Meta tags:
description= Chickreads for everyone;
Headings (most frequently used words):
the, to, back, and, when, let, play, ball, blog, school, wish, prairie, good, bad, really, ugly, sequel, is, needed, happy, endings, in, space, what, would, founders, think, they, were, young, post, me, waiting, for, bubble, burst, billionaire, family, civil, war, pages, buy, book, social, network, flickr, photos, archives, meta, posts, navigation,
Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (491), and (188), that (138), for (85), with (75), they (72), his (63), was (60), but (44), their (38), would (38), this (38), have (36), has (35), trump (35), can (34), were (34), she (34), her (34), are (32), not (30), what (28), who (28), when (27), all (27), which (26), from (24), had (24), one (24), there (24), been (24), may (23), other (23), time (23), will (22), how (22), out (22), july (21), 2026 (21), august (20), more (20), about (20), even (20), some (20), june (19), january (18), him (18), only (18), years (18), many (18), self (17), #family (17), after (17), new (17), could (17), march (16), april (16), november (16), also (16), them (16), still (16), october (15), february (15), never (15), first (15), september (14), december (14), 2020 (14), get (14), while (14), 2015 (13), 2018 (13), 2019 (13), 2021 (13), 2023 (13), 2024 (13), 2025 (13), although (13), those (13), too (13), than (13), day (13), like (13), these (13), most (13), 2013 (12), 2016 (12), 2017 (12), 2022 (12), government (12), long (12), into (12), now (12), way (12), during (12), you (12), john (12), 2014 (11), find (11), publishing (11), then (11), back (11), few (11), off (11), yoko (11), comments (10), let (10), minutes (10), uncategorized (10), lgould171784 (10), seems (10), president (10), days (10), love (10), little (10), real (10), well (10), almost (10), later (10), space (10), laura (10), 2012 (9), book (9), political (9), did (9), own (9), make (9), much (9), every (9), everything (9), two (9), through (9), something (9), home (9), washington (9), story (9), since (9), against (9), science (9), series (9), ingalls (9), 2011 (8), journalism (8), politics (8), rupert (8), money (8), himself (8), before (8), enough (8), such (8), high (8), because (8), members (8), paper (8), began (8), always (8), fans (8), life (8), adams (8), andy (8), team (8), play (7), ball (7), become (7), leave (7), american (7), james (7), right (7), over (7), just (7), ever (7), old (7), called (7), down (7), several (7), taking (7), perhaps (7), ways (7), job (7), school (7), see (7), fauci (7), 2010 (6), friend (6), federal (6), children (6), history (6), don (6), party (6), done (6), country (6), especially (6), put (6), really (6), once (6), making (6), became (6), kids (6), both (6), war (6), everyone (6), might (6), probably (6), version (6), far (6), possible (6), away (6), our (6), late (6), post (6), group (6), sometimes (6), different (6), maybe (6), fiction (6), earth (6), original (6), baseball (6), latest (6), mary (6), books (6), buy (5), company (5), took (5), empire (5), end (5), nothing (5), around (5), power (5), served (5), left (5), donald (5), quite (5), republicans (5), times (5), tried (5), man (5), take (5), major (5), current (5), public (5), whether (5), last (5), any (5), given (5), must (5), admit (5), gets (5), paul (5), true (5), together (5), lennon (5), where (5), early (5), less (5), playing (5), writing (5), present (5), finds (5), forced (5), miranda (5), fashion (5), town (5), reviews (4), certain (4), deal (4), character (4), possibly (4), second (4), next (4), great (4), former (4), recently (4), graham (4), thing (4), business (4), endless (4), billionaire (4), son (4), reason (4), popular (4), rest (4), forever (4), worst (4), numbers (4), know (4), does (4), bad (4), despite (4), continue (4), say (4), print (4), week (4), bezos (4), someone (4), good (4), course (4), full (4), magazine (4), sports (4), best (4), newspaper (4), growing (4), point (4), its (4), star (4), beatles (4), music (4), behind (4), got (4), didn (4), rather (4), world (4), goes (4), seem (4), particularly (4), trying (4), film (4), prove (4), hamilton (4), often (4), founders (4), house (4), help (4), happy (4), ending (4), martian (4), blown (4), known (4), again (4), michael (4), devil (4), integrity (4), yet (4), big (4), owners (4), fifty (4), saves (4), games (4), game (4), prairie (4), charles (4), caroline (4), name (3), comment (3), wordpress (3), blog (3), facebook (3), lachlan (3), involved (3), settlement (3), stand (3), exchange (3), shot (3), evidently (3), national (3), sure (3), dies (3), able (3), reached (3), rights (3), billion (3), couldn (3), hurt (3), wing (3), anything (3), total (3), birthday (3), why (3), sell (3), six (3), seven (3), lack (3), guy (3), wonder (3), news (3), trumpism (3), stop (3), believe (3), kind (3), isn (3), starting (3), media (3), tale (3), among (3), three (3), standing (3), think (3), case (3), father (3), conservative (3), success (3), smart (3), fighting (3), won (3), move (3), senate (3), others (3), theirs (3), bubble (3), finally (3), result (3), evil (3), capable (3), understanding (3), released (3), knew (3), number (3), already (3), question (3), being (3), surely (3), better (3), followers (3), without (3), courage (3), part (3), thankfully (3), read (3), evidence (3), nation (3), ready (3), digital (3), including (3), recent (3), fairly (3), hands (3), until (3), should (3), process (3), order (3), come (3), happened (3), idea (3), lost (3), people (3), leaving (3), doesn (3), city (3), huge (3), doing (3), worth (3), certainly (3), parents (3), year (3), brave (3), live (3), season (3), couple (3), songs (3), technology (3), mind (3), mostly (3), produced (3), came (3), set (3), eventually (3), york (3), career (3), themselves (3), art (3), 1966 (3), scenes (3), touring (3), brutal (3), another (3), loves (3), screaming (3), song (3), jefferson (3), aren (3), doubt (3), whose (3), states (3), executive (3), burr (3), clashed (3), friends (3), federalist (3), four (3), made (3), seemed (3), democracy (3), hear (3), general (3), looking (3), becomes (3), janie (3), herself (3), husband (3), budget (3), analyst (3), places (3), galaxy (3), planet (3), except (3), hard (3), work (3), very (3), arthur (3), having (3), death (3), wild (3), modern (3), wears (3), prada (3), emily (3), need (3), runway (3), want (3), college (3), daily (3), needed (3), start (3), strike (3), inning (3), bullpen (3), hand (3), kansas (3), indians (3), territory (3), settlers (3), place (3), committee (3), theme (2), independent (2), publisher (2), powered (2), feed (2), photos (2), follow (2), fan (2), amazon (2), pages (2), posts (2), dollar (2), efforts (2), views (2), extreme (2), wealth (2), fight (2), trust (2), firm (2), wanted (2), prue (2), liz (2), voting (2), each (2), accepting (2), outlets (2), sued (2), murdoch (2), greatest (2), sent (2), convictions (2), effort (2), prominent (2), choice (2), shameless (2), goal (2), felt (2), whimsical (2), nice (2), chief (2), utter (2), secretly (2), holding (2), spoken (2), lindsey (2), doubts (2), election (2), riot (2), wall (2), describes (2), families (2), rarely (2), stakes (2), found (2), deals (2), native (2), build (2), powerful (2), five (2), legal (2), vast (2), promote (2), civil (2), prison (2), cornyn (2), texas (2), thomas (2), office (2), sight (2), intention (2), use (2), fund (2), reward (2), attacked (2), corrupt (2), scandal (2), cover (2), least (2), ask (2), guess (2), burst (2), double (2), passionate (2), loud (2), critical (2), thinking (2), ability (2), wake (2), whatever (2), anger (2), devoted (2), stupidity (2), incompetence (2), crowd (2), subjects (2), voices (2), parker (2), george (2), allowed (2), described (2), intellect (2), easily (2), free (2), makes (2), look (2), sunday (2), sit (2), weeks (2), collected (2), papers (2), decided (2), content (2), opinions (2), unusual (2), definitely (2), model (2), departed (2), demonstrated (2), altogether (2), phase (2), section (2), previous (2), turns (2), fire (2), hope (2), deep (2), matter (2), comical (2), likes (2), lot (2), things (2), age (2), dying (2), recognized (2), give (2), small (2), future (2), named (2), jeff (2), rock (2), lives (2), youtube (2), baby (2), surviving (2), nostalgia (2), pre (2), separation (2), looked (2), helped (2), renewed (2), claimed (2), assassination (2), fair (2), boys (2), band (2), cause (2), london (2), concept (2), woman (2), pursue (2), relationships (2), glimpses (2), jfk (2), along (2), faced (2), gave (2), documentary (2), throw (2), demonstrate (2), simply (2), girls (2), youthful (2), giving (2), lament (2), third (2), girl (2), british (2), young (2), faces (2), innocent (2), eight (2), friendship (2), calling (2), moving (2), accept (2), your (2), franklin (2), pulled (2), 100 (2), bill (2), alexander (2), serving (2), secretary (2), united (2), strong (2), duel (2), guessing (2), reputation (2), close (2), fell (2), republican (2), successor (2), laws (2), journalists (2), turned (2), serious (2), france (2), criticized (2), lived (2), nature (2), vital (2), trio (2), presidents (2), advantage (2), sort (2), imagine (2), biggest (2), minded (2), chicklit (2), speak (2), aliens (2), comes (2), zap (2), threat (2), harmless (2), begin (2), strange (2), title (2), stage (2), gone (2), companions (2), scientific (2), mission (2), mess (2), planets (2), occasionally (2), mid (2), familiar (2), upon (2), princess (2), leia (2), meanwhile (2), prospects (2), han (2), solo (2), touch (2), local (2), bypass (2), apparently (2), inspired (2), entire (2), fate (2), guide (2), necessary (2), endings (2), conclusions (2), tend (2), robert (2), smith (2), attention (2), ends (2), needs (2), tad (2), myself (2), novel (2), anyone (2), kidnapping (2), ballplayer (2), perfect (2), sequel (2), profession (2), 2006 (2), whim (2), sense (2), closest (2), nationals (2), option (2), patience (2), lead (2), mean (2), bunch (2), learn (2), develop (2), ugly (2), league (2), problem (2), blow (2), victory (2), managed (2), mediocre (2), pitching (2), lefty (2), followed (2), beeter (2), win (2), solid (2), important (2), teams (2), lawrence (2), minors (2), nine (2), heard (2), near (2), grim (2), setting (2), record (2), lose (2), subject (2), minnesota (2), went (2), remember (2), facts (2), brother (2), edwards (2), settle (2), interest (2), rendition (2), reality (2), marriages (2), romantic (2), wisconsin (2), community (2), west (2), critics (2), evident (2), daughters (2), landon (2), scarcely (2), daughter (2), wilder (2), spirit (2), advice (2), leaders (2), lifelong (2), era (2), senators (2), mccain (2), term (2), security (2), available (2), disease (2), rand (2), twenty (2), concerned (2), pandemic (2), classes (2), educated (2), chickreads (2), website, email, write, loading, proudly, com, org, entries, log, meta, archives, flickr, myspace, twitter, shelfari, librarything, goodreads, social, network, barnes, noble, search, older, navigation, appealed, amounts, basics, ceased, impose, moderate, parting, opining, decent, lie, juice, ratings, surrendered, using, launch, conceded, poisonous, dialogue, incurable, destroyed, liberal, court, try, break, governed, dealings, gang, chosen, heir, deprive, throne, forfeited, ensured, preserved, satisfied, obedience, champion, publication, racy, card, jeffrey, epstein, 50th, gift, knows, brand, revolve, plunged, maelstrom, registered, democrat, invite, clintons, melania, wedding, professed, completely, pro, amass, ton, park, bernie, sanders, sincere, beliefs, accounts, governing, style, murderous, tariffs, feelings, commander, shifts, peacemaker, warmonger, flipping, switch, assholes, endure, complete, hypocrites, noses, proclaim, wonderfulness, chris, christie, governor, jersey, enabler, boasted, talk, show, despise, identified, senator, yeah, nuts, confirmed, outward, worship, wavers, properties, fox, farflung, array, tabloids, beacons, according, betrayed, appalled, refusal, concede, reportedly, contact, implore, occasions, overheard, betray, misinformation, spew, shit, accused, street, journal, gabriel, sherman, expose, vividly, schism, divides, fascinating, narrative, details, risky, undertook, australia, worldwide, personalities, soap, opera, bonfire, murdochs, mogul, spread, wives, embroiled, arguments, maneuverings, determine, charge, satisfy, necessarily, primarily, filial, closeness, firstborn, shares, progressive, outlook, throughout, assets, plan, ingenious, remind, role, belongs, aroused, police, conservatives, incidentally, smartest, torpedo, careers, massie, kentucky, primary, endorsements, candidates, backbones, encourage, bursts, lovely, announced, dubbed, anti, weaponization, ardent, supporters, biden, adminstration, irony, rich, openly, saying, succeeds, scheme, marauders, goading, encouragement, seat, appears, slush, shades, nixon, famously, watergate, expenses, roiled, irs, contractor, tax, returns, filed, paid, compared, disclosure, embarrassed, highness, extracted, 