Dave and I got married 9 years ago today in the gazebo in the center of Frisco, Colorado. It was, as you can imagine, gorgeous. We went cross-country skiing beforehand, rang in the new year that night, and managed to fit in some bathing suit snow angels in between.
In February, we'll mark 16 years together in all, and to me that's the real anniversary. When you know, you know, and we knew.
Happy 9 and almost-16, Dave. Here's to many more...
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Officially: 9 (Unofficially: 16)
Goals 2009 Reviewed: Media & Education
Design author website
Consulted dozens of author websites. Did an outline of pages. Registered several domains. Heavy design work will have to wait -- 2010 looks good.
Maintain + rejuvenate local SCBWI chapter blog
Handed this one back. The logistics required to get something posted were inefficient.
Regain 4-yr competence in French
Maybe 2-yr competence. I depended heavily on two podcasts -- Coffee Break French and Daily French Pod -- which became such a part of my walk to work that strolling the Riverwalk makes me want to speak French. Lost any shyness over repeating phrases with other people around. Further study should involve more in-depth structure (textbook, workbook) and spoken-French media (TV, radio, movies).
Achieve 2-yr competence in German
I had to do language by podcast this year to fit it into my schedule, and I didn't find a German language learning podcast I liked. Suggestions welcome!
Learn simple manipulation of graphics to produce icons, banners, etc
Very simple, as Microsoft Office Picture Manager. I use Edit Pictures to crop and resize images. Also added Print Screen to my repertoire this year. I KNOW! I'm practically a graphic designer! With no author website-building action (see above), I felt little pressure to meet this goal in a bigger way.
Next week: my 2010 goals for media (social and otherwise)!
Did any of your 2009 goals touch on media? What worked? What didn't?
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Goals 2009 Reviewed: Fitness
Do cardio + strength workouts 5 times/week
I probably averaged 3 a week. For the first 6 months, most of the cardio was on an elliptical, with a bit in a pool. Then, just as it got blistering hot, I quit my gym...as you do. Over the summer, most cardio came from walking to and from work, and doing yoga videos. From September to now, it's almost all running. Overall, I have great aerobic capacity and have built up my endurance gradually. Our long run yesterday was 7-8 miles, and I felt I could easily have kept going. WIN.
Weight down to ~132 lbs
Not yet. The lowest it's been this year is 136, and that was on one of those magical days when water retention was at its least obnoxious. But that's OK because...
Reduce body fat
...body fat's way down. And it didn't happen with the elliptical, or the swimming. It took real gravity-influenced work. It started over the summer with the walking (4-5 miles/day, 4-5 days/week), and continued with the running. This body fat thing's more important to me than weight -- I'd much rather feel good in my clothes than monitor just one number. If those clothes are newer, slimmer ones...that's cool, too.
2010's fitness goals next week!
All right, I know some of you had a great year for fitness and health. Brag about it!
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Goals 2009 Reviewed: Reading
Goal: Explore middle grade literature
Of the 30 books I read in 2009, 19 were middle grade novels. Of those...
18 are fiction
11 were written by men
12 have a male protagonist
9 are fantasy, 4 contemporary, and 4 historical
6 won the Newbery Medal
1 won the Caldecott Medal
12 were print, 6 ebooks, and 1 an audiobook
1 was published in the '70s, 1 in the '80s, 2 in the '90s, 14 in the '00s, and 1 will debut in 2010
I'm glad to have explored the age level I'm writing. A few of the books felt outdated. A few had good stories. One made me laugh out loud from beginning to end. The ones I enjoyed the most used language in an exceptional way.
I can't believe I managed 11 additional books in 2009. Of those...
9 are fiction
7 are adult, and 4 YA
5 were written by men
1 has a male protagonist
5 are fantasy (including 2 dystopic), 2 sociology (NF), 1 contemporary, 1 historical, 1 thriller, and 1 horror
7 were ebooks, and 4 print
2 were published in the '90s, and 7 in the '00s
> > > Next week: a new reading challenge for 2010!
