The Rainy Day Wanderer

2011-07-23T10:51:00.006-04:00

KNOCK KNOCK

WHO'S THERE?

NO ONE!!!!

Yep, I did it. I really really don't like the new dashboard. It takes way too much time to scroll up and down and up again on the blog roll, constantly having to start over at the top, etc. So, I've moved my blog. If you want to follow me over, here's the new address:

http://therainydaywanderer.wordpress.com

I haven't figured out how to have a followers widget, but that's okay. If you don't see your name on the blog roll, I'm getting there, I promise. I just now figured out what I did wrong the last time I entered everyone's name.

I'm slowly getting everyone's name added; it may take a couple weeks, though. It's a tedious process and I don't do well with tedious. I have to have breaks.

So anyway, I hope to see in my new neighborhood! Take care and stay cool!

*****For those of you concerned about the commenting on a wordpress blog: though the information box still shows up, it is not necessary to fill out any information. The requirement has been disabled. All you have to do is post the comment and click. Personally, I dislike filling out all that info myself and I wouldn't ask anyone else to do it, either.*****

News, Updates, And Stuff

2011-07-17T07:58:00.001-04:00

Wow, what a summer, huh? I hope everyone is surviving the terrible heat wave we've been having. Although, yesterday and today have been dreamy. For me, anyway.

I have all kinds of news. First, I gotta say-I'm not too sure about the new blogger. The dashboard is weird and creating this post is interesting. By the time I finish this, I'll now more about whether I like it or not. Anyway....some news.

When I got my tattoo, I was disappointed when the scabs came off. There were spaces with no ink, and parts were lighter than others. Everyone told me that the guy who did it doesn't do touch-ups for free. His online reviews said the same thing. Sorry. I'm not paying someone to fix their mistakes.

I recently found someone else and had it redone. Guess what? I have ink in all the right places! And no weird shading, either. Yay! Know what else? She said that if there were still spaces or shades, she would fix it. For free. Um hmm. She will get all my business in the future. (Yes, NOW I can plan for my next one *happy face!*)

In other news, my former teacher GOT ME INTO THE CLASS!!!! Yes, Friends, I will be graduating in December. Finally!

Now for writing news. My intended goals have been shelved and that's okay. I'm not good at forcing creativity. The new shiny I mentioned before is patiently waiting and I really hope to begin working on it again before the summer is over.

To date, I've written 4 short stories and I have 2 more that I really want to get completed. I've learned a few things during this process. For example, I can't write humor. My hat is off to those of you who can.

Fortunately, my Muse knows this and steers my path into other directions. Basically meaning that the ideas I've started with have consistently morphed into something else. I've also discovered how difficult it is to keep short stories short. William found several magazines who want stories between 3 and 6K, and a few more that want them up to 8k. I'm averaging 4+ to just over 6k.

The weird thing is, just like during nano, I'm finding naptime at work to be extremely conducive to writing. Yay for sleeping children :)

Speaking of weirdness, I'm ready for this:

Yep, the rainy, cloudy weather we've had the last 2 days has put me in the mood for fall and all its accouterments. Part of it may be my desire to leave summer behind and get on with cooler weather. (Okay, a lot of it!)

Mostly, though, it's because I like to decorate the house in fall and winter. I don't really do much decorating in spring and summer....

Lastly, has anyone seen the new Harry Potter movie? If you're planning to go, a word of advice. Take Kleenex. Especially if you've read the books, because you'll be able to appreciate what's happening on a deeper level. Yes, there are changes and differences, but it's still a wonderful ending to the series. I want to go back.

One of the things I really liked about it was these guys finally got their due in the movies.....

That's it for now. I hope you're home, cause I'm dropping by for a visit!

HEY!!!!!

2011-07-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Well, more like a quick visit to say hello and see what's going on with everyone.

It's been a little crazy the last several weeks. Initially, I took time off to work on my two wip's. Part of the way in, I realized that Tangi had backed off again, though I did manage to get several scenes written and a few others sketched out. Hopefully, they can be used. ***update: as I was writing this, she showed me something!***

With the nano book, I rewrote the beginning (I learned that agents won't read anything beginning with someone waking from a nightmare.) The new intro is actually much better than the original, so that's a plus. Then, I found myself rewriting the whole thing, not something I have time for and it was loosing something in the retelling. So I decided that I would try and just rewrite pages at a time.

Finding how difficult and time consuming that was becoming, I decided to put both wip's on hold and follow another idea. (Can you spot the ADHD coming into play here?) One that I'm keeping under wraps for right now. But the neat thing was that it would be quicker and aimed at a wider target. Cool, right? Well, it was cool, for about a week. I was 10,653 words into the new project when the A/C went out. During the hottest week in May. (Director's father said his porch read 103 degrees F.) And the prednisone was still coursing wildly through my system. Yep, a total meltdown occurred. At one point, I simply started crying and was unable to stop. *Sigh*

Since about the age of 14, I've been unable to abide extreme heat. I'm told it's probably a hormonal thing. I'm no better than a wrung out dish rag. So all writing/blogging/and facebooking came to a screeching halt. Eight days later, we had air again *silent prayer of thanksgiving* but the damage was done. I'd lost all my motivation. The writing train had derailed. Three weeks passed. Not one word written.

Till William came back to the Center for the summer! He's my only face-to-face friend that writes and understands/gets excited about all things writerly. He'd done some research about short stories and where to submit them. Since we're both pushed for time, we decided to concentrate on shorts, working on the wip's when time allowed or the muses insisted. We're both writing like crazy and I'm finding it fun and challenging. I'm finding he's also quite the crit buddy!

Since this is a longer weekend, I hope to get a few more written, (I've sketched out ideas for several!) then concentrate on polishing them up. I also want to resume work on the new shiny, finishing it if I can. Ambitious, but the summer is passing quickly and I want as much to show for my time off as possible.

That's pretty much what's been going on as far as writing goes. During the A/C - prednisone drama, I reverted to my bad emotional eating habits and paid for it in spades. Consuming an estimated 3 to 4 thousand mg's of sodium caused the wicked-bad migraines to return. Lesson learned. I've had my tatt redone (when it healed, there were blank spaces) and Honey finally had time to do some landscaping in the front of the house (I looks a lot better).

Work has been almost non-stop activities/happenings/events, but this week was really mellow. Lots of families on vacay, so I got to come home early yesterday (Friday). A couple of our kiddos are having some serious health issues and could use some positive thoughts and prayers, please. (I can't mention names or conditions, sorry.)

Right now, I'm going to get some of my Saturday stuff done and then I'll see if the Muse is with me. If she is, I'll be writing for most of the afternoon and early evening. Then, I'll be around to visit. I've missed you guys!!!! If Ms. Muse is absent, I'll visit sooner!

My weekend plans? To see Transformers! And I'm sooooooo looking forward to HP7 part II. The last trailer makes me cry.

So, how have ya'll been?

Fun And Games Blogfest

2011-06-06T06:30:00.007-04:00

Today is Alex's Fun and Games blogfest. If you don't know Alex, take a minute and check out his blog.

He reviews movies, keeps us updated on new technology, and is very supportive of his fellow bloggers.

We're supposed to list our 3 favorite games and why.

I, of course, bent the rules a little bit.......

Oh my gosh, if you've never played this game, you really should check it out!

On the rare occasions that my family can get all together, we play this.

It's totally hilarious and it's fun trying to figure out what's really being said.

I imagine it would also be a fun drinking game, ;}

Pictionary is another game we play when we're all together.

It's challenging and fun and sometimes, our talents are um, questionable.

We're terribly competitive, which makes for lots of fierce hilarity.

A hint: you can go to Lowe's and have shower board cut.

Makes for an awesome dry erase board for a fraction of the cost!

Now, here's where I bent the rules a little.

Those are games I like to play with others.

Sometimes, though, I need to just de-stress.

The only game I ever play on Facebook anymore is Country Life.

The crops never wither and die! And it's pretty mindless, so.....

I have a Nintendo DS Lite and these are some of the games I have to keep me sharp *wink*
or to just help get me out of my head when I need it.....

I love, love, love Mahjong!!!!

Honey bought me a PC disc with all sorts of variations of the game and it's likely my favorite.

I also have it on my DS, but it times out on me, hee.

So, those are a few that I love.

When I was little, we played I Spy and Punch Buggy. Owww!

Wanna share your favorites?

TicTac Toe? Hangman? Global Thermonuclear War?

Lenny-Lee Fest!!!

2011-06-03T05:38:00.001-04:00

Hey Lenny, guess what? We're spreading some Lenny Lee Sunshine all over the world by having a blogfest just for you! Pretty cool, huh?

Every time you visit my blog or send me an email, I smile and say to myself, 'oh, Lenny was here and he left me a comment!' or 'oh, cool! Lenny sent me an email!' And I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate it when you take the time to visit and comment or write me a letter.

I love reading your posts on your blog, too. You're an incredible writer! I especially love reading the interesting facts you share and the advice you give. I've actually learned a lot from you. You inspire me, being so young and doing what you love - writing. You're just super cool all over the place:) Know what? Shhhhh, don't tell anyone, but I even talk about you with my friends. I tell them about this cool guy who's a blogger and he's only 11 years old! Wow! They're really impressed by that!

So, now, it's my turn to put a smile on your face.

I love lolcats, so I picked out some funny ones to share with you. I hope you like them! See if you can find the one I made especially for you :)

I also love Calvin and Hobbes. They're my all time favorite cartoon/comics. I don't know if you're familiar with them, so just in case, here's a rundown: Calvin is a 6 year old with a stuffed tiger he names Hobbes. To him, Hobbes is real and they have all sorts of adventures together. Here's one that's funny.....

Here's a hug from me to you. A big, warm, fuzzy, squishy one. Just like Hobbes would give Calvin :)
Well, minus the claws!

I hope the sun is shining on you today, Lenny!

Closed For.....Stuff

2011-05-22T20:12:00.000-04:00

My friends,

lots of unforeseen life is happening right now.

I'm not going to have the time or the presence of mind

to keep up with any blogs, or even to post anything of my own.

Hopefully, for only a week or two,

I'll be pretty much unplugged.

Maybe less if I can get some things out of the way.

Take care and I hope to see you soon!

Awards: I've Been Hoarding!!!!!

2011-05-21T18:07:00.000-04:00

Just before the A to Z Challenge started, I was given some terrific awards. I meant to pass them around the weekend before the Challenge, but spring hit the ground running and I'm still trying to catch up. I had intended to do a whole post, following all the rules and distribute them as I'm supposed to. Thing is, it's getting busier around here. This weekend is full - with unexpected personal stuff and work stuff. And hopefully some writing stuff.

So here's what I'm doing. I'm posting the awards, who gave them to me, a link to their blog, and the rules for giving them out. (I've actually been working on this post a couple weeks-all the info has been saved in various drafts) Then, I'm asking you to simply take them. Especially the ones you don't already have. I'm justifying this in my head by thinking about the Tinkerbell post. All of you matter to me. You've all been there for me. And if I could give each of you an Oscar, I would. Cause you deserve it.

And I'm asking you to let me be terribly lazy this time.

If you've not met one of these fantastic bloggers, I highly recommend you check them out. They're funny, witty, clever, sweet, and worth your while!

In no particular order, here they are:

This one is from Jeremy over at iZombie. Cool, huh?

This one gets passed around as you like (up to 10 people)

but at least 2 people need to be bloggers you just met.

Put in their links, and link back on their blog

so we can all meet each other.

Jeremy wants the blogging world ~~littered~~ filled with Zombie Rabbits!!!!

*note to Jeremy-given the reproduction rate of rabbits, this could be the apocalyptic zombie we've been dreading!*

This one is from Carol at Under The Tiki Hut. Ain't it pretty?!!
Very festive and sparkly, like Carol :)

To pass this around, I have to tell 4 truths and 1 lie. Hmmmm.....

1. I write backwards with my left hand.

2. The smell of wood smoke in autumn is intoxicating to me.

3. I love hot summer nights.

4. Cooking is not my favorite thing to do.

5. I once dreamed of being an interpreter at the UN.

Donna Hole very kindly passed this along to me. Wow, thanks, Donna!

The only rule I found was to mention the creator, (Michelle Gregory at beautiful chaos) and then

pass it to those who've been there for you

in some capacity.

Considering how Donna is so loyal about scouring the blogs and posting

shouts out and flybys, I'm honored she'd think of me.

This one came from Ms. Tiger from Tiger on My Bookshelf.

Just as a Thank You for following.

Isn't it gorgeous?!!!

If you haven't met her, she's N. R. Williams' daughter.

No wonder she's talented!

She creates book covers and has art gifts for sale.

Check out her blog!

I especially love her Monday Poems and Thursday Quotes :)

All my followers! Who wouldn't want this beautiful award on their sidebar?!!!

Deirdra from A Storybook World gave me this very lovely award.
She regularly interviews authors and posts interesting writerly stuff on her blog.
Definitely pay her a visit!

