Making A Difference

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do / With your one wild and precious life.”
-Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day”

I’ve talked before about my list of things I want to do before I die, and you’ve gotten a brief preview of what is on it and what I’ve  been able to check off in the six-ish years since I made it. So far, as you've learned, I’ve milked a cow, visited one of the homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder (so that one is only partly done, really), and donated my hair to Locks of Love. But today, I want to talk about what I think is the most important goal on the list, which is make a difference.

I like to think that it’s easy to make a difference to someone, somehow in everyday life, and that it’s the small gestures that really matter, so I’ve hopefully accomplished this goal sometime in my adult life. But I find that some goals on my list actually become bigger goals, that I’m not satisfied when I technically accomplish them.

Take, for example, my goal of having something I’ve written published. Technically, I’ve done this—I wrote an article for my college newspaper plus a letter to the editor, had articles published in magazines I’ve interned with as well as the one I currently edit for, and maybe even this blog counts as being “published,” depending on your definition. But this is something I keep on the list, because I find I want to aim for something bigger.

My “make a difference” goal is like this—even if I feel like I’ve done it already, I want it to be bigger. And I want it to be something I do and feel in my everyday life. Before I started my full-time grown up job, I worked in the nonprofit industry as a communications intern. And I loved it. I loved learning about people and writing about their reasons for creating scholarships and donating money to specific causes. I felt like I became a part of their journey of making a difference, even if I was only writing a press release.

 

And that is why I’m excited to announce that 2011 will bring big changes for me, as I’ve accepted a new job in development, and I will be working on workplace campaigns to raise money for health-related charities. While I am sad to leave my friends at my current job, I am really thankful that I found an opportunity to get back into nonprofit.

A Nook!

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and enjoyed your time with friends and family. We had a very relaxing and ate way too much good food. I even successfully tackled Ropa Vieja, the hardest recipe I've tried to date. (Though it was much easier than it looked once I got started.) It's only 364 more days until the next Christmas, but I'm excited to go back to pre-holiday life and start off a new year.

At our wedding, my brother and sister, best man and maid of honor, respectively, gave a toast, which encompassed the top 10 reasons I would be a good wife. It was very nice and funny and sweet. One of the reasons they gave was that if you ever wondered what to give me for a present, you could just pick out a book. And it's true. I imagine that for every Christmas, birthday, etc., I've gotten some kind of book or B&N gift certificate. And this year was no exception. I got several good cookbooks, a sewing book, and The Power Of Now, all of which perfectly complement my interests now. But, I also got an eReader, the Barnes and Noble Nook Color, to be specific.

I have had mixed feelings about eReaders and the impact they have on reading ever since they first came out and wasn't sure I would enjoy reading on one. Of course, I am often envious of people who have them on planes, because I would be able to have all of the books I'd ever want on one device, rather than packing them all in my suitcase and carry on bag. And it would be better than buying them in the airport bookstore.

In my current job, we have done some articles on eReaders, so I am familiar with the features and what to look for when shopping for one. Personally, I find them to be rather similar; the main features to look for are e-ink, screen size, color vs. black and white, format compatibility, etc. I personally like the Nook because it's from B&N, and uses that bookstore, in addition to having a good-sized screen and providing a clear picture. You might also consider connectivity options. Personally, I don't need 3G, because I have a smartphone for the Internet, and I wouldn't want to be able to buy books wherever I want. With the Wi-Fi, I'll be able to access the Internet when I need to buy books and then turn it off to save the battery life. However, if you want to b able to access bookstores and the Internet in more places, you'll want  And if you need something more full-featured, it does have a nice browser, the capability to play music, and a Pandora app.

I'm going to give it a week of reading before I write anything on the actual reading experience, but if you want a technological perspective, check out this one on CNET, the site I trust most.

Merry, Merry

It’s Christmas Eve Eve, and I’m home from work taking care of Shelby after she got spayed yesterday. She was very tired yesterday, but seems to be back to her normal self today.

