lately I've been reading about American cities, namely Chicago and New York. I also consult my circle of fiction reading gurus at Southfield Public Library. Lots of ways to choose books.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Hmm, it's a toss-up. I love them equally.

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

I've finished novels that I thought were crap based strictly on the great writing (i.e. Namesake).

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Prabu from Shantaram. Lionel Essrog in Motherless Brooklyn. Nevil Longbottom in the Harry Potter books. I'm sure there are others.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

The Divine comedy by Dante Alghieri

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

Rough guide to running by Lloyd Bradley

Bradbury stories : 100 of his most celebrated tales by Ray Bradbury

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

Motherless Brooklyn like a week ago.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

Nope, I give books about 50 pages and either finish or don't. Although I definitely gave War and Peace and the Electric Acid Kool-Aid Test waaayyyy too much effort.

Your Turn

What are your favorite books? Play the meme if you want to (by copying the questions and answering them on your own blog). Or answer here.

Canning the summer's goods

Who says government documents are lame and boring all the time? OK, I do, but this one isn't half bad and actually sounds kind of...fun? Besides, I'm into pretty much anything that involves making better tasting foods.

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning

The link was in an online Time article about home canning. It's hip, allegedly.

Book Review(s): Motherless Brooklyn, Zen in the art of writing

That's right, one post two reviews. Both books were great reads and I found that I did very little note taking. Bottom line: Read both.

Zen in the art of writing by Ray Bradbury
Books and blogs about writing have been really getting my attention. I'm still on the "read about writing" kick. Zen in the art of writing was a book of essays by one of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury. I actually comment on it a previous post. The essays zip along and give the reader a number of exciting looks into Ray Bradbury's genius. This book, all my favorite writing blogs, and even Time to Write all have something to offer when it comes to writing. In fact, the more I've read about writing, the more I have written. I think the beauty of learning about others' writing habits is that you get ideas on how to develop your own. It's all been helpful.

Zen is a short book and although it certainly called for more notes, I only took one: "Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all." (p. 108)

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem
Strangely enough, this book also included the theme of Zen. This book was a delightful read. Just as I was getting down on the various New York books, this one came along and made me happy.

The protagonist, Lionel Essrog, has Tourette Syndrome and is an orphan in Brooklyn. He goes on the hunt for his boss' killers and finds himself in quite a web of deception. His search takes him out of New York City, something he's never done before.

I couldn't peel myself from this book and found myself totally engrossed in its story. My favorite parts were some of the Tourrete outbursts. It's also interesting to hear what comes along with the tics - the swearing, the mangling of language, counting, tapping, fixing collars, etc. But either way you slice it, a lot of it was hilarious. I'm not sure if the author meant for it to be that way, but it was for me. I even caught myself thinking a couple times - "Man, it'd be awesome to have Tourettes!" I know it really wouldn't be that great for a lifetime, but maybe just for a day or two.

Where are you looking to build your wealth?

This list of cities is one that takes both salary and cost of living into consideration. It's kind of an indicator of the best and worst places to build wealth. The D, not surprisingly, is lower on the totem pole, but not as low as the Big Apple. Where's yours at?

2008 Salary Value Index – Complete List of Cities

More Millenial Mayhem

The book 20-something Manifesto sounded pretty interesting to me a few weeks ago. However, things have changed a lot since then. I finally found stability in my life and this book was more about making sense out of the chaos which is inherent to people in their twenties. After breezing through it, I think it would have been much more useful like 2-3 years ago. And honestly, as far as I'm concerned, I was living that book.

I also stumbled a couple of interesting articles regarding Generation Y:

Understanding Students Who Were ‘Born Digital’
From Inside Higher Ed

Companies Are Struggling to Attract and Serve the Millennial Generation
From CNN Money

Not ready for one job

Writing is all about rewriting and this instance is no exception. When I got a new full time job, I decided that I would keep all of my jobs. I currently have five. Next week I'll be working well over 60 hours.

When I told people that this was what I was intending to do this, they all looked at me like I was crazy. I now know that I was. Before I realized that, though, I got defensive. You should have read this post about a week ago. It was: "Why don't people get me?" "Why do people doubt me?" Boo, hoo, hoo.

My problem is this: I think I know everything well before I actually experience it. What I thought this time around was that working a full time job and four part time gigs was manageable. In fact, it is, but not without some sacrifice and a side of blood, sweat and tears. Slight exaggeration, pardon, but you get my drift.

