Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast”

Before A Moveable Feast, I had never read an Ernest Hemingway book. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Interspersed throughout his stories about his time in Paris in the 1920s, Hemingway describes his writing process (“I always worked until I had something done” ) and how he coped when the words would not come (“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know”).

He talks about his friendships with Gertrude Stein (she was “always right”), Ezra Pound (“the most generous writer I have ever known”) and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Though he seemed somewhat of a chauvinist (“There is not much future in men being friends with great women …”), a surprising part was his writing of fatherly duties such as boiling nipples and mixing formula for his son Bumby’s bottles and taking Bumby with him while he wrote in cafes.

However, the fatherly duties didn’t include hiring a sitter. He and first wife Hadley often left Bumby alone at home in his crib, watched over by only the family cat. “F. Puss was the baby-sitter,” Hemingway explained.

If you’re interested in Hemingway, “A Moveable Feast” is a good first look. It offers insight into how he wrote and how his personal life influenced his works.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Wonders and Marvels in return for a review.

Edited: January 17th, 2010

My writing goals

The following questions come from author and writing teacher Christina Katz:

On a scale of one to ten, how’s your self-respect? Can you say no? Do you say yes to yield to social pressure and supposed-to’s and then suffer for it? Are you catering to too many other people’s needs but burning out in the process? Do you listen to and trust your instincts about what is and isn’t the best way to proceed?

My self-respect is about a 9 – hey, no one’s perfect, right? Over the past year, I’ve learned to say no when a writing project doesn’t fit my goals or when the topic doesn’t interest me. If a subject doesn’t appeal to me, it’s hard to make it interesting for others. And isn’t it a bit dishonest? “Hey, I couldn’t care less about doomaflotchies, but I sure wish you’d read my story about them.”

Also, I got in over my head a couple of times last year, taking on too many assignments and had to back out of projects. I hated doing that, but I would’ve hated even more turning in something that wasn’t up to par. Now, I’ve learned how much I can handle without spreading myself too thin or losing my sanity or self-respect.

And when it comes to getting paid for my work, I’m not afraid to ask for more. The worst a client can do is say no, but many times they’ll say yes. For instance, yesterday, after agreeing to write a piece on short notice, I asked my editor if she could bump up my per-word rate. She thanked me for my work and doubled my rate for this article and future ones.

Another editor agreed to boost my pay for an assignment after I pointed out that a lot of information was available on my topic and would need to be distilled. A couple of national sources and two or three local sources and I’m good to go.

It pays to ask for what you’re worth.

Photo by sushivina on Flickr’s Creative Commons

Edited: January 12th, 2010

Alabama: National Champions: A family affair (Part 2)

Part 2 of the 2009 edition of Crimson Tide football and family

Dec. 2
Just when we thought things were getting back to normal, Daddy faced another setback. A lingering fever signaled an infection that landed him back in the hospital, facing more surgery, at least three procedures.

Dec. 5 Florida (SEC Championship), 32-13
Momma, Michael, Ryan and I watched this one with Daddy in the unit, along with the other patient and nurses, who were all Bama fans. For the first three quarters, we took shifts with him so we didn’t tire him out too quickly. In the fourth quarter, we all gathered around his bed and watched the Tide finish off the Gators and earn a trip to the National Championship game in Pasadena. Finally!

Dec. 12 NYC
Sophomore running back Mark Ingram of Flint, Mich., became Alabama’s first Heisman Trophy winner. I was as nervous watching this as I was watching The Drive that beat Auburn.

Dec. 16 Surgery day
Daddy underwent an axillo-bifemoral bypass, the removal of the infected aortic stent and the removal of part of his bowel. The surgeries went well, and Momma, Michael, Ryan and I were able to go see him a couple of hours afterward.

Dec. 25 Christmas
Ryan, Riley and I took presents and a little fiber optic tree to the cardio-thoracic recovery unit where Daddy was. The gifts and our visit cheered him up. Momma said the next day that our visit really helped lift his spirits.

We’ve been to see him as much as possible between school and work, and finally just before the new year, Daddy got to move to a regular room.

