The Phantom Tollbooth Turns 50

The Phantom Tollbooth is a book that helped shaped my childhood. I read it around the age of 10 and promptly announced it the BEST BOOK EVER.. (although it was quickly usurped by LotR but that is an entirely different story). Over the years I have spoken about this book to many, encouraged others to read it and given it to just about every 10 year old child I have come in contact with. My own kids all read it between the ages of 8 and 10, depending. Only Blond Girl fell in love with it the way I did but oh the fall was glorious.

 Because I loved the book so much when I found this article and just wanted to share...

The Phantom Tollbooth turns 50 this year, and we've joined Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer, Milo and Tock, and a host of authors, critics, teachers and kids, to celebrate the classic 1961 children's book, by making the definitive documentary film about this beloved work of the American imagination.

We follow Norton and Jules as they return to the house in Brooklyn Heights where Norton began writing a little story "to get his mind off of what he had to do." Working as an architect, Norton was awarded a grant for a book on Urban Perception, which he promptly didn't write. Instead, he created Milo. When he showed his notes to his neighbor, a young political cartoonist bent on overthrowing the government, Jules began sketching – and The Phantom Tollbooth was born. 
Through the lens of Milo and his adventures, we get to know Norton Juster – an incorrigible punster with a "delight in glorious lunatic linguistic acrobatics" (Maurice Sendak, in his appreciation to the 35th Anniversary of The Phantom Tollbooth). Bored as a kid, wondering why he had to learn so many useless facts, Norton is Milo, we learn. And we get taken into Norton’s personal Phantom Tollbooth: where his imagination gets him in trouble for demoralizing the Navy battalion with his drawings of elves; where his friendship with Jane Jacobs and her critique of American cities shows up in Digitopolis and Dictionopolis; where “beyond expectations” takes on a personal meaning for Norton’s daughter and granddaughter as they confront their learning disabilities. 
And there’s Jules Feiffer: “that rare artist who can draw an idea," as Maurice Sendak writes in his appreciation. Or as Jules puts it “this was the first children’s book I’d ever done and I thought it was going to be the last. This was the Cold War Fifties, I was interested in overthrowing the government". We’ll look at Jules’ emergence as a voice of his generation through his comic strip at The Village Voice. How much of that era – the politics, the ideas, New York in 1961 – worked its way into his Phantom Tollbooth illustrations? Jules may argue that he illustrated the book more as a favor to a friend – but we just might find his wit, his deft criticism, his radical politics, embedded in those iconic sketches. 
And then there’s the cast of authors, historians, teachers, fans, kids, and many more who all have their favorite parts: The Whether Man – “for after all it’s much more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be;" The Island of Conclusions - which you can only get to by jumping; The Terrible Trivium "demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs;" and faithful Tock who just can’t stand to waste time, but does love a nice ride in an automobile.
Join us on "The Road to Dictionopolis: The Phantom Tollbooth Turns 50." Our documentary is a key part of the celebrations, and will, we hope, help bring a fourth generation of readers to Norton and Jules' masterpiece.
We've been filming since January 2011 and expect to have the film ready for release in 2012. 

I hope you can find the time to read and enjoy this book. It doesn't matter when it was written, it feels like it happened yesterday. I think all of us have a bit of Milo in us. Let's just hope we learn our lessons as well as he did

* this article was found at The Phantom Tollbooth

Did You Catch That Game?

As I may have stated a time or two.. I LOVE College football and yesterday to be enjoying the game..

Three undefeated teams went crashing, loosing any chance of a national championship. Penn state and University of Illinois played an historical game during an October Snow.. and that wasn't the historical part. Joe Paterno has won 409 college games.. WOW!! Can you imagine how long he must have been coaching and in the same position.. The man is 84 years old. In this age of ageism and quick turnovers it is amazing that Joe Paterno is even still working, let alone being appreciated! And now he shows us all just why.. He has a job that he loves.. he has people who admire and respect him, he is truly one lucky man..

At the end of the day was the best game of all. Stanford, at the top of the leader board safely ensconced at number 4 in the national rankings had until last night been undefeated... Along comes USC, a team that has been nationally ranked over and over and over again. Although, Stanford has beaten them the past couple of years.. This year USC was out for blood, in their last year of sanctions they had nothing to loose. No chance at the PAC 12 championship let alone the National Championship. This Game WAS their national championship! And they came to win...

Taking off to an early lead.. and honestly as late as teh early 4th quarter I was sure Stanford was TOAST.. but then Luck was with Stanford. I know people are getting tired of that statement.. But Andrew Luck showed the world just what he was made of. Can we say number 1 draft choice? Tying the game with seconds, yes that's right seconds to go.. Stanford went on to beat USC in triple overtime!!

What an amazing game!! Let me tell you if you love football and missed this game.. you missed a great game..

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days when every thing goes right until things just start collapsing at your feet?

