Don't Eat Much

    

 

 

Tucson Weather Today

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You know what the secret to weight loss is? Don't eat much.
 --Simon Cowell

I know that I have used the quotation above in an earlier blog entry but it is such a brief and concise thought that it bears repeating. In fact, I probably should repeat it often, perhaps in every new blog entry.

And always keep it in the forefront of my consciousness.


Saturday I submitted a 100 word story, told in a single sentence, to a writers group... you can read it directly below:

The creature swallowed alive the toad and immediately vomited, which liberated its meal, turning prey into predator, turning the tables and reversing the resolution of the plot; the characters reacted to such an unexpected event with venomous activity and attacked in newly sprung force, digestive juices spraying the area, releasing foul odors reminiscent of hellfire and damnation that, according to biblical accounts, would instantaneously gratify, at least momentarily, the fickle but horrendous appetite of the anxious Satan lurking somewhat impatiently within the depths of Hell for just such a long awaited authorial twist that transformed supposed fiction into cruel fact.

I have not yet had even a single response to it. This is strange,as I expected several criticisms: some rejection, some ridicule, and perhaps one or two intrigued by replies.

Yes, receiving no reactions is quite a surprise, because I liked it.

Still do.

Oops! A few hours after I wrote this blog entry I received a response to the story from a fellow writer. I am still trying to understand it.

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Did You Know . . .?

The word 'utopia' literally means 'not a place.'

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HISTORICAL EVENTS

On this day in 1865 Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. Booth slipped into the president's box and fired his .44-caliber single-shot derringer into the back of Lincoln's head. Booth then leapt from the president's box to the stage below, breaking his leg as he landed. He shouted, "Sic semper tyrannis!" ("Thus ever to tyrants!"--the Virginia state motto) and ran from the stage. The stricken president was carried from the box to a house across the street, where he died the following morning.


ALSO

On this day, in 1912, just before midnight in the North Atlantic, the RMS Titanic failed to divert its course from an iceberg, ruptured its hull, and began to sink. Because of a shortage of lifeboats and the lack of satisfactory emergency procedures, more than 1,500 people went down in the sinking ship or froze to death in the icy North Atlantic waters.

The announcement of details of the disaster led to outrage on both sides of the Atlantic. The sinking of the Titanic brought about more stringent safety regulations were adopted on public ships, and regular patrols were initiated to trace the locations of deadly Atlantic icebergs.

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WORD FOR TODAY

reaction
noun
1.  an action performed or a feeling experienced in response to a situation or event. "Carrie's immediate reaction was one of relief."
2.  (Psychology) a response indicating a person's feelings or emotional attitude.
3.  (Physics) An equal and opposite force exerted by a body against a force acting upon it.

synonyms: response, answer, reply, rejoinder, retort, riposte.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Sarah Michelle Gellar
(born April 14, 1977)

Sarah Michelle Gellar is an American actress. In 1983, she made her acting debut in the made-for-TV movie An Invasion of Privacy and went on to appear in Spenser: For Hire and Crossbow. Gellar had her first lead part in 1992's mini-series Swans Crossing and originated the role of Kendall Hart on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children.

Gellar came to prominence in the late 1990s, landing roles in 1997's horror films I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2. She portrayed Buffy Summers on the WB/UPN TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). She also gained recognition for her performances as Kathryn Merteuil in Cruel Intentions (1999) and Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo (2002).

After Buffy ended, Gellar starred in the films Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), The Grudge (2004), and The Grudge 2 (2006). Gellar currently stars in the CBS television sitcom The Crazy Ones alongside Robin Williams.

Brad Garrett
(born April 14, 1960)

Brad Garrett is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He has appeared in numerous television and film roles. His first major role was Robert Barone on the CBS series Everybody Loves Raymond. Garrett's film roles include Stuart Little 2, Finding Nemo, Garfield, The Amateurs, The Pacifier, Night at the Museum, Tangled, and Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil. Garrett also played the leading role of Eddie Stark on the Fox television series 'Til Death from 2006 to 2010.

Julie Frances Christie
(born 14 April 1940 or 1941)

Julie Christie is a British actress. Christie's breakthrough film role was in Billy Liar (1963). In 1965, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Diana Scott in Darling. That same year, she starred as Lara Antipova in Doctor Zhivago. In the following years, she starred in Fahrenheit 451 (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Petulia (1968), The Go-Between (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), Shampoo (1975), and Heaven Can Wait (1978).

Anthony Michael Hall
(born April 14, 1968)

Anthony Michael Hall is an American actor who starred in several teen-oriented films of the 1980s. Hall began his career in commercials and on stage as a child, and made his screen debut in 1980. His films with director-screenwriter John Hughes, beginning with the popular 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation and the coming-of-age comedy Sixteen Candles, shaped his early career. Hall's next movies with Hughes were the teen classics The Breakfast Club and Weird Science, both in 1985. His performances as lovable geeks in these three films connected his name and face with the stereotype for an entire generation.

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You know what the secret to weight loss is? Don't eat much.
 --Simon Cowell

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