Thank you for visiting the WRIB. I've upgraded to an official website, MaloneyWrites.com, and will be gradually transferring content from here to there. I hope you'll take time to check out the new blog and leave a comment or two.
(Want to know something creepy? I haven't posted here since 2010, but I'm *still* logged into Blogger. I didn't even have to enter a password to publish this post!)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday, January 8, 2010
The Saga Ends...
...before it even began. I'm a little disappointed that I don't get to skyrocket to blogging fame by, say, posting detailed accounts of living in Dublin airport for a week.
Who am I kidding? I'm thrilled to be out of there. My 06:45 flight from Dublin to London Stansted took off with only a very minor delay. The passengers burst into spontaneous cheering and applause once we landed. That was the good news. The bad news: The Stansted Express train, my best hope of getting into central London (and then catching the Heathrow Express from there) for my connecting flight, was running only half the trains scheduled. No problem. Train will be here at 8:45. My Heathrow flight's gate closes at 11:00. I can make it, if only just.
Then they canceled the train because of adverse weather--ya think?--but didn't bother to change the "on time" notice posted on all the platform screens. I was one of many hopeful for a little while there, but ended up giving up just in time to catch a coach in to Heathrow.
Thanks to airport employees that took one look at my scheduled departure time and another at their watch before hustling me forward through the queue--plus more than a few sprints through the airport terminal to get me just that bit closer--I did make it on to the airplane before it left. I even got an entire row of three seats to myself.
Now, after some 40-odd hours of travel, I'm back in the States with just a few more flights to get me from Washington, DC to Alaska. Suddenly flying all the way cross country seems like nothing! I guess I'll just have to earn fame another way.
I imagine the saga is still continuing for a lot of folks, though--both in Dublin and moreso in the English airports, train stations, etc. I wonder how they're doing?
Who am I kidding? I'm thrilled to be out of there. My 06:45 flight from Dublin to London Stansted took off with only a very minor delay. The passengers burst into spontaneous cheering and applause once we landed. That was the good news. The bad news: The Stansted Express train, my best hope of getting into central London (and then catching the Heathrow Express from there) for my connecting flight, was running only half the trains scheduled. No problem. Train will be here at 8:45. My Heathrow flight's gate closes at 11:00. I can make it, if only just.
Then they canceled the train because of adverse weather--ya think?--but didn't bother to change the "on time" notice posted on all the platform screens. I was one of many hopeful for a little while there, but ended up giving up just in time to catch a coach in to Heathrow.
Thanks to airport employees that took one look at my scheduled departure time and another at their watch before hustling me forward through the queue--plus more than a few sprints through the airport terminal to get me just that bit closer--I did make it on to the airplane before it left. I even got an entire row of three seats to myself.
Now, after some 40-odd hours of travel, I'm back in the States with just a few more flights to get me from Washington, DC to Alaska. Suddenly flying all the way cross country seems like nothing! I guess I'll just have to earn fame another way.
I imagine the saga is still continuing for a lot of folks, though--both in Dublin and moreso in the English airports, train stations, etc. I wonder how they're doing?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Dublin Airport opens free WiFi for stranded travelers
The officials at Dublin Airport have made their super-fast Eircom WiFi service available to stranded travelers for free. Nice move, guys... this stranded writer appreciates that very much. Now I can pitch articles amidst the babble of I-don't-want-to-know-how-many people conversing, using said babble as background for my favorite playlist.
Oddly enough, if ever I felt truly blessed and fortunate, this would be the time... stranded in an airport but not lacking for food, water or comfort at all. I'd say this is the lap of luxury... wonder how quiet it will get at night?
Mood indicator: 89% and rising. Time to get to work.
Oddly enough, if ever I felt truly blessed and fortunate, this would be the time... stranded in an airport but not lacking for food, water or comfort at all. I'd say this is the lap of luxury... wonder how quiet it will get at night?
Mood indicator: 89% and rising. Time to get to work.
The Dublin Saga
I'm now a proud resident of Dublin airport. While at first glance this may seem unrelated to writing resources or information, it's going to be a grand test of just how resourceful this traveling writer can be.
Actually, all things considered, I'm in fairly good shape. I have enough money (for now) to keep myself fed, I purchased a souvenir wool blanket so I can stay warm, I've got my travel pillow so I'll be comfy when I sack out on the floor... and I have a fourth(!) chance at getting in to London at 06:45 tomorrow morning so that I can catch my flight from there back to the States at 11:30. Given that I'm booked on RyanAir and they don't fly to Heathrow--where my flight to the States departs from--getting from one airport to another is going to be an adventure in and of itself. For now, I'd settle for getting airborne and then touching down safely again.
I've also learned to keep my mouth shut. Everything looked grand--flights on track in spite of the weather--until I mentioned to a friend who'd called to inquire about the flights: I wouldn't mind getting stuck here for a while. I'd much rather be stuck here than in London.
My wish was granted within less than 30 seconds. Flight canceled. Rebook. Flight canceled. Rebook. Rinse and repeat.
