Leadoff Hit for Bonazelli

“Despite the stopwatch efficiency that cast a pall of mechanical inevitability over the game, there was one moment of transformative emotion to be had, and everybody had it,” writes Andrew Bonazelli, managing editor of music mag Decibel, editor-in-chief of multiple in-store music magazines, including Monitor This in Gallery of Sound locations, and now, debut author of his first book, “Mechaniks.”

While the 162-page novella is based on a news story Bonazelli read a few years ago about Morgan Ensberg, then a third baseman for the Astros, and Bonazelli admits being a baseball (Mets) fan since he was 9, the reader can expect to strike out if they think that “Mechaniks” is only another typical baseball story. Rather than baseball being the focus, it is more the venue through which the real story begins. Bonazelli refers back to Ensberg’s story as inspiration: “Apparently, when he was in the minors, he and four of his roommates were held up at a hotel room. One of them disarmed the mugger. So, [Ensberg] had a pretty serious crippling life experience. I just remember reading about that and thinking, this is a good diving off point for something a bit more sinister between the players.”

Only the reader and teammates, Flynn Marlowe and Heath Hunter, share the truth of what happened as Bonazelli writes, “The fuzz very kindly bit the line Flynn Marlowe had cast — that two bums looking for cash and jewelry broke into the room during a poker game, and shot Mick and Ramon when they resisted. It was feasible enough.”

With terse and episodic influence of Flannery O’Connor’s Southern style and Dennis Cooper’s progressive storytelling, Bonazelli shows his reader pieces of photographs “in chapter form.” He writes, “Just before the boys took the field, Heath Hunter was visited in the bullpen by a man in obsidian sunglasses and a starch-hardened dress shirt. They shook hands, held a hard shoulder-to-fist embrace for 15 seconds and shared whispers. The whole while, Heath Hunter stared over the man’s back into the outfield like a pilgrim at the frontier. Nobody applauded or carried on at the sight of these two; the world simply sat on its hands and let two lost souls find one another. ‘Your signing bonus. Then you get the gun.’”

From this moment, Bonazelli allows the unfolding events to carry his reader ravenously to the next innings in his characters’ lives. Readers will struggle to put the book down and instead they’ll entertain just one more chapter, delving deeper into the “twisted and parasitic brotherhood” of Heath and Flynn. Bonazelli writes, “These were mechanics issues, small procedural irregularities that conspired to ruin everything. They could be fixed.” By the bottom of the ninth, Bonazelli has set the batting order down, loaded the bases with plot and sent his readers a grand slam story.

Check out: http://www.thedeciblog.com/?p=831 and http://digg.com/baseball/Review_of_Mechaniks_by_Andrew_Bonazelli/ who for comments about the book and a mention about my article!

Anthology Bookstore: A Grand Gathering

Anthology Bookstore’s owner, Andrea Talarico, pages a used Gabriel Garcia Marquez book inhaling the air slowly as if enjoying a bouquet of roses. She holds her coffee mug with both hands, curls her fingers around the handle, and admits, “I love the smell of books. As a teenager, I always drove down to Tudor Bookstore in Kingston. It was my favorite place to be. When I skipped school, it wasn’t to do bad things; it was to go drink chai and read at Tudor. I fell in love with that atmosphere.”

The written word has lead Talarico to various levels of management at chain bookstores while writing her chapbook, Spinning with the Tornado. After publishing her chapbook locally through Paper Kite Press, and hosting the Test Pattern poetry series, which has become the largest poetry reading in the Valley, Talarico now prepares for the Grand Opening of Anthology, her own house of words, in the Casey Laundry Building this Friday.

From its East Village, New York City décor, exposed pipes and painted brick, turquoise and mauve walls, and orange curtains, Anthology is a part of Scranton’s new image, presenting the feeling of modern city expanse meets classic hometown neighborhood.

As you follow the organization of her alphabetized shelves, you’ll notice handpressed section signs above the shelves made by Sheri Alexander Rempe and Stacy Giovanucci (from Outrageous) and Jen Bell’s handmade tiles on Anthology’s walls leading you from section to section. “Fiction is my favorite because that’s what I fell in love with at a young age. That’s what I think most people fall in love with before they really explore other areas. I’m trying to incubate young readers into literary fiction, then expand from that point.” The 1500 feet of Talarico’s store includes various works from local authors and extends from mystery to business to mythology, and spans children’s and young adult literature to anthologies and poetry.

While guiding us through her poetry section, Talarico brightens as she mentions that she embraced the name of her store after reading the definition and etymology of the word anthology in a poetry dictionary. “Anthology is Greek for ‘collection of flowers.’ The Greeks started using the term in reference to poetry collections as flowers of verse. I liked that the Greek’s first used flowers (pretty things) in regards to poetry and overall I feel that a bookstore is a collection of pretty things.”

In the glass case at the register, you can view her bouquet of autographed, first edition, and rare books from authors: Kurt Vonnegut, Carl Sandburg, Ru Paul, Virginia Wolfe, John Irving, and James Jones. It also holds a signed Dana Gioia, The Illustrated Museum of the Animal World (an old animal encyclopedia with illustrations), and a great picture edition of The Red Pony by John Steinbeck.

