The Food Blogger: A dime a dozen

Last evening I had the pleasure of meeting Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction.  As I listened to her story I realized her story is very much atypical. The rise of her blogging fame was relatively short—a whole year or so. Most bloggers work for years and years before (or if ever) they can become a full-time blogger.  Needless to say, Sally worked hard and she's very fortunate - she's talented and has a knack for writing cute and clear blog posts. Ahh..yes..she's almost smart...and got in on Pinterest in the beginning..and we all know how the gals love to pin stuff.

The room was filled with wannabe food bloggers, asking questions about baking and blogging. I sat there....probably the oldest fan in the room and wondered...how unique am I if all of these "women" want to do the same thing? The thing is...I'm not..we aren't...in a way... Yes, we all possess our own thoughts but we are all very similar. We have almost the same dreams. How can we make our blogs and ourselves stand out? My answer: Be ourselves. That's my plan. It may not be their plan but it's mine. I can't try to be something I am not and I will continue to post about the foods I like rather than the foods I think my audience will like. Granted....it's not much of an audience.

Among all of the smart and fun things Sally spoke about, I took away an interesting statement. She said, "I started treating my blog as a business." That struck me. I said to myself, "Hmmm...okay...I understand but do I want to do that." The answer is no, not at this time but maybe one day after some cooking classes and soul searching.

For now, I will blog and bake as a hobby. Who knows? Next week I may just start taking it seriously. I will stick to my day job and moonlight as a baker. I even bought a chef's hat...I feel official.

I need to mention that Sally was a flipping delight! She was so warm, welcoming, enigmatic, and treated her fans as if they were already friends. That gal has charisma and it explains why she's so successful.

Keep blogging ladies...your voices matter. 

No PoMoSco

As life always does, it's thrown me a curveball. I had been planning on participating in a National Poetry Month project via the Found Poetry Review but...sadly..I can't. I don't have the time, mental willingness or "umph" to do so.

I feel very defeated about the whole thing. I am trying to make positive changes in my life and do "things" but I haven't been able to do much. 2015...throw me a bone.

National Poetry Month 2015

Yes, yes, yes....I know..I haven't written in 2 months...but...that will change very soon. I am participating in National Poetry Month again via the Found Poetry Review. This year it's a Boy Scouts' theme. It should be fun but I am a little nervous. I am still searching for a house so mixing all of that into writing for a whole month should be entertaining to say the least.

I hope you will all join me on this journey. I hope for some quality poetry but you never know.

See you in April!! 

Oulipost #25: Larding

OuliPost #25

The prompt:Aka “line stretching.” From your newspaper text, pick two sentences. Add a new sentence between the first two; then two sentences in the new intervals that have become available; and continue to add sentences until the passage has attained the length desired. The supplementary sentences must either enrich the existing narrative or create a new narrative continuity.

The process:
I split sentences and tried to follow the rules. I almost mad-libbed it again but I start piecing things together.  An article about ducks cracked me up so I had to put in 5 ducks killed. 

I'll add more later....

Now, it's later. I just started finding sentences and half of sentences and putting them together. i think I used almost 10 articles. I think it came out..okay..

The result:

Duck Photography 

Photography, a technological marvel, was long considered an artistic stepchild.
Elements read like a mystery novel.
The federal government started a program in 1994, for scores of aspiring artists to debut their work.
What followed is a complicated saga that has produced more questions than answers.
 Illegal guns seized, opiate addicts and five ducks killed.
A less happy experience and the government has had second thoughts about the decision.
 “Arty” was not a term.

What often does not come up is the work.
Neighborhood groups encouraged to get involved. The way they join them is to copy them.
Like life, it’s all a big balancing act.
Today we think of the medium, as having been an art form from the beginning.

Source:
Several articles from The Boston Globe. 25 April 2014. Section A-G. Print. 

OULIPOST #24: HOMOSYNTAXISM

The prompt:

Homosyntaxism is a method of translation that preserves only the syntactic order of the original words. To give a rudimentary example, if N=noun, V=verb and A=adjective, the outline NVA could yield solutions such as “The day turned cold,” “Violets are blue,” “An Oulipian! Be wary!”)

