Saturday, May 20, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
S.M.A.R.T. Goals, or Some Things I'm Learning from My Yoga Book
OK, let's get something out in the open. I have arthritis. I have had arthritis since the day I was born, literally. I use a power chair most of the time because I am in bad shape physically. I am doing yoga.
For a while I was almost apologizing to people because when they found out (usually because my very proud husband told them) they would look at me with a mixture of sadness (poor thing, she thinks she can do something like yoga), incredulousness (how dare she even undertake to try something so strenuous or can she even do any of those poses close to correct?), and something very close to anger or at the very least upset-ness (why should she even attempt anything like yoga when I won't!?).
Seeing their expressions and hearing their sometimes confused and oh-so-polite questions afterwards made me more than just a little self-conscious and uncomfortable. This would encourage me to apologize for doing the yoga by saying, "I have to modify some of the poses, but, yes, I am doing yoga." It wasn't until recently I realized I was apologizing at all. That I must modify some of the poses should be a given. That I have to modify them is a necessity, but this does not mean I am not doing yoga.
Since realizing this I sat down and re-read my yoga book and more things clicked than they had before in the first reading. One of those things was just how I had set myself up to fail in my weight-loss attempts before by either being too rigid and unbending in the goal setting as well as being too vague on what I wanted to accomplish: to lose weight and not gain it back.
"SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-framed." (Yoga for Weight-Loss: the 4-Week Slimming Plan, Celia Hawe, Barnes & Noble publishers, p. 34) I had to read and re-read this a couple of times before it really fell into place for me, especially after reading an example of the un-SMART goal setting she listed:
This is a very familiar way of setting goals for my weight-loss and one the author, Celia Hawe, is also familiar with. I had to really think about why this was not a SMART goal. It fits into the categories of specific and attainable, as she points out, but it isn't realistically attainable because other factors we cannot foresee weigh in - what if it is time for the monthly or what if it was a very stressful week or few days in the time frame? This makes it far more difficult to lose weight and you retain water. Even though it has a time-frame for the completion of the goal, it isn't SMART, which means all factors need to be in place.
Now I have begun setting myself Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-framed goals, just not far into the distant future. I am not going to lose weight or get into better shape by doing the yoga in the future, it is done by doing it one day at a time, and this is how I am setting my goals: one day at a time. So far it is working, even though I am having to almost constantly with the impatient part of myself that wants to have an out-lined plan of what I'm going to do and when I am going to do it.
Each day comes with goals, not a to-do list of all of the things I need to accomplish. I have a to-do list, how can you get by without one? But, I look at everything before me and distinguish between what goals I need to set for my own personal self and not as a part of a to-do list that I can have a better chance of letting go or telling myself I can catch up on that tomorrow, or the next day, or next week.
For example, a couple of my goals for today included doing my yoga routine and take my morning meds. This was on my goal list which was totally separate from all of the other things that make up tasks for a day. In setting goals and tasks each day has begun to move along more smoothly and I am accomplishing things for myself and not just the household, B, or writing. In accomplishing things for myself my confidence is growing and I am seeing a positive change in my attitude at times (of course I can't see it all the time because I am not perfect and do not change as quickly as I would like to); my body is changing to the positive and is looking better, and although it will take a while to get to the body I want, I am more confident I will achieve it, and if I don't I know I am going to feel better.
Another interesting thing Celia Hawe says in her book is, "...many diet program advocate sticking up a photograph of someone whose body you wish yours could look like, in a place where it might prove a timely reminder, such as the fridge door. But you are not Julia Roberts or Kate Moss, and never can be." (Ibid p.33) This released me in so many ways from feeling like I had to be a certain way. It gave me room to be me. I needed that. I needed the space to be myself, to discover my own body and shape and size and feel more like I was on an adventure than the horrific I'm-on-a-diet-and-exercise-plan-to-lose-weight mentality.
I like SMART goals, and this book. It is helping me change, mentally and emotionally, what needs to be changed in order to progress, not just get caught in the yo-yo weight loss I've done forever in the past. In short, I am encouraged to the core of my being, and I like that. I've needed this encouragement for a very long time, and even though B has tried to instill it in me, I had to discover this for myself. Never fear though, he did help: he got me to buy the book!
For a while I was almost apologizing to people because when they found out (usually because my very proud husband told them) they would look at me with a mixture of sadness (poor thing, she thinks she can do something like yoga), incredulousness (how dare she even undertake to try something so strenuous or can she even do any of those poses close to correct?), and something very close to anger or at the very least upset-ness (why should she even attempt anything like yoga when I won't!?).
Seeing their expressions and hearing their sometimes confused and oh-so-polite questions afterwards made me more than just a little self-conscious and uncomfortable. This would encourage me to apologize for doing the yoga by saying, "I have to modify some of the poses, but, yes, I am doing yoga." It wasn't until recently I realized I was apologizing at all. That I must modify some of the poses should be a given. That I have to modify them is a necessity, but this does not mean I am not doing yoga.
Since realizing this I sat down and re-read my yoga book and more things clicked than they had before in the first reading. One of those things was just how I had set myself up to fail in my weight-loss attempts before by either being too rigid and unbending in the goal setting as well as being too vague on what I wanted to accomplish: to lose weight and not gain it back.
"SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-framed." (Yoga for Weight-Loss: the 4-Week Slimming Plan, Celia Hawe, Barnes & Noble publishers, p. 34) I had to read and re-read this a couple of times before it really fell into place for me, especially after reading an example of the un-SMART goal setting she listed:
My Yoga for Weight-Loss goal is to
lose 10 lbs.
I will have achieved this by
2 weeks from now
I know I will have achieved it because I will
weigh in on my bathroom scales 10lbs lighter
and feel
great
This is a very familiar way of setting goals for my weight-loss and one the author, Celia Hawe, is also familiar with. I had to really think about why this was not a SMART goal. It fits into the categories of specific and attainable, as she points out, but it isn't realistically attainable because other factors we cannot foresee weigh in - what if it is time for the monthly or what if it was a very stressful week or few days in the time frame? This makes it far more difficult to lose weight and you retain water. Even though it has a time-frame for the completion of the goal, it isn't SMART, which means all factors need to be in place.
Now I have begun setting myself Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-framed goals, just not far into the distant future. I am not going to lose weight or get into better shape by doing the yoga in the future, it is done by doing it one day at a time, and this is how I am setting my goals: one day at a time. So far it is working, even though I am having to almost constantly with the impatient part of myself that wants to have an out-lined plan of what I'm going to do and when I am going to do it.
Each day comes with goals, not a to-do list of all of the things I need to accomplish. I have a to-do list, how can you get by without one? But, I look at everything before me and distinguish between what goals I need to set for my own personal self and not as a part of a to-do list that I can have a better chance of letting go or telling myself I can catch up on that tomorrow, or the next day, or next week.
For example, a couple of my goals for today included doing my yoga routine and take my morning meds. This was on my goal list which was totally separate from all of the other things that make up tasks for a day. In setting goals and tasks each day has begun to move along more smoothly and I am accomplishing things for myself and not just the household, B, or writing. In accomplishing things for myself my confidence is growing and I am seeing a positive change in my attitude at times (of course I can't see it all the time because I am not perfect and do not change as quickly as I would like to); my body is changing to the positive and is looking better, and although it will take a while to get to the body I want, I am more confident I will achieve it, and if I don't I know I am going to feel better.
Another interesting thing Celia Hawe says in her book is, "...many diet program advocate sticking up a photograph of someone whose body you wish yours could look like, in a place where it might prove a timely reminder, such as the fridge door. But you are not Julia Roberts or Kate Moss, and never can be." (Ibid p.33) This released me in so many ways from feeling like I had to be a certain way. It gave me room to be me. I needed that. I needed the space to be myself, to discover my own body and shape and size and feel more like I was on an adventure than the horrific I'm-on-a-diet-and-exercise-plan-to-lose-weight mentality.
I like SMART goals, and this book. It is helping me change, mentally and emotionally, what needs to be changed in order to progress, not just get caught in the yo-yo weight loss I've done forever in the past. In short, I am encouraged to the core of my being, and I like that. I've needed this encouragement for a very long time, and even though B has tried to instill it in me, I had to discover this for myself. Never fear though, he did help: he got me to buy the book!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Good Movie, Bad Movie
Since my dear B has been off work we have reverted to staying up late and getting up late. Both of us realize this isn't a good thing, but sometimes it is just too much fun to play a video game for a few hours and discover it was two o'clock in the morning.
A couple of nights ago we were up late just watching movies. The first movie we watched was really quite good, The Black Mask starring Jet Li. B had said it was really a hokey movie but when he watched it again he liked it. I had no preconceptions about the movie so liked it from the very beginning. After The Black Mask we watched, Team America, World Police.
Honestly, I had no intention of EVER seeing that movie, but once we started watching it there wasn't any turning away. It was like watching a car wreck, or a train wreck in progress and being so horrified you couldn't look away.
There were some funny moments, but only moments not most of the movie. To say this movie was "juvenile" is actually giving juveniles a bad name and an even worse connotation! The humor was base, the sentiment gross, and at its deepest level it was making fun of what people believe in, whether that is peace, war, pride in your nation, or religious zealousness. It made fun of the people doing the actual fighting in Iraq and elsewhere. It made fun of the people who wanted peace. It made fun of actors who actually stand up for their beliefs, regardless of popular opinion - not as actors, but as individuals.
Watching the movie just made me sad. It made me sad because this piece of so called "entertainment" encouraged apathy toward ideals and beliefs and morals. It encouraged ridicule of everything that made people, especially young people, uncomfortable.
The question arose in my head upon laying down to sleep after seeing such a piece of trash, would I have liked this movie twenty years ago when I was just in my twenties? I hope not, but I fear I probably would have laughed along just to make sure I belonged, just to ensure I was a rebel. The thing is, even when I was in my twenties and doing this very thing, I always felt uncomfortable because I was uncomfortable with the person I was discovering I truly was.
I also understand what the writer(s) were trying to do with this movie I think. They wanted the American people to see how the U.S. had become this self-proclaimed police force for the world and how we should really be sticking to our own shores and let the rest of the world police itself. How this policy of "world police" had gotten us on the bad side of many nations. Still, it failed. It failed horribly.
A couple of nights ago we were up late just watching movies. The first movie we watched was really quite good, The Black Mask starring Jet Li. B had said it was really a hokey movie but when he watched it again he liked it. I had no preconceptions about the movie so liked it from the very beginning. After The Black Mask we watched, Team America, World Police.
Honestly, I had no intention of EVER seeing that movie, but once we started watching it there wasn't any turning away. It was like watching a car wreck, or a train wreck in progress and being so horrified you couldn't look away.
There were some funny moments, but only moments not most of the movie. To say this movie was "juvenile" is actually giving juveniles a bad name and an even worse connotation! The humor was base, the sentiment gross, and at its deepest level it was making fun of what people believe in, whether that is peace, war, pride in your nation, or religious zealousness. It made fun of the people doing the actual fighting in Iraq and elsewhere. It made fun of the people who wanted peace. It made fun of actors who actually stand up for their beliefs, regardless of popular opinion - not as actors, but as individuals.
Watching the movie just made me sad. It made me sad because this piece of so called "entertainment" encouraged apathy toward ideals and beliefs and morals. It encouraged ridicule of everything that made people, especially young people, uncomfortable.
The question arose in my head upon laying down to sleep after seeing such a piece of trash, would I have liked this movie twenty years ago when I was just in my twenties? I hope not, but I fear I probably would have laughed along just to make sure I belonged, just to ensure I was a rebel. The thing is, even when I was in my twenties and doing this very thing, I always felt uncomfortable because I was uncomfortable with the person I was discovering I truly was.
I also understand what the writer(s) were trying to do with this movie I think. They wanted the American people to see how the U.S. had become this self-proclaimed police force for the world and how we should really be sticking to our own shores and let the rest of the world police itself. How this policy of "world police" had gotten us on the bad side of many nations. Still, it failed. It failed horribly.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The Child's Voice, fiction
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
The house was good and warm which caused Billy to shiver suddenly with realization of how cold he really was. Ritchie went to his rug which was in front of the fireplace which was glowing with ruby embers. Bill deposited his beer close to the corner of the fridge and put his mail on the kitchen table. First things were first, he decided, so turned his attention to the wood box close at hand, and began to put wood onto the glowing embers.
He loved a good warm fire. He didn’t need it, of course, since he had had heat and air installed a couple of years back, which was a lot more economical than the coal stove the house had been heated with for so many years prior. Even then his mom had had him build a fire for her. It made it all feel like home. Cheery.
Emma had also loved the fire. Billy could remember her from when she was about two years old, nothing but a toe headed toddler. She had looked out at the world at the tender age of two with blue eyes so intelligent they almost made him afraid. When she had been diagnosed with Lime Disease at three and the subsequent medical trials the family had faced since then, it seemed amazing, a miracle she had survived year after year. Finally, at the age of four the doctors said they had misdiagnosed the symptoms and what Emma had was really juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, it seemed as if all hope of the beautiful little girl having a normal life had vanished. Already her limbs were trying to draw into unnatural shapes, but Susan and family worked ceaselessly to try and correct that. Emma had been in and out of hospitals constantly with dangerously high fevers for years.
Still, Emma had lived. She had had a wonderful imagination and had indeed begun to live her dream of being a successful writer. When Susan and Parker had fallen victim to kidney failure and Alzheimer’s respectively, Emma returned home to care for them as best she could. It had nearly broken Emma’s heart when they had had to place Parker into a nursing home, but she still stayed with her mother unfailingly until the bitter end. That had been five years ago, but Emma still came in dutifully for her mother’s birthday all the way from Arizona.
The fire was popping and crackling when he finally left memory lane and returned to the present. Outside it was already falling dark. It was time to get supper started, as well as the new book Emma had sent him.
Emma was really good about sending him one of the author’s copies of her books. She sent one to Jimmy as well, but he never sat down to read them. Billy shook his head. Emma loved Jimmy with a loyalty he felt was undeserved. True, Emma was family and Jimmy would do anything for her, but the truth was, Jimmy was more concerned with finding some oxycontin, or OC’s as they were known on the drug market.
Oxycontin had nearly taken out the pot trade in the mountains. They had almost destroyed the young people themselves. According to everyone Billy had talked to who had taken them, snorting an OC or two made you forget about all of your pain and problems, but when you came down you came down hard.
He didn’t want Emma to know the truth about Jimmy. Not yet. It would break her heart and cause her to worry. Billy didn’t want Emma to worry any more than necessary, she had already gone through enough. Losing her parents within a year of each other had almost devastated her beyond any hopes of recovery emotionally. He had seen that the last time she had come in to put flowers on her mom’s grave. Emma’s normally well-groomed hair just hung limp and straight down her back, and her eyes looked haunted and lost. She hadn’t said anything much to him then, so they had just sat side-by-side at the grave where he had put a bench for her, and shared a joynt. When she was beginning to get a little high her smile returned and her eyes didn’t look so distant and empty. As she relaxed, Billy saw the dark circles forming under her eyes from loss of sleep. She was also quite bony, not shapely like she normally was.
.......to be continued
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
The house was good and warm which caused Billy to shiver suddenly with realization of how cold he really was. Ritchie went to his rug which was in front of the fireplace which was glowing with ruby embers. Bill deposited his beer close to the corner of the fridge and put his mail on the kitchen table. First things were first, he decided, so turned his attention to the wood box close at hand, and began to put wood onto the glowing embers.
