Sat 15 Jan 2011
Since at least one of you asked
Posted by PJ under peaches, pictures
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Some of the first peach blossoms of the year:
The first baby peaches of the year:
Archive for January, 2011
Monthly Archive
Fri 14 Jan 2011
Tweeten
Posted by PJ under tweets, updates, writing
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Yes, positive signs. Story revised & ready for sending, Chapter1 finished and posted to OWW, Chapter2 1/3 done. Feels so damned good. 14 Jan
The tortilla chips however are chewy not crispy. One cannot expect miracles from cafeteria food. 14 Jan
Sat outside on patio last night with a beer & noticed the peach tree loaded with buds. 2 early blossoms had already produced tiny peachlets. 14 Jan
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins: I live for you. 14 Jan
The good, the bad, and the ugly, except without good. 13 Jan
After misreading headlines all morning, I think I’ll leave work now to take my elderly mother to a doctor’s appointment. 13 Jan
Positive signs of life: I’ve started writing again this wk for the 1st time since November. I hope Life settles down enough to continue. 12 Jan
Happy 101st birthday to Luise Rainer. 12 Jan
Fri 14 Jan 2011
Mental stealth
Posted by PJ under belief, quote of the day, therapy
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Random quote of the day:
“Research indicates that a doctor’s confident attitude assists in the healing process. Thus for a therapist to be maximally effective, he must believe in his method, but if a technique is objectively worthless, the therapist must fool himself before he can help his patient. Deception and self-deception are at the heart of the psychotherapeutic process.”
—George P. Hansen, The Trickster and the Paranormal
Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
Thu 13 Jan 2011
Imaginal realms
Posted by PJ under fiction, paranormal, quote of the day
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Random quote of the day:
“It becomes impossible to encounter either science fiction or occultism and remain indifferent to them, unless one is shielded by some other strong belief.”
—Nachman Ben-Yehuda, Deviance and Moral Boundaries
Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
Wed 12 Jan 2011
Today’s mystery: the marbles
Posted by PJ under graveyards, mysteries, today's mystery
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Those of you who have been reading my Livejournal blog for awhile may remember this story, but as it’s mysterious and happened to me, I thought it worth posting again.
In June of 2005 I decided to visit Woodlawn Cemetery on 14th and Pico in Santa Monica, California. Not a huge cemetery, surrounded by urban blight on three of its four sides and a junior college on the fourth, but a beautiful place inside the grounds. A number of old, gnarled, and interesting trees are scattered throughout the graveyard, and since it was established in the nineteenth century it has a wide range of dates on the headstones.
I’ve liked walking through cemeteries since I was quite young (morbid child that I am), and I’d been to Woodlawn often back in the day. I also used it in one of my novels (Shivery Bones), dredged up from memory. I decided to return to see if my memory had gotten things right, and also to take some pictures with my (then) new camera. Because the sun was so bright, the sky so blue, the trees so plentiful, I got lots of shadow-and-light shots. The headstones held many poignant stories, too—heartbreak and mysteries, brief lives, some nearly a century old. I doubt anyone knows the story behind the words on those stones anymore, probably not even the folks who keep the cemetery records.
One story that has always intrigued me centers around two small markers over by the western fence (but on this picture you’ll have to click on the picture and go to Photobucket to see the full picture because WordPress keeps cutting it off):
No dates, no other graves nearby, just these two little headstones. My imagination has always roamed a great deal over what story might lie behind the starkness of these two little markers.
The next night as I went through the pictures, I discovered another little mystery. I like to view all the pictures in super blow up, quadrant by quadrant. Partly that’s because sometimes a piece of a photo will be more interesting than the entire shot; partly because I like to look for anomalies. My favorite shot of the set was a shadow and light picture of a child’s grave. And that was the beginning of the mystery:
The small mystery…
(more…)
Wed 12 Jan 2011
A face in the crowd
Posted by PJ under conformity, quote of the day
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Random quote of the day:
“Don’t always follow the crowd, because nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
—Yogi Berra, commencement speech, Montclair State University, 1996
Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
Tue 11 Jan 2011
McTweetster
Posted by PJ under tweets, updates
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Finally finished The Historian last night. Loved 99.9% of it. I won’t know what to do with myself when I have no more to read tonight. 11 Jan
When did Dread become my middle name? 11 Jan
NameRedacted @pj_thompson I hope it’s not official. The Peej is so much more fun to say than The Peed. 11 Jan
OtherNameRedacted @NameRedacted @pj_thompson HAHAHA she has a point, Peej. 11 Jan
@NameRedacted @OtherNameRedacted rofl – The Peed may have just wet herself. 11 Jan
Now the dryer’s gone out. Fortunately we have a great appliance guy who promptly fixed it and only charged $40. All hail Solis Appliances! 11 Jan
The rooter guy is on the way. I’m hoping this won’t cost us a second mortgage. 10 Jan
But I do love the sound of gurgling and backing up plumbing in the morning. Fortunately, everything eventually settled down. 10 Jan
So far the second new microwave hasn’t started rattling and overheating. Tried ultimate test last night: Stouffer’s lasagna family size. 10 Jan
This is my placeholder tweet. 9 Jan
Tue 11 Jan 2011
What’s your fantasy?
Posted by PJ under quote of the day, truth
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Random quote of the day:
“A truthful courtesan is as rare as a square egg.”
—Japanese proverb
Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
Mon 10 Jan 2011
A poll which happens to be on Monday but is not the Monday Poll
Posted by PJ under poll, writers, writing
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To actually participate in this poll, you can go to my Livejournal blog.
Are writers always selling somebody out, telling the family secrets and passing it off as fiction, portraying someone they’ve known as a jerk to get revenge, or otherwise Spilling the Beans?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Spilling the beans.
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All
Are writers always selling somebody out?
â— I think that’s more true of literary fiction than genre fiction.
â— Sure. Writers always have hidden agendas. They just tell people it’s all made up.
â— No. It’s all just fiction, part of the creative process.
â— Too much personal history in fiction is so transparent no one will buy it/want to read it.
â— Unless you make it really salacious and it’s well-written.
â— Or just really salacious sometimes.
â— Sometimes it’s disguised personal business, sometimes it’s all made up.
â— Good fiction always has a grain of truth in it so people can relate to it.
â— But the art in fiction comes in making it universal rather than deeply personal.
â— Whether it’s personal or not most readers assume it’s personal.
â— Ticky never did mind about the little things.
â— Other.
Mon 10 Jan 2011
With a kiss
Posted by PJ under betrayal, quote of the day, writers
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Random quote of the day:
“That is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out.”
—Joan Didion, preface to Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays of Joan Didion
Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
