Annette Dashofy's Blog

G-20 Summit Summary

(Cross posted from Working Stiffs)

Since I had last Wednesday off from my blogging duties, I didn’t get a chance to follow-up on the G-20 Summit. That’s just as well, I suppose, since the biggest part of the melodrama is still going on.

The expected violence and destruction of property was kept to a minimum, compared to what has happened elsewhere. Sure, there were some… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on October 7, 2009 at 10:09pm — 7 Comments

A Dark Day in Pittsburgh

(Cross posted on Working Stiffs)

It’s been a very dark week in Pittsburgh. On Saturday morning, those of us who thought we were part of a relatively safe city learned there is no such thing.

In case you somehow managed to miss the news, three Pittsburgh Police officers were gunned down in the quiet neighborhood of Stanton Heights while responding to a domestic dispute call. The gunman,… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on April 8, 2009 at 11:57pm — 5 Comments

Published!

(Cross posted to Writing, etc)

Writing as a career can be discouraging. You’d better love to write, because if your goal is to become rich and famous…well, excuse me while I wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes.

Most days are solitary and fraught with rejection. Whenever I recognize one of my sase’s in my mailbox, I generally assume it contains a rejection letter. More often than not, I’m right. Of course, there are… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on March 31, 2009 at 6:37am — 2 Comments

Taking A Chance

(Cross posted to Working Stiffs)

My personal “catch phrase” has been that I’m a yoga instructor who writes mysteries, striving to become a mystery writer who teaches yoga. I guess I’m going to have to revise that. Because after a lot of thought and… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on February 12, 2009 at 1:39am — No Comments

Scammed!

(Cross posted to Working Stiffs)

I had an opportunity to meet our local police chief last week. He’s relatively new to the area and I’ve stopped at the station a couple of times, but he was out on patrol.

Needing to call 9-1-1 to bring him to my mom’s house was NOT how I’d envisioned our first meeting.

Last Tuesday, my mom phoned me to ask if the water company had just been at my house. I… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on February 4, 2009 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Planning My Dream Conference

(Cross Posted to Working Stiffs)

My “job” as 2009 Pennwriters Conference Coordinator reaches a milestone this Friday. Online registration opens January 2nd.

Am I ready for this milestone? Hell, no! But ready or not, here it comes.

I’ve been told by those who have traveled this path before that this is not a deadline. Good thing. There is still much work to be done. Even… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on January 1, 2009 at 12:46am — No Comments

A Hot Time at the Firefighters Exam

(Cross Posted on Working Stiffs)

As some of you already know, I spent five years as an EMT on the local ambulance service. I have had fantasies of being a cop. But there is not enough money in the world to make me want to be a firefighter.

It’s not that I don’t admire them. Quite the opposite. I think guys who charge into a burning building to rescue people and pets are the biggest… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on December 17, 2008 at 10:28pm — No Comments

Citizens' Police Academy: Narcotics Squad-Part Two

(Cross posted to Working Stiffs)

While heroin is by far the biggest drug problem in Pittsburgh, it isn’t the only one.

Crack cocaine is manufactured “in house” by cooking powder cocaine and baking soda into a solid “rock,” which is then smoked. Crack is generally more potent than the powdered form, since the cocaine needs to be rather pure to create crack, whereas the powder can be cut with other ingredients,… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on December 11, 2008 at 12:26am — No Comments

Citizens' Police Academy: Narcotics Squad-Part One

(Cross posted to Working Stiffs)

The one session of Citizens’ Police Academy that I missed last time around was the Narcotics Squad. This week, I made up that session. When Sgt. Doug Epler started unpacking his props, I sensed this was going to be interesting. I was especially intrigued by a car battery sitting on the floor among the cases and boxes of drug paraphernalia. Was there a… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on December 4, 2008 at 12:40am — No Comments

Citizens' Police Academy: Firearms Tracking Unit

Cross posted to Working Stiffs

(With special thanks to Detective Jill Rustin of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Firearms Tracking Unit for her assistance with this post.)

The new class of Pittsburgh’s Citizens’ Police Academy is in session and I dropped in to pick up a segment that wasn’t offered last time. Detective Jill Rustin spoke about the Firearms Tracking Unit.