He loved a good warm fire. He didn’t need it, of course, since he had had heat and air installed a couple of years back, which was a lot more economical than the coal stove the house had been heated with for so many years prior. Even then his mom had had him build a fire for her. It made it all feel like home. Cheery.
Emma had also loved the fire. Billy could remember her from when she was about two years old, nothing but a toe headed toddler. She had looked out at the world at the tender age of two with blue eyes so intelligent they almost made him afraid. When she had been diagnosed with Lime Disease at three and the subsequent medical trials the family had faced since then, it seemed amazing, a miracle she had survived year after year. Finally, at the age of four the doctors said they had misdiagnosed the symptoms and what Emma had was really juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, it seemed as if all hope of the beautiful little girl having a normal life had vanished. Already her limbs were trying to draw into unnatural shapes, but Susan and family worked ceaselessly to try and correct that. Emma had been in and out of hospitals constantly with dangerously high fevers for years.
Still, Emma had lived. She had had a wonderful imagination and had indeed begun to live her dream of being a successful writer. When Susan and Parker had fallen victim to kidney failure and Alzheimer’s respectively, Emma returned home to care for them as best she could. It had nearly broken Emma’s heart when they had had to place Parker into a nursing home, but she still stayed with her mother unfailingly until the bitter end. That had been five years ago, but Emma still came in dutifully for her mother’s birthday all the way from Arizona.
The fire was popping and crackling when he finally left memory lane and returned to the present. Outside it was already falling dark. It was time to get supper started, as well as the new book Emma had sent him.
Emma was really good about sending him one of the author’s copies of her books. She sent one to Jimmy as well, but he never sat down to read them. Billy shook his head. Emma loved Jimmy with a loyalty he felt was undeserved. True, Emma was family and Jimmy would do anything for her, but the truth was, Jimmy was more concerned with finding some oxycontin, or OC’s as they were known on the drug market.
Oxycontin had nearly taken out the pot trade in the mountains. They had almost destroyed the young people themselves. According to everyone Billy had talked to who had taken them, snorting an OC or two made you forget about all of your pain and problems, but when you came down you came down hard.
He didn’t want Emma to know the truth about Jimmy. Not yet. It would break her heart and cause her to worry. Billy didn’t want Emma to worry any more than necessary, she had already gone through enough. Losing her parents within a year of each other had almost devastated her beyond any hopes of recovery emotionally. He had seen that the last time she had come in to put flowers on her mom’s grave. Emma’s normally well-groomed hair just hung limp and straight down her back, and her eyes looked haunted and lost. She hadn’t said anything much to him then, so they had just sat side-by-side at the grave where he had put a bench for her, and shared a joynt. When she was beginning to get a little high her smile returned and her eyes didn’t look so distant and empty. As she relaxed, Billy saw the dark circles forming under her eyes from loss of sleep. She was also quite bony, not shapely like she normally was.
.......to be continued
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Underfoot or Bored?
When husbands don't work they sometimes become worse than children with needing entertainment. It is understandable - they are used to going out every day and being gone, and feeling, usually, as if they are doing what they need to be doing even if the job they have isn't the best or one that makes them happy. When this feeling of being useful and doing what needs to be done goes away for a bit, they are lost and try and fill their time with as much as possible of something else, anything else, just so the day passes.
I don't have proof of this, but in observing my dear hubby for the past couple of weeks makes me believe this is so. It doesn't help that he gets underfoot and I get annoyed and aggravated at him for always taking up time I usually have for doing the things I need to be doing and that make me feel useful. So, slowly, I am learning how to entertain and grab time to myself to get the writing done and feel like myself. It isn't easy, but it is beginning to get easier...I think.
I don't have proof of this, but in observing my dear hubby for the past couple of weeks makes me believe this is so. It doesn't help that he gets underfoot and I get annoyed and aggravated at him for always taking up time I usually have for doing the things I need to be doing and that make me feel useful. So, slowly, I am learning how to entertain and grab time to myself to get the writing done and feel like myself. It isn't easy, but it is beginning to get easier...I think.
Monday, May 15, 2006
(How do you say "no" to such cute puppy eyes? Any way, No - mommy is writing today.)
It has been a while hasn't it, Dear Readers? I apologize. Since hubby is currently not gainfully employed there isn't a good schedule or even a moment to attempt a schedule any more. He has downloaded a program called "ProShare" which lets him download music and he is always on the computer downloading music now. This means no writing for me, of any sort, and as for up-dating The News or LJ means, well, it just means it is relatively impossible. So, today while he is out, here I am explaining what has been happening. *sigh* Hopefully this week will not be as lax in updates as they have been.
The Writing Front
The new novel is almost snail crawling forward, but it is progressing none-the-less. It would move faster if I had the computer to use during the day hours as is usual. At the moment it creeps forward on paper with pen. Today I am putting as much of it to the screen and a computer file as I can possibly do.
"The Child's Voice"
I know, I missed several installments of this story, but it is going to be appearing this week come heck or high water (with all of the rain we've been having, hopefully the high water won't appear where we are).
All right, that's it for me for the moment. There will be more later this week, if not today.
It has been a while hasn't it, Dear Readers? I apologize. Since hubby is currently not gainfully employed there isn't a good schedule or even a moment to attempt a schedule any more. He has downloaded a program called "ProShare" which lets him download music and he is always on the computer downloading music now. This means no writing for me, of any sort, and as for up-dating The News or LJ means, well, it just means it is relatively impossible. So, today while he is out, here I am explaining what has been happening. *sigh* Hopefully this week will not be as lax in updates as they have been.
The Writing Front
The new novel is almost snail crawling forward, but it is progressing none-the-less. It would move faster if I had the computer to use during the day hours as is usual. At the moment it creeps forward on paper with pen. Today I am putting as much of it to the screen and a computer file as I can possibly do.
"The Child's Voice"
I know, I missed several installments of this story, but it is going to be appearing this week come heck or high water (with all of the rain we've been having, hopefully the high water won't appear where we are).
All right, that's it for me for the moment. There will be more later this week, if not today.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Tired, but Determined
Have not fully recovered yet from traveling so here is something for the writerly folks: Writer's Weekly.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
Michael Yon Before Traveling
We are pretty close to heading out the door, so I am posting quickly. If you have not checked out Michael Yon's blog by now I highly recommend it. With so much mis-information that is coming out of Iraq, it is good to read the real news, or as close to the real news as we can get.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Since the weather is warming and I and my girls go outside, I keep a wary eye out for any signs of fleas attacking them. Yes, they are big girls and can defend mommy without much problem, but when fleas attack they are miserable and thus it makes me miserable as well. So, for those dog owners out there, here is an article I discovered on the 'net and it may be of use to you. Also, if you have any other flea remedies, please let me know. It would be most appreciated by all concerned.
Natural ways to get rid of fleas.
Natural ways to get rid of fleas.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Some Words from Stephen Hawking
"When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have."
– Stephen Hawking
– Stephen Hawking
Friday, May 05, 2006
Energy - 1.0, Potassium - 3.3
I apologize all: It appears my potassium has dropped down to 3.3, which is very low. At least this explains the lethargy and draggy-ness I have been experiencing. I was able to take some potassium supplements yesterday, so I am feeling a bit better today, though I think I could sleep quite a few more hours.
However, I can report I have a good idea for my newest novel. It is that SF adventure I was telling everyone about, howbeit extremely vaguely. It is here, just at the back of my brain, nudging me forward and encouraging me I won't be sorry if I give it half the chance it so rightly deserves. So, I am.
If all goes well, I will be putting more words down on it today. It would help if I would be able to do more of that tomorrow and the rest of next week. Hopefully on Tuesday I will get some words down because I will be in Columbus and will have to borrow Cheyenne's computer. Still, thanks to Box.net, I should have everything I need to get some more words down. Just to be a little on the safe side, I am putting what I currently have on disk and taking that with me. You can never be too careful these days.
B gave me an idea, although quite unintentionally for a zombie story! I shudder at my own horribleness. I do not want to write that twat, but, at the same time, I would like to see what happens with the story, just to see if I can pull it off. I will see. I will work at it...maybe.
OK, time for another potassium pill and a little more food - then on to writing, and getting the rest of my life back into some semblance of order.
However, I can report I have a good idea for my newest novel. It is that SF adventure I was telling everyone about, howbeit extremely vaguely. It is here, just at the back of my brain, nudging me forward and encouraging me I won't be sorry if I give it half the chance it so rightly deserves. So, I am.
If all goes well, I will be putting more words down on it today. It would help if I would be able to do more of that tomorrow and the rest of next week. Hopefully on Tuesday I will get some words down because I will be in Columbus and will have to borrow Cheyenne's computer. Still, thanks to Box.net, I should have everything I need to get some more words down. Just to be a little on the safe side, I am putting what I currently have on disk and taking that with me. You can never be too careful these days.
B gave me an idea, although quite unintentionally for a zombie story! I shudder at my own horribleness. I do not want to write that twat, but, at the same time, I would like to see what happens with the story, just to see if I can pull it off. I will see. I will work at it...maybe.
OK, time for another potassium pill and a little more food - then on to writing, and getting the rest of my life back into some semblance of order.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Turtle-like and Writing - Somewhat Related
Yesterday I did not have enough time to sit and just let myself Be. I enjoy doing this in the sunshine. Sometimes I compare myself to a turtle and sometimes to a cat because of their love for the warmth of spring and summer. Mostly I think, I am a little more turtle-like than cat-like because a) I don't move very fast at all; and b) turtles have a tendency to just sit and Be: they are in their own moment, their own portion of the world, and don't truly see a need for moving too quickly. (But when there is a need, you would be quite surprised to see how quickly a turtle can move!) So, yesterday, I didn't get to experience the zen of the turtle enjoying the sun as much as I would have liked.
Today I will not get to be as turtle-like as I would like either - because B and I will be doing things away from home today. This is really an extra shame because a new story, a new novel has presented itself. It is a science fiction adventure and I am pretty sure it is a novel, or will be a novel length piece before it is finished.
At the moment it resides in one of my beloved moleskin journals. Since I am not going to tear the pages out, this means I will be writing there and then transcribing until the story becomes so large it isn't feasible to keep it there. Before all is decided and done, I may just transcribe what I have now and continue on the PC. Sadly, now is when I would love to have a laptop just so I could go outside and write. The tools of the trade become necessary at some points. When I have my first big sale you can pretty much guess my first big purchase.
Today I will not get to be as turtle-like as I would like either - because B and I will be doing things away from home today. This is really an extra shame because a new story, a new novel has presented itself. It is a science fiction adventure and I am pretty sure it is a novel, or will be a novel length piece before it is finished.
At the moment it resides in one of my beloved moleskin journals. Since I am not going to tear the pages out, this means I will be writing there and then transcribing until the story becomes so large it isn't feasible to keep it there. Before all is decided and done, I may just transcribe what I have now and continue on the PC. Sadly, now is when I would love to have a laptop just so I could go outside and write. The tools of the trade become necessary at some points. When I have my first big sale you can pretty much guess my first big purchase.
Monday, May 01, 2006
A Note for Those Out There Who Understand
When playing a really good video game - do not get jump happy!
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Looking Up at the Changes
Have you ever had one of those days when you know you are working on a task that ultimately is changing your life? It isn't one of those things that is going to change your life, but is already? Well, that is the sort of day I had yesterday.
Yesterday I sat and looked up apartment complexes and made telephone calls to different places gathering physical information about moving to a different city. At one point I just stopped - it was too surreal - and went outside to look up at the bright blue sky and listen to the birds. By this time next year I may not be here looking up at that sky from my wonderful back yard. Next year by this time I may be looking up at the sky from a different back yard.
I hope all the changes we are making, preparing to make, and gathering information for making will be beneficial to both of us and we can keep our little family of four legged creatures together. Well, quite honestly, if we can't all stay together we aren't going. On that I have made up my mind.
Life, as I know it, is changing.
I am not mourning this change. This is the first change that has begun where I haven't had to mourn the loss of someone special to me. It is something of a shock.
It is almost pleasant in its almost-terrifying way.
Yesterday I sat and looked up apartment complexes and made telephone calls to different places gathering physical information about moving to a different city. At one point I just stopped - it was too surreal - and went outside to look up at the bright blue sky and listen to the birds. By this time next year I may not be here looking up at that sky from my wonderful back yard. Next year by this time I may be looking up at the sky from a different back yard.
I hope all the changes we are making, preparing to make, and gathering information for making will be beneficial to both of us and we can keep our little family of four legged creatures together. Well, quite honestly, if we can't all stay together we aren't going. On that I have made up my mind.
Life, as I know it, is changing.
I am not mourning this change. This is the first change that has begun where I haven't had to mourn the loss of someone special to me. It is something of a shock.
It is almost pleasant in its almost-terrifying way.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wraslin'!
As most of you out there know, or those of you who care to know (as well as some of you out there who do not care to know but do any way), I am a big wrestling fan, or I should say, wraslin' fan.
For Lent I gave up my beloved wraslin'. It was not something that was really useful or needful in my life, just something I dearly enjoy, so I took a break from it for fifty freaking days! Now, tonight, I am going to get to watch SmackDown and hopefully catch up on what has been happening with my favorites (good guys and bad) and hopefully see something of The Undertaker.*
Out of curiosity I went to WWE.com and had myself a look around and was a little disheartened to find out one of my favorites is having a horrible time fighting a staph infection. We all know those things are hard to get rid of, but you don't expect it to take down someone you've seen take punch after punch, but Hardcore Holly has been fighting a staph infection and sounds pretty sick by the sounds of the interview.
And, of course, how could I not read Foley is Blog which is Mick Foley's blog for WWE.com. I wonder what he would really say if he had his own independent blog? I believe that would be something wonderful to read. I love how he was "side-tracked" in this article to let the readers know something is going on, in the works, but jumping to another topic just so us fans will read some more. Yes, I know this is a writing thing, and I do it myself, I just don't expect Mick Foley to do it, and when he does it is absolutely wonderful, but, then again, I am a wraslin' geek and he is one of my absolute favorites.
Sadly, I do not trust WWE.com to say everything that is happening on the shows of SmackDown and RAW, and it would be absolutely wonderful if Mick Foley or The Undertaker or even Kurt Angle could just write about what happens inside the ring and outside of it just like regular normal folks, but they have their paychecks to earn just like everyone else. Still, it would be something I would enjoy reading, as well as would many others out there. Maybe the boss of WWE will take notice of small voices speaking out in unison for such a thing.
OK, enough jabbering about wraslin' (I'm going to get to watch it tonight, tonight, tonight *does wheelchair dance of joy*). I will try and post more interesting stuff later on, but, for now read and indulge your guilty pleasure of wraslin' if you like. I know I will.
And, just think, they are going to be in Lexington THIS WEEKEND! Maybe they are already here! Squeeeeeeeeee! Maybe I will meet some of them on the street! Squeeeeeeee!
A girl can dream can't she?
Squeeeeeeeeeee!
I say again Squeeeeeeeeee!
* ( I would post a picture of 'Taker here but WWE says they own the trademark and character and it cannot be used without permission. Even I received the email with an almost under-handed threat that if I posted pictures without permission I would be in legal troubles. So, I am being good. No pictures. But I can give you a link to pictures. *happy grin*)
For Lent I gave up my beloved wraslin'. It was not something that was really useful or needful in my life, just something I dearly enjoy, so I took a break from it for fifty freaking days! Now, tonight, I am going to get to watch SmackDown and hopefully catch up on what has been happening with my favorites (good guys and bad) and hopefully see something of The Undertaker.*
Out of curiosity I went to WWE.com and had myself a look around and was a little disheartened to find out one of my favorites is having a horrible time fighting a staph infection. We all know those things are hard to get rid of, but you don't expect it to take down someone you've seen take punch after punch, but Hardcore Holly has been fighting a staph infection and sounds pretty sick by the sounds of the interview.
