Just a Small Town Girl

The Parent Curse

2007-12-10T21:40:00.001-06:00

Once, along time ago, lived a little girl who had been given a special assignment at school. The little girl was very proud of her assignment on Florida History. It was a big girl project just like they would get in high school. She sent off for all of the brochures like her teacher told her, she took many notes,and borrowed lots of books from the library. She only forgot one little detail.

To write the report. So the weekend before it was due, she wrote and she wrote. But it still wasn't right. The little girl did the only thing she could think of and went crying to her mother for help.

"Mommy, I got all my research done and I've written my draft but it has to be typed and put on the board and it's due tomorrow", the little girl wailed to her mother, at 10 pm at night. The mother loved her daughter, so she tsked at her and hugged her, and said,

"It will be all right. I'll help you." Mother sat at the typewriter (i said long ago,no there was no computer, now hush and listen) typing up the paper, correcting the daughters spelling and grammar mistakes, until the early hours of the morning.
At last they were finished and the little girl hung the finished report on her poster board.

"Good night, sweet heart. Let this be a lesson to you. Never put off the writing of the report until the last minute." The Mommy hugged her daughter and tucked her in bed.

"oh I learned my lesson." The little girl solemnly swore and she snuggled down to sleep. And she meant it.

Until her first Science report a few years later when she forgot again. "Mom!" the cry went out. Again the mother sat up most of the night with the daughter.

"Learn from this." the mother warned

"I will. I did." the little girl answered.

Until a few months later when her History report was due.

"Mom!" "Learn from this." "I did."

and so the cycle repeated its self for a long time.

Never once did the Mother complain or carp on the girl. She just helped and then said learn, and she would smile this secret little smile that the little girl could never really understand.

Years later the little girl was all grown up and had children of her own.

"Mommy!" the little child cried "I have a report due tomorrow and I have all the research but it isn't written! Can you help me?"

And the little girl's heart froze in her chest. She should have listened to her Mommy and learned. Because she now understood the secret smile and that her Mothers curse for her had come back quadruple fold. How many nights would she lose sleep helping her children to learn a lesson she never did?

sorry Mommy, but can we talk truce here? I learned my lesson I really did!

A reminder....

2007-12-06T11:38:00.000-06:00

Some times life starts throwing things at you and causes you to get bogged down in doubt, self pity, and confusion. This had been happening to me lately. My sister sent out her christmas cards early this year. The one she sent me had a handwritten note in which she reminded me...

"Rebekah- If God saved Ruth from being a poor widow, Easter from being a self pitted poor girl and Daniel from the lions den, just when they began to question...what makes you feel so bad? Just step out and feel that solid yet invisible ground under your feet. God is everywhere.

Thanks Rachael...I love you!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

2007-12-04T00:22:00.000-06:00

Those of you that know me, know that normally I hate when stories are "retold" or "adapted" because inevitably they will screw something up. But so far this month I've been impressed not once but twice.

First time? See below post. Second time was Sci-fi's "Tin Man". I wasn't really holding my breath or having high hopes, because lets face it, it's sci-fi. More times than not it's going to be cheesy and jukey and make me curse the gods that let it make it to the air waves.

Boy was I wrong. Some may disagree and claim that it is all of the afore mentioned things, but not since the "Tenth Kingdom" have I loved a retelling so much. Not even a retelling really. Anyone who read any of the other Oz books after Dorothy knows that there was much more to Oz then the first book told.

This story is stand alone; If you never even saw or heard the first one. But don't think your old friends are gone. It's like meeting new friends that remind you of old friends. The Scarecrow, the Cowardly lion, the Tin Man and Toto are all there, just in a different way.

And for the die hard Wizard Fan, plenty of inside jokes, like how Glitch can never find the right direction.

The story itself is compelling and spell binding for the fantasy fan, and for those of us that started loving Fantasy as little girls on a black and white 13" Quesar TV in their living room, this mini-series is enough to make us fall in love with it all over again.

Does that mean I know longer love the original? Well, that's a horse of a different color.

Hello, Insomnia, My Old Friend (sung to Simon and Garfunkle tune)

2007-11-26T23:54:00.000-06:00

You have to love the bouts. No story brewing that would be to easy. No, it's the kind where you run through your head what you should have done or should have said. How you should spend your money, which only leads to what you still have left to purchase. Which will of course lead to where the kids should go to college. My personal favorite, how will you pay for college.

I know these moments of self doubting are normal. I understand it's slings and arrows to make me doubt the decisions I've made in my life lately. I know where they come from and how to fight them. I know that they will pass in time. I just hate going through them.

It's the time in the evening when the house is all sleeping and I am forced to be still with only my own thoughts

Beowulf

2007-11-26T08:09:00.000-06:00

We've all seen the reviews. The highest I've seen the movie get is a B, and this leaves me a bit perplexed. For once they actually stuck to the story line! I know. I couldn't believe it either,but I was impressed. As for the graphics, any online gamer will tell you they did a really good job. The best part of the film for me?

Normally when I watch a 3d movie, I'm left wondering what the big deal is. For what ever reason I do not get to enjoy the same effects as everyone else. This time I actually got to see the stuff popping off the screen! I must say this new "REALD" is awesome. Even the upcoming movie previews popped. Looks like they are going to do more movies with this technology. I for one am all for it. Brandon Frasier will be delighting me this summer in a remake of "Journey to the Center of the Earth", and really, any sci-fi/fantasy fan worth their salt will be checking this one out.

The worst draw back to the new REALD will be the glasses. No longer are they paper and films red and blue lens. Now you either look like Drew Carey or Buddy Holley. But I much prefer that look to the old style glasses.

As for Beowulf and his group of fighting thanes? Well as soon as the DVD goes on sale, I shall invite them all to live with me.

Beat'n by technology again.

2007-11-13T23:16:00.000-06:00

This must not be my week for electronics. Yesterday I get home from work, and all I want to do is have a cup of coffee and check my e-mail. Only to discover that my computer wigged out and my Internet is down. Fine, I'm a big girl. I can handle one little night with out the computer. I had a book to read. Somehow I managed to make it through and bright and early my sister was on the phone with the cable guy, trying to reset our modem. Thirty minutes it took us to get the guy to find and fix the problem, while trying to convince him that we weren't moron's!
(stop laughing)

My computer had no problems connecting, the other two systems apparently were on the outs with the router and would not talk to it period. I mean, it sent flowers, candy, sweet little poems..nothing. Oh, the other systems could see the router, they knew it was there. They just refused to talk to it. Finally we get that lovers tiff worked out, and everyone is happy. A joyful evening was spent by all checking myspace and e-mails.

Until I decided "Hey, wouldn't it be great if I put a picture up on my blog, like everyone else?"

(stop laughing, I mean it!)

As you can see by my updated profile that was a great success. Twenty minutes of reading and rereading the instructions...computer 25, Me 0.

But that's okay...tomorrow is another day.

Dating in the Modern Era.....

2007-11-12T09:14:00.000-06:00

So you look around and find yourself single, again. Never thought it would happen to you, but here you are. Your older, wiser, and a bit more self confident than the last time around, but you realize (after a fateful night in an old favorite stomping ground) you've out grown the bar scene. All of your single friends..well they went and got married. Now your also out a wing man. And any of the eligible single friends your friends would have had? yep they aren't single either.

What ever is a girl to do?

There are a few options. Everyone has seen the commercials for Matchdotcom or Eharmony right? These sights want you to pay a membership fee to get hooked up with other singles. Yahoo has a personals service too. However of all the choices out there for dating sights..So far I like Singlesnetdotcom the best.

Most of these sights let you "flirt" for free. Or as yahoo calls it "send an icebreaker" the catch comes in when if your not a member you can not respond back.
Oh you can send a return flirt or icebreaker, but that's it.

Singles is different. If either the flirter or flirtee are members you can e-mail each other for free as often as you like. So if your just starting out and not wanting to make an investment..this is a good way to go.

Fair warning though...the rules of dating have changed..that's for another post.

Writers Block...

2007-11-08T09:05:00.000-06:00

Working evenings now, I have come to really appreciate that I can watch most of my favorite shows on my computer. Yes we have the cable box that records shows, but they only have so much space and the some of the shows I like the rest of the family isn't into. I love that just like tuning in on show night, I don't have to pay to watch. To me it's like catching the show in syndication. To that end I don't understand the writers strike.

As a writer, I understand wanting to be compensated for the work one creates. But do writers on staff get royalty fees every time a show re-airs? If not then they have no business complaining when a network re-airs on-line. They received payment when they first wrote the script. That is now property of the network.

I could be completely off base, maybe I don't have both sides of the story. If that is the case please someone enlighten me. As I see right now though. These writers are just whining for something that isn't theirs to whine about anyway.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some TV to catch up on.

Coffee conversations.....

2007-11-07T08:48:00.000-06:00

Last night my ill fated partner in life and crime and I got together for one of our old fashioned coffee sessions. The things that can come out of these events can be mind blowing, like trees that fork and then grow back in to each other, but are also very theraputic.

We have both been going through some life altering changes and played sounding board for each other. One thing that struck me as we did our conversation tango, was that both of us had stopped blogging because we were afraid of what we would say. Or worse trying to write about anything but what was going on. How it left us feeling flat/empty, so that it was easier not to write at all.

I haven't been posting because.....

2007-11-05T09:54:00.000-06:00

1) The dog ate my rough draft.

2) A huge tornado swept through my town and took me to a far away place.

3) I wrote it, hit what I thought was post and it deleted the whole thing.

4) I still haven't finished reading War and Peace.

5) I needed to do my hair.

Basically I could come up with a thousand and one excuses to go with the Arabian nights, but none of them would hold water for long.

I haven't written because of what I am afraid will show up on the page. As some of you know, Allen and I have separated again. Out of that feelings are being felt that I'm not comfortable putting down for the world to see. And as I tend to write what I'm feeling, I didn't write.

It didn't help that I would peruse his blog and go from sad, to anger, to thoughts of flaming him all over his own blog. I needed to get my emotions in check. I won't say that I'm all better. I will say I'm okay. Good days, bad days, sometimes a little of both.

Separation/Divorce has it's own grieving process like death. Just not sure where in the process I am.

On a lighter note...getting good material on the pro's and con's of dating in the modern era.

It's Movie Review time...

2007-10-06T08:21:00.001-05:00

I don't watch as many movies lately as I have in the past, but I did get a chance to catch two Dvd's last weekend.

Lucky You- The story takes place in Las Vegas, an up and coming poker player, keeps falling short of his ultimate goal. To play and win in the World Series Poker Tournament. Just as he is about to reach his goal, he meets the girl of his dreams. But will he have to choose between her and poker? The movie was touted as being a romance, but I didn't find it very romantic. Plenty of star power behind the movie, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duval, Jean Smart, and numerous professional poker players, playing themselves. To me this movie wasn't so much a romance as a relationship movie. And not between the guy and the girl, but between the boy and his father. I did like the movie and not just because is had poker in it! I was disappointed that the hype building up the movie wasn't really what the movie was about. Still on a scale 1-10, I give it a 6.

Next- No seriously, that's the name of the movie. Again this takes place in Vegas. Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Beal star in this action/suspense jewel. A psychic playing at being a magician inadvertently catches the interest of the FBI, or at least one observant agent, that wants his help in finding terrorist that have taken a nuclear warhead. Chris Johnson (Cage) is trying to avoid getting roped in by the Government but track down the mystery girl (Jessica Beal) he saw in a vision, that he is convinced could be "The One". Listen close on some of the dialog or you might miss some suttle jokes thrown in here and there. You know those lovely one liners that I adore. Plenty of action and just the right amount of romance and comedy to please just about everyone in the family. But there is some adult situations so use your own discretion. I give this movie a 8& 1/2.

Birthday plans(?)

2007-09-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

I bet you thought I had left forever? It's okay, I was starting to wonder myself.
Remember those plans, of plugging in by sitting outside with pad and pen? Yeah, that never happened. So what did happen? Life. I have started a new life, or maybe I've just picked up an old one. A life that includes me, my kids, my dog, and my cat. But that isn't what this post is about.

No this post is about Birthday plans. My Birthday happens to be about 6 months away. Normally (translation- in my old life)this would pass with out much fuss or bother as it has for about the past 17 years. Maybe a card from the kids and calls from my extended family. Oh, and a race for the phone between my brother-in-law and me, to see who can call who first and wish the other a Happy Birthday. This year I want to do things a little differently. Not only am I starting a new life, but it is my 35th. So to that end I want a big party. But more than a party for me...I want to through my loving Bubba a Roast.

At a family dinner this week, my loving Bubba said something to pick on me. I don't remember what was said, but it was good enough to earn this response from me. "Oh, you are so having a roast for your birthday."
To which my daughter innocently replies, " Not me, I want BBQ Ribs!"

After I quit choking on my soda, and laughter, I did explain what a roast was. To this she said under her breath "yeah, well I still want ribs."

Story Time...

2007-07-19T05:56:00.000-05:00

Okay still not one of my stories, but a few things I've read lately. If your local library (or in my case friends bookshelves) should have these you mighty likey...

Mr King delights me in a way that he hasn't since Tommy Knockers with Lisey's Story. Exploring the inside of Lisey's relationship to her husband, as a wife, and as a sister, with her sisters. For a man..he seems to have nailed the "sisterhood" pretty well. But, then again, that's why he gets the big bucks.

Mr King comes up to bat again in The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Although written a few years ago, I read this book in about a day. Mainly cause I could not stop reading it. I would but it down, trying to make it last. But like one of Homers sigrens, it kept calling me and urging me on.

Beware the UnderToad....

2007-07-12T18:05:00.000-05:00

Well my fearless readers, I don't have full time access to a puter where I can actually get to my blog. Hence the sporadic posts..or lack there of even.

And truly (unless you want a post on WOE IS ME), I have not had anything to share of any value, real or imagined, lately. When I was talking to myself the other day, I said "self what have you got to say?" And there was no reply. Just dead air. Like the power went out in the day time, the lack of even the buzz of the AC letting you know that all is not well.

So I am striving to reconnect the power, as it where. Going back old school style, with pen and paper, and the great outdoors, to try and restart my creative juices. I am being smothered to death by humidity and bled dry by mosquito's, but nary a spark can I ignite.

But alive and semi-well, and still kicking, in my small town on the Southern Rivera

Just Saying....

2007-07-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

I'm still here and have lots to say. Blog will resume shortly and we apologize for the brief interuption in posts.

reflections

2007-04-23T06:58:00.000-05:00

17 years ago I was a teenager, a sophomore. I know exactly how many years ago, because I can measure the time by the age of my son. I decided I had found the person I wanted as my spouse, and I wanted a kid while I was young. I wanted to be able to remember what being a teenager was like, when my kid was one so I could relate.

As my classmates where fitted for formals I was being fitted for my wedding dress. The next fall as my friends got ready for homecoming, I prepared for a homecoming of my own. They decorated the gym for dances, I decorated the nursery.

Now my children are teenagers, do I remember what it was like? yes. Does it help me relate to them? HEll NO.

People who say they never want to live high school over, are either liars or not parents of teens. I tell you no lie my friend, I would rather be the teen than the parent.

I'm sure people tried to warn me. To tell me that as you get older your way of thinking changes. So you may remember being a teen, but you won't, can not, think like a teen. No matter how hard you try. Your parent brain over rides the teen brain. Causing fights, and power plays and the temptation to throw in the towel and quit can be over whelming. But I didn't listen, because I was a teen.

You Might be Married to a Computer Junkie if...

2007-04-11T06:46:00.000-05:00

1. If your spouse takes the laptop to the tub with them.

2. Their eyes glaze over and they begin to drool when you pass the Computer or Electronics store.

3. On release day for VISTA, you mistake them for a child awaiting the next Harry Potter book.

4. The laptop is now sharing your pillow.

5. Cleaning under the mattress you find the stash of Maxium PC.

6. You over hear your spouse in the other room, " Oh my god, your so beautiful.", "That's what I'm talking about!", only to discover they are surfing computer parts on line.

As the Old Saying Goes.....

2007-04-07T07:17:00.000-05:00

Every Place has an adage that is true for that area. One of ours is " Never plant until the first weekend after Easter." It doesn't matter if March came in like a lion or a kitten and left like a lamb or a wet noodle. It doesn't matter that the highs for a month have consistently been in the mid 70's to 80's, or that the water temperature is 75 degrees. It doesn't matter if you have been swimming every day for a month. You don't plant before the first weekend after Easter, because this can happen:

Today: currently 42 degrees feels like 32. High for today 57. Low 37

Tomorrow (Easter Sunday): High of 55, Low of 42 showers in the afternoon.

Monday: High of 65, low of 53, Am showers.

Tuesday: High of 73, low of 67

Families all across the panhandle are now rethinking their Easter Plans. Instead of flocking to the beach or having a picnic outside, the kids will either hunt eggs bundled up outside in the morning, or will have to resort to the dreaded in door Easter egg hunt.

Menus are being changed from: Cold ham slices, potato salad, corn on the cob, and Jello. To: Baked Ham, Scalloped/mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and cake.

Mom's are quickly rethinking presents in the Easter Basket. "Doh, I got Jimmy the pail and shovel basket..I should have gotten the one with the cars."

So next time one of your neighbors, or the little old lady in the grocery line, tells you an adage about your area, listen. Even if you have lived there for Five years and never witnessed it yourself. You have been warned. Now I get to laugh at all the southern transplants at the bank, who did listen to us old timers when we warned them weeks ago..."You never plant until the first weekend after Easter."

2007-04-03T06:45:00.000-05:00

I would love to tell you about Chris shocking his father and I last night, not only by having homework he admitted too, but by having it done. Then he tops that with producing a total of six A's, all in Math. I think the oxygen escaped my body as I let my hope rise in that my son is on his way back to being himself.

But I don't have time and I'm totally exhausted. This is the first of the month. The time when a banker is like the tax man on April 15th, except for us it happens every month. My bank is one of the few left, that cashes government checks for people with out an account and with out a fee. I told you it's a small,old school bank. So needless to say, by the time I get home for the next couple of days..well basically I pour myself into a chair and don't move. Add to that drama that the new Washington State quarter was released yesterday and fifty billion requests for it all to be answered
"I'm sorry, we receive our coin from the reserve on Tuesdays. We are hoping that our shipment will arrive tomorrow, but if not please check back once a week. They are sure to arrive soon. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
And make it sound sincere,not like a broken record. Thank God I took Drama, lol.

Hubby was off last night and as much as I wanted to sink into oblivion when I got home, he didn't let me. We have been doing a lot of "walks down Memory Lane" lately. considering the place we met is now 4 blocks from where we live, or a 1/2 a block if you go via the beach. He suddenly has an interest in walking. We snapped the leashes on the dogs and headed off. We were treated to a beautiful sunset and two dolphins playing in the Bayou. The sunset I sort of took for granted, there is show like that every night when you live on the water, but the dolphin's were a rare treat.

I tried last week to work an entry in draft form and post it when it was done, but that didn't work out so well. Blogger posted it in between two other entries, because the day I started it, was before the day of my last post. But if your looking for a movie review scroll down a bit..it' hiding in there.

Maybe I'll try writing my post ideas out long hand and transcribe them to blogger when I'm done, but it will have to wait..until hell week is finished.

Weekly update....

2007-03-29T06:50:00.000-05:00

The last box has been unloaded and broken down. The kids have been enrolled in their new schools. So at this point I guess we are now officially moved in. The kids love being so close to the water. I hear my mother coming out of my mouth more and more each day, as I can never seem to find a clean towel. All of mine seem to have taken up permanent residence on the front porch railing.

The boys have started attending their new school, and I am dealing with the fact they attended my rival high school. Ashley hasn't expressed an opinion with the new school. It did score points with David, when not only did he get to go to the library on his first day, but he scored a collection of Poe from it's shelves.

This is the Southern Riviera signing off...

For your viewing pleasure, we now present.....

2007-03-27T06:32:00.000-05:00

A couple of movies to present for your home video entertainment.

Flicka: I don't like remakes. I hate when they change things from the original book to make the movie. But, I loved this remake of "My Friend Flicka". I agreed to rent it for two reasons. 1) I have a 12 year old daughter and all though she is not "horse crazy" like I was, she wanted to see this. 2) I had a better chance of getting her to read the book if she had seen the movie( This trick worked with "Because of Winn Dixie" I had her read the book before watching the movie..she has read the book six times, I refuse to count how many times she's watched the movie)

None of the acting was over the top or cheesy as sometimes happens. I didn't cry during "Romeo and Juliet", I cried once to "old Yeller" and that was the first time I had ever seen it. I cried during "Flicka", my daughter cried, and I think the boys did a strange amount of throat clearing during quite a few scenes as well.

16 Blocks: Bruce Willis proves once again that he isn't just a smart ass, wise cracking, gun toting jock, but a talented actor that has the ability to make his characters real. Very few movies surprise me anymore. I can usually figure out who done it, with what, in what room and why fairly early into a movie. Not so with this one.

