Social Media brings some interesting things into our lives. Take food as art for example.
I’ve seen stunning creations. Like a peacock wedding cake. Or this face. Or this cake. Or this truly awesome Halloween concoction?
I understand that presentation is important. But when presentation becomes the thing instead of flavor, I’m gone. Who wants to destroy something that must have taken hours to create? I respect the artistry. But food is made to eat.
As I type this blog, New York State is still “paused,” although that is scheduled to begin easing in some parts of the state at any moment.
I shared my day job situation in an earlier blog post. One of the things I deal with every day at the day job is despair. Some of the accounts I handle are scared they won’t survive the Pause.
My husband comes home every night and turns on the news to hear the latest on the Pause and global reactions to the pandemic. More despair.
I am in despair overload. I cannot face the despair of my characters as they struggle to overcome adversity in the story, even though none of it is real.
I reached out to my editor and my publisher and explained the situation to them. They, being the wonderful people they are, completely understand.
I hope that you, my readers, will understand, too.
This doesn’t mean Besieged by the Moon has been abandoned. It means I want it to be the best book it can be, and right now, my brain isn’t in a place where I can make that happen.
Are polka dots a summer thing? I wondered this as I pulled on a fuchsia and white polka dog shirt the other day. I remembered with great fondness other polka dotted summer clothes: a red and white dress that flirted with my legs when I danced; a navy and white dress I always wore with pearls. Even one of my maternity outfits was polka dotted.
Could this be the reason why I associate polka dots with summer?
Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving With Grace by Gordon MacKenzie is one of the easiest self-help books I’ve ever devoured. There’s no jargon, no quoted sources or case studies (or if there is, they are a minor mention at best).
MacKenzie writes about his time working for Hallmark and the frustrations of a creative thinker trying to be productive in a corporate one-size-fits-all structure. He shares his methods for coping. Most of his ideas wouldn’t work in the majority of businesses. These days, they wouldn’t even work in “creative” business, such as broadcasting. They’d be great for advertising and marketing.
One of the most important lessons I learned is from Chapter 19. “Orville Wright did not have a pilot’s license.” (I once quoted this, then had to explain the meaning, which shocked me.) This may be the best advice I’ve ever read.
This is an older book (1998); technology has changed many things in our world. But the human brain, if properly treated, can triumph.
Happy Memorial Day. My grandmother always called today Decoration Day, because one is supposed to decorate the graves of deceased soldiers. When I was in high school marching band, we marched in three Memorial Day Parades. Then it was off for a family picnic.
We still have an annual family picnic. I love my family. I have wonderful nieces and nephews, and even young ones from the next generation. My sibs are great, and I’m lucky to still have both of my parents.
But now that I’m a working adult, I have concluded that just because a person doesn’t have to report to a day job on the holiday, doesn’t make it a day off. The work is just a different kind of work.
When my children were younger, I had to get them ready to travel, pack a change or two of clothing, and prepare a pot luck contribution. They’re responsible for themselves now, but I still have to prepare food to share. I like to cook, don’t get me wrong, and I enjoy the challenge of finding dishes that take everyone’s food foibles into consideration. It’s still work, though. I have to make certain I have enough meat for my gang (our picnics are bring your own meat and a dish to pass). I have to do the shopping.
Where is my day off?