Words Are The Best, Aren’t They?

March 18, 2014May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 25 Comments

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ~ John 1:1, The Bible (KJV)

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This morning is the first one since we changed our clocks that I’ve gotten up at 6:00 a.m. without a struggle. Feeling more springy, I am, I am. That would be the good news.

On the other hand, even though I’m sitting here typing my heart out at my usual writing time, my mind is a complete blank when it comes to tales to tell. That would be the bad news.

So I thought that instead of a story I’d share with you three items that I discovered while surfing the ‘net. We’re all wordy people here, so I’m sure that you’ll get a kick out of the following fast and fun links.

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1. HERE is a “List Challenge” which is fast, fun and has cool sounds when you click on the books.

“The BBC believes that most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books below. How many have you read?”

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2. HERE is the “Are You a True Fashionista?” quiz which is fast, fun and more difficult than you might imagine.

“Test your style smarts by seeing how many fashion terms you know.”

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3. HERE is “Grammar Madness” on Twitter which looks like it will be fast, fun and worth watching throughout the rest of March.

This is the “battle to determine the most MADDENING writing error.”

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A Book Chat [Sort Of] About The Three Books That I’m Reading [Kind Of] This Month

February 25, 2014August 29, 2018 / Ally Bean / 12 Comments

[This month I’ve read three books. Well, to be more accurate– I’ve been browsing through, glancing at, skimming across three books. Because these books are not my usual fare of novels, histories, memoirs, I didn’t feel like I needed to read them in a linear way. Kind of fun to read like this, btw.]

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• For Christmas I received a copy of Giada’s Feel Good Food by Giada De Laurentiis. The book is mostly a cookbook with a few pages of personal details every so often. Over the weekend I sat down to read the personal parts of the book and found this quote on page 198: “I have curly hair, so I always brush it in the shower.”

This makes no sense to me. I’ve always been told to never brush my curly hair when it is wet. Yet here is Little Miss Accomplished & Gorgeous telling me to do this.

I’m confused. More than normal, that is. Why is she doing this?

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• A business acquaintance gave me a signed copy of Bring Your Superpowers To Work by Darcy Eikenberg, ACC. As some of you know, I have a love/hate relationship with self-help books. A few of them I’ve found to be useful, but most of them I find to be stating the obvious, poorly written and ultimately defeatist.

That being said, I love this book. Darcy is a life coach who knows how to write and provides practical ideas about how to become a better version of yourself. My favorite witticism of hers is on page 51: “affirm the squirm.” Meaning that if you’re intellectually uncomfortable with a new healthy behavior, then you’re growing a superpower & going in the right direction for you.

I’m still working on my Superpowers List; but when I complete it, I’ll be epic.

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• I’d forgotten all about Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg until I found a copy of it when I was reorganizing our home office after the new desk arrived. I decided that reading bits & pieces of this book, in no particular order, would be a great way for me to jumpstart my writing career.

To wit, the piece that I’m currently enamored of is on page 119 where she talks about making writing sweet: “… always associate learning with sweetness. It should be the same with writing. Right from the beginning, know that it is good and pleasant. Don’t battle with it. Make it your friend. “

Isn’t this a lovely thought? Who doesn’t need more friends?

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I’m Polar Vortexing Here

January 28, 2014January 28, 2014 / Ally Bean / 19 Comments

AS YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW… this part of the USA, the midwest, is experiencing arctic temperatures. Records are being broken. Schools are being closed. Furnaces are being taxed. Prayers are being said. Et cetera, et cetera.

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BECAUSE I’VE DECIDED TO STAY AT HOME DURING THIS WEATHER EVENT… I am now in charge of:

running water through all sink/shower/tub faucets so that the pipes don’t freeze;
opening and closing blinds/curtains to allow sunshine + warmth, when available, to come into the house; and
monitoring the thermostat, so that I can fret over the furnace’s every clink and whoosh and thunk as it continues to heat the house.

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NOW THAT I HAVE A BIT OF UNEXPECTED TIME ON MY HANDS… I’ve started reading three books:

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance, by Edmund de Waal. After inheriting from an uncle a collection of Japanese netsuke, the author researches his ancestors and their involvement with these objects. Fascinating.
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd, by Jim Fergus. Using a few pieces of real history, the author creates a novel about a white pioneer woman who, courtesy of the U. S. government, goes to live among the Cheyenne, with the express purpose of helping the Cheyenne assimilate into white culture. Compelling.
Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life, by Shauna Niequist. By examining the details of her days, the author writes a charming personal memoir filled with gentle guidance for living a better life. Uplifting.

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OF COURSE LIFE ISN’T JUST SERIOUS PURSUITS… which means that I’m playing Candy Crush Saga as often as the game will let me play. By using this cheat, I reigned victorious over a particularly difficult level 77 in Easter Bunny Hills, but now I’m unable to progress past level 80, waiting to complete my 3 quests so that I can move across the lake to level 81 and the next episode. Stuck in the game, stuck in the house. 😉

2 Movies, 2 Books & 1 Clever Backside Of A Truck

August 7, 2013May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 10 Comments

As part of my attempt to live a more balanced life in 2013, I have given myself the assignment to watch 2 movies and to read 2 books each month. Here is my July report minus 1 movie. Keep in mind that I get fidgety watching movies, so I consider it an accomplishment that I watched one movie during this hot month. Let’s just say that I owe you 1 movie and leave it at that.

2 Movies 1 Movie

Emma – Pretty + predictable. I chose this movie because in college I never read Emma by Jane Austen and because I knew that Clueless was based on it. Set in rural England in the early 1800s, Emma, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, is a single woman who lives with her widowed father. She believes herself to be a good matchmaker, but in reality she is not. Confusion ensues. For a costume drama this movie was well done– not too tedious, not too pompous. Recommended if you need a Jane Austen fix and there isn’t enough time in your life to read one of her books.

2 Books

The Witch of Little Italy – Charming + unique. This novel, written by Suzanne Palmieri, is a perfect summer read. A college-aged girl, Eleanor, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and decides to go live with her grandmother & great aunts in the family home in the Bronx. While living there, Eleanor uncovers and solves decades-old family mysteries as well as going through her own personal transformation. The writing is smooth, the characters are well-rounded and the plot is more-or-less believable. Recommended if you want a bit of mystery + a tad of magic.

The Book of Tea – In this book, first published in 1906, Kakuzo Okakura explains the history of tea in Japan and the proper way to make it. He also expounds upon tea as a metaphor for life. I enjoyed this short book [treatise?] enough to read it twice. Recommended if you like Asian history, tea and philosophy. [Free on Kindle]

1 Clever Backside Of A Truck

Am I the last person to understand what is going on with these REFLECTING QUALITY stickers that are on the backside of many 18-wheel trucks? [Example photo here.] It came to me as we were driving down the interstate in my small coupe directly behind one of these trucks.

I realized that I could see myself & Zen-Den reflected in the mirror-like finish on the back of the truck. And it occurred to me that we were the quality that was being reflected. That the sticker had nothing to do with the items within the truck, instead it was telling me something nice about us. I find this all very clever now that I understand it.