Flushed Away: If you have kids, they will probably make you rent this. If you use your older kids as an excuse to rent the new cartoon animated flicks you may want to hold off until you have seen everything else. The most endearing part of this movie to me was the singing slugs. Those little guys had me cracking up. Actually they made the movie for me.

Southerness...

2007-03-22T20:12:00.000-05:00

I didn't write this, but that doesn't make it any less true. And Momma, thank you for raising me South of the Mason Dixon, the best piece of real estate in the world.

Southernness

____

SOUTHERN WOMEN
Southern women appreciate their natural assets:
Clean skin.
A winning smile.
That unforgettable Southern drawl.

Southern women know their manners:
"Yes, ma'am."
"Yes, sir."
"Why, no, Billy!"

Southern women have a distinct way with fond expressions :
"Y'all come back!"
"Well, bless your heart."
"Drop by when you can."
"How's your Momma?"

Southern women know their summer weather report:
Humidity
Humidity
Humidity

Southern women know their vacation spots:
The beach
The rivuh
The crick

Southern women know the joys of June, July, and August:
Colorful hi-heel sandals
Strapless sun dresses
Iced sweet tea with mint

Southern women know everybody's first name:
Honey
Darlin'
Shugah

Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:
Fried Green Tomatoes
Driving Miss Daisy
Steel Magnolias
Gone With The Wind

Southern women know their religions:
Baptist
Methodist
Football

Southern women know their country breakfasts:
Red-eye gravy
Grits
Eggs
Country ham
Mouth-watering homemade biscuits with momma's homemade jelly

Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:
Chawl'stn
S'vanah
Foat Wuth
N'awlins
Addlanna

Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:
Men in uniform.
Men in tuxedos
Rhett Butler

Southern girls know their prime real estate:
The Mall
The Country Club
The Beauty Salon

Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins:
Having bad hair and nails
Having bad manners
Cooking bad food

More Suthen-ism's:
Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a
conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.
_____

Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens,
peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."
_____

Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of
"yonder."
_____

Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, . as in: "Going
to town, be back directly."
_____

Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for
the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl
in the middle of the table.
_____

All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use
the term, but they know the concept well.
_____

Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace
for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a
big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real
crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!(or chocolate cake*)
_____

Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near"
and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be
1 mile or 20.
_____

Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a
redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.
_____

No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing
turn signal is actually going to make a turn.
_____

A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an
adverb.
_____

Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when
we're "in line," . we talk to everybody!
_____

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're
related, even if only by marriage.
_____

In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.
_____

Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.
_____

Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are
perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and
that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.
_____

When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know
you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!
_____

Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea
indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea
unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.
_____

And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old
ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart"
... and go your own way.
_____

To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness:
Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the
morning. Bless your heart!
_____
And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all
this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to
have classes on Southernness as a second language!
_____

And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a
long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads
"I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."

Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !

Now...... Shugah, send this to someone who was raised in the South or
wish they had been!

If you're a Northern transplant, Bless your little heart, fake it.
We know you got here as fast as you could

*Added by blog poster

I am alive!

2007-03-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

That is all. Continue about your daily lives.

A day....

2007-03-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

Your Day is finally drawing to a close. On your lunch break you took boxes you loaded from house A that morning over to house B and unloaded. After work you; head to hubby's job to pick up cash, run to wal-mart and brave the masses to get dinner, get back to house A, put another load in the car and the kids, and head off to house B. Unload the car, let the kids explore house B. Go back to house A and start cooking the dinner you got earlier. While dinner is cooking you read two chapters of "Rackety Tam"(complete with voices) to the kids. Dinner now finished you let kids serve themselves, while you get back into the car to pick hubby up from work.

Finally you are home, all of your chores are done, and you can take some you time.

You collect your book, a cup of coffee and your smokes. A hot bath is calling your name. You start the water for your bath and prepare to get in. Set the smokes, book, and coffee cup in easy reach near the towel. Just as you are about to submerge yourself in the warm relaxing waters, you realize your razor isn't near the tub. A quick search reveals it's not in your bathroom. You grab the robe off the back of the door and quickly put it on. Muttering under your breath about daughters stealing your razor. Reach the kid bathroom and retrieve your pilfered item. Go back to your bathroom. Disrobe and hang it back up, set your razor down and grab the shaving cream. Your can is empty. Not to to worry you can use hubby's. Except his is not in the bathroom either. Get the robe back off the door, put it back on and head again to the other bathroom. Get hubby's shaving cream, check to make sure it's still full, and head back to your bathroom. Hang the robe back up and finally step into to the warm relaxing waters of the tub.
A sound shatters the stillness, "MOM! Are you still in the tub?"

such is life.

I must be getting old...

2007-03-12T07:20:00.000-05:00

Day light savings time snuck up on me this year. I really like "springing forward",usually. It means I get more day in my day. But didn't it come awful early this year? Doesn't it usually happen closer to or after Easter? Or has my age effected my since of time?

I remember a time when it was a friends birthday, you went to the card store or the grocery store (depending on the friend) and spent time perusing the birthday cards to find just the right one. Now I find myself perusing the available animations and glitter words for saying "Happy Birthday" to my friends on My space. Actually this is kind of embarrassing. At least with cards if you don't receive that many..you could say well maybe money is tight and let it go. Besides no one would know how many you did or didn't receive. Unlike Myspace, where all of your comments are visible and you can easily see how few or many Birthday greetings a person got. High school was nicer to my self esteem.

10 pm used to be the time to head out and "Get the Party started", now 10 pm is the time to head up to bed.

A night of Hero's...

2007-03-08T07:10:00.000-06:00

Last night we rented movies and sat around the computer monitor. We didn't get "Flushed Away" as Hubby didn't think we would be able to appreciate it very well on the monitor. It's funny that we have a 19 inch color monitor, and I remember when a 19 inch TV was "Da Bomb!"

We did rent "The Guardian", "Catch a Fire", and "Flags of Our Fathers".

"The Guardian": I was surprisingly impressed with this movie. The plot is a little over done in that the older more experienced guy takes the newbie under his wing. That said, it did shine some light on an under looked branch of our Military. And Kevin and Ashton weren't bad on the eyes either. I'm not saying "BUY THIS MOVIE", but I will give it "If your looking for something to rent you haven't seen, check it out." Like a weekend reader..this movie fills that nitch.

"Catch a Fire": Tim Robbins and Derek Luke both give awesome performances in this flick. Watching an Anti-terrorist official create a terrorist, leads to some interesting philosophical questions. What this movie boils down to though, is a great story, told by great story tellers. That the story is true(or at lest based on truth)makes it all the more compelling. A true study in human nature and all those lovely shades of grey, that make it.

"Flags of Our Fathers": What defines a hero? Do hero's really see themselves as hero's or just doing what needs done at the time? Some may feel that a story about WWII maybe out dated, but some of what effected them, still resides, still affects, us today.

So over all? No tankers on this list of video's..but maybe next time.

The Real Life....

2007-03-05T21:38:00.000-06:00

This is the story. Of six people. Living in the same house. With no T.v. And only two computers and themselves for entertainment. This is what happens when you stop watching TV and start living...a real life.

Nothing.

Yep, we got rid of the Ol' boob tube, a few weeks back. And since then we have read, taught the children spades (although that didn't last very long. The request for a hold 'em tourney, or a round of baseball or 52 quickly shot down the fun of making person eat a book or go short.) And played board games.

The kids now call them "Bored" games. We have learned that clue is only fun once every six months. Darth Vader doesn't fly across the room as well as Luke Skywalker. And even with no T.V. chores still get left undone, and there is never any homework. The Puppy and Cat playing can be concidered "Quality Entertainment" because it is less boring than watching the grass grow.

You know things have hit an all time low when...the other night we were all sitting around the computer..watching YouTube videos together.

So maybe it's time to give in..and get another Tv? we will see.

Well, I searched the world over, and thought I'd found true love, You met another and ppfht you was gone!

2007-03-02T05:54:00.000-06:00

The time has come, once more, to look into that carnivorous hole I call a closet and yell to the world at large "I have nothing to wear!".

Which in and of it's self is not a true statement. I have several long heavy skirts, and a few dresses. My problem is two fold. The first is functionality. I started my job in winter. So, of course, bought "winter" skirts. Two of my "Winter" skirts can make it through the spring and one of the two possibly all year long. One is a knee length grey wool. The other, a knee length black polyester blend. So not so bad. More light weight tops and maybe a nice Khaki will round out that issue.

The real problem is shoes. I didn't rival Emelda Marcos but I did have. 1 pair strappy sexy black heels, 1 pair strappy sexy grey heels, 1 pair of sensible navy pumps, 1 pair black sensible pumps, 1 pair cream sling backs, 1 pair black flats.

Then along came Holly. I now have: 1 pair strappy sexy grey heels(that can only be worn about once every two weeks due to not being able to walk if worn more often than that for 8 hours straight), 1 pair sensible navy pumps(very little navy in my closet) and 1 pair black flats (which would be fine if they were tradtional flats, but are really a square toed dress slider..does not look good with every skirt when you have small tree trunks for ankles. Great for pants, bad for skirts)

I tried locking my shoes up in the closet after the sling backs bought the farm, but alas she has figured out how to open the bedroom door, and the other half not so good at keeping the closet door shut. I always shut the closet door, it's another phobia I have, but that's a different blog. All I can say about that is "Tank you Mr. King"

Fifty billion stuffed animals and squeaky toys and hard rubber rolly things, she wants my shoes! It's not even that she is eating the whole shoe. That I could understand. In the case of the strappies and the sling backs, she only ate the straps. Little tip. Black electrical tape used to hold the strap together again in an attempt to salvage the shoe for one more day, because you found it's broken strap as you were already dressed and trying to walk out the door, doesn't work. As for the sensible black pumps? She only took a polite bite out of the back..of one, the other, prestine condition.

Tag Lines....

2007-03-01T19:39:00.000-06:00

Every person or group of friends has them. From Joey Tribiane's "How you doi'n?" to Sgt. Shultz's "I zee notin'g". Sometimes it's a line from a movie that will send your group of cohorts in to a giggle fest to rival that of a pre-teen sleepover. Or maybe it's a sentence that reminds you of a place or a time together. My eclectic group of friends has several of these. Some inside jokes can be shared with the masses such as the famous one liner "I smell plastic!"(plaz-tec). Uttered when one of my friends was rewiring his car radio.

We were all sitting around and in the car while he worked. Suddenly the over powering smell of burning plastic filled the car. He had wired it incorrectly and the wires were melting. Some wise guy cracked "I smell Plaz-tec!" and it stuck. When ever one of us does something lame brained that phrase is used.

At closing time the other day, my phone suddenly vibrated. I opened it to receive a text message from one of my best friends. All it said was "Wait for it." I busted out laughing. And what had been, a truely, terrible, horrible, very bad day, became suddenly more bearable and not so horrible.

I, of course, couldn't explain to my co-workers why I had suddenly burst into laughter (That inside joke, must and will remain an "inside" joke). I quickly exited stage left and called her back. Turns out she needed to laugh. She sent me something she knew would make me laugh so that she could.

My point is, take the time to let those you care about know that you are thinking of them. Even if all you do is text or e-mail a one line phrase guaranteed to make them smile. Who knows maybe it will make you smile too.

So to those of mine out there shooting Pepsi,Mountain Dew, or some other strange quaff out their nose at the "Wait for it" line: "Top of the Morn'n to ya", "You see there's this tree", "I've been robbed", and "Put the dog down Damion" to each and every one of you!

I got Paid!

2007-02-28T06:52:00.000-06:00

As many of you know we just completed the AW blog chain #8. As normal the chain started with a simple question "Why do we do the blog chain?" or rather what do we get out of it, and ended with us talking about giving to others. For a recap, here is a list of the participating blogs and their entries.
A View From the Waterfront

Just a Small Town Girl

Gillian's Journal

Writing From Within

Down From the Garrett

Incoherent Blabbing From an Incoherent Person

Curiouser and curiouser

Peggy

BTGC Production Log

NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES

Fireflies in the Cloud

Peggy, up there, did a wonderful post on her site "The road Less Traveled" about paying it forward.

Yesterday someone paid it forward to me, and I want to share. I said "Thank you" at the time,and though it was a small thing it really meant alot. Therefore, I am taking the time to relay the story.

Picture it, lunch time yesterday, a young American girl heads out from her job at the local bank to procure what small items she can for lunch. Taking a break from smiling at everyone, and generally being as nice and helpful as she can. Wanting only to hide in the solitude of her car with a good book for a small hour. (yeah okay so I had the "Golden Girls" theme music running in my head for some reason, anyway..)

I decided that I really only had enough spare cash for some crackers or chips and a soda. Went into my purse to grab said money only to discover it was gone. Apparently my kids beat me to the cash, again. I digress. Not to be dismayed I had the debit card. So I went to the local dollar store. Picked out some crackers and a root beer Shasta. I handed my card to the cashier, smiled and said "Run as credit please."
"I'm sorry Mame, we only except Discover." Frantically I began scrounging in my purse. Surely I had some change right? Luck was with me, I had one dollar in change. I smiled at the girl and handed her the change. "Just the crackers then, please."

A line had formed behind me and now not only was I just getting crackers, but everyone knew I was only getting crackers. Have I mentioned I embarrass easily?

A voice spoke next to me, "what is it she can't get? A soda? Give her the soda, just ring it up with my stuff."

I smiled at my heroine and breathed a grateful thank you. Now some of you are saying it was just a soda, why the big deal.

Most who shop in the dollar store, have to make their bucks stretch as far as possible. One dollar can buy: three boxes of mac & cheese, 2lbs of spaghetti noodles, 2 cans Spaghetti sauce, a bag of rice, 2 bags of split peas, 2 cans of tuna, ect...

Basically a dollar can rob a family of a meal. So for her to be willing to spend a dollar on a complete stranger meant a lot.

So next time you think..it's just a dollar, think again. You could really make someones day.

Wait! Come back here! Not ready for you to be grown yet...

2007-02-26T07:45:00.000-06:00

As parents you spend the first part of your children's lives waiting for them to hurry up and get bigger. Then once they accomplish that, you find yourself wishing they were still small.

Don't get me wrong. I love the fact that my kids no longer need me to hold their hand with every little thing, but I miss the little things. Like the boys crawling up in my lap with a book with a little "read to me, Mommy"

These past few days I have been able to recapture that a little bit. We recently made the decision to get rid of our T.V. in order to encourage the children to do things like read, do their chores, do their homework, play outside. To that end the children lamented that they had "nothing" to read. So I borrowed a few books from my brother-in-law. One of them is Rakkety Tam By Brian Jacques

Ashley tried reading it to herself, but had a bit of a time with it. She asked me if I would read it to her. So we started. Soon I had four children draped around me in various states of repose, listening intently as we went on a journey together to a far off land. Where Otters guard abbey walls, a cellermole can become father of said Abbey and squirrels brandish claymores.

Justin wanted to read ahead, but still comes and settles in when the nights chapters start. So for a little while I can pretend that my "babies" are still babies.

Beatboxing flute inspector gadget remix

2007-02-22T22:21:00.001-06:00

I found this thanks to Mr. Wheaton. The kids and I watched and listened in complete awe. They made me play it four times. Then we had to listen to the rest of his stuff. Not once was I disappointed. I would love to see this guy play live! Such control, timing, talent...WoW! I really appreciated his talent when I watched his "Super Mario's" theme. The way the video is shot you can truly appreciate his ability with a flute. I don't' think this guy has a hard time getting a date on Friday nights, or any nights for that matter.

An argument to support reincarnation..or finding your universal twin?

2007-02-21T17:19:00.000-06:00

So for awhile now (translate a few years) I have been telling anyone who would listen of the uncanny resemblance between Paul Revere and Jack Black.

But today I found another set of universal twins or a reincarnation from the past.

Observations....

2007-02-17T08:38:00.000-06:00

While I have been working in the bank, I have become enthralled with money. Not the value it represents, but the information that each bill and coin hold.

Take for instance the Susan B. Anthony silver dollar. Have you ever looked at one closely? For years I assumed the eagle was hovering over the earth with the moon hanging over it's left shoulder. Ah contra er(sp?), the eagle is landing on the moon, and it is the earth over the left shoulder..check it out. It's really kinda cool how they marked a piece of our history that way, the coin telling part of the story.

The new dollars are out. Showing George on the front and lady Lib on the back. The detail is awesome, you can actually count the windows in her crown and torch. The coin shows the dates that Washington was in office, and because so much attention to detail took up room on the coin, the words " e-pluribus-unum" and "In God We Trust" are etched into the edges of the coin.

The Chinese New Year is fast approaching. A tradition of theirs I have learned recently is the giving of "new" money to family and friends. They want Newly minted or still pristine condition bills to hand out. It is a sign of prosperity for the coming new year. Similar to ours, here in the south, of hiding coin in the black eyed peas. A bite of peas to ensure you don't go hungry and the coin to ensure wealth.

So what does money,( or silver and gold) and stories told by money, and traditions all have in common with what I have been reading lately? Why the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. Also know as the the Knights Templar or Templar Knights.

Along lover of history and church lore, this book was right up my alley. Hidden treasures and conspiracy theories abound in this novel The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry. Personally I couldn't bring myself to read Mr. Browns Deviancy Code, but I ate up this book, like a starving man coming off a 40 day fast.

To those who can not challenge themselves to "what if questions" or who may doubt their faith is planted strongly, don't read this. But for those that can remember it is a work of fiction, run don't walk to find a copy. This was the first of Mr. Berry's work that I've read but it will not be my last.

Traditions

2007-02-12T18:31:00.000-06:00

When I was growing up here, in my home town, every once in a while we would come across a funeral procession heading to one of the cemetery's here. First you would see the lead police car or motorcycle, then would come the train of cars. Cars in the opposite lanes would stop. Right where they were. Not a single car would move, until the last car in the procession past.

I asked my daddy once why we stopped. He said it was to show respect for the departed, and the family for their loss, and it was tradition. To me this made perfect sense. Tradition just like the Christmas tree not going up until the 17 of December, and not wearing white before Easter or after Labor Day, or having Sunday Dinner at 2 in the afternoon.

As time went by, the city grew and more people came and settled here from other parts of the country. The stopping for funeral processions seemed to have been set to the wayside. I cried a silent tear for another lost "tradition" and a bit of the southern lifestyle.

Today on my way to lunch, however, I saw cars stopping in there tracks. I quickly followed suit, not sure what lay ahead. Then over the top of a hill came the first police Motorcycle, lights flashing and he pulled to a stop next to my car. Cars on both sides stopped in perfect precision, and along came the procession. I looked in to the other cars, some people were frustrated, others seemed puzzled as to why we stopped. In one car a saw a child point and speak to it's parent. I knew what the question was and the answer. I cried another silent tear, for a tradition and a piece of southern lifestyle that might not be gone. And in this day and age of hurry, hurry and disconnection..maybe it's a tradition that needs to stay a little longer.

So if you are ever in my neck of the woods and you see cars suddenly stopping, you'll know why.

I'll get you Blogger..and your little dog too!!!!

2007-02-10T07:55:00.000-06:00

A.K.A. "I didn't wanna do it". For months I have resisted changing from "old blogger" to "new blogger". I didn't want to have to sign up for a google account, I have enough accounts spread around the web, that I don't remember what half of them are for. But, they got me anyway. I went to sign in the other day and it refused to let me, UNTIL I signed up with google..Damn them!..so I caved like a little Biatch and signed..Oh god I have no scrupples.

I did entertain the notion of hunting down another place to but my blogg, but the trama I endured when switching from live.space to blogger was really enough to last me a life time. And, as everyone can still post with out having to join some stinking special club..I'll bite the bullet of being whipped like a dog, that piddled on the floor, and stick around for awhile.

Speaking of metaphors...My friend and fellow wordgeek (cept she is geekier than me) put this little jewel up . She got it from another friend of ours "Da Beav" But enjoy..and maybe Muse will bite you in the rear... Not Jason Muse..the other one. Although, if asked, Jason might do it too, he's weird like that.

Okay...another confession...

2007-02-06T23:08:00.000-06:00

I love music. Classic, Motown, Jazz, Pop, Big Band, Swing..if it makes my heart beat, my head bob, my feet move, or paints a picture in my head..I love it. Most people think I'm strange cause there is very little I won't listen too..and even then..I've been proven wrong. Like saying "I don't like opera" then someone turned me on to Gilbert and Sulivan..and Rap..but then a song comes a long and I totally Grok it.

But I need help here. I want to change the song on my "myspace" for Valentines day. Two guesses what song I want....

So here is my problem the only artist I can think of who sang it is Ella Fitzgerald..and on her songs offered, the one I want isn't listed.

Who can think of who else did "My Funny Valentine"? and Frank, Wayne, and Harry are all out of the running.

Actually my love of song has almost gotten to me at work..I listen to the music pipping in, it's supposed to be nice calm music. Except I know the words to alot of the pieces they play and want to sing along. My co-workers have given me one or two strange looks as I catch myself bopping along and mouthing the words under my breath.

On the plus side..the music keeps Ward and Christine close to my heart most of the day..specially when Billy Joel's stanza's fill my head. Right now, just this moment..Harry is crooning sweet endearments in my ears...ahhhhh..Night ya'll.

