Archive for the ‘writing’ Category
5 post meme (nothing like a one-trick pony)
I was tagged by new blogging buddy Goofy Andie (that’s the name of her blog, I swear!) to do the following:
I like this meme because it gives me a chance to point out posts that new readers may have missed. I do keep a list of posts that new visitors can read to get to know me better–in my favorites tag above–but here are five more, per the meme:
FAMILY:
This one is from May of this year and talks a bit about my niece and nephew back in the States and all the fun stuff they send me. Check out the label “family” for more family posts.
FRIENDS:
First published in March 2007, this post recounts my first meeting with fellow expat blogger in Calabria, Cherrye of My Bella Vita, and Dawn, who we’re still hoping finds time to write up one of these blog things. We had an awesome time and recreated the magic in August before Cherrye left us to get married in Texas. I know some of you, like me, are missing Cherrye lately, but she’ll be back soon to tell us all about it, I’m sure.
The label “friends” will take you to more friends posts.
Sunday Scribblings: Chronicles
I’ve written many, many posts about me and other than searching the “me me me” label, you can also find a lot of those on my sidebar.
But now I’m going to point you to one that says a little something different about me than any of the memes or lists I’ve done over the past 11 1/2 months. You might have missed this one as it was first published way back in January, less than two months into my blogging adventure. I hope you enjoy it.
YOUR LOVE:
Another May post about how P surprises me every now and again. There are lots of P and love posts under the “love” label.
This last one was hard! I didn’t know which direction I should go in, but I finally decided on a snippet of my fiction writing since it’s a part of me that gets ignored early and often around here.
This May post was my first entry in a fiction writing contest, and I even ended up with a prize; check out other writing related posts under the “writing” label.
Now I’m going to tag 5 bloggers who are all doing NaBloPoMo, some of whom I knew previously and some I’ve just met. Show us what to read please!
Alyndabear
Candid Karina
Gill
Jill Althouse Wood
Miss Eliza
Today I’m thankful for:
Believe it or not, NaBloPoMo. I’ve realized through this experience that it’s not as difficult as I thought to post something every day–except for internet issues (fixed as of now…yeah!). Getting into the habit of writing, taking more photos, being more creative about posts–these are all good things, and I have NaBloPoMo to thank.
But even more than that, I’m so thankful to have met even more wonderful bloggers through the experience. One can never have too many blogging friends, I say.
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[tags]nablopomo, 30 days of thanks, memes[/tags]
not that i’m encouraging slacking off at work but…
I don’t work in an office anymore, but I do remember what Fridays used to feel like. I always had the best intentions of finishing off projects, and sometimes I did–if there wasn’t a whole lot left to do on them anyway.
The internet was my best friend that last work day of the week more than any other day and that’s why here on some Fridays, I like to provide links to other places you should go.
After all I wouldn’t want you to get lost in the internet. Remember to always carry a flashlight!
For those of you like me who work at home (including stay-at-home moms!), feel free to utilize this list of goodies whenever you feel like it. These links aren’t going anywhere.
Shameless Self-Promotion in Two Parts:
(1) Over at She Who Blogs, I’ve written about The Top Five Things I’ve Learned From Having a Blog.
Be sure to check out more member posts while you’re there–She Who Blogs is doing NaBloPoMo too, so there’s something new every day.
Our fearless leader Frances, by the way, is not only taking care of NaBloPoMo for She Who Blogs but she’s also posting every day this month on her own blog, Blogjem (check out her fabulous family memories!) *and* she’s doing NaNoWriMo.
Be amazed. I am.
(2) For some light Friday fun, why not have a Fred and Ginger moment by watching the classic “You Say Tomayto, I Say Tomahto” scene? I wrote about it over at Tomato CasualTomato Casual and discovered lots of interesting tidbits about that song.
Of course if you’re at work, turn the speakers way down. And if you can’t have them on at all, well, Fred and Ginger knew how to dance a little too so enjoy the footwork.
Feel free to look around Tomato Casual while you’re there. I won’t mind.
