Cyn

Singing along in my Subaru is one of my favorite activities, and my favorite people to sing along with are The Eagles, particularly Don Henley and Glen Fry.  Their latest effort, many years in the making and available only at WalMart is a wonderful collection of new work reminicent of the old style and hitting on new problems.  And can the boys still sing!  So many times, bands should stop while they're ahead, while the memories of their music is at its height.  Crosby, Stills and Nash...they should have given up five years ago.  And, please, don't torture yourself with the latest incarnations of Air Supply. 

But these guys?  They so still have it.  All of them.  Long Road Out of Eden is the perfect follow-up to Hell Freezes Over.  I put "How Long" on repeat and sing at the top of my lungs.  "Like a blue bird with its heart removed...I've run just as far as I can run..." or the piece, "What Do I Do With My Heart" which melts my heart every time I hear Glen and Don sing it.  I just want to hold those two men and tell them everything will be okay.

And for sure fun, you can never ever go wrong with Joe.  His unique guitar sound is evident on "Guilty of the Crime" as well as his trademark sense of humor. 

You guys are wonderful and inspire me.  Thanks!

"If you walk out right now you'll be telling me what your really love and it won't be me."

"If you loved me, you'd know this moment has been all I've dreamed of since I was old enough to swing a wiffle-ball bat."

Sharice heard enough.  Matt loved baseball more than her.  Why couldn't he support her for once?  She'd been to all his games at home and on the road.  In every hotel, while he was on the green sunny fields warming up, she found a piano - even when it meant going into a strange dingy bar , smelling stale smoke from long ago days. 

Now, after so much time she could prove to her family, those naysayers, that she played Carnegie Hall, the final proof of her recovery.  It was the moment she'd dreamed of since she was old enough to realize music was a beautiful gift.

What about her goals and dreams?  Matt had opportunity after opportunity to be selected for the All-Star team.  Sharice didn't have that luxury.  Playing Carnegie opportunities didn't come around every season.  It was a once in a lifetime shot.  Her mother never thought she'd be good enough, never thought Sharice's hand would heal and be strong enough to play the challenging runs of complex classical music pieces.

Matt picked up his lone, worn bag.  "This chance only comes about once in a lifetime for a guy like me.  I'm good, Sharice, without the steroids, without doping up.  I have to do this.  I've seen guys whose hands have been shattered by a speed ball.  I don't know when or if I'll have a second chance.  I wish you understood."

She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.  "I understand more than you know."

The authors of Romancing the Blog have made some interesting points regarding the latest fiction scandal, the plagarism accusations surrounding Cassie Edwards.

As I've written elsewhere, the accusations are disturbing on several levels.  At this point all one can really do is vote with their finances either pro or con, and make sure they (if they write) don't fall into the same trap.

Many, many books tell us over and again there are truly only a few plots.  Many, many books tell us it is the way we present those plots that make them unique.  How many times have we been instructed using The Wizard of Oz movie as a template?  And how many books have we read that use The Wizard of Oz as a template that we don't even recognize the book as following that pattern because the author has done an excellent job of altering that pattern into something that fits his/her personality and writing style? 

Does it take effort to take a dress pattern and create a new gown, different from all the others out there, even if you are using the Vogue pattern?  Of course it does.  On a basic level, you change the material, change the notions, the color, maybe combine the sleeve of this pattern with the bodice of that (there are usually several patterns in a pattern envelope).  The more experienced you get, the less you may rely on the pattern, perhaps only using the most basic shape to get the sizing right, and using more to complete the project from your experience and imagination. 

As the authors of Romancing the Blog mentioned, it is getting easier all the time to use technology to verify information, search books, find examples of plagarism.  It is up to authors to be as ethical as possible and to create their own stories with a clear conscience, knowing they've tweaked, adjusted, accessorized in a way unique to themselves.