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Saturday, July 30, 2011

A couple of weeks ago I received an unexpected phone call from my high school clarinet teacher.  Once upon a time I watched her children everyday after school while she taught piano and clarinet.  Although that was four years ago, she was in need for an adult babysitter to come spend the night with her kids this week while she went to visit her husband far away on a military assignment.  I said yes. . .

Because I'm a masochist.

Had I not been a nursing mom perhaps watching all those children wouldn't have been so difficult.

My clarinet teacher has five children.  The oldest was at girls camp, but I was still completely overwhelmed by the other four and Andrea.  If I sat my daughter down she instantly burst into tears because she was in a strange and very noisy place, but I struggled wrangling the eighteen month old with only one hand.  Those two had to just take turns crying.  Paul worked late most days and arrived just thirty minutes before bedtime to provide me with some relief.  By then Andrea was hysterical with hunger and exhaustion.  Paul would take her from me so I could bathe the other baby and put her in bed.  Then I would set him in charge of the other children while I found a private place to nurse.

Nursing wasn't the only challenge.  The eighteen month old has had some health problems since birth and is a terrible sleeper.  Having one of those myself I anticipated long nights.  My clarinet teacher had been giving her baby melatonin, a natural sleep hormone, to help her stay asleep all night.  She gave me the instructions on how and when to administer the melatonin, but our first night at the house I was unable to find the bottle.  I searched and searched while the two babies screamed and Harry Potter blazed in the background.  Unable to locate it she had to go to sleep without.  Andrea was put to bed next and I didn't expect a very smooth night from her either.  She barely makes it through the night at home in her familiar bed.

Much to my surprise, everyone slept great which I can only attribute to divine intervention and a faulty baby monitor. . . he he.  Discovered that the last night there.  Poor Andrea.

The reason I've regaled you with this amazing story was to not put you to sleep but to declare to you my intentions to never reproduce EVER AGAIN.

Just kidding. . .  though I'd be lying if I denied saying that at least seventy-eight times in the last week.

Paul reminded me that women typically have children one at a time, not four, and can make adjustments at the arrival of each new baby.  Still, what I really want to say is this-- to my dear mother, who never had just one baby and in a two year span found herself a mother of three: My hat is off to you.  It's harder than it looks.

Overall my clarinet teacher has great kids and as hard as it was juggling the two babies, the other three were saints.  For that, I'm so thankful, so I shouldn't complain.

Still, I don't plan on house/babysitting again for a good long while.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

I wish this was the summer that never ended.

After Andrea’s birth and the whirlwind of holidays Paul returned to school for his final semester.  He also returned to work, and I practically became a single mom.  Being a new mom is hard on anyone.  I was actually embarrassed that it was so hard on me.  However, it wasn't the sleepless nights and the hours of holding a screaming child that wore me out most (although that was incredibly exhausting).  My real challenge was doing it alone.

Ironic that having a person constantly attached to me launched me into the loneliest time of my life (thus far).

To add insult to injury, when I was around people I was irritable and emotional.  I desperately craved adult conversation and the companionship of a friend yet could not seem to offer those things in return.  Andrea was draining everything from me and the voids in my brain that once housed compassion, hope, and sanity were filling with fluids that seemed to seep from my eyes at every inconvenient moment.  Gross, ya?

Then, on a chilly April afternoon, Paul came home from his last class and was mine again.  And he began a relief effort.  He began taking Andrea so I could attempt naps.  He held and played with her while I decompressed over a warm sink of dishes.  He even cleaned the toilet.  Twice.  In June we took our daughter to the doctor, figured out why she hadn’t been sleeping and four days later she finally slept through the night.

And so did I.

Then, my journey to recover the broken pieces of my spirit began along with my attempts to salvage my once steady image.  Requiring lots of prayer, meditation, and naps, Paul continued to be my co-captain, my sous chef. . . my saving grace.

But yesterday he said something horrible.  So horrible I wanted to cover my ears and yell, "I can't hear you!  I can't hear you!" like was in first grade again.  He said, with sadness in his tone, "Twenty-seven days."  The number of days until he begins his Master’s program. . . and it lingered in the silent air for a moment before slowly falling to my feet.  Had it been tangible I would have stomped on it.  What an ugly number.  His Master's program schedule is not going to be very fun.  It will entail leaving the house at five every morning and returning home at eleven in the evening.

Sorry, that was me gagging.

For him this means very little sleep, very little food, and very little time at home.  For me it means becoming a single mom again.  It means being so alone again.  I remind myself this is only for two semesters, and knowing exactly when this trial ends is a luxury seldom given.  For that, I am thankful.

How I wish this summer would just drag on forever.  There are just some things that don't get old like swinging on a sunny day, watching Paul and Andrea wrestle, and eating my mom's homemade ice cream.

Sigh. . . drool. . .

 P.S. How cute are these boots?  They finally fit her little feet and I love them.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

A little bit of goulash

Two weeks ago the Mormon Tabernacle Choir went on tour up into Canada to share their musical gifts and spirit.  Paul's parents are both in the choir and so we and his sisters decided to plan a little surprise for their return.  The basement of their house was pretty much one very large office and we wanted to make a sitting area down there for people to gather, watch TV, and where little baby feet could run around in a relatively contained and safe space.

Before when you walked down the stairs, covering some beautiful brick work was a row of file cabinets.

Wedged between the wall and these cabinets was a lighthouse painting.  We decided to use this painting as our inspiration for the room.  I like to call it the cigarette lighthouse.  You can probably guess why.

Standing beside the file cabinets and looking down the room there were tables of computers and some additional file cabinets against the wall.

Moving the filing cabinets to the center of the room we used them as a partition to define the space.  Next we found some couches and couch covers on craigslist.

I sewed some pillows to match the painting.

Exibit A: couches after finished pillows.

Here you can see the brick where we placed an entertainment center to cover the hole once used by an wood burning stove.  I don't have a picture of that.  Sorry.  But you can see the picture which we hung on the wall opposite the window.

At the dollar store I bumped into a lighthouse similar to the one in the painting except the top was red.  I painted it gold to match the color scheme of the room.

I scoured the house for other golden trinkets to adorn the mantle.  It's still a little bit of a work is progress down there but we got the space off to a good start.

We've also had a lot of family come and visit lately.  My aunt traveled from Illinois at the beginning of June and my grandmother came shortly after she left.  Andrea got to read books and play with her.  My other grandmother is also visiting so Andrea is getting to meet a lot of my relatives.

Cousin Jax also came to visit with his parents and he's been teaching Andrea new tricks like growling and clapping.  She thinks he's the coolest person and always watches him when he's in the room.

I think these two will be good friends some day.

Monday (the 4th of July) we began the day with a patriotic breakfast (which turned out hideous).  Red, white, and blue waffles.

We all dressed in red, white, and blue to show patriotism.

While I picked out a blue bow for Andrea, she saw the flower and would not let go of it.  Paul insisted she wear it too.

Andrea's finally able to sit up on her own and her balance gets better every day.
Andrea's finally sleeping through the night now that I'm supplementing her, and I feel six trillion times better thanks to some full nights of sleep.  She's already gained 3/4 of a pound so she'll hopefully return to a healthy percentile soon.


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Wineries in Syrah Wineries in Sunol

Elliston Vineyards

in Zinfandel Wineries, Syrah Wineries, Pinot Gris Wineries, Pinot Blanc Wineries, Chardonnay Wineries

We believe that our wines get better with age. That's why we cellar and bottle age our wines for longer than most California wineries. Elliston wines are meant to be opened and enjoyed right away so come "Taste the History".

463 Kilkare Rd
Sunol, California 94586
United States

Add to Favorites |Send E-mail

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Mark Levin

Mark Levin

3:00pm - 6:00pm

Local News

Now that the "Redistricting Road Trip" is over- there seems to be a consensus: people in Oregon are calling for the Governor to sign a bi-partisan District Map. When it comes to drawing political lines on a map, things can get controversial. State Senator Chris Telfer of Bend says that's why the State of Oregon has had a District Map approved of and signed by the Governor in forty years. In a recent tour across Oregon, Telfer heard the people say that 40 years was long enough, and they are urging the governor to put his "John Kitzhaber" on the document. The Committee held hearings in La Grande, Burns, Medford, Coos Bay and Bend. They also held video conferences to gather input.

Traffic & Weather

  • Click on the link for the latest conditions on the mountain passes.

  • Construction at 27th Street . Northbound Lane Closed from Reed Market to Bear Creek.  Detour in place.

Weather Widget


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General > General Banter

Quess who is coming back soon?

(1/2) > >>

big country:
:lol:  Hey everyone how has it been going just wanna let all of you know that i will be returning soon to kick some butt, see all of you soon.

                                              big country, kevin smith

who is this masked person? :lol:   Hope to see you soon.

Kevin Montgomery:
About damn time.....   We'll expect to see you at WyCo league soon!! (among other courses of course)

big country:
i will be at wyco thhis friday for league if everything goes right until then. 8)

Kevin Montgomery:
No league this Friday. With the Wide Open playing there on Saturday morning and players meeting Friday evening we are canceling it for Friday of this week. You are welcome to come out and play the course with the ropes that the pros will be using though. I expect there will be some others come out and want to play league. Maybe you can get some sort of $ round going in a casual way. I'll see you next week for sure though.

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One of the most important decisions you’ll make when writing your will is determining who should be named executor of your estate. Even if you’re just leaving behind household goods and a small savings account, someone — whether appointed by you or the state court — must settle your affairs.

