Red Room Blogs - All

Acceptance of Ease and Grace

Stephen Kaufman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:03:26 -0800

One of the most difficult things that anyone has to deal with is the acceptance of personal good delivered with ease and grace. There is always a part of the psyche that doesn't allow for the joy of receiving. This is partly due to the fact that underlying guilt patterns seem to constantly override the true natural order of things and is generally derived from aspects of negative sentiment and ...

Balderdash!

Diane Chamberlain — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:27:31 -0800

I drove down the long gravel driveway to the Weymouth mansion Thursday afternoon with a prayer of gratitude on my lips. Coming here is like flipping a switch from the world of laundry and grocery shopping and doctors’ appointments and phone calls to the world of writing and nature and friends. Sarah Shaber was the first person I saw when I climbed the stairs to the writers’ section of the ...

Why do you write daddy?

skyzdalmit — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:41:26 -0800

“Why do you write Daddy?” asked my five year old son. My answer did not soon follow as a simple “I dunno” was all I could conjure to stay his questions from reproducing, interrupting my current blog entry. I write in my office at home which I have set up conveniently on the main floor of our home so I can still see and hear my family should I choose, or I can isolate a bit more ...

MS.MONTIER'S MAGIC MINTS

kasmik — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:36:59 -0800

Georgia is among 28 states considered to be a right to work state, which really means your employer has free rein to fire you without concern of a backlash from unions, lower wages and benefits, diminished standards of living, and no job security. In a sense this translates into fear among employees and abusive relations in the workplace. So when I attended orientation for a new job at one of the ...

How to Publicize your Book: Getting Started

ninaamir — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:53:34 -0800

Many would-be nonfiction authors make the mistake of not beginning to think about publicity for their book until after they have written it. In fact, they don’t even need to write the book until after it has been purchased by a publishing house, but they do need to begin working on publicity prior to ever submitting a proposal to an acquisitions editor. The proposal itself includes a section ...

John Lennon, Literary Quipster

Barbara Alexandra Szerlip — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:44:43 -0800

Recently, I watched tapes of John Lennon & Yoko Ono's appearances on the Dick Cavett Show.The first one, on September 11, 1971, was notable for being the first television interview John gave in the wake of the Beatles' breakup. On May 11th of the following year, the pair returned. Prior to their appearance, Cavett warmed up the audience by auctioning off the tie he was wearing. ...

Saturday thoughts

hbk7344 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:09:52 -0800

I awoke to a beautiful sunny day today,after finally getting a decent night's sleep.Enjoyed a solo yoga class today,as nobody else showed up.My teacher and friend,Ginny referrs to me as "brilliantly eccentric" WE worked on setting our "blue flame" around us to protect us from negative onsloughts that would inevitably come when family gets together on Thursday.AFter yoga I ...

Metro

beverley bie brahic — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:43:03 -0800

This morning early I went to the Cité Universitaire for Helene Cixous's seminar, cutting through the Luxembourg Garden on my way to the metro. The leaves, which were still on the trees a week ago, are now on the ground; it was the joggers' hour.When I went down into the metro station I was a few steps behind a couple of men--father and son?--whom I decided were masons. The station is being ...

Reading the World

J.P. Smith — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:17:11 -0800

As I get older I find that I read less and less contemporary fiction and either go to older works I’d overlooked or had simply put off reading, or return to books I’d read years ago. Doing the latter is always enlightening, I think. The person we were when we first read the book is not the same person we are today. It engages us on another level, and our understanding of it is that much ...

Nanowrimo once more . . .

Lisa Frankfort — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:35:59 -0800

It's just a wee bit embarrassing to be the San Francisco Municipal Liaison and be THIS far off the intended word count. How far? Well, by close of yesterday evening (Friday 11/20) I should've been at 33,340. And as of this morning I'm at 26,507. That's 6,833 words behind. Because we Nano'ers keep scrupulous track of such things.Here we are, Saturday morning in San Francisco. It's ...

