tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:07:25 +0000A writer awaiting...inspiration, perspiration, publication, exhilaration.http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)Blogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7345969469821068766Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:00:00 +00002009-12-18T15:19:11.242-06:00NewspapersFascinating StuffBooksIronyInteresting (and ironic) factoids from an essay that will appear in the NYT Sunday Book Review, already posted on the NYT website:The book most often stolen is the Bible. (At least, most often stolen from BookPeople bookstore in Austin, Texas.) The Bible even is stolen from a Christian bookstore that will give 'em away free is people ask for one. (Maybe when they know you'll give it away, they http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/12/stealing-books.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7314836757322994274Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:53:00 +00002009-12-18T14:39:03.746-06:00SportsLouisianaNew OrleansAdoration Miracles are happening in New Orleans. Witness this photo taken on the Mississippi River only a few days ago. For those of you who don't recognize this man on sight, it's Drew Brees, quarterback extraordinaire of the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS football team! They're now 13-0 (a true miracle for those of us who have followed the Saints over the past 40 years), division champions, and heading into the http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/12/breesus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-3035699479925376668Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:00:00 +00002009-10-31T21:00:02.476-05:00BlogsWritingFamilyLifeOh-the-wonder-of-meHolidaysIt's been so long since I've appeared in Blogworld, I can't resist jumping out tonight to say BOO!I won't yada-yada-yada the story why the blog's been on hiatus for so long. I'll just say this has been a very eventful year for me. Years ago, a very productive author gave me some good advice. Asked about plotting, he said, "What is plot? Why, it's just one damn thing after another." If that's the http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-halloween-and-sphinx-has-flown-back.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7488625883957665801Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:13:00 +00002009-08-14T12:52:15.994-05:00I never intended my hiatus to go on this long. Since my last entry (good grief, more than 3 months ago!), I spent many weeks on a combination of sick leave and vacation time. I thought of topics for a new blog entry, but using my computer was frustrating because it had begun to run very slow and hang up a lot. I kept postponing a new entry. I enjoyed vegging-out to the max. A couple of weeks ago http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/08/resurfacing-or-excuses-excuses-excuses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7290835216815929607Sun, 10 May 2009 05:29:00 +00002009-05-10T00:43:50.883-05:00HealthBlogsWell, I'm back, sort of...not having to blog from the afterlife, at least. I'm ten days post-surgery, minus tumor, also minus a kidney. (Fortunately, I have another kidney.) Will be recovering for a few more weeks, but am doing okay. Thanks to those of you who commented on my last post. Whew.I've been contemplating how I might use this experience in my blog, and thought of recounting various http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/05/not-quite-back-from-hiatus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-6446588444492340803Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:25:00 +00002009-04-28T12:37:38.960-05:00I've been pretty healthy most of my life, but in the last few years some health issues have caught up with me. I had an emergency appendectomy seven weeks ago, and have to undergo more surgery tomorrow to remove a tumor on one of my kidneys. The prognosis is very good; the doctor believes I won't need further treatment and that there will be little likelihood of a recurrence. Nevertheless, this http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/04/brief-hiatus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7405064472415971531Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:48:00 +00002009-04-15T17:10:25.587-05:00 This blog entry no doubt is one among thousands using the above title after last weekend.In case you haven't yet seen/heard the amazing Susan Boyle sing, watch this video. The whole thing is about 7 minutes long, but worth the time. As an occasional viewer of American Idol--the American version of Britain's Got Talent, the British show on which Boyle appeared, I didn't expect Boyle to have http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/04/dont-judge-book-by-its-covermea-culpa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-4200675348108123297Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:55:00 +00002009-03-27T01:31:32.796-05:00HealthI've been pretty healthy person most of my life, with just a glitch here and there. Much to my surprise, I now speak to you as survivor of an emergency appendectomy. Yes, that scary situation, where you rush to the ER in excruciating pain, hoping against hope they won't have to cut on you, hoping it's only gas pains...only to discover that yep, the pain in the right lower quadrant of your abdomenhttp://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-appendix-says-farewell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-9150882428767860134Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:28:00 +00002009-03-05T00:31:00.340-06:00MusicCustomsFuneralsNew OrleansEntertainmentThe title of this post is both ironic and non-ironic.I'm writing about two funerals--hardly material for celebration. Yet here in New Orleans, a funeral can be as much a celebration of life as it is mourning for the dead.Two local celebrities died last week, both of them closely connected to the New Orleans music community.Eaglin jazz funeral; photo by Brett Duke, The Times-PicayuneThe first was http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/03/celebrations.