Coloring has made a resurgence among adults, and this does not surprise me. We're so keyed into to our tech devices that the simplicity of a crayon and a page holds vast appeal.
Writing is now in the news, too, as in, hand writing. Today in my local paper there is an article about calligraphy. It's titled "An invitation to more beautiful writing" and indicates that calligraphy is one of those lost arts that's again becoming fashionable. "It is part of society's fascination with handmade things in a high-tech world," the story says.
Yet the New York times published this essay that claims that "Handwriting Just Doesn't Matter," a response to calls for educational institutions to reinstitute the teaching of cursive handwriting (as well as print).
I do not have beautiful handwriting. In recent years, my handwriting devolved so badly that I had to purchase a little netbook to take notes on at meetings because otherwise I couldn't read my own words. I print. I use cursive for my signature, but that is all. For everything else, I use block lettering.
My handwriting is small and cramped. No one could ever call it beautiful. However, the connection of brain to hand to pen to paper is one that is completely different from that of brain to fingers to keyboard. There's a slower flow, a different feel, and a desire to stop and think about what one says when the thoughts come with pen in hand instead of fingers on keyboard.
Fingers on keyboard is rather like mouth running without monitoring - you just type away and the words flow and autocorrect fixes your errors and you don't realize you've used the same word three times within a single paragraph because you're just typing away. Then you go back and edit (I hope) and discover that what flows out of your brain to your keyboard and onto your screen is not Shakespeare. Not even close.
That's not to say that what flows from the brain to the pen to the paper is master work. Far from it. I think, though, it is more thoughtful work, and therefore a bit more accurate, perhaps, particularly with regard to emotion. Because with pen on paper, one can see anger when the pen is forced down a bit harder, in the change of the looping of the letters, and in the way the words are written with more slant (or less).
On the screen, though, it all looks the same unless one takes the time to go back and add in bold or use ALL CAPS, neither of which is very satisfying. In fact, when I edit books, I remove those types of "invisible modifiers" from manuscripts and make suggestions that authors rewrite the sentence. If you have to bold something to indicate your character is angry, then the sentence or paragraph isn't conveying the emotion. The words have to carry the emotion, the sound, and the fury - and relying on geek inventions in a manuscript is weak. Certainly such illustrations have their place, but better writing should always be the goal.
Which brings me back to the use of pen and paper. I do not write poems on the computer. I write them on a yellow note pad, frequently with a pencil. There are slips of paper with half-finished bits of poetry scattered all about my office, shoved in files and stuffed in folders. None of them are worth anything, but all I need do is read a line and I know instantly from the words and my hand writing what I was trying to convey. If my handwriting was stiff or tight, I was writing about something that was rigid and controlling and having trouble conveying it. If my handwriting moved quickly on the page, my thoughts were flowing and I was probably one with the muse at that small point in time.
I could not make those assumptions about my own work from something written on the computer. My handwritten notes eventually are placed into a computer, but the result is different after that process.
Sometimes when I was writing articles, and couldn't figure out where to start, I did what I called a "notebook dump" and simply started typing up my handwritten notes. Eventually I'd hit the thing I needed to start the story, or the meat of the matter, and I could move on from there, ordering, rearranging, and creating an article that hopefully made sense to the masses.
For 30 years I generally used pen and paper to start with, even for news articles. The last time I went out on an assignment, I used pen and paper and left the netbook at home. It was the first assignment I'd been on in a year, and it did not take long to get back in the groove. However, my hand shook more, and my writing has worsened.
Lack of use? Maybe. I'm not sure one whose handwriting was insufferable to begin with could ever make beautiful penmanship.
However, regardless of the calligraphy, I can write beautiful words.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Sunday Stealing: Moments Meme, I
Sunday Stealing: Shannon's Moments Meme, Part One
1. Do you like blue cheese?
A. I will eat it, but I do not generally ask for it on my salads (or anything else, for that matter).
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If yes, how did you quit?
A. I tried them in high school and nearly choked to death, so I never started and quitting was not an issue.
3. Do you own a gun? What are your feelings about gun control/2nd amendment rights?
A. Yes, I own a gun. I am a good shot with a .22, which is as high a caliber gun I will shoot and generally all anyone needs unless you're hunting big game. You can knock out a burglar with a .22 by shooting him in the knee or stomach or head or wherever (or you can turn the rifle around and hit him with the gun butt if you so desire). I think that gun regulations are required and a responsibility of the government. I do not believe "a well-armed militia" means you and me at this point in time. We are not Minute Men awaiting the invasion of the British. I think guns should be at least as well-regulated as automobiles, requiring tests, licensing, and insurance. Guns are already regulated to some degree, anyway - it's just a step further. You can't own a tank, or a true automatic weapon. Everyone agrees that a gun should not be in the hands of someone adjudicated mentally ill. So regulations are already in place, and unless you are one of the few unthinking nutcases who believe you and every mentally ill person in the land should be able to own a bazooka or a rocket launcher, then you believe in gun control, too. Some people just can't admit that they do, or maybe they haven't thought it through.
4. What is your favorite flavor of water or liquor flavors?
A. I don't flavor my water nor do I drink liquor.
5. Do you get nervous before a doctor visit? Why?
A. I do not get nervous with my primary care doctor, but I do with strange doctors. This is mostly because they have damaged me beyond repair and I have no trust of the medical system. Male doctors, in particular, are very demeaning and want to treat me like I have no idea what is going on in my own body.
6. How do you like your hot dogs?
A. I don't eat them much anymore because of ulcers, but I like them with catsup and relish, and no chili. Occasionally I will eat a little mustard on them.
