My high school’s college fair — gathering of representatives from different colleges — looks pitiful compared to this week’s in Plano (a skip north of Dallas). Plano holds two nights of college nights at two of its three senior high schools in mid-September. Over 200 colleges come. We also went one last spring in Irving that was bigger. These give kids a great opportunity to meet many colleges and narrow their lists.

It’s best to start attending them in 10th grade because by the senior year, you should know where you want to apply because the application process mainly occurs in the fall of the senior year. Thank goodness we went to two of them last year. Now, we’ll be sure to go to at least two during our sons’ junior years. Maybe sneak one in 10th grade. It depends on many factors.

For example, our daughter wants to go to a school in the Northeast. Because of the Irving college fair, she found out about two schools that offer scholarships she can get based on her scores and grades that would bring down the costs. No, she’s not one of those who has a 4.0 GPA or super high SAT scores.

My older son wants to go to Texas A&M or TCU. But he’s 12. Of course, he could change his mind. When I was growing up, I wanted to go to A&M like my big brother did. I got accepted there, but ended up going to TCU for a year and finishing at American U in Washington, DC. What changed my mind was partly personal and partly the realization I needed a smaller school and a better chance of getting smaller classes.

Some kids know exactly where they want to go. In this case, the college fair is an opportunity to learn more about the schools and check out other options.

What was your experience in preparing for life after high school?

Brain food…

• If Things Aren’t Going Right, Try the Left! While focused on art, the advice can work for a lot of areas of our lives.
• 100+ Free HTML Email Templates. Wow. These are beautiful. They’ve also been tested in many of the most popular email apps.
• You’re Reading Too Fast. Better to read fast and get through more books, or to savor and absorb everything? I think it depends on book.
• Codecademy. If coding was this fun back when I took Javascript, Java, PHP, etc. classes, I might’ve been a coder today. Nahhh… like my writin’ biz.
• From Writer to Writer. Emily Suess asked writers — me included — to share their advice for handling rejection.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• To Boldly Go Where No Cookie Has Gone Before… Nom nom.
• You’re Mocking Me Aren’t You? Many faces of Buzz Lightyear.
• 10 Neatest Monopoly Boards. Three Monopoly games is enough. We have the original, kids’ version and the fancy one from Franklin Mint that we ordered years ago.
• Old Timey Star Wars. I love old timey pics.
• The Future According to Sci Fi Films. Better watch out… according to 2012 and I Am Legend, we’re facing the end of the world and zombies taking over next year.
• 100 Years of Fashion. 100 years, 100 seconds, catchy music and rockin’ dancin’.

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Whoops. I didn’t publish links last week! Guess what… the sky didn’t fall. Sometimes we can’t blog. It happens. So there are more links than usual because some of them are the ones I saved from last week.

Best quote in ages: “Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” This comes from Michael Hyatt’s blog post, Avoiding One Great Temptation Every New Dream Faces. It’s easy — especially for writers — to dig a big hole for themselves. A friend publishes a book and announces another on the way. {Green} Another colleague writes for bigshot blog. {Green} Writer has 20,000 Twitter followers. {Green} [Fill in something another writer has accomplished that made you jealous.] {Green}

It happens to me. It’s hard not to compare yourself to someone else who does the same job you do. Writers are kind of like snowflakes. It’s hard to find two with the exact same careers. Sure, Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson have published tons of books in a similar genre. But how they got there is different. They do other things, too.

People may be jealous of you, but they’re not going to admit it.

Green is for recycling, the color of my eyes and the rockin’ Dallas Mavericks’ old uniform. What else is green?

