Maybe It Takes A Blogosphere…

"Not only do I not know what you're trying to say, I don't even know what SUBJECT you're on!"

I hear myself shout the frustrated words in the precise direction of my deer-in-the-headlights husband. It's not the first time I've used this exact line, causing me to have that deja-vu all over again feeling. He, however, looks completely surprised by my outburst, as if he's been thinking I'd somehow been miraculously cured since the last time I said something so...like this.

You may think our silly argument was over our commitment to be companion bloggers, to use a famous quote as a point of departure and then write individually about it--our little experiment on how even happily married couples often don't see things eye-to-eye.

This particular time, you'd be wrong. This time, it was a pesky tax question about which quarter of the year to attribute a 941 payment to, if the check was written in 2005 but the pay period it corresponded with occurred in 2004. I've done this incorrectly enough times in the recent past to know that one false move will bury me in letters from the IRS for the next couple years.

Suffice it to say that on ALL matters pertaining to math and taxes and accounting and bookkeeping, Doug and I have never understood a word the other is saying.

He handled all the family finances for the first ten years, creating an unfortunate quagmire the likes of which I'd never experienced. I've been the CFO for 18 years running, and he just has to trust me when I say I'm doing an adequate job. If we try to sit down with the books and talk about it, we don't get too far. On math-intensive stuff, we don't speak the same language.

The best we can do is designate a driver a decade at a time, and let the other one sleep it off in the financial back seat.

We thought it would be different with a cooperative writing project. We're both pretty good with words, and I'd finally learned to accept his brilliant criticisms and edits of my work. It was easy to imagine us tap-tapping away on our Macs for an hour or two, and then taking a refreshing Starbucks break in the early evening to compare posts.

Rinse, lather, repeat. Sounds simple, huh?

Too simple, as it turns out. To our astonishment, we've learned something new about ourselves, about us as a couple. And that is, "Writing together ain't the picnic it's cracked up to be, baby."

Here's where you come in--at least, we're hoping you do!

One of our chief difficulties has been agreeing on workable quotes. Doug's criteria for a quote is that it be something about which he believes he can write without battling writer's block. He'll choose quotes about physics or theology or principles of good design. I use my veto power to powerfully veto his choices. My choices, on the other hand, tend to revolve around the quote's potential for writing something quirky, off-the-wall, or inspirational--all of which give Doug writer's block.

We're hoping our dear readers (you!) will help us out. Can you send us quotes (either through our blogs' comments or by email) that you'd like to see us both write about? If your quote or Scripture verse is chosen (and after a heated discussion at the Raymond home, it just might be...), you'll be credited with giving us the idea.

It might take more than two of us to make a go of this thing. Please shoot us your ideas!

Incidentally, Michael O'Connor gave us this one, and we think he may be onto something...Thanks, Michael!

Posted by Katy on 01/11/05 at 03:52 PM

Fallible Comments...

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." -- Mother Theresa
-----
Posted by Kevin on 01/13/05 at 11:16 PM
I really must come here more often. Not only is the writing delightful (although the parallel experience of being on different planets with one's husband in financial discussions was eerie, and the notion of writing something together nearly sent me back to bed with a migraine) but it's the little things. The "fallible comments." The wonderful epigram. And my favorite--forgive me if others have pointed this out before--when I open a comments screen in Firefox, the label on the tab where the main page of your blog still resides says, "fallible.com - personal blog of christ...". That might be the first real double-take I've done in quite some time. Loved it. Hmmm, if Jesus were here today, would he blog...?
Posted by Lori on 01/14/05 at 08:36 PM
"A realist is more correct in things about life than an optimist, but the optimist seems to have more friends and much more fun."
Megan age 14

Kids can be so funny. Our four could really
try a saint when they were all bickering and fighting at once. I had a hiding place until my husband found me out. Then one day as we both were hiding out in our bathroom, we heard four little voices on the outside of the bathroom door. "We know you're in there and you aren't using the bathroom either!"
Posted by Candace Pfau on 01/14/05 at 11:05 PM
"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly." - MacBeth, Shakespeare
Posted by Lori Seaborg on 01/15/05 at 12:26 PM
Kevin--This is one of my favorite quotes of all time!

Lori--Poor Jesus! :)

Candace--Ain't it grand when your kids nail you? "We know you're in there...." Tee, hee.

