I Think The Tree Looks Fine

This weekend, I did what many others did. I drug out the boxes and started decorating for the holidays. (Bah-humbug)

I put up the tree and started digging through the boxes of decorations, then, it happened. There was a rustling sound behind me. My son started screaming and I spun around to find something that I haven’t seen in over ten years.

Remember a few months ago, I did that sweet post about my new grandkitty? Well now he has a new nickname – “Satan’s spawn.”

I haven’t had kittens in the house during the holidays since Socks and Tiny were babies and that was a long time ago. So I forgot that no matter how many times you get the kitten out of the tree, as soon as your back is turned, he climbs it again. After doing this several times, while I was digging through boxes looking for ornaments, I finally decided that the tree looks fine as it is. After all, it has a kitten for an ornament.

Tell me, what’s your favorite ornament or decoration for the holidays? You will earn extra brownie points if you also tell me how to keep the #@$% kitten out of my tree.

Facebook Causes Flashbacks

Facebook is a place to reconnect with old friends and embarrass them by showing the world pictures they were hoping to never see again. At least that’s what MY friends and family do.

What they don’t understand is I don’t need help embarrassing myself. I do it on a daily basis. Looking back over my blog stats, you enjoy it when I do this and I’m here to please. 🙂

This was my first wedding. I was 18 and an idiot. My step-daughter saw this on Facebook, where a lovely friend was kind enough to tag me. Her reaction (after she stopped laughing): “That’s the ugliest dress I’ve ever seen. What’s that on your head? Is it supposed to look like that?”My sister was kind enough to post this one of me. Yes, I know, those pigtails make me look like a Cocker Spaniel. And why am I wearing that? Do you see the look on my face? That’s me having a premonition of all the comments this picture would receive on Facebook.

Tell me, do you have wonderful friends and family who do this to you?

Home Remedies

I’m sick. Chest is congested. Nose is running and stuffy at the same time (How is that even possible?). Aching all over. And trying not to say the F-word that goes with these symptoms.

I’ve tried all of the medicine I could get my hands on. (Not at the same time.) But nothing seems to help. I can’t breathe and breathing is kind of important.

So yesterday I went old school. Ask the older generation what to do about these symptoms and they all say the same thing. “Take a swig of whiskey, you’ll be better in the morning.”

I picked up this:

Yes, that is 103 proof Fighting Cock whiskey. It smells like rubbing alcohol. I can’t tell you how it tastes because all of my taste buds were burned off. But guess what? I can BREATHE!

What home remedies do you use?

Stuff Happens

Have you ever noticed how stuff happens when you’re trying to live life? It seems that when you are moving forward in life, something always happens to slow you down. My problem is, it wasn’t just one thing. “Stuff” has been piling on top of me so fast that I’m unable to move without making things fall apart.

This is how I feel:

Do you see the person under there? Well, that would be me. Or should I say that was me. You see, I made a decision that some people might not approve of. I decided that moving forward is more important than all of that “stuff” piled on top of me. If life falls apart because of me moving forward, someone else can pick up the pieces. I’m tired of carrying it all.

So, this is my getting back to life post. Any of you want to join me?

Good Intentions Down the Drain

My recent blog about getting back to my online stuff had me really excited. I was truly looking forward to reconnecting. But, alas, fate had other ideas.

What has happened in the past week:

• A death in the family
• Hubby’s back went out
• 12-year-old acting like he’s 2
• And the bleeping phone company has been working on the bleeping lines which means no internet!!!

So let me just say AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, what I’ve been doing despite all of that:

• Getting my new story plotted out (it’s almost ready to be written)
• Since I’ve heard back from all of the submissions (rejections), I’ve been tweaking Impending Reveries and getting it ready for the next round of submissions
• Catching up on my TBR pile
• Visiting with family 🙂
• Fighting with Hubby about doctor’s orders 😦
• Trying to convince 12-year-old to act his age

So, if I’m unable to get back to you for a while, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. I’m still here. Gathering more gray hair by the minute.

What have you been doing?

Someone Decapitate Me, PLEASE!!!

For the past three days, I’ve had a migraine. I can’t walk straight because of the dizziness. I can’t write. I can’t even think without it hurting!

I didn’t want you all to think I was just slacking on my blogging so I decided to let you all know what’s going on.