Some people consider it an honor — or duty — to take responsibility for ensuring that their loved one’s final wishes are carried out. But serving as an executor can be onerous and time-consuming, even for those with a strong financial or legal background. In a worst-case scenario, executors who act imprudently or in violation of their duties can be sued by beneficiaries and creditors.

Plus, you’ll likely have to deal with the dreaded probate, a court-supervised process of locating and determining the value of the deceased’s assets, paying final bills and taxes, and distributing what’s left to the heirs.

Before you agree to serve as an estate’s executor, make sure you understand what will be required of you. Major responsibilities often include:

Manage paperwork on behalf of the estate, including the will, trusts, insurance policies, bank, investment and retirement account statements, birth and death certificates, marriage, prenuptial agreement or divorce papers, military service records, real estate deeds, tax records, etc.

If the estate is complicated or likely to be contentious, you may want to hire a lawyer and/or accountant to help navigate the maze of paperwork.

File a certified copy of the will with the local probate court, which will determine if probate is necessary.

If the probate court confirms you as executor, you’ll be issued a document called “letters testamentary,” which gives you legal authority to act on the estate’s behalf, including opening a bank account in the name of the estate to pay outstanding debts (loans, utilities, medical bills, credit card balances, etc.)

Notify all interested parties of the death. These might include: government agencies (Social Security, Veterans Administration, Medicare, U.S. Post Office, DMV); financial institutions; creditors; current and former employers; retirement plan administrators; investment firms; insurance companies; doctors and other professionals; landlord or tenants; utilities, etc.

You’ll often need to send a copy of the death certificate to close out accounts, claim insurance benefits, change ownership of assets or accounts to the estate or a beneficiary, so order ample copies through the funeral home or county health department.

Locate assets, including personal property, bank accounts and safe deposit box contents, and ensure that they are protected until sold or distributed to inheritors. This may involve updating home and car insurance, changing locks, overseeing appraisals of property that must be sold, etc.

Collect money owed to the estate, such as outstanding wages, insurance benefits, retirement plan benefits and rents.

Notify heirs about their bequest.

File the deceased’s final federal, state and local tax returns, as well as federal and state estate tax returns, if applicable.

Once probate has closed, you will distribute the remaining assets to named beneficiaries.

Because acting as an executor can be very time-consuming (often taking months or years), you are allowed to charge the estate a fee for your time — usually a percentage of the estate’s value, as dictated by state law.

In short, both parties should thoroughly understand what’s required of an estate’s executor to make sure it’s a good fit.

There’s no shame in saying no to the responsibility if it’s beyond your abilities, and plenty of professional help is available — and advisable — if you do need assistance.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. Follow him on Twitter @PracticalMoney.

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Gifts From the HEART

Before Facebook was even thought of, I was reconnecting with people from my past through my website. I was always amazed at who would come across my computer!

Well a few years ago I received an email from someone I hadn't had any contact with since I was a mere 12 years old back in Claresholm, Alberta! And yes I think he even had a crush on me. It was great to hear from Bob and also his wife Lynn. She recalled the crazy highschool skiing trip where she listened to me playing and singing at the grand piano in the beautiful Banff Springs Hotel.

Bob grew very interested in my music and was intrigued in how this 'gift' had helped me navigate my own healing journey. Bob was beginning to look at his own at the time and ordered every single one of my CD's. But I believe what may have inspired Bob the most was how I was now able to use that gift to raise awareness and aid for little girls in Cambodia rescued the evils of sexual slavery.

As we developed a new friendship Bob made it known that he wanted to use his 'gift' and raise some support for these brave young survivors. Of course I was 100 % behind him and very thankful that he was inspired to give back. Bob had found a mission! Bob is an auto mechanic by trade and loves working on vehicles so he was going to find a truck, fix it up and then sell it with 100% of the profits going to the girls at our NewSong centre in Cambodia through Ratanak International.

Through a series of major ups and downs, frustrations and set backs, not to mention back and shoulder surgery, Bob never once wavered from his good intent. Every now and then he would send off an email expressing his disappointment but I just said, "When it's done it's done Bob. Don't worry. God is in control".

Well I am happy to announce that after nearly 3 years, the 'charity truck', as Bob and Lynn liked to call it, has been sold and a cheque for $6,000.00 is on it's way to enable more girls to be rescued from sexual abuse and torture in Cambodia.

I am so proud of Bob and Lynn for seeing the vision through to completion. Yes, I have inspired them, but they in turn have really encouraged me through their shere determination and dedication to a cause that has become dear to their hearts.

We are all capable of so much if we catch the vision, hold onto it, and then allow the compassion to propel us to a new place that changes our own hearts and the lives of others.

Now that's an amazing Valentine!

God Bless you Bob and Lynn and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

1 comment:

  1. Coming from someone who is a sex trafficking survivor Bob and Lynn I think you are amazing people and this story touched me deeply. God bless you. The world needs more like you many more you are a fine example of humanity.


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Wine Books and DVDsWine Gifts & Wine Accessories

2013 Emmolo Merlot "Napa Valley"

Winery: Emmolo

Vintage: 2013

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Napa Valley"

Wine Category: Merlot

Grape blend: Merlot

Region: Napa Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $60

Cases produced: unknown

KWG Score: 90 (based on 2 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)

Review date: August 22, 2016

Wine Review: This opaque and midnight purple colored Merlot from Emmolo was tied for our top spot in our recent big blind tasting. It opens with a blueberry and oak like bouquet with a hint of anise. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, lush and very fruit forward. The flavor profile is a concentrated blueberry and black cherry jam with notes of oak and hints of minerality and a touch of strawberry in the end. This finish is dry and its fruit flavors and soft tannins fade away nicely. The panel suggested pairing this homemade meatloaf or Irish lamb stew. Enjoy - KWGTP

Winemaker Notes: Not Available

Organic status: not organic

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Emmolo 2013 Merlot.

Bookmark and Share

Subscribers: Have you tried this wine? Rate it.

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Rate this wine:

  • Unbelievable (100-98) (Perfect or just about)
  • Excellent (97-94) (Wine just blows you away. Just makes you yearn for more.)
  • Very Good Plus (93-90) (Wine to impress someone, but not blow them away.)
  • Very Good (89-87) (Has character, is well balanced, & distinctive.)
  • Good (86-84) (Drinkable, ordinary, & non-distinctive)
  • Did Not Like (Not recommended &/or poor)
Your comments on this wine:

"Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living."

Source: Robert Mondavi

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Wine Books and DVDsWine Gifts & Wine Accessories

2013 Krupp Brothers Syrah & Shiraz (Other than French) "Black Bart Stagecoach Vineyard"

Winery: Krupp Brothers

Vintage: 2013

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Black Bart Stagecoach Vineyard"

Wine Category: Syrah & Shiraz (Other than French)

Grape blend: 100% Syrah

Region: Napa Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $75

Cases produced: 180

KWG Score: 94.2 (based on 5 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (91)

Review date: January 26, 2016

Wine Review: This dark red colored Syrah from Krupp Brothers is always a top performer. The 2013 vintage opens with a pleasant mild cherry-vanilla bouquet with hints of blackberry and oak. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, smooth and approachable. The flavor profile is a blueberry and gentle cherry blend with notes of minerality and faint oak. The finish is dry and its flavors and moderate tannins are nicely prolonged. The panel suggested that this Syrah will appeal to readers who like rich Pinot’s. They would pair it with pork tenderloin or smoked oysters. Enjoy – KWGTP

Winemaker Notes: Brimming with boysenberry, blackberry, dark cherry, black pepper and cloves. Flavors of blueberry, dark chocolate covered coffee beans and maple-glazed bacon envelop the palate. Richly textured with round tannins that persist into a long finish. Pair with lamb chops in a balsamic demi-glace and porcini mushroom risotto. Drink now through 2020.

Organic status: not organic

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Krupp Brothers 2013 Black Bart Syrah.

Bookmark and Share

Subscribers: Have you tried this wine? Rate it.

(Not a subscriber? Sign up.)

E-mail address:

Rate this wine:

  • Unbelievable (100-98) (Perfect or just about)
  • Excellent (97-94) (Wine just blows you away. Just makes you yearn for more.)
  • Very Good Plus (93-90) (Wine to impress someone, but not blow them away.)
  • Very Good (89-87) (Has character, is well balanced, & distinctive.)
  • Good (86-84) (Drinkable, ordinary, & non-distinctive)
  • Did Not Like (Not recommended &/or poor)
Your comments on this wine:

"Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living."

Source: Robert Mondavi

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Ken's Wine Guide
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text:
Tuesday, July 10, 2007

First Blogiversary

Today is my Blogiversary-- it's been one year since I started this blog! I had a big long post but Blogger ate it.

So I'll just say, that the best part of blogging is the friends I have made. I can't believe I have stuck with any form of journalling for a whole year; I think the feedback is definitely what has kept me going. And it's just been a great experience. Here's to many more years in the Ketchup Bottle!

Awesome Mom said...

Congratulations!! It is a bit addicting isn't it?

Mean Mommy said...

Hooray for you!

CareBearMommy said...

How typical of Blogger to eat your post,and on your blogiversary, no less! For me, Blogger was always hungry, and always eating my posts... which is one of the many reasons I switched. Well, that, and my hubby is like a total computer genius who set up my current blog. Anyhoot, HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!

Guinevere Meadow said...

Ooh, that evil Blogger Post-Eating Monster.

