Brand new bird bath.
Me, at window, with camera at the ready.
Alas,
so far, only this:
Uncategorized
Friday Five: The Color Edition
I’m currently reading R.A. Nelson’s DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS, and came across this line:
The next morning the sun comes up like three-day old orange juice.
And I thought, wow.
Later, I was hooping while listening to Regina Spektor, and heard this:
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away
So then I started thinking about colors
and how they can create such powerful imagery.
I grabbed a book off my nightstand, Laraine Herring’s WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH,
and found this:
The yellow, diamond-shaped sign with the words "SNOW ZONE" on it was covered with snow,
revealing only "S W NE" to drivers.
From my bookshelf I opened T.C. Boyle’s THE TORTILLA CURTAIN to this:
His hair was red, for one thing — not the pale wispy carrot-top Delaney had inherited from his Scots-Irish mother, but the deep shifting auburn you saw on the flanks of horses in an uncertain light.
And Carson McCullers’s THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER:
Besides his workbench and chair there was a heavy safe in the corner, a lavatory with a greenish mirror, and shelves full of boxes and worn-out clocks.
Can’t you just picture all that?
Wishing each of you a glorious weekend filled with COLOR and life!
Not-so-new habits
I used to smoke.
I know, I know.
Dumb.
And even though it’s been a looong time
since I stuck one of those in my mouth,
I’ve realized I haven’t completely lost my oral fixation.
The whole time I’ve been working on revisions,
I’ve had my trusty pack of gum next to me: 
And every time I reach for a new piece
(full disclosure, I chew a half-stick at a time),
I have an overwhelming sense of deja vu.
See, I used to buy cigarettes in the hard pack.
Back in the day, my desktop would’ve contained this:
But now, I’ve got this:
Old habits die hard, I guess.
Waste-Not Wednesday: Non-toxic Laptop Protection
I love my laptop.
I’m sure you love yours, too.
I wanted to protect my laptop
so went on Ebay and found a dandy cover
for just $9.99 and Free Shipping!
Sold!
That cover arrived and I tore open the plastic bag.
Whoa.
Massive chemical outgassing.
Gag-inducing neoprene nastiness.
(I’ve since learned that neoprene won the Allergen of the Year Award in 2009).
Even after I aired out that sleeve in the sunshine for more than a week,
I still could not tolerate the chemical stench.
Fortunately, I found GreenSmart.
Among other cool products, GreenSmart offers a neogreene sleeve
and a laptop sleeve made from 100% recycled soda bottles.
No fuss, no muss, and even better, no stink.
Today’s tip: do yourself, your laptop, and the planet a favor by supporting GreenSmart.
Won’t get fooled again
What is it about writing stories that renders us
(and by us, I mean, me) clueless?
I’m revising a manuscript I used to think was pretty damned solid
but with the help of my mentor, I’m realizing I’d hit many wrong notes.
The opening chapter is so much better now
which makes me very happy
but also makes me wonder
what the hell was I thinking before?
How could I miss the obvious?
I felt a bit shame-spirally last night as I contemplated my cluelessness
but am now trying to focus on feeling grateful for a stronger manuscript,
and am reminding myself I will carry this awareness to later projects.
I won’t get fooled again.
Friday Five: Notebook Love
1) I love spiral-bound notebooks.
2) I love this notebook I’m using for revisions,
a notebook formerly used by Wildebeest:
3) I love that I can keep my pen and pencil handy
for immediate use:
4) I love that I have pages and pages in which to jot any old thought that pops into my
head and that I can rewrite sentences and figure out characterization issues and vomit
out any angst and uncertainty here, and generally just have lots of room to move:
5) But maybe most of all, I love that the back cover has a drawing by Wildebeest:
Two Bits On Massachusetts
1) My favorite headline following the Republican victory in Massachusetts last night:
Obama Finally Gets His Victory for Bipartisanship
I’ve got to laugh.
Obama’s put all his energy into that bipartisan angle
despite many, many people pointing out
bipartisanship was never gonna work with
the Party of No.
(The headline is from Drew Westen
and you can see the entire piece here.
It’s worth the read).
