Friday Feast #1

Blogging while on deadline is a head-banger. Either you don't write like you should, or you don't blog like you should. Since I write for a living, blogging instead of writing just isn't an option, but I'm always a little embarrassed when I skip past my blog (yet again) and see how long it's been since I posted something. Since I have a September 1 deadline (yes, folks, that's tomorrow!) a November 1 deadline (gulp!) and an April 1 deadline, along with a whole slew of presidential responsibilities for RWA that will be hitting at the same time, I've decided to slip in the occasional meme to help out! So here's my newest one -- Friday Feast! Appetizer Who is the easiest person for you to talk to? The easiest person in the world? I'd have to say there are two -- my daughters. They know who I am, and I know who they are and, more importantly, we all accept the truth about one another. From the time they were little, the one thing I wanted most was to create an atmosphere where they felt emotionally safe in our home. Home, I always thought, should be a person's safe place to fall. It should be the place where, when you go there, you're okay exactly the way you are. I have to say that whether I succeeded completely in my quest or not, my daughters are my best friends in the world. Soup If you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose?

Ancient cities? Wow. I never think about ancient cities. Babylon, maybe? Or Rome. But don't ask me why.

Salad What is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed?

The births of my daughters and my granddaughter. Okay, so I wasn't actually in the room the moment my incredible little granddaughter entered the world at 27 weeks gestation, but I was there right up until that moment. Right up there with those events was the moment when, after having sung to, talked to, and read stories to that grandbaby through the walls of an incubator, I held her for the first time and when I spoke, she opened her eyes and looked up at me -- and I could see that she recognized me. That one can still make me tear up.

Main Course If you were a celebrity, what would you do for a publicity stunt?

Probably nothing. I'm old enough to know that all that stupid stuff usually comes back around to bite you. I'm into living my life honestly.

Dessert What do you consider the ideal age to have a first child?

24. No, 23. No, wait, 25. Somewhere between 20 and 40, I guess. It depends on the person, their partner, their body.

Thursday Thirteen #3

Thirteen People I'd Invite to Dinner if I Could

1. John Adams. I've been thoroughly fascinated with Mr. Adams, Dear Mr. Adams since reading "Those Who Love" by Irving Stone when I was a girl. Reading David McCullough's biography of Adams only reinforced my fascination with him, and I'd love to spend an evening talking with him about his view of the world, hearing about the American Revolution from someone who was so deeply involved, and finding out what he really intended for our government.

2. Mike Rowe. Let's forget about the fact that he's got a great voice that I could listen to for hours, and about the fact that he's seriously hot, even when he's swimming around in a vat of poo or crawling through poo, or doing any of the other things he does with poo every week on the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe." I'd love to have dinner with this man because he seems to have a terrific sense of humor, and there's something to be said about an intelligent man who can also make me laugh.

3. Steve Irwin, because even though I don't share the passion he had for crocodiles, I find anyone that passionate about something to be fascinating.

4. Lech Walesa, whose tireless work for freedom inspired Poland's eventual fall from the Iron Curtain. He had the courage to speak out at a time and in a place where speaking out simply wasn't done. For his efforts against communism, Walesa earned a Nobel Peace Prize, and was eventually elected as Poland's first president. In the 2002 Winter Olympics, when I saw him carrying a corner of the Olympic flag around Rice Stadium, I got tears in my eyes. I'd just like to hear what this man has to say.

5. Mary Todd Lincoln, who lost two children and a husband while living a very public life, and who lost a third son shortly after her husband's assassination. She was raised in the South, yet was married to the US President during the American Civil War. She may not have come through with flying colors, but the fact that she endured at all amazes me. I'd love to spend a couple of hours in her presence.

6. Queen Latifah, who has done it all, and continues to do it -- and do it well. She's beautiful, intelligent, and talented, and I'd like to hear what she has to say about a whole lot of things.

7. Elvis. Not because of the hips, or because of the music, or because of the fame. Actually, he's on the list despite all those things that eventually drowned out who he was and got the best of him. I'd probably prefer to invite Elvis the younger, because his true self was still close to the surface then, and because it's so incredibly depressing to spend time with someone who's self-destructing.

8. Maya Angelou, because she seems like an intelligent, grounded woman with a lot of interesting things to say. I love spending time around people with intelligence. Not necessarily education, although education is important. I'm talking about that deep, born-with intelligence that's present on a cell level. Ms. Angelou seems like one of those people.

9. My dad. One more dinner. I'd give almost anything.

10. Kurt Russell, just because he's about as hot as they come and I've had a thing for him for way too long to make a list like this and not put him on it. Besides, he's hot. And he seems well grounded. And he's hot. And he seems comfortable in his own skin -- which is hot.

11. Ellen DeGeneres. Because she can't open her mouth without making me laugh. She's a brilliant comedian, and I like her style. She is who she is, and she seems to find such joy in the small things she reminds me to do the same.

