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Posts Tagged 'writing prompts'
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Hi Writers,
Right now many writers I know are struggling with focus, accountability and staying inspired. Like other aspects of our lives, our precious writing routines have been (and continue to be) disrupted.
What many of us crave is connection, both to other writers and our inner writing rhythms.
A few weeks ago, I hosted several FREE Write-INS to gather together virtually and write.
I called it 'Write, Connect and Share': Virtual Write-INs'
Here's how it works:
You log on through a Zoom link, see me on Zoom (everyone one is muted, and video off) and I lead you through a 5 minute writing prompt, mindfulness exercise or gentle stretch.
After that, I turn on an online timer for 45 minutes. You write. At the end of 45 minutes, I come on and encourage you to take a break before the next session (i.e. stretch, drink some water, etc.). We do the same thing during the second hour.
Why this structure? It's been proven one of the most effective ones for helping writers minimize external and internal distractions. And doing shorter sessions prevents binge writing. This is the structure that I have used consistently and successfully for both my scholarly and creative work for the past five years. This format encourages a mindful approach and helps me write smack-dab in the middle of my busy life.
So, many folks showed up at the Write-INs. Some people came to all of the sessions, others to just one session. Some stayed for the full two hour block and others came for one hour. Many people said it was the first time they had written in weeks. Others noted how calm they felt before and after their writing session.
Here's the best part—I'm doing it again for FREE on Monday, May 25 (7:30-9:30 am EST) and Thursday, May 28 (3-5 pm and 8-9 pm EST).
I'm only offering this support to folks who are readers of this blog and/or subscribers to my newsletter .
I'd love for you to join me.
Writing together, in community, in a focused way can boost the writing routine you have or get you back on track if you haven't been writing much during the past few weeks.
To get the Zoom links for the upcoming Write-INs, go here.
Self-talk is important. What have you been saying to yourself about your writing these past few weeks, or months or even years? Most of us use negative internal language in relation to our creative lives. In last month's Chatham County Line column I shared how in 2016 a daily affirmation practice changed my life. If you were a reader of the blog in 2016, you may remember this endeavor. Coaches, psychologists and other mental health providers now routinely advocate the use of helpful and positive self-talk. My piece is called "Fruits of a Daily Affirmation Practice". Here's a snippet below. I hope you check it out.
The Fruits of a Daily Affirmation Practice
Feeling worthy is a learned behavior. —Beverly McIver, visual artist
In 2016, I committed to a practice that changed my creative life. I posted an original affirmation every day on my blog, The Practice of Creativity, from January 1-December 31.
What are affirmations?
There is a great secret which successful writers and creators from all backgrounds use – affirmations. That's right, affirmations, phrases that affirm our work and value. And, they help us direct intention into our work. And, they can work for you. Many psychologists, mental health workers and coaches advocate the use of affirmations.
An affirmation is a short, simple, positive declarative phrase that as Eric Maisel says, in Coaching the Artist Within, "you say to yourself because you want to think a certain way…or because you want to aim yourself in a positive direction." You can use them as 'thought substitutes' to dispute self-injurious thoughts (as a cognitive behavioral approach), or to provide incentive and encouragement when those seem to be in short supply. Affirmations rewire our assumptions about what's possible.
In 2016 what I needed as a writer was lots of practice in self-kindness, plain and simple. I had craft, discipline and perseverance in spades. Many creative people struggle with simply being self-accepting. As you know, we can think the meanest things about ourselves. I don't know of any writer who hasn't felt like giving up on their writing dreams. I don't know of any writer who couldn't benefit from helpful, kind self-talk on a regular basis. Anxiety, unhelpful self-talk, and inner critics often stop us before we can even get to our projects.
Your invitation still stands, click here to get your 'Ten Ways to Keep Connected to Your Writing Self during COVID-19'.
Need Some New Ways to Connect to Your Writing Self During COVID-19? I Got You Covered
Posted April 26, 2020on:
Hi writing peeps,
Most writers I know are having a difficult time staying connected to their writing life. In the past six weeks, you've probably had your schedule upended in completely dramatic ways. Your writing routine is now very different than it once was. Me, too.
Some of us aren't writing and really want to. Many of us still have deadlines and projects.
How can you move forward on the writing that matters most?
You know my mission is to serve creative people. I've recently written a short guide 'Ten Ways to Keep Connected to Your Writing Self during COVID-19'. In it are some powerful ways to get and stay inspired. These are techniques I've culled from years of working with clients through my coaching practice. You'll love this information and find it valuable. [And, the guide includes some cool bonuses, too]. It's my FREE offering to you.
I'm only offering this to people in my community. You won't find this information elsewhere.
Click here to get your 'Ten Ways to Keep Connected to Your Writing Self during COVID-19'.
*Also, if you are reading this and work in a creative area besides writing, I believe you'd find the guide useful, too.
Class is in Session: Learning from Teaching MFA Students + Writing Exercise
Posted January 19, 2020on:
The beginning of the year has been a whirlwind, in a good way. I was invited to lead a craft workshop for the students attending Carlow University's low-residency Creative Writing MFA program, taking place in early Jan, in Pittsburgh, PA.
I was very excited, honored and nervous. I am an educator by training and routinely teach undergraduate and graduate students in my areas of my research expertise (e.g. women's and gender studies, sociology, and political science). Although I have given craft talks, I have never designed and solely led a workshop for MFA students. Even though I have taught writing workshops alone and with others, I have never taught in an actual MFA program.
I received the invitation in September. Once I accepted, an annoying inner critic voice popped up and said, "Who does she think she is to teach MFA students, especially when she doesn't have an MFA?"
I had to repeatedly say to myself, "This is not about your ego or degrees. You are here to serve the students and offer up what you think will be useful to them." One of the reasons why I was invited was because they have had students express an interest in writing speculative fiction. The administrators gave me complete freedom to design the workshop in any way that I wished.
Once I reminded myself that I had something unique to offer and that it was OK not to be perfect on the first round, I totally got into designing the workshop.
The MFA students sign up for the classes they want to take about a month before, so I sent some preliminary questions about their goals, challenges, interests, etc. I used their answers to guide me as I developed the workshop.
I taught about speculative fiction and my path as a winding path as a writer (i.e. why I went to get a PhD in political science instead of an MFA). I integrated mindfulness and contemplative practices as resources for sustaining their writing. I also had them generate lots of material through prompts and free writing. We looked at some ways that writers can play with premise, setting and character as part of speculative work. I drew on a wide variety of authors and my own work as demonstrations of particular approaches.
Boy, does two and half hours fly by!
The students were amazing and generous to me and each other.
I so enjoyed watching students dive deep in the exercises and claim some of their buried interests, including horror and dark fiction.
I absolutely loved teaching the workshop.
I'm glad I didn't let my fear get the best of me. I'm also glad that without acting like a know-it-all, I could share with them some lessons I've learned as well as hear what their writing lives are like. As in all adult learning communities, you know some things and they know some things. Learning happens in the middle.
The only thing I would do differently would be to send some of the short readings ahead of time, so we would have more time for in class writing and reading our work.
The faculty and staff were welcoming and it was a joy to be with them. I loved reading with the other faculty, too.
Creatives, don't we just light up when we are with other creatives?
Below are two of the exercises that I used as warm-up material. I absolutely adore Dena Metzer's Writing for Your Life: Discovering the Story of Your Life's Journey (a more spiritual approach to creativity, but some of the deepest writing advice I've ever seen and great prompts throughout the book)
The Dream Police
We are what matters to us. Our identity materializes through images, memories, events and through things.
Suddenly there is a knock on your door. A trusted friend enters to warm you that the Dream Police will arrive in twenty minutes. Everything, everything in your life that you have not written down will evaporate upon their arrival. You have a short time—twenty minutes-to preserve what is most previous in your life, what has formed you, what sustains you. Whatever you forget, whatever you have no time to record, will disappear. Everything you want must be acknowledged in its particularity. Everything to be saved, must be named. Not trees, but oak. Not people, but Alicia. As in reality, what has no name, no specificity, vanishes.
*set the timer for 20 minutes and GO. This is great prompt to help us dig deep and go from the abstract to the concrete. Every time I do this exercise, my list looks different.
The Dream Police #2 (also from Writing for Your Life)
Imagine you are an anthropologist who has unearthed this list of "possessions" that once belonged to some unknown person. Write a brief portrait of fleshing that person out, speculating on his or her character and life.
-The anthropologist writes about this subject in the 3rd person, (i.e. he, she, they)
My addition: circle 3-5 items, images, memories from this list that interest you. How might you approach what you have created as the basis for a new character? What kind of trouble or setting might be interesting to explore with this character sketch?
Photo credit
Two conversations, in the past few months, has me thinking a lot about readers and the lengths they will go to for the authors they love. And, as writers, how do we put our attention even more squarely on creating an amazing reader experience.
One of my colleagues recently shared a story with me about how completely determined she was to obtain the latest release of a Louise Penny novel. At the time, she was traveling in Michigan and the bookstore that she usually visits while there had already run out of LP's novel. She was scheduled to take a plane home later that day. She was so determined to get this novel that she called several bookstores in the area and then wound up driving over 45 minutes to a bookstore that still had the novel in stock. * She almost missed her plane in search of this book. That's devotion.
