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Morning brought shock, sadness, but a glimmer of hope. The two bell towers still stood.
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, bees, catholic, easter, faith, holy week, notre dame, watwb
Generosity and Thankfulness, Op-Ed
Let’s light our own inner light of kindness by opening our eyes to the “fuel” for our lamps – the blessings we receive, the kindnesses of others – and promise to help keep each other’s torches lit when it seems we’re surrounded by the creeping darkness of hate and negativity.”
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, aware, grace, kind, mindful, oath, promise, thankful
Here’s how one Texas art teacher encouraged her young students, ages 3 to 11, to express their creativity.
The (hap)hazards of modern time management, and little known lexicographical news!
If you’re confused over why J sometimes sounds like “y” and sometimes like the “j” in “jam,” read on!
Of course it’s a rhetorical question – isn’t that the nature of a lighthouse?
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, inopinatum, poem, rhetoric
hendiadys Fluff and clouds, drifting, cross the sky. Birds play hide-and-seek in cotton-candy and whisps of fog, Their mothers call them home to feathers and nests, As sunshine and day retreat – and mine calls me to feathers and bed. homiologia and homoeoprophoron He is a little so-and-so, and so Will not amount to much, […]
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, hendiadys, homeoprophoron, homologia, rhetoric
If you know me at all, you might think my answer to, “What was your least favorite subject in school?” was math. It wasn’t. Not even close. It was “gym class.” It still is. But I know, now, that the alternative – “excuse-ridden couch potato” – isn’t good for me. It isn’t serving my overall […]
Growing plants is a “stretch goal” for me. I kill plants. It’s what I do. I can even kill silk plants; all it takes is a good vacuum cleaner. I grew up during the height of the 1970s houseplant fad. Apparently, it’s making a comeback, fueled by Millennials, and people are noticing but struggling to […]
a2zchallenge2019, asparagus, atozchallenge2019, fern, houseplants, plants, purple, spider, zebrina
Two wrongs don’t make a right. But two wrongs don’t make a wrong, either, necessarily. This is where the fallacy fallacy comes in.
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, fallacy-fallacy, kale, logic, logical fallacy
If you haven’t guessed by now (or have failed to follow the breadcrumbs) this month’s poetry has mostly been based on rhetorical figures of the same names, and through these little verses, I attempt to provide examples (along with a little sly wordplay, as in the last verse).
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, eustathia, exergasia, rhetoric
Just poetry and wordplay, in a rhetorical sense.
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, dendrographia, diazeugma, digressio, dilemma, distractio, poems, poetry, rhetoric
When I was little, I discovered crystallized ginger in the spice rack. Crunchy, spicy, hot, and sweet, crystallized ginger became my favorite candy. My mother didn’t seem to mind; I’m not sure she’d ever found a better use for it. Traveling to Alaska, a few years ago, with my husband, son, and daughter, I indulged […]
a2zchallenge2019, atozchallenge2019, candied ginger, candy making, crystallized ginger, ginger, sugar
While most parents do want their children to be outstanding in their talents, their academic skills, their job offers, few parents want their children to stand out as the class clown or the neighborhood oddball. Enter the Bandwagon Fallacy.
bandwagon, logical fallacy, persuasion, propaganda, rhetoric
Many of us use music therapy intuitively, and that it is a very personal thing. Your mood-lifting, anxiety-reducing playlist won’t be the same as mine.
a2zchallenge2019, anxiety, atozchallenge2019, audio, aural, music therapy
And so it begins… the April A to Z Challenge 2019. I was fence sitting, but then realized this is the 10th anniversary of the challenge, so how could I resist joining in?