12. Victoria Holt because other than Carolyn Keene (who never actually existed) she's the first author whose books swept me away to far away places and who filled me with the desire to do what I do now.

13. Samuel Clemmens, aka Mark Twain. Not only one of this country's great authors, but a distant cousin (according to my grandmother, whose passion for family history is a legend in itself), a terrific wit, and an obviously intelligent man with a keen bent for political satire. Can you imagine how interesting he would be to talk with?

So there it is. My dream dinner party.

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Movies I've Watched Recently

• I've had this one on my embarrassingly long and old Netflix queue for a long time, and its number finally came up. I'm not a huge Keanu Reeves fan, but I generally like almost anything Sandra Bullock does. This one was all right. Not great, but not bad, either. It's not on my Oh My Gosh!!!! I have to own that list, but I might watch it again if I stumbled across it on cable.

• Somehow, when we rented this movie, we completely missed the option to set it so we could understand it. We watched the entire movie, able only to understand what Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett said. Once we figured out how to change our options, we rewatched the final story (set in Japan) just so we could figure out what the h*** was going on. I have to say, we didn't miss much without the dialogue -- now we just have to figure out whether that means the dialogue sucked, or the acting was superb.

• A few months ago, my daughter, who is living with me for the time being, got on a Gerard Butler kick. I'm still trying to figure out why. I wouldn't say he's a bad actor. Not at all. I'm just still trying to figure out what it is about him that makes her think he's so wonderful. This movie was ... mildly interesting. While I might watch it on cable if nothing else was on (including reruns of Deadliest Catch or Dirty Jobs) I also might opt to watch that rogue wave one more time.

• This one made it into the house because the same daughter is always on a Kevin Spacey kick. I wouldn't say this was one of Spacey's best. I'd opt for The Negotiator any day. But it was pretty good.

• This one was a completely forgettable film. Seriously. I barely remember anything about it. Another in a long string of mediocre films by Ms. Aniston, I'm afraid.

• Okay, there's something seriously wrong with the world when Kurt Russell -- Kurt Russell !!!!! -- plays the expendable Dad character in a movie. That's all I have to say about that.

• Another occasion where I was the casualty of the Gerard Butler "thing" going on at my house. Thoroughly unlikeable characters, decent acting.

• Because sometimes you just have to watch something you know is going to be good, mindless fun. There's something appealing about Jack Black, no matter what he's in, and this movie is no exception. This one was just good, stupid, fun.

• It's really hard to go wrong with Judi Dench. This isn't my favorite movie of hers, but it was enjoyable.

• Blood. Gore. War. Battle. Love? I was fascinated by the battle scenes, not so much by the plot. I might watch it again if nothing else was on.

• For anyone who doesn't already know, I'm a Western girl. Give me mountains and pine trees and horses and ranch property, and I'm pretty much yours, no matter what else you have going on. When you add Robert Redford, who was better in this movie than he's been in a long time, and Morgan Freeman, who is just a god when it comes to the movies, you've got a winner. Jennifer Lopez was definitely the draw here for me, nor did she carry this movie in any sense of the word, but I thought she held her own, which is a compliment, considering who she was on-screen with. The relationship between Einar and Freeman's character is worth getting the movie for.

• Can you see a pattern here? Gerard Butler, yet again. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this one. It's based on the novel by the same name by Michael Crichton. It's teetering right on the edge of my "I'd Like to Own This One" list.

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• I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to like this movie quite as much as I did. I am so not a fan of the news media, that I long ago burned out on Princess Diana news coverage. I watched this one because I wanted to see Helen Mirren's performance, and I have to admit, she blew me away. An incredible performance.

• Remember when Robin Williams was pretty much a guaranteed good time? Maybe it's just because he's getting older and slowing down, or maybe it's because he's out of rehab, but the last few things I've seen him in have been disappointments. This one doesn't fall quite far enough down to be a complete disappointment, but it didn't rise to the level of anything more than mildly amusing and completely predictable. Okay, yes, I'm being generous.

Thursday Thirteen #1

Thirteen Things I Should Own

1- A house on the shore, preferably in Maine.

2- A house in the mountains of Colorado or Utah.

3- This hat, because some day I'm going to the Kentucky Derby, and I'm going to need it!

4- This gown to wear at the Awards Ceremony at next year's RWA Conference in San Francisco. I mean, I do have to stand at the podium and have my face plastered on the big screen. I don't think it's too much to ask. 5- Of course, I also need the body to go with it, so let's just add that right now before we forget! 6- These sandals, ditto 7- At least five Park Hopper Passes so I can take my granddaughter to Disneyland or Disneyworld or Disneysomething. Yeah, I know she's only 10 months old, but I did promise!

8- My dream house:

9- With, of course, my dream patio:

10- Naturally, I'll need flat-screen TVs in several rooms of my house, cottage, and cabin.

11- These dishes:

12- A complete set of Nancy Drew books published before 1965, original hard cover designs. 13- Tivo.