I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by my daughter, Vanessalee, so I have to play, right?

Players offer eight random habits/facts about themselves. If you're tagged, you need to write your own blog about your eight things and post these rules. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to tag and list their names.

Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

• So ... eight random facts about me..... 1. I used to be a serious morning person. I'd wake up at 5:00 every morning and be at my computer, ready to write by 6:00. In the past couple of years my body clock has been shifting, and now it's tough for me to write much before about 9:00 in the morning. 2. Thanks to parents who read to me, I learned to read when I was about 4 years old. Apparently, my mother read to me one day while trying to get me to nap. Of course, Mom fell asleep before I did, and I woke her up a couple of times asking what words were out of the book she'd been reading. At some point, she woke up enough to realize that I wasn't just reciting the words, I was actually reading. Mom and Dad tested me by asking me words from the newspaper (easy ones, of course) and I could read them. 3. When I was also about 4, I was seriously bothered by a little boy in my pre-school who wanted to kiss me all the time. One day, I decided to "stink" him away by putting on my mother's perfume. I'm not sure why I thought this would work unless I didn't particuarly like Mom's perfume. All I do know is that it didn't work. 4. One of my favorite places on earth is Yellowstone National Park. 5. Both of my daughters and my granddaughter were born in the same month I was. 6. I am a middle child. 7. I quit my Evil Day Job more than ten years ago, but I still occasionally have nightmares that I'm working for my former boss and that I'm going to be late to work. 8. My oldest daughter's friends all call me "Mummie." Who am I going to tag?
• Donna
• Niki
• Deb
• Kay
• Anna
• Jeannie
• Nicole
• Amy

It Drives Me Crazy

So I was clicking around the internet today and found a meme called Heads or Tails. The subject for the day is either Pets or Pet Peeves, and I'm debating which one to talk about. On the one hand, nobody wants to hear somebody complaining -- do they? Judging from some of the blogs I've stumbled across, maybe they do. On the other hand, I've talked about my pets so much, you're probably all sick of hearing about them. On the third hand, there are plenty of things that drive me crazy, so how would I pick just one peeve to call my pet?

So then I think maybe I should blog about peeves I have about my pets -- but that would probably be defeating the whole purpose of the Heads or Tails concept. So okay, I'll try to narrow my list of peeves down to one.

If I must pick one (and I must because I refuse to list all my peeves and alientate everyone who visits here) I'll pick tailgaters. Not the folks who get together for barbecue and what-not before football games, but the original tailgaters. The jerks who travel behind you on the freeway at 70 mph, leaving all of about 2" between your rear bumper and their front one. The idiots who actually believe they're in control of anything in this world, and who think they can anticipate everything that's going to happen on their journey.

There isn't much that happens on the road that irritates me as much as someone riding my bumper when I'm driving somewhere, and it especially irks me when I have my granddaughter in her car seat which, by law, has to be in the back seat of the car which, by definition, is the first place the idiot in back of me will destroy when he plows into me if I breathe wrong.

Yep, that's my top peeve -- at least today :)

One Writer's Tool Kit

Every once in a while, someone gives me a tool kit for writers. It's always very crafty and cute, and it contains things like a handful of lifesavers, an eraser, a tiny chocolate bar, and other clever things that make me smile. But what if I were creating a real tool kit for writers? What would I put in it? 1. A copy of Dwight Swain's book, Techniques of the Selling Writer. The examples are a little outdated, but this book is gold in my opinion, and it's much more powerful than any of its counterparts. 2. Paper. A case, at least. 3. A laptop computer. One of the really lovely things (again in my opinion) about being a writer for a living is that you can work anywhere. Being chained to a desk kind of wipes out that perk. 4. Toner. 5. A printer. 6. A copy of The Writers Journey, Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. I resisted this book for a long, long time just because I'm stubborn. I tend not to get excited about the latest fad, and this book was it for a while. When I finally did take the time to read it, much of what Vogler said made a great deal of sense. 7. Membership in a professional writer's organization. No organization is going to help you get published or stay published, but the association with other writers in this solitary business and the exchange of industry information is invaluable. 8. An extra measure of persistence. Talent is wonderful, but time after time I've seen persistent writers who appear to have a small amount of natural raw talent achieve publishing success while writers who seem to have a great deal of natural talent let their writing ability lie dormant. I'm grateful for every ounce of talent I've been blessed with, but over the years I've come to realize that an even greater gift is my desire and ability to keep going when the road gets rough. 9. A support system. I don't mean a cheering section filled with people who tell us how wonderfully we write, but a real live support system made up of people who understand why we don't answer the door and the phone, who don't try to talk us out of going to critique group or that writing group meeting, who don't interrupt when we're writing, who understand that a whisper is as loud as speaking in your regular voice when you are interrupting and that a five minute phone call can end your work day. These people get the fact that most of us can't write as quickly as we can type, and understand how much work we're doing when we're staring out the window, at the ceiling or into space. They don't have to read a word I write to be invaluable to me and to my career. 10. A never-ending gift certificate to an office supply store. I haven't met a writer yet who wasn't also addicted to office supplies :)

