Carolyn Boyles Freelance Writer and Photographer

A Busy Weekend Coming Up

2010-10-06T07:15:00.005-06:00

Good Morning,

I'm driving the Poet Laureate of Arkansas, Peggy Vining, to the Ozark Writers Conference this weekend in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I'm going to take my camera with me and take pictures this year. I didn't enter any of the contests because I didn't think I was going. Now I wish I had. It will be good to see some of my writing buddies I haven't seen lately.

It's going to be an exciting conference. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't been to OWC in about five years. I love Northern Arkansas.

I'm also looking forward to the Maumelle conference in November.

I'll talk to you after I get back.

Carolyn

Wanda (Faye Williams) Jones 1949-2010

2010-09-12T14:04:00.005-06:00

The Arkansas writing community and I'm sure the writing communities in many other states are saddened right now because of the loss of a talented writer and a good friend, Wanda (Faye Williams) Jones.

I met her as Faye Williams Jones at a meeting of the Fiction Writers of Central Arkansas and didn't realize until quite recently that she had a pen name. She and I discussed the use of pen names by writers and how a writer's personality changes when using a pen name instead of one's real name.

Wanda as Faye Williams Jones wrote poetry. She was a student of Peggy Vining, the Poet Laureate of Arkansas. Wanda published a book of poetry about chemotherapy and cancer called Erasing People.

She courageously fought breast cancer for 11 years, even after it metastasized to her liver and then to her brain. She never gave up and continued to take radiation and chemotherapy treatments to give herself as many minutes of as many days as possible. She was recovering well from the treatments for a brain tumor and expected to be able to go home from the nursing home when she unexpectedly went into end stage. We lost her September 8, 2010. Fortunately, she went peacefully and without pain.

The nursing home she was in was close to where I live and I visited her once a week except for the week where my 20-year-old cat required 24-hour care while dying from kidney failure. I would go and visit Wanda and when the staff would come to collect her for her physical and occupational therapy, she'd insist I go with her. We did our best to talk while she did her therapy. She even dragged me down to the cafeteria one day for ice cream.

When I learned she was back in the hospital, I went to see her Labor Day. I only stayed for five minutes because I didn't want to disturb her as she was resting and heavily sedated. I told her "good morning" and she waved back at me with the most mischievous wave of her fingers. Those who knew her would understand how she could manage to insert a hint of mischief into the act of waving. I knew from that simple act that she knew it was me and she was glad to see me.

I went back the next day because I had a feeling I needed to say the things I wanted to say. When I told Wanda "good morning," she again waved at me, signifying she knew I was there, but the personality to the wave was gone. I told Bob, her husband, the things I wanted to say to her and asked him to be sure and tell her and I am sure he did when the time was right. I'm so glad I went back Tuesday because she passed the following day.

I have a feeling Wanda will be looking down on all of us who knew her from Heaven and inspiring us to greatness. She was one of those rare people that having a lifetime with her was not enough. I cherish the time I had with her.

All Natural Ant Repellants

2010-06-26T20:53:00.003-06:00

I'll be the first to say it. I hate ants! I waste more time trying to keep ants out of my house.

Why don't I have an exterminator spray the exterior of my house? Because my husband is seriously sensitive to chemicals and I have cats I dearly love. I don't want to expose either to chemicals.

I read on one Internet site about using cinnamon to keep ants away. The little pests were coming into the den from the gap between the heating/air vent in the floor and the hole in which it fit. I tried the cinnamon. It worked for a couple of days, but the air blew much of it away and it lost its potency within about a week.

So I read further. I read about using vinegar. I got out my bottle of white vinegar (which is clear), which was older than the Big Bang. I tried it and no more ants. Still no more ants two weeks later. I'm excited.

I'll keep you posted

The Overton Window

2010-06-23T10:09:00.002-06:00

I have just started to read The Overton Window by Glenn Beck. I read many of the comments on www.Amazon.com before buying the book to get an idea of what people thought of it.

Some of the comments were written even before the book was released, so I didn't put any stock in them.

