An Electric Clock in a Thunderstorm

Opening of a new short story

2008-09-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

The opening of Daybed...a story in-progress.

This is what they never had before. In all the possessive, unspoken worship, the panicked sex that caused sparks—literally caused sparks—to flicker between their bodies, the love that was so burly neither could even admit it. But they’re old now. Well, older. And yet this feels like their salad days. A salad day. Anyway, this time together, this unexpected intimacy bought in a few hours of downtime on her book tour, away from husband and three children, will probably never happen again. At least neither can think of a way that it will and when this comes to pass, each will be petulant, broken, without appetite for days, quick to blame the other. And yet, it happening again (and again and again) will fill their imaginations to capacity.

They started 13 years ago, in 1995, and ended about a year later. He’s 33 now—and looks it—except on the sun-pocked parts of his neck and throat, where he looks much older. Ali’s a few years younger, though not as many as it used to seem. When they’d met everyone called him Ollie, but “Ollie and Ali” was too cutesy to stomach, and she’d insisted on calling him by his initials, O.D.—a not very funny joke—or O for short. But now, all grown up, he goes by Oliver.

Back then he never had a place of his own, but now they’re in his tidy apartment in Bakersfield, her hometown, an easy stop on her book tour because she draws a crowd and can stay with her parents. Oliver did not come to her reading but she came to him afterwards, and now his right hand—the one that he’d laid on her once and only once in fury—holds her calf. Holds her calf. Towards the bottom, under her loose black pants, between his thumb and middle finger, stroking the silken sandpaper of her leg. They’re jammed up against each other, sitting side by side on his daybed—the only real place to sit in the room—and he realizes that her neck is crooked against the brick wall.

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable?” he says, and means it, and moves so she can adjust, recline with a pillow, allow him to lay his head in her lap. She traces circles

into the cropped part of his still-black hair, near the nape, the juggle of their breath and a flicker

of candlelight the only movement in the little room.

“Tell me about your day,” he says, and she does. And then he tells her about his.

And that’s all that happens. All they never had before.

...

Jewish Grandchildren for Obama

2008-09-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

In case I haven't managed to bombard you with the news yet, my pet grassroots project--Jewish Grandchildren for Obama--is up and running. Believe me, that site and blog get a lot more love than this one does.

Check out the site, or join our Facebook group today. Mission statement is below.

And if you're not registered to vote (please tell me you're registered...) click here.

Jewish Grandchildren for Obama’s mission statement: Many older Jewish voters who have a history of voting for Democrats might not vote for Barack Obama because of the Israel issue, smear campaigns and persistent false rumors. We believe the best people to educate these voters about Obama are their own children and grandchildren. We aim to help secure their votes for Obama in November through intergenerational discourse.

Why liberals are more miserable

2008-07-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

From the May 23, 2008 edition of The Week magazine...

"Conservatives are generally happier than liberals because of their greater ability to rationalize political and social inequalities, a new study concludes. In an earlier survey by the Pew Research Center, 47 percent of conservative Republicans described themselves as "very happy," compared with 28 percent of liberal Democrats. Researchers at New York University, attempting to explain the disparity, developed a survey to measure subjects' ability to justify or explain away inequality. Subjects were asked, for instance, if they agreed with such statements as, "It's not really that big a problem if some people have more of a chance in life than others." Conservatives were far more likely to agree with such statements, and also to hold the view that the U.S. is a meritocracy that rewards hard work. "Our research suggests that inequality takes a greater psychological toll on liberals than on conservatives," researcher Jaime Napier tells LiveScience.com, "apparently because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive, or at least neutral, light."

Barack Obama just became my candidate--and he should be yours, too.

2008-06-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

Now that Democrats are moving ahead into the general election, we all have the opportunity to make a real difference.

