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The House Dad - by Jonathan Rosen

The House Dad - July 2007

Trade Deadline

July 30th 2007 14:44
Good morning everyone,
Hope everybody had a great weekend. Tomorrow is baseball's trade deadline and I have a very bad feeling about my Mets. Every year, you hear all these rumors, with everybody speculating about what might happen. This year, the names I keep reading about linked to the Mets have all been terrible. I desperately want the Mets to make a trade, because I don't think they have the team to win it all presently. They badly need an infusion into this team that appears listless at times. Now with that being said, I don't want them to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. That led to disaster a few years ago, when they got rid of Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. We all know how that turned out. I don't want to trade any of the main prospects, but would if it netted a star in return. By star, I don't mean any of the names I have been hearing, Jon Garland, Jermaine Dye, Jose Contreras? All of these players are mediocre alternatives to what they have now. If they can't make a splash, stand pat and take your chances. Just once, I would like to see the Mets make a splash and trade for a superstar. That hasn't happened since Piazza in 98. I am hoping that for once they can do something, but I don't expect it. I got mildly intrigued last night when I heard that the Mets were interested in Carl Crawford. Now that is the type of player that I would love the Mets to get, but I think it was just a rumor. Hopefully, something good will happen, but I doubt it.

Just want to say that today is my son's 5th birthday. I wrote a post about it on Friday. Have to say again, Happy Birthday, David! You are my big guy and I love you. As for everybody else, have a great day.
Later,
Jonathan
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My son's 5th birthday

July 27th 2007 15:58
Good morning everybody,
Hope you are all well today. First of all, I have to apologize for not writing yesterday. The day,just got away from me. I was going to write about something else today, but I will save the topic. My son is turning 5 on Monday. I know I could have waited until Monday to write about that, but that day, I do have a different topic. Anyway, I know everybody says that it just seems like yesterday that they were born, but I really do feel that way. I have written about my son before, ages ago. He is a very swet and sensitive kid. Very good-natured and tries to help everybody. For right now, everybody loves him, but I worry about what will happen when he gets older. I don't know if he has the temperament to defend himself in school from bullies. He has been going this year to speech therapy, because of what they call a lateral lisp. He has been making some progress, but again, it is another thing I worry about kids teasing him about. I remember how cruel kids can be. I was the same way as my son, when I was his age. I was extremely shy and sensitive and I was teased at certain times. I always had a lot of friends, but never in the cool crowd. I never got to do that, until college, and by that time, there aren't really crowds like that are there? In college, everything that I held back during life, came out and I made up for lost time...way too much. No drugs or anything like that, but I became very outgoing, the president of my fraternity and way too much of a player when it came to women. I want my son to have good experiences through his life. I try to nudge him a little now to do more things and I think it works a little, but he is the smallest in his class and he isn't as clear as some of the other kids when it comes to speaking. I hate worrying and I feel helpless when it comes to these things. There are certain things you can protect your kids from and some you can't. I try to get him to stand up for himself. It doesn't help that he is the middle child between two sisters either. One of my friends told me that it will be horrible for a while growing up, that every date that he brings home, he'll have two girls saying, "Oh, I don't like her." My take is that he'll choose from his two sisters' friends who he wants to date. I have to say, that I love my two daughters with all my heart, they are so special to me, but every guy wants a son as well. You know, carry on the family name and all that, getting to do father-son things. He is my special big guy and I just want to say, "Happy Birthday, David!" Hope all of you have a great day as well.

Later,
Jonathan
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Mother-in-law coming

