YourBookTube.com

It's true. I haven't written in a while, but I suppose all I needed was a catalyst to get me back in the swing. Today, I've had several of them. The first of which is the embarrassment of make a huge-"bottom" mistake on my travel website page. I can't be considered a credible journalist making faux pas (how does one write the plural of faux pas???) I misidentified the name of a theater where a great one-woman show is now playing. The play is Funeral Potatoes, and it is at the Flashpoint Theater in Washington, DC. In my original article, I'd said it was located at the Source Theater, which is owned by the same people who own Flashpoint. Arghhh!!!!! I want to scream.

The next jolt I got was when I looked in my inbox and found a ton of mail. I've got to answer or address each one.

And the last thing that woke me up was an article I read about a website called YourBookTube. What's so curious about it is the fact that it's a website of videos for people who love books, for people who have made it a habit to read. Perhaps it's a play on the social tendency to buy and read books on the basis of the recommendation of a friend. Do people seem "friendlier" when you can see them versus when they write? Would I trust a video recommendation over a written review? And if so, what would that mean for the future of books in general?

Years ago people feared that television would eliminate the need for print materials. Maybe that revolution didn't happen as quickly as they may have guessed, but it seems that today's technologies are taking more and more away from that sector of communications. The odd thing is that it has been proven that reading does more for the brain than watching television or online videos. When we read, it's like giving our brain a workout. So what happens to a society or a generation of young people who abandon reading for videos and other less challenging tasks?

How Do You Obama?

I think I'd be a rich woman right now if I had something with Obama on it to sell. The election is over, and there's still a buying a frenzy over all things Obama. That's all you see on the magazine covers, the newspapers, and in the talk around the water cooler (or microwave). I spoke to one woman at the newstand. She had 12 newspapers in her hand. I thought, perhaps, she might be a collector, but she tells me instead that she scrapbooks. "It's something for the grandkids," she said. That's a novel idea.

I succumbed (sp) to the frenzy myself and bought a NYT and a New Yorker. But what a waste it would be to just let those papers sit around. So, of course, I'll read them. I do wonder what other collectors do with their papers and books. Do they wrap them in plastic and store them away in a box, waiting on end until other copies are destroyed and tarnished? Is it even profitable at this point to collect Obama gear? The market is so saturated.

Walking with the Crowds

(Image Credit: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/04/midday2/

I remember in Philadelphia, as a volunteer for the Obama campaign, arriving at the volunteer office just blocks from the Community College of Philadelphia on Spring Garden Street where I had once worked. I returned to Philadelphia after hard break up with the city. There were things about it I couldn't master and things I refused to face. It was something like the way people refer to New York City when they say, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."

I returned to the city with mixed feelings. Obama brought me back. But it was also time for me to reconcile my differences. My assignment from the volunteer office was to knock on doors and ask people if we could count on their support. I started out with a friend, and as we walked through the streets with our Obama gear, I began feeling better about the city.

Of course there were dissenters, Republicans, and the like who did not support Obama. But overall, there were a lot of people who believed in the promise, that thing we call "change" moving along quietly, with that feeling that reporters called in their news stories "momentum." Reflecting upon that time in the face of an inauguration, I see how time and place can profoundly affect a person's attitude.

The Friday before I went doorknocking for Obama, I had attended one of his rallies in the downtown area. It's in an historic district, just on the other side of Chinatown and minutes from the waterfront on Columbus. What's most amazing was the commonality I felt between myself and the thousands of other supporters who had gathered that day. That was a feeling that had been missing when I used to reside there. Today, I stood at 6th and Market, paces from the Liberty Bell, and squinted out over the crowds. I was part of a huddled mass of supporters, mile upon mile strong, shoulder to shoulder, north to south, friend and stranger gathered to support a campaign that transformed me, my attitudes, and this country.

I share this episode because in spite of the barriers you'll face on your way to D.C., whether personal or logistical, know that your journey will be worth it. It is a monumentous thing to stand and be a part of history. That is what it will feel like as you walk through the crowds. It won't matter how close you get or how far down the Mall you are, just being there, being among other supporters will make your journey to D.C. a remarkable one.

For more travel stories, please visit my travel website at MidAtlantic USA at BellaOnline.com.

Think Big, A Book Review

Dr. Ben Carson is an extremely well accomplished neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in Detroit with his brother, the two of them sons of a single, working mom. As his story begins, Dr. Carson acknowledges that in his youth he did poorly in school, but through the help of his mother and other kind souls in his path, he was able to become the man and professional he is today. Think Big is more than an autobiography, it's a book about achievement. If you don't know how to succeed or know if you're headed in the right direction, Think Big helps put any doubts you may have to rest.

Most striking and infectious is Dr. Carson's regard for books. He believes, as experience has shown him, that through books, one's imagination sparks and one's ability to relate others soars. The book is like a catalyst for change.

In my own reading, I was inspired to re-evaluate my interests through Dr. Carson's writings about the significance of in-depth learning. As a professional, I understand the significance of keeping up with trends or a hobbiest keeping up with new toys. Yet something different happens when we make the decision to immerse ourselves in a subject. Whether it be in accounting, literature, stamp collecting, or volleyball, your mind and attitude are different when you approach them with more than just a cursory reading, more than a "just enough to do my job" or "take this test" sort of attitude.

Think Big is part biography, part advice, part medicine, and it is excellent preparatory reading for college-bound seniors and undergraduate pre-meds. Yet, it is also part drama and entirely true, which makes it fair reading for any person young or older who wishes to learn about passion, learning, and determination from someone who has experienced it all.

