Gratitude list:
1. Chinese food.
2. Coronary implants.
GS
Rhoda,
Egad, I knew you were a republican, but now you’ve come right out and said so in the Notebook. That means you are now fair game for attacks by dyed-in-the-wool democrats such as myself. I suppose, now, that means your going to support that lame-%*^ed George W. How can you respect a party that doesn’t even have the smarts to field a candidate that would be a shoe-in against against the lackluster AL Gore? McCain would have stomped Gore.
Well, the Texas panhandle is a fitting exile for a person of such political acumen. At least if he loses (and I fervently pray that he does,) you will still get to have him for Governor.
All,
For those of you who may have missed the news, a pair of Britney Spears signed jeans is the leading bid getter in a Yahoo charity auction. The lowest bid getter is a signed pair of Hugh Heffner's jeans. Britney’s drawers are up over six grand with two days left in the bidding. Heffner’s, a sorry three-hunert ‘n thirty-five. The Spears cupcake-huggers would have brought a lot more, but somebody neglected to have them certified ‘un-laundered.’
Don’t look at me, I just report this stuff.
GS
Working on my autobiography. Two posts in Novel section of workbook. The posts are connected, I'm working on theme right now. This wasn't my planned thematic tack, but it seems to work so I'm following it.
My grand venture into the blues is lifting. So nice to see so many good thoughts posted here.
Gratitude list cont'd
18. A higher power (sometimes called God)
19. That I am aware of my needs
20. That I can discern good examples
21. A boss who wants to give me more responsibility
22. Two paid-up cars
23. Medical Insurance
24. Sun screen (I just had 24 pre-cancerous keretoses removed)
25. To be alive and living in America
That was a tough list to finish. I can say that my old mentor was right, "Your attitude at the beginning will change to something much different at the end."
Tina,
Thank you for the critique. You pointed out some things no one else has brought to my attention before, and I found this most helpful.
I have looked over your story in the Workbook and have e-mailed you some comments and suggestions.
What a day! I found out I have 17 picacuries of radon in my house. Christian private schools in Tulsa are much larger, more expensive and harder to get into than Christian schools here and in Farmington. We will have to mitigate the radon before we move. Man, this moving is expensive!!! It hasn't helped that I have had to replace a car window, the transmission, etc. etc. I have sung this sad song here before. I will not do so again.
I will probably have to get a day job after I move. What will I do? What shall I be? Hamburger flipper at MacDonald's? Checkout girl at Walmart? Chemist? Lab Tech? Shop clerk? After 12 years out of the job market, what am I good for? And my writing? Will I still have time for it? Will I ever get my discipline back? Oh dear, I think I am experiencing my fourth or fifth mid-life crisis. I have had one of these every other year or so since my thirtieth birthday. Well, at least I haven't had Howard's problems. There is little worse than plumbing problems. Hang in there, Howard.
I think it is time for bed. A good night's sleep is what the doctor ordered for times like this.
Night all,
Rhoda
It seems like it has been a long time since I last posted, but it realy hasn't been. School is very time consuming, I am taking a class that prepares people to become certified in microsoft networking, but it's a realy hard class, I finaly found a class that I can learn something from!
Hmmmm, things I am grateful for:
1) good music
2)nice people
3)helpful people
4)my muse
5)that people think I am different
6)a good family
7)all the good things in life.
These are in no order, other than the order which they appear on the page %)
Everyone have a good day, night, afternoon, whatever time it is for you!
~Jessica
PS make somebody feel special today!
Tina:
Like, Tina, can I like come over and like have some?
Like, sounds good.
Why am I doing that? That is how my sister used to talk with her like friends. Then they all went to like Amherst College. Phew! One of them used to make their own food too. I'll bet yours is good.
Debra
Tina - I also can not stand those Norich Union commercials. I just shudder when they come on.
Things I am grateful for... That would be life, love and and all that they bring with them. I am grateful even for things that don't go my way, or weren't exactly what I expected or wanted. I am grateful for everything that is mine to experience. Then of course there are the basics of family, friends, home to live in, food to eat. I'm pretty easy to please. If you are happy with the good and the bad then you are pretty much set.
Howard, I feel for you and the plumbing woes. Had the very same woes earlier this year, and ended up writing a sweet ode to the pool on the basement floor, though foul-smelling was the inspiration.
Tamara, please be more specific in your quest to find information on how to write what it is you wish to write. Very hard to inform you in general! Welcome!
(ie: Do you want to know specifics on grammar, puncutation, style, format, ideas, approaches, exposition, narratives, how to utilize certain points of view in writing, dialogue, essay-style writing? Do you just want to sit down and write a story that's been knocking back and forth in your mind for a while, and need to know how to start? Give us the goods!
Hi everyone!
Back later...
Heather
well....
i have been searfing the net trying to download info on how to write any particular kind of text, no cigar. i have found many general and inspiring comments for writers in general, but finding specifics does not seem to be out there...
fiction-romance-non-fiction...
please help.
Hadda take a vacation day today to make some emergency plumbing repairs. The vent pipe broke/came apart in the cellar, and we awoke yesterday to a house full of methane. Ooooccchhhhh!
Just another thing to keep me away from my writing. It seems lately that if I do get a chance to sit at the keyboard (when I'm not on the roof, Mark) I suffer from an acute case of 'brain fart."
On my "grateful" list I've added - 1) that the apple tree didn't roll *all* the way over on my leg 2) Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss," 3) 1 John 1:9 4) (these are not in any special order) a wife and family who love me.
MARK -- I've been thinking a lot about what you posted about your desire for freedom to do what you need to do, and I understand. But the only thing I can say for now is anyone can grow to his potential if given the space (or makes the space by moving on). The real trick is to do it within the limitations we've found/placed ourselves in. Honor demands that.
Just added 5) Judy Collins' "Send in the Clowns."
Rhoda, I finally posted a crit for you in the workbook!
T.J.
Debra,
Cook! Sweet and sour pork, and fried rice! And enough for left overs. So so so so yummy.
(If anyone's noticing a trend here, I love food).
TTFN
Tina
Tina:
Cook Chinese food? Or get Chinese food?
Debra
Hello!
Debra, Heather, I would like to strangle the poor excuse for an advertiser who thinks up those commercials! Norich Union commercials make me want to heave. So do ads for most car sales lots. There's always another smarmy salesperson to make me ill!
On the other hand, some advertising campaigns and commercials are brilliant. AT&T had a great run last year. (music please) "Right here, right now, there is no other place I want to be." It was excellent. There's an ad in Scientific American this month for amazon.com that I love; babies in those clear hospital cribs, reading books. I love good advertisements! :~) I also admire good graphic design, like the new (ish) designs on our RCMP vehicles.
Gotta go cook chinese food!
T.J.
Heather:
That was a very moving story. I usually don't go for those rustic stories. I read this one all the way threw. Is it fact or fiction? I really couldn't tell.
That is a compliment.
I give you thumbs up.
Debra
Heather:
No I don't. So far so good. You never know what's around the corner.
Debra
Heather:
One more pet peeve, giant spiders making a web across the driver seat and the stering wheel.
How big? Car accident big. Can you imagine if he wasn't home when I got into the car and came back when I was on the road?
auuughg!
That was me yesterday. My skin is still crawling.
MOMMIEE!
Debra
Whew! Ok, I posted the short again. Although, sometimes first times really are the charm. I managed to post it this time with a typo. Grrrrr.
Debra: I must be missing out on a pet peeve! I haven't seen the stolen wallet commercial.
Do you get those stupid Norrich Union (tm) commercials?
AAAUUGHGHGHG (strangled cry).
Heather
Heather:
I want to jump through the TV and grab her and the other her by the neck and say," You've been robbed. Get over it! No one is going to give you your money back! Call a friend or a relative and get on with it." Jeeze.
Debra
Debra, I agree.
Just as bad are those life insurance commercials with the has-been actors. You know they're only doing the commercial because they've spent every last cent of the money they made doing sitcoms in the 50's, 60's or 70's. Sad, really. The commercials are so cheap they must be pretty desperate.
Another note for you, Debra! I'm posting a short story I wrote in June in the workbook (short story section). The story has a mixture of passive and active voice, because of the different speakers and the fact that what is being said is basically a memory in the beginning of the story. The ending is different, and so I did it in a different way. I wanted to post it again because it does have passive voice in it, and I don't know how else I could have written it.
I also made a few minor changes to it, on the advice of some NBers made when it was originally posted.
Oh! And one more... I still add two spaces ahead of each new sentence when I write. Old habits from grade nine typing class don't die at all!
I think it looks professional, and is the easiest way to ensure that your manuscript is clear and presentable.
I also double space my novel as I go, but I'm sure I could double space it when I'm finished, with some function on my word processor I haven't yet discovered. But it's so much easier for me to print it out and edit it - I have space in between each line to write in my own comments and corrections.
Without further ado, I have four pages to re-type into the WB....
Heather
Heather:
Okay Heather, let me add to your complete list of pet peeves.
I can't stand those commercials of women whom have been robbed and are whining on the phone to some athourities. They are taking women back over a hundred years or more.
Example:
"you don't understand everything is in that cab sniff sniff whine whine,"
Or how about this one
"yea uh my wallet, my husband's wallet, Scuse me! I only turned around for one second," whine whine.
Where is the mute button!!!!!!!!
Debra
Heather:
You really gave that a lot of thought.
I could simply say:
What Heather said goes for me too.
Debra
My saying that could be yet another pet peeve.
A Pet Peeve List!
How delightful... to add some.
Here are the things that natter on my nerves:
1) People who ride your ass on an OPEN highway, but never pass you.
2) Spilling hot coffee on that funny little space of shirt that can't be hidden with your jacket, and won't dry before the meeting.
3) The knock of the Jehovah's Witness. And the speech.
4) Wet towels bunched up on the floor. Hasn't anyone noticed the abundance of towel racks?
5) Uncancelled stamps. You feel cheap taking them off and re-using them, but you can't stand wasting them, either.
6) Toothbrushes with handles too wide to fit into that nifty toothbrush holder you bought.
7) Gas gauges that read 'empty' when you're certain you just put in thirty bucks of gas three weeks ago.
8) Junk mail and coupons for things you'll never buy in ten lifetimes. But they're better than bills.
9) Commercials for night creams with a model applying it on top of an air-brushed makeup job. Or, women in TV shows that wear makeup to bed.
10) Ads for fitness gyms where nobody in the ad actually needs to be there. In fact, most of them need to gain a few pounds.
11) Thank you cards that don't come with envelopes.
12) Bills that say 'thank-you for choosing ______', when in fact, if you want to heat your house or drink water, you have to choose them.
13) Ambulances with 'ECNALUBMA' painted on them so you can read it in the rearview mirror. I think the boxy vehicle with flashing lights and siren are clues enough.
14) The kid that has to scream continuously at the toy store, and the parent who doesn't see a problem with that.
