tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:52:43 +0000recommendationsPictureswhiningauthorsbooksrelationshipsBooks and BooksquotesBeckyWritingfamilyblogsfriendsshop indiechildhoodTravelfoodProcessMonkey businessmovingTreehouseThe Bookseller Hates YouToo Many LinksMannerseditingagingexcusescelebratingbikingwarninginternetmoviescolorful metaphorsterrible policiesA-WorddeathinspirationCatsRacismThe Heat LightningmoneyeventsshamelessLip ServiceARCsBecky's ArmLanguageState by StateTVbook businessprocrastinationdreamshuman conditionmy bossoopsrejectiontattooswake upCrittersclassmusicAlgonquinKindness of StrangersStylegenderillustratorsjobsBased on True EventsBottega ChallengeCosta RicaHoneymoonholidaysparentingstupid criminalsvideoQ'sSOBESweet Readersadvertisingcoffeelettersmarriageshould have been 2 postsAdam WalshEavesdroppingFacebookI don't get itI get it nowSIBAcharitydivorcemasturbationshort storiesBEAI RuleKill Your TelevisionMBFIMotor Vehicle AccidentsUncle FesterWeddingfictionjealousymemorynever look backpointless arguingpornromancetigerwriters groupCasaMadridCoconut GroveConcertsHalloweenIndiansMichael JacksonOMiamiTime TravelWorld Book NightWynwood U.Your Product Sucksadoptioncostumesfootballfree stuffoverpopulationpervertswork outsAkashicBest Vacation EverBoy ScoutsCeleb-CrushChronicleCity LinkFCLAFirst SecondFive PeopleGuinnessIndie NextJCVDJai-AlaiMiamiNoche BuenaNortonPage Against the MachineStranger DangerThe Bookseller Loves YouThe Booksellers Love YouTwitterVHMTVertigoWinter Instituteabortionassbakingborderschartscookingcosmeticsfashiongiant pink snailshorseshow Sweet with Fall and Fish got its nameillnesspainparentheticalspoetryrenovationself-mutilationsexstand upzombiesIf I care how others perceive my passions, then they become affectations.http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)Blogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-1391976098075074778Sun, 05 Jan 2014 02:23:00 +00002014-01-05T13:13:58.681-08:00 Howdy, partners.  If you're looking for the Sweet life, I've made the move to Wordpress. This wasn't exactly a banner year for my online presence.  What can I say?  I didn't picture myself as someone who would have a mid-life crises, but something happened inside when 40 loomed and I wasn't where I thought I'd be.  I definitely recommend contemplating the endless abyss http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2014/01/one-sweet-move.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-6214679369561086039Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:18:00 +00002013-03-06T04:28:00.451-08:00booksfoodGuinnessrecommendationsThe Bookseller Loves YouTravelWinter InstituteThis year's Winter Institute took place in Kansas City, MO, a place I've never had reason to believe I'd visit.  Spending a few days there reminded me of what non-destination cities have on Miami; with so much to recommend it, The Magic City doesn't try all that had to impress.  When you've got hundreds of cities above you on the "must list" of places to visit, you work a little harder http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2013/03/5-things-that-make-kansas-city-missouri.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-6290662053527977142Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:28:00 +00002012-08-03T06:28:00.086-07:00BeckyCatsCosta RicaHoneymoonPicturestigerTravel We were in Costa Rica for Becky's Golden Birthday.  IE, she turned 29 on the 29th (don't worry, I'd never heard of that, either; but it's a thing).  We started the day by walking to a bridge some miles from the hotel.  I say we walked, but with the landscape down there it's really all hiking. Becky and I wanted to find a local artist, a husband and wife team with a wood art http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/08/pura-vida-golden-birthday-big-cats-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-5994906587960099448Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:57:00 +00002012-08-02T04:57:29.719-07:00authorsBeckyCatscolorful metaphorsCosta RicaHoneymoonhorsesPicturestigerTravelIn an interview with Knight Arts, Miami poet Emma Trelles said "Anything can thrive down here. You could fling a tadpole into a gutter puddle and have a colony of frogs a week later. That kind of insistent life is inspiring."  This is true about Miami.  It's true in Costa Rica a hundred fold. Geckos cover the streets of Miami, those little ones people up north buy at pet stores. http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/08/pura-vida-local-flavor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-6181647723778834655Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:51:00 +00002012-07-12T04:51:09.249-07:00 I'm appropriating this meme.  