Write Well Me

What Do You Think?

I saw this bumper sticker last week.  Now, granted, it was on a car with bumper stickers and other decorations showing that the car's owner was a serious basketball player.  Serious.

Pain is just weakness leaving the body.

I'm not sure what I think of that statement.  Is it just another catchy phrase to say when you're hot and heavy into sports, and winning is everything?  Is it a comfort? 

What do you think?

What I Write Today May Not Be the Same Thing I Write Tomorrow

I was working on my photo albums the other day when I had a thought I have often.

If I had done this page some other day, would it look different?

This is what the page looks like today.  If I did this page tomorrow, say, would it look the same?  Would I have even chosen the same style?  Would there be balloons or some other theme?  Maybe a farm animal theme since Kathryn's birthday took place at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair?  How would it look on a different day?  Would the colors still be blue and pink?

This question maddens me because there is actually no way to figure that out! 

I have the same question when I write something.  Would I use the same words?  Would the tone be the same?  Would I include the same examples, or would I go in a completely different direction?

I have no idea, but it is an interesting concept.

At least, that's how I wrote it today.  Check back with me tomorrow to see if I would write it differently.

Strikethroughs in Blogs

I've noticed on some blogs that the authors go back and strikethrough text and make changes.  It's always kind of bothered me - maybe from a writer's standpoint in which you edit, polish, fine tune, and correct.  You don't turn in messy final copies!

Now, of course I get that blogging isn't the same as publishing.  It's casual, almost journal-like, and the same rules don't apply.  That still doesn't mean that I don't understand certain blogging customs.

Sharon explained it the best:

You know when blogging first started, some of the originators took it very seriously, like when you hit the publish key, you've sort of signed a public contract.  It was written in stone. Once you publish, you don't change anything. At most, you would use the strikeout key.

Some bloggers do this and some don't. One thing is, if you publish something, and if people start making comments on your post, any changes you make should, in some blogger's minds, be made obvious.

For example, in my post here I got some numbers wrong when I was writing about a conversation I had with David Krug. He brought it to my attention in the comments, so I went and did a strike through and put in the correct number.

If I had just deleted the wrong number and put in the correct one, folks who saw his comment would have been like, "Huh?  What's he talking about?"

So, you'll often see bloggers use a strike through to indicate a change after the post has been published. You may also see them write at the end of their post something like "This post has been updated for accuracy."

Other times, bloggers will use the strike through for humor's sake. They start to type what they really think, then they use the strike through and type what is more politically correct.

For this post, I was more giving you a peak into what I really thought--that TV is just noise, not entertainment. Most folks don't think of watching TV as being watching noise, so I wrote "sound" instead.

Now I understand, although I don't know that I'll actually use strikethroughs. 

Thanks, Sharon!

Write Well Me is One Year Old!

It's almost hard to believe that I've been blogging for exactly one year today!  Wow!  I've come a long way on this journey, in so many ways, and I can't wait to see what's around the bend.

I can still remember my decision to start blogging.  Since I knew I was closing Virtual Angel, I needed to transition from writing my Divine Computer Tips E-zine to something else.  Since my new venture was going to be all about writing, that something else was logically a blog.  I started writing posts with the intention that I'd do six more weekly issues of Divine Computer Tips and tell all my subscribers about the blog, to which I had started posting.

But then the blogging bug hit, and I stopped writing Divine Computer Tips early so that I could focus on blog writing.  Suddenly, everything around me and inside me was fodder for the blog.  I remember going to dinner with my family, ripping Anastasia's coloring kids' menu from her, and outlining ideas for my fourth blog post (I got her a new menu, in case you're wondering).

It just took off from there.  181 posts and 146 comments (THANK YOU!) later, here I am and happy to be here.  And I look forward to continuing.  Blogging does so much for me:  it helps me articulate my thoughts and feelings; it gives me a sounding board for all sorts of thoughts and opinions, from cereal boxes to words to being; it allows me to create conversations and engender community.

Most importantly, it keeps me writing.

I Am a Writer

I've been a little behind on my blog reading lately, so I was more than halfway into May when I first read about Christine's Take Action in May challenge.  I think it's a great concept, but, more importantly, I gained these insights from her multi-part posts:

• Get committed.  I AM a writer.  Not kind of.  Not sort of.  I am a writer, and I am writing.
• Creativity is the opposite of competition.  Not that I feel I'm competing with anything or anyone.  I just like the concept.
• The idea of baby steps.  I don't have to tackle an entire novel.  I just have to set aside time to write.  Right now, I'm writing two to three hours a week.  Eventually, I'd like that to turn into sixty minutes a day, five days a week.  Finally, that will turn into writing at my cabin.

