Month: October 2012

Hallowe’en from the Perspective of a Disaffected French Feline

On By angeliquejamailIn blogs, cats, Hallowe'en, Henri Le Chat Noir, Marie Marshall, poetry3 Comments

Happy Hallowe’en!  Since I’m not actually capable of taking a decent picture of anything — not even an inanimate and stationery object in medium natural light, much less actual living people — I have to wait on friends and family members to send me their photos before I can share them.

In the meantime, here is something delightful for you to enjoy:

Henri Le Chat Noir — Hallowe’en

And please also take a look at Scotland-based author Marie Marshall’s blog, where she has graciously reviewed my website and some of my poetry.  One of my poems is also included in the review, so, you know, bonus.  Thank you, Marie.  🙂

Cheers!

A Delightful Little Project I’d Like To Undertake

On By angeliquejamailIn books, community, library, Little Free Library, Little Library Under the Oak7 Comments

I think I might ask for one of these for my front yard for Christmas.  Maybe Santa will bring me one.  I know my husband would be in favor of my culling our overburdened bookshelves of their volumes to make way for the new ones I’m constantly bringing in.

Little Library under the Oak

Here’s the story on this delightful little project.  Anyone want to do it with me?

 

This Week…

On By angeliquejamailIn teaching8 Comments

I’m mired in writing report cards this week.  This has been made more difficult by my colleague’s cat’s having run off with all my erudite phrases.  Dratted felines.

And to be fair, the report cards are taking up only the first half of the week.  The second half, I’ll be attending a writing conference in Los Angeles.  If you’re going to be at a writing conference in Los Angeles this weekend, drop me a line.  What are the odds they wouldn’t be the same one?  Come find me and say hi.

Regular blogging with substantive narrative comments — not the kind I’m using on the report cards, I assure you — will resume as soon as I’ve caught up to that darned cat.  Cheers.

October Rêveur Reminder

On By angeliquejamailIn books, Circus of Dreams, reveur, The Night CircusLeave a comment

Tomorrow is Rêveur Day, for all you Night Circus fans!  Join me in the Rêveur Revelation Fashion Project.  And here’s my post about the book which inspired it.

If you participate, be sure to share a photo of yourself, should you feel so inclined.  You can post it yourself and include a link in your comment, or you can email the photo to me for me to post.

Cheers!

My Creative Writing Students’ Poetry Blog

On By angeliquejamailIn blogs, creative writing, high school, poetry, teaching, teenagers2 Comments

My high school Creative Writing class is focusing on poetry this year, and they’ve got a blog.  Pop on by if you’re interested and check out some of their work.  They’ve just started posting to it this week, so there are only a couple of poems up so far, but the kids are open to constructive feedback from other writers and readers, should you feel so inclined.  🙂

Here’s the link.

Thanks for stopping by!  🙂

Something Awesome to Start Your Work Week

On By angeliquejamailIn Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Life As A Reader, Stephenie Meyer, Twi-moms, Twilight2 Comments

It feels like Monday to me because the school where I teach is excellent enough to take Columbus Day off every year.  Not to give the students a break while the teachers sit through a marginally useful inservice, no, but an actual holiday.  A true three-day weekend.  Love!

But now I’m back at work, and this gem crossed my inbox, and I felt the need to share.  Many of you are already aware, no doubt, of my love of the Harry Potter opus and of my benevolent tolerance of the Twilight “saga” (put in quotes because a saga it is not, no matter how many marketing execs call it that).  If you need a refresher on why I find Twilight to be entertaining but not particularly good for you if you’re young — nutritionally speaking, it’s a big bowl of candy — then click here.

And then you may click here to view a delightful comparison between these two literary phenomena, from the Life As A Reader blog.  Perhaps you’ve already seen it.  Perhaps you will simply enjoy it anyway.

Cheers!

 

Looper? Um…Not So Much…

On By angeliquejamailIn dystopia, gangsters, humanity, Looper, movies, science fiction, serial killers6 Comments

I cannot deny that the acting — all of the acting — in the new movie Looper is good.  It is.

I cannot deny that the prosthetic make-up used on Joseph Gordon-Levitt to make him look like a young Bruce Willis is both subtle and effective.  It’s excellent, as is his mastery of Willis’ smarmy smirk.

I can’t even deny that the story is interesting and, at times, clever.  Check.

But I really didn’t like this movie. Continue reading “Looper? Um…Not So Much…” →

500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

On By angeliquejamailIn art, Bach, portraitureLeave a comment

Perhaps you have seen this short video before.  It’s one which has come across my screen many times over the last few years, and it haunts me — in a good way.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about beauty and inner peace and acceptance and self-love.  You’ll be seeing a slice of the written fruits of such philosophical labors this month.  But while I’m finishing that up, please enjoy this.

Happy October.