In Pittsburgh at the time of her presentation,… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on November 19, 2008 at 11:19pm — No Comments

While I Was Gone...

(Cross Posted on Working Stiffs)

Nothing exciting ever happens around here…until I go away.

This phenomenon began years ago when we still had horses. Hubby and I took off for the day and went to the Amish country. We had a lovely day. But when we returned home, we learned of what had transpired during our absence. My dad had opened the gate to get something out of the tractor shed and all three… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on October 16, 2008 at 2:30am — No Comments

Bouchercon 2008

I'm still suffering from PBS. That's Post Bouchercon Syndrome. I've posted a ton of photos on Writing, etc along with my postmortem of the event. What a blast!

Added by Annette Dashofy on October 14, 2008 at 11:55am — No Comments

Countdown to Bouchercon-2 days!

(Cross Posted to Writing, etc)

I have a Sisters in Crime meeting tonight and a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon, so I have very limited time to get stuff done before leaving on Wednesday.

Over on Working Stiffs, Wilfred is blogging today about his busy week ahead. I think a lot of us who are headed to Baltimore are feeling the… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on October 7, 2008 at 1:18am — No Comments

Countdown to Bouchercon-4 days

(Cross posted to Writing, etc.)

I think I’ve posted about this before, but I get homesick before I actually leave for a trip. Once I’m on the road, especially once I’m out of my normal stomping grounds, I shift into vacation mode. But during the last week or so before heading out, anxiety strikes. Big time.

So that’s where I am right now. It puts a damper on my pre-Bouchercon… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on October 5, 2008 at 8:02am — No Comments

Along for the Ride: Part Two

(Cross posted to Working Stiffs)

Let me begin this second installment by mentioning one of the cool things I learned. The Pittsburgh police vehicles’ unit numbers have meaning. For instance, we were unit 3125. The “3” stand for police. The fire department would have a different number. The “1” was for Zone 1. Oddly, cars with the “2” as the next number indicate a single officer on patrol. Cars with a “1” such as 3111, indicates two… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on September 24, 2008 at 10:25pm — No Comments

Countdown to Bouchercon-16 days

Sixteen days until I leave for Baltimore, Maryland and Bouchercon.

Not that I’m counting or anything.

I spent one night away from home this weekend as my friend Lisa Curry and I drove to Rustic (with a capital “R”) Brookville, PA for a Pennwriters Board of Directors Meeting. We make this trip once a year. This will likely be Lisa’s last since she is stepping down from her role as treasurer soon. The motel in Brookville is even more Rustic than the town. But Pennwriters… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on September 23, 2008 at 2:00am — 2 Comments

Job Requirements for a Writer

The first thing you must have if you are planning on becoming a writer is at least one alternate source of income. And health insurance. The second thing you must have is a thick skin with regards to rejection.

The reason for both of these requirements is the same. You get published very little compared to your submissions. And when you do get published, it doesn’t necessarily pay much or anything.

The third job requirement is a love of writing. If you don’t love it, you… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on September 12, 2008 at 11:24pm — No Comments

Along for the Ride: Part One

(Cross posted at Working Stiffs) When I graduated from Citizens’ Police Academy back in June, I would have shed tears except for the promise that it wasn’t over yet. We still had our (drum roll, please) ride-alongs coming up.

Mine was scheduled for Friday at noon. Or at nine. Depends on whether you’re going by the email I received or the schedule at the police station. Either I was three hours… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on September 11, 2008 at 12:44am — No Comments

What Was I Thinking? Part 2

(Cross posted on Working Stiffs)

Back in June, I blogged about the mental illness from which I suffer. The one where I volunteer for things in the belief that if they’re far enough in the future, I’ll be less busy by then and will have the time to breeze through the tasks required.

To be specific, I volunteered in 2007 to be the 2009… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on September 3, 2008 at 10:31pm — No Comments

Resting in Peace

(Cross Posted to Working Stiffs)

Lately, in an effort to get into shape, I’ve been doing a lot of walking. Since the fields around my house are loaded with ticks, I find other places to stretch my legs. One of the most convenient spots is an old cemetery a few miles from my house. It’s quiet and mostly deserted except for the… Continue

Added by Annette Dashofy on July 3, 2008 at 2:38am — No Comments

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