Jan. 7 Texas (BCS National Championship), 37-21

Daddy was released from the hospital and sent to a rehab center at a nursing home closer to their house. He made it in time to watch the title game. Again, I had to work, but at least I was at home. I texted Daddy before the game and got a “Roll Tide” back. I was unhappy with the way this one started – it was like Auburn all over again – and I hated to see Colt McCoy get hurt. But I loved the 24-6 halftime score.

However, the conservative third quarter made me nervous. And 24-21? Yikes! But I was confident that Bama’s run game could keep the clock moving and our defense could tighten up and stop the Longhorns. And they did.

Marcell Dareus, Eryk Anders and Mark Ingram came up big. Heisman jinx? No such thing. Sports Illustrated jinx? Whatever. McElroy played with two cracked ribs, Ingram was banged up and linebacker and soon-to-be NFL star Rolando McClain was given fluids before the game and at halftime after suffering a stomach virus all week.

Heart. Toughness. Dedication. All part of Coach Nick Saban’s process. Focus on the journey and you’ll arrive at your destination.

I think that philosophy could help Daddy, too. (And me as I start on a new path in a few weeks.) Ryan, Riley and I went to see him yesterday at the rehab center, where he’ll be for three weeks. He and Momma were tickled by the championship T-shirts we took them. It was good to see him in a sweat suit instead of hospital gown and without all the tubes and drains.

We all took a stroll with him down the hallways, and he said he was looking forward to starting his physical therapy today. I hope he puts in good work and is able to get home by February. I know he is ready.

Edited: January 12th, 2010

Alabama: National Champions: A family affair

This season of Alabama football took me on a roller coaster ride, despite finishing the season a perfect 14-0. The Crimson Tide has always been special to my family, and this year was no different. Although, circumstances kept us from watching as many games together as usual, Bama football was still a family affair.

Click the links below for recaps of the first five games.

Sept. 5 Virginia Tech, 34-24

Sept. 12 Florida International, 40-14

Sept. 19 North Texas, 53-7
I just remember this being an early game on Fox and being glad I didn’t have to buy it on PPV, which I would have done. And early season backup QB Star Jackson led a TD drive. Then I went in to work.

Sept. 26 Arkansas, 35-7

Oct. 3 Kentucky, 38-20

Oct. 10 Ole Miss, 22-3
Bama intercepted four Jevan Snead passes, but it only scored one offensive TD … by Mark Ingram, of course. Leigh Tiffin kicked five field goals. Ryan, Riley and I watched the game at home.

Oct. 17 South Carolina, 20-6

This was Riley’s 8th birthday, and we were at Walt Disney World. We hit the Magic Kingdom first, had lunch with all the princesses, rode the dizzying tea cup, race cars, the Astro Orbiter, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We headed back to our room to let Riley open her DSi and Three Musketeer Barbie dolls. Then we plopped down on the beds and watched the Tide whip the Gamecocks at the most magical place on Earth. Ingram’s 246 yards rushing landed him on some Heisman watch lists.

Oct. 24 Tennessee, 12-10
I wasn’t able to watch this game closely because I had to work, but it was probably a good thing. Otherwise, I may have thrown something at the TV at home. I had my emotions a bit contained at work. However, I did see the key blocks, thanks to a co-worker and fellow Tide fan who was nice enough to arrange his TV so I could see, too. I downloaded this one from SECSports.com, so I could watch at my leisure.

Oct. 31 Open

This is where things got crazy for my family. On Halloween, we carved our jack-o’-lanterns, Momma came over, and we went to hang out with friends. While we were eating dinner and making trick-or-treat plans, Daddy had an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture, or AAA.

He’s very lucky that he called Momma and listened to her when she told him to call 911. The blood was leaking into his abdominal cavity and was life-threatening. He went through four hours of surgery to put a stent in his aorta and was in the critical care unit for six days. He spent another 13 days in a regular room, including the LSU and Mississippi State games. We spent lots of time in the hospital waiting room.

Nov. 7 LSU, 24-15

Riley and I drove to the hospital in Florence to hang out with Daddy and Momma and to watch the game. Daddy was in good spirits, and we watched most of the first half together. However, the rooms are so small and an 8-year-old can only take so much, so we headed to my cousin’s so she could play. I watched the rest of the game with her husband, a big Auburn fan, who kept trying to discount Ingram’s Heisman candidacy by saying “he isn’t even the leading rusher in the conference,” that AU’s Ben Tate was. If that was true, it didn’t take long to rectify because Ingram ran for 144 yards. QB Greg McElroy also had a nice game with 2 TD passes. After the game, Ryan & I went back to the hospital to discuss the win with Daddy. He was pleased.