Plodding along

I spent a few hours this week working through plot points—didn’t get much written, but I have a much better idea where the rest of the story is going to go now!

See more progress on: Meet my next deadline

Thursday Thirteen #6

Thirteen TV Shows I Loved as a Kid

1. Here Come the Brides. I've blogged about this one before because I was so excited to find season one on Netflix. I had the biggest crush on Robert Brown who played Jason Bolt.

:::sigh:::

2. The Mod Squad. Oh my. I wanted to be Julie, and I was so desperately in love with Pete I remember getting teary eyed just watching him. I was also so young!!!!!

3. Bewitched. I'm still half convinced that if I could just twitch my nose the right way, I could actually perform magic. In fact, I'm so convinced, I'm not going to clean my house again until I can actually make it work.

4. That Girl. Oh, the excitement! Living on her own in New York! It almost left me breathless. Some day, I swore, I'd be Ann Marie. I still haven't made it.

5. Rawhide. Was there anyone cooler anywhere than Rowdy Yates?

6. The Red Skelton Show. I loved the idea of making people laugh without uttering a word, and Red was the best at pantomime.

7. Bonanza. I was desperately in love with Little Joe (are you sensing a recurring pattern here???) but Adam was also tremendously cool, and Hoss had his own kind of charm. I probably would have taken any one of the three Cartwright boys if they'd asked.

8. The Virginian. I'm adding this one only because I can explain that I loved this show right up until Dan Duryea (?) ignored my fan letter and did not send me an autographed picture of himself. I'm not one to hold a grudge, but you'll notice old Dan's picture isn't here today.

9. Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Absolute magic on a Sunday evening. I can still remember shows I saw once as a kid and never saw again, and I'm still a huge Disney fan.

10. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I was madly in love with Napoleon Solo. He was so suave. So debonair. Illya Kuriyakin wasn't bad, either, actually.

11. Rowan and Martin's Laugh In. Loved to watch it, but always felt slightly scandalous when I did. It was so daring. LOL.

12. Marcus Welby, M.D. And so began my lifelong love affair with James Brolin.

13. The Carol Burnett Show. Had a bit of a crush on Lyle Waggoner, but I just loved Carol and her sense of humor. Still do. I could watch those old reruns today and laugh out loud.

And one more, for good measure -- Alias Smith and Jones which I can't forget about because, well, of course, I was madly in love with Kid Curry because I was dating a guy who looked a lot like Ben Murphy, and his best friend who, coincidentally was dating my best friend because that's just how it works, you know, looked like Pete Duel, who played Hannibal Hayes.

Remembering

Mom and Dad Fall Leaves 2003, originally uploaded by sherrylewisb.

Four years ago, I spent a day driving my parents through the mountains so they could see the fall leaves. We were a little late getting out to take our drive because I had a book due, and my mom and dad were content to wait until I'd shipped it off to my editor. My dad, who had lost most of his eyesight to macular degeneration, sat in the front seat, where, if he turned his head just-so, he could actually see well enough to take pictures of the scenery. We had a great time that day, even though the leaves were nearly gone. I'd expected the air to be cool and crisp, but you can see by what my mom and dad were wearing that it was actually quite warm. My dad passed away last October, before I could take them out to see the leaves again, and as the leaves begin to turn this year, I find myself thinking about the last time we drove up into the mountains to look at the leaves together. I'm so glad I snapped a couple of pictures of my parents that day.

