7 days

Remember a while back when I wrote about the rules of NaNo and I said that some rules were meant to be broken? I didn't forget about it.

• Do you plan to write a series of unrelated short stories or essays? 
• The only thing you want to write is a memoir or a non-fiction piece? 
• Already wrote a novel and continuing to follow that story in a 2^nd novel? 
• Planning to write *gasp* more than 1 novel in November? 

If you answered yes to any of those, you may be a "NaNo Rebel" and there is a forum just for you!


Pro Tip: Some rebels have suggested a way to pad the word count is to nix contractions and separate all conjunctions. Maybe becomes may be. Can't becomes can not. True, that is bad form. Some may call it cheating. But honestly, if you are willing to take the HOURS it will mean when you get to editing to fix all those "creative" pads, then far be it from me (or anyone else) to call you out on it. The whole point of NaNo is to have fun creating a work so you can finally say "I wrote a novel." In the end, someone that wrote one novel (even if it is a crappy one) is more likely to be confident in his/her ability to write a second and third novel.

7 more days.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

8 days

This may sound stupid to some folks but I swear it will save you countless hours in November. Think about the kind of meals you typically consume. Do you just slap together lunch meat and bread for nearly every meal? Do you actually cook? If your normal meals take less than 5 minutes to prepare (simple sandwiches, ramen, t.v. dinners), you can probably disregard this post. If you like to cook, it might be a good idea for you to plan ahead and fix meals this week that can be frozen and reheated over the next month. Spaghetti, meatloaf, pot roast, etc all freeze fairly well and tend to keep the family out of your hair while you try to write. Prepare several different things over the next 8 days and divide them up into single serve portions to help take the dinner time stress off your spouse and keep the kids happy. Also, stock up on easy food for spouses that can't/won't cook while you are occupied. Hotdogs, crunchy vegetables, yogurts... they make for easy meals/snacks without a lot of prep and cleanup. The key to NaNo is planning ahead so that you can write without distraction!

On a personal note, don't forget to eat. Snack food is great but isn't a substitute for real food. I lost 5 pounds during last year's NaNo because I habitually forgot to eat. There were days where I lived on coffee and mints. It was not a pleasant way to lose weight, believe me. This year is going to be worse for me since I working out new medications that make me absolutely not want food at all. Forcing yourself to eat a single mini bagel without yakking is not fun.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

9 days

If you have tried to take up the habit of writing every day, by now you should be figuring out your writing style. Are you planning to outline your story point by point? If so, you better work giiiirl. Haha, but seriously. Outlining takes considerable time and forethought. If you are going to outline, get it done before NaNo. Even if you are going to fly by the seat of your pants (hence "pantser"), you should still have ideas/notes on what's happening. Maybe you want the comfort of an outline but crave the thrill of pantsing your way through the NaNo. Instead of outlining point by point, record some specific plot arches and let that guide (but not hinder) the story. Figure out what works for you over the next 9 days.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

10 days

10 days to go so you need to buckle down. Have you picked up everything on your supply list? Did you add anything to the list since the last time you collected stuff? Double check that you have what you need so you don't end up making a 2am Wal-Mart run and hate yourself for the rest of the week for failing to support your local mom-and-pop store (they aren't open at 2am after all).

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

11 days

Something fun for the artistically inclined: character sketches. With 11 days left, if you have the talent, try doing some sketches for your novel. Creating your own world? Draw a map! Finally nailed down the physical details of your main character? Draw him/her! How about the supporting cast? Draw a group picture! If you lack the talent (like me), there are some incredibly talented folks on the NaNo boards that are just dying for you to give them some artistic inspiration. Give them a short description of your main character and maybe they'll draw you a picture or two that YOU can draw inspiration from during NaNo.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

12 days

Procrastination is King during NaNo. There is a full forum dedicated to procrastination. It is really good for some laughs. When procrastinating, I offer this advice: try to use your time constructively while being entirely unconstructive. Spend time with your family, friends, and pets. Catch up on chores. Get out of the house for a bit. NaNo is a huge undertaking but do not let it cause unnecessary suffering in your life. As with all things, everything in moderation. You have 12 days to go. Get some good quality time in now while you can!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

13 days

I love listening to music while writing. Pandora gets abused during NaNo for sure. The 40-hour max streaming per month puts a damper on my writing though so I have to have a backup. Youtube's playlist feature confuses me because it disappears half the time and the rest of the time, I can't get it to work anyways. I have spent a huge amount of time finding mp3s to suit my musical tastes. I'm a fan of a wide variety of music, including 70's and 80's country, 90's pop, classic rock, swing and folk. I have friends that can find the most remarkably obscure music. I also have a good 50 mp3's of sea shanties and drinking songs. You know, for those bar/pub/sailing scenes. o.0 Do you have a type of music that you can lose yourself in while managing to crank out coherent thought? Take some time to figure out if you can listen to music now (13 days) instead of after NaNo starts. The time you spend downloading/ripping/buying music in November could be better spent writing!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

14 days

Tired clichés are tired. Heh, see what I did there? Never mind. Google "clichés in writing" and you'll find some incredible lists. Some are just plain tired. Been there, done that a million times over.  Some aren't as bad as people would make you believe. Been there, done that so how can I make it new? Try to avoid clichés that are just so hopelessly overused that there really is nothing new about them anymore. 14 days!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

15 days

15. Days. To. Go. Half way there. With the high amount of caffeine I ingest on a normal basis nearly tripling during the NaNo, I will admit that my caffeinated brain is prone to serious distractions. I'm like a critter that has found something shiny every few minutes. My computer hates me and all my tabs, windows, and programs open. I freak out over the slightest interruptions because it is SO hard to get back into my groove. Some of the biggest distractions I face during NaNo: the cats and their incessant need for attention (and food I guess), traffic outside... stupid 18-wheelers and those breaks ugh, the internet (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email... there is so much to do!), and housework that builds up. What is going to distract you during the NaNo?

For me, this year will be easier than the past 2. Sam found himself a new home where there is an outdoor enclosed run and other more friendly cats to play with; Sabriel is loving life living as an outdoor cat now. Both of those changes are a result of an unexpected move a few weeks back. But, I don't have to take care of the housework nearly as much because I live with 3 other adults and an aide shows up 5 days a week to help too. Traffic isn't bad... but I do have to put up with a television blasting nearly 24 hours a day now. Ugh, I hate the television. Like, really really really hate it. If that is my only issue this November, everything is going to be peachy.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

16 days

16 more days. Have I mentioned that I am not a patient person? November, hurry up! If you haven't done so already, today is a great day to apply the character development techniques you have learned to your supporting cast. Maybe you'll discover your villain isn't the one you thought it should be. Is there an unlikely hero in the crowd? See what you learn about your characters by filling in some background.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

17 days

This should be obvious, as I've mentioned the forums before, but NaNo has some incredible forums. They are divided into many different categories to meet the needs of every NaNo'er. Browse by area, genre, technology, writing basics, etc. Before you post, please please PLEASE read the forum notice for the rules of conduct. Double posting, spamming, flaming, and other poor internet etiquette is not tolerated and the moderators are pretty quick to lock threads in such cases. Follow the rules and you will open yourself up to a large group of writers from all over the world. Refuse to follow the rules will result in (most likely) open mockery and contempt. Hey, we're all human right? 17 days now.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

18 days

You have 18 days left. Get to know the NaNo'ers in your area. You should have set up your "home" area when you signed up for the NaNo. There is a forum for that area. Find out who your Municipal Liaison (ML) is and read up on the scheduled events. Most areas have a kick-off party sometime during October, and weekly write-ins are scheduled during November. Got a place in mind for a write-in? Chime in on the discussion. Some MLs have even gone as far as setting up virtual write-ins using group chat rooms where someone DJ's, organizes Word Wars, and gives out loads of encouragement. The forum is the place to be if you want to interact with NaNo'ers.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

19 days

19 days to go so let's make some goals. Goal #1 should be to WIN! Your long term goal is: I will write 50,000 words or more between November 1^st and November 30^th. Now break that up so it isn't quite so scary. Short term goal: I will write at least 1,667 words a day for every day of November. (That really isn't all that much, I promise.) Try to make milestones along the way to reward yourself such as, write every day, reach 10k (20k, 30k, etc), complete 1 word war a week, stay ahead of the daily goal, etc.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

20 days

You have some habits to "learn" before the NaNo from a couple days ago. Now, let's talk about habits to break.