776, cutesy, patriotic, beleaguered, agency, magic, straw, bridge, criminal, hide, jesse, capone, stopped, crossing, ingenuity, devotees, wield, proportion, intimidate, lawmakers, pundits, modicum, madness, ranging, irritation, boiling, mystical, talent, idiot, genius, magical, absolutely, outrageous, says, egregious, shamelessness, shield, stunning, qualities, childishness, corruption, hypocrisy, dishonesty, immorality, regarded, virtues, worshipers, proven, particular, losing, significant, waiting, wreckage, feared, glimmers, here, restrictions, covered, opinion, reliably, kathleen, occasional, downs, referred, corleone, bereft, information, disorderly, swayed, fingers, crossed, operation, constrictions, continuing, delusions, statements, declaring, iran, economy, going, capital, join, exodus, sundays, retains, features, axed, forward, traditional, morning, coffee, breakfast, tangible, pretty, anxious, materializing, front, lawn, missed, month, hospital, rehab, stint, fractured, hip, coming, smorgasbord, purchasing, owner, inauguration, ominously, attended, suddenly, maker, businesses, strategy, required, consolidation, importantly, upsetting, diminish, wacko, page, leading, departure, respected, editorial, writers, besides, across, startling, proofreading, errors, editors, woodward, bernstein, signs, eyes, subscribers, droves, bother, scale, demolition, marauding, destructive, axe, venerable, institution, amputating, parts, sections, consolidated, eliminated, threatened, feature, protested, alone, survives, sportswriters, generously, milan, winter, olympics, barely, reasonable, convince, sixing, horrible, save, okay, indignation, mine, relevant, fact, estimated, 255, afford, owned, nifty, retail, giant, spaceflight, blue, origin, ignites, spectacular, explosions, promoter, artificial, intelligence, project, prometheus, maintain, contributed, historical, continued, kid, staunchly, subscribed, sensing, switched, quality, saw, disagreed, slant, decades, loyalty, stake, evening, bald, gives, demolish, roll, aged, boomers, relive, younger, generations, embrace, ringo, rocking, rolling, step, performing, finale, saturday, night, apart, trouble, notes, fine, reunion, 1969, rumors, flying, manufactured, based, tapes, reduce, flesh, unforgettable, admitting, nostalgic, appeared, retire, investments, declared, househusband, myth, contradicted, sources, persona, pressure, produce, comeback, album, 1980, denounced, fraud, radio, interviewer, confessed, feeling, duped, realized, idyllic, failed, prevent, army, mystics, hired, serve, advisors, fantasy, blame, entirely, breakup, motion, grow, symbol, growth, stringy, haired, gaunt, pair, exploring, heroin, moved, launched, artistic, naïve, activism, threaten, deported, screeds, weakest, met, gallery, putting, exhibit, hang, strive, understand, participating, dawned, heretofore, class, misogynist, creative, comparatively, conventional, wife, suburb, humdrum, wormed, recording, studio, besotted, convinced, bored, lucky, tour, alive, innocence, projects, cataclysm, beginnings, ono, entered, scene, splitting, historic, half, frantic, 1963, interspersed, events, marches, nuclear, testing, musicians, jaded, rubber, soul, revolver, complicated, conducive, performance, tours, ended, stretch, bible, belt, infamous, interview, equated, popularity, jesus, mishap, occurred, philippines, inadvertently, stood, lady, imelda, marcos, nearly, pummeled, cuts, arrival, america, 1964, encounters, horde, press, continuous, zingers, unique, liverpudlian, wit, striking, reaction, amazement, belive, ruckus, causing, airport, opens, hits, guaranteed, exuberance, whenever, listen, twist, hint, complexities, usual, puppy, urge, bit, understated, jealousy, glad, unselfish, admonishes, overtaken, waves, aging, downloading, ron, howard, aptly, catchy, covers, quartet, fresh, grown, musically, tough, clubs, hamburg, germany, exposure, groupies, partying, innocents, worshiped, distance, noting, animosity, cordial, letters, contributions, resorted, malicious, nicknames, signature, skills, jibes, clever, childish, useless, speculate, mellow, proper, mantle, graciously, moniker, majesty, craves, request, benjamin, century, bon, vivant, demand, tricks, image, contemplates, slapping, mug, bigger, denomination, licking, chops, pick, brain, credentials, include, treasury, founder, bank, appreciate, advocacy, stronger, financial, footing, ghost, warn, disagreements, idiotic, aaron, jerk, reenacted, root, episode, ruined, maverick, plot, invade, mexico, combine, western, territories, declare, emperor, maintained, respect, abroad, contending, presidency, representing, opposing, democratic, parties, credit, abolishing, mistake, alien, sedition, acts, controversial, alarmingly, easier, deport, immigrants, criminalized, forms, dissent, ruling, targeted, wrong, undoubtedly, exclaim, support, kings, movement, revolutionary, indignantly, offer, king, republic, envoy, england, mrs, gaudiness, meaningless, pageantry, royalty, turn, nose, tackiness, white, decorations, attempted, wide, renovations, realize, fragile, human, wannabe, dictators, gather, dangerous, safeguards, constitution, intended, branch, accomplish, limited, interested, powers, madison, jay, authors, explain, dynamic, alarmed, observe, branches, legislative, judicial, reign, vision, depend, informed, electorate, questionable, claiming, moral, superiority, clues, enslavers, administration, squandered, scrubbing, realities, slavery, museums, monuments, pass, training, program, choose, meet, travel, summit, ignorance, flawed, men, possessed, baffle, fashioning, experiment, knowing, committing, treason, crown, hanged, enemy, adversities, battlefield, cadet, bone, spurs, imagined, cosseted, wages, task, military, adventures, same, declined, cost, reelection, insisted, afterward, peace, decision, bash, fast, approaching, historically, founding, fathers, magically, spring, situation, envisioned, 250, ago, glimpse, heaven, nirvana, air, conjure, humans, encounter, foe, crucial, meteor, threatens, spacecraft, laser, nowhere, dust, unknown, creatures, demonstration, intruders, rescue, voyagers, entertain, visions, loved, ones, phantom, whom, seeks, forgiveness, aspiring, writer, girlhood, working, administrative, produces, funding, plans, colonization, applications, immigration, personal, disaster, strikes, helping, experimental, piece, theatre, accidentally, kills, estranged, stunt, sets, trope, fugitive, trusting, justice, boards, starship, headed, alpha, centauri, system, journey, diverse, goals, uncover, wormholes, grapple, continuum, searching, answers, spiritual, realm, begins, descending, holy, fronts, escaping, spaceships, possibilities, terra, forming, evolving, lightning, speed, travelers, large, establishing, outposts, moon, mars, unsatisfied, limitations, sights, promising, deeper, immersion, dip, seemingly, wars, saga, kicked, 1970s, intrepid, dedicating, overthrowing, fascist, controlled, heroes, various, reasons, opening, kidnapped, storm, troopers, watch, dull, farming, luke, skywalker, feels, jedi, stirrings, blood, depart, dismay, adoptive, loner, implies, originally, smuggler, evolves, neutral, stance, fighter, falling, battle, keeps, eluding, conquered, militarily, refashions, itself, ben, side, comedy, genre, laughed, badly, main, protagonist, dent, demolished, vogons, wipe, hyperspace, subsequent, wanderings, tended, absurd, comprehend, control, sadly, traveling, fragments, remain, judging, hitchhiker, fun, wasn, tropes, romance, adventure, philosophical, usually, prevail, ambiguous, heinlein, youngster, fixated, featured, born, messiah, valentine, naivety, trigger, insights, seeking, disciples, prelude, transformation, archangel, stranger, land, novella, attempt, plus, liberating, blurt, improbable, minimum, professional, assistance, tossed, kdp, reads, sales, laboriously, closely, edited, length, novels, sittings, appeals, span, ties, loose, neatly, struggles, keep, dealing, oligarchs, provide, cash, infusion, shark, handled, deserves, hoodwinked, placated, devilish, surface, treats, assistants, lowly, servants, sympathetic, displays, dare, humility, goodhearted, protect, arrogant, boss
Text of the page (random words):
s contribute to the conundrum of the 2026 washington nationals on the day i began writing this lament july 19 they were a fifty fifty proposition a perfect 50 wins and 50 losses on the one hand fans are delirious with joy to find the team hovering near 500 this late in the season a vast improvement over any of the previous six grim rebuilding campaigns since the glory days of 2019 on the other hand setting a new major league record for late game blown saves by the bullpen 27 at this point heading for the seasonal record of 37 is not what anyone had in mind there has been speculation for some time that the lerner family owners since 2006 but without their patriarch since 2023 aren t willing to spend the money needed to fix the problem this suspicion has a growing contingent of fans chanting sell the team daily on facebook the owners and fans alike are painfully discovering that a solid bullpen is an important part of a winning culture and must be propped up with serious bucks even if the members don t tend to be the biggest stars in baseball the nats bullpen is plagued with a general lack of experience some of the members have had some innings with other teams but were let go justin lawrence is one of these claimed off waivers only to be designated for assignment sent to the minors almost immediately others hastily brought up from the