Quote of the Day, 1/21/07: Chaplin

From Wikipedia: Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977), better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an English comedy actor, becoming one of the most famous performers in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era, and also a notable director. He is considered to be one of the finest mimes and clowns caught on film and his influence on performers in these fields is great.

From Charlie Chaplin:

A day without laughter is a day wasted.
...

A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.
...

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.
...

I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.
...

Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.
...

That is why, no matter how desperate the predicament is, I am always very much in earnest about clutching my cane, straightening my derby hat and fixing my tie, even though I have just landed on my head.

Creative Writing: A Poetry Snippet

In my notebook of random writing, I find several scenic descriptions, a few completed poems, and then a big collection of sentences, half-poems and various scribblings. For this Sunday's installment of creative writing, I offer one piece of a poem. I don't know where the rest of the poem is, because I haven't found the words to write it yet. But this little piece has been sitting around for a few years, just waiting for a home.

They grew too fast
And flashed
In fiery hue,
Then fell too soon
To see
Their season through.

No Giant Turkey Legs, but Boy, What a Ride!

Wow... I just came from a carnival and I'm excited, overwhelmed, and itching to go back!

It is not too late for you to soak up all that carnival joy and nourishment. I like the funnel cake and corndogs personally, though I saw one guy walk by with a big turkey leg and I'm considering going back to get one myself.... Oh wait, it's a blog carnival. Okay, no corn dogs, but you can get plenty of nourishment anyhow, in the form of oodles and oodles of fun and informative bloggers talking about the world of children's books.

That's right folks, it's the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature, and it's IN TOWN NOW! Step right up! Step right up!

Seriously, the carnival Kelly's put together over at Big A little a is pretty awesome. Go!

Tanga Puzzlethon Hints

Here are a few hints for the Tanga puzzlethon.

All 24 are hinted below. Highlight to the right of the puzzle time if you have trouble seeing the hint.

Good luck!

7PM - This grid contains...

8PM - Find the word in the middle by finding the words across.

9PM - Don't forget the "s" in the first part.

10PM - The note at the bottom should sound vaguely familiar. A few of these clues are oddly worded though, so try these variations: "It's up to the rodent" and "Become educated."

11PM - A couple of notes: The scale is important. I'd also suggest you use "tile" instead of "piece." It makes the pairing easier to figure out.

12AM - It's easy to overlook the 31st letter, and that turns out to be the most critical.

1AM - Notice how the top instructions are written. The clues are understated, but not too hard to find.

2AM - Now I've got it stuck in my head. By the way, it's important that you know who the woman is. She was back in my pre-Christmas quotes, along with Danny Kaye.

3AM - Once you get the word, the last element is to translate for the final answer.

4AM - Be sure to use the decryption shape. And yes, numbers matter.

5AM - Reading this one out loud is very helpful.

6AM - The instruction at the top is a question and an order.

7AM - Well, I'll be! This one shouldn't be too tough for you, but I had trouble getting started.

8AM - Use a thesaurus. Keep it short. This one is a pun similar to the infamous "butter" puzzle.

9AM - The answer really is right before your eyes.

10AM - Prince Michael's instructions are clear.

11AM - That picture in the third line is a net.

12PM - You need to get the link to the image from the puzzle discussion on Tanga. Once you have that, you can solve this by getting just the first 4. If you figure out the last 3, let me know -- I never did get them.

1PM - This one is well within reach.

2PM - Two things to notice. One, there's a reason to use #, and two, if you can think of one word for "fundamentals" that starts with BA, but you think it should be one letter longer, don't give up.

3PM - If you have trouble taking this one in, you might need to change your filter.

4PM - Very popular tanga theme here.

5PM - There is a reason magenta and Apricot are special.

6PM - You're looking for an 8-letter answer. Also, keep in mind that Ernestine often gets the last word.

Quote of the Day, 1/19/07: Poe

Happy Birthday Edgar Allen Poe!

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
...
I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
...
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
...
Depend upon it, after all, Thomas, Literature is the most noble of professions. In fact, it is about the only one fit for a man. For my own part, there is no seducing me from the path.
...
There are certain themes of which the interest is all-absorbing, but which are too entirely horrible for the purposes of legitimate fiction.

A Poe-tic Tribute

I heard my first Edgar Allen Poe story when I was just 12. My seventh-grade Social Studies teacher read "The Tell-Tale Heart" with a sinister glee that sent chills up my spine. We also learned all the state capitals and the definition of communism that year, but the Poe was way more fun.

Today is Poe's birthday. Did you know there is a man who leaves cognac and roses on Poe's grave every year on this date? It's been happening for 58 years -- starting with the 100th anniversay of Poe's birth.

People gather to try to catch a glimpse of the "Poe Toaster." I just think that's so cool.

Thanks to Kathleen for the link!

A Little Poetry for You: Wilbur

Note: Poetry Friday Round-up is over at Big A little a

I can't find any record that I posted this for Poetry Friday before now. But I know this is a recent find, so I wonder if I found it from someone else's Poetry Friday post.

Anyhow, I like this one for several reasons -- it's a solid poem with good use of language and imagery; it's got a good story to tell that would appeal to younger poets; and it's got audio so you can listen to the poet read it and hear his commentary about it beforehand. I do truly think hearing the audio makes the poem so much more of a poem, so as always, I encourage you to click and listen.

