tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51912022678549194162024-02-07T19:15:04.707-07:00Writer, Cogitator, Recovering Ranch GirlIn which Tamara ponders the writer's life and the world around her.Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.comBlogger799125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-1647601064585787552021-02-17T08:11:00.003-07:002021-02-17T08:14:16.155-07:00Yay for the Builders!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy1upuheLC-O7WSyp1H16W7rxpT2cHLtuYr_mSEl57C8ST7SaPx4z9Bs1YuOmuHmkwq3mwg9nqej90ubB6agawCZm1j9ga553SeGX66ZK9e_RQvSJTjgbOaUbm9daf-I6ZwIbnDK4X9M/s4410/365+Y7+1-14-21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3716" data-original-width="4410" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSy1upuheLC-O7WSyp1H16W7rxpT2cHLtuYr_mSEl57C8ST7SaPx4z9Bs1YuOmuHmkwq3mwg9nqej90ubB6agawCZm1j9ga553SeGX66ZK9e_RQvSJTjgbOaUbm9daf-I6ZwIbnDK4X9M/w400-h338/365+Y7+1-14-21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It’s been a rough four years for us all. One of the many effects it’s had on me is to
quash—or, I guess more accurately, redirect—my creativity. </p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Before November 2016, I had written two books and almost a third
in my Wyoming Chronicles series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are
YA novels, British classics set in contemporary Wyoming. So fun to write! I’d
written <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moreau-Wyoming-Chronicles-Tamara-Linse-ebook/dp/B08NV27WQV/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=tamara+linse&qid=1613574159&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Moreau</a></i> (<i>The Island of Dr. Moreau</i>) and <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NV596NM?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_1&storeType=ebooks" target="_blank">Pride</a></i> (<i>Pride and Prejudice</i>) and
almost finished <i>Solomon</i> (<i>King Solomon’s Mines</i>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the same week as the election, which devastated me and so many others
and caused a bit of a mental breakdown, I also got this series rejected by
traditional publishing for the final time.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I quit writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
hardly had the emotional energy to make it through the day, much less write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I listened to the same comfort music
(Vince Guaraldi’s <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas_(soundtrack)" target="_blank">Charlie Brown Christmas</a></i>) for a year straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Only in the last year have I started to come out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like everyone, when the pandemic hit, I began
to cook a lot. I’ve always cooked a lot because I love it, and I’m a good
cook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s something I love and
something I’ve devoted a lot of time to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m always trying new recipes from <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/" target="_blank">NYT Cooking</a> or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/category/recipes/" target="_blank">WaPo Voraciously</a> or
<a href="https://www.eatingwell.com/" target="_blank">EatingWell</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I also dove head first back into science fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always loved science fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since reading so much of it as a teenager—my
brother had a subscription to Science Fiction Book Club—I have loved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I focused on literary fiction for much of
my adult years, though I’ve always been an avid sci fi movie buff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(TV_series)" target="_blank">The Expanse</a> ROCKS!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as part of that, I thought I’d try my
hand at writing a science fiction novel. The result of that is the first book
in my Mechalum Space series, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HXG2SXS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">The Language of Corpses</a></i>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first step in creating my universe was to create a
future history. Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how fun that is and was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking through, okay, here’s where we are
today, and here’s where that technology is going to take us in 700 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rabbitholes I went down figuring it all
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Absolutely the best!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are living in a science fiction universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those things you’ve read about as possibilities
are coming true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just this week, we’re
landing again on Mars and moving toward a permanent base on the Moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scientists on CERN are getting closer to
understanding hydrogen antimatter, and they announced findings just this
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will land humans on Mars in
fifteen or twenty years, and we will be able upload our consciousness into
computer in thirty. Seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just
in fiction or in theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my lifetime.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And of course the adults are in charge again. The forces of
chaos and hate are at least going underground, and hopefully the solutions
offered by builders as opposed to destroyers—I told you we were living in a
science fictional universe—will help enough people to turn them away from
extremism.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s been the best of times. It’s been the worst of times.
As they say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so lucky. I can work
from home, which I never would have been able to do without the pandemic. I am
able to help my teenagers do their school from home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My partner and I kept our jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so so lucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So I’m thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
still going through deep-but-functional depression, but I’m clawing my way to
creativity again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I’m
alone in this.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Science fiction has saved me again, as it did when I was a
teenager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, if you’re so inclined, check
out <a href="https://www.ttlinse.io/blog/" target="_blank">my other blog</a> and my book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Language-Corpses-Mechalum-Space/dp/1953694004" target="_blank">The Language of Corpses</a></i>, if you’d like. Follow me on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/tt_linse" target="_blank">@tt_linse</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m deep in writing the second one in the
series, <i>The Evolution of Corpses</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
stay tuned here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be trying to blog
once a week on my other blog about sci fi and here about other things.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My heart goes out to you and your loved ones. We’re all
going through such a tough time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love
you!<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-13675389455631510662021-02-13T08:41:00.002-07:002021-02-13T08:42:12.291-07:00Blogging, as a Sign of Recovery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZTeFAO0UFWklITtn1rSwFfOdJUGxoNauX-ooD-epiEdXR7kaR37sagXskeg1nemQIVWrQFUw7wex_fNydfyXZ2xy88YZgk0aK8mkZoOVptuiXwWQXqm3tiPwK0A_Bm0b4nAyNxY2MQA/s1173/bestworst.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1173" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZTeFAO0UFWklITtn1rSwFfOdJUGxoNauX-ooD-epiEdXR7kaR37sagXskeg1nemQIVWrQFUw7wex_fNydfyXZ2xy88YZgk0aK8mkZoOVptuiXwWQXqm3tiPwK0A_Bm0b4nAyNxY2MQA/w400-h264/bestworst.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.</p>Ain’t that the truth? But I feel like I’ve recovered a little. You? <br /><br />Anyway, I’m going to try to put up at least one blog post a week here and on my other blog. (<a href="http://tamara-linse.blogspot.com/">http://tamara-linse.blogspot.com/</a>, <a href="https://www.ttlinse.io/blog/">https://www.ttlinse.io/blog/</a>).<br /><br />Stay tuned!Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-42989708943706080532020-07-15T11:03:00.000-06:002020-07-15T11:03:36.330-06:00Live Life Deliberately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qKpv-F6NiE9vfhAt0C9DnV9JzNnKVknfSI2t-ShGqqtL-d1XZqHRNqtUGu5aZ3lomH34RAwKOro4c4VbzvGSSKAj80igCn0ONNkagDEr1p5cK_G7AyVjjGT1-6xX1EqU6mnDzfLEr7M/s1600/Fly_Like_A_Girl_Film-e1575573745254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="746" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qKpv-F6NiE9vfhAt0C9DnV9JzNnKVknfSI2t-ShGqqtL-d1XZqHRNqtUGu5aZ3lomH34RAwKOro4c4VbzvGSSKAj80igCn0ONNkagDEr1p5cK_G7AyVjjGT1-6xX1EqU6mnDzfLEr7M/s400/Fly_Like_A_Girl_Film-e1575573745254.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I went into <b><i>myself</i></b> because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.<br />
<br />Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-32474833324665193002019-02-25T11:18:00.003-07:002019-02-25T11:18:42.949-07:00'I don't feel very much like Pooh today'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73wR2Q9SE35hQ4bRTQ1GHZNiOZYH5qcxv80Ebb96_Ym-LsRuilsUNkQlq41a2fnQ88Y_Maz4BlrDFYhoJk6ktfdeEPotUkEiUt8-4G1pGaIol9idTLqg84f9QIHS4k4LGG_rMiULSklg/s1600/tumblr_mg8kwrEzlG1s1xv4uo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="500" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73wR2Q9SE35hQ4bRTQ1GHZNiOZYH5qcxv80Ebb96_Ym-LsRuilsUNkQlq41a2fnQ88Y_Maz4BlrDFYhoJk6ktfdeEPotUkEiUt8-4G1pGaIol9idTLqg84f9QIHS4k4LGG_rMiULSklg/s400/tumblr_mg8kwrEzlG1s1xv4uo1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"I don't feel very much like Pooh today," said Pooh.<br />
<br />
"There, there," said Piglet. "I'll bring you tea and honey until you do."Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-89136610915843729692016-09-09T08:24:00.000-06:002016-09-09T08:25:50.984-06:00Ideas Catching Fire<span id="goog_1955519130"></span><span id="goog_1955519131"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzW2o9Phx5eruSKtji712pUnAg4LzhqmtspKS2P3EQJ-uzKUFHvfGlfayzEHxHIdlowoI1DafiYOSXXwHEx1-OXi8idSMWvFfP0FwNdiJdLUEeUERB3IBdN10QfeBW2t7NSGgKY7_eEU/s1600/WordWorldForest.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzW2o9Phx5eruSKtji712pUnAg4LzhqmtspKS2P3EQJ-uzKUFHvfGlfayzEHxHIdlowoI1DafiYOSXXwHEx1-OXi8idSMWvFfP0FwNdiJdLUEeUERB3IBdN10QfeBW2t7NSGgKY7_eEU/s400/WordWorldForest.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh my god, oh my god!! I just came up with the greatest idea
for a novel!! A series, actually!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moshfeigh</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, I could just bury my head in this idea
and not come up for months. I don’t want to say much about it other than it’s
science fiction and it's very Ursula Le Guin-esque. Lush world, competing idealogies,
one insignificant being must save her species from subjugation. Lots of social
and political intrigue. Hmmmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m at the exciting world-building stage that’s in some ways
the very best! Because you haven’t had to do any hard work yet, just play play
play.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One itsy-bitsy problem: I have at least five book ideas
ahead of this one. Two in my Wyoming Chronicles series, two in the Round Earth series, and a memoir. And why oh why do I always think in series?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You heard it here first, folks. Let's see which idea wins out ...</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-84048443277973333432016-09-05T08:00:00.000-06:002016-09-05T08:00:28.074-06:00Despair to Optimism<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQL7LsChA8293wvhoQwiJagM3ho699NRSfmidgcOSKBLqbmg2DxTsHBr2kP8xh5Xdu8RWm-Zwbn4Y_VwnBplHMB16g3mUSQgwlc3XjRzklGS23NC1n32HlWCgpyOzd50MYq3TCGkwHt4/s1600/X20.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQL7LsChA8293wvhoQwiJagM3ho699NRSfmidgcOSKBLqbmg2DxTsHBr2kP8xh5Xdu8RWm-Zwbn4Y_VwnBplHMB16g3mUSQgwlc3XjRzklGS23NC1n32HlWCgpyOzd50MYq3TCGkwHt4/s400/X20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I’ve mentioned before, I have long cycle manic
depression. Not diagnosed or anything, but every 3 months or so I cycle from
optimism to despair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the despair
phase, I feel like I totally suck. It’s hard to get anything creative done,
because, you know, what’s the point? In the optimism phase, I’m manic, I’m
going, I’m a creative fireball.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not way out there. In optimism, I’m not unreasonably
manic. I’m just upbeat and motivated and getting a lot done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In despair, I’m not suicidal (usually).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just reamed out, empty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, at the moment, I’m transitioning from despair to
optimism. Could you tell? By the fact that I’m blogging?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Something that happens, which I always notice on this part
of the cycle, is that I turn outward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
mind and emotions are no longer a hamster on the wheel. Instead, projects come
toward me like road signs and I follow them and everything starts to hum
along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I notice how absolutely fabulous
it feels to create and to put things out there. Who cares if these victories
are tiny ~ publishing a blog post, posting a photo for photo-a-day, having a
meaningful exchange on Facebook with another writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, the thing is, because I open up and start saying YES to
the universe, good things come my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
friend recently sent on a call for a writing opportunity, and I followed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had I been in the depths of despair, I would
have let it pass. But since I’m revving up, I took it and followed up. And I
got the assignment!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It would be so easy to say, “Pull yourself up by your own
bootstraps, girl! It’s all in your power to control. Why don’t you just be
optimistic all the time?” Well, as many of you know, it’s not that easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also a subtle way of blaming the victim.
