As promised, I'm following up yesterday's blog, Urban/e Gal Goes Country, with those things I do miss about city-living. And, the top 5 are: 1. All Things Artistic & Cultural Always thirsty for art & culture, I like my perspective of the world to be challenged constantly. Other artists, activists and folks that challenge me are harder to find outside the city. Fortunately, I'm only a 20-minute drive away. Not sure I'd be quite as country-honeymoon-smitten if I were DEEP in the throes of country. This is really suburbia, but without feeling like it because all I see are trees and the lake. 2. All Things Random & Crazy Living in a city invariably includes running into random, crazy shit. Like the sign below. I noticed the sign one morning last year on our street. Or, the thirsty shoe below the sign that showed up on Agricola. Both random sights and occurrences are a writers' dream. Although I never met him, I still miss Norman! 3. All Things Foodie I do miss the proximity to the Spring Garden Road restaurants one block away (above), the farmer's market (pictured below), even the take-out options (Salvatore's, Mr. Chang's, ChaBaa...drool), and, of course, our favourite pub food (Tom's Little Havana). And, it's not that driving 20 minutes to get there is preposterous, it's the sheer crazy thought of me at, say Tom's, NOT enjoying a bottle of wine with my dinner. That's just plain whacked! 4. All Things Bohemian Okay, it's cheating a little because this sort of combines the first three. Almost every Sunday night for at least 10 years now, I've joined my urban family of friends for a potluck. It's been all things food, all things creative & random crazy shit all wrapped up into one. Several of us are writers who occasionally bring a story or poem to read. And there's always great food, music and conversation. I still go, but I miss that it used to be a 2-minute walk. And, last but not least: 5. Sidewalks That's right - I miss sidewalks. And not just any sidewalks because I'm aware that some places out in the country do have sidewalks. I miss the kind of sidewalks that promise visual stimulation, like walking by a shop window (above) and seeing a butterfly dress (which, btw, I loooove), or walking by a newly-painted doorway like the one below. And those are the things I miss, but not enough to move back, at least not yet. Who knows how I'll feel in a year or two. . . as I responded to one of yesterday's comments, I might feel differently if I were weighing my "country-life" to a city like Paris. If anyone from Paris wants to spend a vacay on a beautiful lake, I'll be on the next plane for the switch. Till then, May you all find yourselves in places that nourish your soul! TartanFrog (aka Dina)
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Image: becauseican.co.za We’ve all said it at some point: Maybe I should pack it in and move closer to nature. Well, I did. And here's a few thoughts that might help you in case you've been hemming & hawing about taking the "crazy new shit" road. . . Today: my top 5 reasons why this was the best idea ever. [To provide balance, tomorrow I'll list the top 5 things I miss about living in the thick of things.] Top 5 of Country's Awesomest: 1. THE FIREPLACE I'm sooooooo in love with the fireplace (which, by the way, comes with a room with a magnificent view). So if you have a fireplace AND a view in the city, you can scratch that off the list. Photo: Clinton Desveaux 2. THE LAKE Is there really anything to explain here? Swimming in pristine, warm waters all summer on a lake that hardly anyone else ever uses. Skating in winter. If you're living downtown, have a working fireplace & your house fronts a lake, you're on the wrong blog. 3. SOUNDS There's a stream that runs through our backyard and empties into the lake; and while the summer's all about the lake, the fall is all about the rustling of leaves and the flowing sound of that stream. There's also a train track on the other side of the lake. Now, instead of an alarm clock, I wake up to the whistle of the first morning train - I happen to LOVE trains. No idea yet what winter & spring will bring to this symphony, but I sure don't miss the traffic, the honking, the sirens & I especially don't miss the drunk couples who feel the need to scream like bloody banshees while arguing on the way home from the bar at 3 a.m. If you don't mind those sounds, the city may be for you. Starry Night: Vincent Van Gogh 4. THE STARS Everyone who knows me has likely heard about my own notorious scream in the night: "I LOVE CAMPING!!" (which came some time after I appeared at my city door for a camping trip carrying a silk pillowcase, an electric toothbrush and clothes on hangers -- I know, I know I'll NEVER live that down:) The truth is I was always a sucker for staring at a starry night (I mean who doesn't love Van Gogh's?). So no matter what city downtown you live in, there's NO WAY you get to enjoy the best light show on earth every night. If moving to the country is out-of-the-question, I seriously advise you to make friends out there. 