Yeah, Write

The Truth About Babies

I have 10 nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 12 years to 2 months, so I knew this before, as everyone does and mentions a million times a day, all over the world.

But now that I have a 14-month-old toddling around my house (who is, at the moment, emptying my purse onto the floor and exploring every compartment, object, and zipper), I know this personally, viscerally, completely.

The truth is, babies grow SO fast.

Yeah, I knew that. Everyone knows that. But then I see a picture like this one, taken just a year ago, and I'm halted in my tracks.

This photo captures my every sense. I'm stunned at the sight of her tiny fist next to my grandpa's thumb—how his massive welder's hands cradle her little pajama-clad body.

I look at this picture, and I am instantly enveloped (as Keira must have been) in that familiar, musky scent that always clings to grandpa's plaid cowboy shirts: a combination of Old Spice, horses, and that sandpaper-like soap he keeps in his downstairs bathroom. He smells like love and comfort and dependability.

At the same time, I'm drinking in the fresh newness of Keira, all slathered in baby lotion, with her whisper-soft cotton clothes carrying traces of Dreft baby detergent. She smells like hope and miracles and the future.

I want to live in this picture, basking in the light from the window that is filtered through the branches of my mom's Christmas tree, newly in love with my new baby daughter, remembering the hours I spent cocooned on grandpa's lap when I was little.

This is nostalgia. This is the power of a photo.

Journaling Prompt
Find a photo that causes an emotional response in you and write about what you see or hear or smell as you imagine yourself inside that photo. Describing what something smells like is not an easy thing to do, and almost whatever you write will feel inadequate to you, but it is a wonderful exercise for helping you connect very deeply to a memory. Try it! And share it on your blog, in your journal, or on a scrapbook page.

Note: as you try to describe what something or someone smells like, you are bound to discover the woeful lack of adequate synonyms for the word "smell." After checking my favorite online Thesaurus, I even Googled the phrase "other words for smell" and came across a new-to-me website, the "Super Thesaurus," that clearly does NOT know what a verb is. Here's a screen capture:

Random Ramblings for Saturday

 1.
My stepson, Jeremy, age 16, has decided to delete his Facebook account. His reasoning is that he's found himself becoming too addicted, and he wants to simplify. He cited the Ghandi quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world." What a cool kid.

(This is the same reason he returned the smart phone that we didn't want him to purchase in the first place. After realizing it was becoming a huge time suck, he returned it in favor of the basic free model that comes with his phone plan.)

I'm glad he's taking a break from Facebook for two reasons:
A) I am now free to say things like "Why is it that when you get three teenage boys together, their individual aromas combine and multiply and manage to take over an entire basement?" on Facebook with immunity.
B) I think teenagers are too "exposed" online. When I was a young, awkward, know-it-all, there was a limit to the number of people who witnessed that stage in my adolescence and/or could document it with screen-capture technology. Today, teens put it all out there for the world to see, having no idea how embarrassed they might be by their antics in the future. Anonymity is not always a bad thing.

2.
It appears that the word "vitriolic" is the new word du jour. If you want to be popular and sound smart, you should use it too. I heard it three times on NPR over the course of one day. There are synonyms, people! Choose from "caustic," "antagonistic," "scathing," "hostile," "venomous," etc.

3.
I thought I was the first person who had ever thought of this, until a quick Internet search proved otherwise. But, without revealing my personal politics, let me just say that when I said the phrase "Obama nation" out loud, I discovered that it's a homonym. Go ahead, say it. Hahaha. The President should dress up as the Obaminable Snowman for Halloween. (Or, feel free to use that idea yourself. All you need is a snowman costume and an Obama/Biden campaign button.)

4.
My niece, Jensyn, a precocious kid if there ever was one, says the best one-liners.

Witness:
At age 4 to a male Costco clerk who had long braids: "You don't see many men with long hair nowadays. Are you an Indian?"
At age 5 while picking up my sister from the airport: "I don't want to go to outer space. I don't like pirates. They have flags."
At age 6 after seeing Tangled in the theater: "Sometimes when I look at the moon I think there are other planets out there that haven't been discovered yet. And that they have rainbows drawn by unicorns."

