So You Want to be a Writer
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My Writing Life
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| BOOKS ABOUT the MECHANICS of WRITING |
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My Family Album
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That is one big salmon!
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I knew when Jared was four years old what he was going to be when he grew up. It was pretty apparent on that day at the stream behind my father's house when he caught his first fish. He caught it with a piece of string and a paper clip. His exuberance revealed his deepest dreams. As he grew up he was always near water, usually the resevoir near our home in New Jersey. His bedroom housed about ten fish tanks of varying sizes, and he always had some kind of experiment going. My favorite was the brine shrimp "contraption." Somehow with 2 two liter soda bottles and a lot of tubing he constructed a safe haven for the babies of the brine shrimp. If the babies weren't removed from the mother they would not survive, and he developed a way for them to survive. That was the begnning of his research career.
During high school summers Jared worked at the Maria Mitchell Aquarium in Nantucket. He helped to maintain the aquarium and regularly took the zodiac out into the Atlantic Ocean to gather new specimens to replenish the tanks. He gave tours and taught about the ocean animals to anyone who would listen.
After high school, Jared went to UCSC, the University of California at Santa Cruz. He earned a degree in Marine Biology . . .no surprise there. Jared now works and dives for the University and is the captain of the PARAGON, a research vessel. He holds many diving certificates, including research diver and rescue diver. In additon to working for the University, Jared is also a graduate student. During the summers between terms, Jared has been involved in research projects in Alaska, Ecuador, and Tahiti.
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*NEW* Strange Happenings
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 | Hummingbird
New York City
Subway Art |
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| This hummingbird, made of mosaic tiles, can be found in the subway station under the Museum of Natural History. You can find more "artsy" selections like this on my website under the tab, Streets of New York. Look above. |
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*NEW* WIND RIVER Prokaryotic Biology
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 | Dr. David H. Figurski
Professor - Columbia University
talking about
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
or
A. actinomycetemcomitans
("Don't ask me. I haven't a clue.
I can't even pronounce it," said Donna.
"I just call it by its short name -- AA.") |
| |  | Dr. Uldis Streips
Professor - University of Louisville
introducing David.
(He couldn't pronounce it either.) |
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 | David and a student
discussing her poster |
| |  | David and a Professor friend
talking SCIENCE, of course. |
| |  | | I'm so proud of you, David. |
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| In June of 2005, just five months after David |
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*NEW* Treska Trivia - A Slice of Life
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 | Treska eating ice cream
-- way too much ice cream --
delicious Oreo Mint Blizzard
Yum! Yum!
It was good!
All the way to the very last drop. |
| |  | Then she started to twirl
as
the sugar swirled through |
| |  | I'm not twirling!
This is "perfectly" normal. |
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 | Slow Down
Yikes! I'm going too fast.
Time for a break.
Don't worry -- I'll be back. |
| |  | How do you like this "DO"?
See what wonderful,
delicious,
wild,
crazy,
ice cream can do?
I suggest you try it too.
:)
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| |  | Maybe we'll get some ice cream
again
tomorrow night?
"Ya think"? |
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*NEW* TBI Traumatic Brain Injury - A Living Nightmare
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SHERYL LLOYD
Summer 2005
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| This is Sheryl. |
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This is Sheryl Lloyd. She has been my teaching assistant off and on for a number of years.
We work side by side in my First Grade classroom. Sheryl was working with me the year of David's trauma.
She's pretty amazing!
She was also there for me when David was in surgery
and
a long time after, too.
Sheryl was my lifeline to my classroom and to my school. She let me know how the Kiddles were doing. She passed my lessons to the substitute teacher for me. She helped pave the way for the children to understand that I wouldn't be in school for awhile and why I had to be away; and she was my liason to my colleagues.
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Teacher/Book Reviewer
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That Cat Can’t Stay
Written by Thad Krasnesky
Illustrated by David Parkins
Publisher: Flashlight Press
ISBN: 0979974658
Ages: 5 to 7
Review and Lessons Plans by Donna O'Donnell Figurski
I can totally understand the father in That Cat Can’t Stay. That would be my view too. I am not a cat lover. I do admit, however, that the cats were cute … on paper … within the confines of the pages of this book, but no cats for me … thank you. No dogs for that matter either or rabbits or mice or birds. Well, I did have a bird when I was a child and a turtle, too, but those days are over.
