There's a lot of books that I love.  That I'll read time and time again.  That decorate my bookshelves and my thoughts. 

But it's only once every few years that a book comes along that really changes me, that I have an intense personal experience with, that truly helps me wrestle with some of my personal issues, and truly becomes what Kenneth Burke has called "equipment for living."  Carrie Jones' book, Girl, Hero, is one of those books that really spoke to me, to my fears and my struggles.  

I have two major fears, things that I struggle with:

1.  Fear of being alone.

2.  Fear of failure. 

(Side note: Ever since Harry Potter 3, I've always wondered what these fears would appear as if I met a boggart....)

Both of these fears really solidified in high school.  About halfway through my senior year I found myself alone--because of diverging choices, I found that most of my friends had drifted away, that I no longer had people to talk to in the halls or do things with on the weekend.  At the end of my senior year I also had an academic goal, something I really, really wanted and had spent long hours working for, something I did not achieve by a mere fraction of a percent.  Both of these things really hurt, hurt so much that it was half-way through my freshman year of college that I started to heal from them.  

Both of these fears still haunt me today.  Partly because I'm a people person and grew up with five younger siblings, and partly because of my fear of being alone, I get really lonely and stressed out if I go more than four or five hours without at least talking to someone.  (Does this make it harder to write?  Yes....)  Sometimes I'm also afraid to set lofty goals, to try really hard at things (like my writing) simply because I know that if I fail it will really hurt. 

So on Monday I checked out carriejones' Girl, Hero from the library. 



I was planning on just reading a few chapters and going to bed.  But I found myself really hooked by the characters and by the honesty of the storytelling. 

While the main character, Liliana, has to deal with a lot of things (like domestic violence, for example) that I've never had to deal with, she really spoke to me personally.  Here on the pages I found a kindred spirit. Someone who struggles with her identity and wants to be more than just a girl, wants to also be a hero for herself and others but doesn't always know how, or is sometimes too afraid of what she might have to do to be that hero. 

Liliana writes letters to the dead John Wayne, and through doing so discovers that while she's just a normal girl, she can also be a hero. 

Reading Girl, Hero did more than just inspire me.  It made me look deeply at my fears, at the things I let hold me back.  It helped me realize that while I can't just make my fears go away, I can deal with them.  And it helped me realize that being that hero, that girl that I want to be, is worth the effort, worth the challenge.  

What books have really spoken to you personally?  What stories or characters have truly changed you?  I would love to hear about it. 

For Enrichment (an LDS church woman's group that does fun activities) on Tuesday we did a Summer Recipe Exchange.  We were supposed to bring something that was no-bake, but the problem is I couldn't think of anything that was no-bake.  

So I settled on extremely easy recipe, even though it requires a tiny bit of baking: 

     
The picture on the right is my husband, about to devour his fancy cake cookie, made by yours truly. 

Yes, you heard me.  It's a cake cookie--made from a cake mix. 

You take a cake mix (I used white cake this time) and mix in 1 egg and 1/3 cup vegetable oil.  You form the cookies, bake them for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees, and presto, they're done!  Then my husband--who was the creative genius of Tuesday--recommended that I flatten the cookies with a spatula, add frosting and half a maraschino cherry on top.  They look fancy, taste amazing, and are still pretty easy. 



If I had used blue frosting, I bet they would have looked festive.  Next time!  Another type of cake cookie that's really good is using spice cake mix--the cookies taste like ginger snaps. 

For other good news, I officially survived student conferences.  Two full days of reading and commenting on papers, meeting with students, not to mention still having to teach.  I was a zombie last night, but this morning I feel like I have recovered.  I did like what I did this time -- I did group conferences with groups of 3, and each student had to come up with two things they really liked and two improvement recommendations for their peers papers.  It ended up a lot more like a mini-workshop than a normal student conference, and it worked really well. 

A poem I read today on writing that I really liked:

I will tell you something about stories
They aren't just entertainment.
Don't be fooled.
They are all we have, you see,
All we have to fight off
illness and death. 

-Leslie Marmon Silko

Last Thursday my husband and I were given gourmet cupcakes from Cupcake Chic.  I certainly enjoyed having a piece of both of them:
L-R: Red velvet, lemon

I also had a Neapolitan one.  Half the cupcake was chocolate, half was vanilla, and the frosting was strawberry. 

I love really tasty food that is also pretty. 

Friday night I went to an awesome Writer's Girl's Night in SLC.  It's really invigorating to spend time with people you can automatically connect with and talk to endlessly.  If you're interested, the next is July 17th in SLC. 

