Other Things Archives - Seams Like a Story

September 2, 2026September 1, 2026

Technology: the Good, the Bad, and the Astonishing

Ocean simulation at The Arte Museum, Las Vegas

One only needs mention technology and, based on the listener’s recent experience, you will receive a mixed bag of responses. Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced it all:

The Good

It’s modern technology that allows me to write, edit, and send my work out into the world. I spend a lot of time in front of my computer and, with ergonomics in mind, I recently purchased a new wireless keyboard. My new keyboard has a slight wave design and a padded wrist-rest. At first, I worried I wouldn’t be able to adjust, but as the keys are all in the same place, I was soon up and running (typing…. not literally running.) Now, I love it and can’t imagine going back to my old keyboard.

The Bad

Having used my new keyboard to type a recent submission for my critique group, I prepared to print. My computer refused. In a series of back and forth “conversations” my computer informed me: No printer installed. Unplug your devices and restart. Clear your queue. Do you want to fax? Check your internet connection, and finally, Computer not communicating with printer. Great. Apparently my computer and the printer had a fight and weren’t speaking to each other. I gave up. Later that day, when I wasn’t looking, the printer spit out one page of my document.

Last week, my husband and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate our wedding anniversary and upcoming birthdays. When we arrived at our hotel, instead of finding a welcoming counter and crew of hotel staff members waiting to assist us, we faced a long row of computer kiosks.

The first thing the machine wanted was our confirmation number. We didn’t have it. Or maybe we did, but couldn’t locate it on either of our phones. Had it come to us in an email? Text? Was it forever lost in the information-soup we receive daily? For the next 15 minutes we pecked away at the keys: name, address, etc., and still “no reservation found.” Perfect, I thought. I guess we can stay up all night or sleep in the casino. Some do.

Finally, we found a live person, a staff member, who located our confirmation number on her iPad. Then, she directed us back to the kiosk to fend for ourselves. Sigh. Twenty minutes later, after we had programmed our own room keys from the “room key kiosk,” we were on our way to our hotel room. We dodged a giant-sized Roomba sweeper machine vacuuming the carpet in the hallway outside of our room.

The Astonishing

Once settled in at Vegas, we found the most astonishing events brought to life by technology. Just steps away from the noisy, crowded, and 108 degree Vegas Strip , we found the Arte Museum, a massive 30,000 square-foot immersive digital art exhibition. “Eternal Nature” was the current theme, and through technology, we experienced a stories-tall waterfall, a walk along an ocean beach, a stroll through a forest, and a walk in a garden, as if we were actually there .

In another venue, Michael Jackson came to life through his music interpreted by a dazzling Cirque du Soleil performance that could not have been imagined without today’s technology. At one point, Michael was actually dancing with the cast, though I’ve yet to figure out how that happened.

And finally, The Wizard of Oz movie at Vegas’ newest attraction, The Sphere, where the original movie played in practically 360 degree detail using 4D features including wind, snow, leaves, apples falling. and monkeys flying. Truly astonishing.

And then…

Perhaps there is a fourth category…a hybrid of good, bad, and astonishing.–maybe technology that is on the horizon, but not quite there yet. In Vegas, driverless, robot-taxis are becoming more commonplace and we saw many of them in operation. Called “Zoox” they operate through an app. Our Uber driver told us that he recently saw one stalled in the median. Wave of the future? Perhaps. For now, I prefer a human driver.

Threads of thought

What have been your recent tech stories?

Would you ride in a Zoox?

Wizard of Oz?

Books by Debra VanDEventer: Out of the Crayon Box Until Italy

Available here! amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

August 17, 2026August 16, 2026

Sing: A Playlist for Life

A girl with long, brown hair playing a guitar — Me and my guitar, dorm room, 1972

You know how music can take you back? According to the Harvard Medical magazine, music lights up nearly all of our brain, evoking memories and emotions, and engaging our motor system. That explains why we tap our hands on the steering wheel keeping time with the latest beat blasting through the radio, or tear up when a song brings back memories of where we were and how we were with.

I grew up in the seventies to the sound of the Beatles, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Carole King and James Taylor. As a young teen, I saved babysitting money and purchased a guitar. I took a few lessons and dreamed of being a folk singer. When it came time for college, I brought my guitar, a few plants, some pop-art posters, and my 8-track player. To this day, when I hear a certain songs, I anticipate the “click” right in the middle of the chorus. My roommate and I joined a “Friends of Folk” group on campus, strumming and harmonizing to songs like Blowin’ in the Wind .

I never achieved folk singer status, but I kept my guitar with me throughout my teaching career. I used to laugh and say I could play any children’s song with three basic chords (G,D, and A, the only ones I’d remembered from my lessons. ) The guitar retired when I did.

