Monday, February 28, 2011

The lonely life of a writer...not so much

Saturday, Rainbow Rowell's latest column for the Omaha World-Herald focused on how writers in Omaha often don't realize how many other writers are local, how it seems hard to find and feel part of a supportive community when writers are such solitary creatures. It's such a common trait of writers that it's practically a stereotype. But she did uncover one special secret:
"Nebraska's tightest-knit, most welcoming writing community has to be the romance writers. The Heartland Writers Group (the local chapter of the Romance Writers of Nebraska America) meets monthly and is open to all sorts of writers, published, unpublished or just getting started." [the correction is mine]
Cut to me with a big grin on my face - Heartland Writers Group is MY writers group!

I've never met a more welcoming group of people, writers or otherwise. I look forward to our monthly meetings and any other gatherings we can come up with and I'm really disappointed when life interferes and I have to miss one. Thankfully we have an active email loop (several, in fact) where we give and get support 24/7 between meetings.

I'm so thankful I found this group - they keep me going in so many ways - and it warms my heart when others notice what a great group it is.

So check out Rainbow's column, then come visit us at our website and blog! If you're a writer, you might even want to visit us in person. If you're not, I hope you have a community in your life that's as supportive of your goals, whatever they may be, as Heartland Writers Group is of mine. I love you, HWG ladies!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

How to accept your Oscar

OSCARS statuettes
Photo by prayitno
  • Thank the spiritual being of your choice. Point up/over/ wherever (probably not down).
  • Definitely act surprised. Practice this one in the mirror beforehand.
  • Thank significant other, then blow a kiss to him/her. Have significant other practice “in love” face.
via Shoebox (they have a great blog)

Friday, February 25, 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Christchurch earthquake on Flickr

Some amazing pictures from New Zealand, both of the devastation but also of people helping out in such a tough time:


via a search set up by Flickr Blog

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Studs of the '80s: Ooh La La or Not So Much?

Photo by Gage Skidmore
A little weekend guilty pleasure:

Studs of the '80s: Still Hot Today? - Photo Gallery - LIFE

A nice then-and-now gallery. I have to say Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis definitely hold up (Bruce was one of my first celebrity crushes and it's never faded). Jon Bon Jovi has actually improved. Some of these other guys have definitely gone in the other direction. David Hasselhoff (another early crush) just makes me shudder these days.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

I'm reading: Don't Believe The "Lots Myth"

Don't Believe The "Lots Myth": "You see, money doesn’t make us smarter; it just amplifies what we already are. If you’re a mess with a dollar, chances are you’ll be an even bigger mess with a million dollars. If you’re wise with a nickel, chances are you’ll be great with a thousand nickels."

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Not one perfect draft, but many imperfect ones

From my evening's reading last night (boldface is mine):

Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers: More than One Draft: "Do you understand that writing a novel, memoir, screenplay involves not just writing one draft but many?...Get your ego out of the way. The more you are able to tolerate imperfection, the more quickly you can finish a draft and every draft makes the story better."

How true. As much as I think I "know" that the first, second, maybe even the final draft down the road won't be perfect, something in my head digs in its heels knowing I have to get words on the page imperfectly in order to make progress. I think this is why I did so well on NaNoWriMo in 2009 - I had permission to write a messy first draft.

I need to remember to give myself permission to write imperfectly on a daily basis or I'll never get anywhere. Just in case you need it: I give you permission, too.

Cross-posted at Heartland Writers Group

Monday, February 14, 2011

Reading: 80 years of marriage

Great story!

80 years of marriage: "'They all said it wouldn't last.' But Elza and Vivian Moses surprised them all. He is now 102, and she is 97. They have become minor celebrities in central Illinois since September, when they reached an astounding milestone of marital longevity: their 80th wedding anniversary."

Less complaining. More sexy rumpus.

via The Oatmeal
We don't do Valentine's Day very big in our house. It kind of gets a polite nod more than anything. I'm impressed I actually decorated this year (if hanging a single shiny heart wreath counts as decorating). We usually have a little bit nicer dinner than usual, and that's about it (although I was just joking with hubby about having heart-shaped tuna sandwiches tonight). On top of that, I'm home with a sick kid today, which doesn't really amp up any romantic feelings.

Among the feeds I read in Google Reader today, the "I HATE Valentine's Day" variety seem to be outweighing the "I LURVE Valentine's Day" variety. I think there may be a lot of residual junior high disappointment floating around out there. Apparently The Oatmeal noticed, too, and decided to address the situation:

The Oatmeal
Though I agree in general with the entire post, I loved the final point so much I had to put it up at the top of mine (see it up there?). I think it might be a good mantra for life, not just Valentine's Day. :) 

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Blackberry not working?