7. Although it’s been asked a lot, tell us about a favorite movie that you haven’t shared before.
A. I think the movie Chocolat (2000) was very well done. The acting in it was perfect, and the storyline right on the mark. I have only seen it twice, but I still remember scenes from it - the one with the mayor indulging himself in chocolate in the window sticks with me in particular - and the way the woman wandered, looking to find herself and a place for her child. But mostly I remember how the introduction of one variable changed an entire town.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
A. I drink decaffeinated tea. On Sunday I drink decaffeinated Irish breakfast tea, which is my favorite. I do not care for coffee.
9. In a dating situation, have you ever misrepresented yourself to seem cooler or hipper? (Yes we know for most of you it was long ago…)
A. I am sure I did lo those many years ago, but after 33 years of marriage, what does it matter now?
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Why?
A. My wedding anniversary band that my husband gave me for our 15th wedding anniversary. I wear it instead of my engagement ring and wedding band now because my wedding band has grown quite thin and I'm afraid it will break and I will lose it.
11. Favorite hobby? Tell us about it so we understand it.
A. I like to play the guitar. I mean, really play the thing. Jam the bejeesus out of it until it rattles, shakes and roars, and I'm lost in a song, with my heart stuck there and my brains thinking of nothing but the music, my fingers dancing on the fret board like tomorrow will never come again, and my vocal cords throbbing and my voice sounding as husky as Melissa Etheridge's because I'm reaching for those tones that I can barely sing anyhow because of my asthma. Lost in the song, not just the listening to it but the making of it, the strings digging into the ends of my left-hand fingers because I don't play often enough any more, and my mind going back, way back, to remember the notes and chords from some song I'd forgotten I even knew, my right hand finger-stylin' and strummin' and doing whatever the song needs to make it mine, ripping out the chords like I've grabbed Dracula by the throat and drained his blood.
Does that make you understand?
12. Do you have A.D.D., or have you suspected it?
A. I have a bit of OCD and wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a little underlying ADD in there, too.
13. What’s a thing you dislike or would change about yourself?
A. I'm fat. Not "I should be in a TV show fat," but definitely overweight. I don't like it and I'm not even sure how it happened, but there it is. The weight came in the early 1990s, when the doctors had me trying various fertility drugs which messed with my hormones as well as my mind, and after my hysterectomy, when my hormones were askew and the migraines laid me low for days at a time, the weight just continued to creep on. I remember one day I looked at my doctor and asked her how we'd let this happen - why hadn't she said anything (not a doctor I see now) - and she had no answer. Being fat makes you invisible and turns you into a clown all at the same time. It's okay (according to societal mores) to weight-shame, and I'm very conscious when I'm buying groceries or eating in a restaurant that I am being judged by whatever I've put in the cart or into my mouth. I have not quite come to grips with the notion that this is genetic (many members of my family have weight issues) and that in all likelihood my medications and hormonal imbalances have played a big role, because society still sees obesity as a weakness of will. I don't think it is that - I think it is, instead, genetic and natural, as well as a reaction to what goes on around us. It is also the result of the crap we eat that isn't really food, along with health issues however they relate to various individuals. But even so, it's there, and I haven't figured out yet how to fix it.
14. Middle name? Like it or not?
A. My middle name is French and I like it just fine. It's also one of those things I don't give out on the Internet.
15. Name three random thoughts you might have on this week:
A. Why is my nephew out riding around on the tractor in the hay field when we aren't cutting hay? Why can't I stop biting my nails? Is the guy who wrote the letter to the editor this morning advocating a monarchy for the United States "like the one in England" really so stupid that he doesn't realize they elect a prime minister there and Queen Elizabeth is simply a figurehead, and not a policy maker?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tell us a bit about them.
A. I drink water, which is wet but ours has a nice taste because it comes from a well and we don't use a water softener (there's a tiny touch of iron in it); I drink A&W root beer, because it has no caffeine and because it is fizzy and I like the taste of it; and I drink tea, which is generally not sweetened though occasionally I will have a spoon of sugar in it.
17. Current worry:
A. Ridding the house of clutter and finding the energy and strength to do it when I'm not well.
18. Current annoyance:
A. You know, the thing that is annoying me most at the moment is a place on my 2014 Toyota Camry that needs a touch of paint. I hit a deer last winter and we didn't think it did any damage to the car, but after several months passed, this small dent in the bottom part of car door showed up, and there is a crack in the paint there now. I bought a paint pen in the vehicle color and my husband took it from me and promised to fix it, and then he lost the damned pen and the cracked unpainted place is still there. It's in the driver's side door and I see it every time I open the car door to get in. I think I shall have to go buy another paint pen and fix it myself this time.
19. Favorite place to be in the summer? Give us a wee bit more than “the beach”.
A. Honestly, I just like to be home. I'm not a fan of heat, and I love my mountains, and I have what I need and want here. Give me a book and a good chair and some light to read by, and I'm perfectly content.
20. How do you usually ring in the new year? If forced (how we’d do that without Judd coming to your house, if you even know who he was) to do something new, what would it be?
A. Usually we go to bed, but on occasion have gone to hear the bells ring. In my nearby town there is a tradition that goes back almost 200 years of ringing the bells of the churches and the courthouse at midnight. Revelers gather throughout the town for the celebration. The bells begin to toll at 11:45 p.m. At midnight, the Courthouse bell rings, and afterwards, at twelve second intervals, the church bells ring in a clockwise order about the town: Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Episcopal. This continues until the bell at the Courthouse strikes twelve. Somebody plays Taps to say goodbye to the old year, and then the bell-ringers in the Courthouse strike the digits of the New Year, for example two-one-six (2016). Then three shotgun blasts indicate that it is time for the bells to ring all together to welcome the New Year.
If I were to be forced to do something new by somebody named Judd (I don't know who that is), I suppose I would go sit on a mountaintop somewhere and watch the new year unfold. I prefer not to be in a crowd.
