September 2008

Wordless Wednesday

September 30, 2008

email Topics: No on Proposition 8, Wordless Wednesday

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From the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) website: 2005: 59,000 participants and 9,769 winners 2006: 79,000 participants and 13,000 winners 2007: 101,510 participants and 15,333 winners A “winner” is one who actually completes the challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November. Not a great success rate. Last year, I gave serious consideration […]

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Carnival of Family Life

September 29, 2008

Education Marjorie presents Seeking Chemistry posted at Life Without School. Alex Smith presents How to Teach Kids Self Defense Without Teaching Them Martial Arts posted at TBO-Tech. Fiona Lohrenz presents After School Daycare Curriculum — What’s The Best Approach? posted at Child Care Only. Topics: Carnival of Family Life

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Sunday Stealing: The More About Me Me Me Meme

September 28, 2008

The folks at Sunday Stealing rip off a meme from another blogger each Sunday. They give full credit and a link back to that author’s site, of course — and invite everyone to play along. This week, the “More About Me Me Me” meme comes from Poppingbubbles’s Weblog. She lifted it from I Read Banned Books, […]

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Friday Fill-Ins: Volume 8

September 26, 2008

1. Wearing my favorite sweaters, enjoying the chilly nights and mornings, seeing all of the changing colors of the leaves, visiting the Pumpkin Patch, and playing the piano with the Stockton Symphonic Winds on October 7, 2008, are some of the things I’m most looking forward to in October. 2. Sometimes I watch reality television […]

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Wordless Wednesday

September 24, 2008

Topics: Wordless Wednesday

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Just One Word

September 23, 2008

Pat Ruppel at Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom is one of my favorite bloggers. Recently, she wrote Defining Words, discussing a theory about language, i.e., that one, single word can be used to describe a city, the dominant mindset of its citizens or … an individual. I have many writing tools to which I turn […]

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Carnival of Family Life: Welcoming Autumn Edition

September 22, 2008

Education Ken presents Smarter than Dad posted at Dad to Two. Fiona Lohrenz presents Daycare menus posted at Child Care Only. Family Cooking & Recipes Alex presents Mango Salsa Recipe Selection posted at Home Life Weekly. Alex has put together “a great selection of salsa dips which taste gorgeous on tortilla chips, chicken and fish” […]

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Sunday Stealing: All About Me Meme

September 21, 2008

Judd Corizan, from whom I acquired The Rising Blogger, operates Sunday Stealing. Each Sunday, they rip off a meme from another blogger — giving full credit and a link back to that author’s site, of course — and invite everyone to play along. This week, the “All About Me” meme comes from Alex at Someday Syndrome. All About Me […]

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Photo Hunt: Road

September 19, 2008

Topics: Photo Hunt

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An Exercise for Writers: The Meme About Blogging

September 16, 2008

Judd Corizan, from whom I acquired The Rising Blogger, recently launched Sunday Stealing. Each Sunday, he rips off a meme from another blogger — giving full credit and a link back to that author’s site, of course — and invite everyone to play along. This week, Judd, et al. ripped off The Meme About Blogging from […]

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Carnival of Family Life

September 15, 2008

Welcome to the Carnival of Family Life! Sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the wonderful posts included in this end-of-summer edition. There’s a chill in the air in the mornings and evenings — the Delta breezes are bringing relief from the still-hot, sunny California afternoons. But autumn is definitely on its way … and […]

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Remembering 9/11

September 11, 2008

That’s what Alan Jackson asked us in song shortly after September 11, 2001.

Each year, the anniversary brings back the memories, images and sense of being unable to awaken from a horrifying nightmare.

For us Baby Boomers, there have been a lot of moments during our lives which cause us to periodically query each other about our memories and perceptions of world-altering events. Where were you when …

John F. Kennedy was assassinated?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated?
Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated?
Neil Armstrong walked on the moon?
Nixon resigned?
John Lennon died?
Ronald Reagan was shot?
the space shuttle exploded?
the 1989 quake hit?

“Where were you when the first plane hit?” Note that no one ever asks quizzically, “What plane?”

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Genre-Jumping: It’s Not for Every Writer

September 8, 2008

A writing exercise makes its way through the blogosphere periodically: “Pick a book of fiction you’d never read (e.g., if you read sci-fi, pick a romance). Open to a random page and read the last couple paragraphs of the page. DO NOT TURN THE PAGE. Now continue writing the story. Feel free to change the […]

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Carnival of Family Life

September 8, 2008

Welcome to the Carnival of Family Life — Harvest Edition! This is a very special time of year here in “Livable, Lovable Lodi” that, as a child, I always looked forward to with great anticipation and excitement. This coming Thursday through Sunday is the annual Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair! For the past 74 […]

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Sunday Stealing: Have you ever … Meme

September 7, 2008

Judd Corizan, from whom I acquired The Rising Blogger, recently launched a new site, Sunday Stealing. Each Sunday, they rip off a meme from another blogger — giving full credit and a link back to that author’s site, of course — and invite everyone to play along. This week, the “Have You Ever … ” meme […]

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Aloha Friday Edition No. 12

September 5, 2008

My pal Kailani at An Island Life hosts Aloha Friday, based upon a very popular term used in Hawaii when island residents take it easy and look forward to the upcoming weekend — kind of like T.G.I.F. Each Friday, Kailani posts a simple question or topic of conversation. Visitors leave a comment on Kailani’s site […]

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Sunday Stealing: Finish This Sentence Meme

September 4, 2008

Judd Corizan, founder of The Rising Blogger, the site I recently acquired, has launched a new site, Sunday Stealing. Each Sunday, they rip off a meme from another blogger — giving full credit and a link back to that author’s site, of course — and invite everyone to play along. This week they lifted the “Finish […]

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Signs of the Times

September 1, 2008

~~ One of the Top 5 Picks of the September 5, 2008, WOOF Contest Contestants ~~ I saw it coming, but made up my mind I would hold out until BigBob said something. And then, a few weeks ago, he asked the question: “Is there really any point in continuing to subscribe to the newspaper?” […]

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Have You Been Barack Roll’d Yet?

September 1, 2008

I heard about Rick Rolling from … who else? My kids! Mattie-Boo Rick Roll’d me one night a few months ago and then rolled on the floor himself in a combined fit of hysterical giggling mixed with revulsion when he realized that not only did I remember “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, […]

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Carnival of Family Life

September 1, 2008

Family Cooking and Recipes Anna presents 7 Simple Steps to a Fabulously Frugal Tomato Cream Sauce posted at On a Quest To Be Debt Free. Family Pets Matt M presents Keep a First-Aid Kit posted at The Pet Haven. Topics: Carnival of Family Life

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