Yesterday was the first day of a new semester.  I really like my students, but the first day of teaching is always somewhat stressful and really tiring.  I've started them blogging again, and on my New Media Classroom site I've posted some things that went well and some things that went not so well for incorporating new media in the classroom. 

That's all the odds and ends for today.... I can't think of anything else. 

Life updates -- I've been:

Singin' -- Last night I went to a performance of Singin' in the Rain, which I'd never seen before.  It was a blast.  The coolest part was that they made it rain during the title song--so the actor was really singin' and dancin' in the rain, twirling around with an umbrella.  And I was really excited, because even though I was on the fifth row, I got wet because the actor started kicking the water around the room at the end of the song.  Pretty awesome.  :-)

Playin' -- My 18 year old brother has spent the last week with us, before they let him into his housing at BYU.  So it's been a lot of fun--hanging out with him, helping him get his books and buy other stuff, watching movies, playing games.  I haven't gotten good quality one-on-one time with this brother since I left for college, so it's been really fun. 

Hikin' -- BYU is right next to a mountain, which has a giant Y which they placed half-way up it.  This afternoon me and my brother hiked to it.  Second time I've hiked it in a month--it's not too long, but it's fun. 

Writin' -- Turned in my final paper for my rhetoric seminar today, and I think it turned out well.  Have also been working on my WIP, which is probably why it's called a WIP. 

I'm singin', just singin' in the rain!!!

There are days when I hate writing.  Today is one of those days.  Today is also a day when I absolutely must write a draft of an 8 page essay for my class "Religious Rhetoric in America." 

Right now, I am feeling disillusioned about the thesis-driven critical essay.  There's too much hype about having a thesis at the beginning of your essay, about stating a clear outline for your paper and then following it.  Where's the adventure?  Where's the fun?  Where's the sense of discovery as you read?  Today I feel like meandering, like exploring, and maybe including a thesis at the end of the essay path.  Just maybe. 

But unluckily, that's not the genre. 

My other problem--writing can be agonizing.  I have all these great ideas in my head, but today I'm really struggling to form them into coherent words and sentences. 

That's it.  I'm going to campus and not letting myself leave the library until I succeed at writing 8 pages. 

The past few days in a nutshell: 

I managed to turn Friday into a successful "just for me day."  I restrung my guitar and had fun reminding myself of all the chords I've forgotten.  I also made headway on my WIP.  Part of what I worked on was a synopsis--I'm changing some major plot/setting elements that are really helping to pull the overall story together.  I also bought a cool connected-notecard thing that I'm doing character and location sketches on, which is really helping me. (I have no idea how to describe it--I'll take a picture of it in a few days).  Maybe next week I'll have something readable for Teaser Tuesday--none of my current 10,000 words are interpretable by anyone but me.  

Saturday we attended the wedding reception of one of my husband's friends from high school.  What's strange for me is that of all my high school friends, only me and one other are married, where about half my husband's high school friends are.  In large part it's a cultural thing, but it's still strange to me. 

Sunday was my brother-in-law's birthday, so we spent the day in Sandy with my in-laws.  I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I feel very blessed to really love my in-laws and get along with them well, so as always, it was fun.  I also got to practice my amazing get-out-stains skills.  My bro-in-law's girlfriend, while cleaning up after cake, managed to spill juicy raspberries all over her white dress.  And my husband said, "my wife can get it out!"  (I thought it was cool his immediate thought was that I was the amazing problem-solver.) And with me + dish soap + frigidly cold water + 15 minutes of scrubbing the worst spot with my fingernail I managed to get all the raspberry juice off.  My mother-in-law said she would've used hot water, which would only have set the raspberry juice in the dress.  Basically, I'm amazing, and there's a spotless white dress to prove it. 

Monday was a do homework-at-home and watch the rain day.  I didn't leave our apartment until 5:15 p.m., and while on a daily basis staying inside a two-bedroom apartment would probably drive me crazy, it was a good day for it. 

Things I'm thankful for today:

1.  Reminders that I'm not as incompetent at managing the practical side of my life as I sometimes think--this afternoon I managed to run a number of complicated errands today, and didn't ruin things like I sometimes do.  Sometimes I feel rather stupid, that I can analyze Nietzsche and yet not do something like figure out how to put gas in the car (which happened a few weeks ago.......the gas station required me to flip an extra switch and I could only figure it out after sobbing on the phone to my husband). 

