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Words of kindness are works of kindness, and since they cost so little and are worth so much, we should strew them plentifully all along life's way.
~Modern Proverbs
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"The heavens declare the glory of God..." Psalm 19:1
Friday, February 28, 2003
And I haven't even read any of his books though I had Coraline checked out from the library one time
The only one for you is Neil Gaiman!
Yeah, too bad for you he's married. But you can
join the ranks of screaming fan girls just in
case anyways. Check him out at:
http://neilgaiman.com
What SF writer will you marry?
brought to you by Quizilla
Friday Five
1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)? Without a doubt, science fiction novels are my favorite type of literature to read, with mysteries, and poetry coming in second and third.
2. What is your favorite novel? I couldn't possible name a favorite novel. I've read soooo many over the years. But, I can give you the title of the book that started it all for me. That was
Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting. That was the first chapter book I read. That was in the 4th grade.
3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!) When I first started writing poetry I also started reading poetry. One of the first poets I discovered was Langston Hughes. I don't think any poem has displaced his The Negro Speaks of Rivers as my favorite poem. I also enjoy the poems of Archibald MacLeish and Mary Oliver.
4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read? I'd like to read the
KJV Holy Bible from start to finish. I've been a Christian for a number of years, and I read the Bible, but I haven't read it through from cover to cover.
5. What are you currently reading? I've recently finished reading several books, and have just started a new one titled Exit Sherlock Holmes by Robert Lee Hall
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Theme ThursdayAs suggested by Sue Bailey, this week's theme is space. She wrote about it, "'Space': a shot of the full moon or your kids dressed up in space suits, or a vast, open landscape, a prairie, a desert, rolling hills? Spaces occur in all sorts of silly places; if you have a cat, you'll already know this, and probably have a collection of photographs of it in spaces where it shouldn't be. Or is space your *personal* space: your bath full of bubbles, the gym, the bar where everyone knows your name, your little den all snuggly and warm? 'Space' is a wide open subject."
Gee, I don't know if I have anything to say about space except that, to paraphrase Buster Baxter, all the really good stories happen out there, but I did really like this picture when I found it over at ArtMagick. Plus, of course, how many poems have been written after a bit of inspiration by our silver friend?The Flirt
by DSB
From behind whispy clouds
the man in the moon
flirts with me.
Wow.
Wow. JK revamped the Phoenix APA homepage AND IT LOOKS GREAT. Phoenix is one of three APAs to which I belong. I have a tremendous amount of fun with it.
Don't know what an APA is? Here's a blurb from JK:So what the heck is a "Phoenix APA" anyway? Glad you asked! We're an amateur press association with a general interest theme, covering a wide range of fandom, from comic books, science fiction, fantasy and video games to the latest flicks, music, television and more. We're also a venue for aspiring artists and writers to perfect their craft, obtain feedback and discuss their work with fellow creators. So if you have an interest in turning pro, want to share your creative side or just want to talk about your hobbies, Phoenix is for you!
How it works: Phoenix is published quarterly, with deadlines falling on the third Friday in February, May, August and November. Members are required to contribute four pages of original material every two issues. What members contribute, though, is up to them ... it could be artwork, fiction, non-fiction articles, reviews, comic strips, comments on other people's stuff, or even an update on what's been going on in their lives.
Members then make copies of their contribution (or zine, as they are called), and send them off to the central mailer, who assembles everyone's zines into a single book - Phoenix! Members are also responsible for keeping a positive account balance with the central mailer in order to cover the cost of postage, envelopes and the printing of covers.
Words and more words
In yet another email, my aunt sends this:
For all you lexiophiles (lovers of words):
1. A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.
2. What's the definition of a will? It's a dead giveaway.
3. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In democracy it's your vote that counts; In feudalism it's your count that
votes.
6. She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off.
7. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
8. If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
9. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
10. Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I'll show you A-flat minor.
11. When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
12. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
13. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum
Blownapart.
14. You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
15. Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under.
16. He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
17. Every calendar's days are numbered.
18. A lot of money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine.
19. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
20. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
21. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
22. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at
large.
23. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
24. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
25. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
26. When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.
27. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
28. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
29. Acupuncture is a jab well done.
30. Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.
Bring on the donuts
My uncle sent this info in an email this morning.
Hamtramck Polish Day
Celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday ushers in Lent, Polish Day (Paczki Day) is the Detroit area's answer to Mardi Gras. The celebration is named for the confections similar to jelly-filled doughnuts that are sold by the millions of dozens each year. Paczki were introduced to the area by Polish immigrants who settled in Hamtramck.
