Here’s the problem with Christmas form letters: they’re difficult to write. But it is possible to write a good one that people enjoy reading. My friend Diane received one this year. Years ago (mid-90s?) I, too, received one—from an old friend from elementary/junior high/high school (back then she was G.G. from G.G.). I remember after [...]
Yesterday I received a Christmas card from a longtime “friend.” The card wasn’t signed. But tucked inside it was a double-sided computer printed Christmas letter. It closed with the holiday message: “Friend me on FaceBook.” Can I get a “Bah Humbug!” I had previously told this person that I don’t do FB. I had also [...]
Being supportive of the Occupy Wall Street Movement since mid-September, a blog posted by Gwyneth Paltrow last week set me off. There was nothing sinister or untoward about the blog. It was the subject matter and overall tone that bugged me. I’ve been reading Gwyneth’s blog, www.GOOP.com off and on since it started. I’ve always [...]
A few years ago I got the harebrained idea to start a blog. It took a long time designing it—as I fussed over getting it exactly the way I wanted it to look and what I wanted it to say. My original idea was to blog about books—because they are my passion—writing my own (as [...]
HOLY COW that was some email! Thanks for writing. I enjoyed the recap of “Life of Brian.” Boy have you been busy since we last chatted. I really appreciate you reading all my stuff. I wish I got that kind of response from all my readers. Then maybe my blog site would be as popular [...]
Not to sound like a whiny crab apple, (even tho I am!) but how come some people get paid for the way they arrange words on a page and some people don’t? Why does some writing deserve money and some doesn’t? This is what I have been thinking about ever since I recently bought a [...]
Yesterday the “Word for the Day” on www.Dictionary.com (one of my favorite websites!) was truckle. The first thing I thought of was: “Truckle, truckle, little star.” But I knew that wasn’t right. I read the definition: To yield or bend obsequiously to the will of another; to act in a subservient manner. The next thing [...]
DO NOT let it be said that writing in obscurity has no rewards! Today is my 450th blog, which means that another semicentennial milestone has been reached. When fifty blogs have been posted, something miraculous happens at my house: shoes fall from the heavens! The Celestial Shoe Reward Committee (who I think have a divine [...]
I believe God created the universe—including people, too—and likewise gave us humans the ability to create. For me there is something mystical/cosmic/spiritual about creativity. Because creativity is my strong suit (as opposed to accounting, caroentry, or brain surgery), I’m always trying to figure it out and how to utilize it. I think creativity lives in [...]
I’ve been working on my New Year’s Resolutions List for 2011. Not that I think I will ever keep them. But I like to start out a new year with an effort toward self-improvement and better habits. I’m thinking about changing my writing approach—to accommodate the changing landscape of our ever-increasing digital world. I think [...]
