October 29, 2023

I went as "holy" for Halloween this year. I tried to find a halo on Friday, but would have had to purchase a set of angel wings to go with it, and that seemed like overkill, and an unnecessary addition to a local landfill. So I made a paper necklace with a drawing of an angel c/w a photo of Courtney Love (Kurt Cobain's GF; her band was called Hole in case you don't get the stupid reference). And I wore a pair of tatty jeans (holes not pictured) and drew arrows to my mouth, nostrils, and ears -- the holes in my head -- with lipstick (which are pictured but not clear). As my minimalist costumes go, this one was kinda meh. I definitely put more work into it than I would have liked.

 

October 26, 2023

Encore une fois.

 

 

Dear Anastasia Walker,

 

Thank you for submitting "The Monster in My Front Yard." We were glad to have the chance to read your work and were impressed by your writing. Unfortunately we were not able to find a place for it in the New England Review.

 

It’s an important part of our mission to seriously consider writing by new and emerging writers as well as by those we already know and love, so we read each piece with care. Because we are only able to publish a small percentage of the thousands of submissions we read each year, we often have to turn down very accomplished work.

 

If you haven't already, please consider staying in touch by signing up for occasional emails from NER.

Thanks again for sharing your work with us. Based on our reading of "The Monster in My Front Yard" we would like to see more from you in the future.

 

Sincerely,

The Editors

New England Review

October 15, 2023

Somebunny went to opening night of Pgh Opera's production of "The Barber of Seville" last night. Excepting some confusing stage business at the end of act 1 (introduced to divert attention from the very 18th century pacing of the aria, I suspect), it was a well done show, and the leads, in particular Figaro and the lovers, Rosina and Count Almaviva, shined, as did the gal playing the maid Berta. Inevitably, I laughed through most of the overture, though I admit I was a bit disappointed that not a single wabbit was killed during the performance.

 

 

October 14, 2023

I now have some necessary though not sufficient evidence that attending a Cello Fury concert at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont keeps the blue meanies at bay on a Friday the 13th.

 

October 9, 2023

I had both the new COVID shot and a flu shot this morning, and am now weighing the benefits of not having to go back for one of them later against the fatigue and aching (including pain in the hand of the arm I had the COVID shot in) that I'm now experiencing. However the math works itself out, one number is clear: an early bedtime tonight.

October 6, 2023

When you're cool enough to walk into a place that's too hip for you on a Friday night wearing a Ralph Lauren tee, khaki capris, AND a mask, ask the impatient backwards ball-cap bro for a recommendation for a beer to be used in a soup, and when he describes one option as a triple, reply, "Triple what?" 😎