THANKS! (and update)

I want to thank each and every one of you for your comments and support. I was going to respond individually, but I just don't have it in me. But HUGE HUGS to all of you. I appreciate everything y'all said. me=still puny. Oh. And now we've added nauseous and fevery to the mix. It's nonstop fun people. :(

Update: I called the nurse line today. *scuffing toe* She said that if I didn't get into the doctor in the next 72 hours, I would qualify for a "dire emergency." Now, if that doesn't scare the crap out of someone. So, I immediately phoned my PCP. I'm in at 2:30 tomorrow. That's central time. Please keep me in your thoughts. Even though it may just be an appendix, I do NOT like going to/being at/being prodded at the doc's. And if I have to have surgery of a sort...*shuddering*...I'm SO not well with this.

So, no writing. Ha. To say the least. I'll be writhing and moaning over here (and not the good kind) until tomorrow afternoon. But, ya know, I'm a blog addict. So I had to logon and share my misery. heh
Crystal*

Broken promises and puniness

1 a : a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified

Ya think?
Unfortunately my friend has now broken the same promise to me. Twice. I'm so pissed you could fry an egg on my forehead. Why do people make promises? Usually a promise is made to either refrain from or do something. This one was refraining. That has since been shot straight to hell. me=boiling

And the puniness? I feel like hell. Literally. I think it's my appendix. I need to haul my cookies down to the doctor and have him/her check me out. I KNOW! I need to. Really. I'll have to pencil that in sometime. 'Cause I feel crappy.

I think I'm going to go lay down. After I go dry four sets of laundry. And make sure everyone has had dinner.
Crystal*

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

After much scrambling and such, I finally procured my copy. And I finished it in under five hours.
I won't spoil anything for anybody. Because if someone did that to me, I'd be exceptionally pissed. But here's my take on it.

I loved it. I enjoyed it so much more than the last one, it was unbelievable. It was informative. Almost as if you could feel the drawstrings pulling tighter around the story. I believe there are also several clues in this one which will serve readers well in the last book. And everything, as I'm sure y'all will notice, is NOT what it appears. I cling tightly to this theory.

Is it sad? Yes. I'm getting a headache right now because the last sixty pages or so will rip your heart out. No names mentioned, but don't say I never warned you.

I'm sincerely hoping Book 7 is as this one. The fourth movie will be out in November, and that will be great fun to watch. But there really is nothing like the written word. Especially Harry Potter's.
Grins*

Ah. Almost forgot. I have a $10 Wal-Mart gift certificate for the first person who points out the error on page 10. Good luck!

And we thought writing was difficult

There have been two notable additions to the anonymous literary blogs. One is Miss Snark, literary agent http://misssnark.blogspot.com/ and the other is Agent007 http://agentoo7.blogspot.com/.

Miss Snark is just that. A snarky agent with fangs for teeth and a wicked tongue. Highly enjoyable to read. But it seems that all she's dishing is snark. Her slush pile is pathetic. Her time is precious. And don't you dare breathe the same air she's breathing unless your head is out of your ass. So to speak. And who can blame her?
Agent 007 is a little kinder and gentler. He tells it like it is. But his is a softer approach. And more informative as of right now.

The trials and tribulations of being an agent must be enormous. Snark seems to dismiss anyone and everyone she feels isn't worthy. Agent tries to be empathetic. Snark will verbally tear you a new one. Agent will try to explain his side of the story.
I'm waiting for a little empathy to trickle through Snark's blog. She obviously knows her job. But in my mind, I see a baracuda sitting at her desk typing out some of the harshest words known to man. I see Agent as a man with a desk full of papers and a mug to his right.
Quite a different picture.

And on being anonymous? Yes. I'm sure it's a perk. You can say what you want about pretty much whomever you want. But I think we all know that unfounded ugliness will come back around. Never fails. It's karma for want of a better word.
I'll continue to read both because I AM trying to glean as much as I can from those more experienced. Imagine that.
Grins*

Today and tomorrow

Today I've written on both my contemporary and erotic romance. I've typed about 1500 on the former, and 2200 on the latter. I'm almost ready to wrap it up for the day.
Me=tired

And tomorrow? There will be no blogging. Well, depending on when I purchase my Harry Potter book. If I bring it home early enough, I may have time to blog about it tomorrow evening. Otherwise, don't even think I'll be doing anything else but immersing myself in Mr. Potter's story. Can't WAIT! *rubbing hands together*

Of course, this means I must finish all my chores today like a good girl so that I actually have time tomorrow to myself to read. SIGH
One must do what one must do.
Happy reading!!!
Grins*

Melting Pot

When something first forms, it searches for the spot where it fits in. A movie, book, or television show will automatically be categorized. It goes into a certain slot, and it's judged amongst others in its group.