Nov. 14 Mississippi State, 31-3
This game is always played the week of Daddy’s birthday, Nov. 11. This year he celebrated in the hospital and with a butt-kicking of the Bulldogs. It was also my first time live-blogging with the fine folks at Roll Bama Roll.

Nov. 21 UT-Chattanooga, 45-0
Senior Day whoopin. And another Saturday at work. Daddy actually got to watch this one at home since he was released from the hospital Nov. 18.

Nov. 22 Griffin born

Another big day for our family: My brother and his wife welcomed Griffin, on his due date. Big brother Lincoln proclaimed him to be “perfect!” And he is.

Nov. 26 Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Momma and Daddy’s with the traditional turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, pasta salad and rolls. It was good to see Daddy eat some good food and watch a little football with him.

Nov. 27 Auburn, 26-21

Who thought playing the Iron Bowl on the day after Thanksgiving was a good idea? It was dumb. And I had to work in the office. Let’s just say that my co-workers who are Auburn fans were not too happy with me. Few people were working during the game, so I didn’t feel bad about my outbursts. However, on one of those big AU plays, I did hurt my hand by banging my fist on the desk too hard. I got a text from Ryan late in the game: “What do ya think?” My reply? “Bama’s going to win.”

To be continued ….

Edited: January 11th, 2010

Roll Tide! Bama is No. 1

Alabama beat Texas 37-21 in the BCS National Championship, and not without a fight. It was a good game, and I’m so thrilled to see the Tide bring home another championship and an undefeated season.

I have more to write more later, but right now we’re headed to see Dad and take him and Mom T-shirts commemorating the national championship … he’s been moved to a rehab center for a few weeks so he’s making progress.

Roll Tide!

Edited: January 8th, 2010

Refocusing in the new year

Like the photo above, 2009 was a little out of focus for me. My job underwent several changes, my dad faced serious health issues, and things were just tough. 2010 promises to be interesting and exciting, and I have some focused goals. This is one of my first:

I’m refocusing my blog, basically combining my old blog with this one so I can write about, in one place, all the things I am passionate about: sports, cochlear implants, writing, my family, music and books.

I’m thinking of setting up a schedule where I post about sports/fitness on Mondays, CIs/hearing loss/family on Wednesdays, and writing/music/books/movies on Fridays. But I’ll be flexible. If something comes up and doesn’t quite fit my schedule, I’ll still post about it.

This current mish-mash of topics and sporadic posting is annoying. I’d like to get more readers and become more interactive and give as much as I get out of this blog.

So look for a more defined blog, and if I get off track, feel free to call me on it.

And Roll Tide Roll!

Edited: January 6th, 2010

Music from an ’80s girls perspective …

I’m sitting here watching the AMAs. Right now, Eminem is performing, but I don’t know what he’s talking about. Lots of words being bleeped. So far I’m pretty unimpressed with the whole show. Oh, look it’s 50 Cent in a puffy vest and toboggan. Most of his words are being bleeped, too.

I like Kelly Clarkson and Mary J. Blige, and I was pleasantly surprised that Whitney Houston actually sang. Which is more than can be said for Jennifer Lopez, who didn’t sing but did fall on her bodacious booty. As one Twitterer said, “She fell and the springs in her booty bounced her back up.” I like JLo, but it was still funny.

Also, why can’t they just call Green Day rock? It’s not alternative … it’s rock ‘n’ roll. This subcategorization is getting a little crazy. But I really liked Green Day’s “21 Guns”!

And why don’t these millionaire singers and actors dress better? Lady Gaga I get. That’s her thing. But Fergie? Alicia Keyes? Rihanna? They are beautiful women, but they wear ugly clothes.

Look! There’s Chris Daughtry! He sounded good early in the show, and so did Joey, his drummer. I also enjoyed Keith Urban’s performance.

Maybe I’m just old. I don’t care. I like what I like. And don’t like what I don’t like.

Surprise, surprise. Jay-Z won rap/hip-hop. He’s a smart businessman. “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t,” he said.

