Archive for July, 2011

Okay. The other night I couldn’t go to sleep because my mind was on a thought loop. This led to a preoccupation with Carmen San Diego for days. I could NOT stop singing it. And I even had a good laugh at work with a fellow silly-song-singing coworker. What led me to this insanity, you ask?

Well, I’m not sure. But it seems to have started, or at least stemmed from Godspell. For the life of me, I can’t remember how I got on that. But I was probably singing in my head this song:

It’s a good musical. A little odd at times. But entertaining. I like the very modern telling/showing (ah! Writer-speak!) of events in the New Testament’s Matthew. Do you see some recognizable faces? Well, two, for me. Victor Garber and Lynne Thigpen. Victor Garber has been in countless roles. So has Ms. Thigpen. But I first was acquainted with her in Carmen SanDiego.

 She played the Chief.  But, alas, she, like many of the other actors from Godspell, are dead. Lots of lost talent.
Now, as aluded to, I was thinking of that show now. And the music. The Theme song:

I love having songs stuck in my head. Sometimes. But that one is a fun one. And I sang it for days. I was working 12 hours shifts and by day 4, was a bit delirious. So it came as little surprise that another coworker began her earworm. She lamented getting it out of her head. I was all too happy to oblige. She hasn’t thanked me yet….

And I don’t mean the Butter, or cheese. Although, both are common staples in the Royals’ household. Their american cheese is so creamy and lacks that processed taste that others have.
I am talking about Minnesota. I love american-indian names. In my own area there is Waccamaw, Wacatee, Wachesaw. But for my new friend Amy Kennedy, a fellow writer, who is also agent searching, there is Minneota, Minnetonka, and Minneapolis. Of course, Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  For etymology’s sake, let’s review these words. the Minne part came from the indian word for water, Mni. I love it!

According to her blog, she’s Staycationing. In this economy, it’s easier to do this than big cross country travels. It’s a beautiful state. 
But you want to hear about the sights? As a history lover, I think I’d be partial to the museums and tours. With its rich native american history, Mille Lacs is right up my alley.  Don’t they look so happy? 

IF you liked the movie Signs, and you like the real thing, except this isn’t from aliens, it’s from the earlier indians, you’ll love the Petroglyphs

And where there are lakes, there are light houses. One of my upcoming books features a lighthouse. (A new england state.)

So, tell me more about where you’re from!

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The previous sentence is appropo of nothing but a typing exercise I, along with countless of others, practiced hitting each letter. I was reminded of this exercise a few months ago when my Aunt Susan gave a tribute to typewriters. She, like me, is a writer too. I guess it runs in the family. I also have her clarinet. I played it in highschool. I might regret posting this, but here it is….

Anyway, back to the point. We start from nothing. No talent, no skill. Then a seed is planted and we grow. We practice and we learn. We practice more, and we excel. Could I play a few notes on the clarinet when I first got it? Yeah. But it wasn’t anything you’d want to hear. It would make my dogs ‘sing.’ But I practiced and played and worked my way up to the lead clarinet and Lieutenant in marching band. We were top of our class and division. That photo is from a competition we did at Georgia Tech. We kicked Brass! So, apply this same concept to my writing. I’ve always written. I wrote my first song lyric in third grade. It was called ‘Hello, Country” and was an impassioned plea to clean up this place. (Seriously, that was the lyric.) I enjoyed creating my own little fairy tales. Then, as I alluded to in my welcome page, I wrote a story, a poem really, that was published. I was on cloud nine! I never tired of wanting to get my thoughts out and have it ready for consumption. Of course, in high school, I had morbid and grandiose thoughts of those like Sylvia Plathe or Virginia Wolfe, but thank God I snapped out of that to more lighthearted fiction where love conquers all.
Now, you may ask, what does the title have to do with any of this? Well, as I said, you have to start somewhere. You either stay where you are, or you grow. Simple as that. But the key is you must work at it. Even those who seem to have overnight success put some effort into it.

It was nice to get out yesterday and spend some fun time away from everything. The kids and I needed that. We were able to play and play without being among sand, sharks or seaweed. No jellyfish either. There was a crowd, but that’s ok. Even in the wave pool where you were bound to get bumped into by another inner tube, we made our way and rode some waves. Or my children did. I held onto their inner tubes while the waves raised then lowered them. I am thinking of it as my unofficial exercise for the day. I have to because my pectorals, biceps and deltoids and some in my back hurt. To add insult to injury, my porcelain skin is pink. Despite the liberal use of sunscreen. Three times. The sting didn’t really get to me until today. Thank goodness for aloe. I wanted to add, this photo is actually from last year, in an indoor pool. But I wore the same ‘mommy’ one piece yesterday.

And as for the sleepy, my brain won’t turn off so I can rest. And I have to get up early in the morning. *sigh*

To top that off, these same two kids hear that I’m up and keep getting up too. We must ALL go to bed. Night night.

