I'm Baaaaack!!!

A few weeks ago, Daniel asked me why I hadn't updated my blog in so long.  Apparently, he reads it!  I said at the time, I didn't have anything to write about, which was only partly true.  I was in a writing slump, and didn't realize that I needed to write to get out of it.  Suffice it to say, I am now feeling my writing mojo once again, and I think I may need to credit it to this fantastic little device Daniel bought for me.

May I introduce my new digi-toy?  A NOOK!  Yes, it is an e-reader, and I know there are many, many of you out there that are tactile readers, enjoying the feel and smell of the books in hand.  I do too. This is just an enhancement to my reading experience. And best of all.....You can check out books from the library on it!!!!!  If your library subscribes to Overdrive, you can check out e-books, just like a physical book.  It is tremendously addictive, and for anyone who knows how much I love to read, this is heaven.

I've spent that past month, re-reading favorites (Hello, all of Austen's books can be downloaded for FREE from a variety of sites), reading some brain candy, reading new authors, and just plain enjoying the wonder of my new toy.  In retrospect, I think I may have needed to spend that time, not thinking about my own ideas, but immersing myself in the worlds my imagination could create from the words of others!

Yesterday, I opened my mailbox to find my sweet Nook cover from JAVOedge.  I LOVE it!  So cute and keeps my new toy nice and secure.  How I love to accessorize my digital necessities.  I'm just waiting for Daniel to put his foot down when it comes to all these "toys" of mine.  So far, he enjoys watching me, or at least gets a good laugh at my expense.

In a couple of weeks, I am heading to Provo for the LDS Storymakers conference.  With the writing slump I've been in, perhaps this will be the push I need to move in the write (hehehe) direction.  Ok, that was a terrible pun, but I couldn't resist.  I'm so excited to go and rub elbows with some great people in the industry.  I've followed blogs from some of these amazing people, and have delved into their writing.

Today, I will leave it at this.  No need to go overboard and document my month long hiatus. That would be brutal.  Happy Spring!

The Domestic Goddess and Murphy Brown

The intermittent hum and clicking of the sewing machine is the white noise that comforts me today.  As I try to guide the fabric through, my mind wanders as it is want to do, and I see scenes of action, love, and chaos, all waiting for a bit of a voice.  My mind speaks in prose, almost as if my thoughts are from the pages of a novel, describing what I see, feel, and dream.  It is during those times, that it comes to me, when I least expect it, and I revel in the fact that domesticity has given me the solace to find the words I crave.

I have never been the one who anyone could consider domestic, as in the goddess sense.  My forays in the craft world are laughable, and to be honest, my cleaning skills have much to be desired.  If one were to ask a friend from high school, I would not be the one remembered as the June Cleaver-type of woman. The television show Murphy Brown was at it's height (I know, aging myself dreadfully here) and many thought I would be the unwed, career girl, much like she was, hardened and world-wise.  How strange it feels to look back at that time and the goals and dreams I had, and how they have morphed and changed.  I don't say that I am June by any means, nor do I profess to be a Murphy, but I have come to some sort of happy medium for myself, and it awakens the deep seeded dreams awaiting fulfillment.

Today, while at home, nursing my two sick children, I sewed.  I could have been writing, but it didn't feel right.  I had too many thoughts swarming around my head, and I had too much energy to try to log them into my new writing program (StoryMill) to help me organize and prepare my thoughts.  (I'm a digi nut, so I needed something I could use on my laptop, but hadn't found anything other than a spreadsheet to fill in the gaping holes for the stories in my head.) I needed to move, and going outside wasn't an option with croupy coughs and upset tummies.  Sewing was a quiet and productive activity that would help me expend energy while my kidlets slept.

Up and down, the needle made it's way across the fabric, the clicking of the cutting mechanism, sharp, and final at the end of each row.  It was there that I heard the sound of a crow outside in the yard, and I was reminded of something I had meant to record earlier.  The whisper of the bare branches rubbing against my kitchen window created another image ready to capture, all because of the time I spent humming along.

