No, I have not changed my name to Hattie. It just kinda went with the whole alliteration thing. And no, I don't think I'm hard-hearted. But then again...am I? That is the question I'm bringing to you. :-)
I was out shopping the other day and saw something. Now, I am not a very observant person. In fact, I missed a fight and arrest right outside the window at a fast-food restaurant once--My husband even went outside to see if he could help, and I sat staring in the opposite direction, clueless. But this time, I was paying attention. Nothing quite so dramatic, but still...
Here's the scooop. I was standing in line at customer service. There were four women working behind the counter. One at a cash register asked who was next. The man in front of me stepped over to her, but when she asked if she could help him, he waved at one of the women whose back was to him. "No," he said. "I'm just here to see - - - -." I couldn't hear the rest.
So, still waiting and a little bored, I watched the girl he'd gestured to. She didn't turn around. She seemed intent on the computer screen in front of her, but then her hands went up to her hair. Stayed there, pressing into her head.
And I began to really pay attention. Frustrated at the computer? Or angry that this man had come? She still wasn't turning around. He stepped aside a little and waited.
Then her hands came down to cover her face. Still not looking at him or saying a word, she left her station. Crying. The woman who was working with her stayed beside the girl, escorted her to the break room. The man shrugged, arms open wide. And then he walked away.
He was her father.
So...as a writer, I was watching, and my mind was flipping through different scenarios. Making up plot lines. Thinking, I can use this somewhere...
And then I got to thinking that maybe I'm an alien. :-) The human race is only fodder, inspiration for whatever world I want to create in my head. I'll dissect them, see what makes them react certain ways, see what I can do to make things worse before a hard-fought happily ever after comes around. If it does.
What do you think? Alien? Heartless? Or do people in other fields do this kind of thing, too--analyzing to satisfy professional curiosity or something? And, just for the record, a little bit of compassion did kick in later. But the moment I'd care the most...would be the moment I wrote it into a book.
So what's the verdict?
6/14/10
6/10/10
6/7/10
Summer Projects
Ah...summer. Since my husband is a teacher, I still live the whole school year schedule thing, and I have to say I like it. Well, most of the time. Last year it meant moving in with my parents for a month while Jason and I did some major work on our own home.
As you probably know, I love to make lists. And...fortunately or unfortunately...it doesn't kill me if I don't get to cross everything off.
My summer project list is up to 14 so far. I have some decorating I need to finish, a collage I want to make (scary, eh?), a gift I need to put together, a conference to save for, a new blog to work on (details coming sooner or later, maybe), a class reunion to attend (sort of), a shower (probably) to plan, some research to do, some organizing of files, a ton of writing...ah, the list goes on.
Do you have a summer project list? What's at the top? What's the just-for-fun item on your list?
As you probably know, I love to make lists. And...fortunately or unfortunately...it doesn't kill me if I don't get to cross everything off.
My summer project list is up to 14 so far. I have some decorating I need to finish, a collage I want to make (scary, eh?), a gift I need to put together, a conference to save for, a new blog to work on (details coming sooner or later, maybe), a class reunion to attend (sort of), a shower (probably) to plan, some research to do, some organizing of files, a ton of writing...ah, the list goes on.
Do you have a summer project list? What's at the top? What's the just-for-fun item on your list?
6/3/10
A Because-I-Don't-Feel-Like-Blogging-But-I-Will-Anyway Post
Since we're into the whole gardening thing now, and cilantro is the only edible thing at this point...I made salsa, of course. Lovely thing, homemade salsa. I ate it on chips and also in a burrito and in a taco and mixed in liberally with rice and beans. And I'm trying to make you hungry, because I'm going to give you the recipe, since I don't feel like thinking about this blog post. (But I'm still posting!!!) So here you go:
Mom’s Salsa
Ingredients:
4 chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. sliced green onion
1 and 3/4 Tbs. jalepeno, seeded and minced
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro (or more to taste. Definitely more to taste. I think I ended up putting maybe 1/3 of a cup or so in there? I felt oh-so back-to-nature-ish. ha)
1 Tbs. lime juice (1 lime)
½ tsp. sea salt
Directions:
Combine and refrigerate before serving. (It's best to let it sit overnight so the flavors have time to combine.)
Enjoy! And hey, if I can keep a cilantro plant alive, you can, too. :-)
Mom’s Salsa
Ingredients:
4 chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. sliced green onion
1 and 3/4 Tbs. jalepeno, seeded and minced
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro (or more to taste. Definitely more to taste. I think I ended up putting maybe 1/3 of a cup or so in there? I felt oh-so back-to-nature-ish. ha)
1 Tbs. lime juice (1 lime)
½ tsp. sea salt
Directions:
Combine and refrigerate before serving. (It's best to let it sit overnight so the flavors have time to combine.)
Enjoy! And hey, if I can keep a cilantro plant alive, you can, too. :-)
5/31/10
Stayin' Alive
In April, my husband got this brilliant idea to plant a garden. I don't know why, because our houseplants are hanging on by a tiny thread. But the weather was gorgeous, so we decided it might be fun. Maybe.
So we bought wood and soil and tomato cages and plants (no seeds for us!) and fertilizer and sprinklers. We built a raised bed with a mini irrigation system, sort of. And we planted...stuff. And then we watched them...closely.
Here's the garden status, about one month later:
1. Our strawberries were cute, but when I went out to get the couple ripe ones to garnish some chocolate pudding...they were gone. Along with all the unripe ones, too. The jury is still out on whether a mouse or squirrel or maybe a neighbor ate them. The plants are still growing, though, so maybe there's a chance we'll get a few more.
The Culprit?