But lately the line is blurring. Country music is finding its way onto pop radio. Rap and rock are filtering through Country. Many television shows are cross-genre now. Books have several different elements in them.
Lines? What lines?
There are no purist media anymore. And those who cling so tightly to it? Times, they are a changing.
Media is evolving. It's taking different pieces and melding them into something even greater. And the resulting product will be sure to change even more.
So let's embrace the melting pot of media. It will continue to shape our thoughts and ideas.
And those that don't meld? Don't fit?
Those are the pioneers. And we need them as desperately as we do the classics. If not more.
Grins*

Boot straps

I watched "Montel" today. It was the episode about self-made millionaires. The owner of Ellora's Cave was on. All the stories were so inspirational, I was enthralled.
These women had NOTHING. Literally.
I love the fact that they had that need, that spark, to find the one thing in themselves that they were meant to do.
More of us need to listen to that voice deep inside us.

Now for an update of my writing endeavors. I'm going to be working on an erotica and a book for a Sil. line. I'm about 20,000 words in on the erotica. I've only just started the romance. I'll also be working on some short stories for a few anthologies. It seems I can whip those out pretty quickly. And once again, I need to FOCUS!!
Oh. And not be distracted by everyday life. Demmit.

Harry Potter comes out Saturday. Book 6. *swooning* Love me some Harry Potter.
This translates into me reading it the first time in one day so I can continue my own writing. Dang J.K. Rowling! She's killing me! Another author who started with nothing and made something of herself. Hmmmm. I'm sensing a pattern here.
Grins*

Me: To a "T"

Main Entry: an·ti·so·cialPronunciation: "an-ti-'sO-sh&l, "an-"tI-
Function: adjective
Date: 17971 : averse to the society of others : UNSOCIABLE
2 : hostile or harmful to organized society; especially : being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm - an·ti·so·cial·ly /-sh&-lE/ adverb

This is me. Antisocial. And I'm baaaaaaaad. In the real world, you know-when my ass isn't in this seat "working", I don't get out and socialize. I shun the phone. Shun it. Hate it. Loathe every wire attached to it. Ours is not a pretty relationship.

I find myself working my ass off to write. This only makes sense. It is, after all, my chosen profession. But I also find myself avoiding people. Like the plague.
And this is awful. I KNOW THIS. I accept this. And I feel like crap because of it.
There are a lot of good people in my life that I simply MUST find time to carve out for them. I'm not talking the chickens. They TAKE the time. LOL And so do I. I'm talking about some of my friends.
I have a friend who I recently semi-reconnected with. She's called me three times. Have I returned her calls? No. Been busy. Pitiful, huh? My nose is so far down to the grindstone, it's flat at the end.
There's another friend I desperately need to call. Have I? Um...no. See the pattern? And then there's the thought that maybe I'm disturbing their lives or something. (See? Told you I need professional help)
I don't want to leave the house. I want to write. I'm like some crazed lunatic jonesing for a literary fix. Me=serious help. heh

Ya know...I'm sure the cord stretches that far. It has to. I mean, I've shopped before. No repercussions. And get this...the free massage certificate my sister gave me for my birthday...it expires in like TWO MONTHS. I need to schedule an appointment before I miss out.
I know I have tunnel vision. ESPECIALLY when it comes to my writing. But do y'all get like this? Or am I the only antisocial one?
Grins*

Twice in one day!

Woo!
I've been productive today. Damn. Who'd a thought?
The only things I haven't done are finishing adding the links to the side of my blog and bloghopping today.

