Break Out the Champaign!!!!

We're having a major celebration at Chez Gumbo Writer this fine Saturday morning to note a moment of supreme success. Well, actually, it's just me celebrating...but nevertheless, I'm stoked.

I've waited a really long time to be able to share this news with the whole of Blogland, and most especially my bloggy friends!

Ready?

Are ya sittin' down?

Okay, here it is...

I WON~~~~

*[Now, don't act like you don't recognize or play Spider Solitaire.] :)

*Images from Google.com

How to Make a Twit of Yourself in One Cool Move

I knew there was a good reason my gut was screaming for me to run far far away from the Twitter revolution. At first I just assumed it was my resistance to trying something new + an addictive personality = even less time spent writing...but no, it was my interior alert system trying desperately to warn me that disaster awaited on the tweeting front.

Like an idiot, I put my fears and reservations on hold after a really long time of stubborn refusal to entertain ideas concerning that little blue bird (NOT the one symbolizing happiness) of the social networking scene. Then last week I said to myself, "Self, what ya got to lose? Just give it a try!"

Oh woe to idiots who do not listen to their own advice and intuitions. Here, I'll show you rather than tell you about my premier Twitter experience:

[Friend Kimmi Richardson, author of The Unbreakable Child somehow got a tweet through to me, and I decided to follow her. Being totally unfamiliar with the Twitter set-up, I went into my profile or whatever and took a deep breath before sending her a message...]

"Am I actually tweeting, or do I just have gas?"

I quickly reverted to email and my comfort zone to continue the conversation with Kim.

"Angie you are finally tweeting. LOL! When you put the @ at the beginning of the sentence you respond to that person. Example, if you want to respond to me you do this: @writernwaiting Am I tweeting or do I just have gas?" Kimmi patiently explained.

"OMG," I wrote, "Do you mean I told everybody about my gas and not just you? Just one more reason I don't need to be on Twitter! (Not that I actually know who saw it -- your followers, mine, the people I'm somehow following, everybody on the planet?) Sooo confusing."

Then I got an email from Kat of Tender Graces fame that said, "I can't find you on twitter. Where are you?"

"Heck if I know," I wrote back. "And I thought I was talking to Kimmi but Tooted on everyone instead of Tweeting!"

And there were many emails after that punctuated with LOL's and LMAO's.

Okay, this would only happen to me...but I guess it coulda been worse. Who knows, maybe Tooting will surpass Tweeting in popularity one day. :)

*Image from Photobucket.com

If You Could Have One Wish...

...what would it be?

Wednesday Writings - An Ocean Poem

I got my contributor copies of Volume 6, Issue 23 of OCEAN Magazine in the mail yesterday. It is a beautiful publication produced by Diane Buccheri. The magazine's mission is "to celebrate and protect" ocean creatures and environs, and all prose, poetry and photography reflect this purpose.

Check out OCEANS when you get a chance and/or consider a subscription. You'll be transported.

I rarely post my own work here, but thought I'd share this poem with you. As always, commentary and opinions are welcome. And I'd love to hear if you're working on poetry, WIPs or other writing projects this summer.

Beach Glass and Other Things

"...maybe life washes itself here, cools off." ~ Thorpe Moecke

i.

Sea hands wash gently

then roughly, turning trash

to treasures of sea glass

water and sand swish,

smooth castaway containers

into vintage mermaid tears

spilt for beachcombers' baskets,

perigean spring tide prizes

preserved on wooden mantles

ii.

A sign says do not pick

the sea oats, resist the urge

to pluck nature's gifts

holding back time's tidal surge;

these pristine beachscapes

need preserving to persevere

against coastal encroachment

iii.

Whitewashed sand dollar, virgin

bride with bright desires, untouched

yet by man's hand, waiting

there on sun-warmed vistas, thin

bloodless communion wafers

to be taken, broken, consumed

the husks cast back to sea

bleaching out completely

leached of life, but for a few

fragile ghost doves { space } witnesses

(c) 2009 Angie Ledbetter

Cajun Recipe for a Happy Life and Seven Happiness Soup

Two recipes you might enjoy -- one you can eat, the other, only serve. *smile*

Cajun Recipe for a Happy Life

*You'll need a huge pot for this. If you have a crawfish boiling rig, that's even better! Into your pot, add the following in no particular order:

5 heaping cups of gratitude and joy (the more you use, the more they multiply)

3 hearty pinches patience

1 gallon forgiveness

10 cups love for family & neighbor (*they'll add to your pot in return!)

2 gallons fun and joie de vivre

A dash of selflessness

8 cups of living simply

Season to taste with good music and dancing. Do not scrimp on hot sauce, garlic & onions!

Cook over a low fire, stirring occasionally. Humming or adding prayer while you simmer will add that special something to your recipe.

Taste often to check for proper seasoning. Share the dish with everyone you meet. Your table will never be empty.