minors have been thrown out there to see what they can do such as lawrence s replacement eddy yean the closest thing to a real ninth inning closer at present is clayton beeter who has collected nine saves an impressive number for this group he is followed by a bunch of fairly unfamiliar names perhaps never to be heard from again after their trial by fire cornelio cosgrove kranick krook littell mikolas palmquist ribalta to be fair there are a few slightly less awful arms who are currently injured lord lovelady poulin and whose return might help a little it s not only the blown saves that hurt it s the way they blow them sometimes it happens on the cusp of victory in two successive games in june against the philadelphia phillies their most hated divisional rival they were one strike away from victory not just one out mind you but one strike only to see it blow up in their faces a couple of weeks earlier the hapless group had managed the almost impossible trick of blowing an eight run lead in the eighth inning against the rather mediocre san francisco giants on a bitter weekend in july the desperation of the youthful manager blake butera was demonstrated in almost comical fashion during a three game series against the yankees all of them blown saves he tried everything in the book with the late inning pitching starting with a by the book lefty lefty matchup in the first game followed by the most reliable guy beeter in the second in the last game of the series desperate for a win he pulled out all the stops by calling on a starting pitcher to stop the bleeding nothing worked the major league trading deadline which falls on august 3 this year will present a tricky problem for a fifty fifty team that sometimes flirts with success will they buy or sell selling some of their best players for prospects would mean that the owners believe the future has not yet arrived buying someone who could help right away although the price could be high would indicate an intention to start competing sooner rather than later can you guess which option the fans prefer we re not known for our patience a rebuild that seems to last forever can lead to rebellion which is only effective if fans withhold their patronage in big enough numbers for the owners to notice there s always a third option for the team of course and that is to stand pat for now that would mean letting the bunch of kids they now have continue to learn on the job do we have the patience to continue watching these growing pains it s not like we have much choice we might as well develop a sense of humor about the ugly times lgould171784 baseball baseball fans self publishing uncategorized washington nationals 2 comments july 26 2026 july 26 2026 3 minutes when a sequel is needed the devil wears prada released in 2006 quickly became one of my favorite movies it drew me in on so many levels andrea sachs known as andy to her friends was recently a hotshot reporter for her college newspaper but finds the profession hard to crack in the big city she interviews for a job at runway magazine as an assistant to miranda priestly the devil of the title miranda hires what she refers to as the smart fat girl on a whim as if intrigued by her total lack of fashion sense andy s closest colleague on the job emily is a daily horror full of insults and disdain worse andy finds that her duties have nothing to do with writing and everything to do with catering to miranda s every whim who among us hasn t gone through bad bosses snooty co workers and a disappointing job description i can certainly relate but andy gradually adapts by turning herself into a fashion plate in the process she alienates her true friends discards a boyfriend she supposedly loves takes up with a devious lover and generally compromises the high minded principles she came to town with but when she glimpses the truly cutthroat nature of the business she literally walks away recovering her integrity she goes after the job she wanted all along in real journalism she even finds a way to leave both miranda and emily on a conciliatory note what a perfect ending that was tied up with a bow when a movie resonates like that why not let it stand on its own forever won t a sequel mess with that tidy ending in this case it was the real world that intruded the devil wears prada 2 is a necessity because the journalism profession in which andy has excelled for 20 years is on the ropes and so is she on the very day that she and her team receive a prestigious award they are all laid off andy s