April 2010
3 posts
The Census for English Majors
Alrighty, got my census about March 15th. I open it up and it says MAIL BACK TODAY. I say to it, “Dude,” (I often call stupid mail Dude), “the letter carrier has already come and gone from my house. How am I supposed to mail it today?” No answer. So I read the directions, then start the questions. The questions go something like this, “Where were you living on...
Writing Blindfolded
Okey Dokey - Second draft of magazine article all done. Yay for me! I am new to the editorial staff on my trade magazine, but the monthly virtual meetings with others in my profession around the state is great therapy. And I am learning the art of pitching articles and giving feedback. Now onto my next deadline - the next installment of my novel to my critique group.
March 2010
5 posts
Wrote a couple of pages of my story and fleshed out some character background and plot points, intermingled with texting back and forth with my daughter, wherein the names Thich Nhat Hanh, Eckhart Tolle and Oprah were used. Went to a talk by Steve Lopez, writer of The Soloist, where the audience conversed with him and each other regarding mental illness and community. Got up every day and...
Saturday Night
My and the D man are walking downtown in the plaza Saturday evening (cuz its the kind of thing we do) and an out of town couple stop us and ask, what is there to do here on a Saturday night? We stammer a bit and point out a couple of things to do and walk off. But it gets me thinking, is there anything to do here on a Saturday night if you aren’t into loud music and drinking?
I kind of...
Writing?
Adding a sidebar with bullets as per editor request this weekend. My article should be wrapped up and winging its way though cyber space in the next few days.
My fabulous writer’s group (don’t tell them, they’ll get big heads) helped shape my novel’s direction. Now they are expecting production from me. Sigh. More hard-core typing is in my future.
Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap is a strangely compelling modern artifact. There will come a time in the distant future where archeologists will be pulling reams of the stuff from landfills. They will sample the atmosphere from the small bubbles to find out the chemical composition of the air of our era.
In the meantime, a giant wad of it sits in the corner of my room. I cannot bring myself to toss it. “It...
January 2010
16 posts
Gratitude Today
1. Wor Won Ton soup on a rainy day.
2. The smell of my partner’s neck.
3. Weekend programming on NPR.
Today was a good day. I wrote and read and talked to writers. I like people who write. They just make sense.
My adventures
Chatting with a new friend over sushi today, sharing our outdoor interests. “Have you ever skydived?” he asked. Nope, it never seriously came up, but it does qualify on my criteria of possible adventures: lack of motors and some excitement or ability to enjoy nature. Here’s my list of stuff I’ve done: white-water rafting, kayaking, sailing, glider riding, tubing on the...
Library and books
Growing up, my local library was an oasis from the outside world. When I was in elementary school I lived within walking distance of our library. Since I was on my own, I never had to worry about hurrying to meet anyone’s schedule and could wander among the stacks at my own pace. It was there that I first met L. Frank Baum, who shared all his stories of Oz with me. From there I moved on to...
““Another fresh new year is here …
Another year to live!
To banish...”
– William Arthur Ward
1 tag
The Call of Canadian Geese
It is past midnight on one of those nights. I have woken after a couple of hours of sleep and I am inexplicably awake. I get up and read a chapter of the book beside my bed. Suddenly the sound of geese on the wind, flying south, wafts in from the open window, along with the soft rustle of the leaves scraping against one another in the moonlit night.
I stop and focus on their calls. Flying in...
1 tag
Two Weeks in Italy
D and I spent two weeks in Italy this Spring. We went without an established itinerary or any reservations, just a guidebook for reference and a general idea of where we wanted to go. We did, however, have a clear mission – to eat and drink and relax. I can say unreservedly that we accomplished our mission completely.
It was odd that many of our acquaintances thought our lack of planning was...
“Making art now means working in the face of uncertainty; it means living with...”
– Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
1 tag
Micro Loans →
Searching for a way to make a difference in the world? These people are offering micro loans that help people become self-sufficient. I support them and encourage you to do the same.
Saying What You Feel
So, my New Year’s resolution is to say what I feel. I already see some potential problems with this resolution, like telling some dufus that is wasting my time just that. I will need to think through the consequences of having this roll off my tongue on a regular basis. I will keep you posted.
Do you have a new and possibly problematic resolution?
December 2009
2 posts
“My life has been the poem I would have writ,
But I could not both live and...”
– Henry David Thoreau