And, of course, how could I not read Foley is Blog which is Mick Foley's blog for WWE.com. I wonder what he would really say if he had his own independent blog? I believe that would be something wonderful to read. I love how he was "side-tracked" in this article to let the readers know something is going on, in the works, but jumping to another topic just so us fans will read some more. Yes, I know this is a writing thing, and I do it myself, I just don't expect Mick Foley to do it, and when he does it is absolutely wonderful, but, then again, I am a wraslin' geek and he is one of my absolute favorites.
Sadly, I do not trust WWE.com to say everything that is happening on the shows of SmackDown and RAW, and it would be absolutely wonderful if Mick Foley or The Undertaker or even Kurt Angle could just write about what happens inside the ring and outside of it just like regular normal folks, but they have their paychecks to earn just like everyone else. Still, it would be something I would enjoy reading, as well as would many others out there. Maybe the boss of WWE will take notice of small voices speaking out in unison for such a thing.
OK, enough jabbering about wraslin' (I'm going to get to watch it tonight, tonight, tonight *does wheelchair dance of joy*). I will try and post more interesting stuff later on, but, for now read and indulge your guilty pleasure of wraslin' if you like. I know I will.
And, just think, they are going to be in Lexington THIS WEEKEND! Maybe they are already here! Squeeeeeeeeee! Maybe I will meet some of them on the street! Squeeeeeeee!
A girl can dream can't she?
Squeeeeeeeeeee!
I say again Squeeeeeeeeee!
* ( I would post a picture of 'Taker here but WWE says they own the trademark and character and it cannot be used without permission. Even I received the email with an almost under-handed threat that if I posted pictures without permission I would be in legal troubles. So, I am being good. No pictures. But I can give you a link to pictures. *happy grin*)
Thursday, April 27, 2006
In Order to Adventure You Need a Really Good Hat
Today I adventured on a wonderful new world. It is so new I haven't even touched foot on it yet, I am still in the orbiting Earth craft and getting my briefing with the rest of the team!
Yes, I know I am the writer, the creator of this adventure, but sometimes it is wonderful to just give yourself up to the story and let it amuse you even while you are creating it. So, today that is exactly what I did. I let the story amuse me, which helped spark some questions that led to some answers that will begin the next phase of the story itself. Sometimes you just need to be an observer more than a participant in this writing business, at least it helps me.
So, there I am, outside at my little card table with my pith helmet on and my pen busy scratching away on the lined white pages of a moleskin journal as I wrote about Mac and what was happening, and thinking of things that could possibly happen in the back of my mind. My shadow was playing on the ground beside me and the dogs were laying in the shade just as blissful as me, who was happy in the sunlight.
The pith helmet keeps my head cool but breathes (it is a very good thing) and keeps the hot sun off of my head so I don't get heat stroke or heat exhaustion. As I was taking a break in the story, I raised my head to see a blond headed boy walking down the alley and looking at me quite curiously. What did I look like to him?
I smiled at him and he turned pink as he realized I had seen him, and his pace quickened until he was out of sight. The lad could have been no more than twelve. I can just imagine what he saw: a plump little woman with glasses sitting in a wheelchair almost huddled over a book of some sort she was writing in, upon her head a helmet like he had seen in King Kong or old black and white Tarzan movies. Was she daft? Was she full blown insane? True, those hats did look like they would keep the sun off of you, but, weren't they really just supposed to be for adventures of some sort? I couldn't agree more laddie, and today I began one of the most fun adventures I have had in a while! Yes, I am sure there is going to be trouble afoot before long, but I have my handy-dandy pen, dictionary and thesaurus, my trusty canines at my side and my powered wheeled chair to see me through! And to top it off, I have the perfect hat - I have the adventure hat to do it all in!
Life, today, was GOOD.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Tidbits and Fiction
There are a few things to report today:
1) We will have an additional new piece of fiction next week - someone submitted a very nice piece of fiction and now they are polishing it for its very first appearance anywhere! It is quite good, I can't wait for you to read it!
2) Michael Yon has an oddly beautiful piece up at his site. I encourage everyone to go and read it.
3) Writer's Digest.com has some interesting tips for writers. The writing prompt has me thinking I just may well go ahead and see what this brings forth.
OK, that's it for me for the moment. Enjoy.
*******
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ritchie jumped to his feet suddenly. His tongue lolled from his mouth and he made short, excited barks. Ritchie started spinning in tight circles at Billy’s legs. This reaction usually came from Frank’s arrival.
Frank was the mailman, but, unlike most other postal carriers, Frank was loved and adore by most people’s pets, especially the dogs, because he brought a treat with him whenever he delivered the mail. There were also a couple of other differences with Frank – one, he rarely ever got out of his car; and two, he was a master of driving from the middle of the front seat of his car. This meant his left foot handled the brake and accelerator. This was because Frank was busy putting mail into the rural mailboxes he delivered to. By the time Frank made it up to Bill’s, though, he was driving normally – directly behind the wheel.
Ritchie’s barks became even more excited and he bounced on his front feet. He could barely wait for the old brown Chevy four door sedan to come to a halt before he was bouncing at Frank’s door expectantly. Not many people knew how Frank got along with his customers’ dogs, but Billy did, and didn’t mind. Ritchie would normally refuse anything handed out of any vehicle, even if it was a steak, unless it came from Frank and his old sedan. Frank was a good guy.
“Hey, Bill.”
“Hey, Frank.” Billy ambled out to the postman’s car as Frank began collecting Bill’s mail from the seat beside him, as well as Ritchie’s dog biscuit.
Billy’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the thick, bright orange envelopes amid the bills and junk mail Frank’s gnarled hand. Billy’s pace quickened a little also.
She had finished another book already?
“Sure must be nice related to a famous writer,” Frank said as Billy took the mail from him. Billy couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, I remember her when she was a little girl. I never thought she was going to live, much less make it out of the county, or this,” Frank said, smacking the edge of the envelope lightly. “Do you get to see her much?”
“Not much,” Billy said with a shake of his head. “About once a year, I guess. She comes in for Aunt Susan’s birthday.”
“Still?” Billy nodded solemnly. “That girl sure did love her mother. There’s not many like that family any more around here. Everybody is always wrapped up in themselves, and don’t seem to care that much for their mommy and daddy.”
Billy had to agree there, and did so. Susan and Parker Williams had been Aunt Susan and Uncle Parker since Billy could remember. They had lived at the mouth of Stinnett just down the mountain since before Dan was born, Billy’s oldest sibling. The Williams children and the Pollards had grown up side by side, best friends and close enough kin to be fourth cousins. Technically that didn’t really make them all that related, but sometimes family didn’t come from close direct blood relations.
“Well, see you t’morra, Bill.” Frank shifted into reverse, his hand raised for a brief moment in farewell outside the car, then he was off down the mountain. Ritchie barked a couple of times in farewell, the dog biscuit partially dangling from his black muzzle.
“Yup, you’re worthless, but I like him, too,” Bill said to the dog, who wagged his tail happily. “Come on boy, let’s go see what we have!” Billy put the mail on top of the case of Miller and carried it all inside the house, Ritchie, along with dog biscuit, followed.
.......to be continued
1) We will have an additional new piece of fiction next week - someone submitted a very nice piece of fiction and now they are polishing it for its very first appearance anywhere! It is quite good, I can't wait for you to read it!
2) Michael Yon has an oddly beautiful piece up at his site. I encourage everyone to go and read it.
3) Writer's Digest.com has some interesting tips for writers. The writing prompt has me thinking I just may well go ahead and see what this brings forth.
OK, that's it for me for the moment. Enjoy.
*******
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ritchie jumped to his feet suddenly. His tongue lolled from his mouth and he made short, excited barks. Ritchie started spinning in tight circles at Billy’s legs. This reaction usually came from Frank’s arrival.
Frank was the mailman, but, unlike most other postal carriers, Frank was loved and adore by most people’s pets, especially the dogs, because he brought a treat with him whenever he delivered the mail. There were also a couple of other differences with Frank – one, he rarely ever got out of his car; and two, he was a master of driving from the middle of the front seat of his car. This meant his left foot handled the brake and accelerator. This was because Frank was busy putting mail into the rural mailboxes he delivered to. By the time Frank made it up to Bill’s, though, he was driving normally – directly behind the wheel.
Ritchie’s barks became even more excited and he bounced on his front feet. He could barely wait for the old brown Chevy four door sedan to come to a halt before he was bouncing at Frank’s door expectantly. Not many people knew how Frank got along with his customers’ dogs, but Billy did, and didn’t mind. Ritchie would normally refuse anything handed out of any vehicle, even if it was a steak, unless it came from Frank and his old sedan. Frank was a good guy.
“Hey, Bill.”
“Hey, Frank.” Billy ambled out to the postman’s car as Frank began collecting Bill’s mail from the seat beside him, as well as Ritchie’s dog biscuit.
Billy’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the thick, bright orange envelopes amid the bills and junk mail Frank’s gnarled hand. Billy’s pace quickened a little also.
She had finished another book already?
“Sure must be nice related to a famous writer,” Frank said as Billy took the mail from him. Billy couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, I remember her when she was a little girl. I never thought she was going to live, much less make it out of the county, or this,” Frank said, smacking the edge of the envelope lightly. “Do you get to see her much?”
“Not much,” Billy said with a shake of his head. “About once a year, I guess. She comes in for Aunt Susan’s birthday.”
“Still?” Billy nodded solemnly. “That girl sure did love her mother. There’s not many like that family any more around here. Everybody is always wrapped up in themselves, and don’t seem to care that much for their mommy and daddy.”
Billy had to agree there, and did so. Susan and Parker Williams had been Aunt Susan and Uncle Parker since Billy could remember. They had lived at the mouth of Stinnett just down the mountain since before Dan was born, Billy’s oldest sibling. The Williams children and the Pollards had grown up side by side, best friends and close enough kin to be fourth cousins. Technically that didn’t really make them all that related, but sometimes family didn’t come from close direct blood relations.
“Well, see you t’morra, Bill.” Frank shifted into reverse, his hand raised for a brief moment in farewell outside the car, then he was off down the mountain. Ritchie barked a couple of times in farewell, the dog biscuit partially dangling from his black muzzle.
“Yup, you’re worthless, but I like him, too,” Bill said to the dog, who wagged his tail happily. “Come on boy, let’s go see what we have!” Billy put the mail on top of the case of Miller and carried it all inside the house, Ritchie, along with dog biscuit, followed.
.......to be continued
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Home, Home, Home Again I Am
Home. We arrived home a little past eleven o'clock last night and had enough time to pet loving, adoring, and much relieved doggies and kitty before we deposited ourselves into bed. My head and heart just didn't have the energy to look back at the wonderful weekend, and today.... Today has been one of those "adjusting" days.
You know, one of those days where you let yourself almost slide back into sort of thinking about some semblance of a normal routine but aren't really hurried or serious about the matter until you have to be. So, today I have eaten (more than I should have) watched television (a lot), and watched my dear hubby get his gaming fix on by playing a game he purchased during Lent but never played until today. It is called New Legends and it looks really good. Mako does one of the voices in the game which totally is a seal of approval for my dear hubby. It is for me too actually.
I did want to write something about Easton Mall in Columbus, Ohio, and I will, it is just that today is still one of relaxing and I haven't relaxed like this in ages. Hubby is relaxing, too. We hardly ever really relax together, so, tomorrow will be more along the lines of more normal things, including "The Child's Voice" and possibly something else. We will see as tomorrow arises.
You know, one of those days where you let yourself almost slide back into sort of thinking about some semblance of a normal routine but aren't really hurried or serious about the matter until you have to be. So, today I have eaten (more than I should have) watched television (a lot), and watched my dear hubby get his gaming fix on by playing a game he purchased during Lent but never played until today. It is called New Legends and it looks really good. Mako does one of the voices in the game which totally is a seal of approval for my dear hubby. It is for me too actually.
I did want to write something about Easton Mall in Columbus, Ohio, and I will, it is just that today is still one of relaxing and I haven't relaxed like this in ages. Hubby is relaxing, too. We hardly ever really relax together, so, tomorrow will be more along the lines of more normal things, including "The Child's Voice" and possibly something else. We will see as tomorrow arises.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Wherein We Relax Before Traveling
As of this moment B and I are still in Columbus, Ohio with Cheyenne. Driving from Columbus, Ohio to Lexington, Kentucky is quite a drive, and since we have been busy and on the move pretty much since we arrived, B wanted to just play a few video games, watch a movie or two, and just relax before he did the packing and then did the driving back home.
Right now B is playing God of War and I am playing on Cheyenne's laptop and preparing to view a lot of email. Yeah, we're really boring people right now, but wait until I tell you about Easton Mall! However, that is for tomorrow.
Right now B is playing God of War and I am playing on Cheyenne's laptop and preparing to view a lot of email. Yeah, we're really boring people right now, but wait until I tell you about Easton Mall! However, that is for tomorrow.
Friday, April 21, 2006
And now a word from our sponsor
Hello all. Cheyenne here, to say that the Editor is on the move.
She's not moving, mind you. She and her husband are currently winging...er, wheeling their way north to spend the weekend up here with me. It's Easter for the Orthodox faith – and it's also the weekend I'm going to become a full member of the faith as well. As the ones who first introduced me to Orthodoxy, it seems only fair for the Editor and B. to be here. Should be an interesting weekend, all told.
Any good thoughts or prayers you can spare for their trip, either coming up or heading back (which will be Sunday or Monday, we aren't sure which) would be appreciated, of course.
As for me – I've got one or two small things to pick up before they get here, so I must away. Have a good weekend, all.
She's not moving, mind you. She and her husband are currently winging...er, wheeling their way north to spend the weekend up here with me. It's Easter for the Orthodox faith – and it's also the weekend I'm going to become a full member of the faith as well. As the ones who first introduced me to Orthodoxy, it seems only fair for the Editor and B. to be here. Should be an interesting weekend, all told.
Any good thoughts or prayers you can spare for their trip, either coming up or heading back (which will be Sunday or Monday, we aren't sure which) would be appreciated, of course.
As for me – I've got one or two small things to pick up before they get here, so I must away. Have a good weekend, all.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Something A Little Different
No one submitted anything and I have been working like mad on so many non-writing projects I feel almost sad. Hopefully the Life That Is Not Writing will soon be taking a slight break so I can get all of the many writing projects currently done.
Normally I would post the next section of "The Child's Voice" here, but instead I am posting some links:
A quiz. And a quite useful one at that.
Writer's Digest, just because.
Michael Yon - this website and writing are beyond wonderful, yet somewhat sad. If you don't want to read the truth about what is happening over in Iraq and surrounding areas, don't read it; but, if you DO want to know what is going on - then read it.
OK. That's it for today. "The Child's Voice" will return next week and hopefully some more fiction not written by myself!
Normally I would post the next section of "The Child's Voice" here, but instead I am posting some links:
A quiz. And a quite useful one at that.
Writer's Digest, just because.
Michael Yon - this website and writing are beyond wonderful, yet somewhat sad. If you don't want to read the truth about what is happening over in Iraq and surrounding areas, don't read it; but, if you DO want to know what is going on - then read it.