Before I take a holiday break, I wanted to share some of my favorite Christmas traditions. Growing up, I had many good Christmases with friends and family. On the Christmases we’ve spent at home, we wake up early to find presents in Santa wrapping paper, and as we got older codes to figure out. We’d have breakfast and open more presents and spend the day doing whatever. Sometimes we’d go to movies, or spend time with family or neighbors.

We’ve also spent Christmases away from home, in Key West and Nebraska.  We’d have Cuban food and enjoy the nice weather and spend time with family. A couple years ago I spent Christmas with my grandma in Ogallala. It was the two of us and it was so good to spend time with her when I was older. We talked and went to a movie and spent valuable time together.

This year, Nathan and I are celebrating Christmas Eve by having breakfast with a friend and going to church. We’ll have Cuban food and open presents. On Christmas we’ll be going over to Nathan’s grandma with Shelby and maybe catch a movie.
I wanted to make sure our first Christmas was special, and that we’d take the time to start traditions that we’d have together. But then I realized, after thinking back on my favorite memories, that it’s not about having the same traditions every year, but being together. So our first Christmas will be memorable no matter what.

I wish you and your family the same—that you have a holiday full of love and making memories.

Lauran's Holidays

"Every Christmas is better than the Christmas before . . .

I guess it must be because I am growing up."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder, "By The Shores Of Silver Lake"

As usual, Laura speaks the truth, and in my opinion, she is one of the best Christmas writers there is. Each of her books features a Christmas story that I can relate to, even though we are generations apart. For example, in "Little House In The Big Woods," she gets her doll, Charlotte, for Christmas, and she is most treasured. I'm sure everyone remembers the excitement of Christmas morning and getting something that they most wanted, or means the most to them. As she grows up, she spends Christmases with families and friends, and welcomes Almanzo to the family in "These Happy Golden Years" when they celebrate their first Christmas together, as Nathan and I did last year. And in "The First Four Years," we see the two of them creating holiday traditions and celebrating together, just as Nathan and I will do this year and in the years to come. Be sure to check back this week as I reflect on my favorite Christmas memories, our Christmas this year, and more.

Holiday Gift Givning 2010: Share The Love Of Reading

Today, I bring you book-themed T-shirts, which I've coveted since my friend Leah sent them to me who knows how long ago. Aside from creating just plain awesome-looking shirts, the company, Out Of Print Clothing, donates one book to Books For Africa for every T-Shirt they sell. So, you get a shirt that lets you show off your love of literature, while people across the world get access to books, which also lets you SHARE your love of reading with someone who may not have access to books otherwise. It's a win-win, really.

Here's a link to the shop, which breaks the shirts down into men, women, and children, giving you plenty of options in all three. I think my favorite is the Nancy Drew one, because Nancy just always looks so sassy. (Side note: If you are interested in Nancy Drew at all, there is a truly fascinating book out there on the history behind the series, the truth about the author(s), and the historical context Nancy fits in. It's called Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew & The Women Who Created Her, by Melanie Rehak.) But of course, I also love the look of Pride and Prejudice, and the book, of course.

What's Today's World Like For Writers?

We interrupt our Christmas 2010 series of posts to talk about what today's world is like for writers, at least in terms of publishing and sharing writing, and this article from the Boston Review: Books After Amazon. The fact of the matter is, it's changing. Think about the two historically dominant ways of publishing your writing: Journalism (magazines, newspapers, etc.) and books. These two industries are in a time of crazy transition.

When I majored in journalism, I had a romanticized vision what I would be doing: Something more similar to scenes from All The President's Men, or at least my high school yearbook than what I actually found journalism to be. The invention of the Internet put the journalism world (as it's always been) in danger, because it's nearly impossible for newspapers to get the scoop in a traditional format when competing against major news sites, such as CNN, or even their own Internet sites.

And the writing has changed, as well. You want to make sure you get the story up as quickly as possible, and that leaves less time with the writing in terms of capturing a story and making sure facts are accurate. You're writing for an audience that doesn't actually want to read it; instead, they want the main points as quickly as possible so they can move to the next thing. Everything is available on the Internet, so fewer people want subscriptions, and thus, magazines and newspapers rely more on advertising, which in turn affects content. Rather than having a "watchdog" purpose, it's a "sponsored" approach. It's all about the money, which is like a double-edged sword: You need the money to continue producing content, but then you end up in a relationship where your content is affected by money.

