Finally Friday!

Temperature is much nicer here now.
A cool 74* with a nice breeze.
That makes me very happy.
This will be short. I don't have much, if anything, to say.
So, I'll leave you with a few random things from my day.
The cardboard box in my living room. It's a big one - not quite refrigerator size. It made a nifty fort, until the kids split the side. I threw it out, and it's back in the living room. I don't get it. I fully understand to coolness of boxes, but in my opinion, this one's done its time and is now considered trash. Obviously I'm the only one in my family to think so. Especially since K3 currently has it arranged like a duck blind and is reading a book inside.
The fender bender that occurred this morning at the four-way stop near the younger K's school. Apparently there was much honking and a moderately loud crash. I was standing not far from the scene and didn't hear or see it. Since this isn't the first time I've proven to be totally clueless, I'm beginning to wonder about the cohesiveness of my brain these days.
Today was "pajama day" at the younger K's school. Yeah, they went to school in the pajama's. It was kind of weird to walk them down the street with them wearing sleep pants and slippers. K4 was outside at gym when I arrived at school to pick them up. That was weird too.
Okay - so I got more than I thought I would.
Enjoy the weekend, and...
Behave!!

Random Wednesday

Okay, who ordered the summer-like weather?
It's around 90* here today.
And of course, I did not expect this when I planned the week's meals and did the shopping. It's too hot to make the warm and homey foods I have on the menu. Last night we did leftovers to avoid heating up the kitchen, and tonight I had no choice but to make the already defrosted turkey breast - complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. It was good, but too hot to eat. Sigh. Luckily, cooler temps are on the way and there's even a thunderstorm in the forecast for this evening.
On at 9 p.m. est tonight - a brand new episode of Ghosthunters. Yay!
Only 8 more days until Season 3 of Supernatural. (Yay! Yay!) And, today, I got to see some of the bonus material on the Season 2 DVD. Very cool.
Lots coming up on the calendar. Lots more trying to get crammed into spaces already overflowing. Time to crank up the cloning machine again.
As always...
Behave!

Random...

It seems the most common thing that brings people to my blog is the word "random". Maybe I should have named the blog with random in the title since it seems I regularly post random thoughts.
Already it's the last week of September. How the heck did that happen?
The really cool thing about that is it means Supernatural starts in just 10 days. Click on the preview on my widget below. I can't wait. But you already knew that.
Anyway. We're now into my very favorite season. But you already knew that too.
Since I seem to have nothing new to say, I'll go for now.
Behave!

Fatal Flaws Class

FATAL FLAWS CLASS
by Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Giving likable, plausible characters a compelling conflict is easier
with Enneagrams. Counselors and personnel managers use this
personality tool to identify the nine types: Perfectionist, Nurturer,
Achiever, Romantic, Observer, Skeptic, Adventurer, Leader and Peacemaker.

Each of them has distinctive traits, including a fatal flaw, that will
naturally bring them into conflict with other people...AND with
themselves.

You can read the class lectures on a yahoogroups listserv, or have
them emailed directly to you. For details on this $30 class, held
Oct. 1-29, see www.WriterUniv.com
*Re-posted with permission.

A Quiz...

**This will make my critique partners laugh. Though in my defense, I don't get there/their/they're or it's/it confused. It's those stinking apostrophes that I tend to ignore, but hopefully they'll agree I'm paying attention more.

Happy Weekend!
Behave!

Housekeeping...

Not really.
At least not as in cleaning my house. We won't go there right now.
Since I missed posting yesterday due to an insane day that didn't feel like it was ever going to end, I need to pretend it's yesterday and say: Happy Birthday! to my dad.
And yes, I did talk to him. They're currently on vacation (which I think was a ploy to get out of dealing with the birthday obnoxiousness that belongs to this family). At the beach. And when I talked to my dad yesterday, he had the nerve to tell me his knees got cold while they were on the beach earlier. I told him I had absolutely no sympathy for his cold knees and that he's not allowed to complain because, after all, he's at the beach and the rest of us are not. His response? Laughter.
Anyway.
Last night was back to school night - at K2's high school and her drama school. Since the drama school is new to us, we went there. What a fantastic place. Their philosophy is awesome, as is the community awareness and involvement they strive for. They meet in the oldest church in the city, which is incredible to look at and be inside of. The facility is filled with antiques, old photographs and apparently, even a ghost.
Oh, my point? I do have one, besides the rambling. Listening to K2's teacher talk about learning the craft, honing the craft and the different exercises she teaches to help the students learn to step away from themselves and play the part really struck me. Writers and Actors are very similar. Instead of acting on the stage, writers act on the page. It's more internal, but no less demanding than acting.
And that, my friends, is my deep thought for the day.
Enjoy the weekend, and, as always...
Behave!

Talk Like a Pirate Day...

