I was sure my plans for Saturday evening had been busted as soon as I woke from an unexpected nap. I had been reading and I fell asleep with a book in my lap. The clock said 6:15 p.m. and I was to pick up a friend in a half hour.
I wasn't dressed.
Suddenly I realized that I never called the box office at Hollins University to reserve seats for the play we were to see. What if it was sold out?
Panicked, I called to check. An answering machine picked up. I left a breathless message about wanting to reserve two seats for the evening.
Then I hurried to dress.
When I picked up my friend, I confessed I wasn't sure we'd have seats. "That's okay, we'll just go get something to drink (as in a soda, since neither of us drink alcohol)," she said.
Fortunately, there were plenty of seats available and my worries were for naught.
We went to see Nickel and Dimed, by Joan Holden.
The play is based on the book Nickel and Dimed, on (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
I have not read the book.
The play emphasized how difficult it is to get by on minimum wage or near minimum wage. Heck, let's face it, unless you're making at least $40,000 a year, it's hard to get by in this country, and not everybody can make $40,000 a year because we don't pay people what they're worth. There are firefighters and policemen on food stamps, for pities sake.
And the costs are skyrocketing, what with increases in gas, electricity, and food. Basic living items. When did a gallon of milk climb to $4.80? I don't buy it often and that's what the last gallon cost.
The play was about Ehrenreich's undercover work for the book. She went to Florida, where she found a job as a waitress. She could not make ends meet there without taking on a second job as a maid in a hotel, and even then she could barely pay the bills. Not to mention do anything else, because she was worn to a frazzle from working 12 hour days, every day.
Her coworkers had hard lives, too, and they are all portrayed through the play. We see how difficult it is to bring up children or be pregnant without health care because you can't afford it.
In Maine, Ehrenreich worked as a house cleaner for a national franchise firm, and as a dietary aid in a nursing home. She discovered that non-corporations are better to work for than corporations.
In Minnesota, she worked for "Mall Mart." The sleaze factor of this retail corporation simply oozed from the stage.
The actress who portrayed Ehrenreich, Susie Young, did an outstanding job. I was very impressed with her performance.
The play must have made some in the audience quite uncomfortable - it was family weekend at the university and many of the girls at Hollins are, let's face it, from the upper class. Heck, it made me a little uncomfortable and I am nowhere near the upper class.
But I am not in that working class living paycheck to paycheck, and for that I am grateful.
The play offered no alternatives, no solutions. I am not sure what those solutions are. Fair wages, for sure, but that becomes a catch 22. If the price of eating out becomes cost prohibitive, then the waitresses are out of jobs completely, after all. Most of the solutions that I can think of fall under the "socialism" scream, and we know how terrible many people think that is.
I will read this book now. I should have read it sooner.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Books: Destiny
Destiny
By Elizabeth Haydon
835 pages
Copyright 2001
This was the finale of the Rhapsody trilogy (Rhapsody and Prophecy were the other two). I've read these three books over the last six weeks. All three were quite long.
Destiny suffered a bit from a strange subplot that mostly made no sense to me. Rhapsody had part of her memory taken from her by her lover/husband, and this played a big part in much of the non-main-plot action. I found it mostly annoying because it really served no purpose other than to make the book go on and on.
Another oddity about this series of books is that a "time editing" character" named Meridian shows up at the very beginning and end of each book. The reader is clueless as to who this person is and what it is he is attempting to do, aside from alter time to keep the world from burning in fire. We finally find out his purpose in the Epilogue of Destiny. It was clever but I didn't much care for it. I won't go into detail in case someone out there is a rabid fantasy reader.
Frankly, the story would have been just fine, and maybe a little stronger, without the time editor, if it had just been told as the good v. evil epic that it was. I suppose the author couldn't bear to lose the cleverness of it. I also think the final book would have been stronger without the subplot of the memory loss thing.
The writer does a nice job at world-building, and her characters are (mostly) strong. Some of the scenes drone on a bit, and the characters, mostly all of them, seemed determined to inflict much emotional trauma on each other before declarations of absolute love and fidelity. I found that a bit annoying, too.
The main plot works out very well with good resolution.
It may sound like I disliked the book, but I didn't. I think I am a little disappointed that I didn't find it as enthralling as the first two, though.
3 stars
By Elizabeth Haydon
835 pages
Copyright 2001
This was the finale of the Rhapsody trilogy (Rhapsody and Prophecy were the other two). I've read these three books over the last six weeks. All three were quite long.
Destiny suffered a bit from a strange subplot that mostly made no sense to me. Rhapsody had part of her memory taken from her by her lover/husband, and this played a big part in much of the non-main-plot action. I found it mostly annoying because it really served no purpose other than to make the book go on and on.
Another oddity about this series of books is that a "time editing" character" named Meridian shows up at the very beginning and end of each book. The reader is clueless as to who this person is and what it is he is attempting to do, aside from alter time to keep the world from burning in fire. We finally find out his purpose in the Epilogue of Destiny. It was clever but I didn't much care for it. I won't go into detail in case someone out there is a rabid fantasy reader.
Frankly, the story would have been just fine, and maybe a little stronger, without the time editor, if it had just been told as the good v. evil epic that it was. I suppose the author couldn't bear to lose the cleverness of it. I also think the final book would have been stronger without the subplot of the memory loss thing.
