It is Vancouver’s East Hastings street.I left Salmon Arm, over a month ago, and arrived here, in rags and tatters.How can I describe Skid Row? Take an average man, get him drunk and high, and then smash in his face, again and again until he’s on the gr…
Continue readingTag: personal
A Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Today at the Beach
Rare and perfect summer weather–sunny and 26 (79)–lured me to the beach with M & H. We waded in the water; we collected rocks, just a handful of small ones for me, a lot of medium size ones for H, and M dragged home a bag full of heavy stones. She had a vision: a […]
wmtc: pupdate: mississauga squirrels continue to rejoice
We’ve just returned from our consult with an orthopedic specialist at the OVC in Guelph. Tal has been doing so well, she seems so improved, that I think many people would have cancelled the appointment. But remembering the kind of pain she was in two w…
Continue readingwmtc: trials of a student librarian: in which i confess to practicing my alphabet
In addition to writing a large portion of the final report for the “Private Eyes” research project, I’ve been stressing over something else – something I decided not to share, until today. I finally have an interview for a page position at the Mississa…
Continue readingwmtc: at the break
As we baseball fans say, we are “at the break”. The All Star Break begins today: three days without real baseball, plus this year an extra day off for our Red Sox. Although the actual halfway point of the season came last week, the All Star Break is a …
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Heat and Books
A high today of 33 (91.4F) with humidex that will be in the 40′s (100′s). So although I thought that I would be blogging up a storm after I handed in my draft, I’ve been slow off the mark. It’s much easier to lie around reading when it’s this hot. Today not even that–I’m taking […]
wmtc: personal update, freakout, apology, open thread
I have been asked to write the final report for my portion of the research project that I’ve been working on this summer. There’s a strict deadline – the grant ends on July 23 – and many, many loose threads to tie up. It’s a great challenge.In keeping …
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate: good news for squirrels
My poor little Bo! Earlier this week, Tala wasn’t able to put any weight on her right hind leg. I suspected a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament, i.e., main knee ligament). It’s a not-uncommon injury in larger dogs, something we went through with our…
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Done! And What I’ve Learned About Writing
The revision is back with my intelligent and meticulous editor. She’ll be reading through it and there may still be some tweaking to do, as well as the copy-edit, but the big work is really done. I’m excited…and scared! This has been such a long project. I began, 8 years ago, with an entirely different […]
wmtc: thank you, new york!!! marriage equality comes to my home state
New York State, thank you for doing the right thing! Forty-two years after Stonewall, same-sex couples have the legal right to marry in New York State. Whoo-hoo!New York is the state of birth, of my parents’ birth and even one grandparent’s, my home fo…
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Nearly Done
I’ve gone through all my editors’ notes and made all the changes–and have started one more run through to make sure I like what I did. I will surface soon–though I may need to do nothing but twiddle my thumbs for a couple of days. I’ve learned a lot and wonder if it will make […]
wmtc: watching the watchers: ipsi research day today
The project I’ve been working on – my summer position as a research assistant – is in the spotlight today, as two of the IPSI research teams give a public progress report.IPSI Research Day – Proportionate Digital ID + Video SurveillanceSponsor: Identit…
Continue readingwmtc: gardenette update
My little garden-ette is going gangbusters.
Originally:
The rose bush is to Cody’s right.
Then:
Then:
Here you can see how pathetic the rose bush had become.
And now:
Continue readingVancouver!
I ran away from home, and arrived in Vancouver. I’ve been staying on Hastings Street, mostly, being both homeless and unemployed.I’ve been finding life to be difficult, but no more so then in Salmon Arm. It’s about the same, really, but just more compr…
Continue readingwmtc: the half-century mark
I was born on June 13, 1961. I’ve been alive on this planet for 50 years today. And I’m pretty fucking happy about it.
In my belief system, we only get one shot. When we die, our bodies go the way of all organic matter, and that’s all there is. Prete…
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Busy Bee
I haven’t forgotten my blog–I’ve been busy with my draft, school concert, talking to teachers, a mysterious blistery rash on one kid’s ankle (poison ivy?) and so on. I was up at 5:00 am, hot and sleepless, so I’m extremely grateful for the cool breeze now blowing. I’ll catch up on my blog reading tomorrow, […]
The month of May
I’m glad May’s over. It’s been a long, long month.The disappearance of Neskie Manuel weakened my confidence. He’s intelligent, charasmatic, and has a record of achievement a mile long. If he hasn’t confidence, what hope do I have, being of so little ac…
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Page 262
I am pushing to get as far as I can today because tomorrow, with temp going up to 34C (that’s 93F) tomorrow, I have no expectations of getting anything done other than lying in front of a fan. I’ve been learning to be more careful and punctilious in getting characters from point A to point […]
wmtc: pupdate and other updates
On Victoria Day, we met our friends James, Lori, Cobalt and Denim at Cherry Beach, which has an excellent leash-free dog park area right on Lake Ontario. Getting together at dog parks on stat holidays has become a tradition for our two families, and I…
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Draft 10-A
This is it folks. The last draft. I got my editor’s notes–we had a wonderful meeting. I started yesterday.
Filed under: Literary, Personal Tagged: Writing Life