There and Back Again

Seriously I feel a bit like Bilbo Baggins.

The tour company was like the perpetual wizard leaving a perpetual mark on a perpetual door for a perpetual burglar to join a crew of perpetual dwarves.

The wizard was a tour company. But instead of a burglar, they needed a tour guide, and in the words of Justin Timberlake, “iz gonna be mayyy…” So sally forth I went, into the sunset. And as it turns out I found some amazing sunsets.

Sunset in the Grand Canyon.

But that’s besides the point. Is taking people on vacation for a living fun? Why yes. Yes it is. Does it also sometimes suck? Why yes. Yes it can. Quite a lot. But I figure that’s life anyway. Or as they say, all sunshine makes a desert and all rain makes a marsh. It’s a balance of both that makes a lush garden.

Oh, didn’t I mention another dream I’m currently pursuing is tour guiding? Some of you knew, I think. Now all of you do. I always thought if I could travel and write for a living that would be a good life. We’ll see if that yields true. So far I feel like there’s so much to the tour gig I don’t have as much time for writing when I’m doing it. Though I did think a lot about story and plot. And I really do enjoy thinking.

But having taken quite a long hiatus from blogging, I’ve tried to rekindle my motivation for doing this. And if we’re being honest, I still haven’t gotten to full flame readiness. The thing is I like all of you people and it’s hard to stay away. So I don’t know what the future of Lit and Scribbles is blogwise, but it’s evolving. I may even try occasional vlogging (after all, I have Gloria’s example to follow).

I’ll probably be discussing the six weeks of travel, I’m getting back into Row80, because life feels empty without goals, and I’ll see whatever tidbits I can throw this way, but my current blogging goal is a Tuesday/Thursday post, with a Wednesday Row update in between. That’s all the chunk I can bite off for now.

So what were you up to this summer? Follow any dreams? Accomplish some major goals? What do you do to stay motivated with blogging?

Nashville Times

I won’t really be on the blog this week as I’m out playing in Nashville. Why, you ask? Because vacation, but I’m also attending a tourism conference. Write and travel? Yes please! More details on it later, but enjoy!

By the way, freezing here. Fuh-reezing!

Back with Mystic Scribbles

And I’m back!

Whew-ee! You leave for a couple of weeks and… hold on a second. Whoa. What the jujube happened to WordPress while I was gone. Is this the right blogging site? Well goodness gracious WP, you went and got some bling bling. I’ll keep my fingers crossed this won’t be like that blue monstrosity you nearly forced on us awhile back. *shudder*

Before I get into things, when I started writing this post a couple things popped into my head. First of all.

Gloria, no judging. I think this is the video all the K-Pop videos reference. But then I thought, what’s an even cooler way of announcing I was back?

Aaaaaah, it’s good to be back. No job is too big. No fee is too big. There will be scribbles, regular posts, dogs and cats living together, mass hystericals—you get the picture.

Where have I been? If you didn’t catch it from the last couple of posts, I’ve been in N. Cali, mostly in San Fran, sometimes the Redwoods and a little bit in between. What a ride!

And speaking of which, did you know it’s super frigid in San Fran in the summer? I’m not kidding, I wore my fleece nearly every day, never shorts and sometimes needed hot cocoa to warm up. It’s something to do with the hot air rising and cool air being pulled in. That’s also why San Fran is foggy all the time.

Oh, so a confession. When I first did the doodles on the background of the blog, my hair was straight because I was in this hair straightening phase. And every time I drew comics, oddly enough my hair was still straight. Well, for the most part. So now the secret is out. The natural state of my hair should be apparent very soon.

Rice-A-Roni and a Win

For the next two weeks I’ll be in the San Francisco area, which means blog posts will be more sporadic and infrequent until the 24th or so. It’s vacation time! I intend to see all that San Fran has to offer, maybe meet up with some friends, and eventually heading up the coast to the Redwood National Park. Maybe I’ll just do some picture blogging. I think I can handle that. No promises though.

