reading | BulgingButtons

November 13, 2016
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The Dangers of Procrastination and Amazon One Click

I am now the proud new owner of several novels that I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to read. It’s all one click’s fault. Well, no, maybe it isn’t. It’s all Twitter’s fault. Nope. Not it either. Oh my gosh, it’s all my own fault.

You see, I was happily working on my latest novel for NaNoWriMo when I felt the need to look at my phone. I know. I shouldn’t have done it, however, I did.

There, by the little Twitter bird was a red circle, meaning that I just HAD to click on it to see what was new in the Twit-o-sphere. Well, reading Twitter is like eating potato chips. You can’t read just one tweet, you have to scroll down and read 47 of them, at least. And in that 47, if you’re actually following people who are of interest to you, there are several clicks that take you other places. Places like novelists’ websites, where they gush about other novelists’ new books, and tell you things like, “hey, read this book, it’s on sale for just $1.99 and it’s fabulous!”

Well, how can I NOT read this fabulous book endorsed by this fabulous author when it’s only $1.99? I do read a lot on Overdrive, which makes MOST of my reading free, but I also can’t resist a deal, and authors still get something when I buy a $1.99 book, so there’s that.

Well, one click leads to another click which then leads to another click, and before you know it I have several new books downloaded. Swell.

Now I’m not unhappy about this. I didn’t spend a ton of money, and as I said, I’m not opposed to authors earning a little something from their writing, not at all. I’m just saying that those evil geniuses over at Amazon know what they’re doing. Sigh. I just hope that someday they’ll be doing the same thing for me and my books.

June 1, 2016
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

June Resolutions

Who says resolutions have to be made solely in January? I think June is as good a time as any, and for a teacher it’s an excellent time to make resolutions. At least if you’re a teacher in an area where school is out for summer.

Here are my June resolutions, in a nutshell:

Read a little
Write a little
Work a little
Move a little
Clean up a little
Create a little

Those sound pretty good, don’t they? And not too difficult to follow. At least I don’t think so. I’ve been working toward these resolutions for a while now, and oddly I’m finding the last one the most challenging. By using the term “create” I’m allowing myself a great deal of flexibility.

What does it really mean to create? I suppose it means to make something where there was previously nothing. I can create a meal or a menu. I can create a lesson or a teaching unit. I can create a doodle or a painting. I can create a quilt design or a whole quilt. I can create Pinterest boards and newsletters and reading comprehension exercises. I can create systems for checking out books and tracking homework assignments. Maybe creating isn’t as hard as I thought. I just need to allow myself the space in which to do it.

My goal is to do each of those items every day in June, with the exception of “work a little.” That one is for Monday through Friday. In fact, it’s more of a challenge NOT to “work a little” sometimes.

So where do I stand today, June first?

1.Read a little – check

I’ve been Reading Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread strictly for pleasure. She is masterful at painting the picture of old Baltimore, and she’s very skilled at character development. I spent quite a bit of time reading this morning, and I’m looking forward to going back to this book.

2. Write a little – check

Well, here I am. I also recently entered a writing contest, and I’m presenting to my writing group next Monday. I have some work to do, but it’s getting done.

3. Work a little – check

I’ve been working on preparations for the summer writing program I’m teaching. I’m excited about working with these young writers and learning with them and from them.

4. Move a little – check

A morning walk in the park across the street with the dog was just what we both needed to get our day off to a good start.

5. Clean up a little – check

The kitchen is tidy, most of the laundry is done, and overall the house is not a mess. The recycling has been taken out and I hosed out the container that lives in the kitchen. Over time little drips of this and that get in there and it gets sticky, but today I tackled it, and it’s clean as a whistle.

6. Create a little – maybe

Ok, I created a gmail account for the summer writing program and two of the five mailing lists that I need for the newsletters. Does that count? Does a blog post? I don’t think so. I think that’s double-dipping. I feel like I have to create something else! Oh, I’ve got it! I’m creating a delicious dinner tonight. We’re having tortellini with spinach and artichokes in a light cream sauce. Yum!

Yes! I can officially say that day one is a success. Only 29 more to go. What are your June resolutions?

November 13, 2015
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Five Favorite Books From My Childhood

I was lucky, my parents read to me. It was mostly my mother, but my father did too, occasionally.

I grew up in a house full of books, and trips to the library were a regular part of my childhood. The Scholastic book order was another cherished source of books, and my mom was generous with my orders.

My love of books hasn’t diminished. My home library is bursting, and my classroom library is full of terrific titles. I still get excited about the Scholastic book order, only now I’m the teacher.

Here are a few titles from my childhood that stand out, in no particular order.