Debi's Musings

I admire parents who are able to homeschool their children. I really do. But there is no way in the world I could be one of those parents.

First of all, my children are way too strong for me. I have nightmares of being found locked in a closet -- drooling and mumbling to myself in tongues -- while my children run around the house wearing torn clothing and sporting odd face paint. A pig's head on a large stick would be optional.

I mention this, because my kids are home from school all next week (starting today). Before 9:00 this morning, I was ready to crawl into any available closet (of course, this being Europe, there are no closets, and the wardrobes just aren't big enough).

Sigh.

Why, you may ask, are my lovely darlings not going to school? Well, that would be because of Carnivale. This weekend and until Tuesday, the Catholic portion of the Netherlands (that would be here), celebrates Carnivale -- a joyous time of frivality and silliness. Yesterday, the children's school had an all-day party involving costumes, candy and lemonade, dancing in the yard while HUGE speakers blasted out music for the entire neighborhood to enjoy.

Last night, that party spilled out onto the streets of Etten-Leur. Mainly our street, which seems to be Carnivale central. Of course, the candy and lemonade had been replaced with beer and liquor, and the cutely dressed children replaced with strangely dressed adults. Tonight the party continues.

Saturday and Sunday will be crazy. A parade will start on the other end of town and end up -- yes, you guessed it -- going down our street, where all those involved in the parade will stay and "celebrate" well into the night. Monday and Tuesday will be one big party.

Of course, we could just use my husband's description of the entire event:

It's like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but without boobs.

Nice perspective, don't you think?

I've been thinking about the people who have inspired me in my life as a writer. There have been a lot of influences, yes, but the inspiration-ers (it's a word!) are different.

In my life, there have been two of these miracle people (so far). The first was my high school English teacher -- Mrs. Dyer. She recognized something in me that I didn't even know was there. I mean, my best friend, Susan, was going to be the writer. Not me. But Mrs. Dyer told me I already was a writer, and the fact that I'd never written anything other than a school assignment (and not even a creative assignment at that) did not change her opinion.

In fact, Mrs. Dyer announced to the entire senior class that I was the class poet.

Poet? Wait a minute . . . had I missed something? I didn't even read poetry! And who could blame me after all that crap they shove down kids' throats in 9th grade. Sheesh!

For some reason, though, I started to believe her. I wrote some poetry. Well, not poetry, but I wrote some stuff broken up into lines and verses. Some really bad stuff broken up into totally haphazard lines and makeshift verses.

Then we started reading T.S. Eliot. Eliot! Now this was poetry! It was amazing! It didn't rhyme. The stanzas weren't standardized. His words were . . . well his words were amazing! I couldn't get enough.

My own poetry started getting . . . well, different. I want to say "Eliot-esque," but I'm afraid poor old T.S. would be terribly offended to have my early . . . um, poetry . . . compared to his. It was irreversible, though. I was in love with words.

Anyway, fast forward to junior year in college (you know, the one where they insist you actually declare a major), and I realized all I'd really taken were literature and creative writing classes. I declared English as my major with a Creative Writing slant (we were allowed to choose from 4 different English majors -- amazing, huh?). I took more lit classes and all of the creative writing classes.

And Philip Levine had become my new hero by then. That man could take the most ordinary of experiences and make it magical (well, he still can). He takes blue-collar experiences and lifts them up . . .

In the meantime, I wrote. And wrote. I managed to have a chapbook put out by my school, as well as some poems published online and in print. A few have won contests.

The main thing, though, is that Mrs. Dyer gave me a gift. She told me I would love words. And she was right.

Next time, I'll tell you about the other major inspiration in my writing life.

1. My husband normally cooks Christmas dinner (the only meal during the year that he does cook, by the way). Because he was sick, though, I got stuck with it.

We managed to eat turkey (without stuffing), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (with mushroom soup and croutons) and corn bread (thanks, mom, for the mix!).

I mentioned my husband was sick, right? Well, daughter number two was also pretty ill and didn't eat for about a week. Daughter number one and I ate the Christmas dinner.

