Tag: writing

 …from the life of Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
 After 24 years we will no longer own a dump truck. We’ve gone from having 3 to none.

It’s very discouraging to be a business in the state of Illinois. Three years ago we closed our doors to our physical store partly because of taxing policies including TIF and new regulations imposed by the state.  By doing that several people are now unemployed.


The last dump truck had to go. To register and license it in Illinois it cost just over $900.00 a year along with, two $30.00 state required inspections per year. Add to that the cost of fuel (Illinois has extra taxes on fuel) and it became more of a liability to own a truck than to simply sell it and rely on other means of material handling.

Driving a truck in this state is a lot  like having a huge target that local and state law enforcement likes to hit. Recently they stopped a friend of ours who owns a truck because they felt the trailer brake away cable was missing.

That sounds reasonable doesn’t it? Trucks shouldn’t be on the road in bad condition. They are heavy and can harm or kill quickly if the brakes aren’t working.

Although the brake away cable wasn’t missing it was the reason for being stopped. The officer stated there is always a safety issue that can be found once the stop is made and proceeded to write up several violations which would later cost a day of work, court time and fines.   

When local law state in the paper they will be writing more tickets, not because there are more violations, but because revenue is down it becomes just another tax rather than a concern from public safety. 


So–Goodbye truck we’ll miss you. It will be harder to work but we’ll manage.

 

 …from the life of Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

May I have your attention cosmetic companies?

Loreal, Maybelline, Almay and the rest of you, your marketing isn’t working. There I’ve said it. You spend millions of dollars asking me to spend my money on your amazing mascaras. 

I watch as the magic wands of this elixir are applied to already stiletto length lashes on your leggy models and I want them–the lashes not the girl.  

Every three months, I must buy a new length defining, color enriched, self cleaning and lash growing product. It says so on the back of the package or was that the internet? If I don’t I will go blind. 

So why is it when I go to the beauty aisle of Target I stand there and look at all of those choices, and then can’t remember a single one  I wanted to try?

Is it because you never actually show me the packaging?  Or is it because I’m so involved in the mini movies you produce I can’t remember the product or the line that makes it?

So bewildered I will pick up a package and bring it home. Then wallah…that night another commercial comes on and I remember that’s the one I wanted to try, but not the one I bought. 

I hope to learn from your major mistakes major marketing company. I have books to sell. I will do my best to present the title and cover so people can remember them. Though I may need the use of one of your models .  




 

 …from the life of Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

  While word verification may be necessary on blogs to keep spam comments to a small amount, the process leaves me cold.

Yes, I know. I have it on my own comment form. I tried taking it off but wound up with some pretty dreadful things on my blog so it will stay.

But why does it have to be so difficult to read those verification codes? They twist the letters, make the numbers look like letters and sometimes it’s blurry. I’ve had to enter codes on groups and blogs multiple times only to decide it wasn’t worth my time to leave a positive note. 

The other concern I have is that I’m beginning to think these are real words. I typed one in my manuscript the other day. 

Does that mean my writing has now been verified?

from the life of Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

It’s true. Nate Berkus rejected me.

Not me but my couch. 

Here’s the backstory:
 
In November, I wrote to The Nate Show about my couch. The Nate Show was asking about what’s in your house that you hate. The couch came to mind immediately.  

It’s old covered in a floral pink, mauve and blue fabric that will never wear out. My daughter-in-law says it looks like a grandma couch and I’m not a grandma. The cats have tried to sharpen their claws on it, and the fabric doesn’t even shred. It has survived three boys who turned into men. 


In January, Jon from the Nate Show called me. I let it go on the answering machine because I was sure someone (I won’t mention names just initials P.V.) was pranking me.


I called back ready to play along and then laugh. 


Only! It wasn’t a prank call! The Nate Show did think my couch was ugly and outdated and would I mind if they destroyed it if I were selected. 


I responded, “Can I light the match?”


