Hurricane Sandy

I’ve been watching the news all morning, and I have to say that even being a native of a very hurricane-prone state, this storm is just unbelievable.  Of course, the damage is compounded by the fact that it hit such a highly populated part of the country.  It’s horrifying to see the destruction left behind, and to think of those who have lost so much, and have so many days ahead before life can even begin to return to normal.  I am sending prayers, healing energy, and my very best wishes to everyone who has been affected by Sandy, and who might still be in harm’s way.  Now is the time to donate to organizations like The American Red Cross.  People with no homes to return to will need that help desperately.  (Like the residents of the EIGHTY homes that burned to the ground in part of New York.)  My guess is, there are a lot of people with nothing left but the clothes on their backs, and my heart goes out to them, as I’m sure yours does, as well. 

It’s just a sad, sad time for so many. 

And for those of us lucky enough to have been spared Sandy’s wrath, a healthy sense of gratitude wouldn’t be amiss!  

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Quote #45 – Mary Doria Russell

“The dachshund is a perfectly engineered dog. It is precisely long enough for a single standard stroke of the back, but you aren’t paying for any superfluous leg.”

–Mary Doria Russell,  Dreamers of the Day

And one for you dachshund lovers–also like me–as the last animal quote this morning.

Quote #44 – Aldous Huxley

“To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.”
–Aldous Huxley

And one for you dog lovers (like me) out there, too!

Quote #43 – Stephen Baker

“Kittens are born with their eyes shut. They open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives.”

     –Stephen Baker

For all you cat lovers (like me) out there!

Quote #42 – Robert Frost

“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.”

     –Robert Frost

Quote #41 – Oscar Wilde

“I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.”

– Oscar Wilde (The Importance of Being Earnest)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Maggie Stiefvater has become my very favorite Young Adult Urban Fantasy writer in the world.  Period.  I don’t know another author, Young Adult or not, who can make my heart ache more deeply for her characters than Stiefvater.  Her writing is exquisite

Voice Recognition Update

Just wanted to comment a bit more on the Windows 7 built-in Voice Recognition application.  After spending twenty minutes or so with the “computer training” portion of the application, 3 or 4 different times, the difference in accuracy has already become quite noticeable.  Today, for the first time,

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

I’m a sucker for Celtic legends, ghost stories, myths and music, of any kind.  Set it in Scotland or Ireland, and I’m happy to the bone.  Old England?  Love it.  Wales? Yorkshire? The moors?  Happy sighs from me, all around.  I thought today might be a fun time to share a poem

Voice Recognition? Not So Much So, Yet.

Well, I picked up a headset microphone today, and started checking out the built in Voice Recognition application included in Windows 7.  The good news is, the mike works. The bad news is, apparently I talk like I have a mouth full of half-chewed garbanzo beans!  GAH. 

Quote #40 – Steven Wright

“What happens if you get scared half to death twice?”

  –Steven Wright

Speech Recognition In Windows 7

Well, guess what?  Windows 7 comes with built-in speech recognition!  Who knew?  For anyone who wants to try it out, here’s what I know so far:

Quote #39 – Thomas Berger

“Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.”
–Thomas Berger

Speech To Text Software

Okay, you writers out there…I need some advice.  Anyone ever use Dragon or any other brand of speech to text software?  I have some real issues with repetitive stress syndrome in my arm and shoulder.  Some days, I just can’t type.  I’m thinking of trying one of these programs, but I’m not sure which ones might be best for my purposes. Any recommendations?  In addition to running several blogs, I’m in the process of writing a book, and would like to make it easier on my ancient joints, here.  Help? Any advice or suggestions would be very welcome, thanks!

A Wanted Man by Lee Child

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

As the blurbs all say, Reacher’s back!  Just finished this 17th book in the Jack Reacher series–can you imagine?  Number seventeen?  Sort of amazing, isn’t it?  But then I guess that Reacher’s books are kind of like Reacher is, himself–a force of nature following no law but his own.

A Narrow Fellow In The Grass by Emily Dickinson

Since I mentioned yesterday that I love snakes, I thought it might be fun to post one of my favorite Emily Dickinson poems on just that topic!  Even when you love them as much as I do, you still get a shivery feeling–zero at the bone–when you see one.  Hope some of you enjoy this, even if you aren’t as crazy about our legless friends as I am.

An Award! How Exciting!

As a pretty new blogger, I can’t tell you how excited I was to receive my first blogging award! I was nominated for

September 1918 by Amy Lowell

Amy Lowell has always been one of my favorite poets.  Her imagery is unsurpassed in my mind, and I remember reading her collected works in high school, and being so touched by each of them.  This poem, ostensibly about a fall day, is truly beautiful, but there is an underlying theme dealing with

Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley

In honor of the spooky days ahead this month, I thought I’d share another James Whitcomb Riley poem with you.  Believe it or not, I had to memorize this one way back in the dark ages, when I was in fifth grade.  I fell in love with the dialect that Riley so favored in his country style, and have never forgotten it.  Okay, I’m lying.  I’ve forgotten huge chunks of it, but still…I remember many lines from it, and the gist of the whole story.  Maybe you will, too, once you’ve read it.  Enjoy!

Quote #38 – Rob Thurman

“Niko had raised me from birth. And he’d been on my ass since birth as well. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but close enough. Pick up your clothes, do your home-work, stop drawing cheat notes on your arm, eat your vegetables, quit trying to make out the porn through the scrambled gray zigzag lines. I was in my twenties now, so it was a little different. Run your five miles in the morning. Spar two hours in the afternoon. Study up on how to kill F through H in the Mythological Creature Compendium. Quit trying to make out the porn through the scrambled gray zigzag lines.  Well, some things never changed.”

–Rob Thurman, Cal Leandros  in Madhouse

 

 

Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire

My Rating: 5+ out of 5 Stars

POSSIBLE VERY SLIGHT SPOILERS ALERT!

When I finished Ashes of Honor last night, I was dancing on the seat of the Comfy Chair, fist-pumping, and yelling “Yes, YES, YEEEESSSS!!!”  I can  guarantee that this was not a pretty sight, but what else could I do?  The book was definitely

An Apple For The Creature edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni P. Kelner

My Rating:  4 of 5 Stars

I’m sure it’s well-known by anyone following my blog that I love good anthologies, and An Apple for the Creature definitely qualifies for that designation.  I really enjoyed this collection of short stories featuring tales of “Unnatural Education.”  There were quite a few

Gathering Leaves by Robert Frost

When, oh when, will fall get to Florida?   I’m longing for it, but it’s been over 90 degrees every day lately, with very little respite in sight.  So I guess I’m relegated to digging up every autumn poem I ever read, and gazing longingly at photos of fall foliage!  With no further ado, I present today’s autumn offering.

Quote #37 – Nathaniel Hawthorne

“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October.”

     –Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

Quote # 36 – Erma Bombeck

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything You gave me’.”

      –Erma Bombeck

(Something to think about, eh?)