BloggedyBlogBlog

 'Tis the season. Shoppers are shopping. Loved ones are loving. Planners are planning. Those of us who are not planners are struggling. We pray our loved ones are really good at loving. For the past few years, my family has approached the holiday season as if it's some hybrid between a strategic invasion and cleaning the toilet. There's a lot of maneuvering and a fair bit of groaning. A pinch of procrastinating until we all realize it's December 20th and no one knows where anyone else is going to be in four days. Add to the mix that we are a family that includes divorce, remarriage, multi-culturalism, pets, and some distance and I think you can all understand why we've ended up as we are. Any other time of the year, none of these elements are an issue. But at THE HOLIDAYS, they all converge. In considering a direction for this entry, I looked up the word "physics." It is defined as "Phys·ics: noun (used with a singular verb) the science that deals w

I am about to go into my last week of living in LA. On November 29, I hit the road and head for the Windy City. It's a weird place to be right now. I feel like I'm in a suspended state of living - sort of saying a slow goodbye to the place I've come to love and hate over the past four years. I go to my normal spots - my favorite Saturday morning cafe, the Sunday morning farmer's market, Santa Monica - and I miss these places before I've even left. I think about the ocean, which I haven't gone to frequently enough, and the mountains, which I haven't gone to recently. One of the best things about LA is the proximity to these contradictions of geography. I've loved the hiking trails I've found and the sunsets over the water. I will miss the temperate weather and the palm trees lining the streets. I'll miss knowing I could take off for Vegas at the drop of a hat, even though I haven't really ever done so. I'll miss my boss, who's been ama

I am trying to kill some time before I feed Jack his pre-bed snack. If I feed him too early, he wakes me up at 5 am ready to eat again. If I feed him too late, he'll leave me a really smelly present just as I'm about to fall asleep and I'll have to go remove it in order to breathe deeply again. So I have to get the timing down just right. He's pretty sure it's time now, and is singing a bluesy tune to let me know it. I'm pretty sure this is what caterwauling sounds like.  Since I can't focus on much besides him, he gets to be the topic of another post. I realized earlier this evening that my cat goes through the 7 Deadly Sins like humans go through the stages of grief. And it all happens because he's hungry. Let's lay 'em out, one by one: Lust~ Jack is extremely lustful of food. Not just his. If I have food, he lusts after it, too. His eyes get big. His pupils dilate. He wants that food like nobody's business. It starts to take over

So, go figure. Just as I decide to do this Fiction Friday thing, I go and skip a week. Well, that won't do. So I'm doing two today. This week's and last week's. Last week's assignment was to start with this sentence: "As soon as (the main character) arrived, (the main character) sensed something was out of place." Here it is: As soon as I arrived, I sensed something was out of place. Sure, at a glance everything looked just as I'd left it. But the hair on my arms wasn't standing at attention for no reason. It was an instinctual feeling. Someone had been here. And recently. I went in the study and stood behind my desk. It wasn't neat by any standards, but the mess had an organization that only I could understand. Only now, it was clear someone had tried to put the various papers and files back to the best of their ability. It wasn't good enough. I sat down and shoved a too-neat pile of folders to the side. Did they find what they were

"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence." ~ H. L. Mencken  Well, there are several different directions I can take that quote. I found it in my Awe-Manac (previously mentioned and still suggested reading). I agree with Mr. Mencken on this one. Of course, I am a romantic to the core. And romantics are not really known for their intellect. In fact, they are championed for behaving as though matters of the heart are completely separate from matters of the mind. Need proof? Watch the ending of almost any romantic comedy and you'll see this idea reinforced. In fact, I'm going to make a list of three of my favorite heart-minus-mind romantic comedy moments. Potential spoiler alert if you haven't seen these movies yet - though, with this genre you'd probably see these events coming ten minutes after the movie started. So, continue if you like.  1. Bridget Jones's Diary - One of my all-time favorites. This is the go-to movie if I'm feel

This weekend is my big-time baking weekend. I have four projects on my list: Bourbon Spice Applesauce, Dad's Oatmeal Bread, Sweet Potato Donuts, and Pizza. Though after snacking on the dough from today's bread project, tomorrow's pizza project might get nixed. Somehow, the idea of more bread became slightly unappealing. We'll see.  I knew I was going to need a soundtrack for my cooking, but wasn't in the mood for a musical underscore. In times like these, there are only two options. It's either The Office, U.K. Version or The Vicar of Dibley. The Vicar won today. Would you believe it took me the entire first season to make my two cooking projects today? I was just finishing up the applesauce and the bread had about 20 minutes left to bake as the last episode was ending.  There was something about the familiar mixing of the flour into the oatmeal and molasses and the sound of one of my favorite shows. I found myself missing home. My dad first got me hooked o

