Why Women Should Vote

(This e-mail was sent to me--twice--and I find it moving enough to post here. - Dena)

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago. 

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive.

Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of
'obstructing sidewalk traffic.' 

(Lucy Burns)

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. 

(Dora Lewis) 

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate,
Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging,
beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his
guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. 

(Alice Paul)

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
 
So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because- -why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels," is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. HBO released the movie on video and DVD. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know.

We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.

History is being made.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

A friend asked me to make a 15-minute presentation to his Rotary group. As I was leaving the house this morning, Blair asked what, exactly, I'd be speaking on.

"Me. My life as a freelancer and what that's like."

"Oh," he said, and paused and cocked his head. "And why do they want to hear that?"

Yes. On to victory.

The talk went well. As always, I spoke faster than the speed of light. But it was an attentive audience with a good sense of humor which makes my work as a presenter that much easier. 

Looking at my calendar, I have a number of speaking engagements on line. I'm participating in a local writers night at the Madison Library on September 22nd and in preview of that, am appearing as a guest of the library director on his radio show on the 17th. My radio show, How'd You End Up Here? debuts on the 23rd of this month. I have my first guest lined up and I'm excited.

I'm speaking at the Eden Country Club to a women's group on October 16th, after I teach my magazine writing class, "Get Published! The ins & Outs of Writing for Magazines" on October 11th. I've got my marathon on Nov. 15th and the following weekend drive to Atlanta where I'm a presenter at the Cat Writer's Association annual conference.

It doesn't seem like much when I  book them - Oh, a 15 minute talk. Sure, I'll do it...- then whey they arrive I'm frantically trying to pull something together. 

I enjoy it though. A captive audience that has to listen to me talk about me?

I don't care what Blair says. That's a dream come true. =)

How Writers REALLY Spend Their Time...

It never fails to amaze me how little time, for a professional writer, I actually spend writing. Today, for example, started off strong with three hours of writing time, then plunged into an unrecoverable "to do" list mania that ate up the day. So instead of spending the afternoon writing about the funny things cats do, I instead:

• Made an appointment with the vet to have the girls nails trimmed tomorrow
• Made an appointment to have my own mane trimmed later this week
• Called Lowe's in search of an asbestos-testing kit. No luck, so I...
• Called a friend of a friend who knows about such things and left a message for him to call me back
• Mailed a package at the post office
• Dropped off our old cell phone's at the sheriff's department, 25 minutes away
• Stopped in at Back Street Buzz in Reidsville and convinced the owner (who is from CA) to be my guest in September on my "How'd You End Up Here?" radio show
• Jotted down some thoughts for a talk I'm giving at a Rotary Club on Thursday and timed myself. WAY over the 15-minute limit. Cutting must take place.
• Returned a call to my best friend since I ignored her early morning call when the writing was flowing
• Went to yoga
• Sent out a Twitter request for "What question would your cat ask God, if they could?" (Fodder for the book)
• Jammed through 10-12 e-mails
• Ate lunch

Now I'm at Panera with an hour and half to kill before it's time to meet my running group for hill work in 90 degree heat. And what does it say about my day that the last part there sounds FUN and mildly ENTERTAINING at this point?

I have a cat book with me to read in the hopes of inspiring humor. I have coffee. I have a laptop and wireless and nothing left on my to-do list. I have a hot husband who will have stir-fry waiting for me this evening.

Life is pretty good.

6 Unspectacular Quirks... (Because I Have To)

I've been tagged by fellow bloger and friend Kim and asked to name 6 unspectacular quirks of mine before passing the buck. And people say the Internet is a waste of time.

In no particular order, here are my quirks:

1. I am blind obsessive, but only in the winter. Once October hits, I close up the house every evening at dusk. However, I also open the house before the first rays of the sun. Can't stand to walk around a house with pulled blinds when the sun is up.
2. Drink coasters. God made them for a reason, people.
3. I clean the bathroom in a certain order: mirrors, sink, countertops, toilet. If I deviate from this order, the Universe may explode.
4. I can't wear my glasses when I eat. I take them off and leave them on the side of the table and then put them back on when I'm finished. Bizarre, I know.
5. My birthday is in June, but I think of myself as the next year older starting in January. So even though this January I'll be 38 for another 6 months, in my mind, I'll already be 39.
6. Cats. I can well up on the spot just thinking about how much joy they bring to my life.
   

That's my list. Now here are the rules of the tagging from Kim:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they've been tagged

Sadly, I only know 4 bloggers to tag: Amy, Tamara, Pam, and Melody. So okay girls, you're on!