Hihowareya?

Great piece in the New York Times the other day. Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry starts saying "you're so good looking" instead of God bless you when people sneeze. I know I've often wondered myself why I always automatically answer "fine, thank you" even when I'm not, but does anyone ever want to know the real answer? I mean maybe close friends do, but I doubt if the neighbor I pass on the sidewalk wants to here that I'm exhausted, haven't showered in three days and all I can think about is when I'm finally going to get to watch the Lost finale.

Don't Mess With Flipper

Why dolphins are officially the freakin scariest mofos on the planet.

Who Still Cares About Carrie?!

Yesterday I caught a snippet of the Today Show where they were discussing the upcoming Sex and the City sequel and I almost choked on my coffee. First of all I really loved this series, while it wasn't my favorite HBO show by a long shot I really enjoyed it and especially admired the uniqueness of such a powerful female driven show, which has since spawned a million lousy imitations. One of the lousiest of these imitations being the Sex and the City film itself. It is very rare that a movie is so bad that I feel compelled to stop watching halfway through, especially if I've paid to see it, the SATC film was one of these precious gems. Of course I wasn't surprised that it did well in spite of being so bad, this series has a massive cult following after all, but when I heard they were going to make a second film I think I may have thrown up a little in my mouth.

But that ill feeling was nothing compared to how my stomach turned yesterday when they reported that they had actually filmed entire, elaborate decoy scenes that were never intended for the film. Excuse me, what?! What the hell do they think this is, a freaking Star Wars movie?! I didn't realize Lucas was directing couture-clad ladies now. Of all the unecessary ways to ballon an, I'm sure already astronomical, film budget. Sheesh. And we wonder why the film industry is not profitable these days.

Doormen On Strike

I'm sorry, am I missing something here: http://nyti.ms/9T6nMN I mean seriously, how hard is it to open a door and press an elevator button?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The "Swede" Life

My 74 year old mother finally learned how to use a computer about five years ago and ever since she's been forwarding me random email forwards; everything from extolling the virtues of bananas to pictures of funny toilets. Last week she sent me this article on the lives of Swedish women. I should also mention that my mother is, in fact, Swedish and is always relating how sweet it is to be a Swede. Well, as it turns out she's right, according to the article Swedish women are living the good life. The amazing public services in Sweden allow women to juggle careers and family without actually seeming like a circus act, basically they're having their cake and eating it too. Can't help but wonder when we American women are going to wake up and realize the grass can be greener and actually do something about it, I guess the problem is we're all too busy trying to keep our balls in the air.

New Fem Post

Check out my latest Fems For Better Men blog post, and yes I realize I've been blogging and article writing for Fems more than here, c'est la vie!

F4BMag Issue 2

Check out my latest article, The Veil Affair, in the new issue of Fems For Better Magazine!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

There's Something About Dogs and Babies

It amazes me how friendly people can be when you appear to share a common bond, especially when that bond is babies and dogs. I encountered this phenomenon when we first got Charlie and we started walking him around the neighborhood. He was a damn cute puppy (still cute now, just huge) and so of course it didn't surprise me that people wanted to stop and pet him, but what I found really interesting was the willingness of strangers, mostly other dog owners, to jump immediately into conversation simply for the fact that we had a four-legged furball walking alongside of us. I've always been something of an introvert so perhaps that's why I find it more surprising, but still I can't help but wonder everytime I meet a new dog owner if they would have even nodded hello to me if it wasn't for the leash and poop bag dangling in my hand.

Now that I have a baby the phenomenon has of course widened from dog owners to other parents. We take walks in the neighborhood everyday and starting back when I was pregnant I noticed a change even then, it was as if my baby bump was a calling card for other parents or soon-to-be parents. I may as well have been wearing a giant sandwich board advertising my impending motherhood and sudden inception into the "parent club" as each outing seemed to produce more new aquaintances.

Just the other day I was out for a midday walk in the neighborhood with Sofie and Charlie, when a young mom just coming out of her car stopped to greet me hello as if we were old friends. She was friendly and not completely crazy so I didn't really mind much that she chatted me up for a good fifteen minutes before I finally managed to drag Charlie away from the small child she had with her, that he so anxiously wanted to play with. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not some weirdo hermit who avoids all human contact, in fact I always go out of my way to smile and say hello to people that I pass on the street (a nicety I wish more people partook in), but usually when it comes to strangers that's about as far as the communication goes. I mean, let's be real, we live in a scary world where even seemingly nice people can turn out to be axe murderers, so why does having a dog or baby make you so much more approachable?