July 25th 2007 14:46
Good morning everyone,

Hope evryone is good today. I must start by saying that I don't feel well today. As a matter of fact, I feel miserable and it has nothing to do with the fact that my mother-in-law is coming in for a visit. Alright, it has everything to do with the fact that my mother-in-law is coming in. I have mentioned before in this blog, that I don't have the greatest relationship with her. Her conversations with me usually start with, "I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, but..." That is the nice version. It is usually much worse than that. At least it was, now, there is this feeling of avoidance and trying not to step on toes. The problem is, that she still hasn't stopped criticizing me, only now, she does it to my wife when they're on the phone. I don't hear about it until later. The woman just aggravates me and I am stuck. My father-in-law passes away last year and even though we didn't always see eye to eye, I got along much better with him than with her. He had been sort of a buffer. Now that he is gone, it is just butting heads and I feel like I can't say anything, because she is still getting very depressed about it. I can't blame her, but I do feel stuck that I can't fight back and open my mouth. I'd feel like a heel for making her cry, which she still does on her own a lot. So, what I usually do is the mature thing and avoid her. When she is in the house, I usually hang out in my office and board myself up in there for the duration. My wife gets annoyed with me, but I prefer that than having to deal with her. I think that it works better that way. It does annoy me that she comes for such a long time, but it is my wife's mother and I can't do anything about it. Although, she gets my wife nervous as well. My wife gets jittery when she's around and many times I have had to step in for my wife's defense. Anyway, that's it for now. Hope you all have a great day and wish me luck.

Later,

Jonathan
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Graham Norton Show

July 24th 2007 14:43
Good Morning everyone,

Hope everybody is good today. I have been watching Graham Norton Show on BBCA and I find the guy hysterical. I remember watching him when he made several appearances on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. I always found him very funny then. Actually, I found the whole show very funny and I miss it. They pulled it, because they didn't like the politically incorrect humor, which made up the majority of the show. Anyway, I found Norton very funny but didn't see him again for a few years. My sister recently told me that she was watching him on BBCA and I immediately went to tape it. I taped several at once and have been cracking up at the show. First of all, they get away with a lot more on British shows than on AMerican. There is cursing risque humor and blatant sexual talk. It is both amusing and shocking to hear the host of a program saying a lot of profanity. In any event, I think it is well worth watching


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Rejection Letters

July 23rd 2007 14:45
Good morning everyone,
Hope everybody had a great weekend. This past Saturday, I received my first rejection letter from an agent. I guess it is a rite of passage. While I was expecting it, it is still mildly disappointing. Hopefully, in the future I will have some success and I can frame this one. At least this one was nicely written, but I'm sure it is the standard. You know, not being right for their agency, but encouraging me to try other agents. I need to send out a bunch more query letters now, since I only sent to around 5 places. I was trying 5 places at a time and now that I got one rejection, I will send to another 5 places. I am still working on a book proposal and finishing up my children's book. It seems that I am writing from morning until night. Thankfully, I enjoy it, but it is very time consuming. Between that and now taking my online courses for school, I never leave this computer. Oh well, there are probably worse things that I can do.

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Harry Potter

July 20th 2007 15:03
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone is good today. Tonight, the last Harry Potter book comes out. I am a fan of the series, I mean, who isn't? I just can't believe that this woman has struck it rich like this. It is every author's dream. I have mentioned that I have written a childrens book, which I am hoping to have published. In my wildest dreams, I can't expect it to take off like that. Okay, maybe in my wildest dreams, but the Harry Potter is a once in a lifetime phenomenon. The only thing that annoys me,is JK Rowling herself. I have heard that she is extremely difficult to work with and has an oversized ego. Who knows if that is true or not, but I do have a couple of friends "in the know" and that is what they tell me. Perhaps, it is jealousy by others and it makes perfect sense that is what it might be, however, I have heard it from more than one source. Maybe she has a right, but I hate that. I understand that she came from humble beginnings, and if that is the case, then even more so should you be nice to everyone. You've got to treat everybody the way you want to be treated. If I ever do make it as an author, I hope I remember all of that. As far as the books themselves, there is a special event happening tonight at several of the book stores. My oldest is 6 and she may like it, but it is very late for this to be going on. I am weighing the pros of her having a nice time and enjoying the evening, and the cons of having to deal with crankiness all day tomorrow. I think it will be a gametime decision.I will probably hear all about what happened in the books before I actually read them, and I will still read it but I will be annoyed while I am doing it. I understand two characters die in the book and I hate that too. I am a sappy, need a happy ending guy. I hated the part where Dunbledore died last book and I will really hate it this book when it happens to somebody. All I know, is that she better not kill off any of the three kids. It will really sour the whole thing for me and will turn my fondness of the earlier books. I want that the good guys to live nicely. I don't like killing off kids. It still kills me about Bridge to Terabithia. I am one of the few who never read the book when I was younger. When I took my kids to see the movie, I just thought it was a family fantasy movie. When the character of Leslie died, I was bawling like a baby. I didn't expect it and my kids were stunned. My daughter actually tried to cheer me up and told me that the girl was still alive and was in Terabithia. Now, I wasn't actually bawling, but I did have my eyes well up. But all around me in the theater, I heard SNIFF! SNIFF!, so I was not alone. Anyway, that's it for today. Hope everybody has a great weekend.
Later


