Serenity ... What's That?

A great night out!

2007-12-02T14:47:00.000-06:00

Mom & Connor

Jack Ingram

Dierks Bentley

Last night Connor & I went to see Dierks Bentley and Jack Ingram. What a fantastic show! And even cooler, my good friend Mae was able to get us a special deal to go backstage and meet Jack Ingram. It was awesome. He signed a CD for Connor and I got to hug on him (yummy!) Too damn bad my stupd camera crapped on batteries just before we took the pics of us with him. Still, they are both excellent performers and if you ever get the chance to see either of them, I highly recommend it!

ACLU - look out, I'm coming for you

2007-11-12T20:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, is it just me or have you absolutely had it with the stupid crap the ACLU lobbys for? Is this not America? Land of the free, home of the brave, merry Christmas and God? WTF, people?! Who the freakin' hell appointed them the overseer of all of America? I'm sorry, but they are NOT taking into account my opinions, my wants, my needs. I WANT to yell Merry Christmas at the top of my lungs. I want to drape multi-colored lights across my cubicle and celebrate the birth of Christ. People who work for the government - any type of government - can't do that because it might hurt someone's feelings? BULLSHIT.
Get a freakin' life, get a clue or get the hell onto the next f***ing boat back to where you came from. I do not begrudge you the right to celebrate and acknowledge your beliefs, customs or deities, so why do we allow the aura of political correctness to seep into our most fundamental beliefs? This is AMERICA. We speak English, we worship God, we celebrate Christmas or Hannukah or Ramadan or Kwanzaa and more power to each and every one of us. To each his own. GOD Bless America. But nooooo, the ACLU has different ideas. Someone is paying them good AMERICAN money to force everyone to be bland, pablum and enact a lemmingesque mentality.
I think it's enough. Tell me how my being told Merry Christmas at the post office, city hall or the courthouse is supposed to denigrate AMERICAN society. Tell me that by appeasing everyone ELSE we are not losing our own identity. We are AMERICANS people, we built this country on sweat, hard work and ideals that should not be cast aside simply because someone from another culture, another country gets a wee bit miffed. Know what I say to that? Get the fuck out of MY country. I don't go to yours and expect you to do things my way or no way, so why the flying hell do you get to come here and do it to me?
You don't.
And from this moment on, I will do everything I can to make sure that the AMERICAN way is upheld, that the Christ in Merry Christmas is a greeting oft heard and that my country returns to its roots.
I think we ought to sue the ACLU because by GOD, I don't see anything, not one damn thing that's AMERICAN in their actions. Let's force them to take out the word AMERICAN from their name. They do not deserve to denigrate the moniker.

Mmmm, doughnuts

2007-11-11T19:57:00.000-06:00

So, Connor has been after me to make doughnuts for quite some time. Thanks a lot Alton Brown. Industrious little lad that he is (Connor, not Alton) he printed out the recipe and told me what we needed to buy. Several weeks ago.
Okay, okay, I avoided it as long as I possibly could and now I can say "WOW, thanks Alton Brown!"
Homer would have been proud. They were quite yummy, even though with all the waiting for the dough to rise and stuff they took all darn day. Even Christopher, that picky of all pickys came back for seconds. Mom "I am not suposed to be eating sugar" had a couple, too. I gotta admit the chocolate ones were flippin' awesome.
Of course, I'm not so sure exactly what we're supposed to do with the 2 dozen or so left overs we have cause really, how well do doughnuts survive the night?
It was fun, we had a great time and Connor is turning into a superb chef!

The power of, well, power

2007-11-07T19:30:00.000-06:00

Some days it's nice to just realize that you are as strong as you think you are. Even better is when you're given the understanding that you have a power even if it's seldom used. A power that has the ability to make your life much more interesting and eventually, maybe, better. More enriched.
Yep, power is good.

Writer's blech

2007-10-29T21:55:00.001-05:00

I believe I've mentioned once or twice how much I detest revisions. Well, that goes for writing the first draft, too. Usually I write pretty cleanly, able to get what I want down in a minimum of passes. Most of the time.
Not this time. I read a chapter tonight that I absolutely knew was not right, but couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't until we talked at length about what went on in that chapter and (more importantly what did NOT go on) that I finally figured it out. Unfortunately, this new elucidation means that I get to cut 25 pages from the ms and start in the middle again.
Well, crap.
But at least I am still moving in the story and that's a darn good thing.

Wait a second, didn't I already pass the 8th grade?!

2007-10-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

Why, yes, yes I did. Eons ago!! So, why is it that I'm always doing some sort of homework related type stuff?! This month's monster project is on the holocaust. I applaud the teacher's determination to get his students to really absorb this stuff. He's got them doing 6 different things for this project ranging from writing a song to writing a play to more mundane things like making a timeline.
All in all, very interesting.
Anyway, Connor did a good job on part one (I promise, I only helped a little bit! Mainly spelling and grammar )
No matter what, I absolutely refuse to go through high school again!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2007-10-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, a day late and a dollar short, but heartfelt nonetheless. We celebrated Mom's bday last night with gads of presents and cards and rejoicing. It was fun! And no one even mentioned the fact that only "real" Paytons are born in the month of October. Yes, you heard it hear first. My brother tormented me relentlessly while growing up with the notion that only real members of our family were born in October (Um, I was born NOT in October). This, he assured me, proved his point that I was adopted or left by gypsies (which I believed until I was 9!) or that my parents felt sorry for me and took me in. I still believe it was all an elaborate payback from when I was like 15 months old and walked on his electronic football game and broke it!
Sheesh.
Anyway, happy birthday Mom, I love you!!! I hope you had a great day :)
Your REAL daughter, Jen

The "Classics"?

2007-10-25T20:39:00.000-05:00

Has anyone's tween/teen suddenly discovered the joy of 80s sitcoms? And some 90s stuff, too. Thanks to Nickolodeon the kiddo has become enamored of Full House and Home Improvement. And ABC Family can be thanked for introducing him to The George Lopez show and Whose Line is it Anyway? I completely ignore the fact that he gets way too many of the jokes on Whose Line!!
To be completely fair, he does also like the original classics like the Andy Griffith Show, but really, there's nothing like listening to the Power Tool Hoedown!
So, I sit and listen to "Ar! Ar! Ar!" (Or however the heck Tim Allen does that) and crack up over Fresh Prince (cause yes, I still find Will Smith adorable and funny) all the while shaking my head thinking "Have Mercy" (and if you get that, you know what you watch, too!)

2 years of Ranger!

2007-10-24T18:53:00.000-05:00

It was two years ago (on Monday) that we got our little puppy Ranger. Everybody say it with me: awwwww...
Now, it's been quite the up and down two years in between. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he went from sweet and biddable and absolutely lovey-dovey to skittish and biting at strangers to the house. Oy. Dog training helped somewhat. Two years of constant love and attention helped more and he hasn't bitten anyone in a looong time. Thank goodness. Now, in between all of THAT drama, was his health issues. Had him neutered (cause he was a shelter dog and it was part of the contract) and the vet was horrible. A chop shop if you ask me. Then I took him in to get his vax at Banfield and they had to do a heartworm test on him first. You guessed it - heartworms. Bless the people at Banfield cause they saved my sanity. I was able to get pet insurance through them and ended up only paying about $200 for the entire treatment - normally $1000 or so. To date, said insurance has saved me over $1500 for all his health stuff, including his pearly whites.
He's very much worth it, though!
Mwah, puppy dog, we're so happy to have you!!

Leaf-Thieving, a grand Texas sport!

2007-10-23T22:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so tonight I was intiated into the art of leaf-thieving. For those of you not in the know - and you know who you are - this is when you drive around your neighborhood - or the one a few streets over - and scope out bags full of leaves.
With the utmost of casual subtlety, you park your car near the bags of leaves, flip your hazards and nonchalantly start tossing bags from the curb into the back of your car or truck. Then, giggling like school kids and waving at the stumped neighbor across the street, you jump back ino the car and take off.
Once at home, you haul your booty - and the leaves - to the back yard where you fling them mightily over the 6-foot fence and hope they don't come back to smack you in the face. Ugh, tastes like dirt.
The purpose of leaf-thieving? Compost of course!!! Pour out the bags on the lawn, mow them into a fine mulch, add some grass clippings for good measure and you have a compost worth growing in!

Cutter is king!

2007-10-22T20:07:00.001-05:00

Is it any wonder why I love the little rascal?!