acceptance speech turns into a screaming fit which ends with the declaration journalism still fucking matters her mission when she rejoins runway after all these years is to prove that statement by inserting her notion of real journalism into the fashion focused rag which is also fighting for its survival i wrote a couple of sequels myself during my novel writing career not that anyone was screaming for them they re not exactly the godfather or rocky material stories which could be plausibly stretched into eternity but i did want to see for myself how the small town college girls of the rock star s homecoming 2007 amateur dramatists and journalists back then would adapt to the real world in sycophants 2018 it turned out that two of the ambitious women found themselves in new york launching a film production company which attracts the attention of quite a few acquaintances from the past as well as current luminaries likewise i felt compelled to revive a major theme of let s play ball 2010 political conflict between the united states and cuba sparked by the kidnapping of a ballplayer i restaged the kidnapping so to speak seven years later with a different ballplayer and even higher stakes than before the devil wears prada two ties up loose ends as neatly as the original did once again andy struggles to keep her integrity while dealing with the oligarchs who can provide the cash infusion that runway needs emily is still a shark who needs to be handled and deserves to be hoodwinked but can also be placated miranda as devilish as ever on the surface still treats her assistants like lowly servants yet seems a tad more sympathetic than before having been forced to admit that she and the magazine need help she displays dare we say a touch of humility and as always goodhearted andy does what she can to protect her arrogant boss while striving to prove that fashion and journalistic integrity can coexist lgould171784 chicklit journalism self publishing uncategorized writing 2 comments july 19 2026 3 minutes happy endings in space my 2024 novella budget analyst in space has been my first and only attempt at science fiction during my 20 plus years of self publishing it was liberating in a way to just blurt out a wild and improbable story with a minimum of professional assistance and see what happened so how is it that this tossed off tale gets more kdp reads and digital sales on some days than my laboriously produced and closely edited full length novels maybe a story that can be read in one or two sittings appeals to the modern attention span i had no idea what i was doing except maybe having some fun i wasn t even sure if there are necessary tropes in science fiction as there are in romance must the tale be full of high adventure or can it be more philosophical and what about happy endings does good usually prevail over evil or do the conclusions tend to be ambiguous i read some robert heinlein as a youngster and especially fixated on stranger in a strange land which was popular during my high school years it featured a martian born messiah valentine michael smith whose very naivety about earth ways seemed to trigger the insights that his followers were seeking but did it end well for everyone only for the disciples who could accept smith s brutal death as a necessary prelude for his transformation to archangel michael how well does comedy work in this genre i laughed out loud all the way through hitchhiker s guide to the galaxy both the book and the film although it began very badly for the main protagonist arthur dent s earth home was demolished to make way for a local bypass which apparently inspired aliens known as vogons to wipe out the entire earth to build a hyperspace bypass arthur s subsequent wanderings through the galaxy tended to prove that everything is absurd and there is no point in trying to comprehend it or to control your own fate sadly arthur and his traveling companions find they can t go home again as only fragments of earth remain despite the guide judging the planet mostly harmless my only other immersion in science fiction has been to dip occasionally into the seemingly endless star wars saga it kicked off in the mid 1970s with an intrepid trio leaving their familiar lives behind and dedicating themselves to overthrowing the fascist empire that controlled the galaxy all space heroes it seems are called upon to leave home for various reasons in one of the opening scenes princess leia kidnapped by the storm troopers is forced to watch while her home planet