Unconscious Mutterings

I've finished the manuscript and it's on my editor's desk, but I'm still having trouble coming up with ideas to blog about. I think it's because I got only 2 hours of sleep a night for more than a week as I tried to finish the book on time. Last night, just when I was starting to think I might be getting close to feeling human again, I made the mistake of eating a couple of bites of Szechuan Beef, and stayed up most of the night battling heartburn. I'm way too tired to think tis morning, so here's another meme.

--- --- --- --- --- I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Rita :: Rudner. Is that her name? Comedian. Dark hair. Okay, I just Googled her and yes, I got her name right. I was reading her bio and discovered that she and her husband wrote the script for "Peter's Friends" which is kind of an English version of "The Big Chill." "Peter's Friends" stars Hugh Laurie, Kenneth Branaugh and Emma Thompson, to name just part of the cast. My second thought was the RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, which is odd, I think. Not that I would think of the RITA, but that it would be my second thought behind Rita Rudner whose name I wasn't even sure of. I mean, I'm going to be President of RWA next year, so you'd think .... well, who knows how the mind works, 'eh?
2. Comedy :: Central. I'm not sure what else to say about this one.
3. Polar :: Bear.
4. Idiots :: Oh, don't get me started! You know who I'm particularly annoyed with at the moment? Those people who try to get around traffic by driving down the shoulder of the freeway. You've got 4 or 5 lanes of people ground to a completely stand-still because up ahead somewhere, somebody threw a gum wrapper out of their car and everybody else had to stop and look, and then some idiot decides he's more important than anyone else and decides to drive up the shoulder of the road so he can get to the next exit faster.
5. Perception :: There is no reality, only perception. That's why there's no "right" or "wrong" about most things. That's why people who feel some sort of divine calling to set the rest of the world straight (as in trying to force the rest of us to think their way) are high on my "Idiots" list, too.
6. Infected :: Wound.
7. Fake :: Boobs.
8. Relating :: One of the hardest parts of being a human being - relating to other human beings, especially when we let ourselves start thinking of each other as idiots!

9. Distraction :: Anything that keeps me from working when I should be working. Sadly, this does not have to be something big, or important, or even interesting. If I'm not on my toes, I can be distracted by just about anything, for unspecified periods of time.
10. Gamble :: Anything in life that involves risk.

On my way...

Last night, I remembered that I started a list of things I want to do on a website called 43 Things. I started creating my list, and then I guess got stopped with about 11 out of 43 entered. In my post-deadline dementia, that place between writing frantically and not sleeping and starting the next book, I decided to play with my list. one of the things I've always wanted to do is Visit All the National Parks in the US.

So far, I’ve been to:

Acadia National Park Adams National Historical Park Arches National Park Black Canyon of the Gunnison Bryce Canyon National Park Canyonlands National Park Dinosaur National Monument Glacier National Park Grand Canyon National Park Grand Teton National Park Kenai Fjords National Park Mesa Verde National Park Minute Man National Historical Park Redwood National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Roosevelt Campobello National Park Yellowstone National Park (my favorite!!!) Yosemite National Park Zion National Park

I’ve seen the:

Big Hole National Battlefield Jefferson National Expansion Monument (St. Louis Arch) Lincoln Home National Historic Site Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Mount Rushmore National Memorial Timpanogos Cave National Monument

I’ve been on many places along the:

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail Oregon National Historic Trail Pony Express National Historic Trail

See more progress on: visit all the National Parks in the US

Thursday Thirteen #5

Thirteen Things I Know Nothing About

1. Chemistry. I think that's enough said about that!

2. Cold fusion. (Which may actually have something to do with chemistry, and then again may not, and the fact that I don't know just shows you how true #1 is.)

3. Engineering.

4. Breeding Emus.

5. Entemology -- and I don't want to know anything about it, thankyouverymuch.

6. Construction

7. Physics (are you noticing a trend?)

8. Wine tasting, but, you know, I'm willing to learn.

9. DNA -- I slept through it in class, slept through it in Jurassic Park . . . snooze. I'm fascinated by the results, but don't ask me to explain or understand them!

