• Lightbulb moment

    And so it begins…

    Here it is, my friends: a new day, a new month and a new year. I know some people complain about how we, as a collective, simply accept when a year debuts, but I’ve always appreciated having a clearly defined moment to make a fresh start with calendars and resolutions.

    As I mentioned in a previous post, I intend to spend more time this year working on my fiction. Making stuff up is so much harder than reporting what’s actually happened, and it’ll be an uphill climb to get my imagination in shape. However, I’m determined to give it the old Girl Scout try.

    Another one of my goals is to engage in a series of 30-day experiments. The purpose of this activity is twofold — to build up my discipline levels and to explore new interests. Here’s the current game plan (subject to change, of course):

    January – Listen to a new song every day
    February – Walk for at least 20 mins a day
    March – Meditate for 15 mins a day
    April – Read a new poem every day
    May – Write a blog post every day
    June – Go vegetarian at least one meal a day
    July – Take a photo every day
    August – Record all of my dreams
    September – Write a postcard or letter every day
    October – Try a new recipe every day
    November – Write a new poem every day
    December – Perform an act of kindness every day

    In case you’re curious, today’s song is “Escape Artist” by Zoë Keating:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ufe2JtYqZI

    If you have any additional song suggestions, feel free to send ’em. I’m pretty open to any genre.

    Lastly, in honor of new beginnings, I have redesigned my website. I hope you like it as much as I do.

    Happy New Year!

  • In Memoriam: A Look Back At Some Of The People We Lost in 2015

    hourglass.jpgSome people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead. In 2015, these 15 obituaries featured the people who most resonated with me:

    * Alana Baranick, obituary writer
    * Leonard Nimoy, actor, photographer and artist
    * Maureen O’Hara, actor
    * Harriet Klausner, author
    * Wes Craven, director
    * Kenji Ekuan, industrial engineer
    * James Horner, composer
    * Bertrice Small, author
    * Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author
    * Ann Rule, true crime writer
    * Mary Ellen Mark, photographer
    * David Carr, columnist
    * Roger Rees, actor
    * B.B. King, musician
    * Rudy Perz, ad man

    Other wonderful obituaries that shouldn’t be missed (and people who shouldn’t be forgotten):

    * Jonathan Crombie, actor
    * Yogi Berra, baseball player
    * Christopher Lee, actor
    * Ben E. King, singer
    * Jackie Collins, author
    * John Nash, mathematician
    * Terry Pratchett, author
    * Bob Simon, journalist
    * Stuart Scott, sportscaster
    * Alex Rocco, actor
    * Ruth Rendell, author
    * Burt Shavitz, businessman
    * Vincent Bugliosi, attorney

  • 2015: The Year In Review

    At the end of the year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced, both personally and professionally. What follows is my accounting of 2015:

    * Celebrated my 25th year as a journalist (and contemplated what that means for my future).

    * Produced hundreds of breaking news stories, including the battle against ISIS, the Charlie Hebdo attack, the Paris massacre, dozens of U.S. mass shootings, the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 in Taiwan, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the worldwide refugee crisis, the Baltimore riots, the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling, the change in U.S.-Cuba relations, the dangerous California drought, the Pope’s visit to America and the 2015 debate cycle.

    * Blogged for The Obituary Forum, The Blog of Death and Afterthoughts.

    * Passed the 41,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker)

    * Received the verified checkmark on Facebook (I exist!)

    * Penned 58 journal entries.

    * Wrote 3 poems

    * Worked on my novel.

    * Walked 1.11 million steps (more than 465 miles) and climbed nearly 1,000 floors.

    * Read 45 books and countless magazines.

    * Watched 25 films.

    * Completed classes in The Most Powerful Empires in History, History’s Greatest Entrepreneurs, the Biggest Wars in History, the Most Advanced Ancient Civilizations, the Greatest Cities Throughout History, the Greatest Battles of All Time, the Most Influential Speeches in World History, Significant American Writers of the 20th Century, Great Short Stories and Beautiful Inspiration Poems.

    * Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.

    * Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Author’s Guild.

    * Went house-hunting in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

    * Traveled to Boston and New York City.

    * Twice hosted vacationing friends.

    * Joined a CSA.

    * Saw Stephen King and Lee Child in person.

    * Shot off a large cache of fireworks.

    * Suffered from at least 22 migraines.

    * Celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary.

    * Grieved the death of my eldest cat, Buddha, and received the news that my youngest cat, Sera, has terminal cancer. My father also died.

    * Turned 42.


    End of the yearGoals for 2016

    * Save up enough money for a down payment on a house and move.

    * Work on my fiction.

    * Write more obits.

    * Read at least 50 books.

    * Complete a series of 30-day challenges.

    * Win the lottery.

  • Bookstore

    In bed and in your pants

    Have you ever played the fortune cookie game? Sure you have! You just add the phrase “in bed” to the end of the message found inside a fortune cookie and it becomes instantly more entertaining.

    For example:

    You will inherit a fortune… in bed.

    You will discover your hidden talents… in bed.

    You will live in interesting times… in bed.

    There’s another phrase game I enjoy playing, which I first discovered back in 2010. Just grab the nearest book and add the phrase “in my pants” to the end of the title.

    For example:

    “A Crowd Of Swords”… in my pants.

    “The Night Circus”… in my pants.

    “An Abundance of Katherines”…in my pants.

    Not surprisingly, I received several books for Christmas this year. And because I know you’re curious, I decided to share the titles that showed up under my tree:

    “Naming the World”… in my pants.

    “Letters of E.B. White”… in my pants.

    “The Complete Slow Cooking for Two”… in my pants.

    “Write Starts”… in my pants.

    and “The Outlandish Companion”… in my pants.

    Next time you’re bored and sitting by a bookshelf, give it a try!

  • winged skull stamp

    Quote of the Day

    “Eventually you’ll reach a point where you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. ” –Will Rogers