Brain food…

• Lower Your Printing Costs Up to 70% Without Changing Printer: Downloaded and installed. This lightens the ink. It’ll take some time to figure out what works best.
• Using Twitter to Support Your Business Social Media Strategy: Twitter does baseball. OK, I tried to do something different…
• 5 Lies Unpublished Writers Tell Themselves (and the Truths That Can Get Them Published): I’ve mentioned this many times include in my most recent real blog post on writer worthiness… writers are a business and that includes marketing.
• You Have to Suck First: When my kids complain they don’t understand something or they’re not good at it, I tell them they have to practice first and that’s what homework, studying and sports practices are for.
• Because Accidents Happen: Top 10 Doo-Dads to Keep Your Gadgets Safe: Love my BlackBerry Otter Box. Initially, I was afraid to order it because I thought it looked clunky and more for men. Well, I got many compliments and love the thing! I don’t use the clipholder. [Link: Erin Margolin]

For fun because we’re allowed…

• Line draw bike art: If you ever wondered how Superman or George Washington would look riding a bike, wonder no more…
• Star Wars and Disney Mashup: Had to share in honor of my dad’s memory. The kids loved hearing him talk like Donald Duck.
• New York Movie Map: Can you find 91 movies — all taken place in New York — in this poster?
• 10 Funniest Badly-Translated Ads: KFC isn’t finger-lickin’ good. They will eat your fingers off in Beijing.
• How to explain social media to your spouse: Tongue in cheek goodness. [Link: Jeff Hurt]
• 20 Funniest Captcha Art Pics: Some not safe for work / kids.

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My older sister aka Aunt E celebrated her birthday this week. Here’s to many more happy and healthy ones.

This week is the third year in a row that my sons will attend the Dallas Auto Show. My older son loves, loves cars. The younger one likes cars, but nothing like big brother. Part of it probably comes from his wanting to be like big brother. Older son loves Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches. Uh oh. I can’t resist this upcoming cliché. You’ve been warned… “Oh, my.”

Bet we’ll have a couple of more model cars coming home to join the collection.

Struggling to make Springpad or Evernote seamlessly work with my process so I can stop relying on Gmail drafts and contacts for notes. Now that I have a tablet, I’ve been looking into this. Springpad requires having the web site open to edit or read notes. Evernote isn’t free. I have Gmail open all the time, so it’s easy to access drafts and contacts (I have notes in contacts). Downside is that you can’t view drafts on other devices. How do you organize your notes?

Brain food…

• What do newspapers pay? WordCount talks newspaper pay rates and shares resources.
• Emotionally intelligent signage on a box: Talk about thinking outside of the box. Brilliant.
• QR Code Generator: Other than the obvious, who’d use this? How?
• Top 100 Social Media Colleges: I love reading about colleges and checking out their programs… that is, until now. Oldest starting the college search thing. That takes the fun out of it. [Link: Mazi]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Yarn Ferrari: Patience in action.
• Cover Letters from Hell: Love the side comments from the editor, too. [Link: Deb Ng]
• Star Wars If Dr. Seuss Had Created It: Guess who would say, “This body is old, but it’s all I’ve got. When 900 you, reach, look so good, you will not!”
• 8 Actors Who Look Exactly the Same on Every Movie Poster: Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Will Smith, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise.
• Google Exodus: Hilarious video. In honor of the upcoming Passover and another viewing of The Ten Commandments (Affiliate).

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You know March roars in like lion and goes out like a lamb? Not this time. It feels like the month whizzed by unless you’re in Japan. I’m sure it’s been a long couple of weeks. I’m thinking of the folks there every day.

The second Legoland Discovery Center in the US comes to Dallas. My family heads there tomorrow as part of a special preview for Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. I can’t believe Lego built the second one here. Here’s hoping it’s a memorable experience for the boys. I’m sure they’ll be asking for this ‘n that as Lego wouldn’t have this place and no Lego for sale.

The youngest got his braces on this week. He got tired of everyone asking, “Why do you need braces?” Severe overbite in his case. That will be three braces for all three kids.

I hope the younger two won’t need them again in the future. The older brother’s permanent teeth haven’t all come in yet and the latest round tried to mess with his teeth. Poor guy had to have three teeth pulled to prevent damage. Orthodontia has changed since I’ve sported railroad tracks. They put braces on kids sooner because they’re waiting until they’re older and baby teeth fall out can do more harm than good.

