Writing On Location

This is the way to write.

My view at BYU, getting geared up to judge for the Scholastic writing competition a couple weeks ago.

Sacrament of Tears

(Written for my friend B, who is going through a divorce right now.)

In the yard,
The record spins;
Scratched,
Repeating a verse
That bluntly beats
The temples
Bloody.
Chanting to the tune,
Back hunched,
Shuffling shoes
In a melancholy march.

The cuffs exchanged
With love and naivety.
An ever-lasting bond
Now makes heavy hearts
And hands.

Under the heat
Of the sun
And stagnant
Silence
Is a tin cup

Poured
Empty
Through the lips of the sufferer.
No water left
To sustain two.
Succored only
by the salty sweat
Of drudgery,
And the sacrament
Of tears;
Black scars
Moisten a pale face,
The last well
In danger of drought.

Shackles loosened,
A naked finger
Reviles the dissonance
Of a static life.
A naked finger
Fortified
With freedom.

You can hang out here even though it's not the Shire.

After reviewing my "keyword analysis" on Statcounter, I realized that most of you e-peeps stopped by because you thought you were going to see something out of a Tolkien novel. I hope you're not disappointed. I'm not short or hairy. I do like rings. But not for ruling.

Here are the keywords that may have lead you to my blog:

 

fires of mordor
ice wall everest
lego zombie
alligator skin charms
cover eat pray love
funny mordor
good newspaper column names
mordor funny
mordor twitter cover
names for columns in newspapers
payless shoes zapatos
prose from eat pray love
things i love about my friend
welcome to mordor
zapatos annalisa
"never get sedation"
12 days christmas funny thank you notes
911 prose
a baby is like a tattoo on your face
a name for  column in a newspaper
appositives made fun
austin powers pointing
Buffy Birthday memes
child underpants
column names, newspapers
cry baby pictures gallery
duck on a bike duck past dog
tattoo on your face
emo kids
funny description mordor
going to mordor
good names for advice columns
greaser clothing
greaser look
haiku poems about zombies
johnny 5 robot mohawk
megara in disney world
michael myers face scary
mordor face
mordor game
my kid is cooler than yours
roland merullo ???
lunch with buddha
Sandy leather trousers
short circuit 2 mini robots
special 30 birthday cakes
spective sleep
This is Mordor
twelve days of christmas dirty thank you notes ???
world's worst injury ever
zombi lego
zombie minifig

		I totally get most of these. My faves are the zombie legos and Johnny 5. You guys know just how to find me.

Reflecting on 2012: Try, Try Again

When reflecting on 2012, I find it helps to ask certain questions. 

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
I ran a 10K. It was amazing! I've never been able to run that far before, so I was thrilled that I could do it.

Wasatch Wellness 10K

We also went to the Color Festival.

Cute little guy.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wanted to run a 10K, and I did. I also wanted to finish my weight loss memoir, and I didn't, but I have more than 50K because of NaNoWriMo, so I'm going to counting that as a win. 


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes. My sister had a 3rd child. A boy named Hamish. (Sounds like a book title.)


4. Did anyone close to you die?
My sister-in-law suffered from a death in the family. 

5. What countries did you visit?

None. But I went to Disney World twice and I hiked to Calf Creek Falls in southern Utah.

Disney World in January. My friend Lisa flew me out.

Disney World, Oct. 2012

Calf Creek Falls

Hiking near Grand Escalante

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
More financial security. (This was my answer last year too.)

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
My trip to Orlando in January. It was a unbelievable reunion between old friends.
And the first couple of weeks in July. It was significant deadline that was met. If it hadn't been met, I would be living an entirely different life.
As a man.
Just kidding. It just sounded like something terribly dramatic should punctuate that sentiment. Truthfully, it wouldn't have been as life-changing as a sex-change, but there would be remarkable changes if that deadline wasn't met.

Also, Layne's baptism on Dec. 1st. It a day after the 15th anniversary of Cole's baptism.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Running the 10K and teaching the creative writing camp at BYU.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I entered 3 writing contests and didn't win any.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I suffered a bout of depression off-and-on during January and February.


11. What was the best thing you bought?
My school provided me with an iPad, which I love! But I didn't really buy it. I really like these shoes though.

Great summer wedges

Lots of height on these babies

And I finally got my ring resized. Thank you, zman.

 

12. Where did most of your money go?
Food, mortgage, bills...

Some went to shoes.

13. What did you get really excited about?
Going to Orlando and Disney World in Jan. and Oct. And I got to go snowboarding on the last day of the year!

Sundance. Dec. 31, 2012

14. What song will always remind you of 2012?
"Somebody I Used to Know" by Gotye. I liked it at first, but it wore itself out.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? happier
– thinner or fatter? fatter (by 5-8 lbs.)
– richer or poorer? poorer (Cole started grad school = More school loans)

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Relaxing during the summer. I also had the opportunity to learn how to scuba dive, and I wish I'd had enough money to follow through with that.


17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying about things I can't control.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
At home, then at my mom's.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
Doctor Who. Number 10, specifically.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas


21. What was your favorite music from this year?
P!nk's "Try". The video is an interpretive dance of the lyrics, which is about the fire and struggles in relationships.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?
  Avengers (thank you, Joss) and The Dark Knight Rises kicked it this year.  

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I'm 31. Cole took me to a fire-breather and thrower show in SLC, then out to dinner at Macaroni Grill.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had won one of the writing contests I entered.    

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Dresses. Comfy cotton or knits.

26. What kept you sane?
My dog Spike, my kids, chiropractic visits and massages, writing, caffeine, exercise, therapy, and prayer. Not necessarily in that order.

 I highly encourage you to reflect on the past year. It's a great way to inventory the blessings and challenges in your life.

Happy New Year! And here's my athletic goals for 2013.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. 
 I learned to let go of the things I can't control. Well, it's a work in progress. I've realized that I can control me, but nothing else in the universe. Accepting that helps let the other stuff go, creating a more peaceful and less-stressed me.

Also, if you want to be something, stop making excuses and do it.