Some comments were ridiculing Beck's writing. One person was discussing a poem which appears in the book, saying it was childish and simplistic and an example of Beck's poor writing. It was obvious the commenter had not read the book in detail because the poem was not written by Beck, but rather by Rudyard Kipling.

I will say it is well written and has kept my attention thus far.

Carolyn

Another hot one in Central Arkansas today

Spring is Finally Here...I Think

2010-03-22T13:04:00.001-06:00

The trees in central Arkansas are in bloom. Everything is beautiful. But Northwest Arkansas got a foot of snow and Dallas got some as well.

Weird weather.

Carolyn

AT&T U-Verse in Central Arkansas--Don't Convert Your Phone Line

2009-09-04T17:30:00.004-06:00

Our Comcast reception had gotten so bad we were forced to look for other options. We had numerous service calls to our house with cable after cable replaced. During the last service call, the tech told us that one of the main lines needed to be replaced. Obviously, Comcast doesn't care enough about its customers to do so.

We assessed our various options and finally chose AT& T U-Verse. It was a no-brainer because we already had AT&T phone service and AT&T DSL service. We just had to wait until the fiber optic TV service was available.

After several days of service, we have found our Internet speed is much faster and we have many more choices of channels for the same money we were paying Comcast. However, we have learned one thing the hard way--don't convert your phone service from landline to fiber optic.

Here's Why:

5. White noise is constantly present on the phone line.
4. It's difficult to hear what's being said during conference calls because the quality of the reception isn't as good.
3. You can't fax with VoIP under AT&T.
2. If you're someone who doesn't like call waiting, you don't have the option like you do under landline to not have it. It's automatic.

and the most important reason of all:

1. 911 SERVICES CANNOT FIND YOU IF YOU HAVE AT&T U-VERSE PHONE SERVICE. THOSE FEW SECONDS WHERE YOUR LOCATION IS AUTOMATICALLY IDENTIFIED MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. I'm going to a writers' conference.

Carolyn

The Mandolin

2009-06-25T05:06:00.011-06:00

I have taken up playing the mandolin.

Most of you are only familiar with the mandolin from the movie "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" with Nicholas Cage in which Cage plays an Italian officer in World War II sent to a Greek island unaffected by the war. IMDB (Internet Movie DataBase) .

The mandolin is a member of the lute family and originated in Europe in the 1600s. It is descended from the mandola. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the mandolin: Wikipedia Mandolin.

Mandolin players worldwide talk with each other on the forum at The Mandolin Cafe. Here is the link: Mandolin Cafe. There is also a classifieds section for people wanting to buy or sell mandolin and mandolin-related items.

Three names are usually mentioned when it comes to the question "Who is the best mandolin player (and not necessarily in this order)?" Those names are Mike Marshall, Chris Thile, and Radim Zenkl. There are more, but I will discuss them in a future post as well as the up and coming female mandolin players.

Mandolin can be played in classical music, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and Celtic music as well as other types of music. More on bluegrass and Celtic in a future post as well.

I'm really enjoying learning. I've "met" people from all over the world.

Change your strings often!

Carolyn

More About John M. Barry

2009-05-01T23:55:00.003-06:00

Here's his website:
http://www.johnmbarry.com/

Carolyn

Back and Bad

2009-05-01T23:33:00.005-06:00

Life has been crazy lately.

I just finished reading John M. Barry's The Great Influenza. It's a fantastic book for anyone who wants to write non-fiction. It's also great to learn what actually happened in 1918 with the flu pandemic, given current events.

I've also been reading Nora Roberts' Birthright and am about to start the 3rd book in the Twilight series.

I've written two articles, one on bone marrow donation, and one on the Corporate Angel Network which are out for query right now.

One of my friends, Dr. Ramona Bates, has been causing quite a stir with her blog in the Little Rock area.

Talk to you soon.

Carolyn

Sorry I've Been Gone So Long

2009-02-10T08:41:00.001-06:00

I took a bad fall in November and am still recovering from injuries I sustained. I hope to be on here more regularly as things improve.

