I was a student of writing (and many other things) in college. I didn’t pursue a degree in it, however I took so many writing classes I graduated with enough credits for an associates degree. It was never my intention to earn a degree in creative writing. I just liked writing. But that was twenty years ago. Regrettably, I let a lot of things slide when we moved back home, most notably my daily journals. Vermont inspired me in a way central Pennsylvania does not. But this leaf is about saying thank you and I mention the above first simply because the “thank you” I wish to share goes to Terry Bain, the creator of the “Write One Leaf” website. Perhaps this leaf is a little inside baseball, but adding writeoneleaf.tumblr.com to my Tumblr dashboard has encouraged me to write creatively again, and kept me writing, both on my Tumblr and offline. In 2008, I returned to journaling, but to be consistent I dedicated myself to a daily, one sentence mini-journal. But it wasn’t the same. The enjoyment I have found with Terry’s leaves, the anticipation of my next “exercise”, has made me excited about writing again. Saying thank you is not just about showing appreciation. It’s also a way to acknowledge to yourself that other people’s actions benefit your life. Like Terry’s website. Thanks, Terry.
(encouraged by writeoneleaf)
Discovered — and enjoyed — a series of videos on YouTube today (original productions from SPACERIP TV and Space.com) entitled Cosmic Journeys — described as cutting-edge stories about the origins of the universe, black holes, exploding stars, the search for ET life, and the nature of the planets.
Also on the topic of “Space”, I added the feed of the Tumblr site It’s Full Of Stars to my Dashboard recently and have been enjoying its content immensely. Definitely worth the follow.
Sat
Feb
27
I love my name. I’m not even bothered by the fact that my first name is sort of popular. I knew a few Andy’s growing up, but not enough to feel my name was commonplace. There were far more John’s and James’ around me. I rarely say my name out loud. In fact, I sometimes catch myself after saying “Andy”. That’s my name? It sounds kind of weird, phonetically, I mean. Nasally, a little awkward sounding. No. Andy is fine. It’s not the name, but its initial I care most about. You see, I have the greatest last name in the world, or at least, the greatest last name to be preceded by the initial “A”. I realized I was “a fluke” very early on, but when I tried to express this to the rest of my family, I was always rewarded with blank stares. Was it that they didn’t get it? Were they ashamed of that meaning of our last name? As a kid I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. My friends names were boring and meaningless in comparison. I didn’t even mind the other definitions of “fluke”. Whale’s tail, cool. Anchor prong, whatever. Parasitic flatworm, now you’re talking. My name has influenced my attitude about the universe we live in on a fundamental, very rational level. Probability and chance have defined my interpretation of the world around me, and yet, I can’t help smiling when I think my name puts me on the upside of every coin. Although that’s completely irrational, of course.
(encouraged by writeoneleaf)
reblogged from ![reblogged from thedailywhat:
Flickr Set of the Day: Philip Bond’s portraits of female astronauts.
Above: Valentina Tereshkova — the first woman in space — who “orbited the Earth 48 times during her three day spaceflight in Vostok 6 in 1963.”
[blort.]](http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kypwkgjjT51qzpwi0o1_500.png)