We have a LOT of leftovers. (Did I mention that the refrigerator in this place doesn't work all that well?)

2. Since daughter number two was sick, we were all a bit short in the sleep department. I spent two nights sitting up in bed holding her, so she could breathe. I'm still recovering.

3. Christmas went pretty well for the most part -- daughters one and two were happy with everything Santa brought them.

4. Spoke with son-one-and-only a few times, but this time of year is hard -- really hard -- to be separated from him. I've been trying to come up with ways to bring him back here for good (or take us back there for good -- either one would work at this point).

5. Tomorrow is the last day of the year. I'm looking forward to 2009. This year was fine, but next year . . . ah, the possibilities!

I was tagged and didn't even know it! (Maybe I should make that random thing number one -- I'm always the last to know . . . everything/anything.)

Okay, my version of the rules: Post 16 random things about yourself (goals, quirks, habits, etc.), then tag 16 people and say why you've tagged them.

So here goes:

1. I'm married to a chiropractor, though before meeting him, I wasn't even quite sure what a chiropractor did.
2. When I get writer's block or I'm between projects, I make beaded jewelry. Let's just say that just about every woman I know is getting a necklace-bracelet-earrings combination for Christmas this year.
3. I lived in the Detroit Metro area for the first 37 years of my life, though even then, I managed to move at least 20 times.
4. Since leaving the Detroit Metro area, I've made 3 international moves that included having all our stuff moved over large bodies of water.
5. Despite having lived in the Netherlands for a total of 5+ years, I still can't speak Dutch (at least not good Dutch).
6. My older daughter had a lead role in her school play, and the parents who knew she was American were amazed that she speaks such wonderful Dutch (and with a Brabant's accent, too!). The parents who didn't know she was American, still don't (because she speaks such wonderful Dutch).
7. I went to see the play and didn't understand a word that was said, but I still managed to applaud at the right times and believe my daughter was absolutely brilliant!
8. My youngest daughter is Irish (has the birth certificate and passport to prove it, too).
9. My son, my oldest child, saved my life. What a great kid!
10. Wow. Am I only on 10? Hmm. It took me 10 years to get my BA, because I only went to school part time while working full time (at one point, I had 3 jobs!).
11. If ever given the chance, I'd love to go back for my MFA (preferably at either Hamline University or Vermont College).
12. I could live on Diet Pepsi and chocolate (my husband thinks that all I eat, anyway).
13. Pomegranates (granate apples here) are my favorite fruit. (See Mark, I do eat something other than chocolate . . . occassionally.)
14. What I miss most about living in the US: Labatts beer and a good steak (not much left but chocolate, right?)
15. What I love most about living abroad: the chance to stay at home with my kids and to write while they're in school.
16. Yay! I've made it to 16! Okay. Right then. Most memorable phrase I've read in a Dutch (picture)book: Je mag niet op the grond plassen. (You may not pee on the ground -- yup, that's a useful thing to remember now, isn't it?)

Now, as for tagging people, I'm not sure I can! As mentioned above, I'm always last to the party, and everyone else has already listed their 16 things.

If you're reading this, and no one has tagged you (or you've been procrastinating posting your 16), consider yourself tagged and get moving!

you are mediumslateblue #7B68EE

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy. Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

I rewrote more than half of Summoning (from third person to first), added a new character, deepened two other character relationships . . .

and managed to add just under 6000 words! Whooo Hooo!

It feels good. Really good. Now it's out with a couple of wonderful people for some feedback . . . tear it apart!

In other news, son-one-and-only (as you know) lives in the states with my parents (yes, I HATE the situation). His birthday is coming up -- he'll be 13! A real, honest to goodness teenager! And boy, does it show. Here's my little bundle before:



And here's one he sent to me yesterday via his cell phone:



Can you tell I'm a little freaked out? At least the lip ring isn't "real."

Still, I love him!