With a bang! And hopefully some bucks

2007-10-22T19:38:00.001-05:00

So, I decided if I was seriously going to get back into writing, I needed to go all the way. To that end I did several things in recent weeks which include finishing the revisions on a requested book and sending it in, plus entering the Brava Novella contest (hopefully my button shows up! A special thanks to Sylvia Day for it!) I have been writing faithfully and am about half done with the 2nd requested book and will be entering the RWA Golden Heart (Trust me, all of this stuff is muy bueno!). Anyhoo, wish me luck - someday you might get to say you knew me when... even if you don't get to read what I wrote!

Happy birthday Dad & Christopher!

2007-10-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Dad & Christopher! I hope you guys had a great one :)

There are lots of things to be grateful for and one of the most important is family. I've certainly been blessed with mine, so thanks for all the good raising and fun and always being there. I love you!!!

Quickies that are really bad

2007-09-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

I bought Connor a Scooby Doo joke book the other day - here is just a sampling of the torture...

What has no head but a sore throat?
The headless hoarseman!

What Scary Scottish beast always rings the doorbell?
The knockless monster!

Are Zombies good at rollerblading?
No, they're rotten!!!

Hahahaha! Thanks to Running Press for such a baleful bag of jokes and Hanna Barbera for Scooby and those meddling kids!

Random thoughts

2007-09-16T18:28:00.000-05:00

Things currently running rampant through my brain:

I can't believe it's the end of Baseball already.
Revision sucks
Rush Hour 3 was flippin' hysterical. Was it just me or did anyone else lose bladder control when Chris Tucker said "Help me, Lee, black people can't fly!" That movie was so politically incorrect, it was awesome!!
Hello, health and happiness to all my friends - especially the little ones!
Halloween is coming!
Who would have thunk that San Francisco is the #1 city to meet eligible, professional STRAIGHT men?
Ever had a kissed buttery nipple? Oh. Yum.
Mom drove the van! Up the driveway, but she did an excellent job!!! Way to go Mom, you are fearless!
I'm changing Ranger's name to Elmer. Stupid rabbits. You'd think by now (the count o' dead rabbits is FIVE, people!) they'd learn to have babies in yards other than ours.
Reality TV: I want Evil Dick (seriously, that's his name) to win Big Brother 8. He deserves it. ANTM Cycle 9 starts this Wednesday! Ever seen American Princess (on WE channel) - OMG, someone get these girls a real life. Or a brain. Or half a brain, anything is better than what they have right now. And quit calling yourself Americans, you're embarrassing me.
Cowboys won, yay!
Cherry-yogurt covered pretzels from Central Market are delicious and addictive. Remember that if you ever need to bribe me.
Congratulations to Cindy Munoz who just got the CALL from SourceBooks. Woohoo!

Have a great night!

It's the Blog rollercoaster

2007-07-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, quit nagging people!! So the quick catch up (since my last post was August 2006) - I had a conference, got requests for three different books (that equals busy, busy, busy since it was only last week) got to hang around with my best friend Susan from PA! Who also has some excellent writing news going on (she might have some info on her site www.susangable.com), got a promotion at work. Went to the Star Wars museum exhibit (freakin' awesome) and am impatiently waiting for Connor to finish the last Harry Potter book so I can finish it myself. Sheesh.
Mom also has a kick ass new blog - frexan65.over-blog.com You might not be able to read it, but you can enjoy the pictures!
Okay, gonna go write now. I will for sure let you know if I publish and try to get back here and update more often!

Superstitious? You betcha!

2006-08-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

Okay, I admit it - I'm completely superstitious. Probably due to many things, not the least of which would be growing up with my beloved Rangers and the penultimate Cowboys. Also has a lot to do with family. Sheesh, in my house it is a serious offense to tape the Cowboys because they ALWAYS lose when that happens. I can say that I haven't missed opening day at the Rangers in 13 years (and I have the magnets to prove it!) My record is not too great though and lately I'm conviced that if I show up on OD they'll lose. I'll put that to the test next April when we start all over again. Right now I'm scrambling for a good omen to get them back on track and catch up with the AL West leaders.
But (as usual) I digress...
So conference this year was in Atlanta and it was absolutely fabulous. Not only did I get to room with one of my very favorite peeps in the whole wide world -- Susan but we got to do lots of neat stuff, see awesome things and just generally hang out in person for the first time in 2 years. Rockin' man. A couple of the things we did in Atlanta was to visit the World of Coca-Cola and The Georgia Aquarium. At the Aquarium, we were joined by the ever-entertaining, wonderful and stupendous Holly Jacobs. We had a blast! If you are ever in the city, you MUST do both of these, but if you only get to choose one go to the Aquarium. It is absolutely phenomenal. There is a room there with an aquarium viewing wall that is as tall as three school buses stacked on top of one another. I could have sat in there and just watched for hours.

This is a Japanese Spider Crab.

For a bit of perspective this is the floor to ceiling aquarium room.

The World of Coca Cola The World of Coca Cola was also great fun (Though Susan maintains it was a giant scam - $9 to get in and watch Coke ads? See Coke memorabilia? Have your picture taken on the Giant Polar Bear?!) Well, yeah, all of that is true. HOWEVER, if you are a bona fide cola addict (such as myself) then this is the place for you. At the end of the tour, you get to go to the Taste of the States and the Taste of the World rooms. Picture it... the walls are lined with fountains featuring Coca-Cola products from all around the country and the world. Some truly wild stuff to be had in there. And you can taste as much as you want, as often as you want, as long as you want. I left with a massive tummy ache (way too much REAL German Fanta - mandarin orange, not the super sweet Orange Crush type stuff). Yum, yum, yum...
The rotating sign at the World of Coca-Cola

Getting back to this superstitious thing, right. Gotcha. At conference RWA puts on something called the Lit Signing where publishers donate books for their authors to sign for their fans. The general public is invited to attend and all the proceeds are donated to ProLiteracy Worldwide. This year we raised an astonishing $64,000, bringing the total since the program's 1990 inception to over half a million dollars. Woohoo!!
The Literacy Reception is a wonderful place to be able to talk to your favorite romance authors, to meet them and hear their personal stories. Plus, it's a nifty give-away place, which brings me to the long-in-coming point of this post - superstition.
One local (for me) author Jane Graves(did I mention multi-award-winning author?!) had a give-away at the conference that created something special for me and Susan. She was handing out mood rings. Yes, those fun little changeable rings from the 70s. Now, what makes this interesting is that once we put them on, things started to get a little odd. In a very good way. Things just started to fall in place - appointments went incredibly well, creativity was recharged, self-confidence was restored. Amazing. And we (being the superstitious girls we are) attributed this to the now-dubbed Magic Writing Ring. We didn't take them off the entire rest of conference and good luck continued to follow each of us. Returning home with a deadline of August 25th to finish a manuscript, I sat down, ring on finger, and began to reach for the other ring - this one crafted of brass. And hopefully attached to it will be a contract and those magic words "We want to buy your book." So far, so good. I'm writing up a storm (to assurances from my very capable CP that it's GOOD writing) and am convinced I will make it this time.
Rest assured, I have my Magic Writing Ring on. Now, back to the writing!

They call it Puppy Love

2006-07-17T20:15:00.000-05:00

Awww, look at my cutey patootie puppy Ranger. yeah, yeah, also known as Pyscho dog, though I would like to point out in his defense that he did not even try to bit Jacob (well, after that first little welcome on Friday) during the whole two days he was here. And he didn't bark at Christopher or try to bite him either. Could he be mellowing with time? Nah, I didn't think so either...
On a side note, that second picture is me realllly tired, so ignore the bags beneath my eyes. I'll be using those later to pack for Atlanta.

Ha!!!

2006-07-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

For the past few weeks I have been listening to a creative guided meditation cd as I go to sleep and one of the things that it does is take you to your muse (creative peeps will get it, the rest of you just read and nod and humor me). My muse always appears as the same thing - a tall, lithe woman with a wealth of fiery hair, pointed ears and a wolf. Now, hopefully you have all figured out that my blog name is inspired by ElfQuest (wolvrider/wolfrider. Get it?) I knew I had seen this image before, or something quite similar. It took a few times before I discovered my muse's name is Wyck. The wolf is just Wolf. But something niggled that she was familiar. So I started digging and the more I researched, the more I became convinced that she is really the grown up Ember (Cutter & Leetah's daughter) from the Gatherum book (That's why I asked for it Chris). Of course all that research made me want to read the series all over again and I was astounded to find all sorts of Elfquest materials on the internet (God bless Al Gore ).
I found this quiz and lo and behold, look who I am most like. Figures - I swear I lusted over this guy when I was a pre-teen. Who cared if he was alien and a comic book hero?!