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Book Proposals

July 19th 2007 15:39
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone is good today. As I have mentioned numerous times before, I have written a children's book and am working on a non-fiction book. For a non-fiction book you need to create a book proposal first. I have to say, that between the proposals and the query letters, I am having a tough time. I think the query letter is looking decent, but I don't think the proposal is coming along nicely at all. I want it to be the best possible proposal, obviously, because you only get one shot with editors or agents. I have thought about posting the job of writing a proposal for me on Guru.com . It is a site that I have had a little bit of success on with hiring an editor to look over my manuscript. I haven't hired somebody to do the actual work. Guru is great, but you have all levels of professionals on it. I have heard from some people that they hired people to do things that didn't turn out as good as the job they would have done. On the other hand, I have heard about some good success on there as well. Who knows? I will try it for myself and see, but if worse comes to worse, I might try it on Guru. I also agonized yesterday, that I made some big mistakes recently. I opened my mail box and saw a large brown envelope. I was at first excited, because I have started sending out query letters. But before I even reached in, it occured to me that they wouldn't send anything in a large envelope, they would use the SASE that I included. I took it out and realized that it was the same envelope that I sent. It was returned for insufficient postage. I sent out a lot of them and now I will have to see them all coming back for the same reason. I will have to resend everything, pushing back my wait time even longer than I thought. Just depressing, but what can I do. Gotta keep my head up. Anyway, that's it for now. Have to go do my online class. Hope you all have a great day.
Later


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Reality shows

July 18th 2007 14:40
Good morning everyone,
Hope everybody is well today. Today, I am talking about reality television. There are definitely way too many of them. The majority are stupid and mindless, and it is probably because of that, that I find myself watching almost every one. I really hate myself for doing it and I am embarrassed about it, but that's what I do. I think the Pirate Masters is a blatant Survivor knock-off. From the same creator even, but I am now watching it. After the first episode, I ridiculed it and said that was it for me, I have come back week after week to see what happens.Kathy Griffin's show is another example. I don't care for her, I don't find her particularly funny either, but I watch her reality show and for the most part find it amusing. I still think she's a shameless self-promoter, but I guess I can't fault her for that. If it's your career on the line, you do what you gotta do. I find myself watching everything. I watched the Scott Baio show. I actually know his cousin, who says she always used to think he was gay when they were younger. But, I enjoyed that. I watched the Rock of Love with Brett Michaels. I hate these dating shows but watched it because of Brett Michaels. I couldn't believe how these women were willing to debase themselves for a chance to be with him. It was ridiculous.If my daughters ever told me that they were going to compete with other women over one guy, I would ground them and keep them in the house for the rest of their lives, I don't care how old they were. How foolish can a person be. Now, on the other hand. For Brett Michaels, I was amazed that he got away with this stuff. Making out with every woman in front of the other women. Hey, if you can get away with it, more power to you, but it is unbelievable to me. In the coming attractions he mentioned that he was staging competitions and the winner got to spend time with him. Whoopee.What a thriller. With all of that said, I find myself not being able to wait for the next Surreal Life. That show I loved and went searching for info on the new cast yesterday. I was pleased to find out that wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage would be in the house. Now, that's good television. Have a good day everybody.
Later


