We are at the stoplight at the bottom of the hill where, for a few months now, there has been a homeless couple panhandling at the corner. They seem in their early 30s but it’s hard to tell. The man seems to be in charge of 3 things: walking up and down the hill, holding the sign, and menacing cars. The woman seems to be in charge of one thing: sitting near the crosswalk curled over on herself. He goes to work — menacing cars up and down the same 30-foot stretch of sidewalk — and she curls over on herself. Watching this behavior, something suddenly occurs to me so I turn to MB and say, “Oh, I get it now. She’s stay-at-home homeless.”
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Favorite piece of movie dialog heard over the weekend:
HE: You’re shaking.
SHE: It’s the weather.
(What?? Well, sunny days do that to me, too.)
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Favorite parts (so far) of niece Piper’s novel “Cleo’s Adventures”:
Then the four of them rode a subway to Montana.
I also liked this dialog:
“Don’t be lazy, Jack. You’re a demigod, not a cat!”
“I wish I WERE a cat,” grumbled Jack.
And this opening:
When her mom told her she was sending her to Greek school, Cleo thought she said geek school.
I actually think that’s a pretty good opening sentence. Go, Piper!
She left me with a cliffhanger in the unfinished Chapter Four. It’s called “An Unplanned Swim” and apparently involves a hideous sea serpent in the Missouri River. When I asked her how a sea serpent ended up in the Missouri River, Piper said simply, “He just got lost and decided he liked it there.”
No complicated reason. Sometimes the most straightforward explanation is best, you know?
She has 24 pages so far. Oh, this is her second novel.
She is 10.
Piper said simply, “He just got lost and decided he liked it there.â€
That’s a great answer! The Hekawi tribe of “F-Troop” had a similar answer. (“Where the heck are we?” was misinterpreted to be “We’re the Hekawi”)
An opening sentence that makes me laugh, hooks me for sure. Nice job, Piper! She must be a Rick Riordan fan. I hope she is illustrating them, too.
I would like a copy of Piper’s novel, once it’s published.
I’m with Roo. I’m dying to read Piper’s novel.
Also I wish there was a subway from where I live to Montana. I’d hop on it right now!!
Did you get the name for the blog from how the expression ‘beyond the pale’ originated?
Piper sat with me while I read the whole 24 pages of her novel on the computer. She was so cute, pointing out the parts she liked, smiling when I pointed out the parts I liked. She was so proud of herself for the demigod/cat line. Hahahahaha.
And, yes, a subway to Montana, please. I’ve been there once and it was just so beyond my expectation of it. Such a gorgeous place.
stephanie — Hi. Welcome! To answer your question, yes, I did, but it was also a little personal joke for me because I myself am pale in color. 😉
You’re the first person who’s ever asked me that. Thanks for the question!
Tracey – me too. LOVED Montana. Why can’t there be a subway to just zip me there passively any time I want to go?