Land on Demand Editing Proofreading Indexing: Haiku Monday: Getting Down to Business

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My name is Bob Land. I am a full-time freelance editor and proofreader, and occasional indexer. This blog is my website.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Haiku Monday: Getting Down to Business

All: Apologies for the apparently less than inspirational or motivational prompt. Thanks for participating. All entries were thoughtful and appreciated.

Show: Moi

Libertarian
Creed: Hands off. Ask first. No one’s
business but our own.

The combination of type and image helped, which is one reason for the mention and the reason for the centered type here. Posted under the image, "Libertarian" came across more like a caption or pronouncement on its own rather than as an adjective for "creed," thus leaving the last two lines standalone. Nifty.

PS: No matter what I do, I can't change the highlight behind this verse, even if I retype it. Moi, you are a wizard.

Place: Foam

Mercenariness.
Unencumbered greed stampede.
So screw Black Friday.

Those first twelve syllables are just killer.

Win: Becca

jumping, giggling
Laughter runs wild through the house
Monkey business fun

Yes, Becca, it wasn't your finest. And the dictionary shows "giggling" as two syllables, but does anyone here really pronounce it that way? I don't.

I like the lowercase start-off -- intentional or not -- which separates the action of the presumably youthful actors from the more mature observation of the last two lines. The anthropomorphism of "laughter run[ning]" is wonderful. "Monkey business" offered a creative use of the prompt word and managed to tug a subliminal Marxist heartstring (see the previous exchange with Karl) on this end.

Hmm. I wonder if in spite of Becca's image (not referenced in her posting and thus noncanonical [you can tell where my head's been]), this haiku might actually have been a subversive, collective-unconscious Marx Brothers homage?

The business of childhood is fun. The business of the Brothers Marx was laughter and running wild. Our winning haikuist managed to cover both. In literature, it's not the words that are being read, but the reader, right? Some school of thought holds such.

Becca: You've got an extra bit of business on your plate next week. Enjoy.

Thanks, all.

czar

16 comments:

fishy said...: WooooHooo! to all the winners, each one was a marvel. There is though, something very nice about the Fat Tuesday win going to the Monkeys; February 12, 2013 at 8:28 AM
moi said...: Congratulations, Becca, on a great haiku and your win! (Czar, fastest Haiku Winner post ever. There should be a prize for that. Sleep?); February 12, 2013 at 9:12 AM
CJ said...: Congrats Becca!!

Excellent hosting Czar, sorry I missed ya this week.. I had a sick monkey at home and forgot what day it was..

CoreyJo

p.s. sometimes the highlight is there when you copy and paste... try clicking on "paste as plain text" instead of just paste next time... I'm sure you tried this, but wanted to mention it just in case you didn't :); February 12, 2013 at 9:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Czar must score as they come in, then run a tally at midnight to get that done so fast! Wow. Great job hosting Czar.

Becca, congrats - clearly a great haiku with a light-hearted tone. Nicely done. Now - thanks to Czar - you have plenty of time to prepare to host before you post a theme on Friday.

Serendipity; February 12, 2013 at 2:59 PM
darkfoam said...: Congrats to Becca! And thanks for the mention! I's like winning without hosting. Thanks for hosting, czar.; February 12, 2013 at 7:35 PM
Karl said...: Good evening Czar,

Thanks for letting us monkey around in your business. You obviously needed to get to work and get us out of your hair.

Congratulations Becca, a well deserved win. Laughter and monkey business, they just go together.; February 12, 2013 at 7:35 PM
Buzz Kill said...: Nice haikus this week on a topic that's going to go down the tubes real fast - after the state of the union last night.

@Karl - I thought it was Gary Hart and Monkey Business that went together?; February 13, 2013 at 12:54 PM
Karl said...: @ Buzz Kill: Yes sir, that ship set sail on a bed of Rice.; February 13, 2013 at 8:01 PM
Anonymous said...: Great job Becca!!

T'were a swell topic, Czar, an I owes an apology fer missin' the fu. Jes' plum. Too tuckered that night when I dragged in the door Monday.; February 13, 2013 at 8:50 PM
Anonymous said...: I just stopped by Becca's blog. She seems out of business for now. Don't think she knows she won.

Need a new plan. Is Moi hosting?