The other evening, when my husband and I were scrolling through our television viewing options, the movie Song Sung Blue popped up. Neil Diamond music was never in my repertoire, though I was familiar his songs. “Worth a try.” I said, and we started the film.

(Spoiler Alert:) A few minutes in, we realized the movie wasn’t about Neil Diamond , it was based on a true story about Mike and Claire Sardina, a couple from Milwaukee who performed for decades and a Neil Diamond tribute act. I found the movie to be rich in content and full of all the classic Diamond songs belted out in true-to-life fashion by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

All week, Neil’s music filled my mind and escaped out of my mouth as I went about my everyday life. I found that Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show is the perfect accompaniment for cleaning the kitchen. At my computer it was: you are the words, I am the tune..play me. And in the car I had to reenact the famous scene from Big Bang, where Amy and Howard belt out Sweet Caroline….bum, bum, bum…

I dug my guitar out of storage. I need to add a few more chords to my repertoire, but maybe, maybe its not too late.

Threads of Thought

Ok…your turn! Tell us about the playlist to your life:

What music influenced you? What memories do those songs hold? What music do you enjoy today?

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June 15, 2026June 14, 2026

A Morning at the Lavender Farm

An Artist’s Date

Tucked away in the countryside surrounding the town of Oracle, about an hour’s drive north of Tucson, is one of Arizona’s hidden gems. This spring, when temperatures in Arizona were still tolerable, a friend invited me to sign up for a wreath making class offered at Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm.

On event day, the mid-June forecast was for triple-digit weather. “Oracle will be a few degrees cooler, due to its higher elevation, plus, this is when the lavender will be in full bloom. We can’t miss it! It will be a few degrees cooler in the higher elevation. Bring a sun hat and water–we’ll be fine,” my friend said.

Arriving early for our class, we had plenty of time to visit the gift store where “all things lavender” were sold; shelves stocked with soaps, wreaths, and lavender-themed gifts.

Following the path to the lavender fields we strolled through a fairyland of antiques and unique garden art : a weathered wooden cart filled with freshly cut lavender, a heart-shaped sculpture made of aqua glass and stone, an aqua iron bench under the shade of a tree, a lavender-hued wringer-style washing machine.

Small groups of visitors sat around shaded picnic tables to sip lavender lemonade and nibble dainty lavender cookies. In the field, neatly planted rows of lavender waved amethyst-studded stems, sending wafts of fragrance our way.

When it was time for our class to begin, we gathered under a 300-year old Emery Oak tree, known as “Five sisters” in honor of its five connecting trunks. Carolyn, our workshop leader and owner of the farm, grouped us around tables set with grape-vine wreaths and bundles of fresh-cut lavender stems.

She demonstrated how to attach small batches of the blooms to the wreath using bits of wire, showed us some examples of wreaths she had made, then turned us loose with ribbons and dried flower accents to fashion our own creations.

While we worked, Carolyn relayed the story of how Life Under the Oaks Lavender Farm came to be. She was drawn to this place because of the oak trees, and thought lavender might do well here. The land was wild and had to be cleared and tamed, “sometimes with a machete,” she said.

Carolyn went on to say that often, as wives and mothers, we focus on our families. It was time, she felt, to do something for herself. This was her dream, her passion, turned into reality. It is obvious she enjoys sharing the land with others. Bit by bit the farm is growing. A barn and new bathroom facilities were recently added, with plans for a greenhouse in the works.

For me, this morning on the lavender farm provided an opportunity to express myself in a completely novel way. Unlike creating with words on a page, this medium was visual, tactile, even olfactory as the aroma of lavender permeated the air. An “artist’s date” my friend remarked, referring to the term Julia Cameron uses in her book “the Artist’s Way” to describe a block of time set aside to nurture one’s creative consciousness.

“Artist’s date!? Oh, I haven’t used that term in ages!” I said to me friend.

I was long overdue.

Threads of Thought

Have you taken yourself on an artist date lately?

You should!

Your next read starts here!

March 23, 2026March 22, 2026

Dance

Every Tuesday, I lace up my tennies and go to the community center for line dancing class. I’m a beginner and sometimes I lindy-hop when I’m supposed to grape-vine or I end up facing the back of the class when everyone else is facing front. But no one cares!

Coming of age in the 70s with the Beatles, James Taylor, and Carol King, I never considered myself a fan of country music but as soon as the sounds of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie or “A Bar Song” pulse through the room, my hips start to sway and my feet can’t wait to frolic around the floor. It’s sooo much fun!

Full disclosure: I have some dancing background. My mom signed me up for ballet and tap dancing classes when I was maybe six or seven years old, the thing suburban mom’s did before the days when girls were allowed to do sports. I learned to plie’ and releve’ and shuffle-ball-step, but it never went much further than that. I tried out to be a dancer in my high school’s production of My Fair Lady and the drama teacher selected me as an “alternate.” If someone had broken a leg I would have had my dancing debut. No one did. Oh, and I took modern dance and folk dance classes in college to fulfill my PE requirement.

