Closed for the holidays

I've been too busy with holiday madness to do as much writing as I'd like. We've got school parties , gifts to buy, doctor's appointments and a hundred other items on our to-do list before heading to Memphis at the end of next week. We're really looking forward to going "home" for the holidays, and then I'll be ready to make 2010 a great year for my freelance writing career.

So Happy Holidays to all and we'll see you next year.

Thanksgiving tradition

No Thanksgiving is complete without listening at least once to "Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie." (Warning: video of Guthrie's performance is 18.5 minutes long, but worth it.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7C0QGkiVo

It's a Rhapsody, all right

Hee-larious!

SEO Blog

Found this great blog for SEO writing. I'm especially happy that the Daily SEO blog emphasizes quality of content, as many SEO sites have a clear emphasis on quantity of articles vs. quality. I was also a little surprised to find out that Google rules the world. I mean, look at all these websites, writers, photographers and other content creators and hosts who spend their work lives trying to entice Google spiders to like them. I know I often feel like a Google stalker. Just don't tell anyone else.

Happy Birthday to me

Today I'm 43 years young. Woo hoo! I have a rip-roaring fun day in store, with Nina home sick with a stomach bug, Thanksgiving grocery shopping to do, and much writing to catch up on so I can take a few days off for the holidays. Nina's illness means Kevin and I will have to postpone the dinner out we had planned (he lined up a babysitter and everything), but he did make me a wonderful birthday dinner Saturday night--grilled steaks, baked potatoes, squash and yummy focaccia bread.

Happy Lisa's birthday, everyone.

How pumpkin pies are made

Angie short emailed me this hilarious pic. Thank goodness I wasn't planning to serve pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Find me on Suite101

Check out my first article for Suite101, an itinerary for a one-day visit to Columbia. I sure enjoyed writing it and wish I could have found something similar before Kevin and I visited the first time. Pretty good advice, if I do say so myself.

I plan to write a lot more features on Columbia for Suite101, and I've got plenty of story ideas. So be sure to check my Suite 101 pages before you come for a visit.

Writers & Perfectionism

Some good writing tips from Angela Booth on how to overcome/eliminate perfectionism by clearly establishing your intentions and setting deadlines. Reminder to self: follow these tips. I often get stuck on trying to find the perfect word or phase and spend entirely too long on an article. I also focus on that aspect of the story and lose sight of my original intent with the piece.

I realize I'm not perfect, but I guess I still hope to get there some day.

No NaNo for Me-O

When I peruse my favorite writers' blogs and forums lately, I read plenty about NaNoWriMo gains and pains.

I'm jealous.

I have no time for NaNo this year, though it's no one's fault but my own. I'm months behind on writing, and I'm quite busy playing catch up. That means writing non-fiction for pay, leaving little or no time for "pleasure writing."

Still, I feel happy to at least be back on the rails, even if I'm not completely on track. And this time next year, I'm sure I'll be on all those forums complaining and celebrating right along with you.

Happy noveling!

Morning laugh

For any of you wondering what to get me for Christmas or my birthday (just remembered it's next week--shop now!), I would LOVE any Phyllis Diller books. I'd especially like to have "Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints," appropriately published just a few months before I was born but apparently out of print. While searching for a particular quote from the comedienne, I found these gems:

“What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.”

"Most children threaten at times to run away from home. This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.”

“You know you're old if they have discontinued your blood type.”

"A bachelor is a guy who never made the same mistake once."

"Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance?"

What I've Been Writing

Some of my most recent articles:

Memphis Fine Dining
How to Clean Mold Spores out of the Air
How to Pick the Right Reading Glasses
How to Take Care of Hives Without Antihistamines
How to Get Free Medicine for Children

As you can tell, I'm partial to "How-To" writing these days.

Write, Right?

I'm back on that horse.

After a six-month hiatus to get settled in South Carolina, I'm finally writing again. Feels pretty good, too. For a while there, I figured my freelance writing career might be over. I've been substitute teaching at Amelia's preschool and I planned to look for a full-time job after my youngest starts preschool next year. But that writing bug is hard to get out of your system, even when it's been dormant for a while.

