Something I needed to read tonight

A Wannabe Writer or a Wannabe World Traveler?:

Pantsing works. Outlining works. Whichever method feeds your need, write, write, write. Don’t just sit there over-thinking it. You can’t finish if you never start.

There's a yellow rose in...Nebraska...

(if you're old enough to remember that song, you're welcome for the earworm)

It seems my rosebush has decided to put out one last (humongous!) rose for the season, but it's trying to keep it all to itself, letting it bloom way back in the branches.

 

 

This thing is bigger than a softball, and sooo pretty.

Recently Read: 92 days til’ 13 [plus a declaration about the rest of my year]

So weird. Why does 92 days sound so short but 12 weeks sounds do-able?

A bit from "92 days til’ 13" at Jon Acuff's Blog, which I read today:

"We've got 92 days til’ 13.
Get your finish list back out.
Cut the whole list down to one thing....
Pick a day and time you’ll work on that goal at least once a week for the next 12 weeks.
That’s it."

My goal for these 92 days is to finish my book. Obviously, I'll be working on it more than once a week. Ideally, I'll work on it every day. Realistically, I have to work on it more days than I don't.

I'm not allowed to scrap the entire book halfway through and start on something else, which is my biggest hang-up. I am not allowed "Oh, it just wasn't working" excuses. This may not end up being a publishable book, but it does have to end up being a finished book. I must remind myself that perfectionism is not the point at this point. It will be ready to be read and critiqued. Then I'll go from there.

I will not take on any other big projects before January 1. This ONE project is my priority.

You can all bug me about it if you want. You have my permission.

[Taking a big breath as I post this]

There was life before Google??

Google has a cute animated doodle for their 14th birthday today.

On one hand, it's hard to believe Google's only been around 14 years. What did we do before we could just look up anything anytime anywhere? I shudder to think.

At the same time, I often forget that Google is older than my daughter. For her, Google has always been there, like light switches or doorknobs. A few weeks ago we were discussing her Spanish class and I mentioned a time in college when a friend and I sat around trying to figure out what a certain silly English phrase would be in Spanish, and how we only ever got about half way through the phrase. She looked at me with an eyebrow up and said "Why didn't you just Google it?"

"Google didn't exist yet."

Her eyes grew big. "What? I thought it had just always been there."

A minute later she grinned. "I guess I thought when cavemen wanted to find something out they just went over to the cave where the caveman called Google lived and asked him."

She has a sense of humor, that one.

Recently read: "With trying, comes mistakes"

A couple highlighted passages on trying new things (and those who don't try), from a post I read over the weekend:

"They could join in, but then they might fail, and they wouldn’t be able to sit at home [and] bitch."

"...with trying, comes mistakes...but that’s the nature of trying new things, failing."

via Lefsetz Letter » Blog Archive » The Amanda Palmer Kerfuffle via Neil Gaiman - I Interned for Amanda Palmer

Happy Hobbit Day!

Warner Bros via Hero Complex

Happy Birthday to Bilbo & Frodo! It's TolkienWeek, so there are no shortage of pics & clips from the upcoming movie across the internet. I found one with some nice portraits of the cast.

Click through for some great images, a trailer & a clip from The Hobbit: ‘Hobbit’ trailer: Radagast, wargs, a lighter look at Middle-earth.

And check out my friend *lizzie starr's blog for a great video of Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins."

I would not want to feed this cat...

...or clean its litterbox {shudder!}

But cozying up to it like that might be nice.

via I Can Has Cheezburger?

Be Awesome [Inspiration]

Source: Uploaded by user via Jon on Pinterest

Imagination without heart work = a daydream
Hard work without imagination = a chore
Imagination + hard work = awesome
Be awesome.

Ooooh, a pen "just for her!" [Sarcasm...funny, funny sarcasm]

Perhaps BIC should have done a leetle bit more market research...or are there long-suffering women out there wishing, hoping for something to write with other than all those "manly" pens?

As the product description at Amazon says, "BIC Cristal For Her has an elegant design - just for Her! It features a thin barrel designed to fit a women's hand. It has a diamond engraved barrel for an elegant and unique feminine style." (On top of it all, they have no one to proofread their product descriptions - or maybe the proofreader was just so overwhelmed by the idiocy of the description that "a women's hand" flew right by her)

I don't think I've ever used a pen and thought, "Gee, I wish this was designed for a woman." Judging from the reviews, not many other women have, either, but those reviews sure brought a smile to my face. :)

Here's just a sampling:

"Someone has answered my gentle prayers and FINALLY designed a pen that I can use all month long! I use it when I'm swimming, riding a horse, walking on the beach and doing yoga. It's comfortable, leak-proof, non-slip and it makes me feel so feminine and pretty! Since I've begun using these pens, men have found me more attractive and approchable. It has given me soft skin and manageable hair and it has really given me the self-esteem I needed to start a book club and flirt with the bag-boy at my local market."

