3 Sentence Review : 3 Books

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

I love talking with others about the books that I’m reading. My book club, Babes with Books, meets monthly to read member selected titles. We read a lot of commercial fiction across sub-genres and have lively discussions. Here are the books we’ve read so far this year, each with a one sentence commentary:

  1. January – The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, came highly recommended to me so I selected it for the book club but it turned out to be more of a miss than a hit since some of the group did not finish, others finished but were confused, and even though I thought it a clever, if often complicated, concept (think Groundhog Day meets Clue meets Every Day), I’d say overall it had a satisfying end despite unanswered questions. WRISFIYT

2. February – I did not finish All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda before the meeting because I had it on audio (not audible) and did not drive enough to get through it–that said, others finished and liked it even though it was a challenge to keep track of the story with the jumping between timelines and being told in reverse (which I did not like at all, I found it completely unnecessary although I give the author credit for attempting something new) but I did finish and the story picked up by the end, or you know, on Day 1 (?!?). WNR

3. March – I was really excited about the March selection, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace because I thought the dark fantasy element of it might align with my Pandoran Legacy series and it promised conversations with Death (who I thought was a really great character throughout unlike the main character who was whiney and made irritatingly ridiculous choices for the first two thirds) but the book contained SO MANY WORDS which I understand is par for the fantasy course (and would also be why I do not read a lot of fantasy genre), I also felt this novel had a strong ending and even though I bitched about all the words (SO MANY WORDS), by the end, Signa, the MC, had redeemed herself and I was ready to jump into the next book in the series, Foxglove. ITIYGGFI

WRISFIYT – Would recommend if Speculative Fiction is your thing.
WNR – Would not recommend.
ITIYGGFI – If this is your genre, go for it.

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When Mama Ain’t Happy

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

Ain’t Nobody Happy.
I’m a firm believer in this. Luckily, it makes me happy to make others happy.

In all honesty, I believe this proclamation is about more than what’s simply stated. I think this message translates across platforms and genders. It’s not specifically about “mamas” nor is it as easy (or complicated) as “happy”.

And despite some interpretations, I don’t think it’s about being selfish.

To me, it means that if the base is solid, you can readily build upon it.
Individuals, relationships, businesses, etc. Self-care, mutual respect, intentional interactions and awareness of repercussions should be basic traits in a civil society.

Seriously, though, if making others miserable makes you happy, ain’t nobody truly happy.

I ordered this through one of those home decor party catalogs over thirty years ago and it still hangs on my wall.


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Dren Explained

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

For those of you who recognized ‘DREN’, you are my people. Old.

For those of you unfamiliar, let me catch you up–
A long, long, long, and even longer, time ago, there was a TV show called Happy Days. Now, I’m able to add that ‘even longer’ because although Happy Days aired from 1974 to 1984, it took place in the late 1950’s and early 60’s.

The word DREN comes up in an episode titled, They Call it Potsie Love, a riff on a popular song at the(ir) time, Puppy Love by Paul Anka. In the episode, during band rehearsal, 14 year old Joanie Cunningham is serenaded by her big brother Richie’s good friend, 17 year old Potsie Weber. Young Joanie becomes smitten. The Potsie character is kind of a dork, many call him a nerd. Joanie writes him a note, Dear Dren, which is nerd backwards because, to her, he’s the opposite of a nerd. I may be misremembering specifics, it has been a very long (that word again) time since I saw the episode, but the dren-nerd thing stayed with me.

I also mentioned “lilypadding” last week. Again, while I was considering topics for last mornings post, for whatever reason, I thought about nerds. Then I leapt to the idea that nerds today are not the same as the nerds that preceded them, they’re almost….cool now. And that thought spawned (a blog post and) an entire trip across many a lily padded mental pond.

I had the Happy Days board game. I must’ve received it as a gift because I remember laying on the floor playing with my cousins at Christmas. I remember the dress I was wearing. And the stupid tights. And the cookies we snacked on while we played.

“Parker Brothers brought out its Happy Days board game in 1976. Players compete to win degrees of “coolness” and score points on a jukebox-shaped scoreboard.” Which is kind of ironic considering what was considered “cool” then.

I looked up “dren” and Happy Days for last week’s post and the episode title had my mind hopping to the version of the song Puppy Love that I knew as a kid, which was by Donny Osmond, known for teenage love songs and purple socks. My friend in second grade had a poster of Donny Osmond on her bedroom wall, complete with exposed purple ankles, but I thought Tony DeFranco of The DeFranco Family was much cuter. I don’t believe I had a poster of Tony DeFranco on my wall, but I would listen to Heartbeat – It’s a Love Beat over Puppy Love every time. Heck, I’m listening now. (click the title and you can, too!)

