TALK LIKE A PIRATE

As I rolled over in me king sized bunk earl-I in this morning and gazed out over me bounteously beautiful turquoise Sea of the Caribe, I began to wonder, why am I thinking in these strange language patterns. I reached for me trusty iPhone in search of some answers.

While spying the blogs of some of me favorite buccaneers I dropped anchor for awhile at me good mate Donnas’ harbor  Weaving a Tale or Two to find, to my great pleasure, I might add, that I did not suffer some strange brain and speech anomaly whilst I did sleep, but that today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It is actually the 10^th Annual Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Arrgh! Me Hardies, you heard that correctly. Today is your one chance all year to talk like a pirate and be totally approved by his high holiness of the written comedy Mr. Dave Barry. TLAPD is not the brainchild of Mr. Barry, but its authors did contact him and he endorsed it heartily. As in ‘Shiver me timbers…what a great notion.’

Seeing that I live on an island in the Caribbean and I can almost see Captain Morgan’s ship makin’ the point at Buck Island, it’s time to man the nine pounders and make like a pirate, at least in the lingo. To find out all you need to know and watch an authentic pirate video click HERE

On my island we like any excuse for a holiday and this is as good as any. So, go on out into the world today and amaze your colleagues, friends and family and Talk like a Pirate to your heart’s content, or you may be ‘keel hauled’ for the not tryin.

Genre Favorites Blogfest

Today is Alex Cavanaugh's 'Genre Favorites Blogest. In a more perfect world or at least with a more perfect blogger you would be able to click on that badge and get right to the source and all the details of this particular blogfest. But, what you have here is me, so, to get the 'down and dirty' and see the linky list for other participants click HERE

If you come to this space often, you know that I have been posting less than regularly (there's a under statement). I signed up for this blogfest thinking it would help me get back into the swing of things now I'm simply thinking; 'what was I thinking?'

Anyway... the point here is for the participants , that's me, to list our favorites in three different genres,

Movies

Music

Books

And

A guilty pleasure genre from any of the three categories

Of course, this morning, my mind is a blank.

MOVIES

I have to go with 'Love Stories'. My favorite movie of all time is 'Life is Beautiful'. I see this movie as the most incredible love story on several different levels. The main character feels and expresses romantic love most beautifully (as maybe, only an Italian could) and he goes a long way in demonstrating his love for his family. Probably most important is the fact that he loves life. Often in great love stories we see the Protagonist as willing to die for those that he loves, but Guido is willing to live for them and this he does with every fiber of his being.

MUSIC

Gospel Music. It has to be Gospel Music. There are a lot of individual favorites, but here's a medley that I found that should give you a good example of what I'm talkin' 'bout. I don't care what you believe, or what type of music you enjoy, you have got to feel something when you listen to this stuff. At the end when those women sing 'every knees shall bow and every tongue confess', holy carp, I'm about brought to my knees.

Medley Old School Gospel Music

BOOKS

This is the hardest category for me, I read a lot and a lot of everything. I have to admit it's not all good, it's not all uplifting or thought provoking, but I do like to read and I don't watch TV. I guess I'm gonna cheat and do what another blogger did (YES, I checked out a few of the posts before I wrote mine, not surprised are you?) and list my lest favorite genre to read. That would probably be horror or anything gory. For awhile I was reading a lot of Civil War non-fiction and had to give it up due to the gore. Seems just about anything historical is filled with it. Kinda makes you wonder who we human beings really are becoming. 

GUILTY PLEASURE

Why is this category so easy. It has got to be Rock Music. Not really hard rock, although sometimes that's OK, not really Pop Music, but that's alright too, but 'old school rock and roll', not exactly Elvis, but let's at least get back to the seventies. If you come around here much at all, you have got to know I love 'Van the Man Morrison'. Oh and I love the 'old' Surf Music - think Beach Boys and I was a die-hard Jan and Dean fan in my youth. (Just dated myself again didn't I - Oh, what the heck). Hey I even like me a little country.

Now take one of them rock and roll or country artists and give him a gospel tune to sing and I'm done for. I'll leave you with a song that has some great personal meaning to me.

Now get back up to the top and click on that Linky List to see what other bloggers have to say. Oh, and Thank You Alex for moving me a little bit further out of my shell today.

STILL CRAZY?

Just in case anybody is wondering, the answer is yes, I'm still crazy. Today you can check that out over at Arlee Bird's blog 'A Faraway View', click on the little stars *****

Mr Bird is crazy kind enough to turn his space over to me today. Go ahead, go on over and check it out. No need to linger around here. Leave your comments over there too, that way I can hide the evidence later of just how completely nuts talented I am.

One thing for certain Arlee and I are both FarAway!

Insecure Writers Support Group

IWSG

Is it that time already? Where did the summer go? Of course, I live in the land of perpetual summer, but that’s beside the point. 

Anyway…onto today’s topic; Am I insecure? You bet. As a matter of fact I’m so insecure that there isn’t much I can say to you as either encouragement or venting my troubles.

INSTEAD, I would like to direct you to two incredible posts that I read earlier this week. Neither is really about insecurities, but they sure did help me sort some things out.

 FIRST, head on over to Jay Noel's space. Just click here
Are you at all surprised that I was touched by a post titled 'Be Water, My Friend'.

NEXT, go on over to Lori Freeland's blog by clicking here This post 'Parking Lot Prayer' is a little different than Jay's and yet it touched me and my insecurities deeply.

I apologize if this is taking the easy way out this month, but I sincerely thank Jay and Lori for the support and inspiration. While you there, tell 'em I sent you and leave a little note.

I might not know where the commas go, but I do know what touches my heart. 

