On July 13th I posted about submitting a story for consideration in an anthology. This evening I heard from the editor. My story was not accepted.
I hope to find someone to go through it for me, find out if there is something it needs, and find some other places to submit it.
My first rejection.
Onward and upward.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Today while driving to my daughter's house I was treated to the vista of a deep blue sky with powder-puff clouds. Painting perfect!
Which got me thinking, as such a view usually does; why do clouds float?
I had my theories and went to check them online.
My theory was wrong. I thought it was for the same reason steam rises but, though there is a similarity, that isn't how they work.
The particles that the water condenses on are tiny but they do have weight and all together the particles in one cloud can weigh tons. They float because they are spread out enough and small enough to be buoyed up by the warm air around them. That's where the similarity is: the steam is warm and the air is warm. The article I read compared it to dust motes, another lovely subject.
Science aside, clouds are compelling. They can appear all fluffy and happy or they can be powerful and threatening. We see white clouds, varying shades of grey clouds, and black clouds. At sunrise and sunset they are amazing shades of red, orange, pink, yellow and purple. In massive thunderstorms they can look as green and full of water as the ocean. There are mare's tails, cotton puffs, majestic mountains, wisps and solid featureless layers that blanket the sky. Sometimes, they even look like Snoopy or Micky Mouse.
Go outside. Look up. What kind of clouds do you see?
Which got me thinking, as such a view usually does; why do clouds float?
I had my theories and went to check them online.
My theory was wrong. I thought it was for the same reason steam rises but, though there is a similarity, that isn't how they work.
The particles that the water condenses on are tiny but they do have weight and all together the particles in one cloud can weigh tons. They float because they are spread out enough and small enough to be buoyed up by the warm air around them. That's where the similarity is: the steam is warm and the air is warm. The article I read compared it to dust motes, another lovely subject.
Science aside, clouds are compelling. They can appear all fluffy and happy or they can be powerful and threatening. We see white clouds, varying shades of grey clouds, and black clouds. At sunrise and sunset they are amazing shades of red, orange, pink, yellow and purple. In massive thunderstorms they can look as green and full of water as the ocean. There are mare's tails, cotton puffs, majestic mountains, wisps and solid featureless layers that blanket the sky. Sometimes, they even look like Snoopy or Micky Mouse.
Go outside. Look up. What kind of clouds do you see?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
I hate exercising.
Actually, I don't hate the actual exercise itself in whatever form it is taking. I dislike the peripheral activities as well as one of the main by-products of exercise.
One particular by-product.
Sweat.
I know, I know. It's necessary. It is vital. I love biology and physiology and I understand the function of sweating. I just don't like being sweaty. And it is because of the sweating that exercise becomes such a pain.
First, you have to change into your special exercise clothes; which are either the scuzziest things you own or make an exercise fashion statement. You need special clothes so you don't ruin your regular clothes by sweating in them all the time.
Step two is the actual exercising; the fun part. You get to play a game, dance, walk, run, or try to turn into Superman or Wonder Woman. The half hour or so you spend exercising is the actual purpose of the whole thing.
Now, you're all done and you are back to the parts that are really a waste of your time. You are now all sweaty. Perhaps even soaked in sweat. You have to get out of the sticky exercise clothes and take a shower. This involves getting ready for the shower - do you have a towel? soap? shampoo? washcloth or scrubbie? You get into the shower and you have to adjust the water temperature. Finally, you can actually wash. You have to wash your hair because your head sweats a lot. You have to wash your pits because they sweat a lot.
Well, you simply have to wash all of yourself.
Then, particularly the women, you have to apply oil or lotion so you don't dry up and turn flaky - your skin that is; you might already be flaky otherwise. You dry your body; you possibly have to dry your hair as well.
Last, it's back into your regular clothes and you are finally done.
Whew!
Just think, if you didn't sweat you wouldn't need the "exercise clothes". You wouldn't need to change clothes so you could just do your half hour or so of exercising. When you finish, off you'd go and you're done. No need to strip off again. No need for the shower, for the moisturizing, the drying (and maybe styling as well), no need to re-dress.
Ah well, I can dream can't I? Meanwhile, tomorrow I get to do it all again!
Sandra
Actually, I don't hate the actual exercise itself in whatever form it is taking. I dislike the peripheral activities as well as one of the main by-products of exercise.
One particular by-product.
Sweat.
I know, I know. It's necessary. It is vital. I love biology and physiology and I understand the function of sweating. I just don't like being sweaty. And it is because of the sweating that exercise becomes such a pain.
First, you have to change into your special exercise clothes; which are either the scuzziest things you own or make an exercise fashion statement. You need special clothes so you don't ruin your regular clothes by sweating in them all the time.
Step two is the actual exercising; the fun part. You get to play a game, dance, walk, run, or try to turn into Superman or Wonder Woman. The half hour or so you spend exercising is the actual purpose of the whole thing.
Now, you're all done and you are back to the parts that are really a waste of your time. You are now all sweaty. Perhaps even soaked in sweat. You have to get out of the sticky exercise clothes and take a shower. This involves getting ready for the shower - do you have a towel? soap? shampoo? washcloth or scrubbie? You get into the shower and you have to adjust the water temperature. Finally, you can actually wash. You have to wash your hair because your head sweats a lot. You have to wash your pits because they sweat a lot.
Well, you simply have to wash all of yourself.
Then, particularly the women, you have to apply oil or lotion so you don't dry up and turn flaky - your skin that is; you might already be flaky otherwise. You dry your body; you possibly have to dry your hair as well.
Last, it's back into your regular clothes and you are finally done.
Whew!
Just think, if you didn't sweat you wouldn't need the "exercise clothes". You wouldn't need to change clothes so you could just do your half hour or so of exercising. When you finish, off you'd go and you're done. No need to strip off again. No need for the shower, for the moisturizing, the drying (and maybe styling as well), no need to re-dress.
Ah well, I can dream can't I? Meanwhile, tomorrow I get to do it all again!
Sandra
Monday, July 20, 2009
Remembering Apollo 11 and other flights of our space program. I'm so glad that we are still explorers. There has never been exploration without disasters and, yes, there have been several with our space program, but I'm glad that we have not stopped reaching for the unknown. I think we will wither as a species if we stop striving to do what we have never done before.
I was 14 years old in July of 1969. I sat at the dinette of my family's travel trailer watching a small black and white TV as American astronauts landed on the moon and walked on its surface. It was amazing then and it is still amazing now.
Do you remember where you were the first time we landed on the moon?
I was 14 years old in July of 1969. I sat at the dinette of my family's travel trailer watching a small black and white TV as American astronauts landed on the moon and walked on its surface. It was amazing then and it is still amazing now.
Do you remember where you were the first time we landed on the moon?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I didn't place in the writing contest I entered back in February. I'm ok with this, I knew it wasn't as good a story as it should have been. It was one of those cases where I did not seem able to get what was in my head to come out onto the page so that it had the same ambiance.
Ah, well. Onward to try, try again! :-)
Ah, well. Onward to try, try again! :-)
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