The importance of the right font

I agree, as much for the message as the aesthetics.

H/T to Write On! on FB for bringing a little joy to the day before I move to a place that was 117 degrees today.

*Sigh*

Maybe next year.

Fireworks in the Marina

They did their usual exceptional job.

The next time I talk about moving away from the beach, kick me in the ass please

Thank you.

Submitted for your approval - June 2018 edition

Considering I spent the first half of the month blocked and the entire month prepping for a move, I was surprised I ended up getting anything submitted this month.

I submitted a very short story to the Writers Police Academy's Golden Donut Short Story Competition. This is a fun annual contest. They give you a photo (see this year's here) and you have to write a story based on the picture that is exactly 200 words, including a title, which is required. Winner will be announced at the WPA Banquet in August. The award is actually very pretty, with the winner's name etched in it in glass, and not in fact a donut, which I think would be hilarious. Bonus: I submitted it on June 18, a full thirteen days before the deadline. I think that's a new personal best.

There were a couple other markets I wanted to submit to, but packing for the move took over and I had to pass on those. Once I get moved and settled in my plan is to spend the rest of the year submitting as much as possible.

I also found out that I didn't make the quarterfinal cut of the Script Pipeline TV Contest. I had entered my old Better Call Saul spec last December. It was already out of date (but still less than a year old) at the time, and I'm guessing the fact that the contest was open until June 1 of this year didn't help that situation. It's also the second consecutive TV contest where it looks like they much prefer original pilots to specs, as those were the majority of the scripts that made the cut. A BCS script did make it, so I'm pulling for that guy.

Other news: Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles announced that they will reveal the authors and stories selected for their next anthology on July 18, so fingers crossed. And as I type this I realize that when they do, I will no longer be living by the ocean and that makes me sad. Wonder what kind of stories I'll be writing while cooped inside the next few months to escape the scorching San Gabriel Valley summer.

Image snicked from somewhere on the internet. If it's yours please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due.

June Words of Wisdom

Not a lot of blogging this month as I've been busy getting my move on, but lots of quotes. Enjoy!

As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return life - and travel - leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those mark - on your body, or on your heart - are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt. --Anthony Bourdain (RIP Chef)

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
--Albert Einstein

I may win and I may lose, but I will never be defeated. --Emmitt Smith

Books make such good friends and quiet neighbors. --Catriona McPherson

Most playwrights go wrong on the fifth word. When you start a play and type, "Act One, Scene One", your writing is every bit as good as Arthur Miller or Eugene O'Neill. It's that fifth word where beginners start to go wrong."
--Meredith Willson

Jealousy is a good indication that you are doing things the right way. People never get jealous of losers. --Morgan Freeman

Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working. --Pablo Picasso

Writing is the best gig in the whole business, as far as I'm concerned. You just sit down and make shit up. --Robert Mark Kamen

I encourage you to look for the good where you are, and embrace it. --Fred Rogers

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
--James Baldwin

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another new dream.
--C.S. Lewis

Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes. --Debbie Hope

It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.  --Erma Bombeck

Writing is utter solitude, the descent into the cold abyss of oneself. --Franz Kafka

and i said to my body. softly. "i want to be your friend." it took a long breath. and replied "i have been waiting my whole life for this". --Nayyirah Waheed

You can't stop people from saying bad things about you. All you can do is make them liars. --Thomas Sowell

You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens. --Louise C. Hay

When you're on stage, you don't challenge people's beliefs. You don't challenge their religion. You don't challenge their politics. You're there to entertain. --Wayne Newton

Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. --Natalie Goldberg

RIP "L.A. Confidential" reboot

I would have subscribed.

When the upfronts were announced in May, the bad news was that CBS passed on the L.A. Confidential reboot. The good news was that they were trying to find another home for it, and given how highly regarded the new pilot was, things were looking good.

Now comes news that it was all for naught: Efforts to Find CBS Pilot a New Home Fail. Apparently they were trying to get it onto the CBS All Access subscription service but a deal couldn't be reached.

And that is such a bummer. I would have tuned in regardless of where it aired, even with the additional cost of a subscription service. It's all the more annoying that CBS passed on this but picked up the Magnum P.I. reboot no one was clamoring for. L.A. Confidential could have been a real stand-out series for them, all the better for being a bit darker than the standard CBS fare. Far be it from me to tell you how to run your network but I just don't understand the thinking on this one.

Boo on you CBS.

