Answer to Thought for Thursday

ANSWER: It was from 1880 for the Hamfat Man, an awkward minstrel. If you want to read more, check out this link.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

QUESTION: Where did the phrase "He's such a Ham" come from?

Come on, take a guess. And come back around 3:00 to see if you were right.

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

Answer: An evening party or social gathering especially for a particular event. If you want to read more, check it out here.

And, thanks for playing.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

WORD: Soiree

Come on, take a guess and then come back around 3:00 to see - if you were right.

It's no fun to play unless friends play too

Silver Phoenix - By Cindy Pon

Don't know how I missed it, must have been The Save the Frogs Day blur. But Cindy Pon's Debut book is out in stores, run and get a copy. Then come back and post your review in my comments here. And, Ellen Oh has a contest going on here. Check it out for a chance to win a beautiful copy of Silver Phoenix.

A Huge CONGRATS to Cindy for all her hard work coming to fruition!!!

SAVE THE FROGS (Earth-Friendly. . . Tuesday)

Today is SAVE THE FROGS DAY. And, who doesn't love frogs?

If you'd like to read more about it, check it out here.

Did you know, frogs are disappearing fast?

200 amphibian species have already gone extinct since 1979!

2,000 amphibian specieis are threatened with extinction and may not survive the 21st century.

But there are things we can all do to help save the frogs:

Don't use pesticides
Don't eat frog legs
Don't purchase wild-caught amphibians as pets
Do not stock non-native fish in your pond or stream
Conserve resources-especially water
Eat locally grown, organic food
Donate to SAVE THE FROGS
Wear a SAVE THE FROGS t-shirt
Spread the word: use email, your website, blogsite, Facebook

(If we all do a little, it will do a lot!)

And the day after I went to the www.Savethefrogs.com lecture the Oregonian newspaper had a story about airlifted frogs, "Airlifted from Extinction" on Saturday, April 25, 2009. It was about the chytrid fungus and overhunting nearly wiping out another species. If you want to read more, check out this link.

Flowers can FLIP Any Frown Upside Down

Sunday was a good day to spend with family.

We went to the Woodenshoe Tulip Festival

We watched some steam engines from 1911 move down the rows.

Then we went downtown and walked around looking at how the city has managed to blend the old with the new.

One day our kids will be looking around and wonder how the old melds in with the new.


How'd you spend your weekend? I hope outside doing something fun.

ANTOINETTE - A.K.A. TONI

It was one year ago today that Mom died.

ANTOINETTE
A/K/A "TONI"

"Antoinette. . . Why don’t you ever use your real name?” I asked Mom, whispering the word into the air, listening to the syllables float around the room like the warm, sugary, scent of cotton candy at a fair. I loved to roll it around on the tip of my tongue--tasting the sweetness, like a lollipop.

“Because,” she’d smile, giving me a sideways wink, “it doesn’t suit me. Toni is simple—like me.”

And, maybe Antoinette was a common name in Paris during the early years of the twentieth century, but people weren't named Antoinette back in 1932, at least not in Portland, Oregon.

“It’s French?” I laughed looking around our rundown house. “Your name came all the way from France?”

It sounded so European, important, and unique to a ten year old.

Grandma used to say, “We came from money”, as if she wanted us to know because we’d fallen so far.

See, Mom's Dad was the Vice President of a large oil company when he died, leaving my grandmother a wealthy woman. And, Mom made one mistake. At 16 she secretly married her first husband, Douglas. And, although he came from a wealthy family, he wasn't a good husband or father so she divorced him. Something Grandma never accepted.

Mom's second marriage wasn't considered "a good match" by her mother.

Dad was a poor pig farmer from Weiser, Idaho. And his Dad was born on an Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. Nothing to be proud of back then.

Maybe that's why Mom cared nothing for "things". Her joy came from spending time with people. And, Mom was the kindest person I've ever met. I never heard her say a negative thing about anyone--not ever. I know, it sounds hard to believe but it's true.

In some ways, it seems like just yesterday but, in other ways, it seems like forever ago that Mom died.

