Shakespeare paraphrased (yet again)

A rose by any other name still reminds me of sunsets gone by...

Christmas Bling

I finally gave in. I started a Pinterest site called-- (guess what?) There's a Place I Dream About (go figure). My Username is: Conchtobe (It's for continuity or... I have no imagination) It's for the purpose of pinning my photographs there and then linking them here. It appears it will work and for now I am satisfied. We'll see. I can also use my Onceupona Wordpress site and Meanderings of a Wandering Mind (blogger) for the same thing so it could be this is a waste of time- but I didn't waste too much time at it... so whatev. 

One can never have too much social networking sites I'm told until...

 there is no time in which to do thing that one is social networking for. 

Wait, is that a Catch-22?

Living the dream?

The characters and events in this post are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

His  rattletrap car gasped over the seven mile Overseas Highway, finally letting out it's last groan on Stock Island. He shrugged off the inconvenience, ditched the pathetic deathtrap next to what looked like a trailer park and lumbered on to the island at the End of the World. He'd known the car was going to going be DOA but had taken the risk because he had "no intention of never coming back no how, no way" he balled at his overhung wife who squinted sluggishly at him in the doorway before he slammed the door for the last time.

Her kids blinked at him blearily from where they curlicued on the doorstep, watching as he threw his bag into the backseat, understanding his flight but clearly longing for their own rescue.

He slumped against the car then looked over at the pair and finally walked over to give them a final embrace. "Ya'll can't come. I'm sorry. I got no way to provide for you and I just ain't doing you no good here. Ya'll be better off." He kissed matted scalps, noted the soiled skin and turned their tear stained faces upward. "Take your baths tonight and don't forget to brush your teeth. Ah right? now go on into the house."

Heads bobbled in tandem. They stumbled up, pulled on the wooden screen door that screeched in protest and let the door slam behind them.

He gazed at the rusted screen and chipped paint for a quiet moment, then settled in the front seat of the rattletrapped car and backed quickly out of the driveway.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless' website "approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2007)." While there are many, many reasons people are homeless (mental illness, eroding working opportunities, foreclosures, decline in public housing, lack of affordable healthcare) the problem is nevertheless a visible reminder of America's shame. The wealthiest country in the world and yet we continue to have people sleeping on the streets, in the alleys and under our overpasses. In Key West, the weather is generally balmy and pleasant for outdoor living. As the summer ends it is worth noting that here in Colorado, people die each year from the bitter cold when they are homeless. 

note from the author: I was reminded of this post (it's a repost) when I visited a blogging friend who lives in Key West and saw his post for today. Conchscooter posts essays on life in the Keys as well lovely photographs of his surroundings. Today's post was meaningful and timely considering an economic climate which keeps the poorest enslaved to poverty and homelessness. You can see it here. (And Conch- though I know you don't collect or cherish blogging awards, you really do deserve the "no, Thank YOU!" Great Comments award.)

  

A temporary fix & the 1st blogfest of the season (I think)

It was a risk, but I went through and deleted some of the pictures that I thought were extraneous which has fixed my picture problem for now. I probably shouldn't waste a picture to tell you that...

although this picture is representative of what the world looks like from my eyes. It's been a crazy warm October/November and December 1st was almost freaky warm. Tonight is the Parade of Lights here in Denver which is a big deal-- a Christmas extravaganza which could make the Grinches out there practically throw up at the festive excess. It's a parade of Christmas, for lack of a better word, stuff and some characters (Santa, elves, Rudolph and much, much more)- all lit up (go figure). It's a fun to attend- once or twice in your life. The crowds are ridiculous and generally it is absolutely FREEZING! No really, I mean, REALLY FREEZING!!! Frigid temps are as much of a tradition as the lights themselves. Except this year. It is a bit chilly but that's about it. Weird. 

Tomorrow we're even going on a hike and a little jaunt into my favorite little nearby 'burb of Boulder. Should be fun. 

