I'll Take the Words If You Don't Want Them

Recently, this article caught my attention:

NYC Bans Halloween, Birthdays, Aliens and More on School Tests

Students in New York City’s public schools cramming for tests can delete words like birthdays, junk food, Halloween, dinosaur and even dancing from study lists.
References to such words have been banned from city-issued tests in an edict issued by the city’s Department of Education for fear the words could “appear biased” or “evoke unpleasant emotions” in students.

*snip*

Also on the list of topics that companies are asked to stay away from are “creatures from outer space,” homes with swimming pools, computers, vermin, junk food, abuse, terrorism, divorce, any references to disease and holidays.”

My first thought was...WTF? I mean, seriously. What is happening to our country?

But, since I prefer to keep my head in the sand, since I rather focus on my own little corner of the world and pretend everything will always turn out all right, my second thought was...this could be a fun blog post!

What would a test look like with some of these words?

For Halloween, Billy Joe dressed up as a piece of vermin. He trick-or-treated at 17 homes with swimming pools, and 23 homes without. If each home gave him 2 pieces of candy, how much junk food does Billy Joe take home?

Fourteen dinosaurs stomped through the jungle. They came across seven aliens from outer space.  How many aliens could each dinosaur pick up, if all fourteen dinosaurs have the same number of aliens?

Okay, your turn. Can you use some of these words to create test questions? Or pick some of your own! It's fun!

As a writer, the idea of anyone telling me I can't use words pisses me off. Words are my livelihood, my blood, my lifeline. I love very few things the way I love words. I appreciate the use of words, the art of stringing them together to make someone see what I see, feel what I feel, experience what I experience.

It's also wrong on some sort of government-controlling way that I don't want to look too deeply into.

But really, how many times did you see the word divorce on your tests?

No Room For Clutter

 I hate clutter. I do. I confess to sometimes shoving things under the bed or under the couch or into drawers just to make a room, at first glance, appear soothingly clean.

Clutter makes me anxious. It stresses me out. Whether it's my desk at work or thoughts jumbled in my head or my email inbox, clutter makes my heart beat fast and makes me nervous. Sometimes, I feel panicked when I look around at so much stuff and feel the exasperation at the thought of sorting it all out.

So, I've been taking the time to start sorting through all my clutter. In the kitchen, for example, I went through the pantry and found things in there my husband bought when he first bought the house - 8 years ago! You wouldn't believe how much more room we have in there now.

We have a lot of junk drawers, closets and cabinets, so this will take longer than one Saturday afternoon. But I'm determined.

The biggest sort of clutter in my life, however, is the ever present, ever persistent voice inside my head telling me I can - and must - do it all.

That is why I've been so quiet lately. I'm refocusing my attention and enjoying life so much more right now. I don't want to lose what I've reasserted with my family, so I'm slowly figuring out all the other stuff.

Again, this will take longer than one Saturday afternoon. It's probably something I will have to do continuously - step back and evaluate where my priorities are and how to get them where they should be if they've become too cluttered.

But I'm determined.

There is no room for clutter in my life. 

How do you handle clutter? How do you straighten it all out? Or do you prefer a little organized mess?

Living in Love and Creating Meaningful Beauty

I am so proud of my husband. He is the most modest person I know, yet he is the most talented.

Remember those built-ins I mentioned? Or at least, I think I mentioned them. Allow me to proudly show you the finished product (minus the granite counter top we have yet to buy and install.)

 The darker wood is curly rosewood. The ripples you see like an optical illusion are the "curls." The lighter wood is bird's eye maple.

You can see the bird's eyes - little marks in the wood actually made by worms - a little better in these pictures.

 

I think I want a beige granite counter top with some red and goldish highlights and sparkles. As you can see in the first picture, our rug (over 100 years old from an antique store) has reds and sort of...golds in it. I think that would work.

Okay, so back to the part of the weekend I really thought would suck.

Not sure how many of you know, but this time last year, to put a very long story very short, our renters destroyed our townhouse. 

We own an end unit townhouse in a nice neighborhood, close to DC but in the suburbs. It's basically two units. The top two floors consist of 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, kitchen, washer/drier and a fireplace in the large living room. The basement is completely finished with another bedroom, full bath, washer/drier, another fireplace, and a large living/kitchen area with a full refrigerator and microwave as well as french doors leading out onto a patio. We prefer to rent to a large family that uses the basement as an apartment rather than two separate families.

We rented to the wrong people.