You'll always be my baby! (He hates when I do that, you know)

Certainly not this face:

Is anyone else guilty of not being able to move forward, because you keep going back to "fix" the last page?

Or is it just me?

and there is much rejoicing!

That's all.

Today, daughter-number-two is at school. It's a "trial day." And it's just for the morning. Next week she starts for realsies.

It's so quiet. The only noise is my husband rumbling around the house saying silly things like "I don't like her being in school" and "It's too quiet around here now."

I think it's heaven. And next Wednesday, she starts going to school FULL TIME! (Well, 3-1/2 days a week, anyway.)

This is soooo good!

I took daughter-number-one to the bookstore the other day, and guess what we saw?



I loved that it was face out on the shelf and everything, though I had to admit that I expected to see the UK cover. Weird, huh?

Then this morning, again with daughter-number-one, we saw a double rainbow. It was amazing. Poor DNO was almost late for school, because we just stood them with our mouths open staring at the sky.

Too bad I didn't have my camera with me for that one.

It was a rough few weeks emotionally for me. Son-one-and-only went back to the states on the 9th, so the week before was weepy, because I didn't want to let him go. The week after was even more weepy, and absolutely nothing was accomplished (just ask my husband and my poor girls). It was all I could do to feed them everyday.

Son-one-and-only is back in school, though, with all the drama that accompanies a 12-year-old's life. Bascially, he's happy. He loves living in the states with my parents and attending school in English.

And this week, I'm functioning. There were even a few smiles here and there. To save my own sanity and try to focus on the good, I've decided to do a Thankful Thursday post.

So, here goes:

1. I'm thankful for my children. Son-one-and-only is happy and healthy. Daughters One and Two are here, and they're trying very hard to show me a bit extra affection. They're so good.

2. I'm thankful for the opportunity to stay at home with the girls. When Son-one-and-only was little, I had to work full time. That was stressful, and I always wondered if he felt neglected (but obviously, it also gave him a sense of individuality and independence).

3. I'm thankful for having a wip in the works that helps to take my mind off things. Having to focus on someone else (even if my MC is totally fictitious) helps.

4. I'm thankful for my cat. I love that little furball.

What do you focus on to help get you through the hard times?

I was reading one of my ljer's blogs, http://edawn.livejournal.com/ Her question seemed to be what makes a great writer and/or great writing. After writing my comment to her post, I thought maybe I'd share it with all of you here, too. So, here are my thoughts on the subject:

Wow, now that's a loaded question!

Do you want a definition of "Great Literature" or the definition of a "Great Writer" or of a "Writer of Great Literature"? The problem is, those are all very different answers. I studied literature in college (as well as creative writing), and literature seemed to be mainly the stuffy, navel-gazing, self-aware and self-conscious writing that drew attention to itself and its own "awesomeness."

Okay. If that's what you like.

Many of the professors looked down their noses at "popular" and/or "commerical" writing. Who cared about a fast-paced plot with a lot of action when you can read about the intricacies of the emotional and psychological workings of an interesting mind.

Um. Yeah, right.

To me, great writing is writing that draws in the intended audience -- great literature, great romance, great cozy-mystery. It's in the characters and the plot and the subtlties of making a story intersting and "fun." This is, of course, subjective. If someone likes high-action adventure, reading Moby Dick would be pure torture. On the other hand, reading Hamlet will inspire some, but put others to sleep (or confuse yet someone else who can't get into the rhythm of the writing and words).

A great writer is one who cares about the craft of his/her work. You can tell a really-good writer from a less-good writer just by reading their work. Does the prose flow? Is the dialogue stilted and forced? Do the characters act in a consistent manner, or do certain actions seem to come out of nowhere? Do the plot elements make sense? Is there random information thrown out at the end to make all the facts make sense at the end? Are there subtle clues that, upon reflection, lead up to the only possible ending that still manages to catch you off guard and surprise you?

Great writers are passionate, not only about their stories, but about how they tell those stories.

Great writing is able to pull in its audience (whether that is a 5-year-old child or a graduate student in university) and let that person escape to another reality.