Deal with it. Back in the day, some nations (and I use that in the Native sense) found it extremely rude to ask someone's name.  It would be like shaking someone's hand and asking his age ("How old are you, like 35?  You look at least 35.")  Upon first meeting the native you're trying to get to know, one of his friends might say, "He's knownhttp://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/07/i-blame-my-family-for-my-big-mouth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-5545843853827637407Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:09:00 +00002012-07-10T05:09:09.905-07:00BeckyCosta RicadeathHoneymoonI RulePicturesTravel We met Alberto the day after an accident at his stables.  A stallion, angry at Alberto for inviting another stallion to the ranch, knocked the horseman to the ground, pinned him down, and bit his upper arm.  Shirtless, broad-featured, barrel-chested, fresh bandage glaring white against his tanned skin, Alberto looked tough as rock.  He walked with obvious pain.  Not only http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/07/pura-vida-horseback-riding-la-fortuna.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-1271513261649419Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:51:00 +00002012-07-06T03:59:29.030-07:00BeckyCosta RicaHoneymoonPicturesTravel A short walk from the Tree House Hotel, Becky and I found lunch on the side of a mountain at a restaurant called Lomas del Mapache (translation?  "Raccoon Hills"). Their driveway is long, winding, and gravel, with a breathtaking view that goes on forever.  This is a good example of one of my favorite things about Costa Rica; you didn't need a building to have a restaurant. &http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/07/pura-vida-arenal-volcano-baldi-hot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-8867546911261040808Sat, 23 Jun 2012 22:33:00 +00002012-06-26T03:22:03.111-07:00BeckyCosta RicadeathfoodHoneymoonPicturesTravelAfter breakfast at the Treehouse Hotel, our first foray was to Ecoglide for a zip line tour of the base of the Arenal volcano.  I lost track of how many platforms they had, but thankfully Becky took a picture: This.  This many platforms. Becky and I geared up at the base, where a guide had what he called his "pet" on one shoulder.  We called it "the big green bug that looked http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/06/pura-vida-2-zip-lines-la-fortuna-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-9026488356709212968Thu, 21 Jun 2012 01:14:00 +00002012-06-20T18:14:22.728-07:00Books and Books We've won this a time or two over the years, but never with such a sweet poster.http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/06/all-others-are-2-or-lower.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-9030453874986053748Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:43:00 +00002012-06-23T12:29:09.687-07:00BeckyCosta RicafoodHoneymoonPicturesTravelBecky and I registered at Deposit a Gift.  We wanted to go to Italy for our Honeymoon, which not only sounded  romantic as hell, but would be a nice cushion for turning halfway to heaven (a phrase I only recently discovered and instantly hated; for all I know, I was halfway to heaven at twenty and I’ll die next year choking on an M&M). Even with the generous gifts of friends and http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/06/pura-vida-one-hell-of-honeymoon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-8722034989049341452Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:45:00 +00002012-06-01T05:45:32.923-07:00 Thanks to Christina Thompson, for inspiring the title.  No thanks to Cindy Sherman, for inciting the nightmares. I've never had an irrational fear of clowns - I've known someone who does, so I know I'm not one of them.  Still, it's impossible to look at this picture as anything less than the Doorway to Clown Hell. The blurred faces look jovial and inviting because they're too http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/06/come-to-circus-we-will-kill-eat-you-all.