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Somewhat Rhetorical Question of the Week
From my mother when I was a child, "Don't shake a person's hand like you are holding on to a dead fish."
Charly wrote: "I think one of the pieces of advice I got was, "There are no deadlines on dreams." The basis of the comment is if you say you want to be, (as an example)) a published author by age 25; and you do..."
I like that idea, Charly. And I need to keep telling myself that.
One of the best bits of advice I've gotten is "Be gentle with yourself"...though it's also something I'm having to work at doing.
Nina wrote: "From my mother when I was a child, "Don't shake a person's hand like you are holding on to a dead fish.""I just read a piece in the NYT advising young people how to shake hands.
Depends. My writing critique teacher always cautioned us to beware of the sagging middle of our stories. If the story I am reading does sag at the middle I have a tendency to hurry on toward the end.
What a wonderful story, Charly -- thank you for sharing it!!
Advice from my mother (that I wish she had shared sooner): "You don't have to answer every question asked of you."
Charly wrote: "Reminds me of the "Jesus Complex" character on M.A.S.H. When the wounded soldier who thought he was Jesus was asked. "Is it true all prayers are answered?" And he answered, "Yes my son. Sometimes ..."
That is an amazing episode. Wonderful writing.
If or when tragedy strikes depend on partly your family and friends and partly on Faith. Not entirely on either one.
I'm in the same situation as Nina --it's never happened to me, and I can't imagine a scenario in which it would happen. There have been occasional instances in past years (though not in the past decade) when I've left Barb alone at home while I've traveled to attend a library conference; but she's never had any similar responsibilities with her job, and is retired now anyway.
Yes, but it's only happened once in over 20 years.
It first happened to me about 7 yrs ago... felt weird but kinda enjoyed having place to myself. Except for temporary house guests, I've now lived alone for a couple years and it's not a vacation.
I have fond memories of past Assn. of Christian Librarians conferences I attended, and yes, these were essentially vacations in a way. Of course, I took the workshops, speakers, business sessions, etc. seriously, and always returned home with helpful information. But it was a relaxed time of not having to work as such, of reconnecting with old friends, and of good fellowship. These were held for a week in June on college campuses, where we were housed comfortably in the dorms and were served our all-you-can eat meals in the college cafeteria. There were always opportunities for sightseeing (one of these conferences was where I saw the ocean for the first time, and another gave me a chance to visit the Everglades. (And a conference in St. Paul let me reconnect with Minnesota relatives I rarely see.) Being a bookworm, I enjoyed seeing other college libraries, and doing some reading in books I didn't have access to at home. (The only thing that would have made these times better would have been to have Barb along, but that wasn't feasible (and the library workshops, etc. would have bored her out of her skull!).
I think I would pick Spring, even though blossoms can sometimes be an issue.
Hhm, I'd have trouble choosing between spring and autumn.
Personally, I don't think I would choose a single season to live in all year around. I enjoy having a seasonal variation, perhaps because it's what I'm used to.
I like your spring/autumn combo, Charly!
Charly, I basically agree with you. I haven't commented on the subject myself until now, though, because I'm not the most qualified person to have an opinion about the Olympics one way or the other. The world of professional/semi-professional sports as a whole just doesn't interest me much, so I don't watch the competitions and don't follow the coverage very closely. (I know, I'm weird! :-) )
I have mixed feelings about the Olympics. I'd been going around thinking that maybe it's time to stop having them because of the expense and politics and supposed corruption in the host-city-choosing process...but then I got pulled into watching certain events again and cheering for people, feeling my heart warm over the athletes' stories and the obvious camaraderie. And it is great when host cities find ways to repurpose things built for the Games.
Cross-generational friendships in general? I think those are wonderful and beneficial to those who have open and inquisitive personalities.
Absolutely. It's good for everyone to learn about cultures and lifestyles different from their own, and it serves to reinforce the fact that while there are differences, we're all also human and share some similarities.