15) Things that are sold without batteries, lids, the rest of the set, or other vital parts. I hope those blinds I ordered come with the pull-string. Window sold seperately.
16) Neighbours who look at you strangely, as if you're taking out the garbage in your underwear. And if I did, would they mind not gasping and pointing? It's too early in the morning.
17) Oh, yes, that reminded me. Mornings.
18) CAPS LOCK BUTTONS
19) Plaster walls. Won't someone please save me from taking twenty trips to the hardware store because I can't seem to find the right sized plastic plug? My key holder is hanging at an odd angle and it's really nattering my nerves.
Screws and polyfilla (tm) just aren't enough.
20) Hardware stores that sell everything but the one part you're looking for. Or they sell it in fifty packs, and you only want one.
21) Dimmer switches that defy their purpose and only respond with 'nuclear-bright' or 'almost midnight'.
22) Laundry that doesn't fold itself.
Heather
Okay thanks all:
Before, I was getting it. (passive)
Now, I got it. (active)
I don't want to bog down my writing. I do want my writing to reflect what is going on around me. My question, is natural speech full of active or passive? Is it a combination of 50/50 or something else? I will pay close attention to everything I hear. Then I will know (active)
I can't wait to post my next story.
phew.
Tomorrow the things I am grateful for.
Debra
Shakespeare was a detail-oriented craftsman who worked very hard to make the language of every play underscore his themes. For 300 or 400 years the usual critique of Hamlet has been his inability to make a decision. The play hinges on that inability. This is a kid who comes home from college (at a school with a reputation for turning out philosophers). He finds on arrival that his father is dead and his mother has married his uncle -- this in a society that calls such marriages incestuous. What's he to do? Then the ghost visits and tells Hamlet, "I was murdered." NOW what's he to do?
He wants the truth, he wants to save his mother. How does a philosopher handle THIS? Scan the play and pay attention to Hamlet's words. There are clear distinctions between the passive voice sections and the active voice sections. Unless they study the play, Shakespeare's language works on the audience subliminally. The passive and active signal us discreetly that Hamlet is indecisive or decisive and we receive the signals with minimal effort. It works and we don't have to think to 'get' it.
In much the same way, Juliet's father continually calls "More Light" in Romeo and Juliet. Yes, the whole play moves in scenes of light and dark, but Capulet is reinforced as a man who will only believe the evidence of his vision. We all know someone who must see to believe, Capulet becomes a believable person by his call for more light and we don't have to think much to make the asscoiation.
Shakespeare worked awfully hard to ensure that the audience got clear and consistent images from his characters. It's certainly fair to call him a genius, but when I look at the careful placement of symbolic images in ALL his work, I admire his perspiration more than his inspiration.
Things are getting really bad when I start addressing posts to myself.
Ten things I am grateful for:
1.) Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation, not only available to myself but to all who ask. And the abundant life He has given me.
2.) My husband Frank who has stood with me through occassional bouts of folly these 17 years. His kindness, his patience, his gentleness... (I could go on and on).
3.)Barbara
4.)Russell
5.)Daniel
6.) Precious friends I have had the privedge to meet everywhere I have been.
7.) The United States of America--still the best as far as I am concerned.
8.)Wonderful parents, in-laws, my brothers and their families, and the privledge of being raised in a stable home by intelligent and loving parents.
9.)A good education with books availabe to foster it.
10.)The Republican party--not perfect by any means, but still the best of all choices. (I have to put this down, being an election year and all).
Rhoda
On the subject of passive voice and passive writing. It is best to avoid it, of course, but you cannot totally eliminate it.
TO BE or not TO BE
That IS the question.
Whether it IS nobler in the mind
To suffer the slings and arrows of outragous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing, end them.
I have had English teacher after English teacher wax elegant on the importance of eliminating the to be verb. I think the rule on passive speech is that if you overdo it, it bogs your writing down and any reader can tell when it is overused.
Happy writing!
Rhoda
Here is the top ten things I am greatful for:
10. That I was raised in a loving, Christian home. As I get older, I realize just how rare that is.
9. That I met and married my husband. He and I are the perfect match.
8. That, after so many sad and heartbreaking tries, we finally had our daughter.
7. Really good, well written books, specifically romances and/or mysteries.
6. Really good, well written and directed movies, specifically actions or thrillers.
5. The discovery and subsequent explosion in the use of the Internet.
4. That God saw fit to give me this gift of writing, that came as a surprise to me when I was 26.
3. That I learned that I also had the gift of cake decorating. It may seem like a small thing to some, but I have yet to charge for a cake that I do, and they bring such joy to anyone they're made for.
2. My wonderful job. As much as I look forward to the day I can quit and finally write full time, I couldn't ask for a better job or better bosses at this time in my life.
1. That Jesus Christ is my savior. This one is above and beyond any of the aforementioned items.
Now I must get this child of mine into the bath. (sigh)
Love to all!
Hallee
DEBRA -- A few more examples:
passive -- he is running
active -- he runs
passive -- he was shooting
active -- he shot
Passive formations have some form of the verb "to be" in them. I used to ask college freshmen to tell me what "is" means. They'd stare at me.
Gratitude List cont'd
10. Buffalo Bills football
11. old photographs
12. internet radio
13. electric razors
14. grass
15. slow traffic lights
16. fast film developing
17. community theater
more later,
Mark
HELLO!!!
I am home from New Zea.
Lovely place, good people.
I'll tell you all about it once I get myself fixed to the time zone diff.
NEWBIES?!?! (I know you're out there......) Seriously, though, are there any new faces? Welcome to the Notebook, please allow me to be of any assistance that I can during your stay here.
Your crazy ranting and raving woman,
Robi
P.S. I am a bit upset, a woman I met, a friend of the Professor who wrote the medical journal, ect. Called me ROBIN. I had to explain to her that my birth name was Robietta, and that Robi is what I go by. I had it when people persume that they know things that they don't. Anyway, off to collect myself. I seem to still be finding peices.
Well, made it back in one piece, following the great Labor Day camp out. Had a great time, despite the fact that it rained every night, and we only saw fifteen minutes of sun. I feel re-created again.
Mark, your wife sounds a lot like mine, god bless her soul, she has yet to read half of what I write. I guess turn-about is fair play, as when we were wed some thirty-one years ago, I failed to read her poetry. She has since quit writing, and moved on to needle work. She does not however interfere with my writing, as I write when nobody else is home, which is every Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.
Favorite things?
1. peace and quiet - the absence of sound
2. family, each and every member, being with them and enjoying their company.
3. Grand kids.
4. fans when it is hot, heaters when it is cold.
5. Star trek - any and all versions
6. '55 Cheveys
7. '49 Fords
8. camping
9. fishing
10 good writing and the writers who write it
Not so favorite things?
1. slanted newscasts
2. reckless drivers
3. loud noises
4. bad writing
5. slow internet speeds
6. microsoft - and the programs they corrupt
7. drought
8. hot sweltery days
9. cold women
10. drunks
Well off to the workbook to see what all the talk is about.
Jerry
Oops!
Sorry 'bout that...
It must be because I'm so twirked off!
I got to work today at 3:00CDT and read the long weekend's e-mail. There before me was an explaination of a class taught somewhere here on campus with a reminder that today was the last day to submit book-length manuscripts so that this class can pick one, edit the winner...and then PUBLISH it!
AARGH! as Charlie Brown would say.
Things I'm thankful for:
1. Everything that is, was and will be. (That's not too all-encompasing, is it?)
Anywho, I'd better get started on next year's manuscript for the publishing class.
Toodle-oo!
Jerry Lee
Jon:
I did say aggrasive but I meant to say active. I was thinking that Hallee, I think, felt that the problem was not resolved because Vicky was not aggresive enough. I thought it was solved because she accepted his touch and his coffee. The coffee was what she hated to leave in the first place. If it was a musshy ending and not what you expected please let me know in more detail.
I'm glad that my fraudien slip delighted you. I was really glad to get all of your crit's. I hope to post my next short story "Lynch Mob" I'm not quite finished yet.
If I don't sound too dumb,what is the danger of having too much of one and not enough of the other. Could someone please share that danger with me. I would like to understand that completely.
Thanks,
Debra
A little post to the empire (much smaller now, as it has shrunk because of inflation):
Debra:
You are been seen by me as a very sweet person. Please do not care too much about the passive and the active and the "agrassive" (a neologism invented by you and enjoyed by me). The passive is perfect, as the following example proves: you are loved by all of us.
Mark, your wife is right: much time with books and computers can damage your health.
Sasquatch, here is a list of things I'm grateful for: 3. my tenderness, 2. for you, 1. and everybody.
PS. I miss A*, my faithful secretary. Last time he was seen he was spitting vitriol on Putin's skalp for not helping the people in the submarine quicker than he did (or did not do). Perhaps he was sent to a goulag, where he is starving and, worse than that, working. 1 pound reward for anyone who... here's a telegram:
"A* escaped from goulag and seen walking, without food or water, in a desert near Ocklaoma. He was naked and wearing only one shoe — he had eaten the other. You may start crying."
Fine, that will teach him to mix with Russians and Americans.
Jon,
the sweetest emperor the world has ever seen.
Hello to all again and jon creature also i love you. i sasquatch am as well thanks for many but do not for ever remember all of things in all time. i sasquatch thanking for 1 the ableness to be communicating 9 those who do not shoot 4 those who do not run to say that they have been seeing Yeti in the forest 6 birds 8 the ents 5 friends 3 fish 7 remembering 2 dry places to sleep 1 sun 4 the one and there is more but i sasquatch do not numbers well. i must go.
Mark,
I can feel the anger and frustration in your posts. I hate to give advice, but I think for your sake and your wife's sake, you are going have to lovingly confront your wife. I realize, being married myself, that there is a lot of give and take in a relationship and that we have to accept certain things about our spouses, but I do not believe that we have to allow our spouses to enslave us.
I have a brother-in-law who is 40 years old and who is an assistant manager at an auto parts store. He has been an assistant manager at various stores since his late twenties, and he will probably go to retirement (if he can ever afford to retire) being an assistant manager earning a little more than minimum wage. He hates his jobs. The job market is strong where he lives, but he will not make any attempt to better his position. My brother-in-law is gifted in things. He cooks well, is handy around the house and has a certain amount of creativity. His mother has offered several times to send him to trade school, but he will not go because his wife will not let him. It could be that my brother-in-law has his own fears and insecurities and only uses his wife as an excuse, but she IS possessive. She cannot abide his friends and has little tolerance for his family. I just do not see where that is a any sort of life for him or for her.
I do believe that where you are concerned that if you allow this situation to continue, it will adversely affect the love and respect you and your wife feel for each other, and that could lead to all kinds of problems down the road. Somehow in a loving, but tough way, you must assert yourself. I realize that the risk is great, but in the long run it would be the best for both of you.
Please, if I am all wet, disregard all that I have said and forgive me for it.
Rhoda
Mary:
To quote Celene Dion, "It all coming back to me now"
Keep it coming whenever you want.