Talei from Musings of an Aspiring Scribe gave this one to me, thanks Talei!

I'm supposed to reveal 7 interesting things about me.

Since I posted 4 true ones above, I'll list 3 more.....

1. As young as age 5, I held snakes for my uncle. He put them in the barn to keep rats away from the chickens.

2. I don't like to watch dvd's if they're not in wide screen format. I hate the cut offs.

3. Part of the process of our layoff included talking to and taking tests with a counselor. Some of it was pretty in depth. I took this one test.....and stumped her. I'll just say that my answers depend on what I'm thinking at the moment. Hee!

Well, there they are. Take them. And have a great weekend!
I'll catch up with you sometime late tonight or tomorrow........

I Need A Mad Scientist......

2011-05-17T22:00:00.002-04:00

Hey Friends! Yeah, I'm cheating. Just wanted to put up something to keep you company till the weekend.....

Ahem. 'K, I really do need a mad scientist. Here's the thing. For years, I've carried around book ideas. No news there, I've mentioned that before.

I'm slowly working on two of the said ideas right now. With the prednisone, not much writing has been done, though. Serious lack of sleep makes one mental.

The happy side of the evil-making-waco pills is that my brain is bouncing around at all hours and last night, er, this morning - it HIT something. Something g o o o o o d. Something s h i i i i i n y. Oooooooooo!!!!!!

There's this one book idea that I've had for years and years. Now, I know how to write it. *maniacally happy giggles* BUT!!! I'm being a good girl. I have too much on my plate already, so....I spent about an hour writing down all sorts of details, things I want to cover, how, what I need.....everything I could think of. Then - I closed the notebook. I really need to concentrate on the two things I have going right now.

That is.....unless you know of a mad scientist who could help me out.....? Maybe hook my brain-pan to the 'puter and simply download everything? *batting eyes and don't look at how red and glassy they look, I'm fine REALLY!* Help me grow about 8 temporary arms and a couple extra heads so I could type it all at once? It's not as insane as it sounds and wouldn't look as bad as you'd think! Non? Ah well, it was worth a shot.

This is kinda how I was feeling today at work after no sleep and getting my new shiny. Heee!

Have a great week and catchya Saturday! (Or Friday night)

2011-05-16T07:00:00.010-04:00

I'm no good at making up jokes. So I'm cheating! And keeping it short!

If you didn't stop by yesterday, be sure go back and pick up the little something I created for you on the Tinkerbell post.

Have fun today, I know I will :))))

My Tinkerbell Theory (Long-ish, But With A Surprise At The End)

2011-05-14T17:27:00.028-04:00

I do believe in fairies, I do! I do!

You ever have those days when it seems like you’re all alone in your quest for your dream? And everything and everyone is pulling at you from all possible directions and, when you finally do get to a quiet, peaceful moment, you’re too tired or too fuzzy to think creatively?

I’m not saying that there aren’t people around me who wish me well in my creative endeavor. It’s just that most of them have a lot going on in their lives and just don’t have the energy. They do want to know how it’s going, but, really, I can’t expect them to get all giddy about getting four thousand words written when they have to spend their evening going to a dozen sporting events, cooking dinner, and making sure everyone's homework is finished. Some of my friends understand that trying to write something is hard, and they respect that. There are those who believe you can just pull the words out of your head and be published in a few months. I wish! But, really, they don’t understand what it takes, or what it costs.

It’s just not everyone’s thing. Like baseball isn’t mine. Honey is a great ball player and I would go watch some of his games if he played in a league. But come the hottest part of summer, I’d have to think of other ways to be supportive from time to time. Me and summer – we ain’t cool. And Honey would be fine with that. He knows that summer is not my thing.

Not everyone writes. So people don’t generally understand the emotional highs and lows, the ever plaguing doubts and insecurities, and the need to try, even if the dream of becoming published and successful inches farther and farther away every day.

I do have one friend who gets it, but he’s a college student. My co-teacher’s son, William. He’s an aspiring writer who plans to masquerade as a history teacher. The rare moments we get to see each other, there’s not enough time in the world to share our successes and failures and ideas, etc. But it’s good, for a few minutes, to speak the same language, to have the same understanding, you know?

That’s just one of the many, many reasons I’m so thankful to have all of you. Whether you know it or not, you help me. You inspire and encourage me. By commenting and commiserating; by going before and throwing breadcrumbs liberally behind you; and you even take a few minutes to read and offer feedback when I hesitantly put something up that’s writing, not just posting.

And what makes it even more special, is that you offer your time and support regularly, even with just plain ol’ everyday life stuff.

I don’t remember what made me think of Tinkerbell the other day, but when I did, I had this image of all of you. Of us; our little cyber-social world. Most of us are not what I call ‘face-to-face’ friends. We’ll likely never meet (except if you live in my state, it would really be cool!), but we still get to know each other a bit. I miss it when I can’t visit more regularly. I miss you when you’re gone for a while. There have been occasions when people have left permanently, one way or another, and I’ve been genuinely sad.

As I thought about Tinkerbell, I began to wonder. Sure, we blog for all sorts of reasons, but…..do you think – is there a bit of Tinkerbell inside us all? Inside of me?

I can only answer for myself. And I would have to say yes, I do believe there is a bit of her in me. Or, rather, I’m a little like her….somewhere. I get weary and tired. Especially when it comes to writing and trying to figure out some of the what if’s and the what now’s and so forth. Not to mention the self-sabotaging I do sometimes. And there isn’t anyone who understands. They want to, but, like I said before, it’s just not their thing. I love them for their desire to help and if their support is in the form of clearing the way for me to write uninterrupted and without any fuss because the dishes aren’t washed, then that’s fabulous to me *waving and blowing a kiss to Honey!*

I think that’s part of what makes you guys so special. You do understand. When one of us has fallen down because of rejections, or a block, or illness, or whatever, we clap our hands and remind each other that we do believe, we do believe! We remind each other that there are people out there, somewhere, tethered to a computer in a room, typing, and going through similar things. And that we’re not alone.

Hope is offered. So is understanding. Often, sound advice and creative ideas are, too. Sometimes a laugh, which always helps. {{{{hugs}}}} are priceless.

Pretty soon, even if a solution isn’t in sight, a warm glow fills us and we revive, ready to try again. Just because someone, somewhere, believes…….

So thank you, my friends, for all the times you clap for me. Just know that I’m clapping for you, too. I do believe! I do believe!

So, for all of you who regularly come by and visit, sharing wisdom and laughter and commiseration, this is for you. No rules. Just a thank you. I really, really mean it. It's yours. Share it with whomever you choose.

BTW, image gotten from imagebase.davidniblack.com. a free image source. Way cool site.

Do You See A Theme Here?

2011-05-09T22:32:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends, I'm breaking my schedule here. My last two posts were either kind of dark or heavy or self absorbed, so I wanted to leave you something fun for the rest of the week. But, alas, it's been another banner day.

The fierceness of the itchy red bumps has greatly eased off. And they're even looking a little bit lighter, which is great, because I look really weird. I'm still not sleeping as much as I need, but that's also starting to improve. It's the Benedryl I'm still taking. The anxiety attacks have stopped, thankfully. But things that put other people to sleep usually make me wired to the nth degree. However, that, too, seems to be wearing off. Wow, lots of goodness going on.

But, today....*shameful facepalm*.....today I was a bad, bad mommy. I forgot Kitty Boss at the Vet!!!!!!!!!

She had her yearly physical and I reminded Honey to drop her off. He didn't need reminding, of course, but I did it anyway, just in case. One would think it would occur to him to remind me, too. But no. His reply was that in the three years we've had her, I've never forgotten. Why would he think I would forget now? Well, dang, how do I answer that?

This evening, when leaving work, I had a whole list of things I needed to pick up on the way home, until I remembered that Honey had made a deposit for me and had my debit card. So, what did I do? I went straight home.

So you can imagine my surprise, shock, horror, and shame when he called at 7pm and told me I had left her.

There is good news, though. They were having a meeting and said I could still come get her. I made a 20 minute drive in just under 8. Don't ask for details. I swear I will lie. Yes, they teased me terribly, and we all had a good laugh. But I felt like the mom who forgot to pick up her kid from ball practice.

Fortunately, Kitty Boss still loves me and was happy to be home. Didn't you miss her, you might ask? Well, no. Typically, she stays in her daddy's office until he comes home. She's a daddy's girl, unless I'm fixing her nightly treat of a smidgeon of canned food or I go looking for her.

So, in honor of today's events, I found some cute little LOLs to go along with the theme of absent mindedness. I hope you enjoy them and have a great week.

Caution: Evil Lurking Ahead!!!!!

2011-05-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

Have you ever had the pleasure of taking a significant round of Prednisone? Well, let me tell you. See this kitty on the left? That's pretty much how it makes me feel on the inside.

All sorts of evil and mean things run through my mind and try to come out of my mouth, but I believe I do a pretty good job keeping them behind my teeth. At least no one has ever told me otherwise. And I'm sure it's not because they're afraid of me or anything like that.

See, I was nine days into my antibiotic (for the previously mentioned severe congestion, sinus and ear infections). Nine days. The first antibiotic was omnicef. Not sure I spelled that right. Don't really care. The point is that one gave me a wicked migraine and, um....tummy issues. So the good doctor gives me a sulfur based one. I took it for nine days. Just one more day to go and I would be free!

Thursday night, I'm getting ready to take a shower and go to bed. A little TMI coming up......I take off my capris and said a couple blue words. I was covered in red, mean looking dots. Holy crap, Batman! They're all over me, literally, from scalp to feet. And suddenly, I'm aware of them. They itch and burn.

I call Director and we both believe it's a reaction to the med. Friday at the Center is gonna be a hectic one-one teacher out and another substituting in the lunchroom. Plus, it's our Mother's Day celebration in which moms, grandmoms, aunts, and pretty much anyone else is invited to join us for breakfast, lunch, and/or snack. So I can't be out. Director would never tell me that. I just knew how much she needed everyone to be there.

However, as soon as she sees me, she tells me to stay as long as I feel like it then go to the doctor. Evangeline strongly encouraged me to get an appointment asap (thanks!) and I left as soon as her break was over. The good doc was worried. He said it could be a serious thing to react to a sulfur based drug so he gave me a shot and a big ol' round of evil making pills.

Except for Saturday, so far, I've not been too bad emotionally. Well......I could be wrong. My Mother's Day post was kind of dark. And this feels a bit whiny. Hmmmm. Maybe I'm not being as vigilant as I thought I was. Sorry. And as I reread this, I think my verb tenses are all over the place, dang! Ah well....

Anyway, all that to explain where I've been the last several days, and likely for several more. Plus, I've actually been slowly plugging away at the two wips. I've added 4k to Tangi's story and there's more to put on the 'puter. I'm doing a lot of longhand writing during nap time (when I can). I have another scene to add to Tangi and I'm sort of rewriting the nano, ugh.

So, that's what I've been up to and where I'll likely be. I'll pop in unexpectedly when I can. Till then, take care and be safe! Have a great week :)

OH, PS!!! Guess what my bp was? Well, in spite of the painful condition I was in, as well as the anxiety attacks brought on by the benedryl I was taking (antihistamines do it to me) it was 130 over 80, wow! Yay!!!! Now, I just have to incorporate regular exercise into my new-ish diet and it will be even better *happy dance* 'K, just wanted to share something good. TTFN :)

Words: A Letter To Mom

2011-05-08T01:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Mother's Day. For some of us, that's a complicated day. Yes, I loved my mother and I choose to believe she loved me. I've stated in the past that ours was a very complicated relationship. It helps to know that she was sick for a really long time, and I'm not talking about her condition. I'm talking about her depression. And of course the grandmother was the root of much evil, but that's a story for another day....

My mother had diabetes and the last insulin she was put on was later (after her death) blamed for many deaths. My sister and I discussed whether we should pursue a law suit. In the end, we didn't want to relive the pain and horror of it all over and over again. And truly, Mom suffered horribly. We had all been through enough, so we let it go.

Mom entered the hospital for what the doctors told us would be the last time. We'd been here so many times before....I worked second shift then and I cleared it with the head nurse on duty to come after 12am and sit with her. Of course when I arrived, another nurse was on duty and she said I absolutely could not visit at that hour. I told her that. I. was. sitting. with. my. mother. She left me alone.

I sat for just over an hour with Mom. Her breathing was difficult but there was such a feeling of peace about her. She told me I needed to go home and get some sleep. I said I was staying. I am as stubborn as she ever was, and that's saying something. We sat in a companionable silence most of the time. It was enough. Finally, knowing that I was worrying her, I kissed her on the cheek and told her I loved her and she said she loved me too. Those were the last words we ever spoke to each other while she was alive. Again, another story.....

When I came home from her funeral, still in my dress, I sat down and wrote her a letter. It came out almost exactly as you will see it here. It was the second poem I put on my poetry blog.....it's a pretty good summation of our relationship.

