It’s a rainy day and, lacking anything to do but write, clean closets, organize kitchen drawers, return phone calls, write a dozen or more thank-you notes, groom animals, bathe, brush teeth (seriously, I need to, and have not done all these things and more today) I have started a Twitter hashtag called #twittoir. If you’re not into Twitter, I understand. You are a person with a job. I get it. A hashtag just collects all tweets that follow a certain thread. SO the idea of this thread is to write the story of your life in 140 characters or less. You can see my submissions on lower right corner of this screen, and you can go on Twitter to see the submissions of others. But I thought, if you’d care to, you can submit your own micro-memoirs here. In the comments.
Ann Leary, author of The Good House
Author of The Good House
WOOF!
Okay, the long-awaited Julie Klam, YOU HAD ME AT WOOF book trailer is now on YouTube.
I feel that, as the director, I should make a little speech. First, I’d like to thank my son Jack Leary who shot the only footage that isn’t shaky. Also, of course, the stars, Julie, Susan and Denis. Paul Leo, Julie’s husband also shot some stuff that wasn’t shaking.
A word about the heavy breathing and laughing that went along with some of the shaky footage. This was intentional. It is an homage to early video-noir camera work so popular in Italian snuff films in the 1940s. I know all you film buffs will understand what we were doing, but just wanted to clarify for everybody else.
Yes I (sort of) Can!
Photo by Devin Leary
I’m sorry that I’ve been away from the blog so much lately. I’ve been a little busy trying to do things that I have no idea how to do. I don’t know when I began my current habit of taking on professional duties/jobs for which I’m not qualified. There was a time when if, for example, somebody asked me to run a corporation, or perform a delicate brain operation, I would freely admit that I don’t have the requisite skills for such work and decline. For some reason, now I just say yes. To anything and everything.
It’ll Be Fun! Really!
The other day, my friend, author Cynthia Kaplan, sent me an email inviting me to participate in a reading at the West Bank Cafe. I thought very carefully about it for a good three seconds, then shot her an email back saying that I would love to, because anything involving Cynthia Kaplan is bound to be fun.
A few days later I received a follow-up email announcing the format of the evening, which was now being described as some sort of “show.” A soundcheck was involved. I studied the email carefully and then I Googled the other people who were participating and I realized that I was going to be on stage with a bunch of comedians.
Young Talent
Jennifer Pavlick painting
Looking for something fun to do tomorrow afternoon? Maybe interested in soaking in a little cultch-ah? Some aht (as we used to say in Boston)?
Well, if you live in the Connecticut area, why not venture to the Washington Arts Association in Washington Depot to attend a presentation of art by some very talented young artists, followed by a reception in their honor. It’s free!
The student artists will be presenting their work as part of an application process to receive an After School Arts Association (ASAP) summer grant, which will help them fund a summer arts education.
Gomer’s Odyssey
Yesterday I decided to take the dogs to the lake to see if Gomer likes swimming. Here’s what happened:
Sweet Golden
AH! SUNFLOWER, by WIlliam BlakePhoto by Moses Pendleton
Ah! sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun, Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveller’s journey is done; Where the youth pined away with desire, And the pale virgin shrouded in snow, Arise from their graves and aspire; Where my sunflower wishes to go.
How Do You Do…..?
I have recently become acquainted with a very useful website called Howcast.com. This is a site that offers training videos and expert advice on almost anything you could possibly need to know. I say almost because I was unable to find a video called, “How to Train Your Dog to Balance on a Giant Ball.” But there was a video called “How to Make Chalk in a Pinch,” so you can see that there is really almost everything you might ever need to know how to do on this site.
Playtime
Gomer is going through his initiation stage hazing. The older girls are letting Holly pull all the silly pranks.
If you can’t view the video, click here:
Meet Gomer
Our very dear friends Liz and Kelly, moved, with their family, from their very large property here in this quiet part of Connecticut to a much smaller property in a busier part of Connecticut. And they had these three dogs, you see, and one of them, Gomer, is a big fellow and he’s only ever lived on the large property, where he ran and played outdoors all day. When they first sold their house, Liz told me that she worried that Gomer wouldn’t like to move to the busy suburbs and I hinted around that I thought Gomer would be absolutely MISERABLE in the charming but very busy town where they were moving, but that he might be very content here. Because, well, I’ve been a little in love with Gomer ever since he was a puppy.