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-6652719876642952927Mon, 21 May 2012 00:13:00 +00002012-05-20T17:13:20.992-07:00BeckyChroniclePicturesProving that Becky loves photography and books the most, or that six months of paper folding gave us more than a kick-ass wedding bouquet, she's won a contest sponsored by Chronicle Books. Here's the pic. Yes, I married that.http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/05/snapp-shots-photo-contest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-4227349252801153951Thu, 10 May 2012 14:47:00 +00002012-05-10T07:47:06.191-07:00authorsBeckyBecky's Armbook businesschildhooddeathdreamsillustratorsMonkey businesstattoosThe Booksellers Love YouA recent survey declared Goodnight Moon the best picture book of all time, but for me it begins and ends with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I loved that book so much, almost as much as I loved Snowy Day.  It takes a lot of effort to admit that Where the Wild Things Are comes in third, because Maurice Sendak's death is clouding my judgment.  But can you really compare degrees of http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/05/june-10-1928-may-8-2012.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-4155728447903195640Wed, 09 May 2012 01:34:00 +00002012-05-10T07:00:16.218-07:00Beckybook businessbooksBooks and BooksCoconut Grovefree stuffPicturesrejectionWorld Book NightApril 23rd is the day Shakespeare was born, and the day he died.  Cervantes also died on April 23rd, and UNESCO marks it as World Book Day.  This year, volunteers in the UK, Ireland, the US, and Germany spent the day giving books away.  I don't know how others fared, but Becky and I had a hell of a time. In the United States, 53% of males and 39% of females are re-incarcerated http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/05/world-book-night-2012-were-trying-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-7864521295723999808Fri, 04 May 2012 02:51:00 +00002012-05-03T19:51:55.127-07:00ARCsauthorsblogsbooksBooks and Bookseventsquotesrecommendationsshop indieToo Many Links BUY THIS NOW. “Because you are defined not by life's imperfect moments, but by your reaction to them. And because there is joy in embracing - rather than running from - the utter absurdity of life.”  ― Jenny Lawson, Let's Pretend This Never Happened When I wrote about all the books Becky and I were giving away at our wedding, I compared Chelsea Handler to David Sedaris. &http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/05/you-should-read-jenny-lawson.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-2067659945083635978Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:24:00 +00002012-05-03T18:15:38.431-07:00BeckyblogsCasaMadriddreamsexcusesmarriageMonkey businessProcesswhiningwork outsWriting Well. . . I'm in bed at ten.  I set the alarm for five am.  If I'm lucky, I'll have two hours to myself before Dylan gets up.  I wake up around midnight on my side, my hip in a pool of cold wetness, wondering if I've pissed myself.  My bladder is bursting so it's entirely possible.  But I wasn't drinking (and even at my most drunk I've never pissed the bed, I've just http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/04/so-hows-writing-going.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-587736934096966863Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:12:00 +00002012-04-17T18:12:26.418-07:00booksquotesrecommendationsshop indie Reading Carol Anshaw's "Carry the One" made me an instant fan.  Here's why: Whatever element causes romance to flare was simply not present in the air between them.  This was a huge relief to Alice.  Romance no longer looked like so much fun, more like a repetitive stress injury - beginning with Maude, but now also including all the failed and pathetic attempts to replicate thathttp://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/04/you-should-read-carol-anshaw.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-8503721590025032026Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:27:00 +00002012-04-13T11:27:00.052-07:00authorsBecky's Armbook businessbooksillustratorsMonkey businessrecommendationsshop indieToo Many LinksvideoIn case you didn't know, there's something in publishing called a "book trailer."  It's like a movie trailer, except for a book.  Genius, right?  Readers don't need them and booksellers actively hate them.  Still, when moving 5,000 copies constitutes a hit, it never hurts to try to reach outside your core demographic for new readers. But Hollywood has been making trailers forhttp://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/04/girl-with-pigeon-tattoo-meet-cloudette.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-3277914419390044579Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:05:00 +00002012-04-03T07:05:00.573-07:00Boy ScoutsfriendsMonkey businessparentingThe Heat Lightning Man, with a title like that you'd hope I have some answers.  I don't, sorry. Over at The Heat Lightning, newly-anointed senior editor John Spain and I have been talking about the Boys Scouts of America.  