Oct 28, 2012
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Feb 13, 2009
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Jan 17, 2009
"There was not another soul in the street. I was in agony because I felt I had to speak to her and was worried that I might not be able to utter a word, she would disappear and I should never see her again…"
Feb 9, 2009
Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita”
This quote was given to me by Haushinka of the Dresden Doll’s forum, in response to my “assignment…” XD She’s awesome.
(Go tell that special someone that you love him/her. <3)
View →Janet Fiiiiitch!
I was really sick at work today, and it happened to be the day when I was in big dog camp and all the dogs wanted to jump up and punch me in my queasy little tummy… Then I came home and promptly got rid of my $5 turkey sandwich and scared the bejesus out of my cat… And this is after a weekend where I was so anxious about my boyfriend because of how sick he was. So all in all, I wasn’t in a fantastic mood, and if I have the same sickness as the boyfriend did, I’ll have to call off of work for the next few days… Which I can’t do because I can’t afford it, and we don’t have enough people to cover someone calling in sick.
So… I felt like crap.
Then I logged onto myspace, and found that my favorite author, one Janet Fitch, had responded to my message! YAY! She takes so much time out of her life to respond to her fans, it amazes me. She even writes whole blog posts responding to people’s questions, and they’re extremely helpful (especially for those of you who are aspiring writers/storytellers/artists, or even successful writers/storytellers/artists). If you’d like to take a look, you can find her myspace at www.myspace.com/paintitblackbook.
Seriously, she defined my life for a few years with the book White Oleander… Not that I was a foster child shuffled around from home to home, but that I used that book as my bible. We are the Wands, and we hung our gods from trees. It probably wasn’t the healthiest thing for a typical angsty middle-child to do, but it certainly fed my creative soul. I found her next book, Paint it Black, while I was on a long train ride, and finished it before I reached my destination. I shelled out the twenty some dollars without hesitation (odd, because I’m a total cheapskate and I usually wait for books to come out in paperback, and then I wait for it to go on the bargain shelf) and was very very very happy with my purchase :D. If you haven’t read either, I suggest you run over to your local library or bookstore immediately. And don’t watch the movie White Oleander before you read the book. The book is so much better it’ll melt your face with it’s awesomeness. So here’s the “interview.” I hope you enjoy it! (Oooh, does this mean I’m a real blogger now? XD)
What makes you happy?
When I’m writing and the angels sing. When it just comes, like a jazz riff, where you’re not playing the horn, something’s playing you.
Sitting by a stream
Having a really great conversation with someone who’s firing on all eight cylinders
When you’re feeling sad or stressed out, what do you do? How do you deal with it?
Sad, I use the feeling. Listen to music, read poetry, sing.
Stressed out, I try to laugh. Try to think, you’re taking yourself too damn seriously. You’re not in Iraq in 130 degree heat with no electricity. This is nothing.
When you were a child/young thing, what was your dream?
I wanted to be a horse. Growing up to be a human being seemed absolutely atrocious. I also wanted to be invisible so I could spy on everybody.
How about now, is it the same?
No, the human thing has caught up with me. But I’m still a spy.
What do you believe in?
The true over the beautiful.
Do you have a quote that inspires you, that you keep coming back to? Like a line from a song or a book?
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.
(blogger’s note: In case it vibes with you too, this poem is by TS Eliot, who is very famous and probably has a whole shelf to himself at Barnes and Nobles.)
Thank you, thank you thank you, Janet, for sharing your time and thoughts with me and this lonely corner of the web.
View →&no responses yet…
No one’s responded to my last blog entry, but that’s ok! I just have to spam more people… XD
I learned how to make tasty chinese foods, so we had a very asian weekend. Yesterday I made pepper steak and beef in lettuce cups, and today I made salad and gong bao chicken. Want the recipe for the Gong Bao chicken? Ok, only I’ll give it to you the way I made it… With very approximated measurements.
