Zee Write Stuff

2011-05-21T16:48:00.001-04:00

I'm a Gramma!

(and... my writing group is bbbbaaaacccckkkk!)

Just so you know.... my grand-daughter, Vera, was born on February 5. She's my fifth grandchild and first of the biological kind, not that I feel much difference. I love them all -- each is an individual even being so young. Personalities do show up early.

Here's a picture of Vera:

More about Vera later -- am I going to become one of those people who just blog on and on about the grandkids? Dunno... we'll see... duh... of course.

Next.... our writing group -- WeWriteStuff.com -- is having a great resurgence of activity. We've added six new members and I'm feeling rather excited. I need to get back to writing. I've been focused on sewing, quilts especially, but I really miss writing.

And here are a couple of the quilts.... the one is in flannel and for my niece, Katie, and her new soon-to-be-born baby boy; and then my Flamingo Quilt which will be entered in the Vermont State Fair this year; and finally, my Cat in the Hat Quilt -- which is two-sided. One side is only Cat in the Hat fabric and the other side is Dr. Seuss material. I made up the quilt -- from scratch! -- no pattern! I'm so thrilled. I made a couple other quilts, but this is enough bragging. (oh sure)

2010-12-20T18:00:00.002-05:00

Memory Quilt

Just a quick note to say.... had the cold for 3 Saturdays - yes, three weeks! Am just now coming out of the fog that is Cold Meds. Final exams are finito. Grades are almost -- portfolios... what WAS I thinking? Looking at about 3 hours of reading/scanning/grading. And then.... done until August 2011. Which is another subject for another time, but suffice to say this will be the first time in 30 years of teaching that I've taken any time off. Wow.

My first goal, even before grades and finals, was to finish the Memory Quilt that I've been creating for my mom. And... over the weekend, I did. Here is the final piece de resistance...

Click on the picture to see the full quilt and Casou!

The pictures start at the upper left corner and proceed in somewhat chronological order, except for the middle row where I placed pictures of my parents -- the left is from their honeymoon and the right is a shot from an anniversary. The sibling pictures are mostly standard studio sittings, photos which start with me (the first/oldest) born in 1951 (so the picture is circa 1952) and then we add one sib every couple years until we get to #4 who is one year and a day after #3 (wow Mom!). In 1966, when I was going on 15 and Mom was 40, we added #6, but I couldn't find the sitting we did when my baby sister was probably a year old? I knew exactly the picture, so I sent my brother on an errand to claim it! And he did! That was the last sitting my parents "made us" do.... Seriously, I'm guessing 1967 because I remember the dress I'm wearing -- my mom bought it for me to wear at a Christmas "semi-formal" dance -- my first at OGHS, which would have been December 1966. I remember being a bit peeved that Mom bought the dress without me (we didn't "shop" in those days) but eventually as with many things (including a pair of penny loafers she also bought me without input), I ended up loving the dress. It's kelly green with white lace and not fancy, but cotton (not so semi-formal). Sorry for the digression. Christmas always seems to flood my mind with memories of the ghosts -- people and events that have passed.

I want to post some of the pictures from the quilt, but right now I'm off to do some errands. I'll post 'em later.

2010-12-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

Sick!

And I don't mean that in a "good" way. As usual, right before a vacation, I pick up some bug or other (from my darling students? ya think?) and fall down in aches and sniffles with the darn ubiquitous crud. Lucky for me, I completely caught up with all paperwork for classes on Friday morning. Done for the moment, I could relax into the rotten cold... ick! And grab me, it did. I hopped (grumped?) into bed about 10 o'clock on Friday evening and awoke at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Whoa! Thanks to Tylenol Multi-Symptom Cold Night-time liquid (how about a little product placement, eh?). Same agenda on Saturday night: gulped down the liquid and wafted off to dreamland until 11 a.m. Sunday. Trust me, I did NOT drink any of that stuff on Sunday evening because I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. and leave for CSC at 6:30 a.m. -- cannot miss class!!! I did swallow a "daytime" capsule to get me through my classes without coughing all over my students. Thank goodness that worked.

By the way, between long bouts of sleeping, I languished on the couch with an NCIS Season 4 marathon (all the Netflix discs sent back today) and the end of Human Target, Season 1 (really FUN new show). Sick couch potato.

So... the best laid plans of mice and men did not come to fruition this weekend. My Vagabond die-cutting machine arrived! But I hardly garnered the oomph to lift the machine to the second floor and plop it on the studio work space. Alas, the beautiful machine awaits me... beckons me... whispers to me: you're not sick, come on, let's play!

Meanwhile, T!m Holtz has not stopped for love nor money. He's cranking out the 12 Tags of Christmas and today was Day 6. I'll just post all the pictures and you decide. I am going to start working on the Day 6 Tag because he has two tutorials (say that about 3 x fast) posted on his blog, showing the way to use the Vagabond. -- exactly what I need!! Can't wait to try all the nifty techniques!!

Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

If you are interested in the 12 Tags of Christmas "challenge" project and/or the Tim Holtz Distress Inks and other products, visit his blog at: http://www.timholtz.typepad.com

And today, for my Christmas Wish List, I'm adding the latest iWorks program AND a new digital movie camera. Hey! Our grandchildren will soon number 5 -- and I want to get in on the ground floor with the new bambino. Soooo, Santa won't you bring me the camera and the software? And I will make wonderful movies!!! I promise!

2010-12-02T09:01:00.003-05:00

2 Tags and One Idea for the Wish List

The 12 Tags of Christmas (a crafting/art event!) is off and running. T!m (yes, that's how he signs his name on the blog: http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/ ) Holtz designs the Christmas tags (a "tag" is a standard #8 13 pt. manila shipping tag, slightly smaller than a 4x6 photo -- a nice size and texture as a "canvas" for creating a little art gem) and teaches a variety of new techniques with each tag, uploading step-by-step photos. We're on Tag #2 today, but I'll post a picture of Tag #1 (December 1) also.

December 1

December 2

I am finishing a "memory quilt" for my mom -- with photos of our core family (sibs in formal sittings) printed on fabric and sewn into the squares. Once I am done with that project (whew!) -- I'll start making these tags. T!m archives the 12 Tags on his blog. In fact, the last 4 years' tags are available. I enjoy tweaking the designs by using whatever products and junk on hand in my studio.

I recently bought his die-cutting machine (because his is very cool and makes sense -- it's a suitcase... clever, huh? Maybe we need a little product placement? "The Vagabond" die-cutting machine by Sizzix. This machine can cut all kinds of paper AND even material (like felt!). Exciting days ahead in my studio!

Now for the Wish List. Is it too early for World Peace? Or does that go at the bottom of the list? Well, today I'm craving a new organization system for my studio. I need to re-org the shelving for my stash of fabric and art materials. I can't put my finger on an exact system, but I am ready to do something new in the studio!

We had a MAJOR wind/rain storm yesterday. And we lost a HUGE tree, which fell away from the house, over a rock wall, and into the neighbor's backyard. I guess we'll be hearing the lovely whirr of the chain saw most of the day. In fact, Steve is already among the trees, assessing damage and rolling up his sleeves. I guess I better join him!

2010-11-30T09:45:00.002-05:00

WISH LIST!

I finally found something to LOVE for Christmas. But.... do I really NEED it? No. And I can't in any universe rationalize spending... okay, I'll say it... something like $6000 on a .... sewing machine. Unless I could drive it, sail it, and it would also organize and write my syllabus each semester. Oh, and take out the compost.

Actually, the machine is amazing. It's an embroidery machine. Yesterday I saw an actual photograph that the machine stitched (yes! stitched!) onto a piece of fabric. The stitching was so fine and the shading was exact --- looked like a photo portrait. Like f-ing photoshop on a sewing machine. Wow. And the machine is programmable -- can do all the quilting in fifty bazillion styles. Right now I've been avoiding the actual quilting part of the quilts because I don't have a snazzy machine to do the stitching. Soooo....

Anyway... this is the first day of My Christmas Wish List. Since it's a Wish List and not a "real" list, I'm putting the Husqvarna Designer Ruby at the top of my list. I don't see it listed at Amazon, so here's the direct link: http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/us/2820_19505.htm

Weather here: expecting 50 mph winds and mild temperatures at about 40 degrees. Yay Stick Season!

2010-11-27T17:51:00.000-05:00

12 Tags of Christmas!!!

I'm excited because Tim Holtz announced the 12 Tags of Christmas for 2010!!! I've posted my tags and linked to the Tim Holtz blog, website, and products in the past. I will do so againg this year.

This project (well, actually 12 projects if you count each separate tag) is creative, invigorating, and just plain FUN. Every year I am sure that I have all the products to make the tags, but then Tim Holtz throws in a new product or a new way to use a product that I do not own. The fun of developing these tags while following directions, yet making my own tweaks creates a wonderland in my studio.

The crazy, creative journey starts December 1st Can't wait!

Here's the link to the T!m Holtz blog, where you will find a cool announcement video and archives of each year's 12 Tags:

http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/

Here's the annoucement (I'm attempting to embed it.... cross your fingers)

2010-11-01T16:13:00.004-04:00

NANOWRIMO

Friends, Romans, and fellow writers!! NaNoWriMo is here! Yes, it is..... National Novel Writing Month! Every November writers around the world start tapping out a 50,000 novel in 30 days. Yes. You heard me.

50,000 words in 30 days.

This amounts to a pace of...... 1667 words per day.

Every.

Day.

Oy! I have signed the pledge every November for the past five years, and I have... as yet... NOT completed a novel of 50,000 words. I have approached 30,000 words on a couple occasions. But not the requisite 50,000.

Flu, finals, friends, and house guests -- those are a few of my excuses.

The dread dead middle of the book --- ah! that's the real problem, so 'tis, my darlings.

Well, I am off to start on my Writers Journey. And yes, if you do want a GREAT book about writing and movies and classic heroes questing through time and space, love and laughter, fear and courage -- here you go (link and image here from Amazon) -- Christopher Vogler's, The Writer's Journey. I use this book to teach Western Lit by following each hero's journey, and most of my students enjoy the focus of the course. They also tell me they will never look at a movie the same way again. Cool, huh?

Meanwhile, this year for NaNo, I have absolutely NO idea what I'm writing. Last year I was deep into a spy novel. Since I cannot use a novel I'm already writing, I've got to come up with a New Idea. Oy yoi yoi.

Well, I am going to employ some sneaky ways to get to a start -- I am going to use The Writer's Toolbox (yet another product placement for this blog -- ah ha... do you think I will ever make money here? NO). Anyway.... this little box has "sixth sense" cards, three sets of 20 popsicle sticks (that's 60!) each with sentences introducing ideas, and four spinners: Obstacles, Goals, Protagonist, and Action.

Whew! All I have to do is spin, pluck, and deal. Et voila! A novel. Or maybe an inkling of an idea? I hope so.

I'll be writing about my journey here.... if I am awake and able. Coffeeeeeeeee!

***Meanwhile, I have one note for whoever attempted to comment on my previous post. Okay, more like four notes. With reference to The Four Agreements, too.

1. Always be impeccable with your word. If you stand by the courage of your convictions, why would you attempt to post by signing "Anonymous"?

2. Don't assume anything. You assume a lot. You assume that because my blog offered no comments after the post, that I had somehow censored the comments. Dude... I had no comments because nobody reads my blog. Rarely have I any comments to read. At all. Duh.

3. Always do your best. Do you really think anybody wants to allow obnoxious, rude, denigrating comments to their blog? You might want to re-think the Civility tone. Seriously. Calling the blogger names is not a good idea. Actually, as a rule of thumb in life, don't call people names. I figure if you're calling names, you are the one with the issue, not me.

4. Don't take anything personally. I had to sift comments for odd reasons which have nothing whatever to do with politics or anyone else's point of view. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes crazy relatives are crazy. But I'm betting most people need a refresher course in Projection. Look it up.

I'm jus' sayin'......

Final product placement... The Four Agreements

Back to writing that novel ...

2010-09-11T08:39:00.005-04:00

End the Right Wing Election Hatred Cycle

Now they are going after Muslims. The hateful actions of the right wing, left completely unchecked and uncriticized by any "leadership" on the right, call into question their love of the Constitution and the USA. This nation's very existence is based on religious tolerance. The Pilgrims arrived on the shores of this land because they sought refuge from religious persecution. The reason we have a "First Amendment" is to specifically protect those freedoms we cherish. And religious tolerance is the first and most dear on the list, combined inexorably with freedom of speech, which means freedom of communication with ANY deity, freedom to worship in ANY community, and also, freedom not to believe. We hold the First Amendment (and the rest of the Constitution) as a sacred trust for which men and women have given their lives.

How then, do these radical rightwing crazies justify their hatred and intolerance? They cannot keep waving the Constitution in our faces and at the same time spit on it. Okay, well... they "can" because they have no shame. They seem to be ignorant to the core -- not only of the law itself, but of the real lives of their fellow Americans. Clueless, spiteful, and of course, in complete fear of "the other." That's it in a nutshell. They have been told that they (mostly white Christian males) are the foundation of this nation, that they are "special" and this nation was created for them. When they hear "with liberty and justice for all," they see white faces and their own community, not a wave of faces ranging from Italian marbleworkers in Vermont to Cajuns in Louisiana; not Chinese building railroads in the West to Irish laboring in the bit cities of the East; not slaves shackled in the South or Swedish mail-order brides riding across the prairies of the midwest. And they certainly never see the faces of the real owners of this land -- Native Americans of all tribes and communities. No, these rightwing "conservatives" harbor little real knowledge or love of the history of this nation. They see nothing but themselves and their narrow world of ideas.

If we want this hatred to stop we need to put a real face on the target -- just as we have with other groups the fringe-rightwing have made into targets right before elections. Muslims are real people, living and working and struggling andsacrificing for this country in our communities, next door to us, in the seat beside us on the bus or the desk in front of us in school -- every day. They aren't cartoon characters and they aren't stereotypes. We are all the same-- living life to the best of our abilities, caring for our loved ones, and loving this country -- and the more we understand this, the more compassion we have for each other and ourselves.

Trading on fear and hatred has become a way of life for the fringe-rightwing. If it's not gays, it's "liberals"; if it's not Mexicans, it's welfare moms. If it's not the unemployed, it's the "educated elitists." If it's not labor unions, it's "women who take jobs from men." Every election cycle they prod their base by heating up the fear rhetoric. When will the base realize they've been used? The right wing had house, senate, white house and even the Supreme Court and they didn't repeal Roe v. Wade, end gay marriage, stop illegal immigration, privatize Social Security and Medicare, or shut down welfare. Wake up, moderate Republicans; you're being used.

End the hatred cycle now: VOTE!

Vote for responsible leadership by putting an "X" next to the names of those who are on record against the hatred. Read, in a variety of media, what candidates say -- and look for real answers, not evasions. Research their stands on recent issues and look for answers that uphold the dignity of ALL citizens.

2010-08-16T08:24:00.001-04:00

SUMMER FADES

I haven't posted in ages. I wonder how many bloggers start a post with a line like that at least once a year? every six months? monthly? Well, I'm baaaaacccccckkkkkk. A part of me considers this idle time wherein I could be "really" writing -- back to The Cheesy Christmas Story or Molly or The Last Spy or Magic in the Mix or... well, you get the idea. I could be writing.

But this really, truly is WRITING. And it's a good way to get myself back in the swing, the saddle, the line-up... (or another metaphor). The summer has delivered lovely and lazy days, great for rejuvenation, not that I need much. Here's what's up:

1. I finished the 5k. Ran all the way. Well, almost. Just walked up that last little hill. Ugh. I was the slowest runner in the pack. I could have walked faster than I ran. BUT... as my friend Betty Ryberg continues to remind me: "you beat everyone who didn't run at all." Okay, that's weak, but I'll take it. I did beat those who slept in on the morning of the race. I realize now how much fear I was carrying about running and how that impeded my progress. I'm working on actually RUNNING now, not jogging. And yes.... I continue to run three times per week, usually every-other-day -- MWF or Tu/Th plus either Sat or Sun. I must confess, however, to abstaining during the height of the humidity. No can do. It's just too too overwhelming -- I can't work for the rest of the day if I start out all sweaty and exhausted. Usually running in the morning exhilarates the rest of my day, but not when I'm a wet dishrag after running in the humidity. One more thing -- I never really ran 3 miles until the 5K race. Yep. That was a surprise. I have been training by time and not by distance. I haven't changed that ... yet. But if I ever (ha ha ha ha ha) sign up for another race, I'll have to find a distance and stick to it. But I'll repeat: ha ha ha ha ha... on that future race idea.

2. Lots of sewing. Quilts, clothes, bitty booties.... ooooooooh... that brings me to #3... (drumroll)...

3. The BIG NEWS: I'm gonna be a grandmother. Now this takes some explaining, since I'm already a grandma. I'm a grandmother to my husband's kids' children. In essence, I'm a step-grandmother. But I've always considered myself a grandmother (although I admit to having a bit of hurt feeling when one of the kids told my husband that I "wasn't really in the family").

My son and his wife (wedding pictures from summer 2009 here somewhere in the archive) are expecting my first biological grandchild in February. I suspect I'll feel something a little different with this bambino. I'm not sure. I would hope my love is equal to the task of surrounding all five (5!) amazing grandchildren -- each with his or her own personality. But you just never know what will happen, do you? I am excited and happy and looking forward. I love connecting in this even with Geoff and Carrie who are unique and delightful in my eyes. Watching them welcome a new life will be inspiring. Oh, it is already. Do you know what they did? They sent me a digital sound byte of the baby's heartbeat. Did I cry? Oh, please. Tissue fairies have been alerted!

I'm sure I have more news, but I'm so not sure anybody's actually reading. I'll get back to ... SYLLABUSVILLE. I'm taking off the Spring Semester 2011, so I've got 3 classes now for which I need to prep and organize. Oy!

2010-06-23T13:30:00.002-04:00

TRAINING

I'm officially "in training" for the 5K Race on July 17th. That means I've moved from the treadmill to the.... omg.... open road. Okay, the open cul de sac in front of our house. I'm not venturing out of the vicinity while plugged into my iPod. But...Yes, I'm running on pavement, taking inclines, and trotting downhill. Twenty four hours after that first session on the road, I could barely move. Everything ached and twinged and basically hurt, especially my shins which to this point had never given me a bit of alert that they were experiencing a stretch or deviation from the norm. Of course my mind zipped right over to 'shin splints' and I fretted a bit but then waited out the next days and figured I was okay when everything seemed to return to the regular aches and pains of age. Not that I have many of those -- I don't. But you know, sometimes I creak and pop when I'm bounding down the stairs in the morning. Doesn't everyone?

Today something very nice happened. Steve asked if he could run along with me. Now he has signed up for the 5K Race but he hasn't been sure if he'll do the run or the walk. I'm IN for the run, and I thought he was, too. But I guess he's still weighing his options. He kept up fine today.

I've returned to the "Couch to 5K in 9 Weeks" program. I wasn't too far in the 10K program, but I was still running around 2 minutes and walking equally. I thought even though the 10K program was longer in duration (it runs for about 50 minutes) I wasn't going to get to 30 minutes for awhile. I need to bring myself up to running 30 minutes or more at a time with no walking breaks. I began the 5K program at Week 4 and I'm into Week 5 now. Because Steve ran with me, I decided to repeat the 5 minutes run/3 minutes walk session. Next is run 8 minutes and walk 5 minutes. That would have been a hefty shift for him because he hasn't been running at all. The last two times on pavement I've been fine, feeling much better in fact. Thank goodness. I was beginning to think I couldn't get off the treadmill.

In the interest of product placement, I'll tell you that I am reading/listening an interesting, if not odd, book. This author is new to me and the book is very popular this summer. It's building slowly with lots of characters to keep straight and story threads that are sure to intersect soon. The Passage, by Justin Cronin. My copy is from Audible.com and is being read by Scott Brick who I've come to admire as a vocalizer of thrillers. I can also recommend Kill the Messenger, by Tami Hoag which is also read by Scott Brick. He has a great voice for edgy male characters.

Back to the studio! It's a beautiful, cool (75 degrees) day with muggy undertones that whisper "thunderstorm." Perfect for creating new ZeeStuff.

2010-06-08T00:41:00.003-04:00

Sit Down Before You Start Reading!

Okay, now that you're sitting, maybe you should have a cold glass of water in the vicinity -- just in case you feel faint. I know I need one... right now. Because...

I signed up for a The Susan B. Komen 5K Race in Manchester, VT on July 17.

Did you pass out when you read that? I nearly did -- by just writing the words.

I know. I know. I swore on this very site that I would NOT be running in any real 5K races. Nope. Nada. Nyet. No dice. But.....

I've also had a little "vacation" from running since school ended, what with going to South Carolina and to a workshop in Boston this past weekend.

I must return to the treadmill and get ready for this race. I cannot believe I signed up, but if you are reading and you would like to donate, here's: My Personal Race Page

Time to go nitey nite. More later -- I must change my ways --- I'm.... in training (cue the Rocky music)

2010-04-28T11:26:00.002-04:00

Whoda Thunk It?

I jumped out of bed at 4:50 a.m. (yes... AM) and stumbled to my studio where I had stashed my workout clothes and running shoes, in addition to my headphone and a Klean Kanteen of water. Dressed, stretched and started the "Couch to 10K" program by 5:05 am.

I wanted to see if I could. I did. But I'm still sayin' that I am not "in love" with running and I'm definitely not in love with getting up at 4:50 a.m. to run. Or rather, at this point in the training sessions, mostly walk. Since I'm now training for 10K, the workout this morning was 51 minutes built on increments of 1 minute run and 4 minutes walk. I think the idea at this point is to get used to "moving" for 51 minutes. I assume that a 10K is an hour because I finished the 5K program by running for 30 minutes (no walking breaks at all).

