Monday, April 30, 2012

Z is for . . .


Zoetrope at
rest

Image courtesy: tempo

“A zoetrope is a device that produces the illusion of motion from a rapid succession of static pictures.” (Wikipedia)

Here's an example. Warning: If flickering images bother you, don't press play.






And now for the final "Name That Famous Brand":




Yesterday's famous brand: Yoplait yogurt.

Well, that's all folks! I post on Mondays and if this 'z' brand is a stumper, come on by next week for the answer. I had a blast. Congrats to all who made it to 'z'. Zowie.

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Y is for . . .



Image courtesy: Aramand Agasi

Yin and yang. Dark and light. Female and male. Earth and air. Doofensmirtz and Perry the platypus. According to Wikipedia, the idea is complementary opposites, one giving rise to the other, instead of opposing forces i.e. good vs. evil. (Doofensmirtz is not entirely evil; he loves his daughter.)

Finding images for yin and yang isn't hard. In fact, flickr.com has the feline variety up the yin-yang!

Image courtesy: kprager


Here's today's "Name That Famous Brand":



Sorry for the blur, it's so tiny.

Yesterday's famous brand: Xerox

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Friday, April 27, 2012

X is for . . .

chinese mountain top
Image courtesy: Christan Matheson

Xanadu. Not the Olivia Newton John film. I mean the Coleridge poem itself:


In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree :
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea. 

See the rest here.

Huaqing Palace, Xi'an, China
Image courtesy: Pet_r

This poem came to Coleridge in a dream while under the influence of opiates and reading a description of Kublai Khan's summer palace, the afore-mentioned Xanadu. Have your dreams gone into your writing?

And now for "Name That Famous Brand": (Do I even need a picture? Is there more than one famous brand that starts with 'x'?)

Photo cropped from an image by: kretyen

Yesterday's famous brand: Wilson tennis balls

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

W is for . . .


Image courtesy: Wikicommons

Wisteria. I have one of these gorgeous trees in my backyard, but this ain’t it. Up here in New York, the blooms won't show until June. Mine desperately needs an arbor, because the winter winds have pushed it over.

Wysteria covered pathways

Image courtesy: ::Wendy::

Wisteria is a climber and a destroyer. In SC, the vines grow like kudzu, engulfing trees and everything else.The perfume generated by such a mass is intoxicating.

Untitled

Image courtesy: Long may she rain

Purple, white, and pink are popular colors for the flowers, but there is also a yellow variant. Care to see more stunning photos? Click here.

Speaking of yellow objects, check out today's "Name That Famous Brand":



Yesterday's famous brand: You got it again. Volvo.

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

V is for . . .


Victorian

Image courtesy: TBoard

Victorian: The era of Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901. Ah, the architecture, the clothes,


Victorian resident

Image courtesy: Temari 09

and if the ghost wasn't spooky enough, how about a

Victorian Mummy - M26

Image courtesy: Shain Erin

Victorian mummy doll. What? Not on your Christmas list?

Perhaps you prefer something shiny and new, like today's "Name That Famous Brand":



Yep, I'm still in the garage. Yesterday's famous brand: U-Haul cardboard box. That's why the color wasn't quite right. You guys are good.

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

U is for . . .

Waterfall

Image courtesy: njj4

Utopia, or perfect world. With the exception of The Hundred Acre Wood, books and utopia don’t mix. In a perfect world there is no tension, hence no story. That’s why we have dystopia, because one man’s heaven is surely another’s hell. Hunger Games is a prime example. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather don District Twelve’s duds than put up with the make-up, hair, and style regimen of the Capital—ugh.

My utopia would be to time travel back to 1987 or so. It's Spring Break and I've got a week to sway in my backyard hammock reading, eating M&Ms, and drinking diet root beer. What decadence! Care to share your utopia?

Here's today's "Name That Famous Brand":



Hint: I had to go into the garage to get this shot.

Yesterday's famous brand: Was it Twizzler or Twister? If you guessed Twister, the board game, you win.

Click on the A to Z Challenge at top right for a linked list of participants.

Monday, April 23, 2012

T is for . . .



Tabula Rasa or blank slate. It's a state of mind both useful and terrifying for a writer. To edit a piece with a fresh eye, time might create the necessary tabula rasa. Yet tabula rasa in an agent's mind as they read your query is intimidating to say the least. Try condensing 100K into five enticing and coherent sentences. You might find this move easier in comparison:

Contortionists #2

Image courtesy: chooyutshing

Speaking of contortions, here is today's "Name That Famous Brand":


Yesterday's famous brand was a stumper. Roht row, Shaggy. Blissflower1969 recognized the 's' from Scooby Doo.

