• 2015: The Year In Review

    December 29, 2015 / 1 Comment

    At the end of the year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced, both personally and professionally. What follows is my accounting of 2015:

    * Celebrated my 25th year as a journalist (and contemplated what that means for my future).

    * Produced hundreds of breaking news stories, including the battle against ISIS, the Charlie Hebdo attack, the Paris massacre, dozens of U.S. mass shootings, the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 in Taiwan, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the worldwide refugee crisis, the Baltimore riots, the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling, the change in U.S.-Cuba relations, the dangerous California drought, the Pope’s visit to America and the 2015 debate cycle.

    * Blogged for The Obituary Forum, The Blog of Death and Afterthoughts.

    * Passed the 41,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker)

    * Received the verified checkmark on Facebook (I exist!)

    * Penned 58 journal entries.

    * Wrote 3 poems

    * Worked on my novel.

    * Walked 1.11 million steps (more than 465 miles) and climbed nearly 1,000 floors.

    * Read 45 books and countless magazines.

    * Watched 25 films.

    * Completed classes in The Most Powerful Empires in History, History’s Greatest Entrepreneurs, the Biggest Wars in History, the Most Advanced Ancient Civilizations, the Greatest Cities Throughout History, the Greatest Battles of All Time, the Most Influential Speeches in World History, Significant American Writers of the 20th Century, Great Short Stories and Beautiful Inspiration Poems.

    * Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.

    * Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Author’s Guild.

    * Went house-hunting in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

    * Traveled to Boston and New York City.

    * Twice hosted vacationing friends.

    * Joined a CSA.

    * Saw Stephen King and Lee Child in person.

    * Shot off a large cache of fireworks.

    * Suffered from at least 22 migraines.

    * Celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary.

    * Grieved the death of my eldest cat, Buddha, and received the news that my youngest cat, Sera, has terminal cancer. My father also died.

    * Turned 42.

    End of the yearGoals for 2016

    * Save up enough money for a down payment on a house and move.

    * Work on my fiction.

    * Write more obits.

    * Read at least 50 books.

    * Complete a series of 30-day challenges.

    * Win the lottery.

  • Bookstore

    In bed and in your pants

    December 26, 2015 / 2 Comments

    Have you ever played the fortune cookie game? Sure you have! You just add the phrase “in bed” to the end of the message found inside a fortune cookie and it becomes instantly more entertaining.

    For example:

    You will inherit a fortune… in bed.

    You will discover your hidden talents… in bed.

    You will live in interesting times… in bed.

    There’s another phrase game I enjoy playing, which I first discovered back in 2010. Just grab the nearest book and add the phrase “in my pants” to the end of the title.

    For example:

    “A Crowd Of Swords”… in my pants.

    “The Night Circus”… in my pants.

    “An Abundance of Katherines”…in my pants.

    Not surprisingly, I received several books for Christmas this year. And because I know you’re curious, I decided to share the titles that showed up under my tree:

    “Naming the World”… in my pants.

    “Letters of E.B. White”… in my pants.

    “The Complete Slow Cooking for Two”… in my pants.

    “Write Starts”… in my pants.

    and “The Outlandish Companion”… in my pants.

    Next time you’re bored and sitting by a bookshelf, give it a try!

  • winged skull stamp

    Quote of the Day

    December 19, 2015 / No Comments

    “Eventually you’ll reach a point where you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. ” –Will Rogers

  • migraine

    I don’t want to feel like this any longer

    December 16, 2015 / No Comments

    I had a lousy night at work and if you watched the debate, you know why. Missed it? Oh boy, do I envy you. Imagine watching a train wreck of public policy, one that’s on par with “Jersey Shore” and “Fear Factor.” Then, realize that the whole circus was broadcast live around the world.

    So embarrassing.

    In general, the current crop of candidates running for president has no interest in becoming true public servants. They’re not dedicated to improving the economy, safeguarding the citizenry, running a superpower in a responsible manner, saving the planet or raising the level of debate. They’re just trying to score points by pandering to the lowest common denominator.

    Unfortunately, such behavior is not new. Twenty years ago, Aaron Sorkin made a similar point in “The American President”:

    “We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.”

    By the end of my shift, I was utterly disheartened. To decompress, I turned to one of my favorite past-times: baking. After whipping up a batch of oatmeal chip cookies, I brewed some tea and watched a few BuzzFeed videos on YouTube.

    The BuzzFeed video team is creative, funny and generally fearless in their work, which makes watching their endeavors even more delightful. If you also viewed the debate last night, and feel as disgusted as I do, here’s a palate cleanser. Enjoy:

  • My top 10 favs of 2015: A year spent reading, watching and listening to intriguing stories

    December 6, 2015 / 2 Comments

    This year, I consumed 43 books, 24 movies, dozens of TV programs and many podcasts. Herein are my favorites.

    (Note: Not all were released during the past 365 days.)

    MY FAVORITE BOOKS
     

    1. “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson
    2. “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses” by Bess Lovejoy
    3. “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory” by Caitlin Doughty
    4. “Finders Keepers” by Stephen King
    5. “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson
    6. “The Last American Vampire” by Seth Grahame-Smith
    7. “The Killing Kind” by Chris Holm
    8. “The Blonde” by Duane Swierczynski
    9. “Mockingbird” by Chuck Wendig
    10. “Keep Moving: And Other Tips About Old Age” by Dick Van Dyke

    (Honorable mentions: “Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen” by Mary Norris, “The Martian” by Andy Weir, “Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography” by Neil Patrick Harris, “The Best Of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! More Famous People Play ‘Not My Job'” by Peter Sagal, “A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life” by Brian Grazer, “The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman” by Denis Thériault, “Fraud” by David Rakoff, “The Magician’s Lie” by Greer Macallister and “The Killer Ascendant” by Barry Eisler)

    MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS
     

    1. Sense8
    2. Penny Dreadful
    3. Daredevil
    4. Jessica Jones
    5. Agent Carter
    6. Ruth & Erica
    7. Leverage
    8. Grace & Frankie
    9. Supernatural
    10. Forever

    (Honorable mentions: House of Cards, Grimm, True Detective, Mr. Robot, Castle, The Americans, Person of Interest, Elementary, CSI: NY, White Collar, The Good Wife, Galavant, The Following, NCIS, Haven, Sleepy Hollow, Covert Affairs and Marvel: Agents of Shield)

     

    MY FAVORITE MOVIES
     

    1. The Age of Adaline
    2. I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
    3. The Martian
    4. A Walk In The Woods
    5. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
    6. The Intern
    7. Bridge of Spies
    8. Avengers: Age of Ultron
    9. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
    10. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

    (Honorable mentions: Jurassic World, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, San Andreas and Back In Time)

     

    MY FAVORITE PODCASTS
     

    1. The Vinyl Cafe
    2. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
    3. 99% Invisible
    4. Death, Sex & Money
    5. Dear Hank & John
    6. Criminal
    7. Radiolab
    8. Nocturne
    9. Fresh Air
    10. America’s Test Kitchen

    (Honorable mentions: Tavis Smiley/PBS, The Sporkful, The Nerdist, NPR Books, WTF with Marc Maron, BackStory, I Was There Too and How To Do Everything)