Melly's Spot

Things that make you grrr....

2011-08-16T17:31:00.006-04:00

As I go through this thing called life, I've noticed that, although I'm a pretty laid back person, there are things that will anger me for no real reason whatsoever. There's no rational reason for it. It just is. So I wrote them up in a list.

Things that anger me for no rational reason:

1. Those family stickers on people's cars. You know what I mean. The mom, the dad, the kids... The other day, I shit you not, I saw a turtle and a fish on someone's car. Yes, even the fish rate a sticker now. Whenever one of those people cut in front of me or even gently change lanes in front of me, I just want to step on the gas and rear end them. Why? No reason. Cute things apparently annoy me.

2. BMW's and their drivers. Since I live and work in the DC metropolitan area, there are a lot of people with more money with me. A lot more money. A LOT. I'm fine with this. They "usually" work hard for it and deserve it. (I'm thinking of some government workers and politicians when I say "usually"). But as soon as I see a BMW, I get angry. And I see a lot of them. On the way to work this morning, I was thinking of this list and looked around and saw two of them right at that moment. They just seem like such pretentious show-off cars. At least with a Mercedes or a Lexus, you give the appearance of class. You are refined without being flashy. BMW is just like, "Hey, here is my money in YOUR face!"

There's this BMW at my work, that I swear to God, looks just like a penis. It has an elongated front end. It's like the definition of phallic. It just screams, "If you had money, you could drive in a giant penis too! Here's my penis car IN YOUR FACE!"

3. Justin Moore's song, "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away." Only country music fans will know what I'm talking about. And I'm pretty sure one of my friends ranted about this on Facebook as well, but this song makes me so angry. The song itself is pretty. It's the lyrics that are the problem. The premise of the song is that if heaven wasn't so far away, he would:

"I'd pack up the kids and go for the day. Introduce them to their grandpaw."

He goes on mentioning all the other assorted relatives and people he has lost that he would visit in heaven. But I think what bothers me if that you can't do that. It's pointless to think about it. Those who have lost someone close to them know that this is just dangerous thinking. You have to move on. If there's a heaven or not (everyone has their opinion), we won't know until it's our time.

Every time that song comes on and I feel myself singing along, I get angry all over again. Who is this guy to stir up these emotions?

4. Speaking of emotions. Another thing that angers me is when a song purposely manipulates me into crying. Has anyone heard the song, "I'll Walk." OMG. Talk about freaking annoying. Here is the song in a nutshell.

A couple go to their prom.
On the way home they get into a fight.
She demands he lets her out of the car so she can walk. "I'll walk." She says.
He agrees, although it's night out, and for some odd reason she's wearing a black dress to prom. I guess that's what chicks do nowadays. I don't know.
She then gets hit by a truck. Or is it a car? Does it matter? Maybe it was a train.
She can't walk.
He drives to the hospital guilt-laden, as he should be. Why would you let a teenage girl walk alone at night?!? Hello???
But of course she's a martyr and is like, "It's ok. I'll walk."
WTF?
I guess he sticks around for awhile (out of guilt) and finally he asks to marry her (out of guilt).
She's at the wedding in her wheelchair and she's like, "I'll walk." And stands up. It's a miracle!!
I HATE THIS SONG.

If you don't believe me, listen to it:

It's awful. If you write a song that touches me enough to cry, it's wonderful. It's cathartic. But if I know you are writing a song just to get me to cry, I get pissed.

Christmas Shoes anyone?

I guess that's all for today. That's probably more than enough. Until next time... I'll walk to my penis car with the stickers on it and crank up some tunes... Maybe I'll visit my Grandpaw. WTF?

The List

2011-08-04T13:59:00.002-04:00

Do you remember the episode of Friends when Ross and Rachel agreed to the list of celebrities they could sleep with if they met them in person? Then Ross laminated his list? lol That was an awesome episode. Well, the other day I got to thinking about who would be on my list if me and my husband agreed to one. Which I'm sure he would. If I asked him. Which I probably won't.

Anyway, I also wondered if I would even be able to narrow it down. I tend to be like a teenager who crushes on every celebrity she sees. Will I ever grow out of that? Do I even want to? But I am going to try to narrow it down. See how it works out.