Your ability to be a great writer depends on your willingness to practice, to learn, to stretch yourself and to keep writing.

I couldn't resist stealing this from literaticat (because 1, I like talking about myself and 2, I'm *desperate* for blog content . . . )

Three About Me
Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. Proofreader (I had to read and reread Owners Manuals and Service Manuals for Ford and GM cars. *zzzzzzzzz*)
2. Copy writer (that is, one who wrote copy) for Kmart (absolutely the WORST possible job on the planet to have)
3. Report writer for a private investigating firm (my all-time favorite job!)

Three places I have lived:
1. Detroit, Michigan, US of A (my *hometown* -- Go Redwings!)
2. Emmer-Compascuum, Kampen and Etten-Leur -- all in the Netherlands
3. Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland (absolute favorite)

Three TV Shows that I watch:
1. Project Runway
2. The Monarchy (a British show about -- you guessed it -- the British Monarchy from its early beginnings to Queen Victoria)
3. Hmm. This is getting hard. I don't really watch much TV, though I do listen to quite a bit of it in the background. Background noise would include Dora the Explorer (in Dutch), Scooby Doo (in English), Maan Man Jim (that's the Dutch version; sometimes we can catch the BBC version called Lunar Jim)

Three places I have been:
1. The Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
2. Bologna, Italy
3. Palace Het Loo (the Netherlands)

Three people that e-mail me regularly:
1. Sarah Johnson (I think I owe you an email . . .)
2. Marilyn Mootsie
3. some Nigerian guy with lots of money . . .

Three of my favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
3. is Diet Pepsi a food?

Three friends I think will respond:
1. Sarah
2. Liz Jones
3. Anyone?

Things I am looking forward to:
1. My youngest starting school (in 2 more months!)
2. Some time to myself!
3. THE call

Nancy Viau's book can be found out in the real world now, so . . .

Look for Nancy Viau's book for 8-12 year-olds: Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, on sale now!
To celebrate, she's giving away almost-diamond earrings (rocks), a copy of her book, and more.
Visit Nancy's blog to learn about the giveaway: http://nancy-v.livejournal.com/
Visit Nancy's MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/nancyviau to learn about the book.

Please look her up (and hey, while you're there, tell her to add my name into her little bag of names a couple more times), because I really, really want to win a copy of her book (hubby has temporarily put a hold on my book-buying habit!).

No, I haven't become a psycho overnight. Author Tommy Donbavond has created a new game to help promote the upcoming release of the first four books in his series, Scream Street.

http://www.pictogame.com/game.php?game=tFCTEd7fXjef

You have to give it a try (though I warn you, you will spend more time on this site than you probably should . . .).

My high score is 110. Can you beat me?

Daughter number 2 is 3-1/2 years old. She loves it when I make up stories to tell her. The part that she seems to love best is retelling me the same story as soon as I've finished (with a few changes, of course, so she can call it HER story).

Well, you can imagine that by child number 3, all my "made up on the spur of the moment" stories are getting pretty formulaic. At the same time, though, I've had to stretch for some new characters.

Yesterday I started a story about a worm. Daughter number 2 didn't like the idea of the worm until . . . I added a princess. The worm had to save the princess (as all good heroes do, you know). I was relieved to get to the end of the worm story and looked forward to forgetting it completely. Except this morning, my sweet 3-1/2 year old didn't just ask for a story, but for the Princess and the Worm story.

YIKES! I had to recreate yesterdays *awful* story, then hear it again in a slightly revised version.

It will be good to get back to my *real* WIP (with a much more interesting plot, let me add).

I'm still loving my wip. It's up over 11,600 words! Of course, it's first-draft stuff, of course, but it's something. And it's there.

In other news, we leave for Spain on Tuesday. We come home a week from Thursday (so I guess that makes a total of 9 days . . .). It should be fun -- we're staying with friends near Barcelona. Their kids are about the same ages as our two older kids. Definitely a plus.