1. Saying "I can't do it" sucks. Don't do that. You can do anything you put your mind to. 
2. Editing is a part of writing, but it can wait. Tell your inner editor where to go during NaNo. 

Pro Tip for #2: It isn't anywhere near your novel.

Break those two habits now and NaNo will be easy breezy. 20 days! I'm pumped!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

21 days

Plot development is a sticky predicament for me. I hate outlining. I let my stories unfold as I write. That is the nature of a "pantser" during the NaNo. Other people live and breathe for outlining. Read up on plot development and figure out how you are going to get from Point A to Point B. Don't have a plot yet? Don't worry about it. You still need to know the fundamentals of weaving a story so take some time today to read up on plotting. Doing this BEFORE the NaNo will save you countless hours of trying to figure out where the hell you were going with the last 15,000 words. 21 days now.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

22 days

22 days to go and here are some habits to develop before NaNo starts.

1. Write every day, even if it is only a handful of words. Write, write, write. 
2. Start learning how to block your internal editor. You don't need him during NaNo. 
3. Figure out your stride and work it to its maximum potential, but remember to take breaks every so often (I break after an hour for 5 minutes so that my butt doesn't get quite so numb). 
4. Have an open mind when it comes to your novel... some days, the mojo just isn't there.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

23 days

You should have read up on character development by now. Try to apply what you learned to the main character you have in mind. Doing such writing exercises now will save you some serious heartache later on, should you decide you hate your main character. Write up a biography and employ some of the techniques you learned. You should know your main character inside and out so give it good thought. 95% of what you write will probably never see the light of day in your novel, but it will help you develop your character's voice and mannerisms that should be in the novel. You got 23 days.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Updated Stats

Been a busy week. Here are those updated stats I promised a few days ago.

As current:

Total views: 2136
Top visitors: USA, Germany, United Kingdom, and Canada
Top posts: Chloe Moretz (by far 262 views), Safe 4th (106 views), Writing Voice (46 views), 101st post (45 views), Clark Duke (34 views)
Top Browsers: IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and GranParadiso (what is NS8??)
Top OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, and Android

Like the previous stats post, I find this stuff very interesting. I like to learn about these unknown browsers and see the key word searches. Pretty cool stuff. Anyways, what is NS8? I could Google it but I'm too lazy right now. I need more coffee.

To those at Occupy Cincinnati: I wish I could have been there with you all today. I stand behind you and send my support. Stand strong and stick true to your pledge to remain non-violent, vigilant, and vocal. We are the 99%. I hope to be there soon.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

24 days

Want to do the NaNo but need that extra push to make the commitment? Remind everyone that you have committed to the NaNo and challenge them to do the same! Competition is a great motivation during the month. Friendly competition, mind you. Sibling rivalry is great too. If you haven't checked out the program Write or Die, check it out. Some people live and breathe for Word Wars during the NaNo and many use Write or Die. 24 days to go!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

25 days

You've had nearly a week to start thinking about your upcoming novel. 25 days to go. Are you brainstorming ideas? You should have an idea of what you want to write about. You don't? Well get on it! Read up on brainstorming techniques and let your imagination run wild.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

26 days

26 days. Something to read up on: genre. What is your favorite? Think you can do better than your favorite authors? Check out the websites for information on the writing process your favorite employs. Want to emulate that? Hate that idea? For a twist, try writing in a less favorite genre. Love fantasy? Try suspense. Love romance? Try horror. Start thinking of what genre you'd like to write under!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

27 days

Some folks may be NaNo virgins so I'll lay out some general information for you. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or NaNo) is an event that takes place over the course of November where writers across the world participate by writing a 50,000+ word novel in 30 days. NaNo is run by the Office of Letters and Light (OLL). The OLL strives to collect donations throughout the year in order to fund several literacy initiatives, the most important (to me) being the Young Writer's Program (YWP). YWP brings NaNoWriMo to the classroom, providing resources for teachers and students to participate during November right alongside the adults. Last year, the OLL collected books from participants that were resold in order to raise more funds for YWP and other programs. There are very few rules in the NaNo (and some were made to be broken... more on that later this month):

• Commit to write a 50,000 novel. That is 1667 words a day of original fiction with the intention of those words making up a novel in the end result. If you believe you're writing a novel, then we believe you're writing a novel too.
• This is a solo production. Co-writing is discouraged, unless each of you plan to write 50,000 words individually. Co-writing is highly accepted during April's Scriptfrenzy though.
• You must write a new story. Half-finished stories, continuing the "next" book in a series, etc. is discouraged. Here is why: you are way too attached to the story at that point and will be less inclined to write for the pure joy of writing. (This is the one that can be and is broken often.)
• Remember you are writing fiction! Fan-fic, erotica (all participating characters must be over 18), fantasy, horror, suspense... anything of that ilk goes. Non-fiction (this includes memoirs) is discouraged. Want to write your 50,000 words in a haiku series? Do it. A huge fan of iambic pentameter? Love it. Write what you love the way you love to write it, as long as it is original fiction.

27 days and counting!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

I Am. A Personal Essay

I posted this on my personal Facebook about 2 hours ago and it is already being shared, borrowed and stolen many times over so I figured I should claim ownership of it. This essay is the result of a soapbox rant after being called a liberal free loading degenerate by a "friend" who then defriended me. Damn the luck. I'll miss his asinine comments about... nothing?

I am educated, opinionated, and caffeinated. I am pro-choice, pro-arts in schools, anti-religion in politics, and anti-corporate greed. I believe in the power of unions, friendship, and faith. I also believe in parents being parents, children being children, and schools and government keeping their noses out of everyone else's business.

I am optimistic, pessimistic, and altruistic... just never at the same time. I take the Declaration of Independence literally. That it was or wasn't meant to be taken so is irrelevant. I learned to say please and thank you, yes sir and yes ma'am. I can say those words to elders, peers, and children alike without being a smartass.

I support my troops, medical research, and charities. I do not support hatemongering, ignorance, or the status quo. I have been in favor of gay rights since before I knew what gay meant. No, I'm not gay. Would it matter so much if I was?

I am in favor of gun control and I am a gun owner. Yes, I want to be able to protect myself. No, I don't want the certified maniac next door to have a gun. I understand that I sit in a grey area on many, many topics. I am not a liberal. I am not a conservative.