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-5327174032859692975Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:07:00 +00002009-02-13T13:38:31.145-06:00Bad TasteAuthorsBooksSatireHumorOh my. I MUST buy this book just because of the title:Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance -- Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!As a dedicated Jane Austen fan, with Pride and Prejudice being my all-time favorite book, I must find out how much violence the book does to the original story...Will this be Elizabeth Bennet's worst nightmare? Will Miss Bingley, Wickham and http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/02/incredible-variation-of-pride-prejudice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-5959609263208508498Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:42:00 +00002009-03-27T21:24:02.051-05:00ListsBlogsAuthorsReadingBooksMy friend Charles Gramlich of Razored Zen for many years has kept a list of books he's read. I wish I'd done the same thing, but better late than never. I managed to keep a list of all the books I read in 2008. Encouraged by the reading lists posted by Lisa Kenney of Eudaimonia and Tim Hallinan of The Blog Cabin, I decided to post mine here.I averaged a little more than one per week, fewer than http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/02/books-read-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-4203393250683731210Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:00:00 +00002009-01-31T03:35:20.442-06:00FriendsSocial CommentaryArtWritersI welcome 2009 because it brought a new president, in whom I have much hope. I shrink from 2009, however, because it brought the departure from New Orleans of Laura Joh Rowland, a good friend whom I shall miss greatly. You know as much as I do about our new president, and the hopes of the voters who elected him. I shall focus instead on my friend, whose departure I bemoan. Laura has moved to New http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2009/01/hail-and-farewell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-2878484853870372231Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:46:00 +00002008-12-12T13:56:31.561-06:00ListsStranger Than FictionSocial CommentaryBad ExamplesHumorA friend emailed me the message below, captioned "2008 Darwin Awards." It's hilarious, so I'm sharing it with you. I double-checked it with the actual Darwin Awards website ("A chronicle of enterprising demises honoring those who improve the species...by accidentally removing themselves from it!"). The 2008 nominees listed didn't include any of these anecdotes. Perhaps they're from previous http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/12/darwin-awards-winners.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7203523434430611769Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:50:00 +00002008-12-09T11:51:36.437-06:00ListsWritingMemesOh-the-wonder-of-meA long time ago Shauna Roberts tagged me for a writing meme: to list five of my writing strengths. It would be easier to list five writing weaknesses, but I finally came up with these:1. Excellent command of punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure, as well as large vocabulary.2. Widely read in fiction, especially genre fiction, resulting in broad knowledge of literary conventions and readerhttp://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2007/10/five-writing-strengths.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-1562645350803644947Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:08:00 +00002008-11-28T03:18:01.023-06:00Any dog this clever deserves to run free: See Andrew Sullivan's Why I Love Beagles.http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/11/brilliant-beagle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-6658003422901286470Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:35:00 +00002008-11-24T00:35:00.207-06:00Stranger Than FictionSocial CommentaryIn the last few weeks some weird things have been happening in the New Orleans area, or not far from it:KKK Reappears A hitherto unknown enclave of the Ku Klux Klan was discovered about 60 miles northeast of New Orleans, a group of eight or so cretins who had gathered to induct a new member. The leader of the group ended up shooting and killing the new member because she got cold feet and http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/11/weird-events.