Sedentary? Not !

     For many years now I have made a regular daily practice of walking for exercise every morning. I found it was the most economical and effective way to get my exercise for the day. I started with walking about  a half hour in the mornings when I was in my early twenties and then expanded it to a full 45 minutes then to an hour later on, encouraged by a weight loss of twenty pounds. I was nearly too thin for my frame.

     After that, I became very fitness-minded and have incorporated other exercise for cross-training. The idea behind cross-training is never allowing your body to get indifferent to a single activity. By continually evolving in your daily practice, every muscle of your body is at least contralaterally exercised if not literally. Covert Bailey wrote, "The more trained muscle a person has, the greater the crossover response in unused muscle...Muscles that are heavily used in ( a )  sport produce lactic acid, which can then be processed by aerobically developed muscles that are not being overused during the sport."

     What this essentially does is make your body more efficient in burning fat which is the usual reason people exercise. You see, no matter your activity, you burn fat all day long. People who are overweight to obese are simply not efficient fat burners.

     I have a favorite Conrad quote that I think about, occasionally, when I walk.

          "Action is consolatory. It is the enemy of thought and the friend of flattering illusions."

     I suppose that the more thoughtful, sedentary part of myself is chiding the restless spirit which says, "Don't just sit there, do something." I know, however, that with all the hours I spend writing- not moving, mind you!- I am very justified in giving my body the proper amount of exercise to balance my life, spirit and physical being.

     Apparently Conrad took a view that people of action really didn't put much thought into it. However, Nietzsche wrote, "Only thoughts reached by walking have value." There are many writers who took long solitary walks- many were English- The Brontees, Alexander Pope and many more.

     I have personally found that walks can be inspirational but often they just seem to have a calming effect which is essential to being able to write well and clearly. Most recently studies conducted in France, Sweden and the U. S. are indicating that regular exercise- by elevating cardio-respiratory fitness in study subjects- can also correlate with improved brain function because it stimulates the manufacturing of neurotransmitters (hormones). These would, in turn, make a better environment conducive to writing and reading since a clear, receptive brain is always better than a mind bogged down with worry, cares or emotional upheaval. I guess you could say that walking is the opportunity to cross-train for excellent writing ! Writing is a rather lonely profession, but if you enjoy being alone with your thoughts then both walking and writing are a path to pleasure and enlightenment. I highly recommend both !

Pour ton plaisir, embrasses et bisous! The Castle Lady

ne vile velis

     Well, here we are smack dab in the middle of summer and once again I'm backlogged in so many simultaneous projects I don't know quite what to get at first! When I have to quit at night to sleep, I'm faced with where to start back up again the next morning. This is all amid the daily work a summer household requires- including my personal care- and fitting in work that I'm paid to do, presently.

     In short my life has become one long rollercoaster ride of trying to accomplish the impossible by myself, get it sold and get to the bank before it closes. This aspect of my life has become a wild-goose chase which only saps my energy and then disorients me to the work that I started prior to the "emergency interruption" which is important but certainly not important to my work. If I am competing with anybody it is only myself and I can't tell which part of me is losing. Maybe the exhausted "me" at the end of the day loses. 

     If any young women out there think life is smooth sailing once you've achieved a certain level of success, I want you to know right now that life won't get any easier- it will become more difficult, complicated and time-consuming. Money has nothing to do with ease but simplifying your life is a given. That requires ending the competition with the Joneses and learning to prioritize your life to match your true (and most selfless) goals along with some selfish reasons as well!

     My title literally is Latin for "form no vile wish" but is better put as "refrain from evil desires". Since many people seem more motivated by greed and competitiveness in the 21st century than ever before this is a wonderful credo to live by more than any other. I am thinking of my great grandparents (none of whom I ever met but have heard many stories about !) as I write those words. That credo taken into practice is a positive aspect of democracy and free enterprise. It also happens to be a better way to live.

     Trying to match someone's lifestyle has never been an aspiration for me nor does trying to look good, drive a better car or outdo my so-called peers in any aspect. I'm more concerned with my inner person and how she's doing. Even when I am at my most stressed I think of ways to ease up on myself but I wasn't always this way. I had to teach myself to pace my day on any given weekday and learn to be content with my best efforts. That's a real test for a perfectionist like myself. Maybe I don't compare myself to others but it is disheartening to see someone make gains at my expense when they don't share my integrity, work ethic or sense of excellence. 

     ne vile velis is more about making sure that you are the right person not whether you're better than someone else. It is about keeping your desires in line with a God who watches to see if you will do the right thing when put to a test of nerves, will or strength.