So, from Heartbeat I hopped to Rock On by David Essex which had me leaping to the song Run Joey Run by David Geddes, which reminded me of the time my uncle and I spent months lip-syncing to that song with dreams of competing on The Gong Show. Then I immediately wondered why the girl in that song gets no credit and I thought, well, that’s not fair, I mean (spoiler) Julie gets shot for goodness sake, she should be credited. From there I leapt to thinking about my fourth grade best friend whose name was Julie and that time we helped set up for the Conklin Fun Fair and I lost my super ball. I loved a super ball.

Et voilà. You have a perfect microcosm of lilypadding…Nerds are cool now, hop hop hop, I miss my bouncy ball. I’ll stop there, but trust me when I say, I’ve leapt to a dozen new pads (per thought!) while writing this.

Now that you are up close and personal with my thought process, I hope you will recognize and respect the effort that goes into my weekly editing.

It’s a miracle I get anything accomplished.

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What’s in a Word?

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

I have this thought process I call lilypadding, where I start at a certain point with a thought, an idea, or a memory, and fifty-seven or so thoughts later, I am at a seemingly unrelated place.

Do you do this, too?
I kind of believe we all do, in our own way.

So, this morning, as I was contemplating ideas for today’s blog post, I landed on an historical lily pad of sorts, which took me down a completely different channel of memories. I’m going to offer up the single word that spawned this sensory cycle and see if it means anything to you.

DREN

I think this is one of those, “if you know, you know” kinds of things.
If you do know, please share the first adjacent thought you had once you recognized that word.
Then, just for fun, expand to include time, location, age, mood, people, etc.
I’ll be curious to see where your lilypadding ends up.

Maybe I’ll update next Monday with a post filled with my “dren” memories.
Because the more I think about it, the more my associations expand.
It’s a pleasant little escape from other thoughts.
I hope you think so, too.

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ed2go

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

I’m excited to share that I’ve signed up for a four-part online writing series with ed2go through Kishwaukee Community College. I like to claim that I am a good student, but it’s been a very long time since I was a student. I’d say I hope it’s just like riding a bike, but it’s also been a very long time since I rode a bike.

First up is Introduction to Screenwriting. Everything is online, through lessons, exercises, assignments, discussion boards, and even tests. I’d prefer in person, but I’m glad things like this are available. There are people from all over the world in this class. I look forward to learning a new craft but mostly to being inspired by this writing community.

I’ll keep you posted as the classes progress…
Really hope this helps jump start my writing focus. I have books to publish this year!
And maybe a screenplay, too. 😀

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Happy (insert celebration of choice here) Day!

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

It’s Super Bowl Monday!
The day after the BIG GAME (which ran late and was still rather lame).
Don’t care about that?

It’s Darwin Day!
Cheers to the radical theories of a British scientist.
Don’t think that interests you?

It’s National Hug Day!
Surely, a day worth celebrating!
But you need more…

How about Carnival Monday?
The Monday before Ash Wednesday rife with music, dance, and food.
Which brings us to the other celebrations this week…

Fat Tuesday!
Mardi Gras is a pre-Lenten celebration with music, parades, picnics and…beads.

Ash Wednesday!
Kicking off Lent with a smudge and somber reminder of mortality and reconciliation.

Valentine’s Day!
A Christian Feast Day honoring a martyr that has evolved to represent all things commercial and manufactured; celebrated and loathed by many.

Thursday, February 15!
The day after Valentine’s Day when all of the candy and flowers are on sale!
And also, Singles Awareness Day. Which, honestly, I would have thought was the day before.

Wrapping up the week with
Friday Fish Fry!
A celebration of the season of repentance.

(and, if you’re lucky, Bunco!)

I’m lucky.

This is a lazy post, I admit. I mean, I could post every single week about the celebrated days. But I saw a post on social media this morning that asked if Super Bowl Monday should be a holiday. I laughed and launched into this list.


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New to Me 4

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

Please note, this is the fourth in the series. I still only provide three new things.

I love learning and realize that, although six degrees of six degrees puts me in the ballpark of ‘knowing’ a lot of things, there is much for me still to discover.

