tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140459842024-03-05T08:59:02.550-08:00Summer BlockUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger457125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-79704514219916598922017-05-24T13:19:00.000-07:002017-06-19T13:25:42.631-07:00Occult Los Angeles (And This Is Just The Beginning)<br /><br />I wanted to direct your attention to this piece I wrote last summer for The Towner, <a href="http://www.thetowner.com/occult-los-angeles/">The Architecture of Belief</a>, about (of course) Los Angeles (of course) and the occult (of course):<br />
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<em>Here is a story about Los Angeles: In 1935, a man who attempted to murder his wife gifted over 4,000 acres of land – previously owned by a man who had survived two attempts on his own life by separate, jilted lovers – to a corrupt mayor later driven from office by the efforts of a charitable Christian businessman with a side business in sexual novelties, who discovered that mayor’s secrets behind a false wall in a fake library. That businessman founded a thriving chain of restaurants built on the premise of giving away free food, one of which became the meeting place for a science fiction writer’s club, whose members included a man who conned a rocket scientist out of his life savings after first taking notes on how the scientist masturbated, and another man who convinced the city of Los Angeles to erect a three-story-tall fake Babylonian arch in the middle of Hollywood and then turn it into a shopping mall. This really happened, and I mention it here to remind you of the old saw about truth’s superlative relationship to fiction.</em><br />
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I've just started work on a book about the occult in the San Fernando Valley and I couldn't be happier. Have a story about goths in Burbank, psychics in the North Hollywood, or healers in Pacoima? Let me know!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-68472067474253544412015-11-02T15:22:00.000-08:002015-11-02T15:22:04.747-08:00One-Day Workshop: Getting Published<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/17.56px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Next month I'm teaching a </span><a href="http://writingpad.com/publishing-workshop-in-los-angeles/"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">one-day workshop</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> on navigating the world of submitting your work and getting it published. This is a great intro class for non-writers and those just starting out! Also you are 100% guaranteed to be published in the New Yorker within 24 hours of finishing this workshop</span>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-42323449055380517932015-10-01T09:25:00.000-07:002015-10-01T09:25:19.320-07:00Next Stop, WikipediaLast night J Ryan informed me that we now have <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6913846/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">IMDB pages</a> for the short promotional videos we wrote for the LA Music Center last year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-14263661303851970692015-09-16T00:15:00.001-07:002015-09-16T00:15:36.398-07:00Midnight MadnessI'm late to post this, but last month I went to New York to work with my friends Mat and Andrea on <a href="http://www.midnight-madness.org/" target="_blank">Midnight Madness</a>.<br />
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Midnight Madness is an annual all-night scavenger hunt and charity fundraiser on Wall Street. For the last year I've been working with Mat Laibowitz, the game's founder, to research, write, and test puzzles. During the event itself, I worked Game Control, helping to track and guide the teams through the city (and my husband Dev worked as Tech Support, installing and repairing game installations).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dev and his multimeter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrea installing some of the light boxes</td></tr>