It seems strange to me, but according to my analyzing application, all my page views are from Pelotas, Brasil.

Muita obrigada, Brasil.

I love Brasil. I would love to visit one day. I want to be the girl from Ipanema and play capoeira. 

I still have my abadas and cordao. I could tune up my berimbau. E que es berimbau? A cabaza, arame, e Pedaço de Pão.

I loved this art and this country so much that I will eventually write a story about a capoeirista and her Mestre. It is tentatively called The Heart of Balance.

So, where are you from, really, random visitors? Let me know, and I’ll write a post about your location.

One fabulous lesson I’ve learned this past year is to deal with people’s personalities and their motivation. Now, for those people who are not me, this is common sense. But this revelation was so insightful. You see, I live in this happy little Rose-colored glasses bubble and sometimes think that everyone sees things the way I do. Of course, that is ridiculous, because, as I ironically believe, no one thinks or feels the same way about anything. But my approach, as chaotic as it is, to most things in life is just what works and seems so logical. It escapes me how some people think, act and do. Not everyone, but some people. I’m just not built that way. Anyway.

During my shift today, I had the opportunity to take a personality quiz. It was a bit more insightful than those online social media apps in which your random answers generate an even more random result. I’ll share mine more in a moment.

When I read my outcome and saw in stark black and white my strengths, weaknesses, motivations and fears, I was pleased. I knew that it was 98% right on. But then I thought about some evening magazine show I watched years ago that had similar testing on subjects who were skeptics regarding horoscopes. The testers gave the testees a phoney personality self assessment of likes, dislikes, et cetera, and then gave each member of the testing group a result. Almost all info given was quite positive. Each participant seemed pleased with the results and proclaimed something to the effect that it must be true. But the veil was lifted and the horoscope results were revealed to not be their own but those of some multinamed serial killer. Chilling. This relates to my thought because I was so pleased and saw myself in the list I was given today, but for only a second did I consider if the other possible outcomes could be equally beneficent.

As my analytical and mayhaps paranoid mind worked this little puzzle that wasn’t, I read each possible profile outcome, and while there were good and bad, pro and con for each, none really seemed to fit me. So, my little serial killer theory was nil. Whew! On paper, I’m a pretty decent gal. I have flaws, but we all do. Overall, and I must boast, I have a GREAT personality.

This exercise was given out by a leader of that unit on which I toiled today in order to better staff for maximum proficiency and a more positive dynamic. That sounded so good in theory, I’m trying to figure out a way to incorporate it into my scenes.

I can’t even think about it just yet, because I first need to share my results…the way the answers were derived seemed childish. Two columns of preferences list, side by side certain aspects you either agree with or don’t. Different letters are next to each: B,G,Y or R. These represent a color. You select either the left or right option for each row and then add up your letters. It turns out my Dominant personality is represented by Y, or Yellow. I have a blend of B/G. These are not representing your aura, although that would be interesting too. It’s just a key to the personality profiles. Here is what yellow means: My strengths apparently, are being people oriented (because yeah, sure, I’m sooo shy.) I’m flexible, and love to talk. Check, check and double check. It states my weaknesses include time problems, lacks enough facts, doesn’t listen. Well, I agree with the time management thing….and I do listen. I just have ADD so I might space out before you get to your… It indicates a fear is social disapproval. Well, maybe. I don’t want to care what others think, and for many things, I have enough confidence in myself to not, but for other things, well, approval is nice. The B/G mix indicates some of my gestures, I guess. Direct gaze, relaxed stance, gestures used sparingly. As if! I use my hands so much when I talk, that I have hurt myself. (Grace is not my middle name, Mom always said.) It further adds that I lean back, eyebrows raised, with controlled gestures. The first set was blue; second, green. So, this part was less accurate. I am very demonstrative, in facial expressions (much to my detriment. No, I promise I’m NOT thinking anything/mad/sad) and in my physical body language.

Oh goodness, there’s more pages! So then it goes to further evaluate me. Or what this test says is me.
“Yellow/blues have natural ability in all aspects of the job.” Well, ok. “They sell ideas or services with emotions and word pictures.” That might be my favorite part. (It’s says I’m a writer! Then dang! I must be.) “They are well organized and have a competitive spirit.” Meh. “They get along with most everyone and welcome change.” I guess. And to be more effective I should conciiously deal with high energy and my need to change to control. (It’s MY blog, darnit.) They need a variety of tasks and help with more routine tasks. Hellooooo. ADD

Then, because this test skewed me into a Y/G mix too, I have more almost right descriptions. I feel like I made enough of a point to stop there. Another page describes my yellow dominant. But I, again, digress.

The point is how could I apply this to writing? I really could. You see, on the first page it describes some gestures based on personality. And there are descriptions of a variety of talents, fears, etc. I could so do a character outline just from this exercise!

So, long story short… too late?…How do you get into the nooks and crannies of your character? Add those fine tuning aspects that make them leap from the page. This is one tool that certainly can help. Me anyway…