Pooie on him.

Happy Blogiversary!

Lisa said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Congrats on your blogiversary!

Suzanne said...

Happy Blogiversary! :D


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Anti-abortion bill fails to pass out of Republican-led committee

OKLAHOMA CITY - In an unprecedented move, three freshmen Republicans voted with a Democrat to shoot down an anti-abortion bill.

House Bill 1549 would ban abortions due to genetic abnormalities or Down Syndrome.

It failed to pass out of the Public Health Committee on Wednesday after a 4-4 tie.

Freshman Republican representative, Carol Bush, voted against it.

"It's an unconstitutional bill. We already have a bill on the books. And it's not worth our time or our money or energy to pursue these," said Rep. Bush.

She says she's tired of seeing bills proposed that won't stand up in court.

"As a new freshman legislator, I don't know why they keep coming up. I mean even last year, the governor vetoed one that passed," said Rep. Bush.

"The Republican Party is very much in the forefront of the pro-life platform," said Rep. Mike Ritze.

Ritze, a Republican, is the chairman of the Public Health Committee.

He says they shouldn't be concerned with whether a bill is constitutional.

"That's not really for a legislator to decide. That's for the courts to decide," said Rep. Ritze.

"In a time when we have a budget shortfall of almost $900 million, how much money are we wasting today in the courts fighting unconstitutional legislation?" said Rep. Forrest Bennett, the Democrat who voted against the bill.

Rep. Bennett says this freshman class of legislators is focused on bigger issues.

"The one thing that we've heard from all corners of the state is what are you going to do about the budget? And what are you going to do about the schools? And that bill didn't do anything for either of those issues," said Rep. Bennett.

"The budget is important but moral issues are very important to the people that elect us," said Rep. Ritze.

Rep. Mark Lawson is another freshman Republican that voted against the bill.

He says he simply had more questions he needed answered.

He has been working with the author of the bill to change some of the language and is now a co-author of the bill.

He believes when they present the amended bill to the committee next week that it will pass.

Rep. Lawson also says he believes the new version would stand up to a legal challenge.

The committee will likely vote again next Tuesday.


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Umi dissertation publishing city
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Umi dissertation publishing city

Using cross-sectional data collected from three middle schools in Southeast Los Angeles, we assessed the association of neighborhood violence exposure, gang. MLA Style Formatting Guide Basic Information. The format most widely accepted for research papers and citations is that of the Modern Language Association, or MLA … Beliefs about Language Learning: Current Knowledge, Pedagogical Implications, and New Research Directions Eva Bernat

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to. James Ditsworth grew up in Tempe and attended the University of Arizona where he received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Mathematics and a Bachelor of Arts in. PROGRESSIVE ALERT Learn about new Books, eBooks, Magazines & Journals, Standards & Specification and CD ROM database & Technical Softwares, discount in …

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Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: Their characteristics and cultural context. Scott Thumma, PhD. Email: [email protected] If you are interested in megachurches. The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system.

Resources. Links: This Web site contains links to external sites; this is to declare no responsibility for the content and/ or the private acts. Functional Assessment Checklist . What is person-centered planning and how does it relate to functional assessment? Teams who are supporting students who.

As of the 2011 American Community Survey, New York City is home to 100,000 ethnic Koreans, with two-thirds living in the borough of Queens. On the other hand, the. Thesis/Dissertation Deadlines: SEMESTER: Deadline to submit thesis/dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies for format review: Deadline for completing defense. Northern Michigan University's Lydia M. Olson Library, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Homepage

UMI/ProQuest Publishing Guidelines. UMI, formerly University Microfilms International, is now a subsidiary of ProQuest Information and Learning.

umi dissertation publishing city


text:
Neopets – world Game Elements

If You Like Neopets World

Neopets World can be immense fun! Wizard101 also has a lot of exciting World features. Neopets has interesting World features that have been extremely successful. This game gives you a unique experience with World excitement. Neopets World lets you experience Neopets in a whole new way. If you like Neopets World, we know you'll also like Wizard101.

Wizard101 has the following features:

  • An Online, Magical Adventure Game
  • Wizard School MMO Game
  • Seven Types of Magic
  • Collectible Card Magic
  • 2D and 3D Game Play

See how Wizard101 compares to these other popular destinations.

Trademarks and copyrights for third-party products, company names, brand names, characters, and logos are the property of their respective owners.


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Kids Channel
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Drug Interactions With the Varicella Vaccine

Immunosuppressants, salicylates, and anticoagulants are some of the medicines that may cause varicella vaccine drug interactions. Some of these medications may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine; others may lead to potentially serious problems when combined with the vaccine. In order to prevent drug interactions, tell your healthcare provider about all the medications you are taking before getting vaccinated.

An Overview of Varicella Vaccine Interactions

The varicella vaccine (Varivax®) can potentially interact with a few medications or other vaccines. Some of the medicines or vaccines that may lead to interactions with the varicella vaccine include:
  • Anticoagulant medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®) or heparin
  • Immune globulins or blood products (such as a blood transfusion)
  • Immunosuppressants, such as:

    • Chemotherapy (as well as radiation treatment)
    • Corticosteroids, such as:

      • Betamethasone (Celestone®)
      • Cortisone
      • Dexamethasone (Decadron®)
      • Fludrocortisone (Florinef®)
      • Hydrocortisone (Cortef®)
      • Methylprednisolone (Depo-Medrol®, Medrol®)
      • Prednisolone (Pediapred®)
      • Prednisone
      • Triamcinolone (Kenalog®)

    • Aspirin (Ecotrin®, Bayer®, Anacin®)
    • Choline magnesium trisalicylate (Trilisate®), diflunisal (Dolobid®)
    • Salsalate (Salflex®, Disalcid®, Amigesic®).

6 Quick Tips for Getting Kids to Take Medicine

Varicella Vaccine Information

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Friday, July 31, 2009

London's International Rib Festival 2009 -- Damn the ribs are so expensive!

This afternoon I headed downtown to check out London's International Rib Fest in Victoria Park.

Apparently the London Boys & Girls Club no longer runs it with their volunteers as a fund raising event. Money raised at the festival now goes to ChildCan, "a London-based charity that helps families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer."

Victoria Park sits alongside Richmond St. aka Richmond Row where there are a lot of bars, restaurants, and shops. It's a big clubbing area for university students, and I used to spend a lot of time in this area when I lived in London.

Walking through the gates of Victoria Park . . .

There still weren't many people at the festival as it is Friday and it was only 1pm.

I walked around checking out the different food vendors . . . maple candy floss? That's new--to me anyway. I imagine now that I'm older I might not like that much.

There seemed to be a a lot of food vendors that weren't selling ribs--you gotta wonder what the international rib teams think about this as I imagine they want people to be eating RIBS.

First chicken, then burgers? Okay . . . I've been to quite a few of the rib fests and I'm not 100% but I don't think there used to be this many meat vendors--snacks and desserts yes, but why call it a rib fest when there's pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken . . . ?

I like the art on the front of this vendor's trailer . . .

Band shell and concert area. During the winter there's an ice rink here too.

I imagine he's thinking, "WHY did you bring me here? I can smell meat everywhere. Are you going to give me any? NO! Woof!"

The war memorial in the center of the park.

And then I saw my old buddy Bill Paul, the city of London town crier. I used to do clown work with his company at parties, festivals, etc etc etc. Bill's pretty much a permanent feature of London's festival and event scene, and you'll always see him with a group of kids and parents wanting balloon animals and face painting . . .

The beer table area . . . usually packed--still too early.

I then did a tour of the rib making teams . . .

Some teams have more trophies than others, lol.

These guys had banners and posters up with huge bragging stats. They've won a lot of competitions and wanted to make sure EVERYBODY knew about it.

Click on the picture below and you'll see how many places they've won rib competitions.

The prices are still fairly steep for a fund raiser, but the cause is worth it. I may head back tomorrow and get some. I've eaten them before, and they're pretty good.

Here's a few more shots of the different teams' booths . . .

Some of the names are pretty cool . . .

I then walked a half block away from the park to see my old apartment. It was in this century home (over a hundred years old). This location was awesome because it was so close to everything downtown . . . it's probably a good thing I wasn't living here in my early twenties with the club scene so close by, lol.

There are something like NINE small apartments inside this house. My apartment was on the second floor in the front. It was weird to see the windows covered over with tin foil or something, lol. I was tempted to go knock on the door and see if they'd let me in to take a few pics . . . but decided that might not go over too well depending on who answered the door, lol.

The street was pretty quiet except for two things: on weekends when there are festivals it can be loud early in the morning and late at night as the house is only a half block from the park, and secondly the freaking fraternity houses that were about 100 feet away from the house.

Back at the major intersection of downtown London I had to wait to take the bus home . . . luckily I didn't have to wait too long, and I occupied myself on the bus by looking at the pics I'd taken.

Time to go watch some UFC and relax.

St. Paul's Cathedral and St. Peter's Cathedral Bascilica in London, Ontario, Canada

Today I went downtown to check out the London International Rib Festival . . . but before I headed to Victoria Park where it was being held I checked out two cathedrals.

The first was St. Paul's Cathedral. When I was in my teens and early twenties I had the privilege of singing with some very good choirs that put on concerts in this cathedral.

Here's some info about the cathedral.

The acoustics are very nice, and I wish I could have gone in to take some pics.

There's a shaded area in front of the cathedral where people can sit and rest and play with the squirrels.

