It’s time to make your New Year’s resolutions. You know the ones: You swear to lose fifty pounds by swimsuit season, exercise more, stop smoking, get out of debt and, if you have the time, get a better job, volunteer more, and open your own business. If you’re like most people, you’ll be discouraged and off the wagon by February. It’s not that New Year’s resolutions are bad; it’s that most of them are too big, nebulous, and unrealistic to give you a chance of success.
I can’t help you stop smoking or lose weight, but I can help you with your financial resolutions. Rather than taking on big tasks, like completely eliminating all debt and cutting out all unnecessary spending (not that these aren’t worthy goals, but for many people they’re going to take longer than a year), why not try something a little more manageable? Here are six financial New Year’s resolutions that are small enough to be doable, but large enough that they can make a difference in your financial picture by the end of 2008.
1. Promise to save something each paycheck, no matter how little. The hardest thing about saving money is getting into the habit. This year, try saving just $10 or $20 from each paycheck in a high yield savings account. Don’t touch the money unless it’s a dire emergency (and no, that new outfit isn’t a dire emergency). To make this easier, have the money automatically deducted from your paycheck so you never see it. Most people can easily come up with a small amount to save each pay period just by sacrificing one lunch or dinner out. Once you establish the saving habit and see that balance grow, you’ll find it becomes easier to save a little more, and then more still.
2. Pay off one debt. Just one. Whether it’s a student loan, a credit card, or a car loan, vow to pay off just one debt this year (and then don’t replace it with another debt). The satisfaction you’ll get from paying off that one thing will probably push you to pay off more. But even if it doesn’t, you’ve still kept your resolution because you paid off one debt. That’s one more debt you won’t be carrying next year.
3. Learn something about finance. It doesn’t matter what you choose to learn, but take the time to learn one new thing about personal finance. Whether you want to learn more about taxes, insurance, investment products, retirement funding, the stock market, or owning a small business, pick one topic and teach yourself. You can get books from the library, read personal finance or business magazines and newspapers, or read finance articles on the web. Hang out in Internet forums that cater to your topic and learn from the experiences of others. At the end of the year you’ll have accumulated a body of knowledge that will help you make financial decisions in the future. One of the biggest problems people face when trying to better their financial situation is lack of knowledge and a feeling that, “It’s all over my head.” Education empowers you to overcome that problem.
4. Pick one area of your spending and work on controlling it. Rather than eliminating all unnecessary spending (which usually leads to a spending binge when you start to feel deprived), look at your finances and identify one problem area and work on fixing it. Maybe you eat out too much or buy too many toys for the kids. Maybe your weakness is clothes or shoes. Figure out where your financial drains are and plug one of them this year. Once you get one area under control, you can tackle another problem area if you’re motivated. Just make sure that you don’t take the money you’re saving and spend it on something else. Put it in your savings account or use it to pay down a debt. Then you’ll be tackling two or more resolutions at once!
5. Take care of one financial chore you’ve been putting off. Maybe you know you need a will or to set up a power of attorney. Maybe you need to reevaluate your current insurance policies or buy additional insurance. Maybe you know you can get a better deal on some services your household uses, but you’ve put off making the switch. These sorts of chores are time consuming and not very much fun, which is why they get put off. Pick just one chore you need to do and resolve to do it this year. Having tackled one, you may be inspired to take care of another. But if not, at least one area of your financial picture will be better off than last year.
6. Save something for retirement. If you aren’t saving for retirement, vow to start doing so, even if you only put a tiny bit away. If you’re eligible for a 401k, sign up to have a percent or two deducted from your paycheck and put in the plan. If your company matches your contribution, try to contribute enough to get the full match; it’s free money. If you can’t get into a company sponsored plan, open your own IRA. Contribute what you can. Next year, try to contribute more.
Even if you only complete a couple of these resolutions this year, you’ll see a difference in your financial picture next year and beyond. The satisfaction you get from completing these small resolutions may lead you to take on more financial improvements. Even if you don’t complete any more than one or two of these resolutions you will have moved your financial life in a positive direction, which is more than most New Year’s resolvers will accomplish year.
Nine and a half years ago I gave birth to a perfect baby girl we named Sabrina.Ten fingers, ten toes and crying like she never wanted to see the light of day.Before having her, I made the conscious decision to breastfeed.I was fortunate that I could be a stay-at-home Mom and therefore have the time to devote to my child, because as all parents are aware, there is never enough time.
