Green Inventions Central

Where Do You FInd Words?

2012-01-07T09:37:00.003-05:00

My youngest daughter is always the champion. When she sees a new idea and loves it, she takes off at top speed.

I showed her the WordBowl, 2011, and she was enchanted. She started gathering woven bowls from around the house. Bowls that came from Kenya. Starting cutting slips of paper and plying me for words.

"Sparkly," that's a good word, isn't it, Mommy?"

"That's a great word."

"Is this how you spell threaten? T h r e a t e n."

"Wow, you spelled that right!"

"I know how to spell a lot of things, Mommy. Don't you know?"

And she fills her bowl. And she writes a poem about playing ball with the moon. And I laugh when the ball goes bop-bop-bop, and I get emotional when the moon and she must part. She's found her words, and she's filled me.

Should We Force People to Write?

2011-12-19T14:46:00.012-05:00

I admit in Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing, that I never made my daughters write (they are home-educated, and I do it how I want).

In our education experience together, we've done a lot of other things that I believe turned my girls into writers, but mandatory writing was not one of them.

I am thinking about this today especially, after reading a quote at this wonderful place:

But what if the reading problem isn’t as simple as forcing students to read and write more (which we should also do)?

Really? Should we force students to write? Here's a poem from Sara, age 14, which she handed me today. She made up her own form for it. This, from a girl who has never been forced to write...

The Pirates and the Sun

Once upon a long ago time
When lemon trees fell in love with lime,
And all the fairy tales were true (if only in your mind)
A pirate sailed the seven seas to find the treasure.

The treasure sat on the rim of the sun,
At the edge of the sea, number 101,
At the edge of the night, just before it’s done,
And there sat the treasure, the only one.

The pirate’s flag was big and black,
It billowed and whipped and sometimes lay slack,
It was made of (don’t tell) a regular sack,
But it was the flag of a pirate.

The pirate smiled and twirled his moustache,
He grinned and rubbed his hands at the sight of the stash,
And one gold tooth in his mouth did flash,
And every pirate got gold, from the first to the last.

Now the pirates sailed back, for a year and a day,
And they met an old monk, who taught them how to pray,
And they had many adventures, don’t ever say
They weren’t the greatest pirates who lived.

Yes they sailed away, and now they came home,
With a bag of gold, and a horse from Rome,
And a parrot, a stick, and a wrinkled old gnome,
A drum and a harp and a broken trombone.

But the world had changed when they sailed to the sun,
To the last ever sea (number 101)
And the pirates’ fleet was sunken and gone,
And the world was round in the minds of everyone.

So the pirates took one look at the cities of the day,
From London to New York to the coast of Malay,
To the skyscrapers high and the waters grey,
And they turned right around, and went back where they came.

And now they do sail, past the coasts one by one,
Forever looking for the treasure, the only one,
And the edge of the sea right next the sun,
And the time they left behind long ago.

For what use is gold if your world is gone?
What use is a ship when it’s old and down-run?
What use is a crew of pirates who come
To the deck always looking for the thing which they long?

If we shouldn't force students to write (and I believe we shouldn't), what is the key to getting them to a place of excellence in reading and writing? Well, perhaps to answer to that question, you'll need to read the book. ;-) But I'd also love to hear your ideas right here today.

What if You Have a Genius?

2011-11-22T14:17:00.005-05:00

"And what if the genius is yours for one exquisite moment of your life," says Elizabeth Gilbert, "and then you pass it along?"

(I feel this way about the writing I've done. I feel like if I never accomplish anything major again, then the process of passing it along to those I teach and mentor is something beautiful and just as exquisite in its way.)

Choosing (or Not) to Play the Game

2011-11-19T09:39:00.007-05:00

This year, as some of you know, my older daughter is in a distance-learning program. It's been a struggle in many ways. But the biggest difficulty has been my girl's impatience with a system that sometimes "doesn't get it."

By this she means, the balance of inside and out has sometimes not been well-understood or successfully addressed. Being home-educated her whole life, this is a shocking experience. The rhythm of our lives has always been to cultivate what's inside the girls with appropriate outside helps. The balance has been (mostly) simple to achieve.

There are days when I almost despair over how simple it *has not been* in this new situation, though the distance-school has tried to (mostly) be accommodating.

The other night I told my girl that this is how it is in life. She'll encounter people and systems who "get it" and those who don't. And she will have to choose whether to play their game or assert her own game. I told her stories of times I've played the game and times I determined I could not. I want her to know she has a choice.

5 Ways to Increase Your Klout Score Exponentially

2011-10-31T09:33:00.016-04:00

In the span of about a week, I increased my Klout score by 13 points. To put this in perspective, I should mention that this happened during the fallout period, when a lot of people's Klout scores dropped.

It also happened over the *exact days* I revamped my Twitter strategy. So this post is going to share my Twitter secrets, which are based, quite simply, on love.

(For those of you who know and love me, let me assure you I haven't gone Klout crazy. My workplace is exploring it, and so I began exploring it. The only danger I see so far is that I might become a Klout-score-checking addict :)

Klout, in my opinion, could otherwise be called a "love quotient." It tracks who you love, what you love, how much you love, who loves you and how much they're willing to share the love.

So, here's the Lovers Guide to Increasing Your Klout Score thru Twitter

1. Ask yourself, what do I really love? Then tweet about it. Do this for two reasons. One, it will enable you to be more focused (an important part of a good Twitter strategy). And, two, it will enable you to sustain your Twitter activity for the long haul. Nothing works better than a strategy that fits with your lifestyle and interests.

2. Claim your love. My workplace has done this, with some success, by using the hashtag #goodwork. My Twitter poetry group has done it with the hashtag #tsptry. It's a way to get seen amidst the noise, and to invite others into your circle.

Some people have an uber-branding strategy around the use of unique hashtags. #Amwriting, an "award-winning hashtag," developed by Johanna Harness, is one of the most creative I've seen yet.

3. Get emotional about your love. There's a reason advertisers track your emotions. Take advantage of it, and make sure your tweets use emotive words or concepts that will generate an emotional response in your followers. This isn't about exploiting your tweeps; it's about becoming a better writer.

4. Ask for love. @Claireburge impresses me with her questions. On any given day on Twitter (or elsewhere), you will find her asking for advice and direction from those in the know. This is not only a terrific connecting strategy, it is also a humble strategy, because it seeks to learn.

5. Make love connections. Do you know people who would just love to know each other? Introduce them. Go ahead and tweet @doallas I think you would love @knittingthewind—just beautiful! Increasing connections naturally and lovingly is part of a healthy networking strategy.

Try these 5 Twitter Love-Life tips, and let me know if they increase your Klout score. I'd be curious to know.

And now, a love request.

I'm looking for love in the following places, and would really appreciate any direction you could give me, towards excellent bloggers and tweeters and Tumblrs who beautifully explore:

tea, French, bread, writing

I'm also claiming my love in these same categories. If you want to follow along on any given day, or become part of a more focused conversation, you can join me under these hashtags...

LLfrench
LLtea
LLbread
LLwriting

(If nothing comes up under a particular hashtag, that means I haven't been tweeting about it lately. Hashtags don't bring up results if you take a rest for a few days. And I *always* take a rest on weekends. Which, btw, will lower a Klout score. But I love my rest, and you can't put a score on that.)

Why Are You Tweeting During Your Performance Review?

2011-10-28T12:58:00.003-04:00

You know, it's all about Klout.

And maybe your next raise.

Steve Jobs Comes to Lunch with Creativity

2011-10-17T16:39:00.010-04:00

Over lunch the other day, I was talking to a friend of mine. He's working on his PhD in the area of user experiences, mostly technology.

His opinion of what Steve Jobs did best? Take stuff that already existed and find ways to put it together. This fascinated me; after all, we think of Jobs as the one who "created" some of these technologies. My friend said it wasn't like that. Instead, Jobs often saw possibilities in disparate pre-existing technologies and put them together to create beautiful user experiences.

This reminds me of today's chapter in Mindfulness, which focuses on creativity. Creativity doesn't necessarily create out-of-nothing. It simply does a quarter-turn and says, "Ah, look at it this way."

If this sounds easy, it may not be. My friend laughed as he put his iPhone on the table and said, "Isn't it beautiful? And even when other companies had it sitting in front of them, they still couldn't create a decent knock-off. That's genius, don't you think?"

I often wonder how well we are cultivating this kind of genius in the way we teach our young people, giving them, as Langer notes, too few choices in how they interact with materials and information; I know that my own daughter is chaffing against her distance-learning program this year, because it prescribes more than she's used to (we're working on that... maybe later this week I'll share her next assignment, which she took *more* than a quarter-turn with).

How much are we willing to do the quarter turns? How much does creativity matter to us? It might mean a "bad grade" or some commercial failures along the way. Will we risk it?

Being Mindful of Twitter Power

2011-10-10T17:34:00.007-04:00

There are always two (or more) ways to frame something, reminds Ellen Langer. Remembering that is part of being mindful.

I've heard people frame Twitter as a mindless pursuit. But... may I suggest a different perspective?

Last year I wrote a post called 10 Reasons to Write (Or Not) a Book About Writing. Someone I didn't know, called @fictwriter, tweeted the post. Not long after, Jane Friedman, who was working for Writer's Digest at the time, clicked through the tweet link and left this comment on the post...

Found your post through Twitter (@ficwriter). I work at Writer's Digest, and understand the dilemma! But if you decide you want to do it, we'd love to see your proposal.

Jane's words stuck with me, even though I categorically decided I would *not* write a book about writing. In fact, I was too tired to think about writing anything at all, having already put myself to the task of book-writing several times.

Still, when I went to a picnic this June and got my title handed to me, I remembered Jane's words. It made me think the project was not just fun but also viable.

So again I turned to Twitter. One Saturday morning I asked my friends, "If I was, say, writing a book on writing, what would you want included?"

Their answers helped me shape the book. A lot.

Today the power of Twitter has come full circle to Jane. Remembering her comment so long ago, I mentioned that I had actually done the book, largely thanks to her comment. As a result, she read the book, and today I am tweeting her post, which excerpts the book that Twitter brought to life.

Twitter a mindless pursuit? Not for me. :)

___

Care to join us at The High Calling for a bookclub discussion of Mindfulness, by Ellen Langer?

The Power-Point Embraced

2011-10-08T11:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I shared how I encouraged my daughter to take her anger and channel it into a reasoned response. One reader asked to see that response. I asked Sara if it was okay, and she kindly said yes...

_____

I read all the stories and excerpts.

And I come to this question: why does the Literature book have mean, depressing, senseless stories? It’s just meanness and meanness and nothing has happened. Nothing has changed. I once read somewhere that writers have a responsibility for their stories—you have to think about the readers, and if your story will harm more than it will help. I wasn’t sure what I thought of that before, but now I agree. Some stories you shouldn’t have to read, unless you choose to. That’s why there are so many in the world—so everyone has a type of story they find fun, or interesting, or true, or wise, or perfect. Forcing someone to read story after story that is depressing does not have any use that I can see.

The ancient Greeks thought that writing comedy was a greater accomplishment than writing tragedy. William Faulkner, in his Nobel Prize speech, seems to agree. He doesn’t talk about comedy per se, but he notes that we need stories that “are not merely… the record of man…[but] one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.” If a story lacks the universal truths of the resilient human spirit, he says it is “ephemeral and doomed.”

Some of the stories in the Literature book seem to lack these universal truths, as if they were a commentary on hopelessness instead of an experience of humanity—not merely the good or the evil, but the will to hope, even when there is no escape, to try, even when they can change nothing—like Anne Frank. I believe that stories like some in the Literature book will not be remembered in a thousand /200/300/500 years—unless it is for something other than the stories themselves, like their virtue as cultural artifacts. The oldest piece of literature in the world, Gilgamesh, is still being retranslated and retold and read. The Lord of The Rings is the same, Sherlock Holmes is the same—they have the life and energy now that they had when they were first written. Why? Because they tell of a story that is as true now as it was then, a story that transcends the boundaries of language and time.

_____

On Hopeless Literature Essay, by Sara, age 14. Used with permission.

Don't Be Afraid of Your True Writing or Work

2011-10-07T12:02:00.005-04:00

Such an interesting convergence this morning. I am having three conversations about the same thing. One is happening in my dining room. One on Twitter. And one in email.

The thing?

People are nervous about their true condition.

It has been framed slightly differently in the three conversations. One person thinks her style needs to change before she can step out. Another is concerned that she can't use a life circumstance to mold an activity she needs to work with. And the third, my own daughter, began by refusing to write an assignment, because she was so angry about it she could just about spit.

Let me reign this in to the conversation with my daughter. "Embrace the anger," I told her. "It's your strongest response. Don't be afraid of it. Use it."

She is just now finishing an essay she decided to write, on the reason that hopeless literature shouldn't be the focus of a high school curriculum. She has brought in the Greeks' opinion on comedy being more important than tragedy, and she has quoted Willliam Faulkner's Nobel Prize speech. She has taken the anger of her first draft and turned it into an incisive, insightful, profound essay that should make any teacher take a second look at what he or she is using for a literature program.

Which is to say... don't be afraid of where you are. Embrace the strongest point of your experience. The thing that is consuming your time or your emotions. It is your power-point.

Signing Rumors photo by Kelly Sauer. Used with permission.

Guessed

2011-09-24T20:15:00.012-04:00

Nancy Franson finally guessed the answer to our game. As she said, "something about looking for the missing pieces."

The clever Karin Fendick had made an observation before this, saying that each of the presented images were essentially "semi-revealed."

In other words every single image had a _________ piece.

Coming next week... the simple reason we played this game. :)

Guess Again

2011-09-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

?

today's other clue

yesterday's clue (be sure to click through to other site)

Guess

2011-09-23T11:15:00.001-04:00

?

here

Penning a Story

2011-08-29T11:38:00.005-04:00

I had to share this whimsical little story with you. Sara wrote it while experimenting with calligraphy.

Here's the beginning...

______

The Story of the Little Ink Pen's Journey

My, oh my. Look, Paper! This is how I write.

