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100 word challenge guest post by Matt Lacey

Dec 15th, 2009 by

Slipping Up in Life

by Matt Lacey

Staring up at the cracked plaster and the naked, orange glowing light
bulb, Wilbur wondered how the events of his life had brought him to
this exact moment. That is to say he pondered the course of the last
ten years or so, not the last few minutes – which had merely involved
waking, tripping, yawning, falling and walking, though not in that
precise order.

All in all he decided, life had been kind; it wasn’t all smooth
sailing, a fact his head would currently attest to, but on the whole
he was happy, healthy, and above all, no longer lonely.

===========

 

 

 

 

 

The 100 word challenge is being run, or being done, by several twitter pals I know.

 It’s a fair bit tougher than it looks! Have a go…it’s a great writing challenge!

Thanks Matt for sharing this with us…

Are you sure that this is your very first piece of fiction??   Kudos!

For more info on the 100 word challenge… follow these people on twitter or the links to their web pages:

@Quadelle   http://www.quadelle.com/2009/12/hundred-word-story-escape/

@Velvetverbosity  http://velvetverbosity.com/100-words/   (Velvet’s whole being/blog wraps deliciously around 100 words! Check her out! I’ve even interviewed her using only 100 words… )

@Slouchy  http://www.slouchingmom.com/2009/12/hundred-word-story-staying-course.html

 

Have fun with the challenge and be sure to let me know if you have a go!

 

Posted in 100 word challenge | 5 Comments »

the five senses of travel

Dec 8th, 2009 by

I was recently interviewed by Rizado for Neil Kramer’s Great Interview Experiment 2009.

Rizado posed this question to me,

“Name your top five foreign locales that everyone should visit?”

Whittling down the list of amazing places that I have visited – to just five… became a battle of the senses…

 
 
 
 
Travelling to satisfy your five senses
 
 
Sight
Beijing, China
Beijing is for me the ultimate in contradictions, it’s all high-tech lightning speed, nestled beside ancient hutongs and revolutionary scars.
It’s all about the sights.
The bustle of humanity, the snaking Great Wall, the immensity of the soul-breaking Tiananmen Square and the most delicious of them all, The Forbidden City- home to the Dynastic Emperors and their hundreds of Empresses and Consorts and Concubines and a mind boggling array of offspring. The grounds of which are now visited by Chinese tourist families, who sightsee the magnificent ancient ways of privilege and excess, holding the hands of their single children tightly.
 
 
 
Touch
Pentecoste Island, Vanuatu
Every year the local men of this island village perform an amazingly-scary ritual called N’gol or Land Diving,  jumping head first from hand built scaffolds miles in the sky. And between them and death is their Gods and a single ropy green vine.
But this is not what will touch you in Pentecoste.
As we snorkeled the azure waters pointing in delight at extraordinarily coloured corals and fish, my daughter met a smiling and happy island girl on the soft sands of the beach.  And by the very nature of little girls there was no shyness or awkwardness over language barriers, there was just an immediate friendship.
They showed each other their bags.
My daughter had her DS and ipod and lollies and toys and other girly treasures.
The smiling and happy island girl had a shell and the stub of an old grey-lead pencil.
It was a lesson in the material nature of happiness given to my daughter, like a gift wrapped in banana leaves, that touched all of our hearts.
 
 
Taste
Rome, Italy
In Rome I was taken to a restaurant that screamed so badly of cliché it almost made my eyeballs bleed red, white and green.
From the expected check of the table cloths right through to the stubs of melted candles stuffed into old bottles of chianti, still in their little straw bikinis.
The waiter seeing that we were foreigners took it upon himself to organize the menu. He said it would be traditional. I wasn’t holding out for too much.
But what followed was a meal that was operatic to the palate.
Simple pane, bread slices drizzled with olive oil, melanzane- vinegared slices of purple skinned eggplant, forkfuls of mushrooms clinging to tomato drenched tagiatelle, tender osso buco scattered with shavings of aged romano cheese and flat leaf parsley, and limone gelato so glacial and lemony-brutal that our lips remained puckered in ecstasy till the following morning.
 