2) And then there’s this reminder from the ever-insightful Digby:
The Democrats are all running around this morning looking panicked and freaked out which doesn’t give anyone confidence. Everyone seems to forget that a year ago, Obama only had 58 votes in the Senate and everyone was in a state of near hysteria over his massive institutional power and soaring mandate. Now he has 59 and he’s suddenly impotent. But this reaction was sadly predictable. And the message from the media and their centrist muses is also predictable — move right immediately. SOS.
I’ve got a feeling I’ll be laughing a lot in the near future.
You know, to avoid the tears.
Gaining Flexibility
Last February I proclaimed to the world (um, my little Live Journal circle of friends)
that I wanted to focus on flexibility in 2009.
I hoped to touch my head to my knees by the end of the year.
I’m not quite there.
But as you can see by these photos, I’m definitely making progress:
February 2009 January 2010
Most every morning I start my day with my litte Kundalini Yoga workout dvd.
I love it and not only because it’s helped me become more flexible.
I love it because during the hardest-for-me pose, the "narrator" says PREVAIL!
Moving forward by going backward
I haven’t been running as much as usual.
I’ve developed some weirdness about running.
I feel intimidated,
psyched out,
less-than-enthusiastic
when contemplating a run.
But today I decided to run my little neighborhood loop
in reverse.
And instead of feeling the pressure to get my Best Time Ever,
I just ran.
And enjoyed myself.
So here’s what I can take from this:
Remove the expectations
and experience the activity for what it is.
In this case, a difficult, mostly uphill slog that I’m proud to have completed.
That is all.
I’d like to keep this in mind with my writing, too.
When I’m feeling pressured and intimidated,
I hope to remember to write in whatever manner gets me writing again.
Even if it means writing in reverse.
In case you were wondering
Earlier this week I shared our bird seed experiment.
Well, today it’s official:
our neighborhood birds did NOT like the hot meats bird seed.
With the possible exception of this Black-capped Chickadee:
(photo by Zippy)
This morning Zippy cleaned out the feeders
(the hot meats are in a pie tin on the patio table
in case that chickadee comes back for more),
and filled the feeders with "boring" old safflower seeds.
The House Finches are very, very happy.
And we’re thrilled to have them back.
Clothes pin?
I’m supposed to be revising right now.
I was, up until two minutes ago
when I tiptoed away from my pages.
The thing is,
the whole project seems pretty stinky right now.
I’m not sure if I should
(A) call it a night before I do more damage or
(B) put a clothes pin on my nose and keep at it.
Maybe I will
(C) crack open a cold beer and ponder the situation.
Frederick Douglass on Haiti
I regard her [Haiti] as the original pioneer emancipator of the nineteenth century. It was her one brave example that first of all started the Christian world into a sense of the Negro’s manhood. It was she who first awoke the Christian world to a sense of “the danger of goading too far the energy that slumbers in a black man’s arm.” Until Haiti struck for freedom, the conscience of the Christian world slept profoundly over slavery. – Hon. Frederick Douglass, ex-United States Minister to the Republic of Haiti, January 2, 1893.
Here’s the link to Douglass’s entire World’s Fair lecture.
Haiti has always struggled mightily
to survive on her own terms.
She’s strong, I know.
I just wish the universe would quit testing her.
Touched by his noodly appendage
I take a certain amount of glee
in answering questions about
why the back of my car
is adorned with this:
Especially when the person asking
was raised to doubt evolution
and, instead, touts creationism.
I tell the truth, though,
since I am a proud Pastafarian.
And you know what?
Wildebeest’s friend handled my explanation just fine.
Exhilaration vs. Hyperventilation
I love roller coasters.
But I also panic at the thought of roller coasters.
I’m feeling those same mixed emotions as I prepare to embark on this revision.
I’m thrilled at the thought of finally creating the book I’d intended
but also a bit nervous about what I might experience along the way.
I know there will be thrills and spills.
And undoubtedly this revision will involve some screaming
and white knuckles.
Followed by more screaming.
Let’s just hope I don’t ever wet myself,
not even a little bit.
Okay, here goes . . .
Two on a Tuesday
ONE:
Heading off this morning to meet for the first time
with my new mentor, Claudia Mills.
She’ll be working with me to revise CLOSE TO HOME,
a MG I love and want to see published.
I’m grateful to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI
for instituting this new mentor program.