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Online Education

July 17th 2007 14:41
Good morning all,
Hope everyone is good today. Today, I'm starting an online course. I have never done this before and am very curious as to how it's going to go. You see, I never finished college. It's a shame really, because when I last went to school around 16 years ago, I had already completed 93 credits. I had started focusing on other things and misplaced a lot of priorities also. At the end of school, I started doing really poorly. Just not going to classes and too much partying. I kept telling myself I would go back soon and here I am 16 years later.The unfortunate thing is, this new school will only accept 62 of my credits. I am frustrated by that, but I guess it's understood since I have a lot of classes that don't apply to the major they are giving. So now, I will have to take 58 credits instead of 27. The main thing for me is to finish a degree. I want to do different things for a career and I think it will be pretty difficult without a degree. It will probably take me close to 2 years and then I will try to get into education. I think I would enjoy that. I have always liked working with children and I think good teachers are needed. My wanting to get a degree, also applies to another reason as well. It has always bothered me not to have one. I have a lot of friends who I think are idiots, no lie, real idiots. Yet, they have degrees and I don't. It has annoyed me. And I do feel funny about going to take classes and i am nearly 40. I feel that it is tough to think about that I am looking for a career change at that age, but you have to start sometime and if I put it off now, it will be a couple of years later and I'll still be without a degree. You have to start sometime and I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position. Also, I have thought a lot about my kids and how hypocritical it would be later for me to push them into going to college when I never did. I can't do one of those, "Do as I say, but not as I do." Well, I can, but I wouldn't feel right about it. I do enough of that now with them when they're young and don't know better. Now, they can't question me, but later they not only can, they probably will. It will be tough to work and then put in the required 2 hours a day studying, but I will try to make time for it. Have to, because this thing costs a lot more money than regular classes. I guess it's for the convenience of the working person. I will let you all know how it goes, since I am going to log onto my first class in a little less than half an hour. Time to get ready. I hope you all have a good day.
Later


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Men Behaving Badly

July 16th 2007 15:11
Good morning everyone,
Hope you all had a great weekend. I know you're looking at today's topic and thinking about how timely it is, to be talking about a ten year old sitcom, but I just finished watching the DVD set, and I mean the American version, not the English one. I own the English one, but I haven't seen it yet. I heard that it was very funny, even funnier than the remake, but since I haven't seen it yet, I can't comment. As far as the Americanized version goes, I remember really enjoying it when it was on. I remember the network moving it all around and then even moving it to Sundays opposite [BThe Simpsons, basically killing it. It starred Ron Eldard, Rob Schneider and Justine Bateman. Watching it now, ten years later, I was amazed at how much I still enjoyed it. I haven't seen the episodes since then, abd I was laughing out loud. Eldard cracked me up. I enjoy him in comedy, I remember Bakersfield P.D. and thought that was funny as well. I have heard that this American version was cleaned up a lot from the British version, but it was still very, very funny. As I said, Eldard was very good and even Rob Schneider was funny. I know many people aren't fans of Schneider, but I am. He is not a great actor and he is best in supporting roles, but every once in a while, I am in the mood for stupid humor. I urge people to go check it out. Even Justine Bateman, who I normally don't think is funny, had some good moments here. I have been reading about what happened to the show, since I remember at the time Eldard and Bateman left after the first season. Apparently, they had trouble with the writers. I had remembered that, but I still can't get a clear understanding of why they really left. Admittedly, once they left and a new couple was brought in, the show changed. It put the focus on Schneider's character and the show wasn't as funny then. It also made an unrealistic transition, where Schneider's character of Jamie, had an on again off again, relationship with Dina Spybey's character of Brenda. Earlier, she couldn't stand him and it seems implausible that she likes him romantically even a little. Also, Julia Campbell's character disappears after only a few episodes without a reason given. I thought she was hot as anything, so I was upset. Not that Spybey isn't hot, because she definitely is, but I have a thing for tall girls. (That's why I married someone, 5'4") Anyway, check it out, it was funny. At least the episodes with Eldard.
That's it for today. Hoe everybody has a great day


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Book proposals.

