Pic of the Week . . . Salvador Dali

Today sees us delving into the weird and wonderful world of Salvador Dali.

I've always liked Dali's work, and one of the first pictures I ever bought myself was a print of one of his pieces depicting the human body and the circle of life (it also included the signature mini figure of him which crops up in most of his pieces).  So I got home, found a home for this piece on my wall and went on with life.  It wasn't until a couple of years ago, however, that I actually realised what I had been looking at all these years.  As with most of his work, there's always a lot going on, a lot to look at and a lot to miss - but how I missed this I'll never know.

A large part of the main focal point in the picture was actually a...erm... *cough...a male member.  The picture was sitting on my wall all those years and I never noticed?  How could that be?  I was just so glad my parents never studied the piece while I was still at home...oh imagine the embarrassment of a teenage girl...

Anyway, this piece, I think - I'm hoping - is clean with no hidden body parts to suddenly jump out and poke you in the eye - pardon the pun.  And seeing as I'm still all about Galleon ships and life at sea, I thought this was apt.

Enjoy and have a great weekend :)

Going 'OVER BOARD' With Research . . .

Research.

It’s something us writer’s must do.  In order to get our facts right in the story we’re telling, we need to look them up.  Do cows really have four stomach compartments?  I don’t know.  Let’s look it up.  Can fire still burn in the rain?  I don’t know.  Let’s look it up.

We need to research, and it’s so easy to get lost in it and forget the reason why we ventured there in the first place.  But there’s a reason why we get lost.  We find interest in what we’re looking up, and you find yourself learning and discovering new things (albeit things you may never need again after you've finished your WIP).

I definitely discovered something new researching for my current piece.  As many of you know, old galleon ships play a huge role in my story, and so a lot of research has had to be put in to get things right.  I'm fairly lucky in that I have a small amount of navy knowledge from my teens when I was contemplating joining the Merchant Navy as a communicator, and it's made my life a little easier despite the fact that modern ships and galleon ships are somewhat different (in case you couldn't tell).

However, some of the phrases used back in the day are still being used today, and did you know that a lot of our common phrases originate from old navy terms?  Yeah!  I was stunned to learn this and thought it interesting enough to share.  Here's a few examples:

• Above board – "Everything seems above board; kosha; ok; legit"

Original meaning: On or above the deck, in plain view, not hiding anything.

• Chock-a-block - "The shop is chock-a-block; rammed; tight"

Original meaning: The rigging blocks on a ship are so tight against one another that they cannot be further tightened.

• Clean bill of health - "The person has been given a clean bill of health"

Original meaning: A certificate issued by a port indicating that the ship carries no infectious diseases.

• Fly by night - "A term given to someone who is seldom seen " 

Original meaning: A large sail used only for sailing downwind, requiring little attention.

• Flotsam and Jetsam - "random belongings; clutter; junk"

Original meaning: Debris ejected from a ship that sinks or washes ashore.

• Know the ropes -  "A new person is learning the ropes; to know the ropes; knows what they are doing"

Original meaning: A sailor who 'knows the ropes' is familiar with the miles of cordage and ropes involved in running a ship.

• Loose cannon - " A wild, outgoing person; someone hard to control"

Original meaning: An irresponsible and reckless individual whose behavior (either intended or unintended) endangers the group he or she belongs to. A loose cannon, weighing thousands of pounds, would crush anything and anyone in its path, and possibly even break a hole in the hull, thus endangering the seaworthiness of the whole ship.

• Nipper - "A nickname given to a child with fondness"

Original meaning: A short rope used to bind a cable to the "messenger" (a moving line propelled by the capstan) so that the cable is dragged along too (used where the cable is too large to be wrapped round the capstan itself). During the raising of an anchor the nippers were attached and detached from the (endless) messenger by the ship's boys. Hence the term for small boys: 'nippers'.

• No room to swing a cat – "A room that is too small"

Original meaning: The entire ship's company was expected to witness floggings and assemble on deck. If it was very crowded, the bosun might not have room to swing the 'cat o' nine tails' (the whip).

• Son of a gun – "A slang term used to describe someone" 

Original meaning: The space between the guns was used as a semi-private place for trysts with prostitutes and wives, which sometimes led to birth of children with disputed parentage. Another claim is that the origin the term resulted from firing a ship's guns to hasten a difficult birth.

• Taken aback - "Shocked, stunned"

Original meaning: An inattentive helmsmen might allow the dangerous situation to arise where the wind is blowing into the sails 'backwards', causing a sudden (and possibly dangerous) shift in the position of the sails.

• Under the weather – "To feel a little under the weather; not well"

Original meaning: Serving a watch on the weather side of the ship, the side exposed to wind and spray.



There are so many more that I could list, and it's stunning how sea-fairing ways from centuries ago have influenced our ways, terms and sayings today.

Love a bit of research, I do.  Who knows what you might discover :)

Book Launch: 'Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology For Andrew' . . .

It's here! It's here!!!

The 4th and 5th of February of this year (2013) saw a bloghop hosted by Nick Wilford.  This hop? The 'Overcoming Adversity' bloghop.

Bloggers from all over the blogasphere found themselves writing short pieces and taking part, pieces to move and uplift you.  These wonderful pieces were then collected and have now been published together in one amazing anthology to help raise money for one specific good cause.  Read on to find out more:

Blurb

A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces - real life, flash fiction, and poetry - about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.

The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor's stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination.

Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Adversity-Anthology-Andrew-ebook/dp/B00BM62EZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362210101&sr=8-1

Amazon US:

http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Adversity-Anthology-Andrew-ebook/dp/B00BM62EZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362210134&sr=8-1&keywords=nick+wilford

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/290822

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17452314-overcoming-adversity

Editor Bio:

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction. When not writing he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also co-running a campaign to get a dedicated specialist college built in Scotland. Visit him at http://nickwilford.blogspot.co.uk/.

*As a side note, I'd just like to thank Nick for the wonderful opportunity given me to work on the cover for 'Overcoming Adversity', following the wonderful and interesting concepts of Ella over at Ella's Edge.

The Truth Is Out There...

My post on Friday was largely influenced by the meteor that hit Russia and I stated that the threat of a meteor plummeting to earth is something that frightens the hell out of me.  The belief that it was a giant meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs is near enough proven, with a crater found beneath the gulf of Mexico large enough to have a devastating enough effect. 

And you only have to look at the other side of the moon to see the amount of boulder marks that scar it to realise that it happens all the time.  I know there are authorities that are keeping an eye on the sky and tracking paths, but the question is still asked.  What if...?

However, to say that a meteor threat frightens me, isn't to say that I'm not fascinated with the mysteries that are out there.  That's an understatement and a half.  Each time I see the pictures below, I'm filled with awe - so much so that I just have to share for those who are unaware.

This first picture represents the size of earth in comparison to other planets in our solor system:

Venus, Mars, mercury and Pluto

This second picture represents the above planets in comparison to the giants,

Saturn and Jupiter

  This picture, however, represents the size of all our plants in comparison to our sun.  

Now this is where it gets interesting.

New planets are being found all over, and the below picture depicts the size of our sun

in conjunction with three new planets, Sirius, Pollux and Arcturus.

(Notice that Jupiter is one pixel whilst Earth is not even visible)

And it doesn't end there.

All of the above planets are now overshadowed by Rigel, Aldebaran,

Betelgeuse and Antares.

Go on, say it.  You know you want to.  Wow!!!

And with new, Earth like planets still being discovered, who's to say what's out there, and for me it's hard to believe that we're the only life form around.  I just can't see it.

So all those writers out there who dabble in a little sci-fi, you may not be too far from the truth...after all, the truth is out there!! (sorry, had to throw that in there somewhere :D )

Pic of the Week . . . For Russia's Meteor

So...Russia was attacked by a meteor, huh?  Wow...*Shudders...

A little fact about me:  Things like that scare me. I couldn't even bring myself to watch Deep Impact and Armageddon when they came out (still haven't to this day).  These films may be fiction but the threat is very much real in my eyes.  It could happen and it's that defenceless feeling it leaves you with.  There's nothing you can do but wait and pray for a miracle.  

I once wrote a short piece for our writers group and posted it on here a few years back (although some of the characters were changed).  What would you do if you only had an hour before the world ended?  How would you spend that last hour?  In truth, I'd probably spend it alone.  My family are too far away, my husband away most of the week, and so it would be me and my cat. And then I began to feel guilty because as much as I love my cat, I wouldn't be able to protect her.  In the end I contemplated a nice bottle of wine, some sleeping pills to share with my feline friend and a warm bed to snuggle down in.  Even now, just thinking about it makes me shudder.  What would you do in the last hour?

And so, to honour those who have had the fright of their lives today I've gone for a Sci-Fi theme picture.  A wallpaper.

Enjoy and have a great weekend, everyone. And remember, keep looking to those skies :)

     

Exercise Your Imagination . . .

I bit the bullet the other week and joined a gym.  One of my friends had a free pass at her gym and she invited me to join her for the day, so I went and I was taken by it.  But the price was a little off-putting for me.  After having struggled financially through the past few months and having to deal with unemployment and accidents and the likes, I couldn't justify forking out £50 a month for a gym membership.  And what was worse, you had to sign a yearly contract, so I would have to pay that for twelve months.

I didn't join.

Instead I shopped around and found another in my area for just £13 a month.  That's a huge difference.  It may not be as plush but it has all the amenities needed.  And with a rolling month contract, I joined.  As sods law would have it, I hurt my leg just after joining (and not a gym injury) and so couldn't go for the first week.  I was p***ed off with that.  I was all syked up.  So last night was my first gym night.

Exercise plays a huge factor in most people's creativity.  It breaths life into the imagination.  And us writers need regular exercise.  As you can imagine, a full time writer theoretically spends all day sitting at the computer typing.  Whereas their fingers get a huge workout as they constantly navigate the keyboard, the rest of the body doesn't.  And for me, working in an office has had the same effect.  The pounds soon pile on and an unhealthy routine is soon adopted, not including the laziness in imagination.

Writers need exercise, even if it's just a 20 minute walk a day.  It's a must and an important part in anyone's life.  Stephen King is a classic example of this.  He used to go out walking everyday for about an hour - until he got knocked over and nearly killed.  But he understood this importance.  And when I used to walk everywhere before I got my driving licence, my imagination was fit and healthy.  I was writing at full steam ahead, then when that changed it sloooowed.

I'm hoping now that I've joined a gym things will pick up again to the pace they used to be - not to mention ridding myself of those extra few pounds...

So if your creativity is struggling to thrive at the moment, why don't you consider turning your attention to a little exercise?  It really does work wonders :)        

Pic of the Week . . . Chinese New Year

This weekend celebrates the Chinese New Year and this year welcomes the Year of the Snake.  Therefore for this week's Pic of the Week, I've gone for a snake theme.  I was looking for a chinese artist but this piece struck my eye.  Unfortuntely it was from a Free Wallpaper site and it didn't quote the actual artist, so, if you happen across this post and you're the artist of this wonderful piece, then please state and drop me the address of your website and I will credit you.  Have to give credit where credit's due...

So, for those celebrating the Chinese New Year, I hope you all have a wonderful time.

Enjoy :)