10. Physiology

11. Hinduism

12. Glass blowing.

13. Men.

Wordless Wednesday

The Maine Coast, originally uploaded by sherrylewisb.

Friday's Feast #2

Appetizer: Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?

Exhausted

Soup: What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?

I love the cooler temperatures - moderate days with cool nights for sleeping. I also love the colors of autumn. Fall leaves are one of my favorite things ever.

Salad: Have you ever had any bad experiences online?

Not really (knock wood.) Not yet, anyway.

Main Course: Name three things that make you happy daily.

• My kids and my grandbaby.
• My dog Angel's curly tail. It makes me giggle.
• Having time to read, and plenty of books to choose from!

Dessert: What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?

My little scrubby thingie that I'm sure has a name, but I'm too lazy to go look!

Thursday Thirteen #4

Thirteen Things I Did Today

1. Got out of bed. This was much tougher than it sounds. After months of super hot days and sweltering nights during which my "swamp" cooler didn't cool, the temperature last night dipped to a lovely, cool 51 degrees. My bedroom was just right, my bed comfortable, my pillows exquisitely soft and in just the right position. I really didn't want to get up.

2. Drove my daughter to work. We're sharing a car right now because hers needs some repairs. I, being the big pushover mom that I am, let her take my car to work most days. Some days it doesn't bother me; some days it does. Since I had plans later today, I drove her to work, which means that . . .

3. I changed out of my usual deadline meeting outfit (pajamas) and into actual street clothes suitable for seeing strangers and passing myself off as a normal human being.

4. Stopped at the grocery store for milk and rawhide dog bones (much needed distraction for when I leave home for aforementioned plans).

5. Wrote a chapter in my book that's now 5 days past due. Luckily, the characters cooperated, and I finished the chapter in about 2 1/2 hours.

6. Pulled myself out of deadline funk mode and actually applied makeup to my face. I also did something more ambitious with my hair than I usually do when I'm on deadline.

7. In the midst of all this unusual activity, I gave rawhide dog bones to the dogs. I have to do it that way, because if I give them the bones as I'm leaving, they refuse to take them and then, in retaliation for the attempted bribe, they inventory any garbage I forgot to carry out with me and sometimes even decorate the living room with shredded toilet paper. I have discovered that the timing of the bribe is everything!

8. Drove across the valley to meet author buddies RaeAnne Thayne and Nicole Jordan for lunch. Had a wonderful couple of hours talking about author stuff. Thanks again, Nicole! I owe you one!

9. Picked up my daughter from work since the end of lunch and the end of her work day coincided quite neatly. I sat in the shade of a large oak tree for about 15 minutes waiting for her to come out of her office, during which time I . . .

10. Started reading the book my book club is reading this month: TENDING ROSES by Lisa Wingate. It's too soon to have much of an opinion yet, but the few pages I've read were well written and pulled me in to the story. I'm eager to get back to it.

11. Decided which restaurant I'd like my kids to take me for my birthday tomorrow. With Ian leaving for the Middle East in just 10 days and Vanessa planning to spend half of the time he's gone in Missouri with his family, the only thing I want for my birthday is time with my family. So my kids are taking me to Red Lobster for my birthday dinner tomorrow.

12. Developed a sudden, intense craving for ice cream in a waffle cone which I indulged with my very first visit to Stone Cold Creamery. What can I say? Tomorrow's my birthday. It was all the excuse I needed.

13. Wrote another chapter of the WIP while also watching the live double eviction show on "Big Brother." Yeah, I know, it seems weird, but when I was a kid doing my homework, I needed background noise. My sister needed absolute quiet to do her homework. I did mine to reruns of "Perry Mason." The TV in the background thing still works for me. I don't know why. Maybe it's because it keeps the work from feeling like work. Or maybe I'm just extremely odd. All I know is that silence doesn't work for me when I'm writing, and music only works some of the time. However, I will clarify this by saying that the TV in the background really has to be TV in the background. Reruns work well because I don't have to pay attention to follow the plot. Shows on the Food Network or HGTV work well for the same reason. There's no plot, so I can tune in or tune out as necessary because I know that the recipes and/or instructions will be available online. I can't write while watching a movie or a show I've never seen before.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Mama Pajama (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants