The blog post I wrote, “Oh Dude!” has been published in the LA Times today in a column called “LA Affairs” and under the title “A dreamy dude on a dude ranch.”
Personally, I liked my title better. They also made a few changes to which I prefer the original. The art work doesn’t look like me at all.
And one reader is making comments at the end of the online version that are … well … interesting. When people who follow my blog comment on it, it’s usually friendly, and it feels intimate. When a total stranger is critical in a huge public forum, well, let’s just say I hadn’t anticipated it! Oh, the vicissitudes of fame!
But all that said, I’m still thrilled!
Most writers questions whether their work is any good. If they’re not questioning, it’s probably not very good.
Having blog followers and facebook Likes is one way to feel good. Getting published is another. Getting paid is still another. Today I have all three!
I send my genuine thanks to anyone who has supported my return to writing after many years.
The newspaper article is called “ready to lasso a dream dude”
Jeanne Sent from my iPhone
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Interesting! Different media, different titles, so confusing! But whatever, I’m a beginner, so I’m just glad people liked it!
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“Oh, To Rope A Cowboy” caught my eye this morning as I was scanning the LA Times and sipping my latte. The illustration used with article is sassy and reminiscent of a Xmas ornament I found and added to our tree a few years ago. My husband was not raised on a ranch but his soul is pure cowboy. Living in Casper he headed east to school (Chicago) and traveled the world via the Peace Corp and the Army before returning to the states to attend law school while simultaneously completing a masters degree in public policy at UC Berkeley. He didn’t sport a pair of chaps or complete his first round up until he was practicing law in LA and a peace corp buddy talked him into investing in a herd of cows. Wyoming was calling him home. A couple of years after we started dating, I walked down the aisle to the Dixie Chicks hit song, “Cowboy Take Me Away”. Thanks for reminding me how dreamy cowboys can be!
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I’m glad I reminded you of your happy memory, Cindy! Thanks for reading.
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Well, I popped over here because I liked your piece in the LA Times (a lot). I hadn’t considered I could leave a message on the LA Times site (I’m old-school and read it on paper). But be assured I would have said I liked the piece there too. GREG
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Thank you, Greg! I’m pretty old school myself. Nothing wrong with that, though! You found me, that’s what matters – and I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment.
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The article brought me here and now you’re in my feed reader. Yay! Glad to “meet” you.
As for comments people make on the sites of large news outlets? Never read them. Never. Unless you enjoy weeping for humanity.
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Thank you, Kathy! I wish I knew what a feed reader is (to me it sounds like someone who judges the quality of horse hay or something), but I’m glad to “meet” you, too! And I will certainly take your suggestion about reading comments under advisement.
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So proud of you and what a great read!!! Don’t pay attention to negative comments and what is a medieval pundit anyway:-)!
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I know, huh! (For anyone just reading the piece here, medievalpundit is a person who made some rather … ah … interesting comments on the LA Times online version.) Thanks for reading, and now our weekend is forever immortalized! 🙂
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Just read your article and loved it! And I love dude ranches. Didn’t know there was one right off the 5. Can you please tell me the name of it?
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Thank you! It’s a little further than I make it sound, east on 99 above the Grapevine and then off on a country road that winds into the hills. It’s called Rankin Ranch and it’s a beautiful place!
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Can you please tell me the name of the ranch.
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Yes, it’s called Rankin Ranch, and they have a website you can see online!
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I have been there but it was years ago. Near Tehachapi – right? I love dude ranches, but they were a little formal for me. There is another near Santa Barbara that I like as well. One of the riding trails goes right by the former Reagan ranch.
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Congratulations, love your work
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Thank you, Penny! It’s been an exciting day, seeing all the people who commented.
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Congrats and we’re so excited for you! The article read as a page turner, keeping my interest in tact with the humor and anticipation of what happens next. Very descriptive and entertaining for sure. I wanted more…..Can’t wait to read your next adventure.
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Thank you Fran and Jack! Wow, my life a page-turner, who’da thought? 🙂 Thanks for reading and I’ll try to come up with more!
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My friend… Congratulations… it sounds so funny… I love it!!! as I always love everything you write!!! Please, keep entertaining us with your thoughtful taste!!! Blessings to you!!! Naluce
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I’m glad I can entertain you, Naluce! Thanks for reading as always.
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Congratulations on the publication of “Oh, Dude” 🙂
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Thank you, Magaly! I’m pretty happy about it!
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Congratulations on the publication! 😀
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Thank you! I’ve come back to creative writing after a hiatus of many years, so it’s been gratifying to have some positive responses.
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Congratulations professor!! I really liked the article and found it to be very interesting
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Great Article! How did you get it published in the times?
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Thank you! I learned of the Saturday column “LA Affairs” through a writers group I was attending. I thought about blogs I’d written about relationships and decided that was a good option.
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congratulations! that’s a huge achievement. I hope you get many more published in the future
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Congratulations. I, too, published an LA Affairs about falling in love across the LA culinary scene … and saw your piece and loved it. If it’s any consolation, my picture looked absolutely nothing like me either, but the FORMER girlfriend of the man who my piece was about. HA! In any case, it’s great finding your blog and I hope you will enjoy mine from time to time. Cheers from Unorthodox Foodie! (www.unorthodoxfoodie.com). I love your sexy humor and gusto for life. We share a love of licking the spoon!
