Chances are, if you live in the United States, you're still talking about last night's debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. If you're not talking about it, you're either mute or you're not an American.
I can't even picture an American who doesn't have strong feelings about the elections in three weeks. I think the turnout is going to beat all the polls, and perhaps end some marriages.
I'm not a registered Democrat or a Republican, but I like to describe myself as a "Progressive Liberal Feminist," and, as I'm sure you can guess, I think Obama blew Mitt Romney all the way to where Felix began his jump a few days ago. Why?
It wasn't low expectations. I think we all knew he was going to come in prepared this time, and hopefully interested. He seemed bored to me (or maybe tired) last time. And it wasn't only how feisty he was, which I LOVE (you wanna run a country? You have to be combative!), it's also what he said. I seriously hope he fired whom ever advised him last time on being "Presidential" i.e. laid back, i.e."let Romney walk all over me."
I love that he brought up the 47% comment, and I love that he mentioned that he killed Bin Laden, which he did, and the fact that he equalized the pay for women very soon after in office. And that women have the right to contraceptives, and that he wants to raise taxes on rich, and that he's actually saving our money with Obamacare...(which he is. The emergency care is the most expensive one. Preventative is the cheapest.)
I agree with all of those statements, I understand what he's saying.
So, I thought, he did his job brilliantly. And, Oh, yes, defending Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice! Absolutely brilliant. ( I don't know who can even think that the President decides how much security to send to an Embassy or a consulate?! That's some security State Department's person's job, obviously to anyone who uses his/her brains.)
I'm not saying here Obama is a perfect President. He isn't. He probably could have done more. He should do more. Not only on jobs, but for example, on limiting the assault weapons.
But, please, just listen what Mitt Romney is saying. What he's saying makes no sense to me.
I was a math major in high school and I don't understand how he's going to reduce deficit unless he raises taxes. And I'm tired of his "closing the loopholes" mantra. Which loopholes? Which exact deductions? How much money are you going to save, per deduction, per loophole, exact amounts?
But the thing that really, really annoys me is his stance on abortion. I mean, please explain to me how can you be both pro-abortion and anti-abortion. If you are anti-abortion because life begins at conception, then you HAVE to be anti-abortion even if that life started with incest or rape, or even if it endangers the mother! It's life right?
What, so it's o.k. to kill a baby if it's a rapist's baby? Hypocrisy with a big H. And I just HATE hypocrisy.
I also have a problem when a man who is very religious and has five sons tells me he is against abortion. Men should never tell women what to do with their bodies. Period! If you're against abortion, you don't have one!
So, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm one of the "undecided ones." As undecided as those people in Hofstra's audience last night.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
NaNoWriMo
Yes, if you didn't know November is National Novel Writing Month. I didn't know, until this year.
So, I decided, after careful consideration, (actually, my mother said: "don't go to Ukraine, it's not for you, which totally plays into my childhood fantasy that I was abducted from a castle in Western Europe), that going to Ukraine for a blind assignment (wouldn't know where or with whom) when the weather is cold, and they might not have bathrooms where I might be going (this happened to me in a village around Medvedja in Serbia in 2003, when men just shrugged and turned toward a forest), is not the greatest idea I ever had.
Plus, I already signed up for this novel challenge.
And if you have been reading me, I love challenges.
So, my friends, I'm doing it! I'm writing a 50,000 novel in one month! How? I have no idea! Not even a clue! I see on forums that people have already decided what kind of novel they will write. Me? I'm still thinking, and apparently dreaming. Yes, I dreamt last night that I was writing this novel, counting words, some people tried to derail me, women mostly, but I can't identify them now (If I could I would probably screen their calls.)
But that's all fine, right? I have another almost 20 days to think about the novel, think about the characters I want in it, then on November 1, I set them like actors on a stage, and press play. In my head.
So, I am very, very, very excited!!!
I will also update this blog all throughout the challenge. Unless I have a splitting headache from staring at the screen.
If you want to join me, (I'm suppose to be recruiting "writing buddies" since, they say, it's easier if you have someone hovering over your head the whole month, or, some people would define this simply as "being married."), please e-mail me, or sign up and "buddy" me.
Happy to be happy and miserable at the same time with another soul the whole month of November!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
So, I decided, after careful consideration, (actually, my mother said: "don't go to Ukraine, it's not for you, which totally plays into my childhood fantasy that I was abducted from a castle in Western Europe), that going to Ukraine for a blind assignment (wouldn't know where or with whom) when the weather is cold, and they might not have bathrooms where I might be going (this happened to me in a village around Medvedja in Serbia in 2003, when men just shrugged and turned toward a forest), is not the greatest idea I ever had.