I admired Mom’s wily and crafty ways as she perfected her skill of wrapping Dad around her finger. That mom tugged on his heartstrings. How could Dad possible put a cat out in the rain? And that poor calico – it was going to starve to death, wasn’t it? Surely, Dad couldn’t send it to the hereafter on an empty stomach. And anyone would help a cat that was hit by a car … like the ginger kitty was. Even I would do that.
So what was Dad supposed to do? Of course, he did what any good dad would … he allowed the cats to stay until the rain stopped, until the kitty was properly fed, and until ginger kitty’s leg mended. That Mom … she was a clever one! She sure was! She knew what she was doing. And those cats just stayed and stayed and stayed even though they scratched Dad’s knees, carried fleas, and ate his cheese. Poor Dad!
Thad Krasnesky and David Parkins team up to make a very funny book, which will have children cheering Mom on. Kids will have fun joining in on the repetitive, rhyming parts, too. And they just might learn a little about using reverse psychology … on their own parents.
FROM the MOUTHS of KIDDLE CRITers: a critique group
“There’s a family and Mom found a cat,” said Tala.
“It was a broken cat,” said Caden.
“Then she found one cat in the rain,” said Daisy.
“And Dad said, ‘Well, we’ll let that cat stay, but not for long,’” explained Juliana.
“Mom was bringing cats back every single day,” said Caden.
“But Dad did not like cats,” said Abby.
“They carry fleas,” said Caden sticking up for Dad.
“And they scratch his knees,” explained Brayden.
Juliana nodded. “Dad probably got hurt from cats,” she said. “Then Mom would rescue another cat and Dad would say, ‘That cat can’t stay, but Mom brought the cat home anyway,’” said Juliana.
“Maybe she just took the cats because she had no one to talk to,” said Lucy.
Callie shook her head. “What Mom really wanted was to have a cat – lots of them,” said Callie. “But I bet she was just making Dad crazy for all the cats she was finding and saving,” she added with a giggle.
“Dad always said, “Well, we’ll let that cat stay, but not for long,” said Juliana.
“But … Dad, said, “Well!” said Diego as he drew out the word to sound like this, w-e-e-e-e-l-l-l. (And then the cats always stayed.)
“Mom was trying to trick Dad to keep the cats – as many as she could find. She would give him a reason so she could keep the cat, but he said, ‘No’ and she still kept them,” said Tala.
Brayden nodded, “Mom got all the cats by using psychology,” he said.
“Reverse psychology,” proclaimed Daisy.
“Reverse Psychology is like … you can trick someone,” said Tala.
“To get what you want,” said Juliana. “There was a lot of reverse psychology in this book.”
“I think the Mom was pretty smart,” said Mikaela. “She kept going with what the father said so he would feel guilty and then she could keep the cat,” she explained.
“Mom was trying to convince Dad,” said Lucy.
Caden shook his head. “But Dad wants the cats outside,” he said.
“I like how the mother uses reverse psychology to get what she wants,” said Juliana. “The mother is really, really good at doing that.”
“I wish my mom would do reverse psychology … on my dad,” said Lucy with a smile and a giggle.
TEACHER TALK
A Cat Is: Language Arts/Science
Cats are cute. They can be loving and mysterious. Their fur, soft and downy, makes you want to tickle them. They can be sneaky, too, and pesky; and they are definitely finicky eaters. There are so many words to describe cats. Make an A to Z list with your class to list all the words they can think of to describe them. I’ve listed a lot below to help you. (Sorry, I couldn’t think of descriptions that begin with X. If you think of any, let me know.)
A active, affectionate, alert, athletic, almond-shaped eyes,
B black, brown, bushy-tailed,
C calm, curly hair, curious, cuddly, claws
D domestic, downy-coat
E ears, energetic, even-tempered, eyes, easy-going,
F furry, friendly, fluffy, feline, fussy, finicky
G green-eyed, glossy, golden, gentle, graceful,
H hardy,
I inquisitive, independent
J jumpy
K kitten
L long-haired, lively, loving, litter box, lazy
M mellow, mysterious, meow
N nervous
O orange eyes,
P playful, plush, proud, purr, pets, pesky, picky
Q quiet, queenly
R ruddy, racy, restless
S soft, spotted, short-haired, scary, silky, sleek, sweet, slinky, sneaky
T tail, temperament, tan, tufted ears, tufted toes,
U ugly, upbeat
V velvety
W wild, whiskers, white,
X
Y yellow, yawning
Z zesty, zippy, zappy, zany
Name a Cat: Language Arts/Writing/Science
First have children name as many cats as they can think of. Start with the ones from the book That Cat Can’t Stay. List them on a chart.