The writer does a nice job at world-building, and her characters are (mostly) strong. Some of the scenes drone on a bit, and the characters, mostly all of them, seemed determined to inflict much emotional trauma on each other before declarations of absolute love and fidelity. I found that a bit annoying, too.
The main plot works out very well with good resolution.
It may sound like I disliked the book, but I didn't. I think I am a little disappointed that I didn't find it as enthralling as the first two, though.
3 stars
Friday, October 26, 2007
A Tale
A post at Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl about moths reminded me of a tale I read a very long time ago.
I have not been able to recall the name of this story, or where I saw it. I did a search on the 'net but came up empty handed. Perhaps someone will recognize the story from my paraphrasing and elaborations here and point me towards the original version so I may give proper credit. I am taking many liberties with the basic plot and writing this story:
**Update 10/28/2007: Beth found a link of a very similar story for me. I am not sure if this is the same one I read; I tend not to think so because I don't recall the queen being involved and I thought it was a ghost story, not an angel story. However, it is close enough that it could very well be.**
Now on with my "version" -
****
The Ghost That Saved The Train
The night sky showed stars glittering like diamonds as Ben blew the whistle on the steam engine. The train gathered speed as it carried its passengers through the October night along the grade toward London.
He'd traveled the route many times now, and always felt his pulse race as he headed into Finnigan's Straight Away. The slight incline helped the train move quickly down the tracks toward the trestle bridge.
Suddenly a ghostly figure appeared in the lights before the train. The man waved his arms up and down, frantically signalling the train to stop.
Alarmed, Ben applied the brake for all he was worth. The train screeched and finally slid to a stop, scaring passengers and crew alike.
Ben jumped from the engine and walked down the track, seeking the man who had stopped him.
He found no one.
Puzzled, he sat down for a moment. In the distance he could hear the river and knew he was not far from the trestle bridge. On impulse he walked the track while his crew waited anxiously, trying to calm the passengers. What he found nearly made his heart leap from his chest.
The bridge was out.
The ghostly man had saved the train from pitching over the ravine and into the darkness. He had saved many lives, whoever he was.
Ben hurried back to the engine. It took a long time to find safe passage for the passengers, and even longer to back the train down to the nearest station.
The unknown man preyed on Ben's mind. He wanted to thank this savior. As he headed for bed, he walked around the engine's front and noticed a large moth, now dead, attached one of the lanterns the train used for light.
He picked up the lantern and went into a dark room in the station.
When he lit the lantern, there before him on the wall was the outline of the man he had seen, only this time the arms were not waving.
The moth had saved the train.
I have not been able to recall the name of this story, or where I saw it. I did a search on the 'net but came up empty handed. Perhaps someone will recognize the story from my paraphrasing and elaborations here and point me towards the original version so I may give proper credit. I am taking many liberties with the basic plot and writing this story:
**Update 10/28/2007: Beth found a link of a very similar story for me. I am not sure if this is the same one I read; I tend not to think so because I don't recall the queen being involved and I thought it was a ghost story, not an angel story. However, it is close enough that it could very well be.**
Now on with my "version" -
****
The Ghost That Saved The Train
The night sky showed stars glittering like diamonds as Ben blew the whistle on the steam engine. The train gathered speed as it carried its passengers through the October night along the grade toward London.
He'd traveled the route many times now, and always felt his pulse race as he headed into Finnigan's Straight Away. The slight incline helped the train move quickly down the tracks toward the trestle bridge.
Suddenly a ghostly figure appeared in the lights before the train. The man waved his arms up and down, frantically signalling the train to stop.
Alarmed, Ben applied the brake for all he was worth. The train screeched and finally slid to a stop, scaring passengers and crew alike.
Ben jumped from the engine and walked down the track, seeking the man who had stopped him.
He found no one.
Puzzled, he sat down for a moment. In the distance he could hear the river and knew he was not far from the trestle bridge. On impulse he walked the track while his crew waited anxiously, trying to calm the passengers. What he found nearly made his heart leap from his chest.
The bridge was out.
The ghostly man had saved the train from pitching over the ravine and into the darkness. He had saved many lives, whoever he was.
Ben hurried back to the engine. It took a long time to find safe passage for the passengers, and even longer to back the train down to the nearest station.
The unknown man preyed on Ben's mind. He wanted to thank this savior. As he headed for bed, he walked around the engine's front and noticed a large moth, now dead, attached one of the lanterns the train used for light.
He picked up the lantern and went into a dark room in the station.
When he lit the lantern, there before him on the wall was the outline of the man he had seen, only this time the arms were not waving.
The moth had saved the train.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
13 Minor Annoyances
1. Books on tape that haven't been rewound. I know it is so difficult to hit that rewind button. It's a courtesy thing, though.
2. That stiff plastic from hell that is used for packaging, like on batteries and scissors. I need scissors to open the packages. What if it is your first pair of scissors, how do you get into it, I wonder?
3. Paper cuts. They hurt worse than a big bold bleeding cut.
4. Loose buttons. I wore a brand new pair of pants on Tuesday and the buttons fell off. I ended up using a paperclip to hold my pants together until I could get home. What's up with that?