21. What have you done this summer that’s special? Pictures please.
A. I haven't done anything special this summer. But here's a picture I colored in my Lord of the Rings coloring book:
And here's a link to a recent visit to a local museum to see canning labels, if you're interested in that sort of thing. The labels are all local - in the early 1900s, this area was the tomato capital of the nation, with hundreds of little canneries, each bearing their own label. There are pictures.
22. Have you ever walked into a room with just shoes on?
A. Every morning. I cannot stand to go barefoot, so as soon as my feet are dry from my shower, I slip them into a pair of moccasins and walk around in them until I am finally dressed.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
1. Do you like blue cheese?
A. I will eat it, but I do not generally ask for it on my salads (or anything else, for that matter).
2. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If yes, how did you quit?
A. I tried them in high school and nearly choked to death, so I never started and quitting was not an issue.
3. Do you own a gun? What are your feelings about gun control/2nd amendment rights?
A. Yes, I own a gun. I am a good shot with a .22, which is as high a caliber gun I will shoot and generally all anyone needs unless you're hunting big game. You can knock out a burglar with a .22 by shooting him in the knee or stomach or head or wherever (or you can turn the rifle around and hit him with the gun butt if you so desire). I think that gun regulations are required and a responsibility of the government. I do not believe "a well-armed militia" means you and me at this point in time. We are not Minute Men awaiting the invasion of the British. I think guns should be at least as well-regulated as automobiles, requiring tests, licensing, and insurance. Guns are already regulated to some degree, anyway - it's just a step further. You can't own a tank, or a true automatic weapon. Everyone agrees that a gun should not be in the hands of someone adjudicated mentally ill. So regulations are already in place, and unless you are one of the few unthinking nutcases who believe you and every mentally ill person in the land should be able to own a bazooka or a rocket launcher, then you believe in gun control, too. Some people just can't admit that they do, or maybe they haven't thought it through.
4. What is your favorite flavor of water or liquor flavors?
A. I don't flavor my water nor do I drink liquor.
5. Do you get nervous before a doctor visit? Why?
A. I do not get nervous with my primary care doctor, but I do with strange doctors. This is mostly because they have damaged me beyond repair and I have no trust of the medical system. Male doctors, in particular, are very demeaning and want to treat me like I have no idea what is going on in my own body.
6. How do you like your hot dogs?
A. I don't eat them much anymore because of ulcers, but I like them with catsup and relish, and no chili. Occasionally I will eat a little mustard on them.
7. Although it’s been asked a lot, tell us about a favorite movie that you haven’t shared before.
A. I think the movie Chocolat (2000) was very well done. The acting in it was perfect, and the storyline right on the mark. I have only seen it twice, but I still remember scenes from it - the one with the mayor indulging himself in chocolate in the window sticks with me in particular - and the way the woman wandered, looking to find herself and a place for her child. But mostly I remember how the introduction of one variable changed an entire town.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
A. I drink decaffeinated tea. On Sunday I drink decaffeinated Irish breakfast tea, which is my favorite. I do not care for coffee.
9. In a dating situation, have you ever misrepresented yourself to seem cooler or hipper? (Yes we know for most of you it was long ago…)
A. I am sure I did lo those many years ago, but after 33 years of marriage, what does it matter now?
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Why?
A. My wedding anniversary band that my husband gave me for our 15th wedding anniversary. I wear it instead of my engagement ring and wedding band now because my wedding band has grown quite thin and I'm afraid it will break and I will lose it.
11. Favorite hobby? Tell us about it so we understand it.
A. I like to play the guitar. I mean, really play the thing. Jam the bejeesus out of it until it rattles, shakes and roars, and I'm lost in a song, with my heart stuck there and my brains thinking of nothing but the music, my fingers dancing on the fret board like tomorrow will never come again, and my vocal cords throbbing and my voice sounding as husky as Melissa Etheridge's because I'm reaching for those tones that I can barely sing anyhow because of my asthma. Lost in the song, not just the listening to it but the making of it, the strings digging into the ends of my left-hand fingers because I don't play often enough any more, and my mind going back, way back, to remember the notes and chords from some song I'd forgotten I even knew, my right hand finger-stylin' and strummin' and doing whatever the song needs to make it mine, ripping out the chords like I've grabbed Dracula by the throat and drained his blood.
Does that make you understand?
12. Do you have A.D.D., or have you suspected it?
A. I have a bit of OCD and wouldn't be surprised if there isn't a little underlying ADD in there, too.
13. What’s a thing you dislike or would change about yourself?
A. I'm fat. Not "I should be in a TV show fat," but definitely overweight. I don't like it and I'm not even sure how it happened, but there it is. The weight came in the early 1990s, when the doctors had me trying various fertility drugs which messed with my hormones as well as my mind, and after my hysterectomy, when my hormones were askew and the migraines laid me low for days at a time, the weight just continued to creep on. I remember one day I looked at my doctor and asked her how we'd let this happen - why hadn't she said anything (not a doctor I see now) - and she had no answer. Being fat makes you invisible and turns you into a clown all at the same time. It's okay (according to societal mores) to weight-shame, and I'm very conscious when I'm buying groceries or eating in a restaurant that I am being judged by whatever I've put in the cart or into my mouth. I have not quite come to grips with the notion that this is genetic (many members of my family have weight issues) and that in all likelihood my medications and hormonal imbalances have played a big role, because society still sees obesity as a weakness of will. I don't think it is that - I think it is, instead, genetic and natural, as well as a reaction to what goes on around us. It is also the result of the crap we eat that isn't really food, along with health issues however they relate to various individuals. But even so, it's there, and I haven't figured out yet how to fix it.
