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July 31, 2009
"I Looked Over Jordan, and What Did I See?" by Michael Mina
This one is a little closer to the horror genre than we usually publish. Consider yourself warned.
"I Looked Over Jordan, and What Did I See?"
by Michael Mina
Kevin considers himself to be an artist. He uses fire and churches as his media, and calls himself the Fryer.
Posted by Selena at 07:21 AM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2009
Fav Music: "She Will Be Loved" Duet
I love this song by Maroon 5, but I actually prefer this live duet version to the single/album version.
I have this whole CMT Crossroads saved and protected on my DVR. I've probably watched it dozens of times by now. The onstage chemistry between Adam Levine and Sara Evans is electric! They are so great together. It is very watchable. In fact, after the first song, during the introductions, Levine jokes with the audience, asking them if they're having fun watching [him and Sara] flirt. And the answer is a clear yes.
(Sadly all the YouTube clips I've found of that first song cut off that bit of banter at the end. Looks like you can find the whole episode at CMT.com though.)
They are just so comfortable with each other, and so energized by the other's presence—it's lovely to see. And very entertaining.
You just never know when you put two people together what's going to happen. But sometimes, rarely, there is magic. This is one of those times.
Posted by Selena at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Quote of the Day (on conflict resolution)
I found this great quote in an interesting article called "Everything Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley Needed to Know, I Learned at a Montessori School" by Jehmu Greene:
"A person's ability to solve problems in the midst of a heated situation is directly related to the number of possible solutions he can think of in that moment."
Exactly! I have been saying that for years. I first started thinking about it when I was managing a customer service department. I noticed that the key to dealing with an irate customer is not to let the person's anger trigger your fight-or-flight response.
That's no easy feat. It's a natural response to fell threatened when someone is attacking you. And, yes, yelling and blaming constitutes an attack.
Problem is that the fight-or-flight response is the antithesis of the calm, free-wheeling thinking that is most conducive to problem-solving. Once Fight-or-Flight has been triggered, the brain is limited to binary thinking and just those options: fight or flight. Neither of which is particularly good at resolving conflicts.
Posted by Selena at 09:25 AM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2009
RRN: "Eat Pray Love"
One of the books I'm reading right now is "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's wonderful so far. I keep having to tear off pieces of my scrap-paper bookmark in order to make new bookmarks to flag favorite passages. That's a good sign.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
Favorite quotes so far:
"...the very fact that this world is so challenging is exactly why you sometimes must reach out of its jurisdiction for help, appealing to a higher authority in order to find your comfort." (page 53)
then this response from what I would call God even if the author wouldn't use that term:
"I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me." (page 54)
"Liz, you must be very polite with yourself when you are learning something new." (page 56)
Posted by Selena at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)
"Love in Fallout" by Christopher Schmitz
"Love in Fallout"
by Christopher Schmitz
Ray winced at the explosion. He knew his wife and son lay dead or dying. Ray sprinted toward the charred woods, hoping a radioactive storm wouldn’t push their way. The Deathsquad would find them soon, unless they risked the fallout sector.
Posted by Selena at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2009
New Music: "Her Diamonds"
I really like the new song by Rob Thomas: "Her Diamonds." I wasn't so sure about the video at first, but it's growing on me. Initially it just seemed too weird, but now the image of this frozen woman thawing and coming to life kind of appeals to me. Besides, I enjoy the iPhone product placement. ;)
Posted by Selena at 06:57 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2009
Love Me Some Prince!
This morning I was out running errands and listening to The Coffee House on Sirrius. It's cool, mellow—acoustic versions of popular songs. I normally like it but today they played an acoustic version of Prince's "When Doves Cry" and all I could think was "that just makes me want Prince!" So, when I got home I dialed up some Prince and I've been enjoying it ever since.
"Let's Go Crazy" is probably my favorite. It's so uplifting.
Favorite lyric: "if de-elevator tries 2 bring u down, Go crazy - punch a higher floor"
I gotta remember to do that.
Posted by Selena at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
Quote of the Day
Got this in my email today:
"Don't let your worries get the best of you;
Remember, Moses started out as a basket case."
LOL. I guess there is still hope for me after all. ;)
Posted by Selena at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2009
"The Silent Woods" by C.C. Moore
"The Silent Woods"
by C.C. Moore
Prince Addir and his huntsman find a beautiful, sleeping maiden in the forbidden woods, but is she a damsel in distress or a terrible witch who will destroy their world?
Posted by Selena at 07:49 AM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2009
Story Accepted! ("The Secret Shaman")
The Lorelei Signal has just accepted my fantasy story "The Secret Shaman" for their Oct-Dec 09 issue (online), as well as the July 09 issue of Mystic Signals, their quarterly print magazine.
I am so excited! That one email just made my whole day.
Posted by Selena at 02:01 PM | Comments (0)
July 05, 2009
"Secrets of Cyborg Maintenance" by John Nichols
"Secrets of Cyborg Maintenance"
by John Nichols
Too late for second thoughts
Posted by Selena at 07:50 PM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2009
School House Rock: "The Preamble"
It's not the Declaration of Independence but it's still related to today's holiday. Besides it's my favorite School House Rock episode.
Posted by Selena at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)
Interesting Article on the History of July 4th
Interesting article. I love how it echoes the power of words to bring something into being.
The small falsehoods and great truth of the Fourth of July
Posted by Selena at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)
July 01, 2009
"Silver Wing Dragons" by Michelle J.A. McIntyre
To kick off July, here is the second place winner from our recent cover art contest...
"Silver Wing Dragons"
by Michelle J.A. McIntyre
Second Place, 2009 Cover Art Contest
Fantasy Art colored pencil illustration by published artist, Michelle J.A. McIntyre.
Posted by Selena at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)