When you have finally chosen a book and are ready to settle down and sip your coffee, Talarico’s reading area keeps you gathered for hours around her fireplace. But instead of snuggling next to a glowing fire, you can curl into a good book amongst the comforting ambiance that radiates from a ball of orange lights cradled by a brown argyle scarf. Blossoming above the fireplace is a vase of peacock feathers, while a green couch with matching blue chairs and oriental rug, frame the area.

But don’t let the great look of Anthology detract you from the importance of what’s under the book covers. Talarico says, “I think it’s really important to keep people reading, to educate the masses and that’s why I have a lot of strong titles high on the literary end.”

Talarico offers 4,000 new and used titles that are sold side by side (the used are marked with a green dot stating the price— new are priced as is). Talarico received most of the books from The Strand Bookstore in New York City but she says, “people can bring in books for trade credit in the store or they can get it for cash. I’ve had a lot of people donate books and that is such a blessing. I just think that people are starting to realize where their money goes and they see that if they buy into the community, it stays in the community. Buying local is better off for you, your children, and your community and I really wanted to make that happen with a bookstore.”

At the end of the tour, Talarico takes a sip of her coffee smiling at a misplaced book in the history section. As she reaches out to slide into in an open space between two covers, she says, “its officially a bookstore, things are out of place.”

Anthology Bookstore’s Grand Opening will have free food and wine from Vida Tapas Bar as well as music from Roy Williams, Ian O’Hara, and Coleman Smith. It is a free event on Friday, October 12 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Casey Laundry Building, 515 Center Street Scranton. Talarico has already planned book signings in November, with local authors, Jim Warner and Barbara DeCesare. There will be two children’s story hours starting in December, which includes acting and puppet theater from local actor Conor McGuigan, and Patrick Holmes, the character designer from sesame street, as well as a local musical female trio who will have Spanish/English storytime. A local poetry circle will meet at her store on Saturday mornings, and Sam Blynn’s handmade bookbags and totes will also be featured.

Anthology’s business hours are Monday through Wednesday 10-6, Thursday through Friday 10-9, and Saturday 10-5. To find out more information about the events please call: 570-941-9630 or email scranthology@gmail.com. Anthology will also be online soon at www.anthologybooksonline.com and www.myspace.com/scranthology.

Wilkes-Barre's Desert Rose

“People always ask me where I get my ideas. I think of inspiration as dominoes. You just need that one idea to knock over that first domino and then it all spirals into a novel,” says Wilkes-Barre native and sophomore at Elizabethtown College, Kat Momenzadeh. She published Desert Rose, her first novel, with Edwardsville Indie Press, McCarren Publishing just before her senior year of high school. Now, just after turning 19, Momenzadeh has published the second novel in her Desert Rose trilogy, Midnight Rose.

In Midnight Rose, the main character, Princess Neterra, leaves her home, and must masquerade as a servant to protect the heir to her kingdom. As a deadly plot is uncovered and old enemies are revealed, Neterra’s journey becomes more than just an effort to protect the heir, she must also protect herself. In the first book of her trilogy, Desert Rose, the feisty Princess Neterra finds herself sold into slavery, where she discovers a world of vampires and other beings, and how they play a part in her own bloodline.

While the overall setting in her trilogy is based on Medieval times, what makes Momenzadeh’s trilogy special is how her own life experience has inspired her novels.

The summer before her senior year of high school, Momenzadeh got involved in a program called People to People, a student ambassador group. The group invited Momenzadeh to tour England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales for three weeks. She discusses how the trip created a more realistic and personal approach to her second book.

“Neterra goes from being the princess of her own land to pretending to be a servant in a new kingdom that she’s never been to before. So when I first wrote Midnight Rose, I kind of took for granted that Neterra would be able to adapt easily to the whole change of setting and social class. After I went to England, I realized that it was difficult for me to adjust, and it would also be hard for Neterra—who’s completely changing where and how she’s been raised and growing up.”

Another element to Momenzadeh’s writing involves one of her hobbies, dancing. She began dancing as a child and continues in Elizabethtown’s dance company, called Emotions. “I like to create the mannerisms of a dancer in my characters—very strong and confident in themselves, and in what they’re doing. The characters don’t stay as dancers once I rewrite, but I keep those dancer-like characteristics and qualities. In fact, the setting for Desert Rose,” Momenzadeh explains, “was inspired after watching a middle eastern infused modern dance to Sting’s song, ‘Desert Rose.’ ”

Aside from dancing, Momenzadeh’s age has also been a major factor in her writing. Being a teenager when she published her first book, and tailoring her books to a teenage audience has changed her life. While most teens were riding bikes, playing video games, or practicing musical instruments or sports, Momenzadeh was home studiously scribbling notes for her books. She says, “I’m not crazy, I swear. I just love writing.”

