changes

M, a.k.a. my betrothed, has a new blog called Zoned-In. It's all about hot topics in urban planning (adaptive re-use, congestion pricing, and the like) and makes for good, hearty reading (not that I'm biased).

In other (saddish) news, I've resigned from my post at 55 Words. It was a fabulous year; I'd missed being on the editing side of things since working on Scrivener at McGill and working with Rosemary on this project was a great way to jump back into the publishing fray. Seeing what people could do (and attempted to do) with such a restriction in form was a treat. Alas, I decided it was time for the guest stories to be received by a fresh set of eyes (not mention I've become greedy with my free time as I focus more on the novel). I'm looking forward to seeing how 55 Words evolves. I think every writer, particularly long-winded writers, should try their hand at the 55-word story.

A Splash of Color

Yesterday, at the last moment, we decided to run out and catch the fireworks. We'd procrastinated because of the rain, then made a mad dash for the car, careening through the damp streets of Brooklyn till we hit the inevitable congestion on the BQE. Of course, little amateur shows abounded, afar in Red Hook and the like, which provided entertainment along the way. On the radio, Susan Cheever talked of the electricity that crackled between Margaret Fuller and Nathaniel Hawthorne and Thoreau (coincidence?). We parked in Williamsburg, beneath many a gawking loft party, and shuffled in the drizzle to Kent Avenue, along the water. The big show had already begun, rumbling and growling over the water, red lights reflecting off Manhattan windows, smoke curling in the sky. A little boy cried for ice cream and a larger girl played with a whoopie cushion. There were, as M. puts it, the three H's of the neighborhood: the Hipsters, the Hasids, and the Hispanics, some entranced and many playing, ignoring the smiley face explosions, the green cubes, saving their awe for bigger, sparklier numbers...

Oh, I've added a bit of color to my website, via some photos I've taken over the last couple of years. I plan on changing up the photos every now and again. Let me know what you think.

Misc Updates

I've finally put up two papers from my days at Teachers College, both from a course I took in Interactional Sociolinguistics this past fall.

I'm also in the process of reconsidering the design of my website. I'm actually considering adding some color (gasp!), though something stubborn inside me wants me to stay true to the simple black and white. Any comments and suggestions on that one much appreciated.

Finally, I've got quite a backlog of arty tidbits to report on, hopefully by the end of the week.