 
Hear
New York City, U.S.A
Good Lawd, the cacophony of New York is the sweetest clang of music to my ears. It’s a heady brilliant scream of conceit, from a goddamn sexy bitch who has every effen right to be conceited.
Traffic and music and words and food and art that’s the hiphop-techno-crunch-folky-rock-ballad of your soul.
And the taxi driver who drives with one hand on his horn and the other waving the bird as he screams out the window at the arsehole who just cut us off.
Don’t worry, no probs, we’re in no hurry! we say wide-eyed-petrified from the back seat.
S’okaaaay the taxi driver sings bringing his head back into the cab,
Relaaaax man!
This is how we do things in New York.
 
 
 
Smell
Melbourne, Australia
On any given summer evening there is a smell that wafts, tantalizingly over the suburban fences of my home town, Melbourne.
Can you smell it? Come stand at the front of my house, yes, right here on the footpath. Lift your nose to the air, breath it in deeply. That’s the inhalation of Australia.
It’s blended gum leaves, fresh cut lawn, and steaks grilling on the bbq. You can almost taste the potato salad and smell the coconuty sunscreen on the children who are running around in their bathers eating sausages in square bread squirted with tomato sauce.
The salty air of the ocean is twenty minutes to one side and dark mossy smells from the foresty mountain ranges are twenty minutes the other way.
And in between, is the brackish upside down river that courses through a city so multicultural that it simply smells of the foods from all nations.

 

You can read the full interview here.

Thank you Rizado… it was fun talking to you about one of my great loves… travel!

Posted in The Great Interview Experiment 2009, Travel | 7 Comments »

endings and beginnings

Nov 30th, 2009 by

In honour of our month of blogging inspired by Mary Schmich’s Commencement Speech of 1997,  Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young  it was decided that a fitting way to end our journey-of-torture-and-pain would be to write our own commencement speech.

(Well… it seemed like a good idea at the time…)

 

So Ladies and Gentlemen,

Forgive me this indulgence,

and

Without further ado… 

I welcome you all,

and offer this Guide to life for graduates.

 

 

Dear class of 2009,

 

Today is not about endings or beginnings.

It is about continuations.

 

From the moment of conception it’s true that you were already the winner of that million to one swimmy-race. Keep striving for success. For aiming low becomes nothing less than a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

Don’t wake up grumpy in the morning. It’s a doleful waste of time and it certainly doesn’t make the coffee taste any sweeter. 

 

Don’t drink and drive. 

Don’t sms and drive, don’t talk on your mobile phone and drive, don’t do your lipgloss and drive, don’t twitter and drive, don’t eat a big mac and drive. 

Do sing and drive. 

 

Speculation is the work-of-the-devil. Think clearly and plan ahead for any eventualities but know that speculating on what other people may or may not do is like trying to catch moon dust with a tennis racket. 

 

Never be afraid to admit when you are wrong.

Never be afraid to reach out a hand for help. 

Always say thank you. 

 

Remember there is very little in this world that is not about advertising. Impartiality on all accounts rarely exists. Deal with it. 

 

When you fall in love allow yourself to free-fall hard. But never fall for anyone who wants to change you.

Unless you have a bad underwear habit that needs amending.

That change is perfectly acceptable. 

 

There’s nothing wrong with men being men and women being women. But there is definitely something wrong with inequality.

 

Note that the universe is a place of synergy. Even the most annoying bug has it’s reason for existing in this chain of life. There is only one thing that does not belong and should be eradicated from this planet.

And that is prejudice. 

 

The voice inside your head is powerful. Tune in and pay attention. 

 

Never forget to enjoy simple pleasures. When you were a child a trip to a park with a sand pit was a delight. As we grow older cynicism controls our excitement meter. Don’t ever forget the wonder of flying through the air on a swing, or the first suck of a shiny red lollipop.