Thank you and yes I do see what you mean.
I do see. (active) Right?
Debra
Debra: Hiya sweetie...passive voice and active voice really can be tricky, but it is imperative that you get it right. It can make or break a story.(At least usually)
In most contexts, choose active voice because it is clearer, more emphatic, and less wordy than passive. Active conxtructions clarify WHO is performing the action.
PASSIVE: Election results are often determined by a small number of voters.
ACTIVE: A small number of voters often determine election results.
see the diff? in the first example..something is happening to something..in the second example..someone is making something happen.
You can usually (not always necessarily) identify passive voice rather easily here is a hint:
If the doer of the action is not named OR is named at the end of the sentence in a prepositional phrase beginning with the word 'by'. (again...look at above examples)
1) The Blue Jays were defeated by the Hornets. (passive)
2) The Hornets defeated the Blue Jays. (active)
3) The Blue Jays were defeated.(passive)
I hope this helps you Debra...Good luck.
Any time of the day or night someone wants to demonstrate passive and agrassive to me, please do so. I am a quick study and I want any future stories that I write to improve on a regular basis.
Debra
MARK -- Gee, I dunno what to say. Thank you for the compliment. Hope I can live up to it.
Me? I've got a gratitude list so long it would take an ocean of ink just to get it started (to paraphrase a song).
Hello all!
First of all... Jack! Help! Even my computer is taking it's own sweet time loading up. And it's usually so very fast.
I'm feeling very guilty about not getting into the workbook, especially since I'm usually egging people on about doing it! I want to, really, but haven't for the same reason I haven't been writing. No time.
Hallee, yes we celebrate Labour Day. It's not much of a 'celebration' though. A day off for government workers and stat pay for the rest of us.
Debra, about that passive voice thing; it's hard at first but gradually gets easier to recognise. I still fall into it while doing the first draft, but clean it up in the editing. I find it takes too long to worry about it at first.
I'm thinking I'll take Mark's excercise.
THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR: (in no particular order)
1) Stars, moons, planets and everything else in the night sky.
2) Language and words and the love of reading.
3) Bright colours.
4) My husband.
5) Children and their laughter.
6) Gardens.
7) Being free and having the right to be myself and have my own beliefs.
8) Being able bodied.
9) Sandy beaches.
10) Cats.
11) Daisies.
12) Pastry.
13) Silk.
14) Music and dance.
15) Water, in every form from rain to river to sea.
16) Fast airplanes.
17) The choice to love, be loved, and feel love in the earth.
18) The smell of the air after a thunderstorm.
19) Thunderstorms.
20) Horses.
21) Snow capped mountains.
22) Summer clouds.
23) Gravity.
24) Everyone in my life, for their support, the lessons they teach, and the love they give.
25) Toothpaste and deodorant.
SOME THINGS I'M NOT GRATEFUL FOR:
1) Mosquitos.
2) Any bug that bites, pinches, or poisons.
3) Pollen. Especially grass pollen.
4) Children who whine.
5) Parents who teach their children to whine.
6) Cigarette butts stamped out anywhere but an ashtray.
7) People who've forgotten the Golden Rule and choose to be negative and cruel.
8) Greed.
9) Burrs in my dog's fur.
10) Bad hair days.
Wow, that was hard! I guess that's a good sign, that it's easy to find things I'm grateful for and hard to find things I'm not.
T.T.F.N.
Tina
Heather - I sent it again. :)
Allein
Allein - Do you really think you could keep a chocolate from me (very evil smile - brows quirk upwards)? The last person who tried something like that ended up... Well, they ended up with the chocolate.
Hugs for you,
Rachel
Mark and Mary,
>>I am so sorry! I got booted out of the chat room as quickly as I came in. My server is el stinko and I have had it up to HERE with it. It has taken me twenty minutes just to load the Notebook comepletely so that I could tell you this.
>>Mark, you sound so sad. I really wish I'd had more of a chance to talk to you. I've teased you a lot in the past (all in good fun), and have come to truely appreciate your presence here.
>>What you said about your wife reminded me so much of myself quite some time ago. Maybe it's for similar reasons, maybe it's not.
>>I used to be incredibly jealous of my husband's music. When the jealousy started he was my boyfriend, but it extended into the first three years of our marriage as well. It just ate me up inside, even though I loved him very much and knew he loved me, I always felt second fiddle to his music. We were both very young and I was so insecure. He loved his music so much that he absolutely lived for it. I didn't know if there was enough room in there for me, and thought that if it came right down to it, if he had to choose between the music and me, he'd choose the music. It took a long time before I realized that I'd been taking my aggressions out on him because I was living through him and not following my own passion. There was no other passion in my life other than him--I had to become more of my own person.
>>It was when I began remembering the things that used to be important to me that I was able to pull back and let him have his space. I had pushed those things away from me, thinking I'd be crazy to think that I could have any kind of talent, but with his supposrt I felt brave enough to try again. There were several very depressing years while I tried to figure everything out until I began taking chances on myself, branching out creatively again.
>>Now we encourage each other's talents as much as we can. When he's really inspired and goes on a writing binge, very often it sparks a writing binge in me. There's nothing like creativity, is there?
Anyway, I'm sorry to have gone on and on like this. What you are going through is most likely very different, but what you said reminded me of what's happened in my own life. Keep the faith, Mark, and sing those blues loud and proud! ;-)
Christi
>>PS Heather, thank you for the cool indent trick! I always wondered how you did it. I'm going to check immediately to see if it worked this time. If it didn't, and there are a bunch of >>>>>>s, just chalk it up to duh.
And since I am almost certain that this will happen, here's a 'duh' in advance. DUH.
Mary:
Thank you very much. Yes that did happen to me with the minivan. I did not spill sauce, but my husband thinks I use to many paper towels. I keep telling him my kitchen will shut down without them. My daughter has never caught us talking about sex. Although he seems to never be more than a few inches from me at all times of the day. So one day.......
I am happily married but I don't feel much like a woman getting out of my minivan. Just because I am married, doesn't mean I don't want to still be a woman. I just threw that in there because I wanted to say a little more about Vicky. I will look at that more closely. But I know that is how she feels. I just know it is.
Thanks,
Debra
Knew I forgot something: is anyone going to send in new bios to the bio section for Jack to update? I have been thinking about it, but dont want to be the only one. Also dont want to put more off on Jack who is busier than a one armed paper hanger right now. Let me know..K? Thanks.
Heather:
Thanks, again. I really mean that. I did just start witing even though I have wanted to all my life. I have a lot to learn, but I learn quick and I have always loved English. When I do something wrong I usually don't do it again. I do have several books on Grammar but as you said some things seem as if you never knew them. Also my sister has told me that they changed the two spaces rule in between sentneces. Is that true? I can't seem to stop doing that.
Mark:
You mean your wife is envious of your books. If she were jealous, that would actually mean that she doesn't want you to have success or spend any time with books. I just happen to know that one for personal reasons. I had a jealous boyfriend and when someone pointed out the difference it made it clear for me. He was jealous, not envious. My mom has a better house than me. I am envious of her house. I would like to have one, but I also want her to keep hers. If I can never get one I still want her to have hers. That's the difference between jealous and envious. Maybe you could passivly show your wife how to fall in love with books too. I would start by writing her a poem. You seem to be great at that.
I also liked the passive example you gave. I really need to work on understanding that completely. I don't at this time. Although, I like to think of Vicky and Paul as equals in the tug of the love and control war. There are some couples that go up and down like that on a regular basis.
I did want to put the explaintion of the relationship in the story more instead of in the front. I wasn't sure of how to do that. I think now I might just jump right into the arguement and squish the first two paragraphs in there like a sandwich. Also, since I don't have to stick to 2000 words, I can do what ever I want.
Thanks,
Debra
Hello Everyone!!!! Hope all is well.
Debra: left you a crit on the short story crit page..smiles to you.
Heather and Mark: way to crit you guys..awesome..left me with not much to say.
Howard: Heeeeelllllllooooooo...heard any good jokes lately?
Christi and anyone else who might take an inkling to icq me, here is my number: 86992170
Mark and Christi: nice chat you guys...glad I stopped in.
Chatted for a while, then got tangled up in Debras short, so now it is way later than I wanted it to be..soooooo....have a swell day, night, afternoon, morning...c-ya.
Hi All,
(I filled in the top)
Just finished reading the critiques(?) in the short story workbook. I have been to a number of workshops and writer's meetings and that was as fine a bunch of analyzing as I have seen yet. Especially HEATHER and MARK. I would love to be the recipient of your expertise if only I could copy to these areas. I am not about to retype a whole story here, no matter how short. I'd never get all the typos out.
It was 109 degrees here today. I knew we were in trouble yesterday when the Chamber of Commerce allowed them to predict 103 degrees. Usually they won't admit to above 99.
Hope everyone had a good Holliday.
Rosemary
grrr The gratitude list has been on my mind lately. I'm going through my own blues. Allein's song resonated with me as I have been reflecting on the wretched turns my life has taken and how none of my current predicaments are of my own making {Debra, notice the passive voice there?}. I complained recently in chat of being married to a jealous woman and having little social activity due to that. It drives me nuts to think that she married a guy who was just accepted into grad school and that she wants him to be plumber, painter, electrician. I believe that in 15 years of marriage she has only been happy with me when I've used workmen's tools.
Ah, phooey. I can be reclusive. Sunday's comics -- what's the one by Lynn Johnston(Canadian) -- the one where the central woman just bought a toy store? Anyway, the son sits at computer writing a love scene while his girlfriend waits for some affection. She finally leaves, harumphing "Writers!" Yeah, that's me. I am a rock. I am an island. Intellectually I know billions of bits of connected trivia. Emotionally I know the self-propelled blues. Sometimes it's comfortable to sit in the blues and examine the causes of those great down feelings. Write a song for B.B. King.
My ol lady know nothin 'bout books
She only know who cleans and who cooks
I wanna sing with the Notebook band
She want me work with a wrench in my hand
Writers are known to sit in the dumps and closely examine their emotional territory. It's generally pretty lonesome. My wife is jealous, she's not jealous of another woman, she's jealous of my time with books. I should be nicer to her, but lately I've been simmering in a stew of righteous indignation. That's a bad place. Too many amateur writers find themselves alienated, nauseated, and suicidal. It's really bad when you think, as I have lately, "I can handle it." I'm not handling it. It's not good for her either. I have wondered if it wouldn't be truer to both of us if I simply left and went back to a university as teacher or student. It's a quandry that recurs.
Gratitude List
Mark
Allein! Send your icq request for authorization again. please! I booted up icq and alas, no authorization request yet. :o<
Debra, just a suggestion, but it would probably serve you well to get your hands on some grammar texts, just so you don't take anyone's advice who doesn't know much about the subject. Even though I may think I know enough about grammar, I scroll through a grammar book and voila! I find a caboodle of things I forgot about, or never knew.