When I first moved into my current apartment, I opted not to get cable. I did splurge on internet - though for the first week or so before it was hooked up, I felt so disconnected I nearly went crazy! Anyway, I didn't always feel like watching a dvd so I started hunting down alternative viewing options online. To my delight, I stumbled upon the entire series of The Golden Girls! I had always enjoyed the show, but it wasn't until I watched it from the beginning that I came to really appreciate it. Because my sister likes lists - and I want to keep at least one of my four followers happy - I am going to return to that format and list the top five life lessons I've learned from the ladies of this fabulous series.  1. Don't be afraid to embrace a childlike innocence. No one does this better than Rose Nylund. She definitely comes off as dumb to the other women quite frequently, but she is also easily the most cheerful of the four. There are moments I find myself enjoying t

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen Hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is." ~ Mary Anne Radmacher     When I did my post on fear, my sister encouraged me to stick with the list format. Since she's the only one to comment one way or another on lists, I'm gonna give her what's she asked for. This post will also feature a list. Mary Anne Radmacher took care of making it up for me. How nice of her! The above quote is one I came across ages ago at Barnes and Noble. It was on a cute little magnet and I liked the quote so much that I bought it. I use my refrigerator at least once a day, but I realized I now look right past that magnet. When I bought it, I had the hope that it would encourage me to live with more intention. In an effort to get back to that ideal, I'm going to make a list of the things Radmacher suggests and plo

I'll be honest. This blog only exists because my sister started one and after reading hers, I decided I wanted one, too. It's a bit of a role-reversal for us. See, she's the younger sister. All our lives, she's been the one wanting to do what I'm doing. Or wear what I'm wearing. Let's take a deeper look at this second issue. I like to think of it as The Case of the Disappearing Clothing. (I was a huge Nancy Drew fan, so I'm inclined to title things in the fashion of those books.) Now, I've always been interested in clothes. I like to consider myself "fashionable." I don't trend-chase too much - partly due to my limited clothing budget - but I do like to look like some thought has gone into what I'm wearing. Looking back at grade school yearbook photos, a stranger would probably not get this about me. But at the time, all of my clothing choices felt spot on. And, let's keep in mind that some of those pictures will be from th

I went back to Chicago over the Labor Day weekend to visit my sister. She recently moved there with her boyfriend, and they were kind enough to host me for my visit. On my first night with them, there was a terrific rainstorm. I was thrilled. One of the things I've missed the most since moving to LA is rain. We don't get much here. We definitely never get the kind of thunderstorms that the midwest does. This wasn't a thunderstorm, but the rain was pouring down loud enough to hear through the open living room window. I couldn't wait to crawl into the sofabed and fall asleep to the sound. I hadn't realized that this meant I'd also be treated to the crazy wind! This managed to knock around who knows what in their old building and did so every time I was about to drift off. Anyway, I did eventually fall asleep. And the moments when I could hear the rain pattering through the window made the other noises pale in comparison. When I got back, I found the following piec

Almost two years ago now, I had a really crappy New Year's Eve. I mean, they tend to run in our family, but this one beat 'em all. It was bad. The next day, I went to the bookstore and found The Awe-Manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder by Jill Badonsky. It must have been some kind of divine inspiration because this book was exactly what I needed. If you have never heard of it, I strongly suggest purchasing it. It's awe-mazing. (See what I did there?) Anyway, just like a real almanac, it has a page for each day of the year. These pages include quotes, interesting holidays, celebrity birthdays, and writing prompts. The entire book is meant to free up creative energy and get your spirit in a good place. It does the job well. Today's page included the following journal prompt: "Talk about your relationship to or any memories of TV dinners." ( It's the anniversary of the sale of the first Swanson tv dinner sale. ) As soon as I read that, I thought of my Grandma Pear

I am going to be trying a new thing for the Friday entries, which a friend of mine is doing. It's Fiction Fridays and involves getting a prompt from another site and then basically free-writing on that prompt for at least 5 minutes. No major editing is allowed. This week's prompt was to write about a character who has an irrational fear but tries to hide it. I spun that a little and mixed it with the previous week's prompt of writing a scene with only dialogue. Let me know what you think about this bit of fun if you want!  "She's terrified of what?" "You heard me the first time." "Regardless, I'm going to need to hear you say that again." "Toilet paper. She's scared to death of the stuff." "Yep. That's what I thought you said." "I never said she didn't have quirks." "The woman is afraid of Charmin. How does that even work?" "I didn't ask. It didn't seem li

