Category Archives: write

tag!

Standard

not me, nor my moose playmate, but i was caught equally unaware

have you ever played a game of tag and you didn’t even know you were in it?

this happened to me recently when a couple of bloggers/friends tagged me

inviting me to play a game of blogger tag and to then pass it on.

oh my, i didn’t have my glasses on! i should have looked behind me! now i see, i’m it!

i’m all in now, and i’ll start by answering a few questions:

how did you come up with your blog name? (beth kennedy – ididnthavemyglasseson.com)

it was something that my daughters have said to me, about me  –  that things in my life have happened or have not happened because i didn’t have my glasses on. so many possibilities. (good name for a future book?)

if your blog was a person (fictional or real), who would it be?,

my blog is a bit all over the place, but it’s always me. maybe pippi longstocking?  no stranger to counterculture, pippi can be seen around the world in tattoos, celebrity photographs, works of graffiti and on catwalks as a symbol of female strength, resilience, kindness, fairness and acceptance. while i’m not famous like pippi, and my dad was not a pirate like hers, i love that she had her own way of seeing and living in the world, and i try to embody all that she symbolizes.

what helps you create new content if you feel like you need some inspiration?

mostly just from being out in the world, with my eyes wide open and with glasses on. there are endless people, places, things, conversations, thoughts, and circumstances out there, and also right inside of me. i read lots of articles, especially the tiny almost forgotten ones, love the real newspaper and books and magazines. i’m drawn to the often-overlooked, the unusual, the details and nuances of life, and learn so many new things every day from endless sources. living is an inspiration in itself, and i’m still so excited when i wake up in the morning to see what each day will hold, just like when i was a little girl.

is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

i am a huge fan of collaboration and enjoy working and creating ike that. everyone has a different perspective, experience, and has something to bring to the table. before i changed careers and became a teacher, i worked in the advertising world, and i’ve always loved to brainstorm, bounce ideas off of each other, and be open to all ideas. the world is so interesting because of the fact that we are all unique. together we can make each other even better.

is there anything more you wish you had or would like to learn as a blogger?

yes! everything in the world of blogging has been mostly trial and error for me, heavy on the error, but somehow i’m doing it. i happened into blogging kind of  by accident, through a series of circumstances, and i have never looked back.

tech is an important part of blogging, and it seems to be my nemesis. while we continue to be at odds, tech and i are polite with each other most of the time. i learn a ton from other bloggers, how to do things, what not to do, and i’ve learned so many things along the way, especially that the connections made through blogging are what make it all a worthwhile enterprise. i have no financial motive in blogging, just a creative outlet for me, where i really enjoy the give and take of the readers and writers.

“i think one of the most beautiful gifts to self is: saying ‘i don’t know how, but I’m going to find a way for us to get through this.’-helen marie

do you have a specific style of blogging?

my blog is a jumble of lower case letters, (i love how they look on a page, they seem more poetic to me), stories, poems, quotes, photos, movies, news, nature, children, family and friends and pets, emotions, places, food, and everything else, all rolled into one. you never know what it will be. i often don’t even always know what it will be when i begin writing it and putting it together. i’m a bit of a minimalist, so they’re often quite short, but i love mixing things together that are generally not seen in one place. a collage of life. in the last number of years, i’ve tended to blog every day, and i like the rhythm of that.

here is how a blogger friend described it in response to one of my posts:

‘The Peanut Car looks like something that I would see passing by in a Parade. I expect the clowns (at least 50) to jump out any moment. In fact I always think of your blog as an entry in a Parade. Each different, yet in the same style. Not too long. Not too short. I’m always looking forward to the next float. ” (thanks, ladysighs)

now that i’ve finished the first part of the challenge,

the next part is to pick a few fellow bloggers/friends to play and to pass it on, so here goes:

(no worries for non-participation, there is always an option for a 3-day long marathon game of monopoly with people who each have their own set of rules, and my feelings won’t be hurt at all.)

so – tag, you’re it! and i hope you play:

Mark at: https://markbialczak.com

Joy at:  https://joyful2beeblogs.com

Roy at:  https://reelroyreviews.com

 this game of tag is a not so scary after all. 

