Tiah Beautement's Blog, page 143

Back in the water again

The surf report rated today as :( But after 2 1/2 months of being grounded on land, we couldn't wait another weekend. Besides we assumed the unhappy face was for the cool guys. But as my first set out there proved, it was for everyone - the waves were so weak I never even made it to my knees. Undertow, however, was doing a fabulous job. Husband's first set went a wee bit better. But then again, he is a wee bit better. (Yes, these are all of him. I hid the camera before going out for round 2) After...

Point of view

Ah, perspective, what an interesting thing it is. My children think I'm tall, old, yet beautiful. Thing 2 listed me as her best friend for a recent school interview - how much you want to bet that will change when she is sixteen? I'll be lucky if I manage to keep myself off the ranking of Public Enemy No 1 . Sometimes the differences of perspective make one weep - Israel and Palestine. Ye gads. Others are sad, yet hilarious. Detective Beyond Borders is a blog run by Peter Rozovsky, from Philadelphia. He had the recent opportunity to interview Caryl...

Well, that went well :-)

My little post over at Alexandria appears to be doing okay. People - a few from here (thank you RSA readers!) and a few from US (and beyond?) - are all (with manners) having a good ol' debate on the finer details re: Media Freedom. Going so much better than I could have ever hoped. I live in my own little bubble (office) and then associate with small people. An online conversation beyond family issues is refreshing, esp when it is a subject I find interesting. Thus, I shall have to do it again...when I can think of something (I...

Beginnings of a Dream

I cannot, for the life of me, remember how I came to own Zachariah Rapola's short story collection Beginnings of a Dream. (Click for book excerpt, and here, for scribd). I struggle to come up with a way to describe it - short stories for poets, comes to mind. Yes, it is well written. Yes, it is beautiful. But no, I don't think its surreal shifts from reality to dream to - mystic? - is for everyone. But then again, sometimes it is a joy to try something you never would before. Thus, the samples of his work will speak...

Me & Alexandria

So a little message appeared in the comments not so long ago inviting me to have a look at a blog called Alexandria and consider writing there from time to time. It is a place where various writers come together to spout off on what ever issue has grabbed his or her fancy. I had a look and thought, oh why not? New things can be nice. In fact, they can be healthy. If later on it doesn't seem to be working or time becomes an issue, I can pull out with no hurt feelings. Hence, today my first post...

Mr Fuzzy is on holiday

possibly forever. Mr Fuzzy likes to do exploring. He tends to come back by simply calling out his name. Yes, like a dog. We also added a bell collar to help sniff him out. (It is one of those fancy ones where you set the clip to the animal's weight - get caught on a branch and the collar opens, rather than strangle the animal to death.) Even so, we try to discourage exploring and keep upping the security measures each time he out smarts us. Last night I went to put Thing 2 in her pj's and ... no...

Cell phone books?

I read Paige Nick's blog, a million miles from normal. (Psst..she is the author of the book by the same name - remember?) The reason I bring her up is that the other day she posted about cell phone books. The cite she highlighted is Yoza. I am not sure the way I write would suit a chapter by chapter format. Then again, I suppose I could write the whole thing then release it by chapter by chapter. But this is beside the point. Questions: 1. Have you ever tried something like this (writing or reading) 2. Is it really...

Vanity

To the best of my knowledge I no longer possess the ligaments in my right shoulder responsible for keeping said shoulder from dislocating. I discovered this fun fact at 19 after an operation which was to help my shoulder given that it (and I quote two highly trained medical surgeons) "clunk clunked." Two clicks instead of one made the normal problem unique. Ah, case studies - always fascinating until you are one. After the surgery was said and done, I was given the lovely message that my days of competitive sports were over. And to be fair, other than that...

Send Help

In the run up to the World Cup I was shaking with fear. 5 weeks with my children - alone. Oh dear. Oh my. How would I cope? Rather well, in fact. A clear case of misplaced pessimism. It is currently End of Term Break. It lasts 1 week. I was optimistic. I made plans. I had THINGS TO DO that I know Thing 1 and Thing 2 adore. I worked my behind off during the three day weekend trying to get most of my editing done so I would not be distracted during the week. All about you, kids....

The Thin Line

Still on my short story shtick. I have noticed I read short stories different than a novel. They take me longer; as in, I won't sit down and buzz through a collection of short stories in a day like I might a novel. That said, they are perfect for those weeks when I have an extremely limited amount of leisure reading time. A short story a night. Perfect. Where a chapter a night with a novel is (for me) maddening. A novel makes me want to know what is happening next. The short story give you a beginning, middle and...