what is real?

There's a lot of talk these days about authenticity. At least in my circle of friends.
It's an idea I've been meditating on for some time. What does it mean? It's something that I certainly can't cover in one post, so expect to be hearing more from me on the topic.

We live in a world where it's difficult to detect what is real and what isn't. Vocalists are auto-tuned so that can't tell what their real voices sound like. Even I could sound good with that technology!
Photos are manipulated to show any variety of things. Some are obvious, but others are quite deceptive. I could whittle myself down to a size 5 and erase every sign of aging if I had the right computer program.
These days, you can't even believe your own eyes or ears.

And in the midst of this there is a desire for authenticity. People want to know that what they see is what they get. People are tired of hypocrisy, (I suppose they always have been, I mean, who likes a hypocrite?) and games, and facades.

But do we even know what that looks like anymore? Authenticity, I mean. Do we know what it means to be real?

i'd like a side of dexatrim, please

My husband shared this article with me this morning. I laughed. I choked. I snorted, I got a tummy ache. I cried.
I'm not sure why it struck me so funny apart from the pure lunacy of it. The fact that anyone would even suggest such a thing and actually be taken seriously. Then put it in the American Journal of Cardiology?! It is utterly ridiculous. Asinine. Ludicrous. *Add your own synonym here.*

My favorite part:"These companies already have an infrastructure for providing a variety of condiments... A generic statin could be added to the panoply of items in the self-service tray at little additional cost."


Soon, we will have no need for any personal responsibility. I think they should include diet pills, and Glucophage in the little packets. Cover all the possibilities, you know?

scary movie

I already shared this on Facebook, but it tickles me, so I'm sharing it here, too.
Angie Hunt shared this site on her blog. You type in a script and the computer turns it into a movie. You can also choose characters, voices, camera angles, background noise, etc. It's fun.
This is my first movie. I spent a lot of time making a second one that came out much better, but then I was informed that I had to spend money in order to publish any more.
So, if you make one make it your best effort! LOL

a what of writers?

A dazzle of zebras. Photo from morguefile.com.

We all know cattle come in herds.
Geese come in gaggles.
A group of crows is a murder.
But have you heard of an exaltation of larks?
Or a shiver of sharks?
What about an implausibility of gnus?
A seething of eels.
A rhumba of rattlesnakes.
A busyness of ferrets.
A pulchritude of peacock.
A boogle of weasels, a scurry of squirrels.
I could go on and on with these wonderful words. But you can go look for yourself at this site I found.

This all comes of my friend Bonnie Doran asking what a group of writers is called. She got some good suggestions: an anthology, a rabble, a prattle.
What do you suggest?

grandma's house

My grandparent's house on my dad's side smelled like:
wet sand
hot shale
warm cotton
creosote
wood
Kool aid
and grass outside
bacon
maple syrup
pipe smoke
Pledge
Downy
and Caress inside.

My grandma's house on my mom's side smelled like:
sidewalk
train tracks
and elm trees outside
peppers
cantaloupe
chicken broth
tomatoes
apple pie
un-salted bread
and peaches inside.

Any time I smell any of these it takes me right back.

Your turn...
It doesn't have to be a grandparent's house. Just anything.

writing stuff

In case you've wondered, I am still writing. 

Some things have changed a bit, though. 

My intention in the beginning was to not write at all as some of you may remember. But when it became obvious that I was supposed to, I decided to write beautiful moving fiction for women. I started two different novels and had ideas and bits of a couple more.

Writing was difficult and painful.

In November I did the National Novel Writing Month (NaNo) challenge and wrote 50,000 words in a month. They were words that came out of my head without much interference from my actual mind. They were, in essence, mindless. But I ended up with a pretty interesting story, or mess of several stories. And there was nothing beautiful or moving about it. 

But it was FUN!

So, I decided to work on that mess and make it into a book. I took it with me to the Glen Eyrie Writers' Summit in June to see what could be done with it.

My instructor, Kathy Mackel, mentioned that perhaps I could turn it into a Middle Reader--for 10-14 year-olds. I rebelled. I don't want to write kids' books. I want to write beautiful moving fiction for women. I'm willing to write kookie funny fiction for adults. I don't want to write for kids.

Guess what I'm doing.

Yep. I'm writing a middle reader. And Guess what else. 

It's FUN!

P.S. My story is about a boy named Match. 

longings

We all long for stuff. We all long for love and acceptance, things like that.

Some people long for wealth and luxury or a house full of children.

Many of our longings are realized along the path of life.

Many aren't.

My unrealized longing? The country. Horses.
When I drive by a pasture full of horses I feel a tight ache in my chest. An empty place opens up somewhere inside me.
Sometimes I get to ease it a little. Like today. Friends of ours own horses and invite us to visit their barn  now and then. My kids ride a little. I've been unable to because of my back problem, but I can brush the horses. Bury my nose in their necks and pet their velvety noses to my hearts content.
Well, almost. My heart doesn't get quite content, but for a little while it smiles.

What about you? What is something your heart yearns for?