I am a realist and patriot. My realistic side says that times suck right now in America. My patriotic side says that Americans need to have some pride and quit letting this crap slide. We need to put on our big kid panties and start doing something to change it instead of sitting back complaining while waiting for someone else to fix it.

The rest of the world looks at America and laughs. We are a joke to them. If that doesn't piss you off, then I don't know what to say to you.

I understand that my opinions straddle the fence sometimes and that drives people crazy. Keep this in mind: Sometimes, my opinions are so left-leaning that it endangers my career path and family relationships. Sometimes they are so right-leaning that my friends question how we are even friends. And then sometimes, I straddle the fence. But at least I have an opinion. Do you? Or, did you let others make up your mind for you?

I admit when I am wrong and hate it. I do my research to make sure I'm usually right. I like to play devil's advocate. I get that there are rarely only two sides to a story. However, I get that stories become distorted with each retelling. Play the children's "Telephone" game if you don't believe me.

I am me. What you see is what you get. Don't like that? Please, ignore me then. Continue to bury your head in the sand. I am educated. I refuse to be a sheep. I am opinionated. Read the above if you don't believe me. I am caffeinated. Yes, this is one of those TL;DR posts from more coffee that a single person should ingest. I am me. Don't like me? Then reevaluate why you associate with me.

©Dee Sutter October 4, 2011

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

28 days

Most folks don't write for a living. Chances are, you are a little rusty on the basics. Take some time today to look up "character development" and brush up. There are so many ideas online... find a technique or two that works for you and try it out. Do you do best by cold writing a biography? How would your character react to an intense situation? What is the character's everyday life like? Interview him! Eat breakfast with him! Try to catch him off-guard in the shower! Well... use your best judgment on that last one. 28 days!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

29 days

The NaNo List is a huge part of most hardcore NaNo'ers preparation. In order to really get into the game, I suggest making a list of the supplies you plan to use during the month of November. Make a list, add to it as you get ideas, and then start collecting it all! You have 29 days until the clock starts, but don't wait too long! You never know when something unexpected will happen that will derail you... so plan ahead.
My list: 2 notebooks (I like the memo books in bright colors), 5 fine point smooth-glide black ink pens with gel grips, 2 fine point smooth-glide red ink pens with gel grips, 1 pack of 3x5" notecards, extra ground coffee/creamer/sugar for increased consumption (really), snack foods like gold fish crackers, mints, pretzel rods, reese's cups, and V-8 Tropical Blend, slippers (if it is cold), compressed air and screen cleaner (I eat and drink over the computer... gross, I know). What could you add to this list?

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

2000 Views

Passed 2k views this morning. That is just incredible. Even while I've been slightly MIA the past couple weeks due to family events, an unexpected move, and the county fair, views are still going crazy. I love it. Thanks to you all. I'll post some updated stats later this week. I'm busy working to finish Immo2 now that I finally got my last bit of beta reader comments on Immo1. Very excited about it all. I cannot wait to start Immo3 in just a few short weeks. Are you doing the NaNo?

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

30 days

30 days until NaNoWriMo! Who is excited? Me, ME, MEEEE! I love getting amped up for the NaNo almost as much as I love actually participating. The wait is killing me. 30 days from now, writers from all over the world will begin plugging away, committing their stories to paper one word at a time. What do you want to write about? Take the time to finalize the real story in your head and get it on paper.  All you need is the idea right now.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

31 days until NaNo starts!

Alright, we have 31 days until National Novel Writing Month starts! It is time to make the commitment to get that story out in a physical form. The first thing you need to do is sign up on the website! Go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up. It is free! Once you sign up, make sure you sign up for the location that is closest to you! You'll want to get to know the folks in your area! Once you sign up, tell everyone about it! Call your friends, post about it on Facebook, Twitter, G+, whatever you use, tell your live-ins. The more people you share the news with, the more likely you will be compelled to follow this commitment through!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: Bad Habits

The last Friday Five of the month is about bad habits. I think my top bad habit is smoking. I've cut back a lot, but I'm still sparking up about ½ a pack a day. The second bad habit is biting my nails. I usually list this as my worst habit but I think it comes in 2^nd to smoking. At any rate, it is a nervous habit. The third bad habit I have is cluttering things up. I tend to collect things in piles before I go on huge purges where I throw almost everything away. Fourth is speaking to and about my cats as if they were Human Beings with the ability to understand English and respond similarly. Let me see... 5^th is probably procrastination. I wrote about that in two Friday Fives last month though so I feel like I'm slightly cheating on this one. Meh, that's what I got.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Thursday Thrift: Making Halloween Costumes

Halloween in coming up and thrift stores are where it's at for costumes! Long before Lady Gaga donned her famous bubble outfit, I had my own version. I used balloons instead of bubbles, but the fact remains that I did it before she did. Yes, I had on clown makeup and an orange clown-fro and a black shirt/pants combo, but I was six so give me a break. I remember my mom making that outfit out of a dollar store bag of balloons, clothes that I already had, and a fancy clown makeup kit (that is where she got the wig of course).

Wednesday Wiki: WJAR International Airport

Today's random Wikipedia page is Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. For some reason, I feel like I have written about another airport at some point during these random Wiki links. This airport is initialed as YWG in airport talk and so I'll use that for the rest of this blog. I'm seriously not typing that entire name or all of the initials out if I don't have to.

YWG is an airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is reportedly the 8^th busiest airport in Canada for passengers and 12^th busiest for aircrafts. This airport serves Calm Air, Cargojet, Kivalliq Air, Perimeter Airlines, Purolator, Air Canada Jazz, and Westjet. It is the only airport in the entire Manitoba province so it is open 24-7.

Tuesday Tale: The Frog Prince

The last Tuesday Tale for this month, and for the next several months, is The Frog Prince. In this tale, a spoiled princess befriends a frog. Many versions of the tale relate that this friendship only began after the princess dropped a golden ball into his pond and the frog agreed to retrieve the ball in exchange for her friendship. The tale goes on to the frog transforming into a handsome prince after a) spending a night on the princess's pillow; b) receiving a kiss from the princess; or c) when the princess slams him against a wall in disgust. Take your pick. It is one of the three in the many different incarnations of this story.

Monday Mood: Boredom

Ah a lighter Monday Mood. Good deal. Today is about boredom. Boredom is described as an emotion resulting from a lack of work or interest in the surroundings. There are three types of boredom.

• ·         Times when we are prevented from doing something we want to do
• ·         Times when we are forced to do something we don't want to do
• ·         Times when we are unable to engage with the current activity/surrounds

While chronic and severe boredom is related to depression, it can also be a symptom of attention issues, especially in children. If your child is experiencing boredom in the classroom and getting into trouble as a result, it might be something to mention to your family physician. Your child might exceed the current needed skill set in the classroom (think Gifted) or they might be missing key skills related to the lesson (think Specific Learning Disabilities). They might have an attention issue that can be treated with an appropriate combination of behavior modification, therapy, and medication.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: National Comic Book Day (Maybe?)

I had a great idea for today's Sunday Sale but then I realized I had the information waaaay wrong so I am not going to use it. I will file it away for future reference though. Instead, I will share some Geekdom with you. On the first Saturday of May each year, Geeks across the US, Canada, and in many other countries celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Participating retailers give out at least 1 free comic book to every single customer that comes into their stores. Seriously, all you have to do is show up and they will give you a free specially selected comic title. Check the site for more information.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm talking up a May event in September. Well, today has interesting significance for comics as well... maybe. Not that it is officially recognized by the government or the comic-Gods, but I've heard about it from more than one person and even found a website listing. Remember that "weird September holidays" link from earlier in the month? If you look at September 25^th, it lists today as National Comic Book Day.

