photo pops and three of the four corners

On the road again, photo pops was on the road again... This time we're taking a trip through Arizona, Colorado and Utah... a little factoid, did you know that along with New Mexico, the three previous states mentioned all touch at one corner making up the only such geographical point in the United States called the Four Corners.

Spring storm over sandstone rocks near the border of Arizona and Utah.

Sandstone rocks in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona.

Looking west towards Buckskin Mountains.

Gobble-gobble-gobble. Turkey's crossing the road in Zion National Park. By-the-by, have I mentioned how the turkeys are out in my own neighborhood? I come across them almost every day that I go for a run, and lemme tell you, they're not always so pleasant. They are quite beautiful when they spread their wings, but when they do that it usually means they're upset or being protective about one thing or another. One of them even hissed at me the other day. I swear I was minding my own business, these birds just have a bit of attitude..if you ask me.

Waterfall in Zion National Park.

Tree amongst red rock. (This is my favorite).

(Okay, I like this one, too). Sandhill Cranes migrating to Yellowstone for their summer break.

Where can you find sand, snow and water all in one place? The Great Sand Dunes National Monument at 8,000 feet, near Alamosa, CO. That's where.

Sand dunes. Thirty-square miles to be exact. Some as tall as 750 feet.

Sand dunes at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Southern Colorado.

Good stuff, right? Please feel free to share which photo you liked the best. Next, photo pops is headed for Switzerland- that is only if Iceland's volcano stops erupting...

(All photos property of Richard Hagar. Any unauthorized use is prohibited and illegal).

what's a writer to do when she's not writing?

On Thursday my laptop finally decided it'd had enough. One minute the screen was filled with words - my book Trevelyn's Shimmer, to be exact - and the next nothing but a black screen. I'm really trying not to freak out because I've been pretty consistent with backing-up my work. Of course, the one day I didn't back-up the edits of my manuscript was the day my computer went ka-put. Luckily, I had been procrastinating that day so I didn't make any major changes, and I'm still hoping my work can be recovered... So now, I'm pulling together some savings, which totally sucks and really hurts, and trying to decide what kind of laptop I should get (your suggestions are totally welcome, by the way).

I've had two free days to spend not-writing. Two days that I would normally be glued to my computer. Two days, too long. See, I'm not one of those writers who waits around for inspiration to strike. If I have a day off to write, I write. Yes, sometimes I spend chunks of time staring into space, but my mind is always working and thinking about what to do next in my story.

I was talking with my step-mother this morning about my laptop issue. "I feel so helpless," I said. "I don't know what to do with myself and all of this free time not writing."
"Read," she said. "Why don't you just sit down and read?"

And she's so right! I do read. I read quite a lot, actually. But I haven't been reading enough. I've been so hyper-focused on revising my book, that any time spent away from it makes me anxious. Yet, I know it's so important for writers, published or not, to keep abreast on the news in our industry. I've cut back on some of the subscriptions I used to buy - probably like most people - however, I still get Writer's Digest - a must-have for writers, in my opinion. That said, there's a pile of unread Writers Digests collecting dust in my room. I also have the March/April 2010 SCBWI bulletin (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) to read. And countless websites like Publisher's Weekly, and agent blogs with invaluable information like Nathan Bransford's and Jill Corcoran's, as well as the Children's Book Council site, where I was happy to learn of the Children's Choice Awards - that's the most popular books for kids decided upon by kids. Plus, so many more websites, that are sadly saved on my dang busted laptop under My Favorites...ah! I'm trying not to freak out....

One day Spider, one day....

Inside, such good advice from my peers...

Oh, Cricket. You know you want one of my stories!

It could be so easy to sit around and snack and watch episodes of Top Chef Masters and Vampire Diaries, while I decide on which laptop to buy (I clearly don't make quick decisions). But I know I need to be doing more. So I will go to my local bookseller and buy the latest issues of magazines that I dream of being in - a la Cricket, Spider and Highlights. I buy them, the cashier asks if I am a teacher, I say no, sometimes they give me a strange look (I guess I don't look like a person with kids), then I'll go home and read and study. Hey! You want to know a great place to find suggestions on pieces to write?...straight from the mouths of babes, as a matter of fact? The Letterbox section in Cricket Magazine. Yeah! That's the place where readers write in on what they really liked reading, what they want to read more of, and what outside books they're currently loving, or not. Kids chime in on topics ranging from their favorite animals to chronic diseases affecting their family or friends. Seriously, check it out. Letterbox, and the-like, gold-mine for writers.

So, now that I'm more caught up on my reading, I realize I need to make a calendar to set aside "reading-time" and "writing-time." It's just so easy to get sucked into writing a book or short story for one of my dream magazines.

