Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Missing
Missing: One brain. Description: Muddled mass of wet gray material, slightly squishy. Last seen: A month ago, when last I was able to form a coherent thought. Suspected culprit: hormones, overscheduled life, and/or "mommy brain"
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Shred Day Heaven
Shred Day made me grin
as piles and bags of papers
became confetti.
FYI, if you want to shred multiple documents (you know, old tax forms, bank statements, check duplicates, phone records, etc) in a VERY efficient manner, Google "shred day" and your area to find local FREE events where industrial size shredders (which means NO REMOVAL OF STAPLES/PAPERCLIPS NECESSARY!) can reduce all your sensitive information to bits in mere seconds. Many cities are starting to host these, as are private businesses, to encourage prevention of ID theft and also recycling (that's right, the shreds are all recycled!). (The one I went to was hosted by Iron Mountain Paper Co., and was wonderful!)
It was a revelatory experience for me. I clapped afterward with glee. The workers seemed a little wary of my outright joy, but that event removed pounds of old paperwork that would have taken me days to shred with my puny 6 page shredder (not to mention removing all staples first).
Try it--you'll like it!
as piles and bags of papers
became confetti.
FYI, if you want to shred multiple documents (you know, old tax forms, bank statements, check duplicates, phone records, etc) in a VERY efficient manner, Google "shred day" and your area to find local FREE events where industrial size shredders (which means NO REMOVAL OF STAPLES/PAPERCLIPS NECESSARY!) can reduce all your sensitive information to bits in mere seconds. Many cities are starting to host these, as are private businesses, to encourage prevention of ID theft and also recycling (that's right, the shreds are all recycled!). (The one I went to was hosted by Iron Mountain Paper Co., and was wonderful!)
It was a revelatory experience for me. I clapped afterward with glee. The workers seemed a little wary of my outright joy, but that event removed pounds of old paperwork that would have taken me days to shred with my puny 6 page shredder (not to mention removing all staples first).
Try it--you'll like it!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Monday, May 09, 2011
Reading as a writer
So I'm in the early middle of the book The Diviner's Tale by Bradford Morrow, and I'm finding it really slow reading, which surprised me because I love the premise of the story and usually read this type of fiction pretty quickly. I think the reason for this is mostly due to the fact that it's written as a mystery with a lot of backstory woven in early on in chunks--and now I'm reading with a writer's eye.
In my current WIP, I struggle with the art of weaving in the backstory and mystery elements without either going off track of the plot, or worse yet, losing the reader's interest. So, as I read this book, I am of two minds--one the reader, trying to soak up the story and be taken in by the fictional world, while the other mind is the writer who wonders what is working and what is not in this type of backstory delivery. I'm still not sure what I think about it, but it's certainly food for thought about how to handle my own writing challenges.
I also notice the voice of the character very strongly in this book, which I think is a good thing.
One stylistic point that is irritating me is that in several scenes conversations are not listed within quotes, but instead start with emdashes for each speaker's lines. Like:
--She told me to go the store.
--What did she need?
--Apples and bananas, said Jane.
These seem to be when the protagonist is recounting conversations not overheard directly by her, but still, I'm not sure it's worth the distraction...Sometimes it starts to sound like a voice-over in my head, which I'm not finding enjoyable.
Do any of you have thoughts about reading as a writer, or these kinds of issues?
In my current WIP, I struggle with the art of weaving in the backstory and mystery elements without either going off track of the plot, or worse yet, losing the reader's interest. So, as I read this book, I am of two minds--one the reader, trying to soak up the story and be taken in by the fictional world, while the other mind is the writer who wonders what is working and what is not in this type of backstory delivery. I'm still not sure what I think about it, but it's certainly food for thought about how to handle my own writing challenges.
I also notice the voice of the character very strongly in this book, which I think is a good thing.
One stylistic point that is irritating me is that in several scenes conversations are not listed within quotes, but instead start with emdashes for each speaker's lines. Like:
--She told me to go the store.
--What did she need?
--Apples and bananas, said Jane.