Once upon a scratchy time a little pen said, "let me go to the great inkwell to find ink for us so we will not run out."

And the others said, "You can do this, but you will not come out alive!"

And the little ink pen said, "But I will go nonetheless. And I will bring us back so much ink we could become all fuzzy in our words and still not run out."

So he set out on a far and dangerous journey...

[to finish the story, click to view the large-sized image]

Story and calligraphy by Sara B. Used with permission.

Writing Comes from Reading

2011-08-25T05:41:00.007-04:00

Soon I'll be sharing my writing-teacher secrets, as part of Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing.

Oddly, many of my secrets look like living. And reading. A lot.

My sweet Sara reads about a six hundred (unassigned) books during a school year and a great deal of poetry. All that reading, I'm convinced, has shaped her writing. Here, for instance, is one of her contributions to the sonneteering we've been doing over at Tweetspeak. It makes me think... I need to read... a lot more sonnets if I ever want to catch up with her abilities.

(Though not a perfect sonnet by any means, she wrote this one in 10 minutes, while I was also bothering her about coming to answer a phone call. Yeah, I'm proud of her. Forgive me? :)

The Narrator

I'll tell you now a tale both sad and true,
the story of the cuckoo in the tree
across the endless, vast, and wave-filled sea.
And of the flute, the crying notes it blew
to break and make a spell with one bright tune,
and what it did to everyone, and me,
a girl who only wishéd to be free
of the wicked witches, and now you

say that I know nothing of all that time.
Well, I'll tell the tale both loud and clear.
I'll even tell it—listen now—in rhyme.
And then I'll take from you, all you hold dear
and we will know the truth, and know the lie.
I'll make you beg on bended knees with tears.

— Sara Barkat, age 14

This poem is offered for The High Calling and Tweetspeak's Random Acts of Poetry/PhotoPlay celebration.

Portfolio on Demand

2011-08-18T18:25:00.008-04:00

So it's official. My girl will still be home for high school, but she'll be "attending" the Laurel Springs Gifted and Talented Academy.

On Monday, the Academy asked me for a description of Sara's 8th-grade year (scope, sequence, assessment explanations, quarterly reports, complete with samples for every quarter for every subject, standardized test scores).

Um. :)

Because I'm an unschooler more than a classical schooler, and because I live in a State that doesn't require portfolios as part of the reporting structure, I was overwhelmed by the request.

I spent more than seventeen hours gathering materials, writing descriptions, trying to find my old teacher certificates in the attic. I took a day and a half off from work to make it happen (including a 5 am rising because my mind was racing over the question of where to find all the "proof" I needed).

When it was all said and done, I actually felt a great sense of accomplishment. But it sure was intensive.

Watching this process, my sweet second daughter decided that she's going to keep a portfolio, so we don't face this kind of thing in two years when perhaps she'll do a similar kind of program. I appreciate that. :)

Since I spent so much time on the whole thing, I wanted to share with you just one section of the Art portfolio I created: an excerpt of Sara's Princess and the Pea graphic novel.

Let's just say, I identified with the Princess's sleepless night (check her out below)...

Phew. :)

Graphic Novel by Sara Barkat, at age 13.

Resist! Your Creativity Depends on It

2011-08-10T07:59:00.008-04:00

When I was a new teacher, I remember reading Vygotsky. His thoughts about the Zone of Proximal Development were particularly intriguing, suggesting that we learn best when we are pushed to the edge of our competencies.

Being pushed OVER the edge? Not so useful. Finding the balance, the "cutting edge," or the "learning edge" as it were, is the challenge.

For this reason, we need others. Not huge disassociated groups of others, but others who engage with us closely and dynamically.

While I have gotten very excited about Piaget's ideas, which focus more on self-initiated learning, I'm just now coming back to Vygotsky and the thought that social interaction is critical for learning.

In regards to home education, this means I'm looking for ways to get my girls closer to the edge of their competencies, through new social opportunities. Most likely I'll sign them both up for Comedy Improv classes this Fall. My younger daughter tried Comedy Improv in a camp a few weeks ago, and it has such wonderful possibilities, offering "learning edge" experiences on both the cognitive and social levels. (Plus, it's collaborative, which I love. :)

Resistance, which Psyblog notes is best for optimal creativity, is built in to a "learning edge" type experience. So this Fall, we shall resist (albeit alongside laughter).

____

For more thoughts on the value of Resistance, but in a work context, check out my post today at Bibledude.net. Call Me Glinda: Tension and Relief for Successful Work Teams

The Lady Gaga Approach to Education

2011-07-30T18:03:00.007-04:00

I tell of it here: how Lady Gaga influenced my spiritual practice for the upcoming year.

It has something to do with the surprising complexity of her music. (Frankly, I never paid attention to her, until she broke Amazon.)

What struck me about the Lady? Her influences. You can listen to her music and hear an over-the-top, rather naughty lyricist, or you can listen and hear the past: Rock, Classical, even Spirituals. She's paid attention to details. She may play the counter-cultural naughty girl, but she's got creative roots. And they're what make her music so fascinating. (Even if you don't catch it at first, because all you see is black leather and bleach.)

It occurred to me today that I take the Lady's approach to home education. I have taken my girls to the past and around the world, whether it's through history, architecture, food, science, or literature. They've developed roots through a complex array of details and experiences.

There was a time that this approach to education made me nervous. What if they missed something important that could be provided in a pre-packaged curriculum? What if all our uncharted reading and looking and touching and eating and listening wasn't enough?

By now, it is too late to be nervous. The core of their education has been provided. They are 12 and 14.

But I look at their writing. I listen to their improv music. I hear their opinions. And I realize it is okay. They have what they need to be creative, interesting people in this world. And, if all goes well, they won't break much. (Unless it's Amazon for a day. That would be all right with me. :)

Blue Bottles photo, taken at one of our favorite places: Kitchawan Farm.

Do You Think Book Selling is Headed Towards Monopoly?

2011-07-16T09:20:00.009-04:00

When I was a little girl, I loved playing Monopoly with my sister. Collecting those green houses and the cards with purple or yellow strips at the top. I loved getting my $200 when I passed "Go." And I loved the little metal playing pieces, especially the dog.

The point of the game was, of course, to win.

In the world of book selling, I wonder if there's a game of Monopoly going on. And I wonder, is there going to be one clear winner in the end?

I've been having this conversation with various book sellers and book promoters like Hearts and Minds, Eighth Day Books, Elliott Bay, and Englewood Review of Books. I will continue to have the conversation with them as the months go on, particularly as part of my work with The High Calling, where we're interested in the idea of keeping the game open to multiple players, rather than having The Win go to one major book seller like, say, Amazon.

We are interested in this because good business usually needs multiple players. There is something inherently unsettling about a monopoly. We are interested in this because we like the humanity and passion we see behind businesses that really are "more than a bookstore," as Hearts and Minds claims.

Right now, I don't have any grand ideas about how to make this a better game, but I'm playing around with things like IndieBound. Today, I am also showing Elliott Bay how I can make a widget that will send people to their store, so to speak.

My page on IndieBound also showcases the other booksellers I'm in contact with, see?

We'll be continuing this conversation at The High Calling and behind the scenes. But I wonder...

• what do you think about the book selling landscape right now?
• do you think it's okay to have a monopoly?
• if you don't think it's okay to have a monopoly, what tempts you to promote One Big Winner over others? (I have my reasons, but I'd love to hear yours.)

How Do We Learn Words?

2011-07-05T17:28:00.006-04:00

Today I've been writing about words. Just in a tucked-away place. Out on the back porch, with a cup of Red Velvet tea.

I've been writing about my girls, and all the words we've shared for so long. This makes me happy. It is taking me to worlds where purple moths and fireflies teach me how delicate and beautiful and sometimes amusing life can be.

Because I have been writing in a tucked-away place, I feel a little guilty for how I've been ignoring my blogs. (You noticed, didn't you? :)

Yet sometimes we need to shift spaces, write alone, away. Or we need to read, and read, and read.

I have been reading The Art of the Sonnet. I cannot really write sonnets, but I like reading about poets who can. I have also been reading the new title from T. S. Poetry Press, Delicate Machinery Suspended, by Anne M. Doe Overstreet.

Anne has learned words. Carried words. She speaks of the purple arils of pomegranates, the sensible heels of a grandmother, the daughter "hung from the morning like a pearl pendant." She speaks of the dark that "draws down to cover our tracks, to divide us/from what we have just done."

I learn words from words like that. I carry them and share them with my girls. We kick off our sandals and lean closer to one another.

Save Money: Eat Your Lawn

2011-06-02T12:45:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, my Littlest was fidgety, walking in circles. Sometimes that drives me crazy. But I've been trying to think about her differently— as a person who is the best person for the job... any job that requires movement.

So I sent her out to the lawn to rescue the dandelion leaves before I mowed. A rescue mission captured her imagination.

I saved money by not buying more $5 organic baby greens (yeah, I live in New York where everything costs more, and yeah there are a few stray left-over baby greens in the salad above). We had a greater nutritious herbaceous offering alongside dinner. (As one friend of mine puts it, "Grocery store lettuce won't cure anything.")

A win, win, win situation. As long as you don't mind eating dandelion leaves :).

Wanted: Your Poetic Wordle

2011-05-14T12:43:00.005-04:00

This past week, at T. S. Poetry Press Facebook, we asked for help to make a poetic Wordle. People answered three questions, which we used as grist:

1. one of your favorite poets?
2. one of your favorite poetry books?
3. one of your favorite lines from a poem?

How about you? Would you consider Wordling, using some kind of poetic grist? What would you use?

If you decide to try it out, post your Wordle on your blog, with an explanation of what kinds of material you used to create it. Then share your Wordle with us by next Wednesday, May 18th, for definite links and possible feature at Tweetspeak Poetry. Just drop your link on the T. S. Wall.

We've already gotten some cool entries. You're cool. Can we have yours too? :)

Will You Wordle?

2011-05-09T07:15:00.003-04:00

Do you know what a Wordle is? I haven't thought much about Wordles (even though a few have occasionally shown up at my HighCalling virtual business meetings).

Then this weekend my girls were reading about a Wordle contest in their Muse magazine (and heatedly discussing whether they should both be allowed to enter the contest). My Littlest made the Wordle above, and they've been happily making more and more Wordles ever since.

Suddenly, I couldn't help myself. I wanted to Wordle too. :)

How about you? Would you Wordle? (Don't say no yet, please, because I have a Wordle request. :)

Over at T. S. Poetry Press, we're poetry Wordling. The final will be shared next week.

To enter the not-contest, and ALL are welcome, please come share on the Wall:

1. one of your favorite poets
2. one of your favorite poetry books
3. one of your favorite lines from a poem

I am so looking forward to your Wordly words. :)

Guy Kawasaki Starts Reading Poetry

2011-05-06T10:37:00.006-04:00

You never know where a Twitter party will take you (or where you will accidentally take yourself during one).

Last night, TheHighCalling and Dan King hosted a party with guest Guy Kawasaki (former chief evangelist of Apple).

Okay, so I got a little tipsy and promised Guy a poem. This, to assure that he would become a reader of poetry. Or, at least a reader of one poem.

I am keeping my poetry promise. This one's for you, Guy. May it be the beginning of your poetry-reading career. (Anybody who worked with a company that chose an image for its core really needs to be reading poetry. :)

Enchanting the sky

is serious business;
that's why it's left
to Blue Morpho butterflies
(I saw one once, on a Venus night,
as I boarded a plane to leave Brazil—
it dipped down,
almost touched my face
as if to deliver
some kind of grace for a future
I could not foresee,
a future of tricolons
I'd write for a guy, a girl, a giving,
a moment at dawn,
when day would just be shaking off
the magic of Blue Morphos, Cereus,
and a crowd of winking stars.)

A Fun Harry Potter Knock-Off

2011-04-28T05:32:00.020-04:00

"What are you reading?" he asked our girls. "Harry Trotter and the School for Young Lizards"?

They thought this was hilarious. (I am convinced that an up-side to home education is the preservation of humor concerning one's parents' silly jokes.)

It didn't take long before the joke became serious funny business. The girls have been brainstorming, writing, drawing... a full-metal Harry Potter knock-off series. ("It's not a knock-off, Mommy," says my 14-year-old. "It's a pastiche.")

A what?

Another advantage to home education is that parents can get daily vocabulary-correction services from their children. However, I did suggest that perhaps "pastiche" might be too formal sounding, to describe what we now have in our possession: a Harry Potter graphic parody, complete with fire-breathing... lizards.

I don't know how far this parody writing will go; that's the unpredictable side of our home education— creativity is never forced, so sometimes the really good ideas die on the (round) table.

But for now, the girls have lizards on the brain. And they are avidly researching the physical structure and habits of lizards, chameleons, and salamanders.

Apparently, some lizards eat bagels. At least they do in this Harry Potter knock-off. Um, pastiche. :)

The Young Lizard Knighthood School Transportation System. Conceived by Sonia, 11. Rendered by Sara, 14. Used with permission (and a smile :).

Writing Randomly

2011-04-27T09:41:00.005-04:00

I like to remember that Random Acts of Poetry doesn't need to follow a prompt. You can post random poetry, just because, and we like that.

In honor of randomness, here is one from my girl Sonia. She gave it to Sara for her birthday (along with the flowers pictured above)...

Over a yard with a view of the bell,
is a sky as blue as the forget-me-nots below,
with white clouds moving slowly on
the strings of a marionette...

Poem by Sonia, 11. Used with permission.

Get Attention for Your Blog

2011-04-25T07:11:00.000-04:00

I love a good poem. And Mother's Day is coming soon.

Maybe you have great feelings about your mom. Or maybe you wish you did. Or maybe you never could. Relationships are tricky things.

Post a poem on your blog (your own poem, or a favorite by someone else)... about moms/grandmoms, motherhood, or son-or-daughterhood, by Friday April 29th.

Then post your link on the T. S. Poetry Press facebook wall. Do it for some bloggy attention. Or do it for your mom. Or just do it for the love of poetry.

Can't wait to see... :)

---

One or two poems will be chosen for feature at TheHighCalling.org.