Finding the Time

(Image Credit: www.omegaeh.com/)


How do people find time to do all the things they want to do? I just signed up for Twitter. Can anything be shorter and faster to do than that? It's not blogging, it's not e-mail. It's even shorter than facebook. (To follow, my name is donnaledbetter.) Yet with each new technology, each new social media, each new way to get connected, there is less time for everything else.

Especially with regard to my challenge about learning more about my world, I find that I am spending less time doing the things that move me toward that goal and more time doing other things. That is not to say that I am not moving forward. Only, somehow, I'd thought my journey would be faster than this. Perhaps it's all a matter of perspective.

I am doing more now with my time than I'd ever thought possible. So, perhaps, I should consider my strides as remarkable ones. I am reading a book called Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence by Dr. Ben Carson (to be reviewed here soon) and he talks about how he has been able to accomplish so much, even coming from the humblist of backgrounds. "If he can do it," I say, "then I can do it, too."

Obama Inauguration 2009 Writing Contest

Since readers are usually writers, I'd like to pass along this information to my blog viewers. If you know of a young person in the DC metro area, you may be able to go with him or her the Barack Obama Inauguration January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. Here's a letter from the presidential inaugural committee:

This Inauguration, President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden are calling on all of us to renew America's promise. They believe that this renewal begins with service to our own communities, service that can begin at any age.

Do you know a student who's active in the D.C. community? What about one who would like to attend the inaugural parade and have seats right in front of the White House?

You can help him or her be there.

We're asking students throughout Washington, D.C. to answer in 500 words or less, "How can I contribute to my neighborhood through community service?"

Submit that student's essay and he or she could be among those selected to attend the inaugural parade.

Here are the basics: the essay must be written by a D.C. middle or high school student. It should be 500 words or less, and the student's parent or guardian must submit the essay by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 11th.

We will select over 100 essays that offer interesting ideas on service. The student, a parent or guardian, and one other guest will come to the inaugural parade and sit in prime seats: in front of the White House, right next to the presidential reviewing stand.

At every inaugural, after the swearing-in, the new president joins a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House. He invites marching bands, dance troupes, military units, and other organizations to be part of the parade.

It's a tradition that illustrates the best of America -- people from across the nation coming together to celebrate the promise of the next four years.

Help a student in your life be there to see it by submitting his or her answer to the question, "How can I contribute to my neighborhood through community service?"

www.pic2009. org/dcstudentess ay

To comply with legal guidelines, we ask that you be sure it is the parent or guardian who submits the essay on behalf of the student.

The day before the Inauguration, the Obama and Biden families will join other Americans in renewing a commitment to service in our communities. Thousands of students will be part of that effort.

Help a student get to the inaugural parade, too.

Thank you,

The Presidential Inaugural Committee

A Little Thing Happened on the Way in New Orleans

Stephanie Meyer is a writer of vampire fiction. Her latest book, Eclipse, is a hit and is somewhat related to this blog. If you love vampires, I'm sure you'll love Eclipse, but this genre of book is really not my sip of blood...er, cup of tea.

Here's an interesting blog post from one of the blogs I follow. She talks about spiritual warfare and how she relieved herself of fear through scripture and prayer.

Wine, Tomatoes & Dandelions: But I will trust in Him...selah...

I bring this up because I experienced something similar myself yesterday. I'm away on business now (though that is not a good excuse for not blogging) and one of the things there is to do here where I am is go on a tour. I'm here in the French Quarter of New Orleans and I have the options of taking one of the lesser expensive walking tours (which mostly have to do with ghosts and vampires and such), take a less interesting tour of a garden, or spend loads of money taking a tour of the swamp. Of course, given my financial challenge of 2009 to save at least $2000, I'm looking at the less costly options as the better options.

I'm not usually interested in "the dark side," but I figured, well, I'm in New Orleans, the home of Voodoo, so going on a dark tour would simply be like partaking of the culture. I really had to psyche myself up for this. The tour didn't start until 8:30, so I walked around a bit. Ambling really. I'd convinced myself to take the vampire tour, meeting up at a nearby voodoo shop to start. The closer I got to the start of the tour, though, the more I kept being reminded of God. I began to see crosses in storefronts that I hadn't seen before when I had passed by earlier. Then I walked into an antique shop and saw another cross. I jokingly said I should buy one to protect me while I'm out on the vampire tour. He didn't laugh. He walked over to me, picked up the cross, and opened it. He said it was "sick" cross. He showed me where the holy water went and several other things that were supposed to go in it.

Well, that last experience did it for me. Nightfall had finally come over the city, and I'd decided to just go back to my hotel. I'd gotten some beignets and a cafe au lait from the legendary Cafe du Monde and headed back. I'd passed by this homeless man (or at least a disheveled man who appeared homeless) and he said something to me under his breath, but I did hear him say something like, "get out of New Orleans." He could have been saying anything. He could have been talking about he wanted to leave the city. He could have been deranged. But the crosses, and vampires, and the darkness really scared the daylights out of me so that when I heard him say that, I really felt I needed to get back to my hotel.

So headed on and then I thought about dinner. I stopped in a dive and ordered two slices to go. Then I stayed to chat with the bartender for a while. Wouldn't you know it, when I left that place, the homeless man was outside, along with three other devious characters, sitting in a dark alleyway just on the other side of my hotel.

Obviously, I made it back because I've lived to write this blog. But my goodness, how strange it is that the blogger from Wine, Tomatoes, and Dandelions also had an eerily similar spiritual experience at around the same time.