What were your favorites among the books you read this year? Does a particular market or genre predominate your favorites? Any surprises?
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Monday, December 28, 2009
Goals 2009 Reviewed: Writing
Get JACK ready to sell
Yeah, it was still called JACK. I got my first revision letter from Chris at the very end of 2008. First revision took 5 weeks. Second revision took 6.5 weeks. Third (touch-up)took 5 days. Chris had the manuscript, now called BRIAR-BOUND in editors' hands by May. Rejections dribbled in with pretty consistent feedback. Chris withdrew submission to the last remaining editor in July to revise. Chris and I strategized. I delivered a revision of the first 70 pages mid-August. Pow-wow: on the right track. Delivered subsequent revision in chunks, with the full complete and sent to Chris mid-December. Is it ready to sell (see goal)? No. Chris will send another round of notes in January. I'm confident the project will be submission-ready by March.
Outline JACK sequel
Did this for two sequels when Chris submitted to editors. Subsequently scrapped them (see revisions, above). Am currently working on rough synopses for two sequels, to be developed into one page each.
Finish DOG-BOY
Didn't touch DOG-BOY (see revisions, above).
Write 4 short stories
Fail. :) I could blame it on revisions, but when I had time -- while Chris was reviewing revisions or editors were reading the full -- all I wanted to do was read. I did rework two earlier shorts into short-shorts for a contest of hint fiction (25 words or less). Got nice feedback for one of the entries, but no placement.
Attend Writers League of Texas annual conference
Did it. Live-Tweeted every session and speech I attended. Results: doubled my Twitter followship; didn't learn much of anything new, writing- or publishing-wise. Met a few nice folks. Highlight: buying GRACELING at Austin's indie Book People immediately following conference.
Take revisions workshop
While I was querying agents in Fall 2008, I signed up for an online revision workshop with author Lani Diane Rich, scheduled for February 2009. By the time February rolled around, I was already deep into revisions with Chris and didn't want to (a) get advice from two different sources, or (b) revise a second project (DOG-BOY) at the same time. So I saved the course handouts to glean info later. I do recommend Lani's workshops -- you can find them at Story Wonk.
Details about 2010 writing goals next Monday!
Did you set writing goals for 2009? How did you do?
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Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas, All
[image via I Can Has Cheezburger]
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Thursday, December 24, 2009
Holidays = Movie Days
Some of the films I'm looking forward to seeing this holiday...
Nine
The Road
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
A Single Man
Sherlock Holmes
Up in the Air
Anyone else spend Christmas day at the movies?
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Cold Weather Training
For most of you, the days are shorter and cooler than they were six months ago. Great for cozying up with a book; not as great for keeping up your fitness.
Here are a few articles to help with your winter training...
Holiday Charge - getting through the holiday season without sacrificing your health
Cold Weather Training and Your Body - 4 things to be aware of when training outside
Cold Weather Training - 10 tips for training in cold conditions
Specific to running, though probably applicable to other workouts...
Winter Running Tips - 13 tips from dressing for low temps to staying on your feet when its slippery out
Cold Weather Running with Your Dog - Got a pooch that likes to run? This one's for you.
Rules of the Road - 18 safety tips to help you share the roads with cars and their drivers, especially important in low-light days of the year.
What are YOUR cold-weather training tips? What keeps you motivated through winter? What's your favorite season for training?
[image by John Hendricks via Runner's World]
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Another Angle: Marley's Ghost
Just (barely) in time for Christmas, a rec for MARLEY'S GHOST. I don't want to give too much away about this book because discovering a full backstory for A CHRISTMAS CAROL's Jacob Marley was such a treat. But picture a boy math genius (Jacob) who works in the mines. His twin brother is a music prodigy who means more to Jacob than anyone or anything. Until he starts making money. Sibling betrayal ensues, as does wealth amassing. Later, when Jacob's dead and dragging his chains, he faces a choice: he can make himself visible to anyone but can speak to only one living person; does he apologize to his brother or try to save his former business partner from a chain-dragging fate?