  1. Lickable wallpaper is a thing. We recently watched the new release, Wonka, which got me reminiscing about the original movie. That’s when I stumbled upon a post for Lickable wallpaper! I guess I’m not surprised it’s a thing, but still, the idea of licking a strip hung to the wall as a party favor seems, well, very pre-cov, lol. You can buy strips pre-made or make them yourself.
  2. Alligators can run nearly twice as fast as humans. And this is why I live in the Midwest where the cold may snatch my breath but doesn’t rip it bloodily from my body. Seriously, though, gators can sprint rapidly, but tire quickly, as do I, so unless you are ridiculously close to one, which I would never be, you’re safe enough. I can’t find the video clip where I learned this, but suffice it to say, the image of that thousand pound dinosaur-looking creature flying across the land with legs rotating like a Scooby-Doo character, even if only for three bodies lengths, resonated with me.
  3. Elvis Costello provided backing vocals on Tempted by Squeeze. I never knew that. I love that song! I’ve listened to that song a thousand times plus some (we’re both that old) and never noticed the familiar vocals. Now that I know, I can’t believe I never knew. It’s so obvious! Give it a listen, the people keep on crowding…

I’m not claiming to be smart–or dumb, I’m just sharing things that are new to me.

For other New to Me posts, click here.

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Janyearary

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

I am not alone in believing January is the longest month. Professionals cite things like post-holiday blues and limited daylight for this feeling. We expend so much time, money, and energy on the excitement, expectations, and stress of the holidays and wrapping up the old year, it can be overwhelming and downright exhausting to start a new one.

January should be a respite.

But it’s not. January kicks you while you’re down.
It’s long. It’s dark. It’s frigid.
We’re poor, we’re sad, we’re pale, and we’re cold.
Five Mondays in and it’s still January…

February arrives Thursday. Or, as I like to call it, January 2.0. To be honest, we’re probably just getting to the heart of winter. Since it’s Leap year, we get a bonus winter day. Yay.

Despite it being all I have ever known, I was not made for the Midwest winter. I have become a firm believer in hibernating.
Stay home, stay warm, stay safe.

Not to mention, stay tuned…
on pause…
awaiting brighter mornings, longer daylight hours, and the final thaw.

Is it March yet?

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Early Mourning

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

Barely into the new year and we’ve already suffered a familial loss. Dave’s Aunt Laurie passed last week. Although we hadn’t seen Laurie in over ten years, a result of collateral damage, her passing greatly saddens me.

She was an excellent elementary school teacher who never had children of her own but was inspiring and kind and extremely generous to my kids. With her finger on the pulse of kindergarten through fifth grade trends, Laurie had a knack for knowing what gifts were hip and cool and popular (yet still educational, shhhh). And when my kids outgrew her elementary school insight, she was the first to present us with family events. Thanks to Aunt Laurie, we visited the Brookfield Zoo, saw Blue Man Group, the Chicago Wolves hockey team, and A Wrinkle in Time at the Lifeline Theater, among other outings.

In the years since we last spent time with her, her mental and physical health had declined. By the end, she was absent of her happy personality, engaging intelligence, and reliably smiling face. In a way, it’s a relief to be able to remember her as her whole self. Her joy, creativity, and love of game play will continue to resonate with me.

We share our wedding anniversary with her birthdate. The annual reminder will hit me differently this year, but that’s the burden and beauty of such things–heartfelt memories that spark emotion and give life, albeit briefly, to those we’ve lost.

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OldCD

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Mary Fran Says

I don’t have OCD, Obsessive Compulsion Disorder, a condition of repetitive actions, compulsions, or obsessions. But as of late, I believe I have developed OldCD.

Things that didn’t used to bother me now do.
My attention to detail is suddenly laser focused, or completely opaque.
And I seem to have zero patience.

I was having coffee with a friend recently, one I attended high school with, and we were discussing how old we are. I am older, by the way, but said if it wasn’t for mirrors constantly reminding me of my age, I wouldn’t know because on the inside I feel the same. And when I said it, I believed it.

Then, I spent the next forty minutes of conversation contradicting that statement.
Because, things that didn’t used to bother me now do.
My attention to detail is suddenly laser focused, or completely opaque.
I seem to have zero patience and most every story I tell relates to these factors in one way or another.

Not to mention all the physical stuff like quietly sitting or effortlessly standing.

As a courtesy to myself and others, I’m trying to have fun with this self-diagnosis, to embrace this stage of perieldery. To recognize and explore these new traits. I identify observations and consider comments mentally before verbalizing them.
It’s tough at times. Part of me believes I have earned this judgement, and the filter thins as we age, but most of me believes I don’t want to become that person.
It’s a slippery slope between OldCD and the OCD of Old Cantankerous Distemper.

~ ~ ~

“Perielderly” is not a word, but it should be.
To substitute within Mayo Clinic’s definition of “perimenopausal”:
Perielderly should mean “around elderly” and refer to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to being old, marking the end of the youthful years. Perielderly could also be called the elder transition. Humans start being old at different ages.

Go ahead and tell me this doesn’t make sense?! Let’s make perielderly happen!

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