Shaferspeare by Songbird

Did any of you read Kathleen Parker's column about bloggers? It appeared in the Courier-Journal Forum section on Dec. 31, and many other newspapers as well, because Ms. Parker is a syndicated columnist. I suppose that's her good point. Her column about bloggers was haughty and downright insulting. Here's a link to her column so you can decide how it strikes you: http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/kathleenparker/2005/12/28/180480.html I found her tone very condescending. I read through the... Sign in to see full entry.

My Grandpa Nicholson used to infuriate my Mom and Aunt Ruth when they were kids by telling them, "Weight broke the bridge down". He said it after he'd asked them to do some task, to which they replied, " Wait!" My Grandpa, known to me as Dado, would never have cut it as a writer. The worst part of being a writer is the WAITING. Before I started seriously writing, I assumed the hard part was writing, getting everything just right... Boy, was I wrong... Once the writer's piece is done--be it... Sign in to see full entry.

I joined Blog It in mid-October, hoping to make some money writing. I haven't broken even yet, but what I've gained on Blog It is far more valuable than just money. It's given me my writing career back. I met a lady (through Blog It) who is starting a publishing house, and she's interested in my novel, The Night Shift Worker, which I thought was dead in the water after its original publisher, Adventure Books, went belly up. I may actually get published again because of joining Blog It! I almost... Sign in to see full entry.

God willing, in some manner, we've all survived Christmas. For some it's joyous, for most of us, it's work, for almost everybody, it's stressful, and some people find it terribly depressing. I tend to consider Christmas all of these things. I have very mixed feelings about Christmas. Emotionally, it's desperately hard on me because Dec. 5 is my late Dad's birthday, and I miss him unspeakably at times yet, though he died in 1999, and my Grandma Nicholson died on Dec. 4, 1987. I can't help but... Sign in to see full entry.

My Uncle Ivan is a great guy. He reminds me a lot of my Dad. Since my Aunt Christine, Ivan's wife of almost 60 years, passed away in March 2004, I've tried to include Ivan in any trips we take that I think might interest him. I invited Ivan to go on the Santa Claus light tour on Christmas Eve, and he happily accepted. I knew Ivan has a wonderful sense of humor, and last night, I learned he's also a prankster. My other uncle, Bob, Ivan's brother, is 10 years younger than Ivan. The two of them... Sign in to see full entry.

My long-standing dream of driving to Santa Claus, Indiana to see Christmas lights on Christmas Eve was fulfilled last night......But like many dreams, the reality was nothing like the dream. I'd envisioned a town full of live nativity scenes, choirs by roadsides singing Christmas carols and handing out cups of hot chocolate and cookies, virtually every house adorned in beautiful, glowing Christmas lights......But when we got there, Santa Claus looked like any other town. Sure, there were Santa... Sign in to see full entry.

Husband John came in from work Thursday night and told me what happened Thursday morning at the office where he works. The phone rang shortly after 8 a.m., and John answered it. This is what John thought he heard: A voice said, "We'd like to speak to Jason Coolidge. He needs to contact Mr. Bitchy." John replied, "Sir, he's not here right now. What's Mr. Bitchy's first name?" " MITSUBISHI!!! Not Mr. Bitchy!! MITSUBISHI!! " screamed the now irate caller. Jason Coolidge is John's boss, AKA Jase,... Sign in to see full entry.

I read a striking news item in the Dec. 16 issue of the Courier-Journal: New York Trapped by fire, woman tosses baby "A mother trapped in a burning third-floor apartment prayed and then dropped her 1-month-old son out a window to the crowd below. The infant was caught safely by a man who plays catcher for his employer's baseball team. The rescuer gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation--a skill he picked up two decades ago as a teenage lifeguard--and the mother was rescued by firefighters.... Sign in to see full entry.

I'm not sure I should write this post. Some readers may actually decide not to have children once they've read it! I got a load of wood yesterday, and talking to Kevin, my wood guy, took my mind back to when my brother, Mike, and I were young and reckless. Kevin told me his two kids fight, hate each other, but just let some other kid threaten one of his kids, and guess who rushes to the defense... That's what it's like with siblings. We hate each other, threaten each other, but let an outsider... Sign in to see full entry.

I am a 44 year old baby boomer. I am one of the generation that is primarily responsible for all the countless anti-aging products on the market. Our generation has fought aging probably more than any other group in the history of the world. We're unwilling to age, gracefully or not, and if we have to get old, we're not gettin' old without a fierce fight. We can't deny, though, that our generation smack dab puts the "middle" in middle age, and like it or not, we're faced with mid-life crises and... Sign in to see full entry.