Option 1: Choose a sentence from your newspaper source text and write as many homosyntaxisms as possible based on that same variation.

Option 2: Complete a homosyntaxism of an entire paragraph or article found in your text.

The process:

Guess which one I chose?? You got it, option 1. I didn't source the words from the text. I made them my own...I think that might be cheating. I would like to thank...Margo Roby for this Mad Lib idea. 

I was stumped on how to go about this so I had to take some inspiration. I am making this my own and keeping some adverbs. I may have cheated on some "adverbs" as well. 

The sentence really spoke to me so that's why I chose it.  Then as I started, I hated it. I then started to think...let's work off of this. Let's get 2 common words together and make some statements. It's not perfect and it's not poignant. I used some different pronouns and I let it fly. 

Here is the sentence/inspiration:

"Art and empathy can take us only so far."

The result:

Talks and walks can give us justly....

Sticks and stones can break me ever so slowly.

Words and music can feed me every so often.

Determination and strength can move him exactly here. 

Propaganda and extremists can fuel him crazily always.

Books and paper can destroy her never.

Self-doubt and anxiety can ruin her always.

Love and kindness can save us most of the time. 

Hate and revenge can kill us always. 

Source:

Smee, Sebastian. "In portrait of late artist Jon Imber, life and love endure." The Boston Globe. 24 April 2014. Arts Section. Web. 

OULIPOST #23: INVENTORY

The prompt:
Inventory is a method of analysis and classification that consists of isolating and listing the vocabulary of a pre-existing work according to parts of speech. Choose a newspaper article or passage from a newspaper article and “inventory” the nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, articles, etc. Bonus points for creative presentation of your final lists.

The process:

I made a chart. Well, first I chose the first article I saw and it didn't involve the Marathon. Woo!! Then I made the chart. I decided to leave the proper nouns alone. Blech! I don't like them. Only 1 adverb...YET.   Honestly, these prompts make me second guess myself on my language knowledge. 

I honestly don't want to do the html code for a table..I did that today at work several times so i am just going to use a screenshot. How lazy am I????
I only chose the 
So here we go:

As you can see, my image goes out of bounds slightly..ha! Secondly..I only have 3 verbs. 

So I think I am going to write some nonsense. I first thought of using the words going across and then I thought..nah...here's my chance to just mess this up. 

I tried and tried and tried some more. I finally came up with using articles and conjunctions and nouns and adjectives. It came to be a bit of a list. 

The result:

Mill Mansion

Sweeping and sailing and seaside 

The town
The inn
The park

A race
A morning
A rubber

On waterfront
On granite
On trend

Another tourist
Another postcard
Another weekday

Into basement
Into museum
Into people

Where is
Where found
Where stream

Source:

Woolhouse, Megan. "Yachts and a food pantry in uneasy juxtaposition." The Boston Globe. 23 Apr 2014. A1-A7. Print. 

OULIPOST #22: ANTONYMY

The prompt:

In Oulipian usage, antonymy means the replacement of a designated element by its opposite. Each word is replaced by its opposite, when one exists (black/white) or by an alternative suggesting antonymy (a/the, and/or, glass/wood).

Original: To be or not to be, that is the question.
Antonymy: To not be and to be: this was an answer.

Select a passage from your newspaper source text to complete this exercise.

The process:

I swear today will be the last day of Marathon inspired poems. Yesterday, I went to the Marathon. yay!!! I was at Mile #19. What a great day!

This was a bit tough. I chose a short passage and I kept thinking to myself..errr..what's the opposite of this. I took some creative license when it came to numbers and such. I hope I did the prompt justice. I even used part of the title of the article as my title.

The result:

The passage:

They clanged cowbells for hours, extended hands for high-fives, and waved posters for friends while hooting for strangers.  They packed 8 deep in Ashland, 12 deep Natick, and so tight in Back Bay it was impossible to count. 

