A few minutes...

When I was growing up, my parents always put "60 Minutes" on. Of course, my 10-year-old self found most of it boring, but I really looked forward to Andy Rooney's commentary at the end. My parents noticed this, so they gave me a paperback full of Andy's short essays among my Hannukah presents one year.

I always preferred small presents to large ones -- small ones were usually something creative, like clay or markers or books. Large boxes usually meant board games or clothes, which weren't my preference.

My birthday presents, early '80s, since I don't have a photo from Hanukkah,

but you get the idea - the presents were always by the fireplace in our living room.

I remember getting several great small presents that Hakkukah, in fact: The newest Mad Magazine, which is something I asked for on pretty much every holiday (why no one just sprang for a subscription is beyond me), a silver paint marker (those were just getting big), A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney, and probably some other stuff I can't remember.

We had a couch that curled around the fireplace. So after I got the Andy Rooney book, I lay on the couch in front of a roaring fire and started reading it. That's why I remember that Hannkuah so well, because I felt so cozy reading my Andy Rooney book inside by the fire.

About a year ago, I wrote him a fan letter in shameless hope of getting him to mention Carrie Pilby on the air, since he sometimes complains about his mail during his segment. I told him all about how I'd grown up enjoying his segments and how eventually I began writing observational essays myself.

Just to give him a little extra incentive to mention my missive, at the end I wrote,

P.S. You were great in all those Andy Hardy movies with Judy Garland.

I figured that might sufficiently annoy him so he'd complain about it on the air. ("This girl says she's a fan, but she thinks I'm the same person as Mickey Rooney.")

No such luck. But I kept enjoying his commentary. Then, not long ago, I watched him say a fitting goodbye in his last segment for "60 Minutes."

It seems like just days later he went into the hospital, and now he's gone. He must have seen it coming when he decided to retire.

I guess if you've been watching someone on TV for more than 30 years, they're bound to leave sooner than later. But it's too bad we didn't get to see one last segment on hospital food and doctor's bills. He was probably writing it in his mind while he lay in his hospital bed. J'ever wonder...?

Teach the children

I was snooping on Google to find out what happened to an old friend. She's a teacher now, like she always wanted to be. Anyway, this is what one of her students wrote about her on Ratemyteacher.com:

you give tooooooooooooooooo much homework. You give at least 3 hiours a day. (no exaduration)

Wake up with this song today...

Here.

Reader mail II

James from college was apparently inspired by my photo and sent this thoughtful sestet:

Was that a dirigible you spied
in the e'ening sky
over your town as darkness drew near?

Where did it go,
amongst the queries you pose,
and how will you know when it gets there?

I have sometimes wondered, upon looking at a plane, who was inside, where they were going, and did they realize that for a moment, I was wondering about them? We all had a connection we might never have again. Just for one moment.

But in this case, the blimp was advertising the Conan show on TBS. And you can track it at teamcoco.com. So, not as mysterious, but still nice to see.

Reader mail

Blogger Carl sends this possible combonym (actually more like a pun) in:

Would this count?

Infauxmercial

A satire of an infomercial

Blimp over town

Colors & shadows

It's fall, so my fall sneakers have come back out.

Here's a fresh interview with me

...at a lovely site where you can buy e-books.

Climb ev'ry mountain

Because I'm such a fan of the Sound of Music, I thought I'd post this update that was e-mailed out about the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe:

Greetings from our Green Mountains,
We have been touched to receive so many inquiries into the impact of Tropical Storm Irene. Both Stowe and the Trapp Family Lodge were very fortunate not to have sustained significant damage, in spite of over six inches of rain and heavy winds. Erosion and wind damage were the chief concern, but we sustained almost no impact to our buildings, roads, and trails. Our capable crew was well prepared for the event, and our guests were able to enjoy the day with a fire in the Lounge and service in the DeliBakery.
I spent much of the day outdoors, unplugging culverts and checking the status of buildings and trails- my Austrian loden hat is still drying out!
Unfortunately many towns near us were impacted significantly, as has been reported by the media. Our thoughts go out to those who suffered more damage than we did, and we look forward to doing our part to help neighboring communities...
Sincerely, Sam von Trapp Executive Vice President Trapp Family Lodge

Natural disasters

So, catching up...