What Elfquest Leader Are You Most Like?

by Peacepine at For Elf Eyes Only.

Whoop! Whoop! Ahh, makes my knees all tingly just looking at all those images and sites. The offical elfquest site (www.elfquest.com) has stuff for sale - and that is NOT a subtle hint - everything on the sale page is now on my Christmas list. The cool thing (geeky thing?! I'm sure I've far surpassed that by now) is that one of the t-shirts they have for sale is one that I have. Okay, that Christopher & I have. Too flippin' fun for words. Check it out!

An impromptu road trip

2006-07-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

Connor and I decided at 10 a.m. yesterday to run down to San Antonio. My little navigator had a long list of things to do. After our 61/2 hour drive (thanks to Austin traffic) we ended up getting down there too late for the Alamo (closes at 7) and just about anything else except the beautiful Riverwalk. We ate at Joe's, walked the Riverwalk and took a boat ride. The next day we went to the Alamo,

up the 565 foot Tower of the Americas (holy cow!). This is a shot of it from the ground up.

Down into the Natural Bridge Caverns (in-flippin-credible!)

up to the Snake Farm (where we saw over 300 different species of snakes! eek!), a quick jaunt to the Austin Comic & Book store and finally ... finally! home :) We had a great time together, very excellent quality mom & Connor time. It was fun. Thanks for taking the road trip with me, Connor!
P.S. yes, impromptu means you forget nearly everything important except the car keys and the kiddo - hair and makeup are a serious ninth afterthought :)

Hola peeps

2006-06-26T20:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I don't have a ton of stuff to say... yeah, yeah, I hear the gasps of disbelief :)
Actually, I wanted to point out a very special story from the Sunday Star-Telegram about a boy named Adam. It was in the life section. In a nutshell, this boy (a recent high school graduate) grew up moving from house to house, from shelter to shelter after leaving his father's abusive hands. His mom is a sometimes recovering drug addict. She couldn't attend his high school graduation because she was in rehab. His story really touched me because, as a writer, I'm always thinking about characters and real life personalities. This boy has defied all statistics to live a semi-normal life while at the same time bowing to his own compulsions. I really hope that he is able to make it, that he becomes the success that he yearns to be. I also wish there was something I could do for him, but I have enough trouble parenting my own child much less taking on the problems of another. Maybe there's something we can do as a community, but who knows. If you'd like to read the whole story, take a look: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/14884845.htm

Adam's story makes me even more grateful for the stability I have in my life and the way my parents have always been there for me. The way they still are. Payton Place (mom, dad & Christopher) is a cherished place of memory that speaks of a childhood filled with love and laughter (and moving boxes, c'mon we're military here). We were always the four musketeers. No matter how many friends we had or have, there is the knowledge that we ALWAYS have each other. You know, I thank God every day for the gifts in my life - even when I'm hurting and doubting His wisdom - but lately I've come to realize that besides Connor, the greatest gift I've been blessed with is my family. I don't say it often enough, but I do think about them every day and I'm so glad I have them.
So Mom, thanks for everything you do for me. For always knowing what to say and how to say, when a kick in the butt is better than a kiss on the cheek; for never stifling and for never judging.
Daddy, you are my hero. There is no man in the world who could ever be as good and kind and honorable as you are.
Christopher, despite all my childhood shenanigans (read fast ones) you are my protector, my confidante and my special bond. You, above all others, will be with me always. You have always been there for me and I love you so much. Never take for granted the depths of your soul, because they have molded you into a man to be incredibly proud of. Thank you for being my big brother, for being the kind of big brother who tolerated me always butting in, always demanding and always needing you.
And, even though technically he's not a Payton, Connor, you are my everything. You are the one piece of my soul and heart that will never hurt, never tarnish, never forget. You are already the kind of son a mom dreams about (so, um, yeah we're about to hit the teenage years, I'm bracing myself now). You have so many talents and such an intelligence it's breathtaking. Don't change, bear. Dominate the world as I know you are capable of.
I love you guys. I hope you all know that. I'm so proud to call you family.
P.S. I'm also very glad none of you are named Tito. or Jermaine. or LaToya...

And another one more :)

2006-05-29T20:20:00.000-05:00

A very special Happy 18th Anniversary to Susan & Tom! Woohoo!!!!

And one more

2006-05-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of me I actually like! Besides it shows me with my awesome friends (l-r) Regina (Happy Birthday!!!!) Teresa & Angie. Fun for all!!

Summertime!

2006-05-29T19:14:00.000-05:00

Connor is out of school and about to start fencing again, but in the meantime (and in between destroying the Empire and/or Rebel Alliance depending on his mood) he's having fun chilling out in the 90+ sun. He's having a blast and who could blame him?!

Music is in the air!

2006-03-04T20:21:00.000-06:00

I downloaded I-Tunes the other day and discovered it's pretty cool. It's as easy to use as Creative Media Player, too. If not a wee bit easier. Anyway, the funny thing is when I finished importing all my music into it, I found I had 1.8 days of music in it - over 2.5G of space. Now, that's probably nothing even remotely close to what Christopher has, but I was mildly impressed with myself.

Makes a lot sense when you consider how wrapped up in music I am. Can't work, write or sleep without it.

Two in a row

2006-02-28T20:55:00.000-06:00

So the end of February might seem like an odd time to makea New Year's Resolution, but what the heck, we all know I'm anything but conventional.

Have a couple of business things to address: Mr. Obermiller (that would be Steve, for those of you keeping track, the guy performing next Wed, the 8th at the Blue Neon) also has a kickin' CD for sale. In his words a mere $5! Let me know if you're interested and I'll get you a copy. I do have to say it's a damn fine CD. Not that I'm predjudiced or anything :)

Second, hugs to Christopher the ailing. Poor thing sounded sicker than an asthmatic cat with a hairball when we talked tonight. Mom & Dad say hi and why the hell don't you call them once in a while?

Third, most of y'all know about "the disaster". Well, it's been fixed and my stylist (Yes, she's mine now) did a darn tootin' good job! It took her three separate cuts to fix it properly, but she did it. I lost so much hair it's not even funny, but I've gotten lots of good feedback. Might post a pic sometime. Who knows. Anyone remember me with short hair? Well, it's not really short, but it sure ain't the long locks I used to have. C'est la vie, n'est pas?

So back to this resolution of mine. Susan & I are working on this thing called the Artist's Way, sort of a journey back to your creative self. It's worked pretty good so far. And one of the things such a journeyman(woman) must do is write every day. Yeah, technically, I should be using this time to write on my new story (which I adore, btw) but instead, I'm enjoying a second glass of wine and Steve's CD. Did I mention those are for sale? Cheap? C'mon, you gotta admit you're curious. Especially if I'm talking about it. Call me. Email me. Leave me a comment. I'll make sure you get your copy. Boy, that second glass hit me kinda hard, I'm even more rambly than ever.

Okay, so this writing thing hasn't worked out for me this past year and a half, but since working with the Artist's Way I've been able to identify some key issues and work on resolving them. Hence, my heretofore newfound ability to plot a book all by myself. Wow. Astounding.

Now on to writing it. Eventually :) Hey, I didn't say I was cured. I've got lots of things I'm working on this year: I want to work out more, lose more weight, date more (yeah, okay, that one's up for debate since I've heard a nasty rumor you actually have to leave your house in order to do that. So not ready.), write more, be a better mom, go to more Ranger games, enjoy the heck out of a new season of my newly found sports enjoyment - soccer. Can you believe it?! Went to a few games last year and rediscovered the joy of professional sports played for the love of the game, not the love of the money. If you remember the old days of baseball and even 70s Cowboys football, you'd get a kick from the natural high of being in Pizza Hut Park cheering on FC Dallas. Even if you're pretty much clueless about the rules. I really need to find someone who can explain them to me properly...

Apparently my blather content increases with my alocohol consumption.

What else am I working on this year? Patience, and I don't mean the song by GNR (who, incidently, Christopher told me will be playing in Ireland in June. Same place where they shot the video for ... ummm, one of the videos whose title escapes my zippy and blurred mind at the moment) Patience does not come naturally to me and it's one of the things I find most annoying about myself. And no, that's not your cue to tell me what annoys you about me! I snap at Connor sometimes for no reason (sorry, Bear) and I want this book written NOW. I want an answer NOW. Hell, I want lots of things NOW. None of it is happening. So, to combat this relentless itch to have it now, I'm practicing certain new age mumbo jumbo techniques. Most of these involve music and not one involves illegal substances :) Just in case you wondered.

