nanowrimo ’08 – calling all would-be novelists!
October 31, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under dinner and a book
Beginning tomorrow, November 1, Nanowrimo 2008 will kick off for experienced and aspiring novelists all around the world.
I know so many people (myself included) who have their in-progress novel that’s been ‘in-progress’ for months or even years. So many distractions get in the way of actually completing what seems like an insurmountable task - work, family, social obligations, etc.
But once a year, National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. Nanowrimo) occurs, and spurs people from all over the world to quit procrastinating and knock out a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. Think of it as a boot camp for novelists.
Think it’s impossible?
must see tv
October 30, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under dinner and a movie
So, did you catch Barack Obama’s 30-minute infomercial last night?
I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but after viewing, I can say that I think he nailed it.
obama makes it rain
October 28, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under recipes for life
Alright. I admit it. There’s something about Barack Obama that I find…incredibly sexy, big ears and all. There – I said it.
There’s not one thing that I can put a finger on, really. It’s a combination of his presence, that’s both down-to-earth and slightly cocky, his voice – powerful and eloquent with that slight twinge of Chicago street slang to it, and his gaze that seems to say, “Yeah, I know who I am. And I know who you are too.”
7 more days…get ya democratic shwag on!!
Ok – so there’s only 7 days left before the election. And if you haven’t gotten your Democratic party paraphenalia, or you just haven’t found that one button, bumper sticker, or t-shirt that really represents you….
Christmas has come early for you this year, my friend.
greeting cards for our times
October 27, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under dinner and a show
I’ve been a fan of someecards for a while - they offer just the right snarky greeting for almost any occasion, from birthdays to breakups. Besides, who can resist free greeting cards featuring witty cynicism illustrated by largely unrelated, vintage-looking graphics? I, for one, cannot.
I was recently perusing the selection in their ‘somehat topical’ category, and these are even better than usual. Exempli gratis:
chickens aren’t eagles
October 26, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under recipes for life
Look, brother farmer. I believe that eagle laid a couple of eggs. Go get those eggs of hers, bring them down, and put them under one of your setting hens. Then, when the eggs hatch, those little eaglets won’t know who they are. They will think they are chickens, so they won’t fight back and bite you. They won’t claw you. They will be peaceful and calm because they won’t know who they are.
- from, “The Eagle Story”
Of all the fantastical things that people often wish they could do, why is it that so many people wish that they could fly? It occurs to me, that maybe most haven’t considered that flying is something of a solo activity.
A bird cannot fly if it’s carrying another bird along with it. Even when mother birds teach their young to fly, they don’t pick them up and take to the air with them. They wait until the chicks are old enough, and then they kick them out of the nest.
If there’s one thing that I’m sure of, it’s that I – and everyone else – was born with wings (not literally, of course). But despite that knowledge, I’ve often been frustrated at my failed attempts to fly as far or as high as my vision allowed me to see. Upon reflecting on some of the times when my flight was cut short, I realized why. Too often it was because I was trying to carry someone along with me who hadn’t yet gotten the hang of their own wings or learned to fly for themselves. They’d see me swoop by and yell out from their perch, “Hey, that’s cool. I wanna do that too! Can you teach me?” And in my well-intentioned naivete, I’d cry out, “Sure thing. Just hop on my back and I’ll show you how I do it!” But soon after they’d hopped on, we’d both begin to descend rapidly, tumbling and flailing helplessly against the sky, until one of us had to separate from the other so we both wouldn’t end up hurtling to the ground below.
news and notes for a rainy friday
October 24, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under dinner and a song, recipes for life
Yeah, I know. It’s not quite quitting time yet. But the rain has me distracted from my work, so why don’t you join me for a few random thoughts?
le flash – art lights up the night in castleberry hill
October 23, 2008 by ksolo
Filed under dinner and a show
Once a year, Paris lights up the city with art for Nuit Blanche. Toronto does the same with all night art revelry. In Santa Monica, Glo transforms the pier, the beach and Palisades Park for art encounters from dusk to dawn.
This year, the art of Le Flash will light up Castleberry Hill on Friday, October 24, from 7pm to midnight.