5.
Why is it possible to be "precocious" but not just "cocious" or especially "postcocious"? I was just wondering.

6.
Babies rule.

Cool Giveaway for My Fellow Procastinators

If you tend to leave things until the very last minute, as I so dearly love to do, this is one time you'll be rewarded for your procastination!

Today, I'm giving away two 2011 planners to two lucky winners! And these aren't just any planners, they're customizable PHOTO planners from Per Annum. I have one 6 x 8 and one 4 x 6 version to offer to two lucky readers. Here's hoping there are at least two of you out there who don't have their planning system for 2011 quite figured out yet.

But here's another tip: You could easily use this as a journal! Write just one meaningful memory, thought, experience, or tidbit every single day in 2011. It's a great way to get into a regular journaling habit, and the small space on the week-at-a-glance pages takes the pressure off of needing to write very much. (I've done the daily journaling thing a couple of times, as you can see in this article, and it's incredibly worthwhile.)

Here's what I've done with mine:

I decorated the cover and punched tabs (using my McGill label punch) for each month out of patterned paper.

I included my guiding word for 2011 on the cover. (It's a little thing Ali Edwards started a few years ago. Choose one word to live by for the year. My word is "purpose." I want to be purposeful with all my daily decisions live a life that's infused with meaning and intention.)

I decorated the inside cover as well and covered up the title page with labels and rub-ons that match my overall look. I included a list of things that I think are important to aim for every single day, and I've made these things additional goals.

There's a photo sleeve that starts off each month of the year, and I plan to create a new one each month as the year progresses. This is the January sleeve, and it includes two favorite pictures from 2010. On the reverse side of this page, I'll include a favorite photo or two from January 2011 at the end of the month, and also create February's page, featuring favorite photos from last February.

Here's the January month-at-a-glance page. Not much happening yet, but it's sure to fill up faster than I want it to.

Incidentally, this is my first venture away from the FranklinCovey planning system, which I've used since 2001, when I worked as an editor in FranklinCovey's planner division. (Did you know I used to be the girl who selected the quotes for the daily planners? Fun job for a girl fresh out of college!) I'm looking forward to trying something new. I really had a blast customizing this and playing with my supplies.

So, would you like to win one?

Leave me a comment sharing what planning system you use, and how you'd use this if you won it. I'll choose winners on January 3rd and mail the prizes that same day, so you'll have it in your hot little hands before the first week of January is over!

Procrastinators, unite.

Happy New Year's Eve!

 

Layouts, Titles, and More

The Write.Click.Scrapbook. gallery this month, and the related blog post, is based on the concept of a fun blog called Young Me/Now Me. Doesn't this site make you want to go stage an old photo right now? So fun!

We were given the leeway to interpret the challenge fairly loosely, as I did on my two layouts below.

As outlined in the challenge, I did purposely stage this photo to resemble a photo I remembered taking five years earlier. Because I didn't pull out the original photo before taking the new shot, it doesn't mimic it exactly, but it's pretty close. And this is a scene we've seen several times in the back yard over the years. Kids love  to climb on these old clothes line poles. I'd venutre a guess that it's held far more kids than clothes in the last ten years!

For this page, I didn't deliberately stage an old photo, but as I browed through my iPhoto files, specifically looking at pictures taken with my iPhone, I was struck by the similarities betwen these two pictures--and the one HUGE difference. (Well, she's still itty bitty, but she's made a huge difference in our lives.) I couldn't help making another page! I especially love how Keira's expression in the second photo mirrors my expression in the first. Too much excitement!

Now for Some Title Talk

Make sure you also check me out on this episode of Paperclipping Roundtable from a couple of weeks ago. The topic: "Titles Don't Have to Stop Traffic." And the two layouts above just happen to illustrate some of the tips we discussed on the show!

