It was quite a day.
Learning much -- as fall said, "hey!"
Hallelujah! Yea!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
ITS is different than IT IS/IT'S!
Ugh! I've just made one my most cringing grammatical mistakes on my blog!
Forgive me. It is late. I am tired and writing fast.
In my earlier post ("ebay is pretty darn cool"), I wrote it's instead of its.
I only discovered my error once I read my blog after it was posted. It's baffling. I know that rule backwards and forwards. I find that when I write quickly, I sometimes make such mundane errors. It's like my furiously typing hands insist on going one direction until my brain says, "Wait a minute, back up, slow down." Once my brain takes over, I (usually) see my mistakes.
When I see such mistakes made publicly, first I get really annoyed, then I want to scream, and then I have the urge to march into the offender's place of business and explain to them their most objectionable error. Even offer to correct it.
The crux is, I still have a lot to learn about grammar. More specifically, I have a lot to retain.
When I began this blog, I decided not to spend too much time on each post. IE. not to treat each post like an article I would write for a newspaper or a magazine. Goodness, if I did that I wouldn't have time to complete many posts, and this process would become exactly opposite of what I created it to be. (Work for publication CAN take hours and hours and hours and hours of time) So thanks for overlooking grammatical errors, misplaced commas and modifiers, dangling participles and (gasp!) misspelled words. This blog is basically a place to free flow, to encourage inspiration, to practice diligence, to put myself out there. It is a place where imperfection is okay.
I've been blessed to learn from one of the best editors in the business. She is a diehard wordsmith, an enthusiastic mentor, an avid reader, a fabulous writer, a patient teacher and a dear friend.
Forgive me, Barbara, for my its/it's error.
I do know better :)
**Is diehard one word? :)
=================================================
Grammatically Correct Haiku
Lord, I pray tonight
for those who teach. May we learn,
and grow, share and sow.
Forgive me. It is late. I am tired and writing fast.
In my earlier post ("ebay is pretty darn cool"), I wrote it's instead of its.
I only discovered my error once I read my blog after it was posted. It's baffling. I know that rule backwards and forwards. I find that when I write quickly, I sometimes make such mundane errors. It's like my furiously typing hands insist on going one direction until my brain says, "Wait a minute, back up, slow down." Once my brain takes over, I (usually) see my mistakes.
When I see such mistakes made publicly, first I get really annoyed, then I want to scream, and then I have the urge to march into the offender's place of business and explain to them their most objectionable error. Even offer to correct it.
The crux is, I still have a lot to learn about grammar. More specifically, I have a lot to retain.
When I began this blog, I decided not to spend too much time on each post. IE. not to treat each post like an article I would write for a newspaper or a magazine. Goodness, if I did that I wouldn't have time to complete many posts, and this process would become exactly opposite of what I created it to be. (Work for publication CAN take hours and hours and hours and hours of time) So thanks for overlooking grammatical errors, misplaced commas and modifiers, dangling participles and (gasp!) misspelled words. This blog is basically a place to free flow, to encourage inspiration, to practice diligence, to put myself out there. It is a place where imperfection is okay.
I've been blessed to learn from one of the best editors in the business. She is a diehard wordsmith, an enthusiastic mentor, an avid reader, a fabulous writer, a patient teacher and a dear friend.
Forgive me, Barbara, for my its/it's error.
I do know better :)
**Is diehard one word? :)
=================================================
Grammatically Correct Haiku
Lord, I pray tonight
for those who teach. May we learn,
and grow, share and sow.
Ebay is pretty darn cool!
When I first discovered ebay a few years ago, I was living in New York and working as a freelance writer for Scripps Productions in Knoxville, TN. The online mega-marketplace was a great distraction for a TV writer with a nasty case of writer's block or boredom or temporary lack of focus and discipline -- two necessary elements (there are more!) for someone contracted to write on deadline for a major cable network. Scrapbooking ideas, anyone???? I have a few :)
I was intrigued with every aspect of the site which propelled its founder to riches a few times over. He was 31 years old. (That's another incredibly interesting story for another post perhaps.)
I think I first perused ebay looking for an obscure item, probably something vintage for my then husband, who spent hours of his free time searching for retro, truly one-of-a-kind pieces to add to his colorful wardrobe. I did not "get" his seeming obsession with this activity -- until I dove in myself.
Almost immediately, I was drawn in. I bought a set of antique, apple-shaped metal canisters -- something I really needed -- and then (it's bound to happen) discovered all the countless other treasures ebay has to offer. Like a fabulous hard plastic, canary yellow serving tray that spells out the letters D-I-P. It's a conversation piece both when each letter is filled with its own colorful tasty dip and in its usual state leaning atop my cabinets as an art piece. I love it and will probably keep it forever and envision my children fighting over it one day :)
Fast forward a few years --- when I bought a record for my music lovin' man who likes to hear jazz or soul or funk from the imperfect scratchy sounds of a good ole' heavy stereo -- the kind that plays 8 tracks and albums and takes up one entire wall in our living room. It's space well spent.
