Brooke Writes Books... and Other Musings...

Guava Delight…

2009-06-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

When I sold my home a few months ago, the plan was to move right into a new one. Then… the plan changed a bit, and I’d move into a rental for a few months… and subsequently the plan changed again… the temporary abode appeared to be more long term.

But, boy did I luck out when I found this little gem where I am currently hanging my hat. Said hat hangs in a guesthouse atop a 2.5 acre guava grove.

Now, I’ve long lived in avocado country. And, at one time, we also produced a strong amount of citrus: lemons, oranges, and limes. When the high cost of water and development made it harder to grow these more “delicate crops”, growers started planting strawberries, kiwis, and grapes. These all do very well here. We even have some macadamia groves.

But I never realized we have some guava groves. I thought guavas grew in Hawaii and other warm paradise-like places. Turns out, they’re actually native to Mexico and Central America. They do grow in Hawaii, but they “immigrated” there.

They’re a lovely looking, small tree. When I first moved here in March, there were just brown leaves. Then in April, they became covered with lovely new green ones. I am still not quite sure what a guava looks like when it’s growing, but I kinda think I am seeing some small white flowers coming out. For those who want to know more about this exotic fruit: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/guava.html

As for me: I am enjoying the view.

Wimpy…Wimpy…Wimpy…

2009-06-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

And nope. Hefty, hefty, hefty ain’t gonna come next. I’m talking about how we SoCal-ians deal with weather.

On Wednesday, we had “some weather”: lightning, hail, a bit of wind, a spot of rain. It lasted pretty much the entire day, but was not at all constant. It’d lightning/thunder a bit. Then just be cloudy. Hail a minute or two. Then be cloudy. Pour down rain for about two minutes. Then the sun would come out. It was a strange day, yes.

However, the weather was the only thing on the news Wednesday. Nothing in the world happened but weird weather in SoCal apparently. Yes, there were a few spot fires from the lightning. And sadly, a couple of people actually got hit by strikes and lost their lives (of course, standing outside in a lightning storm is never a smart thing…).

Thursday was back to normal weather-wise. However, again, there was no news but the big storm the day before… and the prediction of more of the same for Friday.

Friday dawned in typical June-gloom fashion… normal weather… however, the big news stories were still about the weather on Wednesday… with predictions of rain on Saturday.

You got it! No rain Saturday… it was a most lovely day. However, all the news stations ran stories about all the lost pets from the lightning on Wednesday.

I guess when one has 360 days of sunshine, moderate temps; the same thing day-in, day-out (okay… not really 360 days…) any change is a big deal. And with so much continual coverage about the “big weather”, at least the newsfolks learned that those flash-flash-boom-booms are not spelled “lightening”….

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all our brave service men and women... to those that have the courage and bravery to defend our country. To all those who've paid the ultimate price so that I and mine, you and yours, can live in security.

It can't be said enough: Thank you.

Man! Oh, Man-ny...

2009-05-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

I’m a huge baseball fan. Love the game. Doesn’t particularly matter what teams are playing… as long as they are MLB, count me in on the viewing.

I’m not a huge fan of those who pull the “I didn’t know” card. And frankly, that’s exactly what I believe Manny Ramirez is trying to make us believe. I am not buying it.

Oh, he’s not the first one in the game to try this tactic. Nor, since MLB is too chicken to take a stance, will he be the last.

But, please… an athlete’s body is his tool of the trade. Any good workman knows you treat those tools with respect, reverence, and care. You don’t forget tools out in the rain. You don’t leave your laptop computer teetering on a table’s edge or in your hot car. You don’t let anybody near that musical instrument. Hmm… you don’t put anything in your body (or anything that can be absorbed by your body) unless you know what it is. Specifically. Undeniably.

Taking drugs… any drugs whether they are banned or not that even remotely changes hormone levels, builds better muscles, allows someone to jump tall buildings is cheating. It should not be tolerated.

Sadly, it is. By MLB. By sportscasters and journalists. By teammates. By fans. And athletes taking banned substances will continue, with the lame excuse “I didn’t know” until they are held accountable for their actions and kicked out of the game… permanently.

No measly 50-game suspensions. No having to face the team. No giving lame excuses that just add to the stupidity of the action. Gone. For good. Period. End of story.

Cha... Cha...Changes!...

2009-05-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

A few months away… and wow, do things change!

First, I finally sold the ol’ homestead… woo hoo. But then it became mad-dash, break-neck packing (thank goodness for Tammy, without whose help packing up the kitchen and garage, I’d probably still be at it!).

Then I managed to get the sickest I’ve been in probably 10 years. I actually had to spend two days in bed. That woulda been sort of a luxury… except that I had to, needed to be packing…

And of course, I had to find a new place to hang my hat on a temporary basis. Which I did about six days before I was to become homeless. It’s a wonderful guest house on a 2.5 acre guava grove. One bedroom, one bath… quite luxurious. And talk about a dream to clean!

Then… I spoiled myself and got a new flat-screen TV, with a satellite dish. Wow… there are like a bazillion channels to look at… and yet I have only about four that I really watch! But the biggest change is that I had it set up in the living room… not the bedroom… which means I can sleep without TV…

Of course the spoiling of Brooke continued with the purchase of a Bose Wave System for the bedroom. Hey! A girl cannot live in total silence… and with that radio system… there’s like a whole symphony playing just for little ol’ me.

And yeah… I actually have more time now. Not a lot… but I am getting squared away and developing a new routine. And I think I’ve seen Ms. Muse lurking around… here and there… in various corners when she thinks I’m not looking. Shhh! Don’t scare her away!

So, you thought the only change was the appearance of the blog site… Ha! Fooled you. And who knows… I might even fool you more by posting more frequently.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

May Y2009 treat us all well!

New Year's Day has been my favorite holiday for a long, long time. Maybe it's the optimism that surrounds it. Maybe it's just the fact that it's a holiday that expects nothing in return. But whatever, I love new beginnings... and what is more "beginning" than a new year starting.

So, here's wishing a happy Y2009 for us all. May it be very kind, very prosperous and very safe for us all.

Another Year Older...

2008-06-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

...and hopefully another year wiser! Have to wonder about that a bit, however, since I either feel like a teenager or feel like I am 852. But I never feel the age I am.

The little girl in me still loves:

Lollipops and cotton candy. There is something so amazing about how clear and sparkly lollipops are... like glass but edible. And cotton candy...like spun fibers, a perfect pink, and it melts instantly on your tongue.

Balloons. I love balloons! All those pretty colors... all light and airy.

Coloring books and crayons and colored pens. Thankfully there is the "big girl place" to visit: the office supply store!

Flowers. All flowers.... even those now-that-I'm-older-know-what-a-pest-they-are dandelions.

Clouds and rainbows... I am just positive that the pot of gold really is at the end of the rainbow... if I could just find it.

Books... all books... fun books, work books, old books, new books, cookbooks. They are all wonderful.

Kittens and puppies... all soft and fluffy and cuddly.

Birds and butterflies... all seemingly free. Hey, they can fly!

Games... board games, card games, video games, made-up games. That thrill of competition.. sure gets the ol' blood pumping...

The Grown Up Me wishes the Little Kid Me had time to come out and play more. Maybe the Wiser Me will make that a reality in the year to come.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day used to be May 30th. A day to remember those lost while protecting our country. A somber time actually.

Now, it's the fourth Monday in the month of May. More a time to have barbecues, a three-day weekend, and get lots of bargains at lots of sales.

Oh sure, even when it was the traditional May 30th, we had the running of the Indy 500. The day was proclaimed as the official beginning of summer where we could wear white heels and drag out the light-colored purses. And it was kinda cool getting a day off in the middle of the week.

Memorial Day has always held a special place in my heart. It was the day my parents became engaged...

And so, for me, it is tinged with happiness and sadness... and mostly appreciation for all those who have given their lives, and those who are willing to give their lives to help keep me and mine safe. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Wonder of Nature...

2008-03-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

Spring has definitely sprung in SoCal! And gloriously so!

One of my very best-est friends was visiting for the day yesterday, and we spent the time driving around the community we both love (though she moved away! LOL!)

After so much devastation last fall, the rains of winter (and hydro-seeding to protect the hillsides from slides) have resulted in one of the most beautiful springs we've had in years. Masses of vibrant golden yellow wildflowers border the freeways, and acres of beautiful purple flowers dot the hillsides. Everything is green and lush again.

As we traveled, it was hard to believe that such devastating fires had ravaged the area just a few months earlier. Oh, without a doubt, there are still charred trees which won't be turning green, forever staying black, and houses that have been razed with just foundations remaining. But overall, most of nature has returned. Even better than before...

Welcome back, Spring!

I've been TAGGED!...

2008-02-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've been busily wracking my brain, trying to come up with a cute blog topic... or at least something that wouldn't be instant Snoozeville. And voila!!! Randy courtesy of Carol have provided me with a subject! Thank you, Gals!!!

So, here we go! Now, you'll have to bear with me, I am discovering that I am actually quite un-savvy about all this blog stuff that involves linking etc. But I shall do my best to comply with "rules" to best of my ability...

Here's the way it works if I've tagged you:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you. (This is where I'll have a problem...)
2. Post these rules on your blog. (Easy-peasy! Done!)
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself. (Easy-sans-peasy... cuz we all know I am the leading candidate for most boring person in the world...)
4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry. (Not easy at all... cuz sadly... being the master at lurking, I don't know that many bloggers! EEEEKKKK!!!! Something to change!)
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs. (See above!)

Note: Just in case you were unsure, which I'm sure you weren't, but just in case... the parts in parenthesis are my sassy comments and NOT part of the "official rules"...

Now... Six Unimportant Things About Me:

1. I would LOVE to visit Iceland.

2. While I have to kinda admit they are pretty cute from afar, mice freak me out. If I ever had a mouse in the house, I'd have to leave the premises until he moved out... (and yes... there are NO she-mice... who knows where all those babies come from... but all mice are he's...)

3. I love a good lightning storm when I am not at home. I always hope when I'm traveling, that we'll have one. One of the most memorable was in Dallas in the 38th Floor lounge of the Adam's Mark a few years back that Randy and I watched. Lightning storms in SoCal do little for me because they are usually dry lightning and a rare occurrence and a tad too much drama when one is home alone...

4. My first car was a brand new Levi Gremlin (and yes, I was -3 years old.)

5. I was first published at the tender age of 7 in the PALO ALTO TIMES which ran 4-5 stories once a week chosen from the 26 schools in the district. I was one of the only ones from my school ever to be selected. While it's certainly tempting, I guess I can't really use my story titled MR. MILLS in my writing portfolio, can I... darn... it was such a cute story...

6. In the fifth grade, I had a bad staph infection and had to get my beautiful, waist-length hair all cut off and keep it short for years after that. That same year, I broke my finger beating a boy a tether-ball... he was so mad that he lost to a puny-girl... and a very non-athletic puny girl at that, that he slammed the ball toward my face as I was walking away, and I raised my hand to block it... breaking the ol' finger. Man, that hurt! It hurt bad, and took months to heal since it was broken in two spots. But! I beat the Boy at tether-ball... me... a puny girl... who later took up swimming only to discover that she was quite good at racing... not so non-athletic, after all! Just puny....

So...there's my six things. Now who to tag... who to tag... who to tag. Well, obviously John comes to mind even if he claims he's given up blogging! And of course FMD, who also appears to have given up blogging... And now back to wracking the old brain again for four more bloggers to tag... but at least it'll be wracking on a different subject... for now!

Follow-up: First Kiss Contest

2008-02-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

The results are in (actually, they've been in for awhile, but I am still behind the eight ball...), and my entry placed fifth. I am just as estatic now over finalling as I was when I first found out. Congratulations to Anne Clarke for placing first, and to all the finalists. Here's the listing as shown on the New England Chapter of RWA's website (http://www.necrwa.org):

First Place
LIMITLESS ~ Romantic Suspense
Anne Clarke

Second Place
COFFEE DATE ~ Contemporary
Joanna Timrun

Third Place
HEART FOR HIRE ~ Contemporary-Erotic
Mary Rhyan

Fourth Place
HUSBAND ON NOTICE ~ Traditional
Sharon Arkell

Fifth Place
THE RESUME WRITER ~ Contemporary
Brooke Wills

Sixth Place
ANGEL BLIND ~ Young Adult
Sarah Tregay

Woo Hoo! I'm a First Kiss Contest Finalist!

February 1, 2008

2008-02-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Okay... so I'm a month late... Sue me! I'm behind... What else is new?

Well, let's see... (Ha! I can change anything to my advantage!)

Each January, instead of making resolutions, I set goals. I started this a number of years, and it worked quite well for me until the last couple of years. I am hoping to get back on track this year, and so far, it is looking hopeful. Yes... I am fully aware it's still very new into the year.

And no... I am not going to tell you exactly what the goals are... Some things a girl just must keep to herself! Especially a girl who apparently loathes commitment worse than the most stalwart guy!

But I will divulge this: I make goals in each of four categories: financial, personal, career, and travel/fun.

Scorecard to date:

Financial: hmmm... have made some small baby steps here, had hoped to have a giant leap in the first month of the year. But that's okay... I fully anticipate that happening in February.

Personal: I am quite happy with the progress here. The biggest part was bringing lunch to work instead of eating out every day. My very snazzy lunch bag that I purchased a number of years ago, and has served faithfully as a bookend for my cookbook collection, is stilling wheeling from the fact that it gets to go out in public each day. It's looking forward to this weekend off!

Career: Well, of course that would be writing related! I'd hoped to write one short story a month, and I'm about 200 words shy. Easy enough to catch up on... I'd also hoped to scope out a few more contests... which I have. And I am kinda sorta starting a third wip using a new plotting method. I missed the last benchmark, but shall be able to catch up on that in a few weeks. Details probably to follow.

Travel: Well, naturally that would not happen in the first month. But on the docket so far are two conferences. Arizona's Desert Rose in April, and RWA National in San Francisco in July. Two venues I adore! Two conferences I am quite excited about attending.

So... that's where we are in Y2008... which is shockingly already 1/12th over! Where does the time go?

I'm a Finalist!...

2007-12-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

It's now official because the list has been posted on various RWA chapter loops and my name is actually there! I didn't mis-read the email! I am absolutely thrilled!

Okay, let me start from the beginning...

I entered the New England Chapter's First Kiss Contest... and... I finalled! It is such a wonderful feeling! Especially since I love the manuscript. Now my entry is on its way with the five other fnalists to editor Beth de Guzman (Grand Central Publishing) who is choosing the winners.

Here's wishing all of us the best of luck!

Woo Hoo! I'm a finalist in the First Kiss Contest! Woo Hoo again, just for good measure!

Fallbrook Fires 2007 - Reflections... Part 2

2007-11-25T00:54:00.000-08:00

They say time makes everything better, and talking about stuff helps. Well, I'm not quite sure exactly who "they" are... but they are only half right in this instance. Yes, time will make the experience fade a bit... but right now, talking about it doesn't help.

I heard an interview with a well-known soft-jazz musician who lives in the area and he was relaying his evacuation experience. Like me, his home escaped damage. But listening to him recount exactly what I went through, and knowing that we came through it all just fine while literally thousands of families did not just seemed so shallow.

True, we had to escape. But we both had lots of notice. We had time to pack and take the things that were most valuable to us (and make decisions of what to leave behind--like my mother's teddy bear). While I was part of a small group that was police escorted through an area with fire on both sides of us, I was not in imminent danger of being consumed by flames as were some people.

Bottom line: I had a home to come back to, for which I am most grateful. I did not have to deal with sifting through the ashes, nor did I have to seek assistance from any of the many public agencies that set up camp down the street from me.

But I have been greatly affected by this fire. I drive through one of the hardest hit areas each day on my way to work. Seeing homes that have literally melted into the ground. Trees that were once two-hundred year old majestic olds that are now charred hulls. I weep inside for all that has been lost... for the families that have lost their teddy bears, for the landscape that has lost its beauty for years to come.

For three weeks, each day the landscape looked sadder and sadder. Even while the various utility companies were stringing new wires, installing new poles, the vegetation was crumbling.

But then, last week the cleanup began. Erosion control measures became evident. Many of the blackened skeletons were removed, leaving just blackened ground. But it looks better. It looks more... normal...

Yes, time... even just a few weeks... is making this better. Most of the families will rebuild and have new homes. Nature will regenerate itself and once be green, lush, and beautiful.

But it will all be different. Not necessarily a bad thing, but nothing will be the same again. And I guess that's what life is all about: growing, moving forward... changing.

Fallbrook Fires 2007 - Reflections...

2007-11-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

Exactly two weeks, I became a "fire runaway". Fortunately, my story has a happy ending, unlike so many others. Over 200 homes (at least... at first the estimate was over 500) were completely destroyed, with countless others damaged just in my town alone. Close to 9,500 acres were ravaged by flames so hot, vegetation and trees more than 100 years old were killed instantly.

I knew it was going to be a bad day when I awoke about 5:30AM that morning to learn the humidity was only 4%. In all the years I've lived here, the lowest I've ever seen the humidity first thing in the morning was around 30%. Even in the heat of day, the lowest was 7%.

Another sign was I could not only hear the wind howling--one of the things I love about my house is that I cannot hear the wind in most rooms and since I am not fond of wind, this is a good thing--but also could feel the house shaking from it.

Then I turned on the TV news to learn that sure enough, two fires had started at the east end of the area across the freeway. (A bit of geography: if we were to incorporate, in land mass we'd be second only to San Diego.) And since the wind was blowing from the north, probably no reason to worry... except that all emergency forces would be heading that way... so if something else were to start up, no one could come.

Feeling foolish, I decided to pack up stuff. I'd always had a plan of what I'd take: pictures my mother had created, a limited edition photograph from my brother, needlepoint pictures stitched by my step-grandmother, photos from my sister. Certainly important papers and a box of checks. A suitcase of clothes... with lots of underwear. Another suitcase of blankets and towels. Naturally Mac, Dell, and Dana, without question. Lots and lots of Zantac.

Gathering my possessions was not the problem... but I was a bit taken aback at how long it took to pack. An hour. I'd never have made it had I only had minutes like so many people I was learning about who were escaping from what became known as the Witch fire about 30 miles from me. But I had no real reason to worry... in a day or so, I'd be spending hours putting everything back and chiding myself for being such a worry-wart.

By 9AM, the fire had jumped the freeway (eight lanes plus a huge median). Not so good, but still a bit south of me and definitely east. With the wind still rippin' from the north.

By 11AM, they were evacuating the area where I'd made an offer on a home telling them to move west. Decision made: if we had to evacuate, I was takin' my dad and stepmother and their little dog (Suzy) with me... Began figuring out how to get all my possessions into the trusty HIghlander leaving enough room for all their prized possessions and them.

Around noon, my brother called from New York, (about the fourth conversation with him...plus two with my sister...) who told me that the evacuation area was now a huge swatch of the east side... moving very close to me. Funny... there was NOTHING on the any of the local news stations about this...

At one o'clock, decided it was time to pack the car and move on out. Best to get to my dad's place as he's located farther north... Said good bye to the possessions I was forced to leave behind trying not to acknowledge the fact that I might not see them again, and telling myself they are just "things"...

As I drove out of my neighborhood, noticed a house about two blocks from me was fully engulfed with no firefighters around. With a sinking feeling, I had to face the reality there was a very good chance I'd have nothing to come "home" to...

By 3PM, had everything else loaded, including Suzy's stuff with just enough room for passengers remaining. The HIghlander was pointed towards the escape route... which we hopefully remained positive we wouldn't be taking. And good news... my answering machine was still taking calls...

