Decorating for Halloween

My Internet has been down for four days now and blogging has been impossible. However, I discovered this wonderful app on my phone that let me at least do this tiny post. We are beginning our Halloween decorating and here is a brief look at our work in progress.








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Holly Park Blvd SW,Huntsville,United States

Everyone Judges The Judge

Eek! The time has come.

Three months ago I agreed to adjudicate in the Nottingham Writers' Club summer prose competition. I have now received the manuscripts and I have a few weeks to come up with a winner, a second and a third. Not only that, I have to publicly justify my decision for choosing the top three places and write critiques for every single entry.

This will not be news to those of you who have done this sort of thing before but this is a first time for me and I'm a bit apprehensive. I'm only just starting to get accustomed to people asking my opinion on writing-related topics. “You what? You want me to read the first three chapters of your novel and tell you if I think it's any good? How would I know? I can't even get Woman's Weekly to accept any of my stuff.”

It occurred to me that, while sportingly applauding the winners and commiserating with the also-rans, anyone else reading my fellow club members' efforts will be at liberty to question my decisions. I now know what it must be like for a football referee. A player may make several mistakes during a game – miss a few passes, commit a few fouls. But if the ref makes an error of judgement it's the talk of the terraces. Likewise the X-Factor panel. If their choices don't line up with the general public's opinion then they are lambasted in the press.

Anyway. Can't sit here blogging all day. Somewhere there's a block waiting for my neck to be placed on it.

Getting in Trouble Looking for Ghosts

I spent this weekend at my sister's wedding.  She was married at The Cranbrook House and Gardens.   The house was beautiful, dark, and filled with wood paneling and old Gothic touches that made it feel more haunted than Hillhouse.  I could almost imagine it whispering to me.   I hadn't done any research into Cranbrook House and I had no idea if it was haunted, but I wanted to find out.

So I did what I always do.  I snuck around and asked random people uncomfortable questions.   This works very well in the South where people are friendly and love to talk.  It did not work out well for me in Michigan.  I snuck upstairs, where a lady found me and yelled at me very angrily. I asked her about ghosts and she said no ghosts and gave me the look I give my children when they ask me if they can have chocolate ice cream for breakfast.  I skulked downstairs, determined to unravel the secrets histories of the old house.   My sister told me there were rumors of a painter who died in the house.  I knew his ghost must be hiding somewhere.

I started taking pictures.  The same lady found me. She told me I couldn't take pictures that weren't of the wedding.  She yelled at me again and sent me on my way.  Now, she had her eye on me.  She knew I was trouble.  I snuck off again, but this time I did a better job and was able to snap a couple of pictures, but she found me again and yelled at me again.  At this point, I gave up.  It was my sister's wedding and I didn't want to ruin it with my strange ghost hunting behavior. So I never found any ghosts at Cranbrook House, but I was part of a beautiful wedding on a chilly autumn day and that is better than ghosts.

Phillip's Attorney

We have a dispute with:

Stat Medical

709 S Lane St, 

Seattle, WA 98104

They supplied us with Medical Equipment that failed to meet UK safety standards.

We have an agreement with them that states if any purchase fails to meet safety standards, we should notify them within 28 days of delivery of the goods for a full refund or exchange. The agreement also states that the refund or exchange will be processed within 14 days of receipt of the returned goods

We received this goods at our warehouse on the 20th Jan 2012. The seller was notified on the 26th of Jan 2012, that the goods have failed to meet safety test. The goods were immediately returned back and delivery was confirmed by the seller on the 28th of Feb.2012.A refund of $700,000.00 was due on or before the 14th of March 2012, but till date we have not received any money for the returned goods.

I have contacted them numerous times and my last conversation from them, they offered to exchange the goods. An exchange is not acceptable as we no longer stock this company products for safety reasons.

We need your legal assistance in resolving this dispute.Please advise me of the best approach to deal with this matter, If filling for a law suit will be appropriate.

