Props to Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore in "Still Alice"

Don’t you just love Julianne Moore?  Her portrayal of an Alzheimer’s sufferer in *Still Alice not only won her the best actress Oscar, but helped millions of people better understand this devastating disease and its effect on countless families. Many of us are watching or have watched loved ones wrestle with Alzheimer’s and know the pain and frustration involved in the sad process. In the film, Moore’s character, a superstar linguistic professor, delivers a talk about her experience with early-onset Alzheimer’s – particularly devastating to someone whose identity was wrapped up tightly with her brain’s ability to function. In the talk she says, “I’m not suffering. I’m struggling . . . struggling to be a part of things, to stay connected to whom I was once.”  To me, that line best seems to sum up the experience of Alzheimer’s patients and offers a clue about how we can more compassionately begin to understand the disease from the inside. Struggling to be a part of things, to stay connected to oneself. It’s all any of us really wants, isn’t it?  That, and others’ compassion when we’re a little “off.”  So, today, I join many of you in raising my glass in a lusty toast to Julianne Moore and everyone involved in Still Alice for shining such an insightful light onto this relevant issue. Cheers! And, Julianne, if you’re reading this (HA), congratulations from one of your many fans.

*Still Alice was directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland is based on the bestselling novel by Lisa Genova.

Sudden Achy Arm Syndrome

For the last week or so, my left arm has been behaving strangely.  It has been sore and achy enough to wake me up some nights.  What in the world?  I was perplexed.  Had my daily writing stints included an abundance of asdf sequences?  Was I developing left-arm-itis?  I even went to my massage therapist and she, too, was baffled by this imbalance. 

Then, last night, as I was finishing the absolutely wonderful 771 page (2# 6oz.) novel, The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, I finally understood my malady.  I had spent more than a little time lately with this hefty tome held aloft in my left hand, so as to better turn pages, sip beverages, and adjust my reading glasses with my right hand.

Definitely an ah-ha moment – one that tells you just how utterly engrossing this amazing book is.

So, although I highly highly highly recommend Tartt’s deliciously satisfying read (and thank my neighbor, Mary, for recommending it to me), I would suggest would-be readers of Tartt’s masterpiece to save themselves from sudden achy arm syndrome by periodically shifting their book from left to right hand, or, better yet, to read this one on an electronic device.  Take it from me, once you’re into it, you won’t notice your eyes getting crossed, your arms falling asleep, or your house burning down around you. 

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Bloody Crazy

Okay, I get it – crazy Bloody Marys are in.  Like the one pictured here, the star at O’Davey’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in Fond du Lac (which looks amazing, and, alas, I haven’t tried).  In days of yore, I adored a good Bloody – thick, cold tomato juice on the rocks with vodka, spices, and an icy-crisp stalk of celery.  Wisconsinites also require a chaser of beer, of course.  And, as mixologists got funky with the creation, adding hunks of cheese, all manner of pickled delicacies, even mini burgers, I dashed to try the latest and greatest.

And, yes, they’re fun.  But, call me a drink snob, they aren’t that much fun.  Maybe it’s because each place strives for a wilder version than the other places or maybe I’ve just had too much tomato juice lately, but I think I’ve ordered my last crazy Bloody.  After I’ve carefully dissected the toothpicked creation (hopefully without anything tumbling down my shirtfront) and after I’ve swilled the latest peppery/watery/tomato-ish slush (even with a good beer chaser), I feel a little let down.  Like I’ve just been had.  Like that slightly crusty, slightly mushy hunk of cheese and the wilty dilly bean and the cold little burger just took up valuable stomach space where I could have put a delicious salad and a hot sandwich instead.

Maybe I’ll crack and will succumb again (I DO keep looking at O’Davey’s rendition), but as of late, I think I’m over this trend or fad or best-in-the-world beverage (your choice, the description).  What about you? What hyped-up food or drink doesn’t quite make the grade in your book?

 

Cragels and Cronuts and Crogels

Meet the cragel, shown at left, the latest food  hybrid.  It's a croissant bagel, of course, just like a cronut is a croissant donut.  Brooklyn's The Bagel Store recently came out with the latest and greatest and, apparently, can't keep the $2.95 wonders on the shelves.  Connecticut's Dominique Ansel is credited with the cronut, and has also developed his version of the cragel, called the crogel, which seems to be as popular as the cragel.  Are you confused yet?  Hungry?

Personally, I'm intrigued.  Bagels and donuts, although delish, do seem to sit like cannonballs in one's stomach.  Great taste, less filling, anyone?  Hmmm, I think someone has already coined that slogan.  In any case, I look forward to such delights hitting Midwestern shelves.  Meanwhile, has anyone had a taste of these goodies?  If so, what do you think?