At 10PM, the wind shifted and the flames crested the hill in their march towards more destruction. We loaded up and moved 'em out...

to be continued...

Hey Summer!!!...

2007-08-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

Get your butt back here! It can't be almost the end of you! I haven't had time to enjoy ya yet! I feel ripped off, cheated, gypped.

Here's a quick listing of all things that I haven't done yet:

Gone to the beach... though I do like it much better in the winter when no one is around...
Barbequed... the bbq ran outta gas early June...and just got itself re-filled... so we can probably fire that baby up this weekend...
Sat in the sun... mainly cuz it's been way too stinkin' hot here this summer...
Washed my car... but we shan't even go there!
Planted a vegetable garden... hmmm... maybe we can consider a fall one!
Haven't read 1/3 of the books I hauled home from Dallas...but I did spend a weekend reading Luanne Rice's new one. Wow...talk about great! Currently enjoying Diane Mott Davidson's latest... and next up... hmmm... think I'll ready a bit of Carly Phillips...

And I could go on...and on...and on some more! So, see Summer! You can't flee away just yet..

But here's the good news! August is supposed to be our warmest month here. Cools off in September...by a whole degree! So, yep...though the days'll be a tad shorter, the nights a bit longer... I'll get my licks in! Just you wait Summer...you ain't fleein' outta here yet!

Ain't Called Gators for Nothin'!...

2007-07-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Just returned from the annual RWA Conference held in Dallas this year. It appears my inquisitive tasting-new-foods nature comes out in full force when visiting this beautiful city.

Last time, at the Dallas conference in Y2004, I tried escargot (AKA: snails...) The sauce was good... the snails themselves... they were okay especially the first two. The third one was gritty... yum, yum...(picture scrunched up face here...) I think three escargot are probably enough for me.

This time a group of us boarded DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) and went to the West End. Walked a couple of blocks and arrived at Gators. They serve all kinds of food--burgers, sandwiches, Tex-Mex, pasta. And... alligator. So, an appetizer of deep-fried gator was ordered. Now, I won't lie to you... it did not taste like chicken. Nor like calamari. It was good... had a fairly tender texture, not too chewy, rather tasteless actually. But the coating was delicious as was the sauce! And no gritty experience... Had about three pieces. Think that's probably enough for me, at least for the next few years.

And that's the thing about life in general. It's made for experiencing, for tasting. Sure, not all of it is gonna appeal or be up for a second go-around. Do I think my life was enriched by eating three snails and three bits of alligator? Ha! Not likely! But will I remember it? Definitely! There is nothing like getting together with friends, old and new, and chewing the fat... or in this case the alligator. This first night in Dallas, spent at Gators, set the tone for a wonderful conference to come.

Oh, and the Fajitas I had for dinner... were some of the best I've ever eaten...

Progress Report...

2007-06-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Been a busy week. The first couple of days, those dratted dust bunnies thought they'd won. I had no energy to do a thing. It was an effort to even move from room to room around all the clutter, but I cracked the whip and made myself do stuff. By Tuesday, things were lookin' a bit more positive...and suddenly, my house was beginning to look more like my home.

I no longer had to fear the Health Department arriving unannounced to conduct an impromptu inspection and then board up the joint as a scary health hazard. The furniture was no longer gray but the natural brown it started out as since it was now cleared of dust.

The kitchen floor is again clean enough to eat off of ... and no I won't...and no...I don't really believe in the five-second rule...

Am I done?

Nope.

Still have my office (horrors!) and the family room (but I did make a dent in it...) and the garage (let's not go there...except to say the car still fits...and we know it's a Highlander not a Mini Cooper...)...

But it's definitely fit enough for habitation that I allowed the plumber inside to fix both toilets that were leaking like sieves and both sink-faucets that squirted everywhere but into the sinks.

So life is definitely good in Brooke-World.

Now... if only I could find the words to write... they now seem to be hiding...

Vacation, Vacation, Vacation...

2007-06-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, kinda but not exactly...

True, I have nine wonderful, glorious, free days ahead of me. But I'm not going anywhere. With luck, I'll barely even leave the abode except to pick up viddles... and cleaning supplies.

Yep. I am gonna stay around town and reclaim my home.

Dust Bunnies! You are on notice. Cobwebs and Eight-Legged Friends! Here's your notice as well. Run! Run while you can... cuz soon you are gonna be chased by the Big Red Suckin' Machine... if I can find it amid the clutter...

Brooke is Back!...

2007-06-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Like a bad penny!

Been working like a nut, been to a family wedding, been dealing with family crises, been not havin' a whole lot of fun. But, luckily, all is turning out well.

And while I currently look like hell, and feel like hell, life is lookin' pretty grand. I suppose every once in a while we need that reality check that helps us put the important things back in the frontline.

So...since today is my birthday, and since I got the best present possible finding out that my father is gonna be okay again for a good long time, and since I love brand new beginnings, I am making good on my promise made in the last post.

I am back... with a vengeance... for at least a bit...

Where's Brooke?...

2007-04-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Has anybody seen her recently? Does anybody know where she is? (Seems to be the question of the day.)

Is she lurking? (Nope... stalked the corners, done the sneak-attack-thing of opening all doors suddenly. No Brooke behind them.)

Is she cohabitating under the bed with the DustBunnies? (Ha! That's not possible...she'd have sneezed her head off within three minutes!)

Well, what about relaxing on vacation on a desert isle? How's that sound? (Nice...but negatory.)

Hmmm...maybe she's moving! (Uh... nope... not yet. Still sorting through junk. Who knew one moderately sane woman could have so much stuff...)

Maybe the contest entries crushed her... (Wrong! Perhaps the mail carrier felt the strain, but not Brooke...she's tougher than that! Hopefully...)

Okay...she's probably at work, right? (Alas... the ol' job has been occupying a unfair number of hours these days, but that's not the only place you'll find her.)

Then, back to the original question: Where's Brooke?

Answer: She's on the hunt for another couple of hours for each day. It is anticipated that the hunt will conclude the end of May. Then... Brooke will be back. A little older. A lot more tired. And with a vengeance!

Congratulations, Randy Jeanne!!!...

2007-02-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Yep...Congratulations, accolades, and certainly the writer's traditional favorite, chocolate are in order for my friend...newly published author, Randy Jeanne! Woo Hoo!!!

Her debut novel, STEALING AMY, hit the web-waves on February 1. And I am so excited for her!

I've had the distinct pleasure of reading it along its path to publication. While she says I'm a bit biased (which we all know I'm NOT!), it's an adorable story. It's one of those books that when you put it down, you'll walk away with a really happy feeling. Kinda like waking up in the morning after having a really nice dream, and that really nice dream follows you though all day long. That's what STEALING AMY does.

And I love books that do that for me. That's what reading is all about! An escape from reality.

Since I'm a victim of identify theft, that this book could succeed in making me feel good is really quite a tribute to Randy's storytelling. And to her perseverance as well. More than just me told her that ID theft might not be a good premise for a book, and yet, it totally works.

Wanna know more about it? (Eh, eh, eh...this is why they call it a tease, huh!) Check out these two links:

http://www.randyjeanne.com/

and this one:

http://www.triskelionpublishing.net/Product74170/Stealing_Amy_Randy_Jeanne.html?CategoryID=2920&Index=8

And once again, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Randy! This is just the first of many!!!

Happy New Year!...

2007-01-19T23:22:00.000-08:00

Yeah...yeah...yeah... I know! Year 2007 is already 1/24 over with...and I am finally posting my New Year's Blog.

So...you are probably wonder what my NY resolutions are... Right? Well, tough! I ain't telling ya! Suffice it to say, that I don't "do" resolutions, per se. Instead I set goals in each of four categories: Personal, Financial, Career, and Travel.

So...since I'm not tellin' ya my NY Goals, I'll keep in tune with last year's New Year's Blog, and mention stuff I love. Ready? Here goes:

1. I love clouds. Almost any kind of clouds. Fluffy, white ones. Interesting gray ones. Speeding-through-the-air ones. Billowing ones. Clouds are just a really cool thing.

2. I love my dad's little dog. She is this adorable bundle of black fur with tips of white on her front feet and tummy. She'll hear me drive up and meet me at the door...all wiggly and excited. After saying a quick 'Hello", she races off to find the toy of choice for me to play fetch with her. She loves playing fetch!!!!! But, she'll pause to let me pick her up and cuddle her. There is nothing like a dog's devoted, genuine love.

3. I love music. First thing when I arrive home, is to turn on my stereo. I love all kinds of music. There is something about the passion that pulls me, moves me. Whether it's a slow song, a chill piece, or a fast tune, music is something that is just a part of my world.

4. I love running water. Well, as long as it's not the toilet leaking or something. But give me the ocean, a racing stream, a waterfall, a fountain. There is something so primitive, free and wild about natural water flows.

5. I love birds and butterflies. They seem as though they are just flittin' through life, not a care in the world. In reality, they both have pretty tough lives, but they do seem so cheerful.

6. I love snuggling under the covers, reading, and snoozing. There is something very decadent about that.

7. I love the sense of touch... being able to "feel" things. The softness of snow. The silkiness of materials. The hardness of wood. The velvety smoothness of a rose petal. Touch seems to be one of the more overlooked senses, and yet it's so important to the other ones.

8. I love watching kids play. Everything in a child's world is so exciting, so new. They know how to have fun. They know how to appreciate the little things in life.

9. I love the "high" feeling of getting something accomplished that's been a nagging task for far too long. With the completion brings such a sense of elation, a sense of relief.

10. I love anything new. There is so much hope and innocence. With age comes wisdom. The trick is to not lose that sheer joy of the new beginning...to not let cynicism take over.

And, I love everything I loved last year just as much, but even more I love how my family and friends, who are all so special and wonderful, make me feel special and wonderful…even when I am not so special and wonderful.

Year in Passing...

2006-12-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

So hard to believe today is the last day of Year 2006. It flew by seemingly faster than its predecessors. And with it, took along a few friends.

It's funny how celebrities affect us. For the most part, we don't know them, and yet when they pass away, the news of their deaths affects us as if they were our next-door neighbors. For me, those included Dana Reeve, Ed Bradley, and former President Ford.

Then there's the group of people you don't know, never met, and yet will never have a chance to. You read about them in the paper. Horror stories of how they were killed instantly in a car crash, suffered a stroke or heart attack, or a young child who lost their valiant fight with a disease no child should have to know about.

This year also marked the passing of more than few personal friends and associates. A gal I've known for years--an exercise enthusiast who thought she'd pulled a muscle in her back, but was gone from spinal cancer in a matter of months. A wonderful guy I used to work with who could (and would) always make you laugh--just 56 years old. A pilot friend of my family's who loved life to the max--started every morning out with a flight in his airplane (weather permitting, naturally), but one morning inexplicably had engine failure and crashed. Another family friend, also a pilot--we called him and his family "the All American family" because of the traditional way they celebrated all the holidays--lost his battle to cancer. And just yesterday, I learned about the passing of the father of a friend of a friend. I'd met this gentleman several times and loved talking with him. A professional chef, he loved my cupcakes--he rarely had high praise for food, but sincerely thought my contribution to the party fare was awesome. I'd been looking forward to seeing him again for the next Super Bowl Party...

As the years go by, we lose more and more people who have touched us, who are important to us, who leave gapping holes in our hearts when they leave. My "losses" this year were insignificant to the sadness endured by these peoples' families, and that fact is not lost on me. It is also not lost on me that life is very precarious, very short, and that because sadness is inevitable, time must not be spent needlessly on little grievances or petty problems. Sometimes easier said than done, but always worth reinforcing.

So, in closing, I wish you a fond, yet bittersweet, farewell Year 2006. You, and those that left with you, will never be forgotten.

Tap! Tap! I'm IT!...

2006-12-24T00:26:00.000-08:00

So...the other day I am enjoying myself reading Blogger John's...well...Blog! And imagine my surprise when I see my name! (http://www.pelkeyisablogger.blogspot.com)

It seems I've been "tagged"! So here goes! Try to stay awake...

Four jobs I’ve had:
Savings and Loan teller/Operations Supervisor
Assistant Escrow Officer
MRP Manager
Controller

Four Places I’ve lived:
Seattle, Washington
Palo Alto, California
Dublin, Ireland
Southern California

Four favorite foods:
Hmm..this one is hard!
Almost anything Greek...
All the "true" comfort foods like: mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, pasta, bacon! Bacon! yum! Pizza!
All the great junk foods like: chips, nuts, cheetos!...yum! Cheetos! Pretzels! Popcorn... are we getting hungry yet??!!! Yeah!!!
And believe it or not...healthy stuff like salads, vegetables and fruits and milk and yogurt (Hey Santa! You bringin' me that yogurt maker I asked for??? Please?? Pretty please???) and homemade bread! Even better with homemade butter!!! (Gee, John! and Gail!! (who doesn't read this, I don't think...--you guys have made me really hungry now!)

Four movies I could watch over and over:
Okay. Another hard one cuz I go in phases with movies. I'll watch a ton in a row, and then won't go to the movies for a year or more. At this point, I can't remember the last time I went to the theater--it's probably been over a year now! But...here goes:

The Cutting Edge... saw it about six times. "Toe Pick"...
Pretty Woman... there is just something so humorous and so touching about this flick...
The Natural... Robert Redford and an inspirational, true story about baseball...what more is there to say??
For Love of the Game... okay...there was a bit more to say...another baseball movie, another inspirational, true story. Guess I love all movies like this... anyone remember Chariots of Fire?

Four TV shows I enjoy:
I am not a huge TV watcher...but this season, two shows have caught my attention:
Men in Trees (Thank you, Tammy!!!)
Studio 60 (I think this show is very clever...)
Most everything on The Food Network...especially Barefoot Contessa and Alton Brown's Good Eats (Hey Santa...did you get the memo about that totally cool measuring cup like AB's??)
Some of the oldies that are no longer on (except in syndication), but I really enjoyed them the first time around like Friends, Cosby, Sex in the City, Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, Matlock, Newhart... It's interesting how these shows that were so contemporary in their time, are so timeless today...so many years later...

Four places I’ve traveled:
France (my first venture overseas...it was almost a spur-of-the-moment decision to tag along with my sister...and a trip I'll always remember...)
Ireland (it is just as beautiful as the pictures... the air smells so fresh and clean... even in the cities)
Washington (I love Washington...there is just something about it...)
Yellowstone (oh my gosh...just the most amazing place...so much to see...so amazingly awesome)

Four places I’d like to visit:
All 50 states (been to about half of them now...)
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
British Columbia and Nova Scotia (I keep threatening...someday soon I am gonna make it!)
Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Norway...(face it...a lot more of Europe)...and definitely Greece!

Four websites I go to (almost) daily:
Ah, man. I am so pathetic...
SigAlert.com ... gotta check those traffic flows...
Assorted Blogs
Assorted Email sites and Group Links
Assorted News sites (since I don't get a local paper anymore and the local TV news is just plain old annoying...there is this one weather gal who wears the SAME pants everyday...and they are like two sizes too small...I can't believe management doesn't get her some new ones!)

To pass this on (if anyone even shows up here):
Well, you all are safe! I am not taggin' no one this time around! Mainly...cuz I tagged ya all last time!!!! But hey...if you wanna tag me again...I'm game! Us Borin' Folk just love a chance to prove the point we are boring!

Can't Fight City Hall...

2006-12-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

But you can fight the Post Office!

Last Saturday was a bad, bad mail day. Went to collect it, and there was the regular invoice from Toyota for the ol' Highlander. And there was also my November payment. Stamped: Addressee Unknown--Unable to Forward.

Addressee Unknown? Unable to Forward????

Surely Toyota Financial Services had not moved and had not bothered to correct their billing stubs. And why had it taken the Postal Service almost six weeks to return this to me? And...and...and... why were there black pencil marks through the coding on the bottom of the envelope... Closer inspection showed that my envelope clearly addressed to City of Industry, California had been traveling around Carol Springs, Illinois! Hope it had a nice tour!

Upon opening the current billing, there was no big surprise there: two months were now due...pay up or else!

So, Monday morning had me phoning Toyota, and speaking with a very nice customer service rep. She waived the late charges, but told me that unless they had the two payments in five days, there would be a bad mark on my credit report...and that while obviously it could be removed, it was a time-consuming procedure. So she recommended I overnight the payment to them.

Hmmm...a $14.40 Postal charge...to cover their error... Brooke was not a happy camper...

So...I trek off to the post office...never a fun thing to do on one's lunch hour...never a smart thing to do during the Christmas rush!

And stand in line forever...and finally get up to the front. I show the very nice clerk my envelope and he looks at it and says that's pretty weird. I tell him that since this was not my fault and that it took six weeks to return what was obviously a payment to me, and that since I now needed to send it overnight to City of Industry, that USPS should pick up the charge. Mr. Nice Postal-Guy grins and says he agrees, but he doubts they will. He offers to go and talk with a supervisor. You do that, I think...but wisely say: Thank you very much.

A couple minutes later (at least it seemed that long!), he returns and says that said super is gonna be out in a minute. So I wait...and wait...and wait... and then Mr. Supervisor arrives.

Things start out pleasantly enough. I state my case again. Show him the envelope. He peers at it. And announces that the envelope is not the proper configuration for postal standards to allow them to code it properly. That's why it was returned. And no. They will not pick up the $14.40 Express Mail charge.

What?? Excuse me?? What??? Not the proper configuration? Okay...give me a break here...

I have been using the exact same envelope now for almost four years...hundreds of thousands of people send payments to Toyota Financial Services using the same envelope. So I ask: You are telling me that everyone who made a payment to Toyota for November is getting their checks back six weeks later...and that from now...every payment sent to Toyota is gonna come back...as I wave my December payment in front of him...

Yes, he says...

I am astonished at his reply. So I ask him: why did it go to Carol Springs, Illinois? Why didn't it just come back to me? And so 100,000 plus envelopes are going back to customers? I truly doubt this, I say.

He then asks me where I mailed the payment.

At his post office.

Oh. Not daunted...he says but your return address is in another city.

Like duh... I sorta patiently say: Yes...I live in that city...work in this city (24/7 or so it seems...but I didn't go there...pat me on the back for my restraint!). And so yes...I send mail here...

Oh. He sighs. Just a second he says, and picks up the envelope and goes to the back.

A minute later he returns...and announces the obvious... Somebody miscoded the envelope not just once...not even twice...but three times. A truly mishandled piece of mail. He actually apologizes. And says that yes...they will be happy to waive the $14.40 Express Mail charge for me.

Woo Hoo! I fought the Post Office and won! And guess what! My Express Envelope actually arrived at its proper destination the next day...and Toyota posted the payment immediately... and Mr. Highlander is safe from nasty tow truck drives who moonlight as repo-dudes.

Yep...you can't fight City Hall, but sometimes you can fight the Post Office...Mr. Nice-Postal Guy was pretty impressed with my success! And so was I!

Cha-Ching!!!...

2006-12-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Awww....the sweet sound of those slot machines ching-ing away...adding up dollar after happy dollar. The lights..sparkling and bright as bonus after bonus pops up on the screen... Awww, yes... Such was my experience last Sunday!

We had our annual Christmas party this year at one of the local Indian gaming casinos (although "local" is rather a relative term here since it is 55 minutes from my house on a very narrow, very curvy two lane (uh...would be one lane each direction...) highway during Santa Ana Winds of 30 mph with gusts higher...but hey! it was a party!). I was smart--I decided when the party was announced that I would stay overnight at the casino hotel. Now, where to begin this tale...

The hotel was amazing! Huge! Twenty-one floors overlooking the mountains. The room was luxurious with a huge bathtub, separate shower, very nice bed! (you know my obsession with hotel beds...), a couch and a chair... you get the picture: great accommodations! Could've stayed there a week...

