After not writing anything on this blog for almost a year, I truly hope to write every day going forward as a daily stretching exercise for my writing. Subject matter will be the issue -- what will I find to write about every day? Well, there's always something.
I just watched U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's "interview" conducted by her grandson announcing her retirement and I was struck by one quote: "I have a thousand accomplishments." What must that feel like?
We are still in the single digits for January and Christmas has been put away. The tree and all its trimmings, our burgeoning collection of nutcrackers, our village, our santa shelf, the wreaths and garlands...all safely stowed in the basement ready for, well, later this year. It's nice to have my house back. It always feels much larger when Christmas is gone.
Today I am excited about (of all things!) polishing our piano. It's a 118-year-old concert grand, 7 and a half feet long, made of rosewood with elaborately carved legs -- absolutely beautiful, but severely neglected. It is played on a daily basis, but it is so large and so old it really needs its own maintenance schedule. I wonder if Barbara Boxer would consider polishing the piano an accomplishment? Probably not.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Mrs. Sanders Has Been Found!
I have not looked at my blog (this blog) for several months, but when I went to look at it tonight, I saw that a comment had been received and was awaiting my approval to post. Frequently, such comments are from non-English speaking cons in other parts of the world who want me to invest or think we may be related, etc. so I am used to reporting them as spam and moving on, but tonight...and every night since Nov. 27th, apparently...there was a comment by (or at least about) my all-time favorite teacher, Mrs. Ann Sanders. I've been searching for her for decades now to thank her for being such a HUGE part of my life.
The comment said that my "beloved" Mrs. Sanders is now Dr. Sanders, and she is the assistant superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri School District. With that information, I soon found an article praising her many accomplishments before, during, and after my eighth grade year, when she taught Social Studies at Broadmoor Jr. High in Overland Park, Kansas. She was fantastic! (I encourage you to read my earlier post in this blog about my quest to find her. Another of her former students found my post and joined my quest.)
So, for the moment at least, all is right with the world. Just knowing that Mrs. Sanders is out there and that she is still involved in education makes me happy. If all teachers could be as informed, as enthusiastic, as respectable, as professional, and as demanding as Mrs. Sanders, we would have the best education system in the world, bar none.
The comment said that my "beloved" Mrs. Sanders is now Dr. Sanders, and she is the assistant superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri School District. With that information, I soon found an article praising her many accomplishments before, during, and after my eighth grade year, when she taught Social Studies at Broadmoor Jr. High in Overland Park, Kansas. She was fantastic! (I encourage you to read my earlier post in this blog about my quest to find her. Another of her former students found my post and joined my quest.)
So, for the moment at least, all is right with the world. Just knowing that Mrs. Sanders is out there and that she is still involved in education makes me happy. If all teachers could be as informed, as enthusiastic, as respectable, as professional, and as demanding as Mrs. Sanders, we would have the best education system in the world, bar none.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Movie Review: The Lego Movie (2014)
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I very much enjoyed The Lego Movie. (And I think that may be a gross understatement.)
Scott and I saw it with our two daughters (yes, girls!) on Friday night. All of us had to talk ourselves into seeing it (I bribed the girls with popcorn), but we all more or less LOVED it. We may have enjoyed it so much, in part, because our expectations were extremely low, but three days later I find that I keep thinking about it and singing the ridiculous, irresistable, and aptly named theme song, "Everything Is Awesome!"
I had read one review in advance with a spoiler alert about the ending, which I will not reveal. The review intrigued me enough to compel me to see it, though. Almost all of the reviews have been over the top in favor of the movie. This Lego Movie (as opposed to others that have been released directly to DVD) is targeted to all age groups and both genders. It was not made just for little boys who currently play with Legos.
Some of the things I loved about it:
- lots of humor and almost no potty humor
- the inclusion of all of the major types of Lego sets -- Wild West, Star Wars, astronauts, skyscrapers...