5. MY HEALTH, EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING For years now, this tiny, squeaky voice inside my head was whispering that despite what everyone said: "YOU? You wouldn't last a week. You're a city girl. OBVIOUSLY. Just look around you." It was true. Our place in the city couldn't have been more cosmopolitan if we'd tried. The paintings on the walls (nudes no less), the multicultural soirees, the daily jaunts to the cool cafe, our favourite neighbourhood pub, etc. etc. . . . and yet, the squeaky voice kept growing & growing, till it was squawking. So, the learning here, I think(??), is that no matter where I'm the happiest, healthiest & most balanced I've EVER been,-- What matters is the voice in YOUR head. One thing that's true is that if I had to join the morning commuters to work, I probably would have only lasted here a week. Fortunately, at least for the time being, I'll be working from home. If and when that changes, well, I'll cross that bridge when I have to. Tomorrow, I'll confess to what this writer does miss by not living downtown. Till then, Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend, TartanFrog (aka Dina) Looking forward to seeing the writerlies tomorrow. 1. Note that Chris Benjamin is guest-hosting. Check your in-boxes for details. 2. I've only updated the calendar to December 6th. Thinking we might have an early holiday get-together at my place that night & then break for the festive season. Bring your thoughts tomorrow night or send me an e-mail if you can't make it tomorrow. Happy Scribing! TartanFrog (aka Dina) Image: cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com Okay, I'm stumped. Making something meaningful out of those two e-mails I received from the fiction editor who rejected my manuscript last week is NO EASY TASK. And so, in its stead I offer you another reaction: Listen to how Dylan Moran reacts to rejection (thanks for the recommendation, Chris!) If you're in need of more rejection reads, comedian/writer/magic man Jon Friedman has turned his popular Rejection Show into a book that shares works and stories of being rejected. You can buy the book REJECTED here. Meanwhile, I'll be rewriting Snow Patrol's lyrics to JUST SAY YES. I'm calling the revised version EDITOR, JUST SAY YES!!! Sure to be a hit:) Cheers, TartanFrog (aka Dina) Image: rejectiondigest.weebly.com Happy Holidays, Happy Rejection - NOT!! Today, oh wretched, wretched rainy day: Got rejected by a publisher whose editor, after receiving my partial, requested the full in record time (which I'd hoped was a positive sign): An excerpt from the editor's rejection letter: "Your passion struck me rather forcefully, and the warmth of the writing (related, of course), in a way that does not happen very often. This kind of passion is very engaging, as are the characters and their strange and rich histories. I also like the idea of Acadian stories very much. I am sorry to say, however, that I just didn’t feel that ineffable ‘click’ of recognition, that this would fit well with [insert publisher name here]’s fiction list. This ‘click’ is based partly on sensibility, and also on our understanding of what kind of books we know how to promote effectively." Thus began the stages of coping, interpreting, denial, suppressing of suicidal thoughts. . . you know, the usual. Below are my top 5 quotes/methods for coping with this wretched day: Image: Jan Timmons 5. "You’d be better off flinging yourself atop something serrated than continuing in this pursuit. Please don’t bother sending anything else to us. Ever. Seriously. Give it up." - from A Perspective on Submission Rejections, posted by Kat Heckenbach in Author's Journey, Creative Nook, Random Things Image: c0rkn0t.deviantart.com 4. "Always remember, you do not need anything external to feel happy. Things can only bring you temporary happiness. The only permanent happiness is found in understanding this and in acknowledging the awesomeness of being alive." - from http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-Rejection [My response to this can be summarized by the image above. Whoever wrote this obviously never got a letter from a publisher saying that they'd publish their manuscript. I did & can vouch for the fact that it IS pure happiness that lasts a LOOOOONG time] 3. Another favourite activity on days like today is to reread rejection quotes that some of my favourite books/authors received, such as: Lord of the Flies by William Golding: 'an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which was rubbish and dull.'; Catch – 22 by Joseph Heller: ‘I haven’t really the foggiest idea about what the man is trying to say… Apparently the author intends it to be funny – possibly even satire – but it is really not funny on any intellectual