One of my dearest friends and I were recently discussing what we were reading. Since I knew that my friend was also a fan of LP, I mentioned that my colleague was looking forward to diving into the latest LP novel. My friend paused and said with intensity, "Louise Penny is the only author that I make sure I do a pre-order for, so that the day of her release, the book arrives at my door. And, then I drop everything for a few hours to read it."
I was struck by both conversations. Also, on a recent episode of the fantastic 'The Writer's Well' podcast with Rachael Herron and J. Thorn, Rachael mentioned that a writer she knew had fans who would call in sick on the day of a new release. That's commitment!
Having fans that make it a priority to read your work is every writer's dream. It made me think about the question posed in the blog post title: What Lengths Are Readers Willing to Go to Read Your Work?
The deeper question is: How do we craft stories that readers can't put down? Stories that keep them coming back for more.
This, as you already know, is a million-dollar question and there is no magic answer. I do think a piece of the answer is consistently thinking about one's ideal reader. Over the years, I made an important realization—I am ultimately writing for reader experience and engagement, not just my own personal pleasure. Twenty years ago, I really didn't think much about reader satisfaction or engagement—it was all about MY MESSAGE. Or, it was all about HOW CLEVERLY I USED LANGUAGE. This sounds so dumb and pretentious as I write it here, but it is the truth. Now, for me, managing and heightening reader experience is where the gold is and is always in the forefront of my mind. The first draft of anything is still just for me, my flights of fancy and risk-taking. Each subsequent draft though, I try to hone the kinds of emotions I want the reader to feel in each scene and across the whole manuscript. I also pay much more attention to where I might lose the reader in a story.
While teaching at the Table Rock Writers Workshop a few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of hearing a fantastic book talk by Emily Nunn, author of The Comfort Food Diaries: My Quest for the Perfect Dish to Mend a Broken Heart and former writer and inventor of the "Table for Two" column in The New Yorker.
She shared the grueling writing process she went through her after book proposal for a memoir (based on her experiences being in a psychiatric facility) was sold with relative ease. Her book is about the circumstances that got her into the facility and after leaving, how she healed by traveling to see friends and cooking together. She shared with us that she really wanted to include a chapter about her time in the psychiatric facility and someone on her team (I can't remember if it was her agent or editor), said no and told her to take the chapter out. She was very upset with this advice. She had labored over that chapter and to her it represented the heart of the book. They, however, felt that the tone of the chapter was completely out of sync with the rest of the overall upbeat feel and transformational tone of the book. This same person said something along the lines of, "You don't want to eject the reader from the book." And, that chapter, in their opinion, though well-written would have created such incongruities for the reader, there was a potential of ejecting them out of the book. Thinking about what ejects the reader out of our work struck me as a useful bit of advice. We never want to eject the reader from our work! Ejecting the reader can look many different ways, right?
For example: Sloppy dialogue, a wandering plot, undeveloped characters, shoehorning one of our darlings into a book that just doesn't fit (Nunn made it clear that the chapter she was being asked to cut was one of her favorites and she considered it important). Nunn added though that in retrospect, the advice was solid—the chapter didn't fit in the current version of the book and could work instead as an excellent essay. Her team was thinking about the reader's experience.
Many writers don't read their reviews for a variety of reasons. I have found it helpful to look at the reviews of my work and pay attention to emails I receive or in person responses. What they like (or don't like) are hints to their reader experience.
Sometimes when soliciting feedback on a draft, I will ask someone to mark in the text, exactly where they were able to out the book down. I go to that spot(s) and ask hard questions about what is either not working, or what is working but in a very uninteresting way.
No one starts out writing something that they know readers will devour; if you're lucky you grow into a gifted storyteller over time. The writers who consistently create work that makes people stay up late, almost miss planes, and tell others about it have cracked something valuable about reader experience. The answers are out there in others' work and our own, if we are brave enough to dig for them.
How do you understand the role of the reader's experience? Are there questions you ask yourself when rewriting that focus on reader experience? I'd love to know!
*You may be wondering why she didn't order it on Amazon—she doesn't use Amazon and prefers to support independent bookstores.
Photo Credit-Louise Penny
Photo Credit-Emily Nunn
The Magic of the Table Rock Writers Workshop and Why You Should Go + Writing Prompts
Posted September 8, 2019on:
- In: creative writing | creativity | Uncategorized | writing | yoga
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I'm winding down from a terrific and transformative week co-leading a workshop called 'Opening the Writer's Heart' with the amazing Marjorie Hudson. We integrated yoga, mindfulness, breath work and prompt writing.
We were at the Table Rock Writers Workshop in the mountains. It's held at the Wildacres Retreat Center. It's a special place that encourages generosity of spirit, conviviality, and community. Loved connecting with our workshop participants, the many writers and creatives in attendance and the faculty. Gratitude to organizers Georgann Eubanks and Donna Campbell for saying yes to our proposal.
I've been to a number of writing retreats and residencies and this one is incredibly special and I totally understand why it is both beloved and kind of a secret!
The Prep
What Makes Table Rock Special?
I had heard about Table Rock for years, but knew little about before Marjorie and I pitched our workshop. It is a week-long retreat that many writers attend year after year. When we arrived everyone made us feel welcome and told us how much we would love the experience. People were pretty emphatic that we would love TR. I nodded, smiled and thought, OK, people are really into Table Rock. Not that I didn't believe them, but I needed to just allow the experience to unfold. After just a few hours there, I felt a shift and by the end of the first full day, I knew what everyone was talking about!
Here are some things that struck me about Table Rock:
-The workshops are kept small, both in class size (no more than 12 people; we had 6 participants) and overall number of people. The size leads to an intimacy over meals and gatherings. It also contributes to community-building.
-there's a daily social hour and people hang out and really get to know each other
-the faculty have been teaching there for many many years. These are people working at the top of their craft and teaching at an extraordinarily high level. Participants raved about their instructors, and many participants come back and take the same workshop with their favorite instructor. That's high praise! They also enjoyed experiencing new teachers (such as myself and Marjorie). We were the new kids on the block. The faculty made us feel so welcomed (as did everyone)! They also shared tips about the writing life and their own journeys. We were so honored to be part of this group and add our own special sauce, so to speak. One of participants, Cyndy gave us the nickname M-squared!
-The Table Rock ethic is to support each other's writing and to recognize we have a lot to learn from everyone in the room, not just faculty. It's not about competition. Established writers and newbies get to mix it up at TR. People are interested in who you are, not just what (or where) you have published. People are encouraged to listen deeply to each other.
-Participants get to read their work and so do faculty. Folks in the audience are attentive and supportive.
-It's a beautiful space that both inspires and restores.
-It's a creative hub. Not only are fiction, poetry and memoir writers at Table Rock, there are also a dozen or so songwriters attending their own workshop. Both groups get to hang out, cross-pollinate and the songwriters also perform for the community on Thursday eve.
Our Workshop!
Our participants were fabulous! They were a mix of emerging and experienced writers. All had prior yoga experience (though that was not a requirement). All opened their hearts to each other. We were blown away by the quality of their writing and how deep they went with the prompts we offered.
Our sessions were from 9am-12pm and we opened with yoga and gentle movement, a brief meditation and then launched into writing exercises (people would write anywhere from 5-15 minutes). Folks would read aloud from what they wrote and the group would note what struck us and where they could go next if they wanted to develop the piece. Sometimes, Marjorie and I would read selections aloud from poetry or a novel in preparation for a prompt. We'd provide another prompt, take a stretch break midway through, do another exercise, read aloud some more and offer homework to continue with the prompt. They were always free to scrap the prompt and write something else.
Our themes for opening the writer's heart and qualities you need on the writer's path included:
-practicing courage
-practicing connection
-practicing gratitude
-practicing silence
We also allocated some time for 'instant coaching' about the writing and publishing life.
A prompt for you!
We spent time talking about what kinds of things open the heart (e.g. courage and dealing with fear) and what closes it (e.g. lies, secrets). This is one of the prompts I offered:
"I didn't tell the truth for the first forty years of my life. I thought that reason I lied was that I thought I was protecting other people, but the truth is, it was to cover my own behind. I lied to my kids to get them to do what I needed them to do. I lied to my friends to get whatever it was that I needed. I lied to myself but I would never have known they were lies…This is what I realize: Being able to tell the truth makes being able to write the truth easier. And writing the truth is the beginning of healing the heart." (emphasis in original) —
–Nancy Aronie
-Write about a lie you have told (5 minutes)
Then for homework, I suggested the following:
"Take a situation or topic or an event that you haven't talked about honestly yet; something that is still stuck in your throat, like a tiny fishbone, small enough not to choke you to death but big enough to let you know it's still there.
Work on it in small amounts. Truth is all you need to write. No gorgeous phrases, no sparkling syntax, just truth. Write until you've written the whole story." Nancy Aronie
Write for 30 minutes.
Or: write about a major lie told to you
Our group went deep with this prompt! This prompt is adapted from Nancy Aronie's Writing from The Heart: Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice (a writing book that has a similar feel to Bird by Bird; also very funny and very poignant; Nancy Aronie came to writing late in life and I really identify with her journey.)
We provided participants with easy, sustainable exercises to support their back, shoulders and hands during the labor of writing. Check out these poses for hands and wrists:
The Last Day
Overall, a very soul-refreshing adventure. I love teaching with Marjorie. And, because we had a week to teach the material (unlike our previous weekend teaching gigs), there was more spaciousness built into the experience. I was also able to stay on my own writing schedule!
