Quote du Jour:
Leia: “I happen to like nice men.”
Han: “I’m nice men.”
–Empire Strikes Back

I had this sudden urge to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom last night. But only the beginning where Willie sings “Anything Goes” in Chinese. And I was dog tired but I watched that first few minutes anyway. And then got sucked in and watched my other favorite parts.

It was 1984 when that movie came out and I was so completely and utterly in love with Harrison Ford. My then-best friend and I went to see that movie at least three times during the summer. And I was 12. I drove my family nuts with the stupid soundtrack (I had it on LP… ya know… vinyl) and played it over and over and over again. I had the song memorized (I think I can still sing in Chinese to this day!) and I knew the entire dance routine too. It’s funny now when I think back on it, how silly I was.

Gawd. That seems so long ago now.

No writing done yesterday. My brain is tired. My brain just hurts. I must have stared at the stupid blinking cursor forever. I’ve been trying to come up with a good plot for the next installment of CHC but so far all I have is the heroine falls for the boss’s son. Um, okay. That is so not interesting. I need something spicy. And a name for my hero. He has no name. I need a good strong masculine sounding name, but that rolls off the tongue easily. I thought about the name Aidan but that is like so done (and makes me think of Sex in the City).

Anyhoo…

It’s definitely getting closer to Fall (well, in some parts of the US, it IS fall. However, here it is still a blazing 100 degrees). And WOOHOO – Lost is back! Let me just say, in a word, WOW. I was riveted to the television last night. Who is this Desmond person and why is he in the hatch? In quarantine? AND UM HELLO! Where the HELL is Sawyer? I need my eye candy and Jack just doesn’t do a thing for me. Sawyer better not be dead or I’ll be highly disgusted with the show.

The only other show I’m interested in seeing this Fall is Desperate Housewives. Looking forward to that show. (Of course, my husband informed me that the finale of Rock Star INXS is on this week. Like I care.)

The Neighbors
After watching my favorite parts of Indy last night, I climbed into bed at 11, dead tired. But sleep wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned. And FINALLY about 30 minutes later, I started to drift to sleep. BUT THEN I heard voices. Loud ones. And they sounded like they were right outside my bedroom window. Freaked out, I got up. Just as light flashed through the backdoor. Okay, now I’m totally freaked out. So I go to investigate.

Since we live on a corner (a busy one), the light flashing through the backdoor, was actually through the FRONT door and it was the headlights of a car. Okay. That’s cool. Upstairs I go to see if I can see in the backyard. Turns out it’s the neighbors standing in their driveway. Which just happens to be on the same side of the house as my bedroom. Urgh.

I trudge back downstairs, climb back into bed. With all that up and down stuff, my heart is pounding. Hard. Still can’t sleep. I’m guessing the neighbor’s visitors are evacuees from South Texas due to Hurricain Rita, why else would they show up at nearly midnight? So they have this kid. A whiny-assed kid that cries. Loud. I’m laying there thinking, “Can you let the :censored: kid cry INSIDE for God’s sake?”

Finally, they go inside. But, of course, they have a :censored: dog. Which barked. ALL NIGHT.

By 4:30 am, I was ready to go bang on their door and tell them if they didn’t shut that :censored: dog up, I was going to return with my .38.

Okay, I get they had to bring the dog. But :wtf:

So now I’m tired and cranky. I was running late this morning (AGAIN) and didn’t get to stop for my favorite coffee. I guess I’ll have to settle for the office kind.

Now I know what’s wrong with me.

Your Inner Child Is Angry

You’re not an angry person. But when you don’t get your way, watch out. Like a very manipulative kid, you will get what you want. Even if it takes a little kicking and screaming.

Quote du Jour:
“All I have is sarcasm and a gun.”
–Grace Hart, Miss Congeniality

So.. on Sunday my husband was being cagey with questions about how much notice I would need to give to take a few days off work. Of course, when I questioned it, he refused to answer. But yesterday, he called me (he’s in DC) and said the surprise was he wanted to take me to Vegas for a weekend toward the end of October.

YES!

He said he just couldn’t figure out how to make it a surprise when there was so much arranging to do.

:woohoo:

I’m so excited! Looks like October is shaping into a really fun month. The first weekend, I’ll have my writer’s retreat then the last weekend VEGAS.

This will be the first trip we’ve taken as a couple since we went camping five years ago. All other trips we’ve been on have been with other people. Not that I’m complaining! It’s always fun to go with other people, but we’re looking forward to having a trip with just the two of us.