And then tonight, after Adventures in Banana Bread Making, I decided to see if I could possibly find the large mixing bowl that would make my vintage Sunbeam MixMaster the kitchen tool it was meant to be! The makeshift bowl I was using with my late great aunt's mixer just wasn't fitting the bill. Oh, I could make it work. It just requires constant moving of the bowl. None of this fancy $300 modern-day mixer that practically does the work for you. Oh no, I was hands-on! Moving the bowl around so that all the dry ingredients properly mixed with the wet. Because you know, baking is an exact science (I have found this to be an inaccurate statement -- but that's for another post)
So, while I was scraping down the sides of the bowl with one hand while moving the bowl around with the other, I had the notion: I bet I could find the actual bowl that fits in these little grooves so that my mixer would work properly and circle around on its own! ... just like it did when my sweet Aunt Mildred would make her quick breads and cookies and other goodies from her clean little kitchen in Johnson City, Tennessee, oh probably about 50 years ago.
I was determined to find that bowl!
My obvious first choice ... ebay! And what'ya know! I found not one but three that I'm fairly certain are the bowls! The most interesting thing about my discovery -- all three sellers are from Australia. The shipping cost and delivery time will probably be a little higher but for around $10 (including shipping) I can outfit my Sunbeam MixMaster 1000 :) and be most happy in my mixing moments for years to come.
I've always had an affinity for old things. For things that were used by others oft generations passed. Things that rev up my imagination. Things that sometimes require a little extra work but have oh so much more soul. Things that, though old and some may say "outdated," still do the job and don't take up space in a landfill when they still have so much more to give. (Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good piece of technology like anyone, (the typewriter vs. the computer, for instance. A handy-dandy dishwasher versus washing ev-er---ry thin----g by-----hand. It can get tedious and make your hands unnecessarily wrinkly!)
Thank you, Aunt Mildred for leaving behind your trusty mixer AND it's charming plastic cover pictured with an industrious red bee. "A better mixer I will bee," it says .... And it is! :)
Now, time to taste that banana bread :)
------------------------
Thank you, Lord, for generations past.
For what they taught.
So many, many lessons. They ought
forever last.
I was intrigued with every aspect of the site which propelled its founder to riches a few times over. He was 31 years old. (That's another incredibly interesting story for another post perhaps.)
I think I first perused ebay looking for an obscure item, probably something vintage for my then husband, who spent hours of his free time searching for retro, truly one-of-a-kind pieces to add to his colorful wardrobe. I did not "get" his seeming obsession with this activity -- until I dove in myself.
Almost immediately, I was drawn in. I bought a set of antique, apple-shaped metal canisters -- something I really needed -- and then (it's bound to happen) discovered all the countless other treasures ebay has to offer. Like a fabulous hard plastic, canary yellow serving tray that spells out the letters D-I-P. It's a conversation piece both when each letter is filled with its own colorful tasty dip and in its usual state leaning atop my cabinets as an art piece. I love it and will probably keep it forever and envision my children fighting over it one day :)
Fast forward a few years --- when I bought a record for my music lovin' man who likes to hear jazz or soul or funk from the imperfect scratchy sounds of a good ole' heavy stereo -- the kind that plays 8 tracks and albums and takes up one entire wall in our living room. It's space well spent.
And then tonight, after Adventures in Banana Bread Making, I decided to see if I could possibly find the large mixing bowl that would make my vintage Sunbeam MixMaster the kitchen tool it was meant to be! The makeshift bowl I was using with my late great aunt's mixer just wasn't fitting the bill. Oh, I could make it work. It just requires constant moving of the bowl. None of this fancy $300 modern-day mixer that practically does the work for you. Oh no, I was hands-on! Moving the bowl around so that all the dry ingredients properly mixed with the wet. Because you know, baking is an exact science (I have found this to be an inaccurate statement -- but that's for another post)
So, while I was scraping down the sides of the bowl with one hand while moving the bowl around with the other, I had the notion: I bet I could find the actual bowl that fits in these little grooves so that my mixer would work properly and circle around on its own! ... just like it did when my sweet Aunt Mildred would make her quick breads and cookies and other goodies from her clean little kitchen in Johnson City, Tennessee, oh probably about 50 years ago.
I was determined to find that bowl!
My obvious first choice ... ebay! And what'ya know! I found not one but three that I'm fairly certain are the bowls! The most interesting thing about my discovery -- all three sellers are from Australia. The shipping cost and delivery time will probably be a little higher but for around $10 (including shipping) I can outfit my Sunbeam MixMaster 1000 :) and be most happy in my mixing moments for years to come.
