Sunflower Tribute for Tina: Sept. 8, 2014

Aloha,

In memory of Tina Downey, the A to Z Team is hosting a sunflower tribute on Sept. 8, 2014.

Prior to that date, please consider purchasing or planting a sunflower in her honor.

(Should you need to resort to plastic, that's fine, remember Life Is Good.)

On Monday, September 8, take a photo of said sunflower and post it in Tina's memory on your blog or other social media outlet.

Tina loved her sunflowers, and we want to splash the blogging world with sunflowers that day and honor a truly amazing woman who was friend and family to so many.

You can sign up now or add your link when you post your sunflower.

Please help us spread the word! (If you're on Twitter, use #lifeisgood)

Let’s brighten the Internet with sunflowers the way Tina brightened the lives of so many.

Rest In Peace: Tina Downey. Life is Good, but not today



TINA DOWNEY 1965 - 2014

RIP: James Foley

Aloha,

You may have heard that American journalist James Foley (40) was beheaded by Islamic State terrorists Tuesday.

I've called myself a journalist in the past, but what I did compared to the risks Mr. Foley took to do his job is like comparing apples and oranges.

 

 

I'm so angry that I have no words -- there are no words -- except to offer my sincere and deepest condolences to the Foley family.

I'm also posting these pictures of Mr. Foley, which I believe is how he would want to be remembered, and not how millions saw him in his final moments...

(Pictures above from the Free James Foley Twitter account)


 (Picture below:  (Steven Senne/The Associated Press)

Mr. Foley, of Rochester, N.H., during a May 2011 interview

Unfollow by a Friend Leaves Me Socially Meditating

Aloha,

I got unfollowed this weekend.

Now, apart from that being an appalling sentence in both English and Yodaish, I have to tell you I was initially sad when I noticed it was a fellow blogger/writer friend who unfollowed me via Twitter.

Over the last few years, we’ve chatted/commented many times via our respective blogs/Twitter accounts  – albeit briefly on each occasion – so I worried... Had I said/done something to upset/offend her?

Leaving via a Jet Plane, Paddleboard or Twitter Unfollow!


 

To this effect, I sent her a quick Tweet, and she was very gracious to explain why she unfollowed me.

I so appreciated her taking the time to write back and ease my concern (I hate putting my size 13s in my mouth, but it happens a lot!)

We then both wished each other well moving forward - and that was that.

Every week on Twitter, I unfollow a ton of people – all strangers – (I don’t do FacePlant or anything else… who has the time???) but it does beg the questions:

Have you unfollowed a blogger friend on Social Media?

And, did you feel more like a Social Maverick, or did it make you go Yahoo!?

Writing Up A Storm - Or Two...

Aloha,

Hurricane/Tropical Storms Iselle and Julio were a threat to the Hawaiian Islands this past weekend - and despite my flippancy below, I do thank God there was relatively little damage from both storms.



TS Iselle "hits" Pearl Harbor at 9 a.m. Friday...

Here on O'ahu, our family began "Storm Prep 2014" this past Tuesday and it was an interesting week as many people went into panicked squirrel mode.

I gassed up the cars, bought extra propane, filled the dry goods pantry (and joked on Twitter that I had restocked my boxed wine and canned goods -- such as Bud and Bud Lite in case the power went out :)

On Wednesday, I stripped our lanai (patio) and as I removed everything to the garage, I marveled at the fact we have so much junk - and hello, people, I walk around this stuff every day!!

Rain still falling at 9:15 a.m.

Thursday was the day to catch up on news reports, explain what was going on to the kids, gossip with the neighbors and *not* leave out the trashcan (Friday is our pickup day.)

And then da-dah... the storm arrived!



Roads were empty, Plumerias drenched at 9:30 a.m.

###

Hang on, Mark...

What, dude, I'm trying to tell a storm story.

What's this got to do with writing - or the price of bread?

Huh?

Where are you going with this? What valuable nugget of advice can you hope to share with your fellow writers?

Er... don't eat yellow snow?

Or, how about "Selfies" is now an accepted Scrabble word?

No! About this storm... where's the writing angle in a post about a weather pattern?

Ohhhhh... Okay, that's coming up.

Are you sure?

Promise.

Okay... but I'll be watching...

Ohhh, I'm quaking like oats-in-a-minute




"Boss, Da plane, da plane is cancelled, what's dat blue thing?"

The picture above was taken at about 1 p.m. and the picture below at about 2 p.m. when it was clear T.S. Iselle would be reported for local false advertising.

And so here's my point...

Finally

Shush.

Sometimes, we writers,  are physically ready and mentally prepared to write the big chapter or the fun post... but what happens is a fizzle of a feature or a pooped out post.

Me, all hunkered down at about 2:30 p.m.

So what do we do, we Band of Scribers?

Of course, there will be storms in our writing, but hunker down friends. Do what it takes to get through the bad times...

Because I promise...

Soon, the sun will shine - and the magic will flow from your fingers :)







 



IWSG - In Where I Achieve A First

Aloha,

It’s Insecure Writers' Support Group time, and as always, a huge thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, who founded IWSG (even after I passed him a bottle and said it should've been SWIG.)

 

Anyway, having done IWSG for nearly three years and not missed (m)any in all that time, something happened as I stressed out yesterday and today thinking about what to write for my IWSG post.

And then it hit me. Writing life isn't perfect and I'm working through some issues... but I've already spoken about them in previous posts, so for at least this month...

I'm good.