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I had a great time at BlogHer '10--I enjoyed meeting new people, saying hello to familiar faces, and learning more about blogging.

I particularly enjoyed the writing sessions.  This is what I got out of Writing Inspiration:  Stoke Your Creativity, with Rita Arens, Carleen Brice, and Jan Sokoloff Harness.  Hope it helps you, too. 

Focus on one specific thing (the color yellow)--it will clear your mind.

Go for a writing walk--do something mindless, be physically active--let the story shape itself.

Take a different path--see the world through a different lens.

Look around your house--watch your life like it's a TV show--it'll change your perspective.

Put yourself into a character's shoes.  Think about how a 10-year-old would look at this, or how your mom would look at it.

Approach writing as actors approach acting.  Speak out loud and gesture.  Be a method writer. 

You can use scenes from your life, but change the characters and the settings. 

Don't necessarily expose your friends and family.  Take real life and carve it into fiction.

Think about current events--write about your reactions to the world.

Ask someone for ideas, perhaps your readers.

When you hear negative voices in your head, visualize a big Stop Sign.

Write every day (if you can)--in the early morning, after dinner, late at night, whenever you can.  Be consistent.  Unplug the phone, email, & twitter.

Have a notebook and pen with you at all times to jot down your ideas.  Or call yourself and leave a voicemail.

Omit unnecessary words and even paragraphs.  The first paragraph is often just "throat-clearing."  The last paragraph may often be deleted.

Read other writers and get involved in a writer's group.  Take writing classes and workshops.

Most importantly, write for yourself--not for others.

I'm off to BlogHer in NYC! 

Look for me--I'll be wearing this again-->

Hope to see you there.

Check back soon for an update!

Have you ever tried Restaurant.com?

Right now, you can get a $25 restaurant certificate for $2 with their coupon code: PLATE until Jul 31, 2010.  Check it out!

*Heard about this from RetailMeNot.

One of our family's favorite activities is going to the bookstore.  The kids and I love to read, and we spend a lot of our time with our noses in a book.  Since signing up for the Borders Rewards program, we've been getting Borders coupons regularly by email, and I like to use them when buying gifts for birthday parties & Xmas. 

Right now, anyone can save 25% on most purchases at Borders during the Borders Friends & Family Savings Event, in-store and online, from July 16 to July 19, 2010.  Click to get a Borders Friends & Family coupon to print out.  You can save money on books, movies, music, toys, or games.  How cool is that?

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!

Don't have the time or money to visit the Museum of Modern Art in New York?  You can see every painting on display at the MoMA in 2 minutes on YouTube.

Heard about this from Real Simple Magazine.

I finally got a chance to see James Cameron's movie "Avatar."  & I really enjoyed it.

Jake, a paraplegic & former marine, finds out that his twin brother has died.  Jake is asked to take his brother's place on a mission to a distant planet called Pandora.  The fact that Jake's genome is identical to his brother's allows him to use his Avatar, a specially grown Na'vi body that can be controlled by his mind while he remains on the ship.  Although he has not had time to learn about the language, the culture, and the beliefs of the indigenous Na'vi people, he accepts the mission, and finds himself lost and alone in the jungle of this strange land. 

Jake runs into trouble and is rescued by Neytiri, the daughter of the chief.  Jake's mission is to gain the trust of the Na'vi people and to find out their weaknesses so that the humans can take over the natural resources of the land.  Jake soon begins to respect and care for the Na'vis, especially Neytiri.  What will become of his mission now?

A solidly entertaining movie with cool special effects.  Don't miss it!

tobuy

I finally got a chance to see "Food, Inc.," a documentary by Robert Kenner which reveals a behind-the-scenes look into the food industry in the US. 

Mr. Kenner raises several questions:  Why is it that cows are being fed corn instead of grass?  Why are chickens being raised in darkness?  How do they grow chickens to be twice as big in half the time?  Why is meat being processed with ammonium & chlorine?  Why are there so many cases of E. coli poisoning from food?  Who's in charge at the FDA, EPA, and other agencies which are responsible for protecting consumers?

The answers are eye-opening.  & There are negative effects on our health, environment, economy, and workers' rights.

How can we affect change?  Viewers are encouraged to vote with their dollars and to buy organic, locally-grown food with little or no pesticides.  Stop drinking sodas and eating junk food.  Eat at home instead of eating out.  Tell schools to promote healthy meals.  Read labels.  Tell Congress that food safety is important to you.  Demand job protection and fair wages for food workers.  Visit Food, Inc. for more information.

tobuy

Congratulations to Meryl Streep for her Golden Globe nomination for Best Perfomance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical in the movie "Julie & Julia".  The movie itself was nominated for Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical, as well.  I was lucky enough to catch this movie while on a plane last month.

The movie is based on the true story of a woman named Julie Powell, who decided to blog about cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in 1 year.  The movie crosses back and forth between Julie's disasters in the kitchen at home and Julia's adventures in France.

What I enjoyed most about the movie was watching Streep show bits and pieces of Julia Child's life:  her journey to Paris, her excitement in learning how to cook French food, her struggles to prove herself in an elite French cooking school, and her wonderful relationship with her always-supportive husband.  It may not all be true, but it made for a great movie. 

tobuy