Or Blog
My aunt set me the following email this morning. I can really relate to it because dusting is almost the last thing on my list of priorities. The only thing less important to me is cleaning the toilet.
Some truths about dusting:
"A house becomes a home when you can write "I love you" on the furniture."
I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING! I
used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just
perfect -"in case someone came over". Then I realized one day that no one
came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of my
home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing
while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this
out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to
paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the
difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
music to hear and books to read,
friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,
a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go - and go you must -
you, yourself will make more dust!
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of
life you have lived.
I didn't see that many movies last year
Even though I didn't see that many movies last year, I participated in the AOL 8th annual Moviegoers Awards. These were my choices.
Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'
Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'
Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, 'Sweet Home Alabama'
Best Supporting Actor: Ian McKellen, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'
Best Supporting Actress: Miranda Otto, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'
Best Director: Peter Jackson, 'The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers'
Hottest Kiss: Kirsten Dunst/Tobey Maguire, 'Spider-Man'
Most Unforgettable Scene: Yoda Faces Off Against Count Dooku, 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones'
Best Line: "Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-Man." -- Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) in 'Spider-Man'
Best Song: 'Hero' -- Chad Kroeger, 'Spider-Man'
Gee, it looks like the only movies I saw last year were The Two Towers, Spiderman, and Attack of the Clones. That's not quit true. I also saw Black Hawk Down, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Chamber of Secrets, Spy Kids II, Star Trek Nemesis, The Santa Claus II. There were probably a couple of others but I can't think of them right now.
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
It's from the Library
In fact, I am such a Star Wars fan that I've got SW EP II on DVD from the library. This is only about the fourth time we'll have seen it. Part of the reason is that we recently bought a DVD player. The movie should look good on it.
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Star Wars News
Yes, I confess, I'm a Star Wars fan (as I suspect are many of you). So, this little blurb was fun to read.This from scifiweekly.com
Star Wars Cartoon Coming
The Cartoon Network announced that it will be airing a series of original animated shorts set in the Star Wars universe, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, entitled Clone Wars, will include 20 shorts, each about three minutes in length. It will be set in the time period between Star Wars: Episode II and Star Wars: Episode III, the trade paper reported.Cartoon Network Studios, headed by Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Samurai Jack and Dexter's Lab, will produce in association with Lucasfilm Ltd. Clone Wars is set to premiere on the Cartoon Network in November.
Monday, February 24, 2003
Monday Mission
1. Has anyone ever told you that you needed to lose weight or change something about yourself physically? Who told you and what impact did it have on your life? Your perception of yourself? I've been overweight most of my life. That means when I was in school there were those (you know who you are) who tomented me with awful taunts and at times even physical abuse. Needless to say, all of that bullying did not elevate my self-esteem. As an adult, I have come to terms with all of that so that I do at least think well of myself these days.
2. Do enjoy the snow and cold weather? No.
3. Visualize the perfect winter evening. Are you alone or with someone? How does the evening start? How does it end, and everything in-between. The perfect evening, anytime, is a quiet evening at home with my husband and foster children. Of course, a good science fiction film thrown into the mix always helps.
4. I've noticed that people I work with, even no more than 6 feet away, would rather e-mail me a message than turn around and speak to me. Same goes for voice mail, I find I get more calls when I am away than when I am available to speak to someone. So many things that could be said face-to-face are now accomplished electronically. Do you think that technology has had allowed relationships and human interaction to become less personal? Is this a good thing? Perhaps technology has caused relationships to become less personal, but for me, I now talk to so many people whom I would not even know if it weren't for the Internet. Email keeps me in touch with some relatives that I would otherwise never be in touch with.
5. One thing I've always wanted to learn is how to juggle. I'm pretty good with my hands, so I am sure I could do it. Yet, I've never made the commitment to sit down and learn how. Is there anything you've been meaning to learn, that you can learn, but haven't? (or maybe you have?) Not really, I would like to spend more time writing poetry, though.
6. On the other side of the coin, there is photography. As much as I'd like to, I will never be as great at it as others. And I am OK with that, still I wish I had the gifts that others have. What skills or talents have you wished that you possessed that you most likely never will? Are you content with that? I wish I could sing. It is probably the one talent I envy in others.