1. Patrick Dempsey. Of course. McDreamy had to be first on my list. Do I even need to provide an explanation? That poor man would never had a chance. (Let's ignore the fact that if I ever did meet him in person, I would probably not say a word and hide until I stopped hyperventilating).

2. Jimmy Fallon. He's my sweetheart. He's funny and he has a cute smile. Not to mention, we were born the same year, which gives us a special connection. Like a stalker/stalkee connection.

3. Jimmie Johnson. Nascar stars count as celebrities right? I can't believe he moved down to third on this list. For so long he was number one! And that makes two Jimmy's on my list. I guess I just like a good Jimmy. Heh.

4. David Boreanaz. I love David and I love him as Booth. He plays a great guy who I was would love to hang out with, but, despite all that, I still think of him as Angel first. The vampire with a soul. Who gets a little nooky and turns bad. I loved him bad. He was hot bad.

Hmm... What? Where am I?

5. Chef Gordon Ramsay. There's a lot of passion there and I'm thinking it's not just for food. Shut it down, indeed!

6. Noah Wyle. He's relatively new in my life since Falling Skies started (he was a bit overshadowed by George Clooney in his ER days), but oh so hot with that beard and mustache. Thank God the aliens came down and took all their razors. That is what happened, right? I'm still having a hard time keeping up.

7. Garth Brooks. He's getting up there now, but still hot. And like Chef Ramsay, there's a lot of passion there. Plus, apparently he likes blondes. I think I have a chance! Watch out, Trisha!

8. Justin Timberlake. He's a younger man, but you know, I think I could handle it. Him, on the other hand...He'd probably have to run. I'm a special kind of awesome.

9. John Krasinki. I still have my "I love Jim" shirt. 'Nuff said! Of course I liked him better in the beginning of The Office with his floppy hair, but he's still cute! There are very few men I'll wear on my chest.

10. Brad Pitt. Yes, he was a jerk to Jennifer Anniston. Yes, he would have to get all kinds of shots and a chemical bath before I'd sleep with him since he's been with Angelina Jolie (who slept with Billy Bob Thornton! Eww!). But oh man, all I have to do is watch Legends of the Falls and I'm his again. He will be on my list forever!

That's my list for now. I do have some other people I could add. There's the Damon/Affleck duo. Yes, both. Oh and Ryan Reynolds is an up-and-comer on my list. Heh. Up and comer. Did you see his naked backside in that movie with Sandra Bullock? Hmm...

Can I have 10 more? Or would that just be greedy? Oh well...

Huh?

2011-08-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

My son has joined a Christian death metal band, which he loves! On the way home from work yesterday, I picked him up from his band members house and he was chattering away. But lately there has been kind of a disconnect between us so our conversations usually end with me going, "Huh?" More so than usual. Here are some examples.

Him: "I have the best girl-scream out of all of them."

Me: "Girl scream? Isn't that bad?"

Him: "No, that's good. You want that."

Me: "Oh... Huh?"

Yeah. Girl screaming is good in a death metal band. That and growling, I guess.

Him: "I want Toms (the shoe) for my birthday!"

Me: "Ok. Send me a link."

Him: "I want them white. But I'm not going to wear them all the time. I'll wear them to school of course. To show them off. But I will have to walk to the bus stop with no shoes and then put a towel down. I will then step in the shoes on the towel so they don't ever get dirty."

Me: "Wow. Huh?"

Seriously. Whenever I'd buy those cheap $5 white shoes, I hated having them be pure stark white. I would walk around until I got a good dingy look going.

Him: "Me and the band walked to the gas station today, but we didn't have enough money for all of us to get a drink. This man offered me money to get a drink."

Me: "Yikes. That's creepy."

Him: "No, he was just being nice. The only nice person left in this world."

Me: "Umm... Sure. Huh?"

He is just from a totally different planet now. He had his grandmother get him a pool so he could start tanning. He wants just skinny jeans and shoes for his birthday. He wants a skate board. What's that about?

Ahh... Teenagers. They make you go, huh?

Every Breast You Take....