The Writer
Richard Wilbur

In her room at the prow of the house
Where the light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden,
My daughter is writing a story.

I pause in the stairwell, hearing
From her shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys
Like a chain hauled over a gunwale.

Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
I wish her a lucky passage.

But now it is she who pauses,
As if to reject my thought and its easy figure.
A stillness greatens, in which

The whole house seems to be thinking,
And then she is at it again with a bunched clamor
Of strokes, and again is silent.

Go here for the audio commentary and reading from the poet, and for the text of the rest of the poem.

Quote of the Day, 1/18/07: Buchwald

American journalist and humorist Art Buchwald has died at the age of 81. Today's quotes are from him, just to give you a sense of his style.

Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.
...

We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don't think it was, and I would advise you not to wait ten years before admitting today was great. If you're hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one hell of a time.
...

I worship the quicksand he walks in.
...

So far things are going my way. I am known in the hospice as The Man Who Wouldn't Die. I don't know if this is true or not, but I think some people, not many, are starting to wonder why I'm still around.
...

Dying is easy. Parking is impossible.

Nancy in the Sky with Diamonds

Many thanks to Featherbee for showing me how to add a little psychedelic-mind-trippiness to my blog.

Check it out!

Quote of the Day, 1/17/07: King

On Martin Luther King day -- January 17 -- 1994, I was in Los Angeles for their last big earthquake. It struck at around 4AM and was one of the most terrifying events I've experienced.

Since then, I have always considered January 17 to be Martin Luther King's birthday. Tonight I learned from Wikipedia that King's birthday is January 15, which coincidentally was the same as MLK Day this year. So, I missed it. Hopefully you'll overlook the small error, and still appreciate today's quotes, from Martin Luther King, Jr.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
...

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
...

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.
...

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
...

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Words on Wednesday: Puzzle-makers

Has anyone had experience with edHelper.com? I found this site while looking around for word puzzles. It's a subscription site where teachers or others working with kids can create all sorts of cool puzzles.

There are logic, sudoku, math and word puzzles. Among the word puzzles are word searches --which they do let you put together without subscribing (here's mine!) -- crosswords, bingos, and others.

It seems like a pretty good resource -- any teachers out there or others who've used something like this?

On Family Names, and Uncles Named Peeper

What's in a name?

Liz and Grace remind us of how fluid names can be. One day you're living your life as Bridget, the next day you're Beatrice.

In my family, we have similar stories. On my father's side, these are what you'd expect in any family. My grandmother changed her name ever so slightly over the years, from Jeanie to Jeane to Jeanne, ever-conscious of the dramatic effect such spellings might have. Her mother was always Margaret as far as I had heard, but when she entered the U.S. she came in as Maggie. My great-aunt Jerrie was really Jemima. These were the nice easy examples....

On my mother's side of the family, things get stranger. My Uncle Roy didn't find out till he was 60 that his name was Charles. Uncle Peeper probably knew his real name was Harry, but nobody else called him that, not even his wife. This is the family where Donald grew up as "Duck", Doris was "Honey" and Jean Baptiste was "Butsis." Dolores was Tootsie, for rather unflattering reasons. George was George because he was born near Washington's birthday, and Noella was born near Christmas.

My mother, who was born on the 4th of July, barely escaped being named Liberty or Independence, for which I'm eternally grateful: I was named after her.

What are your family names?

Quote of the Day, 1/16/07: Deborah Kerr

Yesterday Cary Grant, today his counterpart in one of the best all-time sappy movies (An Affair to Remember) -- Deborah Kerr. I like these quotes from Kerr. She seems spunky, which is how I always think of her.

I suppose the part nearest me is Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy. Of course playwrite Bob Anderson didn't know that, but he wrote Laura Reynolds and Laura Reynolds happened to be me. It was the coming together of a part and an actress - the same attitude to life, a certain shyness in life, a deep compassion for people who are being persecuted for anything.
...

Personally, I think if a women hasn't met the right man by the time she's 24, she may be lucky.
...

I adore not being me. I'm not very good at being me. That's why I adore acting so much.
...

Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will, be kind.
...

I respect anyone who has to fight and howl for his decency.

Life on the Edge... of the Forest

Looking for one spot where much of the really great thinking about children's lit is compiled?

Silly you, why are you looking here? Go to The Edge of the Forest! The January issue is waiting for you.

Quote of the Day, 1/15/07: Cary Grant

Okay, back on the quote bus now. Today's quotes are from the man himself. Mr. Cary Grant.

I suddenly found my articulate self in a dazzling land of smiling, jostling people wearing and not wearing all sorts of costumes and doing all sorts of clever things. And that's when I knew! What other life could there be but that of an actor?
...

Do your job and demand your compensation -- but in that order.
...

Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.
...

I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.

Lives in Letters: Postcard from Central Maine

Just a quick postcard this week, but one I found intriguing.

Postcard

Norridgewock, Maine
August 19, 1935

...

.
Addressed to

Miss Lucy C-
St. Albans Maine

Wed. Morning-
Dear Miss C-
Montie is staying
with his brother Merle.
Was over last evening and
looked fine and said he
was feeling much better.
He stays with Merle so
as to have it quiet.
Said to tell you if noth-
ing happens and bad
spell doesn’t return, he
will get Merle to bring
him back a week from
Sunday, 30th of August.
Regards, Alice H.

