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from the Eccentric Mind of Linda Kay Linda Kay On Writing. Click Here!
December-
So very much is going on! First, I am doing a virtual book tour in March, which I discuss at length in my blogspot. I had to get a blogs because they reach more people now than websites, and I am loathe to go onto myspace or facebook. So, I have started a blog that is easier to get to than here, and that will take you through the processess of publishing a novel. I am really looking forward to it! I am also looking forward to going to Mexico for the month of December. It is time for some fun in the sun, and days of nothing but reading and writing. You'll be able to read about the writing that is currently being done down there, as well as catch up on anything else in my blog.
Don't miss it!
Have a wonderful holiday season, and remember to laugh a lot, sing a lot, and dream a lot!
November Do
November is a gray, dark month here in Oregon. Lucy lays around on the top of the couch like a black cat, the turtle girls are less active, and I long for that summer sun. So...what do I do to fix this? I go to Mexico, of course! Yes, three weeks of the Mexico weather will get me through even the darkest of winters.
That...and writing.
October 2007
The cruise was incredible...the Panama Canal is something everyone should see in their lifetime. It's such a feat of human ingenuity. We loved it. But nowm we're back in the saddle again, with a lot going on. I am teaching a lot online, which I love. I am teaching Iranians of the Ba'Hai faith online because they were expelled from the University of Iran for their religious beliefs. I love it. The students are so hard working, and so (for lack of a better word) grateful to have teachers willing to teach them. Of course I'm willing! The Ba'Hai faith is one of the few religions that actually has established equality between the sexes! Now THAT is progressive! I teach the Law students English as a Foreign Language and it is so much fun. I Skype and yahoo Messenger with them almost nightly (for fun and to help them practice writing), and then I teach and correct and engage in a discussion board. It's really cool and I love it.
While I also love teaching at LBCC, I have applied all over the country for Creative Writing Instructor positions. We're kid free now, and are ready for an adventure. Who knows where that adventure might take us?
August 2007
Well, we're getting ready for another cruise. this time, we're heading to the Panama Canal and Columbia! I am so excited. This means I'll probably finish the fourth installment of the Across Time series. Three weeks of writing virtually guarantees it.
So..what does a day look like when Lind Kay cruises? Here's out typical day:
8:30 up to deck to put towels, books, lotion on lounge chairs.
8:45-9:30 Coffee overlooking the ocean or whatever port we're at.
9:30-12:00 Writing/reading by the pool.
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-4:00 Writing/reading by the pool
4:00-5:00 In room getting ready for dinner
6:00-7:00 Dinner
7:00-11:00 Shows, dancing, walking around the deck, fun nightlife activities.
Unless we go offshore, and then we have more fun, but less writing.
June 2007
Okay, here's what I've read this summer so far: Once Upon a Day (we're using it for our bookclub next month. How to Stay Lost, and Queen on the South. All are very good reads that I heartily recommend.
What else? Well, Lucy and I go on walks to the park, which are good for my thought processes. Oh, and I am reading Useless Information and sharing my nuggets every chance I get. For example, I'll read some useless piece in the book, and then I wait. I wait for the opportunity that day to bring it up. We all went out to dinner, and when my aunt grabbed a toothpick, I was able to use it. "Did you know that 8,800 people hurt themselves with a toothpick every year."
Yeah, I'm A LOT of fun, don't you think? J My aunt, who is one of the greatest people on the planet, would say , "Italics" once she started recognizing my useless facts. She said that my useless facts come out of my mouth in italics. How funny is that? Anyway, you can imagine how annoying I must be in real life. An annoying little nerd. I'm okay with that. Really. After all, I'll bet you didn't know that Dr. Seuss coined that term.
May 2007
It's mid-May and things are happening in life! Life is a wonderful place to be. I had this job interview yesterday, and at the end, when asked what else I wanted to add, out of nowhere I said, "I'm one of the happiest people I know. I have lived a great life and if I died tomorrow, I would have no regrets." I find it interesting in retrospect that I felt the need to add that. Of all things I could have said to further my cause, THAT was what I chose to say? I have thought about that line long and hard over the last 24 hours, and somewhere in me, a door opened up. It was more than the job, more than trying to convey something about me (of course, it's way more fun working with happy people). I think I was making a statement to myself. No matter what happens with this job, (which I really want), I am still going to be a happy person because EVERY day, I CHOOSE happiness. It explains why I don't have a lot of close friends. I don't really hang around people who have drama, who complain, who are unhappy in their marriage, who hate their jobs. Life, to me, is too short to pal around with that kind of negative energy. I'd really rather just be with me and the few people I love and trust, who re happy with themeselves and their lives. I mean, think about it. How many TRULY happy people do you know? How many people can you say you know who have joy in their hearts, laugh often and easily, and see every day as a gift? Not many, huh? So today, on this gorgeous (and rare) sunny and stunning Oregon day, I challenge you to choose happiness. To realize that the only person who can make life better is yourself. I may not know WHY I chose to say that line to the committe...but I'm really glad I did!
April 2007
It's April...and there's something about Spring that brings out the best in people. My pond is looking great...I was out fiddling with it, and I saw the frog I saved a year ago when we were at the rock store. See, Lori and I were loading bricks into oour cars, and there he was...looking like, "How in the hell did I get here?" With no water features in sight, he would have died. So I picked him up and held him until we got home. Then, I released him into my pond. I never saw him again...until yesterday. YIPPEE! He's a Pacific Northwest Tree Frog, and is lime green with a black stripe down his face. And is he LOUD? Oh my. I love him. But that brings me a new dilemma...he needs a friend. I have spent hours online looking for someone who sells them, but no one knows. So today, I'm putting on my galoshes and going to the river to see if I can't snag him a few friends. My pond is big, it's safe, no one will eat them, and they could have a fine time, I think. Now, where did those two salamanders go?