I mean, to be honest, we have met a few nice people and it does feel pretty pleasant and small town-ish to be able to greet people by name in the neighborhood, but I'm not sure it will ever stop surprising me each time we make a new aquaintance. I guess I will just have to try to get used to my new membership in the parent's club, I just wish they would hurry up and send me my secret decoder ring.

My Year Of Reading Wirelessly

As I have mentioned previously I spend a great deal of time rocking Sofie and am able to read books via the Kindle app on my iPhone while I do so. I've already made my way through, the recent Dan Brown, three Jane Austen titles, Prep, Wuthering Heights and my crowing achievement, the 800-plus page Anna Karenina. I'm currently making my way through the Bronte sisters, having just finished Wuthering Heights, I've now begun Jane Eyre.

I've probably read more books for pleasure in the last four months than I have in the last four years altogether and I'm obsessed. I actually find the reading to be fast and easy on the phone, I think I even prefer it reading on the Kindle itself. My goal is to read as many books as possible using only my iPhone and I'll see what the tally is at the end of the year. If you hadn't already sensed a theme, I have been reading mostly classics. At first this was purely a financial choice, as all the digital books in the public domain are either free or just .99 cents to download from Amazon, but now I'm hooked and intent on reading as many classics as I can. I may even consider tackling War and Peace, I wonder if I'll be the first person to ever read the entire tome on a phone?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

F4BM Mag Issue One

Check out my article, "Year of the Cheater" in the very first issue of Fems For Better Men Magazine!

Dear NBC: You suck.

Good for Conan for standing up to the schmucks at NBC. Why don't they just get rid of Leno and be done with it once and for all, does anyone really think that man is remotely funny?! I sincerely hope they get their heads out of their asses and fix this fast.

Rupert, Rob and Coach, oh my!

Cannot wait for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians! Seriously looking forward to a Coach vs. Rob smackdown. Yes, I'm a geek, that's already been well-established.

New Year, New Rules Take 2

Last year at this time I took a moment to stop and reflect on the year that had passed and to ponder the new year ahead. I set some goals for myself, some were achieved and some weren't and now I'm standing at the brink of another new year doing it all over again. This past year has been amazing, having my daughter has brought me more joy than words can possibly express. I have grown and learned a great deal about myself in a very short period of time and I look forward to more growth as I know each day as a parent brings something new to learn.

My goals are simple and almost the same as last year, finish a novel and get back to pre-pregnancy shape. However, I have one addition and its not a goal so much as a promise to appreciate every precious moment of life. These last four months with Sofie have flown by and since I can't slow down time the only thing I can do is promise to live in every moment and appreciate even the trying or mundane because this is the stuff that life is really made of. I wish all my friends, family and readers a healthy and happy new year and I wish you all the same pure joy my baby has brought me in whatever form it may come to you.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New Year, New Blog

Check out our new family blog experiment, a new picture every day, 365 days.

Fem Blog

Check out my first contribution to the Fems For Better Men blog!

My favorite _______ of 2009

A few of my favorite things from this past year:

-New TV Series: a tie between Modern Family and Hung

-Returning Series: True Blood

-Guilty Pleasure: The View

-Read: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, not published this year but this is when I read it so it counts

-Pregnancy Food Craving: Trader Joes Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels

-Movie: just like last year I haven't seen many current movies, but from what I saw Up was far and away my favorite, it is truly a beautiful film

-New Restaurant: Tacos Por Favor, it's been around for years but I finally got around to trying it and all I can say is YUM

-New Gadget: Its tie between the Kindle for iPhone app and the Blogpress app

-Parenting Product: rocking chair, because it makes my job easier and more comfy

-Personal Moment: Seeing Sofie for the very first time

A Year In Facebook

Fun Facebook activity, a year in the life of Status Updates.

Prep: or how I learned I've officially become a grown-up

Just finished reading Curtis Sittenfeld's debut book, Prep, a book I've been wanting to read for quite some time but have never gotten around to. In fact I'm pretty sure I have a hardcover copy somewhere that I bought and never read and so I have now paid twice to read this book since I had to download it for the Kindle app. Luckily it was a good book so I don't feel too bad about it (although I'm sure my husband is reading this thinking "you paid twice?!", sorry babe). I really did enjoy the book though, Sittenfeld is a great writer, in fact so good I may be tempted to read her other book which was apparently loosely based on Laura Bush. I actually thought her main character was like a modern, female Holden Caufield. At any rate I loved the book but more importantly it taught me something about myself in a very unexpected way.