Photo by Sonia, 11. Used with permission.

Making Facebook Work for You

2011-04-22T08:02:00.007-04:00

I admit I hadn't figured out Facebook. Until yesterday.

Because I don't display my face there, and I don't use it as a way to keep up with old friends and family, I've been a little stymied. The place is called FACEbook after all, and I hadn't found a way to show my face— at least not a way that intrigued and challenged me. (Don't get me wrong; I love the little chats I have with you, but that's not something I can plan. :)

Then yesterday I started a page for T. S. Poetry Press. And I've been trying to discipline myself all morning, to stick to only three updates. (That seems more than enough for a day.)

Only time will tell if this is a passing fancy, but for now I'm excited by the thought of creating a place (a face?) that shares...

• short-and-sweet daily writing tips
• great info on the business of small-press publishing
• ideas for practicing poetry
• guides to where you can get published
• fun writing projects
• and just some really good stuff to think about in the world of poetry and writing

I told someone the other day that the Internet has become a place of minor fatigue for me. I think it's because there's so much to look at, that's not necessarily connected to a face, a persona. This new Facebook place? It's me, picking the best for you. Maybe that could give us both a little rest, in its way.

How about you? Are you using Facebook to share your most excited face? To be a place of rest for yourself and others?

I'm going to try. And I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe even in a status update... on Facebook :).
____

(If you like, come follow T. S. on Facebook. :)

A Simple, Surprising Conversation

2011-04-16T17:20:00.005-04:00

How do I write poetry? (Or anything else, for that matter.) Is it true that I "do it all"? Why do I call myself just a participant? What dream did I finally put to rest?

Join Cody Stauffer, with this podcast interview, to find out. :)

If you prefer to skip the opening music and announcements, go forward to about 5:00.

What to Do During Harry Potter

2011-03-28T16:42:00.004-04:00

My Littlest finally made her way into Harry Potter. I figured it was about time, so we got the listening-CDs from the library.

She has always preferred listening to reading, and I don't make an issue of it. While she listens, she creates art. This is the garden that grew from her time with Harry. I love how it gives me a simple window into her spirit.

Garden, by Sonia, 11. Done in Quark XPress. Used with permission.

For the Sake of a Cheetos Lover Who Claims He Can't Write Poetry

2011-03-24T19:31:00.010-04:00

This is just a little something for someone (no names mentioned, Duane :) who thinks he can't write poetry.

Proof

Nothing is impossible with God,
I said.

So I researched wikipedia
to gather the quintessential

information on
Cheetos (which I realized

I had mixed up with Fritos).
But aren't these crunchy

things just all the same?
And wouldn't I merely need

to hand him a rhyme, a place
in time, a couch somewhere

across the universe, where
he could let his thoughts

out of the bag? Would you say
this was easier than

making Leviathan play
on seas. Of course it is.

Now I'm simply stuck with
asking shy Duane:

a poem please?

---

Apparently, there was a Cheetos Poem Celebration, which I missed. But if you are a lover of Cheetos, or poetry, or both, you can check out the Cheetos poems here.

THIS JUST IN (From Lyla. Read the comments below to understand)

Cheeto Twist photo by Serious Eats. Used under Creative Commons licensing terms, via Flickr. Amazon Cheetos 'n LL's Books, by Lyla Lindquist. Used with amusement. :)

Simply Amusing

2011-03-19T14:31:00.006-04:00

I love the way my thirteen-year-old thinks. Simply amusing. :)

Click here or on the photo, to view a larger image.

Sari-Sorry Comic, by Sara. Used with permission.

I Need a Simple Signal

2011-03-12T11:54:00.009-05:00

Signaling is a technique successful leaders use to connect with various audiences— while speaking to what may look like, on the surface, one homogenous audience.

If you ask me, signaling is itself a sign. That a person has learned to work with words in an optimal way. Some people might call this "spin," and I suppose it could be. I prefer to call it wisdom, savvy, and skill.

This week over at TheHighCalling.org, Marcus called us to work with words through the practice of writing poetry. I can't think of a better way to develop a keen sense of language and learn the subtle art of signaling.

So, if you want a simple way to become a better leader, consider writing poetry. (Besides, all the cool business men are doing it.)

Words

stick in our throats,
when we haven't learned
to loosen them
with a little tea
and honey.

I Need Some Simple Luck

2011-02-26T09:39:00.009-05:00

Think of the luckiest person you know. Try to name your guy (or girl) before you start making judgments about what real luck is.

Finding it hard? Name three people you're jealous of. Go ahead, do it. [I'll wait :)]

According to Ken Robinson in The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, you might be tempted to say those people-of-whom-you-are-jealous are just lucky; that's why they (not you) got to such a marvelous, lucky place. [Don't worry, I named three too, and I think they're lucky people indeed! :) ]

The truth is that you (and I) may never be able to accomplish the same things as those we envy, for a multitude of reasons (including going blind, which is a story you can read about in Robinson's book). Still, we can be lucky in our own right, if we just act a little more... like a lucky person.

Somebody even wrote a book about this stuff. It's called The Luck Factor: The Four Essential Principles. And to boil it down to its simplest components, this is what the author says lucky people tend to do:

1. create, notice, and act on opportunities

2. listen to intuition and do work to boost intuition (like meditation and mindfulness, right Camel? :)

3. expect to be lucky

4. believe they can turn bad luck to good

I'm not sure what contributes to such an approach to the world. (Maybe I should read the book :) But I know that if you (and I) are going to find a bit of simple luck, we might just need to go out and make it happen ourselves.

I Need a Simple Answer

2011-02-19T08:31:00.018-05:00

Yesterday I could feel it. That feeling I get when my life needs to take a turn. It's an uncomfortable feeling, because it isn't simple at all. It's just this amorphous blob of I don't know what needs to be different, but something does.

I was tempted to sit down and read, to fill up with more thoughts and avoid the feeling. Instead, I made a cup of Red Velvet tea and went outside. I continually underestimate the power of just sitting in the back yard and listening to the wind.

The snow, which had covered the grass so fully for the past month, was melting away. The air felt heavier than it has in a while, and there were more birds than I remember just a week ago. The red sled was dry, upside down on the porch. I thought about Laura Boggess's trampoline play.

Next thing I knew, I was whooshing down the short hill. Again and again. Something freed up inside me. A question bubbled to the surface. What do you love to do? Talk to people, I thought. Make things happen. Bring beauty into the world. It was the beginning of an answer, maybe to the larger question of what-needs-to-change. But it wasn't simple at all.

Right now, accepting that is the simplest thing I can do.

Also, do you have a photo that obscures part of an object? Why not share it with TheHighCalling.org's PhotoPlay? You might also enjoy Ann Kroeker's Slow-Down Fast.

Do You Review? A Writing Opportunity

2011-02-14T12:56:00.009-05:00

You know when Books and Culture gets hold of something, it's probably good.

Recently, Editor John Wilson highlighted Englewood Review of Books in a B&C podcast. It's a delightful mini-manifesto on how "print isn't dead" and neither is culture, using Englewood as a lively example.

I've gotten to know Englewood online and helped develop an informal partnership between them and TheHighCalling.org, because I agree with John Wilson: Englewood is cool.

Now Englewood is looking for book reviewers. Do you write good reviews? Why not contact Englewood and see about possible opportunities. Who knows, maybe John Wilson will read you next.

I Need a Simple Goal

2011-02-12T08:00:00.003-05:00

When a task is too large, people get overwhelmed and give up. I was reading about this recently in The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways To Use Social Media to Drive Social Change.

The particular change I'm looking for right now is social in its way. I want to learn French.

Except French is a whole LANGUAGE, for goodness sake. And I admit I lose heart again and again with the trying.

After thinking about the issue of goals and simplicity, I decided that instead of trying to "learn French," I will aim to fill a whole notebook with French in a matter of weeks.

That also seemed like a really big task, so I broke it down further. I will copy one chapter of the French bible per day into my notebook. I won't bother to look up words I don't understand, unless I really, really want to know the meaning. (I wanted to know the meaning of foules and was mildly tickled at the thought that it meant crowds and it sounds something like... um, fools :)

The simple goal is working. I'm starting to think in French (a real feat for someone who can hardly choke out merci at the baguette counter). I believe the volume of French per day, written down, is serving like an immersion experience.

Either that, or I am channeling Edith Piaf as I sing-song the New Testament in French each day. (Yes, I say the words as I copy them down. French can even make suffering and sacrifice sound romantic).

Anyway.

I needed a simple goal. And I found une. :)

I Need a Simple Conversation Starter

2011-02-05T13:23:00.007-05:00

I loved this brief article about Conversation Starters. And I still plan to buy the book it references. Seems to me it could be a good way to teach kids how to engage in their own attempts at the art of conversation.

In the meantime though, I decided I need a simple conversation starter. One that could make us laugh and think. So I've turned to TED talks.

It's only been a week, but my girls are already hooked. "Which TED talk are we going to listen to tonight?" they beam.

I leave the computer in the kitchen, turn the speakers towards the dining room, and it's like going back in time... to radio days. We listen, we laugh (the other night we cried).

And when it's all over, the conversation spills out non-stop. It's invigorating.

So far, one of our favorites was J. K. Rowling's discussion of the fringe benefits of failure. Frankly, I don't think any parental talk I could have given would have gone as far as that one graduation speech crafted for Harvard graduates. My Eldest sat wide-eyed, taking it all in.

Do you need a simple conversation starter too? An after-dinner TED might just be your answer.

(Note: some of the TED talks include very serious, potentially too-mature material. Watch first. My girls are 11 and 13, and I don't regret having listened to Rowling's talk with them, but you might feel differently about such things. :)

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

A Great New Place for Families (and Potentially for Your Writing)

2011-02-01T15:34:00.018-05:00

I've been bloggy friends with Tina Howard for a couple of years now. I think she even interviewed me once about blog tours (yes, Tina? :)

Now I'm so delighted to see that she's blogging about cool ideas for families over at the Laity Lodge Family Camp blog. If you're a part of TheHighCalling.org Network, she might even feature your on-topic posts.

Anyway, if you're looking for a great family place or a new place to write check it out.

To be eligible for possible feature, consider joining TheHighCalling network.

I Need a Real Trash Can (on Simplifying My Life)

2011-01-29T14:52:00.011-05:00

Maybe it is the snow. (And the snow, and the snow, and the snow.)

But I am feeling overwhelmed these days. So when Cheryl Smith started her mission to simplify, I was right there with her.

For the past two weeks I've been thinking about this issue of simplification, and I decided it comes down to simple things, like this: I need a real trash can. That little gray stripy thing on my Mac screen? Just not cutting it. I need a real canister I can throw real, unneeded, cluttery getting-me-down stuff into.

I need to throw away unsorted papers, empty pens, hair bands that have lost their elasticity.

You know what I mean, right? There is something greatly satisfying about transferring concrete objects from the counter to the can. Figuring out how to keep these things off the counter in the first place (and out of the sanitation system) is another matter.

But for now, I'm taking just 10 minutes a day to see the canister with the foot pedal as my friend. Maybe I will work up to the Indy 500 of Trash-Can Competitions. Though if you're going to challenge me to it, please make the entry form simple. :)

Rustling Up Relationship

2011-01-24T10:46:00.008-05:00

"to the women who rustled up a bit of hope each time they set the table"

— Deidra Riggs

Mealtimes are some of the loneliest moments these days— a reminder that our four-chair table is often only filled to three-quarter capacity. My husband's hours and rigorous travel schedule mean I often choose to sit in "Daddy's chair." Somehow it fills the emptiness just a little bit, to move from my regular place over to his.

I do this for the children's sake as much as for mine. And when it it possible, I invite someone else to fill my own place. Yesterday it was Dave Stradling, after he spoke at our church. The day before it was a young lady my girls have been making friends with.

The young lady made me smile when she dipped into the tomato soup I rustled up to provide lunch.

"Did you make this yourself?" she smiled softly.

"I did! How could you tell?"

"It's really good," she said, and went on to tell how her mom makes potato soup with shredded carrots and potatoes. I learned a new way to make potato soup in that moment. In our ensuing conversation, I learned something about the Mandarin language... that it has no formal words for "yes" and "no." (It works more like a dance, using mirror sentences to affirm or negate.) I also learned sweet little details of our guest's life.

In the end, I am trying to see the empty chair as an invitation— a chance to rustle up the hope of deeper and wider relationship that otherwise may not have been.

Quick "It's Really Good" Tomato Soup

Saute until light brown:

• 1/4 onion, chopped small

Add and saute for a few seconds:

• 1/8 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp dried basil

Add and simmer for 3-5 minutes:

• 1 28 oz. can organic Muir Glen tomato puree
• 1/2 - 1 cup water (based on desired consistency)
• 2 TB butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 TB vermouth
• 1 tsp sugar (I like evaporated cane juice)

Over at TheHighCalling.org, we're reading The Spirit of Food. Join us? :)

Let Them Use Knives

2011-01-10T08:00:00.006-05:00

Recently I was somewhere (can't remember) and another adult was about to hold back the privilege of letting my kids use a sharp knife.

"I think we're past that," I remarked.

And as you see, it's true.

Corn pancakes with black bean salad, fresh salsa, and sour cream— compliments of my 11- and 13-year-old daughters :)

You can find the recipe in Williams Sonoma Vegetarian. Well, maybe not, since the only link I could find appears to be a different edition.

Or you could just make cornmeal pancakes with...

1 1/4 cups flour (use whole wheat pastry flour, if you need a healthier version)
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 TB fresh lime juice
1 1/2 cups milk
3 TB oil
2 eggs
fresh ground pepper

And add to the batter...