If you require any more details, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Philip John

Purchasing Manager

Meridian Medical 

8 John Adam Street,London WC2N 6EZ

Tel:+44 203 514 3586 Ext.3309,

Fax:+44 844 774 7905

> 

> On Sep 13, 2012, at 5:01 PM, "Philip John" <info@bislaw.com> wrote:

> 

> > 

> > We are interested in utilizing your firm for contract and business

> > litigation matters.

> > Please advise if is an area of your practice.

> > 

> > Philip John

> > 

Making Short-Term Goals

I recently read a post by one of my friends discussing various (financial) goals she made for herself and accomplished, and it made me seriously consider the state of my own affairs/life. Yes, I've graduated from law school and passed the bar, and yes, I've been scrambling to find a job, but I haven't really sat down and analyzed my goals in a logical, coherent way. I'm a person who bites off more than she can chew, and I tend to overwhelm myself with goals, which is why I rarely make them. I, instead, mostly focus on the little things day by day, and hope that I eventually reach the big picture.

While I realize a large part of my frustration has to do with the (shitty) economy and lack of (respectable) legal jobs for new graduates, there has to be a better way of approaching my joblessness and mounting desperation resulting from the realization that I may be, quite possibly, a true member of the boomerang generation. Thus, I sat down and asked myself DATES I'd like to have certain things materialize by, and what I would need to do in order to accomplish those goals. This was difficult, because a lot of my aspirations have everything to do with other people and their decision to hire me, which is something I can only marginally control.

Nonetheless, I've created a list of goals that I hope to realize within the next few months. Here goes....

These months are the tentative dates I hope to have these particular things accomplished by, and while there are some big ticket items on there, I realize I may not accomplish things in this order. However, there's nothing I like better than crossing stuff off a list, so wish me luck.

What goals are y'all seeking to accomplish in the next few months?

Dirty Harry

A couple of weeks ago we had a poetry workshop at Nottingham Writers' Club run by humorous poet Les Baynton. The task he set us was to write a poem in twenty minutes, one of the choice of themes being the recent episode with Prince Harry and those pictures. I couldn't come up with anything at the time although many attendees did manage some very funny pieces.

Events have moved on since then but I thought I'd be a good boy, do my homework and try to complete my effort. It has gone down well at my two writers' clubs so here it is.

                       Flash Harry
Oh, Harry, you've been such a daft Silly Billy,
Showing the world your bare bottom and willy.
Didn't you realise there'd be such a drama?
Now everyone's phone has a digital camera.

Why spend all your spare time with airheads and fools?
Getting drunk and displaying the Royal Crown Jewels.
You're an officer and gentleman in your granny's army.
You shouldn't be acting all wacky and barmy.

You should follow the lead of Prince William and Kate.
They know how to be dignified and sedate.
Wait! What am I saying? They managed to shock us.
When your sister-in-law showed a neat pair of knockers.

I may need to delete this post if they decide to serve me with an injunction.

All things dark and wondeful: Movies that I love this fall!

Over the years, some of my favorite movies have been dark movies for children.  Long before I had children, movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride made me giddy with dark delight.  They featured ghosts, ghouls, and all things dark and wonderful.  That is why this year's movie selection has made me particularly ecstatic.  Here are the three films that have made going to the movies one of my favorite activities this Halloween season.

Paranorman...... I loved this movie.  It is the simple tale of a boy who sees dead people.  Although that plot may not be original, its presentation is utterly original.  The boy uses this gift to save some zombies and defeat a witch.  This movie is fabulous and funny.  I would watch it again and again.

Hotel Transylvania.... I haven't seen this one yet, but I can't wait until it is released.  This is the tender story of a vampire daughter and her overprotective father.  It looks silly, funny, and filled with all the haunting things that make fall fabulous.

Frankenweenie..... This one I think will be my favorite.  Of course, I can't be sure.  But this cute story of a little boy who brings his dog back from the dead sounds like just the right mix of touching and twisted to make my holiday season a more than joyful occasion.

Of course,  all this makes me particularly happy since my middle grade book, The Monster Hunter's Manual, is coming out soon and it seems to capture this growing market of my favorite things.  I hope this trend lasts, for more reasons than I can count.