"As I burn another page
As I turn the other way
I will try to find my place
In the diary of Jane"
Breaking Benjamin "The Diary of Jane

Dangit!! Can't you people leave me alone with your analyses!!! How about a post that says "Wow, sounds like a dude just tore up a diary and burned it". HA!!!

In my best surfer girl voice, "That dude is seriously disturbed. He's like burning the diary of the girl he can't have...Whatever."

Happy?

 

"As I burn another page
As I turn the other way
I will try to find my place
In the diary of Jane"
Breaking Benjamin "The Diary of Jane

This quote says so many things to me. I see a story. Is it someone reading Jane's diary wanting somehow to be a part of it? Her mom? Her sister? Her stalker? I guess I have a CSI, L&O kind of mind.

Or is Jane referring to herself in the third person? Wishing her life was as exciting as reads on the page or less.
Is she the quiet girl with the feelings that explode on the page? Or is she the goth thinking dark thoughts about herself? A cheerleader who wishes to be more than pretty?

Did someone find Jane's diary from long ago? A family heirloom and they see insight and wisdom? "Find my place" may be a way of saying that the diarist speaks to the writer. There's a thought. Hallmark had a TV movie out about 10 years ago called "The Letters." It starred Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The story was about a couple who exchanged letters through a desk they both owned. She lived in Civil War Era Boston and he lived in modern day Boston. The story was about love and finding your place in the world.

"As I burn another page, As I turn the other way," is an clear image. It's almost rageful ( is that a word?). It indicates some kind of immediate response. I can see interpreting this as another day done, but I also can see the literal picture. Someone tearing up pages of diary, burning the paper and feeling regret. It's why the Law and Order image came to mind.

Great prompt. It may have sparked something.

 

Prompt: What would you do if you were snowed in? How would you spend the day?

Snowed in? Really? Well in coastal Carolina it happens once every blue moon. The last time was the winter after Hurricane Hugo. I wonder if anyone mentioned that fact the Houstonians or Galvonstonites? Hmm....

Anyway, the first bit of information I need is how much snow is it? Of course the hint of flakes here makes the weather forecasters giddy and cameras scrambling. So snowed in could mean 2-3 inches and temps of 28-30 degree F or just below freezing. Stop laughing you Northerners and Canadians. I know. I know. I grew up in the North too. I moved South so I wouldn't need to deal with snow.

The next bit of information I need is am I working? If I am not, life is good. I will surf the net or watch TV if the power is okay. If not (and I suspect it wouldn't be) I would throw a log in the fireplace and hope I can start it without blowing the place up. Afterward, I would take picture of my dog playing in his first snow. The snow won't last long here. The ground is too warm. It will be gone before the day is out and the the real fun begins. Flood Watches and SUV surfing are Low Country sports. That's a different rant.

If I'm working, then all bets are off. High anxiety and emergency mode will kick in. Listening to the news on the radio, (because the power wil be out) I will find the bridges are icy and closed. Only emergency vehicles will be allowed. That will be me. Emergency personal for the hospital. The problem is how to get there. I have an SUV, but driving the icy bridges is not something to be taken lightly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiderman/29078224/

There will be several anxious phone calls to and from work about when I can get there, what the bridges look like and what the cities are doing about the ice and snow. Finally, it will get down to "Get here when you get here and be safe."

Oh look! My neighbor who has garage/junkyard in his backyard, is attaching a snowplow to his truck.

"Hey Lani! Look what I found last year at the city sale. I goin' to make some money. Need a ride to work?"

That will be my luck.

p.s.Where is dear hubby? On a road trip. Almost every major weather emergency, he has been AWOL. Not his fault but irritating anyway
 

December 15
Prompt: Write here, write there. Blog there, blog here. Spot there, spot here.

I have to say, like ShellySunshine I think earlybird is nuts. It took me a while to figure out what he wanted. I posted a comment, but to blog about blogging? I know just enough to be dangerous or rather to put my foot in my mouth. I do try to keep my feet clean so when the occasion arises...nevermind.

I started my blog partly to vents some frustrations and partly to learn to write better. I have some stories to tell and I want to learn to tell them well. What I've found is that my frustrations are not unique and not that interesting. I didn't want my blog to turn into a whine fest or a "As the Stomach Turns." I floundered.

So I took some friendly advice and started reading. I found Dave Lane / Lane Diamond when he reviewed a story for me. His specialty is grammar and honest opinions. I hear his imagined voice in my head when I see any cringe worthy grammar errors in the blog. This is not a bad thing. I find my entries less painful than they were, grammar-wise. (Okay, Dave stop shaking your head. I will see the errors in a day or two)

The last election was rough. When I couldn't stomach the far swings from the Right or Left in the media, Carolina Blue was there with a balanced and rational take on the situation. Ken has a second blog dedicated just to politics, but he just started it. I will be interested to read his views on the new administration.

inhercat was the first person to comment on my blog and to make me feel welcome in blogville. I love reading her stuff, because she is interesting and interested.