Notes:

I'm not sure why I'm fascinated by postcards like this, but I suppose it's because of the stories I can invent around the brief messages.

.

For instance, I wonder who Miss Lucy C is. Who is she to Montie, that she'd be getting updates about where he is? And why wouldn't Montie send his own updates?

.

Who's Alice? Neither Lucy nor she seem like they could be related to Montie and Merle. Why would these two women exchange messages about the men?

.

I wonder what the bad spell could have been. Polio perhaps. Although plenty of other diseases were available to choose from at the time: influenza, malaria, tuberculosis....

.

Where is Norridgewock, Maine? About smack-dab in the middle of Maine, maybe a little southeast of the middle. Near Colby college (which by the way, opened its doors back when Maine was part of Massachusetts). It was the filming spot for the 2005 HBO movie Empire Falls. Here's a little history, circa 1886 of Norridgewock. Although this history was written 50 years before the postcard, from all signs on the web, the town did not change much in the interim.

.

St. Albans, where Miss Lucy C was receiving this postcard, was 30 miles away from Norridgewock. Again, from what I can find out, St. Albans was a similarly small and remote town.

.

For the life of me, I can't figure out who Alice and Lucy were to Montie. No matter how many times I read this, no story I come up with makes sense.

Tanga Puzzles: January 15 - January 21

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

January 15: I'D recommend you read the top of the puzzle carefully. OR this clue.

January 16: It helps to be a perfectionist.

January 17: I knew I was missing something on this one, but for the longest time I had trouble seeing what it was.

January 18: Why are the clues on the right multi-colored?

January 19: Go here for hints for the puzzlethon puzzles.

January 20: Don't worry about the picture in the background, but try to describe what is added in the foreground. Describe it specifically.

January 21: The silvery thing in the middle is actually a picture of a diamond. Now that you know it's a diamond, that's the easiest pair to start with. If you look through the rest of the pictures, you should find one that goes quite nicely with diamond. Don't mess with "key." Unless you really know the subject matter, key is probably the toughest one to make the connection for.

24... and WOW

So, Stephen King wasn't kidding about how disturbing 24 was tonight.

Wow.

About Jack Bauer...

Let me just add that Jack Bauer is easily the most resilient human being who ever lived.

And as my mom pointed out, he's remarkably tan for having spent 2 years being tortured in a foreign prison. He's even tan where he used to have a beard.

And wouldn't you know he managed to secure a cell phone and exchange cell numbers with his new cohort during their brief ride to Figueroa and 6th? When they parted at the train station, I thought, "but how will you find each other again?" Silly silly silly me. Did I learn NOTHING from the first 5 seasons?

Quote of the Day, 1/14/07: Stephen King on 24

The new season of 24 starts tonight, in just under an hour.

First, a line from Chloe, which I think was from last season.

OK, when the alert level goes down, and the terrorists have been caught, we can have some chamomile tea and I'll tell you all my secrets.

Stephen King, whose opinion on suspense and thrillers I may trust above all others, had this to say about his sneak peak of this season:

Day 6 ... is like a book you can't put down...even though there are times when you may want to.
...

There's ... a queasily gleeful subtext to 24 that suggests, ''If things are this bad, why, I guess we can torture anybody we want! In fact, we have an obligation to torture in order to protect the country! Hooray!'' Yet Jack Bauer's face — increasingly lined, increasingly haggard — suggests that extreme measures eventually catch up with the human soul.
...

24 also remains fresh, I think, because it is regularly watered by the blood of supporting characters — the sort who used to be considered eternal.
(Note, King goes on to reference Jack's wife and Edgar Stiles, and eventually to threaten the producers with the kind of vengeance only Stephen King can promise if they go after Chloe.)
...

This time the threat — and no, I'm not going to tell you what it is — seems too plausible. When I got to the shocker that ends episode 4, I could understand Jack Bauer's expression of disbelief; it's a perfectly human reaction to what has just happened. And yet at the same time I'm sitting in my office chair and thinking, This could really happen. And at some point, it probably will.... Really, no one does the old ''We're surrounded by enemies!'' bit better than Fox. Bill O'Reilly's going to love this baby.

Creative Writing: Fog and Stillness

The nice thing about forcing myself to put some of my own writing here each week is that it gives me a chance to edit things I'd written before. The paragraph below, for instance, said virtually the same thing yesterday, but was made up of almost entirely different words. Now I wish I had kept the "before" version to show the difference.

The fog is a familiar visitor on the Maine coast. It can move like a quick intruder, venturing in at the front window, drifting across the house and out the back, leaving the air and surfaces cool and clammy from its damp fingerprints. Other times, the fog sits, heavy and still, infusing the entire landscape with moisture and a weighty silence. In a heavy fog the world grows so quiet around you, so motionless and almost breathless, you might come to believe you're the only living creature left on Earth.

A Little Poetry for You: Thomas

For Poetry Friday I wanted to find a great audio recording of a poet reading his or her own work. I came across this pretty quickly and thought, if Rodney Dangerfield could perform this one so well in the movie Back to School, just imagine how much better the poet might do.

In fact, Dylan Thomas' reading of "Do not go gentle into that good night" makes the poem even more beautiful to listen to than it is on paper or screen alone. I'll put the first verses here for you to read, but I strongly recommend taking a few minutes to click the link and listen. The last verse, and the way Thomas' voice changes to suit the meaning there, is especially effective.

