Sunday Snippets

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

--Colossians 3:15

~~~~~

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."

--Plato; www.thinkexist.com

~~~~~

Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream."

--Malcolm Muggeridge; www.thinkexist.com

~~~~~

(some of) The Things I'm Thankful For. (in no particular order) (categorized for convenience)

Books

1. The Holy Bible

2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

People I Don't Know

1. The Presidents of the United States of America. All of them.

2. Nelle Carlile Maris

3. Stephanie Nielson

Movies

1. The Sound of Music

2. The Man Who Knew Too Much

3. The Jungle Book

Songs

1. Que Sera, Sera by Doris Day

2. Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat

3. You are My Sunshine

Experiences

1. Walking down the aisle to get married.

2. Being a teacher of toddlers.

3. Having guests in Tucky. ("Tucky" is how I know refer to our new home state, Kentucky).

Memories

1. When Kitty held my hand just before I walked down the aisle.

2. My 13th birthday.

3. Seaside

Food

1. Avocados

2. Chocolate

3. Macaroni and Cheese

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

What I Said about Writing

In a class on methods of teaching English, we were charged to make a list of our philosophy or beliefs about writing. In a class full of future English teachers, we had a great time hearing what everyone had to say. Here's what I turned in.

My Philosophy on/Beliefs about Writing

1. Mean What You Say

Write about things that interest (or bore) you, and tell the truth about them. Writing is easier and more fun when you believe what you’re writing. Plus, an audience can usually spot a faker!

2. Say What You Mean

Say what you mean, and leave it at that! More words does not equal better writing. Don’t skimp your readers on valuable information, but don’t drone on and on either. Find a balance.

3. Learn to Read

If you want to be a better writer, learn to be a better reader. You’ll enhance vocabulary, learn new sentence structures, and develop a sense of your own style (among other things).

4. Remember Who You Are

Use your own voice and your own style. Always be yourself. Readers don’t want you to sound like every other writer; they want you to sound like you!

5. Edit, Revise, Rest, Repeat.

Your first product should not be your last. Don’t give up and call a first attempt bad, try to work with it. The ‘goodness’ will come, so edit carefully, make your corrections, and then give yourself a break before you start the process over again.

Sunday Snippets

"It's really dangerous to think that what you look like is who you are."

--Portia de Rossi, People Magazine, November 15, 2010

~~~~~

VETERANS DAY -- In 1954, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day and its purpose extended to honor veterans of all US wars.

--Daily Factoid Widget

~~~~~

"We cannot afford to listen to wishful thinkers or fanciful theorists and assume that their claims of effective treatments are true. Our mantra should be 'Show me the data.'"

--Howard Goldstein, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2000

~~~~~

"Ignorance provides a vacuum that sucks in all kinds of ideas--some right, some irrelevant, some dead wrong, and some even harmful. The best hope for finding the correct and helpful answers is to evaluate critically the information that is presented to us."

--The Science and Fiction of Autism, Laura Schreibman

~~~~~

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues."

--Marcus Tullius Cicero; www.thinkexist.com

~~~~~

"Through our fears and our regrets, our sadness and our hope, PostSecret reminds us that we are never as alone as we feel and shows us we are all connected, whether we recognize it or not."

--Curator, Winnipeg Art Gallery; www.postsecret.com

~~~~~

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."

--Albert Camus; www.thinkexist.com

~~~~~

"Don't be afraid to take that big step."

--My fortune cookie from P.F. Chang's

Happy (belated) Birthday!!

I missed The Middle Ground's first birthday.

I didn't mean to.

I knew it was coming.

It scratched at the back of my mind like a dog who is desperate to come inside from the cold.

I ignored it.

I thought, "I'll deal with that later."

I never did.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I missed it because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE birthdays of any kind.

So, The Middle Ground didn't get the fantastically wonderful first birthday blog post she (yes, my blog is female; what else did you expect?) deserved.

Oh, well.

Sometimes things like this happen.

That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.

I hope I'm better at remember my children's birthdays.

When I have children, that is.

When I have children a very long time from now, that is.

Surely I'll remember the birthday of my kids.

Although, one could argue that I created and gave birth to The Middle Ground.

Oh, dear.

At least The Middle Ground is just a blog, so she shouldn't suffer any major psychological trauma.

Right? Right?

Let's hope so.

So, here's to The Middle Ground and her first full year and one month as a blog.

Happy birthday. Here's to another year and one month together.

P.S. Next year, I'll do my best to remember your birthday on time. Besides, 2 is better than 1, right? I thought so, too.

P.P.S. I had to skip Sunday Snippets this week in honor of The Middle Ground's forgotten birthday. Sunday Snippets will resume next week. I know you were all on pins and needles about that one. :) ha.

Sunday Snippets

"Paper money was first issued on March 10, 1862, and became legal tender by an act of Congress seven days later."

--Daily Factoid Widget

~~~~~

"Remembering to look both ways before crossing the street 90% of the time may result in premature termination of the opportunity for future learning!"

--Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers, Paul A. Alberto & Anne C. Troutman

~~~~~

"Instead of using wifehood and motherhood as a cop out for not going to college, understand that the most sacred rolls will require the most preparation time, serious dedication to study, almost impossible tests and more advanced field studies that any university could possibly dream up."

--C Jane Enjoy It; http://blog.cjanerun.com/2006/08/in-my-quest-to-be-at-peace-with.html

~~~~~

"It is better to ask some questions than to know all the answers."

--My fortune from The Egg Roll Machine

~~~~~

"To exercise the body is to purify the soul."

--Hub's fortune from The Egg Roll Machine

~~~~~

"And love is what changes trying times into bearable times, and hard moments into a good learning moments. Love is where I know I am safe and happy, and I want that for everyone-no matter what they look or act like."

--NieNie; http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-am-still-that-mommy-lady.html

Happy.

Dear Daddy,

I hope this is one of the happiest birthdays you've had so far. I hope you'll double your age.

I'm glad you're spending this fiftysomethink birthday with me.

I love you all the ways my heart knows how.

-Jess

What I'm Reading Now

From Publishers Weekly:

Deck is a man on a mission. From greasy spoon menus to national park signs, he and his cohorts (including co-author Herson) road trip around the nation looking for, and attempting to correct, spelling mistakes, misplaced apostrophes, and other small but apparently significant abuses to the English language. While Deck and friends approach their trip with a good sense of humor, early chapters feel prosaic. Before departing Deck contemplates the "madness" of the endeavor. Is correct commas from a car really all that wild? And surely we could have done without the litany of bear-related pet names Deck's girlfriend often employs when addressing him. Given that most readers drawn to this book will already share the authors' penchant for consistent and "proper" language, more substantial exploration of their evolving motivation would have been stimulating. Deck and Herson speed past questions of race, class, dialect, and education that their quest inherently raises. While the moments of human interaction run from tender to hostile, the end result doesn't add up to more than the sum of its anecdotes. Though the many snapshots included (often in the "before and after" vein, showing the fruits of their labor) add welcome humor.

I started last night. I'm on page three. So far, HILARIOUS.

I'm Officially a Fan of Pumpkin Carving

Hub and I decided we'd celebrate Halloween with a trip to the corn maze & pumpkin patch. We picked the prettiest, plumpest pumpkins and set off on our carving adventure. We had so much fun; we decided that we should carve pumpkins every year. I am a sucker for a tradition, so I'm hoping this one sticks.

My pumpkin is the cute little lady with the batty eyes and big smile. Hub was more adventurous with his skeleton and kitty cat. Overall, I think we did pretty well. We sure did have a great time.

I hope your Halloween was as happy as ours was.