Seriously, dude, I don't see myself running for 50 minutes. Seriously.

But then again, I never thought I'd leave my warm bed at 4:50 a.m. (AM!!!) when I didn't have to. And even more miraculous is rising at 4:50 a.m. (AM!) in order to .... run. OMG... pigs are flying somewhere.

p.s. I finished that first Mary Russel/Sherlock Holmes book by Laurie R. King entitled The Beekeeper's Apprentice, and now need something else for this running gig. I'm on the lookout for a good book -- a good "listen."

Oh, and here's a shameless product placement. This is a really really good listen:
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. Don't let the funky cover fool you. This is a hoot and will keep you on your toes!

2010-04-19T13:26:00.007-04:00

zPad!
or why I love my latest Apple device

Let's face it. Vermont is remoteville. And I will confess that many of us live in this remote spot simply because it is... remote. But sometimes the very idea of not being connected creeps up on us. I mean, we are pretty much 2-3 hours from ANYWHERE "normal," like Boston or Albany. Even Burlington, Vt is 2 hours from where I live and they don't have a Nordstroms. See what I mean? I live in a far outpost of civilization, on the edge of the frontier. Sometimes our only link with the trappings of civilization, which I usually just ignore or eschew (whichever word sounds dandiest), is via the UPS or FedEx "guy."

And such was my experience about noon on Saturday, April 3rd, when my WONDERFUL zPad miraculously arrived at my front door in the arms of the UPS delivery guy (it's too early in the season for short pants so no ogling). In some ways I would guess my experience with the unveiling of the iPad was superior to those who stood in line all over the United States. I sipped coffee and contemplated my navel as I waited for the little bugger to show up. I was warm and comfy and mellow. I could and did sync my device as soon as it arrived. I could and did curl up in a little ball of delight to read a novel almost immediately, if not sooner. Yes, I did miss the ambiance of standing in line with fellow techies and non-techies (supposedly those who are more trendies than techies but it all works out in the end). I know, I know -- the group camaraderie might have been a nice side bit (I once awaited the arrival of a Harry Potter book with a motley crew of like-minded readers in line outside a bookstore in Glastonbury, England -- a treasured vignette in my mind's eye), the group's energy swelling my anticipation even more and giving me more memories for the scrapbook that is my life, BUT I am very pleased that my zPad was delivered safe and sound and was revealed to be as wonderful as I imagined it would be as soon as I ripped open the box!

I plugged the sleek little gizmo into my MacPro and pro-ceeded ("me" being the Pro) to sync some music, two movies (Julie and Julia, The Frog Princess), a television show, two podcasts (Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann -- my heroes!), and some wickedly great apps. Then I clicked through some FREE books -- the classics are free! Wow! All this I synced on my zPad in approximately 20 minutes. Seriously, no hassles.

For apps, I purchased the trio from iWork, included Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. I use all three in their full versions, and figured this would bridge to using the zPad at work. In fact, I have already given two keynote presentations (Keynote is the Apple version of Power Point and the zPad version of Keynote is soooo cool because all the manipulation of slides and dynamics are via finger moves). Since I am using zPad for work, it's a "write off!" How cool is that? I teach Western Literature and every book I cover is offered free at both iBooks (the iTunes Store for Books) and Amazon (I am using the free Kindle reader for iPad): Pride and Prejudice, Oedipus, The Odyssey, Hamlet, and parts of the Old Testament. I also saw Beowulf, although I'm not using it this semester. The only piece we read that I couldn't find (yet) for free is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. But if students only have to pay for one book, at probably $10, that's a far cry from close to $100 for all the pieces in one or two books. Currently, I use the Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Volume 1 and The Annotated Pride and Prejudice.

The best news for students is that the Kindle Reader is now downloadable (is that a word?) for almost any laptop or electronic device: iPhone, PC, MacBook, and so on. My students could read the free versions of these pieces and could bring their laptops to class for referencing. The only thing missing would be page numbers or in the case of Shakespeare, line/page numbers, which I like to use to focus attention on specific areas. Oh well. Sooner or later all this will be fixed, too.

I am looking forward to taking the zPad on vacation (coming May 17-24 on Sullivans Island), not lugging around a boatload of books. Although, in my own best interest I really should delve into my basket of "to be read" paperbacks -- said basket in the office/library now overflowing with a second smaller basket located next to my bed. Oy.

In addition to Keynote presentations, I have set up the zPad for our vacation by using the spreadsheet program, Numbers. Instead of writing everything down in a notebook, I will be able to record expenses and figure gas mileage with the flick of a finger. I can even keep a little journal and insert any pictures I'm taking.... Wow! Now, in defense of technology, I could have been doing this with my laptop on every vacation we've taken in the last ten years, but I was still working with a 3 ring binder. Silly me. I've finally seen the light! I will, however, continue to do Morning Pages for The Artist's Way in handwriting using my favorite pen and ink in a rather large lined journal designated for these musings.

My assessment of the zPad so far? MARVELOUS! Iniitally, I just wanted an ebook reader and as you can see from all my spewings above, I have received soooo much more. But back to the ebook reader, that, too is FAB! The Kindle reader plugs me into almost any book (well, not Harry Potter, darn it!) in the Amazon store. The Apple ebook reader program, iBook, while connected to its own bookstore, provides an elegant reading experience once you settle down with your cuppa, some snacks and a comfy corner chair. The pages turn galantlyand any color pictures are dazzling. The zPad came loaded with Winnie the Pooh. Do you remember the beautiful illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard? If you don't, you really owe yourself the treat of a leisurely look through the color version of this book. I'm sure your public library has a copy.

But if not.... maybe you could buy an iPad in the hopes that the Apple folks are still delivering Pooh with purchase. Just don't expect me to share... at the moment. I'm smitten and holding on tight to my zPad!

2010-04-17T12:28:00.004-04:00

Finished!
or.... I. DID. IT.

Of course, this begs the major question in life: are we ever really finished?

Today was the LAST DAY in "Couch to 5K in 9 Weeks." I never missed a day, never took a "vacation," never quit the sequence of 3x per week with one day at least between workouts. And most of all -- I never, despite the voice of doom every session, gave into my inner weenie -- I never slacked in any workout!!! Never took a break within the session. Never "paused" the button. Never switched to walking while I should have been running. No. I did the workouts exactly as the program required.

I started on February 16th , with 60 seconds of jogging broken by 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. I ended today, April 17th, with 30 minutes of jogging (no intervals of walking since back on March 25th at Week 6 Day 2.

I'm very proud of myself, I must say. I know that sounds corny, but HEY(!), I've also been honest about being the couch in this program -- a bookworm who seriously isn't into running. I've been honest about not really "running" since I graduated from high school back in 1969. And even then, I liked sprints plus a lot of burst in playing field hockey. I loved field hockey, which does require a lot of running.

Here I go with product placement, but what the heck. I signed up as an Amazon Associate mainly to give full credit, on my ZeeStuffVt.com website, to a mentor or two of mine -- Christie Friesen and Tim Holtz. As long as I'm giving them a boost (well, maybe)(I should hope someone gets interested in their books), I'll share the book I'm currently listening to while I run.

Now it's The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie R. King. No matter where I look for good books to download to my iPad (or zPad as I call it), her name pops up with great reviews. She's written several in the series, but this is the first one. I always prefer to start with the first book of a series. Sometimes the first book isn't the best, but I still like to understand the origins of the character and the writer. Does that sound snobby? I hope not. Anyway, I just started this one and I love the tenor of the story -- well, it's story within story within story, in a very interesting and quite visual way. I think I shall be well able to recommend The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

By the way, here are the two books that I list on my website:
Christie Friesen, for all things polymer clay and whimsy with Steampunkery

And Tim Holtz's recent TERRIFIC book which offers layers and layers of distress and altered art techniques, A Compendium of Curiosities

I own and use both these books. If you want to see what I call wearable art, go to ZeeStuffVt.com and check it out. Thanks.

Okay! Now I need to figure out what to do next -- I'm soooo not done with this C25K thingy.

2010-04-13T16:05:00.001-04:00

Why?

Ever wonder why 30 minutes feels so much more tickety tockety, more TIME, than 28 minutes? Well, maybe because it is actually two whole minutes more. But I'm thinking it's because we can call it a HALF HOUR. Yeah, I just ran a HALF HOUR. Will I ever be running for a full hour? Nope. Never gonna happen. I'm not running for speed here. No, I'm running to keep a promise to myself; I'm running for the session to be over, finito, done. Done feels great. The running part? Not so much. I'm not in pain (not really -- a little tightness, but not pain; not even my knees which have had issues). But I don't really enjoy the experience. Wah, wah, wah, huh? No. I do like when I'm done: how much I love the shower, the cup of tea, the book I'll be reading on my iPad.

Oh, my iPad.... or zPad as I call it. That's another topic for a non-running day. But I do love it already.

Day 1, Week 9 of "Couch to 5k in 9 Weeks" is now one for the record books. I completed 30 minutes of running with no breaks for walking except 5 minutes warm up before the timing started and 5 minutes of cool down after the 30 minutes of running ended. That's 40 minutes for a woman who hasn't really moved that much since 1969. Time to celebrate? Maybe this coming Saturday -- the LAST DAY.

For now, I'll just savor my after-run ritual. I'm off to the showers. Then tea and a book. I guess the running part brings me some bits of joy. Oh, and the losing 13 pounds so far? Not bad. Not half bad. Not even Half an Hour bad. ha ha ha.

2010-04-11T19:50:00.002-04:00

Week 8
Day 3

Whew! This morning I finished Week 8. The focal point of Week 8 is running for 28 minutes with no breaks for walking. As in... none, nyet, nada, zip, zero, zed. I think you get the picture. I'm still not in love with running. Each session this week I've thought, "I can't do this" or "I've got to stop" but then something kept me going to the end.

Here's the deal. I'm running (okay JOGGING) on a treadmill. I seriously doubt this would transfer to a road or an outdoor venue of any kind. I'm not experiencing hills or even slight inclines. I'm just jogging along at a rather steady and rather casual pace. Except I am sweating. Yes. But I still don't see myself doing a 5K. Run in front of people? Nah. I'm totally bonded to my treadmill, thank-you-very-much.

Meanwhile I'll let you know what book I'm listening to now. Not bad -- a remake of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, which by the way, I just finished (free!) on my iPad. Yes, I have an iPad, but I named mine zPad. I really do love it already. I've been reading with it pretty much the whole break. Anyway, back to the book. Sometimes a bit whiney but on the whole OK. I don't know how it's going to turn out because the author veers away just enough from Austen to throw a reader off the scent. But, you could do worse. Three stars out of five (I'm a tough critic) for The Three Weissmanns of Westport.

2010-04-09T10:56:00.000-04:00

ZeeAras!

I want to share another new category of ZeeStuff. I'm seriously not ready for prime time with these, but I am having fun... AND that's what counts.... right? Right!

I've asked the ZeeBears to wear the ZeeAras and they were thrilled to be modeling again. I did post the ZeeWands, didn't I? I'll have to scan back and check. I've been so busy documenting my "C25K" experience that I may have overlooked the ZeeWands. Oops. For those of you new to ZeeSpeak, we're talking wands and tiaras and bears, OH MY! That sounds boring, doesn't it? I'm back to ZeeAras. Enjoy!

2010-04-08T12:11:00.002-04:00

28 Minutes!

I should look back at the first few posts I made when I started this "Couch to 5K in 9 Weeks" program. I bet I'll be mortified.... abso-eff-ing-lutely mortified. I mean... duh... I was huffing and puffing and considering 60 seconds to be a lot of running.

Yikes! Yesterday was Week 8 Day 1, and I ran 28 minutes with no walking breaks. I did. Yes, at times I thought about giving up and I thought a lot about... WHY THE HECK AM I DOING THIS??? I can see "Resistance" (really, you gotta read "The War of Art," by Steven Pressfield, and you'll start understanding the insidiousness of "Resistance") looming. Resistance is really pissed off that I'm doing this running gig. Resistance wants a piece of the action. Creeping Resistance.... when I put off running; when I can't find my shoes; don't have the right water bottle. You know the drill... Resistance wants me to succomb to his charms. NOPE! I'm going to win! Take that, Resistance!!!

I'm in this until the end. Week 9 Day 3 and we party. Then what? Dunno. But I won't stop keeping in shape. I really need to work on toning my arms. My arms suck major. I feel like somebody's grandma. Oh, sorry. I really AM somebody's grandma. I just sooooo do NOT want to have Bingo Arms. This is my next project. Well, it will be my tandem project. That is... body project. Run and lift weight.

Meanwhile, here are the latest ZeePins: Winged Hearts!! These are $12.00 each at ZeeStuffVt.com

2010-04-02T22:16:00.002-04:00

Run, Interrupted

But... I'm Baaaacccckkk!

Yes! They thought I was down and out; they thought I was through; they thought I was quitting....
Who the hell are "they"??? NOBODY! I'm making it up as I go.
But.... I did wander in from the trenches on Wednesday with a terrible, awful, no-good sickness: high temperature, aches all over, and nausea. I went to bed at 9 pm and didn't wake up again until 2pm the next day. My usual running day is Thursday, but Thursday was "I am sick" day and no amount of chicken soup could recoup my energy or my equilibrium. On the couch I stayed.

Miraculously, I felt 100% this morning! Off to work with me! And when I got home, I laced up the new shoes (which are divine, I must say) and hit the treadmill. Oy! You know, just one missed day (which is not so bad because the program builds in a break between workouts) really takes a bit of wind out of the sails, if you know what I mean. When I ran that one by Steve, he had to tell me not only that he knew what I meant, but then I had to hear a litany of how he's older than me and man has he the experience of age to tell me how I'll experience aging. You know.... sort of "one-upsmanship" every time I have any health issues. It's not that I want validation, but sheesh, I'd like to have my own aches and pains and maybe even a teeeny tiny bit of sympathy. But nooooooo.... if I've "got it," then he's "had it" worse or longer or more painfully than I did or do or will. Men? You think? Dunno. But it was funny... We were sitting on the front porch today (it was 75 or more and LOVELY, like summer) and I think I mentioned about some twinge or pain or something, and right away he started to say how he had the same.... and then... he STOPPED himself and looked at me and said, "yeah, I guess I do that." Meaning... he does that one-upsmanship thing. Well, I guess noticing is the first step. I'm sure we all do it; I'm sure I do it. I'll just be more careful, too.

Meanwhile, back at the corral, I was strapping on my shoes and hitting the treadmill. And it was HARD today. Today was Week Seven, Day 2. And that meant.... 25 minutes of uninterrupted jogging. It was the third time I did this gig, and I thought that meant I'd be into it, no sweat. But somehow, whether it was the break of one extra day between workouts or being sick yesterday, I struggled to finish. BUT... FINISH I DID!!!!

Let's face it. I'm not WINNING the 5k... I'm just going to be able to THINK that I can sign up for a 5k. Seriously, I'm just jogging and jogging with slow, deliberate strides. I'm trying to avoid looking at the time left or anything to do with the ticking of that 25 minutes. I do so love when the dear voice says, "half way." So cheerful and seductive. I"m almost screaming, "OMG... it's only half way" but the other side of my personality is screaming, "Yipppppeeee! Half way!" I think, over all, I'm a glass half full kinda gal. Gal? Did I just type "gal"? Omg... I'm going to be drummed out of NOW, aren't I?

Since I'm "off" my days, I've decided to get up early on Sunday and run before we head off to Boston for a little Easter gig with the kids. I just don't see myself waiting all the way 'til Tuesday (when we'll be back late Monday night). That would be harsh re-starting and I don't want to do that again. I'll just get on the treadmill about 7 a.m. and off by 7:45 and hit the showers and we can leave the casa at about 8:30 a.m., if I'm all organized the night before -- and why not?

It's not that I "like" this running thing. No. It's more that I'm stubborn and when I commit to something, I commit. Sometimes it's fleeting, but usually if I get to the point where I'm in the Stubborn Zone, I can follow through for a long time. For example, they put a candy machine in the faculty room at SMJHS and I vowed never to buy candy. And I never did. Not once in 20 years. I committed to it, and I stuck to it. The same goes for McDonalds in Rutland. Never been in the McD's here and never plan to be in either one. Yeah, we have 2 in Rutland. Odd for a state where we don't have a McDonalds in the capital city of Montpelier. And we only have three Starbucks (I think it's still only 3) in the entire state, and they are all in Burlington. None in Rutland, although we're always hearing rumors. Anyway... I won't be eating at McDonalds in Rutland, but if they add a Starbucks, yeah, I'm IN! See? Stubborn! which is what's keeping me running. I said I would do it, and I am. No stops, no weenie moves, no half-assed attempts. I haven't missed a session yet, even with being sick yesterday, I'm still aiming to finish Week 7 while I'm still actually IN Week 7.

Rock on!

2010-03-27T15:42:00.001-04:00

Week 6, Day 3 --
Run: 25 minutes
No breaks...
Hey, I rocked the session!!!

2010-03-27T10:12:00.002-04:00

Weird?!
Okay... um... Week 6 of C25k (oh, that's the new short version of ... "Couch to 5K in 9 Weeks") so far has been truly odd.

Remember back...... to that terrible-awful-no-good day in Week 5 (last Saturday to be exact) when I looked at the screen and was told to run for 20 minutes without breaks? Well, I did. And I didn't collapse from fatigue. I wondered what they could throw at me next.

Was I ever surprised (yet again). We were back to intervals of running and walking on Week 6 Day 1. Hmmm. Now between that last session on Week 5 and the first session on Week 6 the app downloaded an update. Do you think they had a glitch at Week 5 Day 3? Do you think... horrors!... that I ran 20 minutes unfettered for... NO REASON????? Oh well.

Week 6 Day 1, which was Tuesday, March 23, was a build up, like this: Warm Up walk 5 / Run 5 / Walk 3 / Run 8 / Walk 3 / Run 5 / Cool Down Walk 5. After running non-stop for 20 minutes on the previous Saturday, I must admit that this interval stuff was... dare I say it?.... easy. Okay, I said it. Now I'm waiting for the zap from Zeus or whatever god is in charge. Probably Hermes. You know.. the runner, messenger god with the little wings on his heels. He's pretty gay, so I'd guess no zaps, just a slap and a finger wag.

Week 6 Day 2 on Thursday was pretty straightforward: Warm up walk 5 / Run 10 / Walk 3 / Run 10 / Cool Down walk 5. Maybe that was the missing link session?

I have no idea what I'm facing in a few minutes. It's Saturday and I'm laced up and ready to go. Just finished my breakfast: 1 cup real oatmeal (not that instant crap), 1/2 cup cherries (defrosted, organic), 1/2 oz mini chocolate chips. It's pretty much YUM. I put the chocolate chips on when the oatmeal is hot. They melt and the whole mix is very creamy. The cherries make it Cherry Garcia Oatmeal. If you want Banana Split Oatmeal just substitute 1/2 banana, sliced and a couple strawberries, also sliced. If it's still winter (duh, we're experiencing a blast of arctic air wafting o'er our newly sprouted crocus) where you live, defrost some you stashed in your freezer for smoothies.

I don't know whether it's the running finally catching up with me, or the fact that I've been absolutely religious about writing down what I eat and the points (yes, I'm a Weight Watchers person), but I have lost 13 pounds so far this semester -- well, in the last 6 weeks. I started both programs at the same time, and I must say, I'm feeling quite empowered by both.

Remember where I said I had no intention of running a 5K? Well.... I was reading some reviews of C25K --- digression: the iTunes App Store has two versions, at least, of this program. I'm using the one that has a brown and white logo with 5K on the front -- continuing.... I noticed that many reviewers were extolling the virtues of this program and writing that they, indeed, ran their first ever 5K after completing the 9 weeks. I've only been running on a treadmill, so I'm not sure what I'm ready for in the real world. I like the treadmill for many reasons, the main one of which has been the weather -- as in, I don't have to worry about it. I've been looking out the window at snow, sleet, rain, and now sunshine (although today it's 24 degrees despite the brilliant sun). I don't see how I could run with earbuds. I'm using my Bose headphones while on the treadmill and they're fab. I can't see myself running on the street without getting hit by a car because I had my mind wrapped around a program on my iPhone which was strapped to my... what?... arm? I can't see it. So, if I can't run outside with the program, how can I switch to running a race outside? You see my dilemma (and my mixed up mind), eh? But ... I have 3 more weeks to concern myself about the next level. I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Onward to the end of Week 6.

2010-03-22T18:51:00.001-04:00

10 Immediate Benefits

Health Care Reform

Here are ten benefits which come online within six months of the President's signature on the health care bill:

Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 27th birthday
Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
No more lifetime or annual caps on coverage
Free preventative care for all
Adults with pre-existing conditions may buy into a national high-risk pool until the exchanges come online. While these will not be cheap, they’re still better than total exclusion and get some benefit from a wider pool of insureds.
Small businesses will be entitled to a tax credit for 2009 and 2010, which could be as much as 50% of what they pay for employees’ health insurance.
The “donut hole” closes for Medicare patients, making prescription medications more affordable for seniors.
Requirement that all insurers must post their balance sheets on the Internet and fully disclose administrative costs, executive compensation packages, and benefit payments.
Authorizes early funding of community health centers in all 50 states (Bernie Sanders’ amendment -- oh by the way MY SENATOR!!!). Community health centers provide primary, dental and vision services to people in the community, based on a sliding scale for payment according to ability to pay.
AND no more rescissions. Effective immediately, you can't lose your insurance because you get sick.