So, to recap.  Commit and then take action in small, baby steps. 

Here Endeth the Eye Saga

It's finally over.  My eyes are wonderful, I can see clearly, and all is well with the world.

It was a long time in getting here.  It's been a rough road, and the one positive outcome of that road is that I very much appreciate the vision I have now.

I'm happy to report that there is no double vision, my eyesight has actually improved (an unexpected side effect), and I only need glasses to drive or watch movies (and Dr. Guyton keeps insisting I don't have to wear them even then - I think it's because his vision is at the same point, and he doesn't want to have to wear corrective lenses!).

There were times I wasn't sure I'd be in this place.  I couldn't imagine seeing without seeing double.  I couldn't imagine getting into the car and just driving somewhere, regardless of the amount of time it might take me.  I couldn't imagine not restricting my activities because my eyes were too tired.

Now I almost can't imagine what it was like to wake up every morning and see two of everything.  I have almost forgotten how hard it was to make turns in the car (I could concentrate on one of the two images while I was driving, as long as I was driving straight; turns threw everything out the window).  I have almost forgotten the frustration I felt at not being able to do things I always had before:  cross-stitch, quilt, read until all hours of the night....

Almost, but not quite.

Not until my final check-up with Dr. Guyton could I really relax and believe that the much-improved vision and near absence of the double images were going to last.  He told me the eye muscle would stay in place and would never move.

"Never?"  I jumped on that one real quick-like.

"Okay, well, a three percent chance it might move."

I liked "never" better.

But I'm not complaining.  I can drive anywhere I want, even the tiniest bit of double vision is disappearing (Even as recently as a few weeks ago, I would see double if I was very, very tired or if I had too much to drink.  Even now, that's getting better.  I can't remember the last time I saw double.); I have no blurriness when I'm working on the computer (which is what set me on this path in the first place); and my distance vision has improved!

I'm even happy about wearing my new glasses for driving and movie watching.  See, I used to wear contacts all the time because they helped keep my eyes straight.  I could see clearly (you do sense a song coming on, don't you).... all the time.

Since the surgery, I haven't been wearing any glasses or contacts.  I absolutely haven't needed them for up close work, and we were waiting to get to the end of the road to see what to do about distance viewing.  When I first got my glasses last week and looked out at the scenery, the difference was amazing.

Now, my vision isn't that bad (20-30 - improved from 30-40), but it does make a difference in the distance.  It's like looking through binoculars, and you can see that it's a bunny, but just barely.  Then, you slightly turn the adjustment dial on the binoculars, and boom!  You can count how many whiskers on the bunny's cute little head.  I can see clearly now....

I can clearly and happily say that the surgery(ies) was(were) a success.  And that's a huge sigh of relief.

(Since this is the end of the saga, here are all the previous chapters, in case you missed them:)

Aftermath of first surgery

Two weeks after surgery

Seven weeks after surgery, and things aren't looking so good

Breaking down and giving in

Surrendering

Second surgery

A week and a half after the second surgery

What the surgery has really meant 

Wow.  It really is a saga.  :)

What's Up with the Quotation Marks?

Why?

One Thing Could Make A Big Difference

At What's Next a week and a half ago, I once again was reminded of Hyatt's recycling policy and how policy can be different from reality.  They state (and I don't remember their policy word for word) that  they're concerned about the environment.  As an example, the housekeeping staff won't change your towels and bed linens unless you specifically request that they do so.

In the three times I've stayed there in the last seven months, the reality is that the housekeeping staff changes the towels, even those that I've hung back up on the towel bar.  I complained twice to the housekeeping manager who said, "Oh, but we have a policy that we don't change the towels unless you request it."  "Yes," I said patiently, "you can state you have a policy, but that doesn't mean you do it."

"Oh, but they're supposed to!"

"Yes," still patiently, "but they're not."

"I'll look into it."

You do that.  Meanwhile, each visit, it's still the same reality.

Now, my fellow What's Nexters made gentle fun of me as I collected the paper recycling and the can and bottle recycling to take home with me to recycle.  Sharon, with her new venture of Chicks Go Green, understood me better than most.  Her goal is to help women learn how they can help the environment in positive ways.  If each person does her own thing, then together we can make an impact. 