“It’s your own damn fault you’re depressed. If you’d just eat better/get some
work done/focus, it’d all go away.” Riiiiiight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A lot of the time I can white knuckle it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can force myself to get things done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At least get up in the morning and get dinner on the table. </span>But, sometimes, I just can’t. It takes more
emotional energy and courage than I possess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But when I’m on, man oh man. One of my most recent novels I
wrote start-to-finish in two months. TWO MONTHS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At least I’ve learned moderation in my habits (thanks in
part to my supportive husband). That makes the lows less low and the highs more
sustained. When I was a teenager and knew nothing about moderation, it was all
lows, pretty much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But really what I wanted to say was that CREATIVITY
ROCKS!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing beats the feeling of
things coming out of your brain and body and into being. Nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s manna from heaven!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-53781999502398934422016-09-02T08:11:00.001-06:002016-09-02T08:12:50.909-06:00Slow TV<i>Feeling rushed? Try some slow TV. Watch the complete train trip from Bergen to Oslo, Norway. </i><i><i>All 7 hours, 14 minutes, and 13 seconds. </i>No car crashes, just rolling countryside. I love the idea!!</i><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xisVS_DKpJg" width="520"></iframe>Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-7815739888167943882016-09-01T08:00:00.000-06:002016-09-01T08:00:04.361-06:00The World Is an Alien Place<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHuO93fJlVKfH7s9nLr6ZtQUHxT5c3QyKEzO0gDN2vFNQx9Ho2lHUmof2lSWutJGfDyUdwV1lMHSE5oREwjjZ7kIbEGLfHVLDfzqwYBDGhxt7Xepm_ipufIYDg_I3_CPe9x5surnA8ko/s1600/lichen.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHuO93fJlVKfH7s9nLr6ZtQUHxT5c3QyKEzO0gDN2vFNQx9Ho2lHUmof2lSWutJGfDyUdwV1lMHSE5oREwjjZ7kIbEGLfHVLDfzqwYBDGhxt7Xepm_ipufIYDg_I3_CPe9x5surnA8ko/s400/lichen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
You know, if you really think about it, the world is an
alien place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We go through our days living inside our heads and bodies
and rarely really look at things or think about things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or maybe I should speak for myself: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I go through my days living inside my head and
body and rarely really look at things or think about things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But if you take a moment to observe and to question, or to
do some research, you realize that the world is
fantastic, and truth is stranger than fiction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mean, you could spend your whole life just reading about
and figuring things out about the world. It’s truly amazing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember realizing, when I came to college, that I truly
could be anything and that anything I wanted to learn was literally right
there within my grasp in the library. Now it’s on the internet,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> t</span>he whole world of knowledge.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It made me want to scream with excitement and possibility.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The world would be a better place of everyone wanted to
scream with excitement and possibility.</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-69556796264947522342016-08-31T08:00:00.000-06:002016-08-31T08:00:15.088-06:00Hot Pork Sandwiches As a Metaphor for Life<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYzmLA0X9_yFSNyuvccz1jxxVvdfpr4XWgolqXYO79NxW-5_nlzRhaOjBe45ycSIY7iSze722IbWUJI5C0qXRtal94Rweph7igLwneE6s_J1049V0UUjgtNaoocNAzRIioJIoDrbxXDc/s1600/sandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYzmLA0X9_yFSNyuvccz1jxxVvdfpr4XWgolqXYO79NxW-5_nlzRhaOjBe45ycSIY7iSze722IbWUJI5C0qXRtal94Rweph7igLwneE6s_J1049V0UUjgtNaoocNAzRIioJIoDrbxXDc/s400/sandwich.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made hot pork roast sandwiches for supper tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know the ones?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You take leftover pork roast, slice it
thinly. You chop some more pork into small pieces and fry it and make a nice
pork gravy out of the fried pork, chicken stock, and corn starch to thicken.
Then you serve it by layering a slice of bread, a piece of pork, and hot pork
gravy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s yummy and easy and comfort
food.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I’d really been doing it right, I would have made
homemade mashed potatoes, but I was running late on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So just fresh sliced apples and steamed
broccoli with lemon pepper on the side and some pickles.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s funny how everyone has their own system for
eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people eat out all the
time. Some people only eat homemade. Some people favor lots of cheese and
cream. Some people favor veggies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lean
toward unprocessed homemade food. Sure, on a week when we’re running late to
everything, we’ll grab something at Wendy’s or nuke a frozen dinner, but in
general I try to make something homemade.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have lots of shortcuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For breakfast, I buy sausages and cook them all slightly underdone and
then freeze them so that they can be nuked to warm for breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re better than the ones you buy already
cooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make a parfait by layering
fruit and yogurt and cereal or chocolate chips. We have bagels and cream cheese
or toast with butter and toppings.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dinners, I try to have all 4 or 5 food groups: a protein, a
veg, a fruit, a grain, and milk. So I’ll roast or crockpot or time-bake some
meat of some kind, I’ll steam some veggies, we’ll have bread and butter or I’ll
timer some rice, and I’ll chop up some fresh fruit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I guess my yen is for unprocessed stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used
to go way in for strange diets when it was just myself, and it wasn’t until we
had kids that I got serious about trying to balance everything. It seems to be
working. The kids, so far, have maintained a healthy weight, fights about food
are fairly minimal, and they try new stuff.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Things that surprise me. My son loves blue cheese and
tomatoes. My daughter loves corned beef and cabbage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the things that got me thinking about this is that I’m
much more thoughtful about my kids food than my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s easier for me to help them be healthy
than it is to make myself healthy, due to the half-hazard way I was
raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thinking recently that I
should think of myself as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a third
person. That way, I might be able to treat myself better than I would
otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of myself in the third
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And all this is a metaphor for my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t seem to convince myself I’m worth it,
either in food or writing. Something to work on, for sure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Robert Goolrick says, “If you don’t receive love from the
ones who are meant to love you, you will never stop looking for it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-16987937619624117952016-01-21T08:51:00.002-07:002016-01-21T08:53:07.478-07:00Exciting Things on the Horizon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyewjZ3FciVydRLid2dOxgaJ5ZixyookDV7jhe5U_L0ZI4xiGe57ZCY8m2G9Yknsfoy0kRt5S7ROR-Qtiml3sXhIxNey21dn3XxvIaeyMsJ8abw4gHGkmMMWha6oGUU3PVfAGg37-nEU/s1600/365+Y4+D35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyewjZ3FciVydRLid2dOxgaJ5ZixyookDV7jhe5U_L0ZI4xiGe57ZCY8m2G9Yknsfoy0kRt5S7ROR-Qtiml3sXhIxNey21dn3XxvIaeyMsJ8abw4gHGkmMMWha6oGUU3PVfAGg37-nEU/s400/365+Y4+D35.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I've been absent here for a while. It's because of a combination of, first, being down but then, second, I was actually getting some writing done!<br />
<br />
I'm trying not to stare into the face of the beast too much. You know, spend too much time online gazing at my and others' navels. Don't get me wrong ~ I love myself a good navel gaze, but it seems to contribute to my depression sometimes, and so I have to look away.<br />
<br />
I have to look inside because that's where I need to be to get the writing done. And, boy oh boy, I've been getting some really great writing done! I won't say too much about it right now, other than it's YA, but let me tell you, I got the best reviews from my kids. My daughter said, "It's just like Percy Jackson!" and my son said, "I don't like it ~ I LOVE it!" Of course they would say that, but it warms my heart to the cockles!<br />
<br />
So let me just say, wonderful things coming down the pike. I'll fill you in once I know more.<br />
<br />
Happy writing!Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-73740905907859514652015-09-21T08:40:00.002-06:002015-09-21T11:54:08.399-06:00War Is Mass Delusion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4as0hHokHHZYkh1fcPVwJxrJH79EpVZiiM0aHz15wg9U8r0NKARbvfALE1H_eTLc6CPG6bfouwLP-o77OE7cka7bz1bAhullH3V-NC7eXrB-N1U3aramrW2FoOhvNJ4MS6laanJjmn-8/s1600/20401d8a8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4as0hHokHHZYkh1fcPVwJxrJH79EpVZiiM0aHz15wg9U8r0NKARbvfALE1H_eTLc6CPG6bfouwLP-o77OE7cka7bz1bAhullH3V-NC7eXrB-N1U3aramrW2FoOhvNJ4MS6laanJjmn-8/s400/20401d8a8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/world-war-i-tragic-futility/375103/">Via the <i>Atlantic</i></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was thinking this weekend about war and about the rhetoric
around war vs. the real reasons we go to war.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It started from a thoughtful post on Facebook friend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Phoenix/e/B00QEL41LS">Stephan Heard</a>’s
wall:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I just came to a startling conclusion about how I perceive delusions to
work: Namely, the idea that the delusional thinking itself is safe: It is a
withdrawal into the creative spaces and processes of the mind, where thought is
beautifully free-flowing and the mind can conceive of alternate realities
conceptual in nature, imagining things otherwise difficult to apprehend ... The
struggle being that delusions cannot ultimately seem to exist outside of the
consequences that occ<span class="textexposedshow">ur via the delusions, nor can
the delusions easily substitute for the goals and tasks a person has and can
only seem to achieve though standard rationality and purposeful action. Where,
then, and at what point, do the delusions become so disconnected from reality
that they cease to be connected to the real world whilst yet simultaneously
guiding action that exists in the real world, ultimately leading to the
conflict that it leads to?</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Delusions in general, while not causing harm except in bizarre situations,
are dangerous, and that is what makes them so valuable, but is undermined by
the traditional ways we are conditioned to think ...</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I responded:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">Great observation. I think it
depends on the delusion. (I have relatives who believe we're descended from
aliens.) I think delusion is a necessary part of the writer's process. A writer
has to believe both that what he or she has to say is important a</span><span data-reactid=".4x.1:5.1:$comment528482557308211_528613550628445/=10.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".4x.1:5.1:$comment528482557308211_528613550628445/=10.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".4x.1:5.1:$comment528482557308211_528613550628445/=10.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end/=1$text0/=010">nd
worth listening to - a certain brand of hubris - but simultaneously he or she
often believes that they are worthless, and this is a driving factor in getting
work done. It also takes a certain amount of delusional thinking when you start
a novel - "Yes, I can write 100,000 words!" We could also talk about
how war and religion are delusional and harmful, but that's a much bigger
subject</span></span></span>.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">PS And I agree that delusions
inside the head by themselves are harmful, even without considering resulting
actions.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">A delusion is an idiosyncratic
belief that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by reality or
rational argument.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">What do we say about war?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s necessary. It’ll bring peace. We’re just
doing it for noble reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death is a
necessary cost of political interest ~ to bring democracy to the unwashed
heathens. That it’s for the best.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">Why do we really go to war?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Commercial interests. Political interests.