Hello..My Name is Bk_30 and I am a Julie Garwood addict...

2007-02-04T11:12:00.000-06:00

I Love to read. If you have been following this blog for long, or know me in real life, you probably know this about me already. I will read anything. Even the back of food packages or cereal boxes if they happen to be lying around. A few years ago though, on a routine trip to the library I found a book about a group of five orphan children living on the streets of New York. The boys found a baby girl in a trash can and decided to become a family and raise the baby. As the boys fell in love with their new baby sister, I fell in love with all of them. And as I laughed and cried my way through the book, I fell in love with the Author. The book was For the Roses and the author was Julie Garwood. Since then I have read every book she has written (under that name at least). When she took a break form historical romance to write modern suspense romance..I went right along with her and was not disappointed. When I get a Garwood in my hands I loose all sense of time and place. I am completely pulled into the story line and when I reach the end, I'm like a child on christmas morning, looking for the present that surely must be hiding under the tree. As I turn the last page back and forth in disbelief that the story is over. I have to force myself to only read a few chapters at a time so that the book will last..other wise, I have been known to read one of her books in a day..and then be cranky like any other addict when I can't get my fix.

So imagine the exicitement that coursed through me the other day, when I went to get the new book hubby and I were going to read, and saw a new Garwood sitting on the shelf just waiting for me to find it? For 1/2 a second I hedged and looked at another book, but then I rememebered hubby read and liked Heartbreaker, Mercy,and KillJoy so he was certain to like Slow Burn, right? Debate over I took the book and carried it clutched to my chest to the car. I lovingly set in the seat next to me and returned to work safe in the knowledge that I had read all of her books and was going to spend the weekend devouring the newest one.

I forced myself to wait until bedtime to snuggle down and get aquainted with my newest find. I cracked open the book and let the "new book" smell wash over me. Being a creature of habit I, of course, had to read the list of "other books" that comes on the first few pages of every book. What did my eyes find? Horror of horror's, that I had missed three of ms. Garwoods books! Murder List, A Certain Smile and Shadow Dance But then I realized that means..I can rip through Slow Burn and still have three books waiting..so not really a bad thing uh?

Now if you'll excuse me..a certain dashing Buchanan and the streets of Charleston are calling my name.....

Oh I sooo want a camera!

2007-02-01T06:59:00.000-06:00

Months ago, I asked for a digital camera. I would see things or get ideas for a blog entry and want pictures to help illustrate my point. With a picture being worth a thousand words...can you imagine how short some of my posts would be? lol. To see an illiustration of what I am talking about...I direct you tohere.
I warn you, this is not for the faint of heart. If you aren't prepared for the carniage a small child can do to a toy, well take this advice from famed archeologist Indian Jones "Don't look Mariam! Don't Look!" Enjoy!

P.s. Matt, it you follow the links back...I couldn't comment Kudos on your post..so I did the next best thing and linked it :)

On the shelf....(aka what I've been reading lately)

2007-01-31T06:54:00.000-06:00

I seem to be on a bit of an adventure, suspense kick at the moment.

Rage by Jonathan Kellerman. Alex Delaware is still doing consulting work for the Police Department, it's not a serial killer this time..just one person bent on revenge. It keeps you wondering who the "person" is until the end..and even then your left with the question..who is the good guy and who is a bad guy..and when did that line turn grey?

On the Run by Iris Johansen, I have loved this author since the day I mistook her book Ugly Duckling, for a romance by Susan Johnston..and this one does not disappoint. It has everything a girl could want in a story intrigue, a handsome leading man, well rounded supporting characters, guns, a sheik, oh and HORSES... The thing I love about Ms. Johansen is that she's like a black hole...she sucks you in and doesn't let you go, even on the last page your disappointed the story is over and your ready for another one.

The Power Broker by Stephen Frey. This one is for all of you conspiracy theorists out there. Who really decideds who runs for president? And can one man stand up to those powers even if it's two groups pulling in opposite directions..and come out the other side a whole man? I don't' know the answer yet as I'm still reading this one. It is keeping me guessing and I sure can't figure out how this one is going to end. I usually shy away from political stories (for obivious reasons-see why I'm not allowed to read the newspaper), But Mr Frey does an excellent job of well rounded characters and keeping the plot moving so it doesn't become stagnant. I can imagine that this story moved up the ranks from reader to publishers desk in a hurry.

a couple of observations.....

2007-01-25T06:18:00.000-06:00

two things happened yesterday that made me laugh for a bit and I thought I would share...

While in the sprint store I over heard this " Do you have a phone I can use?".

And while driving home on the interstate I saw this.

"LaborReady...Safety first, second and always..." written on the side of one of their vans, just under that comforting phrase? A HUGE dent!

Just thought I'd share...

Holy Coinage, Batman!

2007-01-20T10:32:00.000-06:00

My friend Matt lives in Arizona and is paying much attention to the Arizona state quater to be released next year. See options here . My interest in coins has increased since I started working at the bank, I have to admit. And in this case I am with Matt's choice. The Navajo Wind Talkers deserve a quarter. So do the Tusgee Airmen.

Until yesterday...I never knew that the buffalo nickel has two options 1) realistic with the ability to urinate 2) sans the ability to urinate. Personally I don't see what all the huff was about, but keep your eyes out and put back the realistic ones..they will be worth more.

An Over Looked Lunch Choice.

2007-01-17T19:45:00.000-06:00

Today, as I tried to master six errands on lunch break and still manage to eat, I decided to try an old favorite of mine...the fish sandwich. Now this could be a "Bk your just weird thing" or a "southern thing" but I love a good fish sandwich. It isn't very fattening, it's good for you and when you want a jolt of brain food..it's a good choice.

I remember, growing up, watching my Mom enjoy a fish sandwich for lunch. If we had fish patties the night before and any where left, Mom would just get out the bread, a little mayo if tarter wasn't available, the fish, and wahla..she was a happy camper. Then when I started Middle School fish sandwiches were offered on the menue a few times a week, with or without cheese..I always went cheese.

Today I had a fish sandwich from Burger King. Now Burger King makes their sandwich with some mayo and a little lettuce. I also had Onion Rings with their "zesty" sause, which was okay, if your a fan of horseradish. I am not. But I digress.

McDonalds actually beats out BK in the fish sandwich department. Theirs comes with Tarter sauce. Although the patty from McDonalds is smaller than the one Bk serves. McDonalds also doesn't give lettuce, though I'm sure they would if you ask for it. They also don't serve Onion Rings.

So, although Burger King is my choice when it comes to a Burger, McDonalds wins the fish sandwich compition in my book.

Anybody else know where I can get a good fish sandwich?

Tortia Lines or America: the Country Everyone Loves to Hate!

2007-01-16T22:08:00.000-06:00

There is a reason the people in my house duck for cover when I reach for the newspaper. For a while it got me banned from being allowed to read the paper. I tend to be a little opinionated and will share my beliefs loudly if I disagree with something or think it's just plain stupid.

Over time, I have worked hard at curbing these outburtst..but sometimes I see something that just drives me insane! Like a piece I read off of an AP wire the other day. Oh, they tried to hide it from me. It was only about a paragraph long and buried on like page 7 of the front section. Somehow I managed to zero in on it though.

Basicly it said that Tortia prices in Mexico are on the rise, and their goverment is blamming the U.S.. According to the article the U.S. supplies much of the corn used in Mexico, but the amount of corn we are shipping out is decreasing. This is apparently due to our rising use of Eythonal as an alternative to oil. So we get yelled at for being oil hungry, and then, when we start looking for means, we get yelled at for that too? OMG!!!

For those of you that heard me go off about this on the phone..I apologize, but apparently...I'm still bitter.

Taxes? We Don't Need No, Stinkin Taxes.....

2007-01-12T21:54:00.000-06:00

Floridians do not like taxes. We hate taxes. We are one of the few states in the Union to not have a State Income Tax. Heck, we hate taxes so much that, even being in the Bible Belt, we elected to have a lottery before allowing a State Income Tax. In the county next to mine, they continued to vote themselves a dry county for years...to avoid the tax people wanted to place on alcohol. They just drove to our county, bought it, and drove home.

So when a local business man got popped for Income Tax evasion, we most likely would have just let it go. Oh, we would of punished him...a little, cause the Federal Goverment said we had to. But it most likely wouldn't have been much. Heck he was semi applauded for trying to take the entire rapp himself, saying that his partner had nothing to do with it. The Judge would not accept his guilty plea how ever and forced the issue to trial. The fact that his partner is his long time friend and former lover (with whom he has a child) just made the story more juicy. We southerners love our gossip and scandal. Where he messed up though was in giving away his daddy's land. This is something no southerner will forgive.

You can rob your neighbor, your business partner, cheat on your wife, cheat on your taxes, but you never ever steal from your parents! The man was slick. He traded the land for a beach house with a high class lawyer and a former senator (who also got popped for tax evasion and a few othe land swindle deals), but in order to hide it from his dad, had a life estate clause in the deal. Basicly Daddy would live on the land for the rest of his natural life at no cost. Daddy only found out the first time when he went to pay his property tax and was informed he didn't own the land. Well he raised quite a fuss and to shut him up they put in the life estate clause. Telling Daddy the land was his again. Would of worked too...except for the IRS and their sneaky tax evasion investigation. They let Daddy know real fast what was up.

If your curiosity gets the best of you, you can read the details.

And ya'll thought life in a small town was boring....

Grave site vistits..the new cheap gift

2007-01-10T22:03:00.000-06:00

In my family the birthday train starts rolling in October and doesn't end until March. Janruary is a hard one for us with my Cousin (sorry I ment to call but completely mind wiped when I got home), Two of my Sons, my Nephew, my Father, and One of my Grandmothers. Yep that works out to one birthday a week. So unfortunatly they sometimes get skimpy gifts.

This year my 12 year old, knowing money is tight and this is the big 13 comming up asked for what he thought would be a very cheap present. Last night via paper air plane sent down the stairs after lights out, I get this:

Mom:

For my birthday can you take me to see Edgar Allen Poe's grave? That would be really cool.

Love, David

Now for those of you thinking this is morbid hold on. David has recently been introduced to Mr. Poe's work and is very much impressed by him. Dave until recently didn't like to read much aside from goosebumps and loves horror films. So when he got the collection of Poe I didn't think he would take to it. But like any good boy he found the Tell Tale Heart and The Raven and took to Poe like a duck to water. I love that he is reading and concidering he is my only child that still likes getting action figures for christmas..I was really suprised and pleased by his birthday request.

However, we live in Florida..so not really a cheap present. After you figure in gas or plane tickets, hotel cost, food, and I guess a t-shirt from the gift shop..would be Birthday, christmas, and any other gift giving occasion for about 2 years or more. Maybe I can just find a book of local ghost stories for him and then take him on a local tour...we have plenty to go around.

Now for those of you wondering how can I get my kids interested in history. Make history interesting. On our way to court today, an hour drive one way, Allen and I were discussing Wal-mart and how soon they will start selling cars and pre-fab homes. This lead to me saying innocently " Wal-mart is today what Sears & Roebuck used to be." Chris asked what I ment. That lead to a game Allen and I played on U.S. companies that have been around for more than 100 years and services they provided. Sears, Pullman (led to a brief discussion on unions and the Pullman strike) Pinkerton (branched off the strike conversation), Coleman, Levi, and Ford to name a few.

History is a story. It can be a really good story if you use the right voice, and the right "hook" to get your audience interested..and once the bug bites....it doesn't tend to let go.

Enjoy the little things.

2007-01-09T06:43:00.000-06:00

Many times in life we get caught up in the day to day grind, and we miss the little things. The next thing you know your kid is 16.

Check on them before you go to sleep.
1) this can cut down on the sneaking out of the house that will happen.
2) seeing them asleep you can pretend for a moment that they are still small and you are less inclined to wring their necks during waking hours.

Take 5 minutes and paint your daughters nails or surf myspace with her tagging celebrity spaces.

You are never to old to play video games, especially when your goof up can keep your kids laughing for hours.

Brownies are the best when your licking the batter out of the bowl.

Always say " I love you" it doesn't lose it's meaning and you never know when it might be your last chance.

Yesterday we were back in court with my oldest child. We still have court again tomorrow, for the grand theft auto charge (joy riding ). This time however the boy really had not done anything wrong (other than sneak out of the house,but broke no laws) an old detain order was still on the books from several months ago, before he was released from probation. While in the court room awaiting our turn, a girl was called up in front of the judge. Her mother went and stood near her, but not by her. The mother informed the judge she didn't want to pay for a lawyer for her daughter, didn't look at her daughter, and left the court room with out looking at her daughter. The girl could only cry and call out "Mommy" in a voice that broke my heart.
As angry as I am at my oldest for his choices lately and as heart broken as it makes me, or frustrated, never could I see myself at the point where I could turn my back on him like that.
I know nothing of what she was charged with, nor what drove the mother to that point, and I pray to God I never do.

Enjoy the little things.

They say answers come in the weirdest ways.......

2007-01-04T21:57:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I will be struck by odd, random questions. Usually brought on by things happening around me. Today one of those instances occured.

I was on my way to work, following my normal route and trying to be mindful of my speed. The local police like to hide at the bottom of a certain hill and pop speeders as they come down. Coming down the hill, applying brake to slow the speed of the car, I suddenly thought of someone in a buggy or wagon trying to make it down that same hill. And how they would need to apply the brake so the wagon wouldn't run the horses over. This thought led to another. Did the cops bust people for speeding back then? How would you know if someone was speeding? What if their horse just happened to be faster than yours? Or if the speed limit was say 20 miles an hour, but your wagon was pulled by 4 horses did you have to go twice as slow as others on the road so as not to exceed the speed limit?

I got to work and proceeded about my day, this random stray thought tucked away in the random drawer. Until I went to lunch.

As I waited for my food I occupied myself by reading a little newspaper/newsletter left for patrons to puruse. At the bottom was a "Random Fact" portion. It informed me that President Grant ( yes as in Ulysses) once recieved a speeding ticket for going to fast in his buggy. So there you are. If asked correctly all questions recieve answers, even random ones asked in your head, in your car while on your way to work...

Personally I think the Big Guy was just reminding me that he was still with me and even my little thoughts matter to him...what a great thing to know :)

Happy 2007!

2007-01-01T05:59:00.000-06:00

New Years Eve, marks so many different things: The end of a year, the end of the holidays, the end of a cycle and so many new starts as well. For 2 months solid the focus is on spending time with family and friends. A time to rebond with one another, to create new memories, to shore up our batteries for the on comming year. And so the new year starts and with it new goals, new oppertunities, new risks, new lessons, new growth.

New Years day for me growing up was about parades, and food, and family, and of course football. My sons' aren't that into football, so that has fallen by the wayside, but the food, family, and parades remain. I am not sure if this is a "southern" thing or not, but on New Years day certain items are expected on the menue. One of my favorites growing up was the dish of black eyed peas. You had to have at least one bite, this is supposed to ensure that you don't go hungry durring the next year. Personally I thought it was to remind you that if you get hungry enough you will eat anything...even vile black eyed peas. To sweeten the deal as it were, my grandmother would hide money in the peas. My sisters, cousin and I would eat the required "bite" then dig through the rest to see what coin we could score. This year dinner will be a small affair, my family and my youngest sisters family, but still a time to come together and remind ourselves what is truely important in this upcomming year and that is each other.

I am not making many resolutions this year. Mainly because I tend to be a slacker in that department, but I do have a few.
1) To make sure I spend quality not quantity time with my family and friends
2) to keep writing, this blog for one and to try and finish the one story I have started and a few others that keep sneaking into my head.
3) To take a little more "me" time from the rest of the world. From something small like buying myself something to the larger things...like an afternoon lost in the art museum...if I am lucky I can tuck number 1 into part of number 3 lol.

So take a little more time today and say I love you to your loved ones and get ready to face 2007 head on, with your head held high and shoulders back.

Things that make you go....AUGGHHHH!

2006-12-29T06:36:00.000-06:00

There are benefits to taking your husband to work before even the roosters are up, like having time for a blog entry, and drawbacks. I was returning home this morning from delivering my husband to his place of employ, hardly a sole on the road, and came to the one red light working so far. As I proceeded to stop a terriable squealing, grinding noise assaulted my ears. My heart started racing as I briefly wondered if the car would be able to stop at all. My fear and my hearing over-riding my other senses. I safely came to a complete stop and eased off of the brakes slightly, but the sound continued. I knew it was over, the brakes I had been trying to milk a few more miles out of, had finally given out and now I was doing irrepatiable damage to the only mode of transportation we have. I sat at the stop light trying to quickly find imaginary money to replace the brakes on the car, in my mind,when I noticed the grinding sound was still continuing. This is when I looked around and saw a garbage truck across the intersection from me. DOH! I'm saved for another week.

With the move, and christmas the belts are a little tight at the moment. So things like brakes and trips to the dentist to have Hubbys molar yanked are on the back burner as not "high priority items". Not to mention I killed the vacume cleaner my sister lent me...I mean metal shaving shot out from underneath it..this can not be good right? So the brakes wait, and hubby suffers in semi-silence until such time as these things can be addressed. No we do not have insurance...and I told you all of the above to say this:

We don't have health or dental insurance because...it costs to dang much! For a family of 6 it runs us about $180.00 - $200.00 a week depending on the provider, that doesn't include co-pays and perscriptions. Now say an emergency trip to the doctor runs around $100.00 and these dont' happen that often ...it is actually cheaper for me to just pay the doctor than to pay some stupid company to use my money to cover part of the bill for me later. I dont' know about the rest of you but I can not afford to give up that much of my paycheck to pay for something that might or might not happen...I'm just saying. Then the hassle of finding a doctor who will take the certain type of coverage you might have...instead just going to see the doctor you like.

The insurance companies are a scam that need to be brought in check..just my opinion,but it does have a little factual basis to stand on. Insurance has always been a betting game, since it came into being. Many moons ago...okay the late 1700's, early 1800's, a gentle man of a certain rank could go to his club of choice and offer a wager in a certain book that was held in all the clubs of note. This wager would state that the Gentleman would still be alive on a certain date and if he was, the money collected from the pool would then be paid to the gentleman. Others could also "weight" in on this bet, either for or against the death with portions of the pool being paid out to them as well. This was called an insurance marker. Sounds like fun uh? and the perfect way for a bored gentleman to spice up his othewise droll life.

What I Learned at Work Today

2006-12-27T18:23:00.000-06:00

True or not I don't know, but customers will tell you interesting "facts" like the one I learned today. President Tyler was our most prolific president to date..and probably ever as he had 14 children. 7 by his first wife and 7 more by his second wife. President Tyler was vice president, and down on his knees playing marbles with his son, when he was informed he was the President of the United States. The previous president had died to a fever after only being in office for about 30 days. Today's lesson boys and girls? If you are going to be President wear a coat or at least a hat when giving a two hour speech on inaugeration day.

School is out for Christmas break. I refuse to call it "winter Break". I will not conform and if the conformist police show up at my house...well then you will know the country has really lost it's mind and freedom of expression is no longer allowed. Yes, I am aware that we have already given that freedom away to an extent. All I can say on that ...is I'm not the only one who voted for him and in a few years hopefully the next yahoo will make it right. But if you guys are holding your breath on that ..I have a nice bridge for sale, imported even.

Since we are talking about Presidents (okay I'm talking about them) did you know that President Ford is the only U.S. President to have never been elected to office? Just in case some news channel somewhere misses this... He was appointed Vice President by Nixon to replace Agnew, then assumed the Presidency when Nixon resigned. Isn't history cool?

I was dealing with Presidents past before President Ford passed away and the info for Tyler came up. The bank has periods of slowness, because it is a small town bank surrounded by big city banks; our customers are mostly older and use terms like "I've traded here since 19-- whatever" needless to say...periods of free time and boredom are not rare. So I have been taking the crossword puzzle to work with me and actually almost finishing it. One of the clues given was LBJ's veep. Now try as hard as I could I can not remember who his vp was. So anyone with the answer will win...my graditude. Baiscly I am to lazy to look it up and want to pass on the frustration I have been feeling for not knowing this to others. Aren't I sweet?

A Working Title

2006-12-21T20:49:00.000-06:00

Apparently some places still use a typewriter for certain tasks, the bank where I work is one of them. Lucky for me I went to highschool back in dark ages when typewriters where abundent. That's right boys and girls, there was a time when you took a typing class instead of keyboarding. So when taken over to this ancient machine I had a base knowledge of how it worked and it's functions. The machine at work is a newer model than the ones we had in high school though, so the paper adjustment knob doesn't exist. The person training me had quite a laugh when I reached over to turn the knob and my hand met nothing but air. Can anyone guess what the sound of typewriter keys striking does to the writer in me? It's like Pavlov's dogs, someone uses the typewriter and my fingers start to twitch.