 

‘blogger because badass isn’t an official job title’

-author unknown

 

 

image credits google.com

secondhand.

Standard
DETERMINED: Manoj is proudly destined to put his name on the list of Guinness Book of World Records. He can write A-Z in 6 seconds using both his hands.
DETERMINED:
manoj is proudly destined to put his name on the list of guinness book of world records.
he can write A-Z in 6 seconds using both his hands.
i’m not quite there yet, but sometimes my ideas spring up so quickly that i really wish i had his super power.
instead, i write notes with one hand, on any scrap, napkin, rock, or available writing surface.
even though i’m only using one hand, trying to decipher it later is not always easy.
good thing i’m also into puzzles.

“i only wish i could write with both hands, so as not to forget one thing while I am saying another.”

*-teresa of avila,

*also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.

photo credit: usha wagle gautam, gulf times

blogging is my cardio.

Standard

so this happened:

 

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 12 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

word nerd.

Standard

artist: graham gillmore, ploy. 

now this is a holiday made for me! i love words of all kinds and am a proud word nerd.

We celebrate National Word Nerd Day on January 9, (missed it by one day),  by enthusing about our favorite words and the importance of language in our culture. Whether you always know what to say, or you often end up with your foot in your mouth, words are essential to our success and progress. National Word Nerd Day gives us the chance to learn some new words, use some old ones, and maybe even borrow them from someone else!

HISTORY OF NATIONAL WORD NERD DAY

Humans have communicated since we first walked on Earth, though our early language was nowhere near as complex as the systems of words we use today. Once, our basic vocabulary range was no different from that of great apes, but as we advanced, so did our language.

With developments in our lifestyle, we needed to be able to name things, communicate ideas, and express ourselves to aid our advancement. Words and language became increasingly important, yet it took many centuries until they were considered important enough to document.

During the medieval period, the written word was considered a luxury, with only the rich or the anointed able to read and write in a sophisticated way. As such, the majority was only able to enjoy words through oral storytelling. Shakespeare and other great wordsmiths used their love of words to delight audiences in the theatres, even inventing words for use in their work.

But by the mid-18th century, reading and writing were more widely taught and accessible to a greater range of people. It became necessary to produce a comprehensive list of words and their meanings in the English language, a task embarked upon by Dr. Samuel Johnson, who was paid the sum of 1,500 guineas (approximately $325,000 in today’s money) for its completion. After seven years of toil, his dictionary was published in 1755 and is still widely regarded as one of the most influential texts of the English language.

Today, we celebrate National Word Nerd Day to mark the importance of words in our history and civilization, giving us an excuse to geek out on our favorites!

meeting ann.

Standard

last night i had the great pleasure of going to my favorite theater

where one of my favorite authors, ann patchett

was appearing

while on a book tour for her latest book, “tom lake’

which happens to take place in northern michigan

a place dear to my heart.

ann is a prolific novel writer

a wordsmith of the highest order

who has a way with the human story

always using her literary magic to somehow weave her characters together

in unexpected and wonderful ways.

she was funny, smart, down to earth, and very relatable

talking about her books, writing, book banning, life,

offering support for other authors and books she knows and loves,

because she knows it can make all the difference for them,

 the joys and pains of book tours

and being an independent bookstore owner

(her other avocation).

 when i finally had the chance to meet her

i handed her my very used copy of ‘bel canto’

my favorite book of hers

she opened the cover, signed her name, and wrote:

‘thank you for bringing a well-loved book.’

“i have been accused of being a pollyanna,

but I think there are plenty of people dealing with the darker side of human nature,

and if I am going to write about people who are kind and generous and loving and thoughtful, so what?”

-ann patchett

in gear.

Standard

what i imagine it looks like inside of our heads –

along with

the scientific explanation for how this all works.

“it usually helps me write by reading – somehow the reading gear in your head turns the writing gear.”

-steven wright

 

 

 

image credit: milton bradley game company

change of heart.