The event is marked by sharing a comic book with someone else. Buy a copy of a title for yourself and one for a friend. Read an old favorite and loan it to your friend to do the same. Trade titles amongst your friends and acquaintances. This website even mentions that "some stores are rumored to offer free comic books on this day." That is definitely not verified by any major source to my knowledge.

Even if it isn't a "real" comic holiday, celebrate it anyway. Comics are an awesome tool to bond with your kids, relive your childhood, and spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Saturday un-Solicitations: Creative Writing for Dummies

Remember last week's Saturday Solicitation about a The Everything X Book? Today's Solicitations post is about another book of that ilk: Creative Writing for Dummies by Maggie Hamand. Yes, the people that made up all those crib notes for the high schoolers and college kids that were too lazy to read Hamlet and MacBeth have written a guide for creative writing. That just offends me for some reason. I'm about to get on my soapbox so stay with me.

Friday Five: Why I Participate in NaNoWriMo

I wrote a reminder about National Novel Writing Month for this week's Sunday Sales. I figured it was fitting to devote my Friday Five for this week to NaNoWriMo as well. As a reminder, if you aren't interested in the NaNo and loathe hearing about it, you are probably going to hate me through October and November because that is ALL I'll be working on. Yup. I'm planning to give NaNo tips each day of October and a writing prompt for each day of November. I will be around but I will be working in a dedicated manner that doesn't involve a lot of social media. Sorry in advance for some of you. On to my list.

Top 5 reasons I participate in NaNoWriMo:

Before my first NaNo, I had never completed a single novel idea. I would write an introduction, maybe come up with an awesome character, or just create a good plot. And then I did nothing else with it. The first NaNo I did (in 2009) was incredible in that it forced me to sit and focus on one thing for a certain span of time.

Thursday Thrift: Flea Markets

A quick Thursday Thrift today! One great place to make some incredible thrift finds is the local flea markets or swap meet. These are the places where multiple "vendors" get a space to sell their wares to a crowd. My parents used to drag me to the flea market every Saturday and I. Hated. It. I love flea markets now, but back then, it was the biggest waste of my time. Hey, I was an adolescent... I didn't know how cool it actually was to go thrifting yet.

Wednesday Wiki: Dragonrider (comic villain)

An interesting random Wikipedia page showed up today. I pulled up the page for Marvel Comics's Atlantean villain, Dragonrider.

This villain was introduced in 1984's Sub-Mariner 4-issue limited series and appeared in issues #1, 2, and 4. This female (yes, I thought by the name that it would be male for some reason) character was created by J.M. DeMatteis and Bob Budiansky. According to the wiki stub, Dragonrider didn't appear again until New Thunderbolts #1-5 in 2005.

Dragonrider was a soldier in the Atlantean army who became a political dissident after seeing the poor remaining poor while the were rich becoming richer. She and a group of rebels sought out magic artifacts to buff themselves up. Dragonrider found a mystic conch shell that gave her control over sea creatures and mutated a sea eel into a dragon. When the resident superhero, Namor, was out of town, Dragonrider led her dragon in an assault against Atlantis. Namor returned in time to capture Dragonrider and arrested her for her crimes, turning a blind eye to her claims of disparate economics in the process. When she was freed, she sought out Namor and fought him again.

Later, she joined At'La'Tique or "Fury of the Sea", a religious organization, and became a member of the aquatic terrorist group Fathom Five. She worked with At'La'Tique and her Fathom Five cohorts in an effort to kill all surface dwelling life forms. The plans were thwarted by the New Thunderbolts when they attacked New York City. Dragonrider and rest of the Fathom Five were arrested and imprisoned following this attack.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Tuesday Tales: Doctor Know-all

Today's Tuesday Tale is Doctor Know-all. 

A peasant, Crabbe, saw the food a doctor ate and asked the physician how he could become a doctor too. The doctor told him to buy an ABC book with a rooster on the front, sell his ox and cart for doctor's equipment and clothing, and then advertise himself as "Doctor Know-all."

Monday Mood: Sorrow

This is another heavy Monday Mood. I'm keeping this one short. It is about Sorrow.

Sorrow is an emotion that is more than sadness and borders on resignation. It is closely related to regret, which I covered last week.

Writer Alexander Faulkner Shand related sorrow to be the result of an interruption of an impulse (his theory connected sadness, fear, anger, and joy as primary emotions). In Shand's view, the results of sorrow are split between clinging to the object of sorrow and seeking to repair damage to the object that caused the sorrow. He related sorrow as the root of pity. Psychologist William McDougal disagreed with Shand and cited Shand's own admission that sorrow came from those four simpler emotions. McDougal supported his theory with grief, a form of sorrow that does not include an impulse to repair any injury. Additionally, he reasoned that sorrow contains emotional pain while pity does not and thusly stated that sorrow is not the root of pity.

To me, sorrow is emotional suffering due to grief and regret. Mourning the peaceful death of a loved one is an example of sorrow. While an unexpected death (such as that of a child) might cause one to cling to the expired life, a peaceful passing of an aged relative is generally looked upon as a blessing. Mourning in each situation is different and I would call the former anguish while the latter would be sorrow.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: NaNoWriMo

Today's Sunday Sale is getting a jump on one of my favorite things: National Novel Writing Month. It is time to commit to participating in the insanity, think about what you will be writing, and begin planning out a daily schedule for November (really, it will save you so much time). Go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up. October and November will be devoted to the NaNo here so if you hate the idea, you might want to avoid this blog for all of October and November.

During those two months, all dailies will be put on hold. October will feature tons of information on how to plan ahead for the NaNo, including articles to read, general NaNo information for the newbies, and a semi-strict suggested timeline of events that will make your life so much easier in November. I know that the NaNo will be a month away at that point, but I will be very busy finishing my 2^nd NaNo project (so that I can start the 3^rd) for 2011. November is the month. I will be writing every day and will be fairly inactive on all social media during the month. I will probably Tweet word counts at the end of the night. I have a writing prompt for every day of the month that some folks might find interesting or helpful in getting writing going for the day. Other than that, unless something huge happens in the world, I will be in my own fictional world waging war and playing with faeries.

I hope you will be participating! I strongly urge you to sign up and check out your local forum now. Many/most regions host a kick-off party in mid-October and they announce the time/date/location as soon as the details can be nailed down. My region usually has a group discussion of the kick-off in mid-September with the kick-off party scheduled in mid-October. The kick-off party is a great place (especially for new NaNoers) to meet other participants, get questions answered by the Municipal Liaisons, and get inspired.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Saturday un-Solicitations: The Everything Creative Writing Book

The next two Saturday Solicitations are about some books that I don't necessarily advocate people picking up, but felt the urge to review them anyways. Today's book is The Everything Creative Writing Book by Wendy Burt-Thomas. It is one of those books that supposedly has everything (like the title says) that you need to know on a particular subject. I have read several of these books and my opinion has been the same each time: While informative, the books are overly broad, covering a very wide range of topics within one generic umbrella topic.

