Thursday's Thirteen: Strine

Most people are making their new years resolutions tonight, but of course I have to be different.

In my first book, Windswept Shores, which will be out in 2/4/20 my hero Seth is an Aussie. So of course I have him speak with a lot of slang or what they call in Austrilia strine.

Here is thirteen Aussie slang words, in no particular order:

1. G'day--good day, a greeting. Usually conbine with . . .






2. Mate--a buddy, or best friend, or someone you just met and don't know their name yet, and you greet them with "G'day, mate."






3. Your shout--if you value your life, you will buy the next round of drinks.






4. Brekky--the first meal of the day.






5. Tea--the last meal of the day.






6. Bloke--a man who you don't know.






7. Shelia--a woman, but its old and not use a lot anymore except by . . .






8. Oldies--your parents, or old folks. Used by those under seventeen for anyone over the age of twenty.






9. Chook--chicken, yes the kind that clucks.






10. College--a private school, usually High School not collage in states or . . .






11. Uni--University, or what we call collage in the states.






12. Tucker--food, that stuff you tuck into your belly or tucker sack.






13. Owsyerottenbleedinluckeh--Thought to be the longest word in the Austrialian language, it translates as things are not turning out as planned.

Stubburn Daydreamer

I wrote this a while back as a Thursday’s thirteen, and I thought this would be a good time to repost it.

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It was triggered by a memory about one of my grade school teachers, who after catching me daydreaming while I gaze out the window, got in my face and shouted, “No daydreamer has ever gotten anywhere!”

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Now that I am older I beg to differ. If this woman was still alive I would have like to talk to her about what she had said to me so long ago, and about trying to crush a young girl’s spirit.

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Crush and embarrassed—I was, but it didn’t stop me. I am to this day a daydreamer.

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If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be an artist or a writer. I proudly proclaim myself to be a stubborn daydreamer.

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As a child I watched too much TV, and I can only blame too many Gilligan’s Island reruns, then being addicted to Survivors when it first came out that let me into—what if’s.

What if a person could survive alone on a deserted island, and found another person washed up on shore?

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What if they fell in love?

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The what if’s turned into daydreams then lead me to write a book Windswept Shores, which will be out Feb. 4, 2010, from Pink Petal books.

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It’s my first book to be published.

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My Daydreams helped create it, the rest was hard work, and I kept my butt firmly planted in my chair.

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Here are thirteen dreamers, and daydreamers:

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1. A daydreamer went on vacation in Spain and dreamed about the speed of light, his name was Albert Einstein.
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2. A daydreamer dreamed about having a bulb that made light, his name was Thomas Edison.
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3. A daydreamer dream the last movements of The Messiah, his name was Frederic Handel.
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4. A daydreamer dreamed about a mocking crow, and wrote poem. His name was Edger Allen Poe.
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5. Two brothers dreamed about flying, their names were Orville and Wilbur Wright.
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6. A daydreamer dreamed of being a kid again and floating down the mighty Mississippi on a raft, or being lost in a cave, or any number of things with a sense of humor. His name was Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain.
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7. A bored socialite daydreamed of being in the South before and during the civil war, her name was Margaret Mitchell.

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8. The popular Beatles tune Yesterday performed over seven million times in the 20th century, came to Paul McCartney in a dream. McCartney one morning, awoke to the memory of a classical string ensemble playing the melody.

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9. A daydreamer dreamed that he "saw" the basic elements of the physical universe arrange themselves in an orderly and beautiful pattern like repeating phrases of music. He woke up and outlined from his dream every element in its correct order - what is now known in chemistry texts as the Periodic Table of Elements. His name was Dmitri Mendeleyev

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10. A daydreamer dreamed about “little people” or “Brownies” who populated his dreams and assisted him with the creative process: “They share plainly in (my) training. They have learned like (me) to build the scene of a considerate story and to arrange emotions in progressive order, only I think they have more talent.” His name Robert Louis Stevenson, his book was he Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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11. A daydreamer dreamed of sitting on the sun with all the planets hissing around on tiny cords. He won the Nobel Prize for that dream. His name was Niels Bohr, he developed the model of the atom.

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12. Carl Jung wrote of his early dream journals,”All my works, all my creative activity, has come from those initial dreams which began in 1912, almost fifty years ago. Everything that I accomplished in later life was already contained in them, although at first only in the form of emotions and images. "

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13. A Baptist minister went to Washington and gave a speech called “I have a Dream,” which prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. His name was Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Where would we be without our dreamers?

Caturday

I hope everyones Christmas was Merry and bright.

Share a book this Holiday season

Check this out, I got it from science fiction book club: Click to see.

Thurday's Thirteen: Night before Christmas

Thursday’s thirteen, I had a little fun with:
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

1. 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even our house cats.
The stockings were hung way away from the fire.
(What you want to see my house on fire?)


2. Our only daughter had staked out the living room,
In hopes of photographing Saint Nick.

4. And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
(Who the hell wears those things anymore?)

And my hubby had just passed out. And I worked on my edit on Windswept Shore, while visions of a best seller danced in my head.


5. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Away to the window I flew like a flash. (Oh Come on I amble over.)

