Disgruntled
This week found me disgruntled for a
number of reasons. One thing that helped me to feel a little better, at least
temporarily, was when I realized that I was, in fact, disgruntled. I’ve always
liked that word. It’s one of those words that doesn’t really make sense when
you think about its structure. Was I gruntled before I became disgruntled? Will
I become gruntled once again when this feeling passes? No, because that’s not a
word.
But I digress. There were at least
three reasons for my disgruntledness (?).
First, my publisher is going out of
business. Which means that Profile is
now an orphan. I’m in the process of shopping for a new home for my writing,
which means that my current writing is being delayed.
I’m considering the possibility of
self-publishing. I can write, I can design covers, I can format pages, but
having attempted a self-published title last year, I know I suck at the
promotion part of the business.
One thing that several people have
suggested is having a street team. That’s new to me, as I’ve never been
involved in a street team, on either end of it. But I am looking into the
options. (Anybody interested in being on my street team, should I choose to go
that route, drop me a line at books@haydngrey.com.)
And lest I sound like I’m thinking
only about myself, I do wish the best of luck to my former publisher.
The second point of my disgruntletude
has to do with politics in the news media. I’m not talking about folks like Fox
‘News.’ Most people already know what to expect from them. I’m talking about
real news providers. Like Reuters, the giant press syndicate established back
in 1851. According to Wikipedia, “Reuters has a strict policy toward upholding
journalistic objectivity . . . . Their policy is ‘to avoid the use of emotional
terms and not make value judgments concerning the facts we attempt to report
accurately and fairly’.”
Well, they definitely dropped the
ball last Sunday, October 19. That was when they ran a story with the title: “Obama
makes rare campaign trail appearance, people leave early.”
The “news” story said:
President Barack
Obama made a rare appearance on the campaign trail on Sunday with a rally
to support the Democratic candidate for governor in Maryland [Lt. Governor
Anthony Brown], but early departures of crowd members while he spoke
underscored his continuing unpopularity.
Republican National Committee Chairman
Reince Priebus picked up on this and tweeted: “Hugely unpopular Obama made
campaign trail appearance… people leave early.” And somebody else responded, “I
heard that. They were jamming the doors to get out.”
Sure sounds bad. Only problem is
this isn’t what happened. According to witnesses who were actually there, Obama
delivered his speech to a packed auditorium. In fact, it was so packed that
there was even a crowd outside that couldn’t get in. The atmosphere in the
auditorium, a sold out crowd of 8,000, was compared to that at a concert,
complete with screaming fans. But yes, there was a handful of people in the
press who filed out after having gotten the photographs they were there for.
Now I’m not going to use this
platform to air my politics. I have mine, you have yours, and we’re both
entitled to them. What really gets my panties in a twist is the blatant lying
that takes place, in the attack ads that litter commercial breaks, and now even
in the ‘accurate and fair’ media. As a result, elections are corrupted, not
only by the opposition, but also by those who may honestly and innocently
believe their propaganda. Please check the facts before casting a vote!
There are a number of independent
fact checker websites where research can be done. Yes, it takes a little time and work,
but if you’re voting for people to serve your
country, shouldn’t you know what you’re voting for?
My point is if you don’t like Obama
(or anybody else, for that matter), that’s fine. Everybody’s entitled to their
opinion. Just make sure your dislike is based on facts instead of on the
opposition’s spin and propaganda.
My third point of disgruntlosity concerns
the flurry of “news” that happened on Wednesday about actress Renée Zellweger. I’ll
admit I’ve never been that much of a fan. I don’t dislike her at all. She’s a
fine actress, she just never really did it for me. But what happened this past
week would have been beyond stupid no matter who it was about. After being out
of the public eye for about three years, the actress made an appearance at Elle's
Women in Hollywood celebration in Beverly Hills.
And Twitter didn’t rest! The media
in general had a field day. “News” stories were filed. People were carrying on all day long about how different she
looked, some even calling her unrecognizable. Plastic surgeons were consulted and interviewed about what may or may not have been done to her.
In the side-by-side photos that were
posted of her, yes her eyes looked different, she looked leaner, and a little
older. She’s been out of the spotlight for a few years, so that’s bound to
happen. But overall, she looked great.
I’m not going to speculate about
whether she had work done or not. Because what difference does it make? I am so
completely done with people who put so much emphasis on looks. Particularly other people’s looks, as if they
themselves are perfect. I thought this “news” was ridiculous when I first saw
it on Wednesday morning, and it only got worse. Whether it was time that
changed her or cosmetic procedures, who cares? And if she did decide to have some cosmetic surgery done, so the hell what?!
“I’m glad folks think I look
different,” she responded. “I’m living a different, happy, more fulfilling
life, and I’m thrilled that perhaps it shows.” She handled it very graciously,
without name calling or cursing.
In other words, better than I would
have.
Well, that about does it for my
disgruntality. I feel a little better now. Sorry if it rubbed off and now you’re pissed.
Maybe you can write a blog post.
It’s a great way of getting rid of disgruntlization.
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