For one of my favorite holidays, I thought I’d share a recent Halloween-themed painting I did. No, it’s not museum quality. Or even worthy of hanging on my refrigerator, but it was fun to do. Hope you have a happy Halloween! RB
Choosing a Book to Read [Books]
What are your criteria for choosing the next book to read? The question occurred to me the other day when I discovered a guide to navigating National Public Radio’s (NPR) Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books. It’s an interesting way to find something that appeals to my tastes. However, keep in mind the chart…
A Music Moment – King Crimson [Music]
When it comes to experimental progressive music, there aren’t many groups that can compete with King Crimson. Over the decades they’ve blended everything from classical, jazz, and folk, to electronic, industrial, and new wave. They’ve incorporated African rhythms, post-punk, minimalism, and free improvisation. While they are classified as a rock band, I think they are…
Building a Raised Garden Bed [Gardening]
I’ve always found gardening to be a creative exercise. Choosing what plants to put in the garden, which ones looks best together (or grow best together), and trying to keep them alive and thriving takes ingenuity and the ability to adapt. Over the past few years I’ve tried all sorts of different plants, both ornamental…
Back from Hiatus
So, I took a few months off from blogging and social media to take time to recharge and refocus. I felt that I was burning out, both personally and creatively. I put myself into self-imposed social media exile – no Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram – and I stepped away from most of my creative activities….
Appreciating Silence [Creativity]
I sometimes forget how nice silence can be. Like most people, I live my life surrounded by noise. Streaming music (or radio, if you’re old school), television, traffic, airplanes overhead, the hum of electronics, people talking, dogs barking, phones pinging and beeping…it’s constant and never ending. There are times when I need a break from…
Writing with Prompts [Writing]
I’m curious as to how many writers use prompts to get started on a project. Of those who do, how do they find their prompts? Online? From collections of prompts? Do they keep a list of ones they come up with themselves? And are they using prompts just for writing exercises, or do they use…
Review – Rabbits [Books]
I was browsing in a local bookstore a few weeks ago when a book cover caught my eye. Or more specifically, it was the technicolor rabbit on the cover that got my attention. I picked up the book and read the inside flap, the back cover, and then flipped to a random page in the…
Fear of the Written Word [Books]
Lately, I’ve felt as if the United States has somehow slipped back in time a hundred years or so. It’s like our society has regressed in so many areas, but at the moment I want to look at the latest fad of banning and burning books. Book burning and banning isn’t new. Ever since humanity…
Tokyo Manuscript Writing Cafe [Writing]
I stumbled across an article this past week about a new Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyo that sounds fantastic. Unlike your usual cafes where writers have to contend with distractions like loud conversations and the constant traffic of non-writers, this new endeavor strives to make it easier for wordsmiths to meet their daily writing goals….