Saying yes...

I've been bitten by the meme bug...

Kathleen of Diary of a Heretic: Memes, Reviews and Books, has bestowed upon me the chance to play. It's an easy one, too. One word answers! Lots of room for negative space! It's really more like word association, so let me find a comfy couch and channel Dr. Freud...

Off we goooooo!

Yourself: Creative
Your Partner: Detailed
Your Hair: Crazy
Your Mother: Complex
Your Father: Ditto
Your Favorite Item: Pillow
Your Dream Last Night: Silly
Your Favorite Drink: Coffee
Your Dream Home: Peaceful
The Room You Are In: Office
Your Fear: Failure
Where Do You Want to be in 10 years: Here
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: Truman
What You Are Not: Neat
Muffins: Huh?
One of Your Wish Items: Room
Time: Gift
Last Thing You Did: Drive
What You Are Wearing: Dimples
Your Favorite Weather: All
Your Favorite Book: Lots
Last Thing You Ate: Strawberries
Your Mood: Expansive
Your Best Friends: Missed
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: Projects
Your Car: Un-Me
Your Summer: Promising
What’s on your TV: Nothing
What Is Your Weather Like: Mellow
When Was the Last Time You Laughed: Earlier
What is your relationship status: Married

Go check out Kathleen M's as well. She's got a wonderful post up about the woman who tagged her and although I could write about it as well, I'm not going to reinvent a perfectly good wheel.

I now tag... Oh! It doesn't say how many!??! Maybe I missed it. I'll just wing it. I will tag some of the usual suspects.

Snag
TLB
fish
Mary Jane
johnny rotten of sunnybrook farm
Shayera

A Question for Dan Leo

Addition below:

This morning, Dan Leo left a very poignant comment for my "lost at blogging sea" post. Instead of paraphrasing, I'll just include the entire comment:

Hey, Jen, you know I love to write, but believe it or not I'm also a big fan of not writing when I have nothing to say. Here are some lines from a poem called "so you want to be a writer" by Charles Bukowski:

if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words.
don't do it...

if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else...

unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it...

Those were good words. They definitely ring true as far as other creative endeavours I've pursued. It made me wonder about something though. Last week in my painting class, a woman who is rather new to artistic endeavors told me that she was intrigued with the open spaces in the still life. She liked the spaces between the objects. Those words were music to my ears. Those words meant that even though she may not yet have the skills to translate what she sees, she sees it! She's thinking like an artist. I told her this and said that negative space can be some of the most exciting space in a painting. The space between objects can has its own weight, its own atmosphere, its own tension and excitement. Even if you're painting an object, what's not there and how it's placed can have as much impact on the painting as what is. I was wondering what the negative space in writing would be. I write in this blog, but do not in the least consider myself a writer so when Dan Leo stopped by this morning, I thought, aha! Dan! Dan is a writer...

So Dan... what would you consider the negative space in writing? Would it be the pauses in between sentences? The economy of words? Would we even see the negative space in the finished copy or would the negative space have occurred when the writer was taking a break? Would the reader only know the negative space was there somewhat like a contrail informs a person that a plane had gone by? Where is the negative space in the written word and is it as important for the written word as it is for a painting or drawing?

For those of you not familiar with Dan, you should be. I don't read all that Dan is writing right now, but I have been a faithful follower of his Arnold Schnabel series, "Railroad Train to Heaven". The memoirs of Arnold, a brakeman from Olney, PA who's on mental disability, is also a poet, who spent part of the summer of '63 partying with The Rat Pack, Jesus, and just recently time-traveled via a painting to visit with Proust and Toulouse-Lautrec, are not to be missed.

Any of you other writers out there, feel free to chime in. I'd ask BP, but he's merely the grammar police...

Addition to the other writers who might so graciously chime in... Dear. Lord. How could I forget to add THIS ONE and THIS ONE  and then there's THIS ONE!?!??

Blogasbord of Dysfunction

Update below:

Blogging has felt like a chore lately. What started as a refuge from daily crap, a place to let creativity or crazy ideas run rampant, has become a chore in itself. I used to think that blogging might bring us closer to our true selves. We could show those things, say those things that might not be shown or said in the rush of daily life, but as I crawl through the brambles of egos and agendas I begin to wonder which self we end up showing.

