melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: Setbacks
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2012/03/setbacks.html
March 12, 2012. The last time I wrote, I was gung-ho about my new 500 word a day challenge. I managed that for a good three weeks to a month, writing usually more like 750 words than 500. And before that, I was gushing about my new healthy eating and cooking craze, and the wonderful habit I'd started. Well that's all well and good, but today I'm writing about something we all have sometimes: a setback. Although the physical limitations from surgery are frustrating, they're not the real setback. But that'...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: Opinions
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2012/01/opinions.html
January 23, 2012. If you haven't noticed this about me yet, don't start now, but I can be judgmental sometimes. It's kind of a fucked up way to think about things. And so, I'm working on it. Thing is, because I'm thinking about it, I start seeing it everywhere. Our lives are flooded with opinions on what we should know about, think about, do, and buy. They come from news, radio, TV, billboards, stores, the internet, schools. They are in the minds and mouths of friends and lovers, families and cow...They ...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: Some Views on Music
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2011/10/some-views-on-music.html
October 11, 2011. Some Views on Music. In college my musical interests took another turn after I started swing dancing. I quickly became aware of the vast history and repertoire of jazz music (primarily 1910s to 1960s). I took Jazz History and have since accumulated a modest collection. But no. Anyone who really knows me realizes that this is in fact quite laughable. I have no more music "taste" than the average person out there. Actually, I'm willing to admit that I have far less. Anyway, now that I've ...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: Smoke and Mirrors
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2011/09/smoke-and-mirrors.html
September 25, 2011. The thought it this: Everything is run by people. It seems mundane at first glance, which is why I didn't pay it much attention. Of course everything is run by people. But as I think about it more, I realize there are a lot of assumptions and trust and illusions wrapped up in this idea. I will try to explain. This past year I started to get an inkling that there was perhaps a little more to all this, or in reality, a lot less. When I state it that way, it seems obvious. I haven't ...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: At What I Dream to Fail
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2012/01/at-what-i-dream-to-fail.html
January 16, 2012. At What I Dream to Fail. Yesterday I watched a really neat short TV show on Yahoo called The Failure Project. If you've heard of it, that's awesome. If not, here's a quick synop (the details might be slightly off, but the gist is there). Eventually someone in TV met the guy who started this all, and decided this would make an awesome TV show. And it does (despite the fact that no franchise has really supported it, and it's only in 15 minute clips on Yahoo). Writing is entirely about har...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: On Curiosity
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-curiosity.html
December 6, 2011. I read an article today that really emphasized something I've been thinking about a lot lately. The article was about mathematics, specifically the K-12 math curriculum and it's complete and total butchery of real mathematics. It was about the soul-crushing system we have in place that does no justice to real math, problem solving, or the arts of teaching and learning. Today, with the near omnipresence of smartphones, information is but a click away, much to my chagrin. Before I go on, ...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: February 2012
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html
February 13, 2012. 500 Word a Day Challenge. I have been issued a writing challenge: 500 words a day for a month. I guess this will be my new habit. I started last week, and so far, so good. I am alternating fiction with non-fiction. Some of the fiction, I might post one day. Some of the non-fiction will be blog posts, some will be other things. So how to get those fleeting, occasional moments of inspiration to come when I want them to? Later, I can go figure out which ones are good, and keep those. ...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: March 2012
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2012_03_01_archive.html
March 12, 2012. The last time I wrote, I was gung-ho about my new 500 word a day challenge. I managed that for a good three weeks to a month, writing usually more like 750 words than 500. And before that, I was gushing about my new healthy eating and cooking craze, and the wonderful habit I'd started. Well that's all well and good, but today I'm writing about something we all have sometimes: a setback. Although the physical limitations from surgery are frustrating, they're not the real setback. But that'...
melaniebryant.blogspot.com
Nocona: January 2012
http://melaniebryant.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html
January 25, 2012. I have trouble with New Years Resolutions. I can't remember last year's, or the years' before, and neither can most people I talk to. Lately, I've started to suspect that maybe they don't really matter. (If you are one of the few who not only remember your resolutions, but also achieve them, good for you, and go jump in a lake). But everyone always asks sometime in December or January, "So what did you resolve for this year? Can one really be TOO enthusiastic? Well, yes. You see, I ...