Note: I did identify the terrifying bug from yesterday's post: giant water bug. This fearsome thing attacks small fish, turtles, or snakes. It injects them with venom which dissolves the prey's insides. That way, the bug can suck out its meal. Tasty!

Click on the A to Z Challenge button (top right) for a linked list of participants.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

S is for . . .



Siamese Carrot. What? You've seen siamese carrots on six other blogs already? Humph. Okay, how about a



Super-scary bug. Yes, this huge critter was as long as my hand. What is it? I have no clue, but I hope it's not the beginning of an alien invasion. Let's change the subject to something softer . . .



My sweet Sidney. And one more sweetie, because she'll kill me if I don't feature her:



Sedona at seven! Today's picture show will conclude with "Name That Famous Brand":



This one is Sedona's favorite show.

Yesterday's famous brand: Reese's peanut butter cups

Answers to yesterday's rebus puzzles:
1. I'm a lone star
2. forearm curl
3. microscope
4. lucky break
5. two left feet

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.





Friday, April 20, 2012

R is for . . .


Read my rebus and figure it out
Image courtesy: kristykay22

Rebus: the use of pictures for words or part of words. Here's some more and I'll post the answers tomorrow.


Image courtesy: Graela

Now for today's "Name That Famous Brand":



Yesterday's famous brand: Quaker oats

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.
PS: R is also for really unhappy that google blogger changed its format and I have to adjust. Grrrrrr



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Q is for . . .

Two Maries at the open tomb
Image courtesy: Nick in exsilio

Quem Quaeritis. It’s a few weeks late, but what the hey. This is latin for “Whom do you seek?” This question is asked by the Angels to Mary when she goes looking for Jesus’s body in the sepulcher. Then the Angels reply that he is not there, he is risen.

For today’s “Name That Famous Brand” I’m back in the kitchen:



Stumped? It's a food and a person belonging to a certain religion.

Yesterday's famous brand: Harry Potter. Maybe the word 'brand' was confusing, but with all the Harry Potter merchandise around, it certainly qualifies. Who else has a lightening font?

Click on the A to Z Challenge button top right for a linked list of participants.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

P is for . . .

Tower of Pisa
Image courtesy: thenerdsangle

As I pee, sir, I see Pisa!

Wait, that’s backwards. I meant to type: as I pee, sir, I see Pisa.

Huh?

Yep, you got it. My ‘p’ word is palindrome. See here for more examples. My fave: Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots!

Here's today's "Name That Famous Brand":



Hint: This did not come out of the kitchen pantry.

Yesterday's famous brand: Olivio (a butter substitute made with olive oil)

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

O is for . . .



An O. Henry ending: one with a surprise or twist. Among recent reads, Backroads by Tawni O’Dell has the most shocking ending. I highly recommend it not just for the plot twists, but the mc’s voice: pitch perfect.

Do you have a favorite O. Henry ending?

And now for today’s “Name That Famous Brand”:



This one is a little tough, so I didn't crop the photo for an extra clue.

Yesterday's famous brand: Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate chips

Click on the A to Z Challenge button at top right for a linked list of participants.

Monday, April 16, 2012

N is for . . .



Necromancy, a form of magic focused on communicating with the dead by either summoning their spirit or raising their body from the grave. Also used for black magic or witchcraft.

The book pictured above is a coloring book. Don't you just love the warning that it’s not for children! Maybe I should have saved this cover for tomorrow's letter 'o' as in oxymoron.

Here's today's "Name That Famous Brand" game:



Now this is essential for a good childhood.

Yesterday's famous brand: M & M's, of course. Boy, there's a lot of chocolate represented in my alphabet.

Click on the A to Z Challenge button (top right) for a linked list of participants.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

M is for . . .

mama's got a squeezebox, daddy never sleeps at night
Image courtesy: The Intrepid Traveler

Mama's music: When I was young the haunting strains of Nina Simone would fill the house with songs like “Feeling Good” and . . .

Okay, that’s a big, fat lie. I’m thinking of Maggie Hayward in the movie Point of No Return (played by Bridget Fonda). As much as I enjoyed the Point of No Return soundtrack, this is what mom actually had on our record player:

REUBEN JAMES! For you still walk the furrowed fields of my mind . . .

Oh yeah. Kenny Rogers, Chris Christoferson, and Anne Murray. What did your mama play on her squeezebox?

