musings, thoughts, and writings of Barbara W. Klaser


August 13, 2005

Los Romeros

Several years ago, while listening to a classical music radio station at my workplace, I heard a recording I knew I had to own. I scrambled to jot down the name of the piece when it ended. As soon as the opportunity arose I bought the album. This was the era just prior to CDs. When I got the record home and listened, I read the cover carefully. I noticed a name I didn’t take as anything extraordinary at the time.

The recording was Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, performed by The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, with Neville Marriner conducting, and guitar solos by Pepe Romero.
(more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 3:14 pm PST, 08/13/05

August 2, 2005

Payment for product mentions?

Every now and then the subject comes up on DorothyL (DL) of whether authors should be, or ever are, paid to include real product names in their fiction. A few authors jokingly ask who’s getting paid to mention products, so they can find out how to get paid too.
(more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 8:17 pm PST, 08/02/05

July 16, 2005

Writing but not blogging

Sunflower 2003

If I were perfect, I’d be able to write books really fast and post on my blog every day, like those amazing, super-productive super-people out there. You know who you are.

Unfortunately, I’m terribly slow at both, and I need to focus on one or the other for extended periods of time in order to get much accomplished at either.

I’ve been busy working on my book, so I’ve been away from this blog, the other blogs I love to read, and even my email.
(more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 8:06 pm PST, 07/16/05

July 2, 2005

Wordless journeys

In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron recommends periodically going an entire week without reading—anything. If you choose to try this, you’ll discover just how much the written word permeates your life, whether you read many books or not. (more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 4:24 pm PST, 07/02/05

June 25, 2005

Steve Jobs on finding what you love

I came across the text of a graduation speech given at Stanford University this month by Steve Jobs. Here’s the link. He includes three stories, one about dropping out of college, the second about being fired from Apple, and the third about his brush with death.
(more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 5:01 pm PST, 06/25/05

June 23, 2005

Summer doldrums

I’m not a fan of hot weather. Even what others consider warm weather. I’ve always believed it was a mistake that I was born in a place where it never even snows. I love to knit with wool, and regret having to put away my long sleeves and sweaters.

Since I’m not likely to change the fact that summer rolls around every year, I try to focus on the pleasant things about summer. One of the best things about the warmer season is the food.
(more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 3:54 pm PST, 06/23/05

June 21, 2005

Pulitzer winners

I pay a lot of attention to my dreams. Often they’re no more than mental regurgitation of a day’s events, or nonsense, if I recall them at all. But some stand out in my mind and provide important insights. Do you ever act on your dreams?

This morning I dreamed I met a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author. The author in the dream doesn’t exist in real life, as far as I know. He let me take a look at his latest prize. It was a large silver disk, nothing close to what is actually presented to winners, I’m sure. (more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 6:34 pm PST, 06/21/05

June 17, 2005

Shaking things up

Excuse me, but I think your fault line just bumped into my fault line.

It feels like earthquake season. Yesterday’s quake, so soon after the previous one, and fast on the heels of a little tsunami scare for California and Oregon, make me wonder what the earth has in store for us next.

In case you’d like to check up on seismic activity anywhere in the world, I’ve linked online resources below.

Seismic Monitor

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)

USGS Earthquake Activity World Map

USGS California and Nevada Earthquake Activity Map

— Barbara @ rudimentary 7:24 am PST, 06/17/05

June 12, 2005

News without a negative slant—including our earthquake

I’ve noticed a hush over the Internet lately that gives me the idea people are sick and tired of bad news. My desire for a lift sent me in search of news that isn’t always gloom and doom. Do you ever feel the need for that? Something that focuses on the world but doesn’t bring you down? A few sources advertise positive news, but most use the term “good news” and look at things primarily from a religious viewpoint, which isn’t what I was looking for.

I’m a romantic who likes to think this news simply makes the idea of chemistry between two people a scientifically verifiable fact. “See? We weren’t just being silly when we fell in love, honey.” But a potion? Scientifically engineered trust? I have trouble with that. Maybe I’ve read too much George Orwell. (more…)

— Barbara @ rudimentary 5:16 pm PST, 06/12/05

June 8, 2005

How random is publishing today?

If you’re an aspiring writer, and even if you’re not but want to know more about the possible randomness of publishing today, I urge you to hop over to historical mystery author Eric Mayer’s Byzantine Blog to read his series of blog entries about Michael Allen’s On the Survival of Rats in the Slush Pile, beginning with Eric’s post, Considering Rats in the Slush Pile.

— Barbara @ rudimentary 6:07 pm PST, 06/08/05


Recent Comments

Recently Commented Articles

Bookmarks

Blogs

  • An Englishman in New Jersey
  • Beyond the Fields We Know
  • Blog Trek
  • Cassie-B
  • Clear Lake Reflections
  • Conscious Junkyard
  • Down the Writers Path
  • Eric Mayer
  • Goddessing
  • Grapez
  • Greetings from Blogdog
  • Herbal Connection
  • how to save the world
  • Jana’s Journal & Sketchblog
  • Kingfisher Cove
  • Paula’s House of Toast
  • Reenie’s Reach
  • Sarah
  • Spinning
  • violetismycolor
  • Wall Street, Main Street and Me
  • Zen Knit

Resources for Readers

  • Authors’ Blogs
  • Best Author Blogs
  • Blogging Authors
  • Book Talk Radio
  • Bookslut
  • Campaign for the American Reader
  • Cozy Library
  • Cozy Mystery List
  • First Book
  • Goodreads.com
  • Mary Reed & Eric Mayer

Resources for Writers

  • A Writer’s Edge
  • Agent Query
  • Authonomy
  • Blog Your Book to the Top
  • Book Chat with Janet Boyer
  • Mary Gordon: The Art of Teaching and Writing
  • Preditors and Editors
  • The Book Deal, An Inside View of Publishing

Sites of Interest

  • Astronomy Picture of the Day
  • InkPot
  • Janet Boyer.com
  • Post Secret
  • The Art Shack Studio

WordPress Plugins

  • Arne Brachhold
  • Jerome Lavigne
  • Peter Harkins
  • Scott Buchanan
  • Theron Parlin
  • Alexking.org
  • Bad Behavior
  • Better Feed
  • boren.nu
  • Bread Crumb Trail Generator
  • ChaitGear
  • Contact Form
  • Customizable Posts
  • Edit Comments
  • ElasticDog
  • Elliot Back
  • GaMerZ
  • guff
  • hitormiss
  • Jixor.com
  • Live Comment Preview
  • Paged Comment Editing
  • Paged Comments
  • Photo Matt
  • Recent Comments
  • Related Posts
  • Roblog
  • Simple Thoughts
  • Spam Karma 2
  • Weblog Tools Collection
  • WordPress Plugin Database
  • WordPress Plugins
Spam Karma 2
Rediscover the Web

View XML RSS 2.0 feed
Technorati Cosmos





  1. https://www.posmn.com/
  2. https://horseswithouthumans.org/
  3. https://mysterynovelist.com/
  4. https://www.alianzademediosalternativos.org/
  5. https://hemophiliasc.org/
  6. https://rebuildingtogether-oaklandcounty.org/
  7. https://www.albertanthonyrealestate.com/
  8. https://www.thewildestjourney.com/
  9. https://www.doumouchtsis.com/
  10. https://www.phocaltherapy.com/
  11. https://liviacstein.com/
  12. https://joharasnakedance.com/
  13. https://www.125timeinharlem.org/
  14. https://savingdowns.org/
  15. https://drpcjaipur.org/
  1. HOME