Coming Soon: The Bloggerhood of the Traveling Book Review

 The Bloggerhood of the Traveling Book

The Bloggerhood of the Traveling Book (BOTTB) has been collecting members over the past few months and now it's time to hear what those intrepid readers thought of the first book to travel, Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played With Fire.  This coming week you'll be treated to five installments of The Bloggerhood of the Traveling Book Review.

Monday - Unfinished Person/formerly Unfinished Rambler

Tuesday - Quirkyloon

Wednesday - BoomBoomLarew

Thursday - NoNameDufus

Friday - 00dozo/Creator of the awesome BOTTB badge!

Watch for all the the reviews!  We promise not to spoil the ending by giving away too many hints.

(By the Way... the book is currently in the hands of Reforming Geek, fondly known as Reffie.  Be sure to keep tabs on her blog to see where it will journey next.)

Word Verifications... Love 'Em or Hate 'Em

Word Verifications... a real pain in the wazoo, but at times they can also provide a source of amusement.  Occasionally Nonamedufus, aka Dufus, aka Nomie, shares his favorites, which inspired me to do the same. So, without further ado, I give you... 

Boom Boom's Guide to Word Verifications!

Perfect for the upcoming holiday season... a manger scene featuring Star Trek characters.

(But don't set yours out before Thanksgiving if you want to remain friends with Suldog.)

A droid who likes toga parties.

 

The Coen brother you like best.

 What you have to do when either your wife or wi fi isn't working properly.

Bacchanalian goddesses.

(My kind of people.)

and my favorite...

  Do I really have to explain this one?

So there you have it... real word verifications that I've collected over the past few weeks.  If you can't beat 'em.... enjoy 'em!  Just don't be a doohole!

Travels with Hanuman: A Magpie Tale

As I was sorting through my mother's belongings after her death, I came across a little medallion in a blue pouch.  It was a tiny brass image of Hanuman, the monkey king.  My mother had apparently picked it up when she was in India.  Wrapped up with it was a necklace made of misshapen pearls. 

My parents traveled a lot over the years after I left home.  They loved meeting people and welcomed many others into their home.  A string of foreign exchange students stayed with them and they visited each of their homes in return.  As they traveled around the world, my parents were showered with gifts from the people they met.  So many, that they were unable to keep them all.  Often they became gifts for their hosts on the next stop on their journey.

So what was special about the little Hanuman medallion that it was kept while other things were re-gifted?  And where did the necklace come from?  We were even more surprised when my Dad said he'd never seen the necklace before.  He remembered getting the medallion when they visited an old friend in India, but not the necklace.

Curiosity got hold of me and I looked up the story of Hanuman in the Ramayana.  He emerged as a selfless champion who served Rama, rescuing his wife Sita.  Later, Hanuman also saved the life of Lakshmana by bringing him a life-saving herb.  Hanuman never asked for anything in return, but Sita gifted him with a string of precious stones. 

When my mother died, my father received condolences from around the world from people whose lives my mother had touched.  The outpouring was incredible.  And then there was the necklace.  None of us know where it came from, but I like to imagine it was a gift from Sita, thanking my mother for the impact she had on others' lives.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willow over at Life at Willow Manor  has been providing inspiration for bloggers with her photo prompts on a site called Magpie Tales.  Be sure to check out the other fabulous writers participating in Magpie Tales this week.  You'll be glad you did!

Dona Nobis Pacem

Two bloggers I admire, Nonamedufus and Suldog are participating in Blog Blast for Peace.  They inspired me to add my voice to the cause. 

 

There are many ways to promote peace in the world.  In my younger days, I wanted to make the grand gesture, going to rallies and shouting til I was hoarse.  But that wasn't me.  It always came off as being phony and not as heartfelt as I would like.  

These days I take a much quieter stance.  I've come to recognize that it's the small things that add up to make big change.  That's why I try to move the world toward a peaceful existence by the choices I make in my daily life.

Take, for example, my career path.  I choose to work with very young children.  It's not a flashy job and certainly not one that pays well.  However, over the years I've found I have some skills for making kids feel good about themselves, to feel confident and able to face the many challenges that await them as they grow older.  I let them know that we each have our own unique strengths and at the same time have things we can learn from other people.  I help them find their own voice so that they can use it to solve problems in a peaceful, generative way.  That's not to say I want them to become passive and complacent, though.  I want them to learn to speak up for themselves and for others when they see injustice. 

The other thing I try to do is to live simply.  Sure, it's tough living paycheck to paycheck and worrying that there won't be enough to make ends meet.  At the same time, I've learned to live with less and be grateful for what I have, trying to find abundance in all areas of my life.  I don't always succeed at this... in fact I can easily fall into a state of resentment and self-pity if I let myself.  But ultimately, that's counter productive.  It helps no one, least of all myself.  As the phrase goes, "Live simply so that others can simply live."  

Finally, when I think of the word "peace", I think of calm.  My life is often hectic and noisy.  I relish the moments I have when I can sit quietly and simply "be".  These weeks of enforced inactivity have been a gift in that way.   I know from experience that unless I'm in a state of peace, I can't be effective in promoting peace beyond myself. 

So there you have it... Boom Boom's recipe for a peaceful world.

(Peace symbol from woodstockpreservation.org)

Klutz Update

My daily routine has been totally revamped since breaking my leg and becoming dependent upon the kindness of strangers friends.  Stuck in a recliner most of the day, I keep in touch with the world electronically rather than venturing out.  However, being away from my home and my "writing chair", I've found it difficult to keep up with my writing.  I had no idea my chair was so integral to my semi-creative process.  Or maybe it's just the difference between the quiet solitude of my house vs. a house with animals and actual people to talk to throughout the course of the day. 

Rather than lamenting my lack of creativity, though, I've been embracing the opportunity to spend time with these wonderful friends who have taken me into their home and attended to my every need. 
I find I laugh a lot more when around people and that aids in my recovery.

However, I did have a bit of a setback late last week when I visited the doctor for the first time since being discharged from the hospital.  Originally I had been told I'd be off my leg for four to six weeks, so imagine my dismay when they told me it would be another TEN weeks before I could put any weight on my leg.  What the.....?  I'll never get home again at this rate! 

But then, once I took a look at the x-rays, I began to understand.  I had imagined a neat little plate with some delicate screws holding my fibula together.  I had no idea it would actually look like this:

Yeah, there's the plate with the six delicate little screws, but what's with those great big long screws?  Who knew I was going to become the bionic woman?  Now... if only all that hardware actually made me able to leap tall buildings at a single bound...