Too many young men at loose ends challenging the establishment, so let’s have a
draft (both the Crusades and Vietnam and probably many other wars). Because we
have all this confusing and subtle frustration in our daily lives that has to
be focused somewhere, and we think if life were only black and white, if we had
a goal, if there was an enemy to fight, we’d have a place to release all this
anger and hate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">To be sure, many of the men and
women who fight in wars are doing it for the noble reasons. They risk their
lives because they believe in God and country and that they are sacrificing
themselves for the greater good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
an amazing thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very laudible, if
misplaced, thing. But many soldiers (I’m not trying to speak for them, of
course, but I’ve read it time and again) get over there ~ wherever there is ~
and quickly become disillusioned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we lie to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We baldfaced lie. Since it usually isn’t us or our loved ones who pay
the price, it doesn’t touch us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
like cheating on you diet ~ oh, I’m making myself feel better ~ but every time
you take a bite, someone dies. It’s like passing a law that doesn’t do anything but make yourself feel better, but every time, a country is invaded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">War ~ an idiosyncratic belief
that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational
argument.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="uficommentbody">Humans are capable of such vast and unimaginable horror. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-55586889333517570202015-09-18T09:15:00.006-06:002015-09-18T09:24:38.331-06:00What’s Next?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnSlz4Be9xAVhMzZeH3BJF3xX-hNYXl6CJa4xn7AJjCvurP_ZBDu3S6Sx2L0-MDIg6Zmh37lDianaQukGhOjhV7mxQqB01pSQHNqU6xH8wiKveMylnjsWhrxNIxhp5xcdgTD9T3BNKC8/s1600/whats-next_main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnSlz4Be9xAVhMzZeH3BJF3xX-hNYXl6CJa4xn7AJjCvurP_ZBDu3S6Sx2L0-MDIg6Zmh37lDianaQukGhOjhV7mxQqB01pSQHNqU6xH8wiKveMylnjsWhrxNIxhp5xcdgTD9T3BNKC8/s400/whats-next_main.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.concretecakes.com/so-whats-next/"><i>via</i></a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Generally, on the Friday following a book release, I talk
about what’s coming next. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is both easy and hard because on one hand I know
exactly what I’m working on but I’m not sure when I’ll have them completed. First
I’ll tell you why, and then I’ll tell you about the cool projects I’m working
on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
gone through a long period of writers block that’s severely shaken my confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t seem to make myself make any
progress at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many reasons behind it,
but I was pretty despairing for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Will I ever write again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should I
just give up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is fodder for a
longer post, but suffice it to say I’m once again facing the blank page—and
actually writing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To get myself back into my writing, I’ve been working on a
middle grade chapter book called <i>The Adventures of Opal the Hounddog</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My daughter was very distressed when she found out I killed the dog in
<i>Earth’s Imagined Corners</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her I
hadn’t actually killed her ~ she just disappears in a flood. My daughter then
insisted I resurrect Opal and that she live a long and happy life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so that’s what I’m doing, and it’s a
blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Opal swims out of the flood, gets
attacked by a bear, befriends an elephant, and then joins the circus. I’m also
going to do some illustrations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve also started working on a book of essays called <i>Stand
In Your Truth</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are very much for
me at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I have to
write these in order to break myself out of the depths of whatever it is I’ve
been in. They most likely will never see the light of publication.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once I get through with Opal, which shouldn’t be but a week
or two, I’ll get back to writing my young adult series called Wyoming
Chronicles. It’s British classics set in contemporary Wyoming, with a girls' and
a boys' version. The first girls’ book is <i>Pride </i>set in Jackson Hole, which is
based on <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
boys’ book is <i>Moreau </i>set in the Hole in the Wall, which is based on <i>The Island
of Dr. Moreau</i>. This is so much fun to write!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Young adult rocks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I also have the sequel to <i>Earth’s Imagined Corners
</i>coming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s called <i>Numberless
Infinities</i>, and it follows Sara and James out across the Nebraska prairies
supplying ties for the railroad and ends at the Massacre at Wounded Knee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It won’t be ready for the next January
publication, as originally predicted, but what you going to do? Keep plugging
away. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then I’m also working on my photography projects, and I
might put together a photo book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
have been doing some artwork and would love to illustrate the two children’s
books I’ve written ~ <i>A Blush, a Giggle, a Smack</i> and <i>ZoLilly and the Feeling of
Impending Doom</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve always been one to have way more ideas than I could
possibly follow through on!</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-89118354336869472632015-09-17T08:19:00.000-06:002015-09-17T09:29:16.559-06:00What Went Into the Sausage?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<i>So, you're curious about </i><a href="http://www.tamaralinse.com/writing_deep_down_things.html">Deep Down Things</a>? <i>What went into it? Here
is my letter to the reader that talks about what went into the writing
of it. It was a long and arduous process, let me tell, with many doubts
along the way. But I'm very proud of the result. And as you know, it's
just out in audiobook, read by the lovely and amazing <a href="http://listentopj.com/">P. J. Morgan</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K4P5yeWDMSupJ1SbDord6iORRCOFlWWfeeB3QnSX_i6bG07gWAvLC2qzcvR5rFeLtH9VHPNF5wWjre4TWRng0vkFvbGuhpsn12hCXbSrA5D-WPLFcItLXyQQ2a6LRDSICYo3VskkDS0/s1600/Cover+for+Audio+-+Deep+Down+Things+by+Tamara+Linse+read+by+PJ+Morgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_K4P5yeWDMSupJ1SbDord6iORRCOFlWWfeeB3QnSX_i6bG07gWAvLC2qzcvR5rFeLtH9VHPNF5wWjre4TWRng0vkFvbGuhpsn12hCXbSrA5D-WPLFcItLXyQQ2a6LRDSICYo3VskkDS0/s400/Cover+for+Audio+-+Deep+Down+Things+by+Tamara+Linse+read+by+PJ+Morgan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Dear Reader,<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
Oh, what I
wouldn’t have given to be able to give Maggie a happy ending, to have Jes grow
into a happy and healthy young man whose only scars are those left by his
troubled father. It wasn’t to be, however. The logic of the story inexorably
pulled me to where it ended.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
That’s not
entirely true. The first ending actually had Jackdaw successfully shooting Jes
and then killing himself. So maybe I did pull back a little—at the behest of an
editor friend. The conversation went something like this. “The ending is too
unremittingly dark.” “But Jes has to die. Otherwise no one will buy it.” “Yes,
but does his father have to kill him? AND THEN commit suicide?” Point taken.