Cross post from http://ushealthcrisis.com/2010/03/if-the-senate-bill-passes-heres-what-happens-immediately/

2010-03-20T14:04:00.001-04:00

Can you say ... SURPRISE!?!
(Surprise! Surprise!)

Week 5, Day 2 was on Thursday and BOY HOWDY! was I surprised, but that was topped by Week 5, Day 3. Talk about SHIFTS in consciousness! Wow. Really wow. Let's go back to 5.2, shall we?

I've been lulled into certain expectations on this "Couch to 5K" program. Each week the program changes -- upping the ante, so to speak. The new set of walk/run times would change on the first day of the week and remain the same for the 3 workouts of that week. The "run" times would increase, the walk times would change, too. Sometimes it was the spacing -- short breaks of walking between runs, or fewer breaks. But the pattern for 4 weeks has been that whatever changed on Day 1 of the week, continued for that week.

Then I turned on the Week 5 Day 2 program, all set to do that crazy 5 mintues of running that I did on Day 1 of week 5 ... and.... OMG! The program changed. EIGHT (8) minutes of running with a five minute break for walking, then another 8 minutes of running. My eyes bugged out when I saw. Could I actually run for 8 minutes without a break? Seriously, I didn't think so. But I didn't waiver. I am following this program to the letter. In 5 weeks, I have not missed a day of workout. And that means, I follow the number of minutes and I do what that lovely voices tells me to do.

I'm glad nobody was home when I did this Day 2 workout. By the last 8 minutes of running, I was coercing myself to continue like a cheerleader at a football game. I can do this! I can do this! I was chanting (albeit breathlessly) aloud and exhorting myself to finish the program. AND I DID!!!! Whew!

Today was Day 3 of the week and I figured we'd be repeating that 8 minute set repetition, so I girded my loins (as much as I could gird). In fact, I put off doing the workout for as long as I could and then I thought "this is nuts, it's just running for 8 minutes and you've already done that." So, I strapped on the iPhone and my headphones and turned on the book I'm reading (okay, I'm still trying to finish The Winter Garden by Kirsten Hannah -- you know, the book with the whiniest main character in the history of main characters (I hate her). Spoiler alert: her husband (FINALLY) left her... but she's still being a jerk). And then, I switched on my good ol' reliable "Couch to 5K" app.

OMG! I thought I was surprised on Day 2 of this week, but .... the program was completely different AGAIN! In fact, I slowed the treadmill (I had started the warm up portion of the program) and stepped off for a few seconds to grab my glasses and read the fine print. YEP..... those little words actually spelled out....

20 MINUTES OF RUNNING and NO WALKING BREAKS.

None. Nada. Nyet. Oh my! Straight 20 minutes of running. The warm up is 5 minutes and the cool down is 5 minutes. But in between, I'm running for 20 f-ing minutes.

For some odd reason, I didn't stress out. I just figured if worse came to worse, I'd slow down on my own and walk. Would that be weak? Would that be giving in to resistance (book note... everyone should read: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, who also wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance... and then you'll "get" the whole resistance thing).

I started. I continued. I RAN FOR 20 MINUTES!!!!

I must say, I feel pretty much pumped by my little teeny tiny accomplishment today. All the little people raise their hands...

Product placement note. Yesterday, I bought some new shoes -- My. First. Running Shoes. Ever. They are Nike Xccelerators. Great shape. Light. And they absorb the shock of my (large) body pounding on my feet. So, thumbs up, Nike (in my wildest dreams NEVER would I have thought I'd write those words).

In addition, I googled information about How To Run and got some pointers. I had been worried about how I placed my foot down with each stride. I'm pretty sure that I'm a heel first kinda girl. But then, was I also going to my toes? Hmmm. Now I know it's the middle. I think the shoes helped me get the 20 minutes. I'll just believe.

So, what's next? Who knows! I am on the "Couch to 5K" ride now. Nothing is certain. I don't know what to expect. Except -- I think I'm getting better at this. No, I do not "love" running. But somehow, doing those piddly first 90 seconds that I thought I couldn't bear makes me laugh -- at myself. And laughing at myself is a good thing.

2010-03-16T13:28:00.003-04:00

Easy?

No, not really easy. Easy in retrospect -- about 2 hours later. Here's what bothers me most about this whole "jogging/running" thing: my calves HURT! And my ankles. So, how come people love to do this? I stretch. I warm up. I cool down. But still, the legs hurt. Am I doing it all wrong? Am I missing some trick? Do tell!

It's week 5 of "Couch to 5K in 9 Weeks." Today was the first day of this week's program. Pretty much straight forward -- run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, and run 5 minutes. Add on a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down. That's it. I'll repeat this on Thursday and Saturday. Although it's less running than last week's program, by one minute, it was more concentrated. Last week it was built up from 3 to 5 minutes, but this week... BAM!... we started with 5 minutes and kept that pace.

I didn't experience as many moments of "hey! I wanna quit!" as I have in the past on the first day of a new series. For me, that's a terrific improvement. Maybe it's the SUNNY outdoors I get to look at while I'm on my treadmill. Yes, the snow has finally melted, but it's only 45 degrees, so no matter what I think I'm seeing out the window (summer!), it's really still cold (winter!). My hope, as with this running thing, is a metaphor for SPRING!

Meanwhile, one product placement today. And it's not a good grade. In fact, UGH! While I'm doing this whole "Couch to 5K' thing, I'm listening to books on my iPhone. Welllllll... I started Kristin Hannah's new novel, Winter Garden, and if I had been holding a print version in my hands, I would have thrown it against the wall. I'm still listening only because I don't have another book loaded on my iPhone at the moment. Winter Garden is pure crap -- filled with whiney, horrible characters and weak, spineless mates. My advice to the husband of one sister, Meredith, and the boyfriend of the other, Nina, is..... RUN AWAY NOW.... BREAK UP... GET A LIFE without these whiney, bitchy, dysfunctional women. OMG... could we have any more grating"build up" to a character change? A writer often starts with damaged characters who will, in the course of a story, grow and change for the better, becoming whole, loving adults... BUT JEEZ-LOOOEZE.... you gotta start with characters who have more than a snowball's chance in hell of being LIKED at the outset. I mean, a reader's gotta try to find something to care about in the characters. And even though I'm at the part where the father dies (it's not a spoiler because the book jacket also tells you this is gonna happen), I'm thinking the father was the lucky one. He didn't have to stick around for the whole book. I know, I know. Surely the surprise about the mother's former suffering (I'm guessing, but come on... it's soooo obvious) is worth my time? Not if I have to suffer through more time with Meredith, the character from hell. So... I'm not sure I'm going to finish. I usually like Kristin Hannah's books, but she does tend toward whiney heroines that I wouldn't want as friends, and this book is worse than her last couple of attempts. Soooo.... don't spend your money. If you really like KH, go to your local library and check it out... for FREE!!!

2010-03-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

Shocker!

Week 4 - Couch to 5k in Nine Weeks (app on the iPhone)

Okay, I promised to report on my progress. We took the game to a new level. Seriously, I've said this before, but I thought I was gonna crash and burn. And... I didn't. Tired? Yes. Sweaty? Yes. Defeated? No! I came. I saw (oy... did I see that new program or what). And... I kicked my own butt.

I am a weenie. We have established that. And I haven't actually "run" since about 1969. Thus the "couch" part of "Couch to 5K in Nine Weeks" is owned by me. Yep, I am a couch spud.

Let's go back to last week. Yes, I thought week 3 was hard. But by the 3rd day (and we only get 3 days to workout per week), I rocked the program. All smiles. All... YES...I can do this. In fact, I've been doing Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, but on week 3, I stepped up to Saturday. Which might have been a mistake? But I was feeling so... full of myself. Anyway...

Tuesday. First day of Week 4. New week, new times for jogging and walking combination. I knew it would be more of jog and less of walk, but I thought I was cool with that.

Stretched and ready to push the buttons and take off on a new round of repetitive sets walk/jog or something like that. Well... wah hoo. So far, I haven't been able (and I really haven't tried) to figure out how to look at the future weeks' settings and to find out what's coming. I was quite surprised when the Week 4 program popped up on the screen: Jog 3 minutes, Walk 1.30 minutes, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 3 minutes; repeat. OMG.... I jogged for.... 16 minutes this week. Really -- I almost expired. Remember: my post-menopausal idea of exercise is turning pages in a good book. Well, that isn't fair. The entirety of what we might dub my "middle ages" has been a sea of turning pages in hundreds of books, not to mention shopping for books, hunting books in libraries, and lugging books into and out of the house. Oy! the exercise!

But here I am, jogging 5 minutes at a swipe and wanting to stop... but... I didn't! I did the whole program and didn't stop or walk or give up at any point. Yippppeeee!

Tomorrow is Thursday and I'm up on my perch again, so I'll let you know.

Sorry, no big product placements today. Just drank straight water and jogged. Wow... did I just say that? Jog? Don't slap me.

2010-03-04T14:07:00.008-05:00

Whew!

Reporting on the continuing saga of "Couch to 5K in 9 Weeks," I must say this week, so far, has been a SURPRISE! Surprise is the good news and the bad news.

Bad news first. I jumped into my jogging togs and hopped on the treadmill Tuesday for the first session of Week 3. I didn't read the fine print. I just blithely turned on my audio book (I'm currently enjoying Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, but I must say it's all in Southern accent and I feel myself soaking up the cadences and sooner or later I'm talk like that, aloud, in front of somebody who will be stunned into silence... oy) (omg... product placement starts here!), then turned on the "CT5K" program.

OMG! I found myself jogging for 3 minutes and walking for 3 minutes -- with repeats of that pattern. I almost did a spit-take from my water bottle (which is, I might add, one of those great new stainless steel models from Klean Kanteen and I wholeheartedly ENDORSE them!!!). Could I actually sustain a 3 minute jog? Okay, it sounds (again) very silly to believe this is impossible, but at the moment doubts clouded my vision (of myself in a bikini.... hahahahahaha...NOT).

However, I'm reporting that I persevered!

And that's the Good News! I actually completed the entire workout. Sweat much?! The biggest part of the Good News is how wonderful I felt about myself after that workout. Wow! I was full of energy and happiness. Okay... it doesn't take much to upgrade my self-esteem to something warmer than yesterday's leftovers. At least my self-esteem as it pertains to my weight and exercise issues.

Another surprise? Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. I had a hair appointment. Now normally I would lounge around, read the paper, eat my puffed wheat, drink a mug of Henry's coffee (another product endorsement... Best. Coffee. Ever. That's from Henry's House of Coffee, and I have chatted with the real Henry several times on the phone between SF and VT... link: http://www.coffeesf.com ) and basically remain a slug until time to get ready (in clothes that are to be dumped into the wash on return from said hair appointment). However, I deviated from my pattern. I woke at 7 (on Tuesdays and Thursdays I don't have to go into the college, so I don't get up at 5:15 a.m., but actually I really should just keep the 5:15 a.m. thing going because I could get so much more writing done.. .alas...). I sat on the edge of the bed and pondered.... should I get into jogging togs and get the workout finished BEFORE the hair appointment? I realized that once I don the workout clothes, I would have to workout! Well, I am my own boss. I could persist in subverting my best interests, as I so often do. BUT.... I didn't. Subvert my goals, that is. I jauntily jumped into the jogging attire, briskly took the stairs, sauntered into the kitchen, ate my little bowl of cereal, and announced to Steve that, at 7:30 a.m., I was off to do my session on the treadmill. I count that as a remarkable change!

So... who knows? Could I use my current momentum to get over my writer's block (actually it's more like "writer's frustration and boredom with story" block. Sorry. Strike part of that. I really do love my story. I'm just stuck). But who knows? As I achieve more results from Weight Watchers (oy! yet another product endorsement) and the "CT5K" program, hence more energy, I most likely will crave the delicious consistency of an early morning (or even late night) writing life again.

p.s. I was sort of worried about my second session of Week 3 this morning and kind of put it off 'til later in the morning. I should NOT have worried at all. Actually, it seemed much easier. Whew!

Oh, and here's some really exciting news! (NO... I am soooo NOT going to enter a 5K when I finish week 9) (hahahahahahahaha).

On Facebook, I started a page for ZeeStuffVt.com and .... drumroll... I actually have FANS! Right now I have 52 fans. No sales. (well, I have had one sale -- thank you, Ellie) (before the new page on Facebook). But 52 fans! How cool is that?! I don't even know more than half of these fine people who are leaving notes about how much they like ZeeStuff! It all started with "free" $50 ad package from my web page provider, Fat Cow (omg! did I just max out the product placement on this blog entry?). Anyway.... you can find ZeeStuffVt.com on Facebook. I'm giggling all day. Fans! Whoda thunk it?

2010-02-25T14:41:00.006-05:00

Additional ZeeStuff on the Website

Just in case you wondered.... YES... the ZeeStuffVt website is still up and running.
Remember the link? Okay.... here it is again: ZeeStuffVt.com

AND... I actually sold some ZeeStuff. How cool is that? I hope, very.
I've also added a "Fan Page" on Facebook. I'm sure to be doing that incorrectly, but here goes:

Here's the page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZeeStuffVtcom/497588820219

Anyway... here are some more items (reasonably priced!) that have made their way to the ZeeMart (as my brother John likes to call it):

2010-02-25T14:24:00.001-05:00

Can't Believe This

Okay, okay. I'm being skeptical about myself. But this is good fodder for a blog. I could actually channel this into 9 weeks of writing on the blog. That would be like Julie and Julia, right? Duh. No.

So, you say, "What the hell are you talking about, Dr. Dippy?"

Oh, yeah. Here's the deal. I'm in my second week of training. Training? Yes. Is that not a complete surprise? Seeing as how my idea of "movement" is typing, writing, lifting books, rocking and reading ... you get the picture.

I added this cool app (formerly called an application but I see the joy of shortening) to my iPhone: Couch to 5K. I've been pretty stagnant ("oh duh" again mon amie) over the years. I don't really enjoy running. My legs always seem to hurt and I'm a whiney poop most of the time -- at least inside my head where the whining reaches epic proportions in direct response to the pain in my legs, calves, and shins. But I digress (another "duh" and I'll have to stop the car...). The app is a training program which offers a timer and voice noting the training session. I use this in conjunction with listening to a book as I do the session on my treadmill. I'm sure this would also work out on the road, but I don't know about headphones and traffic, so I'm taking the safety option and doing this while gazing out the window at 2 feet of snow. Works for me.

The program, at least so far, speaks to me during a half hour session and is meant to be used three times per week with at least one day between each session. The listener is admonished not to over-do. And I am more than happy to oblige. I'm in my second week and I've been pretty religious about the routine and days. I'm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at the moment. I could swap Sunday for Saturday, but so far I like the schedule as is.

Week One consisted of walk 90 seconds, jog 60 seconds, and repeat that for the half hour, with five minutes of warmup and cool down bookended around the session. At first, I admit, this left me a bit breathless and wondering if I could finish. I know it sounds silly. After all, what's 60 seconds of jogging, for goodness' sake? I must say, I was sooooo excited when I actually DID IT! I was home alone, but telling the dog how wonderful I was... lah dee dah.

This week (#2) it's walk 2 minutes, jog 90 seconds, repeated. Again, at first I was worried and it was a struggle to keep going to the end of the session. But... I did it!

What's my goal? Do all the sessions. See what happens. I'm seriously working my Weight Watchers program, too -- with an added hint of the "Flat Belly Diet." Yeah, that is the worst name for a diet in the universe of diet names. But the ideas in the literature are sound and I'm enjoying the challenges. Eat four meals a day, four hours apart, and each meal 400 calories. Low "bad" fat, but including lovely "good" fats such as nuts and avocados. Small meals like fish, chicken, and veggies. Very satisfying so far!

Anyway... I could use some support. If I really do have readers out in the ether, I'd love to hear from you every so often. Encouragement is a good thing. So is the visual of that size 10 dress I wanna wear to the next big event. (Okay, now I'm beyond "duh" and just plain laughing aloud. I haven't worn a dress since I moved to Vermont in June 2001. That's 9 years of dressing down.) But... a girl can dream.

2010-02-02T22:41:00.001-05:00

WOW!

Disclaimer: I have had a mad crush on Tom Peters since I practically inhaled everything he'd written back in the day of my doctoral work.

Stumbling onto his blog today: Priceless. I will be spending future time in Tom Central.

Here is what I discovered today. I'm so happy to listen to this and I hope to bring this short video to my students in the next comp class.

This is Why I Write... well.... moreover... why I spend TIME writing and working on writing and practicing writing and writing in journals and ... I hope you get the idea: WRITE!

By the way.... stop Kelly Clarkson over on the sound machine while you listen to this short video. Trust me, this is cool, especially if you believe in writing.

Here's Tom Peters (okay, he's a little older, but ... so am I) (I'm just sayin')

2010-01-23T10:51:00.002-05:00

How Many Times....??

How many times am I allowed to say... I'm starting over, I am energized, Here I go...again?! Diet? Exercise? Writing? Life?

Okay...I'll say it... I'm starting over.

A new semester started this week. I completely revamped my courses. Very ambitious changes, and I'm excited!

If I can do that in my professional life, I don't see why it won't work in all the other aspects of my life -- health, creative, physical... the gamut.

And the operative word here is Change. I'm still teaching the same classes, I merely changed the methods and delivery. I read a new book about teaching college students and the author connected with me in a way I haven't felt since I discovered Dr. Spencer Kagan and the Cooperative Learning gang back in the late 80's (and that episode completely changed my life in numerous ways... whoa).

What I'm thinking is... if I can change my focus in class without changing the basic subject matter, then I can change my eating habits without changing the fact that I eat (duh) and the same with exercise.

Now I would love to start a whole new novel, but that wouldn't be in the spirit of the message here, would it? No. I need to change my approach to the novel that's bugging the heck out of me night and day (and has been for a long, long time). Yes, well. It all started as a lark. Could I just knock out a quick, cheesy romance -- just a short tearjerker. Sure. Why not? Well, for me, the answer to "why not?" is that I don't seem to be able to write crap quickly. I can, however, write crap in a long drawn out process. Ha. Actually, I became caught by the ideas and the characters. I was ripping away and things happened that I didn't expect (as these things always do when writing is "working"). I began to care about the story. And the writing. Always, the writing. I love good prose. I agonize over good prose. Silly me. I want the words to ooze onto the page like creamy custard in a French eclair. Ah, me. And this has slowed me immeasurably. I think I've switched from the creative person to the critical person way too many times in the early processes of the story. Now, I'm actually befuddled and have stopped working. I've changed the opening too many times. I am frustrated with myself and want the story to be much more than perhaps it can be at this point. And, I think it's fair to say, I have fear of finishing. I don't have any ideas about that except to say I haven't finished anything I've started in the writing world since I picked up my pen again about six years or so ago. I've got a list of "new books" here on my desk -- stories that I've either started and stopped, or brainstormed and stopped, or in two cases, maybe three, got to about 30,000 words and stopped.

What do I want to change? My approach and my mind and my attitude about creative endeavors -- I include my art work in this as well as my writing. I need to let go and get it done -- like I have in my classes. I've changed focus to let the students pick options and work toward a grade of their own earning. Yeah, it sounds weird, but it means they'll actually work harder and smarter, if they buy into the concept at all. If not, I won't be rescuing them. I set out the assignments and the points. I set the minimum points for each grade: A,B,C, D and Fail. In each class the students have only two required elements. The rest are optional. Of course, they can't pass the class by doing only the required elements. This means they need to make a plan. Ah ha! It's called "Learner-Centered Teaching." The author is Maryellen Weimer. I'm hoping to attend a conference all about this concept. That happens May 21-23 in Cambridge, MA. We shall see. Will be applying to CSC for $$$.

So, I'm letting go of continually changing the opening to my story. I'm letting go and starting somewhere I left off and finishing. Let's try for July 1.

Because... the exercise and weight and eating issue just got a kick in the pants. Steve is going to "give" me $100 for every pound I lose by July 1. BUT... the thing is.... he is going to put that money in the bank and not "give" it to me until January 1, 2011. The deal is... I have to keep the dang poundage off the bod. By continuing to eat wisely, exercise, and follow a plan.

Change is good. It's all a matter of how we approach it, I guess. I have had my LEAP moments -- like moving to Vermont without a plan of what to do when we arrived. And I fell into the most wonderful job in the universe. So... I have faith I can find a way to make a new change from all the old changes I've considered time and time again.

Rev up the battery charger, Penny. I'm on board!

2010-01-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

Storm Continues....

Snowing pretty hard now. Started about the time I pulled into the garage on December 31st, after going to the grocery store with just about everybody else in Rutland. Man, that place was jammed. At the time, none of us thought we were shopping for a storm -- just New Year's Eve and weekend.

Non-stop snow, although often soft and lazy flakes, since Thursday. Funny how two or three inches a day really does build into... over a FOOT of snow now. Can't see the neighbor's house. The guy who plows our driveway has been here 3x since Thursday. That's probably more than all last winter combined. Oh well, I'd rather have the "big one" now, while I don't have to drive, than when school starts and I'm on the road at 6:30 a,m.

Oh, and speaking of driving. I'm not. Or rather, my car's not going anywhere soon. Guess what? Remember that trip to the grocery store on Thursday? Welllllll.... I must not have thoroughly closed one of my doors because this morning when Steve wanted to take my lovely 4 wheel drive Subaru (instead of his lovely Honda Civic which merely has snow tires), my car's battery was... dead. Ouch! Hey! Who knew?

Anyway... I spent some time yesterday playing with a new Photoshop Elements program. I'm testing it for 30 days. Here's a shot of Lily. I turned it into a sketch. Would love to turn it into an oil painting, but so far, that's not working for me. Well, with the storm, I have plenty of time to practice.