Do not go gentle into that good night
Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Go here for the rest of the poem, and the audio!

(While you're there, you might want to also check out Gwendolyn Brooks' quick discussion and reading of "We Real Cool.")

Caught Ya Lurking!

Over at LadyStrathconn and A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy, we're reminded about the joys and dangers of blog lurking.

If you're dropping by and thinking of wandering away without leaving a comment, please reconsider! Click on the comments link at the bottom of this post (please!) and leave a word or two. No eloquence required, I promise!

Do You Smell Something?

Okay, I swear to God, the smell in New York may be coming from New Jersey, but it's not me.

I was feeling kind of bad tonight because I had a serious drop in visitors today here on the Journeywoman blog. I know I've skipped a couple of days of Quote-of-the-Day posts, and I've been a little quieter than usual, but really, are people that fickle that they'll up and leave in just 3 days???? (And do you really come here for Quote of the Day?)

So after a brief sulk, I checked closer, and it turns out that according to the stat counter NOBODY visited after 11 this morning. Not even me. And I know that's a big fat lie, because I did visit myself several times today, in the course of checking comments and editing stuff.

So now I know you still love me, and I didn't say anything bad to make you abandon me, and I can sleep happy.

THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT!!!

Tedious Reading

I just started listening to the third of my five Cybils-nominated YA books. Listening, rather than reading, because I got this one on CD just yesterday.

I usually make no distinction between the experience of reading and listening, when it comes to the quality of a book. In this case however, I'll have to go get a hard copy, just to be sure it isn't the audio-reader that's making this "read" so difficult.

Update: It got much better in the second half.

Trust Snape, Indeed

Check out Leila's new t-shirt design over at bookshelves of doom!

Contest - Rename a Book, Win a Prize

Lisa Yee's got a fabulous contest going.

Entering is simple, just think of a children's book, then change the first letter of one word in the title, and explain what that book would be.

Example:
A Wrinkle in Lime
Meg's a fashion design protegee who just made the biggest fashion faux pas of the decade.

See? It's that easy!

Go! Enter the contest. Or at least read the entries, because many of them are much more fabulous than mine.

Via Gottabook.

Who is that Masked Man?

This is cool.

I know, I know, Greg over at Gottabook already posted it. But really, my mom sent me this on Sunday, and I should have posted it then but I was too lazy.

It's a bit of performance art, and it's strange, beautiful, mysterious, funny, weird, and as I said earlier, cool.

Go see: Jerome Murat

(Just the intro is in French, then it's just music and performance.)

Forgotten Treasure: Old Mother West Wind

Do you ever have one of those moments when something from your childhood that you had long since forgotten flashes into your head? Maybe a person you forgot you ever knew, an event you'd let slip from your mind, or a book that suddenly came back to you?

A few months ago, I remembered how much I used to love the Katie John series.

The other day, I flashed back to Thornton Burgess.

Did anyone else read Thornton Burgess? I was captivated by his stories as a child. It didn't hurt that he wrote about "Laughing Brook" and the park where his house was, named Laughing Brook Park, was just a short drive from where I grew up. But I truly loved the stories about Johnny Chuck and Little Joe Otter and Grandfather Frog.

Anyway, on Sunday I searched online and reread all the stories from Old Mother West Wind. You can too! Or, you could buy a boxed set of Burgess for a child who likes furry creatures.

What are your forgotten treasures? If you can remember, of course....

Blog Lazy

I'm being blog-lazy these past couple of days. Bear with me and I'll get back on track ... any moment now... yawn....

Tanga Puzzles: January 8 - January 14

The guest-puzzles have begun, and they're tough!

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

January 8: The first step is pretty easy to see. A good knowledge of set theory will help with the second part.

January 9: It's important to remember the most famous line of this movie. And I don't mean "Ouuuuuuch...."

January 10: Read "Badgers" as a verb, not a plural noun. I solved this puzzle with only the third and fifth clues answered. Oh, and there's a pun in the answer.

January 11: Pretty straightforward to figure out what to do, but some of these are tough. 10/12/5 is easier if you say it out loud. For 15/2/3 try accenting the first HO and adding an echo.

January 12: Once I read the words out loud, I was able to make a connection for each word.

January 13: Ouch. Take it slow. If you follow the directions, you shouldn't get lost. Note that when you get to part 2, you might start seeing a word that looks like gibberish. Don't give up on it.

January 14: Ignore the top left picture and this one will be easy for you. Though, if you figure out what that top left picture is, please leave me a comment. (Ooh, I think I know now.)

Creative Writing: Your Angel

This one is tough to write any commentary for, because of the topic. I'll say this. I was told a story about someone I knew only distantly. The story stunned me so much that I wrote the poem as a way of processing my response.

Your Angel

Was he laughing yet?
Did he have your eyes?
Did you never feel the sweet surprise
of soft skin, fine hair,
and faintly whispered lullabies?

Close the lid and close the door.
We can look on him no more.

Could we have stopped it
if we’d known what was in store?

How could you?
Why would you?
Have we so misunderstood you?
Missed the signs.
Read just the lines and not between.
And let your menace march unseen
toward innocence and frailty,
allowing for this tragedy.

You broke. He paid.
A magic number now unmade.
You broke. He bought.
Nothing is as it ought to be.

Maybe a good lobotomy
or lethal injection
would send this scourge
in the right direction.