July 13th 2007 14:57
Good morning everyone,
Hope everybody is good today. Am spending the day writing book proposals and query letters. Have already sent out 7 queries and want to get a proposal ready just in case. Also, just got another contact. A good friend of mine is the president of a large PR firm and his vice - president worked in the publishing industry for a while. Have picked his brain a little and he told me to e-mail me some of my material. Have to rush it to get ready, when you get an opportunity you have to strike quickly. Don't know if he can do anything, but have to try. I have been staying up late all the time, writing into the night. I usually go to bed at 2:00 A.M. Very tired during the day, but must try. I always do my best writing at night. No interruptions, from phone calls, family members or business. I just put on some music, very low so I don't wake anyone and just write. Sometimes, I lose track of time just because I get so involved in what I am doing. I really enjoy the process.With a little bit of luck, everything will pay off. Now, my problem is that I have never written a proposal before this and don't want to ruin my shot. I have been reading every book on proposal writing and trying to come up with something good that will be eye-catching. I'm trying to speak to other people I know who have done this before, but unfortunately, I don't know many who have. I will go at this blindly or maybe try to hire somebody. Anyway, I know it's short today, but have to get back to this.
Hope everyone has a great weekend


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Second Half of Baseball Season

July 12th 2007 14:30
Good morning everyone,
Hope everybody is good today. Today starts the second half of the baseball season. In the next couple of weeks, you're probably going to be seeing a lot of movement and trades with teams jockeying for the postseason. I can only hope one of those teams will be the Mets. The roster as presently constituted, is far lacking what is necessary to make a big run in the playoffs. Too many old parts and a lot of lethargy on the team. They need an infusion of talent badly. Just anything to put some life into this underachieving team. I have this feeling that they will do nothing, or nothing of consequence. I think the last time the Mets made a splash at the trading deadline neared, was 9 years ago when they got Mike Piazza. Before that, who remembers. They usually get me anticipating something good and then do nothing. Actually, I take that back. They did make a splash a few years ago, when they traded away Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. A trade I still lose sleep over. You may laugh, but to me, that trade was like one of those events in life that you never forget. I still remember where I was when I found out. I'm not kidding, I was in my parent's house having dinner and I ran to the computer to just see if any movement was done at the trade deadline. I came back into the room pale and somber. My family inquired as to my problem and when I told them through choking back tears, they joined me in my depression. I play fantasy baseball, and Victor Zambrano had been one of the worst fantasy pitchers for years. I could have told them not to do this trade, but nobody consulted me. Of course, Zambrano amounted to nothing and has since been released by another team since the Mets did. That is what I am expecting this year. I don't mind if they trade away a top prospect, but only if they get a very good player in return. Not a top prospect for junk or a rental of a player. Somebody who is only signed to the end of the year or somebody that is an average player and they think he might be useful for a run. I don't want the Mark Buehrle's or Jermaine Dyes of the world. Man, do I wish I could make these decisions for just one day. ANyway, that is all for now, I have some writing submissions to make. Hope everybody has a great day.
Later


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All Star Game

July 11th 2007 14:25
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone is well today. Watched the All Star game last night and I felt like I was just watching a regular Mets game. Even the Mets closer gave up a huge home run that was the difference in the game. With the NL losing by one, the Mets closer Billy Wagenr, gave up a huge two run nomer to Victor Martinez to make it 5-2. Of course in the bottom of the ninth, Alfonso Soriano hits a two run homer that would have won it for the NL had Wagner not given up the home run earlier. I thought that was it for the game, but then the NL actually has a chance again, when they load the bases, all with two outs. This whole time I am waiting for Larussa, the NL manager and the manager of the Cardinals, to bring in Albert Pujols, also of the Cardinals, to pinch hit. Instead, he let Aaron Rowand go up and fly out to end the game. Now nothing against Rowand, but PUJOLS! C'mon, one of the best hitters in baseball and a guy on your own team and you leave him on the bench? Unreal to me. If this was just a regular All Star game, then okay, do whatever you want, but this is supposed to determine the home field for the World Series. It was ludicrous. I was all aggravated last night and really felt like I was watching a Mets game. Hopefully, I'll have more joy when the Mets start again tomorrow, but somehow I doubt it. Sorry that I am not writing a lot today, but I really do have a lot to do. Am redoing my resume to look for new employment. I have been doing the same thing for 12 years and I am nervous to go into something else. Hopefully, I will find something that I enjoy. Anyway, that's all for now. Hope everyone has a great day.
Later