 

Look inside when you are troubled. Rarely will you find the true answers that you seek from any external source.

 

Not everyone you meet on the internet is a freak or a geek or a sexual deviant.

Most are,

but not everyone.

Absorb technology and stay ahead of the latest fads but don’t forget to read books. Real books made from real paper with real spines and real smells. 

 

Flowers die, diamonds are forever. But if you can’t afford diamonds, write a letter.

 

Walk straight, tall and proud. Never hide behind grey clouds when you can be wearing rainbows.

 

Be a traveler not a tourist. Inhale the sights and taste the sounds. Read the Lonely Planet guide from front cover to back, but then leave it at home. 

 

Attitude belongs in a box with all the other remnants from your teenage years. It will have good company with pimples, underage binge drinking and MSN. Pop a lid on it and reminisce about it when you are fifty.

 

When you apologise do it with sincerity or don’t do it at all.

 

Choose items with the least amount of packaging. Buy chicken that has roamed the earth and is hormone free. Grow fresh herbs in your own garden. Take smaller steps in this big world.

 

Till the end of your days keep your brain active. Your hips may fail and your teeth may drop out, but if your mind is alert your life will always be Spring.

 

Perspective is everything. And Dogs are not accessories.

 

Potential unrealised will be the biggest regret of your life. Don’t have regrets.

 

Good Luck Class of 2009.

 

Continue on this path graduates, and try not to allow anything or anyone to interrupt you. 

 

Interruptions may at times happen.

 

But is entirely up to you,

as to whether you stumble over them,

or let them completely halt you.

 

 

Posted in advice, Challenge, November, Writing | 1 Comment »

full circle nostalgia

Nov 29th, 2009 by

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. – Mary Schmich

 

 

 

When I was a kid we walked to school every day, rain, hail or shine. We had to cross over Simonelli’s farm to get there. Marcello sometimes played his…what do you call it in English again? Harmonica? Si, yes, the harmonica…he played, I sang and we did our best not to fall in the ditches on the way…

 

When I was a kid I rode my bike to school or sometimes Mum drove us in the yellow station wagon. It was only three minutes by car. Lucky…cos listening to her home-made mixed cassettes was not ‘groovy’, not ‘groovy’ at all. Back then all I wanted to do was listen to was Abba… but instead I got Simon and Garfunkle and Carly Simon. It took me forever, but eventually I appreciated mum’s choice in tunes. Yeah, I really did.

 

When I was a kid mum drove us to school every day. She said it was too dangerous to walk by ourselves. Gawd I hated the cd’s she played. Robbie Williams mostly sucks. I thanked-the-lawd for my i-pod.

 

When I was a kid we always tried to carpool to school. Mrs Wilson let us listen to the free-to-air radio, but dad always had some oldies playing… stuff like Kings of Leon and Robbie Williams and some vintage Queen. He always said that Robbie Williams reminded him of Grandma. I don’t get it. But I do miss Grandma.

 

When I was a kid Mum always drove us to school, heh, as long as she’d remembered to power-up the car. Poor mum, every second week we were running up the staircase to Mrs Arnold’s apartment to try to mooch a lift of her. I liked Mrs Arnold’s car though, each seat had it’s own flat screen and dock station. Back then that was a big deal.

 

When I was a kid I just fired up my lappy and bing I was at school. Well… I guess the air’s a little better now than it used to be back in my day. Music? We used to file share podcasts on g-wave 19.0. I know, I know… it’s old fashioned protocols for you mod guys. But that’s how we did it back in the good ole days…

 

When I was a kid we walked to school. Son…we’d all learnt our lessons by then.

 

Posted in 3/4's fiction, Challenge, memories, November, Writing | 2 Comments »

combing

Nov 27th, 2009 by

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85. -Mary Schmich

 

 

The regular walked in and for the first time she was wearing a happy-coloured head scarf.  Coffee’s on me today, I told her. Decaf right?