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
(We have an old house it has sashes.)

The moon was hidden behind a thick veil of fog, frost glittered in the what little light came through the opened window.

When, what to my squinting eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, and an emu
(Yes he’s back and Santa has him)

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

6. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Emu!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

7. As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
(I think they just ruined my roof.)

8. As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the old stove pipe attached to my heater St. Nicholas came with a bound.
(Breaking and entering, tisk tisk.)

9. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
(He tracked up my living room, darn the little jerk.)

10. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
(I think Santa has taken up drinking.)

11. His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

(Making asthma act up, and I coughed and wheezed.)

12. He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
(Santa needs to go on a diet.)

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

(Too much caffeine huh?)

Too much cappachino he told me.

13. And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
and bumped his head into my ceiling. (He forgot I don’t have a chimney.)

He staggered out to his sleigh, (after I opened the door) to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

How to write a Synopsis and not loose your mind

Gledwood has asked me how to write a synopsis, or suckyopsis as some of my writer friends call it.

Granted it is a very hard thing to do, most writer I know hate them. You basically boiling down your hard work to it basic element. Suppose you wrote a 50,000 word book, how would you break it down to the bare-bones of your story.

First off hit the highlights, and only the highlights.

Example: Brian meet Susie at the train station, before it pulled away Susie gave Brian her phone number. Brain then went out to dinner with some friends, and lost the phone number. He spend the rest of the evening going through all the dumpsters at the restaurant, and still couldn't find the paper with her number on it.

Despondent and smelly he went home only to find Susie had left a message on his answering machine. But the last part of the message was garbled, and that was the part of the message where she had gaven him her phone again.

He listened to the message over and over again, still he couldn't understand the last part of the message. Then his brother Jim came home, Jim wanted to know what he was doing, and why he stunk so bad. After he explained Jim told him, "Bro, just check caller ID. It'll have the chick's number on it. And take a shower."

Brian was happy and called her right away, while his brother sprayed him with febreze.

Okay, that was overly simplified but you get the idea, keep it simple, keep it short, and keep it within two pages.

Here's a links that will help.

http://www.writing-world.com/publish/synopsis.shtml

http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html

http://www.charlottedillon.com/SynopsisSamples.html

http://home.mchsi.com/~leighmichaels/sample_synopsis.htm

My 30th wedding anniversary

Ah, its the big three-O in the marriage department.
Yup, me and hubby tied the knot thirty years ago 12-21-79.
We went out and had great food.
I had sushi, yes that is raw fish your looking at.
Yummy.
The we saw the movie Avatar, it was really good.
I highly reconment you see it.
Then we did a little shopping for last minute gifts, and went home.
We were at the River Park in Fresno, it was real nice day.
This is our 30th year together as man and wife.
I'm a little chubbier, and hubby is a little thinner on top, but we're still together after all this time.
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Here we at at 20 years.

Ah. this is our wedding day, were we ever so young?

Feathered Friday

The Seagulls are back!There was a small flock of gull that just arrived at the Madera High school when I went to pick up my daughter. It always seemed funny to me that we'd have seagull, after all we are at least three hundred mile from the ocean here.

All I can think to say is--Boy are they ever lost.

But the California Gull does travel up and down California and a couple of other states too. And apparently don't need to be near water at all.

I wonder what the big flipper at the end of their feet are for then?

The California Gull Larus californicus
is a medium-sized gull, smaller than the Herring Gull but larger than the Ring-billed Gull.
Adults are similar in appearance to the Herring Gull, but have a smaller yellow bill with a black ring, yellow legs, brown eyes and a more rounded head. The body is mainly white with grey back and upper wings. They have black primaries with white tips. Immature birds are also similar in appearance to immature Herring Gulls, with browner plumage than immature Ring-billed Gulls.

Winter plumage, California
Their breeding habitat is lakes and marshes in interior western North America from Northwest Territories, Canada south to eastern California and Colorado (Sibley 2000). They nest in colonies, sometimes with other birds. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground lined with vegetation and feathers. The female usually lays 2 or 3 eggs. Both parents feed the young birds.

They are migratory, most moving to the Pacific coast in winter. It is only then that this bird is regularly found in western California (Sibley 2000).
These birds forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking or wading. They mainly eat insects, fish and eggs. They also scavenge at garbage dumps or docks. They may follow plows in fields for insects stirred up by this activity.
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I've seen them forging for insects durning a rain, so I know they forage for bugs like regular birds do.

Thursday's Thirteen: Twelve days of Christmas

Thursday’s thirteen: in honor of Christmas next week I’ve written my thirteen in the theme of the Twelve days of Christmas.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me.

1. I won a cover contract and got my first book contract.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract
2. And my missing hubby is chasing an emu.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby was really chasing an emu.
3. Third decade wedded to this man, and I should get a medal.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded to this man, and I should get a medal.
4. Four pages to my new book contract sighed and sent. Yay me.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas. (To fill the tummies of my daughter friends.)

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas.
6. Six blog posts on my new book contract. (I’m so excited about this)

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas.
6. Six post on my new book contract.
7. Lords a leaping. (Hey, where did they come from?)