It always feels so odd not to be able to call her up whenever I have a question or something I'm worried about. She always had the answers.

Now, whenever I have something exciting I want to share, I think, "Oh I'll call Mom. . . "

Then I remember.

WORD TIPS

SIMPLE WORD TIPS

(By holding down the Ctrl button and the additional key listed, you will have the following results)
Ctrl+O Opens a previously saved document
Ctrl+W Closes the current window without exiting Word
Ctrl+N Opens a new Word document
Ctrl+S Saves the current document with its existing file name
Ctrl+P Prints the current file
Ctrl+A Blocks all the text and graphics in the document you are in
Ctrl+C Copies the blocked text, Copies the blocked text, Copies the blocked text
Ctrl+V Pastes the copied text
Ctrl+Z Undoes the last change you made
Ctrl+Y Is a “Redo” button, if you’ve cut text and want to put it immediately back Ctrl+Y is the answer
Ctrl+X Cuts and removes the text you’ve blocked (hint: you can use this with Ctrl V)
Ctrl+F Find button – you can search for particular text using this button
Ctrl+U Underlines selected text
Ctrl+I Italic button – for all highlighted material
Ctrl+B Bold
Alt+F4 Exits Word
MORE WORD TIPS
Ctrl+End Moves cursor to the end of the document
Ctrl+Home Moves cursor to the beginning of a document
Ctrl+E Centers highlighted text
Ctrl+J Justifies a paragraph
Ctrl+L Aligns the text to the Left
Ctrl+R Right aligns text
Ctrl+Shift+W Underlines words but not spaces
Ctrl+Shift+D Double Underlines text
Ctrl+Shift+> Increases blocked text two points
Shift+F3 CHANGES CASE OF TEXT
Ctrl+T Creates a hanging indent
Ctrl+M Indents a paragraph from the left
Shift+Enter Inserts a line break
Ctrl+Delete Deletes one work to the right
Ctrl+backspace Deletes one work to the left
Ctrl+2 Double spaces blocked text or text in paragraph you’re in
Ctrl+1 Single spaces blocked text or paragraph you are in
Ctrl+5 Makes line spacing 1.5 in text
Shift+enter Inserts a line break (or inserts a hard page return) whichever you want to call it
Ctrl+[space bar] Removes all formatting from selected text

(Repeat)

EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY

Here is a fun How Green is Your Garden quiz that might even teach you a thing or two. Check it out here, thanks to Brenda.

Calling All Grammarians

Info thanks to John Potter

Subject-Verb Agreement

each: Traditional English grammar holds that the subject of a sentence beginning with each be considered singular: Each of the stores has a manager. When each follows a plural subject, the construction is plural: The stores each have managers.

either/or: When singular subjects are linked by or, either . . . or, or neither . . . nor, the verb is singular as well: Either a psychiatrist or a phrenologist can explain her lastest outbreak. Where one subject is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb: The chief or the directors have the authority. The directors or the chief has the authority.

herself/himself/myself/yourself: Called reflexive or intensive pronouns, words such as herself, himself, myself, yourself and so forth are used as objects and must be accompanied by subjects: Nancy, herself, took the initiative [intensive]; Erik was talking to himself [reflexive]. Avoid using a reflexive pronoun as a subject: Ms. Jones and I [not myself] took the deposition.


Pluralizing Proper Nouns and Acronyms

Use traditional English pluralization rules for proper nouns: Todd and Jenna Jones become the Joneses; Hoffmann to the Hoffmanns; Becker to the Beckers; Edward and Charles to the Edwards and Charleses. When proper names have non-English forms that result in awkward plural forms, it is best to rewrite the sentence to avoid plural formations. Acronyms are made plural by adding -s: DVDs, SOSs, IOUs, SOJs, BPs, CPAs, and so on.


Pluralizing Compound Nouns

Pluralize hyphenated and open compound nouns by adding the -s to the element that is "subject to the change in number": mothers-in-law, attorneys general, doctors of philosophy, courts-martial, deeds of trust, attorneys-at-law, for a sampling.