2.  That I have people that love me and care about me very much.  Sadly, it's sometimes easy to forget what a blessing that is.  But having that makes a world of difference. 

3.  The world of stories.  That let me get lost in them for a little while, letting me live dreams that aren't mine. 

4.  Bananas and cheese.  I eat about a bunch of bananas every week, and I suspect I don't have potassium deficiency.  And I eat cheese, well, any chance I can get.  I've eaten both in the last hour. 

5.  Technology and how it creates community and communication.  I love my daily time with livejournal friends.  :-) 

1.  I've started a website for research I'm doing in conjunction with my Masters thesis.  My thought was -- I'm doing all this research, all this work, that no one will EVER read.  And if I manage to get my article published in a scholarly journal, I'll have probably max 10 people read it.  And so I decided to put my research, my thoughts, my process, on a website devoted specifically to that.  My website is called New Media Classroom.  And if at least 20 people visit the website, I will be happy.  I've just posted a video I made - What is New Media?   If you have three minutes, you should check it out.  If only for amusement value. 

2.  I'm going to make sure that despite the busyness inherent in working on a Masters thesis, I will make sure I still spend time working on things that are important to me.  Particularly writing.  I have set aside Friday as a Kathy day.  And there are three things I'm going to do -- my WIP (which is at the point where it needs some hard-core figure out the details work), Chinese brush painting, and put new strings on my guitar.  No school work whatsoever, and no going to campus.

3. Last July I posted on my husband being called to a singles ward bishopric.  Basically, the LDS (Mormon) church has some wards (congregations done by area) specifically for unmarried college students, and my husband was asked to be in the leadership for it.  I ended up doing a fair number of things for the ward as well, like teaching Marriage Prep for Sunday School.  On Sunday we were officially released--which means we have no callings/obligations/responsibilities and it's back to our normal ward.  I'm getting adjusted to the idea of being released, but I'm really going to miss being in that ward.  I made a lot of friends, and felt like I was really able to make a difference in people's lives.  The first few months were super hard, but I really feel like I was given so many more blessings for my time than the effort I put into it.

This week, for Friday Five, I'm choosing to highlight just one thing I did each day. 

Monday: Saw a friend visiting from Oregon.  Before I knew it, five hours had passed.  I would spend a day with a friend anytime, just so you know.  :-)

Tuesday: Group presentation on the use of religious rhetoric in the embryonic stem cell research debate.  We did well, and managed to show a clip from Star Wars (which is the goal of every presentation, right?).  Did you know that Star Wars is for cloning but opposed to stem cell research?  See episode 2 -- amazing clone factory, but do they use stem cell research to make Anakin a new arm?  No, he gets a machine arm.  The counter example was the last 5 minutes of 24 this week, where stem cell research is definitely endorsed.   

Wednesday: Went to Dairy Queen and got a butterfinger blizzard! 

Thursday: Spent more time on my winkflash photo book that I'm making for my two year anniversary (next Tuesday!).  I finished putting in pictures from our honeymoon.  :-)

Friday: If I have to put something I have done, the only thing I've done so far is wake up, get dressed, and eaten a yogurt.  But for something I will do today?  My friend is defending her thesis, so I'll be going to that this afternoon, both to support her and to know what I'm up against in less than a year. 

A few months ago I posted on gaining positive evidence about my library conspiracy theory.  And yes, they sort of lost another book since then, but it turned out that they just decided to check one book in over 4 days after they checked in all the others that I turned in at the same time. 

This is a completely different conspiracy-- but also from the library.  This one is about the new library web page. 

Last Friday they switched the library web page to this new "higher tech" system... with lots of extra functions.  You can customize "My Library," add favorite searches, type in notes and access them from other computers, etc. 

It also has something called an E-SHELF. 

(Image from http://www.spada.co.uk/2008/10/)

But back to that in a moment. 

On Friday I was extremely frustrated--I couldn't find anything, couldn't figure out where the basic functions I also use were hiding, and almost vented my rage with a very mean email that luckily I decided not to send.  I did send to other emails though with specific questions, asked politely. 

By Monday I had started to warm up to the library page, because I was discovering some of it's cool functions, like the e-shelf, which allows you to save your searches, save books your interested in, tag items, write notes on books, and organize all your books into folders and sub-folders.  I thought, "wow, that is cool."  I also thought, "I am doing a thesis on new media.  Maybe I should actually use new media."  I spent several thrilling hours savoring technology and its blessings. 