Yesterday was one of those days for me! I started my morning off early, well I didn't sleep as I was overly busy and had excess energy (first mistake as I am a known crab if I don't get my 8 hours). I wrote a review for the book Ascension by Caris Roane at Bodice Rippers and was able to post our tribute to our Author of the Month as well as announcing our contest and give away of an autographed copy of Vampire in Atlantis by Alyssa Day . Believe me this had me totally and completely stoked! And then things just got BETTER! We heard back from Author Anne Bishop about doing an interview for our site! And we were in talks with people at Christine Feehan's for the same! All this before 9am!

Then the trouble started! I went onto a website and read a conversation going on between some of my friends. Now this particular group of ladies is known for giving their opinions.. in an accurate manner no holds barred! If they like the book, they like the book and if they don't... well they tell you why. This is not always a good place for me because I become so very passionate about my books that I feel personally insulted.. Hello? I didn't write the book. Why should it bother me? Who knows? But it does... One of my friends, probably the nicest of all of us, made a comment and I exploded.. (See yesterday's rant).The problem with reading words on a website is the fact that well.... you read what YOU think they meant... no tone of voice to tell you what they meant. Now put that together with no sleep by an admitted sleepless witch.. and you get just nasty.

I immediately reacted.. responded with a pithy comeback.. now had my partners in crime over at Bodice Rippers been online I would have gone to them and they would have told me the same thing I tell them when they get upset.. Let it go.. take a breath.. write a letter to yourself.. don't react!! They weren't they were both off living their lives.. the rats... I realized within moments of posting it that I was wrong.. I went back and immediately deleted the post.. Which would have been ok, EXCEPT.. on this site when you make a comment all the people on the post get a notification... yeah that's right.. a notification. My snarly, snarky remark hurt someone's feelings.. She responded on my wall.. I got angrier.. I mean I took it down.. let it go right? Well I should have listened to my own advice.. I came here and posted my rant.. She saw it.. yeah that's right.. I am/was good enough friends with her that I had shared this blog with her. BUT WAIT.. it gets better.. Next I made a snarky remark on twitter.. oh yeah AND on facebook.. She saw the twitter.. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she didn't see the FB.. Of course if she reads this she will now!!

Was I right? NO!!.. For several reasons..

1. I have no idea what her tone was and her comments may not have been and knowing her probably weren't meant as in insult.
2. I know myself well enough to know that when I am tired I tend to over react. Grow up
3. Not everyone is going to like Bodice Rippers get over yourself
4. As a professional.. well that just wasn't
5. I lost a friend... over my stupidity...

Now with that being said... plenty of people have said some pretty nasty things to me and I let them.. I don't take them to task... I don't even make them apologize..From a friend I could have used that same treatment. I also know that plenty of times people have read things into my words that I never ever meant or sometimes even thought of.. I still apologize for hurting their feelings.

Of course as a Christian, someone who tries to live a Christ like life.. I should have just offered my hurt up to God, maybe taken my friend aside, sent her a PRIVATE email and let her know that the comment hurt my feeling.. You know acted like an ADULT!! Not a freakin two year old!!

So I am sorry.. I am sorry that I responded angrily, I am sorry that once I knew that my response hurt that I took it further.. and I am most sorry that I lost a friend..

Hard Lessons Learned, Again and Again

Be prepared this is a Rant in the truest form.. I am angry.. really really ANGRY.. If you read my blogs at all you know that along with two of my friends I have started a book review site..Bodice Rippers. We are really really proud of it and have been getting an awesome response..

A Couple of authors have agreed to our interview requests and have complimented us on the site. We have been having book reviews, discussions and yes even disagreements.. Today I found out that one of our staunchest supporters was gleefully slipping the knife in.. She didn't like our choice of reads.. didn't enjoy the books.. which seriously, there are plenty of books I don't like that people have recommended to me. I either read them or don't. If I do, I generally keep my mouth shut and don't tell them what I disliked about it.. usually I will find something positive and elaborate on that.. But even bad mouthing a series is really no skin off my nose.. (ok, yes I take it personally but I know that is on me...)

Today, I read a comment that not only insulted the books, the author and everything about them but my site.. the one I am nurturing so very carefully.. and that just made me blow a gasket!! It hurt.. yes I admit I lashed out.. I responded with a pithy post.. that I then deleted. too late as it is because all posts get email notifications so the people who read them will know.. I shouldn't have.. I should have taken the high road. My behavior was unprofessional.. I was just so very hurt...

Oh well, lesson learned.. watch your back.. but don't let it slow you down.. look towards the horizon and keep going!!

Top soccer team booted from playoffs for strange technicality

I was completing my normal routine this morning.. Reading my emails, responding to posts and comments on Bodice Rippers, talking with my BR associate, reading Dear Abby (every day since I was a kid.. can't help myself) and cruising through Yahoo News..

I admit, I like Yahoo News because it not only informs me of important stuff but tells me what other people consider important. Believe me I rarely agree with what they think but I do find it fun. Today I found a rather interesting article about a Soccer Team that was disqualified from the playoffs. The picture shows the team all decked out in their uniforms posing for what I can only assume is their yearbook picture. You are SUPPOSED to feel sorry for them. I find that while I do feel bad for the girls, they didn't do anything wrong, I have to agree with the decision.

