Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Life's too short to play it safe

I’m taking the FSOT exam. Can you answer these questions?

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(I took the test in 2009. Please note things may have changed since then.)

You might have noticed that I haven’t been visiting you lately.

WHY?

Well, I knocked on your door, but you didn’t offer me a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, so I decided to go back home and study for my exam which I’m taking on Saturday, June 6th, YES TOMORROW from 10 a.m., until 1 p.m., in Los Angeles.

I’m studying for the Foreign Service Officer Test

Here’s what on the test, if you’re interested.

1). 90 questions on:

United States Government
United States Society
World History and Geography
Economics
Mathematics and Statistics
Management
Communication
Computers

2). The English Expression Test– 70 minutes.

90 questions on text with incorrect grammar, spelling and sentence structure.

3). The Biographic Information Questionnaire– 105 questions about ME in 75 minutes.

4). Written Essay– 50 minutes The essay can be about, customs and culture, economics and finance, education, employment issues, history, international affairs, religion, social issues.

So here are a few questions from the practice test and please feel free to answer them in the comments section, if you feel like participating. There may be a prize.

Question 1: Which of these reflect the 3 most important functions of money?

A. Medium of exchange, measure of value, store of value
B. Medium of exchange, measure of product, store of value
C. Medium of exchange, measure of value, store of deposits
D. Medium of gold, measure of value, store of value

Question 2: A recipe calls for 3 cups of wheat and white flour combined. If 3/8 of this is wheat flour, how many cups of white flour are needed?

A. 1 1/8
B. 1 7/8
C. 2 3/8
D. 2 5/8

Question 3: Which sub-Saharan African countries were independent at the end of WWII in 1945?

A. Nigeria and Kenya
B. Senegal and Ghana
C. Mozambique, Ghana, and Somalia
D. Liberia, Ethiopia, and South Africa

BONUS QUESTION: WHY AM I TAKING THIS TEST? THERE ARE 3 REASONS AND AS LONG AS YOU GUESS ONE OF THE 3, I SHALL DECLARE YOU THE WINNER ON TUESDAY JUNE 9TH. PERHAPS A PRIZE TOO.

I PROMISE AFTER MY TEST TO SPEND MORE TIME VISITING ALL OF YOU. PLEASE HAVE THE WINE AND COFFEE READY. I SHALL NEED IT.

Getting a tattoo in Sedona,

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When you think of Sedona, spirituality, red rocks and natural beauty come to mind–but a tattoo parlor?

After a long day of souvenir shopping and coffee breaks, the clouds just wouldn’t let go of the red rocks, and by the end of the day, the sky turned angry.

My friend Inge and I, drove back to our hotel room to rest for a while before dinner. I took a quick shower, placed my tired body on the queen size bed when the phone rang.

“Sonia, I found a tattoo parlor. Want to come with me?”

“Sure,” I said, more out of curiosity than anything else.

The streets were dark and wet, adding ambiance to a freaky night. I programmed the address on our GPS, which started barking commands and finally shut up, when Inge pulled up on a gravel driveway. No lights were on but tucked away in a corner, was a “Tattoo” sign and an arrow pointing to a back door.

“Think it’s open?” I asked.

“Let’s knock,” she said.

The door creaked open and a woman greeted us. Her warm smile made me relax, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her skin. Her arms, upper chest and back were covered in black and colored tattoos. A couple of guys heard us speak and came out from a kitchen next to the operating room with different sheets of tattoo patterns, covering the white walls.

“I’d like to get a tattoo with ‘love’ in Japanese characters,” Inge said.

“Show me what size you’d like and where,” the woman asked.

One of the guys pointed to his forearm which had the exact tattoo, she wanted.

After Inge settled on a stool, her skin disinfected, and the tattoo machine ready to start, I covered my eyes so as not to see her pain when the needles poked her upper right shoulder blade.

Inge remained calm. She said it didn’t hurt and that next time she wanted to get the ‘peace’ sign tattooed.

We stopped at “Safeway” on the way back to our hotel. Since rain pelted down, I ran inside to get some disinfectant cream for Inge, and a bottle of Chardonnay for us to share. I needed a glass of wine, probably more than Inge did, after watching her get the tattoo.

The following morning, Inge felt fine, the tattoo looked very black with its fresh ink, and we headed off to a small village with something I’d never seen before: furniture made out of rocks. The chairs were just as comfortable as a normal chair.

Have you ever had a tattoo? Do you want one? If yes, why? If no, why not?


What DimeStories Can Do For You

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Article was published in the Orange Ink June, 2009 issue of the Orange County Branch of the California Writers Club, by Sonia Marsh.

Standing in front of a mic is not what writers do best, but it can make you a better writer.

I first heard about DimeStories during a luncheon at the Literary Orange conference in April 2009. Michele McCormick, writer, and clinical psychologist by day, just happened to join our table and encouraged all writers to attend a DimeStories event at Laguna Beach Books.

Preparing a three-minute “dime story” forces you to write a short story from beginning to end, using what Michele calls the “slash and burn” editing technique. When I heard that selected “showcase” stories might be aired on NPR- National Public Radio, my ego kicked in, and I had visions of instant fame. During the next week, I read about the concept of DimeStories on http://DimeStories.org and prepared a three-minute excerpt from my memoir to share in front of an audience.