Now, will someone please chop my head off so I can get some relief?

Lack of Sleep

My insomnia has multiple causes, but lately it seems to have gotten worse. The causes in no particular order are:

• taking care of kiddo
• hubby driving me nuts
• writing
• blogging
• twitter
• Facebook
• reading
• blog surfing
• TV shows I’m addicted to
• family (Mom, Sis, in-laws, nieces, etc.)

I’m sure there’s more but I’m too tired to think of them right now. I’ve been napping for about a week now. Not getting more than an hour or two of sleep at a time. My mind is screaming for a break.

I go to bed only to remember that I didn’t take care of something on my list. I try to forget it, but can’t.

I guess I shouldn’t complain. It could be worse. I could have nothing to do with my time but sleep. At this point, though, that sounds like paradise.

What keeps you awake at night?

OMG! Wrestlers are linking to me!

OMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!! There’s a thingy (that’s a technical term) on my blog that tells me when a site links to mine. I just totally freaked out like the fangirl that I am because a blog about wrestlers has linked to ME!

Let me tell you about my love for wrestlers. My parents’ first date was at a wrestling match and my dad popped the question at a different wrestling match. Even though my dad hates wrestling (He says it’s fake. Don’t get me started on the difference between “fake” and “scripted.”), I LOVE it.

During my wild-er years, I had the opportunity to hang out with some of my favorites at a bar. There was a lot of drinking, some dancing, and I was slung over the shoulder of a REALLY BIG guy.

I have a tatoo of a scorpion on my right leg in honor of my favorite wrestler of all time. Sting:

I

L

O

V

E

STING

!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve loved you since you looked like this:

So, if it’s you that’s reading my blog, I want you to know that I will love you forever. (Oh God, I’m such a fangirl. This is lame but I don’t care.)

PS: If it’s some other wrestler that’s reading this let me know. You may be my second favorite, but no one will ever take the place of Sting in my heart (or on my leg).

I’m a hermit?

Hubby and I were having a discussion yesterday when he said something that threw me for a loop. First, a little background:

My hubby is a hermit. He pouts like a 2 year-old when he has to go somewhere. He leaves the house about 6 times a year and 4 of those are for doctor appointments. Everyone fusses at him about it. His doctor, his parents, his siblings, me; we all think he spends too much time watching Star Trek and not enough time interacting with real people.

Back to yesterday. We were having a discussion about him being a recluse (translated: I was telling him he should get out of the house more. I was thinking of him. Okay, maybe he was driving me nuts again.) He then said this:

“You’re just as much a hermit as I am.”

What? No I’m not. I talk to people all the time. I spend time with friends. Sure it’s on the computer, but I interact. That’s what’s important, right?

He walked away with a smug look on his face. He got his point across and I left him alone about leaving the house.

Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I think I’ll start leaving the house more. But first I need to buy a laptop so all of my friends can come with me. 😉

Girlie-Girl Tomboy

I am a girlie-girl tomboy. Yes, I know that’s a contradiction, but

My family couldn't believe that I was cooking so they took a pic to document it.

that’s what I am.

Growing up, my room was filled with dolls. Barbie dolls, baby dolls, Cabbage Patch Dolls, you name it, I had it. I loved to create stories for my dolls to act out. When I wasn’t doing that, I would be climbing a tree or digging in the dirt. (Barbie doll legs make pretty good shovels.)

I like to shop. HATE trying on clothes. “Girls like to play dress-up.” Nope, not me. I’ll dress up when necessary but hate the process. However, I LOVE the feeling that I get when I’m all decked out. (Who doesn’t like to strut in high heels and short skirts?) I just hate what it takes to get there. If a hairstyle takes longer than 5 minutes, you can count me out.

That’s just a couple of examples but I think you get the point. I am a girlie-girl tomboy. Due to my contradictory tendencies, I have been called crazy or weird most of my life. I prefer the term unique.

Now the writerly part. 🙂 When I began talking to other writers, I realized that I’m not as unique as I thought. We’re all crazy. Some of us can see, hear, smell our characters. (Psychologists call this schizophrenia.) It makes our writing more realistic. Your favorite author, the one that pulls you into the book and makes the world around you disappear? Yep, she’s nutso!

I have come to the conclusion that everybody has a few nutsoid tendencies. What’s yours?