So, wish me well, peeps, in my quest this year. It can only benefit us all!!!

First post of this year? Wow...

2006-02-26T20:50:00.000-06:00

Yeah, well, things have been up and down so I haven't felt like posting. Sue me :) Actually, I've been writing in my journal more than here, cause that kind of stuff is not for public consumption.
Besides, I don't really have a whole lot to say right now. Nothing I want to share at any rate.
Told ya, I'm being boring. Snooze city, that's for sure. The only thing that's happening is Wed. the 8th when my good friend Steve Obermiller will be performing as a showcase artist at the Blue Neon in Fort Worth. Show starts at 8! Look, it's not even MY life that I get to write about. Sheesh... This is unacceptable.
How about - mom duties! Yeah, that's the ticket. Connor has started fencing lessons! He's really digging it, even though they haven't (and won't) get to actually work with the foils for another week. The instructor wants to make sure that they are comfortable with the foot movements before she lets 'em have a go at it with weaponry.
Anything else to report? Umm, yeah. I can't believe I forgot about this. Most of y'all know it already, but I had the bird flu to ring in the new year. Not a good omen, huh? It was truly the most horrid illness I think I've ever experienced. Ugh. At least it wasn't the kind that'll kill you (quoting my doc there). In fact, here's how she told me I had it: "You're very, very sick. You're highly, highly contagious." (please note her lovely use of double emphasis words) "You have Type A Flu, which is a version of the bird flu, but don't worry, it's not the kind that'll kill you!" Geez, you think she could have started with that part!!!
Anyway, I'm much better now, but damn, it sucked the big one!!

Baseball tickets for opening day go on sale March 4. What a perfect day for the new Rangers season! It's all about the optimism, right? Right!

So the scuttlebutt this year was supposed to be that Connor & I were going to Europe and do the whole fun thing, but we've decided to wait and save more money for next year so that we can go with absolutely clear minds and fat wallets! Instead, I'll be going to conference in Atlanta in July. (Yes, I rejoined RWA now that the censor Nazis have been ousted - buncha panty wads disgracing the name of diva). Oh, but I'm so not bitter about that, can you tell? I hate that I missed out on a good portion of the year, but I'll be damned if my money was going to subsidize the censorship and ruination of anyone's career, especially over something MOST authors have no damn control over. Whatever.
Getting past that... eventually ... I'll be with my best pal Susan Gable and we're going to really tear up the town. Both of us are ready for fresh new writing starts. We've changed quite a lot in our professional writing lives and I think we're both on the brink of something very very fun. I plan on it being a bang up trip! And profitable. She'll come back with an agent and I'll come back with a request for the book I've finished! Finished, you hear me? Um, yeah, I'm still writing the book, but I am an optimist, damn my eyes.
Some days I wish I could be unemotional and completely devoid of outside attachments (read: MEN SUCK, related ones excluded)but we all know that is so not me. Good grief, I give new meaning to the term girly girl.
But if there was one aspect of myself I could change (and believe me, I NEVER thought I'd say this) it would be that I wouldn't be so emotional. I now envy those people who are able to remain aloof, who can cut someone to ribbons without blinking an eye. I've suffered a lot in the last year, at the hands of friends and lovers, and believe me, I wish I could be the uber-bitch in those situations. But friendship excuses and forgives most things. And love, despite our fervent wishes, sometimes never goes away.

Blech. Enough of that crap, too. Boy when I whine, I do it up good, huh?

I hope to have one other trip planned this year: Christopher and I's high school, Zweibrucken American High School is having its annual renuion in San Antonio. I am so there! It will be great to mingle with other brats and hopefully see a bunch of the Texas brats we've got here. If you're a Trojan and don't know about the reunion, check it out on the site: zweihigh.org. Hey Chris, got the newest newsletter and they've got almost all the yearbooks on CD! oooohhh....

Okay, go back to sleep, peeps and maybe next time I'll have something of real value to dish on - but I wouldn't hold my breath or anything.

Out with the old ...

2005-12-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

In with the 2006-damn-well-better-be-better-than-2005. Or something like that. Funny, but '05 started off pretty freaking sucky, then got incredible. Wonderful. Truly joyous and fulfilling. Then it ended up sucky. Sigh.
And apparently I owe everyone on the planet who happened to run into me during the last two months more apologies than I've got the lung capacity for. And we ALL know I've got a good set of lungs. Don't worry if you didn't come into my firing zone, I still have my get the hell out of my way days, they're just less frequent. Thank goodness.
Anyway, I do apologize to those of you I lashed out at. You know who you are. I've tried to make amends, don't know if I always succeeded, but I tried. If not, let me know. It's hard to apologize when I don't realize I've hurt your feelings or ticked you off and stuff.
I know that my non-explanations don't make it any better. Can't tell you the number of times I uttered the phrase "I'll be fine." Eventually it'll happen. Did before, will again (relax, Mom, you know where I'm at now and you have to admit it's a damn sight better than the middle of November, right? I'm entitled to backslides every now and then.)
How many people know me as an optimist? I hope I still am. I want to be again. I guess I'm like that bopping clown. Knock me down and I'll get back up. Maybe not right away, but eventually. And it's all because of my family, my friends and a core strength that at times I don't believe I have, but apparently I do.
I'm not one for sitting in a dark room, eating bon bons and cursing the fates that railed against me. Okay, I admit that happened, but it was a nice bottle of wine instead of the bon bons.
So, stick with me, guys. Don't get alarmed if I'm snippy or down, it's not going to last. But give me the space I need, too. Sometimes that's all it takes.

So, let's look ahead to the momentous things going on. Can you believe that my bear is going to be 12 tomorrow?! Jiminy cricket, me either. He's so smart and mature, yet still such a kid. He's just great. (Duh... ) Yeserday he told me he was "discerning centuries" "Huh?" He sighed. "Mom, you know what a century is, don't you?" Before I get all affronted and huff out of course I do, I'm just trying to figure out what the heck you could be discerning about 'em, he popped up with "I'm trying to figure out why we're in the 21st century when it's only 2005." I squibbled out some babble about 0-99 being the first century, etc. He nodded and said, "Yeah, I know, but I'm only on the 17th century." I left him to his discerning.
Above all things, no matter my moods, no matter the ginormous mounds of manure tossed my way, he is always my shining star. He's always the one thing that makes me know that a) there is a God and b) I must have been born damn lucky and done something worthwhile in my life to have earned him.
Here, have a bucket to puke in while the oozefest continues on!
A mother is entitled when her baby takes the LAST year before teenagerdom. Holy moly, he's already making plans to drive my car! Ack and double ack!
That's okay, I'll let him. Eventually.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Okay, on to more positive things for 2006:
It won't be 2005.
We're all healthy.
I have my family and friends close to me.
I have a good job (most days)
I'm financially stable (most days)
I'm on the path back to myself
That's a pretty good list, I think.
Happy new year!

P.S. No, I have no idea what prompted this semi-rant. I'm perfectly fine. Very excited about the upcoming birthday party, still giddy from being totally spoiled (as usual) at Christmas, and generally feeling very good. Maybe I just needed to let it all out one final (?) time.
Maybe. My word of the week.

Swiped from someone I used to know

2005-11-07T18:56:00.000-06:00

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want, either good or bad. I promise not to come after you with a spatula, either way.
When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

WTF?!

2005-11-06T20:49:00.000-06:00

Okay, I admit it, I swiped that from a t-shirt my brother had on last week. I just like it. Sue me.
In a weird mood tonight - not sure why. It's been an up and down sort of past few weeks for me. Life's still good - better than it's ever been, if you ask me, but there are times when I just am a little blue. Go figure. I always thought of myself as an optimist, you know, but lately a bit of the old doom and gloom has dogged my steps. Doubts about myself and the things I'm doing in some areas of my life. But then, I look at all that I have around me and I'm awed again by the riches I've accrued.
Never underestimate the importance of the people in your life. Whatever role they play - major or minor - they are there for a reason. It may not be clear to you now, but some day it will be. I hope that when I look back at my life I will have made the most of my days and those people. That I will have taken and given all that I could with the best of intentions and the best of heart. I do not want anyone to ever think I was manipulative or tried in any way to change the way things are. I am who I am. I lead with my heart. I can't help it. But I try very hard not to pressure others into feeling the way I do, following my lead or succumbing to my opinions. I may be an easy read, but at my core, I'm a very tightly held secret. A lot of people know bits and pieces of me, but I don't think there is anyone on the planet who knows that part of me.
Which is probably how it should be. If all your secrets are on the table, where's the allure of spending time together? Of learning each day, just something a little different?
But still ... don't dismiss the fact that I have some depth. No one may ever see it, but believe me it's there.
And now, I bet you're sitting there, scratching your head and thinking ... wtf?! lol

To those who know me ...