While externally, in my eyes, my child is perfect, internally Sabrina’s immune system is in overdrive.She has food allergies which range from being a nuisance to being potentially fatal.
From the first, she gained all her nutrition from me – a wholly and deeply satisfying feeling for me personally. I need to state here that I’m not recommending one feeding method over another. This is a personal choice and the one I made, I had the luxury of making.My baby thrived on her diet, never once spitting up, sleeping soundly and maintaining a regular feeding schedule.
I first knew something was wrong when Sabrina was one month old. I had to leave her for a few hours with my most trusted caregiver, my Mom. I had not expressed any milk, so that when she woke up hungry, my Mom gave her one of the pre-measured formulas we had been given by the hospital (making sure that it had not expired). As it was my Mom who was feeding her, Sabrina drank all of the formula from the bottle, rather than holding out for the breast.Later, in the early evening, my baby girl who had never so much as spit up, who you could hold upside down (which of course we didn’t do), directly after feeding without fear of anything coming back up, threw up every bit of the formula. This was so out of the norm for Sabrina that for the next five months, until I started to introduce solids into her diet, Sabrina was exclusively breastfed.
The next sign that there was something out of the norm for Sabrina was her stall in weight gain. She had been growing in accordance to the standard growth charts until her nine-month checkup. The only thing that had changed between her six month and nine month checkup was her diet. I had started to introduce solids at six months and thought nothing of my picky eater, as all babies could be fussy when starting new foods. It did not occur to me that she would not be getting enough to eat.
It was also at this six month mark that I had decided to try to start weaning Sabrina. I chose a soy based formula, remembering what had happened the last time she had been fed regular formula. This time she was having none of it. In an effort to stick to the plan, I held out until she took some of the formula. She went to sleep and about three hours later, woke up and started to immediately throw up. A frantic call to her doctor had him trying to calm me down telling me to try a different formula. Whether Sabrina’s pediatrician suspected she had food allergies or not, the standard response is to try something else until they are older, because, according to what I was informed, babies change so much in the first year that it really is no indication of a long-lasting or even a life-long food allergy.
It is most likely that a child will outgrow a food allergy or intolerance.What is most notable is the number of cases of food allergies have been increasing in the US.
An allergy is defined as “the inappropriate and harmful response of the body’s defense mechanism to substances that are normally harmless. It involves the immune system and particularly an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE)” (from www.worldallergy.org/public/allergic_diseases_center/overview.php).The World Allergy Organization also writes that the incidence of allergies varies from country to country. The reasons for this is not known, “but are related in part to affluence and lifestyle.”
In the US, “[m]ore than 12 million Americans have food allergies … or 4 percent of the population,” according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (www.foodallergy.org).
Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S.They are: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (e.g., walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, www.foodallergy.org).It is recommended these foods be avoided for the first year of a child’s life.If there is a family history of allergies to a particular food, this also needs to be taken into account when deciding to try a new food.
One of the most important things to be aware of is that unlike environmental allergies (dust, pollen, pets, etc.), there is no medicine as yet for a food allergy.The only way to avoid a reaction is to avoid the allergen or food that causes the allergic reaction.This may require a lifestyle change for the whole family or something as minor as not having the food present at home.
Just as an individual may be allergic to different kinds of food, so too, the reaction may differ. My daughter would gain an immediate rash on her face, particularly around her mouth which came in direct contact with the allergen, and on her abdomen. As the allergen worked its way through her system, she would get congested and then a day or two later develop eczema rashes particularly in the crooks of her arms and behind her knees.I would treat the eczema with cortisone cream sparingly twice per day until it subsided.If I did not do this, she would scratch the irritation so much sometimes that the skin would break.At this point I could not use the cortisone cream and could only apply a cool compress or ice wrap directly on the affected areas.
Other reactions may include abdominal pains, hyperactivity, vomiting, excessive congestion or runny nose just to list a few.In order for her pediatrician to even test Sabrina, I had to make several calls and eventually took photos of her rash to show her doctor.I know that pediatricians do the best they can, but when it comes to the health and well-being of your child, you are their only voice and advocate and it’s okay to insist on a more in-depth examination.