And before I forget this week is the...

hosted by Trish over at WORD+STUFF What are the requirements?

1. Between December 2nd and 3rd, post a pic of yourself as a baby, and/or;
2. Tell us a story about when you were a baby (no doubt you can't quite remember it yourself, but you've probably heard some stories from other members of your family).

You can choose to do one or the other or both, depending on your mood on the day(s). ;)

So here goes:  

My mood to go down into the storage room under the stairs was completely spoiled by the picture snafu of the last few days- and it was no small thing! I would have had to dig around the boxes (buried you understand) of pictures and memorabilia just to find the book of pictures my grandmother put together for me some years ago. Then, I would have had to go to the library early to scan them into the system- all that without knowing whether I could even  post them or it. So no pictures, sorry Trisha! But a promise is a promise. I shall participate without the picture(s) and with one of the only (somewhat lame) stories that I know of from my early childhood:

I was about 2 1/2 when my younger brother was born but I guess I thought I was pretty big stuff, being a big sister and all. The house was small but apparently big enough that my mother had not heard the baby wake up (perhaps fussing about). I guess I decided action was called for and took thing into my own hands (and not for the last time, I will tell you now!). I climbed up the bars of the crib and lifted the 9.10 oz. lump of baby tininess and carried him to my mother. She of course panicked seeing me, probably barely observing the look of pride on my little face a stranglehold around the newborn babe (it was just rewards for all the trouble he later caused, I must say). And he probably looked a wee bit uncomfortable -not unlike this cat....

 However, the little one survived and is today a 6'4" strapping old guy. I am sure it was my stretching technique that helped him become the basketball semi-good that he was (since height is critical in basketball). 

So that's my story, and lame or not, I'm sticking to it! 

Cheers Trisha for coming up with a such fun blogfest! And I hope you all stop by and see some of the other participants- not to mention reading Trisha's entry!

SH*T!!!!!

No really! I can't upload any new pictures on blogger because I have used all my space. My only options are: 1. start a new blog under a similar name so you all can find me 2. delete old pics (which means an awkward spot where pictures used to be) 3. Use old pictures (BLAH!!!) 4. Stop blogging. 5. Only do text entries. 6. Delete old posts (blah) 7. Do I have a seventh? I don't have a seventh. 

Any ideas? I'm open-- I'm not really crazy about any of these but if you can put a new light on one of the ones I suggested I would appreciate it... except for the ones I said "BLAH" or "awkward spot where pictures used to be" They were only options not really ones I would consider. 

Curses! Blast and more Curses!!! 

I am really beginning to hate blogger and google! (option 1 is starting to sound better!)

Let's play a game!

Name that tune I mean singer:
It's my party and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to.
Today it's you birthday, nanana nana gonna have a good time

New question:
On this day in History:
-Edward I was proclaimed King of England
-Britain declares war on Holland
-Charles Darwin reaches Punta Gorda, sees Rio Uruguay
-Danette is born ** years ago.
What day is it???? (no cheating)

New question:
President of the United States, George Washinton proclaimed the first nation-wide celebration in America November 26, 1789 (this was not a proclamation for an annually celebrated day of Thanksgiving) 
What celebration is it?

Just kidding! Go ahead and google the date.

Woohoo! Congrats to MPax

and the release of  The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear! It's exciting to see authors getting their books published whether it's via a traditional publisher or self-published. This week MPax announced the release of her new novel and I wanted to help get the word out however I could. Here's the cover: 

Cool, huh?

I will confess I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I thought you would want to know what it's about to see if it's something you're interested in. Here's the description:

The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear

A New Adult Urban Fantasy, The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear is the first book in a new series. And it’s now out! The main character, Hetty, is a twenty-two-year-old, stumbling about in an effort to become a full-fledged adult. She struggles with self-esteem, weight, relationships, and making the transition between college and the real world.

