“There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.” ~ Mark Twain
Mark Twain (Wikipedia)
As a writer, I believe in these words from the great Mark Twain with all my heart. Each of us has an interesting and unique story to tell, with a new angle, and a fresh take on our individual life experiences.
As a fitting example, my mother-in-law shared the following with me this afternoon when we visited her.
“My father first set his eyes on my mother, Amelia, or Millie as she was called, when he was twenty and she was only twelve. Even at that tender age, she must have stolen his heart, because he told her, “Millie, I have to go away to work at sea, but when I come back, I will marry you.” Upon his return eight years later, he was true to his word. He took her as his wife, and nine months after the wedding, I was born. My father loved the name Mona, so he was the one that named me.”
wiki.jpg
The way she shared the story of how she came into the world resonated with me.
As life often goes, however, what started out as a romantic tale eventually encompassed great personal tragedy, hardship, and sacrifice.
My mother-in-law’s story of her family could easily fill the pages of an epic novel. It is a story I would consider worthy of recording and retelling one day.
Have you been moved by someone’s words in a conversation recently? As a writer or blogger, are you listening for new story opportunities in every-day life?
How about your own experiences? Have you ever considered writing a memoir?
In this age of PVR’s, boxed sets and better technology, my husband and I do most of our television viewing on demand and series by series. For instance, right now we escape into fantasy land by watching alternating episodes of Mad Men and Dexter, and are awaiting the return of Breaking Bad in August. Throw in Weeds for comic relief, and we were all set.
As coincidence would have it, we have the first two seasons of the Sopranos waiting for us when we finish Mad Men for the year. I know, I know, you are probably asking what rock were we living under to have not seen Tony Soprano and his show yet! My best answer would be that when it first came on TV back in the day, Husband and I were a little tired of the gangster genre from movies and decided not to partake. Recently, though, I saw the list of the top three TV shows voted for best writing, and they were the Twilight Zone, Seinfeld, and the Sopranos.
Trusting this list because we loved the first two, I suggested we should give the Sopranos a look-see. In addition, many of our friends had highly praised the show ad nauseum.
Then we hear the tragic news of James Gandolfini‘s massive fatal heart attack yesterday, the demise of a great actor who just so happens to be my age (I always thought he was older). The outpouring of grief in the media, including social media, cannot be ignored.
This actor created a character that obviously resonated with many. The story line may be compelling as well, but isn’t it the characters that draw you back to watch a show again and again? Simply put, without the intricacies and nuances of a character to keep your attention, would a story be even half as interesting?
Don Draper of Mad Men – IMBd
I wouldn’t care much about Mad Men if I wasn’t trying to figure out what made Don Draper tick. The same goes for Dexter Morgan and Walter White. Without these unique opportunities for character study, these shows wouldn’t hold our attention beyond the first few scene changes.
Dexter Morgan – wikipedia
Fiction novels are exactly the same. If I can’t in some way identify or be fascinated by the main character at least, the book is not worth reading to me. What would I do in this particular individual’s situation? Even if I can’t see myself behaving that way or saying those words, does the protagonist at least show me a way of understanding his or her actions?
As I write my own novel, I keep this uppermost in my mind. It is all about the characters. They are who the readers, and the viewers, fall in love with.
Rest in Peace, James. As you prematurely leave this world, I am about to delve into another one, the world you created as Tony Soprano. For another opportunity to study an enduring and memorable character, I am forever grateful.
This is going to be a quick post this evening, as I’ve been pretty busy and don’t expect to be up many more hours myself. I am now on Nanny duty for a week, staying at my daughter’s house while she and my son-in-law are away enjoying a vacation.
donating her hair
No big deal, you are probably thinking. But hang on a second, besides being responsible for a seven year-old girl and a five year-old boy, there is Ginger the cat and Nico the golden doodle dog. In addition, Poppy won’t be showing up to help out until Saturday.
dog eating the cat food again
Ginger is a breeze, and adorable with her new “lion cut”, but Nico is another story. Daily walks, poop-scooping, and simply managing an unbelievably lively and big one year-old pup may be the most challenging part of the deal.