Whether it’s your first child or your fourth, trite as it may sound, parents need to trust their instincts. Even if you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong, the fact that something has been picked up by your radar is enough for you to pay closer attention to your child.
I remember when I first found out that Sabrina was allergic to common foods like milk and eggs – things I had grown up on and used frequently in cooking – I was quite upset wondering why did it have to be my child. I didn’t have any experience in dealing with food allergies and I certainly didn’t know how to take care of an allergic child. As time went on and I discovered more and more resources which helped me to manage her diet, I came to realize that my child was eating healthier and fresher foods than had she not had her allergies.So while I would not wish this on anyone, know that it is manageable and that there are lots of food alternatives to the traditional foods fed to infants and young children with more options appearing everyday – even in the local grocery store.
Today, Sabrina is still allergic to milk, eggs, some fish and most especially tree nuts (for which I must carry an EpiPen at all times as well as provide one to her school so the nurse may have it on site in case of any possibility). She may still outgrow some, or even all of her allergies, but what’s most important is she is a healthy, happy child that is well aware of her allergies and knows how to take care of herself. She’s been taught that having allergies is no different than being better in math than in English. All it means is that you have to be more diligent when studying your English. It was a way to realize that together we can manage anything and it is through the challenges that we grow and learn and hopefully become better persons. As a mom, this was a life lesson very much worth learning.
Take Small Steps for a Greener Life- New Year’s Resolution
Compiled By Jathy Garcia
Are you looking for a simple way to make your life a little more eco-friendly? What better time than the new year to incorporate a few new habits into your life. These small steps can you help you live your life a little greener, one day at a time.
Recycle – This point can’t be emphasized enough. Recycling not only prevents trash from going to landfills, it reduces the need for the manufacture of new products. Go to Earth911.comto find the nearest recycling center or bin. Set up a few separate trash cans. The most important products to separate are paper, plastic, and aluminum. If you’re lucky enough to have curbside recycling in your neighborhood, start taking advantage of this great service right away!
Reuse – Instead of throwing away unwanted items – from shoes and clothes to appliances and toys – find ways to reuse them. This can mean taking them to Goodwill, Faith Farm or the Salvation Army, or selling them in a garage sale or on Craigslist. There are lots of places that take used and unwanted objects to give them new life.
Slowly Switch to CFLs – Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are energy efficient light bulbs that will not only help you live a little greener, but will also put some green in your pocket by reducing your energy bills. The key to switching to CFLs in an eco-friendly manner is to wait until your present light bulbs burn out first. Throwing away bulbs that are still good is creating unnecessary waste – counterintuitive to everything green.
Use Reusable Bags – You’ve heard it a hundred times. Now, add it to your new year resolutions and actually do it. Take your own bags to the grocery store and stop amassing all those plastic and paper bags.
Ditch the Disposable Packaging – Do you pack a sandwich for lunch in a zip-top baggie every day? Invest in a reusable Tupperware container or the eco-friendly reusable wraps- visit http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/index.php and cut down on your waste. All of that discarded plastic will only pollute landfills and oceans for centuries. While you’re at it, get reusable containers at http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/index.phpher for your lunch items, as well as for any other product that usually ends up in a baggie.
Buy Organic – You don’t have to convert your entire grocery list to organic items, but invest in a few locally grown or organic items each week. Check out this listing of the 43 Best and Worst Fruits and Vegetables -http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php – when it comes to pesticide contamination. Buying just one of the top offenders in an organic variety will not only help the environment, it could help your health.
Clean Green – You can buy environmentally-friendly cleaning products almost anywhere now. Look for eco-conscious products from your local supermarket. These are safer alternatives to bleach and other harsh chemicals that will give you a healthier home and environment.
Cancel Paper Bills – Spend a few minutes online and cancel all your paper bills. Most credit cards and even some water and power companies now offer this handy alternative. If you check your email daily, you won’t lose any of the convenience and you’ll save a lot of waste.
Stop Your Junk Mail – This action will not only save the planet, it might help save your sanity a bit, too. Who really needs all of those endless advertisements cluttering their mailbox? Go to http://precycle.tonic.com/ and stop the junk mail coming to your home.
