%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  Daily Doings |
|
This begins on April 11, 2005. I have no idea what is going to happen. Today is June 28, and I still don't know what is happening here. It's a combination of personal and not-so-personal. Some say I just put it all out there. Others comment that it is LOL. Read and hopefully enjoy! Thanks to Writerchic for the Awardicon on WDC's 5th Birthday. |
| Finally, we have cooler weather! I got the strangest review from a "newbie". Here is what is said to the best of my recollection, and my recollection is usually pretty good: "Would you please send me your interpretation of this poem? I think it might help me to evaluate it." That's a first for me. I did send it, but he never got back to me. I wonder why?  For those of you who like humor and like to write humor melodyofmusic is starting up a contest. If you want to help her get it started, or want to be a judge, or want to write for it, whatever, just contact her. It will be called "ROFWL". At least that was the last title I heard about. What can we do about people who run through ports marking everying a 1.5? Anything? I had an email from a member yelling "help! It's happening right now" and I didn't know what to tell her to do. This seems to me to be a growing problem. Anyone else having this trouble? Does The Story Master know about this? There probably is nothing he can do either. From my review-to-views poll, I'm learning most of us have ratios of 1 to 50; the average seems about 1 to 25. Now, how do we figure out why people don't review what they see. I have to admit, I do it too. I review more often than not. I've been keeping track. A few of you wrote that you keep track of your stats on an Excel sheet, which is a great idea. I'm obviously (to me) skirting around Katrina, and all that has happened this week. To say that it is catastrophic is almost an understatement. Tragic, unbelievable, horrible, all those words that have been used all week by all those anchor men and women who have to fill up 24 hours of talk about nothing else. I have no hear one word about Iraq since Katrina hit; I have to go to the blogs, and the foreign newspapers. It seems the entire world is awe-struck. I want to see how Bush gets out of this government bungle. I can't go on about it. My blood pressure goes up, and the tears start. Did you know there are only two cities in the World that are built below sea level? Yep. New Orleans and Amsterdam. It seems Amsterdam keeps their levees repaired, but then how many hurricanes have hit there? I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend and that you all keep writing well. May the Muse be with you!  Sara |
| It's only 2:12 in the afternoon, and this has been one of the most insane days I have ever spent. I had to run a few errands this morning, and everwhere I went people were talking about the refugees, how could this happen, yadda yadda yadda. Then, I have been having a running disagreement with my phone company (you know who is going to win) because I have to pay $6 and change more than the woman next door to me. WHy? Well, after I got through talking to them I was exhausted, when one of my neighbors fell down and hit her head right in front of my window and I had to go see how badly she was hurt, etc. As it turns out she was unconscious, so I called 911 and they came. God bless those Medics. They are really efficient and awesome! Last night a friend of mine and I went up to Jacksonville late and helped the Red Cross pack trucks for New Orleans. We got back about 3:00 and will go up again tonight and tomorrow if they still need help. We felt sad, but we felt as though we did what we could. We keep saying prayers. I've got two poems going, which I'll probably post this weekend and am still working on the novel. I don't do a thousand words a day always, since I have to argue with the phone company, pack supplies for refugees, things like that...but I'm okay. I want to enter a lot more contests. I don't know why this seems like such a new season to me See, I'm telling you, I'm in my own bubble. It's glass. The glass changes colors with my aura. If I really concentrate I can make it stained glass, and then no one can see me in my bubble. Everyone should have one. I have to take it off to go to the store, however, I get very odd comments about pretending to be an astronaut. or wearing a Halloween costume. O, one other thing: this morning I fixed it so I can be invisible. It's so something I've been wanting to do. Ciao |
| I think most of you are beginning to cool down up north, and at times can feel autumn in the air. We are still having high humidity and it is a Southern summer. I think we are all painfully aware of the catastrophe that hit the Gulfport, and the problems that are going on and will go on for a long time here. The Gulf of Mexico is a major source of oil; the Mississippi River a major shipping river; the final figures on the dead and homeless are not in yet. Please, everyone, do all you can, even if it is only one single prayer. This is one I can't stop watching, but I can't watch either, at least without getting upset. Enough said. It's WDC's 5th birthday. I know some of you have been here 4 years, but I wonder if anyone has been here 5 years. I've been here one, and it has gone by very quickly. As with many, I'm