Brain food…

• 6 Strategic Approaches for Using Twitter: What I like about this infographic is that it covers customer relations, crisis management, corporate reputation management, event coverage, product promotion and sales and issue advocacy. Applicable to almost everyone. Key: Don’t wait until you need it to use Twitter. Start now.
• America’s 100 Best Small Companies: If you’d like to learn about how small companies succeed, these are a good place to start. Some known and some not known.
• 7 Different Types of Writing Gigs for Freelance Copywriters: When I spoke to second graders, first thing I asked was what kind of writers do they know about? Answers: book authors, newspaper writers, magazines. The usual. You know we can do much more and here are some ideas.
• Is a public post a quotable source? Due diligence in sharing information: Depends on the quote selected and where content posted. Newspaper, blog, testimonial, company website, Twitter etc. [Link: Arik Hanson]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 20 creative guerrilla marketing campaigns: I must live in a dull place or don’t get out much. Never see creative campaigns like these around town.
• 14 Funny Warning Signs: Thank you for noticing this notice. Your noticing this notice is noted.
• Angry Birds Papercraft: Made my own! No, I didn’t suddenly find myself with free time on my hands. Need to make ‘em so I could throw ‘em around when I get angry at the game instead of breaking my iPod.
• Magazine grammar fail: Eat, Ray, Love — that works, but they forgot the rest of the commas.
• Star Ways John Williams Tribute: Even Wookie captions! (Thank you, Corey, for captioning the video.) [Link: Lori Widmer]

Credit: ba1969

Aww… kinda sad to see 2010 go, but always open to see what the new year holds beyond planning a big event for early 2012 and the college application process. No brain food this week. My brain was mush this week between medical appointments and kids filling my house with their youthful symphony.

No top 2010 posts. No top anything. Just a thank you for reading, commenting and returning again and again. Every visit from you is like diamonds (they’re pricier than gold) to me.

See you in 2011.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Video camera stealing Octopus: Diver’s commentary cracks me up even with the annoying unnecessary apostrophes.
• 10 Most Weird Dog Toys: You’ll be smiling through next year.
• Dog vs. Balloon: Watch to the end… it’s not all bouncy bounce. Yes, I love dogs.
• Star Wars: Dr. Seuss Style: Would you like green eggs and ham with a Star Wars?
• Johns Hopkins: A Model: Based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I Am the Very Model of a Modern General” from Pirates of Penzance. WOW. Yes, that’s JOHNS not John… Me? I went to TCU and American U. Oh, they done anything like this. Just got in the Rose Bowl and host Sir Elton John, Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilove and Anna Kournikova for a fundraiser.
• Top 10 Worst Christmas Movies from Time: Agree? Disagree? What about the original Miracle on 34th Street?
• Frank Lloyd Wright gingerbread house: Had to share this in honor of my mom who loves his work.
• 13 Coolest Video Game Inspired Cakes: Hey, some ideas for my son’s upcoming birthday. If not him, my husband

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Credit: Shawn P. Calhoun

Overwhelmed this week and next in hopes to wrap up many things before the kids’ winter break. At least, I know my limit and adjust rather than pressure myself to write up something because I do it most Fridays. Despite the hectic schedule, I took the time to drive through my neighborhood to admire my neighbors’ hard work in decorating their yards. So beautiful.

