May the Fourth

Today is May the Fourth!  May the Fourth be with you.

I don't know how many out there have ever seen one of the Star Wars movies, but I've seen them enough to know practically every line.  I've played drinking games to the original trilogy, played the card games, roleplayed in chat rooms, and had the Star Wars themed Trivial Pursuit game.  I can't imagine life without a Star Wars.  I quote from the movies constantly.  I love the scene where Leia confesses she loves Han as he is being put into carbonite.  When someone is laughing at my expense, "Laugh it up, fuzzball" is a great line.  I even speak into my hands in a Vader voice: "Luke, I am your father" for my kids.  They love it.  It's so cute when they say, "No you're not, you're my mother!"  And I say, "And you're not Luke!"

It's an American Icon of pop culture.  It's relate-able to our human experience - fighting for the rights of all sentient-kind.  We can root for the underdog, whiny kid from a backwater planet (that ironically has very little water), and see the Big Bads take a fall due to the fuzzy, little Ewoks.

How much as Star Wars effected your life?  Are you traditional, original trilogy followers, or follow all the movies?  Have you read any of the books related to Star Wars?  How do you feel about Disney purchasing the franchise and changing Star Wars Lore?

Oh, yes.  The books we read in the late 1990's no longer will have a hold on the lore of the next set of movies according to an article I had forwarded to me that you can view here.  While the author appears to be well versed in Star Wars Lore, he doesn't seem to have a lot of good to say about it.

Happy Reading!

Silence: Golden or Broken?

Ever hear of the phrase, "Silence is Golden"?  Yeah, I have too.  There is so much meaning in silence.  I often quote a line from Bambi when my children go flying off at the mouth on what they observe.  "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  They are so familiar with the saying, they often say it with me.  In this case, if you don't have anything positive to say about a person - whether it’s true or not - it's best to just be pleasant by not saying anything.  Is this the golden silence?

According to The Phrase Finder, this is what is meant.  In fact, they go into the history of that saying that can be dated back to Ancient Egypt.  Even that civilization knew to keep some things to themselves to keep the peace.  Once a word is spoken, it can't be taken back.  Even the Apostle Paul berated the women for gossiping and indicated it best they remain silent in the church; he knew what stirring the pot with gossip could do to undermine the workings of the church, even in its infancy.

I often default (well, let’s not say default, how about frequently) to silence in order to collect my thoughts, judge my emotional response to something, judge my responses as appropriate for the time and people hearing them, or simply to just collect the general ambiance of a place and the people in it to mull over later.  Our experience in this life is abundant with scenes that affect us.  Do we ever stop to contemplate what in our environment is driving us?  Maybe some quiet reflection is all that is necessary to help us to develop our own thoughts and responses outside of what we believe is “norm”.  We are so driven by society’s norm, that maybe just a little cerebral workout is necessary to change the “norm”.

But, society often dictates for us what is normal.  Silence can be construed as rude, or hiding something.  It can be considered a manipulative tactic.  And it can push labels off on individuals: snob, dumb, weak.  And those labels are stuck on there with this amazing adhesive called “words”.  Someone said it, someone heard it; therefore it must then be true.  Once a word is spoken, it can’t be taken back.

There are so many forms of silence.  There is the silence of nature.  Ever just sit back and listen to the silence of a sunset?  It’s wonderful beyond words. 

I love the silence that ensues after my children have gone to sleep and all the electronics are off in the house.

I enjoy the silence of prayer and meditation; it seems like I can hear my own thoughts more clearly in those times, but I also feel like I can hear the universe in those moments.  When the two don’t match, time to shut down the mind and slip into the universal quiet to reconnect. 

There is also the unfortunate silence of death.  We will miss those who have slipped into this silence.  But their laughter and voices live on in our memories.  In silence, we can hear them more clearly.

I try to write in silence, but I find that I just can’t.  Music inspires my rhythm and generates sparks of electrical current from brain cell to brain cell until they all connect and I’m into the flow of writing practically nonstop.  One-way flight to 1,000 words, please, and thank you.  And I have to admit, sometimes I can’t get to sleep in silence.  I have the TV on with the timer set so it won’t go all night, or I have my guided meditation CD in my computer going as I listen to Esther Hicks soft, melodious voice as she delivers Abraham’s message of the Laws of Attraction.  That’s a positive-thought process of creating your own destiny.  It has nothing to do with come-hither looks to brawny men.

What do you do in silence?

Happy Reading!

The Evil Social Media

The Evil Social Media

I never was one to watch any reality TV.  In fact, the only thing close to reality TV I watch is Ghosthunters on SyFy because I love watching the science evolve in that area of research and the personal experiences of strange phenomena the crew have during the show.  But that is not the evil this particular blog is all about.