2009-12-31T22:59:00.002-05:00

I'm Calling for Twenty Ten

A lot buzz about what to call the new decade. I'm chalking up my mark on the Twenty Ten side of the tally. Why? Easy. Direct. Room for growth. Next we can say Twenty Eleven, Twenty Twelve, and so on through the entire century if it works out that the Earth is still spinning in Twenty Fifty and further.

Having just experienced my 58th birthday, the spinning of the Earth has various degrees of meaning for me but mostly ... it's spinning too damn fast, isn't it? Whoa! How did I get to be 58? But what's more important... how the heck did my kid get to be 35? Talk about "whoa, baby!"

The past year has been one wild ride -- politically, socially, and all the other -ally words. New president, old issues, debts, debates, obstacles, and crazies. Teabagging, eh? Just too funny for words. I need a bumper sticker that whispers, rather than screams: Yeah, he's black. Get over it. The old, white, mostly southern and mostly fat people sure are mean and hateful... and AFRAID right now, aren't they? Don't they know that pointing the finger at anybody is all about PROJECTION (meaning all about their own issues). Pure entertainment -- as they get co-opted into some fine messes. Ignorance -- that's the enemy, as usual. I know I'm on the right side of that fight -- down with ignorance - kiss a teacher! (or just shake hands and smile)

Meanwhile, the snow is falling and I have 1000 words to write. As usual, I'm turning over yet another leaf in the long and anxious tradition that is WRITING. Yes, I'll be back in the saddle in the new year -- writing daily and hoping my writing group gets a bit more solid on the support system. I'm not a great promoter, but I would like to add some new faces and voices to our mix. If you think of any woman who wants support while she writes, let me know! The writing forum is: We Write Stuff. We require registration and the process is explained at the site.

When I sit down to the keyboard lately, I'm torn between several stories, but I'm going to finish one soon. I will. I promise. Right here in public, I am promising to FINISH this story: The Cheesy Christmas Story. The title is going to be changed some day, but for now, it's Cheesy, and it needs to be done already. Like two years ago done. That's my goal this winter. Finish Cheesy and move on to The Drag Queen's Sister. And I will not be divulging herein the plots or the characters (although you must have figured something out on that second story title) of these fine stories.

If I haven't said it yet, let me be clear: HAPPY NEW YEAR! And may you find health, wealth, and happiness in 2010.

2009-12-31T14:33:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Out of the Closet

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Economy

Gotta LOVE Stephen Colbert!

What's the deal when the BEST news is on the Comedy Channel? Between Colbert and Jon Stewart, the truth is being held in safety for us.

This clip would be hilarious, if it wasn't also too true -- for both parties. Sad sad sad.

2009-12-24T12:54:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve dawns, a bit chilly with about four inches of snow on the ground here and more up on the mountain. I still find amazement in the variety of animal tracks over the fresh snow. When do these creatures prance about the yard? I miss most of their adventures, but love the idea of them frolicking in our snow.

Meanwhile, Santa has been working in the studio... mmm... North Pole Workshop. Here are a few goodies that might just make it under the tree, if not onto the new website. More to come, with some Tim Holtz Christmas Tags added for merry measure.

We're off to Boston to enjoy the season with family. Then we will mosey on over to the Four Seasons and partake of our own little holiday tradition by staying in a delightful room overlooking the Boston Commons -- watching the ice skaters and laughing at children's snowmen and leisurely poking around all sorts of shops, the day after Christmas.

Cheers!

2009-12-21T19:03:00.001-05:00

ZeeStuff, Vermont

New Website - Up and Running

I've had a website account at FatCow for a long time and have only used the forum feature. Every time I even thought about starting up ZeeStuff, Vt again, a little movie flashed across my mental screen featuring the hours of work to create a website. But this past Sunday I received an email from FatCow explaining their new "drag and drop" website builder. Ah, ha! Said I. Or something like that, since I was still in my jammies with coffee in hand. A couple hours later I had the bare bones of a site ready to be published.

I'm certainly not done with the site by any means -- I have to take pictures of all my pins and creatures. I have to sort through all the bags I have stashed away for sale, and probably take pictures. This will be relatively easy, since I'm now off until January 19th.

I hope the website works. Anyone who uses PayPal will be able to buy right on the site. Otherwise, I'm hoping to set up a feature where a customer might email me and work out a design or a payment or both. This is all new to me and I'm hoping few kinks will emerge as the days pass.

Pretty exciting, huh? My brother, John, says he's expecting ZeeMarts to pop up all over the USA. Noooo.... don't think so, but isn't that a cute idea? He's the entrepreneur. I'm just an elf working in my studio, churning out all sorts of ZeeStuff.

p.s. You can click on that ZeeStuff, Vermont header and go see the website... right now!

2009-12-17T19:55:00.002-05:00

One Last Tag Post

Okay... here are all 12 Tags of Christmas from Tim Holtz:

If you want to see them as a larger picture, click on this and you should get a larger view.

These tags are seriously beautiful and will be FUN to make! Can't wait!! I'm off to my studio and I'll post my pictures later.

p.s. If you want to learn the steps for making these tags, scamper on over to Tim Holtz's blog and scroll through the archives. Oh, and the tags from the last two years are also in the archives. What fun!

2009-12-12T10:12:00.005-05:00

Oh... the Last Tag of Christmas...

First of all.. NEWS FLASH!!!

I won a prize from Tim Holtz (my tag and craft guru)! Every day Tim picks several "winners" from the many, many commenters on his blog. I've been commenting and reading his entire blog, not just the Christmas Tag posts, for 'lo these many years. BUT... (you knew a "but" was coming) I never win anything, ever. I don't whine about that. I don't scrawl the famous "I never win anything" post. But let's face it... I could count on less than five fingers any drawing or lottery I've ever entered and won even a lowly consolation prize. Oh, boo f-ing hoo, huh?

Sooooo... it was with Great Surprise that I groggily opened Tim's blog to sneak a peek at the latest tag, scrolled down a bit cynically, and FOUND MY NAME on the Winner's List. Wow! Just between you and me... and the wreath on the door... I don't even need a prize -- I'm just so excited to "win" something. I guess I'll be getting craft goodies from Tim Holtz. Wow! Can't wait. I wonder what I will get? Doesn't matter. If free goodies don't lure me to the studio... I don't know what would. But, I know in my heart that I will soon (SOON!) be happily crafting away, carols on the iPod, and glue gun aglow with the warmth of imagination and creativity. Because....

School ended yesterday. And not on a totally lovely note either. I was in my office, reading through a stack of what should have been very easy papers -- the answers to basic questions about Pride and Prejudice. Yes, I'm one of those readers who often list P&P on my top 10 books ever read -- for many reasons. This is the last novel students read in my Touchstones of Western Literature course. I have used it because I think it IS a widely-read novel. It's accessible, fun, and a perhaps even window on modern romance and human nature. After slogging through the Old Testament, Greek mythology, Greek Tragedy, Knights of the Round Table, and Shakespearean tragedy, I certainly wanted to lighten up and always hope the students will gladly follow. After a semester of "men, men, and more men," it's time for a story about women!!

All that aside, I was seriously saddened by more than a few of my students' work. PLAGIARISM! In today's world, plagiarism is rampant. And oh so easy to accomplish: Go to any "cliff notes" site. Copy. Paste into your paper. Et vi-ola.... you're done with the assignment, without having to read friggin' Jane Austen, thank-you-very-much.

Well, plagiarism is also easy to catch: find a sentence that is not remotely one the student could have written; type it into Google; hit "send"; wait for all the lovely exact words to show up on the Google list. Yes, I can find most situations of direct cut/past plagiarism, and many cases of "just changed a few words" plagiarism.

The dilemma is always what to do. Overlook? Overangst? Overdo? Somewhere in the middle might be the compromise. The college says I have control here. I can fail the paper, fail the student in the class.... depends on me. I can even turn a blind eye and act like it never happened. I'll tell you, this has been a rather bitter moment for me in every instance where I had to confront the student. Since it has happened before, I always start the semester with a lecture/plea: do not plagiarize. I don't ask a lot, but I do ask them not to plagiarize. And that makes this incident so disturbing. Many students did this -- not just one or two.

What did I do yesterday? I wrote a note to my class. I asked those who plagiarized to step forward and withdraw their work from my consideration -- in essence, to voluntarily take a zero on the assignment. I told them I had stopped reading after six papers and was prepared to start again in 24 hours and would like those who plagiarized to fess up before the deadline.

The replies were fascinating, but most of all revealed the extent to which (a) nobody understands the definition of plagiarism, and (2) nobody wants to take responsibility for his or her work ethic. Many very good students wrote that they were unsure. "Did I do it?" My answer mostly was, "Did you?" Remember, I had not read all the papers yet. The motive behind my offer was to rid myself of having to angst over every suspected case. I figured the ones who blatantly cut and pasted would step forward, heads bowed, and say "yes, I did it." Au contraire. Even the two very obvious cases that I caught before I wrote my letter -- even those two! -- said "it was an honest mistake." Honest? Mistake? When a person goes to a website, highlights the words, copies these words, clicks over to his or her paper-in-progress, points the cursor, and pastes in the words just copied from that website into that paper --- I kinda BELIEVE that was a deliberate act. A mistake is when you don't carry the one and your checkbook is off by ninety dollars (usually "off" in the wrong direction). A mistake is using the wrong fork at a formal dinner. A mistake is marrying a man because he's... well, you get the idea.

The 24 hours is "up" at noon. I have plenty of other work to do in the meantime. I just hope the freshmen didn't go into that plagiarism chasm on their research papers. I kept telling them to quote and cite the source and that was the way to be sure... but I'm so skeptical now that nobody's listening and everybody, or maybe just "many," are taking shortcuts and to hell with honesty. Hope not. Hope not. Hope not. But I've never been accused of not being an optimist -- always with the silver lining, always.

Meanwhile, back at the tag-fest... The last tag?!!! Darn!! But look at it! I've been dying to know how Tim Holtz makes those roses. He kept saying he was going to post a tutorial. I guess he was saving that for his Best. Christmas. Present. Ever. I gotta say -- I can make those roses for any occasion, now that I know how to do 'em!!! Very very cool!!!

Again, if you want to see All 12 Tags of Christmas, go to Tim Holtz's blog and check the archives. Since each tag demo file is long -- all the steps are shown for every tag -- he's separated them into easily-loaded sections for those with slow connections.

When I get done with all the papers -- plagiarized and not (cross your fingers for "and not!") -- I'm taking my laptop to the studio and I'm making several of the tags. I might not put them on presents 'cuz I hate to think somebody would just throw away all that work. BUT... I'm thinking I will use them as ornaments. I have mine from last year. They are so beautiful. And I'll have some from this year -- equally as beautiful, I'm sure. Should be fun to see them on the tree.

Off to the races. Me? Maybe a winner yet!

2009-12-10T18:10:00.002-05:00

On the 10th Tag of Christmas.....

This one is superb! I love the bright colors and words. Can't wait to try making it, but I am going to wait. I'm dangling a the carrot of FINISHING MY GRADES... before I work on the tags.

If you want to know how to make this one, or any of the others, Tim Holtz has two days left. Wow! I have to get up at 5:15 a.m. each morning (but not after Monday) and my first "check in" after showering, dressing, make-up, and ready, is to click on Tim's blog for the new tag. I can truly say I've been surprised every day! I'll miss the tags!

Yesterday we had a bit of a blizzard. I was MORE THAN surprised that the administration of CSC didn't close the college. I was, as usual, a weenie -- and Steve volunteered to drive, so I said HECK YES! to his valiant offer and we jingled and jangled all the way to school, and eventually back. It was miserable weather. Biting snow and wicked wind. When we finally returned we were treated to a humdinger of a wind storm -- trees down, branches all over the lawn/snow, AND... a few sheets of vinyl siding zipped right off the house! Steve was not happy -- he tends to always leap right out to the worst case scenario. I'm sure he was envisioning a tornado taking the house to Oz, or mostly, a big ol' tree falling on the house or flying through the window and killing me, or Casou. Really... that's how his mind works. I think we are going to get him some meditation tapes. Ya think?

Okay... ONE MORE DAY of school!!! I love my classes (well, 2 out of 3) and will miss them. But after a month off, we get to put on the show one more time! Soooo.... cue the music, I've gotta run. Finals Monday and then.... I'm done!

2009-12-06T11:24:00.003-05:00

Half Way to 12 Christmas Tags!

I admit that I'm hoarding these Tim Holtz 12 Tags (see below for website) and boxes of materials for the moment school is OUT and I can settle into my studio and CREATE!

I have so many ideas for jewelry, dragons, hearts and other pins; tote bags and purses; aprons; and hats. OY! I could hibernate in that room for the whole winter.

Once school is OUT and my grades are IN, I'll have vacation time until January 20th when the spring semester begins. At that time I'll be teaching two classes: Effective Speaking and Touchstones of Western Literature. I do so love a light spring semester. Speech is undoubtedly the most rewarding class I teach. The students arrive in trembling fear of public speaking and leave with a great deal of self-confidence! I love the process!!! And what can I say about Western Literature, except... that I really do need to find another approach. This whole read/quiz/write cycle is so boooorrrrrring. I'm thinking to shake it up a bit... but then... shaking the delivery would require me to spend some of my precious vacation time pouring over books and rethinking my syllabus. Hmmmm.... it's tempting. But so is the studio! And travel! And photography! And... I've been thinking about cooking lessons or French lessons or even piano lessons! AND... to top it all off... I've applied to be a guardian ad litem for the Vermont courts (but that won't be worked out until next year some time if all the gears mesh).

What I'm thinking is... the second half of life... if this is where I am... is propelling me to be embrace the different quadrants of life: being/doing/introvert/extrovert. Other pieces seem to fall in line -- from writing (which most definitely MUST be part of every equation in my life), to art, to politics, to first and foremost, my relationship with Steve. Here we are in the belly of nature (I'm still in awe of the four seasons, woodland creatures, and my garden) in Vermont. I am blessed with an abundance of inspiration. Muse? Muses!

Back to grading papers, dreaming not so much of sugar plums, but of Christmas Tags! Stay tuned!

2009-12-01T15:00:00.004-05:00

Tim Holtz Starts 12 Tags of Christmas Today!!!!

If you are the least bit "crafty," you might want to check out the action on Tim's blog. Here is the first tag:

If you would like to learn the steps, here is his blog: TIM HOLTZ

As soon as I am free from the current madness that comes with the end of the semester, I fully intend to immerse myself in this year's tag festival! Can't wait.

'Til then, I'm humming along to the latest "Glee" album and working through the papers that became stacks when I got so sick. Thank goodness for hot tea, Casou, and Steve (who just cleaned the oven -- what a treasure!)

2009-11-24T12:07:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving and the Undefeated Spirit of Creativity

Just about every leaf has drifted down from the highest branches and floated to the lawn. We finally dumped the last of our hanging baskets. The garden has been put to bed for the winter. Our neighbors on both sides finished their Christmas decorating last week. Because the weather is beautiful and relatively warm, I understand their sense of urgency. Being able to put up the festive banners and wreaths and garlands without wearing five layers, a hat, a scarf, and ski gloves is a miracle. I think we will take advantage of this lull in the advance of arctic freeze to jump in with our holiday designs.

Creativity seems to be the one unstoppable devotion of the human heart. I say that because when all else fails, relying on creativity redeems any flagging spirit. Having "suffered" (and that is such a silly word to use -- no real suffering here) with a lingering cold that zapped all my energy for the last month, I am here to say that creativity saved me.

First of all, I've been participating in NaNoWriMo -- the whacky game of writing a 50,000 word novel in one month. For a short version of how this started -- two guys in a bar challenging themselves to finally "write the novel" they always said they would, and do it in One Month. Putting their money (well, no money is involved really) where their mouths whined. And the movement has spread from those two to thousands of people writing furiously for one month.

I've had various levels of success at this endeavor, but haven't ever finished a novel. November is not an easy month. In the past, Geoff and Carrie were coming for dinner and the end of the semester is less than 10 school days away. I'm usually more than unfocused on writing. But this year none of that seemed to matter. Geoff and Carrie visited back in October and I've tried (valiantly at times -- patting myself on the back -- ha ha) to keep up with my courses so that I'm not frantic at the end. This year, I swore that I would finish!

Ah... the best laid plans. The flu -- or was it just the Worst. Cold. Ever??? I missed two school days, which is a record for me. I usually show up even when I'm coughing like a vintage jalopy. I don't like reorganizing my syllabus. Ugh. And... to make matters worse.... it was during Hamlet. I love Hamlet. It could be such fun! Oh well.

Even with the flu, I continued to write. I kept pace with the prescribed number of daily words that would get me to my goal. That would be 1,667 per day. And I was chugging along. But then.... I had The Relapse. I began to fade. Still, the novel won't die. I dream about it, scribble notes on napkins, and think about those silly characters when I'm doing the dishes or driving to work or soaping up my armpits for a shave. Ha!

Creativity really does save the soul. My plan this year was a daily four-pronged attack: doing The Artist's Way Morning Pages, following my Weight Watchers Points, exercising, and writing my 1,667 words. I've succeeded in continuing the morning pages and I fluctuate with the number of words -- sometimes less, sometimes more. But I've flagged on the eating and exercising. Still, I haven't lost heart.

I'm chugging toward my goal and looking forward to even more venues of creativity. Starting with holiday decorating, continuing with holiday baking, holiday crafts, and even more writing. My studio whispers to me, "Come back! Come back!" And I know I'll have a month off to sew and create Christmas Tags and play with all my ideas, including More Writing.

For what am I thankful this Thanksgiving? For creativity. For writing every day. For creating a warm and welcoming home. For creating dreams and goals that open my soul to more and more possibilities. For creativity -- which is the life force that sustains me and renders me whole and fulfilled.

2009-10-18T12:29:00.004-04:00

Apple Picking, Leaf Peeping, and Turkey Dinner

October blends natural textures, colors, tastes, and smells into a tapestry of sensory delight. This past week we've spent with our kids, Geoff and Carrie. Usually they visit for Thanksgiving, but we all know what a rat-race the whole travel-during-the-holidays can become, so they made a conscious effort to switch gears and come during my week off at Columbus Day (don't know why CSC offers a week off, but hurray). During the week we picked apples, plucked pumpkins, munched maple products, and walked the mountain golf course -- all in view of the glorious golden leaves in the Vermont fall foliage.

Carrie wanted Thanksgiving Dinner. So, before they arrived, I gathered all the ingredients. Surprisingly, turkey was not available in my usual market, but I found a nice 14 pounder at the "other" market in town. I roamed the aisles, scouting the rest of the traditional eats: stuffing and gravy makings, fresh cranberries, and pie basics. Armed with everything, we proceeded to start the fun visit.

The first day, we picked a bushel of apples. Believe me when I tell you that we'll be eating apples, drying apples, and pressure cooking applesauce until Christmas. Anyway... Carrie made a GREAT apple pie with the crumbly topping!! I think it was her first pie. Pictures below.

We psyched ourselves and laughed into calling our festivities "Thanksgiving" -- even to the point of making sure we ate on Thursday, treating the day exactly as we would if it was "the real" Thanksgiving. Lots of jokes about football and parades being cancelled due to the flu, and shoppers ready to invade the stores on Friday. Yeah, we were silly. But it sort of worked. We began to feel like it was Thanksgiving. Carrie even started to consider Christmas carols on her iPod. By Friday we were surprised, on a trip to Burlington, that more shoppers weren't in the stores, however, the restaurants were doing a brisk business. Nice to know somebody's recovering during this economical downturn, recession, whatever. Stimulus, ahoy!

Early this morning we drove to Dartmouth Hospital for our flu shots (a huge line where usually we had none). This was Carrie's first flu shot. We celebrated with hot soup after standing in the cold for that half hour. Brr... it was 30 degrees. Later we will drive to the Albany, NY airport, as Carrie and Geoff return to California. Boo hoo. We had such a marvelous time and we'll miss them with all our hearts. But we'll figure a way to see them soon.

Now I'm wondering what we'll do for the next Thanksgiving. You know... the one coming up in November.

Site seeing, apple picking, turkey and pie:

2009-09-22T09:07:00.003-04:00

My youth slips away. I wonder if this is the feeling of every generation? Or is this welling of emotion purely the result of our connection via media? Did the revolutionary generation feel the rip of their hearts with the deaths of Washington, Jefferson, and Adams?

This summer has been devastating for life -- death seems to have taken quite the opposite of a holiday. More like working overtime. And that's not news; it's the way the cycle works. We're under a microscope. First we live the music and the movies and the art and the marches and the dream. Then we live the moments of our own lives. Celebrate. Endure. Breathe. Finally, we mourn, release, and are mourned.

[on edit: I haven't been able to get my head around losing Ted Kennedy. I don't consider him part of "pop" culture. I consider him an amazing, human, humane, compassionate, tireless worker on behalf of all Americans. His loss requires more than a few passing thought. I'm considering a vast array of emotions and reactions. In time, I'll spill here where nobody really pays much attention, thank goodness.]

Somewhere in the many moves and changes, I lost my guitar. But I never lost my inner folk singer -- I still have my Joan Baez Songbook.

Namaste, Mary Travers. Namaste.

2009-05-16T23:01:00.002-04:00

Brainstorming. Ideas for a story pop into my head most often when I am not near paper, pen, voice recorder, or even another person. My best ideas zap into my head while I'm in the shower. I suppose right now I should be water-logged -- I seem to be stuck on the way to the middle of the book. What happens next? You don't know? Well, don't ask me either. Talk about the well going dry -- if I take any more showers to prime the mental pump, our well could protest. Here's where the metaphor reaches into reality and yanks the chain, huh?