The reality is finally sinking in: the demise of Google+ is imminent. Google+ will be shut down on April 2, 2019. Not everyone is mourning the loss, but for some, it’s a loss of community and the loss of an alternative or adjunct to Facebook. Though the press pounced on Google’s erasure of its “Don’t […]
Hell's Little Paving Stones, Journal
It’s easy to write “100 Things About Me.” But almost nine years ago, I was challenged to write “100 GOOD Things About Me.” Let this serve as an introduction to newcomers, here, as well as a list of affirmations. If you prefer a visual intro, click here. 100 GOOD Things (in No Particular Order, Plus […]
100 good things, 100 things, about me, featured, introduction, who am i, who is holly jahangiri
Think back to the people who influenced you as a kid, and turned you into the person you are, today. Your parents, your friends, your neighbors, your teachers, and all the people you encountered, every day, in your community. Now, imagine that just a few thousand dollars can make all the difference to hundreds of children […]
children, education, india, new delhi, ohkla centre, project why
There’s a little game I refuse to play. It’s called, “You can’t be friends with me if you’re friends with [fill in the blank]!” My stock answer to that is, “Fine, I’m sorry you feel that way. I guess we can’t be friends.” I don’t care if the person saying it is my best friend […]
childhood, featured, forgiveness, kindness, learning, teachers, teaching
We mothers – we are merely rudders, guiding our children’s ships through the storms and over the turbulent seas of life – we guide them as steadily and as best we can, but we are not the only influence that determines the outcome of the journey… Who am I today? I am a woman, a […]
Blogging & Social Media Tips, On Writing, Op-Ed
My writing is identifiable – it is a redolent of Agatha Christie cookies, with a hint of Stephen King cake, and a healthy side Anne Rice. It is male, with a softer side. European female, maybe. Gender fluid, and ageless as time itself. That’s just a nice way of saying “AI is stupid.” Or maybe I really AM Stephen King…. How would YOU know?
algorithms, data science, featured, text analysis, writing as fingerprint
Fiction, Hell's Little Paving Stones
“You could, at least, be civil about it.” “Why the fuck should I be?” Alex stopped in her tracks and glared at Gabe. “You talk a good fight about equality, but denying to others the ‘rights’ you claim for yourself is just everyday bigotry.” “That’s no reason to drop the f-bomb every five minutes. And […]
In a preemptive edit, I sought the annihilation of exuberance, indefinitely. There would be no negotiations; scholarly standards were strictly structured – some might say “cursed” – to ensure the disarmament of excessive excitement. Ruthlessly, I lined up the errant sentences, identified their bouncy little exclamation marks, their now impotent interrobangs, lined them up against […]
ccc, comma, creative copy challenge, exclamation mark, flash fiction, interrobang, period, prose poetry, punctuation, wordplay
We haven’t ditched the 12-cup drip coffee maker for our morning coffee, but the single-serve Keurig coffee maker lets us make less in the afternoon or evening, and lets me indulge my taste buds with a variety of flavored coffees while my husband sticks to his preferred brand of Columbian coffee. There’s just one problem: […]
coffee grounds, composting, keurig, recycle your k-cups, recycling k-cups, what to do with coffee grounds
Health & Wellness, Hell's Little Paving Stones, Journal
Reflections All in all, 2018 has been a good year – personally, professionally, healthwise, and otherwise. I’m too empathetic to say, “2018 has been a terrific year!” because it’s been awful to too many people, and politically, it’s been an absolute Dumpster fire. But I have absolutely nothing to complain about, and everything to be […]
2019, goals, intentions, new year, new year's eve, resolutions
Travel, Uncategorized, Visual Perspectives
I have many friends who live in the little box under my desk. Now and then, I’m lucky enough to meet them, face to face, sometimes decades after cementing our friendships online. In 2016, I posted an interview by my friend Todd Kruse of artist Carl Yoshihara. Those two have taught me to appreciate abstract […]
featured, friends, oahu, online friendships, traveling, vacation
I don’t like these games. There’s a carnival barker in my head, holding out an enormous deck of tarot cards: “Pick a word, any word, just one word to be your guiding light in the coming year…” No! I sense a trap. Resist… yes, that’s a good word. The whole idea triggers an obstinate resistance. […]
featured, focus word, goals, resolutions, word of the year, woty
I talk a good fight, but have not been acting like an avid reader for far too long. I have many books waiting in the TBR pile, longing silently for attention. My husband’s convinced I buy the dead tree kind just to fill up the house, earn the nickname “Book Hoarder,” and annoy him with […]
2019, book challenge, books, commitment, featured, goals, resolutions, write tribe
Humor, Outdoors, Travel, Visual Perspectives
Blissfully doing nothing while on vacation. Living the dream! Just kidding: swimming, eating, walking, taking photos, drinking mai tais, making nose hats – that’s not “doing nothing” after all, is it?
beach, featured, food, lazy days, maui, relaxing, sun, vacation
