3-for-21

I did a year-end tally for submissions/grant applications. Out of 21 submissions, I hit on three (Dust&Fire journal out of Bemidji State, the Writer's Digest competition, and the Jerome grant). Overall 11 rejections, and I'm still waiting to hear on 7.

That is a 14% success rate (or 86% failure rate!). But I will always stand by my mantra that if you submit, submit, submit, something will stick. Who knows, maybe it will even be the big one. For this year, I would say the Jerome grant was the big one for me. I definitely had my heart set on it when I applied.

Fashion pet peeves

I don't know what it is, but I really cannot stand Uggs. Intellectually, I like them. I think they're cute. But it's the fact that I see them on most EVERYONE. At least, most everyone under the age of 22. I guess I've always revolted against trends. At the mall one night, I decided to count the number of Uggs I saw people wearing. Nine. And I was at the mall for 15 minutes.

But please, please, please, if you must wear your Uggs, please don't wear them over sweatpants. Jeans only, or some type of tight pant. Leave the baggy crap at home.

And I'm still seeing far too much fleshy skin hanging like dough over tight waistbands, skin exposed by too small, too tight tops.

And the soap I just used in the Caribou restroom smells like bad cologne that an unfashionable high school boyfriend wore. Bad memories.

Bush Foundation grant

I'm throwing my hat in the ring for the $48,000 Bush Foundation grant. With everyone else in the known world, I'm sure. But I will always say, time and again: Apply for everything and all things, no matter how far out of reach they seem. Something will stick at some point.

Weekly Reader

My Oct. 9 guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian/author James McPherson, was recently a guest on the New York Times Book Review podcast. The Weekly Reader leads to good things, ha ha!

Writer's Digest competition

In the mail on Monday I received a certificate for an honorable mention in the annual Writer's Digest competition. I entered "Dad Digs Uncle Davey's Grave" in the memoir/personal essay category. I entered the competition in 2007 but didn't place. This was my second attempt.

That makes four selections from the memoir that have received recognition and/or have been published. Now, I have to finish it!

Thank you, British Medical Journal

The editors at British Medical Journal have dared to point out what too many people are afraid of saying in this global-warming conversation: Fewer kids, smaller carbon footprint. No kids, really small carbon footprint. Thank you.

Read more here.

As I was doing the laundry one day, I was feeling kind of good about myself because I do three, maybe four, loads of laundry a week. In the summer, I try not to run the dryer at all, prefering to let the clothes dry outside. Then I was thinking, how many loads of laundry a week do parents with kids have to do? How many dishwasher loads? How many dirty diapers? I wondered why no one had been talking about this. Then comes the British Medical Journal article. I don't know really what I want to do with this information, since obviously the U.S. isn't going to become China anytime soon. But I like that it's being pointed out. I've made an active, conscious decision for 14 years to not have children, though global warming hasn't factored into the decision. But I like that it's a byproduct.

Great point about authors

Just read this post today (pointed out to me by the fine folks at Brevity).

What goes around, comes around in the world of literature. I guess I've been practicing this karma for years but never knew it.