level.’; The Spy who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré: ‘You’re welcome to le Carré – he hasn’t got any future.’; Jorge Luis Borges: 'utterly untranslatable'; Animal Farm by George Orwell: ‘It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA’) - Quotes came from www.writersservices.com/mag/m_rejection.htm Okay, I'm starting to feel slightly better, regaining my old determination (pictured above) and leaning slightly in favour of not jumping off the roof. . . And, my TOP 2 ways of COPING Photo: blackballoonpublishing.com My confession: Yesterday, I had an irreverent moment. When I 'should' have been somber, I found myself suppressing a giggle. I blamed my cat who was staring up at me, imploring me to explain why every adult in the room had suddenly gotten up and stood silent (we're not a typically quiet bunch:) To global readers unfamiliar with this practice: The service of Remembrance (of fallen soldiers) in many Commonwealth countries, including my own, Canada, generally includes the sounding of the "Last Post" (a bugle call), followed by a period of silence. Now, since I'm also an irreverent analyzer of all things human, I began to analyze this ritual. (may as well add that I grew up in a catholic household - thus am very familiar with the whole ritual thing). Herein lies the problem: When I was growing up and throwing tantrums every Sunday because I didn't want to go to church, there was more to it than being a brat. I also usually lost those particular battles. And so, off to church we'd go. Once there, with a clarity that seems reserved for children and those lucky adults who have nurtured that child-like quality, I'd watch certain individuals, dressed in their finest feathers and making grand entrances in the cathedral-like church in my hometown. Looking at them, one might surmise they had a direct path to heaven, paved in gold. Later still, I'd observe these same individuals outside the church walls (and learned the meaning of the word incongruence). If these same individuals really believed that God was all-seeing and that He could see how they treated and judged their neighbours, I totally didn't get why they weren't exuding the same crippling self-doubt I felt growing in my own spirit. J.F.K (also raised catholic) once said: "When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations." Maybe that explains the path that led me to writing. Despite my struggles to annihilate them, I've always been painfully aware of my limitations, and of humanity's limitations. Hypocrisy is one of those limitations that makes my volcano rumble. As a child, I railed against the machinery of hypocrisy. I still do (albeit a tad less laced with vociferous scorn). I'm all for the ritual that honours, respects and commemorates fallen soldiers and veterans, HOWEVER, I'd like to see humanity actually honour, respect and commemorate the change our children deserve so that they won't have to grow up and repeat the same cycle. One of the fatal errors in teaching history is failing to connect it to the present and future. If we all really meant it yesterday: We should rest our guns, raise our hearts and construct change - meaningful change that addresses today's world. To construct peaceful change, we need to listen to the stories of children. This poignant speech by Lana Wachowskion (Matrix Trilogy) is one such story. My 10 favourite quotes from her speech. The Wired Monk Writers meet tonight and Simon is guest hosting. Check your in-box for address/directions. I'll be driving in if anyone wants a lift. Can't wait to see my writerlies! -TartanFrog aka Dina P.S. If any of you haven't seen the article yet, I wholeheartedly recommend The 10 Grumpiest Authors in Literary History posted by Raincoast Books this morning... (you may be reminded of certain writerlies in our own midst:) Name the top 3 ways disasters like Hurricane Sandy or Federal Elections have changed your life?11/3/2012 Photo from jimsonlinejournal.blogspot.com According to Newton's laws of motion: "objects at rest will stay at rest and objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." These objects, once acted upon by said unbalanced force, go back to their original status quo. The question is: Are we, as humans, also subject to that principle? I believe that children are more mutable and impressionable that way. Once disasters & elections pass, adults rebuild, reorganize and put everything into perspective. Meanwhile children are developing their personalities in light of this new reality. Based on my feelings during and post Hurricane Juan, one of the characters in my second novel, Sabine, witnesses a storm as a child and it changes the course of her life profoundly. Here's a one-page excerpt of how the legendary wind known as Le Suete begins to impact Sabine's life. Hope you're all enjoying the weekend, TartanFrog |
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