5. Cell phones. They are handy but do we have to have them on during supervisors' meetings? Or dinner? I leave mine in the car all the time. I don't particularly want to be reachable when I'm in the grocery store or visiting a friend. I don't use it when I'm driving, either. I'm not really sure why I have it. Emergencies, I guess.
6. Pop ups on websites. Yeah, it's all about capitalism and getting my money away from me, I know. But too many pop ups and I don't visit at all.
7. Authors who don't know when to shut up. I really don't care if J. K. Rowling thinks Dumbledore is gay (Harry Potter books). What she wrote is what she wrote, and I don't have access to the mini-camera in her mind, just what she puts on paper.
8. Multiple charity requests. Every day, in the mail, people send me things wanting me to write them a check. What is it with you people? Yes, I know, you do good things. I support your good things. But I send you a check on my schedule, not yours. In the meantime you've wasted good dollars sending me multiple mailings over the course of the year. I ponied up all I could afford at the time. Give it a rest. You'll get yours when I have it to give.
9. Reality TV. Fortunately I don't watch too much TV anyway, but I wouldn't mind watching if something came on that was creative, had possibilities, seemed inventive, etc. Like Seinfeld. Or Designing Women. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Anything that has a plot.
10. Meetings that take all day. I attended a meeting this week that was NINE hours long. Do you know how sore your bottom gets after you've sat almost all of that time?
11. People who think that driving in the rain means ... driving like it isn't raining. I know we've not had rain in a while, and maybe people have forgotten that it's slippery, but slowing down is better than dying. Over the course of the last two days I've seen several wrecks. I watched one tractor trailer jack-knife in front of me. He was going too fast and then suddenly this stop light popped up out of nowhere. Bad stop light.
12. People who complain about the rain. We've had a drought. Get over it. Rejoice because you'll have drinking water. A little water on your head won't hurt you.
13. What's your minor annoyance? Maybe it's people who acknowledge minor annoyances...
2. That stiff plastic from hell that is used for packaging, like on batteries and scissors. I need scissors to open the packages. What if it is your first pair of scissors, how do you get into it, I wonder?
3. Paper cuts. They hurt worse than a big bold bleeding cut.
4. Loose buttons. I wore a brand new pair of pants on Tuesday and the buttons fell off. I ended up using a paperclip to hold my pants together until I could get home. What's up with that?
5. Cell phones. They are handy but do we have to have them on during supervisors' meetings? Or dinner? I leave mine in the car all the time. I don't particularly want to be reachable when I'm in the grocery store or visiting a friend. I don't use it when I'm driving, either. I'm not really sure why I have it. Emergencies, I guess.
6. Pop ups on websites. Yeah, it's all about capitalism and getting my money away from me, I know. But too many pop ups and I don't visit at all.
7. Authors who don't know when to shut up. I really don't care if J. K. Rowling thinks Dumbledore is gay (Harry Potter books). What she wrote is what she wrote, and I don't have access to the mini-camera in her mind, just what she puts on paper.
8. Multiple charity requests. Every day, in the mail, people send me things wanting me to write them a check. What is it with you people? Yes, I know, you do good things. I support your good things. But I send you a check on my schedule, not yours. In the meantime you've wasted good dollars sending me multiple mailings over the course of the year. I ponied up all I could afford at the time. Give it a rest. You'll get yours when I have it to give.
9. Reality TV. Fortunately I don't watch too much TV anyway, but I wouldn't mind watching if something came on that was creative, had possibilities, seemed inventive, etc. Like Seinfeld. Or Designing Women. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Anything that has a plot.
10. Meetings that take all day. I attended a meeting this week that was NINE hours long. Do you know how sore your bottom gets after you've sat almost all of that time?
11. People who think that driving in the rain means ... driving like it isn't raining. I know we've not had rain in a while, and maybe people have forgotten that it's slippery, but slowing down is better than dying. Over the course of the last two days I've seen several wrecks. I watched one tractor trailer jack-knife in front of me. He was going too fast and then suddenly this stop light popped up out of nowhere. Bad stop light.
12. People who complain about the rain. We've had a drought. Get over it. Rejoice because you'll have drinking water. A little water on your head won't hurt you.
13. What's your minor annoyance? Maybe it's people who acknowledge minor annoyances...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Get Out the Vote
Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half. - Gore Vidal
The hallowed halls of the Virginia General Assembly never heard such a speech as the one Mary Johnston gave before the learned politicos on January 19, 1912.
An advocate for a woman’s right to vote, Johnston, an area native and by then a much-accomplished and well-respected author, told the legislatures that she paid $1,000 annually in taxes to the state, yet had no voice in how the revenue was spent.
Her family settled western Virginia and had fought in all of the country’s wars up to that time. Yet recent legal immigrants, who knew nothing of democracy, she said, were treated as if they knew better than she what the interests of the state might be.
“We are asking that those who live under the laws of a state … may have something to do with the making of those laws,” Johnston said in another speech, this time before a meeting of governors. “We are asking that we who pay a very considerable portion of the taxes of the State and of the country may have a voice in the apportionment of those taxes. We are asking that we who work may have a say as to the conditions under which we work.”
For six years, Johnston gave up much of her life so that women could obtain the right to vote. She suffered from vicious personal attacks from anti-suffrage groups. She did not give up.
How sad then that today, the local voter registrar expects less than half the entire population of the county to turn out when the polls open on November.