And because I need to leave you with a smile, here's my recipe for Vegetarian Chili as included in my cousin's family recipes book that my mother compiled for a wedding shower gift (sorry, I don't know how to put things behind a cut, so feel free to scroll past if you so wish):


Vegetarian Chili – Debi Style

In a mere 2 days (with a few easy-to-follow steps), you too can enjoy this savory and healthy dish.

(Prerequisite: Live in a country rich with foodstuffs you don’t recognize and where you haven’t managed to learn the language.)

Day ONE

Step 1: Decide to do something daring . . . unprecedented . . . monumental . . .

Cook from Scratch!

Step 2: Find something else to do. It doesn’t matter what – laundry, dusting, mopping (maybe not mopping).

Step 3: *sigh* Resign yourself to creating a healthy meal for your family . . . from . . . Scratch.

Tomorrow.

Today you need to go shopping.

Step 4: Shopping. Since you don’t recognize much of what you see in the vegetable section (or the meat section for that matter, but this is vegetarian chili – Focus here!), just grab everything you DO recognize. You may consider green beans; red, yellow and green peppers; broccoli and cauliflower; courgettes (aka zucchini to American folks); green, white and red onions; snow peas and sugar snaps (sure, why not – they sound nice).

Look for beans. They won’t be in the veggie section, so you must wander up and down the aisles. Look at the pictures on the packaging (since you don’t read the local language any better than you speak it).

Find boxes of beans. *yippee* Given that there are 3 different types, study the pictures carefully. Decide to buy one box of each. Variety is good.

Now you need tomato paste. Get the big can.

(Helpful hint: While you’re out, buy several large, plastic food-storage-type devices. Trust me on this one.)

Step 5: Remember hearing somewhere that boxed beans must be soaked overnight. (Smile at your extreme cleverness. A bunch of dried-up, hard beans won’t be messing up your chili.)

Dump the beans into a large pot and cover with water. Put a lid on the pot.

Pat yourself on the back and go watch reruns of 10-year-old American TV sitcoms.

Day TWO

Step 6: Take the lid off the large pot. Get up off the floor (you fainted when you realized that beans swell. A lot. Really . . . I’m not kidding. Get up off the floor now.).

Step 7: Remember those plastic food-storage-type containers? This is where they come into play. Empty out half of the now soaked and swollen beans into these storage containers and put them in the freezer.

Step 8: Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot (now only half-) full of beans.

Step 9: Open large can of tomato paste and realize it’s not paste at all, but whole peeled tomatoes. Hmm. Throw them in anyway. (What else are you going to do with whole peeled tomatoes?)

Step 10: Put the pot on the smallest burner on the lowest heat setting.

Step 11: Stir.

Step 12: Stir.

Step 13: Stir.

Step 14: (You get the idea, right?)

Step 28: Wonder about that burning smell. Hmm. Realize that those peeled tomatoes aren’t doing their liquefying job.

Step 29: Ransack the cupboards for a tomato-paste substitute. Voila! Spaghetti sauce in a jar!

Step 30: Add jar of spaghetti sauce – what’s a bit of seasoning?

SEASONING! *smack forehead with palm of hand*

Step 31: Rummage through seasonings looking for something appropriate to add to chili.

Step 32: Some seasonings to consider: chili powder (no brainer), garlic powder, onion powder. Some to (possibly) avoid: lemon pepper, fish seasoning, mint. Use your best judgment. Season to taste.

Step 33: Stir.

Step 34: Stir.

Step 35: Stir.

Step 36: (You get the idea, right?)

Step 37: Despair that the consistency is too soupy. (Too much spaghetti sauce, perhaps?)

Step 38: Rack brain. Yes! Potatoes!

Step 39: Wash, chop and add small cubes of potatoes to large pot of chili.

Step 40: Stir (carefully – the pot is pretty full at this point).

Step 41: Stir (carefully – the pot is still pretty full at this point).

Step 42: Stir (carefully – the pot is still pretty full at this point).

Step 43: (You get the idea, right?)

