A Few of the More Bizarre Things on My Packing List

• Glue sticks (yes, in the plural)
• Alcohol wipes, and Purell, and Kleenex
• Pins for blocking a sweater

Should Be Subtitled "And I Want to Die"

My coworker pointed out this loathsome article in The New York Observer today: My Book Deal Ruined My Life. Maybe I'm just a tree-hugging, sea-loving nobody from the Pacific Northwest, but if the fact that it's from The New York Observer doesn't say it all, the title most certainly does.

Yep, it's another drama-entrenched tale of woe discouraging would-be writers from picking up their pens. I've seen so many of these articles in the past two years that I'm beginning to think it's a conspiracy. The journalists who write these articles must be so bitter about their three dust-collecting manuscripts they want nothing more than to destroy any potential competition.

The Key to Success

As heard in passing: "I've found that if you just say a lot of random stuff and act like you know what you're saying, then everyone will believe you're really smart."

Or in my case, I'll think you're really, really stupid. Though I suppose it's easy to mistake a look of disgust to be a look if admiration.