Hasn't done any good at all. I'm stumped. For awhile wonderful moments were flowing from my fingers like hot fudge over coffee ice cream. And then -- SNAG! So what did I do? Begin to see all the problems that needed fixing. And that was a good thing -- I supported some earlier moments and worked on deeper characterization (and realize I have much more to do on that score). Still didn't help -- the battle cry is ... WHAT THE FRACK IS NEXT?

I'm about to discover. I've decided to soldier on. And I'll tell you why. Why? Because I have started a new writing forum. My former writing group disbanded. And after a week of feeling adrift, I sat down and googled "forum" set up/hosting. I found what appears to be a very simple and yet nice organized forum template and a decent host. At $5.95 per month, it certainly isn't going to break the bank.

I'd compare a writing group to Weight Watchers. Sure, you can do WW by yourself. The points are easy to figure and follow. No sweat, right? But it's a lot easier and more committed to enter into the contract with a group for support. Something about publically affirming that you are gong to do something -- that makes the endeavor real and sets in motion even the smallest connection of commitment. I need that push. I admit it. I need public witness to my work -- which will spur my work in the direction of finishing! I would love to finish Cheesy Christmas Story. Yes, indeed, I would.

So, without hopping in the shower tomorrow morning, I'm sitting down at my desk and writing a minimum of 5 pages. Yes. I will write and do a bit of editing and then... post on the new writing group forum. What I know for sure -- if I've made a blunder, my group with help me work out the kinks. Nice to have support that doesn't wait for the right moment or a weekly meeting or a chance encounter to kick into high gear.

New group's name: We Write Stuff.

Hang onto your hats! I think this group is going to make a mark on publishing! Or ... be sent to the showers...

2009-04-12T13:48:00.003-04:00

Eight more school days.
Can't believe it?
Believe it.

My usual frenzy has been set into motion. I'm a mess. I'm behind with everything, yet may appear cool and collected. Except for this dastardly fiend of a cold -- my ubiquitous airplane cold. Darm. At least I do not have stacks of unread freshmen essays. Yippee. I only have one test to read by Tuesday. My planning must be working? Can't say. The usual suspects still haunt me.

I am not going to rant about students who do not listen or read the syllabus. No. This seems to be the norm. When I said (and wrote) "I do not take work via email," did they think I was kidding? I was not. When I said (and wrote) "I do not take late work," did they think that was a joke? Nope. I don't take late work. What is a deadline? Obviously, I have a very firm view of personal responsibility. I don't think we're doing any favors by lowering or moving the goalposts we've set.

Recently several people (well, Joanne and Geoff) have attempted to move me past an obsession with "approval" -- be it my mother's or anyone's. I understand. I need to approve of myself. I don't need to concern myself with whether my students "like" me or not. On the surface, I don't care. But maybe I do? I don't move the deadlines or become lenient -- nope. I don't take late work. But do I cringe inside because I don't? Do I realize this is not rocket science or the fate of the world? Somewhere deep inside I actually do KNOW that an essay for Touchstones of Western Literature is NOT going to "matter" in a hundred years -- or in twenty -- or in one. Ha. So...why not let it all go? An interesting proposition. But...no. I'll just have to ramble on as I have for years -- off to the end of the semester. And back in the fall!

At the moment, I would love to feel 100% again. No cold. No snot. No cough. Get back my appetite.

And watch the rest of Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.

2009-03-17T17:49:00.008-04:00

Well, it's St. Patrick's Day, and while I'm not Irish, that's no excuse!
I was married to an Irish Catholic from Boston.
My son has half that man's genes.
I suppose that makes me Irish by injection?

In addition, it is my sister's birthday. Here's to you, Miz Mary Patricia! She didn't have a chance, did she? The only name they could pin on her would be Mary Pat. And when we said, "But mom," in our whiny pre-teen voices, "Mary is such a plain name and there's so many Marys," my mother countered with, "We'll call her Patricia or Patty or Pat." Yeah, right. That never happened. She was and is Mary. We shouldn't have thought it would be any different. My dear maternal grandmother's name was Mary. My mother was 40 when she brought my sister into the world -- my sister, the last of six siblings, with me as the oldest. I was 14 years old when she was born -- well on my way to teenage angst, and I didn't need a newborn baby in the house to take the spotlight, idaresay. But funny thing about that -- we all loved her (and love her still) so very much. She was (and is) a JOY! So, Happy Birthday, Mary! Happy Birthday #43. EEEEK! (my only saving grace is that Mom's 83 now)

In my search for St. Patrick's Day Graphics, I came across this:
DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE...

... a Disney movie that came out in 1959 -- hyped on "Disneyland" (the tv show) by none other than Walt himself. I remember vividly even though was eight years old. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING... taking me to the theatre to watch that movie??? It scared the living s**t out of me! That damned banshee! I couldn't pass a dark room, worried about my closet, and basically freaked out for weeks. And death? Geez, that banshee took me over to sheer terror about death, and I don't think I've ever come out of its grips. Here we were, minding our own business, singin' and dancin' with the little Leprechauns (and wondering, "how'd they do that?" about the small people actors in the same frame with the regular people actors), when BAM! The banshee! Sooooo... here she is.... (always a woman, huh? geez)

Happy St. Patrick's Day all you Baby Boomers!
I know you're out there -- still freaked out about the banshee...not to mention... The Wagon of Death (that's another frightening graphic, headless coachmenand all... and I couldn't bring it here... shiver, shiver, shiver!)

Faith and begorrah!

2009-03-09T16:19:00.003-04:00

Oops!

I lied. Well, I didn't lie. But I woke up to SNOW. Lots and lots of SNOW. Big, fluffy flakes of snow.
Darm!

I guess that whole melting thing will just have to wait.

Thank goodness I'm heading for California on March 26th. I need sunlight and warmth!

Of course, I should not complain. It was a balmy 34 degrees most of the day, even with all the snow.

2009-03-08T17:18:00.003-04:00

We're Melting, Melting, Melting!
Oh, What a World!

Spring hasn't exactly sprung, but I do have hope. Heard birds. Saw chipmunks. And the snow has melted on the edges of the two acres. Slowly, slowly. Deep breath. Cross your fingers. Hold on!

I'm not an expert (duh) but I'd say Vermont is having a good maple sugar year. From what I've read, the syrup people need very cold nights and warming up days. The sap will run. They'll tap and boil. The valley will smell delicious -- seriously, like maple syrup. I'm not kidding. The first time I walked outside and breathed that burnt brown sugar smell with the hint of maple, I thought I was making it up. But I wasn't. A sugaring venture was going full steam ahead, right at the bottom of our hill. Since then, we've moved, but we are in the vicinity and I can still smell the liquid gold. BTW... YIKES... do you know what they're getting for maple syrup these days? I thought about tapping our sugar maples. Operative word: thought. Nah, I have plenty of other projects to finish.

Right now, I'm trying to stay on top of three serious goals: 1) lose weight; 2) finish the quilt for Geoff and Carrie; and 3) finish my novel/novella. All three goals connect to Geoff and Carrie getting married in June. What could be better than to look nice and feel energetic for pictures and general fun? What could be better than to present them with a handmade quilt? (although they do know about it because... it's been languishing at the bottom of my pile o'projects for about five years. (digging toe into ground and biting index finger in shame) (oh well). And finally, what could be better than being able to tell my darling son that his mother finally finished a book. Finished a book. Which would mean... I can do it! He's always saying so. He says he never wants to tell his children that I was a great writer, but never finished a book. When you put it that way... OY YOI YOI.

Daylight savings time started today and so many people are pissed off about it. I'm not. What the heck? Yes, it takes a few days or a week to get used to the idea, but then it's like summer is already here. I remember the feeling -- when daylight savings time started every year, we were excited to our toes! We could play outside longer and longer every evening. In fact, that scene in Field of Dreams, at the end, where they "have a catch." That's my backyard all summer long -- the "pop" of the baseball into the glove -- from my dad to my brother and back again. The smell of leather and neet's foot oil. Ah... well, that movie never fails to make me cry. Too many memories these days? Yes, probably.

Back to the studio. I need to clear a space for the quilt, rev up the tread mill, and brainstorm more of my book. I can do all that right here and at the same time -- I love my life! Here's what I'm expecting come Vermont spring:

(my very own homegrown daffodil)

2009-02-14T13:38:00.005-05:00

Running Away from Home

I packed my bag. I packed the dog's bag. I made two sandwiches and brought the dog food. I grabbed an apple and the GPS. I was running away from home.

You might ask, "Why?"

Here goes.

I live in Vermont where it's very cold and snowy. We've had about two feet of snow on the ground since Christmas. I look out my bedroom window on a beautiful white rolling lawn dotted with trees covered in white cotton candy. One foot down below my bedroom window is the roof of the porch -- the maghogany porch that runs the length of the house. That roof has been layered with snow since December.

Between Wednesday and Tuesday the weather pattern broke. We finally received our "thaw." We usually get at least one thaw -- a warm spell of a few days (and by warm I mean 40-50 degrees) in January, and one in February. I guess we must not have paid our January dues. Anyway... the snow began to melt. This is a little tricky because at night it gets cold again, which means ice forms. And then it rained and we had an skating rink on that porch roof.

I said to my husband, Steve, "Please do not go on the roof. It's two inches thick. Abso-f'ing-lutely do not go out on that roof when I'm not home."

This is not the first time I've asked him to quit the dangerous behavior of going on the roof when nobody's home. Does that make any sense? He's in good shape, but he's soon to be 69 years old and he has had one heart attack. I don't think anybody should be on a roof or even a tall ladder when nobody's around to get help should that person fall. To me, that's common sense.

I have had to deal with Steve practicing a lot of unhealthy behavior and it doesn't make me happy. He fails to wash dishes with hot water. He doesn't want to turn on the heat when it's freezing (and I mean below zero). He turns down the flame on the hot water heater when I'm not looking. And he'll eat stuff that has mold or fuzz. He drives on his tires 'til his son calls them "baloney flaps." I know. I know. He's frugal. But at what cost? Where frugal stop and unhealthy begin? He worries that the ice on the roof will damage the porch. I get that. But we can hire somebody or he can wait until I'm home.

I drove off to school in a drizzle at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. Steve would be leaving for his job at 7:30 a.m. I would be home around noon -- with the next week off for Winter Break (I love being a college professor). I looked forward to a mellow "time off."

Every day I get home, the first thing I do is take Casou, our dog, out to relieve his bladder. He'll jump up and down, kiss me a lot, and head for the door -- all 15 fluffy white pounds of him.

Thursday, I followed him across the porch to the side steps, right below our bedroom window. And what do you think I saw all over the ground?

JAGGED CHUNKS OF BROKEN ICE.....

I knew. And I was furious. My very first thought was -- I want to run away from home. I want to drive as far as I can go. Right now. Really. I could see myself in the car, just going.

I grabbed my phone and tried to call his cell. Then I called him at work. And I couldn't have been more angry. Ever.

That's when I packed the car and left.

But I had no idea where to go. I've lived in Vermont for eight years and I don't think I have any friends. Not the kind you drop in on with an overnight bag and cry and vent anger. And who would "get" this, anyway? Everyone thinks Steve is a pussycat. No, I saw myself in a hotel for a couple of days, eating from room service, reading books, walking the dog, and not sleeping.

I drove to my favorite places: Michael's, JoAnn's, and the public library. I might have driven to Burlington but that's north and the roads are always a surprise this time of year. I would have driven south, but I wasn't in the mood to shop, and Manchester is about all that's south, unless I was truly serious about going to Disneyland... DisneyWorld.

I dithered and wandered. One good thing: I didn't eat my way through this problem. That's a plus. I just moped and mumbled and kissed Casou a lot.

I returned home about six o'clock. I didn't talk to Steve. I told him to just keep away from me. I slept in the guest room -- and that's not my style. I went to bed at 11:30 p.m. and woke at 11:47 a.m. -- 12 hours of sleep -- Casou right along with me. Sign of depression? I yawned all day, yearning to go back to sleep. I don't know why I'm so upset and why I have inaction written all over me. My heart is just weary. I still won't give Steve even a hug. I've talked to him about mundane things, but I haven't moved past my anger.

And he knows he "screwed up." But he acts like a little boy digging his toe in the dirt and not looking at me, and making excuses. But how does that lead to change? I want to hear an admission of realization. A mature admission and a sincere request for forgiveness. He broke my trust. He can't go on the roof and he needs to rethink other unhealthy practices -- for my sake if not for his. I feel as if I always lose out to material things. To money. I can't see that as viable for two people who love each other. We need to trust that we'll both do the right thing for each other -- even on the smallest stuff, or what the heck can we trust with the larger issues?

Goes to show. No matter how old you are, how long you've been together, or how secure you feel, relationships are hard. It's Saturday and I'm still trying to figure out how to get past this heavy feeling. I'm sure I'll be able to deal with it eventually. I love Steve.

2009-02-10T17:13:00.010-05:00

Holy Stimulus, Barackman!

Is that a bit irreverent? I mean, he is now Mr. President. I realize more than a few of us think of Barack Obama as our candidate, our go-to guy, that regular dude with the cool style. Maybe we have to step back and collect ourselves a bit? The mantra needs to go something like: He's the President, President Obama, Mr. President. We'll have to all cut the "Yo! B.O.!" stuff.

Meanwhile the Stimulus Bill rolled out of the Senate, a little light and skewed. And I soooo don't get it. Okay, I get the whole "we don't have enough votes" to pass it. But... I swear, if you're a Democratic Senator or Congress-person, and you can't understand how popular the President is, how unpopular the Republicans are, and how MUCH you need to get in line... well, I hope I can send some money to your next primary competitor.

Get On Board!

I just listened to a complete dipshit, Senator Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska. This guy must have 24/7 nurse care, because surely he cannot find his butt with two hands. I hope he is the one who gets the car and driver -- no way this guy should operate even a Cuisinart. Rachel Maddow interviewed him and you should have seen her face -- a blend of incredulity and freaking out. The guy was so proud of himself for cutting the spending in a bill designed to SPEND MONEY.

If you do not understand the problem, here's how it goes. No money is flowing anywhere right now. And the spiral is... no buying widgets, widget company closes, jobs are lost -- not just the widgetmakers, but the little donut shop on the corner next to the widget company headquarters (and the dry cleaner, deli, shoe repair...all local business that go under because one larger employer folds or cuts back employees). Then the former employees have no income and their pensions are shot because the Big Bad Banks lost it all in the crash. So, the former employees CAN'T: buy food, pay their mortgage, make their car payment (afford their car insurance -- doing without seems wise) get that loan for junior to finish college. Forget going to the movies, subscribing to netflix, or going out to dinner. Restaurants cut staff and maybe (like the Weathervane) close. Pretty soon the grocery store has to layoff 1/3 of their crew and colleges have to layoff adjunct professors (eeeek! like me). The former widget-guy husband, wife and four children lose their health insurance and quit getting check-ups. Dental? That's been cut long ago. The family dog? Left at the shelter.

You can see how this keeps building? Or not? Want more? Okay, you asked for it.

Widget guy and his family now have no income. When it comes time to pay taxes -- they make too little to pay. Oops... the state's coffers are drying up! What does the state cut? Road work. Extra cops and fire personnel. Teachers (hey! kids love being one of 35 in a class). And with every job cut, the state loses money in the long run. The more people who aren't working, the less money will be paid in taxes. If a family has to leave a home through foreclosure -- where do they go? And, again, tax revenue -- this time for local government -- decreases.

If you learn about what makes stimulus stimulating, it's rather common sensible. We can go back to Ronald Reagan and see that infrastructure has been neglected since the onset of the philosophy/guise of "government is the problem." Yeah, those pesky bridges, and roads, and power lines, and electrical grids, and transit systems!! Trash, water, sewer -- the basics. Sidewalks, parks, buildings, museums, libraries. NEGLECTED. Come on! It's the 21st Century for goodness sake. Aren't we supposed to be modern?? Why are we still driving cars that use fossil fuels, heating homes with fossil fuels, and producing energy with fossil fuels??? You can blame the oil companies and the car manufacturers -- but somehow, somewhere, we are all going to have to CHANGE.

Here's a really simple one. Why does the electricity go out in large areas of the country when we have a storm? A frigging storm. A storm we know is coming every winter.

Every school, hospital, fire and police department, city/county/state admin building, and health clinic should have new technology. EVERY. (large/small/rural/urban and in between). Every community should have a library where citizens can access information. We own the airwaves -- the television companies and the cable companies and the Internet providers do not own the broadband. We, citizens of the United States of America, own and rent those rights.

Stimulus means spending money on those projects -- and other projects that will put people back to work. And get paid. And pay taxes. And buy food, clothing, goods and services. Money is circulated, local businesses return and/or see profits again, and can hire new employees -- who work, pay taxes, buy stuff, and.... the circle begins to widen. Save money, buy stocks and bonds, invest in the future.

Tax breaks for big honking corporations do NOT create jobs. Give Exxon more money? What do you think they will do with it? Trickle down economics is a FARCE. It has NEVER worked. NEVER. Give the billionaires tax breaks? What will they do with it? Do you think they will give more to charity or buy more widgets? No. They will go to Paris and buy escargot.

And we haven't even talked about POOR PEOPLE. They are so far off the radar at the moment so as to be INVISIBLE. We've been talking about guys on the line in Detriot and women working for Lehman Brothers or Sears. We've been talking about people who OWNED homes, now losing homes. What if you could never afford a home? What if you were always living in a little apartment with your two kids and your mom? What if you never finished high school and are a waitress at Denny's? And Denny's has to cut your hours because nobody is eating out during a Depression (don't kid yourself about "recession" because that's just a fancy word to stave off your fear) (and you should be afraid).

Food stamps and welfare are the most stimulating stimulus on the planet. Poor people spend the money. They don't go to Paris. They don't take care of their horses. They take care of their kids. If they get a rebate or a break, they take care of the long list of needs. They go to the doctor or dentist. They buy their kids new shoes. They buy food. They won't go out to dinner or buy a new car, but they will support local business; they will circulate the money. And that is what you want in a Depression.

Time and time again economists tell us that SPENDING money on real jobs and projects, on welfare and food stamps, on health care provisions for poor women and children will stimulate the economy 1.75 times more than a tax break. Tax breaks actually lose money for the government in the long run (we dole out and don't get any revenue in return for a tax break).

With stimulus spending, we not only create jobs, income, and self-esteem. We have the added value of the finished project: roads, bridges, grids, schools, sidewalks, museums, waste water systems, green technology, new fuels, and so much more. If we give Exxon a tax break, we only get more oil. You do the math.

Stimulus is SPENDING. I believe ignorance -- economic ignorance is afoot at the Circle K. And that means... our Republican brethren are either woefully ignorant (seriously, they act like it) or they are clinging to some mythological conservative ideal that does not exist. I hate to break it to them but Ronald Reagan raised taxes AND amassed the largest deficits and grew the government more than any other president, up to the Big Failure that is W. The great god Ronald Reagan was no more fiscally conservative than George W. Bush. Just because you distain abortion and gay marriage and love guns, doesn't mean you are fiscally conservative. And W. came into office with a Surplus. And who left him a smaller government with a Big Surplus? A Democratic president, Mr. Clinton. And if you do your research, you will find that Democratic leadership tends to post good numbers. And post good numbers while balancing the philosophy that we ARE responsible for each other, we ARE our brother's keeper, we ARE a community.

The bottom line? This Stimulus Bill will pass. And no thanks to a bunch of Republicans that haven't put on idea forward that would work and haven't supported the American worker on anything. Who do these people think actually MAKE the products that sustain the Billionaires? What do these Republicans think that last election was about? They squandered our resources, our army, our values, our good will around the world. They ruined the country. They cut protections for workers, stripped the environment of protections, and decimated the banking and investment systems in this country. And now they have the gall.... the unmitigated gall... to vote no and smile and think they've done something noble? What's so noble about dismissing the widgetmakers of the public so that you can hang out with your cronies and fund-raising fat cats, sipping martinis, smiling ruefully, and patting your own back for your "accomplishments"?

Pay attention to who is working for you, the little person. Pay attention to who cut the funds for education or who wanted to add a tax break for billionaires. And the next time that Senator or congress person is up for election, send money to his or her primary opponent or volunteer to help at the grassroots level. Or just talk civilly to everyone you know -- about changes that need to be made.

Write letters. Send email. Make phone calls. You're in the spiral, even if you can't feel it now. This is touching every heart. And if you aren't part of the problem, you truly need to be part of the solution.

And be PROUD of the new President of the United States. He speaks in complete sentences. He thinks on his feet. He doesn't pack his town meetings with all one kind of people (and we know who did that for 8 years). He is not afraid of opposing ideas. He has an intelligent, mature sense of humor. He exudes grace and calm and responsibility. He is real and his wife is real and his children are real. He is working for you and me and everybody in the USA -- no matter what political party, race, creed, or gender. He is Mr. President -- President Barack Obama.

2009-01-31T12:38:00.004-05:00

New Political Era:
We Can Actually LAUGH Again!

Yeah. What's up with the Republicans? All of a sudden, they don't want to spend money. Do they have a clue that they were in charge during the downfall -- from surplus and good times, downward to the Nearly Greastest (who knows yet) Depression? Besides..... do they GET that they LOST, big time? Red states = irrelevant (hellllooooo we got North Carolina and Indiana); Racism = irrelevant (helllloooo who's the president, no matter how many times you sing that "magic negro song"). So... I don't know about you, but ... I'm laughing in the face of the media trying to make this all soooo very contentious... HA! We won! Don't underestimate President Barack Obama!