I won't disgust you with the details, but let's just say we had to basically take everything out and put it all back in. They decided to use every available surface as a trash can, ash try and toilet. Carpets came out, and we refurbished the hardwood beneath. Every appliance was pulled apart to scrub. Several times. The bathrooms were drenched in bleach before we could even scrub. Literally thousands of roaches were killed. Windows, locks, door knobs, and light fixtures were replaced. We tore down the deck and replaced it, fixed the fence where it was broken, repainted all the walls, replanted some hostas and laid down fresh grass, replaced the front door, rehung shutters, repainted the outside...like I said. We took the townhouse apart and put it back together again...but not before spending thousands of money. And while we paid the second mortgage, as well as a second gas, water, and electric bill.

This weekend, after a year of having this stress in the back of our minds, we finished. The only thing left is to lay new carpet in the basement. And we didn't spend 10 hours each day as I'd feared we would. Maybe 6. 

And it was, somehow, good quality time for Mike and me. That sounds weird, but it was a bonding experience. Both of us working together to create something comfortable and nice from something disgusting. 

Much like Mike does with the wood - he takes pieces of wood most people would ignore and looks past the bumpy, scratchy, ugly brown bark to find something beautiful. Beyond that, he takes those pieces of wood and gives them more than beauty - he gives them meaning.

Just like we writers do with words. Words mean nothing until we string them together in such a way that gives them beauty - and meaning.

After 6 or so hours of cleaning and fixing the things that were broken, Mike and I spent the evenings together. Not stressing over life or work or writing or blogging or social networking or family strife.  Rather, we spent the evenings together and smiling and happy and alone.

Just my husband and me. 

Living in love and creating meaningful beauty from the mere comfort of each other's hearts.

(PS - keep your fingers crossed that we find renters soon! Open house this weekend - so I'll keep you posted!)

Are you living in love? What broken or ugly pieces do you put together to create something real and meaningful?

The Lucky 7 Meme - Twice!

Don't worry. I'm not really doing this twice. But I've been tagged! Twice! Wow, do I feel loved! Both Kim Griffin and Tami Clayton have tagged me for this one, and I'm pretty excited.

(Psst...go check out their blogs - they are awesome women and writers I'm so happy I've had the pleasure of meeting!)

The rules are simple.

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines, sentences, or paragraphs, and post them as they’re written.
4. Tag 7 authors, and let them know.

Here goes nothing!

But probably not. 

As a result, Chase was cut-off from real life the same way inept parents dropped their children on her doorstep, like a severed limb. One, quick swing of the blade. She didn’t want to see her story weaved between layers of lies and truths. She didn’t want to hear what the public said about her. She stopped watching television, checking her email, answering her phone, or picking up the paper. After a week or two of shoveling reporters off the steps of the children's home, she stopped going there too.

Well, there ya go. Not sure if it means much, coming out of nowhere, but I played the game!

Now it's your turn! Oh, man, it's always hard to choose people to play. I'm going to cheat. I'm sorry. But I have to cut this short because my to-do list for the day is long enough to cause heart palpitations if I think about it for too long!

So...if you're interested, have at it! And let me know so I can check out your lines! Otherwise, have a great Thursday!

Lyrical Wednesday - "In My Daughter's Eyes"

After dinner yesterday evening, Kylie was peeling an orange at the island counter while I packed our lunches for today. The TV was on in the family room, and the area's all open, so we could still see and hear the movie that was playing. In the movie, dogs were having puppies. The resulting conversation was a pleasant surprise.

Kylie: I want a baby. 

Me: after nearly choking on my own spit Well, sweetheart, you've got a long way to go before you can have a baby. And you have to be married first.

No, I don't. You can have babies now without being married.

Me: not really wanting to get into the conversation, but not seeing much choice Is that right?

Mmmm, hmmmm. But maybe I'll be a stepmom. Just like you! Do you like being a stepmom?

I love being a stepmom!

Kylie: Really? Why?

Because I have you!

Giggles. Oh. Yeah.

Because I get to help take care of you and watch you grow. Because I get to love you and hear your laughter and see your beautiful face and tuck you in at night. Because I get to know you and be a part of your life and your family forever and ever.

Nodding very seriously. I see. I like that. I think I want to be a stepmom.

Smiling with a flooding heart tears fighting to escape. I like it too. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Once we were both finished in the kitchen, we curled up together and cuddled on the couch. As I've mentioned, this is a treat because Kylie isn't a cuddle bug. That makes the rare moments she is that much more special.

Our evening together reminded me of Martina McBride's song. Even if you're not a country fan, you can't help but love the lyrics to this song whether you're a daughter, a mother, both, or even if you're a man who has witnessed the beauty of a mother/daughter bond.

Even if that mother didn't get married to have her baby.

Mad Men, Tag Lines, and the Power of Words

Have any of you guys seen Mad Men? My husband and I started watching it on Netflix some time back, and I think I'm going to start DVRing the new episodes. It's pretty hard to resist Don Draper, smoking and drinking during the work day, and Don's crazy wife.