The sun was playing hiding and seek with the clouds . . . the lighting was pretty good for most of the shots I took.

I like the bit of lens flare in this one.

Here's a few more shots of the entrance. I like the contrasting light and shadows.

The cathedral is pretty big. Here's another wing of it.

This shot was tricky. I wanted to get the colors and details of the cathedral while at the same time getting the silhouetted sun . . .

And a few more shots . . .

I then headed over to St. Peter's Cathedral Bascilica. I've often thought it a little strange that the two cathedrals are only about a block a part . . . not sure what the reason is for that.

St. Peter's has a very different feel and look to it.

Some info . . .

Right side close-up . . .

Left side close-up . . .

And then some shots of the side of the cathedral . . .

I really like the semi-castle feel some of the features have . . . I really don't have much else to say other than I enjoyed taking the pics. I do wish that the sunlight had stayed but it disappeared behind the clouds.

While I might not be a Christian anymore, I still really appreciate the acoustics, architecture, and cultural history of cathedrals.

Singing in these cathedrals was a spiritual experience for me, and one that I will always treasure.


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Kitchen Garden | Organic Gardens | Potted Plants | Growing Plants

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Monarda – Coral reef, how to grow this plant, soil conditions, fertilizer, care etc.

Monardas, a hybrid of the famous American wildflower with the “bright red crown-shaped” flowers, a description of the large scarlet blooms everyone and every hummingbird loves. Monarda didyma goes by the common name Bee Balm, but is not the only plant to do so.

Characteristics :

– An easy-to-grow native with hundreds of salmon pink flowers in mid summer. A long-blooming and clean selection, Coral Reef attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with its sweetly scented flowers.
– Monarda didyma is an herbaceous perennial plant.
– Spreads enthusiastically in moist soil, but is more restrained in the average garden.
– Height : 3 Feet and Spread : 2 Feet.
– Attributes : Drought Tolerant, Wildflower Garden, Container, Pond Edge, Mass Planting, Dry Sun, Cut Flower, Stream Edge, Border, Moist Sun, Native to US, Fragrant.
– Nature Attraction : Hummingbirds, Butterflies.
– Critter Resistance : Deer Resistant.

Growing Conditions :

– The bloom begins in mid-summer, and if you cut off spent flowers for about three weeks, you’ll extend the blooming into fall.
– Soil Preferences: Prefers a rich, organic, moist soil but will grow in average soil. Do not let the soil dry out.
– Sun/Shade: Full sun to partial shade

Monarda is a hardy perennial plant that will spread in favorable conditions through rhizomes or self-seeding. Pruning or division may be necessary every 2-4 years to control spread. Many gardeners will also prune the plant back after flowering if the plant becomes ragged looking. Deadheading spent monarda blooms can encourage a longer flowering season as well.

Pests or Diseases

Powerdery mildew is the most common problem for bee balm plants and is usually a sign of drought-stress or overcrowding and lack of good air circulation. Evenly moist soil is almost a must for mondarda plants to prevent stressing out the plant. Rust is another disease problem for some monarda plants and can be worse if the foliage is frequently wet when watering.

Propagation Methods

Monarda is easy to grow from sowing the seeds freely outdoors, planting divisions or purchasing healthy plants and setting out directly into the landscape.

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Wanted North Gambler

Forum for wakestylers only

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Wanted North Gambler

Postby Certeza » Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:57 am

I'm looking for a 142 North Gambler. Straps or bindings doesn't matter. Thanks guys.

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Local Beach: Sherman Island, CA
Ka'a Point, Maui
Favorite Beaches: Sherman Island, CA; La Ventana, Mexico; all of NE Brazil; Kite Beach, Maui
Style: Freeride
Gear: North Neo, North Gambler, North Wam
Brand Affiliation: North USA team rider
Location: North Shore Maui

Re: Wanted North Gambler

Postby recoprianto » Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:06 pm

I've got a 2012 139 ($425) that is in excellent condition. I have Entity TT straps ($100) or the US size 11 North / Ronix Frank boots that I have used 2 times and are slightly too small for me ($225).

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Three weeks after a murder victim, with his dying breath, told police that a 'friend of Sara' shot him, Sara's friend was arrested early this morning and charged with murder, police tell 1200 WOAI's Michael Main.

  Sgt. Javier Salazar says Antonio Miranda was arrested following a disturbance in the 1900 block of Nolan Street on the east side.  When officers arrived, they found weapons were involved, and it took three officers to get Miranda into handcuffs.

  "They had to taze him, they finally got him under control," he said.  "They identified him, and found that he had an active murder warrant out for him."

 Miranda continued his bad attitude as he was paraded before reporters in the traditional 'perp walk' at Police Headquarters, spitting at newsmen as he was led past by officers.

  Salazar says Alex Navarro, 22, was shot dead March 20th at his apartment in the 7800 block of Callaghan Road.

  "As a dying declaration at the time Navarro was dying, he told officers that 'Sara's boyfriend' had shot him," he said.  "This suspect here is who was identified as Sara's boyfriend."

  The shooting is believed to have stemmed from a bungled drug deal, Salazar said.

 24 year old Sara Mary Clements has already been arrested in connection with the case.


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No Spin Throwing Knives of Roy Hutchison

Roy's no-spin throwing knife.

I make my throwing knives from Mild Steel (low carbon) sheet. They are 35.5cm long, 6mm thick and around 255g heavy, the center of gravity is nearly in the center. The blanks are laser cut to size and then I do some work on the point end and generally clean off any burrs. When they are up to that stage, and I am certain that no more metal needs removing they then go for heat treatment whereby they are heated in a salts bath to cherry red, and the carbon soaks into the red hot steel. When a millimeter depth of carbon is introduced (this takes a set time), the blades are quenched in oil until completely cool. The blades are then glass-hard on the surface to a millimeter depth, with a soft core. This prevents burrs from kicking up on the blade. Finally they are sand papered clean, and I fit my stick-on handles (those are rubber-stickers I just have to peel off the paper, I have them made at a sticker company).

The throwing knives' shape is the one that suits my throwing style best. That is No/-Quarter-/Half-spin throws! The shape allows easy sliding from the hand, both from the blade and the handle. The small hilt is cosmetic, and makes the throwing knife more "daggery".

Throw the knives "no spin" style

Detail of the tip of Roy's no-spin throwing knife.A short note on Roy's special throwing style: He strives to reduce the rotation of his throwing knives nearly to zero. There is no arch in his throw, he pushes the knife to the target similarly to the movement you would use to throw a very heavy ball (shotput in sports). The index finger rests on the spine of the throwing knife, and it pushes down on it when the knife has halfway left the hand, to reduce the spin. With years of practice, Roy can throw no-spins from 5m and further.

In two picture-tutorials, Roy explains his (external link / new window)Half Spin technique and his (external link / new window)No Spin technique.

See also the general instructions on no spin knife throwing for more no spin throwing knives.

KnifeThrowing.Info Throwing knife spacer symbol sitemap Throwing knife spacer symbol terms/privacy

German: No Spin Wurfmesser Roy


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Saturday, January 31, 2009

Happy Birthday; Dear Amanda

You are my second born; but not second at heart!
(I love both of my daughters!)
I'm so proud of all you've accomplished and of your spirit.

I feel so blessed to be a part of your life!

Since I'm not there to bake you one; here is a guy who makes some observations about cake. ;0)

NameChanged said...

Thanks for giving me a great sister. Love you mommy!

kkryno said...

I love you too! :0)

Doug and Amanda said...

Thanks mommy! That made me laugh lots. Oh, and I got my boxes! Lots of fun! Love ya, mom.

Jess said...

Happy Birthday to your Amanda...and have a great week.

Sorry I havent been by... Ice Storms are awful!

SaoirseDaily2 said...

The cake routine was hillarious. Now I know what my co-workers are thinking when I bring cake.

Did Jennifer H do a great job with the anthem? I think M watched the last 20 minutes of the game.

Hey, I saw Palin was a DC swanky party. Did your state foot the bill?

Have a mucho happy Monday.


text:
The Federal Circuit and §112(f): Shifting Winds of Jurisprudence

June 26, 2015 Benjamin Kusiak

Since the 1990s, the Federal Circuit has consistently looked at §112(f) as being presumptively against a means-plus-function claim construction.  The case law first raised the presumption to “strong” in Lighting World, then “strong…that is not readily overcome” in Inventio, then making it nearly impossible to assert §112(f) in Flo Healthcare SolutionsFlo allowed the Federal Circuit to state their unwillingness to apply §112(f) unless the claim contains the word “means” or clear evidence of no structure recitation, known as a placeholder term.  Based on this precedent, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has developed and used training modules to drill this presumption into its examiners.  This heightened presumption against patent-eligible material made it difficult for many to obtain patent coverage, particularly those in industries such as software development.

There was a significant departure from this trend on June 16, 2015.  On this date, the Federal Court handed down its en banc opinion in Williamson v Citrix.  The court explicitly overruled its earlier precedent in its presumption against §112(f) applicability and stated, “[t]hat characterization is unwarranted, is uncertain in meaning and application, and has the inappropriate practical effect of placing a thumb on what should otherwise be a balance analytical scale.”  Though not a unanimous opinion, the change in Circuit claim characterization offers hope.  This may prove especially important for those companies facing uncertainty or other brick walls post-Alice.

