Comments on: In Case of Emergency

By: Gary Cohen

Gary Cohen — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:39:19 +0000

Ann,

You have an uncanny knack of not only writing so well but peeling the onion in a way that brings us closer.

Thanks for sharing.
Gary

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:02:39 +0000

What a horrifying situation. It reminds me of this one time I took a bus into the wrong town, and couldn’t find a bus back out, and actually walked myself through the steps of creating a life there.

I’m happy you’re free and didn’t have to resort to spitting on your leg. (You know, for lubing purposes.)

By: GiGi

GiGi — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:41:43 +0000

Ann,
Another great story. And again, I was there seeing it all through your writing. How did you create such a funny story while also telling us about your imagined and real losses? Thank you for opening up all of this and making me laugh…and pause. As was already mentioned, you are quite wonderful!

By: Writer Mama

Writer Mama — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:03:33 +0000

I once fell through a cattle grate (those giant sewer-grate looking things that you see at auto gates in the Southwest), had a jolt of adrenaline pass through my body and then almost passed out. Luckily my leg wasn’t broken! Seems unbelievably mean to do to animals. Anyway, after I talked myself down, er, up, much as you did here, I was able to pull myself out and limp back to the ranch where I was living.

Legs should come with a warranty.

Anyway, came by to congratulate you on making Michael Selzner’s short list!

Congrats!

By: Jack Kuperman

Jack Kuperman — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:46:04 +0000

While reading, I stayed there with you and thought too : “what are the chances of this happenning?”

Thanks for your blog.

By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:50:28 +0000

Ann, two words — knee pads! I have a bannister similar to yours but am in no danger of a limb sliding through. I am convinced, though, that someone will eventually go sailing over it and break their ever lovin’ neck someday (as the kids grow taller, I feel this likelihood increases). After enduring a soul-crushing loss, anything really does seem possible. All of the safety walls come tumbling down and you feel exposed to everything. It takes a long time to rebuild. So glad you made it.

By: Jean Gogolin

Jean Gogolin — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:28:18 +0000

Found your blog through Michael Selzner’s contest, and I love it. You are one fine writer with an amazing ability to make your readers imagine and empathize — which for me is the secret to good writing.

By: Romi

Romi — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:06:11 +0000

*ouch*…I too was thinking that the introduction of some lubricants would be inevitable, but luckily you escaped without a mess, hope your pancake bruise is all healed now!

By: Sonia Simone

Sonia Simone — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:58:31 +0000

Tears in my eyes about your son. I love this story, love the mix of absurdity and much-too-harsh reality and your daughter being a mensch and not laughing and the scary ease with which I can picture myself stuck the same way (and, of course, slowly starving to death, because I’m a horribilizer of the first degree).

I think you’re really wonderful.

By: Christian Gulliksen

Christian Gulliksen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:07:23 +0000

Next time something like this happens, you can play it off as avant-garde performance art. Really intellectual stuff you don’t expect anyone to “get.” Claim it’s a metaphor for…uh…US foreign policy…yeah, that’s it. Super deep. Wow.