pretty addicted to Writing.com. I don't think I've ever gone a day without at least checking my email. I feel I have many friends on this site, and I am glad it's here. I also think The Story Mistress did a good job on the decorations. All of the newsletters came out today too, so everyone should have plenty to do for a while. And many of you are going back to school. Autumn is truly my favorite time of year, and November my favorite money. In Florida May is great. It's still cold up North, and just warm enough here to get a tan. For some reason I feel like it is New Year's Day. I think Katrina's effect, WDC's birthday, and a couple of things that have happened in my life recently all go to point me toward a healthy and happy future. Writing is hard work, but I am determined. Most days I make 1,000 words a day on my "novel" but I did lose a couple of days over Katrina. I wonder if Stephen King lost his 2,000 words per day when there were national or international catastrophes. Now that I have Adobe Photoshop, I have to learn it. I know some of you are very adept at it, for you make beautiful sigs and C-notes. My friend will teach me, and little by little I will learn, I'm sure. I did with the computer, so I probably will with Photoshop. Do you realize that there was a day not so long ago when we had no cell phones, no computers, no remote controls, no microwaves, etc. How did we ever get through the day? OOps...thunder in the distance. Gotta unplug. |
| I for one am sick of summer, and I live in Florida so we have a ways to go here. I'm sick of the heat, the humidity, the bugs, the rain, the hurricanes which are starting to take over; I'm tired of looking at wilted flowers, eating produce that is soggy from too wet growing conditions; even the peaches were bad this year. This has definitely been the summer of my discontent, made glorious winter by the snow of North (I hope). Now that that's over, I had a great WDC birthday yesterday.That you everyone for your wishes and c-Notes and emails. I realize I asked for all this by proclaiming my 1 year on my "handle", but to tell you the truth there were times I didn't think I was going to make a year. I'd get upset with my writing and decide I wasn't meant to be a writer, since I didn't follow that calling from day one. Then I'd get upset at some petty rumor going around the site, which I am not glad I heard, since I have learned to ignore the negativity of others. I am so glad I am a member of Writing.com. The people I've met here are like no others, the spirit of community is wonderful, the activites are endless, and it's just a good place to be to improve as a writer and as a person. Thank all of you for being here! I am taking the next week and working on my writing. That is all I'm going to do. No long phone calls, no five-course meals, no nothing. The pages of this so-called book I'm trying to write got all botched in the computer, so now that I have Word back I'll have to recopy it all into Word. Luckily I'm a fairly good typist. Also, I think that will re-immerse me in the work itself. You will be barraged with requests for reviews. Just warning you. Oh, and I'm also going to learn to make c-Notes and Sigs on my new Adobe Photo Shop. I have a book "Teach yourself Adobe Photo Shop in 14 Days." Now I find this somewhat difficult to believe since everyone says it takes years and people go to school for course upon course to learn it, but maybe my learning curve will allow me to be an exception. And so the last weekend in August is upon us. Whew. Long summer, for me. I hope some of you had an easier time of it. Is everything subjective? Kierkegaard thought so. I saw this very unpleasant looking woman on television talking about stem cell research, and cloning, etc., and the interviewer (Charlie Rose, I think) said well, what about people who are strongly pro-life and want it natural and not in a test tube, and she started raising her voice (otherwise known as yelling) saying "Well, you can't disbelieve science!!!" I was thinking of taking a baseball bat and hiting the TV but thought better of it. If we relied solely on science we'd still believe the earth is flat, wouldn't we? And the physicians, who are such bastions of science, make mistakes to the tune of 100,000 lives per year. Am I supposed to believe in this? I've gone herbal since I heard that statistic. Life is getting very complicated. Those of you who have teenagers -- do they think the world is complicated and dangerous, or is it just us old foggies, 40 and better, who remember the simplicity of old. Of course 40 years ago I didn't need doctors, we had VietNam and Watergate in there, as well as Haight-Ashbury...Hummmm....I need to think this through more. If you need me I'll be pondering. Ciao |