But it’s too late to give us
the kind of protection we lack.

Your angel has left the building.
And he won’t be back.

Meme - Which Would You Rather

Erin's made me answer these! Which would I rather have...?

Hamburger or hotdog? Hamburger, unless I'm at a baseball game. Then absolutely a hotdog!

A kiss underneath the stars on a clear night, or in the rain? Tough one. I love the rain and I love the stars. If it was a hot summer night, I'd choose rain. A cool autumn/winter night I'd choose stars.

A snowy morning or a warm afternoon? SNOW, SNOW, SNOW

Hot chocolate or coffee? Hot chocolate is the only hot drink I enjoy. I've never grown into being a coffee or tea drinker.

A text message or a phone call? Depends who it's from. If it's work, email is easier because I can keep a record of the conversation. If it's a friend, a call is generally more fun, but a part of me still regrets not being able to "capture" the call.

A limo or a VW Bug? Neither. A Jaguar or a Mini Cooper please.

A long island iced tea or a martini? If I had a couple of tasty margaritas first, then I wouldn't care which of these two followed.

A book or a movie? Wow, this depends on my mood of the moment. If I want to be self-indulgent, I would probably go for the movie. If I want to accomplish something I'd go for the book. Not that books aren't an indulgence too.

Tea or soda? Seltzer. Especially plain seltzer. In a large vat please.

An axe murderer for a friend, or a clown? Let me get back to you on that. Clowns really freak me out.

A peaceful lake or a restless ocean? OCEAN, OCEAN, OCEAN

A singular best friend or many acquaintances? Neither. A few very good friends is ideal for me. I no longer feel like I have to have a "best" friend. I love them all.

A job as a burger-flipper for McDonalds, or as a stunt woman? Both would be serious health-hazards for someone as accident prone as I am.

A dog or a cat? DOG, DOG, DOG

Erin, I'll throw a few back at you, which I'll answer later. Which would you rather have:

A world without words or a world without color?

An empty amusement park or an empty shopping mall?

The mannerisms of an insufferable opera diva or the mind of a mad scientist?

No memory of history or no memory of yesterday?

Cybils Reading Update

I spent this afternoon at Barnes and Noble, reading the 2nd of 5 nominated books in the Cybils Young Adult category.

I've now read Hattie Big Sky and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Each of these was excellent in completely different ways. I can already see what an interesting discussion the judging committee will have in weighing all the virtues of these finalists.

Still to go:

The Rules of Survival
The Book Thief
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life

Quote of the Day, 1/06/07: Headaches

Oof! My head cold has led to a nasty little headache. So I'll throw a few quick quotes out on the subject, and then curl up to sleep. Based on the last quote here, I guess that Emerson would not approve of this post.

Eleanor Roosevelt
I could never say in the morning, "I have a headache and cannot do thus and so." Headache or no headache, thus and so had to be done.

Samuel Butler
If the headache would only precede the intoxication, alcoholism would be a virtue.

Lewis Carroll
I'm very brave generally, he went on in a low voice: only today I happen to have a headache.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
There is one topic peremptorily forbidden to all well-bred, to all rational mortals, namely, their distempers. If you have not slept, or if you have slept, or if you have headache, or sciatica, or leprosy, or thunder-stroke, I beseech you, by all angels, to hold your peace, and not pollute the morning.

Teachers Cooler than The Fonz

Remember the last year of Happy Days, when Fonzie was a teacher? It wasn't a great season, but I really kind of liked the idea of The Fonz teaching.

Anyway, for a list of 100 teachers even cooler than Mr. Fonzerelli, head on over to A Year of Reading, and their fabulous list of 100 Cool Teachers in Children's Literature. They just hit 100, but they'll happily take more suggestions if you've got 'em.

Quote of the Day, 1/05/07: Plath on Poetry

Thanks to Kelly Fineman for posting this quote several weeks ago. I've been waiting for another Poetry Friday to share it again.

Here is how Silvia Plath described the small moments of poetry, and the contrast to the expansive time of novels.

How I envy the novelist!

I imagine him - better say her, for it is the women I look to for a parallel - I imagine her, the novelist, pruning a rosebush with a large pair of shears, adjusting her spectacles, shuffling about among the teacups, humming, arranging ashtrays or babies, absorbing a slant of light, a fresh edge to the weather and piercing, with a kind of modest, beautiful X-ray vision, the psychic interiors of her neighbors - her neighbors on trains, in the dentist's waiting room, in the corner teashop. To her, this fortunate one, what is there that isn't relevant! Old shoes can be used, doorknobs, airletters, flannel nightgowns, cathedrals, nail varnish, jet planes, rose arbors and budgerigars; little mannerisms - the sucking at a tooth, the tugging at a hemline - any weird or warty or fine or despicable thing. Not to mention emotions, motivations - those rumbling, thunderous shapes. Her business is Time, the way it shoots forward, shunts back, blooms, decays and double exposes itself. Her business is people in Time. And she, it seems to me, has all the time in the world. She can take a century if she likes, a generation, a whole summer.

I can take about a minute.

I'm not talking about epic poems. We all know how long they can take. I'm talking about the smallish, unofficial garden-variety poem. How shall I describe it? - a door opens, a door shuts. In between you have a glimpse: a garden, a person, a rainstorm, a dragonfly, a heart, a city. I think of those round Victorian paperweights which I remember, yet can never find - a far cry from the plastic mass-productions which stud the toy counters in Woolworths. This sort of paperweight is a clear globe, self-complete, very pure, with a forest or village or family group within it. You turn it upside down, then back. It snows. Everything is changed in a minute. It will never be the same in there - not the fir trees, nor the gables, nor the faces.