2011-07-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

One day I was reading an article on Women's Health's website and I went ahead and "liked" them so that I could get Facebook updates on all their articles. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I really want to be healthy.

I soon realized my mistake. They like to update their page once a minute. And every day it's some new exercise or diet. I actually printed out one of their workouts and tried it. I think I lost consciousness for a moment. When I came to, I read the next line that said, "Do this 10 more times." Not. That only lasted one night.

A lot of the articles are common sense. But sometimes they'll just post odd things that make you go, WTF? Like today. Their Facebook post said:

Tell us why you love your breasts! Post a picture of yourself on our Facebook wall along with a caption about why you love your breasts, and you might appear on WomensHealthMag.com!

Err... Post a picture of my breasts? Or just why I love them? How many reasons are there? WTF? Isn't that a bit personal? If it was to support breast cancer awareness or something, I'd be all for it, but I think it's just for the heck of it. If that wasn't bad enough, I started reading some of the posts:

I love my breast because they are what make me unique. They set me apart from most women my size because as I become healthier and fit , they suit my body. Breast large or small look excellent when fitness is a part or your daily routine.

I'm confused. Is that one breast or two? And nice plug for exercise! Kissing up is the way to go.

I love my breast because they are a free accessory that goes with every outfit!

Why is everyone using the word breast like it's plural? We are born with more than one! Well, I was. Wasn't everyone? OMG. It is just me?

Another time their posted started out with:

Totally in the mood for a nice, cool iced coffee!

Mmm... Yes! Yes, I am! Then you read the rest

Here are the ones we'll be avoiding...

Thanks for ruining it!!! WTF?

Another post:

Morning sex: love it or hate it?

Really? You think I'm going to answer this on your Facebook status? Who in their right mind would do that? Oh, wait, there were 178 comments. My bad.

Hey, I'm all for women sharing their concerns and having open discussions, but on Facebook? Really? It just seems...odd. But maybe that's me. I'm pretty open for the most part, but there's always a line I think we shouldn't cross. And that line is our iced coffees. I mean, seriously, why are you warning me about them? Can't one thing be sacred?

Maybe I should hide them and be healthy on my own! But then I miss posts like these:

I ♥ mine! They say 'hello' before I do, make me stand a little taller, remind me when 'aunt flo' is coming to town, and are FABULOUS for starting conversations!!

Amen.

Life As a Nonsmoker

2011-07-21T11:21:00.000-04:00

Life as a nonsmoker is interesting. Despite telling myself I wouldn't, I'm pretty sure I've gained some weight. I refuse to weigh myself because that will just be counterproductive. I quit smoking. I'm going to gain weight. It's just a fact. I'll do my best to not eat bad things, but it's not always going to happen. As soon as I get my life back, I'll try to fix all these issues.

It's just that the whole weight gain thing takes such a backseat to all the personality and mood swings going on. I just don't feel like myself. I can't relax. I'm always tense. The only thing that I want to do to fix it is eat, but I can't. Or I will eat and then I'll feel like a glutton and guilt trip myself. My weekends are never as relaxing as they used to be.

I'm working on finding alternatives. I'm looking to find ways to relax and work out. Hopefully at one time. Like walking. Or jogging. I'd really love to swim, but my crazy anxiety springs up at the thought of going to one of those indoor swim places and wearing a bathing suit in front of all those people. So swimming will have to hold off for now.

Then there's work. I still do the same things at work I used to do, but they aren't broken apart by smoke breaks anymore. When I took a smoke break that was my time to mull over a problem and come up with a solution. That was my time to think. Of course I could go outside anyway, but do you know how dorky I would look just standing there for no reason? After lunch, I will walk the length of the building (we are part of a warehouse so our building is huge!) and that helps. But it's just one time. Oh and then there's lunch. I just wait and wait for lunchtime. Then I want snacks. I limit myself to yogurt and stuff like that, but I obsess over it. It's not good.

Oh and I've started to limit my soda intake, but not as much as I'd like. During the day at work it's easy to drink water while I'm sitting at my desk, but at home, I always reach for the soda first. I don't have the willpower to tell my husband to stop buying it like I should. I really need to work on it more. But at least I am drinking water, so that's good. Soda I limit to meal time.