Easter Sunday, I attended my first DimeStories event. I arrived at 4:30 p.m., half an hour early to make sure I got my name in the “bucket.” The system is based on drawing names at random, so you really have no idea when you’re called up to the podium. I’d rehearsed several times in front of my bathroom mirror, reading my story aloud and timing it with a buzzer to stay within the strict three-minute time limit.

Laguna Beach Books is an inviting and friendly meeting place. After signing in, you can offer a $5.00 donation towards supporting the DimeStories events. Pink frosted cookies, cheese and crackers and wine are served to help you numb your nerves prior to reading. You can also browse the bookshelves or chat with other writers.

“Are you reading tonight?” an attractive woman asked me as I checked out the podium area. I told her this was my first time and found out she was Amy Wallen, the founder of DimeStories, in San Diego. She introduced me to Meredith Resnick, who started and hosts the Orange County branch of DimeStories.

After a few announcements, Amy Wallen placed her hand in the bucket. “Our first reader tonight is Sonia Marsh,” she said.

I sprang off my chair, like a jack-in-the-box, not quite sure where I was, nor what I was doing. Heading to the mic with confidence, I extended my arms holding onto my papers, and noticed they weren’t staying straight. My legs wobbled. Was there an earthquake? After the first paragraph, I took charge and finished my story on time.

It was over. I could relax and listen to others read. It was during the listening phase that I discovered how much I could learn from other writers and apply it to my own writing.

I also found that DimeStories can help:

• Get immediate reactions on what works and what might not work in your story
• Improve your writing skills
• Overcome shyness
• Offer media training
• Get exposure in the local press
• Showcase stories
• Chance to get on NPR

Hope to see you at a DimeStories event on the 2nd Sunday of each month at Laguna Beach Books at 5 p.m.

Sedona With a Twist, and More

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It was then that I decided to…. catch a taxi and go back to my hotel room. I left my friend dancing, although she did offer to drive me back to the hotel.

Apart from feeling uncomfortable in the nightclub with mostly single people, I think I might have danced had the music been disco, like “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind and Fire, or “Brick House” by the Commodores or my latest favorite song by Black Eyed Peas, “Boom, boom, Pow.” I love songs with a definite rhythm. Alternative rock is not my choice of dancing music. What do you like to dance to?

The following morning after our Starbucks coffee, we drove to Uptown Sedona–that’s what downtown is called– and saw these horses.

I felt like we were back in time and Sedona, although beautiful, is a little too small for me. I’ve often said that I could live in Belize for up to 3 months, but then I would crave a movie theater, libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, and some new faces. I think the same applies to Sedona, as far as I’m concerned. What about you? Do you need a mix of the two, or are you definitely a city person or a rural person?

The weather improved, and we decided to take a tram ride to see the red rocks and other parts of town.

Due to spring, and fresh rain, we could smell the fragrant pines and drove by some interesting plants such as the giant asparagus stem with red broccoli florets.
The majestic red rocks with their striations have names such as “the coffeepot” and
“the chimney” defined by their shapes. I have to admit the view from this person’s house below, is quite inspiring, especially if you’re a writer or an artist.

I have a few more stories to share in my next post. One is about a place I never thought I’d step into, but did.

Sedona with a twist.

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This is Sedona. Beautiful red rocks, clean air, mesas, yuccas, cacti, pine trees and spirituality.


When I caught my first glimpse of the majestic red rocks of Sedona, I knew this trip would be different. Gray clouds hugged the rocks like giant cloaks allowing the mind to “see” ghosts. This was the perfect location for a scary movie. Red mud flowed down the mountains puddling onto the one lane road. Cars crawled flinging bloody water onto the empty sidewalks.

This was the start of our two night stay in Sedona. My German friend, Inge, invited me on this trip, and our goal was to have fun and relax. After a lovely, “expensive” seabass dinner–I know, why order fish when you’re in the middle of the desert?– Inge and I were in the mood to listen to music. With the rental car’s windshield wipers in full swing–driving well below the speed limit–we squinted along highway 89A to

The Olde Sedona Bar and Grill supposedly the best night spot in town. The outside reminded me of an old western saloon, not exactly the techno-style night club, I prefer. A small group of heavy duty smokers leaned against an outside patio wall, puffing away as the rain pelted down.

Inge and I headed straight to the bar area where an alternative rock band was scheduled to play that evening. A little ill at ease with so many eyes scanning the room for the “catch” of the evening, I felt relieved when a couple of women joined our table for some lively conversation. Our waiter, an older version of Antonio Banderas with a tiny gray pony-tail, seemed to attract all three women at our table, except me. I haven’t been in a night club without my husband since we married 22 years ago, and I soon realized how alien I felt. Scared to look at men, I took every opportunity to latch onto one woman, and whenever she needed to smoke, followed her out to the patio smokers club. I hate smoke, but this was better than avoiding eye contact with the younger men sitting at the table, three feet away from ours.

The rock band started and my friends were in dancing mode. I froze. I pretended I needed the restroom and then followed the smokers outside for my third exposure to rain and coughing.

I could see Inge through the window, dancing and laughing, and wanted her to have some fun. She is single after all, as were the other women. I never expected to react this way.

It was then that I decided to…. (NEXT POST) Don’t want to bore you with too much text.

What about you married ladies. Have you felt uncomfortable in a bar with single people?

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