So a poem takes place.

A Little Poetry for You: Jarrell

Poetry Friday is upon us again. Elaine's got the round-up over at Blue Rose Girls. Here's a poem I was introduced to in a summer poetry class during high school. I absolutely love how it starts ... it takes a moment to realize the speaker is not just talking about emotions.

Next Day
by Randall Jarrell

Moving from Cheer to Joy, from Joy to All,
I take a box
And add it to my wild rice, my Cornish game hens.
The slacked or shorted, basketed, identical
Food-gathering flocks
Are selves I overlook. Wisdom, said William James,

Is learning what to overlook. And I am wise
If that is wisdom.
Yet somehow, as I buy All from these shelves
And the boy takes it to my station wagon,
What I've become
Troubles me even if I shut my eyes.

When I was young and miserable and pretty
And poor, I'd wish
What all girls wish: to have a husband,
A house and children. Now that I'm old, my wish
Is womanish:
That the boy putting groceries in my car

See me. It bewilders me he doesn't see me.

Read the rest of this poem by clicking here (especially if you want to know what the title means).

Quote of the Day, 1/04/07: Ford

Gerald Ford, our 38th president, died this past week. I thought it appropriate to offer a few quotes from Ford today.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
...

It can go on and on, or someone must write "The End" to it. I have concluded that only I can do that. And if I can, I must.
...

I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers.
...

In all my public and private acts as your president, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.
...

It's the quality of the ordinary, the straight, the square, that accounts for the great stability and success of our nation. It's a quality to be proud of. But it's a quality that many people seem to have neglected.

My Puzzle on Tanga

Hey, I just found out the Tanga folks are using my puzzle this Sunday night.

Now, I think my puzzle is pretty easy compared to the guest puzzles we've been seeing this week. So any serious puzzle solvers will probably mock mine as child's play.

But for the rest of you (amateurs like me), I hope you find it fun.

Visit Tanga's Daily Fun on Sunday at 10PM EST to check it out.

Another Myth Debunked

Geez, why not just say there's no Santa Claus and kill my entire belief system?

The truth about the 5-second rule

If You Liked This Book Then...

Little Willow puts together the best lists!

Her most recent are three lists recommending alternatives to commonly looked-for titles:

If Then for Teens

If Then for Middle School

If Then for Elementary School

In each list, says Little Willow, "the 'then' option [is] a similar title which I like better than the 'if' option."

Nancy, otherwise known as...

I was first offered this Aristocratic title: Milady the Most Honourable Nancy the Deipnosophist of Giggleswick on the Naze

But opted instead for this one: Lady Madame Nancy the Incontrovertible of Melbury Bumpton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

(thanks to Lady Strathconn for pointing me in the right direction)

Quote of the Day, 1/03/07: More Brains

I enjoyed my brains quotes yesterday, so will add a few more today.

Robert McNamara
Brains are like hearts - they go where they are appreciated.

Charles Kettering
Inventing is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less material you need.

Thomas Edison
It is astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work.

5 MORE Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

Wow, it's been quite a week for being tagged with memes! Liz over at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy tagged me with the 5 things meme.

But Nancy... didn't you already do the 5 things meme? Yes, but that was ages and ages ago, so I'm happy to oblige and come up with 5 more things you probably don't know about me.



6. I own 3 of the Serta sheep, and am considering eBay to get some more. It looks like Serta isn't selling them directly these days.


7. I have a secret dream to be a nightclub singer.... I'll pause to give my friends and family a moment to mop up their keyboards.... Seriously, I wish I had the voice and the stage presence (not to mention the ability to live on a fixed income) to go perch on a stool next to a piano or a jazz trio ... and croon.


8. I have no poker face, except when I play poker. I usually let my thoughts and feelings show plainly on my face, finding that this helps aid conversation (cue my new boss saying, "your eyes just got very wide when I said X"). But when a situation calls for me to act a part (for instance, in the case of a surprise, a prank, or a game of poker), I can lie without a twitch.


9. My Myers-Briggs type is ENTJ (extroverted, intuitive, thinking, judging), which I've seen described as "the field marshall." Be afraid. Be very afraid.


10. I have inherited a klutz gene from my mother. Two weeks ago I sliced my finger open while trying to pull out a broken Christmas light. In just the past two months I've fallen off 2 perfectly stable seats for no apparent reason. This past summer I scratched my cornea with a pricetag while trying on sunglasses. Two years ago I fell out my front door. Last year I did a CHARLIE BROWN flop (see above picture) off my icy front porch. Seriously, legs above the head and kerplunk. My only consolation is that I know it's genetic because my mother has been doing these things for years.


I'm not going to tag anyone, but anyone who wants to join in can post on their blog, or in the comments here!

Words on Wednesday: Words in Your Book

What was it Mark Twain said? "The difference between a word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

I love words, and I notice words. Especially when they're used really well in poems or novels and the individual words capture (or create) the essence of the whole.

I thought I'd try an experiment with the book I've been reading, and see if I could come up with a good way to evaluate the vocabulary of the book. I wanted to do something random, to make it a reasonably fair test, so I picked a number out of thin air (16) and decided to open the book to a random spot and for 20 consecutive pages, write down the 16th word.