I still don't like to be considered a domestic goddess, although I would more than appreciate the skill it takes to keep my home clutter and dust free.  I would love to have the gourmet meals prepared nightly and well dressed and behaved children to boot.  I've come to the conclusion that no one could come close to that particular exalted sphere.  I am me, and that is all that is important.  I am not June, Murphy, or any derivative thereof.  Hello, my name is Teri, and I want to be a writer.

Thanks to Google for the image!


**In other news, I did receive my very first rejection letter.  While most would think this sad and deterring, it is actually something I am quite happy with.  It shows that I submitted something!!!  I am glad that I submitted and learned from the process.  Onward and upward!**

Digital Delights

Technology is amazing.  Just think of all the things we can do today, that just even a mere ten years ago we couldn’t do.   Digital music players, cell phones with internet capability and e-mail capability, GPS devices built into cars, electronic book readers.  The list can go on and on.  It amazes me on a daily basis how dependent we have become on technology and what seemed like a luxury yesteryear has become a necessity today.

This past week, I’ve had my own issues with my digital world.  After working on an essay, the one I was hoping to submit at some point, I was getting ready to have a friend read it.  I plugged my 4 GB thumb drive into my computer where I clicked on the file name to open the document.  Nothing.  I ejected it and put it in my laptop.  Nothing.  Hmm.  Turns out the file had somehow become corrupted and it was gone.  My throat began to tighten up with frustration, but luckily, other files on the drive were fine.  I moved all the files to my laptop and formatted the thumb drive to avoid the issues in the future.  It makes me miss those days where I had to write any and all work out by hand before my English teacher would let us go to the computer lab to work on the word processors.  You see, it wasn’t normal to turn in something actually typed back then.  I practiced my script and actually felt confident with it, until my world became a digital mess and I typed everything from notes, memos, letters, and blog posts.  Perhaps if I went back to that old way of thinking, I wouldn’t have lost the essay.  And it was amazing, let me tell you.  (I can say that because it’s gone….)

That same day, my 24 inch flat screen monitor at work decided that it would like to display all sorts of delightful colors other than those that would make my work visible.  Flashes of white, black, and a rainbow of blue, green, and red flashed across the screen before ending with the blank screen of death.  Luckily it is under warranty, so I can get a new one, but it makes my job very difficult to do without the added benefit of a second screen for the fifteen to twenty windows I have to have opened to run the Records Office.  Just a couple of years ago, a second screen would never have been heard of, now it is causing me a lot of extra time and exasperation to get work done without it.

Today, my laptop is sitting on my desk at work, next to my desktop.  I’m not using the laptop for work, just music.  It makes me wonder what I did before the days when I could carry my entire music collection around on a device the size of box of matches.  I seem to recall carrying around a couple of cassette tapes in my backpack along with my walkman.  Two or three were all that I could listen to, and space was an issue. Amongst the books and binders, taking my entire music collection would have been impossible.  Today, my iPod fits in my pocket and has enough space for days of music without ever repeating.  Really, what am I going to do with all that sound?  Enjoy it, and be thankful for the ease that technology gives me. 

What could be next up for me?  An e-book reader, though I’m not sure which one.  The thought of carrying hundreds of books with me at a time makes me giddy at the thought.  While I love the tactile feelings of a printed book, I have times when carrying a large number of books isn’t all that practical.  With a small device, I can have at least one hundred books with me whenever I feel the need to read.  It’s just a matter of time though.  It will become as necessary as everything else.  It is a luxury now, but just wait.

What type of electronic device can’t you live without?

Thanks Google for the image!

Soundtrack to the Season

I really should get out of my funk....and I think, bit by bit, I am crawling out of that self-destructive hole of pitifullness.  Today, let's talk about my idealistic Christmas, and what role music plays in it.  No pun intended....

Growing up, I listened to Christmas carols played on a number of different record players.  The first that I remember was a huge console that took up half of the living room, or at least it seemed to in my infantile memory.  The sweet strains of Andy Williams' 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' seemed to envelope the entire house.  This continued through the moves to different states, the graduation of high school, and a mission for my church.  Twenty-three years of the same records, Andy Williams, Tammy Wynette, Ray Conniff and his singers, Johnny Mathis, these were the staples I remembered.  My mother would stack the records on the player where a disc would spin and drop into place.  Over and over again, one by one, until the stack would finish and someone had the job to turn it over.