Then there's just me. I can't tell you how many times I think to myself that just one cigarette would make everything ok again. There would be no more mood swings. No more crying for no apparent reason. No more craving food on a constant basis. All would be alright again. But I know it's a lie. And I'd have to start all over again. And I would hate myself. And I would hate disappointing everybody who is so proud of me.

So I continue on. Even when it feels like hell. Even when I feel my pants getting tighter. Even when things taste funny for no apparent reason. I will get past this part and be a (different) normal person again.

I've been a non-smoker 72 days now. It's something...

Sad Day

2011-07-19T09:54:00.000-04:00

I'm so very sad that Borders is closing all its bookstores. And it's not just because of all the people losing their jobs and the loss of yet another bookstore, although those are the main reasons. I'm sad because it was my place. My escape. It was where I went when I was stressed. It was also the place I took my son. I don't like going where there are a lot of people and I don't like a lot of noise, but I could always take my son to Borders and we could bond over books. Or CD. Or movies. It all depended on what he was into at the time.

It was where we hung out the night of the final Harry Potter book, dressed up like characters from the book. As he grew older, I could rarely get him to go anywhere with me, but he'd always go with me to Borders.

It was where I picked up the Easy Way to Stop Smoking book that changed my life. I didn't have a lot of money that day, but I did have a gift certificate and a coupon for Borders. If I had waited to order it from Amazon or B&N, I probably would've never got it.

It was the place I'd go for a last minute gift or for a research book if I was writing a book. It was the place I imagined my first book signing to be. Of course I always imagined nobody would show up, but still. It was my dream!

Sure, we have Target and Walmart to get our books, but whenever I go in one of those stores, I always find myself buying practical stuff like toilet paper and food. It just totally spoils the experience. At Borders, you knew exactly what you were going to get.

It's a sad day. I keep thinking I should go there, but there's something so sad about a going away sale. I don't know if I can do it. I want to picture it the way it was...perfect. We'll see. I might have to go in. To say goodbye.

I really just hope I don't cry.

New Blog!

2011-03-29T11:41:00.000-04:00

I have a new blog now. It's called Melly's Quickies. You can get to it from here ---> Link. This doesn't mean I'm giving up on this blog. I just needed a new spot to clear my head. I just needed a change. So please make sure you join me in a quickie!

Hi! My name is...

2010-11-15T11:22:00.002-05:00

Hi! My name is Scooter. Mommy wanted me to post for her this morning. I'm a good dog. Well, sometimes. A lot of times I chew on random stuff I find on the ground. My favorite toy is a paint roller because it's fuzzy and seems like a round animal. Mommy says I'm weird, but she just doesn't understand. I saw the paint roller looking at me funny once so it had to go!

I can also open doors and gates. I have such long legs that I can stand up and reach the handle. I once locked my boy out of the house when he got home from school. He had to climb in a window. It would've been pretty funny if I hadn't needed to go out and pee. I can even open the door on my cage and walk in. I can then walk out. Sometimes. Sometimes I can't figure out how to open the door again. People laugh at me.

Then there is the gate I open up to let my friend Winnie free. I can't leave since I'm on a chain, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I tell Winnie to go get something sharp to break the chain, but all she does is run after my friend, Sam the Cat. She's not too smart.

I like to chew shoes. They say I'm a bad dog, but I'll I'm trying to do is make sure they never leave me. I love my people.

Ok, I have to go now. I have to go lick myself repeatedly and bark at random things. Until next time! This is Scooter's Corner...

Week in Review

2010-11-12T20:06:00.005-05:00

So ends my first full week back in the blogworld. I think it went well. I'm definitely rusty when it comes to topics (still haven't decided what to do for Friday) and I would like to interview something that isn't an inanimate object. Or an office supply. But at least I know I have more objects if that's all I have. Or animals. I have a dog and cat too that would love to be interviewed. So I'm good to go there. In the meantime I'm just going to list the highlights of this week for me personally.

1. My Entertainment Weekly arrived today. I just love that magazine. And my year subscription to it. It's just the right size for someone with my short attention span.

