Opening Sentence

“You just don’t understand the monsters I face when I’m sober.”

Would you read a book that started like that?  if it was fiction and not a memoir?  Just wonderin’.

I would love to write fiction. Harper Lee once said, “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”

Whoa.

Considering she only wrote ONE book – and a GREAT book, at that! – it makes one wonder if she never quite got that hide thick enough.

Just what I’m thinking about today…

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Sampler and a POLL

To Whom It May Concern:

The following samples of my recommending-writings are from the head of yours truly.  This first one is BEFORE I start exploring the multitude of sample character references.   Please vote, which feels more impressive?  Thank you.

Draft 1 – I have had the pleasure of being acquainted with G_ A_ for almost 7 years as a friend of the family and heartily recommend him as a student and a fine young man.     More recently, I was able to spend a summer as his math tutor;   we met twice a week to explore the basics and more of Trigonometry.

GA exhibited an eagerness to learn, a maturity beyond his years and a fun personality  – especially considering that he was spending time on a summer’s day to devote to mathematics for the sake of his future interests and endeavors. He is capable, dedicated and very bright.   

As a candidate for any program or monies designed to encourage scholarship, GA would make an excellent choice for consideration.    I highly recommend him.

Simple but wordy, yes?

and now …

Draft 2–

Paragraph 1
The first paragraph of the recommendation letter explains your connection to the person you are recommending, including how you know them, and why you are qualified to write a recommendation letter to recommend employment or graduate school.

I am writing this letter of reference and recommendation for G_ A_, a fine young man I have had the pleasure of knowing for 7 years as a friend and business associate of his parents.    On a direct level, I was asked to tutor G_ over a summer because he wished to learn Trigonometry and his school didn’t offer an in-depth class.    I was initiating a career move to my current field of education after my years of computer programming and engineering.   G_ and I met twice a week for 2 1/2 months exploring and working through Trig basics and more.

Paragraph 2
The second paragraph of the recommendation letter contains specific information on the person you are writing about, including why they are qualified, what they can contribute, and why you are providing a reference letter. If necessary, use more than one paragraph to provide details.

I am pleased to say that our Trig sessions have been a highlight of my tutoring experience.  G is not only dedicated and capable;  he is a fun kid.   He exhibits a maturity beyond his years and yet isn’t too serious, either.   His attitude towards spending summer days to study math was refreshing and impressive.

I would recommend  GA without reservation to be considered as a scholarship candidate.

Respectfully Submitted,

Curious C

Professional Tutor of Mathematics

Well?   Why am I getting the idea I should combine them somehow?   I think I like the first one…

Bucket List

Make a quilt
Run a 5K
Visit Ireland (and/or Iceland, Barcelona, Vienna & Prague, Key West, Hawaii, Vancouver,…)
Go to Nantucket
Make a Dark Chocolate Cream Pie
Bake bread from scratch
Win the Academy Award for Best Screenplay
See my friend’s triplets
Wear a cool hat to the Kentucky Derby
Visit Mark Twain’s house in Hartford CT
Mosaic Wilhelmina
Make amends with friend SBS
Clean out the basement
Find more cool things to add to this list
Decide my ‘last wishes’ – sprinkle ashes in the Atlantic?
Dye my hair red. or blonde
Read all the books on my goodreads.com to-be-read list? yea, right. ha ha
Try inline skates
Fly first class

Woo Hoo! Hello?

Hi!

I know, I’m not hanging around here much but I *DO* think about this wonderful insane but quiet lately blog – I do!

and now, I’m here to encourage anyone who likes to read and win books to click    **  HERE  **   and visit my other blog to enter a quick little contest to win a book!

OK?   Thanks!

– Curious “C”

Pi(e) Day

Yesterday was March 14.     If you use the number notation to designate your calendar days, it would be 3/14  but you would say, “Three Fourteen”, right?   OR…  3.14.

Thus PI, π, the symbol for the mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to it diameter; the ratio of a circle’s area to the square of its radius.   [I lifted these words from Wiki:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi]

I love it because I love PIE and not because I’m a mathematician.

I made a Strawberry one yesterday:

Pie assembly just about to start...

I tossed in a small handful of golden raspberries that I found in the freezer.     They baked away into the gooey mess.

Before going into oven - I 'carved' a few strawberries on the top and wrote '3.14 pi day' but it's hard to read.

I also sprinkled sugar and brushed on some half-n-half on the top to make it pretty-pretty.

Oops - I put my mitted hand into it when the pie attempted to get away from me!

I had pulled the pie out of the oven and placed it on a trivet.   When I attempted to move pie AND trivet to show my guests the lovely hot pie, I turned a bit too quickly and the pie started to scoot off the trivet I was holding.   I had to put my paw right onto the top to slow it’s inevitable crash onto my buffet and into the wall.     Everyone laughs, ha ha.    DARN IT.

It still tasted good.

The hub had cooked a tremendous Irish feast of corned beef, colcannon, baked Irish cod and all the trimmings – so GOOD!   Our complementary beverage was Murphy’s Stout.    The guests brought an Orange Creamsicle Pie which was a very refreshing treat, as well.

Thus concludes our pre-St. Patrick’s Day and PI Day celebration.

White Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Save the Date

Coming soon…

January 23 is National PIE Day!

So says the American Pie Council…