Things on the homefront are settling down. Life with puppy is still a challenge. My children are in middle school an highschool, so you would think my days of toys all over the living room and baby gates where long gone, but no. I have the pleasure of trying to housebreak a puppy while working. Lucky for me the kitchen has one solid door and my sister had an old baby gate for the doorway into the dinning room. This would work better if the children remembered when letting the puppy out of the kitchen when they get home to carry her directly outside. Rain is also not my friend. The older dogs can hold it until inbetween showers to go outside. Holley has no concept waiting. It is a sad sad day when you start adding things like a carpet shampooer to your Christmas list for Santa, cause you really really want/need one. Leggs would like for me to invest in their company. The new job's dress code is skirts or dresses only and you must wear pantyhose everyday. Add puppy teeth and claws and you get .....yep a new pair of $4.00 hose every other day basicly. Sit has become our favorite game. I walk in the door, Holley spots me, she rushes at me tongue out, paws ready to jump on my leg, and I yell "Sit, Holley" which for the past few days she has been doing very well. She will run over and sit on my foot, then wait for me to walk away and attack the hose. If I leave them on the floor..bye bye hose. I guess you could say we are training each other. I don't leave my clothes on the floor as often as I used to. Ha ha mom don't you wish you had thought of that trick while I was growing up? It is working for Ashley too, she lost her favorite pair of underwear the other day.

Things that bug me......

2006-12-16T09:52:00.000-06:00

I really do try to keep the little things that get on my nerves to myself, for the most part at least. But, this year my list seems to be getting longer.

1) Christmas does not start on the day after Thanksgiving! The reason we are all so sick of the Holidays by the end of them is because we keep starting earlier and earlier. If your lights aren't out, your cards in the mail, your tree up and most of your christmas shopping done...then you have no Christmas spirit. To this I say Bah Humbug! I have lots of Christmas spirit. I just believe that before say December 15th, keep it in check. You might find you enjoy the season a little more.

2) I am sick of people saying you can't say Merry Christmas! If someone wants to wish me a happy Kwansa or Hanukkah I will cheerfully return the greeting. Stop stepping on my religious freedom because "it offends you!" A spanish teacher at my son's highschool, doesn't want the kids to say Merry Christmas it offends her religous belief's. Okay I can understand that, but don't offend mine in the process. And just a reminder as my friend Charlene pointed out...Jesus would be celebrating Hanukkah as well this time of year.

3) if your going to dress as Santa Claus...your kind of obligating yourself to be cheerful to the masses. Do not dress as Santa and then run around like the grinch.

Now to some better news. Allen and I always get a real tree. Not because we like having to water it or or vacume up needles every year, but because Allen doesnt' want to have to deal with storing a fake tree. He much prefers throwing it out when done, and besides they make decent mulch. This year with the move and all we were worried about being able to get a tree. Once again we have been blessed. The family that gave us Holly, and running the tree stand next to Allens job, came to him the other night and gave him a 6 ft douglas fir. How is that for awesome?

Oh another thing that is getting on my nerves...blogger is not letting me comment on peoples blogs. I make my comment, but in the word verification (if it's on) and sign me little name with password..blogger then tells me..I don't exsist. Except that most times I go to a blog..I'm signed into my blogger account..so you go figure that one out. But Matt, Kappa, Cath and everyone else...I am reading, just not being allowed to post back.

Tomorrow is my little sisters Birthday. I just want to take a second and wish her a Happy Birthday, and 28 years of stealing my limelight and generally being a pain in my butt. I hope she continues to do it for years to come. So Steph Ha,ha, ha...I don't know what your getting for your birthday....

Now if you excuse me...it's my first weekend off and I just got the new expansion for my game so if you need me I will be defending my realm and hopefully killing many enemies (or at least running with a large group of others that are killing many enemies)

I do not think it means, what you think it means....

2006-12-12T22:43:00.000-06:00

Day 2 of my new job, and my feet don't hurt....my brain, well that's a different story. Math has never been my strongest subject. Oh, I can add and subtract well enough. Give me an average gas price, the miles in a trip, and how many miles to the gallon you get...I can estimate how much it's gonna cost to get where you want to go. Unfortunately my skills stop there. Math and I had a pretty decent relationship, up until the day it decided it want to introduce me to such fun things as "imaginary" numbers. Well, thank you very much, but I have enough problems with really numbers...I don't' need pretend ones getting into the mix and messing it all up. Then hand me something like algebra and say... the answer isn't important really...it's just the steps.

Today on my job they introduced the concept that "debit" means take in and "credit" means to give away. Excuse me? Man, have I been using those words incorrectly all these many years? I just tricked my brain..take in use the yellow form, give away use the white. Much less confusing.

And this fun fact...to subtract, you have to add first. And they wonder why I struggled with math..doh! Actually it's not that bad. I am enjoying it. The customers are very patient with me and very nice. The people I work with are very friendly and for me that is a big plus.

Had kids home sick today, they are okay just a little bug. The funny part of that story was my sister called the house to check and make sure everyone went off to school. Kids at home answered the phone (I was on the other line with them at the time). Steph says you better have permission to be there I am calling your mom. Child gets back on phone with me and tells me what their Aunt said. I called my sister as soon as I finished talking to the child. Steph greets me with "Do you know.." I cut her off " that I have two kids at home? yeah, I know."...Poor kids they will never get away with much. snicker snicker.

I love being close to my family and friends again. The big empty spot I didn't even realize was there is filled and I feel so much more like myself. I just slipped on my best comfy clothes and I don't think I will be taking them off again. God willing.

Hermes update: He has come out of hiding and is adapting very quickly. Like his name sake he flits about the house investigating. Stopping long enough for a quick petting and off again. Max seems to be well pleased. He chased Herm earlier tonight. We thought this would be a problem, until we caught Herm looking for Max and enticing him to give chase. We then realized with our feeble little human brains they were playing.

What I learned today....

2006-12-11T23:04:00.000-06:00

I learned that standing in heels for 8hours, can seriously hurt your feet and lower back. I started my new job today, as a teller in a local bank. They do have chairs, but they want you stand while dealing with customers..which is understandable. However, I am not used to standing for such long periods of time, let alone in heels. By the time I got home tonight, Allen was calling me old woman, because I was truely hobbling up the sidewalk. I had bent over slightly to try and ease the pain off of my ankles (didnt' help) and I have a short strap purse, that normally hangs on my shoulder. Not tonight however, tonight it hung..yep you guessed it, in the crook of my arm.

Some new additions have been added to the family recently, and before you groan in horror let me splain... We recently came to the decision that Boogie needs to be let go soon. Although he still has good days they are fewer and further between. Most days he barely eats and just lays on the floor whinning. The tumors are spreading rapidly and it is hard on him and us. This left us with a problem. Bear does not like being the only dog. We had decided to look for a companion to come live with us for him. He really enjoyed playing with Candy, but I didn't want another small horse, so was in the mood for a medium size dog. Allen and Ashley quickly jumped on the chihuaha band wagon. They won. A tree seller near Allen's work was giving away Pom-Chi's. We now have Holly (didn't name her she came that way) a large hamster/small guina pig sized 7 week old, not housebroken puppy..oh joy oh rapture. But she is cute with her little button black eyes and ity bity black nose...and teeth sharp enough to cut panty hose to shreds when she greets you at the door, for leaving her all day to go to work.

Max was not a happy kitty when Holly came home. So once again we discussed getting a cat for the cat (yes I"m nuts I get that) wanted a 4-6 month old kitten to raise with the dogs and as a playmate for Max. The situation reached critical mass when Max ambushed me on the stairs trying to get me to play with him. My arms where full of laundry, and I'm a klutz...draw your own picture..I'm fine by the way, just a little bruised, the floor broke my fall. So Hermes came home tonight..or lets say we are feeling each other out. He is currently hiding under the couch refusing to speak to anyone. Although he was quite playful and loving at his previous owners when we met him. I am going to give him a few days and see how it goes. Max seems to like him in that he layed on the floor doing the cat stare down contest with out growling or attacking him. Hermes however did not trust this behavior.

Will put up pics of Holley soon.

Blog Chain # 8/accountability.

2006-12-10T15:36:00.000-06:00

Can you believe we are on Number 8 already? Asorum did a great job of linking the last chain to this one with his posthttp://www.harboradvice.com/2006/12/why-participate-in-aw-blogchain.html.

Asorum asked why participate. The chains are fun, comming up with ways to make an entire post with out covering the same ground the one before you covered. Or finding that one sentence that takes your brain in a totally different direction than the last post went.
For me however, the real reason is accountability.

If I give my word that I am going to do something I will place it higher on the priority check list I keep running in the background. With my personal writing, it will get pushed further and further down the list as life intrudes, until it is no longer on the list at all.

So in a way, I am being selfish. Because I have others depending on me, holding me accountable, I must write. I must engage that part of my brain that I otherwise might shut off.

Things in my life have changed rapidly in the past few weeks. We have moved and getting the internet turned on, at the new place took longer than I would have liked. I am also about to start working outside of the home again, so I know that my writing time is going to get cut into. But having things like Flash Fiction Friday, the Blog Chain and Comment Chains, will help me keep writing a top priority as I become accustome to my new routine.

For those of you who have stuck around and waited me out in my spuratic fits lately, thank you. I really have missed everyone very much.

Gillian is next in line this chain..I can't wait to see what our resident Proffesor has to say, she almost always brings a smile to my face when I read her posts.Gillian's Journal

And here is the list of everyone set to participate in the Chain this round:

A View From the Waterfront

Just a Small Town Girl

Gillian's Journal

Writing From Within

Down From the Garrett

Incoherent Blabbing From an Incoherent Person

Curiouser and curiouser

Peggy

BTGC Production Log

NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES

Fireflies in the Cloud

awchain

Radio Silence

2006-11-15T09:30:00.000-06:00

This blog is many things, and yet no one thing. It is a journal of sorts. A way for me to communicate with my family and friends. A way for me to push myself and work on the tools of my craft that I am learning. Like most creative outlets it isn't used as often as it should be. I can go months and post everyday. Then suddenly...radio silence.

Sometimes I am actually doing other things. Life jumps in and says "I'm going to take over for a while." And the time I would use to write (here, or elsewhere) gets eaten up. Next thing you know it's the end of the day and I am to tired, to even begin trying to formulate words into coherant thought. Or, you plan to sit and say something, but 5 minutes of quiet can not be found. My least favorite reason for radio silence is having nothing to say. Spending all day, trying to capture a fleeting thought that might make a decent entry. A bit of prose, a critic of something, even just a bit of "Hey, this was my day."

Half way into the day idea you realize...girl, no one wants to hear how many loads of laundry you did, or what you made for dinner. In as much as your friends and family love you..this is not news.

Things of note that have been going on? Justin got promoted in JROTC. It technically wasn't to happen until around Christmas break, but he got his early. Go Jay!

Grades around these parts still tends to be a sore subject. Dang that old Curse of the Parent. Apparently 300 "I'm sorry I was such a putz" to your Mom and Dad, does not break it. Believe me I've tried. And yes, I was to sincere.

What am I reading now? I recently read Send Another Hearse by Harold Q Masur. A lawyer, engaged by a publish agent, to find his missing partner. Only to come imbroiled in a Murder and said agent is blamed. I really got into the book because of the tie in to the publishing world, but for a quick read on a stormy weekend see if you can find a copy.

Dorothy Eden followed Mr. Mauser. First with The Laughing Ghost a nice little "gothic" Mystery, filled with smuggling, jewel thefts, and a ghost that huants the family home. The usual problems I have with Ms. Eden's work still applies. She does tie up loose ends neatly though.

Currently reading Afternoon Walk, also by Ms. Eden. About 1/2 through. It appears as if the main character is being "Gas lighted" by her husband...but it could be someone else. And if that is the case, how does she tie into the kiddnapping that happened several miles from her home, to a woman she doesn't even now?

FFF#9 : Thistle Stone Soup

2006-11-02T23:58:00.000-06:00

Engine, engine #9 going down the chicago line. If the train should jump the track, do you want your money back? Why the rythme you ask? well, this is FFF#9. And even though I sort of "jumped the track" the past few weeks, I'm in it this time. Second, this weeks prompt was a flower and a Goblin. Which prompted the child in me to come out of hiding...for a little while at least.

Thistle Stone Soup

Blarg was hungry.

“Petra,” He called, “Petra, where is Momma?”

“She went to the Swamp, to get gas for Ghoul Tide supper.” His sister replied.

“But I’m hungry.” Said Blarg

“I know what a little Goblin likes.” Said Petra and took a mud cake from a shelf. “Here.”

The mud cake was good. Warm and gushy; filled with little pebbles that crunched in his teeth. Just like he liked it.

A few minutes after he had eaten the mud cake, Blarg’s belly growled.

“Petra, I’m still hungry.”

“oh, all right. I will see what else we have.” Petra stomped to the shelf of the cave, where all the food was stored.
“We have worm mash.”

“No. I don’t want mash.” said Blarg. “Do we have any Thistle Stone soup?”

“No, no soup.”

“I want some. Will you make it?”

“I am not making you Thistle Stone Soup. We don’t have what we need to make it.” Petra said, “I wouldn’t make it for you even if we did.”

Blarg glared at his sister. He snatched the worm mash and went outside.

“Stupid mash.” Blarg grabbed a handful of the mash and stuffed it into his mouth.

He spit it right back out.

“Augh, this isn’t worm mash. This is Dragon fly mash. I hate Dragon fly.”

Blarg threw the mash as far away as he could.

“I’ll get the stuff for Thistle Stone soup and make it myself.”

“I need Thistles. Those grow by the marsh.” said Blarg.
“hmm..I also need brackish water and stones.”

Blarg picked up the gathering sack and headed off to the marsh.

“oh, here are good stones.” Blarg smiled. A pile of smooth white stones where next to the path. “These are my favorite, nice and crunchy.”

A little ways more and he found a stand of Thistle’s growing. The first patch had big purple blossoms.

“Yuck, too fresh.”

The next patch, the flowers had fallen off and the stalks were brown. The thorns were nice and sharp.

“Just right for my soup.” Blarg picked the Thistle patch. “Now all I need is marsh water.”

“I forgot the bucket!” said Blarg “I can’t get the Marsh water. Now I can’t make my soup.”

Blarg threw down his gathering pouch in true Goblin temper.

CLANK
Blarg looked into the tall marsh grass where he had thrown the bag. There, under the bag, was a rusty pail.

“Hurray!” yelled Blarg.

Blarg hurried the whole way home. “growl, grumble, grumble”

said Blarg’s stomach the whole way back.

When he got home, Blarg built up the fire like he had seen his Mom do.

“What do you think your doing?” asked Petra

“I’m making Thistle Stone Soup. I found the perfect stones.” Blarg put the stones in the big pot that stood over the fire.

“I found a pail to carry the Marsh water back.” Blarg poured in the Marsh water, from the rusty pail.

“And, I gathered the Thistle’s all by myself.” Last he put in the Thistles.

“You are going to cook?” said Petra and she walked out of laughing.

“Petra, Blarg...I’m home.” Said Momma

“Momma, Momma... I made Thistle Stone Soup all by myself.” Said Blarg

“Oh, really?” asked Momma, “Well lets see. Did you get stones?”

“Yes.”

“Did you get Marsh water and old Thistles?’

“Yes, and I made the fire, just like you do.” said Blarg, “Do you want to try some?”

Blarg picked up two bowls and filled them with the soup. He got down two plates and put Mud Cakes on each.

“Come try it, Momma.” said Blarg

Momma sat down on her favorite boulder and carefully tasted the soup.

Momma didn’t say anything to Blarg, but she took another taste. Then another, and another, until the bowl was completely empty.

“BUUUURRPP” said Momma

Blarg smiled. A burp, is the best compliment you can give a Goblin on their cooking.

I want my Holloween (sung to I want my MTV)

2006-11-01T17:17:00.000-06:00

Ahh, Holloween. Spooks, Goblins, and bumps in the night. Fairy Princess', Batman, Darth Vadar, Hobo's, and Magician's in which I delight.

This year there were none. Not one trick or treater. What is wrong with society? Where have all the goonies gone? I sat and I sat, with my bowl of treats, waiting for my eyes to take in the splendor of All Hollow's Eve American style.

This being the start of the end for me,as far as Holloween goes. I faced my new role as treat giver extrodinare with pleasure. My plan was get children ready, settle in game for a little RvR and pass out candy. Then when the door stopped knocking to watch the Ghost Hunters live on Sci-fi. Good plan right? Just...not what happened.

Chris went to his first Holloween party. Sans costume other than a Willy Wonka hat he picked up a few weeks ago. His B-day present to himself. Ashley and David went out with Justin, his girlfriend, and her brother and sister, in their neighborhood. I sat alone. Although Ashley was a very pretty Runemistress in her, gothic princess gown and cool skull staff we picked up for her. David was chilling in his role as death, complete with a double headed executioner axe and skull mask, with fake blood that he could make run down the mask. No, I didn't take pictures. Someone (not naming names *Allen*) forgot to get film.

RvR was a bust. Although we had talked about it off and on all day. I went to the "crazy witch Merchant" and bought a bunch of potions to make me look like a toon from a different realm. Not that many showed, then lag and Ld's and basicly getting farmed. On top of no trick or treaters, really bummed my night. Then I fell asleep watching Ghost Hunters. Luckly I had the forsight to record it and was able to finish watching it today. I actually enjoyed the episode more than I have in a long time. The background, scary noise they normally play was blissfully low. I could actually hear when people spoke to each other in whisphers and even caught with my own little ear voices, music, and foot steps before it was pointed out by the actual investigators. This is a gripe for another day though, I guess. Tonights episode is sure to be full of loud music and sounds to hurt my ears and cause that ball of frustration in my chest that makes me want to slap the producers and scream "Your KILLING A GREAT SHOW, you FLIPP"N MORRONS!", but I would never do that.

Speaking of killing great shows. Where was my Studio 60 this week? and why hasn't MEDIUM come back on yet? I think the excutives at NBC have some splain to do!!!!

What is in a name?

2006-10-31T10:07:00.000-06:00

I'll tell you. Everything. Yes, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I bet you ten to one she will be pissed that your calling some other flower by her name! In my life, I have had several nicknames, but I seem to keep changing mine. Not always because I out grow said nick name,but because some one else takes the darn thing. When I was younger I didn't really appreciate my given name. It was long, never fit in the bubbles on the standardized tests, and was spelled strangely. Then I came to appreciate my unusual spelling. Not many of us out there, like belonging to a special club. If I came across another Rebecca, I could say "oh, how do you spell yours?" That would get a strange look, but they would spell it out. I could then smile smuggly and say "oh, that's not how I spell mine. I use the bibical spelling." And walk off in my bubble of uniqucness. I was never called Becky, but Beka for years. I was the ONLY Beka I had ever heard of. Then along comes this little show called Life Goes On and their daughter goes by Beka. I no longer heard "oh that's an unusual name", to hearing "oh, did you get that off of the show?" It didn't help that I also had longer brown hair and wore glasses. Thus began my search for another nickname. Close friends and family still call me Beka and with the show being off the air it's not such a big deal, other than there are now WAY more Beka's (or otherwise spelled Becca's) running around.
I tried on Rebok, Reba (before she became really famous), Chewbaka (but seriously? what girl wants to run around with the same name as an 8 foot walking carpet?), and finally settled on BK, when I started hanging out on the net. This has been my nickname for 16 years now, BK. I was comfortable with it. I haven't come across any others. All was right and good in the land, and Bk was happy. Until....She sat down to watch a little of the World Poker Tour with her hubby. There is this a player Bobby or Billy something with the last name King. So the anouncers (or one of them at least) started calling the guy BK. NO, NO, NO, it's mine dang it! and I dont' want to share. I don't want to introduce myself and hear "oh, like the poker player?"
But then maybe it's just a chic thing or worse just a "me" thing.....

Blah Blah Blah

2006-10-30T00:13:00.000-06:00

Yep, that's how I've been feeling too. I sit down to write, anything, and this is what I hear.."wha wha wha" like the adults off screen in a Charlie Brown cartoon. My concentration is shot, gone, left no fowarding address, and my urge to write went with it. I cut myself off from everything blog, e-mail, game and stared at my WIP. Guess what happened ...nothing,nada, zilch. Don't know why even. Tried to write for FireFlys holloween thing, PTHT!

On the home front, they finally let my dad out of the hospital and he seems to sound much better. Dad does not do well in confind spaces. His voice over the phone seemed weaker everyday. Scared the heck out of hubby when he called to talk to him. With Allen just losing my grandfather last year, and his dad this year, my dad going into the hospital just upset him more. But as soon as Dad got home to his own place his voice came back stronger than ever and we all sighed with relief. I know that I am older, and that means my parents are older, but somehow in my mind they are locked in at their mid-30's. Yes, I realize that isn't at all probable. But mentally, when I picture my parents, that is how I see them. To hear age in their voice bothers me. Maybe, it's because I don't see myself aging, and there by hold everyone at the ages I am comfortable with. Ah who knows, certainly not me.