I think of the words

I should say

sitting here with you

Please don't worry

it'll be okay

knowing they're all untrue

There is no future

only the past

thoughts lay heavy in my mind

The second hand's turning

time's slipping fast

I'll give you what I can find

Fumbling through the memories

locked deep in my heart

I cry out in despair

So many times

words tore us apart

neither of us seemed to care

We gave plenty of words in anger

and quite a few in blame

too many now that can't be taken back

Saddened with bitter regret

I lower my head in shame

I'm stunned by the courage we lack

How simple it would have been

to say I understand

forgive the things I do

I wonder if we had

would you have taken my hand

could we ever have said I love you

Still we shared many a laugh

good times lasted for miles

I wish you could come home

I want to go with you

I guess I'll stay for a while

I'm afraid of being alone

Words really aren't needed

we know each other too well

the past already forgot

You leave me here

in my sweet private hell

I watch as the second hand stops

RSM 4/20/1994

A to Z Challenge-My Thoughts

2011-05-02T19:16:00.001-04:00

It's reflection time for the A to Z Challenge.

I know! I know! I had to drop out. I was pretty bummed, too.

Here's how I did:

I pre-scheduled posts all the way to 'J' and rough drafted to 'P' so I felt pretty darn good about that.

During the first three days (yeah, I cheated on Sunday!), I visited at least 175 blogs. I figured I'd get to as many as possible at the beginning and cruise the rest of the way.

Afterward, I visited about 10 new blogs a day (thanks, Marcus, for the linky buttons!), plus I made sure to visit my blogging friends who weren't in the challenge. I also did pretty good visiting everyone who left a comment.

Then, life happened. Apparently, April is a terrible month to plan anything. The Center has a lot going on in April every year and I thought I could stay ahead of it. I thought wrong.

I also got bitten by some low-life bug from Hades and it wiped me out for nearly two weeks. If I'm sick enough to not care about my 'puter, I'm SICK. I went a whole week without opening it up. Dang.

While I was laying around feeling crappy with no one to talk to, my muse came to visit. Suddenly, all sorts of ideas were popping into my brain-pan. She wouldn't go away; she just kept bringing me scenes, solutions, and new ideas. I'd toyed with these two wips for so long, I felt I really needed to pay attention and follow her. That meant that I would have to drop out of the Challenge.

So, would I do it again next year?

Well, here's the thing. I met some really cool new bloggers. I read some very interesting, funny, insightful and just plain neat stuff. I also managed to make sure I visited my non-Challenge friends, which I felt was important.

So, yeah, I'd do it again. IF.....it could be done a little differently. I read a few bloggers' comments about how they loved the experience, but felt very overwhelmed by it all. One suggestion was to have the co-hosts limit the linkys to a certain amount, and this got me to thinking.....

What if the co-hosts each put up linkys and people signed up on them and they weren't duplicates. Each co-host could have maybe 200-250 Challengers. Let's say I'm on Alex's linky. I visit the people on that hosts site. If I finish that, then I can move on to another hosts sight.

Does that make sense to you? If we all visited the blogs listed on our own hosts sight, we'll have visited at least 200 or so blogs. Then, we can move on. That way, it's not so overwhelming and everyone will stand a better chance of having new visitors to their blogs.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. It was a lot of fun while I did it and I really really hated that I had to drop out. I don't like quitting.

What are your thoughts about my idea?

BOLO: Be On The Lookout - For These Fantastic Tales!!!!!

2011-04-30T15:44:00.003-04:00

I made a new lol. You like it? *cheesy grin*

Well, lolcats may have minions to do all their proofreading and editing and revising, but the rest of us don't. For a lot of us, just getting a basic rough draft completed is a miraculous cause for celebration.

At this point in my writing, I have one rough draft in surgery, and another in the birthing room. Whew! No wonder I'm dizzy and absent minded lately :))

I feel fortunate to have many of you as blogging friends because I learn from you. You inspire me because you don't give up. Your determination in the face of countless rejections, your faith in what you're creating, and, mostly, your openness about the whole journey - is what keeps me going. You provide stepping stones, handholds, and candles to light up the dark and murky places.

Where am I going with this? Right here. Many of you have announced upcoming releases of your books and short stories. Others of you have announced that particular books or stories have generated great interest and that the outlook is promising. And I know of at least one sequel in the works that's going to be a definite 'must have' for me.....so without further ado, here is a list you may be interested in - in no particular order:

Theresa Milstein of Substitute Teacher's Saga has two short stories being published. 'Daisy' will be published in the anthology 100 Stories for Queensland. 'Allured' will be published in a YA anthology entitled Fangtales, a Wyvern publication. You can read all about it here.

In addition to his wonderful Bear With Two Shadows (now available as an e-book), Roland Yeomans of Writing in the Crosshairs, has also e-published Rites of Passage - the first recorded adventure of the amazing Samuel McCord....

....as well as Adrift in the Time Stream, the second book chronicling Sam McCord's adventures. All three of these books are available for purchase at amazon.com. For more information, click here. Be sure to check out the awesome book trailer on Roland's blog!

Elliot Grace of So close, but..... is just about to announce the official release date of his long awaited book, South of Charm. The young man in this picture is his son, reading the promised first copy. Get more details here.

Simon Kewin of Spellmaking received some very exciting news - a publisher is seriously interested in his novel, Hedge Witch. He is currently making some suggested edits and we all hope to hear good news soon. Click here to read an excerpt.

Aubrey Dionne of Flutey Words has just signed a contract with Entangled Publishing. Her space opera series, The Star Odyssey - a three book deal! Read about it here.

Nicole Zoltack of Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight just announced the May 1st release of Champion of Valor, the third book in her Kingdom of Arnhem trilogy. She is currently organizing a blog tour with prizes at each stop. Read here for more details.

Alex J. Cavanaugh has sent his as yet untitled sequel to CassaStar to his crit partners. The next installment takes place 20 years after we first meet Byron, our hero. I'm told that Byron will meet his match on an alien planet - a woman! Alex hopes to have the sequel to his publisher by the end of June, so let's all keep our fingers crossed! For more info about CassaStar, and to watch the incredible book trailer, click here!

Talli Roland is following up her delightful debut, The Hating Game,with Watching Willow Watts. As with her first release, Watts will be available on Kindle a few months before the paperback release in November. To get a glimpse of the upcoming mayhem, click here.

E. Elle at The Writer's Funhouse is hosting a unique and fun blog contest. Here are the rules (copied and pasted):

So, here are the rules for A Song in the Words:
1) Be a follower of the Writer's Funhouse. You know how to do this. Just click that follow button over on the left. Come on, you know you want to.
2) Pick a song. Any song. Seriously, any song in the whole wide world.
3) Write a scene in 750 words or less, inspired by the song you chose.
4) Email the title of your song (along with the artist) and your scene to me atthewritersfunhouse(at)yahoo(dot)com by 6:00 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, May 18, 2011. If the song you chose is kind of obscure, please provide a link to a place where I can hear it (i.e. YouTube or MySpace [is MySpace still around?]). If attaching the file, please attach as a .doc, not .docx. I still operate with Word 2003, lame-o that I am.
That's it! It's that easy! I'll take a few days to read the entries, then announce the winner on Wednesday, May 25, right here at the Funhouse. The winner receives a $30 gift card to Barnes & Noble. Wouldn't you like a $30 gift card to Barnes & Noble? I would like a $30 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
Any and all promotion would be appreciated. So feel free to grab the button and post it on your blog. The more entries, the greater the competition, the sweeter the victory.
What are you waiting for? Dig into your playlist, get your writing groove on, and enter!

Alex J. Cavanaugh is hosting a fun blogfest, too. Again, here are the rules, copied and pasted:

It’s All Fun & Games Blogfest, June 6, 2011 - list your three most favorite games and why. Board games, card games, RPG, video games, physical games, drinking games - even mind games! If it’s a game you enjoy playing, it’s worth sharing.

Well, that's all the news I have time for right now. I hope you all have had a great week. Just as an update, I do feel much better. Thank you for all your well wishes!!!

And for the hopeful releases, let's all keep our fingers crossed!!! Much congratulations to all the e-book releases and paper/hardback releases, GO WRITERS!!!

Lydia Kang from The Word is My Oyster is co-hosting this blogfest. Copied and pasted rules right here:

Rules are pretty lax. This is fun, after all!
1. Post a joke that pokes fun at yourself, or writing, or your job (including parenting, of course!), or anything personal. Or if that's too much work, any joke that you think is funny will do.

The point is to laugh a little. And the posts ought to be quick and fun, so you can hop from post to post and lower your stress level a little.

Because let's face it. Laughter is good for you and has very few side effects (aside from shooting out food particles from your nose or spraying coffee at your computer screen).

All I can say is, you've been warned. ;)

GAH!!!!!

2011-04-26T23:24:00.000-04:00

....or the interwebs, or to see my niece....ugh!!!!!

The most interesting thing happened to me Saturday night, my friends. An invisible and ghostly silent MACK truck ran right over me. Yep. Left me aching all over, feverish, and feeling as if my my throat had been crushed. My temp. actually reached 103.5, which is pretty amazing for me.

Since it was so late when it hit me, I had to wait until Sunday afternoon to go to an urgent care center.

Guess what? Because it was Easter, they were all closed!!!!!!!

It was Monday afternoon before I got an appointment at my regular doctor's office. The rapid strep test came back negative, but I'll know tomorrow for sure. In the meantime, the good doctor concluded that I was "severely congested" and treated me for sinus and ear infections. Yay.

Then of course, weirdo that I am, the meds he gave me caused a massive migraine. So, today, Tuesday (I think?), I had to get another med. Good news - no migraine this time!

I'm also snorting a steroid, which seems to be slowly helping. I could never, ever do drugs. YUCK!

I would feel pretty put out, except my co-teacher was diagnosed with strep on Friday evening, can you believe that?!! I suspect there is a carrier in our room......

Anyway, I just wanted to quickly explain my total absence over the last week. Really? Have I been gone that long? It seems much longer......

I will try and do some catching up Friday. Till then, stay safe and healthy and have a great week!

RAIN - Why I Love It So

2011-04-20T22:07:00.000-04:00

Some time back, I did a post on rain and why I love it. I mentioned the way the earth smells and how the hues of nature are richer, and so forth. But, in the writing of that post, something came out that I hadn't considered before....

Many people find the sound of rain (not the torrential kind) soothing. 'K, we all know that. We also know that babies (and puppies) are often comforted by the sound of a ticking clock. Doctors say it's because the sound reminds them of their mothers' heartbeat.

Here's the part I liked about that piece: rain soothes our inner child. We get weary, worn down, tired. Our inner child is neglected, pushed aside so that we can take care of more important matters-work, relationships, hobbies, blah, blah, blah. We burn out.....at least I do. Especially in the summer.

For me, rain is like a magic tonic for my mind and soul. Everything smells fresh and feels cool. I can find a cozy place and snuggle with a book. Or close my eyes and listen to some music. Maybe watch a good movie.

Gray, cloudy, foggy, rainy days are my portal to other worlds, whether they're in my daydreams or in familiar and much loved tales.

Like Bastian in The Neverending Story, I want to hide from the world and let a book take me so deeply into itself that I become a part of it. Rain can do that for me. When I listen to rain falling and feel its coolness against my skin, wonder is renewed and a childlike belief that anything really is possible is reborn. If it's raining outside, you can bet that I'm in a pretty good mood. I am at peace.

It's where I find some of my best ideas.....

Is it really the Irish in me, like I always claim? I don't know. What I do know is that the little kid in me loves to wander around in a rainy day.....

PLEASE.........

2011-04-18T21:27:00.000-04:00

Hahahaha, no. I'm NOT pole dancing. Although I could probably make a considerable amount of $$$ from people paying me to stop, lol!!!

Ahem. Friends, I've come to a difficult decision. Do you believe in signs? I do. Eventually.

For all kinds of reasons, I believe it's time for me to put up or shut up with my writing. My nano novel has been gathering dust since the first of December. My first, and favorite wip, is struggling to be born.

In the fall, I will have to sharply curtail my blogging and any writing I'm doing because of the class I'll (hopefully) be taking. I've heard everyone say it's pretty intense. But it's science. I like science, so I'm optimistic.

All that said, I've decided that I need to really really for real, focus on my writing. It's hard for me to quit something. Like this challenge, for example. But I have to. My goal is to have two completed rough drafts before classes start in August. Rough drafts that can be sent out for critiquing.

And I really believe this is the right decision because today, I re-wrote the beginning of the nano novel, and it's pretty good. At least according to some of my co-workers. And they're passionate readers. And as I was preparing dinner, another kink worked itself out with the first wip.

I feel that to keep the writing on the back burner would be a mistake. I'd miss this opening window.

I hope all of you will understand. I'll be around on the weekends. Some. It's pretty impossible for me to stay completely away.

So, that's basically it for now. Until Saturday or Sunday. Take care, have fun, look for me when you least expect it :)

OHMYGOSH!!!!!!

