Finding some keepers to hold on to

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 09 October 2012 14:23

“If I’d been someone else in a different world I’d've done something different, but I was myself and the world was the world, so I was silent.” —Jonathan Safran Foer

I don’t put a lot of weight in my horoscope. Unless I really like it. At that point, I consider it a direct message transported just for me by way of a newspaper. Being a part of the newspaper industry, it is not my place to question, but only to respect the medium. When I really like it.

This also means I like words. Visual words like spiral. Rich words like illuminate. Flowery words like cerebellum. (What that part of the brain controls isn’t important here, it]s just a really cool word.) And mystical words like serendipitous.

Irony is a good word, too...

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Ready to be independent volunteer

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 25 September 2012 14:05

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.” —Unknown

Independence is a word I have come to respect. Independence, from the root word independent, antonym of dependent, synonym of self-determining. It exists in different degrees and I find it sometimes blossoms after uttering the phrase, “What the hell....”

In the publishing world, independence can come from self-publishing. The power stays with the book writer. So does the cost and marketing, but in the name of dedication to art, those details are worth it to get the project made. There are shelves full of amazing self-published stories.

In the movie world, Independent or “Indy” probably means low(er) budget...

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Pretty pictures: the ties that bind us

Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 11 September 2012 15:48

“I went to Target but couldn’t find anything I wanted, said no one ever.” —Pinterest

Pinterest.com is the stuff dreams are made of. Browsing its pages is a little like combing the aisles of Pier 1, except instead of not shelling out the money for the things I see and love, I don’t shell out the time to complete the projects that I see and love.

The implied simplicity of the majority of the do-it-yourself ideas is as distorted as an image in a side mirror—objects may appear easier and cheaper than they actually are.

The pages of that website are something like Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, filled with magical wonder. My entire dream home is in there and it’s becoming an eclectic monster.

I have completed a grand...

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The ones who teach tolerance best

Written by Shelley Plett Tuesday, 21 August 2012 13:16

“Why would God do that? Make someone look like (that), so that everyone makes fun of him?...Maybe because God didn’t see anything wrong with him in the first place.” —“That’s What I Am”

A ginger-haired eighth-grade boy with ears too big for his head stood a foot taller than his classmates. Most kids avoided him. A few hung out in the “designated geek” area with him. A few others teased him. One tormented him.

One befriended him. His friend spent most of his time explaining the logistics of living the life they were meant for: steering clear of as many people as possible and making it their life’s work to be invisible, with the exception of extreme situations. If attacked, attack back, faster and harder.

It was this...

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