When it comes to greener plumbing options, feel free to call us at 561-790-6966. Remember Don’t Fret . . . Just Call Hi-Tech. Hi-Tech plumbing is a plumbing contractor in your local Wellington area who specializes in “green” repairs. For more information visit our website at www.hi-techplumbing.com.
Sparkling Wine and Caviar Tasting Free! 6:00-8:00pm
Join us in our Specialty Department to sample luxurious sparkling wines and caviar so you will know exactly what to buy for your New Years’ Eve gathering! Enjoy this special evening of samples and live music with friends, family and your neighbors. Pre-registration requested with customer service by calling 561-904-4000.
AboutWholeFoodsMarket® Founded in 1980 in Austin , Texas , Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com), a leader in the natural and organic foods industry and America ’s first national certified organic grocer, was named “ America ’s Healthiest Grocery Store” in 2008 by Health magazine. The Whole Foods Market motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to its more than 50,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 12 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2008, the company had sales of $8 billion and currently has more than 275 stores in the United States , Canada , and the United Kingdom . Whole Foods Market, Fresh & WildTM, and Harry’s Farmers Market® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Wild Oats® and Capers Community MarketTM are trademarks owned by Wild Marks, Inc.
Luncheon and Business Meeting 11:30 am; Program 1:00 pm
“FANCY HIBISCUS” – Winn Soldani
Winn became a grower of “Fancy Hibiscus” after falling in love with these beautiful tropical flowers and experimenting on his own. Once he realized that the quality of plants he was creating in his own backyard were superior to those produced by the “experts”, in 1982 he turned his hobby into a business.
Winn has been written up in the Palm Beach Post and dubbed the “Hercules of Hibiscus”.
Some of his hybrids like the “Black Dragon” are considered the rage of the hibiscus world. His “Fancy Hibiscus” has been featured in National Garden Magazine, and on the cover of “A Garden Diary: A Guide to Gardening in South Florida”, as well as in theme parks in the Midwest.
Winn has been a consultant for numerous gardens throughout the country such as Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami, Flamingo Gardens in Ft. Lauderdale, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, the National Arboretum at the Smithsonian in DC, and Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Grand Cayman as well as the Dupont Estate in WPB and Bunny Melon’s Estate in Aruba, to name a few. Winn will be introducing us to his unusual creations and hard to find oddities and his rare species in blues, blacks, silver and “color combinations you won’t believe.” He will also offer us the opportunity to become the owner of one (or more) of his amazing hibiscuses.
The public is invited. A light lunch is served. Seating is limited. Please RSVP to (561) 793-6013 or (561) 798-9217.
To: Around Wellington
From: Wellington Women’s Club
Contact: Allyson Samiljan, 561-798-6741
For Immediate Release
__________________________________
The Wellington Women’s Club invites you to attend its January meeting on Thursday, January 7, 2010, 6:30 p.m., at Binks Forest Golf Club, 400 Binks Forest Drive, Wellington.
In addition to a buffet dinner, the program will include playing Bingo for some great prizes including gift baskets and a gift certificate for a facial from Sanda Gané European Day Spa.
The Wellington Women’s Club is open to all women residing in the Western Communities and supports two main causes, the YWCA Harmony House, a secure shelter for abused women and their children, and college scholarships for area high school seniors.
Guests are welcome for a fee of $30. For reservations or more information, please contact Allyson, 798-6741.
The 2009 Miami Book Fair International celebrated its twenty-sixth year and it most certainly didn’t disappoint with 350 currently published authors making appearances.Miami Dade College was the location of this thought-provoking event in downtown Miami.
During this inspirational celebration of authors and books, it was a joy watching Mitchell Kaplan, co-founder of the book fair, owner of Books & Books, take great care to make sure every writer felt comfortable and cared about, whether a celebrity or a first time novelist. And it was a special treat to have Jeff Lindsay, author of his current novel Dexter by Design in the house. This new book in the series has its anti-hero chasing a killer who prides himself on mutilation art.
His first book in the Dexter series, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, is the basis for Showtime’s number-one rated series, Dexter.This first novel bestowed upon him the MacavityAward, which is named for the Mystery Cat in T. S. Eliot’s ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’.He was also the recipient of a 2005 Dilys Award presented by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association, named after Dilys Winn who is the founder of the very first specialty bookstore dealing only with mystery books in the U.S.Dexter by Design, the fourth in the highly successful series, debuted at #8 on The New York TimesBestseller List in September 2009.