George Lois, pictured here to my right, is a real ad man. That picture was taken in the early '60's, and the resemblance to Don Draper is incredible. Just put a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other.

Lois wrote a book. Damn Good Advice (For People with Talent!): How To Unleash Your Creative Potential by America's Master Communicator. I heard an interview with him on NPR this morning, and one thing he said stuck in my mind.


He said, "The words must come first."


He was discussing the importance of synergy between images and words, but he mentioned that he tells people just starting in the ad business that no matter the image, the words must always come first. Lewis said the words are what stick in the viewer's mind. The words are what bring forth the image.


But the words must come first.


As an example, one of his most famous advertising campaigns is MTV - "I want my MTV!" Though that tag line came around before I was old enough to watch MTV, I remember those words because they've echoed through society ever since.

Though there's been a bit of a controversy surrounding some of his ad campaigns (as in, some claim he's stole credit for several of them), a list of them as well as his logos can be found on his website here.


Many of his slogans, tag lines, and logos aren't familiar to me because they were created a couple decades before I was born.


But let's look at some of the more current ads.

Just Do It.

A Diamond is Forever. - DeBeers.

Because You're Worth It.

The Ultimate Driving Machine.

How many of those did you know, even if I hadn't posted the pictures beneath them? Those are just a couple off the top of my head, but I can think of quite a few more. 

What advertising tag lines come to your mind? More importantly, do those tag lines make you stop, pause, and consider buying the product?

As writers, obviously, we want the words we write to stick. That's part of what Kristen Lamb taught in our Blogging for Brand class, and it's why she helped us all choose the tag lines for our blogs. Just a few catchy words that mirror each of our very different personalities.

She also taught us the importance of the words we choose to Tweet. Words that will catch the eyes of our followers and make them want to know more about us. As people...and writers.

Words are so important. There's a reason no one can take back an insult - the sting remains, and the words stick.

Do you remember the first time your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse said "I love you?" I bet you do. 

What about words of praise from your boss? Funny things your child said? Advice from a high school teacher?

The absence of words make a difference too. For example, children who grow up without hearing the words "I love you" from their parents can grow into uncertain adults, always seeking out the approval of others. Some learn to say it to their own children and grow confident in their own abilities, but I think those are the ones whose parents at least demonstrated acts of love. Children who have had neither the words nor the actions...I guarantee their entire lives were affected.

What words stick in your head? I want to hear your stories - ad stories, words someone spoke to you that you've carried with you throughout your life, TV shows and movies, words that motivate you, first lines in books you can't forget...or maybe last lines in books you love.


I'll end with one of my own favorites.


It's from the very end of the movie Hope Floats and needs no explanation.

Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome. That's what momma always says. She says that beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will...

Lost Your Creativity? That's Okay! Borrow Some!

My mind is blank.

Seriously.

Usually, the night before a post to my blog, I fall asleep to visions of words dancing through my mind. Before I reach the Land of Sleep and Rest, I have, at the very least, a general idea of my topic for the next day.

Last night, I reluctantly closed the book I'm reading (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest), turned off the bedside lamp, sighed contentedly as I snuggled beneath my extremely soft blankets, and thought, "Okay, what should I blog about tomorrow?"

Nothing.

Not one little thing.

And you know what? I'm cool with that.

My husband, it appears, has not lost his creativity. It's okay though. I don't need mine. I'll borrow his by letting him tell me how to put the finish on the built-ins he's building for our family room this weekend. I hope to have some pictures of them for you next week - they're going to be incredible.

Meanwhile, here are some pictures of my husband's past projects.

 

This is the jewelry box he made me. I keep all my REAL jewelry in it. I wish you could tell from this picture how beautiful it really is. Unfortunately, I took the picture with my phone. I need to take one with my good camera to give it justice. He's made quite a few boxes, experimenting with different woods and styles - different hinges, some have inlays, some don't. Each is unique.

 

This is my favorite - the wood is called curly maple, but it's hard to see in this picture. The inlays are rosewood. It hangs above our fireplace against the stone (we have a stone fireplace that goes all the way up the wall). He made a bunch of smaller ones for 8x10 pictures that are hanging in our family room as well.

Mike made two of these. One hangs in the hallway upstairs which is really cool because you can see it from the foyer, and the other hangs in our dining room (that we never use, but the wall needed something on it).

These, Mike made on a whim. They weren't made out of the best pieces of curly maple, but they're still really pretty.

I LOVE this bowl, but it's not the only one he's made. This is out of a wood called padauk, and the red color to it is just so vivid, not to mention the grain pattern is gorgeous. Mike's made bowls for everyone - my parents, his parents, other friends and family.

Ever lose your creativity? How did you deal with it? Did you even feel the need to deal with it, or were you content with letting it go for awhile, knowing it would come back in time?