Tuesday morning I added more books to my e-shelf.  A few hours later, I logged on to my e-shelf only to discover that everything on it was gone!  Vanished!  Disappeared!

I sent a lengthy email to the library web page tech people. 

The reply -- some things I might have done wrong, including the statement:

"I am very concerned about your experience with the eshelf."

Quite reassuring.  I sent back screen shots and explanations that made me rather sure I had been using the e-shelf correctly. 

And now, for the best email of them all.  His response back to me this morning: 

Further investigation into your problem led us to discover that right now, people with the same first name are sharing the same eshelf.  It is possible that someone else with a first name of Kathy created an eshelf, wondered what all that stuff was and deleted it for you.  I don’t know this was the case, but it can happen.  We are working to resolve that problem asap.  In the meantime, you might not want to spend too much time with your eshelf.  I’ll keep you posted.  (bold added)

Who creates a program that only does one e-shelf for each first name, at a university with over 30,000 students?  And why am I the one that had to help the library discover this problem? 

Why me?  Whoever is behind this conspiracy, come out, come out, where ever you are!

Yes, I will be cool (not a familiar feeling) by joining a team for the Shiver contest. 

Go team Raving Pen! 

If you want to join our team, click here for details.  Basically, you'll post a blip about the contest--which is cool, who doesn't want to win?--and then post a comment, saying which team you're on and giving a link to your post, on Maggie Stiefvater's blog. 

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

The current story I'm working on requires a lot of world building.  It's a (somewhat historical) fantasy set in a place rather similar to Athens.  There's a mysterious oracle, an accidental engagement, a kidnapping, and some intrigue.  That's all the teaser you can have at this point. 

Right now I'm doing an exploratory draft, focusing on world building.  The way I see it, world building is like a matryoshka doll.


The outer doll--the largest one, resides at the full-world level.  This includes big picture geography and a history of the civilization in general.  Was there an important flood 200 years ago?  You gotta know. 

The next doll is at the national level.  She includes an understanding of the current system and government, how cities and nations interact with each other, what the major current conflicts are.  This also includes the current mythology/belief system. 

The middle doll represents the community level of world building.  This is larger than just the main characters, but not by much.  It's the communities (and their members) that the main characters engage with on a regular basis.  This also includes specific community rituals. 


The second-to-smallest doll is at the main-character level.  These are the handful of characters that we spend most of our time with.  This includes their pasts, their presents, and their futures, their wants and needs, their character traits.  And, of course, the character-centric story that we follow them through.  While this may be where most the reader's time is spent, this doll by herself is incomplete, because she must interact with all the other dolls. 


And finally, the smallest doll, representing the particular-detail level of world building.  This is the spice, the details that help the world come alive.  What is the shape of the leaves on the trees?  How are the characters' books bound together?  What color are the city's flags?  These things often end up having major effects on the plot--the way the sun shines may change a character's decision, and the hole in the shoe will surely have important consequences. 

If you've crafted the world right, then the dolls will fit together.  This is important, especially in fantasy, because no story takes place in a vacuum.  (True, space is a vacuum...but I wasn't talking about a physical vacuum.)  If we believe the world, then we will believe the characters' stories, and their stories will matter to us. 

In my WIP, I'm starting to be able to see all five levels of the matryoshka doll.  Before, I had my characters and part of their hopes and motivations, and a glimpse of the plot, but now I'm starting to get the big picture, seeing how they relate to their communities and nations, starting to envision the details that anchor the world.  In turn, my characters are also developing further as I understand the world.  The plot is becoming richer, and while I couldn't assemble a matryoshka doll from it right now, I will be able to in a few weeks.  And so while the 10,000 words I've written in the past four weeks are incoherent, switch perspectives and character names, include fragments, run-ons, and even questions to myself, I'm alright with it because I'm world building and I can see that the world is starting to come together.  

How do you go about your world building?  Are you able to plan it out in advance?  Or do you figure out the world as you go? 

(Note: this is my matryoshka doll that I bought in St. Petersburg for 8 Euros.  Like it?  I also have one from Finland, but she wasn't feeling very photogenic.)

Once upon a time (in January if I must be more exact) I posted pictures of my first afghan.  That took me 10 years or so agonizing years to complete. 

But good news--I now know what it takes to finish an afghan.  Leave the crochet supplies next to the couch, and when watching a movie or the news, crochet for a few minutes. 

And guess what--with this new method, I completed my second afghan, in just over 3 months.  I feel amazing. 