Luckily, for Momenzadeh and her readers she kept working hard. She was very modest when reflecting on the difficulty involved in being a young and published author entering a university setting. “I tried to keep my publishing experience a secret because I wasn’t sure how people would react. I didn’t want my professors or peers to treat me differently because I was published. But my attempts at hiding it didn’t stay a secret for long. I was relieved when the teachers still graded me fairly and the school ended up writing a few articles on me for the paper. All of the sudden, I heard comments like: Kat, you’re that girl whose book is in the campus bookstore. It was all very flattering.”

Now Momenzadeh’s books are for sale nationwide and can be found on MySpace and Internet bookstores as well. Desert Rose and her new book, Midnight Rose, are also available direct from the publisher at http://www.mccarrenpublishing.com/. For those of you who are interested in meeting an up and coming, well-spoken local author, Momenzadeh will be reading and signing copies of her work at Barnes & Nobles on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre at 1:00 pm—Saturday September, 15th.

Reconstructing Humanity

When most of us hear the phrase Plastic Surgery, we imagine glamorous Hollywood stars with new pouty lips, dappled cheekbones, and perky breasts. But plastic surgery isn’t all aesthetics. Every year, thousands of selfless doctors, like Dr. Marshall T. Partington, and other experienced medical staff, provide another service in plastic surgery: reconstruction.

Reconstructive surgery is performed on abnormal structures of the body, caused by birth defects, trauma, injury, tumors, or disease. The procedures are performed to improve bodily functions, but may also be done to create a natural appearance.

Dr. Partington is the former director of Microsurgery at the University of Pennsylvania where he learned the intricacies and dexterity of his craft. His work lead him to establish his own plastic surgery practice in Redmond, Washington.

Twice a year, Dr. Partington offers full reconstructive surgery to children worldwide with a group of multi-international doctors and nurses through Interplast, a non-profit medical organization. “We take care of exposed bones, toe transplantation, scalp reconstruction, cosmetic burns, and cleft palates. I know the experience has made me a happier and fulfilled person. It reinforces my original calling to be a physician. It challenges you to see if that flame is still burning.”

His first overseas undertaking was in Shanghai, China in 1991, and during his sixteen years of service with Interplast, he has done work throughout Mongolia, Brazil, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Partington recalls the first time he met the locals. “Traveling to a new place through doing service is the best way to travel because you are immediately integrated into a community. You are introduced to families. People are entrusting their children, their dearest belongings, to you.”

Partington’s recalls working in Ecuador with a two-year-old burn victim, named Paulina. “She was begging in the market with her family and had a big bubble of scar tissue. The damage fused her arm to her body. Anxious to help her, we asked the family for permission to do the surgery. But she was the breadwinner because of her pitiful appearance and the family was torn about losing the income. We personally had pooled resources to support the family and were allowed operate on the little girl. Now, I have this wonderful picture of her. Her arms are pointed straight up in the air. It is this kind of gratitude, without even understanding their language, that makes performing plastic surgery rewarding.”

But Dr. Partington and Interplast’s teamwork doesn’t end when the patients have recovered. The skilled group cultivates an international relationship through education and follow-up visits. “Our primary purpose is to empower the site. A lot of our effort is to demonstrate how to do procedures. Our goal is to have local doctors perform their own surgeries, which we very carefully follow.”

In Nepal, Dr. Partington engaged in one of Interplast’s most successful educational ventures. “We set up a cleft palate program and there was a general surgeon, Dr. Rey, who showed such an interest that he trained in plastic surgery. He now has organized initiatives with at least five different fellows. Dr. Rey has also become one of our volunteers. It is a nice picture of that giving and receiving cycle.”

In the United States, Dr. Partington continues to create awareness throughout his daily life. He comments, “I use plastic surgery as a conversation to help people understand the greater context of this practice.” He also informs and educates every client that comes to his office for cosmetic surgery by donating ten dollars in their name to www.nothingbutnets.net. Established by the Gates Foundation, the program supplies African villagers with mosquito netting to prevent malaria. He recalls, “my father always taught me that success was finding satisfaction in who we are rather than in what we have.”

Dr. Partington is brushing up on his French, getting his shots, and is reorganizing his schedule for his next volunteer trip to Mali, Africa. His wife, Jeanette, is a nurse and is a member of Interplast, and the Partington’s 15 year-old twins, Trevor and Olivia are finishing their summer working with Littlebit, a therapeutic riding center for kids and adults with physical disabilities.

How We Work

(One of my articles was recently published in the Philadelphia City Paper under the cover story titled: How We Work: An informal survey of the ways we earn our daily bread. It is both in print and online at http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2008/01/24/how-we-work). Below is the opening from Editor Duane Swierczynski and then my story follows.)