Books can open the mind and free the soul

Alass — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:18:21 -0800

To read or have someone read to you is a warm bonding experience. Much can be shared in a short period of time, and a value can be installed. In this busy world sometimes it is easier to turn on the TV and let it entertain a young mind but it is not the best thing. I always found the time to read to my children and now my grandchildren as well. In this fast paced world we live in, ...

Madeline DeFrees Celebration - Poetry and Grace @ 90

Susan Rich — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:14:04 -0800

I love looking at these photographs as they remind me what a perfect evening we all had. Since I almost never take photographs, Tim Woods' images seem very magical to me. I love that Madeline's corsage (from two of her admirers) figures prominently, that the age range of attendees was vast and wide - as seen here, that Madeline looked happier and more relaxed than I'd ever seen her before. Notice ...

The Tow of Chew (Peace)

Alass — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:10:59 -0800

Chewy was a great dog, he new who and what he was. He was a pure shih tzu, never fixed. As a puppy he was fearless, the first outing was an adventure. Chewy at 2 months old jumped into a river and swam the rapids. Lee (my husband) was running a long the bank, with one leg in a cast from the knee down. On our next outing, we drove around Lake Tahoe, every few weeks we tried to get out ...

Excerpt from DODGERS ESSENTIAL

Steven Robert Travers — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:10:26 -0800

“THE YEAR OF THE PITCHER” After Koufax retired in the fall of 1966, little was expected of the Dodgers, and that was what they delivered. They were mediocre in 1967 and not much better in 1968. In 1969 they contended in the “Wild, Wild West,” the new division format that was exciting because, while the New York Mets (amazingly) won 100 games to take the East, the Braves, Giants, ...

Today's vote in the Senate - Slavery?

EDJE — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:40:38 -0800

The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force announced Nov. 16, 2009, that it now recommends against annual mammograms for women 40 to 49 because the potential harms of routine screening in this age group outweigh the benefits. These downsides include radiation exposure, cost and the trauma of false positives. Many doctors agree with the new guidelines. But some breast cancer ...

WHILE WALKING HALIFAX HARBOUR

Dale Estey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:34:12 -0800

As I walked the harbour in Halifax I came across the following. Reportedly the largest and fastest sailing craft on earth. It is impressive from a distance and doubly so close up. V HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a 95 years old barque, with fifty sails, three masts, and a solid old fashioned rig – system meets this challenge. A three months cruise in the North sea and the Atlantic ocean ...

Books Make Great Holiday Gifts

Marilyn Kallet — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:13:31 -0800

At small cost, a book can be a fantastic gift. And if you customize it with a signature--even better! There are so many gorgeous books available from Red Room authors--I'm partial to books by Belle Yang--but of course I would love it if you selected one of my books as a gift. My Chanukah book, One For Each Night: Chanukah Tales and Recipes, from Celtic Cat Publishing, offers vibrant ...

New Interview and Comment to Win Contest

CynV — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:52:08 -0800

Read the new interview at Love Books and More and comment for your chance to win a dual sided bookmark and a mini dragon statue in honor of the release of DEMON HUNTER: SEEK & DESTROY where dragons are prominently featured.Follow the link:http://lovesbooksandmore.blogspot.com/2009/11/welcome-guest-author-cynthia-vespia.html? zx=44f51ad2d98dcadbCynthia VespiaAuthor of Thrills and ...

A SENTIMENTAL CAT

James GAitis — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:50:48 -0800

I’m a sentimental cat, particularly when it comes to cats and dogs and the love people share through them. So here’s my poem (an average sort of poem, I’ll admit) on that subject, published last week in The Blue Guitar, an online publication of the Arizona Consortium for the Arts. See page 27: http://www.theblueguitarmagazine.org/resources/Blue+Guitar+Fall+2009+76+...

WAS HITCHCOCK IN HEAVEN, DIRECTING?

Dale Estey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:50:01 -0800

As I hung out a wash the other day, part way through, a crow settled on the upper branches of a tree. A few clothes later, another crow, another branch. Some clothes later, a third crow but lower. Nearing the end of the line two more crows ambled across the sky, looking things over. I came in.

