Good Life Crazy Times – Shelley Burbank, Writer

The Exhilaration of Creativity

Shelley Burbank
August 5, 2020
Good Life Crazy Times / Writing Wednesday
3 Comments

"Putting a book together is interesting and exhilarating. It is sufficiently difficult and complex that it engages all of your intelligence. It is life at its most free." --Annie Dillard, THE WRITING LIFE If only I could write as well as Annie Dillard. Right now, I'm writing on my balcony, in a not dissimilar way to a moment she describes in her book THE WRITING LIFE. Her balcony overlooks deciduous trees; mine a multi-laned San Diego road. But there are birds here, too. Like women peering through a shop window at a fabulous pair of shoes,…

Blackberry Basil Mojitos VIDEO

Shelley Burbank
July 31, 2020
Friday Happy Hour / Good Life Crazy Times
4 Comments

Yummy blackberry basil mojito perfect for hot summer nights. https://youtu.be/HTX-fwr9ylMSo, there you have it. A blackberry basil mojito. For a stronger drink, use less club soda. For a lighter, more refreshing drink, use more. And don't forget the ice!Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. XoXo,Shelley

Fear and Loathing in America

I'm starting something new on the blog. It's called Off the Cuff. Here I write about sundry topics on my "off days." Basically, I'm venting. So beware. However, I also attempt to find a silver lining or a way forward. Also, there may be references and footnotes. Yeah. It's that kind of thing. Today's Off the Cuff topics: Social media, for the most part, no longer serves me. And people are crazy. ***** Social Media "Whoas " For a few weeks, I've posted notices on Facebook pointing to my website, encouraging people with whom I'm "friendly"…

Friday Happy Hour, July 24, 2020

Shelley Burbank
July 24, 2020
Friday Happy Hour / Good Life Crazy Times
2 Comments

Rose wine for Friday Happy Hour. A strawberry and orange slice...is nice. Happy Friday Happy Hour. After noodling around with my Rosalie rewrite stuff today (I am having so much trouble figuring out exactly what kind of story I'm writing. Is it redemption? Maturation? Eek!), I went for a walk in the nearby park and am now out on the balcony with this nice, refreshing rosé. I added the strawberry on the rim and a blood orange slice floating on top. This adds maybe a teeny bit of nuanced flavor, but mostly it is what I call…

Writing Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Shelley Burbank
July 22, 2020
Good Life Crazy Times / Writing Wednesday
4 Comments

✍ Historical Fiction: Escaping into the past through literature. Photo by Shelley Burbank How's your Wednesday going? Today's the day I try to write about writing...so why do I have a picture of John Jakes's 1993 historical novel, HOMELAND, posted up there? Simple. Because I haven't left my desk all day, so my world is pretty much limited to my screens, my shelves, and my imagination. And as of yet, I can't take a photo of my imagination, although it might be a tad more bizarre than this book cover. I recently learned that my Wattpad novel Rosalie…

Mindful Monday, July 20, 2020

Today, I’m thinking about Slow Media. There’s been chatter lately about a “cashless society” where we can only make purchases using apps and cards. Every so often, news of a shocking data breach comes to our attention (more on this later), and we discover our information may have been sold or given away to unknown entities. We hear of a new app or service and want to participate, even though we know it mean, sigh, yet another password and yet another AI tracking, analyzing, using, or even selling our preferences, shopping habits, interests, and reads/views.

Friday Happy Hour Video, July 17, 2020

Shelley Burbank
July 17, 2020
Friday Happy Hour / Good Life Crazy Times
6 Comments

Friday Happy Hour Video https://youtu.be/if1USdBVr0MI have to admit, I cracked myself up watching this. I hope you enjoyed this ShelleyBurbank.com LIVE performance, lol. Feel free to comment. I comment back. Happy Weekend, my dears! Cheers, Shelley

Writing Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Shelley Burbank
July 15, 2020
Good Life Crazy Times / Writing Wednesday
8 Comments

Good Writing Wednesday, friends. I am resisting the urge to put an exclamation point up there after the word “Wednesday.” My natural instinct compels me to do it, but I’m in editing mode these days and more aware than usual about things like punctuation. I’m also trying to get away from using the word “peeps” in an effort to sound more mature, i.e. my age. What’s next? I actually start using moisturizer on a regular basis?

🍓 Mindful Monday, July 13, 2020

So here we are again on a Monday, the entire week spread out before us like a delectable buffet of goodies…or not.

🍸Friday Happy Hour, July 10, 2020

Shelley Burbank
July 10, 2020
Friday Happy Hour / Good Life Crazy Times
4 Comments

Editing, red pen in hand, at my little desk. Photo by Danielle Burbank Happy Friday Happy Hour, Peeps.How has your week been? I’ve been okay, focusing on two things: rewriting LOVE & EAST MERCY and getting back into a healthy eating and exercise routine. This means tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal and pushing myself to add High Intensity Interval Training to my regular walking schedule. And not drinking. Still. I know. Eyeroll. The thing is, my body has been quick to respond to the more intense exercise, not visibly, but internally. I feel stronger already after just…