Even though the hurdle to getting §112(f) consideration has been significantly reduced, the end game is still important.  After deciding §112(f) applied, the Federal Circuit moved to stage two of the analysis: looking at the specification.  In this particular case, the specification did not adequately disclose a structure corresponding to the function, and the claims were still found indefinite.  As one attorney put it, the specification “must be clear and sufficiently broad to fully encompass the operation of the function.”  As an applicant, the specification again takes on special significance to strengthen a robust claim set comprised in part by a means-plus-function claim.  By fully elaborating on the underlying structure and how it functions, applicants can ensure their claims withstand §112(f) review and that any close copies of the covered invention will be examined under the doctrine of equivalents.

Though the percentage of applications containing means-plus-function claims has dropped off drastically in the past decade from nearly 25 percent to less than 10 percent, these types of claims still hold a place of honor for many companies in niche markets.  Post-Citrix, it is likely that there will be an increase in §112(f)-eligible claims within certain industries, particularly those hit hardest by Alice.  These claims, however, will only be successful when accompanied by a specification grounded by clear and precise phrasing of the function and structure.  By utilizing optimization tools during the drafting process to bolster both claims and the specification, applicants will be able to take advantage of the recent change at the Federal Circuit.

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A source file may start with a package declaration:

package foo.bar

fun baz() {}

class Goo {}

// ...

All the contents (such as classes and functions) of the source file are contained by the package declared. So, in the example above, the full name of baz() is foo.bar.baz, and the full name of Goo is foo.bar.Goo.

If the package is not specified, the contents of such a file belong to "default" package that has no name.

Default Imports

A number of packages are imported into every Kotlin file by default:

  • kotlin.*
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  • kotlin.collections.*
  • kotlin.comparisons.* (since 1.1)
  • kotlin.io.*
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  • kotlin.text.*

Additional packages are imported depending on the target platform:

  • JVM:
    • java.lang.*
    • kotlin.jvm.*
  • JS:
    • kotlin.js.*

Apart from the default imports, each file may contain its own import directives. Syntax for imports is described in the grammar.

We can import either a single name, e.g.

import foo.Bar // Bar is now accessible without qualification

or all the accessible contents of a scope (package, class, object etc):

import foo.* // everything in 'foo' becomes accessible

If there is a name clash, we can disambiguate by using as keyword to locally rename the clashing entity:

import foo.Bar // Bar is accessible
import bar.Bar as bBar // bBar stands for 'bar.Bar'

The import keyword is not restricted to importing classes; you can also use it to import other declarations:

Unlike Java, Kotlin does not have a separate "import static" syntax; all of these declarations are imported using the regular import keyword.

Visibility of Top-level Declarations

If a top-level declaration is marked private, it is private to the file it's declared in (see Visibility Modifiers).


text:
Monday, 13 May 2013

Happy Stampers (NW) Festival - Port Sunlight

Just a quick thank you to all the lovely ladies and gents that dropped by to say hello on Saturday at the Happy Stampers (NW) Festival at the Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight. Once again we all had a great show and had lots of fun. As always it's a very busy show and the weather behaved itself for most of the day!

I would also like to thank Marjorie Brown, from Flint in North Wales who stopped by to show me a lovely card she'd made using our Kew Floral 6x6 papers and postcard toppers for her niece, who was with her at the time.
 Thanks Marjorie the card is beautiful!

We'll be back again in September for the autumn show on the 28th! See you there!

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Perfect weather for baking!

I was so excited last week when we had the perfect weather for baking! I decided Friday would be a baking day! Called Alicia and had it all planned out. Mother nature decided to not play fair and change the weather up on us and Friday was back up in the 90's! I couldn't let mother nature win, we still decided to bake. We ended up baking a pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and a chocolate cake for Ken for our anniversary. I've been craving empanadas(sp?) so I attempted to make them but it was a no go. Both kids helped a lot, usually only Kaitlyn is interested but this time Kassel actually wanted to help. He did great! I think he made the best taco pocket and empanada's!

*Notice Kaitlyn in the background with a camera in her hand? Taking after Mama in yet one more way! :)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Beach Day!

It's been crazy lately and I haven't taken any time out for myself or the kids. So I decided to be spontaneous one day and pack up and head to the beach. The kids had no clue where we were going. they probably thought we were going to the grocery store of something but to their surprise we ended up at the beach! It was a beautiful day at the beach and the kids had an awesome time! I enjoyed being able to relax a little and just enjoy my kids having fun! I really need to make a point of doing more of this!

Friday, October 15, 2010

It was a lot prettier in person but either way BEAUTIFUL!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Archeological Dig

We were learning about archeology the other day and the kids went on a dig... in the sandbox! The kids had a great time digging for treasures. Some of the treasures were pretty small and didn't really think they would find them in there, but they did! We started off carefully but that didn't last too long. All and all it was a great time!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I actually scrapped! A little.

A few weekends ago my old online scrapping friends (whom I have been neglecting due to my uber busy schedule) hosted an online crop. We used to do these all the time and it is always so much fun! I was able to participate a little bit. Here's what I accomplished: please keep in mind its been along time since I've scrapped so keep any critiquing to yourself! :)(positive comments ALWAYS welcome! )

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

He's SO big!

I can't believe how big my baby has gotten! He's going to be 4 soon! Where on earth did the time go? He has been doing so good at school! It's a huge adjustment for him and he's exhausted every day but he's learning so much! He can now write his name all on his own. If he goes a few days with writing it he kinda regresses but I'm still pretty impressed! I'm one proud Mama!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Long Beach Aquarium Field trip

Yep, another field trip!
We decided we couldn't pass up the opportunity of the the home school day at the Long Beach Aquarium. The kids were really looking forward to it and was a great field trip! I cant express how much I LOVE not being strapped down to a time schedule! It's so nice to be able to stay as long as WE want, not having to be back to school at a certain time!
Here's some great pictures of the kids at the aquarium:

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Adventures in Antarctica

The kindergartners were scheduled to learn about Antarctica but since it was such a fun subject we decided to do it as a group with all the kids! One day we did all the book work then the next morning we brought a bunch of ice and poured it all around out airplane teeter-totter and we pretended to take a trip to Antarctica! Ohh can you feel the cold ice on your feet? Brrrr!! Gotta love homeschooling where we can make it fun for them! You gotta remember that we are in So Cal and its still basically summer here so the ice melted fast and the kids are in dresses and shorts, looks kinda funny but it was still a lot of fun!

After the photo shoot for each of the kids in the airplane, we pushed all the ice into the pool.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Girl Scout Camporee

About a month ago we had our Girl Scout Camporee. With all the changes in Girl Scouting lately our Service unit had to spend or hand over the money in our account so they decided to spend it on the girls on a really cool Camporee!

We went to the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center. Oh my gosh was this place cool! I never knew this place existed! I've been to the Irvine park before but this is a whole separate place and its HUGE!! We had three girls from our troop. I really wished more of our girls were able to come as it was an AWESOME trip! We set up our tent and got our area all set up and then the girls were able to play with old friends and make new friends. We brought dinner with us so we didn't have to cook then we went on a L-O-N-G hike. We weren't really supposed to but we kinda got lost trying to find the auditorium where the campfire and songs were at at. Then we went back to camp and settled in for a restful night sleep- HA! Right! Kaitlyn was up and crazy, nothing really new there! After the girls crashed Michele and I stayed up chatting and Pricella and I were texting. Yes texting at a campout... even tho we were only like 4 tents away! It was pretty funny!
Next morning we had to get up early (YAWN!) and be dressed and fed and ready to go. The girls were excited about the day so they did great! Since our girls were little we did some crafts; we made recycled musical instruments, photo art with photo paper and seashells and even a solar box oven! I remember doing a box oven when I was a Brownie so that was pretty cool to show the girls how they actually work and you CAN cook a pizza with just a box, aluminum foil and saran wrap! They were very impressed that they made the box and then were able to cook in it, and they ate the yummy pizza's too! I just love being a leader! (well, sometimes!) I love the special memories I am building with Kaitlyn. I have so many fond memories of my mom in scouting. My mom is long passed but I have all these great Girl Scout memories with me and I get to relive those when alos having the experiences with my daughter and other really awesome girls!
And able to hang out great friends like Michelle.

After lunch our girls were able to do archery. I was so excited about this! What an experience for a 6 year old to do real archery! Real bow and arrows! The girls were excited but kinda nervous to try it Here they are showing off their arm guards. The girls all did great and had a lot of fun with it!

There were alot of other things going on around the park. The older girls were able to do alot of fun things that out younger girls were not able to do.

BUT... Michelle and I decided we HAD to do the ZIP-LINE!!! We just couldn't resist! So off we went to do the zip-line. The girls were great for waiting patiently for us and we literally jumped off a cliff! Once you get all strapped in they tell you to go. So you really do just run and jump off a cliff! OMG! It was SO much fun!! Kinda scary but really fun too!
Then we went back to break down camp. We finished breaking down camp and loaded up the cars. Michelle needed to leave and Kaitlyn and I went on to the pool. They had a really nice pool facility with a long water slide. That finished off out exciting weekend. We all had a great time!!

Well, I didn't mean to post the fair post that day, I had planned on coming back and finishing it but oh well. It posted and not in the mood to come back and write anymore on that! :)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Field Trip Time!!

Our first field trip this year was to visit the LA County Fair! We went last year with school but of course was on a time table to get the kids back to school by the end of the day. One HUGE benefit of homeschooling and having such a small group of great kids and parents is that we don't HAVE to be anywhere by anytime! Most of the children had at least one parent go with them so it was more of a family event. We got to see a cow milking demonstration, the kids got to milk a goat, see lots and lots of animals, see a dinosaur exhibit, see a pirate show, play dress up in a fairy tale land, etc etc etc. So much fun! ALL before the fair was even open to the public! Then we got a chance to go on our own and either do ride, check out more exhibits or whatever we wanted! The weather had been REALLY hot but God blessed the day with cooler weather. What a perfect day!