Friday Five: Favorite Fantasy Creatures

Just a short list today for Friday Five: My favorite fantasy creatures. I don't really have time to get into the specifics but I am a fantasy author so each one shouldn't need to be explained. First, my absolute favorite are the fae. All shapeshifters (including Weres) are 2^nd. Dragons are 3^rd. 4^th is Cerberus. And 5^th is the Fates (a.k.a. Moirae/Parcae/Norns). Sorry this is so short today. Busy, busy day!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Thursday Thrift: Humane Society Thrift Stores

I have written about thrift stores that benefit recovering drug addicts, work programs, and counseling for struggling families. What I haven't touched on is thrift stores that benefit the furry (or scaled, feathered, etc.) members of our society. The Human Society of the United States (here) is the "nation's largest animal protection organization." They are our animal advocates, working tirelessly to create, change, or overturn laws pertaining to critters, work (often in conjunction with police) to investigate alleged animal cruelty, reform industry ideas (fur is bad), and rescue animals through their sanctuaries, emergency centers, wildlife centers, and clinics. The Human Society is often called for emergency rescues in cases of neglect and/or abuse.

Wednesday Wiki: Avenue Émile Zola

I got a French page for today's random Wikipedia page. Avenue Émile Zola is a "line 10" subway station on the Paris Métro. The station opened in 1913 as part of the original "line 8" between Charles Michels and Opéra. I am assuming those are street names? In 1937, "line 10" was extended from Duroc to La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle and the original "line 8" portion was moved to "line 10" between La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle and Porte d'Auteil. This move included Avenue Émile Zola.

I just checked and those are not street names, but they are the names of stations along the lines. Apparently there are 16 different lines in the Parisian subway system. Avenue Émile Zola was named after the French writer and political dissident Émile Zola (this guy openly disliked Napoleon III even after the guy made himself Emperor of France. Ballsy fella.) The page has a few photos and a map of the subway route too.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Tuesday Tales: The Clever Little Tailor

Tuesday Tales time again. In The Clever Little Tailor, the Brothers Grimm introduce a persnickety princess and her suitors.

The princess posed a riddle to her suitors and found that none of them could answer it. She sent them away. Three tailors came to replace the suitors. Two were smart and skilled and the third was known to be useless. The first two tailors scoffed at the little tailor and told him not to bother wooing the princess. The little tailor went anyway. The princess asked them what two colors were her hairs. The 1^st said black and white. The 2^nd said brown and red. The 3^rd said gold and silver. The 3^rd tailor was correct.

My family is awesome!

So I'm still technically "away" right now due to some unforeseen events and may continue my "away" status for an unknown ETA. It sucks. But, there has been some silver linings to these dark clouds.

I went to visit my Mom and Dad for a few days before my brother got married. The wedding was fun. The morning after I arrived here, my Grandma (Mom's mom) made me pot roast. *drool* That was so awesome. It is my favorite homemade food. Then the next night, she made me meatloaf, my 2nd favorite homemade food. It was awesome too. My Grandma is amazing. She always makes me my favorite foods, if Mom doesn't beat her to it, when I come to visit. I love her so much!


Needless to say, I'm having a good time. I miss my cats but I enjoy visiting my family.


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3

Monday Mood: Regret

Regret is one of those emotions that no one really wants to experience, but is pretty much unavoidable. It is a feeling of sadness, shame, guilt, etc. after events that the person wishes they would not have done. "Sorry" is the most often used expression of regret. It can relate to action or inaction.

Regret is linked to several phenomena. Buyer's remorse is a financial regret of impulse purchasing. Survivor guilt is a mental illness that is found in the survivors of catastrophes in which they feel shame or guilt for having survived when others did not. Existential regret has to do with a wish to change the past in situations of failure to make competent choices or acting against one's values.

A simple explanation of regret is recognizing a past mistake. One of my favorite quotes from writer Mercedes Lackey is: "If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world." Playwright Jonathan Larson wrote "forget regret, or life is yours to miss" in his musical Rent. To me, that means that by focusing too much on the "what ifs" of the past, you can miss out on what life has to offer right now and will result in nothing but heartache. Both quotes are very powerful representations of regret.

I try to live my life with a policy of no regrets. That is really difficult to do, more so as I get older. I try to make good choices in all ventures, live by my morals and values, and avoid "what if" moments. I'm not perfect at it, but it has worked out pretty well for me so far. What about you?

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

9/11 Never Forget

Today is a pivotal milestone in US History. Today we are marking the 10^th Anniversary of the September 11^th terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an attempted attack of the White House or Capital Building.

For those too young to remember 9/11, here is a summary. On September 11, 2001, 4 planes were hijacked by al-Qaeda suicide bombers. Two of those planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. One plane hit the Pentagon building. A fourth plane was headed either for the White House or the Capital Building in D.C. but the attack was thwarted when passengers attempted to retake control of the airliner. Instead of hitting whatever target, that plane went down in a field in Pennsylvania. There were no survivors on any of the four planes. The Twin Towers collapsed hours after they were hit, killing more people in the process that had been trapped in the buildings. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including over 400 fire fighters, police officers, paramedics, and EMTs that were the part of the first responders to the Towers. Over 70 countries lost at least one citizen in the attack and a huge majority of deaths were civilians.

3 years after the attack, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for these heinous acts. They cited a bunch of bullshit motivations for it... basically they said the US was messing in their affairs and they didn't like it. Stupid. The results of the attack were the War on Terror, invasion of Afghanistan, and the enacting of the USA Patriot Act. It was just a few months ago that bin Laden was located and killed in a firefight with US soldiers in Pakistan. 10 years. It took 10 freaking years to find him. His body was unceremoniously dumped at sea by US forces to avoid a terrorist shrine, even though such a burial is pretty much a big eff you to his traditions.

In the aftermath of 9/11, we got the Homeland Security Act (which created the Department of Homeland Security) and the USA Patriot Act. Hate crimes against Muslims, Middle Eastern descendants, southeast Asians, and Sikhs spiked exponentially in the US. The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and executed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2006 in a failed bid to locate weapons of mass destruction.

10 years after 9/11, we are still trying to rebuild and recover from the attacks. The Pentagon was repaired within a year but the degrading economy has forced development of the Twin Towers area to delay rebuilding by as late as 2036. Memorials have been built at the Twin Tower site and the Pentagon. Memorial building at the Twin Towers site continues today. A temporary memorial for the victims that died in Pennsylvania is slated to be removed and replaced by a permanent memorial today on the 10^th anniversary.

This is going to be a hard day for many people. Try to keep that in mind as you go about your day. Remember the victims and honor their memories. Participate in memorial events if you are so inclined. They are happening everywhere today. Today is a day to reach out to your fellow man in solidarity and remembrance. Make it so.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Saturday Solicitations: Writing Down the Bones

Today's Saturday Solicitations is about Writing Down the Bones. Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg is 171 pages of writing notes, Zen philosophy, and personal journal.

According to the Amazon review, Goldberg associates good writing with, of all things, good sex: keep your hand moving, lose control, and don't think (those 3 rules are listed on page 8 of the 1986 version). She writes that "writers are great lovers" in the section Writing is a Communal Act. She goes on to say "writing is the act of discovery" in A Big Topic: Eroticism. I don't think mentioning sex two or three times over 170+ pages merits such a review, but maybe that is just me.