(c) 2009 Angie Ledbetter

~~~

Seven Happinesses Soup

4 Cups chicken stock

1 Slice of ginger, smallish

1 Garlic pod, cut in half

1/2 Cup shredded Chinese cabbage

1/3 Cup Tofu, chopped in hunks

1/3 Cup thinly sliced Baby Bella or regular mushrooms

1/3 Cup Snow peas

1 Small can Bamboo Shoots or Water chestnuts, sliced thin

1/3 Cup cut carrots

Season with spices to taste

Mix together stock, ginger and garlic. Simmer for 20 minutes, then scoop out garlic and ginger. Add all other ingredients to the pot and simmer for another 20 minutes. Serves four.

Blog Addiction Quiz...Rut Roh

Today's quiz, boys and girls, shows just how addicted you are to the blogging game in a series of 10 multiple choice questions. Find out how far gone you are by taking the How Addicted to Blogging am I? quiz. It only took a few minutes.

I can't wait to find out your degree of dependence!

My test results said:

You are 84% addicted to blogging. You will soon be a famous blogger!!!

Have fun, and I hope your week is a wonderful one!

Boudreaux Does Bank Bidness

Boudreaux walks into a big fancy bank in New York City and asks to see a loan officer. He tells him, "Mais, it time for me to get back home to da Louisiana swamps for some bidness. I'll be gone two weeks, yeah. Now, to do dat, I need you to borrow me $5,000 dollars."

The bank employee is surprised when he finds out Boudreaux doesn't have an account at his bank. Not wanting to appear rude, he tells him, "Mr. Boudreaux, I'll be glad to help you, but I'll need something as security for the loan."

"Mais, Mr. Banker Man, dat's no problem, no. Here's da keys to my new Ferrari!" Boo points to the shiny red car sitting at the curb in front of the bank.

The loan officer agrees to hold the car for collateral. He says, "I'm just sorry to have to charge you 12% interest."

"Oh, dat's no problem. I understand bidness is bidness."

After Boudreaux leaves, the bank employers laugh and laugh at the stupid Cajun for using a $250,000 car as collateral for a $5,000 loan. One of the underlings moves the car to safety in the bank's underground garage.

As good as his word, in two weeks Bourdreaux returns to the bank and repays the $5,000 plus the $23.07 in interest. The loan officer says, "Sir, we're so happy to have done business with you and hope we have the opportunity again. We just have one question. While you were away, we did some checking and found out you're a multimillionaire in the seafood industry. Why would you bother borrowing $5,000?"

Boudreaux grins and says, "Mais, where else in New York City could I park my new Ferrari for two weeks for under $25.00 and know it'd be there when I came back?"

Press Release for AuthorScoop

From my email inbox to you~~

For Immediate Release:

AuthorScoop Celebrates First Anniversary

Literary News Site Positions Itself as Premier Web Portal for Writers and Readers

Austin, Texas April 13, 2009 – Literary news site AuthorScoop.com marks its first anniversary on the Web this week after a debut year that saw consistent growth in both traffic and national media attention.

The site’s daily departments—Morning LitLinks, Afternoon Viewing and Evening Reviews—deliver the latest publishing news and reviews with links and embedded video from all corners of the Web. AuthorScoop also delivers exclusive content, including essays on the craft of writing and interviews with both established and up-and-coming authors.

“AuthorScoop began as a labor of love,” says Editor-in-Chief William Haskins, a digital media writer/producer and poet. “Our initial mission was to compile links and items of interest for a small community of writers and readers. We’ve been pleasantly surprised at how that community has expanded over the past year, and we’ve endeavored to expand our content to fit our growing readership.”

Managing Editor and novelist Jamie Mason adds: “It started off simply enough, poke around every day to find bits of literary and publishing interest and herd them into one place. But what’s evolved is a nifty chronicling of the springy nature of the printed word. Literary content and access is expanding and contracting in ways that warrant watching. We come across both the brilliant and the dismal on a daily basis; it reminds me of – life. Overall, that feels like good news to me.”

AuthorScoop continues to forge relationships with both writers and publishers that will enable it to bring its readers the latest literary news and views for years to come.

About AuthorScoop:

With exclusive columns and author interviews—along with constantly updated links to the latest literary news and reviews, videos related to the craft and business of writing, author quotes and poetry—AuthorScoop is a one-stop shop for information and inspiration for both writer and readers.

On the Web: http://www.authorscoop.com/
Contact: authorscoop@gmail.com


###-- William Haskins
http://www.authorscoop.com/
http://www.poisonpen.net/

On this Fourth...

have a wonderful Independence Day celebration!

Let freedom ring.

Bing-o!

Have you seen the new Bing.com TV commercials? They are fresh and funny, and I laugh every time I see one telling me how information overload is making me crazy. Bing is a "decision" engine, Microsoft says; not a search engine.

If you research online as often as I do [almost daily], then you might wanna give Bing a try. Now, Mr. Google is my loyal boyfriend, so I'm gonna be hard to win over, but like they say about married folks ogling others, "It doesn't hurt to look." :) Bing has a nice uncluttered format and a gorgeous new photograph featured daily. I enjoyed my quick tour and liked the way the link sketches would open up to view without having to actually go to the URLs listed.

Like I said, I'm a one man (or search engine) woman. USA Today has an interesting article on the merits of Google vs. Bing if you want to read more.