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.

Creative Writing: Snow at the Gazebo

I missed posting any of my own writing last week because I was away from my computer and wasn't up to the challenge of drafting something new in all the hectic pre-Christmas preparation. But this week I'll post something a little longer than usual. This is a piece of snow-bound prose I wrote a few years ago, that I spent this afternoon editing. I don't know who "she" is or what the rest of her story will be, but this scene is meant to show you a few things about her.

She walked across the park, her footsteps muffled by the thin layer of new snow. She felt almost stealthy in her silent tread. She had seen the gazebo in the distance, looking like an old postcard in its winter perfection. She wanted to watch the world from that gazebo, watch the snow and listen to the near-perfect stillness that surrounded the spot.

When she reached the gazebo, she took the first two steps with excitement. Too late, she realized the steps were metal, covered with ice and snow, and as slippery as any surface she’d encountered. She clutched at the railing as her feet slid out from under her. Barely staying upright, she half-walked, half-crawled up the last two steps to the safety of the covered gazebo. She yelled at herself for being careless as she looked around to be sure no one was watching. For a moment, her Jerry Lewis antics and resulting embarrassment broke the enchantment of the winter park, just as her curses and mutterings broke the silence. She resolved to go home to defeat. Defeat and hot chocolate.

But the next moment, she began to notice her surroundings again. And the view held her in that spot as well as any cage. Nearby, three lampposts with amber lights created a circle of light around the gazebo. In that yellowed light the falling snowflakes looked like gold dust sifting down from a treasure-filled sky. Gold falling in silence. In private. As each flake of gold settled to the ground, it turned white again, hiding its true nature and value, disguising itself as mere snow. But she knew. She had seen.

“This is mine,” she thought, at once greedy and reverent. “Mine alone.”

Quote of the Day, 12/31/06: New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is upon us. I came across this first quote this evening, and liked it enough to share. Unfortunately, I could not track down a good attribution for it. If anyone knows, please holler, and I'll update the post. The others I have credited appropriately.

(Unattributed but used liberally)
Here we are in a month named after the Roman god Janus, an appropriate personification of the start of the new year. This particular Roman god had two faces so that he could look ahead toward the future and back at the past at the same time. As we get rid of an old year and look forward to a new one, we all try to be a little like Janus. We know through experience what we did wrong and what we did right, and hope to do better this year. Some people make ambitious new year’s resolutions; others just take a deep breath and hope for the best.

Charles Lamb
Of all sound of all bells... most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year.

Brooks Atkinson
Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.

Quote of the Day, 12/30/06: New Year Resolutions

I don't make New Year Resolutions. Not because I don't believe in them, but because I can never come up with an idea for something really worth the special attention and commitment that the turning of a year would seem to compel. Here are a few quotes about resolutions.

James Agate
New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.

Leonard Bernstein
From New Year's on the outlook brightens; good humor lost in a mood of failure returns. I resolve to stop complaining.

Eric Zorn
Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.

Helen Fielding
I do think New Year's resolutions can't technically be expected to begin on New Year's Day, don't you? Since, because it's an extension of New Year's Eve, smokers are already on a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stop abruptly on the stroke of midnight with so much nicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year's Day isn't a good idea as you can't eat rationally but really need to be free to consume whatever is necessary, moment by moment, in order to ease your hangover. I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second.

A Little Poetry for You: Service

For Poetry Friday, here's a poem to ring in the new year.

The Passing of the Year
Robert W. Service

My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
My den is all a cosy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
With much of blame, with little praise.

Old Year! upon the Stage of Time
You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter's chime
Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
And face your audience again.

Go here for the rest of the poem.

And Happy New Year!