Did you forget?
I did, until I saw it somewhere this morning. And that's bad (if you're me) because me an' me hardies always be celebratin' this day. (See post below - sadness factor applies here too because of missing vacation and the usual hype 'talk like a pirate day' brings as we prepare for the beach.)
Anyway.
Word meters are lying. Again. I should take them down. I am making good progress. And I'm getting ready to start something new. My brain is working - ideas are forming - coming through in vivid and odd dreams. (Like Misty driving a minivan on the railroad tracks. When I told her, she was more upset that she was driving a minivan and not a cool ride, than the fact that she was recklessly careening me, and my basket of laundry, around a sharp curve as I searched for a pair of socks. Did I mention the dreams are odd?) (Oh and there's so much more to that one. Which is where the story ideas are coming from - not the train track escapade. You don't even want to know. Trust me.) Anyway. (Again.) I'm not rushing this new idea. Things are filling in nicely without much effort on my part - for right now. Once I finish edits, I hope to have enough to start "mind mapping" it.
What's happened to "Under the Bridge", you ask? Nothing. Yet. I've decided to take a longer respite from those edits. Mainly because I absolutely need to write something brand new and because there's still something not quite right with it. I'm working on it, but not forcing it. That might not make sense to anyone but me.
So there you have it...random Wednesday ramblings with a dash o' pirate.
Avast, me hardies. Mind the rum and keep yer scurvy tail out o' trouble on this fine sailin' day.
(In other words...)
Behave!

This Cooler Weather...

Makes me think of this beach:

And that makes me sad.

If we were going, this would be the height of email countdowns, lists, preparations and excitement.

I chose the gloomy beach sky for a reason...cause that's how sad I am.

Still, there is one thing that's always true: A bad day at the beach is way better than a good day at home.

But...what are you going to do? We couldn't make the trip this year, but one thing's for sure, when we do go again it'll be that much sweeter. That's what I'm looking forward to.

Seriously, I'm not as gloomy as this post has led you to believe. Just buried under piles of obligations and an enormous 'to do' list. Managing, I guess you'd call it, but with a smile (most of the time).

The week's a busy one - so posts may be spotty.

That's all for now.

Behave!

Supernatural Season 3 Promo

Coming soon!

Funny Friday

Or maybe not - depending on what your idea of funny is. Maybe it's not my dog in a hat. I do have one of her wearing sunglasses. K3 thought this was the funniest thing in the world this morning and asked me to post the picture here.
Other than that, I find I'm without much to say today.
Unless you want to hear about all the stuff that broke in my house this week. And I'm sure you don't.
Behave!

Beautiful Day Thoughts

The sun in shining, but the temperature is low - according to my gauge, it's 68* outside. Perfect weather in my opinion. And I'm thinking...
Good Thing/Bad Thing.
We do this at dinnertime. Starting with the youngest, we go around the table and each person gets to tell one good thing and one bad thing from their day. Sometimes it takes the entire meal to get through them. Occasionally, B and I have to gently stop the hilarity that very often arrives with some of the stuff they come up with. Guests are not exempt from this exercise, unless we have a particularly large crowd (that's fair warning - just in case you find yourself at my house for dinner one night).
Anyway. Today you're getting my good/bad things.
Good thing: The current weather.
Bad thing: The distracting sound of chainsaws in the very near vicinity.
Good thing: The brief rest period I managed.
Bad thing: The lack of sleep from the past 3 nights that made the rest necessary, and the dog's constant barking during said rest time that made it just "rest" time and not "nap" time.
Good thing: The excellent everything bagel sandwich I just made myself.
Bad thing: There are no more everything bagels in the house and I've already gone to the store 3 times this week and won't be going back again before Friday, if I can help it.
Good thing: Supernatural Season 2 is out on DVD as of yesterday.
Bad thing: I have not purchased it yet.
Good thing: The wedding B and I going to this weekend - date night (and I'll hopefully actually get to dance with my hubby).
Bad thing: Not knowing what to wear (translation: what fits) yet, dealing with a packed schedule and kid obligations that need worked out still and it's already Wednesday.
There you have it. A brief list - or not so brief - or just silly. Hey, what do you want from me? I already told you about the lack of sleep!
Behave! :)

Tuesday Random

Hey!
It's been a while since I've written a random post. Bet you missed them!
This morning I saw an ironing board in the grocery store parking lot. Not the same parking lot where the toilet brush was, but the same chain of stores. This ironing board was a regular sized one, with legs, and was at the edge of the parking lot in the tanbark area. I wish I would have had my camera. And I wish I knew how these things happen. Have you ever lost anything like a used toilet brush or an ironing board in a grocery store parking lot?
I haven't.
My truck's windshield has a leak right above the driver's seat. By the time I made it up to school to pick up the younger K's my pants were soaked in the back. Oh, and by the way, it's raining here.
Rehearsals started last night. The kids had a blast. K3 didn't want it to end. They taught them an entire dance number in less than 2 hours. And the kids were doing fantastic. Not me. I would have still been trying to figure out which was my left foot. They did a "dance off" at the end of rehearsal - the older kids did the dance first, and then the younger kids did it. Both age groups had every step down.
I won't say I had as much fun at rehearsal. I took my laptop along expecting to get some writing done. I plopped myself down on the floor, (no chairs) nearly in a corner and started doing a critique for a friend. Let's put it this way...the laptop battery died after only 45 minutes (and I didn't even bring a notebook to write in or a book to read). I spent most of that time trying to angle myself away from this person who was intent on finding out what I was up to. My head hurt from the noise of 120 excited children in an echo-y room and the air conditioning was turned up so high I had goosebumps.
That's not an exaggeration.
Next time, I will have a sweatshirt, alternate writing methods and a better spot to work.
Happy Tuesday!
Behave!