Most of you know that I was a Hillary Clinton supporter. Not because I don’t like Barack Obama, but because I had more confidence in Clinton. But there is absolutely no time in this race to feel sad, angry, or even disappointed. Obama might not have been your candidate, but he is now, and he’s an excellent (and historic) candidate to lead our party and eventually the country.

I'm supporting Barack Obama, and I hope you'll take a minute to learn more about Obama and his movement for change:

http://www.barackobama.com or http://my.barackobama.com

Together, we can face the challenges of the future with a new kind of politics and a new kind of leadership.

DO NOT ASSUME IT’S GOING TO BE A LANDSLIDE IN NOVEMBER. Even if you’ve been a supporter of Obama throughout the campaign, have you been an active supporter? Can you do more? Can you be a part of a November victory?

Make a donation (do it today, right now…I just did), attend an event, canvas your neighborhood, phone bank from home, help to organize your community for Obama.

Learn more now:

http://www.barackobama.com

I'm standing up for the politics of hope. I hope you will not only stand for it, but stand for it actively, with strength of spirit and a loud, proud voice.

Ah, James McAvoy. Why do I love lanky Scots so???

2008-03-07T22:14:00.001-08:00

Why, oh why?

2008-01-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

Why does my Web site look fine in Explorer and completely f'd up in Mozilla? I've tried to fix the glitch within FrontPage (yes, I know, I'm not exactly mind-blowingly tech savvy--get over it), but on certain pages all the formatting is screwed up. A big prize to the first person who helps me solve this puzzle. In the meantime, avoid viewing my site through Mozilla, superior though it may be. Sorry.

Grad school apps are done, hooray!

2008-01-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

So perhaps, dear readers, you can look forward to something more substantive coming up. After I catch up on the bills.

And does anyone out there have James Franco's e-mail? Seriously. I want to swap novels with him for peer review. I've been told they're of the same(ish) ilk.

-J

The day

2007-12-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

I was going to title this post "I'm having a nice day," but I detest the word nice, and my brain is too mushy (sudafed, lack of sleep, antihistamines, the good stuff) to go searching for words.

I caught up with an old not-quite-a-friend who hencefoth shall be one. Too bad it had to be right at the end of my Arizona trip. Good thing I come here so many times a year (when will I get to take a real goddamned vacation?).

Off to a high school reunion tonight. That should make for some good blogging fodder. Also, stay tuned for my rant against the children's classic "The Rainbow Fish."

-J

In a Saguaro forest

2007-12-27T13:48:00.001-08:00

So I'm in AZ and not with the best internet connection in the world (but hey, my grandparents have internet, which is something in and of itself).

Had to post quickly, though. I finished Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy and I'm reeling. I might start it up again as soon as I get the first two books back (they're out on loan).

On top of everything it was an ode not just to hormones but to love. It was a beautiful, haunting love story. It makes me ache just to think of it. (Cliche but true.)

Oh, Will!

-J

According to "Poets & Writers" magazine I'm a fiction writer. That makes it official, right?

2007-12-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

Check out Amy Klein's article in this month's edition of "Poets & Writers". She interviewed me about searching for L.A.-based literary agents (the kind I like!), and I made the final cut.

http://www.pw.org/mag/contents.htm

I should carry around the article and show it to all those other stay-at-home moms who look at me like I'm from Mars when I say I'm a writer. "Oh?" they say. "So you do it in your free time, I guess."

Nope. That's just what I do, period.

Happy almost-vacation to everyone! We're hitting that place in Anaheim tomorrow night. Wait. My kid can't read this. I can actually say it. We're going to Disneyland, baby. It will be my four-year-old's 45th visit (note: numbers are approximate).

And my MFA apps are almost done. Huzzah.

