For those of you who have been counting, yes, yesterday was my birthday. And instead of celebrating, I was studying, (more on this later). I didn’t even have any cake. So instead, I bring you the newly remixed video from Zhu’s birthday. YouTube picked the song, not me. But somehow, it does seem oddly appropriate, doesn’t it?

So, I had two exams today, and I was studying my lecture notes in preparation. As you might know, becoming a romance novel writer is high on my list of dream jobs. (Other candidates include pastry chef and dog walker.) Unfortunately, it seems that publishers are so inundated with unsolicited submissions that they rarely have a chance to even peruse them. Instead, most publishing houses rely on literary agents to find their latest gems.

But as I read slowly through the thousands of slides, my eyes found a small line of hope.

However, many smaller and more specialized houses continue to pay close attention to unsolicited submissions. For example, romance publishers regularly accept new writers from their submissions (“slush”) pile.

That’s right, folks. You may see my name on a $4.99 Harlequin romance novel yet! But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

In other depressing news, the economy in New York seems to have continued to deteriorate. This weekend, I saw a sign on the door of a restaurant proclaiming a 30% discount for patrons who were unemployed. Then, I saw a pair of young girls, one around 10 years old, the other maybe 12, playing violin in the subway and asking for donations. As you can see from the video, these girls were quite good. I can just imagine a family dinner where mommy asks everyone to do their share now that daddy’s been laid off.