2. My Facebook posts about Grease 2. We're going to bowl tonight! I love that movie. It's so bad, it's good!

3. I started another Gilmore Girls rewatch. Man I love that show. Plus my friend Suz is watching it as well, so I have someone else to talk to about it!

4. I wanted to put Glee, but it was a weird episode. And I miss Finn and Rachel. They were a big part of the reason I enjoyed the first season.

5. Same with Grey's Anatomy. Just a whole lot of crazy going on there. It's still good and I can't wait to see where they are going with a lot of the storylines, but they really need to just move it along now.

6. My husband and I started commuting part of the way to work. It was a nice break from the long monotonous drive.

7. Veteran's Day. It's so wonderful that we have a day to thank our troops and all they do for us. If only they gave more people the day off. I hate when important holiday's start to lose impact.

8. Interviewing my stapler. I think the stapler had a good time too.

9. My big oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie. But that was Monday...a long time ago. *sigh* I miss you cookie!

10. Oh and the Hostess Orange Cupcakes I have! Wait, is that two dessert related entries? I guess we can see my priorities...

I guess that's it for this week! Thank you for joining me! It's great to be back...

Dear McDreamy...

2010-11-11T22:08:00.005-05:00

It was getting late and I didn't think I'd have anything to blog about, but then I was watching Grey's Anatomy and thinking about how much I loved McDreamy when it hit me. The reason I don't have him is because he doesn't know how great I am! So if I write it out here, in public, he'll see it and then he'll have to find me! So here goes...

Dear Patrick Dempsey,

I am your biggest fan, but I think we should be more. I would like to show you why you need me and don't even know it yet. Please read this with an open mind.

I have a lot of land where you can race your cars. Well, technically, it's my mom's land. But I'm sure she wouldn't mind! I can be your pit crew. Crawl under your engine....check your dipstick. Wait, where was I?

I have a cute little puppy named Scooter. Sure he might chew on your stuff. A few of the hundred dollar bills I know you just pass out like candy, but still. He's a good dog! Just don't leave your shoes anywhere... But I'm sure you can buy another pair when you're taking me shopping for the diamonds I deserve.

I have a cat! Or two. I'm not really sure. They keep hanging out at my house. But a cat is always good, right? I swear I'm not a crazy cat lady! Just crazy...er...

I really like your hair.

I can help you with your fake brain surgery's. You could even use my brain if you'd like! I'm not using it for anything!

I would give my firstborn son. Ok, so he's 16. And a little obsessed with his hair. Hey, see, it's almost like he's your son already!

My husband is really good with cars. I'm sure he wouldn't mind working on yours while we're making out! Oh yeah, he'd have no problem there!

I'm blonde. All men loves blondes! We also have more fun! Sometimes we just do stupid things like lose our keys. Or write notes to celebrities who could care less about us.

I have a really good imagination! We can make up all kinds of stuff to do. Some involving cake. Mmm...McDreamy cake.

Where was I? Oh yes, McDreamy. See, I have a lot to offer to a man like you. I'm sure you'll agree after you read this blog.

I'm waiting for you Patrick! I'll even cook for you! Well, I will pick something up for you. Do you like McDonalds Value Menu? I hear the McRibb sandwich is back.

Love always,
Melly

Interview with my Stapler

2010-11-10T17:10:00.004-05:00

Did you think I was lying about interviewing my stapler? How silly!

On a scale from 1 to 10, how awesome am I? No excuses about how you hardly know me…

That's silly. I am your stapler. I do know you. You are kind of annoying and spacey. And you like to hit me really hard.

Whatever. Time for the hard hitting question. Prepare yourself… What is your favorite book?

I am a stapler. Seriously. Are you not understanding this?

Fine. An easy question then. What is your name?

Do I have a name? I believe I used to say Swingline until your grubby hands rubbed it off.

Wow, I had no idea my stapler was so hostile. And has kind of a slight French accent. Have you been to France?

Seriously. I...am...a...stapler...

Did you know I got to pick you myself? Most people just got handed staplers. But I picked you myself.

Oh no, not this story again...

