Friday, October 31, 2003
Halloween Candy. I came upon some good new words today on a website called Daily Candy. If you don't know it already, the site offers great recommendations about restaurants, shopping, books and the like in New York, LA, and a bunch of cities. They also compile hip new vocabulary that much younger and trendier folks are using. Here are my two faves taken directly from the sixth installment of the Daily Candy Lexicon. "Yellular: The loudness one adopts in response to a bad cell-phone connection, in the misguided hope that talking louder will improve the connection. ("I'm so embarrassed. I went totally yellular at a restaurant last night.") Crappuccino: A poorly made coffee beverage that cost upwards of four dollars." There's nothing worse at Starbucks than someone going yellular while waiting for a crappucino, don't ya think? (Check out Daily Candy and sign up for their daily email.)
# posted by Ben : 9:51 AM
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Wednesday Night Book Club. Just finished a thought-provoking reading group chat (by speakerphone) with some fun and very smart women in West Chester, Pennsylvania, 40 miles outside of Philadelphia. One of the club members -- Dianne -- contacted me by e-mail this morning and we managed to set up a call in the evening. When I invited candid comments about The Man Who Ate the 747, they certainly didn't hold back. Among other topics, we discussed the title and whether it draws readers to the book or turns them away. It's a good question ... I've heard from many people who were engaged by the outlandishisness and quirkiness, and it's certainly easy to remember. But I've also encountered folks who found it rather strange and unappetizing. Bottom line: a split decision. Feel free to share your thoughts. PS - A special salute to Sue in West Chester who was especially honest about her problem suspending disbelief when it came to airplane eating. The conversation tonight felt especially invigorating, and a big reason was that Sue didn't pull her punches.
# posted by Ben : 10:30 PM
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Scorecard. The night out with the Spirit of '76 gang was terrific. For the record, the imbibing was only modest, perhaps since it was a school night.
# posted by Ben : 1:18 PM
Monday, October 27, 2003
NEBA & Beyond. Delighted to report on my first road trip for the new book: A stop on Sunday in Providence, RI for the New England Booksellers Association annual convention and then on to Marblehead, MA -- the setting of the story -- for a visit with the inimitable Bob Hugo and the staff of Spirit of '76 Books. NEBA was fascinating. I had the chance to meet some of the feisty independent folks who do battle every day with the big book chains. (With some 400 members, NEBA bills itself as the largest regional association of independent book stores in the country). In Marblehead tonight, I'm getting together for dinner with owner Bob Hugo, CEO Abbi Deeran, store manager Hilary Emerson Lay, and the terrific Bantam sales team. Our destination: Maddie's, the legendary local pub with the stiffest drinks in the Northeast that features in my book. If I can type tomorrow, I'll post the relevant stats on who drank what and how much!
# posted by Ben : 1:57 PM
Friday, October 24, 2003
It's a good time to be a worm... I love stories about medical breakthroughs and always imagine a loud cheer (or squeak) from mice -- yes mice -- around the world whenever scientists cure some dreaded disease in lab rodents (with human testing years and years and years away). Today, I imagine worms are in high glee. The journal Science reports that humans could live and prosper for hundreds of years if -- a very big if -- our bodies only functioned the same as slithery nematodes. By modifying genes and hormones, Portugese and American scientists stretched the lifespan of the roundworm Caenorhabditis (pronounce that!) elegans six times. By human comparison, the worms stayed healthy and active for 500 years! Of course, there's a price (Faustian bargain?) involved. Worms with the longest lifespans also had their reproductive systems removed. You tell me: Is it worth it?
# posted by Ben : 6:38 PM
What happens when we die? Where do we go? Is there an afterlife? I spent a few years thinking about these mysteries as I worked on my new book, and I just came across an interesting new opinion survey. Fully seventy-six percent of Americans believe in Heaven and 71 percent in Hell. Sixty-four percent believe they'll enter the Pearly Gates while a mere one-half of one percent think they're damned to Hell. So what exactly is Heaven? Forty-six percent think it's a "state of eternal existence in God's presence," while 30 percent consider it's "an actual place of rest and reward where souls go after death." Fourteen percent say it's just "symbolic." Only five percent claim there is no afterlife and another five percent aren't sure. What do you believe? Share your thoughts with an e-mail. (The poll of 1,000 people was conducted by the California-based Barna Research Group, a marketing firm specializing in Christian cultural trends).
# posted by Ben : 3:48 PM
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Mystery solved. Why did the Niagara Falls guy go over the edge? In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Kirk Jones explained he had lost his job and been depressed for months and believed "it wasn't worth going on" with life. After surviving the plunge, however, he now thinks that "life is worth living." In the hospital where he is recuperating from the ordeal, he apparently gave a handwritten note to another patient that said: "When you are feeling down, just remember the power of the Niagara." The power of Niagara? Hmmmm.
# posted by Ben : 7:49 PM
Okay, I'm a little obsessed with the Niagara falls guy ... Kirk Jones ... who went over the Canadian Horseshoe Falls without a barrell or life vest and somehow survived. Trivia question: Who is the only other person without protective gear to have survived the plunge? Answer: Roger Woodward in July 1960. Woodward was 7 years old when he went over the edge after a boating accident on the Niagara River. He escaped with a minor head injury. Today, Woodward is a business executive in Huntsville, Alabama. The enterprising Associated Press tracked him down for comment about the latest case, and he said: "If it's a stunt, I think it's silly foolishness and I don't want to have anything to do with it."
# posted by Ben : 7:57 AM
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
I can't resist mentioning the most incredible news story of the day: A man apparently survived the plunge over Niagara Falls yesterday without a barrel or life vest. Kirk Jones of Michigan is the first adult to accomplish this insane feat, going head first over the edge of the 173-foot Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Witnessess watched the "smiling" fellow shoot over the brink and somehow crawl to safety at the bottom. Apparently, a friend videotaped the incident -- so stayed tuned. Was the man suicidal or was this a whacko PR stunt? I can only imagine the mad scramble at the networks to "book" the guy for an interview. Prediction: the video will air within 48 hours.
As a boy, I was always fascinated by the daredevils of Niagara. Survival never guaranteed much more than some bumps and bruises.
Annie Taylor, the so-called "Heroine of Horseshoe Falls," was the first to make it over in a wooden barrel in 1901. She was 63 years old and dreamed of riches but died penniless.
Englishman Bobby Leach mastered the falls in the first steel contraption in 1911 and spent six months in the hospital recuperating from his injuries, only to die years later after slipping on an orange peel. As for Kirk Jones, the latest to make it over the falls? Police plan to charge him with illegally performing a stunt. The fine: $10,000.
# posted by Ben : 11:59 AM
Monday, October 20, 2003
Greetings. This is my first attempt at blogging, so think of it more as a trial run than a post.
I'll be back often with miscellaneous thoughts about writing, books, life and the world. I'll also post as I travel during the launch of my new book.
So stay tuned, please check back when you have a chance, and don't hesitate to e-mail thoughts or questions: ben@bensherwood.com.
That's all for now. More to come soon...
# posted by Ben : 8:54 AM
