Continuing on with writing posts. . .here's a neat link with photos on various writers rooms (UK writers I believe). . .http://books.guardian.co.uk/writersrooms
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Writers Rooms
Continuing on with writing posts. . .here's a neat link with photos on various writers rooms (UK writers I believe). . .http://books.guardian.co.uk/writersrooms
Monday, 28 April 2008
Journal, Notebook, and the Need to Write
Are you someone who loves notebooks and journals? I love them. I can't go into a bookstore or art store without browsing the notebooks. I find I am pretty hard to please on them. Only certain ones will do.My latest notebook fad is the Moleskine ones. I don't recall seeing these in the states. That's not to say they aren't there though. I did see some similar but not this exact brand. It's a great book and quite well known in artist/writer type circles. In the UK, you can pick them up at Waterstones bookstores (online too if you want to order from the US). A bunch of different ones - plain, ruled, various sizes and so on. It's hard to pick.
Finally you pick one you like - whether Moleskine or otherwise. Then what? Do you journal? I find keeping a journal too much. I do like to journal now and again. My notebook sort of takes on a scrapbook sort of life. Writings, bit and pieces I tape in, glue in. Sketches. Doodles. A little bit of everything really. I just find I have a constant need to write things. Not every day. More of a 'as they come' sort of activity. It unclutters my mind.
That brings me to a few blogs I like listed below. If you like seeing creative notebooks, search around the archives on these sites. Really neat ideas. It just makes me want to get my Moleskine out and jot something - anything - down!
http://www.moleskinerie.com/my_moleskine/index.html
http://notebookism.com/
It's All a Mystery
Friday, 25 April 2008
Big Cats and Foxes
I've been having some weird fox things happen to me this past week. I'm starting to be a little concerned about this.
Eyes in the Night -
This has happened to me twice. I let Penny outside in the backyard to do her business. I wait a few minutes, then open the door to look for her. Our yard is not fenced. It goes from grass to woods, and the neighbors on one side are only separated from us by a line of shrub-like trees. I mostly have to monitor Penny outside because of my neighbors constant need to put bread out in the middle of their yard. This is for the birds. Penny thinks it is for her. And since dachshunds are the type of dog that will eat until they explode, she has to be monitored. Anyway, back to the eyes. I open the door to get her back in the house. She's not anywhere in my sight. Darn. Get the flashlight. Since the woods are at the back of the yard, it is pitch black out there. I can see out about 20ft or so, then darkness. I call Penny and shine the light out there. Suddenly, I see 2 eyeballs in the light at the edge of the woods. Oh good, there she is. She starts running towards me. As she moves forward, I realize I am STILL seeing eyeballs back there at the edge of the woods. Wait. Penny is running across the yard, I can see that it is her as she nears. What the heck is that back there in the woods?! Cat or fox? I don't know. That was the first episode.
Second episode happened last week. Same thing, I shine the flashlight out there looking for Penny hopefully somewhere in the yard. I see her eyeballs. 'Come on, Penny!' I yell. She starts running towards me. Suddenly, rustle rustle near the bush 10ft from the door. Out pops. . .Penny! Huh?! Penny is running towards me down the yard. . .isn't she? No. She's here by the house. Then WHAT is that animal out there?! It gets closer but it's so dark out I still can't make out what it is. Suddenly, it dives for the neighbors shrub line and disappears. I could make out something red like and in the size realm of a cat or fox. Hmmm.
Jumanji Revisited -
Have you seen the movie 'Jumanji'? One of my favorite scenes is when the aunt is stopped in her car and this whole line of stampeding animals goes by then the rhino comes by about 5 seconds later and she is just watching it run by. The look on her face as she turns her head from left to right both times just cracks me up.
The other night I was cutting through a residential area in my car on the way home. It's late. It's dark. Not a soul around or even any cars. It's just quiet houses and me. I come to a T type of stop and have to go left or right. As I look left, I see this dog trotting down the sidewalk across the road from me. He's all alone. Just mildly trotting down the sidewalk. I sit and watch for a second to make sure he isn't going to cross the street in front of me. He doesn't. He just continues down the sidewalk like he's out for some nightly stroll around the neighborhood. As I watch him go from left to right, I see as he gets in my headlights that he is not a dog. He is a fox. This is my Jumanji moment. Just sitting watching this fox trot down the sidewalk in front of me as he never leaves the sidewalk and just continues down it until he is out of sight.
Back to the backyard. Cats. We have a number of cats who think they own this yard. They walk through. They sit in the grass. They hang out under the trees. They stare at the bird feeders. They are annoying. What they don't do is run. These cats are HUGE. Big old tomcats. A white one, a black one, a browny one. All big and all not scared of anything. Penny tries to chase them once in a while. They just hold their ground. Not scared. Not worried that a 30lb brown slow moving torpedo is heading right at them. I think they only move because Penny is making so much noise that it hurts their ears. (People two roads over can probably hear Penny barking. They make up for their size with their voice. Come to think of it, I've met a fair amount of short people who fit that description too.)
So, I'm now on the hunt for finding out what exactly is in the woods. Cat or fox? I was hoping it was something exciting like a badger. But I'm sure it is probably just one of those big cats wandering around at night like they do. Mr. TeamKing has a good laugh ever time he sees me grab the flashlight like some psychotic housewife looking for intruders. Oh well, glad I entertain someone.
Eyes in the Night -
This has happened to me twice. I let Penny outside in the backyard to do her business. I wait a few minutes, then open the door to look for her. Our yard is not fenced. It goes from grass to woods, and the neighbors on one side are only separated from us by a line of shrub-like trees. I mostly have to monitor Penny outside because of my neighbors constant need to put bread out in the middle of their yard. This is for the birds. Penny thinks it is for her. And since dachshunds are the type of dog that will eat until they explode, she has to be monitored. Anyway, back to the eyes. I open the door to get her back in the house. She's not anywhere in my sight. Darn. Get the flashlight. Since the woods are at the back of the yard, it is pitch black out there. I can see out about 20ft or so, then darkness. I call Penny and shine the light out there. Suddenly, I see 2 eyeballs in the light at the edge of the woods. Oh good, there she is. She starts running towards me. As she moves forward, I realize I am STILL seeing eyeballs back there at the edge of the woods. Wait. Penny is running across the yard, I can see that it is her as she nears. What the heck is that back there in the woods?! Cat or fox? I don't know. That was the first episode.
Second episode happened last week. Same thing, I shine the flashlight out there looking for Penny hopefully somewhere in the yard. I see her eyeballs. 'Come on, Penny!' I yell. She starts running towards me. Suddenly, rustle rustle near the bush 10ft from the door. Out pops. . .Penny! Huh?! Penny is running towards me down the yard. . .isn't she? No. She's here by the house. Then WHAT is that animal out there?! It gets closer but it's so dark out I still can't make out what it is. Suddenly, it dives for the neighbors shrub line and disappears. I could make out something red like and in the size realm of a cat or fox. Hmmm.
Jumanji Revisited -
Have you seen the movie 'Jumanji'? One of my favorite scenes is when the aunt is stopped in her car and this whole line of stampeding animals goes by then the rhino comes by about 5 seconds later and she is just watching it run by. The look on her face as she turns her head from left to right both times just cracks me up.
The other night I was cutting through a residential area in my car on the way home. It's late. It's dark. Not a soul around or even any cars. It's just quiet houses and me. I come to a T type of stop and have to go left or right. As I look left, I see this dog trotting down the sidewalk across the road from me. He's all alone. Just mildly trotting down the sidewalk. I sit and watch for a second to make sure he isn't going to cross the street in front of me. He doesn't. He just continues down the sidewalk like he's out for some nightly stroll around the neighborhood. As I watch him go from left to right, I see as he gets in my headlights that he is not a dog. He is a fox. This is my Jumanji moment. Just sitting watching this fox trot down the sidewalk in front of me as he never leaves the sidewalk and just continues down it until he is out of sight.
Back to the backyard. Cats. We have a number of cats who think they own this yard. They walk through. They sit in the grass. They hang out under the trees. They stare at the bird feeders. They are annoying. What they don't do is run. These cats are HUGE. Big old tomcats. A white one, a black one, a browny one. All big and all not scared of anything. Penny tries to chase them once in a while. They just hold their ground. Not scared. Not worried that a 30lb brown slow moving torpedo is heading right at them. I think they only move because Penny is making so much noise that it hurts their ears. (People two roads over can probably hear Penny barking. They make up for their size with their voice. Come to think of it, I've met a fair amount of short people who fit that description too.)
So, I'm now on the hunt for finding out what exactly is in the woods. Cat or fox? I was hoping it was something exciting like a badger. But I'm sure it is probably just one of those big cats wandering around at night like they do. Mr. TeamKing has a good laugh ever time he sees me grab the flashlight like some psychotic housewife looking for intruders. Oh well, glad I entertain someone.
Friday, 18 April 2008
Viva Italia!
With kids still on term break last week, we took advantage of grandparents and scooted over to Italy for 5 days visiting Venice, Florence, and Pisa. Weather could have been better (only one really nice day), but the crowds were very manageable, thus a trade-off.
We also came to realize that at this stage in the game, we're past the backpacking through Europe idealogy. We're on the 'save up your money, get a good hotel, and eat out at the best restaurants you can' stage. Oh yeah. That's the way to go for sure!
We also came to realize that at this stage in the game, we're past the backpacking through Europe idealogy. We're on the 'save up your money, get a good hotel, and eat out at the best restaurants you can' stage. Oh yeah. That's the way to go for sure!
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Your Favorite Blogs & the NY Times Crossword
Continuing on the last post . . .
I love hearing about new and fun blogs. Got any good ones you really like? Tell me! Tell me!
Of course, most blogs tend to be specific to a certain area, i.e. computer lovers writing about computer stuff. Or, if they aren't specific, then they are sort of what I call 'a day in the life' blogs. Someone writing about what they did today, etc. These can be great either because you like the person, or you just enjoy their writing - meaning they could write about anything and you'd read it.
The blogs I follow tend to be the specific kind. Usually I pick up on a blog after becoming interested in a new subject.
