Month: October 2016

The Organized Writer Pt 4

One of my RWA chapter mates asked me how I can come up with blogs on a regular basis. I needed to think about it. But I did come up with a true answer.

I spent 30 years in local television, the last couple of them writing news promos. Daily. Looking for the unique angle to make our newscasts stand out over the others in town.  My brain is wired to think of the little hooks.

I have also adapted the calendar (Excel spreadsheet) I used when scheduling sweeps story promos (rating period special news series). I now use the calendar to keep track of my blogs.

It’s all about adapting existing skill sets to current needs.

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me

  1. I don’t drink soft drinks (soda pop). I once tried to force myself to like them when I was young, ignorant, and trying to fit into a new job, but no go.
  2. I have green eyes. According to my nephew, this (along with my blood type) makes me prime alien abduction material. Cue The Byrds.
  3. I’ve never been to Disney World or Disneyland.
  4. I don’t watch television. Once in a while, I’ll binge watch DVDs of TV series with my husband, but I don’t sit down to watch anything just for something to do. And I never have.
  5. One of my favorite classical music pieces is Schwanda the Bagpiper: Polka & Fugue.
  6. I used to have a horse. And a pony.
  7. I gave up drinking coffee about 8 years ago.
  8. I tell people I’m allergic to eggs because they gross me out to the point of gagging if I even smell them.
  9. I subscribe to the Aquatic Theory of Evolution.
  10. I  have never had strep throat, and I’ve had the flu only twice.

Nat’l Do Something Nice Day

Today is National Do Something Nice Day.

I try to do something nice every day. I try to post uplifting things on social media. I try to be pleasant to everyone I encounter.

But doing something nice isn’t just about doing for others.

Sometimes you have to do “nice” for yourself.

Whether it’s going for a leisurely walk in the neighborhood after a busy day at the office or curling up in a blanket on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book on a rainy afternoon (with some mellow jazz drifting in the background), everyone deserves a nice moment every once in a while.

If something nice doesn’t come your way, reach out for it.

 

National Name Your Car Day

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It’s National Name Your Car Day.

Yes, people do really name their cars.

The first time I read about this was when I was in elementary school and I read a book that was to become one of my favorites for that time: Don’t Call Me Katie Rose by Leonora Mattingly Weber. One of the high school students had an old Mercedes Benz he called “Mercy Bee.”

The second time I read about this habit was in an old book club book that belonged to my mother, Cape Cod Summer.  I don’t know the author (and it’s not the book listed on Amazon). The heroine of the book called her ancient rust bucket, “Dear Ruin”, after a line in a poem.

My third encounter was with a 1965 Chevy Malibu (287 V8!) I owned that was indestructible. A co-worker dubbed it “The Tank.”

Since then, I have tried to name my vehicles, but nothing stuck. Until my current car. It’s a Buick Lacrosse and she it affectionately known as “La-la”.

Do you name your vehicle?