Her Blog says"Do to some weird force of nature all three of our house
computers decided to share a virus at the same time. Due to this all computers are currently sitting at the computer store being checked out. I'm not sure how long this will take as my computer doctor is rather busy however he has promise to try and get at least one up and running by the weekend but till then I am closing my blog doors for a few days to take care of this. If you are seeing this message no worries I am fine and well to be honest I am most likely enjoying a good book somewhere. I promise to be back on Monday with my boogie shoes on ready to party. OH and because I am unable to answer comments I will be turning them off to this post."

Serendipity; February 13, 2013 at 9:21 PM
czar said...: Thanks, all. I don't know what to do about next week. I'd offer to host again (with one of my better prompts), but this weekend/next week would be tough for me.; February 14, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Anonymous said...: Here is my suggestion.

Becca should be back online next Monday - the President's Day holiday. With this being a holiday weekend many of us no doubt have plans. Under these circumstances, why not take a pass on Monday the 18th and instead let Becca host on the 25th to celebrate her win.

If Becca does not resurface next week, I'll volunteer to host on the 25th - unless someone else wants to.

Serendipity; February 14, 2013 at 11:09 PM
moi said...: Sounds like a good plan to me, Serendipity. I'd host this week, but am eyeballs deep. And, besides, Becca should celebrate her first win by hosting :o); February 17, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Rebecca said...: i'm just now becoming aware that you bestowed the winning honor on me and as I've been off line for over a week not sure I can deal but thank you for your kindness. I would however love to pass the honor on to someone else who deserves it more then me as I do not feel my haiku is winning material nor do I have the time as i am juggling several other personal issues at home. I am truly sorry to have to bow out.; February 21, 2013 at 3:41 PM
Anonymous said...: OK, so now we have an answer. Becca, congratulations on the win! I'll bail you out and host this week. FOr everyone who wants to play, visit Serendipity for the theme. I'll be taveling this weekend, but back in play by Sunday evening.

Come by for a theme at http://serendipitouswildmoments.wordpress.com/; February 21, 2013 at 9:27 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Czar,

I have posted a theme and will play host in Becca's stead.

Come play.; February 22, 2013 at 12:16 AM

Rate Sheet

Bob Land's Rate Sheet

Note: Different rates may apply for self-publishing or overseas authors.

Copyediting—Take the word count of your manuscript and divide it by 265. That's a billable page. Remember to include footnotes/endnotes in the word count.

Electronic edit—edited files returned to publisher/author: $5+/page

Marked-up manuscript returned to publisher/author for keying changes—$5.25+/page

Typical turnaround time: 3–4 weeks from receipt of manuscript

Substantive editing—See above for determining page count.

Electronic edit—edited files returned to publisher/author—$6.25+/page

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Typical turnaround time: 3–4 weeks from receipt of manuscript

Higher editing rates apply for material that requires extensive rewriting or that includes complicating elements, such as massive reworking or cross-checking of documentation. Technical manuscripts (legal, medical, etc.) also subject to higher rates.

Contact me for bids on work if English is not your primary written language.

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Typical turnaround time: 14 days from receipt of page proofs

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Editing 25 percent surcharge for 8- to 14-day turnaround; 50 percent surcharge for 7-day turnaround

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All invoices payable upon receipt. 30 percent payable at start of project/task for new clients or self-publishing authors.

