Posted in Writing, tagged artists, books, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, James Ellroy, Writers, writing on October 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »
If you’ve ever wondered how master writer James Ellroy puts together a dark, twisting crime novel, or plots stories as deliciously complex as L.A. Confidential, wonder no more.
“I’m a romantic, I love the big challenge and I’m gonna give it to you.”
This Fast Company article by Joe Berkowitz discusses Ellroy’s style (right now), his process (research, let it simmer, then go big, really big), and finally, bring it all together in a tight-packed ending. Enjoy!
Posted in Food and..., tagged cooking, food, free, inspiration, Mark Bittman, NYT, recipes on September 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »
What’s this, what’s this? The New York Times has put their entire recipe archive online for free. That’s 16,000 recipes available to anyone with a net connection and a penchant for deliciousness.
Here’s a sample recipe sure to delight all Canadians (ketchup lovers, the lot of them;): Stir-Fried Chicken With Ketchup. Sounds potentially suspect to me but wait, it’s from Mark Bittman, whose recipes for butterscotch and lamb and brownies are now household staples. The man can cook. Also? Fifteen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine other recipes waiting to be explored. Like the fabulously named They Didn’t Burn Rome in a Day.
Enjoy!
Posted in Writing, tagged connectivity, creativity, inspiration, linguistics, relationships, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »
So I’m chatting with my mother and somehow the topic of her graduate work comes up. Next thing I know we’re discussing linguistics, theories of form, elegance as a measure of validity, and how it’s possible to learn a language in a weekend (if you’re awesome, like my mom).
Not that I needed it with her, but it was a great reminder that everyone is interesting, everyone is complex and multi-layered and experienced in some way. Given the press of time and the tyranny of labels, it can be too easy to let this drift to the background. Mother, neighbor, mail carrier, teacher, gas station attendant. They are these things, yes. And much more.
Liking a person has less to do with it than you might think. The man who throws a huge stack of newspaper advertising against my front door every week, where it lands with a loud bang? His limp tells me he may not just be doing it to be annoying.
Everyone has a story. It’s important not to forget it, especially if you are a writer.
Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.”
― Susan Sontag
Posted in Likes, tagged Danielle Steel, fun, inspiration, life, quotes, Thoughts, why not, Writers, yay on September 9, 2014| 1 Comment »
Life, a good life, a great life is about “Why not?” May we never forget it.
— Danielle Steel
Posted in Entertainment, Likes, tagged aliens, awesome, cheer me right up, fun, Guardians of the Galaxy, inspiration, movies, recommended, Redbone, science fiction, sff, work, yay on August 12, 2014| 1 Comment »
Yeah, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy. If you haven’t, it’s a damn fine movie. Damn fine!
Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged awesome, fun after dark, inspiration, perigee, science, space, supermoon on August 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I now interrupt my not-at-all-planned blog vacation week (moving stuff, traveling, working, moving more stuff, more working) with this announcement:
Tonight is the best night to see a perigee full moon in 2014! That’s when the moon is not only full, but as close to us (Earth and its -lings, that is) as possible. Sure, supermoons seem to be a dime a dozen this year but tonight the view of our celestial sidekick will truly be Super. Becoming full at the same hour as perigee, the moon will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal. That’s about as impressive as it comes.
“Supermoon comparison” by Marcoaliaslama – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Posted in Likes, tagged alternative, awesome, books, community building, ephemera, history, inspiration, librarians, library, literature, Megan Prelinger, Prelinger Library, private library on July 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a fun article at Modcloth about an independent librarian, cultural historian, community builder and all-around book maven:
Best Job Ever: Renegade Librarian Megan Prelinger
The Prelinger Library is located in San Francisco and is open on Wednesdays, but much of the collection is also available online.
I just asked the question, ‘What would an alternative research library look like? And, what would research look like if it was as much fun as going out on a field trip?’
That sounds like my kind of library.
Posted in Holidays, tagged bald eagles, creativity, fishing, fun, inspiration, nature on July 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Literally. Time in the great outdoors will be good for all sorts of reasons, and we’ve even had reports of bald eagles nesting near the fishing spot. Have a great weekend!
Posted in Likes, tagged awesome, brains, chipmunks, inspiration, photos, pretty, US Interior, work on July 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »
For reasons involving transnational calls, scheduling conflicts, and one very pissed off chipmunk, my brain is taking the rest of the day off. Here’s a pretty picture:)
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