Short Takes

Public Service Announcement: There's almost nothing that a small dish of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish and a small tangerine can't fix.

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Thank goodness my writer's group meets tomorrow night, otherwise the hope of being involved in any sort of literary activity (reading excluded) this month would be an um-I-don't-think-so-Ver kinda thing. I am sad because Marianne has left the group, and I miss her one-of-a-kind Marianne energy and the way she whips out her little index card notebook and jots things down in her impeccable penmanship, but the good news is that another "M" has stepped in to join us. I liked her right off because she immediately threw the word "bitch" into our pre-meeting conversation. In case you're wondering, our pre-meeting rituals include the making of tea, the selecting of cookies, and chit-chat about agents and editors (of which I have neither, of course, but never mind) and kids (oh which I have three, of course, but never mind).

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My cyberpal Julie is a fantastically good egg. That's a fine thing all on its own, but she doesn't stop there, oh no. She also has a brand-spanking new blog of which I am a devotee. I'm so envious of those folks whose blog revolves around an actual concept. Unlike me, they do not wade around in the muck of every-little-thing-whether-you-want-to-read-about-it-or-not-ahem. You can check Julie out right here.

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And, finally, I would love to send you a holiday card of the snail mail variety! So e-mail your address, and I'll add you to our list...