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My New Book is Out Today!!!

April 23, 2019 Filed Under: Book Tour, books are awesome, dogs, German Shepherds, STELLA

My new novel, SWIMMING FOR SUNLIGHT, published by Atria, is in stores today! I’m so excited to share this book with you! These characters mean the world to me and I hope you enjoy spending time with them. 

If you’re in the Bay Area, come say hi! I have a bunch of events scheduled for the coming week. I’ll also be in Los Angeles on June 5th at Chevalier’s Books (in conversation with Julie Buxbaum!!!). 

You can learn more abou SWIMMING FOR SUNLIGHT here. 

“Larkin enthralls with a revealing view of one woman’s life as she moves on after a painful divorce. . . . Emotional and heartwarming, Larkin’s touching story is complete with romance, nostalgia, and genuine friendship.”
—Publishers Weekly

1 Comment

3Ws – Shelley Roden

August 18, 2015 Filed Under: 3Ws, film, German Shepherds, Ithaca College

Shelley

What do you create?

I create and perform sounds in sync to picture for film, television, and video games. For each project, as the Foley “Artist” I perform the footsteps of characters as well as anything they touch, handle, or fall and move upon. A Foley Mixer simultaneously records these performances using two or more microphones. Sometimes I use the actual prop that you see on screen to create the sound. For example, if a character picks up a drinking glass off of a wood surface, I pick up a drinking glass off of a wood surface. In this instance, the creative opportunities are in the performance and the finesse of that object. Other creative challenges are presented when I have to invent a sound from the found materials on the Foley stage. For example, I recently created the sound of a leg being sawed off using a pine cone and a wet chamois.

 

Why do you create?

Our Foley team (consisting of two Artists and one Mixer) breathes life into moving pictures by capturing organic sounds to sell the idea that what you are seeing on the screen is real. We also create larger-than-life sounds to give specific moments an intended emotional impact. I enjoy connecting with each character and helping bring to life the emotions and movements they are trying to convey. I thrive on the physical challenges of lifting and slamming heavy things, or running without being able to audibly breathe for a minute-long chase scene. I love trying to achieve the balance between focusing on the details of what I must mimic on the screen and letting go so that each performance flows seamlessly and naturally. My ear enjoys participating as the musical critic, analyzing the textures and rhythms of each sound created in the moment of each performance. Most of all, I love the fun of being active and making noises, as I have needed an outlet for that since I was a child.

 

What do you consume?

My desire to make noises to accompany pictures was first influenced by “Tom and Jerry” cartoons. The musical sound effects were sufficient in communicating emotions without using words. I found this liberating, because as a young child I felt as Charlie Chaplin did when he said, “words seem so futile, so feeble.” During my childhood, comedy duos Laurel and Hardy as well as Abbot and Costello were my heroes. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton have recently joined that list. I do love words very much now, and if I went to Ithaca College twenty years earlier than I did, perhaps I would have taken Rod Serling’s screenwriting class and become a writer. My favorite reads are young adult novels because they convey complex ideas so simply and succinctly. I revisit “The Witch of Blackbird Pond”‘ “A Solitary Blue”, and “The Trumpet of the Swan” again and again. I also enjoy fables, myths, and fairy tales by Herman Hesse and Grimm. I am drawn to plays like Paddy Chayefsky’s “Marty” or August Strindberg’s “Miss Julie”. I indulge in serious film works by Ingmar Bergman, Carl Theodore Dreyer, and Akira Kurosawa, yet I also thoroughly enjoy films that celebrate life and its joys, like “The Music Man”, satirical films such as “A Nous la Liberte”, and of course anything with Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin.

 

Links

IMDB: Shelley Roden

1 Comment

Wordless Wednesday – Hello there.

February 20, 2013 Filed Under: German Shepherds, STELLA, wordless wednesday

photo-1

5 Comments

Wagging Our Tails

December 10, 2012 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, dogs, German Shepherds

Thank you so very much for all of your compassion and kind words. It helps so much. And it’s wonderful to feel like dog people are a tribe. We all love our pups with abandon, even though we know they won’t be here forever.  Having that understanding and support from all of you is amazing.

Argo was feeling particularly perky this afternoon, so we took some family photos. The way dogs live in the moment is such a blessing. We had fun today, and I desperately needed it. I’ll share more photos soon, but I liked the way this one fit with one of my favorite quotes.

3 Comments

Stella the Wonder Dog

December 8, 2012 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, dogs, German Shepherds, STELLA

There was a time, years ago, when a wild beast came to live with us over Thanksgiving weekend.  She ripped plants from their pots, barked at the cat, peed on the floor (but never outside), and drove Argo into a nervous tizzy.  We changed her name to Stella and worked desperately to find a way to understand her. Eventually she got better.

It was a rocky start, but after the first year, Argo and Stella melded into a funny little team. Argo taught Stella how to be a dog.  She watched and copied. They ran around the yard playing a strange game of tag only they know the rules to.  When they wrestled, every so often Argo would flop over and let Stella win, even though he has almost 20 pounds on her.

