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September 29, 2007
Bad Week & Quote of the Day: Hold Fast
It's been a bad week: I found out that my favorite cat probably has cancer and definitely has a urinary track infection. ('Cause, you know, it's not bad enough that he has an abdominal mass the size of my fist.)
Plus a brother-in-law died after a long struggle with cancer. I know he's in a better place, but it sucks for those of us still here and missing him.
And that's just the big stuff I'm wrestling with this week.
So when this came up on my iTunes, it was like a gift from God:
"Please do no let go
I promise there is hope
Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp
So hold fast."
- from "Hold Fast" by Mercy Me
(Emphasis mine.)
I'm trying. I'm really trying to feel that assurance. Knowing and believing that God is in control and has my best interests at heart—that is one thing. Feeling it is harder.
Posted by Selena at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2007
Sick Kitty
One of my cats has been sick. (It's Charlie, the diabetic one. In the photo below he's the black one on the left.) Today the vet said he has a hard mass in his lower abdomen.
They're running some tests but it is most likely cancer.
People keep reminding me that he's more than fifteen years old, that he's lived a good life. I know it's true, but I'm not ready to let him go.
Posted by Selena at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2007
Heroes Returns
I am so excited because "Heroes" starts again tonight.
I can hardly wait.
Posted by Selena at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2007
Cool Article on Shrew
Today I came across this interesting article on the production of "The Taming of the Shrew" that I am looking forward to:
It's not often you hear this particular Shakespeare play referred to as "modern."
Posted by Selena at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)
September 22, 2007
ST:TNG 20th Anniversary and Top Ten Episodes
Seriously? It's been twenty years since "Star Trek: The Next Generation" went on the air? Time flies. I must be getting old. I can't believe that anything I was an adult for could have happened twenty years ago.
At least reading EW.com's article on their top ten Next Gen episodes was a cool trip down memory lane. Lots of great episodes in there. (I think "The Inner Light" is still my all-time favorite.)
Some of my favorites that didn't make EW.com's list: (in no particular order)
Lessons: Picard gets involved with his new head of Stellar Sciences. Bonus points for the uncomfortable look on Riker's face when she tries to press him on a work issue. You can see he's not really sure whether or not she's asking for special treatment as the captain's girlfriend.
The Child: Troi is impregnated by what seems to be a tiny, floating ball of light – that is kind of dopey. But I love watching Riker try to delicately ask who the father is.
The Price: Yeah, yeah, "hot bed scenes." Whatever. That was over-hyped. What I love in this episode is that when Troi asks her new love interest "What about your traveling companion," he replies, "She's traveling." The hand gesture he uses for "traveling" just makes the moment even better.
Captain's Holiday: Romance, adventure, Picard. What's not to like? I particularly love Vash. She is so uncontrollable; it's great to see her matched with Picard who is so controlled all the time.
The Perfect Mate: An even more romantic episode featuring Picard. And Famke Janssen has got to be the most beautiful woman ever! I love watching Kamala change her personality to suit whatever man is in the room. Janssen does a great job with that.
The Loss: one of the "Troi behaving badly" episodes. It is so satisfy to see the perpetually calm, always in control Troi just totally lose it.
Man of the People: Troi behaves badly again but at least this time it's not her fault. Some wacko has figured out how to use her as a trash can for all his emotional garbage.
The Host: A romantic episode and our introduction to a fascinating species called the Trill. (I was so glad when they put a Trill main character in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Jadzia Dax was so cool.)
The Outcast: Wow. That's "science fiction as social commentary" at its best.
Parallels: Alternate timelines always fascinate me. Throw in some Troi and Worf romance, and you've made it onto my favorite list. Best part: A shocked Worf finds out that in the current timeline he and Deanna are not only married, but have children.
Attached: Love the romance here between Picard and Beverly. Hated the cop-out ending. But at least it wasn't Jean-Luc chickening out this time.
I wish I had the DVD set. I'd watch them all again. Guess I'll just have to set a Season Pass on my TiVo instead.
Posted by Selena at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
New Story Published: "Anonymous"
My latest story is now available at Every Day Fiction:
Please check it out. You can even leave a comment, if you want.
Thanks.
Posted by Selena at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)
DKA: "Guardian Angels Online" by Jane Lebak
Today we have something fun from one of our favorite authors:
"Guardian Angels Online"
by Jane Lebak
Tease:
There are support groups for weight loss, infant loss, Christian writers, and everything else under the sun...so it shouldn't really come as a surprise that guardian angels have a livejournal community of their own.