***

I only ever fancied men with dark, dark hair, but Legolas and Spike once caught my eye. However, they’re not human are they?… So does that really count?

***

She was bigger than Miley in China, a pint-sized-fair-superstar. The locals all wanted to pose with her for photos, but none ever, ever touched what they prized the most, her long, spirally, spaghetti-coloured hair.

***

Granny always was a red-head. Frizzy, curly and cropped short. An orangey-halo. The day she stopped dying her hair I stood frozen on the linoleum floor looking up at her. She was completely grey. And she suddenly looked old…like a… granny.

***

Shite the hairdresser sighed holding my hair in one hand. At least I wont need to thin it out anymore, he said, oh…don’t worry…I doubt anyone else would notice. I looked down at the effen-awesome-heels I was rockin’.

***

What are you doing? I asked eyeing the box in the bathroom. It’s just getting too grey he said. But I thought quietly to myself… that’s the way I like it.

***

Dad was completely silver by twenty-five. Look at my back though, he would say…not a silver one there. Go fucking figure.

***

Our friend the ginger-ninja once admitted that she couldn’t find a scrunchie so she used a g-string to tie her hair up with. My daughter wanted to know where the ginger-ninja got a violin string from? I wanted to know who the bloody-hell still wears scrunchies?

***

Nonno’s head looks like a bowling ball! They laughed. Hey! I said, that’s not a nice thing to say. What? Why? We love bowling!

***

My hair is curly and I straighten it every day. I curse at it, and at how effen long it takes to make look nice. And then I remember the regular.

And… I curse at it a little less.

 

 

Posted in Challenge, hair, November, Writing | 3 Comments »

lessons in cold hard cash

Nov 26th, 2009 by

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. –Mary Schmich

 

 

For the past couple of years my son has begged during the Christmas hols to work at my café so that he can earn a little extra pocket money.

Only problem is he was nine when he first started asking…and well… although my capitalist heart beats to the sound of cheap labour even I knew that would be breaking some terribly important child protection laws…

But he was devo when I said no, so one day I allowed him to tag along with me and armed with a green-cloth set him about cleaning vacated tables and flat-packing cardboard boxes for recycling… all under my eagle eye.

Last year he even asked for a work uniform. He’s a tall lad, in fact at ten he was taller than some of the fully grown staff I’ve hired and he looked so terribly eager that I thought…well what was the harm?

The manager bossed him around good and proper, told him he wasn’t allowed anywhere near the kitchen and sent him off to empty bins and clear tables. Surprisingly he was actually quite good at having a chat to the customers as he cleared away their little messes, and as his parent I was right pleased at how well he conducted himself for someone so young.

An elderly lady took the time to tell him he was doing a very good job, then her husband asked,

“How old are you sonny?”

“I’m ten” he answered.

“And do you work here?” the old man said.

I suddenly had a nooooooooooooooo-in-slow-motion-moment as I heard him answer proudly…

“Yes, yes I do.”

I could have swore that the old man dropped a wrinkly little F-bomb as they turned and walked away mumbling something along the lines of ‘damn cheek the owner has’… and I remained on high-alert for a letter from child services for the next three months.

 

Luckily none arrived.

 

At home that afternoon my son was busy telling a relative about his “new job”, and this relative, being the stirrer that he is, got my son all fired up…

“So how much do you get paid?” the stirrer said.

“Mum gives me five dollars an hour.” my boy proudly answered.

“What? Only five dollars?” the stirrer said with a mock-astonished tone to his voice, “Mate, you’re getting ripped off!”

“I am?” my son answered, puzzled “What do you think I should be getting?”

“Geez well your mum owns that café, let’s see, she should at least pay you ten bucks an hour.”

 

I sat waiting for a call from the Shop-assistants union… and sure enough it came a little later that night…

 

“Mum,” my son said with an exceptionally brave look on his face, “can we talk?”