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At Game Control:</div>
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There are some great articles about Midnight Madness <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/08/10/midnight-madness-wall-street/#Tgayv2S_qakT" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-17/all-nighter-of-puzzling-adventures-awaits-wall-street-s-wizards" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d02a3b8e-1edd-11e3-b80b-00144feab7de.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://observer.com/2015/08/midnight-madness-goldman-sachs-all-night-puzzle-hunt-raises-over-3m-for-charity/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2015/08/14/for-one-long-night-manhattan-was-turned-into-a-massive-game-for-hundreds-of-finance-workers/" target="_blank">here</a>, and especially this <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-08-10/the-midnight-scavenger-hunt-luring-wall-street" target="_blank">video</a>.</div>
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It was probably the most grueling 24 hours of my life, but I can't wait to do it again next year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-68651573040376785472015-08-26T11:07:00.000-07:002015-08-26T11:50:12.721-07:00In the classroom and on the airLast Saturday I was on the radio talking about - what else? - <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/07/so-you-want-to-write-a-shipwreck-song">shipwreck songs</a>! <a href="http://www.bobsnowakezone.com/">On Bob's No Wake Zone Boating Radio Show</a>, on KRMS 97.5. You can catch it in the archives <a href="https://app.box.com/s/kk5a2bing7ygsppg00wvpimewy071qfo">here</a>.<br />
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I was also a guest on the <a href="http://brockparty.podbean.com/">Brock Party</a> podcast recently, where I was talking about ghosts - and a little about shipwrecks.<br />
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Up next, I'll be doing a reading about Bollywood movies at <a href="http://machineproject.com/">Machine Project</a>.<br />
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Also I'll be teaching short fiction writing in two upcoming classes at The Writing Pad. The first is an <a href="http://writingpad.com/1-day-short-story-workshop-in-los-angeles/">intensive one-day workshop</a> on Sunday, September 27, from 2:30-5:30pm.<br />
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Then I'll be teaching a five-week short fiction class starting Sunday, October 4, 2:30-5:30pm, also at The Writing Pad. <br />
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Come sign up and hang out with me - there will be snacks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-47164009530340013062015-07-31T09:16:00.003-07:002015-07-31T09:16:45.079-07:00So You Want to Write a Shipwreck SongI'm back in The Awl today discussing <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/07/so-you-want-to-write-a-shipwreck-song">the only good kind of song</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-46431439744992452332015-07-03T15:17:00.000-07:002015-07-03T15:18:08.837-07:00The Least Dangerous GameA partial list of literary egg puns compiled by Aubrey Clayton and me, with contributions by Zac Lizer:<br />
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Eat, Pray, L'Oeuf<br />
How to Hen Friends and Eggfluence People<br />
Fear of Frying<br />
The Yolk and Its Relation to the Unconscious<br />
12 Albumen<br />
Our Bodies, Our Shells<br />
The Tragedy of Omelette, Prince of Henmark<br />
Upton Sinclair's "Boil!"<br />
The Huevo the Pilgrim<br />
The Kreutzer Frittata<br />
The Mayonnaise Waltz<br />
Thus Spoke Shakshuka<br />
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzoufflé<br />
The Poachman Always Meringues Twice<br />
Live and Let Dye<br />
The Scrambler<br />
The Soufflé Also Rises<br />
This Sunnyside of Paradise<br />
All Quiet on the Western Omelette<br />