So, probably like you, I think of Rice-A-Roni when I think of San Francisco. Well, that and clam chowder and Ghirardelli chocolate. But the point is, I was curious as to why it is the San Francisco treat. Well, once upon a time, an Italian immigrant named Domenico DeDomenico moved to San Francisco and had a bunch of kids who were friends with these Armenians who served a rice pilaf dish that inspired the rice macaroni combination. Add a little chicken broth, bada bing, bada boom: Rice-A-Roni. It was one of those “I came to this country with $5 in my pocket and created this food empire” stories. Aaaaaaah, good ol’ American dreams.

So it really is the San Francisco treat. I probably still won’t eat any while I’m there though.

Okay, and now for the win. No, not that kind of win. Trust me, when I’ve accomplished that win, I’ll use the big font.

Like this!

My friend and likely many of yours as well, Emmie Mears has gotten together with a bunch of cool peeps to for the Searching for Superwomen blog, where geek girls get their geek on. They’re inviting everyone to contribute, male or female, when it comes to talking about showcasing superhero women, girl heroes, and addressing remaining attitudes of feminism in media today. I encourage you to check it out.

Searching for Superwomen

The part where the win comes in, is they recently had a design contest where contestants were invited to design the header, Twitter, Facebook, etc. profile pics. And yours truly, was the winner. 😀

What did winning include? Oh, a little Amazon cash, and goodies like a Walking Dead comic. Plus a chance to get a little more of my designs out there. Who knows, I may want to freelance a bit in the future. 🙂

Check out the Twitter account and Facebook page to see more of my designs and definitely stop by the Searching for Superwomen blog to check out great articles and maybe see if you want to contribute one yourself in the future.

Next time we meet, I’ll be broadcasting from San Fran, hopefully with awesome pics (or maybe if there’s an incidental plane ride along the way).

Did you know about Rice-A-Roni? Have you been to San Fran? Any places you’d recommend I see or go to eat? Can you catch all of the geek references in my banner design?

AFB: Road Tripping Europe

Welcome to April’s Featured Blog, something I’ll be posting here on Lit and Scribbles most of the month to introduce all of you to perhaps some new future friends and get to know a little more about your blogging community.

Today we’re doing things a little differently. We’ll talk with Ingrid, creator of the blog Road Tripping Europe. Ingrid and her husband travel through Europe and post spectacular pictures of the places they’ve been. For all those of you out there who can’t afford to go all over the world yet, you can travel vicariously through Ingrid. I especially like looking at her blog because I feel like I gain writing inspiration just looking at her pictures.

J: Okay, Ingrid, when did you first start blogging and what is your blog about?

I: Lars and I started in the summer of 2010. The blog was meant to be a journal for us and our friends and family about our travels and excursions. When we noticed that it also attracted people whom we didn’t know at all, we started taking the blog more seriously. We looked for a clear focus, started thinking about the design and paid more attention to the texts and the pictures. That was about a year ago. In the beginning of the year we also changed the name to give the blog a more professional look.

J: Which of your posts was the most fun to write and why?

I: Difficult question! I would say: all of them, since every post brings back a lot of travel memories!

Another picture I love. Seriously, you gotta check out her blog.

J: How long have you been doing photography?

I: Ever since I was a teenager. Then I only took pictures during travels with my family or friends. Nowadays I take pictures on a daily basis.

J: Which place has been your favorite to travel to and why?

I: Denmark! It’s a country that has a lot more to offer than its capital. Whether you like nature or culture, you will certainly find something interesting. On the other hand, Lars and I have visited 20 countries together and I have learned that every country has its own beauty.

One of my favorite Ingrid pics. Autumn at Thuro.

J: Who are your favorite authors?

I: David Lodge for his sense of humor and Margaret Atwood for her intelligence.

J: What are the last three books you read, and would you recommend them?

I: All of them are travel guides, since we are currently planning our big excursions of the year. If you want which destinations, keep an eye on our blog. I am also a big fan of Vanessa Morgan, a horror writer. Check out The Strangers Outside!

J: What is your favorite kind of music?

I: I love everything with a good rhythm. ’80s music, pop, rock, but also classical music and soundtracks. Favorite artists are Scritti Politti, Arvo Pärt and Sigur Ros.