“Of course.” I said…knowing exactly what was coming.

“Well I’ve been thinking about work [...you know I'm trying very hard to stifle a giggle and keep a straight face at this point...] and I think I probably should get at least ten dollars an hour.”

“Hmm,” I answered casually, “you know, you’re probably right. Sounds only fair.”

My son looked jubilant.

“But,” I continued “if I give you a pay rise then we need to consider the cost of the things you eat and drink when you’re supposed to be working… so let’s see, you had an iced chocolate and cinnamon scroll at the start of your ‘shift’ today… then you had a sausage roll… oh and a bottle of water… and when you left you took a banana muffin…so let’s see that adds up to…hmmm… oh imagine that…you actually owe me six dollars and forty-five cents.”

I hold out my hand.

“Oh,” my son said “on second thoughts I think I’m pretty happy with the five dollars an hour… ”

Thought so! I think to myself as I watch him sheepishly backing out of the room…

Posted in boys, Challenge, first job, November, Writing | 1 Comment »

dominos and card games

Nov 25th, 2009 by

Respect your elders. -Mary Schmich

 

1979 

She sat very quiet. Some might say as quiet as a mouse, although really she was more of a chameleon. Merging with the beige couch, her little knees together, back straight, eyes looking, but absolutely no speaking. 

When it was time for dinner she was beckoned to join the adults at the table. In front of her the grandmother placed a fine bone-china bowl brimming with hot soup. It was thin with golden coloured slicks of fat and a twig of limp dill floating on top. She was afraid to eat the dill because she didn’t like the look of it. So she took her spoon and carefully maneuvered her way around the bowl, pushing the herb to one side and doing her best to avoid the lump of soft carrot that lay on the bottom. She would have liked to have a piece of the hard rye bread that sat in the silver bread basket, winking darkly at her from between a crisply folded cloth napkin. But not one person offered it and she would never reach for it, nor ask. So thoughts of sopping soup up with chunks of brown bread remained just that, mere thoughts in this child’s mind. 

After dinner she returned to the couch, knees together, back straight, eyes looking, but absolutely no speaking. The grandmother placed in front of her a rectangular box that she knew was filled with neat rows of black domino tiles. The grandfather smiled briefly and then returned to his adult conversation assured that his granddaughter was now well entertained. But dominos were not much fun to play with by your self. She touched the top of the box and slid the lid back and forth on the tiny wooden grooves. Then she wondered to herself if the dominos ever felt as though they were living in a coffin.

 

2009

She sat very quiet. Some might say as quiet as a mouse, although really she was more of a chameleon. Merging behind the beige couch, suppressing the giggle that bubbled up into her throat as she spied on her grandfather, walking backwards and forwards, ever so near and yet still ruminating loudly on where-oh-where could she possibly be? Finally, bursting with impatience, she leapt- arms wide open to surprise the old man who never failed to clutch at his heart as though the shock would be the very end of them all. 

He took her by the hand to the table where the grandmother had placed a hot bowl of penne to cool ready for her, white and floating in butter, just the way she liked it. The grandfather got her a soft bread roll and the grandmother gave her a glass of cool lemonade before they sat to their own meal of pasta drenched in red sauce and smothered in hard flakes of stinky cheese. 

After dinner they sat together for hours, slurping on orange segments and spitting lupini skins. They taught her the old village card game of cups and clubs, smiling at the grandfather’s obvious attempts of cheating by storing aces in his top pocket, purposely visible so that his granddaughter would be delighted at catching him out every single time. At the end of the game he played a trick that she adored, pulling a shiny gold coin from her ear. She smiled and laughed out aloud with the joy of it all- throwing  herself into his arms for a long hug which ended with two little kisses on his bristly cheek. Then he popped the shiny gold coin in her hand and kissed the top of her head in a quiet blessing of praise for the precious gift he had been given.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Challenge, differences, Family, grandparents, November, Writing | 7 Comments »

the truth is down there

Nov 24th, 2009 by

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. –Mary Schmich

You probably all think the only truth that can be counted on is death. Right?