Case in point: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle
After watching the movie, Wordplay, I started getting interested in crossword puzzles. I have fond memories of my grandma sitting in her comfy rocking chair in her bedroom in the afternoons and working the daily puzzle in the newspaper. But I never was interested in doing them myself. Never. But after the movie, I found out that my mom does the crosswords, and my cousin, and my other grandma used to do them too, and so on. . .hmmm. Give it a go, I said.
We don't get the paper daily here like we did in Houston, so I had to find another source for puzzles. Enter the NY Times. The cream of the crop in crosswords. Yep, you can get an online crossword only subscription and get the daily puzzle. (Not to confuse with the NY Times puzzles you get in your local papers - those are syndicated and run something like 1-2wks behind when they originally appeared in the Times.) So, now I'm ATTEMPTING the crossword puzzle daily. Since these are like serious level puzzles, I definately need some help. After digging around a bit, I found some good blogs where the real fans do the puzzles daily and then report on it in their blog. I love it! Not only can I get help on answers, but they tend to explain the puzzles theme.
http://madness--crosswordandotherwise.blogspot.com/
http://www.xwordblog.com/
Now that's the sort of blogs I like - ones that address whatever hobby, interest, project, commentary, etc. I'm interested in.
I'll dig around and list some others I like concerning letterboxing/geocaching/related activities.
How about you? Blogs? Blogs? Anyone?
I love hearing about new and fun blogs. Got any good ones you really like? Tell me! Tell me!
Of course, most blogs tend to be specific to a certain area, i.e. computer lovers writing about computer stuff. Or, if they aren't specific, then they are sort of what I call 'a day in the life' blogs. Someone writing about what they did today, etc. These can be great either because you like the person, or you just enjoy their writing - meaning they could write about anything and you'd read it.
The blogs I follow tend to be the specific kind. Usually I pick up on a blog after becoming interested in a new subject.
Case in point: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle
After watching the movie, Wordplay, I started getting interested in crossword puzzles. I have fond memories of my grandma sitting in her comfy rocking chair in her bedroom in the afternoons and working the daily puzzle in the newspaper. But I never was interested in doing them myself. Never. But after the movie, I found out that my mom does the crosswords, and my cousin, and my other grandma used to do them too, and so on. . .hmmm. Give it a go, I said.
We don't get the paper daily here like we did in Houston, so I had to find another source for puzzles. Enter the NY Times. The cream of the crop in crosswords. Yep, you can get an online crossword only subscription and get the daily puzzle. (Not to confuse with the NY Times puzzles you get in your local papers - those are syndicated and run something like 1-2wks behind when they originally appeared in the Times.) So, now I'm ATTEMPTING the crossword puzzle daily. Since these are like serious level puzzles, I definately need some help. After digging around a bit, I found some good blogs where the real fans do the puzzles daily and then report on it in their blog. I love it! Not only can I get help on answers, but they tend to explain the puzzles theme.
http://madness--crosswordandotherwise.blogspot.com/
http://www.xwordblog.com/
Now that's the sort of blogs I like - ones that address whatever hobby, interest, project, commentary, etc. I'm interested in.
I'll dig around and list some others I like concerning letterboxing/geocaching/related activities.
How about you? Blogs? Blogs? Anyone?
RSS - An Easy Out
I have to say that I find RSS a real pain. I don't know if its because I'm using and interacting with multiple sites, i.e. Yahoo and Google, but I just can't seem to get the feeds sent to me for the blogs I read. Boo.
So, I gave it up a long while back and just keep the links in my bookmarks and check in from time to time on blogs I like. Thankfully, sites like AtlasQuest can keep me current on the letterboxing blogs I follow - as I assume you do the same if you're reading this. But outside of AQ, I just can't seem to find the easy solution.
However, today I found some success. Check this out:
http://rssfwd.com/
You just put in the URL of the blog you want updates on, then you enter your email. Whenever a new entry is posted that blog, it's sent direct to your email! Ah! Success! The easy way to follow blogs - at least for people like me who are on broadband and email is always open and dings when a new message comes in. Ha-ha.
So, if you too just can't seem to sort out RSS, give the above link a try and see what you think. I'm sure there some good decent instructions on how to get RSS feeds the 'proper' way, but they tend to be more involved and technical than I feel up to attempting.
So, I gave it up a long while back and just keep the links in my bookmarks and check in from time to time on blogs I like. Thankfully, sites like AtlasQuest can keep me current on the letterboxing blogs I follow - as I assume you do the same if you're reading this. But outside of AQ, I just can't seem to find the easy solution.
However, today I found some success. Check this out:
http://rssfwd.com/
You just put in the URL of the blog you want updates on, then you enter your email. Whenever a new entry is posted that blog, it's sent direct to your email! Ah! Success! The easy way to follow blogs - at least for people like me who are on broadband and email is always open and dings when a new message comes in. Ha-ha.
So, if you too just can't seem to sort out RSS, give the above link a try and see what you think. I'm sure there some good decent instructions on how to get RSS feeds the 'proper' way, but they tend to be more involved and technical than I feel up to attempting.
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