Cynthia Polansky

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Cynthia Polansky is that anathema known as the cross-genre writer (no, not cross-gender writer -- although that's probably more lucrative).  In addition to historical novel Far Above Rubies (2007 Martin & Lawrence Press), based on the inspiring true story of a Dutch woman who voluntarily accompanies her 6 stepdaughters to Auschwitz; and paranormal chick lit and Indie Excellence Winner Remote Control, (2007 Echelon Press) the story of a 30-something Jewish control freak whose issues follow her into the afterlife; she is a successful dog writer (under the name Cynthia P. Gallagher) who has penned 5 individual dog-breed manuals.  She soon begins work on her next book, WHIFF:  Human Aroma Through the Ages, an entertaining and informative peek into all things humanly smelly.  During the academic year, Cynthia is an adjunct tutor at the US Naval Academy's Writing Center, waging war on bad grammar, one midshipman at a time.  For more info on this strangely brilliant literary mind, check out her blog, Crossing Polansky and website.

"Lovely Johnson Lane" Has a Buddy At last, my list of really odd street names has another item! For almost a year now, Lovely Johnson Lane in Annapolis, Maryland has been the sole occupant of this photo-list, despite pleas for submissions of oddly named street signs and their locations. Maybe this will break the stalemate. I give you:
"A AND EAGLE blvd" (see picture on www.crossingpolansky.blogspot.com)

When I picture a boulevard, I see a very broad road with a wide island divider, usually with pretty landscaping and/or decorative. A and Eagle Boulevard is a short street in the Parole district of Annapolis leading to a service-oriented business, (no "A" or "Eagle" in the company name, either) with lots of trucks. No island, no landscaping, no signage, which is probably why I've long overlooked this candidate for the list. Definitely the road less traveled, more of a lane than a boulevard. In the tradition of street signs, all letters are capitalized. Ergo, "AND" is all caps and disturbing to my grammatical sensibilities. The first letter wouldn't be capitalized, since proper sentences never begin with "and" (those of us who remember Schoolhouse Rock are humming Conjunction Junction, what's your function? right about now). Does "AND" have a different function here, perhaps an adjective, identifying a type of eagle? It's a stretch, yes, but who would have thought that wawa is a species of waterfowl and not just a convenience store? Why all this analysis of a street sign? Darned if I know. In fact, I just realized what an unusual person I must be to even conduct such an analysis, let alone blog about it for all to see. At least I'm living up to my tagline! "Expect the Unexpected" http://www.cynthiapolansky.com/ http://www.cynthiapgallagher.com/