OK. That's it for today. "The Child's Voice" will return next week and hopefully some more fiction not written by myself!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
A Book, Some Answers, and Up-Coming (Tomorrow)
A book
OK, for all of those out there who sent me emails asking questions about the history of the Orthodox Church I highly recommend, The Orthodox Church by Bishop Kalistos Ware. It is one of the easier books to read with a wonderful bibliography to guide you to other fascinating books about the Orthodox Church. Of course, in order to find out fully, you need to actually go to an Orthodox Church and experience it for yourself and gain guidance from the parish priest: he knows what he is doing and has far more information than I could EVER give, being just a lowly laywoman that I am (there is much room for improvement and a healthy expanse waiting to be filled with knowledge of the faith).
For my witchy people (and I am somewhat ashamed of some of you out there):
Now, to those out there who cursed, hexed, be-littled me for the thing written on the so-called "Gospel of Judas": This is my blog, not yours. I do not intentionally go out there and offend anyone or group of people, but, please people, get a grip! What is the one greatest rule the "witching" world has? Isn't it, "Do as thou wilt, harm none, but if you do it will come back on you three times three" or something like that? So, just think about what you said you did and why you said you did it. It makes no sense logically.
Tomorrow
I haven't received any submissions for far for tomorrow, so, this means we will be continuing with "The Child's Voice". Why don't you all submit something? Maybe, just maybe, you might get your own name on the Internet.
Guidelines
I do not pay.
I do not buy any rights to the piece. It is fully and rightfully yours.
Fiction - Up to 5000 words, but if it is good, well, we can serialize or go a little longer.
Non-fiction - the same for fiction.
Poetry - just send it to me and see what happens. I am a HUGE fan of poetry and am always looking for good poetry to read myself, as well as to share here on The News.
If your piece has been previously published, make sure and let me know so that I can list it and where it was published (I also need to know it is clear and I won't be impinging unknowingly on any other publisher/editor's toes, i.e. rights).
So, submit something! You won't ever know until you actually get out there and send something off!
OK, for all of those out there who sent me emails asking questions about the history of the Orthodox Church I highly recommend, The Orthodox Church by Bishop Kalistos Ware. It is one of the easier books to read with a wonderful bibliography to guide you to other fascinating books about the Orthodox Church. Of course, in order to find out fully, you need to actually go to an Orthodox Church and experience it for yourself and gain guidance from the parish priest: he knows what he is doing and has far more information than I could EVER give, being just a lowly laywoman that I am (there is much room for improvement and a healthy expanse waiting to be filled with knowledge of the faith).
For my witchy people (and I am somewhat ashamed of some of you out there):
Now, to those out there who cursed, hexed, be-littled me for the thing written on the so-called "Gospel of Judas": This is my blog, not yours. I do not intentionally go out there and offend anyone or group of people, but, please people, get a grip! What is the one greatest rule the "witching" world has? Isn't it, "Do as thou wilt, harm none, but if you do it will come back on you three times three" or something like that? So, just think about what you said you did and why you said you did it. It makes no sense logically.
Tomorrow
I haven't received any submissions for far for tomorrow, so, this means we will be continuing with "The Child's Voice". Why don't you all submit something? Maybe, just maybe, you might get your own name on the Internet.
Guidelines
I do not pay.
I do not buy any rights to the piece. It is fully and rightfully yours.
Fiction - Up to 5000 words, but if it is good, well, we can serialize or go a little longer.
Non-fiction - the same for fiction.
Poetry - just send it to me and see what happens. I am a HUGE fan of poetry and am always looking for good poetry to read myself, as well as to share here on The News.
If your piece has been previously published, make sure and let me know so that I can list it and where it was published (I also need to know it is clear and I won't be impinging unknowingly on any other publisher/editor's toes, i.e. rights).
So, submit something! You won't ever know until you actually get out there and send something off!
Monday, April 17, 2006
ORDERLINESS Personified
I WISH I had a digital camera so I could show you all how very nice and organized the computer area is! Alas, I do not. Tried to take a picture of it with my camera-phone, but it just doesn't show how everything looks so very nice and orderly. Teaching hubby to put things back where they belong is proving to be an almost daunting task, but I am not giving up, not just yet. (He cleans but doesn't try to keep it clean. Silly fellow.)
Saturday, April 15, 2006
The *Gospel* of Judas?
According to information in the archives of the Orthodox Church and via our priest, the Orthodox Church has known about this document for many hundreds of years.
So, this "Gospel of Judas" has been a fake for many hundreds of years. It isn't something new that has just been recently discovered. The Church has known about it for a long time.
It does seem quite odd that around holy times for Christians there is an unashamed effort to make us question our faith and devotion, and if the Christian is not steadfast and certain about what they believe is true and right, they will question their faith at every report they receive and believe fiction for truth and truth for fiction.
In being a Christian you cannot be a weak minded or weak spirited person, nor can you be so narrow minded that you do the very thing Christ speaks out against - judging our brothers (other people) when we do not know everything about them. The task, and it is a difficult one, is to gather all of the necessary information and proceed forward with faith and guidance of the Bible and the priest and our traditions to see us through to the proper course of action.
This so-called "gospel" is fiction. And, if you really look at it, you can see just how warped-sided it truly is. One of the allegations is that Christ told Judas to betray Him. If this was true then why did Judas commit suicide by hanging himself before seeing the reason as to why Christ had him do such a thing? And who did Judas tell before he committed suicide? He would have to tell someone who could write. There weren't that many people back then that could perform that most important task. And, how long did it take Judas to do this? He killed himself before the sun rose upon Christ's Crucifixion! It just doesn't make sense.
It seems the original document was written as early as AD 140-180. Discovered in 1970, this ancient papyrus document may be the same "Gospel of Judas" referred to by Irenaeus.
In the 180's AD, Irenaeus wrote extensively on ancient heretical groups. One of these groups, known as the Cainites, thought they were descendants of "Esau, Korah, [and] the Sodomites." Irenaeus wrote that "They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas."
Writing fictitious gospels was the "in" thing in the second to fourth centuries AD. Numerous second to fourth century gospels and documents were discovered in 1945, including "The Gospel of Thomas." These documents, not including the Gospel of Judas, has been translated in a book called, The Nag Hammadi Library.
Anyone who has actually ever read the Nag Hammadi documents knows that they are usually so absurdly bazaar that they have virtually no claim to historical reliability-unless, of course, you think that women must become men in order to be saved, or that being female is a "defect," an "illness," or "madness" or that Jesus never suffered in any way and, in fact, was laughing at everyone while on the cross. Or perhaps you believe that the androgynous god "Death" begot seven androgynous female offspring named "Wrath, Pain, Lust, Sighing, Curse, Bitterness, Quarrelsomeness." Hmmmm, I wonder why no early church leaders considered these Nag Hammadi documents as part of their New Testament?
Still, the media is having a great time with this, partly out of their lack of knowledge and partly, no doubt, for ratings.
Feel free to forward this to anyone who may be interested.
Dennis Ingolflsand
So, this "Gospel of Judas" has been a fake for many hundreds of years. It isn't something new that has just been recently discovered. The Church has known about it for a long time.
It does seem quite odd that around holy times for Christians there is an unashamed effort to make us question our faith and devotion, and if the Christian is not steadfast and certain about what they believe is true and right, they will question their faith at every report they receive and believe fiction for truth and truth for fiction.
In being a Christian you cannot be a weak minded or weak spirited person, nor can you be so narrow minded that you do the very thing Christ speaks out against - judging our brothers (other people) when we do not know everything about them. The task, and it is a difficult one, is to gather all of the necessary information and proceed forward with faith and guidance of the Bible and the priest and our traditions to see us through to the proper course of action.
This so-called "gospel" is fiction. And, if you really look at it, you can see just how warped-sided it truly is. One of the allegations is that Christ told Judas to betray Him. If this was true then why did Judas commit suicide by hanging himself before seeing the reason as to why Christ had him do such a thing? And who did Judas tell before he committed suicide? He would have to tell someone who could write. There weren't that many people back then that could perform that most important task. And, how long did it take Judas to do this? He killed himself before the sun rose upon Christ's Crucifixion! It just doesn't make sense.
Friday, April 14, 2006
"We might as well give up, they're coming at us with flashlights!"
My husband and I received this little hand-out-almost-magazine in our mailbox the other day. It is from a local Protestant Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Normally we just read these things, chuckle a bit here and there, and then toss it away. This time there was something SO funny I just had to share this with you all. I hope you find it as humorous as we did.
I think surely these boys are city boys! ROFL!
Two boys from the city were on a camping trip. The mosquitoes were so fierce the boys had to hide under their blankets to keep from being bitten. Then one of them saw some lightning bugs, and said, "We might as well give up, they're coming at us with flashlights!"
I think surely these boys are city boys! ROFL!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Death and Taxes
April 15th is fast approaching.
Yeah.
I am doing the 1040EZ form this year for the first time in many years. You know what this means? I am nervous and I am going to have to deal with numbers all day today, pretty much. Yes, I have delayed it as long as possible, but mostly to let B get out of the house so I can have the radio on and if I get frazzled I can scream and now have him worried and running to see what is wrong with me.
*sigh*
Taxes.
Could we just agree we didn't need to fill out these papers, IRS? I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement.... No? So these papers have to be filled out and sent it? OK. I may get money back? OK, incentive. It is the ONLY incentive of course, but it is there.
Sometimes I've wondered if taxes could be the death of someone. There is a lot of stress around tax time here in the US.
Yeah.
I am doing the 1040EZ form this year for the first time in many years. You know what this means? I am nervous and I am going to have to deal with numbers all day today, pretty much. Yes, I have delayed it as long as possible, but mostly to let B get out of the house so I can have the radio on and if I get frazzled I can scream and now have him worried and running to see what is wrong with me.
*sigh*
Taxes.
Could we just agree we didn't need to fill out these papers, IRS? I'm sure we could come to some sort of agreement.... No? So these papers have to be filled out and sent it? OK. I may get money back? OK, incentive. It is the ONLY incentive of course, but it is there.
Sometimes I've wondered if taxes could be the death of someone. There is a lot of stress around tax time here in the US.
Fiction, The Child's Voice
No one submitted anything, so, here is Billy's continuing story....
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ward gave him a genuine smile before casting his eyes back out over the landscape again. It was several long seconds before Ward answered with, “Mexicans.”
“Mexicans? In Leslie County?” Billy sputtered and nearly choked on his beer.
“They’re going to work in the pot field for me this summer. First I need to get them squared away at the shack with food and water.”
“You speak Spanish, Ward?” Billy’s smile was filled with good natured ribbing. Wardy chuckled softly.
“No, but Jemma does.”
Jemma Davis. Now there was a looker for you. She was younger than Wardy by a good fifteen years – all of about twenty-two Billy would say. She had a body that could stop the river from rolling and a face so beautiful she could stop traffic. How she had hooked up with Ward or why had been a big mystery. Neither she nor Ward were talking, but Billy suspected Ward may have had some information on her. Other than that, Billy couldn’t see how Ward had lucked up.
“Don’t be thinking things about Jemma, Bill,” Ward said, cutting into Billy’s thoughts.
“OK,” Bill said with a slight smile as he took another sip of his beer.
“You have a lot of vices, Bill. They’re going to get you in trouble one day. Somebody might come looking for you.”
Billy laughed a short, barking sound. His breath made clouds in the cool air.
“I’ve never hurt anybody, Ward. You provide me with girls...willing girls at that...and enough pot to keep me happy with a little extra money. I stay on the straight and narrow more or less.”
“You aren’t any more on the straight and narrow than I am!” They both laughed. The sound and discussion suddenly made Billy’s stomach feel uneasy. It could also be feeling that way, he decided, because he hadn’t had anything to eat in a while. “See you around, Bill,” Ward said, rising slowly, almost stiffly from the porch.
“See you, Ward.”
Billy watched Ward get back in his jeep, then back out and turn, headed back down the mountain. Something was wrong. Ward had never talked about vices before and him getting in trouble one day. What did Ward know, or suspect? Then again, maybe he was just over-thinking it all and letting his paranoia get the better of him. He did that sometimes.
....to be continued
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ward gave him a genuine smile before casting his eyes back out over the landscape again. It was several long seconds before Ward answered with, “Mexicans.”
“Mexicans? In Leslie County?” Billy sputtered and nearly choked on his beer.
“They’re going to work in the pot field for me this summer. First I need to get them squared away at the shack with food and water.”
“You speak Spanish, Ward?” Billy’s smile was filled with good natured ribbing. Wardy chuckled softly.
“No, but Jemma does.”
Jemma Davis. Now there was a looker for you. She was younger than Wardy by a good fifteen years – all of about twenty-two Billy would say. She had a body that could stop the river from rolling and a face so beautiful she could stop traffic. How she had hooked up with Ward or why had been a big mystery. Neither she nor Ward were talking, but Billy suspected Ward may have had some information on her. Other than that, Billy couldn’t see how Ward had lucked up.
“Don’t be thinking things about Jemma, Bill,” Ward said, cutting into Billy’s thoughts.
“OK,” Bill said with a slight smile as he took another sip of his beer.
“You have a lot of vices, Bill. They’re going to get you in trouble one day. Somebody might come looking for you.”
Billy laughed a short, barking sound. His breath made clouds in the cool air.
“I’ve never hurt anybody, Ward. You provide me with girls...willing girls at that...and enough pot to keep me happy with a little extra money. I stay on the straight and narrow more or less.”
“You aren’t any more on the straight and narrow than I am!” They both laughed. The sound and discussion suddenly made Billy’s stomach feel uneasy. It could also be feeling that way, he decided, because he hadn’t had anything to eat in a while. “See you around, Bill,” Ward said, rising slowly, almost stiffly from the porch.
“See you, Ward.”
Billy watched Ward get back in his jeep, then back out and turn, headed back down the mountain. Something was wrong. Ward had never talked about vices before and him getting in trouble one day. What did Ward know, or suspect? Then again, maybe he was just over-thinking it all and letting his paranoia get the better of him. He did that sometimes.
....to be continued
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Although I normally do not participate in memes. This one just simply made me laugh, so I am passing it all along to you.
http://alg.livejournal.com/
http://alg.livejournal.com/
Monday, April 10, 2006
Not All Old Things Are New Again, but We're Close!
Cheyenne was joshing with me recently and said that changing The Kentucky Mountain Girl News was heading into the frame of, "Old things are new again." I laughed at the time, but after seeing such a response of the oldest readers to The News, I have relaxed and returned to the original look and the format of what The News should probably never wandered away from in the first place.
So, here is the break down of things that are happening:
1) I am just going to Blog.
That's right. I am just going to blog things of interest to me and everything else will just be as it is.
2) The News is open for submissions.
Wednesdays are still open for fiction and poetry from you all out there. Some of my own fiction will be published here, but it will appear after yours on the Wednesday posts.
3) There aren't going to be any links this time.
If there is something of interest on the 'Net I find out there, I will post a link for you all to go trekking to if you so desire. Having the links in the sidebar or in the header just seemed to make things feel cluttered. So, we are cleaning up and looking better and ya'll will be directed to really interesting posts throughout the day or night or entry as it all seems to fit together.
That's it. Back to basics. It sounds odd to say this (write this), but it feels good and right. I think The News, and I, have needed this for a long time, we just didn't know how to get back to the place we needed to be. So, thank you for the emails you sent me and for the encouragement. I really did need them. Also, thank you to B and Cheyenne for their unfailing support in this endeavor and in all of my other adventures. It may be just because Spring is finally getting ready to fully spring, but looking at how The News looks, and feeling so satisfied with it all, I must admit I am more enthusiastic about just about everything than I have been in quite a while.