Anyway... this is my latest FUN Political Video! Do Enjoy!

2009-01-31T09:39:00.005-05:00

FREE!
DESK TOP WALLPAPER CALENDAR

Every month I change my desktop wallpaper. I've been using a couple different digital scrapbook sites that offer freebies. Usually the wallpaper they offer has the calendar and some slots for pictures -- just like a scrapbook page. I download and add pictures of the birthday people -- you know...the relatives who will be celebrating birthdays in that month. It's been fun.

Well, I went looking for my usual freebie today and stumbled upon a very nice page with 70.. YES! 70 different jpg wallpaper calendars for Febrary 2009. Many choices. Wonderful ART. I'm going to use this one (I hope it can be crammed into this blog)....

The colors are bright and happy. The message is love. What more could a snowbound Vermont girl want?

Here's the site: Smashing Magazine Desktop Wallpaper Calendar February 2009

If you're looking for something rather cool for your desktop, I don't think you'll be disappointed. In fact, I might just download a couple pictures and change during the month. February is, after all, the shortest month. One of the calendars on this website says "9.5% Less Month" so I'd have to agree. Short. Sweet. LOTS of birthdays for us. How about you?

2009-01-27T23:05:00.001-05:00

JOHN UPDIKE
We've Lost a Giant

The nuances, subtlety, and depth of Updike's writing takes my breath away - fluid word choices, perfect names, exquisite description, and spot-on characterization. Often overlooked, undervalued or taken for granted, Updike's works embody the attributes of great world literature in the vein of Hawthorne, Dickens, Voltaire, Hardy, Twain, Conrad, Marquez, Tolstoy and others. He captured the evolving life of the new American frontier: suburbia, family, love/marriage/divorce, society, sex, politics, consumerism, intellectualism, religion ... and did this with humor and pathos. Holding a fun house mirror to foibles and flaws, joys and achievements, setbacks and defeats, Updike fearlessly observed and carefully noted the passing of American trends, beliefs, life, and language.

In today's world of commercial fiction, his like may not come again -- or not for a long time. Few writers today study metaphor, history, language, and form with the intensity that Updike studied and wrote. I'm sure I could come up with names and books in today's literary fiction, but at the moment, I'm feeling hollow and pained, my heart beating a mournful taps.

I wrote my dissertation on his works -- more than twenty years ago. Immersed in his language and thoughts, I found myself striving to become a better observer and a better writer. He gracefully led me to a craft that became my life's work. I owe him. I can only hope I return the favor some day in leading my students to an appreciation of the written word and the joy of writing.

Sad day.

2009-01-22T16:20:00.003-05:00

INAUGURATION FEVER!

Of all the "stuff" I've watched (bleary-eyed and happy)... this is by far the funniest video. It's a lot more funny if you're hip to all the political pundits and hacks and elected officials (and their hired guns). Still... the high five concept is SPECIAL! I feel soooooo high fivin'!!!

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! - watch more funny videos

2009-01-09T16:43:00.004-05:00

DOMINOES!
not just for playing and stacking any more...

For almost a year I've been immersed in the little canvas that is a domino. If you look at a one of these rectangular pieces of ivory (okay not exactly ivory, but epoxy of some kind) you'll see that the flat side is vacant -- just begging for embellishment!

I began this fetish when I saw some examples on a few websites while I ranged high and low for new ideas. Whoa! Just google "dominoes" and look for the sites that might have some reference to "altered art" and you'll find some very nice pieces of art work. Here are a few sites for your pleasure:

Altered Dominoes
How To Guide to Domino Art
Domino Art
The City Chicken

I have produced quite a few pins mostly using Tim Holtz (tm) Adirondak Alcohol Inks for the base color. Alcohol ink is perfect for non-porus surfaces and plays rather amazing games when mixed, especially if metallics are added. I sold some of my work this summer. But..here are a few of my original pieces:
Click on the above picture, to see the individual dominoes up close and personal.

(Yes that that one with the tree includes "fractured lyrics" -- you know... when somebody thinks they know the words to a song, but they're wrong. Bring us some friggin' pudding! I sorta like those lyrics better some how... than the original...)

I'm working on a series for Valentine's Day, plus some retro pieces.

Next up on my horizon: MICROSCOPE SLIDES! yes.... faux soldering. Very cool stuff.
Here's a website for you... (your eyes are gonna pop!): Collage Slide Pendants

2009-01-05T10:44:00.010-05:00

What I Have Done (so far) on My Winter Vacation...
(which officially ends January 20th)

First of all, I was caught in the vortex that is Tim Holtz's Twelve Tags of Christmas.
If you scroll down at his website (linked above) , you'll have the joy of getting sucked into the very same devastating vortex -- including detailed step-by-step instructions (and shopping ... rrr... material lists) for each tag.
Here are some of my creations:

I'll post the dominoes later.... dinner's cooking!

2009-01-04T23:00:00.004-05:00

Party Like It's 2009?
By now that phrase has faded into the annals of pith and pun, tossed on the compost pile to be covered by snow in a couple days. I should hope nobody used it, but I'd be mistaken. I can't be that original.
Not. In. The. Cards.

Everybody's blogging the New Year, right?
I didn't think to be any different. Turning over a new page in my journal and STARTING. Starting what?
Well, I had the presumption to believe that I would be starting -- a new diet, a new book, a new course, a new way of looking at myself and life. After all, I just whizzed past #56 and am beginning #57.
I'm continually aware of having more time behind me than in front of me and less time for excuses and dead ends.
'Nother silly pun. But really -- REALLLLLLY! Tick tock.
Poetry.
Novels.
Essays.
All the stuff that yearns to be written flits around my brain like so much ethereal pink cotton candy swirling and spinning in that stubby-fingered old man's beat up metal tub. My brain churns and I must, must, must get it all down.

I've been sick.
I am a pretty good sick person. I'm easily amused and quite lazy, so being sick isn't even much of an excuse to lounge in pj's, drink tea with honey, and watch videos.
The Jane Austen Film Festival.
The Complete Harry Potter Movie Mania Day.
Guilty pleasures? Okay.... I had 6 free videos coming from iTunes (don't ask) and I could only spend that on t.v. shows, so I.... damn... do I have to admit this? I used them up yesterday in a fit of sheer stupidity and madness. I know, I know. I'm going to regret this. Maybe not today, but tomorrow and forever. I checked off the first six videos in Private Practice. I swear, I don't even like the show, but it's a train wreck. I cannot avert my eyes. YUCK! Well, I watched them all. I'm sooooo done with that -- especially since I can watch (with limited commercial interruptions) on the ABC website. Duh.
What else did I watch while sick??
One Fine Day. You've Got Mail. Adventures in Babysitting.
The Forsyte Saga (I am completely besotted with Damian Lewis -- even when he is a villain. Love knows no bounds)
Out of Africa. Best. Soundtrack/Score. Ever. (mmmmm)
Oh. And...(don't slap me).... I let Mamma Mia play in a loop, just for the upbeat music -- and I am so serious when I say that I was NEVER an Abba fan. Never. Cross my heart. I just love Mamma Mia though have no reason. Just makes me wanna dance. Dancing Queen. 17. Yep.

Now that I have hearing aides, life is a bit more mellow, although,... YIKES! I can hear paper crinkling at 50 paces. Christmas morning was almost HELL -- with the paper ripping and balling up and exploding in my ears. NO.... it's a myth... cannot turn sound down or off. More about hearing aides later, Promise.
Off to bed.
Grades finally done (well, that was a few weeks of major.... in fact PRO crastination... the last day is actually tomorrow). I love myself a little too much, don't I?

Again with the resolutions? Weight: off. Morning Pages: back ON. Writing: FULL on. Blogging: improving (visualize a turtle here)
and that's the beginning of 2009.

Happy Trails!

2008-11-07T18:25:00.004-05:00

A line in the sand....
Every motion, every breath before... is IRRELEVANT
Life is different
The unspoken lie -- we can be ... we can aspire to...
(when we knew that was not true)
Has been replaced.
That face tells the story. A true story.
And the bigots and prejudiced and liars and silly eejits...
Have nothing upon which to stand.
Sand...
GET. OVER. IT.
GET. USED. TO. IT.
A new day -- a new way.
CHANGE
HOPE
Finally.

2008-09-04T15:46:00.003-04:00

AMERICANS: LOOK HARD AT THIS PICTURE

In my short lifetime the United States of America has had to rely on the Vice President to assume the office of the US President two times. That's two times in fifty years -- 1963 and 1974. The picture above is the ceremony which took place on November 22, 1963 in the cabin of the plane carrying the coffin of John F. Kennedy. In 1974, Richard Nixon resigned. Despite wildly different reasons, the act of replacing a sitting US President is a very serious and solemn moment. We do NOT face this possibility with anything but a heavy heart.

Look closely at this photograph. For many of us, this was the most powerful moment of the most powerful day in our lives. We didn't actually SEE the bullet(s) strike down John F. Kennedy, but here we are privy to the sad task of swearing in LBJ as the new US President.

Look at their faces. This is pure and real emotion -- raw and compassionate, truthful and beyond sad. Now... I've read a recent piece that forces us to think very hard and look very hard at this picture. I will try to convey what this picture now means to me.

This picture solidifies what it means to choose a Vice President -- to find and support and rely upon a person who will step into the shoes of the sitting US President and take charge. Usually even if the United States would be at peace, the moment would be fraught with danger and fear and sadness and concern for our nation. Should this event ever happen, our nation would find itself in grave danger: markets would falter and fail, services would be interrupted with disruption and chaos, citizens would freeze with disbelief and emotion, and basic necessities including defense, safety, food, transportation, information, and commerce would have to be thoroughly supported through precise and bold executive commands.

This nation is currently at war on two fronts. We are involved in many missions around the globe. We have grave difficulties at home with our economy and infrastructure. The moment for all our leaders is fraught with difficulty. During this election, we are attempting to find the right leader and statesperson for our nation's future at home and our place in the world.

LOOK AT THAT PICTURE LONG AND HARD! Squint and fill LBJ's spot with Senator Joseph Biden. Fill Mrs. Kennedy's spot with a sad and despairing Michelle Obama. Fill Lady Bird Johnson's spot with a sad and despairing Jill Biden.

LOOK AT THAT PICTURE LONG AND HARD! Squint and fill the LBJ spot with Sarah Palin; place a sad and despairing Cindy McCain at her side, and Mr. Palin on the other side.

Now think... who do you want leading this country in the event that this photograph speaks the thousand words of what truly might happen to the US Presidency? Really? What do you envision? In your heart -- with knowledge that the decision affects your life and the lives of your loved ones: your children and your children's children -- who would you trust?

LOOK AT THAT PICTURE.

2008-08-04T01:41:00.002-04:00

Cheri Smith Kinney
OGHS Class of 1969

Sometimes life throws a curve ball. Not that it's all about me. Why is my friend's death hard for me to handle? I mean... she's the one who is dead.

I remember Cheri as one of my first friends at OGHS. She and I had PE lockers right next to each other. I suppose when you're naked with somebody -- especially a stranger in a strange land -- a certain amount of intimacy develops. We laughed and danced and goofed off and watched the senior guys trot out to PE every morning, all school year. At OGHS in 1966-67, classes ran all year, September to June, day in, day out. Same schedule, start time, end time, teachers, paths, faces. We were stuck with each other -- the roll of the dice that placed you in the right time and the right place, or hell in a handbasket. Cheri and I were fellow prisoners in French class for two years. That and the gym locker and the way we both approached life with a Glass Half Full mentality put us in line to be friends. Thank the powers that be.

Cheri had the most infectious smile, voice, and laugh of almost anyone I've ever met. If I close my eyes, I can hear the cadence of her voice, the pitch, the almost hoarse, breathy-yet-lilting speech that carried a smile in every word. If ever anyone could truly be said to Light Up a Room -- she was the IT girl. And fun! "Fun" should have been her middle name. She was the first person I wanted to see at every reunion. Oh, I have other friends from the Class of '69 -- Christina and Dennis -- who I see and talk to and keep up with way more than I did with Cheri. But Cheri just had this magic that drew me to her no matter how long we'd made the space between our connections.

And we always promised each other we would write. Or call. Or email. Maybe she was too busy -- I'd imagine so. I'd imagine her with a whirling social life. And I was far away in Vermont by the last time we saw each other in 2005. Still we exchanged addresses and all that info. And promised, again, to keep in touch.

I only wish we had.

All I know is that she is dead. The lovely picture in the obituary doesn't speak of illness or sadness or a lingering disease of mind or body. No mention of accident or disaster. No place for flowers or donations or special foundations for the cure of whatever happened. I have no idea. And does that matter? Knowing won't change the result. Knowing what happened won't bring Cheri back. And having Cheri back probably won't make me a better friend to her -- I wasn't that, I guess. I wish I had been. I truly do.

Mostly I'm sad that she isn't in the world... isn't in the world where I imagine she is -- partying, dancing, and living large in her effervescent way. Because I always felt better knowing she was in the world, and that every few years I'd see her again. And as always, we would pick up as if our lockers were still next to each other and the boys were jogging out to PE and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was a gas, gas, gas.

I miss you beyond belief, Miss Cheri. I miss you. Rock on.

2008-07-24T10:51:00.004-04:00

13 Peanut Butter and ....

1. Jelly -- duh. BUT! Do you really use "jelly" or "jam"?? I'm partial to odd jams like apricot or raspberry. Most people like strawberry jam or grape jelly.

2. Celery -- Dieter's delight + it's fun filling the valley of the celery "perfectly" to the top

3. Granny Smith Apples -- I slice into 16ths (?) and use the slices like a potato chip, to dip in the peanut butter. Great while watching old movies during a rainstorm.

4. Pretzels -- Again with the dipping.

5. Hershey Bar -- Yes! A raw hershey bar, broken into those rectangles (don't go out of the lines!) and again, dipped into your stash of peanut butter.

6. Pancakes -- We used to do this when the kids were little and needed extra protein. Use peanut butter in lieu of dairy butter or margarine. Yes, maple syrup adds just the right yum.

7. Banana -- When I was in high school, I lived right across the street from my school. I arrived home way before my parents. So what did I do to entertain my younger siblings? I invented snacks. Now this was before the microwave. Our favorite? We named it the "Banana Extravaganza." Slice banana lengthwise. Now you have two planks. (slice several bananas so the whole gang can partake) Slather with peanut butter. Place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle chocolate chips. Mush them into the peanut butter a bit. Add chopped walnuts if you are inclined. Coconut is also a possibility. Depends on what's in the cupboard. Then slide the cookie sheet under the broiler, just until the chocolate chips begin to melt. Be Careful! Don't burn the walnuts or coconut. Nasty. And remember... it's hot! Don't burn the roof of your mouth! We were such brats, weren't we? It's a wonder we didn't burn down the kitchen.

8. Sourdough Toast -- I like the combination of these tastes. I toast the sourdough bread and spread with dairy butter. After that's melted, I slather the peanut butter. Need a glass of cold milk with this. Long ago, we drank real milk. Today I can do this with 1%, no sweat. I wonder how much butterfat is plaqued on my heart valves?

9. Graham Crackers -- I do the dipping thing. Why waste time and energy spreading?

10. Cookies -- Make your own cookie sandwich. This works especially well if you get those chocolate hydrox cookies (like Oreos without the filling). But I have experimented with just about any cookie -- two chocolate chip cookies, two Nilla Wafers, two oatmeal. I don't see how any cookie would suffer from becoming a sandwich.

11. Bagel -- I'd only recommend this on plain or sweet bagels, like cinnamon raisin or cranberry or even blueberry. Just thinking about an "Everything" bagel topped with peanut butter is sorta gaggy -- onion and garlic... nah.

12. Noodles -- This is a bit of a stretch and you have to be in the mood, but you can make a great little pasta sauce if you have the ingredients. Boil your noodles/pasta. While you wait, make the sauce. You'll need hoison sauce and soy, a little brown sugar, sesame oil (a dab), and maybe even some sherry. If you like it "hot," add a drop or two of spicy oil or a shake of pepper flakes or cayenne. Mix all that in your own proportions, 'till it's smooth and creamy (unless you used chunky peanut butter, which would be cool actually). You want that sauce to be "pourable" -- not too thick and not too thin. For extra pizzazz, stirfry some fresh beansprouts. If you don't have fresh, use a can of beansprouts or Chinese veggies. Toss the pasta, sprouts, and sauce. Top with sliced scallions and chopped cilantro (if you like that). If you realllllly wanna get fancy, sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts. Vi - o - la!

13. A spoon -- Yes, grab a spoon and the jar and you're in business. Of course, you can get seriously decadent by adding a jar of Nutella. Or a jar of honey. Or a jar of Hersheys Hot Fudge. Or a jar of Butterscotch sauce. Or a combination? Or... well... you get the picture.

Any "peanut butter and what???" you'd like to add?? Please do!

2008-07-09T10:13:00.006-04:00

Today Casou might be sick. I'm off to the vet in a bit. When I consider the very idea that he might be in pain or sick, I feel responsible and caring and even a little sick myself. I have no idea why I love him like I do; I just do. I've been a "dog person" my whole life. Lotsa dogs. Lotsa lotsa dogs. And I've never loved a dog like I love Casou. That said, why do we own pets?

1. Unconditional love. Well, dogs do give us that. Yep, they do.
2. Responsibility -- keeping a schedule, making the house and environs safe. Casou actually keeps me from a life of forgetfulness and self-absortion. He checks my ego at the doggie door.
3. Patience -- when a dog "errs," the fault (99%) is the human's. Don't lose temper. Don't yell. Don't hit. Don't punish. Rethink where you put those old socks, those cupcakes.
4. Exercise -- well, if we walked, Casou and I would be in the BEST shape! Wow!
5. One more reason on a long list for friends and family to check and discuss how I'm nuts. "She'll go completely crazy if anything ever happens to that dog."
6. Topic of conversation -- "How's your dog?" "What kennel do you recommend?" "What hotels accept pets?"
7. Joining a group of owners, thus meeting more people, building friendships. Or, just walking with your pet. People come up and make lovely comments like "What kind of dog? He's beautiful." My husband, who usually waits outside stores and holds Casou's leash, meets lots of pretty girls. I'd say Casou is definitely a chick magnet.
8. Entertainment for the grandkids. How many times can they race around the room? Duh.
9. A valid reason to stay home, miss the party, avoid the buffet, or at least leave early. Okay, a good excuse. "But we can't bring the dog..." or "Ooos, gotta get home and feed the dog."
10. Some people clear their refrigerator and table of leftovers by owning a pet. Casou doesn't eat "people food," but some dogs or owners...
11. Companionship. Casou likes to hang out with me while I work. He's comforting and quiet. He knows how to support this writer.
12. A live reminder that we are connected to the earth and not necessarily masters of the universe.
13. A good sounding board -- I can say ANYTHING to Casou and he never tells. He cocks his head, listens, and usually smiles. He's great for brainstorming plot points.

2008-06-27T10:21:00.016-04:00

RETURN of the VACATION FLOOZY

I know. I know. Today is FRIDAY. I could claim that I cannot remember what day it is -- I'm in the fog of vacationitis. Days have melted into each other like a dish of Neopolitan ice cream on a hot August day. But it's still June. And rainy. And I've been bored. Bored? Yeah... a slug. Maybe doing this T13 will get me out of my post-vacation doldrums? Worth a try!

13 Items I Acquired (discovered or purchased)
on My Vacation

1. Buckets o' seashells -- every day we walked about 2 miles on the beach. I wanted to find a nearly-perfect conch shell. Alas, no. But I have a lot of great little shells which I plan to use on dominoes or other art projects. Or stare at until I'm transported to the beach -- breathing the salty air, hearing the shush and roar of the sea, digging my toes in the cool sand, and turning my face to the dazzling warmth of the sun (especially this winter when the trees are bare, the sky looms leaden, and the thermometer reads below zero).

2. A big bag of Grits - the coarse, yellow variety. Dinner at the Ryberg's on Sullivan's Island. Native South Carolina shrimp (ooooh delicious!!!) and Grits. My first time to eat grits, I'm surprised to say. Purchased this burlap bag at the Charleston Market -- a fun place to shop.

3. Two bags of Benne wafers - a tradition of Charleston. Yum. Gave one bag to our neighbors for taking care of the homestead. Thanks to John, Rosie, Taylor, and Lilly

4. Two jars of Greek Spices -- from a little restaurant on King Street in Charleston. My friend, Betty Ryberg, gave me a little tour of Charleston. She grabbed my hand and took me into the Olde Town Grille & Seafood. She swears by this jar of spices. I bought some and agree -- excellent! Gave one jar to Lorraine Losa, for gradiously allowing us to use her home as the half-way point in our drive to and from South Carolina. All that, and she cooked meals, too! Thanks Lorraine and Gene!

5. An adorable illustrated book: Very Charleston, by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler. Delightful and informative.

6. Some photos-- only a few and not one of me -- (okay, just the one picture Steve took in which a lighthouse seems to be emanating from my head) (said picture also forced me back to Weight Watchers the minute I arrived in Vermont)

7. Lots of new clothes! (can you say "Fresh Produce Store"? I love this stuff!) I own quite a few pieces of this summer clothing. Everything works, the colors are vibrant, and ... I can't say enough about the value. I've had some of these pieces longer than I've had Steve. Here's the website: http://www.freshproducesportswear.com/

8. One large, new crossword puzzle book (but only did a couple... too much work while on vacation... ha ha)

9. Two completed paperback novels and two others started (put the "done" on Bookmooch and right away somebody mooched 'em)

10. A tan - I religiously wore my sunscreen. Even re-applied. Still, I'm sporting a bit of color from my cheeks to my toes. I'm sure I'll fade soon, but it's nice to feel like my ol' California self.