On the writing front, I finished my novella yesterday! It was great to finally type THE END. Looking back, I really wrote it rather quickly. It only took me a month and a half and part of that time I was still working on the adventure serial. AND in between there I’ve rewritten the first few chapters of the fantasy romance. So WOO! Great progress there.

Anyway, I polished up the cover letter, the synopsis is ready, and now I just have to re-read the first three chapters. I’d like to get it submitted by the end of the week. Then I can work on editing the remainder of the manuscript. If it gets accepted, I hope they let me give them ideas for cover art because I know exactly what I want. We’ll see. Keep your fingers crossed!

This is the first in the Coffee House Chronicles. I have the second one underway already and am thinking of doing a synopsis/outline of sorts just to give me somewhat of an idea of where I’m going with it. I have about two pages of the second installment done.

No writing last night. Went over to my good friend’s house to give her an early birthday present. She liked. We visited while my kid played with her dog.

:dallasstars:
Got home and watched part of the hockey game. I don’t like the new rules. Too many penalties and the shoot out is kinda dumb. But it was good to see my men in skates again. Stars won the game 6-4 but lost the shoot out.

Your Shakespearean Insult of the Day: Thou errant pottle-deep mammet!

I dunno about some of this.. but it’s mostly true I guess.

Your World View

You are a happy, well-balanced person who likes people and is liked by others. You question whether many conventional views on morality are valid under all circumstances. You are essentially a content person. Sometimes, you consider yourself a little superior. You are moral by your own standards. You believe that morality is what best suits the occasion.

Quote du Jour:
“Live in the now! You’ll never afford it!”
–Wayne, Wayne’s World

I have just decided at this very moment that I don’t want to age another minute. That’s it. I’m done. Not getting any older.

Because, let me tell ya, this getting older crap is for the birds. My knees ache. My back aches. I have gray hair (thank goodness for Ms. Clairol). Climbing the stairs is a feat. I have a lovely creak in my right knee and, dammit, I don’t want to get old.

Ah well. I’ll get over it. Really, I will. I’m just having a moment.

Talk about tired. Picked up DS yesterday afternoon and he was crashed out. URGH. I hate when that happens because then he’s a bear the rest of the evening. Only at around bedtime does he get that second wind and he’s all happy. As if. I bugged the kid for a solid hour until he finally woke up. Then he sat at the dining table with his head on his arms says, “I’m tired.”

Finally got him to eat some dinner, he watched a few cartoons, and then he decided he wanted to go ride his bike. So off we went into the oppressive heat of the evening so he could ride around the block. Despite the fact that I wanted to lay on my ass and do nothing, I went outside with him and let him ride.

Exhaustion set in. By four yesterday afternoon I could hardly keep my eyes open. I decided I’d get myself in bed early last night, but wanted to finish watching the Lara Croft movie, which I did. (That bitch killed him!) Then, since I was all hot and bothered after seeing the sexy Gerry on the screen, I watched the good parts of Phantom – Point of No Return and The Mirror/Phantom of the Opera.

Climbing into bed, I snapped the light off rather early (just after 10 which is early for me). By 2:30 the kiddo was up needing to go potty (I will be so glad when he learns to do that by himself). So when the alarm went off this morning, instead of hitting snooze and turned it off. Overslept by about twenty minutes, made it to work on time but forgot my son’s school folder. Go figure.

Anyhoo.. it’s just another day. And I can’t believe I forgot the Shakespearean insult of the day yesterday. At any rate, here’s today’s:

Thou jarring hedge-born joithead!

Yep. This about sums it up.
:hehe:

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You have a passion for everything - including sleeping. Outgoing and brash, you tend to still shock those who know you well. You tend to be selfish. You are the most likely type to hog the covers. You gravitate toward comfort and don’t like extreme situations.

Quote du Jour:
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
–Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Soooo… had to get up at oh-damn-thirty for the weekly trek to the airport. Terminal A again. Argh.

In need of much coffee. Wanted to stop at Starbucks, but refrained. I’m trying to be a good girl. (Truthfully, I’m trying to figure out when I can recharge my Starbucks card… I have to wait until I have some cash in the bank, though, before I can feed my addiction.)

Got to work only to discover the coffee pots aren’t working. GASP! Not exactly the coffee pots, but the water line going to the coffee pots. Talk about a major panic attack. There was, of course, coffee in another part of the office. Got my coffee so all is well.