-J

Home

2007-12-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Home

The moon was chiseled milk

last night

Swinging in fuzz

smiling at

the low-flying stars

over Century Boulevard

Terminal One

Where I used to kiss you goodbye,

cry

Now the marine layer

cloaks the road

Fog rises up, thick

Slick lights

Ghost town of nine million

Happy moon,

fire waiting at home,

cradles herself

warm

over our town

Where babies

and bears

and Pesach

will come

We’ll cradle them

like the moon, warm

in flannel and bath

Freesia and folds

High over the ocean

With a view of the moving stars

Lights twinkling beyond the fog

I'm in the underworld in "The Amber Spyglass"

2007-12-18T00:23:00.000-08:00

So everyone will understand why I'm not writing more today. And if you don't understand, the paperback trilogy costs about $21--get thou to a local, independent bookseller.

Dan Fogelberg dead at 56

2007-12-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

I saw Dan in concert in Tucson in 1996 or 97, and had already long been a fan.

I know he found great happiness with his wife, and it's always sad when someone dies this young. I love so many of his songs...Anyway I Love You, Seeing You Again, Leader of the Band, Longer, Make Love Stay. I can still remember my high school creative writing teacher singing "And I'm in Colorado, when I'm not in some hotel" and thinking he was so cool. I'm sure a lot of people will be replaying Missing You. But for my money, Run for the Roses is the best of the best. Why does a little song about the Derby make me cry every time?

-J

Run for the Roses
Born in the valley
And raised in the trees
Of Western Kentucky
On wobbly knees
With mama beside you
To help you along
You'll soon be a growing up strong.

All the long, lazy mornings
In pastures of green
The sun on your withers
The wind in your mane
Could never prepare you
For what lies ahead
The run for the roses so red --

And it's run for the roses
As fast as you can
Your fate is delivered
Your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined
In the dance
It's high time you joined
In the dance --

From sire to sire
It's born in the blood
The fire of a mare
And the strength of a stud
It's breeding and it's training
And it's something unknown
That drives you and carries
You home.

And it's run for the roses
As fast as you can
Your fate is delivered
Your moment's at hand
It's the chance of a lifetime
In a lifetime of chance
And it's high time you joined
In the dance
It's high time you joined
In the dance --

Mad props for Madmen

2007-12-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

The praise keeps rolling in for the best show on television (Ever? Since Six Feet Under? Hard to say...). I guess the below piece from the L.A. Times was owed, after they misspelled Jon Hamm's name in their Golden Globes nom article. Go, Jon, go. And is it just me, or does his secretary look just like the girl who played Donna in La Bamba?

-J

"Mad Men" (AMC). A vision of 1960 as much based on the movies as the reality of the time, ripe with the dreadful thrill of a world on the verge of redefinition. Beautifully designed, with an abundance of fine performances, out of which I am arbitrarily moved to mention Robert Morse as the corporate eminence and Christina Hendricks as a smart woman stuck in an old mode.

I'm back.

2007-12-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. That Farmer's Market thing didn't work out--thanks for all the e-mails reminding me I'd neither posted menus nor followed up with the idea. Apologies. My condo flooded with sewage. Redundant post? No. It happened again, mere days after the $30,000 worth of repair work from the first flood was completed. The children moved back onto mattresses on our floor, and all was chaos once more.

We finally recovered (again), though I'm mighty tired of touch-up painting.

Also, my first (and most important) grad school application went in the mail today. Hooray! So I'll have more time on my hands. Time I should spend writing loftier pieces than posts on my sparse blog, but at least blogging is a better way to piss away time than taking more movie quizzes on Facebook (though I challenge you to beat my Princess Bride score).

I don't have much for you today, but I'll include a little poem.