Carolyn

Please Support Audacity Magazine!

2009-02-10T08:38:00.000-06:00

There are too few publications for individuals with disabilities. This economic crunch is hitting small publications very hard. Please support Natasha Alvarez so she can continue what she has accomplished.

http://audacitymagazine.com/audacity.php?op=nonProfit&y=grfx&v=

Carolyn

Yes, I'm Still Alive!

2008-11-22T21:42:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's been since early September I logged on. Where has the time gone?
I've discovered screenplay writing. I've been adapting my husband's book, Freehome, for the big screen. Here's the Amazon link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Freehome-C-T-Lowe/dp/0595458629/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227411834&sr=1-1. I finished it yesterday and sent it off to the American Screenwriters' Association (http://www.asascreenwriters.com/ Annual Scriptwriting Contest. I'll know in March how it did.

I'm going to spend December doing publicity for Freehome and for my book on spinal cord injury, cleaning the house, and generally getting back into the mood to write again in January.

Carolyn

Everybody Loves Something For Free!

2008-09-03T20:44:00.003-06:00

There ain't no thing as a free lunch! Or is there?

How about free software every day? That's doable. See the link at the bottom of the page for Giveaway of the Day.

Sometimes the software is a program to help you be more functional. Sometimes there's a free game.

How To Add Your Website to Yahoo

2008-09-02T21:02:00.006-06:00

Here is the link for adding your website to Yahoo:

siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit

(Yes, it looks funny. The double e is in the beginning is correct. It's not a typo.)

How To Add Your Website To Google

2008-09-02T21:01:00.003-06:00

Here is the link to add your website to Google:

www.google.com/addurl/

Velda Brotherton's Blog

2008-09-01T20:38:00.000-06:00

I heard Velda speak during the White County Creative Writer's Conference this weekend. She is truly a gem! Here is her blog:

http://vbrotherton.blogspot.com

Linda Apple's Blog

2008-09-01T20:37:00.000-06:00

I was fortunate to hear Linda make a presentation at the White County Writer's Conference this Labor Day Weekend. She has so much valuable information to share!

http://lindacapple.blogspot.com

Giveaway of the Day

2008-09-01T20:28:00.000-06:00

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com

My Book

2008-09-01T20:27:00.002-06:00

http://livingwithspinalcordinjury.com

My Website

2008-09-01T20:27:00.001-06:00

http://www.carolynboyles.com

The Importance of Organization

2008-09-01T19:48:00.000-06:00

Hello and Welcome!

I am learning the importance of organization in both my work and home lives. When I was young and had plenty of energy, not having organization didn't matter. But now as I am aging, organization is becoming more and more important.

If you are working for a company, then Human Resources professionals will tell you that having a neat and organized office is the key to getting promoted. I never did and I never got promoted. But I was always one of those people who was so busy doing everything I never worried about having a clean office.

Here are some ideas for getting organized:

1. Make sure you have a file cabinet (at least one) and file folders to organize your papers, for both home and work. I have lost countless hours looking for a file folder. Alphabetize your folders. You can buy office supplies at www.OfficeDepot.com, www.Staples.com, at Sam's Club and Costco, from www.Amazon.com. Wal-mart is another place to buy office supplies.

I also buy supplies from www.CleanSweepSupply.com. They sell archival quality paper (Hammermill Great White). Photos printed with inkjet printers and printed on regular paper fade over time. I am guessing that regular type will also fade over time so I print everything on archival quality paper.

2. For small objects in your home, you can buy small sets of plastic drawers for them at www.Lowes.com and www.HomeDepot.com.

3. For tools, you can buy tool chests at Sears or Home Depot.

4. Being organized in the kitchen is very important. You can hang kitchen items from cup hooks on the wall or buy dedicated holders for things. I love www.kingarthurflour.com for kitchen stuff.

I spent a good part of my Labor Day weekend filing file folders. I found things I had been looking for for months.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Carolyn