14. Middle name? Like it or not?
A. My middle name is French and I like it just fine. It's also one of those things I don't give out on the Internet.
15. Name three random thoughts you might have on this week:
A. Why is my nephew out riding around on the tractor in the hay field when we aren't cutting hay? Why can't I stop biting my nails? Is the guy who wrote the letter to the editor this morning advocating a monarchy for the United States "like the one in England" really so stupid that he doesn't realize they elect a prime minister there and Queen Elizabeth is simply a figurehead, and not a policy maker?
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Tell us a bit about them.
A. I drink water, which is wet but ours has a nice taste because it comes from a well and we don't use a water softener (there's a tiny touch of iron in it); I drink A&W root beer, because it has no caffeine and because it is fizzy and I like the taste of it; and I drink tea, which is generally not sweetened though occasionally I will have a spoon of sugar in it.
17. Current worry:
A. Ridding the house of clutter and finding the energy and strength to do it when I'm not well.
18. Current annoyance:
A. You know, the thing that is annoying me most at the moment is a place on my 2014 Toyota Camry that needs a touch of paint. I hit a deer last winter and we didn't think it did any damage to the car, but after several months passed, this small dent in the bottom part of car door showed up, and there is a crack in the paint there now. I bought a paint pen in the vehicle color and my husband took it from me and promised to fix it, and then he lost the damned pen and the cracked unpainted place is still there. It's in the driver's side door and I see it every time I open the car door to get in. I think I shall have to go buy another paint pen and fix it myself this time.
19. Favorite place to be in the summer? Give us a wee bit more than “the beach”.
A. Honestly, I just like to be home. I'm not a fan of heat, and I love my mountains, and I have what I need and want here. Give me a book and a good chair and some light to read by, and I'm perfectly content.
20. How do you usually ring in the new year? If forced (how we’d do that without Judd coming to your house, if you even know who he was) to do something new, what would it be?
A. Usually we go to bed, but on occasion have gone to hear the bells ring. In my nearby town there is a tradition that goes back almost 200 years of ringing the bells of the churches and the courthouse at midnight. Revelers gather throughout the town for the celebration. The bells begin to toll at 11:45 p.m. At midnight, the Courthouse bell rings, and afterwards, at twelve second intervals, the church bells ring in a clockwise order about the town: Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Episcopal. This continues until the bell at the Courthouse strikes twelve. Somebody plays Taps to say goodbye to the old year, and then the bell-ringers in the Courthouse strike the digits of the New Year, for example two-one-six (2016). Then three shotgun blasts indicate that it is time for the bells to ring all together to welcome the New Year.
If I were to be forced to do something new by somebody named Judd (I don't know who that is), I suppose I would go sit on a mountaintop somewhere and watch the new year unfold. I prefer not to be in a crowd.
21. What have you done this summer that’s special? Pictures please.
A. I haven't done anything special this summer. But here's a picture I colored in my Lord of the Rings coloring book:
And here's a link to a recent visit to a local museum to see canning labels, if you're interested in that sort of thing. The labels are all local - in the early 1900s, this area was the tomato capital of the nation, with hundreds of little canneries, each bearing their own label. There are pictures.
22. Have you ever walked into a room with just shoes on?
A. Every morning. I cannot stand to go barefoot, so as soon as my feet are dry from my shower, I slip them into a pair of moccasins and walk around in them until I am finally dressed.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Saturday 9: Trolley Song
Saturday 9: The Trolley Song (1944)
Because Stacey suggested Judy Garland. Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this movie clip, just about everyone (except Judy) is wearing a hat. Do you wear hats for fashion, for warmth or for both?
A. I don't wear hats anymore, unless I need a stocking cap because it is freezing outside. I used to love hats but after I wore one with my wedding dress, I have never worn another (aside from said need to keep from freezing).
2) This song is from Meet Me in St. Louis, which was a huge hit and the second highest grossing movie of 1944. When is the last time you watched a movie in the theater?
A. I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens whenever it was on, back in the spring.
3) The movie follows the Smith family as their hometown, St. Louis, to prepares to host the 1904 World's Fair. What's the biggest thing happening in your hometown?
A. Um. Nothing much. There will be festivals and things in the fall, but right now it is kind of dead.
4) This week's featured artist, Judy Garland, is best known as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. That movie is shown so often that Sam thinks she may have seen it a dozen times. Is there a movie or holiday special you've seen over and over?
A. I have, of course, watched The Lord of the Rings (all 3 movies, over 10 hours of video), multiple times. At least a dozen if not more. I've also seen The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Steel Magnolias multiple times.
5) Judy admitted to being perpetually tardy. Are you usually prompt? Or are you always running late?
A. I am usually 5 minutes early. I am seldom late.
6) Judy's first professional performance was a rendition of "Jingle Bells" when she was just two. How old were you when you entered your chosen profession?
A. I first published an article when I was 21, but I had been writing long before that. I had been told I would be writer from the first day I started school, I think.
7) Thinking of "Jingle Bells," here's a wintery question for a hot summer day: What's your favorite carol?
A. Do You Hear What I Hear?
8) Judy was a very demonstrative person. She enjoyed hugs and admitted that, when she nervous, she took emotional support from physically reaching out. Are you demonstrative?
A. I can be with the right people. Friends and husband. But not so much with people I don't know well.
9) She told Barbara Walters that people would be surprised to learn that she was a good cook and specialized in desserts. Do you have a sweet tooth?
A. I am a chocoholic. I guess I do.
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Because Stacey suggested Judy Garland. Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this movie clip, just about everyone (except Judy) is wearing a hat. Do you wear hats for fashion, for warmth or for both?
A. I don't wear hats anymore, unless I need a stocking cap because it is freezing outside. I used to love hats but after I wore one with my wedding dress, I have never worn another (aside from said need to keep from freezing).