These seem to be when the protagonist is recounting conversations not overheard directly by her, but still, I'm not sure it's worth the distraction...Sometimes it starts to sound like a voice-over in my head, which I'm not finding enjoyable.
Do any of you have thoughts about reading as a writer, or these kinds of issues?
Saturday, April 30, 2011
What's that orange glow in the sky?
At last--daffodils!
Was that a bumblebee that
zoomed by, or just hope?
Spring has come slowly here, dragging its feet and throwing tantrums. However, today I got to play outside with my family and we found some daffodils growing between two fences, and the trees are finally budding. We had to wear coats, and the wind was chilly, but you could smell the fresh earth scent and I swear I saw a fat bumblebee buzz by...
Hope springs eternal!
Was that a bumblebee that
zoomed by, or just hope?
Spring has come slowly here, dragging its feet and throwing tantrums. However, today I got to play outside with my family and we found some daffodils growing between two fences, and the trees are finally budding. We had to wear coats, and the wind was chilly, but you could smell the fresh earth scent and I swear I saw a fat bumblebee buzz by...
Hope springs eternal!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Holy guacamole
Diabetic rules:
holy guacamole, yum!
with eleven chips.
So with this pregnancy I'm pre-gestational-diabetic. Which basically means that I'll have GD by the middle/end of my pregnancy (had it last time at the end) and now have to follow the GD diet and glucose testing regimen every day. Which, if you've ever had to do it, sucks.
However, there are some bright spots yet--guacamole is a "free" food, and a fab snack. (Preggers folks need the fat more than regular folks to help the wee one grow, so we get to splurge a bit!) And after a LONG COLD winter, creamy green avocado dip really hits the spot. It is truly holy.
I know in the end the baby will be worth all this work and calculation of carbohydrates, and hopefully the diabetes will go away afterwards.
To those of you out there with diabetes, I salute you--it's a tough road! People don't realize how much effort goes in to managing carbs and blood sugar levels on an hourly basis.
This post links up with my previous post, too--exercise is part of managing this issue. So, keep moving!
holy guacamole, yum!
with eleven chips.
So with this pregnancy I'm pre-gestational-diabetic. Which basically means that I'll have GD by the middle/end of my pregnancy (had it last time at the end) and now have to follow the GD diet and glucose testing regimen every day. Which, if you've ever had to do it, sucks.
However, there are some bright spots yet--guacamole is a "free" food, and a fab snack. (Preggers folks need the fat more than regular folks to help the wee one grow, so we get to splurge a bit!) And after a LONG COLD winter, creamy green avocado dip really hits the spot. It is truly holy.
I know in the end the baby will be worth all this work and calculation of carbohydrates, and hopefully the diabetes will go away afterwards.
To those of you out there with diabetes, I salute you--it's a tough road! People don't realize how much effort goes in to managing carbs and blood sugar levels on an hourly basis.
This post links up with my previous post, too--exercise is part of managing this issue. So, keep moving!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Haiku, I can do...
So I've decided to boost my blogging and get my writerly groove back on, I should make my own blog challenge. Thus, I'm going to write a haiku a day, and post them here. Hopefully that will spur on more writing.
For today:
Yes, yes, butt on chair
but then, exercise, dammit,
to keep on writing.
I wrote this after visiting my Grandpa and looking at my Grandma's old writing office. She wrote several books in the last 20 years of her life--she was a geneaology genius! But since she became so devoted to sitting and writing, she didn't get much movement in, and despite her healthy eating habits, lack of splurging, and general good sense, that sedentary lifestyle shortened her life. So, to keep on writing, we have to get up and move, too!
For today:
Yes, yes, butt on chair
but then, exercise, dammit,
to keep on writing.
I wrote this after visiting my Grandpa and looking at my Grandma's old writing office. She wrote several books in the last 20 years of her life--she was a geneaology genius! But since she became so devoted to sitting and writing, she didn't get much movement in, and despite her healthy eating habits, lack of splurging, and general good sense, that sedentary lifestyle shortened her life. So, to keep on writing, we have to get up and move, too!
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