-J

The Story Changes

"These rocks are passionate," she

said

Cry lives into red rocks

turned

red clay

by relentless

rain

Cry lives

into the rocks she said were

passionate

And what a choice

was that

But smile and nod

seemed to fit the façade

like bridle

to purebred cream colored

quarter horse

Purebred

Bred in the land of blonde hair

blue eyes

and coffee table talk

Bred into the

lives

of the men

on the brink

(or some who didn't even try)

Always to be cried

back into the rocks

for the thoughts she couldn't

say

And the weak nights spent

hand to thigh

and hand to eye

missing the safety

and the warmth

Which

in the end

almost froze her

Farmer's Market Haul: A new Wednesday feature

2007-09-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

A new feature: on Wednesdays I will post my haul from the Farmer's Market. I'll also post my weekly garden harvest, though we're between seasons rights now so there won't be much at present. If all goes well, I'll then post the week of family menus I create based on what I bought. At the end of the week, I'll post favorite recipes, thumbs-ups and downs on meals and any other notes (such as: "didn't have time--ordered 'za"). This could be a fun interactive feature, so definitely stay tuned.

We're trying to live life more "in season" as part of greening our home, lessening our footprint and improving our health. Any tips will be taken gladly.

Here's what we took home yesterday: (*=organic)
-2 Asian pears (crunchy and delicious)*
-1 bag carrots*
-2 bunches broccoli
-1 ruby red grapefruit
-3 limes
-4 sweet onions
-4 Fuji apples*
-Snap peas*
-Acorn squash*
-Butternut squash*
-Flavor Grenade and Flavor King plums*
-French Breakfast radishes*
-Pineapple, Celebrity and unidentified cherry-sized heirloom tomatoes*
-Red grapes*
-4 ears white corn*
-Fingerling potatoes*
-1 zucchini*
-4 Persian cucumbers*

Profile on Sir Ian McKellen in this week's New Yorker (in your mailboxes today)

2007-08-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to make sure no one misses the profile of Ian McKellen in this week's New Yorker (the one with the Katrina cover). Stellar. If only I could fly to London to see Lear on a whim...

Ah, well. I'll continue daydreaming about our return to Ashland next summer.

Hip Hollywood Barack Obama event THIS SATURDAY!

2007-08-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

An update from my good friend Bim, who is working tirelessly on the Obama campaign...

Below is his e-mail regarding a hip event happening this Saturday, August 25 from 4 - 7 p.m. at Falcon in Hollywood (7213 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California 90046). There is a $25 per person donation requested, and reservations are a must. Please note that Senator Obama will not be at the event (nor will I--but I'll be at the next-best-thing to a Democratic fundraiser...a Bar Mitzvah!), but plenty of hip, young Hollywood types will be and you can count on at least a handful of celebs. Please RSVP right away.

"I heard somewhere that this event is not to be missed...

All coyness aside, you, my friends, are invited to support our efforts in producing this event by not only coming, but, more importantly, sending this on to not ten, but at least twenty people, and following up with them. It's going to be a fun party - definitely worth $25 - even if it wasn't a donation to Obama's campaign, which it is.

I appreciate the support, Barack appreciates it, and our country will really appreciate it when he's elected president. Basically, you'll be a hero.

Bim"

New excerpt from The Nineties! Zac Efron's Oscar-winning role...get it here, folks.

2007-08-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

***ALERT***DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE (A) MY UNDERAGED COUSINS OR (B) MY PARENTS***IT MIGHT BE EASIER TO SWALLOW ONCE IT'S IN HARDBACK AND I SIGN A COPY FOR YOU***DON'T LAUGH***YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

Well, here it is: a new/old excerpt. Some of my loyal readers (and yes, they do exist even though they steadfastly refuse to post comments on my blog and instead send me direct e-mails because they're not really "bloggy people") have read part of this before on the blog. But never before have I posted something so, um, graphic (or, as the agents like to say, "edgy"). But here are two unabridged chapters. Feedback welcome, as always.

Why am I posting from The Nineties again? Easy. This is a little gift for all those people who wrote nasty things to me about Zac Efron. And below, as mentioned in a previous post, you'll find the part he was meant to play, the part that will win him his Oscar--Chris Graeme. Back to Zac: if you don't believe he can act, at least you can admit, after watching High School Musical and Hairspray, that (a) the guy's got range, and (b) he can take direction. Even master-of-the-universe John Waters has predicted (though who knows what the location of his tongue relative to his cheek was when making this predication) that Zac would go on to do a couple more big musicals, then play a drug addict and win an Oscar.