If you want to enter contests, spelling and grammar mistakes would automatically knock down your 'points'.
Keep working on it!
Heather
Actually, Debra, the reason the dialogue was confusing was not because the 'said's were missing. It was because each time a new character speaks, you need to begin a new paragraph indent.
Here's an example: (note: I add two>> for each indent since they don't show up for me in the NB)
..........................
Frances tucked the straw into the purse of her moistened lips, and was just ready to draw a breath.
>>(indent) "Frances!" someone whispered sharply.
>>Frances turned in her seat, the cafeteria straw still in her mouth. "Gina, will you butt out?" Frances hissed.
>>"I'd butt out if you'd quit spit-balling Jake and Ellen," Gina gave Frances a 'you make me ill' look.
>>Frances faced forward in her desk again, and took slow aim. Carefully hidden from the teacher's eyes behind Matthew's bulk, she inhaled.
I didn't use 'said' either. But it's easy to see who is speaking, and to whom.
Heather
The reason why you seemed to have a hard time figuring out who was speaking is I was trying not to use says or said.
Maybe I should consider adding in one or two now and then.
If you noticed, maybe you did, there wasn't a said or says on the bunch.
Thanks again,
Debra
Well thank you all:
I liked your crit's; I really did. I learned a lot. The reason the story was short was it's a short story contest, which I won't worry about winning. I was wondering what wat the rule about the question mark. It seemed to come too late. I asked someone and that what I was told. Anyway, I do have a longer version which I will rewrite and post as soon as I can.
I did think that the story ended in a make-up with both partners. He said the wrong thing and she got another cup of coffee. Maybe it was just me.
I like constructive critisim. I'm going to make a file out your crit's and go over them.
Thanks,
Debra
Wow - that took a long time to load. I wish I had more to say tonight. :)
DEBRA: I left a crit for you.
Hope everyone had a great Labor Day!
(Do ya'll celebrate Labor Day in Canada?)
Hallee
Heather - I've sent an authorization request to you through ICQ. My username is Allein - easy to remember.
Hallee - Good for you! Kudos!
I am grateful that I had a day off today to sleep in late. My relief worker brought lumpia to the house where I work. She gave me a few pieces to take home. I really enjoyed the first two and while I was getting a soda in the kitchen, my dog enjoyed the last piece. Oh well, I know a restaurant that has GREAT lumpia and also these little red sausage things - they're good too, but really fatty and greasy. I think it's terrible how lots of things that are good tasting aren't good for you.
I took a test in a magazine yesterday and according to the results I'm a certified chocoholic - along with 40% of other women in the world. I'm sitting here eating these mocha truffles - they're good and melt in your mouth. ::spots Rachel trying to take one:: Grrr! No! Mine!!!
Anyway, I'm going to leave and eat these and spoil my dinner in peace infront of the TV. See what I do on my days off - well, that's what I'd do everyday if I didn't have school and work. I was supposed to lose weight this summer and gained it all back - plus some. I really gotta watch that before I get fat as a blimp. ::pops truffle in mouth:: Starting tomorrow.
*chocolate smiles*
Allein
DEBRA -- It's there. Maybe you need to refresh the page. If you are on AOL or MSN or one of those services, then the page gets cached by the service proxy machine. That means the page loads faster, but is not up-to-date. Some independent Internet Service Providers also have a caching proxy server. If you have Microsoft Internet Explorer, then hit the 'Refresh' button near the top of your screen. If you use Netscape, then the button is called 'Reload.'
Mark:
I must be doing something wrong. I went to the short story workbook page and then hit the critique page button and that is all I know is there another way or page?
Debra
DEBRA -- left a crit for you.
Hallee:
Thank you!
Debra
MY BOOK IS DONE!!!!!!!
[doing cartwheels and flips]
[dancing a little jig]
Debra: As soon as I get this house cleaned (a true testament to the hours spent writing this week) I'll look forward to reading your story. :)
Bye All!!!!!!
Hallee
Hi All:
If anyone has time on this busy Labor Day weekend, would you care to read my short story in the workbook. It's called "Everyone's got to eat."
I would love to know what you think.
Debra
Tina, never fear...
...the writing bug will get hungry again and take a nice bite out of you in no time.
Mark, let's take that exercise and all do it. Allein can jump in when she's got a few minutes free if she wishes!
We can all use some reminders of just what there is to be grateful for.
I am grateful:
1) for the opportunity to write and create
2) for my mind/brain/thinker/dream-hatcher/gizmo up there in my little rounded cranium
3) that I am alive
4) that I love and am loved
5) that I have somewhere to sleep, something to eat and somebody to curl up with on the couch
6) I am grateful that I have a couch to curl up on
7) for this desk and this computer and internet access
8) I'm grateful for(I can't begrudge it... no no no) experience, especially (now, with lots of distance) the hard times.
9) eyes
10) ears
11) nose
12) skin
13) tongue
14) HEART
15) SOUL
16) laughter
17) tears
18) for the many muscles that surround my mouth so that I can show all those multitudes of emotion
19) for my eyebrows to wiggle and arch and knit in echo of my smile (or lack thereof)
20) for hands to write, paint, scribble, draw, caress, tickle, grab, pinch, rub, gesture with, and cover my eyes with on occasion
21) for hot chocolate
22) for starfish
23) for telephones
24) for mail service --- for letters that aren't bills
25) for mobility (yes, that means the ability to walk, run, jump, dance, kick, tumble, fall, have sex, skip, twiddle my thumbs, comb my hair, use the phone, type, edit (ha ha) and escape if necessary.
26) for sanity (though it can be turned on and off like a lamp when desired)
27) for happiness - to have experienced the depths of despair will only make the happiness you experience all the more lofty.
28) for questions
29) for answers
30) for geniuses in the world. And idiots.
31) for the time free to sit here making this list.
ok, that went past 25. No harm, no fee.
Just got back from the bait shop, looking for food for my chameleon (Cosimo) because the pet store is out of pinhead (teeeeeennny tiny) crickets. The guy at the bait shop had nightcrawlers and maggots and meal worms, all either too big for Cosimo to eat, or too gross for me to consider having them in the vacinity of my studio. Or my fridge, for that matter. Who the hell wants to purposely bring MAGGOTS into the house?
SHUDDER WRETCH GAG BELCH WHEEZE
So the last of the pinhead crickets will have to do until Thursday when the pet store will get in new stock. (and I ordered 250 pinhead crickets for thursday....) Let's hope these ones don't sing. The last bunch didn't. If they do, you can bet I'll be up there with tweezers pinching off every last one of their little back legs!
(KIDDING)
Allein, fear not that your life will never be the same. It won't, but now is a time for growth. You will have lots of time for fun in a while, when your schooling is finished. Remember that Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming up, and you will have some time off then. Unfortunately, most of us don't have a heck of a lot of time off either. I find time to get out and have fun, but it's not what you'd call a regular occurance. Think ahead to all of the money you will make for yourself, and where you will be living. Think of all the fun you are saving up for. Remember that to reap the benefits and rewards you dream about there is a requirement. You must plant it and tend it carefully, and most of all, wait. (plant = school, tend = work)
Your crops will be worth waiting for!
And you have lots of friends that will stick around, and lots of friends you haven't met yet.
Take care and email me if you want to chat.
for anyone else with icq: my number is 20829825
and my user name is waterspider. (under my husband's name because I can't be bothered to use my own icq userID or name....)
Tina, (again) don't worry - it's been almost two weeks and I've only just started back writing a few days ago, then I took two nights off, and then today I started again.
I was afraid I'd have to chuck the whole of chapter 5, but then I was reading it again and looking for loopholes, and realized that what I've written doesn't need to be tossed out at all.
For some reason my post is terribly mundane and uninteresting - must be because I just spent my semi-brilliance on my novel and not here.
sorry to bore the shit out of you.
Heather
I've also heard that quote paraphrased as
'Growing old is manditory, growing wise is optional.'
Haven't written in a week. Feeling frustrated. And bitter. Think I'll go sleep it off.
T.J.
Hi everyone,
It's midnight, and I just got back from my 14 hour weekend job and I have now 7 1/2 hours to sleep before I have to get up and do it again.
But, I wanted to thank everyone for their support and kindness. I'm just a little over emotional right now (as all women at certain times) but I am feeling better. You've all helped to cheer me up and I'll try my hardest not to cry about this anymore. Hopefully, after I talk to the program coordinator, I can get different hours and then be able to have my fun time. But, on the bright side, I'm getting paid on the 11th - huge chunk of change. And guess what, I'm opening my very first checking account. :)
Another good thing is that several people have visited my website and my guestbook isn't so hungry anymore. But, it still likes nice juicy entries to eat. Plus, many people have read Mali and Azol and have absolutely gushed over it and are demanding more. I suppose I'll have to find some time in my busy schedule to give the people what they want. But, at least writing is fun. Which reminds me that I have an essay to write for college - only one page, should be easy. It's about self esteem.
"I don't have low self esteem - I have low esteem for everyone else." - Daria, MTV
I don't have low self esteem either, I have no self esteem. Well, I've established that fact and I hope to build up to some in the next year.
Anyway, thanks again for all your support. You've all been a huge help.
(((((((BIG HUGGLES, SNUGGLES, AND WUGGLES))))))))))
*smiles*
Allein
PS: What's a wuggle? :^/
PPS: "Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional." - I love this quote. :^)
Evening everyone!
Mark: After reading your posts and critiques, and even being on the receiving end of those critiques, I have come to the conclusion that you are a truly wonderful man who has a big heart.
Allein: I hope what you've garnered is that everyone, in some form or fashion has been through this. I remember the fall after I graduated from high school, driving down the road on my way to work and seeing a school bus stop. I was so envious of those kids. I suddenly yearned to be back in school and no longer have to be an adult. You get through it, quicker, I hope, after listening to everyone here.
I'm writing the very last chapter!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!
Hallee
Christi:
That is not my right icq number..sighs. I transposed some of the numbers. But I cant get it to load right now, and didnt write the numbers down..so please...rolling my eyes...bear with me.
mary
ALLEIN -- Several kindly folk have replied "send you hugs." Oh, thank you so much. I'll just wrap my arms around this monitor, poke my fingers into the little air holes back there and just feel so much warmer. Though, really, I guess, there's a lot to be said for kind thoughts.
I've seen a few "You're young yet" responses tossed your way. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was never what I wanted to hear. Bunch of dipweeds.
Hmmm. What was it wanted to hear when I was in that weird transition you're in? I wanted to hear that I could have it all. Nobody gave me that answer. I got a lot of "Take the good with the bad," and "No pain, no gain," and, of course, "Sometimes you gotta give something up in order to get what you want." That last one might be the most true. As a computer consultant I have laid out a small triangle in front of customers; each point of the triangle has a label: Cost, Speed, Quality. The base of the sign says "Choose Any Two." It's true. To control Cost and Speed you give up Quality. To control Speed and Quality you give up Cost. That's where you are. Making the tough decisions about what in your life you can control and what to ride with. No matter what you decide to control, you have to ride with what's left.