Over-Easy of Eden<br />
Scrambler's List<br />
Croque Madame Bovary<br />
Don Quicheote<br />
The Deviled DictionaryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-35594382045061184632015-07-03T15:04:00.000-07:002015-07-03T17:06:19.650-07:00The Most Dangerous Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One great game to play with children at the Natural History Museum is to point to one of the dioramas and ask, "What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?" The answers may surprise you.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfxsMyeIxqvNeZNUEFEOmeE4UxHd71mjdHa0K7dtyoYvrRn3Ccq4WSFZVMDtokkHlHkhsoLOD9GEmCzCaNLqNTIEcAnXFfy4RAnHNt2Vi81xOk5455JjERqhOLMUkdQozc51v/s1600/IMG_20150703_120648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfxsMyeIxqvNeZNUEFEOmeE4UxHd71mjdHa0K7dtyoYvrRn3Ccq4WSFZVMDtokkHlHkhsoLOD9GEmCzCaNLqNTIEcAnXFfy4RAnHNt2Vi81xOk5455JjERqhOLMUkdQozc51v/s320/IMG_20150703_120648.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
No, actually it's the cape buffalo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b6rKYgoh1GjWBspxtLembyI027BOS1Paw2DCZBwHL9xaIPEUWM4n_YihG9c1RoXYcBV6SfBUb54Of4TFUXil-DGoRJqvLk5jrUH9xqLNDqLHhb-iHZWYQ2_uDMdEcpMuGvsr/s1600/IMG_20150703_124754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b6rKYgoh1GjWBspxtLembyI027BOS1Paw2DCZBwHL9xaIPEUWM4n_YihG9c1RoXYcBV6SfBUb54Of4TFUXil-DGoRJqvLk5jrUH9xqLNDqLHhb-iHZWYQ2_uDMdEcpMuGvsr/s320/IMG_20150703_124754.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
Yes, it's an elk, but not the one you'd think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcTByn7WozfQJyhGknIgFJWuyLejO9A-7M5-kq6DgJHYpSqVYP0W3cGAdp7MuWf4NdSr9UFD9tKTBDMzNMhbPXlWjDL42egJppZ0zzeVjG2Gqqn8Wft8xUtmTZRo7kH5wOUjX/s1600/IMG_20150703_124948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcTByn7WozfQJyhGknIgFJWuyLejO9A-7M5-kq6DgJHYpSqVYP0W3cGAdp7MuWf4NdSr9UFD9tKTBDMzNMhbPXlWjDL42egJppZ0zzeVjG2Gqqn8Wft8xUtmTZRo7kH5wOUjX/s320/IMG_20150703_124948.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
It's lupine, a poisonous woodland flower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMtBzqSUJVfZg-sn1Jt9oLtKJz6xRaSfZLAQz1oGHpNqlPPqFRFu1YGvGnPa3bSk_KfGTXE8mwlgEThVtSSRywxwkZyBeTBuOuy_ciepfiHawLifr5uTZXCXaO7_l6EiMm_wq/s1600/IMG_20150703_130406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMtBzqSUJVfZg-sn1Jt9oLtKJz6xRaSfZLAQz1oGHpNqlPPqFRFu1YGvGnPa3bSk_KfGTXE8mwlgEThVtSSRywxwkZyBeTBuOuy_ciepfiHawLifr5uTZXCXaO7_l6EiMm_wq/s320/IMG_20150703_130406.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
That lizard on top of the boulder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCe0FZ53C-7MHErVegbxjPW458MoRpWuQFWPEPr9BgEmd6BKy2PChqAcOrL2BzjDu7mfX0brZ8n4zBFIO_iu_TQBkQVzijEXYcNkL-BE7QO3N4Do2WdKPshtFyJna0maLZ0_/s1600/IMG_20150703_124911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixCe0FZ53C-7MHErVegbxjPW458MoRpWuQFWPEPr9BgEmd6BKy2PChqAcOrL2BzjDu7mfX0brZ8n4zBFIO_iu_TQBkQVzijEXYcNkL-BE7QO3N4Do2WdKPshtFyJna0maLZ0_/s320/IMG_20150703_124911.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
That fox's crippling depression.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiSeOOMG75PF16kx1-79itHHwBYH_zMEXSQGMyegkezFm-fJoqJNEqpimAG4ZEIcfiTh8PwWQ4MoHx79nJjN552MrMpy2qxqN4KK74paiuY-hYS7KRZ3IRK5YLfpVrjV5nQWn/s1600/IMG_20150703_124828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiSeOOMG75PF16kx1-79itHHwBYH_zMEXSQGMyegkezFm-fJoqJNEqpimAG4ZEIcfiTh8PwWQ4MoHx79nJjN552MrMpy2qxqN4KK74paiuY-hYS7KRZ3IRK5YLfpVrjV5nQWn/s320/IMG_20150703_124828.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
Your own unchallenged assumptions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSILW_GdSbsAkM0KXQxdMhYAautfjzPTdSlkWkhG_vBRPOkLORTYpsTLgq0kTSe-qaeOXCCIIpip6Esq-x6C_XaS7rgvvw-iyxKKrSDTQkJ0Sn979bUBf69vZQWTW5l8zKReq/s1600/IMG_20150703_125119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSILW_GdSbsAkM0KXQxdMhYAautfjzPTdSlkWkhG_vBRPOkLORTYpsTLgq0kTSe-qaeOXCCIIpip6Esq-x6C_XaS7rgvvw-iyxKKrSDTQkJ0Sn979bUBf69vZQWTW5l8zKReq/s320/IMG_20150703_125119.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