Graduation from community college isn’t the magic elixir Hetty Locklear counts on for becoming an adult. Her parents, who work the Renaissance fair circuit, insist she spend part of the summer with them. Hetty doubts pretending to live in the Middle Ages will help her find her way.

 To make it worse, an entity haunts her at her dead-end job, warning her of a dangerous man she doesn’t know. The ghost leads her to a lover who has a lot of secrets. He pulls her farther into peril and into a strange, hidden world of genetic experimentation.

New Adult Urban Fantasy with a contemporary sci-fi twist. Mature content.

Available as an ebook at Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / iTunes / Kobo

Visit www.mpaxauthor.com for more links.

M. Pax is celebrating her latest release with a jousting tournament and contest at www.mpaxauthor.com. Cheer for the knights to help them win the grand prize, and you’ll be put in a drawing to win an ebook copy of The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Five will be given away. Huzzah!

Other:

 Tweets:

 #NewAdult #UrbanFantasy Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Ghosts, Knights & invisible lovers. Growing up is hard 2do. http://goo.gl/v5uvX

#NewAdult #UrbanFantasy Renaissance of Hetty Locklear http://goo.gl/v5uvX Sometimes fantasies r real.

I'm going to leave it at that and let Mary have the spotlight. I hope you check out the book for yourself!

Have a great day!

More picmonkey

I'm having too much fun!

Congrats Michael!

My friend Michael Offutt has revealed his new book cover. It's pretty awesome! I am also going to include his blurb about the cover: "So what's going on with the cover. Well, the color red is very important to the book. The team that Jordan plays on is called "The Big Red" and its colors are red and white.  Jordan plays ice hockey so the spiders are walking on what could be construed as glass or ice. Blood on the ice is an important theme in this book, hence the blood droplets underneath the spiders. So in a way, the cover is perfect for the story and they definitely look like a part of the same series. I wasn't sure if I quite liked it, but it's growing on me. What do you think?

The book did go on sale today. Go HERE for purchasing options."

 

So what's holding you up? Go get a copy! 

Colors of fall

Thanks to Judie @ Miss Steps and Milestones, I found a new toy. It's not as convenient as PikNik but it's got more stuff and it's loads of fun! It's called PicMonkey. Luv it!

 Before...

 After...

  What do you think?

Words mean things... or do they?

Topiramate promethazine used to keep me going but they are now set aside for nortriptyline gabapentin verapamil which allow me to get out of bed without having to have sumatriptan- an important sentence that may mean nothing to you but means the world to me. Which is why my last post for this year's NaBloWriMo is less than- well maybe I should say just barely articulate.

Happy Halloween! 

My favorite monster!

I don't want to let this month go by without giving the No.... thank you! 'Great Comments Award' (awarded to me by Trisha at WORD+STUFF) to Michael Offutt! Michael told me he didn't want the award but I am ignoring his wishes because I wanted to make sure you meet him. ONE of the reasons Michael is a great commenter is due to his honesty. I always appreciate what he has to say. Another is that when I was going ballistic with my computer one day (a year ago or so? It wasn't finding any of the USB ports- completely maddening!) Michael talked me down before I tossed it out the window and made some helpful suggestions. Fortunately, it wasn't as big a problem as it seemed to be but his help was invaluable! The other reason I am ignoring his wishes is that I wanted to be sure that you went to his blog this evening. He's been doing a Halloween Fetish Count that is worth going back and catching up on, so pop on by. The other thing I wanted you to know about Michael is that last year his first book published by  Double Dragon called...

Click to purchase

If you want to get a small taste of his writing style, you can download his short story for FREE.

click for download

And in the spring, Michael will have another of his WIPs published. He gave an interview over at MPax's blog if you'd like to hear lots more about the story as he describes it.

Congrats on the upcoming release of Oculus Michael!!



Finally:

 

 

(photo: Possible Futures)

 

If not now, when?

Our politicians have steadfastly avoided the issue of climate change. We are like small children who think if we keep our eyes closed it will go away. It won't go away, it will only get worse. 

