Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

quote- love it or leave it October 6, 2011

Filed under: Commentary,Quotations — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:06 pm
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Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, has just passed away.  In 2005 he told the Stanford graduating class,

‎”Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

Wise man.  Don’t waste your life doing a job ‘just for the money.’  It’s not worth it if it kills your soul and steals your joy.  Confucius is credited with the aphorism “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

I am lucky to love my job.  How about you?  Do you love what you do?  If not, what would you rather be doing?

 

hi story October 5, 2011

Filed under: Commentary,OUTLANDERishness,Reading — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:24 am
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I’ve been reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series the last week or two. I got the first book from the BC e-book library service, loved it, put in requests for the next two, had to wait a couple weeks, got them, read 1800 pages in 4 days, and now I’m waiting for the next two books to come available. As I wait, I have to catch up on the basement clear out, because the moment they are on the e-reader, I will be travelling to other worlds for a few days.

My own family tree is firmly rooted in the South and West of England, and on Continental Europe (France and Prussia). There are no Scots in my lineage, but there are in my husband’s side. In fact, his  father is the clan genealogist for the Clan Rattray. Their traditional lands are 20 miles north of Perth and Dundee (make an equilateral triangle, and you’ll find the family seat near Blairgowrie at Craighall Rattray). Some clan maps show them as a Highland clan and others as a Lowland clan, since it’s right on the border.

I wondered whether any of the ancestors had been at Culloden, and did some research.  I discovered that the son of his great great great great great great granduncle James was  John Rattray, a surgeon from Edinborough, was in fact at Culloden.  Moreover, he was serving there as the personal physician of Bonnie Prince Charlie.  Kind of makes the heart flutter.

Did I mention my husband is also called John?

Believe it or not, Dr. Rattray was a golfer.  He won the world’s first golf tournament, was head of the world’s first golf club (it later became St. Andrew’s) and is a signatory to the creation of the official rules back in 1744. (see here)  In a historical story that is almost comical (but certainly something that could have been in a Diana Gabaldon novel!) after being taken at Culloden, he was reprieved from the gallows by the intervention of a golf buddy- Lord President Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden, himself.

The Rattrays are a sept of the neighboring Murray Clan (or allied with, but not actually a sept, according to some sources).   On the other side of the bordering  Murray land, are the Frasers.  Around the time of Culloden, the Rattrays had just won back Atholl Castle from the Stewarts, so I suspect they weren’t on the best of terms.  One wonders about the political initiatives that led to their involvement in the Jacobite uprising.

Knowing something of your family history brings the past alive.  Knowing our people were there, doing this, brings an immediacy to events.  It also makes a historical fiction seem even more possible.

Oh. There’s  a stone circle at Craighall-Rattray, too.

Got goosebumps yet?

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Would you rather have one free trip to space or free international travel for life? October 1, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 8:52 pm

That is so easy to answer that it involved not a moment’s hesitation.  Free international travel for life!  The most wonderful thing about our world is the opportunity to experience and explore the people, the history and the culture.  Looking back at Earth from space can be replicated, far more safely, by admiring a blue and white marble.

There are so many connections to make, travelling the world offers an infinity of adventure.

 

Review of Matched by Ally Condie September 27, 2011

Filed under: book reviews,Commentary,Reading — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:14 am
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First let me say that I LOVE the cover of this book. I thought it was absolutely fantastic, and although I’m still trying to figure out exactly what the symbolism is (I get the green dress- but why the bubble?), I think it is a very powerful image.

I enjoyed this book. On Goodreads there are a lot of angry statements that it’s a rip off of The Giver.  I appreciate the many comparisons to The Giver, but the oft-repeated statement that it’s a copy are unjust. While there are some similarities, I see more in common with Orwell’s 1984, Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, or the 1970’s move Logan’s Run. It’s dystopian literature. There are only so many ways to interpret the theme! A few concepts are going to overlap. I don’t hold that against Condie.

I like the protagonist, Cassia. I like her feisty nature and her thoughtful approach. She knows she’s good at things, and she isn’t humble about it. I like the logical development of her awareness and her conscience. I do think the impetuousness is going to cause trouble. It’s inevitable, otherwise there wouldn’t be more books coming, right?

I like Xander. I like the strong security of him. I like his unquestioning devotion. I understand the attraction of Ky, with his mysterious past and strange knowledge, but personally, I would say good-bye, think fondly of him, and stick with the steadfast spirit of devotion that Xander provides willingly. (That’s a Bright picking Jim kind of choice, I realise).   I wouldn’t walk into the trouble that Cassia is going to get into because of Ky. But then, I don’t live in a dystopian novel.