So, here is the break down of things that are happening:
1) I am just going to Blog.
That's right. I am just going to blog things of interest to me and everything else will just be as it is.
2) The News is open for submissions.
Wednesdays are still open for fiction and poetry from you all out there. Some of my own fiction will be published here, but it will appear after yours on the Wednesday posts.
3) There aren't going to be any links this time.
If there is something of interest on the 'Net I find out there, I will post a link for you all to go trekking to if you so desire. Having the links in the sidebar or in the header just seemed to make things feel cluttered. So, we are cleaning up and looking better and ya'll will be directed to really interesting posts throughout the day or night or entry as it all seems to fit together.
That's it. Back to basics. It sounds odd to say this (write this), but it feels good and right. I think The News, and I, have needed this for a long time, we just didn't know how to get back to the place we needed to be. So, thank you for the emails you sent me and for the encouragement. I really did need them. Also, thank you to B and Cheyenne for their unfailing support in this endeavor and in all of my other adventures. It may be just because Spring is finally getting ready to fully spring, but looking at how The News looks, and feeling so satisfied with it all, I must admit I am more enthusiastic about just about everything than I have been in quite a while.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Seriously.....
Kolbar and I did absolutely nothing today as far as going to the movies or going out. He went to service this morning and came back home where we ate and watched television and then napped some more. When we got up we discussed going out, but Kolbar didn't want to. At first I was quite upset by it all, but then we just kept watching TV and kept relaxing and it just seemed the right sort of thing to do. We were productive, however, in that I managed to get some more dishes clean while Kolbar worked on the back room. If we have just a little more time to work on the house between now and Pascha we will have a very favorable house for MaryG to be able to sleep and let the dogs out for us. (I hope she doesn't mind four legged bed fellows, because she will definately have them.)I am feeling better about the entire job thing, just not pleased. I am determined to get a job and I know I will find one, a good one. All of the crap happens. Kolbar said I was beginning to get a serious taste of what he goes through every time he applies for a job. It is sad that after all of these advances, there is still such prejudice against people who are different from the norm, whether that be by the color of one's skin, sexual orientation, or physical disability.
The old fire of fighting against the discrimination is not there in me now. In some ways I believe this is a good thing: I am a more settled, more adult person and don't have all of the rebellion in me. Instead, there is an intelligence and a willingness to work through it all and persevere until I reach my goal. Yes, there will be battles along the way and like a tired soldier I do not want to have to fight them, but there is no way of obtaining the objective except to battle and to win and move forward. Sometimes these sort of battles and soldiers are the deadliest kind to face - they have seen far too much for something to make them back down. They are seasoned and sick of fighting, but they will fight until the day they get to go home. At least, this is the way I feel. Perhaps I have the soldier wrong, but from day one I have been trained to be a solider and I have accepted I am going to die a soldier. It is just that my war never leaves me, and is never going to. It is always with me. It will forever be with me, and some how I am learning how to have a good life despite it.
I have also been doing some serious thinking and going through a flood of emails I received today from old readers. Those who have been there from the beginning. They want the old format back, the one from the very beginning. In all honesty - that was when I was happiest in blogging. So, the format is going to change, as well as the look. I think it is time for a different look for the new season.
OK.
We progress.
The old fire of fighting against the discrimination is not there in me now. In some ways I believe this is a good thing: I am a more settled, more adult person and don't have all of the rebellion in me. Instead, there is an intelligence and a willingness to work through it all and persevere until I reach my goal. Yes, there will be battles along the way and like a tired soldier I do not want to have to fight them, but there is no way of obtaining the objective except to battle and to win and move forward. Sometimes these sort of battles and soldiers are the deadliest kind to face - they have seen far too much for something to make them back down. They are seasoned and sick of fighting, but they will fight until the day they get to go home. At least, this is the way I feel. Perhaps I have the soldier wrong, but from day one I have been trained to be a solider and I have accepted I am going to die a soldier. It is just that my war never leaves me, and is never going to. It is always with me. It will forever be with me, and some how I am learning how to have a good life despite it.
I have also been doing some serious thinking and going through a flood of emails I received today from old readers. Those who have been there from the beginning. They want the old format back, the one from the very beginning. In all honesty - that was when I was happiest in blogging. So, the format is going to change, as well as the look. I think it is time for a different look for the new season.
OK.
We progress.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Bouncing Back Like the Basketball of Luck
The family emergency appears to be over for the time being. I really hope it is over for good. My husband appears to be right as rain now and I am plugging away at doing the job interviews and filling out applications and such.
"The Child's Voice" is progressing and the next installment will be up tomorrow. Once "The Child's Voice" is over we will begin putting out some poetry, or perhaps another story.
Don't forget - Wednesdays are open to other people's fiction and poetry. I can give a bi-line, which is always good. If you want guidelines, just email me and I'll get them to you ASAP.
"The Child's Voice" is progressing and the next installment will be up tomorrow. Once "The Child's Voice" is over we will begin putting out some poetry, or perhaps another story.
Don't forget - Wednesdays are open to other people's fiction and poetry. I can give a bi-line, which is always good. If you want guidelines, just email me and I'll get them to you ASAP.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Emergencies, Wednesdays, Jobs and On We Go
It is Wednesday. No one submitted any fiction or poetry for today, so there isn't any fiction or poetry to post today.
There was something of a family emergency on Monday and yesterday I had to take care of my hubby so there wasn't any writing done. Ready for the next part of "The Child's Voice"? It is coming...tomorrow!
There was something of a family emergency on Monday and yesterday I had to take care of my hubby so there wasn't any writing done. Ready for the next part of "The Child's Voice"? It is coming...tomorrow!
Monday, March 27, 2006
An Update and Fiction!
Imagine my surprise when I go to post the next part of "The Child's Voice" and discover the Friday section was not there! It said it posted, but, obviously, did not. So, here is Friday's section. Enjoy.
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ward gave him a genuine smile before casting his eyes back out over the landscape again. It was several long seconds before Ward answered with, “Mexicans.”
“Mexicans? In Leslie County?” Billy sputtered and nearly choked on his beer.
“They’re going to work in the pot field for me this summer. First I need to get them squared away at the shack with food and water.”
“You speak Spanish, Ward?” Billy’s smile was filled with good natured ribbing. Wardy chuckled softly.
“No, but Jemma does.”
Jemma Davis. Now there was a looker for you. She was younger than Wardy by a good fifteen years – all of about twenty-two Billy would say. She had a body that could stop the river from rolling and a face so beautiful she could stop traffic. How she had hooked up with Ward or why had been a big mystery. Neither she nor Ward were talking, but Billy suspected Ward may have had some information on her. Other than that, Billy couldn’t see how Ward had lucked up.
“Don’t be thinking things about Jemma, Bill,” Ward said, cutting into Billy’s thoughts.
“OK,” Bill said with a slight smile as he took another sip of his beer.
“You have a lot of vices, Bill. They’re going to get you in trouble one day. Somebody might come looking for you.”
Billy laughed a short, barking sound. His breath made clouds in the cool air.
“I’ve never hurt anybody, Ward. You provide me with girls...willing girls at that...and enough pot to keep me happy with a little extra money. I stay on the straight and narrow more or less.”
“You aren’t any more on the straight and narrow than I am!” They both laughed. The sound and discussion suddenly made Billy’s stomach feel uneasy. It could also be feeling that way, he decided, because he hadn’t had anything to eat in a while. “See you around, Bill,” Ward said, rising slowly, almost stiffly from the porch.
“See you, Ward.”
Billy watched Ward get back in his jeep, then back out and turn, headed back down the mountain. Something was wrong. Ward had never talked about vices before and him getting in trouble one day. What did Ward know, or suspect? Then again, maybe he was just over-thinking it all and letting his paranoia get the better of him. He did that sometimes.
....to be continued
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ward gave him a genuine smile before casting his eyes back out over the landscape again. It was several long seconds before Ward answered with, “Mexicans.”
“Mexicans? In Leslie County?” Billy sputtered and nearly choked on his beer.
“They’re going to work in the pot field for me this summer. First I need to get them squared away at the shack with food and water.”
“You speak Spanish, Ward?” Billy’s smile was filled with good natured ribbing. Wardy chuckled softly.
“No, but Jemma does.”
Jemma Davis. Now there was a looker for you. She was younger than Wardy by a good fifteen years – all of about twenty-two Billy would say. She had a body that could stop the river from rolling and a face so beautiful she could stop traffic. How she had hooked up with Ward or why had been a big mystery. Neither she nor Ward were talking, but Billy suspected Ward may have had some information on her. Other than that, Billy couldn’t see how Ward had lucked up.
“Don’t be thinking things about Jemma, Bill,” Ward said, cutting into Billy’s thoughts.
“OK,” Bill said with a slight smile as he took another sip of his beer.
“You have a lot of vices, Bill. They’re going to get you in trouble one day. Somebody might come looking for you.”
Billy laughed a short, barking sound. His breath made clouds in the cool air.
“I’ve never hurt anybody, Ward. You provide me with girls...willing girls at that...and enough pot to keep me happy with a little extra money. I stay on the straight and narrow more or less.”
“You aren’t any more on the straight and narrow than I am!” They both laughed. The sound and discussion suddenly made Billy’s stomach feel uneasy. It could also be feeling that way, he decided, because he hadn’t had anything to eat in a while. “See you around, Bill,” Ward said, rising slowly, almost stiffly from the porch.
“See you, Ward.”
Billy watched Ward get back in his jeep, then back out and turn, headed back down the mountain. Something was wrong. Ward had never talked about vices before and him getting in trouble one day. What did Ward know, or suspect? Then again, maybe he was just over-thinking it all and letting his paranoia get the better of him. He did that sometimes.
....to be continued
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Fiction!
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ritchie came back to Billy’s side and paced him back to the porch where Billy sat down to wait on his guest’s formal arrival to his house.
Woodrow “Wardy” Morgan was a handsome man. He was just over six feet in height, and his shoulders were square and strong. The shock of black hair and blue eyes just added to his charm. Besides being handsome, he was a tough man. Billy knew of six men Wardy had killed and about a dozen others he had had a hand in, but Wardy was not connected with any of them. No matter what Wardy had done, or would do in the future, would cause him to do any time. Wardy Morgan was one of the most powerful underground men in the entire county.
“Bill,” Ward said with a jerk of his head in greeting.
“Ward.”
Ward stayed by his jeep for a minute. Billy knew the other man’s hand was on the gun stationed inside the special holster there. “Expecting trouble?” he asked with a quick glance around what parts of the property he could see. Ward was also a very smart man.
“Nah - just got back from town and was getting my stuff out of the car.” Ward visibly relaxed and let his door close. Ritchie rumbled softly as Ward came to the porch and took a seat on the other side of the case.
“Sure is pretty up here, Bill.”
“Yup.”
“I need to store something up here for a couple of days.”
“How long?”
Wardy whistled softly before he answered, “About a week. What will it cost me?”
“What have you got?”
“Two girls. Runaways. Sixteen and seventeen. They owe me.”
Billy nodded, trying to appear calm and nonchalant about it all. The truth was other parts of him were hungry, too, and he liked ‘em young.
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll send the girls up tomorrow. Keep ‘em as long as you want. I’ll put my stuff in your barn tomorrow night. Don’t go snooping this time, Billy. It will be safer for both of us that way.”
“I don’t care what you put in my barn Wardy, you know that, as long as I know what it is.”
“Ammo for the fields. Some land mines. Some seed.”
“That’s the usual. What is so ‘unusual’ about what is going in there this time that I shouldn’t look at?”
.....to be continued
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Ritchie came back to Billy’s side and paced him back to the porch where Billy sat down to wait on his guest’s formal arrival to his house.
Woodrow “Wardy” Morgan was a handsome man. He was just over six feet in height, and his shoulders were square and strong. The shock of black hair and blue eyes just added to his charm. Besides being handsome, he was a tough man. Billy knew of six men Wardy had killed and about a dozen others he had had a hand in, but Wardy was not connected with any of them. No matter what Wardy had done, or would do in the future, would cause him to do any time. Wardy Morgan was one of the most powerful underground men in the entire county.
“Bill,” Ward said with a jerk of his head in greeting.
“Ward.”
Ward stayed by his jeep for a minute. Billy knew the other man’s hand was on the gun stationed inside the special holster there. “Expecting trouble?” he asked with a quick glance around what parts of the property he could see. Ward was also a very smart man.
“Nah - just got back from town and was getting my stuff out of the car.” Ward visibly relaxed and let his door close. Ritchie rumbled softly as Ward came to the porch and took a seat on the other side of the case.
“Sure is pretty up here, Bill.”
“Yup.”
“I need to store something up here for a couple of days.”
“How long?”
Wardy whistled softly before he answered, “About a week. What will it cost me?”
“What have you got?”
“Two girls. Runaways. Sixteen and seventeen. They owe me.”
Billy nodded, trying to appear calm and nonchalant about it all. The truth was other parts of him were hungry, too, and he liked ‘em young.
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll send the girls up tomorrow. Keep ‘em as long as you want. I’ll put my stuff in your barn tomorrow night. Don’t go snooping this time, Billy. It will be safer for both of us that way.”
“I don’t care what you put in my barn Wardy, you know that, as long as I know what it is.”
“Ammo for the fields. Some land mines. Some seed.”
“That’s the usual. What is so ‘unusual’ about what is going in there this time that I shouldn’t look at?”
.....to be continued
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Would you like to see your name HERE ?
It is Wednesday again. How about filling this space with some of your own creations? A story, a poem, something to grab the attention and start yourself a bi-line.
Email me at hahwriter@Yahoo.com for writer's guidelines.
-- The Editor
Email me at hahwriter@Yahoo.com for writer's guidelines.
-- The Editor
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Fiction!
The Child's Voice
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Billy hefted the grocery bags out of his trunk and slogged through the remnants of snow the sky had dumped on the mountains of eastern Kentucky night-before-last. Ritchie came bounding from the back bedroom all teeth and hackles. Luckily he saw who it was pretty quickly, but Billy let himself relax, just in case. As Ritchie’s attitude changed, the dog came forward, head down and tail wagging madly in apology.
“If I didn’t know better,” Billy said, “I’d say you were a worthless mutt if there ever was one.” Billy smiled and once the groceries were on the table, he gave Ritchie much attention. Ritchie seemed to almost melt in adoration, which warmed Billy’s heart greatly, if not his body. There was an entire case of beer waiting for him in the car, which caused him to sigh and straighten. Ritchie followed him to the car quickly.
Billy’s mouth began salivating at the sight of MILLER stamped all over the case. His throat constricted with dryness and thirst. Yeah, he had a problem. He had had a problem for the past twenty-five or thirty years and would probably die with a problem. So far, his problem hadn’t stopped him from doing good things with his life.
He was actually quite successful in his own way. He had enough connections to keep supplied with enough pot for himself and to sell. He worked at carpentry through the summer and kept enough secrets he was a little more secure than he normally would have been, and an added benefit of keeping secrets was he was never without female company if he wanted it.
Yes, he was a success in little Podunk, Kentucky. And, if people were smart, they would realize that.
