And now for an announcement:

My friend Robert Szeles just released his full length novel, Jack and Dora Do L.A. today. Jack and Dora are 21st century L.A.’s equivalent to Nick and Nora Charles. Take the witty repartee and charm of Nick and Nora, add a little more sex (Okay, a lot more sex), a little more alcohol, some old world magic, and a lot of hip action (literally). Check it out at the link, watch the book trailer (and if you dig the music, you can download at iTunes or CD Baby – it’s from Kiss the Girl’s Get With It album. If you’re not sure about reading the entire novel in one go or read the novel and want more of Jack and Dora, never fear! He’s also got a series of short stories out about Jack and Dora to download and enjoy – coming soon (scroll down on the Jack and Dora page to read more about them).

People often complain about the sending and receiving of Christmas or holiday cards. If someone gets a card from a person not on their “sent” list, they’re liable to go into a little bit of a panic and try to send one before it looks like it was only sent in receipt. Or they might hate that feeling of obligation, that now they “owe” someone a Christmas card.

But I love getting Christmas cards, and I love sending them, too. The intent of Christmas card sending has always been to simply send a note of Christmas cheer to help celebrate the season. Or, in some cases (as in the very first Christmas cards ever sent: http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/xmas.html), to ask for donations for the poor and needy.

Since the very beginning, however, the idea that the card should be a small work of art has been part of the tradition.

“Holiday cards designed by Kate Greenaway, the Victorian children’s writer and illustrator and Frances Brundage and Ellen H. Clapsaddle, were favorites in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.  Most were elaborate , decorated with fringe, silk and satin.  Some were shaped liked fans and crescents; others were cut into the shapes of bells, birds, candles and even plum puddings.  Some folded like maps or fitted together as puzzles; other squealed or squeaked.  Pop-up Cards reveled tiny mangers or skaters with flying scarves gliding around a mirrored pond.” - Juddi Morris, Vivian Hotchkiss http://www.emotionscards.com/museum/xmas.html

I am just as bad as everyone else. I get into a frenzy; I think I need to have the perfect cards, but not spend too much money. And then I need to buy enough cards. And if I don’t buy enough and the others aren’t available? What then? Get different “make up” cards. But then I have to decide who gets the original ones and who gets the second set? Jolly Santa? Christmas tree? Art Deco Christmas? And then what if the addresses are wrong. And then there’s postage, which is almost  ¢.50 per card these days. And you can choose from a variety of stamps. Who gets Mary and Jesus? Who gets the lovely pine branch? Who gets an ornament? What if they’re out of Christmas stamps? Which stamps to get then? And again, who gets what?

It’s as full of decision making energy as shopping for gifts!

I had part of the stress taken away a couple of years ago when I ordered 8 1/2 x 14 paper by mistake and didn’t know what to do with it. And decided since I had already spent money on paper and ink and was short on what I needed to buy cards, that that would be my card. So, that’s how my newsletter was born.

But the whole Christmas card thing becomes a bit of a stressor for everyone. And then we forget why we do it all in the first place. The other evening I had a reminder when I finally slowed down (was forced to slow down, actually, by this cold) enough to clean up my bureau and go through and put up my Christmas cards. I spent the evening going through each one. I read them, enjoyed the pictures, looked at the photographs, read the newsy letters enclosed in the cards.

Everyone had done it differently. And each card represented someone in a unique way. Some had children’s and family pictures. One of my friends admitted to at least 10 takes to get their family photo right. Then there are the newsy letters – jobs gained and lost, children growing up, people moving, new things happening.

Then the art of the cards. They can range anywhere from the free cards my dad and stepmom send me from their past donations to animal groups to handmade creations with drawings and ribbon and homemade paper. Even with the “free” cards, my dad chose that polar in the bear in the snow cuz he thought it was cute. The friend who sent her handmade card used creams and reds in her homemade paper to represent her. Someone else sent a teal card with red ribbon. Another person sent a card of blues and whites. Another a card of reds and grays. Each card uniquely different from the other, representing one person sending greetings to another in a time honored tradition that goes back 150 years.

E-cards are beginning to replace regular greeting cards. I received at least three this year so far. And they have their own qualities. You can add motion and sound to an ecard that you can’t to a regular card. The colors are brighter and there’s more going on.

Each card is a little ambassador from a friend or relative’s house to yours and represents time and energy, probably love, as well as effort. I found when I took the time to actually read and appreciate the cards that it helped me enjoy this time of the year a little more. If one of the functions of a winter holiday is about bringing light into the middle of the darkness, then each of these cards can represent a small light being sent your way during a time that could otherwise be dark for you.