My co-worker and I agreed to meet for lunch, get our rooms as soon as we could, and scope out the party area. Which we did. Lunch was yummy! The room for our party was nice and big and still in the process of being set up, and there were lots and lots of nickel-machines (my personal favorite!). I resisted the temptation to stuff a hard-earned bill down the throats of any of them. Instead I opted to spend some time in my awesome room.

The party started promptly at 5PM, and we arrived in all our holiday finery. Open bar! WaHoo! Long Island Iced Teas--the house specialty. Double Wa-Hoo! Dinner was delicious...a bountiful buffet.

Next was the Gambling Contest. Each employee received a $20 seed, and using only that seed money, could go out on the floor and gamble it away. The one who made the most money in 45 minutes would receive a nice prize. Off I went to search out the one nickel-machine "that spoke to me". It was quite a task, but I settled down at a Cheetah game. Plunked in my seed money. And began to watch it wither. Then it sprouted. And grew. And withered. And grew...and grew...and grew... Soon I had $125!!! Naturally this was when my department-mates arrived on the scene. "Cash out! Cash out!" they implored me. "You have just a couple minutes to turn in your total." Yeah, yeah, yeah, the gambler in me cringes. But I obey. And off we go, my ticket in hand (they don't use real cash these days...it's all so modern...) in search of my boss. And sure enough...I am in the lead...but we had more than two minutes! So the runner-up trots her litte behind out to the floor...places a couple of bets...and voila! She's up to $134. And there is still two minutes left... (Longest two minutes I'd ever seen. Why can't two minutes be this long in the morning when I am running late... or this long when I wanna sleep in for just another couple minutes?)

Sadly..."my" machine was occupied...and so my total went the wrong way and dropped to $100. Ho hum. Time for another Long Island Iced Tea to wash away the discouragement of being second...

After the party, I ventured back to see if "my" machine was free...and it was!!! Stuffed my ticket back in... down to $75...down to $50...down to $20...Big tears are threatening... down to $10... suddenly...I hit 50 free spins! Now this has to be a good thing! And it was. The total began building. Ten more free spins... and building.... five more free spins...and building...and building...up to $225!!! "Cash out! Cash out!" my responsible department-mates yell. "Cash out, now!" So I do...

But then...they turn their backs on me... and lure is too great... I plunk back down in front of Cheetah (who'd doled out another $45 buck to someone in my absence...) and feed him another $20... Ten minutes later: $100!!!!

Woo Hoo! Now this is why I LOVE nickel-slots. And why I am very, very glad the casinos are 55 minutes from my home...up a very narrow, very curvy winding two-lane highway...

You're Fired!...

2006-12-02T22:34:00.000-08:00

That's right...after more than four years of membership in my first crit group, yesterday I was shown the door. The reason: lack of performance. Every month, each member must complete a critique of another member's work or be tossed out on her ear. I did not do a crit in November. Thus, December 1st, my butt felt the boot.

So yes, technically, I was justifiably axed. But there are always two sides to each story. There was nothing new to crit until the last day of the month. Oh yes, there had been one new chapter up for about four days the beginning of the month... the two times of the month I am never home before 8 or 9PM from the job that really pays me.

And therein lies the crux of the matter. Why is a volunteer crit group run like the coldest corporation around? That is notifies a member of long standing that she's out via a "form" email... No personal email asking if there was something going on in my life that rendered me quiet for the month. No waiting until December 2nd or 3rd to see if the weekend allowed time for critique of the new chapter that arrived mid-day on November 30th. Just a swift "you're outta there, baby!"

Of course, I am not so naive as to not realize that I was "dismissed" not because I didn't do a crit but rather because the owner of the loop no longer wanted me there. If it was solely because I missed adhering to one of the "rules and regulations", the group would be a lot smaller than it is today.

Actually, I don't really care that I was unceremoniously unsubscribed from the group. It long ago stopped being beneficial to me or my writing goals. What saddens me is that the callousness of being dumped without a "personal touch" is so indicative of how our society is becoming in general. No longer do we care about the other person's feelings or situations; no longer do we take the time to lend a helping hand whether it's actually jumping in and getting dirty ourselves or with moral support... unless it helps our own cause.

Sound cynical? Perhaps. Is it reality? At the moment, it sure feels like it. But I am also enough of an optimist to hope it's just a passing phase.

Bottom line here: Usually when one is shown the door, it is the best thing that could happen to their career. I'd been hanging around mainly for sentimental reasons...it's hard to leave one of your first groups. But it was way past time for me to make that move. Now it's one less personal email I have to compose and write. And more time for me to write...and clean...and play computer games...and sleep... and cause mischief in general!

It Just Ain't So...

2006-11-18T20:40:00.000-08:00

Ya know that old adage: Pictures don't lie? It's false!!

And that one about pictures telling a thousand words? Yep! A lie, too...unless you are looking for a thousand words of untruths...

And I have proof!

I've been house-hunting this year (yes, I know...house-hunting for almost a year...but I am sticking to one small area so I go and see each home that comes on the market...). Recently one went up for sale that was a model that is really too small for my needs. But, because I am seemingly a masochist at heart, I did a drive-by. And wow! It was in a perfect location, had a tile roof (as opposed to an old original shake roof which quite a few in that area still have...remember...I have vivid memories of roof-leaks...so not goin' there again...), and was on the side of the golf course that I'd really prefer.

Alas... the realtor had not posted any pictures of it, but the description sounded lovely. Lush landscaping, fountain in the entryway, pristine condition. (Yeah...we could also talk about truth in advertising here, too...). But my current home is not ready to put on the market yet (yes, we are still in the friggin' cleaning mode...), so I kept my cool and did not call my agent for a showing. After all, the floor plan was really too small for my needs. I don't want to throw out or give away everything!

But then...this week... the listing realtor put up a picture. Not the normal four or five or six or ten... but one. And oh my!
It was one of the backyard...and it was amazingly beautiful. Large! Covered patio for part of it that overlooked a grassy area with some trees, secluded, the golf course and mountains farther out. So what if the floor plan was small...I could LIVE on that patio, I excitedly told myself! And geez... maybe the owner would consider throwing in the terrific patio table and chairs!

Alas...why hadn't I finished getting my place ready, I berated myself. I knew this would happen, I chastised. No sense in going to see it, I meanly told myself...it's so terrific, it'd be sold in no time...and you, Ms. Procrastinator-Extraordinnaire, still have shoveling to do in the current abode. So hop to it, I commanded thyself.

But, but, but, Ms. P-E came back meekly... maybe seeing it would be just the "push" I needed... And, and, and...what harm could viewing it actually do? Other than waste a bit of my agent's time and my time... So, I made an appointment to see it today...

When I arrived at my agent's office, she handed me the detail sheet to read over, and it says it has a walk-in closet in the master bedroom. Now I've been in enough of these homes to know...they ain't got no walk-in closets in the master bedroom or otherwise! Buy hey...I'm not opposed to that! Even it is done without a permit... So off we go!

Upon entering the gate, I see that the fern-lined walkway with fountain is really a fern-entangled jungle! Hmmm...okay... I can just have my new landscape dude fix this for me...

I walk to the back as my agent struggles with the door locks...(graphite, I think to myself...just a little graphite is all that's needed...) to view the "gorgeous" huge, honkin' backyard... that's the size of a postage stamp. Talk about trick photography! It turns out it's about half the size as MOST the other yards I've viewed! And lush landscaping: uh...can we say "overgrown mishmash"? Yes, yes we can. My heart sinks a bit.

But, there's still the lovely patio table... which was obviously turned the long way to make the picture look better, but has a huge crack in the glass, and the chairs are all broken and beat up. So, I won't be beggin' for them in the offer, I think...

And the "covered" patio...uh... it's bird netting. Yep. Bird netting.

But, it's also pretty secluded, and I can see the golf course, and the view is pretty amazing. By this time, agent has struggled through the four locks with success, and we go inside.

It is very clean. A definite plus. The only room remodeled in the "extensive" 2002 remodel was the kitchen (which is very small but really, really nice!)...and the master bedroom closet which has been made into a walk-in by taking up half the garage. And there is a HUGE dip that could substitute for a skateboard gangplank between the two rooms.

So...pristine really equals permitless...

And is probably why there's only one picture. That has been expertly doctored.

So...the next time you see a photo of yourself that you hate...and think that can't possibly be you... you'll be right! And you have my full permission to refer to this blog entry for proof.

And the good news here: I don't have to rush with the Current Abode Clean-Up this weekend. Woo Hoo! Ms. P-E is most gleeful about that!

Beauty and the Beast...

2006-11-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Randy posted the following comment:

...Once, after the major part of a firestorm had passed, I watched the residual fire slowly eat up a hillside...it was eerily spellbinding. I'm also reminded of a line from the book, "You Can't Go Home Again" spoken by a bored debutante leaving a typical Manhattan party after a fire had broken out in the apartment: "If only there could always be a fire."...

And I have to admit...it really got me thinking how true that is. That something so horrible can also be beautiful. And, on the flip side, something so beautiful can also turn horrible.

Let's take fire for example. I have only been really looking at the negative side of it. After all, when I have nightmares, they usually have one of two recurring themes... planes crashing (I saw one once...that was enough for me...) and the house burning down. And yet, there is little that can compare with the comfort of sitting by a roaring fire crackling away (contained!) in the fireplace on cold evening or Christmas morning. Or roasting marshmallows by one while sitting on the beach. There is also something very primitive and wild and free about fire.

Probably one of the most amazing things is what occurs after a fire. How nature comes back even after the most devastating of burns. I remember a few years back, a wild fire ran through my dad's grove and it appeared destroyed. Yet, within a week, new sprouts on his avocado trees began pushing their way out on on the burned and blackened branches. Within a month, those determined sprouts were tender new leaves, and within a couple of months, it was hard to tell there'd been a terrible fire that had burned or destroyed close to a hundred homes.

I still have a hard time understanding how someone can just set a fire for the sheer destruction of it, but perhaps they don't think past the possibility that it might burn so outta control. Maybe they feel confident that the abilities of firefighters will keep it contained to a few acres at most. And yes, there is a certain excitement to watching a fire, just as most of us slow down to gasp at the twisted metal of a car wreck, not taking into account there might also be a twisted body.

Maybe the fascination of destruction has less to do with the ruination itself but is more about the spirit of what's survived and what lives on afterwards...

Tis the Season...

2006-10-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

And sadly (or maybe not so sadly...), I don't mean the Holiday Season. Instead, I'm talking about Santa Ana Wind Season...which is now pretty much synonymous with fires.

Already an arsonist was at work early this morning setting a fire that's burned thousands of acres and killed four firefighters with a fifth fighting for his life. The scary part is that this particular fire was not only intentionally set, it was started right as the winds picked up. The timing was carefully mapped out for maximum destruction.

I cannot understand, no matter how I try, the appeal of this crime. To watch beautiful land destroyed and ravaged, wildlife killed for no reason...it's beyond my comprehension. I am perfectly aware that lightning storms can and do cause the same devastation, even to the point of taking human lives, but at least that's Mother Nature wreaking the havoc. I am also perfectly aware that with the destruction by fire comes the rejuvenation of the land. But again, that's Mother Nature at work.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the firefighters who were lost today. As anyone who knows me, one of my biggest fears are the wildfires (a fire in Antarctica is too close to me in my opinion...yeah, yeah, yeah...one would also think I'd move, huh...go figure that one!). For me, the freedom of the Santa Ana Winds blowing through the valleys, cleansing the air, means tension and worry. And now sorrow.

One can only hope that the person or persons who set this morning's fire suddenly gains a conscience and realizes what horror they've caused. But somehow, I rather doubt it... nobody with a heart would or could intentionally set out to destroy so much--much less take joy in it.

Let the Sheep Come In...

2006-10-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

Ah, yes. Tonight is the first of two nights in a row of sleeping on a "Heavenly Bed". And, as you can probably tell, especially since the last two posts were devoted to the mysterious world of sleeping soundly, I am totally looking forward to the adventure.

My plans for the next two days are simple: arrive at Westin Hotel Number One. Check in as early as possible to gain the most time in the room for my expenditure of bucks as possible. Briefly poke around said room to admire all the amenities. Then...drum roll... indulge in an afternoon nap in the Heavenly Bed. Get up to take an amazingly long shower in the Heavenly Shower. Crawl back into Heavenly Bed for luxurious hours on end of a good night's sleep. Sadly, one must awaken no later than 4:30AM and abandon Room Number One to get to Westin Hotel Number Two in Seattle. (That 4:30AM wake-up call is just obscene in my book...but that's a whole other story...)

Upon arriving in Seattle, the plan for the afternoon is again simple. Arrive at Westin Hotel Number Two as early as possible...check out the room... another afternoon nap (hey! it's supposed to be raining in The Emerald City tomorrow!), another shower in the Heavenly Shower... and more sleeping! Fortunately Thursday morning brings no ungodly-hour wake-up calls.

Do I have sleeping on the brain? Maybe just a wee bit. Is this any way to start out a vacation? Well, it *is* my vacation...and I can do whatever I want, I say a bit petulantly... And no... I shall not be traveling from hotel to hotel and sleeping or showering the entire time. But the first two days...I am enjoying them to the max!

And...now... the subject of sleep is put to bed!

More on Sleeping...

2006-10-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

It's apparently an annual thing...to rank the best and worst cities for sleeping.

For Year 2006, the "winners' of the worst were...drum roll, please:

Number Five: St. Louis!
Number Four: New York!
Number Three: Houston! (one more reason to not attend the RT Convention in April...)
Number Two: Nashville!
and we already know who took top honors (if you read my last blog entry, that is!!!)
Number One: Atlanta!

What's more interesting, however, are the best places for sleep. Topping the list is: get ready...your eyes are probably gonna fall out...:

Number One: Anaheim! Anaheim, California!!!
Number Two: Los Angeles. Los Angeles???? Yep...Los Angeles...
Number Three: Raleigh-Durham
Number Four: Minneapolis
Number Five: Chicago

Okay...so maybe Anaheim wins this year cuz it's the home of the "happiest place on Earth"...that would be Disneyland just in case you are still in a state of stupor over the fact that LA came in a close second...

And last time around it was second...Minneapolis was first, followed by San Diego in third. This time around, San Diego didn't even make the list!

So...I am thinkin' that my sudden lack of being able to sleep has nothing to do with the fear of beer bottles, eggs, firecrackers, etc. hurtling themselves into my backyard while I slumber, but rather whatever unknown reasons that no one seems to want to divulge on these surveys at work that has tumbled San Diego out of the top five of best places to sleep. I am just confirming the truth of the survey.

It a hard job..but somebody has to do it... And no...Seattle is not on any of the lists...

Now It All Makes Sense!!...

2006-09-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

One of the big reasons I love staying in hotels is how well I sleep! No worries about someone jumping the fence into my backyard (okay, hasn't happened yet, but I have found beer bottles tossed in, eggs hurled in, trash flipped in...and it did happen to a near-neighbor of mine...). No concerns about the place burning down (I know for a fact that hotel fire alarms screech loudly enough to arouse a deaf person...those Oracle software boys may know how to write groovy programs, but they can't operate a microwave to save their souls--witness burning, flaming popcorn...yes...flaming... that caused their smoke detector to go off and send them outta their unit next to mine to retrieve the fire extinguisher...). No worries about oversleeping cuz...well, I'm on vacation!!!

I was particularly looking forward to my stay at the Atlanta Marriott a couple months back because I hadn't been sleeping well due to the thousand degree temps (okay...116F which is damned hot even by desert-standards...) and other assorted reasons. And to add to my excitement, I was staying on the Concierge Level which meant a bigger room, a better bed, a quieter floor. And, I got all those things.

Yet, I slept no better than at home. Maybe slept even worse!

The first night, I figured I was just overly tired and excited about being in Atlanta. The second night, I decided I was still overly tired and excited about being in Atlanta. The third night, I chalked it up to the vitamins I was taking that were new...except I'd been taking them for almost a month. The fourth night, I concluded it must be the abundance of sirens. But deep down, I was mystified...and bummed. I had sooooo been looking forward to some quality rest. Were my days of sleeping well in hotels over? Alas, a dismal thought at best.

But hope for future deep slumbering in beds away from home reigns supreme! A new study came out of the best and worst cities for sleeping. And guess what city topped the list? Atlanta! Atlanta, Georgia! The Peachtree Capital is the lousiest place for sleeping!

Woo Hoo! Life is good again as I can anticipate my wonderful night's sleep next month in Seattle... on a Heavenly Bed, even! And no! Don't even bring up Sleepless in Seattle...hear me!

A Turning Leaf...

2006-09-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of Autumn 2006! Hi Autumn!!!! Hope you enjoy your stay!!

I actually felt Ms. Autumn sneaking in about a week early. (Eh, eh, eh...your secret is safe with me!) When she arrives (okay...so maybe not so safe...), the air just feels different--a bit of cool-crispness underneath the heat. The sunshine is just a bit less bright. Certainly the days are getting shorter...dark in the morning until after 6AM, dark in the evening now by 7PM.

I love autumn. It's like a fun, last fling before winter sets in. I feel invigorated because of it.

Of course, where I live we don't see the vivid colors of fall that a lot of the country is showered in. It is much more subtle. The liquid amber trees begin turning yellow and then a beautiful deep red that lasts until late January if the winter storms are light. Orange, rust and yellow chrysanthemums and other fall flowers pop up in yards and shopping center planters. Soon the perky, pansies that just make you wanna smile cuz they are so happy will begin showing up.

The days here are still warm but the nights are cool. Cool enough you have to close your windows at night, and even think about putting on an extra blanket. But the mornings are glorious, clear, dewy, and the promise of a perfect day ahead.

Ah, yes. This is definitely my favorite season. So, Welcome, Ms. Autumn! I hope you stick around for quite a while this year because I am going to do my best to enjoy each and every day of your visit!

Blog Post Follow-ups...

2006-09-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Been doin' a lot of cleaning and organizing and tossing away around the house lately, so I thought now might be a good time to follow-up on some previous blog topics.

Number 1: Roof, Ceiling, Yard Drainage...

As you may remember, the roof and ceiling were fixed last year, and to date the waterfall in the kitchen is becoming a distant, nightmarish memory. However, it seems the light fixture in the kitchen may be a casualty after all. After putting in two sets of new bulbs, I am still without light in there. Must say, it does make cooking and cleaning at night a tad difficult. Gonna have to have that resolved as the end of daylight savings time is fast approaching...remember, home repairs seem to take months and months and months....

The drainage repair is complete and the new landscaping is about 85% done. I have grass!!!!! Beautiful green grass!!!!! Lush perfect green grass...that I noticed some weeds in today!!!! ACK!!!! And lemme tell ya...I'd better NOT be seein' any gopher holes out there....

Number 2: Pomegranate Juice...

I may have been a bit hasty on my decision to never taste the stuff again. After searching high and low for pomegranate pills, to no avail, I learned that Landers has Pomegranate/Cranberry Juice. Now I LOVE cranberry juice. Have been a fan of it for years. So I nervously bought a bottle of the one with pomegranate juice mixed in. And guess what??? Yes!!!! It's awesome!!!! I LOVE it! Even more than the straight cranberry juice. And mixing it with vodka...wow!!! Now there's a drink that'll be showing up on the bar circuit soon! Especially with a tad of peach water mixed in... Seriously, I have altered my opinion on pomegranate juice enough to seriously consider that Dumb, Awful Alberston's may have sold me a bad bottle.

Number 3: Highlander Woes...