Billy set the case of beer down on the porch and sat down beside it. The rolling hills of Kentucky spread out before him. The Pollards had owned the mountain for generations. Their records said they had had the mountain since before the Civil War. The county records backed them up. Now he owned it. His Ma, Katherine Pollard, had left it to Jimmy, Billy’s baby brother, in her will, but Jimmy had needed money and a safe place to hide for a while, so the mountain had been fair trade. It was as it should be – Jimmy was eleven years Billy’s junior and quite a surprise for Billy, previously the baby of the family and the mountain, Pollard’s Mountain, had always gone to the baby of the family. As far as Billy was concerned, it had finally reverted to the proper owner.
Billy opened the case and pulled out a nice cold beer. In the winter you could have a nice cold beer whenever you wanted one without even trying! All you had to do was leave it outside and it would chill faster than inside the fridge.
Ritchie bounced off down the long, snaky driveway. His voice was raised in loud warning. Billy meandered back to the car where he removed the .45 semi-automatic pistol from under the driver’s seat. He closed the trunk as he passed it.
Billy had just enough time to slip the gun under his jacket and down into the holster he had at the small of his back when a muddy jeep came to a loud, roaring stop just in front of Billy’s old red Camaro. Billy raised his beer in greeting to the driver who slowly stepped out of the jeep. There was a smile on the driver’s lips, but not in his eyes.
.......to be continued
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Billy hefted the grocery bags out of his trunk and slogged through the remnants of snow the sky had dumped on the mountains of eastern Kentucky night-before-last. Ritchie came bounding from the back bedroom all teeth and hackles. Luckily he saw who it was pretty quickly, but Billy let himself relax, just in case. As Ritchie’s attitude changed, the dog came forward, head down and tail wagging madly in apology.
“If I didn’t know better,” Billy said, “I’d say you were a worthless mutt if there ever was one.” Billy smiled and once the groceries were on the table, he gave Ritchie much attention. Ritchie seemed to almost melt in adoration, which warmed Billy’s heart greatly, if not his body. There was an entire case of beer waiting for him in the car, which caused him to sigh and straighten. Ritchie followed him to the car quickly.
Billy’s mouth began salivating at the sight of MILLER stamped all over the case. His throat constricted with dryness and thirst. Yeah, he had a problem. He had had a problem for the past twenty-five or thirty years and would probably die with a problem. So far, his problem hadn’t stopped him from doing good things with his life.
He was actually quite successful in his own way. He had enough connections to keep supplied with enough pot for himself and to sell. He worked at carpentry through the summer and kept enough secrets he was a little more secure than he normally would have been, and an added benefit of keeping secrets was he was never without female company if he wanted it.
Yes, he was a success in little Podunk, Kentucky. And, if people were smart, they would realize that.
Billy set the case of beer down on the porch and sat down beside it. The rolling hills of Kentucky spread out before him. The Pollards had owned the mountain for generations. Their records said they had had the mountain since before the Civil War. The county records backed them up. Now he owned it. His Ma, Katherine Pollard, had left it to Jimmy, Billy’s baby brother, in her will, but Jimmy had needed money and a safe place to hide for a while, so the mountain had been fair trade. It was as it should be – Jimmy was eleven years Billy’s junior and quite a surprise for Billy, previously the baby of the family and the mountain, Pollard’s Mountain, had always gone to the baby of the family. As far as Billy was concerned, it had finally reverted to the proper owner.
Billy opened the case and pulled out a nice cold beer. In the winter you could have a nice cold beer whenever you wanted one without even trying! All you had to do was leave it outside and it would chill faster than inside the fridge.
Ritchie bounced off down the long, snaky driveway. His voice was raised in loud warning. Billy meandered back to the car where he removed the .45 semi-automatic pistol from under the driver’s seat. He closed the trunk as he passed it.
Billy had just enough time to slip the gun under his jacket and down into the holster he had at the small of his back when a muddy jeep came to a loud, roaring stop just in front of Billy’s old red Camaro. Billy raised his beer in greeting to the driver who slowly stepped out of the jeep. There was a smile on the driver’s lips, but not in his eyes.
.......to be continued
Monday, March 20, 2006
Let's Catch Up, Shall We?
Firstly: I am beginning to believe my husband is right that every time I get out of the house I end up sick! Now, on with the catching up.
Saturday Hubby and I took a day off from being with friends and the house, me writing or researching, and just had a good day together. It was much, much fun, and muchly needed for the two of us.
Sunday we went to Church and after Church I went to Barnes and Noble's while Hubby did some social thing for the both of us. So, for the majority of the afternoon I was able to peruse books, finish a short story I am submitting somewhere by this Friday, begin a new one, and just relax back into myself. I really needed that, and Hubby just relaxed himself, though he felt more rushed than he wanted, despite me trying to help ease out the early evening we had.
Today I have been ill with a stomach something. Right now I am feeling much better.
Tomorrow is really going to be an interesting day because fiction is here and I just need to make sure I have the first part as close to exactly as I want. It will be published every day - except Wednesday - until it is finished. I am looking forward to all of this!
Saturday Hubby and I took a day off from being with friends and the house, me writing or researching, and just had a good day together. It was much, much fun, and muchly needed for the two of us.
Sunday we went to Church and after Church I went to Barnes and Noble's while Hubby did some social thing for the both of us. So, for the majority of the afternoon I was able to peruse books, finish a short story I am submitting somewhere by this Friday, begin a new one, and just relax back into myself. I really needed that, and Hubby just relaxed himself, though he felt more rushed than he wanted, despite me trying to help ease out the early evening we had.
Today I have been ill with a stomach something. Right now I am feeling much better.
Tomorrow is really going to be an interesting day because fiction is here and I just need to make sure I have the first part as close to exactly as I want. It will be published every day - except Wednesday - until it is finished. I am looking forward to all of this!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Why Not Be Published?
The Kentucky Mountain Girl News is looking for good short fiction to put in its pages on Wednesdays. Fiction of any type is being looked at, from romance to thriller and horror. Science fiction and fantasy highly prized.
Do you have a story that is 5000 words and needs to see the light of day? Maybe The News is for you.
The News offers a bi-line but does not buy any rights - the story is yours free and clear. All we ask is that you mention the piece previously appeared here.
If you have a story over 5000 words, send it any way - if it's good we'll serialize it!
Got poetry? Submit a poem anywhere from 10 to 40 lines in length.
Let's see what you have.
-The Editor
Do you have a story that is 5000 words and needs to see the light of day? Maybe The News is for you.
The News offers a bi-line but does not buy any rights - the story is yours free and clear. All we ask is that you mention the piece previously appeared here.
If you have a story over 5000 words, send it any way - if it's good we'll serialize it!
Got poetry? Submit a poem anywhere from 10 to 40 lines in length.
Let's see what you have.
-The Editor
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Tired
Yes, it is late, but just wanted to let everyone know the changes I spoke about on Friday are slowly coming forward.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Spring Drenching and New Beginnings
It feels good outside. It is in the 70*F range and intermittently storming and then sun shining. It has been doing this all day. It reminds me of me.
For a while I would be bouncy (but not manic) and then I would be gloomy. It would all happen on my insides, and I would try with desperation to keep it away from showing on my outside. I don't believe I ever truly succeeded in keeping from showing someone part of what was happening on the inside. Luckily, things are better now. I have a better grasp on what I need to do than before, and this is helping, especially in the writing world.
There, in the writing world, I have a novel to write, one to revise, and a short story to finish. This means the summer is full. The rain today sort of makes me feel as if things are finally getting washed clean and I have a new beginning for a lot of things.
Isn't that the way it usually is - we constantly have new beginnings? As long as we don't waste them, they help us to keep everything on track in our lives.
For a while I would be bouncy (but not manic) and then I would be gloomy. It would all happen on my insides, and I would try with desperation to keep it away from showing on my outside. I don't believe I ever truly succeeded in keeping from showing someone part of what was happening on the inside. Luckily, things are better now. I have a better grasp on what I need to do than before, and this is helping, especially in the writing world.
There, in the writing world, I have a novel to write, one to revise, and a short story to finish. This means the summer is full. The rain today sort of makes me feel as if things are finally getting washed clean and I have a new beginning for a lot of things.
Isn't that the way it usually is - we constantly have new beginnings? As long as we don't waste them, they help us to keep everything on track in our lives.
Friday, March 10, 2006
I admit - I have been in a very strange place lately, both emotionally and especially creatively. I was reading over Wil Wheaton's blog today and he said something that really hit home. He said:
This has been quite true of me lately as well. No, I'm not an actor or a world famous writer or poet (yet) but I do take what I do very seriously (and thankfully it does keep me a little more humble than I would otherwise be, let me tell ya). The entire gist of it is - I feel as if I have let The News, and you readers down.
It has been quite a number of weeks since fiction and poetry and genuine writing have appeared here. It makes me ashamed. Why? Because the one thing I planned for this place was to be honest and real about myself and what I do. I haven't done that in a while, or I've done worse: make plans and promises here and never follow through.
So, first and foremost, I apologize to you and to The News. I believe there is great promise with what happens here and how it could jump into something marvelous and major. As sometimes happens with me, when I am on the verge of something wonderful it seems I subconsciously sabotage it. (It is a wonder I actually got married!) I let all of the things I have not accomplished get into the forefront of my brain instead of letting the accomplishments and the drive I have help propel everything forward, where it is supposed to be.
Now, secondly (it sort of goes in a list I suppose), I am returning to myself, if you will, and to the original purpose of The News: Writing and being honest with my goals, as well as showcasing what I can do and have done.
There, it sounds quite simple doesn't it. The thing is - I'm quite scared. I wish I could put my finger on what makes me so scared, because then, maybe, I could look it full in the face and get it away from me forever. OK, if not forever then for now.
So, poetry will arrive as it arrives and stories will arrive, and other people will submit various things. Life will go on, hopefully a little more level and on-key than it has been. As I am fond of saying, "Life gets in the way of the living." This time I'm stopping the train well in time before the end of the tracks vanish over the massive drop into the canyon.
My blog, which is a reflection of my life, has become average because I've allowed it to happen. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but at least I'm aware of it, and I can begin the long and painful process of ripping myself out of my average rut, and moving to where I want to be.
I've been reading a lot of Seth Godin's blog, and his book The Purple Cow. In Purple Cow, Seth says that the first few cows you see are really interesting, but they eventually blur together and you forget about them. Then you see a purple cow, and it's extraordinary, and you take notice, and you can't believe you were ever impressed by a regular old cow. He uses it as a metaphor for marketers, but it applies to anyone who produces some sort of media or entertainment; it certainly applies to me.http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/
This has been quite true of me lately as well. No, I'm not an actor or a world famous writer or poet (yet) but I do take what I do very seriously (and thankfully it does keep me a little more humble than I would otherwise be, let me tell ya). The entire gist of it is - I feel as if I have let The News, and you readers down.
It has been quite a number of weeks since fiction and poetry and genuine writing have appeared here. It makes me ashamed. Why? Because the one thing I planned for this place was to be honest and real about myself and what I do. I haven't done that in a while, or I've done worse: make plans and promises here and never follow through.
So, first and foremost, I apologize to you and to The News. I believe there is great promise with what happens here and how it could jump into something marvelous and major. As sometimes happens with me, when I am on the verge of something wonderful it seems I subconsciously sabotage it. (It is a wonder I actually got married!) I let all of the things I have not accomplished get into the forefront of my brain instead of letting the accomplishments and the drive I have help propel everything forward, where it is supposed to be.
Now, secondly (it sort of goes in a list I suppose), I am returning to myself, if you will, and to the original purpose of The News: Writing and being honest with my goals, as well as showcasing what I can do and have done.
There, it sounds quite simple doesn't it. The thing is - I'm quite scared. I wish I could put my finger on what makes me so scared, because then, maybe, I could look it full in the face and get it away from me forever. OK, if not forever then for now.
So, poetry will arrive as it arrives and stories will arrive, and other people will submit various things. Life will go on, hopefully a little more level and on-key than it has been. As I am fond of saying, "Life gets in the way of the living." This time I'm stopping the train well in time before the end of the tracks vanish over the massive drop into the canyon.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Question
There is a new serial story plotting its way through this usually fertile brain. What day would be a good day to post it on?
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
This Space For Lease
How can I lease this space? It is quite simple - The News is looking for really good stories and poems to put in this space on Wednesdays. Do you write? Maybe a story or poem of yours could fit here nicely. Email me at hahwriter@Yahoo.com and I'll make sure and send you complete writer's guidelines.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Peace?
Peace?
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Does peace exist?
Can it really exist
as long as their are
men and women,
humans,
on this planet?
Sometimes I really wonder.
Sometimes I just don't care.
That not caring frightens me.
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Does peace exist?
Can it really exist
as long as their are
men and women,
humans,
on this planet?
Sometimes I really wonder.
Sometimes I just don't care.
That not caring frightens me.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Psychic Warrior, A Book Review
Bob Mayer, a.k.a. Robert Doherty, has the sort of bio you would expect someone like Hemingway to possess, someone from the past when people went out and did extraordinary things with their lives. Mayer, very much a person of the current time, has done the exact same thing and it makes me shake my head in joy and perplexity. Why am I perplexed? Because he has the sort of bio I wasn't expecting and he looks so quiet and calm a person.
Psychic Warrior is one of those books I picked up to read because the second book caught my attention and I thought it would be a good idea to read Book I before Book II. I admit, it took me a while to get into this book, but once I did - about Chapter 3, I think - I was ready for the story. There were twists and turns and the people portrayed were very real and reacted like real people. It was a wonderful story.
I have read several of the Area 51 novels and liked Doherty's (Mayer's) style of writing. It is descriptive without being overly so, and the people he writes about are people you would actually expect to meet in these given situations, especially in the military sector.
Don't jump to the conclusion this novel is just a "military science fiction" novel. It opens up areas of thought concerning remote viewing and what the government knows that we don't know without actually getting into the conspiracy theory that has actually been beaten to death in many science fiction novels.
One of the most interesting scenes in the book was when Jimmy Dalton met his wife on the virtual plane. Her body was suffering from a stroke as well as ALS, which robes the body of movement. When he first saw her ethereal body she looked like she did when he first met her, then aged to what he knew now. "I can't come back this time, Jimmy" she says. In quiet words she asks if she can just 'go on' and Jimmy agrees. He stays there in the virtual plane and watches as her soul vanishes and the alarms go off and the doctors preparing to bring her back. It is one of the most touching and yet respectful and loving things I have ever read about death and the dying of someone important to the main character's life. It was a death scene that I found myself not crying over, yet feeling the loss and in a most honored way.
Psychic Warrior is the precursor to Psychic Warrior: Project Aura which is a book I will pick up as soon as I am at Barnes and Noble's again.
Psychic Warrior is a good read without being an overly difficult read. There are plot twists, good guys, bad guys and a bad guy you can't help but feel a little sorry for. I am very curious to see what happens next, because Feteror is one bad guy I don't think is going away. Why? Because he is nothing more than a head, or brain, and a spinal column floating in liquid and connected directly to a computer. No wonder his remote viewing is so darn good! That's all he has! That is his world. Yes, I suspect Feteror will be reappearing.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Psychic Warrior is one of those books I picked up to read because the second book caught my attention and I thought it would be a good idea to read Book I before Book II. I admit, it took me a while to get into this book, but once I did - about Chapter 3, I think - I was ready for the story. There were twists and turns and the people portrayed were very real and reacted like real people. It was a wonderful story.
I have read several of the Area 51 novels and liked Doherty's (Mayer's) style of writing. It is descriptive without being overly so, and the people he writes about are people you would actually expect to meet in these given situations, especially in the military sector.
