tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48777257437356639252024-03-13T09:11:54.900-04:00Reading The Skywords and images by Barbara ValiantiBarbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.comBlogger856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-24426411656118608592017-09-28T12:08:00.001-04:002017-09-29T04:51:40.791-04:00The Story Cure; book review
The Story Cure, by Dinty W. Moore, is a well written guide for the novel writer.
It will take you through each section of your book with tips and ideas that should help keep you writing fluidly.
It
will guide you through plot and character problems, as well as a host
of other concerns, giving you easy to understand solutions.
Once you have written down the bones of your Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-25412614379472759282017-09-26T09:31:00.000-04:002017-09-26T09:31:54.084-04:00back to lifeAs you can see, its been quite some time since coming here with any kind of an update on my life.I hardly know where to begin, as some things that I've experienced are quite hazy to me.Back in early August, I believe I was at Maimonides hospital, and for all intents and purposes they transferred me to Cobblehill nursing facility, because, it seemed, that I was on the verge of death.My oncologist,Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-24884421379582365542017-05-28T12:22:00.000-04:002017-05-28T12:22:06.024-04:00The Cancer Chronicles: Part 2, This is my SundanceThis is my Sundance
This is my sundance, my ritual
my flight
crashing
As I juggle my life
in an attempt
to rebuild my identity.
I am fourteen again,
discovering the Ching
and spending a liftetime learning
what those hexagrams mean.
I dance with angels and fairies.
There are magical encounters
with teachers and hawks.
Wolf comes to visit in dreams
over and over again, she will not
be ignored.Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-49553397652813533442017-05-23T13:23:00.004-04:002017-05-28T11:45:24.472-04:00book review: Story Genius
book review: Story Genius, by Lisa Cron
If you want to read a good book, on writing try anything but this one. I recommend Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg, and On Writing, by Stephen King. This book is boring and repetitive. Don't waste your time with this one when there are several others out there that are worth reading.Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-56202900362161723132017-04-27T22:27:00.000-04:002017-04-27T22:27:31.714-04:00The Cancer Chronicles, continued
barefoot doctor
pain creeps up like an angry cat
ready to rip your throat out
should you make the wrong move.
During sleep
I opt for dreams
instead of medication
and wake with aching bones
untouched by the morning dose.
Combing crystals through the air
I collect and discard
the sudden mud
of my aura, and
Tuning forks Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-67814164174107465942017-04-13T18:00:00.000-04:002017-04-13T18:03:05.587-04:00The Cancer Chronicles, part one
Sunday Morning (a day in the life)
The radiator spews heat and
there is no cool breeze
coming through the window.
Shifting between time and days
I am unable to make sense
of the days,
Having been trapped like a bug
in amber
The bed sticks to my thighs
as if encasing me
in the slow drip of time,
A thick gush of resin
suffocating me.
No blue light of dawn
wakes me Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-534446226653284352017-03-06T16:41:00.000-05:002017-03-06T16:41:17.207-05:00long time no seeHey folks, long time no see.
I have been without a computer (both my Surface and my desktop are not working since before Christmas... November probably.) for a good long time, and it doesn't look like I will be up for getting repairs any time soon. Using my friend, Evie's, laptop, now and then, but haven't gotten round to posting anything on my blog in ages.
Very recently, I had a CAT scanBarbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-72787114954750824302016-12-22T03:20:00.001-05:002016-12-22T03:20:27.102-05:00send in the clownsBeen a while since I've checked in here, so it's about time.
Its been a roller coaster ride, I guess you'd say. Some days I'm just about ready to call an ambulance to take me to the ER, on other days, I'm feeling a bit stronger and positive. Often times I'm somewhere in between.
Me and Evie will spend Christmas time and New Year's Eve together, which is great... thank God for Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-40631065091194216662016-11-17T05:47:00.001-05:002016-11-17T05:47:35.315-05:00nothing goodWent to the cancer center the day before yesterday, and had a very hard time of it. Legs and feet are so swollen I couldn't fit in my shoes. Can barely walk, and used a wheelchair once I got to the center. Was supposed to get a new pain control regime prescribed for me, but the woman (dr?) I met with had no authority to order methadone, which, in conjunction with the Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-15752190444171043422016-11-09T18:26:00.000-05:002016-11-18T19:53:55.954-05:00seen better daysThe day before yesterday, I was discharged from Lutheran Medical Center, after a 5 day stay. Didn't go to Maimonides as I usually do, but the EMS guy who drove the ambulance said it was crazy busy there.Went in mainly because of my breathing, and generally was having a lot of pain.Didn't really recover there... I am wheezing badly still when I walk a bit. Got several different Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-84448379910122453582016-10-22T23:12:00.000-04:002016-10-23T10:46:47.747-04:00missing my momI am missing my mom so much. I just want to talk to her. Not about anything so deep or profound.... maybe just talk about television shows we both watched, and what we thought of them. She would say "watch that tonight, and we'll talk about it, tomorrow." Oh, how I miss such simple pleasures.
Today I bought Sugar Wafer cookies, and some Halvah. She loved both of Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-67952884151948447372016-10-14T02:38:00.000-04:002016-10-14T02:41:16.824-04:00just another dayTime to check in, I guess.
It hasn't been the best of times over the past month. No great changes, really, but bad bouts of shortness of breath/rapid breathing, etc., which just does me in, and is so scary.
Haven't seen my doctor in a while, and am overdue for my injections. I have an appointment this coming monday, and I just hope I can make it. I think Evie might go with me, Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-87559675260104345232016-09-13T03:29:00.000-04:002016-09-13T03:29:30.887-04:00dream disturbanceI get so troubled by dreams when I try to sleep, that I am often awakened before I've even had an hour of shut-eye. This sucks, as I often put off sleep as long as I can, and I will sit here, falling out, before I allow myself to submit to the desire.