So, Merry Christmas from my house to yours. And here’s my little light I’m sending out to you.

Merry Christmas

She Lit the Candle: A short holiday story

City Sidewalks: A holiday poem

So, I pick up three of the bridal magazines (one says it’s the Fashion Issue! Oooh!), marginally wondering what the guy at the register will think of me as I buy them, when I stop short because I see the January/February double issue of Analog. Not only that, but hidden a couple of tiers back is the MARCH issue of Analog. It’s hard to find SF/F mags out on the newsstands these days. Not like the old days when you could find Omni just out and about on your way to the coffeeshop. *sigh* I miss Omni.

So, then I start to wonder what the guy at the register will think of some middle-aged, overweight chick buying bridal fashion mags and and scifi mags both in one go. I figure he probably figures (if he figures at all) that it’s for my kids. People always assume I have kids, and I let them.

But then I get distracted again because I’m actually looking at the Analogs in hand. They’re much more thin than they used to be, even the double issue. It’s sad. They used to be nice, thick mags that you knew were packed with stories, articles, reviews all having to do with science fiction. Analog was one of the heavyweights, along with Asimov’s and Fantasy & Science Fiction. In many ways, they still are the heavyweights and the diehards. It’s hard to get a story published by them unless you’re a name already. (I have tried several times, and I know others have as well. For the record, all three magazines rejected The G.O.D. Factor.)

But something else I noticed, besides how thin and shoddy they felt, was that neither issue had female authors listed on the front covers. I don’t know if this means they aren’t getting any good submissions from women or if women just aren’t submitting to them, but it was discouraging and started punching all my old buttons where I wonder if I should start submitting stories under R.V. Olivier instead of Rachel V. Olivier because the scifi/fantasy world, no matter how much the insiders talk about how it’s come a long way, still seems to be ruled by the OWGs (old white guys).

I know, that’s not really true. The scifi/fantasy world has come a long way. I mean, we might have Stephenie Meyers as an ongoing embarrassment, but we also have Octavia Butler and Elizabeth Moon and Marion Zimmer Bradley and Joanna Russ, etc., etc., etc.

And, since I haven’t looked at an Analog in a long time, it could be these are just “one ofs”. So, I keep staring at them, wondering if it would be worth it to get them, these two issues of Analog. Do I really want to read a magazine that doesn’t want me? But who knows? Things change. I could enjoy the stories, even if Robert J. Sawyer (one of the listed authors) does normally give me a headache. I could learn something. It’s research. It keeps me abreast of my field. And it’s not like the bridal mags want me either. I mean, I’m not seeing any plus size brides on those magazine covers.

I shrug. I add the Analogs to the pile of bridal mags and plunk down the money and ask for the receipt. After all, it is research.

Once upon a time, I would have been embarrassed to even be found looking at a bridal mag. That’s so much fooffera that I have no need of and think is absolutely unnecessary. However, I would have rushed out to not only get the Analog, but go to the back of the mag and find the subscription form so I could look forward to a new issue every month.

These days, though, I’m thinkin’ the bridal research will be the more fun of the two.

Here are some of the things she had to say:

“There is much to enjoy in this first full collection by Rachel V. Olivier…”

“Olivier has been publishing short stories and poetry primarily in sci-fi and fantasy magazines for some years but her poetry reaches significantly beyond those genres…”

“Olivier’s work often has a deep strain of sadness, of wounds trying to heal; there are also romantic leaps of faith and hope tempered by everyday realities; an ability to laugh, to enjoy the world’s wonders without sentimentality. The occasional self-indulgence and lapse in craft among the many gems is a quibble…”

I love that another poet enjoys my work. I hope that what she has to say leads others out there to take a chance and check out my poetry collection for themselves.

As a reminder, you can pick it up here: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Raebob

As an added incentive, use the coupon code BUYMYBOOK305 for an additional 25% off.

Just a reminder that, as I pointed out here: http://puttputtproductions.com/blogetary/2011/11/23/support-your-local-author-buy-a-book-for-christmas/
Books make great gifts. And for one more week, the books through Lulu.com have an extra 25% discount if you put in the code BUYMYBOOK305 upon check out. If for some reason that discount doesn’t work, then try COUNTDOWN305. Both are good through Dec. 14 – that’s a week (7 days) from today. So, buy my books!

