Monday, May 18, 2015

My Mostly Harmless Musings


I’d like to begin this post with the Writer’s Prayer:
Lord, give me Coffee to change the things I can change and Whiskey to accept the ones I cannot.


Inspirational Quotes of this month's post
"Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed. I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books."
- Kanye West

"Whatever. Book's don't give autographs." - David Siegel Bernstein


Guess what is coming up. Give up? Already? That was quick. Anyway, the answer: the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. The oldest writing conference in the country! So come to the Wyndham Hotel in Philadelphia June 12-14 and embrace your creativity. The festivities are kicked off by the renowned author Sara Shepard. She is the author of the New York Times Best Selling series Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, both of which have been made into hit shows on ABC Family. She is both the opening speaker and a workshop leader for a feature on writing for television and movies.

Stephen Fried will put his own unique stamp on the Keynote address on Saturday evening. Stephen has been writing for nearly forty years, and his work has garnered praise and acclaim from every quarter, ranging from the National Magazine Award (the magazine equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize), to the Medal of Honor from the Vidocq Society for his investigative piece "Cradle to Grave."  He even is credited with the creation of a new word (fashionista) by the Oxford English Dictionary, coined when writing his first book, Thing of Beauty, which discusses the life and death of Philadelphia born model Gia Garangi.

I'm on the board of directors--so you know it will be good. Besides the usual great workshops: Novel Writing, Short Stories, Writing for the YA market, Non-Fiction writing, Playwriting, and how to be a Social Media Ninja, the Master Classes this year are dedicated to Poetry and Screenwriting. Click on this link for the complete PWC agenda because there is a lot I haven't mentioned.

And as always, if you do come, remember to find me and say hi, or better yet, buy me a beer.

And now for some non-literary musings.

Look at the ads below: first off it is NOT legal to kill a woman (see add #7) and second is "Go Gay" still on the market? (see #8). Finally, what is inappropriate about add #9? My lady Michelle deliberately doesn't store-test so she can be.... oh never mind. 


http://funcip.com/very-inappropriate-vintage-ads/1/

It's time for a dance party! Just don't invite any Noble Gasses (watch this informative video to find out why).


Let's talk about Wizard World Philadelphia (Comic Con Philly) for a bit. The pictures below in particular.


















Two facts about the Con: David Tennant was excited (I don't think it was about me) and I'll never tell anyone what Billie Piper saw (which might be about me).

Oh look--Seth and Gwendolyn got chomped up at the Con.
 



What Con is complete without Summer Glau? Answer: none.





These characters surprisingly weren't popular.

 





















Now that Gwendolyn has met Westley (Caray Elwes) from the Princess Bride... I fear I now have to go around calling her Princess Buttercup. It made her day when he told her, "As you wish."








 



I couldn't figure out who this guy was. I had no clues. Any ideas?









Who doesn't recognize Burt Reynolds and Dee Snider (unlikely Comic Con guests, but who am I to judge)? 





That's it for this post. Stay tuned for more. 
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Bonus (memorial) Pic

And then there was only One

Gadget