I was excited to finally be in an earthquake at the ripe age of 40. I was actually in a small one in January of 1979 when I was in second grade in Matawan, NJ, but I didn't hear or feel it because I was in the noisy lunchroom. Our teachers told us about it when we got back into class, and used it as a teaching experience. Apparently there is a small fault line that runs through Cheesequake Park, although the park gets its name from Indian words and not from the fault line.

Anyway, since then, I've been disappointed that I haven't felt any quakes. So when I was sitting at my desk at work and felt a slight rumbling -- but didn't hear the usual sound of a truck passing -- I got up and said, "Did we just have an earthquake?" Two other people came out of their offices and said the same thing. Then someone said, "It's still going on." I thought of putting something up on our newspaper website, but I didn't want to do it if a truck hit our office; we'd look rather stupid. Then a co-worker said her husband in Central Jersey also felt it, so we knew it was real.

And that's the exciting story.

As for the hurricane, we'll see what happens. As always, I have a link at the right to the gov't hurricane maps.

List

I am so honored that Carrie Pilby made the top 10 list today of a teenage reader, Lauren, who says she lives in a boring town in the mountains of Pennsylvania and has a lot of books. Thanks, Lauren!

Hey!

I do not think this is very nice.

Catching up

A few things:

1. To the lovely lass who commented that my coveted coconut patties can be found down South -- I know, but those all have chocolate on the outside, right? What I'd like to find are the ones with no chocolate. It seems as though only Criterion Candies in Asbury Park used to make them, and now they don't. Too bad - they were good! They came in vanilla and strawberry. Thanks as always, though!

2. Last week, someone on Amazon called the main character in my novel a "douche." On the heels of that, someone posted this comment on Goodreads. Ouch! Valid points, though. I know well that the novel isn't for everyone. Anyway, I responded.

3. I often make it seem like I posted these at a different time than I did. For instance, this one will say 12:06 a.m. even though I was sleeping at 12:06 a.m. I'm not so easy to pin down. Ha!

Have a good weekend!

Quote of the month

"Art can’t save the world, but it can make the world a lot easier to take." -- Kevin Smith

What I should expect someday?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8aprCNnecU

Better start making some cookies now...

Cape May

I didn't drink these.

I did eat this.

Quite a tree trunk!

Coming soon...

Photos from weekend in Cape May.

Random pix taken one morning last week

Blockbust

ME (passing movie theater): Movies out now: Bad Teacher, and Horrible Bosses.
HUBBY: What does that say about society?

Huh, uh...

I logged into this when I meant to log into something else.

So...hi everybody!

I hope you are having a good summer. Don't let it pass you by!

Another good song from a commercial

Are you ready, get set... The original song is better than in the NY Lottery commercial.

Although it reminds me of this other song that was in a car commercial last year.

Good fer nothin'

Babies R us has a coupon for 20 percent on any regularly priced baby item. Underneath it says:

Excludes ALL toys, baby food, diapers, formula, wipes, Ameda Baby Brezza, Baby Jogger, BOB, Britax, Bugaboo, Cybex, ERGObaby, Mamas and Papas, Motherhood Maternity, Nap Nanny, Pediped, Peg Perego, Phil and Teds, Robeez, Tommee Tippee, under Armour, electronic learning toys, netbooks, tablets, video game hardware, video games, Apple products, FAO, RobotGalaxy, gift cards, photo studios, phone orders, special orders, assembly fee, delivery fee, and shipping and handling.

Did they forget anything??

Summer scenes

A good day to play hooky

Alleyway, as seen from window of our building

Italian cookies from Giorgio's

True delight

Home from work, resting, feet up on the couch, and my infant son is snoozing comfortably in his playpen a few feet away.

Writing stuff

I love this. Just love it. It's from Glimmer Train, a lit mag. The guy writes, "This is a picture of me trying to write while caring for my one-year-old son, Colton. He’s made my process more erratic and uncomfortable, but he’s so damn cute...."