Well, we know the answer, but Jacob's journey to his decision is well worth reading.
Another Angle is a series I want to do till I run out of examples. :) The idea is: the original story we all know (including the setting and main characters) is unchanged, but the author presents it (at least in part) from a different point of view. Future works to be featured include:
*ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, Tom Stoppard's great play presenting HAMLET from minor POVs
*WICKED, Gregory Maguire's take on the backstory of WIZARD OF OZ's Witch of the West
*THE THIRD WITCH, Rebecca Reisert's telling of MACBETH from the POV of the youngest of the three witches
Any other suggestions for the series?
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Monday, December 21, 2009
Incentives: What Are Your Carrots?
On this last round of revisions, I changed the way I used incentives. Basically...I used them.
Previously, if I was writing along on something and had a sudden urge to do something else (read, research, clean house), I'd often drop a tough chapter and do something more fun. Which, as you can imagine, is not the way to get any work done.
So this time around, I kept a spreadsheet on my desktop where I listed incentives. Some were ridiculous, like cleaning out our kitchen shelves, but some were powerful, like finally reading The Hunger Games. And knowing that list was there, could easily be added to then closed again, helped me focus on revising. As I passed revision milestones, I'd reward myself with one of the carrots on the list, like reading articles on Runner's World or trail running at Government Canyon. All the while, I held The Hunger Games aside as my ultimate incentive, to enjoy only when I'd sent the entire manuscript to Chris.
Which I did a week ago. I read the bulk of HG this weekend, begging an extra 10 minutes from Chris to finish it when he called today to discuss the latest draft I'd sent him. Not exactly professional, but hopefully forgivable. :) And questionable career moves aside, the book was totally worth waiting for. In other words, a great incentive.
Do you use incentives? How do you use them? Do you keep visual reminders of them, a list, or something else? Are they weighted, depending on the work required to reach them? What are some of your favorite incentives?
[image via Tony Wellington]
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Friday, December 18, 2009
The TMI Travel Meme
(Inspired by last week's post...)
What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done while traveling? (Official tourist activities don't count; we're talkin' stuff you still haven't told your mom you did.)
Here's the one that stands out: We were staying in a friend's camper in Tairua, New Zealand, a community on an inlet formed by two peninsulas. The camper was on the northern peninsula. Our day trip was to the southern peninsula. We took a ferry to get from one to the other. On our way back, we barely missed our ferry, and had an hour to wait for the next one. Unless we swam the narrow channel between the points. Which Dave wisely opted out of and I unwisely attempted. As a sucking ebb-tide was emptying the inlet. It was the first time I really felt the power water can have, and the last time I ignored Dave's sound advice completely. I made it across, but it still gives me heebs.
What's the longest amount of time you've gone without essential medical care while traveling? Why the wait, and for what condition?
OK, so I traveled through Germany and Czech in 2002 with an abscess under one arm, and was too chicken to deal with it, but since it took care of itself (don't ask), I'll tell you about enabling Dave not to seek medical attention. We were backpacking Tongariro National Park in New Zealand. We'd just spent a week hiking and hutting on Mt Ruapehu and decided to cross-hike the saddle between Mts Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Getting to the first hut (base of Ngauruhoe) sucked because the park had had a lot of rain, and the trail had been carved deep by run-off. So we hiked along its upper ledge. Long story short, Dave slipped and hit the ledge with his ribs, the weight of a full backpack behind the fall. We're pretty sure he cracked at least one rib. But since we'd always heard you can't do anything for a cracked rib, we didn't go to a doctor. He felt the pain for weeks. Travel fail. EPIC wife fail.
What's the most embarrassing exchange you've had with a foreign pharmacist, doctor, nurse, or host?
Dave got hit by a nasty stomach bug in Paris. As he sat moaning in the sun outside the Louvre, I hiked to a nearby pharmacy, my derelict high school French racing through my head. When I got there...