With strong kisses, The Castle Lady !

 

So much is a man worth as he esteems himself.- F. Rabelais

Why do they do it ?

You know, I wish I had a dollar for every time I've taken a quick glance at someone's blog out of curiosity and found something less than appealing on it, whether it has been an offensive photo, a blog entry railing on some unknowing boss or someone's bad blind date. Whatever the subject, I am really starting to wonder why people don't think at least four times about the ramifications before they post something on a blog that's less than socially acceptable. As an article I recently read on the subject quotes, "This generation didn't invent stupidity.. it's just the first to post it online for all the world to see."
As a matter of fact this same article made the point I want to make in this entry with this quote.
"Anything you post online is public information."
If you don't understand that, then you shouldn't put anything online. The biggest misconception that people have about the internet are those who think that any type of interaction online is private. There's no such thing as private and online and that's regardless of the forum or what you deem as deserted. As a matter of fact a potential employer can simply Google your name and a lot of information comes up about you that you might think is none of his/her business. This is the information age and they can and will find out many things about you. You can't control mandatory data but you can control the information you supply about yourself, personally.
That is why I don't understand why a woman would post nude photos of herself online. I've seen a few photos posted on blogs that made me want to vomit. I've seen quite a few images online, quite by chance, that didn't belong where they were posted. These photos involve human beings with brains. Why do they do it? Only they can answer that, but I have a sneaking hunch that most of these people really didn't think a whole lot before they went to the trouble to alert all internet viewers of the inane action they just made against their own person.
In conclusion, I would like to mention that in the beginning of my ventures online, which were merely e-mails at first, I allowed myself to become embroiled in online fighting. When my hypertension got the best of me for about the fiftieth time (probably over someone making a mean comment to me about a poem I posted on a poetry web site ) I realized that some battles weren't worth getting embroiled in and I couldn't control what they do but I could control what I chose to place. After that, it was smooth sailing for the most part. It's one of the reasons that blogs are so popular. It's your baby and you get to say who stays, who goes and what's on the menu. It's also your chance to show your true self.
Or not.

The Castle Lady keeps you in line and online

in style ! Kisses and hugs !

The King of Spring

     When Spring returns each year I start to think about how I can improve and streamline my life. Simplifying your routine or surroundings is a better way to get control of what may be out of order or not looking the best professionally or domestically. In my case the two are hopelessly intertwined because a good part of my actual work is done at home. Most people just clean, throw out what they term junk and get ready for a season of accumulating.

     For me, Spring is more than just getting ready for summer or warmer months ahead. It's a time to renew my mind and form my surroundings to synchronize with my mind. I do my best thinking, writing and living when everything is in rhythm. I like to make major changes at this time of year. I started my first business in April of 1990. I moved back to my native Colorado in April from San Diego in 1983 after living there for a few years. These are major changes  but I made them without thinking twice because I was prepared and ready for change.

     I can't imagine the mentality of not wanting to change or denying other people the opportunity to redefine or completely turn their life around. If life is about anything in particular it's growing, learning, transforming and becoming all you are meant to be. This requires that you become a little more flexible in your schedule, perhaps making sacrifices or repenting of old attitudes and opinions. It's not an easy task for many people. So often, people miss golden opportunities because they cling to what they know. The strangest sanctuary people return to is "things have always been this way and it's never going to be different". In truth, they don't want to modify their lives in any way because remaining the same gives them a false sense of security.

     For those who are resistant I would give a stern lecture on thinking only inside the box at all times. I believe they do it because they are full of fear about the future and knowing tomorrow will be the same as yesterday is preferable to having to face the unknown. This is an especially sad attitude for young people. I have never taken this attitude and it's opened many doors of adventure, enterprise and just plain joy for me. I don't want to live the way most people live and not because I think it's boring but because I don't believe it's real life.

     Limiting your experiences and sticking with the tried and true may feel, for some, to be practical and safe but in the long run nothing is to be gained by never risking anything. It is the opposite of gambling and furthermore- not any less addictive. There is something oddly obsessive about attaching the word "normal" to our lives especially since no one really seems to know what that is anyway. Maybe the real question we should all ask ourselves is, "Does my life make sense?"

 

The Castle Lady filling up your senses!   

      

      We are not the same person this year as last; nor are those we love.

It is a happy chance if we, changing,

continue to love a changed person.

- W. Somerset Maugham

    

Writing and Literature

True imfluence over another comes not from a moment's eloquence

nor from any happily chosen word,

but from the accumulation of a life time's thoughts

stored up in the eyes.