2) This song is from Meet Me in St. Louis, which was a huge hit and the second highest grossing movie of 1944. When is the last time you watched a movie in the theater?
A. I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens whenever it was on, back in the spring.
3) The movie follows the Smith family as their hometown, St. Louis, to prepares to host the 1904 World's Fair. What's the biggest thing happening in your hometown?
A. Um. Nothing much. There will be festivals and things in the fall, but right now it is kind of dead.
4) This week's featured artist, Judy Garland, is best known as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. That movie is shown so often that Sam thinks she may have seen it a dozen times. Is there a movie or holiday special you've seen over and over?
A. I have, of course, watched The Lord of the Rings (all 3 movies, over 10 hours of video), multiple times. At least a dozen if not more. I've also seen The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Steel Magnolias multiple times.
5) Judy admitted to being perpetually tardy. Are you usually prompt? Or are you always running late?
A. I am usually 5 minutes early. I am seldom late.
6) Judy's first professional performance was a rendition of "Jingle Bells" when she was just two. How old were you when you entered your chosen profession?
A. I first published an article when I was 21, but I had been writing long before that. I had been told I would be writer from the first day I started school, I think.
7) Thinking of "Jingle Bells," here's a wintery question for a hot summer day: What's your favorite carol?
A. Do You Hear What I Hear?
8) Judy was a very demonstrative person. She enjoyed hugs and admitted that, when she nervous, she took emotional support from physically reaching out. Are you demonstrative?
A. I can be with the right people. Friends and husband. But not so much with people I don't know well.
9) She told Barbara Walters that people would be surprised to learn that she was a good cook and specialized in desserts. Do you have a sweet tooth?
A. I am a chocoholic. I guess I do.
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Books: The Nightingale
The Nightingale
By Kirstin Hannah
Copyright 2015
440 pages
Kindle Edition
The Nightingale is a best seller, deservedly so. I have read some of Hannah's other books (Magic Hour and Summer Island) and not necessarily been overly impressed, but she did a great job with this one.
In a rather timely piece, Hannah takes us to Vichy France, giving us a quick glimpse of the nation prior to Germany's invasion and then taking us on a heady journey following two sisters as they struggle to endure the hell that war brings. They have suffered rough childhoods - the early death of their mother and the abandonment of a father crippled by World War I.
Sister Isabelle, the younger, is in and out of boarding schools, and always searching for her father's love. Vianne, married and mother of one, lives in the family's older home in a more rural area. When war comes, each is impacted in different ways. Isabelle initially is sent from Paris to live with Vianne, and along the way sees the atrocities to come as a German plane guns down a legion of women and children before her eyes.
Vianne, more sheltered, thinks that things will only get so bad even though her husband leaves for war. After her sister disappears and heads back to Paris, though, things slowly become worse for Vianne as a soldier billets with her and she finds food and resources difficult. Then she must watch as her Jewish friend is herded into a cattle car on a train, and she knows her time has come to find her moral ground.
Isabelle, meanwhile, is keen to fight, and becomes part of the French underground. She leads downed Allied soldiers across the great mountain range that separates France from Spain, saving 127 flyers.
The book reads with historical accuracy - hopefully as well-researched as it seems to be - and the author manages an interesting trick of having the story told in "present day" (1995) by one of the sisters - only we don't know which one until the end.
It's a fast read even at 440 pages, and the intrigue and detail gives one much to ponder, especially if compared to the political climate of America today. Are we too doomed to determine our morality by the blood of our neighbors?
Certainly something to think about.
By Kirstin Hannah
Copyright 2015
440 pages
Kindle Edition
The Nightingale is a best seller, deservedly so. I have read some of Hannah's other books (Magic Hour and Summer Island) and not necessarily been overly impressed, but she did a great job with this one.
In a rather timely piece, Hannah takes us to Vichy France, giving us a quick glimpse of the nation prior to Germany's invasion and then taking us on a heady journey following two sisters as they struggle to endure the hell that war brings. They have suffered rough childhoods - the early death of their mother and the abandonment of a father crippled by World War I.
Sister Isabelle, the younger, is in and out of boarding schools, and always searching for her father's love. Vianne, married and mother of one, lives in the family's older home in a more rural area. When war comes, each is impacted in different ways. Isabelle initially is sent from Paris to live with Vianne, and along the way sees the atrocities to come as a German plane guns down a legion of women and children before her eyes.
Vianne, more sheltered, thinks that things will only get so bad even though her husband leaves for war. After her sister disappears and heads back to Paris, though, things slowly become worse for Vianne as a soldier billets with her and she finds food and resources difficult. Then she must watch as her Jewish friend is herded into a cattle car on a train, and she knows her time has come to find her moral ground.
Isabelle, meanwhile, is keen to fight, and becomes part of the French underground. She leads downed Allied soldiers across the great mountain range that separates France from Spain, saving 127 flyers.
The book reads with historical accuracy - hopefully as well-researched as it seems to be - and the author manages an interesting trick of having the story told in "present day" (1995) by one of the sisters - only we don't know which one until the end.
It's a fast read even at 440 pages, and the intrigue and detail gives one much to ponder, especially if compared to the political climate of America today. Are we too doomed to determine our morality by the blood of our neighbors?
Certainly something to think about.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Thursday Thirteen
Here is information from the 2015‒2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” as provided by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:
_____________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 461st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
- A lifetime of healthy eating helps prevent chronic diseases.
- Healthy eating is one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce the onset of disease.
- Following a healthy eating pattern that’s right for you is important to improving health through nutrition.
- A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, fat-free or low-fat dairy, and oils (including natural oils and those from plants).
- Healthy eating patterns limit added sugars.
- Healthy eating patterns limit saturated and trans fats.
