If you’ve regularly read my blog in the last quarter, you might have noticed the absence of a particular feature for the past two weeks: my visual pun series, Can You Outsmart the Tart.
The first Sunday, I didn’t have time to make it happen. Since most of you are on holidays or coping with children on holidays, I didn’t figure that would form a major inconvenience. Subsequently, I didn’t notice any online picketing, so I gather that impression was correct. (Or if you did protest, you need to beef up your mad disruptive skills to louder than a squeak– I’m just sayin’.)
Last week, I ran into a different set of issues, and though I have a metric buttload of ideas for the series, I cannot see my way around them.
First, I’m graphically challenged. I have two family members who paint, but neither saw fit to share their gene pool with me. Because I can’t draw, I search for images I can use without violating anyone’s copyright, then modify them. But I’m hitting my limits. I’ve gone for the low-lying fruit and cannot execute the more complex ideas with anything that looks quasi-professional.
The second problem is a simple question of time. I want this book’s first draft done. I want to be fit. I want to be a vital and joyful family member, friend, and spouse. I want to play. I want to continue the online relationships that mean so much to me AND I want to continue to give back in ways that feel right to me, whether they make a difference to others or not.
So, Tart Titanic, meet Tart Iceberg. The result?
Outsmart-the-Tarts will appear haphazardly in the future, if at all.
Thanks to those of you who enjoyed and shared them until now.
***
In unrelated news, a shout-out to things I particularly enjoyed around the internet this week:
- 50 Shades of Eh— aka “What might Happen if Christian Grey’s role were to be played by a Canadian?” (Thanks to Vaughn Roycroft for the tip.)
- Porter Anderson’s post on Writer Unboxed—Social Media: Your Shadow Career? Read the comments, peeps. If you struggle with this, you’re not alone.
- Adam Firestone’s column on Romance University: Arms Acquisition and Transfer as Plotline Buttress. (Adam will be writing a regular column for them. He’s a goldmine of information on firearms and willing to answer questions!)
- And a post I found both touching and relevant, given the fact I have a child as old as these people when they started: 5 Guys Take the Same Photo for 30 Years (via @ChrisGattis )
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I vote for occasional future appearances (even though I rarely got one without Mo’s help, and they sort of made me feel clueless 😉 ).
Isn’t 50 Shades of Eh a hoot!? Porter’s post on WU was fantastic, too You comment got me all verklempt, btw. I saw Porter tweeted a few lines from your comment, too. I know you’re as big a Pressfield fan as I am. Did I tell you, his assistant read my post about his openings, and featured a link to it on his page? My pageviews exploded for about three or four days. Very exciting. 🙂
I check out your other links after I hit the submit button. Happy Sunday, Jan!
I’m thinking “clueless” as a blog reader–especially for one so kind as you–wouldn’t be classified as a good sign. 😉
Re being verklempt: my comment on Porter’s post made you feel that way? Huh. I’m not sure why, but it sounds positive.
Lastly, why am I not surprised about SP’s assistant being so kind? Doesn’t that say it all? Congrats, Vaughn! I know that wasn’t the goal of your post, but it definitely counts as a win-win.
Have a good day, guy. I’m off for a walk and then a write.
Definitely positive on the Porter post comment. I was just moved (happy/emotional) that you had been feeling the gloom of the issue, and that you had chosen to choose. We are all flailing around, wondering if what we’re doing is right or matters to anyone, like writerly hotel lounge performers, where everyone is talking and we want to thump the mike and say, “Is this thing on?” I’m just happy that we can decide it doesn’t matter if the mike’s on or not, or if the hotel guests care about what we’re doing, or not. We can choose to do our best and offer it up to the muse, and let the ichor she offers be enough–to fill our hearts. Let go of the outcome, and accept the blessings of what is offered.
PS – Love the guys taking the same photo vid. I wish my buddies and I had thought of it, or rather, that we still got together enough to do it. Hope you had a good walk and a nice writing session!
Love the lounge-singer analogy, Vaughn. Can I take off these heels now?
Walk has yet to happen. Family Things interfered. This is another thing I work to remember: get up and get moving, or a critical part of my life gets deferred.
Hope your day went well, particularly since you were kind enough to return!
Hey! My nursing group just sent me that photo. I should do something like that with my sibs. We were always lined up by age for those Sunday group photos.
re: the Outsmart the Tart? I’m just not that smart!
Wouldn’t that be neat, Suzanne? I’ve seen another time-elapse photography one of a girl taken monthly, I think, in the same position from birth to her late teens. It was stunning, made me teary.
As for Outsmart the Tart, uh, not true. If you’re saying you didn’t get them, then it’s just as well I’m quitting. We’ll call that stage an experiment and be done with it. 😉
A few years ago my grade four teacher came up to say hello. When I asked her how she remembered me after all those kids (not to mention all those years!) she laughed and told me I hadn’t changed a bit.
I started school early and would have been eight years old. So I guess puberty is highly overrated…
And I’ve just decided, it’s definitely time to color my hair. Before it goes all white and she no longer recognizes me. 😉
Would you have recognized those gentlemen from their teenaged appearance? I wouldn’t have. Fascinating to see how they evolved. Your teacher must be a sharp one, or perhaps you’ve taken care to stay trim. That definitely helps.
Good luck with the hair-coloring, and thanks for the reminder.
Jan, although I rarely commented on the ‘Can You Outsmart the Tart’ posts, I always read them. I’m not great with visual puns, but I’ll miss them. But since 24 hours isn’t seeming nearly enough here these days, I understand your decision!
I’m glad to hear I was mystifying or frustrating everyone. 🙂 Thanks, Liz. You’d know about time-shortages, for sure.
Appreciate you testing the comment plugin as well!