I feel sorry for my kids, I really do. When I was in school my parents where forced to wait on things, such as progress reports or report cards to know how I was doing. That gave me lots of time to goof off and do what I wanted to do, instead of actually study. My kids don't have that option. The poor little buggers. No, in this day and age of instant information and technology I can see their grades daily, know what homework has been assigned, and can even tell you what they got on their most resent test. I try not to "abuse" this privalge, by only checking grades once a week or two. Trying to instill trust and responsibility in them, then I remember "oh, yeah, they're kids", when I check the grades and see what I saw this week. Not a single one has the minium requirement of C's or better. David is the best off, with only having 1 D and 1 F to pull up. Although his Math grade is a tightrope act at the moment. The others? Well, I'd rather not talk about it.

Fall is in the air,and on the Gulf Coast, that means cool nights and comfortable days in between rain showers. I really don't have a "favorite" season, although August is my least favorite month. Season changes here mean menu changes; and that, is always a good thing! Less stove top meals or salads and more hearty fare will begin to appear on the table. Slow cooked stews or a good pot of corned beef and cabbage started in the morning on the back burner and simmering all day, corn bread muffins covered in butter. yum yum. All ready my eyes are on the baking shelf when I open the pantry. A few cans of pumkin filling and some apple pie filling are calling my name. That reminds me...I need to call my Grandma get Papa's turnip pie recipe.....

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programing

2006-10-21T00:31:00.000-05:00

The management of Bk's brain would like to apologize for not posting these past few days, due to technical diffculties. Systems have been restored(we think) and posting should return to normal.
So much has happened in my "hiatus":
Oldest son turned 16 and was released from probation. Hubby had a Birthday too. I caught a nasty virus so did my computer. My dad is in the hospital with "fluid on his lungs". He says everything is fine.

This is my fathers way of telling me. " Hi, sweety, how are you?' "That's good, and how are my grandkids?" "Hey, let me give you this phone number to write down. Ready?" "No, not the number to my apartment, my hospital room."

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law and her boyfriend broke up. Neither wanted the cat they had taken from here a few months ago. They took the cat when we first started working with Maal, Slappy and Zoey. When Brian brought the cat back he just kind of dropped it off in the house and told the kids what he had done. Turns out that neither Tammy or Brian had worked with the cat as I had told them too. The result? I now have a pissed, scared, feral cat hidding in a bedroom. Maal took off when the cat showed up and as much as we have looked for her and called for her, I don't see her pulling a Slappy and comming back. She has been gone for about 3 weeks now. I have been working slowly, very slowly, with the other cat. She isn't named yet, for now I call her baby. As in "Hey. baby", or sweetie, or pretty thing. Depending on what comes out. I have managed to get her to come out from under the bed at the sound of my voice and she will eat in front of me. I no longer put the food under the bed but out a ways. She has started to come to my hand and rub against it. I am still letting her instigate the petting sessions, but they are lasting longer and I can touch her more firmly. She actually allowed me to hold her for a few minutes yesterday, which was great progress. Trust is still iffy. Trust with a cat is harder to build, I think, than with a dog; as you have fewer social situations where you can prove to the cat that you can be trusted. In this situation at least. With the other girls it was easier because they had run of the house. Once I defended them from the dogs and showed I was in charge that trust was established. The girls have no problems walking up to the dogs or rubbing on them because they trust I and the the rest of the family will keep them safe. The new girl is being introduced to the kids one at a time. Tonight Chris and Justin went in and sat with her while she ate. She went up to both boys and recieved pets. So, one week with me and the older boys and next week we will introduce the other kids. Setting a coven feeling between the cats is not easy. Max and the girls still don't get along perfectly, but strides have been made. They can all be in the same room for brief periods of time with out a fight erupting and they manage to eat together.
As for the Greyhounds they are doing well. Fry sat on command for the first time last week. Great joy and jubilation was had. Everything I have studied on the breed says it is not natural for a greyhound to sit, but as Fry does it on his own we just kept reinforcing the behavior every time he did it. Allowing Bear and Boogie to show off their tricks helped as well, I think.
Candy is not a sitter. Candy flops. When she is ready to lays down she goes from up right to instant lay down, no brief sit inbetween to work with. She has mastered comming on command faster than Fry though.

Dang you, Mom, and your voice inside my head...

2006-10-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Oh, I hate it! Someone posts something and I want to say something, that might be construde as mean or not tactful, and so I say nothing. I let it goooo. I might yell at the TV or computer moniter, but actually put it out there? noooo, not me. Until I get here. Even here though, I will stifle the my voice a little, because in the back of my mind I hear her. "A lady doesn't say anything if she can not say something nice." and yes, when lecturing she spoke just like that. She would give you that look and say "Tact, dear, is something you need to work on."

Those of you who have met my mother, know the look I mean. I'm not really sure how she pulls it off. She has always been a tall woman, but she makes herself appear taller. She looks down her nose at you and pierces you with those eyes and you can't move. You're paralized like a fly biten by a spider, completely at her mercy until she dismisses you. And you know when you've been dismissed. I have seen my mother unleash that look on grown men, while she is sitting down, and I swear the men shrank in size as she pinned them down.

Does this mean I don't speak my mind? no. Another thing my mother taught me was to express myself, just to becareful how I do it. I have learned, from that little voice in my head, paitence and the value of a well placed word and tone. Do I always use the tools she has given me? nooo.
That has landed me in more hot water than I care to discuss at this time. When I do use them though they serve me well. So, as annoying as that voice is, I still listen to it...most times.

It has kept me from talking about the new shows out this season, or at least the ones I'm watching, until tonight. One show in particular Studio 60: On the sunset strip. I held my piece because I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I like the cast, okay, I love the cast, as individual actors. I liked the premise of the show, what I didn't fall in love with was the first episode. Studio tried to come out swinging, fast paced, and leaving you with a feeling of WTF. They nailed it in a scene or two, but the rest of the time, it seemed like they were just trying to keep up with it's big brother West Wing. The last scene of the premier made me decide to give the show a second chance. This week cinched it. I am converted, I love this show. From the opening scene until the credits ran I laughed. I laughed so hard my niece thought I was crying..now that is a goood laugh.

Still weighing in on a few shows. Shark, high drama, good conflict between characters..but really I need another law show? The class: I like the cast. I like that each "story" is seperate so you get like mini plays inside a big play. Not loving some of the issues that they have going for plot lines. One extra marital affair and the conciquences of that choice okay..But last nights episode showed there is another one...why? The second couple was funny enough with out the added drama. Hello, guy runs girl over with car, picks her up from hospital and she gets blown away in a hurricane..funny stuff..like watching a train accident. Really it was good on it's own. So I am biding my time before I say this is in the line up or not for monday nights.

Ugly Betty: I like this one.

Men in Trees: Jury still out

The Nine: like it

Jericho: still 50/50. yes I know Skeet is in it and that is partly why I keep watching, but if it remains the only reason I am watching-it won't be enough.

Six Degrees: Jury still out.

Calgon...take me away!

2006-10-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

Ever had one of those weeks? I'm not talking a really good week or a really bad week. I mean one of those weeks that make roller coaster designers jealous. If they could mimic the highs and lows in a week like I've had they would have the mother of all roller coasters.

The family has suffered a loss this week our beloved chihuahua Beaudreaux (Boo for short) past away very suddenly. Boo came into our lives unexpectantly shortly after Hurricane Katrina. My daughter had been screaming for months that she wanted a chihuahua, and my husband seconded her motion. He had had on named Chester when growing up and swore they were great dogs. I had no interest in a yappy little fur ball with permenant shakes. I did not have a high opinion of the breed, as I had never met one that I liked. One afternoon while my husband and I pulled into petsmart to pick up rat food. I saw a couple standing by a car holding a sign that said Free Chihuahua to good home. I innocently enough pointed it out to my husband, who turned the car around so fast you would of thought he was in a high speed chase. Long story short they were displaced and couldn't keep the dog anymore, they had a baby to think of. So Boo came home with us. I was not suprised with the bond he formed with my husband and children. I was suprised at the bond I formed with him. Boo was not a yapper, he didn't have the shakes. He was brave and out going and loved life and to play. Even the cats knew he was a special dog and thought he was their personal play toy. I never laughed so hard, as watching my cat Max chase Boo through the house( the cat being bigger than the dog). They would sleep together curled at my feet, and use each other as chew toys.

The first nine weeks is over, and as soon as I have complete confirmation of grades I will post them. This whole school period has been a study in roller coasters, up and down, went the grades. Chris has some things going on that have effected him negatively, but that seems to be passed and we are already seeing great improvements in him.

I'm sick again, with something. I swear since we've moved here I've been sicker than I have in my whole life and I just don't understand it. We pulled out the moldy carpet because I couldn't breath, put in hardwood that is easly swept and dusted. repainted, replaced sheet rock, still something continues to make me ill. Can you just develope allergies out of no where? But that wouldn't explain my kermit the frog, who slipped razor blades down my throat, feeling I get.
I feel it comming on too. The itch under the skin on your back that you can't scratch, The tickle in your throat, that will have you convorting your toungue, in ways I don't think God intended. You twist it and turn it trying to reach that spot by your tonsils that you just can't scratch. You grab the q-tip(tm) ignoring the warning on the package of where not to stick it. Shoving the swab in as far as you can to scratch from one side, while your tongue gets the other. It is 85 degrees outside, and I keep alternating between sweats and fuzzy slippers ,and trying to get as close to naked as I can.

My friend, Matt, over atFireflies in the Cloud is hosting a flash fiction contest for Holloween.
The prizes are awesome (and as I uh forgot to order his book this weekend-sorry Matt-) I am really thinking of entering. He did say Holloweeny/horror-ly so trying to let my mind come up with something. I really do want the autographed copy of his Trailer Park Fairytales and the picture from Lili ( I have just the spot picked out on my desk for it). Even if you don't enter..order his book; cause wether I order it or win it..I probably won't share my copy! So click on the link above or follow the link to your right ----> but check it out...

FFF#6 Carlie

2006-10-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

This weeks promt was ...interesting to say the least. 500 words of fan fiction, for a show that never exsisted...yeah...more info on the show and it's fan base can be found here . so with out further ado I offer you this...

Journal date 12-2-2326

I am still trying to adjust to the people on this ship. I have been a wake for almost a week now, and I wanted to explore this place that is my new home. Urinna suggested I check out the “watering hole” which seems to be a gathering place for people on board. My past is still a mystery; I get flashes of faces and places I have been. It is so frustrating to not know. To not be able to answer the simplest questions, and yet have knowledge of things I don’t know how I know. Dr. Smith assures me this is normal for someone who has been in chryostasis for a long period of time.

The watering hole isn’t that remarkable, I suppose for being a bar on a ship it’s okay. It’s half the size of the mess and wasn’t that busy when I arrived. A few tables, the bar and a stage. The tables all seem to be the newest version though. The one I sat at was loaded with games and even had access to the ships library list. I wanted to pull up the book I had on loan and just sit there reading it. That wasn’t what I came here for though so I resisted the temptation.

The table also came equipped with a simulator, but I chose to just go to the bar itself and place an order. What I didn’t see was a bartender. The feeling that I was being watched came over me and I tried to casually look around. No one seemed to be paying me any attention though, the few people in the place where busy talking with others or engrossed in games . I still couldn’t shake the feeling though; Then I saw the cat.

No doubt in my mind what the creature was, like knowing how to play games or read, I knew this was a cat. I had not seen any animals on board in the time I’ve been here. I also knew that animals on board a ship like this wasn’t abnormal , but that they are usually smaller creatures that can be kept in a cage or aquarium. A tabby Manx, with larger amber eyes, it just sat on the bar looking at me as if it was waiting for something. I turned my back to the bar and the disconcerting cat. Scanning the room to see if I could spot the supply closet, thinking maybe the bartender was getting something. I turned back around to find the cat had moved. It was now sitting at my elbow, still staring at me with those intense eyes. I was about to pet it, when it backed away from my hand with a look of distain. It shook it’s head, and smiled. That freaked me out a cat smiling? Maybe this was another side effect from waking up. I tried to act like I didn’t notice anything .
“You must be Carlie,” The cat said, “What can I get you?”
Before I could say anything or back away from the bar, Urinna walked up.
“Hey, you met Bartles. He’s the best bartender we’ve ever had.”
I could only stare in shock…what kind of ship is this?

Oh sweet seductive chocolate...blog chain#7

2006-10-03T15:10:00.000-05:00

What is it about chocolate that women adore? Oh I know not all women love it, but 99.9% of us do. For reasons beyond our ken. Not all woman (or people in general), like the same types of chocolate. Some adore white chocolate, others milk chocolate, some only like dark chocolate, and yet many love chocolate in any form.

I can not stand white chocolate. My reason is very similar to why I no longer like real butter. Take Easter, add a solid white chocolate lamb, and me; you can fill in the blanks by now I'm sure.

Milk chocolate in small doses is fine but not my favorite. It is to sweet and always requires (IMHO/in my humble opinion) a glass of milk or cup of coffee no sugar, to cut the sweet.

Dark chocolate..oh..dark chocolate: Its seductive silky texture, the way it dances on my taste buds, lightly touching and teasing a response from them, the thickness of it, one little morsel holds so much flavor. It assaults all of my senses at once; the rich scent engaging my nostrils in the euphoria that is about to occur, the smooth weight of it in my hand, and the hint of sweetness as it grazes my lips to meld with my taste buds, the final burst of endorphines causing my brain to call out in pure ecstasy..yes! yes! yes!

There is a reason when a woman gets cranky her friends will offer one of two solutions to her current mood. Offer #1...you need some chocolate. Offer #2 you need to get.....

It is all about the pleasure. Women love pleasure. We love pleasure so much, we can get pleasure from almost anything. Sitting in the sun letting its warm rays caress our skin. Light gentle kisses from a cooling breeze. Having a hard day at work..just emerse yourself in thoughts about getting home and settling into to a warm bubble bath, with a good book. See, already you can take a breath and some of the tension is gone.

Our minds allow us to tap that knowledge, we know how the warm water will feel on our skin, the heat seeping in to massage the muscles, and we power through with that one seductive thought in the back of our minds...

It is why women remind men of cats, we are both sensual beings.

edited to add, the thought of chocolate made me lightheaded I forgot the next link. peggy is up!

Guess what time it is boys and girls.....

2006-10-01T23:39:00.000-05:00

That's right, it's the AW Cooler's blog chain #7. Unlike previous additions where you received warning, and had time to prepare..I bring it to you in full (okay partial) swing. All I can say is it's the first of October and the fall nip, must of nipped the writing bug good. Here is the list of contributing blogs..lots of familiar names on the list, some that didn't get to play last round are back.
TaliaMana

Simran

Gillian

Bk_30

Peggy

Madderblue

Atomic Bear

Asorum

XThe NavigatorX

Cath

cesarcarlos

quidscribis

chaostitan

Oswann

razibahmed

awchain
The first post is already up and off to a great start!

This past week has been interesting for me. I found some old friends via MySpace(tm) and have spent much time in my head reliving parts of my past. Some good, some not so good. I think the past is a place we should all visit once in a while; even, the parts that hurt. The reason being, by remembering the past: where we've been, what we've done, who we have hurt and been hurt by, we can see how we got to who we are now; In this moment of the tapestry that is our lives. A checks and balance sheet of ourselves.

I love that with these people comming back into my life, it seems like they were not even gone. Oh lots of catching up and this is what I'm doing now, but that bond, is still there. Picked up right where it left off. How long will they stay this time? who knows..well you know what I mean.

People who have known you as long as they have known me and I them, you can't bs. You can't hide who you were verses who you are now, they know, they were there. What they do is reaffirm how you've changed and how you haven't. They ground you, they understand things about you that others can't, and probably never will, because they were there when whatever caused you to be who you are happened.

Friendships are like books in one way..you can put them on the shelf, but sometimes you pull that book down again and relose yourself in it's story..sometimes..you get a sequel.

FFF#5 or Indian Summer

2006-09-29T00:42:00.000-05:00

Vanessa stared at the mask before her. She was mesmerized by the bright colors, the way the eye of the creature seemed to gleam and change shades in the light, almost as if it were alive. The mane of the beast was made of cobras all smiling like benevolent gods.
Of all the masks on display this one spoke to her the most. Was it because it was a fertility mask or because of the person who donated the mask to the exhibit, or was it a combination. She wasn’t sure and she did not want to delve deep enough to find out.

She shook her head. ‘Snap out of it girl,’ she thought to herself as she took aim with her camera, ‘get the shot and get out.’
No sooner had she taken the last shot than she heard the voice she had been hoping to avoid.
“I was wondering if they would send you.”

Vanessa slowly lowered the camera, trying to collect herself. She knew, when sent on this assignment, that she might run into him.
“Rob, I thought you weren’t expected until later.” She turned with a smile fixed in place. Rob looked almost exactly as she remembered. She had to take a step back to be able to look at him from a comfortable angle. His hair had a bit more grey peppering it. His polo shirt accented his defined chest, the sleeves hugged his arms. The hours spent in the sun on digs, showed in his tanned skin and fine lines around his eyes.

“When Cathy told me you were working for the paper, I thought they might send you. So I came early, I wanted the chance to say hi.” The familiar grin that graced his mouth sent memories flooding back. Memories Vanessa did not want to dwell on.

“Imagine,” He continued, ”our class gossip, became a newspaper reporter, who’d a thunk it. What made you come back here? I thought you would be traveling, taking pictures around the world. Not here in our home town.”

Vanessa moved to put her camera away. She needed time. She needed to not be here. Damn Cathy for sending her on this assignment. Leave it to her best friend to stick her nose where Vanessa didn’t want it.

“Thanks. Cat’s not a reporter, she’s the editor now. A lot can happen in five years.” Vanessa shrugged trying to appear casual, “As for me, I saw what I wanted of the world, but home kept calling me back. And here I am.”

Picking up her equipment Vanessa prepared to leave. To sail out of the museum as neatly as he had sailed out of her life.
“It was good seeing you Rob. I hope your exhibit goes well.”

“Nessie, can’t we have dinner or something? Old friends catching up and all?” The nickname stopped her. The memories she was trying to hold at bay came flooding back.

The huge crush she had on him in high school when he only saw her as a friend. The dream come true at the reunion, when they had danced “Just for old times’ sake” he had said. Finally in his arms, the weight of his hands as they rested on her hips, his body pressed to hers, and whatever had lead up to that kiss. The first time his lips touched hers, almost as if it was an accident, then they came back for more. His mouth, soft and firm at the same time. Leaving the reunion and finding their way to his room in the hotel. The weeks of passion that followed and just as she was letting herself believe that they would be together, he was gone.

“Nes, please” his voice softer now, caressing. Vanessa closed her eyes willing herself to be strong, not to give into the temptation, even though her body woke when he spoke the first sentence, she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Her body and her heart fighting her mind.

One night, she could say yes to dinner and have one more night to add to her memories. Or she could say no, he would leave in a day or two and her life would continue on as it had been for the past few years.
“Sure, dinner sounds fine.”

“I had forgotten how good a Sal burger is.” Rob held the door open for Vanessa as they left the restaurant, “But I think ate to much. Want to help me walk some of this off?” He pointed to the park across the street.

Rob took her hand and tugged slightly “Come on. Just a small walk?”
“Just a small one.” She said against her better judgement. She expected him to let go of her hand. It felt so natural that she didn’t argue when he didn’t.
They reached the edge of the park, the lights from across the river reflecting on the water. Rob stopped and leaned against the railing. He held on to her hand but he didn’t look at her.

“Thanks for having dinner with me. I was surprised when you agreed.” He stole a glance in her direction,” I really expected you to just slap my face in the museum and keep going.”

“Don’t think, I didn’t think about it, for half a second.” She turned her back to the river, leaning on the rail.
“So you forgive me?”

“What is there to forgive? We had fun, no strings attached remember.” She smiled trying to keep her tone light.

“You’re lying.”

He moved his arm around her pinning her to the rail. He didn’t give her a chance to move, even if she had wanted to. Her stomach tightened into a ball of need as soon as his lips touched hers. Her mind tried to reason to remind her this was a mistake. Her body told her this was just right. Her skin tingled where his body touched hers. Her breast ached with sweet intensity, wanting, needing, to feel his hands on them. For the first time in years, she was fully alive. Every cell in her body telling her brain exactly where it was and what it wanted next.

When they finally broke apart neither spoke, but walked together in complete agreement toward his hotel.

“How did it go yesterday?” Cathy stepped up to Vanessa’s desk and leaned against it.
“Went fine.”
“Well, was he there? Did you talk to him? Come on give. I waited like a good girl all night for you to call me.”
“What’s to tell? We ran into each other, he asked me to dinner, end of story. He’ll leave in a few days and that will be that ” Vanessa moved papers around on her desk, hopping Cathy would drop it.
“No..he..won’t” Cathy stared hard at her friend.
“What..what do you mean ‘he won’t’?”
Cathy put her hand on Vanessa’s shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, “I mean he took the job of principal at the elementary school.” Cathy shook her head.” He won’t be going anywhere for a while.” Cathy pulled off the desk and looked back at it, “I thought you knew that, Ness.” And she walked away.
Vanessa could only stare at her desk. At the picture of the four year old little boy with Robs smile, who was starting kindergarten in two weeks.