Yes. When my manager handed me that Staples catalog and I went through its glossy pages, I picked you especially. Because you were purple.

Wow. That's great. Because I am purple. Seriously you should be writing this stuff down. You'd make millions! Denzel Washington would play me in the movie.

I'm not sure I like you anymore

Likewise.

Ok, interview done! It's time to staple a whole lot of papers! Maybe a whole boatload of papers. Lots of slamming!

You know I like it rough...

Yikes...

Until next week!

A Trip to a Scary Place

2010-11-09T14:56:00.004-05:00

Since I couldn't think of a really good list for today, I decided to just do some free association. I'm going to empty my brain (more so than it already is) and just list random thoughts that go through my head. Ready? Yeah, it's scary, I know...

1. What should I type?

2. Why are my coworkers talking when I'm trying to write my list?

3. It's sad that my Grey's Anatomy calendar still has Izzy on it. I don't even miss her that much. Well, I miss old Grey's, but I don't miss her exactly.

4. Why am I so tired? I had so much caffeine today.

5. I really want a cookie.

6. Yikes, my brain really is blank.

7. Sleepy.

8. I wish people would stop asking me if I had an interview just because I'm wearing a suit today. Do I usually dress in rags?

9. Ooo, I think there's a new Glee on tonight!

10. I want to go home.

That was exciting, wasn't it? Now you know what my brain is like. Be afraid...be very afraid.

Scooter's Corner

2010-11-08T06:54:00.000-05:00

Hello! And welcome to the first day of Scooter's Corner! I'm not sure exactly where we are going to go with this, but I guess I'll figure it out as I go. That's how I usually do things around here.

Scooter does this thing now that's really annoying. When I go to take his picture, he automatically closes his eyes when he sees the camera start flashing.

I mean, I can't blame him, because I do take a lot of pictures of him. He probably thinks I'm some sort of puppy paparazzi.

I just want to get one picture with his eyes open!

So close!

Damn it!

Finally! SUCCESS! There's my cute little boy!!

The Shoes

2010-11-07T12:06:00.004-05:00

In case you wanted to see the totally awesome shoes my son picked out!

He loves them! I think it was the first thing he did this morning was put on his shoes. I was going to let Scooter out and he's like, "I'll do it!" Maybe I will get my money's worth after all...

What happened to Power Rangers?

2010-11-06T19:25:00.003-04:00

So it's started. Today my son told me all he wanted for Christmas was clothes. Seriously?? No matter how much I wanted nice clothes growing up, I would not sacrifice other cool things for them. I said, "What about video games?" He said, "Well, yeah, but I don't want to get less clothes for them."

My jaw just about dropped.

This conversation took place after I took him to the mall. He said he wanted a jacket, but he admitted later that it was just a pretense to get me to go. If he acted like it was something he needed instead of just wanted, he could get me out of the house. Sadly, it worked. I'm not a rich person. I rarely have money to drop on clothes for any of us, but I don't want people to say I can't get my son a jacket.

What we ended up getting was a t-shirt and a pair of shoes. And before you think, "Oh, just a t-shirt. That's not bad." We went to the store Hot Topic. A t-shirt is $20. At least I told him no on the second t-shirt.

The shoes... The shoes were these God-awful baby blue checkered Vans. They were $41. I so wanted to judge him for it, but I grew up in the 80's...I wore florescent clothes. I can't judge. I have no Jordache covered leg to stand on here.

If you're wondering what we'll do about a jacket then, don't worry, he does have various jackets around the house. They will just have to do. He knew the choice he was making. If he has to shiver a little, he can just look down at those lovely shoes he picked and remember.

We were walking through Target and he said, "Do you remember when I used to hate clothes and I would go straight for the toys?"

"Yes, I do," I said in a sad voice. Yes, I do...

Under the Influence

2010-11-04T22:27:00.003-04:00

I have come to the realization that I can't read reviews. Whether it be of a book or a movie or a television show. I have always respected a critical review of the above mentioned subjects. Back in the day, I used to read any book that got a good review of Amazon, without realizing that a lot of the reviews were done by friends or family or fans of that author and ended up with crap.