is blown up meanwhile growing up on a dull planet with no prospects except farming luke skywalker feels the jedi stirrings in his blood and must depart to the dismay of his adoptive parents and then there s han solo a loner as his name implies originally a self serving smuggler who evolves from his neutral stance to a fighter while falling in love with the princess they all battle hard but that happy ending keeps eluding them since the evil empire never quite dies although conquered militarily it refashions itself into the first order meanwhile it s touch and go whether ben solo the son of han and leia will end up on the right side budget analyst in space begins with earth descending into a holy mess on many fronts while the technology for escaping on spaceships and possibilities for terra forming other planets are evolving at lightning speed travelers are taking to space in large numbers first establishing outposts on the moon and mars unsatisfied with the limitations of these places they set their sights on promising looking planets in deeper space janie the budget analyst of the title has been an aspiring science fiction writer since girlhood now 25 years old she finds herself working in a martian administrative office that produces funding plans for space colonization she also reviews applications for immigration from earth including a few from people she clashed with back home then personal disaster strikes while helping to stage an experimental piece for the first martian theatre she accidentally kills her estranged husband in a stunt gone bad this sets the stage for another possible trope a fugitive in space not trusting to martian justice to find her innocent janie boards a starship headed for the alpha centauri system her companions on this journey have diverse goals of their own some are on a scientific mission to uncover wormholes or grapple with the space time continuum others are searching for answers in the spiritual realm i couldn t quite conjure up a happy ending for this group will humans ever find what they re looking for when they take to deep space and if they encounter aliens will these be friend or foe that question becomes crucial when a huge meteor threatens the spacecraft and a powerful laser comes out of nowhere to zap the threat into harmless dust was this done by unknown creatures in friendship or as a demonstration of how they could also zap the intruders at any time in the wake of this rescue the voyagers begin to entertain strange visions of departed loved ones janie finds herself making love to her phantom ex husband from whom she seeks forgiveness it s perhaps a glimpse of what heaven or nirvana would be like but is it worth possibly dying for i leave that question up in the air so to speak lgould171784 chicklit science fiction self publishing uncategorized 2 comments july 10 2026 4 minutes what would the founders think with the biggest birthday bash in the nation s history fast approaching those of us who are at all historically minded can t help but wonder if the founding fathers could magically spring back to life what would they say about our present situation what has become of the democracy they envisioned 250 years ago and what would they make of donald trump we can only wonder which of the founders trump would choose to meet with during this time travel summit given his almost total ignorance of american history flawed as these men were they all possessed a certain character and courage that would baffle the current president they were fashioning a brave experiment in government knowing they were committing treason against the british crown and could be hanged for it if they fell into enemy hands general george washington faced adversities on the battlefield that cadet bone spurs never imagined in his cosseted life understanding the true wages of war i can imagine him taking trump to task for his whimsical military adventures washington s successor john adams would have done the same he declined to go to war against france at a time when such a move would have been popular it may well have cost him reelection but he insisted long afterward that making peace was the best decision he ever made the founders seemed to realize that democracy would always be fragile given human nature there would always be wannabe dictators with the ability to gather a dangerous number of followers they tried to put safeguards in the constitution and the bill of rights intended to make the executive branch strong enough to accomplish much ...
|