Jeers emptied the water

I silenced ear rings
For seconds
Retracted feet for low-ones
Or flipped off newspapers
Nay, enemies 
While crying
For friends

I unpacked 16 shallow out of
Woodsea
24 shallow Southie
or so loose in Front Dessert
they were easy to abandon

Source:

Moskowitz, Eric. "For 26 miles, the cheers filled the air." The Boston Globe. 22 Apr 2014. A1-A12. Print.

OULIPOST #21: CONFABULATION

The prompt:
Craft a conversation poem using “he said/she said” quotes that you find in newspaper articles.

The process:
I am not entirely sure what a "he said, she said" poem is, so I took some creative license. I've clipped quotes to make the poem more of a narrative. I've even used some names and modifiers of he said and she said. I also repeated some quotes to round out the poem.

The result:

Intimate Whisper

“Jack,” Betty yelled.
“Don’t be afraid..…”
“I’m suggesting you need to start thinking about a plan B,” John said.
“I have a better idea,” he said.
“We’ve gone through a major transformation,” she said.
“I wish I could do that,” he said.
“The feeling is just pride,” Betty said with a snarl.
“I was hurt,” John said.
“There’s more people involved in this,” she said.
“That was really a surprise,” he said. 
“I kill a lot in Providence,” she said.
“It was good to get those first 2 early,” he said.
“I just think you’ve got to decided what you want to do,” she said.
“It was part of the job,” he said.
“This might not be a bad thing,” she said with hesitation.
“But everyone is different,” he said with a sigh.
 “I kill a lot in Providence,” he said.
“I kill a lot in Providence.”

“Don’t be afraid…”

Sources:
Over 10 articles from The Boston Globe, Print. 21 Apr 2014 Sections A-G. 

OULIPOST #20: LESCUREAN PERMUTATION [PLAIN]

The prompt:

Select a newspaper article or passage from a newspaper article as your source text. Switch the first noun with the second noun, the third noun with the fourth noun, and so on until you’ve reached the end of your text.

The process:

I love Sunday's because there is an ever present and somewhat large Arts section. The article I chose details an "up-and-coming" female rap star. I've been reading and seeing her videos about her for over a year so I am not sure how ground breaking and on the edge this article really is. Anyway, I couldn't resist another poem that did not contain sophisticated subject matter. I just had to use it.

Also, her video mimics the movie "Clueless". That's way harsh.

The poem isn't great. I am not sure it makes sense but I did take some poetic license at the end and with some tenses.

The result:

Iggy Rap


 Blessing has the burden
And the rapper
Of being a rising profile
With an odd
At way
With the artists
Most genres
Come up in the caricature
If you wanted a rap star
Of the least likely, azaleas
Blueprint could be your female
Blond
Australian.
Model
Looks like one (and is Southern).
Raps with a murder.
Rendering bizness…biznassss....

Source

Reed, James. "Is hip-hop ready for Iggy Azalea?." The Boston Globe.  20 Apr 2014. N1-N4. Print.

OULIPOST #19: SESTINA

The prompt:

This will be one of your most challenging Oulipost prompts! A sestina is a poetic form of six six-line stanzas. The end-words of the lines of each stanza repeat those of the first, but in a differing order that in each successive stanza follows the permutation: 615243. The entire sequence of end words is thus: 123456; 615243; 364125; 532614; 451362; 246531. All words and phrases must be sourced from your newspaper text.

The process:

Such cute kitty. Anyway, I tried to follow the rules but....I didn't. I couldn't source all the words. I just sourced my end words. To be somewhat successful, I had to throw caution to the wind. I did source some words from the source text. So, that was sort of following the rules. Doug Luman is the man and I used his excel. I still am not entirely sure if created a proper sestina but I gave it a go. It's the longest poem I've ever composed, I think. 

Also, the Excel document and myself screwed up at the end and I did not intend the poem to end the way it did but I like it. I changed a few tenses and pluralizations of words. 

The result: 

A harrowing, glossy, (happy) experience

Seeking sustenance proves harrowing

the pangs of hunger lingering

a bologna sandwich, not normal 

food photographs glossy

Eating lunch with friends

A fond memory

You are a memory

I search for happiness, something less harrowing

A food for the soul, Could it be friends? 

A walk to find what is lingering

Yogurt--- glossy

Is tidy the new normal?