TWO:
Zippy convinced me to buy hot meats bird seed.
Huh?!
Sunflower Meats, hot chili peppers, and safflower oil.
Supposedly, birds don’t mind the heat but squirrels do.
Zippy thought we’d get a greater variety of birds
if we offered hot meats rather than plain old safflower seeds.
But so far….
no takers.
On the plus side, I haven’t seen any squirrels with pained expressions, either.
(And so you don’t think we’re completely heartless,
we have one of those squirrel corn-cob-thingies available for gnawing).
Off and Writing!
Here’s wishing everyone a great Monday,
a productive week,
and happy-tapping toes (and fingers)!
Go get ’em, writers!
Incoming!
Not sure if the perched bird is cheering on the flier
or shrieking "Mayday! Mayday!"
I know…
more anthropomorphism.
But convinced me it was okay.
Two Mourning Doves . . .
Here birdie, birdie, birdie…
For those who enjoy birds and my feeder photography,
I’m posting this email I received today.
May it inspire you to create something bird-related.
Please let me know if you submit an entry to
the Winter Bird Survival Challenge
so I can look you up on the Celebrate Urban Birds website!
 |
Jan. 6, 2010 | |||
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New kind of bravery
This morning I came across ‘s post about trying new things.
Then I read ‘s post in which she invited us to be brave in our lives.
And the wheels in my brain started to turn,
which, in turn, caused my heart to pound.
Because I knew what new thing I’d like to try.
It’s something that would require a great amount of bravery.
In fact, my heart’s pounding again as I write this.
I want to take hooping lessons.
There, I said it!
But just the thought of demonstrating
my clunky, flow-less hooping to a pro
causes me great panic.
I mean, look at her:
This woman lives in my area and offers private lessons.
(Group lessons would totally overwhelm me, I think).
On the one hand, my new year’s resolutions included
learning to Beam Me Up (a cool hooping trick) and improving my flow.
But YIKES.
She is so very good and I’m so very, um, what’s the word I’m looking for?
Stiff?
Frankenstein-esque?
Scared?
What say you?
Northern Flicker
camped out in the feeder
filled with seeds he can’t eat.
Is he confused?
Wasting time?
Or is it maybe that he needs
to take a load off?
Catch his breath
and look around.
Maybe that bird appreciates what’s there
rather than bemoaning what’s not.
Then again,
maybe this is just another
ugly case of anthropomorphism.
End of a Year and Decade
It seems fitting that Zippy and I
ended this extremely difficult year and decade
with a movie of hope:
MILK.
Here’s to all of us stepping up for what we believe in,
and making the world a better place.
Channeling a little Harvey Milk.
I wish you all a wonderful 2010
filled with
joy,
love,
laughter,
and lots of light.
See you next year!
Remembering S
Today is the 17th anniversary of S’s death.
S was one of the funniest, most obnoxious people I’ve ever known.
He could make me laugh and laugh,
even when I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.
But S was also fiercely loyal.
I went through a rough time when I was eighteen.
I’d just finished my freshmen year of college
and wasn’t sure where to go from there.
One particularly difficult night
there was a lot of drama
involving an apartment lease and some so-called friends,
and I just needed to get away.
I called a cab and S left the group to come with me.
But it wasn’t until we were somewhere in the boondocks outside Madison
that we realized we didn’t have much money.
After a somewhat panicked, whispered consultation
we asked the driver to stop.
We gave the confused man all the money we had and got out.
Then S and I walked.
I don’t remember all the remaining details
but I know there was swearing.
And laughter.
Followed by more swearing and laughter.
But at no point was there finger-pointing, blame, guilt or shame.
S was my friend.
My best friend.
He knew I was already hurting enough.
The next day, though,
there was undoubtedly hell-to-pay.
S could only rein it in for so long.
The Overseer
Cleaning off desk.
Again.
This time I’m determined
to act on every single piece of paper.
The neighborhood Red-tailed Hawk is here to make sure I follow through.
Winged Stories
Two little Starlings
in an atypical moment of rest.
Two busy Starlings
flapping near suet feeder
while one little Starling
and one regal Flicker
observe.
Three little Starlings:
one calm,
one in motion,
and one calling dibs on feeder.
(Photos one and two by Zippy)
Tracy Abell 