Ex.:
Calico
Ginger
Tabby
Add others.
Ex.:
Persian
Siamese
Main Coon
Himalayan
Manx
Burmese
Then have the children use the list from the lesson above to construct Acrostic Poems. Acrostic poems use each letter in the topic word as the beginning letter of a new word to describe the topic. See examples below.
Use this site for more information on writing acrostic poems.
Acrostics for Children
C ats can be
A thletic
L oveable,
I nquisitive, and
C ute with
O range eyes
C ats are
A ffectionate and
L ively. They can be
I ndependent and
C uddly and sometimes
O rnery
P layful
E nergetic
R are
S hort-haired
I nquisitive
A ffectionate
N ervous
SUGGESTED WEBSITES:
(Although I examined these websites and found them to be very helpful, please use them at your own discretion.)
CFA: For Kids About Cats
Math Cats
Cats and Kids
FUN SITE for CAT NAMES
Cat Breed Descriptions
SUGGESTED BOOKS:
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way written by Thad Krasnesky; illustrated by David Parkins
Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library! written by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter; illustrated by Steve James
How Many Cats? written by Lauren Thompson; illustrated by Robin Eley
The Best Cat written and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake written and illustrated by Laura Numeroff
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My Writing Life
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The Children's Writer's Reference by Berthe Amoss & Eric Suben
A First Thesaurus by Harriet Wittels and Joan Greisman
Punctuation Plain & Simple by Edgar C. Alward and Jean A. Alward
Putting It In Writing by Steve Otfinoski
Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary by Sue Young
Writing Handbook by Michael P. Kammer, S.J. and Charles W. Mulligan, S.J
The New Oxford Guide to Writing by Thomas S. Kane
1001 Pitfalls in English Grammar by Ruth Parle |
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My Family Album
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 | Free To Be!
Today we will be cowgirls
with the wind blowing
through our hair. |
| |  | I Can Read the Whole Book!
I love to read and read and read and read.
Just give me a good book, |
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 | Working on Her Next Novel.
I bet she takes after her granny.
She's always working on a new
book, too.
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| |  | Look at MY New Boots.
Want to know how I got them????
Well, you see my Grandpa was visiting.
And, I thought that my little sister would
really like a pair of pink cowboy boots.
And . . . well . . . so did Grandpa!
He's kind of a "pushover." but don't
tell him I said that. ;) |
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 | Writing in Her Journal.
This is serious business.
I have to get down ALL my thoughts.
Before Sundown! |
| |  | The World is MINE!!!
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For purple mountain majesties
America the Beautiful! |
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 | A Flower Among Flowers
Can you tell which is the REAL flower?
. . . the one with the smile on her face. |
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| .............Here are some very special people in my life . . . being very SPECIAL!........... |
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?OLE! Mexico ?OLE!
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 | | Let's Fiesta! Kevin, Karina, and Me |
| |  | Laura's & Carla's Family
with Laura's friend, Alfredo and me |
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 | | The Music of the Night |
| |  | | Meet my Mexican Mom, Lupita. |
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 | | Lupita & her daughter, Veronica |
| |  | IMAGINE Sol and me dancing to John Lennon's IMAGINE.
Sol added a new twist to that song. |
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 | Mary and Grace and their Family
Check out the Pinata on the table.
Now that's festive! |
| |  | Marilyn, John (the professor)
Jennifer & Patricia |
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 | | Carmen & Her Mexican Family |
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Time for Fiesta!
I'm ready! During the last week in Puebla, the English Training Center, my school, hosted a "real" Mexican fiesta for all the students and their host families. Our teachers came, too. The food was amazing and the music was great.
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*NEW* WIND RIVER Prokaryotic Biology
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| I met Trish many years ago when she worked in the Micro Biology Department at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. We have been best friends ever since. We even lived in San Diego at the same time . . . before she moved to Louisville to marry Uldis. Although Trish still lives in Louisville and we don |
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*NEW* Treska Trivia - A Slice of Life
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*NEW* TBI Traumatic Brain Injury - A Living Nightmare
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JUDY
Summer 2006
This is my friend, Judy. I met Judy around the middle of January 2005 in the waiting room of Columbia Hospital's Neurological Intensive Care Unit. I had already been living David's Traumatic Brain Injury nightmare for about two weeks. Judy was fresh to it . . . to her very own nightmare with her husband, Steve. I saw pain and fear in Judy's eyes, and I hoped I could somehow ease some of her pain by letting her know what I had already learned. And . . . so we talked.
