I was very pleased when my super-cool publicist Tracy Miracle put me in touch with the super-cool people at Teenreads.com and arranged for me to be a guest blogger. The result can be read here: Teenreads.com
It’s a very different type of blog for me. Much more “serious writerly advice” than I dole out here. Well, okay, perhaps not totally serious—there are several mentions of vomiting involved—but I really got into the spirit of things and had a great time writing this little article. They are having me back again for another guest blog in September so be on the lookout for that. Or, just check back here and I’ll be sure to remind you.
And stay tuned for more incredibly brilliant pictures from London (including a shot of a man who I am absolutely convinced is related to Albert Einstein!)
So, here I am with the family hanging out in London for a few weeks. My editor didn’t want me to get bored so she sent the copyedits for Beat the Band so I’d have something to do in between seeing priceless works of art and having tea with the queen. I have to say, it was fun rereading the manuscript. It’d been a couple of months since I’d sent it along and I was pleasantly pleased to visit with Matt, Coop, and Sean again. Plus, I got to add a few more funny jokes which I’m sure you’ll appreciate when you read it in September.
And now, onto the first of what promises to be many photo essays from this trip. Don’t worry. This is not your typical “Here’s what I saw on my vacation” photo show. No. It’s more of a glimpse inside my mind. Which can be scary at times. Also, I’m still trying to figure out this new camera (which I love, by the way) and so you will be treated to several photo studies that I have been conducting.
Enjoy!
Okay, so this one really is a “Here’s what I did on my vacation” shot, but I’m including it only to show you the beautiful interior of the Natural History Museum and to set the stage for where we are. Also, apparently you’re not supposed to caption your photos as they are supposed to speak for themselves. But I’m a writer first and I can’t help myself.
I’ve entitled this one “Speaks For Itself.”
Robert De Niro playing a dinosaur
Robert De Niro playing a big hunk of gold
Here I am practicing my isolation technique on an unsuspecting toy Brontosaurus.
This beautiful black and white image of the Prince Albert Monument requires no caption and so I’m not going to sully the experience of viewing it’s grandeur by trying to come up with some silly little comment like “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” or something. Just relax. Breathe deep. And experience…
And now, a bald man framed in an arch.
All right, seriously, I’m going to be quiet now because, really, this is too awesome for words. (Actually, now that I look at this one I realize it doesn’t translate so well to a website. Perhaps a caption would help it. If you come up with one, please email me or comment below).
Further isolation study, this one to do with a lion at Hampton Court - (you see, the background is out of focus which is something you just can’t do with your standard point and shoot cameras—I have to justify the expense of this camera somehow. Oh. Oh. Maybe I’ll write a book about a photographer… Or put some of my photographs in a book… then I can write the camera off… I think… I’ll have to check with my accountant…)
Depth of field! (That’s a little photography humor for you, there. Okay, let me explain. Depth of field means your photograph is in focus from foreground to background AND this is a field, sort of, so… let me try that one again.) Depth of field!
Me trying to make you sick.
Robert De Niro as a tray of eyeballs (and we see, this has become my fallback joke and another reason why pictures shouldn’t have captions)
Got to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law at the wax museum
Me and jolly King Henry VIII who, according to the people at Hampton Court - aside from having several of his wives killed, was also quite the tennis player and more of a misunderstood cuddly teddy than a tyrant. As you can tell by the picture, he’s got a great sense of humor, too.
P.S. I believe Emily in the comments below was trying to post this very funny video:
As everyone knows already, Canada won the gold medal men’s and women’s hockey games, which was the icing on the glorious Olympic cake that I got to eat for five incredible days in Vancouver last week. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know that going to the Olympics - and more specifically, Olympics hockey (and even more specifically, men’s Olympic hockey) - was something I’ve wanted to do before I take leave of this world. And I could not have scripted the scenario any better.
When I bought the tickets for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and gold medal game there was always the potential that I would not see Canada (and Sidney Crosby) play in any of these games. And while I would have been satisfied seeing the United States (I am still an American, of course) and/or Russia (they do have some of the greatest players in the world), it just wasn’t how I imagined it all when I made my bucket list.
It was always Canada I had pictured in my mind when I saw myself at the Olympics. Mostly because all of my favorite players over the years (Mike Bossy, Dennis Potvin, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Martin St. Louis, Roberto Luongo, Rick Nash) have been Canadian. Even though I grew up in New York. Rooting for the Islanders. It was always the Canadian players on that team who captured my imagination most.
And so, for me to have gotten to see Canada play Russia in the quarterfinals. Then Canada play Slovakia in the semifinals. And then Canada play the USA in the gold medal game. And win. In overtime. On a goal by Sidney Crosby.
I don’t know. It just felt absolutely perfect.
There’s not much more to say about it then that. Except to leave you with a few pictures:
Two great hockey countries
Two great hockey fans (yeah, that’s Gerry again. Can’t take a picture without him leaping into the frame)
Perhaps we like our hockey a little too much.
In the immortal words of Christopher Walken:
Right after the “golden goal”
The team celebrates with the crowd
Takin’ It To The Streets
And now, it’s back to reality. Although, my reality includes going to England for a few weeks (pictures forthcoming). It also includes handing in the final draft of the Swim the Fly script (hooray!!!), and writing a guest blog for Teenreads.com (hooray!), and doing copy edits for Beat the Band (hooray?).