Chow down

Because I'm in total denial about packing to move, I decided an excellent use of my time would be blogging about the recent L.A. County Restaurant Closures! Right? Info is from the county, snarky comments are mine.

Lots of chains this time around, but let's get the snooty restaurant out of the way first:

Wood & Vine, 6280 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood
Date closed: 6/14/18
Date reopened: 6/16/18
Reason: Vermin infestation

Wood & Vine's website includes this lofty gem (bold mine):

Wood & Vine has moved to a service charge model, with the tip line on guest checks having been removed entirely and replaced with a 20% service charge that is not optional. This allows for a fairer distribution across our whole team and a system that is closer to providing a living wage to all of our staff.

In other words, even if your food and service are shitty, we're still forcing you to tip 20% and if you have a problem with that, you are an awful person who would like to see our staff living in poverty. You know, in case the vermin infestation thing wasn't a big enough turn-off to keep you away.

Note to self: avoid this place after the move I'm in total denial about but which is still happening in nine days:
Hollywood Noodle, 48 E. Live Oak, Arcadia
Date closed: 6/5/18
Date reopened: 6/7/18
Reason: Vermin infestation

When ya gotta go, ya gotta...?
55th Street Market, 5428 S. Hooper Avenue, Los Angeles
Date closed: 5/30/18
Date reopened: 5/31/18
Reason: No working toilet facility

Okay, now the chains:
Denny's, 3540 Peck Road, El Monte
Date closed: 6/25/18
Date reopened: Not given
Reason Vermin infestation

Rite Aid, 4633 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles
Date closed: 6/24/18
Date reopened: Not given
Reason: Vermin infestation

Jersey Mike's Subs, 19350 Nordhoff, Northridge
Date closed: 6/22/18
Date reopened: Not given
Reason: Vermin infestation

Sizzler, 853 W. Palmdale Boulevard, Palmdale
Date closed: 6/19/18
Date reopened: 6/19/18
Reason: No Water/Hot Water

Baskin Robbins, 603 E. University Drive, Carson
Date closed: 6/15/18
Date reopened: 6/17/18
Reason: Vermin infestation, Sewage discharge, Inspection Score Less Than 70

As a big fan, this one made my heart hurt:
Bob's Big Boy, 8876 Corbin Avenue, Northridge
Date closed: 5/30/18
Date reopened: 6/1/18
Reason: Vermin infestation

Happy eating! Don't forget to tip your waitstaff (not you, Wood & Vine).

Internet - ain't it a bitch

For the second month in a row, inadvertently posted something that was supposed to be scheduled. Such sloppy blogging.

On the upside, I got memed today!

Does twenty-four bucks seem like a lot for a pair of socks?

Yes? Well what if they had Sophie's face on them???

DivvyUp Socks will put your pet's face on a pair of socks. In fact, they'll put your face on a pair of socks if you want. But let's face it, socks with pets are always gonna be better than vanity socks.

And yes, I'll probably break down and blow $24 on a pair of Sophie socks. Life is short, wear your pet's face on your socks.

If you need anymore convincing, keep in mind that for every pair of socks sold, they donate a pair to the needy.

Also, Christmas is only six months away. Just sayin'.

Update: The Brother saw this and decided we both need Sophie socks. So they're on order. I'll post a picture of their awesomeness when they arrive.

Scenes from Marina del Rey

Ugh, I can't believe I'm moving away from here.

Headed over to Fisherman's Village for lunch, and to be entertained by the local wildlife. Even got a horn blow!

As you can see, the sea lions were in rare form today. They're so much fun!

Submitted for your approval - May 2018

Three submissions! Back on the horse! That makes a total of seven submissions this year. I was aiming for two per month, so I'm still short, but given that my Mom died unexpectedly I feel like March and April being unproductive is more than understandable.

So May was a good month:

• Submitted a short story for Fatally Haunted, the next Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles anthology with a whole hour to spare, rather than right at the last minute. Progress!!! Also, I just found out yesterday that they will announce on July 18. Fingers crossed!

• Submitted two entries to the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Contests: one in the Genre Short Story category (the one originally written for this year's Bouchercon anthology but not selected) and one in the Memoir/Personal Essay category.

Hopefully June will be nice and productive. I've got only two things to worry about this month and that's get started moving my stuff to the new place, and writing. I'm also hoping June will bring some good news about at least a couple of these submissions. Bring on summer!