So. People are being mostly decent but the airport is certainly crowded enough and with no city buses running (for the same reason the flights aren't running) nobody is going anywhere any time soon. Even if the buses were running, they wouldn't be moving--traffic throughout the city is at a standstill. With some folks starting to show a little grumpy around the edges (who can blame them) and the third flight having turned out not to be a charm, I figured this is as good a reason to ressurrect this blog as any.
So, let the Dublin saga begin. And since I figure I'd better include something writing related, here's a link to commentary by Dave Barry about writing humor.
Actually, all things considered, I'm in fairly good shape. I have enough money (for now) to keep myself fed, I purchased a souvenir wool blanket so I can stay warm, I've got my travel pillow so I'll be comfy when I sack out on the floor... and I have a fourth(!) chance at getting in to London at 06:45 tomorrow morning so that I can catch my flight from there back to the States at 11:30. Given that I'm booked on RyanAir and they don't fly to Heathrow--where my flight to the States departs from--getting from one airport to another is going to be an adventure in and of itself. For now, I'd settle for getting airborne and then touching down safely again.
I've also learned to keep my mouth shut. Everything looked grand--flights on track in spite of the weather--until I mentioned to a friend who'd called to inquire about the flights: I wouldn't mind getting stuck here for a while. I'd much rather be stuck here than in London.
My wish was granted within less than 30 seconds. Flight canceled. Rebook. Flight canceled. Rebook. Rinse and repeat.
So. People are being mostly decent but the airport is certainly crowded enough and with no city buses running (for the same reason the flights aren't running) nobody is going anywhere any time soon. Even if the buses were running, they wouldn't be moving--traffic throughout the city is at a standstill. With some folks starting to show a little grumpy around the edges (who can blame them) and the third flight having turned out not to be a charm, I figured this is as good a reason to ressurrect this blog as any.
So, let the Dublin saga begin. And since I figure I'd better include something writing related, here's a link to commentary by Dave Barry about writing humor.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Yes, I'm a shareaholic
Now that I'm splashing around in the shallow end of the "social media" pool, I've discovered that not only does the whole "social marketing" lexicon sound pretty bizarre when taken out of context -- digg, stumble, tweet, etc -- it also takes a lot of time to implement.
I don't remember how I originally found it, but the Shareaholic toolbar has been a great help. It doesn't reduce my browsing space at all; it just puts a little icon near my "home" button. Clicking the icon gets me a petite pulldown menu from which I can zap directly to the social networking/sharing tool of my choice.
Pretty smooth, and definitely useful for any writer trying to consistently promote their work online.
I don't remember how I originally found it, but the Shareaholic toolbar has been a great help. It doesn't reduce my browsing space at all; it just puts a little icon near my "home" button. Clicking the icon gets me a petite pulldown menu from which I can zap directly to the social networking/sharing tool of my choice.
Pretty smooth, and definitely useful for any writer trying to consistently promote their work online.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Examiner.com
I've always been skeptical about revenue sharing publishing deals, yet here I find myself on board with one of them. I'm now officially the Anchorage Outdoor Recreation Examiner with Examiner.com. I'm still not quite sure what I think of the whole idea, and I'm not counting on it ever making me much money, but I like the professionalism they've displayed so far, and so far it's having a very good effect on my motivation to vanquish that most hideous of self-employment beasts: Laziness.
Much like NPR's Terri Gross with Fresh Air, some of the Examiners seem able to make the most mundane of topics interesting. Witness the Tumblemoose in action.
2011 Update: I quickly decided that Examiner was not for me... too much work for far too little pay. Big ups to those of you who find a way to make it worth your while.
Much like NPR's Terri Gross with Fresh Air, some of the Examiners seem able to make the most mundane of topics interesting. Witness the Tumblemoose in action.
2011 Update: I quickly decided that Examiner was not for me... too much work for far too little pay. Big ups to those of you who find a way to make it worth your while.
Hooray for a President that writes his own speeches!
I'm shocked that none -- NONE -- of the blogs I read have made any mention of Barack Obama yet. I mean come on, folks, it's been over five hours since he officially took the oath of office. You might think, at first, that his election has nothing to do with writing. But just as Bush before him, then Clinton before him, and so on back into infinity... the person in the big P-Man's chair will have a major effect on everything in this country. Everything. Including us writers.
The #1 reason I am glad that Obama was elected president? He writes his own speeches. I'm sure that he gets some help along the way... but in the end, he writes his own speeches. Think about that. A president that's actually speaking to us in his own words. I never did understand how somebody could call Bush an eloquent speaker when he was using what other people wrote.
If you're looking for transcripts of Barack Obama's speeches, this is a great resource. Historic quotes, anyone?
Oh, and if you still think this post isn't relevant to the world of writing, please note my proper use of the word "effect", as opposed to "affect", above. Really, I'm being a good example!
The #1 reason I am glad that Obama was elected president? He writes his own speeches. I'm sure that he gets some help along the way... but in the end, he writes his own speeches. Think about that. A president that's actually speaking to us in his own words. I never did understand how somebody could call Bush an eloquent speaker when he was using what other people wrote.
If you're looking for transcripts of Barack Obama's speeches, this is a great resource. Historic quotes, anyone?
Oh, and if you still think this post isn't relevant to the world of writing, please note my proper use of the word "effect", as opposed to "affect", above. Really, I'm being a good example!
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