AW cooler blog chain #6 is complete

2006-09-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of the chain once again..for those that would like to follow all the posts.
Food for Thought

When did you know...?

Becoming a blogger

You wanna be what?

Why do we write?

Letters to a Young Poet

Vin Diesel Makes Unlikely Muse

Stop or Kindergarten Nanny Will Pacify

Reel-istically Funny

Indian Cinema at it's Craziest

Feedback Pretty Please

Ten Things You Didn't Know

No One Will Really Be Free

To Boldly Go

AW Chain Six

The AW Chain, The Sixth

AW Blogchain #6

A Walk Down the Hall of Fame

AW Blogchain #6

Sharing What's Important

What I'm Supposed To Be Doing

__________________

Veggie tales or I failed as a parent again...

2006-09-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

All things being relative (and all that) David and Ashley have a social studies test tomorrow on the Assyrian Empire. Funny how I'm reading a book that takes place in that part of the world just a few hundred years later...but that is not the point of this post.

We are quizzing David, asking questions pertaining to battle tatics and such(of interest to me on several levels lol), when I decide to try and cross referance David's head. For me this makes it easier when I need to recall info. I relate it to another subject. He was having problems remembering names like Nebuchadnezzer, Nineveh, and Hittites; dates where not being kind either. He said he was becoming confused because the numbers moved in the wrong direction. This I understood. I explained dates use BC and AD the same way numbers use negative and positive. When looking at a number line negative moves from greater to smaller until reaching 0. A time line does the same with christ's life as 0. You could see the light come on, his face actually did brighten as he understood. "Oh, so BC is negative and AD is postive..that explains it. I was always confused how we got to the 1900s!" Task one down.

Now for the name issue: David, where have you heard of Nineveh before? "uh, veggie tales?" Doh slap self to the forehead. "you know the guy gotten eaten by the whale 'cause he tried to hide from God?" Signs I've spent to much time on the New Testement and not enough on the Old. Yet it gets worse..David connects the dots with Nineveh and the name sticks. Now Nebuchadnezzer have you heard of him? "Don't think so." So I threw out a few names..Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego(one of my all time favorite stories..not for the fire or even the 4th body in the fire, but I just love the sound of their names..it's like a movie title or adventure story..maybe even a ballad..) I got a blank stare. I say Daniel? "Uncle Daniel?" uh, no ..I try Daniel and lions.."oh the guy who God closed the lions mouths for and it shocked the king?" Thank God he remembered one. "That's it" I said, "Now, who was the king?" Ding lightbulb.."Nebuchadnesser?"
Houston we have lift off! Second light bulb; "All these people are in the bible? I don't believe you." Mwhaahhhhaa So I showed him. Chris, looking over my shoulder, says "Wow, I didn't know Daniel lived until King Cyrus of Persia showed up..that's cool that's what we are studying now." Bang, Bang goes my head.

There are times when I doubt myself as a parent and as a christian..this is one of those times. Not that my faith isn't strong enough, but that I don't show them enough, instruct them enough, equip them correctly to face the world with their faith and beliefs, to know why I hold them, or why they hold what beliefs they hold. That in this sence I have failed them and God with what I was instructed to do. Bring them up in the ways of the Lord and it will sustain them all of their lives..
I am so thankful that God understands and knows my limits and loves me despite them.
Now I'm going back to reread Daniel..I forgot how much I love this book of the Bible and all the hidden pieces of meat betweens it's pages....

I love dots..I'm reading a book, where part of the story takes place in the same time/area as my children are studying in school..What a sense of humor HE has.

Buffet style

2006-09-23T15:28:00.000-05:00

I've had several ideas for posts lately, but trying to wait between entries. Not an easy task for me. I want to brag on my friend Kappa to start. She went and got her story published: Mrs. Misak's Eyes Kappa's story .

I have decided that the dictionary is my worst enemy. I am a weak speller, have been most of my life. As I am writing more for 'general consumption' and not just my own entertainment, I've started keeping a dictionary at my fingertips. Instead of making me a stronger speller, it has made me weaker. If I type out a word that I know, but do not use often, I find myself rushing to the dictionary to double check instead of trusting myself. Then, when I discover I did spell it correctly, doh, slap to the forehead.

I am going to take a moment and give a shout out to my 9th grade(not to be confused with my freshman year) history teacher. On myspace(tm) I found my highschool has a page. One of the boards is about favorite and least favorite teachers. Ms. Hudson grabbed me in a profound way. I have always been a reader and always liked history. Well I liked history in that it wasn't the most boring subject in school, but that was about it. The day I met Ms. Hudson she walked into class and said "I'm going to tell you a story." That had my attention. "The story has murder, plots, take overs, incest; everything a good story should have. You are going to read along." And she started handing out textbooks." The best thing about this story is it's still being written and you are a part of it." I fell in love. Introduced to me in that way History and I developed a whole new relationship. One that has lasted even up until today. So thank you Ms. Hudson for touching my life in such a way.

I am reading Servant of the Bones right now. The story is told in such a manner that I am having a hard time 'getting into it' and staying there. Mrs. Rice is a talented writer and usually I don't have this issue with her work. The story is interesting, so I keep reading, but the way she pulls out of the story in the story, pushes me straight back into reality. I find I don't care so much for the outer story, which is a writer in a cabin by himself suffering from a fever when a long comes this being. The being wishes to tell the writer his story. Yes, like what happened in Interview with a Vampire. So, wait, I did have this issue before. She made me crazy with the same deal then. I really don't care about the tool being used to tell the creatures story..I just want the creatures tale. And the creatures tale is fascinating, He lived in Babylon after King Nebaknezzer, but right as the Persians are invading. Her descriptions of the city, plant you right there walking the same dirt roads as the character. Comming back to modern times after that..sucks. I don't get or understand the writer at all, other than at this point in the story maybe he is just delusional and his character has come out of his head and manafested itself. If that turns out to be the case..I swear, I will, for the first time in my life..throw a book across the room.

It's funny really. As many books as I have read, as much as I may not like a book, I can not throw one. Oh I've wanted to. I've cocked my arm back ready to let fly my deadly inaccurate aim, only to stop mid release and set it roughly down. usually a rude noise will follow to show my displeasure, but actually throw one? sacrilege!

My daughter brought home the scholastic book catalog the other day. I was like a kid in the candy store, trying to pick just one or two titles..I really need to get a freaken library card here lol.

I'm off to defend the realm and to get Kal to 3L9! Here hibbie, hibbie, hibbie......

FFF#4

2006-09-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

The Day I Joined the Circus.

I ran and I ran as fast and as far as my feet would take me.
Thoughts pounding in my head. “Where is dinner?” “Did you do laundry?” “Clean this!”. I couldn’t take it anymore. I yelled and stamped my foot. “You do it, why is it always me!” that only got me sent to my room to take a nap. A nap? Me? I’m to big for naps.
I went to my room all right. I slammed the door. I stomped to the bed. No one ever listens. It’s always about them and responsibility. They don’t appreciate me. They don’t love me. I’ll show them, I thought, I’ll run away!

I took my pillow case and stuffed it full of clothes. I went to the door, but could hear them talking in the living room. I climbed out the window instead.
I didn’t know where I was going to go yet. I thought maybe I would find a new family in pink house. I looked and looked, but didn’t see a pink house to live in. I was starting to get hungry. I had not taken any food with me. I checked my pockets, but I only had five dollars.
I kept walking and finally found a small diner. I sat in the back corner facing the door. I didn’t want them to sneak up on me. I knew they would be looking soon. As I finished my food and was about to leave; I saw the sign.
The circus was in town. I had always wanted to join the circus. I wanted to be one of the bareback riders. To fly around the ring on horseback doing tricks. People cheering and clapping. I decided right then that was where I would go. I would join the circus and travel and be a bareback rider. Yep, that was the life for me.
It was night before I finally found the circus camp. The last show was already over. Nobody was around, so it was easy to sneak on to the grounds. I could hear the lions roaring. The chimps and the monkeys screamed every time the lions roared. The smell of hay and animals mixed in the night air.
I was so tired. I had been running all afternoon. I was hungry again, but had spent all my money at the diner. I just wanted to find a place to sleep. I came to the big cats area first. I slipped into the tent. Huge cages held the cats. Lions and tigers and leopards all pacing in their pens. I looked for a place to sleep. Nothing.
The next tent was the primates. It smelled to bad to sleep in there. I left quickly. I was hoping to find the tent with the horses. I knew they would have hay, I could sleep on that.
I didn’t think I could stay awake much longer. My legs were so heavy. My stomach kept growling. I missed my family, but when I started to cry I reminded myself how mean they were to me.
Finally I found a stack of hay. I didn’t even look around the tent. I lifted the flap and, there it was, a huge pile of hay in the middle of the tent. I dug a hole into the hay, crawled in and pulled some back over me. I don’t remember falling asleep.
The elephant found me. I woke up to something breathing on me and it stunk. I didn’t know what it was at first. I was to scared to scream. A long grey thing that looked like a snake was moving around my face. I lay as still as I could, trying very hard not to breath. Then I heard voices. It sounded like Cindy. That was Cindy’s voice, and the next voice was Paul. I listened a little harder. I heard Dale’s voice too. I had been listening so hard I didn’t notice the hay being pulled off of me by the grey snake thing.
I didn’t know what had happened until I felt cool air on me. I was able to see that the grey snake thing was a trunk, attached to an elephant. Then Cindy came into my view.
“MOM!” she said, “Where have you been? We looked all over for you. Why did you run away?”

And in keeping with the theme of pets....

2006-09-18T13:08:00.000-05:00

This weeks Flash Fiction promt is this picture (picture of elephant leading a parade; would not load..stupid puter). Along with the sentence..the elephant found me.
There is a second sentence that can be added for extra points. What Per doesn't know is that my favorite 'pet' is an elephant. Yes, ladies and gents my husband is a dasterdly Alabama fan, and I am an Auburn Tiger fan. Many people who know us, know this, some don't. Some do not understand how a house so divided can stand. It is very simple...we have rules.

My husband was not the first man I loved to have this serious affliction either. No, my poor father also suffers from this . I have spent my life surrounded by people with this problem.
This issue does not affect only my husband or my father, it is deeper than that. It strikes through my extended family on my fathers side. We are truely a house divided, especially on the third Saturday of November, the Iron Bowl.

The #1 rule when living with someone who is a Bama fan, is you can not change their minds, they live in the past. They stay locked in a time warp remembering when the greatest of all coaches was at the helm. My Dad, at times, went so far as to wear his "Bear Bryant" hat when he felt the team needed to be reminded(until something happened to the hat..but no one is talking). These people must be shown pity and helped through their grief.

That's not the real rule. The rule is Which ever team wins the Iron Bowl has bragging rights for a year, until such time as the next Iron Bowl. In the weeks preceeding the game, the afflicted will start to 'forget' who really won last year, and the year before, and the year before that..but I digress. As they forget they will start to make snide remarks..just repeat the score and move on, eventually they are reminded of their defeat and will slink back in to the dark abyss they emerged from.

Here is an example of that rule in action. Our last family reunion happened to fall on Iron Bowl saturday. My Grandparents living room was quickly divided in half. Alabama fans on one side Auburn on the other. In years when we have not been able to all be together we call each other constently, with updates on the score or comments on the lame brain move someone just did.
Another way of keeping the peace..we do not speak to members of the opposite side on that day.
Well we don't speak, but we sure yell a lot.

The Iron Bowl, in my family, is more important than the presidental election or the super bowl.
In a strange way though instead of pulling us apart...the Iron Bowl keeps us together.

The things our pets do....

2006-09-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

I have had pets for most of my life. I have been around animals all of my life. I could probably write a book about some of the odd things I have seen animals do. Rickyticky, my Grandmother Connies cat. He sat on top of the fridge, waiting for some hapless victim to walk by, in order to launch himself at them, claws fully extended.
My Aunt Toot's horse fruitloops(yep crazy as his name) who loved to chew ice. He would run at me full gallop and stop right in front of me, taking a cube of ice right out of the cup. I have had a dog that climbed trees. A dog and cat that took turns watching each others babies, while the other went outside to take care of buisness. I have even had a cat that went swimming, on purpose.

However the current cats in residence do something that completely baffles me. I say cats, because we are uncertain which of the four is doing the deed. One of them is stealing cigarettes. Not one at a time or even two out of a pack. No they are taking the entire pack off of the bedside table while I sleep and hiding it. The first time this happened, the oldest child got blamed. He denied it, but we did not believe him; Until the pack was found, under my bed, in the back corner, with teethmarks.

I have seen dogs that steal cigarettes, usually they will lay right out in the open and chew on the pack til it is demolished. Leaving little pieces of cigarette laying around, the top of the box ripped off and with dogs it is usually the box pack that gets it. I have seen them chew cigarette cases as well, mostly leather ones. So from a dog I can undestand this behavior, but a cat?

This has occured three times now. Max has been elemenated as a suspect for the most part. He has never exhibited any signs of this nature before and has taken to sleeping with the girl, instead of in our room. That leaves Maal, Slappy, and Zoey. I f the packs were just slightly battered I might believe that Slappy did it and that the teeth marks where really claw marks. The state of the cigarettes themselves end that theory. The animal in question is biting through the box and into the cigarettes hard enough to leave holes. There is no sign of repetative chewing, but multiple bite wounds. Once the pack has been suitably ravaged, it is then drug into the den of this murdering beast. So now not only do I have to keep my eye on my oldest, I must be on my guard against the felines of this house....

And the winner is.....

2006-09-13T21:15:00.000-05:00

Neither of mine. That's right, the results for class secretary are in and neither of the Phillips clan won. David is very cool with it, says he just ran to tick off his sister(and I believe it). Ashley took it in stride. She moped for a day. Doesn't care that she can run again next year, because then she can only run for President or VP and she only wanted Secretary. She has now set her eyes on year book staff.... we are rooting for her to get picked for that.

Did you know that writing requires math? I didn't, and I sure wish someone had informed me, before I got bitten by this darn bug! I was working out a timeline for my WIP(work in progress), and discovered that my people where not lining up the way I wanted them to. While trying to figure out approximate ages, so I knew what character did what and when, I realized someone would be 12 when they had given birth. I realized my error, got paper and pencil, and did some math. All fixed now, the person would have been an acceptable 17 yrs old. I know someone, somewhere, is screaming that 17 is to young..to bad, it was acceptable at the time :) Not to mention, I was 17 when my oldest was born. Actually it must be a family thing. In doing my math I used my family as the model. My great grandma Morgan was 17 when she had my Grandmother; unless someone lied about Grandma's age. As she is a true southern lady if she was gonna lie, she would make herself younger not older..so that shoots that theroy. Don't you love it when I type as the thoughts enter my head? Scary in here isn't it.

What I am reading now (or at least lately)

I just finished STOP the train! by Geraldine McCaughrean. I wasn't really sure I was going to like this book based on the first chapter or so. I almost put the book down, I'm glad I didn't.
Somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd chapter this book became a run away train. Full of characters you love to hate, adventure, a bit of mystery, and even some romance. This is a middle grade book, even says on the inside flap 10 and up. I truely enjoyed it though. I almost woke Allen up once I was laughing so hard at one point. The main plot of the book is Cissy and her Ma and Pa move from the east to Oklahoma in the big land grab. The town they have chosen to settle in is right on the rail line and set up to be a railroad town. That is until, the townspeople refuse to sell their land back to the railroad, now the train refuses to stop in Florence. Not to be beaten( the pioneering spirit really shows in this group of misfits) they band together to stop the train and put their town on the map.

I finished that and dove right into another Agatha Christie. This time I am reading Spider's Web, one of her plays that has been adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne. I am only a third of the way in, but I can not tell where Christie's prose ends and Osborne's takes over. A mark of excellent writing in that regard, or it could be that I haven't read enough of her work to know the difference.
**
Hubby did receive and accept the offer from Burger King that we where waiting on. Pay rate was a bit of a haggle, but they agreed to his requested amount per year with the option of a raise in 6 months. Once assigned a store of his own, he will only work day shift and will only work one saturday a month. This is a win win situation as far as I'm concerned. Hubby is happy because when he left BackYard he was leaving several people that he liked working with and surprise, surprise they are now with BK as well. For those that just saw the humor in where my husband is working and my screen name, I've been chuckling over it for days.

FFF 3

2006-09-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

The assignment this week is a little different than weeks past. There is no photo promt. There is only a written promt, or rather a contest prompt.Bulwer-Lytton is the inspiration for this weeks literary prose of mental refuse. There are a list of words you should look for as you move along from piece to piece: Putrefy, jewellery(yes spelled that way), encephalogram, aardvark, banana, zombie, and the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night"(which should appear in the opening lines if the author used it). Please remember to comment on each piece, we love comments, even if it's just a groan of pain.

“It was a dark and stormy night…” Sandy, reading out loud to herself, never noticed when
Anna shuffled into the room.
“My goodness, your scent becomes more repulsive every day.”
Anna gingerly picked her way around the space that was littered with debris.
“Uh?”

“You’re going to putrefy your brain if you keep reading that drivel. Read something worthwhile, I myself prefer Melville or Dickens. The literary style which they use to paint eloquent pictures on the scenery of my mind, quiet up lifts the soul”
Anna, trying to find a place to sit attempted to clear a spot off, on the chair opposite her friend, moved: a stuffed aardvark, a half eaten banana, a pair of socks that seemed to have the ability to carry themselves across the room, and various other things, that her dear friend seemed to need to keep in easy reach.
“What is wrong with the comics?”
Sandy grabbed a tissue to wipe her eyes as they once again sent tears running down her cheeks like rain on a window pane.
”They make me laugh.” Her body was racked with sobs, that caused her entire being to shake, as if by a 6.0 earthquake that was only felt by her.

“I can see I will need to telephone Dr. Halfway and schedule another appointment for you sooner than I thought.” Anna having finally cleared the chair of the last of its inhabitants settled her rear into the chair, with a prim twist to each side to make sure her slacks didn’t pick up any extra wrinkles.
“oh!” Anna lept to her feet with an agility that any cat would admire. “I seem to have found the broach Ted gave you.” Handing the piece of offending jewellery to Sandy.
Sandy of course only cried harder at the sight of the gaudy pin.

Anna checked the chair again to make sure she didn’t miss any other surprises and settled back once more. She smoothed her raven locks to make sure none leaned against the furniture, not wanting to pick up any unwanted company that may be residing in the filth that surrounded her. She smoothed her well manicured hands over her designer slacks, to whisk away any offending creases that may have appeared, in her hurry to remove the pin from her posterior. Having made sure that everything was in place she continued on,

“ Dear heart, didn’t we discuss this when I was here the other day, that you can not go on like this. You simply must accept that Ted is gone, and move on with your life. There are so many men out there you can’t let one little set back stop you. Now, I will call Dr. Halfway and see if he can work you in more quickly. I will also call Bernard, and see if he has an opening, you will never attract someone of the opposite sex looking as you do now, or at least not one with a full set of teeth and a decent car.”

“I can’t” Sandy wailed erupting into another bout of sobs.

“Pish! You can and you will. You were doing so much better, what happened dear? You had taken a shower and actually managed to eat something that didn’t get delivered by an acne covered youth in cheap polyester. Tell me what set you back.”

Sandy started to answer her friend and comforter, but Anna cut her off before the first syllable ever escaped betwixt her lips.
“I mean really, darhling, it has been 3 weeks. I think that is more than enough time to grieve for this little relationship. You did nothing wrong it really was all his fault. I mean really, to expect you to go to such a place, did he not know you at all?”

Sandy shook her head, trying to interrupt, but Anna simply waved her hand and continued.

“And then to get murdered, while trying to acquisition tickets to such an event. Utterly reprehensible, did he give no thought to how this would reflect on you.?” Anna got up and began pacing the room,like a tiger in a cage, ignoring the guttural sounds coming from across the room.

She grabbed the floor length curtains that where closed holding the sun at bay from the apartment like gates of a city shut to keep out roving marauders. Yanking the material back to allow the sunlight to pour into the room, its beams crossing the floor and illuminating everything to its harsh reality.
“ Did he not give thought to the way his death would reflect to the rest of the world? Thank God it was a short marriage anything over two years and it might have reflected poorly on you, but you had just reached your one year anniversary hadn’t you? So no reflection on you, just him. It’s time to stop this silly weeping and get on with your life.” Anna turned back to face her friend, her hands poised so elegantly on her hips, in a move she had practiced a thousand times to show off her lithel form to its best advantage.

“He’s back!” Sandy finally got out as Anna stopped for the pregnant pause. Anna looked at her quizzically for a moment.
“Dear heart, I know this has been harder than it should have been, but really. Maybe I should call Dr. Fritz and schedule an encephalogram instead of having you see Dr. Halfway.”

Sandy just shook her head at her friend. “He’s back. I really need you to close the blinds please.” Said so quietly that Anna almost didn’t hear the words as they made their way into the room. Anna grabbed the draperies intending to close them to appease her friend, who seemed to her to have finally been broken by the grief she refused to let go of.