Standard

A 9-year-old girl’s plea to save a sidewalk slab with a heart-shaped cavity has tugged at the heartstrings of Ann Arbor officials, who have agreed to let it stay. The inspector also spray-painted an X over the R that previously marked the slab for replacement, while writing “Save!” and giving the heart a fresh touch of color.
Where Dahlia left a note along the sidewalk last week making the case for keeping the slab, the city’s inspector on Monday left a response letter complete with the city seal on it. “Thank you for your wonderful letter, and for bringing this to our attention!” it reads. “Your note is very well written, and after further considerations, we feel this sidewalk slab can be saved. We’re so glad you let us know, and that we can save your ‘heart.’”
Seventh Street heart sidewalk

“Thank you for being so passionate and proactive about your community!” the response letter states. “When you’re old enough, you should consider working for the city to continue making it a great place to live. Sincerely, City Sidewalk Repair Program.”

Dahlia, the daughter of Kelly and Matt,  said in her note to the ‘Sidewalk People” last week that she was devastated when she saw the slab was marked for replacement.

“You see, the heart is not just a heart,” she wrote. “Ever since I was little, I said hi to the heart. Don’t you see how much it means to me? Every time I pass the heart, I say hi and it brings me joy.”

Anyone else who wants to say hi to the heart now can find it along the east side of Seventh Street across from Waterworks Park between Murray Court and Washington Street.

“kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much.”

-blaise pascal

 

 

 

source credit: ryan stanton, mlive, ann arbor news

have a heart.

Standard

“Dear Sidewalk People.”

That’s how 9-year-old Dahlia started her handwritten note placed under a rock along a city sidewalk hoping to get the attention of Ann Arbor’s crews slated to replace the slab she holds dear due to a distinctive feature.

This sidewalk has a heart.

“There is a heart in this block, and as me and my mom were walking home from school, we saw that there was an ‘R’ on the block that the heart is on,” reads the girl’s note, placed next to where she made a heart-shaped chalk outline around a small cavity in the slab the city has marked with an R to replace.

“You see, the heart is not just a heart,” wrote Dahlia, “Ever since I was little, I said hi to the heart. Don’t you see how much it means to me? Every time I pass the heart, I say hi and it brings me joy.”

Her father confirmed his daughter indeed says “hi, heart” every time she passes it. When she heard the city was going to replace the slab with the heart, Dahlia said she was devastated and cried.

“So can you please leave it or at least cut around the heart, for me to pick up on my way to school,” she wrote, ending her note by thanking the city’s repair crews for their work to keep sidewalks safe and encouraging them to give her note an extra read so it makes sense.

A spokesperson for the city’s public services unit did not have an immediate response on whether the sidewalk slab could be saved or whether the heart-shaped part could be salvaged for Dahlia to take.

While Dahlia really wanted to keep the heart sidewalk, her father said the family understands the need to fix it so people don’t trip and has talked with her about it.

“We compared it to the Halloween pumpkin she really loved and wanted to keep,” he said. “We told her we could keep it, but we could watch how when a pumpkin dies it helps nature by becoming part of something new.”

In that case, they put the pumpkin in their garden and Dahlia visited it every day and watched it decay, and in the spring she watched as flowers sprung up. She got to see her pumpkin again in the form of flowers.

As for her well-crafted sidewalk note, her father said while only 9, Dahlia is an amazing writer and gives him and his wife daily gems of wisdom worthy of the wisest, aged writers.

“sometimes the people who walk softly make the deepest impressions…” 

-nitya prakash

 

source credit: ryan stanton, mlive, ann arbor

“even if not one person read my blog, i’d still write it every day.” -seth godin

Standard

(a happy note from WP yesterday)

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 11 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

 thanks to all who have taken this flight with me

11 years in the blink of an eye

faster than the speed of write. 

“even at eleven, he had observed that things turned out right a ridiculous amount of time.”

-stephen king

 

 

glowing.

Standard

with my tiny home

loaded up

with bushels of nuts and piles of books

ready for the coming season

you’ll often find me sitting

in the quiet of the early morning

with a steaming cup of coffee

tapping away at my blog

telling the day’s story

reading others’ stories

smiling by the light of the screen.

“i blog because i’m not a good rapper.”

-gerry l’crow