What happens when a misanthropic has-been creative writing teacher is put together with students of varying levels of talent? Murder and mayhem. Well, murder occurs in small doses, but a much-aggrieved, much-rejected, aspiring literary hack does a lot to cause the mayhem, which terrorizes Amy Gallop, the instructor, and her class of mostly novice writers. The mystery of the perpertrator, however, fascinates the group and is a much stronger draw than getting one’s stories torn apart. Jincy Willett‘s The Writing Class is one of those books I came across purely by accident while shopping for steampunk novels at Mysterious Galaxy in Kearny Mesa.
July 12th, 2009
12
Jul 09
Frightening about IOU’s
Earlier this week, Arnold Schwarzenegger, like another great California governor* two decades before him, decided to issue IOU’s to to state employees and vendors. This time around, several major banks chose not to honor the promissory notes, as seen on the screen of a Wells Fargo ATM. Now, California state employees will very well experience what much of the working poor do with ghetto taxes, especially going to check-cashing places.** That means hefty charges. Hopefully, they won’t get caught up in cash advances. Too scary to think about, not something I’d wish on anyone, not even the employees of EDD.
If I worked at SDSU as part of my adjunct professorhood, or if I were still a grad student doing TA work, I’d have major nightmares right now, mainly because their paychecks are issues by the State Controller’s Office. I definitely feel for friends, former professors, and others who work for the State of California right now.
* 
Not a fan of the former governor Pete Wilson.
** Credit unions are another option.