I don't know if we will get the chance again to teach at Table Rock due to schedules, etc. I hope so! I can also see myself taking a class at TR, too. Table Rock definitely made an impression on me.
Check out more about them and their schedule here.
As you know by now, the country has lost one of the greatest writers ever to use the English language–Toni Morrison.
There have been several wonderful and poignant remembrances about her:
In the Paris Review: Creative folks (writers and a photographer) remembering Toni Morrison. Made me laugh and choke up. Fran Lebowitz's memories about Toni are funny (who knew how much Toni loved dessert–can't we all identify with that?) and poignant as she talks about Toni's ability to forgive.This is how we all wish to be remembered by those who knew us well–as living big, full and messy lives and giving all we have to our art and each other. And, of course the peculiarities that our friends love about us.
(credit to Austin Kleon's newsletter where I first saw the link)
My wonderful AROHO (A Room of Her Own Foundation) friend, Cassandra Lane wrote a powerful homage:
And this from The New Yorker feature with several writers reflecting on Morrison's legacy:
If it hadn't been for Toni's Morrison's "Sula," I would never have been able to write the book that is "Another Brooklyn." If not for the many readings of "The Bluest Eye," half of the books I've written for young people would not be in the world. So many writers, so many writers that are women, so many writers that are black know this to be true—because of Toni Morrison, we are. Because of her, I am.
—Jacqueline Woodson
(thanks to Heloise Jones for posting on her Facebook page)
I thought I would write a very short memory about Toni Morrison, one that I have been carrying around for some time. Well, it turned out a lot longer than anticipated. It's really a beginning meditation on creativity, my alma mater, Bard College and being a student of color in the 1980s. It turned out deeply personal:
A different kind of Toni Morrison memory…
I discovered Toni Morrison in the Language and Thinking program that was required of all first-year students admitted to Bard College. The year was 1987. 'L&T' took place a few days before the start of the semester and provided an opportunity for students to socialize and experience humanities classes in the traditional, intimate seminar style that defined Bard. I see myself then, a fiercely proud young woman, excited to be at Bard, but already feeling a bit off kilter by the extreme affluence and whiteness of the student body. [To give you a sense of this, Bard's student body during the years I attended, 1987-91 was around 900 students. I would say that at any given time there were about 50 or fewer self-identifying students of color. I remember 3 Black faculty on campus, one tenured, one a visiting professor and the other person was Chinua Achebe, who came during my junior year]. I remember being the only African American student in my L &T group of about 12 students. We had a wonderful instructor, a white guy, whose name is now lost to me who had us read different selections from novels during the week. Typically, the L&T professors were not Bard professors and I believe they brought much needed fresh perspectives and new texts into this endeavor.
On one of the days, the instructor had us read the opening pages of Sula. For those of you who have read Sula, you may remember that it begins with exposition of how Black residents in a small fictional town in Ohio came to occupy 'The Bottom'. It's beautifully written and deftly reveals the horror of disenfranchisement and segregation that marked much of 19th and 20th century America. I felt exposed and vulnerable, both as a reader and a student. Who was this writer to expose truths and ideas so deep that it cut to the core? I'm sure the teacher wanted to demonstrate how a writer could so thoroughly and expertly engage questions of history, community and identity in a few short pages. The educator in me is almost positive that he said that the author was African American. I don't actually remember, but I know that at some point in the class I thought the author was white. I somewhere along the line, in realizing Morrison was Black, then turned my anger on her—how dare she write about these difficult things! How dare her that I have to read them? How dare the power of her words to completely refashion my psyche in the midst of a classroom, in front of strangers?
I'm not proud of this memory, but there it is.
[I was still coming out of my young adulthood pre-racial consciousness in wondering why there had to be a magazine like Essence, instead of one for 'all of us'. I was slowly realizing that color-blind approaches didn't work in confronting systemic oppression]
It was probably the first time that I so powerfully experienced being in a classroom being both hypervisible and also invisible because of the intersection between the text taught and my own subjectivity. I don't remember saying one word during that class. Of the white students who did talk, I wonder of their experience. Did they have to treat the text as distant and almost ethnographic or did it shatter their ideas of America, too? Most of them did look at me at some point in the class to say something and what did they make of my refusal? Defiance? Ignorance? Embarrassment?
I am, of course, grateful to this instructor who had us read and think about Toni Morrison's words. He went on to become an early champion of my creative writing. As an instructor now, I am very attentive to thinking about who is in the room when I am assigning various texts, especially fiction. I think about not just the analytical points I want the work of the text to do, but how will it land with students across their multiple and intersecting identities.
By sophomore year, I did embrace Toni Morrison and devoured her work. I have fond memories of summer vacations reading one of her books.
Toni Morrison-ness was also invoked in my creative writing classes. Although I graduated a political studies major, my true love was English and creative writing and I came very close to being a double major. In most of my creative writing classes, every writing assignment I turned in leaned toward 'non-realism' or speculative fiction. This was not always appreciated. And, trust me, at the time, few of my English professors (except one teaching 'Women and Writing') had heard of or read Ursula LeGuin, Margaret Atwood or Octavia Butler. Some of my writing professors, however, also struck me as fundamentally lazy in their reading habits. They did not appear to have read widely in 20th century African American literature. So, they would say things like…"you write so well, it reminds me of Toni Morrison." This happened several times. I guarantee you that I did not write as well as Toni Morrison—it was just the only Black female author they had bothered to read. They weren't reading Ntozake Shange, Gwendolyn Brooks, Paule Marshall, Alice Walker, Jean Toomer (male) and others whose work I was also consuming and trying very hard to emulate.
As much as I loved attending Bard, Bard for many students of color was a difficult place to exist socially, politically, and aesthetically.
In writing about Morrison, I see that I am also writing about how my generation of creatives of color (now in our late 40s or early 50s) were often not nurtured by our PWI college environments. Many of us were tokenized, our creative work often dismissed, ignored or trivialized. This is not necessarily news, but important for me to say at this point in my life.
We ultimately had to find our own role models and build our own canons. Toni Morrison, despite our rocky start became part of the bedrock of my canon. I love her work and when I can, I teach her novel, Love, to our Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies class. Many fall in love with her right away and many have already read some of her work in high school or other college classes. Times do change, thankfully.
I will, like so many Black creatives, always be in her debt.
I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo and loved it. I set a goal in July of writing 20,000 words on new WIP. I've been posting my daily progress on my Author FB page. My final count was 22,813! I love the challenge of doing a fast draft and breaking things down into a doable word count.
I am grinding hard working on my WIP and trying to find time to submit my work and read (and see) as much in the horror genre as I can. Whew! I decided to take a break today, have some fun and do some freewriting related to summer themes. I came up with some cool ten minute prompts. I thought you might enjoy taking a break from your normal writing schedule and give these a go.
These prompts can work while writing about yourself or a character:
–big hair/what do you do with your hair? (humidity during the summer can wreck just about any hairstyle)
-the first time I ate a snow cone
-my first summer job (I handed out flyers on Christopher Street in the Village)
-when the lights went out
-the sexiest person in shorts
-your first summer crush
-a beach party gone wrong
-watching fireworks
-a fight at a backyard gathering over who makes the best BBQ
-a girl that gets lost at an amusement park
– a kid who wins a strange item from a seaside arcade
-the time you almost drowned
-a crush on your summer camp counselor
-a couple goes to see the summer blockbuster movie and when they emerge, the world has changed in some dramatic way
-who *is* the man that owns the ice cream truck?
I did it. I couldn't resist. I gave myself the gift of a MasterClass with the amazing Margaret Atwood! MasterClass brings online learning to you from experts in everything from cooking (e.g. Alice Waters) to tennis (e.g. Serena Williams). They have a number of writers to choose from including R.L. Stine, James Patterson, Malcom Gladwell and Margaret Atwood.
Margaret Atwood's a writer I absolutely adore! Truth be told, she's the kind of writer that if I met a trickster spirit and they offered me a deal like, "You can write like Margaret Atwood, but you'd have to give up a limb." I'd seriously consider it. Well, yes, I know…never trust a trickster spirit! I imagine though you, too, have writers whose work you adore and strive to emulate.
I thought how can I pass up an opportunity to study with her? I decided I couldn't. I plunked down about $200 for an "all access pass" (which allows you to have year-long access to the videos and lifetime access to all the materials + access to other classes). She has 20+ pre-recorded videos that explore a variety of topics including writing through roadblocks, structuring a novel, revealing the world using sensory imagery, revision, etc. Also included is a workbook crammed with exercises, additional thoughts, reading lists, etc. The first few videos I watched I could barely concentrate because I was TREMBLING while viewing Margaret Atwood right there in front of me talking about our shared passion—writing! I broke out in glee blisters (OK, so there's probably no such a thing as a glee blister, but you do understand my level of enthusiasm).
The videos are infused with her wit, humor and wisdom. I think the MasterClass presents a unique opportunity to study with world class teachers. [BTW, I'm not getting paid to say this!]
I learned tons—so much so I am still digesting it all. These three tips below have stayed with me and they might be useful to you, too.