Werner wrote: "Charly, I basically agree with you. I haven't commented on the subject myself until now, though, because I'm not the most qualified person to have an opinion about the Olympics one way or the other..."Hi Werner! I thought I'd drop by and say hello. (We miss you.) As for sports... like you, I'm not a sports spectator. I never have followed sports teams and I've envied the people who have that interest and motivation.
Some people are strongly motivated to follow sports activities. Not I, even though I've been a tennis player, a swimmer, and in my youth I played baseball on an informal girl's team. I was active in tumbling in H.S. and enjoyed playing volleyball as part of my gym classes in H.S.
However, I have found a substitute for following "teams". I'm motivated by the teams at FunTrivia.com. In fact, I'm a Team Leader there. My team is the "Wise & Winsome Night Owls" and you can find it at:
http://www.funtrivia.com/team_info.cf... .
I call myself: "saltysally" and my profile page is at:
http://www.funtrivia.com/profile/salt...
FunTrivia.com is free. If anyone is interested in joining my team, just send a message to my FT mailbox after you join FunTrivia.
It's fun doing the quizzes and I learn things at the same time! New knowledge can be interesting, especially if one is curious about certain topics.
PS - I feel this way... if people can get "wrapped up" in baseball teams or football teams, it's just as acceptable to become "wrapped up" in FunTrivia teams! My team isn't the brightest of the bunch but we have many loyal team members who have been on the team for a long time. They have team spirit!
Joy, good to hear from you! During the gaps between your comments, you're missed, too.Like you, I can get into playing sports, though unlike you I'm not good at them; I just never got into passively watching others play. That may be the influence of childhood peer groups in school and neighborhood. At the time and place where I grew up, participation in games was considered natural; if a kid (even one as inept as I was) watched a group of other kids playing softball or whatever long enough, he/she would eventually get invited to get in the game. That's just how things were back then.
I think its great that you can get into and enjoy FunTrivia! I'll check out your links; and even though I'm not on that site myself, I'll be rooting for the Wise and Winsome Night Owls. :-)
Thank you, Werner. It's good to hear from you. I didn't mean to "promote" my team. It was just a natural progression of thoughts I had about following teams.However, if you ever want to "get your feet wet" at FunTrivia, they have small daily quizzes of 10 questions each. I have one going which I call: "Salty Sally's Daily Quiz". It's at: http://www.funtrivia.com/private/main...
Here are some sample FunTrivia questions (they are actually multiple choice questions):
1. Which play by Shakespeare begins with a king leaving his property to his daughters?
2. Who created V I Warshawski?
3. Which author of "The Snow Leopard" is the only writer to ever win the National Book Award for both fiction and non-fiction?
4. This author was perhaps the greatest writer of horse racing stories as well as fishing stories. His story "The Look of Eagles" is a horse racing classic. Who is he?
5. Which famous English author, responsible for classics such as "Robinson Crusoe" and "Moll Flanders", changed his surname because he believed his new one to be "more socially and upward sounding"?
6. What is the name of the 1962 book by Anthony Burgess which was made into a 1971 film by Stanley Kubrick?
7. Which short story by Edgar Allan Poe features the Prince Prospero in his attempts to ward off a deadly disease?
8. Which author wrote "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ", from which the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston was adapted?
9. In a classic Greek tragedy, Tithonus' goddess lover asked Zeus for immortality for him but forgot to ask for what additional boon?
10. Many authors are given the advice to "write about something you know". DICK FRANCIS, perhaps taking this advice to heart, wrote forty-three crime novels, all of which revolved around what racing animal?
10. Name the Indian-born writer who won the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature.
And #11 for good measure to which I'm SURE you know the answer: George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four", which was published in 1949 and is set in a totalitarian society, is an example of what genre of literature?
See how much fun it is? :)
Charly wrote: "Regarding on this week's question. I strongly believe that cross-cultural friendships are important for both parties. ..."I agree with you, Charly!