Published: Jan 23, 2008

So what do you do? Yeah? Wow. Never heard of that before. You actually make a living doing that? Get outta here. For real? I mean, I've heard of some weird jobs, but not like that one. I got a pal who models nude. Swear. To. God. And then there's this lady I know who gets paid to play with blood and dung all day. But it's not all about the pay with some people. You've probably seen that street preacher lady, who stops you as you drive by, talkin' gospel and shit? The things people in this town will do. Anyway, I'm really impressed. Sounds like you've got a good gig. Anyway ... who, me? Ah, you don't want to know what I do. Just makin' ends meet. Looking for something better, tell you the truth. Say ... you don't know anybody who needs a molecular biologist, do ya? —Duane Swierczynski

Most Revealing Job

Jon Stothfang, figure model

For the past seven years, art students have been paying thousands of dollars every year to see Jon Stothfang naked. Jon began his work as a figure model back in Cincinnati, Ohio, after responding to the "models coordinator" ad in a local job listing.

Stothfang's artwork is what initially uncovered his interest in posing, and staying disrobed motivated him to keep a steady exercise routine. He says, "What most people don't realize is that anyone can be a figure model. There is no ideal body type for this work. You don't have to lose those last 10 pounds. You don't have to be a supermodel. Some classes, like anatomy, do prefer you to be fit, but most students I've talked to enjoy voluptuous models with mass to spare."

But there are some restrictions. "The more tattoos you have, the more limited work you can do," says Stothfang. "Tattoos take away from the body's contours and hide natural shadows. A friend of mine is a good model, very attractive, but she can only do portrait work because she has full sleeves."

The most important rule of posing is that you have to hold still and keep quiet. "It definitely takes patience, muscle control, and a willingness to chuck the conventions of repressive modesty out the window. If you can get past that, then figure modeling can actually be a really amazing way to fall back in love with your body, regardless of what it looks like."

Sum it up in Six

Words have power. They contain a multitude of meanings as well as positive and negative connotations. So when you read any body of writing, especially a poem, each word is specifically chosen by the writer to take into account those layers. But as new trends in technology speed up the attention spans of modern society, like bands cycling through our radios and New Year’s Eve drinks going through our bladders, creative writing must also be quickly evolving.

First, to see where the trend is headed, let’s take a look at some old and new writing based on being succinct.

Flash fiction is a short story with a brief word count, usually between 250 and 1,000 words. Some micro-fiction, or nano-fictions, are even shorter, containing specific amounts of words, such as a “Drabble” (100 words) or a “69er” (69 words). The limited word usage allows for the writer to imply certain elements within the story. Some flash fiction publications are trying to infuse the six-word memoir into their genre.

The epitaph, a statement that epitomizes a period of the past or a deceased person, can tell about a life in a concise way. For example, Emily Dickinson’s tombstone reads, “Called Back,” Jack London’s states, “The Stone the Builders Rejected” and Dean Martin’s states, “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime.” Each phrase creates a simple and distinct characteristic element about the person’s life that they are commemorating.

Now, take a look at the traditional haiku. Because of its brevity, it works on using specific words and rhythm. The first line has five beats, the second has seven and the third line has five. The poem itself should raise larger questions to the reader than the first read-over, such as this traditional haiku by Basho: “On New Year’s Day/ each thought a loneliness/ as winter dusk descends.” It can be seen as a sad poem, as a solitary quietness or maybe Basho just knows that champagne-induced mind-throbbing hangovers don’t always make for a pleasant New Year’s Day. Similarly, here is a haiku containing the same traditional rhythms with a modern twist: “Sex in the City / Sarah Jessica Parker / We don’t need more puns.”

Now, what if you could only use six words to describe your entire life?

Whether it’s known as the “American Haiku,” according to The New Yorker and NPR, or called flash fiction or epitaphs, the Six-Word Memoir is the newest trend in writing. This new style is quite possibly inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s response to write a full story in six words: “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.” The concept of the six-word memoir is pretty self-defining, as it is to create a story within the confines of six words. Those words are chosen to allow the reader to think beyond the surface level. For example, referring back to Hemingway’s story, “baby shoes, never worn,” one defining idea might be that the character might have been pregnant but didn’t have the child. Another possible meaning might be that the story could reference the phrase “to know someone is to walk a mile in their shoes.” The character has never had the chance to be a child and is obviously ready to move on with that part of their life (“For Sale”). As a whole, we see many different interpretations can be given for that same simple phrase.

While there are now thousands of Web sites devoted to the six-word form containing six-word fiction, six-word science fiction and six-word illustrated memoir reminiscent of postsecret.com, at www.smithmag.net (named for the notoriously general surname “Smith”), writers have a chance to create and submit their own six-word memoirs with the possibility of online and hardcover publication. Smith Magazine’s site contains thousands of six-word memoirs and numerous six-word projects to get involved in. For example, submit your best inspirational political guidance for President-elect Barack Obama to “Six words for America,” swallow a six-word challenge about your personal food life in “A life in bytes” or bring back emo with “Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak.” With Smith Magazine’s first major call for submissions in the traditional vein of six-word memoir, the result has created “Not Quite What I Was Planning” and includes authors such as Dave Eggers’ “Fifteen years since last professional haircut” to Nikki Beland’s “Catholic school back fired. Sin is in!”

So, for 2009, instead of creating ordinary lists about what you accomplished in 2008 followed by more lists on what you hope to complete this year, try writing a six-word memoir to commemorate the special occasions, like New Year’s Eve. On www.sixwordmemoirs.com, Emily Gordon writes, “My little red dress; partied out.”