Some few responses here have said that social life means something different after you've matured. That's true. But how is it different? I can say that for me the difference has come in a greater sense of self-reliance. From 10th to 12th grades I used to hang out at a street corner next to Hannigan's store with a bunch of other guys about my own age. After 12th grade, guys would quit hanging out. I used to figure it was because they were old enough to drink. Yes, some were drinking. Some simply matured. It took me years to realize that I didn't need the whole gang to take my direction from.
I'll give you two coping strategies intended simply to help you get through, no matter the decision.
MARK, CHRISTI -- Thanks for the encouragement! Sometimes us "oulde phartz" need it too!
Thanks also for the thoughts re Napster, Mark. You're making me rethink my own stand on this, and that's good.
I received the book too, and thanks for that.
I hit the right side of the barn with the next installment of "Migration" -- that's a working title, by the way. It's funny, but as soon as I saw it in the workbook I spotted a couple of improvements that should be made. There's a bit more, then I ran into a bit of a snag. But as they say, "half a loaf is well done..." or something like that.
The descriptions of home really strike a pleasant chord! No two pairs of eyes see the same things, even when looking from the same spot. It's a worthwhile exercise.
Gotta go hit the showers -- my son-in-law and I just finished a goodly section of roof, and I'm hurting. I think a hot shower might help. 'Specially if I can get my wife to warsh my back...
hOWard
Hi.
It finally happened. I'd typed in my thoughts and hit a bad button and 'whamo' it all vanished. AAGGGGHHHHH :-(
I'll try again.
Allein, everyone has spoken true. My thoughts are about friends. Your friendships are not going to dissappear, or fade, or be lost just because your life is moving. Those friendships will change, because soon you won't be the only one in this boat. Friendships will become all the more precious, and the time spent together will be ever more valuable. You'll meet new people at school and work, and friendships will evolve with different, greater meaning. It's so hard to let go of the way things WERE and move on to the way things ARE. It's kind of like your first airplane ride. The turbulence going up can be freaky, but once the plane is cruising it gets kind of fun. By the time you land, you don't know what all the fuss was about. (If you're afraid of flying, disregard this analogy)
I remember how freaky post-highschool was. I did lose some friends as we each moved on and changed and did new things. But the frinds I've kept are strong and important and full of fun and love. The relationships are just different than they ever could've been in high school.
Rhoda, Leann, I've read the workbook but haven't had time to sit down and post my thoughts yet! :-< I will. Hallee, send more my way anytime. Laura too, if you're around these days!
Not much time this morning. What's new. Off and running!
Tina.
Christi: my icq number is 86992170. Looking forward to learning how to use the darn thing and hearing from you soon! Thanks!
Hi All:
I posted my first piece in the workbook. It's called "Everyone's got to Eat.
If anyone would like to read it and let me know good or bad what they think, I would love it.
Debra
Christi - I didn't think the post was sleepy at all. Want to know something? I find that when a person will say read at your own risk that I jump right in (smiles).
Rachel
WARNING: Long winded and slightly snoozy post ahead. Read at your own risk.
Heather,
Ditto on the video phones. Who wants to have to check their teeth before they pick up the phone?
Mary,
Zoiks!!! I have ICQ and my number is 64936982. Lemme know what your number is when you get it! It's heaps of fun.
Jon,
Heee haw!!! That's my terrible donkey impression. I don't do parties; don't even ask.
Debra,
Good to know. The people around here aren't all sunshine and roses either all the time, but are friendly most of the time.
Rhoda,
I think you're right about the Southwest being a more friendly place, but as more and more people move here it seems that we're losing some of the openness. I hate to see it go. I myself am a little more guarded than I used to be.
Allein,
I remember how hard it was to go to work right after high school, and I didn't even have to continue on with my schooling! You must be feeling very pressured right now. I certainly don't have any answers, but I do have an ear you can complain into anytime you feel like it. It takes some time before you feel like your life has some kind of control to it and you like the way it's headed. The cool thing is that you're young, and even though it seems like the world expects you to know what you want to do, everyone knows that you're still trying to figure it out. Great things will happen, and mistakes will happen. It's all part of being out in the world.
I send a big hug to you.
Jerry Lee,
Yuma huh? It's great to see a native Arizonian here. I'll make sure to ask every Debby I meet if she's Jerry Lee's sister. What the heck, stranger things have happened!
Mark,
I also have had reservations about Napster. I decided to stop going there myself, but I still download the songs my sister gets when she goes there. It's so hard to say NO! My husband is a musician, and we talked about how we felt about the free-for-all that's been going on. We're not so sure that the big corporate record companies are any better than Napster. They get paid most of the money leaving chump change for the artist.
Like you, I haven't been willing to pay the big dough for a CD in a long time. I guess I'm just waiting it out to see what happens next, riding the fence like usual.
Gariess,
It's a deal! I went to the same School of Housekeeping as you. I try not to be a complete slob (I want to remain somewhat attractive to my husband), but I have a hard time believing that it matters if someone could eat off my floor or bounce a quarter off my perfectly made bed. I drive the neat-niks crazy!
About the surliness, well I remember how cranky my old grandpappy ;) used to be, but it seems that he lightened up with age. Funny how most lighten up, but some have those 'cheeks' clenched tighter'n ever. (Not something you will want to picture.) Maybe the next time I'm on the East Coast I'll go up to those old timers and give 'em a great big kiss!
Oh, Teekay, I forgot about your dream interpretation. I thought it was very good, except for the fact that I had the dream some six or seven years ago, but I STILL thought you did very well! You missed your calling.
Also, I have been having some residual trouble with my email, but I'm hoping it will be cleared up by tomorrow.
Buh-bye and goodnight everybody!
Christi
Goodweed, what a guy. I know what you mean about the Philippines. I spent a couple of years there. I also would like to visit the NP one day (in the summer).
Patti Page of the Page Milk Company, now there’s something. They still play that god-awful song sometimes. I remember her first feature film in 1960: Elmer Gantry. She never made much of a screen personality.
Christi,
Yes, you may visit. I will leave you my house while I go to Tucson. The Southwest is another place I want to see. Actually, you don’t want to stay in my house. I subscribe to the Oscar Madison school of housekeeping. I think I still have a sandwich from my high school graduation somewhere in the refrigerator.
People from RI? What can I say? They are the same as people from any place in New England. The Chamber Of Commerce gets complaints all the time about how people here are not very friendly. I admit this, and I think it is a bit regrettable. When I go to Florida, it is very apparent how much friendlier people are. Some of our local people are downright surly, but they are a small minority; otherwise the COC would tear their hair out. They actually launched a campaign a couple of years ago to get us to lighten up, but I think it was a bust. New Englanders just need to grow up. You wouldn’t believe how tight-assed the old-timers can be.
Allein,
Dear heart, I have been watching you grow for quite a while, and I can honestly say that I have seen you change.
Of course you are still young and should be able to savor all the youth you can get. Unfortunately growing up is not a smooth and gradual progression. Sometimes it comes in bunches, and sometimes the present is not a good time to be in. I endured the same as you when I was a teen. Like all teens, I thought it was killing me. Only upon reflection will you know that it is not. I do feel your anguish from reading your words. I wish it were up to me so I could tell you to go out and play and forget about everything else. Als, I can only encourage you to endure what can’t be changed.
Mark,
Personally, I have no compunction about taking advantage of Napster, I just can’t be bothered. People have been copying music from FM for decades. Some stations have their DJ’s recite ‘spoilers’ over the endings of the songs, not to protect the recording artists, but to discourage people from taping and then not listening to the station afterward. Napster isn’t going to make any of these recording stars go hungry. They won’t even have to give up their villas on the Riviera, or their Mazeratis.
I gotta go,
GS
Hi all. Just a few words on Napster. I like the price, I think it's great that people can share their music, but on the whole I am against it.
I put Napster on my machine after a friend told me I didn't have to borrow his CDs, I could download the stuff from the internet. Wow. I grew up (so to speak) with free stuff on the 'net, that's how the internet started: people sharing freely. But the Napster load snapped something when I got to the screen where it asked for the directory where I would keep my files. That damn thing was asking for permission to use my hard drive. I stopped the install.
This was true file-swapping in its best and worst senses. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. (Charles Dickens) I love it as an ideology. I was there in the 60's for free love. I saw "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice" and I've had pleasant and generous thoughts about many kinds of swapping. gah I survived those times. I am no longer stoned or tripping. That stuff didn't work. I will not french kiss a random mass of strangers.
A problem. I like music. I like free. I don't trust open-to-the-world disk space. I knew that I could simply say 'No' there and be a collector, refuse to open my disk, but I don't feel good about being all taker and no giver. That option gives further lie to the argument that this is simply a big group of friends sharing music. Nope. this is a bunch of people feeding it freely to a bigger bunch.
I also agree with {was it Jerry?} the person here who said it is funny as writers that we don't want to be plagiarized, but we will take musicians' work for free.
Napster will not go away. File swapping is here to stay. One root cause is the music industry pricing standard. It's out of line with reality. For $25 I can pick up the DVD of a movie that cost $60 million or more to make. $15 to $25 for noises from a band on CD is ridiculous.
My music buying is down. Period. I argue the price by not paying it. I'd like a larger collection but ethically will not join the Napster free-for-all.
Allein,
I could of course tell you something that would cheer you up immediatelly, my being the emperor and all that. The problem is that tonight I'm not in my best for words. I've read an anthology of poems in the hope of finding something nice to tell you: I did not find anything worthy of you. So I just shut up and look at you speechless and with the greatest tenderness the world has ever seen.
Arik,
how nice to see you back! Will you please give a prize to Allein. The best prize of all times, please!
I got a lot of telegrams today. But when I speak to Allein I become serious. So, no telegrams tonight.
Allein, we haven't talked for a while. I could tell you that you are going through one of these crises of adolescence. But I don't, life is always a big crisis. I think that adolescence is a marvelous period and that you will miss it. But I also know that being an adult can be even better than being an adolescent. A happy woman is waiting for you — yourself. Perhaps you should not forget, however, that you have a mission in your life, which is to become a great writer. Being a great writer is a lot of fun!
I'll ask Jon how to become a great writer and I'll tell you the secret some other day.
Rhoda, you must agree that when a character reminds you of a living being, in this case one of your cats, it's not bad at all. Yes, Jon is a remarkable creature.Sometimes a heteronym, sometimes a pseudonym, sometimes just himself. He is now thinking of conquering all the hearts in the world. I'm sure he will conquer yours. Just be nice to him and you will be rewarded with... well, at least some catnip. Shall I give him greetings from you tonight?
Leann -- more notes on crit page.
Jon - hey jon. I read the post only now. I wasn't here for a long time.... I am doing.... ok :-)
Yo all!
I've been away for a while, but have returned to the gentle people of this small town. It looks as if I've missed a lot of newbies, teeth gnashing and friendliness in my absense, but give me some time and I'll try to catch up.