Possessives

Tradition has it that singular common and proper nouns and acronyms show possession with an apostrophe and -s: Becky's birthday celebration is today. Mr. Jones's humor fell flat. EMS's profits are in the tank. The exception to this rule has been not to triple the -s sound: Mr. Jones' success is in doubt. For plural nouns, just add the apostrophe: The Joneses' party is tonight. The sailors' keelhauling extravaganza will begin sharply at 1800 hours. The men's and women's categories are listed on the sign-up sheet. Note: as the "men's and women's" have separate and distinct "categories," each noun takes an aposptrophe and -s. For joint ownership, only one apostrophe and -s is needed: Sarah, Karla, and Nicole's joint venture has been quite profitable.

Quotations

Generally speaking, quotations must duplicate the original material in spelling, capitalization, and formatting. Commas and periods are always placed inside the quotation marks; colons, semicolons, and other punctuation marks are placed outside unless they appear in the original. Quotations of 50 or more words should be placed in block form, single-spaced and indented. Quotations of less than 50 words can be placed in block form for emphasis.

Ellipsis points can take one of two forms: ". . . ." or "* * *." Note: Each point has one space of separation from its neighbor, including the following comma or period; exception: No space between the final asterisk and its closing comma or period.


Seasons of the Year

The seasons spring, summer, fall, and winter are generally lowercased, unless personified: It's Winter for my 401(k).


Some Preferred Spelling: Foreign Words and Phrases

a priori; ab initio; de minimis; dictum; e.g.; et al.; et seq.; e.g.; ex parte; ibid.; id.; i.e.; in limine; inter alia; per se; pro se; quantum meruit; res ipsa loquitur; res judicata; respondeat superior; sine qua non; stare decisis; sua sponte; viz.; voir dire

[Note: Some writers prefer these words without italics, and their preference should be respected].

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

ANSWER: Importune is to demand with urgency. To read more about it, click here.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

WORD: Importune

Come on out and play.

Check back around three to see if you guessed right.

The Impotence of Proofreading

Thanks to Rachelle Gardner

Bone - written by Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith, the author of Bone, was very funny. You can check out his site here.

When he wrote Bone, it wasn’t originally meant for children but as the twelve years went by, that it took him to write it, the kids that had been reading the comic books grew up.

He wrote the book in 55 comic books and at the time only males age 20 to 30 were interested in the story but they grew up and had kids of their own. They began reading the story to their kids and somehow that’s how it transformed into a children’s book, which Scholastic picked up and now it has been translated into 23 different languages.

Stumptown Comic Con Festival in Portland

GUEST BLOGGER: JAKE KASCH
INTERVIEWING JONAH ROSE OF DARKHORSE COMICS
What is the best part of working at Darkhorse?

Uh best part about working at Darkhorse, probably just getting to interact with people who do creative things in the business. I also often get to see things before they get done. Free comics…which is cool, getting to meet people in the business like Camilla, the opportunity to be involved in the great world of comics, especially because we have such a great scene of comics in Portland.

What are some of the more interesting or challenging things that you encounter while working in the comic industry?

Probably the hardest thing is that at any time there is 100 people just as qualified as you who want your job. Everyone wants to work in comics but at least at Darkhorse we have a good group of people who care about you there and take care of each other. Making quotas on the sales side and not just messing up in general because there are a lot of things you have to remember to do. I meant to send someone 7 books one time ended up sending them 70. They were not stoked about that.

Where do you see comic books going in the next 10 years?

I think a lot of people think that comics are going to go digital only. But that’s like when people said that the movie theaters are going to go out of business when vhs came out. There is something about ink on paper that you can’t get from staring at a screen. There is also a issue of mobility that you can’t take with you, well except for the kindle. I think comics need to go back to- children. It seems a lot of the people who read comics now are people who read comics when they were kids. There is a great market for comics aimed at adults but if we don’t have kids reading comics then there aren’t going to be people reading them as they get older.

So… Stumptown, it seems more about the self produced comics. What’s it about vs the other cons out there?