7. "AudioBlogs" are a twist on text blogs, where the blogger posts audio files instead of writing their entries. Not far behind the curve are VideoBlogs. While I've tinkered with Audio posts before, I think it excludes too many people and personally, I feel the written word has a deeper impact. What do you think of the concept of "AudioBlogs?" Would you like to hear the voice of your favorite bloggers occasionally? Would you rather listen to or read your favorite Blogs? Plain old blogs are fine with me. I wouldn't waste my time on audio or video blogs.
BONUS: How deep is your love? It is nothing in comparison to the depth of love God has for His creation.
Today's Comment Question: How many hours of sleep do you usually get each night? I prefer nine, but of course that doesn't always happen. Oh, yeah, and a nap in the afternoons!
UPDATED: The Pastor's Perspective. "Paul had learned through many trials that the good our hearts desire, and the blessings we long to see, don't come simply because we want them." ~Mike Kozowski
Sunday, February 23, 2003
Friday Five
1. What is your most prized material possession? Photographs of my family and I from when I was a toddler. Such photos are irreplacable. I actually have a negative of a photo of my mother from when she was about 3 years old. I don't know if it is possible to still get prints from it, but I should try.
2. What item, that you currently own, have you had the longest? I have a spanish style painting of a mother and child that I purchased at a school fund raiser for 10 cents. That was when I was in the 7th grade.
3. Are you a packrat? Yes, and so is my husband.
4. Do you prefer a spic-and-span clean house? Or is some clutter necessary to avoid the appearance of a museum? In an ideal world I would have a spic and span house, but that just doesn't happen around here. I'm too lazy. There are more important things than cleaning house!
5. Do the rooms in your house have a theme? Or is it a mixture of knick-knacks here and there? My decorating motto is "an empty space is an unhappy space." You take it from there.
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
- UPDATED: The Pastor's Perspective. "The truth is, world events shape themselves around spiritual realites; and all vital events in our lives are determined in the heavens." ~Mike Kozowski
Monday, February 17, 2003
What Pattern Are You?
Monday Mission
1. For me, breakfast usually consists of a bagel and cream cheese. And I wait until about 10AM to eat it, mostly to avoid eating a mid-morning snack. What do you like to eat for breakfast? Do you even eat breakfast? I'm not a breakfast eater, however, I know that breakfast is an important meal of the day especially during a weight-loss program. Because of that, I've started using a liquid supplement like Slimfast. It has lots of vitamins and minerals and only 220 calories.
2. Back in 1990, I worked at a radio station in the Promotions Department. Our office was directly below the DJ booth. One day there was this thundering bass booming from upstairs. It was just a huge booming sound, with an amazing beat. My manager and I bolted out of the office and up the stairs to the production room. When we opened the door I was smacked in the body by a wall of sound. What I heard reminded me of "Super Freak" but the bass was thumping like I'd never heard before. Then the vocals began, it was a "rap" I would never forget: "My, my, my music hits me so hard, makes me say 'Oh, My Lord, thank you for blessin' me, with a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet.'" The song was MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" and it blew my mind. What was the song that "blew your mind" and is etched in your brain forever? Recall the moment and why it remains in your mind. There was an album by Paul McCartney and Wings that struck me as pretty awesome the first time I heard it. It contained the song "Live and Let Die" from the James Bond movie of the same name. Whew! Though I never did own it or anything.
3. Do you like to gamble? Have you ever won (or lost) big? No, don't gamble anymore. I used to buy a lottery ticket every once in a while, but I never won. So, I'd be sitting there with a losing ticket and wondering why life was so unfair! How silly.
4. Some people find comfort for their troubled mind in food. Others find it in music or books. What do you turn to for comfort when you are troubled or worried? The Bible.
5. When was the last time you felt apathetic? What was it about? Who cares, it's over now anyway.
6. I just read that Google bought Pyra Labs (Blogger.com). Although Blogging was going "mainstream" before this, it most certainly will now have greater exposure, and one assumes, bring us even more Bloggers. Is this a good thing? Blogging is fun. The more the merrier, I guess. As long as it stays free. I have too much going on online to be paying for every little thing.
7. What did you do with all your freetime before you blogged? Spent more time with other hobbies, I suppose, like my creative writing. Oh, yes, I do have a family around here (somewhere), too.