I have his drug addict! I have his drug addict! You'll meet Chris in the first chapter below ("Brett"), then lose him for a while. Stick with it for a payoff toward the end the second chapter I posted ("Alessandro"). For those who wonder, Chris is a central character in the rest of the book, important both to Ruthie's downfall (such as there is a downfall) and her self-discovery (though it's not as touchy-feely as all that). That is to say, things get worse. Plenty of opportunity for Zac to stretch his chops.

Why am I so bent out of shape about young Mr. Efron? Maybe it's because he's the first actor in a long time that I just adore onscreen without secretly wanting to, um, you know (hello Russell...Viggo...Johnny...Christian...Adam...others). C'mon, folks--he's only 19. Does that mean I'm all grown up? I hope not.

Anyway, here you go. Call me, Zac. I'll sell it you and you can pull a Vinny Chase. It can be your Medellin...

(Sorry for the difficult formatting. I work and work on it and it's still hard to read on the blog. Then I work some more, then I remember the three thousand better ways I could be using my time and just hit "post".)

THIS EXCERPT WAS EDITED AND IMPROVED. I TOOK IT DOWN AND REPOSTED IT AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG. APOLOGIES FOR ANY CONFUSION.

Zac Efron I want to win you an Oscar

2007-08-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose you'd really be winning the Oscar for yourself.

But you are Chris Graeme from my book "The Nineties." With the small exception that the eyes will have to change from green to blue, you are absolutely perfect.

I never would have known this before Hairspray. It's a favorite falling-asleep-fantasy for me to cast my movies (much more feasible than my other favorite, where I'm a Broadway star...or, heck, even a chorus line girl in a travelling production of Sunset Boulevard in Nebraska). Kal Penn, step on down, you're Mr. Ed--that's Edvin Kareena, and I'm serious, clear your schedule. Steve Burns, you're up, too. The part's a crusty drug dealer, but I think I would cry if something I wrote was put onto film and you weren't in it.

But most of all, ZAC EFRON, playing twenty-year-old Chris, the antagonistic love interest/extra baggage of Ruthie Tash.

Heretofore you were only the hair-in-the-face kid in a wifebeater smiling down from every place the Disney Channel marketing department attacked with one-sheets, posters and tzotchkes. But now I've seen Hairspray and I know you're the next...the next...the next who?

Help me out,someone. Surely he's not the next Kevin Bacon, relegated to millions of arguably insignificant Kevin Bacon roles? But he's not going to get stuck playing a surfer or crooner forever, is he? He'll be a brilliant Ren McCormack but won't be typecast forever, right? He'll take a dark role someday, yes? The High School Musical franchise will eventually die and he can repose in the pile of money it made him and move onto more, erm, cinematic projects?

If you don't believe that he's a mammoth talent, you haven't seen Hairspray. If you don't believe that he's Chris from "The Nineties," stay tuned. Later this week I'll post a lengthy Chris excerpt and you can weigh in. If you don't care, go reload your IPod and get off my blog.

Now if only my condo was repaired, my kids weren't fevered and croupy and I had my bedroom or writing nook back in order. Then I could resume shopping around "The Nineties" so the film rights could be optioned off and Zac would have a date with destiny--or at least the Academy voters.

