Are you practicing social distancing? Is your county or state under a shelter in place/stay at home order?
Battling Boredom?
Social distancing and such are “the new normal” as we battle the coronavirus. But what’s a body to do with all this stay-at-home-ing? Besides counting tiles in the ceiling or cracks in the linoleum, how do you pass the time while waiting for public health and government officials to lift or revise the order?
Literature and the arts are a coupla the best ways to get through this.
Top Seven
Here are seven movie picks to help you battle stuck-at-home boredom. We popped some popcorn and watched (or re-watched) all of these within the last coupla weeks or so. Some are recent releases. Others are Golden Oldies.
If you’re stuck at home looking for something interesting to do that doesn’t involve counting, consider:
Ever notice how blogging can be like whistling in the wind? Swirling around in a raging storm? Just about the time you think you have a handle on your topic or audience, a huge cloudburst of doubt or writer’s block rolls in. Soaks you to the skin. And you’re not sure which end is up.
LOTS of It
That’s kind of what rural life on the Olympic Peninsula is like. Yep, it’s green. Outdoor opportunities abound. But the lush landscape, soaring evergreens, and feral beauty of western Washington come with a price: Rain. Lots of it.
In fact, in the largest temperate rain forest in the world, we measure rain in feet, not inches. Locals joke that the four seasons are:
Raining
Almost Raining
Just Finished Raining
Construction
Only tourists argue with that. Because by this time of year we’re starting to feel like Noah. Sunshine seems like a distant memory.
What’s a blogger and writer to do besides sprout gills and webbed feet, especially when hitting a writer’s block wall? Well, I dive in to an old favorite: Under the Tuscan Sun.
Incongruous?
Under the Tuscan Sun seems incongruous. But a favorite is a favorite, regardless of weather:
Two hundred and eighty pages redolent with France Mayes’ delicious descriptions of her restoration of an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside.
Incandescent, the text drips with the beauty and simplicity of life in Italy.
Because Under the Tuscan Sun is the kind of tome you tuck into a summer picnic basket. Or wrap yourself around during one of the wettest PNW winters on record.
Meanwhile, Back on the Peninsula
Diving into Tuscan Sun, I’m soon adrift in a sea of Italian terra cotta, palazzi, gelato, and padrones. Sun-soaked vineyards and Chianti.
What’s The Hurry?
I envy Frances Mayes and her villa’s fireplace, large enough to sit in. “I think most Italians have a longer sense of time than we do,” she writes. “What’s the hurry? Once up, a building will stand a long, long time, perhaps a thousand years. Two weeks, two months, big deal.”
A severe storm?Two hours, two days, two weeks, big deal.
I can’t quite wrap my head around that.
The wind howls like a banshee. Frogg-Toggged, I take Kimber the pup out, snatching a few minutes from the elements. Frances and Ed Mayes try to decide on what to renovate/upgrade first – the leaky roof or central heating.
Stormaggedon?
By nightfall passing cars have switched their windshield wipers off. Somber prognostications of Stormaggedon seem far-fetched. Even if the wind istossing buckets of rain from gray-cement skies.
Kick Writer’s Block to the Curb
Does your keyboard ever look like gray-cement? Is dredging up new blogging inspiration like trying to recover the Titanic?
When this happens – and it always does, sooner or later – take a blogging vacation. If you can’t swing a change in scenery physically, take a mental vacation. Stop trying so hard. Take a break from writing and disconnect:
Go for a walk
Play with your kids.
Eat a banana split
Take up line-dancing, a watercolor class, or wood carving.
Find a new author
Make a new friend
Change the oil in your car. Quit stressing about your next blog post or series. There’s something therapeutic and bracing about shifting gears, trying something novel, exploring new territory
Whatever it takes to replenish the well.
Rest to Recharge
A “rested” mind is a more creative mind. Some of my best ideas and creative bursts arrive after I’ve turned off the computer and gone “on vacation.”
How long should your writing vacation last? That’s up to you. But running on fumes isn’t doing you or your readers any favors. When you start feeling like writing is fun rather than a chore, or something to check off your To Do List, you’re on the right track.