The team, which is one of the best in the State of NY and who could conceivably win the state championship was disqualified because it played one too many regular season games. This is a newer rule as it is only two years old.. But that should be a reason why they actually are aware of it. It is not as the title implies a strange technicality, it was a rule that has been enacted for a specific reason. And the people who scheduled games for this team screwed up. Obviously, by playing one more game than the rest of the teams gives them one more chance at working together in a game environment. Fine tuning their team work and learning just a bit more about each other.

The school petitioned the State athletic board for a dispensation, fortunately they were turned down. Sorry girls, yes you are one of the best and you should be playing in these championships BUT don't blame the State. It wasn't the State that broke the rules. They didn't create it to hinder you.. it was in place in plenty of time for your schedulers to be aware of..

Part of athletics, the part parents today like to forget, is learning to work within the rules.. If you hit a ball between these lines you may advance to a base or two or three, if you shoot a ball while standing outside these lines, you get extra points, if you pitch a ball between the shoulders and knees and directly over the plate that is a strike!! There are rules for a reason.. life has rules, mommy and daddy don't get to go to your boss and make him change the reasons why you have to go in on Wednesdays, or how much you make.. No you have to do it yourself, these are the rules..

I hate the need to "FIX" everything for our children.. well not the need we all have that inside us, but rather the action of actually doing it. Ask any of the Beasties and they will tell you from an early age I expected them to fight their own battles, follow the rules and respect others.. So far they are pretty great kids/adults so I think I have done the right thing..

you can find the entire article I am speaking of Here

Frustration! and More Frustration!

I don't have a car so I tend to use a lot of cabs. Over the years I have tried out all of the local cab services and for the most part I find that Flash Cab/303 Taxi has the best service.. Both in arrival time and driver service. That being said... I have had a few annoying incidents. Today was one of those days.

My cab driver showed up and of course wanted to put my coordinates into his GPS.. great idea!! Except I was basically going around the block.. maybe a mile or two combined.. he didn't need GPS.. I would give him directions.. Ok, sure no problem.. EXCEPT.. why bother asking for directions when you aren't going to take them...

Here is how my trip went...

1. I have a parking lot with only one entrance, the best way to get out is to go back the way you came in. Yes you can go around the building but hey that is .20 cents.. In this case it was .40, that tells me he is running a hot meter so my entire trip is going to cost more than usual.

2. The parking lot that we turn into is really really weird and requires an entrance at an odd place. Which I explain in detail.. even to the point of saying.. see that green street sign going into the parking lot? See where that car is turning? Of course he didn't want to actually turn there.. wanted to go AROUND the block. Heck NO this is a cab.. every turn of the wheels costs..

3. Upon arriving at the grocery store, he pulled up and blew a stop sign, then stopped the cab in a crosswalk.. When I told him that I would be right back he turned off his engine.. IN A FREAKIN CROSSWALK. I had to tell him to move up!!

4. Upon leaving, his trusty GPS chirped up and told him to make a left turn at a street (the wrong street but a street) considering the fact that I had said we were returning to the original pick up location he should have realized he would not have to turn.. BUT he didn't not only did he go to turn he tried to turn RIGHT!! Which means hello? wrong way!! I caught it but still..

It's not that GPS doesn't have it's uses, but there are times when it is just plain WRONG.. and when a customer gives you specific directions listen to them. I always try to smile, say please and thank you, use a cheerful voice.. and I apologize if I get crabby...

That was Frustration #1, #2 is worse

Since I don't have a credit or debit card at this moment.. I use prepaid cards on occasion. This was the first time I used a pre paid card on the internet instead of using Pita Boy's debit card.. I didn't register the card.. grrrr and that caused an entire host of errors..

1.Amtrak, denied the card because the zip code wasn't the same as what was on the card... I was sure Amtrak was wrong so I tried FIVE times, yes I am persistant!!

2. It finally dawned on me to see what I was doing wrong so I called the credit card!! The money of course had already been taken out.. so now my money was in billing limbo.

3. Call back to Amtrak to see if they can figure something out.. NOPE.

4. Call back to the CC company and was told, too bad so sad, the money will be reimbursed in 3-5 business days.. WHAT!! 3-5 business days? Now we all know that means FIVE business days no way are they going to give me my money back before then!! So next Wednesday I should see the money show up on my card!! Yep that's right a week from today.

5. Call Amtrak again... I tried to see if they could figure out a way to apply the limbo money to the ticket.. nope, no such transactions exist.. So now I get to start all over again.. Next time, I am just gonna deal with Pita Boy and use his stupid card!!

A Mother's Relief - All Praise to God

Good Morning!! I have not forgotten you my friends... just have had a really hard time getting back into the swing of things since Blond Girl's incident. She has an official diagnoses of Syncopy.. which means she has a fainting disorder and there are some drawbacks. Most notably, she can never swim in an unsupervised manner again. Just think, no going into the ocean for a fun day of swimming, now diving in the lake with friends (unless one of them has the ability to care for her) and even a hotel pool... where there is no lifeguard on duty.. I can not imagine not being able to go in the water this way. We are a water based family.. It has been a central part of our entire life!! With that being said.. she is alive and well with a healthy heart and joyous spirit. All the thanks and praise to God for this!!