Mother, Touchstone, Friend
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
I Write Like…Me. Or do I?
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
Civility
“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 […]
Grammar Nazi
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
Caffeine is My Jet Fuel; Nitrogen is My Garden’s!
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 and Resolutions
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
Old Friends, Newly Met
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
Limitless #WOTY #WOTY2019
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
A Reading Resolution
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
Free to Be a Beach Bum
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
Outdoors, Travel, Visual Perspectives
Sacrificing to Pele
Molokini. Snorkeling, tropical fish, sea turtles – all that, the main attraction for most, was icing on the cake. For me, it was all about the volcano.
featured, hawaii, maui, molokini, pele, snorkeling, tropical fish, turtles
Outdoors, Travel, Visual Perspectives
Finding the Needle (It Wasn’t in a Haystack!)
I might be forgiven for moving it to a whole different island; after all, at nine, I was not in charge of transportation. I could drink it all in with my eyes; I wasn’t driving.
featured, hawaiian myths, iao needle, iao valley, kamehameha, maui
Hunger: A Systemic Problem #GivingTuesday (and Every Day)
Learn more about the cost and consequences of food insecurity, and how you can help.
featured, fundraiser, givingtuesday, hfb, houston, houston food bank, hunger
Why Give to Project Why? #ProjectWhyDelhi #GivingTuesday
I am pleased and honored to help spread the word about Project Why, and specifically, the Project Why Women’s Centre at Madanpur Khadar, New Delhi (#ProjectWhyDelhi) A number of us bloggers learned about Project Why just a couple of years ago, through our friend Damyanti Biswas (@damyantiwrites). And now, we are helping raise much needed funds for […]
charity, children, communities, community, economic development, education, empowerment, enrichment, featured, generosity, skills training, women
Choose Laughter
Any time you have a choice between tears and laughter, choose laughter. Crying only adds insult to injury by giving you a stuffy nose. Dear Constant Reader, has it really been weeks since we had coffee and a chat? At first, I found the emails vaguely insulting: No fewer than four friends forwarded, to me, […]
Villanelle the Vote!
Villanelle the Vote! The lady holds her torch aloft, warm welcome beacon to us all. Her steady message, one of peace, within a world that’s gone berserk, But whispers, “Use your right to vote, lest our democracy should fall.” Some cower in the shadowed corners; others rise in sunlight’s thrall Where hope, ideals, and wisdom […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Unprompted Daydreams #Inktober #Inktober2018
A tempest in a teacup… A volcano brewing in my morning coffee. Told you I wasn’t done. Just done with the prompts for a while. I’m enjoying the daily sketching. It’s relaxing. Especially since y’all are such a kind, easy audience.
coffee, cup, daydreams, eruption, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018, tea, unprompted, volcano
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
It’s a Stretch #Inktober #Inktober2018
It’s a long stretch of October, but I see light at the end of the tunnel. On the horizon, I see thunder clouds and a double jolt of lightning. But every dark and stormy night is punctuated by the promise of sunny days to come, as well. The earth turns, and none of us will […]
chop, double, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018, jolt, muddy, present, prickly, slice, stretch, thunder
The Haunted Pizza
Your writing prompt for Halloween is inspired by a post by children’s author, Dee Leone:
autonomous pizza delivery vehicle, driverless cars, haunted pizza, writing prompts
#Inktober2018, Fiction, Visual Perspectives
Killing Four Prompts with One Sketch #Inktober #Inktober2018
Could’ve been five, with the soap bottle. I was so surprised to see diamonds dripping from the faucet, this morning, that I scorched the toast. Scorched toast is so brittle, so breakable; half of it crumbled into tiny bits that got washed into the drain, along with priceless diamond dust and a few good-sized chunks. […]
breakable, drain, expensive, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018, scorched
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Swollen #Inktober #Inktober2018
What do you think of, when you read the word “swollen”? Which of those things would you choose to draw, and post online? I was leaning towards a pregnant belly, but that isn’t exactly “swollen.” It’s normal and beautiful, large and fecund… But the thing most often swollen in pregnancy is feet. And fingers. Then […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Angles #Inktober #Inktober2018
I don’t draw humans. When I try, I scribble over their faces to save them embarrassment. But I think I got the angles right. Or maybe I’m just obtuse. Reference Image
How Do You Use a Semicolon?
I will never understand the hatred of the semicolon. It is a useful and correct punctuation mark, if ever there was one. It has saved me, many times, from being run over by a run-on sentence. A run-on sentence is like the grafting of a lemon tree and a lime, using nothing but a bit […]
how to use semicolon, punctuation, semicolon, when to use semicolon
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Clock #Inktober #Inktober2018
The kind of art I aspire to takes patience. Precision. The hardest part isn’t the sketching. And technique can be learned, practiced, and improved. But patience, particularly with myself, is not my greatest virtue. Tempus fugit. Reference Image
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Guarded #Inktober #Inktober2018
Thanks to my husband, J. J., for helping me to interpret today’s prompt in a way that wasn’t overly complicated! “It’s harder than it looks, drawing a brain. Easier than crocheting one, but not as easy as it looks.” “Just draw a walnut. That’ll get the idea across.” “You think it’s be any easier drawing […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Whale #Inktober #Inktober2018
I like this one. It’s a peaceful image, isn’t it? I have been craving a swim in the ocean. Maybe not quite deep enough to encounter one of these immense creatures, but I envy this smiling fellow, just a little bit. Reference Image
