Leftovers

December blew in with 60 degree temperatures and 40 mile-an-hour wind gusts. Gotta love New England weather. So, much like the weather, this blog is full of unexpected, changeable tidbits....totally transition free.


World Recorder Holder

I have a colleague now claiming he's the fastest 5-second Button Pusher in the world (at least in the greater Hartford area).

I say claiming only because I have not yet received verification from Guinness Book of World Records, but I have no doubt that his hold on the record is indeed true.

Apparently, if one visits the new science museum in Hartford, one may compete to top the button pushing record (currently a staggering 169 "presses" in 5 seconds). I witnessed my colleague's manual dexterity the other morning as he demonstrated his two-finger "pressing" speed by tapping the top of a student desk. His fingers moved in a blur.

Another colleague has nicknamed him The Hummingbird.


Book Fair

Bacon Academy is holding a book fair fundraiser at Barnes & Noble in Glastonbury from 9AM to 10PM tomorrow (December 5). Just mention Bacon Academy at the regoster and a portion of the purchase goes toward buying books for the school library.

Several staff and students will participate by doing readings, storytelling, etc., and it should prove to be a festive day in honor of promoting literacy.

My good friend, John Stanizzi, will read his poetry at 2PM. He has two published books, Ecstacy Among Ghosts and Sleepwalking (available through antrimhousebooks.com).

I'm slated to read from The Mist at 3PM, then take questions about the whole writing process, landing an agent, trying to get published, etc....

If you're in the area, swing by. Should be a fun time.


Positive Rejection?


I've made it a habit of being rather forthcoming in sharing my experiences in my attempt to get The Mist published and in the hands of readers.

Last Monday, we (meaning my agent and me) received word from an editor from one of the "big" houses. The personal note was mostly positive, but with just enough negative that the editor decided to pass on the book. There are still 9 other houses to hear from, so we're still hopeful that we'll find a home.

In the meantime, I continue to work on the sequel. Hit the 160 page mark earlier this week, and I'm pleased with the progress over the past month. I just wish I could carve out more time to write.


Speaking of World Records


One of my students recently announced to the class that her parents were upset at the number of text messages she had sent from her phone last month.

"Well, how many did you send?" I asked.

"13,000," she responded, matter-of-factly.

"13,000? How is that humanly possibly?" I asked.

The room erupted with a chorus of affirmations and series of head nods. "Oh, it's possible, Mr. A," said one boy.

Lets break this down for a moment, shall we?

13,000 text messages in a month.

On average, that's 430 messages a day.

27 messages an hour for every waking day (assuming 8 hours of sleep).

Wow.

TTYL :)