NYT: Competition for Preschool

The NYT post on Preschool Competition sheds some interesting light on tot and parent preschool preparations. I have heard about this for years being a problem in highly populated metro areas, but it sounds like you can get involved with this sort of competitive schooling (and so early) just about anywhere. 


What's your take on this? Share your opinions and maybe we can help a few parents and kids. 

Granting Exclusivity - Thoughts from Ask Allison

Here is a Q&A about granting exclusive rights. Writers be aware of the ups and downs of an agent's interest in your manuscript. Read more here...

Why is it so hard to get an agent's attention? - the Weekly Weeder

The Weekly Weeder: Why is it so hard to get an agent's attention?: "Why is it so hard to get an agent to even read my work? And what can be done about it? The other week I passed on three chapters of a..."

What's New on the Tube?

It’s winter and what is an expectant couple to do after the sun goes down – besides sleep? How about enjoying as many uninterrupted, DVR’d shows as they can before it all gets turned upside down? Oh, yeah!

So, here are some recent debuts and a few up and comers. The ‘What Is It’ blurbs come from Television without Pity’s Winter Preview (link below). I follow up with my take on the shows. Check it out and decide for yourself.

Harry's Law (debuts Jan. 17, 10 PM, NBC)
What Is It: Kathy Bates basically plays the House of the legal world. She's a curmudgeonly lawyer who was fired from her job and opens a new firm in a shoe store.
Should You Watch?: Yes. It's Kathy Bates. If you don't tune in, she'll come find you and tie you to a bed and do all manner of unkind things to you.

My take: I checked out the pilot on replay because there was not much else on that night. It’s cool that this is based in Cincy and it helps that it’s not about another slick, big city law firm. Toting at windmills? Maybe, but the law impacts people and it was good to see someone working for justice, not just playing for politics and self-gain. Needs polishing and a following to make it. Need to find someone with multi-DVR capabilities since our house tunes into Castle Mondays at 10pm.

Fairly Legal (debuts Jan. 20, USA)
What Is It: A lawyer gets tired of the system and decides to become a mediator.
Should You Watch?: No. Sounds like every other USA show, but even more cookie cutter.

My take: Were we lacking neurosis in San Fran already? I liked parts of it, but thought the pace was purposely rushed at times and some character traits forced. Kate’s a San Francisco mediator with an attitude instead of a highly intelligent, OCD-plagued, wipe-toting detective. She tries to help keep the family biz going after her father’s death. By the end of the show she has cleverly solved some cases, but calls her dead dad’s phone and shares wine with him after confiscating his ashes from the widow/wicked stepmother’s office. This show needs time and work.

The Chicago Code (debuts Feb. 7, 9 PM, Fox)
What Is It: It's the newest cop drama from Shawn Ryan, who created The Shield and Terriers. It stars Flashdancer Jennifer Beals as Chicago's police superintendent and Brotherhood's Jason Clarke as a retired cop trying to clean up the city. 
Should You Watch?: Yes. It may not be as gritty as The Shield, or as quirky as Terriers, but it has potential.

My take: Still mad that NBC dropped Life, so we’ll check out this cop drama and hope for the best.

Body of Proof (debuts Mar. 29, 10 PM, ABC)
What Is It: Dana Delany is a badass brain surgeon who got in a car accident, injured her hand so she can't operate and must now settle for being a really awesome medical examiner who likes to figure out how her "patients" died. 
Should You Watch?: Yes. It's a little bit Crossing Jordan, a little bit Quincy and it has Dana Delany.

My take: We’ll see, since I still think of her strength in China Beach, but it conflicts with another show. Maybe by then the other show will be in rerun phase, I can hardly tell anymore since the networks went rogue with their year-round schedules. 

Get more show info at: http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/winter_preview/winter_preview_2011_what_looks.php

Beware the Turbroccicken

We were having one of those days. The kind of day where everything’s just slightly off – no matter how much or how hard you work. After having a day like that all we wanted was to settle in and try to relax. 

Then came dinner. There was a plan, but the best laid plans... So I started gathering ingredients only to find a key component missing from our cupboard. Okay, time to improvise. Then the next box of anything I checked expired last year. And so it went. I scrambled for substitutes while my kid wanted help with a new game and my husband walked in after his long day.

Great, it’s already time to eat and dinner’s not even started. We talked briefly about what to do. Our weary words and choices reflected our tiring day.

Let this serve as a warning – do not attempt this at the end of your next long day. You really don’t want to end up with Turkey stuffing, cream of mushroom soup, chicken and broccoli – or what we fondly refer to now as Turbroccicken. Think an odd mix of poultry flavors in a creamy stew of stuffing and undercooked broccoli. And yes, it tastes pretty much how it sounds. Not good. We ate what we could and let the kid have cereal. You can bet we will not make that again. 

Chaucer meets the Mamas and Papas

I had a lot of fun watching this video and I hope you do too! This is a group singing about Chaucer to the Mamas and the Papas tune "California Dreamin" and let's say, they do a great job singing and telling a story. 


:) Enjoy! 


http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2011/01/the-mamas-and-the-papas-and-the-chaucer/

Scattered

While I was contemplating this post, so many things came to mind that I thought it would be smart to just let it fly. If you’re wondering what’s on my mind these days, prepare yourself. This is as the title indicates, scattered. Perhaps it should be classified as an exercise in writing, clearing the mind, venting or something like that. Call it what you will, any brain, especially one taxed with paying bills, chasing kids, figuring out life’s meaning and more has a right, on occasion, to be scattered.

• Chicken Saltimbocca – will I make that new Cooking Light recipe or are we going to be searching the dregs of our freezer for dinner tonight?
• D-D-Dora, D-D-Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer
• Really Gwyneth? We’re supposed to believe every mom’s typical day includes voice lessons and a girls’ night out?
• Was I hallucinating when I read about a winter boredom buster that included face painting your walls with the kids?
• Am I getting enough fiber (bathroom break) – How can I get more fiber?
• When is this kid coming?
• What will we do when this kid finally arrives?
• How can we afford a personal trainer, landscaper, chef, nanny and cleaning crew?
• When is tax day this year?
• Tsk, tsk, Brandi Favre. What does one have to be doing at a meth house to need a cleansing before the police can interview you?
• Can I get out old spit up stains from onesies that were washed, dried and packed away nearly years ago?
• Does it matter if the next kid wears onesies with little spit up stains – maybe if they are layered under other clothes it won’t matter?
• When is dinner and who the heck is coming to fix it and clean up when it’s over?
• Happy Thursday – the weekend is almost here!