If you don't feel like clicking the link, here's the boiled-down version: 1) As a teen, Spain got a lecture from a scout master for saying goddamn and quit because the other boy http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/04/talking-to-your-child-about-courage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-5444070364432083963Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:21:00 +00002012-03-19T17:00:17.990-07:00Beckybook businessbooksBooks and BookseventsI don't get itPicturesquotesstupid criminalsThe Bookseller Hates YouI often forget how special Books & Books is.  Every bookstore is not minutes from South Beach or Venetian Pool.  Every bookstore does not get shoppers like Sir Paul McCartney, Michael Moore, and Shakira.  Every book store does not host author appearances with Bill Clinton, Barbara Walters, and Shaquille O'Neal. Does Clinton do candid shots?  Of course not. . . only if http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/03/shaq-uncut-or-is-he.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-8273915614731838303Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:25:00 +00002012-03-15T04:25:21.050-07:00adoptionCatsPicturesvideoBecky and I were not supposed to get new cats.  We were just visiting the Humane Society, seeing what was out there.  Great plan, no?  Like visiting a pizza parlor when you're starving.  We went to the Miami Shores Humane Society, where the second floor is all cats, all the time.  Rooms and rooms of purring fuzziness.  If not for the fact that some of the rooms http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/03/meet-babies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-905605801591467476Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:48:00 +00002012-02-24T03:48:21.266-08:00Books and BooksI don't get itinternetMannersThe Bookseller Hates YouwhiningI’m always amazed when people abandon their book orders.  I don’t mean the folks who buy books and then never pick them up, which happens more often that you’d think; we’ve got shelves of prepaid titles that have been taking up space for years.  We hang on to them because people not only show up years after the purchase, but get livid if their book isn’t waiting for them years after thehttp://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-come-you-dont-call-me-anymore.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-654702130907580237Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:40:00 +00002012-02-23T03:40:41.835-08:00memoryMotor Vehicle AccidentspainPicturesquotesSOBEwhiningOver the days that followed, his pain became increasingly familiar to him.  It would come over him while he was reaching for the push-buttons on his bed or crossing the floor to the bathroom, when he was watching the sun bounce off the TV, watching the rain leave its cat’s paws on the window, a response he realized he’d been waiting for all along, as if he and his wounds were having a http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/02/five-year-anniversary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-696280873574739851Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:41:00 +00002012-02-15T03:43:08.046-08:00authorsbookseditingLanguageparentheticalsProcessquoteswake upWriting If you answered "no" then click here. Quotidian. Why use quotidian when mundane works just as well?  Don't try citing some subtle shade of connotation, because there isn't one; they mean the same damn thing, except ninety-five percent of the English-speaking world could tell you what mundane means.  Barring mundane, why not give everyday, commonplace, or ordinary a day in court? http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/02/secret-handshake-do-you-really-need-mfa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5249328666832343945.post-8756607893191201355Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:01:00 +00002012-02-01T18:03:33.122-08:00authorsBeckyBecky's ArmbooksBooks and Bookscolorful metaphorsillustratorsMonkey businessPicturestattoosYesterday at Dylan's after-care program, two girls with eyes and a flair for the obvious told Becky she was the most beautiful girl they'd ever seen.  As Becky walked away, one of them pointed. "Llama llama!  Llama lama!" she shouted. This led to a tour of Becky's arm, a few minutes of book talk, and the near kidnapping of two girls from Dylan's after-care program.   I'm sorry, http://sweetwithfallandfish.blogspot.com/2012/02/girl-with-pigeon-tattoo-anna-dewdney.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aaron John Curtis)2