- English Teacher Writes Racy Novels. Which…what? Should be grounds for firing the teacher? It’s not as if she assigned the novels as readings for her class, or even mentioned them to her students; by all accounts, she kept her writing life very separate, if not secret, and I don’t see why this should be anybody’s business, much less a problem.
“Now my son knows so how is he thinking when he’s sitting in her class knowing what she does on the side,” said parent Wendy Apple.
To which I say, maybe it’s time you and your son both grew up, then. The woman is allowed to have a personal life, and has committed no crime or obvious impropriety. And, honestly, if you’re trying to get a 10th-grade boy to quit thinking about sex, whatever the circumstances, you’re fighting a losing battle. [via]
- Oscar Wilde takes on Jersey Shore. Does exactly what it says on the tin.
- TSA security looks at people who complain about…TSA security.
“This violation of my Constitutional rights in the service of fear-mongering and creating the illusion of safety is really — oh no! They’ve caught on to my nefarious plan!” [via]
- When words change meaning. [via]
- And finally, because it was only a matter of time, Infographic of Infographics [via]
books
Wednesday various
- The end of an era: the last typewriter factory in the world shuts its doors. [via]
- How food breaks sway the decisions of judges] [via]
- Comics re-imagined as secondhand paperbacks [via]
- “The closure of the Japan-based factory that has the monopoly on production of a tape crucial to the TV and film industry has Hollywood insiders scrambling to cope with the shortage.” [via]
- And finally, an exclusive interview with the writer of Fast Five [via]
Today Now! Interviews The 5-Year-Old Screenwriter Of “Fast Five”
Sunday
So today I worked on the Sunday crossword, watched the first two episodes of AMC’s new show The Killing and saw Hanna with friends after our weekly writing group. I liked both the TV show and the movie, and the writing I did too — although with that, I’m not going to post it, since I think, with just a little bit of work, I could maybe turn it into a sell-able flash piece. I also finished listening to the audiobook of Tina Fey’s new memoir Bossypants. I also liked that.
It was pretty much just a Sunday of okay, likable stuff. Nothing wrong with that.
Tuesday various
- Montana GOP Rep. Defends Drunk Driving. Yep, that’s sure what it sounds like he’s doing.
- Inexplicably famous Perez Hilton is writing a children’s book. I don’t usually like to toss around phrases like “end times,” but… [via]
- Even Billy Joel doesn’t want to read his own memoir! Okay, that’s unfair. I actually do like Joel, or at least much of his music — I think I’m obligated to as a Long Islander — but I don’t think I’d want to read his memoir even if he hadn’t canceled it.
Though I do find it weird to think that he’s been “retired” from writing new music for almost twenty years now. [via]
- This really puts things in geographical perspective: European cities overlaid on a map of the U.S. at an identical latitude (and the other way around).
- And finally, It’s not a crime to be poor. Yet. [via]
The third of May
Things I did today:
- I did my taxes, which took about an hour. I think my federal refund will pretty much cover what I owe to the state of New York.
- I finished reading Bryan Talbot’s terrifically inventive and entertaining Alice in Sunderland. As John Tufail, “Carrollian scholar,” notes in his endorsement:
Alice in Sunderland is parochial in its focus — but not in content. I believe anyone interested in the way history is formed and, in itself, forms culture, character and a sense of place will be entranced by it.
It’s also a wild, meta-fictional ride into the life of Lewis Carroll and his most famous work.
- I watched a quasi-documentary, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. There are some genuine moments, particularly when Izzard talks about the death of his mother, which has possibly forever scarred him. And it’s not uninteresting from a fan’s perspective, but it’s a fawning and superficial look at the man.
- I actually managed to finish the Sunday New York Times crossword for a change this week. Maybe it was just easier, though I got even further than usual with the Diagramless.
- I went for a walk.
And that, plus an early dinner before my sister, her husband, and their dog returned home, was my Sunday.