I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas today

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas today.

Join me there for 13 Ways to Meet the New Year.

Thursday Thirteen - 240 - 13 Things I'll Be Up To in 2012

1 - I'll start with the more personal items, although even these have writer's-life spillover.

Giving the garden some TLC. I was SO busy last year getting SAINT SANGUINUS ready to release in November, the garden was pretty much left to its own resources. As it filled out through the spring and summer, I could only mow the lawn and do emergency triage gardening. This year I'll be able to pace myself better.

2 - De-cluttering the apartment. For my husband and me, this is going to be a year-long project.

3 - Continuing with my acupuncture. For a migrainer and chronic pain sufferer like me, acupuncture has given me more concrete relief in a two-and-a-half-year time span than my previous treatment which lasted for more than a decade.

4 - Here at A Piece of My Mind:

I'll be taking part in the year-long Movie Madness Challenge.

5 - In April I will once again take part in the month-long A to Z Challenge hosted by multiple bloggers but with a central sign-up site.

6 - In November I will take part in my 5th Blog Blast For Peace.

7 - This year I'm planning to expand my author interviews to include more arts industry folk.

8 - I'll be concentrating on widening my Facebook reach.

9 - And also expanding my Twitterverse.

10 - This spring, my serialized dark fantasy tale following Scorpius, the falconer's apprentice turned lord's manservant, will be collected into novel form and self-published through Amazon and Smashwords.

11 - That will require making a non-live-action book trailer to promote it.

12 - Then I will be sending my little darlings out for reviews.

13 - And most exciting of all, I'm planning to attend Fan Expo in Toronto this August as a vendor, with both of my books.

Aug. 23rd - 26th Hope to see you there!

Thursday Thirteen - 194 - 13 Words

Here are thirteen words I plan to use this year:















Photo by Maureen Kemp

1 - prosecco

I just adore this Italian dry sparkling wine. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Not for everyday, though. Should be for special occasions.

2 - celebration

I'm definitely in the mood for celebrating. I have a few specific ones in mind. And I'll need prosecco for those.

3 - set

As in, 'walking on set'. As on a film set. Will have more on that as spring rolls around. Just a short project, book promo-related, but returning me to my true passion.

4 - bravo

Psst... here's a little secret. Ballet people love shouting 'bravo!' and clapping wildly. It's part of the fun of going to the ballet in the first place.

5 - conference

My first writer's conference! Coming up in June! Working like a dog to save up $$$. Thankfully, there's lots to do at work, at the moment.

6 - connect

I really enjoy connecting with people. Not in a chat-up-total-strangers-on-the-bus kind of extroverted way, but in a longterm-blogging-develop-relationships-with-people introverted kind of way.

7 - retreat

I'm a repeat retreater. Writers' retreat, that is. I've been to about seven of them with my writers' group each year, and I'm already counting the weeks until the next one.

I'm not much of a retreat sort of person, otherwise, as in step back from a challenge/confrontation. Always refining the art of diplomacy, me.

8 - breathtaking

It's what makes life so precious, those moments that take my breath away. I'm looking forward to all of those waiting for me this year. Hope you find lots of them in your year.

9 - request

I'm looking forward to that magical day when I receive a request for my full manuscript. And being able to write 'requested material' on the envelope.

10 - miniseries

How I love discovering a TV miniseries that sweeps me away and keeps me waiting, waiting, waiting for the next episode. Like Downton Abbey, now airing on PBS Masterpiece. Or Spartacus, returning Jan. 21st on Starz and The Movie Network.

11 - heartwrenching

And I do need my miniseries to give my heart a good squish. Make me cry! That's what I want.

12 - launch

Looking forward to the day when 'launch' is a word for my creative work, and not just the ferry heading across the harbour.

13 - beloved

My year is most complete when I can share it with my beloved.

Wordless Wednesday - 133

VA Bookworm says Very cool :o)

Susan Helene Gottfried says This is one I'd hang on a wall in my home somewhere.

Kelly Boyce says Creepy cool, Julia!

Poetry Train Monday - 133 - The Latest Year of My Life

Here it is - the final found poem for 2009. I'm using the villanelle form, but without rhyming, as that would interfere with the found poem status.