Tonight it was my mother being overly worried about the amount of time I spend on the computer, and complaining that my phone line is tied Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-65313547400033242172016-08-24T00:50:00.001-04:002016-08-24T00:57:36.806-04:00Big Brother 18Been watching Big Brother three nights a week, as I have during the summer season for the past eighteen years. When I started watching, I was in my forties, and most of the "houseguests" are usually in their twenties or thirties, with an odd 40-something now and then, maybe even a 50. Of course, the older I get, the younger they get. I also subscribe to the live feeds (cameras Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-61679432976797408882016-08-21T10:00:00.000-04:002016-08-21T10:00:33.049-04:00Wonderland coloring pages
Here are some quick shots of pages I colored in the Wonderland coloring book. My apologies for the blurriness; I didn't spend much time setting these up. Some pictures covered both pages, but weren't photographed that way. Click on any pic to view as a clickable slideshow.
I used Pentel Arts Fine-Point Color Markers.
Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-33326423830291084022016-08-17T10:40:00.000-04:002016-08-17T10:40:23.712-04:00oh to be in Saranac LakeI check the weather at the online site called Weather Underground. Along with current and future forecasts, there is an area that shows the state lows and highs. Invariably, the highs will be close to home, like New York City, Queens, Yonkers, etc. The lowest of lows is almost always at Saranac Lake. Yesterday's high was in NYC, at 91 degrees, and the low at Saranac Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-83488364514083893772016-08-15T01:51:00.001-04:002016-08-15T01:51:44.708-04:00Book Review: Understanding Exposure (How to shoot great photographs with any camera) by Brian Peterson, 4th edition
Having been a photographer for over 35 years, I am pretty familiar with the Exposure Triangle, and how to use it, but it is always good to have a nice reference book at hand to inspire and encourage me to use my knowledge more effectively.
I enjoy all the varied photographs showing the same subject at different exposures, and how this can greatly effect the outcome.
I very much enjoyed the Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-20991181291049824392016-08-13T07:00:00.000-04:002016-08-13T07:00:08.833-04:00on Becoming a Bird, despite being Earth-boundBecoming a Bird
Broken wings lay against your breastbone
digging deep to the other side
A visceral attachment
Seemingly significant, yet still
you cannot fly.
Iridescent feathers lay flat against your cheekbones
Your eyes are separated by yet another,
You are cross-eyed, two by two,
Visually aware of elemental differences
that further define the yin and the yang
You can see.
Playing Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-17701664787007969922016-08-10T02:26:00.001-04:002016-08-10T02:26:48.768-04:00wonder when it startedJust two years ago, on summer vacation with my sister, niece, and great-nephew, I was still pretty active. The only real discomfort I felt at the time was from the breast expanders I had in me since the double mastectomy.
I was able to take a running start to jump into the pool, and did a great deal of walking the day we went to Hershey Park.
Even last year, I was still doing prettyBarbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-75281836441383501402016-08-02T01:04:00.000-04:002016-08-02T16:40:32.163-04:00what's been happening
Well, it's August now, so summer is moving on, thank God. Another couple of months, and blessed Autumn will come in. None too soon for me.A couple of days ago, my superintendent came to my apartment saying there was water pouring down into the apartment below me, so apparently it was my problem. After he left, I discovered that my bedroom air conditioner was leaking badly from Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-45561360499397760162016-07-13T00:34:00.001-04:002016-07-13T00:34:20.145-04:00be it ever so humbleThere's no place like home.
Was finally discharged from the hospital tonight after thirteen long and trying days.
This certainly was an unexpected turn of events in my life. Makes one reflect upon the impermanence of it all, and how things can change so suddenly, on a dime.
Having stage 4 metastatic breast cancer is no joke. One's life is now so consumed by constant treatmentBarbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-38318893642651708172016-07-10T23:50:00.000-04:002016-07-13T23:47:23.069-04:00ongoingThese hospital admissions go from one thing to another. I am still here. My breathing improved, but dangerously low calcium levels caused EKG changes, causing me to stay.
There is an injection I get, once a month, at the cancer center, to help with the bone loss due to the bone metastasis. This seems to be what caused the calcium disruption.
I had to have a central Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-84444483493341966382016-07-04T03:28:00.000-04:002016-07-05T04:16:02.765-04:00another hospital admissionAnother episode with me admitted to the hospital, for COPD exacerbation.
Last week I had done an Albuterol Sulfate nebulizer treatment at home, looking for some relief from labored breathing. On the contrary, what ensued was one of the worst episodes of shortness of breath that I've ever experienced. Barely able to take in a breath, I felt sure I could die at any Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-88409465299778181892016-06-17T03:12:00.001-04:002016-06-17T03:17:09.855-04:00summertimeIt is not yet summer, but I have been using the air conditioner quite often these days anyway. I really can't tolerate any level of heat. It hinders my ability to breathe well, and just puts me in a bad mood. If I am able to swim in a pool or ocean, then I do not mind it so much, and can even enjoy laying out in the sun, if I know that kind of refreshing relief is nearby. Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877725743735663925.post-65143734982303866362016-05-30T01:00:00.000-04:002016-05-30T01:00:44.127-04:00down daysI am missing things these days. Today I missed the annual Memorial Day Weekend bbq at Melissa's place. A mix of pain and such keeps me at home for the most part. The chemo drugs have me feeling nauseous much of the time, and I'm unable to eat very much. Had half a ham sandwich today, which was about all I could tolerate. Some days I don't want to eat anything at all.Barbara/myth makerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08606854813691778835noreply@blogger.com2