2005-10-19T19:39:00.000-05:00

Taking a moment for some self-reflection because it's my blog and I can. So there. Pfft.

I'm totally not patient. I think I have the least patience of everyone I know. This is NOT a good thing when patience is a requirement. Ugh.

I tend to be stubborn and will rarely change my views. Especially not to suit someone else's delicate sensitibilities. It's an opinion, not an edict. Deal with it.

Use your own mind, form your own opinions, stand by your morals and sense of self. Don't bend for anyone. Don't lose yourself in someone else's expectations.

I want what I want. Don't we all? I hope I get it all eventually, too. I work for that a lot.

Bad jokes are the bomb and I'm tickled that Connor is following in my footsteps. His current favorite: How do you drown a blond? Put a scratch and sniff sticker on the bottom of a pool.

The Rangers WILL do great next year! Trust me on this one.

While I'm generally an upbeat person, I have my moments of moodiness. Just because I'm moody, though, it doesn't mean I'm mad or anything is wrong. Funks are funks. They happen.

I still believe in happy endings.

I am very, very happy with my life. Thanks to everyone who is a part of it every day, those will be there in the future and those who make every minute wonderful. You know who you are. And if you don't ask - I'll be delighted to tell you.

This day sucked with a capital S

2005-10-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

This has been one of the worst days I've experienced in quite some time. Last week we bought the cutest little 5 month old Russian Blue kitten named Lance. Today, we had to take him back. All because of me. Turns out I'm allergic to cats. So bad, that my throat swells up in the middle of the night. Not a good thing. I'm currently suffering a migraine because I have literally been crying all day. So has Connor, which makes me cry even more.
Lance was a sweet little kitten (okay, except for that whole biting my face in the middle of the night thing) and we didn't take him back lightly. It was a heart-wrenching decision. I hope I never have to go through anything like this again. He came from a home that had three other cats and a whole house to roam. Quite unfairly (I can say that with hindsight and because I am still trying to convince myself I made the right decision today) we only gave him our wing of the house. It's big enough, but not a whole house. And we weren't here all day. But when we were, we always played with him and loved on him. And he loved on us back. That's what makes this so damn hard. He was already becoming a part of the family. And yeah, there are drugs I can take to make me unallergic, but with the other things... it just felt like the right decision. Made even clearer when we took him back and they put him back into the same cage with his brother. They immediately started playing and tumbling and carousing. I don't even think he noticed we were gone.
That comforts me somewhat.
But I'm still hurting. Mostly because I had to hurt my son (parents - I highly suggest you find out everything you can about keeping an animal before you get one - this is pure freakin' torture) but also because I did really like Lance a lot. And I'll miss him.
I hope he finds some young family to take him and love him and give him everything that we wanted to, but couldn't. And now, I think I'll go, cause I'm starting to cry again.
Damn it.

Play ball!

2005-09-09T13:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm a bit behind the times here. This is a picture of Connor and I at the Ranger game sometime in ... April, I think. Maybe May. It was the night his school honored him and all of the kids that excelled last year. It was part of the rewards he got for being a great kid with a good attitude, excellent grades and superior citizenry. Gosh, I just love that.

Words to live by?

2005-09-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

Just my own way of looking at life, family, friends and the pursuit of happiness, but here goes. These are original thoughts, btw :) Yes, Christopher, I sometimes have those .

Don't always say what you're thinking. Sometimes the most innocuous thing could lead to disaster.

Appreciate what you have, but aspire to what you want.

Music is the soul of the universe.

Strong and true friendships are built on trust and passion, honesty and acceptance.

There is no shame in showing emotion, be it happiness, anger, sadness or love.

Resistance may be futile, but sometimes it is absolutely necessary.

Taking the initiative can lead to great things, but sitting back and waiting for something to come to you can sometimes be far more rewarding.

Don't take your friends for granted. You picked them for a reason. Stay in touch, stay close, be there when you're needed, need them when they offer.

Contentment is a dangerous, apatethtic state of mind, however blissful. If you don't have something to look forward to, what's the damn point?

Only you can stand up for yourself.

Teach your children to use their brains, their mouths and their backbones. Don't smother them in a blanket of your views, let them form their own, however far from yours.

Be proud of what you've done and who you are.

Take risks. Apathy sucks and not in a good way.

Sharks don't really live in lakes, but I'm still not swimming in one.

It's a wonderful life

2005-09-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

Funny thing happened the other night - I realized I was pretty darn happy. It all started when Connor asked me if I had a time machine and could go back to any time at all, when would it be. I thought about it for a minute, cycling through all of the events - good and bad - that have occured in my life. The times when I was a teenager and running free and wild in Germany (boy were those freakin' awesome days!) The years between teenager and mostly adulthood when responsibility just meant making sure mom and dad knew I was okay and hanging out at Denny's at 7 in the morning after a raucous night out. Can you say carefree? The happy years of my marriage. When I was 6 and cute as a button . Then it hit me. While all those periods of my life were wonderful, filled with great memories and warm fuzzies it's RIGHT NOW that I am the happiest. Everything is going my way. I am the person I want to be (okay, minor fine tuning which is an every day battle between me and the gym, but that's a different blog). My son is the most awesome kid in the universe - intelligent, articulate, considerate, tyrant-in-training. He is everything to me. A nice little package that I can still whip in Worms2 but not Disney Trivia. I feel great. My health is good, my emotions are clear and happy. My parents and brother are hale and hearty, full of piss and vinegar. (I call mom and dad my little bunnies!) They are supportive and happy with each other and life. They call it the life of Riley. My friends are the support I lean on and find comfort and joy in. I'm starting to enjoy writing again. Heck, I even love my job.
So, when Connor asked me when I would go back to, I finally just smiled and said I wouldn't. I don't want to relive my past and try to change things. I want to know what my tomorrow is going to be like, because it's new and fresh and exciting. I'm impatient to live forward. Not to grow up or old (I'm plenty old, thank you) but I want to live. I'm happy. Very, very happy.
Ain't that just a kick in the pants? :)

The start of a new year - middle school!

2005-08-17T20:23:00.000-05:00

Connor is in middle school, can you believe it? Wow, he's growing up so fast. Still a total mini-me world dominator to be, though. That much hasn't changed. During the summer, we received a letter from an organization inviting him to travel to Europe for 20 days. This is due to his good grades, community spirit and recommendations from his teachers.
Want to know what tipped the scales for him to say yes? Here, I'll quote directly from the travelogue they enclosed:
Storm the coast of Normandy to trace the D-Day steps of U.S. troops in World War II.
Yeah, that was all it took. lol He's such a character. Wish us luck that he'll get to go. I know he's looking forward to it. Of course, he's grown up hearing stories about when we lived in Europe as kids, and my mom's growing up in France. Throw in his dad's Scottish heritage and you've got a kid aching to get over there. Funny thing is I was going to try to take him next year. Maybe this is the way I'll be able to do. Don't everyone roll their eyes at once. I'd let him go by himself (really!) but if I can get back overseas for a minimal cost, you can bet your sweet patootie I'm going to do it!

Good luck with sixth grade, Connor!

Plus...
Anyone watching Rockstar: INXS? It's actually very good. The talent they have (with a few head-scratching exceptions) has blown American Idol out of the water. Makes it look like a junior high talent show. Okay, that's not to say I won't be watching the next installment of AI, but this is so much better.

For my money, I'd love to see Jordis fronting the band, but I'm thinking that won't happen. This girl's got a voice as deep and passionate as Joss Stone, but with an underlying true rock style that sucks you in.

I'm betting that MiG wins, though. He seems to just fit the "profile" whatever that is. I like him, too.

The one I absolutely can't stand is J.D. Think Omarosa but worse. More egotistical and conniving. His attitude just gives me the creeps. And he doesn't sing that well, either. A lot better than the other two blonde chicks who are unfathomably still on the show, but not by much.

Just in case you guys have been under a rock somewhere, you can check all the data out at www.rockstar.msn.com.

What fuels creativity?

