Moment of Extreme Emotion: 200th Post Mark with Julie & Julia

marianbeaman

Welcome to my 200th blog post! It’s here because you have visited this blog, a time or two, or maybe way more often. Writers write for many reasons, most importantly to express themselves. But most writers don’t like to write in a void. Writing is communication. And communication, for me at least, is a two-way street.

Julie Powell agrees with me. Remember Julie Powell in the movie Julie & Julia? 

Julie, using Julia Child as her muse, conceives an idea for her blog in this scene:

The quotes below are excerpted from the movie script, all based on her best-selling book with a much longer title:

Julie and JuliaCover

WHY DO YOU DO IT?    “It’s a regimen, Mom, like doing pushups!”

SOMETIMES IT’S FRUSTRATING!  Julie shouts at her computer: Is there anyone out there reading me?

Then later: Today I had 12 comments from readers and I didn’t know any one of ‘em!

WHY WE CONTINUE . . . 

Julie comments: Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It’s not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about-I don’t know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there’s something else, something that these things grow out of. It’s joy.

Catch joy on the wing . . .

– William Blake

And so I do today, thanks to  you, dear reader!

Blog_200 Posts

Coming next: Visions of the Little Match Girl

54 thoughts on “Moment of Extreme Emotion: 200th Post Mark with Julie & Julia”

  1. Let me be the first to say way to go! I’m a little past that, due to two “almost everyday” series I ran my first year for Lent and Advent, but as you can see, that was exhausting. 🙂 I so admire your ability to create the perfect cartoon. Oh wait, is that a C Beaman I see on it. Does someone else draw your illustrations?? At any rate, it’s a great cartoon. I like the glasses flying off your head. You have been a great mentor/comrade as we go. Blessings for your next 200!

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    1. Melodie, your posts lately have featured recipes which require culinary preparation along with your well-composed text. I enjoy all your efforts.

      About the cartoons – the C. Beaman is my artist husband Cliff. Whenever you see original artwork on this blog, it’s his. Thanks for noticing and for the good wishes. I think of you as a comrade too – camaraderie, always a good thing!

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  2. Congratulations, Marian! Woo hoo! I enjoy your blog very much. I loved the cartoon–is that your husband’s work? It’s wonderful.
    Julie and Julia was a fun movie. I saw it with my daughters. At the time, I had no real idea of a what a blog was.
    I recently hit my 100th Blog post, and though I don’t have tons of readers, I love writing it. I know you do, too, and it shows in your posts.

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    1. Yes, Cliff the cartoonist is my husband. And yes, when I saw the J & J movie, “blog” was just a word to me. I think we are discovering together how much fun it can be. Congratulations on your 200th post mark!

      It’s remarkable how adroitly you can switch from the learned, scholarly style to the narrative of the blog world. But with your amazing store of knowledge, I always learn something new from your posts. Here’s to the next hundred for both of us, Merril.

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  3. Congratulations, Maria. I look forward to Wed and Sat and I thank you for that. I watched that film ‘Julie and Julia’ and loved it. I loved Julie Powell ‘s passion and determination …really uplifting film. Thanks for reminding me and I’m out there reading you and loving it .
    Cherryx.

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  4. Yes! Congrats. Joy is your secret sauce (Julia might say “avec joie de vivre!”). And behind joy is love, the greatest energy in the universe. You have it, Marian. And your blog is going to carry you into new stratospheres. Mark my word. So happy to be along on most of this journey. At this point, I’m learning from you, and that’s fun! Thanks for your card yesterday, btw!

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    1. You have been here from the beginning, Shirley. And remember this: Seeing your blog on the screen as an exemplary illustration in a course on blogging ignited the spark. You are my first mentor, and now – seer. Thank for the encouragement!

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  6. Whoop whoop! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. !!! All good & great rising to the top ones, no uncooked ones, rich with currants and raisins, flavours, creaminess, tartness and a zillion other nuanced flavours! Thank you Marian! …

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    1. Thank you for the musical greeting, Ryoma. I will click to hear it shortly. I appreciate all of your comments here and tweets too. Merry Christmas to you and your family — or its equivalent in Japan.

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    1. I am so grateful to have found you via Sherrey Meyer’s blog and for the encouragement you have provided since then. You are farther down the road in this writing phase; your affirmation means a lot. Thanks, Kathy.