Werner, here are the answers to the questions I asked above:1. Which play by Shakespeare begins with a king leaving his property to his daughters? ---King Lear
2. Who created V I Warshawski? ---Sara Paretsky
3. Which author of "The Snow Leopard" is the only writer to ever win the National Book Award for both fiction and non-fiction? ---Peter Matthiessen
4. This author was perhaps the greatest writer of horse racing stories as well as fishing stories. His story "The Look of Eagles" is a horse racing classic. Who is he? ---John Taintor Foote
5. Which famous English author, responsible for classics such as "Robinson Crusoe" and "Moll Flanders", changed his surname because he believed his new one to be "more socially and upward sounding"? ---Daniel Defoe (originally Daniel Foe)
6. What is the name of the 1962 book by Anthony Burgess which was made into a 1971 film by Stanley Kubrick? ---A Clockwork Orange
7. Which short story by Edgar Allan Poe features the Prince Prospero in his attempts to ward off a deadly disease? ---The correct answer was "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally named "The Mask of the Red Death")
8. Which author wrote "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ", from which the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston was adapted? ---Lewis "Lew" Wallace
9. In a classic Greek tragedy, Tithonus' goddess lover asked Zeus for immortality for him but forgot to ask for what additional boon? ---Eternal youth
10. Many authors are given the advice to "write about something you know". DICK FRANCIS, perhaps taking this advice to heart, wrote forty-three crime novels, all of which revolved around what racing animal? ---horse
10. Name the Indian-born writer who won the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature. ---Rudyard Kipling
And #11 for good measure to which I'm SURE you know the answer: George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four", which was published in 1949 and is set in a totalitarian society, is an example of what genre of literature? ---dystopian novel
Joy, thanks for the additional information on FunTrivia, and the quiz example. (I knew the answers to several of these questions, but not all of them!) Truth to tell, Goodreads takes up so much of my online time (and I'm so busy with work, family responsibilities, and attempts to squeeze in some writing) that I don't think I'm interested in getting involved on another site. (I usually don't even take Goodreads quizzes, unless a friend challenges me.) But thanks for the encouragement!
I understand, Werner. I'm retired and have a lot of free time. I'm afraid I give more time to FunTrivia than I do to my reading. As you might guess, I get too involved in the FT message boards. :)
If you enjoy it, Joy, and it's good mental exercise, you're not "too involved." Go for it! :-)
Thanks for your supportive comment, Werner. I enjoy FT but I still feel torn because I like to read too... especially if I find a good book. Now that I have a Kindle Fire Tablet, I'm collecting free Kindle books from Amazon. They're waiting to be read.Guess what I downloaded to my Fire Table FREE from Amazon: The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.. It's the edition of the so-called "Strunk & White". Nice to have because it's such a classic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ele...
We have the Strunk and White book here at the BC library, Joy, though I've never read it myself. Whenever you read it, I'll be interested in your review!
I browsed briefly through the table of contents. The grammar and punctuation rules seem very familiar to me. I must have had some good English teachers in school. I doubt if I'll read enough of it to write a review. I think the comments in the "Reception" section of the Wiki page are enough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ele...
Charly wrote: "So a somewhat lighter question seems in order. Have you ever read a book based on having seen someone reading it or on the "recommendation" of someone you don't know but happen to talk with say a n..."Yes... I saw our neighbor reading A God That Could Be Real: Spirituality, Science, and the Future of Our Planet by Nancy Abrams. I borrowed the book from our public library. I'm still reading it. I'm on p.70 of 163 pages.
So far, I cannot relate to her definition of the "God that could be real." The author says that "God" will emerge but will not have the same characteristics of the traditional God (who is a divine "person") . It won't even be a "person". I cannot relate to her idea of this new "God".