Contest!!

Megan Hart is having an awesome contest!

If you've never read a book by Megan, you have no idea what you're missing. No idea at all. Megan writes the kind of books that stay with you days after you've finished reading. "Dirty" and "Broken" are out already. Go. Buy them. You won't be sorry.

(Note and Disclaimer: Before you click on the book trailer at the bottom, notice the book cover clearly states "An Erotic Novel". 'nuff said?)

Click To Play

Click To Play

Go - Check it out!

Not as silly...

The dog felt it necessary to try to fit through the tightest spots. She was lucky she didn't fall off the bank since this path was really close to the edge.
Makes me laugh though...it looks like she's playing hide and seek. She'd been chasing bees, which always cracks me up...until she catches one, eats it and then vomits everywhere.
But you probably didn't need to hear that.
Rehearsals start today...
Here we go again.
Behave!

Silly...

Any guesses??

A Picture...

Anomaly pic.
This was taken Friday night at camp. (Notice how crazy my dog's eyes look - in the full size pic they're red.)
I don't know what the blue circle is. Reducing the size doesn't do anything for the impact of the picture. I've blown the round thing up and the blue swirls with lighter blue at the center. My photo software program is kind of outdated, so I couldn't do a lot with it. I find it interesting, but in no way am I saying this is an orb or anything like that. It was pretty easy to dismiss the other pics with circular spots, except for two others - one with a green glow and one with a similar blue tone.
I guess it could be, except I don't know enough about them to be qualified to judge. I've been doing a lot of research on them, among other paranormal things. Maybe it's a bug, a reflection, or some glitch in my already nearly-defunct camera.
Anyway. I thought it was neat - especially when coupled with my dog's creepy eyes. So there you have it. Something to ponder on a hot Friday afternoon.
The main reason I posted this is because, fact and research aside, the ideas and scenarios inspire me. I mean, what if it's a fairy or something? Or a tiny alien?
I'm cultivating an idea for a new book and I like the ideas that pop into my head when I'm studying similar-type pictures. (Which is why I've been doing so much ghost picture searching)
There you have it.
Enjoy the weekend!
Behave!

Something Pretty...

Early morning at camp.
I only missed it once out of the three mornings we were there.
This picture was taken at the end. I love to watch the mist swirl, shift into nearly a funnel and dissipate. It's soothing and fills my brain with tons of interesting thoughts and ideas.
Our camper is positioned in such a way that if it hadn't been so darned cold this weekend, I could watch the mist from bed. Still, we sat in front of the camper, bundled up in sweats and drinking coffee, watching the fog shift and change.
This was possibly our last campout of the year and was very quiet. My parents were the only ones in the meadow, besides us. My sister and her husband were busy with work on their house, my brother was away elsewhere, other friends were dealing with post knee surgery limitations, add the passing of my brother-in-laws grandmother (the matriarch of the meadow) and the weekend was subdued.
We might do a fall campout - if we can coordinate everyone's schedule and pick a weekend that isn't full. That kind of makes me laugh (in a sarcastic kind of way). Tonight the younger K's are auditioning for their very first play, 'Alice in Wonderland, Jr'. Seriously, what do you think our chances of having a free weekend are?
I'm still hopeful though.
Behave!

Weirdness...

So, the practical jokes have started around here again.
Last night I pulled the covers back on the bed and found K2's hideous Halloween mask on my pillow. She asked me about it this morning, and was offended I wouldn't give said mask back. (Oh, I did - just not in the way she wanted. It's waiting for her. ha)
On the not so practical, or jokey side...
Someone must have rested their elbow, or done something, to a brand new tube of toothpaste. It's nearly gone now. I found a huge puddle of blue goo on the bathroom counter. And I found a pirate hat, sword and gold hoop earring in the bathroom. Don't ask me...
This morning was one of those mornings. You know what I mean, the mornings you swear aliens have kidnapped your reasonably self-sufficient children and replaced them with impatient, helpless beings. I'll save you from the details. Right on time though. This is usually when things fall apart a little. My sister reports similar alien child replacement at her house this morning.
Anyway.
That's all I have right now...
Behave!

Fun Stuff...

Back from a weekend of camping! Rested and tired - if that makes any sense.
Anyway...
Stole this from Natalie.

Google the phrase "(Your name) looks like" and find the best ones from the first page of results.
Okay, here we go:

Victoria looks like a crack whore.
Victoria looks like she woke up on a bar room floor and went...
Victoria's head is bigger than her body. She looks like a freak!
Victoria looks like a 6 year old bridesmaid with a lollipop head.

I know you were only supposed to go through the first page, but there was only 2 there so I kept going. Kind of sad though...I mean, not one nice thing?

Oh well...
Hope your Labor Day was laboring!
Behave!