Well, the other night I go to get in my car to trek home. and... you got it...it won't start! At least the tow this time was only five miles so it was covered. I think Mr. Highlander must have liked riding on top of the tow truck looking down on all the other vehicles. The good news this time (well, except for the bill!) was they found the problem and fixed it. Can't believe how much better Mr. Highlander runs now that he's all fixed up with a new idle air-control valve. And since he hasn't been washed since the first tow-truck experience, I can now have that chore back again. But not too soon... courtesy of Toyota, he had a bath before he was returned to me. Guess Toyota doesn't like to see their cars running around a filthy brown color...

So...that's life in Brooke-World at the moment. We now return to cleaning, organizing, and throwing out of...of... stuff. Stay tuned...

Integrity in Journalism...

2006-08-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Now there's a joke! Integrity in journalism. I think that went out with Ike! (And no....I am not old enough to remember Ike...so don't even go there!)

I was watching the news for a bit this morning and remembered why I'd stopped watching it! Lousy reporting. It's all about the ratings... not even getting the scoop... just reporting anything.

I've always been bothered by the dumb questions reporters ask during an interview. One incident that sticks out in my mind to this day actually occurred in the 80's. There was horrible flooding in this area...people had to flee to their roofs because a levy had broken. They were rescued by helicopter. There was one gal, probably about 20 or so, who couldn't swim and she was understandably terrified. She was plucked from the rooftop with cameras rolling. When she got her feet on dry land, a warm towel around her, she was shaking, in shock, and babbling, "I thought I was gonna die! I thought I was gonna die." Some insensitive local reporter stuck a microphone in her face, and said: "Can you tell us how you felt?" Well...geez...man! The woman thought she was gonna die! How would he feel...if he couldn't swim...the water was rising... houses around her were washing away... "Oh...I was thinking I'd go to the mall after I got rescued..." I think that was the day, I gave up on local news.

This morning I heard about a commuter plane going down. So I flipped on TV to see if they had more details, and caught a press conference with the Kentucky coroner. Have to give the man points for patience! Dumb question number one: How does this compare with other plane crashes you've seen? His answer: This is my first one. Dumb question number two: Do you think the plane went off the wrong runway? His answer: I have no idea. I am the coroner. Next dumb question: Is there a passenger list? At this point, you could see the guy start to roll his eyes and catch himself just in time. His answer: I'm sure there is. I haven't seen it. It's probably at the airport. I have to go now...

Now I realize both these scenes were during times of high stress and there was loss of life in both. But reporters are supposed to be trained professionals... not three-year olds who have discovered the magic of asking questions...

So...I've renamed the various news networks.

ABC = Asinine Broadcasting Corporation
CBS: Crummy Broadcasting Service
CNN = Crappy News Network (since this was the network this morning...)
NBC = No-Brain Broadcasting Company
MSNBC = More Silly No-Brain Broadcasting Company

Now... I am leaving FOX up to you! Whaddya say? Any ideas... and no! using the F-word does not count! Sorry, no prizes..but the best answer might reappear in a later blog entry. Ain't that incentive enough?!!

Mixed Messages...

2006-08-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

They talk about relationships being full of communicative pitfalls. Well, lemme tell ya! Boy/Girl snafus ain't got nothin' on the writing world!

When every new writer starts out, they write for the joy of simply writing. They put words to the paper. They tell a wonderful story. They read it over a few times. It's perfect, they announce. They have their family and friends read it over and receive rave reviews. They send their baby out into the cold, cruel world of harsh editors, who read the first few lines and cringe. A rejection wings the baby back home to the new, happy writer. Whose world crashes as innocence is stripped away taking the simple joy of writing along with it.

And thus begins a new phase in the writer's life: learning all they can about the craft. And thus begins all the mixed messages. Ready for a few? Here we go!

POV: Never head-hop, Ms. Writer is told. Stick to one POV per chapter. No, stick to one POV per scene. Wait! Stick to one POV, period. No, it's okay to switch POVs mid-scene if you do it well. Halt the presses! If your name is Nora (as in Roberts!) or Jayne (as in Ann Krentz!), it's okay to switch POV several times within a scene...but only if you own that name...which by the way (some snide crit partner will shatter Ms. Writer's world...again...) you're not, and never will be... so don't do it. Oh, and then, there's all the different types of POVs. Ms. Writer wonders quite innocently: What the hell does POV mean anyways... For the record...it means Point of View... Ms. Writer begins to feel a tad overwhelmed.

Then...there's the outline vs. pantster way of writing... there are elaborate methods to help Ms. Writer create the perfect story. Diagrams, Boxes, Spreadsheets, Sticky Notes, White Boards... anything one can think of...the writing world has created to help Ms. Writer along in her quest for publication. Problem is, every method sounds so stinkin' good until you try it. And of course, there's the panster method where one just sits down and writes. But Ms. Writer is now a bit leery of that method since it's what she did the first time around and Baby got sent home with its tail between its legs... So at first she wonders, do I do all these methods at the same time...or one at a time. Do I have to do one of these methods. And then...suddenly another message is hurled her way: do what works for you. But herein lies the problem: Ms. Writer has no clue what works for her. She ain't succeeded yet!

GMC: Gotta love this one! Ms. Writer worries: GMC. Sounds like the car corporation. Then she learns it stands for Goal, Motivation, Conflict. Ah! Okay. Gotta have that in a story. Realization hits. Her story doesn't have any of that, will never have any of that, and the reason why: who knows what the heck any of those things are! And so, the learning quest continues... and Ms. Writer's head continues to spin.

HEA: A romance has to have that...right? Ms. Writer yanks out her code-deciphering guide. Oh! HEA = Happily Ever After... okay. Sounds fair enough. But ChickLit instantly breaks that rule and it's okay. So does Women's Fiction, which has strong romantic elements but not necessarily a HEA. But you gotta have that. Right? Right?? Well, maybe not... Ms. Writer suppresses the urge to scream and pull out graying hairs. Maybe a glass of wine will help clear up matters.

Then there's the whole genre thing... Historicals are dead. Especially Regency Historicals. ChickLit is on its way out. Sex is hot. Inspirationals with no sex are hot. But as she pours the last of the wine into her glass, shaking out every last drop and then peering into the bottle to check for any lingering liquid, Ms. Writer reads what editors are looking for: Historicals. Regencies. ChickLit. But aren't these dead or on last legs? Maybe...maybe not! Where's the chocolate? Bring on the chocolate!

So...what's a girl to do. Write, that's what! Just plain old write. Develop her own voice, her own style. Return to that innocent stage of writing when it was fun. But keep in mind all the rules that make a story tight, that make it publishable. Hey wait!!!! Isn't that another mixed message??? You betcha, Baby! And isn't that what makes this business fun? That makes it a challenge? That makes it so damned rewarding? It sure is... or is writing just a free pass to eating all the chocolate one can consume and slugging back lots of fine Merlot...

Awesome Atlanta...

2006-08-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, now that everyone has expounded on the Atlanta Experience...and some are even planning Dallas next year already, I figure I'll chime in with my thoughts. Not a day late, a dollar short, or anything like that. Just want to re-live the fun; rekindle the experience a wee bit more.

Bottom line: I had an absolutely wonderful conference experience. I'd have to say: Atlanta was my best national conference to date. While I've heard a lot of attendees say the same thing, maybe Atlanta was just a stand-out event (kudos to the planners!), I think a lot also had to do with my attitude.

This is the first national conference I've attended with no planned agenda, no expectations, nothing I simply "had" to do. I know my way around the conference circuit now, so I decided to just go and absorb the experience. Go to workshops that looked "enjoyable" as opposed to "educational", and I would not take diligent notes. I'd listen and absorb instead. I did not sign up for any editor/agent appointments. I refused to pitch my work at every twist and turn. I would not, not, not buy ANY tapes.

As a result, I attended more workshops than I have in a long time...and they were all awesome! I liked the fact that this year they had more than one on each subject matter. This made it possible to do two things: first: go to both and compare the info, or second: be able to miss one and yet still go to a live one. (Remember that declaration about NO tapes???)

I went to a couple of book signings that were not mad frenzies cuz I got there late...and they actually still had books with authors to sign them. Had a lovely conversation with Ed Gaffey while waiting for his wife to sign books for those in front of me. He was incredibly interesting...he is now on my "to buy his book" list just because he was so nice (see below...he fit right in with the theme of the conference...). Then I finally reached the front of the line, and even though there were still at least ten people now behind me, his wife, Suzanne Brockmann, spent a good two minutes chatting with me. A very enjoyable morning...and I was so controlled, I only came away with three books...three books I really wanted.

Did some wonderful sightseeing events. First to CNN Headquarters...they put on an AMAZING tour. Then the following day we went to the Georgia Aquarium...now billed as the largest aquarium in the world. It was quite impressive, way too crowded, the beluga whales were gorgeous, and I purchased two CD's of oceany-aquariumy-new agey-relaxation type music that are just as nice at home as they were there. And... did you know there are HILLS in Atlanta? Not exactly like the hills in San Francisco or Seattle (at least the part we were in...) but some damned steep inclines. Geez...who knew!

Had a fun lunch with the ACME Crit Group I'm a member of, and received a new pin for my badge. Went to a really fun party thrown by the Chick-Lit Chapter and won a book (that looks great!) and received another new, very cute pin for my badge. Ventured to the Ritz-Carlton for the Ballantine-Bantam-Dell cocktail party and spent the evening by the huge floor fan. That very strategic move (oh, okay...totally unplanned...a lucky break! geez...) had all kinds of wonderful, entertaining people coming by for a few minutes of chatting. It was definitely a success. One memorable moment of the party actually took place outside where my friend, Randy, and I went for a cigarette break. There we talked with a very nice bellboy who'd recently moved to Atlanta after escaping and losing most everything to Hurricane Katrina. His upbeat attitude was truly an inspiration to us all. Also went to the top of the Hyatt Hotel to their revolving restaurant 72 floors up. What a spectacular view of the city...all 360 degrees of it! And...on our last night...we got our thunderstorm!

The general message of this year's conference was to be professional in all writing dealings...to be nice. That really resonated with me. And it must have resonated with others, too, as it just felt like a "happy" conference. Atlanta is a beautiful city and everyone was so friendly and helpful. Yes...it was a definitely a wonderful conference experience.

Oh...you are wondering about those tapes I was not, not, not...under any circumstances.. gonna buy? Well, the entire conference set should be arriving in my mailbox in another three or four weeks. Hey! I'm not perfect!

Hey, July!!!!!!

2006-08-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Where'd ya go???? Huh???? Are you hiding? Well, get back here!

Certainly would be nice if we could just summon back a month that whizzed by without our hardly noticing it, wouldn't it? I feel rather cheated! Now, let's see what I did...

Well, the first weekend was 4th of July. Had great intentions of getting a ton accomplished (yeah, yeah, yeah, the usual plan...) A big list of stuff to accomplish over the four-day holiday. As I recall, it was beastly hot! The landscape renovation had just begun, and we were in the process of waiting for the round-up to get rid of the weeds. The tree roots that were sprouting everywhere had been trimmed, the trees themselves had been trimmed, things were looking good... well, except for all that brown grass that covered about 75% of the area. And good news: my firecracker-lovin' "friends" next door seemed to be taking the weekend off.

The following weekend, my good karma went on vacation. Another big list of things to do. Sunday, I started out ambitiously by washing my very dirty mode of transportation to discover there was a very beautiful vehicle masquerading under all that grime. Then it decided not to start after dining at Carl's Jr. Uh, picture 100 degree heat here...me, my stubborn car, waiting for a tow truck. Thirty minutes later, it did arrive, and the very cute tow truck driver couldn't start it either. Damn. So, I had to have it towed 35 miles to the dealer. About halfway there, the driver calmly says: I hope you have a way home because I can't bring you back. Uh, oh. Like NO!!!! But needless to say, I worked out that curve ball. Then, of course, the car started at the dealer, and they can't find a thing out of sorts, meaning... I now feel like I have an undependable car...which was why I brought a new car in the first place... the beat goes on.

Next weekend... Good Karma was still on vacation! Got up nice and early to get a head start on chores. First on the list: laundry. Last rinse of the first load, the toilet starts gurgling, a wretched sewer-smell drifts into my closed-up house that is trying to keep out the 100 degree heat...life in Brooke-World is NOT good. Have to call the landscaper first cuz he's buried the sewer-manhole with new dirt for the new lawn (yes...progess happened in the weeks of July!), then called the sewer company who came out and unclogged their lines from my tree roots...grrrr. This is not so good since they were out over Christmas. But they say they will pour stuff in that will stop it once and for all this time. We shall see... the beat goes on!

Weekend Three... had to get ready to leave for the National Conference in Atlanta, which entailed packing, and doing some cleaning... and spending LOTS of time admiring my new lawns! The car ran fine... the sewer lines seemed okay... I am paranoid on both scores since the sink in the bath seems to be draining very slowly... the beat goes on!

Last weekend, I was returning home from Atlanta. Had a wonderful time. Have to say, it was probably the best national conference I've attended. Got so much out of it by not having an agenda...no plans, no lists... just went. Hmmm... can I maybe apply this to other areas of my life... Toss the lists... might be worth considering.

July was very busy, it just flew by. I did get a lot of work done on my current manuscript, have only about fifty pages to go. The landscaping is about 85% complete. A few more plants to go up on the slope (the landscaper will do those); a couple of beds and several pots to be replanted (I shall do those!--wonder if I remember how to garden...), and the roof leak adventure of twenty months ago will finally be a memory of the past. My car needs another bath... oh well. It's not gettin' one for awhile!

Wonder if August will flee as quickly... we'll see! The beat goes on!

Up, Up and AWAY!!!...

2006-06-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it. I am a worry wart. I am getting worse with age. It seems lately that I can take almost any situation and imagine it turning into a major drama. Maybe it is my writer's imagination and creativity coming back in full force (after all, I am buried knee-deep in my current manuscript, madly trying to get it wrapped up...but I digress...though it is one of the things worrying me...). Maybe it's too many irons in the fire what with work at the same break-neck pace it's been the three years I've toiled there, trying to finish said manuscript, and other commitments (been practicing saying "no" lately...) coupled with some personal issues. Or, I suppose it's possible I'm just a dork. However, I am going with a combination of the three.

But sometimes my nutty worries pan out. Case in point yesterday... sorta...

My neighbors own this flimsy gazebo-tent deal set up in their backyard. You know the kind: has the plastic tarp material in green and white covering the top and is held up by the flimsy poles. They've had it installed there since they moved in last winter. During the rain storms, the wind would often lift it up, and tilt it towards their house. I wondered if it might lift enough to crash into their large sliding glass window and break it.

But since it was in their backyard, and blowing towards their sliding glass window, I didn't give it much thought. Except to note how ugly it was when looking out my den window...

Then one day last winter, the wind shifted and it looked like it could blow my way...and horrors!...crash into the side of my house, take out part of my roof, maybe even my den and living room windows. But I pushed those evils thoughts aside because the ugly gazebo appeared to be anchored. And it would have to jump a six foot fence...

Well, between that time and yesterday, it must have come unanchored and taken pole vaulting lessons..

It's been unseasonably hot and humid here the past couple of days acting more like weather we get in late August. I was minding my own business, trying to stay cool, pounding away at my manuscript attempting to rack up the page count as I hurtle towards "the end"...sorry...digressing again... when I noticed that the wind had picked up. We are not talking a breeze here. We are talking huge, nasty wind gusts. Trees bending wickedly towards the ground. Leaves flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Dust everywhere. Scary wind. (They have a name for them...just can't think of what it is...and no, it's not tornado...)

All of a sudden, the ugly green and white gazebo lifts into the air...and then settles back down. It lifts into the air again, and settles back down. Hmmm....I think to myself. Surely it can't blow over a six foot fence. You are such a dork for even thinking that it could.

A third time, it lifted straight into the air, high enough I could see the feet bottoms, tilted to its side like a missile and flew (not very slowly!) towards the fence, its pointed nose on a direct path for my den window. As it cleared the fence, I backed out of the room, hoping my computer would be okay. Damn, I sure wished I'd backed up that last chapter, I think to myself...

And then...the last metal pole-leg got hung up on the fence...and the poor, ugly green and white gazebo dangled over onto my vegetable garden. It flopped in the wind, trying to escape. Lickety-split I ran outside, and put it out of its misery by taking off the ballooning green and white tarp while trying not to get gored by the poles.

There the gazebo carcass remained until this morning when my neighbor discovered its disappearance from his patio. "Geez!" he exclaims as he peers over the fence at his ruined gazebo (it sustained a mortal wound in the manner of a broken pole during its attempted escape to my yard). "That could've gone into your window and broken it!"

Hmmm...Maybe I can delete "dork" from my list of the reasons I've become a worry-er...

Fathers Shortchanged?...

2006-06-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to learn this morning, as I was sipping my coffee, that Father's Day is a relatively new holiday. It seems it actually started in Spokane, Washington in 1909, when a lady was listening to a sermon on Mother's Day. Having been raised by her widowed paternal parent, it occurred to her that fathers should be honored in a similar fashion. The following year, the mayor of Spokane declared June 19, 1910 as Father's Day. The month of June was chosen because it was the month of lady's father's birthday (did that make sense?). It wasn't until 1966, when Lyndon Johnson was in office, that a presidential proclamation was made designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. And then, it was another six years until Richard Nixon signed into law that the holiday was made official.

I guess I just thought Father's Day had always been around. I can remember always celebrating both Mother's Day and Father's Day. I was surprised to learn that this important day is only 34 years old. Seems rather an oversight to me.

After all, while mothers are certainly important, fathers are just as much so. Until women in the workforce became more of a necessity than an exception, the father of the family provided all of the income in the household. Then he came home, usually took care of the yard, played ball with his kids, took out the trash. And who was the dreaded disciplinarian of the clan? Yep...Pop!

My father had a very stressful job flying for Pan American World Airways as a flight engineer. Then after flying for hours straight, he'd get into his bright yellow Ranchero with the flaming orange strips and drive 120+ miles home from Los Angeles...in the days before a decent freeway ran all the way through. As kids we just kind of took it for granted. But a few years ago, I did a lot of commuting to just the Bay Area (a mere hour flight, sitting back in my seat, slurping my Diet Coke, reading my book, as opposed to 23 hours of working, not counting the drive). After 23 months, I was physically exhausted. And I'd totally gained a new comprehension for the sacrifices my father made for his family.

While I am enlightened to learn that Father's Day is new, I guess it's also important to remember that we don't need just one day a year to honor and cherish our parents. We have 364 other days to tell them how much we love and appreciate them. And to keep in mind that life is short and precarious, and someday, someday much too soon, we won't have that opportunity.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Your kids love you.

Fashion Trends...or Flops...

2006-06-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's entirely possible...though I am loathe to admit even the remotest possibility...that I could, maybe, horrors! be getting old. Or, maybe I can just attribute it all to having just had a birthday a couple of days ago.

But I just don't get the following Fashion Trends:

First: Tattoos. What is the deal with total-body tattooing? I mean, geez, if nothing else, it must hurt like the dickens. I guess since I am basically opposed to pain of any fashion, I'd find this trend hard to understand at any time. But what is the thrill or point or statement of covering one's entire body with a snake? What's Mr. Snake gonna look like in 15-20 years when gravity takes hold of him? Now, lest you think I am opposed to all tattoos, please let me assure you this is just not so. I think a small one is really cute (or masculine depending...), and have even on occasion toyed with getting one myself. But as previously mentioned, I abhor and run from pain at all times. So, I am not really seein' a tattoo in my immediate future...unless it's one of the kiddy paste-on ones...