Thankfully.

 

sending off smiles September 26, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:33 pm
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There is a young man in our community who works at the McDonald’s drive-through.  When you buy your meal on his shift, you take home a smile with your meal.  His exhuberence for his job makes everyone who comes into contact with him a little happier.

What a great example of how a positive attitude can impact everyone around you.  Some people would say working in a fast food drive-through is a crappy job and you’re justified in grumbling.  Lance knows that all work has value, and that spreading a smile makes any job worthwhile.

You can choose to be happy with your job and take the opportunity to spread a little joy.  Consider it vocational service.  It will make your work day fly by, it will improve the lives of your co-workers and your clients.

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Read the local news story here.

 

show up! September 24, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:09 am

In the movie, Calendar Girl, three young men go on a road trip to Hollywood, in order to meet Marilyn Monroe.  It is a wonderful summer of growing and learning that is summarized in the end by the observation that

Nothing ever happens if you don’t show up.

This aphorism is an understatement.  Of course, it is certainly possible that ‘something’ will be happening, but if you don’t participate, you not going to derive any benefit.  We need to show up in our life.  We need to be present in the every day adventures, meeting people, learning something, giving something back to the world.  But nothing happens if we don’t show up.

Be.

 

latest press September 21, 2011

Filed under: Commentary,Grace Awakening,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 6:14 pm
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I was recently interviewed for the local paper.  I ended up being interviewed by phone, and the interviewer did not have opportunity prep by visiting the blog and reading up on what the book was about.  I tried to explain succinctly, but her questions led to complicated places.  Had I been writing the responses for her, I could have been quite clear on the facts.  As it was, paraphrases were just off enough to twist the meaning.  The resulting interview was basically accurate, but had a section that was significantly off what I thought I’d told her.

I learned something from this experience. The journalist will miss something critical in your longish story! Typing and listening simultaneously is difficult. I must remember the Keep It Simple principle!

Aside from actually getting my website address incorrect, the biggest problem was that she missed that I was actually quoting from the poem for a bit there, and she wrote a quote as if I was speaking.  

Specifically, the article says,

Based on a poem she wrote the year she turned 12, Bird says the book started as a story about the power of her first crush on a musician

 That part is fine but then this 

“I think in another life we were lovers and belonged together,” she says.

 is a paraphrase of the quote from the poem that I recited for her which included, “I think we were loves once. In another life you and and I belonged.”  Since it is not in the context of the poem, it gets a completely different slant.

“When you have one of these strong stories, you have to imagine it has been around in the universe before.”

must be a paraphrase of “I think a lot of people have the feeling when they fall in love that it’s so profound that it must have been in the universe forever.”

Regular readers of the blog who’ve read about the development of the story, the poetry, etc, will spot these issues right away.  Other people will just raise their eyebrows.  I was rather alarmed.

Yeah.  Like I said.  A learning experience.  Keep it Simple. Simple. Simple.  Phone interviews are apparently dangerous!

Live and learn.

PS. If you’re curious, the interview is here.

 

 

this letter is purple September 14, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 8:22 pm
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Every one of my students is special and unique.

I don’t care if they’re white, black, green or purple.
I don’t care if they are drama kids, jocks, or computer nerds.
I don’t care if they are tattoed, pierced, or sport virgin skin.
I don’t care if they are rich or poor.
I don’t care who they want to have sex with.

I don’t want any of my students to feel  hopeless and alone because of gender identity or sexual orientation .

I care that my students feel valued and safe.
I care that they can get information they need to live healthy and happy lives.
I care that they have role models who can show them how to behave respectfully, amid individual differences.
I care that they know their biology is not a crime or a sin.
I care that they know that they are worthy of acceptance and respect.

I care that they leave school and lead productive lives full of love and friendship.

I want each of them to choose life.

I support the purple letter campaign to adopt a provincial policy of inclusion and acceptance in our schools.

Our kids are worth it.

All of them.

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PS.  I’m proud of my former student, Ryan Clayton.  He does amazing work to raise issues of sexuality in our province.  He makes a difference  for students who need the message of acceptance that  he brings to them.  For some, it is a matter of life and death.  Thanks, Ryan!