So on with the show…

Brain food…

• Q&A: MFAs and Metaphors: I’ve been keeping the idea of getting an MFA in the back of my mind and watching for programs. The big question: Is it worth getting an MFA? Getcher answer.
• Shut up and get to work: Need motivation. Go here and click links until you’re motivated.
• The 9 Biggest Myths about Finding and Following Your Passion: Even dream jobs have bad days. Like the article says… enjoy the ride.
• What You Should Say to Your Client When Their Payment Is Delinquent: Tough situation. Good advice.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 16 Drinks Named for Authors and Their Books: If you create your own, what would you call it? [Link: Jane Friedman]
• In Color: Architecture Photography: Wish I knew another word for “Wow!”
• Fiverr: What people will do for $5. Some of it is unethical like “posting four positive reviews of your business or product.”
• Life Back in the Day: 18 ads from the ’70s: 30 to 40 years later… whole new meaning. [Link: Laura Spencer]
• Hot Wheels Extreme: In honor of my son who has a giant collection of these miniature cars.
• Christmas by the Book and a Recyclable Christmas Tree: A writer’s dream Christmas tree? Could make it an annual thing… different book types, colors, etc.
• Star Wars Alphabet: Too bad this didn’t come out when my kids were toddlers. Too cute.

How are you doing this holiday season?

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I’ve been watching CaptionFish for weeks eagerly waiting for a local theater to carry Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 with rear window captioning. I have been Harry Potter movies right when they came out and without captions, but I’d rather go once and get the full experience. Daughter did catch the midnight show and reported when she got home: “I’m home. It was amazing. Good night.”

First the Texas Rangers make it all the way to the World Series and wins one game. Now FC Dallas, a team in the original sport known as football (soccer in only the U.S.), heads to its first-ever Major League Soccer Cup final! I guess the other Dallas-area sports teams are trying to make up for the Dallas Cowboys’ embarrassing season. (Oh, and the Cowboys managed to pull out a win in the first game with Jason Garrett coaching.) Maybe Thanksgiving won’t be Cowboy-less after all.

Brain food…

• Mobile emulators: With more people accessing the Internet on mobile devices, you don’t want to lose opportunities with your website — so you want to test to see how it looks on different devices. Two resources: http://ready.mobi and 10 Excellent Tools for Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices.
• PC Magazine‘s Favorite Blogs 2010: Web Worker Daily made the list! I haven’t written for them in a while; great to have confirmation they’re an amazing resource for telecommuters.
• When it comes to writing, economize: Excellent advice for new and experienced writers.
• Book Blurbs and Interior Design: The Creative Penn shares tips for writing the back blurb and picking the right interior designer for your book.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 12 Coolest Doors: First I’ve seen such unusual doors like these.
• 10 Funniest Windows Errors: Ah, I remember my first computer error that drove me batty: “REENTER?” Now, that may look logical to “re-enter” something… but this was 1984. Without the dash, I read it as “r-ee-nter” (like “renter with a long e) as opposed to “re-enter.” And speaking of old computers and 8-bits…
• Pixel Star Wars: Welcome Back to the 8-Bit Days: Games on the Apple ][+ contained stick-figure style graphics, blocky graphics or text-only a la Zork.
• Joy of Tech on the Beatles: Apple’s website announced that “Tomorrow would be unforgettable.” All it did was announced Beatles available in iTunes. Sorry… that’s not unforgettable.  I guess company forgot we can put our CDs in our computers and transfer the songs to iTunes. (I’ve had Beatles on my MP3 for a long, long time.) C’mon. Aw, dang it. Now company has  me talking about it — bet that’s what it wanted.

The Jewish New Year kicked off the Days of Awe at sundown on Wednesday, September 8. This year, I got an unexpected surprise of seeing family I hadn’t seen in a long time. My mom’s first cousin passed away and kids and some of their children and grandchildren came in town for the service. I’m sorry it took a passing for the opportunity to have a nice visit, but I’m grateful for the time spent with them.

Mom’s cousin was an amazing man who has accomplished a lot in his 90 years. (The panorama photo is from 1920 — the year he was born.) He was involved with many organizations and was one of the founding members of Fort Worth’s Van Cliburn Competition. He and his wife hosted contestants and one (Jon Nakamatsu) went on to win the competition. I had the honor of meeting Jon when he came to my parent’s house for a holiday meal.