Don't jump to the conclusion this novel is just a "military science fiction" novel. It opens up areas of thought concerning remote viewing and what the government knows that we don't know without actually getting into the conspiracy theory that has actually been beaten to death in many science fiction novels.
One of the most interesting scenes in the book was when Jimmy Dalton met his wife on the virtual plane. Her body was suffering from a stroke as well as ALS, which robes the body of movement. When he first saw her ethereal body she looked like she did when he first met her, then aged to what he knew now. "I can't come back this time, Jimmy" she says. In quiet words she asks if she can just 'go on' and Jimmy agrees. He stays there in the virtual plane and watches as her soul vanishes and the alarms go off and the doctors preparing to bring her back. It is one of the most touching and yet respectful and loving things I have ever read about death and the dying of someone important to the main character's life. It was a death scene that I found myself not crying over, yet feeling the loss and in a most honored way.
Psychic Warrior is the precursor to Psychic Warrior: Project Aura which is a book I will pick up as soon as I am at Barnes and Noble's again.
Psychic Warrior is a good read without being an overly difficult read. There are plot twists, good guys, bad guys and a bad guy you can't help but feel a little sorry for. I am very curious to see what happens next, because Feteror is one bad guy I don't think is going away. Why? Because he is nothing more than a head, or brain, and a spinal column floating in liquid and connected directly to a computer. No wonder his remote viewing is so darn good! That's all he has! That is his world. Yes, I suspect Feteror will be reappearing.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Whittling
Whitling is one of the most interesting pass times I have ever seen. Old men used to sit in front of the court house back home on this old plank bench, and they would whittle. For those of you who don't know what whittling truly is, quite simply, it is taking your pocket knife and a stick and shaving little pieces off of it, or make a flute, or even carve a small animal while you are discussing with your friends the past, the future, as well as solving the world's problem. Most interesting it is.
Well, I am going to whittle my book of poetry down to 60 poems so I can submit it some where. It makes me feel odd. Every poem in that collection means something to me - of course it does! I wrote the thing! Still, how am I going to choose from that collection!?!
Should it just be my favorites? Should it be ones that are directly pertaining to what happened and thus let it explain itself that way? Am I going to have to order them differently?
It really is a lot to think about.
Well, I am going to whittle my book of poetry down to 60 poems so I can submit it some where. It makes me feel odd. Every poem in that collection means something to me - of course it does! I wrote the thing! Still, how am I going to choose from that collection!?!
Should it just be my favorites? Should it be ones that are directly pertaining to what happened and thus let it explain itself that way? Am I going to have to order them differently?
It really is a lot to think about.
Friday, March 03, 2006
N.J. Nurse Gets Multiple Life Terms
Having been present at my Mom's passing and having to rely on nurses to take care of her and my Dad at the VA hospital he was in. I have to admit this makes me angry. It makes me angry to the core of my being that someone who was supposed to help save lives and instead takes them.
I myself am in and out of hospitals and I have to rely upon trust that what the nurse is giving me in her syringe is exactly what the doctor ordered to help me feel better. How can something get so twisted in the care giver's mind that killing is better than saving?
I myself am in and out of hospitals and I have to rely upon trust that what the nurse is giving me in her syringe is exactly what the doctor ordered to help me feel better. How can something get so twisted in the care giver's mind that killing is better than saving?
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Deciding Things While Spring Gets Sprung
It is warm outside. I'd say it is about 60*F. The wind is blowing at times, but it doesn't really diminish the glorious warmth outside. It feels goooooood. I am ready for Spring and Summer. I am tired of cold gray days, although I must admit this past winter wasn't all that gray, but it sure was cold (but not as cold as normal, which I am most thankful for).
With all of the changes happening outside, it just seems like something should change on the inside, so I am already working on that. (If I get brave I will post a before and after picture.) So, why not let things carry over here?
Wednesdays are supposed to be for outside fiction. Fiction I have not written. Or poetry. I like poetry, too. So, until people start submitting good things, I will post a notice that says The News accepts submissions. That's all that's going to be there, unless, of course I find another piece of poetry I would like to share with the world.
The rest of the time? Well, it's going to be taken up with movie reviews, book reviews, and fiction of my own, with the occasional rambling pieces thrown in for good measure.
No big changes really, just a more decisive way of looking at what I want to do here, and, of course, keep you all happy.
With all of the changes happening outside, it just seems like something should change on the inside, so I am already working on that. (If I get brave I will post a before and after picture.) So, why not let things carry over here?
Wednesdays are supposed to be for outside fiction. Fiction I have not written. Or poetry. I like poetry, too. So, until people start submitting good things, I will post a notice that says The News accepts submissions. That's all that's going to be there, unless, of course I find another piece of poetry I would like to share with the world.
The rest of the time? Well, it's going to be taken up with movie reviews, book reviews, and fiction of my own, with the occasional rambling pieces thrown in for good measure.
No big changes really, just a more decisive way of looking at what I want to do here, and, of course, keep you all happy.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
2009 Lost Memories, A Review
I had to see this movie twice before I could actually figure out how to review it. Why? Well, the movie could really be "2009 lost memories" or it could be "2009, lost memories."
It is a Korean flick with a good amount of action and an underlying story of a Korean special forces cop and his Japanese partner. In this futuristic adventure, Germany received the nuclear bomb and Korea is ruled by the Japanese.
Japan is a world power, even rivaling the United States in its strength and intelligence agencies.
At one point the Japanese partner says, "I don't think of you as Korean."
It appears the Japanese found a time traveling stone and went back into history, to 1909 and stopped an assassination. This changed history into what 2009 currently was. Now the Koreans, who know the truth because of someone who was pulled into the new time line and explained what happened. Thus an underground movement was born to reclaim the real history of Korea and its people.
The Japanese do not want the real time line, they prefer the one they currently have and Korea and Japan going at it head it head is exemplified in the two partners who are now thrown onto different sides of the board.
Sometimes the symbolism was so intense it was quite easy to get lost in it and not find a link in the movie's action itself. Was this really a story about perceived history and the history the victors write, or is the real story about living life, the life you are given, without regret? It is a hard call.
See it and tell me what you think of it.
I give it *** out of 5 stars.
It is a Korean flick with a good amount of action and an underlying story of a Korean special forces cop and his Japanese partner. In this futuristic adventure, Germany received the nuclear bomb and Korea is ruled by the Japanese.
Japan is a world power, even rivaling the United States in its strength and intelligence agencies.
At one point the Japanese partner says, "I don't think of you as Korean."
It appears the Japanese found a time traveling stone and went back into history, to 1909 and stopped an assassination. This changed history into what 2009 currently was. Now the Koreans, who know the truth because of someone who was pulled into the new time line and explained what happened. Thus an underground movement was born to reclaim the real history of Korea and its people.
The Japanese do not want the real time line, they prefer the one they currently have and Korea and Japan going at it head it head is exemplified in the two partners who are now thrown onto different sides of the board.
Sometimes the symbolism was so intense it was quite easy to get lost in it and not find a link in the movie's action itself. Was this really a story about perceived history and the history the victors write, or is the real story about living life, the life you are given, without regret? It is a hard call.
See it and tell me what you think of it.
I give it *** out of 5 stars.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Posting Progress
Sorry for the absence of a post yesterday but there were technical difficulties I still quite haven't figured out. So, today is just letting you know I am working on it, and also to let you know something interesting is coming, I hope.
Tomorrow, peoples.
Tomorrow, peoples.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Rethinking
I have been organizing and re-organizing my thoughts about what I should and should not do next with this blog, and am currently stymied.
*******
This blog is OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS on Wednesdays! Any takers?
*******
This blog is OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS on Wednesdays! Any takers?
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Alive and Breathing
Today I can honestly say I feel like an almost pain free person! This past week (so far) has been one of those horribly cold weeks which sends my arthritis into absolute hissy fits and causes me to either lie flat on my back and moan (but not quite curse my fate), or sit in my chair and do pretty much the same thing.
When these flare ups come there isn't a normal amount of pain I can expect. The pain varies from going-to-make-you-pass-out-little-missy to just-going-to-stay-here-and-annoy-you-for-hours-on-end. Both are...unpleasant. When it hits the annoying stage there just isn't much that can help ease it: it is annoying and consistent in its annoyance. When it is PAIN it is downright impossible to breathe almost. Since Saturday night it has been fluctuating between these two extremes and it hasn't been pleasant. So, I have watched movies and not done any writing, which annoys me too.
Now I am feeling better. The pressure has changed and the temps have warmed up, which is really good for the old joints.
When these flare ups come there isn't a normal amount of pain I can expect. The pain varies from going-to-make-you-pass-out-little-missy to just-going-to-stay-here-and-annoy-you-for-hours-on-end. Both are...unpleasant. When it hits the annoying stage there just isn't much that can help ease it: it is annoying and consistent in its annoyance. When it is PAIN it is downright impossible to breathe almost. Since Saturday night it has been fluctuating between these two extremes and it hasn't been pleasant. So, I have watched movies and not done any writing, which annoys me too.
Now I am feeling better. The pressure has changed and the temps have warmed up, which is really good for the old joints.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
wants
I want a new back.
I want a new shoulder.
I really want the yuckiness to ease up just a wee bit more so I can say I can actually relax.
I want a new shoulder.
I really want the yuckiness to ease up just a wee bit more so I can say I can actually relax.
Snap Shots
Sitting quietly at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee before her, Alison watched the steam rise from the dark liquid. It was one of those "snap shot" moments she always enjoyed. Outside her window snow was piled up for six inches and the dogs were busily playing in it, romping and chasing each other. The sound of cars was joyously absent because of the snow. Not many would get out in weather such as this. It was a blessing for the most part.
Gary had headed out before day break to make it to work. He took the snowmobile this time. He had to take it in to work for about two days out of the year. He had already taken it out six times this winter.
Jenjen and Sarah came running for the back door. Alison smiled as she opened it just as it would seem they would both slam into it. It always amazed her how much they trusted her to have her eye always upon them and the door to miraculously open. What would they do in a couple of weeks with just Gary to take care of them for about a week while she was in the hospital?
Alison pushed the thought from her mind.
Gary had headed out before day break to make it to work. He took the snowmobile this time. He had to take it in to work for about two days out of the year. He had already taken it out six times this winter.
Jenjen and Sarah came running for the back door. Alison smiled as she opened it just as it would seem they would both slam into it. It always amazed her how much they trusted her to have her eye always upon them and the door to miraculously open. What would they do in a couple of weeks with just Gary to take care of them for about a week while she was in the hospital?
Alison pushed the thought from her mind.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Xia dai Gao Fei, or Full Contact, a Review
Full Contact is one of those movies you will watch and either like, or not. It stars Chow Yun-Fat as a thief with a good heart. He plays Godfrey who is a kick-ass martial artist and looks really good riding a motorcycle in tight jeans. I was quite surprised at how good he looked in this movie. I am used to seeing him in the police dramas where he is playing a hard smoking, gun toting cop. In those movies he is in a three piece suit or at least a suit jacket. For Full Contact (done in 1993) he is younger, and giving a tough showing for his character of Godfrey who is double crossed by his best friend Sam, who even marries Godfrey's "widow", Mona, and makes a life for himself in the criminal world in Hong Kon.
The character of "Judge" played by Simon Yam is one of the most flamboyant homosexuals I have seen portrayed in a while. His boyfriend is so nelly you can't help but want to walk up and slap him for no other reason than being nelly! (There are some of you out there who will understand exactly what I am talking about!) And you would crack up doing it!
Judge is a bad guy. He makes no pretenses about it. He has stolen some ammo from the United States government and plans on selling it for a considerable profit. Godfrey helped to steal this ammo and was shot, by Sam (Anthony Wong ) when the robbery was complete. Why was Godfrey shot? Because it was a personal favor to Hung, another really bad guy. Judge agreed. It was business.
Godfrey escapes a burning house with the daughter of the innocent family that Judge and his gang killed. The girl is badly burned. When Godfrey is in the boat escaping the bad guys and fast approaching police in Thailand, which is where the story begins, he discovers a little black and white dog that doesn't have a name apparently and so the three of them make it to safety to a Buddhist monk.
The monk helps Godfrey's wounds heals and Godfrey, in turn, helps to take care of the girl.
Through the entire movie you can see how Godfrey wants to make everything right. He wants to give the girl money to make up a little for her being so badly burned and for the killing of her parents, which he feels is his fault. He wants to show Sam people can be good, and, as a thief, no one should ever get hurt during a robbery. It is more than just honor among thieves but "honesty." As for Mona, Godfrey is still very much in love with her, but he lets her make up her own mind, after all - he didn't get in touch with her to let her know he was still alive.
There is a lot of action in this movie. There is a lot of blood. There is a rawness that may turn some people off. Through the entire film there is an honesty of brilliant character that simply cannot be denied. It is a great action movie. It is also a very thinking movie in the way Godfrey goes about his revenge. It is a love story with many complications.
I say, see it. It's good.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Poetry
Turmoil
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Hurting
Like the slow ache of death itself
Swirling into nothingness
Existing in everything
Rejected
Accepted
Words meaning nothing
Yet somehow everything
Lost
Inside and out
Torn in two by
This
Feeling
Wondering where to begin
How to end
Is there an answer
Because
There doesn't seem to be
A beginning
To anything
Grief
On so many levels
Trying to hide its result
Trying to forget
Times
Past in shadows and happy mists
Voices that still rumble
With laughter and joy in my dreams
Causing
Me to wonder
Where am I supposed to be
In the present
Past
Turmoils bubbling from the depths
Joys rising and falling like waves
Lost inside everything.
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Hurting
Like the slow ache of death itself
Swirling into nothingness
Existing in everything
Rejected
Accepted
Words meaning nothing
Yet somehow everything
Lost
Inside and out
Torn in two by
This
Feeling
Wondering where to begin
How to end
Is there an answer
Because
There doesn't seem to be
A beginning
To anything
Grief
On so many levels
Trying to hide its result
Trying to forget
Times
Past in shadows and happy mists
Voices that still rumble
With laughter and joy in my dreams
Causing
Me to wonder
Where am I supposed to be
In the present
Past
Turmoils bubbling from the depths
Joys rising and falling like waves
Lost inside everything.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Girlie Goodness and Thoughts of the Random
It is late, yes, but I did not want to retire and have my dear little blog without having an update, and, quite honestly, I just wanted to put down a few thoughts before going to bed.
Thought #1 - I had my hair done today. I had it cut and styled. It doesn't look exactly like what I want (the Madonna hairstyle of current video goodness), because my hair was very damaged and needed some TLC in the cutting department. So, it is feathered and leathered and it looks cool. Now all I need is hairspray, mousse, and some hot curlers to keep everything looking the way it does now, or, should I dare say, even better? When I was through with my hair I went out into the mall and wandered over to the nail place and made myself an appointment to have my nails done and my eyebrows waxed. It is time I actually start taking care of myself as a girl, you know. It has been a long time coming between actually taking care of myself and just letting things fall as they may.
Thought #2 - I have a new favorite show. I haven't mentioned it before to anyone yet because it sort of makes me blush. The show is Project Runway. The show where new designers come out and try for their fashion designers creds. It really is a good show and I have fallen in love with it. I hope there will be a third season.
Night all.
Thought #1 - I had my hair done today. I had it cut and styled. It doesn't look exactly like what I want (the Madonna hairstyle of current video goodness), because my hair was very damaged and needed some TLC in the cutting department. So, it is feathered and leathered and it looks cool. Now all I need is hairspray, mousse, and some hot curlers to keep everything looking the way it does now, or, should I dare say, even better? When I was through with my hair I went out into the mall and wandered over to the nail place and made myself an appointment to have my nails done and my eyebrows waxed. It is time I actually start taking care of myself as a girl, you know. It has been a long time coming between actually taking care of myself and just letting things fall as they may.