Dice up as much chicken as you’ll be using. 1/2lb will serve two people with leftovers. In a medium sized bowl, pour rice wine and an equal amount of soy sauce. Stir in about a tablespoon of corn starch. Stick the diced chicken in there. For best results, let it marinate overnight. For still-really-good results, let it marinate for 30 minutes or however long it takes you to clean up the stove and frying pan, and dice up a bell pepper. What color bell pepper? That’s up to you. Green is cheap, red looks better. How much? If you’re using 1/2lb of diced chicken, I’d say half the pepper. However much you want, really. Did I mention you should be making some rice right now? You should be. Now cut up a hot pepper (same idea as the green pepper, 1/2 pepper for 1/2 pound) into tiny little pieces, or grab your bottle of dried chili pepper flakes. Throw the chicken into the frying pan (marinade too!) with some cooking oil, along with the hot pepper, about a tablespoon of chopped garlic, and some ginger. Dried or fresh, to taste (about a teaspoon, maybe?). Cook it pretty slowly. When it’s almost completely cooked, throw in your diced pepper. In another bowl, mix some rice wine, an equal amount of soy sauce, a tablespoon or so of vinegar, and a teaspoon of cornstarch and sugar and salt. Cut up some green onions reeeaaal fine like, and throw them in with the chicken. Pour the bowl of sauce that you just made into the frying pan, and simmer it until your rice is done, or until it’s warm enough to suit your fancy. If you’re nuts, add 1/2 c-3/4c dry roasted, salted peanuts.
Did you want the salad dressing recipe too? Equal amounts of rice wine and soy sauce, twice that amount of oil, and a little bitta sugar.
View →While I’m logged in… My newest misguided plan!
If you have a little business (selling jewelry or totes, lets say) or are famous or potentially famous, or even if you’re a reg’lar Plumber (lol) I’d like to feature you on here.
You can choose which one to do. There’s no limit to how long or how short it has to or can be. Want to include pictures? Do it (include them as links, please have permission to use them). Please try to avoid being vulgar or swearing. If you can’t, I might still include it. I do want my site to be family friendly, but if it’s really neat, I will post the SHIT out of it.
1) What makes you happy?
This can be interpreted in any way you want, and can be responded to in any form you like (list, essay, picture, song, poem, etc).
2) What do you believe in?
Again, whatever you want. I have an example on the first page of the blog, but you don’t have to follow the same template. NPR features essays on the subject, and if you want to do an essay and need help, you can check out that site (http://www.thisibelieve.org/).
3) Inspiring quote?
Is there a line from a song that makes you want to go out and Do? Or a paragraph in a book that makes you wanna find the author and hug her SO HARD? Send it to me!
4) Whatever you want.
Seriously, whatever you want. If you think my site would benefit from it’s existence, I want to post it.
Include in your entry your name (or pen name), and anything you’d like me to mention about you (site URL, email, sexual orientation, whatevs) so I can cite you properly. You can send your entry to me on myspace or facebook, or email it to me at sjoyce87@yahoo.com. Check the top of the site for contact info. :D
Want to help, but can’t think of anything to say? Then look at what’s posted already, and comment on the entries with YOUR opinions. <3
"
The point is, you have to take yourself seriously.
…
When I’d gone eight years and had never sold a story, it started to look like I was never going to. I thought, should I quit? But by that time, writing was part of me. How would I know what I thought unless I wrote? Then I realized—I didn’t need anybody’s seal of approval to do what I wanted to do. When I was on my deathbed, even if I never sold anything as long as I lived, would I regret doing what I wanted to do in life? If you let yourself do what you want to do in life, you’ll always be a success. Even if nobody else likes it or gets it or wants it.
Life itself is uncertain, and our ability to live it richly depends upon our ability to live despite the uncertainty, to live the moment, walk this part of the tightrope, and trust that something comes after that, and after that.
" Janet Fitch, in her myspace blog. View →&What is Your Dream?
I have a lot of little dreams. I don’t follow most of them, as they DO seem very unlikely… Like my desire to start a punk rock bakery where no one uses tools or measuring devices, just hands… Probably not going to happen on my own steam, especially not with my income. But my art and my writing? I have no doubt in my mind that, in a few years if I continue working at it, I will be a great artist and I will have fans and I will be able to sell prints. :D The dream that is most important to me, though, is starting a family. I want some happy little dumplings running around pulling the cat’s tail.
That last bit was a little off subject… Anyway. As for dreams. One of my favorite authors (one extremely talented Janet Fitch, who has written such books as White Oleander and Paint it Black) has a myspace blog where she answers questions people ask her, especially about writing and making it in the Biz. I found her latest entry to be positively inspiring… I’ll be posting some of it as a quote in a moment.
As always, please let me know YOUR dreams! And if you have something to say about Janet Fitch’s blog, say it! I’d love to know your opinions. <3
-S
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