I'm a writer and I can't imagine how much worse it will be. 

This seems worse. 

my head sounds like that

The angles are sharp and colors clear. The person talking close by is saying something about the neighbors that kept him up all night and the listener exclaims then breaks into a time-bombed guffaw. I am sitting a few feet away but the words slip between my fingers, then trickle onto the ground, joining the sandbox of sounds that gather in a place of congregation. I turn to see where the conversants have gone and notice the meteor trail left by wall, desk, phone... the blurred edges of the computer screen and metal shelving. My eyelids shutter closed, giving my visual cortex a quiet control+alt+delete before reengaging in light and geometric analysis. The chattering box and his captive audience sway gently sideways, their expressions out of focus and smearing into the distance as I fade off- back into the closet I briefly attempted to escape. 

Saturday in the park

 I am proud to tell you that Denver has the 13th best park system in the U.S. according to a survey conducted by the Trust for Public Land. And it's something we don't take for granted.  

Today we decided to take a lesser traveled (for us) path and went to Sloan's Lake, a man-made waterway- ostensibly for the beauty and pleasure of the residents.

 

In more water bountiful states they might consider this a pond but in Colorado, a semi-arid state, a trickle becomes a stream, a stream becomes a river, etc. etc.

 Walking around the park, we had glorious late fall temps and blue skies. Quite a crowd of folk (although not as crowded as some of the city's more popular spots- spots we usually avoid) were walking, running, biking, talking... Well, you get the picture. 

I was busy snapping photos so you could enjoy the scenery.

Just shoot me now!

I am a political junky. I listen to talk radio in the afternoon to get the latest on politics. I read several different political magazines to find out what is happening in the world but OMG! This feels like the longest political season ever and I am tired of this political football game -and that's what it is! The corporate media longs for this to be a neck and neck- down to the finish line- contest. Will Obama kick the football right between the uprights scoring the game winning three points or will Romney throw a hail mary to win with a touchdown? As a woman I could never (ever, ever, ever) vote for a Republican- not that abortion is the single issue I would ever vote for (or against) but the religious aspect of the far right candidates adds that extra ooomph to my opposition to the Republican party. But that doesn't mean I am enjoying this farce of a electorate season. I am tired of the non-response responses of politicians and worn out with the phone calls and the door knocking. So, with less than two weeks to go, I am happy to say  

and I don't have to worry about it anymore- except to make sure my vote registered.

I hope you vote too-- after all, no matter who you're voting for or what issues are at stake and which side of that issue you are on:

If you don't vote- they win!

Also, want to give the 'No... Thank you!-- Great Comments Award' to Judie at Miss Steps and Milestones. (btw: I added the "No... Thank you!" part and tweaked how I was giving it out but the award was originally given to me by Trish at Word + Stuff) I always her enjoy smiling face and her sense of humor.  Thanks for being a blogging buddy, Judie! 

Hope you stop by and give her a little congrats.  

don't know about you...

but for me, I write a bit like I take a photograph.

Focus...

Move it and focus the object, adjust the camera, focus again:

Move it one more time. Look at it from another new angle. Focus and click.

 Now a little editing. Tweak the color, crop the edges, now add a softened edge.

hmmmm, maybe. 

Try it from another angle. One of the other pictures.Crop it, boost the color, soften the edges with a soft greenish vignette feel.

Pretty good. I'll put my name to it (another edit which entails a bit more scrutiny)...

and wa-la! 
Not a masterpiece but at least it's pleasing for me to look at.

Unless I am completely lazy and just post it without editing- which I do sometimes but I NEVER write without that process- except on my blog.

And... A piece of cake, right? 

Or a painful process which makes one wonder why they ever began writing in the first place...

I missed it

and I'm strangely sad. 

I missed the anniversary of David Foster Wallace's death. With all the trauma that surrounds the day, it's no wonder but I still wish that I had paused for a brief second on September 12 to recall the life of this relatively young (He was my age. Hey! No chuckling I am too young---ish) and brilliant writer. 