Plus, I already signed up for this novel challenge.
And if you have been reading me, I love challenges.
So, my friends, I'm doing it! I'm writing a 50,000 novel in one month! How? I have no idea! Not even a clue! I see on forums that people have already decided what kind of novel they will write. Me? I'm still thinking, and apparently dreaming. Yes, I dreamt last night that I was writing this novel, counting words, some people tried to derail me, women mostly, but I can't identify them now (If I could I would probably screen their calls.)
But that's all fine, right? I have another almost 20 days to think about the novel, think about the characters I want in it, then on November 1, I set them like actors on a stage, and press play. In my head.
So, I am very, very, very excited!!!
I will also update this blog all throughout the challenge. Unless I have a splitting headache from staring at the screen.
If you want to join me, (I'm suppose to be recruiting "writing buddies" since, they say, it's easier if you have someone hovering over your head the whole month, or, some people would define this simply as "being married."), please e-mail me, or sign up and "buddy" me.
Happy to be happy and miserable at the same time with another soul the whole month of November!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
To Novel, or To Ukraine?
I was asked if I wanted to observe elections in Ukraine. Late October-November. I have to give an answer today.
Why am I thinking about it?
Well, I am a trained election observer and I have done it before, but in Serbia. I'm safe in Serbia. Plus I went with people I knew, and I knew where I was going.
The Ukraine trip? I have never been to Ukraine. I don't know where I would be going, with whom or where I would be staying. I won't know any of those things before I commit. Plus, it's considered to be a "volunteer" work, so the expenses are paid but it's not a job. I don't get a salary.
And I have to make the decision today. Right after I made another decision yesterday. To begin writing a novel.
So, my novel writing, I decided yesterday, after talking to a colleague, a novelist, from one of my writing classes, will begin by me entering the "one- month- novel- writing- competition" that starts on November 1. And ends on November 30. 50,000 words in one months. I love it! It sounds challenging and exciting and that's why I love it!
But now if I take the Ukraine assignment I couldn't do it. I would go to Serbia after Ukraine and be back here in mid-November.
It's one of those lose-lose situations in my opinion. The Ukraine trip could be very rewarding, or it could be difficult and scary. I don't know. Never been.
On the other hand, I look Slavic. (I am Slavic) but my Russian is very, very, very rusty.
I'm sure they're not thrilled by Americans there. But I don't know how I would get by without speaking English to the colleagues I would go with. And I sincerely doubt they speak foreign languages.
So, I'm trying to talk to as many people possible today, get as much info as I can, so I can make a decision by tonight that will not leave me miserable.
If that's at all possible.
So, if you, reading this, have a thought, please share it with me.Or don't. It's up to you. I'll make a decision either way. Just hope it's not one I regret. Again.
Why am I thinking about it?
Well, I am a trained election observer and I have done it before, but in Serbia. I'm safe in Serbia. Plus I went with people I knew, and I knew where I was going.
The Ukraine trip? I have never been to Ukraine. I don't know where I would be going, with whom or where I would be staying. I won't know any of those things before I commit. Plus, it's considered to be a "volunteer" work, so the expenses are paid but it's not a job. I don't get a salary.
And I have to make the decision today. Right after I made another decision yesterday. To begin writing a novel.
So, my novel writing, I decided yesterday, after talking to a colleague, a novelist, from one of my writing classes, will begin by me entering the "one- month- novel- writing- competition" that starts on November 1. And ends on November 30. 50,000 words in one months. I love it! It sounds challenging and exciting and that's why I love it!
But now if I take the Ukraine assignment I couldn't do it. I would go to Serbia after Ukraine and be back here in mid-November.
It's one of those lose-lose situations in my opinion. The Ukraine trip could be very rewarding, or it could be difficult and scary. I don't know. Never been.
On the other hand, I look Slavic. (I am Slavic) but my Russian is very, very, very rusty.
I'm sure they're not thrilled by Americans there. But I don't know how I would get by without speaking English to the colleagues I would go with. And I sincerely doubt they speak foreign languages.
So, I'm trying to talk to as many people possible today, get as much info as I can, so I can make a decision by tonight that will not leave me miserable.
If that's at all possible.
So, if you, reading this, have a thought, please share it with me.Or don't. It's up to you. I'll make a decision either way. Just hope it's not one I regret. Again.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
You'll only regret...
Which wise-face said that "you'll only regret things you haven't done?"
I heard this a long time ago, in Serbia, and for a long time thought it true.
Not anymore.
Not that I don't have regrets. But they go both ways.
For example, a few days ago, I decided that I will go after fellowships. At this point, I realize, it is something that I would love to do, a fiction-writing fellowship. Anywhere, though Harvard would be my first choice.
But in 2006. I had an offer from Boston College for an assistantship and full scholarship for an M.A. in Slavic Studies, which I said no to because...I'm embarrassed to say why, but, at that point in time, to that Marija, it seemed like a right decision.
I also said NO to two excellent full time jobs--one when I got into grad school in DC, and another, when I was about to move to NYC.
So, am I the only one who thinks about the past a bit and wonders if I made the right decisions, and wonders where I would be now if I had taken any of those other paths?
It's not that I'm not happy with where I am right now, but I have to admit, sometimes, I feel a little lost. And a little bit with a "multiple personality disorder."
Why?
Well, I'm doing 246 different things, but none of them with a 100 percent. And the road to here has been fun, no doubt, and educational; it's just, I wonder something, how stability would fit right now.
Back in 2006, being an assistant in college sounded wrong for me and reporting sounded right, but now, I realized, I don't really want to be a reporter. Which is kind of a bummer after you get an M.A. in it, and spend a lot of time and money on it.
On the other hand, getting an M.A. in creative writing or acting probably would not have been the best decision either.
And now, I feel a little bit like a cat (nine lives and all). I'm applying for fellowships, I'm sending my book to competitions, and to agents, I'm looking for a full-time job in Communications, I want to start my own Internet business, I want to keep learning Italian, and I want to live in Europe again.
And I'm also still interpreting, teaching and consulting on-need basis.
One thing I know for sure. I love to write. Not articles, but fiction, historical fiction, or really any fiction. I actually get goose bumps from reading my own good fiction. Weird, right? From reading other people's great fiction too, not just my own...
So I should probably follow that path as long as there is one. What if it turns into a dirt path? What then? Still follow it? What if I hit a forest? What then? A flashlight?
I heard this a long time ago, in Serbia, and for a long time thought it true.
Not anymore.
Not that I don't have regrets. But they go both ways.
For example, a few days ago, I decided that I will go after fellowships. At this point, I realize, it is something that I would love to do, a fiction-writing fellowship. Anywhere, though Harvard would be my first choice.
But in 2006. I had an offer from Boston College for an assistantship and full scholarship for an M.A. in Slavic Studies, which I said no to because...I'm embarrassed to say why, but, at that point in time, to that Marija, it seemed like a right decision.
I also said NO to two excellent full time jobs--one when I got into grad school in DC, and another, when I was about to move to NYC.
So, am I the only one who thinks about the past a bit and wonders if I made the right decisions, and wonders where I would be now if I had taken any of those other paths?
It's not that I'm not happy with where I am right now, but I have to admit, sometimes, I feel a little lost. And a little bit with a "multiple personality disorder."
Why?
Well, I'm doing 246 different things, but none of them with a 100 percent. And the road to here has been fun, no doubt, and educational; it's just, I wonder something, how stability would fit right now.
Back in 2006, being an assistant in college sounded wrong for me and reporting sounded right, but now, I realized, I don't really want to be a reporter. Which is kind of a bummer after you get an M.A. in it, and spend a lot of time and money on it.
On the other hand, getting an M.A. in creative writing or acting probably would not have been the best decision either.
And now, I feel a little bit like a cat (nine lives and all). I'm applying for fellowships, I'm sending my book to competitions, and to agents, I'm looking for a full-time job in Communications, I want to start my own Internet business, I want to keep learning Italian, and I want to live in Europe again.
And I'm also still interpreting, teaching and consulting on-need basis.
One thing I know for sure. I love to write. Not articles, but fiction, historical fiction, or really any fiction. I actually get goose bumps from reading my own good fiction. Weird, right? From reading other people's great fiction too, not just my own...
So I should probably follow that path as long as there is one. What if it turns into a dirt path? What then? Still follow it? What if I hit a forest? What then? A flashlight?
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Volkswagen, Schmoltzwagen, Fraudwagen, Thiefwagen
It's just unbelievable how quickly one can transit from ecstatic to miserable.
I had a wonderful, active visit to Rome, then Belgrade and Nis, Serbia, and I was full of positive energy and interesting fiction material until Saturday.
On Saturday, my car, my VW Beetle got a pneumonia. How do I know? Its underbelly began banging while on Rock Creek Parkway. It was so bad that I had to have it towed to a VW dealership in Bethesda-Martens.