Semi Shameless Self-Promotion in Two Parts:
I am honored to have been one of the entries in a wonderful blogging event:
You can read my entry here.
Run by two of my very favorite bloggers, this event captured the hearts and memories of many fabulous bloggers and you can find the round-up of entries in two places (half are listed at each blog):
No Self-Promotion, Just Some Damn Good Reading
Blogging friend -R- of And You Know What Else came up with a fantastic idea–an anonymous blog swap. It gave participants a chance to blog about things they normally wouldn’t at their own blogs (for whatever reason) and the results were phenomenal.
Below is a list of the participants, and believe me, there’s not a bad post in the bunch. (I may or may not have spend most of yesterday evening reading these.)
After you read the guest post, please take time and look around the host blogs–all fabulous standing on their own.
Alyndabear
And You Know What Else
Bright Yellow World
Confessions of a Novice
Everything I Like Causes Cancer
Face Down
Liz Land
Muse On Vacation
Nabbalicious
Nancy Pearl Wannabe
Not What You Think It Should Be
Operation Pink Herring
Red Red Whine
Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills
Sass Attack
Stefanie Says
Thinking Some More
Happy reading and buon weekend!
Today I’m thankful for:
The opportunity to work at home. I know some people would hate it, working alone in the same place they eat and sleep, but I just love it and don’t think I could go back to working in an office. Sure it takes a lot of discipline, but I’ve always been good at getting things done when they need to be done, and the transition from many years of higher education to this really wasn’t too difficult.
Read: I always have homework.
I love the freedom of being able to choose when I work, read, cook, walk and play with the dogs, watch an old episode of E.R. or Gilmore Girls, do laundry, run errands, etc., pretty much when I want to. For me, there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to force things when they just aren’t coming, so working at home really benefits me both professionally and emotionally.
There are downsides, of course, like others’ not taking my time seriously or assuming I don’t have a “real” job, but it’s all about making boundaries–something I didn’t use to be good at, but I’m getting better.
Part of it is my own fault, I know, as I don’t often outwardly show stress in front of people I don’t know well. I’ve been told I make things look easy, but I think that’s only because I’ve always had the idea of the Italian bella figura (making a good impression/looking good) in my head.
Or maybe it’s just that old Dry Idea deodorant commercial: “Never Let Them See You Sweat.”
Either way, I don’t see how it helps to get others worked up about whatever is going on in my life–except for those closest to me of course. Everyone needs a sounding board or five (I’m grateful to have those people too!).
Anyway, I know I’m extremely lucky to have the opportunity to work at home, and I’m very, very grateful for it.
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[tags]working at home, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
for writers who need inspiration (and who among us doesn’t?)
Fellow writer and friend Fango of Bici Vecchia: An Errant in Italy recently sent me a link to an excerpt of award-winning author Wendell Berry’s The Art of the Commonplace.
In a word? Wow.
There is so much good stuff in this piece, I’d love to parse it out and offer my thoughts for discussion here periodically.
Unfortunately, right now all I can manage is the aforementioned “wow,” but I’m working on a more intelligent response, I promise.
I did want to share one particular section, though, as I and thousands of others are trying our darnedest to write 50,000 words in November for NaNoWriMo. Watch my progress in the sidebar, by the way.
So, to my fellow writers whether NaNo-ing or not, I offer the words of Berry:
At first glance, writing may seem not nearly so much an art of the body as, say, dancing or gardening or carpentry. And yet language is the most intimately physical of all the artistic means. We have it palpably in our mouths; it is our langue, our tongue. Writing it, we shape it with our hands. Reading aloud what we have written–as we must do, if we are writing carefully–our language passes in at the eyes, out at the mouth, in at the ears; the words are immersed and steeped in the senses of the body before they make sense in the mind. They cannot make sense in the mind until they have made sense in the body. Does shaping one’s words with one’s own hand impart character and quality to them, as does speaking them with one’s own tongue to the satisfaction of one’s own ear? There is no way to prove that it does. On the other hand, there is no way to prove that it does not, and I believe that it does.
I told you. Wow.
Write on writers!