1) "Story is what happens. Structure is how you tell it." Master simple chronological storytelling before tackling complex narrative variations. In one of the lessons, Margaret Atwood riffs on the different ways one could structure the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
The story would be the same but you could tell it a variety of ways using a different structure:
–beginning to end; starting in the middle (e.g. "It was dark inside the wolf. The grandmother who had been gobbled whole couldn't say a word, because it was quite stifling and full of old chicken parts and plastic bags that the wolf had eaten by mistake"); using time jumps ("Little was Little Red Riding Hood to know that in two weeks' time she would be looking back at one of the most definitive events of her life."); start with a flashback; tell it from a different perspective, etc.
I can see that while writing my first novel, my ambition exceeded my skill level. I didn't know how to tell a multiple viewpoint story, some of which took place in the past and also involved a number of time jumps. I just wasn't a skilled enough writer back then to pull that off. I finally did find a path forward by excerpting material in what became my novella, Reenu-You. It is still complex for a novella in that it has two first person narrators and uses journalistic devices (i.e. emails, commercials, etc.) to tell a layered story.
Can you apply Atwood's insight to a piece that you are working on that feels too complex and isn't working? Can you find a way to simplify the narrative structure so you can tell the story that you want?
2) Writers have to think about narrative order. Margaret Atwood says that writers have to figure out who knows what and when in a story. And, you have to consider what effect your decisions, about the order of what is revealed, will have on the reader.
"One question you can ask yourself, if you're writing: Does the reader know more than the character, or does the character know more than the reader? Or do they both know the same amount? Because it's going to be one of those three."
-When the reader knows more than the character that can create suspense.
-When the character knows more than the reader that can create narrative irony.
Atwood said it took her three attempts to figure out who would tell the story in The Blind Assassin!
I'm the process of revising a mystery, so this insight has been highly relevant to figuring out when to reveal what detail to the reader.
What about you? Is there a story where you can play with the narrative order to create more tension and suspense in the story?
3)"Print out your work, read it aloud and while reading, use a ruler. Read slowly."
This is how Margaret Atwood revises her work.
Now, I absolutely am a proponent of reading one's work aloud, but I had never tried doing it slowly and with a ruler. Sounds simple, right? I had a story that I was prepping to send to a magazine and I decided to try her method —I used a bookmark as I didn't have a ruler. Wow, was this a revelatory experience! I noticed everything, the rhythm of words, word choice, when sentences were too long or short. I loved this process and will use it for final revisions moving forward; it gave me such a bigger and richer perspective on editing.
Do you have a piece that you're about to submit and think it's ready to go? Try Margaret's technique and see what you discover.


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519 Lipan St, Denver, CO 80204
3301 W Hampden Ave(303) 688-4001
1 person is looking at this business
Saab Specialists since 1969. Now equipped to deliver the same outstanding service on Subaru! Featuring: * Same Day Service (for most repairs) * Complimentary Loaner Vehicles * Free Shuttle Service (1-4 miles radius) * Near RTD Light Rail (10th and Osage) * After Hours Pickup and Drop-off * Comfortable lounge with free WiFi, entertainment and refreshmentsSuggest edits
This profile is powered by BirdEye. Over 50,000 businesses use BirdEye everyday to get more reviews and manage all customer feedback. BirdEye helps millions of local businesses to be found online with all their reviews and accurate business information. Learn more about BirdEye
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Editor's Note: Cogratulations to ShaTrenia Heiskell from Tre'nia's Royal Palace at The Jones Experience in Dallas, TX for winning "The People's Choice Hairstyle".
In honor of the 25 beautiful hairstyles featured in the March 2019 issue of Sophisticate's Black Hair Styles and Care Guide and the Jan. / Feb. issue of Hype Hair magazine, the staff at UniversalSalons.Com wanted to have a little fun and see who you, the viewer felt had the hottest new look.
We've created this interactive poll in order to find out which one of the lovely hairstyles, from some of the top professional cosmetologist in the United States, should be crowned "The People's Choice Hairstyle". All the looks featured in this contest are featured in the two largest black hair publications in the world. This fact alone is a testament to the talent and trendsetting eye of the cosmetologists that created these beautiful hairstyles and to the show stopping beauty of the lovely models featured.
Let's Have Some Fun and Generate Business
This contest is just a fun way to see who you, the viewer, feels is the best of the best. Our hope is that while you are going over the images, you may find a style or technique that fits your personal style, and if the professional cosmetologist that created the look happens to be in your area and you decide to become a new client, that would be just GREAT. UniversalSalons.Com was built to facilitate the new client to cosmetologist relationships. This contest is just another way of doing that while at the same time honoring the talented individuals that created these beautiful styles in the first place.
Vote Until Sunday March 10th, 2019 at 12:00am
Look over each hairstyle and after you've studied them all, click the button beside your favorite one and then go to the bottom of the poll and click vote. Each person can vote as many times as they like. The contest will remain open until Sunday March 10th, 2019 at 12:00am. We will crown the winner of the contest the "People's Choice Hairstyle" and that salon will be sent an 8×10 Graphic to commemorate this achievement.
Good Luck Everyone.
[Total_Soft_Poll id="11″]


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SEEKINGBand to Join, Drums, Bass Guitar, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocalist, Upright bass.
Change of plans, I am drumming my balls off and have a rehearsal spot in norristown. Lets get some metal/hardcore sh*t going. email me at drzronnie at . My phone is 484 two 6 six eighty 2 hundred. You can call or text. I prefer people that can be on time and don't vanish into thin air for a while and then reappear.
- Screen name:
- Drzronnie
- Member since:
- Sep 14 2009
- Active over 1 month ago
- Level of commitment:
- Moderately Committed
- Years playing music:
- 7
- Gigs played:
- 50 to 100
- Tend to practice:
- More than 3 times per week
- Available to gig:
- 2-3 nights a week
- Most available:
- Nights
. I stay with the old punk and metal for the most part.
Instrument experience:
- Drums:
- Advanced
- Background Singer:
- Moderate
DW two up two down kit cymbals, rack, double pedal. 1982 Gibson Les Paul with emgs, 1989 Gibson Explorer, 2000 Epi 59 reissue Korina V, POS Epi SG that is beat to hell but gives me a nice warm fuzzy tone. Fender Frontman 212r (100w beast), Fender Hot rod Deville 4x10, Mesa 2x12 cab and need a new head for that, Blackstar HT40


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According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sharks typically move inshore and north in the spring and summer.Check out this NOAA site for beach flags and what they mean (image below from NOAA).
When Chopper 5 headed south along our shoreline Wednesday, it spotted hundreds of sharks, very close to shore, just off the northern part of Singer Island.
Experts say many sharks are headed north after coming south for the winter to find warmer waters.
Beach visitors need to be on the lookout for lifeguards flying purple flags for dangerous marine life. [emphasis added]
However, it's important to note that you are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning in Florida than attacked by a shark, according to FWC.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
The NBC5/WPTV shark story that's getting all that attention
Click title for link to the NBC5 story about sharks off the waters of Palm Beach County. Here is an excerpt from the text of the story on the WPTV site:


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Tyron Jodie Ervin, Jr., 22, passed away on Monday, December 17, 2018.
Mr. Tyron Jodie Ervin, Jr was born on February 24th 1996 to Tyron and Sarnya Ervin of Charlotte, North Carolina. Tyron was born a scholar and an athlete. Lil Ty started elementary school at Briarwood Elementary School but followed his big sister to Villa Heights Academic Center where he was labeled academically gifted and accepted into the Duke Tips Program. He started playing football, basketball and baseball at Sugar Creek Recreation center from the age of five. Tyron attended Davidson IB Middle School where he participated in band, the championship black quiz bowl team and the leadership academy. At that time, he played both football and basketball at J.M. Alexander Middle School. Tyron received his high school diploma from North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville where he was a tri-athlete, being a tight end, defensive end, power forward, center, and a sprinter.
Despite many football offers, Tyron accepted an academic scholarship where he furthered his education at Fayetteville State University as a Mass Communications Major and then Livingstone College as an African American Studies Major. Tyron secured a position at FedEx, was promoted and working on his 2nd year as floor manager at the distribution center. His last dreams were to help his dad, "Pops" at the barber shop.
Brother Tyron Ervin was raised a "church kid". He attended Weeping Willow AME Zion Church where he participated in Buds of Promise, Junior Choir, Acolytes, Youth Missionary, Youth bible study, all children/ youth department plays, Sunday School assembly leader and the Weeping Willow Defenders basketball team. As an adult, Tyron joined Jonahville AME Zion Church where he attended church weekly, vigorously praising the Lord – "Alright Brother Ervin", bringing others to church with him and helping with Athletics. In Tyron's spare time, he enjoyed playing Madden and going fishing with his Dad but he was most passionate about coaching little league football, his "championship" AAU basketball team and as he put it "the Defense of the Dallas Cowboys".
Tyron Jodie Ervin Jr departed this life on December 17th 2018. He was preceded in death by his Granny Eliza Gammon, his uncle Jenny Penny and his Maw Maw Mary Glass. Ty Jodie leaves his parents and three sisters: Darsha of Fayetteville, Nikki of Charlotte, and Eliza (James) of Morganton to cherish his memory. Additionally, he loved his soon to be fiancée Keyauna Alston, her mother, her grandmother, her little brothers, Zayrn and Cordae McNeill "the boys", and his best friend Jordan Stoney. Also included in those he loved are all his aunts, uncles as well as a huge host of nieces, nephews, cousins, teammates and friends who will continue to hold Ty in their hearts forever.