Spring brings sun, flowers, and smiles on people's faces. I love spring. Spring brings all that yummy summer fruit we all love. So, I am going to give you a little recipe for a dessert you will write me and thank me about. You take strawberries...dip them in sour cream, and roll them in brown sugar. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven! Well, that's it for now...I need to go eat strawberries, check on my pond life, and go write in my library. It's great to be alive! 
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Okay...someone asked me to put a list of my favorites up here...so here goes:
Linda Kay's Favorite:
Movie-- Fried Green Tomatoes
Book-- The Eight
Meal-- Mexican
Drink-- Coke
Alcohol Drink-- Bailey's
Color-- Red
Language -- German
Car-- 1965 Mustang
Country-- Costa Rica
Music-- Rock n' Roll Baby!
Play-- Phantom of the Opera
Super Hero-- Ororo Monroe
Song-- Edge of Seventeen
Singer-- Stevie Nicks
Album-- Accidents and Accusations by Dixie Chicks
Flower-- Bearded Iris
Gem-- Amethyst
Shoes-- Borns
Clothing-- Baseball caps
Toy-- GI Joes
Hobby-- Reading
Animal-- Giraffe
Bird-- Hawks
Sport-- Tennis
Season-- Spring
Holiday-- Christmas
Job-- Teaching
Jan. 2007
Life is good. It's really good. Good things are coming my way and that 's a wonderful feeling. I just finished the sequel of a new series, and that is always a nice accomplishment. I love my courses. I'm having a really good term this term and seemed to have lightened up a great deal. Maybe it's age, maybe it's just time for a change. Change is inevitable and I think that those of us who fight it are worse for it than those of us who roll with it. Life can be like a rip tide...if you keep trying to swim against it, you'll only find yourself further out to sea than if you just swam parallel to shore until you were out of the way. That's what wisdom is to me...learning when to swim parallel. (ever notice ow there are three parallel L's in the word...the word LOOKS parallel!)
Speaking of swimming...how about that guy who was nearly swallowed by a great white shark?
Okay...I have a confession to make.
I am scared to death of sharks. Morbidly afraid. Of course, that doesn't stop me from snorkeling when I travel (and I have snorkelled all over the world), but...and I've never admitted this before: whenever I snorkel, the ONLY tune I hear in my head is that Ba-dum, Ba-dum, of the JAWS soundtrack. Yeah. A little crazy making that! I used to love them; read all the National Geographics I could about them. Then one day, BAM. There was a movie about getting eaten by them. That changed my mind on the whole shark thing.
What else scares me?
Clowns. I have ALWAYS hated clowns. Even as a little girl, I hated them. Eww. Those big feet and white make-up gross me out.  I won't go anywhere if there's a clown. I'm not afraid of the traditional girly things...spiders, snakes, rats, I don't have issues with them. But if I found a clown in my house, I'd kill it with a whack to the head with a baseball bat. I'll take a snake over a clown any day! Hey, this is my ECCENTRIC place you've wandered into!)
I also hate those long Chinese Dragons they get under during special holidays and run up and down the steet. Icky! I can't STAND those things! They always scare me. Creep me out, those ugly dragon faces with the mean eyes and long, icky snouts. Eww.
I'm not afraid of heights, enclosed spaces, or bridges. I'm not afraid of fire or bring hit by lightning. Not much scares me except stupid things...like clowns. And you know what? I'm not the only clownophobe, either. Ask around...you'll see. 
So, when I have a granddaughter some day, (or a grandson...that would be really fun, too, but he wouldn't really be able to join the coven (just kidding) ) I wouldn't take her to the circus EVER. |
Feb. 10, 2007
So...I've pretty much stopped playing tennis. I play a couple of times a month now instead of a couple of times a week. Why? I realized that I've already competed at a very high level and that tennis wasn't bringing me any real joy. So many of the women I played against seemed to have their ego wrapped up in winning...like it was so very important to them. I was that way, too. TWENTY years ago. Now, as I near 50, I realize that there are other things I'd rather be doing...like playing the violin. I guess, in away, the violin symbolizes a real shift in me and my views of life. It's an incredible feeling, really. So, as I dink around on my violin/fiddle, I smile, knowing that the only constant in life is change, and this gal is a changin'!
What else is happening? Well, we're starting to make plans for trips. This summer we're cruising through the Panama Canal on our way to Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico. How exciting is that? It means fun in the sun, writing a new novel, and seeing sights that change your life. We are saving up for the BIG 50 in a few years, when I am going to HAVE to see Africa. Just the thought of seeing elephants and giraffes in the wild gets me all choked up. That will be fun. Recently, we have been considering Scotland...hopefully, I'll be able to play a few fiddle tunes when I go there. Yes, I want to walk into a pub with my fiddle and play a tune. What a GEEK! The idea of travelling with my violin is weird, but since I play it left-handed, I can't just go there and pick one up! We're also looking at spending a summer travelling across the country. Renting a little motorhome, tossing Lucy in the back, and heading for wherever the road takes us! So far, our road has been free of potholes, so we want to travel while we still can. |
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Nor will I take her to body surf in the ocean. "Sorry, honey, Granny is afraid of getting eaten by a shark. How about we go to the pet store and pet some pythons or boas?" hehehe...yeah...Cool Granny. That'll be me. She'll say, "Mom, can I go to Cool Granny's house? We're picketing today." Or maybe, "Cool Granny is coming to school to talk about why kids should get tattoos!"
Yeah...my son-in-law is sure to hate my guts.
But I won't care. I'll be Cool Granny! 
Okay...it's clear I've slipped into the over-the-top bizarre mode. Have a great February! Play Me!!!
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