Today I’m thankful for:
Inspiration. Whether it’s an article or book recommended by a friend, another blogger’s gorgeous writing, wagging puppy tails, or just plain old glorious sunshine, inspiration abounds, and I find myself typing, typing, typing away on my NaNo novel. I’m actually up to 11, 313 words (and I’m not finished yet tonight!), but I can’t get onto my template to update.
Woohoo!
Who knows what I’ll have when I’m done, but at least it’s more than I had on October 31.
P.S. Sadly, my internet connection is even worse than it was before. Hanging on by a thread here, thus the lack of a “30 Days of Thanks” graphic and link [edited: they’ve now been added!] *and* the post just after midnight–I’m playing it safe just in case I lose the whole connection overnight.
Telecom Italia tells me it’ll be back to normal Monday or Tuesday. Wish us luck!
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[tags] inspiration, wendell berry, the art of the commonplace, nanowrimo, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
NaNoWriMo & NaBloPoMo–Goooooo!
It’s here! It’s here!
It’s November 1 and that means a few things. One of them is a steady stream of people to the local cemetery–All Saints’ Day is widely observed in southern Italy–but let’s talk about happier things.
First, there’s NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. It’s more international than national, but it *is* all about writing a novel–or at least 50,000 words throughout the month of November. I’ve been informed that it works out to 1667 words a day, but who’s counting?
Right. I am.
I just may divulge more information about what I’m writing about as the month goes on, so do check back for updates. I guess I could put a little progress bar or something in the sidebar here. Hmm. We’ll see about that.
Next we have NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. Again, not strictly national, but all about blog posting–every day in November. So long as my internet connection holds up, I’ll have something new (although I’m not promising “entertaining” or “interesting”) for you to come and read each and every day this month. Lucky you.
Now as part of NaBloPoMo, I’m also participating in 30 Days of Thanks, brainchild of Boogiemum, so every day this month I’ll be listing something I’m thankful for. Feel free to play along on your blog even if you’re not doing NaBloPoMo or, as always, in the comments here.
Today I am thankful for:
All of the wonderful friends I’ve made through blogging, and not just because they send me gifts like a digital camera (The Daily Rant), tahini and books (Piacere), and books in Italian for my birthday (At Home in Rome).
It’s a relationship that’s difficult to describe to those not in the blogosphere, but there’s just such a warm, comfortable feeling of flitting around from blog to blog in the morning, catching up on my friends’ lives and smiling, laughing, crying along with them. I feel so much more connected with the world since I started blogging, and it feels wonderful.
And Post Number 1 is in the books. Only 29 more to go!
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[tags]nanowrimo, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Trick or Treat Tomato Eyeballs
Happy Halloween!
Some of you have asked about what’s going on in Italy for this “holiday,” and I’m sorry to report: niente. That means nothing.
In some parts of the country, they are starting to get children involved with costumes and whatnot, but no one around here does any such thing.
This could be because I don’t have kids yet…because if you think my kids are going to miss out on trick-or-treating, well, you’ve underestimated me and my weakness for candy.
I’ll even have the good stuff shipped in from the US and distributed to the neighbors (for distribution to the children, of course, with other healthy treats encouraged too):
Added bonus is that the kids around here most likely won’t have to cover up their awesome costumes with big ole coats like we always had to do where I grew up….
Anyway, back to the business at hand, I’m keeping up the Halloween theme for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday and giving you a quick, fun idea for a holiday treat.
But there’s a catch–you have to go here to find the recipe for
Trick or Treat Tomato Eyeballs
Why not whip up a batch and then head over to Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun to celebrate?
Also, check out the true ghost stories over at Tui’s True Spooks Blog Carnival. Make sure you turn the light on first though! There’s some creepy stuff in there.
And, since it is the last day of October and I’ve yet to post my Monthly Musing, I’ll give you a little bit of why I love this wonderful month as we say good-bye for another year:
Sweet sweet October
Only a few words to say
How much I love you…
Sweaters, fireplace fires,
My birthday, delicious soups,
And this year, puppies!
What do you love about October?
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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