Posted on November 2, 2015
For the uninitiated, it’s National Novel Writing Month, an annual event among writers and wannabees that’s about writing a 50,000 word novel in thirty days. The math works out to 1,666 words per day.
I’ve done this project twice, once in 2005 with my two sons and once again about five or six years ago with a St. Joseph friend. Both times were challenging, because the word count haunts you. Skip a day, fall behind, you can lose momentum. At the same time, it’s exhilarating to have written the first draft of a novel in such a short amount of time. I know because I’ve written two other novels that have taken me years.
NaNoWriMo was created in 1999 by Chris Baty in the San Francisco area. Since then it’s morphed into a fall ritual among writers around the world. There is a website and a ton of information on social media about how to join the group and stay motivated.
One of the most beneficial tips is that this is about quantity over quality. So it isn’t about perfect prose or elegant editing. In fact, Baty, who’s written a book on the phenomenon, recommends that you never look back at what you wrote the day before. You don’t try to eliminate inconsistencies or accidental changes in tense or even plot discrepancies. You just write.
In a small way I try to do this with my blogs. I write what comes to mind for a few minutes and then return to edit the material before going “live.” I didn’t think about it until now, but perhaps I have NaNoWriMo to thank for the past eleven years.
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Posted on October 29, 2015
A week ago four geese flew into our pond, and I was unhappy. Geese are a nuisance in a residential area, and there is little one can do about it that is effective.
My neighbor and I believe these are the geese that plagued us all summer. Except back then there were five. So something must have happened to one of them. It also seems that one of the four is not well. Its neck is bent and it can’t fly. And while I dislike geese intensely, I’m not one to wish pain or suffering on any living thing.
My neighbor and I keep vigil. We don’t want the geese on our lawns, and we’re quick to shoo them away to another part of the pond. At the same time, I’ve decided I won’t throw rocks at them anymore. (NOTE: It is illegal to kill a Canada goose, but I haven’t found anything wrong with assaulting them after what they did to our lawns this past summer.) But, let it be known, I am not responsible for the particular goose’s problems.
Geese seem to form family alliances of a fashion. The three hale and hearty ones stick by their companion, although they disappear in the evening to hide in rushes or tall grass elsewhere, leaving the injured one alone on the pond. Yet every morning they return to be together.
We’ve called the DNR to see if someone can come and take the geese elsewhere. So far, no response. We’ll persist, and I expect that the three healthy geese will do the same. We’ll see how this plays out.
See more 10 Minutes in category Annoyances, Flora/Fauna
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Posted on October 27, 2015
I understand that public radio and television stations need their audiences’ financial support to maintain an independence from advertisers. And, believe me, I like watching programs that are not constantly interrupted by automobile manufacturers, Big Pharma, and big box retailers. So I get that pledge drives are necessary.
But I have a gripe with our local classical station about its approach. As a courtesy, I won’t mention it by name; because this is a small community and perhaps others don’t feel as I do. Still . . .
The local station has a pledge drive twice a year, fairly normal in the public broadcasting world. It usually takes about ten days to two weeks to reach the projected monetary goal. Again, normal. And when the goal is reached, there are congratulations all around before regular programming resumes. I’m fine with this.
But what I don’t like about Local Unnamed Station (LUS) is that once the pledge drive is done, the solicitations keep coming. Daily. Even hourly. Between the spring fundraiser and the fall one, I am regularly reminded that if I liked the music I just heard I should do as Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So did and make a pledge. I can almost repeat the commentary verbatim. And it annoys me.
The next LUS pledge drive begins this coming Monday, November 2. But I feel as if I’ve been on a perpetual fund drive since last spring. And, yes, I have contributed before. But this time, I plan to turn off the radio and seek musical solace elsewhere.
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Posted on October 25, 2015
We were sitting in the theater when Earl reminded me that two months from today is Christmas. It’s not my favorite holiday, but the person I live with loves it. He wants the full-bore holiday ritual: church on Christmas Eve, decorations, gifts, a tree with a train underneath, and egg nog.
Over the years, we’ve developed a routine to do all this in as easy a manner as possible. We’ve already ordered gifts; and I’m planning menus, since they require more baking and cooking than I normally do. Sometime in November, we’ll decorate the tree, reminiscing about the various trips we’ve taken because ornaments are the souvenirs we collect from our vacations.
We have furry Eskimoes from our Alaskan adventure and wooden shoes from a more local community. We have decorations from Tahiti and Tennessee. We also have a sock monkey ornament, various gifts from friends, and several Waterford treasures. And the ornaments my sons made when they were little still make the cut.
It’s a lot of work, especially since retail stores begin reminding us of it as early as September. But in the end, when we’re together with family, it’s worth it. Last year, was the best Christmas ever; and I’m hoping for a repeat in two months.
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Posted on October 24, 2015
Two weeks ago I parted ways with my cleaning lady, who had been with me six years. For most of that time, I was gainfully employed and appreciated her efforts to keep our home clean. To that end, I overlooked various things she also overlooked.
But I no longer work and haven’t for over a year-and-a-half. So her interest in surface cleaning vs. deep cleaning began to annoy me. She was a “Wiper,” while I’m a “Scrubber.”
There were other factors too. We are both six years older and more set in our ways. She liked cleaning products from the local supermarket, while I prefer elbow grease. And, as seems to be the case with many cleaning people, she wanted acknowledgement for a job well done while not admitting to slacking off in some area when I called it to her attention.
