Resistance fighters, Randomness and Albert Camus
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WHAT I'M READING
I've been reading a random collection of letters written by people during the German occupation of France during WWII. I collect things like this, don't ask me why as I couldn't give you a sufficient answer. (I buy old black and white photographs from yard sales too and rescue non-working 1940's radios from trash heaps. I must share some of my DNA with magpies.) There are some amazing minds that lived during this time period, some well known, others obscure. I find the ordinary, obscure ones the most fascinating. And I am in awe at the inner strength some of these people possessed.
WHAT I'M WRITING
I've written a pittance this week. *swears* *resolves to do better* I did take part in one of the very fun Word Sprints hosted by the YABuccaneers which was just the motivation I needed to get my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard. Peer pressure can be a good thing. *grin* Oh and I did do the Walk the Plank Flash Fiction post for August which if you missed it is right here. So I guess I'm up at least 200+ words. *sighs theatrically*
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
Hmmm....What did I actually do this week? For how busy I felt, I should have accomplished something monumental. I didn't. Instead I spent my time:
- kayaking (of course)
- planting 1,037 trees (for work)
- spray painting rubber snakes
- writing song lyrics on bar coasters
- doing battle with some unknown bug (which totally wiped me out this weekend)
- trying to make my own shoes
oh and,
- figuring out how to turn my house into a giant black and white circus tent for Halloween (because PRIORITIES)
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
One of the well-known minds living during the German occupation of France in WWII was Camus. This photo has one of my favorite quotes of his. And this time it made me think, "I'm working on it...truly I am." Which made me very happy.
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I love Albert Camus. I love his books. Is his letter to a German friend part of that book? I read this one so many times.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week!
You know, I think I like his letters even more than his books. They are so human and so fine.
DeleteHope your week is marvelous too!
I LOVE that quote from Camus! Especially the part about pushing back. The only thing I remember about Camus is reading THE STRANGER. In French. That was in high school and I wasn't a huge fan. That quote just changed the mind a little bit.
ReplyDeleteAnd sounds like you've had a rollercoaster week! Hope you're feeling better. Also, LOVE this idea you have for Halloween. I hope we'll be seeing pictures. Also, 200 words is better than no words. I hope to do another sprint this week. That was so fun!
It seems like EVERY French class makes their students read The Stranger. We had to do that too. I think I would get a lot more out of it now though than I did in High School.
DeleteAnd Halloween pictures, you know there will be pictures. Whether or not I can share any of them is another story. :) (what happens at the Halloween party, stays at the Halloween party)
I'm curious about making your own shoes - details, please!
ReplyDeleteRandomly enough, I was just thinking last night about how I might dress 40s glam style for Halloween.
I also wrote a pittance this week :( But yay for Word Sprints! I can't wait to get some words down tonight.
I feel to be honest, I have to admit this isn't the first time I've tried to make my own shoes. This time was a little more successful though. :)
DeleteAnd 40's glam for Halloween...YOU MUST. You would kill that outfit. Seriously.
The technology we enjoy today is largely a result of the ingenuity--nay, genius--of some of those WWII minds, many of them unsung heroes.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about the Walk the Plank challenge--not thinking about whether I'm doing it, but what I'm going to write. I love challenges like this. I haven't read yours yet, but I will once I've written mine. :)
Planting 1,037 trees? Wow--that's a lot of trees! All by yourself?
Have a great week, Kris! :D
Can't wait to see what you write for the Walk the Plank challenge! It is a ton of fun. I think I'm a flash fiction junkie now. :)
DeleteAnd yes, 1,037 trees planted by little ol me. And yes, I felt all that shoveling for a few days afterward.
Hope your week is great too!
Love the "What Else I've Been Up To" section of this post, Kris. My husband and I kayak often, and writing song lyrics on bar coasters has a certain romantic ring to it. Best of luck with your writing this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Katy! So cool to meet another kayaker. Giving guided kayak tours is a side business of mine and man is it ever a ton of fun!
DeleteHope you have a fantastic week too!