Author Jeff Lindsay
First of all, Jeff isn’t a serial killer, he doesn’t befriend serial killers and he’s not related to any serial killers. So what’s he like? He’s unpretentious, endearing, disciplined and a dearly-devoted, happily-married, family man.
This Miami native, a graduate of Ransom Everglades was known as Jeffrey P. Freundlich in his youth, writing prior novels under the name of Jeffrey P. Lindsay.Many of his early books were co-written with his wife Hilary Hemingway.An esteemed author in her own right she happens to be the niece of Ernest Hemingway. Jeff attended Middlebury College in Vermont and graduated in 1975 with a B.A. in Literature & Writing. He finalized his educational pursuits with a double M.F.A. in Theater Direction & Playwriting from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. He currently resides in Cape Coral, Florida with his wife and their three children.
During the book fair, Jeff shared a stage with Paul Levine, author of Illegal: A Novel, and they were introduced by the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel’s former Book Editor, Chauncey Mabe, who now has his own blog on literature and publishing for the renowned Florida Center for the Literary Arts at MDC, at: www.flcenterlitarts.com.
Paul spoke first and talked about how he’s such a fan of Jeff’s work, has read all the books, watches Dexter every Sunday, and now that he has the complete attention of the audience, blurts out, “and I think I speak for everyone here today when I say you are a sick puppy.”
After Paul’s presentation, Chauncey took back the stage to announce Jeff.In his former job, Chauncey had to make snap judgments on what was going to be reviewed. When he found out that Darkly Dreaming Dexter was a book about a serial killer that kills killers, he said, “That’s the dumbest idea I’d ever heard.I should’ve known better because Ernest Hemingway famously once said and this is not an exact quote, ‘there’s no new ideas…it’s all in the execution’ — and of course with Jeff Lindsay the word execution takes on new meaning.”
It turns out that Chauncey’s youngest daughter is hoping to become a cop and “fell in love with the TV show” and then she read all of the books. She then discovered that the books and the TV show were quite a bit different, deciding that she loves them both equally.
Jeff Lindsay took the stage and the air was filled with rapt anticipation.
“Actually, there’s something I want to say and it goes back to what Chauncey said about his daughter wanting to become a cop. I want to thank the Miami-Dade police department for your support, your good work and your service,” Jeff proclaimed.“It’s odd to me the communities of people that Dexter seems to speak to, but one of them is definitely law enforcement.And every event I’ve ever done there have been a couple of guys in the back standing there and I know my back is covered.And considering some of the other folks who like Dexter, I think this is a good thing.”
This day, one audience member asked, “We all know that Dexter live
Jeff Lindsay at the Miami Book Fair International, Photo by Marla E. Schwartz
s inside his head, if you had to choose a best friend for him, someone he could relate to, who would it be?”
“Well, he doesn’t really relate to anyone at all so if it’s going to be anybody … then it would be my friend Julio a retired Seal who’s much larger then me, who looked me in the eye and said, ‘I want you to swear that Dexter isn’t based on me’.”
Briton Alonso, 23, stood in line waiting for Jeff’s autograph, said “I’ve read the first two books so far. I think Dexter is one of the most fascinating and interesting characters I’ve ever come across. I feel he is evil, but he has such redeeming qualities and I never go for the villains. But Jeff has found a way to make you root for the bad guy.”
Dexter has become iconic and so has his creator.
The show opens up with haunting music that’s flawlessly juxtaposed with ordinary things made menacing.
“I’ve waited my whole life for this,” Jeff exclaimed.“I finally have a theme song.”
Showtime just wrapped up its third season of Dexter and the fourth and fifth seasons have been ordered.More information is available at SHO.com/dexter.The shows can be seen Sundays at 9 pm EST.
The marvelous actor who brings Dexter to life is the mesmerizing
Michael C. Hall as Dexter and James Remar as Harry Morgan on Showtime's hit series Dexter
Michael C. Hall, who portrayed David Fisher on the hit HBO drama, Six Feet Under.Regular cast members include:Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, and James Remar.Also making appearances have been Keith Carradine, Jimmy Smits and the Academy Award-nominated, Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe award-winner John Lithgow as a suburban father living a dual life as ‘Trinity’ one of America’s deadliest serial killers.