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Hi! How nice to ‘meet’ you! I will definitely look for your LA Affairs piece and check out your blog. That’s funny about your pic looking like your man’s ex! Aaiieee! 🙂 One nice thing that happened after I posted about the publication here is that the editor checked out my blog and called me to explain a few things and make sure that overall it was a pleasant experience for me; I know she didn’t have to do that. Anyway, thanks for reading, and it’s always nice to know that there are other women who like to lick the spoon!
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Congratulations Professor Hoggan! I have read this article few days ago, then i noticed this article’s author sounds really familiar. Then I noticed that this article was published by my favor Professor. I felt proud of myself, because I can tell my friends I know someone who is my Professor posted an article on LA Time. Overall, Congrats!!!!!!!!!
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That’s amazing that you read the article and then realized that you know the author! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it, and feel free to brag about it! 🙂
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congrats! I don’t think I would ever be able to publish something worthy of a newspaper feature. Especially the LA times.
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Thank you! I do owe a debt to a writers’ group I was attending, as they told me about the column. I wasn’t sure the Times would accept that story since it wasn’t about a ‘real’ relationship. But they did!
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Congrats on your success
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I have a long way to go, but this publication gave me a little boost to keep going.
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Good article, but I tried to understand it, but I’ll get my way of reading it again. Keep up the Great work that you have been doing. Don’t let anybody put you down or with negatives, their just a bunch of haters. You seem that you won’t let anybody put you down, but as long as you put in words as professionally way as you are now. Again, keep up the Great work. Thank you for all of your articles and they were interesting.
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Thank you, Alfa!
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I just think its awesome how you made such an accomplishment like this to get your blog published in the LA Times. You’re truly an inspiration.
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Congrats on your article making it into the LA Times it is a great achievement you should be proud of yourself and your work:).
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Thank you Cindy!
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Congratulations on the publication. I’m sure more of your work will be published. 🙂
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I’m hoping, Brian, thanks!
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Congratulations on being published in the LA Times that is so exciting! I really enjoyed reading your blog and got quite a laugh from the ending. It is so funny where the mind can wonder especially when talking to a cute ranch hand 😉
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Oh yes, we have imagination for a reason!
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Congrats on the publication and your success. I love your work!
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I’m so glad, Jenny, thank you!
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Congratulations once again on the article!!
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I never seem to get tired of hearing that, haha!
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Congrats on getting your article published! This is an amazing accomplishment that you should be very proud of!
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I am, thank you!
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You are so amazing! What a great accomplishment.
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Thank you so much!!!
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Congratulations really ! This is remarkable !!
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It was exciting!
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Congratulations! This is really remarkable !!
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I was so excited, Juliana!
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You’re going to be famous one day!
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I hope to be published and enjoyed more than famous, but that wouldn’t hurt either! 🙂
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great read! quite entertaining! thanks for this post! (:
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Thank you!
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Congrats!!! I read this article of yours already in class when you passed us around the newspaper. It is such a good read, really enjoined it 🙂
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I really liked the article oh dude congrats on it getting published in LA times.
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Thank you!
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Congratulations I loved the article
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I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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Congratulations on getting your post published by the LA Times, that in itself is a tremendous achievement. The article was whitty, interesting, and overall delightful. My favorite part which I can really relate to was when you said, “But fantasy is marvelous. And it’s intriguing — embarrassing, but also brain-teasing — how we can imagine that we’re so on the same page with somebody else only to find out we’re not even in the same book.” Keep up the good work!
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It is a shock when we find out we are thinking SO differently from another! But we have to laugh at ourselves sometimes. Thank you.
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congradulations on making it to the times
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Thank you Aimee!
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Congrats on getting the article published! This article is very interesting and I found it funny as well.
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Thank you! I was quite pleased.
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Congrats! I had read it in class when you passed it around and I enjoyed it very much!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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oh I remember reading this, it was great. So relate-able i tend to over exaggerate my thoughts/fantasies a bit too.
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The funny thing is I didn’t even really have this fantasy, so I was fantasizing a fantasy, ha ha!
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Congratulations!!!
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I’m very proud of this. It’s nice to be coming back to it so late and getting some validation.
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Great article!
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Thanks for reading!
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Congratulations professor Hoggan! It’s nice to see that your hard work is being recognized.
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Thank you, if only I had more time for it.
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Congratulations!!! It’s not everyday that the la times bring someone’s article into their paper. You should feel good for yourself.
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I was quite pleased, thank you!
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What is the website that means it is easy to understand podcasts and blog sites? I don’t get an iPod, does that make any difference? . bfddddcdcgge
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I’m sorry, I don’t know how to answer your question…
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Congratulations on making it into the LA Times. Hopefully this is just one of many more of your published works to come.
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I hope so, thank you!
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Congratulations! It must be such an honor getting published. I enjoy all sorts of writings, so I am sure I will thoroughly enjoy your article. Congrats, again!
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Thanks and I hope you keep reading!
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Congrates professor! 🙂 I’m proud to have you as a teacher and to learn about your personal life through this blog. It really is not everyday where I get to say “Hey, you can find my teacher in the LA times”.
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I’m surprised but glad that students like you want to learn more about my persona life! I do have a lot to teach, and not all of it can I say in the classroom. 🙂
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Congratulations on having your blog in the LA times! I wish I would have had the chance to be reading that issue of the newspaper at the time! I’m definitely going to research online to read it! I have also read your “Oh Dude!” blog and it will be interesting to compare how the newspaper changes the original.
It’s very true that fame brings people who are rather critical but it may also be true that they might just be jealous! Maybe that reader is a writer themselves who hasn’t had the fortune of having their writings posted in a newspaper 🙂
So proud of you! You definitely deserved it 😊
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I hope I will continue to make you proud!
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