A Word from the Wise

Jiddu Krishnamurti

“No expectation, no judgment.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti 

This is one of my favorite quotes and one I try to remember when faced with life’s “grand” events.  (Now, whether I’m actually successful in remembering this sage advice is sometimes another story.) 

Do you have a favorite tidbit of wisdom to share this holiday season?  Well, don’t just keep it all to yourself – do tell, do tell!

 

Must Listen

Pentatonix is an American a cappella group of five vocalists – Scott Hoying, Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola – originating from Arlington, Texas.  Pentatonix is also amazing.  Check out this infectious rendition of “Little Drummer Boy.”  It’ll make your day!

 

Click on this song title (link) to view/listen to Pentatonix's "Little Drummer Boy."

Now, smile.

 

 

 

Slow TV

It’s called “slow TV” and Norwegian public television, or NRK, says it just might be the next big thing.  Ratings, apparently, are good for shows that depict live log-burning (12 hours from kindling to ashes), start-to-finish steps to making a sweater (sheep shearing, spinning, knitting – the whole shebang), and the wait, wait, wait-and-see moments on a salmon fishing boat.  Programmers maintain these shows promote serenity in our harried world and let people, vicariously, experience the peacefulness of these traditionally calming experiences. 

What serene practices do you think would make for good slow TV?  Watching someone do dishes?  Meditate?  Make soup?  Run along the ocean?  Chop firewood?

Contemplation Day

Each new season seems to beg for a little personal introspection.  As we ease slowly into shorter days, consider these ten inspirational quotes and decide if any of them speak to you.

1.  “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” – Kurt Vonnegut

2.  “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates

3.  “It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” – Lou Holtz

4.  “I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.” – Edgar Allan Poe

5.  “Imagine there's no country.  It isn’t hard to do.  Nothing to kill or die for.  No religion too.  Imagine all the people living life in peace.” – John Lennon

6.  “I dream my painting and I paint my dream.” – Vincent van Gogh

7.  “You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London

8.  “It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth

9.  “Why do they always teach us that it's easy and evil to do what we want and that we need discipline to restrain ourselves? It's the hardest thing in the world--to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage.” – Ayn Rand

10.  “Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.’” – Jim Jarmusch

Which quote do you like best today?  Is there another quote that you’re drawn to lately that you’d like to share?

Tearjerker

With the Academy Awards coming up, I'm sure more than a few of you have seen the wonderful Les Mis.  Talk about a tearjerker.  There's something satisfyingly cathartic about crying through a film and if that's your goal, this film is the ticket.  In fact, if you aren't already singing all of the musical's songs, take another look at Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed a Dream."  It'll turn on your waterworks -- in a good way -- because her rendition is utterly convincing.


I Dreamed a Dream -- Anne Hathaway





Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is, without doubt, a leader in every sense of the word.  His numerous speeches are loaded with inspiration.  Here, I've compiled but a few of this civil rights leader's most memorable lines.  Which are your favorites?

1.  “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

2.  "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

3.  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

4.  "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.  Intelligence plus character -- that is the goal of true education."

 5.  "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.  This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."

6.  "We must accept finite disappoint, but never lose infinite hope."

7.  "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

8.  "The time is always right to do what is right."

9.  "We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear."

10.  "Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.  It is a sword that heals."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

NBCC Lifetime Achievement Award



Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, circa 1970s

 

I couldn’t be happier that Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, two leaders of the feminist movement, have been named winners of the 2013 lifetime achievement award from the National Book Critics Circle. Their twelve books, especially The Madwoman in the Attic (1979) and The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women (1985) have been broadly read and taught, and have changed the face of literary criticism and influenced generations of students and scholars. I’ve personally used both books extensively in my women’s literature and Women’s Studies courses, and am grateful for the work these two women have put into their scholarship.

The two friends met in the early 1970s when they were teaching English at Indiana University. They designed a new course together on literature by women and went on to collaborate on a dozen books, working by phone and through the mail after Gilbert went to teach at the University of California at Davis. Gilbert’s and Gubar’s voices have long spearheaded feminist literary criticism and Women’s Studies, and they richly deserve this award, which will be presented Feb. 28 in New York. Here, here, Gilbert and Gubar – enjoy your well-deserved accolades!

 

Amazing Animals

 Who doesn't adore animals? Furry, feathery, finny (well, they all might not officially be animals, per se, but you get my drift). And, funny. Sometimes, when words don't seem to be enough, pictures are just the ticket. I've assembled a nice collection of animal photos for your entertainment and inspiration. The question remains, though, which one speaks to you right now? Take a minute to scroll down and then vote for the animal picture that most appeals to you.