Many activities were done to the sounds of the carols.  They would be the ambient music as dinner was prepared, play a central part of decorating the tree.  From the moment we awoke on Christmas morning, to when we retired that night, the records would make their rounds under the needle and scratchy music flooded the day.

After my return home from Uruguay, the records made their last appearance at our Christmas festivities.  They were well worn and the record player was on it's last spin.  I remember slipping the vinyl platters into the sleeves, and the musty smell that is akin to old books and well loved journals.  They didn't make another appearance again.  Technology was progressing, and we couldn't repair the old player any longer.

As I have my own family now, I have a few of the same albums, but digitally, purchased online and downloaded to my iTunes and synced to my iPod.  I've added a few of my own favorites along with the classics of my childhood, Sarah McLachlan, Bare Naked Ladies, and some favorite piano classics.  I have created the perfect Christmas playlist for my days, and it is the soundtrack to my season.

What is playing right now?  O Holy Night.  It is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  I have several versions, sung from Harry Conick Jr. or Josh Groban....the fact remains, it puts me in the mood for the spirit of the Holidays.

What are you listening to this Holiday season?

*Thanks to Google for the image*

Grateful for Analytics

This morning while perusing the analytics on my blog, I found that I have had visits from all over the world.

I had visits from Sweden, Brazil, a few from Ireland and Germany.  It amazed me to see the different colors and numbers each country presented.  Of course, Utah was the highest number, being that the majority of my family lives here.  Of course, I'm not sure that they read my blog....

I wondered who lived in certain places, like New York, North Carolina, and so forth.  Was it someone I knew in college, high school?  Or was is a stranger that came by because they Googled something that brought them here.  Was it a topic that interested them, or because I used a Google image that caught their eye?

I am grateful for the analytics.  It makes me realize my audience is larger than my followers or comments portray.  It humbled me to know that somewhere in the middle of Columbia, someone clicked on my blog, for whatever reason, and saw a little bit of me.

*Thanks to Google for the image!*

Grateful for Internet Shopping

I started Christmas shopping today.  That may seem a little strange to some of those who have been done for three months now, and are completely organized, but I'm far from that type of person.  I'm generally doing my shopping the week before the holiday, frantically trying to find everything on my list, and making a mad dash to the mall.  That isn't happening this year.  I'm shopping online.

A few years ago, I did the majority of my shopping online, and was amazed at the time I saved, and the hassle free days I enjoyed.  From the comfort of my laptop, I was able to purchase those gifts that I couldn't find anywhere else.  I haven't done it since, and today I began to wonder why I had strayed from this model.  I know, surprising due to my digi love affair.

I, like many women, do love to shop.  I just don't like the rush and crowds that seem to swarm the stores, and the very un-holiday like attitudes that are apparent when one has to park three miles out in the parking lot, just to trek to the entrance of the store.  On the other hand, I do enjoy the Christmas carols melodically weaving through the aisles and the smells of pumpkin pie from the bakery at the grocery store, but not enough to trade time at home with my family, and the activities that are sure to abound during the season.

This year, the majority of my purchases will be online.  I will still rush to the store to buy a fancy loaf of bread to give to my children's' teachers and other sundries that will be needed, but I intend to enjoy the season with my family, and miss the holiday crazies at the mall.

*Thanks to Google for the image*

Technology Love

Well, as I type up this post, I am at some sort of high altitude over 10,000 feet, on my way to Portland.  Luckily my flight had a free trial of the wi-fi on board, so I'm taking advantage of it to some degree.  I've been cramped and haven't moved more than about three inches the whole flight.  I'm a bit squished.  Other than that, it has been fairly uneventful as I bade goodbye to my little family.  There were no tears, but that could be because my kids were too tired to notice me leaving.  Getting up at 6:30 am to run me to the airport wasn't the most fun Sunday morning activities.  We are soon going to be descending and my wi-fi will turn off once we hit below the 10,000 feet mark.  It's been pretty turbulent, so that could be at any moment.  Portland here I come!  Of course I shall endeavor to get some training in as I bask in the excitement of seeing my little brother!  Whoo hoo!


*Thank you Google for the image*