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Home Run Derby and Flight of the Conchords

July 10th 2007 14:18
Good morning everyone,
Hope everybody is good today. I am a huge baseball fan and I love this time of year, the All Star game. I love all of the stuff there, the home run derby, the celebrity softball game and the actual All Star game itself. The home run derby last night was pretty lame. Until the second round, nobody went on a tear at all, when Rios went off. That's when it was fun to see. Guerrero won the competition andeverytime I see him, it drives me crazy because the cheap Mets passed over on him a couple of seasons ago. Granted, it was a different regime, but it is something that I am used to from the Mets. Don't know how they could pass up on that guy.The celebrity softball game was a lot of fun. It usually is, but there was something weird last night. I am so used to Harold Reynolds being a part of it, that it was odd without him there. He was fired last year for supposed sexual harassment. It just felt strange. Jimmy Kimmel took his place as the team captain against Kenny Maine. I know it was supposed to be shtick, but the two of them played on the antagonistic thing, but it felt real last night. It seemed like Maine got under Kimmel's skin and vice versa. Even after the game, Maine said to Kimmel, that it was a lot of fun. Kimmel said something or other and Maine had to reply that he was serious about it. It was just so bizarre. Tonight, I can't wait for the real All-Star game. There are three Mets in the starting line-up and I was wondering if they were going to play listlessly there as well. Please let there be a trade.
I have a new favorite thing on TV right now. The Flight of the Conchords. The show just kills me. I think it is very funny and urge people to check it out..It is a dry type of humor and very funny. If you missed last week's episode, go to HBO's website and watch it online and check out the song "If you're into it." I think I have worn out Youtube's servers replaying that song again and again. Let me know what you all think of it


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Writing Submissions

July 9th 2007 14:35
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone had a great weekend. Had a busy one. Yesterday had a friend over from Mexico. My father and her father are best friends since they were children and we grew up together as well. She came over with her two kids and her niece. It is very amusing to see our children interact. Mine don't speak Spanish and hers don't speak English, but somehow they find a way. Kids are very good like that. Everybody had a great time, especially me, since my friend brought some candy from Mexico with her.I love Mexican candies and you can't get them here in the States. Most Mexican candiy is a combination of sweet and spicy. A very tangy taste. I can't get enough of it and devour it. Probably, if I could get it here all the time, I would get sick of it. But since I only get it once every year or two, I go crazy.
Well, today is the day that I start sending out query letters to agents and publishing houses. Not for my children's book, but for the non-fiction piece I am working on. I am very excited about it. As I mentioned previously, I have heard that non-fiction is easier to break into so i am going to try that. If I can get published somehow, it looks good to get a writing credit under your belt. I figure that will make it a little easier in the future to try and get my fiction pieces published. I will target ten at a time, so I can keep track of it. That way I won't get overwhelmed with rejection letters right away. Just kidding, although I am sure they will come, I am optimistic. Maybe foolishly so, but I have to hold out hope. If there is no hope, then why write to begin with? It may be tough, but people do get published. So, why not me? It may sound terrible, but some of the things I have read, I can't believe that these people got a contract. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of writers I am envious of. I think they are fantastic, but there is also an awful lot of crap out there. I like to think that I fall at the higher end, but I will leave that judgement to others. My hope is that you will see my name on a bookshelf by next year. Let's all keep our fingers crossed. I do appreciate some of the e-mails of support that i've gotten. I will keep everyone posted


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Critique group tomorrow.

July 6th 2007 14:47
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone is well today. I posted yesterday how I hadn't read anything for the critique group yet, so what do I do? I let another day go by and I still haven't read it. I must make time today to read the other members work. It is just that I have been so involved in my own writing, that I constantly put it off and haven't gotten to it. It is really wrong of me. Truth is, it is really not that long. We only give each other a chapter or two at a time. I thought the writing was alright, not the type of thing I would buy, but I enjoyed it as a story.It is just that I have a thousand things running through my mind at once and it is tough for me to slow down and just read somebody else's work that have nothing to do with what I want to accomplish. Still, I know it is a responsibility and an obligation, since I would expect the same from them. Even though they both clearly tell me how much they don't enjoy the fantasy genre. I may have to find another critique group one day.
Last night, I was working on query letters to publishers and agents about my non-fiction proposal. I want more than anything to be published and even though I would prefer to write children's books, it is still a step towards that. Again, I am enjoying it. I think I just enjoy writing, no matter what subject or forum it is


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Critique group and washed out 4th.