A different Lori?--I had to think about this one a few seconds before I got it. At least, I think I get it! And it's wonderful...
Posted by Katy Raymond on 01/17/05 at 04:09 AM
Just catching up on your blog, Katy...I have lots of great writing quotes that I use in workshops...don't know if any would be of any help, but I love them...
"Writing is lifework, not deskwork." Lucy Calkins
"It's never too late, in fiction or in life, to revise." Author Unknown
"You write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is to WRITE." --from the movie Finding Forrester
"The wastebasket is the writer's best friend." Isaac Bashevis Singer
and finally,
"If a piece of writing doesn't matter, then it really doesn't matter how it's written."
Posted by Bridget on 01/20/05 at 12:36 AM
Hi, Bridgie--I miss you! Good writing quotes. Love Finding Forrester! I can just hear Sean now! :)
Posted by Katy Raymond on 01/20/05 at 07:16 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Maybe It Takes A Blogosphere… "Not only do I not know what you're trying to say, I don't even know what SUBJECT you're on!" I hear myself shout the frustrated words in the precise direction of my deer-in-the-headlights husband. It's not the first time I've used this exact line, causing me to have that deja-vu all over again feeling. He, however, looks completely surprised by my outburst, as if he's been thinking I'd somehow been miraculously cured since the last time I said something so...like this. You may think our silly argument was over our commitment to be companion bloggers, to use a famous quote as a point of departure and then write individually about it--our little experiment on how even happily married couples often don't see things eye-to-eye. This particular time, you'd be wrong. This time, it was a pesky tax question about which quarter of the year to attribute a 941 payment to, if the check was written in 2005 but the pay period it corresponded with occurred in 2004. I've done this incorrectly enough times in the recent past to know that one false move will bury me in letters from the IRS for the next couple years. Suffice it to say that on ALL matters pertaining to math and taxes and accounting and bookkeeping, Doug and I have never understood a word the other is saying. He handled all the family finances for the first ten years, creating an unfortunate quagmire the likes of which I'd never experienced. I've been the CFO for 18 years running, and he just has to trust me when I say I'm doing an adequate job. If we try to sit down with the books and talk about it, we don't get too far. On math-intensive stuff, we don't speak the same language. The best we can do is designate a driver a decade at a time, and let the other one sleep it off in the financial back seat. We thought it would be different with a cooperative writing project. We're both pretty good with words, and I'd finally learned to accept his brilliant criticisms and edits of my work. It was easy to imagine us tap-tapping away on our Macs for an hour or two, and then taking a refreshing Starbucks break in the early evening to compare posts. Rinse, lather, repeat. Sounds simple, huh? Too simple, as it turns out. To our astonishment, we've learned something new about ourselves, about us as a couple. And that is, "Writing together ain't the picnic it's cracked up to be, baby." Here's where you come in--at least, we're hoping you do! One of our chief difficulties has been agreeing on workable quotes. Doug's criteria for a quote is that it be something about which he believes he can write without battling writer's block. He'll choose quotes about physics or theology or principles of good design. I use my veto power to powerfully veto his choices. My choices, on the other hand, tend to revolve around the quote's potential for writing something quirky, off-the-wall, or inspirational--all of which give Doug writer's block. We're hoping our dear readers (you!) will help us out. Can you send us quotes (either through our blogs' comments or by email) that you'd like to see us both write about? If your quote or Scripture verse is chosen (and after a heated discussion at the Raymond home, it just might be...), you'll be credited with giving us the idea. It might take more than two of us to make a go of this thing. Please shoot us your ideas! Incidentally, Michael O'Connor gave us this one, and we think he may be onto something...Thanks, Michael! Posted by Katy on 01/11/05 at 03:52 PM Fallible Comments... "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." -- Mother Theresa ----- Posted by Kevin on 01/13/05 at 11:16 PM I really must come here more often. Not only is the writing delightful (although the parallel experience of being on different planets with one's husband in financial discussions was eerie, and the notion of writing something together nearly sent me back to bed with a migraine) but it's the little things. The "fallible comments." The wonderful epigram. And my favorite--forgive me if others have pointed this out before--when I open a comments screen in Firefox, the label on the tab where the main page of your blog still resides says, "fallible.com - personal blog of christ...". That might be the first real double-take I've done in quite some time. Loved it. Hmmm, if Jesus were here today, would he blog...? Posted by Lori on 01/14/05 at 08:36 PM "A realist is more correct in things about life than an optimist, but the optimist seems to have more friends and much more fun." Megan age 14 Kids can be so funny. Our four could really try a saint when they were all bickering and fighting at once. I had a hiding place until my husband found me out. Then one day as we both were hiding out in our bathroom, we heard four little voices on the outside of the bathroom door. "We know you're in there and you aren't using the bathroom either!" Posted by Candace Pfau on 01/14/05 at 11:05 PM "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly." - MacBeth, Shakespeare Posted by Lori Seaborg on 01/15/05 at 12:26 PM Kevin--This is one of my favorite quotes of all time! Lori--Poor Jesus! :) Candace--Ain't it grand when your kids nail you? "We know you're in there...." Tee, hee. A different Lori?--I had to think about this one a few seconds before I got it. At least, I think I get it! And it's wonderful... Posted by Katy Raymond on 01/17/05 at 04:09 AM Just catching up on your blog, Katy...I have lots of great writing quotes that I use in workshops...don't know if any would be of any help, but I love them... "Writing is lifework, not deskwork." Lucy Calkins "It's never too late, in fiction or in life, to revise." Author Unknown "You write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is to WRITE." --from the movie Finding Forrester "The wastebasket is the writer's best friend." Isaac Bashevis Singer and finally, "If a piece of writing doesn't matter, then it really doesn't matter how it's written." Posted by Bridget on 01/20/05 at 12:36 AM Hi, Bridgie--I miss you! Good writing quotes. Love Finding Forrester! I can just hear Sean now! :) Posted by Katy Raymond on 01/20/05 at 07:16 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Words To Die By Previous entry: Twenty-Somethings, One And All << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Maybe It Takes A Blogosphere…

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri