blogging – Page 2 of 3 – Rasmenian detritus

What Is & What Will Be

October 18, 2012November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

“She was a published writer. I imagined how thrilling it must be living such a life, going around the world and making up things about it.” -E. L. Doctorow *** Well, not so thrilling, as it turns out. Interesting, yes. Fun, definitely. Boring... never. Most of the time is spent not zipping around the globe, but here in this corner, in this room, at this desk where I sit now. I scribble in notebooks, make faces at open documents in Word & lean my head on my hand as I read submission guidelines for one literary journal after another until my eyes go all googly. And research... entire days of reading, searching & asking questions. On really good days, I sit curled up in a comfy chair with my iPad while working on a piece of flash fiction. It's really not that thrilling, but it does make me feel glad & complete inside. I don't believe in sitting around waiting for "the muse" & I...

Knocking Pompeii Off the Bucket List

June 13, 2012December 2, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

"It is disturbing sight, to encounter these bodies tormented with suffering, anguish and fear, and petrified by suffocation in their appalling postures..." -Marcel Brion*When I was in the 9th grade, I had to take an Earth Science class just like all of the other 9th graders in my school. My teacher was a crazy guy named Mr. Schultz who had a tendency to be very animated when explaining things like earthquakes, tidal waves, tornadoes & volcanoes. One day, when we arrived for class, Mr. Schultz was all dressed up like a Roman soldier. We all laughed because it was weird.Actually, it was pretty fun. I never forgot it. Partly because I have a soft spot for wackiness. And because that was the day I learned about Pompeii. Standing in front of the class in helmet, armor & swordbelt, Mr. Schultz showed us slide after slide of a city forever frozen in time. He explained with excitement how Mount Vesuvius erupted,...

Our Road Led to Rome

May 31, 2012December 2, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

“Every one soon or late comes round by Rome.” -Robert Browning*Our first mission upon arriving in Rome was: find the bed & breakfast. Second: find food. The first was easy enough, though the bed & breakfast wasn't really a bed & breakfast. It had a bed & some snacks, coffee & juice there that were very breakfast-like. To be more accurate, it was a 2-bedroom apartment, right there in the city & with a pretty nice view. Which is okay.As we checked in, the owner informed us that a French couple was staying in the other room & that we'd likely see them during our 3-night stay. Whatever. No big deal.He & Olivier chatted for a moment while I went to the window to check out the view again. Only... I couldn't see a damn thing, aside from an enormous cloud of stinking smoke that had suddenly blocked out the sunlight. I made an announcement about Rome burning because, you...

The Leaning Tower & The Happy Tuscan Farmer

May 22, 2012December 2, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

After spending one week roaming around various corners of Italy, I learned a few things. I learned that eating gnocchi is more enjoyable when you get it from a waiter who greets you with a "buongiorno." I learned that there are pickpockets everywhere & to keep an eye on your shit because they will get you in the métro station, restaurants, tourist attractions, shops, streets & while you're having a shit. Every. Where. (No, I didn't get robbed, it's just that thievery is so bad in some parts of Italy that no one shuts up about it.)I learned that there are no sexy gladiators hanging out at the Colosseum & to stop asking about them. I learned that eating a large chunk of fontina cheese before eating a giant plate of quattro formaggi gnocchi is a bad idea, as is eating snacks of questionable freshness that I find in the glove box. I learned that thanks to learning a bit...

Springing Forward, Looking Back

March 16, 2012November 30, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” - Leo Tolstoy"Blah, blah, blah." - Iggy Pop◊It's been a while since I wrote one of those blogs posts that say, "I did this. I'm gonna do some of that. Right now I'm doing blah, blah, blargedy blah." You know, just a blah, blah blog post.It's just hard for me to get into. It's difficult for me yammer on about the boring little details of our life here in our tiny but perfect little corner of France. I like to keep a lot of things private. You may not think so with my nonsense and chatter on the Internet, but it's true. Like, a few months ago, when I ate that bad sandwich and almost pooped myself in the Aldi, I didn't say a word to you about that. Private.However, it's sometimes necessary to say, "I did this. I'm gonna do some of that. Right now I'm doing blah, blah, blargedy blah."Little...

Writer Rant: Writing Advice

January 17, 2012November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

“They're fancy talkers about themselves, writers. If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.” --Lillian Hellman“Know when to tune out, if you listen to too much advice you may wind up making other peoples mistakes.” --Ann Landers“I always advise people never to give advice.” --P.G. Wodehouse * * * I have a lot of pet peeves. Probably more than a reasonable amount. It's a rare thing when I can watch TV, leave the house, or hop on the Internet without bitching, mocking, making fun of or simply pointing out something that I find annoying or idiotic. (Unless you're reading this blog for the very first time, you already know this.)Often, what I have to do is, I have to stop paying attention to whatever it is that bugs the shit out of me. I must ignore it completely. This isn't always possible. Try ignoring the human race. It's tough. Betcha...