Castle in the Clouds

This semester I've been wading through some pretty intense essays on theory. I'd say Lit Theory, but the truth is most of the excerpts we've read have very little to say about literature and a lot to say about things like language construction, signs, economy, culture, and gender. Applying said theories to literature is never really demonstrated. As you may well imagine, these theories are easier to discuss than they are to read. Although, without our guide, someone who is already familiar with the hills, valleys, swamps and rivers of this intimidating landscape, I'm not so sure I could discuss them intelligently. And that's still up for debate. The truth is there have been many nights when I've read every dreadful word and not comprehended a single thing. I've been forced to wait on our instructor's explanations and clarifications. It's funny how his simplified language makes the laborious seem evident. Luckily, I don't feel as if I...

I figure this post is overdue. I should have posted it last week after the wrestling meet, but didn't. I'm sure I have a reasonable excuse. In any event, the important thing is that I take a moment to document the little man's biggest wrestling achievement to date: bringing home his first chart. For those of you who have no idea what this means, it's just another way to say he finally took first place! Doesn't he look so proud of himself? I know we sure were proud of him. He worked hard for it and finally all the hard work paid off.

It's been so long since we've had a nice, relaxing weekend that this one felt insanely overdue. Just the idea of sleeping in both days made me feel a bit giddy. Add to that lovely idea the fact that I was able to pick up my new Final Fantasy game on my way home from work on Friday? That I didn't have any serious homework to worry about over the weekend? That we had an adult-only party planned Sautrday night? Yeah, I couldn't stop smiling. The game, by the way, is great. The young man behind the counter at Game Stop told me to be patient when I started. "It takes about five hours for it to get good," he told me. "Well, about five hours for it to look and feel like the other Final Fantasy games." Good to know because it's the truth. The very futuristic, scifi introduction of this latest installment definitely gives this addition to the Final Fantasy family a completely different look and feel from its predecessors. The characters are on t...

Have you seen any info on this new partnership ? If you don't want to click on the link, here's a brief summary: By adding a monetize feature to my blog, I could make linking to books and other items in the Amazon catalog oh so easy. Here's the thing. I've never tried making money off my blog. Mainly because, well, hello, not that many readers! Not that I don't love and appreciate every single one of you, because I do. But it seems to me the only time it might make sense to partake of such a venture would be when it might be fiscally beneficial. Yet, I'm tempted. Not because of the money. Nope. Because I am lazy and anything to make my life a little easier seems like a good idea. I link to Amazon a lot. Not because I'm expecting any of my readers to buy from them, but because that's where I do a lot of my buying. Don't hate me. I'm lazy. I thought we had established this... Anyhow, I'm tempted. But I'm also wary of the "m...

I know I've been a bit absent this week, but I have good reason. On Sunday evening I flew into Chicago and took a taxi to a lovely hotel on the Miracle Mile. That next morning my coworker and I attended the first of many panels at the Midwest Educause Conference. Tomorrow we'll attend our last and take a taxi back to the airport. Since this is my first visit to the Windy City, I must admit I am charmed by everything. The skyscrapers, the shops, the restaurants, the Starbucks on every corner (or nearly every corner)...all of it delights me. It also makes me very anxious to return in a few months with my hubby and our two boys. I don't have pictures to share from this visit. I left the camera at home with the family so they could get pictures of the Regional wrestling tournament the boys competed in this last weekend. But, I'm okay with that, because I think I'll cherish the ones we'll be taking in August much more.

I've been aware of LuLu for some time now. I keep looking, browsing, and contemplating. I look at the cover art and read the descriptions. I look at the reviews and wonder who wrote them, how well the reviewers know the author and whether their opinions are unbiased. I look at the prices and the ordering options. I look. However, after reading about award-winning author John Edgar Wideman's decision to experiment with self-publication through LuLu, I might actually be enticed to start buying from the site. I also have to stop and consider what John Edgar Wideman's bold move means for the publishing industry as a whole. Is this the first small pebble in the pond? Will other established and traditionally published authors risk the loss of their next advance and the subsequent royalty checks? It seems hard to imagine, but yet here is evidence that not everyone who has been accepted into the publishing fraternity is content with their membership. Of course, John'...

I haven't opened the WIP in a couple of weeks. I've been a bit preoccupied with school work and everything else that happens - or should happen - between the hours of 5 and 11 p.m. And I don't see a significant change occurring anytime soon. Not with Grad papers and reading assignments due. So, there's the rather bleak writing update I've been avoiding.

I first watched this YouTube video on Paperback Writer's blog. Just had to share!

I'm going to miss the boys' regional wrestling meet this weekend. Can't say I'm sorry. In fact, if I'm honest, I'm somewhat relieved that I have a legitimate excuse. It's been a long, grueling season. I'm ready for it to be done. I'd say I'm looking forward to a break, but there's a pretty persistent rumor that baseball practice is going to start up soon afterward. Maybe, if I'm really lucky, we'll get a weekend or two off. I'm not that lucky. Not when it comes to finding down time, that is. Busy, busy, busy...that's us! We've got wrestling practice twice a week (at a minimum), at least one day tied up in wrestling meets, Tuesday night classes for me , and Thursday night bowling for the hubby. If we're lucky, we get a Friday night to chill at home and one day on the weekend to catch up on homework and housework. That's the routine. Throw in the occasional birthday party, photography session, or shoppin...

The true indicator of change will be when the first big brand name fiction writer bypasses traditional publishing—that is when the Perfect Storm will have arrived. ~ Bob Mayer I think what Bob said in this article is pretty much what I've been thinking for, well, a while now. If you pay any attention at all to publishing and this pesky new invention called the Internet, you might already have an idea of how many changes there have been inside the industry. To say publishing is being reinvented seems a gross understatement. While signing a contract with a major publishing house is still considered the Holy Grail of wannabe writers everywhere, myself included, there are other viable options to consider. In trying to remember all the different delivery methods I've experimented with as a reader , I've come up with a brief list of my favorite Internet-spawned venues. Blogs. I read a lot of blogs. On any given day my RSS feed contains over 150 unread posts and the majorit...

Yep, I got bored once again. Not to mention I was really tired of the dark colors used in the last template. Since Spring is approaching - yes, it is! - I thought I'd add some bright and sun-shiny colors. My only disappointment is that the YouTube videos still hang over the edge of the main column.

Not sure which gift I love more: the PS3 from last year or the laptop computer from this Christmas. It's a mighty close race. Hubby did good with both. And, because I really don't have any writing related news to share, I thought I'd give you the top five reasons why I love that little piece of insanely-priced equipment. Reason #5. Media Center. It's not an exclusive capability to the PlayStation 3 platform, but it's a nice little perk. Of course, since I only have the 60K version (I think), I'm worried about filling up the harddrive space, so I try to limit my uploads. Right now, the majority of the pictures and music are meant to be enjoyed during the holiday season. The Christmases Past slideshow gets me in the heart every time. My, how my kiddos have grown! Reason #4 NetFlix Instant Queue on demand. While the movies aren't the newest, there's enough variety there to provide hours and hours and hours of entertainment. All I have to do is in...