2005-07-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, so in recent times my writer's group broke up, I basically quit writing, quit reading and ignored everything that used to be fun and exciting in my imagination. Go figure.

I was exhausted, mentally, by the toll taken on me from years of frustrating rejections, starts, stops and critiques that became the block through which I tried to write. It really sucks when you know every word you're putting down on paper, every scene you slog through, is going to be slammed in some way, no matter how damn good you think it is. While I was never married to any of my words, I also knew they didn't stink like I eventually came to believe. When your work is trashed the same way often enough, you start to doubt everything: your ability to write, your creativity, your talent. It all goes down the toilet.
And believe me, in this business, hell in any business that requires someone else's approval, being blocked is the worst thing that could happen. If you get rejected, at least you're writing enough to submit something.

There's a cliche in my industry about everyone wants to write a book, but only a few actually do it. Well, I lost sight of the fact that I have accomplished that feat 10 times. I have finished 10 different manuscripts. That's something. Even if they never see the light of publishing day.

On our recent trip to Galveston, I drove by myself for almost two hours. Instead of listening to music as is my wont, I listened to a conference tape from my very fist conference in 1999. The tape was called Discovering Story Magic by Laura Baker and Robin Perini.

I only put it in because I was bored with the CDs in my car - I'd listened to them a gazillion times each (at least!). Amazingly enough, the tape did exactly what I needed it to do. It sparked creativity. It sent ideas running rampant through my head and down through my fingers. For the first time in what feels like forever I actually sat down and wrote with fervor, with joy, with abandon. For the first time in nearly three years I was writing for myself. Not a word set down on paper that day was for any of my critique partners, not for any editor, not for the market. They were for my characters and myself.

Damn, it felt good. I'd be lying if I said, though, it was the sole reason I've begun writing again. It's been simmering for a few months, at least. Little things will set off alarm bells and spurts of "holy moly, I have to write that down!" Heck, I even swiped a line from a friend's song that has been helping me create one of the hottest love scenes I've ever written. Flashes are all that's needed. And the desire, the belief that you can do it.

I'm slowly working my way back to the way it used to be for me. The days when I could crank out 10 pages in an hour, a chapter in two days. The structure of having everything just the way that *I* want it and no one else. Writing for myself. What a concept.

It's not that I don't appreciate my friends and my cps, it's just that I got so accustomed to the idea of writing for them that I lost my joy for it.

Thanks to certain individuals, their contributions - however unknown - and the support of those who know me best, I feel like I'm almost ready to get back into that writing ring.

Which is a really good thing considering I've got an editor waiting on two proposals from me. If I let this opportunity pass me by, I'll regret it. And we all know I live my life with no regrets.

Here's to whatever sparks you and a heartfelt thank you to those who've inspired me. I hope you know who you are.

Disposable society?

2005-07-06T18:49:00.000-05:00

Who gets their exercise by jumping to erroneous conclusions? I know I'm guilty of it. I also know that my sense of humor and what's appropriate gets me into lots of trouble sometimes, but most everyone I know realizes that's just a quirk of mine. Certainly not something that would constitute the severing of a friendship. At least not in my mind.
I read somewhere that we've become a disposable society and I suppose relationships of all sorts now fall into that category. Marriages, friendships, employers, family. When the going gets tough or someone misconstrues a comment, why has it become so ridiculously easy to just walk away?

Strange and pitifully sad.

Happy 4th of July

2005-07-04T21:07:00.000-05:00

Coming from a career army family (I'm a military brat and darned proud of it!) we've always been very patriotic. Did I mention my kid knew how to properly salute before he could talk?

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the soldiers, past and present, for serving our country. Regardless of your political views, whether you agree or disagree with President Bush, our soldiers deserve your thanks, respect and support. Just like the police offices, firefighters and medical personnel who face death every day, these quiet heroes are protecting you, your family and your freedoms.

Don't take any of it for granted.

God Bless America and its protectors.

Interview Questions for Michelle

2005-06-17T21:52:00.000-05:00

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1. Who is your favorite fictional character & why?

2. You often stay up late at night and are known to fall asleep on the laptop. What rewards do you give yourself for your dedication?

3. How many books have you written and which is your favorite and why? (heehee, I snuck three questions into one)

4. What would most people be totally surprised to find out about you?

5. Besides a writer, if you could be anything - no holds barred - what would you be?

Better late than never!

2005-06-12T21:41:00.000-05:00

Gotta just love a cliche, especially when it's so appropriate! Thanks to Patrick for the nudge. I was getting here, I just kept getting distracted by stuff.
How about some quick catching up? Connor graduated 5th grade at the end of May. Oh my, that was great and emotional. I didn't think I'd cry, I mean, really, it's fifth grade, but it was really something special. His teacher also made a big deal of him and summed him up in one word: "Amazing"
I must agree.
Congratulations to Patrick and Tiffany, who were married May 13 in Amarillo! :) I suck as a friend cause I still haven't sent anything. Bad me. I'll get there!
Have been writing off and on. I recently had two books requested by Berkely and have been working on dusting those off and getting them ready to go. I've also been reading a riveting book by my friend Michelle Miles. It's a fantasy romance and all I can say is WOW. I love it!! We're working hard on getting it published. If you've ever read fantasy and longed for more of the romance they tease you with and vice versa, this is definitely the book for you! Trust me, when it's published, you'll love it.
Speaking of books, Susan Gable's newest Harlequin Superromance The Pregnancy Test will be coming out next month. Get thee to the nearest bookstore and buy it! Read an excerpt at www.susangable.com.
I can't wait for the day when I get to say that about myself, but in our circle we have a saying: BIC-HOK. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. You gotta write and submit to sell.
Guess this means I need to tone down my Divine Divinity playing.
Off the cuff:
I got a royal flush in poker a few weeks ago. Playing a hand of screw your neighbor (except we called it Arkansas since I was sitting next to my brother). It was greatness. We had pictures and everything. My royal beat my brothers straight flush. Woohoo!!
The Rangers are doing great this year. Ended a five game losing streak today by beating Florida.
I've never believed in all that feng shui crap, but I recently rearranged my bedroom and guess what? I'm sleeping much better. Go figure...
Last thing before I sign off: Who saw SW:ROTS and what did you think?

Down with Censorship!

2005-03-17T19:53:00.000-06:00

Would you believe my son's school is censoring him? Ridiculous. Every year they put together a book where every kid in the school gets to write something that is published. Very good for getting those inventive, open-ended, unbounded juices flowing, for helping them to develop imagination, insight and the discipline it takes to be creative ('cause no matter your talent, it's damn hard work). Oh, but did I mention you have to be creative within their ideals? You have to stay within the box they want you to, but don't bother to tell you about before you start writing? Before you work very hard to produce something that you're proud of?
Yeah, they didn't tell him either.
So when he submitted the following story, they promptly returned it with "We refuse to print this because it's too violent."
Whatever. Like kindergarteners and above don't see dozens of acts of violence every day in their cartoons? Read it in their books? Hear it on the news?
I promised Connor that his short story would be published, so I'm posting it here. A little bit of background first. Connor grew up listening to stories I'd make up for him. Most of the time they were either Dodo the Dumptruck or The 6-pack vs. some alien/creature/oppressor. Hey, he liked them, what can I say?
For this year's book, he decided to write his own 6-pack story. I'm very proud of it, since I helped not one iota. These are his words, his thoughts and his sentence structure. Scary as it is, the kid has better grammar than I do.
And I'm very, very proud of you, Connor.

The 6-Pack vs. The Evil Robot Ninjas
by Connor McLean
Once upon a time there was a famous superhero group called the 6-pack. There was a mom, a dad, a grandpa, a grandma, an uncle and a kid named Connor. They were relaxing in their Hawaiian headquarters in Florida. All of a sudden, the videophone rang and Connor answered.
It was a girl from Japan. She said that evil robot ninjas were invading Japan. Connor hung up and hit the emergency button. Everybody lined up as Connor gave the briefing. After that, they got their weapons and went to the hangar and took off in their flying aircraft carrier.
When they got to Japan, they took the fighters down to land. When they got down, they encountered a group of robot ninjas. Mom quickly did them in with her boomerang spear. Connor spied archers and quickly destroyed them with his bow. Uncle saved Grandpa and chopped the head off one that was about to hit him.
When Connor checked a commander, he found a scroll that he deciphered and kept. When they reached the village, they split up. Connor stumbled upon the enemies HQ and snuck in. When he found the main computer, he hacked in and stopped the factory from producing any more robot ninjas, then set explosives and ran.
He got out just as the explosives went off, but he found himself surrounded by 10,000 robot ninjas. But Connor used the scroll he had found called Word of Power. As he said the inscription, energy built up around him and when he finished, the energy dispersed in one giant shockwave. Not only did it destroy the evil robot ninja army, but it sent them flying back thirty yards!
After the rest were destroyed, the 6-pack stumbled upon and infiltrated a giant robot ninja where they found the mastermind behind the robots. It was Catamus Maximus! After they captured him, animal control took him away.
The world was safe and Connor had a new weapon.
The end.