I've always been an avid recycler, even when we lived in places that didn't make it easy to recycle, as our Montgomery County does by picking up recycling for free at residences and making recycling mandatory for commercial/non-residential properties (See Montomgery County's recycling information here if you're interested.)  I've always felt that I can do my part to make a difference.

However, after spending four days at the Hyatt, it occurred to me that the difference I can make, no matter how determined, pales in comparison to what one large company can do.  I watched the housekeeping staff throw the complimentary copies of The Washington Post in with the rest of the garbage every day.  Imagine if they had a bin on their carts in which they could throw the newspapers.  Just the newspapers!  I'm not suggesting they dig through guests' trash for recyclable items, just easily recycle what's already there. 

Think:  518 rooms at this one Hyatt.  Can you imagine how many copies of The Washington Post could be recycled?  What if every Hyatt did that?  Now you're talking about a big difference made by a corporation, not just the small (yet important!) contributions made by individuals. 

Why does this seem so obvious to me but not to the big guys?

Reading a Lot But Still Noticing Good Writing

Yes, I've been reading a lot, but along the way I'm still noticing instances of good writing.  I can't help it, actually.

"Abruptly, I wished I had Bill at my back.  I wasn't missing his tender love, either.  It's probably a bad indicator of your lifestyle when you miss your ex-boyfriend because he's absolutely lethal."

from Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris's style is conversational and casual.  Sookie sounds as if she's talking right at us.  You forget that you're reading a book and that this is just a fictional character.

Another example from Harris:

"Two men stepped forward out of the shadows at the back of the stage.  They were both vampires, of course, and they were both good-sized men.  They held Michael, who put up quite a fight.  I was a little shocked by the noise and the violence, but in a minute they'd take Michael off to some vampire prison, and the calm proceedings would continue.

To my absolute astonishment, Dahlia nodded to the vamp sitting on Jodi, who got up and assisted her to rise.  Jodi, smiling broadly, was across the stage in one leap, like a panther.  She grabbed up the stake lying on the judges' table, and with one powerful swing of her lean arm, she buried the stake in Michael's chest."

From All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

I know it's a bit gory, but we are talking about vampires here.  :-)  Anyway, what impressed me was that Harris didn't foreshadow the grisly events.  Many authors would write, "I was so surprised at what happened next" or "I wasn't prepared for what happened next."  Sookie/Harris does say, "To my absolute astonishment..." but I don't think that was foreshadowing.  I think it was that Sookie was truly surprised that Dahlia (one of the vampire judges) allowed Jodi (the prosecutor in this case) to get up.   That's it.  I like it when authors don't do the obvious.

My last example is from a book that Chris is reading, The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks.  (It's a hoot!)

"While everyone was laughing and joking over the roast, the mold evolved at a rate scientists had thought implausible for a salad.  With blinding speed it formed a neural net--dendrites snaking from cell to cell, connecting with pimiento nodes, feeding off the olive glands.  By 7 p.m. it was self-aware.  By 8 p.m. it had developed the powers of cognition and the ability to observe its surroundings.  At 8:32, when it was placed on the dinner table, it realized that it had no mouth and no limbs, and it was completely, utterly screwed."

Enjoy!

New Look for Write Well Me

For those of you who get notifications of new Write Well Me posts by feed or email, you may not have noticed that there's a new look to the blog.  Come on over and see!

Thanks to the wonderful caricature artists at Draw-Me.com, I have a cute cartoon image of Dawn and her favorite dictionary.  The folks at Draw-Me.com were really great; for $50 I got the logo caricature, and they made a few changes on my request.  No extra fee for the changes.

Then Jon Nix at Cornerways took over and integrated the caricature into the new look with the purples and greens from the logo.

Now I can write well in style!

Creating and Reading

You may have noticed that I've had a lot of "What Dawn Is Reading Today" posts recently:  three in the last two weeks, actually, more than I've had in a similar period of time.  All of the sudden I'm devouring books (which is appropriate considering I'm reading the Southern Vampire series).

As I thought about this, it made sense.  I've spent so much time and energy creating Write Well University lately that 1) I haven't had as much time to read, and 2) now that the major push to create has passed, I need some activity that fills my tanks and lets me rest.

Books have provided so much for me throughout my life:  companionship, escape, instruction, love; it only stands to reason that they now work as a tank filler-upper.