Second: What is the deal with wearing pants that are falling down? There is just no way this can be comfortable. I mean I know I would not want to worry about suddenly doing a full monty cuz my pants headed south. Why give them any encouragement by having them halfway down to begin with? I remember when I used to have to wear panty hose everyday to work (thank goodness THOSE days are over!), and every once in a while you'd get a pair that was too short...and they kept slipping down...and you kept having to yank them up. It was NOT fun. Now...why would anyone intentionally put on pants that do this same thing...except if they fell down, there'd be a lot more exposed!

Third: What is the deal with Body Piercings? Pierced ears, even multiple holes are cool. Pierced eyebrows just look painful (we already know my feelings on that subject!). Pierced noses, tongues, lips...oh gosh, the lips are kinda the worst..., belly buttons, nipples, etc... that's just gross. Sorry, it just grosses me out. At least, gravity won't affect them. The holes, I guess for the most part, will close. But, it's just gross (get the idea: gross, gross, gross!). And anybody who thinks it's attractive just hasn't really looked in the mirror. Case in point: a person I know got a small diamond on the side of their nose. To me, it just looked like a big zit. Of course, I would never say anything--I am not fond of getting my head bitten off (or insulting a person needlessly). Every time I saw the person, I'd think at first: Ah, poor them...they have a big zit. Then after a few months, the diamond stud was gone, and when I asked it about it, she replied: Oh, my roommate asked me when I was gonna ditch it cuz it just looked like a big zit and it was disgusting. Well...see... I was not the only one.

Fourth: What is the deal with Love Handles flappin' in the wind. Yeah...what is the deal with the shorty tops and low-rider jeans that let the love handles hang out in all their glory. Well...news flash here: they aren't very glorious. Most of us have them. I guess this is the way of saying: Hey, the majority rules. But frankly, I am gonna continue to hide mine.

Of course, I can remember the fashion faux pas I've pulled off in the past. Ah, the orange fish net stockings with the adorable sunshine yellow mini-skirt that had the pumpkin orange-hippy-daisies on it. Yep...I was stylin', man! I was too cool for words...

Kids will be kids???

2006-06-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

I read a sad and very disturbing news article today about two college students who were found dead inside of a balloon. Apparently, it was one of those balloons that is used for advertising as opposed to a hot air balloon which was, of course, my first thought when I saw the headline.

According to the article, the 21-year olds (boy and girl) deflated it and then crawled inside. In my naive way, I thought: were they cold? But then there was a quote from the dead girl's mother: "It was more a fun thing they thought they were doing," said Linda Rydman, whose daughter was found dead. "You know how you blow up the balloon and suck the helium."

Okay...obviously this poor mother is shattered by losing her daughter. My heart goes out to her.

But, geez... letting the air out of a 8-foot-diameter balloon, a balloon that was not theirs, a balloon they were apparently not in charge of maintaining, and then crawling inside for the purpose of sniffing helium to sound like Mickey Mouse? And to add to the incredibility of this, they were legally adults... not six-year old children who've yet to reach the age of reasoning.

I remember inhaling a wee bit of helium from a party balloon in elementary school, got really sick to my stomach with a horrible headache, and then the teacher told us what this article says in the last paragraph: "Inhaling helium can quickly lead to brain damage and death from lack of oxygen, according to the Compressed Gas Association, which develops safety standards in the gas industry."

The article does go on to state: "The county medical examiner said Sunday that the cause of death won't be released for six weeks, until toxicology results come back." One must wonder how "high" they were to begin with. And because this horrible event took place in Florida, and I'm in California, no doubt I will never hear the outcome.

Where have we missed out on simple common sense? There was just so much wrong about this incident. The fact that it started out as an act of vandalism. Regardless of whether they were under the influence of something, it was amazingly stupid. But the price these two people paid was the ultimate one. All the way around, it's just such a waste.

I am a Fish Tycoon!...

2006-05-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well, not exactly. More like a computer game addict is probably closer to the truth.

Okay, let me back-track just a bit here. Yahoo Games put up this new one about a week and a half ago called Fish Tycoon. You start out getting $300, some fish eggs, free fish food, and two tanks. The object of the game (which is real-time by the way...) is to grow the fishys to adulthood, breed them to make more fishys, and then sell them. Sounds pretty simple...and pretty safe...

But oh, it SO is not.

You have to feed these fish. Cure them of diseases called "ick" and "fungus" (okay...real fish get these things, too...but I don't have "real" fish...I now have "fake" fish). They have babies (after I make them go kissy-kissy in the isolation tank). They get sick for no apparent reason. Oh, did I mention you have to feed them? A lot! Or they die! And that is very sad cuz then you have to put them in the trash can.

It is a very obsessive thing. You can't leave the tank longer than eight-ten hours or else disaster strikes...and every last fish has croaked. Even if the plan is to sell the suckers as soon as they mature, they are still my babies! I don't want any of my babies to crump. I want them to go to nice homes with nice fish-parents who will continue to take most excellent care of them.

I personally believe it is the melodic music that plays every few minutes for the addictive nature of this game. It sucks you in. Even when it becomes VERY annoying, it is there to remind you that you have responsibilities. Helpless fishys are waiting for you to feed them, force them into having sex for the purpose of bearing children (these guys are both male and female depending on the need...), medicate them, sell them to the lovely sound of the cash register ringin' up another sale.

Now...lest you begin to worry that I've gone over the edge, and you may have to stop reading this Blog for fear of not wanting to associate with a crazy person, I told two friends about it, and now they are as addicted as I. It is not our fault that we arise first thing in the morning and race to turn on the computer to feed fish...FAKE fish!... feel badly when a fish...a FAKE fish...goes belly up... begin to feel sorry that we are making 200 year old fish have more babies...

It is the draw of the "cha-ching" of the cash register that draws us...the glory of being a successful Fish Tycoon...or the pathetic possibility that this latest obsession brings new meaning to the phrase: gotta get a life!

Four Peeves...

2006-05-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

Yep, I could go on and on...and on some more about all the things that bug me. But, so you won't fall into a deep coma while reading away, I shall limit them...this blog entry anyways...to just four. Ready? Good! Here we go! Oh, by the way, they are not in any particular order. They all bug me about the same...which would be a lot since I'm devoting an entire blog entry to them! Now we are going!

Number 1... The way the local TV news has teasers about stories that sound VERY interesting and then runs them not just at 11PM but at 11:25PM...and THEN! tell you nothing that you didn't already know! Like about pillows. I stayed awake until 11:25 to find out that it doesn't matter the price of the pillow...you pick what you like. Well, NEWS FLASH here! That's the problem! What criteria do I use to find what I like? The teaser said: Learn how to buy a pillow...does price matter? Did they tell me that? Nope...all they told me was that some people like expensive pillows...some like the cheaper $8 ones. Well, duh! That's why they make pillows in all price ranges...

Number 2... People who cut in front of me and then poke along. This peeve actually encompasses a lot. People who rush up to the ATM machine...and then stand there for minutes on end while the line backs up behind them. Then they don't even apologize for hogging the machine. Or in the grocery store... They rush up to the line...only to either have 23 coupons or not enough money or a declined credit card. Or people in cars who pull out in front of me only to poke along at 20 miles per hour under the speed limit. Gads...if you could haul ass from a dead stop to cut in front of me, then for goodness sake, put the pedal to the metal, and haul ass down the road.

Number 3... People who make my phone ring and then hang up when they hear my voice. Fine...ya dialed a wrong number. At least say: Sorry...I dialed a wrong number. Don't just leave me with dead air after I went running to pick you up.

Number 4... Buying eggs. Man...you go through carton after carton and there's always at least one or two broken before you find one that has all twelve (or eighteen in my case) that are fine. Then when the checker rings them up...they practically toss them to the bagger, who drops them into the sack only to put the bottle of V8 juice on top. Can you tell I went grocery shopping to my favorite store today?

Okay...that's four. And you know what? Four was just about enough. I really didn't have any more that I could think of offhand. That's not so bad. Then again...try me tomorrow! I bet I can come up with another four...

Anybody got the time...

2006-05-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love clocks! Any kind of clock. Grandfather, coo-coo, digital, fancy, plain. Heck, I even LOVE the song, CLOCKS, by Coldplay! About the only exception to this list would be alarm clocks. Those, while they probably serve a very useful purpose, can just go.

I personally have no less than 12 clocks scattered throughout my home. And probably have about four wristwatches that actually work, and another three or four that need the battery replaced.

So, you are probably thinking that I always know the time. And you'd be correct...I can almost always tell you within 10-15 minutes what the time is. Oh, it's not cuz I am constantly looking at all these clocks. As a matter of fact, any one who knows me will gleefully tell you that I am always a couple minutes (at least...sometimes more, I admit it...) behind schedule.

But see...there is a very good reason for this. Not one of the clocks I own is synchronized. And to make matters worse, I don't think even ONE of them actually has the correct time. Yes...they are all within a few minutes of being correct. But even my one clock that is supposed to be anatomically (hmm...that's not the right word...you know...be able to reset itself based on the GMT clock...) correct is four minutes fast.

The clock is my car is fifteen minutes fast. I used to try and correct it, but it kept creeping up until it'd hit that magic 15-minute-fast mark and then hold. I let it win. The clock in my bath is twelve minutes fast.

Lest you begin to think all my clocks are fast, let me reassure you, they are not. Case in point: I am currently looking at four clocks... one says 56 minutes after the hour, one says, 57 minutes after the hour, and a third says 58 minutes after. Hmmm...the fourth one appears to have given up the competition and has stopped. Guess I'll add a new battery to my grocery list...

With the way time whizzes by anyway, do I really need all these clocks to make me more aware of it? Or...is it because I have all these clocks, that I know how fast it goes by even though I can't do a thing to slow it down...

What a difference a month makes...

2006-05-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

April was travel month. I was only home ten days the entire month. And for all of those days, I was sick. But that is not really what I wanted to "talk" about here. (I was just shamelessly hunting for some sympathy...)

When I left on my first trip, it was still Standard Time. Light about 5:15AM, dark by 6:00PM. Five minutes before my departure time, I raced around the house and changed about 95% of my clocks since the time was due to change while I was away. So even though I was well aware the time had changed, when I got home, it felt very strange having it dark in the morning and light at night. But, it's certainly a change I like.

Then in the middle of the month, I left for another ten-day trek. Nothing was in bloom yet, the hills were kinda turning brown. While I was away, we apparently had some rain. And WOW! Spring sprung!!!

The hills are green again. The wildflowers along the freeway are in full bloom. Trees have new, green, shiny leaves! Front yards are ablaze with groundcovers that almost glow fluorescent in their pinks, reds, and purples. Even in my backyard, all seventeen of my rosebushes are blooming.

Everywhere you look, there is new life. That is one of the reasons I so love Spring. It is a new beginning, a fresh start. The trick is to remember to take a minute or two and enjoy the show! Because like everything else in life, it's short, it's precious, and it doesn't last nearly long enough.

Do I bother checking?...

2006-04-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Twice in two days--that's the question I got about my blog. "Well, you never write anything anymore," it was bluntly pointed out when I began to sputter very reasonable excuses. "It's been months since a new post went up," the pointing-out continued. "You know, you are supposed to update those things at least twice a week...even once a week would be an improvement in your case," the barrage kept coming.

Well...see...here's the deal. It's kinda complicated...it's gonna sound like pathetic whining. Oh, fine! My last entry was so stinkin' upbeat, and blogs are fundamentally about complaining (albeit humorously...), and so, I couldn't come up with anything that sounded cheery and cool. Oh sure, I could have gone on and on about the things I like...but then you would've gotten all bored, and told me to "Stop already!".

Besides, I've been busy. January was work, work, work. February was...uh... work, work, work. March was...hmmm... work, work, work and getting ready for the big cruise! April was Travel-Month! First on the cruise, then to two conferences, back-to-back. And I even found time to be sick, file my taxes, house-hunt (to no avail as yet) and celebrate Easter! Just call me Wonder Woman! because I also judged four writing contests, entered a writing contest, and am now scrambling to finish a manuscript (and submit it) by a self-imposed deadline of two weeks.

So, yeah... in answer to the question: "Do I bother checking your blog? Are ya ever gonna update it?"... the short answer is "Yes! Please do!" because I am gonna surprise ya now and again and have a new entry up there! Just you watch!

Blog Tendencies…

2006-01-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

It's a very easy trap to fall into: complaining on the blog. Oh sure, it may come out comical and be very entertaining. But, bottom line: negativity. Since I seem to be on a quest lately to be positive and perky…I am devoting this blog entry to naming a baker’s dozen of things I love. Here goes!

1. I love how fresh and crisp the air is after a rainstorm. All the dust is washed away, all the trees seem greener, the horizon is clear as a bell. Even the birds sound happier.

2. I love ice cream and pizza. Yum, yum…especially when they are served in one meal!

3. I love baseball. And I love any sport viewed in person. You can just feel the passion, the excitement!

4. I love traveling. Whether I’ve been to the destination before or it’s the first time, I love the thrill of seeing new and different things. Even the air smells different in places away from home.

5. I love the silky feel of polished wood.

6. I love roses. Everything about a rose says beauty and grace. I also love daffodils because they are so perky—it does take a certain amount of spunk to be the first flower of spring! And I love tulips for their charm and luck.

7. I love the smell of baking bread. Nothing is quite so homey.

8. I love sunrises, sunsets, and moon rises. Talk about nature’s perfect show.

9. I love fireworks! Well, except when they appear unwanted in my backyard! But a fireworks show…definitely can relate to all the ooh’s and ah’s…

10. I love getting something accomplished that has been nagging at me; shouting at me to “finish me and get me off your stinkin’ list!” Ah, the feeling of joy when that finally happens!

11. I love to write. I have so many stories in me… I simply love the joy of writing. It is never a chore. The chore is finding the time and giving myself permission to delve into something I love.

12. I love reading. Always have…always will.

13. I love how my family and friends, who are all so special and wonderful, make me feel special and wonderful…even when I am not so special and wonderful.

Now, see? That wasn’t very hard at all!

Happy New Year!!

2006-01-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

Well, all I have to say is: it’s a good thing I am not terribly superstitious. Otherwise, I’d be kinda concerned. Let me tell you about my New Year’s Eve and the first few hours of New Year’s Day.

Now….first I should explain that New Year’s is my favorite holiday. I love new beginnings…no matter what they are….and what is more of a new beginning than the first day of a brand new year?

I have this little tradition that I’ve been doing for a number of years, and frankly, I like it. I look forward to it. I have a really nice dinner on New Year’s Eve. Something fancy. Beef Wellington. Salmon in Phyllo Pastry. Nice wine. A nice dessert. Then about 10PM, I break out the snacks. At 11:30 or so, out comes the champagne, and the TV gets flipped to Dick Clark and the big ball in Times Square.

This year’s New Year’s Eve feast was Lobster Cakes with a field green salad. Had been looking forward to those Lobster Cakes for weeks. Got them all prepared…and they were awful! Just dreadful! Horrid. Wretched. Okay…you get the idea. They were dastardly. They were so bad, they made me feel sick. To the point where I was really in no mood for snacks at 10PM…or 10:30…or 11. Didn’t even want the champagne.

But that was okay. I can be flexible when forced into it! I’d just drink my bottled water and toast Dick Clark and the Waterford Crystal Ball at midnight with a bit of Crysal Geyser! How healthful!

Now…the other thing that most people know about me is that I am practically paranoid to the point of obsessive about fires. They are my worst nightmare… And I have many occasions to worry about them living in Fire Country….

So…back to my story!

At precisely 11:54PM, while I am happily watching Dick Clark and trying not to feel badly that his stroke was so devastating, suddenly gunshots go off in my neighborhood and firecrackers begin crackling away. One of them hits the side of my house. Now that makes a person feel really good! I check out the window (carefully so I don’t get my head shot off! Hey! I ain’t no dope!). No signs of fire. Thank heavens it rained earlier (and to think, since the drainage is NOT fixed, I wasn’t happy about the rain…man, how things can change on a dime!)

I return…not quite so happy…to Dick Clark. Of course, with my heart thundering at 500 beats a minute, I can hardly concentrate on the ball dropping… I believe I saw it. I believe I wished Year 2005 good-by. I think I wished a happy welcome to Year 2006.

The neighborhood remained quiet. My heart slowed down.

At 12:20, I hear a whooshing, a crackle and see another firecracker come into my yard and skitter along my patio. It too went out…harmlessly.

Heart beat increases dramatically. Calmness is shot to hell.

At 12:40…a repeat of the above.

The clock moves to 1:01…another one plummets into my yard.

Seems my normally very quiet neighbors next door have moved their party outside to their patio, and are drinking up a storm…among other things. A small fight ensued but reconciliation came quickly.

Now it is 1:30…and you got it! Another firecracker whistles into my yard.

This continued until 3:31AM.

Needless to say…On January 1st…I was very, very tired. Oh…and the lobster cakes were still letting me know they didn’t love me.

Ah well. I guess a lot of people feel tired and puny on this day. Hee, hee…just never thought I’d be one of them!

Happy New Year! And ho, ho, ho….Bah Humbug!

The Beholder’s Eye…

2005-12-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

Doing author interviews takes a ton of time. And every month when I begin the process I wonder why I put myself through the torture. But then…the answers come back. And I know exactly why I continue to spend the time each month.

One of my favorite questions to ask is variations of the most romantic gift the writer has received. There is the usual flowers when the author is blue or happy. Or the special evening the loving spouse planned. The list goes on.

I loved the story one author told about how her husband was unemployed for quite a long period of time, and he promised her that when he got a job, he was gonna buy her pearls. And sure enough, with his first paycheck he bought her the most beautiful strand of pearls that she still wears everyday. (Of course, if you are sitting there thinking “Oh big deal”… you must remember that a lot of the sentimentality was in the telling by the author…not the telling here by me!)

But today…I think I just read the best answer to the question (and it wasn’t even an author I was interviewing…it was one my staff member prepared)! The author wrote back: My husband doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body! One time he bought me purple staples to go into my electric stapler because he knows I love purple.

Now I don’t know about you…and maybe I am just going through a sappy-stage… but I think this is sooooo sweet! I mean….I didn’t even know that staples came in colors! And when the guy saw them…he thought of her…and how she would like them.

And truly…isn’t that what romance is all about? Knowing everything about the other person…and doing something that will make them smile? Letting them know that you care?

Hmmm…maybe not that hungry…

2005-11-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a very good cook. One of the first things I learned to make was scrambled eggs…and I can make them really, really good. Anyway you like them: hard, soft, runny, dry…I am your “man” for making great scrambled eggs. (Now omelettes are a whole other story…but we shan’t be going there at this time…)

So, about four months ago a cute tabby cat showed up in my backyard. Very scrawny, very hungry, very thirsty. I fed her some water. She lapped it up…but you could tell she was hungry.

Now, being the soft-hearted dork I am, I scrounged my refrigerator, looking for something…anything…a hungry kitty might like. Nothing…but eggs. So…I scrambled one for her. Put it on a plate…took it out…Ms. Kitty sniffed it a couple times. Tried a bite. Turned her nose up at my beautiful eggs and left the yard…never to return.

Fine. No big deal. The ants that swarmed the plate about a half hour later loved my scrambled eggs. Besides I told myself…over and over and over again…I dun want no pets.

Then, about a week ago, a really darling black kitty showed up in my yard. Obviously very young. Has the most beautiful green eyes you ever saw…and very friendly. And hungry.

Well, Mr. Cat was in luck. I had a leftover hotdog…which I fed him. He loved it! I was quite certain I had a new friend for life!

But Mr. Cat was quite fickle…he left the yard and did not return for a week!