- the inclusion of a little romantic intrigue (always a plus when it's well done)
- Batman's personality
- Morgan Freeman in a semi comic role
- the whole premise
- the fun twist at the end, which brought clarity to the whole film
- no cursing of any kind, which is quite amazing for a Will Farrell movie (and I do not usually like Will Farrell movies. Despised 'Elf,' for example.)
My only complaint about it is that the special effects were a bit off-putting, but the story made up for it, as a compelling story always does.
25 Days of Success with the Red X Method
I should probably wait until I've officially gone a full month, but I have to tell the world about the "Red X Method" (for lack of a better term), which I have been using for the past 25 days without fail.
I learned about this method from a link to a link online. The first snippet I read had been published at entrepreneur.com. It related the story of a comedian who crossed paths with the great Jerry Seinfeld at a comedy club. He knew that Seinfeld had been extremely successful at everything he had ever done in comedy -- stand-up, sitcoms, movies, etc. One year he made over 200 million dollars. So he asked Seinfeld the same question hundreds of others have probably asked Seinfeld: How did you become successful in the business?
Seinfeld told him that years ago when he was first starting out he posted a one-year calendar on the wall (January through December, all on one page) and every day that he wrote jokes he could mark a red X over the date. In order to mark the red X he had to actually write jokes -- not just research jokes. (I know from experience it is easier to retreat into 'research,' which may be interpreted as surfing the web.)
What Seinfeld discovered was that he did not want to have a date without a red X, so he wrote jokes every single day in order to avoid breaking the chain. It became essential to his daily routine.
Seinfeld believes that consistency, day in and day out, has kept his comedy fresh and relevant and has been one of the secrets to his success.
So the very day that I read this story I started writing consistently, every day. I began with the book I was closest to finishing, and within a week it was done (I had worked on it for months a couple of years ago before giving it up for some reason.) Twelve days in, I was sending it off to an agent in New York with a newly written query letter (still waiting to hear back, still hopeful, also realistic).
Since sending that book off, I have written every day, but I have floundered a bit in deciding which book to work on next. (I have started and finished at least a dozen fairly serious projects.) I've chosen a book now and I am making slow but steady progress. New book ideas have been coming at me left and right, too, like they used to when I was writing more frequently. I'm a conduit again for the writing muse, and it feels great.
Of course I've known forever by reading dozens of books on writing that you have to do it every day, but the red x method has been the best motivation I have found. On at least two occasions over the past 25 days I have wanted to bag it and leave the date un-exed, but then I have convinced myself to open up the file and do a little writing. Soon I am absorbed in the work and glad that I didn't miss the opportunity.
Of course the Red X Method can be applied to any endeavor, not just writing or writing jokes. Anything you want to be doing every day but never seem to find the time for -- mark it with an X!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Why does EVERYONE love telephones except me?
I had my love affair with the telephone when I was in junior high in the latter half of the 1970s. You paid by the phone jack then, and our house had two: one in the kitchen on the wall with a corkscrew plastic cord that stretched to the floor, and one in the master bedroom sitting on a bedside table. We felt fortunate to have push buttons instead of dials, and life was good.
My best friend, Shawna, and I would talk, giggle, and sing for hours on the telephone, though our homes were only about a half mile apart down the street and across a school yard. I distinctly remember singing a Campbells soup commercial over the telephone: "How do you handle a hungry man? The man handler's!" We were the 'man handlers,' though neither of us had ever had a boyfriend. Oh, we laughed and laughed.
Phones were fun then and not complicated. If you were away from home and needed to call someone, you had to find a payphone and insert a dime for local calls, but that was no problem because there were payphones on every street corner and inside most businesses. Making a call from a payphone was a rare event. Almost everything could wait to be communicated until we were home.
I remember seeing my first cell phone -- a literal brick in size and weight attached to a self-important, technologically advanced co-worker's hip so that he could be reached anywhere in the event of an 'emergency.' (We were librarians, and I don't recall any serious library emergencies, but I guess we could have had one.) The first car phone I ever saw was in a BMW on 700 East in Salt Lake City. You could tell that the car had a phone because it had a little stinger above the back window. I was mildly impressed by the novelty of it.