- Healthy eating patterns limit sodium.
- Most Americans can benefit from making small shifts in their daily eating habits to improve their health over the long run. Small shifts in food choices can make a difference in working toward a healthy eating pattern that works for you.
- Regular physical activity is one of the most important things individuals can do to improve their health.
- Everyone has a role — at home, school, workplaces, and food retail outlets — in supporting healthy food choices.
- A healthy eating pattern includes a variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups—dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and other; fruits, especially whole fruits; grains, at least half of which are whole grains; fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages; a variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts, seeds, and soy products; and oils
- You can download a very large .pdf of the "dietary guidelines" here.
- I am not sure what happens if you didn't grow up eating well and exercising, and you're over 50 now. Too late to change?
_____________
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 461st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
The Right Planner
Day Timer.
Day Planner.
Day Minder.
Day Runner.
Desktop calendars.
Page-a-day calendars.
Daily, weekly, monthly. At-a-glance. Organize. Task notes. Calendar. Contact list. Phone numbers.
Sketch books that pretend to be planners. Planners on your computer. Calendars in Google. Microsoft Outlook.
So many ways to plan and take care of our day. Be on time. Be here. Be there. Do this. Do that.
Write it in Evernote. Or OneNote. Or an Excel chart.
File it.
Pile it.
Toss it.
Scan it.
Use the software in your phone/tablet/computer. Hope you don't lose it.
Write it on a scrap of paper, and hope you don't lose it.
Amazon offers you 2,700 ways to go about organizing your life. You can do it in all colors and by the school year, if you want.
You can do it for a single year, five years or whatever else strikes your fancy (use blank pages and you can chart out your whole life).
A friend of mine told me last week she had a life plan that took her up to age 99. I didn't say anything, but boy, that is some planning.
What do you do when something unexpected happens if you plan like that?
Google gives you 59,600,000 results for "day organizers." That's millions. Millions of ways to organize your seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years.
I have gone through a number of various planners in my lifetime. I've used all of the main brand names - some I find too strict, some not strict enough. Some don't give me enough lines. Some are too big, some too small. Some don't have enough extras, some have too many.
Some come with refills, others don't.
They come in large sizes and small sizes. Some are big notebooks. Some are half-notebook sized. Some fit in your pocketbook or pants pocket. Some are like briefcases.
What I use now for appointments is a combination of a pocket calendar that I carry with me and a 2003 version of the Microsoft Outlook with calendar. I put them together once a week to sync them up, and print out a monthly calendar. The monthly calendar stays at my desk and I write appointments on there as I make them from home. Then I transfer them into the computer
It is tedious and multi-stepped, and probably more effort than I need to put out. But I don't have a smart phone to worry about losing, and this is what has evolved to meet my needs over time.
But other planning - life goals planning, that sort of thing? It's just in my head. No solid dreams written down - nothing that says "See the Grand Canyon again" or "Visit Scotland" or "Visit the museum home of every writer you can find" or whatever it might be that I sometimes think of doing. Things that I know I will never do, anyway.
That would be a goal planner, wouldn't it. There are 46 million goal planners listed on Google. That's a lot of different ways to work out your life goals.
I didn't ask my friend who has her life planned out to age 99 how she worked that out. Maybe I should give her a call, and see what she used for that. Maybe there is a 100-year-plan life journal goal-setting date planner out there somewhere.
I need a new planner. But I want one I can do lots of things in, not just set dates. So I guess I need to go look at these millions of planners and see if there is one that might suit me.
But then again, maybe I need to stop worrying about planning, and just let life unfold. Because some things you just can't plan for.
What about you? How do you plan? Or do you plan at all?
Day Planner.
Day Minder.
Day Runner.
Desktop calendars.
Page-a-day calendars.
Daily, weekly, monthly. At-a-glance. Organize. Task notes. Calendar. Contact list. Phone numbers.
Sketch books that pretend to be planners. Planners on your computer. Calendars in Google. Microsoft Outlook.
So many ways to plan and take care of our day. Be on time. Be here. Be there. Do this. Do that.
Write it in Evernote. Or OneNote. Or an Excel chart.
File it.
Pile it.
Toss it.
Scan it.
Use the software in your phone/tablet/computer. Hope you don't lose it.
Write it on a scrap of paper, and hope you don't lose it.
Amazon offers you 2,700 ways to go about organizing your life. You can do it in all colors and by the school year, if you want.
You can do it for a single year, five years or whatever else strikes your fancy (use blank pages and you can chart out your whole life).
A friend of mine told me last week she had a life plan that took her up to age 99. I didn't say anything, but boy, that is some planning.
What do you do when something unexpected happens if you plan like that?
Google gives you 59,600,000 results for "day organizers." That's millions. Millions of ways to organize your seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years.
I have gone through a number of various planners in my lifetime. I've used all of the main brand names - some I find too strict, some not strict enough. Some don't give me enough lines. Some are too big, some too small. Some don't have enough extras, some have too many.
Some come with refills, others don't.
They come in large sizes and small sizes. Some are big notebooks. Some are half-notebook sized. Some fit in your pocketbook or pants pocket. Some are like briefcases.
What I use now for appointments is a combination of a pocket calendar that I carry with me and a 2003 version of the Microsoft Outlook with calendar. I put them together once a week to sync them up, and print out a monthly calendar. The monthly calendar stays at my desk and I write appointments on there as I make them from home. Then I transfer them into the computer
It is tedious and multi-stepped, and probably more effort than I need to put out. But I don't have a smart phone to worry about losing, and this is what has evolved to meet my needs over time.
But other planning - life goals planning, that sort of thing? It's just in my head. No solid dreams written down - nothing that says "See the Grand Canyon again" or "Visit Scotland" or "Visit the museum home of every writer you can find" or whatever it might be that I sometimes think of doing. Things that I know I will never do, anyway.