I wonder what is really normal?

Is it something in our memory?

Is it new, exciting, shocking and glossy?

Do we shrink to a whisper, something less harrowing?

We are strong, but wounds still linger

We peer into ourselves, we search for friends.

Changing colors, changing friends

A chameleon, is that normal?

Suspects in this, a motive still linger

I cannot erase your memory,

into something less harrowing

Our photographs shiny and glossy

Feelings masked under layers of glossy

Paint, a face hidden to friends

sustenance still proves harrowing

I will never be normal 

It's all just a memory

Balogna sandwich thoughts still linger

I grew to find, it's okay to linger

Cover your face with all things glossy

Until it's all just a happy memory

Hold tight to new and old  friends

You will never be normal 

Because if you are, you life is harrowing

I cried because it was all so harrowing

I dried my tears and I’ve stopped seeking normal

You are my friend

(and my normal...)

Source:

Rusell, Jenna. "For Watertown residents, normal will never be quite the same." The Boston Globe.  19 Apr 2014. A1-A6. Print. 

Moskowitz,Eric. "Danny takes strength from ordeal with Tsarnaevs." The Boston Globe.  19 Apr 2014. A1-A6. Print. 

OULIPOST #18: HOMOCONSONANTISM

The prompt:

Choose a sentence or short passage from your newspaper to complete a homoconsonantism. In this form, the sequence of consonants in a source text is kept, while all its vowels are replaced. For example:

ORIGINAL: To be or not to be: that is the question.
CONSONANTS ONLY: T b r n t t b t t s t h q s t n
FINAL PRODUCT: As burnt tibia: it heats the aqueous tone.

The process:

I found this very telling yet endearing sentence and although it provided limited letters, I felt compelled to use. I like what it stood for. The article was a tribute to a fallen officer who worked in the Boston Police Department Gang Unit and passed away this week from what doctors "think" are complications from injuries he sustained during the Marathon Shoot Out last year.  The article is touching. 

My poem really doesn't not have anything to do with the articles subject matter and I think it came out cohesive, emphasis on I think.

For the title, I used half of the consonants from the title of the article. I am getting crafty. 

The result:

It heals none

Yeah, I vote
A blue new rookie
Not a hag
An age on tab
Tied, jail
Avid oath
Lived it.

The source text:

You have to be a lion to work in the gang unit. But DJ loved it. He loved it.

Cullen, Kevin. "The lion and the lamb." The Boston Globe. 18 Apr 2014. B1. Print.

OULIPOST #17: HAIKUISATION

The prompt:

The haiku is a Japanese poetic form whose most obvious feature is the division of its 17 syllables into lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. Haikuisation has sometimes been used by Oulipians to indicate the reduction of verses of normal length to lines of haiku-like brevity. Select three sentences from a single newspaper article and “haiku” them.

The process:

My process wasn't really a process at all. I pulled 3 random sentences from an article and tried to make it different from the article. I played with tenses and pluralizations. Was I successful?? Not too sure. Did I have fun? Sure did. Did I try to make it different from the text? Yes! 

The result:

Unsettling

Between 2:30
The victim, he backfires
Success, no-man’s land

4:30: emails
His man: deception, no facts
M(o)ore words arrive in

Night preaches balance
Boss owns all importance 
Late night life, has been

One mo(o)re victim in
Expect facts around-the-clock
Sent: Man has not lived.

Source:
Teitell, Beth. "Bosses' late-hour emailing sends an unsettling message." The Boston Globe.  17 Apr 2014. A1-A12. Print.

OULIPOST #16: CHIMERA

The prompt:
The chimera of Homeric legend – lion’s head, goat’s body, treacherous serpent’s tail – has a less forbidding Oulipian counterpart. It is engendered as follows. Having chosen a newspaper article or other text for treatment, remove its nouns, verbs and adjectives. Replace the nouns with those taken in order from a different work, the verbs with those from a second work, the adjectives with those from a third.

The process:

I tried to follow the rules. I really did, really...I swearz it.  I always get confused with noun-trains and adverbs and adjectives and I just want it to be correct. :/ Then I put the pieces and words together and noticed not very many adjectives..mostly nouns and verbs...