Still, sometimes I wondered if Argo would have been happier as an only dog, if he ever wished for all the attention again. The bright spot in everything we’ve been going through is that now I know with complete certainty that bringing Stella home was the best thing we could have done for Argo, and for us.

J was on a business trip when Argo got sick.  Stella had a broken toe nail and was sporting an e-collar, so I didn’t want to board her. I didn’t know how long I’d be gone, and she’s not used to being left home alone or at a friend’s house.  I decided it was best to drag her along for the ride.

We checked Argo in at the hospital, J booked a flight to Buffalo, and Stella and I went out in search of a hotel that would allow an 80-something pound German Shepherd. We finally found a room, but I was terrified that she would bark too much or panic or freak out and we’d end up sleeping in the car in a parking lot somewhere.

Now, it seems absurd that I worried at all.  Stella took it all in stride as if frantic drives to Buffalo and sleeping in strange rooms are just part of the routine.  Because she was with me, I didn’t have to face anything alone and J got big sloppy dog kisses when we picked him up at the airport.

We spent three days in Buffalo, visiting Argo as much as we could while we waited for answers and tried to make decisions. We worried Stella might be too hyper or frantic to be around Argo. We didn’t want her to hurt him in her exuberance, or have her nervous energy make him nervous.  At first we took shifts. J stayed with Argo while I walked Stella around the parking lot or took her for a drive, and then we’d switch.

Finally, when it seemed like Argo was getting worse, we brought Stella in to see him. We thought maybe it was the beginning of a goodbye.  Stella stayed completely, almost forcefully, calm. Argo’s eyes were dull from morphine, but they brightened when we brought her in.  He stopped his nervous, druggy whining and finally, finally relaxed.

The four of us spent hours and hours crammed in that tiny little kennel in the hospital – accidentally locking ourselves in more than once.  Argo slept with his head on Stella.  Stella kept placing her paw on top of his.  She didn’t care about all the commotion around us or the beeping IV machine.  She didn’t flinch at loud noises or bark at other dogs. She was just there for her very best friend when he needed her.  She comforted him like it was her only purpose and she knew exactly what to do.

It was stunning, and as sad as we were, it was a privilege to watch her care for him and to be a part of it.  I felt — and still feel — so proud of the four of us for loving so well, for being so important to each other. When we were all together, Argo ate with enthusiasm and slept peacefully. It is an honor to be able to provide that kind of comfort for another being.  It is an honor to be a part of this pack.

It’s hard to think about Stella without Argo, about them not being team anymore.  We’re teaching her new tricks and taking shifts doing things with her on her own, trying to build her confidence, hoping in some small way to make the coming loss easier on her. No matter what we do, she’s going to lose her best friend, and I grieve for her as much as for myself and J.  But I know that she is one tough little dog. I am astounded by her strength and compassion and thankful that we stuck with her though the wild times. We need Stella just as much as she needs us. We are so lucky to be her family.

17 Comments

My Trusty Dog Argo

December 8, 2012 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, dogs, German Shepherds, STELLA


I’ve been mostly absent from the internet for the past few weeks. It’s hard to dive back in without an explanation, and oh, this is so hard for me to explain.

Argo was diagnosed with terminal cancer a few weeks ago. We rushed him out to a specialist in Buffalo and spent days getting opinions and second opinions. J, Stella and I crowded into Argo’s inpatient kennel for visiting hours, holding his paw, rubbing his belly, feeding him every favorite food we could procure on our binge trips to Wegmans. In the end, there’s nothing we can do to fix him.

We didn’t think we’d be able to take him home again, and when we did, we thought it was just for one last car ride, maybe a night at home cuddling like crazy. But in the morning he was happy and perky and wagging his tail.

He’s not ready to go yet. We’ve had a few rough nights, but we’ve had some brilliant, beautiful days. It’s been a couple weeks of almost normal time, and we’ve clung to every moment.

We don’t know when, but it won’t be long. And of course, it will never be enough.

He can’t jump up on the bed anymore so we’re camping out on the floor. We stop everything for belly rubs. We roast a lot of turkey because it’s his favorite, and I know I will desperately miss how he grumbles protectively at every outside noise when there’s turkey in the oven. We read too much into every sigh, wake up in a panic at the slightest hiccup. The sound of dog snores is bliss.

I’ve been trying to memorize the sweet smell of the downy fuzz behind his ears, the weight of his paw in my palm, the swirly patterns of blue-black fur along his back. I wish I could keep every little tiny thing about him perfectly in my mind. I wish I could keep him. And I wish I could thank him in a way he’d understand.

Argo is my crash course in unconditional love. He’s made it safer for me to love and trust in love. I’ve reached so much further because no matter where I went or what I did — if I failed or succeeded or fell somewhere in between — Argo would greet me at the door and love me just the same. I’m a better person because we’ve belonged to each other. I just wish we had more time.