First off, the list of authors I know who have stories for sale at this time:

C.G. Bauer: Scars on the Face of God
Charles Gramlich: Killing Trail
Gary Inbinder: The Flower to the Painter
Angela Korra’ti: Faerie Blood
Will Molinar: The Restless and Torment series.
C.Leigh Purtill: Book I of Fat Girls in L.A.: All About Vee
John B. Rosenman: Alien Dreams
Allene Symons: Nostradamus, Vagabond Prophet
Elizabeth Thurmond: Twelve Princesses of Bel-Air

Arts, crafts and other cool stuff for sale:
Flora’s Pond
Off Screen in Hollywood
Angela Ranzoni: Ranzangel on Etsy
David Stine: as i see it
Zareeeeeen!: The Red Camel: Tribal Jewelry and Textiles

I know there’s more I’m forgetting, but it’s a start. If you’re looking for something unique for friends and family for the holidays, I suggest you look above, cuz those are some of the most unique people I know!

And last but not least, don’t forget you can find The G.O.D. Factor here; The Holly and the Ivan can be found here; and Rae’s Bar & Bistro poetry collection can be found here. And while there’s a 25% coupon at Lulu that’s good through Dec. 14 (BUYMYBOOK305), for just MONDAY November 28, you can use the Cyber Monday coupon at Lulu (CYBERMONDAY305) to receive 30% off (expires 11/28/11, 11:59 p.m. PST).

So, go save America and shop where it counts!

**In case you miss it in the comments below, I forgot to add Angela Consolo Mankiewicz. You can find her poetry here: http://www.POETACMANK.blogspot.com. Scroll down and on the left you’ll find a list of chapbooks and anthologies.

You can find the poetry book, “Rae’s Bar & Bistro,” here on Lulu.com for $9.95, but 20% off or $7.96 through January 1 ($3.99 shipping): http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/raes-bar-bistro-a-poetry-collection/18650641

You can find the scifi book, “The G.O.D. Factor,” here through Sam’s Dot Publishing for $6 ($4 shipping): http://sdpbookstore.com/storybooks.htm#godfactor

You can find the paranormal fantasy, “The Holly and the Ivan,” here on Lulu for $9.95, but 20% or $7.96 through January 1 ($3.99 shipping): http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-holly-and-the-ivan/18650726

AND GUESS WHAT??? While I have a 20% discount already set up on my Lulu books, Lulu is now advancing a special 25% discount on my books. Just enter the coupon code BUYMYBOOK305 at check out. I’m not sure if that’s on top of my discount or instead of my discount. But it makes my Lulu books $7.46 if it’s instead of and $5.97 if it’s on top of. Either way, it’s a win! The extra-special coupon code runs through Dec. 14.

So, BUY MY BOOK!

Los Angeles is also a 230 year old Virgo (September 4, 1781, you can see all the Venus, Pluto, Air and Fire in the charts here. And read about it’s life path, 3, here.). She’s got a lot to deal with, what with all the creatives who live here, as well as the other industries, schools and people who make their home here. It is also romantically (and ironically) known by some as a “car” city. The place where you could find yourself blowing up the freeway with the beach on one side and the city or the mountains on the other (of course, traffic usually impedes that illusion).

Believe it or not, there was a time when Los Angeles was known for its public transportation, its railcars that took inhabitants from one end of town to the other. But sometime after the big oil boom, gasoline became cheap, car companies wanted to sell cars and oil companies wanted to sell oil, so the rails went away, the cars took over, and Los Angeles became the city where you drive (see American Graffiti). The city were you do not walk (as sung about by Sheryl Crow and demonstrated in LA Story by Steve Martin).

Recently, people in L.A. have begun to realize that all that driving from their home in West Los Angeles to their job in Thousand Oaks, or from their home in West Hills to their job in the city is not good for them or their paychecks. Jobs are being cut, hours are being cut, gigs are being cut. People are pulling in, pulling back, seeing what they can do with less, from home, or at least closer to home. People are checking out the public transportation again, or seeing if biking to work or the store is a better option. Not only that, but they’re doing things like writing their council members about bike lanes and better public transportation so that these can be viable options for everyone.

Council members are taking them seriously, installing “sharrows” on streets where bikes travel so motorists understand sharing the lane with bikers. Money is being put into the public transportation system to make it a more viable option for everyone and not just those who are too poor to own a car.

This is all good, except for the fact that there are still people out there who don’t see how important all these steps are. They have money, not just money. They have wealth. They have influence. They have nice cars. And they don’t feel like sharing their roads with walkers, bus passengers or bicyclists. Like the spoiled brat at the nursery or the school, they don’t feel like sharing their playground, even though everyone is entitled to it. They complain about how bicyclists create traffic jams – not the millions of cars on the road – no. Bicyclists. They complain about how buses create traffic jams – not the millions of cars around the buses. Nor do they seem to understand that there are millions of people (yes, millions, there are 3 million people in L.A. proper and 15 million in the Metro area) taking those buses to work or to school and if they didn’t take the buses, they would be driving, and traffic would do more than just suck.