Apparently, Adam Lambert’s performance is the be-all, end-all show closer. I can’t believe how popular he is … I don’t like or dislike him. We’ll see if that changes in the next few minutes.

We just put Riley to bed because we’re not exactly sure what this last performance will be like!

Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift.

Adam did nothing for me. Gratuitous bisexual posing, groping, kissing and lots of screaming. It was like he was trying really hard to prove he’s gay and “if you don’t like it, too bad.” I didn’t catch the song for all the “performing.” Oh, and he fell down, too, so JLo is not alone in falling down on the job.

I miss ’80s acts like Bon Jovi, Poison, New Edition, Culture Club …

What did you think?

Edited: November 22nd, 2009

National Adoption Month

In honor of national adoption month, here’s an article I wrote that appeared in Birmingham Parent, Portland Family and Indy’s Child.

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Family Ties: Helping children understand adoption

By Tiffani Hill-Patterson

November – time for raking leaves, enjoying the cool, crisp mornings and giving thanks. November is also National Adoption Month and more than 120,000 families in the United States are especially mindful of their blessings.

Being adopted is just part of who a child is, just like having brown hair or green eyes or being tall or having freckles. Local experts say families of adopted children should strive to teach that awareness.

This guide offers ways to help children understand that adoption isn’t weird or unnatural; it’s just another way of creating a family.

Read more:

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Also read my writer friend Meredith’s post at Psychology Today: National Adoption Month: Bittersweet.

Take time to tell your family, in whatever arrangement it is, that you love them!

Edited: November 17th, 2009

15 minutes of fame … sort of

My story on hosting a playdate with a friend with special needs is in this month’s Parenting (School Years).
And my piece on cochlear implants and sports is in the July/August issue of Volta Voices, which should be arriving in my mailbox any day now. I also just got another assignment from VV for its back-to-school issue.

Another national magazine, this one published by a major medical association, is considering a pitch for its fall issue, too. Crossing my fingers that it comes through.

My freelance work is cruising along, and I am grinning and grateful!

Edited: July 13th, 2009

She’s got it goin’ on

I just landed a new freelance gig, doing some writing for a locally based Web hosting company. It’s cool to be working with someone I know and like.

Edited: June 17th, 2009

Fearless

Simple reminders
Originally uploaded by Tiff1723

New bracelets

Edited: June 12th, 2009

Another year older, another year fatter

Today I’m 37. My life is definitely not the way I thought it would be. Oh, it’s not bad at all. In fact, it’s pretty damn good. But changes must be made.

This winter has been a hard one. Yeah, I’ve been to the gym here and there, but I’ve put my health and fitness on the backburner. I’ve been working more and sitting more and what has that got me? Fifteen pounds heavier and a sore back.

In my mind, I’m healthy and fit and running and lifting and dancing and playing with Riley. Then I look in the mirror or roll out of bed or feel a pain in my back while sitting at a hockey game and realize my mind is playing tricks on me.

And let’s not talk about the food – Mountain Dew, barbecue chips, fast food. No vegetables or fruits, little water. Thank goodness Riley takes after Ryan in her food tastes and not me.

I have to make changes or I’m going to keep going downhill. I don’t want to be 40 and unable to get out in the yard and throw the ball with Riley or jump on the trampoline or even walk around the block.

I’m waffling between doing Body for Life again or trying Weight Watchers and following the Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess program. I like both workout plans, and I had good success on BFL. I also had good success with Weight Watchers when I tried it last year. What do you fitness gurus out there think? Any suggestions?

I also want to define my writing goals more clearly and focus more on creating a full-time freelance career. I want to be able to help Riley with her homework every night, read a book or two to her before she goes to bed, cook a decent meal for my family and not have to worry about getting back to work at 6:30 in the evening. I want to work while she’s at school and not while she’s at school and after she gets home every day.

Ryan and I also created a budget with the help of Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover. We’ve done a good job this first month, and it hasn’t been too painful. I don’t know why we didn’t do this a long time ago.

So this time next year, I want to write about how I’m loving being a size 12, how much I love salads, how I’m getting more writing assignments than I can accept, and how we are debt-free and enjoying our lives even more.

Blowing out the candles on the cupcakes at my mom’s yesterday and blowing away the old year. Happy Birthday to me!

Edited: February 23rd, 2009