An Alum-Slug

So, I don't know if you know this but...

I'm a Slug. A Banana Slug.

A UC Santa Cruz Banana Slug.

My first year up there, in the woods, at the clothing-optional campus (back then), was... hard. Coming from South Los Angeles, where people dressed and shaved and smelled of Polo cologne or hair grease or anything except patchouli oil, it was quite an adjustment for me.

But!

I held on and stayed. And I'm so glad I did. Made wonderful, life-long friends. Read great books. Saw deer and cicadas and redwoods.

And now, I'm in the UCSC Review Magazine!

Never thought that would've ever happened. So honored and thrilled.

Would you like to read the profile? It's on-line now. Yeah?

Well, here you go!

And Happy 50 Year Anniversary, UC Santa Cruz!

Come Unto Me Indeed

Taken at a church in my neighborhood...

To Ill or Not to Ill...

So there's this awesome back-and-forth going on between the New York Times crossword editor and this freelance writer about the true definition of 'illin'.

From: Julieanne Smolinski
Date: Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 5:05 PM
Subject: Crossword Puzzle Correction
To: nytnews@nytimes.com

Dear New York Times,

The clue for 28 down reads "Wack, in hip-hop," and the answer provided is "ILLIN." These are not the same things, at all!

Sincerely,

Julieanne Smolinski,
Not Even a Hip-Hop Expert

Click on over to Gawker for the magila!

Don't Tread on Me!

We don't want no stinkin' SOPA (Stop On-line Piracy Act).

From the ACLU (my old bosses) website:

The bill is aimed at taking down sites that allow Internet users to acquire pirated versions of original artistic content online. At a recent hearing, the ACLU expressed opposition to the bill because it would allow for the takedown of non-infringing content along with infringing content, in violation of the First Amendment.

As a writer, can't have NOBODY messing 'round with my First Amendment rights (that's freedom of expression for those needing a rights refresher).

To find out what you can do to stop SOPA -- other than supporting the WIKI black-out, please visit here. And if you have some 'thing' against the ACLU, then go here.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Today from Gawker:


[Inquirer, mugshot via Philadelphia Inquirer]

An illiterate deaf man who knows no sign language being prosecuted in Pennsylvania. His linguistic deficit is either his biggest problem—particularly for participating in his own defense—or the greatest loophole in his criminal career, depending who you ask.

Juan Jose Gonzalez Luna's defense lawyer believes his client was raised in an isolated town in the Mexican state of Michoacán. Luna met few (if any) other deaf people, and did not learn to read or write. He uses ad-hoc pantomiming to communicate. Though Luna is intellectually competent, his public defense lawyer has "a really hard time" communicating "even the most basic things. To try to describe legal procedure to someone like that is virtually impossible."

Read more here.

New Feature: You Can't Make This Stuff Up

I love stories that can't possibly be true but they ARE! And I love sharing those stories with friends and family. And I'd like to share them with you. So I shall.

First up:

This politician in the Philippines was assassinated on New's Years Day. The screw: he was taking a picture of his family at the time, and caught the assassin in his shot. THE MURDERER IS HOLDING UP A GUN IN THE FAMILY PHOTO!

Crazy. right? Chilling, isn't it?

Gawker has the full story and that creepy family photo.