Ann Jones "Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan"

Julia Stein — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:33:54 -0800

Ann Jones has written a book that explains why the U.S. is losing in Afghanistan. She is a American journalist and photographer who went to Afghanistan in the winter of 2001 to help the country out as an aid worker and spent four winters there. Her book is part memoir of her time working with a feminist non-government agency (NGO) Madar which helps Afghan widows and also teaching English as a ...

Peace

Cynthia A Clampitt — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:47:05 -0800

The suggested topic of the week—peace—is an interesting one. I particularly liked the quote from Dorothy Thompson, that when most people speak of peace, "They have not wanted peace at all; they have wanted to be spared war—as though the absence of war was the same as peace." I suspect that most people don't really think much about peace, they just know they don't like to be afraid ...

Which Bird Are You?

Jessica Barksdale Inclan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:33:26 -0800

A particular Stellar Jay has figured out--as best he can based on his size--how to get seed from our bird feeder. It's not easy for him, as he has to clutch the tiny stick, hanging upside down, and then pull his head to the aperture, pecking one, two, trying to get some seed. He flutters, he gulps, and then he lets go, flying off.I am sure this little scene is a metaphor for something very ...

A. NaNoWriMo is bad. B. NaNoWriMo is good. Discuss.

Jeffrey A Ricker — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:32:50 -0800

It's nine days until the end of the month, and as I expected, I'm behind. By the end of today, according to the handy meter on the NaNoWriMo website, I should be at 35,000 words. This is about 6,000 words higher than my current word count of 28,824. Luckily, we've rolled into the weekend, when I always manage to get more writing done. (I was 3,000 words in the hole last weekend, and I managed to ...

Repentance Without Guilt

Sheri Rosenthal — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:32:28 -0800

My apprentices and I were having an interesting chat recently about repentance and some interesting issues came to light that I thought I’d share with you. I was concerned with the amount of suffering they were experiencing as they were recapitulating their lives and rewriting old painful stories. The ultimate goal behind recapitulating these stories is truth, forgiveness and the freedom to ...

Do's and Don'ts in New York city

marywilkinson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:23:35 -0800

1. Do resist the urge to be smart with the immigration officer at the airport when he asks you for your DOB and place of residence even though all your details are on the computer screen in front of him.2. Do not panic when the cab driver, who is taking you to your hotel happens to drive at breakneck speed with his eyes half closed.3. Never, I stress never, request a king size bed in puny NY ...

Books in the Media

ajdunlea — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:18:45 -0800

Books in the Media List: 1. Supermarket by Satoshi Azuchihttp://astore.amazon.com/annduniriwri-20/detail/03123829442. Hush Hush by Becca FitzPatrickhttp://astore.amazon.com/annduniriwri-20/detail/14169894123. Preserves River Cottage Handbook No.2 by Pam Corbinhttp://astore.amazon.com/annduniriwri-20/detail/07475953214. D-Day The Battle of Normandy by Anthony ...

Bleck is really all I have to say...

msforster — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:13:10 -0800

It's turned into one of THOSE weeks: I'm falling behind on my writing. I'm working extra hours, which is good for the paycheck, but very tiring. There has been an atmosphere of general grumpiness in our house. And I could really use a long shower. (I'm not smelly, but I do need one.) HOWEVER... I am still breathing, all of my fingers and toes are intact and functional and I have most of ...

Morbid blog tour: Erik Quarry

Loren Rhoads — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:01:42 -0800

Erik Quarry is a Gothic/Macabre artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has exhibited in Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. His interests lie in the decadence of doom, death, and darkness, which his art reflects in a light-hearted style. Halloween, Danse Macabre, and Victorian themes abound in his artwork. Fascinated by El Día de los Muertos, Erik is a member of the Association ...

Book Review - Burnout: The Mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 by Stephanie Osborn

Kimberly Richardson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:01:08 -0800

Since becoming a published (and now award winning) author, I have met some wonderful and highly talented authors within the Mid-South area and even beyond. One such author is Stephanie Osborn who resides in Huntsville, AL and is the author of the book BURNOUT: The Mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281. After listening to Stephanie’s pitch about the book during the course of attending several ...