Welcome back, Susan!

2005-03-04T12:22:00.000-06:00

Okay, I've been saving this particular blog for a very special ocassion. That stellar day has arrived. I call it a goosebump moment - I read something and it gave me goosebumps.
My best friend and CP - Susan Gable who writes for Harlequin SuperRomance - is ready to start the next book. For real this time. Let me tell you, we've had a time with this. And hell yes that's a royal we (don't forget I'm a princess/queen). Susan has had her share of fubar problems with this book - not even this book, but the book she wanted to write, only her editor wanted changes that turned the book into something that wasn't really talking to her. And when a story won't talk to you, that's trouble.
Months have gone by in this struggle, during which time she had a birthday (Happy Birthday!!), Christmas, moved to a new house, made it through edits on her next book - "The Pregnancy Test" due out in July of this year - and kept me at the keyboard working as well (mostly!).
The struggle finally ended when she decided (quite rightly!) that the book she wanted to write originally had to be done in its first form .Instead, she came up with this other incredible idea (she's an awesome writer - I'd read her stuff even if I wasn't her critique partner!) which I backed wholeheartedly.
Today I got my first glimpse of it and may I say "Holy Cow, this is going to be flippin' great!"
She always amazes me with how she can sit down, sort it out and start going, producing intricate, emotional, funny, sensual books with characters you love and continue to think about long after you've put down the book. We need more writers like her, but I'm very proud to have her as my own.
Good luck, Susan!!

I hate being predictable ...

2005-03-04T12:20:00.000-06:00

But you are what you are, n'est ce pas?! I've tried to write sweet(er), honest I have. Really, really, really, I've tried . Why do I get the feeling no one believes me?
Thanks for the quiz, Amie, totally rockin'!

EROTICA! - Wet, salty and delicious You are driven
to excite the reader into a literal froth with
your literary talents! You are a connoisseur of
the carnal side of humanity from Kink to
high-speed BJs in the front seat of a speeding
Jag! Sex is GOOD. Penthouse and the Internet
after dark are your inspirations!

What Kind of Novel Should I Write?
brought to you by Quizilla

I'd do him, that's for sure!

2005-02-23T18:48:00.000-06:00

Okay, I swiped this one from my friend Patrick's blog.

You're Will Turner - Lovestruck swordsman, funky hat, too pretty by far. You're loyal, honest, courageous... and a pirate. Lucky Elizabeth.

Which POTC character are you?

this quiz was made by alanna

Star Trekkin' across the universe ...

2005-02-23T17:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it's not an official blog quiz or anything, but it was darn fun and helped up my geek quotient. Heck, just the fact that I said quotient ought to have done that!!

I was Kirk :)

http://www.matthewbarr.co.uk/trek/

The star of my show

2005-02-22T21:19:00.000-06:00

Connor splashing it up in the sun n' surf of Corpus!

Warning: Super Proud Mama Report!!

2005-02-22T21:02:00.000-06:00

My kid is awesome. Might as well just get that out in the open right now. Cool thing is, I'm not the only one who thinks so. Not even the only family member who thinks so. He's regularly commended for being such a good kid, for his good manners, his gentlemanly behavior ... and lest you think he's some namby-pamby sissy boy, the kid is also a mean shot with the paintball gun, could have strategized Napoleon to victory and can lift some pretty decent amounts of weight. Oh, and he throws a mean spiral!
Yesterday I find out he's been voted Bobcat's best by his fellow classmates. Each teacher's class has a Best Boy and Best Girl - no, they don't get Oscars. Nevertheless, it's a very cool honor. They get a breakfast, an award, all sorts of excellent things.
Today I learn that he's been voted the entire 5th Grade's best Citizen!! How cool is that? What a great guy. I'm very, very proud of him. Sheesh, this house could be seen from space, we're all beaming so proudly! There will be an extra game in this for him, I'm sure. (Hey, nothing wrong with a little incentive to get good grades. 5 years of straight A's, you know. Okay, there was that ONE darn B a couple of grading periods ago, but still...)
Great job, Connor, we're all very, very proud of you!

Goodbye 34

2005-02-18T22:00:00.000-06:00

I love my birthday. Mostly because it's not just a birthDAY, more like a birthMONTH. It even spills over into March. How cool is that? Free lunches, funny birthday cards, great gifts and most of all I am reminded over and over again how many people care for me. What an awesome feeling.

It's true, I'm totally spoiled. Heck, I even have a business card that says I'm a queen, though I share the title of co-queen with my friend Gina. But it's a good kind of spoiled, I think. The kind that makes you really appreciate who you are, who you've grown up to be and who you will still evolve into. Not long ago, someone told me I'm a people collector. I suppose that's true. Heck, I count my ex-husband as still one of my close friends. I think everyone has something unique to offer me and I like to believe that in some way I affect them, as well.

I know recent experiences have shown me that there is so much more depth and passion out there than I ever truly thought possible. That goodness and honor are cornerstones to which aspiring is not only admirable, but actually achieved. I'm a romantic by nature and I wear both my heart and my rose-colored glasses proudly. Hope springs eternal within me (to borrow a phrase) and I see the possibilities of a wonderful future in all things and people around me.

I'm loving this journey and one more year on the birthday belt is just one more notch of achievement and collecting. I said it before, 35 ought to be darn interesting.

Quelle Surprise

2005-02-17T23:25:00.000-06:00

Yes it's late, but my kid did his report (due tomorrow!) on the wrong thing, so he's re-doing it and I'm waiting up to make sure he does the right stuff this time. Meanwhile, I'm cruising the net and found this nifty quiz.

I can only imagine the grief I'm going to get over this!

You are a Parisian.

What's your Inner European?
brought to you by Quizilla

Geeky is as Geeky Does

2005-02-17T21:41:00.000-06:00

I was talking to a good friend of mine today ... well, explaining really what happend to Jean Grey at the end of X-2. When I finished, he said "You do realize how totally geeky that is you know that, don't you?" Unfortunately, I had no good rebuttal as this was NOT the first time I'd been caught by said friend exposing my inner geek. I seem to recall more than one ST conversation that I participated in.
So, here now, for allllll the world to see is my geek/nerd score. But before you laugh, scoff or otherwise bring it on, take the test yourself and see just how geeky YOU are!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2005-02-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

So, it's a little late at night to be saying that, but I had a great one! Took a vacation day, spent all day with my kid, lazed around, played some Diablo II, wrote... yep, one heckuva day. Hope everyone else's day was just as awesome!

Thanks for being such a great date, Connor.

Transcendent Reflections

2005-02-12T21:19:00.000-06:00

Not to be confused with transcendental meditation or however the heck you spell that. Lately, I've been in a weird sort of mood. I have a birthday coming up (feel free to shower me with birthday wishes!) - it's a big one and while I love my birthday cause it's all about me, this past year has been filled with all sorts of poignant moments and times for reflection.
Times of trying to step back, let go and watch what has to happen actually happen. Cheering for the good stuff - mine, my friend's, my family's good stuff - and working through the not so good stuff.
But as I get closer to this birthday, I step back and really look at my life and the things I've accomplished, the things I'm trying to accomplish and the joys I've been blessed with. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to get so lucky and at others I wondered what the heck I've done to deserve some of the stuff that's happened to me. I'm no angel, that's for sure, but I don't really think I'm evil con carne either (that's a cartoon network joke).
My boss has this expression about transcendent moments. They're days or moments or happenstances that occur out of the blue and totally make you feel happy/giddy/ridiculously smiling every time you think about it.
And I realized that in the last few years I've had lots of joyous moments, lots of precious snapshot times that make me grin ear to ear and just giggle to reminesce. But in the last five years there has only been one transcendent moment. One. In five years. That ratio sucks.
So, for my upcoming birthday, I think I'll put my wish right out on the table for all to see: I want more transcendent moments. That's not asking too much is it? It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, and I know what it takes to make me transcendent.
Now to just connect the two somehow.
35 ought to be interesting. Stick around and find out.