- Thornton Wilder

Of all the books I've read in my life the most memorable have been the classics I've read. I realize they are classics for a reason and I always understood the reason for the difference had a lot to do with the idea brought out in this poem. Literature in its greatest form requires serious contemplation over lengthy periods of time. It also requires experience. Witty repartee may make for fast, entertaining reading and it may even convince you to vote for a particular candidate in an election but it won't bring out a meditative reflection of your thoughts as true literature can- if you give it a chance!

In 2005, I spent the better part of the year, in my spare time, poring over and slowly reading J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It is absolutely the most beautiful and descriptive English prose I have ever taken the time to read. I say that without reservation. It doesn't make me think of other literature save for a few other well-known classics such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or perhaps Madeleine L'Engle's novels. There are others and they have definitely affected the way I look at the world. These worlds such masters write about are so very separate from our experience as humans. It is as if they visualize a world as it ought to be or should have been.

These reconstructions may befuddle some realists but for people who make a difference they are essential respites from a world which has no patience, pushing imagination aside for cruelties and so-called essentials. They make light fare of the rare moments in life such as searching for meaning, purpose and hope. If we don't have meaning attached to our lives or a specific purpose to our procession of days life is almost useless.

True literature exists to elevate us out of the humdrum existence we live and it also brings solutions to our deepest social dilemmas as well. Watership Down comes to mind as literature specifically written for that purpose. Today, classics are as rare as antique books and just as rarely read. This is a social crisis and my concern is that as a people our souls are becoming impoverished on pop media. Every source we have is to blame.

Television is everywhere. People watch videos and movies on Blackberries now instead of bringing a good book to read. There's quite a bit of literature on the web but you'd never know it. People would rather watch asinine videos on YouTube or play videogames Over the past two years I bought a small library of classics from Steinbeck, Poe, Henry James, Jack London, Hawthorne, H.P. Lovecraft, Raymond Chandler, C.B. Brown, Faulkner, Sinclair Lewis and several more. It's the best investment for my soul I've ever made. What have I found out that the rest of world has not? That my mind is more important than the latest non-event they're all clamoring to ogle, DL or text to each other. I treat my mind like my body and generally try to give it the best nutrition I can find. All the rest is just dross I can live without.

The Castle Lady imbuing you with true ardor!

Literature is language charged with meaning. - Ezra Pound

The Wearin' o' the Green!

It's that time of year again. Yes. It's time for St. Patrick's Day parading, drinking, story-telling and general merriment that is the cornerstone of the Irish way of life. Now, I have Irish on both sides of my family lines but I have yet to have savored corned beef and cabbage with a stout- I'd rather just have the Guinness, please, and leave me alone. It's only in recent years I've tried more traditional Irish fare- such as colcannon- and actually enjoyed it. There's enough Irish in me to get a rise out of me if you're mean enough and I certainly used to drink but don't as a rule, now.
I'm more Irish in the way that I speak. The funny thing is that I don't have a corner on that, being essentially American. Irish words have infiltrated the American language much more than people realize and you don't have to have even a smidgen of Irish blood in your veins to use these words almost inadvertently.
There's one right there ! Smidgen is from the Irish gaelic smidin or smitch. If you go to Ireland, however, you may find yourself in a bit of a dilemma every now and then when you engage them in conversation. You may think you know the word they're using when as a matter of fact you may have some words fly right over your American head while they have a silent laugh up their sleeve!
For instance, if they tell you that they knew you were Americans by your brogues you may think it's only innocent banter in the difference of the way we speak English. Most likely it's meant that they can tell you were Americans by your shoes! Yes, our shoes are different and brogues in Ireland are a specific shoe which are heavy and rather clunky-looking. Our shoes advertise themselves more often than not since we tend to wear sporty walking shoes when we go overseas.
If you think being Irish is keen and you say so you may get a look or two for a minute because we changed the true meaning of the word on our shores. To us being keen can mean being smart or being keen on someone can mean you really like or love them. That word as an adjective for them is from the gaelic caoine which means crying, wailing or that something is acute or piercing. Keening bagpipes are one thing- but a keening widow is often comforted at a very long wake. Personally, I think a few other European immigrants got ken mixed up with keen which is a strange but perhaps understandable misuse. They do sound very close don't they?
The words glom and glean rather sound alike don't they? When we "glom onto" someone we're being rather needy and if we glean something we're doing a type of picky choosing which irritate certain people. They use these words in a similar fashion but glom came from the Irish glam which actually means snatching, grabbing or even stealing someone or something. "Glean" came from the old Irish gaelic do-glenn (he gathers) which most likely was used originally in the most obvious sense of reaping a harvest and throwing out the bad stuff.