I critiqued a chapter for my CP. I finished and submitted a Torrid short story. HOT! HOT! HOT! And I've blogged.
And on the domestic front, I've done dishes and laundry.
This has to be some kind of record. heh

Maybe tomorrow will be just as good. Or...um...mebbe I'm pushing it.
Grins*

Taking it on faith AKA believing characters when they're forced to do the unbelievable

Long title, eh? *laughing*

I was watching "The Dead Zone" on USA last night. LOVE it. SO happy that someone is playing new episodes of something I watch. It's great on so many levels, and I LOVE the psychic angle. And Anthony Michael Hall? That boy has grown up since his teenage flicks. Ahem...but I digress.

There was a moment in time when Johnny helped himself to a document that he needed to break a case and find a missing woman. When the document was later brought up to press a key player for what he knew...the man didn't raise hell and wonder how Johnny got the document. Nope. Didn't ask. Didn't have a lawyer. Nada. He simply gave up the information.
Now. I looked at the clock. It was about a quarter til. That meant they had to wrap the story up at a rapid rate of speed for it to end on the hour.
I realize that a TV show must take shortcuts sometimes for these things to happen. I know that. It's really only 40-45 minutes of show and 15-20 minutes of commercials.
But there are times when I look at moments like this and want to pull my hair out. Because to me, it's passed over from "real" to a "device." I don't like the glitches. Seamless, man. Seamless.

It's when Phoebe of "Charmed" fame gets a new boyfriend every so many episodes so she can go through the "It's so hard being a witch, I'll never find a man" syndrome. And in this vein, I ask: WHY oh WHY did they kill off Billy Zane? He is yummy. Bet he had a movie to make or something. SIGH
It's when a character off of ANY detective/crime drama finally steps forward with evidence that was needed. Their guilt or conscience (i.e. the writers or producers) made them do it. And then the day is saved.

Sometimes I don't need the "packaged" ending. I want the messy one. And if the ending is "packaged" then I want all the events leading up to it to make sense and be cohesive.
Because when characters of any sort pull this, I tend to listen to them less and less. Their credibility is SHOT.
Grins*

What she said

Isn't it human nature to side with someone who feels the same way as you? Say there are two opinions. One is WITH you, the other...not so much.
The word of the day is objectivity.
I admit, I have a hard time with this in my writing. I LOVE to write. I LOVE what I do.
And every once in awhile, when something is pointed out that needs to be changed, I tend to act like a rebellious thirteen-year old. "It's fine. So and so's editor let THEM get away with it. Why do THEY get to do that, and I don't? All my other writing friends are doing it."
I'm not talking about my editor. I'm simply talking about opinions in general.
What I do is simple. I give it space and time. And when I've calmed down enough to see straight and not act like an ass, I look at it objectively. If the opinion is valid, then I change it. If it's not, then I keep my words without changing them. But I have to LOOK at the opinion before I can see if there is a change needed. And many times, it's just what I need. Quite humbling, that.
No one in my little circle of friends off the Internet is able to give me the kind of help I'm looking for. And so I pester my lovely writing friends on the 'net, and pick their brains. Or pick something up from their website or blog. Invaluable.
And even if I don't agree with something at first, I take the second look. And I see the opinion for what it's worth...a valuable commodity. And I appreciate it.
Grins*

Power strip hell

Power strip hell. Also known as "Get the fire extinguisher, Martha, and put the insurance guy on speed dial!"

I went shopping today. Piddly shopping. I finished my list and went around to the thrift stores. And what should I find? A Nintendo 64. For under twelve dollars.
The chickens were dancing and almost wetting their pants. Never mind they have a PS2. Nope. Forget a big bunch of that. It was a NINTENDO. *cue "Hallelujah" chorus*
It didn't have any controllers or games. But I remedied that. It's called a pawn shop. And therein shall be cheap controllers and games. And let there be joy amongst the chickens. And it was so.

Until I tried to hook everything up.

Let me explain something to y'all. I don't know shit about hooking up ANYTHING. Exaggeration? Hell no. Truth. Fact. And dammit, I TRY!
Anyway...I look at the booklet. I look at the Nintendo. I look at the TV. Not a word is uttered. I once again gaze at all three in turn. And then I get to it. Repeatedly.
And it's not that hard. There is ONE piece of equipment I'm working with. And I didn't even have to go buy it. It was already IN THE BOX.
But lo and behold. It will not work. After much groaning and gnashing of teeth (and SEVERAL muttered expletives), I'm done. I unplug everything and just look at it, cursing its very existence.
I take a deep breath and plug everything back in. Oldest chicken turns on the TV.
And it's on.
*blinking*
Turns out that the AC adaptor decided it wasn't pushed in tight enough. Needless to say, I've taken headache pills, and life is looking up.