Over-reliance on hydroelectric dams.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnftORPDSlWDcQlvooO3B-QX3xWElPzcjnoMmWCEIE5VEEBkoksyLMjLj5JQo16hPscEt4vMVvPmYWeJu-3ihNxlfzGXEvNubnfeWiqyB5HaVPm8t1zt-UdxjnQkWefJ3CuVrl/s1600/IMG_20150703_124728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnftORPDSlWDcQlvooO3B-QX3xWElPzcjnoMmWCEIE5VEEBkoksyLMjLj5JQo16hPscEt4vMVvPmYWeJu-3ihNxlfzGXEvNubnfeWiqyB5HaVPm8t1zt-UdxjnQkWefJ3CuVrl/s320/IMG_20150703_124728.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
Climate change.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7WdhA_3ZrV3a6HoTnPaeihmGyQHZqTF-LkaCpG2OzCeAGzZaNJKrxRKeVIEa7FCLL-4IUiopU9HI8FFl-EkqJIMZgBEmT0ahSUxYeXJqsOKYLRWYlaK4AksHgOwz29VARuxF/s1600/IMG_20150703_130434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7WdhA_3ZrV3a6HoTnPaeihmGyQHZqTF-LkaCpG2OzCeAGzZaNJKrxRKeVIEa7FCLL-4IUiopU9HI8FFl-EkqJIMZgBEmT0ahSUxYeXJqsOKYLRWYlaK4AksHgOwz29VARuxF/s320/IMG_20150703_130434.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
The lead used to paint the backdrop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2eAErggewc_xulaqUzrZoJ3-nQ42V7R9qJm-QVrYM6JGY9Ir2DKCYchEQ8H8xmKlKIhEAOlSSeeefyue97cRHD1s9huQh13QJsT_r0gNqAJgJT71AextU5rHNZ_hxJGr9eYs/s1600/IMG_20150703_130349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2eAErggewc_xulaqUzrZoJ3-nQ42V7R9qJm-QVrYM6JGY9Ir2DKCYchEQ8H8xmKlKIhEAOlSSeeefyue97cRHD1s9huQh13QJsT_r0gNqAJgJT71AextU5rHNZ_hxJGr9eYs/s320/IMG_20150703_130349.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
Cosmic background radiation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiyiCj5MAQrk8Htm30wTib5KiL_LweW5cucwlge-jb0h6W3S4XZdVsRClTi5CkOf9a01G_I65_mnm5Pd0_MKb1lvJcILHEke7F4guhyC4OBhpKza6oBOC7fWXB4abIxuI1T99/s1600/IMG_20150703_130548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiyiCj5MAQrk8Htm30wTib5KiL_LweW5cucwlge-jb0h6W3S4XZdVsRClTi5CkOf9a01G_I65_mnm5Pd0_MKb1lvJcILHEke7F4guhyC4OBhpKza6oBOC7fWXB4abIxuI1T99/s320/IMG_20150703_130548.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
The baby hippo, who is going to grow up to be a spree killer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-OyKG3SxWpP8tjgcBiWLcxAxoKe23hI8MmYbt1rr6xk-BVo4G_DwL28tPiN0tMzI82nhVNU8OQBWxb-mCoj03ZrqSG7VHudxPZcEI8mMpXzdi7kdOwkmXpPrhUOOh4HUVGve/s1600/IMG_20150703_130500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-OyKG3SxWpP8tjgcBiWLcxAxoKe23hI8MmYbt1rr6xk-BVo4G_DwL28tPiN0tMzI82nhVNU8OQBWxb-mCoj03ZrqSG7VHudxPZcEI8mMpXzdi7kdOwkmXpPrhUOOh4HUVGve/s320/IMG_20150703_130500.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's the most dangerous thing in this scene?<br />
The baby chimpanzee, who is 10x more venomous than the adult.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-19084051740608899052015-07-02T22:13:00.001-07:002015-07-02T22:13:34.639-07:00How To Tell If You Are in a Dostoevsky Novel<em>"Every night Pontius Pilate berates you in a dream."</em><br />
<br />
I forgot to post this earlier, but check out my recent piece in <em>The Toast</em>,<a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/06/09/how-to-tell-if-you-are-in-a-dostoevsky-novel/"> How to Tell If You Are in a Dostoevsky Novel,</a> and a special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/nicole_soojung">Nicole Chung </a>for being the most helpful and patient editor ever.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-46271675302459931662015-06-03T14:35:00.002-07:002015-06-03T14:35:24.836-07:00Without a single apology to John Keats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-GrW6IBGw-famUt6In8J6jvT_Dqpf0jrdKHhmYuMX06KEqjSrdi49mVUFY7r0qcOywzJ-UqSBTuk_Ml4FAHv1ERVdJnaoKu8V9CG7p9-LC1TZ-J90NYBL2KiIYg7_NXVAFSE/s1600/mall.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-GrW6IBGw-famUt6In8J6jvT_Dqpf0jrdKHhmYuMX06KEqjSrdi49mVUFY7r0qcOywzJ-UqSBTuk_Ml4FAHv1ERVdJnaoKu8V9CG7p9-LC1TZ-J90NYBL2KiIYg7_NXVAFSE/s320/mall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
"O Weazel Ball, tumble on! Bold weasel, never canst thou clasp thy prize!" is the best line I have ever written or ever will.