That would be a goal planner, wouldn't it. There are 46 million goal planners listed on Google. That's a lot of different ways to work out your life goals.
I didn't ask my friend who has her life planned out to age 99 how she worked that out. Maybe I should give her a call, and see what she used for that. Maybe there is a 100-year-plan life journal goal-setting date planner out there somewhere.
I need a new planner. But I want one I can do lots of things in, not just set dates. So I guess I need to go look at these millions of planners and see if there is one that might suit me.
But then again, maybe I need to stop worrying about planning, and just let life unfold. Because some things you just can't plan for.
What about you? How do you plan? Or do you plan at all?
Monday, August 15, 2016
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Sunday Stealing: Gal's Meme, Part Deux
Sunday Stealing: Gal's Meme, Part Deux
1. What did your last text message say?
A. I don't text. I own a flip phone and we're too cheap to upgrade.
2. Are you someone’s best friend? Tell us about your friendship.
A. That would be my husband. We have known each other since 1982, when we met at a football game. However, he rode the same bus as I when we were children, only he has no memory of that. I remember him, though. He was four years older so of course he paid no attention to the younger kids. Anyway, he's my guy, I go to him in good and bad, and he's always there.
3. What are you doing tomorrow?
A. I'm answering this on Saturday, and Sunday my husband plans to "work the cows" which means, get them out of the field and give them their shots (required by law) so we can haul some weaned calves to market. I won't be helping but I will be keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't get hurt.
4. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
A. Kangaroos.
5. Last person you talked to on the phone? What about?
A. My husband. We discussed the odor coming from the fireplace area in the living room that is driving me crazy.
6. Any plans today? Do tell.
A. Today I have been doing laundry. Exciting stuff, that.
7. What makes you happy?
A. Being able to do the things I want without worrying what someone else thinks.
8. What’s your favorite room where you live?
A. At the moment, my office, but if we get the odor in the fireplace area fixed then it will be the living room (which is actually part of a "great room," which means the kitchen, dining, and living room area are all one big space).
9. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
A. Pain.
10. Last movie you saw? Review, please.
A. Um. I don't remember the last movie I watched.
11. If you are jealous of anyone, tell us about it.
A. I'm not jealous of anyone.
12. What is the most serious relationship you’ve had?
A. The one I'm in now, wherein I have managed 32 years and 9 months of marital bliss.
13. Should anyone be jealous of you?
A. I know that there have been people who have been. I used to receive "anonymous" notes occasionally when I was writing at the newspaper from people who thought they could do my job better than I.
14. What do you usually do during the work day?
A. My days are erratic and generally revolve around physical therapy and doctor appointments.
15. Tell us about someone that you really don’t care for.
A. Did you ever watch a show called Orange County Choppers? The dad on that show was the biggest jerk ever. My husband liked the show but I would leave the room whenever it was on. The only person who has a nastier mouth and temper than the dad on OCC is Donald Trump.
16. Do you use the phrase “Have a good one” daily?
A. No. And in the south, it's "havea gud 'ern."
17. How old do you wish you’d be turning on your next birthday? Why?
A. I can't turn back time so it seems silly to waste precious energy on this question.
18. Do you still like amusement parks? Tell us about your last trip to one.
A. No, and the last one I went to was in the early 2000s; we went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Neither my husband nor I like the rides.
19. How did you get one of your scars?
A. I have one on my left thumb from when I was helping my grandfather saw up a tree. I sawed my thumb instead.
20. Will you still love me tomorrow?
A. Of course.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
1. What did your last text message say?
A. I don't text. I own a flip phone and we're too cheap to upgrade.
2. Are you someone’s best friend? Tell us about your friendship.
A. That would be my husband. We have known each other since 1982, when we met at a football game. However, he rode the same bus as I when we were children, only he has no memory of that. I remember him, though. He was four years older so of course he paid no attention to the younger kids. Anyway, he's my guy, I go to him in good and bad, and he's always there.
3. What are you doing tomorrow?
A. I'm answering this on Saturday, and Sunday my husband plans to "work the cows" which means, get them out of the field and give them their shots (required by law) so we can haul some weaned calves to market. I won't be helping but I will be keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't get hurt.
4. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
A. Kangaroos.
5. Last person you talked to on the phone? What about?
A. My husband. We discussed the odor coming from the fireplace area in the living room that is driving me crazy.
6. Any plans today? Do tell.
A. Today I have been doing laundry. Exciting stuff, that.
7. What makes you happy?
A. Being able to do the things I want without worrying what someone else thinks.
8. What’s your favorite room where you live?
A. At the moment, my office, but if we get the odor in the fireplace area fixed then it will be the living room (which is actually part of a "great room," which means the kitchen, dining, and living room area are all one big space).
9. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
A. Pain.
10. Last movie you saw? Review, please.
A. Um. I don't remember the last movie I watched.
11. If you are jealous of anyone, tell us about it.
A. I'm not jealous of anyone.
12. What is the most serious relationship you’ve had?
A. The one I'm in now, wherein I have managed 32 years and 9 months of marital bliss.
13. Should anyone be jealous of you?
A. I know that there have been people who have been. I used to receive "anonymous" notes occasionally when I was writing at the newspaper from people who thought they could do my job better than I.
14. What do you usually do during the work day?
A. My days are erratic and generally revolve around physical therapy and doctor appointments.
15. Tell us about someone that you really don’t care for.
A. Did you ever watch a show called Orange County Choppers? The dad on that show was the biggest jerk ever. My husband liked the show but I would leave the room whenever it was on. The only person who has a nastier mouth and temper than the dad on OCC is Donald Trump.
