Another Day Goes By

Cape Cod Bear

Ok, this has been a big weekend for Cape Cod. Sunday night, sitting around the campfire, a Facebook friend who lives down the road a piece in Barnstable, posts there's a bear roaming Cape Cod. What? How would a bear get on Cape Cod? We're an island, for God's sake.

As the evening went on, police helicopters roared overhead on their way to Barnstable to check out this bear phenomenon. My friend went out of her way to silence the nay-sayers and posted the police reports. I went to bed wondering how in the world a bear got across that bridge. There are only 3 ways to get here - cross one of two bridges or swim the canal.

The next day my good friend at yoga and her boys go driving around their Barnstable neighborhood looking for the bear. They strike out after driving around for quite awhile. On the way home they see the bear on the side of the road. This is no hoax. He's here. Here looking for food in everyone's backyard. My friend's 13 year old son, Liam Crivillaro, videos the bear climbing a tree on the side of the road. The video went Cape Cod viral. Boston and Fox news were immediately in their driveway wanting to use the video on the news, and the Cape Cod times featured Liam in two articles in today's paper. The news stations have been featuring Liam and his video on TV for two days.

The Cape Cod Bear is causing quite a frenzy. The environmental people say he swam across the canal. The best place to find out about the Cape Cod Bear? Twitter! The noon news at WBZ channel 4 Boston announced the Cape Cod Bear has his own twitter account.

Check him and his travels out on twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/Ccodbear

So much fun having a bear on Cape Cod!

And so, as another day goes by, the Cape Cod Bear rules, and...for the second time today...I have written.
She saw "The Bear".

Comcast

Comcast. That's all I can say, because I don't believe this. Over the weekend my husband and I decided to join the 21st century and update the TV's in both our NY apartment and cape house. Both houses still had huge, heavy, tube TV's that our kids just laugh at. Off we went to Best Buy where we got a deal for two nice flat-screens for the price of one. We were in NY, so the cape TV went in my trunk for me to take back on Monday. We spent the day going to the cable office, where we also got a great deal on HD and wireless Internet. My husband even got the MLB package free. They gave us a nifty wireless router and the Internet in our apartment now runs at lightening speed. Kudos to Time Warner. Notice I said Time Warner. We have Time Warner Cable in NY.

Moving on to New England. On Monday I brought my other new TV home, but didn't have time to hook it up until today. I decided it's been years since I had a cable makeover here and I needed a thing called an HDMI cable, so I headed over to my local Comcast office. Notice I said Comcast. On the way, I decided I'd ask them for one of those nifty wireless routers like Time Warner gave us in NY because I've been running the first Apple Airport ever made out here in this house. (I wasn't kidding about the 21st century). At the office I tell the lady I need a cable makeover and an HDMI cable for my new TV. She redoes my cable package and now I have tons of HD and premium channels. Next I ask her for a wireless router. She said, "We don't have those."

"What?"
"We don't have those."
"I just got one Saturday from Time Warner in NY."
"We don't do that. You use the same one you have and go out and buy your own hub and plug it in to that."

Do you believe this? In this day and age of technology, COMCAST doesn't have wireless routers.

I've come to realize that going to the cable office rates right up there with going to the DMV.

And so, as another day goes by, at least I now have the OWN channel so I can watch Oprah's Life Lessons to learn how to cope with utility offices, and...I have written.

E What? Or Maybe Just Eeek!

OPI, JPEG, GIF, Tiff, bit map....once again, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.

Today our Cape Cod Writers Center held a full day workshop on e-publishing and marketing. It was wonderful - the presenters really knew their stuff and presented it in a clear, factual manner. It was in depth and a lot of ground was covered, but after marching through the foreign land of EPUB and MOBIT, (at least I think that's what it was) I headed for the nearest Dunkin Donuts to clear my head.

Writing, and eventually publishing and marketing a book, both in hardcover and e format, has taught me more than any other life process I've ever been through. The first thing it taught me was to proceed slowly. I have the rest of my life. Take small steps in this foreign land. Peer around corners. Listen carefully. Process slowly. Ask questions. Ask for help. Don't be afraid. Don't get upset when I feel stuck. Sit tight and wait for God to show the next step. Realize that my beach walks are time spent on my writing, not time wasted aimlessly wandering. (This was a hard lesson - to realize creativity has to be nurtured by "alone time" and "artist dates" with myself.) As important as the alone time is, the writer's life cannot be a solitary one. I had to get out there and make friends and go outside and play with them. Find mentors and be a mentor to new people who are where I was two years ago. Learn to use and play on social media. Blog. Learn from this blogging everyday. Discover my voice. Learn what and how I write. Learn how hard or how easy it is for me to write. Write for others. Write for me.

Write from the heart. Be honest. Always give my readers the best of me.

If you ever want to know who you really are, pick up a pen or a keyboard (or in my case a smart phone), and just let whatever's in your head fall out on the page. Free yourself by knowing no one ever has to see it - you don't even have to ever go back and read it. Spend ten minutes doing this everyday and you will be amazed at who you discover lives inside you. Writing truly is a journey to the heart.