2 cups of corn
6 spring onions
1/4 cup (or to taste) jalapenos from a jar, or fresh
2 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper

For the salsa (which you will grab 1/4 cup of later and add to two drained cans of black beans, along with 1/2 tsp cumin, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper for the black bean salad), you can use:

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeno (from the jar, or fresh)
2 TB fresh lime juice
5 TB cilantro
salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil (a few good pours)

And if you are up for an adventure, you could let your kids make the meal. Why not let them use knives? :)

In reading The Spirit of Food this weekend, I was struck by the final words of Karen Baldwin's essay. She says, "Stephen has a stirring memory (pun intended) of me cooking one day, entirely absorbed in my medium. All of my senses were engaged—the sight of food browning, the sound as its moisture content changed, the smelling, tasting, and touching of the food. This day he heard me muse quietly, unconsciously perhaps, yet oh so rightly, 'When I cook, it is worship.'"

Yes, then, why not let our children use knives...

---

We're reading The Spirit of Food together at TheHighCalling.org. Join us?

Editing My Leadership

2010-12-18T10:44:00.009-05:00

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay," I typed.

I read it over, suddenly remembering Henry Cloud's warnings against invalidating people's feelings.

[delete, delete, delete]

"I'm sorry you're feeling frustrated. It must be hard," I typed instead. Then I shared how sometimes I've been frustrated too, especially because of my own frailties and shortcomings. Ensuing conversations focused on what might be done to ease things, in time.

Did it help? I'm not sure. Cloud says that, in addition to being good listeners (validaters), we need to have a balance of...

1. strength
2. "likeness" to others (willingness to say, "I struggle with this too")
3. warmth
4. imperfection that copes

It sounds so simple on paper. Listen, don't invalidate. Be strong, yet vulnerable. Be authentic and imperfect, yet cope and be a person of effective solutions. Don't use force (even verbal force) as a means to change situations; just be competent.

All of this seems to require a lot of trust that things really WILL be okay if we strike the right kind of balance in our interactions. We just need to sit with the discomfort of not having immediately fixed others or ourselves. Which sounds, to me, like a kind of... faith.

Hands photo by L.L. Barkat.

RELATED
Integrity, opening post
Being Nice is Not Enough
Can I Do You a Favor?

This One's for You, Mr. Rupert

2010-12-17T09:54:00.004-05:00

Wouldn't you know it?

I wished for a coupon. The Universe answered. (Albeit AFTER I already purchased a beautiful cubic zirconium necklace for the ball.)

Never underestimate a well-set cz stone. Or a 15%-off coupon.

This one's for you, Mr. Rupert! :)

(Can you hear me with all that commotion in the mall?)

The 15%-Off Coupon photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Can I Do You a Favor?

2010-12-06T04:00:00.005-05:00

Once again my kids were crying over their math. I didn't feel much sympathy, though I'm not so keen on math myself. Just do it, was my frustrated answer.

But I've always felt that when kids get to this point, fussing and crying, they're not being rebellious. They're telling us something important. So I had to step back and admit the truth: if they could just do it, they probably wouldn't be crying.

So I did my kids a favor. I hired a math tutor.

In Chapter 5 of Henry Cloud's book Integrity: the Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, he discusses how we can build trust through extending favor. It's the kind of favor that looks out for the other person's interests, not just our own. It is, says Cloud, grace.

"Leaders without grace," he asserts, "set [a] demand and do nothing to help people meet it." Like me, when my kids cried over their math and I said, Just do it.

There's nothing wrong with requiring the do it part. It's the just part we need to reconsider. As leaders, we would do well to drop the just and use these words instead: with, through, by.

My kids now do their math with a tutor. They do it by being with someone who loves math. Through the guidance of a person who has both math-patience and math-passion, they are more than meeting the standard. My Eldest will finish her course almost six months early this year and have time to do Logic and Physics math. My youngest admitted confidentially to the tutor, "I guess I really like math now."

If there's an area in your business or work life where people are "fussing and crying," maybe what they really need is a favor. Maybe you (or I) should just do it.

Chinese Boat photo, by J. Barkat.

RELATED
Integrity, opening post
Being Nice is Not Enough

I Refuse to Start Another Blog

2010-12-02T19:59:00.006-05:00

Today I got this little nudge, "You need another blog."

It was because I have so much poetry I don't know what to do with it. And I fear putting too much on my "regular" blogs. So I felt like I should start a blog just for poetry.

Ack.

I have three active blogs already (and a handful that serve more like book websites).

But I'm like a poetry teapot with more than I can hold in. I told a friend about this today, and the friend said, "So what. Put it on your blogs."

Friends are cool that way. They forget about things like audience and just want you to do what you need to do to stay sane.

Another friend sent me this little poem recently, by Samuel Menashe. It said, "A pot poured out fulfills its spout." And, hey, see the pot in the picture? Another friend sent that today.

Which is all to say, I am refusing to start another blog. And I hope you don't mind the poetry outpouring here and at my other two places. (Even if poetry is not your cup of tea. ;-)

Zombie Ontology

Why do we raise
the dead
in stories,
where half alive
they haunt us?
We run to our basements
or garage, find chainsaws
axes, mallets,
anything to bludgeon,
bleed the bodies
that chase us down,
refuse our lilies
at the tomb, where we have
wept our love for weeks,
months, years on end,
fed our hatred
of the way they come again
to eat our memories,
our very souls
that gave them, once,
a home.

Teapot photo by L.L. Barkat.

Optional Writing

2010-11-30T14:10:00.012-05:00

It's true.

I never make my girls write.

Some would say this makes me a terrible writing teacher. I would say I teach all the time, but not by assignment. Especially for writing, I teach only by example. In our little "school," this has worked just fine.

Last week, for instance, when Dave made his dare, I told my daughters about it. Then I wrote some poems and read them aloud.

My 13-year-old said she didn't think she could write a poem about a Christmas ghost. We talked for a while about what a "Christmas ghost" might mean. She still didn't think she could write about it.

Then she handed me a sestina. It's a 39-line poem that repeats end-words (or slight variations on them) in a rolling fashion. The final stanza includes all the end words. It's amazing what someone will write if you don't make her write it.

Here's the poem. Not really rocket science, but it's a nice beginning. :)

The Christmas Ghost

Hello, I called.
Hi there, Anyone?
(I've got a problem. I need a ghost.)
not just any ghost, oh no—
I need a ghost of Christmas.
Past, present, future: doesn't matter!

Doesn't matter!
I'll take any called
anything— so long as it's for Christmas.
Anyone.
Yes, I know...
a ghost?! You want a ghost?!

You are thinking, who wants a ghost?
This is the truth of the matter.
I don't need one that can't write or at least dictate. No.
I need a ghost who can make a poem. I've called
for a while, but no one came. Not anyone.
Just for the eve of Christmas.

Please. Just for Christmas
Eve I need a ghost.
Have a ghost, anyone?
Or better yet, maybe it doesn't matter!
Listen— it's called...
a poem about a ghost! Yes! Oh, no.

Uh oh, oh no.
Here's finally a Christmas—
called—
ghost.
Cool... a ghost. It's not made of matter.
(What is it made of... hmmm? Anyone?)

Help. Hold my hand! Anyone.
No, no, no...
Why am I here? Who are you? he asks. I answer, Um doesn't matter.
I thought I needed a Christmas
ghost—
but I don't! Sorry I called!

I bite my lip. Oh, but by the way, anyone... uh, ghost sir, while you're
here, I need a Christmas
poem. Know any? About a ghost.
But... he's gone. It matters. I'm standing in a cold house sorry I called.

Poem by Sara, 13. Used with permission. Photo by J Barkat. This post is in honor of Random Acts of Poetry and One Shot Wednesday.

Being Nice is Not Enough

2010-11-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

Have you ever met someone who seems to care, who is basically a "nice person," but who doesn't seem to "get you"?

That's how it went with the new president, in a merger situation discussed by Henry Cloud, in his book Integrity. The president was nice. He had good ideas and good intentions, but he didn't "get" people and it eventually cost him his ability to work with the Team.

Here are a few things the president said to various people's questions, in a meeting designed to build trust as the merger began...

"Well, that's not going to be a problem."

"You won't have to worry about that at all."

"That won't get in the way."

"That will work out okay. I think when people get the big picture of what is happening here, they will be happy..."

Essentially, without meaning to, the president invalidated people's experiences. He moved quickly to try to make people feel better, without giving them a chance to really be heard. Says Cloud, "You could feel the air kind of going out of the room." He concludes, "...although [the president] had their attention through his position, he did not have their hearts."

What happens when we don't gain people's hearts?

They become discouraged and unplug. They disconnect, give up, find another place to be heard.

Reading this chapter, I thought of the many times I've said to my kids, "Don't worry about it honey. It's going to be fine." The truth is that everything is not going to be fine if this is how we deal with people's complaints, worries, and hurts. Kids detach. Friends walk away. Employees quit.

Being nice is not enough.

Cloud shares a simple formula for "getting" people (though it may not always be simple in practice! :) ...

They talk >
you experience them >
you share what you've heard and experienced about their experience >
then they experience you as having heard them; they know you are "with" them

None of this may change how you help solve the issue. Or it may totally change how you help solve the issue. Or maybe you'll find that the solution isn't your purview anyway.

The point is connection. And in the end, that's the nicest thing you can do.

Leaf and Branch photo by J Barkat. Used with appreciation. :)

RELATED
Integrity, opening post

Eat Your Pumpkin Cupcakes

2010-11-24T11:44:00.007-05:00

Yesterday my girls wanted to make pumpkin cupcakes. It seemed like not-the-thing-to-do when I had so much else going on. (I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year for the first time in years!)

But they'd found a recipe, and they were dreaming. So I surprised them, and on the way home from an errand, I stopped at the market and bought the requisite white cake mix.

Later on, I rewarded myself with a pumpkin cupcake, around the time that our Tweetspeak Poetry party was starting. I tweeted about the cupcake, and it ended up in the party tweetstream. Perfect for making a poem.

In addition to the pumpkin tweet, thanks to these poetic tweeters for the use of their words: @doallas @mdgoodyear @jamesrls @llbarkat @ericqweinstein @mattpriour

Recipe for an Evening

Eat your pumpkin cupcakes,
I'll sit here and sip,
meet the dew;
he'll be with college students
as usual on Tuesdays,
she'll be completely
lost, and she'll check in
while he just stumbled in.
Pass the basket across
every lap,
eating
another and another,
they mount up,
spread evenly the golden light
over white cups and white
spoons.

Pumpkin Cupcake photo, by L.L. Barkat.

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Were you at the party? Write a poem from the tweets and share it at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Acorns on the Way

2010-11-09T20:09:00.001-05:00

Pound Ridge, Leatherman's Loop

The hills are littered
with acorns
scattered—moldering wheels
that could take you down
long before you look out,
over maple-cradled
waters.

Acorn photo generously lent by Susan Etole. Thank you, Susan! :) Photo below by L.L.

This post is for One Shot Wednesday.

Why I'm Reading a Book I Didn't Plan to Read (and Talking About it With You)

2010-11-01T14:32:00.008-04:00

I walked past my husband's night stand. Usually it is covered with gadgets, receipts, cuff links. I keep moving. Usually.

But a few days ago this book caught my eye: Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality. I wasn't inclined to pick it up. I know what integrity is, don't I? I know when I have it and when I fail to have it. I certainly don't need to read a book that makes me feel guilty about the don't-have times.

Still. I am a sucker for a cool book cover, so I stopped and opened the book.

Since that moment I've been reading it every day. I love it.

It's not like I'm unfamiliar with some of the precepts. It's just the way Henry Cloud talks me through it all. I seem to be able to hear him. It could be the easy tone. The compassionate approach. The clear eye. Or the fact that it's framed in business terms with, surprisingly, a subtle spiritual touch. No matter. Last night I told my husband that I'm actually learning something from this book. Enough that I want to do a series on it.

I hope you'll join me for the next few weeks, and maybe we can learn together. Here's what Cloud promises...

You'll learn about the kind of character that:

1. creates and maintains trust
2. is able to see and face reality
3. works in a way that brings results
4. embraces negative realities and solves them
5. causes growth and increase
6. achieves transcendence and meaning in life

Cloud maintains that these traits "supercede gifts, talents, and ability," allowing the people who have these traits to succeed. People who don't have them often flatline, even though they may have started well.

Are you ready to hear a more nuanced definition of integrity? One that will help you succeed in business, and maybe even at church and home? I am. Let's see where Cloud takes us.

Ripple Photo by L.L. Barkat.

What to Do with a Few Good Aces (and Without)

2010-10-22T17:41:00.007-04:00

We talked about trust. I used an example of playing-card hands. I said something like, "Let's pretend you and I are playing this game of TheHighCalling, and I deal you this hand." I showed my Team a poorly-dealt hand and asked if they trusted me— that I was really interested in having them succeed at the game.

Well, heck no.

Then I showed my Team a different hand, of high cards.

"Would you trust me now?" I asked.

Well, heck yeah.

We talked more about trust. I told a story about a company that literally saved millions of dollars in an acquisitions deal, because of high trust between the two merging companies. We did some role plays and then we were done.

Almost.

I handed each person an envelope and told them there was a promise and a challenge inside of it. The promise? I gave them each an ace, as a symbol of how I hope to work with them; I want to deal them good hands. The challenge? That they think about how they might deal aces to each other and the Network we serve.

Of course, to give this symbolic gift, I had to take aces from five packs of new playing cards. Which left them unusable. Or so I thought.

Sometimes... even if no one gives you an ace, you can still make things happen. I smile when I see what my Sonia did with a few good unwanted playing cards...

Card Shirt Design, by Sonia, 11.

I Found My Sticky Writing in Bed

2010-10-16T10:08:00.011-04:00

I wanted to write. But I felt empty of words. So I sat on my bed, opened How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with Poetry, and started... reading.

The author was talking about his first brush with grief poetry— the image of Achilles with his face in the dirt. The image stuck. So much so that when the author dealt with a friend's death years later, Achilles somehow consoled him.

"Poetry is a stubborn art," the author concluded. By this he meant that poetry refuses to let humanity go. It sets down a record of our deepest feelings. It gives us a place to lay our heads.

I sat in bed and thought about this. I thought about my struggle to write poetry. I realized I needed to let my poetry be a stubborn art.