I then started mixing lines up and putting them together so things would make sense. I wanted to make this better than what it was. I didn't love it..so..it is a little better. It's not perfect and I couldn't continue because my source article is gross and wordy and I liked the first sentence but I also liked how I forced my poem to end. I saw some words and then the replacements were pretty funny. 

Here it is.

The result:

Slimming Shapewear Taxes Pyramid Needle Scheme

They were received at two 

and by women 

From basic undergarments

Capsules

In the fear, 

They drilled to lingerie

Products, and fat

Pain Lately 

Reprieved

Maidenform of women

To file

In what cases ask a

Needle-free

Garment power

Suits delays the slimming shapewear
--------------------------------------------------

Sources:
Healy, Beth. "State sues over pyramid scheme.  The Boston Globe. 16 April 2014. B1-B5. Print.
Borchers, Callum. "A Dental Visit With No Drill."   The Boston Globe. 16 April 2014. B1-B7. Print.
Johnson, Katie. "Lingerie firms are sued over slimming claim." The Boston Globe. 16 April 2014. B1-B7. Print.
Fernandes, Deirdre. "Mass. Tax deadline extended."The Boston Globe. 16 April 2014. B1-B7. Print.

OULIPOST #15: PRISONER’S CONSTRAINT

The prompt:
Imagine a prisoner whose supply of paper is restricted. To put it to fullest use, he will maximize his space by avoiding any letter extending above or below the line (b, d,f,g,h,j,k,l,p,q,t and y) and use only a,c,e,m,n,o,r,s,u,v,w,x and z. Compose a poem using only words that can be made from these letters AND which you source from your newspaper text.

The process: 
I thought..oh boy this will be tough. I will need the Scrabble Word Finder. I didn't. Today, is the one year anniversary of the Marathon Bombing. They had a special wrap-around cover and on the inside a short article and quotes. I went through the short article and quotes and found short words and pulled something together. It's a bit commemorative. My apologies. I live about a mile away from where "he" was found. I went to the same university he went to and taught there. I was held captive that Friday in April and watched unmarked patrol cars scour my street for hours. 

The result: 


one
we are more aware
we survive
we move
we run
we rise—sun


we see issue
we own

since,
we want same
we mean more
now, even more

runners, survivors,
men, 
women,
move
run
race
rose…

Source:
A special piece: "One year late." The Boston Globe.  15 Apr 2014, V1-V4.
Contributors: Mark Arsenault, Billy Baker, Anica Butler, Maria Cramer, Liz Kowalczyk, Eric Moskowitz, Shelley Murphy, Martine Powers, Dina Rudick, Andrew Ryan, David L. Ryan, and John Tlumacki. 

OULIPOST #14: COLUMN INCHES

The prompt:
Refer to the advertising section or the classifieds in your source newspaper. Create a poem by replacing all of the nouns in your chosen ad segment or classified listing with nouns from one article in the same newspaper. You may use multiple ads/classifieds, presented in the order of your choosing.

The process:
My colleague, the nice man who gives me the paper everyday, drew my attention to this very cool ad. 

It has a cute raccoon in it. I was sold. So..I had my ad. Then I saw this wonderful profile on the front page and I exclaimed, "NOUNS!!!." This article contained many nouns but it's a difficult read. It's a profile of the family of the marathon bombings' youngest victim. I had to stop reading it. I could barely get through each line without a tear. Due to this, I got a little creative with the text. I chose which lines I wanted to replace the nouns. I chose the main ad text. Also, I ate a lot of M&M's while writing this and dinner. It was a bit emotional!

It's not perfect..but it's what I could muster.

The result:

Finding the rearview

Family flying refined
1 home only
It’s your quick memory
To save up to 50% off regular base life 
Book by tears, tonight 
No rehabilitation

Save on strength
And
Pain,
Drugs at 
physcialescapes.com

Source:

Abel, Dave. "Finding the Strength: Part 2 of 2." The Boston Globe. 14 Apr 14. A1-A19. Print. 