Brushes with Fame

1. An old friend had to remind me of this one, because he remembers more about my life than I do. When I was a youngster, I threw up on Johnny Carson in an NYC theatre. Would have been in the early 1960s. I have no recollection of the event, but from what my mother said, he apparently handled it well.
2. The family went down to Plains, GA, maybe around 2004 to sit in on Jimmy Carter's Sunday school class. Afterward people could line up for a photo op with the president and Mrs. Carter. As we were in line, Tere (my wife) said, "I'm going to give him a kiss." I responded, "Wonderful. I'll catch up with you after Secret Service breaks your kneecaps." As we stepped up to pose with the Carters, my darling wife, never a wallflower, leans over and pecks him on the cheek. He just smiled and said, "Right on!"
3. Backstage with Stanley Clarke, after Return to Forever performance, Atlanta, 8/2/2008. See photo below.
4. Internationally acclaimed artist Thornton Dial was bribed fifty dollars to let our family give him a ride home; Birmingham to Bessemer, AL. Dial is justifiably suspicious of white folks he doesn't know; actually, I might have to say that's one thing we have in common. I'm always happy when going to a party to see a good dog to engage in proper conversation.
5. Gave a very drunk John Fahey a ride to an Atlanta airport hotel after a depressing performance, during which he became progressively more wasted on stage and basically just babbled more than playing guitar. Among his comments were that his father-in-law offered to give Fahey some money if his wife (the guy's daughter) would lose some weight. The sight of seeing the slump-shouldered Fahey shuffling into the hotel carrying his guitars haunts me still.
6. Lunch with Jane Fonda at Bulloch House, Warm Springs, GA, the morning after she filed for divorce from Massa Ted. The first time I saw her was when she stepped out of the back of the car she was sleeping in at the home of a folk artist we were both going to see: the Prophet Jesse Marshall. (She had apparently been up all night.) Bulloch House is a southern-style buffet, which La Jane took to right away. No healthy eating there. She was quite angered when they removed her plate from the table while she had stepped away before she had a chance to finish what she'd put on there to begin with. After spending some time with our two boys, she offered to adopt them if ever anything happened to my wife and me.
7. Garrison Keillor rode in my car; spoke with him later at apres-performance dessert party, Abingdon, VA. Keillor was invited (paid) to give a fundraising performance at Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia, where my wife works. They needed a big vehicle to pick up Keillor, so they borrowed my Chevy Tahoe. Quite tall Keillor apparently sat in the way back and spoke on the cell phone the entire time (I was not invited to be in the car to pick him up). For a while we could say that our car had his DNA in it, but then we traded it in on a Prius, which gets 48 miles a gallon -- a whole lot better value than having a car where Garrison Keillor once sat. He was very nice after his performance, though -- apparently totally against type. I told him that A Prairie Home Companion used to save my Saturday nights in the early '80s when I was working at the printing plant.
8. Physically bumped into Jack Nicholson upstairs at Sardi's -- the famous Broadway theatre district bar -- 1977; the occasion was an "audition" (that is, a fundraiser) for a play that some folks were trying to get produced. The playwright and composer and two of the leads they had cast were there performing all the songs. Maybe 20 people were there, sitting in folding chairs gathered around the piano. One of the songs was a little ditty called "Tomorrow." The play ended up being Annie. Why, as a 17-year-old, I was invited to this gig is far less interesting, but one of the oddities of my life.
9. A very slight brush. Back around 1978 when I was in college, some friends and I traveled from Atlanta to Huntsville, AL, because, before transferring to school in Atlanta, one of my friends had been instrumental in arranging for Hunter S. Thompson to give a talk at the University of Alabama at Huntsville campus. Because of my friend’s remaining connections at the UAH campus, we knew when Thompson’s plane would be arriving, so we prepared ourselves properly to meet him at the airport—kind of the unofficial welcoming party. So we are positioned in the concourse and see Dr. Thompson’s unique stride coming toward us (along with the official welcoming party of two or three students). There are three or four of us unofficial types—longhaired, eyes glazed, and mostly in awe. My friend says in his most cultured tone, “Ah, Dr. Thompson,” at which point we begin genteel applause, as if we are at a ladies’ tea party or piano recital. Thompson takes one frightened look at us and darts into the airport bar. We follow, and take up our spots at the table next to him and his minders, trying to glean what we can from the conversation, which is virtually impossible, because even at his best, Thompson speech is mostly incomprehensible. After about 15 or 20 minutes, Thompson gets up to leave, stops by our table, and says, “Sorry. I thought you were some of Wallace’s boys,” referring to former governor, presidential candidate, and opportunistic segregationist George Wallace. Looking at us, you would have hardly associated us with Wallace supporters, but we were happy for the moment of attention and humor from the good doctor. When we saw him the next day giving his talk for the students, I’m not sure I understood one of every 10 words he said, but as a brush with fame goes, the trip was well worth it.
10. Added starter: Once when I was ushering at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta (early 1980s), I heard the Grateful Dead perform "Let It Be" for their sound check. Deadheads who've listened to thousands of hours of bootleg tapes assure me that the band never played that song. Well, maybe not during a concert, but I know what I saw and heard, performed for about 30 ushers and the guys at the sound board, who seemed to be more occupied with the lines of coke in front of them. Jerry Garcia and Donna Godchaux singing, if you're keeping score at home.