Here are a few samples of my Six-Word Memoir:

• Breathing into me without a touch.

• Born Tuesday, not meek and mild.

• New Years resolutions don’t include you.

• Yes we can! Yes we did!

Check out more of my Six-Word Memoir at Smith Magazine

Remembering Snail Mail

SECTION UPDATE!!
Wendy from A Passion for Letter Writing and a handful of her readers have begun a correspondence with me based on Wendy's writing prompt called Let's Freak Someone Out!

I received 5 letters: Bonnie from Pittsburgh PA, Lisa from Flower Mound TX, Danielle from Rochester NY, Ilona from Newport RI, and Monica from Chicago IL. Each letter was more exciting than the last. Thank you for the amazing letters. I'll be getting back to you all soon.




Remembering Snail Mail

In this throwaway world, do you even remember the last time you actually got something in the mail that was worth keeping? Something that wasn’t a bill? Something that wasn’t a pre-scripted card? When was the last time you actually scripted or received a letter? Not a business letter such as a cover letter for a job, but a hand-written cursive letter just discussing or contemplating the day’s events without fear of judgment?

For most of us, we might recall that we had a pen pal in elementary or middle school. I personally remember for over a year, I wrote to another girl my age that was living in England. While, I’d lost contact with her in my teens, especially after learning to drive, I still kept all of her letters in a box under my bed. Last fall during a cleaning spree, I pried open the box of memories and rediscovered them. As I read through each of the letters, I was flooded in memory. While her letters took almost a month to arrive, as soon as I mailed mine, I would check the mailbox excitedly for her response in the red white and blue international envelope with the words “Par Avion Air Mail” strewn across the front near my scribbled name. I recall once, after the lengthy correspondence, I received a phone call from her. We talked for approximately 2- 5 minutes and then her phone card ran out. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. It was more wonderful than any of the other random memorabilia (blank concert wristbands, photographs of strangers, the dateless dried flower) that remained forgotten inside the box.

Over the last month, I have been reading “Love in the Time of Cholera.” The majority of the important correspondence appears in letter form between the two main characters. Suddenly, I had the striking realization that letter writing had become a lost art form. Since the only excitement in the post office box is a paycheck (as long as you don’t have direct deposit) and the hopes of a random postcard leave you feeling quite depressed since you aren’t the one on vacation, in an effort to regain enjoyment of opening the post box, I have begun corresponding. Now my words are inspired by the gentleman I write who lives in Kingston, a mere 15-minute drive from my home.

I began sending and receiving letters almost three months ago. This might be seen as ridiculous considering the more simple forms of communication: phone call, email, Facebook, MySpace, text messaging, and meeting in person. However, pre-generated text and email is easily disposed of, phone conversations are faceless communications, and I am convinced that the importance of words is lost to the ease of innovation and business side of communication. So while the “snail mail” pace of communication is a laughable amount of time considering the day or two it takes the postman to hand over my thoughts from days prior, there is just something about the magic of the letter that I keep close to my heart. It may be the swirls and swooshes that slow the mind when I make pen strokes that force me to consider spelling, word choice, and most importantly, a deep thought or two, because those things that are easily brushed over with spell checks, networking business letter structures, and the stiffly blocked fonts of computer programs. It may also just be the ever-so-rare excitement of receiving a letter.

No matter what the reason, this letter writing must continue. Receiving a handwritten letter is reliant upon a meager.43 cent stamp. And so, I am giving all writers a call to action. Hunter S. Thompson’s books did not take off until after the Fear and Loathing film. Many were published posthumously after carbon copies of every letter Thompson ever wrote were found, thus publishers discovered that the author had major talent beyond journalism. So this week, write one letter to someone and mail it from your local post office. Write a friend, pick a name out of the white pages (that’s the phonebook for you who use 555-1212 or 411 too often), or even write yourself a letter under a different name. Write the letter in your own handwriting and pour out your day, your heart, your soul, your hopes, your beliefs, and your dreams. Try writing more than one page and staying on topic.

*Published in The Weekender

Other interesting links:

Give your best wishes to Ilona's sister Esmerelda and future brother-in-law for their wedding:
http://www.wildpostcards.com/2009/04/send-a-postcard-to-a-wedding/

Give this guy your address and he'll write you a letter: http://www.iblogbetterthanyourmom.com/2009/04/letter-writing-project-day-1.html

Zine Workshop Flyer

A workshop I planned for Paper Kite Press in Kingston/Edwardsville.

Cover Me, I'm Goin' In

So after wading through the muck of possible careers on the internet and the quicksand of jobs in the newspaper, you’ve finally got a golden nugget or two matching your qualifications and interests. For the right pay, benefits, and work environment you might just see yourself there for the next five or ten years. The only problem is that now you need to do the groundwork to get the job, and that starts by writing a bang-up cover letter to impress the human resources department to get you an interview.