…I think that’s why I like Stumptown more than the other comic conventions that I've been to recently. Portland's comic convention is more like a flea market for comic vendors. I went to Emerald city comicon this last weekend for the first time which was really cool. It had the whole people in costumes, had celebrities there and that was really cool. I did get to meet Ben Templesmith. Really fanboy’d it out…got really nervous. I got to speak to a lot of people that I really respect, which was awesome but I mean Stumptown seems like it is filled with people who are still trying to make it and still really care about what they do…not that any of those don’t… well some of those people seem like they don’t but you know… It's such an event in Portland. There’s the before parties, the draw at Cosmic Monkey, the after parties, Chamilla had a signing at The Compound for a new art show that she’s doing. I think Floating World Comics is doing something along with that and even the Mayor declared April to be “Comics Month” in Portland because we have so much comic stuff going on.

Any parting words?

Be creative. Do something original. Stay hard(core)

(More on Stumptown Comic Fest tomorrow) Like my impressions and some great photos including more like this one of super-talent Jeff Smith (author of Scholastic's Bone)

Great Reads

In Honor of library week, a list of some great books:

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, by Galen Beckett
Hollows Series, by Kim Harrison (starting with Dead Witch Walking)
The Temeraire Series, by Naomi Novik (starting with His Majesty's Dragon)
Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson
This is the first book in the Baroque Cycle by sci-fi historical fiction writer Stephenson. The series serves as sort of a historical prequel, not a literal story prequel, to Cryptonomicon. It is fun to read about Isaac Newton with his contemporaries and explore the science and politics of the day.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Travis McGee series, by John D. Macdonald
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (or anything by Steinbeck)
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
Classic tale of good and evil.
The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton
Mystery set in the 1920's in England.
Three Cups of Tea, by David Relin and Greg Mortenson
One person's commitment really does make a difference. (Education)
Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder
Again, one person's commitment changed public health in the world.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards
The consequences of a split-second decision are life altering.
Sweeping Up Glass, by Carolyn D. Wall
Listed as a mystery, it is more a rich novel of an impoverished woman's life. Impossible to put down.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
The hype was true for this one.
Still Life, by Louise Penny
In Persuasion Nation, by George Saunders
Like You'd Understand, Anyway, by Jim Shepard
The New Kings of Nonfiction, edited by Ira Glass (host of "This American Life")
Small Giants: Companies That Choose to be Great Instead of Big, by Bo Burlingham
The Monkey Wrench Gang, by Edward Abbey
Missing Links, by Rick Reilly
Days Like Floating Water: A Story of Modern China, by Susan Edwards McKee
The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman
Founding Brothers, by Joseph Ellis
Charlie Wilson's War, by George Crile
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing
Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson
Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
The Twilight Series, by Stephenie Meyer
Tribute, by Nora Roberts
The Beak of the Finch, by Jonathan Weiner
The River of Doubt, by Candice Millard
My Father's Notebook, by Kader Abdolah
Godmother, by Carolyn Turgeon
The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat, by Robert Drury
Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside, by Katrina Firlik
Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches, by Jill Fredston
'Salem's Lot, by Stephen King
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken
Oh, The Places You'll Go!, by Dr. Seuss
Suffer the Children, by John Saul
All the Oz stories, by L. Frank Baum
All of Poe's stories
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo
The Lay of the Land, by Richard Ford

Stumptown Comic Con Festival in Portland

Mayor Sam Adams plans to declare Portland the City of Comics - at least for the month of April!

If you'd like to read more about it, check out this link.

Here's the skinny: The sixth annual Stumptown Comics Fest will be held this weekend April 18 & 19 at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel.

I will have a guest blogger, post about the comic con and am hoping to have an interview with one of Dark Horse Comic's own staffers.

So stop by during the weekend to check out photos and have a little comic fun!

EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY

Spring is here and we've all been doing a little spring cleaning-right?...

Well, even if you haven't, and even if St. Paddy's Day has come and gone, you still have time to wear a little green, all you have to do is buy earth-friendly clothing.

Check out this site to see some cool looking clothes.