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    1. As I recall you were among the first responders as an author when “plain and fancy” made its debut. Thank you for visiting early on and for providing joy and insight on your own blog, Linda.

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  11. C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S on your 200th post!

    I love receiving email notifications that you’ve published a new post. I wonder, what’s she written about today? It’s always proves to be a bright spot — a JOYFUL spot — in my day.

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    1. So I keep you guessing, Laurie! That’s a high compliment from a woman who defines diversity — and close scrutiny. I wonder the same thing about you: “What’s Laurie’s topic today; it’s always spot on.

      Thank you for spreading the joy in your tweets as well, Laurie.

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  12. Excellent, Marian. I have a little ways to go to reach that same goal. I hope I can find a cartoon as charming as the one you have. Blogging is fun, especially when it leads to making great friends like you. 😉

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  13. Wow 200 posts! What a blessing your blogs have been to me. That’s that I haven’t read the other posts. I have learned so much from you and so look forward to reading more. I have even gone on to see other blogs you cite in your posts. Amazing new world for me. Thank you for inviting me to this new world that I would have never known.
    Cliff’s art is great. So is the movie Julie and Julia. You know I would have watched that movie due to my love for the kitchen.
    Gloria

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    1. Thanks for reading and replying today. I am so happy I can put a face to your name just as you can put faces to the family I write about.

      I’ll pass on the compliment to Cliff. And about the movie: You’ll love it!

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  18. Congratulations to the writer that lives in my/our house! I can hardly keep up with your posts. Even I don’t know some of your upcoming ideas and themes you’re creating. As you keep on writing perhaps I can conjure up some more illustrations as well. One of your admiring (among many) fans! C Beaman

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    1. You’re welcome, Marylin. I am so happy you too can find the joy in writing about your mother even as you cope with her memory loss. I always find your posts uplifting because you weave in your Mother Mary’s past triumphs as mother, teacher, and friend and the example she has been for all that know her.

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  22. Congratulations marian!
    That is an accomplishment! I love your blog and appreciate your shining face and sweet comments on my own blog! Thank you for being here! Looking forward to 200 more!

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  23. That’s a log of blogging, Miriam. Your blog is always a surprise and I love visiting here (even as I falter now and again as I juggle too many balls these days). Great themes, clips, images, and always a new slant on something. Thank you. I’m glad I found you and you found me.

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  24. Elaine, I can imagine the time, effort, and stamina it must take to launch a book, so I am amazed when you take a break to visit me. So appreciative. Thank you for the compliment too. Yes, and so grateful we have a connection here. Maybe some day we can meet “for real”!

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  25. Congratulations, Marian. It’s a wonderful feeling to release all the reflections, meditations, memories and creative thoughts. You and your family have quite a legacy to leave the next generation and it’s here, right here. I say thank you WP when I feel I have captured something I want the family to have and treasure. During this season of commercialism, we bloggers march on in great realization that what we have doesn’t cost$ anything, but time and connecting.

    The conversation is almost as important as the creation, as it’s what puts wind in our sails…for me anyway. What a creative force in your household to have CBeaman complement (and compliment) your words. Love the cartoon of you on the move with laptop being pulled behind you. I have two houses now…the farm and daughter’s apartment. My preferred computer is my desktop at the farm, but the laptop goes everywhere with me.
    So sorry I’m late. I liked this piece and knew I would be back to comment further when I could sit down to give it its due. It’s not often I miss your Saturday posts, or my Sunday or Thursday posts, but it’s been really busy for two weeks. Whew! My last batch of grades will be submitted today and I was working on a deadline for my consulting job last weekend. Looking forward to this Saturday’s post and responding in a timely fashion. Best wishes for another 100.

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    1. First of all, thank you for this thoughtful comment — it’s timely whenever you post it.

      Your cup is full and running over – with gratitude and with a heaped-up full plate including your teaching obligations, a consulting job, and maintaining two households – wow! I am honored that you have written such a lengthy (and complimentary) response. I have never thought of thanking WordPress but of course I should. I would never have found you and other fine writers without this connection. Though I pay for my own domain and video rights, the fees are nominal and certainly worth it.

      I will pass on your compliment to husband/artist Cliff and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your presence here. Best wishes for a well-deserved break from teaching and a Merry Christmas too!

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