I've always had an affinity for old things. For things that were used by others oft generations passed. Things that rev up my imagination. Things that sometimes require a little extra work but have oh so much more soul. Things that, though old and some may say "outdated," still do the job and don't take up space in a landfill when they still have so much more to give. (Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good piece of technology like anyone, (the typewriter vs. the computer, for instance. A handy-dandy dishwasher versus washing ev-er---ry thin----g by-----hand. It can get tedious and make your hands unnecessarily wrinkly!)
Thank you, Aunt Mildred for leaving behind your trusty mixer AND it's charming plastic cover pictured with an industrious red bee. "A better mixer I will bee," it says .... And it is! :)
Now, time to taste that banana bread :)
------------------------
Thank you, Lord, for generations past.
For what they taught.
So many, many lessons. They ought
forever last.
This week is National Mental Health Awareness Week!
If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with a mental illness, this week is all about you! Or maybe you have gone through troubling times and wondered: what is wrong with me?! Why am I so moody? etc. etc.
But you haven't had the resources (money, support, etc.) to see a good doctor, participate in community programs or had the help of family and friends to get you through another day. This week is for you! Isn't is wonderful that there ARE resources (most likely in your community)-- warm, open, friendly, non-judgemental places where you are invited to come, talk to professionals and people who have been there who can help!?
What a blessing that there are answers to your questions, that there is hope! That there are people who want to see you well, happy and successful even when you can't (in a time of crisis) help yourself.
If you read this posting after this week, help is always available! Great things are happening in the field of mental health!! And we are all going to benefit ... can you tell I'm excited?? :)
Here's what this week is all about:
Oct. 7 -13, 2007 -- If you aren't aware or for tons of information and resources regarding mental illness for yourself or for a loved one, do a little research! Education and empowerment are at your fingertips!
I have much to learn myself, and www.nami.org has been a wonderful resource for me in the beginning of my journey. Below is their explanation of Mental Health Awareness Week and a little bit about NAMI, the grassroots organization that has done (and is doing!) so much in the mental health field. Check it out!
===================================================================================
"Established in 1990 by Congress, the first week of October is designated as "Mental Illness Awareness Week" (MIAW) in recognition of NAMI’s efforts to raise mental illness awareness. "Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day" (BDAD) is held each year on the Thursday of MIAW to encourage further understanding and promote early intervention and treatment for this mental illness.
MIAW and BDAD are NAMI’s premiere public awareness and public education campaigns that link the organization nationally to the organization’s over 1100 local affiliates across the country.
Over the past 16 years, MIAW has become a tradition in NAMI. It presents an opportunity for all three levels of NAMI –national, state and local – to work together in communities across the country in meeting the NAMI mission through a variety of outreach, educational, and advocacy efforts."
==================================================================================
**As with any internet research, be aware of the sites you spend time looking over. NAMI is a good place to start and can lead you in many other good directions both for education and empowerment.
==============================
Thank you Lord for the people you send my way,
Sometimes they help me through another day.
But you haven't had the resources (money, support, etc.) to see a good doctor, participate in community programs or had the help of family and friends to get you through another day. This week is for you! Isn't is wonderful that there ARE resources (most likely in your community)-- warm, open, friendly, non-judgemental places where you are invited to come, talk to professionals and people who have been there who can help!?
What a blessing that there are answers to your questions, that there is hope! That there are people who want to see you well, happy and successful even when you can't (in a time of crisis) help yourself.
If you read this posting after this week, help is always available! Great things are happening in the field of mental health!! And we are all going to benefit ... can you tell I'm excited?? :)
Here's what this week is all about:
Oct. 7 -13, 2007 -- If you aren't aware or for tons of information and resources regarding mental illness for yourself or for a loved one, do a little research! Education and empowerment are at your fingertips!
I have much to learn myself, and www.nami.org has been a wonderful resource for me in the beginning of my journey. Below is their explanation of Mental Health Awareness Week and a little bit about NAMI, the grassroots organization that has done (and is doing!) so much in the mental health field. Check it out!
===================================================================================
"Established in 1990 by Congress, the first week of October is designated as "Mental Illness Awareness Week" (MIAW) in recognition of NAMI’s efforts to raise mental illness awareness. "Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day" (BDAD) is held each year on the Thursday of MIAW to encourage further understanding and promote early intervention and treatment for this mental illness.
MIAW and BDAD are NAMI’s premiere public awareness and public education campaigns that link the organization nationally to the organization’s over 1100 local affiliates across the country.
Over the past 16 years, MIAW has become a tradition in NAMI. It presents an opportunity for all three levels of NAMI –national, state and local – to work together in communities across the country in meeting the NAMI mission through a variety of outreach, educational, and advocacy efforts."
==================================================================================
**As with any internet research, be aware of the sites you spend time looking over. NAMI is a good place to start and can lead you in many other good directions both for education and empowerment.
==============================
Thank you Lord for the people you send my way,
Sometimes they help me through another day.
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