Slovak cover of Graceling ------------>So, one of my favorite tasks this time of year is The Changing of the Daily Planner (henceforth, ∆DP). ∆DP involves putting last year's and this year's planners side by side; going through last year's; and writing into this year's, in ink of significant colors, the things that happen every year (birthdays, bill-paying days, tax-paying days, etc.). It also involves writing into this year's planner all the plans for 2010 that I've already made.
I LOVE THIS TASK. This is partly because my daily planner is the Women Artists Datebook, which contains quotes at the bottom of every page, artwork every few pages, and poems here and there. While moving from the old planner to the new one, I get to review last year's favorite quotes and poems and peek ahead to this year's.
Today I'm going to share some of the joy of ∆DP 2010. :o)
A few favorite quotes from the old year:
... the job of the artist is not to resolve or beautify, but to hold complexities, to see and make clear. - Toi Derricotte
The facts are always less than what really happened. - Nadine Gordimer
Our parents had us so convinced we were precious that by the time I found out I was nothing, it was already too late -- I knew I was something. - Florynce Kennedy
I have great believe in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift. - Septima Clark
A favorite poem from the new year:
The RaptureFeel free to share a quote, a poem, or a New Year's routine in the comments ^_^.
is what occurs to me, watching you
lead them towards the gondola,
the prospect of a few thin cables
dangling you like a box of kittens,
our children looking down,
a thousand feet above reliable earth,
laughing, noses mauling the icy glass,
little breath clouds that blur the view.
And when at last you are lifted
into the mountain's buried side
to where my eyes can no longer touch you,
I will sample the small dark thought
of never seeing you again,
in which case I beg to be taken -- extracted,
suddenly, preternaturally zapped away,
as if I were never here, and loved that much.
-Michelle Bitting
17 comments:
I just wanted to share this quote:
God painted a rainbow in the sky to mark a new beginning, so we should always remember to paint a smile on our faces to start a new day.
I don't know where I got it, I just suddenly remembered it after reading your post... :).... hope you're doing well with your book :D
Beautiful poem, thank you for sharing it. I think I will post it in my office -- today is my son Will's third birthday, and it's a good celebration of loving him.
Here are three of my favorite quotes:
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Almost Famous
An artist at his or her best is a life force put on earth so the rest of us can see the articulation of our own complexity and humanity. (I read this in the SF Chronicle)
"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." -- Henry David Thoreau
One of my favourite poem's.
A Little Step Away
To close the eye, to fall asleep,
to draw a labored breath,
to find release from daily cares
in what we know as death . . .
Is this the crowning of life,
the aim or end thereof?
The totaled sum of consciousness,
the ripened fruit of love?
It cannot be, for works of God
are wrought for nobler ends,
and those away continue on
in the hearts of kin and friends.
It cannot be, for they live on
a little step away, the soul,
the everlasting life,
has found a better day . . .
-O.J. Hanson
I found this several years ago in my grandmother's funeral card, (I was three when she died, so I don't remember her), so I imagine part of the reason I love this so much is because it's kind of a connection to my grandmother for me. I also think it's very beautiful
Favourite quotes:
"An eye for an eye will render the world blind" -Mahatma Ghandi
"Reach for the moon; even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" -(I don't remember who said this, but I have it on a bookmark somewhere)
Those quotes are lovely.. here are some of my favourites, unfortunately they're off the top of my head, so I can't remember who said them:
'Don't be afraid, not because the bad things won't happen, but because they'll happen anyway' (read this in a Guardian article, it was sait by a retired boxer)
and
'A great writer is not what he shouts, but what he whispers..'
and last but not least, 'Some book should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly' (Cornelia Funke)
Happy new year!
I resolve to finish draft one of my book! I'm 2/3 through, thanks to NaNoWriMo. It's pretty lousy, but if I ever want to make it better I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." -FDR
I do the same thing. The tradition actually goes as follows:
On Christmas my mother gives each of us a new calendar. That night as I put away all my new belongings, I take down my old calendar and go from month to month, writing down anniversaries, birthdays, notable dates that I'll want to remember.
It is my favorite New Years thing to do.
