D: Dioramas & Dig Me Out

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DIORAMAS: We all know them, but we don’t all love them. I wouldn’t say I love dioramas, but since childhood, I’ve been drawn to them. As a vegan, I should despise them, but dang it, I can’t quit these antiquated, taxidermy displays.

The quiet, dimly lit rooms with each scene illuminated like a vintage slide, captivate me. The background art alone are marvels in themselves, many dating back to the 1940s, that transport the viewer back thousands of years before we humans screwed things up. I get lost in the details depicted behind the bygone animals. The whole thing is a strange dichotomy: we’re seeing a dead animal “alive” in its habitat. That’s exactly why dioramas were created in the first place; to elicit an emotional connection between humans and nature.

These pre-virtual reality depictions of history are now being eyed with a bit more light these days. Many museums across the globe see these displays as dusty, outdated demonstrations that no longer serve their intended purpose, and are being removed. Others still see them as a vital part of our history that remind us of a world before climate change and the deterioration of many of our environments. In 2011, the American Museum of Natural History in NYC (where I took the above picture) spent $2.5 million to update and restore the dioramas.

Right now, there’s just something inviting about these peaceful depictions of eras not yet fraught by humans, that I’d like to sit with for a while.

If you share my fondness for these displays, the AMNH (and many museums around the country) have opened their virtual doors and are allowing visitors to peruse their exhibits online. Might I suggest starting with the Akeley Hall of African Mammals?

DIG ME OUT: Who doesn’t love slang? It’s a side of humanity that I . . . dig. And as a writer, I love slang even more. According to the Victorian Dictionary of Slang & Phrase, Dig me out was a society term meaning, call for me; stop me “from lazy loafing in the house.”

Alas, no one is coming to dig me out of this imposed ennui. The fact is, I’m very fortunate The Husband and I work from home, and with our son grown, we don’t have little ones to keep corralled and entertained.

Frankly, a lot of my time is spent worrying about my aforementioned offspring and my mother and stepfather back in Colorado. All of them, however, are staying indoors and taking every precaution to stay healthy. The rest of my time is spent writing, reading, listening to podcasts, watching TV., attending online webinars, and chatting with friends. To get the blood pumping, I’ve taken to going up and down the stairs at the end of the hall.

The Husband ordered a stationary bike that will hopefully arrive next week. My calves aren’t happy about this makeshift gym, and frankly, I’m terrified I’ll take a digger down this concrete death trap.

One of my favorite ways to fill time (and learn a thing or two) is to listen to podcasts. Allow me to help dig you out of boredom with these suggested podcasts:

Everything is Alive, The Hidden Brain, Wait, Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me, Criminal, This is Love, The Anthropocene Reviewed & Phoebe Reads a Mystery.

C: Coney Island & Cuomo

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONEY ISLAND: All quiet on the Coney Island front. I took this photo about a year ago and so I imagine this is about how it looks right now, too. (It may also be how it’ll look this summer.) Any other summer, however, the insanity level here is off the charts. Prime people-watching. Our 14-year-old niece from California visited last summer and no first-time NYC trip for a teenager is complete without getting overstimulated by Coney Island. We even rode the Cyclone; a second and final time for me.

Both times, I had my eyes mostly closed. Coney Island is on the shores of the Atlantic and because I don’t like water, seeing that much ocean from atop the rollercoaster (85 feet) would induce an impressive panic attack. Even with a metal bar “holding you in,” your butt still levitates off the seat. It’s terrifying. Your body gets yanked from side-to-side, up and down, at 60 mph in places, so I’m fine never doing that again.

A notable fact: From August 18-22, 1977, nineteen-year-old Richard Rodriguez rode the coaster for 104 consecutive hours–nearly 2,400 rides. He took short bathroom breaks between rides, eating hot dogs and M&Ms and drinking shakes during the ride itself. 

I do enjoy walking the boardwalk between the amusement park and beach that leads to Brighton Beach, the Russian and Eastern European neighborhood, which I’ll tell you more about when I get to the letter “P.”

CUOMO: It’s during a crisis, you find who your leaders truly are. If you need some reassurance, or just need to hear an intelligible, articulate, compassionate voice (even if you’re not in NY) listen to New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo’s daily press conferences. No matter which side of the line your political views fall, I urge you to listen to his daily briefings. Plus, his exchanges with his journalist brother, Chris, are quite entertaining.