Have fun!

 

 

Have a great day!

 

 

 

Grammar Gaffes

Holy Cow!  I got to be a guest blogger on the blog, Writing Forward.  Check out my article, "Don't Let the Decline of Spoken English Ruin Your Writing," running today on their terrific creative writing website.  And while you're at it, be sure to catch up on all of the amazing posts and links Writing Forward offers.  It's truly a one stop shop for writers.  (And, don't let the hyperactive pencil animation drive you nuts.  I think I gave him too much cyber coffee.)

Click here to read the article:  Writing Forward

Coco Tapi Tea?

Recently, I’ve tried two new food trends – coconut water and bubble tea.  Both beverages.  Both tasty.  According to advertising, coconut water is healthy – it is supposed to help you lose weight, prevent diabetes, aid digestion, fight viruses and “revitalize your cells and boost metabolism.”  I don’t know if coconut water does or doesn’t do all of those things, but, frankly, the claims seems a little over-blown.  And, coconut water, while tasty, isn’t, in my humble opinion, that tasty.  Maybe it needs a kick-butt health campaign to sell it. 

And, then there’s bubble tea – the drink that’s fun to eat.  Bubble tea, reportedly invented in Taiwan tea shops, is a tea base beverage that is mixed with fruit or milk.  It can be frozen, chilled or served as a sort-of slushy and comes loaded with small chewy tapioca balls you can slurp up through a wide straw and eat.  Bubble tea may contain some of the same antioxidants as tea, but some recent reports have linked certain types of the tapioca pearls with cancer.  The reports haven’t been verified to date, though.  It might just be a scare tactic. 

It’s interesting that these two trends produce big discussion.  Is coconut water really the fountain of youth and is bubble tea really the end of civilization as we know it? 

I think we should combine the two drinks into a coconut water bubble tea concoction.  The coconut water’s health benefits would negate any negative effects tapioca might have on human cells.  The result?  A tasty, healthful, fun beverage, maybe called Coco Tapi Tea.  Hmmmmm.

Bottoms up!

 



Battle of the Oddities

Enter:  two hot, new trends for you to debate.  In this corner, notice the "Sun Stache." Advertised for women, children and "all of the mustache-less" out there, sun staches, as you can see, combine sun glasses with fake mustaches. I wonder how we ever survived before this invention -- I cannot tell you how many times I've gazed wistfully at myself in the rear-view mirror, clad in my bare, ordinary sunglasses, and thought, "Too bad I am mustache-less. If only I could add a mustache to this stunning look, I'd be sure to attract everything I've ever wanted in life."

 

On the other hand, I needn’t have worried too much.  Being mustache-less is, apparently, nothing compared to being beard-less, especially on cold winter days.  Note the other oddity – the Beard Beanie.  Who doesn’t want a fake beard to warm the face in the face of blustery wind?  Combine it with the attractive skull cap and you’ve suddenly got the go-to look.  Bonus:  If you look carefully, the fake beard comes complete with a fake mustache.  Add you own sunglasses and you’ve combined the two trends into the ultimate of cool warmth.

 

Questions of the day:  Have you ever seen anyone actually sporting these looks?  Do you secretly want to try them out?

 

 

Unusual Historicals Guest Blog

Today I am honored to be featured as a guest blogger on the very cool blog, "Unusual Historicals." 

Of course I waxed enthusiastically about Fanny Fern and Shame the Devil, but the editors of the blog asked interesting questions about writing and the writing process, too.

Take a peek at my recent interview, if you please.  And while you're at it, check out the extensive listing of great books, interesting authors and terrific takes on history.

Click here for fun and adventure:  Unusual Historicals




Cuteness

A few weeks ago, I gave a reading at Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville, IL.  The reading was well attended and during the Q&A, a woman asked if I had any advice for young wanna-be writers.  Well, naturally, I waxed effusively about the joys and wonders of the writing life and encouraged any as-yet-unpublished scribblers to write away, keep the faith, never give up, etc.

After the reading, a ten-year-old girl came up to me and confessed that it was her mother who had asked the question about writers for her.  We chatted for a little while and the little girl told me that she was already “writing a lot” – in her diary and in emails.  Recently, she had also started a blog and had a right smart number of followers.  I told her that she had a great start as a writer since she was already doing exactly what she needed to do – practice.  I told her to keep writing and she would have a book herself someday.

She thanked me, grinned sweetly, then presented me with this little bit of origami.  “It’s a bunny,” she said.  “I made it for you.” 

How adorable is that?  She absolutely made my day. 

