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“…do an awful lot of talking.”  — Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz

Just heard word that King Bloviator Rush Limbaugh has a new report available online. Read all about it, men and women: THE WAR ON MANLINESS threatens the “feminization of the American Male!”

The litany of wars grows ever longer: The War on Terror; the War on Conservative Values; the War on Christmas, Easter, and Christianity itself. And yet, the battlefields in question are always so nebulous, the descriptions of so-called warriors and their strategies so, well, weird.

I’ve grown war weary; how about you? I’m tired of straw-man logic set up by scarecrow political wonks– whose own brains have apparently been replaced by straw.

Today, I’m updating my nonfiction book proposal by adding a bit of backstory to my discussion of the trophy wife phenomenon. My goal is to show how perceptions of her have evolved across continents and over time. 

On a coffee break, I picked up the newspaper and read this:

“When he first got into the business 31 years ago, Bush tied himself to his monkey every night for three weeks. His wife would say goodnight and shut him in the family room and turn up the volume on the television.

“Look, this is the real McCoy here, pal, just me and you,” Bush would say to the monkey, a white-faced capuchin named George.

Then the monkey would holler at Bush and Bush would holler at the monkey until they were both so exhausted that they passed out. After three weeks, they started to develop a mutual understanding.

The wife left him, and Bush and George performed together for 15 years. When George died, Bush did not want to pay top dollar for taxidermy, so he had George freeze-dried, and set him on a shelf in the study, where he still sits today, paws extended in mid-air. That, as Bush would say, is another story.”

Oops! I somehow missed the first paragraph of the story, which certainly affected my reactions overall! 

My mistake reinforces an editor’s suggestion that I put my interview subjects into a cultural/historical context. I’m grateful to her for sharing this idea; I can already see the difference it makes.

This email query from an online (and unknown) suitor just showed up in my Inbox. “Destiny” or desperation? You tell me.

Yo M.shore!!!

At first I should tell you about my appear, so I got E-mail from one DATING AGENCY but really that was VERY STRANGE for me because I closed all my accounts at DATING SITES, because I don’t like people who are interested just in non SERIOUS RELATIONS, I have much FRIENDS from that sites but really I did not find someone special for me….

But I got your E-mail address and thought “MAYBE THAT IS MY DESTINY” to find someone special? So I don’t know where you did get MY E-MAIL ADDRESS but I hope that is NOT JUST MISTAKE.

If you decide to answer me I promise to SEND YOU big LETTER and MY BEST PHOTOS !!! I’d like to learn more about you. PLEASE, WRITE ME some lines about your personality, your hobbies, your way of life. I’m really interested to know!

As for me, I’m an easy-going and open-hearted person. I take life as it comes and have optimistic views. It doesn’t mean that nothing makes me sad, but I consider all the difficulties in my life to be useful for me. I’m very communicative and like to spend time in a good company. I enjoy outdoors activities and sport. What about you? Do you go in for sports?

Hope to hear from you soon, please use (Lee @ invalid email address) to answer me ! I wit your letter with large impatience . Please do it for me.

Katya (Hmm…This name doesn’t correspond with email address of origin. And the gender of this sender? Not a good match.)

Would you mind a short brag session from a mother who’s so, so proud of her younger son?

David’s graduating from SDSU this weekend! That alone is worth bragging about, since taking just four years to complete a Bachelor’s degree is a statistical long shot these days. But considering all he’s gone through in those years, my son’s accomplishment is even more remarkable than that.

Just one month into his sophomore year, he was the victim of a brutal, unprovoked assault. Despite the seriousness of his injuries (which would have sidelined most people for a long while), he kept right on going. He bravely faced his classes, the criminals, the courts. And he won — a diploma for himself and felony convictions for four of the thugs! 

It’s for him that I’m promoting AB 2165 legislation: as salve for what he went through, and to keep others from facing the same fate.

Over the past few years, I’ve seen my son face giant-sized problems with dignity, courage, and grace. And like the David who defeated Goliath, my son has lived up to his name.  

He’d probably kill me if he knew I’d posted this, but you know how we mothers are…

I know the SCBWI LA conference is targeted to children’s book writers and illustrators, but do you think it would be beneficial for nonfiction writers of grown-up books (like me), as well? 

I’m leaning toward going (at least for a day or two), but I haven’t decided yet. If I do register, I’d love to meet some LJ friends there!

“Do you ever wonder,” a friend asked, “if Live Journal might be just a gossip mill, a waste of your writing time?”

“Never,” I said. 

Every business has its proverbial watercooler. While we might have different reasons for journaling online, this is the common area where we writers meet to exchange insider information, gossip and support. For the most intrepid and trusting among us, it’s also a safe haven for sharing angst and baring our souls. And more than occasionally, it’s a place where we start, nurture and deepen our connections with a variety of friends.

This weekend, bananagirl19 and her family traveled west for their vacation, so my husband and I arranged to meet up with them in Arizona. Ronni and I have connected at the LJ “watercooler” many times, but on Saturday, we finally got to meet face-to-face. We felt an instant in-person connection, all of us! So while her adorable three-year-old danced to Western music and chatted with his doting grandma, Ronni and I talked about writing, girly stuff, and raisin’ men. Our husbands, meantime, swigged sarsaparilla and talked about the wonders of the desert, mathematics, their wives. 

Here’s a picture of Ronni and me, taken at the Rawhide restaurant in Chandler, Arizona, just before sunset:

We’ve already made plans to get together again for wine and conversation at sunset — next time in Laguna Beach. You’re invited, too, of course. Here’s where we’ll meet:

Thanks to jjsass for sending me a WIP-related doll. I’m putting her on a pedestal for this.  =:)

May I please interrupt your blog-reading, WIP-writing progress for just a little bit, to bring you this good-news bulletin from the California legislative front?

GREAT NEWS, in fact! Today, AB 2165* received an up-arrow pass out of the Appropriations Committee, and it’s now headed straight to the floor of the California Assembly for a vote — likely next week! This is unbelievably smooth progress, a hopeful sign of great things to come. 

If this topic is news to you, here’s a link to a USA Today article about my personal/professional involvement in this, and here’s a blog entry that gives the backstory on the bill. 

Yes, the legislative process is cumbersome and lengthy, but this bill has made remarkable progress so far. If it is endorsed by a majority vote in the Assembly next week, AB 2165 will head straight over to the Senate for consideration and a vote. If all goes well, it’ll soon land on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk. I’m optimistic about the bill’s continued progress, and I hope you’ll also keep thinking positive thoughts.