"The women in my life love these pens. If you manage to use all of the ink before you lose it, it magically turns into a tampon."

"The 'for her' label is not just a gimmick exploiting archaic gender constructs, it's a WARNING. ...I don't know why they didn't put a clearer warning on the label, they really should have because if you are a boy and use this pen you put yourself at great risk. My little brother turned into a unicorn after I lent him one, and my friend told me that a boy in her class grew fairy wings in the middle of a test."

"Ermagerd. Pernz with glitterz!" (Had to throw that one in just for being written in Gersberms)

The guys are getting in on it, too:

"As if men hadn't been stripped of everything good already, BIC steps in and piles on by encouraging women to learn to write, just like their male counterparts. "

"PROS: I started using them in the privacy of my home and saw a real improvement in my skin tone: rough-n-swarthy to fragrantly delicate in five shopping lists or less. Side benefits included the irresistible urge to stock my fridge with yogurt, and a genuine desire to be a better listener. Perhaps we can chalk this up to Bic's proprietary oxytocin-kitten ink technology?"

For more (and to buy if you've really been waiting for this pen all your life): Amazon.com: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk): Office Products:

via PR Daily

A S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show? [Excitement!]

Image via Page Branson

ABC Orders A Pilot For Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show : "And I just heard a wacky one this morning…what if it’s a prequel series starring Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson (doubtful)?"

That. would. be. awesome! Even if it's not Coulson, I've got high hopes.

via The Mary Sue

When is it appropriate to dress as Stan Lee? [Video]

This cracked me up.


Video link

Watchin' and Sewin': The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

I like to have something on in the background while I work on a sewing project, whether it's a movie or the Doctor Who episodes I'm woefully behind on. Last weekend I decided to try out The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which I've meant to look into for months. I wish I'd done it earlier, because it took a few hours to watch all of these. Thankfully I had quite a bit of sewing to do. The only problem is, I sometimes found myself stopping to watch Lizzie instead of sewing.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries are a modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie and her friend Charlotte are college students producing Lizzie's video diary as a way to put their studies in film production and mass communication to use. Most of the book's characters find their way into Lizzie's videos, especially her sisters Jane and Lydia (I think this is my favorite portrayal of Lydia I've ever seen). Sadly, Kitty is an actual cat and Mary is now a cousin, but the story doesn't suffer for their relative absence. (For some time with Mary, check out Lydia's short series of videos.) Mr. Bingley is now Bing Lee, and he only has one sister, Caroline (Is it just me, or does Louisa, and therefore also her husband, get dropped out of 90% of the adaptations?). We haven't seen much of Mr. Darcy yet, and nothing of Wickham (though there has been texting!). The idea of Lady Catherine as a venture capitalist is a hoot.

I'll stop going on and on and let you watch.



In preparing this post, I discovered so much more to this story: Lizzie's site has a listing of all the videos with Twitter conversations inserted into their appropriate spots in the timeline. Tumblr is also listed at the top, but none of the random links I clicked showed me Tumblr posts.  Sadly, I haven't had time to work my way through all the links, but that will be a weekend spent in bliss when I do.

This is a really interesting way to tell a story. I'm certainly going to keep following (I think they're only about half way through the events of the book at the moment.)

A philosophy I actually practice:

via Cat Addicts Anony-Mouse via I Can Has Cheezburger?

The choice is yours [Quote]

"This week you will stun the world with your vision, buoyant energy and creative brilliance, or you will bore us to death. The choice, as always, is yours."

-Brendon Burchard

via Give Yourself a Permission Slip: A Message For Women 

Just be an author.

A young person had a question for Neil Gaiman on his Tumblr blog, and he had a lovely answer:

I want to be an author when I grow up. Am I insane?
Yes. Growing up is highly overrated. Just be an author.

Here's your coffee, so tip us maybe?

I spotted this at my favorite coffee place last weekend.

Quote from "The #1 Secret of Great Writers"

"The greatest writers are great, not only because they have a way with words and not only because they have great ideas, but more importantly, because they carefully craft their writing into a final draft that reads better than the first ever possibly could. They’re great writers because they’re great rewriters."

from The #1 Secret of Great Writers

Happy 100th Birthday, Julia Child!

Google celebrated Julia's 100th with a doodle

Julia Child would have been 100 years old today. Though I don't cook (well, I can do a bang-up breakfast: pancakes, eggs, omelettes...basically anything done in a single pan or on a griddle), I've always admired Julia Child and dreamed of cooking like her. And that admiration stems less from what she cooked than how at ease she always seemed in the kitchen - something I have never accomplished even during my best Saturday morning fry-up. I tend to resemble the most hapless contestant on "Hell's Kitchen" far more than I resemble Julia, even when I'm just frying an egg.