I also like his writerly wooden desk and accountant's lamp. But I could never write long-term on a laptop, and I don't know why people do it voluntarily. I'd get too hunched.

Also, new review of my book is up on Amazon. Yay! It's nice that people are still finding it, even years after it came out. She read it on Kindle.

Writergate

I often send risque Twitter pics of myself to all 9,564 of my secret lovers. I hide my identifying features so they can't tell who I am. But it recently came out that it's me. I'm not sure how anyone could tell! I hid everything important! How did they know?

?

The High Line

Ten new blocks of the high line in NYC will open Wednesday, extending it to 30th Street! It's an old railroad line that they've converted into a long walking trail/park.

We saw some pretty sights when we went, the perfect juxtaposition of meadow growth and urban industrial decay. We'll have to go back to see more, with baby this time.

Good morning!

Found the photo that went with my Wildwood memory, although it doesn't appear to be raining at that moment.

Nature in the city





Saw this a few blocks from my house yesterday.

I can't tell which of these it is, but it's sure pretty.

Update

From: George Karagias info@criterionchocolates.com
To: lizzner lizzner@aol.com
Sent: Fri, May 6, 2011 1:39 pm
Subject: Re: coconut

Yes, We made vanilla,chocolate, and strawberry cakes. They were uncoded ( no chocolate on them) and we no longer make them.

----- Original Message -----
From: lizzner@aol.com
To: info@criterionchocolates.com
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 1:17 PM
Subject: coconut
Hey, when you guys were in Asbury Park, did you used to make vanilla and strawberry coconut patties? I used to love getting those at the candy shops on the boardwalk. I don't remember if they were yours or someone else's. No one makes them anymore!

I want candy

A while ago, I wrote here about not being able to find my favorite vanilla fudge candies. Eventually I did.

Well, I have a new challenge. When I was a kid, the candy shops on the boardwalk at Asbury Park (Criterion Candies, maybe Fanny Farmer) used to have round coconut patties - both vanilla and strawberry.

I can't find them anywhere now, except maybe chocolate covered. I want to find them without chocolate. They're big flat patties, white or pink.

You are welcome to try to look on the internet, but you shan't find any either, I bet.

Last r0und of memories

Janelle wrote in with a chaper of a book she wrote a while ago. And another reader, Mickey, submitted this:

"I was ten years old in 1965 and we were on vacation at my favorite place in New Hampshire near where my grandfather had built a small diner. We would eat there a couple of times during the vacation.
"I remember that he served the greatest tasting ice cream ever made. I always would order a big serving of Coffee flavored ice cream. I have never been able to find any that comes close to that brand.
"Anyway this story is not about my love for that ice cream, however it is about love. That was the year that I met a girl from Maryland, Clarkesville to be exact. That was the summer when I fell madly in puppy love with a girl. To this day I can remember her house number.
"I didn’t know anything about the anatomy of girls back then, but there was something about her that made my head spin. I have many found memories about those summers spent in Merrimack County.
"Some wonderful memories were born on those vacations. My happiest days were spent with my brother and father fishing on Chase Pond. "

Blogfan Sam writes to share his childhood memory:

"I was maybe 4 or 5 years old. We lived in a huge house and rented out part of it on occasion, but it was empty at the moment. There was a phone on the wall, not yet in service. I remember entertaining my sister making "phone calls" to a make believe witch, and my sister laughing her head off. She didn't laugh a lot (still doesn't) but for some reason she was really laughing that time."

Thanks! I remember doing stuff like that with my brother too. In fact, that stirred more memories of my own.

I had a photo to go with my entry about Wildwood, and I was going to find it and put it up here today, but I can't seem to find the photo album now that has it. It's my mom and brother eating the pastries on that patio. That album must be in one of the moving boxes still. I will have to post it when I find it.

Any other readers who want to share some random childhood memories for me to post, e-mail 'em to me at lizzner@aol.com.