And, if it's vegan shoes you're looking for, check out this site.

What about a good bag, check them out here.

And one last tip, as your dog and cat start to shed, put those balls of fur (you find accumulating in the nooks and crannies) outside for the birds to use. They can soften their nests with a little fur from our four-legged friends. And, what a cool way to clean.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

ANSWER: Nolan Ryan in 1968 he struck out the Los Angeles Dodgers and in 1972 he struck out the Boston Red Sox.

BASEBALL FANS?... Thought for Thursday

The tulips are in bloom, the daffodils have blossomed and the scent of corn dogs is floating in the air - at least the oil is heating up around the dugouts and getting ready for the next BIG game. . . close your eyes and listen:

Hey batter, hey batter, hey batter, hey. . .

Almost nothing is more fun than the feel of the sun on your face on the first warm day of spring, holding a red licorice whip in one hand and a corn dog in the other.

What are we all waiting for. . . ?

That all-time American classic, baseball, apple pie and home made ice cream.

So, let's start the season with our first pitch across the plate:

QUESTION: What baseball Hall of Famer struck out the rival team (twice) using only nine pitches?

Come back around 3:00 p.m. (West Coast time) to see.

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: extravagant exaggeration

If you want to read more about it or listen to the pronunciation, check it out here.

This is a fun website that shows examples of fun hyperboles.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY- HAPPY TAX DAY!

HAPPY TAX DAY!

WORD: HYPERBOLE

Some of you probably know this one, but can you say what it means, without looking it up?

Take a guess. And come back around 3:00 to see, if you are right.

Earth Day Celebration - April 18th

Just Passing on Some Information:

"To Friends of the Center:

I would like to invite you to the Center for Earth Leadership’s annual Earth Day Celebration on April 18, 2009 at 7:30pm. We have a wonderful array of musical guests joining us for a time to honor the Earth. This event is open to the public so please pass this along or bring others with you to enjoy the evening.


Jeanne Roy

Co-Director, Center for Earth Leadership


Earth Day in Music and Song 2009


April 18, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

First Unitarian Church

SW 12th and Salmon, Portland

Featured Artist


Michael Allen Harrison
Additional Music and Vocal Performances by

Drak Druella, piano

Julia Gentlestrength, flute

Shemaya, vocal and instrumental

Steve Fulmer, chant

Adrienne Welsh, cello

New Thought Center for Spiritual Living Choir,

Dr. David York, Director

Robin Chilstrom and Shama, vocal


The celebration draws on the format known as Taizé, an ecumenical tradition from France that involves meditative singing, candle lighting, and time for reflection. The program will include expressions of gratitude, concern, and hope for our remarkable planet.
~Refreshments and conversation following in the Channing Room~

Sponsors

The Center for Earth Leadership First Unitarian Church

For more information, call 503-244-0026"

Sun River

We did a few family bikerides

We stopped to look at one of the gorge sites on the way over to Sunriver.

A cool bridge.

There are a lot of cool plateau shots. It was a great way to spend a holiday weekend.

HOPPY EASTER!

Here's your Easter basket - filled with eggs!


I made you all a cupcake to celebrate. The frosting is coconut mixed in with regular frosting and green food coloring. The basket handle is a pipe cleaner. And, the eggs are Jelly Bird Eggs (jelly beans). I've been making these for years - every Easter.

I have a special breakfast I make each year too - Mom passed these recipes down to me: Eggs Goldenrod - which is an egg dish made to look like a daffodil. Mom always came up with the cheapest but funnest things.


I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with good things to eat - and great times shared with family and friends.

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK (April 12-19)

It's time to celebrate one of the best places in the world to visit.