It quickly became clear that this test was going to fail. In just 7 pages I had:

I, around, send, own, or, much, waited...

Blech!

Then I tried the first word of the 16th line on each page. If there were fewer than 16 lines, I used the last line on the page. Again, this was less than thrilling:

word, disturbed, speaking, do, a, I'd, this...

The problem with these first two "random-choice" methods is that they didn't show what the book was like at all. So much of really good prose is made up of words like "the" and "it" and "a" that this kind of random list is bound to be made up more of those words than anything else.

To give the author a fighting chance, I tried picking my favorite word on the 16th line for each page. This was better:

Violet, disturbed, chess, laugh, meandered, better, caught, head, laughed, knife, Miltenberger, contain, signs, acres, gingham, think, waved, stray, sweaty, began

But the best results were when I picked out my favorite word (one per page) for each of the 20 pages. Here they are:

velvety, meager, prowess, fret, cowlick, wriggled, waggled, tightrope, sarsparilla, mushy, scrabble, ornery, Violet, awkward, gingham, chum, crooked (the verb, not the adjective), two-step, princess, Excelsior

The book I chose was Hattie Big Sky, and this last list of words feels like a perfect fit for the feeling of reading the book. What will you find in your book?

Quote of the Day, 1/02/07: Brains

I especially like the last quote below, about borrowing brains. I made myself a framed picture of that quote several years ago, and kept it in my office as a reminder.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky
It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas.

Robert Frost
The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.

Woodrow Wilson
I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.

Writing and (or) Photography Contest

Attention all writers of prose or poetry, and all photographers! There's a contest over at flashquake that you should seriously consider:

Less Is More: A Celebration of Micro-Flash
From the site: We're accepting entries for micro-fiction of 100 words or less and mini-poems called "Fibs." And to acknowledge flashquake's long commitment to the visual arts, we'll showcase "micro" photographs taken with cell phone or PDA cameras.

The contest ends January 31. There are cash prizes, and no entry fee, so really this one seems well worth it.

Thanks to Greg over at Gottabook for pointing out this contest.

Brought to You by The Letter B

Lady Strathconn tagged me for a meme to list 10 of my favorite things that start with the letter B. I don't know why, but B is a daunting letter for me. Perhaps I'll feel Better aBout it after I give it a try.

1. Bananas. I love bananas, but only when they're a little on the green side. Seriously, one speck of brown and I'd just as soon skip it. Banana and peanut-butter sandwiches are yummy, as are the alternative banana and butter sandwiches (less sticky, and an equally good mixture of sweet with salt/butter).

2. Books. Well of course. I can't believe I didn't list this first! I especially like children's books, but will venture into adult books for the right author or character.

3. Bookstores. I love bookstores not just for the books, but also for the controlled chaos, the sheer magnitude of the inventory, and the opportunity they provide for me to drop in on old friends (books and characters).

4. Bagels. With cream cheese. Especially from a good bagel shop. I don't like Dunkin' Donuts version of the bagel.

5. Bing and Bob. Crosby and Hope, that is. What fun!

6. Blogging. I'm coming up on 6 months of blogging and it's been so much fun. I've learned a lot by reading everyone else's blogs, and I've been honored to have people read mine.

7. Brain-games. Riddles, puzzles, crosswords, rebuses, etc. I can't pass up a good brain challenge, though often as not I find them more humbling than exhilarating.

8. Bowling. I like how the comedy of bowling brings people together so well. For the record, I am a pretty bad bowler. And the day after I bowl, I hurt in parts of my body I didn't know existed. But do these things discourage me? No way! 10-pin or candlepin, good lanes or bad, I can't help but love to bowl.

9. Baths. Especially with bubbles. Although the best bath I ever had was in Saratoga Springs, at the mineral baths. If I could only recreate that at home, I'd be in bath heaven.

10. Belly-laughs. I'm at my happiest when I laugh to the point of crying. Even when I'm laughing at myself. Okay, I admit it, most of the things that make me laugh that hard involve me laughing at myself.

I survived the B's and now I tag Featherbee with F.

Tanga Puzzles: January 1 - January 7

The guest-puzzles have begun!

Here are the daily clues for the Tanga puzzles this week. To see the hint, highlight the space to the right of the date.

I don't give away answers here, just a small hint each day to help get you started or past a rough patch. If you want stronger hints, you can check the blog on the Tanga site itself, which is chock full of spoilers.

While I avoid giving away the answers on this page, be warned that there may be spoilers in the comments to this post, so open those with care.

Good luck!

January 1: Tough start to the week. There are 11 numbers at the bottom, but you know you'll only need 8. So the question is, what to do with the other three....

January 2: If you find a character from Shakespeare, try to put him in a larger context. Then you'll be on a good path.

January 3: Whatever you do, don't read the tanga blog unless you want the answer handed to you on a platter. Though I will quote the funniest clue from that blog in the comments here, just so you don't miss it. My clue is this: When there's a "middle seat" that usually means there are three seats.

January 4: Once you do the sudoku part (you can use an online solver for a shortcut), you'll need to convert the numbers to letters. But which letters of the alphabet should you pick?

January 5: This puzzle would be just as solvable with red and black checkers instead of white and black chess pieces. Ignore the black and focus on the white here. You need an 8-letter word for the answer.

