etch_in_stone

The history of Labor Day in the United States is actually quite interesting (and, luckily, the whole white clothing restriction has nothing to do with the holiday, at least anymore).

“Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.” ~ Samuel Gompers, founder and once president of the American Federation of Labor

...Interesting food for thought, eh?

I plan to spend the day catching up on sleep and writing. What are you're plans for Labor Day?

Next time you’re feeling particularly alone in the world, check this out. It kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?

In less than a minute, over 132 people were born while 70+ died. The world population changes every second.

It’s interesting to note which countries had the most changes in population and even CO2 levels.

I filled a cloth bag with a hodgepodge of novels (over 20) and brought them home with me a few weeks ago. They’re currently scattered (seriously, I just pulled a couple from under the couch and inside a haphazardly half packed suitcase) around the room with other books that I’ve read or am currently planning on reading.
 
Following the Thursday 13 cha cha line, here’s the title of thirteen books within arms distance of where I’m sitting right now.

1. Soul Song (Marjorie M Liu) – Fantasy/Romance

2. The Best Short Stories by Black Writers (edited and with an Intro by Langston Hughes) – Short Stories

3. The Rosetta Codex (Richard Paul Russo) – Science Fiction

4. Feminist Theory: A Critique of Ideology (edited by Keaoane, Rosaldo, and Gelpi) – Feminism

5. Gregor the Overlander (Suzanne Collins) – Middle Grade Fantasy

6. Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership (Laurie Beth Jones) – Success

7. A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini) – Historical/Literary Fiction

8. Nightseer (Laurell K Hamilton) – Fantasy

9. Urban Politics and Public Policy: The City in Crisis (edited by David and Peterson) – Sociology

10. Making Money (Terry Pratchett) – Science Fiction

11. Cross Bones(Katy Reichs) – Mystery

12.Tales From Earthsea (Ursula K LeGuin) – Fantasy

13. Shadow Touch (Marjorie M Liu) – Romance

So, like I posted in a JulNoWriMo thread

"I never even heard of Write or Die until I saw this thread. I just used it for a 15 minute sprint and honestly, those 15 minutes were the most productive I felt all day. I was doing so well earlier, but then I hit a point where I got distracted checking different websites, seeing how others were doing with their stories, taking naps, thinking about other stories I wanted to write, talking to family, etc... that I just stopped writing altogether.

I had used the 'gentle' mode just to ease myself/play around with the program and burst out laughing when Hanson's MmmBop blasted out. I'm like to write competitively (in the sense I like to pick a random forum member and beat their word count). And I've already told myself that even though I want to reach 50k by the end of the month, I also want to make sure I have work I'm proud of, no matter how rough it turns out (so no inching up my wordcount by pressing the spacebar)....

I'm definitely going to keep using WoD, especially for short sprints to keep me focused."

Write or Die: http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

Right now I'm tired and I have to get ready for work in a few hours, so I'm calling it a night. Tomorrow morning, however, I will on point.