2011-04-17T22:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, I know I'm stretching it a bit. But you know me. I tend to break the occasional rule. According to Jack Sparrow, they're more like guidelines anyway, so....

First, I hope everyone is okay after the terrible weather. Hopefully, this whole crazy year will be like the month of March and, since it's roaring like a lion now, it will exit quietly, like a lamb.

Now, on to the post for today. Really, 'OMG' is about the only thing that relates to the letter 'O' here. But I had to find a way to share. And that lolcat kinda depicts me accurately when I find a new movie to love. Here it is:

I simply adore Amy Adams, and Matthew Goode, well that long-legged fellow ain't too hard on the eyes. It's set in Ireland-green, gray, moody, and hilarious. Perfect! It's sweet. I've watched it three times this weekend already. Giving Star Trek a break, lol.

Seriously, I'm wondering what's happening to me. I'm pretty much an action/sci-fi/mystery kind of person. I've never, ever, been into 'chick flicks.' But it's happening more and more lately. Hmmmm......

Lastly, I have a routine when it comes to my internet choices. I check the pics from Lakeland Cam, then facebook, gmail, ichc....and then, just before the blogs, I go to imdb.com. I read the headlines, see who's having a birthday, and look at the featured trailers to see if there's anything that interests me.

Now, I got to tell you, I absolutely love David Hyde Pierce. He's the reason I love Frasier. Well, imagine my surprise when I saw he has a movie coming out. Then, after watching the trailer....I was even more surprised. Omg, you have to check this out! (See how I tied that in there?)

Honey says he has it figured out already. Do you? Think it will be any good?

NINJAS.....Okay, You Know Me.....Ninja Cats....Mostly

2011-04-16T09:03:00.001-04:00

Unplugged.......

2011-04-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

Hey friends! I hope the week is treating you well.

It's Week of the Young Child and we have lots going on at the center. This means a variety of special things for the kids, as well as the parents.

It also means that Director and Assistant Director do special things for staff. How lucky are we?

All that to say this: we've got a lot going on. All the fun activities in addition to all the regular stuff. Plus, an upcoming holiday, picture day, Mother's day, etc.

So, for the next few days, I'm going to have to be unplugged. I promise to visit everyone who leaves a comment sometime between Friday and Sunday. Sooner if I get ahead on all the stuff in the works. If you've followed me and I haven't followed you back, drop me a line here or through email. Sometimes, the linky thing won't bring up a blog link so that I can find you.

It's hard for me to stay away and I will check it if it's possible before Friday evening. Till then, take care and happy blogging!

INIGO Montoya

2011-04-11T08:00:00.010-04:00

I hadn't planned to do any A to Z'ing today, but this one was short and fun, so:

You know how some movies are so great that people just can't leave them alone?

They get spoofed, parodied, copycat-ed.

Sometimes the actors get it.

Other times it's the characters.

Once in a while, though, it's a character....and their lines.

Princess Bride produced many memorable characters and lines,

but perhaps none more so than this one:

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

In honor of that fabulous line,

here are some LOLs I thought you might enjoy.....

PS - what do you think of my new look? Honey helped pick out the colors, the photo, and everything, wow! Yay for involvement :)

Updates, Thanks, And A Coming Soon

2011-04-10T11:50:00.000-04:00

I wish this desk (and room) belonged to me. I got this pic from morguefile.com and it's labeled 'gov_mansion,' which leads me to believe it's an historic site.

It's appropriately moody looking, don't you think? Don't know what I would use the keys for, though....perhaps to lock away cool new ideas? Or, maybe if my muse gets really talkative, she could lock me away and just write for me! Yeah, that would be interesting for sure!

Anyway. First, thank you to everyone who stopped by to convey condolences to Roland for Gypsy. I still can hardly bear to think about it.....

Second, an update about that class. Assistant Director made the call - to another former teacher of mine who's now in charge of the EDU dept. Said teacher vowed to get me into the class. There is hope at the end of this weary-making tunnel after all!

Third, I didn't go to the doctor yesterday. Except for a stuffy nose and an occasional cough, I actually feel much, much better. Thanks for all the well wishes!

Fourth, I may not be on here too much today. A little housework, a trip to the grocery, and then....some writing! I've been making all kinds of progress on wip #1 through outlining, and I want to get as much of it written down as possible. If I have to sacrifice some days from the A to Z, well, I hope you'll forgive me.

This story has been in my brain-pan for over three years now and if parts of it are resolving themselves, I have to go with them. It wants to be written.

In the meantime, I hope you're haivng, had, will have (allowing for time zone differences here) a wonderful, relaxing, fun, peaceful, healing weekend!

WAIT!!!!! I almost forgot! I have an idea that's been really stewing in my mind for nearly a month now. An idea for a separate blog. I know I've totally neglected the poetry blog, and I hope to rectify that shortly.

But this would be something completely different.....just a head's up. I don't know how wide of an appeal it will have, I'm just feeling the need to do it, you know? But before I can, I have to go digging through some really old stuff....it's not as mysterious as it sounds, honest. It will be a weekly thing.....not a daily one, which is good.

Okay, that's it for now. I think!

A Tribute For Gypsy And Roland.....

2011-04-09T10:42:00.000-04:00

My friends, it has truly been a difficult week. I found out early yesterday morning that Roland's beloved Gypsy had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

I cannot describe what a joy and a blessing it is to have a furry little companion that gives you unconditional love and acceptance when you're otherwise very alone in this world.

They see the secret you.

The one that cries and worries. The one that teeters on the brink of absolute despair and wonders if tomorrow even needs to come.

They see the one that smiles when a friend calls or comes by because they were thinking of you. The one that sheds quiet, happy tears over thoughtful emails and paper cards.

Through it all, they sit by you, cuddle with you, and watch over you while you sleep. They wait patiently for you when you leave, trusting that you will return to them. The joy they express when you do is genuine - they miss you.

They even draw you out of yourself in the guise of play. They love it when you laugh.

They become your confidant, your companion, cherished beyond description.

And saying good-bye to them is very nearly more than you can bear.....

I've been there.

Back in January, another friend's companion crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and I wrote this for him. I'm reposting it, now, for Gypsy and Roland.....

Bless the Beasts and the Children, for in this world they have no choice, they have no voice… by Karen Carpenter

Tiny little paws make permanent prints all over our souls.

They come into our lives,

on purpose,

by accident,

as miracles.

The lucky ones are cherished.

We let them in.

We feed them,

bathe them,

keep them safe

and warm

and healthy.

And they give.

Always.

Laughter.

Love.

Loyalty.

Companionship.

Comfort.

They trust.

And love.

Unconditionally.

And when they leave,

they tear a hole in our hearts.

Broken and devastated,

we honor them

with our tears,

our pain,

and our recollection

of all the time we shared with them.

Laughing.

Playing.

Cuddling.

Being.

This week,

a friend of ours

was left behind.

His cherished companion

crossed over the Rainbow Bridge,

leaving behind sad faces and broken hearts,

as well as sickness and pain.

It isn't easy,

letting them go.

Love is a double edged sword.

It heals

and cuts

and heals again.

And one day,

we'll follow shadowy prints

over a bridge,

through a misty veil.....

and be greeted by

warm fuzzy kisses,

excited barks

and happy purrs.

Till that day,

may they always run

over fields that are green

and under skies that are blue.

.....for Gypsy and Roland

RSM 1/6/2011

Update....Feeling A Little Buggy

2011-04-07T18:21:00.000-04:00

First, I want to let you all know how very much I appreciate your concern and well wishes. And also to say thanks for letting me rant.

So far: I can't get into the fall class because I'm not in a spring one. The same runaround as before.

I don't want to take a class I don't need just so I can get into the last class I do need. Did you get that?

So, Assistant Director is going to make a call in the morning to see what she can get done. Let's hope and pray it works.

As for the work situation, we've all decided that we can only do what we can do at school for a child and the rest is out of our hands. I know that's terribly vague and I'm sorry. I'm thankful that I work for people who allow us (me) to come and vent when situations infuriate us (me).

Just to be clear, there's no abuse, no laws being broken. But the situation is still maddening. In the meantime, we will just lead, encourage, and teach this child as much as we can while we have them, and let them know they're loved and worthy.

Lastly, I'm really hoping that I'm not getting strep. Again. Yuck! You may or may not be aware, but some people can be carriers of different illnesses. One of the known ones (this poor child gave it to her family three times before they figured out what was going on and took more powerful preventative measures) has been in my room a lot lately. Ah well, it's not like she does it on purpose.

Again, thanks for listening to me and for showering me with so much kindness and support. Bloggers ROCK!
Well, YOU GUYS do, anyway :)

Take care of yourselves, rest, have fun, and remember, tomorrow is Friday! Woohoo!

FRUSTRATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-04-06T22:56:00.000-04:00

Oh, my friends! It's been a FRUSTRATING few days!

1. Situation at work that I can't talk about, but makes me want to claw the skin off my face. Yep, it's that FRUSTRATING.

Not anything to do with Director/Assistant Director/Evangeline/Co-Workers.....

2. Allergies giving me grief.

3. Lack of sleep.

4. The Biggie: registering for a stupid class. I need one stinking class to get my stinking Assoc. Degree in Early Childhood Edu. One! Last fall, I tried to get into it and I couldn't. Before, students needing only one class to graduate were let into a class that was full, or they were allowed to take it by internet/telecourse. Not anymore. Nope, you gotta stand in line for HOURS (literally) to get a chance at a ticket. Seriously?!!!!

Well, that's just ridiculous. Not only could I not miss that kind of work for a CHANCE, but shuffling people around to maintain ratios for such a ludicrous thing is impractical, difficult, and just out of the question.

I tried tonight to register for fall online. Because I wasn't in the spring semester, it wouldn't let me. I've contacted a former English teacher who said she'd try to help tomorrow. I also sent an email to the lady in charge of part of the registration process, another former teacher. Hopefully, between the two of them, I will get into this class.

If not, I. Am. Calling. It. Quits. I cannot communicate how much I loathe, despise, abhor and detest school anymore. Largely because of the way everything has changed. Before long, we'll need a BA to teach in daycare!

So, because of these things, and many more I'm not bothering to mention, I'm taking a few days off. Sorry new followers! Sorry fellow A to Z'ers! Sorry bloggy friends! I just can't focus right now......I just want to stomp, scream, and punch something.....(btw: I've always thought having a punching bag would be fantastic therapy....I could use one right about now!)

I'll see all of you Saturday or Sunday. If things go better tomorrow, maybe even Friday!

E is for EDGAR Allan Poe

2011-04-05T22:00:00.002-04:00

I remember being in elementary school and reading some of Edgar Allen Poe's stories. They terrified me and thrilled me at the same time.

It wasn't until high school that I learned to appreciate the themes he wove into his works. Tragedy, betrayal, loss, decay of the body and the spirit, guilt, and so many more.

Some of my favorites are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, Annabel Lee, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, and, of course, The Raven.

Barnes & Noble has a book with all his works in it. It's on my wish list because there are so many of his short stories and poems I haven't read.

I always think of him as a haunted and tragic person who, in turn, has haunted the rest of the world like no one else.....

As you may, or may not, know, since 1949, a visitor has left either cognac and roses or notes on Poe's grave. Every year on January 19th.

Last year, 2010, the visitor didn't show.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we writers manage to touch people's lives enough to cause them to remember us....in some fashion?

both photos from google.com

D is for DIARY - My Very First One

2011-04-04T22:00:00.001-04:00

In the process of leaving a comment Saturday, I realized I had to re-do my post for the letter D.

Let me begin at the beginning.....

To say that I have had trust issues is like saying Krakatoa went bang.

That meant that I could never, EVER have a diary when I was growing up.

As a result, I had no place to voice my thoughts, fears, doubts, or ponderings....

In my adult life, I'm happy to say that I learned to trust more, albeit selectively. But I still never kept a diary. Or even a journal.

That changed, though, in Feb. of 2010. I began this blog. In the afore mentioned comment, I wrote that we use our blogs to voice our hopes, fears, and failures. We write about our lives, our struggles, our doubts and even the lighter things that thankfully occur. We share our experiences and wisdom, and the cock-eyed humor we've gained along the way.

Blogs are like diaries that way. It's a sort of safe place for us to express ourselves to whatever degree we feel comfortable with. And we even let others take a peek. Lots of others. And...we get to peek at theirs, too.

Is it because we don't usually see each other face to face that we feel so uninhibited? For whatever reason, most of us fearlessly put ourselves 'out there' on a regular basis, whether it's with random postings about our personal lives or excerpts from our works in progress (which is just as personal).

It's for this reason that I don't have a themed blog. I began this as a kind of diary and I'd like to keep it that way. I do, however, want to always make sure it's varied, interesting, funny, thoughtful, and a fun/safe place to visit.

Because you're peeking.

And instead of freaking out about it, I'm actually touched that you're here :)

BTW, do you like my shiny new lol? Made it myself!