In the original post, I complained that explaining myself was tedious and I was getting tired of it. Now I understand the strange glances and confused questions. What I'm doing right now is bananas. It's very, very difficult. I'm not the one to admit I'm having a hard time with anything, but this experience has really made me take a step back and give my lifestyle a nice long look.

Nonetheless, I have an explanation for my mad behavior. I am going to alter my work schedule as I need to. For the time being, though, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and finish what I have begun.

So, to help some people understand my decision making:

• Career A.D.D. I haven't had just one job since I was 18 years old; I'm 26. I've juggled at least two since then and have only gained as I went along.


• Challenge. If it's too easy, I tend to lose interest quick. I find that be keeping multiple jobs, well of challenge never runs dry.


• Variety. This bullet point could combined with the one prior, but I really like my workday to be a diverse experience. I like to connect with people on a variety of levels, whether it be about their library experience, the writing craft or hockey.


• Yes I can! Another reason that I work so many jobs is, well, because I can. I'm good at time management and I like my work - all of it. I love libraries, researching, writing, hockey...the whole nine yards. Why would I give up so many good things? It's like giving up cheese - no thanks!


• Money is awesome. This goes without saying, really. I don't work for free. Volunteering stopped a few years back. And I gots to get paid. I have bills, ok? I'm looking to get my behind out of debt and FAST! Hanging out with friends and relaxing sounds absolutely delightful, however friends don't pay the bills and neither does relaxing. I like having a roof over my head. I want to start traveling again, buy running shoes, and pay off my student loans. And I love the work I do, which gives me money to accomplish these grown-up feats. It's quite simple.

It's not quite that simple. The money is great, sure, but it's been a rough ride. Nothing worth the fight is ever easy, so I'm battling on, but it's taking some getting used to. So, dear friends, I'll see you on the other side. I will miss you for a bit. Tell my books I miss them. Tell sleep I long for its beautiful spell. Tell exercise I swear I will learn to wake early. Tell my diet I haven't forgot my promise.

This is not easy, but I'll be damned if I end up a quitter. There's people out there that bust their humps for less and would think that I'm not only a crybaby for not embracing all this work, but plain stupid for not taking the opportunities when financial doom and gloom surrounds us.

"Only 10% can be plagiarized"

Plagiarism makes me crazy. I hate it. As a writer, it hits particularly close to home because I can't fathom the idea of someone taking my stuff and using it as their own. You could call it a pet peeve of mine, but that would be an understatement.

So, you can imagine that when a college-aged person approached me last night at the reference desk and asked, "Is there a way to check how much of a paper is plagiarized? The paper can only be 10% plagiarized." At the utterance of that last statement, my brain filter totally stopped working and I blurted, "No part of the paper can be plagiarized. If it's cited correctly, it's not plagiarism." A few other choice words rolled through my head, but the filter kicked back on.

Deer in headlights look appeared on both of our faces.

What the person meant was basically that they were jamming their paper full of direct quotes from other people work and needed to know what percent of it was actually her own. I could never be a professor based solely on this interaction. I'd be failing people left and right. I hate laziness and I hate plagiarism. Basically, I hate the writing of practically every incoming freshman ever.

I gave her a couple of plagiarism checkers online while thinking that she had already plagiarized too much. Disgusting.

Tired Cops = Bad Idea

From Detroit Free Press: To cut costs, Harper Woods cops could work 24-hour shifts

It hasn't been implemented, but it's being explored. As far as I'm concerned, it has "bad idea" written all over it. I thought Oakland County's 10-hour workweek was questionable, but this is way ridiculous. I have provided two lines of thinking.

Decisions:

• when one is tired, decision-making is not at its peak
• cops must make very quick decisions throughout their day
• sometimes those decisions involve use of weapons
• bad decisions when weapons are involved lead to trouble (read lawsuits)
• bad decisions are more likely when one is tired
  

Moods:

• when one is tired, mood can turn sour
• when mood turns sour, punching someone in the face (or another physical reactions) seems like a good idea
• bad decisions involving punching citizens in face (or other physical reactions) also lead to trouble (read lawsuits)
  

OK, so I understand everyone is strapped for money, but this does NOT sound like it's worth the supposed $150,000 overtime savings. The article mentions how medical interns/residences also have to work through 24-hour shifts, but I think that's absurd, too.