The Real Reason

Book Proposal

So, the reason I haven't been writing here, is because I've been writing elsewhere.

And I attempted a post yesterday, but I thought the content was a bit inappropriate for senior citizens - not that senior citizens read my blog (well, perhaps my mom does from time to time - she and my dad love their discounted coffee from McDonald's),



I'm actually working on my Book Proposal - it's due tomorrow - not to any publisher, but rather to a Professor.

And sadly, I just ran out of Diet Coke.

I think tonight is going to be an all-nighter.



For those that are seeking a fabulous write up on my life in Manhattan, I'll tell you about the smells in Central Park.

In the summer, it smells like horse crap.
In the winter, well at least tonight, it smelled like pot.

And, if you happen to sit down on a bench beside a homeless person in Central Park, well, that a special smell all of its own.

Time for me to run next door to get some Caffeine, which by the way, I learned today ;) that excessive amounts of caffeine can cause insomnia. Huh - imagine that.

And I just drink it to help me stay awake.

My Latest Theory

Confetti

Confession: I use to cut confetti for fun. I blame it on my 4th grade teacher's insistence of the three Rs - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. So, for most of 5th and 6th grade, as I watched television, I would cut up old school worksheets, reusing the paper by creating confetti.

I mention this because the other night I saw an awful lot of confetti at Times Square.

However, I can't say that I saw the ball drop. I know that sounds kind of lame to spend New Year's in New York and not do Times Square, but I didn't feel like dehydrating myself nor did I want to attempt to "hold it" for 12 hours in order to claim a viewing spot and keep it.

However, I did make it back from Brooklyn in time to walk up Broadway and ring in the California New Year in Times Square.

Interestingly enough, January 1, 2011 at 3 am was the most empty I've ever seen Times Square. There was plenty of confetti and trash littering the streets, but there were few people, aside from clean up crews and police, that were out and about by 42nd Street.

Yet I still met someone there - at about 3:03 am...

And he called today...

Blustery

"It's a rather blustery day."

"It's what?" I questioned my friend's word choice because it's not a word that I've ever included in my speech.

"Blustery."

"I don't think I've ever heard that word before."

"Really? Blustery - as in windy or gusty?"

"I mean, it sounds familiar, but I don't think I've ever used it."

Perhaps I was stupid. But that can't be it. I did too well on the GRE to be considered deficient in my definitions.

Or perhaps it was regional word - kind of like ice chest, which until I moved to California, I had always known to only be called a cooler.

So maybe my friend knew the word blustery because she grew up with the blustery Santa Ana winds. Yes, I concluded, that must be it. Because I knew it wasn't that she was an avid reader with an advanced vocabulary.

In fact, she confessed to me that she hardly ever reads books. Her reasoning: "There are other things I'd rather do with my time than to risk reading a book that I may or may not like."

I was saddened by her words because it made me come to terms with the reality that the majority of people I know probably won't read my book - simply because they don't like to read. But hopefully they'll still buy it and at least use it as a decoration for their coffee table and a conversation piece in which they can claim that they know the writer.

But blustery? I still couldn't come to terms with how she knew the word and I didn't. So I decided to do some resarch to see if my regional theory might be true.

I asked some from Texas what comes to mind when they hear the word blustery.

"Oh, Winnie the Pooh!!!" my Texas friend exclaimed.

Now that explains it. Evidently I didn't get enough of Winnie the Pooh growing up. I quickly learned that there's an entire episode and Pooh song based on a blustery day.

I told my nonreading friend that I knew how she knew the word blustery and I didn't.

"How?"

"Winnie the Pooh."

"You're Right!!!"

I bring this up because my boss's boss dropped by my cubicle today and asked me a question and in doing so he used a big word that I didn't know the meaning of - in fact, it was so foreign to my ears that by the end of our conversation I couldn't even remember what it was so that I could look it up.

Funny thing is, I still don't know, and may never know, if I answered his question correctly. I did my best to move away from his question, and simply say something that sounded intelligent. I think it worked. And if not, I might need to start sending my resume elsewhere for a job beyond this year.

The Essence of Home

1.1.11