I've decided to diversify--writing mostly for short-term money, sometimes for long-term career goals, and occasionally just for pleasure. Sites for which I'm writing include Demand Studios (SEO) and Constant Content (content). Suite101 accepted me and I recently submitted my first article there. I've also applied at Examiner for the Columbia State House gig, and I await their response.

It may not be glamorous, but it's professional writing, which is good enough for me.

Susan Boyle

In case you've been curled up in a cave somewhere and haven't heard or seen it, here's Susan Boyle singing I Dreamed a Dream. What an inspirational and heart-warming story.

Another feature

I had a feature in today's Commercial Appeal about the Mid-South's first Autism Festival and the family behind it. It was an enjoyable story to write and I enjoyed meeting with Mashal Mirza and her family. I hope the carnival is a big success.

Cool illusion

Thanks to uncle Timmy for sending this great pic of a painted bathroom floor in a high-rise building. I enjoyed the picture but think I would be forced to use another restroom.

Inspirational

Photo by Mark Weber, The Commercial Appeal

An article I wrote on disabled artist Shirley Patton ran in today's Commercial Appeal. I really admire Ms. Patton and wish I could afford to buy several of her pieces. Here's hoping she finds much more success as an artist.

Active imaginations

This is the latest piece of artwork from four-year-old budding artist Amelia. She calls this one: "Mommy Juggling Cookies Under a Rainbow."

I don't know where she got the artistic talent (Kevin's only slightly better at stick figures than I am), but I'm pretty sure the active imagination came from me, or at least my sub-conscious.

Last night I dreamed a 12-year-old beach policeman halted his volleyball game to chastise me for running too fast on the beach. "Are you serious?" I asked him. "Look at me. I'm 42 and overweight. How could I possibly be running too fast?" He then radioed headquarters to make sure I didn't have any priors (I didn't, YAY!) and issued me a warning. I promised to slow it down and went running on my merry way.

Tourney lowlight (thus far)

This play really angered me:

Dreaming

I've been having some pretty vivid dreams lately. If any of you have ever waited tables, you know all about waitress nightmares. The place is packed, you're the only server there, and everything is going wrong. I used to have them frequently when I was a full-time server, but I haven't waited on tables in more than four years. Maybe it's my subconscious telling me that I should consider but immediately dismiss the idea of going back into the restaurant business.

Anyway, as vivid as my dreams have been, thank goodness they haven't seemed THIS real:

On decorating

A feature I wrote on apartment decorating ran in today's CA. The subject of the story, Marie Provence, is a decorator after my own heart, though she's much better at it than I am. A student at Memphis College of Art, she's obviously a very artistic person. Me, not so much. I'm more "crafty" than "artsy."

One thing I really liked about Provence is how she "recycles" furnishings and has such an appreciation for antiques and older things. She frequently refurbishes pieces, as I often do, usually with paint, recovering, new knobs, etc.

Almost every piece of furniture in my home is either a hand-me-down or a thrift-store or yard-sale find. While budgeting is definitely a consideration for me when decorating, I also like the idea of turning trash into treasure, and it's rewarding to create a one-of-a-kind piece.

For example, the wardrobe above was left here by Kevin's former roommate, Chase, before I moved in. It was sort of a primer gray color, the doors were nearly falling off their hinges, and there were nails hammered in all over the thing.

So I took the monstrous thing apart, removed all the unnecesary nails, filled in the many holes with spackle, painted the interior a neutral color, and gave the exterior a faux finish. I had Kevin fix the hinges (the thing is so old that I couldn't find any new hinges close to the same size and shape) and line the doors up correctly, and we also installed magnets so the darned thing would stay closed. Top it off with new silver knobs (to tie it in with the rest of the kitchen, which includes our super-cool, 40-inch, five-eye, stainless-steel gas stove/oven), and voila, I created a new and functional piece of furniture. Our toaster oven and microwave are stored inside, opening up more room on the kitchen counters. We also use it for dish towels, pot holders and utensils too large for a drawer.

I'm pretty proud of it, but it's unlikely that anyone will write an article about my decorating prowess anytime soon. Still, I have fun with decorating, or at least I used to before the kids forced me to relinquish all hope of having a clean, attractive home until they ship off to college.