This is about social media.  I get we are in the electronic age and this is now the current trend on how to communicate with our peers, family, friends, co-workers, even acquaintances.  But, I wonder how real it is.
  Do you feel your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Google Plus profiles are true representations of your personality?  What can you gain from them you can’t from other sites?  Do you get news feeds there any different?  How about sporting events? Weather?  Is it the games that are the enticement?  How about all the ads?

Now let’s ask the grittier questions.  What do you know about the personal lives of your “friends” on those social media accounts?  Is it positively uplifting? Is someone divorcing?  Someone having a hard day? What did they have to eat?  Where have they been?  Is there too much a person can know about another’s life without it being intrusive?

I’ll say.

I think Twitter is fairly safe.  On the profile page, you can have a short description – within the same range of characters as a regular post (140 characters).  And “characters” means spaces too.  Which means the amount of detail about yourself is limited.  You can put in your marital status and number of kids If you like, but what does that really tell about you?  Hopefully not too much.  I only have about half as many followers as I am following and keeping up with 774 followings isn’t a piece of cake.  I miss a bunch.  I do, however, enjoy Pinterest shares on Twitter feeds and occasionally sharing a recipe I’m trying.  I stay away from photo postings of personal stuff, but I do put my blog posts there.  Being an aspiring writer, I follow others in the same boat as myself as well as the accomplished writers and publishing companies.  I try to stay abreast of new developments in that area and to give my fellow writers support.  Overall, I rate it as a benign place to “socialize”.  Or maybe it’s my use of it that makes it so.

MySpace I have issues with figuring out how to setup my page and what to follow.  It’s changed so much since I first heard about it.  Even the original code I had in there for my page setup is all messed up.  Is it just me, or has it turned into a place for just music?  As a matter of fact, it’s been so long I’ve been on it, I don’t remember how to sign into it anymore.  So, moving on.

Google Plus….  Does anyone use it other than being forced to by Google on their androids?  I put people in my circles, but I don’t ever see anything from them.  I notice my phone has a tendency to back up my photos into it – which I appreciate, really I do.  If I decide to post them, I can; otherwise they remain hidden from everyone in my circle – which is like two.  Those poor two souls never get to see anything of my photos.  Oh well, such is life. 

Facebook, however, seems to be the place where you can go and completely intrude on another person’s life just by being a silent observer.  You can get a person’s email, phone number, marital status, number of kids, photos of their kids, photos of them (the bathroom selfies, OMG!), where they have been, where they are, what they have been eating (I’m staying clear of your house if you are having tacos again), as well as a regular accounting of their general well-being.  And, quite frankly, I was tired of the constant posts about Paul Walker, gun laws, the constant reminder that its flipping snowing like the devil outside (I can see that out my window, thank you), and Obamacare.  I will miss Candy Crush Saga the most, I think.  So long, Level 215.  It was nice seeing you, but since I deleted my Facebook account, my phone thinks it should steal the few lives I get every hour by randomly crashing because it can’t find the FB account any longer.    That’s just another level of stress I don’t need.  I also removed the stress of thinking someone can find photos of my children and use them for advertising or stalking my kids at school.  I realize now that Facebook had sucked me down a deep, dark hole of constantly needing others approval.  Now I don’t think about what other people are thinking about my profile and what I post.  The notifications have ended and so has that false sense of belonging whenever someone liked something I liked or posted.  That doesn’t define me.  I do.  Without that particular social site, I might even have energy and time to blog, write, read, and seek out only the important things on the Internet that truly inspire.  I can research new things to post blogs about.  I’ve already begun the process of planning it in my head.  And I’ll have the time and resources to do it without the mental distraction of who did what today on Facebook.  Facebook, you rank in the stank.

 I realize Twitter never pulled me into its web as Facebook did.  MySpace and Google Plus were bland and had a confusing structure, so they didn't take much time from my life.  And now I've removed Facebook from my life, it will move on (my life that is; although I can see Facebook will survive my absence, so will I survive its absence).  I can see myself becoming more productive in all things relative to my life already. 

Happy Reading!

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones

Because I have become so sick and tired of all the branches (e.g. very large sticks) in my yard from all of the storms we have been experiencing, I decided to talk about stones today.  Don’t get me wrong; I love my trees and Michigan’s summer storms, especially after the dry summer we experienced last year.  I am just a little tired of the spring clean-up being extended and making playing in the backyard (and having a fire) a bit more hazardous.