Allien,
Very well do I remember those days of lost freedoms, missed events and just generally finding out that my friends can get by without me there.
Damn 'trials of life'!
Let me to put it this way, I've got a cousin who failed this particular 'trial of life' and to this day is the most immature person I know. {One of them, anyway.} He never seemed to grow up, just because it would have been too hard to seperate himself from his teenage lifestyle.
Good luck to you, and remember, if you make it through this thing, you'll be the better for it. (Just remember my cousin!}
Christi,
I am from Yuma, AZ. I live in central WI. now, but miss the sunsets in general and the Decembers in particular.
My sister, Debby lives in Tucson, now. She moved there about a month ago from FL. If you see her around, be sure to say "Hi" for me.
Take care, all!
Jerry Lee
PS....The link above is for a round-robin website. I think it's pretty new, but it looks interesting.
Ta-ta!
Hi all - Wow! The Notebook is a nice place today (big smiles). I haven't been able to get on for a few days. I think it was server trouble. Anyway, when last I came i thought, Hum.... Now all looks well.
Allein - I send you hugs.
All - I send you all hugs.
I don't really want to post here right now, but I have to talk to someone and get this off my chest.
I hate my life. I just realized that I have no social life at all. I'm being cut off from my friends - my friends are going to Seattle this weekend and I can't go because of work. I need to stay in school and I need a job too for the money. I love my job because I love helping people and I love school, but I don't think I can take this anymore. It's so hard and frustrating. My parents say that as you grow up and have responsibility, you have less and less of a social life.
But I'm not grown up yet! I need a social life - I need friends. And I know you're my friends, but I need friends that I can do things with. I talked to my supervisor and she said that in a few months maybe something can be done about my hours.
But a few months - think about that! How much will I miss in a few months! I don't want to wait, I want my personal time now.
I don't want to quit my job and I can't quit school, but I can't keep this up either and I don't know what to do!
I'm going to quit boring you guys now.
Allein
Christi,
I have been to Flagstaff, Sedona and Mesa, AZ. I do not think I could ever tolerate the heat of the Phoenix area. I have never been anywhere so hot, 125 degrees F, and that was in September. The mountains around Flagstaff and Sedona are lovely. Whereas Flagstaff resembles New Mexico and Colorado, there is no place on earth like Sedona.
Speaking of your experience in Rhode Island where people don't like you smiling at them, I found a similar thing when I went to Chicago. I was on the elevated, and whenever I made eye-contact with anyone, they turned immediately away or their expressions glazed over. It was as if by a smile or a look I had violated them in some way. I do believe that the Southwest has a friendliness not matched in other places. People in big cities such as Denver, Albuquerque, Dallas, and even Houston are personable, so I don't think this is necessarily a big city thing. I think it is more regional. Farmington in the four corner region of New Mexico had been a very friendly place when I was there, but as easterners began moving in, it became less friendly.
I do not mean to pick on easterners. I can't imagine any of you New Yorkers or New Englanders in this crowd being glacial to a stranger. I have met many a friendly upstate New Yorker on airplanes, but I do believe that a person from NYC or Boston might have been a different manner. Also, I do not mean to judge harshly those who do not warm to strangers. There might be some very good reasons for this. If anyone has a different perspective, I would be interest to hear it.
Tina,
I read the first part of your story and liked it. I will read more tonight and comment on it soon.
The Workbook is full of many treasures. I cannot wait to get to the rest of them.
Leann, Howard, and Goodweed,
I want to take a look at your stuff also.
Now back to my synopsis. I thought I had an acceptable one until my thoughts later shot holes in it.
Jon,
Hugs and kisses to you also. You remind me of my cat Buttons. Sometimes he is so sweet he melts my heart, but when he does things like jump on the counter during dinner and eats the roast or knocks down my trashcan in the kitchen, I want to skin him. Still I have tolerated that cat for five years and could not imagine life without him. You remind me of Buttons, Jon. Take heart, the worst thing I ever did to Buttons was lock him in the garage over night. Just behave yourself, or else I will put you at the mercy of my children who LOVE cats--to extreme. Out of love they will imprison you in their rooms for an hour, pull your tail, and rub you until you think your fur is ready to fall out (ask my two cats).
Happy writing!
Rhoda
Bye Jerry:
Heading out for another camping weekend. We have to take advantage of the long Labor Day weekend, heading North to Fort Lincoln State Campground just south of Bismarck ND. Super campground located at the confluence of the Heart and Missouri Rivers, lots of trees, and at night you can almost hear the troopers of Custer's 7th Cav whispering about the planned excursion to the confluence of the Little and the Big Horn rivers out in Montana. The State has renovated the old fort, and even built a exact copy of General Custer home. You can go on a tour of the home given by young ladies in period customs, who give the information in the voice of the General's maid. Weather man says it may rain all weekend, but just to be out in the great outdoors is enough. Hope everyone is well. I enjoyed the great descriptions of your homes, and maybe some day, I can sit down and let you know what it is like on the prairie.
See you all on Tuesday.
Jerry
Christi:
It might have been a bad week. I know for sure that you didn't smile at me or you would have gotten a bright one in return. I sometimes stop briefly and talk too.
Debra
i am with jon on this one! hugs and kisses all around! and a scratch behind his ears for good measure.
All donkeyness forgiven, let's go back to the good old times, with hugs and kisses all around.
I'm rather busy cleaning my imperial crown with (what's this , Pussy? Benzine?) . Just wanted to tell you that A* was last seen hugging the Statue of Liberty, kiss, kiss, kiss. He loves freedom! Please arrest him.
(Did I tell you that I'm probably back?)
Hello everyone...
I leave for a little while, come back, and can hardly catch up for all the posts...and it was soooooo quiet when I left.
I'm right here Christi, downloading ICQ. :-)
Hiya Mark.
Drawho, big hellos.
Hello Heather...
Hello and big Hugs to everyone I failed to mention, but who are just as great!
Hope all is well with everyone..more later. bye.
Emails, egads. I haven't emailed (in proper) for two weeks! Everyone probably thinks I'm allergic to them.
AHHH
AHHHHHHHH
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHOOO!
No, Jon, don't worry, I'm not allergic to cats!
*YELL!* I am supposed to yell in glee, aren't I? I sneezeth instead.
But what for, my little quadripad?
I have just fallen into lazy slumpenness.
how many "n's" in slumpenness, anyway?
Goodweed, I think you have been sneaking reads of Shakepeare
milad. I knoweth that it supplicates thee, and washes over thy soul like a fine almond-butter.
See? I've got the Shaw Festival infection, too...
Ah, yes, close to Guelph are many Mennonite communities, and the horse-driven carriages remind me of Black Beauty, and when I read one chapter a night for a long time to my daughter. Good warm fuzziness feelings there.
Close to the Mennonite communities is Stratford, where the Shakespearean festival called The Shaw takes place every year, drawing thousands. When I hear of the Festival, I find I have many dreams of Medieval Europe. Then the dreams head off in the direction of Louis the XIV. Then comes Mozart. Then I fly between the castles of Germany and France, unbridled and cloud-worthy.
I wonder if the pharmacy is open this time of night.
I might be in need of some sleeping capsules. Somebody shut off my brain, please!
Christi, I'm not so cute in the morning after a night of writing. I thank the Lord for the failed marketing of the video-phone almost every day. And school's just around the corner. This is how disorganized I am - I don't even know what date the first day of school is. I guess I should check...
And tomorrow is my daughter's 8th birthday. We got her a baby chameleon we call Cosimo(not a beanie baby ---tm) and all the fixin's - which include live pinhead crickets to feed the chameleon. Once he's longer than an inch and a half he'll graduate to regular sized crickets and other live bait.
We bought her bubblebath, a silver ring with moonstone inset, a sachet of four different frangrances from the body shop, a bunch of really nifty temporary tattoos, a down duvet with jungle print cover, and a ten foot long stuffed snake from Ikea. Tomorrow I have to drive back to Ikea for her loft bed, which is a gift from my mom and dad. And of course, i get to put it together! And I also have to get to decorating her room like a jungle...
Is it me, spoiling her rotten, or do kids just get more STUFF these days? Not to mention the party isn't until the second week of school, so she can have her friends over. I think I'll just fill the big inflatable pool and let the kids play in it, have cake and play games. A good, old fashioned birthday party like I had as a kid. But there was this one year...
...One year my older brother put on a magic show, and he was amazing. The whole giggling crowd of us watched the show in rapture.
My grandfather was the King of magic, he put on shows for us when we were small, and to this day I don't know how he did the tricks. My older brother got to learn his inside secrets, but soon after that my grandpa refused to do magic tricks anymore, and I didn't get to learn any. And, of course, my brother wasn't about to let me in on the secrets. But that magic show was great. I'll never forget how cool that birthday was. Just can't remember how old I turned. (funny, the way memory works, and darned frustrating too.)
well, that's about all of my blurbatiousness for one night.
I think I've chased away the slump!
Thanks for withstanding my proliferous expulsion of language we so love.
Heather
Where I live I am hugged by mountains on all sides. The surrounding mountains make me feel safe and cozy--as if nothing bad could happen here. It is a place of beauty, although the beauty can be hard to see when you're hiding out from the vicious sun for six months out of the year. This month we've been enjoying our rainy monsoon season, a time of spontaneous thunderstorms where one minute there isn't a cloud in the sky and the next it seems like your house is going to be carried away to OZ or disenegrated by a lightning bolt. Hmm, OZ . . . AZ . . . coincidence? I think not. But instead of munchkins, we have large, prickley green saghuaros, which tower on the mountainsides, arms at their sides and up in the air. I've been to nicer places, but I've never seen sunsets as gorgeous as the ones here. The sky is an ocean of colour, making me wonder that there could be things more beautiful than this.
I could go on for hours this way, but I will spare the good people of the Notebook. Oh, and I guess I should mention that I live in Tucson, Arizona.
Heather,
You are so cute. You really are!
Tina,
We almost never get snow here. Every Christmas I moan and groan about living in a place where you can actually wear shorts and sandals in December, but then I realize--I can wear shorts in December!!! ;)
Leann,
I almost forgot to say WELCOME!!! I liked how open and honest you were on your first posting. That never gets tiresome.
Howard,
Napster rules! It is addicting though, be careful.
Goodweed,
Hiya!
Debra,
My husband is from Rhode Island. He moved from there when he was only four years old and he still misses it. I had the pleasure of visiting one time and really enjoyed it, but the people seemed very closed off to me. I'd smile at them or say hello, like I do here, and they'd look at me as if I were an axe-wielding, homicidal maniac. Was this just a bad week or are the natives really wary of newcomers?
Jon,
Bravo! Actually though, I thought that your second post was the best post ever. Where are those smelling salts?! *SWOON!*
Gariess,
Can I visit? Can I?