It was raining, and I'd just been reading a poem in David Wheeler's upcoming book. You wouldn’t/ believe all the water teeming/ in the cracks of our streets/ ...We/could almost be swept away. The rhythm of rain was on my mind. I could almost feel it moist-tapping my skin.

So I began with the rain and this is what came (see below). Other poems, perhaps more stubborn and sticky, followed.

In the end, I found my sticky writing in bed. This wasn't on Heath & Heath's "how-to" list. But as Linda noted in one of her recent comments to me, sometimes a quiet place is where we find our best words, a place to lay our heads.

Aubade, October

I must hear my way
to the rain,
falling,
what do you do
when the rain is falling,
and whispered night comes early,
covers apples
in the orchard, red, unspoken for,
falling, falling...
like the rain.

Autumn Trees at Pound Ridge, photo by L.L. Barkat.

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Over at TheHighCalling.org we're reading and discussing Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Heath & Heath. Want to join us? :)

If You're Asked to Write for Us

2010-10-09T17:24:00.009-04:00

"Any writer can say that. Tell me something only you can tell me."

I've been known to say this to writers over at HighCallingBlogs.com (now TheHighCalling.org.) At first, this request can feel perplexing to a writer. Isn't it acceptable to say, "God changed me" or "grace healed me" or "I was convicted of sin"?

Sure, it's acceptable. But when 100 writers say it...or a 1,000 writers say it... or 10,000 writers say it, pretty soon we all start to sound the same. Any writer can say these things.

At TheHighCalling.org, we prefer to hear your stories. The ones that only you can tell. Stories of biscuits, glow sticks, road trips, and sad autumn mornings.

Why insist on stories? Heath & Heath note, "Stories have the amazing dual power to simulate and inspire." This often leads a listener to action.

Our tagline at TheHighCalling.org is "conversations about work, life, and God." Yet, in the end, we hope it's not just talk. We hope our readers will be inspired to act.

A few good biscuit stories might do the trick.

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A note about writing for us: we do not accept queries, but rather work through established relationships in our Network. If you are telling great stories that inspire, comfort, challenge, or heal, you'll eventually be noticed by our Team. The best way to get noticed is to hang around the community, comment at our home page, comment on and link to other members' blogs, and interact with us on Twitter and Facebook. In other words, be social-media generous and interesting, and we'll eventually find your words. :)

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Over at TheHighCalling.org we're reading and discussing Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Heath & Heath. Want to join us? :)

Girl with Cornstalk photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Making it Big: Selling Books, Growing Blogs or Saving the World

2010-09-25T14:16:00.007-04:00

"I don't want to do small things," she told me.

My daughter was curled up by my side. I held her close.

"You'll do big things," I told her. "I have no doubts about that."

She continued to talk very passionately. She has big visions. She wants to make a difference in the world, in a big way. Not everyone has such aspirations, I explained. She has an entrepreneurial spirit. It's a certain kind of gift.

"But there's a saying," I continued. "It's called paying your dues. There are some exceptions, but most people have to go through the process of doing smaller things in smaller venues before they get the privilege to lead the way in bigger things."

Reading Heath & Heath today, I was reminded of this conversation with my daughter. The authors discuss the issue of Credibility and give an example of a company that wanted a big client in a new market.

How did they get the client? By first having another big client in a market where they'd already earned credibility. How did they get that first big client? I have no idea. But I'm willing to bet they paid their dues.

It's a bit of a dance, this reaching for the next thing. Reach too far too fast and no one is going to pay attention to you. Don't reach at all and... no one is going to pay attention to you.

But one thing is sure, whether you are trying to sell your book, or grow your blog, or save the world, you've got to start by taking small steps in the desired direction. That's what I'm telling my daughter anyway. If she saves the world somehow someday, you'll remember she started small, with the sharing of her dream.

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Over at HighCallingBlogs we're reading and discussing Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Want to join us? :)

Staircase photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Welcome to Our House

2010-09-18T13:16:00.009-04:00

How do we establish our blogs as a particular kind of place?

This is one question we've been thinking about in a big way over at HighCallingBlogs.

In the background, we spend time thinking abstractly:

- we want to be a place of grace
- we want to be a thoughtful community
- we want to be real
- we want to be a place that feels safe yet nurtures growth and change

Are you asleep yet?

For us at HCB, these are important pieces of our vision, but like Heath & Heath note, abstractions don't go very far towards inspiring people to understanding or participation. What we need is concreteness. A vision of the place you can see, maybe even smell and feel in your head.

I think this is why we at HCB have instinctively migrated to "house talk." Stop in to any given conversation and you'll see us inviting people to a table, replete with apple pie, fried chicken, or a Lenten Satchel. We talk about pulling up a chair, pouring a drink, looking at photo albums. Sometimes we even talk about mowing the lawn.

There is no rule about this. Nobody has said we have to use "house language." But we want to make HCB a place you could call your home on the Internet. So I suspect we'll keep talking about sweet tea right along with theology. And the heaven (or hell, as the case may be) of the humble Texan chili pepper.

If you haven't come to our house yet (or even if you have), we'd love to have you for a visit. The door's open. Music is on. And there's a batch of biscuits in the oven.

Shoes at the Inn photo, by L.L. Barkat.

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Over at HighCallingBlogs we're reading and discussing Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Want to join us? :)

There's a Branch in My Tea Cup (Or, How to Get Someone to Read Your Blog Posts)

2010-09-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Did you know you can eat trees?

I'm not talking about a gourmet dish of stir-fried hemlock. More like pieces of trees. You probably knew that if you are, say, a cinnamon lover. I did too.

Except I didn't know I could eat pieces of trees that sit in my own back yard...

forsythia (for breakfast)

white pine (for tea time)

If you were tempted to click through to see how to eat a back yard tree, you may have just experienced a bout of curiosity piqued by what Heath & Heath call a "knowledge gap." Or, basically, you clicked through because you knew you didn't know, and it made you want to know.

Using knowledge gaps is one way to make a message stickier (besides adding pine sap, which I can attest is very, very sticky). It causes a person to want to find answers, and the extra effort they expend in doing so helps the final message stick.

The simplest tool for creating knowledge gaps is the question. So the next time you want to write a sticky blog post, just add an opening question. And see who stays for a little bloggy tea.

Pine Needle Tea photo, by L.L. Barkat.

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Over at HighCallingBlogs we're reading and discussing Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Want to join us? :) Also, feel free to leave your link here...

French on Fridays: Going on a Bear Hunt

2010-09-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

The greater the complexity, the greater the learning.

This counterintuitive assertion from John Medina, author of Brain Rules, seems to go against Heath & Heath's first rule of "stickiness": simplicity. After all, Medina notes that learning is increased through complication. Elaborate experiences trump simple ones.

Though this appears to contradict the rule of simplicity, it is good to remember that simplicity is just one of six stickiness factors (simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, stories). Add up the six, and you've got a fairly elaborate experience.

On a practical level, this suggests that optimal learning might be nurtured by providing elaborate experiences focused on a simple concept.

This is what I love about using children's books to learn French. On the one hand we have simplicity: a single story with a straightforward plot. On the other hand, we have complexity: pictures; playful rhymes; new words couched amidst familiar words; the cadence of voice (if we read aloud). If it's a good story, we might also react emotionally.

All this adds up to better learning. So let's go on a chasse à l'ours (bear hunt) and see what French we can bring home...

La Chasse à L'ours (Going on a Bear Hunt, by Helen Oxenbury)

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French Learners: Type any English word here and get a translation into French.

Red-Headed Flower Lady

2010-09-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

Oh, I loved this from Sonia. Just had to share.

Anne in the Garden picture, by Sonia. Used with permission.

Six Steps to Going Viral

2010-09-04T14:35:00.009-04:00

"I was up in that back field, the big one that's totally secluded. I was mowing along. (You know I always feel like I'm being watched up there.)

Anyway, I went all the way to the end, where the trees get thick, and as I came right up to the edge, my heart just about stopped.

Right in front of me, a hand pulled down the branches and I saw two dark eyes. It was a man with long black hair. He had it pulled into braids, and he had mud paint on his cheeks. Like war paint! I backed the mower up real slow and got out of there."

This is a true story, from a friend of mine. I actually got shivers when she told it to me.

"Was he good looking?" I asked.

"Oh, yes! Gorgeous."

"You dreamed it," I kidded her.

But I knew she wasn't trying to fool me. And I knew that once again this lady in my life had told me a true story I'd never forget.

Why are her stories so memorable, or "sticky" as the authors of Made to Stick would call it? Because through a lifetime of storytelling, she's perfected the six steps to going viral:

1. Simplicity
2. Unexpectedness
3. Concreteness
4. Credibility
5. Emotions
6. Stories

My story-lady may just have missed her calling as a copy writer for an ad agency, but I'm glad I get to hear her sticky tales. And I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Mysterious Man by the Mowing Field.

Made to Stick photo, by L.L. Barkat.

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Over at HighCallingBlogs we're reading and discussing Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, starting this Monday the 6th. Want to join us? :) Also, feel free to leave your link here...

French on Fridays: Top 10 French Music

2010-08-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

As adults, we're sometimes afraid to learn like children. But when it comes to absorbing a language, I'm convinced we need to remember how kids first find their way to linguistic comprehension, speech, and later to reading and writing.

It all begins with sound— not textbooks, or tests, or flash cards (can you imagine mom and dad welcoming the newborn with an "I love you" flash card in the labor room? :)

Adults have the advantage of being able to use multiple kinds of materials, even flash cards if they have a penchant for them. So of course I use texts, poems that I translate, kids books, and Frenchpod.com.

But because sound is so foundational, I try to give myself a good dose of French music each day. Here's my Top-10 French Music Playlist (okay, with a bonus 10, which brings it to 20. I am still working on counting in French.)

Top-10 French Music Playlist

1. Amelie les Crayons
2. Jeanne Cherhal
3. Emilie Simon
4. France Gall
5. Mireille Mathieu
6. Olivia Ruiz
7. Keren Ann
8. Claire Denamur
9. Ariane Moffatt
10. Anais

Bonus 10

1. Vanessa Paradis
2. Camille
3. Emily Loizeau
4. Little
5. Loane
6. Pauline Croze
7. Julie Delpy (this is a single; I wish I could find more of hers in French)
8. Stromae
9. Zaho
10. Carla Bruni

Well, okay, if you insist. One more...

1. Sandrine Kiberlain

Amelie les Crayons photo, by L.L. Barkat.

The Child Philosopher

2010-08-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me what children have on their minds. Why do we think we have so much to teach them? Why don't we trust?

For me, home education has become, more than anything, a challenge to remember that children are not little pieces of clay we are supposed to mold. Or, if they are in some way, well they bring their own form inherent in the clay, and we would do well to let it inform the way we hold and shape.

Today I found this from Sonia. I didn't tell her to write it. I didn't ask her to pose big philosophical questions. She did it on her own...

The Beginning or the End

A question that can't be answered
by anyone, but can be answered
by everyone,
which is better, the beginning
or the end?

The beginning is a new baby
born, a new friend,
an end is when things
stop.

Which is better,
the beginning of a book
or the end?

The beginning is when you
are intrigued, when you know
it keeps on going,
the end is when you're satisfied
and slap your book down on
the table with a triumphant
BANG, or sit alone thinking
or cry.

Which is better, the beginning
or the end?
There can be a new beginning,
yet a new beginning is the end,
the end of the old beginning,
they're the same.

Which is better? Neither?

Poem by Sonia, 11. Ruby Falls underground photo, by L.L. Barkat.

French on Fridays: Learn in Your Sleep

2010-08-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

Want to optimize your learning? Go to sleep. That's what John Medina suggests in Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School.

I particularly love how Medina discusses differences in sleep patterns. Some of us are larks, some of us owls, and others a mix. If you're a lark, your best learning and working time will be in the morning. By nine o'clock p.m. you're going to want to turn in for the night (and forget about joining a late-night study group).

Owls, on the other hand, begin to heat up around 6 p.m. Bedtime before 3 a.m. is unappealing. Flex people like me can manage morning and night fairly equally (though we are generally up for a 2 p.m. nap :). For me, it's catch as catch can. If I feel inspired to study, I should. Though it couldn't hurt to study in the evening, since dreams might solidify learning.

These days, I try to study French at both ends of the day. A morning dip into my French text (hey, I just finished French One! :) and an evening dip into a French children's book or poem. French music is my mid-day companion.

This week, I thought it quite fitting to compose a little poem based on the French saying, "Who has a good neighbor, has a good morning." I do think that the neighbor might be better or worse depending on how he's honoring his particular sleep patterns.

Qui a, Who Has

Qui a bon
voisin, who has
a good neighbor,
qui a bon matin,
has a good morning.

Qui a bon matin,
may, after nibbling
raisins and cinnamon,
coffee and cream,
be that sweet neighbor

who brings your
sweet morning in.

For more on sleep and learning, check out Brain Rules: sleep.

Apricot Peach Tea (doesn't keep me up at night) photo, by L.L. Barkat.

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Want to participate in French on Fridays, but don't know French? Type any English word here and get a translation into French. Include your word in a poem or vignette. Or just write about anything French (music, history, art, food, family stories). We're flexible. If you feel comfortable doing so, link back here in your post. That way we have a meeting place.

Write from Your Life

2010-08-18T09:08:00.010-04:00

I found this in the car (see below). It made me chuckle. Did it happen? I don't know. I'm thinking it's probably an amalgamation of experience and imagination. The red and yellow black-eyed Susans are in Tennessee. We gave them to my father's wife for her birthday. They are indeed supposed to be deer-proof, fuzzy leaves being a bit unappetizing.

As I experiment with fiction, I realize that my daughter's approach is one way to go. Write from your life. But feel free to make things happen that you haven't done yourself. Because, if you're unwilling to travel untrod ground, you risk holding your story captive. In that case, you'd just as well stick to non-fiction, if you can't stand the anxiety of following your characters around, letting them do what they want to do.

Anyhow, the paragraph I found in the car this morning, compliments of Sonia...

A moth flew around her head, then started to descend. She kicked at it, forgetting she had only slipped her sandal on. The sandal flew and landed upside down in her mother's new deer-proof (but apparently not shoe-proof) red and yellow black-eyed Susans.