First of all, if you’ve got more than one job in mind, you need to write a separate cover letter for each. Just like Rock of Love might be the same show concept as Flavor of Love, it is not the same exact show. Every job and company is unique, meaning applying for a half dozen jobs with the same job title might require you to have half a dozen different qualifications. If that’s true, than it wouldn’t make much sense just sending the same mad-libbed cover letter to every single job you apply for, would it?

So, now that you’ve fully realized that actually writing a decent cover letter is a more of a grueling task than wrapping your mind around the purpose of that Paris Hilton show The Simple Life, make sure that the job you’re applying for is one that you actually want and one that you actually want to take the time to put 110% (or insert another winning sports cliché) into the application process.

Before you type anything, do your research.

“Research,” you say. “I’m not writing a college composition paper.”

That may be true, but consider that you are writing for a certain audience and you’ll also be using specific language formalities depending on the tone in the job advertisement and the type of company ... Not so different from what you learned in composition 101 class.

Besides, you just graduated and your writing classes should still be fresh in your memory. Just trust me, the information will be worth it when you write your cover letter and later when you attend your interview. Research the job, people, and company who will be hiring you. Make a few notes about things that interest you or you have questions about.

Now… you can start the cover letter. I know, I know…it only took four paragraphs to get here.

Start by reading the job advertisement and note about these questions:

(1) What work-related and personal qualities does the company desire?
(2) What matching qualities do you have?

Write your cover letter by discussing: which job your applying for, how you fit into the company, and what you uniquely bring to them without being obnoxious by constantly starting every sentence with “I” or reiterating something that can be easily seen on your resume. Keep it to no more than three paragraphs – less is better.

Last but not least: Whether you like it or not, it’s who you know. If you have a mutual friend of the hirer, mention it in the first sentence directly after your greeting.


HERE’S ONE OF THOSE MAD LIBS COVER LETTERS THAT YOU SHOULD AVOID HAVING
instructions: fill in the parenthesis


(Company)
(New Boss Name), (Boss Job Title)
(Company Address)
(Company Phone)
(Today’s Date)

(Greeting) (New Boss Name), (Boss Job Title):

I am (adjective) that I will be a wonderful new addition to your (job title you are applying for). I have an extensive background in (verb +ing) personal attention to customers both (adverb) and (adverb). I can (transitive verb) your needs for (noun), (noun), and (noun) with my (verb +ing) and my practical (noun) skills. I have (verb +ed) numerous co-workers in situations that required me to (verb), and I’m a (adjective) person who will (verb) your clients and make them feel (transitive verb) at (name of company). I would be more than happy to meet for an (noun) at your convenience. (Verb) free to (verb) me (the hours you’re available) Monday - Friday.

(Closing greeting,)


(Your name)
(Your phone number)
(Your email)


Image above is from http://www.cybercv.com

Steve Jobs: "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"

So now the big speech has inspired you to take life to the limit, take the bull by the horns, enjoy the icing on the cake, find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow... continue to insert inspirational cliche here.

You are seated in your university's football stadium the sun is slowly browning the top layer of your skin. The sunglasses over your eyes will leave raccoon-like paleness at the end of the day. You stand cross the stage and shake the dean's hand. Before you know it the ceremony is over, hats are tossed, and parties are everywhere.

The next morning you wake up in your apartment with no more classes to head off to... you stare at the posters taped to your walls. Jimi Hendrix is in black and white on his knees conjuring fire from his guitar, the top left corner is peeling away from the wall and is rolling into itself. The calendar next to your desk has X's leading up to the word graduation written in all caps across the May date. The rest of the calendar boxes are empty. It hasn't completely hit you yet, the idea that you are on your own. So you get up at noon, maybe one and lounge around with the stereo, maybe a video game or two, you drink another beer, and put off taking a shower. Your life still feels like an extended week off, maybe like spring break or Christmas vacation.

But after a week, after two, you start to wonder what you should do. You've been sleeping in till noon everyday. Until one day, the school calls you around 9am and says you have to sign a paper for your exit loans. You jump out of bed, shower, dress in clean clothes, and excitedly over to the financial aid department...they'll tell you what to do next.

When you get there, your paperwork is laid in front of you, a few explanations are thrown around about how to repay your loans. The ageless female office worker with a pink oversized wool sweater and deep side-pockets lets you know you can defer six months or if you are continuing on to grad school, military, or peace corps, you can also defer. She makes an "X" on the line, you sign and date it, and then she says, "That's it. Thanks for coming in." You stand up and walk toward the doorway, then turn around before leaving.

You search the tiny wrinkles by her eyes for direction, watch her thin lips for any signs of speech. Nothing. She isn't paying attention to you anymore, assuming you have left the room. She closes the folder. As she lifts it up, you catch a white sticker with your typed name and social security number in the upper right corner. She places the folder in alphabetical order inside of a box with hundreds, thousands of other names. You realize that now you are officially out of school.

"Have a question?" she asks as she turns back to the table noticing you still standing there.

"Uhm, no," you answer, "thanks," and walk out of the doorway wondering what you were thanking her for.

