Jewel Staite

Jewel Staite, ship's mechanic Kaylee Frye on Firefly, turns 23 today.

Some IMDB trivia: "Gained 20 lbs for the part of Kaylee in the TV series "Firefly" (2002/I). When the show was later adapted into a motion picture (Serenity (2005)), the show had been over for a little while and she had lost the weight. She was told that they weren't going to give anyone else the part anyway, so she didn't have to re-gain the weight."

False Start

I didn't sleep last night, wanting to make my first submission of the month on the first day of the month. I'd been researching MudRock Stories & Tales, a fiction-only mag out of Dayton, Ohio. I figured it would be a good market for my not-quite-crime fiction piece, "Lost and Found," and I figured I could make a few small changes and have it in the mail today.

Wrong. Going over the story, the action seemed too breezy. I alluded to conflict, but I didn't really feel it. I'd have to see if I could better dramatize some of the scenes that were glossed over in previous drafts. In other words, I have a lot of work ahead and haven't put my finger on where to start. Back to square minus-one.

And so I utter that most famous consolation: "There's always tomorrow."

Lean on me,
when you're not strong,
and I'll be your friend...

Out-of-Context Fun

My copy of Robert B. Parker's DOUBLE PLAY, a fictional mystery featuring Jackie Robinson, arrived today. The Associated Press blurbs, "Robert B. Parker has written his finest novel."

Yes, one might remark, a long, long, time ago.