Monday, August 29, 2011

Taking a Break

Hey, guys,

I'm going to be on a short break, hopefully not longer than a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, enjoy these last few days of summer.  Live, laugh, love, and write, write, write.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Keepin' It Light Friday

And I used to think there was nothing good on the Internet…

"The Hokey Pokey" (as written by W. Shakespeare).

O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke,
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from Heaven's yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.

Verily.

Friday, August 12, 2011

What I'm Reading

Had to take a couple of days away from writing to catch up on reading.  I needed to refill the well, so to speak, and replenish my inner dictionary. 

In a weak moment I picked up one of my favorites, This Is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland and fell in love (again) with one of the supporting characters, Colin of Berkhamshire.  So naturally I had to read Colin's story, From This Moment On, which transported me back to medieval times when men were men who carried swords and protected the weak, regardless of their sex.

I read a snippet of Barbara O'Neal's How To Bake a Perfect Life through the library's DearReader service and knew it was one I wanted to finish.  This is truly women's fiction at it's best.  The characters are real, their conflicts are heart-breaking and the resolution is as uplifting as you would ever want a book to be.

I hope you try all three.

Happy reading.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Donating Blood

I donated blood today, as I have every two months or so since retiring from my library career.  I chose today because it's my father's birthday.  Had he beat the cancer that took his life he would have been 90 today.

My dad's blood type was AB negative, so much more exotic than my garden variety B positive.  Growing up I remember the occasional calls he would get from the local hospital with requests that he hurry over and donate a pint because of someone who was having emergency surgery or was involved in an accident.  He always went willingly.  In later years I know he donated at the local blood mobile but I have no idea how many gallons of blood he donated in his lifetime.  I've yet to make it to one gallon.  My brother, another frequent donor, has t-shirts and key-chain medallions heralding his many donations. 

I guess you could say donating blood is our family tradition.

Here's what the American Red Cross says about blood donations:

Every minute of every day, someone needs blood. That blood can only come from a volunteer donor, a person like you who makes the choice to donate. There is no substitute for your donation.

When you make a blood donation, you join a very select group. Currently only 3 out of every 100 people in America donate blood.

From its beginning, the American Red Cross has formed a community of service, of generous, strong and decent people bound by beliefs beyond themselves. The American Red Cross blood donor embodies this principle.

To learn more about blood donation opportunities, visit www.redcrossblood.org/ or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733 2767).

I hope you'll thing about making blood donation a part of your schedule.  It's painless and convenient.  And you lose a pound!