11. A relaxed state o' mind - isn't a vacation a tiny miracle that refreshes the spirit and rejuvenates the soul and places all the daily hustle, bustle, rant, and worry into perspective?

12. A true love of Folly Beach --- who knew? What a delightful spot for a week at the beach! Wanna go back. Maybe in a couple summers -- I think next year we owe the west coast a week or a month.

13. One shaken, but not broken, marriage! Despite 40 hours in the new Honda Civic. Thank goodness for TomTom GPS!!! Whatever did we do without it? Oh, I remember. I read the darn maps and Steve freaked out and we argued about the turns. Oy. So much more calm , cool, and collected -- both of us!

We wave a found farewell... as Casou walks on the beach....

2008-06-24T10:46:00.003-04:00

We're baaaaccccckkkk!

Loved Folly Beach. Loved doin' nuthin'.... loved seafood, shopping, sand, sea, salt, 'n surf. Sitting with my face toward the ocean reminds me of my roots, revives my soul, and lifts my spirit. Alive again, naturally.

Glad to be back. More later.
Weeding needs to be done, or no organic tomatoes for this family. Oy!

2008-06-12T00:29:00.005-04:00

ROAD TRIP!

We're off...
like a dirty shirt...
like a herd of turtles...
like ???

We rented a dog friendly house on Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Can't wait to sit in the sun and read through the used paperback books that I've accumulated for just this purpose.

Mmmmm.... what does a vacation give me an excuse to do? Inquiring minds want to know!
Here goes...

THURSDAY THIRTEEN brings you....
VACATION... an excuse to....

1. Buy (one? two? three?) .... well at leaste one new bathing suit.
2. Stockpile all those lovely trashy novels to read on beach
3. Buy (not just read in checkout line) mindless magazines
4. Eat junk food (road trip junk food rocks) without eating calories!
5. Go to the movies (matinee if it rains) without an "official" occasion
6. Buy cheesy postcards for to our friends and family
7. Sit on the beach, under an umbrella, and read those trashy novels (see #2) all day long
8. Rent a house in a faraway land (like South Carolina)
9. Ask (beg?) nice neighbors to water all our plants and veggie garden
10. Drive with the top down (well, how about the sunroof open?)
11. Dine in fancy restaurants and order local delicacies (beer and a dog??)
12. Get romantic in foreign land (or in a different state?) (or in the kitchen?)
13. And the best excuse for taking a "road trip" vacation?

NOT SPENDING TIME WITH THE FAMILY!
Just "us"... alone and romantic!

(not that we don't LOVE our family, but HEY... we never get to vacation alone...)

See you all in a couple weeks!
We'll be home (and thinking up a new T13 every week) for the rest of the summer.

p.s. Yesterday was my Mom & Dad's Anniversary -- I think this would have been 60 years? Not sure. Trust me... my parents were an awesome couple. Text book. Lovey dovey. Strict but caring. Not sure about the #. Hafta ask Mom. Also...I graduated from Orange High School, Escondido, CA... on June 11, 1969. Next year is the Big Four Oh. oooooh nooooo.... My how time flies when you're havin' fun!

2008-06-07T19:09:00.002-04:00

HOPE
I believe in Barack Obama...
because he is a REAL person,
supported by REAL people, just like me.

2008-06-06T10:24:00.004-04:00

Robert Francis Kennedy
November 20, 1925 - June 6, 1968

2008-06-06T10:06:00.005-04:00

Welcome Back!
Answers to the Movie Keyword Meme

Chompin' at the bit , huh?

I almost forgot. In fact, I thought I had set up the answers on automatic post. Oh well. That convenient moment of forgetfulness must have some Freudian undertones. But psychosis is another topic for another day.

I loved everybody's attempts. I was surprised that so many responders aren't big movie fans. I think I must be a "nut" about movies. And... I thought this was so easy --- quite a surprise for me that it wasn't. Yes, I did throw in a couple oldies that seemed very recognizable to me, but were tres obscure for you.

Here goes!

1. epic, love triangle, Civil War = GONE WITH THE WIND
2. farmer, ghost, reconciliation = FIELD OF DREAMS
3. monster, Manhattan, lizard = GODZILLA
4. Christmas, Heathrow, ensemble = LOVE, ACTUALLY
5. Big Kahuna, teen, surfboard = GIDGET
6. revolutionary, flashback, poet = DR. ZHIVAGO
7. bar fight, pie fight, slapstick = THE GREAT RACE
8. albino, Louvre, conspiracy = THE DA VINCI CODE
9. rookie, heroine, cannibalism = SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
10. trash compactor, knight, hyperspace = STAR WARS (the original/still the greatest)
11. midget, skywriting, melting = THE WIZARD OF OZ
12. expatriate, nightclub, sacrifice = CASABLANCA
13. tragedy, leukemia, Harvard = LOVE STORY

Perhaps I should have chosen the very obvious keywords? I wanted to make the game a little challenging.

Dr. Zhivago is told in full flashback.
The Great Race used to hold the record for pies in a pie fight.
I should have pluralized "midget" for The Wizard of Oz, and I thought munchkin was too easy.
The "giveaway" on Star Wars was "trash compactor," the fulcrum point of the movie when our heroes actually become heroes by thwarting death in the belly of the whale and are resurrected to fight and win.
The one that surprised me the most (that was missed).... Casablanca.

This is a fun meme. Try it with your friends at a party? I think teams could compete, much like charades. You could use "theme" movies for a shower (wedding or baby).

Merely brainstorming. Have a GREAT day!

2008-06-05T07:00:00.005-04:00

For today's T13, I'm using another meme stolen from another blog. I would LOVE to give credit, but I stole this one so long ago and only copied the rules and not the blogger/site. Mea culpa.

Here are the rules:

1. I went to IMDB and looked up a bunch of my favorite movies.
2. I posted three official IMDB “Plot Keywords” for each.
3. You guys guess the movies (no looking them up!).

Piece of cake. Nothing foreign. Not too much old stuff. Okay, I'm old. Maybe a few oldies? Probably a few oldies. But famous oldies. I think. Give it a whirl!

1. epic, love triangle, Civil War
2. farmer, ghost, reconciliation
3. monster, Manhattan, lizard
4. Christmas, Heathrow, ensemble
5. Big Kahuna, teen, surfboard
6. revolutionary, flashback, poet
7. bar fight, pie fight, slapstick
8. albino, Louvre, conspiracy
9. rookie, heroine, cannibalism
10. trash compactor, knight, hyperspace
11. midget, skywriting, melting
12. expatriate, nightclub, sacrifice
13. tragedy, leukemia, Harvard

Good Luck!
I'll post the answers tomorrow!

2008-05-29T09:17:00.006-04:00

As I'm sure I've mentioned many times, the Vermont planting season really doesn't start until Memorial Day. My giant head o' steam deflated to simmer when the cold air swept down from the Arctic (or that demon Canada or wherever)Tuesday. Brrrr. With the possibility of frost, I froze (like a deer in the corn) and stalled the planting. BUT... we will be under way this morning (cross those muddy fingers).

As you can see, Casou the wonder dog jumped into the picture -- or should I say he was laying down on the job? I call this picture "Still Life with Dog." We were mixing potting soil for the six hanging planters (filled with white and dusty rose wave petunias) that dangle from hooks on our veranda. Ha! I always wanted to call our long, wide mahogany porch a veranda. Next we'll be serving mint juleps and fanning ourselves.

We rented a roto tiller and churned the dirt which has been sitting under a pile of snow, compost, and dead veggies that we threw into the fenced-off garden all winter. We mixed in a lot of "Cock-a-Doodle-Do" which was highly recommended by my sister, Joanne-of-the-Magic-Green-Thumb. Yes, she syphoned off all the gardening genes from our grandmother, who could raise anything, even a ruckus. Grandma Jenny had an organic garden in LA, as far back as the 20's. She also raised hothouse orchids. Some day more on her. She was a pip!

As for the title of this T13, I wasn't sure I could list thirteen vegetables to be planted in the garden. I might be adding flowers, edible and not, to the list. Hence the word "things" which is NOT my favorite word (you can ask my writing students who are admonished to ban "thing" and all "thing family" words from their writing). I hope they don't find this blog and realize I'm breaking my own rule. Oy.

So....without further ado... here's what I'm planting:

1. Wave petunias • In hanging baskets. I heard these don't need pinching. Really? Cool.
2. Cherry tomatoes • In containers on the slate patio. One red. One yellow. Yum.
3. Tomatoes • Early Girl and two other varieties. We love tomatoes.
4. Zucchini • Need I say more? A good year means loads of zucchini. I'm ready with my trusty helpmate, "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook," by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman. This wonderbook includes 225 recipes for all kinds of squash. Breads, muffins, casseroles, side dishes -- anything a glut of zucchini will provide.
5. Yellow Crookneck Squash • My first time.
6. Green beans • I'm partial to bush beans. No poles to plant. But the bending to harvest can cause a little ache in the lower back. Still, fresh beans are worth the teeny tiny pain. I planted two versions - one regular, one gourmet.
7. Corn • Haven't had a huge success with corn, but it's fun to watch. The deer and other critters have left my corn alone. Last year, when the season was almost over, some squirrels climbed the stalks. I didn't know it at the time and watching the stalks wildly swinging and crashing was a surprise. Let's hope they wait and we harvest some sweet corn before the games begin.
8. Red pepper • One plant. I've never had much success with peppers -- green or red, hot or sweet. I'm skeptical, but I keep trying.
9. Pumpkins • This is another one I keep trying. Since I moved to Vermont, my dream has been to raise pumpkins for autumn -- decorations and pies. Sounds perfect, huh? I get lots of flowers, no pumpkins. Are my bees on the fritz? Do tell -- if you have a secret for success with pumpkins. (as a hush-hush sidebar, I'm also planting watermelon 'cuz somebody gave me seeds)
10. Basil • Lots and lots of the sweet, large leaf basil. Gotta have it fresh for pasta!
11. Cilantro • My first try. For salsa.
12. Radishes • Again, I'm an optimist. Never had much luck with these. I know -- this is the first plant for kids. I'm hoping the enriched soil and rototilling has aided my quest for a delicious radish.
13. Nasturtiums, Sunflowers, and Morning Glories • Ran out of numbers, but I am planting flowers all over the place. Morning Glories always seem to take all summer before they bloom. Boo. I've had no luck with sunflowers. Last year I tried Nasturtiums from seed and had a few grow with minimal bloom. Oh well, I'm not giving up.

As you can see, I wasn't born with the green thumb. I like to think what I lack in genetic intuition, I can make up with tenacity. I'm planting lots of Hope with these seeds. Good luck with your gardening!

2008-05-22T11:31:00.007-04:00

Ah Yes. Americans are waking up to the high cost of driving. I know Europeans have dealt with this issue forever and may have no sympathy for our gas-guzzling ways, but it's not easy to break the habits of a lifetime. Many will say, "I'm not changing!" And many will use hand gestures (or finger gestures?) to accompany that point. Others may bike to work (oy! that's a long trek on dicey roads for the majority) or take public transit. Some of us will have to be ingenuous . Most of us will take baby steps and make incremental changes. Soooooo....

How can we spend the Memorial Day Weekend (this sort of bugs me -- I don't get how a day can become a weekend and we can mix the two, but that's another blog) without using gas?

What's to say, after you yell at the screen, "STAY HOME!" ???

Don't get so testy! I've been pondering this question all morning and I've made a list -- just in time for Thursday Thirteen! Go figure!

Anyway, here are some ideas I'm going to try this weekend:

1. GAME MARATHON -- Looks like rain here anyway, so let's pull out Monopoly, Scrabble, and all the rest.

2. MOVIE MARATHON - What movies do you have on hand? I have six Netflix envelopes sitting on the coffee table with nothing to do. These include: The Great Debaters with Denzel Washington; Starting Out in the Evening (about a writer!); Juno (we never saw because our local movie theatre went out of business); Sense and Sensibility (the new BBC version which we didn't see because we don't have t.v. hook up); Crossing Jordan, Season 1 (same reason -- catching up on series because we don't have t.v.); and finally..... National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (how fun is that?!). In addition, I have enough dvds here to fill any theme marathon: romance, adventure, Harry Potter, Kevin Costner, the 60's -- a theme to fit any mood!

Since the idea is to NOT USE GAS, we will not be driving an hour to a movie theatre to see the new Indiana Jones flick. So, don't tell me the plot, please. I'm avoiding all reviews until we can pool our errands such that we drive to NH to see it (ah ha! saving gas!).

3. READ! My basket of books to read is overflowing. I hit the library AND a used book fair. OMG.

4. CRAFTS! I'm completely into Altered Art. I've been doing treasure boxes. But...Dominoes are my current rave. They are like little canvasses waiting for additional elements. Here are a couple of my first attempts:

5. OLD MAGAZINES! Cut up for collages and toss the rest. Oh, keep any good recipes.

6. GARDENING! In VT we can't plant (seriously) until Memorial Day. Sweeties -- it snowed this week. But I am hoping for a bit of warmth so I can at least do the hanging boxes. I have 24 wave petunias ready to go!

7. SEW! Have fabric, must create. And I have a quilt that needs finishing. And bags for my business ZeeBagsVt.com --- although my website needs updating (another thing to do?)

8. CALL! Mom, Geoff, Joanne.... the list goes on! So, call your loved ones... after all, it's MEMORiAL DAY.. you might want to REMEMBER them!

9. OLD PHOTO ALBUMS! Talk about remembering -- maybe take a few minutes (that might turn into hours) perusing old photo albums, especially of those loved ones who've passed. I began a genealogy chart using a great software program and lots of information I found in a box of pictures, stolen from my mom's garage. I've also been scanning. To the left is my Aunt Nan (for whom I'm named).

10. PRACTICE! I'm going to work on my short game by chipping golf balls in the yard. I'll use whiffle balls so I don't have to chase too much. If we had horseshoes, that would be fun. Darts? Catch? Knit? Crochet? Jump rope? Lift weights! Time to learn a new skill?

11. WALK THE DOG! Both of us could use the exercise. Duh.

12. DANCE! A few weeks ago, I bought a cool swirly skirt, and the company included a great little dance CD -- full of oldies . That prodded me to download a Donna Summer album from iTunes. I'm rockin' now. I am not planning to do housework (hey! it's a HOLIDAY), but dancing is a nice way to move around the house for fun. I might just take breaks and yell out, "Ten minutes of dancing right now!"

13. EAT! I'm collapsing a category here. This includes bake (I found an EASY key lime pie recipe in the latest Real Simple magazine) and I will probably bake a couple loaves of sourdough bread, but you could do cookies, cupcakes, or pancakes -- whatever... have I said this enough? It's a HOLIDAY; barbecue -- hot dogs, hamburgers, salmon, eggplant... the list goes on; snack (you fill in the blank here) ; chop and dice (fruit salad, cole slaw); even churn ice cream (well, we do have an unused Cuisinart ice cream maker sitting here....

Soooooo.... I'll be lounging on the porch, rain or shine, enjoying the beginning of Summer (even if the calendar doesn't agree with me). I'll be gas-free! And notice, too, I'm not shopping or consuming ($$) anything extra -- at least not during those 3 days. I'll even refrain from shopping online. Quite the milestone for me -- turning over a new leaf. At least for 3 days.

I hope you have a nice break from the rat race, too!

2008-05-15T11:20:00.003-04:00

Thursday Thirteen -- I, Voyager

Okay... here's what I'm gonna do.... (you're thrilled now, huh? expectation sends chills up your spine? you tingle with excitement! you sit on the edge of your swiveling desk chair! you yawn and mutter, "Get on with it, BloggerGeek!)

I am going to pull 13 cards from my Voyager Tarot deck. I love the Voyager deck because it's visual -- each card a collage of photographic images. The deck names the suits differently. The suits and their counterpart names in "traditional" decks are as follows:

Wands = Wands - spiritual
Crystals = Swords - mental
Worlds = Pentacles/Disks - physical
Cups = Cups - emotional

Also, the sixteen face cards (4 suits/4faces) of the Minor Arcana are named differently. Here's how they correspond to traditional names:

Man = King/= mature/master masculine energy = transformer/builder/external
Woman = Queen = mature/master feminine energy = introspective/self aware/internal
Child = Page/Prince/Princess = young energy/new growth
Sage = Knight = androgenous/experience/embodiment of the element on the card

Each minor arcana card has a word on the top. I'll add that, too.

Twenty-one cards of the Major Arcana ( in the Voyager called Personality Archetypes; other decks call this group "major principles of life") are also named, in some cases, with different terms from the traditional decks. I won 't list all of these cards. In the list of 13, if I pull one, I'll explain the counterpart in the note.

I will call this the "Next 13 Days" reading. I'll give a very brief note to each card. Onward and upward.... I've shuffled four times -- for the four directions. I use my hand, infused with energy, to choose each card from an arc of cards laid across a velvet cloth. I merely take my palm and scan it across the cards -- when my palm tingles, that's the card. Here goes:

13 Cards for 13 Days

1. Thursday, May 15 - Two of Wands - Purity. Time to be true to myself. Good start!

2. Friday, May 16 - Three of Crystals - Creativity - Ideas are germinating, waiting for birth. Yes, I've been working on writing and art. A lot. Ready to go!

3. Saturday, May 17 - Two of Crystals - Equanimity - Time to be detached, resistant to the jumble and confusion of life. This makes amazing sense. I'm going to be babysitting two small children at a carnival. Oy.

4. Sunday, May 18 - Eight of Crystals - Synthesis - Use the sides that are artist and scientist for mental harmony, balance and evenness. That would be the "the creative artist" part of me + "the technician" part of me -- making way for each other and blending. Yep.

5. Monday, May 19 - Woman of Worlds - Preserver - Since "worlds" represent the physical, this card is telling me to nurture and provide physical support for myself. Clean the studio, clear the desk, I'm thinking.

6. Tuesday, May 20 - Two of Worlds - Reflection - In this time of physical relaxation (my summer vacation) and mental contemplation (see #2 above) I need to crystalize my plans, live simply and be frugal -- not to buy stuff that will cloud the mind. I do tend to "shop" when I'm in fear -- like when I get blocked in my writing life. That's a great admonition to remember.

7. Wednesday, May 21 - Six of Crystals - Confusion - Ideas grow and then you're overloaded The richness of ideas creates mental conflict and indecision. The inability to organize. However, out of chaos comes creative insights. Yes, I've been going NUTS about which story, of several, to complete. This card says I have to quit being cerebral -- get out of my mind. Time for a bath! Great idea!

8. Thursday, May 22 - Ten of Wands - Growth - A tree grows upward (spiritual) and downward (roots/grounding). A tree expands and blooms. Since we are in spring, our trees are flowering and fruit is beginning to emerge. I can say the same about my work. By next week, I may be bearing fruit. Something tangible? Let's hope so!

9. Friday, May 23 - Eight of Cups - Stagnation - Not exactly a word I enjoy. This card signals the possibility of emotional fatigue and flatness. Things could become sticky, swampy, blocked, dry, suffocating, and dead. That's the emotions. I can see that happening should I not heed the other cards. Time to meditate. I've had that answer several times in the last few days. This card tells me to heed the universe's advice -- or else.

9. Saturday, May 24 - Child of Crystals - Learner - Time to explore like a child -- open to new ideas. Explore the cave of my mind -- the way it works and its pitfalls. As this week evolves, I'm sure I'll have to sit and do just that.

10. Sunday, May 25 - Time-Space XX -- Traditionally known as "Judgement." This card speaks to the ability to see the causes and effects of mental and behavioral patterns. To understand who I am and where I am going. My visions and ideas bubble forth AND I need to watch the tendency to dwell exclusively in my mind -- beware of spacing out and ignoring my physical and worldly needs and responsibilities. I need to ground my perceptions. I take that as use my imagination -- the creation of stories -- and get them down on paper.

11. Monday, May 26 - Moon XVIII - this card is about natural intuition (feelings and dreams) that allow me to awareness -- to see patterns, read dreams, understand symbols. Wisely, the moon also portends the feeling of "out of control" emotions. So, be aware AND watch out.

12. Tuesday, May 27 - Six of Worlds - Synergy - Combine and interweave inner and outer resources. I have to make all the parts work in cooperation -- like a team -- to achieve my goals. I think that's becoming clear in the reading.

13. Wednesday, May 28 - Three of Cups - Love - The pink rose, the unfolding of my heart center. The card says I have to love myself -- find an inner union between my masculine traits (drive and responsibility) and my inner traits (creativity and awareness). Love is the glue to build anything -- especially a body of work.

Considering the overabundance of "crystals" cards reflects a time of much (great?) thought. Many of the cards speak to balance and union. Something creative is emerging. The message is to pay attention, nurture myself, and don't STOP. These cards say that I have the tools. I need to use them. I know. I know. You say, "Well, duh." Okay, okay, I heard you.

Looks like I have a heckavah two weeks ahead of me. With the exception of the carnival and a haircut appointment -- my calendar is clear. I see some writin' ahead, don't you?

2008-05-08T12:31:00.004-04:00

As usual, I was contemplating a completely different T13 (involving a dictionary and a set of questions) when I stumbled upon the word "duck" and began to ... dare I say.... THINK.

How many ways do we use the word "duck"? Or close forms of "duck"? Here goes a list of ducky idioms, by no means complete and in no particular order.