The walk back to your apartment is mechanical. You've walked it hundreds of times sober, drunk, or whatever. But this time the air has a chill and you start to notice things you hadn't before, the trees in full bloom, the grass growing out of the uneven crack in the sidewalk, someone sweeping the porch to a frathouse across the street. The bannister is covered in blue and red plastic cups. And you think to yourself, doesn't that saying go, wherever you go, there you are? You realize you don't know who you are or where you're going. You realize that you are alone and have big decisions to make...

Understanding Obstetric Jargon

After a pretty long wait in the doctor's office we heard some good news and got to see our midwife!

She appeared with a very kind 3rd year medical student who observed and assisted in our examination today. The student completed a simple measurement with a hand-held measuring tape and a quick sonogram- to which the baby decided to give the med student a little kick. The student responds like a giddy girl on the playground, commenting to us all, "did you see that? she 'kicked' me!" (I let the "she" part slide in her excitement)

Then, our kickass midwife, gave me an examination.

To be completely blunt: Up goes the hand.

After undressing from the waist down and a friendly little white sheet is placed over my lower body, the midwife asks if I mind if the student watches. With my legs spread eagle for everyone in the room to see, I say that I can't be shy now. Then, in a scissor-like fashion, she's up and feeling around in there.

 

While she's exploring me like a caver, I think I might have even heard a slight echo in her voice as she comments that my cervix is "far up there."  And then, her hand goes in even farther. Now, while I didn't watch, it felt like she was up to her elbow. And until this moment, other than hearing about some pretty gross pornographic films where these things occurred to women who've been poked, prodded, and stretched numerous times, I have never realized that an entire hand could fit in me...let alone to have it disappear into what feels like my stomach. Then, just as though it couldn't be any weirder, there's a horrible pinch and her hand slips back out. She says, "You're 3 centimeters dilated, 80% effaced, and at Zero Station. This baby may come out before Monday!"

So here's some anatomy:

The cervix, which from the front looks like a pigs snout with only one nostril (check out the picture above) is thick and long and includes a "plug" to keep the cervix closed. During the "first stage of labor," (there may or may not be contractions at this time) the cervix begins to shorten and thin out. The medical world measures it by percentages and the higher the number, the closer the cervix is to becoming a part of the uterine wall and the baby is to being in place for moving down the birth canal. At the end of the cervix is the "mucus plug" which seals the cervix from any outside aggravations or grossness inside the vagina. In my humble opinion, the "mucus plug" is one of the grossest terms to ever have to refer to in any setting...ever. 

Anyway, as the cervix thins and shortens (called effacement, or effacing- an in: the baby is starting to show his face to the birth canal), the mucus plug is released out comes a "small" amount of blood, which is usually pinkish. Sometimes they call this escaping blood, "bloody show," cause it shows you that you should pack your bag if you haven't done do already. Like me... I've been packing like a madwoman ever since it began.

So, maybe around the same time, usually after effacement, the cervix begins to dilate. So once it shortens and thins out and the plug is released, the baby's head has to fit through so it can come down the birth canal. Since I am at 3 cm, I still haven't entered into "active labor," which is when the contractions usually start. You don't start pushing the baby out until you've hit 10 cm, so I've got a while to go. But as the baby wiggles into a comfortable place and exits the cervix, that's where the term "station(s)" comes from.

Stations refer to how high/low the baby's head is in the pelvis (if (s)he is coming out in the ordinary position, otherwise this will refer to the baby's feet). At "Zero Station" the baby is ready to come out. Anything with a negative number is higher or more inside the pelvis, anything with a plus means the baby is on his/her way out.

So while he's definitely on his way, it was all shocking news to us considering we are "due" until July 1st. But before we go all crazy, this is only the beginning of labor and I'm still bumming around at home waiting for it to continue to progress and for contractions to start.

I'll keep everyone posted!

Treasure Hunting when you Waddle

Here's me discovering a night cache

Geocaching during Pregnancy

So maybe I can't walk 8- 10 miles for a day hike like I used to. Maybe I can't hike crazy places that require a bit of climbing or bouldering. And maybe I have to watch my balance since my big belly hides my feet. But after getting a handheld GPS for my birthday back in March, my husband and I started geocaching (geo-ca-sh-ing, like cashing a check). We've been completing day caches and night caches. And guess what? The best part of geocaching is that I've found it's pregnancy-friendly. Score!

Here's how it works:

Geocaching history states that geocaching originated with Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant who "wanted to test the accuracy by hiding a navigational target in the woods. He called the idea the "Great American GPS Stash Hunt" and posted it in an internet GPS users' group. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit. The finder would then have to locate the container with only the use of his or her GPS receiver. The rules for the finder were simple: 'Take some stuff, leave some stuff.' On May 3rd he placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beaver Creek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his "stash" with the online community on sci.geo.satellite-nav: N 45° 17.460 W 122° 24.800 Within three days, two different readers read about his stash on the Internet, used their own GPS receivers to find the container, and shared their experiences online. Throughout the next week, others excited by the prospect of hiding and finding stashes began hiding their own containers and posting coordinates. Like many new and innovative ideas on the Internet, the concept spread quickly - but this one required leaving your computer to participate."