Rhoda,
I have been so excited about reading the excerpts from your novel, but haven't had the time to get to the workbook yet. I will do so by the end of this weekend. Sounds like there's a ton of good reading at the workbook right now. Hope I can get to all of it soon.
Teekay,
Come out, come out wherever you are.
I got your email and then composed a very lengthy and, yes I'll say it, brilliant and scintillating email that took me at least a half an hour to write. Then my stinking server went down and I lost the entire thing. Many foul words were uttered--rude ones and nasty ones. My husband threatened to get the soap out so I stopped, but began again as soon as he left the room. I would be a rich woman if I had a cursing jar, or if I actually had enough money to supply a cursing jar a month's worth of naughty words. What I'm trying to say, after getting off the track once again, is that I am daring to venture back to the land of mailboxes and emails. Consider yourself mailed.
Mary,
Where are you?
Hi Allein, Howrad, Hallee, Mark, and everyone else under the sun. (Hope I didn't miss anyone!)
Ta ta,
Christi
Hi Jerry:
I just posted that story that I entered in the coffeehouseforwriters.com contest. Boy that's a mouthful.
Let me know what you think.
Debra
Goodweed:
Is a goodweed a Dandylion? That's what I think.
Anyway, I don't know what got you going, but I enjoyed it.
Debra
Think I'll try something a bit different tonight. I'm going to go into the workbook, post a couple chapters, (rough draft), and read something of someone elses. Then, in the morning, before work, I'm going to crit. sounds like a good way to start the day.
Cape Cod; made famous to me in my youth by the incomperable voice of Patty Page (gasp, he's got long hair, a "Deep Purple" nut, loves Queensryche (at least a couple of songs), is a rock & roller from the late sixties to the present, and he knows and loves the singing of Patty Page. Ah but we have secrets we share with no one else. Garies, it's a good place to live, as is Michigan's Upper Peninsula with it's endless waters, and pine and hardwood forests, and rich wildlife (does a spirited group of teens on an otherwise deserted mile long stretch of beach, laughing around a campfire constitue wildlife?). The forest is alive with the quiet sounds of roughed grouse drumming, and the unique and haunting sounds of raven calling to their ebon winged mates.
Whoa, wait a minute hear. I become overly verbose. Suffice it to say that there are few places on Earth to rival the natural beauty of the Great Lakes region. However, I have traveled enough throughout this world to admit that each place has its own peculiar and spectacular beauty. The east coast is romantic and quaint, while at the same time, vibrant in a way unlike any other place. The Phillipines, with tropical forests and steep canyons covered by a green so rich as to put the most brilliant emerald to shame, boasts of a cuisine and land both unique and prized. Southwest America with dessert land and the peoples that inhabit them, hardy souls who withstand, even enjoy temperatures which turn my poor body to tired mush, work and play in a land of canyons grand, and parched dessert which blooms with the rare deluge.
Though I am comfortable in a t-shirt, shoveling snow at fifteen degrees Farenheight, I admire those persons who display talents and abilities beyond my own. Do I call these people better? No. I call them different but equal.
And such is this world of many spectacular beauties, challenges, beasts, flora, and people.
And with such ineloquent words thrust upon your eyes, I say good night, and good writing.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
P.S. What got me going in that mode? Whew!
Gariess:
We have a winner!
If only I were Regis and this was the Millionaire Show.
Debra
Debra,
In the form of a question? Okay, is it the place of the reknowned Farms? I'm off to the WB to see what you guys are posting lately.
GS
Howard -- exemplary work. I love the opening sentence: "First we hated the mud." BAM .
149 words in 9 sentences = 17 words per sentence
1 'difficult' word in 149 = 1 percent
added together = 18
times .4 = 7.2 fog index
perfect reading level for novel material. The real index is probably just over 8. I used the first two paragraphs for this; the first paragraph opens with short sentences and the story grows from there.
Grows in multiple ways. Individuals start to come out. Character becomes apparent. Group purpose unfolds. The usual term in capital-C Criticism is organic (I have to chuckle here at the notion of calling it organic when you have a guy who dies sprouting flowers out of his chest).
Thanks for posting. I'm putting this in the notebook because I think people should be directed to the Novel Workshop Critique Page to see it. I promise, you guys, I won't post crit in the NB again.
Leann -- more extensive crit in email for you. Hope that's is your real address.
The rest of the story is better than the intro paragraph, as an editor I'll tell you that the intro sent me right away. It's only because someone else said she liked the story that I went back to read the rest. Glad I did.
Hallee and Mark,
Thank you kindly for the comments. Mark, you are right, getting rid of the "the"'s does improve the flow. Hallee, I will watch out for the overuse of the character's name.
Tina,
We were discussing literature sites during our chat the other night. I have two sites for you. One is:
http://www.literature.org and another one is: http://www.classicreader.com. These sites are good examples of whole works of literature being posted on the web. There are other such sites. I started reading your first chapter last night. I will have comments for you by tomorrow morning.
Rhoda
AaAaaarrrrggghhhhh!
Jack -- HELP!!!
Can you move it over to the right place, or just delete it and I'll repost it.
thanks
broadside? I guess!
howard
Hit what? I just posted to the novel workshop --
didn't I ?
O no!
RHODA -- Crit on novel crit page.
HOWARD -- At the Post Office to mail that book, clerk asked "Book rate or First Class?" I said, "Hey, he's a first class kinda guy." Now I wonder. Do I gotta tell ya? The broadside of the barn is somewhere else. I was on the novel crit page and saw you hit that. Oh, well.
Gariess:
Thanks, so much. Can you guess where I live? It's north of Providence and could be called Slumberland.
You could answer in the form of a question if you want.
Debra
LEANN -- Crit on novel crit page.
TINA & RHODA: I've left notes for you in the critique page and am anxiously awaiting more. :)
JON: Thank you so much.
Whew! Okay...I am now caught up. I think. No one has bopped me upside the head yet, so I'm simply assuming that I'm caught up.
Now I'm off to clean my house. The weekend schedule is packed full, so I need to get it done tonight. My husband and daughter are busy watching Star Wars, so I can get it done with little interference.
Hallee
Leann: I left you a short note in the critique section. I'd love to read more of your work. I really hope that you plan to post more (ahh..specifically of this story..smile)
Hallee
Rhoda: Now I'm off to read yours. :)
Tina: Let me know when you're ready for another chapter. I just finished 15 and I'm desperately worried about it - I've kind of pushed a few limits in it, and I think that perhaps I went too far with it.
More later all!
(I know...bated breath and all that)(grin)
Hallee
Debra,
I knew there was something I liked about you, too. Thank you. I expect you are right about the Cape being a natural progression from Swansea, but in my case it had more to do with circumstances and family than geography.
I believe Providence is a much nicer city than it used to be. When I was a teen, it always seemed a very intimidating place of little interest. Was that just us as teens or was there something more substantial to it? Can anyone say? There has been time for a lot of changes since I was a teen.
Howard,
Thank you. That kind of response is very gratifying. Being quoted makes me feel like a real writer. I really like this mutual exercise of writing about places and how we feel about them. I believe it is one of the most *real* things we have done in the NB. All of the pieces I have seen convey a true sense of attachment on the parts of the writers. I really love that. There were some surprises for me when doing the piece, and the biggest was that I was unable to divorce myself from the element of history. I wanted to remain current but I had such a strong feeling of something lost that even though it was before my time, I couldn’t seem to make the piece work without it. My first wife once had the audacity to tell a history professor that she saw no value in the learning of history. Of course the man was incensed and felt called upon to make a case for the practical and tangible need for knowing history. I followed the argument with great interest but I never knew how I really came down on the idea till I wrote this bit.
Rhoda,
Yes, intermarriage does work both ways. In fact use of the word, marriage, is somewhat euphemistic in this case. I did not intend to imply a distinction between who did what to whom. At this point that would be largely untraceable, but you are quite right. There are people who consider themselves Wampanoag who have European ancestry, and vice versa. I should point out that if one were to roam the countryside of the Cape it would be chancy to spy out any Wampanoags of any mixture. The best place for that would be in the small community within the town of Mashpee, but the Wampanoag, there, are very proprietary and still quite mistrustful of whites. It is a place where informed outsiders pay a special attention to their manners. (Or risk an arrow in their backs) No, strike that last. Bad, bad!
Jon,
Forgive us our donkeyness as we forgive those who donkey against us.
GS
Just a thought and a coup of imagination (not for Arik's prize):
I thought that A*, recently seen flying on the clouds over the USA, might very well land on your gardens and pay a visit to some of you. He read, with what seemed to me mischievous attention, your desciptions of the places where you live. Shudder.
I'm shuddering.
Tonight is shuddering night.
Look at me imagining, my paws holding my face, an intellectual expression around my mouth:
Heather yelling with delight at his apparition;
Christi swooning at his sight;
Rhoda running to the kitchen to fetch her longest carving knife;
Hallee writing a quick trilogy before he descends from the sky;
Debra Palardy consulting her enciclopeadia to see if he is the Anti-Christi;
Mary preparing a trembling speech to ask him forgivenness for ...
Just a moment, telegram from NewsAgency:
"A* just seen hovering over Manhattan. How do you spell Manhattan?"
I give up. These newspapermen are a bore with their spelling problems at this time in history.
My neighbor's gonna fishing, as he does when he's a bit pissed off with the world. Reason: today he started working to earn money (excuse the language). But I'm still here. This will be my best post (ever).
My plan to conquer Well failed for lack of gas in my imperial jetplane and a lot of donkeyness of some of you (think about this before you reply, and, yes, repent, and ask forgivennes). My curriculum was not good either: saint, emperor and traveler... Not enough. They also demand visa and diplomatic passport there — too much bureaucracy for me.
I'd like to thank neighbor for his support in this difficult expedition. Our contract is that I write and he does the dirty job: answering questions. Quite fair for me (I think). But is it fair to him? (I refuse to think).
Hallee, my deepest feelings on your great grandmother's trip to heaven.
Love and catnip.
Jon
(I realize now that this post is not so impressive as I anticipated. Must add on more thoghts and reflections.)
Where I live:
I live in an apartment by the sea. My wife Pussy(cat) also lives there. My 13 kids are all grown up now, but still talkable to. I love them (from time to time).
Arik, how are you? Are you well? Hope you are very well. I'm also well, but missing my neighbor (called A*). Could you please give me a prize for the best post (ever)?
Telegram from NEWSAGENCY (NA):
"JON: A* seen in the sky west of Wisconsin last time we checked. Don't start crying yet."
And that's all I have to communicate to you today. Prayers for A* in the sky accepted.
JON (emperor, momentarily on sabbatical leave).
Mark, Hallee, and Litter,
I had a great time chatting with you guys. I am only sorry it was so brief. I had the same problem. I too was kicked off the chat, and when I came back to the Notebook to post I wasn't able to because the Notebook would not load.
Hope to try it again sometime.
Goodweed,
Beautiful poem. Glad to see you back.