July 5th 2007 14:27
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone is good today. We had a bbq for July 4th yesterday and I must say that it turned out nice. Unfortunately, I had to actually parent yesterday and I hate doing that. My son refused to eat and I warned him there would be no swimming until he did so. He told me he didn't care and called my bluff. When it was time, I let in his sisters and cousins, but kept him out. He started crying and I felt horrible, but had to keep my word. I kept looking at the ominous dark clouds and prayed that he would give in before it started to pour and I'd have to take everyone out. Thankfully, he caved in and wolfed down that sandwich. At least he got a good hour and a half before we heard thunder and pulled them in. I have a small patio under an overhang before we get to the open pool are. We have a table under there as well. As I was cooking and everyone sat at the table, it came down so hard that I was tempted to build an ark. Just buckets and buckets and it started getting into the patio area. Everyone ran inside, but guess who had to brave it and cook? You got it. Itried to finish as quickly as possible and the burgers wound up being underdone.Had to finish them off inside. At least most of them were good and the hot dogs and chicken were all finished as well. All in all it was fun. However, since it was pouring so badly, they had to cancel the annual fireworks and music show in the park. That is usually the part I like best, but what can you do? My kids were very disappointed. Aftera while, it finally stopped. I saw that my pool was overflowing. At least I don't have to fill it. It actually got sunny in the late afternoon and my son and youngest daughter fell asleep since they were so exhausted. My oldest daughter was up late, so she got to see when people on our block set off firewirks. Normally, I don't approve of that, since I think they're dangerous and I think way too many people get in accidents and let kids around while they do it, but last night I was happy, since my daughter got to see fireworks. We sat on our front walkway and kept a safe distance and watched the sky. It was fun. Hope everyone else enjoyed.
This Saturday is my monthly critique group. I enjoy them, but as I mentioned before, the two women in the group are not fans of fantasy, so it is difficult to get objective advice from them. The real problem is, I haven't read their work yet and that is my responsibility to the group. I have two days and I'd better start today and get it done fast. I can't begin to think of showing up without having done it. It was bad enough that last month they came with detailed notes about my work, while I showed up with a couple of things I jotted down on the chapters they handed me. It was terrible and I was mortified. I'd better make good this time. Anyway, gotta run. I hope everyone has a great day


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Happy 4th of July

July 4th 2007 14:55
Happy 4th everybody,
Hope everyone is well. Today is July 4th. I love this holiday, besides the obvious that work is closed. It is good for one day just to feel patriotic and thank G-d that you're living in this country. I know that there are other democracies out there, but nothing like this country. I have lived in and visited many places around the world and nowhere do you get the freedoms that we get over here. As much as other countries gripe and moan about the United States, believe me that they would love to be in a place that had these freedoms. I always think how nice it would be to live in such and such a place, but in the end, I don't think that I could ever be in a country other than this one. I am too used to things here and enjoy the promise of the country. I honestly believe that anything is possible here and opportunity exists. Now, my family is not in an ideal situation right now. Things could be a lot better financially and my mother is really worried about my father, but I am an optimist. I firmly believe that everything will work out alright in the end. Maybe I'm naive, but it is the way I think. So, G-d bless America.
Today is the first day that I am starting the submission process on my manuscript. I fully expect a ton of rejections. I mean, it is a rite of passage. It would be nice if right off the bat, I get a "We love your manuscript, here's a $500,000 advance." but that sort of thing is unrealistic. I do have faith in my story for the long term, but I may be the only one. I just keep reading about all of these best sellers that were rejected so many times before they sold, so we shall see. As I mentioned yesterday, I am also busy now getting a proposal together for a non-fiction book. Maybe that will do well also. Keeping fingers firmly crossed