Aftermath
Suddenly it’s Monday. The storm has passed, subsiding to a soggy threat.
Kimber chomps her breakfast. The Etruscan wall necklacing Frances’ villa is rebuilt. The weed-choked cistern cleaned. The roof fixed. Aging interior polished to its former patina and newly planted herb gardens blooming, Frances’ restored villa gleams in the Tuscan sun.
Blue and gray, overhead skies here clash like troops at Gettysburg. But the worst, it seems, is over. The sun is elbowing flannel-gray clouds out of the way. Wait! Is that a patch of blue?
Well. I’ll be ‘et fer a tater if I don’t sense some writing inspiration on this rise…
In case you’ve been in a cave or a coma lately, the Super Bowl is just around the corner. But some of us (who shall remain nameless) don’t watch the Super Bowl for football. We tune in for the commercials.
Indeed, Super Bowl broadcasts have showcased some of the most memorable television commercials of all time. So with Game Day waiting in the wings, we got to thinking about memorable TV commercials.
Now, “memorable” is highly subjective. A commercial doesn’t necessarily have to be any good to be “memorable.” It may be silly. Hokey. Or just plain ridiculous. It could be so bad, you can’t get it out of your head. It may also be so poignant and powerful, you can’t forget it.
So Kimber and I put our heads together the other day and came up with our own highly subjective, 100% unscientific list of the 12 Most Memorable TV Commercials Ever.
Not all of these commercials aired during a Super Bowl game. But can you name the ones that did? In no particular order:
1. The 9//11 Tribute (Budweiser, 2011)
When it comes to memorable ads, Budweiser is in a class by itselff.
The 9/11 tribute ad only aired once, during the 2011 Super Bowl. But once was enough.
Ten years after the tragedy, this ad features the famous Budweiser Clydesdales clip-clopping across the Brooklyn Bridge, past the Statue of Liberty, then bowing before the New York cityscape. Then “We’ll never forget” appears across the screen.
The ad airs without a single word of dialogue. It doesn’t need any.
One of the most poignant, powerful commercials ever.
2. I Can’t Believe I Ate That Whole Thing (Alka Seltzer, 1972)
In this ad, Ralph is seated on the edge of his bed, moaning about an upset stomach after over-eating. He doesn’t get much sympathy from his wife, who tells him to take some Alka-Seltzer.
The ad won a Clio Award (the television commercial equivalent of an Oscar) in 1972. The line, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing,” was selected by Newsweek magazine as one of the ten best quotes of the decade.
3. The Mayhem Guy – St. Bernard Puppy (Allstate, 2019)
In this commercial, a 70-pound St. Bernard puppy with a “lack of impulse control” meets its match in Tina Fey. “Get Allstate. Where good drivers save 40% for avoiding mayhem – like me.”
The Mayhem Guy has made a career out of these commercials. Which is your favorite?
4. Aqua Velva Man featuring Pete Rose – (Aqua Velva, 1976)
Pete Rose sings in this cheesy Aqua Velva commercial from 1976. Because there’s just something about an Aqua Velva man.
5. The Most Interesting Man in the World (Dos Equis, 2010)
His mother has a tattoo that reads “Son.” I don’t always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty, my friends.
Wait. Did I say the Pete Rose ad was cheesy?
6. 241 Years ofBattles Won (U.S. Marine Corps, 2017)
For a place. For a people. For an idea…. It’s what we do. It’s who we are….
This may be the best recruiting commercial ever.
Are You Grown Up Enough For Granny Goose? (Granny Goose Potato Chips, early 1960s)
Interesting. Well-seasoned. Provocative. The only question is: Are you grown up enough for Granny Goose?
Love it or hate it, this was one memorable ad. Totally un-PC.
Mean Joe Green (Coca Cola, 1979)
One of the most famous Coca Cola commercials ever. Have a Coke and a smile.
9. Times of Your Life Christmas commercial featuring Paul Anka (Kodak, 1976)
Remember Paul Anka?