But, I digress.  I came here to talk about stones.  Sound boring?  Wait.  I’m about to reveal something that isn't widely known.  You know of some very well-known stones, right?  Come on, think about it.  Not gemstones, and not Petoskey stones.  I’ll give you another hint.  It’s in the shape of a ring.  If you are thinking of wedding bands, I’m going to be extremely disappointed in all of you.  STONEHENGE is the correct answer.  Well, while they sound really awesome, it’s awfully expensive to go overseas to view them and I've heard you can’t even touch them anymore due to erosion.  I can tell you of some stonehenges in the United States that you probably weren't aware of before.  A couple of them are in my native state of Michigan, just you still can’t touch one of them – they’re a bit hard to get to.

So, I’ll start with America’s Stonehenge.  It’s located in Salem, New Hampshire and they have tours offered for a fee (you can even snowshoe and see alpacas).  No visa required!  It’s a fantastic touristic attraction and no one knows for sure who built it or when.  It could be as old as 4,000 years old.  William Goodwin was known to have done some quarrying around the area, but others are convinced there are pre-Columbian and “Old World” evidence.  But there is evidence of Native American occupation at some point too.  Sounds like a great place to visit and see for yourself what you think is really there and how old it really is. Circa 1907.

Then there’s Sam Hills Henge which is a replica of England’s Stonehenge located in Maryhill, Washington. This was built as a memorial dedicated to the fallen of Klickitat County in World War I. He was a bit confused about the function of the original Stonehenge, believing it was a place of human sacrifice.  He’s reportedly buried at the base of the bluff it was built on overlooking the Columbia River.  Circa 1931.

For my southern friends and acquaintances, you can always go visit the Georgia Guidestones.  Located in Nuberg, Georgia, this replica has its origins deep in mystery.  No one knows the true name of the person wanting it built.  A granite company near the site was approached by a man reportedly called “R.C. Christian” who was carrying a model of the Stonehenge in a shoe box and had very specific requirements of it.  The company built it and became $50,000 wealthier, but the “R.C. Christian” disappeared from existence after making the deposit.  There are several messages in many languages carved on the six stones that make up this replica, one of which demanding we not become a cancer on the earth.  Circa 1980.

For the fun-loving, quirky folks visiting this page, you might want to see Carhenge.  Apparently, this all started with a family reunion and also became a memorial.  Wish mine were so fun! (Uh, reunions, not memorials.)  So, for my Midwestern folks, a visit to Alliance, Nebraska will bring you to the site of some ancient cars (or classic as the case may be) set up like the ancient stones of Great Britain.  It’s a mechanic’s delight!  Be sure to visit the site’s new visitor’s center and the adjacent car-art sculpture park.  Circa 1987.

Then there’s Stonehenge II in Kerrville, Texas.  Not actually stone, except for the single limestone piece the idea sprung from, but steel frames covered in plaster.  There are some Easter Island heads at this site too.  Guess it Al Shepperd thought that another Stonehenge would be better than a fake UFO crash.  I would have gone with UFOs just to be different. Circa 1989.

Now, I’m asking you…FOAMHENGE?  I think we are way too far away from stone to be even close to interesting now.  But, if you want to see a foam replica of Stonehenge, you can see it in Natural Bridge, Virginia.  Circa 2004.

And the last ridiculous one I’m going to talk about before getting serious again is Stonefridge.  Ok, I’m just going to say it, the guy who built it was a bit nuts.  Adam Horowitz spent nine years working on a 200+ refrigerator monument that looks like Stonehenge, but is not even remotely close to replicating it.  It just looks like it – with painted refrigerators.  And he decided to have it made by workers wearing loincloths and using teepee poles, ropes, pulleys, and muscle to build it.  He totally set himself up for the vandals who reportedly set off bombs inside the refrigerators. Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico. Circa 1997. Thankfully removed for good in 2007.

Ok, so back to Michigan.  In 2007 (how ironic is that?), researchers from Northern Michigan College were using a new sonar system to map the bottom of Lake Michigan for evidence of historical events since archaeology cannot be successfully conducted underwater.  During the scans they found old cars, a ring of stones, buggies, boats, Civil-war era piers, and a stone which appears to have a mastodon carved into it.  The stone carving hasn't been verified by the “experts” yet since none are trained in scuba diving, but some believe that it and the ring of stones it was a part of could date back 10,000 years.  That is when humans and mastodons were believed to be in that part of Michigan (Grand Traverse Bay).  These are just another set of standing stones found in the Michigan area.  Beaver Island has a stone circle discovered in 1985 (again, there’s some irony in there if you’re a Back to the Future fan).

References to some of these incredible and incredulous information is in part from an NBCNEWS.com article entitled “America Unhenged: 7 great Stonehenge Replicas”, although America’s Stonehenge doesn't sound like a replica….  Oh well.

