book poem of bukowski titles

you get so

alone

sifting through the madness

for the word, the line, the way

mockingbird wish me luck

betting on

the muse

(Click here to read more of my book poems!)

word of the week

Our Word of the Week

that I added to the fish bowl on my desk

is...

jolt

1. to cause (something or someone) to move in a quick and sudden way.
2. to move with a quick and sudden motion.  3. to surprise or shock (someone)

(I remember drinking Jolt soda when I was a kid.  Considering how much caffeine it had, definition #1 makes perfect sense.)

how to organize your work

This link was sent to me by author, Les Plesko.
I love every single thing about it.

"As I was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Glimpses of Beauty"
by Jonas Mekas

dostoyevsky and colorscope

NAME: Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky

OCCUPATION: Novelist, short story writer,essayist

NOTABLE WORK: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov

BIRTH: Moscow, November 11, 1821

WRITING STYLE: Dostoyevsky displayed a nuanced understanding of human psychology in his major works. He created an opus of vitality and almost hypnotic power, characterized by feverishly dramatized scenes where his characters are frequently in scandalous and explosive atmospheres, passionately engaged in Socratic dialogues. The quest for God, the problem of evil and suffering of the innocents haunt the majority of his novels.

IMPACT: James Joyce and Virginia Woolf praised his prose. Ernest Hemingway cited Dostoyevsky as a major influence on his work.

COLORSCOPE: Click here to view.

shoe size

This artwork was created on a steel box at the top of my street. After reading, I thought: Can't I act my shoe size every once in a while? 

(I wear a seven and a half.)

word of the week

Our Word of the Week

that I added to the fish bowl on my desk

is...

bibliophile

1. a person who loves or collects books

i love books

It's the most satisfying feeling to make your way through a hefty book as your hands creep closer to the back cover.

Photo via Pinterest.

little lion

This picture made me laugh out loud.  I have a feeling my cat has a similar experience with mirrors.  Click here to see Calvin in a previous post called "picture time".

Photo via Pinterest.

word of the week

Our Word of the Week

that I added to the fish bowl on my desk

is...

amen

1. used at the end of a prayer  2. used to express agreement or approval

picture time

My very talented sister, Miranda Maxwell,

took this shot for my website.  

While we were taking the picture, Calvin joined us.

He's a cat who seems to love cameras!

tim burton

Last night, I went to see the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA and I absolutely loved his work.  Many of his drawings have a wonderful sense of humor.  One of my favorites (shown above) is a print of "Romeo and Juliet".

The exhibit also presented framed lists written by Mr. Burton when he was a teenager.  For example, there was a list of some of his favorite horror films and a list about dirty jokes.  And I loved this drawing and poem (shown below) of a "melancholy melon head".  Click here to view more of Tim Burton's poetry and art.

The Tim Burton exhibit challenged me to think about writing.  Burton is an artist who connects deeply to the memory of his childhood and where he grew up.  As a writer, I feel inspired to remember who I was as a kid and use this as a source for my work.

(Sources: #1 tbcollectivenews, #2 dd.dynamicdiagrams)

word of the week

Our Word of the Week

that I added to the fish bowl on my desk

is

pescatarian

1. one whose diet includes fish but no meat

steve jobs

A Few Things I Did Not Know About Steve Jobs

1. He was a pescatarian.
2. His sister is author Mona Simpson.
3. His astrological sign is Pisces.
4. His Colorscope looks like this:
    (Click here to view Alix's blog.)

5. When asked about his model for business on 60 minutes, Steve Jobs replied:

"My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people." (Click here to view the Colorscopes of The Beatles.)

6. I really like what Steven Speilburg had to say about Steve Jobs after he heard the news of his passing.

"Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips."

(Sources: Yahoo, Wikipedia, Colorscope.)

vermont

Many years ago, my dad lived in Stowe, Vermont and my sister and I would stay with him on the weekends.  His house was a tiny red cabin tucked in the woods.  We called it "The Mouse House". 

This past week, I've been researching Vermont.  It has been over a decade since I visited and I wanted to spark my memory.  Here's a map I found that reminded me of the long drive we'd take every Friday from Rhode Island.

And here is a painting of Vermont that I really like.  Fall looked just like this.

I also found a great list of people from Vermont.  Some of my favorites:  John Irving (author), Melissa Leo (actress), John Deere (inventor of the steel plow), Carlton Fisk (Major League Baseball Hall of Fame catcher), Robert Frost (poet), David Mamet (playwright), and Joe Perry (lead guitarist for Aerosmith).  Click here to view the complete list.

Is there a place that you haven't thought about in a long time? I'd love to know where it is!

Map via map-of-usa.
Painting via caulfieldartgallery.

the hundred dresses

Our Book of the Month is

"The Hundred Dresses"

By Louis Slobodkin

Synopsis from Goodreads: Wanda wore the same faded blue dress to school every day. It was always clean but sometimes it looked as though it had been washed and never ironed. Peggy started the game of the dresses when suddenly one day Wanda said, ' I have a hundred dresses at home--all lined up in my closet.' After that it was fun to stop Wanda on the way to school and ask, 'How many dresses did you say you have?' ' A hundred, ' she would answer.

What I think:  "The Hundred Dresses" is a lovely little story about kindness and generosity.  The ending took me by complete surprise and Wanda is a character who stayed with me long after I finished the book.  (Wanda is also terrific example of our Word of the Week, inventive.  Click here to see definition.)