It's a baby afghan.  My husband thinks it would work for a boy or for a girl, but there's too much pink, so it will definitely have to be for a baby girl. 

I used four types of thread for the squares, and then just arranged the four types of squares diagonally.  Here's a detail pic:


I must admit--I'm rather proud of myself.  It's nice to create something and then be able to hold it and feel it and look at it and be able to genuinely say, "Wow, I really can create something worthwhile, something beautiful, something meaningful."  I've also realized that crocheting is a very soothing activity for me, and anything I can do to relieve stress is well worth my efforts. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________
And now for life updates, beyond the afghan.  Last night I went for the second time to a pilates class.  I am going to be strong and not feel like a wimp.  To be honest, it's really the not feeling like an out-of shape wimp that's motivating me.  So the sore muscles--all over the place, including awkward places--seems like a good sign. And the fun thing is my husband decided to do pilates with me, because he's trying to lose weight, and pilates is probably the first physical activity that I'm better than him at.  Actually, make that second.  I'm better at swimming too.  I won't list the physical activities that he's better at...it would be a long list that would even include things like opening jars and not running into walls. 

I just discovered the formula to give me an instant headache in less than five minutes, on a day when I've drank plenty of water, done nothing strenuous, and eaten healthy food. 

1.  Randomly skip half an sentence in an email from several weeks ago, and due to skipping the line, don't email a response, assuming that it's only if I wanted a tuition benefit for THESIS HOURS that I had to respond, and not also IF I WAS TAKING ANY CLASSES over the summer.  
2.  Assume that the reason the scholarship/tuition benefit hasn't should up on my financial account is the same reason that everyone else's scholarship hasn't showed up--the system is being slow and it will show up soon.  (Everyone in the English MA receives a tuition benefit, because of some kind donor.) 
3.  Email the department secretary in frustration, and find out that my case is different than everyone else's, because of previously mentioned lack of email response on my part. 
4.  Find out that there's a chance I will still get the tuition benefit, but that because I didn't send that email weeks ago, I may not be able to. 
5.  Realize that $750 is an awful lot to pay for a 10 second reading mistake, and hope that in the next few hours I find out good news, while knowing very well that good news may not be possible. 

Fierce headache will appear within 5 minutes. 

Addendum (from 7 hours later): The department secretary is amazing and managed to make it so I still get the tuition benefit.  I am totally buying her chocolate!

1.  I am thankful that I am officially done with semester (grades submitted and everything), and that today and tomorrow are completely dedicated to rejuvenating myself.  Bliss!

2.  I am thankful that it is always possible to create new goals and do better at doing the things that matter to me.  I've been thinking about that a lot this past week.  Things I've failed at--some fitness goals, some writing goals, along with a number of other things.  But I'm signing up for an aerobics class (only $38 for 2 times a week for 3 months) and doing other things that will help me meet my goals. 

3.  I am thankful that disappointments, failures, and self-doubt can be conquered!  I may not have vanquished them entirely, but the last few days I feel like I've been able to put things in perspective.  

4.  I am thankful that the local newspaper, the Daily Herald, actually decided to publish the letter to the editor I sent in.  My voice does matter!  Democracy does work!  And the online version has had over 140 views already.  The paper declares "Voter Disappointed", which is a fair statement. 

5.  I am thankful for spring.  It is so beautiful outside.  This afternoon I am going to take a walk to a park about a mile away and work on my writing there.  And in regards to my WIP, I wrote almost 5000 words in the past week.  I'm into a rhythm!

Book binging: a reading disorder in which an individual reads an entire series or the entire works of an author in dangerously short period of time, resulting in dazed expressions, feelings of vacant emptiness, anxiety if the rest of the series is not available at the library, and a challenge anytime you want to read but not binge on books. 

I must admit, I am often a book binger.  Sometimes I will go back and binge on a well loved series.  Sometimes it will be an author I've just started reading. 

Here's a few authors I've book binged on in the past year:
-Maria Snyder (awesome Poison Study series, if you're looking for something to read!)
-Trudi Canavan
-Shannon Hale
-Scott Westerfeld
-Stephenie Meyer
-Orson Scott Card
-J.K. Rowling

Hmmm... a trend, I tend to binge on sci-fi/fantasy.  Maybe I should avoid that genre to get out of this binging habit. 

The end of last week I was exhausted with the semester coming to a close, so I went to the library to check out a book to read for a few hours.  And in a library that is in the top 5 university libraries in the United States, I could not find a book I could spend a few hours with.  It was frustrating, and I think a combination result of stress and my book binging habit. 