I really enjoyed Writing Down the Bones the 2^nd time I started reading it. It is nonfiction, which I of course have issues reading. The 1^st time I started reading it, I didn't get passed the Introduction. Yet, it remained on my bookshelf for years until I picked it up again last year. I've [fully] read it now for the 3^rd time. Goldberg does so much more than write about sex... That Amazon review is irritating me right now. The review from The School Library Journal is a much better and a more honest review. It is on the same page as the Amazon one linked above.

Friday Five: Favorite Holidays

I'm not sure why I have holidays on my mind right now. It serves for a good Friday Five though. My top five holidays:

Easter. I am not particularly religious and I don't claim affiliation with any specific denomination, group, council, sect, whathaveyou. Easter is my favorite holiday though for one specific reason. As a child, I didn't spend much time with my natural father's family (long story for another time). I missed a lot of holidays with them, but I always spent Easter with my Grandma. And Easter was almost as exciting as Christmas for me as a kid.

As an adult, I hold Easter above Christmas specifically for the memories I have of my grandmother. Easter egg hunting, the "treasure" blanket, and salami roll ups always jump at me. The "treasure" blanket is memorable because Grandma had many, many grand kids and so was not able to buy a lot of stuff for us. At Easter, she set out a number of toys and trinkets (Slinky's, water guns, play dough, etc.) and then would draw a name from a hat. Each kid was listed in the hat a certain number of times based on how many things she got for the blanket. 

It was one of the most awesome experiences of my childhood... the thrill of wondering if my name was going to be called next, planning out what I would choose and alternates in case my choice was snatched up by someone else, and the general euphoria of sitting around with a dozen other children doing the exact same thing. It was awesome.

Click the jump for the other 4!

Thursday Thrift: Celebrities Thrift Shop Too!

I found a couple interesting articles about celebrities that are proud thrifters. This article lists Barbara freaking Streisand (yes, THE Barbara), Tracy Ulman (the chick somewhat responsible for The Simpsons), Mandy Moore, Drew Barrymore, Winona Ryder, Chloe Sevigny, Sharon Stone, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, and Rachel Zoe as celebrities that are known for vintage fashion in one way or another. Read the article... it is pretty great. It has links to a lot of information on these celebrithrifters that I didn't know. Did you know that Sharon Stone frequently buys from a designer that repurposes vintage cashmere and other vintage materials in her clothing line?

This blog adds a few other celebrities to the list: Daryl Hannah, Kylie Minogue and Zac Efron. Pretty cool huh? Do you know of any other celebrities that are known for thrift shopping? Let me know in the comments below (links appreciated)!

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Wednesday Wiki: Pixar's Characters

The random Wikipedia page of the day is the list of Pixar's major and recurring animated characters that appear in their films and movie shorts. The list is set up in ABC order with each group set up in its own table. There are no I, X, Y, or Z characters listed and so there are no tables for these letters. Each table includes some really neat information. First, you get the name of the character (many of the characters have a related linked page too). Then you get the name of the original voice actor for the part and a link to the actor's page. The third column lists the character's debut movie with yet again, more links. There are some easily recognizable names just in the first few tables: Eric Bana, Peter O'Toole, Tim Allen, Ed Asner, Jennifer Tilly, Christopher Plummer, and Janeane Garofalo show up within the first 3 tables (A-C).

Pretty neat page here. I love Pixar films. Some of the original 40-ish members of the Pixar group were involved in the making of one of my absolute favorite animated films, The Brave Little Toaster, back in 1987 which is pretty much my version of Toy Story (on in this case "Appliance Story").

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Tuesday Tales: The Blue Light

All of the Tuesday Tales this month are from the Brothers Grimm. That was not intentional. I just looked at the list and saw it.

Today's Tale is The Blue Light. A soldier, recently discharged from the King's service, finds the home of a witch on his journey away from the castle. In return for a night of lodging, the soldier agrees to spade the witch's garden the next day. It takes him so long that he must stay another night. In return, he chops wood. This also takes so long that he is forced to spend a third night. In exchange, he agrees to climb into the well and get the witch's blue light. He figures out that he will be trapped once he hands it over to her so he keeps the light. The witch leaves him in the well anyways.

Monday Mood: Affection

Today's Monday Mood is a variation on the theme of Love. Affection is a type of love that amounts to more than friendship. Whereas love can cover possessions, pets, friends, family, and so on, affection is pertaining to how one would feel about another human being in a generally non-sensual way (sensual affection is more akin to passion).

Psychologists have split opinions on measuring affection. Some feel that it can be divided into two groups (pleasure and displeasure). This measure of affection is defective in that it doesn't take into account the degree of affection one can feel for different pleasures. Others divide it into three groups of related positive and negatives (pleasure and displeasure, tension and relaxation, excitement and depression). Henry Murray, an American psychologist, developed a list of five affection needs that unconsciously play a major role in personality development. His list was: affiliation, nurturance, play, rejection, and succorance (I had to look that one up... it means being helped or protected by others).

Pet names are a simple example of affection. My parents still call me "Sis" instead of using my name. Using the terms "babe" or "sweetheart" for a lover is a pet name. Going vastly beyond how a parent may feel affection for their child, we have PDA. Kids are regularly reprimanded in US schools for Public Display of Affection (PDA) such as holding hands, hugging, and kissing. Such PDA is also common in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe. However, in Latin America, teenagers take PDA a lot further in public parks (kissing, petting, and even oral sex in full view of other park patrons with multiple partners). In South Africa, PDA is illegal for anyone under 16. In India, they still uphold a strict no PDA law from the 1800's to this day that can result in jail time or fines. In Pakistan, PDA is a criminal offence and anyone caught must submit their marriage certificate for a reduced sentence or face criminal prosecution.

Do you have a unique pet name that you use for your child or lover? I've heard some weird ones but I'd love to hear more. Let me hear it in the comments below.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: Paramore

I've been listening to Paramore for a while now. They are one of my favorite bands, and I could listen to lead singer Haley Williams for hours. After some group revisions, Paramore is currently made of Williams, Jeremy Davis on bass, and Taylor York on guitar. Brothers Josh and Zac Farro split ways with the band in 2010 amid some controversy. But I digress.

Saturday Solicitations: The Elements of Style

All of the Saturday Solicitations this month are about writing. To start the month off, we have The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. This is a very small book but it is remarkable. The first edition was written by Strunk in 1918. He privately published the 40-ish page book for use at Cornell University. Since 1918, it has been revised and republished many times but the core of Strunk's work is still there. White, a former student of Strunk's, revised The Elements of Style in 1959. The resulting expansion and modernization of "the little book" became informally known as Strunk & White.

I first learned of Strunk & White when I started writing for National Novel Writing Month in 2009. I don't recall any high school or college English teacher bringing it up or listing it on the suggested reading lists. I'm not really sure why. In my opinion, it should be one of the single most used texts in any composition class. I have the 4^th edition paperback from 2000 and it has become incredibly worn in just a couple years. I have seen multiple "big name" writers tout the awesomeness that is this book but for my life I can't remember who.

The 4^th edition is 105 pages long plus a 2.5 page Table of Contents, 2 page Foreword by Roger Angell (White's stepson), and 6 page Introduction from White. The font is small and there is a lot of information crammed inside, but it is really good information. 

Like me, many writers were not English majors in college and it has been years since high school English. The first section of this book is Elementary Rules of Usage. There are 11 rules. The other sections are Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style. Also, an afterword, glossary, and index start at page 87. Most writing rules are fairly timeless so I don't consider my 11 year old book to be outdated like modern text books. I could definitely use an updated Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, but I think that is more due to the evolution or rather the decline of the English language. I blame texting and all of the internet for this.