Funeral services for Tyron will be held on Saturday, December 22, 2018, at Weeping Willow AME Zion Church, 2220 Milton Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28215. The visitation will be held at 12:00 PM and the funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM. The interment following the service will be at Olive Hill Cemetery 239 New Street, Morganton, North Carolina 28655.
The Ervin Family have entrusted arrangements to Boston's Mortuary.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Tyron Jodie Ervin, Jr., please visit our floral store.


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30 Apr XRechnung update!
What you should know about electronic invoices to the german public sector!
With XRechnung, the public administration in Germany has created a new standard for electronic invoices (eInvoices). This became necessary after the European Union, as part of its digital offensive, obliged all member states by Directive 2014/55/EU to ensure the receipt of electronic invoice data by public administrations.
Why? It is simple: since "real" electronic invoices are structured data sets, they should address several problems at once. This is because invoice content provided in a uniform format is not only easier to validate, but can also be transferred in a cost and environmentally friendly manner and finally read out without errors. Workflows such as the transmission, checking, approval and payment of invoices can be significantly shortened and optimised.
This is an advantage that is very noticeable both in terms of resource consumption and the costs of invoice processing. The estimated savings potential for the federal states and the german governmental authorities in Germany alone is up to 4.5 billion euros – per year¹! Rather pessimistic estimates, on the other hand, assume "only" 2.5 billion euros that could be saved each year by sending electronic invoices to the german public authorities.
That' s reason enough for the EU and its member states to promote the digitisation of their own invoice receipt processes with a lot of pressure and ambitious goals.
Fig. Time schedule for the eInvoicing obligation in Germany: Electronic invoicing to public authorities is gradually coming into force throughout Europe
As a result, as early as 18 April 2020, all contracting authorities must be able to receive (and actually process electronically) incoming electronic invoices in a format that meets EU requirements. The XRechnung format was developed in Germany for this very purpose. This is a so-called Core Invoice Usage Specification (CIUS) of the corresponding e-invoice standard EN 16931, also specified by the EU. In other words:
XRechnung is the German version of the eInvoicing for german public authorities.
By the way, the current ZUGFeRD 2.0version of the ZUGFeRD format (already somewhat better known in Germany) is also compatible with EU regulations.
So far, so good, actually.
The only question that remains is: who should actually create the electronic invoices that the public authorities expect? And how do the invoice data records in XRechnung, ZUGFeRD & Co. actually find their way to the respective invoice recipient in public administration or public institutions at state, federal state and local level?
No need to worry, that has been thought of too!
XRechnungen to german government authorities: That's the way it works!
Electronic invoices can be transmitted to invoice recipients in the public sector via many different channels. The federal government has set up a central service on the Internet for this purpose, the so-called Central Invoice Receipt of the Federal Government (ZRE: Zentraler Rechnungseingang des Bundes). You can reach it at https://xrechnung.bund.de/. However, before you can use the "ZRE" to transmit invoices to your own public sector clients, a one-time registration is required. You also need the so-called "Leitweg-ID" of your client. You will receive these automatically with new orders infuture, but you can also ask for them separately at any time.
Once you have registered at the "ZRE", you have several options for submitting your invoice data:
- The classic way: eInvoice by e-mail
- For occasional invoices: Input of invoice data and/or upload of self-created XRechnung through web form
- In case of high amount of invoices: Webservice via PEPPOL
It is also planned to transmit self-created XRechnung via De-Mail. In addition, more and more software developers and service providers are facilitating the sending of electronic invoices directly from their own ERP system as XRechnung or in any another desired eInvoice standard.
Fig. ZRE of the federal government: This is how your XRechnung reaches the federal government and is securely processed.
XRechnung to municipalities, public authorities and other recipients at state and municipal level?
In fact, this should no longer be a problem, at the latest since 18 April 2020. In reality, however, it is likely to take a little longer before even the last contracting authority will be able to receive "real" electronic invoices and process them digitally.
The fact that the transition to digital invoicing in the federal states is not quite as "homogeneous" as it is at state level is due to the federal structure. In the Federal Republic of Germany it is usually the responsibility of the individual federal states to implement European requirements into applicable state law.
The consequence: The federal bodies, federal ministries and other federal authorities were ahead in terms of time when it came to electronic invoicing to the administration. In the end, all it took was the adoption of a corresponding e-invoice law (ERechG) and an e-invoice ordinance (E-Rech-VO), which defined the structure, scope and timetable for e-invoice to the german state authorities. The next step was to find and implement a common solution (in the form of the ZRE) for all invoice recipients of the German federal government and to connect it to all invoice recipients. Ready.
At state level, on the other hand, as many as 16 individual laws and ordinances had to be drafted, optimised and enacted on the basis of the EU directive and the European standard. No wonder that this did not happen everywhere equally quickly – and with the same result.
A circumstance that is now reflected in numerous different specifications, threshold values and technical approaches from federal state to federal state in Germany.
After the cut-off date of April 18th 2020, we have precisely determined the current status at the level of the federal states.
As expected, the range is wide. There are not only differences at the level of states and municipalities. Even within these areas, it is partly left to the clients to decide from which invoice volume (€ 1,000, subliminal orders, above-threshold orders) they accept electronic invoices and whether these should be mandatory for suppliers. In some cases, even the invoice format may differ and may be specified on the basis of the E-Rechnungs-Verordnung.
- Bremen, for example, follows the federal government by 100% (or better: the other way 'round) and thus expects the XRechnung from an invoice volume of 1,000 €.
- Other states, such as Bavaria, now accept electronic invoices at state level, but do not impose any obligation on contractors. There is also no central platform for receiving electronic invoices in Bavaria.
- The state of Northrhine-Westphalia, on the other hand, has been ready to go since April 1st. However, it must be clarified individually with each customer as to how the e-invoices can be delivered. There is also a central e-invoicing portal, but this is not mandatory.
Sounds complicated? Unfortunately it is! We have therefore compiled the three most important core questions – and how the individual federal states deal with them – in three practical overview maps for you:
- In which federal states has an ERechV already been passed?
- For orders with which value limits are e-invoices accepted or expected?
- In which countries is e-invoicing mandatory for contractors – and if so, from when onwards?
- Can invoices be submitted via a centralised invoice receipt platform?
E-Invoice update – The 4 key questions in pictures!
(with exceptions)
Upper-/Lower-threshold / €1,000 (*)
for billing party (*)
invoice reception(*)
Are you interested in a detailed list for all federal states of Germany? Then get in touch with us now! We are happy to provide you with our detailed list with links to the current laws(currently in german language).
XRechnung to the public authorities: Also for SMEs and corporations (almost) no problem!
The good news first: there is no fundamental obligation to send invoices to public purchasers only electronically and in an EU-compatible format.
However, exceptions confirm the rule here as well. After all, anyone who has federal authorities, constitutional bodies, a ministry or another invoice recipient at federal level as a customer must actually be able to issue the required e-invoice very soon. Or to be more precise: from 27th November 2020, federal clients will no longer be allowed to accept invoices that do not comply with European standards. Simple PDF invoices or even invoices on paper will then be rejected and no longer paid.
The only exceptions (at federal level): In accordance with § 3 (3) of the German Federal E-Invoice Ordinance (E-Rech-VO), invoices up to EUR 1,000 are exempt from the e-invoice obligation after fulfilment of a direct order. The same applies in accordance with Section 8 of the E-Rech-VO to confidential invoice data from foreign service matters and other procurements abroad as well as to invoices which are to be issued in procedures for the loan of organs in accordance with Section 159 (1) No. 5 of the Act against Restraints of Competition.
At the federal state level, however, there is (still) virtually no obligation to send e-invoices to the administration. On the other hand, the almost unmanageable number of different detailed specifications, portals, transmission paths and thresholds make e-invoicing to public administration and public companies a veritable minefield. Especially if you are a supplier or service provider to the public sector for several invoice recipients in different countries, municipalities or regions.
Are you wondering how you and your company can send electronic invoices to the administration easily, quickly and securely in future?
With the eBeleg Services of XimantiX you create, send and receive electronic invoices in all common formats, not only as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD! And thanks to our sophisticated interface, ideally directly from your own ERP system!
Sounds exciting? Here you can learn more about perhaps the easiest way to send and receive invoices as XRechnung!
The most important questions about XRechnung & Co.
Do you have a specific question on electronic invoicing for the administration or public companies in Germany? In this case we have prepared the right answers for you!
What is the XRechnung?
XRechnung is a semantic data model with which electronic invoices can be sent to the German administration in accordance with the specifications of the European standardization authority CEN. The XRechnung thus represents a national variant of the EU standard EN 16931, a so-called Core Invoice Usage Specification (CIUS).
What is a "real" e-invoice?
E-invoices consist of structured invoice data that can be processed automatically. A simple PDF document without a corresponding XML data record is therefore not a real e-invoice. Not even if the PDF invoice is transmitted to the invoice recipient completely digitally, e.g. by e-mail.
Who is obliged to e-invoicing?