Good morning, yesterday. You wake up and time has slipped away. Do you remember? The laughter and the tears? The shadow of misty yester-years? (Bet you can’t stop humming that…)
Nostalgia meets Kodak in this beautiful holiday commercial.
Kodak film. For the times of your life. They nailed it!
10.I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (Coca Cola, 1971)
Who can forget this one? “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)” is a pop song which originated as an advertising jingle. It’s sung by the Hillside Singers in this 1971 TV commercial.
It’s the real thing…
11.Another Angel Gets Its Wings (Target, 1993)
Scenes from the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life intersplice this music video from the 1993 Christmas song, Another Angel Gets Its Wings. By Vince Gill and Trisha Yearwood.
The video appeared at the beginning of the Target Exclusive VHS copy of It’s A Wonderful Life. If customers bought a Christmas album by either Gill or Yearwood at Target, a free cassette single of this tune was included.
Remember, for each and every bell that rings, another angel gets its wings. So share you care…
Everybody sing!
12.Puppy Love (Budweiser, 2014)
An adorable puppy + a majestic Clydesdale + the bonds of friendship = best buds and a cuteness overload!
Budweiser knocks it out of the park again with this Super Bowl ad from 2014.
Will you be watching this year’s Super Bowl game for the football, the commercials, or a little bit of both?
There’s this football thingy going on this Sunday. Apparently it’s a BIG football thingy. Dad’s working on “game day food.” I’m not sure what that means. But if “Game Day” makes the kitchen smell this good, then we should do Game Day every day.
Here are five of Dad’s and my favorite snacks and recipes for Super Bowl Sunday. (I don’t really care who’s playing. As long as I get bacon.)
CRANBERRY COCKTAIL MEATBALLS
(Makes 2 dozen cocktail-sized meatballs)
Flickr
Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef round
1 cup packed cornflake crumbs
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup catsup
½ cup finely minced onion
Sauce
I can ( 16 oz.) jellied cranberry sauce
1 bottle (12 oz.) chile sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Mix meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Form into walnut-sized balls. Place in a large square baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan mix together the sauce ingredients; Stir and simmer until the cranberry sauce melts. Pour over the meatballs and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.
In a skillet, lightly cook beef, onion and green pepper. Drain fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve open-faced on kaiser or sour dough rolls, or hamburger style.
CHUNKY CHICKEN CHILI
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup mild salsa
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
3 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Spray large nonstick saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken, onions, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink.
Stir in salsa, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder and cumin.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garbanzo beans and bell pepper. Simmer until thoroughly heated. 6 (1.5 cups) servings.
Assorted vegetable dippers (celery, carrots, cauliflower or broccoli florets, bell pepper, baby carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, etc.)
In a medium bowl stir together sour cream and dry onion soup mix. Stir in blue cheese. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours. If desired, sprinkle with snipped parsley just before serving. Serve with veggie dippers. Makes 1.75 cups.
Combine, shape into 1-inch balls. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, at 350 degrees. Reheats well. Freeze separate, then put into bags. Makes 80 -100.
Adapted from Seasoned with Love: A Book of Favorite Recipes compiled by the Joint Heirs Sunday school class of Whittier Hills Baptist Church, April 1984.
Mom’s contribution:
Not being a football fan, there’s just one “football book” I can recommend for today: I Am Third, by Gale Sayers.
Everybody’s been saying “Happy New Year” or “Happy New Decade.” “Best of the Decade” lists pop up like dog biscuits after I do something really, really clever. Like every nano-second.
But did January 1, 2020 actually mark the beginning of a new decade, or the last year of an old one? Mom and I looked into this. Sort of.
According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the agency that maintains the country’s master clock, the new millennium began on Jan. 1, 2001.
Astronomical data also takes a similar course, beginning in 2001, 2011, and this time around, 2021.
But to others, that doesn’t change the fact that as a society we seemingly talk about decades starting with zeros and ending with nines. For instance, the 1990s seemed to last from 1990 until 1999.
Julian dates and Merriam Webster and the Farmer’s Almanac? Why do humans have to make stuff so complicated? How ‘bout we all settle for a nice long walk and a milk bone?