In the end we parted ways, and I was left without a cleaning lady for the first time in twenty years. I didn’t wait long. Found someone else who is slower but more thorough. Who does corners and the top of the refrigerator and the bottom of the cupboards where they attach to the baseboard. She also does the kitchen floor on her hands and knees and sets a rose in a bud vase on the piano.
But before you ask for her contact information, let me tell you something: Nobody cleans like I do.
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Posted on October 23, 2015
Recently a friend shared information about the various generations alive and well today, from the Traditionalists to the Linksters. (This last term was new to me, as I always thought of them as Millennials.) Regardless, her information is worth sharing in an effort to get different generations to understand each other.
For instance, I’m a traditionalist, but just barely. Born in 1944, I embody the traits of loyalty and respect for authority while still being independent. At the same time, I question that authority and am well-educated, which are traits of the Baby Boomers, the generation after me.
My two sons are both Gen Xers, partially defined as the products of divorced parents (Yes), intolerant of bureaucracy, yet social responsible. They are now in their forties.
Which suggests they are rubbing against the generations behind them. For my son the college professor, it means trying to relate to students less than half his age who are one with their machines, have never lived without technology, and are the wave of the future.
But identifying the various traits of each generation isn’t enough. The real work begins when someone in one generation tries to communicate with someone in another.
In my own world, for instance, I’ve learned that if I want to communicate with friends my age, the telephone works wonderfully. But if I want to touch base with a Linkster – such as my trainer at the gym – I need to text. I’m not very good at this, as I don’t believe in arbitrary abbreviations and emoticons – which also implies a learning curve on my part – but I’ve learned this gets his attention.
The one thing I see in all this – and believe me, there is a ton more on the Internet – is that the older generations seem to adapt to the ones behind them with little reciprocity in the deal. Perhaps that’s also something to work on. Just because something seems obsolete doesn’t mean it’s not useful in terms of communication.
Posted on October 22, 2015
I’ve been pulling everything out of my flower beds for the past five days and battening the proverbial hatches for winter. Today I cut the last flowering roses from my bushes and put them in a vase in my office. They are lovely. Tomorrow I’ll trim the rest and prepare them for their rose cone hothouse existence for the coming months.
My mums have outdone themselves too. And, actually, every flowering plant has done the same thing. I even have berries blooming on my strawberry plants . . . and this is pushing the last part of October.
But there is a downside: Fall colors will not be resplendent this year. Oh, maybe a Maple here and there, but for the most part many of the trees have already lost their leaves without first turning color.
I guess you can’t have everything — and I certainly have no control over Mother Nature – so I’ll take what she offers.
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Posted on October 21, 2015
Last week, the Cubs played hard to win their division and move on to the National League Championship series. Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Steve Goodman all watched from above. Hope returned to the hearts of Chicagoans.
But this week is a different story. As of today, the New York Mets lead the series three games to one. They are one game away from advancing to the World Series, while the Cubs will go home.
So disgruntlement is replacing hope in the bleachers. We thought this was the year. At one time the Las Vegas odds makers thought so too.
But let’s face it: the truths about the Cubs are working against them in the clinch. The team is young and somewhat inexperienced overall. It has power hitters who can knock the ball out of the park, but that’s really only a distinct advantage when the bases are loaded. They rarely have been against New York.
Cubs fans are used to disappointment, and it won’t prevent them from filling the stadium again next year. Or the year after. After all, what would they have to look forward to if the Cubs actually won the World Series?
P.S. The fourth game starts in forty-five minutes; and, of course, I’ll watch. It I have to eat crow tomorrow, that’s fine.
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Posted on October 20, 2015
I must have done something terribly wrong to offend the Techno-Gods, because this last week has been fraught with all kinds of problems. For starters, the server that hosts my website shut it down . . . twice.
It’s not as if I’m a retail site and am dependent on Internet marketing for financial survival. Still, my words are my currency; and I don’t like not being able to blog when the mood strikes.
Turns out someone or several someones attempted to figure out my User ID and password to get into the back end of my site. In the space of a few hours, there were 46,685 “hits” to it. In techno-parlance, this is called a brute force attack; and I felt as vulnerable as if my own home had been invaded. I felt as helpless too.
The problem isn’t completely solved yet, but at least you are able to read me again. And, no, there is no danger to your computer from all this. However, my VOIP telephone now is on the fritz and requires a technician from Comcast to visit our home. So you can read me, but can’t call to offer your sympathies.
Perhaps I should contact my good friend, a noted astrologer, and find out what the stars say. Or maybe go to confession. Or change servers.
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Posted on October 13, 2015
I first heard it on the radio this morning, and verified it on the Internet this afternoon. So I feel confident reporting that a positive correlation between expensive weddings and the divorce rate has been discovered by two researchers at Emory University.
The theory goes like this: Couples who spend more than $20,000 on their weddings are more likely to divorce than couples who don’t. My first thought was of the Kardashians (whom I don’t keep up with), country music stars (Think Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert) and Sean Penn. My second thought was that my first thought seems to focus on celebrities; and I wondered if the theory held for common folk like you and me.
I’m not sure it does. In the past fifteen years, I have been invited to two very elaborate, no-cost-is-too-much weddings and accompanying receptions. What was spent on each could have easily supported me for a year. But I’m happy to report that both couples are still together. On the flip side, I have been married more than once and probably didn’t spend $20,000 total for my walks down the aisle.
Lest you wonder why I’m curious about all this, be assured it’s merely academic as I intend to remain married to my current husband. We have finally found something in common – our passion for the Chicago Cubs in the World Series playoffs – and I wouldn’t want to give that up.
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