We watched Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy this weekend. My husband thought it was hysterical, but I only have lukewarm feelings about it. The guy who plays the president is funny and Marvin is great, but other than that, I lost interest about halfway through.

Figured out the ending to my contemporary. YES! I’m happy about that. I can now finish the darn book. The synopsis is done and I’m getting ready to submit it. (holding breath) I should have the first draft complete this week.

My brain is apparently very fuzzy still. It’s taking all I can to get this blog entry written. How sad is that. Maybe I need more coffee.
:coffee:

Whoever rolled back the rock and released all the morons into the wild… you can put it back now.
:wasntme:

Cleaned house yesterday and today, did all the laundry, grocery shopped, went to Target and got me a new curling iron, an adorable bow and birthday card for my good friend, some eyeliner. Went to Penney’s yesterday and bought husband new shirts, son shirts and winter pjs, me new pants and shirts. It was a big weekend. And we deserved it.

And uh, writing? Nope. Didn’t get any done. Blah.

So very happy it’s the weekend. Slept very late this morning, and so did my son. Husband, however, had to get up super early and go into work. Yuck.

The golf tournament was, dare I say it, actually fun yesterday. After checking all the players in at the registration table, I then got to sit in a golf cart all day at hole 2 and watch for hole in ones (didn’t happen). The funny thing about the whole day was one of the volunteers who works for a subconsulting company now, was there and she also happened to be an ex-coworker. We worked for the same company a few years ago. So we hung out at hole 2 and caught up and gossiped for three hours.

If anyone got a hole in one at hole 2, they won a new Buick Lacross. Nice, eh? I can’t tell you how many of the players came by and tried to bribe us with money to win that stupid car. It was hilarious. The beverage cart was there one time and one player offered us beer. At 9 in the morning! That’s a little early for me. We respectfully declined. (Later, after the event was over, that same guy came up to me and asked if I ever took him up on his beer offer and let me just say.. WHOA on the beer breath. He had, apparently, been imbibing all day.)

They fed us Risky’s BBQ for lunch (yum). After the tourney was over, it was off to the doctor for my son’s four year check up. He did great on the check up. He’s a perfectly healthy normal 4-yr-old boy. He also got his shots and he was highly upset about that. So I took him to McDonald’s and got him a happy meal and then he got to have candy afterward. I felt bad for him because he got four shots, two in each little leg. But he came through it like a trooper.

Went to the airport to pick up DH. His plane landed at 8. Usually, he’s at Terminal C, but last night his plane landed at Terminal A. I despise Terminal A. Since it used to be an international terminal (and still is - they aren’t finished with the new Terminal D, the international terminal), it stinks. It has this really weird, disgusting odor. And there are tons of people running around there that don’t speak English who hover around the baggage carousel like if they don’t, they won’t get their bags. Ugh.

And of course, everywhere we go, my son HAS to use the bathroom. Nasty. Those bathrooms are so NASTY.

The bed felt incredibly good when I finally climbed in last night. I crashed hard and fast.

Quote du Jour:
Leia: Captain, being held by you isn’t quite enough to get me excited.
Han: Sorry, sweetheart. I haven’t got time for anything else.
–Empire Strikes Back

Okay, folks. I actually attempted to write a synopsis. Please, hold your applause until the end. I know it’s a feat, coming from Queen Pantser here, but I did it. The only thing lacking is a real ending. Because I haven’t finished the darn book yet. But I plan to VERY soon. Gaw, I’m so close. I can almost taste victory.

I was thinking about the book earlier today though and wondering if I should add one more scene between my hero and heroine. I don’t know. I can’t decide. Maybe I should just FINISH THE DAMN BOOK.

I also prepared my cover letter with my thoughts on epublishing. I’m thinking they’ll go for it.

I hope the like the book. I hope they buy the book. I hope. I hope.

Came up with another storyline for my Coffee House Chronicles. That will make three. Provided I can actually SELL the first one.

Went to Best Buy to get Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. May I just say that store has gone completely stupid?

They moved their DVDs to the front of the store a few months ago. I’m down with that. Really. I am. But what ticks me off is the fact that they have a place for New Releases but NONE OF THEM ARE THERE. What’s the point in that? I walked around like a doofus for about ten minutes looking for the New Releases That Weren’t There. :plain:

Finally, some guy in a blue shirt (but not the normal Best Buy Blue Shirt, this one was a button down, so maybe he was Someone Of Importance, who knows; he didn’t have a nametag either) comes over and asks if I’m finding everything all right.