All invoice recipients in the public sector must be able to receive electronic invoices since 18 April 2020. From 27 November 2020, all suppliers of invoice recipients of the Federal Government and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen will also be obliged to issue their invoices in the required eInvoice format. Few clients at state and municipal level only demand a (genuine) eInvoice from their suppliers later. These include (as of 26.06.2020) Baden-Württemberg (from 01.01.22) and Hessen (from 18.04.2024). However, there are also regulations, e.g. in North Rhine-Westphalia, under which the contracting authority can stipulate an obligation to submit invoices as eInvoices when awarding contracts. Currently, the regulations are available from 12 federal states in the form of an ERechV. We stay on the ball for you and update this paragraph on a regular basis.
How do XRechnung and the german GoBD fit together?
The principles for the proper keeping and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form as well as for data access (GoBD) contain, among other things, specifications as to which invoice contents are to be archived also in the case of electronic invoices. But with an experienced service provider like XimantiX, archiving XRechnung & Co. is absolutely no problem!
What is the difference between XRechnung and ZUGFeRD 2.0?
The main difference between the two formats is obvious in the truest sense of the word: whereas an e-invoice in XRechnung standard is a pure data record, an invoice in ZUGFeRD 2.0 standard consists of a data record and a so-called visual document in the form of a PDF. However, both standards basically meet the European requirements.
Where can I get more information about XRechnung?
To find out how you can quickly and easily send and receive electronic invoices – ideally even from your existing ERP system – in all standard formats, visit our service page about XRechnung Software. Further information on the status of XRechnung in the various federal states has been clearly compiled by the Verband elektronische Rechnung (VeR) using an interactive map. Further information on the ZRE and the necessary requirements can be found on bund.de.
What is the difference between ZRE and OZG-RE?
While electronic invoices can be sent to all recipients of the federal administration via the Central Invoice Receipt Office of the Federal Government (ZRE), the Online Invoice Receipt Platform (OZG-RE), which is more or less "identical" in construction, will be used by some federal states to receive electronic invoices. In addition, however, it is already clear that there will also be some individual solutions at state level.
You can reach the ZRE here: https://xrechnung.bund.de/
A central access point to the OZG-RE (which, however, will not be used by all member countries) can be accessed via the following URL: https://xrechnung-bdr.de
¹C. Rogall-Grothe: Leitfaden Elektronische Rechnung in der öffentlichen Verwaltung, Frankfurt am Main 2014


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Well, I'm really glad that a) a lot of you sent in photos of clothing that you've saved for years. This would have been a really boring post if you hadn't. And I'm really glad that b) you were as dorky as I was.
Which is a bit of a confusing thing because I'll tell you right here and now I didn't think my Michael Jackson jacket was dorky. I thought it was cool. Super-cool. And I knew cool. I really did.
I listen to the Ramones for Godsake. I know cool.
So I'm not sure how at the age of 16 this happened. How I listened to The Jam, Black Flag, AND wore a Michael Jackson jacket. But it did. And I loved it. I still love it. It's a Michael jackson Beat it jacket for the love of Lululemon. O.K. admittedly, it may not have been cool but who cares.
Worrying about being cool is the mindless indulgence of the young. And the uncool. Hah. Losers. Heh.
That's the great thing about hitting 40. You just don't give a shit anymore. I was never a big shit giver, but once I turned 40 I threw caution, and shit to the wind. You don't like me? Suck it. You see my underwear as I bend over gardening? Who gives a crap.
Someone showed up at my house today and it was a mess. And by mess I mean complete and total disaster. Dishes everywhere, sheets off the bed, accessories all over every table and floor space because I was rearranging things. And I didn't care. I couldn't care. I was busy and had work to do and the person visiting knows I work from the house so … I just didn't care.
I *did* apologize for the mess. I mean I'm not a complete heathen.
But a few years ago that sort of thing would have mortified me. Not anymore. Cause I'm older. I'm Fortyfied.
And I don't give a shit. Did I mention that.
SO. Clearly you people are the same, or else you wouldn't have had the guts and courage to send in these photos. Last week I called upon you to send me in pictures of an article of clothing you've saved since your youth. Something that was so in style/out of style/ridiculous/beautiful that you simply couldn't get rid of it. It's a memory and you have every right to hold onto it.
Unless you're Tara's husband. In which case you should really burn these things …
He got these spectacular pants in school. Clearly it wasn't fashion school.
He refuses to ever get rid of them.
Beth worked at a clothing store, where she bought things like this …
Eszter says … "I bought these 80's leather pants at a garage sale for 30$ from someone who should have not sold them. They were awesome in the 80's, cool in the 90's and hot in the aughts..
I took this photo of myself while the husband was coaching pony league baseball and I was supposed to be making dinner. I have actually not worn pants other than sweats for the last few years so I figured he would love seeing me all dolled up when he got home. But I haven't worn high heels in who knows how long so I tripped while I was juggling dinner-making and this 'photo shoot' with the salad bowl and shattered it on the kitchen floor. When coach got home I was vacuuming in this very outfit. I think he did a double take. :) so thanks for your post!"
Debbie bought this tunic when she was stationed in the Middle East in the late 70's. It's all hand beaded and sewn and reminds her of a wonderful time in her life. She has NEVER worn it.
Laura's lumber jacket. Otherwise known as the Canadian dinner jacket. She wore it then … she wears it now. But only on special occasions. Like when she's pretending to know how to drum.
Sarah works in construction. So obviously … not a lot of need for pointe shoes in that industry. Yet … 12 years after last using them she still has them. And will never, EVER get rid of them. Neither would I. Dirty old pointe shoes are pretty. And the toes work well as a hammer in a pinch.
Pretty sure Simon doesn't wear his stuffed doll, but he'll never toss it. In fact, it didn't look like Mr. T when he bought it. It was just a regular doll. He had a friend "doll" it up to make it look like Mr. T. Simon seems like an interesting fellow.
Jamie says … "Why yes, 1989 WAS a great year, and fuchsia IS a beautiful color and lace…well hell, that's just a lot of lace!!! The very funny thing is I was just thinking to myself not 2 days ago, "Hmm, wonder if I could get that dress on?" Saying it was on might be pushing it a little bit, :) And I too, think I should wear it always, in fact I think I'll wear it grocery shopping this afternoon…But that's mostly out of necessity, since I can't get it off now.."
Karin bought this top in Italy. As you can see … it's a top. She wore it as a dress. She no longer wears it as a top or a dress. But she keeps it to remind her of a time when she could wear a top as a dress.
These are Susan's grass green show chaps. She never really liked them. Thought they were kind of bright. But her father had them made for her thinking they would get the attention of the judges in the ring. Her father's now gone, so the chaps will always stay.
These, I am horrified to tell you, are my sister's shoes. She got them in 1972 when she was in grade 7. I'm embarrassed to inform you they were not part of a clown costume.
Have a good weekend!


text:
The War on Health movie by Gary Null, presented here in a shorter 57 minute version, including interviews with Bill Faloon of the Life Extension Foundation a…
The War on Health movie by Gary Null, presented here in a shorter 57 minute version, including interviews with Bill Faloon of the Life Extension Foundation a…
What is the difference between the police and a gang off the streets? I
don't see much difference, except a uniform.
Why does the government suffocate medical innovation, while enabling the
establishment, with their side effect-laden therapies to financially
Award-winning documentary-maker Gary Null's new film "War on Health"
answers these questions with irrefutable evidence. Watch it for FREE right
now and please SHARE it with everyone you know! http://youtu.be/2Sw6EUkBwxY
Legalized crime and organized crime…….. no difference. They both take
your money, your life, and your freedom.
Excellent! Thank you.
Part of the DISEASE ECONOMY: Keep the people sick to generate massive
profits, as healthy people do not give corporate Amerika enough money, just
a little over the top but some truth in there wrt to FDA and big agro
Yep. The FDA is evil… Now think for a moment about the SEC, Treasury
Dept, Federal Reserve, I could go on and on. Soon, the reset button will be
Fraud & Death Administration
Youngevity is the BEST way !!!
Thank you so much..!!!
It is time to end the Mafia and break their knees by putting them in a
position called living in the streets like they have done to their brothers
and sisters. If they see how the others live they won't ever try this
again. I want to make clear they all need to be prosecuted even to the
Governors that allowed US to be Chemtrailed and not speak a word of it.
Ignorance will not be an excuse for crimes against humanity. We Win and
that is the end of the story 🙂 David aims for freedom:) Loves
Stand Down all CIA, FBI, and MILITARY and come to your senses before YOU
too are brought to justice for your collaboration with the same ones that
Use you to do their bidding. Better get on the side of the people cause YOU
don't WIN and the WarMachines WILL be beaten into Plowshares where WE have
Enjoyment of the life WE came here to live. BETTER take heed to change your
ways NOW and do the Right thing and stand down and Lie down with the Lambs
that DO forgive but NEVER forget. WE WIN 🙂 Loves
Jct: I hope people are waking up to the fact their governments are out to
keep them sick at the behest of some masters who want it that way. Scary,
isn't it? Yet they lose all power once money's fixed. As community
currencies spread, the banksters get no more interest and lose their power
to keep their debt slaves sick, drunk, in court over stupid prohibitions,
anything to keep their brains off their chains. But every trade with
underground money hits them where it hurts, in the wallet.


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We completed our first official session of the Portlantic City Call of Cthulhu game Sunday.
I have a handful of issues, technical and storytelling, that I'm going to be working on before our next session — 1.5, a case wrapup and mini adventure — in March.