Kassel and his friend per petting the babies.

Kaitlyn and Kassel in the petting a feeding zoo. Kaitlyn wasn't too into it this time. Maybe she remembers being freaked out when a hungry goat almost knocked her down last year to get the food! Kassel did pretty well feeding them.

The kids milking a goat.

What the...?!?!

Cute group pictures...

/s400/DSC_0832.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523890102649712994" />

Gotta love the wood cut outs for the kids faces! Too funny!!


text:
The Kreutzwald Hotel Tallinn features a small ZEN SPA with three stylish treatment rooms, including two double treatment rooms, two saunas, a party room with Japanese pool and a gym with weights and aerobic equipment.

The SPA concept combines ancient Asian ZEN philosophy about harmony and serenity with contemporary comfort and modern technologies. The SPA products are organic and 100% natural and represent luxurious international eco-friendly brands.

The SPA menu offers a small but innovative selection of pampering treatments designed to relax and rejuvenate. If you are celebrating a special occasion, organizing an event or seeking a new experience for friends or colleagues, consider our relaxation rooms, ideal for couples, hen parties, staff rewards and corporate hospitality or just hanging out with friends, combining private and stylish surroundings and a choice of spa treatments.

Treatments, which are not suitable for soon-to-be Moms

  • Aromamineral “Voile de Sultane” slimming and firming body treatrment
  • Perfectly shaping body treatment
  • All kind of massages
  • Wellness foot treatment


text:
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You are invited to read a true story, one a week, that illustrates how people operate in various life situations, depending on their levels of awareness.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Good Chaos

Sign from Nauvoo, Illinois

I found this sign many years ago in a small town in Illinois.  I had to take a picture of it because it made me laugh.  But at the same time, there’s a lot of truth to this small sign.

And it’s how I feel right now.

In just two days, NaNoWriMo starts.  For those of you who don’t know what that means, November is also known as National Novel Writing Month, a time when hundreds of thousands of people around the world gather to write entire novels.  The challenge is to write 50,000 words before the month is up.  Of course, during the month of October, I was busy working on finishing up the Orphans of Jadox and outlining/planning my new novel.

And my entire brain has been in a state of chaos, though it’s definitely an organized chaos.  I’ve got plot lines, side plots, new characters, settings and powers floating around inside.

I’ve written novels before, but not in such a short time period.  From start to finish, idea to conception, it’s going to be less than two months.  And it’s going to be quite a journey.  So I thought I’d share it with you, showing how I create a novel, and what kind of chaotic thoughts go through my brain.

So of course, this novel couldn’t have started without the idea.  And I’m not sure that I could have even considered participating in NaNoWriMo without the idea.  I’m not a pantser.  I’ve tried it and I didn’t enjoy it.  I have to have a roadmap.

This particular novel (which will be assigned the color yellow for now) is the story of a young boy named Rowell.  He’s the son of the main characters from the Orphans of Jadox.  So I guess you could say this is book three in what is quickly becoming a series.

Here’s the blurb that I put on the NaNo website:

Rowell never quite fit in his family, and it's all his mother's fault.  If she'd just stuck with her own people, then maybe Rowell would have the same abilities as the rest.  When Rowell accidentlly spills his close friend's secret, he realizes that he can't go on blaming everyone else.  It's his turn to make things right.

The idea came to me when I finished the last scene of the Blue WIP.  Something about it stuck with me.  There was a little boy in the corner with a story to be told.  And I’ve already fallen in love with him.

So come with me on Rowell’s journey!  I promise it’ll be a good one!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Focus the Relationships!

As writers, I think we have the tendency to write in a bubble.  Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it can be very isolating.  It’s hard to write with others unless you’re collaborating.  Sure, there’s betas, other writers to encourage, but on the whole, it is a very private experience.

Only recently, I’ve learned the importance of focusing on relationships.  Not just our own, but our characters’ as well.  In The Orphans of Jadox, I had one family that I’d really fleshed out.  The aunt, the cousins, the siblings.  They knew one another, they grew up with one another.  They were as functional as they could be in their situation.  (Which may or may not be what one might consider functional).

Then I had another character come in and join their family.  That part was fine, but I completely ignored his past.  Who was his family?  What previous relationships did he have?  When I expanded on his relationship with his best friend and the daunting expectations of his father, he grew and became a real person.

Only once I was able to open up his past and his relationships was I really able to get into his head.
We as humans are always built around others, like it or not.  Growing up, I was always known as someone else’s sister.  Then I got married, and right now, I’m known as someone’s wife.  (He’s a bit of a celebrity where we’re living, he’s on several different soccer teams.)  But those are only the beginning.  I have relationships with my patients at work, my coworkers, and previous classmates.  There’s some kind of connection between me and everyone else I come in contact with.

Every relationship is built off of experiences, small moments that create bonds.

And that can create a lot of conflict and a lot of emotion.  Relationships can influence everything we do.  When we resent our boss, it may make us choose a different job, a different career.  Sibling rivalry may make us want to be the best, always compare ourselves to that perfect, brilliant sibling.

Never underestimate the power of relationships.  They build who we are.  They are the building blocks of a character.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Starting Out on the Journey

Turns ahead!

This is how I feel about my brain right now.  It's got so much stuff going on that it's taking rapid turns, weaving in and out.

I'm in NaNoWriMo prep mode which means that right now my brain is filled with character, setting, and plot development.  They move in and out, each taking a turn, screaming out to be focused on.  No matter where I am, I get inspiration.

I've got my plot mostly finished, and I have to say, I'm incredibly excited for it.  I am an intense plotter, and the more I have prepared, the better I'm able to write when the actual moment comes.

Knowing where the characters are going helps me when they start out on their journey.  I've gotten to know my MC fairly well, and his story is going to be a bit painful for me to write.  Especially in the beginning.  But that's what makes it worthwhile, right?  If a story wasn't difficult, if it didn't hold the challenges and emotions that interest and hold the writer, then how would it be able to hold the reader?

So while I have these characters living in my head, I'm obligated to get their story out.  Because that's our agreement.  They'll tell me their stories, and I'll share them with others.

How do you feel when you start out?  Do characters scream in your head?  Do you get excited?  Nervous?

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Lessons from Elements of Style - Part 4

It’s time for part 4 of the Elements of Style Series.  For those of you curious, here’s Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

And now the quote:

Concise.  I don’t think that’s a word that a lot of people would consider when writing.  Especially during the time of NaNoWriMo.  We’re instructed to get to a specific word count.  But what happens when we use too many words?

Have you ever been in a class where the teacher seemed to drone on and on about the same exact topic?  And not just once but multiple classes?  I recently had that experience while going through a training at work.  Because they wanted to make sure that we understood how to use the new program, we went over the concept again, and again….and again.

I got to the point where I wanted to bang my head against the desk.  If I understood it the first time, then I understand it the second time…and the third time.

You don’t want to make the reader want to bang their head against their metaphorical desk.

I recently read a novel that made me feel this way.  After finishing, I commented to a friend that I felt as though it was too slow, but at the same time too fast.  It took me awhile to figure out why.  The writer focused on the same idea over and over – which made it feel slow, but skimmed over the new information.

There was a race, or a species that was different from humans.  And every time that a new human found out about the race, they stopped to explain it to them.  By the time the third or fourth human found out, I was wishing they’d skipped over the conversation.  Why?  Because I’d already read it!

I’ve had critique partners tell me the same thing.  Never repeat information that your reader already knows.  Even if your character doesn’t know it.

As the quote says, no unnecessary words, no unnecessary sentences.  After every draft I write, I do what I call a “quick cut” revision.  I read through the entire draft as fast as I can, deleting every word and phrase that isn’t necessary to the plot.

Word count is important, but not as important as being concise.  Never lose a reader over trying to be too verbose.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Reading as a Writer

At the heart of every writer is a reader.  Many times, I’ve read the advice that if you want to writer better, then you should read.

There is a grain of truth to that.  When reading, a writer can observe how others do it.  What works?  What doesn’t work?  There’s always something to learn.

Over the past two weeks, I read two novels, and I learned from both of them.  One taught me what to do while the other taught me what not to do.

I’ll start with what NOT to do.

1.       Don’t cheat your reader.  This may sound obvious, but I haven’t wanted to throw a book in a long time.  In this story, there was a ‘big bad’, the one thing that no one wanted to happen, the motivation for every characters’ actions.  During the ending, the big bad appeared, and for some reason, it was on the same side as the main characters.  The big bad ended up defeating the bad guy, and defeating the entire purpose of the book.  At least, that’s how I felt.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Your reader went on this journey with you.  Don’t tell them that there’s a short cut after they stayed with you.

2.       Don’t have too many extraneous characters.  I have a hard time with this.  I like creating characters.  But don’t have two characters who fill the same exact function, have the same attitude, behaviors and opinions.  When all that separates them is their name, the reader won’t be able to keep track.  And they won’t really care.

3.       Don’t keep repeating the same information over and over.  This should be pretty self-explanatory.  If your reader learned something with one character, they aren’t going to want to read it with another one, or a third.  More on that to come.