I highly recommend this little book to anyone that likes writing but has issues with editing. If you can commit the contents to memory, then editing will be much less of a nightmare.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Friday Five: My top 5 Writers

September is a crazy month apparently. There are so many month-long and daily holidays. Don't believe me? Check this list. And that is just a list of the weird ones. One that I liked was "Be Kind to Editors and Writers" Month. Sending a special shout-out and ILY message to my wonderful editor, Booksteve! Also, International Square Dance Month is just awesome, but that is a whole 'nother story that I'm just not going to get into.

In honor of BKEW month, today's Friday Five is my favorite writers. I made a list of my favorite series back in June. If you don't remember it, go here. My list of favorite authors is a little different.

1. Garth Nix. This is one of those "duh" things around here. I love this guy. He is fab. Everything he writes is fab. Also, he is Australian so he has an accent.

2. Neil Gaiman. I did not list Neil on my favorite series list because he doesn't really write in a series per say. However, he has written several books that I personally own and have read multiple times. Good Omens and Coraline come to mind. He is solely responsible for the awesomeness of Robert Di Nero dancing in a dress in Stardust. I say that because he wrote the book that the movie was based upon. He is very vocal on Twitter. I follow him on both my official Twitter and my celebristalking account. He also has an English accent.

3. Carolyn Keene. Yes, I realize that Carolyn Keene is a pseudonym for a revolving collective of ghostwriters but it still stands. I found my love of reading in Nancy Drew as a kid. There really isn't much more to say about that.

4. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis tie for 4^th place in my list. Some people might flame me for saying so, but in my opinion, they are very similar writers. They were good friends that worked together, wrote together (they were members of the Inklings), and achieved much notoriety within the fantasy genre. Tolkien is considered the "father" of modern high fantasy and was ranked #6 in Forbe's 2008 list of "50 Greatest British Writers since 1945." Lewis came in at #11 on the same list. The article "On Fairy-Stories" that I wrote about in my first Tuesday Tale is arguably my favorite Tolkien piece, although I do love the Middle-earth stories. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia is #2 on my favorite series list. As a standalone story, I really enjoyed Lewis's The Screwtape Letters as well.

5. I rated the two above me together so I could include George Orwell in my list. Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm are two of the best books ever. Seriously, the Modern Library ranked 1984 at 13 and Animal Farm at 31 out of the top 100 English-language Novels of the 20^th century. These books challenged modern thinking, showed the incredible pitfalls of ignorance, and coined some vernacular that is still used today (like the term Big Brother). The fact that 1984 has been banned or challenged many, many times speaks volumes of its influence. It is at the top of the list of Wikipedia's most commonly challenged books of 1990-1999. I'm not sure if that list is in order of the most challenges or not (it doesn't say).

Side note: I want to belong to an exclusive writing group that has an awesome name like the Inklings.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Thursday Thrift: What is DIY?

I really admire do it yourself (DIY) type people that can take on a project of building, modifying, or repairing something themselves. Growing up, I watched my brother and other family members build several decks for family houses. My dad made himself a pair of saw horses one year. My mom can take a room and redecorate it without the help of a professional, magazines, or other input. Since moving out on my own, I have been forced to be a bit of a DIY'er. When the line running into my toilet sprung a leak, I couldn't afford a plumber so I had to replace it myself. It was a simple fix once I figured out what to do and found the parts to do it with. I have replaced the dryer tube that runs outside, helped my dad replace the floor, light fixtures, and trim in my living room, and have become somewhat of a whiz when it comes to basic car maintenance. I'm no stranger to getting my hands dirty, but taking on actual DIY projects for fun is not me. That is a problem considering I love finding stuff at the thrift stores for my house.

Wednesday Wiki: Corbin Fisher

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Tuesday Tales: Buttercup

A short Tuesday Tales today. Buttercup is the story of a boy named Buttercup. He saw the old witch coming down the road and his mother hid him away. With the offer of a shiny new knife, Buttercup came out of hiding anyways. The Witch told him the knife was in her sack. When he climbed in to get it, she bundled it up and carried him off. At the end of the day, while the witch rested, he escaped the sack and replaced his weight with a root.

The next day, the witch again tempted Buttercup, this time with a shiny spoon. Again, he climbed into the sack and again she carried him off. He escaped when she rested for the night, replacing his weight with a stone.

On the third day, Buttercup was once more captured in the same way. The witch offered him a shiny fork. Except this time, she didn't stop to rest. She went straight home and turned him over to her daughter to cook into a stew. The witch went off to invite friends over for dinner. The daughter, not very bright, was unsure of how to kill Buttercup, so he demonstrated how to cut off his head by having her lay her head on the chopping block.

As soon as she did, he cut the girl's head off. He stuck her head in her bed and stewed her body. He hid on the roof afterward. When the witch and her husband came home (without the friends), they ate up the stew, remarking on the "Buttercup broth." After they ate, Buttercup caused a ruckus outside. The husband and wife rushed outside to see cause of the disruption. As soon as they got outside, Buttercup dropped the root and the stone on their heads, killing them. He then stole all their gold and silver before returning home.

I like this tale but I kept yelling at Buttercup to stop being so damn stupid. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Ya know? But the stupid boy gets tricked into the sack, not twice, but THREE times with shiny things! Really? He redeemed himself at the end in my eyes though. That was pretty slick with the witch's daughter.


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Monday Mood: Embarrassment

Ah. A Monday Mood everyone should relate to easily: embarrassment. We all do stupid things that end up leaving us red faced and scrambling to cover our tracks. We've done something dumb and people saw and/or found out about it. We shed a slight layer of dignity and then moved on.

Read after the jump for a funny story.

Sunday Sales: Clark Duke

The last Sunday Sales for this month is about another actor. The July post about Chloe Moretz is my highest viewed post of all the posts on this blog. The 2^nd most viewed page,  my "Writing Voice" post, only has a 1/5 of the views. So today, I'm going to tell you about an actor that is going to be HUGE one day: Clark Duke. This guy was in Kick-Ass with Chloe by the way.

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued.

This is Clark in a shot from Starpulse.com in September 2008 while Clark and his co-stars were on the publicity circuit for Sex Drive. Click the link for a larger image and photo credits and then click the jump.

Saturday Solicitations: The Mercedes Thompson Series

I found a great urban fantasy book at a second-hand store back in 2007 titled Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs. I read it and then put it away for years. When I moved from my college dorm back home, I found the book again and reread it a couple years later. I enjoyed it so much the second time around that I looked it up and was stoked to find that the novel was part of a series called The Mercedes Thompson Series and I was lucky enough to have picked up the first book. Today's Saturday Solicitation is for that series.

Friday Five: Offline Time Wasters

I waste less time offline than I do online. Let's see if I can get 5 time wasters offline.

Number puzzles are first. Kakuro, sudoku, and fill-ins. I have books laying all over the house.

Second is whatever the current television show I am following. During the regular television season, I have been watching Glee. I love music and have been with the show since the pilot. The last show I watched every time it was on... well, that was Buffy several years back. This summer, I've been content with The Glee Project but now that is wrapped up, I'm waiting for Glee to come back! I ship Klaine and was Team Matheus for sure.

Third would have to be lying in the tub. I am really bad about filling my bath full of hot water (no cold water) and lying in it until it becomes tepid. I'm all pruned, relaxed, and sleepy. It isn't uncommon for me to fall asleep in the tub. I know, that is an awful idea.