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas.
6. Six post on my new book contract.
7. Lords a leaping. (Oh, they’re my daughter Sarah’s friends.)
8. Eight banners made, but I’m only using one.

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas.
6. Six post on my new book contract.
7. Lords a leaping. (One’s wearing tights.)
8. Eight banners made but I’m only using one.
9. Nine Canadian Geese flying over head. (Can we say duck and run? Those birds poo big)

On the Ten day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas have disappeared.
6. Six post on my new book contract.
7. Lords a leaping. (Hey, stay off my new couch and you too young man in tights.)
8. Eight banners made but I’m only using one.
9. Nine Canadian Geese flying over head. (Duck and run.)
10. Ten pieces of chocolate in a box my hubby gave me. What no metal?

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. Hubby chased an emu.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas.
6. Six post on my new book contract.
7. Lords a leaping. (They ate all the pizzas.)
8. Eight banners made but I’m only using one.
9. Nine Canadian Geese flying over head.
10. Ten pieces of chocolate in a box my hubby gave me. What no metal?
11. Eleven Christmas cards I sent off and one to my new editor. *grin*

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.
1. One book contract.
2. My daughter and I saw the emu standing by our driveway.
3. Third decade wedded.
4. Four pages to my new book contract.
5. Five pepperoni pizzas, long gone.
6. Six post on my new book contract.
7. Lords a leaping. (They ate the pizzas.)
8. Eight banners made but I’m only using one.
9. Nine Canadian Geese flying over head.
10. Ten pieces of chocolate in a box my hubby gave me. What no metal?
11. Eleven Christmas cards I sent off and one to my new editor. *grin*
12. Twelve Christmas decorations.

On the Thirteenth day of Christmas . . . What there is no thirteen? Oh-kay, I’ll make one up . . . And my new book will be out in February.
Merry Christmas everybody!!!!!

The Shinnecocks of Long island

This just in: Shinnecock Tribe Meets Criteria for Federal Recognition.

The Obama administration said Tuesday that the Shinnecock Indian Nation of Long Island had met the necessary criteria for federal recognition, signaling the end of a more than 30-year court battle and clearing a path for the tribe to build a casino in New York City or its suburbs.

The decision all but assures the tribe's federal recognition,though there is still a required public comment period that will take place before final recognition is granted.

Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/nyregion/16tribe.html?emc=na

I can just see it now: The Shinnecocks casino of Long Island

Would that make it the Long Shiny Cock of Long island?

Belated Caturday and playing catch up

My land-line keeps going down so I haven't been able to post very much this last week, funny thing is it works from dawn to dusk then it throws me off line. Its the cold. Yes, its finally cold.

Before that it was my nano story and being on jury duty keeping me busy and off line. Then Thanksgiving.

Sarah and her friend Shyanne break the wishbone and make a wish.

Sigh, busy busy. But at least I got my jury duty check, we're going to spend it on our up coming wedding anniversary. It'll be thirty years that hubby and I have been married.

But I did accomplish one thing, we got new furniture. And I think Ninja likes it.

Yeah, that's really a cat, lol.

Only a Texas man can make you feel like a woman.

A plane passed through a severe storm. The turbulence was awful, and things went from bad to worse when one wing was struck by lightning.

One woman lost it completely. She stood up in the front of the plane and screamed. "I'm too young to die," she cried. Then she yelled, "If I'm going to die, I want my last minutes on earth to be memorable! Is there anyone on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN?"

For a moment, there was silence. Everyone stared at the desperate woman in the front of the plane. Then a man from Texas stood up in the rear of the plane.

He was handsome, tall, well built, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

Slowly, he started to walk up the aisle, unbuttoning his shirt as he went, one button at a time. No one moved. He removed his shirt. Muscles rippled across his chest. She gasped... Then, he spoke...

"Iron this -- and then get me a beer."

Belated Feathered Friday and a little bit of Caturday

I was going to post this yesterday, but didn't feel well and went to bed early instead.

I came back from jury duty on Thursday, and no hubby and no daughter. But I already knew the daughter was at Nana's. But that didn't explain what happened to hubby.

I saw his PDA holder which the daughter and I laughing call his clutch purse. So I knew he had been home. But because my husband has that insane need to be liked, he gets suckered into helping out anyone who asked him to do anything . . . except me.

SO I figured he was out . . . you know.

I waited for him sitting on the couch, and ended up falling a sleep with the cat on me. Until the phone rang, and then I jumped up and the cat clawed me trying to stay one.

Ouch!

The cat gave me a dirty look, as if to say if you stayed put I wouldn't have had to scratch you, would I?

I answered the phone, and it was hubby.

Me, "Where are you?"

Him, "Out in the field."

Me, "What, are you doing out there?"

Him, "I chasing a Emu."

Me, "What the hell?"

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"No, really I'm casing a real emu."

"????"

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"Honey are you still there?"

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"Just come home."

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"Okay."

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My daughter made it home before he did."

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Oh it gets better.

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The next day when I was taking my daughter to school, guess what I saw standing next to our drive way?

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And yes this really did happen. I drove by the emu real slow, my daughter and I staring back open mouth.

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The emu stared serenely back.