Here in The Paper Garden I like to wear the cloak of “writer” with a modicum of pride. Someday sooner rather than later, I’d like to add the hat of a published “author” and strut around for an instant before my work dissipates into likely obscurity.

The pinnacle of success for an author is the Pulitzer Prize, the Oscar of literature. Last week the Pulitzer Prize winners for 2012 were announced, and for the first time since 1977 there was no Pulitzer prize awarded for fiction.
 

A real blog post is forthcoming, but meanwhile, here's a little literary humor to lighten the mood of this dark Monday. 

It is deeply disheartening to learn of the explosions in Boston, and my heart goes out to anyone directly impacted by this act of violence. 

March Madness in re college hoops be damned!! Here’s some April madness  for the reading/writing geek brought to us by Powell’s—the top goddess of all bookstores and the place I often dream of being locked in after hours. Powell’s is sponsoring the bracket of all bracketing with their April (the cruelest month) Poetry Madness. The categories are as follows: Living Poets, Dead Poets, Poets in Translation and Pacific Northwest Poets (what can one say, Portland and Powell’s are nearly synonymous).  The method  for their bracketing choices is explained here in an appropriately tongue-in-cheek manner.

I began my morning by seeking some specific information on the net which led to reading a riveting short story by a total stranger (and then wandering here and there learning about journals and submissions), perusing an article about how much Vitamin D is really in natural supplements and then cross-checking specific supplements in my cupboard, watching a friend’s dog performing in a YouTube obedience video (and writing a supportive comment below said video)--and by 1:30PM I become acutely aware that  we are subject to ubiquitous information that floats by us like glittering objects pleading for our thirsty grasp.

The amount of information sent daily to my in-box or copiously linked as I browse the web is phenomenal--almost incomprehensible, and also unmanageable. I believe it was Sir Francis Bacon who noted that knowledge is power, and I’m constantly trying to address my meager power quotient by increasing my levels of knowledge on anything from molecular gastronomy to sedation dentistry to how many times a pulsar rotates per minute to cognitive behavior rehabilitation in pure positive training for dogs! 

I have a prose/Flash Fiction piece that was just published over at Drunk Monkeys! If you decide to read my short piece, take a look around the journal--it's got a hip vibe and features some striking work from a variety of talented authors.

There’s a common misconception that California exhibits no seasons. One may have to tune-in to subtleties—tasting the air and noting the day’s tinted lens with a keen eye--but California most surely has seasons.

Just over a week ago the saturated graphite sky sunk low and dumped hailstones that clattered so loudly my husband could barely hear me when I tried to tell him what was happening over the phone. They gathered like snow in drifty patches and lasted for several hours. That whole week had been dreary. We bundled like children when walking the dogs, and I sat watching TV with thick socks on and a blanket slung over me.

I hope we are all in agreement that sometimes a blog post should just be good fun! 

Ahhhh, the “smartphone,” not much bigger than my palm, but able to obliterate my confidence in a millisecond! For instance recently I decided it would be advantageous to have a voice recorder with which to record ideas. Like so many other folks, I seem to be highly inspired and creative right before sleep takes over—ideas buzzing around like hummingbirds across the dark sky of my closed eyes. Two nights ago I had a stimulating idea for an essay, and even “wrote” the first few paragraphs in my head. Over and over again I tried to burn the concept into my psyche for morning access--to no avail. The idea disintegrated in my sleep. I also get copious notions as the water hits my skin in the shower or bath, or immediately out of the shower—another occasion when a pen and paper won’t help.

Recently I took a spring sojourn to Palm Springs with my husband, my brother and his wife. It was an extraordinary week of uncharacteristically cool weather, snow-capped mountains surrounding the valley, delicious food and events from their annual modernism week. Touring houses such as Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms—as well as less successful interpretations of the style such as the pseudo “Regency-style” houses we saw within a planned community--had me considering the sometimes fine line between appealing or failed design.

Aesthetics is surely subjective, and we all have our style biases. Still, art and design experts have suggested “golden ratio” guidelines that can help our products--whether they are represented by a brochure, a website, a business card or our office space--appear more professional, pleasing, and successful.

I’m always interested to see how specific certain “want ads” are. Job descriptions often require proficiency with industry-particular software, very narrow spectrums of knowledge in very explicit areas, and familiarity with items that apply to details of a job’s tasks, rather than focusing on broader qualities and skill sets in an individual that nurture a long-term relationship with room for growth, innovation and a beneficial contribution to the organization. Organizations can get caught up in specific minutiae, forgetting that every business has a singular culture and needs that can be quickly learned.