| Yes, one dear ago today I joined Writing.com. I had written since I was old enough to hold a pencil, and was rarely interested in anything not pertaining to the arts. I wrote plays, poems and stories. Then for some reason, I took a long hiatus from this although I did do some painting. The after losing a husband, a dog, a house, a car, blah blah blah, I went into a depression that kept me own for a while. A few friends suggested I get a computer, they were getting cheaper, etc. I did. Took me 6 months to find Writing.com, but once I did I sure returned to my old self, only with a great deal more enthusiasm. Now I feel at home here, that I've met and made many friends here, and that I can comfortably do what I can to contribute to the community and at the same time improve my writing! What more can I ask? It's a great place to be! One year later, and I can say, yeah, I'm happy here. So many have been so nice to me and so giving. I only hope that the longer I'm a member the more I will learn, and the more I can help others. AL   sent me a C-Note for my WDC birthday, and truly Al is one of those people who an angel to me when I was trying to find my way around this site. Then I learned that usually if you ask, you'll find an answer. I feel as though I am ten years younger! Too bad I don't look it .Meanwhile, Florida, or at least certain parts of it, are having or did have or will have a hurricane. Miami is under water and fallen trees, etc., and I think it's in the Gulf now. If it hits close to Panama City, then we'll get the outer bands. This is always very unnerving. I don't blame Mother Nature for being a bit upself with humans however. There was an earthquake in Georgia that went all the way to North Carolina. No one is safe. I just mainly want to take this First Birthday opportunity to thank all of you for being here and for making Writing.com the wonderful community that it is! May the Muse stay with each and every one of us! |
| Yesterday, I purposefully set aside everything in order to write and work on submissions and my book. Knock, knock...I didn't answer it. Pretty soon, I hear my name being called from the back door. I can be seen easily if I am at the computer and someone is at the back door. So, I was caught. While visitor #1 was here, visitor #2 came in. When all was said and done, it was 4:00. I went to sleep, woke up and wrote nothing, answered e-mails, ate, went to sleep. This morning: ahh, a new day! Same scenario planned. First, I was going through my living room to get to my kitchen and tripped on a rug, fell to the floor, spilled a glass of water and slightly, ever so slightlly, hurt my knee. I got up. Ring, ring. "Can you take me to the doctor at 10:30?" a neighbor asks. What can I say? "No, take yourself. I'm busy." "Of course," I said rubbing my knee. I'm a Yankee. Moved to Florida (I'll try not to go into my opinion of Florida or the South). I lived in Yankeedom many years. I do not recall people ever (a) dropping in without calling; (b) calling asking to be taken somewhere unless it was an emergency. Emergencies I forgove everything and do what I can. A doctor's appointment is not an emergency. She knew about this yesterday. Why at 8:30 in the morning... Am I being a selfish, unsociable psychopath? Be honest. |
This is a brief entry to let everyone know that there is a great contest about Barbie dolls, made be Matel. I want to encourage everyone to enter!
Thanks. See ya' later! |
| First, I'll explain the title. Yesterday a friend brought over a friend of hers. She had told him how into the computer I am. He brought with him Adobe Photoshop 7.0, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop Bible (teaches you how to teach yourself Photoshop instead of paying hundreds of dollars for classes), Windows XP Professional (I had Windows XP before), and a couple of others I am not sure of. I think they are games of some sort. I also got his phone number in case I get into a mess. That's way over $1000 worth of software for free. I really felt like it was Christmas! Some of us are into the computer more than others. Now I can learn to make sigs, and other things. I'm going to make a strict schedule. X number of hours on my writing, and if and only if that is done, x number of hours on Adobe. Do I have this kind of discipline? We'll see. I will keep you informed as to my progress. I also just put up a poll about the ratio of views to reviews. So I've two polls up now: the one about friends, and one about views and reviews. When I've a hundred or so responses, I'll do an article on both subjects. I find this fascinating. This fascination began when I read articles by Verm . These articles contain advice on what to do and what not to do to attract reviewers into your port and have them review. Good articles, if you're interested.Also, while I'm recommending, the Short Stories Newsletter this month is by Mavis Moog. She wrote about the subject of what makes a good plot. I thought this an especially good newsletter. I highly endorse it's usefulness. It's full of good information. Things are slowing down here a little bit for vacations. It seems like a lot of folks are going somewhere else in these last weeks of August. I'd love to go to Alaska, or Iceland, but can't afford it. I van't afford all the new software I've got either, but I can learn how to work it. And that is just what I shall do. I ordered "Adobe Photo Shop for Dummies" from Amazon this morning, which is what my benefactor advices me to do. So, this happy camper shall be moving along for today; it's already after 11:00, I got up at 6:30, and now I can get to my writing. I had a couple of letters to write. Time reminds me of a smoke ring. At first it seems perfect, no problem, and then very soon it becomes misshapen and slowly disappears. |