C is for CASTLES

2011-04-03T22:00:00.002-04:00

I have loved castles since I was a little girl. Reading fantasy and historical fiction for all these years, as well lots of movies, has only strengthened my desire to one day either live in one, or at least spend a few nights in one.

Did you know that there are castles for sale?!! Yep. All over Europe. Here's a link to some for sale in Ireland. It's real quick and only twenty pics. You can just scroll down the page and get a peek at some of the inside rooms. Hurry, do it!!!

http://hubpages.com/hub/Castles-for-Sale-Ireland

If buying a castle is off the menu, but you may be thinking about a trip to Europe, perhaps to Scotland, then you may want to check out this link: http://www.celticcastles.com/. It has events, holidays, specials, etc., for locations all over the UK. How cool is that?

B is for BILBO BAGGINS

2011-04-01T22:30:00.002-04:00

Bilbo Baggins is one of my favorite hobbits. (My absolute favorite is Pippin - and he was not the incompetent fool Peter Jackson made him out to be!)

He was adventurous, brave, clever, insightful, and generous.

Elrond had a high regard for Bilbo, as did all of the elves, and Aragorn considered him a friend.

He translated and recorded many elvish tales and songs, and pieces of his own works became part of Aragorn's identity.

And Bilbo, alone, in the whole of Middle Earth's history, was able to relinquish the One Ring of his own accord.

That's something!

A is for the "A" List

2011-03-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

For the first day of the A to Z Challenge,

I thought I'd start things out

by posting some of my favorite things

that begin with the letter "A".

In no particular order

(and believe me, this is a very short, random list):

About a Boy

I love this movie. It's sad, funny, tragic, and real.

And you'll see Hugh Grant in a whole new way.

Highly recommend it.

It's no secret that I love YA/MG novels.

Artemis Fowl is one of my favorite characters.

I've read the whole series so far and I've enjoyed watching him mature.

August Rush blew me away.

It's a fairy tale. Musically.

Freddie Highmore is completely brilliant.

He breaks my heart, in the very best of ways.

Very highly recommended!!!!

This is probably my favorite Audio Adrenaline album.

There's even a fantastic cover

of Pete Townshend's Let My Love Open The Door.

AA has a rock flavor that appeals

and a message that encourages.

Check them out if you haven't before!

Funny Face

Breakfast at Tiffany's

My Fair Lady

War and Peace

Grace. Charm. Beauty. Talent.

That smile.....

Has there ever been anyone like Audrey Hepburn?

Anastasia

I absolutely adore this movie.

Ingrid Bergman is beautiful, fragile.....amazing.

And Yul Brenner just makes me swoon!

A real life fairy tale that almost could have been....

It's not for nothing that this is a true classic.

all images from google.com

So, what's on your A List?

The A To Z Challenge: My General Plan

2011-03-30T23:26:00.000-04:00

Oh boy.

Friday is just hours away.

I read only moments ago that the Challenge has reached 800+.

That's a staggering number!

Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, the creator of this massive blogfest,

posted his plan of action for the upcoming event here.

If you feel a bit overwhelmed, perhaps his plan will help you either

gain perspective, or come up with a plan of your own.

My Own Plan:

Like Lee, I will post a general response to comments unless a specific one is needed.

I will be visiting everyone who leaves a comment, especially those with whom I'm less familiar.

I will also try to visit other blogs from the blogroll that I haven't 'met' before.

I'm budgeting 2 hours per day to visit blogs, roughly.

My goal is to visit people completely new to me as much as possible.

A chunk of my visiting will be done on Fridays and Saturdays.

My posts are going to be short, light, simple, and, hopefully, entertaining.

If there is a link inside the post, it will be something that can be done very quickly.

I promise.

We're supposed to take Sundays off.

I may use that day to visit others who are not participating in the Challenge.

So, basically, I think that's it.

Knowing me, I've forgotten something.

But I'm not going to worry about it.

I'm going to bed!

Get some rest. Loosen up your fingers. Take a deep breath......

2011-03-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to get a quick update out here....

There may be a couple days in April when I'll be late visiting blogs. We have a staff meeting, a fund-raising yard sale, and a couple other work related things going on during the upcoming month. But I will still get around and visit. It just may be a bit faster and perhaps a couple less blogs....

As for this week, a couple things. I can't seem to kick this darned headache, so I didn't visit anyone Monday. Plus I had a few errands to run and that put me behind.

And, I've been busy scheduling posts. So far, I'm up through 'J'. I hope to have the awards post up by Wednesday, and I'll do most of my pre-A to Z visiting then. If I can't find time to do the awards post, I will save it until the end of the month, or perhaps for a Sunday.

Otherwise, it will be pretty light around here until Friday, when the blogfest kicks off.

How about you? Are you ready? I just read that it's now at 600+ bloggers participating. W. O. W. That's pretty awesome!

BTW, my posts are going to be pretty short and relate to things that are in some way favorites of mine. I hope you enjoy them :)

My Kinda-Sorta Sunday Plans........

2011-03-27T09:31:00.001-04:00

Wow, yesterday was a very long, but fun day. The class, I'm happy to say, was really fun. And active. I was ready for bed as soon as I got home......but the day wasn't over yet.

Honey's knee acted up at the cookout, but he still 'whooped' Furby at ping pong.

And I.....I managed to actually get some writing done. On my favorite wip! Yay!!!

I don't know if it was because it was so late, or because I was so tired, but when I read the last few pages I'd written (some time ago, mind you) I couldn't remember writing them. Strange.

It's chilly, wet, and gray outside. My favorite kind of day in the whole wide world. Gonna fly through a little housework, get a shower and do a few errands, arrange for some face time with Brother, Pooh, and Squirmy, then I'm gonna write. For a few hours I hope.

I will also be coming around to see what you all are up to. This will be the giant push before A to Z starts. Which reminds me. I've got some awards to pass around.....gotta get on that before the first!

Are you ready?

Happy Lazy Sunday!!!

No Caturday?!!! For Real?!!! sigh

2011-03-25T22:00:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends!

I hope the week has been kind to you. The tree pollen has kicked my tushy. Big time. Ah, the joys of spring.....

Anyway, because of my wicked allergies, I've been feeling less than perky, to say the least. Thus, I've not been around as much as I'd like.

And to top off this loveliness, I have a class tomorrow. Each year, we're required to have a particular number of credit hours in addition to our certificates, diplomas, and degrees. Yay.

Am I looking forward to the class? Nope. Not at all. I am, however, looking forward to fun with my co-workers outside of work. We're a pretty tight bunch and we usually have a pretty great time together. Lunch is included with the cost of the class and my secret pal is buying my breakfast. Thank you, Secret Pal!!! *waving and blowing kisses*

So, I'm off to bed because we meet for breakfast at 7:15! AM!!!!!

Then, later in the evening, we're supposed to go to Furby's house for a cookout. More fun. More friends. And more food.

It's gonna be a very long day, but hopefully, a fun one.

Honey did pick up some stuff with real sudafed in it. It's about the only thing helping, though I'm not supposed to take it anymore. Oh well. One's gotta do what one's gotta do.

I will see you all this weekend. Either Saturday evening or Sunday. Till then, relax, be safe, and have a great weekend.

And enjoy some yummy noms!!!

Hmmmmm.......

2011-03-23T19:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know that those of us who like to write can really get into our stories and/or become attached to our characters.

Part of my process is imagining scenes and dialogue, sometimes for weeks or months, before they gel or click together in just the right way. Then, I'll write it down. A slow process, I know, but for some parts, it's necessary.

Anyway, one character, upon meeting the MC for the first time, asks her a question in response to her plea for his help. The question at first seems simple enough....but it's actually quite profound. I've thought about her response for nearly two weeks now, and I think I've almost gotten it right....almost. Her answer is crucial because it will reflect her soul, who she is, what she believes, and why she follows the path and makes the choices she does. And, more than anything, I want to avoid trite, commonplace, been there-done that type answers. I want something....real. And bigger.

My question is this: have any of your characters ever asked a question of another character, or of life, that has affected you? Profoundly? Have you ever thought of your own response to the question....and found that you really had to contemplate before you could fully answer it? Has it ever made you go deep within yourself, causing you to stop and look - at yourself, your life, the world around you - and question it?

Want to share?

Just wonderin'.......

A to Z Challenge - A Couple Questions And Suggestions

2011-03-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Several bloggers have posted tips on how to make the A to Z challenge more efficient.

Some of those tips are:

disable word verification
use a pop up window for comments
keep posts short
preschedule posts as much as possible
begin going through the list of participants now to see how many bloggers you can realistically visit in one day

And I'm sure there are many, many more that I've missed.

Myself, I turned off word verification a month or so ago. And on Saturday, I changed my comment box from embedded to pop up.

I've prescheduled a few posts - still need to work on that. And I've alloted about 2 to 2.5 hours an evening to visit blogs. It will be a sprint, I can tell you. I also need to work on visiting blogs unfamiliar to me that are on the list.

Sounds like a lot of work, but hey, many of us did nano last November. It shouldn't be too bad!

A couple things I'm suggesting/asking:

Let me know if my page is easier to comment on/load. Really!
Go to settings and enable mobile viewing. I can visit at least 3 or 4 blogs on my Blackberry during my lunch break (it takes a bit to load, my phone is old). However, some blogs I try to visit won't let me comment....I'm not sure why.....? If you know the answer to this, please let me know.
You may also want to see who you're allowing to comment. Mine is Registered Users. If there is a better solution, let me know. Do any of you allow anonymous users to comment?
If you would like to use your cell phone and have a limited plan, such as 2 G's per month or so, William turned me on to this: www.google.com/gwt/n. This will load a blog (or any website)....without the pictures! All you have to do is put in the address you wish to visit. Just be sure to click Hide Images. This should greatly cut down on your monthly allowance usage while also allowing you to visit a few blogs on your phone. Having no pictures to load greatly speeds up the loading process, too.
If you do decide to use your phone and for some reason, you aren't allowed to comment, don't forget email. If the link is available, use it to leave your response/comment. ****Bloggers: Make sure your email address is available!!!****

Well, there you have it. A couple simple suggestions and a couple questions. Let me know if this works for you, feedback is always welcome here!

Now, I'm off to schedule a few more posts and this evening, I want to begin going through that giant list :)

Dr. Who? LOL!!!

2011-03-18T19:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, yes, I love Dr. Who.

Ever since the first time I saw the show on PBS.

Way back in the early 1980's.

Here's a few random LOL's

about The Doctor.....

Hope you like 'em!

(If you've never seen the show, watch the trailer!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

I Fought The Ides...And I Won!!!

2011-03-15T23:06:00.002-04:00

Monday was crazy. I mentioned that, right? It was also Brother's birthday. Happy birthday, Brother!!!

Tuesday was the Ides of March. That would explain a lot.

Have you ever had something happen so fast that you didn't have time to be angry about it? And it turned out to be a good thing, because you'd have done something stupid? On the way to work this morning, a car was apparently so close on my rear that I couldn't even see the glow of his headlights! DANG!!!! I didn't know he was there till he tried to go around me. Dummy. The car I was following wasn't going anywhere, so neither could he. *smirk*

Normally, I would have brake-checked him. Good thing I didn't see him. He was so close, it would have been a wreck for sure! And I never want that to happen!!!

Then, I get to work and one of my little babies threw up. From our classroom, to the bathroom, and then some (a lot) more. And, wonder of wonders, I didn't get sick! I've never been able to do throw-up, but it didn't bother me this time. Hmmm....

I also left my wallet at home. *sigh* Yeah...a wreck would have been all kinds of awful. I had to drive all the way home this evening, pick up my wallet, drive all the way across town to get the kitties some food, then come back home and cook dinner. Sheesh!

I cooked. I cleaned. I put away laundry. I washed dishes. I put dishes away. I cleaned the kitty feeder. I mixed food and filled up the feeder. I de-cluttered. I (spot) mopped. I emptied the little trash cans. This evening, I rocked!!!

The Ides of March may have struck the first few blows, but I finished the day on top, so there!

Gonna go pass out now. Wait! I gotta make salad for tomorrow! ~~Waaaaaa!!!!!~~ Yay!!!!

So, how did you fare on this fateful day?

****Edit**** Before anyone 'yells' at me about safety, know this: a. I never, EVER tailgate. Ever. b. I tap the brakes enough to make the light come on. c. I always stay out of people's way. Always. and d. Amazingly, the majority of people doing the tailgating that I see are moms. With mini vans. With kids in the car! Cutting people off and pulling out right in front of people and running red lights!!!!! Thank God for car seats, dang!

*yawning* G'night!

Got Some Duct Tape?

2011-03-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

I need some to hold my eyelids open!!!

Monday was crazy busy.

I'll be back to normal on Tuesday.

Er, well....as close to normal as I get!

See ya then :)

About Hope....

2011-03-13T08:38:00.005-04:00

I'm cheating today.

Thing is, I've read a few posts this morning that have really touched me in some way. People voicing their personal doubts, their concerns for friends, the world at large....and I was reminded of this thing I wrote nearly 10 years ago when I was thinking about my sister....