That's when I found the review sites that would tell it like it is. I ended up finding a lot of good books that way. Plus, I got the chance to read a lot of bad reviews that made me laugh. Heck, even I snark on some of the Harlequin Presents books.

But then it all backfired on me. I'd go on Television without Pity to read a recap of a favorite show and find them tearing apart a scene that I really liked and it started clouding my judgment. Suddenly, I was looking at the show through someone else's eyes.

Then I'd start getting defensive. Defending why I liked it to myself and forgetting one important fact. These are all people's opinions. One person's opinion. Not mine.

The logical answer here is for me to just stop going to these sites. I should just form my own opinion, which makes sense, but I enjoy these sites. Like I mentioned above, I've found some good books from them. I don't want to go back to reading fangirl reviews on Amazon. And TWoP is funny when it's not making fun of a character or scene I liked.

Is there a middle ground? Maybe I should stop reading negative reviews. Or stop reading recaps of shows I like. Or just stop being wishy-washy. I like what I like. If I like Finn on Glee despite the fact a lot of people think he's a crap singer, I should just stand by that. If I like Meredith on Grey's despite the fact a lot of people think she's whiny, I should stick by that.

And maybe stay away from the internet and television for awhile and get a life. That might be a good idea too...

Bringing Melly Back

2010-11-02T12:42:00.005-04:00

It's time for me to get serious about blogging again. After my hiatus of about two years give or take, it's time for Melly's Spot to get rolling again.

Here is the new schedule I'm proposing. I might tweak it a bit.

Monday: Scooter's Corner. Because everyone loves a puppy!
Tuesday: Lists. This is where I will make a list of something--anything. Like how many ways this blog could end up sucking.
Wednesday: Interviews. Yes, I'm bringing them back! But first I need someone to interview! Of course if you know me, I can pretty much interview anyone or anything. I might end up interviewing my stapler.
Thursday: Melly's Thoughts. This is where I ramble about some nonsense.
Friday: Yeah, I don't have anything for Friday yet... I'm thinking of something Facebook related. Random status or something. We'll see...

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! Of course this all hinges on whether I have internet at home, etc.

Please let me know if there's anyone out there who wants me to interview them! You don't have to be a writer, but you would have to give me some clues about who you are and what you like to do or I will just be guessing...

Edited to add: If you're interested in an interview, please email me at: melly48@gmail.com. Please be sure to include Interview somewhere in the subject line. Thanks!

Scooter

2010-10-30T06:08:00.005-04:00

Ever since we got our new dog, Scooter, I've noticed my husband has been a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, he loves Scooter, but I know he can't help but compare him to our other dog Sheena.

Sheena was female and a daddy's girl. She loved her daddy and would usually pick him over me. I was fine with that. Scooter, on the other hand, is my little shadow. He'll even follow me into the bathroom. I'm not so fine with that.

He also gets carsick. Sheena loved nothing more than to get into a car and go for a ride. Even if it was just around the block. Every once in awhile my husband will take Scooter for a ride hoping he has outgrown it. Every time he's stuck cleaning up the mess.

My husband loves to hunt and loves looking for deer. Sheena knew what a deer was and would freak out if she saw one. Sometimes when we were driving, my husband would go out of his way to show her a spot where he thought there might be some deer. They were both so happy if they found some. I usually just rolled my eyes. In Scooter's limited world of our house, he has not seen any deer. I don't think he'd know the difference between a deer and a very large dog. The only exotic animals he has seen is the horses across the street and the goats next door.

This morning he was getting ready to go hunting and I was sitting here talking to Scooter. "Daddy's going to go get some deer. You don't even know what a deer is."

"He doesn't know what a deer is. He doesn't go for rides. He's nothing like Sheena," my husband says in a sad voice.

"Aww," I say, "Scooter has his own unique qualities."

We both look at him.

"Yeah, like licking his balls?" my husband scoffs. For yes, that's what he was doing the entire time we were having this conversation.

My poor husband. Still wishing he had someone to worship him again. I'll have to work on that. Not the worshiping part of course. Oh no...that ship has sailed. I've known him way too long. But maybe we can get another girl dog.