Less than 100 years after Mary Johnston took a stand and fought for the right to vote, have we thrown it away? If just half the population votes, and half of those are female, then only 25 percent of the women in this area will bother to exercise a right for which some women were imprisoned.
Not long ago, I heard someone on a late night radio talk advocate a change in the voting laws so that only landowners could vote.
I have heard other people advocate taking the vote from women and from minorities. No doubt about it, at this very moment, there are folks working to undermine a linchpin of democracy that 50 percent of you, male and female, black or white, apparently take for granted.
If you don’t vote, they could very well be successful, because you can be sure they will vote for candidates who think similarly.
Voting is your right. It is also your duty as a citizen to take this single action every year to ensure that the county or the country is overseen by the best person.
So make plans now to go vote. Tell your boss you may be a little late the morning of November 6.
It’s that important.
The hallowed halls of the Virginia General Assembly never heard such a speech as the one Mary Johnston gave before the learned politicos on January 19, 1912.
An advocate for a woman’s right to vote, Johnston, an area native and by then a much-accomplished and well-respected author, told the legislatures that she paid $1,000 annually in taxes to the state, yet had no voice in how the revenue was spent.
Her family settled western Virginia and had fought in all of the country’s wars up to that time. Yet recent legal immigrants, who knew nothing of democracy, she said, were treated as if they knew better than she what the interests of the state might be.
“We are asking that those who live under the laws of a state … may have something to do with the making of those laws,” Johnston said in another speech, this time before a meeting of governors. “We are asking that we who pay a very considerable portion of the taxes of the State and of the country may have a voice in the apportionment of those taxes. We are asking that we who work may have a say as to the conditions under which we work.”
For six years, Johnston gave up much of her life so that women could obtain the right to vote. She suffered from vicious personal attacks from anti-suffrage groups. She did not give up.
How sad then that today, the local voter registrar expects less than half the entire population of the county to turn out when the polls open on November.
Less than 100 years after Mary Johnston took a stand and fought for the right to vote, have we thrown it away? If just half the population votes, and half of those are female, then only 25 percent of the women in this area will bother to exercise a right for which some women were imprisoned.
Not long ago, I heard someone on a late night radio talk advocate a change in the voting laws so that only landowners could vote.
I have heard other people advocate taking the vote from women and from minorities. No doubt about it, at this very moment, there are folks working to undermine a linchpin of democracy that 50 percent of you, male and female, black or white, apparently take for granted.
If you don’t vote, they could very well be successful, because you can be sure they will vote for candidates who think similarly.
Voting is your right. It is also your duty as a citizen to take this single action every year to ensure that the county or the country is overseen by the best person.
So make plans now to go vote. Tell your boss you may be a little late the morning of November 6.
It’s that important.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Lesser Of ...
In my quest for conservation, I wonder sometimes about the choices I make. Or don't make.
With water, which I am greatly concerned about, I wonder if I am better off washing an oversized load. The rule of thumb is to not wash until you have a full load so I suppose so.
Then there is bathing. Do I shower, or take a bath? I had always heard you use less water in the shower, but I wondered how that could be so. So two nights ago I took a bath. The tub filled in under 3 minutes (which is the short little time I am trying to stay in the shower).
Today I took a shower, but plugged the tub.
Apparently you do use less water in the shower, because in 3 minutes the tub was nowhere near as full as it had been when running water through the spigot. It looks like it would take a 6-minute shower to fill the tub through the showerhead.
The difference is the length of time you get to stay in the hot water. If you take a tub bath, you can soak your sore aching muscles. You can't do that in a 3 minute shower. You barely get clean in a 3 minute shower.
Then there is electricity. I try to cut stuff off but all kinds of things are "instant on," apparently still using wattage. My computer, for example. And my printer.
So I began cutting off the battery backup completely, which hopefully cuts the computer off entirely. I also began cutting off the printer.
Then I noticed that every time I turned the printer back on, the ink jets primed themselves. I think that means the printer is using a little ink every time I hit the on switch. I wondered if the printer uses more ink than it saves in electricity when I cut the printer off. It takes fuel to make the ink, after all. Plus there is my expense - am I saving money or losing money?
Then there is the electric heater. If I use the electric heater and just heat one room, leaving the rest of the house cold, but end up having to cut the furnace on to heat the rest of the house anyway, which has become much cooler, am I really saving anything? We haven't cut the furnace on yet this year, but we'll have to soon.
And then there is the fireplace. My fireplace only works with an electric blower, because it's really a stove insert. If we use that, and have to run the electric blowers all the time, what are we saving?
It's a conundrum, is what it is.
With water, which I am greatly concerned about, I wonder if I am better off washing an oversized load. The rule of thumb is to not wash until you have a full load so I suppose so.
Then there is bathing. Do I shower, or take a bath? I had always heard you use less water in the shower, but I wondered how that could be so. So two nights ago I took a bath. The tub filled in under 3 minutes (which is the short little time I am trying to stay in the shower).
Today I took a shower, but plugged the tub.
Apparently you do use less water in the shower, because in 3 minutes the tub was nowhere near as full as it had been when running water through the spigot. It looks like it would take a 6-minute shower to fill the tub through the showerhead.