I originally posted this in May of last year...

…of Hope

Isn’t it strange, sad, to see how fear can cost, cause us to give up or even destroy the very blessings we so desperately want? We get so beaten and broken down by life, circumstances and the choices we make that we sometimes feel as if we’ve been fighting the Hundred Year War all by ourselves.

And it seems like every time we are about to give up, Hope glimmers over the horizon. We pull together our ragged emotions and run, summoning all the joy and strength we can muster, only to crash full speed into an enemy, in any shape or form - many would say “fate”.

He stands, laughing, mocking our puny efforts, hurling words of defeat and failure (and many others) until we could no more be as thoroughly pulverized than if a sledgehammer had been used. We manage to crawl away and lick our wounds, and then the cycle renews: war, hope, mockery and pain. Each time, we become weaker, healing less, moving slower toward anything that looks like Hope.

Hope is expensive. The price it demands is nothing less than all you have, seemingly with little in return. So it is with little surprise that it seems surreal when Hope does come and stand before us.

There we are, dying from wounds unseen to the naked eye, lifeblood pouring from our souls, our breathing labored and raspy as it rattles through our spirit. We look upon this thing shimmering like a mirage and quite often, we lay our heads down in a pool of dying dreams and tell this thing, this “Hope” to go away.

Little in this world can hurt like hope unrealized.

Sometimes, though, just sometimes, a few of us reach down into the hidden depths of ourselves, into the very essence of who we are, our hopes, dreams, regrets, past, present - we take that fragile part of us and do the unthinkable, because at last, whether we are conscious of it or not, we understand.

We summon every drop of love, hate, pain, joy, shame, regret, sorrow, want, desire, rage, anger, bitterness, frustration, fear-and with a determination bordering on mania and a cry that echoes throughout the heavens, we rend ourselves asunder, hurling ourselves at Hope’s feet, naked and bloody, unprotected and raw, all our shells, masks and expectations lying, like so much discarded skin, in a rotting heap behind us.

And there, barely a recognizable, roiling, writhing mass, we cling to Hope with a tenacity born of the need to believe in something bigger than ourselves; the belief that, even to those who feel most lowly, Good will and must come, that they matter, even in the grand scheme of things. And from this need, Faith is born.

And of course, that is only the beginning…

***Edit*** I hope no one thinks that by this I'm saying hope is useless or meaningless. Hope is often the only thing that keeps us going. When I wrote this, my sister was in a place where she was giving up. I've been there. Sometimes hope seems too difficult to cling to; we can't see the help coming to us and we want to give up, give in, stop believing.

I truly believe that if you're able to cling to hope, in the face of seemingly absolute despair, that's where faith is born. Some people say, "I hope...." and then forget about it. Real hope is expensive. It requires effort. Those people in Japan who may be clinging to something to keep from being swept away aren't just casually clinging and hoping. They're doing it with all their might. Their muscles may be cramping, their hands bloody, and they may not hear or see anyone around at all. But they hope with all their might that someone is on the way.

Does that make better sense?

Some Quick Catching Up!

2011-03-12T08:20:00.000-05:00

Yay!!! We made it to Caturday!!!

It's been an interesting week.

And a hard one.

Prayers for everyone affected by the catastrophic quake/tsunami in Japan.

Also, don't forget about all the people here at home who are experiencing flooding....

Honey fixed my technical problems.

Thinking I had a terrible virus, we installed a protection program.

Then we learned, er, Honey learned, that our router was bad.

It was 8 years old and on it's last spark.

He got a new one and things should have been great.

The problems worsened. Turned out, the program became the problem!

Uninstalled and working fine, now. Whew!

I want to thank everyone who stopped by for Roland's tour.

Today, he and Hibbs are in Aussie-Land, visiting Denise.

Stop by and check out her interview.

It's like a trip into another world!

And remember, there's a contest for some awesome books,

signed by the authors!

This is what I hope to be doing later.

Cat-napping.

Have a wonderful and safe Caturday!

Blog Tour: The Bear With Two Shadows - Part 2

2011-03-11T08:00:00.005-05:00

Welcome back, everyone. Today, we will continue our interview with the fabulous Roland Yeomans, author of the new book, The Bear With Two Shadows.

Let's give a warm welcome to our wonderful guest!

*applause*

Roland, so glad you could join us again today! Now, some of our newest audience members may not be familiar with your current occupation.

Ladies and gentlemen, Roland is a blood currier. He transports the vital cargo to almost anyplace, works 32 hours a day and is on call 9 days a week. *winks at audience*

Which brings me to my next question.

What is your writing schedule like? Seriously, you do work some crazy hours and are on call an awful lot of the time.....

Well, the ghost of Marlene Dietrich persuades the ghosts of Raymond Chandler, Roger Zelazny, Mark Twain, and William Faulkner to "ghost" write for me. LOL. If only!

I carry a pad with me at all times. If I find a slack time while waiting for a blood hand-off in a rural area, then I use that. I stay up too late, get up too early, but the writing gets done.

If something is important to you, then you find a way to do it, right?

You're absolutely right, Roland. You've definitely got your priorities in order and it always shows in your stories.

I'm curious. You blend mythologies from different cultures, seemingly with little effort. Do you have to do research or are you able to just pull all of your mother's stories from memory?

Many of the tales of Hibbs are from my mother. Mostly, it is a distillation of my years of reading mythologies, legends, and dreaming them together into one rich tapestry.

When I first started writing, I thought how grand it would be if all my novels would happen in one connected universe. I shaped it carefully, tailoring the world different mythologies into something that might have actually happened ... in Rod Serling's and Stephen King's imaginations!

That's an interesting combination, for sure! Adding reality to mythology makes a story seem so much more relatable and real.

You know, I grew up listening to stories told by my mom and my grandmother. Even as a child, I cherished those stories and would sit forever, listening to them, and always beg for more.

Today, we live in a very mobile, disconnected society with families scattered all across the country and even the world.

As a result, the art/tradition of oral history and story telling is fading away and children are growing up without a foundational sense of their history and their heritage.

What impact do you think this is having (or will have) on our society?

A famous city girl of the 1930's, Anita Loos, the author of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, strangely believed as you do. She wrote :

"Today there are no fairy tales for us to believe in,
and this is possibly a reason for the universal prevalence of mental crack-up.
Yes, if we were childish in the past, I wish we could be children once again."

That was in the 1930's how much more starved for spiritual magic are we?

That's actually a great quote and your question, and the answer, has the potential to be downright scary. Do you see your book, and other books like it, as having a role, a purpose other than being 'just' a great story for children?

Yes, I do. In fact, I wrote it for a reader to come to love at one age, then to re-read it from one life stage to another, gaining new insight as the reader matures and thinks in new ways.

JK Rowling appeals to adults because she wrote a good story, rich with hidden meaning if you only but look. Rudyard Kipling in KIM wrote a tale that every reader could enjoy no matter his or her age. Classics are meant for all ages to enjoy on differing levels.

I set out purposedly to write a classic. I set the moon as my target. Why not?

I wanted to tell a tale that would speak to the questions we all ask ourselves in the dark of the night and in the dark of the soul.

I had once been asked by a mother of a dying girl to write a fantasy that would speak to her daughter's fears of pain and death, while telling a rip-roaring fantasy.

I ended up writing four novels for that young girl as I operated my bookstore. They were tailored for the girl's dreams and fears. But they got to thinking I could do that for a wider audience.

When a dream murmured to me about Hibbs in my exile caused by Katrina, I decided to take aim at writing a classic, based on my mother's tales told to calm her fears as well as mine.

If you're wondering about that young girl I mentioned ... some sleeping beauties never awaken.

Wow. It would seem that the tapestry of your life rivals the tales you tell. How wonderful that you're able to take from all the light and the dark and weave together tales of such beauty and that we can now have one of them for our very own.

Don't forget, ladies and gentlemen, that The Bear With Two Shadows is for sale on amazon. Remember that you don't have to have an actual Kindle to purchase it. Amazon offers a free kindle for pc download.

Also, Roland is having a contest. There are four amazing books up for grabs and they're each signed by the author. How cool is that?

For one entry in the drawing, leave a comment. For two, link his book to facebook or twitter. Be sure to email Roland at rxena77@yahoo.com. For three entries, write a legitimate review on Amazon.

Now, tomorrow, March 12, Roland will continue his book tour in beautiful, exotic Australia. Sort of. Denise of L'Aussie Writing will be hostess and you won't want to miss it!

The Bear With Two Shadows Blog Tour with Roland Yeomans Part 1

2011-03-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hey, guess what? The fabulous Roland is doing a blog tour to promote his new e-book, The Bear With Two Shadows - and I get to play hostess! Cool!

So, put your hands together and let's welcome our good friend, ROLAND! Woohoo!!!

*much clapping and whistling as Roland joins us*

Hey, Roland! I'm glad you could squeeze me into your crazy schedule. When I was considering what questions to ask, I decided to simply ask the ones I really wanted to know for myself.

Are you ready? Okay, first question:

So, how does it feel to see your book on Amazon's website and know that people are buying it?

It is quite a pleasure to look at my cover with my name at the bottom. It is a sight I have worked towards for a very long time. And to think that people care enough to pay to read my work means more than simple words can say.

Well, we've all enjoyed reading your tales over the past year. You've created characters we've come to care about and it's wonderful to finally see something of yours in cyber print. What brought about your decision to go the e-book route with your novel?

THE BEAR WITH 2 SHADOWS doesn't fall easily into any niche. In today's publishing market, purchasing agents are reluctant to invest in any novel without a seemingly sure-fire return guaranteed.

That means more of what has been selling.

In other words, the odds were that Hibbs would never see print. Still, the legend created by my mother had contributed in saving my life in that frozen-in Detroit basement apartment.

I determined that Hibbs and his world would somehow be laid out for the world to accept or reject. Kindle Direct Publishing seemed a way to do just that.

LORD OF THE RINGS, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, HARRY POTTER, even TWILIGHT were not was selling briskly when they were bought. And because of that, they impacted the industry, creating new genres with their publication. And THE BEAR WITH 2 SHADOWS could very well do that as well.

If I do not believe in my dream, how can I expect anyone else to?

You bring up a great point, Roland. So many of us dream of being a published writer, yet it seems to be getting more and more difficult to get an agent to want to go forward with a manuscript. Do you think that this may be the future course for aspiring writers? Get an e-book out there that becomes moderately successful so an agent will be more likely to take notice?

Funny you should ask that. I've discovered that agents have recently been tweeting about author Amanda Hocking.

I haven't read any of her kindle only books, but apparently she is nearly a millionaire just from her KINDLE only books. So obviously an outstanding number of people have read her books ... and gone back for more.

Amazing, since she is but 26 years old with no publishing contract and selling over 100,000 books a year on amazon. Her rank on amazon is #1.

here is a link to a blog post on her if you are curious about her.

http://blog.buckeyepayroll.com/?p=6886

Her staggering accomplishments suggest that there is hope for the self published authors. She does however have an agent. But I wonder if the agent came to her after her tremendous sales record.

Still if Amanda Hocking has accomplished this staggering achievement, I believe each of us can find some small measure of success in the Kindle-only market as well.

Okay readers, we're stopping with that hopeful and encouraging thought for now. Roland works some grueling hours and needs some shut-eye. I could use a cat-nap myself. So be sure to tune in tomorrow for the rest of the interview!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Before you leave, you may want to take a moment and check out these books:

A pretty cool collection, don't you think? Well, they're more than that. They're signed. Ummm-hmmmm. By the authors.

Roland is offering these up in a contest. All you have to do for one entry is leave a comment. For two entries, link his book to facebook or twitter. Be sure to email Roland at rxena77@yahoo.com. If you post a legitimate review on Amazon by March 31st, you get three entries into the drawing for these fantastic books.

The drawing will be on April 1.

Don't forget to tune in tomorrow!

Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!@&&@@@&$@

2011-03-08T21:39:00.000-05:00

hello my friends. Just wanted to let you all know that I am currently having massive technical problems. I am typing this on my iPod which is a challenge. I don't know how soon I will be Able to get this resolved.....sorry.

I'm In Love!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

Oh, my friends, this may not matter to you at all and THAT'S OKAY! For real! But if I don't share this, I'm going to just explode!

I've mentioned before about my favorite wip. Not the nano novel (which I do love, btw). There's just something about Tangi, my favorite MC. She's haunting and haunted. She's tragic and epic and I adore her. However, it's a giant struggle to write her story and do it RIGHT. Therefore, most of it is still in my head. (I can do that. It's my super hero power-storing whole story elements in my brain-pan.)

I can see the entire thing, but some of the characters need to be more, you know? And the antagonist(s) need fleshing out, as do a few other elements.

Well, I had a major breakthrough yesterday. Still not what this post is about, but it's important nonetheless. One of the major characters solidified! His whole story just birthed itself, wow! And, his bff....I got the whole relationship, how it's relevant, and how it affects Tangi in all kinds of ways. In fact, there's a whole trickle down effect happening!!!! *happy dance*

Now, if I can just figure out the rest of the cast (make them more than 2D) and more specific conflict stuff....