<br />
<br />
Check out <a href="http://the-toast.net/2015/06/03/ode-on-an-abandoned-shopping-mall/">Ode on an Abandoned Shopping Mall</a> today on The Toast. With hilarious illustrations by <a href="https://twitter.com/sawdustbear">Shing Yin Khor</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-18898865272051481492015-04-29T09:43:00.000-07:002015-04-29T09:43:08.317-07:00Eating Kids, on The Awl<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"Made you eat your kids" was the "your shoe's untied" of the ancient world.</em></div>
<br />
I'm back on <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/04/episodes-of-eating-children-in-ancient-greece-ranked-in-order-of-unreasonableness">The Awl</a> this week discussing the ancient Greek penchant for cooking and eating kids: "<a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/04/episodes-of-eating-children-in-ancient-greece-ranked-in-order-of-unreasonableness">Episodes of Eating Children in Ancient Greece, Ranked in Order of Reasonableness</a>."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-50356417037955074262015-04-15T13:30:00.000-07:002015-04-15T13:30:09.307-07:00Thomas Hardy and E. M. ForsterThank you, <a href="http://ambernoellesparks.com/">Amber Sparks</a>, for my sharing my new favorite author meeting story:<br />
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"Thomas Hardy once took E.M. Forster to his personal cat cemetery, and made him walk around for like an hour while he named all of the cats buried there (and there were many) and told Forster how they lived and how they died."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-72774809103286900582015-03-27T23:11:00.000-07:002015-03-27T23:11:14.325-07:00Hot Dish Brunch is Back!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3LsVjPXICA0G1hEy0lE_gbw0jEZS_DCiptRKFmO_0fmjX1X8ilWqC4cIrA1MNKdQeve6kTMj-AOb_qyNSUE0-79cfVqcN9jrwP1JoFCUFQulrCllWi4Yan0oecZEylCJwFTKNg/s1600/hot+dish+brunch+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3LsVjPXICA0G1hEy0lE_gbw0jEZS_DCiptRKFmO_0fmjX1X8ilWqC4cIrA1MNKdQeve6kTMj-AOb_qyNSUE0-79cfVqcN9jrwP1JoFCUFQulrCllWi4Yan0oecZEylCJwFTKNg/s1600/hot+dish+brunch+party.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HotDishReadingSeries?fref=ts" target="_blank">Hot Dish Reading Series</a> returns to <a href="http://826la.org/" target="_blank">826LA</a> for its third annual brunch party!
And we're recommended by both <a href="http://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/things-to-do/hot-dish-brunch-party" target="_blank">Time Out</a> and <a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/03/27/50554/free-weekend-nike-s-ginormous-shoebox-store-sweet/" target="_blank">KPCC</a>!<br />
<br />
Featuring readings by Dorothy Fortenberry, James Hannaham, Ana Kasparian, JJ Keith, Samantha Powell, and Lilliam Rivera, plus a full brunch spread and beverages!