Step 67: Wonder about burning smell. Realize the bottom is beginning to burn . . . again.

Step 68: Despair at the lack of liquid.

Step 69: Decide to ignore smell.

Step 70: Remember smell. Stir. Decide to ignore smell.

Step 71: Remember smell. Stir. Decide to ignore smell.

Step 72: Remember smell. Stir. Decide to ignore smell.

Step 73: (You get the idea, right?)

(Helpful hint: Continue this pattern for several hours. Remember to take the occasional sniff to enjoy the aroma. Yumm! NOTE: Smell anything “charred”? Ignore it, but stop stirring from the bottom.)

Step 383: Dinner time!

Almost . . .

Step 384: Realize that you have enough vegetarian chili to feed a gathering of 37 people. Acknowledge that you have a family of 5 (and that 3 of those 5 are stomping their feet demanding NOT to be fed that concoction bubbling away on the stove).

Step 385: Dig through the cupboards. Find a can (yes, a CAN) of hotdogs. Place the stove-top grill over the one remaining burner that works (yes, there are 4 burners, but well, you can’t expect everything now, can you?). Make sure to turn the hot dogs often.

Step 386: Scoop delicious vegetarian chili into 2 bowls (one for yourself and one for the 1 family member trying to remain on your good side). Top with grated cheese and serve with crackers.

Step 387: Wonder where that new burning smell is coming . . . and why is the fire alarm . . . ?

Step 388: Whack the fire alarm with a broomstick until it stops blaring.

Step 389: Scrape hotdogs off the grill. Serve on buns with generous quantities of ketchup (handy for disguising the black bits).

Step 390: Congratulations! Your vegetarian chili is a huge success!

(Epilogue: Once the large pot and its contents have cooled, separate the remaining chili into meal-sized portions in the remaining plastic food-storage-type containers. Since the freezer is full of beans, you may consider pawning off -- *ahem* sharing – as much of your gourmet masterpiece as possible with family, friends, neighbors and random people wandering the streets.)

for not blogging lately. Really, I do!

I've started a new WIP! Because my other WIP was "stuck," I've shelved it for the time being. I still love the idea and the characters . . . the plot will come together. Just not right now.

Right now, I have a brand new idea. It's for a younger audience that that other one, and it's much lighter. In fact, the concept is funny and fresh (for me). It has a boy MC (completely unlike anything else I've ever written). I like it!

Usually I outline and plan and make charts and time-lines. This time I've written out a few notes about an overall premise, and I'm winging it. A bit scary, but fun.

I've written almost 6000 words, too -- in under a week! (Okay, so some of you may not be impressed with that number, but for me, that's a lot!)

So, forgive me for not blogging? I'll keep you updated on progress.

Today is a bit overcast and muggy, but at least the temperature has dropped a bit. It's comfortable outside (inside is a totally different story . . .).

The hotel across the street* -- The Witte Paard (the White Horse)-- has a wonderfully old main building with a bit of a modern monstrosity added onto the side and back. There is a nice cafe-type area outside, though, and when the weather is nice, it's quite the popular hangout.



Next to the Witte Paard is this street lined with apartments for Senior Citizens on one side and a large park on the other (of course, you can't see the park, because it's behind the Witte Paard). That tower rising up beyond the apartments is my favorite local Catholic church.



One of the things I forgot to mention yesterday is that we hear church bells. I love them! There are the bells from this church, from the church at the end of the street (see the market photos), from the old city hall and from another church that is about 1/2 mile away. They chime every half hour (and sometimes in between for various reasons) and play different songs on the hour, every hour from 7 am to 10 pm. After that, it's just a single chime for the hours and half hours.

Tomorrow is the last day of school. The plan is to pick up the girls from their respective schools and head off for the caravan for the weekend (at least). I'll update with more camping** photos next week.

*In case I need to remind anyone, this street was covered with carnival rides and obnoxious games just yesterday. They clear out really fast! Yay!

**I still laugh trying to call staying in a trailer in the middle of a trailer park "camping." Hee hee!