So, if you have been "reading" me, I'm sure that at some point I have mentioned how in love I am with my car. It's perfect. I talk to it. I have a bumper bully. I have, since Saturday, vanity plates: "MARIJA." I don't like letting other people drive it. And I mourn every scratch incompetent DC parkers put on it. I never, ever hit it, I drive it carefully, all in all, I just love and respect my car.
And a service manager yesterday gave me long a list of worn out and rusty parts, including my brake pads that need to be replaced.
Have I mentioned it's certified pre-owned, with a service warranty?
So, I have been extremely stressed since yesterday and my only way to battle stress-Yoga and dark chocolate--hasn't helped completely.
I am so angry with Martens VW that I want to sue them!Make them go out of business. Have them file for bankruptcy.
I have been bringing my car for a check up every 3-4-5 months, last time in late April and "everything was fine." All of a sudden, I don't have to tell you how huge my bill is, after the warranty, cause, "it doesn't cover everything."
So, I'm not sure if they certified a car that should not have been certified, or if Martens VW is so bad at what they do that they have missed all the warning signs. Or they just wanted things to get so bad, maybe even waited for my warranty to expire so they can charge me an arm and a leg. And they are pricey, let me tell you. I used to think, it was because they were good, better than the rest. The exact opposite.
So, I have called VW America and complained about the dealeships' poor service. I have contacted BBB and filed a complaint with them as well. I'm not going to be duped or frauded. I'm am not going down without a fight, especially since I know I'm right.
What would you do if you go for a physical in April, and the same doctor tell you then you're in perfect health, and in September, you're dying of something? Exactly!
But the real problem is, I love my car, and it's sick. So, I really want them to repair it, put new organs, whatever it takes, clone it for all I care, and not just sell it and get another car. New Beetle is really the only car I want. And they don't make them anymore. Maybe, for a reason :(
My father said: it seems that those Beetles are gentle. How appropriate for moi.
So, if you have any advice on how to deal with this problem, I would appreciate it.
In a meanwhile, my poor little car is still at the shop. Probably sad and lonely.
p.s. No, I'm not crazy. I just love my car. Deal with it.
I had a wonderful, active visit to Rome, then Belgrade and Nis, Serbia, and I was full of positive energy and interesting fiction material until Saturday.
On Saturday, my car, my VW Beetle got a pneumonia. How do I know? Its underbelly began banging while on Rock Creek Parkway. It was so bad that I had to have it towed to a VW dealership in Bethesda-Martens.
So, if you have been "reading" me, I'm sure that at some point I have mentioned how in love I am with my car. It's perfect. I talk to it. I have a bumper bully. I have, since Saturday, vanity plates: "MARIJA." I don't like letting other people drive it. And I mourn every scratch incompetent DC parkers put on it. I never, ever hit it, I drive it carefully, all in all, I just love and respect my car.
And a service manager yesterday gave me long a list of worn out and rusty parts, including my brake pads that need to be replaced.
Have I mentioned it's certified pre-owned, with a service warranty?
So, I have been extremely stressed since yesterday and my only way to battle stress-Yoga and dark chocolate--hasn't helped completely.
I am so angry with Martens VW that I want to sue them!Make them go out of business. Have them file for bankruptcy.
I have been bringing my car for a check up every 3-4-5 months, last time in late April and "everything was fine." All of a sudden, I don't have to tell you how huge my bill is, after the warranty, cause, "it doesn't cover everything."
So, I'm not sure if they certified a car that should not have been certified, or if Martens VW is so bad at what they do that they have missed all the warning signs. Or they just wanted things to get so bad, maybe even waited for my warranty to expire so they can charge me an arm and a leg. And they are pricey, let me tell you. I used to think, it was because they were good, better than the rest. The exact opposite.
So, I have called VW America and complained about the dealeships' poor service. I have contacted BBB and filed a complaint with them as well. I'm not going to be duped or frauded. I'm am not going down without a fight, especially since I know I'm right.
What would you do if you go for a physical in April, and the same doctor tell you then you're in perfect health, and in September, you're dying of something? Exactly!
But the real problem is, I love my car, and it's sick. So, I really want them to repair it, put new organs, whatever it takes, clone it for all I care, and not just sell it and get another car. New Beetle is really the only car I want. And they don't make them anymore. Maybe, for a reason :(
My father said: it seems that those Beetles are gentle. How appropriate for moi.
So, if you have any advice on how to deal with this problem, I would appreciate it.
In a meanwhile, my poor little car is still at the shop. Probably sad and lonely.
p.s. No, I'm not crazy. I just love my car. Deal with it.
Friday, August 24, 2012
When in Rome...