Paul Elia (The Drummer)

2007-08-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

PAUL ELIA
(THE DRUMMER)

Just good old fashioned
fun
like in the old days
when kids danced in the streets
bopping to the live musak
of course
and the teenage rebels
Him
with cigarettes in pocket
and oooh
a comb

And who grew up
into Paul anyway?
Suited corner-boy at the dance?
Now whose beats
through the body
--cold wind under dresses
hot breath on ears--
Throb beneath a suit and tie
and crease in the pants
which hides the real mystery
and rhythm

Girls Always Fall for the Asshole

2007-08-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

A room that holds unexpected intrigue
--like climbing a flight of stairs in January,
the air from me cleaved,
ribs sink in my chest
with just a profile--
(Sharp nose, elegant neck
soft cheeks, glasses)

I once read of it in my dog-eared sixth grade
treasure book;

He is
mean
unattainable
cordial

But needy enough to glance my way,
reserve his laughter

He would not, like other boys,
follow me to the kitchen should I need a slice of lemon
(oh how I wish he would)

but did offer an arm
down the hill
--and though twenty times up and down it
this the first my breath pleasantly lost--
And at the bottom touched my face
gently
purposefully
unobtrusively

and declared me
an exaggeration
After which,
all I could do,
was say goodnight

And pray for dreams of him

Non sequitur of the day

2007-08-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

"Donny was a good bowler, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors. And bowling. And as a surfer, he explored the beaches of Southern California from La Jolla to Leo Carillo and up to Pismo. He died, as so many young men of his generation, before his time. In your wisdom, Lord, you took him. As you took so many bright flowering young men at Ke Song, at Lon Doc, and Hill 64. These young men gave their lives, as did Donny. Donny who loved bowling."

Raw sewage and missing drywall

2007-08-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday the money pit once again (less than two years since last episode) flooded with raw sewage from the upstairs condos. That's right, shit coming out of our toilet, sink and bathtub. Good news: it was the guest bathroom, hardly ever gets used. Bad news: flowed right under the doors to the kids' room and hallway, ruining everything in its path. Poor Noam: he tried to comfort me while I sat sobbing on the floor, seeing the next few months of my life play out in my mind's eye. Poor Lila: shes made a run for me and slipped in the muck, leading to a teary bath (on both our parts).

Twenty or so hotels were sold out on such short notice, which was I guess good news for us since we ended up at the Intercontinental Century City, where my son was sorry to leave the pool and room service behind when our home was deemed safe for habitation. Still no doors or walls, though.

Donations of single-malt Scotch, big ol' California wines , Cheetos and gift certs for Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande (no meat, extra sour cream) may be sent to me at my home address.

In the meantime, the only thing to cheer me up was last night's screening of Hairspray (though those bitches at ArcLight switched us from the Dome to a black box after tix for the Dome were purchased...), which, disagree though you might, rocked the original film out the box. Who knew Zac Efron would be so HOT when he brushed that hair out of his eyes? How old is that kid? Too young for me? Why does he do that stupid thing with his hair? Don't even get me started on Christopher Walken--outstanding, as usual. And you'll get used to John Travolta and his pronunciation of "ironing." No Divine, but...

Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" -- anyone out there want to shed some light for me?

2007-06-27T13:33:00.001-07:00

I finally finished reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road yesterday. It was a page turner for me, but I was unable to read it before bed and still sleep, and my daytime leisure hours are limited by two smallish people. I liked it, didn't love it. But I'm probably equally haunted by it as the folks who love it. My mother's read it twice, which is astounding. She's brave.

A few questions (uh-oh, treading on Book Club turf here)--anyone out there to shed some light?

1 - The last passage (I mean the very last paragraph, about the fish): I'm looking for other interpretations. Am I the only one who thinks it might have been a reference to actual fish regenerating in the coastal streams? If it's strictly metaphorical, what did you take from it? I've read it over and over again, and still find it to be the most challenging segment of the book.

2 - Religious allusions: other than Ely and the obvious and general child-as-messiah theme, can anyone point me to other specific references I might have missed?

3 - Anti-abortion message: can anyone confirm or disprove that the infant on the spit was motivated by McCarthy's anti-abortion/anti-stem-cell-research leanings?

4 - Anybody else care to weigh in on what the man's profession could have been pre-disaster? I have my own thoughts...

What else? Any English lit majors out there who've written extensive papers on themes in this book and wish to send them to me? I'm not looking for Oprah topics, here...

Thanks.