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Non-Fiction Books

July 3rd 2007 15:06
Good morning everyone,
Hope all is well. As many of you know, I have been doing everything in order to try and get published. I have written a couple of children's books and several magazine stories and have also started to do the groundwork for hopefully becoming a freelance writer. I have also applied to blogging jobs, keeping my toe in a lot of different waters. There is nothing I would love to do more, than write for a living. I also read about how it's a lot easier to get published in non-fiction than fiction. I am now busying proposals for several non-fiction books on my past experiences in several work fields that I did. Some of which would seriously become stories that the field I was in, wouldn't want out. Hopefully, things will be picked up. Will definitely keep you posted.
As usual, I stayed up late to watch the Mets and they lost. They really, really need another hitter and a pitcher. They need to make moves soon. Even though they are in first place, they don't look like they have the horses to go all the way.Their team last year was better. Some of the pieces look old. Especially, Julio Franco. Now, I respect the man for playing into his upper 40's, but he really looks old now. He can't catch up with the fasrball anymore. He gets hurt frequently and can't play the field.This leaves him as a one-dimensional player, who is no longer good at that one dimension.He either needs to be released, or made a coach since the players respect him so much. It's sda to see players get older and lose their stuff, but it is part of the game. However, I can't be too sad because they are still making millions and I am struggling to pay a mortgage each month, so my pity doesn't travel far. Anyway, onto writing for other reasons now, hope everyone has a great day


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Ratatouille and publishing contacts

July 2nd 2007 15:04
Good morning everyone,
Hope everyone had a great weekend. As I mentioned Friday, the weekend started with all three of my kids being sick and home from camp. That kept us in on Friday night. Thankfully, they started feeling better by the evening, allowing us to go out on the weekend. It was my nephew's birthday, so we all went out to see Ratatouille and then go to Rainforest cafe.. About the movie first, I absolutely loved it. I usually do with the Disney and Pixar movies, but I thought this was very good. However, (You knew there would be a however), the animation was great and very realistic. That does not translate well for me with a story about rats. I hate all rodents. If there is anything to do woth mice or rats, I am out. If I see a mouse, I am in the fetal position in the corner, crying like a little girl. I hate them. Any time one of the scenes in the movie featured the colony of rats scurrying around, my skin crawled. The sounds surrounded you in the theater. I kept looking down and getting shivers running up my back. It just isn't fair to do to me. But other than that, it was a good movie. Another howeve, since it was for my nephew's birthday, we took all the kids, including my 18 month old daughter. She is by no means ready for the movies yet. My wife and I usually take turns in staying home with my daughter while the other one goes with the other kids. Now, we just took turns standing along the side walkway with my daughter while the other sat and enjoyed the movie. She was terrible, until around 2/3 of the way through, my wife got her to fall asleep. That was fine, but in the restaurant afterwards, she was murder and squirming and screaming, so I had to take her out. That part wasn't terrible, since I walked with her to the book store that was nearby.
Speaking of books,nice segue right? But speaking of books, I spoke with my wife's cousin who works at Harper Collins. SHe was very sweet and nice, but didn't take the bait. I kept hoping that she would say, "Send it to me and I'll submit it." Instead, and granted she is low on the totem pole, she just said that she will find out info for me. I know I have to take what I can get at this stage, but kind of deflating. I also saw that she didn't have a great sense of humor. " I said to her, that from now on she had to start thinking of her life as how she could help me. ...Silence. I had to tell her I was joking. I spoke to my brother-in-law, who knows her much better than my wife since they are close to the same age. (My wife is 15 years older than her) He said that she doesn't have a sense of humor and that when I told her I was kidding, she probably still didn't understand that I had been joking about something. Like her, but people without a sense of humor get on my nerves. My mother-in-law has no sense of humor.....ooooh, that explains a lot about our relationship. My mother-in-law has gotten to the point that she starts to laugh whenever I say something, just in case I am joking about something. It is very amusing. Anyway, I hear my daughter getting up from her nap. Hope everyone has a good day


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