And I call myself a writer! For shame! When I get busy--work, travel, I cease to be a writer. Lame. Embarrassing. Pathetic.
Actually, even though I have a day off before I have to pack for Rome, I barely dragged myself to my favorite cafe to write. "I'm tired, I have so many things to do, blah blah..."
But I did drag myself out, half awake ( I didn't have much sleep last night, and not to good reasons either), and took a bus.
Yes, I was even too lazy to walk.
But now I'm good, my brain is at about 40% capacity, and I'm still waiting for my soy latte to kick in.
And yes, I'm still vegan, until Sunday. On Monday, I'm reverting back to vegetarian. Why? 'Cause I'll be in Rome, and you can't be a vegan in Rome. Food, dude?! Cappuccinos?! Why do you think I'm going to Rome?!
That would be a great book title, or a story: "She went to Rome to have a cappuccino al banco."
And to put her hand into La Bocca Della Verita. Uh huh.
Last time I was there, I wanted to see the Bocca, but no one could tell me where it was, and by no one I mean random Italians in coffee shops and postcard stores.
So, this time I'm coming armed with directions and maps and walking shoes.
And I'm putting my hand into that Bocca, damn it!
Funny thing, I forgot what I wished for three years ago when I flipped that coin into Trevi. So, now how do I know if it worked?!
This time I'll write it down. Actually, I know what I want. Besides to come back to Rome. Hey, that one came true! Almost. Three days away...
Actually, even though I have a day off before I have to pack for Rome, I barely dragged myself to my favorite cafe to write. "I'm tired, I have so many things to do, blah blah..."
But I did drag myself out, half awake ( I didn't have much sleep last night, and not to good reasons either), and took a bus.
Yes, I was even too lazy to walk.
But now I'm good, my brain is at about 40% capacity, and I'm still waiting for my soy latte to kick in.
And yes, I'm still vegan, until Sunday. On Monday, I'm reverting back to vegetarian. Why? 'Cause I'll be in Rome, and you can't be a vegan in Rome. Food, dude?! Cappuccinos?! Why do you think I'm going to Rome?!
That would be a great book title, or a story: "She went to Rome to have a cappuccino al banco."
And to put her hand into La Bocca Della Verita. Uh huh.
Last time I was there, I wanted to see the Bocca, but no one could tell me where it was, and by no one I mean random Italians in coffee shops and postcard stores.
So, this time I'm coming armed with directions and maps and walking shoes.
And I'm putting my hand into that Bocca, damn it!
Funny thing, I forgot what I wished for three years ago when I flipped that coin into Trevi. So, now how do I know if it worked?!
This time I'll write it down. Actually, I know what I want. Besides to come back to Rome. Hey, that one came true! Almost. Three days away...
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sharks, kayaks, Amazing Graces, interviews, Roman cappuccinos
Hello earthlings!
I know, I dropped from the face of the earth.
Where have I been, what have I done?
Well, just got back from Boston's South Shore, Boston proper and Cape Code-Province town and Hyannis.
Great vacation, except that no one told me there are sharks in Cape Cod. I, typically found out after I got out of the water in Hyannis. Thank God it was still kind of chilly for me (everything below 80 is chilly for me) so I didn't stay long in the water nor went very far.
Boston was as charming as always. I bloody love that city. The salty fresh ocean air behind skyscrapers! Big parks! Excellent shopping and cafe culture. What's not to like?!
And I finally kayaked! First my family made me paddle boat, which I didn't like since it was too hard (but I never fell in the water, thanks to my Yoga skills, I'm guessing...) but then, once I got into kayak and learned how to turn myself around, hello fun!
As usually I regret not trying it earlier in my vacation. Oh, well, there's always next year.
In other news, VOA Serbian Service interviewed me about my writing successes. The interview
My story "Just a boy" was accepted by Amazing Graces, a book of fiction by DC area female writers and it will come out next year with promotion in Politics and Prose. Hugely proud of that.
Two other stories: "Bucket of melted pig's fat," and "Storm" have been accepted by two magazines and are coming out in September and October.
What else? Have a few agents interested in my book which I finally finished (sigh) for the second time. So I'm keeping my fingers crosses to find a publisher by the end of the year.
And lastly, I am going to Rome, Italy and Serbia at the end of this month! The reasons? First, I love Italy and I am from Serbia. Second, my nephew is getting baptised. Third, I'm learning Italian. Forth, I want to do research on this Vampire story I have began to write but don't have enough info to make it historic.
There you go. Not that I needed four reasons to go anywhere.
And one more thing. My birthday is next week. Any ideas on what I should do on that day (Monday)?
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