I've always been a fan of coming-of-age stories which certainly adds to the reason why I liked Prep. I like them because they make me feel nostalgic and because they are always in some way relatable to my own childhood, this book more than most. This time something was different though because now I am a parent, and although as I read I still found myself harkening back to my own high school days, I found an entirely new batch of thoughts crossing my mind as well: someday this will be Sofie.

It's mind boggling to think about her being that age, but when the thought crossed my mind it was like a flash of clarity as I was again reminded of how it's not really about me anymore and I realized that having a child is almost like a second coming of age. I've never really seen myself as a real adult because I've never really felt a marked difference between my youth and adulthood other than a gradual maturity and wisdom that naturally comes with age, but I never really felt a definitive change. In reading this book, however, and finding myself relating the experience to the future of my child rather than my own past I learned that I am a grown-up now and the nice part is I don't really mind it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Addicted to Austen

Just finished my third Jane Austen novel in as many weeks and, to use the parlance of Miss Austen, found them quite agreeable. I'm sure you're wondering how a new mom can have so much time for reading but as I sometimes spend hours on end rocking Sofie it actually affords a good deal of time for it, made possible only by the Kindle for iPhone app (love it!). After finishing the Dan Brown I struggled to find a new book, the only downside to the kindle being that a lot of books are not availble for it. Everything I wanted to read was unavailable and nothing else seemed worthy of the nine dollar price tag and then I stumbled upon the fact that the Kindle store has several classic books available for free. Now I've never really been into the classics, although to be fair the only ones I've really read are a handful of Dickens I was forced to read in AP English and hated, so I've always tended towards modern fiction, but I figured they were free so there was no harm in checking them out at least.

I started with Pride and Prejudice, which I found slow to get going but once the plot really began to unfold I was hooked. My only major complaint was that the ending felt slightly rushed and anti-climactic, I would have liked the final coming together of Eliza and Darcy to be a little more dramatic. Next I dove into Sense and Sensibility which I also enjoyed though not as much as Pride and finally I read Mansfield Park which was by far my favorite of the three and which I think can partially be accounted to the fact that Austen's writing matured and became exponentially better as her writing career progressed.

I am definitely in awe of her as a writer. She has clearly influenced a great deal of modern material from Gilmore Girls to Twilight and so much more. It's no wonder her books have been adapted into films so many times over because although the books are old the themes are still so relevant today. I guess that's why they call them classics.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Giving Thanks

Every year at this time I generally have one thing on my mind: turkey, turkey, turkey. I didn't grow up in a very traditional American family and somehow giving thought to the meaning of thanksgiving usually escapes me. This year however, maybe because I have a lot to be thankful for, I am more aware and so I thought I would share some things for which I give thanks.

I am thankful for:

-my sweet baby girl and everything she has already taught me

-my loving supportive husband without whom I would probably starve

-my mom, because I never understood the full magnitude of what she did for me until now

-my loyal pup who keeps me warm at night even though it means giving up half my bed space

-coffee, warm, cold I don't care as long as it's caffienated

-sweatpants

-the few hours of sleep I get

-my iPhone because it keeps me plugged into the "outside"

-mouthwash for being more efficient than a toothbrush

-cameras because these last two months have been a blur

-the miracle of life



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What a bunch of boobs

While the government and news media continues to go to battle over the Obama healthcare plan, the health of the women in the US has suddenly been flung back into the dark ages. First the US Preventative Services Task Force (whatever the hell that is) changed the suggested age for mammograms from age 40 to 50, then the American College for Obstetrics and Gynecology has suggested that pap smears need not be given more often than every two years. While I don't have personal experience with mammograms and breast cancer I certainly know of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer at a much younger age than 50, not to mention that fact that it is repeated time and time again that the main reason that breast cancer death rates have declined is due to early diagnosis. To the pap smears I can speak from a more personal place as I personally was a hair away from cervical cancer, and had I not had my annual pap smear it may not have been caught in time. I guess what I don't understand is why? Why discourage women from getting preventative care? To what, shave a minute or two off of the nanoseconds spent with each patient? To spare a minimal amount of discomfort? To somehow save money? I don't care what the reason is, it's not important enough to risk my life and so to the task force and to the college all I can say is you can take your suggestions and shove em.

"Communism is just a red herring!"

