13 Thursday: What’s on your T-shirt?
1. Last Thursday was the one year anniversary (52 weeks) of “Thirteen Thursday,” which was created by Leanne at Intricate Art. It marked my 43rd Thirteen Thursday post. I’m thinking about putting out a best of 13. You know, like musicians put of a “best of” album.
2. Did you know that you could buy 13 Thursday products; even a baby’s bib; even a dog’s sweater with a 13 Thursday logo on it?
3. I think of my blog as my writer’s storefront. At this point, I have a pretty good inventory, as indicated by my sidebar list of categories.
4. It’s okay that I don’t make money blogging, but I don’t want my blogging to cost me money. “I’d like my writing to at least keep me in printing ink,” I’ve said before. Recently, I sold an essay that was originally a blog post. The payment I received, covered the cost of a complete set of printing ink cartridges, black, yellow, blue, and pink. So I guess my goal is fulfilled, for now.
5. Or, I sometimes think of my blog as my own personal magazine that I write an editorial to each day. My category list, which includes Back to the Garden, Featured Artist, Notable Quotables, Losing a Loved One, Poetics, Politics, and S-C-R-A-B-B-L-E, could just as easily be an index of magazine sections and features like: Home and Garden, the Arts and Entertainment, News, Literature, Politics, and the Crossword Puzzle.
6. An excerpt from a past entry titled “The Blog Files” (which could have been titled “Why I Blog”) says: For me, blogging is like playing scrabble. I don’t hold on to my Q for the whole game waiting for the play of my life. I play with what I have…for the highest score…every time. Here’s how Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, puts it… “One of the few things I know about writing is this: Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book, give it, give it all, give it now … Some more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”
7. Remember the notes we used to pass in school. Not surprisingly, I was a big note writer and passer. I once kept one going to a girlfriend over the weekend. I think it was an early sign of the blogger in me.
8. My blog friend Patry recently revealed that she once held the title of the hula hoop champion of Brockton, Massachusetts. At Floyd Fest this year (our town’s yearly world music festival), there was a woman who makes her living with the hula hoop. She does dance performances with them, sells them, and teaches workshops on using them. I wish I had stopped to interview her because; I so love the hula hoop myself. Did I mention that I also recently sort of won a hula hooping contest?
9. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the Harvest Moon is in September, or sometimes even October, but August is the month when most of my garden harvesting takes place. The Farmer’s Almanac calls the August full moon “Sturgeon Moon. My friend Jayn, being a poet, named the August moon in the Museletter (our local all-volunteer newsletter) “Voluptuous.” In years past, she’s dubbed it Golden Maze, Love Apple, Sunflower, and Sizzle Moon.
10. Gardening is like cooking a meal for a large crowd of people. There’s lots of planning and preparation, and then everything is ready at once! There’s a mad rush to get everything up and served before it gets overdone, cold, or before the crows and bugs come for their share.
11. I got an email this morning with a subject line that read “13.” I’m not kidding! Because it said “13,” I opened it, but it turned out to junk mail directed to investors, of which I am not.
12. I’ve been re-working some of my older poetry because the recycler in me can’t pass up the idea of salvaging some good and still useful lines. But, as with any construction, it’s a lot easier to start from scratch than it is to give some TLC to a fixer upper.
13. I think of a light bulb as a moon-wannabe.
Thursday headquarters is here. My other 13’s are here.
August 10th, 2006 3:27 am
you should definitely do the best of 13. 🙂
don’t you hate it when you get junk mail that you thought was something else? it annoys me 🙁
August 10th, 2006 8:37 am
I agree with #4! I wish there was a way to make money with it (other than ads). Considering the amount of time I spend doing it – I’d be rich!
August 10th, 2006 9:08 am
Hey that Annie Dillard quote is amazing. Just what I needed to hear today. I’ve been “hoarding” this one paragraph excised from a short story–thinking I could use it in the novel I’ve jut started working on. And I agree about blogging not costing money. (Although, good way to build up your presence as a writer.) Thanks for stopping by my TT today.
August 10th, 2006 9:12 am
http://harmonia.bloggoing.com
Here is my new link. Hope to see you there soon! My old link will still be active. I am going to keep my blogroll there and use it as a back up but my daily updates will take place at the above location.
August 10th, 2006 9:13 am
yeah, I’m hoping to make enough google ad money to switch off of blogger. maybe in 10 YEARS!
August 10th, 2006 9:17 am
oye. junk e-mail. it so annoys me. I get way too much of it.
it looks like your garden is doing much better than mine. I got some tomatoes, but they didn’t taste very good. the plants aren’t yielding as much as last season. doesn’t help that the weather’s been crummy.
have a happy Thursday!
August 10th, 2006 9:27 am
I love the idea of blogs being our own personal magazine. That is inspiring to me….THANKS!
The full moon was yestreday. Did you feel it?
August 10th, 2006 9:42 am
The moon, yes! I tried to photograph it, but it didn’t come out and last night was cloudy.
I’m always afraid the spam I get has cooties!
August 10th, 2006 10:52 am
Ugh junk mail.. though I’ve probably done the same thinking it was from someone else.
So, it’s been a year already? that’s gone really quickly.
Mandy
August 10th, 2006 11:43 am
I love gardening and I love cooking. Now I know why. Cheers.
August 10th, 2006 12:37 pm
I LOVE that that’s how you think of a light bulb! Mine’s up 🙂
August 10th, 2006 1:04 pm
Fifty two weeks of Thirteen Thursday. Wow. I’m only at week 4 or 5. Speaking of which; I want to thank two people from your list of readers (Carmen and Bev) for stopping by today but since I can’t comment yet, I’ll do it here before visiting their place.
As for your list…another goodie. Waiting for your “Greatest Hits”. You could pick thirteen favorites and you’d have another TT on the ready.
August 10th, 2006 1:04 pm
Oh, thank you so much for that Annie Dillard quote-wonderful! 🙂
August 10th, 2006 4:41 pm
Annie Dillard has it right, for sure.
Gosh,you brought back memories for me as a note passer also…I haven’t thought of that for years, but OH, how I loved passing those notes in class. And hopefully, not getting caught…lol
Great Thursday 13, Colleen.
August 10th, 2006 7:38 pm
In the two weeks in New York, I missed any of the moons that were. Plenty of sunsets, no moonrises. I wonder why.
August 10th, 2006 10:03 pm
Always enjoy my visit with you. Sorry for being late to the party. I really need to catch up.
August 10th, 2006 11:10 pm
I like the Annie Dillard quote. It can be expanded to all forms of art–painting, dance, etc. Blogging is again beating the crap out of me. I want to finish my series on Sept. 11. Then, we’ll see.
August 11th, 2006 1:28 am
A great list!!
#7-I used to do this with a friend of mine…we would make these elaborate notes on graph paper and pass them back and forth, drawing pictures and writing until every little square had something in it.
August 11th, 2006 9:31 am
Here from Michele’s this afternoon and I agree, do a best of!
August 13th, 2006 9:25 pm
You need a 13 tee….yours are always good!