I was surfing the "more blogs" prompt when I found topsey. His take on his life is funny. Steve is an English Dave Barry. However, he is not for the easily offended. The over 18 rating is real.

One outside blog I enjoy is Susan Kaye's " I HAD TO LAUGH." http://www.xanga.com/susankaye . She blogs about her life, her writing and post stories. She writes fanfic using Jane Austen characters. She has published two books. Susan blog is just fun. And of course I have to plug http://waiterrant.net/ . I did an entry about the site, "Waiter Rant the holy grail of blogs" . His blog is also not for the easily offended.

I floundered, but I am finding my feet. Writing everyday is a challenge and it does stretch me. This 31 day Challenge has energized my blogging but also my other writings. I have re-edited some older works and written a couple of newer ones. I used to wonder at some blogs that I have followed. Why the authors didn't post everyday or at least every other. I never realized how much work it takes.

On more thing, Earl. You're not nuts. I am for taking up the challenge. So Thanks.


 

December 14 prompt: "It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand." Indian proverb

This sounds like Teddy Roosevelt's famous line: "Walk softly and carry a big stick. Either way it is about letting actions speak for you rather than words. Since it's an American Indian proverb, I wonder if he adapted it for his personality. TR spent some of his youth out in the American West. the Badlands of the Dakotas to be precise.

Oh damn! Is that the right time? It's 2:00a.m.! And since I got up for work yesterday at 4:00a.m., its been a helluva long day.

I wanted to talked about how TR was a thunderous personality and his second wife was the lightning in the relationship. That he was the big (physically & emotionally) loud politician, but she was bright and sharp.
There is that famous story of TR coming into the house with yet another cut and bleeding from doing repair work around the estate. Mrs. Edith Roosevelt calmly said," Theodore, I do wish you would do your bleeding in the bathroom. You're spoiling every rug in the house." And the assignation attempt on TR. He was shot but went on to give a speech and then went to the hospital. When Mrs R got the word that he wasn't listening to his doctors, she grabbed the first train she could. "I am the only one who can manage him and make him obey doctors' orders," she declared.

So at 2:00a.m. the mind does weird things. I suppose the point is that there are people who are thunder and people who are lightning. TR was an effective politician from what I've read. It's hard to have a successful career though if your personal life is a mess. (Just ask some our more recent pols with their sex scandals) His wife Edith though seems to have been the "lightning" in his life that made his "thunder" effective.


Okay, folks it 9:12a.m. and reading this, I dunno. I guess I am posting it, because that's all I got.


 

December 13 prompt "don't mistake changing
headlines for changes"
d.a. levy

"Low Income Integrated Housing - A Bold Step for our City"

"Stupid bastards!" I muttered to myself as I crumpled the faded 1970's newspaper. Just more trash to throw away on moving day. I wasn't worried that my parents would hear me curse. My mom was on the phone trying find us a place to live and my dad renting a truck. The headline was six years old and it was as long as we had lived in the Projects. I don't remember the real name of the place. It was always the Projects.

Like most government programs, the Projects started out with high ideals. The execution was the problem. It was to be a place for moderate to low income families of all races. They could live together, get a better understanding of each other and racism would be overcome. As the upwardly mobile whites and blacks moved on, a new kind of tenant moved in. The drug dealers, the whores, and the gangs found the Projects a perfect setting. The Projects became the ghetto. I watched this happen as a child from ages six to eleven. I went from a lot of friends to a few friends to "I'm afraid to play outside Mom."

The reason we were there so long was my father had a serious illness at the time we moved in and was out work for months. It took years to recover physically and financially. What drove us out was racism. Our apartment was egged many times during the last weeks we live in the Projects. Then broken bottles appeared at our doorstep. My father feared for our safety and felt being homeless was better than staying. We stayed with family and friends for two weeks before my parents found a house we could afford.

As to headlines, they're just paper and hot air. Real change cannot be thrust upon the human heart. Politicians and newscasters would do well to remember that.




 

Prompt: A global natural disaster has struck and trapped you inside one of the largest public libraries in the world. In order to survive you must burn as many books as you can to keep warm until rescue can come and get you. However, as these may be the last salvageable copies left in the world, you feel the need to save some of them.

What three books do you save from the fires and why?



The three books I would save for a global disaster

The Bible. It goes without saying. I am a Christian. I would want the Word of God to be able to connect with Him. But I want the Bible for other reasons as well. It’s great literature. There is poetry in Psalms and the Song of Solomon. For pure soap drama, it’s hard to beat King David and his stories. Infidelity in the story with Bathsheba and palace coup in the story with his son Absalom makes the Young and the Restless look tame. There is action and adventure in Judges and Kings. The fantastical makes an appearance in Jonah and Exodus. The romance stories in the books of Ruth and Queen Esther are not typical, but they are beautiful. Self-help and common (or uncommon these days) sense are found in Proverbs. And of course the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ is found in the New Testament and beyond.