Pharmacist: Je peut vous aider? [Can I help you?]
Me (clutching my stomach): Mon mari est malade. [My husband is ill. (so far so good)]
Pharmacist: (questioning look)
Me (with hand motions): Il vomite. [He's vomiting. (wrong conjugation)]
Pharmacist: Il a la nausée? [He has... (sounds like "nose")]
Me (clueless look): Ecrivez, s'il vous plaît. [Write, please. (abrupt)]
Pharmacist: (writes "la nausée")
Me: Ah. Nausea. Yeah, that would've been less gross.
What was the worst smell you've encountered while traveling? Bonus points if it was you!
A tie. In Hong Kong, shops have big kettles on the sidewalk, in which they boil eggs and tripe, together, in mystery juice. It's...arresting. And right up there with the woman on the Australian train who wouldn't take her son/grandson to the loo to throw up, so the whole car smelled like bologna. Funky, mate.
What's the one piece of travel advice you always follow with, "Don't ask me how I know"?
Ladies, even if you're spending all day kayaking and snorkeling and laying about on beaches, DO NOT wear your swimsuit as your only undergarment for four days in a row. JUST DON'T.
How about you guys? Any gems you want to share?
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
Leave a Couple Bunnies Alone...
...and they make more bunnies!
Have you seen the awesome collection of shorts now available from 30-Second Bunnies Theatre? I count 62 shorts.
62!
That's...
*calculate, calculate*
...31 minutes of Bunnies Awesomeness. And some of them run long, so it's probably more like 35 minutes.
FOR FREE.
I mean, who wouldn't prefer a 30-second version of My Dinner With Andre to the original 6,600-second version?
You and me both, mon frère.
Check out some of the Christmas-themed movie send-ups (not necessarily safe for work! wear your headphones in public places! possible bunny nudity/ violence/ cursing!):
A Christmas Story
(National Lampoon's) Christmas Vacation
Die Hard
It's a Wonderful Life
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
(For extra fun, check out Amy's Diary.)
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Next Race, and Wow, I Won't Shut Up!
So Dave found an event for us to train toward early next year: the half marathon at Austin Marathon & Half on Valentine's Day.
Awwww! Sweet!
[a short romantic dialogue, race-day, mile 12...
Shan: Lookin' good, babe! *sweat, sweat*
Dave: You, too, babe! *pant, pant*
Shan: Oh, crap, is that a hill?!
Both: *barf, barf*
...and scene.]
This time around, we're using Hal Higdon's intermediate training plan. Trip suggested his beginner plan for our first event; the intermediate aims to build on your existing running base to improve performance. (Ooooo, fitness talk!) We're starting at week 4, since we only have 9 weeks to Austin. So I printed it out (after putting it in my own spreadsheet...obviously...) and posted it on the microwave.
Did 3.5 miles from work to home this afternoon, to get things back on track.
Runner's World (hard-copy) has a feature article this month called Your Best Year (or similar) that lays out a plan to run 6 or 7 different types of events in 2010, from track miles to trail runs to a marathon. The variety is VERY APPEALING.
Do you guys have any fitness-related events approaching? How do you feel going in?
Almost forgot: this is Daily Pie's 1,000th post. Crazy. I'm telling you, people who know me in real life would never guess I have that much to say. Probably 'cause I blab it all here. Oops.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Reading Challenge: I Need Your Help!
Here's the gist:
I want to explore book genres I'm not familiar with. And since you guys are sure to know more than me about them, I'd love to have your suggestions.
Give a gal a hand?
My goal is to read at least three books in each of these genres in 2010:
Science Fiction
Mystery
Romance
Western
Gothic
What books are your must-reads in these categories? They can be for adults or children, set in any time period, with any publication date. Bonus points for any book that covers two genres, especially if you think it does equal justice to both. For instance, I'll start things off with a book Dwayne's been recommending to me for years: The Gunslinger (western and sci-fi).
ETA: Did I mention I plan to donate the books I read to a library? I do. If I choose one of your books, I'll send it to the library of your choice!