S l a' inte is ta'inte !

The Castle Lady

Better Than Yourself

Always dream and shoot higher than you know how to.

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.

Try to be better than yourself.

-William Faulkner

     

     I have realized most recently that in the past decade of my life I have been taking on bigger and bigger projects and undertakings than perhaps I would've thought I could handle previously. My castles book series venture is just the most recent. One interesting note is that I have risen to each challenge and manage to finish what I start because I have a true passion for what I do- whether it's starting a business, becoming an actress, publishing a book or writing a whole series of them. One sure way to ensure success is a true desire to accomplish what it is you're doing. A good example of this is when I sat down in the summer of 1999 and wrote a book on building your faith by worshipping God. I wrote the book in less than two weeks and it is about 300 KB. Once the book was written I realized that I didn't write it in traditional fashion at all. I didn't outline the book, I just named chapters and I started writing. It made me realize what I was capable of doing without forcing the issue. I was driven to write it by some unseen hand. I still look at this book like the marvel it is because I never had to alter it nor did I make any stringent revision. 

     I often wonder if this process will be repeated again. Most of my writing projects are done in rough draft- after sitting down and writing a detailed plan. Then they go through another draft where I fill in, edit, write more from further research. Then I write a third draft making sure it reads correctly, you check for clarity or discrepancies and check for mistakes on all levels. Grammar, punctuation, coherency and spelling are all a part of the process. I went through that first draft several times and the most I changed were spelling errors that were obviously just a result of my typing skills. I tend to type really fast.

     The real marvel about the book on praise and worship, though, is that I wrote a book in such a short amount of time in my first jump out of the starting gate! I can tell you that most writers would be insanely jealous over that, without exception. My passion for what I was doing was poured into the book. It was obviously God-inspired and I was a willing and capable vessel. 

     Now think about your desires and passions. What do you really like to do? Even though I've spent a good part of my life as a professional manicurist/pedicurist/nail technician it only took a matter of days to change my whole life by sitting down- with time cleared for myself- to do what I so passionately had wanted to do for many, many years. I believe that the highest your dreams aim is truly where you belong. I am not saying it won't be hard work. It may be harder work than you're doing now. It may be the hardest work you'll ever do in your life but you won't notice that because you'll be so happy that you're finally doing what feels right. Make sense? 

The Castle Lady, filling your senses with affection and hugs!    

What's really wrong with us?

I will trust a civilization

When old men

Have a wise and confidant look

And old women

Look gentle and cared for.

When the eyes of the young are diffident

And filled with hope.

I will always be saddened

By defeated old men and broken women

And the arrogant eyes

Of the young

- James Kavanaugh

 

      I remember Bush Sr.'s campaign many years ago when he called on a 'kinder, gentler' nation and I believe we have gone the opposite direction. Was it only rhetoric, after all ? I think so and it's certainly disappointing to find that people in general don't get along any better than before. The rise in crime is worse than ever, racial prejudice seems rampant to me and people in general really don't get along. As in everything, this call to betterment has to start with ourselves.

     I've written an inspirational day book that addresses the issue of improving your life and it was interesting that during the process of writing it my focus was more toward the world than to the individual. I realize now that when you reach outward the less you hold onto self-consciousness and you are more effective in helping the world. Think about it and it makes sense. Our nation's self-absorption is an issue that isn't going away and it's appalling to see young people following the example. When I see that a teenager has started a web site in charity toward disadvantaged or disabled people or toward tough causes it does my heart good. Something is working.

     We need more people like this, so if you see a chance to help young people along in their quest- whatever it is- please do so because you are also helping to shape the life of a champion. Encouragement of those who do daily battle with the wrongs is heroic in and of itself. So be a hero and help because we need you.

 

The Castle Lady will champion you with a hug !  

 

Where Does the Time Go ?

     I've spent the better part of  two years working on detailed researching, cataloguing, writing about and gathering photos of England's castles. I am halfway finished with England and then I have North and South Wales to work on after that to make my web site complete before my book comes out. Once I saw how large the project really was, I still felt up to the task and haven't lost any energy for it but this project has outrun my financial fortitude and I am wondering if I'll be able to continue at the speed I've been going.