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-7135501196173754942Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:04:00 +00002008-11-24T00:32:40.236-06:00MemesOh-the-wonder-of-meNola over at NOLA Notes tagged me for a meme, and I thank her for the kick in the *ss to get me started back blogging again. Following the advice of my semiguru, Leo of Write to Done and Zen Habits, I won't explain or apologize for my absence, but jump back into the game. Here's the SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME meme:The Rules: Link to the person who tagged you.Post the rules on your blog.Write six http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/11/meming-return-6-random-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-6824739012044723375Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:58:00 +00002008-09-10T16:39:12.656-05:00Greetings, all. I evacuated for Hurricane Gustav, but have returned safely. I had no damage, either bodily or to property. The biggest aftermath for me is exhaustion.I spent three days preparing to evacuate--packed LOTS of stuff this time.(That's the Katrina Aftereffect: When I evacuated for Hurricane Katrina I expected to return home in two or three days, so took only a few changes of clothing. http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/09/im-ba-a-ck.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-5639996403414513110Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:22:00 +00002008-08-27T17:26:53.323-05:00I've been drafting a couple of different blog posts with the Katrina Anniversary in mind, but now we have Tropical Storm (possibly Hurricane) Gustav down in the Caribbean, soon to be in the Gulf, and things in this area are going in to hurricane preparation mode...which means I must do that also. So, unless Gustav changes his mind and heads for Texas or Mexico, I will be probably be offline for ahttp://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/yikes-not-another-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-1120102796249797044Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:58:00 +00002008-08-19T16:59:15.828-05:00ListsSportsHumorMy last post noted that the IOC has added BMX racing to the Games this year. In an earlier comment Steve Malley had listed BMX as one of the sports on his list of fantasy Olympics games. His others are pole dancing and dodgeball.I suggested the addition of pogo stick. Steve Malley immediately came up with a list of pogo stick events: "single pogo, team pogo, triple-bounce for height and again http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/alternative-olympic-sports.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-3472473106893856907Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:43:00 +00002008-08-17T19:01:24.429-05:00SportsHumorIn response to Excelsior, my August 12 post about the Olympics, Steve Malley commented with his typical dry wit, "I'm waiting for pole dancing, BMX biking and dodgeball to be admitted as new sports..." Well, Steve, one-third of your wait is over: BMX is now part of the Olympics, beginning with the Beijing games this year. Who knows, maybe in 2012, the IOC will add pole-dancing and dodgeball, http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-olympic-sport-added-this-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-3833070884279594034Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:37:00 +00002008-08-16T18:13:32.345-05:00WebsitesFascinating StuffCreativityHumorI recently came across some interesting blog/website links to share with you. I can't recall where I found two of them, so if those two came from any of your blogs/websites, I apologize for not being able to credit you:1. On Indexed Jessica Hagy cleverly converts all kinds of ideas and concepts into graphs and charts. Humorous and good for a daily laugh. This has become so popular she has http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/few-interesting-links.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-5336944112751780489Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:08:00 +00002008-08-14T10:19:00.257-05:00PublishingBlogsAuthorsSocial CommentaryReadingWritingWriters(Yikes, two posts back-to-back! Is the world ending?)I just read Jenny Crusie's latest entry on Argh Ink, "The Double-Edged Blog." Jenny's a best-selling author of women's fiction, known for her great sense of humor. She blogs about her works-in-progress, the businesses of writing and publishing, and life in general. She's found that while her blog gives her a chance to express herself freely on http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/yikes-two-posts-back-to-back-is-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-1431552314917778213Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:06:00 +00002008-08-13T14:07:16.488-05:00SportsPoliticsTVI'm taking a break from my vacation to immerse myself in the 2008 Summer Olympics. I am a total non-athlete, yet I love the Olympics. My sleep/wake cycle has been disrupted as I try to follow the late-night/all-night broadcasts.This year's opening ceremony was the most fabulous ever--amazing, beautiful, enchanting, overwhelming--with such creativity in its different elements. And, wow, what a wayhttp://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/excelsior.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27104799.post-2156813352439091428Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:13:00 +00002008-08-09T17:18:35.447-05:00KatrinaAs we swelter through The Month That Contains the Third Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (better known to most of you as August 2008), I may be posting only Katrina-related entries. Or maybe not. For right now, I'm linking to Pontchartrain Pete's blog, in which he's recognizing The Anniversary Month by posting a new Katrina photo every day of the month--his theme is "One K a Day."http://sphinxink.blogspot.com/2008/08/good-site-for-post-katrina-photos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sphinx Ink)4