 

Be the peace September 11, 2011

Filed under: Commentary,Rotary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:26 am
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Every few months I get an invitation to send a piece to Postmedia news for Canada.com. These are the folks who own the Ottawa Citizen, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Victoria Times Colonist, etc.   In the past, I’ve sent pieces for the federal election and Canada Day. Recently I was asked to contribute something reflecting on 9-11.  It showed up at Canada.com on Sept 8, and it was re-printed by the Vancouver Sun on Sept 10 (along with the other papers in the syndicate mentioned above).  I have waited for the official anniversary today, so they scooped my own piece!  Here it is.

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Sept. 11, 2001. I was dropping my daughter off to start another day in Grade 9. As she left the vehicle, I turned on the radio and heard commentators frantically discussing a building with a tilting radio tower and an airplane. I thought a plane had struck a radio antenna. Then I heard the shock and horror as a second plane flew into the second World Trade Center tower on the day burned into everyone’s consciousness.

Far away from New York, on the shore of beautiful Shuswap Lake, nestled in B.C.’s green hills, we were grieving for office workers, emergency personnel, and the enormity of war coming to the shores of North America. We were full of questions. What would it mean? Who had done this? As we nestled in to nurse our shock, the world went suddenly quiet.

We watched in pride and awe as Gander opened its doors and welcomed the world with Atlantic hospitality, as plane after plane touched down, expulsed their occupants and waited.

For the first time in my life, for three days I could look into a clear blue sky, with no jet exhaust streaked across it.

The world seemed eerily quiet, poised for something to happen. We were watching for invasion forces to come over the hills. We were watching for sleeper cells to wake up and destroy towns. We held our breath, waiting. In high school, my socials teacher had warned us that someday, the huge disparity between our world and the world of the more-populated East was going to bring war to our doorsteps. Was this the moment? We held our breath and waited.

But nothing happened.

Security was tightened at the airports, sure. We sent servicemen and women to the Middle East, and too many of them died there. But whatever we were expecting to happen here in North America, simply didn’t. Whether due to the diligence of U.S. Homeland Security and CSIS furtively working behind the scenes, or whether the terrorists just stopped trying, all has been quiet on the Western front.

A decade later, perhaps we can let out our breath.

A decade later, have we been changed by the destruction of the Twin Towers and the angry fanaticism that led to the attacks in New York, and upon the Pentagon? Have we learned something about the dangers of illiterate fanatics at home and abroad? Are we making a greater effort to ensure poverty and ignorance can’t be manipulated into terrorism and martyrdom? Are we working internationally to encourage peaceful conflict resolution?

When I listen to the individuals sponsored by local Rotary Clubs to study peace and conflict resolution at prestigious universities around the world, I have hope. But they are so few, and the ignorance is so great.

Might can not be right. Words must be mightier than swords. We need peace, before the world is in pieces.

How are you working to be the positive change that protects our future?

 

sorry! September 10, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:20 am
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I just received my first ‘low’ review of Grace Awakening: a 3/5.

I feel so badly!

Not for my ego, because I have no argument with any of the points raised.  No.  I feel badly because this poor reader felt at the end of Book One: Awakening Dreams that she was left hanging in the air.  She was irritated.

Oh dear.  When I read her review, I recognised the feeling only too well. After all, I wrote about it here in the blog just yesterday.

She felt I’d given her The Empire Strikes Back.

Darn.

I wrote Grace Awakening as a single story in one six month period.  When we decided that it would be better as two books, because of the two settings and character groups, the one thing I kept repeating to my editor was, “I don’t want anyone to have that Empire Strikes Back feeling!”  We edited and added to fine tune the story arc with that specific goal in mind.

I feel terrible.  I know I’m getting lots of great reviews from readers who are satisfied with the ending.  They know there is more to come and some mysteries need to remain to connect the series.  I still feel badly to have frustrated someone.  I really do know how that feels.  I hate it!

So if you’re a reader who felt there wasn’t enough resolution for you at the end of Grace Awakening Dreams, I promise you’ll be happier at the end of Grace Awakening Power.  Grace’s loose ends are all tied up there.  We’re going somewhere else for books three and four,so I am not going to torture you for years as you wait for books to come out. ;-P

In the meantime, please accept my apology about your frustration.

George Lucas never gave me an apology, and I’m still ticked off about it.

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PS.

When Lintusen releases the paper version in a few months, we’re going to include both books one and two in an omni-bus.  I am wondering what people think about having both e-books combined as one e-book as well, perhaps offered for 50c less than buying them separately?  That means you’d be able to buy the first for 99c, as you can now.  The second book is being released at $2.99, so both are $3.98. The omnibus of both books would be something like $3.49.  It’d be kind of a 50c reward for people who already know they are going to want both because they’ve heard great things.  What do you think?    If you have an opinion about this idea, leave me a comment!