Yellow Black-Eyed Susans photo, by L.L. Barkat. Fiction by Sonia, age 11.

French on Fridays: After the Rain

2010-08-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

I listened, as she told her son in French, "Here are your shoes." I lost the rest, focused on those few words I understood.

And each time I hear a French song, my mind picks out little things I've come to know... tomorrow, I love you, doll, don't leave me. I try to cherish moments of understanding, lose myself in the music, forget to be afraid of all I still don't know.

Today, the words of novelist Anthony Trollope echo my hopes for me and French. "A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules." Yes, yes. I want this to be true. And so I whisper to my French, Tomorrow, I love you, doll, don't leave me.

Here is another phrase I am tucking away, part of my small daily task of study. I will keep it, to whisper as I need...

Après la pluie, le beau temps. After the rain, good weather.

Après la pluie,
le beau temps

After the rain,
après la pluie. After.
Après the weight of grey,
words that stray, slant,
sending swallows
(hirondelles) to hemlock
arms— sway,
spring, sway. After
the rain, après.
Le beau temps come.
Good weather hurries in,
on heels of wind. So
they say.

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Want to participate in French on Fridays, but don't know French? Type any English word here and get a translation into French. Include your word in a poem or vignette. Or just write about anything French (music, history, art, food). We're flexible. If you feel comfortable doing so, link back here in your post. That way we have a meeting place.

Invisible Red Cat

2010-08-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Invisible Not Visible Cat

I sit across from an invisible
cat, if I could see it, it would be
red with black eyes, yes it
would look like that.

I know it is there, for it speaks
to me. It says, "Meow, meow, cry
and hiss." Not a friendly cat,
I'm sure, for on my foot it shut

the door! That tricky, not nice
thin red cat. That invisible,
not visible cat.

— Sonia

Invisible Cat illustration by Sara, 13. Poem by Sonia, 10. Used with permission.

French on Fridays: Clusters, Macbeth and Thunder

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Use clustering to learn.

This is one suggestion in Harary and Weintraub's Right Brain Learning In 30 Days. There are other suggestions, many having to do with the use of dreams (hey, Gordon! :)

Today I am focusing on the idea of clusters.

Mostly, Harary and Weintraub suggest writing anything and everything you can think of regarding the subject you're trying to learn. I'm modifying this a bit by using my daughter's graphic play (above) as a starting place, then trying to cluster in French. This may not be what H&W had in mind, but it's my cluster. So! :)

Clusters lead naturally to poetry (I also tend to use them before I begin a new chapter when writing a book). I'm not going to claim that clusters always lead to good poetry, but they are an excellent way to free the mind and, if H&W are correct, to learn.

Le Temps

Did Macbeth raise his eyes to
le temps, the weather urging him
on. Did he hear le tonnerre, thunder
of threat, in witches' voices and

les èclairs (lightning-surge of
his heart). Did he feel le vent, swirling
wind, which would sweep his soul
to nuage and brouillard. A storm (l'orage)

stirred greying heath, la pluie (the rain)
bid tragedy's start.

nuage - cloud
brouillard - fog

Macbeth Graphic Play, by Sara, 13. Used with permission.

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Want to participate in French on Fridays, but don't know French? Type any English word here and get a translation into French. Include your word in a poem or vignette. Or just write about anything French (music, history, art, food). We're flexible. If you feel comfortable doing so, link back here in your post. That way we have a meeting place.

Road Dream

2010-08-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

Just a couple of road dreams, "painted" by Sara in Corel Painter. Nothing more. But I think that's okay...

Road Dream illustrations by Sara, 13. Used with permission.

French on Fridays: Make Me Laugh

2010-07-30T08:00:00.006-04:00

Do you have something you want to learn? Try having fun with it.

Harary and Weintraub, authors of Right Brain Learning In 30 Days have a cool idea about the function of humor in learning. They say...

It is our opinion...that there is a kind of humor barrier that must be traversed before learning can become truly instinctive and intuitive on every level.... It is almost as though it is okay to learn, once it becomes okay to laugh.

The authors then suggest finding cartoons that relate to your field of study. Or making up silly sayings. Or bantering with fellow learners.

In this spirit, here's one of my new favorite funny French songs, Foux du FaFa. Like Jeanne Damoff says, anyone who took high school French will totally appreciate it. If you didn't take high school French, no worries. It's still good for a chuckle.

Foux du FaFa Lyrics

Scrabble photo by L.L. Barkat.

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Want to participate in French on Fridays, but don't know French? Type any English word here and get a translation into French. Include your word in a poem or vignette. Or just write about anything French (music, history, art, food). We're flexible. If you feel comfortable doing so, link back here in your post. That way we have a meeting place.

French on Fridays: One Swallow

2010-07-23T08:00:00.006-04:00

Copying French by hand (and I do this with Spanish now too) is the perfect way to learn. This makes sense, and I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. After all, it is a common home-education practice to have children engage in "copy work" as a way to teach them proper English.

Also, this morning as I traced the words of Neruda over and again with my finger, in big invisible letters I made right there on his pages, I was reminded of a Memory Theory that suggests the more senses we engage the more we retain (go here for that info, which is called into question by this particular source but I think has a level of accuracy).

In any case, it worked with Neruda this morning. I "wrote," read visually, and spoke the material aloud concurrently. Within minutes I remembered "Allí se estira y arde en la más alta hoguera/mi soledad que da veultas los brazos como un náufrago." (There my loneliness stretches itself and burns upon the tallest bonfire, twisting its arms like a drowning man.)

It might be slow going if you learn French with me by copying one little word at a time. But then you are just here for the fun. Here is my offering for this week. A whole phrase instead of a word!

Une hirondelle
ne fait pas
le printemps

One swallow. One
hirondelle, watercolor
brown. Does not make.
Ne fait pas.The Spring.
Le printemps.

Nor one seed, a field
of rippling golden wheat.
Or one drop of white-blue
rain the weep of April.
But one glance from you—

a flock, a field, a flood.

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Want to participate in French on Fridays, but don't know French? Type any English word here and get a translation into French. Include your word in a poem or vignette. Or just write about anything French (music, history, art, food). We're flexible. If you feel comfortable doing so, link back here in your post. That way we have a meeting place.

Need a little companionship to get the ball rolling? Take your French word over to Tweetspeak Poetry's game page and we can play a leisurely (untimed) poetry game together for a few days. It could make good grist. Also, we'd love to choose a few poems to feature next week at Tweetspeak!

Night World

2010-07-22T10:09:00.004-04:00

Little One has been writing again. This one delighted...

Night World

In a place, in a land, far from where we are, is a frantic fight in the dark of midnight,
A shadow lurks in the distant nearby, and as an onlooker you ask... why?

A girl and a boy, each on a black mount, moon shines in the sky,
Wind makes their hair swirl, the noise of that wind loud as a shout,
The air as cold as a knife, lightning strikes a nearby tree, the horses
Heads wheel about, and it's there without a doubt, the shatter breaks the air...

There's fire all around them, it begins to surround them, a sword slashes through
The bonds that tie them, fire closing in, their saver sees the last of her life in that
Night so dreadful... all would have been gone if it were not for their saver lost...

They find a riddle that reads like this: the stars to close they sparkle to embers,
The flower petal burnt, the bird's call sounded to save him from a trap so dreadful it
Couldn't be said, but the gold lost shall find the end...

Poem by Sonia, age 10. Used with permission. 'Moon in Flare' photo by Kelly Langner Sauer who has been lending me her moon. Used with permission.

French on Fridays

2010-07-15T17:25:00.000-04:00

Bonjour. And welcome to French on Fridays (I understand that today is Thursday, but I wanted to give you a chance to get ready for tomorrow, this being the first time and all.)

Anyhow, French on Fridays is my way of trying to make sure I do a French post every week (or almost every week, except when I get lazy, busy, or forgetful). And if you like croissants, Paris, French movies, or even Edith Piaf, you are welcome to join me and leave your link below. I don't know how much French we'll learn. But we could have fun. And Cassandra might even share a few gateaux (cake) recipes if we're lucky.

Honestly, I have no idea where this is going to go. But by now you know that is a very "me" thing. Cast something to the sky and see where it drifts.

Today I am going to do something very simple and offer a poem-ish thing. I know that French can be very intimidating, but I hope that's not how this goes. I hope you feel free to look at your counter, find an empty wrapper and maybe write something about it using a single French word somewhere in your vignette or poem. Really, the sky's the limit.

Lesson

Jamais means 'never'
and only the French could bring
such softness to a word I would
prefer to close my eyes to as
I lounge upon my chaise. Oh, heck
you don't know French...

---

Want to participate but don't know French? Type any English word here and get a translation into French. If you feel comfortable doing so, you could link back here in your post. That way we have a meeting place.

Sonia at the Piano at Shakespeare & Co., Paris, photo by L.L. Barkat.

How to Learn French

2010-07-13T11:18:00.010-04:00

Sometimes I get these crazy ideas in my head. Things I want to learn, for no particular reason. Studying French qualifies.

That said, I have my reasons...

1. Studying a language wards off senility; I may be a little early on this one, but that's okay

2. French is sexy and that has its appeal (true confession :)

3. When the ballet teacher says renversez, I remember I just learned it means "to spill." This kind of matches what I am supposed to do (bow from the waist, with a flat back and look graceful).

4. If I ever go to France again I can order my croissant in French instead of Spanish. This is a plus.

5. Some day I'll be able to read French poetry (sexy, times two)

This is all well and good, but studying French is one of the hardest things I've ever done (with the possible exception of beginning ballet as an adult.)

Here is what I'm doing to try to smooth the process:

1. Suspend my disbelief (this is hard to do when you've got a whole incomprehensible language before you, but I think it's essential)

2. Listen to French music every day; it helps me get that lilting pronunciation in my head

3. Read children's books. They are repetitive, which is good. I just have to hold back the sense that I can't even understand what the average French-speaking two-year-old can understand. (My current personal favorite is Je Vais Me Sauver)

4. Do one chapter in First Start French I every day. Try not to worry that I already forgot a third of yesterday's lesson.

5. When I'm not too lazy and forgetful, listen to that Frenchpod.com subscription I paid for. It I ever meet the President's wife, I will know how to say a proper hello. And if a friend falls during skiing I will know how to tell him to get back up after he renverse (spills himself not so gracefully).

----

For anyone who is interested, here is the basic conjugation of the verb renverser, which means to spill, topple, turn over...

Present
je renverse
tu renverses
il renverse
nous renversons
vous renversez
ils renversent

Future
je renverserai
tu renverseras
il renversera
nous renverserons
vous renverserez
ils renverseront

Marseilles Top of City photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Your "Yes" Means Money for Your Company

2010-06-29T00:10:00.001-04:00

It was my career-of-choice. My salary was the highest it had ever been. I'd worked towards the position by getting another Masters degree. And I had just finished a successful first year.

Then I got two new bosses. Within eight months, I quit...

continue reading at HighCallingBlogs

Irises photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 [Snarky] Days to Build a Better Blog: All the Links You'll Need

2010-06-23T14:49:00.004-04:00

If you missed the chance to participate in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project, here's your chance for a recap— all the links you'll need to do the project, with or without someone else.

This project is best suited to newish bloggers (and people with low blood pressure), but even a seasoned blogger can learn a few worthy things. So here's the whole kit and caboodle, with a snarky twist from Yours Truly :)

(Note: These posts include links to all the PB posts that are the foundation for ProBlogger's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog book. I hear the book has updates since the foundation posts. Of course if you buy the book you'll have it all in one file.)

Day 1: Bambi in the Database. On how I made Paul cause an earthquake, while I was supposed to be Writing an Elevator Pitch.

Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect. Writing a List Post might just draw a lot more traffic if you include famous people like The Dalai Lama and Marcus Goodyear.

Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me. If you are going to ask for a link from another blogger, you might as well go for the gold. Not that you will get it. But you could try.

Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You. When you analyze a top blog in your niche, remember that Oprah might just be your ticket.

Day 5: Email a Blog Reader. There are so many nicely annoying ways to try to increase your blog traffic. This qualifies as one of them.

Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips. You could read all the big blog-building tips from Problogger, or you could just listen to Shakespeare and Company. Shakespeare is older and more poetic. Problogger speaks English you can understand.

Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways. There is nothing like a little link love to make you more popular. Go ahead, try it.

Day 8: Entertaining Aliens. What's SEO got to do with it? Find out by entertaining aliens.

Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship. Finding blog buddies is one key to success. The other key (as you will see in a few posts) is cake.

Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts. On the importance of setting up Google and Twitter alerts. Though I'm afraid my dog ate Darren's :)

Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn. On how I tried to take my blog back, while simultaneously doing the assignment: come up with 10 New Post Ideas.

Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale. Well, I almost got my blog back. But when I did the Editorial Calendar assignment, I realized it was probably a lost cause.

Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts. I was asked to go to the Mall. I can be a little rebellious sometimes; I went hiking instead.

Day 14: Update a Key Page. This is all about first impressions and making them better. Except I got side-tracked looking for my keys.

Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake. Here is where you learn the value of finding a blog buddy, and the greater value of serving cake.

Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch. Apparently, your readers have problems. You might just be able to solve them if you buy a velvet couch. I tried to get mine from The Louvre.

Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie. How does a first-time reader use your blog? If she pulls off the head and dresses it in pink, you may be in trouble.

Day 18: Gesundheit! This is about creating a 'sneeze page' like the one you are now on. It points to really important places on your blog, all within a certain theme.

Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind. This was the day I was supposed to express an opinion. Such a difficult assignment for a mild person like me. ;-)

Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs. It was a lot of fun using Post It Notes to leave comments on other blogs. You should try it sometime.

Day 21: Foretelling the Future. If you are unlazy, you might like this assignment... to go back and revamp an old post. I am not unlazy.

Day 22: Darren, How Sweet of You. I paid attention to a very special reader, and (just look in the comment box) he paid a little attention to me. (I'm still waiting for my link, but I know he's trying to dream up something especially good :)

Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You. Did you know you have passive readers? Here's how to get them acting (I cannot be responsible if the result is that they act silly.)

Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog. I was supposed to learn a few things from a successful magazine. Well, I sure did! Adding shirtless men was just one little trick to bring more traffic.

Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions. I could not resist asking, "Are we there yet?" It's just too classic.

Day 26: Problogger, Allow Me. Did you know you could make over another person's blog? I figured I'd give a free makeover to The Blogger himself.

Day 27: Hunting for Links, or Chocolate. This was a dead-link hunting expedition. I couldn't bear the sorrow of it and chose a different path.

Day 28: I Wish to Report a Stolen Review. Writing reviews is supposed to be a good bloggy thing to do. But I stole one instead. It's okay, she didn't mind.

Day 29: Now You're Profiling. It's all about reputation, even in blogland. Here's how I could have developed a better one if I had tried.

Day 30: How to Increase Your Blog Stats by Over 100% Here I reveal the truth about exponentially increasing your blog traffic. I am not kidding.

Day 31: Time to Plan the Big Time. With a little planning, you too can decrease your blog traffic by as much as you increased it. Or you can make a different kind of plan. It's really up to you.

Notre Dame in Marseilles photo, by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Time to Plan the Big Time

2010-06-14T07:00:00.004-04:00

Day 31. I am a 31DBB Survivor!

Does that mean I get to go to an island now? :)

Or is it that I'm allowed to get off the island?

Ah, but today's assignment is to develop ANOTHER 30 DAYS of pure pleasure. Seriously? I was just getting out the little drink umbrellas with the pointy ends and the nice Chinese calligraphy.

Well, fine.

What to do here, besides the promised neglectful blogging? If you've been with me from the beginning, you'll remember I contemplated blogging next about 21 Days of Intestinal Housecleaning.

But I decided that might be gastronomically stressful. I'd rather do something a little more relaxing, that doesn't require unnatural amounts of natural fiber or pureed vegetables. Thus...

The Top 10 Non-Stressful Things I Might Blog About in the Next 30 Days (or 60, if I Choose)

1. An I'm Sorry Post written 10 times on the blackboard, in hopes of securing forgiveness for taking Darren's name in vain, again and again and again and again.

Alternately, I could offer Darren a steep discount on the Martha-Problogger makeover. If I felt particularly repentant, I could even suggest that you buy his 31 Days to Build a Better Blog book.

2. A Top Post. (As in The Top 5 Reasons You Should Do My Dishes or The Top 10 Awesome Flattering Retweeters of this Blog. You know, very relevant stuff.)

3. Something French. I am studying French, with the goal of actually learning French or appearing to learn French. Writing something about French in English (since you aren't studying French) could be a nice challenge for me. Disclaimer: an occasional French word or baguette may appear in a post like this.

4. My daughter's graphic novel. It's my blog. I can be despotic if I like. :)

5. Beans. Why not? This blog sports delicious vegetarian food. Beans are a good centerpiece for a vegetarian meal. They also make good stuffing for handmade maracas.

6. A post, or two, or ten based on a book about 30 Days to Stress-Free Living. It seemed apropos after the 31DBB project. :)

7. Barbies at Communion. Hey, I like the book and the author. Plus, since it is usable under Creative Commons licensing terms, that means I can post some of the poems without running into permissions issues (unless I post them all at once in the form of an e-book and cut the price to $2.99).

8. Updates on the Carpal Tunnel Law Suit. Okay, not really.

9. Creativity. I could post on this. I should post on this (it's in my blog tagline.) Or maybe I will just try to demonstrate creativity.

10. All of the above. Or maybe only some of the above? Should I take a poll? Would you vote in a poll if I took it? If I take it, does that preclude you voting?

Okay, finis deja.

(That is my loose and probably incorrect French for "enough already." I am ON MY WAY. :)

(Yes, I had to look it up. The correct way to say that would be Plus qu-assez. @marydemuth, would you like to offer a second opinion?)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Darren, How Sweet of You, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog, Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions, Day 26: Problogger, Allow Me, Day 27: Hunting for Links, or Chocolate, Day 28: I Wish to Report a Stolen Review, Day 29: Now You're Profiling, Day 30: How to Increase Your Blog Stats by Over 100%, Day 31: Time to Plan the Big Time
ProBlogger's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog book
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

Around the Corner photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: How to Increase Your Blog Stats by Over 100%

2010-06-11T07:00:00.002-04:00

Day 30. Day 30! DAY 30!!!!

I am calm. No worries.

DAY THIRRRRRRRRTY!!!!! :)

Which is to say we are just in time for today's exercise— look at your blog statistics.

At the beginning of this project, Paul's laughter shook the earth, all because of blog stats. Or at least that's the way I pictured it. After all, I knew the discrepancy— this blog's low stats versus my claims to be an '8' blogger.

Thing is, this is a side blog. It should have low stats. Because this is a place of neglectful blogging.

Over the past month of non-neglectful blogging, the stats have gone up 105%. See what blogging every day can do?

But blogging every day is also a lot of work. And I'm looking forward to receding back into a restful, statistically unimpressive state. Sure, I'll still blog here. Like I always have— when I feel like it.

Generally, I don't feel like it nearly as much as I do over at Seedlings in Stone, where I blog about writing, art, poetry and other stuff. I don't even blog as much here as I do over at Love Notes to Yahweh, where I explore spiritual practice and am currently chronicling an art pilgrimage.

So it comes to this. Stats can tell you things. But the most important thing to know is your heart. What do you feel like writing about and why? Do you want the whole world reading you, or a few good friends?

This particular blog has long been geared towards a small audience. Soon it will go back to its tiny roots. Which is probably for the best. After all, Cassandra has been put on a list of hernia candidates (due to abdominal trauma caused by laughter).

Not to worry though. It has been fun to try out a little humorous writing. So I will risk injury (Cassandra's) to sometimes come here and invite you to smile.

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog, Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions, Day 26: Improve Another Blog, Day 27: Hunting for Links, or Chocolate, Day 28: I Wish to Report a Stolen Review, Day 29: Now You're Profiling
ProBlogger's Day 30: Learn from Your Blog Stats
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
Become a Big Blogger, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 31: Plan Your Next Steps

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

100-Plus Flowers photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Now You're Profiling

2010-06-10T07:00:00.009-04:00

Day 29: Profiling.

Truly, I thought a person could get in trouble for profiling. But apparently there are different brands. Today's recommended profiling activity is fully legal and socially acceptable, unless you go about it in an anti-social way.

The idea is to build your own profile through the power of association.

Okay.

Let's begin.

I will say a word or phrase, and you tell me the first thing that pops into your mind. This is the power of association.

Glynn Young

[your response]

Bradley J. Moore

[your response]

Gordon Atkinson

[your response]

Marcus Goodyear

[your response]

Ann Kroeker

[your response]

Sam Van Eman

[your response]

Laura Boggess

[your response]

Dan King

[your response]

Ann Voskamp

[your response]

Dena Dyer

[your response]

Claire Burge

[your response]

Cheryl Smith

[your response]

L.L. Barkat

[your response]

If your responses sounded something like...

...Midwestern snarky-businessman unafraid of Texan ex-preacher-Barbies who eat oatmeal (and sausages when they are naughty) while watching T.V. commercials and doing book talks directly after Twittering and snacking on fried shrimp before making bread while telling jokes about laundry and photographing lost socks, then forecasting the future of those socks' abilities to build a great website or clothe a snarky-yet-poignant writer's feet...

well, then, you are properly associated.

Because this means you know the people who work for HighCallingBlogs, where it could (literally) pay to build your profile— if not in dollars, then in cybercake. Either way, it's legal. And you're officially profiled.

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog, Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions, Day 26: Improve Another Blog, Day 27: Hunting for Links, or Chocolate, Day 28: I Wish to Report a Stolen Review
ProBlogger's Day 29: Plan to Build a Profile.
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
How to Increase Your Blog Stats by Over 100%, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 30: Learn from Your Blog Statistics

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Barbie on Oats photo by L.L. Barkat.

We Interrupt this 31DBB with Summer Stew

2010-06-09T13:38:00.004-04:00

There is nothing like a good stew when you're in need of comfort. You are in need of comfort, aren't you, at this juncture in the 31DDB Project?

This Nigerian Stew began as delicious Nigerian Baked Beans. The following night I added potatoes and fried onions (sliced really thin, fried really dark brown).

Today I want to remember what I did, in case I'm in need of comfort again sometime. Or just want to eat a great summer stew.

Nigerian Baked Beans, from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian (modified by moi :)

Stir briefly over low heat..

• 1 onion, chopped and already sauteed until light brown
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TB curry powder

Add onion and garlic mixture to...

• 1 1/2 cups dried Great Northern Beans, already soaked and cooked until tender (retain cooking water)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 TB peanut butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Bake all together about an hour or until tender and sauce is thickened.

Serve with salad and brown bread with herbed butter (herbed butter is a stick of softened butter you whip up and add chopped fresh garden herbs to, along with minced garlic, onion and a bit of lemon juice; I added fresh lemon thyme, sage, rosemary, chives, and oregano).

For Stew the Following Evening...

• cut 4-5 potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks, add to beans with enough water to cover, and cook 15 minutes or until tender
• garnish with one onion sliced very thin, browned until crisp
• add a generous scoop of herbed butter and stir until melted

Nigerian Stew photo, by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: I Wish to Report a Stolen Review

2010-06-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

Day 28, write a review post.

Easy peasy. I am going to steal a review. It has almost all the right...

10 Elements of a Great Review

1. An opinion
2. A Rating
3. Balance
4. Keywords
5. Comparisons
6. A Buy Link
7. Who it’s good for
8. Personal
9. Visuals
10. Details on How to Get the Item

Where it fails to have a right element, I will fill in the blanks after the review. Ready, set, go...

This is An Opinion on the 5-Star REALLY SUPER AWESOME Book Barbies at Communion (Note the Balance in this Headline :)

A little boy walks to the river, and it becomes a Sabbath poem. News of a super-collider turns into unexpectedly poignant Mother's Day verse. Waves come to shore, two guys build a bookshelf, a girl and her dad fly to Georgia... such simple things, but they do not escape Marcus Goodyear.

Through his poetry, he reveals a mind that has a way with the world. Engaged, compassionate, quietly humorous.

I recommend every last poem in this book, but here's one beautiful in its simplicity...

Sabbath

Shed no tears for these empty buildings
around the grass field like a private
forgotten park. They will not feel lonely
next week when a new group arrives
on the wings of petroleum and expectation.
Sometimes emptiness lets us all rest
a bit and take a breath. Throw sticks
for fat dogs who run until their panting
clicks, and they wobble, drunk on fetch,
behind the boy on his way to the river
alone to dangle his feet in clear water
where no one has come today to swim.

No worries. I stole the review from myself at Amazon.

Why review the book here? Because if you are here, you might be a person who likes fun, good writing, and cool word play. Which means that Barbies at Communion is for YOU (note that this is telling you who the book is good for and that I am PERSONALLY telling you :).

Now, because you are supposedly a passive reader, I'm also personally suggesting very nicely in a balanced sort of way that you buy Barbies at Communion right now.

It will make a great summer read, for you (that is me personally telling you who this book is good for. Again. In case you forgot. Okay, and for good keyword measure, let me suggest that you buy Barbies at Communion, for you, or a friend of good taste. Right now. :)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog, Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions, Day 26: Improve Another Blog, Day 27: Hunting for Links, or Chocolate
ProBlogger's Day 28: Write a Review Post
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
You've Got a Gorgeous Profile, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 29: Build Profile Readership

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Pigeon photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Hunting for Links, or Chocolate

2010-06-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

Day 27: I am almost a 31DBB survivor. But now I have to go searching for dead links in the wild woods of ye olde blog.

Sigh.

This is not nearly as fun as a chocolate egg hunt, which I would personally find very motivating. Though supposedly it is worth doing the bunny hop.

"So how do you detect dead links on your blog?" asks Darren.

Well, um. Isn't that obvious? Dead links don't breathe!

If you see a link that is not breathing, it is probably dead. You can also check its pulse, in case it's just holding its breath and playing dead. Or I suppose you could use the handy little link-life-detection tools ProBlogger recommends.

The obvious next question (and he asks it) is, "What to Do When You find a Dead Link?"

This is a very sad question. So I am going to ignore it and go back to Plan A.

Chocolate.

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog, Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions, Day 26: Improve Another Blog
ProBlogger's Day 27: Hunt for Dead Links
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
I'm Wish to Report a Stolen Review, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 28: Write a Review Post.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Dead Tree photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Problogger, Allow Me

2010-06-07T07:00:00.011-04:00

Day 26: Improve Another Blog. Yes! I've got just the blog in mind.

After all, Darren says, "Today’s task in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog is to do just that – to improve a blog that is not yours." And I know that Darren's blog is not mine, for a number of reasons.

Top 5 Reasons I Know Darren Rowse's Blog is Not My Blog

1. My blogs never have a one-word title, because that would make it too easy for people to remember.

2. Nobody calls me Darren. Yet. :)

3. If Darren's blog was my blog, I would be making six figures. Instead, I am making 31 blog posts about better blogging, and this is giving me carpal tunnel in my thumb. Hmmm... I may be able to parlay that into six figures if I find a creative lawyer.

4. Darren is a boy. I am not. Sigh. This reduces my chances of ever being called "Darren."

5. Darren's blog talks about making better blogs. My blogs... (oh, just fill in the blank with an L.L.-aggrandizing compliment)

All righty. Now that we have established that Darren's blog is a blog that is not mine, we are ready to begin the makeover process. Pink paint please, Martha? (I think it is always useful to engage Martha Stewart when tackling a project in particular need of a girl's design. She only charges six figures for her services, too, which seems apropos.)

Now, to quote the blogger-in-question, "The question is – how do you improve someone else’s blog?"

Hey, Problogger, allow me...

Click here to see my Extreme Makeover of Problogger in full size.

Says Problogger, "If it doesn’t go noticed by the other blogger don’t despair – hopefully in doing something for others you’ll learn something for yourself also, as well as getting a little good karma in the process!"