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Admission for all of this is only $10, one hundred percent of which goes to support the student programs at 826LA.<br />
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Check out our Facebook event page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/794672627253611/" target="_blank">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-17330520999887433352015-03-26T21:06:00.002-07:002015-03-26T22:00:32.270-07:00The Best Places to Get Free Coffee in Los Angeles<em>"When the Great Old Ones are recalled to power someday, they will be summoned right here in the Valley, in a strip mall between an El Pollo Loco and an adult bookstore."</em><br />
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Check out <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/03/the-best-places-to-get-free-coffee-in-la">The Best Places to Get Free Coffee in LA</a> - my first time in The Awl; not my first time talking about free coffee, PTA raps, LSD-laced sugar cubes, Freemasons, or the Deep Valley.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<em>"The truth is, I can’t imagine living without constant low-level embarrassment about my teeth, like the roar of silence in a room after someone turns off the TV."</em></div>
<br />
Meanwhile, on Medium, I published <a href="https://medium.com/human-parts/the-list-3f291e73ae6e">The List</a>. This will probably be the only time I discuss my butt on the internet, so get on it. <br />
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Also, while we're talking about Medium, <a href="https://medium.com/human-parts/you-have-plenty-of-time-to-love-them-later-1a553d2e9dc8">You Have Plenty of Time to Love Them Later</a> is at more than 213,000 views!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-44505584988168565552015-02-17T22:17:00.000-08:002015-02-17T22:17:03.082-08:00Take that, Radiolab!*<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: 33px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>What has studying the infinite complexity of the indifferent universe taught you about yourself and your personal relationships?</em></span></span><br />
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Check me out on <a href="https://medium.com/@summerblock/syllabus-for-sci201-popular-science-64e026b17bba">Medium</a> skewering popular science journalism.<br />
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* <em>Just kidding, guys.</em><br />
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<em></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-18708175620737070602015-02-17T22:13:00.001-08:002015-02-17T22:19:55.598-08:00Updates This WeekA few of the projects I'm doing these days:<br />
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I've been working with startup <a href="http://evertoon.com/" target="_blank">Evertoon</a> to create short, funny YouTube videos that showcase their text-to-video app. The first one was posted <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FNR10E0WOE" target="_blank">here</a> just in time for Valentine's Day.<br />
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I'm also continuing to do content writing for the smart home automation company <a href="http://www.cliqk.com/" target="_blank">Cliqk</a>, as well as maintaining their social media accounts.<br />
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I'm now helping out <a href="http://826la.org/" target="_blank">826LA</a> writing product copy for their awesome <a href="http://www.timetravelmart.com/" target="_blank">Time Travel Mart</a> - look for Tiny Tim's Instant Gruel and Lil' Gutenberg's Moveable Type Kit soon.<br />
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My very best assignment, though, is definitely working with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathew_Laibowitz" target="_blank">Mat Laibowitz</a> on his projects, <a href="http://thisisendgame.com/" target="_blank">Endgame</a> and <a href="http://www.midnight-madness.org/" target="_blank">Midnight Madness</a>, researching, writing, and testing scavenger hunt puzzles.<br />
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In addition to these regular assignments, I'm writing pieces for<em> The Toast </em>and <em>McSweeney's, </em>plus publishing on Medium. My most recent piece on Medium is <a href="https://medium.com/@summerblock/syllabus-for-sci201-popular-science-64e026b17bba" target="_blank">here</a>. Another one should be out this week. (And amazingly my last Medium piece, <a href="https://medium.com/human-parts/you-have-plenty-of-time-to-love-them-later-1a553d2e9dc8">You Have Plenty of Time to Love Them Later</a>, is now at over 207,000 views - thank everyone so much for their support and kind words!)<br />
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I'm also working on a new comedy series, "The Best Places to Get Free Coffee in Los Angeles."<br />
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I haven't started revising my play <em>The Nightmare Box</em> yet, but I will definitely start doing that any day now.<br />
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Also, I've been thinking over the possibility of a novel, a modern retelling of Flaubert's comedy <em>Bouvard et Pécuchet</em> about internet culture. I'm still in the reading and research stage, but feeling excited.<br />