So in honor of libraries, I thought we'd start with a list of favorite books and blog readers have included a list of their favorite books of all time, here they are:

Pride and Prej.
Lord of the Rings.
The Shades, by Betty Brock.
Lord of the Ring
The Robe.
Call of the Wild
Any of the Oz books
The Cat in the Hat
Eloise
The World of Pooh
A Child's Garden of Verses
The Dirt by the members of Motley Crue
Favorite YA Harry Potter series (I miss Harry!)
Favorite picture book- The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
I also love the June B. Jones books
Little Women
Anne of Green Gables
anything by Judy Blume.
Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck;
My Sister's Keeper, Judy Picoult
The Pleasure of My Company, Steve Martin.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Twas the Night Before Christmas
Twilight.
The House at Pooh Corner.
The Giving Tree Shel Silverstein
The Fudge books by Judy Blume
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl
The Wise Woman by George MacDonald
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
From the Mixed-Up Files of Ms Basil E. Frankweiler:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Outsiders by SE Hinton
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Summer of the Monkeys:
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Wuthering Heights
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier
Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Time Traveler's by Wife Audrey Niffenegger
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Suffer The Children by John Saul
All the Oz stories by L. Frank Baum
All of Poe's Stories
The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss's

(Let me know if any of these are your favorites and if I've forgotten any, please include them in the comments section.)

And, make sure to come back tomorrow for a book give-away.

Portland in Pictures

Go Green - While You Clean

Spring cleaning anyone? It might not sound like fun but it will be helpful to everyone

Too many clothes hanging around? Drawers overloaded?

Thrift stores are looking for “pre-owned” clothes. So, you can donate clothes, clean up your closet, and help less fortunate people all at the same time.

And if you're looking to make a little more money in the process, and you have the energy to put on your own sale, check out the Yard Sale Queen's tips.

Go green - while you clean!

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: SAMUEL L. JACKSON

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

THOUGHT: WHAT Oscar-nominated actor once worked as Bill Cosby's stand-in on TV's The Cosby Show?

Lemonade?. . .

Rena Jones gave me the Lemonade Stand Award - thanks Rena.

She has awarded me the Lemonade Stand Award for great Gratitude and/or Attitude. Cool -- to accept the award I must follow these rules --

1. Post the logo on my blog.
2. Nominate 10 blogs with great gratitude/attitude.
3. List and link my nominees.
4. Alert them of their nomination on their blog.

The 10 blogs I nominate are as follows --

1. Ellen Oh
2. Catherine Gardner
3. Shelli at Market My Words
4. Green Girl
5. The Bimillennial Man or David Batista
6. Brenda's Blog
7. Amy Tate
8. Stacy's Out There Blog
9. Amy Clipston
10. Adrienne at the Story Board

ANSWER TO WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

non sequitur means illogical or "it does not follow". If you want to read more about it, look here.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY

Word: non sequitur

Come on, this one is kind of Easy-smeezy but give a guess, come on try your hand at it - without googling it first.

Then come back around 3:00 pm to see the answer.

Spring Has Sprung!!! WOGGING on the Esplanade

It was a beautiful Sunday. We went for a WOG on the Esplanade with the dogs.

The Cherry Blossoms are in bloom all along the waterfront.




My daughter told me she needs to find a new running partner - 'cause I've gotten to slow and can't keep up :(

I'm going to have to work harder.

MUSIC Anyone? . . .

My son practicing his guitar playing.

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

Okay, April is National Poetry Month and I had to celebrate with a poetry contest.

Thanks to everyone who entered! I loved so many of them I had my husband and daughter read them and vote for their first, second and third place winners. They both had the Grand Prize winner in their top three. Then, the first runner up was my daughter's second place choice, and the 2nd runner up was my husband's second place choice.

Honorable mentions for making the top three are: Barry Napier's AS THE DOCTOR WRITES(my daughter voted this as third place) and Ben Clanton's IN THE NIGHT THEY COME, was in my husband's list.

Before I announce the Prize winners. . .

I feel like we need a commercial break or . . . some sort of pause, so here it is:

I've always loved poetry. Poe was one of my favorites when I was growing up. And, I even wrote my first manuscript (of poems) when I was in grade school. I sent it in to an editor at Random House.

He wrote me back a full page letter, returning my poems with the rejection. I had no idea how special that letter was. I wish I knew where it was now. I'd love to look back and read it.

So, all you writers out there, I've been being rejected for decades but I still love to write.