And by the way, I really would appreciate any suggestions anyone has on what kind of laptop I should buy. I'm torn between biting the bullet and investing in a Macbook Pro, or going the less expensive route and getting another PC...?

"U @ 50"

"A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite."

A friend of mine sent me this link for a video that a 20-year-old created for a contest called "U @ 50" by AARP. Very clever. I'm always so impressed when someone that young creates something so deeply insightful.

Watch the short video here: Lost Generation.

who? which one? why, mrs. whatsit, dear lamb

I think it's safe to say that I'm pretty obsessed with Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, right now. I'm reading it again. I've only read Wrinkle three times before, so not a lot...yet. But every time I open it up I like it better and better. I can't get enough of little Charles Wallace and I love Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe's sweet friendship. Sometimes in my own writing I struggle with writing believable relationships. I like the quirks and peculiarities of the characters in Wrinkle. How can you not admire Ms. L'Engle for creating such unique, forward-thinking kids before their time?

That said, my word-of-the-week posts should be renamed word-of-the-month, or every-other-month, because I've been such a slacker! Sorry about that. In any case, here's a new word straight from the pages of A Wrinkle in Time...

Supine (adj): Lying on the back or with the face upward. Lethargic. Sluggish.
Used in a sentence: “Oh, dearie me,” Mrs. Whatsit said, lying on her back in the overturned chair, her feet in the air, one in a red and white striped sock, the other still booted... “If you have some liniment I’ll put it on my dignity,” Mrs Whatsit said, still supine.

(L’Engle, Madeline. A Wrinke in Time. New York: Square Fish, 1962).

queries and personal ads...

I thought this post called "Love is Like a Bottle of Query" on the Rejectionist was quite clever. It's about how manuscript queries that literary agents receive from writers are similar to the personal dating ads found on Craigslist. I think number 4 is my favorite. The whole scenario of being inundated with letters like these literary agents receive from hopeful writers, reminds me of when I worked at Christie's auction house. Every day my inbox would be flooded with adamant letters from people claiming to have found an unknown Picasso in the dumpster behind their house. I can relate to the OMG! Give me a break! moments these literary agents must constantly have......I just hope I'm not one of the writers giving it to them! lesson learned....

what makes a word popular?

Sometimes I hear certain new words in my friends' or acquaintances' lexicon, words that have suddenly become popular, and I wonder how or why they've become so common? Why, all of a sudden, is everyone I know saying "doppelganger" "napalm" or "gravy" when those words didn't even exist in their vocabulary five months ago? (And yes, those are the actual words that have inspired this post...)

popular culture

This is what I've come up with: Pop culture. Yeah, pop culture. Seems obvious, right? So far, people in their 20's and 30's seem to be the main-abusers of the above words, and I figure the major reasons are because we're watching the same shows, reading the same magazines, and viewing similar commentary from friends on social networking sites, like Facebook. You ever read an email from someone and then reply using a word that you haven't used before thinking to yourself "I'm so clever," only to realize that that same word was right there in your friend's email? I have. I revise and delete when that happens so my friend doesn't think I'm an echo, but then I'll use the word in a future email to someone else (sometimes without even thinking), thus creating a chain of popular vocabulary.

popular words, man

A dear friend of mine says "man" a lot. As in, "I worked on this project today that was really tough, man." or "I don't know, it's one of those tricky things, man." After hearing her say this several times, I now find myself using "man" much more frequently...man.

East Coast vs. West Coast

Maybe it's regional? Californians use some interesting slang (like man, although I think that started from an East-Coaster?). When I first moved to New York I worked with people from nearby towns associated with heavy, nasal accents - Long Island, the Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey. When I started saying "Bless" after someone sneezed, instead of "Bless you", and pa-jahmas instead of pah-jamas (as I'd been saying it) I realized that my transition into a New Yorker had officially begun...it's since reversed.

what about you?

So why do you think some words suddenly become popular? Is it pop culture? Regional? Age? What are some of the popular words that you currently hear, and where are they being used?

every doggie has a soul and this one smiles

(photo of Smiley Riley courtesy of www.msn.com)

You've probably seen the photo of "Smiley Riley" by now. No? I hadn't either until this morning when I opened the Internet and there he was!

Riley's owner, a San Jose, CA resident, gave her pooch a slice of birthday cake for his 1st birthday, and this human-like smile was the result.

This photo made me laugh but then kind of freaked me out at the same time. Doesn't it look like a human is behind those pink-rimmed eyes? This just proves that animals have souls, too.

Now if I could only get Sadie to do something cool like pout...hmmm.