I just finished reading my first book read entirely on my iphone using the Kindle app, read while rocking baby (I love this phone! It seems there's almost nothing it can't do). I decided on the new Dan Brown because I figured it would be a light, easy read and like everyone else I read the Da Vinci Code and enjoyed it. The DaVinci Code was so succesful that it led to a zillion copycats and it seems even Dan Brown stole it's formula and simply plugged new characters and mysteries for his latest endeavor The Lost Symbol.

If you don't recognize it, the quote in my post title is from the movie Clue. Like Clue, Lost Symbol is a wild goose chase in search of an answer, the red herring in this being the lost secrets of the Freemasons. I don't want to give anything away but I'll just say the reveal is not nearly as interesting or controversial as that of the DaVinci Code.

Although I found his latest work somewhat disappointing, it does irk me that Brown gets so heavily criticized by so called literary authors and critics. Of course his writing isn't going to win any national book awards but it's not trying to in the first place. It's purpose like many other succesful books is simply to entertain and what exactly is so wrong with that? Not every book has to be the great American novel to serve a purpose. In fact I would argue that an author like Brown is more aware of his audience than most because he is writing more for them than for himself. His critics should be happy for the fact that he is getting people to buy and read books and basically single-handedly keeping the publishing business afloat. For every Dan Brown a publisher has there are twenty critically acclaimed authors who get to be published even though they aren't bestsellers. It's no different than the film industry, the only way a studio can pay for those Oscar pics is by rolling out a handful of Transformers sequels.


-- Posted from my iPhone

09.09.09

Been lacking blog posts in quite some time but for good reason, I've been pretty tied up since the date titling this post as that was the day my daughter was born and my life pretty much changed forever. I hate to sound so dramatic and to be honest before becoming a parent myself I couldn't stand people with kids who would harp on how different life was with children and that you couldn't possibly understand until you have one, but damn it they were right. Life has changed in numerous ways. Its almost difficult to even explain it. At times it is trying but mostly it's amazing. I have never felt so much joy and love and the feeling only grows each day.

I mean don't get me wrong, certainly I didn't expect life to go on as it had before, but what I didn't expect was how much it would change me as a person. I've always admired moms because they all seem to have a similar air of confidence and now that I am one I finally understand where that confidence comes from, it's simply not caring. The minute you become responsible for such a helpless and ridiculously adorable human being everything else just suddenly seems to matter less. Would I rather not walk around unshowered and covered in spit up? Sure, but at the end of the day none of that stuff really matters when compared to her happiness and well-being. For the last 29 years it's been a me-world and suddenly I've been thrust into new world view, one in which the planets no longer revolve around myself, and quite frankly- for someone who generally is quite self-concious- it's a very liberating feeling.

All that said I haven't forgotten there's a whole world of life still going on everyday, in fact the only thing that keeps me sane some days is having five minutes to plop down on the couch and watch the Today show or the View (yes I watch the View and I'm not ashamed to admit it!) just to be reminded of what I now refer to as the "real world". I have missed blogging and there's been so much I've wanted to discuss but I simply haven't had the time. Everything from turning 29- fairly uneventful- to Starbucks new instant coffee Via- suprisingly good. And then of course there was the new fall tv line-up: Modern Family- hilarious, Cougar Town- awfully unhilarious, Community- meh. And for those of you still tuning into Survivor like I am, there's Russell- possibly my most favorite player ever, not saying the guy's likable but man does he know how to play the game.

I spend a lot of my day sitting in a rocking chair, iPhone in hand to entertain me (what did moms do before this amazing invention I will never know, nor do I want to), while Sofie sleeps blissfully in my arms. Thanks to the discovery of this blogger iPhone app I should be able to blog occassionally, although it took me a week of typing one handed while holding and rocking baby just to write this post so don't hold your breath.

Is this thing on?

Testing out the blogger iPhone app, more to come!


-- Posted from my iPhone

OMG, Future of Writing = More Than Just LMAO ;-)

An interesting piece in the new Wired magazine offers a positive spin on the future of literacy and writing.

"Before the Internet came along, most Americans never wrote anything, ever, that wasn't a school assignment. Unless they got a job that required producing text (like in law, advertising, or media), they'd leave school and virtually never construct a paragraph again."

Although the study suggests that this "explosion of prose" is in fact good writing, I still can't help but question the fact that as it gets easier to share your thoughts with the world via blogs, Twitter, self-publishing, etc. we will eventually start drowning in a sea of mediocre to terrible writing.