| I was just wandering around the site a little bit, and I came across a poll having to do with why you view a piece and then not review it. What turns you off? Then I got to wondering, what is the average amount of "views" to "reviews"? I'm wondering if any of you are interested in the statistics on these questions. If so, leave a comment, please. I just may add another poll to my portfolio to see what I can find out. I've had such a nice and easy day and got do much done that I'm just coasting along here this evening seeing what I can find to tweek my interest a little bit, and then I think I'll do a couple of character sketches, and read awhile. Guess what I got in the mail today? A Writing.com mouse pad! AL and I had a bet and she insisted that she did not lose fairly, and she sent me the mouse pad. I must say this: This is the best mouse pad I have ever seen. It is thick, very stationary -- it won't slide around, it is attractive with the Writing.com logo, and my mouse seems very happy. I had a Dell mouse pad before, and it was a little flimsey and I think the mouse felt like he might fall any minute. But really, I know mice are on the way out in favor of fingers and those pointers the pros use on the new palms, but some of us are still plugging along with the mouse and the mouse pad. I just thought I'd put in a good word for Writing.com's. It is really fine! I should do a product review for them. Hummm...I'll go check on that.One other thing I want to mention so I don't forget about it is these contests that offer money as a prize; the catch is usually that usually you have to pay an readers' fee (any place between $5 and $15), and you lose first serial rights if you win. Are these contests on the up and up or are they a scam, like Poetry.com? Does anyone know or have any information on this at all? I am a member of Going Pro! and I think I'll put a note on the message board there; they might know. I think they would know more than I do at this point, since I know nothing except that I see these ads all over for contests. This has been a somewhat disasterous day in the news -- plane crashes and a chopper shot down in Afghanistan with all Italian men killed. Those realities are out there. Bless Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas. She is an example of one person who is making a difference. There will be candlelight vigils for her in almost every town across America tomorrow night. WOW. Peace. |
| WOW! A lot of you responded to my poll, and comments to me, and all sorts of things. I got an email from one member who said he/she had been a member of Writing.com for four years, and had never talked to anyone from WDC on the phone or in person. The poll itself, which is in my portfolio, shows that most think "friends are friends". That is as of the last time I looked. Somehow that makes me feel happy. I don't want to intellectually examine why; it's just a nice feeling. I learned something today. I was bidding in an RAOK raffle, and it was about 15 minutes until the raffle closed, and I sat by my PC waiting for someone to come in and outbid me, and then it was finally over, and I checked and two people had out bid me on two items two minutes before the closing time and it did not show up on my computer. I was amazed. But I did learn that you gotta be on your toes around here. I did not show that further bids would not show up on my computer unless I kept changing pages. I figure I helped run up the GPs for RAOK, and that was a good thing! 99 degrees again today, and I had to go out in it! My eyes stung with the perspiration running down my brow. My semi-long hair was wet. I was not pleasant. But I finally got cooled down, and now all is well. I'd written a poem for a contest, and of course it's in my portfolio, and it got its first review while I was out (or waiting faithfully by the raffle page) and the reviewer was awe-struck. It was reallly a true rave review, and that made me feel good too. I wonder why these kinds of currents can't enter my atmosphere, or "field" as the physicists say, on a daily basis. Or maybe they do and I am not in tune with them. I am very reactive to the voices of others, to the words of others, to the news, to "events" that come into my life in other words. We all have this. Some people react seemingly the same in any situation. I startle at the least little thing, not from fear, just from being interrupted from whatever it is that I am doing. Everything that grows here is either in full bloom, or a lush, plush verdant green. The lawns are full, and beautiful. The flowers seem bigger and brighter than usual, most likely from all the rain we've hand on an almost daily basis, usually in the early evening. The Old South must have been all the things that the lore tells: ladies sipping tea on plantation porches in the heat of the afternoon; both women and men dressing to the nines, or at least the sevens or eights for dinner; I wonder when flip flops came in, and thong bikinis. Where will (hu)man evolve to next? Many speculate, and no one knows. Gotta go. I'm making dinner for three friends, and I have to get started. Think about the difference, if there is any, between email friends and in-person friends, and try to verbalize it. Some day I will tell you how this question came up. All I know is, I don't want to give up either one. I bet you don't either. See ya' later! |
 Log in to Leave Feedback |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
