Lynn’s Desk

Wow, Johanna Parker was fantastic reading the Sookie Stackhouse (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood) series by Charlaine Harris. I put more miles on my car the past couple months than I have in almost a year just so I could listen to her read. Now that I’m done listening to the series, I feel like my best friend has moved away.   If you’re not familiar with The Southern Vampire stories I’ll give you a brief overview. 

Sookie is a waitress in Bon Temps, La. and she can read minds.  Although I think “hear” would be a better description.  Her brother Jason is a were-panther.  She’s been involved with several supernatural creatues, a vampire, a weretiger and then there is her witch roommate and Bob the cat who wasn’t a cat before and well let’s just say now he’s a cat.  But Sookie’s perky attitute, keen observations and the clever remarks (that frequently have me thinking that’s something I would say) help her survive everything that shows up at her door. 

Ms. Harris has created a character that I would like to called friend–a friend I would like to have warned about getting so involved with the supernatural.  Slowly the problems and dangers build up as Sookie life becomes more intwined and by the last book I wanted to take my friend away and help her recover from the emotional and physical beating she had been experiencing.  I would be interest to see what Ms Harris has planned for Sookie because Sookie has changed so much and has to change to survive .   There is no going back only coping and adapting however I see a very dark future for her.

Below are links to a couple of the audiobooks. To find all of them on Amazon you will need to search on both Sookie Stackhouse and Parker.
Dead as a Doornail: Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mystery #5

All Together Dead (Sookie Stackhouse)All Together Dead (Sookie Stackhouse)

Okay, cue the spooky music. Christmas morning I’m trying to finish the last gift and the delicate aroma of dusting powder drifted into the room.  To appreciate this odd event you have to understand that I was alone in the house, I don’t use dusting powder and the only person I know who did was mom and she’s been gone for 7 Christmases.

It had to be mom dropping in to wish me Merry Christmas.  I miss mom. I miss her warmth, her humor, her excellent advice, her love.  I told her about my year and how I was doing and that I still miss her.  I also told her I hope she was having a good time, telling jokes with Aunt Ellen and that grandmother had developed a sense of humour.  And that I hoped her cats where with her.  I think the hereafter would be really lacking if it didn’t have cats and dogs and joke telling siblings.

I doubt that I’ll ever stop missing her.

My friend and I went to a Friendly’s today and when she ordered off the senior menu, the girl asked for id!  Well I guess that is flattering and I’m glad I let her order first because the waitress would have discovered I’m an unage eater.  

In some cases, I’m an overage eater.

I didn’t have the nerve to order off either the senior or child’s menu until I saw Dave Price from CBS’s the Morning Show talk about losing weight and how he would order off the child’s menu to get a reasonable portion.  So I took his lead and I didn’t feel too bad if I ordered a child’s meal at a fast food restaurant.  It took a some encouragement, but eventually I started ordering off the senior menu at other restaurants.

I’m not out to cheat anyone, I just want a smaller portion at an appropriate price. 

I know that the economy is taking a beating and I know that restaurants are hurting just as much as any other industry but wouldn’t it be wise to sell a meal at a lesser price, than none at all?

I hate the cold. I always have. I hate cold feet, cold fingers, and especially a cold nose. Today it was warm out and the sun was shining. The grass even looked greener! Oh and the warm sun on my face! I should have looked for daffodils in the garden but it’s probably still just a little early for them.

Spring is on the way and I’m thrilled.

About 1/2 way thru December I start dreading the commute home in the dark and cold. I get home and wrap up in crocheted throws, I sleep under a fat down comforter and I wear warm fuzzy socks to bed. After Christmas, whenever the weatherman tells sunrise and sunset times, I calculate the additional minutes of sunshine and I feel so happy. Then when sunlight lasts after I get home from work I feel like I’m gaining back my free time. Time to spend outside. Time to warm up. Time to see that beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds!

Today I chucked the down coat for a lightweight wool one and even that was too warm. I feel ALIVE, ready to tackle whatever comes my way or even tackle something NEW! Maybe I’ll even clean!

Personally, I think I have enough blog entry ideas to keep me going for quite a few months so I really don’t need No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog, by Margaret Mason. But just in-case I’m wrong about my creativity, vast skill for observation and commentary, I decided to check it out.

This slim publication is packed with 100 ideas and recommendations to keep you writing and keep your blog from bogging down in blahdom. It contains 5 chapters with 20 ideas each:

1. 15 minutes to fame
2. 30 minutes away from the TV
3. An hour at the screen
4. Take your time
5. Think like a writer

Margaret’s suggestions are even good posting examples: catchy title, makes us laugh, think and want to respond.

Here are a few of my favorite topics:

1. Reign supreme (what would you do if you ruled the world)
2. Show some love (write a paragraph on your family or friends)
3. Use what you have (mine your surroundings, postcards, cd’s newspaper.

I thought just about every topic was viable and universal. If you can’t find at least one idea or topic in this book, then you either need to give up the idea of blogging or get out of the house more. You need a life!