1. sitting duck
2. lame duck
3. lucky duck
4. dead duck
5. duck out
6. ducks in a row
7. just ducky
8. duck the issue
9. duck soup
10. like a duck to water
11. water off a duck's back
12. ugly duckling (close!)
13. duck walk

In the bonus round: rubber ducky, disco duck, ducking and diving, AND... what do I invariably utter when I stub my toe OR burn my index finger using the hot glue gun (don't ask)..... "Fuck a duck!"

2008-05-01T15:14:00.006-04:00

13 Ways I Love to Procrastinate!

I'm writing away. I hit a block. Darn! I'm in trouble. What should I do? Call Super Chicken? Alert my therapist? Go shopping?
(Hum Jeopardy theme here... )
AH HA! ...the brainiac light bulb surges with alternatives...

I leap into the air and shout.....

1. Bake something! Why else do we need to stand next to the oven for 45 minutes?

2. Mend clothing! That blouse has languished in the basket for six months and needs that (a) new button (b) new seam, or (c) a big ol' multi-colored sequin flower or Minnie Mouse or dragonfly -- right now!

3. My Netflix queue! Must be a new movie to add? delete? shuffle in the order? HEY! Who put that Dom de Luise film in the queue???

4. Catalogues! Another six Landsend, 4 JJill, and 2 Illuminations catalogues arrived yesterday. I must look at every item that I am NOT going to buy!

5. Tea time! Right about now I NEED a cup of tea and some quiet time. Popcorn? Why, thank you, I believe I need some of that, too.

6. Rearrange the freezer! Whoa...how long has that package of pork chops been on the bottom rack? I didn't know we had ....limeade? apple turnovers? eclairs? lobster tails!

7. A new recipe! Need something brand, spanking (wonder where that idiom started?) new for a dinner entree/casserole/dessert! Something different. Something exciting. Something.... I have to read through all six of my Weight Watchers cookbooks. Maybe I'll just check the Silver Palette books. Sure. I can change those recipes to low fat. No sweat.

8. Mailbox run! Maybe the post person has dropped off the mail? I'll just put on a sweatshirt and run down to the mail box and check. (Note: our mailbox is not visible from the house, so I will have to do this reconnaissance mission at least three times before the mail actually arrives).

9. Birthday cards! Why not check the calendar. After all, it's a new month. Yikes! Five birthdays in May. I might as well get ready now. Where did I put that box of cards? Under the bed? In the closet? under the roll of the roll top desk?

10. Snack time! ("Again?" you ask. Hey, this thinking is Hard Work. Besides, that last snack was a least an hour ago.) Whew, I need another pick me up! Check the news online (for the 75th time today). Become catatonic at the !@#$#@$% in the Democratic Primary. Go Obama! (ha! another superdelegate defects to Barack!)

11. Bookworm! (no explanation needed, but I am playing for Level 40!)

12. Read! That might make three books running simultaneously this week. Reading could be inspiring, right? Troll for problems in another writer's prose; snicker at implausible plot twists; consider what I might do differently (which means... what I would do "more better"??)

13. Rats! Absolutely last resorts: clean the tupperware cupboard; switch all the clothes in the closet -- box the winter stuff, unbox the summer stuff; and dust (dusting is ALWAYS a last resort. ALWAYS).

Sometimes, creating new T13 ideas is a productive (looking) form of Procrastination. Searching for graphic art is definitely a time burner. Planning the banner is a good waste of time. No!?! Oh well.... onward and upward! I'm going back to writing, right now!

2008-04-24T10:56:00.005-04:00

13 Reasons I Canceled Class on Friday

and gave myself a long weekend

1. No earthly ideas for lesson plans. I'm coming up blank at the moment. Only six more days of classes. I covered all the essentials for my students' final speeches and then I set up a day of "Speech Jeopardy" which is played for Extra Credit Points only. Yes, I really enjoy my work. Not sure the students appreciate such moments, but HEY! when it stops being fun, I'm good to retire and travel. Anyway, giving myself Friday off is like giving myself a week off. Next week my students are scheduled to give their final speeches, so no work for me (except listening) all week. Wow..... this professor gig rocks!

2. 80 degrees! Finally! Spring fever has struck my students and ME! I want to roll in the grass, stare at the bright green leaves, breathe the fresh air, open the windows (I've been breathing that same air inside since October!), and shout... "HELLLOOOO World... Spring is Here!" Actually, we seem to have skipped spring and gone directly, do-not-pass-Go-do-not-collect-200-dollars, to summer. I'm sure we will get our comeuppance, but I'm wallowing now. To cancel class is almost oxymoronic since only 6 students came to one class on Monday. I'm fighting a losing battle. If I can't beat 'em, I'm joining 'em!

3. Unpack Summer Clothes/Pack winter clothes. I'm so sick of black I could scream. Bring back my lime green, hot pink, and bright powder blue! Not that I actually recede in winter... but I think I do wrap myself in toned-down colors and wait for that Easter egg moment when I can jump back to vivid me. I'm ready; I hope the weather doesn't play a big ol' snow trick (ewwww).

4. Write! I have been "doing" The Artist's Way to unblock my creative self. I'm learning a lot. I like how I've committed to writing 3 pages, by hand, every morning. I actually get up one half hour earlier than usual on school days just to accomplish my task. I can say that I have written every single day for the past eight weeks. I'm halfway through the 9th. I am becoming unblocked! Now I need to work on scheduling and writing. I've almost been afraid to come to the screen and begin again. And I must. Writing is who I am. To deny myself would be a great loss to my heart. Today... .2000 words or bust!

5. Craft/Art Projects! I've been "into" Altered Art and now I'm moving along full steam. Okay, half steam, but still some steam is better than no steam. Collage, papier mache, beading, distressed ink... wow... I love my studio again! I find that art projects usually propel me headlong into writing. Cross your fingers!

6. Library Books Due. Speaking of writing.... I have to return four books about Robert Kennedy, since my current w-i-p takes place in December, 1967, on the eve of the announcement that he's running for President. Although I lived through that time, and even campaigned for him, I wanted to capture the flavor, not just my memories, of that 60's.

7. Read! While I'm on the treadmill, I listen to books. I'm so into To the Last Man, by Jeff Shaara, that I checked the book out of our library. But...earlier this year, I had placed it on my wish-list at Bookmooch (see sidebar for info). And someone gave it up last week, I snatched it, and it arrived -- a perfect, beautiful paperback. Well, now I have three ways to read. And finally the time. I love it. I also started the Anne Stuart "Ice" series. I guess it's romantic suspense, which is not necessarily my favorite, but the books came well-recommended. I am also reading through the Amanda Peabody Egyptologist series by Elizabeth Peters. I'm into the second book and I have the third in my basket. I used to have quite a love affair with all things Egypt, plus I giggle at the old fashioned first person, sometimes omniscient, POV in these novels (Amanda is a kick!). Also stacked in my "To Read" basket are the following: To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis; The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde; L.A. Confidential, by James Ellroy; Sovereign Ladies: Sex, Sacrifice, and Power, The Six Reigning Queens of England, by Maureen Waller. Aaaah, summer vacation is soon upon me... and I am fortified!

8. Catch up with Netflix . With recent house-guests and the end of the semester and the election vortex into which I get sucked just about every darn day, I haven't relaxed with a movie in quite some time. Sitting here in the little basket where I keep those red Netflix envelopes are the following movies: Atonement, There Will Be Blood, American Gangster, Lions for Lambs, and Starting Out in the Evening. I'm especially interested in that last one, Starting Out in the Evening because it's about a writer. Popcorn anyone?

9. Sourdough Day. I bake sourdough bread. I've used a starter for over a year, and I must make bread every week or so, lest the starter fizzle. Since we entertained guests the last two weekends, I haven't whipped out the flour and baked bread (although that would have caused the house to smell delightful). I'm ready for tomorrow!

10. Hoard Rice. Not that I eat much rice. But hoarding sounds like a day-off sort of activity. "What did you do on your day off?" "Oh, pulled some weeds, washed the car, hoarded some rice. You know. The usual." I guess the whole rice shortage will be a major topic soon enough, I shall make no more jokes... Oh, who am I kidding ? I will, too! (I could say "silly Americans," but I think we are not the only culprits) (or hoarders).

11. Could Grade Papers. Or not. That's the beauty of giving myself the day off. I can procrastinate all the way to Sunday afternoon. Ah......

12. Take a Walk. Outside for a change. I've been walking every day on my treadmill, at least 30 minutes a day. I haven't missed but a couple days in the last month. I'm becoming better about setting exercise goals. The idea of getting outside to walk is really a bonus. Not that I need a holiday to do it, but let's face it, prepping for an outside walk is a bit more of a process than stepping onto the treadmill right here in the house. Such a chore. I have to don mascara in order to venture into the world. But on Friday, I shall relish the chance!

13. Car Inspection. Steve poked his head in the office to remind me, just when I ran out of reasons.. Oh! I need to get that done by the end of the month. In Vermont -- an inspection sticker (not the least bit tied to car registration renewal sticker, go figure) every year. Here's a funny story that I can tell on my husband. He came home with a ticket. In our neighborhood we employ the constable with the most tickets written in the state -- every year. We warn all visitors to keep to the speed limit. He's a terror, even if you're going 2 miles over the limit. So, I had a gleam in my eye when Steve held the ticket and hung his head. BUT... the ticket wasn't for speeding. It was for an out-of-date inspection sticker. Steve was shocked, I tell you, shocked! He couldn't believe the trooper. So, he jumped out of his truck and checked. Lo and behold... the sticker was from.... wait for it...wait for it.... 2006. He had rolled through almost two years, inspection/sticker free. I have an appointment tomorrow. But I'm not rubbing his silly ticket in his face. No. Never. Muuuuaawww.

2008-04-10T10:22:00.017-04:00

13 Ways to Indulge in Dessert Delight!

I've been in a complete dither the last week or so. Having house guests for the weekend. I ABSOLUTELY love pampering guests. I enjoy cooking and making the house comfy and cozy. Flipping through cookbooks for the makings of a wonderful welcoming meal, I came up the Vermont Maple Cheesecake recipe and figured... "ah ha!" exactly what a Vermonter (c'est moi) would feed her guests. I woke up this morning with T13 on my mind and not-so-much time on my hands. I had two ideas: list the meals I would be serving for this weekend or list cheesecakes. Hey! Cheesecake beats parsnips every time, right? I mean, any question? This is my no means a definitive list. I randomly chose some recipes via Google. However... I did not stop to cite the sources. I apologize. Now it's Back to the Kitchen! Then I am off on a quest through every market in town, to find "Bone-In English Short Ribs"... OY!

1. Vermont Maple Cheesecake

Ingredients
For crust
twenty-four 5- by 2 1/2-inch graham crackers
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B; see note, above)

For filling
four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream

Accompaniment: pure maple syrup if desired for drizzling

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Make crust:
In a food processor finely grind graham crackers (you will have about 3 1/2 cups). Melt butter. In a large bowl stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, and maple syrup and press evenly into bottom and up side of a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap bottom and side of pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil to avoid leakage.

Make filling:
In bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a food processor beat cream cheese on low speed, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until smooth. Add syrup and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and cream and beat until just combined.

Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 1 hour (cake will not be set in center but will set as it chills). Cool cake in pan on a rack. Chill cake, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 4 days.

Remove side of pan. Serve cheesecake in wedges, drizzled with maple syrup.

2. Banana Split Cheesecake

Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup packaged chocolate cookie crumbs (such as Oreo)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
Cooking spray

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Toppings:
1/3 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/3 cup strawberry sundae syrup
1/3 cup chocolate syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
16 maraschino cherries, drained
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°.

To prepare crust, combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

To prepare filling, beat cheeses and sour cream at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, banana, flour, and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition.

Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Cheesecake is done when the center barely moves when pan is touched. Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around outside edge. Cool cheesecake to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon pineapple, 1 teaspoon strawberry syrup, 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup, 3/4 teaspoon pecans, and 1 cherry.

3. Black Forest Chocolate Cheesecake

This decadent Blackforest Chocolate Cheesecake by Vanessa Sherwood drew quite a knockout reaction when she posted it on the forum. I’m sure you can see why. It is bursting with sweet cherries layered between a chocolate crust and a creamy chocolate cheesecake filling. Vanessa advised the members of the forum they can purchase raw cacao butter and coconut oil for great prices at Organic Living Food. She also said it can be replaced with a dark Green and Black’s chocolate bar. I know what some of you will be making your loved ones this Valentines!

For the filling:
2 Cups Cashews, soaked 1 hour or more
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Cacao Butter, Melted
1/4 Cup Coconut butter, Melted
1 -2 Teaspoons Coffee Extract (optional)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract or Seeds From 1/2 Vanilla Bean
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Cocoa Powder
One 10oz Package Frozen Cherries, Thawed

Blend everything together except for the cocoa powder and cherries until completely smooth. At this point, if your blender can take it, blend in the cocoa powder. Otherwise scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk the cocoa powder in by hand. Hand mix in the thawed cherries. If you want to make a sauce out of the cherries, either set some aside or use an additional package.

About the coffee extract. Coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. I use Java Juice- Pure Organic Coffee Extract. The website is www.javajuiceextract.com. If you don’t want to use it, substitute more vanilla extract or just leave it out.

For the crust:
1/2 Cup Brazil Nuts
1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
Pinch Salt
1 Heaping Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1 - 2 Tablespoons Agave
1 - 2 Tablespoons Cacao Nibs
1/4 Vanilla Bean Seeds from 1/4 vanilla bean

Process the brazil nuts, shredded coconut, salt, cocoa powder and vanilla bean seeds in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add the agave and cacao nibs until the mixture just starts to stick together. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. If you are making a large cheesecake, feel free to double or even triple the recipe (crust and filling).

Pour the filling over the crust and chill or freeze until ready to serve.

4. Raspberry White Cheesecake

Ingredients
crust:
2 cups
6 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

filling:
10 oz. frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
24 oz of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
3 room temperature eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 shoot of Amaretto

Directions
1.) In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 6 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan.

2.) In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds

3.) preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.

4.) In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.

5.) Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refigereate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.

5. Pistachio & Lime Cheesecake

1 1/4 cup of cream cheese
1 lime, juice and zest
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup of softened butter
One package of chocolate wafer cookies
1/2 cup of crushed pistachios

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees celsius.

To assemble the cake mold, take a 7-inch springform cake mold. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over the base and assemble the ring over top of it. Place the assembled unit on another sheet of aluminum and fold it up over the sides to make it as waterproof as possible. Lightly butter the sides of the mold.

Put the wafer cookies in a sealed ziploc bag and crush them using a heavy pan. Combine in a bowl with the butter and spread mixture in the bottom of the cake mould, and compact it using the bottom of a glass to make a tight bottom crust. Put in the fridge to set.

In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese (it’s a good idea to take it out half an hour before you start to soften at room temperature). Add the sugar, lime juice and zest, eggs and egg yolk. Beat ingredients together until combined and smooth. Add on top of the crushed wafers making sure the layer is even.

Place the cake mold into a large roasting pan and fill the pan around it with water until it comes to about half the height of the cake mould. This helps soften the cooking process and prevents the cake from cracking. Depending on the oven, the cake should bake between 45-50 minutes. The cake is ready when it seems firm but still a little wobbly. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least two hours before carefully removing the mold. Serve topped with crushed pistachios.

6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 cups finely crushed chocolate wafer cookies
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, diced
* 2 cups sour cream
* 3 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 teaspoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix the chocolate wafer cookie crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the white sugar, and the melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 8 minutes.
3. To Make Cookie Dough: In a bowl beat 1/4 cup butter or margarine with the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of the white sugar. Stir in the water and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat in the flour and the semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
4. To Make Cheesecake: In a food processor or with a mixer beat 1 cup of the white sugar, and all the cream cheese. Add 1 cup of the sour cream, the eggs, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Mix well and pour into prepared crust.
5. Drop cookie dough in 2 tablespoon portions evenly over the top of the cake, pushing dough beneath the surface. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Cake will jiggle slightly in center. Spread topping over hot cake. Let cake cool than chill in a refrigerator until cold, at least 4 hours.
6. To Make Topping: Mix the remaining 1 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and the 2 teaspoons white sugar until smooth. Spread over hot cake.

7. Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1/3 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
*
* 30 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 3/4 cup chopped pecans
*
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3 eggs

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Pour on melted caramel/pecan mixture and chill for 30 minutes.
2. To make the Caramel Filling: In a small saucepan, combine caramels and milk. Cook over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
3. In the top of a double boiler, heat chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Fold 1/3 of the filling into the melted chocolate, then pour the chocolate mixture back into the filling and mix until no streaks remain. Pour into crust.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until center is almost set. Place a pan of water on rack underneath cheesecake as it bakes to help keep it from cracking. Cool in oven with door cracked open. Refrigerate at least 5 hours before serving.

8. Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 1/4 cups white sugar
* 3 eggs, room temperature
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup pecan liqueur
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon pecan liqueur
* 1 cup ground pecans
* 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup pecan halves

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and melted butter or margarine. Press firmly into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan.
2. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese and 1 1/4 cup white sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well. Add vanilla extract. Add 1/2 cup liqueur, and blend for 5 minutes. Pour the filling on top of the crust
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for approximately 1 hour. The cake should be golden brown, and will have risen to the top of the pan. Turn off the heat, and let cool in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. When cool, remove the rim of the springform pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon liqueur together. Spoon onto the top of the cooled cheesecake.
5. In a small bowl, combine the finely ground pecans, finely ground graham cracker crumbs, 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the pecan topping on the cheesecake. Carefully press the pecan topping into the sides of the cheesecake. Garnish the top and sides with pecan halves.

9. Caramel Apple Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
* 1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling
* 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
* 12 pecan halves
* 2/3 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Reserve 3/4 cup of apple pie filling and set aside.
2. Spoon remaining pie filling into crust. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth then add eggs and mix well. Pour over apple filling in crust.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until center is set. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
4. Mix reserved apple filling and caramel topping in a small saucepan. Heat for about 1 minute. Arrange apple slices around outside edge of cheesecake. Spread caramel sauce evenly over. Decorate with pecan halves around edge. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Chill until ready to serve.

10. Brandied Peach Cheesecake

Ingredients:
8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups Milk
1/4 cup Cognac, or brandy
1 package Instant vanilla pudding and pie filling
1 Graham cracker, 8 inch
1 1/4 cups Peaches
1/4 cup Currant jelly
2 teaspoons Cognac

Directions:
Stir cream cheese until soft; blend in 1/2 cup milk. Add remaining milk, cognac, and pudding mix. Beat slowly just until well mixed. Pour into crust. Chill 1 hour. Arrange peach slices attractively on cheese filling. Heat jelly and additional cognac together. Pour over peach slices. Chill.

11. Candy Cane Cheesecake
(it's never too early to get ready for you-know-what-holiday)

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups Cookie crumbs, chocolate
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/4 cup Butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups Sour cream
1/2 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tablespoon Flour
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Peppermint extract
24 ounces Cream cheese
2 tablespoons Butter
2/3 cup Peppermint mints, crushed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Combine first 3 ingredients and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Blend sour cream, sugar, eggs, flour and both extracts until smooth. Add cream cheese and 2 T butter. Stir in crushed candy.

2. Pour into crust and bake on lowest rack of oven for 50-60 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool (top may crack) and refrigerate overnight. Remove from pan and serve.

3. Top with sweetened whip cream and garnish with candy cane if desired.

12. Key Lime Cheesecake
(sounds summery...I am soooo ready for warm weather!)

Ingredients:

-----CRUST-----
1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/4 cup Unsalted butter, melted and cooled

-----CAKE-----
20 ounces Cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Sour cream
3 tablespoons Flour
3 Large eggs
3/4 cup Fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 drop Green food coloring
Whipped cream, for garnish
Lime slices, for garnish
Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
1. For the crust: In a bowl, stir together the crumbs and sugar and stir the butter in well. Pat the mixture evenly onto the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a buttered 10-inch springform pan. Bake the crust in the centre of a preheated 375F oven for 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and set aside to cool.

2. For the cake: In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese and the sugar until the mixture is smooth; beat in the sour cream and flour, then add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add the lime juice, vanilla, and food colouring and beat until mixture is smooth. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake the cheesecake at 375F for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 250F and bake for 50 to 55 minutes more, or until the centre is barely set. (it will continue to set as it cools) Let the cake cool on a rack, and chill it, covered, overnight.

4. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and transfer it to a cake stand. With a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip, pipe the whipped cream into rosettes on the cake. Garnish with the mint sprigs and lime slices.

13. Peter Paul Mounds Cheesecake

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away (known as Escondido, CA), I made up a recipe for this cheesecake. People actually BEG me to make this cheesecake. It's not too difficult but it does take time and I play with the recipe almost every time, so even though I've got it written down somewhere, it's never exactly right. You know what I mean.

The basics are a smooth inner cream cheese filling, with lots of eggs and heavy cream added to the Philly Cream Cheese. Into that goes shredded coconut, some coconut extract and some almost extract.

Follow a usual recipe for amounts of cream cheese, eggs, cream; add enough shredded coconut to your taste. Add enough extract to your taste.

For the crust I've alternated between chocolate graham cracker, regular graham cracker, and oreo crumbs (just the dark chocolate cookie part, which I think you can now find as a package of crumbs, although I used to food process my own). I've even processed almonds into a crust, but you'll have to look up that recipe. I"ve also added finely processed almonds to all the above crusts.

Follow any basic cheesecake recipe for assembly and baking time.

After the cake has cooled add the topping. Melt a large thick Hershey bar (I like the basic milk chocolate). Spread that over the top. Take some whole almonds (I just use regular, raw almonds). While the chocolate is still melty, arrange the almonds in a delightful pattern.

Et voila! (or for those of you with the silliness: Vi-Ola!) This one tastes like a candy bar. I love it!