 I wasn't an English major in college (although even if I had been, we read a LOT of William Faulkner and James Baldwin and frankly had I been an English major, I might have quit with such a meager fare of modern literature) and I didn't read literary fiction until I met Mo (he's very well read). He called me at BnN where I was working at the time and told me about Wallace's passing (sadly, he killed himself after having suffered with depression for 20 years). 
The death of a writer is always sad and of course I vaguely knew that he was one of the best of a generation. And then I read 'The Pale King' and 'Brief Interviews with Hideous Men'... brilliant, both of them brilliant! 'Interviews' was dark- scary realistic dark but amazing nonetheless and 'The Pale King' was wide open, loose ends all over the place, but gripping and compelling- it had little cultural/social references in that made me feel like I was reading a book about my past. I loved it. There's a new biography on him- well, relatively new. It came out about two months ago. I plan on reading it along with Infinite Jest. I think they will make nice companion pieces.  Anyway, just sharing a bit of my reading history and future with you. And here's a flower for Mr Wallace (next year I'll try to remember).

How about you? Do you have any great reading schedule?
 

Whispers of time

Fall in all it's glory

 reminds us that Time

with it's inevitable

inexorable 

force

moves on day by day into and through
the next season

Reminding us 

that the flower's bloom is as fleeting as life itself

  and should be savored

A tiny blogfest

Delores at The Featherednest wanted to try something different by having all participants of her blogfest post a video of us reading text from our WIPs. I was ridiculous enough to raise my hand (like the silly kids in sixth grade who think they have the answer to the math problem but, in fact, don't) so here's my feeble attempt to get this done... 

This took me way too long and I am almost tempted to ask you NOT to watch it but que sera sera (whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see...)que sera sera!

Thank you!

I was awarded a beautiful award today and I want to take this opportunity to tell Ian... THANK YOU SO MUCH for the award!! It is beautiful, isn't it? It is an honor, really!

The best part of this award is that it doesn't come with rules attached so there are no prerequisite numbers: no five this's or 7 that's that I have to write, so I will simply bide my time and pass on to other bloggers as appropriate.

I want to also take the opportunity to award the Great Comments Award to (drum roll please...) Marcy at Mainewords. (by the way, the award came from Trisha at WORD + STUFF who was given it by another. This is not original to me, just so I credit the right people here) I ran into Marcy quite a while ago- another blogfest (do they begin to sound like bars to you? You know, I met her in a bar some time ago, can't remember which one...) and I have had the pleasure of seeing the seasons come and go in Maine for the past couple of years. She blogs on her home state, her job at the vets and gives some insight into what she enjoys about certain WIPs that writers have emailed her. She also (and this is what I most want you to see) posts yearly on the Pumpkinfest in her neck of the woods and has some great pictures right now, so go drop by.
Now, hmmm... I was going to post some pictures, but I have already written quite a lot so I think I shall post this simple sunset and call it a day:

 

This is just a lolz

I didn't watch the debate but even I have heard the clip of Mitt Romney's now infamous statement that he had a "binder full of women". As a result, shoppers all over the internet have been on Amazon looking for binders of women-- some with greater success than others. I found the reviews of the Avery Durable View Binder with 2 Inch EZ-Turn Ring, White, 1 Binder (17032) to be very helpful. Here's just a few...

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3,552 of 3,619 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Changing my tune October 18, 2012

By:

Color Name:White

I was originally going to rate this only 1 star. You see, I'm a big girl and I can only squeeze about 53% of myself into this binder. But then I decided that I'm not going to worry about the other 47%.

44 Comments | 

Was this review helpful to you?