ANYWAY! Recently, I saw Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time. I have to admit, it was way better than I expected. What's more, I love the soundtrack. I love listening to the music as the credits roll and I'm glad, because I found something amazing.

This is going to be Tangi's song. It fits her in a very different but profound way.......

The passion with which Alanis Morissette sings....it blows me away. In my head, I can hear Tangi singing this - with anger and sorrow and defiance.....a declaration to all who hunt her.

Sigh....I'm in love with this song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Have A Winner!

2011-03-05T19:02:00.000-05:00

The lucky winner of the $35 CSN Stores Gift Certificate is:

Abhishek Duggal!!!

Congratulations, Abhishek, and happy shopping!

Contest Reminder

2011-03-04T06:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, Everyone!

These lolcats have nothing to do with the subject of this post at all.

They're just cute, so I stuck them in here!

I just wanted to remind everyone that today is the last day to get your name into the drawing for the $35 CSN Stores giveaway.

A name will be drawn Saturday morning.

Good luck!

March Is Marching....

2011-03-02T23:23:00.002-05:00

It's Wednesday night, ya'll. After 11pm. I need to be in the bed catching some z's.....

Let's see....since Friday, it's been sitting in the er with Honey for 6.5 hours, messed up sleep/lack of sleep schedule Saturday, completely wasted Sunday, stormy Monday (and no internet), a meeting Tuesday (long but fun evening), and an errand filled/bill paying Wednesday (not fun and a bit of a downer!).

I'm with that kitty up there....except it's gonna be my bed!

I hope the rest of the ~~week~~ month is calm. March is marching all over me, lol!

(This is not meant as a whine; more of a comical and dazed dang! Actually, like Keanu Reeves in Bill and Ted going, "Whoa! Dude!")

Ha! Who am I kidding?!! It's Leprechaun time! I'm trying to get my pics together for a post. The kids are having so much fun with the whole idea of leprechauns that they were sorely disappointed today when the wee ones didn't destroy our room. However, Patrick and Molly (aka Director and Assistant Director) did leave a lovely letter apologizing for yesterday's merry mayhem. And because the kids were such great sports about cleaning up all the mess, they left little green smiley rings for everyone. The kids ATE. IT. UP! It's better than Santa. Times about a thousand!!!

Magical thinking. They don't have it for very long and I love to make the most of it. Maybe tomorrow, Patrick and Molly will make another appearance. There won't be any calm, but there will be laughter. And wonder. And possibly more 'boogers!'

Happy Thursday!

Good Times? Kinda - Sorta - Maybe....

2011-03-01T23:09:00.002-05:00

Wow, I'm way behind! It's been an eventful week so far....

Monday, our area was under a severe thunder storm warning and a tornado watch. Good times....

I'm sure you've driven through gusty winds and felt your car shift. Well, I felt my car get lifted! As I left work for home, I drove right through the storm and the wind was so powerful that I could feel my car being slightly lifted and blown to the left. I've never been so afraid while driving, wow! And the rain was blinding, but, fortunately, it passed quickly.

Mostly, we just had a lot of small debris all over the place and some very minor flooding. The storm did, however, knock out our internet for a whole day. It came back on early this morning. YAY!!!!

In other news, it's March now. Duh! you might say. Well, in our daycare center, March is a super big deal. This is Dr. Seuss week, which means a week of funny stories, weird fashion choices, and a Jammies Day on Friday. And, since tomorrow, the 2nd, is Dr. Seuss' birthday, we're going to have a small celebration. I have to pick up something in the morning.....note to self....

March also ushers in my favorite 'magical thinking' holiday - St. Patrick's Day. Our Director and Assistant Director play 'leprechaun' tricks in all the classrooms. And the fun has already started! I'll do a post later, complete with pics of one of their new, um....concoctions: leprechaun boogers! CRAZY!!!! You know, I work with some truly ~~disturbed~~ creative and ~~demented~~ fun people =P

Tonight, everyone stayed after work because it was time for our re-certification in SIDS, First Aid, and CPR. Our public health nurse is a hoot and she totally knows her stuff, which means we learn and have a good time.

Hopefully, the rest of the week will be more normal and I'll be able to get some things crossed off my out of control To Do List.

Till then, I hope you all are having a great week and don't forget to stop and check out the giveaway post!

Contest!!!!! $35 Gift Certificate To CSN!!!!

2011-02-27T10:22:00.001-05:00

Hey bloggy friends, I'm back!!!!

Yesterday was filled with much napping and general lying around. Bliss :) Honey's feeling lots better (minus his persistent back pain), which is a very good thing. In addition to all the obvious reasons, he was able to replace our router. Apparently, it was the reason behind our recent internet woes. Yay for Mr. Techno-Fix-It!!!

Moving on.....

Remember when I promised something exciting for today? Here it is.....

For the last several months, I've seen giveaways all over the blogging world for CSN Stores. Guess what? They contacted me and I get to offer a $35 gift certificate to all my US and Canadian readers!!!

I've entered a few of the contests hosted by other bloggers because they really do offer just about anything you can think of, from generators to cribs to kitchen sinks. This morning, I browsed through home decor, cookware, pets, pendant lighting and did you know they even have a whole selection just for daycares?!!!! I found some really cool stuff and I'm sure you can, too.

These are from the home decor section.

I do love maps and globes!

This gorgeous lamp is from the lighting section.

You know how I love trees!!!

I really need this roaster from cookware....

Couldn't you just see Kitty Boss and Roo having a blast on this thing?

And the kids in my class would adore this cool set of pattern magnets!

So, if you'd like a chance at the $35 gift certificate, here's what you have to do:

1. Be a follower

2. Browse through the stores and leave a comment telling me your favorite item

That's it. The contest will run through Friday, March 4. On Saturday, March 5, a winner will be drawn. Simple, huh?

Be sure to leave a valid, working email address so I can contact you and good luck!

Updates.....

2011-02-26T10:46:00.001-05:00

Today is Squirmy's very first birthday party, woohoo!!!!

Officially, her birthday is Monday.

For new readers, Squirmy is the miracle baby belonging to Brother and Pooh.

She's friendly, outgoing, funny.....a little stubborn (she gets it honest!)......

And I have her goodies all ready in a gift bag,

but I won't be going.

Following the strong advice of the doctor he saw at the urgent care center,

Honey and I spent 6 1/2 hours in ~~hell~~ the emergency room last night.

He has a viral infection.....

Don't. Even. Ask.

I will only say this:

I was ludicrous up in that place.

Ever heard that song, 911 Is a Joke In Your Town?

It applies to ER's, too.

*hand up, head turned away*

So anyway, because he's viral, and I've got a scratchy throat,

I feel it would just be wrong to expose Squirmy.

Especially since she just got over an illness herself.

It just wouldn't be nice.

We didn't get home until after 2am.

Honey is still passed out on his Percocet.

I'm exhausted, but I desperately need to do some housework.

I'd rather go back to bed, even as late as it is.

Sigh...

I do have some other news, though.

Exciting news.

But I'm saving both items for their own post.

The first one will be tomorrow (Sunday).

The other I will schedule for Monday.

Unless I post it later this evening....

We'll see.

I know, I know....this one is whiny.

Sorry.

It's the sleep deprivation and frustration.

I'll check in later.

Till then, enjoy this wonderful weather (at least here it's wonderful!)

and make the most of your weekend!

News, Information, A Head's Up, And Some Pondering......

2011-02-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

Hello friends,

I wanted to share this link with you. Lola Sharp from Sharp Pen/Dull Sword sent me info concerning Lisa Madigan's son. A trust fund is being set up for him and donations are being accepted. If you would like more information, just click here. I'm sure any amount whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. And please, keep him and his father in your thoughts and prayers.

Also, please remember all the people affected by the earthquake in New Zealand. The devastation is catastrophic.....

Maybe it's all this sad news (including the news about Zahra Baker - remember, she lived in my city), but I've been in a strange, melancholy funk this evening. The gorgeous weather (I love cold, gray, foggy, rainy days...thrive on them) didn't help as it usually would. I've been thinking a lot about the word 'legacy' and all it implies. There's a blog post coming.....I just have to sort it out.

Do you ever think about the legacy you're leaving behind?

On a lighter note, tune in Sunday for a special announcement; you won't want to miss it.

Too, a big, giant shout out to everyone who made the first round of ABNA!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

This is a strange post, I know. And I haven't been around to visit. I've actually avoided the computer.....yep, my brain-pan is working on something, for sure.

Hope you've survived the week intact and relatively sane. Hang in there, Caturday is coming!

Some Sad News

2011-02-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

Please play this as you read.....

Ah, my bloggy friends, my heart is broken.....

The lovely Lola Sharp left some sad information on my previous post, and I feel I should pass along the news.

I don't even know how to begin.....

Lisa Madigan, award winning author of The Mermaid's Mirror, died today. I only 'met' her when someone else posted about her diagnosis (stage IV pancreatic cancer) and her last blog post, which you can read here. It's an amazing post, especially considering everything she was going through mentally, physically, and emotionally at the time. I was so moved by it that when the weekend finally came, I went to B & N and bought their last copy of Mermaid's Mirror.

I went back occasionally to read the post and prayed that she would be healed, that she'd beat the beast that had invaded her body. I hoped with all my heart that she'd have a chance to write the sequel to M's M, visit more sunny beaches....have more time with her husband and son (read her post).

I never actually 'met' her. But she was a fellow blogger. She was a fellow writer. We're a part of the same wonderful 'family,' the same supportive and incredible community.......and because of that, I feel a sense of loss.

My thoughts and prayers are with her husband and her son.....

And if mermaids are real, a mournful chorus will be heard across the seas tonight......

Thank You

2011-02-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say a very special Thank You to everyone who stopped by here yesterday and wished my husband a happy birthday.

It really touched him to see all of your b-day wishes in the comments section :)

You guys are the best!

Happy Birthday!!!!

2011-02-22T08:00:00.005-05:00

Well, today is a very special day.

For all kinds of reasons.

First, it's Honey's birthday, yay!!!!

Today is also the one year anniversary of my blog.

Yep, one year ago today, we ate pizza, watched the movie UP,

(I have no idea what we'll do tonight....)

and I sent my very first little baby post out into the mysterious blogverse....

and you responded!

*long, whispered "Wow!"*

So, if you've stopped by here today, have some Honey-Blog birthday cake.

And know that I really appreciate your presence, your friendship, your guidance, and your encouragement.

This has been an amazing year.

The next one is going to be even better!

And, since you have been sweet enough to drop by here today,
why don't you pick up this lovely 'gift' before you leave.

Last week, dtwilight from Goddess of Cats gave me this lovely award
and I'd like to pass it on to you.
Cause you're sweet!

If you haven't checked out her blog, do so,
especially if you love cats :)

Happy Birthday, Honey!
And, Happy Birthday RDW :)

Happy Tuesday!!!

Happy Sunday!!!!

2011-02-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!

Yesterday (Saturday) I had my first migraine since the whole strep thing.

I took a med and slept through most of the day.

But the headache is gone, yay!

An observation: in lowering my bp, I've gone from a migraine at least once a week, to one in a month.

Wow.

And today, I've been really, really lazy.

Honey and I both have.

And it's been glorious.

Since last night, we've watched movies:

Prince of Persia and The Crazies

We've watched TV:

AOTS, Top Gear, NCIS and Modern Family

And one award show:

IAA (about gaming)

We've also just talked and played on our 'puters.

Now, I'm trying to finish up what didn't get done yesterday.

I don't mind.

Here's why:

My phone can be upgraded in April and Honey had the $$$ set aside.

He'd looked into a phone like his so that I could blog on my lunch break.

He has the Droid X.

(It's actually been a blessing for him on his job, he uses it that much.)

Yeah....'puters are fine but I struggle with my digital camera!

I decided to keep my Blackberry.

I know how to work it.

He got me an iPod instead.

Now, instead of blasting my stereo so I could hear it (mostly) throughout the house,

I can carry my tunes with me.

Yay =D

(The kitties really appreciate it. No more loud noise for them!)

One thing: am I the only person who hates ear buds? They hurt! I prefer the big, ol' fashioned headphones.

That's me.

Fashion backwards =P

Happy Sunday

I'll be around to visit soon!

Friday - I Haz A Bizzee Happeh

2011-02-18T07:12:00.000-05:00

I DO haz a happy! I'm off today, yay!!!!!

But I may not be doing too much visiting. Yet.

I'm trying to get the house all prettyful because we're celebrating Honey's birthday this weekend.

Officially, it's Tuesday, but we'll both be working, so....

AND, I have to go into work later.

It's Book Fair Week, and tonight is Family Night, yay!!!

Games. Food. Books.

What could be better?

These are the two books I've gotten so far.

The Last Child has great reviews and it sounds really interesting, so we'll see.....