As darkness slowly crept over the room again Anna was made aware that some of the groans she assumed came from her grief stricken friend were actually coming from the other room.

"Dear Anna, you have been so good to me these past few weeks, trying to get me to come to grips with Teds passing.” Sandy moved across the room and took her friends well manicured hands into her own chapped and callused hands.
” But Ted came home last night, and we had a long talk. That’s why I called you. I wasn’t crying for Ted when you came through the door. I was crying for you.”
Anna looked at her friend truly at loss to understand the verbal messages coming from her mouth.
A groan sounded in the bedroom doorway, Anna looked up.
There stood Ted a zombie.
“See, dear Anna, your lunch.”

>

This is sibling love....

2006-09-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

I am an aracnophobic, yep show me a spider and I'm outta there faster than you can say "Where'd she go" "Where'd who go?". My family knows this. They laugh at the story of how I was stuck on a toilet for 30 minutes, held hostage by a tiny black spider the size of the end of a standard pen. It wasn't big at all really, but I was still frozen unable to move or call for help. This fear has gotten better over time. I seriously thank DAoC for that. One of the tasks given sometimes is to kill these huge, ugly, hairy, spiders. Most of them are the same size as a bear if not larger. Pretty impowering to hack the beast to pieces with me sword! However the fear of these little buggers is still there. So when my sister sent out a bulletin on Myspace(tm), about spiders hiding under toilet seat lids, I was not amused. I was horrorfied, now I have to look under every seat before I sit down? Thank god for my grandmother making me fear germs and public toilets while I was small, I don't sit in public restrooms. Never the less the info is there to sit and fester in my mind, the place where I live. I have a very active imagination(big shocker I know). Over time I'm sure that this would have all gone away but no, my sister sent me this lovely e-mail this morning:

6:37 AM Subject: Fwd: spider bite>> A spider bite...please read...........
And you thought the brown recluse was bad!!! Three women in North Florida , turned up at hospitals over a 5-day period, all with the same symptoms. Fever, chills, and vomiting, followed by muscular collapse, paralysis, and finally, death.

There were no outward signs of trauma. Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood. These women did not know each other, and seemed to have nothing in common. It was discovered, however, that they had all visited the same Restaurant within days of their deaths. The health department descended on the restaurant, shutting it down. The food, water, and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.

The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check. She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom. That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove out to the restaurant, went into the restroom, and lifted the toilet seat. Under the seat, out of normal view, was a small spider.

The spider was captured and brought back to the lab, where it was determined to be the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its reddened flesh color. This spider's venom is extremely toxic, but can take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark, damp climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.

Several days later a lawyer from Jacksonville showed up at a hospital emergency room. Before his death, he told the doctor, that he had been away on business, had taken a flight from Indonesia , changing planes in Singapore , before returning home. He did not visit the resteraunt, while there. He did, as did all of the other victims, have what was determined to be a puncture wound, on his right buttock.

Investigators discovered that the flight he was on had originated in India The Civilian Aeronautics Board (CAB) ordered an immediate inspection of the toilets of all flights from India , and discovered the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata) spider's nests on 4 different planes! It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the country. So please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for spiders. It can save your life! And please pass this on to everyone you care about.

Now I understand that this is most likely another hoax, to spread fear and panic(and probably a few laughs, with toilet seats slamming down all across the country), but this is just cruel!
You don't send something like this to someone you love. Let alone TWICE in one week, that's not love...that's mean. I think she is waiting for the next time I come over to hear the sound of her toilet seat comming down so she can laugh her fool head off.

But just to be safe......

B-chain#6/ You wanna be a what?

2006-09-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

razibahmed showed us where writing wasn't just a dream, but a part of him. In order to be whole/complete and still do his duty he found a way to accomidate both. There must be a geneitc code or chemical imbalance in some of us, that Doctors and Scientist just haven't found yet. Think about it.

Why else would a teacher at a university give up their position and comfy life style to pursue writing full time? To face rejection over and over, to wonder how the bills are going to get paid, or where the next meal is comming from. To subject themselves over and over again to being told "not now", "not good enough", this affliction does not just apply to writers alone though.

Why would a housewife start to go to open mike nite at the local comedy club?

Why would a person leave work everynight to attend dance class?

A firefighter or postal worker by day, rush to the local theatre to be in a play, or audition for a commerical, or sing Opera?

Why would someone with a quick mind and good buisness sense race cars or only feel alive on the field playing a sport?

To those that don't understand this is just a hobby. To the person doing it, it is a need, a hunger, a pressure that you can not ignore no matter how hard you try.

Sure some of them achieve fame and fortune, but it isn't usually that which drives the person to these actions in the first place. It is that these things are part of who they are, it is what they are. They are writers, dancers, actors, musicians, photographers, painters, poets, sportsmen, and the like.

Yes it must truely be a genetic or chemical thing. No one in their right mind would subject themselves to this affliction on a regular basis. To be belittled, or scoffed at, to see people smirk when you tell them what you are. It is why most keep it quiet or a secret until such time as they have accomplished enough to prove the "right" to call themselves what they truely are.

Guess what...I'm not in my right mind

A view from the waterfront is next.

Sorry Mr. Pitt, I'm not that stupid....

2006-09-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

Wow. I can only hope that Ms. Jolie isn't really this dumb and is in on the whole statement.
Mr. Pitt annouced in an interview with Esquire magazine that he will not get married until everyone in the united states has the right to marry whomever they choose. Article

I applaud Mr. Pitts efforts in human rights issues, but in this instance I call bullshit!
You've already tried to convince us that you never cheated on your wife, or left her for another woman. Now you want us to believe that your decision, to not marry the woman who gave birth to your child, is out of a feeling of "equality for all"?

This just sounds like hollow reasoning, or one you hope she, and we, will buy.
I would have been more inclined to listen, had you married her and issued a statement in the lines of how you wish everyone could make the same kind of public commitment.

Now what I'm thinking is that your a sleazy, want your cake and eat it too, schmuck!

The list for Blog chain#6

2006-09-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you who like to follow along, Blog Chain #6 is up and rolling.
TaliaMana

Peregrinas

IndianRaj

Just a Small Town Girl

A View From the Waterfront

Southern Expressions

Mad Scientist Matt

Organized Chaos

At Home, Writing

Writing From Within

Pass the Torch

BCOM

Fireflies in the Cloud

Sounds of Serenity

Kappa no He

Infinite Vanity

Gillian Polack

Of Chapters and Reels

Curiouser and curiouser

The Road Less Traveled

Livien

awchain

OY! Technology

2006-09-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, sidebar is finally hanging where it is supposed to. I still do not know what caused it to fall in the first place. I removed the flash fiction signs and rehung them, no change. I went into everypost I had made and studied the HTML code til I thought I would go blind. I even went so far as to copy the orginal template on to notepad and run it side by side my current template, to see if anything was out of place. Nothing, zilp, zitch, zero could I find. I post the final list to blogchain#5 with all it's permalinks and what happens? Sidebar comes back up. My best guess is that what ever was causing the glitch went away when the pages hosted on my main page changed.

Man I so wanted to find and fix the problem just so I could say I had..but at least it's resolved.

Progress reports for the younger two are in. Ashley is gonna earn her $20.00 if she's not careful.
Her current grades stand as: A-english/language arts, B-world cultures/history,A-gym,C-science,B-math,A-reading.

David is sliding back into old patterns though. F-english/language arts,D-reading,B-world cultures/history,B-science,B-gym,D-math.
David has lost TV until the report card. He has been doing his homework, mainly goofing off in class instead of doing his work. After a full year of C's or better from him, I can not accept these grades as him trying his best. Sorry that bird don't fly, dog don't hunt, or what ever other popular saying you wish to use here.

The older boys are maintaining that they have not received such reports yet...I give them 5 days or I told them I'm calling the school.

The race for school secretary is still going..that ends on Monday. Results to be posted as soon as I find out anything. This does not seem to be causing any more rifts in homelife than normal. So that is a good thing.

Sent out my first query letter, got my first rejection this week. I knew/know that they are more common than acceptance letters so little sting. When you are working on needlework and you stab yourself with the needle, just a little prick..knowing that the finished product will be well worth the effort,you keep going. I will keep going.

AW Blog Chain #5: has come to a close.

2006-09-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

Well folks we finished this round of the chain. For those that would like to follow along in order I am reposting all the links.
A View From the Waterfront

Curiouser and curiouser

South Asia Biz

The Road Less Travelled

Fireflies in the Cloud

Infinite Vanity

The Secret Government EGGO Project

Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Even in a Little Thing

Beyond the Great Chimney Production Log

Kappa no He

Tiffany's Smorgasbord

Just a Small town girl

At Home, Writing

Southern Expressions

BCom

earthshoes

Peregrinas

Writing From Within

Sounds of Serenity in Mayhem

awchain
Don't fret though since #5 is done, you know what is right around the corner...yep, #6 LOL

online communities.

2006-09-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

What makes a community? Is it close physical proximety to others? or is it sharing, day in and day out, your life?

I have been surfing the net since 1999. I have been in chat rooms, message boards, and now blog sites. I have seen communities build and fall. I have seen friendships start that last years and some that only last a month or so. I have witnessed people who don't physically know each other support each other through times where the physical friends have all jumped ship.

People scoff and laugh when you refer to your 'friend'. You don't really know that person, they could be feeding you a line of bull. This is true and false. The person in your office or class room could be full of bull as well.

I once had a friend I made on line come and stay in my home, with my family. You know what, from the moment she got of the plane, it was like she had always been a physical part of my world.

In my game or on the boards I go to, I watch these people, fuss with each other, support each other, and love one another. It is one of the true examples of agape love I have ever seen by everyday folks.

I have seen others try to help those out of work find employment across thousands of miles. I have seen love and support for those touched by loss. I have seen true joy in someone's cause for celebration. Encouraging words for those struggling physically, mentally, or emotionally.

Just as I have seen people tear others apart with careless words. These hurt no less than if the person had been sitting in the same room with them. Sometimes crushing the one person so badly that they disappear off the radar.

My point is this; on line communities are just as real as the one in your church, your office, your school, or the friends you have over for BBQ on the weekends.

I am blessed to be involved in two on-line communities full of awesome people who truly care about each other.

Isn't it funny...

2006-09-04T16:10:00.000-05:00

I learned how to put a picture in my post, but I still can't figure out my side bar issue. I just don't care any more. I have found a few templates I like the look of, but am terrified that if I use one of them, I will lose all my previous posts.

I spent the weekend reading Miss Snarks crap-o-meter. I have a new appreciation for what agents, editors,and publishers go through. It is easy to read queries when they only post a few up for review. When they drop 25 in a day, your eyes start to glaze over and your mind goes numb. They do this every day, for hours. All I can say is 'YOU GO GUYS'. I think I'll stick to the writing side of things.

I also have a better understanding of why the query letter is so important. Reading that many in a row, I found myself not wanting to read the story because the letter was boring. Miss Snark does the entire writer/agent/editor/publishing community a great service with this marathon of query prose. Do not misunderstand, it is fun. Just fun in the way that you enjoy a round or two of 20 questions, but 3 days in a car cross country and the next person that says.."I'm thinking of a mineral" is walking.

The crap-o-meter also helps in understanding why you pitch to so many agents/publishers at once. Everyone 'knows' that everyone's taste is different. This puts it out there in your face though. Several of the stories she passed on, I would have liked to read the whole thing. Others she liked and all I could say was "why?"

So does this mean I don't want her to do the crap-o-meter any more or that I won't read the rest that she posts? Hell no, I'm upset that she already quit for the day and I have to wait for tomorrow to read more.

Flash Fiction Friday#2

2006-09-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

Here is my entry for this week. This is the picture we used.

Flash Fiction #2. CAMP: WANNAHOMGBAK (or I can’t believe my mother sent me to summer camp)

Dear Diary: June 15th
I can’t believe my mother! God sending me away to camp for the summer like some little kid. I had plans! Did that come into consideration? No! Even when I told her what I wanted to do this summer, she just said “No dear. Camp will be good for you; you’ll see”
Augh! Whatever! Chelz and I were going to spend the summer hanging out at the pool in her apartment complex. We had everything worked out. I would hang out during the day with Chelz and that way I’d have ‘adult supervision’ while mom worked. Did she care? No! I even did my best not to whine, but sound very calm and mature while I made my argument, for all the good it did me. Now I’ll never get to meet that guy that just moved in over by Chelz. What a way to spend my 8th grade summer vacation. At camp! OMG!

Dear Diary: June 20th
Well I’m here. In the middle of nowhere! Mom left about 2hrs ago. We had a ‘cabin’ meeting, after all the parents left, so we could ‘meet’ our cabin mates. Lame! We are all stuck together anyway; don’t they think we’ll figure out each other’s names? Geez! They went over the rules, which is why I’m writing this dumb journal in the first place. No one keeps a diary anymore! It’s part of the ‘experience’. We have to write down our impressions and what we see and feel. This place is so stupid. The cabins are dumb. Each cabin has a low covered porch with a few chairs on it. Inside are two rooms. The main room has four metal bunk beds, like you would see in movie for a boot camp or something. These thin mattresses were rolled up like sleeping bags and held together by bungee straps, we’re supposed to sleep on those? Who knows what kind of bugs are in them! There is no glass on the ‘windows’ just screen, they have these little roofs over each window to keep the rain out. A table sits in the middle of the floor for our ‘cabin meetings’, most of us just sat on the bunks anyway. Oh and two twin beds for the counselors Jenna and Michelle. The other room is a bathroom. My god it’s like the showers at school for P.E. and it smells about the same. Stall toilets and standing showers. A stack of cubbies are by the door to hold our bath stuff. Each cubby has our name taped on the top of it. Gotta go, the drill sergeants, I mean counselors say it’s time to head to the ‘mess hall’. I hate this!

Dear Diary: June 21st
It was so hard trying to go to sleep last night. I could feel the metal coils through the mattress. I ended up sleeping on top of my sleeping bag and my blanket. The stupid crickets or frogs or whatever would not shut up all night. Lanna, has the bunk under me, snores. We took a tour of the camp yesterday. The main building is called ‘The Lodge’, whatever! It’s an overgrown cafeteria. There is a T.V. and a few couches and chairs and some video games. The other side is where the tables are. We eat by cabin number so it’s not like the whole camp is there at once.
I was shocked when I saw guys there. Mom didn’t say anything about it being a co-ed camp. All of the different areas are linked by paths and there are woods everywhere. Serve mom right if I catch lime disease or west Nile virus or something. The mess hall is in the middle of the whole camp. Boys cabins on one side and girls on the other. There is a pool, a lake, tennis court, stables, basketball court, volleyball area and horseshoe pit. After dinner the whole camp went to ‘The Pit’. It’s supposed to be like an outdoor theatre. There are these bleacher type benches made out of wood and they lead down into this cleared out area. Rocks form a ring close to the seats and they had a fire going in the middle of it. Behind the ring of rocks is another cleared area that goes out toward more woods. Just before the woods, but to like mark the end of the cleared out area, there is a Totem pole. It was okay I guess. We made smores and learned the camp song, it’s pretty corny.

Diary: June 24th
We had to cook for the camp tonight. We thought we had done a good job too. We voted a few days ago to make chili and corn muffins. Julie came in took one look at it and was all “gross, this looks nasty.” And then she went to get a muffin and she’s all “This is over done” and starts banging it on her tray. She made this nasty look at Lanna, and flounces off. Lanna just rolled her eyes and I busted out laughing. Julie is still ticked that our cabin beat hers in the canoe race. Even though she tried to cheat and tip over the one Lanna and I were in. What makes it even funnier, is that she likes Josh. Josh’s cabin helped us cook tonight. She insulted his cooking and didn’t even know it. She thinks she’s all that and a bag of chips, just because she’s been coming here every summer since she was like eight. I bet her family is glad when it’s her turn at camp.
Josh walked me back to my cabin after dinner. He is so cool. This is his third time here. He said they hold a dance the last night and asked me if I want to go with him. I was blown away, I didn’t even know he liked me back cause he doesn’t talk that much. I told him “yeah, sounds fun.” I can’t believe I said that! Guess Mom was right..camp is sorta cool.
See ya.

Commercials and what they 'expect' us to believe.

2006-09-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

I was minding my own business, watching tv with the kids, when I saw a new Dominos Pizza commerical. They are now offering 10 warm brownie bites with fudge dipping sauce as a dessert. This in and of itself is a good thing. My problem came with the comerical's believabilty. The delivery guy walks up to the door and rings the bell he has 'fudg'ems' with him to promote this new dessert. Fudg'ems is a 4 foot by 2 foot brownie, he is chocolate and apparently warm. Mom pats his cute little head, and says how nice it is to meet him, getting warm brownie all over her hand. Daughter hugs Fudg'em, and smears chocolate all over her face and sweater.
You mean to tell me that these Ad ex's think that we are about to believe that a 4 foot brownie is going to walk up to our door, ring the bell to deliver the "pizza", and we are going to just let it waltz back down the side walk? I don't think so! You show me one female that would let a 4 foot brownie walk away from her...and I'll show you a LIAR!

David is thinking of breaking up with his girlfriend. "Cause she always wants me to sit with her and her friends at lunch." Ashley broke up with her boyfriend, before he had a chance to break up with her. Justin is still seeing his girlfriend, but she is grounded for the weekend. So Justin is doing community service for JROTC. Tonight he helped direct traffic for the football game, and tomorrow morning he is going up to the school to help clean up the stadium. Chris is in rehearsals twice a week for the school play.

I do appreciate that, for once, we live close enough to the kids schools that they are able to walk to and from. This gives them more independence and allows them the chance to participate in more activities. Not to mention how much more relaxed the morning is. No more rushing and around in a tisy if we over sleep a bit, because there is no bus to catch.

Hubby has been doing job interviews all this week. We have a few prospects and as soon as something is concrete I will let you know.

I hope those of you that read the flash fiction pieces this week enjoyed it. I also hope you got a chance to read several of the pieces and commented on them. If you didn't please scroll down the page till you find the flash fiction post. They are all listed with links so just click and go :)
I'm going to keep doing it for a while. This event is open to anyone who wants to join in. Peregrinas is hosting the event and all instructions are listed at her site.

Small Bookstores...

2006-09-01T04:44:00.000-05:00

I want to own a book store or at least work in one. Own would be better I think. I have wanted this off and on for years. I hate when I go to a bookstore and the person behind the counter is watching tv. I would not have a tv in my bookstore, or a radio. My kids could sit behind the counter and do homework, I could take my dogs to work with me. I could read anything and everything. I could sell some of my cross stich or my friends candles and crafts, my sisters jewelry. I could stock all my favorite authors. Maybe I'm a reader not a writer? I don't know. It's just a dream, a thought that lingers at the back of my mind..people ask what you would do with a million dollars that is always one of my answers.

When I have to show a setting in one of my plots I access that file cabniet in my mind that stores all of my 'dream' spots. My dream house, my dream book store, my dream vacation, my dream farm...there are tons of layouts in there. I blame the blue print books my parents had laying around the house when I was younger. That and my friend Julie and I found this wonderful use for graph paper one spring break. We discovered that though we couldn't draw we could use the graph paper to design some awesome houses.

One house looked perfectly normal from the outside, but from the air you could see that the bottom level was a square, the second level was a triangle, and the third level was a circle. I think we made the circle into a ballroom/skating ring. I don't remember exactly. Another house was made completely of pvc pipe and stained glass. It would only work on an island, where there was no threat of a hurricane..so basicly no where.

Julie had an energy that fed creativity. Be it trying to track down our favorite group and running up her parents phone bill to call New York city, or Orlando to how we would run away to New York and become famous models. Our signiture was going to be that we would always be in the same picture with one another (kind of like the sandler/schnider thing before they did it).

Even now when I write sometimes I hear her in the back of my mind..oh and then they can find this and it leads to that and my mind responds great idea, but what if ...I wonder will I have to pay her royalties when I get published?

It has been 15 years since I last saw her, actually I think it's more like 16 and yet she is still a big part of my life and who I am. She and Caron. I miss them both or at least what they are/were to me. I often wonder where they are and what paths their lives have taken. I have tried off and on over the years to find them but so far the fates aren't leaning in that direction.

But I can picture the afternoon where the three of us get to meet up ...for lunch..at the rainbow room..nah the Russian Tea room?...nope..where shall we meet....in my dreams

Pr. E. M. for ever

Fun things I found on the internet....

2006-08-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

I don't usually do a lot of links and things but today was just chock full of stuff.

I made a post at the Old Place a while back about how they are teaching in schools these days. I think this article shows my concerns are justified.SAT Scores

WWdn:in exile, produced these little beauties:StarTrek vs The Simpsons and Spock's Ode to Bilbo . For more fun with Wil go to his sight and look at the cute picture of himself he posted. ;)

Beav was not to be left out of todays "crazy but true" links. If you like pate' don't try to get any in Chicago(or at least not Duck pate'). I am tired of making links now so you will just have to scroll down to the very bottom of this page and click on ol' Beav's link.

