Music Video Weekend: Red House Painters, “Have You Forgotten?”
Saturday, November 14th, 2009 Posted in Music | No Comments »"When we were kids, we hated things our parents did." Or this: "Have you forgotten how to love yourself" ------- Obviously, I love Youtube. One of the reasons is for the creativity that abounds there, so much from unknown places, ordinary people -- not ...
Alex Rodriguez Gets a Makeover: “I Had to Look in the Mirror. I Had to Face the Music. I Had to Change.”
Friday, November 13th, 2009 Posted in Current Events, New York Mets | No Comments »In a recent article in the New York Daily News, writer Anthony McCarron describes the rehabilitation of Yankee slugger, Alex Rodriguez. Soon after helping the Yankees win the 2009 World Series, Rodriguez noted: "A lot of people were very honest with ...
Bystander: Chapter 1
Monday, November 9th, 2009 Posted in Bystander | 1 Comment »1 [ketchup] THE FIRST TIME ERIC HAYES EVER SAW HIM, David Hallenback was running, if you could call it that, running in a halting, choppy-stepped, stumpy-legged shamble, slowing down to look back over his shoulder, stumbling forward, pausing to catch his breath, ...
This Week’s Greatest Thing Ever: My Parents Were Awesome
Friday, November 6th, 2009 Posted in Around the Web | 1 Comment »I recommend that you head over to the My Parents Were Awesome blog. There's something poignant about this site's collection of photos, shots of parents submitted by their children. The photographs offer a wide variety of people and poses -- ...
A Quick Interview: Bystander and Bullying!
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, Interviews & Appreciations | No Comments »I was recently interviewed by author Kurtis Scaletta (Mudville, Mamba Point) over at his impressive, long-running site -- 2 1/2 blog years and still kicking. That's like 112 in human years, folks. Most blogs come and go like fruit flies. If ...
How to Be Bully Smart — Yikes!
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, Fun Clips | 1 Comment »This 1995 video offers helpful advice for victims of bullying . . . if they wish to receive the beating of their lives. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLKxv69GEVE] On a different note, I received some good news about Bystander. Based on a vote by independent booksellers ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #67
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 Posted in Fan Mail, Jigsaw Jones | No Comments »Let's get right to it . . . Dear Mr. Preller, I like your Jigsaw Jones books. My Mom and I have read them all. I am in second grade. My teacher is Mrs. Brink. She is really pretty and nice. I am telling ...
And So It Goes: Rereading Vonnegut, and a quote on semicolons
Monday, November 2nd, 2009 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations, Readings | No Comments »Listen: I've been on a little Vonnegut kick lately, and it's been a happy time. I just reread Breakfast of Champions, and I'm halfway into Cat's Cradle, after tearing through this one, published posthumously: While I've got you -- as my father ...
Music Video Weekend: Rosanne Cash, “500 Miles”
Sunday, November 1st, 2009 Posted in Music | No Comments »"Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two, Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four, Lord I'm five hundred miles away from home." When Rosanne Cash was in high school, her father, Johnny, handed her a list of "100 Essential Country Songs." More than ...