Facebook overkill!

England, In recent weeks I've gone overboard on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Technorati, and all the rest of Web 2.0's collection of widgets, add-ons, and blogospheric companions to supposedly enhance readership, traffic and anything else that gets a mug to visit my blog. Did I fall for the marketing? Do these things really work?

I can now at least say have several friends in the Lebanese Chess Club through Facebook! Once I got one friend, they all started inviting me. It's my latest ambition to one day play a game there, and get all my Lenanese Facebook friends together - no joke.

Technocrati that!

Phew!

Quote of the Day #2

"Life is an overrated way of passing the time."

Julian Barnes, Nothing To Be Afraid Of (2008)

Marine Corps Marathon

Not long to go now!

With just over two months before I attempt my 3rd marathon, I have begun my training in earnest! I even went running at 6:30 this morning, which was lovely and cool. I trotted along the trails and streams of Rock Creek Park and it was 72 degrees when I got back at 7.20 - already getting hot!

Anyway, I've now reading Haruki Murakami's great little memoir about running and writing: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. It's a little gem! The Japanese writer most famous for his novels of love, loss and pop music takes us back over his 20-plus years of running, starting with his first marathon distance - when he ran from Athens to the town of Marathon (the orifinal race run by Pheidippides after the ancient Greeks beat the invading Perisans at the Battle of Marathon).


Murakami only discovered afterwards that the distance from Athens to Marathon is technically 25 miles, a mile or so short of today's marathon distance! Oops!

"The Writing Life"

So I read this amusing article in the Washington Post book reviews, penned by novelist Chris Bohjalian. It's a great article about how writers are equally obsessed and fearful of their reviews, the twist here being the critics are the comments posted on amazon.com. As Chris points out, even the smallest criticism - and 1* rating - is enough not only to damage the writer's ego (and possible future writing), but it can put of other readers, affect sales, and generally dampen the excitment of having a book out there!

The ideal reader, of course, is not always the same person who picks up the book! And the reader who 'endures' a novel gets some compensation, no doubt, in wielding power over future readers - vindication!

Recently, I had a comment on my Bookhabit page and as Chris described in his article, for better or worse I felt compelled to respond!

The Hutchings!

Voila my beautiful nieces, the gruesome twosome. Say cheese, Grace & Beatrice!

At Beatrice's christening, 2006. Beatrice is the surprised-looking one!

My sister, Kate Hutchings, in Yorkshire with G & B!

The house near Wetherby, Yorkshire - Grace has recently figured out how cameras work!