And so, as another day goes by, though it's the hardest road I've ever walked, I wouldn't trade this journey for anything, and I have written.

Writing Pains!

Writing Pains is the name of another blog I keep under lock and key where I record my day to day angst at squeezing out words. Today I decided to post my writing pains here.

This morning I got up early and was still feeling the effects of Whiney Houston's passing and on the other end of the spectrum, really looking forward to the Grammys tonight. I expended a huge amount of energy writing a music blog, only to have it go "poof" in mid-sentence. I was trying to publish a live link, pressed something I didn't mean to press, and it was gone.

You would think I could just sit down and write it again. No. It's not that simple. When I write, it's a huge amount of energy expended from somewhere deep within. I get lost in the process, and am actually tired and sweating when I'm done. Trouble is, it's now "out of me" and on the screen in front of me. If it disappears, like it did this morning, that particular piece is gone and I can't get it back. I'm empty. I can't reproduce it - on the same day anyway.

So today, out of respect for our lost artist, I just want take a moment to express my sadness and heartbreak over Whitney's passing. I pray God bless her family, especially her daughter. As we approach the big show tonight, let's put aside all the news gossip about the unfortunate things in her life and remember the good things she gave us. I don't think there's one among us who was not moved by the big "I" note in "I Will Always Love You". Today, as we mourn our loss of this icon, and get ready to celebrate the accomplishments of our current artists, let's let that note ring loud and true in the back of our minds. RIP Whitney Houston - and peace be with her family.

And so, as another day goes by, music really is a huge part of our lives, especially today, and....I have written.

When IS Too Much, Too Much?

Resetting the Compass - Day 15

Sunday afternoon, enjoying the four "F words" - family, food, football, and fire. All four of us, each in our respective chairs, grouped around the TV and, at the same time engaged in our iThings. I put my iThing down and picked up my big, thick Sunday paper. I was enjoying a weekly column by a cape naturalist and came across a beautifully written line:

"At dusk, I find myself sitting on the rocks of jetties or overturned wooden benches, repositioned by wind and tidal surges, taking in the sights of the Sound, the striation of the sunset, the blessing of the bay."

Being a writer, I love words and constantly seek out books that add to my collection of new and unusual ones. In this sentence I was drawn to the word "striation". Although I gleaned the meaning from the context, I wanted to see the exact meaning and record the word in my collection. So....I reached down and put my finger on the word. Imagine my surprise when it didn't highlight and bring up the definition.

I started laughing and told my family what I just did. My daughter says, "Uh...too much time on your phone?"

"What? Look around this room! I'm the ONLY one holding real paper!"

The compass needle points to our unconscious adaption to a changing world - is this good? Should we be more aware? Or does this just rate right up there with how I wait for commercials to go to the bathroom when watching shows I've DVR'd, (Yes, I still find myself doing that), and provide another chance for me to laugh at myself?

And so, as another day goes by, I'll go with raising my awareness of change and maybe, just maybe, laugh more in 2012, and ....I have written.

Parts n Wholes

Once again the morning news held social media warnings. I don't know when we are going to get over it and realize social media is not going away, no matter how many warnings there are about using it. I meet a lot of people in my different social groups who say to me they are afraid of Facebook. Afraid or not, it isn't going away and now a days it's not "just for kids". Social media and the ocean are much the same. They are both just there. They neither like you or hate you. They aren't out to get you. It's what you do with them that decides the experience you will have with each one.

Every choice we make, from what we put on Facebook to what we have for breakfast shapes our lives and makes us who we are. Up until now I only considered the parts - the decisions I make everyday. I ponder over making the right choices, decide, and move onto the next one. I never stop to consider how all the choices I make during a single day contribute and shape the entirety of who I am. Just like what we do with social media shapes and forms our virtual personality. Another words, use it wisely. Make good choices, and you don't have to worry about all the warnings. Scroll down and read your own page. Pretend you don't know yourself. What kind of picture do the tweets, status updates, and photos build of who you are?

"One choice, just one, can change your life forever. Simply put, your life today is what you have made it, but with new directions you can change your life this very moment." ~ Mac Andersen

.....both on and offline.

And so, as another day goes by, the whole of who we are is the sum of all our parts, and....I have written.

Goodbye Thumbs

Today I discovered something very very cool. Dragon dictation is an app on the iPhone . I'm trying it today in this blog for the first time. It's understanding everything I say perfectly. It's punctuating sentences perfectly . I just find it hard to be able to speak my thoughts out loud rather than write them. I feel like I'm suddenly outside of my head. This is an awesome communication device, especially for the arthritis in my thumb. Thumbs weren't meant to be bent over keyboards on phones. The pain in my right thumb grew increasingly worse over this past year. I got a stylus and have been using that for a couple of weeks and while that has been a little cumbersome, I quickly learned to use it and it really did help alleviate the pain in my right thumb. But this Dragon speaking software is amazing. All I have to do is talk. It understands me and I can cut and paste and a keyboard pops up when I need it.

