Friday Reads: In the President’s Secret Service

This week’s review:  In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect, by Ronald Kessler (2010 paperback reprint). Short review: Highly recommended, with relatively short chapters and entertaining “behind the scenes” anecdotes about the Secret Service and U.S. Presidents from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama. Available on Amazon.com in hardback, paperback and Kindle editions.  Longer review below the fold. 

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Of Maidens and Missiles

On October 28: 1886:  President Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty.  The statue (originally titled “Liberty Enlightening the World”) was placed on Bedloe’s island in New York Harbor, which was renamed “Liberty Island” in 1956.  The statue was not declared a national monument until 1924, by which time it had already welcomed more than 12 million immigrants to U.S. shores. 1962:  Nikita Krushchev agreed to remove Soviet nuclear missiles from Cuba in return for the United States’ promise to respect Cuban sovereignty, ending the two-week standoff remembered as the “Cuban Missile Crisis.” What makes this day important for you?

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Wednesday Writing: Called on Account of Bugs

I had a fantastic Wednesday Writing Challenge lined up for this week, including a surprise guest-blogger to respond to the challenge, but Sunday night I discovered I’d brought an unintended souvenir home from my recent trip to Southern California. A bug. More specifically, a flu bug. And not just any flu.  I’ve spent the last 48 hours alternating between unconscious and heavily medicated (so, basically unconscious), and although I’m peeking out into cyberspace again, I’m far from well enough to give this challenge the attention it deserves. That said: tune in next week to see the new challenge and my

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Howling at the Moon – and Fake TVs

October 26 is official “Howl at the Moon Night.”  The moon is slightly past full, but get out there and give it a wail anyway.  It’ll cure what ails you. And while you’re out, you can plug in a Fake TV to fool the burglars.  The coffee-cup-sized device produces a flickering light that apparently looks like television from outside the house.  It even comes with a timer so you can set it to come on at dusk and remain on for a pre-set amount of time. We’ve had automated on-off switches for lights for years.  It surprises me a little

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On Angering the Technology, Part Deux

Last week I explained why we do not anger the technology. If only I knew. Last night I returned from a weekend business trip, fired up the laptop (which performed perfectly out of town) and heard a Very Bad Sound.  The kind of sound you do not ever want to hear from your computer.  The kind of sound that suggests your ASUS laptop has decided to start a new career as a lawnmower.  Or a paperweight. Fortunately, it didn’t blow up or start smoking (like the lawnmower…but that’s another story) and this morning I took it in for repairs.  As

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One Now at a Time

Many of you know (and many more do not) that my dad died a couple of years ago.  He and I were very close, and his passing had a tremendous impact on my life in more ways than I have time or space to go into here. One of those ways, however, has proven an unexpected blessing.  You see, when my father died, I didn’t just inherit his truck, his favorite rug and his cantankerous attitude. I also inherited his friend Sam (that isn’t his real name, but it will do, especially for those who get the reference). Sam called

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Wednesday Writing Challenge: Seeing the Unseen

Last week we talked about observation. This week’s writing challenge: take one of those “invisible” objects and describe it from the point of view of someone for whom it would not have been invisible. Here’s mine: My eyes scanned the drying racks, seeking the piece I wanted.  Someone had moved it to the back.  Reaching between a pair of porcelain plates, I wrapped my hands around the smooth, narrow neck, just large enough to have heft without losing its sinuous lines. I laid the unfinished vase on the table and admired the speckles in the clay.  No opaque glazes this

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Look Out…It’s That Guy Again

Yesterday at Whatever, John Scalzi mentioned the concept of “narrative usurpation” – essentially theft of a narrative line by a minor character who decides to come on the scene and steal the show.  In his words, “characters who show up in a story and are so entertaining that you forget whatever else is supposed to be going on and just pay attention to them instead.” From an editor’s perspective, these characters must be leashed, or they run off with what promised to be an interesting tale.  From a writer’s perspective, they’re both blessing and curse.  On the one hand, I

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Do Not Anger the Technology

I have a new motto. Here’s how it happened. I spent Saturday evening playing World of Warcraft with friends.  About 9pm, my laptop lost connection to the Internet, knocking me offline (in the middle of an instance – my apologies to the consequently-dead).  This happens sometimes, because my office lies about as far from the router as it’s possible to get without standing outside the house. I normally play with the settings until it reacquires, but given my gaming status I decided to take a shortcut.  I returned to desktop, told Windows to restart, and immediately stripped off the power

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Friday Reads: Waiter Rant

Waiter Rant, by “The Waiter” (to preserve the author’s anonymity, though he’s now identified himself as Steve Dublainca) is one of the best narrative nonfiction books I’ve read this year. Short review: Highly Recommended, but with an asterisk for language (explained below).  Waiter Steve Dublainca’s debut novel is a fast-paced narrative about his life as a waiter and restaurant manager in New York City.  His ironic humor and eye for detail make this well worth the read. Available via Amazon in Kindle, hardcover and paperback.

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