The difference is the length of time you get to stay in the hot water. If you take a tub bath, you can soak your sore aching muscles. You can't do that in a 3 minute shower. You barely get clean in a 3 minute shower.
Then there is electricity. I try to cut stuff off but all kinds of things are "instant on," apparently still using wattage. My computer, for example. And my printer.
So I began cutting off the battery backup completely, which hopefully cuts the computer off entirely. I also began cutting off the printer.
Then I noticed that every time I turned the printer back on, the ink jets primed themselves. I think that means the printer is using a little ink every time I hit the on switch. I wondered if the printer uses more ink than it saves in electricity when I cut the printer off. It takes fuel to make the ink, after all. Plus there is my expense - am I saving money or losing money?
Then there is the electric heater. If I use the electric heater and just heat one room, leaving the rest of the house cold, but end up having to cut the furnace on to heat the rest of the house anyway, which has become much cooler, am I really saving anything? We haven't cut the furnace on yet this year, but we'll have to soon.
And then there is the fireplace. My fireplace only works with an electric blower, because it's really a stove insert. If we use that, and have to run the electric blowers all the time, what are we saving?
It's a conundrum, is what it is.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Autumn in the Valley
A collage of muted colors
Note the brown, dry field.
The trees, if they are turning, are taking their time.
Books Recently Read
Drop Dead Beautiful
By Jackie Collins
Copyright 2007
500 pages
4 stars
Mad Dash
By Patricia Gaffney
Copyright 2007
355 pages
3.75 stars
By Jackie Collins
Copyright 2007
500 pages
4 stars
Mad Dash
By Patricia Gaffney
Copyright 2007
355 pages
3.75 stars
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Books: Prophecy
Prophecy
By Elizabeth Haydon
Copyright 2000
697 pages
This is the second in a three part trilogy, the first being Rhapsody.
Rhapsody, a Namer, travels with Ashe, a mystery man, to see a dragon. The dragon likes her a lot.
Ashe turns out to be someone else in several reincarnations of his very long life. Rhapsody eventually figures out who he is, except for the fact that he is her long-lost soul mate, though she does get to that. The reader has known this all along (or at least I did) so I don't think I'm revealing a major plot point.
Ashe also has a doppelganger who is bad; his counterpart is under control of the F'dor, the most evil thing in this world. Rhapsody goes out to kill the doppelganger. In the process she also kills her sister, who has been taken over by the F'dor.
The book ends with a very odd sequence where Rhapsody agrees to give up a night of her memories to Ashe. This includes the realization that Ashe is her soul mate. I am not sure why this information was necessary to delete but I suppose it will be apparent in the third book.
There are many other subplots - a vine that is eating up the world, another king who wants Rhapsody for his own and wishes to declare war on Achmed (Rhapsody's friendly assassin), a piece of living earth called The Sleeping Child, Rhapsody's learning that she is the champion of leaders whether she wants to be or not, etc. Far too much to discuss in a paragraph or two.
I will be reading the last of the trilogy, Destiny, beginning this evening, probably.
Recommended for folks who like long fantasy books with good characterization and depth.
4 stars
By Elizabeth Haydon
Copyright 2000
697 pages
This is the second in a three part trilogy, the first being Rhapsody.
Rhapsody, a Namer, travels with Ashe, a mystery man, to see a dragon. The dragon likes her a lot.
Ashe turns out to be someone else in several reincarnations of his very long life. Rhapsody eventually figures out who he is, except for the fact that he is her long-lost soul mate, though she does get to that. The reader has known this all along (or at least I did) so I don't think I'm revealing a major plot point.
Ashe also has a doppelganger who is bad; his counterpart is under control of the F'dor, the most evil thing in this world. Rhapsody goes out to kill the doppelganger. In the process she also kills her sister, who has been taken over by the F'dor.
The book ends with a very odd sequence where Rhapsody agrees to give up a night of her memories to Ashe. This includes the realization that Ashe is her soul mate. I am not sure why this information was necessary to delete but I suppose it will be apparent in the third book.
There are many other subplots - a vine that is eating up the world, another king who wants Rhapsody for his own and wishes to declare war on Achmed (Rhapsody's friendly assassin), a piece of living earth called The Sleeping Child, Rhapsody's learning that she is the champion of leaders whether she wants to be or not, etc. Far too much to discuss in a paragraph or two.
I will be reading the last of the trilogy, Destiny, beginning this evening, probably.
Recommended for folks who like long fantasy books with good characterization and depth.
4 stars
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Rain!
We received a half-inch of rain yesterday. It seemed to all fall in a few minutes. A downpour.
Much of it ran off because the ground is simply too parched to take it all in. We need a good soaker.
This was not enough rain to enable me to stop taking 3 minute showers. We need inches before that can happen. But I am sure the grass and trees enjoyed it.
Much of it ran off because the ground is simply too parched to take it all in. We need a good soaker.
This was not enough rain to enable me to stop taking 3 minute showers. We need inches before that can happen. But I am sure the grass and trees enjoyed it.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Rain?
The skies are gray and overcast. There is a threat of rain.
But only a threat. No large, life-giving drops are falling to take the sting from the parched earth. Mother Nature's tongue is hanging out and the sky offers no succor.
Hello, Autumn.
The leaves have finally - finally - begun their annual parade of color. The reds outside my window are muted; the oaks still sport green leaves. The poplars have yellow and brown coloring. Fall is not at its peak yet, but I don't expect to see anything striking.