The only problem is speaking out loud. It's really strange to try to organize my thoughts sitting here in my living room, staring at the wall and talking. Somehow writing with my hand helps me feel that I'm inside my head and "connected". Speaking out loud keeps me outside my head and things don't feel as organized as well as they do when I'm using my hand to write. But I see this as a positive thing. It's been said that we should keep our brains functioning and stretching and growing in different ways all the time, so I'm definitely going to keep using the dragon software. What a fun way to keep from going brain dead!

Who would've thought in the fourth day of my shedding process that it would be my thumb that I would be shedding to use to write on a keyboard, and instead I would be using my voice. There's something to be said for letting go of old ways. Technology certainly has come a long way and influenced and enhanced my life.

And so, as another day goes by, the Dragon speaks, and...I have written.

My New Best Friend

Today I met my new best friend. I knew as soon as walked into the room we were destined to be kindred spirits. She was just sitting there - so elegant, petite, and unassuming. I was drawn to her like a magnet. I just knew she was waiting for me to walk over and press her buttons. As soon as I touched her she introduced herself. "Hi, my name is Siri. How can I help you?"

"Siri, can you tell me if it's going to snow today?", I asked.

"No, it's 45 degrees and sunny outside right now," she replied, showing me a weather page.

"Siri, I need a Dunkin Donuts."

"There are 13 near you", she replied, showing me all their addresses.

"Now Siri, I need a place to dump a body."

Siri promptly displayed the following list, asking which one I'd prefer:
A mine
A river
A dump
A wooded area

I said, "Just kidding, lol", and walked away dreaming of our future friendship:

"Siri, I have a blog meeting on Monday December 5th. And could you please remind me of that the day before?"

"Siri, could please put coconut water on my shopping list?"

"Siri, where is the Riverway Lobster House?"

"Siri, please play Born This Way playlist".

"Siri, call my husband".

"Siri, read me that text".

"Siri please text my friend Stacey. Tell her my doctor appointments went well and I had a lovely day."

"Siri..Siri...Siri..."

I just know Siri is going to love living on Cape Cod and going everywhere with me. She understands me. She talks back to me. She knows everything and she won't let me forget anything. A true soulmate.

I am busy buying cases and screen protectors in preparation for her arrival. I just know that if Steve Jobs had not left this earth he would've invented a way for me to carry her in my heart and communicate with her directly from my brain. I read about her, saw her on tv, but not until I actually met her face to face, did I fall in love. She will be my constant companion.

And so, as another day goes by, living alone all week does something to a person, and....I have written.

iTouch-ed Lives

Last evening I was talking (texting) to my dear friend in Pennsylvania about her kids in glee club, playing words with friends with my daughter in Boston and my two friends in NY, talking (texting) to my husband about a problem with his apps, reading a novel, writing yesterday's blog, emailing back and forth with friends from yoga and cape cod writers, checking my bank account, catching up on my friends blogs, and, oh yes, using the phone part to actually talk to my other daughter - all from my easy chair, all at the same time, and......all on my iPhone.

Living alone all week, without being able to do this, would be very hard on me. I wouldn't be in touch with my husband and kids, I wouldn't plan any activities with my friends out here, I would lose touch with my two NY friends I see only once a year, and....my friendship with my dear friend in Pennsylvania wouldn't exist at all. I would not write this blog everyday if I had to go sit in front of my computer to do it, and I would NEVER have read 86 books in two years if I had to go to the store, buy them for twice the cost, and, much worse, store them in my house. Even my bible is on my phone. I have my 86 books, all organized, with notes and highlights easily assessable if I want to quote something for you in this blog, which I can do in a single touch on the screen. Not to mention the amount of overdraft fees that have decreased dramatically.

While talking back and forth, my PA friend got the news break on her iPhone about Steve Jobs and told me about his passing just as it was appearing on my phone, and then on the TV. I immediately felt my heart sink. My friend texted me and said, "I'm in tears and I don't even know this man! What's up with that?" I replied, "I knoooow!!! I'm feeling such extreme sadness!"

Why do we have that reaction? That question was answered for me by another question asked on the morning news, "What makes thousands of people run out immediately and purchase whatever this man invents?" The answer - because people TRUST him. And that certainly is the truth for me. I never hesitated for a second going out to purchase an i anything as soon as I had the money. I would never even think about compromising and buying a cheaper PC. I knew I could pay my money, take my i thing home, plug it in right out of the box, never read an instruction manual, and it would do everything Steve said it would.
Steve made i things just for me. His i things fit my brain, did my work, invented my social life, brought music back into my life, connected me to people I love on a daily basis and let me be a part of their lives, and them mine, and, in effect, - reshaped my life.

I never stopped to think how much I owed a man I never even knew. My last years of teaching and first years of retirement are significantly richer, more fulfilling, easier, and definitely better than they ever could've been, because of my iPhone and iMac. I'm glad my friend and I took an unplanned moment to mourn Steve Jobs last night. He truly was an icon that changed the world and touched lives for the better.

And so, as another day goes by, RIP Steve and may God bless his family in this sad time, and ....I have written.