[image via LA Times Festival of Books (2008)]
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Monday, December 14, 2009
WHEW.
Current revision: finished!
This was the most extensive yet, condensing seven POVs into three, and creating a new child character for one of those POVs.
I feel good about it.
And there are a billion things to do around here, so now I have time. :)
So...
You guys finished any big projects lately?
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Friday, December 11, 2009
How High, How Low
Found this meme through Merrie Haskell, who discovered it via Dichroic...
Longest distance ever traveled?
Not sure how to answer this one. Longest flight was Taiwan to Los Angeles in 1999. Longest distance covered in an extended trip was a Circle-Pacific backpack we took in 1998-99. Longest non-stop (except for gas, etc) road trip was about 1,200 miles from Denver to Houston to San Antonio on 9/11. I was driving home from a wedding in Denver, and my friend Trip was stranded (as was everyone) and needed to go to Houston.
Farthest north?
Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1988. Short layover between Chicago and Munich, I think.
Farthest south?
Dunedin, New Zealand, for New Year's Eve 1998. Saying goes something like: 10 sheep for every person, and that's how they like it!
Farthest east?
Tikitiki, New Zealand, in 2004. Closest we've been to the International Date Line on the eastern side. We were driving our camper van (Bucky) on a loop around the easternmost spur of the north island. Almost ran out of gas.
Farthest west?
Arorangi, Cook Islands, in 1998. Again, flirting with the International Date Line. Also with coconut scones topped with jam and clotted cream, which we found at a roadside stand after snorkeling. Unbelievable combo of awesomeness.
Highest mountain?
Switzerland's Jungfrau (4158 m; 13,642 ft) as seen from Jungfraujoch station (3471 m; 11,388 ft).
Lowest point?
El Centro, California (-12 m; -39 ft), in 2002 on the Big River tour. Awesome local crew of high school students. Band boosters grilled burgers and dogs for our dinner.
Hottest temp?
A tie between the desert in Arizona, in 1979, and Townsville, Australia, in 1999: about 115 - 120 F. Arizona was enjoyed in a family camper with no A/C; Townsville in an A/C hotel room and non-A/C diving boat.
Coldest temp?
Calumet, Michigan, in 2002: about 0 F, or -20 with wind chill. We were loading Big River into the Calumet Theatre, one of our favorite stop on the tour. Local crew treated us to pasties for lunch. Then they told us Calumet is famous for its Italian Hall disaster, when someone yelled "fire" in a crowded building, causing a stampede that killed 75 people. Part of the problem was that the doors on the building opened inward. Resulting laws: exterior doors must open outward; don't cry "fire" in a crowded building. After the show, local crew took us to a tavern down the street that boasts a gorgeous Tiffany bar-back; I bonded with them over my first-ever pickled egg. (Delicious.)
Most countries visited in one year?
16 in 1999: New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria.
Number of continents visited?
4: Asia, Australia, Europe, North America.
Imagine adding some questions for true explorers: How far into space? How deep undersea? How many planets? Worst alien infection?
Oooo, that gives me an idea for next week's travel post. Heh-heh. Ew.
[image via Nomads Unlimited]
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Can You Spot the Ghost Man?
More here!
[image via Hi-Fructose Magazine]
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Now What? Beyond the Event
So Jenny suggested the half-marathon two years ago. We registered for it in March this year. We began a 9-week training plan in September. We ran it in November.
So now what? Without an event looming, and the potential to embarrass ourselves in front of thousands, there isn't quite the same impetus to train. How do we keep up our running fitness? Or more accurate: how do we maintain motivation?
Dave's found his answer: train for another event. He says having an event to work toward is key for his motivation. He's lost a lot of weight and gained good ground cardio-wise, so wants to keep going. Plus, he actually looks forward to running now. He just needs that little extra push to put on the headband and rock some miles. So he plans to run a race in NYC while I'm there for SCBWI-Winter.