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And last but definitely not least - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HotDishReadingSeries" target="_blank">Hot Dish</a> brunch is back! Join us Sunday, March 29th to hear readings by Dorothy Fortenberry, James Hannaham, Ana Kasparian, J.J. Keith, and Samantha Powell.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-2872041156213096972015-01-28T12:43:00.002-08:002015-01-28T12:43:46.742-08:00You Have Plenty of Time to Love Them LaterWow, what a week! I am very pleased - and more than a little surprised - by what a great response I've had from <a href="https://medium.com/human-parts/you-have-plenty-of-time-to-love-them-later-1a553d2e9dc8" target="_blank">You Have Plenty of Time to Love Them Later</a>. <br />
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I originally wrote this as an email to my friend Sommer Browning when she was pregnant with her daughter. I decided to post it on Medium on January 7 and since then it's been viewed almost 200,000 times and counting. And I've gotten so many nice notes and messages from people all over the country, too. Thanks, everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-51862241436168186772014-11-24T10:05:00.000-08:002014-11-24T10:05:57.217-08:00Magical Thinking<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 6px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
"For Christmas this year, my daughter wants Santa to bring her a magic wand that allows her to enter books and movies, interact with the characters, and change their outcomes . . . She also wants the wand to resurrect the dead, though she adds this bonus feature as something of an afterthought, like a stand mixer that also makes sausage."</div>
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I'm back on <a href="https://medium.com/@summerblock/magical-thinking-33f073f64221" target="_blank">Medium</a> talking about adult American Girl fans, ontological freakouts, and Lovecraftian horror.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-51938767143473804332014-11-12T13:11:00.002-08:002014-11-12T13:11:31.656-08:00Modeling on Medium and More from the Music Center<em>"In the nicest shot Beatrice is sitting on an overturned trash can with a giant pink plastic flower in her hair, but somehow she makes it look good, which is probably the definition of a born model."</em><br />
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I have my first piece up on <a href="https://medium.com/human-parts/from-here-to-there-28d6e0bc827" target="_blank">Medium</a>, discussing my complicated feelings about Beatrice's short stint as a clothing model. So far I'm really enjoying the Medium interface, I think I'll stick around.<br />
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Also, there are more Music Center episodes up! Check out #<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwi9J8t6Us8&list=UU7goLAlvlrLwfcrHsMw_89g" target="_blank">7</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDzJS1B6IcY&list=UU7goLAlvlrLwfcrHsMw_89g" target="_blank">8</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs-Do7TAKFM&list=UU7goLAlvlrLwfcrHsMw_89g" target="_blank">9</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Qca57FVak&list=UU7goLAlvlrLwfcrHsMw_89g" target="_blank">10</a>.<br />
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Lastly, I've started working with the home automation startup <a href="https://cliqk.com/" target="_blank">Cliqk</a>, writing some of their web and social media content and generally helping out.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-30055567019752113132014-10-30T15:57:00.002-07:002014-10-30T16:00:25.323-07:00Up This WeekJust catching up on the last week's events and publications.<br />
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"Discoballs are the new teen danger drug of choice. Teens across America are snorting this mixture of powdered caffeine and glitter that was first popularized by hip hop musician KR4FT*Z."<br />
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I have a piece in <a href="http://therumpus.net/2014/10/funny-women-122-five-disturbing-teen-trends-every-parent-should-know-about/" target="_blank">The Rumpus</a>, "Five Disturbing Teen Trends Every Parent Should Know About," including discoballs and lumberjacking. (And thanks to Dev, who invented the idea of lumberjacking.)<br />
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The Music Center posted more videos from the series I wrote with J Ryan Stradal. Here so far are episodes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geTeOlFOtfs" target="_blank">1</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHNA0GsSRhI" target="_blank">2</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzvyXfUNYaQ" target="_blank">3</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc5czUDp-H8" target="_blank">4</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKIsM0IgkTU" target="_blank">5</a>, and<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8SKt9KKIvo" target="_blank"> 6</a>.</div>
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There's a whole campaign of games, contests, and giveaways, so check it out and get involved.</div>
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The Dinner Party Hot Dish was a success! Absolutely packed, and with nice write-ups from the<a href="http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-north-hollywood-litcrawl-returns-sat-20141020-story.html" target="_blank"> Los Angeles Times</a> and <a href="http://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/l-s-lit-crawl-big-getting-bigger/" target="_blank">Los Angeles Magazine</a>. Look out for the next Hot Dish (probably) sometime in December.</div>
