Friday, April 18, 2008

Musings and Vocabulary Enrichment Friday

Remember that writer's office/haven I was working on? Here are a couple pictures of what I've completed so far.


Stage one is complete and it is mighty functional and I just love my time down here. In fact, I start my day here around 5:15 am and write until 6:30'sh, then I go upstairs and start preparing lunches and breakfast for the family. Then, after I see the girls and hubby off in the morning, I return to my little haven around 8:00'sh. Rarely do I leave it again until the muchkins arrive home after school. I'm just so comfortable down her now. It's wonderful!

I was never a basement person before, but this morning sunshine paint really is inviting. I've discovered that it is the quietest room in the house and I'm one of those people who need silence to work. So it's perfect for me. I do have an alarm clock radio that I set regularly to keep my commitments from being overlooked, and see my big white board? It helps me get organized immediately. And my full-spectrum lamp helps me wake up right away in the morning. Of course the colour of my walls helps with that, too.

I'm proud to say that it was I who painted this room, and it was I who assembled all my furniture, too. I bore the blisters and arthritic pain for many days afterward to prove it. I'm sure that in time I'll get around to adding a few more decorations and get some organizing done behind my closet doors, but for now I'm enjoying the simplicity of my room and find it quite pleasant to work in and it provides a professional appeal, too. I feel like I'm back in my old office building--working for real! To bad my chequing account doesn't see it that way!

Now, on with the promised Friday Vocabulary Enhancement. Drum roll please...

And the word of this week is: lachrymose (LACK-rih-moce): causing tears or sadness.

An example:

While most men I know dismiss An Affair to Remember as a LACHRYMOSE melodrama, the women in my office consider it one of the best movie romances in history.

Thanks given to More Words You Should Know by Michelle Bevilacqua for this weeks definition and example sentence.

I pray you all have a wonderful, sunny weekend ahead. Monday's post will be a continuation of the study of Writing the Christian Romance, the topic being, Sexuality in Christian Romance.

Can you give an example of a sentence you would use lachrymose in? I would be most interested in seeing some pop up in the comment box and as a thank you I will enter you into my book drawing!

Blessings,

Eileen

10 comments:

Mary Connealy said...

Hi, Eileen. I showed up today. Late. I'm sorry. I left some comments in case anyone checks in.

Anonymous said...

I'm checking Mary.

I am following you to the ends of the earth.

Eileen your office is lovely. Too clean and tidy but lovely. Be sure to drop into Seekerville next Tuesday when I share pictures of my office.

If you are of the sensitive nature bring a paper bag for hyperventilating into.

Eileen Astels Watson said...

Hi, Tina:

I cleaned up for the pictures, but it helps that I just finished it last week, too. Not enough time get all cluttery. Notice the position of the closet doors--I love those doors--they hide a LOT!!

I'm getting feeds of Seekerville right to my own e-mail, so I'll be sure to see your photo's. Aren't offices just the coolest places? I'm not just talking in temperature, either.

SRI said...

Hey, Eileen,

Popped back again to check out your blog. You've done a fantastic job on it!

Your office looks great and such a happy colour, I can picture you holed up here, fingers typing madly away.

Lachrymose is a lovely word, one that rolls of the tongue easily. Patti mentioned Psalm 123 & 124 in an email this week and it and the prayers of you sweet ladies does have a lachrymose effect on me. The tears flow but not tears of sadness,rather tears of thankfulness.

Love you Pearlie-girl!

Lee

Stacey said...

Great office! I love the other comments, too. I learned a new word, and how to use it. So, here's your sentence from a more suspenseful angle:

The widow's lachrymose tendencies were intensified by the detective's interrogation after her husband's death.

stacey_dale[at]yahoo[dot]com

Kathy Carlton Willis said...

Eileen--great blog! I'd love to be entered in your contest for the devotional for writers. I'll be sure to enjoy it!

And for your challenge, I'll tie the two (the book contest and the word of the week): "Kathy Carlton Willis predicts if she doesn't win the book, her lachrymose mood will create writer's block for at least a day!"

Eileen Astels Watson said...

These are great uses of lachrymose, you wonderful commenters!

And, Kathy, I sure hope my daughter draws your name tomorrow or I'll be feeling guilty. No, actually, I'll wait to feel guilty until after the final drawing on April 30th. If you don't win that one either, then I'll have to deal with lachrymose reactions on account of my guilt.

Gail Gaymer Martin said...

Hi Eileen - Thanks so much for reviewing my book Writing the Christian Romance. You mentioned my name as author in the first blog, but I have only seen reference to Gail in the other blogs. Would you mind giving my name full credit for the book - Gail Gaymer Martin so someone picking up late will have that information.

Also be very careful of using quotes from my book. It's illegal to use more than 300 words without author's and publishers' permission. I had to go through hoops to use all the author's material that I did in the book.

I do appreciate your nice comments and your support of this book, but I just wanted to give you a heads up on quotes and also ask that you use my full name in each blog.

Many blessings,
Gail

Eileen Astels Watson said...

Thanks for the great direction, Gail. Sorry for that slip, I have gone through and ammended all my posts on the study of your book to include your full name and will continue to do so in future posts.

I'm really enjoying sharing my study notes of your writing resource book. Every time I reread your chapters I gain more understanding of how to write well!

Blessings,

Eileen

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