Happy Reading!

Discouraged

In a word…discouraged

Well, exactly what I thought would happen did directly after my editor looked over and marked up my novel.  I lost my desire to write more.  I think about all the time I put in just to feel like it’s not good or good enough for public consumption.  Seeing all the blocks, all the nit-picking details requested, all the sections being written out and the sections requiring rewrite has effectively put a stop to my writing.  If you have noticed, I haven’t blogged, I haven’t gone on Twitter, I haven’t pulled up any of my drafts to work on….  It just wasn't worth seeing all the red anymore.  I haven’t even been reading and seeking new inspiration.  And at the same time the world seems to be taking on black and white dimensions instead of the full color brilliance I am so used to.

I need to write, though.  Even as discouraged as I am, I know in my heart and deep in my marrow that this is what I must do in order to feel complete.  Has anyone felt this discouraged and off course before?  Have you found your way back?

I could use a few pointers….

Warning: Graphic Photo Within

WARNING!!  GRAPHIC PHOTO WITHIN THIS BLOG

Surprised?

I know.  You were probably expecting far worse, so this should be a source of some relief.  This was the surprise awaiting me when I came home from work today.  This is a nice surprise.  I praised and praised my cats for the gift - because it keeps the rodent population down and that means there will be fewer in my house and in my inhumane traps.

But, don't you wish more sites came with some sort of warning regarding the content?  

Recently, I was seeking costume ideas.  Having lost a significant amount of weight, I wanted to wear something tasteful as I took my children around for trick or treating.  I mean - goodness - I haven't lost that much weight, but it does make me feel better about myself to want to be noticed a wee bit.

Since one child is going as an angel and the other a cheerleader, I thought I would have a costume as a Disney character.  This is the type of stuff I found:

Unfortunately, my children were looking over my shoulder while I was doing the search and pointing out how they were pretty dresses and giving their input on which one I should get.  I don't know about you, but I don't remember any of these Disney characters wearing dresses that short and revealing.  I'm just a mom trying to find a costume to wear alongside my kids, but it appears like the majority of the women seeking costumes are college-aged women intending to party it up on Halloween.  Well, that's the impression I'm getting from the type of costumes available in these search engines.

I explained to the girls that Mommy wasn't comfortable wearing so little clothes on a very cold Halloween night while trick-or-treating and moved on in my search for something less revealing.  So, I looked for more generic ideas such as fortune teller, pirate, etc. and all of my size were taken.  Guess the other moms got to them first.  After hours of searching I finally found the perfect costume:

And just in time too.  There are none left.  This was way more the type of costume I was hoping for.  Tasteful and non-threatening and long enough that I might not need a coat.

On a side note, there is a Zombie Walk in Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend to try for the Guinness World Records.  My sister plans on going and asked me to join her and her boyfriend.  They are going as hippie zombies.  This created a hunt for another costume - a scary one that won't be appreciated by my offspring.  I am going as a corpse bride.  I'll try to get photos and post them in a follow up after the weekend.

So, now for the readers to chime in.  How many parents out there still dress up for Halloween?

Happy Reading!

The Never-ending Triathlon of Life

Ever feel like you're juggling too much?  That could be the reason why you haven't heard from me since July.  Since the draft of my paranormal romance was completed and I found beta readers to assist in critiquing it, I've been juggling that with work and the kids heading back to school.  I even managed to work a bit in the back yard and started working on weight loss (have to look good for that author's page and all the websites that will be going up as a result; please see the new badge on my blog).

So, add all that up, sprinkle in some major cleaning activities, fair trips, four new goldfish to take care of, birthday parties, vacation bible school, and very little me time and you have one tired out writer mama who dropped the ball on her blog followers.  I would apologize, but I'm sure many of you have had the same things happen in your life.  So my apology will come in the form of a follow up.

As a follow up to the last post, I have to say that two out of five beta readers have given me their input on the book; very favorable responses both of them.  I've been editing the draft and am up to the middle of the book so far.  I've added in two chapters and a prologue so far along with the editing.  I'm having a slight problem with formatting, which I am going to try to hold off on fixing until I'm done with the editing.  Once I'm done with editing and formatting, I will have to find an editor.  Anybody know anyone reasonably priced?  

After the editing, I'm hoping to snag a few ARC readers to do a preliminary read and review on the book before I actually publish.  My goal is to have all this done to have a release date between December 1st and 15th.  ~knock on wood~  Anyone have a spare four-leaved clover?  I may need to borrow a silver horseshoe for the front door, too.  People have those laying around, right?  

Until next time....

Happy reading!