That same friend said she bawled in public in NYC at least four times while
reading it. Now THAT is a compliment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
The inspiration
for this story is a friend and coworker who is one of those ideal mothers. If I
could have chosen to have any mother in the world, she would have been at the
top of my list. She had two boys, and then her third boy was born with severe
spina bifida. Watching what she went through was heart-wrenching. When I
decided to write this book, a few years after the darling boy had died at age
6, we sat and talked through what at happened. She said that most people act
like it never happened and so it was good to talk about it. I hope so, and I
hope I’ve in some small way been able to honor what she went through.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
Another
inspiration for this story is my history of infertility. My mother had seven
kids including me, and one of my sisters had seven, and so I never considered
that I would have problems having children. Then, my husband and I had five
miscarriages, the first at six months. The medical rigamarole that ensued was
awful. I’m so glad for it though, because we were able to have our happy
ending. A wonderful amazing woman—whom I’d trust almost more than I’d trust
myself—acted as gestational carrier for us, and our twins were born. Our son
was born with a severe cleft lip and palate, and so that was more medical
procedures that we went through. As much as we’ve been through, though, I can’t
express how thankful I am to medical science and the wonderful doctors who made
it all possible.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
The first scene
I wrote, I was actually staying in a residential hotel in Denver undergoing IVF
procedure for the twins. All those shots. That was August 2005. The first scene
I wrote was where Maggie walks into the room and Jes just lights up. He makes
her feel wonderful, despite everything, just by the way he beams at her. I
finished a first draft by June 2009. I remember because I completed it for a
Tin House writers conference mentorship with the legendary Little, Brown editor
Judy Clain. The manuscript was an unqualified mess—four points of view with two
timelines going concurrently. Bless Judy’s heart for first of all agreeing to do
the mentorship and second of all giving me such great advice. Help your reader
out. Chronological, chronological! More reflection to let the reader know what
to take away from a scene. Her talking with me was simply the best
encouragement I could have had.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So I went back
and majorly rewrote it. Because of the nature of how I’d written it—two
timelines—the beginning and the end was basically written and I had to write
through the middle. An odd experience, to say the least, but a good one. It
shaped up nicely, although I distinctly remember having writers block and
thinking, this is the most horrible thing I’ve ever read. I do that when I
write—I go through periods of loving the work and then hating it. Especially
when I’m not writing, I think about all the flaws. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
Having four
points of view presented its own challenges. If you have a point of view, you
have to have a character arc. Something has to happen to that person. They have
to change. And therefore all the stories have to be coherent in their own right,
yet they have to meld together into this unified whole. “Ambitious,” someone
called it, and at the time I don’t think they meant it as a compliment. My
initial inspiration for form was actually the movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love Actually</i>. I was fascinated with how that movie was able to
have all those different story lines yet work. I love that movie. It strayed
pretty far away, though, didn’t it? Another big inspiration was William
Faulkner’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As I Lay Dying</i>, one of my
favorite books. All those points of view tied together in a country setting. Believe
it or not, I didn’t actually read Kent Haruf’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plainsong</i> till late in the writing process. Without knowing it, I
had mirrored a lot of that wonderful book, and so when I did finally read it I
was a bit thunderstruck. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: justify;">
I deliberately
try to have all kinds of people in my books. I regret that I don’t have more
diversity in this one, but I am glad I was able to have CJ work through her
sexuality. Race and ethnicity and gender and sexuality are not binaries—they
exist much more on a spectrum—and I find myself continually fascinated with the
complexities of these subjects. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Finally, though I
hesitate to bring it up, I often have an extended metaphor or theme that I’m
thinking of when I write a story or a novel. In the case of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deep Down Things</i>, it’s the story of
Jesus. Many readers would not pick up on it, I think, but Jes’s story riffs on
it with details large and small. I’m a spiritual person—though I’m not a
religious one—and the ideas underlying the story of Jesus are complicated and
compelling and timeless. Self-sacrifice, family relationships, being a good
person—these all are just as relevant today as they ever were. And I find by
using something like this as a framework, an extended metaphor, I can explore
these subjects more deeply. I don’t think of this as a religious book or a
Christian book, but I am very invested in the ideas that Christianity presents
to us. I am happy, however, if this book helps someone affirm his or her faith
or think more deeply about the issues presented.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My final
confession is that the ending still makes me bawl like a baby. I don’t think
writers are supposed to admit that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 120%; text-align: right;">
– Tamara
Linse, Laramie, Wyoming, 2014<br />
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</div>
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If this interests you, here's where you can pick up the audiobook <i>Deep Down Things</i>.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Down-Things/dp/B013UP7WUM/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442243120&sr=8-2">Amazon.com </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Deep-Down-Things-Audiobook/B013RRTNGE">Audible.com</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/deep-down-things-unabridged/id1030978440">iTunes</a></div>
</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-72422593195000712892015-09-16T08:37:00.004-06:002015-09-16T08:38:41.567-06:00P.J. Morgan, Fabulous Voiceover Artist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHkybv_wpYU6bjIOXHwCsmb2prcOddYO9UiNCk8zVBiFdFJatv3tGFfmct1RIqQeIc35OE2r2CGR19VTFo8EtdWQRC1ySNfWh60bn67mc3bi97oIwGq7XcCq-SnEd4Qkyf7qBrXq1tE0/s1600/Bp6IBdkCUAIFmSd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHkybv_wpYU6bjIOXHwCsmb2prcOddYO9UiNCk8zVBiFdFJatv3tGFfmct1RIqQeIc35OE2r2CGR19VTFo8EtdWQRC1ySNfWh60bn67mc3bi97oIwGq7XcCq-SnEd4Qkyf7qBrXq1tE0/s400/Bp6IBdkCUAIFmSd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Don’t you just love meeting cool new people?</div>
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One such cool person is <a href="http://listentopj.com/">P.J. Morgan</a>, the inimitable actor
and voiceover artist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have we been
working together for years now? Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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What so much impressed me about P.J., from the very
beginning, was the amount of thought and “character” she puts into her
characters. And by that, I don’t mean over-the-top radio schmaltz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, she figures out the author’s intent
for the character and she does it in an excellent way that even the author didn’t
think possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My characters needed to be understated laconic western people, and she nailed it. You know how how authors
have ideal readers? Well, P.J. is my ideal reader in another way.<br />
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I am so thankful to P.J. for putting so much thought into
the voicing of the four points of view in <a href="http://www.tamaralinse.com/writing_deep_down_things.html"><i>Deep Down Things</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Here is an interview P.J. and I did a while back.</div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What’s
an interesting thing people don’t know about you?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hmm,
good question! I've probably only told one or two people in my life that one of
my dream stage roles is Mary Poppins. There's just something so whimsical and
powerful and enigmatic about her character. The great music doesn't hurt,
either!</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where
did you grow up? What were you like as a kid?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
grew up in a little town about a hundred miles south of San Francisco, right on
the ocean. I was very much enamoured of storytelling from a very young age. I
read voraciously, and had many imaginary worlds I inhabited at play time. I
wrote my own short (and often unfinished) tales, and everything was an
opportunity for me to make-believe I was living some other life. I was quirky
and a dreamer and full of crazy ideas that no one else thought were very funny.
I guess not much has changed. ;) My sister and I made a pact that someday we'd
create our own cartoon show, where she animated and I did the voices. She got
her degree in animation, and here I am as a voice talent, so I think it's time
we got to work on that dream!</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your
degree is in linguistics and phonetics. Wow! Tell us about that.
Why did you choose that?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
favourite subject in school was always foreign language. I absorbed language
books as quickly as I could, reading about ancient and modern Greek, Mandarin,
German, etc. before they even started us on Spanish in school. I was just
fascinated with other languages - the way they sounded, the mystery of them,
how the sounds felt in my mouth, whether people who spoke another language
still thought in English (yes, I really had to wrap my mind around that one as
a kid!). Linguistics was just a natural fit in college. My favourite subject
was Phonetics, particularly the articulatory branch, which looks at how speech
sounds are actually produced in the vocal tract.</span></div>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsHiCs5RNMaKeF21CY-tk4c7GI0yBcgxNpYcbijfSsW1JGWLs_CVLiUhbFo747nAsrGdr6WdfhzBgH72UdsKbe6NnT8sl_S6lUAc5g-FnHIuUcXT5P3nWSGb86f5UT42lwGnnI6J4tZ0/s1600/tEPCi8Zg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsHiCs5RNMaKeF21CY-tk4c7GI0yBcgxNpYcbijfSsW1JGWLs_CVLiUhbFo747nAsrGdr6WdfhzBgH72UdsKbe6NnT8sl_S6lUAc5g-FnHIuUcXT5P3nWSGb86f5UT42lwGnnI6J4tZ0/s400/tEPCi8Zg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who’s
your favorite linguistic theorist and why? (I was pretty taken with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure"><span style="color: blue;">Saussure</span></a>.)</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm
going to kind of cheat on this one and talk about my favourite linguistic
phenomenon, though I did indeed enjoy learning about Saussure! The one thing
that stuck with me the most from my undergraduate studies was the study done by
McGurk et al. in the 1970s (about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGurk_effect"><span style="color: blue;">McGurk
effect</span></a>), and shed some light on how important visual cues are to
speech perception. We tend to think that most of verbal communication is
auditory, when in fact most people rely heavily on visual input to make sense
of what another person is saying. This is why many people are so uncomfortable
on the phone, where those visual cues are missing. As a voice actor, this is a
very interesting thing to think about, especially when narrating audiobooks.
You have to use your voice to convey so many things - emotion, tone, action,
setting, on top of enunciating in a way that is intelligible, without sounding
stilted, and still tell a story in a way that a listener can easily understand
and stay connected with.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You’ve
done a lot of fabulous things ~ acting, voice acting, puppets, and
writing. What do you think those have in common and why are you drawn to them?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
underlying thread for me is storytelling. There's a bit of it in everything I
do. I love to bring others' stories to life, as well as tell my own. Each
medium has a slightly different appeal, but I've never been able to decide
which one I like best. I hope to keep doing all of them throughout my life.
