Primo just talked to the Raymond James guy about something else, but he asked RJ guy what it's like dealing with Obnoxious Brother (OB).
RJ guy is tactful and nice and he said Oh it's fine!
But then he added that OB had asked about the GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT ENDS SOON and that he had told OB that RJ does not do that kind of thing.
RJ guy was nice about it, but in his head, I bet he was thinking, Haven't we already been through what a bad idea this kind of investment is you stupid jerk?
That's what I'm thinking.
I have followed you for so long and feel happy when you post. Hello from New Zealand!
ReplyDeletePS Obnoxious Brother is a jerk!
Hi limejelly! Thank you so much! What a nice thing to say. :)
DeleteI don't have so much to say on this blog anymore. There is a lot going on with Primo's nieces and nephew, but as interesting as their stories are, I am reluctant to write about them as they are innocent parties who have never been anything but lovely to me.
I do write more political stuff here - https://wisconsin101.home.blog/ - these days. Oh, my country - there is so much we need to fix.
Thank you for your kind words! Stay well!
Goldie
PS And I concur that OB IS A JERK! I have already decided that if Primo dies before OB does, I am not invited OB to the funeral. Indeed, I am not even going to be the one who calls him to tell him Primo is dead. I am never - and I mean this - talking to OB again.
Always happy to see this blog pop up, 'cause I know Primo's family is up to something ... bad!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that Primo's dad is still making his life miserable ... you know, from beyond the grave. Good for Primo to get rid of the trust. But, I do miss the saga of the family from Hell! Best luck!
… but neither of the Liams that have been featured in this blog. Although, the first does sound basically like my twin (gay, white, blonde, tall, etc.). I also apologize for how long this is. I’m chatty/detailed/annoying.. whatever. You can decide.
ReplyDeleteI realize that you (more or less) no longer publish on this blog, but I just wanted to take some time to say how much I have enjoyed reading through the entirety of your archives over the past two weeks or so. It was a nice and refreshing break from the novels that I usually read - I hit the 150 mark for this year and, man, did I need a change of pace… and to broaden my reading scope. Six authors were responsible for 93 of the books that I’ve read this year (I’m staunchly loyal and will read everything someone has ever written, clearly). I did make sure to make a note of anything you referenced in the blog when it came to either 1) books or 2) recipes because cooking/baking is just about my only other hobby, and you’re clearly a woman of taste.
I stumbled across your blog due to a random Google search about the struggles of misophonia. I have this one coworker who not only gets up from a chair three times an hour but who also replaced her rolling chair with one that slides across the ground – AT HER OWN EXPENSE – and then who doesn’t pick up her feet when she walks, and I am right by the door. SHE messaged ME to complain about my occasional *uhhh* or *hmm* when I edit a document, asking if I was trying to get some kind of attention because it’s okay to chat with coworkers, cough, etc. but not make dismayed noises once or twice a day….*sigh* *eye roll* -where is the knife sharpener?-
Thanks so much, Liam_B! I am only now seeing your comment because I rarely post here. (And honestly, someone shuffling across the floor would make me nuts.)
DeleteSome background about my job:
ReplyDelete… I am the only foreigner working at the second-largest IP law firm in Korea. My work consists of reading very complicated documents related to either chemical or mechanical engineering patents and Office actions that have been drafted and written by non-native speakers. Sometimes, they are just impossible to figure out. My occasional noise of horror is because I have just read a ten-line sentence (masquerading as a paragraph) that doesn’t have any punctuation or an obvious subject and which seems to contradict itself. If I were working at home, this is when I would read it out loud to myself to try to parse what is going on; I’m not going to do that here. I don’t want to be committed in Korea. They have terrible mental health care. So I, a few times a week, have to express some vocal objection to what I am being asked to do.
I wrote something catty back, apologizing for my occasional noises and promised to do better so long as she learned to pick up her feet when she walks. I didn’t respond to anything after that because I didn’t need to escalate it.
Anyway, you commented on another post about your own issues with Tanya and the radio, which led me to your blog.
I loved every minute of it. You have a very natural writing style. It’s conversational and open. I like that it’s full of asides and references that don’t necessarily logically follow upon the plot (I am, basically, the “polar antonym” of Primo when it comes to a story, whom, by the way, sounds lovely, but would probably drive me crazy if I were married to him – I can’t stand 1) clutter, 2) dithering, or 3) being late – it stresses me out).
I enjoy how you call yourself an unreliable narrator, but I don’t think that’s the case. Or, rather, if you are unreliable, you are at least consistently unreliable. I have a somewhat tediously good memory (it gets me in trouble – no one like a person who remembers EVERYTHING), and it was very rare for your facts to contradict themselves. Beyond naming consistency, the only two clear discrepancies were 1) the cost of the 1lb Carr Valley cheese that Sly and Doris ate during their time at your place (which you yourself commented on by saying that it got more expensive every time you talked about it – ironically, the final reference was the cheapest at $22) and 2) whether Primo paid full price for your engagement trashcan (yes, no, yes – the story came up three times).
I was wondering if you had ever done anything else with the book idea about Sly and Doris.
I realize that unsolicited advice is the worst kind of advice, so please feel free to disregard anything I say afterward, and just know that I’m looking forward to catching up with the content on your newer blog.
ReplyDelete(Caveat: The assumption is the format presented within the blog is largely what you intend/intended to publish as is).
1) I think you don’t start early enough. We need a little time to get to know you and Primo before we introduce the crazy that is Sly and Doris. I recognize, however, that they are the sell. So I would suggest that writerly trick of having the first couple of pages be dedicated to a scene that won’t come up until later in the book in order to draw readers in. That bacon thing is crazy and a lot of people would be interested in seeing how someone lands at something like that and whether or not it was an isolated incident. I also recommend the preface being your blog intro, with a slight edit to remove some of the spoilers (Can life have spoilers?):
Two weeks before our wedding, my husband's parents called to tell him 1. they weren't coming and 2. he shouldn't marry me.
None of this is made up.
2) You don’t flesh out (most of) your characters enough. Because you are basing them on people you know, you understand their behaviors and motivations. You don’t have to give a lot of background for it to make sense to you. Having read a good-sized accounting of your life, I don’t need it either for your sister or your mother (your brother is still a bit of a mystery). But other people don’t have the kind of access, so you need to approach introducing them to readers like you’re trying to set us up on dates with them. Or least getting us to agree to sit together at a public function.
3) Your dialogue style is amazing. I love the footnotes and the asides (Terry Pratchett is my favorite author, so I’m a bit biased, and he was the king of that). I think you should keep it up. I also enjoy you narrating the scene while also being present in it, but you’re a bit too emotionally removed. As someone who is also emotionally removed from most things, I get it, but your characters don’t have as much dimension as they should as a result.
4) I think you have the wrong focus for “redemption. I’m not even sure redemption is the right thing to be seeking. Why are you trying to write something that redeems Sly and Doris? Your blog is about you and Primo. It’s about trying to navigate a later-in-life romance with crazy in-laws. Why can’t the crazy in-laws just remain crazy? Focus on how you and Primo managed to pull through all of that to build a healthier relationship. I also think you should take the ending up to when they die. That’s the real narrative end of this, isn’t it? Life isn’t always neatly wrapped up, but people need to be able to recognize that, heal and move on. And, apparently, throw away 3 metric tons of shit along the way.
Those are just some thoughts I had. I really, really apologize for the length of my post. I also don’t know how to edit. I apologize for that. I will start reading your other blog now. I don’t like to dead-post, but I’ll probably comment from time to time on the newer stuff.