What to do:

1.       Give your protagonist a unique and strong voice.  This book was in first person.  I’m not a huge fan of first person, but this book was written so well that I barely noticed.  The MC had such a unique voice that I immediately fell in love with her.  Everything she described was from her point of view and seen through her opinion.

2.       Don’t be afraid to give your characters flaws.  These characters were so flawed they were incredible.  When you have characters that are so ‘perfect,’ who never question who they are, or break down when dealing with trials, it’s hard for the reader to relate.  These characters were as flawed as they could come and I completely understood their point of view, even when I couldn’t imagine being in their situation.

3.       Don’t give everything away all at once.  There were two or three major revelations that occurred near the end of the book.  One that amazed me so much that once I finished, I had to go back and reread the book, now knowing the secret reveal at the end.  That’s the ultimate goal, right?  Making the reader want to reread the book right after reading it?

How about you?  Read any good books recently?

Friday, October 18, 2013

I Write

I had an interesting conversation this week with one of my coworkers.  We were talking about what we do in our spare time.  He mentioned that he doesn’t like to do very much, so he likes to waste his time (his words, not mine) watching series on Netflix.  According to him, it’s like being able to watch a 50 hour movie.

Usually in this kind of conversation, I kind of mumble a response, something about laundry and stuff like that.  But this time, I decided to get brave and tell him that I use my spare time writing.  I just said, “I don’t like to waste my time with that kind of stuff because I like to use my time writing.”

But it was his response that surprised me.  I really don’t tell people because I’m afraid of what they say.  How do most people respond when I tell them?  Just a ‘That’s cool,’ and a quick change of subject.  But instead, my coworker responded by telling me that he was impressed.  He told me that he’d thought of writing, but he’s never actually done it.

He told me that I was in the 1%.  The kind of person who actually goes after my dreams instead of sitting around thinking about it.

I’ve never had such a positive response before and it made me really think.  Why am I so afraid to say those two words?

I write.  I write.

It’s a very important part of my life, something that takes up all of my free time, and even some of my laundry time.  And my dishes time.  But for some reason, it’s scary to say out loud.

Which is why I’m so grateful to my coworker for his response.  He made me realize that writing isn’t something to be embarrassed about.  It’s not something that I have to hide from those I associate with.  It’s a part of me.  Just like coloring and playing the piano.

What do you like to do in your free time?  I write.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Lessons from Elements of Style - Part 3

It’s time for part three in the Elements of Style series!  If this is your first time here, here’s Part 1 and Part 2.

Picture of Colorado Snow

This one, I think, goes hand in hand with the previous one.  Mostly because there is some confusion about passive voice and there are some misconceptions concerning what passive voice is.  But I think it’s because these two rules are so similar.  When a person uses a helping verb (eg had) it doesn’t mean that the phrase is passive.  It just means its non-committal.

Here’s some examples of noncommittal phrases:

John began to sit down.
John was thinking about ice cream.
John almost ate the ice cream.

All of these sentences don’t quite commit to anything.  Did he actually sit down or did he just begin to?  Almost?  Why didn’t he?  By choosing stronger verbs and less helping verbs, our writing becomes committed.

John sat down.
John thought about ice cream.
John decided not to eat the ice cream.

Non-committal language can also be found in the form of using the easy way out.  Now I’m not saying we should use five syllable words whenever we can.  Let’s not overwhelm our readers and force them to go to the dictionary as they’re reading.  But there is a difference between looking and gazing.  There’s a difference between angry and incensed.

By using stronger words, we’re better able to key in on the real emotion, thought or idea we want to convey.   Here’s an example from my Red WIP where I compare my first paragraph from an earlier draft and the draft I just finished.

Larzo’s tail swished in the air.  Beneath his padded paws, the ground felt hard, and although he kept moving south, he didn’t move as quickly as he had the day before.  There was something different in the air; he could almost taste it on his tongue.  He kept his ears alert while scanning the forest grounds and his whiskers almost quivered with expectation.

Larzo paused and raised his nose into the air. Something seeped into his nostrils, drawing him past the thick trunk of a hemlock. He crept along the ground, scanning the foliage. A new stench mixed in amid the familiar green scent of the shrubs and the bitter bark. Blood, ale and something else he could not immediately place. Garlic?

In the first paragraph, the ground felt hard.  Well, what does that mean?  Feel is one of those noncommittal words.  If it felt hard, it would be better for me to show it by him reacting to it, not just feeling it.  Something.  Something is another noncommittal word.  Something was different?  Different from what?
In the second paragraph, I tried to hone in on what it was he was experiencing and feeling.  Just naming the tree makes me (and I hope the reader) feel more grounded in the surroundings.  Any thoughts?  Does this one pull you in?

This is your writing!  So why not commit?  Get rid of those pesky helping verbs and use strong, colorful words to get the point across!  I’ll work on it if you will!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Stay in your Character's Head

Growing up, I was a fairly naïve person.  I never understood sarcasm.  In fact, my friends and family used a made up hand motion to let me know when they weren’t being serious.  And sometimes they still have to use it.

Not only was I naïve, but I was also fairly unobservant.  And I never realize how much my naivety and unobservant nature affected my worldview until I went looking for apartments in Spain.  My boyfriend (now husband) went with me because he wanted to be sure I chose a safe neighborhood.

We went to a specific apartment in an area known as ‘Gran Via.’  Literally known as the Great Way.  It was a bustling main street full of theatres, ballet companies, plazas, restaurants – anything to keep a person occupied.  The apartment I was looking at was rented by a family I met at church and it was on one of the side road connecting to this main street.  They had an extra room available for me to stay in.

Me in Gran Via

I remember walking down the alleyway.  My first impression was that there was a lot of construction being done.  Part of the street had been torn up, and it had rained the night before, spreading mud all over everything.  When we got to the apartment, the room was on the 5th floor, and there wasn’t an elevator.
“Okay,” I thought, “So I have to walk a little extra.  Exercise isn’t bad.”

Then we got into the apartment itself.  The room was small, but I had my own clothesline.  Definitely a plus from where I’d been staying before.  There were a few cons to the situation (one being the very energetic ten year old that ran around the main room screaming) but I definitely saw more positives than negatives.  It was in a central location, I got along with the family and the room was decent for the price.

When I told my boyfriend that I was considering accepting their offer, I was surprised by his response.

“Even with the prostitutes downstairs?”

Prostitutes?  What prostitutes?

You see, while I was noticing the construction and the mud, he was noticing the scantily clad women handing out condoms.  Where I saw my own clothesline, he was noticing the bright flashing light outside the window welcoming clients.

We were in the same place and we saw the same exact things.  But what we noticed very different things.  I was looking at comfort while he was looking for safety.  He knew I often came home late at night, and he didn’t want me to get myself into a dangerous situation.  And for those of you wondering, I decided to live somewhere else.

With that in mind, I try to always write a scene within a character’s point of view.  Would they pay attention to majestic buildings of the flies buzzing around the road kill in front of it?  Would they admire the cleanliness of the kitchen or notice the smell of pie coming from the oven?  What small details are important to your character?  When focusing on voice, it’s important to remember that it’s the character telling the story, and we need to stay within their head to remain consistent.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Looking Back on the Journey

This week, I finished the revisions to the Orphans of Jadox, which has been quite an experience.  This draft has been an adventure, and I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly it was that made it such an emotional adventure.  I think in a large part, it had to do with the fact that I’ve started to interact and meet with other writers.  Having a community is an amazing boost when I suddenly start to wonder if what I’m thinking or experiencing is normal.  I’ve loved getting to know all of you!

When I finally finished, I really just sat there, overwhelmed by the feeling of finishing.  It was very different from any other time that I’ve done it.  First off, I had butterflies in my stomach for days because of the excitement, trepidation and everything in between. Second off, I knew that it was the best I’d ever created.
My characters’ journey is over, at least for the time being.  But as they took their journey, I’ve taken one of my own, and I’ve spent the past few days looking at where I started.

Writing has always been an important part of my life.  I wrote my first novel in high school.  (After a numerous amount of unfinished first chapters and half-novels).  At that point, I was convinced everything I’d written was gold.  I remember asking my dad to read something I’d written and getting offended when he offered suggestions on how to fix it.  Editing and revising were probably the furthest things from my mind.

But when I started college, I put it away.  I thought I had to grow up.  I went out and lived life to the fullest.  I studied in a foreign country for two years, learned a new language, made new friends, met a wonderful man and got married.  But that didn’t mean my life was perfect.  In fact, a few months after marriage, we ran into several difficulties that pulled me down.  I was depressed, stressed and having panic attacks at least once a week.  Goals that I’d always had – education, career, family – seemed almost impossible.

It was at that time that I found my writing notebook.  And that inexplicable need to write was the only thing that kept me going.  I had to escape what I was experiencing, and writing was the portal. I could live vicariously through my characters’ lives and experience their triumphs with them.  For six months, I meticulously went through my novel.  After living so much more of life, I saw it through a different light.  I saw the errors, how flat my characters were.  I rewrote it, even changing it from 1st to 3rd person.

Then, as if by chance, I met my first beta online.  I sent her my first chapter and she tore it apart and made me cry.  And that’s when the magic started to happen.  After a few weeks, I realized that I was a writer.  I had the chance to prove that what I was doing was worthwhile.  And the only way to do that is to accept criticism, build on it and learn where my weaknesses lie.

Only after I realized what writing really was – hard work and dedication – did the burst of creativity happen.  I may take my time to put myself out there, but I’ve never regretted it.  Just like my characters, I needed to stumble and fail before I could rise to the challenge.  I needed something to fight for.