Until yesterday. Mr. Cat was very hungry…he’d lost even more weight since the last time he visited…and my heart went out to him. All was forgiven for his eating and running behavior.

Sadly for Mr. Cat, however, there were no more leftover hotdogs. Or Thanksgiving leftovers. Or anything a feline would enjoy…except…yes… A Scrambled Egg!

Which I lovingly prepared. And placed on a plate. And brought outside.

“Here, Kitty, Kitty,” I cooed softly.

Mr. Cat spied me and came running. “More frank! More frank! More frank!” he thinks.

I set the plate down. He sniffed. He looked up at me. He sniffed again…and walked away! He didn’t even take one bite!!!!!

Hmmm….now I’ve heard that when one gets hungry enough, they’ll eat anything…even liver (and trust me…I’d have to be pretty damn hungry to scarf down some liver….) So, I am guessin’ that Mr. Cat is not that hungry…he is conning me… No more frankfurters for him!

Or eggs! (Like any of the feline population in my neighborhood is cryin’ over that declaration!)

Good Choices, Bad Choices…

2005-11-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was about five years old, I did something outside on the swing set that probably could have gotten me killed if my lucky stars hadn’t been with me that day. My dad sat me down on his lap and gave me a lecture about making choices and decisions. How I had to learn to weigh my actions before I did them to make sure that they wouldn’t hurt me or someone else. That I had choices and I had to learn how to make good ones and to try not to make bad ones.

Fast forward a few dozen decades (oh, okay…not that many…) and I am sitting at my desk reading an Internet news story about how the Pennsylvania parents who were murdered by their daughter’s boyfriend were buried today. Their four children were there, all orphans in the matter of seconds. So very, very sad.

The article then goes on to talk about how nice the boy and girl were. There is even a quote from a neighbor…and just so no one will think I made this up, here it is verbatim:

"They were good kids and they were brought up very well. What I see is, they just made some bad choices," said Vera Zimmerman, 50, who has known the Bordens for seven years and is acquainted with Ludwig's mother.

Article by: MARTHA RAFFAELE, Associated Press Writer, titled: Pa. Teen Attends Slain Parent’s Funeral. Dated: November 19, 2005, 8:15PM, PST.

Okay…bad choices? These teens made BAD CHOICES??????

A bad choice is deciding on dessert when you are so full, you know you will explode or have an enormous belly ache…and then you eat every last bite.

A bad choice is deciding to try gardening…again….when you know you hate it.

A bad choice is getting a dog when you know you have no place to let him run.

A bad choice was for this young lady to sneak out and date a guy when she knew her parents didn’t approve of him.

To say this 18-year old man (yes, man…he is old enough to vote, old enough to defend his country, he has reached the age of majority in many states—though not in Pennsylvania…) made a bad choice by blowing her parents away, and then stealing his parents car and driving at breakneck speeds to crash into a tree six hundred miles or more from home made a bad choice cheapens the fact that he took the lives of two people who apparently tried to teach their children values. He robbed four youngsters of their parents.

According to a new report (mentioned in the same article, by the way), this wasn’t a spur of the moment decision on his part. He planned to attack them and finish them off. A bad choice????

As my “friend” (don’t I wish!!!) John Stossel would say: give me a break!

As for Ms. Zimmerman, to give her the benefit of the doubt, it is possible she was misquoted…and if so, she should be screaming “foul” as loudly as she can. Yet, I somehow don’t give much credence to this theory since on the day of their arrest, she was quoted as saying what “good kids” they were…

Uh, folks…”good” kids don’t go sneaking around and have multiple guns in their bedrooms and plan murders.

Give me a break! Bad choice, indeed…

November 15, 1989…

2005-11-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Sixteen years have flown by already…sixteen years since I lost my mother. It seems almost impossible to believe that much time has elapsed, and yet I remember that period as if it were just sixteen days ago.

They say that things like this get easier with time. Somethings “they” are wrong about. You never get over losing your mother…no matter how much time has passed.

I miss you, Mom…

This is “fresh”??

2005-11-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday is grocery shopping day…better known as a frustrating chore. See, I live in a small town that sports two supermarkets. One is a small chain of three stores and very expensive with relatively poor quality. The other is an Albertson’s…nicknamed by me: Dumb, Awful Albertson’s (remember the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and how Phyllis called Rhoda: “Dumb, Awful Rhoda”?)

Anyway…not only do I live in a small town, I live in a small town in California. The state that is the largest agricultural producer of, well, almost everything… I remember reading that if California were its own country (ha! sometimes it feels like it!), we would be the seventh largest industrial nation in the world.

Okay, I prepare my grocery list, determined to start eating in a more healthy manner (yeah, yeah, yeah…I am fully aware the holidays are lurking just around the corner and tis the season to screw calories, eat hearty and all that jazz…but what can a person do when they suddenly start craving things like broccoli and carrots except succumb to the rare urge and purchase them!)

So, weekly ad in hand, I spy Fresh Salmon filets on sale! Woo Hoo! I love salmon. On the list it goes…. Hmmm…Fresh Shrimp are on sale! Bingo! On the list they go. Hmmm…yum! Grapes…on sale! Yep…mark them babies on the list…can’t forget grapes! Ooh, grapefruit…on sale! How lucky can a temporary health-food nut get! Except to see that avocados are also on sale! (Of course…having grown up in the avocado capital of the world…with a parent who still grows them…I would NEVER even consider buying one from the store!…but still, a girl can drool for a moment—see I had more avocados growing up in the city than I ever got living on a grove of the suckers…)

Then off to the store, I trot, with my list full of goodies…all prepared to spend a ton of bucks. Also on the list is some laundry detergent on sale for an obscenely low price…milk, butter (also on sale!), tuna (yep…on sale!) and Breyer’s Real Vanilla ice cream (on sale! But hey…it’s for Thanksgiving…I shan’t open it a day before…)

So…first item…the grapes…uh…they are from Chile. Okay…I have nothing against Chile…but I really don’t want grapes that have traveled thousands of miles when I live in a grape-growing area. Oh well…

Grapefruit…uh, hmmm… okay…grown out of the country… Okay…I personally even have a bit of a problem buying Florida or Texas grapefruit when we grow so much here…but…at least it grows on the same continent that I reside on…

EEEKK… The avocados are from Mexico???? Mexico??? When the store in which I stand is in the Avocado Capital of the World??????

Okay…so maybe I don’t need those “on sale” foreign items. Off to the meat counter.

Fresh Salmon…from Chile??????? Even the Atlantic would be stretching it for fresh…but from Chile???

But here is the best of all: Fresh Shrimp. Not fresh frozen…not frozen, defrosted…but FRESH! From….drum roll….New Orleans, you are thinking? Wrong! Oregon, you are thinking….Wrong, again!!!!!! Thailand!!!! And Bangladesh!!! And Viet Nam!!!!!! Ten thousand miles away these poor shrimpies have traveled. Heck…No human traveling home to California from those countries is gonna be fresh by the time it arrives…let alone a small fish.

I am at a loss to even try and figure out why…when it is readily available here… Albertson’s finds it necessary to search the world for these items… Oh wait! Cuz we are dumb enough to continue purchasing them. Well, this shopper wasn’t…this shopper spent a lot less money than she thought she would…especially since they no longer had the laundry detergent (probably started out with ten…) or the milk or the tuna or any of the other things mentioned in the ad.

Hmmm…maybe that is why the Albertson’s chain is up for sale….

I am a bad, bad Blogger…

2005-11-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, it’s true…I am a bad Blogger. To have a good blog, one must post at least once a week…preferably every few days… even better every single day.

Hmmm…my last blog entry was in August…true…the end of August, but a whole weather season ago. I have failed the Blog Frequency Test miserably. Dismally, even.

And yet, the other day, I was thrilled to see that someone actually commented on my site. And they claimed they liked it! Woo Hoo! I thought to myself. I should really make more time in my already crazy schedule to post on a more regular basis…maybe even just once a month!

The commenter left behind “his” blog site. Well, I should certainly return the courtesy and check it out, make a comment even. (Hey, I have been raised with manners! I didn’t grow up in no barn or fall off no turnip truck…not recently anyways…). I clicked on the link, wondering what I would find.

Nothing. The link led to nothing.

I’d been spammed! GRRRRR!!!!! And...not just once, but the next day…another entry showed up with a different name, but essentially the same complimentary message. Loved your blog…You write great…yada, yada, yada. Well, in the trashcan both you clods went. Deleted with no trace that you ever slimed up my personal space.

And…now…as I am sure you noticed…I have to have a spam detractor up.

I could probably spend another few paragraphs on the topic of spam…talk about people who obviously have nothing better to do with their time or creativity except to makes pains AND asses of themselves… But why bother…

I personally have better things to do with my time…like thinking up some entertaining blog subjects so that it won’t be another two months…okay, two and a half months…before I post again.

Reno High…and Low…

2005-08-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

It is interesting and probably rather ironic that the high point and the low of point of Reno occurred within a span of six short minutes.

One of the biggest reasons I decided to attend RWA National this year was for an agent appointment. Back in May when sign-ups took place, I’d studied all the agents taking appointments, pondered their interests, checked-out their websites. And I picked one that seemed perfect. After all, her agency (not her, but her agency) represented one of my favorite authors. An author who writes the stories I love to read and try to write.

In retrospect, it was probably my conference “high point” that gave me the strength to deal with the “low point”. When a new writer begins the agent search, it is most difficult to keep in mind that we are the “employer” and the agent is the “employee”. We are ever so grateful if they offer to look at our work. Promoting them to god and goddess status is a given.

But the bottom line is this: there has to be, there must be, mutual respect and camaraderie. The agent/author (and yes…the fact that I’ve listed the word “agent” first there is not lost on me…) relationship is one of teamwork. Both sides must be equal participants; both sides must have the same goals and hopes and dreams.

Flash back to July 30th…the day of my agent meeting… My appointment was pushed back 15 minutes because the agent was late in arriving. When the moderator brought me over to her, Ms. Agent insisted she was done for the day; that she had done her time (pretty much her exact words…) and she’d done a workshop the day before. All of this right in front of me. The manner was curt and abrupt; no lightheartedness, there-must-be-some-mistake involved. When the moderator politely pointed out that the schedule had gotten off, Ms. Agent backed down. No apology to the moderator. No apology to me.

As I began my pitch, I could tell I was talking to a brick wall. But I doggedly continued…after all, maybe she had an insane hangover for all I knew. Then I said the wrong thing: I mentioned my stories are driven by internal conflict. She doesn’t like books like that. She likes external conflict. (Hmm…what is she doing promoting romance books my mind queried.) And so, I asked if the interview were over.

She then said the wrong thing to me: “Try to convince me.” Well… no…. The interview was over, and I told her so. I want someone who is excited about my career; not someone I have begged into taking me on.

I want an agent who is professional, on time (even if she does have the world’s worst hangover-headache…); one who is considerate and polite to others (whether she is right or wrong); and one who is excited about the business. Ms. Agent did not meet any of those basic requirements.

Just before meeting with Ms. Agent, I had chatted with another agent… a gal I felt an immediate rapport with. Someone I would love to chat with as a business partner, but we’d stray to more personal, day-to-day topics in our conversations.

This is the type of business-agent relationship I want. Will I find it with Friendly Agent? I don’t know (though she is on my top ten list!). But I do know that I shall keep looking for that type of partnership because I am striving for long-term representation. It might be hard to keep in mind that it is a two-way street, but then again… it is usually pretty hard to keep in mind that writing is a business pursuit as well as a passion.

Reno Reflections...

2005-08-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it’s been over a week since I hauled the weary body outta bed at 4:20AM to begin my week attending RWA’s National Conference in Reno. (See, I have this policy: when it is dark, you sleep…and trust me…it is damn dark at 4:20AM…)

Reflection Number One: It is dark at 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30AM. Yes, I truly noted this.

Reflection Number Two: There are a LOT of people on the road at 5:30 AM…all going to work…and they drive just a nutty as when I am on the road at 7:30 AM.

Reflection Number Three: Reno looks much different in July than it does in December (which was the month I was there the first (and only) time I’ve been there…)

Reflection Number Four: Four to eleven percent humidity is very, very dry…I am used to sixteen percent or higher…and yes, I definitely noticed the difference.

Reflection Number Five: I was not insane or having flashbacks when I discovered the same local news I used to watch in San Francisco being shown on a Reno TV station (more about this in a future blog…)

Reflection Number Six: The food at this conference was basically…excellent. But…sadly…I bought a lot of $20 drinks! Darn gambling affliction…

Reflection Number Seven: The hotel staff at this conference was awesome.

Reflection Number Eight: Taxi cab drivers everywhere drive crazy…it must be a code they have to follow.

Reflection Number Nine: I am a lot more self-assured than I give myself credit for (yep…more about this in a future blog…)

Reflection Number Ten: I know a lot about writing…now I just need to do it…

Reflection Number Eleven: The Awards Ceremony…very interesting! (You got it! More about this in a future blog!)

Reflection Number Twelve: I had a very good time! I am glad I went.

This is GOOD for you??

2005-06-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve been hearing all about the benefits of drinking a glass of pomegranate juice a day. How it will make you live longer, stay healthy, put hair on your chest…okay…so it is not truly a miracle drink (and I probably really don’t want hair on my chest!). But it is supposed to be really good for you.

So yesterday, while doing my weekly frustration shopping at dumb Awful Albertson’s (remember The Mary Tyler Moore Show; how Phyllis used to call Mary’s friend, Rhoda, dumb Awful Rhoda?… okay, okay…back to our original programming…), I finally remembered to see if they might carry this wonder drink.

Now, I don’t know about your Albertson’s (and trust me…I could do a whole blog entry on mine!), but the dumb, Awful Albertson’s I must frequent is poorly stocked, very expensive, and generally annoying, and so I felt the chances of finding the brew were small. But…voila! They had one brand!

Darling bottles in three sizes: one serving for $3.69. Two servings for $5.48. And the best deal of all: four servings for $9.99! Woo Hoo! $10 bucks for half a week of unbelievable promises. I hemmed and hawed a bit between the one and two serving sizes. I ask myself: what if I hate it? But Self answers back tartly: how can you hate it? You love raw pomegranates! You love pomegranate jelly! So what is not to like about pomegranate juice. Miserly Self speaks up: Go for the one serving size….you need to go to Costco anyway, and they probably have gallons of it at a reasonable price of $5.00 for a life-time supply. Miserly Self wins the battle. A single serving bottle plops into the cart.

Upon arriving home, I eagerly search the bags for the cute little bottle. Rip off the safety seal, and slug back my first taste of improved well-being.

ACKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is DREADFUL! It is HORRIBLE! It is WRETCHED!!!!!!!!! Nothing, absolutely NOTHING that tastes like the liquid in that bottle can possibly be good for you!

So now, I am stuck with a $3.69 bottle of swill cluttering up my fridge. I have toyed with mixing it with some vodka and maybe a bit of 7-up…but man…I really hate to waste two perfectly good beverages in case they fail to mask the horrors of the juice.

But I am game…. Any and all suggestions are welcome! In the meantime, I am sticking to the tried and true and delicious: the other red drink! Cranberry Juice!

Good-bye, Sam...

2005-06-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a bittersweet day. It started out quite happy. It was my birthday, and for the past four months, I’d been dreading it. But once it finally got here, my whole attitude improved. After all, as too many people kept pointing out to me, getting a day and a number older was better than the alternative. Yeah, yeah, yeah…like I hadn’t already been telling myself that!

I walked in to a beautifully, thoughtfully decorated office, courtesy of my terrific department mates. Tons of balloons and streamers and banners…how could one not smile at all that! And then they all took me to lunch. We had a really, really fun time.

Upon returning to the office, the brutal reality of life reared its ugly head. I had an instant message from a gal I work closely with on a review site we belong to asking me if I’d heard the news about another member: Sam. It’s not good, she added. I immediately signed on to our posts-board, and found out that Sam had passed away suddenly. Needless to say, I was stunned. I had just corresponded with her the day before. She was so young, she hadn’t seemed ill.

As numbness began to replace the shock, one thought kept reverberating through my mind: man, I am so glad that Sam and I had buried our differences and had started really forging a very nice working relationship.

It hadn’t always been that way. We didn’t dislike each other at all; we just didn’t always seem to get along. I always fully appreciated how hard she worked on the review site; how many hours she unselfishly put in; how she wanted to make everything perfect. But there were times, when quite honestly, she really annoyed me…as I am sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that I really annoyed her. But then, after the fur settled a bit, we always moved on, no hard feelings…until the next fray.

When she volunteered to publish the photos for interviews (I am the coordinator), most of me was absolutely thrilled. I knew they would look awesome. A teeny bit of me was terrified that she would overwhelm me, but I figured that I’d cross that bridge if it happened.

The first month (April’s), she spent two solid days on them. And they were beautiful. And what was even more wonderful was we finally really understood each other. We finally had a chance to email back and forth to each other over common ground…we could complain to each other, we could commiserate with each other, we agreed with each other. I knew then that we would never have the rough patches that we’d experienced before again.

Three days before she passed away, she published the second month’s photos. I had no idea that they’d be her last. I can’t express how sad I feel over her death. I never met her in person; I don’t even know what she looked like. I do know that she was way too young to go; that she had way too much to accomplish yet.

And I know that her passing was rather a reality check…there is not a minute to waste. There is not enough time put off the things we keep thinking we’ll do tomorrow or the next day. And most importantly, there is no time like the present to forget differences, to tell people you care about them, to do it now and not wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow might just be too late.

I am so glad that Sam and I had the opportunity to get to know each other better, and to appreciate and like each other. I will miss her a lot. And she is one person, even though I cannot honestly say “I knew her”, I can honestly say I will never forget her.

Good-bye, Sam. You are really going to be missed.

Tag! Tag! You're it!!

2005-06-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Never was very good at ducking…obviously still am not! Looks like Randy has tagged me…so, here goes:

Total Books Owned: Man, I have absolutely no clue. I review books, and one of the “perks” is getting the books. Right now they are threatening to take over every room in my house. I have bags of them, stacks of them, the bookcases are overflowing with them. They are on the nightstand, a kitchen chair…everywhere! Get the idea? I have lots and lots and lots and lots of books… Millions of books. Trillions of books… In other words, too many to count!

Last Book I read: A GOOD YARN by Debbie Macomber. It was very enjoyable. Everything a good book should be…meaning it was a wonderful escape.

Book sitting on my coffee table I am planning on reading: well, the coffee table is one place where I haven’t allowed any books to reside! Nope! They are not invading the coffee table! However, I imagine this question was more about the next book in the stack to be read. And it is…drum roll, please… SOME DANGER INVOLVED by Will Thomas. He is a new author, and I actually started a bit of it this afternoon. After eighteen pages, I think it is going to be a big winner! Very reminiscent of Dick Francis and Laurence Saunders humor, and I am looking forward to getting more into it.

Five books that mean a lot to me: This is a pretty tough question … I am terrible with names of books after I’ve read them; and don’t normally remember the authors too often either… But there are actually a handful of books that I remember distinctly:

FOLLOW MY LEADER: This is a book that we read in the fifth grade…actually our teacher read it to us; a chapter a day after lunch (I guess to calm us down before we got on to math…). It is about a young boy who became blind after playing with a firecracker that exploded in his face. It dealt with how he learned to cope with his new way of life and learning to work with his new guide dog named Leader. It’s funny, to this day I still think about this book.

HENRY HUGGINS by Beverly Cleary: This is the first chapter books and series that I actually read all by myself…I loved her as a child and couldn’t get enough of her stories. I understand she is in her 90’s now, and still releases tales every couple of years.