Ah, but it is only for a short time. And it certainly has its rewards. Our girl has always been our angel, being the first grandchild and all. And then there’s our little man. After I read him a bedtime story and tucked him in for the night, I said, “I love you.” Sleepily, he said, “I love you too, Nanny.”
I’m sharing a few smiles I’ve collected from around the world in today’s post. While you listen to the great Louis Armstrong, it is my hope these photos will put a smile on your face too. 🙂
Cuba:
Smiles served with BreakfastOur Favourite WaitressLunchtime SerenadersSmiling faces at Dinner
Jamaica:
How’s this for Service with a Smile?Sweet!New Friends from MontrealOur Concierge
Italy:
Sisters we met in StresaOur Favourite Bartender in Rome
Friends in Florida:
Relatives in Ottawa:
Dominican Republic:
All-inclusive – even the SmilesFriendly Lady“I’ll be your waiter this evening”CharmingMy Personal Favourite 🙂
What could be more universal, in any language, in any country, than a freely-given smile? When you see a smiling face, does it make you happy too?
When I got the idea to start this little blog sixteen months ago, I didn’t fully appreciate what lay in store. For those who haven’t been following my blog since the beginning, my purpose for blogging was to give me incentive to create, and to develop the stick-to-itiveness I would need to tackle the project of writing a novel.
By sharing something regularly, I anticipated Jennifer’s Journal getting some initial feedback from my family and friends, and indeed, that was how it progressed for the first few posts.
But as time went on, I gained other followers. I was thrilled! As many of you did before me, I was claiming a tiny corner in the blogosphere with my words and pictures, and you gave me the inspiration to post every week. Bit by bit, you helped my confidence grow.
What I hadn’t counted on, though, was how a number of my new followers have turned into friends. My WordPress family feels very much like a family, in the way we support one another and appreciate what we as individuals are trying to contribute as we blog. Some connections have even gone beyond our blogs. But whatever the connection, I love this community and value your support. Big Hugs to all of you. 🙂
This brings me to the subject of blog awards. I am always honoured and pleased when someone nominates me for one of these tokens of recognition, and I happily accept it in the spirit in which it is given. However, to blog about them individually can be very time-consuming and repetitious, not only for me but for my readers as well. That is why I am taking the liberty of changing the rules and doing what some others have done: combining accumulated awards in one blog post, dispensing with questions and answers, and giving a shout-out to some of my most recent new followers.
Thank you, everyone! Readers, I urge you to check out these wonderful blogs.
Here are some of my most recent blogger/followers. Thank you, and welcome aboard. In appreciation, I share the WordPress Family Award with each of you. Respond to it, or not, as you wish. Once again, Readers, I suggest you sample these interesting blogs for yourself.
This morning I read a funny post by 40 is the new 13, a fellow blogger, on how children make crazy assumptions based on their own brand of logic, such as dogs are boys and cats are girls.
It sparked a memory for me. It wasn’t of an assumption one of my kids made, but a memory of what my son said one day when he was in grade two. I think it would be considered a malapropism.
Above is a pic I took of my boy back in the day, waiting for the school bus on his first day of kindergarten. When he got to second grade, his teacher, Mrs. Snow, was a kind and lovely young woman, and all the children adored her.
One day, when my little boy was nearing the end of that school year, he got off the bus and came home with an interesting piece of news. My friend and I were chatting over coffee when he entered the kitchen. He dropped his book bag and announced,
“Guess what? Mrs. Snow isn’t going to be a grade two teacher anymore.”
“No?” I asked, curious. “Is she giving up teaching already?” It seemed odd because she was nowhere near the age of retirement. “Oh, she’s going to teach a different grade, is she?”
“No,” he said. “She’s going to be a prostitute teacher.”
I nearly choked on my coffee, while my friend tried in vain to suppress her laughter.
Now the first thing I did was gently correct him. “You must mean substitute teacher, honey.”