"Your mind knows only some things. Your inner voice, your instinct, knows everything. If you listen to what you know instinctively, it will always lead you down the right path." ~Henry Winkler I started out looking for tonight's topic in a poetry-writing book I own. The back is filled with groups of spark words and as my eye caught the word "voice," I knew that was what I wanted to write about. I'm thrilled to have found my quote, primarily because I love Henry Winkler. During my freshman year spring break, my dad and I went to New York City for the week. We lucked into tickets for a show starring Henry Winkler and John Ritter. We also lucked into the fact that it was some sort of charity week on Broadway and all the theaters were doing special fundraisers. For this show, you could get your picture taken with those two gentlemen for $20. I still have the photo, of course.  But back to voice. This quote happens to touch on everything I was hoping to dig

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity." ~ W. Clement Stone If you aren't familiar with the person from this quote, then we're rowing the same boat. If you are familiar with him, you get a look of wonder from me. I really only know (because the quote site told me) that he is an author and founder of an insurance company. Does anyone else find it odd that an insurance guy is encouraging us to say 'no?' Aren't they sort of known for being pushy until they hear a 'yes?' Maybe that's just a stereotype. Anyway, it made me chuckle. Now, this is another great quote. Really meaty. I like using quotes as a jumping off point when I'm not sure what direction I'm going to take the blog entry in. They are good inspiration-sparkers. This one has me thinking not about my own situation (though there are plenty of ways I coul

"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break." ~William Shakespeare Boy did that man have a way with words. I love Shakespeare. I think his language is like an intricate dance. It's beautiful and earthy and sexy. I know, not everyone agrees with this opinion, but they can write their own blog about those feelings. Today was a rough day and I wanted a quote that would spark a creative way to handle it. I knew I could count on good ole Will.  It occurs to me that songwriters are especially good at giving sorrow words. Today for instance, all I wanted to listen to was Adele. She's my latest obsession. Talk about hitting the mark. If you haven't ever watched her perform, you should. Youtube is an excellent source for videos of hers. Beyond her amazing voice, the lyrics in some of her songs really resonate with me. Singing along to my favorites sometimes help to release the thoughts banging around in my

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be part of a sketch comedy group here in LA called Camerashrapnel. It consisted of an amazing group of super talented people and I loved being a part of it. Sadly, the time came to let the project go but we wanted to go out with a bang. Two of the other members and I got together and wrote a full-length play, rather than our usual sketches. It was one of the best experiences I've had since moving to LA. At one point, the following poem came to me. I wrote it out, not sure if there would be a spot for it or not. But the other writers loved it. We ended up using the title of the poem as the show's title and had one of the characters use the poem in the play. Anyway, I recently came across it again and decided to throw it out in internet-land.  :) Fallout.  Dissect it to find two words.  Neither appeal to the senses.  Defenses creep in and resist The fall - promise of a nasty end.  Pretend it's romantic,  Not frantic.  Images of

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." ~Dale Carnegie I figured out that I wanted to write about fear today and went off in search of the perfect quote. I stumbled upon the above gem and instantly knew that it had to kick off this entry. Not only does it put my laziness in its place; it also lights a pretty hot fire under my booty. Like many people, I definitely struggle with the inertia of fear. I want to talk about a few examples of this and I read in my sister's blog that people like lists. So I'm gonna give that a whirl and feel free to let me know in the comments if my sister is right. Feel extra free to let me know if she's wrong. I'd be happy to pass along that message. ( Love you, Al... ) Here are four things that came to mind when I started thinking about fear today:( I know five would be more of a friendly, rounded out number,

I have been trying to find inspiration for today's blog entry, but I keep meeting resistance. Furry resistance. His name is Jack and he's very intent on keeping me from paying more attention to the computer than to him. In an effort to teach him a lesson, I'm making him the subject of this entry.  This seems to have calmed him down actually. Odd. If my dad told my sister or me that we were the topic of his Sunday letter or sermon, it would have the opposite effect on us. But Jack is the picture of confidence. After all, it's even more than he'd wanted. Instead of simply gaining my attention, he's now gaining the attention of anyone who stumbles upon this site. ( Thanks family! )  I found Jack before I even moved to LA. He was a Craigslist kitten. I'd already decided that I wanted a cat when I moved across the country. But I didn't want to wait until I moved to start looking. It's like shopping a few days before payday. You gotta get a wish

"God hides in the details." ~Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Part of the reason for doing this blog, beyond copying my sister, is to get back in the habit of writing. Being able to settle in and free write about whatever is on my mind for the day helps feed my creativity. It's only the second day and I already want to start about five projects all at once! But today I want to free write about a trip I took in the 7th grade. I came across the starting quote last night when I pulled down a book I've had for ages called "Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within." It's by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and each chapter begins with a quote. When I read this one, it sparked all sorts of inspiration. Good quotes do that, you know. But when I woke up thinking about it this morning, it was in reference to a mission trip I took with my dad to Guatemala when I was in 7th grade. Now, before you start thinking I was some do-gooder, wise-beyond-my-yea