THE NOVEL by James Michener: written in three different pov’s from the author’s, the agent’s and the editor’s, this is the journey a story takes from when the writer writes it, what the agent does, and what the editor does. This book solidified for me that I really wanted to be a writer.

Anything by Jayne Ann Krentz: Again an author that makes me know I have to be a writer. I remember getting my first rejection that took a year in coming after the editor requested it twice (I was so sure I was “in”! Little did I know about the world of publishing at the time…) and I was devastated. Right on the heels came a very harsh, very uncalled for (I found out later!) read and critique from a well- known editor on the same material. I was ready to quit. I’d read a lot of Jayne Ann Krentz books, but happened upon one of her first ones. Man…I was so impressed about how much she’d grown as a writer, and I knew that I could do it, too. I met her at a conference right after that, and told her how much she’d inspired me. She was sooooo gracious and kind. Last summer I again had the chance to briefly chat with her in the elevator in Dallas at RWA National, and again, she was so enthusiastic about helping people achieve their dreams of publication. What a nice, nice lady. I don’t remember the name of the book that got me believing in me again…but I will always remember the name Jayne Ann Krentz.

Anything by Katherine Stone: She has such passionate, vivid characters, and she is another author who is so very classy and gracious in person. I had the opportunity to meet her last year at a publicist party I’d snagged a private invite to (lucky me!). I turned around in the wine line and who was standing behind me but Katherine Stone. I did a double-take at her name tag and began doing something I never do: I gushed. About how wonderful I thought her books were. How loved her characters…their passion, their struggles. On and on I went, and she just kept smiling and saying thank you, thank you. I finally got a hold of myself and then apologized for being such a drooling maniac. Her friend assured me: Oh no! She loves it! And she must have! I had an agent’s appointment the next day…and she helped me define my style in a couple of sentences. I had been struggling over this, and she took the time at a party to help me. Now that is class. It was so wonderful to really love an author’s work, and find out personally that she is just as terrific as her books.

So…now I get to tag five people…problem is…I don’t know five people! So, I am gonna tag the two I do know that haven’t been tagged already! You’re up:

FullMoonDolphin
Charity
(Technically, I could also tag Randy again, cuz she tried to slide by by not answering all the questions!)

Eh, eh, eh….Tag! Tag! You’re it!!!

Whatever it takes...

2005-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today I got something crossed off the proverbial To Do List…and it wasn’t even officially on there! Woo hoo!

About noon, I innocently go out to my car to go to lunch. A rather mundane, ordinary thing. Nothing too exciting about that… And notice that the back tire is lookin’ mighty darn low. Drats! (and yes, you are right…this is not quite the word I used…)

Now you have to understand…I have this thing about checking my tires…all the time…Ready for another: when I was a little girl story? Tough! When I was a little girl, waiting for the school bus in Palo Alto, every morning we would watch the guy across street as he performed his morning car check before going to work. He would come out in his shirtsleeves and place his jacket and briefcase on the back seat of the car. Next, he’d climb behind the steering wheel and start the engine. Get back out of the car, go to the rear tire and look at it a second. Then he’d bend down and stare at it, stand up and kick it, and proceed around the back of the car to the other tire. Perform the same check. Move to the front tire. Glower, bend, peer, rise, kick. Finally tire number four’s turn… Then he’d get in and drive away.

Being an impressionable pre-teen, this stuck in my mind…Oh whatever…I check my tires regularly…not that religiously…none of that bending, peering, kicking nonsense, but I do keep an eye on them, always thinking about Eileen K’s dad and glad I am not as obsessive as he! But getting a flat on the freeway or at some other inconvenient time (and any time a tire goes flat is inconvenient in my book!) is not my idea of fun…

So…anyway! The tire was fine yesterday…it was not fine today. Double drats. What to do…what to do… Well, the first thing to do was to ask one of the machinists if he’d kindly put some air in it so I could get to either Costco (where I can have it fixed for free…) or to dealer where I could also get the oil changed, the tires rotated, the 30K check done at the same time…all things I’d been putting off cuz one cannot take a disgracefully dirty car to the dealer… I opted to suck it up and took my poor dirty baby to the dealer.

A few hours later, I picked him up again…the most expensive tire repair in the world! But hey! They threw in an oil change, lube, tire rotation, 30K check and a CAR WASH! My lucky day!

And tomorrow morning…I no longer have to think: hmmm…I really need to get you washed, baby, so we can go to the dealer and not feel like shmucks. Ah…life is good…

Time to take a stand...

2005-05-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

As a young girl, one of the things my parents took great pains in teaching me was that to gain respect you had to earn it. You had to deserve it. It wasn’t one of those things that “just happened”.

For years now, decades actually, the romance genre of the literary world has bemoaned the fact that even though they have a commanding share of the reading market, they “can’t get no respect”. Romance Writers of America (fondly known as RWA) was established to promote the genre and its authors. It has spent countless of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars defining romance in hopes of building a respectable image. Thus far, success seems to have been minimal. The battle is one that is uphill, and the mountain just keeps getting steeper.

I have long been thinking that perhaps I am the one who has outgrown romance, and that my career really needs to be defined as “women’s fiction”. Even before the turn of the century (yes! this century!) I felt that perhaps I should be “looking outside the box”. Today my writing partner took a stand and declared herself a women’s fiction writer. Good for her!

So, while the romance genre continues to wonder why it doesn’t garner respect (uh, maybe a good place to start would be by taking a hard look at the book covers…), and RWA continues to spend money trying to buy it, I am going to go out and earn it. I will be defining my career in a way that I can be proud to say that I am a writer.

From this day forth, I write women’s fiction.

Tuesday: Take Two!

2005-05-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days where I should not have bothered to go to work. I knew from the second I stepped into my office and peeked over my computer monitor that I was in big trouble. There were no less than eight pieces of paper strewn across the desktop…the same desktop that I had so painstakingly cleared off the night before…

Oh well, I say to myself in a cheerful, positive manner…they can probably all be dispatched in a lickety-split type of fashion… Eh, eh, eh…six of the eight snicker back…”that’s what you think, ol’ girl!” And so the day began!

I started out with four things on the “To Do” list that I really wanted to get done. By 9AM, the list had grown to seven…with none crossed off. By 10AM, we were up to nine…and still none crossed off. If that phone rings one more time…I let my threat dangle in the air. BRRR---ringgggg! it goes, knowing that dangling threats are idle ones… Time: 10:01 Items added to the list: two more…

Then I ticked off a co-worker. I asked her if she were still going on her maternity beginning the date we’d discussed. And I asked her if she could please give me a date when she was returning so I could make arrangements to cover her position while she was gone. I even told her I didn’t need to know until next week. Man, you’d think I’d asked for the exact minute she was gonna deliver the baby… The rest of the day, the department was in an upheaval because of this request. Silly me. Needing to plan for staff coverage…

So, there I sat at my desk at 8PM…when I had planned on being home by six, completing one of the tasks on the list. Now see…If I had stayed home all day…I would have accomplished a lot more at the office! And it would have been much more relaxed.

So, let’s just do Tuesday over. Ready? Lights! Camera! Action!! (Lead actress enters office, stage left and peers tentatively over computer monitor… What will she see?)

How many others don’t care…

2005-05-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Okay…after three days I am still stewing. I agree with my writing partner that to “attack” on the board where this occurred is probably not the best course of action. Yes, it would uphold a principle of sorts, but other than potentially causing strife, the parties involved are not gonna change their ways…or even care.

Here’s the deal:

Last year I decided that I would like to get involved in writing contest judging. Which I did. I was quite surprised at the amount of time that judging an entry consumed. A minimum of an hour and a half or more depending on the length of the entry. And since most contestants enter because they want feedback, judges are expected to make tons of comments not only on the score sheets but also on the manuscripts themselves. This takes time…especially when you are very conscious that feelings and emotions are involved. A good judge does not, will not, cannot, must not hack away at somebody’s baby.

Okay, here’s another part of the deal:

Entrants are supposed to be submitting publish-ready material. Now I don’t know what that means to some people, but to me it means that an editor can take those pages and send them to typesetting (or however they do it these days…god, I am dating myself no doubt!) and turn out a professional book. And yes, I realize that someone entering a contest is probably not gonna have this level of perfection otherwise they would be sending it to said publisher…for modern day typesetting… And yes, it is a well-known fact that many brand new writers submit to contests honestly thinking they have publish-ready material, their friends and family told them so! Also, equally important, is that entrants also guarantee that they have a finished manuscript to go along with these 15-50 pages they are entering…just in case they final, they can then immediately send the rest of the manuscript to the final judge (usually an agent or editor).

And finally, here is what happened that has me still stewing three days later:

Two members of a critique group that I am involved with entered a contest that my writing partner and I were judging. It is one of the more prestigious contests and quite large. I received three entries to judge and immediately recognized one of them as being written by a member of the group. I had seen the chapter a couple of times…and I was rather surprised to see that even after a number of crits, it hadn’t changed much…including some typos. I turned it back in since I could not judge it.

Finalists were announced last week, and Member Number One was thrilled to see that all three of her entries finalled! Woo Hoo for her we all cried! Member Number Two was also ecstatic to learn that two of her entries finalled including the one that I turned back in (of course, she did not know this…). Woo Hoo for her we all cried!

Thank you, they said! Member Number One then went on to say that she needed to scramble to get her entries ready to go…that she had just prepared the pages needed to enter the preliminaries. Now she needed to get some more ready for the finals…and who knew what she’d do if she actually had to submit a manuscript.

Nothing ready? Nothing written??? And yet…part of the bargain was that a manuscript was complete??? Is this ethical? Is this fair? Not in my book.

Then the question was innocently asked: will you have time to see your scores before you submit so you can make any tweaks?

Member Number Two says: She doesn’t give a damn what some (implying: dumb) judge says about her work. That she doesn’t enter for feedback. That as a matter of fact she heard via her writing partner that some judge had written on an entry “Get a critique partner”… She found this very humorous...she has a crit partner...the one who saw the comment! Seems to me that both the writing partner and she should be giving this another thought…(remember the typos in the submission?)

Okay…I am not some dumb judge. I guess I really resent this whole deal because it felt like a direct slap to both my writing partner and me since both these gals knew we had judged in the contest…and how did they know that we hadn’t unknowingly judged one of their entries…that we were a large part of their success. It almost happened except I recognized the submission. I could have spent a couple hours of my time judging her entry, cheering her on, hoping when her score came out high and that I loved the entry that I would see her name on the finalist list. As it turns out…the two entries I did judge both finalled.

This whole experience has left me wondering…are most contestants as apathetic as these two gals? I hope not. I much prefer to think that the world is still somewhat sweet…that writers are sending in their lovingly prepared entries and eagerly awaiting them to come back with details of what someone thought. Then again, my rose-colored glasses are currently pretty smudged at the moment…

Perfection has a price...

2005-05-07T00:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it took it took almost four months to get the roof fixed. And normally when I call the guy that I called to fix the ceiling (currently known as Ceiling Guy…imaginative, huh!) it takes him about three weeks to come and see me. He is very busy…very popular…very good at a very reasonable price.

This time, however, I was surprised. He was able to come for the initial estimate the very next day after I called him. Business must be slow! After arriving most promptly, he looked over the job to be done…quoted a price far below my expectations (don’t tell him that!) and we set up an appointment for this week to begin the work. Four visits…we want it done properly.

Visit number one: he arrived right on time. Right at 3:30 as promised…not a minute late. After doing his thing, he asked me if I was still picking up the ceiling paint (which yes, I had volunteered to do during the estimate because while it is not a special color…I do really want the same paint…) and I said yes. I would do it this week. He then said I should pick up some TSP and scrub the ceiling.

WHAT? Scrub the ceiling? Why?

So that he can repaint the entire ceiling so it will all match…. Oh, I say…

Visit number two: occurred yesterday. Well, the day before yesterday now…cuz I see it is after midnight already (and I really should be in bed…keep reading and you’ll see why…) And Ceiling Guy arrives right on the dot of 3:30 again (of course, I had no doubt that he would! He has yet to be late…) Does his thing again…which this time is sanding the areas that he replaced and mudded last time and applying a second layer of mud that is really smooth this time… It looks great! But then he inquires: have you picked up the TSP and paint yet? Uh, no…not yet…but I shall! Do we really need to repaint the whole ceiling, I ask? Well, yes, he says like I am some kinda dork. Okay…I say… thinking I kinda had plans for this weekend that did not include standing on my head scrubbing down the ceiling…

So, today I pick up the TSP and a bucket and the paint. (My old bucket is about ready to fall apart and I certainly did not want to risk the TSP that I carefully mix running all over the floor and asphyxiating me before I have a chance to scrub the ceiling with it and let it asphyxiate me then…did I mention that the sliding glass door needs to be replaced because something horrible happened to it during the storm that ruined the roof and allowed the waterfall in the kitchen to ruin the ceiling and it won’t open or close? That shall be the next home improvement saga…trust me! But I digress…) And in a few short hours, I’ll be standing on a step stool scrubbing the ceiling…trying to make it match the “dullness” that he has around the areas he did for the new ceiling sections…

Ah, the price we pay for perfection. It is rather amusing when you think about it…I want perfection…it is so hard to find someone who still take pride in their work…and yet I am bemoaning the fact that here I have found someone who wants to make my ceiling perfect. Funny how we can always find something to complain about…and yet…while I am not happy about spending my Saturday (cuz I know me…it will take a lot longer than a few hours in the morning…) cleaning my ceiling because yes…I want it to be perfect.

The pressure is on…

2005-05-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yep…as soon as I decided to turn my blog into writing-related topics, my idea well dried up. Not a drip…not a drop…instead it became: What to blog…what to blog...that is the question. And so…nothing was blogged (for nine days and counting! I understand!). So forget that idea. We are returning to our original babblings of life with a few writing topics thrown in here and there for fun!

Haven’t been up to much mischief this past week but here are a couple of updates.

The roof does indeed appear to be fixed! It never rains in Southern California after mid-April…but Mother Nature finally decided that I deserved a break. It rained (and I actually welcomed it even though driving was a nightmare…took me two hours to get to work and I won’t even regale you with the bus experience!…well, maybe down below!) twice in the last week. We got over an inch and a half…and no sign of water in the house! Woo Hoo! Next step: getting the ceiling fixed. Mr. Ceiling Guy is scheduled to start the work next Wednesday. It will take four trips…ugh… but with any luck, that nightmare will soon become a trauma of the past. Then we can see if the microwave still works and either get a new stove or just a new knob, and finally move on to getting the sliding glass window replaced… and then begin the repairs on the yard drainage…it never ends, this home ownership responsibility…

A new batch of baby spiders hatched this past week, and they are merrily spinning new webs on top of the old cobwebs. And the dust bunnies still rule! They are ignoring the latest eviction warning they received a few weeks ago…and with good cause…since booting their butts is still on the ever growing list of things to do...without fail...someday.

I signed up for Charlotte Dillion’s writing challenge…and have only written a couple of pages. Not good. Not good at all when one (hmmm…me…) committed to writing 25 pages a week. Can we say “schmuck”? Yes, we can…just kinda hate it when we are saying to “me”…

Have some things to say about The Runaway Bride, crit groups, the erotica-romantica-romance controversy beginning to move from a simmer to a boil, oh, and the bus story, but I really need to switch the laundry to the dryer and straighten the kitchen and turn on the dishwasher and pay some bills… See! Now you know why I haven’t blogged in nine days!

The Great Debate...

2005-04-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah…it is of vital importance: whether to put one space or two after a period. You laugh…you think I am joking. But alas…I am not. On no less than three writing loops today, there was massive discussion on whether to use one period or two after a period that ends a sentence. Post after post after post bemoaning the fact they are from the old school where two spaces ruled. Must they change their ways? And the most daunting question of all: how can they possibly go through a 400-page masterpiece and remove all those extra spaces?

On my! The trials of being a writer.

Now tell me…can you truly, really tell in most instances how many spaces are after a period? Does anybody really think a prospective agent or editor is going to throw down a manuscript in disgust and exclaim: “Horrors! This piece of drivel has two spaces after every period!”? I really doubt it. They are probably much more likely to roll their eyes at the 15,000 misplaced commas than worry about how many spaces are between the end of one sentence and the start of the next.

At every roundtable discussion I’ve attended, someone always asks the editor or agent speaking: “What are you looking for?” Never once has the reply been: “Oh, I’d love to see just one space between sentences. That is what excites me! That is what makes me think that perhaps I’ve found the next bestseller.” Give me a break! (as my friend, Jon Stossel (in my dreams I wish I knew him…he is so stinkin’ cute…but I digress) would say…) The usual answer is… drum roll please… “A good story.” Periods be damned…never ever hinted at as being an important consideration.

And yet we seem to forget that the story is what is important, and instead get hung up on period spacing, what font to use, how many rubber bands, if any, to use when binding the manuscript together for mailing. You know, the important things. Forget about a good plot, lots of conflict and tension, characters that shine. Let’s worry about the vital stuff…

And yes… I put two spaces after periods even though I have technical writing training which demands that only one space is proper…. So there! Do you suppose that is why I’m not published yet…

Side Note here: The roof is fixed! The roof is fixed! The roof is fixed! And…there was no sign of termite habitation, infestation, or damage! Woo Hoo! Now that, folks, is news worth shouting about! Now on to getting the ceiling repaired…

No time like the present…

2005-04-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to be a writer since I was seven years old. I actually even got published that year! In the PALO ALTO TIMES! (The daily newspaper published in the San Francisco Bay Area.) A little short story I wrote called MR. MILLS. And oddly enough, it was even a romantic story!

And then…writer’s block hit! Nothing of any great value spewed from my pencil until I was a sophomore in high school. Since my English teacher was in charge of the statewide writing contest for drug awareness, we all had to write an entry. Mine placed second in the class… again…it was too “sweet”.

The following year we had to write a novelette…about 25,000 words (it is rather scary I can remember all these useless details…isn’t it!?!) and wrote a beautiful…love story! The teacher didn’t think it was quite as beautiful as I did…she only gave me a B+… the following year…my senior year I found out why.

We were supposed to be writing dark, weird stories. Stuff about death and sadness and depression. Definitely not this kid’s bag. As a matter of fact, I wound up depressed. I began pondering my life at the tender age of 17… The fact that a fellow classmate that wasn’t really close enough to be called a friend, but I certainly knew him, hung himself in my best friend’s avocado grove didn’t help matters. I decided that if that was what writing was all about…well, it was not for me. And so I set aside being an author and instead went into business.

Fast forward a few hundred years (okay…not quite that many!) to present day…and Brooke still wants to be a writer. Brooke wants to write books. And actually, she has written two to date…nothing that could be published, but still, that is quite an accomplishment. I am currently in the process of editing a manuscript that could be publishable. And the well of ideas for others is in no danger of running dry.

When I started this blog, it was with the intent of it being a journal of my travels to publication. But…that would be pretty boring. I mean, how many days do I want to write: well…got home too late and too tired to write tonight. Or: Wow! Edited half a chapter today! There are just so many variations of these two sentences that even the most talented writer can come up with!

But that doesn’t mean I can’t write about writing! There are endless blog segments that can be created on the subject. And so, from this day forth, my blog will relate to its title: Brooke Writes Books.

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to occasionally expound on other subjects, but they will (hopefully) be few and far between…

Tax Day is HERE!

2005-04-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for it? Are you all done? Got those carefully prepared envelopes in the mail? Remember to sign your returns in all the proper places? Did your hand tremble a bit when you were doing it?