Unfortunately, the conference schedule precludes me from running, so I'm not training for an event right now. My running's fallen off dramatically since the half-marathon (now 1-2 times a week - 1 long, 1 short). Even my walking's decreased, due mostly to colder temps. But I've found over the past two years that no type of exercise has helped me drop extra body fat as much as running has. Now I'm facing winter, and the carb-cravings and fat gremlins that come with it, and one thing's for certain:
I'm gonna kill me some gremlins.
Dave and I both want to work on our speed and try some shorter-distance events, mainly 10K races. So that's where I'll start. Our half-marathon training plan didn't have any specific hill or tempo workouts in it, so I need to incorporate both now. Changing things up will benefit my running fitness and give me a mental boost as well.
So: adding workout elements, changing distance focus.
I gotta say it's awesome to face these decisions in December because I'm usually reviewing accomplishments and setting next year's goals right now anyway. And, as you may imagine, such planning involves spreadsheets and graphs.
Sweet.
How do you keep your motivation up? Is seeing results enough for you? Do you need events (races, reunions, conferences, bikini vacations)? Or are you able to stick with exercise once it's a habit?
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Speaking of Chris Richman...
...he's featured in the new issue of Writer's Digest magazine (Jan/Feb 2010) in the "Ask the Pro" column. [via @ColeGibson]
*must go to bookstore*
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Agents: 12 Steps to Sign a New Client
1. Email your enthusiastic reaction to her full manuscript just as she's deplaning in your city (on her vacation -- she swears!).2. Stow (or just hide really well) your stalker-phobia and agree to meet her in person.
3. Set the meeting for 10:00 a.m., so she has time beforehand to ride two trains and eat breakfast (even though she won't be able to choke it down because she's nervous).
4. Call your office the Bat Cave, so she feels like a super hero-in-training.
5. Seat her on the bookshelf side of the conference table, so she can't get distracted by the book jackets.
6. Offer her coffee (even though . . . nerves).
7. Point out the manila envelope in front of her that contains two copies of your agency contract, already signed by you.
8. Express excitement not just for her current project, but her career potential.
9. Point to the contracts again. They're signed, for crying out loud.
10. Remember all of her characters' names, as well as their goals, motivations, and conflicts. The names of stuffed animals / fantasy creatures get you bonus points.
11. Don't mention you Googled her, even though you may have stumbled on some hilarious / ill-advised / improbable fanfickery you'll someday use to roast her.
12. Be yourself, which is passionate about books and their creators, and the need to nurture both, even when the economy is tanking and publishing's future is far from known.
A year ago today, I met with Chris Richman, who was, and still is, an awesome agent and guy, all around. He sent me to Newark Airport with signed contracts and instructions for me to consider my decision carefully, advice that I squeefully ignored when I signed them myself later that evening. I may have postdated them to the 9th so I didn't look like quite such a dork, but today's the real anniversary.
Here's to a long, successful run, Chris, with many, many more contract signings to come!
**UPDATE: Chris's response at the Upstart Crow Literary blog
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Monday, December 7, 2009
Revision: Writing Complete
Just after midnight this morning, I finished writing the new text for the current revision of BRIAR-BOUND.
(*YAY*)
This week, I'll be making lists, character by character, of all the traits and plot points that need to be carried throughout the book and tied up at the end -- dotting the is and crossing the ts. Saturday, I'll address those notes. Sunday and Monday, I'll do a final pass to fix any rough transitions and make sure the narrator's voice is consistent.
Tuesday, Super Agent Chris gets it.
(*WOOT*)
Since I have Mondays off to write, and finished my writing last night, we played around all day -- had a leisurely breakfast with the newspaper, shopped for winter socks and a balaclava (for scooting), bought some fancy hot cocoa mixes, saw 2012 (long and cheesy with lots of destruction -- totally worth the ticket price if you don't take it seriously), and had dinner at Brasserie Pavil (best French bread in town).
Also, to celebrate my (almost) finishing revisions: Dave gave me an iPod Touch!!!