Overall, I think we managed it. So, our adventure went like this…
Marc Dresden knows an extraterrestrial Sasquatch when he sees one, trust him
The group — Virgil, Keto, Yasha, Knuckie, and Jenkins — met at the Emerald and Partners office mid-morning to go over the case details with a rather ruffled & pretentious middle-aged, fanny-pack wearing pseudoacademic called Dr. Marc Dresden.
Dresden ran through his case file, which included his own 'sketches,' articles clipped from the Portlantic City Review, and snippets from his 'bestselling' books.
He got exasperated at one point because he didn't think the crowd was giving him the attention or respect he was due. He took umbrage to being asked how much he was paying as he is a friend of the firm and had worked all that out with Mr. Emerald in advance. Besides, the opportunity he was throwing on the laps of these utter incompetents… Pfft!
Once the group was caught up, Dresden could no longer hold in his disdain. He stalked outside to vent his frustration by yelling at the top of his lungs in the back of his sweet ride, a converted ice cream truck.
This gave Mallory a chance to check in on the group. The overall consensus was that they would investigate the situation at Bannock's Lookout despite Dresden's eccentricities.
The group then left to start the investigation.
Maybe free candy though…
Once on the street a strange feeling came over Virgil. It seemed that he could hear a song on the breeze and it sounded like: "It's time to fly, sweet, sweet pickleman." Though he wasn't sure if the weird ass song was just part of the city noise or part of the old laudanum shakes.
After Virgil's possible hallucination came to a close, the group was confronted with Dresden roughly yelling "Get in!" As they faced the giant maniacal clown on the side of his ice cream truck.
Keto then slapped Virgil on the back. "Get the car, you're driving." Virgil did as he was told.
Yasha, Knuckie, and Jenkins got in the back of the ice cream truck. Dresden drove okay but they got jostled around a bit — no seats. Though Jenkins was no doubt searching for a clue to crack the case and ramble about insufferably in his pocket recorder — when he investigated the back of the truck, he found a sticky, foul smelling substance that he tried to rub on Yasha.
Yasha noticed and threatened to break his arm. He then pretended he was stretching like the utter chad he is.
Eventually, the group made it to Bannock's lookout and poured out of the vehicles into a dreary, rain-soaked parking lot.
Deerts and other things that live in and poop on Mother Earth
Virgil kicked off the investigation by attempting to give driving pointers to Dresden, who paid no attention and instead bolted off into the woods mumbling something about radiation and trampled grass.
The group struck out on their own, looking for clues but mostly failing rolls. They completely missed checking out the sign post even though their Keeper tried to gently push them towards it a couple of times.
If Knuckie or another investigator with high occult skill had tried to read the symbols on the shredded page attached to the signpost they would have discovered they were on the trail to "The Church of the Reconfiguration."
Instead, they noticed an entirely normal looking owl, a group of ducks that didn't look so normal, and prints belonging to deer and squirrels and other skittery creatures.
The group wandered for awhile and ultimately found a set of human-sized footprints in the mud — with no 'tripod drag' between them thanks, Dr. Dresden. The footprints lead them up a steep hill to an arch of felled pines that offers a sweeping view the beautiful vista below.
"It looks perfect. The whole group takes a collective sign of relief, their emotions overpowered by the sheer, shining beauty of the green valley below.
"Then, from the deep azure distance of the sky, a crack of gray pixelated noise shoots down. It shimmers through the entire scene, casting deep shadows in the hollows of it until it resolves. For a moment the scene has a strange, ethereal glow that fades until they are again looking at a beautiful untouched valley below."
The investigators, noticing that the universe had apparently glitched rolled a sanity check. Several players lost a couple of sanity points and were visibly shaken by the occurrence.
The group then picked up rocks, sticks and started rolling for "natural world" and "spot hidden." After watching a rock soar a few feet down the trail and then blink out of existence, the group was able to divine another trail in the underbrush.
The trail led them around the original route, through a thick tangle of brush, and to a staircase that descends down a steep cliff face.
Once on the stairs, they were able to look back toward the original trail and instead saw an illusory shimmering hill unmarred by the trail or the pine arch.
Stairway to, er, hell?
Virgil, cautious after watching his first rock disappear, lead by throwing rocks down the staircase to make sure it's sturdy — it was. Though sturdy it's also narrow and made of crumbling limestone.
Yet, investigations hint that the structure is old beyond their fathoming and was perhaps wider at some point based on the uneven, cracked edges.
The group carefully made their way down the stairwell to a landing approximately double the size of the stairs.
In the cliff face before them was a wide doorway open to a small room made of heavily-carved granite slabs. All around on the walls — as discerned by Knuckie — are scenes of alien life, tentacled creatures devouring stars and planets, noodly appendages cradling entire solar systems, etc.
Above is a dynamic ceiling that appeared to be painted in some three-dimensional method to make it look as if blinking stars and galaxies moved overhead.
Virgil made the mistake of poking the ceiling with a stick.
As far as the group knew, he simply blinked out of existence. But Virgil felt himself flying through an endless inky void lit only by the distant dying gasps of faraway stars. He could feel every atom of his body being pulled in every direction as he hurtled mercilessly toward a formless cloud that manifested a large, sharp-toothed mouth that ultimately swallowed him whole.
Virgil woke in a dark chamber stinking of damp and dung, intact aside from the trivial loss of a few sanity points. Terrified and alone, he reached the stick out again and tapped to see if he could find where or when he was.
In the carved antechamber, the group heard a strange tapping coming from the west wall and started throwing investigative rolls.
Eventually they find a trigger that reveals a hidden stone door. The door slowly opens into a tiny, dark and moldy chamber, and the group meets with Virgil's wild, tormented eyes.
This post is exceedingly long so I'm going to cut it off here and I'll post the rest of the rundown *hopefully* within a couple of days.


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The ETF universe is a mostly passively managed space where broad, vanilla, low-cost index ETFs rule. But actively managed funds are growing in number, and today represent about 10% of all U.S.-listed ETFs.
The bulk of the 217 active ETFs in the market competes in the fixed-income space, but active management is found in every asset class. Here's a look at the biggest, most popular active ETFs in each pocket of the market.
US Fixed-Income ETFs
The majority of the active ETFs in the market are fixed-income strategies, and none is bigger—or even comes close, really—to the PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF (MINT). MINT is the largest active U.S. bond ETF. It's also the largest active ETF in the market, period.
The fund has a massive $8.3 billion in assets under management (AUM), almost 2.5x the size of the second-largest active fund. MINT is the blockbuster of the active ETF space.
The portfolio is an ultra-short U.S. investment-grade bond portfolio many see as a money-market ETF proxy. MINT is cheap for an active strategy, at just 0.35% in expense ratio—$35 per $10,000 invested—and is highly liquid, trading with a negligible 0.01% average spread.
So far this year alone, MINT has attracted $256 million in fresh net assets, continuing its asset-gathering spree that saw more than $2.4 billion flow into the fund in 2017. Below is the fund's 12-month performance:
Global Fixed-Income ETFs
The actively managed global fixed-income ETF universe has a new asset leader. The First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) has surpassed the broad market strategy SPDR DoubleLine Total Return Tactical ETF (TOTL) in terms of assets to land the No. 1 spot in the segment.
FPE, which focuses on the global corporate bond space and invests primarily in preferred stocks, is now a $3.5 billion fund. It's the largest active global fixed-income ETF, and the second-largest active ETF in any segment—second only to MINT.
So far this year, FPE has gathered more than $284 million in net creations, an asset haul that has come on the heels of $1.65 billion in net inflows in 2017.
FPE boasts great liquidity, trading with spreads averaging 0.05%, and costs 0.85% in expense ratio—not cheap, but within the normal range seen among active funds. The fund is up 7% over the last 12 months.
US Equity ETFs
The First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund (EMLP) is the largest U.S. equity active ETF, with $2.2 billion in AUM. It invests in energy infrastructure master limited partnerships (MLPs).
The fund costs 0.95% in expense ratio, and trades with an average spread of 0.05%, putting its total cost of ownership at around $100 per $10,000 invested.
EMLP is not as much a pure-play infrastructure MLP approach as it is a diversified, complex basket that goes beyond MLPs in order to meet 1940 Act restrictions on the amount of MLP exposure an ETF can have. To that end, EMLP also invests in things like pipelines and utilities structured as C-corporations, as well as Canadian firms that used to be royalty trusts, according to FactSet data.
EMLP has attracted $90 million in net inflows so far in 2018, adding to the $772 million in net creations seen in 2017. The fund is down nearly 9% over the last year.
Global Equity ETFs
The ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) is a quick-growing global equity ETF that targets companies sitting on the edge—or benefiting from—technological innovation.
So far in 2018, ARKK has already gathered a net of $302 million in net assets, gains that have come on the heels of $325 million in net creations in 2017. ARKK today is a $768 million fund, up a whopping 87% in the last 12 months, which certainly helps attract new assets.
Perhaps one of the key drivers of its success is the fact that ARKK is one of the only ETFs in the market to offer investors access to bitcoin through a trust. But the fund also owns a lot of hot names, like Tesla and Alibaba.
ARKK is also the second-largest active equity ETF on the market today, behind only EMLP. It costs 0.75% in expense ratio and trades with an average spread of 0.14%.
Commodity ETFs
The PowerShares Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 Portfolio (PDBC) leads the pack in the active commodity space, with $1.1 billion in total assets under management.