My Blackberry Is Not Working!


(Just in case you didn't get the Orange reference, it's a mobile carrier in the UK)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Did you miss the Super Bowl commercials?

I did, too. Thankfully, /Film is looking out for us.

Watch This: All 61 Ads from Super Bowl XLV (2011) in 2 Minutes | /Film: "Some of us watch it for the ads. And some of us probably didn’t get around to watching it at all. For those who wanted to be in the second category but ended up in the latter, the folks at AdWeek have come up with a pretty spectacular compilation"


All 61 Ads from Super Bowl 2011 in 2 Minutes

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

The Heart of an Entrepreneur

Forget Me Not Heart
Design by LittleGretchen
My friend Ann Stephens has an inpsiring post on her blog today: Esther Howland spotted a market, got to work, and started a highly profitable business

...when she was 19

...in 1847.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Do you remember Chumley?

Hubby has been watching Pawn Stars on Netflix lately and I find the show incredibly interesting and aggravating at the same time - I love learning the historical context of the things people bring in, but I just keep thinking "I would NEVER sell or pawn that if I had it."

One of the guys on the show has the nickname "Chumley," which triggered a memory for me. I'd completely forgotten about Tennessee Tuxedo and his pal Chumley who I used to watch when I was a kid. Wikipedia says the original show was cut up and mixed in with The Underdog Show, and that's probably how I watched it. It's funny how I hadn't thought of those characters in years until "Chumley" wandered onto the screen in Pawn Stars. I found a video from Tenessee Tuxedo to share:


Tennessee Tuxedo - Lamplighters

I love it when these little memories pop up.

A bunch of WIN

I set up this post a long time ago, but never hit publish for some reason. I still like these, though, so here ya go:

epic win photos - Lost Cloud WIN
see more Hacked IRL - Truth in Sarcasm

epic win photos - Comment WIN
see more Hacked IRL - Truth in Sarcasm


epic win photos - Lost Paper WIN
see more Hacked IRL - Truth in Sarcasm


epic win photos - RPS WIN
see more Hacked IRL - Truth in Sarcasm

Friday, February 04, 2011

Deadheading for the future

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes" ~
Photo by turtlemom4bacon

Deadheading for the future (via Unclutterer): "The more you clear out and eliminate what’s “dead” in your life, the more space you create for opportunity, love, and success in the future. You have more energy to put toward strengthening yourself and blooming even more gloriously than you did before."

Let other kids have those electric cars...

I'll get mine a dalek!



Unfortunately, judging by the kids in the commercial, I'm afraid mine's too old for one of these. Darn. Maybe I could just get one to sit in the corner.

It's Groundhog Day...again?

Eternal clock
Photo by Robbert van der Steeg
I know Groundhog Day is over (or is it?) but I didn't come across this until late last night as I was about to go to bed, and I didn't have a chance to read all the way through it until lunch (and I read the WHOLE thing - feel free to skip to the end if you want), so here it is, better late than never: 
Just How Many Days Does Bill Murray REALLY Spend Stuck Reliving GROUNDHOG DAY? (via /Film)

I'm just glad it was Simon Gallagher, and not me, who spent all the time it would take to figure this out. Phew!

How rejections have changed...and how they probably haven't


The rejection slip the motion picture studio Essanay Film Manufacturing Company  (1907-1925) sent screenwriters whose submissions were found wanting. Essanay is best remembered today for its series of Charlie Chaplin films. (via Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture)


I came across a link to this rejection slip from the company that produced many of Charlie Chaplin's flms at Nathan Bransford's blog. I had to chuckle over some of the comments about the slip at BoingBoing:

"It seems to have been mistaken for some form of checklist on how to make a successful movie by current day Hollywood."

"Isn't this the set of Apple App Store guidelines?"

"Now I want to fill this form out for every horrible new movie that comes out. There's gotta be a movie that completely fills the sheet. "

#16 is my favorite.  I wonder how many possibly great movies were passed over because the screenwriter had bad handwriting.

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Darth Vader vs The Volkswagen

Hubby just sent me this video. Love it!

Winter Break: Catching the waves...in photos

Here's a nice (virtual) break from the cold and snow.

Sand ... in surf

Some time ago, a friend forwarded me some pictures by Clark Little and I've been saving them for a day like this. Little photographs waves as they come ashore in Hawaii, giving "unique and often dangerous perspective of waves from the inside out, captured in photos for all to enjoy from the safety of dry land." This video from his YouTube channel gives an idea of how he gets these amazing shots. A handful of his photos are included in the video, but his online gallery is full of his amazing work.

2010 Slideshow