My daughter, a high school junior, plans to attend college night early next week. She’s lucky because her school will have over 200 colleges visiting for the event. (Two of the local high schools host back-to-back college nights.) College night at my high school didn’t have 50 colleges. Maybe even 30 — but I can’t be sure. It’s an overwhelming and crowded event, but a great opportunity for the kids to start their college research. We’ve encouraged her to pick the schools that she’s interested in to make it easier.  College application adventures to be continued…

Brain food…

• A Sample Query Letter – that works! This is a good template to use as a guideline. Of course, adjust to fit publication and article. READ the publication before you query.
• Stories That Cross Borders and Boundaries: Tips for writing multicultural lit. While a memoir and not a novel, I’m in the middle of a fascinating cultural read in The Girl from Foreign. [Link: Elizabeth Craig]
• A Book About Writing That Might Change Your Life: Another one to add to my ever growing wanna reads.
• 10 Amazing Free Online Writing Courses: Grammar, tech writing, marketing and more.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• Silent Star Wars: If Star Wars was made in the early 1900s… [Link: Mark Hurst -- next one, too]
• Dancing at the Movies: Lose your blues… everybody cut footloose… love this video. See the comments for the movies.
• 12 Funniest “No Parking” Signs: You mean, I shouldn’t park here?
• Sleepwalking Soccer (Football) Goalkeeper: Bet he won’t forget to grab the ball from now on, right?

Share a family or college story.

4th of July Bits and Pieces…

4th of July in 2007

Shirts. Grandma (my mother) loved to buy Old Navy Independence Day shirts for the grandkids (my kiddos). I don’t know how many we have, but they came in handy two years ago. My second child had a little thing going with a teacher one year where he’d earn points for wearing an American flag shirt. One time, he wore at least three them to have fun with his teacher. This isn’t the kind of kid who likes school — quite the opposite. It warmed my heart to see him having fun with a teacher like that. I also have a daughter — the oldest of the three — but never got a pic of her in a flag shirt. She was usually away at camp.

4th of July in 2004

Living in DC. Living in Washington, DC had one cool benefit — July 4th. Husband and I didn’t fight the traffic or try to go to the Independence Day celebration on the capitol lawn. Instead, we went to a special spot next to the Anacostia River and caught the fireworks there. No traffic. I lived in DC the year that Patti LuPone did the show — man, I would’ve loved to see her in person. Me + crowd = disaster.

Traditions. On 4th of Julys while growing up, my family went to a good friend’s house with a huge backyard, swimming pool and gazebo. Sadly, my family doesn’t have any Independence Day traditions. Our town has a parade every year, but kids don’t care to go. We went once and that was that. At least, we experienced it.

To celebrate our country’s 234th, we’ll probably grill some food, swim and go to a parking lot that has a good view of the fireworks without the traffic.

Cool Mental Floss factoids:

• “AEGILOPS is the longest English word spelled in alphabetical order. In a sentence: ‘Wow, the letters in Aegilops are in ABC order!’” It’s a genus of plants.
• “In a 2003 Deloitte survey on business speak, ‘leverage’ was voted the most hated word, followed by ‘bandwidth’ & ‘touch base.’ I always try to find other words to use besides “leverage” and those aren’t great options either — “maximize” and “make the most of.” Ick.

LOTS of links this week since many folks are taking a long weekend.