And "as of April 25, 2010, there are over 1,047,069 active geocaches around the world [...] in over 100 countries" (geocaching.com).

From there geocaching took off! Of course who wouldn't want to become a treasure hunter! Caches might not contain crazy treasures like gold or jewels like pirates might have found, but the thrill of hiking, searching, discovering, and leaving cool items for others to find is addicting.

In fact, one of my favorite parts of caching (besides discovering new trails and hiking areas) has become the find. What have others left? Who discovered this geocaching box last? What cool object can we leave in the cache for the next adventurer?


Of course even more exciting are some of the special finds in the cache boxes. Other than finding cool dollar store-type toys, geocachers have coins and travelbugs to entice treasure hunters.



Geocoins are coins with a mission and a tracking number. Like this one that Aaron and I discovered in a cache in Michigan:


This coin's goal is to: "visit caches by lakes, rivers, and streams in Washington State." And because of the tracking number they carry, you can check where its been and when its been there. This specific coin has been to Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, PA, Ontario, British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington.

We've discovered coins that have been to New Zealand, Australia, Germany, the Canary Islands, and other places around the world! Its so exciting knowing that there is a world-community who takes part in this fun.

Most recently, we went to Bear Creek, PA and discovered a night cache that had a geocoin in it that didn't have an activated tracking number. This means that no one claimed ownership of it. So now we can create our own geocache for people to find and send this geocoin wherever we want it to travel! We decided that we'd both love to visit Paris and we are hoping that our coin will make it to every state in the US! I can't wait to see its journey unfold.

There are also travelbugs to reel in hardcore geocachers.

These travelbugs are basically objects that have tracking numbers on them. For example here's one we found in Ohio:

"This Pinewood Derby travel bug is part of a national race. The "Race to 2010" ~ cars for all over the country are racing to the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia!"

Its mission is to: "travel to as many caches as I can. I like scouting caches best, but any cache will do. First - I want to go to the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County, Virginia. The dates are July 26 to August 4, 2010. Please take pictures of me with as many scouts as you can. Second - I want to return home to East Hartford, Connecticut. Specifically, to GC22ZYY - Treasures of Scouting - Connecticut Rivers Council."

We're going to take a weekend to find some caches south of us to help it on it's way.



Crazy Hiking Pregnant Lady
You must think I am crazy being 31 weeks pregnant (8 or 9 weeks to go!) and outside in the woods searching for hidden treasure while doing some off trail bushwacking and rough trail hiking, but I am completely convinced that geocaching is for pregnant outdoor ladies who can't groove with their regular outdoors addictions.

So I've compiled a list as to why pregnant ladies can get down with geocaching:

1. Most caches are within one mile of the parking area. So your feet won't ache too much if you have good hiking shoes.


2. Geocaches are hidden, but not buried and have to be accessible to everyone (including kids!). Meaning there's no digging, climbing, or contorting involved.


3. You can be sure of your safety. Do you have an FRS/PMR channel to find out if other Geocachers are in the area? According to geocaching.com, "The community has decided on channel 2 as the primary for both FRS and PMR, and 12 as the alternate FRS (Family Radio Service) channel and 8 for the alternate PMR (Europe). FRS and PMR radios are longer distance walkie talkies, like the Motorola Talkabout." And all of the places we've found so far are in my cell service (verizon).


4. It's a great way to get some cool pregnancy pics for your album or scrapbook.


5. The short hikes are a good way to prepare for an outdoor adventure with the newcomer to the family.


6. Pregnant ladies need stamina for birth. This is an easy way to ensure endurance for those hours of labor.


7. Discover some new places to hike when you need to get your pre-pregnancy body back in shape. In fact some of the trails would even be a good complement to your running stroller!


8. Some caches are in towns so you won't even have to walk far from the car!


9. It's never to late to learn how to navigate in the woods with a geocaching device or a compass and you might not have the time post-baby.


10. Keep your brain active during "pregnancy fog." Sometimes caches have more than one part to them requiring you to solve a puzzle to find out coordinates to the final cache.

Happy adventuring!

Here are some book resources from wikipedia:

Further reading

+Geocaching Crash Course by Benjamin Deeb (ISBN 0-5173-4859-X)
+The Essential Guide to Geocaching by Mike Dyer (ISBN 1-55591-522-1)
+The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching by Jack W. Peters (ISBN 1-59257-235-9)
+Geocaching For Dummies by Joel McNamara (ISBN 978-0764575716)
+Geocaching: Hike and Seek with Your GPS by Erik Sherman (ISBN 978-1590591222)
+The Geocaching Handbook (Falcon Guide) by Layne Cameron and Dave Ulmer (ISBN 978-076273044)
+Let's Go Geocaching by DK Publishing (ISBN 978-0756637170)
+It's a Treasure Hunt! Geocaching & Letterboxing by Cq Products (ISBN 978-1563832680)
+Open Your Heart with Geocaching: Mastering Life Through Love of Exploration by Jeannette Cézanne (ISBN 978-1601660046)