A text from my mom in Colorado:

As I said, it’s in times like these that leaders emerge. Search “leaders during a crisis” and you will see a variety of articles written just over the last several weeks about past instances of forged leadership, namely, Franklin D. Roosevelt (“New Deal”), Winston Churchill (WWII), and John F. Kennedy (Cuban missile crisis).

If you have two minutes (you do–I mean, come on) check out this less-than-two-minute clip of Governor Cuomo speaking about the resiliency of New York.

And at the end of the day, my friends, even if it is a long day, and this is a long day, love wins. Always. And it will win again through this virus.

NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

B: Broadway & Bidets

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BROADWAY: I’m up to 19 Broadway shows; 14 since we moved here last March. TKTS, the discounted ticket vendor had become my go-to app. With the exception of a few, I knew little to nothing about most of the performances before seeing them, which is I believe is half the fun.

Technically, Cyrano was off-Broadway, but up until the mid-1800s, the heart of Broadway was located at Union Square where we got to see Mr. Dinklage. Check out TheaterSeatStore for some fun facts about the history of Broadway, like this gem:

“During the back half of the century, there were fewer prostitutes in the audience which in turn increased the number of women who attended theater.”

Because performances are suspended, actors are finding ways to raise money AND still keep us entertained. The #BWayHandWashChallenge encourages Broadway stars to sing show tunes while washing their hands for 20 seconds, all the while raising money for theater charities.

On to another hygiene challenge . . .

BIDETS: That’s what in those boxes. Not one, but two bidets.

Do we need two? No. Do we need one? No. Does The Husband need to sleep at night? Yes. Not knowing where his next roll of toilet paper was going to come from, simply became too much–for us both.

Surprisingly, unlike a lot of places, it hasn’t been an issue getting tissue here in Brooklyn. I hope I can return these bidets.

A: Arts Calendar & Apartment Life 24/7

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARTS CALENDAR: It only took me a year to figure out I needed one. New York City is a busy place, comprised with only what I can describe as an incessant plethora of activities. I shouldn’t have been surprised, given it was one of the reasons we moved here; I just didn’t realize it’d require a pocket guide to keep track.

March was shaping up to be a busy month of culture for me with a variety of new museum exhibits, poetry workshops and readings, and concerts. I can’t bring myself to the turn the page and see Elton John, Barclays Center, written under April 11. Who knew March would be the longest month of nothing.

Fortunately, most museums have opened up their virtual doors so we can at least check out exhibits from afar, but otherwise, it’s all on hold as the world grapples with a pandemic.

But hey, that’s just the way it goes. Most things will get rescheduled. It’s not the end of the world . . . wait . . . *thinks about it* . . . so anyway . . .

APARTMENT LIFE 24/7: The Husband and I have both worked from home for at least ten years, so this new normal shouldn’t be so new, yet somehow, our 800+ square foot space suddenly feels a bit smaller.

Like, why do his toenail clipping sound so much louder? Has that faucet always dripped? What’s that smell? When did that annoying tick of yours start? It’s almost time for my 10:00 a.m. nap.

We have our respective wings in our 2b/2b, rectangle-shaped apartment. At the end of the day, we’ll meet in the middle for dinner and TV time. We’re fortunate to have lots of natural light, so when we eventually emerge from hiding, our eyes should be able to withstand the daylight.

After I completed my novel, I had planned to reward myself by taking a little time to wander museums in the mornings, but that got nixed before I could say MoMa. Now, waiting for agents to respond to my queries is like watching those toenails grow.

It’s Day 1 of this A to Z Challenge and as you can tell, the snark has set in.

2020 A to Z Blogging Challenge

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , ,

Oops, I did it again. Another year went by without blogging, even though I said I would. Turns out, NYC has a lot of shiny objects. Plus, I’ve focused my writing energy on my YA manuscript, ROAD NOISE. For the last ten months or so, I wrote Monday-Friday, from about 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and completed the book two weeks ago. It’s now in the cyber hands of a couple of agents (a hopeful assumption).

So timing is perfect to jump into the 2020 A to Z Blogging Challenge that starts April 1. The last time I participated in this challenge was back in 2015 and I really enjoyed it. You can check out those posts here.