I think I enjoy watching Julia, and other chefs, the way many people enjoy the ballet. It's not something you ever think you'll be able to do yourself, but you like to bask in the beauty and grace of the truly skillful performance.

One of the best books I read last year was My Life in France. This was one of those books that makes you scold yourself with "Why have I never read this before. What took me so long to get to it?"  It even inspired me to try making crepes one day last summer. They turned out edible, if not beautiful. If you have any interest in Julia, food, or France, I highly recommend it.

Here's a great remix of Julia done by PBS. Bon appétit!



(By the way, PBS has done several cool remixes of their classic shows lately. I love the Bob Ross one.)

Quote from "10 Classic Novel Covers in 8-bit Form"

"Once, I had a job working for a publishing house where my job was to edit classic novels, because classic novels fall into “public domain” and are free to publish. The novel I got to edit was Moby-Dick and my job was to re-write it and make it “reader friendly.” It was not a good job. I quit after three days. Confronted with Melville’s wall of brilliant text, my heart and my nerve gave out. What should I do with the first sentence, even? “Hi. My name is Ishmael”? So I gave up. Great books should not be fucked with."

from 10 Classic Novel Covers in 8-bit Form

Can't be there (like me)? Check out the live streams from Main Street in Sturgis

(FYI: They may run an ad first. That's the price we pay for free, I guess)

Live stream videos at Ustream

Free live streaming by Ustream

Sturgis, 2011

"This ain’t mine, is it?"

Overheard at the rally: Pregnant woman: "Just had a biker at a gas station come up to me, touch my stomach and say, 'This ain’t mine, is it?'

OMG.

Click through for a few more. This looks like it might be a fun space to watch this week - I assume they'll be adding more.

Lenny the pool shark at Sturgis, 2011

What scares us about our story... [Quote]

"THEORY: what scares us about our story is nothing less than…

Why we write."

via Guest Post: Fear Fuels Fiction « The Artist's Road

Tor gets the prize for most awesome portrayal of Neil Gaiman

I love this image! The rest of the post is pretty cool, too, but once you've seen this image...I mean, I almost couldn't go on. I had to stare at it for awhile. Awesomesauce!

Check it out here: How We Would Cast a Neil Gaiman Biopic

Jeff Jarvis on #nbcfail

#nbcfail economics — BuzzMachine: "I still believe that if NBC gave the fans what they wanted rather than trying to make them do what NBC thinks it wants, NBC could win by growing audience and engagement and thus better serving sponsors. I ask you to imagine what Olympics coverage would look like if Google had acquired the rights. It would give us what we want and make billions, I’ll bet."

This one smells like strawberries

While we were at Pactola Lake this weekend, I took a moment to scratch off a little bark & sniff this tree. This particular one smelled like strawberries. I haven't done this in years. It was delightful.

If you're not familiar with this practice, the idea is that you scrape off just a little bit of outer bark, just sort of flaking it off with your fingernail, until you get to that pinkish layer underneath. Then you sniff it, and it can smell like strawberry, vanilla or chocolate. I remember doing this a lot as a kid.

Have you ever done this? Do you still do it? Have you never heard of this and just think I'm crazy? Let me know in the comments. 

Ain't it the truth...

I know I'm a much more productive writer, more patient and supportive wife and mother, and all-around better person full of energy and bliss tomorrow. But every morning when I get up, tomorrow has moved on.

DOGHOUSE | Tomorrow

"I have no choice – I must write." [Quote]

Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?

"You presume that I had a choice? Writing is my compulsion and my passion. I have no choice – I must write. It has been that way for me since I was first able to hold a writing instrument in my fingers. Sometimes it feels like a curse, but mostly it is a gift, and the licence to live other lives and adventures, simultaneously. I wouldn't rid myself of the compulsive writing disease if I could."

from Tara Moss, author of Siren and The Blood Countess, answers Ten Terrifying Questions

More proof that my Pomeranian is actually a cat:

I'm usually greeted with this when I get out of the shower.
I've heard of several cats who do this, but never another dog. Have you?

via I Can Haz Cheezburger?

Darth Lumbergh

see more Set Phasers To Lol

I love this. That is all.

The two wheeled kind...

The two wheeled kind..., a gallery by wuntokess on Flickr.

I'm still working through last year's Sturgis pictures (QoP*), but a couple I posted last weekend made it into this cool gallery on Flickr.

*Queen of Procrastination

Too hot? Here's a photo to cool you off

Fox's first snow, Malet Street,London by GanMed64

Last winter, I was amazed at how many photos of foxes in the snow in London kept popping up in Flickr. 

Am I the only one who didn't notice this?

Thor

Captain America

via Recalibrate Your Statistics