Well, mine are done and out as of yesterday! Woo Hoo! No more thinking about it for another year…well, except for the fact that my printer had the audacity to run out of ink in the middle of printing my copies! So, technically I am not done. I still have to finish printing out the last three pages, shuffle all those pages and assorted data together into a neat bundle…and then I am done! With any luck…I’ll be able to cross that off the list by August 31! (yes…still 2005!…geez…give me a break here!)

I didn’t used to drag it out like this. I used be one of those creepy. geeky people that had their taxes in the mail by February 10th…eeekk….the 15th at the latest. Then about ten years ago, I was all involved working…and didn’t get the project done until March 1st (ironically I was working as a tax preparer…now there’s a thankless position! I could write a whole blog entry on that one!). Then the whole pattern changed about seven years ago when I was working in Ireland and didn’t return home until April 15th. I suddenly discovered the “thrill” of waiting until the last minute to do taxes.

And so now…I do drag it out a bit… But…mine were done before the deadline! Are yours?? (Ah…the joy of the taunt is so much fun!)

Where's the fire?

2005-04-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Can somebody please tell me? I mean, it must be out there somewhere…and judging by the mass panic on the freeways these days, it must be somewhere close!

For example, tonight on my way home, I risked a glance down at the speedometer, knowing I was going much faster than the posted 65 MAXIMUM the signs say, and almost had to do a double take! Oh sure, the steering wheel was trembling, the tires were whirling as fast as they could whirl, and I swear there was a breeze coming in the car even though no windows were open and the A/C was off… I was doing almost 85 MPH…and the way the other cars were acting, it was like I was standing still. I must have been in the middle of the biggest road race imaginable!

And it’s not that they are just ripping by. They are switching lanes, back and forth, from the fast lane to the slow and then back across fours lanes to the fast lane again. Oh…and for the record…we are not talking about one or two maniacs here. We are talking about normal freeway traffic…all of them… except that poor truck who was only going about 70…and they nudged him off the freeway onto the shoulder…

Sadly, this exciting ride home tonight is not out of the ordinary. It is becoming an everyday, twice-a-day thing. Tonight just seemed worse because it is the first time I’ve been forced to drive 85; 80 was the previous record. And it may have been more noticeable since I’d just witnessed no less than five cars drive around railroad crossing barriers instead of turning around, going up a block and picking up the street down on the next corner…

So, I ask: where’s the fire? Was it really worth getting home three minutes faster? There must be something really important going on…

Confessions of a Sig-alert Junkie...

2005-04-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, it’s true. I am addicted to Sigalert.com.

What is Sigalert.com? You mean to tell me that you don’t know!!?? Well, that isn’t surprising…and is probably testament to your intelligence. Sigalert.com is a traffic reporting service. They tell you all about the wrecks, hazards, and other assorted exciting things that happen on the freeways.

My addiction started out quite innocently. When I was working in the Bay Area, I used to drive the 101 to and from the office…also known as The Bayshore Freeway. When I was growing up in the Bay Area, that particular stretch was known as Bloody Bayshore because of the high number of deadly accidents. Okay…so it was some thirty years later, but that nickname never fell outta my brain, and I’d check the traffic reports to see how the freeway was running. When it was clear, I’d make the break from the office.

Then about five months ago, I discovered that one of the local news stations here had a feature on their website of up-to-the-minute traffic reports…really a link to Sigalert.com which is really just a duplicate feed of the calls made to the California Highway Patrol. The cool thing about Sigalert’s, however, is that they also include a neat map with key-coded diamonds marking the spot of the incident.

So I started out just checking the traffic when I was about ready to leave the office. Then I started checking before I left home for the office. Now I just check any old time I want to procrastinate… But there are some interesting trends:

There are a ton of Hit and Runs. I am appalled by the number of these. At any given time, there are usually two or three in progress. Sometimes they catch the person…other times they don’t.

Sadly, there are also a lot of people involved in accidents that have been driving under the influence. Fortunately, they don’t too often result in serious injury, but an accident is traumatizing enough.

There are lots of ladders that fall on the roadway…along with couches, mattresses, plywood, washing machines, pipes, and today…a pick ax. And there are lots of dogs that are reported running loose on the shoulders of our highways. Some make it to safety…others…don’t.

Cars catch on fire. A lot! That is a rather scary realization to someone who dreads fires...who has nightmares about fires...we'll just move on and try to ignore that trend.

I am surprised by the number of reports of pedestrians walking along the side of the freeway…with no car in the vicinity. Where are they going? Did they have a fight with the driver, and the person in control stopped the car and said: Out! Out now!!! leaving the hapless passenger on the roadway where the cars whiz by at 70, 80 or more miles per hour?

And I have to say…one of my biggest complaints about driving the freeways is how they are out of control. It is rare to see a CHP cruising along with traffic to make us all behave. But, they are lurking there somewhere close, because their response time to incidents is amazing. Normally it is only two minutes or less and they are on the scene.

So see…at least my addiction is relatively educational…which is a good thing since at this point, I have no idea how to cure it…

Who is one to believe?

2005-04-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

I mean, don’t the predictions for the weather all come from the same place: the National Weather Service? I truly do not believe, nor will I be conned into thinking, that just because most TV weathermen (okay… weather-people!) are meteorologists that they really get out the maps and read the computer radars and come up with a forecast on their own.

But yet…one must begin to wonder. Otherwise, what could be the possible reason that three different stations and four different other sources have all come up with five different forecasts for today’s and tomorrow’s weather? One says sunny and cool. Another says sunny and warm…okay that could be relative, I suppose…but when they actually put temperatures to it, I have to say, and I believe most will agree me on this one, that there is a pretty substantial difference between 65 and 80 degrees. Most of us will notice that spread of warmth/coolth variation…

Another station says windy and sunny…I am not sure about that one…right now there is not a leaf stirring…but the wind here is very fickle. It could whip up any instant now…

One of the radio stations says cloudy all day (with the “all day” dragged out in a sing-song fasion)…they are wrong…there is not a cloud in sight! I think I can write them off write now.

But the fifth…they are making me most nervous. They are predicting sun today and rain tomorrow. Okay…I look at the radar…and see not a storm in sight…and 99% of the time the only rain we get here (because of the mix of ocean, desert and mountains…) we just don’t get rain without a storm. Sometimes we get heavy drizzle…but folks…that ain’t rain.

However…I am the one with the leak in the roof that pours down over the stove… So, tonight before I trudge off to bed, I shall haul out the towels and buckets and truss up the stove… just in case….

And today…I shall call the wayward roofer and see where I am on the amazingly long list…the list that is even longer than my To-Do one… another thing I find difficult to believe…

No Help Wanted...

2005-04-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

Okay…I realize that one of my “flaws” is that I am too independent. But, bottom line here is: if I want it done, 99% of the time I truly do have to do it myself.

However, one of the best expenditures of money I’ve made was to hire a landscape service. Oh sure, they don’t do things quite the way I’d always like. They have broken a number of sprinklers. The defined line between the grass and dirt in my backyard is definitely no longer defined. But those are little things when I can use those three hours it took me to mow the lawns, etc. every weekend in other ways…like taking a nap for example…

But yesterday…they went a bit too far…

First a couple of background things: I don’t have regular trash service. Next, a few years ago I had a broken sliding window which I had replaced but the window guy put the broken glass crystals into an empty trash can I had in the corner that my dad had dragged out of my garage…I used to keep junk mail in it, but for some reason, it was decided it was better outside…See…this is why I am independent…

So, I come home last night…in the dark…don’t go there… and see a blue trash can with two green plastic bags on the sidewalk…on my half of the sidewalk…not on the neighbor’s half, ready for pickup early today (regular trash day for those that have the service…which I do not…) But since it is pitch black out, I procrastinate seeing if it is mine.

This morning, in the dawning of the new day, I totter out there…and sure enough! It is my trash can…and it now filled with grass cuttings. I drag it back to its spot in the backyard…it weighs about two tons….and haul the two green trash sacks in to plop down next to the blue can…and shake my head.

It was bad enough having the blue can there all the time…Now I have to figure out how to get rid of these two sacks (who knows what is in them…they didn’t really feel heavy enough for the glass crystals…) as well as the grass cuttings which I hope don’t start a fire before I work all this out.

Now see? This is why I am fiercely independent and try to do everything myself…it really is much less work in the long run…

Spring has sprung...

2005-04-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung…

… and I love it!

Along with autumn, this is my favorite time of year. It is so fresh, so new, so pretty. There is so much promise in the air.

I love how the days are warm, but there is still a cool breeze. You can be outside and still wear a sweater or a long sleeve shirt and feel just right.

I love all the colors! The new, bright green leaves on all the trees. The first flowers of the season…especially the Iceland Poppies we have here. I remember when living in Ireland, the first flower to pop up were the yellow Daffodils. There were everywhere! Vibrant, happy yellow blossoms lined all the streets and were in all the gardens. Then came the tulips! In every color imaginable and again they were everywhere. I tried growing tulips when I came home…and after three years of trying finally did get about four to come up and bloom. There were beautiful…and brought back such wonderful memories.

I love all the birds and their raucous chatter in the morning just before the sun comes up. During the day, they are frantically at work, preparing their nests, watching their eggs, and then the real work begins when the babies are born. This is the second year the mud swallows that built the next at the peak of my roof…yes…right above my bedroom screen door…that is a bit of a pain… are back. I allow them to stay because they eat bugs as opposed to my strawberries which are growing in containers right outside the said bedroom window. Mr. and Mrs. Mud Swallow are very good parents and so much fun to watch.

And I love the longer days…the longer days that give the illusion anyway of having a bit more time. Time to maybe get a few more things done… time to turn over a new leaf and begin again.

Yes, I love spring.

Where did March go??...

2005-04-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

…and trust me, I am reeling over the fact that it has been over six weeks since my last post.

I have been very, very busy…hence, the lack of Blog Banter. What have I been doing? you ask. Well, that’s a reasonable enough question… I’ve been doing lots of things… lots and lots of things… I reply…wracking my poor brain for anything that might fall into the productive category.

“So, the roof is all fixed?” you query…trying to be helpful.

Uh, well no. The roof is still not fixed. But, hey! The good news is that the rainy season is probably over! Now I have about five months in which to be put off, ignored, shoved aside, and at the mercy of the roofing industry. And all the while, the huge crack right over the stove grows wider and wider and peels more and more. Trust me, I am not gonna be a happy camper if a chunk of sheet-rock falls into a pot of my heavenly-smelling culinary delight turning it into instant grub. And no…I am still not able to use the microwave…Grrrr…. Let’s move on, shall we, I say sweetly.

“But, you got caught up at work, right?” you question.

Well, no, not exactly. I am still two months behind in closing but…there is good news here, too! Got year end all done, and after the accountant did his audit, etc., there was not one adjusting entry (for those of you unfamiliar with accounting, adjusting entries are essentially corrections and it is almost unheard of to not have any while closing out the year…so this is quite a feather here! Clap a bit for me, please!) But yes…the stacks on the bookcase behind my desk are now taller than me…and there are three of them… And yes… I am still working awful hours. And yes… the new timeclock that I championed for is not up and running yet. Can we * please * change the subject??!!

“But you got your house all cleaned, right?” You always are the helpful one, aren’t you….

No, the Dust Bunnies in Brooke’s Abode still rule. And they have had babies. And their babies have had babies. So have the spiders. I definitely live in a haunted house what with all the cob and spider webs dangling from every corner and crevice and even non-corners and non-crevices of the joint. But! I got the Christmas tree put away today! Woo Hoo! Can we say progress!?

So, I ask…(my turn now!) feeling quite proud of myself: Do you have your income tax done? I do!!!!!! Okay…so that was a bit mean! But hey! You started it! You kept asking me about all the things that have been keeping me busy that are not done yet! Geesh!

And yes…it has been a long, long time since my last blog post… so long in fact, that I forgot my Blog user name! ACCKKK!!!!! How sad is that??? Don’t even bother to answer!

When It Rains…It Pours…

2005-02-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

…and pours. And pours. And then pours some more. And we Southern Californians can’t take it. We are weather-wimps at the best of times. The temperature drops below 60 degrees, and we are shivering and shaking as if it were 60 below.

It rains a few drops and we are screaming: Flood! Flood! Run, run! A couple of bolts of lightning followed by a few crashes of thunders equates to a full-blow severe thunderstorm.

But I think the rest of the country that knows what weather is will agree that six inches of rain in a couple of days is a true weather story. Especially when it is the fourth weekend out of five that we’ve had six inches in a couple of days. And it rained during the week, I might add.

I’ve never really cared for rain…one of the big reasons I live in this area. Enough I say! Please stop! Go home! Let Mr. Sun come out!

Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day! Like next year!

The Beat Goes On...and On...and On....

2005-02-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days? Where you tell yourself that when you get home from work, you are gonna do this and this and that, and oh, maybe something else, too.

Well, when I left for work this morning, I told myself I was going to get four things done tonight. Without fail. No excuses. No whining. Was just gonna sit down and get them done.

I have now been home for 45 minutes, and not one of the things has been started…let alone finished. And you know what? None of the four things are gonna get done tonight.

That’s right! I am on strike! It might have something to do with the fact that I didn’t get home until 9PM, and that I am tired of eating dinner that is closer to being a midnight snack, but tonight I am saying Bah Humbug…Screw it…it will be there tomorrow, and will merely multiply (like bunnies!) into eight things!

And instead…I am going to go to bed and watch TV!

Have fun Little Bunny-Tasks! Live it up!

A Jolt of Reality…

2005-02-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning the same way I do every weekday morning with the clock radio coming on to a soft-jazz station. No jolting outta bed for this kid. The sucker comes on at 5AM which I figure is cruelty enough. I stumbled outta bed to turn the heat on, turn the coffee pot on, turn my computer on and made a bee-line back to bed to catch the morning traffic report. Another ritual…

Today instead of hearing about the usual slow spots, the nice sounding traffic reporter announced a Sig-Alert. A possible fatality…which I have learned means a definite fatality. A chill stole over me… I always hate this type of news.

As the morning progressed, this particular accident turned out to be even more poignantly gruesome. A semi-truck had stalled in the slow lane, and a minivan had plowed into the back of it. Never even had the chance to brake. A husband and wife in their sixties with their twenty-year-old grandson were on their way to the airport. All three died.

A day they had probably all been looking forward to never really got started for them. They never even got to see the sun rise.

It definitely brings home the fact that life is so precarious. Anything can happen in an instant…faster than one can snap their fingers. It also reminds us that we can’t wait to put off those goals and plans that we keep thinking we’ll do tomorrow. And it definitely means there is no time to spare expending energy on trivialities that really don’t really matter in the total scheme of things.

Maybe sometimes we need incidents like this to spur us on, to remind us of what is really important. I know I certainly didn’t mind being at work one bit today. While I may have the same attitude tomorrow, I will probably become complacent again in the next few days or weeks…until another jarring jolt of reality hits me…

Whine…Whine…Wine, please…

2005-02-14T22:08:00.000-08:00

Yep, I am gonna break down and grumble a bit. Maybe it will get all this discouragement and crabbiness outta my system. We can only hope.

I cannot believe it is now over five weeks since the Sunday House-Breakdown from Hell. The stove knob is still broken, the roof is still leaking, and the drainage in the backyard is barely functional and definitely still in need of repair. And tomorrow they are predicting the rains to start again bringing about three inches in the next two days and continuing for the next ten days or so. Of course, if I have to buy a new stove because of the roof leak, I guess I really don’t need to worry about getting the knob fixed. I am figuring I’ll get all new knobs as part of the nice, new, shiny appliance…

I feel I have been more than patient. I know this is a horrendously busy time for roofers. I appreciate all that. But when they tell me they’ll be out to fix it on Wednesday, and no one shows up, and this happens four times, I start losing my patience. Particularly when there is no call alerting me to the fact that they can’t come.

Probably part of the reason this whole fiasco is getting to me so much is that I called right away…as soon as I discovered the waterfall in the kitchen. I did not wait until the following morning. Or the day after that, hoping that the leak would seal itself. I called right away…and was promised good service. And have received nothing.

I guess it makes me feel like a sap because I am so careful to honor promises I make, even if they inconvenience the heck out me later. And it seems, at times like this, that I am the only one.

Oh well, eventually this will all get sorted out. And it could be a whole lot worse. I do not have to worry about my home sliding down the hill and crashing into the neighbor’s pool. I fortunately have the funds at the moment to pay for the repairs (barring having to do a whole new roof! But let’s not even entertain such dastardly thoughts! EEEKKK!!!)

And most importantly, I have my health. So, I have everything.

Man! How Time Flies…

2005-02-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

Such an old cliché, but it’s so true! And I am always stunned by that fact. I suppose it is naïve on my part…that I keep thinking I have plenty of time to do everything I want to do. Maybe that is why I am such a good procrastinator.

Perhaps it is an equal part of arrogance on my part. Thinking that once I get going, I won’t have to pay my dues and all that jazz. But more likely, I think it might also be a bit of fear. What if I fail?

And would that be such a huge big deal? Would the world suddenly come to an end? Would a lightning bolt suddenly drop out of the Southern California sky and strike me? Would I wind up being shunned by one and all forever? Not likely.

I know I am a very competitive person…I must always do the best at anything I try…or I won’t do it. I am not quite sure where this streak came from, but I do know that while a good dose of healthy competition is good, too much is crippling. It makes one not go forth with things that could bring them joy.

Pretty simple, isn’t it. Nothing bad will happen from trying and failing…at least with the things I want to try…we are not talking skydiving here where the parachute might not open… But a lot of good could (and most likely would, even!) occur from lowering the bar a bit and just jumping in.

So, with all that said, I am going to get started on something that will move my goal of publication a bit closer to reality…after I go to the store…and take a snooze…but definitely today…for sure…maybe…

Ramifications of Being a Blogger…

2005-02-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday I created my Blog…woo hoo! Wandered around the house all afternoon in giddy-fashion…I own a Blog…I own a Blog!

And then…being the responsible sort of person I am, I decided perhaps I ought to learn a bit more about this blogging craze… Oh sure, I knew generally about blogging. Knew what it was. Had even read a few. And to my credit, cuz I am usually about a quarter-step behind on all new technology…gotta make sure it is gonna work and stick around before I step into it…knew that I’d have a blog that would tie into my website…which I’ll do…someday…very soon…well, soon…okay…someday….

Found out that the “best” blogs (and I always wanna be best!) have a theme that draws readers back time and time again. The “best” blogs are updated regularly…like everyday! The “best” blogs have links and pictures and something called RSS feeds… “RSS feeds!” I cry. “What in the world does RSS stand for!?!” I am still trembling over the thought of having to think of good links and track down photos (hmmm…that might actually be a good thing cuz then I’d learn how to use the beautiful digital camera I own that has hundreds of great pictures inside just waiting the moment when they can launch themselves into my computer…). Not to mention a theme! Heck, this is the person who took well over an hour to pick out the template for her blog… we might be in big trouble here!

But trouble or not, lack of technical know-how or not, currently theme-less and adrift…this is my blog…and I am likin’ this whole thing! Ramifications and all!

I am a Blogger!… Imagine that!

2005-02-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

… and probably one of the world’s biggest copy cats. Yeah, I admit it. As soon as my friend and writing partner, Randy, told me she had started a Blog, I promptly whined: “I want a Blog, too!”

“Go get one,” she replied and instantly sent the link. Took me four more days to get up the nerve to go and peek around the site…and voila! Here I am!

Now, I am sitting here, composing my very first Blog post…and I am suddenly speechless. Can’t think of an intelligent word to write. Oh, sure! Tons of dumb things are flitting through my mind…but the first post should sound sensible.

So…probably the best thing to do is to sign off now while I am ahead. I think I am going to like this new venture…I think I am going to like it a lot!