33 Comments

Contraband

June 7, 2012 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, German Shepherds


I have a massive knot in my shoulder. At my last appointment, my physical therapist gave me a tennis ball and showed me how to use it to work the knot out.

 I had to hide the ball in my purse when I brought it into the house so Argo wouldn’t see it.

Someone told me the glue they use to put fuzz on tennis balls is bad for doggie teeth, so Argo has fuzz-free rubber balls instead. I hung my purse on the back of a chair in the kitchen, and a few minutes later noticed him sniffing it with interest. Even though he hasn’t played with a tennis ball in years, he still remembers the smell.

So now my tennis ball is hidden on a top shelf in the closet. I work on the knot in my shoulder behind closed doors. When I’m done with my exercises and go out to face Argo again, I try to keep my expression neutral while he searches my face for clues with his big brown eyes.

I hope he can’t smell tennis ball on my shirt. I hope he doesn’t know I’m hiding this from him.

I feel so guilty.

But my shoulder is getting better.

4 Comments

Lest you think I made it up. . .

June 2, 2012 Filed Under: dogs, German Shepherds, STELLA

 Every single time she leaves the kitchen now. . . Oddly enough, the turnaround happens after she walks past the scary spot, but in the act of planning her turnaround, she doesn’t even notice she’s already crossed the imaginary line. Here’s the backstory.

5 Comments

Bass Ackwards: A Stella Story

June 1, 2012 Filed Under: dogs, German Shepherds, STELLA

Stella has conquered a long list of fears and is generally a happy pup now, but she’s still terrified of a spot on the kitchen floor.

She’s been afraid of the scary spot since she came to live with us.  There’s not much to distinguish the scary spot from any other span of floorspace.  At certain times of day there may be a sun patch there.  It’s near the stove and she hates the stove, but she finds this spot terrifying even when no one is cooking anything.

Leaving the kitchen via the scary spot (which is the only way to leave the kitchen) turns Stella into a Bambi on ice impersonator.  Her legs splay out.  Her feet scramble like a cartoon character.  Sometimes our poor girl gets “trapped” in the kitchen when her fear gets too great.  I’ve woken up a few times to a sad little whimper from down the hall when Stella ventured into the kitchen for a drink from her water bowl and simply could not escape until I ran in to grab hold of her collar and lead her across the scary spot so we could go back to bed.

There’s nothing there.  Nothing.  She’s never been hurt there, and the rest of the floor doesn’t scare her.  Also, apparently it’s only scary to walk over the scary spot when she’s leaving the kitchen, not when she’s entering the kitchen.

Last weekend, J noticed that the frantic cartoon scrambling had stopped.  Now, when Stella gets to the scary spot, she turns around and backs out of the kitchen.  J posited that because Stella doesn’t find it scary to walk into the kitchen, she may have associated her fear with the direction she was facing when she crossed the spot.  Backing through to leave the kitchen isn’t scary, because entering the kitchen isn’t scary.

Sure enough, over the past week I’ve watched Stella walk right to the imaginary scary spot line.  The shaky Bambi legs would start, but then she’d pause and turn around to back through the spot without further incident.

The thought process and strategy involved in this new kitchen exit method is seriously impressive…but there’s still absolutely nothing there.  
Maybe it’s the dog version of holding one’s breath while driving past a cemetery.  

UPDATE: Now, there’s video.

7 Comments

More cute than annoying

January 31, 2012 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, German Shepherds, STELLA

  • If I wear flip flops in the house, Stella feels it’s her job to follow me around and step on the backs of them while I walk.
  • When it’s raining or snowing, Argo likes to bug me to let him outside, but then he’ll come right back in, because he likes being dried off with big fluffy towel we keep by the door.
  • If I tell the dogs, “Gentle,” when I hand them a treat, they will take it carefully from my hand.  If I don’t, they will practically take my fingers off.  If I give them more than one treat, I have to say “gentle,” every time I hand one over.

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I spend the majority of my time making up stories about people who don't really exist. I'm lucky that the people I love call this creative instead of crazy.

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I still have a parking slip on the passenger seat I still have a parking slip on the passenger seat of my car from the last day that kind of sort of resembled normal. We knew things were about to change, but we didn’t know how much. Shelter-in-Place was announced four days later. Do you have any time markers you’re holding on to?
My dragon fruit plant babies arrived from so lovi My dragon fruit plant babies arrived from  so lovingly packaged from @cppnursery and I got them in pots right away. Can’t wait to watch them grow and fruit. Thanks @dezperadox for the inspiration! #dragonfruitplant #california
I bought my achy old friend a memory foam crib mat I bought my achy old friend a memory foam crib mattress and I’m not sorry. She sleeps through the night without tossing and turning and has a new spring in her step. I wish I’d thought to do it sooner. #dailystelladog #olddogsarethebestdogs #germanshepherd #ilovemydog
Went for a run. Sat in a dry creek bed and looked Went for a run. Sat in a dry creek bed and looked at the light filtering through the trees. Stared at a feather. Good day. #trailrunning
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