Die-hard fans recognized Jeff when he had a cameo role in the tenth episode of the third season.Here’s hoping this becomes a tradition!
Jeff Lindsay kindly answered a few questions for us.
Around Wellington:What’s one difference between the books and the show?
Jeff Lindsay:The second season opens with divers finding forty of Dexter’s bodies where he dumped them in sixty-feet of water.And for TV it’s a great dramatic twist, but in reality, I grew up in Miami and to find sixty-feet of water you have to work.And once you find it you go a hundred yards further and you find three-thousand feet of water – so why would he do that?
AW: That’s a clue that the show isn’t shot in Miami.
JL:Right – and another other clue is that all of the Cubans look somehow like Mexicans or Puerto Ricans and all my Cuban friends are outraged.
AW:Why isn’t it shot here?
JL:The first episode was shot during the summer when we had four hurricanes – so now the insurance company wants such a huge bond for hurricane insurance that it’s not worth it.
AW:When did you begin writing?
JL:I was first published when I was five or six-years-old.I had a couple of poems published in a national anthology of children’s poetry.Then there was this girl, she’s the daughter of an old family friend and they lived in Michigan and I was in love with her, so I wrote her a serial novel, sending her a new chapter every week as a way of impressing her.It didn’t work.
AW:How did you become involved with Showtime?
JL:The producer who originated the project read a review in The New Yorker, I think and another one in The New York Times.She liked the reviews, read the book, took it to Showtime and they decided to do it.They got behind it, it rolled and it was like magic.
AW:When did you find out that Michael C. Hall was going to be cast as Dexter?
JL:They called and told me and I said, ‘that’s the worse thing I ever heard in my life’.Then I was told, ‘well, we really like his work – you have to trust us on this’.The first time I walked on the set I said, ‘where is he’?I walked right past him a couple of times.It didn’t look like the guy from Six Feet Under at all, he was taller, thinner, his face had changed – everything was different.The first line I saw him say on camera I thought, ‘that’s him’!
AW:How did you come up with the ‘Code of Harry’?
JL:I have friends who are cops and you can’t have this job for more than two weeks and not realize that there’s a great big hole between justice and law. You get into it because you want to uphold justice and you end up doing law instead. You watch the bad guys you bring in walk out the door.Given the shot, if you imagine Harry as a career police officer, and he sees young Dexter and knows that this kid is going to become a killer no matter what – it can’t be changed.That’s what the research says.So why not do some good with that?It makes a lot of sense.
AW:Your fans told me that they were fascinated with the idea that there’s a character who’s a serial killer that they can get behind.
JL:Shame on them. There was a youth minister here who said ‘this is my guilty pleasure and I like it.’
AW:I think that’s a great compliment to your writing.
JL:I think so too.
AW:Have you finished your next book yet?
JL:I’m finishing it now. I don’t know if it’s any good yet. I have to do some revisions.
AW:Does your wife proof read it for you?
JL:Well, not proof it because she’s dyslexic. But maybe because of that she’s absolutely awesome with plots and structure and she’s always the first one to read it.And there comes a point in every book, which I reached three weeks ago, but when I go, ‘I’m lost, help me’.And she reads it.We have different strengths and weaknesses and together we’re one complete writer.
AW:Do you have any advice for young writers?
JL:This isn’t a joke. Learn art welding. The fact is that most people who write don’t make a full living at it. And if it happens it’s going to take awhile. But art welding is a great example of something you can do on your own schedule and it pays enough that if you can only do it twenty-hours a week, that’s enough to pay the rent.
AW:Do you have a particular writing schedule?
JL:I wake up between three and four a.m. and work until it’s time to get the kids up.I’m the cook in the family so I cook the breakfasts and make the lunches.Then they go off to school and I go to the gym, come back and usually get another hour or two of mostly re-writing done.
AW:Is there anything else you’d like to tell the readers about the future of Dexter?
JL:Well, the book I’m finishing now is about cannibalism, called Dexter is Delicious.That’s one of my favorite titles.I was recently in Australia (Dexter by Design was released in Australia in February 2009) and they’re crazy about him and want him to visit Australia.So I thought that Dexter down Under would be a good title.
AW:Is there anything else you’d like to add?