Beneath those green oaks, a turkey hen delicately picks up her feet. Her head bobs as she grasps insects. She stops and stands erect, looking ... looking. She fluffs her feathers and moves on, down the hill to vanish into the gully.
The air is moving with a breeze; the limbs of the blue spruce dance a slow waltz. The sun might break through the haze - yes, there it is, casting its rays across the dry, brown land.
No rain today, no salvation for the thirsty.
But only a threat. No large, life-giving drops are falling to take the sting from the parched earth. Mother Nature's tongue is hanging out and the sky offers no succor.
Hello, Autumn.
The leaves have finally - finally - begun their annual parade of color. The reds outside my window are muted; the oaks still sport green leaves. The poplars have yellow and brown coloring. Fall is not at its peak yet, but I don't expect to see anything striking.
Beneath those green oaks, a turkey hen delicately picks up her feet. Her head bobs as she grasps insects. She stops and stands erect, looking ... looking. She fluffs her feathers and moves on, down the hill to vanish into the gully.
The air is moving with a breeze; the limbs of the blue spruce dance a slow waltz. The sun might break through the haze - yes, there it is, casting its rays across the dry, brown land.
No rain today, no salvation for the thirsty.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
13 Resources for Writers
Creative Marketing Solutions. Marcia Yudkin is a marketing guru. She has a free newsletter that comes out on Wednesday. Highly recommended.
LibrarySpot. Encyclopedias, research resources, etc.
ThinkExist. Quotations finder.
Encyclopedia Mythica. A resource for myths, legends, religions, lore of all kinds.
Character Building Workshop. Great list of character archetypes.
Biblomania. More than 2000 works of literature along with study guides, also research references.
Book of Days. A listing of calendar events and word definitions. Very interesting site; useful for history writers especially.
Guide to Grammar and Writing. It is what it says it is.
Freelancer's Copyright Guide. By the National Writer's Union. Information about copyright.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. An interesting place to browse; some of the free reading is helpful.
Craft of Writing. An article about using MS Word's editing features; especially helpful for the "track changes" feature.
Funds for Writers. A listing of grants, contests, etc., for writers. Two free newsletters, one for small paying contests and another for higher paying contests. Highly Recommended.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The good stuff is available if you can become a member, but some of the free reading online is interesting. Of particular interest to freelancers is the "Writer Beware" section, which lists organizations and persons to avoid in the writing business.
LibrarySpot. Encyclopedias, research resources, etc.
ThinkExist. Quotations finder.
Encyclopedia Mythica. A resource for myths, legends, religions, lore of all kinds.
Character Building Workshop. Great list of character archetypes.
Biblomania. More than 2000 works of literature along with study guides, also research references.
Book of Days. A listing of calendar events and word definitions. Very interesting site; useful for history writers especially.
Guide to Grammar and Writing. It is what it says it is.
Freelancer's Copyright Guide. By the National Writer's Union. Information about copyright.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. An interesting place to browse; some of the free reading is helpful.
Craft of Writing. An article about using MS Word's editing features; especially helpful for the "track changes" feature.
Funds for Writers. A listing of grants, contests, etc., for writers. Two free newsletters, one for small paying contests and another for higher paying contests. Highly Recommended.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The good stuff is available if you can become a member, but some of the free reading online is interesting. Of particular interest to freelancers is the "Writer Beware" section, which lists organizations and persons to avoid in the writing business.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Dealing with Drought
For us, this year has been far worse than any other for the lack of rain.
In previous drought years, it seemed we'd get just enough of a passing shower to make the fields grow.
This year, we have not made enough hay and our cattle's future is quite uncertain. We're looking for hay to buy, but if it can't be found, they'll have to go to market.
I am worrying about our well. I have placed an oven timer in the bathroom to ensure 3 minute showers.
I am sorry to say that, growing up on a well and always living on a well, water has been a commodity I've taken for granted. I have taken my share of 15 minute showers. It is hard to beat a long hot shower when your muscles are sore and you're aching from a day of hard gardening or whatever.
I also keep pails in the bathroom to catch the cold water from the spigot. It takes a long time for the hot water to find its way to the tub. I use the cold water on my flowers.
In the Times today, the story was the drought isn't as bad as it was in 2002. We beg to differ.
We think it is worse.
In previous drought years, it seemed we'd get just enough of a passing shower to make the fields grow.
This year, we have not made enough hay and our cattle's future is quite uncertain. We're looking for hay to buy, but if it can't be found, they'll have to go to market.
I am worrying about our well. I have placed an oven timer in the bathroom to ensure 3 minute showers.
I am sorry to say that, growing up on a well and always living on a well, water has been a commodity I've taken for granted. I have taken my share of 15 minute showers. It is hard to beat a long hot shower when your muscles are sore and you're aching from a day of hard gardening or whatever.
I also keep pails in the bathroom to catch the cold water from the spigot. It takes a long time for the hot water to find its way to the tub. I use the cold water on my flowers.
In the Times today, the story was the drought isn't as bad as it was in 2002. We beg to differ.
We think it is worse.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Defining Success
Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.
- Albert Einstein
A conversation this morning led me to wonder how people define success.
