Life is a gift. Remember that and celebrate everything!
Until next time,
Ann
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Until next time, and wishing you and yours a joyous day and holiday season,
Ann
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Much of the time, graffiti turns me off. Not these amazing creations:
Turning otherwise drab or ordinary surroundings into something wonderful-now that’s exciting! Writers do the same thing with words. Turning ordinary words into a captivating story that entertains, enlightens, enriches–that’s what I find most rewarding about my work.
Until next time,
Ann
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This year, Winter Solstice, aka the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter, officially begins Sunday at 5:03 pm (not sure in which time zone).
At our house, well be ushering it in a day early, with a Winter Solstice party. We do this to mark the return of longer days (which seem a little slow on the uptake, but they are coming). I’m not exactly sure what year we started this tradition, but it’s been happening for close to a decade now.
Friends and family join us for a festive evening of food, drink, laughter and conversation around a crackling fire in the living room. If the living room gets too crowded, and it often does, there are other places to congregate–around the laden dining room table or in the kitchen or the family room or a hallway.
Everyone seems to enjoy this brief break from the Christmas frenzy, and we love the chance to catch up with people we haven’t seen in a while.
Thanks for letting me share one of our traditions, and take heart–the light is returning,
Ann
My Holiday Newsletter has gone out, but if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter and you’d like a copy of the latest one, complete with a delicious recipe for chocolate mint brownies, contact me through my website at www.annroth.net . I’ll send you a copy.
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Just thought I’d share this with you.
One of my pet peeves: bad grammar. Not that we writers don’t break the rules sometimes. After all, we have to be true to our characters. That means letting them speak and think in ways natural to them. Like most of us, characters, too, use less-than-correct grammar on a daily basis.
There are times when oral grammar bugs me, too. Examples that come to mind: “Me and him went to the store.” “Her and I talked on the phone.”
Back to the written word. When I read a letter or email, an article in a paper or magazine, or one of those badly written self-published books, and the grammar is off… I forget the message and instead, focus on the mistakes. I am sure this is not what the writer intends.
So please, folks, correct your grammar. If you don’t know grammar, take a course. There are many out there. Or look on line for help. Also check your spelling and watch for typos, and make this particular, fussy writer happy.
Thanks for letting me vent. Climbing down from my high horse now…
Until next time,
Ann
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There is nothing quite like a belly-splitting, eye-watering laugh. I am not often prone to letting go like that, but when it happens… Oh, what a feeling. After I wipe my eyes and catch my breath, I always feel better than I did before.
Even (or maybe especially) when I wasn’t supposed to laugh!
I can still remember the time my husband and I were invited to participate in a two-hour survey. We were told that we would watch a pilot for a new TV show and rate it. We liked the idea, and showed up eager to do our part. The place was packed with adults, and we barely managed to find seats. What we quickly realized was that most of the session involved ads that might air on networks across the country. We were to rate those as well. The ads ran first. Near the end of the session we finally previewed the so-so pilot TV show that never saw the light of day.
Back to those ads. Like everyone else, we were serious about sharing our opinion, which we did by completing a form after each piece aired. Then it happened. An ad that happened to be for deodorant stuck my husband and me as funny.
Picture a dark night and a furious rainstorm. A woman in a raincoat and holding an umbrella stands under a streetlight. A male voice off-camera mentions a certain brand of deodorant. Suddenly she whips out a stick of roll-on deodorant and pretends to apply it under her arm. Wearing a raincoat, in the pouring rain, under the streetlight.
Hilarious!!! Okay, maybe you had to be there…
We started to giggle. Quietly at first, as no one else seemed to find the ad humorous. We tried to stop… But then, we would glance at each other and continue laughing. Before long, we were howling.
Oh, the dirty looks we got! We knew we should behave, which only made what we were doing funnier to us. Finally, we pulled it together and sobered up.
The amazing part of this experience is that I remember it at all. Another time, not long after my mother passed away, our family was sitting around, sharing Mom stories. I don’t remember what was said, but it was something funny enough to have us all in stitches. That time, I laughed so hard that I cried, big, drippy tears. What a great release that turned out to be.
Experts agree that laughing is good for us. http://bit.ly/1ypXAsq
For those so inclined, there are even laughter yoga classes available. http://www.laughteryoga.org/english/club/home
Until next time,
Ann
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A friend turned me on to sharing a song via email. (Yeah, I know, I’m woefully behind…) Simply drag the song you want to share from iTunes into your email message. Have you done this? Am testing with one of my all-time favorite songs from an old Bob James album called, Rameau: Harpsichord. Years ago, when we had parakeets, those sweet birds loved, loved, loved this album and often chirped along. Although there are no Christmas tunes on the album, the music puts me in a holiday frame of mind… but that’s just me.
Until next time,
Ann
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This week, I am madly working away. I’ll be back another day.
Until next time,
Ann
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I am taking the week off to work on the current work-in-progress and to get ready for Thanksgiving. Shopping, baking, getting the tables set and ready.
That’s right, tables. At our house, we host a big crowd of family, friends, and people who need a place to sit down and enjoy.
Even when life throws you a horrendous curve-ball, there is much to be grateful for. May you find something for which you can give thanks.
Until next time, and wishing you a thankful Thanksgiving,
Ann
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I envy those who spend endless hours in meditation. How do they do it?
My mind just won’t shut up.
That said, I wanted it to. Just for a while. Which is why, several years ago, I purchased an album of Tibetan monks chanting. http://bit.ly/1xaxm0j
From an American perspective, this “music” isn’t melodic or harmonious, but it is pretty darned amazing. For six months, every morning, after the gym and my shower, but before breakfast, I listened to pieces of a chant. I did this for 5-6 minutes, which was about as much as I could handle before my mind drifted away from the chant and went into its usual frenzied overdrive. And you know what? While I was still, I felt peaceful and centered. What a wonderful way to start the day.
But then I stopped taking the time to listen.
Why? Because my modus operandi is, “Hurry up and get crackin’. There’s writing to be done!”
It’s been a good three years, and I’m craving that peace again. So… drum role (and Tibetan chimes): I’m going to get back into the routine of spending 5-6 minutes, listening to something that clears my mind and helps me get peaceful and centered. Yes, I know that I have tons of writing to do, and that we are heading into a frenzied time of year. That is exactly why I’m starting again now.
Until next time, and wishing you peace and centeredness,
Ann
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