Gary,
That was an informative, yet tender decription of Cape Cod. It makes me want to visit there. After reading your piece, I think I would be able to look through all the development and see a glimpse of the old forest. It would also be fun to see the Wampanoag in the faces of some of the local residents. Intermarriage went both ways, you know. There are no doubt "white" folks there with some of the Wampanoag blood coursing through their veins as well as Wanpanoags with European blood. I got a laugh from your natural landscaping. With all my moving in the past three years, I too have been a strong proponent of natural landscaping.
Now that we North American people have described our homes, I hope the Europeans and Austrailians here can give us a glimpse of where they live. Incidently I have this other reoccuring dream where I fly to London and have just a few minutes to spend there before I have to turn around, catch a plane and be home to get the kids to school.
Happy writing,
Rhoda
Gariess:
It is absolutely near Providence. One of the things I can see over my ridge is the distant lights of Providence.
Actually, Providence is one of those citys that seem to invite you to it.
I am proud of my state's capitol.
Debra
Gariess:
It seems like a natural progression from Swansea to the Cape. Also one of the best vacations my husband and I ever took was to the Cape. We made no plans and just drove there. When we got tired we found the nearest motel and slept. We got up the next day and explored. It was the best, ever. I want to do that again, soon.
The motels down there are really nice. There is nothing about them I would complain about at all. That was one of the nicest suprises.
The Cape could easily be called God's country.
Debra
Gariess:
I knew there was something I liked about you Gariess. Now I know what it is. I felt it in your writing as well. I hope that makes sense to you. It does to me.
Debra
GARIESS --
> There are little spots as small as a blanket
where nothing but wild things will grow. You see this in the middle of a garden, sometimes, that has been hacked
out of the woods. I fancy that these spots are inhabited by the ghosts of big trees that were cut down centuries
ago and which will never let us have our way with these little bits of land again. <
Beautiful!
howard
Well, guys, the WB seems to have problems right now so here is my piece.
Debra,
We are practically neighbors. Is you Platt near Providence. I know, everything in Rhode Island is near Providence. I used to live in Swansea, another beautiful place. I hope we all appreciate the good fortune we enjoy as North Americans.
CAPE COD, WHERE I LIVE.
Cape Cod is often described as quaint. There are thirteen townships from the Cape Cod Canal to Provincetown at the Cape’s tip. History books declare Plymouth, Massachusetts (not one of the thirteen towns) as the place the Pilgrims landed in sixteen-twenty, but it was really Provincetown. They just took one look at the place and declared it too exposed to the sea for settlement, and they moved on. They found a nicely protected harbor in Plymouth and they dug in.
The Cape, proper, is a peculiar little place that has a lot of natural diversity. There is woodland – shrinking as we speak from development. There is sea shore, salt marsh, swamp-land and estuary. It isn’t what anyone would call the country-side. Mostly, I would call it extra-urban because it is not exactly suburban in the sense that it is too far from any large city, but not very far. Boston is an hour-and-a-half away, New Bedford is an hour. Still, there is something very insular about the Cape. It is a place apart. Certainly in the psyche of its xenophobic citizenry, it is. There is a local joke here that the last person to move to the Cape at any given time wants to close the gate.
What typifies (without stereotyping) Cape Cod would be a small house (a Cape), a picket fence with (Cape Cod) roses growing on it, and a small front yard with desperately browning grass, neatly trimmed. Did I say without stereotyping? Well, I suppose Cape Cod is a caricature of itself in a lot of ways.
Mostly, people think of the Cape as a sea-side tourist area. Truly, there is a great summer influx of tourists and on the weekends the place seems about to sink from the day-trippers. Another old joke is made about the day-trippers: "They come down with a clean shirt and a five dollar bill, and they don’t change either one." Still, all of that has only been true of the last half century. Going back before the great war Cape Cod was a place where a few rich people kept summer places. There was a greater division between rich and poor in earlier times. During the depression a few people emigrated here because there were rich people, and it was possible to get some domestic work in the summer. In the last fifty years change has impacted the Cape greatly.
Cape Cod was a place that sustained a population of Indians called the Wampanoag (womp’-a-nog) for centuries before the Europeans came. They are an alliance of many small tribes. The place where I live used to be the Mattachese or Mattachee territory. Since Wampanoag is not a written language we are allowed our choice of spelling and pronunciation in some cases. I used to live in the Pocasset or Pawgesset land. The Tatacket land has been known for centuries by the whimsical name of another of my former homes, Teaticket. Our ancestors conducted de-facto genocide upon the Wampanoags of the Cape. It is argued that there are no pure-bred Indians, here, anymore. Many Wampanoag intermarried with Europeans and other races, mostly Cape Verdeans: African-Portuguese black people, a people of remarkable physical beauty who resemble the ancient Moors in appearance. It is controversial today, and unprovable, that any "untainted" Wampanoag exist. Among friends I will relate that the Wampanoag are known by some pundits as the "Moniga" tribe.
The densest population area is the Mid-Cape, where I live now. I believe the Wampanoag have a name for the Cape that translates as "The narrow land." There is still a small Wampanoag community here. By the nineteenth century they were pushed into the most inland area of the Cape in a township called Mashpee, the least desirable real estate. At least we didn’t have the bad taste to declare Mashpee a reservation.
There are still many rich people here, but the top level are being increasingly encouraged to take refuge on the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Nantucket is another Wampanoag name. Martha’s Vineyard is not. The mainland Cape is suffering a huge influx of the Middle Class. The top level of which are buying out some of the former upper class homes as those folks are seeking less lavish but more prestigious island digs. It’s easy to pick up an estate on the Cape these days for a measly couple of mil. I fear for the rich, however, who don’t make the move soon, because those islands are getting smaller by the day, and the profit taking on mainland estates shrinks correspondingly at the same time.
In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century the white men harvested all the trees from Cape Cod leaving the landscape to the invasion of red and black oak and a thing called pitch pine. By the first part of the twentieth century the Cape was already an example of the result of uncontrolled old-growth lumbering. One benefit from this was the riddance of those pesky bears. By about eighteen-sixty you could have a picnic without attracting the unwelcome attention of a Bruin. You just couldn’t see the forest for the trees… were gone. White tail deer, on the other hand are surprisingly good swimmers, so a few made it back here after some of the brush grew back, and there are still a handful around. We shoot a few every winter just for the hell of it.
The trees that now grow here have no commercial value other than firewood. They are the stunted, gnarly ghosts of the great trees that covered the land in the time beyond our memories. There is a church on the North side that still has a wall panel over six feet wide made from the huge pine that used to grow here. There were also oaks that were big enough from which to hew the massive center beams of sailing ships. Such suitability was their undoing. That’s what we did with the forest we took from the Indians. There are still some nice big century-old trees on the Cape but they are ornamentals — transplanted maples, chestnuts and elms from other places. They are only found in residential locales. There are also a few native wetland species of swamp-maple and oak, and some scrub trees that grow in the dunes. There are also Hornbeam, Choke-cherry, and a enough Beach-plums to make a jar of jelly now and then, so it isn’t a total wash-out.
To me the wetlands are the soul of the Cape — the beautiful bogs and marshes. The reddish bogs criss-crossed with straight narrow canals are where your cranberries come from. These are flat and irregular-shaped with paths lining the perimeters which are just wide enough for the harvesting trucks. The greenish marshes with wide meandering creeks are everywhere on Cape Cod. One can visit more estuarial waters in one day on Cape Cod than any other place in the United States. You can drive for eighty miles and never be ten minutes from a marshland, and you will always have the option to turn right or left to find one.
The cape is actually trisected by wetlands at Bass River in Yarmouth, and Pamet River in Truro. These are not the kind of rivers that inlanders are accustomed to. There really are no rivers on the Cape. There are small streams that empty into coves, creeks, marshes and bays that are estuarial. They are tidal and a few of the larger ones are called rivers where they meet with the sea, but they are actually estuaries, also called salt water rivers.
There are many lakes and ponds. Many of the smaller ponds are Kettle-holes. Depressions in the ground where massive Glacial ice-cakes melted over time and have since been sustained by rain water. The land is unique in its geological formation, there really is no other place exactly like Cape Cod, and on the Cape itself the geology differs from one small place to another. It’s rock and clay in one place and almost pure sand in another. There is farmland and soil in one spot and near barren ground somewhere else. There are little spots as small as a blanket where nothing but wild things will grow. You see this in the middle of a garden, sometimes, that has been hacked out of the woods. I fancy that these spots are inhabited by the ghosts of big trees that were cut down centuries ago and which will never let us have our way with these little bits of land again.
The Cape to some folks is more about the sea than the land. It really is a marine environment. There is no place on the Cape that you can’t get a whiff of the ocean from time to time. It is a small place with roads that hate going straight for very long, and many of them just capriciously end at no particular place, making you back-track the whole way you just came. They like to play tricks on people, but it’s all very good-natured because you really can’t get very lost. After all, you are, sooner or later, going to come to a place you recognize, like the ocean.
It isn’t flat, it isn’t straight. It is reluctant to let us see very far ahead until the sea suddenly appears, but that is because we are probably going too fast for it. After all, it’s not very big, and it is quite old — not as old as some places, though, only about fifteen-thousand years.
As for me, much to the chagrin of my neighbors, I am the custodian of one small piece of the narrow land, and I am avowed that only what seed blows in upon the wind, or falls from the bowel of a passing creature shall be allowed to take root upon it, and that which springs from such seed no hand shall cut down. Of course, I am very lazy about yard work. So this is a commitment which fits in rather nicely with my general reluctance to put tool to earth.
GS
I started out to write a small bit about where I live, and it turned into sixteen-hundred words, so I thought I should put it in the workbook. So for those interested I will put it in the short story section.
Howard,
Yes, I have been to Clayton. It's a beautiful little town full of interesting old houses. I love that place. I went fishing in the TI for those Black Bass. There weren't many keepers. I went over the TI bridge and went up to the top of the big tower. I saw the Eisenhower Locks... all that good stuff. I went to Kingston on the Canadian side. That was a neat old town too.
See, TINA, I know Canada is beautiful. I've been to the Maritimes. I would really love to see your valley as well.
Later, buds,
GS
Heather,
I just looked at the silly lake, I didn't drink from it. I think the reason it is so polluted is because that's where all the big ships come in from the Atlantic. Those lakes are really small oceans, anyway. No doubt a lot of industrial dreedle gets into it too. Anyway, I only saw the part from north of the Finger Lakes to Cape Vincent and that part looked very nice.
Teekay: An imposter is a pretender. You are not a pretender so far as I can tell. Here's a quick quiz to help you decide for yoursef. It's true or false.
1. I enjoy the creative process.
2. I like to write.
3. I love to garden.
4. I have tons of time to get everything done which needs doing and still have time to write whenever I desire.
5. I'm always in control of my time resources.
6. I find writing a chore.
7. I don't really care about interacting with other people.
8. Reading interests me.
9. Words bounce around in my head like popcorn in a hot pan.
10. Wo