Bollocks!

We know very little about death.

All that shite about walking into white lights, heaven and hell, being reincarnated as the gnat on a donkeys ass and ghostys woooooo! 

Wooo indeed. 

Really who the fek knows? 

So death, sure we can count on it… but if we barely know anything about it- can it truly be considered a truth?

 

There is one truth we can definitely count on. 

It’s something which surrounds you right now. 

It grips you and you are totally compliant under its power…and you never, ever, ever, even think about it. 

It’s like the hypnotist who can make you cluck-like-a-chook at the click of his fingers… 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen…

Introducing…

 

Gravity.

 

Gravity the single most compelling force of our universe and it is there for every stage of our living existence…

 

When we are young… and we jumped up consumed by a childish tanty-rage it was gravity that pulled us back to earth just in time for a swat to the tushy by our frazzled mothers. 

 

And gravity is there again for us as teenagers, planting our feet firmly to the ground when our heads fill like expandable helium balloons swelling with our own self importance (cast your mind back…remember how clever you thought you were at fifteen?? Effen idiots weren’t we?) 

 

And for sure- if gravity is quite simply the effect that pulls two particles together, the explanation for the force of attraction between all masses of this wondrous universe, then it stands to reason that gravity is the catalyst for the romance in our lives… 

What do you mean you don’t believe me? 

Well… what if I told you gravity is horny. 

Need further convincing?

Okay follow me…

 

In space when enough matter collects- the force of gravity is strong enough to propel the teeny tiny hydrogen atoms into the teeny tiny helium atoms and this fusion releases enough energy to turn on a star. 

 

Only gravity is sexy enough to actually turn on a star… 

 

And let’s face it…what’s more romantic than a stroll together under a starry night? All those stars baby and all thanks to gravity! 

 

So far, so good? Okay. 

Well, this my friends, is where my love affair with gravity takes a steep and nasty turn down Fugly Street.

 

Let’s face it gravity is not so much of a friend as you get older. 

It’s the reason for that little sag you spy. The little part of you that used to be perky and is now…well, perhaps best described as creeping a little closer to the use-by date.

Not expired as such, just a little wilted, like a lettuce leaf left in the sun perhaps a half-hour too long. 

It’s okay at first, barely noticeable even… but as the years progress gravity will become the most bitter lolly you suck on.

 

Laugh all you want at the thought of men’s balls sagging down into their white sports socks…  it’s the image of my hubby reaching down under the table for a boob-grope that terrifies me…

 

Gravity. Ugh.

 

By that stage in our lives it will be no freakin’ bloody wonder the other meaning for gravity is “a manner that is most serious and solemn.”

 

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeyOnNple4M]

Posted in Challenge, gravity, November, Writing | 2 Comments »

the tourist and then the traveler

Nov 23rd, 2009 by

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.        -Mary Schmich

 

 

 

Smile and wave, thumbs up, camera click, wipe the sweat from your brow, no stand this way, closer, closer and camera click again, smile into the lens… perfect!

Look at us on the Great Wall, see how far it goes through the countryside! Wow!

They say you can see this from the moon, or maybe that’s a myth, we’ll google it when we get home.

Yes that’s right, built to keep out the Mongols…or the rabbits ha-oh-ha.

Can you believe that we are here? Let’s buy a t-shirt on the way back down, yes what a great souvenir! What do you think? The one that says “I’ve climbed the great wall!”

Don’t forget, they say never pay the price that they ask, oh no sir, haggle with them to a tenth of the price… that’s what it’s worth after all.

Do you think Grandpa would like one? Of course, let’s buy three.

 

 

The climb up was hard, but we had modern convenience on our side. Imagine it is three thousand years ago. Where do you think these rocks were quarried from? Not nearby I’m sure. It’s a marvel, a feat, this structure of protection.