But this phone thing has gotten out of control. Who really needs to be in constant communication, as though they or their potential callers are on life support of some kind?
I realized the phone thing had gone too far in the freezer section of my local grocery store where a man was talking in a loud voice (apparently to himself) about which vegetables to buy. The debate was getting kind of heated when I realized he was wearing a device of some kind above his ear and actually communicating with someone who was not in the store. What would have happened if he had brought home corn instead of peas, or both corn and peas? He was not authorized to make such decisions without placing a phone call.
I may be the only adult I know who does not want and does not have a data plan on a smart phone. The four other adults in my own household have the latest technology and wouldn't want to be without it, but for me the added convenience of having GPS and a digital phone book in my purse pocket holds absolutely no appeal. I have never used an app and do not want to. Something must be terribly wrong with me.
We pay handsomely each month for all of this instantaneous entertainment and information. There's never a dull moment when you can watch a movie or television or shop or read a book in the palm of your hand.
Maybe I've stumbled onto something here. I like having dull moments to think my own thoughts. I like the fact that if I want diversion, I have to go out of my way for it.
My co-worker with the prototype enormous cell phone all those years ago called it his 'electronic leash,' and that is how I see all of them. What marketing genius convinced civilized people everywhere that they must invest in high tech tech status symbol phones, then pay monthly for the privilege of using them?
In the interest of full disclosure, and since payphones have all but disappeared, I do keep a very simple cell phone in my purse in case of emergencies (my own or others'). A cell phone is a necessary evil.
My best friend, Shawna, and I would talk, giggle, and sing for hours on the telephone, though our homes were only about a half mile apart down the street and across a school yard. I distinctly remember singing a Campbells soup commercial over the telephone: "How do you handle a hungry man? The man handler's!" We were the 'man handlers,' though neither of us had ever had a boyfriend. Oh, we laughed and laughed.
Phones were fun then and not complicated. If you were away from home and needed to call someone, you had to find a payphone and insert a dime for local calls, but that was no problem because there were payphones on every street corner and inside most businesses. Making a call from a payphone was a rare event. Almost everything could wait to be communicated until we were home.
I remember seeing my first cell phone -- a literal brick in size and weight attached to a self-important, technologically advanced co-worker's hip so that he could be reached anywhere in the event of an 'emergency.' (We were librarians, and I don't recall any serious library emergencies, but I guess we could have had one.) The first car phone I ever saw was in a BMW on 700 East in Salt Lake City. You could tell that the car had a phone because it had a little stinger above the back window. I was mildly impressed by the novelty of it.
But this phone thing has gotten out of control. Who really needs to be in constant communication, as though they or their potential callers are on life support of some kind?
I realized the phone thing had gone too far in the freezer section of my local grocery store where a man was talking in a loud voice (apparently to himself) about which vegetables to buy. The debate was getting kind of heated when I realized he was wearing a device of some kind above his ear and actually communicating with someone who was not in the store. What would have happened if he had brought home corn instead of peas, or both corn and peas? He was not authorized to make such decisions without placing a phone call.
I may be the only adult I know who does not want and does not have a data plan on a smart phone. The four other adults in my own household have the latest technology and wouldn't want to be without it, but for me the added convenience of having GPS and a digital phone book in my purse pocket holds absolutely no appeal. I have never used an app and do not want to. Something must be terribly wrong with me.
We pay handsomely each month for all of this instantaneous entertainment and information. There's never a dull moment when you can watch a movie or television or shop or read a book in the palm of your hand.
Maybe I've stumbled onto something here. I like having dull moments to think my own thoughts. I like the fact that if I want diversion, I have to go out of my way for it.
My co-worker with the prototype enormous cell phone all those years ago called it his 'electronic leash,' and that is how I see all of them. What marketing genius convinced civilized people everywhere that they must invest in high tech tech status symbol phones, then pay monthly for the privilege of using them?