Reading through my first draft of the Orphans of Jadox, I’m really struck by how much has changed in the past two years since I wrote it.  And I’m so grateful for those who’ve helped me in this journey.  For all of those who rooted for me, and even those who tried to put me down, I want to say thank you.  I couldn’t do this alone.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Lessons from Elements of Style - Part 2

Thank you all for your positive responses to my Elements of Style series!  I really appreciate all of your comments.  If you didn’t get a chance to read part one, here’s the link.

This week’s quote is one that I feel I have a pretty good handle on.

Direct and vigorous.  Now those are two words that I would love someone to use when describing my writing.

The difference between active and passive voice really clicked for me when I became a nurse.  It’s one of my responsibilities to record everything that happens to each one of my patients.  There are multiple reasons for that.  One is to communicate with other nurses, therapists, doctors, etc what is going on with the patients.  Another is to keep record of anything out of the ordinary that might happen.  A third is to cover myself if I ever get accused of anything by the patient or a family member.

But when charting, I’m not allowed to use anyone’s names, or refer to myself.  A lot of it has to do with legality, but it also has to do with subjectiveness vs objectiveness.  It forces me to remove my own personal feelings and focus only on exactly what happens.

Here’s an example of a VERY HYPOTHETICAL situation vs how I would chart it.

Real situation (active)

Let’s say that I walk into a patient’s room (we’ll call her Krista.)  She tells me that her stomach hurts and that she wants something for diarrhea.    I decide that before I give her a medication, I want to see if it’s something more serious.  So then I feel her abdomen, testing to see if there’s a specific area that hurts more than others.  She starts yelling because it hurts after I press the lower right area of her abdomen.  I check her vital signs and notice her temperature is a little high.  I’m concerned that this could be appendicitis.  So I call the doctor and get an order to send her to the hospital.

Now here’s the passive/nursing charting version (passive):

Patient complained of pain at approx. 1930, requested PRN medication for diarrhea.  Abdomen was palpated and rebound pain noted in the right lower quadrant.  Pain radiating to lower extremities and to back.  Vital signs were checked and temperature was 100.3.  Dr. Smith called and order to send patient to hospital was received.  Resident left facility at 2000.

See where although I did all of the actions, I’m not mentioned once in the charting?  When I do something, I change the sentence around so that the patient is receiving the action, but I don’t state that I’m the one doing it. Active is when something is acting.  Passive is when it's being acted upon.

Active: I palpated her abdomen and noted that she had rebound pain.
Passive: Abdomen was palpated and noted to have rebound pain.

Whenever I have a question about active vs passive, I just ask myself: Do I sound like I’m trying to write out legal documentation?

How about you?  Do you have difficulties with active v passive voice?  What do you look for to make your writing direct and vigorous?

Monday, October 7, 2013

Fantasy Cliches

Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of posts and comments made where people have said that fantasy has become old and clichéd.  It’s always the same – the dragons, the elves, the epic battles and magic, or maybe vampire sand werewolves.  They’ve lamented that there’s never anything new in fantasy.

I disagree.  I honestly can’t remember the last fantasy I’ve read with dragons.  Probably Eragon, several years ago, when I was stranded in Newark Airport for a day and a half.  We all know the popular or well-known mainstream fantasies.  And the complaints reminded me of something I’d found years ago – Something called the Fantasy Novelist’s Exam.  Check it out.  If you want a chuckle, this is what you’re been looking for.

Though it is funny to read the entire list of clichés in fantasy writing, there’s still some truth in it.  How many of us have come to expect something from this list, just because it’s fantasy?

The trick is to avoid the cliché.

Does every story have to have magical creatures, epic battles or wizards?  No.

I posed this question in a fantasy writer’s community, and I was surprised by the quick and insightful thoughts.  I was told that if someone is only finding these kinds of stories, they’re looking in the wrong place.  Fantasy is anything that has an element that doesn’t exist in our reality.  I write fantasy, and I have the tendency to minimalize the fantastical parts so that they almost seem a part of everyday life.

Every reader will find their own unique niche.  There are so many options available and all we need to look.

What clichés are you tired of?  Not just in fantasy, but in books in general?

Friday, October 4, 2013

The End

I feel like I’m facing several endings right now.  Of course, obviously, there’s the end of the year, which is hurtling toward us.  And I’ve made several goals which I wanted to complete by the new year, which means that I’ve got to get moving!

One of my goals was finishing the revision to my Red WIP before November.  That way the month of November can be completely dedicated to NaNoWriMo (my first year to participate!).

I think I’ll finish.  I’ve already revised seventeen chapters, and I have three more, plus a short epilogue.  And those chapters are pretty well written, if I do say so myself.

Yesterday, I revised the climax of the story.  Unfortunately, it was a bit of a muddled mess, but I’m pleased with the way that it turned out.  I love stretching what my characters can endure and pile even more on when they think it’s getting easier.   Or maybe I just enjoy watching them overcome their trials.  I love knowing where they started and where they’re headed.

It did take me a few days to begin working on it, mostly because when I finish the climax, it means that I’m getting close to the end.  And yes, in a way that’s good.  I’ll have completed my goal.  I’ll have time to do a final read-through for typos before sending it out to the final round of betas.

So what makes the ending so hard?

It feels like I’m saying goodbye.  We’ve been on this long journey together (one we’ve had several times before), and each time, these characters become even more real.  I love spending my days thinking about their lives, what they need to do and what they need to experience to grow.  It’s a constant companionship that’s about to end.

Of course, it won’t end exactly.  My NaNoWriMo novel is a companion novel, so they’ll be in there.  But it won’t be the same.  They’ll be secondary characters, making rare, cameo appearances while I get to know someone new.

I know that many writers celebrate the moment when they can write “The End,” but I always have mixed feelings.  There’s always that sense of accomplishment, but also a sense of loss.

I feel the same way when I finish reading a book that I love.  Once that final page turns, there’s no more.  They go on with their lives while I go on with mine.  Maybe I just have separation issues.

How about you?  How do you say goodbye to characters?

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Lessons from Elements of Style - Part 1

I’ve only taken one creative writing class.  That was years back in junior high when my schedule opened up for one semester and I was able to indulge my creative interests.  My teacher was at that time a published writer (though she used a pen name, so I don’t know what books she published).  And she felt that the most important thing for us as new writers was to read the Elements of Style written by Strunk and White.  We had specific phrases we had to learn and memorize for tests.

I’ve just pulled out the notes that I took for that class.  (Yes, I kept them) and I’ve been reviewing them again.  I’m amazed by how appropriate each phrase is, and I’ve decided to dedicate each Wednesday of the month of October expanding on each one.

Today, we’re going to start with the one that always comes screaming into my head whenever I think of the Elements of Style.

Quote taken from Elements of Style

I can’t tell you how many times we had to repeat this phrase during class.  This was my teacher’s one motto.

Specific to the General

When I think of this part, I think of telling vs showing.  You may have a character that you tell the reader ‘has proven himself to be trustworthy.’  How specific is that?  Does that give the reader a definite idea of who he is?  In what has he proven himself trustworthy?  Get specific.  Take a moment to describe a specific moment when he’d proven this.  Was there a time when he’d been asked to keep a secret and he’d lost his best friend because he’d kept it?  If I tell you one of my characters is naïve, wouldn’t it be easier to believe if she says something in a situation that makes it obvious that she doesn’t understand what’s going on?

Definite to the Vague

This is the area that I struggle with the most.  I tend to be vague with descriptions, and I’m never quite sure when I need to use more.  It’s something I’ve been working on, and I feel as though I’ve improved quite a bit in the past few months.  It’s not a matter of describing every single little detail within the scene.  It’s a matter of determining which details help move the scene forward or pinpoint the personality of your characters.

For example.  I had a character stand up.  But that was a bit vague.  Here’s what I ended up writing:

He accepted Brednon’s help, wincing when the joints in his legs resisted. This human form was becoming more cumbersome. If he wasn’t careful, he might lose his ability to remain useful to the king.

With just a short, definite description, I was able to convey that not only is he growing older, he’s also worried about how long he’ll be useful in his position.

Concrete to the Abstract

Along the lines of the ones before, this I believe, has to do with concepts and ideas.  If you’re telling a reader that a character’s afraid, then maybe you should expand on that.  Afraid, angry, uncomfortable, any of these feelings could be considered abstract.  Dig deeper.  Find the why.  Find out what it is about the situation, the person or whatever they’re facing that makes them feel how they do.  Focus on the reactions, the physical actions that show the emotions.  Focus on the concrete, rather than the abstract.

How do you make sure you write with the specific, definite and concrete?  What lessons have you learned while writing?


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Inspiration and The Guggenheim Grotto

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 • No Comments on Inspiration and The Guggenheim Grotto

I first heard “Trust Me I’m a Thief” by the Irish duo The Guggenheim Grotto at Starbucks a couple of weeks ago. (Say what you will about the corporate machine, but Starbucks does seek out unusual, obscure and international music for that “indie coffee house” feel.)  Something about the lyrics and the melancholy sound of this song got into my brain.  My story for Dream Lover is called “Thief of Dreams,” inspired by this song and a wild, sad, beautiful dream I had several months ago.

Careful what you wish for
Careful what you wish
Oh, the devil’s in the details

Trust me, trust me
I’m a thief

Posted by Kristina in Writing

I'm a writer, editor, blogger, mama, wife and coffee lover.