Monthly Archives: February 2009


I had planned to blog a bit last night, but I had a board meeting for the writer’s foundation and didn’t get back until well after nine. The downside of living outside established urban areas is that anywhere I need to be is a drive.

There were a lot of issues to address and it reminded me a bit of the old days when I was a teacher, but in a good way.

I spent yesterday morning commenting on blogs, and it generated quite a bit of traffic here, but it is time consuming. The afternoon was the short story, which isn’t all that short anymore. And this morning? Well, the Internet was down. At least in our little hamlet.

We awoke to a cold snap which had frosted the known world and hidden the rest in a thick white soupy mist. Fog and wireless internet are oil and water.

And I had stuff to do anyway. Grocery shopping now involves three different markets to visit due to availability of goods and prices. There was yoga. And then there was the short story – no longer short at all at 13,006 words.

One thing of interest to relate however; I heard from the writer who interviewed me for her book in 2007. She’d found me via my blog. I had written about using a problem solving technique she’s written about in Oprah. It was something she came up with for herself and she wrote about how she’d used it in her own life. I stumbled across it in 2006 and used it with my students and applied it to dating, when I first got back into it and it wasn’t going well at all. So, her book is done. She is sending me the “galley” to read. She gave me a fake name in the chapter I am in and disguised my story. I didn’t have to be incognito, but at the time of the interview I was a bit freaked out with someone tracking me down for my “story” on the Internet – even if she did know Oprah.

If she will let me, I will read it and review it here for all of you after it’s released. Otherwise, once it’s out, I’ll give you the title and you can hunt my pseudo-self down in it if you have nothing better to do. If you figure out who is me, let me know. Rob laughed when I told him my doppleganger’s name, so it apparently doesn’t fit me at all. But really, does a name fit? Or do we mold it to us over time?

Supper is calling. The preparation of it that is.


Remember that story I started last week? The one that was going to be about 8,000 words or so and done on Friday?

Yeah, it’s not done, and at 11,200ish words I am only about half-way. It will be done this week but not much else will be done. Including blogging. I am feeling dry where opining is concerned and that is so unlike me, but I just feel fictionish right now.

And a publicist at Random House sent me a book out of the blue hoping I would “read it and share my thoughts with my readers”. I have no clue how she got my mailing address or if brand spanking hot off the presses hardcover books from publishing heaven are going to be a regular occurrence from now on. But now I have another book on the “have to” read and review list.*

And that’s it. Nothing more to blog about today. Life is writing and husband and child and doing dishes by hand. There’s spin and yoga and MidKid’s cat puking in the garage because it may be bulimic. And it’s still winter.

Later.

*Yeah, I know the woman took a chance when sending it and I owe her nothing but  – did I mention it’s a hardcover? – I feel for the author. Someday I will want bloggers to read and write (favorably with luck) about me and I don’t want to spoil any future karma.


Facebook has this notebook thing that people treat as a blog or an overly personal journal.* So far I have been tagged by three different note meme’s. For Facebook. As if I am going to add FB to the already too long list of things I need to write.

My husband even tagged me.

A good meme idea too which meant there was no way I was going to waste it on Facebook.

Rules:
1. Put your music library on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song title as the answer to the question, no matter how silly it sounds! Most of the time they seem to work though, strangely enough.
4. Ok, go!
5. When you’re done, tag 20 people** in this note, and make sure to tag the person who sent you this.

Here are my answers:

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OK?” YOU SAY?
I Think I’ll Just Stay Here (The Gourds)

2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
I Got the Feelin (oh, no, no) Neil Diamond

3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Armagideon Time (The Clash)

4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I Hear You Knockin (Dave Edmunds)

5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Real World (Matchbox 20)

6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Chickaboom (Daddy Dewdrop)

7) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Hold Your Head Up (Argent)

8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
You Might Think (The Cars)

9) WHAT IS 2+2?
Ski Mask Way (Eminem)

10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Home of the Blues (JoaquinPhoenix)

11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Saturday Night (The Bay City Rollers)

12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Brooklyn Roads (Neil Diamond – live no less)

13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Chantal Kreviazuk/Feels like Home (Various Artists)

14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Kiss the Bride (Elton John)

15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
High highs, Low lows (The Gourds)

16) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Red Ragtop (Tim McGraw – though I am hoping that I have had my last wedding.)

17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Captain Sunshine (Fucking Neil D. again and still live.)

18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band – and I did not rig this.)

19) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Doctor! Doctor! (The Thompson Twins)

20) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Thrift Store Chair (Everclear. Totally random this shuffle thing.)

21) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Peg (Steely Dan – and of course I won’t ’cause I don’t blog on Facebook but if you choose to do this you can do as you please.)

No one is tagged. But if you would like to share a song title that defines you at this moment or one that answers one of the meme’s queries, feel free. I always love to hear whatever you have to say.

*Which I seriously wish some of them would not do. Seriously. When I think it is TMI – we are talking me here – it’s time to step far away from the keyboard.

**It’s FB, people. The assumption is that everyone who hasn’t hidden there profiles has a friends’s list in the hundreds.