A Survival Guide of some kind. A global disaster could mean anything. I am an urbanite born and bred. Roughing it to me means, the Turtle Bay Hilton is out of chocolate covered mac nuts. I would need step by step instructions.

The last book is the hardest. As a sci-fi nut I would pick I Robot by Asimov for entertainment. But as someone who loves literature, the complete works of Jane Austen comes to mind. She understands human nature. She would represent us well, the good and the bad. And I could read her books everyday and learn something new. As a poet, e.e. cummings? Emily Dickinson? Poe? Frost?

Enough! Time is running out! Choose!

I choose The Complete Works of W. Shakespeare
He understood human nature as well. And his work is the basis of many other great authors' works. Jane Austen’s most beloved novel Pride and Prejudice seems a type of “Much Ado about Nothing.” Darcy and Elizabeth in P&P seem like pale copies of Benedict and Beatrice. This is of course a simplification. (Please don’t beat me Austenites.)
Shakespeare based some of his plays on folk tales with universal themes. His poetry is also beautiful and timeless. It would take a lifetime to know. It would be something to enjoy during the downtime of survival.

That being said, I would burn all non-essentials first. Copy and fax machine paper, files would be the first to be burned. I would even consider some older furniture. Once the books are gone, knowledge is lost

 

" When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. - Mark Twain.

Very interesting prompt. Twain is talking of imagination. When I was very little, I conversed with giants and fairies, elves and trolls, aliens and monsters without difficulty. I could sit down with a piece of paper and draw my adventures. Acting out the parts aloud, I must have bewildered my more matter-of-fact parents.

One day I "saw" a rainbow of colors in my room. I had to share these colors with someone and dragged my mother to my room. She was not amused and less so when she could not figure out what I was talking about. After she left, I found the colors again. There was a shaft of sun light coming through a fish tank breaking into a prism.

After I started school, I realized not everyone thinks as I do. As I grew older, grades, peer pressure, expectations and trying to be normal all seem to work to kill imagination. Now that I've hit real middle age, expectations, conventional thinking, don't seem to have the hold that they once did. Normal is overrated anyway. I think that is why I have started writing again. I have always kept a journal of some sort. But I have never had consistent output or put my writing to the test.

I wonder how old Twain was when he made that quote. I can now remember everything whether it happened or not.



 

December 8th prompt: What is my greatest frustration and how do I handle it?

You mean besides not being able to write the Greatest American Novel in my free time? My greatest frustration is dealing with my Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. It is the root of my other problems, issues and frustrations. It's why you'll never be invited spontaneously to my home. I have to make sure I hide the stacks of dirty clothes or vacuum dusty bunnies the size of real bunnies. ADD is why I can't stick to a diet or exercise plan. They're boring and there is always something else more interesting to do. Why I am never on time. I'm not rude but WDC sometimes is more interesting than remembering to get ready for appointments

For the record ADD/ADHD is usually the result of neurobiological differences in the parts of the brain associated with attention, impulsive control, and the “executive functions” – higher-order, self-controlling cognitive functions that guide an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and actions.

It would be semi okay if I looked the part, but I do not. I am not Chatty Kathy or Wandering Wilma. I am the quiet space cadet in the back of the class room. I used blurt out wrong answer because I was daydreaming. I got the report cards that said, "Not applying herself to the class." or "Tries hard but needs to pay better attention." Even now in meetings at work, I take notes to help me pay attention. I don't recommend this strategy though, as I have been elected as committee secretary twice.

I was tested and the doctor called it "executive function dysfunction." Even my ADD in not quite normal. Right now am trying different ADD meds to find something that helps.

What I find the most frustrating is that feeling of I am not normal or not good enough. That no matter what I achieve it will never be enough. I will alway be on the outside looking in. What I have realized finally is that almost everyone feels like that - on the outside looking in. If everyone feels that way, then there is no outside. Everyone is together. We are all God's children. I am as He made me and He loves as I am. Feelings don't change that.

P.S. Repeat that 6 x day til its true in my mind
Yes this is me handling it.

 

Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. Jack Benny

When I'm 64
by the Beatles


When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now.
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.

If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door.
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four.

You'll be older too,
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you......



This has been a hard entry for me to write. Its easy to say that with a good attitude anything is possible. That thinking young will keep you young. I think a good attitude is probably 50%. Staying young or at least feeling young also depend on diet, exercise, family and spiritual habits. I would also submit that a little luck and good genes probably don't hurt. Good vibrations and happy thoughts won't keep strokes or heart attacks from happening. A peaceful home life and strong faith decrease stress that tear on the body. Healthy eating habits and exercise protect the body against aging. They also contribute to the good attitude so its a win/win.

Why am I sitting here?