Storytelling for me is one of the ultimate acts of creation, and an essential
part of what it means to be human.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do
you have an origin story? In other words, can you think about something
that happened in your childhood that fundamentally shaped who you are and what
you do?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
mom taught me to read and write when I was three, by having me narrate and then
trace the letters of a story about my stuffed toy mule. She also read to me
before bed every night - <i>The Hobbit</i> and James Herriot come to mind - and
instilled in me a great love for words and stories. I've never been able to
stop reading and writing since unlocking that magic.</span></div>
</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ42_PmwYXyfOOj4S5b_5jhGizPq4ImcE3CBqUzie8TBagisuF9OlS3Ja82LBD17LO4R00kMyLOuZH5XY5S7bP1z3CGWQADeRjPIQuiT4laqd4i0kjEvda8ZVROPRTqzKk-5jT5PC32U/s1600/Bw9mtyRCUAA_qKb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ42_PmwYXyfOOj4S5b_5jhGizPq4ImcE3CBqUzie8TBagisuF9OlS3Ja82LBD17LO4R00kMyLOuZH5XY5S7bP1z3CGWQADeRjPIQuiT4laqd4i0kjEvda8ZVROPRTqzKk-5jT5PC32U/s400/Bw9mtyRCUAA_qKb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talk
about creating <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-to-Be-a-Man/dp/B00P099HAK/ref=sr_1_1_twi_audd_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442414035&sr=1-1&keywords=tamara+linse">How to Be a Man</a> (the previous book of mine she voiced). What were your first impressions? What did
you enjoy about it? What challenged you?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm
fascinated by gender roles and norms - how they've changed, how we obey and
break them, the effect they have on people and their relationships with others.
I stumbled on the synopsis for <i>How to Be a Man</i> while shopping for a
project on ACX, and bookmarked it for about a week. I had only done public
domain work for the past five years, since leaving my job where I worked with a
lot of commercial voiceover, so I wasn't sure how I would fare in the realm of
commercial narration. <i>How to Be a Man</i> seemed like a project that
would keep me interested through the long hours of recording and editing, and
that maybe needed a voice more like mine, instead of the seductive, sometimes
over-the-top tones of many commercial voice talents. I submitted an audition on
a whim one night, and was completely overjoyed to find a recording contract in
my inbox not long after. I really enjoyed the long, intimate evenings spent
huddled in my recording booth with the manuscript, getting to know the
characters inside and out and connecting with them and what they were saying. I
loved the diversity of the stories, and how each one took me to a different
place. I found by reading them aloud, they came to life for me in a way that
stories don't always do when read silently off the page. The biggest challenge
was probably having to edit all that audio! For each finished hour, it takes
between six to ten hours of work. I learned a lot of tricks in the process to
speed things up, but it was a real process! I've certainly come out the other
side a much more proficient audio editor, though.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You’re
a writer too. What do you write?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most
of my writing is done every November during National Novel Writing Month.
Writing sadly slips to the back burner for me all too often, with all my
audiobook, theatre, and film projects. It's still such a driving force in me
that I keep returning to it, though. When I'm not penning a novel in thirty
days (or making half-hearted stabs at editing them), I also journal somewhat
allegorically about my life through the adventures of a pirate lass named
Captain Pen.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally,
if someone wanted to get into voice acting, do you have any advice for them?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
you have an interest in narration in particular, I highly recommend Librivox (<a href="http://www.librivox.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.librivox.org</span></a>).
It's the audio book version of Project Gutenberg (an enormous digitised
collection of public domain books at <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.gutenberg.org</span></a>).
Volunteer readers from around the world narrate public domain books and put
them up for free download in the catalogue. The wonderful thing about it is,
anyone can sign up to read, regardless of experience. There are very active and
helpful forums to help you get set up with a basic recording environment, learn
how to read aloud, edit audio, produce it, etc. It was a wonderful and
supportive place to get my feet wet. If you have any specific questions, I'm
more than happy to help, as well. I'm on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/listentopj" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://twitter.com/listentopj</span></a>),
Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorpjmorgan" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/authorpjmorgan</span></a>), and at <a href="http://listentopj.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">listentopj.com</span></a>,
where I hope to start some blog content soon about my adventures in the world
of VO!</span></div>
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And if this post inspires you to check out P.J.'s work, here's where you can pick up <i>Deep Down Things</i>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Down-Things/dp/B013UP7WUM/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442243120&sr=8-2">Amazon.com </a></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Deep-Down-Things-Audiobook/B013RRTNGE">Audible.com</a></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/deep-down-things-unabridged/id1030978440">iTunes</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcLThzRCC7N80KDAQ7iVc1h7CU_Zju7GWLBj6RfMSXEtqv5cK3uATmrtPuFLucO2L0JtuPnPxGcHf4TXk_uyqxsE4L2aQ0yyiy3jIG1Ghqbp7KbyY15oApYFU-cDr446VBXPLorTEcjg/s1600/PJ+Morgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcLThzRCC7N80KDAQ7iVc1h7CU_Zju7GWLBj6RfMSXEtqv5cK3uATmrtPuFLucO2L0JtuPnPxGcHf4TXk_uyqxsE4L2aQ0yyiy3jIG1Ghqbp7KbyY15oApYFU-cDr446VBXPLorTEcjg/s640/PJ+Morgan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-41434396146144438432015-09-15T09:48:00.002-06:002015-09-15T09:57:59.341-06:00Audio Sample of 'Deep Down Things'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ULkKa5y8DMsWxXANmAUgaXJ5bmMbuGXZ8eVFlzPP1qET3pH91jPKRJyp9Kh5KluvcWsb1N4FuZXBIdUs9Igz9-p5Pa7fRnZrolNoFDb5RzoBQZJS77mI_40Y7d8od1OV3-9BEHbMC68/s1600/DDT+cover+with+author+and+reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ULkKa5y8DMsWxXANmAUgaXJ5bmMbuGXZ8eVFlzPP1qET3pH91jPKRJyp9Kh5KluvcWsb1N4FuZXBIdUs9Igz9-p5Pa7fRnZrolNoFDb5RzoBQZJS77mI_40Y7d8od1OV3-9BEHbMC68/s400/DDT+cover+with+author+and+reader.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
So you're a bit intrigued by the novel <a href="http://www.tamaralinse.com/writing_earths_imagined_corners.html"><i>Deep Down Things</i></a>? You'd like a taste? <a href="http://www.tamaralinse.com/Audio/ddt_retail_sample.mp3">Click here to listen</a> to the first part of <a href="http://listentopj.com/">P. J. Morgan</a>'s wonderful reading.<br />
<br />
And if you like it, the full version is available here:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Down-Things/dp/B013UP7WUM/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442243120&sr=8-2">Amazon.com </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Deep-Down-Things-Audiobook/B013RRTNGE">Audible.com</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/deep-down-things-unabridged/id1030978440">iTunes</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I hope it's a good listen! </div>
</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-19110712772575632522015-09-14T09:10:00.003-06:002015-09-14T09:22:32.671-06:00Audiobook of 'Deep Down Things' Available Now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitak71gyNLWR6sJLNDo-RIjwtjFYdA1vi-bFyx0UB7nav30HepLJbLmfwSdIQ3LmEP4cMJz-jRMNRAfzVHkGQsEq9kkZ8lSRyvLBcrIZWrt3KoujP1usvLGHHKFwoxtdFSi16OaJZPd2w/s1600/Cover+for+Audio+-+Deep+Down+Things+by+Tamara+Linse+read+by+PJ+Morgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitak71gyNLWR6sJLNDo-RIjwtjFYdA1vi-bFyx0UB7nav30HepLJbLmfwSdIQ3LmEP4cMJz-jRMNRAfzVHkGQsEq9kkZ8lSRyvLBcrIZWrt3KoujP1usvLGHHKFwoxtdFSi16OaJZPd2w/s320/Cover+for+Audio+-+Deep+Down+Things+by+Tamara+Linse+read+by+PJ+Morgan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hello, Campers. <br />
<br />
I wanted to officially announce <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Down-Things/dp/B013UP7WUM/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442243120&sr=8-2">the audiobook version</a> of the novel <a href="http://www.tamaralinse.com/writing_deep_down_things.html"><i>Deep Down Things</i></a>!<br />
<br />
Here's a little about the novel. It's an emotional roller coaster ride. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Deep Down Things</i>, Tamara Linse's debut novel, is the emotionally
riveting story of three siblings torn apart by a charismatic
bullrider-turned-writer and the love that triumphs despite tragedy. From
the death of her parents at 16, Maggie Jordan yearns for lost family
while sister CJ drowns in alcohol and brother Tibs withdraws. When
Maggie and an idealistic young writer named Jackdaw fall in love, she is
certain that she's found what she's looking for. As she helps him write
a novel, she gets pregnant, and they marry. But after Maggie gives
birth to a darling boy, Jes, she struggles to cope with Jes' severe
birth defect, while Jackdaw struggles to overcome writer's block brought
on by memories of his abusive father. </blockquote>
<br />
I'm so excited about this ~ I can't tell you. It's read by the inimitable <a href="http://listentopj.com/">P.J. Morgan</a>. P.J. is this amazing voice actor who goes that extra mile. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="style8">
P.J. has a bachelor's in linguistics, with an emphasis on phonetics.
Speech sounds and language as both a phenomenon and a science
fascinate her. She has many years of stage and screen experience and a
love for the written word. She loves reading audiobooks, and using her
voice to tell stories. She is also an author, working towards
publication of her first novel and has done NaNoWriMo for many years.