So I’ve been waiting for them to call back and say, “Pack your bags, you’re going to New York to destroy your couch.” Oh the dreams I’ve had! From Nate being shocked at the state of my living room and sweeping in for a clandestine make-over, to a new couch, to a gift card. A chance to go to New York City and maybe a visit to Mood fabrics and the button store.


This week I watched in utter despair as the Demo or Reno show aired, without me or the ugly couch.  Heartbroken, I watched while curled under a blanket on my ugly couch as other furniture was renovated with beautiful fabric picked by Nate. 

The sadness almost had me searching for the chocolate chip bag–almost.


Then I thought about it a little longer. I have a couch and a house to put it in. Some people don’t. I can live with this couch a little longer. 

I’ll get over Nate’s rejection–someday. For awhile though, it was a nice dream. New York and the Nate Berkus show. Life would have been grand. 

If you want to see who did get to go it’s on The Nate Berkus Show website. 


Meanwhile, I’m going to be looking at books like this to see if I can recover it or make slipcovers from drop cloths to hide it’s majestic garden themed fabric.

 




* Because there have been requests here is a photo of the couch. 
**Please don’t be offended if you own a couch like this. This just doesn’t work for me anymore.

Winter Storm Mode! 

That’s what we heard for days and finally it happened. We were prepared. Soups were made to be reheated on the wood stove, stacks of wood ready by the door to burn, the generator was ready to be turned on and my mother-in-law was coxed out of her home.

So what happened? We had sleet/ice. Instead of the brutal weather we expected we were treated to days of diamonds resting in the tree branches. 

So what do you do when the worst is predicted? 
Do you hunker down and prepare? 
Do you say what will be will be? 

I’m stuck on a train, or rather one of my characters is and all I can think about are wheels turning round and round, clackety clack. OR maybe that’s just a headache.


I look at my keyboard. I have written 5 books and tons of articles on this piece of equipment and other than a quick spritz with canned air I have never cleaned it. 


Today I will admit I have fallen into the I don’t know what to do so I’ll clean the keys. 

It now sparkles and the keys feel new. I pray I haven’t cleaned the connection to my brain to well and it will still let me communicate my thoughts. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Anyone else clean their keyboard?

Neurotheology–ever heard of it?

I hadn’t, not until my friend Jen mentioned it to me last week. She heard about it on NPR. 

Andrew Newberg has made it possible through neurotheolgy to explore what happens when a person prays or meditates. Newberg is a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of several books, including How God Changes Your Brain. 

 
 Newberg has been injecting a dye and taking photos of brains after people pray or meditate for over ten years. He’s discovering what Christians knew all along. When you pray you are in the presence of God. It turns out that when you pray, the parietal lobe lights up from the dye like the sun or is that the SON? 


The parietal lobe is the part of the brain is responsible for giving us the orientation of space and time. The light that shows bright on the scans indicates the parietal lobe activity decreases. So the light from the dye, means that part of the brain is inactive or dark. Huh? 


Does that mean when we pray we leave and go to God? I think it might, not physically of course but part of us leaves behind the things of this world for His world. 


Newberg has yet to fine tune his findings. So far it seems it doesn’t matter what faith you believe in as long as you are believing in something to make your brain go inactive.


I want to believe this is more proof that God exists for those who need scientific proof. 


So my suggestion? Hit your knees and light up your brain.

What are you thankful for? Every year that question comes up on Thanksgiving. Today I’m wondering why we don’t ask that question more than once a year. 

Is it because we have trained ourselves to think in holiday format?
New Year’s is for resolutions.
4th of July and it’s time to be patriotic.
Thanksgiving is for thanks.
Christmas is for shopping, giving and getting.


I’m going to switch it up a bit and this year I’m going to make an effort to think of what I am thankful for more often. Want to join me?

What did you to for Halloween?

What???

I had to stop and take a look at this Target endcap. 

My first thought was oh nutcrackers for Christmas, but my brain disagreed so I took another look. These guys are for Halloween. 

Somehow this feels wrong and right at the same time. How is that possible? 

Maybe nutcrackers just want to have fun too.