The Muse

What follows is everything I know about how to write good fiction. I'll be as brief as possible, because your time is valuable and so is mine, and we both understand that the hours we spend talking about writing is time we don't spend actually doing it. I'll be as encouraging as possible, because it's my nature and because I love this job. I want you to love it, too. But if you don't want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well — settle back into competency and be grateful you have even that much to fall back on. There is a muse,* but he's not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer station. He lives in the ground. He's a basement guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in. You have to do all the grunt labor, in other words, while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Do you think this is fair? I think it's fair. He may not be much to look at, that muse-guy, and he may not be much of a conversationalist (what I get out of mine is mostly surly grunts, unless he's on duty), but he's got the inspiration. It's right that you should do all the work and burn all the midnight oil, because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There's stuff in there that can change your life.

Believe me, I know.

*Traditionally, the muses were women, but mine's a guy; I'm afraid we'll just have to live with that.

On Writing by Stephen King

It Ain't Necessarily So: Nuclear Power, Pollution, and Subs

Compare a thousand-megawatt coal-fired plant with a nuclear plant of the same capacity. Here is what each emits in the course of a year:

Carbon Dioxide:
Coal - 7 million tons
Nuclear - none

Sulfur Dioxide:
Coal - 12,000 tons
Nuclear - none

Nitrogen Oxides:
Coal - 20,000 tons
Nuclear - none

Solid Waste:
Coal - 750,000 tons
Nuclear - 50 tons

Meanwhile, the use of nuclear power continued without interruption in the U.S. Navy. Today 83 ships are equipped with 105 reactors, and there have been no incidents. These warships are welcomed at 150 foreign ports without encountering the local equivalents of Jane Fonda. On nuclear submarines, sailors work and sleep with their bunks only feet away from shielded reactors. They are allowed to receive an additional radiation dose of up to 5,000 millirems a year and report no ill effects.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science

Defending the Faith: Trying to "Win"

Few of us enjoy being bested in argument. Sometimes the experience can push a person further from the truth. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say, "Win an argument, lose a soul." In fact, it is much better to let someone discover the truth for himself than to try to browbeat him into submission to your case for the truth.

How Not to Share Your Faith:
The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics
by Mark Brumley

Oh Yeah, He Blends

Remember the trailer for Mel Gibson's movie, trailer Apocalypto? And how people said that you could see a spot where Mel had inserted himself into it?

I remember reading a few people saying what a glory hound Gibson was. A friend just went back and looked through that trailer frame-by-frame. He pulled the frame with Mel ...


All hound. No glory.

Totally funny.

Glyphnotes

Glyphnotes has a new address and it has been a while since I first posted this so I'm mentioning it again for those who missed it before.

• We’ll just match that PMS 2935 with a screen mix. Huh?


• What the heck is RSS? (Not to be confused with ROUS.)


• I figure there are three type of computer users:
  1. Those that know all the keyboard shortcuts and use them.
  2. Those that use the right mouse button, instead.
  3. Those that have trouble remembering all but the most basic commands.
  If you are in the third category, this short article opens a whole new world into using your computer.

Glyphnotes is Tom's answer to all the questions we see repeatedly in the course of doing graphic design work for print and on the web. Drop by and see what's up over there. It is pretty nifty (and this is not just the devoted wifey speaking). Just click on the sidebar to go to any article. Be sure to let him know if you like it or not ... we love feedback!

Winston and Me

The dauntless warrior was an unabashed sentimentalist. Throughout his life, he kept a picture of his Nanny in his bedroom. In the corridors of Commons, he discussed Hitler's savagery to the Jews, with tears rolling down his cheeks. During the Battle of Britain, returned form a town where he had seen the shambles of a small house and shop, all the walls blown off by a Nazi bomb, he cried to his Cabinet, "We must do something about that, now!" (This led to the novel and notable War Damages Commission.) It was typical of Churchill that he could not bear the unfairness of letting workers or tradesmen suffer losses as individuals in a war in which the nation's survival was at stake. And again, his car passed a long queue of shopgirls shivering in London's winter twilight, with the sirens howling and frantic searchlights stabbing at the ominous skies, and he asked what on earth the girls were buying, lined up at a time like this. An aide said, "Birdseed." Winston wept.

People I have loved, known, or admired by Leo Rosten

Talking with someone this weekend about a project we are soon to undertake together I got all fired up. This is something I have been hoping our parish would undertake for over two years now.