Fourth is playing with the cats. My fur-babies demand constant attention which I generally ignore (because I'm working... I'm really not heartlessly ignoring my cats for no reason) so I try to take time each day to cuddle them, rub their chins, and let them fight over who is sitting in my lap. A friend has been rough housing with my big boy, Sam, so now Sam plays/attacks and I'm working on taming the beast once more. He doesn't have claws but damn his teeth are long/sharp.

Fifth may or may not constitute a time waster but I do it to fill up time, certainly not because it is enjoyable. I get into spurts where I have to clean everything. And by clean I mean throw it away. My mom is a pack rat and tries to make me into one too. She will send me 15 bottles of shampoo, 32 packets of single use laundry detergent, 14 body sprays, bags full of cosmetics, etc. While I don't throw out stuff that I will eventually use, like the shampoo and detergent, the other stuff isn't useful to me. 1 bottle of moisturizer will do me for a year. Why do I need 19 of them sitting under the shelf? I give away what I can and then trash the rest. It is huge task that usually precedes a headache, backache, and general pissiness for the next few days so I try to limit this to once or twice monthly at the most.

Sweet, I actually came up with 5 things. Maybe I waste more time than I thought. o.0


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Thursday Thrift: A Quick Video

Here is a nice video from NBC about thrift shopping for today's Thursday Thrift. Follow as the correspondent searches for a poncho, jacket, purse, and skirt with the help of a thrifting veteran. Around the 1:25 mark, they start with a list of thrift dont's. I have written about those before, but it's always nice to have a little reminder now and again. It may have just been a glitch but the sound was REALLY loud so maybe turn your speakers down as it starts up so you don't scare your household.


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Wednesday Wiki: Objects In the Mirror...

Today's random Wiki made me laugh. I didn't realize that phrases were a part of Wikipedia, but it shouldn't have surprised me I guess. "Objects in [the] mirror are closer than they appear" is today's page.

This phrase is a safety warning placed on side mirrors in the US, Canada, and Australia. The shape of the mirror gives a good field of vision while driving, but it also makes objects seem to be further away than they really are. Notice of this phrase is posted to remind drivers of the problem. The phrase has been lifted for music albums, novels, cartoons, and songs over the years.

I didn't realize it was the shape of the mirror that caused the distortion of distance/size in my car mirror. I'm not sure what I thought made it like that, but it certainly didn't jump at me that the mirror curvature would cause it. Maybe I should have paid more attention in science classes after all.


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Get Fuzzy Part Trois

Edit: 8/15/2012 Image removed. I don't want to be sued.

I know I have linked other Get Fuzzy strips here but this one is actually semi-related to my blog! Er, well... at least it is about writing. Darby Conley, you rock. This one was published on Yahoo on July 17th. Link is here for as long as it lasts.

As a side note: Treasury of the Lost Litter Box came out in May 2010 which was a collection of the strips from 2009's Ignorance, Thy Name is Bucky and Dumbheart. Collections are released every so often and then they are combined by 2's into a Treasury. I think it is neat. Anyways, you can find it here (I highly recommend it!). My personal favorite is the collection from 2002: Fuzzy Logic.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Fun Day today! Caution: Dirty Mindedness and Swearing Follows

So it is only 1pm and today has already been the most hilarious day ever.

Tuesday Tales: Brother and Sister

Ah, a return to the Brothers Grimm for today's Tuesday Tale. Brother and Sister is a well-known European tale, often confused with Hansel and Gretel because they both went by "Little Brother and Little Sister" at one point. This story is different from Hansel and Gretel though, so don't confuse the two.

Monday Mood: Loneliness

Loneliness sucks. It is different for everyone but I wager everyone has felt it, even just slightly, at some point in their lives. Let's talk about it today for Monday Mood.

Loneliness is an unpleasant feeling of emptiness resulting from poor to no social relationships. Ever been the new kid at school? Remember your first day on a new job? Did you go through a breakup or divorce? There are so many situations that can cause someone to feel lonely if only for a short amount of time.

Severe cases of loneliness are more frequent in high population cities. Think about it. Everyone is in this big rat race, rushing from one place to the next rarely bothering to really interact with others. At the end of the day, one can feel alone even while surrounded by millions. Even online, people can find themselves alone in a sea of pixels.

Those that experience real chronic loneliness are at higher risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, depression, and suicide. They are more prone to drug and/or alcohol abuse. It affects sleep patterns, blood pressure, and memory.

Treatment for loneliness can be as simple as finding one good friend to confide in regularly. Chronic loneliness can be treated with various therapies, medication, exercise, and communal living. I especially like the idea of pet therapy and spent many years researching it for various reasons. I don't suggest getting a Labrador if you have never had a pet before though. Maybe start with fish. Work your way up, or go volunteer at your local animal shelter.

If you feel like you are experiencing chronic loneliness, please seek medical attention before it leads to anything worse. Your local suicide prevention hotline can help you find resources in your area or you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Their website is here.


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Sunday Sales: Vegas, Baby!

Do you feel like you just NEED a vacation? I feel like that about 90% of the time. My brother and my dad went to Las Vegas and would not shut up about it forever so I decided to check it out... virtually at least.

There is so much to do in Vegas. Gambling, of course. The Vegas shows. Incredible restaurants. Spas and salons. The list goes on and on. I am not a fan of giving away money unless it is to charity so gambling holds no interest for me. Now the shows and food... yes, please. Between today and the end of the month, look who is going to be performing in Vegas: Charo, David Copperfield, Australia's Thunder from Down Under (OMFG this), Blue Man Group, Brad Garrett, Chippendales, Crazy Girls, The Lion King, Jersey Boys, Men of X, Cirque Du Solei, Peep Show, Penn and Teller, and Stripper 101. That is a selection from just the first 3 pages of events (out of 37!). There really is a show for everyone. Of course, my friends and I am partial to the ones where the guys take off their clothes, but that doesn't fit the bill for everyone. Magic shows, comedies, musicals, bands, circus acts, vaudeville-type acts, etc. I'm sure my brother and my dad spent the whole time in a random assortment of casinos and golf courses, so I think they missed out on the real Vegas. Maybe my opinion is biased considering I'm staring at a picture of the Australians.

Also the food just looks wonderful.  It looks like the places with celebrity chefs require reservations (naturally), but the site linked above makes it all so simple to plan ahead. Check out Top of the World in the Stratosphere Casino and Hotel. The restaurant actually spins 360 degrees while you eat 800 feet in the air! While I am not so sure I could eat knowing all that, it looks stunning! Mcfadden's Restaurant and Saloon features half-dressed women dancing on a bar in the picture so that definitely looks like a place where I'd have fun. It is a given that I'd enjoy the copious amounts of available alcohol, but seriously, what is there not to love about an Irish pub... in the desert?

If you are thinking of taking a trip in the near future, consider Vegas (and take me with you!).


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS

Saturday Solicitations: The Chronicles of Narnia

I wanted to share a childhood favorite of mine with you today for the Saturday Solicitations. The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C. S. Lewis, was published as 7 novels between 1950 and 1956. As a child, I entered into Narnia with delight. The animals talk, magic is real, and good triumphs over evil. I grew up wishing Mr. Tumnus would invite me to tea, blaming the terrible Ohio winters on the White Witch, and wondering if the horses in the meadow across the street were Horses.