And to be fair, since I know some of you cyber-friends out there, I asked my husband to pick the winners.

There are:

Grand Prize Winner (which means he/she gets to pick the first prize):

Jean Hall's LISTENING

1st Runner Up: Kathryn Fitzmaurice's GOODBYE SWEET SWALLOW

2nd Runner Up: Bob Schechter's QUESTION

Please pick the prize package you would like, make three choices so that I can get you each one of your top three. I will give Jean her first choice, since she was the Grand Prize Winner - look at the list of books and make your pick. Email your choice to me at kasch5 at comcast dot net

THANKS AGAIN FOR PLAYING!!! And Happy Poetry Month!

Carmen Bernier-Grand - Frida Kahlo

Variety is the Spice of Life

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) sponsored Award winning Carmen Bernier-Grand to come and speak to a group of writers about how to bring diversity to life in writing on Saturday, April 4th at 11:30 a.m. at the Village Gateway Apartments.

Carmen has traveled all over the world and she didn’t just speak about ethnic differences, she spoke about writing in different formats, genres and styles to flavor your writing with a variety of emotions.

She spoke about the people who gave her opportunities in the publishing world and networking. She said one of the best ways to network is to join the SCBWI and attend as many conferences, functions and get-togethers as you can.

These SCBWI events provide perfect opportunities to meet editors, agents and other writers. People you meet at conferences may not have an immediate impact on your life—but you never know.

Ellen Dodson facilitated a group critique meeting of first page manuscripts.

This was a free presentation, with snacks and drinks that were also free, and FREE is a very good price.



At the end, Carmen had all the writers play a little game and she gave away books to the winners.

It was a great way to spend a morning--even if we were indoors when the sun was out - which is a rare thing to see that giant orange and yellow orb in the sky around Portland at this time of year.

COME BACK AROUND 3:00 P.M. TO SEE WHO THE WINNERS OF THE POETRY CONTEST ARE

EXTREME . . . sheep?...

This is a fun little thing:



And it's the last day to post a poem to my contest. So, come on post a rhyme - there isn't much time. You have nothing to fear - just post it here

A NEW MEANING TO "GOING GREEN" - EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY

Okay, I want to be green, green as a tree

But this gives new meaning to "Going Green"
check it out here.

Hope that gave you a Friday Smile :)

And, on to more Earth-Friendly Friday tidbits:

There are so many nontoxic things you can use to keep your house clean, your children safe and your pets happy. Check here for EarthEasy ways.

Did you know vinegar can clean windows, is a great shampoo rinse, and can cool sunburns? Well it can do all that and more.

Plus, if you want to clean-up some prizes and take them home,
post your own little poem,

right here.

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY- POE'S POEMS

Answer to Thought for Thursday: 1120 poems. If you want to read more, check it out here.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY - POE

This is one of those things that makes you say, "Hummm"

POE(M) - they obviously are linked together?

QUESTION: How many poems did Edgar Allen Poe Have Published?

Take a guess and then come back around 3:00 p.m. to see if you're right.

And remember, there's still time to post your own poem HERE - prizes are to be given away.

Writer's Market Challenge - April is National Poetry Month

APRIL POEM-A-DAY CHALLENGE

In April, Writer's Market will be leading a poem-a-day challenge at the Poetic Asides blog. Last year, more than 400 poets posted more than 4,000 poems during the month of April. This year, the participation may be even greater for two reasons: possible publication and well-known poet guest judges.

Anyone who completes the poem-a-day challenge for the month of April will receive a certificate and an online badge (for display on your blog or website) like last year. But this year, we'll also be publishing the top 50 poems from the month in a free eBook designed by F+W Media's own wonderful designers.

That's sweet enough, but 30 of those top 50 poems will be selected by 30 well-published poets, including Mark Doty, Marilyn Nelson, Patricia Smith, S.A. Griffin, Alex Lemon, Dorianne Laux, and 24 others.

Participation is free. All you have to do is show up to the Poetic Asides blog on April 1, write a poem a day, and have a great time. Go to http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides to learn more.