Written Right: a writer's guide to more than writing

Well, not the blues, exactly. As I have hinted in past posts, the grapevine at work is literally bursting with juicy info. The new year will bring on-so-many pinkslips and I am 100% certain there will not be one attached to my paystub this go round. Nonetheless, it'll be chaos around the office for weeks until the dust settles. I'm mentally preparring for a new boss, and his or her new boss, and his or her new boss. You see the gist?

I got spolied by family and friends alike this Christmas, but my favorite gift was a Belgian Waffle Maker. Yay! I have had an old regular waffle maker for year that I got at a junk action. When I say old, I mean that it used one of those old two-prong plugs that hiss and spark when you unplug them. You know the kind. The cord is covered in a weird, sticky black rubber and you just know if you walk away from the thing it will burst into flame.

My new waffle maker makes round waffles, even though Belgium's official waffle website (!?!) says Brussels waffles are all rectangular. The maker I received is apparently for the Liege waffles and should I ever desire to be a street vendor, I guess I now have the correct tool. :)

Why does this seem anticlimactic? I watched the news for hours tonight. People spouting their opinions, theories, angry lawyers, tentative newscasters. What an odd bunch of chatter. It seems sterile and blase. Hanging has got to be a horrific way to die. Do any of our U.S. states still hang?

The magazine where I work has some HORKING HUGE changes coming in the next month or so. It will fizzle a lot of people's catbird seats. I am pretty sure I'm A-ok, but my boss, ...let's just say the next I see her might be in hell. Literally.

Oh. Merry Christmas. I'm feeling the joy big time! No, really,

My folks flew in and we've got plans for a turkey and all the fixings. They're pretty disappointed that I don't have a big, handsome banker-type to introduce them to, but I rather think three is a great dinner party number. :)

I've been wanting to find the time to make my niece some bows for her hair, but until now I've been too busy.

There is this site that has the instructions for hair bows for FREE. I love free, oh yes I do!

http://bowdesigns.50webs.com/

tags: free hair bow instructions :::

Labels: crafts, free hair bow instructions, hair bow instructions, hairbows

Ok, so I know the three I lugged up three flights of stairs this afternoon is not the biggest in the whole world, but when you look at in in context of my teensy apartment, it's pretty massive.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I flounced down to the corner lot to look at trees. Maybe outside under the sky they just all looked so small. I passed tree after tree and imagines how silly it would look in my apartment. I wondered who would take these little things home and weigh them down with lights and balls. I pondered how one tree seller could come by so many midget trees. And, in the end I chose the biggest tree on the log. I felt like it would sure sit nice in the corner of my living room.

I should have got a clue while struggling to fit the tree up my stairwell. I blocked up traffic while it was in transit. Nobody was able to get past. I tugged and pulled. I even recruited neighbors to help me out. Embarrassingly enough, that actor from one of the Law & Order shows that lives in my building who I have been dying to meet in some natural and charming conversational setting was trying to use the stairs during this ordeal and got recruited. I will never live down meeting his this way.

Now I am sitting in my apartment with my tree. it takes up MOST of my living room and I had to saw off a good two feet from the bottom to get the things to stand without looking like an upside-down L in the room. Thank goodness my weirdo next door neighbor owns a saw. A big saw. A sharp saw. What the heck does he even need a saw for??

Years and years worth of collected lights, decorations and garland would more than smother most Christmas trees. But not mine. Oh no, not mine. I have the front sparsely decorated and am leaving the wall side blank, because I am in no mood to go buy more decorations tonight.

I won't be forgetting this particular Christmas tree.

Labels: apartment living, Christmas tree

There is the most amazing online literary magazine for kids out there called Dragonfly Spirit. Their main concept is: "Dragonflies are the symbol of magic and creativity, and that's what we're all about." And, I have to admit this is indeed one of the most imaginative ventures out there for children. It is well-run and has such a great mix of pieces that will capture the minds of children of various ages. I'm inspired.

Maybe one day I'll have the time to do something similar.

http://www.dragonflyspirit.com/

Labels: literary magazines, writing for children

A college-educated writer usually flaots through school thinking they have the world at their fingertips and exciting job in their near-future. In actuality, finding a very cool writing job can be as difficult as a Panda having a successful conception and live birth. Seriously.

I'm lucky to have a new job that I still like after a month. The pay is terrible and the benefits are imaginary, but I'm young and the position allows me a great deal of creativity. So, for now it is a good thing.

But, I found a pretty cool website that lists open writing and editing jobs. It's not the end-all, since the jobs on this site are all over the country, but it's still great to see the jobs all listed together:
http://www.poewar.com/

Simon and I have been spending more and more time together. Sometimes it is kinda date-like in nature. We will get dinner, drinks, play a little footsie under the table.... and end up strolling in the park under the romantic moon holding hands and giggling at the midnight joggers.

But, I know in my most logical of thoughts that this does not actually mean he sees me as anything but Linley-the-galpal. Like I mentioned before, he tends to have his pick of the ladies, ... and the men. Ahem.

And, to make it all the more confusing, he showed up to pick me up for our date tonight wearing a smashing LBD. Yes, I said it. And LBD -- Little Black Dress. And stiletto boots. And that new MAC lipstick shade that everyone is raving about, but you cannot find in the stores yet. He wouldn't reveal his secret source and he wouldn't share, either. And despite ebing dressed in a slinky dress and smelling like a $900 bottle of perfume, he still opened doors for me and held out my chair. He ordered the wine and held my hand and flattered me about my hair. He was, as always, the perfect date.

Except, he looked prettier than I did .

Labels: drag queens, lipstick, little black dress, MAC, perfect date, wine

I'm taking a tour of the neighborhood tonight with my friend, Simon. Simon is a very good date for the average single gal about town. He is 6'4", built like an Olympic swimmer, butterscotch blonde and teal-eyed. He dresses like a dream and always uses the good manners his Southern-belle mamma taught him growing up in the wilds of Savannah.

He also likes to show up for a date dressed in drag sometimes. He never lets me know ahead of time. It makes the night all the more exciting :) One might assume Simon is gay. Heck, I assumed he was gay when I met him in knitting class a couple of years back. He was dressed head to toe in silky Channel and wafting a cloud of No 5 to boot. None the less, Simon is one of those rare birds who honest-to-God has no idea which way he wants to ride the horse, so he opts not to sleep around and dates whoever catches his eye. He's had some fashion-model girlfriends and at least one to-die-for boyfriend in the last year. He's also my semi-regular Friday night date and possibly my best friend.

So, we have plans to head out in about an hour and hoof it around the neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights. It's a virtual wonderland around here and I think it's high time for me to get into the holiday spirit. I've been a tad reluctant to play the part ever since this new job has had me jumping through regular hoops and often in the office until midnight. That, and the lack of a boyfriend to enjoy the holidays with this year. I'm not really the kind of girl who needs a man to feel complete, but you have to admit that the Christmas marketing blitz lays a pretty heavy hand on the concept of family and romance.

Labels: Channel, christmas, drag queens, Savannah