This time around, I’ll be blogging about my experiences as a new New Yorker over the past year, as well as our new New Yorker life of being homebound in a small apartment during this pandemic. The city that never sleeps is definitely in for a long nap. So basically, each post will have two of each letter; a before and during, if you will.

Hopefully, this blogging challenge will give me something to focus on instead of my worrying about our friends and family back in Colorado, especially our son who attends college in Boulder.

Until then, stay safe and wash you hands.

What’s it to ya?

New York Minute, , , ,

New York Minute: As seen on 6th Ave

Used coffee cup lid or the Millennium Falcon?

What do you suppose your answer says about you?

It stopped me in my tracks. According to my Star Wars-loving husband (who walked right past it), I chose wisely.

#HanSoloForever

A Two-Year Update

New York Minute, ,

A recap of the last two years: played director for Northern Colorado Writers ; wrote very little; traveled some; sent a kid to college; traveled some more; sold NCW; and moved to Brooklyn.

There. You’re caught up.

Oh, and I’ll still be directing the 2019 NCW Conference this May 3-4, but after that, I’m done directing anything other than my writing and my husband.

After nearly 42 years in Colorado I traded mountain views for a Manhattan view.

Seriously.

I truly thought the biggest change in my life over the past few months would be switching from a PC to a Mac. (That really is throwing me for a loop.)

While I’ve been to NYC many times, and even spent October through December here last year, this lifelong Colorado lady has a lot to learn about city life; about apartment life. Going from 2700 square-feet to just under a 1000, was an adventure (Oh! the marvel that is Facebook Marketplace).

We’ve only been here a week and it took just a day to be called out as transplants. “Where you from?” the sales guy we had been working with asked. When we said “Colorado,” he nodded. “Yeah, I knew you guys weren’t local. You’re too nice.” And who knew water chestnuts aren’t a thing in Brooklyn? (Oh! the marvel that is Amazon Prime).

So you’ll be hearing from me a bit more regularly as I chat about my discoveries and insights as that Colorado bumpkin in 11E. I’ll also be working on my long-suffering YA manuscript that I hope to complete this year.

So anyhow, I hope you’ll follow along on my journey. I promise to keep my posts short and to-the-point, the New Yorker way. Look for my New York Minute posts–they’ll take a minute or less to read. Usually.

Northern Colorado Writing News

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Registration for the 12th Annual Northern Colorado Writers Conference is January 9, and I couldn’t be more excited about this year’s lineup. This time last year, when I took over directorship of NCW, the only thing we had done for the 2016 conference, was a secured venue. About six weeks later, we had most of our faculty set, but I was minus a few brain cells. I was so jazzed about the 2017 conference, that I got to work early on it and once again, we have a stellar conference on our hands. It also allowed me plenty of time to continually annoy Chuck Wendig, until he finally agreed to be a presenter and our keynote speaker. Now, I only annoy him once in a while.

This year, attendees will have more opportunities to get their work in front of literary agents and editors because not only do we have twice as many industry professionals as last year, we’re offering a critique session in addition to pitches. I’m still working on a lot of details, but you can view the SCHEDULE and check out our FAQs page. We would love to have you join us!

Also, there are a few new classes NCW is offering in February. Chuck Barrett, a bestselling, self-publishing extraordinaire, will be spilling all his marketing secrets on February 7. Chuck gave an abbreviated version of this class at last year’s conference to a packed room of attendees. It was one of the highest rated sessions last year.

Yours truly will be offering a class on how to publish your family history or memoir on February 12. Publishing options can be confusing and intimidating for writers, so for those who aren’t writers, but want to leave their legacy, or that of a loved one, the process can be daunting. That’s where I plan to blow the cover off this whole writing thing and show it’s not that hard after all. (Well, you know, sort of.)

Rachel Weaver will be teaching Get Your Opening Chapters Submission Ready  (perfect if you’re ready to query or pitch to an agent) on February 26. This is a 3-hour workshop that will help you polish those opening chapters when an agent or editor requests to read more.

I’ll be adding a few more classes, so check the site periodically for updates. I also want to let you know about Ultimate Pitchfest, a one-day event in Denver where writers will have the chance to pitch to 24 different literary agents via video chat. This is a great event and had a pretty darn successful inaugural event last year.

Happy writing!