OULIPOST #13: EPITHALAMIUM

The prompt:
An Oulipian epithalamium, or marriage song, is one composed exclusively with the letters of the names of bride and groom (bride and bride, groom and groom, etc). Visit the engagement or wedding announcements section of your newspaper and select a couple. Write a poem using only words that can be made with the letters in their name. You may choose to use first names only if you prefer anonymity or full names if you’re desperate for more letters.

The process:
Well, The Boston Globe did not have engagement announcements published this week. That was last Sunday but never fear I persevere! I started searching other "local" newspapers and then called my mom. She said, "The Cape Cod Times." I said, "Let me Google that." And tada!! I found 1 single engagement announcement. Now my dear friend, Katy over at somethingkaty uses this source text so we might have the same set of names for today. Also, the reason I am still calling this paper local is I've grown up with this paper on the weekends when my family and I would spend time at our house on the Cape and it's still in my tiny little state so..there you have it. 

I changed my source text and I also used the Scrabble Word Finder but in all honesty I found most of the words I used in the an article or two from The Cape Cod Times. How neat is that??

The result:


The engaged couple:
Allison Thompson & Jon Nickerson

CASH-CENTRIC SELECTIONS

All the ties
Inspire men to reason
Contracts trick criminals into 
Technical teams and short poker palms

Rematch the masters
Clap for them
The site near the canal
Lost three men

Hitch into aerials
Reasons for the scene
Reports arise to see
Titles are not as they seem

A lack of heart
Conceals a problem
A major loss
Cash can’t help ‘em


Sources:
Various headlines from The Cape Cod Times. http://www.capecodonline.com/ 13 Apr 2014, Web.
http://www.scrabblefinder.com/solver/

Bragg, Mary-Ann, Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. "Two workers die in fall when truck tumbles into ditch." The Cape Cod Times. 13 Apr 2014. Web.

Shemkus, Sarah. "How many women authors do you read?" The Cape Cod Times. 13 Apr. 2014, Web. 

OULIPOST #11: UNIVOCALISM

The prompt:
A univocalic text is one written with a single vowel. It is consequently a lipogram in all the other vowels. If he had been univocally minded, Hamlet might have exclaimed, “Be? Never be? Perplexed quest: seek the secret!” All words used must be sourced from your newspaper.

The process:

At first, I wanted to use 'e' and then I wanted to use 'i' and then I wanted to use 'a'. I finally stuck with A. I was a little ambitious and wanted to do 3 poems: one with a, one with e and one with i. I then realized....that wasn't a good idea. I am not prepared for that yet and plus...I would never be satisfied with all three of them. I decided I'd write 3 short stanzas and try to rhyme the last 2 lines..little couplets. I got creative with the punctuation at the end. Does this poem make sense? Hmmm..not entirely sure. I even stuck with the A section of the paper. Waa waaa!

The result:

I am not choos-E

Mass land blasts
A day grasps back
Data plays part
A man wants art 

Act as plan
Martha adapts that talk
Ads pay
Ran away

Half fatal 
And half mammal
Sad class play 
A ban: gay

Source: 
Various articles throughout the A section of The Boston Globe. 11 April 2014. Print.

OULIPOST #10: SNOWBALL

The Prompt:

This procedure requires the first word of a text to have only one letter, the second two, the third three, and so on as far as resourcefulness and inspiration allow. The first word of a snowball is normally a vowel: in English, a I or O.

From your newspaper, select a starting vowel and then continue adding words of increasing length from the same source article or passage. Challenge yourself further by only using words in order as you encounter them in the text.

The process:

I tried to follow the rules but towards the end of the second stanza..I found words I liked that sort of went with the ideals of the poems. This was challenging and again with the counting!!!  I have to say ...I liked how i capped some and others I did not and then I didn't and needed consistency.

The result:

Jesus

I
In
the
Long
First
Gospel
Swiftly
Document
Spiritual
Originally
Composition
Significance

Christianity
Specialists
Meticulous
Meanwhile
Fragment
Critics
Gospel
Grasp
That
One
In
I

Source:
Wangsness, Lisa. “Finding adds to “Jesus’s Wife’ These’”. The Boston Globe. 10 April 2014. A1-A10. Print.