Six thousand books needed to be transported. Let’s form a line of book wrestlers from Dog Ear Books old location on Academy Street up two generous city blocks to their new location on South Main Street. Continue reading →
January, 2010
21
Jan 10
Looking at the New Year, who would you rather be? Brett Favre or Tony Romo?
All celebrating happens in the end zone. Well, it used to before new rules once again try to curb the enthusiasm of jubilant ballplayers. Who doesn’t understand the spontaneous desire to take the moment to propose to a cheerleader? Or lie down to attempt a Snow Angel? A touchdown’s been scored! No one would think of performing this celebratory behavior on their own 5 yard line.
20
Jan 10
It’s okay to letgo…
I once heard a psycologist say that if you think of an object and lock it into your mind, you will start to see it everywhere.
Like clowns.
Say that you decided upon clowns as your object (this would only be if you weren’t deathly afraid of them as I know some of you are). Within the next week, you start noticing the word “clown” written everywhere. It jumps off the page.
Pictures of clowns start appearing all over the place.
Of course, those words and pictures were there all the time, but because of your heightened awareness ~ they are all you see.
I’m going to stop talking about clowns, because I’m home alone and it is starting to get dark and…it’s getting a little creepy thinking about smiling white faces.
~~~
It was a simple tweet that asked a simple question. “What is your word of the year?”
“LET GO” popped into my head.
Problem is that “Let go” is two words and even with Twitter’s 140 character limitation, there wasn’t anyway I could make that phrase into one word.
But I did anyway. I tweeted that my word of 2010 was LETGO. My fellow follower agreed. She said “letgo” as my one word for 2010 worked for her.
Letting go and it’s themes have been appearing everywhere.
A respected businesswoman with whom I am acquainted was struggling with lots of worry about selling her business. She said, “You know, when I just dropped everything and stood back…it all fell into place.”
I ran the Disney Marathon and in writing about the experience the morning after, I had a billion different memories which could have gone a billion different directions. As I started to whittle down from 1000 plus words and kept cutting and cutting, when I looked at what remained…it was letting go. Discarding all the clothing I had packed on myself…not hanging on to things because of fear.
Weird.
Then last Sunday at church with my extraordinary cool group of woman I share study and coffee with each Sunday, we were talking about sins that keep us from God. One very hip, pulled together chick admitted, “Letting go. I’ve just got to get better about letting go of things.”
I don’t know what LETGO means to you. I’m not sure I know what it means to me, but someone is trying to get that message through my thick skull.
If I had to guess, for me it’s about not worrying as much, trusting a mega-ton more, trying to live a godly life…all the while trying my hardest to do my best…then
Jump. Freefall. Let go.
Today, I was e-mailing back and forth with a writer friend. We probably haven’t communicated in a month and as an afterthought her last email to me had the link to this video, and her words were..”Got a great music video for you. Watch it all the way through! …Jan.”
What is your word…the word that is been following you???
Another weird theme developing in my life. MARCHING BANDS.What the heck is up with that? Don’t know…but I will just letgo and enjoy.
Btw, the band is OK Go and the marching band is Notre Dame’s finest…
17
Jan 10
Writers at the Round Table. Well, it’s kind of round and in the corner.
Today over lunch I met with my writing group. We haven’t met in quite some time. Starting December I sent around an e-mail saying I missed them…and it took a over a month, but we collected again over lunch.
I pulled up late…as usual. They sat at same table and even though it had been over six months since we met, immediately it was like old times. Except only better.
Roger passed around a letter saying an editor so loved his book, after he made changes she couldn’t wait to pass it around to agents. She wrote of his dialogue (He does have way with dialogue), loving his characters in his flashbacks to Vietnam, on and on. All true. So happy for him because I had read lots of his stuff when we used to meet regularly before life got in the way.
Tracy had a crazy, crazy story about her agent (who is no longer her agent). Hate it when that happens. But she is working on another book, vampire romance thing which I read today while on elliptical (first four chapters) and it had me interested…though did question the hero’s (are vampires heroic?) use of “Jesus” and “Christ” as expletives. Are vampires able to do that without poofing away?
Then Kelly, who is a great writer, but stays busy trying to help everyone and everything. I think I made a huge break through today convincing her that she would be aweseome editor, and she needs to get paid doing this stuff.
I gave them the start of a new novel. Roger asked what happened to my old novel…did the protagonist have the affair?
I said that she didn’t have the affair; her husband did. And no, I wasn’t working on her story anymore ~ it wasn’t going anywhere. On second thought, maybe she should have been the one with the affair? Maybe that’s why it was RIP at this point?
No, that isn’t the point. The point is that he even remembered her and her story when I hadn’t thought her in a year. That was cool. (Very cool.) It was wonderful to be with my dear friends again, none of whom I would ever had known if it hadn’t been for this writing thing.
I am so much richer because of that meeting today…
What group in your life have you been missing? What is keeping you from emailing and scheduling a lunch or dinner?
16
Jan 10
I was heating up. The shirt needed to go.”
Letting go or hanging on.