The first layout, "Hanging Out," takes a common cliche and uses it a way that gives it a double meaning. I could have also used "Hanging Around," "Hang Loose," or "Hang On." Probably the best tip I shared in the show involves using cliches, sayings, and aphorisms as titles. You can either use a familiar saying as is: "Puppy Love" (on a layout about young love or puppies or both). Or you can modify it to suit your page: "Jungle Jim" (on a layout about a person named Jim playing on the monkey bars, for example).

But what if you can't think of one? Google it! This is a trick I frequently use when I'm working on a freelance writing gig, especially if I need a clever headline. If you're scrapbooking (or writing) about dogs, for example, simply type "dog cliches" or "dog sayings" into the search field, and see what you get!  Or you could try this Cliche Finder website, which allows you to type in any word (such as "ball" if you're making a sports page), and it will return a list of common cliches and sayings containing that word. I rarely find the exact title or headline I need in the results, but they often inspire a train of thought that takes me to the perfect phrase.

The second layout doesn't include a traditional title. It starts with two photos, then it dives into the journaling, and then it concludes with a pre-printed sticker from Bella Blvd. that fit my page's sentiment. The sticker serves as a title of sorts, but not a traditional one. And this layout proves that it's perfectly okay to skip conventional titles every now and then on layouts! (A tip that was also shared in the show.)

There you have it.

Are you ready for November? I'm not sure I am. My baby's one month old tomorrow. Someone please stop the clock!

 

Googly Eyes on Toast

Not too long ago, on a lazy summer morning, Jeremy excitedly summoned me into the kitchen to introduce me to "the perfect slice of toast."

No piece of toast, now or ever, could compete with this slice for its iconic and almost cartoon-like shape, its exemplary toastedness, its archetypal color and shading. If someone were to make a cartoon toast creature, this slice would be an ideal model to base it upon. You could easily imagine it sprouting arms and legs, grabbing a microphone, and beginning to croon a tune about breakfast nutrition for morning television.

"All it needs is a pair of googly eyes," Jeremy said.

"You got it," I said, heading downstairs.

"Wait..." He called after me, "You actually have GOOGLY EYES on hand?"

"For just such an emergency as this," I said, returning with a baggie of googly eyes in varying sizes.

"You're kidding," he said.

"What kind of a crafter would I be if I didn't have access to googly eyes when I needed them?"

And of course I pulled out the camera for an impromptu photo shoot.

"I think he looks kinda suspicious," Jeremy said.

"Nah, he's just shy," I replied.

But we both agreed that he is definitely male. Then Jeremy devoured him. (Sans the eyes.)

Incidentally, for the first time ever, I connected the term "googly eyes" to the popular search engine "Google." It makes sense! Both "Google" and "googly eyes" have to do with eyes—perhaps the act of looking or searching. They're both FUN. They share five of their six letters.

Of course, Google claims that the word is based upon "Googol," a mathematical term that means a 1 followed by 100 zeros. But I have to believe that someone at Google made the "googly eyes" connection early on, but it didn't sound quite sophisticated enough, so it was never included in the official story.

I just LOVE this definition of "googly eyes," found on Wikipedia:

"Googly eyes or wiggly eyes are large, bulging or rolling craft findings used to imitate eyes. The eyes traditionally are composed of a clear, hard-plastic shell, with a smaller, black plastic disk trapped within. The inner black disk is allowed to move freely within the larger clear plastic shell, which makes the eyes appear to move. Googly eyes are mainly involved in arts and crafts and are sometimes glued to inanimate objects for the purposes of portraying personification and humour."

Hilarious, right? Such a sober, academic, and accurate tone used to describe something as silly and inane as googly eyes.

A Quickie Grammar Lesson: Sneak Peek

Below are two little memory tricks that will help you with one problematic expression:

I find myself stopping for a moment whenever I type this phrase. Is it "Sneek Peek" or "Sneak Peak" or "Sneak Peek" or "Sneek Peak"? And suddenly, none of them looks correct.