During a “what am I spending on telecommunications” moment, I decided to ditch my Compuserve account. I replaced it with a free email account and faster access to the internet.

But I miss being 74473,2063.

Compuserve was my first foray into the internet. I had no idea what a forum or threaded discussion board was and I don’t even remember how I discovered the SFmedia section. It was love at first sight. All these like-minded, educated people in love with Highlander. Okay, so it was mostly women but there were a few guys there, too. We would dissect each episode to pieces, examining motives, writing, settings, costumes, historical (in)accuracies, weapons…well you get the idea. I started going to conventions just to meet my cyberspace friends face2face. At some point 4 of us started a round robin Mary Sue writing adventure based on the Highlander world. It was a lot of fun.

A couple of the SFMedia participants were writer wannabes and they dragged me over to SFLit where I found a whole cadre of wannabe writers. They were the called the IMPs, impatiently waiting to be published, and I learned plenty about writing. I learned to critique the writing not the writer, to identify passive voice by picking it up in others, you have about 150 words (1/2 a page) to get and keep the editor’s attention, and more. Several members have published novels and short stories. My big claim to fame was an essay published years ago in the Christian Science Monitor. I have to thank BJ for her crucial editing suggestions.

I still keep in contact with a few of the ex-pats. We exchange emails, attend conferences together and I peer into the blogs of several more to see how they are doing.

And now they can peer into mine as well.

I know I don’t need another book on writing. My bookcase is full of writing books and I feel that my writing toolbox is full, too. I enjoyed reading Stephen King’s On Writing and even though he gave me permission to write, it just didn’t happen. A copy of Unstuck: A Supportive and Practical Guide to Working Through Writer’s Block, by Jane Anne Staw is shelved on the nightstand. I’m a bit more compassionate towards the writer-me but I think I could use a little tough love, too. I tend to talk about writing more than I ever actually write. I found my copy of Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. Although I hoped that accepting “shitty first drafts” would free up my penchant towards perfection, I’m still struggling to ignore that I know there is a better word, description, whatever, that stops my writing like a dropped cellphone call. My right and left brain both agree that I should write however together they come up with enough excuses that Write: 10 Days to Overcome Writer’s Block. Period. by Karen E. Peterson pretty much canceled itself out.

Ah, but the desire to write occasionally walks me to the writing section in the bookstore. So what made me break my promise to not buy another book on writing? The Daily Writer: 366 Meditations to Cultivate a Productive and Meaningful Writing Life by Fred White. I like the author’s tone. He’s just talking to me, making observations, recommendations, and suggesting interesting exercises. He’s talking to me about Existentialism, English Literature and art. This book is like having a college professor at my fingertips. Maybe that is the difference. He’s not talking about why I cannot write and he’s not telling me why he writes. Instead, he’s making me think about everything and writing.

This summer I went on several interviews and I’m sorry to say I didn’t get either job.  However, by asking a few questions, I gleaned information that I took back to my current job.  My boss is taciturn but friendly.  He doesn’t give me a lot of feedback so I never know what he wants/likes/needs.  It’s very frustrating because I’m not a mind reader.  One of my interviewers/ees told me how he likes his work.  He was VERY specific and I loved it.  I wish all interviewers/ees were so verbose. I knew exactly what a day/week/month/year would be with him.  So, I took one of his many ideas and applied them to my current boss.  Now, when ever my boss travels, I set up folders for each day of his trip.  In each folder I include his calendar, his travel itinerary and any meeting material he needs.  Of course I didn’t get any feedback when he returned.  A week later I was arranging more travel and he hands me some notes and asks me to include them in the folder for his next trip.  Success!

Why have a public journal?  Are our egos so large that we believe someone is waiting out there just to read our words?  Are our words so fantastic that someone else would want to read them? Are we reaching out hoping to connect with other people?  Are we so lonely that we have to find a way to communicate with people, even if it is only in blog comments?

The title of my website is Lynn’s Vanity Pages.  Most personal websites are vanity sites.  Look at me!  Look at me!  I have a kewl site!  I have interesting things to say!  I’m not saying there aren’t any good or interesting sites.  Some people have valuable information to share.  Some have interesting stories. 

Although, who am I to criticize as I sit here in front of my laptop, typing these words, hoping to be read.

I went to ReaderCon this summer and listened to a discussion regarding writing and blogging was mentioned.  Someone in the audience took offence because of a comment made regarding the average blog entry.  Most blog entries are first draft.  They are raw.  They contain typos, poor punctuation, and bad construction.  Tom Purdom felt that whatever he published should be final draft. He writes professionally, so I would expect that.  The woman in the audience, a teacher, was just happy to see her students writing and getting feedback so they would understand how their writing was being interpreted.  I think that is an interesting use for a blog. 

I don’t know if blogging will be just another fad.  Some things become ubiquitous and others become vapor.  However, here I am, joining in on the fun.