"The fact that students today almost always write for an audience (something virtually no one in my generation did) gives them a different sense of what constitutes good writing. In interviews, they defined good prose as something that had an effect on the world. For them, writing is about persuading and organizing and debating, even if it's over something as quotidian as what movie to go see."

Knowing your audience is certainly important to better writing, so long as your thoughts don't become tailored simply to impress your readers. Generally speaking, though, it's nice to know that writing isn't going the way of the dodo anytime soon, and of course it's a plus that smiley faces and texting-speak haven't entirely replaced real writing.

Burning Skies and $3 Gas

Signs of the apocalypse? Nope, just another day in Los Angeles. It's a little early for fire season and Santa Anas, but nonetheless here they are (thank you global warming) and I can't help but be reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

“October is the bad month for the wind, the month when breathing is difficult and the hills blaze up spontaneously. There has been no rain since April. Every voice seems a scream. It is the season of suicide and divorce and prickly dread, wherever the wind blows.”

--Joan Didion “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”

What's Your Damage?

Sony TV to remake 'Heathers'.

Dear Studio Executives:

Please stop ruining my childhood with your remakes and come up with an original idea for once.

Sincerely,

Me

BPA Free since... never?!

Unbelievable, just caught this story about SIGG bottles which, as it turns out, do contain BPA in the liners. I have been proudly toting around my stylish, red SIGG bottle for almost two years now completely oblivious, after having abandoned my less stylish but cheaper and more practical Nalgene bottle when the BPA freak-out first set in. Although the liner does in fact contain BPA, according to the article government testing has proven that it does not in fact "leach" BPA, still the fact remains they lied about it. I guess the only guaranteed safe method of drinking water is to just shove your head under the tap and swallow, unless of course you live in Los Angeles where your tap water is most likely recycled toilet water, then you're just plain screwed.

Save Count Chocula!!

Major food corporations are reporting a possible sugar shortage.

"The firms – including Kraft Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., Hershey Co. and Mars Inc. – indicated that if they couldn't tap supply markets like Brazil, they'd run out of sugar to make candy bars, cookies, cereal and a host of other products."

For the love of pregnant women and candy bar connoisseurs everywhere, save the sugar!!

Family Guy- Abortion Episode

Here's a table read of the controversial Family Guy abortion episode Fox refuses to air. Good stuff if you ask me.

Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho!

Did somebody say wish? I must see this!

Mad About Mad Men

Mad as in pissed, although to be clear, it's not Mad Men I am angry with, it's DirecTV. Last year I was pumped to watch Season 2 of Mad Men when it premiered on AMC, I had just finished watching the first season on DVD and was hooked. Set up the Tivo for a season pass, got comfy on the couch and whisky glass in hand, pressed play. About five minutes into the first episode I realized I would not be watching the rest, at least not for a while. Anyone who has an HDTV will understand what I mean when I say that watching non-HD programming on an HDTV is like watching crap flung on a wall. The picture is fuzzy and the colors are not true and with a beautifully shot show like Mad Men it makes you feel like you might as well be watching a blind mime doing an interpretive re-enactment of the episode because it would probably look better.

Realizing that AMC did not yet broadcast in HD was a bummer, but the hubby and I decided we would simply wait for the DVD release and get caught up in time to watch season 3 live and in HD, because certainly by a years time that would indeed be a possibility. As it turns out, it is, only not for customers of DirecTV who as of now have not yet picked up the AMC HD channel. Knowing I would again be relegated to waiting to watch the new season on DVD, I wasn't in a mad rush (pun intended) to get caught up on season two, so we finally picked up the Blu-Ray this weekend and watched the first episode yesterday and, yes, it was worth the wait.

Facebook: more than just superpoking?

Cleaning out some old magazines this weekend and found this interesting article about Facebook in the July 09 issue of Wired magazine. In a nutshell it describes how Facebook is essentially poised to take over the internet and revolutionize how we use it, in particular how we use search engines and the apparently soon-to-be-left-in-the-dust Google.

"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions a more personalized, humanized Web, where our network of friends, colleagues, peers, and family is our primary source of information, just as it is offline. In Zuckerberg's vision, users will query this "social graph" to find a doctor, the best camera, or someone to hire—rather than tapping the cold mathematics of a Google search. It is a complete rethinking of how we navigate the online world, one that places Facebook right at the center. In other words, right where Google is now."