As a matter of fact, No. I’m not. Where the hell is this movie?

(In the meantime, I’m missing the new Survivor, dammit.)

It occurred to me after I asked to wonder if the guy even WORKED there.

I guess he did. He says they’re with the New Releases (:!:) and takes me to another part of the story WAAAAY in the back. All the new stuff is on a frigging roll around cart. He pointed it out, I thanked him and then he did that Salesman Hover where he just hangs out waiting to see if I have any more questions or need anything else.

I hate that.

Got Hitchhiker’s Guide, though. Went home. And Survivor was anti-climactic.

Early day. Have to be at the golf course at seven for the tourney. Need. Starbucks. Must. Get. Starbucks.

:yawn: :coffee:

Quote du Jour:
Indy: I’ve got something for you.
Willie: There’s nothing you have that I could possibly want.
–Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Well, I got about 2000 words yesterday on the contemporary. Not as much as I would have liked, but still got some words in. Finished up a major addition and then worked my way back to where I had left off. (I had to go back and add a scene or two.) Getting closer to finishing.

A friend of mine just sold another book. Congrats, girl! (I’ll make the formal announcement after she does, but she knows who she is. :wink:)

I’m thinking of getting the first three chapters of my contemporary polished up and sent off to the publisher of choice. I need to write a synopsis (EGAD) so I think I’ll work on that today since I know how it’s going to end now. (Sort of)

Somehow, I got roped into doing a golf tourney tomorrow. One of the volunteers backed out at the last minute and I agreed (urgh) to fill in to help at registration, take pictures, that sort of thing. This means that (a) I will be in the heat most of the day and (b) I will not have access to a computer all day. I will be stark raving mad by the time I get home. It should prove to be a busy day because I have to leave early from the tourney to take my son for his 4-yr check up. Directly after that, it’s off to the airport to pick up husband. I might get home around 7 if I’m lucky.

Last night I watched Dracula 2000 with (you guessed it) Gerard Butler. Not a great movie and I’m so not a horror flick kinda girl so I fast-forwarded through all the parts he WASN’T in. But.. oooohhh.. he is so gorgeous in that movie.

On another note, I won two auctions for two keychains sporting the handsome Mr. Butler.

What can I say. It’s a sickness.

The office is going through a renovation. The walls have been painted these random colors. Some are blue, some are gold (sorry.. ochre), some are pale gray. Still some are green. And not a nice soothing green. It’s like Christmas green. Ew. Would you want to look at a Christmas green accent wall in your office? I think I’d get some red tinsel and hang it from the ceiling if it were my office. Then it could be festive.

We’re getting new carpet, too, and they’re auctioning off a bunch of old furniture. I found out yesterday the Powers That Be have decided to auction off a shelving unit that hosts most of our marketing stuff. What am I supposed to do with all that crap that’s in there? Throw it on the floor? I have a idea. How about I stack it all in YOUR offices?

THEN, I hear the same Powers That Be want to put a door over the “executive” print room, which just happens to house marketing’s color printer, the black and white printer, the copier, the computer where we burn all our CDs, etc. The reasoning behind this is that “someone might see it.” Like, um, who? God forbid some unknown person see our printers. And then we get the “well, it’s messy” excuse because we have reams of paper stacked up on the shelves. It’s a PRINT ROOM, folks. We’re supposed to have reams of paper (last time I checked) for the printers and copier.

Here’s a thought. How about I get some love beads and hang from the ceiling to cover the doorway? Maybe a disco ball to liven things up.

I love these decision makers who don’t think about anything else but what they want and what they think will work. They never consult Those That Actually Work In That Area.

Ah well. I guess that’s what happens when you work with a bunch of engineers. All they have is a big fancy degree and no common sense. (Was that out loud?)

And now for your Shakespearean insult of the day: Thou lumpish ill-breeding pignut!

It’s coming! And almost as exciting as the upcoming NaNoWriMo!

Check it out: Buy a Friend a Book Week

Quote du Jour:
Tess: I woke up in my underwear.
Jack: I bet you looked nice.
–Working Girl

Major progress yesterday and I’m so proud of myself. I got just over 7500 words on the contemporary.
:woohoo:

I’m getting closer to finishing it. My goal is to finish this week, do a round of editing, and then get it out there for crits. Then I have a couple of markets in mind to sub out to. Here’s hoping. I like this story. It’s the first in the Coffee House Chronicles.
:coffee:

How could I not have a Coffee House Chronicles with my love of all things coffee?