Well. You know humans.
Here’s what Mom and I think:
1. A “decade” is 10 years, right?
2. So if a “decade” starts on zero, then it ends on zero, ten years later.
3. Which means the “zero” year is the final year of the decade.
4. Not the first year of a new one.
5. So save the “new decade” thing for 2021.
By the way. Did you notice our new look?
Mom and I spruced up our web site over the holidays. These are days when I get extra good stuff to eat and more treats! People laugh and dance a lot, too. They smile more. Why do they do this? Why don’t they laugh and dance and smile more every day instead of once a year? Well. You know humans.
Squirrel!
Now lemme see. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Our new web site. Did you notice we added a new banner? New theme and layout? New style and approach?
We even got a custom domain. We’re now officially Pages and Paws.(I’ve been bugging Mom about this since the 12th of Never. But you know Moms.)
We’re still making some changes. Updates. Revisions. Well, it’s mostly me. Mom helps a little. I mean, someone’s gotta keep track of meal times.
Anyway. We have lots of good stuff in the pipeline.
Like 13 Ways To ROCK Your 2020 Reading Challenge. Easy Super Bowl recipes. Delicious Valentine Pairings (books and food! Yum!). 16 Unforgettable Love Stories. 10 Most Romantic Movies of All Time. Ways to celebrate Read Across America day!
Oh yeah! I’m so excited!
So don’t be a stranger. C’mon in. Pull up a chair. Put your feet up and set a spell. Share a good book. Don’t forget to comment. (We love comments. But not as much as bacon.)
By the way again, can you eat “decades”? Askin’ for a friend!
Writing an annual Christmas letter is as seasonal as eggnog and mistletoe. Some Christmas letters have flair and panache. Others are like watching paint peel. How can you write a Christmas letter that’ll knock the socks of your family Saint Nick and make Rudolph’s nose dim?
Here are 12 tips for writing a killer Christmas letter:
1. Keep it short.
I’m talking one page. Preferrably just the front. The more loquacious you are, the less likely people are to read the whole thing.
People are busy, especially during the holidays. No one has time to read a Christmas epistle that’s a War and Peace wannabe. So keep it short and sweet.
2. Be yourself.
This may seem obvious. But it’s amazing how many people try to copy someone else’s style or voice. Don’t. People want to hear from you, not a clone.
3. If you include a photo, make sure you tie it in with the text of the letter. And caption it with the place, date, who’s featured and what they’re doing.
4. Mix it up.
If you used a first person narrative last year, try writing from another point of view. The kids? The dog? A neighbor?
5. Include humor.
Not everyone has an active funny bone. But most people like to laugh and enjoy some levity. Include some.
6. Choose a font that’s easy on the eyes.
I can’t tell you the number of times I gave up trying to read through fancy calligraphy or curliqued letters on steroids. It may look pretty. But if your type font is hard to read, few will.
Choose a standard font like Times Roman or Arial.
7. Handwritethe salutation and conclusion.
If you’re writing your letter on the computer and tucking it into an envelope, be sure to start it with, “Hello Bill and Marilyn” (or whatever). In handwriting.
Also hand write your conclusion and signature: “Merry Christmas from Jim and Eileen, Chad, Chloe, and Joey.”
It takes longer. But it’s more personal.
If you’re using an email delivery platform like Mail Chimp, you can customize the “To” field and do likewise.
8. Keep a list. Check it twice.
Staring at a blank piece of paper or screen and waiting for writing inspiration to strike can be intimidating. It’s helpful to keep a running list of key dates and events through the year.
If possible, jot them down real time. It’s a lot easier to just grab your list or review your calendar than it is trying to remember the last 11.5 months off the top of your head, without prompts.
9. Inclufe your contact info.
Make it easy for people to respond by including your address, email, phone, etc. In The Letter. You can do this in the footer of a Mail Chimp or in a regular email or hard copy letter.
10. Use white space generously
Resist the temptation to jam in as much copy as you can on a sheet of paper by cramming every available millimeter with type. It’s hard to read!