First of all, "sneek" isn't a word at all, unless you're Dr. Seuss. And that's probably not the part that trips anyone up. It's that darn peek/peak conundrum. These are homonyms (remember them?), or two words that sound alike but are spelled differently.

"Peek" is a verb meaning "to look or glance quickly or furtively, esp. through a small opening or from a concealed location; peep; peer." And the related noun means "a quick or furtive look or glance; peep."

"Peak" is a noun meaning "the pointed top of a mountain or ridge; the pointed top of anything."

Here's how I remember which is which:

"Peek" has two e's, and the word "eye" starts with "e." I imagine that the two e's in the middle of "peek" are two little eyes peering out at at me.

"Peak," on the other hand, has an "a" in it. And what does a capital "A" look like? A mountain peak, of course.

Problem solved.

Follow these links for help with other common grammar and usage pitfalls, previously covered on the Yeah, Write blog.

affect / effect

they're / their / there

everyday / every day (and also anytime / any time)

 

Hop on the word-nerd bandwagon!
(Of course we have a bandwagon.) This is a fabulous (and highly readable) resource for grammar goddesses and grammar novices alike. Check it out.

Endangered Phrases

There are all kinds of phrases still in use today that don't make much literal sense anymore.

"On tenterhooks" comes to mind, which originally referred to a frame used for stretching cloth, but now simply means "left in uncertainty." As far as I know (as if I would know), tenter hooks haven't been in use since the 1700s.

There's also "blow your stack," which originally meant the clearing of a smokestack (or the stack on a steamship) by a sudden burst of air, but now most often means to lose one's temper. Modern individuals, who have very little experience with smokestacks or steamships, may never understand this reference if it weren't for Looney Toons. (You know how characters' heads morph into red smokestacks when they get angry?)

It's interesting to think that many of the phrases we grew up using, and which made obvious and intuitive sense to us, will no longer make sense to future generations. Behold:

Rewinding a movie.
On old VHS tapes, something was clearly winding. We still say "rewind" when referring to DVDs or pay-per-view shows, even though no "winding" is involved. Just wait for that first child to ask you, "Mom, why is it called 'rewinding'?"

Roll up the window.
In most modern cars, there's no lever to turn. Only a button to push. But what alternative phrases could be used? "Raise the window, please, it's cold out there." Nah. Interestingly, you'll notice that characters in movies still pantomime a "rolling up" motion, even when a car would clearly have a button instead. (More about that here.)

Turn the dial.
"Don't turn that dial! I like this song..." On car radios today, it's usually a button rather than a knob or dial. Radio stations still say, "Don't touch that dial" just before going to commercial break.

Hang up the phone.
In the old days (and I remember them), you had to hang the phone back on its cradle in order to end the conversation. These days, once again, we push a button. And when you want to end a phone call indignantly—as I did recently while trying to get some answers from the neanderthals at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue—it's far less satisfying to select "end call" than to slam the phone onto its receiver.

Above the fold.
I remember way back before Al Gore invented the Internet; do you? Back then, we had to get our news from newspapers. And the most important stories were always placed "above the fold" on the front page. This term is also used for websites, believe it or not, indicating that an ad or story appears on the first view, before the user has to scroll down.

Boob tube.
Actually, I think this one went out long before my time. But at least I know what it means. "Boob" used to be another word for "idiot" or "moron," and televisions were once operated by vacuum tubes instead of electronics. The "boob tube" was a nickname emphasizing the idea that television turned people into mindless drones (which it now does even better than ever before). I'm afraid the younger generation might assume a "boob tube" was just another term for "halter top."

As technology keeps advancing, what other terms can you think of that will soon make no sense to the rising generation? Discuss.

And the memorabilia stand alone

Let's take a quick foray into word-nerd land! (This adventure was inspired by my recent edit of an upcoming Ella eBook, Design Workshop by Lisa Dickinson, which covers the memorabilia topic in a very fun way.)

As you may know, "memorabilia" is always plural.