For more inspiration and help dealing with insecurities go on over to the right and click on that little ole button and check out some of the other Insecure Writers. OR, click below and have a big helping of Van the Man.

WINNING

WINNING

Not a breath of air

Nor a ripple on the sea

Touch me if you dare

Help me, to not be me

Change is mandatory for survival

And change each of us must

See our life as a great revival

Learn lessons of love and trust

Give your heart away to another

Though trample it they may

Call them friend, lover, and brother

You learn to live another day

With no joy left in the living

Only the darkness of endless night

Let your heart keep on giving

Least your mind give up the fight

Keep on fighting to be stronger

Let no man take your rightful place

The night can get no longer

Because you can almost see God’s face

As the dawn breaks new and bright

New life shines with each of the sun’s rays

The winner is not always right

But the lover will see no more days

And the love still exists around you

Anger cannot make it dim

Though my heart may be cleave in two

In the end it is God who will win

My poetry may stink, but my heart is true.

BLOGGING - WHY?

BLOGGING as in why do we do it, what purpose does it serve and is there a point.

Don’t grab your pitchforks yet, but hear me out. I’ve been having a hard time with my blog space these past few months. I can’t seem to focus. I have started to questions myself. Things like; Hey FAE, why do you blog anyway. I’m not looking for my fifteen minutes of fame, not really trying to impress anybody or look cool, Ha, ha, ha. I don’t really have helpful tips to offer, unless maybe I’m setting an example of how NOT to do some things.

AND, what purpose does it serve. Well, I’m not sure. I have met some really nice people. When they comment on my space, I’m reminded to go to theirs and generally I learn something new, or I’m uplifted, or I just escape into their funny stories, lives, or whatever for a few minutes. Some of you have become closer than others and helped me to learn lessons that I needed. But, often it seems so one sided. I really don’t feel as though I’m giving much back.

THEN, what is the point. Often I feel that the time I spend blogging and reading and commenting on the blogs of others, could be better spent writing, editing and in general trying to get something published. The truth of the matter is, that I probably would not spend the time that way, but would be ‘goofing off’ somewhere else, and I wouldn’t be learning the things you guys are teaching or be entertained near as well.

I started blogging because I thought I needed to build a platform (although I’m not exactly sure what that means) for my writing. Everyone says that in a Query Letter you should send prospective agents and editors to your blog. It’s helpful for them to get to know you and see some of your ‘other’ writing. In actuality, I think my blog might send prospective agents and editors screaming into the night, as opposed to encourage them to request my manuscripts. My blog feels more like therapy most of the time. I really don’t want to give it up; I’m just not sure exactly how to continue.

I have noticed during the months of July and August, (August in particular) several other bloggers, seeming to have some of the same questions and difficulty that I’m expressing here. So, who has the answer? To blog or not to blog? What is the question? Are you able to find the balance between working on your ‘creative - as in hoping to have published – writing’ and blogging? How do you all stay interesting and creative in this format? Any and all answers (even and especially the humorous) are appreciated.

100 People to Meet Before You Die

Michael Patrick Gordon

Today I want to talk about Mike. Here’s the earliest picture I have of him. You may have seen this one before. I posted it on Mike’s birthday last February. That’s me holding him. He was my Godson.

Me & Mike 1974

All of his life he only wanted to be two things, an Army guy and a police officer. Michael made that happen on both counts. He was the youngest of my best friend’s three sons. His brothers teased him and picked on him in a good natured manner, the way brothers do, but not for long. Mike grew to be about 6’4” (the tallest in his family) and he didn’t take no stuff from nobody, no how. While in the Army he served in Bosnia and the DMZ between North and South Korea. To the terror of his mother and me, he learned to jump out of airplanes. When he was discharged from the military he began working on a career in law enforcement.

He had a tender side also. When he worked the 4 – 11 shift, he would often get off and go to the bar with his buddies. Then somewhere around 2 am he would call me up and tell me how much he loved me. I always asked him if he called his mother first. It got to be a joke, when he would say, ‘Barb, now you know I called Ma first, but…’ My family after hearing the phone would shout from their rooms, ‘is that Mike?’ I always appreciated his calls no matter the time. He had three children. The oldest Malik was not his biological son, but Mike never ever referred to him that way.  Cullen, the middle boy, is the spitting image of his dad in more ways than one. Gracie only had a short time with her Daddy, and didn’t really get to know what a great guy he was.

Mike & Malik

Mike & Cullen

Mike & Gracie

On August 8, 2004, Michael Patrick Gordon ended his watch, while in the line of duty, he was called home. The city of Chicago gave Mike a hero’s funeral. It was like something out of the movies, unfortunately for me and the rest of his family is was a horror show.

At the wake people were lined up out the door and around the block to pay their respects. People from all walks of life showed up to tell his parents, brothers, and wife, what a great guy he was. Many of these folks were homeless people, who lived on the mean streets in the rough neighbors where Mike worked. Law enforcement from all over the state came to the wake and lined the streets with their patrol cars the day of the funeral.

I don’t think Mike thought of himself as a hero. He was just another guy living out his dreams. He only got 30 years on the earth, but he made every one of them count.

After his passing Mike contacted me on more than one occasion. One time in broad daylight at the Eastern Idaho State Fair, he came walking down the midway, paused in front of me and asked if I was doing alright. I nodded my head, and he walked on and disappeared into the crowd. Rick was standing beside me, he shook my arm and asked; ‘Was that Mike?’ So, I know I didn’t imagine it.

I love you Mike. It broke my heart that you left us so soon. I’ll miss you until we meet again.

Michael Patrick Gordon

February 20, 1974 - August 8, 2004

Photos courtesy of Mike's dad, Bob Gordon. 'Thanks Bob!'