Thursday, March 16, 2017

Cardinal Sins

I feel like by this point in my life I should know this, but if you told me to turn east (or west or north or south), I’d pretty much have a 25 percent chance of turning the right way. And I know I am not alone in this. Sarah Palin doesn’t know her north from south either. She once told Glenn Beck that we must “stand with our North Korean allies.” She also struggles with east and west because in a campaign speech she said that New Hampshire was in the “Great Northwest.”

Speaking of the Great Northwest, I recently moved to Washington, so I know from experience that New Hampshire is not located here. Neither is Brooklyn. I mention Brooklyn because apparently my publishers struggle with geography too: the bio on my book cover says I live in Brooklyn, New York. I don’t know why. I’ve never even lived there. Maybe I lied and told them I did because it sounded cool.

Well, that’s it. I just wanted to set the record straight. I don’t live in Brooklyn. I live in Washington. I  can see Canada from my house. Well, almost. 


Photo by Shyamal - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21968912

21 comments:

  1. As a child I had difficulties with right and left. My ever helpful father told me that my left hand had the thumb on the right.
    I do find myself wondering what he would have told Sarah Palin - and mourn that I will never hear it.

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  2. North Korean allies...that's a hoot.

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  3. I'm directionally challenged, too, but at least I know my geography better than Ms. Palin does. ;)

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  4. I'm teaching my great granddaughter the difference from left and right..I asked her what hand she wrote with and she showed me her right..So I said remember the hand you write with is your right..the other is your left..she got it immediately..give me a map and I can get anywhere..gps screws me up something fierce.

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  5. say you're from Seattle, then you'll really be cool

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  6. Haha! I used to be really good with the cardinal directions until I moved to a place where the mountains are in the opposite spots and now I just have no idea. Oh well, Missoula streets aren't straight anywhere so it's all a big guessing game anyhow :) But I can almost see Canada, too!

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  7. Glad you know that NH isn't in Washington. Weird about phantom Brooklyn attributions. Brooklyn IS cool though. I lived in Queens so I was cool by proximity. Have a great weekend!

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  8. That's funny and somewhat pathetic on Sarah Palin and your publisher's part. I hope they've corrected that error. Not all great authors are from NY. Yay for the great West Coast and our great Canadian neighbors to the north.

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  9. I take it that's not the DC Washington, but the state--a place where along a stretch of 300 or so miles one can see Canada

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  10. Maybe you are from Brooklyn in your mind? Or apparently your publisher's mind! What a strange error.

    I have always wanted to visit the state of Washington. I have heard it is just so beautiful (and quite far from New Hampshire and the rest of the Northeast). :)
    ~Jess

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  11. The Wilds of the Pacific Northwest (Northwet) sounds much more exciting than Brooklyn ever could. Been to both places and Sarah would be so out of place in Brooklyn. It would be fun to watch.
    I would get lost in a big city on a cloudy day or night, but I know which direction to go to get to Canada. I hope they still take refugees.

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  12. You know what I have to do to keep it straight? Never eat soggy wheat. But I say "don't" instead of "never." I don't know why.

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  13. I have to stop and think about it every time to try and remember the directions. I am fairly challenged in that direction.

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  14. Wait, you can just make up where you live? Maybe for my next novel I'll live in Fiji.

    I don't do directions like that, either. If someone starts to give me directions and they say, "Okay, you want to head east on Main, and then go north on 5th," I'll just accept that I was not meant to reach my destination and will stay home.

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  15. Oh it's takes me a while to remember which way is North. But once I know which is North I can tell you where the other three are.

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  16. you doing A to Z Challenge this year?

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  17. LOL! I lived in Queens for a time, and I think it earned me more street cred with agents while querying, but that was a high price to pay for a little extra attention. =)

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  18. Haha...I can follow the direction as far as turn right from next or left. No east or west for me too!

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  19. did you move to another website or something? O Captain My Captain we miss you! it's the start of a new school year and I'm looking for a private tutor...

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  20. your book is still better than Fire and Fury

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