Posted by Selena at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2007
Quote of the Day: from Angel
I have gotten hooked on the Buffy spinoff "Angel." I watched some of season one and wasn't too impressed, but now I've gotten hooked on reruns of a later season. (I found out today it's season four.)
Here's an inspiring little speech from a recent episode:
Fred says:
"Will it make a difference? If we really are just pieces being
moved around a board…"
Gunn says:
"Then we’ll kick it over and start a new game. Look,
monochrome can yap all he wants about no-name’s cosmic
plan but here’s a little something I picked up rubbin’ mojos
these past couple of years: the final score can’t be rigged. I
don’t care how many players you grease, that last shot
always comes up a question mark. But here’s the thing—
you never know when you’re taking it. It could be when
you’re duking it out with the legion of doom or just
crossing the street deciding where to have brunch. So you
just treat it all like it was up to you, the world in the
balance, ’cause you never know when it is."
That last bit is worth repeating:
"…treat it all like it was up to you, the world in the
balance, ’cause you never know when it is."
My favorite source for all things Buffy and Angel:
Buffyverse Dialogue Database
That site led me to the Buffy Vs Angel site, which has transcripts of episodes. Very handy.
Posted by Selena at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
DKA: "Incident on Pennsylvania Avenue" by John M. Whalen
Today's update is a story set in Washington, DC. (Makes me kind of homesick.)
"Incident on Pennsylvania Avenue"
by John M. Whalen
Tease:
Detective Jim Fenady and his partner Tim Benedict are sent to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to see about a strangely dressed man wielding a big sword and screaming something about a dragon.
Posted by Selena at 09:10 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2007
Can't Wait for Shrew
I am so excited about the upcoming production of "The Taming of the Shrew" in my beloved Washington, DC. Shrew is my favorite Shakespeare play, and it's one that is hardly ever produced. Just having the chance to see it is a rare opportunity.
Ever since I studied the play in college, I have believed it is possible to produce a Shrew that is both romantic and feminist. I don't imagine it would be easy. There are formidable challenges, like a text that seems misogynist and archaic to a modern audience. I have never seen a production that manages to overcome that, but I am still hopeful that it can be done.
After listening to director Rebecca Bayla Taichman talk about the upcoming production, I am even more hopeful. If a romantic, feminist production of Shrew can be had, Ms. Taichman seems exactly the woman to pull it off. At the theatre's website, you can see video of her talking about the show, or listen to the podcast version.
Listen to the part where she talks about what being a shrew means. I love how she points out that Kate is silent through much of the play in direct opposition to her shrewish label. I was nodding my head when she said that.
As I studied Shrew, one of the things that appealed to me was the tension between this woman who is labeled "shrew" and the fact that she is not the most shrewish person in the play. Petruchio out-shrews Kate more than once. I think he must do it on purpose because it has two very positive results: 1) it puts the townspeople on Kate's side for a change (against Petruchio, her new husband, who behaves appallingly at their wedding), and 2) it gives Kate the opportunity to redefine her role (suddenly she is the one defending the servants from abuse, Petruchio's abuse).
I am also pleased that the notes on the website quote Coppelia Kahn. I think it was her "Man's Estate" I read back in the day, but what Coppelia Kahn has to add to the Shrew equation is the insight that Kate truly holds the power over Petruchio despite her submission to him at the end. Actually it is because of her submission. Kate doesn't need Petruchio. But Petruchio needs Kate. He needs her submission to validate him as an adult male in the strongly patriarchal society of the play. Without a wife who submits to him, Petruchio is a marginalized member of society. Only through his successful "taming" of a wife can he be respected. That is a key piece to understanding the play.
Don't miss the video where Taichman wrestles with the question of whether Shrew is "a great love story or a sexist put-down?" In her wisdom, she declares that it is both -- and much more.
I can't wait to see the show. I've got my tickets. How about you? Really, when do you think you'll have another opportunity to see "The Taming of the Shrew?" It could be awhile.
Posted by Selena at 05:48 PM | Comments (0)
"Spam Fiction" at Every Day Fiction
More good reading at Every Day Fiction:
"Spam Fiction" by Lyndon Perry
Now that's putting spam to good use.
Hee hee. If only writing were that easy. ;)
Posted by Selena at 09:54 AM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2007
"The Mud Room" at Every Day Fiction
I am hopelessly behind on my reading, but I finally did read one of the offerings at the new Every Day Fiction.
It's "The Mud Room" by K.A. Patterson
I chose it because I recognized the author's name as the senior editor at AlienSkin Magazine, which has the distinction of being the first paying market to publish my work. (It was "The Gribbit" back in January 2004.)