My granddaughters are dancers. Michaela was a member of her high school’s marching band color guard and now competes as part of an independent dance troupe. When Lillian attended an introductory Irish dance class as a young girl, she fell in love. She now jigs and reels in competitions and exhibitions all over the country. And Melanie cranks up her favorite Disney tunes and dances with wild abandon around the house.

This Christmas when I was visiting my son and his family in Atlanta, I talked them into going to a bar that featured line dancing. I’d had several months of class behind me and wanted to test my skills out in the wild. Arriving early, the place wasn’t crowded. I recognized a few songs and ventured out on the dance floor with Lillian and her boyfriend and the boyfriend’s little brother. We danced and laughed and had a ball. As the evening wore on the “real” dancers showed up in their spangled jeans and midriff tops and boots and fancy steps. I was soon out of my league and relinquished the floor, but I’m glad I had put myself out there. For a few glorious moments, I was a line dancer!

On my way home from my dance class this week, the radio was playing Lee Ann Womack’s song “I Hope You Dance.” I cranked up the volume and belted out the words as the ending lines filled the car.

“When you get the choice to sit it out or dance…I hope you dance.

I hope you dance.”

Of course, the song isn’t literally about dancing, but it challenges the listener to take a chance, get off of life’s sidelines and live. See the world, smell the roses, fall in love, “never take one single breath for granted.”

I think about times when I could have done something, but I pulled back. For fear of looking foolish, or thought I wasn’t good enough, or didn’t have the time, or money, or thought something else was more important, or I didn’t want to get involved, or I thought it would be too hard, or it was easier to sit back and let someone else do it, or….(fill in the blank) I wonder what I might have missed along the way.

Now, when I get the choice, I hope I dance.

Threads of Thought

Go to your playlist and find ” I Hope you Dance”. Turn up the volume and sing along. Now go out and do something for the pure fun of it this week!

author holding two books, Until Italy and Out of the Crayon Box

(When not dancing, I may be writing Find my books here!)

February 16, 2026February 15, 2026

Going for Gold

This week, I found myself glued to the television watching the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina. I was captivated by the crazy curlers launching their stones and yelling directions to teammates who frantically swept the the ice ahead of them. I gasped as cross country skiers collapsed at the finish line after spending every ounce of their energy on the grueling course. I marveled at the daredevil jumps, twists, and flights of snowboarders and ski jumpers. I held my breath as lugers and skeleton athletes launched themselves like human misses down the ice on tiny sleds reaching speeds of up to 90 mph.

But my favorite is figure skating. I love the costumes, the music, the way the athletes tell their story through, specific moves, dance, music, and costumes as they glide around the rink. Ilia Malinin, a 21 year-old skater from the US, was competing in his first Olympics. He’d gained fame in previous completions as the “Quad God”, for his unprecedented ability to land multiple quadruple jumps. He was a shoo-in to take gold in the men’s figure skating event. The pressure was on and the media paparazzi followed his every move throughout the week.

In his first appearance on Olympic ice, he faltered a bit in the team competition, coming in second. He seemed to have regained his composure a few days later and came in first in the initial part of the individual men’s event. All he had to do was skate the free skate portion of the program and the gold would be his. But something was off. On several of his signature quad jumps, he landed singles. Then he fell. Twice. He ended up in eighth place. It was heartbreaking to watch.

After learning the results, Malinin walked over to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov to congratulate him on his Olympic gold medal win. He later said that the pressure of being in the Olympic spotlight got to him and he “lost his way” on the ice on the most important skate of his life.

There is no official Olympics for authors, but often the “gold medal” is measured by Best Seller lists, five star ratings, social media followers, books sold, invitations to book festivals and speaking events. It’s easy to get caught up in the competition, or feel that your work doesn’t measure up. When faced with a disappointment or a setback, it would be easy to give up.

That’s when I turn to this quote by Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic):

“There is a quiet glory in merely making things, and then sharing those things with an open heart and no expectations.”

We take the setbacks, learn from them, and move on. We remind ourselves of the passion, the joy we take in creating our art and sharing it with others. No expectations. Out of the spotlight. A quiet glory.

I don’t pretend to be an Olympic skater, and I can only imagine what Ilia must be going through, but I hope he rekindles his passion, gains from this experience, and finds his way back. I look forward to seeing what he can do next.

Threads of Thought

Are you a fan of the Olympics? What is your favorite Winter Olympic sport?

Besides the Olympics, what else happens in Italy? “Book” your adventure now!

UNTIL ITALY: a Traveler’s Memoir

available here in paperback, Ebook and Kindle Unlimited