Your collections sound so interesting. I became obsessed with WWII era Life magazines that my family somehow came across when I was maybe 12 or so. I still have some Life mags from the 40s-60s which capture the eras so wonderfully. I also love old postcards.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love old Life magazines. Your family's collection sounds wonderful.
DeleteI have a thing for old postcards too! Our old bookstore used to have bins of them and they were some of my all-time favorite bookmarks. I'd look at it each time I opened my book and think "This couple honeymooned in Paris in 1923". Made me smile.
I'm not sure which I love more, that you collect old radios or that you planted 1037 trees last week. The more I read your blog the more I find myself wishing I knew you in real life, you are seriously cool! At least in my own personal quirky definition of the word.
ReplyDeleteAwww...Kate you just made my day! And I would love to know you in 'real life' too! And I wholeheartedly accept your personal, quirky definition of the word "cool" because it's so much better than "she's a total crazy woman" (which is probably more accurate) :)
DeleteMy son is learning about WWII this year, and I have an enormous stack of books to read with him. It's such a terrifying and yet inspirational time period. I love that you collect black and white photos from yard sales! It really is true that a pictures is worth a thousand words, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of black and white, that circus tent you're turning your house into wouldn't happen to be inspired by THE NIGHT CIRCUS, would it? Either way, that sounds like a ton of fun, not to mention quite the challenge!
I'm ecstatic to hear that you planted over a thousand trees this week. I'm not kidding when I say I cry every time I see a tree get cut down. Hope you're feeling much better now, and once again I have to mention I'm amazed that you get any writing down considering all the other cool things you spend time on! :)
How cool that you get to tackle the WWII era with your son! And yes, heart breaking and heart warming at the same time.
DeleteAnd the Halloween theme for this year...yeah, I'm borrowing a bit from the Night Circus. Our theme is Cirque de Morte (Think Cirque du Soleil meets Day of the Dead meets The Night Circus) I know it's a little early to be thinking about Halloween, but we have to start our custom beer brewing early so then we need a label for said beer so we then need a theme for the party. (Don't argue, it's logic.)
Planting trees and restoring wetlands is just about the only good thing I get to do at my day job, but it gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. I hate seeing trees go under the knife too. It causes me physical pain. So getting to put some back, makes it worth it.
As a teen, I had an obsession with old cameras. I never actually managed a decent photo with them, but it didn't matter. I find the quotes you posted inspirational as well, thanks for those!
ReplyDeleteOooh, old cameras are great aren't they. I love the ones that produce all sorts of weird leaks on the film. And I'm glad you liked the quotes. Have a great week Rebekah!
DeleteThose old letters sound so fascinating. I bet you can find so much inspiration in those. I did a lot of research for my 1959 and 1969 historical WIPs and I looked through a lot of TIME magazines. I loved looking through those. Good luck with your writing goals. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour historical MS's sound so cool. That is such a fun time period to read/write about. Hope you have a great rest of the week too! :)
DeleteI'd love to read those letters and see all those photographs. Old pictures are so fascinating, and I love the 1940s.
ReplyDeleteIt's so awesome that you planted so many trees. It's a crying shame how many have been cut down over the years, just to build parking lots, motels, and shopping malls.
I love the 1940's too! And I couldn't agree with you more about the trees. It seems every day we lose more sections of woods to condos and strip malls. It's nice to try and even the score a little bit. (even if I'm super sore afterwards) :)
DeleteThose quotes are great, Kris. Thanks for sharing. Good reminders to appreciate the moments we have, and make the most of this life! This circus tent has me intrigued ... you do such interesting things. There will be photos, no? :) Um, and you're making your own shoes!? And planted over 1,000 trees!?! Let's file these under 'Reasons Why Kris Is Awesome'. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, wow. Those Camus quotes are fantastic! I've read a snippet of the second one before. I think I might have to copy those down and post them somewhere that I can see them on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing them! I hear you on the writing a pittance thing. I didn't accomplish much this week for a whole variety of reasons. Sounds like you've been doing some crazy awesome things this week, though! I think it's awesome that you collect stuff like that, Kris! Very cool! Hope you have a great week. :)
ReplyDelete