The next thing I thought was, where did he hear that word? It wasn’t a word that was bandied about in our household. It wasn’t like he was living in a bordello, or that we let him watch a steady stream of TV shows like Hill Street Blues or Spencer for Hire. And I sure as heck couldn’t imagine it as a topic of conversation among him and the other kids around his age. How did this word get into his vocabulary?
To this day, the answer remains a mystery.
Another one I liked was when my niece asked for a “girl-cheese” sandwich. Even when her mother corrected her, she continued to say it.
“It’s my cheese sandwich. And I’m a girl, right?”
Did you have any “verbal typos” to share from your childhood, or from one of your own kids?
(Of course, you don’t need to be a kid to say the darndest thing. The other day I called a take-out restaurant and asked if they had any “pressure-treated” chicken. I’m still shaking my head over that one. 😉 )
Hello, Friends and Followers. A dear and close member of my husband’s
family has suddenly become very ill and is currently fighting for her life in ICU. Because of this, I have not been able to focus on my novel-writing, or my blog recently.
So I thought I would share with you something that made my day on March 29th: one of my favourite bloggers, Diana Schwenk, chose my blog as her Friday Pick for that week. I was beyond flattered when she posted this. I suggest you check out her inspiring blog; you won’t be disappointed.
Jennifer x
She’s real with a heart full of love and has inspired me many times to want to be a better person. Jennifer is also very interactive and this appeals to my “community building” nature. That’s why I follow Jennifer at Jennifer’s Journal. I hope you will have a look and I’m sure you will agree that Jennifer is worth a second look and a click on the follow button!
In her own words, Jennifer says:
Looking back on my blog after its first year, I can safely say that my Journal’s overall theme has turned out to be one of Love, more specifically, the sharing of what I love or have loved in my life, with you. Two years ago my husband and I got out of the city and returned to rural life in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Our hope is to continue living life simply…
This week’s photo challenge at the Daily Post inspired me to have a look back on our memorable trip to Italy and France. It didn’t take long to come “up” with some photos that fit nicely with the theme.
(Not sure if it’s against the rules to share more than one. ;)) I hope you enjoy them.
View of the Italian Alps – Stresa, ItalyStaircase at our B & B – Stresa, ItalyView from our Hotel Room – Rome, Italyx2 at Nightmarble staircase in hotel – Romex2Palazzo Vecchio – Siena, ItalyDuomo of Florence – Italyx2x3Notre Dame Cathedral – Parisx2Inside Cathedral – ParisLouis Vuitton – ParisEiffel Tower – Parisx2 – at nightIn front of the Arc de Triomphe – ParisArc de Triomphe x2x3x4Ceilings in the Louvre Museum – Parisx2
Hello there, Peeps. Vivian K. Perry here, Jennifer’s (dare I say) favourite cat. Just don’t tell my sister Maisie, capiche?
Jennifer asked me back to host her blog today, because she is a little bogged down writing an especially exciting chapter of her new novel.
Whatever! I was happy to oblige, nonetheless. This is my second time guest blogging on Jennifer’s Journal. If you’re interested, and I’m sure you are because I’m so cute, you can see my first post from last summer here.
Maisie and I do agree on one thing: we are getting bored with the cold weather. We miss the summer days of hunting little creatures, and basking in the sun. It is warming up a bit, but it’s still darn chilly on the paws most days.
So we while away the hours with our indoor activities.
Tucked away in the linen closetStill looking pretty spiffy there, AlexNice! But do they come with kitties on them?Lying on humans, one of our best-loved pastimes
Sometimes, we get on each other’s nerves, as sisters often do. I was thinking Maisie looked entirely too comfortable having our little house all to herself, so I had to act.
Minding her own businessWant some company?Getting too crowded for someone!There. That’s better.
Of course, at other times Maisie and I are closer-than-this:
Maisie lets me cuddle her when she’s cold
But what is my Number One Favourite Activity?
Dream, dream, dream
That’s right, Dreaming of Summer
Thank you for visiting Vivian’s View from Here! We hope you enjoyed it. 🙂
Would you like to see more of Maisie and Vivian? Check out these links:
Jennifer's Journal 