Apparently in today's society, it is all about the money. If you have it, you're successful, if you don't, you're not.
Ostensibly that also includes the things that people can see to indicate success. If you have millions of dollars but drive an old clunker and live in a little house, most people will not consider you a success. Or so it seems.
In the Roanoke Times today, there is a story about a man who lived unpretentiously but left $50 million. No one knew him when he lived, but now that his finances are known, he is a success. (I can't find the story online but it was in the Virginia section.)
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
All of my life, I have judged success not on material things but on happiness. If someone is happy, I think she is successful.
Most artists are successful people, but they aren't necessarily wealthy. Art is not valued in this country so it is a hard field in which to earn money.
But the value of creating - to do it is to be successful, whether you sell it or not. To create is to succeed, don't you think?
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these. - George Washington
Carver
You can be successful in many ways. I experienced a time in my life that left me beaten and downtrodden. I did not stay down. I consider that a success, even though my hard work to feel better gave me no material possessions.
It did bring me peace of mind. Isn't that success?
I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the
aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. - Helen Keller
I have always worked. I began working when I was 15 and haven't stopped. I have not always worked full time but I have always had income of my own. I have never depended entirely on my husband for anything.Even when I was very ill and had six surgeries in as many years, I worked.
I also put myself through Hollins University. It took me eight years but I am the only one in my family with a B.A.
Is that not a success?
Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those
who try nothing and succeed. - Lloyd Jones
The person I was speaking with today called someone "white trash" - and they didn't mean it in a way that indicated success. It reminded me of a conversation I have several years ago with my brother.
He called me "white trash."
When I asked him why he would lay such a title upon me, he said it was because I lived in a small house and could not have children.
My house is 1,560 square feet. My husband and I built it with our own two hands. We paid about a third for this place than it otherwise would have cost. We hauled the wood and nailed the nails. We (and I really mean my husband, he did most of it) put in the plumbing, the wiring ... everything.
It is our house through sweat and through dollars.
It is dwarfed by my brother's large 3,500 square feet house (which my father actually paid for). Compared to the monster homes in Ashley Plantation, I do indeed live in a little bungalow.
But it's a clean bungalow, filled with nice furniture. It's spacious enough for the two of us.
And as for the children, yes, my inability to conceive is a failure. My ability - and my husband's ability - to move forward in spite of this terrible blow, when we both wanted a baby so very desperately, is a success.
The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it. - Pearl S. Buck
My work does not earn me very much money. Writing is difficult and let's face it, it just isn't the greatest paying job.
But I do it well. I have a wall lined with awards. My name is known to about 30,000 people.
I serve as chairman of a government board, thanks to an appointment by a supervisor; I water-witched the well for the local circuit court judge. I hob-nob with county officials, know several sheriffs on a first-name basis; if you want to play Kevin Bacon, I'm just three degrees from some very high-ranking people.
But I don't drive a Lexus or live in a mansion. I don't have money to burn and frugality is part of my daily practice. And for those reasons, I suppose, I am not a success.
But only if you use the world's definition.
By my own, I'm not doing a bad job.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
An Anniversary
Yesterday evening at dusk my husband and I stopped by the cemetery. I wanted to replace the flowers at my mother's grave.
I had been angry with her for the last year; ridiculous, I know, since she's been dead for seven years. But in my anger I had not visited the cemetery.
I replaced the flowers on one side of the tombstone with bright plastic fall mums. The old flowers looked faded and worn; apparently no one has been there for some time. My father probably hasn't been up there since the funeral, based on comments I've heard from my sister-in-law. She used to take my nephew by regularly because he missed his Nana, but perhaps he's out grown that.
Today would have been my parents 45th wedding anniversary, if my mother had lived - and my parents had stayed married. Most likely they would have been divorced. Their divorce was four days away from being finalized when my mother passed away.
Their marriage was stormy. They married because my mother was pregnant with me, and neither ever forgave me for (a) being born and (b) not being a boy if I had to be born. My brother was born three years later.
They fought verbally and physically. Most of my memories involve tears. There must have been good, pleasant times but they have always been overshadowed by the bad. When I do remember good times, they stand out starkly in comparison to the rest, like snapshots that belong to some other family.
I did not consider theirs a happy marriage and as soon as I was old enough to understand what "divorce" meant, I wished they would get one.
It wasn't until 1995 - and I'd been (very happily) married for 12 years myself by that time - that my father left my mother for another woman. My mother had been telling me he slept around on her for many years.
Despite everything, she loved him, and each time she'd file papers he'd come back and sweet talk her, and she'd forgive him. Then he'd leave again. He never filed for divorce; I think he didn't want to make a property division. It wasn't until my mother knew she was dying that she attempted a divorce in earnest, and I honestly think that was for my benefit. She knew my father would never give me anything.
So Happy Anniversary, Mom. Dad's remarried and I still don't speak to him. You haven't sent a message to me from beyond in several years. I hope that means you're happy. I know you were never happy when you were alive.
I am sorry about that.
(The photo was taken in 2006.)
I had been angry with her for the last year; ridiculous, I know, since she's been dead for seven years. But in my anger I had not visited the cemetery.
I replaced the flowers on one side of the tombstone with bright plastic fall mums. The old flowers looked faded and worn; apparently no one has been there for some time. My father probably hasn't been up there since the funeral, based on comments I've heard from my sister-in-law. She used to take my nephew by regularly because he missed his Nana, but perhaps he's out grown that.