This is a very nice way for him to say he might not show up and praise my handiwork on his blog, but I don't believe that an astute blogger like Problogger would let this slide by. Especially since Martha and I did such a beautiful job.

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog, Day 25: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions
ProBlogger's Day 26: Improve Another Blog.
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
A Walk in the Woods, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 27: Hunt for Dead Links.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Problogger Extreme Makeover Illustration by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: 10 Reasons to Ask Your Readers Questions

2010-06-04T07:00:00.004-04:00

Day 25. Are we there yet?

Sigh. I thought you would say that. (Hey, are you my mother?)

Well, it seemed like maybe. Okay, fine. Let's get right to it, and talk about the 31DBB Project, shall we?

10 Seriously Really Important Vital Top-Rated Reasons to ask Your Readers Questions, You Know?

Says Problogger, "Asking readers questions is a fantastic way to grow your blog for a number of reasons— here are 10." I liked his reasons okay, but here are 10 more...

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Come now, did you really think I would give away such precious blog-traffic-blockbusting-advice without your input? What reasons would YOU give for asking people questions on your blog?

All righty, I am officially done with writing this post. Are we there yet?

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You, Day 24: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog
ProBlogger's Day 25: 10 Reasons Why it Works to Ask Your Readers Questions
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING MONDAY
Problogger, Allow Me, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 26: Improve Another Blog.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Pass the Time Sign photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Adding Shirtless Men to My Blog

2010-06-03T07:00:00.004-04:00

Day 24, on the 31DBB Island, and I'm beginning to see visions of men wearing earrings and smiles made perfect by orthodontic adjustment.

Creepy! I did not sign up for this. Somebody put a warning label on the 31DBB Project!

Okay, so here's the task that involves shirtless men (at least in my case). We are supposed to "review a magazine with the view of learning something about how you might improve your own blog."

I am pretty sure that the following improvements to my blog will increase reader engagement. (Oh, thank you, Darren!!!)

1. Add shirtless men to the header. Tell me that wouldn't get your attention.

2. Talk about golf. I don't know anything about golf. Except that I got a B-minus in it in college, thus ruining an otherwise respectable GPA. Still, it might not matter. I could talk about the aesthetics of golf. Like how to make sure you hold the club artfully, so as to make for good photo ops.

3. Add a barcode. This would make it look like I am a professional blogger. And then I could sell my blog in bookstores too, which would be kind of cool.

4. Sell makeup. I don't wear makeup, but that shouldn't stop me from selling it. While I'm at it, I could sell other things I don't use either— like perfume, water-resistant Chanel black-sand-blasted-high-tech-ceramic watches, and Mercedes Benzes.

5. Add a poll. (Hey, I'm beginning to see a pattern here!!! :)

6. Include the names of at least 10 famous people. Shoot, that's easy... Laura Boggess, Glynn Young, Billy Coffey, Cassandra Frear, Maureen Doallas, Bradley J. Moore, Marcus Goodyear, Katdish, Melissa, and Joan Ball.

7. Stick a subscription card in the middle of everything. Subscribe Now! Just $0.00 for a 2-year Subscription!!

8. Add men in flag Speedos. (You ain't seen nothin' 'til you've seen the Stars and Stripes on men-of-sporting-valor!) Just wait. Green Inventions is going to get famous with this one.

9. Write about White House parties. I have never been to a White House party. Do you think this disqualifies me from writing about them?

10. Recommend beachwear. Why, yes, I do recommend that you utilize beachwear. Goodness me.

Okay, that sums up what I learned from checking out Vanity Fair. I wonder what the National Enquirer could teach me...

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader, Day 23: He Told Me to Tell You
ProBlogger's Day 24: Use a Magazine to Improve Your Blog
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Vanity Fair Cover photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: He Told Me to Tell You

2010-06-02T07:00:00.002-04:00

Day 23. Today I'm being called to call my readers to action, because...

... apparently I have passive readers.

I would not have guessed this (Cassandra!), but supposedly it's true.

His advice is to match aggressive to my readers' passive. Which, as far as I can tell, makes us the perfect passive-aggressive pair. I'm not sure how I feel about that. (No worries, if we've got problems, I've still got that couch I picked up at the Louvre.)

Okay, for all you who are truly passive (surely not you, Dan), here is what he told me to tell you:

1. Please implement something I've written about.

2. Please subscribe to my RSS feed.

3. Please buy an affiliate's product.

4. Please comment on my blog, or my blog, or my blog

5. Please vote in my poll. Oops, I don't have a poll. How many people think I should have a poll? (Now I have a poll. :)

6. Please donate to this charity (I did.)

7. Please vote for me on a social bookmarking site (As far as I know I am currently not a candidate, but please do it anyway. Then I will be a candidate.)

8. Please buy this product I developed (I got a lot of mosquito bites doing it.)

9. Please visit this other (really cool) site.

10. Please hire me. (I don't know for what, but if you want to hire me and pay me, you're welcome to do so. As I already have a job, I will not show up, but I promise to cash the paychecks.)

11. Please read something else (mildly snarky) I wrote on my blog.

12. Please visit my business site.

That is a dozen pleases, which must be completely irresistible. Um, Glynn? Oh, Glynnnnnnn. Glynn! (Sorry, just making sure you hadn't passively fallen asleep during my sweet aggressions.)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future, Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader
ProBlogger's Day 23: Call Your Readers to Action
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Impromptu Dance at the Gallery photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Darren, How Sweet of You

2010-06-01T07:00:00.004-04:00

Day 22, pay attention to a special reader. (Oops, that's not it. I'm supposed to pay special attention to a reader.)

Hey, how about I do both?

I will now pay special attention to a special reader.

He's been the quiet type here. In fact, he hasn't commented even once. This is because he is shy. I think. That, or he's afraid that if he comments, then my ENORMOUS blog audience will overrun his blog with requests for him to sign their blogs too.

So he has chosen to simply lurk. I completely understand. (Hi, Darren, I know you're here. This is my little wave in your direction, just between you and me.)

Anyway, the other reason he's here is that he knows it's not all about fanning his own fame. So he's been quietly planning to make ME famous, because he wants me to feel valuable. I thought about being fussy and turning him down, but this seemed ungrateful. Who am I to spurn a little link-love from a blogger who only makes six figures through blogging?

I'm not sure when he's planning to bestow his gift, but I'll be ready with a link in return when he does. (Don't be shy, Darren. I want to make you famous. But I promise not to embarrass you. I'll hide the link somewhere at the bottom of my sidebar where it will be safe and not cause you too much undue attention.)

I feel magnanimous already. :)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs, Day 21: Foretelling the Future
ProBlogger's Day 22: Pay Special Attention to a Reader
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Godiva Chocolates photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Foretelling the Future

2010-05-31T12:02:00.008-04:00

Day 21, and I'm supposed to breathe new life into an old post.

Um, who has time for that when secret tunnels are just waiting to be discovered?

The End. :)

---

Okay, for all those who are disappointed in this post, I give you permission to declare it a post-in-future-need-of-rebreathing. Then someday, should I truly find myself with nothing better to do, I know right where I can start my CPR efforts.

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs
ProBlogger's Day 21: Breathe Life into an Old Post
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Red Cross Blog photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Leave Comments on Other Blogs

2010-05-28T07:00:00.003-04:00

Day 20, and I'm supposed to leave comments on other blogs.

Today I am going to be obedient.

Really.

No, REALLY.

See?

I already left comments on other blogs...

First, I visited Marcus...

Then I visited Glynn...

After that, I stopped by Tweetspeak...

Laura had a really cool post...

Then I ran out of Post It notes. Too bad, I was on such a roll. :)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit! Day 19: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind
ProBlogger's Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Commenting on Blogs photos by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind

2010-05-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

Day 19, and I'm supposed to express an opinion. I don't know. This might be a little beyond me.

Take this 31DBB Project, for instance. I think I might be suffering from what he talks about when he says, "Expressing opinions on your blog is like adding seasoning to food. Without it your blog could end up being quite bland and blend into the crowd." Seriously, without expressing an opinion, the way I have been doing throughout this Project, my blog blends right in with other blogs, don't you think?

Today, we must rectify this situation.

(Sorry, Maureen, I know how much you enjoy it when I'm bland, but he is trying to change my ways. Listen, I have a few hankies left over from yesterday, to dry your tears, so everything's going to be okay.)

Anyway. It is time to get opinionated!

Here goes.

I am going to express an opinion.

It's going to be strong, so watch out.

Here is what I think about the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project. (Maureen, hold on, I didn't even say anything yet. It's okay. I promise. I know this is going to be strong, but I think you'll like it.)

Okay.

The 31DBB is very easy and nice.

Phew!

I am so glad I got that off my chest. Wow. I feel the spice!

Twelve more days of this kind of searing commentary, and I will be on the blogosphere MAP! And you? You were here when it all began. I promise, I'll remember you. (Maureen, tissue?)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, Day 18: Gesundheit!
ProBlogger's Day 19: Write an Opinion Post on Your Blog
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
I'm Leaving a Comment on Your Blog, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 20: Leave Comments on Other Blogs.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Gesundheit Blog photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Gesundheit!

2010-05-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

Day, 18. Gesundheit!

That's you, saying "God Bless You" to my sneeze, in German of course, because that is way more fun than the ever-wordy English rendition of superstition.

Gesundheit. Gesundheit. Gesundheit.

See? Fun.

Now, if you will kindly look below under "Related Posts," you will see that I contracted a cold very early on in this project and have been sneezing ever since. Because a sneeze page is one where you link to other posts, related to a certain theme, on your own blog.

On Day 32, I will link to ALL of my 31DBB posts, in one grand finale sneeze.

Bring your hankies. And your gesundheits. :)

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch, Day 17: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie
ProBlogger's Day 18: Make a Sneeze Page for Your Blog
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
Pardon Me, Maureen, Hope You Don't Mind, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 19: Write an Opinion Post on Your Blog.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Gesundheit Blog photo by L.L. Barkat.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie

2010-05-25T07:00:00.008-04:00

Day 17, and I'm supposed to pretend my blog is a Barbie.

Well, sort of.

The real mission is to watch a first-time reader use the blog. What does the reader do? Bend the knees? Pull off the head? Show it to her friends?

You may not know this, but 99 out of 100 American households own a Barbie. This means the toy sort of... succeeded. And it all began when Ruth Handler watched little girls playing with paper dolls. She noticed they weren't drawn to kid-like dolls but rather to grown-up looking paper women that came as part of comic books.

Fascinated, Ruth watched the girls change and change and change the paper clothes and mimic adult conversation. This led her to the theory that "little girls want to be women." And this led her to the idea of a shockingly different kind of doll. One with an undeniably grown-up shape.

Ironically, this doll, which some people see as demeaning to women, is a women's success story. Handler fought tooth and nail to bring it to market in a male-dominated industry.

Okay, enough about Barbies. The real point is that you're supposed to watch how new readers use your blog, because one day it might help you figure out how to have 99 out of 100 households subscribed to you.

(Maybe you should offer a bonus zebra-striped bathing suit, Christian Dior party dress, and pink plastic high heels. It worked for Barbie. :)

---

Total aside... this post is secretly serving as a contribution to Tweetspeak Poetry's Barbies Giveaway and Writing Project. Stop in for a chance to win Barbies at Communion, a new poetry book by Marcus Goodyear, or just write about the Barbies in your life, for a link and possible feature.

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake, Day 16: Buy a Velvet Couch
ProBlogger's Day 17: Watch a First Time Reader Use Your Blog
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
Gesundheit, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 18: Create a Sneeze Page for Your Blog.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Belle Barbie at the Window photo, by Sara B. Used with permission.

31 Days to Build a Better Blog: Buy a Velvet Couch

2010-05-24T09:42:00.002-04:00

Day 16, and I'm supposed to solve my readers' problems. If I can solve their problems, they're more likely to come back for more cake.

I am sincerely hoping that the president of BP is not one of my readers. (BP's got problems that'd be a challenge even for the best pastry chef.)

Anyway, if you are a normal reader with normal problems that don't require major industrial cleanup, this might be your place. I promise to take my problem-solving job seriously. So like any good psychiatrist, I'm going to buy a velvet couch. And I will put a box of designer tissues right next to it.

Indeed, I have already found the perfect couch. And this is so cool... It has a matching chair for me to sit in while we solve your problems.

The guards at the Louvre were a little miffed when I asked my daughter to roll around on it, to test its cushion-to-problem-ratio. But I wasn't phased. Only the best for my readers.

So I offered the guards $100 for the couch. It's in the Napoleon section, and goodness knows they've got about 50 more couches just like it. Obviously they need to put a few up for sale. Nobody needs 50 couches that look alike. Not even Napoleon.

Anyway, we are still in negotiations. Because I'm trying to get them to throw in these matching curtains for another $10. Then you and I will be set.

Now, tell me, how long have you had this problem...

RELATED POSTS
LL's Day 1: Bambi in the Database, Day 2: The Dalai Lama Effect, Day 3: Darren Rowse, Please Link to Me, Day 4: Oprah, I Wanna Be Like You, Day 5: Email a Blog Reader, Day 6: Shakespeare and Company's Top 24 Blog Tips, Day 7: How Do I Love Thee, Let Me Link the Ways, Day 8: Entertaining Aliens, Day 9: Meet Me at the Mother Ship, Day 10: My Dog Ate Darren Rowse's Google Alerts, Day 11: Hey, Darren, It's My Turn, Day 12: Darren Gets on the Scale,, Day 13: I Will Not Be Swayed by Sales on Boxer Shorts, Day 14: Update a Key Page, Day 15: Honk if You Like, I Prefer Cake
ProBlogger's Solve a Problem
Paul's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Project

COMING TOMORROW
Pretend Your Blog is a Barbie, a companion to ProBlogger's Day 17: Watch a First Time Reader Use Your Blog.

Would you like to follow Bambi's efforts at better blogging? Here's a button, if you like :)

Napoleon Furniture at the Louvre photo, by L.L. Barkat.