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And last, today I'm on the <a href="https://www.dwellable.com/blog/Get-Spooked-at-L-A-s-Best-Haunted-Houses" target="_blank">Dwellable blog</a> talking about some of Burbank's best residential haunted house attractions.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-2382926202527330782014-10-16T23:59:00.000-07:002014-10-16T23:59:04.251-07:00Ghost Photography<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw0V4hRXDkU0GRKKX3eIGWycBLNbQ0EGcg3ZXRLNRqf7uR5_zkruAcXbIZR8o5pM647DR-oVMeoe8_L38L1p5k15KnsOFtaOKYjbpyF_dsVd_TBT0CmSBlKWzwTbRWJc5xuHU/s1600/ghosts1klasnfklsna.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/24px proxima-nova, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/24px proxima-nova, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/24px proxima-nova, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 12px/24px proxima-nova, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I really love <a href="http://dangerousminds.net/comments/artist_paints_generic_ghosts_over_found_photographs_to_haunting_and_nostalg" target="_blank">this series by artist Angela Deane</a>, adding a "sheet" of white paint to found photographs.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-72096045310132659982014-10-16T23:43:00.000-07:002014-10-16T23:43:07.332-07:00Growing up in LA, and more from the Music CenterToday I have a short list up at <a href="http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/6070-growing-up-in-la-means-" target="_blank">The Bold Italic</a>, 20 things about growing up in L.A.<br />
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And another #Playlist video, this time Episode 2.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dHNA0GsSRhI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-24051720682824641402014-10-14T22:40:00.001-07:002014-10-14T22:47:54.904-07:00LA Music Center #PlaylistBack in June, <a href="http://www.jryanstradal.com/" target="_blank">J Ryan Stradal</a> and I wrote a series of promotional spots for the <a href="http://www.musiccenter.org/" target="_blank">L.A. Music Center</a> called #Playlist. Now the first one is up <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geTeOlFOtfs" target="_blank">on YouTube</a> - check it out and stay tuned for 19 more. (And clicking "Like" wouldn't hurt either!)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/geTeOlFOtfs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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You can also <a href="https://twitter.com/MusicCenterLA" target="_blank">follow the Music Center on Twitter</a> to keep track of all of the games and contests we devised as part of the #Playlist series.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-35562663219030141552014-10-02T14:38:00.001-07:002014-10-02T14:38:31.481-07:00Everyone Believes In At Least One Crazy ThingI'm so pleased to be <a href="http://jezebel.com/truth-everyone-believes-in-at-least-one-crazy-thing-1641325445?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow" target="_blank">on Jezebel</a> today! <br />
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Tracy Moore had some nice things to say about my piece in <a href="http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/5782-navigating-all-the-fringe-beliefs-in-la" target="_blank">The Bold Italic</a>, "Navigating All the Fringe Beliefs in L.A."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14045984.post-42649225956648041242014-09-25T20:20:00.002-07:002014-10-13T15:28:50.388-07:00Dinner Party Hot Dish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMCWZmCq5FaM11n-nKkDyRJt9MDJYNgXYjwvmsezWwjwcJLO8h8oRjH8gv6leTNl71KC6NX_nxINqduBaCXlE39QD6NBY6x22tVkOZVtX5CT4EN5r7y9PjJJnvYQNPTRgHf6W/s1600/hot+dish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMCWZmCq5FaM11n-nKkDyRJt9MDJYNgXYjwvmsezWwjwcJLO8h8oRjH8gv6leTNl71KC6NX_nxINqduBaCXlE39QD6NBY6x22tVkOZVtX5CT4EN5r7y9PjJJnvYQNPTRgHf6W/s1600/hot+dish.jpg" height="400" width="377" /></a></div>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The Dinner Party Download and Hot Dish are </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">teaming up for Dinner Party Hot Dish, an evening of short dinner-party anecdotes, stories, and asides from Rico Gagliano</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">, Davy Rothbart, Lou Mathews, Kent Woodyard, and me. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">And as if that's not enough, Chef Rossi and his culinary students at the Art Institute will be serving a thematically-appropriate menu inspired by our stories:</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Spaghetti Noodle Baskets with Sweet Potato</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Blistered Brussels Sprouts and Pickled Radish</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Scallion Blini with Beef Bulgogi and Pear Salad</span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Dr. Pepper Braised Pork Gordita with Fried Shallot Slaw; and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Rum Cakes with Candied Walnuts and Rum Glaze and Matador Sugar Garnish.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It's all part of Lit Crawl LA: NoHo. Come check it out! Wednesday, October 22, at 9pm.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 14px/19.31px Helvetica, Arial, "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Find more info and RSVP <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/809408999110145/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com