Question Time 2014: Answers Part V

My visit to my old high school turned out well, even though I spent a few minutes sitting on a chair in the hallway outside the principal’s office. I spoke to the creative studies class, and told them how I went from writing for the school paper (the year of the infamous Cafeteria Exposé) to writing novels that are shelved in the school library. The kids were bright and eager and almost all of them stayed awake. Success!

Now, to wrap up Question Time 2014.

Dana Jean asks:

Can we ask personal questions? Are you a grandma yet? If so, Any thoughts for a children’s book?

Yes. No. No.

laurenob asks:

Does Secretariat belong on the list of the 100 Greatest Athletes of All Time?

Yes.

Exhibit 1: the 1973 Preakness. Secretariat breaks leisurely and is in last place after the opening quarter mile. But on the first turn, Ron Turcotte realizes what a deceptively slow pace the leaders are setting, and urges Secretariat to take control. Just look at the move he makes around the turn. Muscular yet effortless. He eats up the ground and the field, and keeps going, to convincing victory.

Exhibit 2: the 1973 Belmont. As they say in the law, res ipsa loquitur. The thing speaks for itself.

Chills. Every damn time I watch it.

Thanks for all your great questions, everybody!

Snow follies 2010

This morning we got about 5 inches of snow. I started the afternoon by acting out The Call of the Wild — hiking up to the main road where we had parked the car. That road was drivable, so we headed to the airport to pick up the Daughter.

Surprise: She wasn’t going to land. With her plane on approach after an 11 hour flight, snow closed the runways at Heathrow. So now we’re playing a new game. Airport roulette. Where will Kate’s plane land? Pick a country.

Updates to follow.

UPDATE: Looks like it’s Germany. The flight is on its way to Frankfurt. And thanks to FlightRadar24.com, I can at least watch the plane on its journey. I’m peering at the little yellow image of the 777 as it passes over Brussels. Hi, honey!

In the meantime… seen any good movies lately?

Contest 2010 winners will be announced imminently. Meanwhile, I’m revising The Nightmare Thief and laying traps for the phone company engineer O2 has — supposedly — dispatched to repair our DSL line and end the Broadband Death-match. If this guy actually shows, he isn’t getting out of here until the problem is solved. I need me my broadband. Bad. Oh, and I have a contract that requires O2 to provide it.

In the meantime, what’s the best movie everybody’s seen lately? I saw The Town last week and thought it was terrific — suspenseful, compelling, gritty, and believable. Still, the best film I’ve seen this year is Inception.

You?

Playing catch up

If my posts seem as brief as Morse Code, it’s because I’m still catching up on sleep, laundry, and email. I’m now down to one more load of colors and 114 emails in the inbox. Considering I started at 622, that’s progress.

And something else… oh, yeah. The book. I’m about 10,000 words behind where I’d like to be.

Back to it.

Road trip: New York

I’m saying goodbye to Orlando and heading for New York City. Talk to you in a while.