But the power strip by the TV? OH. MY. GOD. It's a clusterf*ck. And that's the nicest thing I can say. We've have the TV, pool pump, Nintendo, and various other chords here, there, and everywhere. It's skeery.
I'll unplug all the unnecessary goodies before bedtime. Or sleep with a fire extinguisher by my bed.
Grins*

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Exercise

All right. I'll admit it. I think of this as a necessary evil. I look at all those perky, pony-tailed chicks headed to the gym, and I want to do someone bodily harm. Them first. LOL
Then me.

Once upon a time, I used to exercise every day. Unfortunately, I've fallen out of the habit. And now I'm trying to pick it up again. Okay. Okay. I NEED to pick it up again. I have chairbutt. You know...when your cheeks are in a chair at least eight hours of the day, and they've taken to spreading out along the chair. *shaking head sadly* NOT a pretty sight.
So. I've taken up Tae Bo again. I enjoy it. And now, I must make myself do it. Ironically, I always feel better after I do. Sick, isn't it?
I've tried Denise Austin. I would tape her every morning for an hour on TV. Then when I got up, I would do it. That lasted for about two months. I refuse to do Richard Simmons. I just can't. Sorry. On a talk show, he works for me. Watching him do "the pony" doesn't. I've never tried Kathy Smith. But I've gone back to Tae Bo because it really feels like I'm doing something.
I still need to meditate. (My mind needs a little something, too.)
But my questions are these: Do you exercise? How do you find the time? What exercise do you do? How often? Do you use free weights? (I use 6 lb. weights) Do your kids do them with you? (My oldest does both with me) Do you have some type of exercise buddy?
Looking forward to the info.
Grins*

Cleavage and perception

I watched a two hour documentary-type show about "Cleavage" last night. A & E was running it. I was channel surfing, and there was literally NOTHING on. I switched back and forth with it and VH1. *I really DO need help* On another note, I had to be careful about the words I used because I really DON'T want to be googled and found under "Big T*ts." Mebbe that's just me. *laughing*

The "Cleavage" show was fascinating. I mean, they're boobs. What else needs to be said?
PLENTY.
There was a woman in 3 A.D. who had her breasts seared off because she wouldn't date a wealthy, landowner's son. She became St. Agatha.
A woman did an experiment to enhance her 34A to a 34DD. Some special bra was put on her, and she recorded the results. She said she has NEVER gotten so much attention.
Another woman saw that experiment and did one of her own. With cameras rolling, you could WATCH the people (yes, mainly guys) rubbernecking. She's regularly an A cup, but she transformed into a C or a D.
The biggest breast enhancement was from a French porn star who added 73 inches to her bustline. *mouth open in amazement*
A bodybuilder talked about getting her implants and how she could build up the muscles underneath them and have a whole different shape. Btw, implants are BIG in the female bodybuilding world.

But there's the flipside. Sure, you get the attention. But what kind of attention are you getting?
Unfortunately, some women are judged on their breast size. A study was done that showed that blue collar men prefer bigger busted women, while their white collar counterparts preferred smaller breasted women.
The ideology was that a bigger breasted woman had less intelligence. (I will refrain from profanity here, but you can insert any one you wish.) That's like saying a man with bigger balls is less intelligent than a man with smaller balls. WTF?
Helen Gurley Brown, of Cosmopolitan magazine fame, said it best. I'll paraphrase. "We'd like to think it would be easy to say that a woman with big breasts was stupid, and a woman with smaller breasts was smart. But I've known big-chested women with brains and flat-chested women who are as dumb as a board."