So many ideas to get the new year started and inspirations to keep me smiling about life and how to live it and what to write about it. Today, I found so many things to make me smile and so I started thinking:
It started as a giggle,
but as a few more words did wiggle,
their way into my brain,
of which we still are not quite sure is sane,
a smile i could not contain,
has laughter a repeated refrain,
at hearing an endless pool of wit,
i’ll admit sometimes i don’t always git,
right away…but then the dawning occurs,
and the chuckles and laughter can surely be heard,
as my friend throws more words my way,
to brighten and inspire my each and every day,
lovely words with all kinds of emotion,
to get me moving forward with a forceful locomotion,
on this journey i am about to embark,
i’m thankful for the blogs that throw a spark,
of where and how and why and when,
and show me just exactly how it is i should begin!
:-)! thanks...
As I read Paige's post, A Little Step Away, I pictured my grandmother and I laughing over a poem we had found in her box of favorite sayings.(10 years ago)
I found what I thought was the poem. It's actually a scrap of paper with notes from a bible study my grandmother attended many years ago. It reads:
Story about Mary Ann fighting with her brother-Mother yanked her away and put her in a corner. "Mary Ann, why did you let the devil put it in your heart to pull your brother's hair and kick him in the shins?" "Well, maybe the devil told me to pull his hair but kicking him in the shins was my own idea!"
Silly and a bit different but Jan. always reminds me of her. Tomorrow's her b-day. It's good to begin a new year with so many thoughts/memories of love.
As well as a reader and a writer, i am also a dancer. I love this quote:
"if i could day what i mean there would be no point in dancing"
(And i can't for the life of me remember who that is from)
=)Feather xx
I have way too many favorite poems to post them here, but two of my(many,many, this is the girl who used to have a whole wall filled with them many) favorite quotes are
Aerodynamically, the bumblebee is incapable of flying, but the bumblebee doesn't know that, so it goes on flying anyways.--Mary Kay Ash
If you feel like your under control, you're just not going fast enough.--Mario Andretti
And I am adding the facts quote to that list!
P.S.--To Paige, I am pretty sure the 'stars' quote is from Kermit the Frog, but I might be wrong! I've seen it a million different places!
I have two quotes maybe three
"Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future."
i don't know where i got that one.
this one is from my grandpa
"Losing hair is not a sign of growing old it is a sign of swelling brain power."
this one is mine "Memories linger in long forgotten places."
My favourite New Year ritual used to be exactly the same until I bought an iTouch (now known as The Precious).
Fav quote: “I’m too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything.” T.H. Huxley (1886)
Fav poem: A Coat by W.B. Yeats.
I made my song a coat
Covered with embroideries
Out of old mythologies
From heel to throat;
But the fools caught it,
Wore it in the world’s eyes
As though they’d wrought it.
Song, let them take it
For there’s more enterprise
In walking naked.
Kristin,
My favorite poem of all time by W.A. Clennan:
The contest lasts for moments
Though the trainings taken years
It wasn't the winning alone that
Was worth the work and the tears
The applause will be forgotten
The prize will be misplaced
But the long hard hours of practice
Will never be a waste
For trying to win
You build a skill
You learn that winning
Depends on will
You never grow by how much you win
You only grow by how much you put in
So any new challenge
You've just begun
Put forth your best
And you've already won.
This poem inspires me and brings tears to my eyes. God knows I've had my fare share of competitions and I am very competitive. This poem makes me slow down and remember NOT to get angry when I lose by one point. I thought you should read it.
Sincerely,
Abby
my favorite quote of all time is from John Knowles sublime book A Stolen Past: "Life is fighting. In life it's the look ahead that counts. We are all born equally far from the sun-there is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love." love it love it love it
dana in chicago
I happen to have quite a few quotes scribbled on random papers strewn about my room, ranging from serious to satirical to completely ridiculous. Here are a few favorites:
"Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." -Sherlock Holmes
This quote is applicable to nearly every area of life, including, surprisingly enough, math class.
"Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane." -Philip K. Dick
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the fine line between sanity and madness gotten finer?" -George Price
"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch." -Orson Welles
This quote completely describes me.
Hope your book's going well!
So anyways, I was looking at the different covers from your books and I was wondering, why is it that the covers for the books sold in the UK, Australia, and other countries on the eastern hemisphere, cooler looking than the same books sold in the US and Canada? I mean, sure they contain the same stuff, but who doesn't like a prettier book cover? Anyone have the answer?
I dont have an answer to that-I find beauty in the words and the story... for me the cover becomes prettier as the beauty in the story is discovered. For me, its always been about content, not cover...
j
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