A Great Quote

       I happened upon Sherry's jewelry site and along with some really unusual hand-crafted items, she had an incredible quote as part of her bio.  I am going to type it up in extra-large letters, so it can be emblazoned across all of our brains:

I'm not perfect, but I'm perfectly myself.
                                               ---Sherry Truitt

Keep that in mind, the next time you fumble or flounder and beat yourself up about it... 

A Reminder---Definite Prizes, Possibly For You

      Finally finding my USB cord (?), I took pictures of most of the prizes for my writing contest.  (Check out the post on Monday, September 20 for details.)  The cord was in a logical place, which explains why it took me so long to find it!

     Here are the incredible prizes you could win with just 200 words.  (I did not take a picture of the box of staples, or the dry erase markers because I did not snag them from my school's vault yet figured no one needs a photo of those things. I also did not photograph the chocolate item, because I have not decided what that will be yet.)

This is a close-up of the scarf, which is hand-knit by a persnickety menopausal Missouri woman.
There will be a beaded fringe added to each end...





I am sorry---it comes on as upright, but when it's saved, it rotates...
This is a coffee-table type of book, featuring black and white photos of writers,
along with their thoughts on writing...

a writing journal, with lined pages

This is hand-quilted wall hanging, created by a pre-menopausal Missouri woman...


Please see the post on 9/20, and send your entry to siouxsprompts@yahoo.com

Freedom---the Book

          At one point, I got his earlier book The Corrections as a gift.  I was not in the right mood at the time to read it. Now it's buried in some bookcase. (I think.)

           However, there's a lot of hoopla over his newest Freedom.  I hate to be left out, so sometime soon, I will probably be hitting a bookstore to pick up a copy.

          I read an excerpt of Jonathan Franzen's book . It sounds like something I might enjoy.

          Has anyone out there read it?  If so, what did you like/not like about it?Thumbs up or thumbs down?

A Bunch of Hooey

       If I was around my friends, I would not use the word "hooey," but since this is being viewed by the public, I will put my public face on and attach my public duct tape.

       I was so looking foward to the "documentary" Waiting for Superman when I heard about it six months ago.  I wanted to be inspired, to hear success stories.  Unfortunately, it is just another instance of teacher-bashing (from what I have seen).

photo by Chris Pino

       From what I have heard, no public school success stories are highlighted. Did you know that charter schools can kick a student out if they are disruptive/out of control/disrespectful?  Public schools must educate all the students in their enrollment area.  We take the tired...the poor...the wretched refuse yearning to breathe free (of boundaries)...

       In the movie, it claims that tenure comes after two years.  That is not the case. In my district, it comes after 4 years (or 5; it's been so long ago, I forget which).

         If you want to read a barbed (and honest) blog about this "shock-umentary" you should check out the Dream Teacher.  Her post on 9/26 is brilliant!

A Delicious Ending---A Microfiction Story

          This is my microfiction story, based on this very haunting photo.

            She watched the waves, and thought how comforting it would be to succumb to their embrace.

         All it would take is a small shift, and she'd vanish.

         No one would miss her... 

Check out the other microfiction stories at Stony River

(If "characters" includes spaces, this is over the limit...Sorry if that is the case.)

Scene-Stealing Stephen King

         


photo by che1899

         One of my favorite TV shows is Sons of Anarchy.  I liken it to the Sopranos on motorcycles.

          On the most recent episode, Stephen King did a guest appearance.  (He loves the show just like I do!)  I knew this was going to happen this season, but I had no idea what part he would play.

        Playing a cleaner (a person hired to clean up after a horrendous crime) King was---as expected---an oddball on the show. 

       If you are a Stephen King fan, or if you're a writer, read his book on writing.  Not only does he allow you into his head as a writer, he also weaves a marvelous tale about rejection letters and persistence.