Am thinking of sending off the first three chapters of my revised fantasy romance to a contest. I know, I know. I said I wasn’t going to enter anymore contests. BUT I’d like to see how the revised story fares.

I got a really nice rejection in the mail from an agency the other day. It was personally written, three paragraphs, and signed in original ink. I can tell from the nature of the letter that she actually read my submission, told me to keep trying and that there would be someone else out there who loved it.

What I read it into that was, “No, thanks.”

But at least it was a nice letter instead of the “I just didn’t love the writing” rejection I got last week.

I fully expect for every one of the agents I queried to reject the novel. And I’m totally fine with that. When I see my return envelope in the mail, I know it’s a rejection and that’s cool. I’m just ready to get them all back so I can plod along. I’m disappointed, of course, and even doubly so now that I’m rewriting it and I can’t re-query these folks with the revised manuscript. Which, quite frankly, kicks some major ass if I do say so myself.

Anyhoo…
Husband is off to Albuquerque this morning, but he had a later flight so I didn’t have to get up at oh-damn-thirty to take him to the airport. FIL is taking him and DS.

And DS announced to me last night that, “Me and Spencer had bacon!” Um…okay. After some prying, I discovered Spencer is a friend of his at school and they shared his bacon at lunchtime (aw).

Not much else to blog about this morning except for my terrific progress (Yeah, I know… don’t break my arm patting myself on the back). I hope to get more done on it today.

Shakespearean insult of the day: Thou bawdy clapper-clawed codpiece!
(I like that word – codpiece.. hehe)

Quote du Jour:
“My heart is, and always will be, yours.”
–Edward Ferrars, Sense and Sensibility

To The Guy In South Africa: Super charged oat feed, you say? How about just a gallant steed and a nobleman? I could possibly stretch the whole All Powerful Horse Thing, because this is fantasy we’re talking here. But this is “serious” fantasy. :hehe: Mayhap some evil spell will beget our hero and his horse and then all hell breaks loose. Don’t worry about the pendant. All will be well. There is a happily ever after. By the way, are you a writer? You should be. :thumbsup:

Anyhoo…
At the moment, I’m distracted by my contemporary erotica. I’ve committed myself to finishing it this week. Which means I must WRITE WRITE WRITE on it every day. I’m very close to finishing. I’ve whittled it down to about 10,000 words to go. Cara and Sheba are talking and demanding their story. I need to get to it quickly.

As for the fantasy romance, stalled. I need to dump that chapter 5 and start over. I need to focus and concentrate on the story at hand. I need to cut out about 30,000 words of the original ms. and rewrite a whole bunch of it. It kills me to cut out that much, but I gotta do it. Besides, I’m sure it will make the writing stronger.

Had a nice evening last night. Cooked hamburgers on the grill, then walked around the block while DS rode his new bike. He’s getting really good at it. Then I read more of Spell of the Highland and got this close to finishing it before my son’s bathtime. I should be able to finish today and then it’s on to something else.

Oh, and apparently you readers are a chatty bunch. I surpassed the 400 comment mark this past week. You guys who read my blog day-in and day-out… I just want to say thanks for being there. Ya’ll rock!
:rockin:

I was so bored and restless this weekend I actually cleaned off my desk, my nightstand and my dresser. You can actually SEE the tops of those pieces of furniture now. It’s amazing! Found some stuff I had been looking for. Like research books I had buried on the Disaster That Was My Desk. Things are organized now and everything is in place.

The only thing I’m missing now is the birthday card I bought for my friend. I have no idea where it is. I will have to find it here in the next week or so because her birthday is coming up. If I can’t find it, I guess I’ll have to go buy another one.

We’re nearly halfway through September already. Can that be possible? Halloween will be here before we know it. And this year, I’m buying that wench outfit I’ve been wanting. And NO ONE is going to stop me. No one, I say.

Your Shakespearean insult of the day: Thou errant pox-marked harpy!

SWEET! I’ve always wanted to be a Superhero. But.. what the heck is a Golden Rusty? Or should I be afraid to ask?

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Warrior Stalker Your Superpower is Abnormal Brain Function Your Weakness is Ice Your Weapon is Your Golden Rusty Your Mode of Transportation is Fire Engine

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