What Dawn Is Reading Today - 5/11/07

If you're new to Write Well Me, read this to understand why I tell you what I'm reading.  :-)

I finished The Horse You Came In On so quickly it wasn't even funny. I loved reading it again, and I enjoyed all the local points of interest. I'm looking forward to visiting Fells Point again and having Stacy point out some other landmarks from the book. Stacy?  :)

You know how I exclaimed over the Amazon shipment of books that I was just sure were more Dragonriders of Pern books? Well, they weren't. They were books I pre-ordered months ago: All Together Dead and For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison. I pre-ordered them and promptly forgot about them.  Imagine my surprise when I opened up the box and found them.  These were even better than Pern books! The Southern Vampire and the Rachel Morgan books are two of my favorite series. Forget Pern!

So I'm reading All Together Dead, and I'm tearing through it like there's no tomorrow. I'm feeling a little sleepy now (naps are good!), but the book is calling to me....

I figured I had to write this post soon or else I would have finished the book by the time I got back to the blog.

Aren't you amazed at my dedication to you, dear readers?

Now leave me alone because I must read!

"I hate being picky."

During  What's Next at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, I heard something that really made me think.  One trip in the elevator, a large group came in.  One woman said to another, "I've been taking care of business.  They were able to change my room."  Then she paused.  "I hate being picky."

Now here's what I assumed happened.  She had had some problem with her room, and she complained at the front desk.  They took care of the problem and changed her room.

Here's what I don't get:  why does she hate being picky?  Is it picky to bring it to someone's attention when you don't get what you want?  Don't we deserve to get what we want? 

Or is it that she doesn't really hate being picky (she wants what she requested) but that she feels she has to justify her complaint?  Does she think that others are looking at her and saying, "God.  She's so picky!"?  Does it make her feel better to say that she hates being picky while at the same time being "picky"?

I don't think it's being picky.  If you request something, especially something for which you're paying, shouldn't you get that thing?  Why shouldn't you get what you want?  Is it that we're afraid of causing trouble, making waves?  I don't think it's making waves either.  People in the service industry should want to make us happy - want to fill our requests - want to make sure we get what we asked for.

Case in point:  Chris and I went to dinner at a nice restaurant in Georgetown.  I ordered something very different on the menu; I took a chance.  When I got it, I didn't like it.  It wasn't the chef's fault; I just didn't like the combination of different flavors.  The waiter noticed that I didn't eat much, and he asked me if I liked it.  I told him, "No, but that's not the chef's fault.  I took a risk and tried something completely different." 

The waiter responded, "You pay good money for your meal, and you should enjoy it.  If you don't enjoy it, you shouldn't pay for it," and off he went to take it off our bill.

He evidently thought I should get what I wanted, and if I didn't get it, at least I shouldn't have to pay for it.

It goes beyond the service industry.  What if we asked our spouses, our friends, and our children for exactly what we wanted?  And if we didn't get what we asked for, then pointing that out? 

Is that being picky, or just extreme self-care?

I opt for extreme self-care. That's something I can happily say, "I love practicing extreme self-care!"

Who Would You Jump Through Hoops For?

Stacy wrote a great post about who she would jump through hoops for to get five minutes with.  (You'll have to read the post to figure out who her "Who" is.)

I posted the following comment on her blog:

When you and I talked about this before, I didn't really have a person in mind. Jumping through hoops implies that I think another person is better than I am and that I need to - what? - abase myself at that person's feet to get attention. I think we're all equals, and we're all worthy of each other.

But then (you knew there would be a "but"!) I saw Loreena McKennitt in concert Tuesday night at the DAR Constitution Hall in DC, and that idea went out the window! I think she's such an amazing musician, and her music stirs my soul like few other musical pieces do. She is someone for whom I would jump through hoops for the chance to spend five minutes talking to her about her music, her inspiration, her travels, and life in general (all that in five minutes, huh?).

So, there is someone for whom I would jump through hoops to spend five minutes with.  It's not a feeling of "Ooooh, she's better than I am."  She's just someone who has an impact on me and my life, and I'd like to talk with her.  No basking in her glory or abasing myself at her feet. 

Who is your Who?  (And make sure you post the answer to Stacy's original post as she's the one who started it all!)

What Dawn Is Reading Today - 5/2/07

If you're new to Write Well Me, read this to understand why I tell you what I'm reading.  :-)

I finished The White Dragon pretty quickly, which isn't surprising considering how I tore through the other two books in the Dragonriders of Pern series.

I had read these books as a youngster, and I was happily reminded of them when I read Dragons: The Greatest Stories.  The three books were the only Pern books I had ever read.  Now that I've reread the trilogy, I've ordered some of the other Pern books - and they just arrived today. New books for me to read!