Sunday, February 16, 2003
A very interesting book
So, I was at my favorite used book store yesterday and I found one called Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. Now I have only read one other Moon book. It was a collaboration with Anne McCaffrey titled Sasinak. It was pretty good. Anyway, this book was so interesting, i.e. good, that it caused me to interupt my reading of a Julie Czerneda book, To Trade the Stars. Remnant Population is about an elderly woman who refuses to leave the colony planet she has called home for more than forty years. So, when all the other colonists leave, she hides in the forest. She is left behind, but doesn't mind. She finds she enjoys her solitude. The one day another colony ship arrives. It lands several hundred kilometers from where she lives, but she is able to listen, via radio equipment left behind at her colony site, to its communications with the mother ship. She is horrified when all of the colonists are killed by a indiginous population no one knew was on the planet.
This is as far as I am in the book. Like I said, a very good read so far.
Friday, February 14, 2003
A favorite new quote
So I picked up this book from my favorite used book store (otherwise known as the Goodwill). It is a fantasy. Now, I don't usually read fantasies, but this one sounded good. It is called Once Upon A Winter's Night by Dennis L. McKiernan. It is apparently based on a fairy tale he used to read when he was a kid, only it's very much enlarged to be how he thinks it should have been told in the first place.
Anyway, in the section "about the author" McKiernan says:I have spent a great deal of my life looking through twilights and dawns seeking--what? ah yes, I remember--seeking signs of wonder, searching for pixies and fairies and other such, looking in tree hollows and under snow laden bushes and behind waterfalls and across wooded, moonlit dells.
Friday Five
1. Explain why you started to journal/blog. Because several people I know had started one and it looked like fun!
2. Do people you interact with day to day or family members know about your journal/blog? Why or why not? Most family members know I have a blog. I don't think many of them look at it on a daily basis. As for people with whom I interact day to day, I only tell them if the subject of the Internet and webpages comes up. Then I figure they are interested. If the subject doesn't come up, I figure they are not interested.
3. Do you have a theme for your journal/blog? I have three blogs: this one for general ramblings; I Read More which is a log of the books I read each month; and The Agreeable Companion which is a diary of my (largely unsuccessful) weight-loss efforts.
4. What direction would you like to have your journal/blog go in over the next year? I like my blogs the way they are, thank you very much.
5. Pimp five of your favorite journals/blogs. Maximum Verbosity, Dessert Mermaid, Weekly Weight-loss Blog Prompts, Phoenix APA news, Romantic SF and Fantasy Novels forum (okay, so it's not a blog, but I do visit it almost daily and I don't visit many blogs on a daily basis).
Favorite daily comics
My local newspaper is running a survey. The last time they ran a survey asking about favorite/least favorite daily comics it was because it was changing the daily line-up. That was a few years ago. So, along with the survey comes a chance to win a $250 gift certificate from an area shopping center. So, why not. I filled it out. I actually enjoyed the chance to sound off about the strips I don't like.Least favorite
- Cathy
- Sherman's Lagoon
- Herman
- Loose Parts
- Peanuts
Favorite
- For Better or Worse
- Grizzwells
- Garfield
- Frank & Earnest
- Dilbert
Sunday, February 09, 2003
- UPDATED: The Pastor's Perspective. "When [David] found himself carrying a load that was too much for him, he simply approached his Heavenly Father in prayer and said, "Father, I need Your help, this is too much for me, and I don't know what to do." ~Mike Kozowski
Thursday, February 06, 2003
Theme Thursday
The Place Where You Live
This week's theme has to do with our surroundings. Take a picture of something that you feel is a good representation of the city, town, state, province, country, etc. etc. that you live in.This is a pretty image (left) of Chehalis taken from behind the area we live. The hillside is the view we have from home. In 1851 the land that is now the city of Chehalis was part of Stuart Schuyler Saunders' 640-acre claim. In 1872 that land was incorporated into the city of Saundersville. The name was later changed to Chehalis. I've lived in Chehalis for almost 30 years. Before that I grew up in a small town SE of Chehalis. It's not a bad place to live exept when the floods come. There is almost no high ground to most of the city and quite a substantial portion of it is under water during the worst floods. I won't mention the crop circles that crop up everysooften in a corn field south of Chehalis except to say there is a portion of our population who insist the circles are caused by ETs, but most folks including the students themselves think the circles are merely the prank of over zealous college students! (BTW, these photos are not mine, found them online).
Really? I thought I'd rather be alone!
What Poetry Form Are You?
I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile.
Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away
I let mine out, and chatter all the while.
I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day
Is any day that's spent without a friend,
With nothing much to do or hear or say.
I like to be with people, and depend
On company for being entertained;
Which seems a good solution, in the end.
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