Instead, keep your paragraphs short. Indent for new paragraphs. Or better yet, double space between paragraphs.
Make sure margins are adequate. Choose Justify rather than ragged right for your right margin. It looks cleaner and more polished.
11. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes.
What do you want to know? What will be of interest? Do I really care about your second cousin’s bunion surgery or the egg substitute you just discovered?
We all find ourselves fascinating. But try to write yiur update with an eye toward news that will resonate with and be interesting to your recipient(s). Think: What will my friends want to know about and what can they best relate to?
12. Draw the reader in.
This is key. It’s also rare, as most Christmas letters tend to be one-sided. Even self-centric.
Engage your reader by “pencilling in” a question specifically for them. How was vacation? The new job? Is Norbert coming home for Christmas?
You might also close with something like, “Please let us know what’s going on with you, too” or drawing attention to your contact contact info. so they can easily respond. (See above.)
If your budget allows, print up your letter on some Christmas-y stationery.
Well, that’s it. Now get those creative juices going and make this year’s Christmas letter the best ever!
Are you chomping at the bit to dive into that roast turkey, snag some more mashed potatoes or grab more cranberry sauce or another slice of pie? Maybe you’re wishing you’d quit while you could still waddle away from the Thanksgiving table semi-vertical.? If so, I’m gonna keep this short. (Well, kinda.)
Not to restate the obvious here or anything, but Thanksgiving is a day set aside to, uh… “give thanks.” Count our blessings. Lift our eyes off our self-soaked lives and look up to the Father of every good gift.
Fine. But is that what Thanksgiving has turned into – “giving thanks” by rote – because we’re supposed to?
Lord, have mercy.
So I have a proposition for ya. This year, when you’re working off that third slice of pumpkin pie you needed like a hole in the head, how ’bout determining to launch into “thanksgiving mode” year-round instead of just the last part of November?
Someone who shall remain nameless (hi, Mom) forgot to get me breakfast the other day. So I didn’t have a whole lot of sympathy when she started sniffing about a well-worn Christmas writing contest going the way of the Dodo.
“I’ve been writing and submitting entries to that site’s annual writing contest for years,” whined Her Mom-ness. “I’ve even won a couple times. So what’s up with The Final Shutdown?”
“Now you know how I feel?” I wanted to say. I wagged my tail instead. Offered to share my favorite treat with her. She wasn’t interested. Even though these goodies are “100% natural. Non-GMO.” Made “with real mixed berries.” Okay, so it was pre-chewed. But only a little.
“Mom? Mom!” I said, trying to get her back on track. You know how writers are. “Stop that whining already. I’m trying to think here!”
Now. Where was I?
Anyway, Mom kinda didn’t know what to do after being thrown for that wet cat. I’ll let her narrate in her own words (sometimes there’s just no accounting for taste.)
Her Mom-Ness:
Wanting to get a running start on the Christmas story contest season in 2017, I wrote a seasonal story in the fall of last year, as the Indian summer of September slid into the cool kindliness of October. When I sat down to submit it, I found that the site was no longer running the contest. “We hope to be back next year,” the site admin replied to my inquiry. “Please feel free to submit your story in 2018.”
I dug up my 2017 story, One Cold Night, dusted it off and polished it up for submission to the 2018 Christmas story contest. To my dismay, I discovered that not only was the contest not going on this year, but the entire web site had been scrubbed. Closed. History. Gone.
“That was a lot of work for nothing,” I thought.
Me
So Her Mom-ness decided to do something else. “Just because that site no longer exists doesn’t mean I or my story have to follow suit.”
So she spiffed up her story. Ignored the contest-imposed 800 word limit. Added about 600 words. “Now it’s a micro story,” she chirped. “I’ll just publish it myself.”
As in, if a door closes, find another way in. Or open a window.
This right after I gently reminded her about breakfast. With the subtlety of a ton of dog chow. Priorities, ya know?
Mmm… Mom’s Christmas micro tale… crunch… arf… is called… mmmm… good… One Cold Night. And you can get it for FREE right here. It’s almost as good as breakfast! Crunch…. munch… yum…
Pages & Paws 