"The Mud Room" really spoke to me. So many women lead lives of quiet desperation -- unnoticed and unappreciated. I don't know any who have attempted the escape route described in the story, but…still, it's an engaging read. I love the symbolism of the mud room, a never-ending cycle of getting dirty then getting cleaned then getting dirty again. Maybe the only way to break the cycle is to embrace the cycle.
Posted by Selena at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
Quote of the Day: Firefly and Faith
My brain must work in strange ways because I was sitting in Sunday School today, the teacher asked something about what belonging to God means to us and my mind immediately went to this scene from "Firefly":
Wacky villagers have decided to burn River at the stake because they think she is a witch. (She isn't. She is just different and has abilities they don't understand.) Mal and Zoe have arrived to save her.
Villager says: "The girl is a witch."
Mal says: "Yeah, but she's our witch. So cut her the hell down!"
Love that.
Being God's means several things:
1) He will always protect us,
2) We owe Him our allegiance and obedience, and
3) He will always come to get us if someone tries to steal us away.
I just love the idea of God saying: "Let her go; she's one of mine."
Posted by Selena at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2007
DKA: "Blood Sky" by Geoffrey Reiter
What if the sky above had turned blood red?
"Blood Sky"
by Geoffrey Reiter
Tease:
Has the world gone mad? How can God allow suffering? In an Egyptian monastery, two monks are confronted with these questions. But this is no mere intellectual exercise. At the end of the day, one of them will be dead, and their answers to these questions may determine who it is...
Posted by Selena at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2007
New Music, a Writing Revelation, plus Quote of the Day: "Hold On…"
Yesterday I got my birthday present to myself: several CDs I had ordered. I actually let out a whoop of joy as I took it from the mailbox. (I hope none of the neighbors saw that crazy display. Oops.)
The first CD I listened to was kind of a bust. I only liked one song and it was one I already had via iTunes. Bummer.
But it gave me a weird sense of hope. You see, the CD is an early one from a group whose later work I enjoy a lot. And that one song is a true gem. I don't know if it was popular back when this CD was released, but it's wildly popular now. Finding this stroke of genius in an otherwise lame album gave me hope for the sad state of my early work. Maybe, just maybe, years from now people will read the stuff I've published up to this point and think: "Yeah, it's mostly lame, but this one piece – WOW, that's brilliant." And maybe, just maybe, the fact that most of my early work isn't great doesn't preclude my later work from being fantastic. Here's hoping.
Thankfully, the second CD doesn't suffer from any lameness at all! It’s John Mayer's "Continuum" and it's just one great song after another.
My current favorite is "I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)."
Here's a sample lyric:
"Hold on to whatever you find, baby
Hold on to whatever will get you through
Hold on to whatever you find, baby
I don't trust myself with loving you"
That's some really good stuff.
Posted by Selena at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2007
Xanadu on "The View"
A funny thing happened yesterday. I was watching "The View" and caught a performance from the Broadway hit musical "Xanadu." But instead of making me want to see the Broadway show, it made me want to see the movie again AND buy the soundtrack. (I had the album for a long time, but gave it away when I no longer had a turntable to play it on. Do people still have record players, I wonder?)
Maybe I'm a dork, but I really liked the movie "Xanadu." And based on the little bit I saw of the current Broadway musical, I much prefer the original.
Today I am still humming "Suddenly" – the Olivia Newton-John version, not the Broadway version I heard on "The View." I finally had to log into iTunes and buy a few songs from the "Xanadu" soundtrack.
Here's your quote of the day…
"You make it seem I'm so close to my dream
And then suddenly it's all there"
Have a good one and keep trying to create your own Xanadu.
Posted by Selena at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2007
Too Sick to Blog
I've been too sick to blog. Or do much of anything, for that matter.
I have deliberately avoided reading submissions because it just doesn’t seem fair to evaluate someone's work when I feel this miserable.
But today I feel a little better than I did yesterday. So, at least now we're heading in the right direction, after several days of just getting worse and worse. A bad cold, the doc said. Problem is: with my high blood pressure, there isn't much I can take for a cold. So, it's been mostly natural remedies like tea, fluids, steam, and laying down under a pile of blankets.
Here's a resource I like for natural cold and flu remedies:
WebMd
Hope you don't get sick, though. Which reminds me, here is how to prevent getting a cold.
I do most of that. Don't know where I went wrong this time. Oh yeah, it was probably all that sleep deprivation. Wears down your immune system every time. ;)
Take care of yourselves, everyone. And get enough rest. You'll be glad you did.