Let's face it, even without "wait and see" circumstances having pent up my ideas and hopes for so long, I tend to get ... passionate shall we say ... about my enthusiasms. The person I was talking with mentioned someone I've never met but with whom I share the exact same name. He said, "She's a lot like you. But less emotional."

Ouch!

I knew what he meant. He's right. Tom told me that it is a good quality since I don't let it run rampant (isn't he just the best husband? and with a good sense of survival! ha!). At any rate, reading the above about someone I admire like Winston Churchill somehow made it all ok. That's how he was. And it's how I am.

Just look at what he accomplished. May I be allowed to accomplish even a small fraction as much for this project.

Note: I'm reading this book because The Anchoress said that she loves it. I can see why. I'm hooked. Highly recommended.

So Many Opposites and Most of Them Have Married Each Other

There are two kinds of people in the world:

People with One Left Foot and One Right Foot,
and People with Two Left Feet

Note: the dancers and non-dancers always marry each other. Nobody knows why.

----------------------------------

There are two kinds of people in the world:

Dog People and Cat People

Don't trifle with either kind!

----------------------------------

There are two kinds of people in the world:

High Maintenance People — and Low Maintenance People

(For further insights into this concept see the movie When Harry Met Sally.)

----------------------------------

There are two kinds of people in the world:

People Who Will Spend Hours to Find That
Three Cents Needed to Balance the Checkbook —
and People Who Will Round Off to the Nearest Hundred Dollars
Just to Be Done With It

Tip: Don't argue about it. Neither of you will ever change the other!

1001 Ways to Be Romantic

Neither of us dances, Tom is for dogs and I am for both cats and dogs, we're both fairly low maintenance but I am much higher maintenance than Tom is (what a shock!), and Tom will always find that last three cents while I ... well, I won't go to the nearest hundred dollars but definitely have been known to just trust the bank and round off sometimes.

The Original Knit Wit

Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter
by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

If you have ever read the author's blog then you have a good idea of whether you'll like this book. She obsesses about her "stash" which fills the house, writes about the people she knows through knitting, and is either funny or touching about it all as the occasion warrants. An easy, light read, especially if you have ever knit anything in your life.

Busy, busy, busy ...

... having a life with my family at the moment (what a concept!). So I will be updating HC later ... got some gooood excerpts from things y'all ... and answering the many emails I glimpsed that I can't wait to read (Alexa, this means you!).

More later!

My Newest Favorite Photo of Papa

This makes me smile just looking at it. Via Shrine of the Holy Whapping.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Image from Chant Art

All the feasts of Our Lady are great events, because they are opportunities the church gives us to show with deeds that we love Mary. But if I had to choose one from among all her feasts, I would choose today's, the feast of the Divine Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin ...

When the Blessed Virgin said Yes, freely, to the plans revealed to her by the Creator, the divine Word assumed a human nature, with a rational soul and a body, formed in the most pure womb of Mary. The divine nature and the human were united in a single Person: Jesus Christ, true God and, thenceforth, true man: the only-begotten and Eternal Son of the Father and, from that moment on, as Man, the true son of Mary. This is why Our Lady is the Mother of the Incarnate Word, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who has united our human nature to himself forever, without any confusion of the two natures. The greatest praise we can give to the Blessed Virgin is to address her loud and clear by the name that expresses her highest dignity: Mother of God.

St. Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God

The Order of Brilliant Bloggers

This is a grassroots group of excellent bloggers dedicated to recognizing and sharing sites and posts of others in efforts to support great work. They have blog awards voting running from January 1-5.

I am surprised and pleased to say that Happy Catholic was nominated for the December's Best Spiritual Blogsite excellence award (thank you Miss Cellania!).

It is an interesting site as they evidently have awards for all categories on a monthly basis. Go by and check it out.

I'm Not Funny ... But I Know Who Is...

Tom at Disputations is taking it to the edge before 2006 (and maybe over). Check out his 3-D faith-mapping diagram.

Just looking at it hurts my head and Tom kindly gives us the necessary precautionary measures.

Julie:

Thanks for reminding me. Everyone: you'll need to get a pair of anaglyph stereo glasses (the kind with red and blue lenses) by Monday. To get the full effect, it would also help if you practiced blinking at 15 Hz.

You have been warned.

Plain Jane is All That

Just a Catholic band (yes, I said CATHOLIC ... heck I'd have settled for Christian) that totally rocks. Found by Darren. I think we're music soul-mates considering our mutual devotion to DC Talk.

Go check it out, along with some of the other great music he's turned up. Darren thoughtfully has posted samples of these bands (I also like Cheer Up Charlie, but Plain Jane rules.)

He's promising more tune samplings soon. I'm gonna hold him to it.

It's the Little Things

That make life worth living, right? I'm so thankful for those little things that all add up to a big and happy life for me right now. Specifically right now...

• Rose wanting to fix dinner. She picks very different meals than I would. And it's fun to cook with her.
• Hannah's responsible use of her new freedom now that she has her license. She always calls to let us know what's up and has been early (!) for each deadline we've set.
• Tom using his laptop for work so that he could watch the Battlestar Galactica miniseries with us last night ... also his little sarcastic comments that let me know he was enjoying the show.
• Email conversations with friends, especially blogging pals, about nothing much ... but so much fun nonetheless.
• Pandora which provides my work music — jazz yesterday (Louis Armstrong "channel") and bluegrass today (The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn by Union Station "channel").
  

Just For the Record ... Limbo is Not Catholic Doctrine

And it never was.

I don't know why it keeps popping up. It was theological theory, nothing more. Never part of the Church's teachings.

So let's move along, there's nothing to see here ...

UPDATE
I thought that everyone had been as inundated as I had by mentions of Pope Benedict preparing to eliminate teaching about Limbo. Evidently not, so for those who hadn't seen the reason for this post, this'll help explain.

More 2006 Patron Saints

Over at A Catholic Life where Moneybags and his friend are valiantly trying to keep up with demand (over 60 requests so far) as people request special patron saints for the new year. I so appreciate what they are doing and want to extend my special thanks to them for this ministry.

In the meantime, Rose was chosen by Saint Peter of Verona. I'll be curious to see if there is a connection or if she's going to be exposed to something entirely new for 2006.

New Year's is Coming ... Favorite Movies

Yikes, I thought I posted this yesterday ... better late than never though.

Favorite Movies of 2005
(in no particular order ... some of these may be older movies but I saw them for the first time this year)

• Serenity


• Hitch


• Infernal Affairs


• Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit


• Hero


• Payback


• Equilibrium


• Millions


• Spanglish

Gazing Into Her Crystal Ball

The Anchoress is making predictions for 2006. Some are more believable ...

9) Somebody’s gotta get serious with Iran. W will do it. Ungrateful Europe and leftists will curse him for it, while wiping their brows in relief before driving to their next Bush-bashing engagement.

... than others (at least I hope so!)

12) Rick Santorum will lose his bid for re-election. He will enter a seminary program for the permanent diaconate in the Catholic Church, and write books.

Hmmm, good idea. I am going to ponder predictions and get back to y'all.

It Ain't Necessarily So: Nuclear Power

So let's look at nuclear power in a new series of excerpts. Actually I have no idea if this information will upset anyone. Most of it didn't seem like anything earth shattering to me. However, I honestly didn't realize this ...

In 1979, Columbia Pictures released The China Syndrome, starring activist actress Jane Fonda... Two weeks later, there was a real nuclear accident, at Three Mile Island outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania...

Not surprisingly, fact and fiction became blurred in the public mind, and today, few people seem to realize that disaster was averted and no one in the plant or the Three Mile Island neighborhood was hurt. There was a small release of radioactivity, but the average dose received by a nearby resident was nine millirems — far less than received in a chest X-ray...

Seven years later a Soviet reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine, exploded and about fifty people died. There were no confirmed deaths outside the plant itself. Radioactivity spread to the immediate area, and there were reports of thyroid cancer. But there was also an iodine deficiency — a risk factor for thyroid cancer — in the area. Today, the background level of radioactivity at Chernobyl is lower than that emitted by the granite of Grand Central Station...

[Theodore Rockwell summarizing the latest findings from the UN's Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation] :
"Some people died from the original explosion, some from fire, and I don't doubt some died from radiation. But they were all inside the plant. So it was an industrial accident, and we have seen far worse. As to the general public, they checked for iodine in the thyroid, and sure enough they found 1,800 children with thyroid nodules. But that part of the world is iodine-deficient — they were already having a serious public-health problem. Two kids with thyroid nodules were brought in and they died. But it turns out they were nowhere near the radiation. A third child died of something else entirely. As to the 1,800 people, they did not correlate with radiation dose at all. Some high-dose kids had no nodules, some low-dose did have. So it's not at all clear that they were ever related to the radiation, and the chairman of the original UN committee doesn't think they are related."

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science