Uh..can anyone help me get my links back to the top of the page where they are supposed to be?
(Bk looks down) I'm not sure how they got down there in the first place.... I have other site links I want to put in my list, but I'm scared they will start running into the blog next door- at the rate they are moving south.

There are things I like about Blogger, the fact that everyone can post is the main thing, and things I don't like -mainly because I'm old and stubborn and don't like to 'learn' new things.
And Blogger-they make me learn!

I am a product of my time: simple, easy, and fast is how I like things. When I see something someone else has on their site, I don't want to have to read tons of tech jargen to get it on mine.
I just want to copy, paste, done.

Today is filled with more questions than answers.

2006-08-29T12:46:00.000-05:00

Give me a blog chain and I will kink it up. I had originally posted the wrong link at the end of my entry to blog chain#5. In going back to correct my mistake, I was able to stop and look around the next stop in the chain. I found one of the most moving pieces of film I have seen in a long while. That I could not understand 'the words' wasn't important, the emotion in the voice, coupled with the imagery and the music touched my soul. The entry following the piece causes my heart to ache. Please take a moment, go watch the video, read the entry and come back. I'll wait.
India

Today also marks the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (in case you missed that in all the coverage it's been getting). As a someone from the south, this is really getting on my nerves. I don't really know how to express myself when it comes to this topic because I get so upset. I understand that the city of New Orleans was devastated by effects of the storm. I get that I really do, and the lives lost are a tragedy. I do not use that term lightly. What about the Mississippi Gulf Coast, or Alabama, or the rest of Louisiana? Lives were lost, homes destroyed, things will never be the same again. New Orleans was a matter of bad government at the local and state level, and it cost lives. Remember folks the levy broke after the storm had past!! What about the rest of the area's that where affected by the storm! If you must make us rehash this every few months, can we at least dwell on something other than bad city planning!!!!
Sorry, I told you I get emotional about this. One of my best friends lives in Biloxi, Ms. For weeks I could not get in touch with her, had no idea if she had lived or died. I do not like being reminded of that every time I turn on the flipping TV!!

I saw a reporter today standing in front of a house in New Orleans, the yard had been cleaned up, and except for the spray paint tag on the door, everything looked normal. When they did a close up of the window you could see furniture shoved around the room and up against the window. This scene captured two things for me. 1) the pretty lawn was New Orleans and the stuff in the house is everyone else. 2) That's how the south is. We paint a pretty picture to distract you from the pain we really feel. That pain belongs to us. It is us. We absorb it to make us stronger.
Maybe that's just me and I will get a 100 angry posts about how insensitive I am.

AW Blog Chain #5:

2006-08-28T23:26:00.000-05:00

The AW cooler blog chain has made it's way back to me. This round the theme has been food...to many late night postings I think. We all know I love food, next to sleep it is one of my most favorite things. The last post Tienci, spoke about health foods she wants to try..someday.

I am not into "Health" foods or exercise as "exercise". Nope, you want this girl to get active you better mask it as something else. You want me to walk? Say "hey lets go spend the day in the woods and have a picnic." or "Gee, it sure is nice outside how about a bike ride? or would you rather take the dogs out?" An offer of a day at the beach will rouse me from my stupor.

Take me bowling, tell me you want to play volleyball or badminton, just do not point to a gym and say "Doesn't that look like fun?" No it does not look like fun. It looks painful. It brings to mind the Spanish inquisition(and I don't mean the song and dance number from one of my favorite films) and medieval torture devices.

I do exercise, I just don't 'work out'. I don't join 'clubs' or 'classes'. That maybe to somes liking and hey more power to them, but not me. I never have been like that. That I recall, none of my friends growing up were like that either. We thought nothing of walking all over the place or riding our bikes to get to where we wanted to go. We spent hours on the bayou swimming , and goofing off, or playing volleyball. We never thought of it as exercise.

I don't get much in to diets in general, they cut into my 'joy' of foods to much. I did once go on a carrot eating spree. I didn't do it to loose weight, but because I wanted to try and "fix" my eyes. So I ate carrots for breakfast, lunch, snack, and then had a normal dinner. My mother didn't say anything. She kept buying carrots, until the day my fingers turned orange. Yes, I had orange fingers. I think that is when Mom realized my sisters were not getting any of the carrots. Was a good thing to, my eyes did not improve and I didn't love carrots as much as I once had. Also the reason I don't like real butter. I have to have margerine. I liked butter growing up, so much that I ate an entire stick, by itself, yeah not one of my smarter moves.

There are very few foods that I don't like. A few I couldn't stand as a kid that I like now. I have very few rules for food. Really only two.
1) I don't eat anything that goes down faster than I can swallow i.e. raw oysters
2) I will try something at least once, then tell you I don't like it

**************************************************************
next up on the chain is:
At Home,Writing
And for those of you who missed it here is the list of who in this round of the blog chain.
A View From the Waterfront
Curiouser and curiouser
South Asia Biz
The Road Less Travelled
Fireflies in the Cloud
Infinite Vanity
The Secret Government EGGO Project
Mad Scientist Matt's Lair
Even in a Little Thing
Beyond the Great Chimney Production Log
Kappa no He
Tiffany's Smorgasbord
Just a Small town girl
At Home, Writing
Southern Expressions
BCom
earthshoes
Peregrinas
Writing From Within
Sounds of Serenity in Mayhem

Flash Fiction Friday

2006-08-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

Yes I am aware that this is monday, but I have a lot comming up this week. The blog chain #5 is rolling and only one person is in front of me, so that will be up soon, if not sooner.

This is Flash Fiction Friday. Flash fiction is a story told in 1 scene, kind of like a 1 act play.
We are using this as an exercise for the grey matter. Two entries are already up and wow, don't think mine will even pale in comparison, but I have to try :)
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Paul walked around the ruins of the old garden.
“Don’t you love this? You can feel the history of the place can’t you, in every stone, crevice, and crack?”
Linda was tired, tired of walking, tired of bugs flying around, tired of seeing every old building and site on the tourist map,” You’re the one ‘cracked’” she mumbled under her breath.
Out loud she said “Yes dear.” Smiling at him as best she could to hide the boredom she was feeling.
The trip had been Paul’s idea. “We need to get away, just the two of us. Away from the kids, the house, the jobs. I feel like we are drifting apart. All we do anymore is go to work, come home, deal with the kids or the house or what have you. Then I do my thing and you do your thing. We hardly ever do ‘our’ thing.” Linda snorted at the memory.
He had made this grand speech after yet another fight. She couldn’t even remember what the last one had been about. That’s what they really did anymore. Fight. She knew she could not take it anymore and had begun making plans to leave. Then he sprang this trip on her; a waste of their savings as far as she was concerned.
Paul interrupted her musing by taking her hand.
“Come look at this!” he tugged gently to get her to follow him. With a sigh she relented. Linda was surprised that even though everything he did got on her last nerve anymore, when he touched her, her skin still tingled and the warmth from his body would still fill her.
“Do you see this tower?” Paul pointed to a dilapidated gate tower sitting just off the path. The tower listed to one side. Part of the building seemed to have been shot with a cannon or repeated gun fire, the outer part of the brick was gone.
“Yes dear, lovely tower.” Linda tried to feign interest.
“That tower makes me think of us.” Paul pulled her into his arms. Her back nestled into him so naturally. He wrapped his arms around her holding her close and kept them both looking at the tower.
“Look at the tower. See how time, weather, even war have attacked it. How through everything that has come at it through the ages it still stands? Oh it may not be as majestic as it once was, but it is still beautiful. Still strong. That tower is us. We aren’t as young as we were when we started out, but through job changes, kids, life, everything, we are still standing. Still strong.” Paul turned Linda to face him. “ Still beautiful.” He took her face into his hands and kissed her like it was the very first time.
When he finally broke the kiss, Linda slowly became aware of her surroundings again. Suddenly she wasn’t tired of it all; she was full of life, energy, ready to once again face anything. Linda leaned into Paul, “You know dear, I think you were right. This trip is exactly what we needed.”

Starting to get comfortable

2006-08-28T00:02:00.000-05:00

Well we are moving in nicely aren't we? Put some paint on the walls (thanks to the Beav), added some links. Just a few more 'things' to hang up.

I allowed myself to play DAoC tonight. It is Sunday and I worked hard all week, I figure I deserve it. I could sure tell I hadn't played in awhile. Although we did play in Thidranki tonight, which is a lower lvl battleground(call it baby RvR), and only the second time I have ever played a healer. My response time is way down though.

I just realized I had not done a "what I'm reading now" in a while. I am currently reading Agatha Christie Death in the Air. A Herucle Poirot. Next to Ms Marple, Herc is my favorite. Funny but true, this book has a copyright date of 1935 and one of the suspects is addicted to coke! I know that cocaine has been around for forever, and that in other books veiled references are made to the use of it and other drugs. Just not something I was expecting in mainstream print in 1935, a drunk I could accept, that the murdered person was a loan shark okay, but drug addiction talked about so freely during that time, just strikes me as odd. Now, if I could just figure out how the murderer managed to shoot a blow gun in a plane with no one seeing....I'd be one up on Mr. Poirot, but I have my suspicions that the "blow gun" found isn't the actual murder weapon...we shall see gentle reader..we shall see.

What a difference a day makes

2006-08-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

No cool text color today folks. I am too proud of myself, for finally figuring out how to post a link that works(see right of screen), to worry about using a mood related color.
I learned all sorts of interesting things while learning how to do this. Did you know that 5-10% of all men are color blind to some extent? They can not read something if it is printed on a yellow background. I did not know this, to bad for you(those that play trivia games with me), I do now LOL. Ah learning is FUN and fundamental ...oh wait that's reading, bah, it's learning too. Especially when I finally NAIL IT!! Now all I have to do is: figure out how to make room for more links, create another sidebar for my blog, and insert a book list. I also want to change the background on my blog to tan and the words in my title to Navy blue, but one thing at a time.

I read, today, of a short story contest that is being held here. The Emerald Coast Writer's Annual Sandscript Contest is underway. I have a month to get a submission in, so I guess I'm going to shoot for the moon, or at least, the inner coastal water way bridge. There is also a writers workshop being hosted by Bob Mayer on September 23rd. The fee for the event is $85.00, but I still hope to be able to go. Kind of nervous though, if I do manage to scrape up the cash to spare, I'll be going alone. Let's face it, I usually don't do stuff like this alone. I go if someone else I know is going, but by myself HA! I have a hard time sitting in a restaurant and eating by myself even if it's a fast food place. Let alone sit through a day long workshop. One thing I've learned growing up around water though: if you try to wade in you'll chicken out, better to just jump feet first, and let your body get used to the shock.

Today was also my nephews birthday party. Hard to believe he is about to be three! It seems like just yesterday I watched him come into this world. He got a swing set from his Mimi and Pappy. I didn't get to see his expression when he saw it though. All I saw was a little streak as he ran past me. During the party, we had been keeping the children corralled on the breezeway, not letting them into the backyard. When we released the horde, my nephew ran straight for the LITTLE TYKE (tm) play slide he has had for a while. One of the other children saw the new Swing Set and called out "No, over here". My nephew is no dummy, his head whipped around and boom, off like a shot, straight for the see-saw. He eventualy tried out the carriage swing and the regular swings, he also tried the teeder totter(this is what we call the two person swing that looks like bicycle seats or saddles-to me- attached to a pole hanging down from the main beam, the object of this is you lean foward and the other person leans back, and you swing-although I have ridden it by myself before-). Watching as 11 preschoolers swarmed over this "new" toy, we parents talked about our first swings. I smiled as the memory of my Dad and Uncle putting ours up in the backyard and my sisters and I spying out the bedroom window(it was supposed to be a surprise). Steph and I both commented that our swing set lasted for years and it did too. We spent so much time playing on it, watching Rachael do her spins and flips on the main beam(she never had any fear) and swinging while singing silly songs together. Steph knows what's she is in for. She had already arranged her chairs over by the swing set in the shade of the huge oak tree that dominates her back yard.

After seeing the swing set, other presents seemed to be the last thing on his mind. Somehow his mother convinced him to go in and open them all up. As a special treat he also had a pinata'. Unfortunatly is was hung a little to high, so we had a line of little kids armed with a broken broom handle swinging up over their heads, to pelt this poor thing. Lots of jumping was involved and screams from adults of "back up, everyone back up." and " let so and so have a turn now."
I think we went through the line about 3 times. The girls dropped first and the older boys kept giving it all they were worth. Finally my sister took pity and ripped it open. Ever seen cockroahes scatter when the light comes on? picture that in reverse..pretty much what it was like when the candy started to flow.

Between the swing set, the countless action figures(teenage mutant ninja turtles(tm), Hot wheels(tm) and Cars(tm) items, the boy had quite the haul. He knew it was his party too, while we were attempting to sing Happy Birthday, he practised his blowing. He knew his big scene was comming up and he wanted to get it just right! Over the song I could hear his uuuhhh and whoooo, uuuuuhhh,whoooo . When it was time he got all the candles out(with a little help from his best buddy of course).

Now I am home and completely beat, but that's how my weekend is going. How are ya'll?

Act 1: Scene 1

2006-08-25T17:45:00.000-05:00

Chris returned to school today from his suspension. Did I forget to mention that he was suspended for 3 days for having cigarettes on him at school? That he, now has to take a class on how smoking is bad for you, and pay a $25.oo civil fine, as well as $25.oo for the class? Oh, and that they will not make this a criminal charge, unless it happens again. The boy dodged a big ol'bullet on that one, Maybe now he'll listen? HA! we know better don't we.

The good news is he landed the lead in the school play. Yes, welcome to the roller coaster ride called 'LIFE WITH A TEENAGER' that is my life. He will be playing Newton Fuller in George Washington Slept Here.

David attended his first school dance today (Ashley was unable to attend due to being grounded for missing curfew). David did have a companion for the event and he says that he asked her to be his girlfriend. The girl then replied that he would have to ask her father. David relays the story this way:

" So I went up to her Dad and said can I be your daughters girlfriend? and the dad and she both laughed and I got all confused. She said "No, ask him what you asked me.", But I couldn't remember what I said. So her dad told me to write it down and give it to her and she would give it to him. Then they left and I left and walking home I remembered I should of said Can I be your daughters boyfriend!"

That was one breath ladies and gents! How do they do that? I talk fast, but at least I breath. I think. According to David they didn't dance, they just sat around and talked. He claims that he asked her if she wanted to dance,but that she kept saying no.

This event made me remember my first school dance. It was in 6th grade. The dance was held before school in the cafeteria. I was so disappointed, I had read in books what a school dance was supposed to be like and this was definately not it. We had the kind of tables where the benches were connected to the table top by hinges. You could fold up the tables to form rows of benches sans table. This was how they would arrange them for school assembilies, and how they had them arranged for the dance. No colorful streams decked the ceilings, just the plain white tile ceiling as always. The doors to the kitchen where shut thankfully, and a sign reading "WELCOME 6TH GRADERS!" was taped to the metal bar that formed our lunch line. On the stage a teacher was manning a boom box with a microphone in front of it, to supply the music we were going to "Jam to", as that teacher put it. Personaly, I thought the teacher had seen one to many episodes of the cosby show. It was just so lame comming out of the mouth of a teacher, no one really talked like that, at least no one that old. The smell of old grease filled the air. Boys were on one side and girls on the other and never the twain to meet. The dance was scheduled to last for one hour. Thirty minutes in to it, and I was out of the cafeteria and on my way to the library. I refused to go to another school dance until my 8th grade year, but that is a different memory.

Looking at my blank walls

2006-08-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

Okay I moved some furniture around at the old placeWINTER HOME. Moved my pictures to where my blog used to be and my blog to where my pictures used to be. This away anyone from this place can still pop over and look at my pics and old entries. I also made a permalink at the old place to this place(for those like me that are let's say 'tech challanged').

Ever tried to say everything and nothing in under 200 words? It's bleep'n hard! But I am trying. I will keep trying until ..my fingers bleed, my eyes explode, or I get my first query letter just like I want it. Which ever comes first.

I thank God everyday that he gave me my woobies, and my Mom, and the other wonderful people he keeps putting right in my way, just when I need them most. He's smart like that ain't he? The fun part is when he gives me one, I don't even know I need, until I need it.

Not many things on the home front to share today really. It rained again. Mutt has made and assasin in the game. Every now and then you hear "Take that Saracen scum" "Woot woot crit strike" "I love climbing keep walls". This self imposed exile I am going through kinda sucks. I know that if I load the game to play, I will sit there for hours and not do what I need to do.
It's called will power, but my name isn't will so I have to work at it.

I did play on Sunday night for the guild event. That was fun. We did a trollheim run, sucessfully I might add. By itself not a big deal. However we did it with less than a full group. That is a big deal and I demanded that it be written in the guild books for prosperties sake. That freak'n worm took an eternity to die though. The thing looked like Kahn's earwig from 'STAR TREK ll'(great I don't have underline) on steroids. *Afore anyone corrects me, on which movie the earwig was actually in, I MAYBE WRONG(there it's down in print, somebody copy it quick before I take it back.) Thankfully the creature stayed in one spot. We sent in the tanks, I stayed back and shot from a distance, and the healers hugged the fonts with the caster. The whole thing went very smoothly, it just took for- ever. I have seen dragons go down faster than that worm did!

Houston WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!!

2006-08-23T20:08:00.000-05:00

Wow, being tenacious does pay off how about that! I kept trying and trying to get access to my own page. Finally! success! I somehow managed to not only "find" my account information,but actually send me to the page I needed to change it. Woot Woot.

Now I shall endevor to play with my template and see what other stress and meyhem I can cause myself.

On the plus side of this little adventure in password discovery, I managed to increase the story I am working on to over 1,000 words(according to my ms word counter). Yeah Me!

On the home front: Ashley just peered over my shoulder and said "Mommy, what does teen-a-cious mean?" Mwwaahhhaa, "Gee, I don't know Ash, let's find out." and I handed her the dictionary :), that'll teach her to read over my shoulder. So she looked the word up and read the meaning and said "so why didn't you just say stubborn?"

David came to me this afternoon and asked if boys could be secretaries. I said sure if a guy wants to be one he can. He says 'I thought so Ashley told me that was a girls job.' and he walked off. Later Ash comes to me and says "Mom, I want to run for school secretary." oh she is a devious little wench ain't she? I still gave her the lecture about how boys and girls can have any job they want to which I got "I KNOW MOM. I just don't want to run against him." I think I am buying stock in GOODIES(asprin powder).

As Promised the list for the AW BlogChain #5
A View From the Waterfront Curiouser and curiouser South Asia Biz The Road Less Travelled Fireflies in the Cloud Infinite Vanity The Secret Government EGGO Project Mad Scientist Matt's Lair Even in a Little Thing Beyond the Great Chimney Production Log Kappa no He Tiffany's Smorgasbord Just a Small town girl At Home, Writing Southern Expressions BCom earthshoes Peregrinas Writing From Within Sounds of Serenity in Mayhem

Okay then, again in my defense I just copy and paste people. I promise I will study Html, but I haven't had it in me lately.
I need to learn it soon too, cause this chain seems to be moving as fast as the last one.

Welcome to the new home.

2006-08-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, here we are. Please feel free to look around. I know its not very exciting or even very 'me', yet, but give me time to get the feel for the place and that may change. I decided not to ditch the old digs completely at this time. I probably won't be posting there much, but I want to keep my old entries and photo's and such.

I remember when I built the old place it took me awhile to get it just the way I liked it, and I imagine the same will happen here.

Now, I have it set so that EVERYBODY should be able to post with out having to sign up for anything! For those that are familiar with this space, skip on down, for those that aren't (mom, I'm talking to you, and you too Steph) let me tell you how to comment so you don't get confused.

Click on the link that reads comments (yes just like the old place). Now all the comments other people have made are on the left, you can scroll down and read them(I believe this site does oldest at top and newest at the bottom.Less confusion that way). On the right, you see that empty box? That's where you type out what you want to say. Don't let the box fool you, you can make your comment as long,or short as you want. Look just under that box. See where it says: blogger O other O anonymous O? Okay, if you don't have a blog here(at blogger) click your mouse on the OTHER O . Yes, you can pick Anonymous if you want, jeesh , let me finish okay?

Where was I ? Oh yeah. Once you select Other (or anonymous), the box's below those words will change. If you picked OTHER (like I told you to) you can put in the name you want to appear by your post. Mom, for you this would be 'mom', unless you'd like to make up a tag for yourself and thereby be able to deny(in public at least) that you are my mother. For example K likes to change her handle on Beav's site by quoting lines from Billy Joel songs, but we all know it's her :) . If you chose anonymous it will just say 'anonymous'. Once you have completed those steps all that is left to do is click 'publish'. At least I think that's what it says. You will also be given the option to 'preview' your comment if you want.

I will put a link on the old place to connect to this place, so no one gets lost until we are used to the move. To make things a bit easier, I was blessed in being able to keep my name with one little change, from justasmalltowngirl1 to justasmalltowngirl2, isn't that nice?

I don't mean to cut this short, but I need to go change my signature and update the changes to the old site. Don't forget the Blog chain#5 is up and rolling. I will repost those links here soon.