• I am not going to New York to meet some woman who could be a crazy, sick lunatic! Didn’t you see ‘Fatal Attraction’?

    June 27, 2014 / 1 Comment

    Being such a huge movie fan, it took some time to select my favorite film actor. There are so many talented thespians out there, yet few have the ability to consistently put my bum in a movie theatre seat based solely on the fact that his is in a picture.

    However, after much thought and a lot of searching on IMDb, I realized that my favorite actor is the great Tom Hanks. He’s brilliantly talented, versatile, prolific and, of course, (I’m told) a very nice guy.

    Now I know some people like Tom Hanks for his early comedies while others prefer his later dramatic efforts. But I have enjoyed just about every movie he’s worked on. These are my personal favorites:

    1. Sleepless in Seattle
    2. A League of Their Own
    3. Apollo 13
    4. Philadelphia
    5. You’ve Got Mail
    6. That Thing You Do!
    7. Toy Story
    8. The Terminal
    9. Catch Me If You Can
    10. The Polar Express

    (Awesome honorable mentions: Charlie Wilson’s War, Splash, Big, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away)

    What’s your favorite Tom Hanks flick?

  • Online News

    My so-called digital life

    June 22, 2014 / 1 Comment

    It’s hard for me to believe, but this blog has been around for nearly 20 years. It debuted on AOL’s servers in the mid-1990s and has gone through more makeovers than I can count. Jaded Writings has provided me with a platform to share my thoughts and to connect with people all over the world. For those who take the time to read these posts, I thank you.

    Many readers also follow me on social media, and they’re often surprised to find that the content I post changes depending on the outlet. For example, on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, I like to share links to news stories/features that catch my eye. I’m far more likely to respond to friends’ Facebook posts with likes/comments because they are people I know personally. On Twitter, however, I tend to share/favorite tweets from colleagues or professionals who are influential in their various fields.

    On Tumblr, I publish content on a wide variety of topics. For Aftherthoughts, I post interesting news stories along with images that reflect my personality. On Eccentric Employment, I run want ads for people seeking odd, unique or interesting job opportunities.

    My love of reading is featured on Hooked From The First Page, where I highlight books with catchy opening lines, and on the No-Good, Very Bad Title Blog, where I celebrate books that have terrible titles.

    When I have time to write proper obits, I post them on The Blog of Death. I turn to The Obituary Forum, a blog for The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, to share news items about the profession of writing about the dead. And on The Blog of Death’s Tumblr, I link to news stories about dying, grief, the death industry and cemeteries.

    So where do I find all this content?

    I read. A lot.

    Here is a quick snapshot of my digital life: (à la NPR Digital Services):

    3 daily must-reads

    I can’t name just 3. How about 10?

    * The New York Times
    * The Huffington Post
    * NPR
    * The Washington Post
    * Los Angeles Times
    * Facebook
    * Twitter
    * Poynter
    * Romenesko
    * Muck Rack Daily

    3 people you follow (online) regularly

    * My husband
    * Writer Litsa Dremousis
    * Journalist John R. Platt

    First thing you check in the morning

    The blinds, to see if the sun is still out. When I finally get around to turning on my computer, though, the first thing I check is my email. Then I hit Fitbit.com.

    Last thing you check at night

    A book on my Kindle or the latest print novel I’m reading.

    Favorite news consumption time saver

    Twitter lists.

    Go-to local news source

    NHPR or VPR or NECN.

    Your most used mobile reporting tool or app


    News alerts from Breaking News and The Associated Press

    Words of wisdom for news organization as they go forward with their digital efforts

    It’s great to be first. Aim for that. But it’s better to be right.

  • Laptop and notepad

    Quote of the week

    June 20, 2014 / No Comments

    “News is what someone wants suppressed. Everything else is advertising. The power is to set the agenda. What we print and what we don’t print matter a lot.” –Katharine Graham

  • dream doorway

    Weekend fun and dreams come true

    June 15, 2014 / No Comments

    Today was a pretty good day. It was a weekend, of course, which meant I got to hang out with M, the love of my life. Few things are more enjoyable than that. We spent several hours in bed, drove down to Massachusetts and ate barbecue, heard the news that one of our closest friends had gotten engaged (woo hoo!), saw a double-feature at the movies then drove home under a full vanilla moon.

    Due to our schedules, I rarely have the opportunity to sleep with my husband. And when I do, I generally fall asleep faster and rest more fully. Today, I didn’t sleep for very long, but the dreams were tasty. One involved going to a Dunkin Donuts and ordering an entire box. The dream version of me stood in front of a fully-stocked counter of treats and picked out all the ones I wanted to try. Before I could take the first bite, however, I woke up.

    On the way home from the movies, we stopped by a DD for coffee. Lo and behold, the Munchkin racks were newly stocked (a rare occurrence late at night), so I ordered a small box just for the hell of it. And thus, in the course of just 12 short hours, I made a dream came true.

    (Photo by Palto)

  • Poison

    The power of poison

    June 14, 2014 / No Comments

    Did you know that Agatha Christie decided to become a mystery writer while mixing medicines at a hospital during World War I?

    Or that wolfsbane — a plant once thought to weaken werewolves — is so poisonous that florists have gotten sick just from touching the flowers?

    Or that the powerful venom of the Gila monster has been used to develop a drug to combat diabetes?

    I didn’t either, until my friend, Ed came along. Ed has only known me for a few months and yet for some strange reason, he knows me well. Which is why I had to laugh when he recently sent me a link about a new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History called The Power of Poison.

    The exhibit, which opened in November, examines all things toxic. How poisons have been used by plants and animals as a defense against predators. How witches and wizards have utilized poisons as a source of magical power. And, of course, how people throughout time have employed poisons as a lethal weapon. But poisons have also been used to save lives, and are currently being studied by scientists for use in treating epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

    Curated by parasitologist Dr. Mark Siddall, The Power of Poison shares examples of toxins in nature, myth, legend and science. Thanks to his efforts, you can learn all about the toxic skin of the pretty (but deadly) golden poison frog, the reason why hat makers in the 1700s and 1800s were believed to be mad and why alleged poisoner Lucrezia Borgia may have been innocent of the crimes historians have attributed to her.

    If you share a similar fascination with poisons, and are going to be in New York City this summer, do check out the exhibit. Light knows I plan to. Can’t make the trip? Then take a few moments to view this “enchanted book” about poisons.

    To those kind readers who now think I’m really very strange (but still plan to be in Manhattan before June 22), be sure to take in the museum anyway. The Butterfly Conservatory is particularly awesome.

    (Photo by Pablo H. Caridad.)