January 6: The word in place of East is NEW. That word should get you someplace, but don't ignore the other three words.

January 7: Smile! You should get through tonight's puzzle like a hot knife through butter.
.

Meme: Three Things

Lady Strathconn tagged me twice this week! Here's my three-things list. The other meme I'll publish for Tuesday.

Three things that scare me: spiders, satan-movies, pictures of Michael Jackson

Three people who make me laugh: my father, my friends R&T

Three things I love: snow, poetry, sappy romantic movies

Three things I hate: disrespect, discourtesy, disease

Three things I don't understand: how television works, what people see in reality TV shows, how Jack Bauer goes a full 24 hours without eating or using a bathroom

Three things on my desk: boxes I still haven't unpacked since moving a year ago

Three things I'm doing right now: using a full box of kleenex, sucking on a cough drop, waiting till it's time for my next dose of Nyquil

Three things I want to do before I die: write a novel, publish a poem, make the lives of those around me somehow better

Three things I can do: read upside-down, recite the alphabet in Spanish, make logical connections quickly

Three things you should listen to: children at play, children with ideas, children with questions

Three things you should never listen to: rap, nails on a chalkboard, dentist drill

Three things I'd like to learn: how to sing, how to dance, the secret recipe for Coke

Three favorite foods: chocolate, brown sugar, blueberries

Three beverages I drink regularly: seltzer, water, and much less often wine or beer

Three TV shows/Books I watched/read as a kid: Little House on the Prairie (books and TV), Nancy Drew (books and TV), Trixie Belden

Three blogger friends that I am going to tag: Featherbee, Erin, Douglas

Quote of the Day, 1/01/07: History

My Lives in Letters post earlier got me thinking about history, which seemed a good enough theme as any while we turn the corner of a new year.

Benjamin Disraeli
Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.

David Ben Gurion
Anyone who believes you can't change history has never tried to write his memoirs.

E. L. Doctorow
History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth.

Henry Steele Commager
History, we can confidently assert, is useful in the sense that art and music, poetry and flowers, religion and philosophy are useful. Without it -- as with these -- life would be poorer and meaner; without it we should be denied some of those intellectual and moral experiences which give meaning and richness to life. Surely it is no accident that the study of history has been the solace of many of the noblest minds of every generation.

Lives in Letters: Postcard from a War Bride

Here's a bit of home-front war correspondence.

Postcard
Belmar Fishing Club
Belmar, NJ
July 22, 1943
.
.
Addressed to
Mr. and Mrs. Harold F-
Nutley, New Jersey

Belmar, N.J. July 22nd
Hi Folks! Eric is at
Monmouth for
OCS and we have a
cottage here thru
Aug. Eric looks
grand and the
course is now
four months. Eliz
shore is wonderful –
only wish Eric
were here all the
time. My folks are
here for a while.
Love, Dot

Notes:

OCS stands for Officer Candidates School. I can find both Army and Marines references that link to Belmar, New Jersey and OCS, but Monmouth was definitely the Army Signal Corps. The OCS for the Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth graduated over 21,000 candidates between 1941 and 1946 (thank you wikipedia). Here are a few details from one document describing the Army Signal Corps School:

Class 1 reported for the three-month training course on 3 July [1941]. Their curriculum included physical training, dismounted drill, military law, sanitation and first aid, military courtesy and customs, interior guard duty, defense against chemical attack, pistol marksmanship, supply, administration, mess management, map reading, signal communications, motor transportation, inspections, and training methods.

By 1943 the size of the OCS had significantly increased and the interval between classes had been cut to just two weeks. Courses in electricity and mathematics, as well as field exercises, had been added to the curriculum. The field exercises, simulating signal company support to an infantry division, afforded training in message center and messenger procedure, wire construction, and radio and wire
communication.

Dot mentions that the course Eric is taking is now 4 months. Reading further in the same document about Monmouth, I found that in 1943 a month was added to the course "to include an 18-day field exercise at Camp Misery, a sub-post of Fort Dix." Camp Misery. I doubt that was ironic.

Dot says Eric looks "grand." Does she mean in his uniform?

Not too bad a deal for Dot to spend a couple of months at the Jersey shore while her husband was in OCS. At least, she didn't seem to think so.

I think this letter was to her in-laws, Eric's parents. That seems to fit the tone and content.

Another find along my searches... read this short document about the Army Signal Corps OCS Association to learn just how easy it is to lose large chunks of history.

And another (also courtesy wikipedia) ... Julius Rosenberg (spouse to Ethel) was at Signal Corps Labs in Monmouth from 1940 to 1945. According to this citation, it was there he was first found out as a traitor.

Cybils Short Lists

The venerable nominating committees for the 2006 Children's and Young-Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils) have completed their work, reading and evaluating 480 books in just 6 weeks.

We now have a short list for each of the Cybils categories (click link for list):

Fantasy and Science Fiction

Graphic Novels

Non-Fiction (Middle Grade and YA)

Middle Grade Fiction

Young Adult Fiction

Fiction Picture Books

Non-Fiction Picture Books

Poetry

I'm one of the judges for the Young Adult fiction category, which means I'll be reading those 5 nominees over the next few weeks.

If you find yourself shopping for books in any of the above categories, keep in mind that some pretty smart people chose these Cybils-short-list books as the best of 2006.