7,053 of 7,225 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars One Missing Bit of Information You Might Want To Know October 18, 2012

By 

Color Name:White

For any of you who might be considering, like me, purchasing this binder based on the reviews, let me just point out one glaring omission: While this is a lovely, multi-purpose binder, IT DOES NOT COME WITH WOMEN. Presumably one is expected to find women on one's own, or contact women's groups who are supposedly eager to help stock your empty binder with women.

For a first time buyer like myself, I have to say I would rather have waited until I had accumulated a few women before investing in a binder. Just a little warning for prospective buyers.

88 Comments | 

Was this review helpful to you?

2,459 of 2,528 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a Binder Mom October 18, 2012

By

Color Name:White

I'm proud to say that I'm in this binder. I've spend 20 years working my way up from Walmart mom to soccer mom, and finally, I've hit the glass ceiling. I'm a binder mom! I highly recommend this binder I'm in, but be aware that if you purchase it, you must be flexible and let me put a ham in the oven by 5. Otherwise, my kids might resort to gun violence

It's just cyclical

 

 (Photo By The Ponca City News, Rolf Clements)

 

 

 

 Yup that whole global warming thing??? No worries!

Scenes of 'Dust Bowl Days' Return As Oklahoma Storm Causes Highway Pileup

the desert

I'm parched. I open my mouth to speak and the dry skin of my palate is grated by tongue. Words collide into each other, a shredded cheese attempt at articulation. Jaw clenched, I swallow to dredge up saliva. My throat reflexes to pull the liquid upwards but the scant fluid that makes it's way past the epiglottis evaporates in the desert of my mouth. I move to speak again, to ask for their patience but the effort only draws air in, vaporizing communication. Need relief. Curt words of excuse pop into my mind, ambushed in my gray matter by system failure. Hard disk failure detected. System will close down in 10 seconds. 
1- 2...
One finger raised, I frantically pause the non-interchange.
3-4...
water, need water. 
5-6...I grip my ever present relief. The bottle tilts, water flowing out freely. My mouth baby birds upwards, liquid waterfalling down my chin as the pool in my mouth overflows. I swallow and hand-dry the water on my lower face. 
 Smiling in relief, I turn to renew my dialogue with the couple. "Now, how can I help you?"   
     

Ain' happenin'

Several things happened today I would have written on extensively in order to fulfill my blogpost for the day-- interviews (some thoughts- or a description- haven't really decided yet), a thank you note (a few tears here), a friend. But it's late (for me- after 11, OMG!!!) and I just learned today that if you don't get at least 6 hours of rest, your insulin levels will be low and you will eat more and craaaave more sugar -which is already a staple in my diet so I can't afford more. So I must go to bed. Check out a post from earlier this week if you want to read something more like an actual post (at least from me). Oh and...

The "No.... Thank you!" award goes to Delores at The Feathered Nest. Here is a woman of varied interest. She photographs burial plots for families who are interested in seeing the location where a loved one's interns are interned, and she cooks (great recipes for those who are trying to create a healthy diet), writes poetry (among other things) and has her very own stalkers (like me!).

A text game

Nothing untoward. You get points for recognizing the movie musical and coming up with a new one from the same musical or coming up with a new one that matches it for memory and sentimentality.  Any takers? (If you can name 5 of 6, I'll add you to my google chat and we'll play a few rounds! :)

Her: Cellophane, Mr cellophane shoulda been my name

me: Lol. He had it coming, he had it coming

 

Her: When your good to mama

 

Me: And all that jazzz.. that jazz!

 

Her:  My gift is my song, and these words are for you, and you can't tell everybody that this is your song

 

Me: We can be heroes for ever and ever what d'you say

 

Her: Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight, Roxanne

 

Me: One day I'll fly away Leave all this to yesterday Why live life from dream to dream And dread the day when dreaming ends

 

Her: Its the circle of life, and it moves us all, through despair and hope

 

Me: Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things

 

Her: Oh I just can't wait to be king, everybody looking left, everybody look right, every where you look I'm standing spotlight

 

Me: Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze

 

Her: The  bare necessities, the simple bare necessities, that's why a bear can't rest at ease, the simple bare necessities of life.

