July 13, 2006

My angle is the Anglo-Indian half-breed treeplanter

A curious little piece on the B.C. books no one will pay for has attempted to write yet.

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July 12, 2006

And now for the magnifying glass and the tweezers

The CBC has an interesting article on the socio-political importance of a French-Algerian soccer hero and "the headbutt heard round the world":
Both racism and economic disparity have gripped France this past year, causing riots in the streets. But as France continued to divide herself from her African, Muslim and immigrant children, there remained a ray of hope through Zidane and the multi-ethnic French team. Here was the one man everyone in France loved.

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July 11, 2006

Customer service (2)

Some comments on the comments dilemma of a few days ago when all was potential and people weren't gloat-cruising up and down the streets of my neighbourhood with Italian flags hanging out their car windows:
Reader #1: "Sometimes I wish your masthead might change colors or something, but really who cares about mastheads."

CG: Either the wallpaper goes, or you do?

Reader #2: "I have a big mouth and a right to voice my opinion so please add a comments feature to your blog."

CG: All right, I'll think about it. I'll seriously work on adding a comments feature. Just for you. Really, just for little old you! But remember, if my mother starts correcting your grammar, it's your own damn fault.

Reader #3: "You big pussy."

CG: Basically, yes.
We thank you for your interest. We really do. If there's anything else we can do to assist you, please don't hesisate to email us again. Your reading pleasure, you see, is of utmost importance.

posted by Charlotte at 11:43 AM | permalink | email it |0 comments

July 10, 2006

Zizou, in the eleventh hour of a tie game, headbutts Marco "The Menace" Materazzi in the chest while a few billion people look on

I can see Zinedine Zidane retiring to the movies. Doing scenes in an inky-blue desert night, Bedouin robes billowing in the wind, sitting around a campfire smoking a pipe while his various wives run around in circles chasing runaway sparks.

posted by Charlotte at 9:40 AM | permalink | email it |0 comments

July 7, 2006

Customer service

This morning I received an email from an anonymous reader in Dallas, TX: "Why don't you have comments on your blog?" My concerned friend in Texas, there are a few reasons why not, though I did consider it for some time before crippling that function in my blogging apparatus: 1) I'm afraid of ending up with a torrent of feedback the likes of "Can't satisfy your girlfriend?" and "Try the new weight loss miracle herb!" 2) I'm afraid of ending up with no comments at all save those left by Ma G. 3) I'm afraid of comments (An author, Pisces--terribly sensitive).

Dear people, you have no idea just how boring it is to get no feedback whatsoever. Absolutely no fun at all. I've been encouraging you all telepathically to send me email in a bid to make this place more interactive. I think you may be shy. Or perhaps you're just worried I'll blog your correspondence (I might, come to think of it). Anyway, consider it. And get back to me. Oh, and don't forget our separate repository for all your heavy-duty criticism/lambasting needs: the Complaints Department.

posted by Charlotte at 9:56 AM | permalink | email it |0 comments

July 5, 2006

The 650,167,316th richest person in the world

In a single act of internet jujitsu, they took me by the pocketbook narcissism and threw me down into shame and charitable donation. (Stolen from Susie.)

posted by Charlotte at 10:58 AM | permalink | email it |0 comments

July 4, 2006

Happy July 4, American friends

Independence Day is the title of one of my favorite novels. It's also a day with lots of Pabst and picnic table activity in the U.S. A celebration of the greatest power-to-the-people event in American history. Now the D. of I. is a crusty old document kept in the National Archives in Washington and G.W. is overdoing it again with the barbecue sauce of presidential authority. But there's hope, I keep hearing, hope! It's that spry, mercurial Al Gore again. Click here first for bugmenot logins to the full-text article.

posted by Charlotte at 9:55 AM | permalink | email it |0 comments

July 1, 2006

Read me

Here is a short little essay I wrote for the most excellent Event Magazine called "Made You Look." Click here to download the PDF. It's in the most recent issue's Notes On Writing section, which features authors talking about writing, avoiding writing, getting in close personal trouble for their writing, etc. Click here to get Adobe Acrobat, if you don't already have it.

posted by Charlotte at 10:48 AM | permalink | email it |0 comments