Of course, I gladly accepted the bunny, and still have it sitting on my desk.  Whenever I see it, I smile, thinking of the little girl who made it and her wishes and dreams.  I can only hope the advice I gave her had half as much impact on her as her impromptu gift had on me.

Here’s a toast to up-and-coming little writers everywhere – may your pencils be sharp and your imaginations unfettered!

Mondegreens

Mondegreens can be thought of as aural malapropism. Instead of saying the wrong word, you hear the wrong word.  The term mondegreen was originally coined by author Sylvia Wright. As a child, Wright heard the lyrics of “The Bonny Earl of Murray” (a Scottish ballad) as: 

Ye highlands and ye lowlands
Oh where hae you been?
Thou hae slay the Earl of Murray
And Lady Mondegreen

Wright eventually realized that Lady Mondegreen existed only her mind – the actual lyrics were "slay the Earl of Murray and laid him on the green." To this day Lady Mondegreen's name has been used to describe mishearings of this type.

Do you have a mondegreen example?  Here are some humorous ones I found scrolling around online:   

• "There's a bathroom on the right."
  "There's a bad moon on the rise."
  Bad Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater
• "Excuse me while I kiss this guy."
  "Excuse me while I kiss the sky."
  Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
• "Dead ants are my friends; they're blowin' in the wind."
  "The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind."
  Blowin' In The Wind, Bob Dylan
• "Midnight after you're wasted."
  "Midnight at the oasis."
  Midnight at the Oasis, Maria Muldaur
• "The girl with colitis goes by."
  "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes."
  Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, The Beatles
• "You and me and Leslie."
  "You and me endlessly..."
  Groovin', The Rascals
• "I'll be your xylophone waiting for you."
  "I'll be beside the phone waiting for you."
  Build Me Up Buttercup, The Foundations
• "Are you going to starve an old friend?"
  "Are you going to Scarborough Fair?"
  Scarborough Fair, Simon and Garfunkel
• "Baking carrot biscuits."
  "Taking care of business."
  Takin' Care Of Business, Bachman-Turner Overdrive
• "What a nice surprise when you're out of ice."
  "What a nice surprise bring your alibis."
  Hotel California, Eagles
• "Hope the city voted for you."
  "Hopelessly devoted to you."
  Hopelessly Devoted to You, Grease
• "I'm a pool hall ace."
  "My poor heart aches."
  Every Step You Take, The Police
• "Just brush my teeth before you leave me, baby."
  "Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby."
  Angel of the Morning, Juice Newton

I, ahem, must admit that I always thought it was “You and me and Leslie . . .”  No lie!  But, I cannot imagine anyone thinking the lyrics are really “baking carrot biscuits” – “every day,” no less (some kind of bunny bakery?).  Seriously?  Who would think this?  I mean, if you would bake carrot biscuits, you may do it, perhaps once in your life.  Right?  Try some new recipe in the food section and then agree to go back to baking regular biscuits, like other members of normal society.  Or maybe not.  In any case, I have never baked carrot biscuits and likely will never bake carrot biscuits.  Nor will I sing about baking carrot biscuits.  So there.  Unless you and Leslie want them, that is.

Feminist = Fine

First, she took Britain by storm. Next up, the United States.  Caitlin Moran’s mission: to blow up the nasty image feminism has acquired and to reclaim the word (and the ideology) for the people. Sort of a backlash to the backlash. And, she's a hoot (which helps).

According to Sarah Lyall of The New York Times, Moran’s book, How to Be a Woman, is “part memoir, part philosophical rant, part manifesto written with the lightest touch. . . The book aims to make women proud of being feminists.”

Moran says, “The word ‘feminism’ has for some reason gone off the rails to connote, incorrectly, preachy humorlessness and grim separatism.  When I talk to girls, they go, ‘I’m not a feminist.’  And I say, ‘What?  You don’t want to vote?  Do you want to be owned by your husband?  Do you want your money from your job to go into his bank account?  If you were raped, do you still want that to be a crime?  Congratulations:  you are a feminist.”

Check out Caitlin Moran’s website and see for yourself:  http://www.how-tobeawoman.com/

Texts from Jane Eyre

If you know anything about me, you know I'm crazy (well, not quite Bertha-in-the-attic-crazy, but Cocoa Puff-crazy) about Jane Eyre. What if Jane, and Rochester and St. John, were alive and well today? Well, they'd be texting, wouldn't they?

Kudos to my fellow English department professor, Heidi Lavine for unearthing this gem from the website "Hairpin" -- a rendition of what texts between Jane and Rochester and St. John would look like. Check it out. It is hilarious! (I, personally, liked the line, "But I taught you Hindi and everything. That's basically the same as getting engaged for missionaries.") What's your favorite line?

Texts from Jane Eyre