You can find her at <a href="http://listentopj.com/">listentopj.com</a>
or <a href="http://penelopejmorgan.com/">penelopejmorgan.com</a>.</span></blockquote>
So this is my teaser-trailer post to the audiobook version. Later in the week, I'll post a snippet of P.J.'s wonderful rendition, I'll talk a little about P.J. and then about the four points of view in the novel and how she nailed it, I'll talk a little about how the novel was written, and more. I hope you enjoy it!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, the audiobook is available here:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Down-Things/dp/B013UP7WUM/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1442243120&sr=8-2">Amazon.com </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Deep-Down-Things-Audiobook/B013RRTNGE">Audible.com</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/deep-down-things-unabridged/id1030978440">iTunes</a></div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-577066738358521362015-06-18T08:45:00.001-06:002015-06-18T12:21:33.155-06:00UW Summer High School Institute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvRfhqG5IIswARrkdHPj4MdP0xseH5F8leHzBEBDGmjj-hO09BpV1kZw80v1C9NkPduLEFHmuupmjVBQsOUUghUS1TymvRjzJ5tBiLe03C65MzApJLtB1-51KhtIu-D9fviae0Cf0tgw/s1600/HSI+workshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvRfhqG5IIswARrkdHPj4MdP0xseH5F8leHzBEBDGmjj-hO09BpV1kZw80v1C9NkPduLEFHmuupmjVBQsOUUghUS1TymvRjzJ5tBiLe03C65MzApJLtB1-51KhtIu-D9fviae0Cf0tgw/s400/HSI+workshop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In 1985, I was a high school sophomore, and I was honored to
be invited to the very first <a href="http://www.uwyo.edu/hsi/">Summer High School Institute at the University of Wyoming</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t express how wonderful
it was.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First of all, I was an emotional wreck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just broken up with my first boyfriend,
and, you know, my childhood. At HSI we had small group where we would get together
and talk about our emotional lives. It was the first therapy I had in my life,
and it probably saved me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the amazing classes I took.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s three weeks long, and as part of it you
take college courses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was introduced
to N. Scott Momaday and Chinua Achebe and got to experience Numerical Imaginings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
got FREE BOOKS (which I still have)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And <a href="http://www.uwyo.edu/hsi/alumni-information/1985.html">my fellow instituters</a> were and still are amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pete Simpson Jr, Al Simpson’s nephew, was in
that class. They all were so smart and amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I haven’t kept in touch with them, but now I wish I would have. This year, we're celebrating the 30th anniversary of HSI. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now, they invited me back to teach a writers workshop,
which I did yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so great!
The kids are whip smart and so much fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their creativity oozes out of them, let me tell you! They have bright
futures ahead of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were two classes, and I planned three exercises for
each but was only able to accomplish two in the hour we had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, I took <a href="http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/literatures-greatest-opening-paragraphs">the first couple sentences of some famous books</a> and then they added sentences and passed them to their
left and added to other stories. So much fun! Then they interviewed each other
and wrote each others’ <a href="http://www.michael-kimball.com/michael-kimball-writes-your-life-story-on-a-postcard/">Life Story on a Postcard</a>, a la <a href="http://www.michael-kimball.com/">Michael Kimball</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The third exercise was going to be writing
their own life story in third person as a fairy tale, but we didn’t get to
that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All I can say is: You people who are cynical about the
younger generations, you shouldn't be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This happens every time I work with young people. I realize how amazing
and hopeful and positive they are. They were all avid readers and great writers
and motivated and wicked smart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our future is so bright, I gotta wear shades!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCckuWr4oEP_2wSzOZeCFfl9CVuyRPtm2MKGrQKTowsVekJYnmvXR-icATXIA_DcPZn1Iul34tO-OVZnVMoSbLBSxzF8yagDXFrDpr4gqlCgFrOWrK5I2jsHFBTLFr5uca-wy8UKoPyo/s1600/hsi+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCckuWr4oEP_2wSzOZeCFfl9CVuyRPtm2MKGrQKTowsVekJYnmvXR-icATXIA_DcPZn1Iul34tO-OVZnVMoSbLBSxzF8yagDXFrDpr4gqlCgFrOWrK5I2jsHFBTLFr5uca-wy8UKoPyo/s400/hsi+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-49338075329408230102015-06-17T08:15:00.004-06:002015-06-17T08:17:59.740-06:00'The Adventures of Opal the Hound Dog'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwgivyuMn6DwqeSlW5mpCbFAlYlZJPg-02VvMsMv7ynRocRqekyEkoLh5U8O0DATHFcMs9hJRMHK89oNfHom0V6x1jhzuWE-JQOeb-4Wif51bZMSF4_zKUegNMFufy-nNtURzNcBq00s/s1600/redbone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwgivyuMn6DwqeSlW5mpCbFAlYlZJPg-02VvMsMv7ynRocRqekyEkoLh5U8O0DATHFcMs9hJRMHK89oNfHom0V6x1jhzuWE-JQOeb-4Wif51bZMSF4_zKUegNMFufy-nNtURzNcBq00s/s400/redbone.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
While we were on vacation in South Carolina last week, I was
telling someone about Opal the redbone hound dog in my novel <a href="http://www.tamaralinse.com/writing_earths_imagined_corners.html"><i>Earth’s Imagined Corners</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know how it is. In order to
make death real in a book, you actually have to kill someone off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so, in this case, I had to kill the
lovely Opal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My daughter heard and was very upset. “You killed the dog?”
she said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I explained that you don’t actually see the dog dead, but
the last glimpse you see of her is on top of a house in a great flood as the
house rolls over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So she may not
actually be dead. She may have swum to safety.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Mom, you have to write another book about just Opal,” my
daughter said. “She has to swim to safety and have a long life and then meet up
with Sara’s cousin at the end.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, so, guess what I’m doing? I’m writing a fun children’s
book called <i>The Adventures of Opal the Hound Dog</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so you can get a taste of Opal’s life, here is where we
meet Opal.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Sara and James made their way home, they saw a young girl
in a white pinafore walking along dangling two red puppies with big floppy ears
from her arms and talking to a man on the street. The man listened to what the
girl said but then shook his head and walked off. As Sara and James came by,
the girl turned to them and said, “Would you like a puppy? They don’t cost
nothing. My papa says he’s going to throw them in the river if I don’t find someone
to take them on.” At closer view, the puppies were indeed small but older than
Sara had first believed. They were just beginning to lengthen into grown dogs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the full day of liberation left Sara with such a good
feeling, she did not want to let this pass—it seemed like a good omen—so she
said spontaneously, “Of course, we would love to have such fine specimen of a
dog. That’s so kind of you to try to save them.” Relief crossed the girl’s
face, who said, “Would you take two, then?” Sara considered it but then glanced
at James’s face, which was contained but set. James did not want one dog, much
less two. “Oh!” Sara said. “James, would a dog be all right?” James did not
respond, so she said, “It could be my birthday present. Please? Just one.” He
stood for a minute and then relented with a small shake of his head. Sara
turned to the girl. “I’m sorry, but we can only take one of them off your
hands.” The girl handed over the larger of the two, a female, and Sara took its
wriggling mass into her arms. Its skin felt too big for its body, which was
warm and solid and alive, and Sara was immediately overcome with a maternal
kind of love. “I think I’ll name you Opal,” she said. She turned to James and
said, “Opal was my mother’s name.” He nodded, smilingly resigned to the new
acquisition. Sara hummed the whole rest of the way home, holding close the
alternately limp and wriggling warm body.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Opal filled their little apartment with enthusiastic motion.
When first set down, she immediately put her nose to the floor and seemed led
by it on a meandering path all through the space. It was as if the nose had a
mind of its own and the dog’s body merely followed on a tether. Opal nosed
under the bed and behind the stove and put her paws up on the shelves and tried
to sniff the dry goods. She made her way over to the bed and tried to leap onto
it but made it only halfway before flopping onto her side on the floor. She
stood back up and shook herself, undaunted, and continued to sniff about. After
a time, even James seemed charmed by her earnest zeal as she nosed his ankles. </div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the last time we see Opal.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then James heard the strangest sound. It was low and then
undulated higher, and he realized that it was the baying of a hound dog. He
twisted to look behind him, upstream, and there, canted at an angle, was the
roof of a building, the very peak jutting from the water. On the peak stood a
wet red dog, baying. It could not be, but it was. Opal stood there straddling
the peak, her head facing downstream. She lifted her muzzle once more, and the
sound of her baying voice was time-delayed coming over the water. James
searched beside her and what little he could see of the roof, but there was no
one else. It was a relief, but then it was not. “Opal!” James screamed.
“Ooooh-paaall!” The dog turned its head in his direction as the building swept
past the tree, not too close, but the dog did not seem to see him, and then her
head turned back downstream to what lay in her future. Just then the building
rolled in the water, and James lost sight of the dog’s form behind the tipping
roof and then the walls that followed. That was the last he saw of her, though
he frantically searched the waters nearby. At that, something broke within him,
and he began to cry, though the sound of his loud convulsive sobs were drowned
out in the roar and his tears mingled with the rain.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And here is the beginning of Opal’s continuing adventures.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Opal the hound dog stood on the peak of the house roof as
the flood raged around her. The house swayed and shook underneath her as it
swept down the wide expanse of the Missouri River.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She lifted her muzzle and let out a long mournful howl. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Under the overwhelming muddy smell of the flood, Opal could
smell other things, like dead bloated cows and freshly felled trees and even,
once, a soggy loaf of fresh-baked bread.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Opal had a really good nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was a redbone hound dog, after all, and she could smell a raccoon
track ten days gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She could tell you
if a bird flying by had nestlings and if a person was likely to pat her on the
head or swing a boot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The house lurched underneath her and she was thrown forward
into the roiling river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was
cold as it hit her and she gasped just as her head sank below a wave. She
kicked hard and her back legs connected with something under the water, and so
she shot upward and her head broke the surface. She gasped again, welcomed air
flooding her lungs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She kicked and paddled and kicked, and often a wave
threatened to bowl her over or an undertow threatened to pull her down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she kept going. She knew she couldn’t
swim upstream, and downstream kept her in the middle of the maelstrom, and so
she swam at a crooked angle until finally, exhausted, she paddled into a quiet
sandy eddy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She pulled her bone-tired body out of the water and, too
tired to even shake, she found the curve of a tree root a safe distance from
the water. She curled up and slept.</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m having such fun with it!</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-12193237288100569512015-06-16T16:08:00.000-06:002015-06-16T16:08:04.919-06:00Happy Bloomsday!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGu2P1VzyqkwaEOMM1LBVd2qvmfLLXJTG9KtHxKbQILyG8_62sE8-OOV-IUiv-mFnh1BpJ0xeWKQrRxkxn2l5p4EBIKaPwtRikbYvJZJCYqKy4U2yelZoByaE8B_5eCx91TmT-kf82Rs/s1600/tumblr_mohop8SQTi1qd9a66o1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGu2P1VzyqkwaEOMM1LBVd2qvmfLLXJTG9KtHxKbQILyG8_62sE8-OOV-IUiv-mFnh1BpJ0xeWKQrRxkxn2l5p4EBIKaPwtRikbYvJZJCYqKy4U2yelZoByaE8B_5eCx91TmT-kf82Rs/s640/tumblr_mohop8SQTi1qd9a66o1_400.jpg" width="506" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomsday">Bloomsday</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-11229913245661466352015-06-15T07:59:00.000-06:002015-06-15T08:01:43.105-06:00Those Charming Out-of-the-way Places<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAG4iBD7NnXgfj9AHAMHWkiP3idLC3lqNu7BhTNTE-RTHrGTFT9w1kAmD_JzHhvpG_cHVw8mum2Fq1ttQ_19G9SGSbG_Kt6yLcMlN6-P1nGLEP-qStji0TW51Wf5MlrZ5vnq6qRmQP7U/s1600/22202_872524506152449_8494695748231869219_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAG4iBD7NnXgfj9AHAMHWkiP3idLC3lqNu7BhTNTE-RTHrGTFT9w1kAmD_JzHhvpG_cHVw8mum2Fq1ttQ_19G9SGSbG_Kt6yLcMlN6-P1nGLEP-qStji0TW51Wf5MlrZ5vnq6qRmQP7U/s400/22202_872524506152449_8494695748231869219_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Sister's Books</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One of the things I love to do when I go to other places is
to discover those little local places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
generally don’t like the big touristy things but go for the things that feel
more authentic, those places where the locals go.
