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"Gee, I Wish I Was a Man..."
"...I'd join the Navy!"
Thus reads a WWI Navy recruiting poster. One look at the modern Navy tells us that we've come a long way, baby. Since a very young age, I'd wanted to join the Navy; its structure, solidarity, and purpose always appealed to me. I might have been among the first class of women to matriculate at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1976. Obviously, my life took a different direction, but I confess that I still harbor (no pun intended) a wistful penchant. Living in Annapolis and working at the Academy satisfies a small bit of the longing that never completely died, and I get a vicarious thrill from all the rites of passage conducted here.
Today a time-honored tradition at the Academy kicks off Commissioning Week for the Class of 2009. Since 1962, the Herndon Climb has been the unofficial climax for plebes who have gone "unrecognized" throughout their first year at USNA. Herndon Monument, a stone obelisk commemorating Captain W.L. Herndon who went down with his ship in 1857, is one of the many significant memorials seen on the Yard. At the signal, the entire plebe class rushes the monument to form a human scaffold, enabling one plebe to scale it and replace a plebe's "dixie cup" cover (hat) at the top with a midshipman's cover. Legend has it that the plebe who reaches the top and makes the switch will become the first in his class to achieve the rank of admiral (though no one has yet fulfilled that prophecy).
By the way, did I mention that the obelisk is greased with 200 pounds of lard?
So in my best writerly attempt to turn any situation into a metaphor, I wish the following:
As you climb the slippery Herndon Monument of life (this week, anyway), may all your endeavors be boosted on the shoulders of many caring people surrounding you. Always strive for the Dixie cup and fulfill your own "admiral's prophecy."
Congratulations to USNA Class of 2009!
www.crossingpolansky.blogspot.com
Thus reads a WWI Navy recruiting poster. One look at the modern Navy tells us that we've come a long way, baby. Since a very young age, I'd wanted to join the Navy; its structure, solidarity, and purpose always appealed to me. I might have been among the first class of women to matriculate at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1976. Obviously, my life took a different direction, but I confess that I still harbor (no pun intended) a wistful penchant. Living in Annapolis and working at the Academy satisfies a small bit of the longing that never completely died, and I get a vicarious thrill from all the rites of passage conducted here.
Today a time-honored tradition at the Academy kicks off Commissioning Week for the Class of 2009. Since 1962, the Herndon Climb has been the unofficial climax for plebes who have gone "unrecognized" throughout their first year at USNA. Herndon Monument, a stone obelisk commemorating Captain W.L. Herndon who went down with his ship in 1857, is one of the many significant memorials seen on the Yard. At the signal, the entire plebe class rushes the monument to form a human scaffold, enabling one plebe to scale it and replace a plebe's "dixie cup" cover (hat) at the top with a midshipman's cover. Legend has it that the plebe who reaches the top and makes the switch will become the first in his class to achieve the rank of admiral (though no one has yet fulfilled that prophecy).
By the way, did I mention that the obelisk is greased with 200 pounds of lard?
So in my best writerly attempt to turn any situation into a metaphor, I wish the following:
As you climb the slippery Herndon Monument of life (this week, anyway), may all your endeavors be boosted on the shoulders of many caring people surrounding you. Always strive for the Dixie cup and fulfill your own "admiral's prophecy."
Congratulations to USNA Class of 2009!
www.crossingpolansky.blogspot.com
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Slides, Anyone?
I added a few slides of my books to my blogspot. I'm not sure yet if they should stay on or not.Do you have more trouble loading my blogspot with the slides up? Do you like them or are they too distracting?
A Christmas Tree Already
On the way home from work yesterday, I passed a house that already had a lighted and decorated Christmas tree up and showing by the window.Is it not too soon for that? In my mind, the day after Thanksgiving is when the Christmas Season starts. That's when it's fair game to put up a tree and decorations and start shopping. The way things are going this year, I'll be lucky if I get organized enough to decorate a few days before Christmas.
With our dog, Rascal, who lives up to her name, we'll probably go with a fiber optic small tree on top of an end table. One of these days I may pull put the larger tree from the box in the basement and set it up, but not until our doggy is a little more sedate. I don't feel like chasing her to get ornaments out of her mouth. I will be putting up knick knacks, lights inside and decorations on the walls, so it will still look Christmasy. No lights outside because for some reason we have no outlets outside.
While we're on the subject of Christmas trees and such, be sure to add holidays in your books. You can mention decorations and lights or Easter eggs and baskets, or even mattress sales in your descriptions to ground the reader as to the season.
Now, back to that tree I saw. What about you? When do you decorate for Christmas? What do you put up?
Winners and Losers at the CMAs and Life
I love country music and almost every country performer. While watching the CMAs, I enjoyed seeing the winners accept their awards. On the other hand, it was hard for me to see the losers do their best to appear gracious and for the most part succeeding.For every winner, there's a loser. In life and in books, it's the same way. How people react to their good and bad fortune shows what their characters are made of. You don't have to tell a reader who the good guy or bad guy is. Let their actions speak for themselves. The readers are smart enough to figure it out.
PS Can't finish this blog without saying - You Rock, Taylor Swift! You are one smart, talented teenager! Congrats on all your awards, especially, Entertainer of the Year!!!
CMA Awards Tonight and Twitter
One of my favorite shows is on tonight - the CMA Awards. If you're a country music fan, you're probably like me and will be glued to the TV 8pm EST, or in my case 7pm, in the flatlands of Illinois.Almost all my favorite performers will be there, except I hear that Rascal Flatts can't make it.
I'll be on Twitter during the show also. That's part of the fun of it - discussing and dissecting outfits, performers, songs and even commercials, kind of like I'm at a giant party with people who all go for the same thing and want to share.
What about you? What kind of music do you like? Do you tweet during a favorite show or event?
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Rascal is sleeping right now. When she gets up, you'll know about it.
When RASCAL wakes up, you'll hear from her and/or her Mom - that would be me, Morgan Mandel.
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