Brain food…

• Ask Not What Your Novel Can Do For You: Fabulous tips for authors on blog tours. [Link: Elizabeth Craig]
• Features and Benefits Are So 2009. Sell To Driving Emotion: I love the hole / drill analogy. This tells me I need to finish reading Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion [Amazon affiliate link]. Keep getting busy with book club books.
• Memoir Tip: Lose the Play-by-Play: Superb advice. It is hard to avoid I did this, then this even if you tell it like a story. [Link: Jane Friedman]
• Summer Reading Picks from various authors: Not your usual or expected reading list from Harvard Business Review. I read Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning [Amazon affiliate link] in college. Maybe it’d have more meaning today as I’m older and not facing a thousand pages of required reading per week. Of course, I have Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write [Amazon affiliate link], but haven’t read it yet. And of course, a newly revised edition came out in May after I got my copy.
• 50 Things You Can Control Right Now: We experience days when something throws a wrench in our plans that we think our lives are spiraling out of our control. This is a great list to review whenever you feel this way. [Link: Susan Fletcher] And 50 Things to Love About Life That Are Free.
• 57 Power Words for Writing Brilliant Headlines: Organized by theme, too.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 10 of the Weirdest Soccer Goals of All Times: In honor of World Cup even though USA lost.
• Passion and Imagination in African Football: Incredible and moving pictures. [Link: Nieman Story]
• Imperial Tea Time: Just an awe-struck photo of two Darth Vaders during tea time. Or perhaps, you prefer Star Wars Lego Foosball Table?
• 15 Hilarious Dogs in Costume: Oh my gosh… some creative ones there.
• Gorgeous Red Color Inspired Photography: I love red.
• How 7 Summer Barbecue Staples Got Their Names: Hamburgers were not originally made with ham.
• Name All the States That End with “A” in four minutes. Dang it. I missed six <pout>.
• 8 Countries with Fascinating Baby Naming Laws: ‘Cuz I love anything names.
• 10 Hilarious Amazon Reviews: Gotta applaud these folks for creativity.

What country holiday traditions do you have?

Meryl's Dad with his parents

My dad wasn’t an outdoorsy beyond playing sports. Yet, he once took me fishing at a nearby lake. I don’t recall the lake or the actual time spent fishing. The picture that comes to mind is us leaving our home and getting in the car. We also had a great conversation because he taught me a new vocabulary word. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the word — just the experience of being with him and learning something.

I asked my mom about it. She said he took me to Lake Weatherford to swim and maybe Benbrook Lake to fish. (Both in Fort Worth, TX, area.) I learned something new about my dad. He liked fishing and used to go deep-sea fishing with his Uncle Abe and David in Atlantic City (Dad was from Brooklyn).

Brain food…

• What It Takes to Be an Agent: Love books, but don’t want to be an author? Learn about agentdom (or agenthood?).
• 4 Detective Tricks to Find Your Customers in Social Media: One of the key things businesses need to do before diving in social media is know where their target market hangs out online. Of course, you can jump into something and be an early adopter, but you still need to know this information before you plan.
• Pros and Cons of an MFA: Cute cartoon. I’d love to get an MFA or MLA in the future. I hope by the time I’m ready that there’s a local program or an online program (without video lectures) that fits. Why do I want to do it? Practice, feedback, challenge and education. [Link: Elizabeth Craig]
• How to Stand out on LinkedIn: Authored by LinkedIn VP, Steve Patrizi. Meryl’s LinkedIn here.
• A Writer’s Serenity Prayer: Rough day? Read this inspirational post.
• 5 Lies Unpublished Writers Tell Themselves (and the Truths That Can Get Them Published): #3 is my favorite.
• 12 Ways to Market Your Book by Giving Away Free Stuff. It can work… when done right and the article gives great examples. I don’t fall for those $300 worth of freebies, which includes a bunch of ebooks, articles and other stuff I never get around to reading.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Rubikcubism: Space invaders, Pac-man, Mona Lisa… who knew the befuddling Rubik’s Cube could do so many things. Beware that some of the pictures may not be safe for work. [Link: Bit Rebels]
• 65+ Incredible Soccer Action Shots and Portraits and World Cup Stop Motion Made with Lego – USA vs England: In honor of the World Cup action. [First link: bkmacdaddy]
• Super Mario Sticky Note Stop Motion: Wow, that’s patience.
• Hello Kitty Now in Star Wars and Star Trek: Amazing what adding a little ribbon does for Darthy’s personality. Too cute. My husband — father of our three children — loves Star Wars and Star Trek. So here’s 18 Astonishing Star Wars Sand Sculptures from BitRebels (obviously, I love this site) in his honor.
• A Geeky Stop Motion Animation Created With Fire: Cool. Just cool.

Share a memory of your father or a male role model.