And when I need to refer to a single memento or souvenir in an article or other piece of writing, I usually get around it by saying "piece of memorabilia" or something similar. But there is a singular form of "memorabilia" as well, which is rarely used. And you're about to see why.

Memorabile | Hear it pronounced at Dictionary.com

As you will hear by clicking the link above and then clicking the sound symbol, this word is not pronounced "memoraBILE" in the manner of "bibiliophile" (one who loves books).

Instead, the emphasis is is on the middle syllable "ra," with the same vowel sound as "rat," while the last two syllables sound like the end of the word, "family."

Perhaps this gem of a word should be spelled like so:
memorabily
or
memorabalee

Go ahead, say it out loud a few times. It's like a little party for your mouth.

But really, it just sounds like you're mispronouncing "memorably."

Now, I'll use it in a sentence:
"Place your favorite memorabile on your mantel so you'll always remember the riotous time you had in South Dakota last summer."

Nah, I think I'll stick with "souvenir."

Angie's Grammar Manifesto

Over the years that I've been blogging, I've had several readers express a reluctance to comment on my posts, for fear that their lack of perfect spelling or punctuation will defile the grammatical purity of the Yeah, Write website. Nonsense! With that in mind, I now declare my 10-point Grammar Manifesto.

1. This is a No-Judgment Zone.
I do not ever correct a person's grammar (either spoken or written) unless I'm being paid to do so. Neither do I sit back with a false sense of superiority and ridicule other people's writing efforts, unless I'm being paid to do so (which would be an interesting gig, I admit). If you like having friends, you shouldn't run around correcting people's grammar either.

2. All Writers are Not Created Equal.
I hold professionally trained writers and editors to a higher standard. If I critique the word usage in an advertisement or a published book, it's only because there should be someone involved who knows better. If you own a business, and you don't know better—because you're a genius at selling shoes rather than at punctuating signs—just hire or bribe the biggest Word Nerd you know to proofread your store's marquee, flyers, and advertisements before exposing them to the public eye.

3. There's a Difference Between Formal and Informal Writing.
Every attempt should be made to properly punctuate and spell research papers, dissertations, resumes, corporate signage, advertisements, newspaper articles, and company memos. But blogs, blog comments, Tweets, FaceBook statuses, and text messages all count as informal communication. I will never look down on you for writing whatever comes to mind in a blog comment. After all, you're probably just doing your best to respond in between chasing your toddler and folding laundry, and I'd rather have a quickly dashed-off comment than no comment at all.

4. Write Anyway!
When it comes to journaling, scrapbooking, and journal keeping, you should never let feelings of inferiority keep you from telling your story! Do not let the pressure to express yourself perfectly prevent you from expressing yourself at all. So much insight is gained by exploring one's thoughts on paper or on a computer screen. Your perspective is invaluable to yourself and your family, whether or not you are the Queen of Run-on Sentences. Write your memories down. The more you write, the more you'll discover your voice and learn to express yourself clearly.

5. Practice Makes Progress.
The best way to improve your writing is to practice, to read things that are written well, and to look up the things you don't know. (Or ask me, and I'll try to help!) If you're paralyzed by feelings of insecurity, take a basic writing course through your local community education program to build your confidence. Think to yourself, "I'm capable of writing well. I just lack the practice." Then, if writing well is important to you, put in the time to work on your skills! (Notice that I didn't say "practice makes perfect." No piece of writing will ever be perfect, and that shouldn't be your goal.)

6. Authenticity Rules.
I would rather read something that's full of creativity, soul, and heart—but lacks proper grammar and punctuation—than a dry and boring treatise that doesn't have a single comma out of place. Remember that fiction writers and poets play fast and loose with grammar, often for a specific effect. For example, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy completely omitted quotation marks to designate dialogue as well as apostrophes (cant instead of can't; dont instead of don't) in his powerful novel, The Road. And the revered poet e.e. cummings famously eschewed capitalization in his poetry—and in all of his correspondence, I believe.