Posted by Selena at 05:57 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2007
DKA: "Benediction" by Victoria Dixon
Here is some poetry for your Tuesday…
"Benediction"
by Victoria Dixon
Tease:
The world calls you a demon, but you love the Lord. Where can an immortal creature find acceptance or salvation?
Posted by Selena at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2007
DKA Announces Poetry Contest Winners
DKA has announced winners in our 2007 Poetry Contest.
Stop by and check it out!
Posted by Selena at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)
September 08, 2007
Quotes of the Day: from Prince
My iTunes shuffled up a Prince song this morning (it was "Scandalous," if you must know), so now I am on a Prince high, listening to all my favorite Prince songs.
Some of my favs are lesser-known ones like:
"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"
and
"If I Was Your Girlfriend."
Really, who but Prince could get away with a song about a man imploring his lady love to treat him more like one of her BFFs (i.e. best gal pals or girlfriends), and have it make such good sense?
Sample lyric:
"If I was your girlfriend
Would U remember 2 tell me all the things U forgot
When I was your man?
Hey, when I was your man
If I was your best friend
Would U let me take care of U and do all the things
That only a best friend can
Only best friends can"
Then there is the classic "Let's Go Crazy:"
"And if de-elevator tries 2 bring u down
Go crazy - punch a higher floor"
To me, that line always sounds like a call to action, a reminder that we always have a choice, that we can choose a higher purpose, the higher ground, a higher calling, a higher love.
Posted by Selena at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
Tea Fussy
I like tea a lot, but I've also become really fussy about it. I realized today that when I order iced tea at a café or restaurant, I send it back about half the time and get something else. I make my own iced tea at home, so I think I don't like the massed-produced kind anymore. I don't even like most bottled teas. I guess I've been spoiled by all the premium tea.
At home, I make iced tea out of decaf black tea and decaf green tea with mint. Plus a pinch of stevia to sweeten it just a little.
My favorite tea is Lipton's Black Pearl. Yum. Followed closely by Bigelow's Constant Comment. Beware the "orange spice" teas of other brands. They don't cut it. Trust me. I have been disappointed more than once.
I also like a bunch of the Celestial Seasonings teas:
Today it's Honey Vanilla Chamomile (with extra honey 'cause I've got a sore throat)
Other favs:
Mandarin Orange Spice (not the same taste as Constant Comment cause it's an herb tea not a black tea, but still it's the only other "orange spice" tea I like)
Sweet Clementine Chamomile
Golden Honey Darjeeling (although I can never find this flavor in the store anymore)
Madagascar Vanilla Red
Out and about, my current favorite is the vanilla chai latte at Joffrey's. Yum. I just wish they had a better location. I'd go there a whole lot more often if they weren't out of my way. Why can't they have a space in the shopping center where I get my groceries, prescriptions, and pet stuff? Grr. It's one of life's little annoyances. ;)
I also like the tea at Teaism. Great place. Delicious tea. Problem is: I haven't been able to find a Teaism down here in Florida. I guess they are only in Washington, DC. Bummer for me.
Posted by Selena at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
DKA: "The Shepherd of Planets" by Rod M. Santos
Today we have the winner from the Liberty Hall contest that DKA sponsored…
"The Shepherd of Planets"
by Rod M. Santos
Tease:
On a dead planet hides a riddle of tragedy... and hope.
Posted by Selena at 07:47 AM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2007
Quote of the Day: Love's the Only House…
"She said this world is moving so fast
I just get more behind every day
Every morning when I make my coffee
I can't believe my life's turned out this way
All I could say was
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain"
- "Love's the Only House," sung by Martina McBride
Posted by Selena at 06:30 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2007
DKA: "Hymn" by Kristin Naff
To begin September's issue, we have…
"Hymn"
by Kristin Naff (A Student Contributor)
Tease:
The boy makes his way carefully over the grass, slick with falling rain and melting snow, to the place where he saw the black rock yesterday among the hills.
Posted by Selena at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)
September 03, 2007
Every Day Fiction
September snuck up on me. I completely forgot to blog about a new online/email magazine called "Every Day Fiction."
I subscribed. You should too. It's free.
Every day I get a shot of flash fiction in my email. How cool is that?!
Also, they have accepted one of my stories. It's scheduled for September 22. You can check out the full list of September's offerings here.
Enjoy!
Posted by Selena at 09:50 AM | Comments (0)
September 01, 2007
Quote of the Day: Anybody Out There?
"Come on, come on, is there anybody out there?"
- from "Who Killed Rock N' Roll" by Rick Springfield
Posted by Selena at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)