Now, for audience participation.
Does breast size matter in your romance novels? Do you see a curvy woman and automatically think bombshell ala Marilyn Monroe? Do you see a less curvy woman and think athletic? Are we perpetuating the myth of breast size in books? If you have a tart floating around in the pages, is she big-chested and small-brained?
To be honest, I tend to give my women an ample bosom. Once I hit twelve, it's all I've had to work with.
Grins*

Little Brother

We have a friend whose Mama kitty had kittens. They had been living under her house and not being particularly friendly. The Mama kitty had taught them to be wary of strangers.
The chickens had become enamoured of one of the tiger-striped kittens. He's got beautiful markings. And my friend, God bless her, risked life and limb to capture him. So we've adopted another boy kitty.
He has no name yet. And he's still very shy and scared. But I'll see if I can work with him and bring him out to be a cocky little piece of work like his big brother and psychotic sister. Shouldn't take long. LOL
Grins*

Big Brother

I saw something on the news last night which disturbed me. They had set up cameras all over the place in a state I can't remember. I'm thinking east coast.
They hired people to just sit there and watch any "suspicious characters."
Granted, some drug dealers were caught. The cameras certainly cleaned up one neighborhood. But here's my problem: lack of privacy.
Don't get me wrong. I am not approving of drugs, murder, robbery, etc. CERTAINLY NOT. But I am irritated by the lack of privacy. I do NOT want to be caught on tape working on a wedgie or wiping my nose. *shuddering* And then being on "World's Most Shocking Videos." Ya know.

And what exactly constitutes a "suspicious character"? I'm a thirtysomething white girl with a drawl. Am I a suspicious character? Hardly. But who can tell nowadays? There was a man in the city yesterday who robbed a bank with his wife and THIRTEEN year old son. Appalling, isn't it?

I simply think this will be another means of gaining access to things that need to be kept private. I LOVE my privacy. I covet it. And slowly, but surely, it is being taken away. The only place where I even have a smidget of privacy is in my own home. And since I have several children, that has gone the way of the wind, too.
I have rights. I suppose that being in a public place negates some of that. But isn't it a shame?
Grins*

Words have power

This has been said many times in many ways. Words have power. It's something we need to remember in our life. Many people do affirmations. Kacey has mentioned it in her blog http://www.thewritingspot.com/blog/.
Do I have affirmations? Of a sort. I have goals which I have posted on my desk. And I tell myself I can do it. Over and over again. Even when I falter, I pick myself up and move on. The last couple of days I've encounted a person who was rather a snob when it came to epublishing and my writing level. Never mind I've never met this person. Never mind they've never read a word of my work. The email was extremely condescending.
What did I do?
I deleted it. Very simple. Those words are gone. There are no remnants. And I know better. I know what I can do. I know what I'm capable of. Because I remind myself on a daily basis of what I want in my life. I want positive people and things around me. Positive begets positive. Negative begets negative.
Sometimes it's that simple. Being picky about what you want in your life. Embrace what helps. Ditch what doesn't.
Take care of yourself.
Grins*
addendum: I am WAY behind on adding links to my blog sidebar. I hope to finish that project this week. Me, being the techno goob I am, will do it in increments.

The grass is always greener...

How many of us have felt this at one point or another? There's another author/person who has it easy. There books/things are always the best. They have the newest gadget/whatnot made. Sometimes it looks better on THAT side of the fence. But let me share something with you.
You are where you are supposed to be in life RIGHT NOW. This very minute. This very second.
Amazing, isn't it?
We have choices. And your set of choices has brought you here. And now you have another set of choices. Big choices. Little choices. Career. Children. Love life. EVERYTHING.
There is no reason to think the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Cease and desist.
You have your own lawn to worry about.
Grins*

Slacking and weeding

Yes. I admit it. I've been slacking. I haven't visited other blogs, and I haven't blogged everyday.
I did, however, take the literary machete to my FG. All is well. I'm gonna live. And did I already tell everyone that I love my CP? *laughing*
Yesterday, I blew everything off. The dishes. The cleaning. By God, everything. And I went to a friend's house and relaxed. I'm always amazed it takes me leaving my own home to be able to accomplish this feat. I CANNOT relax at home. There's simply too much STUFF to do that. Everywhere my eyes can see, a mess to clean. ACK! Not conducive to my peace of mind.

And since I didn't even log on yesterday, I have several hundred emails. Here is the process: stroke out from seeing my mailbox number. Gasp for air. Somehow maintain consciousness while clicking on the sinister mailbox. Eyes widen as I scroll.
I probably do about four passes. First pass is obvious "don't read"s. Next pass is semi-important loop. Third pass is important loop. Last pass is usually emails from friends and associates.
I decided to blog first today and then tackle the damn mailbox. Pray for me.
Grins*