Gonna go get some dork apps now.
How are you guys doing on your writing projects? What kinds of things do you do to celebrate project milestones?
p.s. Tomorrow's a sort of anniversary. More then. :)
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Friday, December 4, 2009
Up in the Air
This post covers everything! Books, media, travel! Existential isolation!
(Hey, doesn't Clooney play an existentially angsty fox these days, too? I mean, a literal fox. A literary fox, too.)
And see how I put up the front cover of the book, as though I'm more interested in reading it than, say, seeing any movie whatsoever starring George Clooney?
I know, I'm sly.
Like a fox!
Hey, that came full circle. How ouroboros of me. (And how pompous to use a word like ouroboros. Yeesh.)
Anyhoo, loyal readers, NPR's Fresh Air had a show this week dedicated to this book and movie. Author Walter Kirn said he got the idea when he asked a fellow airline passenger where he lived, and the guy said, "Here," as in, "On this plane." Director Jason Reitman offered several cool tidbits about filming, including that this movie was the first allowed to film at an actual TSA security station since 9/11, that the people fired in the movie are non-actors who really had been fired or laid off recently, and that George Clooney never wears makeup to film.
(Because he's so foxy. BAM!)
Follow those links to hear the Fresh Air segments. You can also subscribe to it through iTunes.
I'm interested to see (or read) Up in the Air because at some point, I'm sure I thought it'd be great if my job involved a lot of travel. I imagine now it's better for people with few attachments.
Do you travel for work? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Do you get to keep the miles you earn? Who's the most interesting person you've ever sat next to? Are the perks in the First Class lounges awesome, or do you just tell coach passengers they are? :)
[image via GoodReads]
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Yeah, I'm a Cheaterpants
I totally posted that Muppet vid with yesterday's date. Because Thursday is media day here at Daily Pie.
You'll forgive me, right?
Hope so, 'cause I also forgot to post about fitness on Wednesday, even though I've been thinking about it a lot. So I'm gonna post that this weekend (not backdated).
More later -- it's travel day!
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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Bohemian Rhapsody, Muppet Style
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Books and Memory
I have feeling readers fall into two groups on this one:
1. A title or book cover or passage brings back vivid memories of the environment in which you read it; or
2. You were so involved in the story, the rest of the world fell away -- a scathe of zombies could have risen and you wouldn't have noticed till they took a bite.
I'm in the former group. Maybe I'm overly prepared for the zombie apocalypse, or maybe my brain just doesn't focus well on a single thing. I don't understand the cognitive intricacies behind it, but I can usually remember exactly where I was for any book I've read.
For example:
Adventures of Tom Sawyer - My mouth tasted like saltines and 7-Up (on a good day) because I was home sick with flu. I sat under an afghan on the couch, in my nightgown, for a week.
Memoirs of a Geisha - Road trip with Dave's parents! We went to pick up things we had in storage in Denver and made a mini-vacation of it, because it was winter in Colorado. :)
Anne of Green Gables - Summer of '85. Read the whole series in a hammock. Dappled sunlight, hammock-induced marks on my elbows and legs.
Angela's Ashes - We were staying with a friend's parents in Germany, in a lovely basement apartment in their home. We made ourselves an Advent calendar with German Christmas market goodies. I stretched that book as long as I could -- didn't want it to end.
Clan of the Cave Bear - Read it on my lunch breaks at Bank of Boulder's credit card processing center. Lunch alternated between homemade vegetable soup and chili.
The Third Witch - Summer 2003, pre-camp at Island Lake, though I wasn't working at camp that year, just there with Dave. I read this book alongside Macbeth, on which it's based. I sat in the only warm corner of our room (under the reading light); thunderstorms pounded for several days; I drank mug after mug of hot tea and listened to Secret Garden's White Stones album. One of my favorite reading memories.
What about you? When you look at books you've read, do they bring back environmental memories? Or would you swear you were in the book while you read it, the experience was so intensely involved?
[image via University of Houston]
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