Java Davis's Blog, page 22
July 31, 2015
Blog Post: Food in Fiction Update
Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, yours truly has figured out how to enter the Food In Fiction Blog Tour, on the website belonging to author Terri Giuliano Long (tglong.com). She is still collecting entries, so you won’t see a final notice for a few weeks.
I entered a section of my own book, Depression Carpenter, where Jake and Chin are camping on the beach and eating fresh seafood. No recipe required, just a campfire.
July 29, 2015
Landline Wires
http://theroadtripwriter.com/landline...
Landline Wires
In the process of ridding our yard of a giant wasp nest, my husband cut away some pesky wires, which turned out to be the telephone cable into the house. What could have been a disaster was just a minor blip, since I just forwarded all calls to my cellphone. Three days later, the phone company is sending someone to fix this.
This is just one example of what can go wrong with home ownership, but this particular glitch causes a different line of thinking. How necessary is it for us to continue to pay for a landline? I realize that there is a generation of young adults who wouldn’t think of bothering with a landline, but that’s not us. I used to use honest-to-goodness, real, round dials on telephones that were anchored to the wall with wires. Giving up a landline feels like giving up Kleenex, something ingrained in home ownership.
Has anyone else gone through this dilemma? Speak now, or I’ll call you later when the landline is back in operation. Maybe.
July 25, 2015
Coming Soon: Food in Fiction Blog Tour
I must confess that I am still confused as to how a blog tour operates. But who can resist Food in Fiction? Or Food in General?
Anyone, this is your warning that some things may be coming down the pike from me, and I can’t say if they’ll be good, bad, or indifferent. All I can promise you is that if this turns out to be an awful idea, it will never happen again.
Hopefully, it will be fun and full of great recipes — one can only hope.
July 23, 2015
Book Review: Torn, by Simon Williams
http://theroadtripwriter.com/book-rev...
Book Review: Torn, by Simon Williams
I’m not officially reviewing this book because I was unable to finish it, but I would like to talk about it.
I received a paperback copy from the author in exchange for a review, but overall, the book didn’t appeal to me. First, the teensy print was difficult to follow — my eyes got tired very easily. Simon’s story of his move from Australia to Canada to the U.S., his marriage to a Brazilian woman, and her absconding with his money and his toddler, is compelling. But the writing style is a string of comic one-liners that couldn’t keep my interest. I picture Simon as someone with Attention Deficit Disorder who drank ten cups of coffee in rapid succession, someone who stays permanently wired.
If you find the strange title compelling, it’s explained in Chapter 2.
Hopefully, writing this book rid the man of some of his demons, and if any profits go to trying to reconnect with his son, then it was worth the effort to write it. I certainly wish Simon Williams all the best.
July 19, 2015
One for the Animals
http://theroadtripwriter.com/one-for-...
One for the Animals
Today’s blog post has nothing to do with road tripping. My local froyo (frozen yogurt) store is having a fundraiser for the local SPCA. I support the SPCA and the yogurt store, so it’s a perfect convergence of two beautiful things.
Off I go to have my yogurt sundae. I hope you’re also having an awesome day.
One of my own SPCA dogs, looking cute and chic!
July 16, 2015
Definition: Fahrvergnügen
Over the decades, no car has had more originality in its advertising than Volkswagen. In 1990, they taught us the German word: “Fahrvergnügen.” The campaign didn’t last very long, because, after all, how long can you milk one long, unfamiliar word? Below is Wikipedia’s version of Volkswagen’s ad campaign, along with pronunciation.
Fahrvergnügen (German pronunciation: [ˈfaːɐ̯.fɛɐ̯ˌɡnyːɡn̩]) was an advertising slogan used by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen in a 1990 U.S. ad campaign that included a stick figure driving a Volkswagen car.[1]
“Fahrvergnügen” means “driving enjoyment” in English (from fahren, “to drive,” and vergnügen, “enjoyment”). One of the tag lines incorporating the word was: “Fahrvergnügen: It’s what makes a car a Volkswagen”.
July 14, 2015
Book Review: Passing Strangers, Angela Hunt (5 coffee beans)
Put simply, Passing Strangers is the story of five people, three adults and two children, who take a train vacation through the south. Section One of three sections is the story of Andie, the missing member of a large family, who ran from her family’s television popularity to hide from the limelight. She was successfully hidden when she got the news that her mother was dying from cancer. Suddenly, the world she left behind was no longer statically frozen — they still existed. The sand shifted under her feet and she had no idea what to do. At that moment, her boss arranged for her to take a train vacation through the south.
Section Two is the story of how Matt became widowed while his two children were still very young. What could a workaholic lawyer do to get his life back in order? Easy. Ship the kids to grandma’s house by taking them on a train ride vacation through the south.
Section Three is Janette’s story. She lives with her husband and daughter, but life with her daughter, who becomes violent on a whim, has become intolerable. Without thinking, Janette packs a bag and runs to the train station, buying a ticket for a train ride vacation through the south.
These people all meet by chance on the train. Over the next two weeks, they all learn to love and support each other, while, individually, they make life-changing decisions.
What I enjoyed most about this book is that these people didn’t necessarily make the obvious choices. I would have made very different choices, and so it was interesting to see all these characters have points of view that are different from mine. This is also a “kind” story, where no one is mean, and everyone is trying to be the best they can be. If you have room for a very nice book, I recommend this one.