16. Do you use the phrase “Have a good one” daily?
A. No. And in the south, it's "havea gud 'ern."
17. How old do you wish you’d be turning on your next birthday? Why?
A. I can't turn back time so it seems silly to waste precious energy on this question.
18. Do you still like amusement parks? Tell us about your last trip to one.
A. No, and the last one I went to was in the early 2000s; we went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Neither my husband nor I like the rides.
19. How did you get one of your scars?
A. I have one on my left thumb from when I was helping my grandfather saw up a tree. I sawed my thumb instead.
20. Will you still love me tomorrow?
A. Of course.
__________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Saturday 9: Into You
Saturday 9: Into You (2016)
Because Cat suggested it. Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this video, Ariana Grande and her boyfriend take off on a motorcycle. Are your trips usually carefully planned? Or would you prefer to just spontaneously get up and go?
A. I am lucky if I get a trip - we live on a farm and someone has to be here to look after the cattle. Usually our trips are like this: where do you want to go? How about such and such. Ok. Make a reservation. We get there, then we figure out what we're doing. So a little planned, a little get up and go.
2) As they ride through the desert, they pass several cacti. This makes Sam sad, since she had a potted cactus on her desk and managed to kill it in no time. Do you have luck with house plants?
A. That is hard to do, kill a cactus. I'm impressed. I used to have a green thumb but I don't have any house plants at the moment. I started having trouble with molds in the dirt and ultimately tossed them all out.
3) This song mentions the appeal of acting "a little bit scandalous." Tell us about a time you were the subject of gossip.
A. I try to keep a low profile. However, as a news reporter I suspect I was the subject of a lot of speculation, scandalous or not, at various points as I worked on articles. Once a town councilman told everyone he met that I was out to get him and make him look bad in the newspaper. That was never the case with anything I wrote. I just quoted him. Usually that is all you have to do. People make themselves look bad.
4) Ariana's mother is an executive at a company that makes, among other things, alarm systems. Is your home protected by a security system?
A. Yes. Several of them, one of which kills. Go away, burglars.
5) Ariana has her own fragrance, "Ari," available at major department stores. When you're at the mall, do you accept the scent strips you're handed? Or do you say, "no, thank you."
A. "No, thank you." I am allergic to everything on the planet, and that includes scents and fragrances.
6) Ariana has said Mariah Carey is her "favorite human being on the planet" and her biggest musical influence. Who is your favorite female vocalist?
A. Melissa Etheridge. I also like Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Rait, Chrissie Hynde, Pat Benetar, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Natalie Merchant, etc.
7) A big fan of horror movies, she admits Freddy Krueger of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies was her favorite growing up. Do you like scary movies?
A. I watched them when I was young. Now I am old and would rather not have a heart attack watching something like that.
8) She had a brief relationship with rapper Big Sean. Do you like rap music?
A. No.
9) Random question: Which kid were you in school -- Class Clown, Brain, Jock, Stoner, Cheerleader, Teacher's Pet?
A. I was the brain and teacher's pet (I suppose they frequently go together). My nickname in the 6th grade (or one of them, anyway) was "computer head" - and that was in 1975 when computers were things we only read about or saw in movies. I wasn't the teacher's pet for every teacher but I was for many of them.
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
Because Cat suggested it. Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this video, Ariana Grande and her boyfriend take off on a motorcycle. Are your trips usually carefully planned? Or would you prefer to just spontaneously get up and go?
A. I am lucky if I get a trip - we live on a farm and someone has to be here to look after the cattle. Usually our trips are like this: where do you want to go? How about such and such. Ok. Make a reservation. We get there, then we figure out what we're doing. So a little planned, a little get up and go.
2) As they ride through the desert, they pass several cacti. This makes Sam sad, since she had a potted cactus on her desk and managed to kill it in no time. Do you have luck with house plants?
A. That is hard to do, kill a cactus. I'm impressed. I used to have a green thumb but I don't have any house plants at the moment. I started having trouble with molds in the dirt and ultimately tossed them all out.
3) This song mentions the appeal of acting "a little bit scandalous." Tell us about a time you were the subject of gossip.
A. I try to keep a low profile. However, as a news reporter I suspect I was the subject of a lot of speculation, scandalous or not, at various points as I worked on articles. Once a town councilman told everyone he met that I was out to get him and make him look bad in the newspaper. That was never the case with anything I wrote. I just quoted him. Usually that is all you have to do. People make themselves look bad.
4) Ariana's mother is an executive at a company that makes, among other things, alarm systems. Is your home protected by a security system?
A. Yes. Several of them, one of which kills. Go away, burglars.
5) Ariana has her own fragrance, "Ari," available at major department stores. When you're at the mall, do you accept the scent strips you're handed? Or do you say, "no, thank you."
A. "No, thank you." I am allergic to everything on the planet, and that includes scents and fragrances.
6) Ariana has said Mariah Carey is her "favorite human being on the planet" and her biggest musical influence. Who is your favorite female vocalist?
A. Melissa Etheridge. I also like Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Rait, Chrissie Hynde, Pat Benetar, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Natalie Merchant, etc.
7) A big fan of horror movies, she admits Freddy Krueger of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies was her favorite growing up. Do you like scary movies?
A. I watched them when I was young. Now I am old and would rather not have a heart attack watching something like that.
8) She had a brief relationship with rapper Big Sean. Do you like rap music?
A. No.
9) Random question: Which kid were you in school -- Class Clown, Brain, Jock, Stoner, Cheerleader, Teacher's Pet?
A. I was the brain and teacher's pet (I suppose they frequently go together). My nickname in the 6th grade (or one of them, anyway) was "computer head" - and that was in 1975 when computers were things we only read about or saw in movies. I wasn't the teacher's pet for every teacher but I was for many of them.
_____________
I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.
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