Ann Benjamin's Blog, page 269
August 19, 2015
One for my character, Liz.
For some reason or another, my Pinterest feed was full of things today that reminded me of my main character, Liz, from Life After Joe. Buy the print on Etsy. Or, just make yourself a bowl of ice cream.
Quote worth considering.
With a lot going on at the moment, I feel very much that 2015 has asked a lot of questions and, after ignoring them for much of the Spring, I’m just now starting to answer them. I’m hoping the answers I’m giving will be the start of some good explanations, acknowledgements and resolutions in 2016.
(How’s that for a vague post? And what part of the cycle are you in?)
August 18, 2015
Day 20, Blogging Challenge: What Makes You Happy
While I like a lot of the finer things in life, there is definitely room for the simple things as well:
Watching my cat Nubbins play (or run, or do anything pretty much)
A crisp glass of Veuve
Hearing from someone I haven’t heard from in awhile
A book sale
A good review of one of my works
Finishing a day with 1,000 (decent) words towards a manuscript
Being upgraded to business class (especially on a long flight)
Dark chocolate KitKats
Hearing about someone I know doing something awesome
Going to a new restaurant with an ambitious multi-course menu
Long weekends
Traveling somewhere new
A fancy hotel room
Mail or post of any kind
Films by Wes Anderson
Going salsa dancing
Anything that comes in tiny sample size packaging
Karaoke
Doges
Honey Badgers
And the below .gif:
Chloe is my spirit animal.And there is a whole category on my blog to ‘things I like.’
What makes you happy?
How to Title Every Book You Ever Write
Based on this fun post, I thought I would take a break from everything and procrastinate on my other projects.
The Promising Debut Novel
Title: (Scent of your deodorant or shampoo) on (street you grew up on)
Fresh Shire
The Disappointing Sophomore Effort
Title: The (your father’s profession)’s Daughter
The Pharmaceutical Rep’s Daughter
The Reputation-Rescuing Collection of Stories
Title: The (if you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would it be?) (which of the following was your favorite school field trip: museum, zoo, symphony, circus, farm, cruise, senate, theater)
The Unicorn Museum (I don’t know what that is, but I want to visit!)
The Legacy-Building Important Literary Novel
Title: The (your first job title)s
(If your first job title isn’t that evocative, like “event planner” or “clerk,” add the county in which you live. Example: The Event Planners of Cook County.)
The Babysitters of Gwinnett County
Another Literary Novel to Prove the Last One Wasn’t a Fluke
Title: (your birth month)(third most populous city in the first foreign country you ever visited)
Example: December in Marseille
March in Sheffield
Your Agent Pointed Out That You Could Make Some Money Without Writing Anything New
Title: You’ll need a purse or briefcase or, if you don’t have either, open your messiest desk drawer. Close your eyes, reach in and grab whatever is in the very bottom or back. Add “The Wisdom of” before that item.
Example: The Wisdom of Eyeglasses
The Wisdom of Breath Mints
The Final, Contemplative Novel
Title: (Your favorite season)(you’re told that someone left a rotten egg in your house; is your first questions who, what, why, where, or how?)
Example: Autumnwhere
Springwhat
I have a long way to go to get through these titles. :)
August 17, 2015
Day 19, Blogging Challenge: Favorite Movie
Although it’s been awhile since I’ve watched it, A Life Less Ordinary is my favorite film. It has so many things I like – magical realism, a song and dance sequence, a great soundtrack, Ewan McGregor… While I love other films (Moulin Rouge!, Pitch Perfect, Newsies notice a theme here?), A Life Less Ordinary stands the test of time.
What’s your favorite movie?
August 16, 2015
Day 18, Blogging Challenge: A Picture of Yourself
Well, you can look up at any point and see a picture of me on this blog, but I guess that is not in the spirit of the blogging challenge, is it? Instead, I’ve chosen a picture that anyone who knows me in real life will appreciate. I’m known as a jumper. Any time I’m on holiday, I jump and get a picture of myself in midair. It gives me great pleasure to know that I’ve inspired others to do the same (at weddings, remote locations, or in a group).
And yes, this is not a selfie or a picture of me alone, but I see the below picture (taken at Hubby and I’s 10 year vow renewal in Vegas, 2013) and it always makes me happy.
I’m the one in the white dress.
Day 17, Blogging Challenge: Blogs I Like
Good question – I have a fairly diverse group of sites I regularly visit and use to procrastinate when I should be working on one of my many projects. When not on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr – I most often frequent the following:
Jezebel/Gawker/io9 (yup, I’m all in with Gawker media)
Cup of Jo (even though I’m not a parent, I still find I like a lot of the articles and posts)
PostSecret (I’ve even had a secret published!)
I will also have a regular list of weekly round up pages I read, even if I don’t regularly visit these blogs.
Fathom (Links We Love)
Two Nerdy History Girls (Breakfast Links)
Any blogs out there you recommend?
August 14, 2015
Day 16, Blogging Challenge: Thoughts on Education
I’m for it.
Given that I work in higher education, I think there is something beneficial to society on a university campus. Does it have to be as expensive as it currently is? Well, that’s another thought entirely. I was fortunate enough to go to a school where, if I kept a 3.0 average, the state paid for my education. Graduating with no student debt was an amazing thing.
August 13, 2015
Totes!
Inspired by this PopSugar post, naturally, I had to do one for Life After Joe. (After all, I did have fun looking for similar in this previous post).
I decided this Herschel duffle was the right choice (over something more feminine), because I imagined my protagonist (a widow) wanting to use her dead husband’s bag, and this one definitely looked like something Joe would have.