7. No Editor is Infallible.
I do not know everything about grammar. I have a knack for it, I've taken multiple courses on the subject, I practice frequently, and I research questions that come up. But I'm no grammarian. A true grammarian would be familiar with all 37 pages of rules regarding the proper use of the comma in the Chicago Manual of Style. I fell asleep on page 2. However, I know my own pitfalls, and I always look things up when I'm not sure. (And I find myself looking up some of the same questions over and over again.)

8. Proofreading Matters.
I edit everything I write. You should know that impeccable sentences do not burst out of me intact. I write, I read what I've written, I futz around with it a bit, I futz around some more, and only then do I publish it.

9. You're Better at Math Than I Am.
Everyone has different strengths. Some of the most intelligent adults I know wouldn't stand a chance in a 3rd-grade spelling bee. I'm the only Word Nerd in my family of six children. That doesn't make the rest of them idiots. I can't do calculus like my brother Dan, and I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the internal organs like my sister Michele, nor can I recite the starting lineup of every NFL and NBA team since 1978 like my brother Jon. My gifts make me valuable in certain situations, just like their gifts make them valuable in other situations.

10. Scrabble Scores Do Not Predict Writing Ability.
So you suck at Scrabble, so what? That doesn't mean you can't be an interesting and engaging writer. My little brother Dan—who is 8 years younger than I am, spent more time studying math and science than English, makes his living as a nurse, and never EVER reads for pleasure—can kick my butt at Scrabble. He's some sort of prodigy, and he knows it. Rarely a game goes by without him getting a 50-point bonus for using all seven of his tiles in a single play. I'd accuse him of cheating, but I don't think it's possible to "mark tiles" the way poker sharks mark cards.

Questions? Comments? Let me hear 'em!

Green Things

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Green Thing #1

Here’s a layout I created about my recent girls’ weekend with my nieces (SO fun!). All the products are from the Quite Contrary line from My Mind’s Eye. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, this layout is wearing little bits of green. (I wouldn’t want it to get pinched!) Check out four more projects created with My Mind’s Eye’s beautiful products at The Daily Trumpet and the My Mind’s Eye blogs today.

Green Thing #2

This shall be our dinner tonight. Roasted corned beef brisket, colcannon (an Irish pototo-and-cabbage dish), and green jello with whipped cream. We also traditionally have green pancakes and green eggs for breakfast on St. Paddy’s Day! In case you’re wondering, I do have a bit of Irish blood running through my veins, but it’s equally mixed with Scottish, Welsh, and English. I am the United Kingdom, embodied. 

Note: Today, when my husband teased me once again about my “Irish temper,” I called him a “big dumb Viking,” which made both of us laugh heartily. His heritage is primarily Norwegian, and while his peoples briefly conquered my peoples in the 11th century, we’ve dominated ever since.

Green Thing #3

Have you ever wondered where the cliche “green with envy” came from? I’ve yet to see a jealous person turn green, although I have personally turned visibly green from seasickness (both while crossing the English Channel as a new college graduate and while attempting to sail out of Newport Bay, California, with my sister’s family).

I'm the one lying prone on the bow of the boat. I would have made a terrific Viking.

Anyway, according to The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers, here is the origin of the phrase "green with envy":

People who are unwell are often said to look pale or green; the “pale” is plain enough to the observer, but the “green” takes a little imagination. Someone who is deeply envious feels unwell mentally, and this is apparently why he is said to be green. “Green” is also a Scottish verb meaning “to yearn.” The notion of turning green with envy appears in Charles Read’s Hard Cash (1863): “The doctor was turning almost green with envy.”

Rogers should come sailing with me sometime if he thinks it takes imagination to detect a green pallor on a sick person’s face.

In a similar vein, the term “green-eyed monster” also refers to jealousy, but this one has its roots in Shakespeare’s Othello:
            O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
            It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock
            The meat it feeds on...

The Dictionary of Cliches explains: “The allusion is to cats and tigers and other green-eyed animals, which toy with their victims before eating them, just as a jealous lover may both love and hate his beloved if he believes a rival is gaining her affections.”

There you have it.

Go green!

~A