But I won't start on them yet, for I'm reading The Horse You Came In On by Martha Grimes.  It's one in a series of the Richard Jury mysteries.  Each book is named after a pub that's featured in the plot.  Most of the books take place in England, but The Horse You Came In On is set in Baltimore.  Yes, this is another book I've read before (and listened to the audio version narrated by Tim Curry - cool!), but there's a really good reason to reread it.

A couple of weeks ago, Stacy took me to Fells Point in Baltimore.  It's a beautiful section of town, and I loved it, from its cobblestone streets to its quaint shops.  Imagine my shock when I saw a bar called The Horse You Came In On. 

I'm sure Stacy laughed at the expression on my face and my inability to get words out of my mouth.  "It's... It's... It's...." I stammered.

"Yeeeesssss, it's what?"

"It's THE HORSE YOU CAME IN ON!!!"

I then had to explain why that was such a big deal.  There's something magical about coming face to face with pieces from beloved books.  When we read fiction, we know it's not real.  Although if the author has done her job well, the setting, characters, and plot feel real.  When a book is set in an actual place, the author darned well better know what she's talking about.

I just never expected The Horse You Came In On to be real!

Also, when I last read this book, I still lived in Texas, before I ever even dreamed of moving to Maryland.  Now that I've been here for almost twelve years, I want to reread to see what else rings true.

I can't wait!

Abundance in the Bathroom

Stacy and I are both girly girls at heart, so things like make-up, pretty things, luscious scents, and shopping warm our hearts.  When we spent the weekend together while Dominic was away, we got to indulge our girliness to the hilt without a male hormone in sight.

I shouldn't have been, but I was shocked the second I stepped into Stacy's shower on Sunday morning.

It was like having the whole of Lush and Ulta right there in the shower stall with me! You can't necessarily tell from the picture to the left, but there were tons of products!  At least five different kinds of shampoos, five different kinds of conditioners, all manner of shower gels and bar soaps, extra stuff to do this or that.... It was endless! (Note the creative use of the towel bar as a display shelf.)  I felt like a kid in the candy store.  Not having brought my own shampoo and conditioner, I had my choice and then some.  Oh, what to choose, what to choose!

After I showered, I commented on Stacy's supply of products.  Her answer:  "You need different stuff for different things."  Hmmm, okay.  It never occurred to me to buy different kinds of shampoo, conditioner, and soap from which to choose, depending upon my needs.

Now, it's not as if I don't give myself choices.  I have plenty of bubble bath gels, powders, and salts, as evidenced in the picture to the right.  I try not to go into Bath & Body Works too often because I can always find some new scent that I don't have.  I agree with Stacy; when I take a bath, my moods are different, and I want different stuff.

Here's my other example of abundance in the bathroom:  a plethora of body sprays, oils, and gels.  Again, different stuff for different things.  I have my sprays for those days where I'm hot and something cool feels nice.  I have a gingerbread sparkly body gel that I wear around Christmas time because it just smells like Christmas.  I have my favorite scent of all, Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Relax - Eucalyptus Spearmint.  Different stuff for different things.

So why is it so hard for me to bring that same philosophy into the realm of shower products?  Here's what my shower looks like (picture to the right).  Pretty pitiful, huh?  I can't even claim ownership of all these products.  The body wash and the shaving gel on the right are Chris's.  I have one kind of shampoo (Big, from Lush), one kind of shaving gel, and one kind of bar soap (on a hanging thingy on the shower head).  Now, I do have two different kinds of conditioner:  Jungle (again from Lush - you haven't smelled anything divine until you've smelled Jungle) and Retread (another Lush product).  Now in conditioners I have more than one kind of conditioning need, but no other area.

Why is this important?  They're just shower products, right? 

It might be shower products in this instance, but I found out something about myself.  It never occurred to me to have more than one kind of shampoo or soap for the shower.  Maybe that comes from my childhood of not having much money.  We had one bottle of shampoo, one bottle of conditioner, and one bar of soap.  All five members of my family used the same thing.  I don't know if we had different needs or not; we had a one-size fits all philosophy.

How come the abundant thinking in terms of baths? Well, I never took a bath when I was growing up, so as an adult I designed my own thinking around what a bath should be.  And that's the crux of the matter.  I had preconceived notions about what a shower should be and should contain.  Those preconceived notions from childhood limited me.   

Now, sure, these are just showers we're talking about, but I wonder where else I've limited my thinking in terms of abundance and what I'm allowed to have and do.