Today would have been my parents 45th wedding anniversary, if my mother had lived - and my parents had stayed married. Most likely they would have been divorced. Their divorce was four days away from being finalized when my mother passed away.
Their marriage was stormy. They married because my mother was pregnant with me, and neither ever forgave me for (a) being born and (b) not being a boy if I had to be born. My brother was born three years later.
They fought verbally and physically. Most of my memories involve tears. There must have been good, pleasant times but they have always been overshadowed by the bad. When I do remember good times, they stand out starkly in comparison to the rest, like snapshots that belong to some other family.
I did not consider theirs a happy marriage and as soon as I was old enough to understand what "divorce" meant, I wished they would get one.
It wasn't until 1995 - and I'd been (very happily) married for 12 years myself by that time - that my father left my mother for another woman. My mother had been telling me he slept around on her for many years.
Despite everything, she loved him, and each time she'd file papers he'd come back and sweet talk her, and she'd forgive him. Then he'd leave again. He never filed for divorce; I think he didn't want to make a property division. It wasn't until my mother knew she was dying that she attempted a divorce in earnest, and I honestly think that was for my benefit. She knew my father would never give me anything.
So Happy Anniversary, Mom. Dad's remarried and I still don't speak to him. You haven't sent a message to me from beyond in several years. I hope that means you're happy. I know you were never happy when you were alive.
I am sorry about that.
(The photo was taken in 2006.)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
On Your Feet
During the months I have been dealing with pain in my feet (plantar fasciitis and a heel spur) I have had many people tell me what I do for a living.
"You must be a nurse" seems to be the predominant guess from shoe clerks and snake oil salesmen who profess to be able to help.
The second-most frequent guess is "You must be a teacher."
They usually look crestfallen when I tell them I am neither. This happened to me Friday when I stopped by The Healthy Foot to pick up a pair of inserts for my sneakers.
It made me think about these poor people on their feet all day. All they have are mass market shoes to put on their worn tootsies. Not shoes made to fit them but shoes made to fit anybody.
The list of people who are on their feet a lot must be pretty long. Store clerks, mail carriers, policemen (who walk the streets), assembly line persons, and of course nurses and teachers are just a few of the careers that require healthy feet.
My husband is on his feet a lot for two of his three jobs - farming and septic tank installation (firefighting being the third job; he's on his feet there, also, when he's actually on a call). He wears a size 13 shoe and has toes that are longer than my fingers. His feet used to cramp up on him; once so badly I had to take him to the emergency room. He also had a bout with a heel spur several years ago. But he hasn't complained of his feet in a long time.
My nephew on my husband's side of the family has feet that are now in size 16 shoes and he's still growing. I can use his sandals for snow shoes. I imagine when his big feet hurt, everything about him hurts.
My feet are size 7 and my toes are short and stubby. I have always thought my feet very ugly and consequently I generally ignored them. I was always told I had flat feet and would one day have trouble out of them, and I suppose that day has come. I will not take my feet for granted again, I think, regardless of what I think they look like.
To all the people who have to stand up all day, my shoes are off to you.
"You must be a nurse" seems to be the predominant guess from shoe clerks and snake oil salesmen who profess to be able to help.
The second-most frequent guess is "You must be a teacher."
They usually look crestfallen when I tell them I am neither. This happened to me Friday when I stopped by The Healthy Foot to pick up a pair of inserts for my sneakers.
It made me think about these poor people on their feet all day. All they have are mass market shoes to put on their worn tootsies. Not shoes made to fit them but shoes made to fit anybody.
The list of people who are on their feet a lot must be pretty long. Store clerks, mail carriers, policemen (who walk the streets), assembly line persons, and of course nurses and teachers are just a few of the careers that require healthy feet.
My husband is on his feet a lot for two of his three jobs - farming and septic tank installation (firefighting being the third job; he's on his feet there, also, when he's actually on a call). He wears a size 13 shoe and has toes that are longer than my fingers. His feet used to cramp up on him; once so badly I had to take him to the emergency room. He also had a bout with a heel spur several years ago. But he hasn't complained of his feet in a long time.
My nephew on my husband's side of the family has feet that are now in size 16 shoes and he's still growing. I can use his sandals for snow shoes. I imagine when his big feet hurt, everything about him hurts.
My feet are size 7 and my toes are short and stubby. I have always thought my feet very ugly and consequently I generally ignored them. I was always told I had flat feet and would one day have trouble out of them, and I suppose that day has come. I will not take my feet for granted again, I think, regardless of what I think they look like.
To all the people who have to stand up all day, my shoes are off to you.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Peace Globes
Mimi over at Mimi Writes has declared November 7 as another "peace globe" event.
Instructions about how to get your globe can be found here.
Go get one and decorate it and show everyone how much you want peace. It will never happen but it is a pleasant idea.
I have participated in this event several times, and it is fun to see how other people decorate their globe. Plus it's nice to feel like you're part of something for a while.
November 7, by the way, is the day after election day in the United States. Everyone please vote on November 6, even if you think it is a waste of time. While I suspect most elections these days are fixed, the effort shows you care. And if enough people actually do vote, it might skew the messed up machines enough to make somebody notice.
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