PDBC is one of only 11 actively managed commodity ETFs on the market today, and one of the few active ETFs to have broken past $1 billion in AUM. Only 13 active ETFs have managed to do that.
So far in 2018, PDBC has seen net creations of $377 million—an asset-gathering pace that's already surpassed the fund's haul for the entirety of 2017, when $270 million in net assets flowed into the fund.
PDBC offers access to a broad basket of commodity futures that's very similar to its passive counterpart, the $2.7 billion PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC). Active management here aims to mitigate contango and outperform DBC's underlying index.
The ETF is very liquid, trading with an average spread of 0.06%. PDBC is also cheaper than index-based DBC, at 0.59% in expense ratio. The fund is up 10% for the year.
Asset Allocation ETFs
The iShares Commodities Select Strategy ETF (COMT) is the largest actively managed asset allocation ETFs, with $351 million in AUM. The fund really is a commodity strategy; however, it falls into asset allocation because of its unique approach that results in a multi-asset portfolio.
COMT owns commodities (via derivatives) and equities linked to commodities, natural resources and energy. It costs a competitive-for-the-space 0.48% in expense ratio, and offers the tax convenience of a 1099 instead of issuing a K-1. The ETF trades with an average spread of 0.16%. COMT is up more than 15% for the year.
The fund has gathered some $60 million in net inflows in less than three months this year, a notable feat for an ETF that attracted only $74 million in fresh net assets in all of 2017.
Alternatives ETFs
There are fewer than 20 actively managed alternatives ETFs on the market today, the biggest of which is the relatively young JPMorgan Diversified Alternatives ETF (JPHF). The fund, launched in September 2016, has $175 million in total assets.
So far in 2018, JPHF has attracted some $20 million in net inflows, following net creations of more than $106 million in 2017. JPHF isn't cheap, at 0.85% in expense ratio, but it's relatively competitive given the complexity of the fund, according to FactSet data. The ETF trades with an average spread of 0.22%.
JPHF is an alternatives ETF that allocates across various hedge-fund-style strategies including equity long/short, event-driven and global macro. JPHF can go anywhere, really, in a multi-asset basket designed for absolute return. The fund is down nearly 3% for the year.
Another scarcely populated segment of the ETF market is the active currency space. Here, the WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund (CEW) leads, with a modest $45 million in AUM.
The fund is an emerging market basket that equal-weights a basket of 15 currencies, tracking how these currencies do relative to the U.S. dollar.
CEW, launched in 2009, costs 0.55% in expense ratio and trades with an average 0.18% spread. The fund has actually been struggling to attract new assets. Instead, it has seen about $10 million in net redemptions this year, following $1 million in net outflows in 2017.
Charts courtesy of StockCharts.com
Contact Cinthia Murphy at [email protected]


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If you can detach 'Britishness' from Whitehall and Westminster, the case for the Union will be lost. If this is really to be a faux debate grounded in the emotion of identity then the opportunity it presents to future generations will be lost. And the politicians will have taken their people for fools.
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$112K Tinian appropriations and Saipan zoning law change OK'd
Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider, when he was acting governor on Thursday, signed into local law a bill appropriating $112,000 in poker license fees for patients' subsistence allowance, medical referral, scholarship and other activities. That was barely a day after the four-member Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation passed the amended local bill.
Hofschneider signed Rep. Trenton Conner's (Ind-Tinian) House Local Bill 18-48, Draft 1 into Tinian Local Law 18-7.
Under the new local law, $45,000 in poker license fees collected on Tinian will go toward the monthly subsistence allowance of patients on dialysis, those with cancer, multiple sclerosis, debilitating epilepsy seizure disorder and dermatomytositis, as well as post-cerebral vascular accident patients.
The Tinian Municipal Scholarship gets $35,000, while the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation gets $15,000. Tinian Little League gets $10,000, while $5,000 goes to expenses related to the Attorney General's Cup. The remaining $2,000 goes to the Tinian Health Center's medical referral program.
Saipan zoning law amendment
Gov. Eloy S. Inos, meanwhile, signed into local law on Friday a bill amending the Saipan Zoning Law of 2013 to rezone from "village commercial" to "tourist resort" 12 lots adjacent to a new hotel that Saipan Surfrider LLC will develop at the site of the former Pacific Gardenia Hotel and the former Silver Hotel in Chalan Kanoa.
Rep. Ray Tebuteb's (Ind-Saipan) House Local Bill 18-43 is now Saipan Local Law 18-15.
Saipan Surfrider LLC plans to develop a 60-room Surfrider Resort Spa and Beach in the area.
On the same day, the governor also vetoed Conner's House Local Bill 18-42, which establishes a Tinian medical assistance review board for screening and verification of medically assisted patients.
Inos said he voted the bill because it conflicts with Commonwealth law.
"While I recognize the need to screen medical patients at Tinian Health Center for financial assistance, these procedures must be undertaken pursuant to the direction and oversight of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.," the governor said in his veto message.


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Thursday, February 14, 2019
Happy Valentine's Day!
Do you have any traditions for Valentine's Day? We do but not anything super fancy. I would say of all of the Holiday's we celebrate in any form or fashion, this is the one I do the least for of all of them.
I feel like I'm still recovering from Christmas and all of a sudden it's Valentine's Day! But, we still like to have a little fun. For dinner we always have Spaghetti and Meatballs, Green Beans, and Garlic Bread. We also have Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Frosted Sugar Cookies (truth be told - I buy Lofthouse Cookies . .. they are they best cookies ever HA!) Then, we just put together a small little gift bag with candy and a few small gifts for fun. I'll share photos of that on Saturday.
Darryl and I don't usually do anything - we've both always had to work both the day off and the day after (usually!) and now with kids - we just like to hang out with them at home. Darryl's birthday is a week later so we'd rather go out and celebrate his birthday instead !
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ZEPHYRHILLS — When it comes to Pasco County high school football rivalries, nothing compares to the annual Zephyrhills-Pasco clash — otherwise known as the 9-Mile War.
Simply put, it is the oldest, fiercest rivalry in the county.
"It's like the Hatfields and the McCoys when it's going on," said Zephyrhills police captain Reggie Roberts, a former standout Bulldog player who later came back to coach at his alma mater.
"You get the bragging rights for the entire year," added Ricky Giles, Roberts' father who was a Zephyrhills three-sport athlete before spending more than three decades coaching football and baseball at Pasco High in Dade City.
The neighboring East Pasco cities switch hosting a traditional prep game that dates to 1941. This year's skirmish is Friday night at Bulldog Stadium with host Zephyrhills going for a third straight win in the rivalry— after seven consecutive losses.
Pasco leads the series all-time by a substantial margin, 40-19. This will the 60th version of the 9-Mile War, a number that includes two matchups in 1993 and 1994 as well as several years in which the rivalry was skipped.
No annual football game in the county involves entire communities like this one. Mayors Gene Whitfield and Camille Hernandez, of Zephyrhills and Dade City, respectively, again have a bet on the outcome.
As always, Whitfield is wagering a case of Zephyrhills bottled water while Hernandez has put up a case of kumquats in tribute to Dade City's annual Kumquat Festival.
"It helps to keep the relationship light," Whitfield said. "We want to have a little fun with it and not perpetuate anything like a war."
There also is a traveling plaque at stake. In 2000, former Zephyrhills city councilman and longtime Rotarian Manny Funes worked businesses in the east Pasco cities to help fund a plaque with accompanying scholarship money. The winning team keeps the plaque for a year while scholarship funds are dispersed at both schools.
For his part, Roberts, who later played at Bethune-Cookman, said playing and coaching in that rivalry left him with long-lasting impressions.
"The camaraderie, the spirit and what it does for the community is amazing," he said. "When (the game is) going on, it takes a few snaps, whether you're a coach or a player, to bring the emotion down. Then, after the game is over, you have family on both sides. I'm still not Pirate and they're still not a Bulldog, but we can all get along."
"It means a lot more, because we all intermingle," Giles said of the game that sometimes pits relatives on opposing sides. "You can go to a football game and see everybody. That's almost as important as the game."
Second-year Zephyrhills coach Nick Carroll, who also has played in the rivalry as a Bulldog, was ecstatic to defeat Pasco last season. Even better, he noted, was defeating the Pirates at their home, W.F. Edwards Stadium.
"It felt good to beat Pasco at Pasco," he said. "That's the way to take care of your rival."
Noting his team's 3-6 record compared to Zephyrhills' 8-1 mark and the fact that the Bulldogs have already clinched a district title, Pasco coach Tom McHugh spoke of the ebb and flow of the rivalry.
"I remember how it used to be," he said. "It's the other way around now."
Before Zephyrhills' run of three straight playoff appearances as district runners-up, Pasco had a run of seven consecutive playoff berths that included two region final and one state semifinal appearances.
A victory this year will not change anything for the Bulldogs, who host a first-round playoff game, or the rebuilding Pirates, who will wind up with a losing record regardless. Still, the long-standing rivalry means there is plenty at stake.
"I'm just trying to be competitive now," said McHugh, adding, "No one wants to lose the last game of the season. The seniors don't want to lose the final game of their careers."
Carroll acknowledged the rivalry more than McHugh, saying, "It doesn't matter what your record is, you play for the history and pride, and beating Pasco."