 

Me: We're your friend, we're your friend, we're your friend to the bitter end! the bitter end

 

Her: I admit that in the past I've been a nasty They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch But you'll find that nowadays I've mended all my ways Repented, seen the light and made a switch True? Yes

 

Me: Very good. That one trumped any I could give now-except... He's a tramp but they love him. Breaks a new heart everyday. He's a tramp they adore him and I only hope he'll stay that way.

 

She almost beat me with the witch from 'The Little Mermaid' but I think I pulled up a good one- although she hasn't responded yet. 'Her' is my daughter so I guess you can see what her childhood was full of. 

If you must know...

I am just phonin' it in tonight (like I've done a few other nights/days recently- so what's new? What was I thinking to join NaBloWriMo this year? And yes, I am an overachiever.). I had a busy, labor intensive day. My shoulders and feet hurt- my ankles are swollen and even my ribs are sore. So this one is going to be a picture that I took recently that captures autumn for me this year (and every year): 

I moved this flower outside to have it framed in gold...

(I should add as an addendum- it's not really phoning it in when I post pictures. I always takes me longer than I thought to select one, edit it, adding my name to the picture, etc. If I really wanted to phone it in, I'd tell you I was phoning it in and leave it at that, wouldn't I?)

Here's lookin at you kid!

Moving on through my list of "no... Thank you!" Great comments award awardees, I wanted to introduce you to Ian from Views from the Bald Patch. Another writer, he is a writer of fantasy, is in the midst of several projects and has built a fantastic pirate ship for his kids in the backyard as part of the project he was working on at the time. It's really amazing, you should check it out. (BTW: none of the recipients of the 'Great Comments Award' need pass it on. The great thing about this award is that it gives me a chance to thank my commenters. If you don't want to pass it on because then it means that your followers will feel obligated to do the same, I should tell you there have been a few of these awards that though I was thrilled with the thoughtfulness, I did pass on passing those on- SO NO FEELINGS WILL BE HURT!) Anyway, while I was there saying hello, he passed on a "Look at that" tag. (And since I was looking for something to do for my blog post...) So what you do is, what it is is, so it's like... here's the deal: Count up the 'LOOK's in your current WIP and choose your favorite three, then post the paragraphs around the word. And I'm taking it on:       

1. Her fake grin dissolves. Thick webs of tangled braids oscillate around her counterfeit affability. She smiles wryly. “Lookin’ to tell Martha Money how she will meet the love of her life.”

2. The original bridge stretches out alongside the highway. Henry Flagler would burst the buttons of his sacque suit if he beheld the remains of his folly still in use by the state of Florida for the infrastructure of Highway One, while the skeletal remnants of the “eighth wonder of the world” point knotted knuckles at the haunted tresses of the past. The view from the Bahai Honda Bridge is stunning, exposing a wide island vista. I dissolve into the liquid looking glass

Arms fall uselessly, dead wood at my side. My body lurches, reflexively seeking to    expel,        inhale. A beam of sunlight shimmers on the surface but fades and wanes as I sink down, down…  Kick. 

3. My ear piercing shriek resoun–  Ernesto’s face remains incongruently impassive. The young waitress across the bar scans her territory wildly indifferent. A Hemingway look-alike hugging his gin and tonic glances up, slurs something about “one thrue thring” then ascetically renews his devotion. Self-absorbed disinterest forces placidity. Like watching the news not report on political corruption. I screamed, didn’t I?   

I actually didn't have many to choose from so hope you enjoyed them! Oh and go ahead and take it if you want it, if not, NO FEELINGS WILL BE HURT! 

When a dog bites, when a bee stings...

Music

The ocean at sunset

and Poinciana flowers 

 Four weddings and a funeral

 

and warm pecan pie

pictured from: Simply Recipes

Well lit up Christmas trees and 

blue skies in spring

these are a few of my favorite things!