Here's today's "Name That Famous Product” quiz:



Am I making these blurry on purpose to foozle you? No, I just suck at camera close-ups.

Yesterday's famous brand: Lysol

Click on the A to Z Challenge button (top right) for a linked list of participants.

Friday, April 13, 2012

L is for . . .

Jan 05 (42)
Image courtesy: theloushe

Here's a funny story. One horrible day, my two-year-old barfed. No big deal. A few minutes later, she was good to go. A few hours later, every particle in my digestive system took the nearest exit. Yep, rotovirus. Then it hit my four-year-old. Then my husband. While the three of us lay around cradling our barf buckets and moaning like the undead, the two-year-old stood high and mighty with a triumphant gleam in her eye, thinking: "I AM LEGEND!"

Here's the "Name That Famous Brand" quiz:



This product comes in handy for barf-o-ramas.

Yesterday's famous brand: Kraft

Click on the A to Z Challenge button (top right) for the linked list of participants.

Note: Due to some family stuff, tomorrow's post won't go up until late afternoon or evening.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

K is for . . .

IMG_5538
Image courtesy: NomadicStateOfMind

Kismet. When I went on my honeymoon in the perfect spot, Kauai, and embarked on my favorite activity, hiking, my brand new husband heard a rustling in the bushes. Being two hours (on foot) from civilization we were shocked and delighted at the furry creature that popped out: a kitten. Sadly, the feral cat population is out of control on many of the islands, but seeing my favorite animal out in the wilds was a magical moment.

Here's the "Name that Famous Brand" picture quiz:



Don't worry, your eyesight has not gotten worse. I took a blurry shot.

Yesterday's famous brand: Jif creamy peanut butter

Click on the A to Z Challenge button, top right, to get back to the linked list.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J is for . . .

a juxtaposition of tubes - 30/365/2010
Image courtesy: nashworld

Continuing with my literary kick, I bring you:

Juxtaposition: The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development.

Scratching your head? A classic example is The Princess and the Pauper. My writing is full of juxtaposition: a worried child and a frazzled employee each placed in front of a desk where something is about to fall into their laps, a man and woman in a love/hate relationship who both lost their mother as young children, and a wealthy plantation owner and town scoundrel both suffering from tortuous father/son conflicts.

How about you? Does you wip use juxtaposition?

Here's today's "Name that Famous Brand":



What can I say, I'm choosy.

Yesterday's famous brand was tough, but a few of you recognized it: intel inside

Click on the A to Z Challenge button (upper right) for a linked list of participants.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I is for . . .

Bailey narrowly avoids kicking the bucket

Image courtesy: CowboyDave's "Bailey narrowly avoids kicking the bucket"

Another powerful writer's tool: idioms--where a word or phrase takes on a meaning beyond the technical definition of its parts.

Some of my faves: No rest for the wicked, lost your marbles, get on my last nerve, brevity is the soul of wit

Today's "Name That Famous Brand":


Image courtesy: clipped from an picture by LewisRiley

The real challenge was getting a useable image of this brand. The one in my house was too tiny for the camera to snap a clear picture.

Yesterday's famous brand: Hershey's

Click on the A to Z Challenge button top right for the linked list.

Note: Once again, I'm behind on my replies. Darn you migraine! (I gotta get myself together here.)

Monday, April 9, 2012

H is for . . .



Image courtesy: OCVA

Hendiadys. It's not easy to say, much less to define. But if you're a writer, it can be a powerful tool.

Definition from Wikipedia: The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination.

Say what? The basic idea is to use two words linked by a conjunction to express a single complex idea.

For example, Macbeth could have said, "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of furious sound", but that's nowhere near as cool as "full of sound and fury", is it?

Or how about, "Thine is the kingdom, power and glory"? Amen.

Today's "Name That Famous Brand":



One word: yum.

Yesterday's famous brand: Glad, as in plastic garbage and sandwich bags

Click on the A to Z Challenge button top right for a linked list of participants.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

G is for . . .


Image courtesy: Avhell

All things gothic. Wouldn't it be fun to live in a haunted house?

Today's "Name That Famous Brand":



If you can't figure it out, please, don't get mad.

Yesterday's famous brand was a tough one. Maybe none of the contestants had cats. It was: Friskies cat food

Note: G is also for gastrointestinal bug. Unfortunately, that's what I got for ordering the great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts last night. Oh, aag. I will get back to all comments and followers as soon as I can. Happy Easter!

Click on the A to Z Challenge button top right of page for a linked list of participants