JL:Yes, every time I think of Carl Hiaasen, and I know he’d be flattered to hear this, I think of frozen shit.Because of the story he tells of about a giant lump of frozen airplane sewage falling from the sky and coming into somebody’s house – I always think of that.I always say, you never know, God forbid, if a piano should fall on you.You just never know – bonk.
AW:Well, if you die by music, as long as Beethoven or somebody is playing, that would be a good way to go.
JL:(He belts out a famous segment of Beethoven’s 5th.) Boom, boom, boom, boom!
AW:Thank you very, very much.
JL:It’s been a pleasure.
Jeff Lindsay’s novels in the Dexter series are as follows:
Character difference of Deborah between the novels and the TV series explained:
Deborah Morgan/Debra Morgan:In the books, the character’s name is spelled “Deborah,” and she is described as voluptuous. She also talks about how she has not been taken seriously because she has large breasts.In the TV series, the character’s name is spelled “Debra,” and the actress playing her (Jennifer Carpenter) has a very slim, athletic build.In the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter and the follow-up novels, Deborah finds out her brother is a killer, and appears to accept it; in the TV series, Debra remains unaware of Dexter’s “hobby”, and it is suggested that she would not be able to handle this knowledge, where he imagined she would shoot him point-blank between the eyes.
Praise for award-winning DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER
“A dark and devious novel about Dexter Morgan, the serial killer with a heart . . . Lindsay’s tale is daring and unexpectedly comedic.”
—USA Today
“A macabre tour de force . . . so snappy and smart.”
—The New York Times
“It’s [the] human touches, including self-pity, that make Dexter come to life and Lindsay’s book so enjoyable.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Fascinating, entertaining, and brilliant.”
—Robert Crais
Praise for DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER
“A macabre work of art.”
—The Miami Herald
“The first serial killer who unabashedly solicits our love.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Morbidly funny.”
—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
“Creepily over the top. . . Snappier than ever.”
—The Oregonian
“Like a breath of fresh air blowing across all of crime-novel conventions, there is Dexter.”
—The Denver Post
“DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER is fascinating, entertaining, and brilliant. Let Jeff Lindsay introduce you to the serial killer next door—Dexter (and his Dark Passenger) are the freshest, most terrifying creations you are ever likely to meet . . . and live to tell about.”
—New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais
A native of Toledo, OH and a graduate of Kent State, Marla E. Schwartz has been a professional journalist since her teenage years and is a Senior Writer for Miami Living Magazine, and a freelance writer for CRAVINGS South Florida in Aventura, as well as Around Wellington Magazine and Lighthouse Point Magazine.An avid photographer, her images have appeared in numerous Ohio publications, as well as in Miami Living, the Miami Herald, the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post.She has had numerous plays published and produced around the country.Her short play, America’s Working?was originally read at First Stage in Los Angeles and in the same city produced at the Lone Star Ensemble.It was then produced at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL and then taken to an Off-Broadway playhouse by its producers Adam and Carrie Simpson.Her piece, The Lunch Time Café, was a finalist at the Actor’s Theater in Louisville, Kentucky.Feel free to contact her at: meschwartz1@hotmail.com.
GeoffCoolidge of COOL ROSES will speak about pruning and fertilizing our roses for winter so you may enter prize-winning blooms at the April rose show.The in-house competition will continue as usual, so be sure to enter your best specimen, practice filling out the required form, andlearn how to display your roses to their best advantage.
We are adding an extra attraction to our monthly meetings- a CHINESE AUCTION of roses provided by Geoff Coolidge, along with garden-related items and companion plants.Look for other fun activities each month- you are sure to find lots of interesting and informative programs to suit yourgrowing love of rose gardening.