2. Three different kinds of tomato plants. All three are doing pretty well, especially the Roma tomatoes. Most of them are still green, but we did pick one midget roma--just enough to garnish some fajitas! We hope the little thief doesn't beat us to the rest of them.
3. The beans are growing nicely. Which is kind of a shame because, believe it or not, I don't like fresh green beans. No matter how long you cook them. Wrong, I know.
4. The acorn squash = dead.
5. The bell pepper = dead.
6. The green pepper = dead.
7. But the cilantro is thriving, and has been used for garnishes, etc. Very nice. The thief apparently is not a fan of Mexican food, so my herbs are safe!
I think we're going to try a fall garden, too. What should we plant then?
5/27/10
Graduating
It's that time of year. I can hear the sedate march music, see the robes in various states of wrinklehood, smell the bouquets of roses. Graduation time is here.
I don't remember graduating from kindergarten. I'm not even sure that I did. In eighth grade, they did kind of a talent show type thing along with the ceremony. I played the clarinet and was so nervous my tassle shook the entire song. My high school graduation was sad but exciting. My class had become pretty close, but we were ready to move on. Most of my classmates went into the medical field. Still trying to figure out how that happened. I'm officially afraid to go to the ER, because I just might know the person poking me with needles, might have seen them drooling on their pillow during class trip or something.
I graduated from college...twice! I was definitely ready to be done. I'd rather choose my own topics to research. Like women fighting during the Civil War or what '68 Camaros look like or what the daily schedule is on death row or how to make a murder look like a suicide. Doesn't that sound more fascinating than a comparison of Longfellow and Frost or something? :-)
So I'm out of school. Not wearing the gown this year. BUT in some ways I guess you're never really done, are you? In the writing world, there are four levels of writers, according to Randy Ingermanson (aka The Snowflake Guy). But even those who have graduated still attend writing conferences...and take notes! I've heard of beginning writers finding themselves sitting next to pros, like one who said she watched Francine Rivers at a conference, dutifully taking notes.
Life is like that, right? No matter how much you think you know, there is still so much more. That's what keeps things interesting. True, it can overwhelm at times, but it's invigorating when something new clicks, giving you an amazing Ah-ha! moment. And we can learn from people, no matter what their grade in life. I was a contest judge last fall and found myself wanting to copy down some phrases in one entry's action sequence. Here I am, the judge, and this entry was giving me new ideas when I'd hit a wall in my own writing. (Don't worry. I didn't plagerize.)
Never be too proud to listen, to learn. If you ever think you've arrived, well...maybe it's time you went back to school.
I don't remember graduating from kindergarten. I'm not even sure that I did. In eighth grade, they did kind of a talent show type thing along with the ceremony. I played the clarinet and was so nervous my tassle shook the entire song. My high school graduation was sad but exciting. My class had become pretty close, but we were ready to move on. Most of my classmates went into the medical field. Still trying to figure out how that happened. I'm officially afraid to go to the ER, because I just might know the person poking me with needles, might have seen them drooling on their pillow during class trip or something.
I graduated from college...twice! I was definitely ready to be done. I'd rather choose my own topics to research. Like women fighting during the Civil War or what '68 Camaros look like or what the daily schedule is on death row or how to make a murder look like a suicide. Doesn't that sound more fascinating than a comparison of Longfellow and Frost or something? :-)
So I'm out of school. Not wearing the gown this year. BUT in some ways I guess you're never really done, are you? In the writing world, there are four levels of writers, according to Randy Ingermanson (aka The Snowflake Guy). But even those who have graduated still attend writing conferences...and take notes! I've heard of beginning writers finding themselves sitting next to pros, like one who said she watched Francine Rivers at a conference, dutifully taking notes.
Life is like that, right? No matter how much you think you know, there is still so much more. That's what keeps things interesting. True, it can overwhelm at times, but it's invigorating when something new clicks, giving you an amazing Ah-ha! moment. And we can learn from people, no matter what their grade in life. I was a contest judge last fall and found myself wanting to copy down some phrases in one entry's action sequence. Here I am, the judge, and this entry was giving me new ideas when I'd hit a wall in my own writing. (Don't worry. I didn't plagerize.)
Never be too proud to listen, to learn. If you ever think you've arrived, well...maybe it's time you went back to school.
5/26/10
Oops...
While I have discovered the wonders of using the schedule post option on blogger--writing a month's worth of blog entries on one day and then forgetting about it--I, um, discovered one of the pitfalls, thanks to a text message from a friend.
"How was lunch?"
That's it. And I stared at my phone, thinking over the leftovers I'd made into a sandwich, and wondering why exactly she cared. So she texted me back.
"I read your blog about going to lunch with writer buddies."
Oh. Yeah. That.
Well, while all those sentiments still stand about the amazing bond, etc., etc., the lunch had to be postponed. We're hoping to do it next week. BUT I forgot to delay my post. So while I was supposed to be having a fun lunch, I was staring at a stack of papers, taping them randomly on walls, and trying to figure out how exactly to organize this monster writing project of mine. :-)
Leftovers were okay. Lunch with writer buddies will be much better. And I'll try to remember to check my blog more often. :-)
"How was lunch?"
That's it. And I stared at my phone, thinking over the leftovers I'd made into a sandwich, and wondering why exactly she cared. So she texted me back.
"I read your blog about going to lunch with writer buddies."
Oh. Yeah. That.
Well, while all those sentiments still stand about the amazing bond, etc., etc., the lunch had to be postponed. We're hoping to do it next week. BUT I forgot to delay my post. So while I was supposed to be having a fun lunch, I was staring at a stack of papers, taping them randomly on walls, and trying to figure out how exactly to organize this monster writing project of mine. :-)
Leftovers were okay. Lunch with writer buddies will be much better. And I'll try to remember to check my blog more often. :-)
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