No, these complainers don’t want to share their pretty, shiny new cars that guzzle fossil fuel or their streets that are full of potholes because of all the drivers and no money to fix the potholes, with the bicyclists that work on muscle power or the buses that run on clean gas or methane. This blog is in response to those spoiled brats – the ones that give Angelenos a bad name.

Angelenos have long prided themselves on being trendsetters. While we have our own “style” we still compete with cities like New York, Paris and London as being ahead of the pack. However, in one instance we are woefully behind the times and stuck in a rut, and that is when it comes to public transportation and sharing the road with bicyclists. If we measure Los Angeles against the rest of the world in this regard we lose, hands down.

Several council members in our city are working to rectify that situation by making roads and areas in Los Angeles more accessible by bike by adding in bike lanes “sharrows”. This is something that Los Angeles needs, and not just to keep up with New York, Paris and Milan, but also for the health of this city and the people in this city.

There are some who have complained about reworking the roads to include bike lanes. Or they complain about having bus stops in their neighborhood – they don’t want “those” sorts of people in near their homes. (Hello! I AM one of “those” sorts!) They cite increased congested traffic as their reason. And yes, there will be increased congested traffic during the construction of these bike lanes or when building in new bus stops and terminals and better public transportation options. But that is spoiled, selfish short-term thinking.

In the long-term, bike lanes and increased public transportation options will only make this a better city, not just for those who live here, but also for those who visit. A tourist in San Francisco or Paris or London knows they can stay in a hotel and hop on the Metro to get to most of their destinations. Tourists in Los Angeles are not so fortunate. If you want to stay in L.A. but go to Disneyland for the day, you better be prepared for a 2-3 hour bus/train trip or rent a car. Want to stay downtown but visit the beach? Again, 2 hour bus trip there and back, if you’re lucky, or rent a car. It’s easier to go to New York.

Do we want those tourist dollars? Why yes. Yes, we do. So, we need to make it better for them.

Do we want to have a better life as residents in Los Angeles? Why yes! Yes, we do. We need to make it better for US. Not just SOME of us – not just the rich, but ALL of us.

So, we have to start thinking in the long term. In the long term, bike lanes are better for Los Angeles for the following reasons: 1) We need more jobs in this city and this construction of bike lanes or public transportation stations will provide jobs for people. 2) The world has changed in the last few years and cars, those romantic vehicles stuck in our heads as bastions of American Freedom, are NOT the future, they are the PAST. As jobs are lost and hours cut, who can afford to keep a hunk of metal going that’s costing fuel, upkeep, insurance and skyrocketing parking tickets and fees? A bike is cheaper. Using the bus is cheaper. And 3) It’s better for the environment and our health if we make Los Angeles a bike friendly and public transportation city.

Many things need to change for bikes to become a more integral part of this city and for buses and trains to be viable. For one, we need to ALL (motorists, cyclists and pedestrians) learn to obey the rules of the road better. Angelenos are notorious for not stopping at stop signs (I’ve even seen cops roll through the stop sign at Clinton and Larchmont), jaywalking, not using turn signals, and not wearing helmets or having lights on their bikes. I’ve been in a certified crosswalk and had cars roll right on through without stopping. I’ve seen motorists cut off buses that are trying to turn or drop off passengers (you think it’s easy to stop a vehicle that large? You’re lucky you don’t get crushed when you pull crap like that).

We need to have refresher courses on how to keep to these rules of the road, and we need to obey them. And yes, it means motorists will need to learn to look out for bikes on the road from now on, and that bicyclists start wearing helmets and need to learn the hand signals for turning left and right, as well as proper road etiquette whether riding near pedestrians or on the road with motorists. Pedestrians need to remember to look out for idiot motorists who aren’t watching the road.

Things change. The world has changed. We need to get over it. Put the big girl panties on and deal with the fact that the “golden car age” that L.A .was a part of is over. Quit our whining and just do it. Learn to share the road with everyone who’s out there.

Either that or admit that we are no longer the trendsetters we thought we were and it’s no use trying to keep up with New York, Paris, London or Milan; admit defeat in our continual competition with San Francisco. In which case, they end up with the groovy bicyclists, mopeds and really neat Metro trains, and we’re stuck with the unsightly, aging gridlock.

Very unattractive and so last century.