I WILL NOT BOOK BINGE.  

-I have four individual books, that are not part of series, on my shelf that I got for my birthday and haven't yet read.  I will read those. 
-I checked out two other non-series books from the library. 
-I will spend time savoring books but will not binge.  If I do read a series, I will remember that I will get so much more enjoyment out of the series if I do not binge on it.  

Any suggestions on books I could read and enjoy, but might be less likely to get into a book binge with? 

5 reasons why grading term pages is hard:

1. If each of my students writes 8-10 pages for their final paper, and I have 17 students, that’s 136-170 pages to read and comment on.  I typically write at least 3 comments per paper.  Then, I fill out the grading rubric. 

2. By the end of the semester, I know my students too well not to have an image of them pop into my head while I’m grading their paper.  When I'm grading one paper, I know my student is a pre-nursing major, and that if she doesn't get an A in my class she probably won't get into the program.  I know another student is the first in his family to go to college, that his family is sacrificing for him to be here, and that his grades are important to him.  I know another student failed this class last semester for plagiarism, and is having to retake it.  I know that I saw fresh-looking slashes on one of my student's wrists just a few weeks ago.  I know that some students have put hours into this paper, and others have put in the bare minimum.  But regardless of any of the things I know, I'm still required to grade on the finished product.  The later it is in the semester, the harder it is emotionally to do.  

3. I project the way I have already felt about grades, success, and achievement onto my students.  They're freshmen in college, and it's hard knowing that their grades in freshmen English both really matter and don’t really matter. 

4. Some things that students do well and do poorly on are a reflection of my teaching that I've done throughout the semester--but others are not. When I've conferenced with students on papers, taught things that almost all other students have applied, and given specific directions, it's not my poor teaching ability that causes students to do poorly.  But it's still easy to feel that way.   

5. Grading is mentally and emotionally exhausting.  I just finished grading (hurray!), so now recovery time is needed.  (And maybe chocolate - I like chocolate.)

I just read George Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language."  You can read it here if you like. 

It was a refreshing reminder to me of both why I write, and conscious choices I can make to improve my writing.

Orwell explains that the English language becomes "ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."  Great writing helps us be better thinkers, and in turn helps us produce better writing.  By becoming better thinkers about writing, we can also become better writers.  Writing then becomes a fight against the degrading of language and thought.  Language is a beautiful thing, a powerful thing. 

Orwell gives six questions that a writer should ask for every sentence that is put on the page.  If I asked this of every single sentence, it would be rather time consuming, but definitely help me improve my writing. 

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
5. Could I put it more shortly?
6. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

Later in the essay, Orwell gives six rules that remind me that writing never was easy (or at least, easy writing never was very good). 

1.  Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2.  Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3.  If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4.  Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5.  Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6.  Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

I must admit, the last one is my favorite.  It makes me want to sing a song with a chorus that goes something like, "I will not say anything outright barbarous, I will not say anything outright barbarous, I will not say anything outright barbarous, so someone help me please!" 

Guess what!  I got a new laptop.  Well, it's new, but I never had a laptop to begin with, so it's also my first laptop ever. 

My husband had bought himself the laptop to help him at his new job, but then they gave him a laptop to use, so now this laptop is mine to use for school. 

It's only 2 pounds.  Just my size of laptop. 

My laptop next to a hardcover book I'm reading:



My laptop trying to hide (and mostly succeeding) under the book I'm reading:



And perhaps the coolest discovery--my laptop fits in my purse!  (And I don't even have one of those ginormous purses--it's normal sized.)



I feel very spoiled at this moment.  And it's really fun to be able to use a computer wherever I go. 

Edit:  It's the Samsung NC10, by the way. 

Once upon a time, after the last time I posted (2 weeks ago) I was compelled to take a journey to the edge of the world.  I didn't plan on taking it, I just simply found myself there, swamped in tasks, covered with busyness, jumping from one thing to another. 

Here's what my journey to the edge of the world looked like, more or less:


I would tell you all about the edge of the world, but the only reason that the edge of the world doesn't get flooded with tourists is if details were revealed people would visit just for the novelty. 

But now I'm back.  I look forward to reading all the posts I've missed and (maybe?) having time to do some writing. 

And one exciting update: My husband got a job!  A real job (not a temp) and it started Monday and he's doing internet marketing and we feel so blessed.  Especially with this economy--we are extremely lucky that he got a job.