Ah ... Superbowl Sunday

2005-02-06T15:17:00.000-06:00

First, a moment of silence for the absent-Cowboys (and the non-induction of Michael Irvin into the Hall of Fame thanks to those idiotic, biased East coast sportswriters)

I love Superbowl Sunday. Heck, I love football period. And baseball. Hockey, too. But not basketball. Blech, how boring. But I find all the stuff they do for the game to be nearly as interesting as the game and the commericals themselves. Anyone notice how some of the absolute best writing these days is usually found in beer commercials? I mean, come on, the guy at Budweiser who hijacked the miller lite ref commercials is a genius! And raise your hand if you still answer the phone sometimes with a whazzzupppp? :)

Some of the fun things to do until the game include watching all the marathons the other channels show. This year someone (not sure who) is doing America's Funniest Home Videos. An homage to American idiocy, ingenuity and downright silliness (which the world could use some more of). After watching a spot that involved some poor guy tangled up in the rings while trying to do a dismount on the gymnastics side, my mom told me a similar story about my brother when he was about 6 or so. Apparently, we were swinging, he was wearing a coat and wrapped his hands around the chain, then tucked them into his pockets. I, darling two year old that I am, am swinging next to him.
Back and forth. Back and forth. He's kicking the leaves with his feet, I'm just swaying. He swings faster and faster until suddenly... flip! Poor kid goes butt over feet and ends up hanging upside down on the swing. Stuck because his hands are tangled up in his pockets.
Back and forth. Back and forth. He's now sweeping the leaves with his head, I'm just swaying.
Mom looks out the back window and sees all of this happen. After she finishes laughing, she comes out to rescue him.
Ah, family, aren't they great?!

Speaking of family, my kid keeps bugging me to put something on here about him again. tsk, tsk, careful what you ask for Connor.

We recently found a huge stash of videotapes that we took from the time he was born until the camera broke when he was about 5. Poor thing, nothing since then. He's so neglected ... oh wait, you haven't seen the thousands of digital camera files we have of him!

Anyway, one of these tapes just follows Connor around the house. He's about four. Getting into things, talking (he's ALWAYS talking!), stuffing a pillow, mooning the camera.

Huh? I rewound the tape and watched it again. Sure enough, in about a 90 second spot, there's his little hiney, pjs dropped, wagging in the air and Grandma is taping all the while telling him to pull his britches up. Connor looks around, grins and says "take a picture of my butt!" He then proceeds to wiggle it again. When asked where he learned to do that, he says "from Steve."

Now, if you know my family, you probably know Little Steve Welborn. And his affinity for dropping his drawers any and everywhere! what's a mother to do?

Thank goodness I haven't seen that particular full moon in quite a few years - and no Steve, that's not an invitation!!

Well, it's back to getting ready for the Superbowl. Go Pats! I don't care if Philadelphia is in our league, they absolutely can not win this game!!!

Well, it's not what I call them ...

2005-01-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

Your Boobies' Names Are: Betty and Veronica

Get your own Boobie Names

You are what you choose to be

2005-01-30T22:21:00.000-06:00

I recently told a friend that some days you're the car and some days you're the bug. On that particular day I was most definitely the big, squished, green guts oozing bug on a windshield going at least 90.
The days after that were much better. Who knows why?
I guess at some point you have to look to your future and what you want it to be. You realize that you can't change certain things and that after everything has been done and said and the results aren't what you wanted - well, you just have to dust yourself off and continue on. And thank Heaven for the experience you were given. The depth of feeling and the unbreakable friendship you crafted and will continue to share.
Disappointment is a fact of life, but not one that has to keep you in the dust. Wallowing is not an option. There comes a point when you just *know* that what you're doing, as hard as it is, is the right thing to do.
It can suck, but it's got to be done.
Then you get to have a pity party for like six seconds and up you must go again.
Because one never knows what the future holds, what hope and fun is around the next corner.
The only way to find out, is to make the decision to turn.

Circle of Trust

2005-01-26T21:09:00.000-06:00

I work in a very deadline oriented business and while it's lots of fun, it can be incredibly stressful too. Lucky for me I thrive on that sort of challenge.
Even luckier I work with some of the coolest people on the planet. They keep me laughing, honest and (mostly) sane. We're all huddled together in one room - granted, it's a fairly big room and we're not rubbing bosom buddies or anything - but one room and five very loud people can make for some psychotic episodes.
Chris G is "da man" - a rocker, wild artist and totally awesome guy. He's my callipygian which means possessor of beautiful buttocks. We used to be plebians and just call him sweet ass, but we got this one in a word-of-the-day kind of thing and it stuck. Check him and his band out Feb 11 at the Dallas Music Fest in Deep Ellum!!
He shares his ofical (affectionately known as the double-wide) with Martha. A crazier girl, I doubt I've ever encountered. And violent. Holy moly, she's eeeeeevil (but in a totally good way!) Also known as black mamba, this sassy girl will have you laughing constantly. Watch out for those flying markers though, she's been known to take an eye out. And ask her about Ween.
Gina and I share a brain, especially the dirty thoughts. I've learned a lot from her. She's been a lifesaver to me more than once. Funny, sassy and the coolest cucumber on the planet! She'll show you how to look at every sitauation with incredible objectivity - then tell you how to make it reallllly dirty!!
Patrick is my Catholic Irishman and a damn fine one at that! A fine Catholic (what'd you think I meant? Have you ever seen his wife? She's smokin' hot!) Patrick has an affinity for Spongebob, peculiar humor and does the single best Carl from Caddyshack impression ever. EVER!!!!
Yale (he's my boss) doesn't sit with us. He's confined to the bowels of the "other side" but he's a hoot and a half himself. You should see what he brought in today. He SAID it was a massager, but the ones I have that look like that and move like that are called Bobs... :)
Anyway, more than you needed to know, but these people are my circle of trust. What cool, cool peeps I have.
All within easy throwing distance. And we do. Frequently.

The Demented Pull of Reality TV

2005-01-25T20:11:00.000-06:00

If you're addicted to Reality TV, raise your remote! And tonight features two of my all time favorites - American Idol and Celebrity Poker Showdown.
I can't sing - though I inflict my family quite often. Especially my poor mother (Hi Mom!) when we're in the car. Think trapped. No way out. Automatic locks! Of course, I must add that Mom can whip out a mean rendition of In The Still of the Night! And she's an originator of the misheard lyrics phenom. Way, way, way, way back in 50-something France, she thought Buddy Holly was singing Baby Shoes instead of Peggy Sue.
Hey, it's better than a douche in the night!
As for poker, I'm learning how to play from my ultra-cool big brother (Hi Christopher!). And he doesn't even cheat me. Really! I went to his house for a real, cash only poker night with the guys and promptly got crowned the chip bully. Coolness...
Off to flip channels. Amazing Race 6 is on, too!

Wow, so this is the world of blog

2005-01-24T20:07:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine (Hi Patrick!) first introduced me to blogs. I found myself hooked. They're great little snapshots into the minds of very, very interesting individuals. But I never figured I'd do one. I'm a little too open about things. (Read - can't shut up or what the heck did she just say?!).
But alas, here I am. Creating a blog.
Nifty.
A little about me ... My name is Jennifer. I'm a writer. Okay, a wanna be writer. Seriously pursuing suits me fine. I've written 10 different manuscripts and can't begin to tell you how many rejections I've had. I target romance. A minor aside to rant here: There's a line out there specifically targeting the 20 somethings that touts itself as the end all be all super sexy read. Coolness. Sounds like fun, since I love to read and write said sexy stuff. Did you know you could get rejected for being too sexy?! Huh, me either!
Where was I besides blathering ...
I'm a single mom raising an 11 year old going on 35. Seriously. Trust me, you'll read a lot about Connor in this blog. He's my favorite thing in the world. My current great story about him involves Connor, his dad and a movie. Few weeks ago, dad calls to tell me he's taking the kiddo to the movies. I, being the curious (read nosy!) mom that I am, naturally asked what movie.
Team America.
'Scuse me? Team America?! No!!
But after much debate and denial, dad, new wife (whom I adore - I get custody of her if they divorce) and kiddo go to see Team America.
Connor's commentary? Funny. Inappropriate, but funny.
Gotta love it. The new tagline running around the house is "Why not? He's seen Team America!"
Okay, I'll stop. For now. :)
I'll just put this up there and see if it sticks.
Go easy on me, now ... I'm a newbie!