But there is the echo of a throb here, a throb of living-beats that were silenced by this grey and cold blooded snake.

Now we are at the top, feel that under your feet? We are fortunate to be in a place that many dream of visiting, and yes, you and I, we are here.

Place your hand there. Yes, there on this rough hewn rock. It’s not as cold as you expected? Perhaps because it holds an eon of misery. Pain rising and sighing through its stony face and jagged miscoloured mortar. It’s been said that every foot of this wall represents one human life. Can you see how far the wall stretches? Yes, you are right, it stretches beyond sight.

In the earliest dynasty the tyrannical Qin Emporer would send scholars here to work on the wall, as a lonesome, soul-breaking punishment. Yes, it’s hard to imagine how many people would have perished.

And see these spaces in the wall, pretty, steeple shaped spaces, like little windows in a child’s doll house. Well that is where they would have laid their bows, arrows poised. Weapons of death to the marauding nomads. And this space? Yes, you learn quickly, no, not from a dolls house. This space was for pouring burning-missives to assail the enemy.

Why do you think they call this section the wall of the bones? It’s simple really and gruesome too, for if you died up here they simply threw your body over the edge.

And maybe, they hoped, your lifeless, worthless existence would knock an enemy asunder on its perilous way down.

Cruel you say? Yes, cruel it is true, but it was the way of the world back then and now that you sense the immense history you can also marvel at the feat of structure and engineering and planning and endurance. 

And the enormous power that the Emperors wielded, in human life, with the stroke of a calligraphed signature and the stamp of a Royal seal… in the name of defence.

 

Posted in Challenge, China, Great Wall of China, November, Travel, Writing | 3 Comments »

fan mail

Nov 22nd, 2009 by

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. – Mary Schmich

Before this month of frenetic writing I don’t think I’ve ever written a piece of proper fan mail in my life.

Even when I was a kid and mad for Abba, or the guy from Duran Duran (who I think was gay anyway?) I always had a sense of “what the feck would they want to hear from me for??…”, and… add to that a diehard aversion of groupies…and…well… you can see why I was never a fan mail writer.

But this month of writing (ahem…well yes the jury on *writing* is still debating bulk of work …) has prompted two pieces of fan mail.

Here is the first:

 

Dear @Quadelle,

It’s quite amazing when you meet someone in the murky-ethers-of-the-internet whom you connect with. Thank you for dragging me along in this nutso-month of writing and for providing the inspiration for the daily trudge.

Although some days have been like an ice-pick to the brain you were always there with a supportive message or a kick to the pants when it was needed!

So thank you,

I wrote the below piece of fan mail with you in mind.

Here it is… hope you like it… gotta say receiving the reply gave me a girlish thrill!

PS- yes… in it you are of course…the *friend*

 

And here is the second:

 

From: carla delvex [mailto:carladelvex@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, November 13, 2009 6:31 PM
To: Schmich, Mary
Subject: Thankyou

 
Dear Mary,
 
my friend on twitter cleverly suggested that we use your speech, “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young.”  as inspiration for our November month of blog writing.
 
Although we are not even half way through, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know myself by leaping-off bravely from chunks of your speech.
And I’ve had the opportunity to meet new people along the way, people who have dropped in from cyber-lands both near and far, to comment on the ride.
 
As I’ve just passed your paragraph on “compliments” I thought it was only fitting that I send you one too.
 
So thank you,
 
This speech still inspires people all over the world.
 
Yours most sincerely,
 
Carla Delvex

 

fromSchmich, Mary <MSchmich@tribune.com>
tocarla delvex <carladelvex@gmail.com>

 dateTue, Nov 17, 2009 at 6:18 AM
subjectRE: Thankyou
mailed-bytribune.com

 
What a nice note, Carla. Thank you.
Mary Schmich
 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Challenge, fan mail, friends, November, Writing | 2 Comments »

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