When committing last July to run the January 2010 Disney marathon, I couldn’t foresee race day temperatures in the 20s with wind chills into the teens. The Weather Channel announced exposed skin warnings and risk of hypothermia. Dressed in so many mixed-match layers, it appeared I was going on a date with the Michelin Man and trying a little too hard to impress. Continue reading →
13
Jan 10
I couldn’t take it anymore…the Puppy Diaries.
Walking the puppy.
I haven’t been doing much blogging lately.
I haven’t been doing much of anything lately, except…
WALKING THE PUPPY and SEARCHING for the puppy.
Take this morning. Most family was in kitchen and Tebow was with us. Cornered. All accesses blocked.
But someone opened a door and escape. (Very stealthily)
”Where’s the puppy?”
Blank stares. “I don’t knows.”
Mom drops everything to search for the dog. For the dog is going off to POOP!!!
Why doesn’t anyone get this but ME! (alright, no more caps, but that felt better.) Of course, no one else gets it or cares because they aren’t the ones cleaning up puppy bow-bow-el movements.
There so cute...almost sleeping.
While typing this, he bounded in and fell asleep. Our pillows are on the floor, because no bed has been made ~ because I have been searching for that puppy. We have a crate, but I don’t want to stick him in there constantly. I walk by and think a puppy breeding mill spontaneously appeared in our family room.
He was curled up, nice and asleep, till I took this picture.
Am I missing something?
Awaking, he went under the bed and now sounds as if he is chewing up who knows what?
Since my life is revolving around this puppy, I am starting the Puppy Diaries — musings on puppy life. It might be of no interest to anyone but me…or anyone who has just irrevocably changed their life with a preschool dog. (See, I keep my promises for I wanted ever so wanted to put irrevocably in bold caps.)
Okay. He settled down again.
No telling what he ripped up under the bed.
Great. There is no way to make the bed without waking him up.
When he wakes up, he will have to go outside, and when he goes outside he will have to have a walk, and when he is going for a walk he will see a squirrel. And when he sees the squirrel.
Hmm. Maybe there is a book in this?
Does anyone have any suggestions to make this less painful??? Anyone, anyone.
9
Jan 10
You might have a longer shelf life spending most days on the dark side of the moon.”
Snap. The sound of a champagne flute’s stem separating from its bowl after knocking against the kitchen sink facet. Ruined! Continue reading →
2
Jan 10
I love a parade…Take two. The Battle of the Bands.
PARK AVE, WINTER PARK — FLORIDA
What to do with house of limited space full of children with limited patience…A parade!
Last week while visiting family, my cousin suggested that we hit the Parade on Park Avenue. Wanting to hone my parade photojournalism skills — as Macy’s is just 11 short months away — I jumped at the chance. So my mom, sister and children headed to the Avenue.
Battle of the Bands.
When the poster says Parade of Bands that’s LITERALLY what it meant. A parade of two bands.
This was my first foray into mixed-media parade coverage. Can you feel the excitement??
Our twitterpated crew quelled pre-parade boredom/anticipation by trying to bean cars with acorns. As luck would have it, we were planted under an acorn tree, or you might know it by its more common name, an oak.
The Gallery.
We didn’t wait long…First up was the Band of the Hour from the University of Miami.
What is that Bird's name?
He’s an Ibis, I know that.
We all became U of M fans for the moment.
Now here it is ~ hold on to something…My first foray into parade video coverage. It’s mercifully short.
Then came the fighting Wisconsin Badger Band.
On Wisconsin...
As the band high-stepped in front of us. I juggled attempts at still-photography with video. You can tell by the amazing results…I failed miserably. At least you get to hear that great fight song.
What can I say? Those purty white stockings and black shoes mesmerized me.
High-stepping..Badgers.
This gets a little crazy….
Just listening to that song, don’t you want to run to the fridge for a hunk of Velveeta?
And for my best shot of the day…
See I can hold the camera steady.
As a matter of fact, those talented cheerleaders did an amazing feat right before our very eyes. Which I of course missed, because I was trying to get my camera out to take a photograph of their trick ~ which I missed.
Maybe I was trying to do a little more than I could do that sunny day at the parade? Or my B.F.A. in Video/Cinema has grown a bit rusty (like oilcan rusty). Or I just didn’t think this would work. Whatever the reason ~ now with video capabilities ~ the sky’s the limit with my Parade documentary.
Next stop is St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Savannah. Or maybe the Williamsburg, Brooklyn Valentine’s Day Parade? Yes. that will be my next stop. Looks perfect. Most definitely.
On to Brooklyn or any parade in between. Please let me know of any parades that are “can’t miss” so I can completely annihilate any chance of you ever wanting to view it again.
2
Jan 10
Dear Big Chuck…We got a dog for Christmas.
The text message my daughter send her grandfather Christmas morning.
“Hi big chuck we got a dog for christmas and you’ll be happy what his name is his name is a flordia gator football player it’s Tebow.”
Tebow.
1
Jan 10
“What beats having someone around who covers you in kisses after a run?”
”You have ruined your life.” Words from a dear friend upon learning I secured a puppy for the children for Christmas. Continue reading →