Contact: Peter Wein
Tel: 561-827-4223
E-mail: peter@w4cy.com
Health Care Towny Meeting
Date: December 29th
TIME: 2PM to 4 PM
Location: W4CY Radio Studio,
On Tuesday December 29, 2009 Peter Wein from Peter’s Livingroom and Harriet Lerman of “Voice of the People” will present a”Towny Meeting” at the W4CY Radio studio. Subject of discussion will be on Health Care. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and get answers. The discussion will address what the Politicians in Washington are going to do to us. We want them (the Politicians) to know how you feel. That is why we have assembled a panel of Healthcare professional to discuss their point of view and give insight on what is going on and how it is going to affect us. Panel to include State Rep. Mark Pafford, Kevin DiLallo: CEO Wellington Regional Medical Center, Alan Mergerman: Insurance agent, Dave Knapp: from ADCAPH, Ann Fonfa: Annie Appleseed. This event will be introduced by Peter Wein of W4CY Radio’s Peter’s Livingroom and will be moderated by Harriet Lerman, the host of “Voice of the People” radio show.Those unable to attend can hear this meeting at 2 PM on www.w4cy.com
Email questions to be addressed on this show to: peter@w4cy.com. Members of the audience for this show are being accepted by reservation only. Seating is limited so contact W4CY Radio to reserve your spot in the audience of this historic event. Please call 561-340-1490.
It’s a brand new year, a time of hope and growth and shaking free of the limitations of the past. It’s a time of renewal and redemption and salvation. But most of all, it’s a time to make a series of New Year’s resolutions that I’ll spend the next 365 days treating like a to-do list created by someone who doesn’t know me very well and has NO RIGHT to tell me how to live my life.
Here, in no particular order and subject to change without notice, are my resolutions for 2010.
Resolution # 1: I will use the power of social media to unite, enlighten and inspire people in search of greater meaning and purpose in life. I will also provide timely updates on when I’m getting my car washed, buying yogurt, growing a goatee, or thinking of throwing out old running shoes.
Resolution # 2: I will expand my horizons by traveling more and spending time abroad. (Let the record show that I’ve never been abroad, but I have used my wife’s body lotion when we’ve run out of soap.)
Resolution # 3: I will stop judging people harshly and give them the benefit of the doubt. Like the dirt bag that tailgated me at high speed the other day on I-95 risking innocent lives, so that he could arrive five minutes early at Bucky’s Belly Up Bar and complain to his loser buddies about how miserable his life is in spite of his towering intellect and George Clooney-ish charm. (There. I’ve gotten it out of my system.)
Resolution # 4: I will think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures. Big Thought: I must build a body of work that will reach across time and space and enrich people’s lives long after I’m gone. Small pleasure: Mmmm, sweet potato fries.
Resolution # 5: Knowing that, on average, women utter 7,000 words a day and men manage just over 2,000, I will do my part to close the gap by expanding everything I say to include the additional phrase “It is what it is.”
Resolution # 6: I will break out of my comfort zone and go on a cattle drive where I’ll learn to ride a horse over long distances, develop close, mutually-supportive relationships with fellow cowhands, cook semi-edible slop over an open campfire, sleep on the hard ground in snake and coyote-ridden terrain, and use the experience as a springboard to live my life with a greater self-confidence and resourcefulness than ever before. (NOTE: If continued economic hardships preclude an adventure of this magnitude, I will scale back and break out of my comfort zone by running towards a gaggle of geese at a park and shouting “fight or flight,” “fight or flight,” and then, as they fly away in terror, yell after them, “yeah, that’s what I thought ladies.”
Resolution # 7: I will pick a hairstyle that works for me and stick with it over the long term. This will end my life-long experimentation with hair styles that resulted in my hitting bottom last year when I was mistaken for Art Garfunkel at a family reunion. (It changed me.)
Resolution # 8: I will approach both love and cooking with the same reckless abandon but will cut costs on both fronts by buying off-brand syrups and dipping oils.
Resolution # 9: I will strive to live my life according to the three Rs: Respect for self; Respect for others; Random acts of kindness carried out Regularly. (Okay, that may actually be a total of four Rs, so I’ll shoot for all of them and consider three out of four a successful campaign.)
Happy New Year everyone! Give it your best. Count your blessings. Don’t sweat the small stuff. And remember that the main thing is to always keep the main thing the main thing. Which reminds me of one final pledge:
Resolution # 10: When my attempts to sound philosophically advanced result in pretentious babble about “keeping the main thing the main thing,” I will wisely shut up. (Hey, it is what it is.)
Alan Williamson is an award-winning writer with 27 years in the field of true fiction (advertising). A practical man who knows that writing for a living is risky going, he has taken steps to pursue a second, more stable career as a leggy super model. Alan can be reached at alwilly@bellsouth.net.
ps for a Greener Life- New Year’s Resolution
