McCorkle Does it Better

Many of you have heard me sing the praises, and many of you have yourselves, of Charles Baxter's Feast of Love. If you like that structure, you may want to check out Jill McCorkle's Carolina Moon. Same structure, minus the cheezy prologue and epilogue, minus the distracting conceit that Charles Baxter--the author, is also Charles Baxter--the character.

Yep, here's my two cents guys--Jill McCorkle does it a helluva lot better.

Remember this?

The day of Michael's defense . . . .

Go, Girl!

Ab-fantab's story, Pretty Girls was "picked up" (as they say) by Bellevue Literary Review. Congratulations!!

I tend to go big when I get lazy

I freelance writing some marketing copy, ok? Check out this blurb rewrite I have to do about fashion schools in Nevada.

Hi, Sarah,

I’m sending this blurb back for a rewrite, along with the assignment spreadsheet. My concern is that you’ve made a lot of sweeping generalizations, which the request specifically warned against. Statements like “Because it's a fashion epicenter, Nevada is spilling over with fashion schools." is, at best, unsubstantiated. As a lifelong Nevada resident, I can say with all confidence that it’s NOT a fashion epicenter, and that it almost certainly is NOT “spilling over” with fashion schools.” However, this doesn’t mean a manifest lack of opportunities for Nevada-based fashion designers (you made good mention of big-name boutiques in Vegas, for example). Do a little more research on fashion opportunities in the area. Reread the request, follow the instructions, and send the blurb back ASAP. Feel free to write me with any questions you may have about content, formatting, research, etc.

Best,

THE MAN

Now, then. You Guys. Freelancing.

I'm Just Saying.

p.s. Ms. Gray, you KNOW who sent me this.

it's impolite to read on a lunchdate

All right. I'm currently washing windows. I'm not hating it, but what I am hating is the all-too-familiar internal cringe when someone asks, innocently enough, what I do. I feel like it's classist to be ashamed of doing what I do, and besides, I love the company, what it stands for, and the people who employ me. And I hate qualifying what I'm currently doing with "I just graduated, and I'm looking for a job," even though it's true, and probably smart to say so to EVERYBODY, since according to Barbara Ehrenreich in "Bait and Switch," nobody gives a shit about your paper resume (don't, by the way, pick up that book right now. Wait until you are gainfully employed in a career you love).

So, my problem is that while I don't want to necessarily wash windows forever, I'm loathe to enter into the job search market. And suddenly, I have a friend who is emailing me tips like "don't take a summer vacation from your job search! It takes three to six months to move into a management position!" and offering books on networking called: "Never Eat Alone."

AAGGH!

I feel like it's important to maybe go to a lunch with an academic adivsor since I'll be applying for some academic advising jobs come August. I think that's wise. I think I can handle a lunch with someone who might be able to help me. But it really throws the fear of god into me to think that I might need to buy a suit and start attending power lunches.

I'm just saying.

Summer (Book) Lovin

Since I don't think I'm going to be allowed out of my cube for a vacation this summer (the lovely ms. Dee's wedding doesn't count because it is only a weekend and I'm going to be so excited that I won't want to pull out my book light and reading glasses), here's some good beach books.
(These are according to the Longhorn Literati--which you'll notice includes Van, my beloved creative writing teacher from undergrad).

The reason I bring this up is that lately I've seen a ton of these types of features (take note ms gray--I smell a very funny satire). There are everywhere: they are on NPR, in those horribly addictive women's magazines, in newspapers, college web pages. I know what Barbara Kingsolver's reading, what maude from that blog I read and michael silverblat from bookworm recommend.

And then I was thinking that in our three years as bobcats, we learned eachothers writing heros and sheros. Bearden =Barry. Tracy = Willa Cather. But I don't know what you read to relax. So...what's in your proverbial beach bag?

This is How We Rolled

I was promised to secrecy, made to take a serious, serious oath that invovled blood letting, feathers, and a hoop of cheese so as to insure I would never share this recipe with anyone still within the boundaries of Texas. But, you know....
2 shots tequila
1 shot Cointreau
2 shots simple syrup
2 squeezed limes
add1 or 2 tteaspoons of olive juice, if you prefer dirty
serve with olives=
poof, a Mexican Martini