Judy's husband, Steve, was only a few cubicles away from David. Steve was suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury, too. Judy and I soon discovered that we each met our husbands at a very young age. We were only teenagers.  AND, as I did with David, Judy knew immediately, that she was going to marry Steve. A kinship began between Judy and me.
Two weeks after meeting Judy, with a few tears and hugs and a lot of wishes for luck, we said goodbye. David was being transferred to Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation in East Orange, New Jersey. Since Judy and Steve were from New York, it was likely that Steve would be moved to a rehabilitation center in the New York area. I didn't know when Judy and I would see each other again, but we vowed to do so.
So one night, about a month later, when I saw Judy's face through the tiny window of the doors of the Neuro Ward at Kessler, I was so excited. Whenever Judy was not by her husband's side, or I by David's, we had time to talk once again. The therapists were even kind enough to schedule David's and Steve's therapies at the same time so that Judy and I could spend time together, too.
Now we each have our husbands home again and Judy and I talk on the phone or email each other - trading news of our husbands' latest healing accomplishments. We both agree that our lives have desperately changed. They have been turned upside down and inside out. And, although our families and friends are kind and sympathetic to our new
lives, and try to understand, it's impossible for them to truly comprehend the depth of how life
has changed for us. It's not easy to leave behind our fairytale lives. -- Meet prince! Marry prince! Live happily ever after! -- Okay, so the "happily ever after" part of the story has been altered, but we are both striving to make that happen again -- and we will succeed. We are strong women!
Although Judy and I met under the direst of circumstances, I am so grateful that she is a part of my life and that we have become friends. Lots of hugs, Judy!
(See Popovers Cafe in the background on Amsterdam Avenue in New York City. Judy and I met there for lunch a few months ago and we talked and talked and talked . . . for hours. I love their Eggs Benedict Arnold - black forest ham, fried eggs and lemon hollandaise sauce. YUM! Double YUM!)
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Teacher/Book Reviewer
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Bullies Never Win
Written by Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Arthur Howard
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN: 0689861877
Ages: 4 to 8
Review and Lessons Plans by Donna O'Donnell Figurski
You know them. We all do. Those kids who like to boss other kids around. The ones who like to scare little kids and take their toys. The kids who exclude other kids from their games and make them feel unwanted, insecure, and sad. I guess it makes them feel tough. But, really, those kids are the ones who are insecure. They are the ones who are afraid. They are … the bullies.
Bullies may be in your neighborhood. They may try to run your school. You might even have a bully in your classroom. The boy who accidentally-on-purpose knocks into your desk making your books and pencils and crayons scatter along the floor. He’s a bully. Quickly he’ll say, “Sorry,” but you know he doesn’t mean it. And before he turns away, you can see his grin. Or maybe it’s the group of cool-looking girls who giggle every time you walk to the water fountain or get on line or answer in class. They are bullies too. They pretend to be your friend, but whom are they kidding? They think they are so sly. Then there are the kids who won’t let you join in their games or call you names or make fun of the way you look, talk, or dress. They are bullies. They all are!
Brenda Bailey was the bully in Jessica’s life in the book, Bullies Never Win written by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Arthur Howard. Brenda seemed to be everywhere. For sure, she was in Jessica’s head. Brenda turned Jessica into a constant worrier. Jessica worried about her own knobby knees and her mismatched socks. She worried about making a goal on the kickball team and even doing her homework right. Simply put - Jessica was afraid.
That’s what bullies do! They instill fear in their victims. They want them to be afraid. Jessica was afraid that Brenda would make fun of her, that she would embarrass her. Bullies make you feel insecure. They like to call other kids nasty names too. Somehow that makes them feel better about themselves. Who knows why! Brenda called Jessica – Toothpick. That name made Jessica miserable. Jessica sat in her bedroom. She couldn’t sleep at night. She had a stomachache and didn’t want to go to school. Not good!
Jessica was afraid to tell her parents. She was afraid to tell her teacher, Mr. Martin. Finally, though, Jessica took her teacher’s advice. She tried to ignore Brenda but that didn’t work. Jessica’s friends told her to stand up to Brenda. But would you want to stand up to a bully? Not me! I’d run the other way. In the end, though, Jessica had no choice. She had to face Brenda and that was not easy. One day Jessica looked Brenda in the eye and said, “Bullies never win!” And you know something … Jessica is right! In the end they never do win.
I think Jessica was brave. What would you do?
This review can also be seen on: SmartWriters .
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Read more...
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?OLE! Mexico ?OLE!