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For example, when I was in London, I went to the museums,
which were free by the way, and instead of being drawn to the Crown Jewels with
their dramatic music and pomposity, I loved the Medieval ironworks and the
tapestries and the death mask of Napoleon. The real things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What people used every day.</div>
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In South Carolina on the last day, my wonderful
mother-in-law and I went on a trek to find a used book store, and we
scored!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found <a href="http://www.mysistersbooks.com/index.html">My Sister’s Books</a> in
Pawleys Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a great
bookstore!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Books stacked neatly floor to
ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the bathroom was stacked
floor to ceiling with books, and you had to reach through them to find the
light switch. </div>
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And the two proprietors were so friendly and helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom and I picked up books for the kids
(including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Like_This,_Cat"><i>It’s Like This, Cat</i></a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins"><i>Island of the Blue Dolphins</i></a>,
which I loved as a kid myself).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
also turned us on to <a href="http://www.jojomoyes.com/">Jojo Moyes</a> <a href="http://www.jojomoyes.com/books/me-before-you/"><i>Me Before You</i></a>. Mom’s reading it now, and then I’ll
read it. I can’t wait!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qvVuMdiUPjgb-c5gGx9I0XpZTWI-0rEn_XOMebCKZXxeEESZhHegwaTmo3y-KvdvLIRy3I-JyYaKcumXJSlv2GW1JX5oVA60zgkNu2oN_TiOq1xfUIeEyo1LrnLv0EEuezFOx_76agA/s1600/Hammock-Shops-Street-HOME-450x306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qvVuMdiUPjgb-c5gGx9I0XpZTWI-0rEn_XOMebCKZXxeEESZhHegwaTmo3y-KvdvLIRy3I-JyYaKcumXJSlv2GW1JX5oVA60zgkNu2oN_TiOq1xfUIeEyo1LrnLv0EEuezFOx_76agA/s400/Hammock-Shops-Street-HOME-450x306.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hammock Shops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Then they turned us on to the <a href="http://www.thehammockshops.com/">Hammock Shops</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How wonderful and charming! “Less mall, more
magic.” It’s a bunch of shops rambling around in some trees. It felt like an
elf village. We went into the Christmas store and found their world famous
fudge (Yum!) and then watched the wonderful craft of the hammock maker. He was
a character and told the story of how he learned to make hammocks while he
weaved away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently he learned from
two different people, one of which was an old Russian who he needed a
translator for.</div>
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Funny thing is, we’ve had this great hammock for years that
we finally had to throw out last year because it had worn through. Turns out,
it was from this place. Small world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
going to order another.</div>
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And now, the hammock weaver Marvin Grant.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xqYwlukaoSs" width="520"></iframe>
</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-69522009966656125082015-06-12T08:10:00.000-06:002015-06-12T08:15:10.338-06:00'Surrender to an Age of Bravery and Honor'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaKxvz8lx7swSTvaDcuapQMIKk95IAup-eyVdNwVK21ihk-yMHIFZdRdjq5_M3RQPPCDGA-5_BPUn4XeldWxUrpv8v7eUNiHXk7AQehMd2KQJxzf9OSHRLNMXPgax0k13KpoBFOSmPZU/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaKxvz8lx7swSTvaDcuapQMIKk95IAup-eyVdNwVK21ihk-yMHIFZdRdjq5_M3RQPPCDGA-5_BPUn4XeldWxUrpv8v7eUNiHXk7AQehMd2KQJxzf9OSHRLNMXPgax0k13KpoBFOSmPZU/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.medievaltimes.com/myrtlebeach.aspx">Medieval Times</a>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
you can experience a Medieval joust and dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went for the first time last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I went with an open mind ~ half expecting to be disappointed and half
expecting to be wowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
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I was wowed. Maybe not for the reasons you’d expect
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I wasn’t excited by the spectacle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What really was so cool about the performance
was the sheer athleticism and skill of the knights and the horses and the
falcon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The knight actually did what
knights did all those years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
were expert horsemen and they hooked tiny rings on the ends of their
lances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The swordfighting was choreographed,
but it was vigorous and sparks flew from the metal swords.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The jousting was real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure
there are lots of protections in place, but the lances shattered as the knights
aimed for each other’s shields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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And the animals. Oh my gosh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The horses were amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So well
trained yet full of get up and go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
could really tell the knights who had been at this for a while and those just starting
out by the way they set in the saddle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The falcon swooped over the crowd and took the lure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year people get gored by buffalo and
stomped on by moose in Yellowstone Park. They think of these creatures as what
you see on the screen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these are
living breathing creatures with minds of their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not like driving a car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s more like training a dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may or may not do what you want them to,
and if you’re not careful, you will get injured. Horses are like very large and
powerful toddlers who get very scared and uncontrollable very quickly.</div>
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I also think modern movies and cartoons have taken away the
awe of physical feats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see these
amazing things in cartoons or in computer animation and we think they’re real,
and so when we see real people doing real things, we think they’re boring. Yet
we know we couldn’t perform them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
not as grounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our imaginations have
been fed so much that we lose touch with everyday miracles.<br />
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So it wasn’t the campy Medieval pageantry that moved me,
though that was fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked the food,
though some didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Baby dragon, but it
tastes like chicken,” our server Bryn told us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was great ~ the perfect blend of Southern and British accents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, it was the amazing physicality of it all.<br />
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My daughter, who’s sometimes too cool for school, said she
wasn’t going to cheer, but she was swept away with it all, especially when she
got a carnation thrown to her from our knight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She loved it, as did my son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
she said ~ and I agree with her ~ “If this had been real, it would be gruesome.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makes you think sometimes that we really aren’t
so civilized, you know?<br />
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But our fabulous black and white knight won (just as the
script told him to).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s the
character’s story:</div>
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Don Iofre Santa Creu is the defender of the ancient shrine
at Santiago de Compostela. Adorned in Black & White, he is mightiest in
skill among an order of warrior priests whose arrival upon the field brings
despair to the impure of heart. In prayer, humble. In service, loyal. In
battle, invincible!</div>
</blockquote>
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The actor playing the black and white knight was so great,
so athletic, so in character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fabulous.
He was of Asian descent with long flowing black hair. Our charming and dynamic champion!!<br />
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Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-16787014089188336422015-06-11T09:50:00.000-06:002015-06-11T09:55:50.799-06:00Clarissa Dickson’s Wright’s memoir ‘Spilling the Beans’<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKdAcpWutWv2hDtEaXCP6vPCUjw6J0K_wv3guxIDIrj0Zb_ewER3P7aSG6Y0uBD4BNt-_Yq_OljszfOxSTIBxHFjpDFkijn1ZhnJb5z9h8bKSD56AFdfYc09rAF-K71OJaFlbAuWQUBI/s1600/spilling-the-beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKdAcpWutWv2hDtEaXCP6vPCUjw6J0K_wv3guxIDIrj0Zb_ewER3P7aSG6Y0uBD4BNt-_Yq_OljszfOxSTIBxHFjpDFkijn1ZhnJb5z9h8bKSD56AFdfYc09rAF-K71OJaFlbAuWQUBI/s400/spilling-the-beans.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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<br />
What do you do on summer vacation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beach Read!
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I’m just finishing up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarissa_Dickson_Wright">Clarissa Dickson Wright</a>’s memoir <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spilling-Beans-Clarissa-Dickson-Wright/dp/0340933895"><i>Spilling the Beans</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know Clarissa, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s one half of the dynamic duo, along with
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Paterson">Jennifer Patterson</a>, of the television cooking show <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Fat_Ladies"><i>Two Fat Ladies</i></a>. God, I love that show.</div>
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Part of the charm of the show is their outspokenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure people watched just to see what
politically incorrect things Clarissa particularly but Jennifer too would say. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had strong opinions and weren’t afraid to
say them.<br />
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Clarissa’s memoir is similarly forthright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having been raised with an alcoholic and
violent father who made everyone’s life a living hell, Clarissa is wedded to
the truth ~ much like I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that I
was physically abused at all, but I became painfully aware of the huge
gap between what everyone agreed was the truth and what was my truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did these things not match?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that’s why I write realism ~ because
what I’m trying to do is tell the truth as I see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Representing things with the fantastical is
wonderful in its own right, but not what interests me.</div>
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But the problem comes when Clarissa’s declarations paint with such a
broad brush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“All alcoholics are this.”
