Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!









UPDATE: How I did this.

• Put the camera on a tripod.
• Set ISO to 400. (Or play with other ISOs.)
  
• Set camera to the TV setting (the one where you can choose the shutter speed.)
• Choose anywhere from a five to eight-second exposure (or however long it takes you to write what you want to write.)
• Write from left to right (how you normally would) and then flip the picture horizontally once you download it so it's not backwards.
  
• I didn't use a flash, but you could experiment with one.

Some more tips:

• We learned that printing works better than writing cursive.
• Once your sparkler is lit, hold it at your starting point until the shutter is depressed, then start writing.
  
• Hold the sparkler on the end point until the shutter closes.

What to Drive, What to Drive...

I'm at my mom and step-dad's house in Illinois for a week.

My sister and her husband took my mom's car to the Shedd Aquarium with the kids.

My mom took my step-dad's car to play golf.

My step-dad collects classic cars and took his El Camino to breakfast.

All I'm saying is that there's no one here to stop me from taking one of these to Starbucks:




I think I like the blue one best:

Mother Lover

I keep meaning to post this. You know the Justin Timberlake/Andy Samburg "Mother Lover" SNL skit? At the beginning of it they walk out of the jail that's in my neighborhood! The same jail I wrote about in Save Karyn. In fact, I'm pretty sure the whole skit was taped in the 'hood.

Here's a pic that I took this morning.

Okay, that's all!

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Joe Jackson

Here's the reason Michael Jackson was so screwed up.



Joe Jackson on the red carpet at the BET Awards two days after his son died talking about his new record company.

Daily Tweet Roundup

Me, today:

• Finished Eclipse. Definitely the best of the first 3. Now I'm in a coma from not sleeping well the past few nights. Need Diet Coke. #
• Wondering if it's really necessary to put on a bra to go to the corner store. #
• Packing to go to Chicago for a week. What to bring, what to bring... I have a real issue with packing light. #
• I don't like Weeds this season. Except Uncle Andy. I'll always love Uncle Andy. #

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Daily Tweet Roundup

Me, today:

• Re: Twilight series. When are they going to have vampire sex? I mean, it's 4:30AM & I need to go to sleep. Have vampire sex already. Please. #
• Have you ever closed a laptop on your nipple? It doesn't feel so good. (I was lying down and using it; it was resting on my belly.) #

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I'm Officially Thirteen Again

Not only am I reading the Twilight series (I'm on Eclipse right now) and loving every minute of it, but I was browsing the magazine aisle at the grocery store yesterday when my sister looked over at me and was like, "Are you reading Tiger Beat?"

I was.

(There were glossy pictures of Robert Pattinson inside—shut up!)

iTunes Charts

iTunes bestsellers right now... nine of the top ten songs and albums are by Michael Jackson.



Actually, if you click through to view the top 100 songs, about 40 of them are by MJ as well.

Angel

So sad. RIP Farrah.

Daily Tweet Roundup

Me, today:

• New Moon. Page 336. I've figured out what's going to happen. And the foreshadowing with R&J Don't say a word til I finish! And yes, it's 3am #
• Sometimes I call my niece "Babe" and sometimes I call her "Boo." I just combined the two and accidentally called her "Boob." Whoops. #
• My niece just pointed to a couple of freckles on my arm and goes, "KK, are those nipples?" #

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Mama say, mama sa, mama coo za

RIP MJ.

Daily Tweet Roundup

Me, today:

• Dear Stumped in Texas: No, I'm not the redhead in the Peg Egg commercial. My husband isn't in it either. Thanks for asking! #
• If I blow dry my hair in the kitchen I can leave the AC on w/o blowing a fuse. Considering the bathtub's in the kitchen, I'm fine with this. #
• I just met w/Justine to become a Gap Brand Enthusiast and she took me shopping and gave me free clothes! Justine is my sugarmama. I luv Gap. #
• I wish my gym had doggie daycare so I could bring Bev. She'd really like the wak to and fro. #
• Twilight: I've suffered through the first 167 pages of New Moon; hope it's going to get better soon. #

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Daily Tweet Roundup

Me, today:

• Tonight is the first annual Boerum Hill Pub Walk for all my Brooklyn neighborhoodies reading this! Deets here: tinyurl.com/n3elav #
• Why oh why have all the Brooklyn subway trains stopped working? #
• Just beat 15 people to a cab. I rule. #
• Just saw Away We Go with @districtbelle. Delightful, amazing soundtrack, I heart Dave Eggers. #

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Awesome Writer Chicks

I keep meaning to blog about this. Last week the hilarious Jen Lancaster came to town and invited me out for drinks. She was at Buddakan with a bunch of lovely lady writers and I went and had an amazing time. Everyone was so nice and I actually ended up staying out until 3 AM with two of them (McCandless and Siana are nothing but trouble...) We somehow ended up in the penthouse of the Hotel Gansevoort with a couple of British footballers who also happen to buy racehorses. I don't know... maybe it'll end up in a book someday.

Anywho, here's a list of everyone who was there that evening along with the books they've written:

Jen Lancaster

• Bitter is the New Black
• Bright Lights, Big Ass
• Such a Pretty Fat
• Pretty in Plaid

Sarah Grace McCandless

• Grosse Pointe Girl: Tales from a Suburban Adolescence
• The Girl I Wanted to Be: A Novel

Jolene Siana

• Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter

Tatiana Boncompagni

• Gilding Lily
• Hedge Fund Wives

Stacey Ballis

• Inappropriate Men
• Sleeping Over
• Room For Improvement
• The Spinster Sisters

I now have a big reading list for summer. Please check out their books!

Boerum Hill Pub Walk

I'm so sad that I can't go to this, but for all my neighborhoodies reading, tonight is the Boerum Hill Association's first annual Boerum Hill Pub Walk.

Modeled after "Original London" Pub Walks, this pub walk will follow a trail highlighting Boerum Hill's role in history, from key revolutionary war battles to the home of Mohawk Indian steelworkers, all centered around short pit stops at 3 history-laden local pubs along the route - the Brazen Head, the Brooklyn Inn, and Hanks Saloon.

Tickets are a mere $10, but do not include drinks (some pubs have promised you all special discounts.) Walk begins at 7:30 PM sharp, and is limited to 20 participants. Meet outside Trader Joe's at SW corner of Court & Atlantic.

Board member and tour organizer Chuck Wells said:

These Pub Walks are going to be a fun way to discover (or rediscover) Boerum Hill as a small group taking a relaxed walk. If there's strong interest we can always add more dates to accommodate more people. And for later in the year, we're planning a second Pub Walk to focus on the history of haunted spots in the neighborhood. If nothing else, it'll be a great way to meet neighbors and soak up the amazing history of our little part of Brooklyn."

So anyway, so sad I can't go, but next time I'm in!