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| PHOTO SHOOT WITH MY ROOMMATE |
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*NEW* WIND RIVER Prokaryotic Biology
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 | Trish
So . . .
What's so funny? |
| |  | Best Friends
for a
LOT of years |
| |  | Trish
Another View |
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*NEW* Treska Trivia - A Slice of Life
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 | Put all the ingredients in.
Stir it up! |
| |  | | THIS is going to be GOOD! |
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 | Mmmmmm . . .
Smells Good! |
| |  | Almost done.
Can't wait. |
| |  | Now this is what I
call a good dinner. |
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MAKING DINNER
"I can cook. I really can," said Treska as we walked through the grocery store. "Can I? Can I?" Then she started to list all the ingredients she needed to make Breakfast Burritos . . . potatoes, eggs, onions, tomatoes and lettuce . . . and don't forget cheese and tortillas and sour cream, AND salsa. We tossed all the ingredients into our cart. We had a date in the kitchen the next afternoon. We were going to have Breakfast Burritos for dinner. Sounded like a good plan to me.
She pulled out the skillet and all the ingredients, threw the potatoes into the food processor . . . next went the onions . . . then the cheese. Shred them all. Crack and stir the eggs. Dice the tomatoes and toss them into the egg mixture. Fry up the potatoes into hash browns and fry the eggs. Don |
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My Family Album
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 Kaya with her new glasses.
She says, "Guess what.
I got my glasses!!!!!!!!.
Isn't that great?
It seems like the world's opening up because I can see everything
much
more
clearly.
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Home
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People come from all over the world to visit my site.
I love to know from where they come. Maybe you will, too.
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*NEW* TBI Traumatic Brain Injury - A Living Nightmare
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JUDY & STEVE THAU
Summer 2007
Judy and I are always just an email away--keeping track of how each of us is doing and how our husbands are progressing. Though David and Steve both suffered brain traumas, they were both affected so differently.
David and Steve were only cubicles away in Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and only a wall separated them at Kessler. Does that tell you something? I think these men were destined to meet. Oh, they met in the hallways at Kessler and they shared the same therapy times, but neither David nor Steve remembered each other. So, Judy and I decided it was time for them to meet . . . in "REAL" time.
One sunny Sunday afternoon in August 2007, Judy and Steve came to visit. Judy and I were really looking forward to seeing each other, but I  think that David and Steve had some reservations. They shouldn't have. They became instant friends. That Sunday afternoon we all relived our nightmare days at Columbia and Kessler. It was painful. It was humorous. It was cleansing.
It's now three years since David and Steve began the journey of climbing out of the abyss of traumatic brain injury. David's anniversary of re-life is on January 13th. Steve's is January 31st. Both men are strong. Both have a burning desire to become well again. AND . . . they will!
CONGRATULATIONS to both of you! AND . . . thanks for the fight!
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Teacher/Book Reviewer
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The King's Taster
Written by Kenneth Oppel
Illustrated by Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060753722
Ages: 4 to 8
Review and Lessons Plans by Donna O'Donnell Figurski
There are so many jobs in the world. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, mail
carriers, firefighters and police officers are most common. Ask any six
year old child and chances are one of these jobs will pop up. So will
nurses, football players, and astronauts. I've never heard of any
child, though, aspiring to become the king's taster. Most have never
heard of this desirable profession, I'm sure. I know I never had until
I read The King's Taster written by Kenneth Oppel and illustrated by
Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.
Being the king's taster sounds enticing, though, doesn't it? Everyone
knows the king eats the best food - cheese pies and rose puddings and
syllabub, whatever that is - all fit for a king. So being the king's
taster seems like a yummy kind of job. Who wouldn't want to get paid to
eat?
Max, the chef's dog, was the king's taster and he loved his job. Max
ate the best food in the kingdom. But there is a drawback to every good
job and the downside to Max's job was life threatening. Max tasted the
king's food before the king ate it to be sure that it was not poisoned.
When the new “boy” king was enthroned, something went wrong … terribly
wrong! The new king refused to eat the chef's masterpieces. Of course,
Max didn't mind; he still ate his share and more. But what if his
owner, the chef, lost his job? In desperation Max and the chef searched
the world for new recipes - pizza, tacos, French fries. No king could
resist those - could he? He could … and he did until his secret was
discovered. Peek into the king's crown.
This review can also be seen on: SmartWriters .
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Come see my published works under Writing!
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All contents copyright (c) 2002. Donna O'Donnell Figurski. No content may be copied or reproduced in any way without the express permission of the creator.
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