     I put a lot of detail in my http://castlelady.spaces.live.com blog which will eventually be transferred onto my www.ilovecastles.com official site for the readers of my books to find out more information both historically and for additional particulars. I plan on making ilovecastles.com the most comprehensive data base on the web for castle information, photos and pertinent particulars for travelers and enthusiasts.

     In charting my daily work, I have done basic research for eight countries but the real work is beyond basic research and into the realm of hunting and tracking down locations, photos or images and finding out the histories. Without the history some of the mystique of the various castles are lost. Some are enigmatic enough without it but we trace many of the origins of modern architecture by knowing what stories contribute to the current look of castles, manor homes and renaissance castles. When I covered Belvoir just a few months ago is a prime example.

     During the latter part of last year I started to get a lot of queries at my castlelady live space blog about the nomenclature concerning medieval castles and determined that it is time for me to write an entry on the terms about the castles which I admit can be confusing at times. Many of the words are medieval so it's no wonder that people become a little perplexed. A moat is not a motte, and a motte is not moat even if they do sound alike. If you are sincerely interested in castles then it is essential that you start reading some good books on castles of the coffee table variety. I can recommend some really good ones and I have a few on my castlelady live space blog under the book list. My books are intended to help the people who have already done their homework and they want to get out there and experience the actual castles for themselves !

     With my current financial status I'm going to have to make some changes real soon involving making serious money. I plan on having an auction again on my castlelady live space blog but in the interim it's just too pressing a matter to keep hinging any real chance of income on this source. Besides that, the auction - especially for The Castle Lady collage- was meant to be for fun. I never intended for it to be a serious money maker but it's a great promotion. That was my feeling when I first started it.

     What you can expect to see this year is a wonderful section on the official site for England which may only get put up halfway but it will be a great start. You will get a chance to see me complete all my research for  England- God willing and the crick doesn't rise ! - on the castlelady live space blog and maybe you will even be the lucky and prosperous owner of a totally unique Castlelady framed photo collage which all your friends and family will "ooh and aah" at for many years to come. I'm hoping you will also have the privilege of being a proud owner of the first book in my Castle Lover's Guides series - The Castle Lover's Guide to England and Wales. If you see me waving at you from your TV screen on PBS, the Travel Channel, Discovery or similar it will be because I finally found the right agent !

 

The Castle Lady says Mwwaah ! 

Why We Shouldn't Worry About Another 9/11

     Just recently I had a conversation with several travel agencies and found out something I have apparently been oblivious to since my wonderful castles tour I took in September 2001. They seem to think that the industry dried up because of 9/11 but I flew roundtrip to the same airport ( Dulles ) the next year in 2002 on my first foray to Washington, D.C. (This was one of the airports the fatal planes were flown from on 9/11. I flew through Dulles Airport on my trip to Paris for the start of my grand castles tour and flew back through it on my way back home after a week delay. )  I flew again in 2004 to Nashville ( with a brief layover in Chicago on the flight out ) and back with no incidents and I flew three times roundtrip in 2005 through Indianapolis twice and to Albuquerque, N.M. These were all without incidents or delays and there was heavy traffic with each and every flight.

     I suppose my point is that since I got caught right in the middle of all the delays, the worries and sadness of the horrible incident that I would be the most likely candidate to stop traveling altogether and never set foot on a plane again. I never have been much for fear but I am a common sense person to the "nth" degree. Obviously none of it has put a damper on my spirit for adventure and travel. I don't know how the average traveler feels but I've had a lot of company on all my travel since and no one has seemed especially tense through any of it including the travel professionals (i.e. Stewardesses, reservationists, baggage handlers, pilots etc. ) 

     People tend to forget that the real milestone in terrorism on our shores started with the killings in Atlanta in 1996 during the Olympic Games. Someone was falsely accused of the murders and the whole thing was not only tragic but also embarrassing. It was embarrassing especially ( I should think !) to the people who almost bungled the investigation. We want to know that these type of terrorist attacks can be arrested before they even happen. That's only in the movies, sorry!

     The only reassurance I can give to my fellow Americans is this- if you shorten and limit your experiences based on the fear of what might happen you're letting terrorists win a victory before they've ever taken a look at your face. It's important to know what fears are valid and which ones are irrational because these are our instincts as intelligent human beings. It's up to us to decide what those are but don't let farfetched possibilities take a foothold in how you make decisions about your life. Keep the faith. Carry on. Show our true enemies that terror is not in our vocabulary anymore.

Blessed kisses from The Castle Lady !

Everything is always impossible before it works.

That is what entrepreneurs are all about-

doing what people have told them is impossible.

- Hunt Greene