Are we bringing our pearls to the table or are we spreading out the twisted, contorted parts that we feel we can’t show polite society? Do our true selves show up or our alter egos for better or worse? Maybe while heading out on our journey of expression and discovery, we discover that what is oh so sweet is not out here, but is right in our backyard.

Update: I just remembered a Leonardo da Vinci quote I read the other day. It was, "art is never finished, only abandoned". I was thinking, the same could be said about blogs.

I've got a question for everyone...

If you walk into the bathroom to use the bathroom and you've got a tub with a closed shower curtain right next to the toilet that you're going to use... do you look behind the curtain before using the facilities?

I do. Grizzled was giving me grief about this, but I said I just don't want to be surprised if there's something in the tub, whether insect or burglar, so I am proactive and I check first. He says I'm paranoid. I said I was guessing more people look than he realized. He said I should ask.

This morning, there was a large centipede in the tub... I'm glad I checked first because I know had I been in a vulnerable position, that centipede would have taken advantage of it. I took care of it though... all by myself. If it had been a large spider, I would have asked for assistance. No, to heck with assistance, I would have given the task to Grizzled.

Maybe that's it... maybe it's because females must sit down no matter what they need to do. Men can at least stand half the time and standing is not as vulnerable as sitting.

Of course I have no idea what I'd do if I did find that burglar behind the curtain... I'd probably pee on the spot and then it wouldn't matter.

What Floats Your Creative Boat?

It's apparent that a large number of the people who pass through here are creative. Heck, I think everybody is creative, it's just some people go after it more fervently than others. What gets your creativity churning? What gets the ideas flowing? BP just took a trip to NYC. That jumped started him. BG agreed that when she leaves that city, her mind is brimming with ideas.

Some people turn to music, some to naps, some just open their eyes and take in whatever it is they're seeing. Some people are influenced by zany blogs. I've used all of the above and more.

What floats your creative boat?? I'm guessing we've all got creative catalysts in common, but I'm guessing we've all got our surefire tricks stashed away for those moments when all else fails.  Pony up and share!

Should I tell them?

Update below:

My desk/computer set-up allows me to look out our window. I see birds, I see trees, I see lots of squirrels. I also look directly out on my neighbor's driveway. They have left a small fake Christmas tree on top of their car. It's approximately 12-15 inches tall including the little base.

There is a LARGE squirrel now wrestling with it. I'm not certain, but I think the squirrel has weight and reach on the tree. I'm thinking the tree is going down.

My question: Do I run next door and tell them or do I get out the video camera and see who the victor will be?

Update: Turns out, the tree was supposed to be there... it's a car ornament of sort. It has battery-operated lights, etc. Frankly, I'm waiting for the cops to bust them. There are colors flashing on that tree that only an emergency vehicle is supposed to have. Maybe they'll just drive with the lights off.

I don't know about you, but I'm giving the squirrels 2 days tops. We have ruthless squirrels around here. They're not going to like this tree invading their turf. I'm thinking it's going to look more like a holiday Brillo Pad by the time the holidays are over if the squirrels have anything to say about it.

Which Natural Wonder or Disaster Are You?

?? Which Natural Wonder Or Disaster Are You ??

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Questions

Anyone who knows me or has conversed with me via email or blogging knows I like to ask questions. I've always liked to ask questions. I like to ask questions that are serious, I like to ask questions that are silly. There is usually some question floating around in my head.

Today I figured I'd toss out some questions. Feel free to answer any or all in the comments below. Feel free to answer none as well even though that would be really sad. 

Some of you may be familiar with some of these, but once a question becomes a classic, there's no going back.

1) Have you ever owned or worn a dashiki?
2) What was your favorite outfit and why?
3) What would people find most surprising about you?
4) Do you have a tail?
5) If you were a cowboy/cowgirl, what would you name your horse?
6) What's the first thing you think about upon waking in the morning?
7) Hot or cold?
8) Literal or lateral?
9) Rain or shine?
10) What scares you the most?
11) Worst moment that turned into a best?
12) What you're still grappling with?
13) Winter, spring, summer or fall?
14) Carole King* or James Taylor?
15) Do you look at your mouth when you are brushing your teeth or just look around the room?

Okay, that should satisfy some of my curiosity, at least for today.

* Having a brain cramp, I originally wrote *Carol* for Carole King. Brendan was kind enough to suggest that there might be an *e*. He was absolutely right and I should have known better, but obviously had not had enough coffee.