See my ongoing review at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Charly wrote: "So a somewhat lighter question seems in order. Have you ever read a book based on having seen someone reading it or on the "recommendation" of someone you don't know but happen to talk with say a n..."Personally, I've never had that particular experience. I do add books to my to-read list based on recommendations or reviews from friends, from window shopping in bookstores or book sections of stores, or browsing library shelves. But just seeing a book in someone else's hand wouldn't allow me any opportunity to examine it for myself, and without doing that, I'd never become interested enough in it to want to read it; and being on the shy, quiet side, I don't typically strike up conversations with total strangers in bookstores (or anywhere else!).
Werner, my sister is ALWAYS "striking up conversation with total strangers". She isn't shy about that! LOL Sometimes she gets so involved talking to the strangers that she forgets to talk the the people she's with! LOLBTW, when she was a kid, her dentist remarked that she must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle! LOL I call her "Our Lady of Perpetual Motion". :)
When you go anywhere with her, she will invariably meet someone she knows! Even when we vacationed in FL that happened! And we were invited back to their condo. She is incredible.
Kudos to your sister, Joy! I'm not that energetically outgoing myself, but I admire anyone who is.
Asking people what they are reading is a good way to start a conversation.
Werner wrote: "Kudos to your sister, Joy! I'm not that energetically outgoing myself, but I admire anyone who is."Werner, I'm a bit like you in that respect. Some people see me as out-going but basically I'm a shy person. I guess I've overcome it to some degree. I have to be very comfortable with people before I open up.
I don't think I've ever read a book based on a stranger's recommendation in a one-on-one conversation or just because I saw someone else reading it. When I go to writers' or SFF conventions, I do jot down the titles of works I hear mentioned in sessions sometimes.
Charly wrote: "Okay, without getting into the party or candidate specifics our question of the week is, Do you think there should be a legislative maximum that is significantly shorter than the current time frame..."Good question! Yes, I think a shorter time frame for the staging of Federal Presidential Elections might be a good idea. By now, so many people, including myself, are tired of all the electioneering for the 2016 Presidential Election! It seems to be stretching out too-oo-oo long!
However, the candidates themselves might prefer the longer period so that they would be able to reach more people. On the other hand, they may be as exhausted as WE are, dealing with all the hub-bub! It's getting to be a CIRCUS!
In the U.S., a couple of generations ago, preparations for running for Federal or major state offices usually began late in the year before the election (Nov. or Dec.). Most primaries, caucuses or nominating conventions would take place in the spring or summer, and serious campaigning for the general election would begin around Labor Day. Except for state primary or caucus dates, none of this schedule was set by legislative enactment. It was more a matter of traditional custom, and reflected a mindset that distinguished times for election activity from times for the normal business of governing.That mindset simply no longer exists in the U.S. As our political process has degenerated into the equivalent of the staged brawls sponsored in professional wrestling, for the distraction, entertainment and manipulation of the spectators, and as concern for partisan electoral victory has totally supplanted any concern with national welfare, all members of the political class have realized that the earlier a campaign starts, the more chance it has of victory. And as TV advertising has become so central to campaigns, and the funds required to support it have become so enormous, most of these people feel that fundraising has to be continuous, with one cycle beginning when the previous one ends.
Given that state of mind, neither of the establishment parties have any interest in legislation to restrict the length of campaigns; and if such legislation existed, their whole efforts would be directed to circumventing it. It's also difficult to imagine how such laws could be worded, without infringing on constitutionally protected freedom of speech and of the press. There are reforms of our electoral process that would make it more responsive to the popular will; but absent a tidal change in the political culture, I don't think the length of campaigns can be effectively limited.
Werner, you're probably right. In addition, the media probably loves the excitement which draws readers, watchers, and listeners. Looks like we're stuck with this situation.Hopefully, the next candidates will be so dull that no one will want to pay attention. :)
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Books mentioned in this topic
Webster's New World Dictionary (other topics)The American Heritage Dictionary (other topics)
The Ship of Ishtar (other topics)
The Last Stratiote (other topics)
The Christmas Pinata (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ivanka Trump (other topics)Philippa Gregory (other topics)
Nancy Abrams (other topics)
William Strunk Jr. (other topics)
Best piece of advice? I'll have to consider that...