In the interest of full disclosure, and since payphones have all but disappeared, I do keep a very simple cell phone in my purse in case of emergencies (my own or others'). A cell phone is a necessary evil.
From Forbes: 13 Things Mentally Tough People Do Not Do
13 Things Mentally Tough People Do Not Do
- They do not waste time feeling sorry for themselves.
- They do not give away their power (by letting others make them feel offended, inferior, or bad about themselves.)
- They do not waste energy on things they can’t control (like bad traffic, lost luggage, or other people.)
- They do not take take primary responsibility for the happiness of others. (Everyone is responsible for their own happiness, and if you let others throw that off on you, you will be miserable.)
- They do not fear taking calculated risks.
- They do not dwell on the past.
- They do not make the same mistakes over and over again.
- They do not resent other people’s success, even people who do not deserve it.
- They do not give up after failure.
- They do not fear time alone.
- They do not think that the world owes them anything.
- They do not expect immediate results.
- They do not fear change, but they do fear being complacent or stagnant.
– Cheryl Connor, Forbes, 11/18/2014
(quoted on the Rush Limbaugh radio show)
Sunday, December 8, 2013
It's Never Too Late to Become a Mature Adult
Here I am, 49 years old and finally seeing myself as an adult, except when I'm not.
I do not consider myself a "Mature Adult"...
...when I stay up much later than I should
...when I eat all of the foods I shouldn't eat
...when I don't eat any of the foods I should eat
...when I sleep in
...when I avoid all forms of exercise
...when I don't wear a proper coat in bad weather
...when I procrastinate
...when I buy something with a credit card
...when I don't take the time to make my bed, or put my clothes away, or clean up immediately after dinner
I do all of the above occasionally -- some regularly.
I am also suspicious of my claims to adulthood when I laugh at Will Farrell commercials, when I delight in simplistic works of 'art,' and when I shy away from social situations and teacher confrontations.
I think for me the key questions are:
1. Can others depend upon me? and
2. Can I depend upon myself?
The answer to the first question is almost always YES. As a child I learned to be hyper responsible, because for a variety of reasons I had to be. When I became a wife and mother, that sense of responsibility quadrupled.
The answer to the second question is not as clear-cut, because I do not take care of myself. I cannot depend upon myself as much as others can depend upon me.
A few days ago I woke up with a thought which became the title of this blog post: "It's never too late to become a mature adult." I don't want to be a totally mature, stodgy adult -- I just want to be able to depend upon myself to make good choices for my present and future health and happiness.
I think I am finally old enough (wise enough) to do that.
I do not consider myself a "Mature Adult"...
...when I stay up much later than I should
...when I eat all of the foods I shouldn't eat
...when I don't eat any of the foods I should eat
...when I sleep in
...when I avoid all forms of exercise
...when I don't wear a proper coat in bad weather
...when I procrastinate
...when I buy something with a credit card
...when I don't take the time to make my bed, or put my clothes away, or clean up immediately after dinner
I do all of the above occasionally -- some regularly.
I am also suspicious of my claims to adulthood when I laugh at Will Farrell commercials, when I delight in simplistic works of 'art,' and when I shy away from social situations and teacher confrontations.
I think for me the key questions are:
1. Can others depend upon me? and
2. Can I depend upon myself?
The answer to the first question is almost always YES. As a child I learned to be hyper responsible, because for a variety of reasons I had to be. When I became a wife and mother, that sense of responsibility quadrupled.
The answer to the second question is not as clear-cut, because I do not take care of myself. I cannot depend upon myself as much as others can depend upon me.
A few days ago I woke up with a thought which became the title of this blog post: "It's never too late to become a mature adult." I don't want to be a totally mature, stodgy adult -- I just want to be able to depend upon myself to make good choices for my present and future health and happiness.
I think I am finally old enough (wise enough) to do that.
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