She simplifies things a bit too much for my taste on things that I know
something about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only the world were
that simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at the same time, some
of these pronouncements have great truth in them and also are very funny and
wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s hard to put your finger
on exactly why they feel offensive at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess because they reduce people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It feel very British colonial, which would make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Yet she's wonderfully understanding and nuanced about her father Arthur, who was such a lost soul and horrible family man yet great doctor. </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
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Clarissa is a good writer and has such a wonderfully wicked sense of
humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She always goes for the salacious
sex details, and I think a lot of the details she tells are rumors and
gossip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which makes this memoir a
wonderful tell-all, no matter how true it is. She’s not afraid to name
drop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s wonder she didn’t get sued.
(Maybe she did.)</div>
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She goes into great detail about her alcoholism and all the horrible
things she did and takes responsibility for it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is genuinely warm and generous and wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since I’m an Anglophile I love it, even
as I’m hating myself for loving it because in a lot of ways it’s a
gossip-rag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s written for a British
audience and so I don’t know a lot of the names of people, and she takes for
granted that her audience knows, but really you don’t need to know to get the
gist of things.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Did you know that Jennifer with Clarissa really did do a 180 on the
bike in the <i>Two Fat Ladies</i>? Apparently, Jennifer planned to do it and didn’t tell the producer but told the cameraman to stay on
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure Clarissa knew ahead
of time. Later, Jennifer offhandedly said that they would have flipped the bike
had it been on gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklCmVUvFQ0ZOSvZpv4Canq_JkQ3uS84RCR3NAm5m7dbv-ydC46UYpIiz8rBdTA2Z7Fw1NlW7ZC9T8BKZFcnnRodYpP98v6cPsoGvECrN_NC0rSZ0lL9GEf5NKfThAWQV5xHrsqy1Z1MU/s1600/cdwMS1808_468x684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklCmVUvFQ0ZOSvZpv4Canq_JkQ3uS84RCR3NAm5m7dbv-ydC46UYpIiz8rBdTA2Z7Fw1NlW7ZC9T8BKZFcnnRodYpP98v6cPsoGvECrN_NC0rSZ0lL9GEf5NKfThAWQV5xHrsqy1Z1MU/s400/cdwMS1808_468x684.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Another thing that shocks me is that Clarissa was 48 when the first
episodes were shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m 46.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That feels really weird.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And I’m reminded of the power of story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A reader makes such a connection with the protagonist of a book that you
forgive them everything, even if they are horrid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Clarissa was in the depths of her alcoholism,
she was pretty horrid to everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
the entitlement that comes with money is hard to put your mind around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who came from poor background, I
find it hard to swallow the amount of pure selfish greed and the waste of a life
in the middle there.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
But I love her, you know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s
so charming and <i>Brit Ish</i>. I hope she’s happy now and with her mom (although as a
realist I don’t subscribe to these notions). Bless you, Clarissa.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAkxmcVzUnGwrWZC8MllWJLAf0DuJT0oTM1Fui7xUoJgh4UhXjj-REwJsfUZmYI2yt45zqABTShP5II25ZOyA1xNjCcGj0p6br-oU8RnH6DgftvVMYWStMVdV1TbrC8QzLzjpxD0yHx4/s1600/clarissa-mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAkxmcVzUnGwrWZC8MllWJLAf0DuJT0oTM1Fui7xUoJgh4UhXjj-REwJsfUZmYI2yt45zqABTShP5II25ZOyA1xNjCcGj0p6br-oU8RnH6DgftvVMYWStMVdV1TbrC8QzLzjpxD0yHx4/s400/clarissa-mother.jpg" width="379" /></a></div>
</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-45839174278934180182015-06-10T07:23:00.001-06:002015-06-10T07:23:22.372-06:00Happy Anniversary, Hubby!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4HhMY8dCxUOEHlbN7qpwX6GAMNBKoV49cjYq6AKat2hNpPPsSdjckNHExZRao8rShQ4UNfPk6qHjYI8l2wZtOfeXcjxvUzz4UzWxPBCQ4dwXBtmL_crwvJlXLq-AMS1vSD-Be9GLpc0/s1600/Steve+and+Tamara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4HhMY8dCxUOEHlbN7qpwX6GAMNBKoV49cjYq6AKat2hNpPPsSdjckNHExZRao8rShQ4UNfPk6qHjYI8l2wZtOfeXcjxvUzz4UzWxPBCQ4dwXBtmL_crwvJlXLq-AMS1vSD-Be9GLpc0/s400/Steve+and+Tamara.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Happy Anniversary to my wonderful hubby of 22 years! I love you so!<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I told my nine-year-old daughter it was our 22nd anniversary today, and she said, "You two are so cute. I didn't know parents could be cute."Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-68192172366656175892015-06-09T07:21:00.000-06:002015-06-09T07:21:16.784-06:00'Heaven Can Wait'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBNY_Hsy4xPs7DNHSgjbKhTV98UWVBcLCKSov_2X5lekt_CCIuvrFGQ-2brw95dxf-NwM7YRm37MY5y67JS1TZn96xTSOJomHE3LP5-8B5SdUABfAky6xti0CWEb7V2VpwLgWD5iEEfA/s1600/Heaven+Can+Wait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBNY_Hsy4xPs7DNHSgjbKhTV98UWVBcLCKSov_2X5lekt_CCIuvrFGQ-2brw95dxf-NwM7YRm37MY5y67JS1TZn96xTSOJomHE3LP5-8B5SdUABfAky6xti0CWEb7V2VpwLgWD5iEEfA/s400/Heaven+Can+Wait.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our back porch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We’re on vacation
on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
this lovely house up on stilts, and the sea air is soft and moist and there’s a
breeze and we’re all up now eating breakfast of bacon and pancakes, the smell
of which drifts up the stairs into the bedroom in a quiet corner where I’m propped
on the bed typing.
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I could go into the
long litany of challenges we faced on the trip, but I’m not going to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, I’m going to be thankful for my
wonderful family and the wonderful spot in which I sit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for the Sticky Fingers Barbeque I had
last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for the fact that I live
in a country that I can get on a plane with a minimum of hassle and fly to
paradise and hang out with loved ones.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I hope you’re
having just as wonderful a week!</span></div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5191202267854919416.post-64125643336017757252015-06-08T08:00:00.000-06:002015-06-08T08:00:01.584-06:00'In Lonely Rooms'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErp24d3gAF0LBilUit-UZehcGq3R4WtvJFDNSY0jzo74wG7Y-x19PdG54Ct9BSWQDYGQO80f3PIaGGUkp2LfTDyZsA3yNipKL9H_E2yHQQAmgL_0cDa_zGepF3AoUSgcV8nVflp_BiMI/s1600/365+Y4+D157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhErp24d3gAF0LBilUit-UZehcGq3R4WtvJFDNSY0jzo74wG7Y-x19PdG54Ct9BSWQDYGQO80f3PIaGGUkp2LfTDyZsA3yNipKL9H_E2yHQQAmgL_0cDa_zGepF3AoUSgcV8nVflp_BiMI/s400/365+Y4+D157.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I took this a few days ago ~ a young mouse killed by a cat
no doubt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It blends in with the
surrounding grass and makes one think of one’s eternity.
<br />
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<br /></div>
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It’s been a rough couple of months. My mom is 91 and having
some health issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She almost died
mid-April with a UTI that turned to toxic shock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All her systems were shutting down, and her
BP was 50 something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, my
husband came down with that flu that’s been going around and has been as sick
as he’s been in his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He slept
literally for a week. He’s just now finally almost back to normal but still a
little weak with a bit of a cough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
son tripped and bent his fingers backwards and broke his middle finger. His
hand swelled up and turned all blue and gray. Then this last weekend I took Mom
down to specialists in Colorado and she almost had to have surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, she didn’t and that’s good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve presented at two fabulous conferences this spring ~ AWP
and the Wind River Outdoor Writers Conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I also gave a reading at the Albany County Library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all so wonderful, but stressful too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I feel like I’m growing, but it’s hard to put my finger on
exactly how.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not getting much
writing done, which feels horrible and makes me a little crazy, but I feel like
I’m stretching in other ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids
are growing too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their schoolwork this
year was outstanding, and their math and reading has really taken off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it’s all given me a sense of uneasiness. I’m reminded of
the impermanence of life and how death is inevitable and ever-present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not in my comfortable mindless groove,
but yet I’m not in my comfortable mindless groove, if you know what I mean.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I also feel incipient, like things might change and
things might be hard but they also might be good, you know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we’re always on the verge of
something and maybe I’m just more aware of it at the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But change and rebirth is hard, is
painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things die, things are
reborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helps me to think of myself
as unimportant at these times ~ insignificant, as the Romantic poets pointed
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww138.html">Wordsworth at Tintern Abbey</a>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>These
beauteous forms,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through a long absence, have not been to
me</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the
din</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of towns and cities, I have owed to them</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Felt in the blood, and felt along the
heart;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And passing even into my purer mind,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With tranquil restoration: ~ feelings too</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As have no slight or trivial influence</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On that best portion of a good man's
life,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His little, nameless, unremembered, acts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of kindness and of love. Nor less, I
trust,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To them I may have owed another gift,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of aspect more sublime; that blessed
mood,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In which the burthen of the mystery,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In which the heavy and the weary weight</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of all this unintelligible world,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is lightened: ~ that serene and blessed
mood,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In which the affections gently lead us
on, ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until, the breath of this corporeal frame</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even the motion of our human blood</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost suspended, we are laid asleep</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In body, and become a living soul:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While with an eye made quiet by the power</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see into the life of things.</span></div>
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I don’t know what I’m saying here exactly, except that I
love life and beauty and that my memories, like Wordworth’s, sustain me. And
awareness of death is ever more present.</div>
Tamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06986544384594087203noreply@blogger.com0