This one, While The World Is Sleeping, I bought just because it's beautiful.

The illustrations are dreamy and filled with wonder....

and sometimes, that's enough to completely sell me on a book.

It's a rhyming story about an owl that takes a child on a late night ride through the world to discover who's awake when the moon is out.

Love it!

Well, I need to be off.

Laundry. Floors. Dusting *achoo*

You know. Fun stuff :)

But I will be by to visit later this evening!

Till then, Happy Friday!!!

A Haiku And Some Weirdness - Just For You :)

2011-02-16T09:00:00.001-05:00

Each Wednesday, Jenn from You know....that blog? hosts the Sensational Haiku Wednesday. This week's theme is Freestyle....here's my entry:

I do my own thing

Unrestricted by the rules

And still I belong

************************************

I'm Bringing Weirdness Back!

Okay, if you want to skip this part, it's cool. I just wanted to share some weirdness with you. Monday, Evangeline and I were working on something for Valentine's day and it required that we use construction paper. That's normal, right? Especially in daycare. Well, it was a problem for me.

I sometimes have issues with construction paper. I can't stand the texture of it. It makes goose bumps appear all over me and I get the shivers.

Fingernails on a chalk board? No problem. Squeak a balloon? Doesn't bother me. Put a piece of chalk in my hand and I'll show you the shiver-jerky dance. *shudder* I cannot tolerate chalk. At all. *shudder*

I also can't scrape my nails along the edge of a book. Same reaction. Weird, huh?

I started thinking about it and decided to put together a short list of other weird things about me:

I can't write with a cap on a pen (two years of shorthand)
All my hangers have to face left
I never eat big potato chips (I have to have a little stack of pieces)
After I eat cereal, I have to drink Pepsi
I can't stand to fold paper (I have to use the back of my nails)
Filing my nails causes the whole goose-bump-shiver-jerky-dance thing.
If I'm out in public after a rain, I have to consciously remind myself that I can't stomp in the puddles (oh, but I really want to!)

And if you think those things are weird, you wouldn't believe the rest!

Happy Wednesday! (I didn't weird you out too much, did I?)

Whaddaya Think?

2011-02-15T20:48:00.001-05:00

Okay, first of all, thank you, everyone, for all your helpful advice. Since I don't have some of the suggested software, I went to morguefile.com and picked out a free photo. Then, I uploaded the pic to picasa and edited it in picnik (took a while to find the right size for my template)....and came up with this header.

Then, I had to find a background that I both liked and that sort of matched.

What do you think? Be honest, I can take it!

*******Edit: I already changed the background.....this one has a more 'rainy' look to it.....? Opinions? Suggestions?********

You Got Some Skills? Wanna Share 'Em?

2011-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have a question for all you savvy bloggers out there. Many of you have, in the past, created awards, buttons, headers, etc. My question is this: how?

I wanted to use Print Shop, but in the fine print, it says I can't. Not for online use. Unless it's a photo of mine that's been altered using their stuff.

A friend and I were talking about this on Saturday, and we've decided that inquiring minds want to know.

I'd love to know how to create a new header. I'd also love to know how to create an award. Drawing in graffiti is difficult and time consuming. I don't have photoshop and paint is a pain in the nether regions. (I hate paint!) I've actually considered creating tags with scrapbooking materials and photographing them, then posting them for whatever I need.

Is there an easier way? I'm decent on the 'puter, but I don't have a clue about this. Anyone care to share some tips?

Also, be sure to check out L'Aussie Writing today. She's continuing her Publication Party and N. R. Williams will be discussing her path to publication. There's also prizes involved. For that info, click here.

Happy Tuesday, ya'll!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2011-02-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!!!

all photos from zedge.net

Highlights and Sidenotes

2011-02-13T09:00:00.007-05:00

I spent most of yesterday (Saturday) trying to get around to visiting all of you. There are still a few blogs I haven't made it to, sorry. Working on it. Anyway, while on my trek through blogland, I came across a few things that I wanted to share.

My inspiration for doing this comes from all of you, and especially from Donna Hole. No matter how busy she is, she manages to scour the blogverse and gathers all kinds of important news and goings on, and posts the information in her weekly Flyby's and Shout Outs posts. Seriously, she does an awesome job and you should always make a point to check her out.

You may have heard the awesome news about Roland. But just in case you've been super busy and away from the computer the last few days, (hey, I was gone nearly a month!) Roland has published an e-book. The Bear With Two Shadows is available on kindle at amazon.com. If you don't have a kindle, like me, you can download a free app to your computer. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of good things to come for him! Congratulations, Roland. We've been waiting for this!!!

Michael from In Time...... has been so moved by the responses to his recent posts about earthly angels that he's decided to do a weekly feature. Earthly Angels will be posted on Fridays and will consist of your comments on his blog. You tell him about someone who has been an earthly angel in the comments section (someone who performed a random act of kindness, for example), and on Friday, he will post the comments as a whole feature. What an inspirational idea! Keep your eyes open and your pens ready. Let's make this an awesome showcase that focuses on the positive in our world!

I found that a couple bloggers are hosting contests and hoping to grow their reader-base/followers. The first one is JC Martin. Not only is she working on her MS, participating in blogfests and weekly memes (including a weekly post that focuses solely on one of her followers!), she's in the process of getting married and making her own invitations!!!! Wow! The contest runs from March 4 to March 6, and involves writing a short story of no more than 300 words. The story should be about a race-literal, against time, for life, be creative! she says. For more details, click here. If she reaches 200 followers before March 4, there's an extra mystery prize! (And she already has some really great prizes lined up for the winners!)

Lisa Claro from Writing in the Buff is having a February Blog Contest. Her goal is to reach 100 followers and she's almost there. There are three great prizes up for grabs (I like all three!) and the rules are simple. The contest will end on February 25th and the winners announced on the 28th. What are you waiting for? Go check out this witty and clever writer and enter - there's not much time left!

The lovely Hannah Kincaide posted Friday about several fellow bloggers who have been around for a while, but are still struggling to grow their reader base/followers. If you have a few moments, check out her post, Still Fly and Under 25. In Saturday's whirlwind race through blogland, I managed to visit and follow a few of them. I'm completely surprised they don't have more followers! The ones I found were funny, informative, and clever. Kudos to you, Hannah, for your blog love. Now, let's the rest of us show some, too! Please, check out the post and visit them. Maybe mention some of the 'fests coming up....

Lola Sharp is hosting a Lolapalooza Partay and Giveaway! There are some yummy and terrific prizes up for grabs and all kinds of ways to earn extra entries. It's all about paying it forward, showing kindness - in blogland, in real-world-land, to each other.....all you have to do is total up your activities and post them in the comments section of her blog. And really, there's a crazy list of things that will gain you points! Better hurry, though. The contest ends February 28th!

Don't forget about DL Hammons' amazing Whodunnit - 600 Follower Mystery/Celebration. There are clues that go with the short story/mystery all over the blogverse. You can take a guess early; you can gather clues/keep or share them, and make a guess; you can wait for the blogroll that lists the clues and guess....there are several ways to get your name in numerous times to win this mystery contest. How cool is this? It's like a giant, interactive game of CLUE. Are you participating? Have you found any clues? Have you seen the grand prize? Here is the link to the story. Now, get busy!!!! So far, at least five people (the last time I looked) have correctly guessed the answer. So get your hat, your pipe, and maybe a good dog, and go hunting!

Okay, now, it's time for a change of pace. My blog title isn't a random thing. I truly love soft, rainy, cloudy, gray days. I think I'd be quite happy living in parts of England. Especially the parts that I see on this website. Tony Richards is a photographer, and he goes walking every day. On his walks, he takes the most amazing photographs. For me, they take me to long ago, and far away. They looks by turns mysterious, ancient, modern, sleepy, sweet.....and I want to visit every place I've seen. Can't you just imagine woodland and fairy creatures meeting on these stairs? I want to buy some 'wellies' and go walkabout. Check out his webpage daily. Or, you can click on the link that says This Week On the Cam. Me...I gotta have my daily fix! (photo property of Tony Richards)

Now, I have a bit of a shocker. Maybe not to you, but it certainly was to me. Lately, as you know, I've not been well. I am, however, thankfully, on the mend (I'd say I'm at about 90%). I've done really pretty well with the low sodium eating. No caffeine whatsoever. And I'm catching up in the blogverse. I'm still behind in other areas, but that's coming together, too. If you knew me really well, you'd think all that info was the shocker. It's not. It's this: I've joined the A to Z Challenge.

I wanted to do the Crusade, too, but I simply don't have the time. And the A to Z, I can work ahead on it to a degree. So, yeah, I'm in. I have until April to prepare, as well as to move some things around. Kind of like Nano. I'm looking forward to it and already have some ideas. If you want to join, Lee from Tossing It Out is the official host. However, because last year's A to Z was such an overwhelming success, Alex, and Jen, and Talli, are helping with the hosting duties this year. If you want to join, click on any of these blogs and linky up.

I'm going to put a button on the sidebar and see about linking it to one of the hosts. It's been a while since I was a daily blogger. I think I went on a more relaxed schedule sometime in the summer. It will be good to do it again :)

That's all I have for now. Hope your weekend has been wonderful!

OH!!! WAIT!!! If you didn't make it by Saturday to pick up your awards, please see the previous post and do so!

FINALLY, Passing Along Some Awards!

2011-02-12T09:48:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! Hope your week was a good one and that you're heading into a relaxing/fun/exciting weekend. I'm trying to get caught up on everything and one of the first things I want to do is pass along some awards. For those of you who gave them to me, I'm sorry it's taken so long to acknowledge and pass them around. I'm remedying that right now!

Without further ado:

This lovely award was given to me by Tara at Feel of Something New, Madeleine at Scribble and Edit, The Blogger Formerly Known As, and Marcy at Maine Words. If you haven't checked out any of these ladies, you're missing some fantastic bloggers. Sharp wit, great writing tips, useful linkage, and lots of fun. Give them a visit; you'll want to follow them, I'm sure. Thank you Tara and Madeleine and Blogger Formerly Known as and Marcy for thinking of me!

And now, for passing it on...

The rules:

Link back to the person who gave it to you.

Give 7 facts about yourself.

Award 15 great bloggers you've recently discovered.

Contact them and tell them about the award

Seven facts about me? Hmmmm......

1. I'll never forget seeing the leaves on the trees for the first time when I got my glasses in third grade.

2. Every day in the summer, my sister and cousins and I swam in a creek....with snakes.

3. I once set off a neighborhood panic because I'd crawled into my baby sister's crib (who's only 18 months younger than I) and went to sleep under her blankets with her. Mom couldn't find me and no one thought to look in the crib....for a while, at least.

4. I can be terribly impulsive.

5. I'm not into candlelit dinners and big romantic gestures.

6. My favorite food in the whole wide world is pasta....and I still get to eat it!

7. I was named after Rebecca Boone from the TV show Daniel Boone, or so I was told. (I was supposed to be a boy and they only had a boy's name picked out.)

I'm actually going to follow the rules here and pass it on to 15 new people. I'm awarding my 15 newest followers:

KM at One Page at a Time

Deborah at Deborah Walker's Bibliography

Candice Herne

Clarissa at Listen to the Voices

Sharon at It's Random, But Relevant-To Me

Leovi at Abstract Photos

Laura at A Shift in Dimensions

Jane at Jane's Ride

Marcus at Rare View Me

DTwilight at Goddess of Cats

Jamie at Mithril Wisdom

Leslie at Yes, This Will Be On the Test

Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs

Frank at The Voices in Frank's Head

Nancy at N. R. Williams, Fantasy Author

Beth at Of Musings and Meringues
Milo at In Medias Res

You weren't counting, were you?

Simon from Spellmaking gave me this particular award a while back. It's supposed to be given to those who've been in some way inspirational. I really don't know how I qualify (I'm terribly random), but thank you very much, Simon! If you haven't met Simon, he writes some very beautiful, amusing, and clever things and posts some of them on his blog. He has books that I hope get published soon (so I can read the whole story!), twitter fiction, and novellas. He also keeps us up to date with technology and publishing. Really, go check him out!

I'm supposed to pass this on to writers who inspire me. Wow, that could take a long time. I've thought about this and here is my solution. I am inspired by all of you. I really am. You make me laugh, cry, think, gasp.....and you make my day. So I want all of you to have it. This isn't about being lazy. It's about how much I love to read what you write. Honestly. I'm going to make my way around throughout the day and leave a comment confirming it.

If I haven't made my way to you before you get here, please go ahead and take it. I really mean for you to have it. REALLY.

And for Valentine's Day, the fabulous Jules from Trying to Get Over The Rainbow has created this piece of blog love for everyone. It's to share, no conditions, no rules. Free. For. Everyone.

She created it in appreciation of all the love the blogging world gives. So take it, spread it around. Remind the blogverse why this is the best community there is.

There are a lot of reminders I wanted to talk about, but I may just do that as a separate post. So, in the meantime, get your awards, display them proudly, and have a fantastic weekend!!!!