Random childhood memory

Some of our happy childhood memories are of big events, but sometimes it's something small and random that occupies a warm spot in our mind.

One of my random good memories is this:

My mom, brother and I are on vacation in Wildwood, N.J. with its boardwalk and fine sand and long strip of old hotels. One morning, we wake up to a steady, melodious rainstorm. It's the kind of rain that is strong but not pounding, and it provides a musical lull. Even though the beach is meant to be enjoyed in sunny weather, there's something calming about watching the waves roll under a stormy sky, and I don't mind the break from hot weather at all.

We head a few blocks to a pastry shop and sit at one of the outdoor tables under an overhang. There's a white railing around the patio, and as I eat my sticky bun, I watch the rain hit the railing and splash in different directions. Beyond that I see the little shorehomes of the town. Political stickers are plastered all over the poles, and a resident is dropping something into a mailbox.

It's just a calm morning scene I remember. Why has it always stood out? I have no idea. I don't remember anything else about that trip, just eating pastries in the morning in the rain and observing the town.

I bet you have a few kind of random memories like that, slices of life that are nothing fancy, but just make you happy when you recall them. What are yours? Tell me!

Mailbag

James from college writes:

Seriously, the best way I have found to bring our children up right is A) Be an example for them B) Role play, use examples from real life...how would YOU handle that? What would YOU do if... C) Give them plenty of opportunities to "do good." (or bad). Give your son either a lot of positive feedback if he does well or make it a teachable moment if he falls short. We are all works in progress.I am so grateful that you share your wonderful, joyous life with all of us via the Internet. Jim

I didn't bring my son to work today, even though it was take your child to work day. I didn't think I'd get much done, what with all the crying and pooping. And that's just from me - I'm sure my son would have done some of that, too!

How do you raise your children to be nice people?

There are several blog entries I've been wanting to write for a while. At some point I'm going to get to the one about turning 40, even though I may really be 50 by then. But at least I can trick people into thinking I'm younger.

Anyway, one quicker entry I wanted to write is this...

Everyone tells us our son is cute, and he is. But when he gets to the age when his personality starts to really develop, how do we teach him to be a nice person?

There's a line between being firm when teaching your kids to do a certain thing, and being so firm that they rebel and do the opposite. I guess most parents figure it out as they go, and reassess over and over again. There are some kids who aren't very nice when they're younger but gradually figure it out. We've all met them.

Things like rewarding good behavior and being strict about bad behavior are important, but more important is showing why, so they understand your reasoning.

How do you teach your kids right from wrong, particularly in how they treat other people? Stefanie Klein had an interesting blog entry about this a while back that I wanted to link to, so here it is.

Sports talk

HUBBY (watching Mets game): They're winning 4-0!

ME: Are they playing the worst team in baseball?

HUBBY: They ARE the worst team in baseball.

Baby's first seder

Street shots

Nice little ditty

Is it just me, or are there some interesting songs featured in commercials these days? I guess because of the internet, you can find out what song is being used a lot more than you used to.

Right now there's a Tide/"Future friendly" goods commercial that even shows the "Shazam" logo on screen, so you can put your iphone up to find out what the song is. I simply put Tide/Future friendly song into Google and found it.

And here's another song I liked from a commercial last year.

Ah, spring.

(The second one is the original. I played around with it on my computer to get the first one; not sure which I like better.)

Nice new review

I saw that someone visited my website today from Jamaica. Does that mean they're on vacation enjoying my book by the warm beaches? It's a nice thought.

Anyway, I saw there's a great new review on a site called Bookshelf Banter. Excerpt:

She is the most over-thinking over-thinker I’ve ever heard of, and coming from someone like myself, who overanalyzes Every. Single. Thing, that’s saying a lot! It was so much fun to empathize with another over analyzer and see how her brain flits so quickly from one line of thinking to the next. For example, in one scene Carrie starts wondering if polkas are Polish so she looks it up in the dictionary, next thing you know she goes off on some tangent that leads her to wonder about gypsy moths.

Back to the beach

Cape May shots from when we were there in 2009.

Saw this last time I was in NYC.