The same goes for book publishing, according to the article:
One editor at a major publishing house, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity for fear of employer sanctions, told me that agents of Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Target are frequent participants in meetings about potential books. Without their buy-in, the publisher is unlikely to go forward with a book. Ideas that excite independents might be scrapped if they don’t get a chain’s stamp of approval.
So, as the article continues, it means publishers are less likely to take a chance on a book from someone who might be talented, but unkown, because while independent bookstores might have, the chains won't, because the book may or may not sell as well as one from someone who's already well-known. And that's a scary thought, for all of us who have not yet published anything. It turns out writing the next great American novel might be easier than actually getting the next great American novel published.

Add to all of this the invention of the ebook/ereader, plus big Internet sites, such as Amazon (the main point of the article), subtract independent booksellsers, and you're left with a publishing world that seems to be up in the air a little bit, in terms of what it means for new writers, and I'm not sure how long that will last.

Of course, I think it's important to point out that this change can be positive. It's so easy to self-publish nowadays, because we have more mediums than just books and newspapers and magazines to get our writing out there. For example, this blog. Blogs let people "publish" their writing, if you go by the very basic definition in that you're getting your writing out there for others to read. There's self-publishing software available, if you want to create your own ebook for certain ereaders. So, despite the changes, there are options. They're different options, that's for sure, and it's just still unclear whether the impact of the Internet is good, bad, or just a change. Personally, I'm skeptical of letting ebooks take over books, amazon crushing publishing and book buying as we know it, and advertising dictating journalism, BUT on the other hand, I think there can be benefits of these changes if they're happening anyway. What do you think?

Holiday Gift Giving 2010: Explore Your Passions

Last night, Nathan and I went out to buy Christmas gifts. It seemed really random to do on a Wednesday night, but wow, it was so much better than battling the crowds on the weekends. We ended the night at Barnes & Noble, so I could pick up a few gifts and Nathan could explore. And in the journal section, I found these really cool new Moleskine journals. Or maybe they are just new to me, but regardless, they are very neat. They are part of the Passions Collection, which includes special journals for different hobbies, such as wine, wellnes, and, of course, books. But really, you can't go wrong with any Moleskine journal, or any kind of notebook for that matter, when it comes to giving gifts to readers and writers. I got one for Christmas last year and it's perfect for a purse notebook.

Holiday Gift Giving 2010: A New Look

The Clothbound Penguin Classics have been floating around blogland for a while, and I think the redesigns are beautiful and fun. Check out the titles available from Anthropologie here. Which one will you be asking Santa for? I think "Alice in Wonderland" has the best design, but would probably go with "A Christmas Carol" so I have something beautiful to cherish for Christmases to come.

EDIT: Further poking around on Anthropologie's site led me to THESE! Children's book classics with a redesign. I am not so much a huge fan of the look of "Anne Of Green Gables" as much as the others (maybe because I think Anne is more of an old soul with a great imagination and the pink tea party thing seems to contradict that in my head), but it will always be my favorite story, if choosing among those. Love.

Holiday Gift Giving 2010: A Twist On The Classics

Classics are classic for a reason, but for an updated approach (or to keep up with the vampire trend), give a parody. It will provide the basis of a good story, but with a twist.

Photo credit and book information: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Celebrate Christmas With word fancies

I still get really excited about Christmas when December rolls around each year, and so this month, we're going to celebrate the holiday on word fancies. Of course, the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the story of the birth of Christ, but I think the holiday and the overall season can also create moving stories that cross genres and generations. So, I plan to reflect on some of my favorite Christmas writing as well my favorite Christmas memories, crafts, recipes, and traditions. And because, "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," according to Louisa May Alcott's Jo March, I'll also be exploring some gift ideas for the readers and writers in your life. Or, suggestions for you to add your list, as the case may be.