This is taken from my diary entry for the turn of 1980 into 1981. This was a big year for me - first onstage roles in high school where my theatre bug was activated, and of course my first boyfriend, so my first taste of what it meant to be in love.

For more poetry, Ride the Poetry Train!



















The Latest Year of My Life


Looking back, the latest year of my life
I listened to records most of the day
I opened dams, debuted, changed, conquered, loved

I finished Life Before Man, got dressed, packed
I packed to go to Windsor for the night
Looking back, the latest year of my life

We left as soon as we were all ready
We girls had hamburgers and french fries, laughed
I opened dams, debuted, changed, conquered, loved

We girls retired to Julianne's room
The Top 100 on CJCH
Looking back, the latest year of my life

Read magazines, talked about guys, listened
We laughed and laughed and laughed like maniacs
I opened dams, debuted, changed, conquered, loved

We rang in the New Year with screams, kisses
Screams, laughter, kisses and lots of hugging
Looking back, the latest year of my life
I opened dams, debuted, changed, conquered, loved

- Julia Smith, 1980



















Stan Ski says Here's to 2010.

Susan Helene Gottfried says Brings back a lot of my own memories, my friend.

Apprentice Writer says This was, I think, my first taste of that form of poem.

Thursday Thoughts - 2 - Views of the Halifax New Year's Blizzard From Inside Our Cozy House

As I'm posting this, we're snug tight in our house while a heavy wind and freezing rain warning unfurls its red banner across the Weather Network site.



As you can imagine, the intense low pressure system gave me some trouble, since even non-intense ones trigger my migraines. I had trouble getting into work this morning, and, shh, don't tell anyone, but I had no luck at all making sense of anything once I got there.

Brain like sludge. Had to use my surface-to-air-missile medication just to remain upright. By 11:00 am, the sudden extreme shift in the barometric pressure felt like two swords plunged into both sides of my head.


Rather like this graphic that Sans Pantaloons made for me. Hideous nausea, no lunchey for me.

But once the ice pellets began hitting the windows, the worst of the pain relented. Then all I had to do was hope the drive home from work at 5 wouldn't be an exciting thrill ride. It all went much more smoothly than I'd expected. I got home on time, into our cozy, comfy house, where I could listen to the ice pellets and just enjoy the sounds of the storm from in here.

For today's Thursday Thoughts, I'm sharing some of the photos I took on New Year's Day, when we rang in 2009 with a blizzard.


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Wordless Wednesday - 81

Thursday Thirteen - 37 - 13 New Year's Resolutions for 2008

I'm not usually one for making lists - not until I began Thursday Thirteen, that is. To-do lists roll around in my head without making it to paper, but it's the new year and this will be the first TT of 2008, so I figure 'what the heck?'

Here is my list of resolutions for 2008:



1 - Dig out my office.

Not my actual office, but might as well be...












2 - Sort through my stuff and move some of it along.












3 - Write some new poetry.








4 - Send my manuscript out to an agent.









5 - Feature awesome creative people on my TT.

Like my sister-in-law Anna, standing in front of her painting which hangs in our other sister-in-law's home. I'll be profiling Anna in next week's Thursday Thirteen.





6 - Keep working on my singing voice.
















7 - Attack the pile of brush on the side of the house.












8 - Plant new beds in the woodland garden.

Okay, the photo above (#7) is not the real pile of brush. It's actually visible in this photo, near the top left corner at the side of the house. In the foreground is the beginnings of the woodland garden. I already have forsythia, two types of roses, strawberry, sedum, hosta and lungwort well-established.



9 - Maintain my once-a-day walks with my dog.







10 - Remind myself constantly that I can't solve other people's problems, but I can listen and offer hugs.

Here I'm in full listening mode with Brad's Aunt Carol.







11 - Become a real live employee. You know - like Pinocchio wants to be a real live boy.
















12 - Seek out the elusive breaks from 24/7 pain.
















13 - Enjoy each gift of every moment with my beautiful family and my precious friends.

Here I'm surrounded by East Coast family - beside me, my cousin's wife Heather, in front is Laura, her mom and my cousin Julianne, and my sister Michelle.







Here I'm surrounded by Toronto family - at left, sister-in-law Violet and at right, sister-in-law Anna. Yes, the Anna of next week's Thursday Thirteen. Stay tuned...

Did you make any new year's resolutions?