And here I thought Facebook was just another fun time-suck merely good for reading hilarious status updates, checking out vacation pictures and playing the occasional round of killing and robbing on Mafia Wars.

Ending of LOST revealed?!

Funny stuff ... if you're a geek like me.

Summertime and the TV Watchin's Easy

Historically summertime television has generally been made up of the bottom of the barrel dredges of reality programming, leftovers of cancelled shows and reruns, which is why I am pleasantly surprised and pleased that my DVR has been spoon-feeding me some of the best television of the year this summer all thanks to a couple little cable networks called HBO and Showtime.

Between the sizzling hot returning series' True Blood and Weeds and the quirky newcomers Hung and Nurse Jackie, I am up to my eyeballs in great characters, excellent writing and just plain old fashioned escapist entertainment. While the networks are busy pumping out gems like Who Wants To Marry A Complete Stranger On National Television and Make A Jackass Out Of Yourself On An International Gameshow, HBO and Showtime are busy proving once again that they are the homes of the best television on television. I loved Nurse Jackie from the first episode and was immediately hooked, Hung is a slow starter as some HBO series tend to be but I'm enjoying the premise and particularly love the two female characters Tanya and Lenore. True Blood picked up right where it left off and shot full steam into new but equally intriguing plots and some great new characters. Weeds is off to somewhat of a shaky start after last season's fantastic run which highlighted the amazingly talented and hysterical Justin Kirk as Andy (he was clearly robbed of an Emmy nod), but at it's heart it's still the show I know and love and I'm hoping for a three-peat in the widow department for Nancy Botwin to send them running back to safety and absurdity of suburbia.

Booze-bucks

Interesting experiment, coffee-by-day, bar-by-night. I think it would have been a better served if it was kept a secret that these coffeehouse/bars are actually run by Starbucks, but I'm actually kind of curious to see how this works out. The question is, if it actually turns out to be successful will Starbucks expand their plan to the mass market and in doing so, won't it be to the detriment of the very idea of indie-style eclectic coffeebars in the first place?

What's next? Scorsese directs "Pet Rock: The Film"?

Another movie based on an inanimate object. I really have nothing I can say about this, this idea is so illogical I am just speechless.

An Offer She Can't Refuse?

I know, I know I can't stop posting about Sarah Palin, but in my defense I think it's a little like watching a train wreck, you don't really want the image burned into your retinas, but somehow you can't tear your eyes away. Clearly I hate the woman and yeah I am one of those liberals who thinks she's a moron, but I don't think she would just up and quit without a real reason, I mean who quits their job in the middle of a recession, unless you've already got something lined up, the question is what and how much more annoying will it make her... perhaps as Variety reports, someone made her an offer she couldn't refuse.

Just A Little Nutty

Thanks Brooke!

The Case Against Scandinavian Naivete

I have been reading bits and piece about the Salinger copyright lawsuit in the last few weeks, but it wasn't until I sat down to read this piece in Publisher's Weekly just now that I got the full gist of it. As the article explains Salinger is suing Swedish author Fredrik Colting for trying to publish an "unauthorized sequel" to The Catcher In The Rye. Colting claims it is not a sequel but instead a "stand-alone story that serves as a critique of Salinger and his work." Of course it is impossible to determine who is right in this argument without having read the actual work in question, and even if having read it, it seems deciding a case like this could be based on some rather subjective opinions of literature. As the article's author points out, more importantly than the legal matters at the heart of this trial, the really question everyone is waiting to hear answered is whether the notoriously reclusive Salinger will actually make a public appearance in order to defend the honor of his most prized creation:

"If Salinger refuses to answer the defense's questions, LiCalsi notes, the court can impose sanctions and even dismiss the case. Thus, filing suit against Colting may have put Salinger's desire for privacy on a collision course with his desire to protect Holden Caulfield."

Regardless of the outcome, my interest is certainly piqued in Colting's story and based on the short description, were it to be published I would certainly be interested in giving it a read. Not to mention, he seems genuinely wary of the media attention this has caused.

"Given Salinger's history, it seems almost unfathomable that any author would take on his work without at least spoiling for some kind of fight. Colting, however, is rather apologetic for possibly upsetting Salinger, and wary of the media attention his book has generated. “I guess I knew there would be interest,” he conceded. “But I can't say I knew or suspected any of this was going to happen. I'm from Sweden. People don't go around suing each other here. Maybe I was a little naïve.” "

Anyone who uses "I'm from Sweden" as their main defense tactic has certainly got my support.