Thought #2 - I have a new favorite show. I haven't mentioned it before to anyone yet because it sort of makes me blush. The show is Project Runway. The show where new designers come out and try for their fashion designers creds. It really is a good show and I have fallen in love with it. I hope there will be a third season.
Night all.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
My World
I have two on-line homes it appears. Here and over at Livejournal.com. I have two places I adore, simply because they are mine. They are mine just as writing is mine and no one else can really share in the creating of a story, but they can share in the reading of the story. I am beginning to believe whole heartedly in Neil Gaiman's ideas about writing - you have to have an ego, and a big one. Plus, you don't always take yourself too seriously, that's when people screw up about their writing, like Anne Rice did (does?).
Currently I am preparing to work on a new piece I am going to call "I Am Edgar." I have never put down a title before, really, not here. I've always had initials. Why am I changing my mind now? Because if Cherie Priest can do it, so can I. I really am more confident of late. Besides, how am I going to brag and complain if you don't know what I am talking about?! Also, this title is shorter. It doesn't take an entire minute to type it out. This helps immensely.
This one is not science fantasy, but, I think, full on science fiction. I'm not exactly sure where it is going, but I do have an opening scene. As time progresses and as the story unfolds, more details could come of it. I'm happy with this story, but also a little concerned: It feels BIG. It doesn't feel very much like a short story, but it could possibly be. Also in the Writing World I need to work on WHRTTT (it's a LONG title).
Can I do the Cherie Priest thing and work on two books (oh no! I said it!) at once?
Currently I am preparing to work on a new piece I am going to call "I Am Edgar." I have never put down a title before, really, not here. I've always had initials. Why am I changing my mind now? Because if Cherie Priest can do it, so can I. I really am more confident of late. Besides, how am I going to brag and complain if you don't know what I am talking about?! Also, this title is shorter. It doesn't take an entire minute to type it out. This helps immensely.
This one is not science fantasy, but, I think, full on science fiction. I'm not exactly sure where it is going, but I do have an opening scene. As time progresses and as the story unfolds, more details could come of it. I'm happy with this story, but also a little concerned: It feels BIG. It doesn't feel very much like a short story, but it could possibly be. Also in the Writing World I need to work on WHRTTT (it's a LONG title).
Can I do the Cherie Priest thing and work on two books (oh no! I said it!) at once?
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
The Real Saint Valentine
In roaming the Internet for the history of Saint Valentine, I was amazed at how much hooey there is associated with Saint Valentine's Day. It seems people are more ready to believe the saint never existed or that this is just a nice "Christianized" version of a pagan holidy. What was most shocking is how the Catholic Church has relegated Saint Valentine and Saint Nicholas to "possibly" having existed and they have been taken out of the list of Saints recognized by the Catholic Church!
Still, some people have located the true story, or as true as we can get it these days, of Saint Valentine and this site truly has a wonderful way of wording the story. It sounds almost verbatim from the teaching of my priest.
God Bless you Saint Valentine!
Still, some people have located the true story, or as true as we can get it these days, of Saint Valentine and this site truly has a wonderful way of wording the story. It sounds almost verbatim from the teaching of my priest.
God Bless you Saint Valentine!
History tends to be confusing and vague, but despite several different possibilities for his identity, it is believed that the actual Valentine who inspired this holiday was a priest during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius II.
Valentine, or Valentinus is credited, along with St Marius and his family, with assisting the Christian martyrs during their persecution by Claudius. At that time it was a crime to provide aid and comfort to Christians. Claudius had also issued an edict forbidding marriage. He believed married men made poor soldiers because they grew attached to their families. Therefore, to guarantee a steady supply of soldiers for his empire, Claudius abolished marriage and cancelled all engagements.
Valentine invited young lovers to come to him in secret, where he joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had Valentine brought before him. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the Roman gods to save him from otherwise certain execution. Valentine refused to renounce Christianity and instead, attempted to convert the emperor, thereby signing his death warrant.
Thrown into a dungeon, and tended by a jailer named Asterius, the young priest had only the barest necessities of life. His one comfort while awaiting execution was his friendship with Asterius' blind daughter. She befriended the kindly priest by bringing him food and delivering messages for him.
In the last days of his life, Valentine, through his deep and abiding faith, miraculously restored the sight of the jailer's daughter. He also converted Asterius and his daughter to Christianity, an act which would result in their eventual execution by Claudius.
On the eve of his execution the priest wrote a farewell message to the girl and signed it "From Your Valentine," a phrase that would live on long after its author died. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14th, 273 AD/CE, outside the Flaminian Gate (now the Porta del Popolo but known for a time as the Porta Valentini) in Rome. According to legend, a pink almond tree, a symbol of abiding love, blossomed near his grave (the girl planted it there by his grave other sources say).
In the 4th century Pope Julius I built a church in honor of Valentine. In the 7th century Pope Honorius I restored it and it became a very popular pilgrimage site.
The valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest's execution -- Valentine's Day. Valentine has also become the Patron of those couples who are engaged to be married.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.(John 15.13)
Monday, February 13, 2006
84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, A Review
Sometimes it is wonderful to just sit quietly and watch a good movie without explosions or intrigue of the dastardly sort, but intrigue of the heart and head as you get to know someone. This is what the movie 84 Charing Cross Road does without being a romance, which is absolutely wonderful.
It stars Anne Bancroft as an American writer Helen Hanff who sparks up a correspondence with bookseller Frank P. Doel who is played by Anthony Hopkins. Helen is in New York City and Frank is in London, England. Through their letters and his sending Helen books, we see the friendship grow and sparkle and the people learn how to be friends long distance.
84 Charing Cross Road is based upon a true story and it has the feel of something that could be true. There isn't any romance possible, because of the distance, but at the same time there is a deep love involved between these two people, and actually the entire book shop because as acquaintances grow they tend to pull in other people.
If you want a good story, and good acting without having to figure something out (I know, it doesn't happen too often, but it is fun when it does), then watch this movie.
It stars Anne Bancroft as an American writer Helen Hanff who sparks up a correspondence with bookseller Frank P. Doel who is played by Anthony Hopkins. Helen is in New York City and Frank is in London, England. Through their letters and his sending Helen books, we see the friendship grow and sparkle and the people learn how to be friends long distance.
84 Charing Cross Road is based upon a true story and it has the feel of something that could be true. There isn't any romance possible, because of the distance, but at the same time there is a deep love involved between these two people, and actually the entire book shop because as acquaintances grow they tend to pull in other people.
If you want a good story, and good acting without having to figure something out (I know, it doesn't happen too often, but it is fun when it does), then watch this movie.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
SILVER HAWK, A Review
"Did your crack-crack attack really shatter the glass?"
"I'm not sure if it was my crack-crack attack or the force of Wolfe's punch!"
Michelle Yeoh does a wonderful job portraying the masked superhero type woman in this wonderful martial arts movie.
As a little girl, LuLu (Michelle Yeoh) trains at a Shaolin temple in martial arts and her best friend, Richman (Richie Jen), is always going on about standing up for justice and portrays himself as the superhero to all of his school, but when it came down to the fighting it was LuLu who really did it, and enjoyed it.
The movie opens with Silver Hawk having a major fight with guys in a semi-truck. Of course the fight went outside while the truck was still moving and she was having an obvious good time in beating up on the bad guys. It was so bad of a beating the bad guys actually tied themselves up! And just what was inside the semi that they would attempt to fight so hard for? A panda cub which Silver Hawk got to play with for a little while before heading on her merry way back to her other life of being an heiress.
In the meantime, Superintendent Richman (Richie all grown up now) is having a hard time finding this Silver Hawk and arresting her for being a vigilante. Perhaps it is needless to say his martial arts are still not as good as LuLu's was.
The two friends meet and Richman does not recognize his long lost friend for a while, but when he does, their friendship is quickly rekindled and he vents to LuLu about how Silver Hawk is causing him problems. Of course, LuLu considers Silver Hawk to be a crime fighting good guy and tells him so, but sweetly and with a beautiful smile.
Of course there are bad guys in this movie - a guy, Wolfe, who has prosthetic arms and a big black guy with some nasty moods who is none other than Michael Jai White from Spawn fame. His addition to the movie was actually quite good and added a different dimension to the movie itself.
Yes, the movie itself is campy, it has props and wonderful wire fu, but the story in and of itself is excellent and well told. There are a lot of flicks I would not like to watch again once I have seen them, but this is one where I would like to own and see it again, and probably again.
Silver Hawk is one of those perfect movies to see when there is snow on the ground and you want a good movie to enjoy. So, go out, rent it, buy it, enjoy it.
"I'm not sure if it was my crack-crack attack or the force of Wolfe's punch!"
Michelle Yeoh does a wonderful job portraying the masked superhero type woman in this wonderful martial arts movie.
As a little girl, LuLu (Michelle Yeoh) trains at a Shaolin temple in martial arts and her best friend, Richman (Richie Jen), is always going on about standing up for justice and portrays himself as the superhero to all of his school, but when it came down to the fighting it was LuLu who really did it, and enjoyed it.
The movie opens with Silver Hawk having a major fight with guys in a semi-truck. Of course the fight went outside while the truck was still moving and she was having an obvious good time in beating up on the bad guys. It was so bad of a beating the bad guys actually tied themselves up! And just what was inside the semi that they would attempt to fight so hard for? A panda cub which Silver Hawk got to play with for a little while before heading on her merry way back to her other life of being an heiress.
In the meantime, Superintendent Richman (Richie all grown up now) is having a hard time finding this Silver Hawk and arresting her for being a vigilante. Perhaps it is needless to say his martial arts are still not as good as LuLu's was.
The two friends meet and Richman does not recognize his long lost friend for a while, but when he does, their friendship is quickly rekindled and he vents to LuLu about how Silver Hawk is causing him problems. Of course, LuLu considers Silver Hawk to be a crime fighting good guy and tells him so, but sweetly and with a beautiful smile.
Of course there are bad guys in this movie - a guy, Wolfe, who has prosthetic arms and a big black guy with some nasty moods who is none other than Michael Jai White from Spawn fame. His addition to the movie was actually quite good and added a different dimension to the movie itself.
Yes, the movie itself is campy, it has props and wonderful wire fu, but the story in and of itself is excellent and well told. There are a lot of flicks I would not like to watch again once I have seen them, but this is one where I would like to own and see it again, and probably again.
Silver Hawk is one of those perfect movies to see when there is snow on the ground and you want a good movie to enjoy. So, go out, rent it, buy it, enjoy it.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Mindless Observation
I have a cold. A nice fresh cold. I feel like crud. Reading has been something my eyes just don't want to do, so the TV has been on and I have actually been watching it. At first I didn't realize I had thoughts roaming through my head, like ideas for a story, thoughts of recipes, ideas for different spice combinations, etc.. It surprised me.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Things and Their Mommas
You know, it almost galls me how things can get blown out of proportion. It appears that if you draw a cartoon about Muhammad people can become violent, but if you draw a cartoon of Jesus, which happens every single day somewhere, then it is taken and life goes on. Some laugh at it, some just shrug and go on. It seems the Muslim world can poke fun at anything and everything, but can't take it back. I think this whole entire mess is quite out there, and not in that cool, artistic sort of way. Deal with it people.
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/religion
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/religion
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
"I'll be sore in the mornin'."
That's what Hellboy says once he has finished fighting the big baddie in Hellboy and it sort of fits for me today.
This past weekend was the celebration planned for Hubby's birthday, but that didn't happen the way it was planned because there was un-planned-for snow which just took the fluff out of most of it, but Hubby has had a magnificent time this weekend which was what was wanted.
For myself, I am looking forward to just relaxing for today and tomorrow and letting everything else just come as it should beginning on Thursday. Lazy? Possibly. Necessary? I lean toward, YES.
This past weekend was the celebration planned for Hubby's birthday, but that didn't happen the way it was planned because there was un-planned-for snow which just took the fluff out of most of it, but Hubby has had a magnificent time this weekend which was what was wanted.
For myself, I am looking forward to just relaxing for today and tomorrow and letting everything else just come as it should beginning on Thursday. Lazy? Possibly. Necessary? I lean toward, YES.
Monday, February 06, 2006
We Lost It Again
Yes, we most certainly did. We lost the portable phone again, and it is the only phone we have in the house that rings. And now it's dead. It's dead and it doesn't ring any more which means the house phone, land line is pretty much useless except for out-going calls. I have threatened going out and buying another phone, one that will ring when someone calls, but I haven't done it yet. Part of me wants to keep the silence and the phone quiet in the house. Another part of me wants the phone to ring so I will know when someone is calling me. So many parts to one person and a problem. Isn't that always the way it is?
I know in the end we will find the portable phone and be able to put it on the charger and have something that will ring when someone calls, or I will actually break down and go and get another phone, perhaps two (one portable and one cheapo for the computer area). Right now, however, there is silence for the most part in the house when the television isn't on or I don't have music going. It is relaxing that way, but, sadly, it can't remain, not forever. It would get quite dull around here if I couldn't talk to people in the end.
I know in the end we will find the portable phone and be able to put it on the charger and have something that will ring when someone calls, or I will actually break down and go and get another phone, perhaps two (one portable and one cheapo for the computer area). Right now, however, there is silence for the most part in the house when the television isn't on or I don't have music going. It is relaxing that way, but, sadly, it can't remain, not forever. It would get quite dull around here if I couldn't talk to people in the end.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
In just being bored and actually relaxing around the computer, I found some interesting things. What do you think?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=326072154999008590 - I have been to martial arts demos before and am always impressed by things I see there. I am really glad someone put this up.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=468519686284969837 - When we used to do this back home the sheriff got called!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2899771876757809023&q=funny - Just too funny! Soldiers burning weed while reporter tries to report on it! I'm sorry just too too funny!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=326072154999008590 - I have been to martial arts demos before and am always impressed by things I see there. I am really glad someone put this up.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=468519686284969837 - When we used to do this back home the sheriff got called!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2899771876757809023&q=funny - Just too funny! Soldiers burning weed while reporter tries to report on it! I'm sorry just too too funny!
Friday, February 03, 2006
Loftiness and Chicken Fried Rice
Today I had some chicken fried rice for lunch from one of my favorite Chinese places. In the fortune cookie was the following:
Your future is as boundless as the lofty heaven.
This really impressed me and made me think. I think Iam going to tape this one to the monitor so I can have it in plain sight for a good long time. I need to be reminded of this and of reaching for all the dreams.
Your future is as boundless as the lofty heaven.
This really impressed me and made me think. I think Iam going to tape this one to the monitor so I can have it in plain sight for a good long time. I need to be reminded of this and of reaching for all the dreams.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
A Look At Self
A Look at Self
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Time and space swirl and mix
Creating memories, creating who we are
No wonder it is hard to change,
Though not an impossibility.
By H.A. Handy
Copyright (c) 2006 by H.A. Handy
Time and space swirl and mix
Creating memories, creating who we are
No wonder it is hard to change,
Though not an impossibility.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Have You Ever Noticed the Words?
Pure Imagination
ARTIST: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Come with me and you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination
We'll begin with a spin
Trav'ling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy
Explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there's nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there's nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Come with me and you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination
We'll begin with a spin
Trav'ling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy
Explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there's nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there's nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
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