Loosely Speaking

By Ciel - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Everything Else

Monday, September 1, 2008

the Republican Convention

(this was a comment in one of Kingmi's blogs, before Gustav got on the planning committee. Regardless of hurricanes and emergencies, I am sure that my assessment remains accurate, though there will be less glitz about it.) Personally, I am expecting it to be more of the same attempt to manipulate a win out of exploiting the worst qualities of human nature. I once would have believed that America is generally too smart for that to work. But look at what has been in the White House the past 8... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

A new poem inspired by the road

Pioneer Cafe, Montana Morning Ladies of a certain age girls no more except in the heart: What Life has given you have taken despite the dreams you had, despite intentions and resistance; Age acquiring resilience for survival's sake when life is hard or dull beyond endurance. Power in the circle around the cafe table every morning every day except Sundays, maybe: Ladies, old and aging socializing despite, because of Life; finding, making, sharing power 'round this table... and resilience,... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Listening to Lord of the Rings...

The disc in the player is the first in the series of three: Howard Shore's music for the film trilogy of LORD OF THE RINGS. The others will follow. As many of you know from my poetry posted here and there, and a collection available in my listings for sale, I am a Middle-earth ex-patriot. Part of me always is there. It is always part of me. The word 'fan' does not begin to say it. Tolkien wrote magically and straight into my heart. He wrote to be read aloud, and I have read the trilogy aloud... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Tying one on...

I just read one of Strat's posts ( http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat/ July 10) regarding the proper way to wear polo shirts, in which he mentioned the problem of being color-blind and choosing which tie to wear. This reminded me of something I discovered a few years ago when I had a costuming/vintage/retro clothing shop. There was a time, the 60s and 70s if I remember correctly, when a certain brand of ties had a little label in the back telling men with which color suit they could... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

What have your kids been saying?

My 5-year old granddaughter has always had something to say... We take notes. In Angkor Wat, a man took pictures of Zoe and family, and when they emerged from the temples and got on the bus, there were a gang of kids waving plates that had the photos on them. Of course, they were offering the plates for sale, but she missed the point. When her folks asked her what she thought of the kids with pictures of her on their plates. She said, rather off-handedly, "Oh, they're just really big fans of... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Writing on Blogit: Critique and Respecting Creative Space

No one has to be published or even have a wall papered with 'no thanks' and 'not for us' letters, to be a writer. If you mean to write well, if you plan to market your work, you may become a professional writer--but if you write, and identify yourself as a writer, then you are a writer! Welcome to Blogit! Here we have a huge resource in this panel of writers to whom we have the opportunity to present our stuff, and get feedback to encourage and stimulate us to keep on writing, and growing in... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

writing on Blogit: Comment and Critique

Although this is presented as a writer's site, it seems to me it is much more prevalently a social site, where relationships of various degrees of substance develop, and pseudorelationships are played at. There are a lot more strokes offered than actual critique, which makes it encouraging to write, but sometimes discouraging to comment. As a reasonably serious writer, I want to give useful feedback sometimes, and sometimes I do try, but more often, I feel like I am just playing a different game... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

If your heart is sore or weary, go here for a healing!

Or if you are into nature, cats, or just plain love! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U My daughter recommended this, and it brought the best sort of tears to my eyes! Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Being good enough

There are so many great dog trainers! There's the Whisperer, Cesar Milan, and Victoria Stillwell, the dog dominatrix who probably leaves some of the humans wishing she would give them bits of chicken, too... There is Patricial McConell, the animal behaviorist who's book THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH I am in the middle of... They all have techniques that work to establish a proper chain of command between human and dog, stressing understanding of what it is to be the dog, the breed of dog, and your... Sign in to see full entry.

Responding to Kaboom

Kaboom has written a couple of very moving posts in her blog regarding the anniversaries of the nuclear bombing of Japan. http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/KaBooMuses/ My father was in the Pacific in WWII and was just weeks away from being part of the second wave of American soldiers onto the beaches of Japan, had the war continued much longer. He was in the radio corps. So his was very likely one of the lives that the lives of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were traded for. I am here,... Sign in to see full entry.

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