shamash says...

Taylor Mali: the importance of conviction

Rome: Prosecco, Espresso, Caffe Greco

We are not Caesar, and we avoided the Forum, so I can say with confidence that The Ides of March was by far our best day in Rome. After days of clouds and rain, the sun and the moon both showed their faces. We couldn’t seem to tear ourselves away from the Piazza de España and by dusk, we were still there, drinking prosecco at a café under moon clouds.

“How do we rearrange our lives to live in this magnificent city?” we ask ourselves. There’s something about Rome at night, especially under a waxing moon, that causes me to think that reinventing my life and steering it against all the plans that drive me forward is the most natural thing in the world to do. Here, in this city of fallen empires and lovers on Vespas, going against the current of one’s well-planned life seems possible, even wise. The words of Keats, once an expatriate in Rome,

Steel and Air and a Mottled Presence

 

"It is so much like a beach after all
Where you stand and think of going no further."

Reflections on a poem bolted to a steel bridge: a photo journey.

5 Blogs That Make Me Think

  Terry of I See Invisible People bequeathed upon me a Thinking Blogger Award. Thanks, Terry!

Besides Terry, (whose blog I read daily) here are five more awards of my own given out to those people whose provocative insights have deeply affected my perspective and challenged my thinking. They’re worth a read, and truly deserve a Thinking Blog Award.

Forgetfulness: Amazing Animated Poetry

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Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate and one of America's best-selling poets, reads his poem "Forgetfulness" with animation by Julian Grey of Headgear. It's worth a view!

In Praise of the Bad Metaphor

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners.

Which one is YOUR favorite?

image via TechToons

One Word: Don't Think, Just Write

This site

Is really cool.

You have 60 seconds to write about ONE WORD

Don’t think,  just write.

Via moon river

Talk Doesn't Cook Rice

The real writer is one
who really writes…

Work is its own cure...

You have to
like it better than being loved.

- Marge Piercy

Shamash did a lot of talking this weekend when she summoned up the energy to break out of hermit-mode and re-introduce herself back into the tepid waters of Y. social life.

But, she quickly learned that “talk doesn’t cook rice”.

Tag, You're It!

You've just been memed. I found this over at Dana's place:

1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same.

Mine comes from a posting entitled

"Reverse Culture Shock: Surreal Moments in the U.S."- January 2005

"In December, at a stoplight, with the EiffelTower in the distance, I stand behind a shirtless Native-American (click to enlarge photo.)"

Ah, the memories.

I tag Darth Vader,  kristy, terry, Tish G., and Michiel.

"The Hemingway Challenge"

I give you the

Hemingway Challenge.

Write a story in six words.

Here’s mine.