In the meantime he'll just have to deal with Scooter. He may be a ball-licking little puking dog, but he is our ball-licking little puking dog! And I wouldn't trade him for any dog in the world.

I think.

Worrywart

2010-09-25T20:26:00.006-04:00

I wish I knew when I became such a nervous person. I was never like this before. I was the kind of person who would just assume everything would turn out all right. I never worried when someone left the house. I just figured they would come home like they were supposed to.

Logically I know it probably started when I lost my dad. Then we started losing people left and right. My husband's cousin, uncles, my grandfather. It's gotten to the point I'm almost numb to it. But I'm not. I think I am, but my nervousness proves I'm truly not.

Like I mentioned in my cooking post I'm afraid of fire. I don't even like when my family wants to do a bonfire in our yard, which is ironic since that's where I met my husband. At a bonfire. I didn't even lose anyone in a fire. We had a house fire once when I lived at my in-laws but fire didn't even bother me as much then as it does now.

I have to watch my son get on the bus. He's 16 and I just can't stop. I have to see him get on that bus. Otherwise I'll worry all day long.

I worry about my mom. Sometimes I'll go over and check on her to make sure she's ok if I haven't seen her in awhile.

If my son goes into the bathroom for a long time I worry. That was where we found my father so that one is pretty understandable.

I worry about my brother-in-law in the hospital. But that is a very real worry since he really is sick.

I worry about my dog. If I don't see the cat for a couple days, I worry.

I always assume the worst too. I was never like that.

This person I am now is not someone I recognize. I need to get over it. Fast. My son will be driving soon. He will be going out. He will sometimes not call me like all teenagers too. If I don't let go, I will go insane. I can't control or watch over everything all the time.

If you see me, you see this laid back person who looks like they rarely worry about anything. And I can be like that. I was even call too nonchalant once at work. When we had layoffs I wasn't even that worried about myself. Oh, I was worried, don't get me wrong, but those worries seemed so small compared to the ones in my head.

And most hours of the day, I'm fine. When I feel everything is under control. But if someone calls me and says they don't know where someone is or something is wrong and it's all scattered to the wind. I'm assuming the worst and wanting to huddle somewhere in a corner.

I'm hoping time will take care of most of this. I'm sure it will. Right? But what if it doesn't? What if this nail biting means I never have long nails again? And what about the hair twirling? Will I end up with a bald spot?

See what I mean?

I'm going to stop worrying now. As soon as my son gets back into the house...

A Confession

2010-09-24T22:20:00.004-04:00

I will never be good in the kitchen. I just can't relax. If I cook something, I get obsessed with it. I just can't cook the food. I stalk it. I crank call it. I hide in the bushes with binoculars watching it. When I cook with oil, I'm so scared of a grease fire, I cook at the lowest temperature possible and it takes forever. I watch the pot, and yes, it really doesn't boil when you do that.

I follow recipes to the tee. I never improvise. I don't know what spice would be good with what. When I cut veggies, I have no finesse. I don't even know what part of the cabbage you're supposed to use. I couldn't even spell cabbage the first time I wrote that sentence.

I don't like to cook. The only things I enjoy making are eggs and dips--not together. Any kind of dip. Dips are good. Eggs--soft boiled, hard boiled-sunny side up, scrambled, fried, deviled. I am like Bubba with shrimp when it comes to eggs.

But that's it. That's all I like to make. It's all I enjoy. The dinners and all that... Blah. Sometimes I'm even disappointed when the roasts I make in the crock pot. And you don't do any work with that. Just throw it all in and let it cook all day.

I try though. I feel like they will take my woman badge away from me if I don't try. And I like to eat, so that's always an incentive to cook. Plus, if my husband cooks, he likes to grill, and that grill he has is a death trap. It always catches fire. And like the grease, I'm so paranoid of that. He just considers it a challenge. Like he's the Indiana Jones of cooking.

I don't want to stalk my food. I would just like to throw something on for dinner and have it come out tasting good. I get lucky sometimes...in the kitchen too. Meals will come out exactly like they should. It feels like I won some kind of battle. It doesn't make me satisfied. It makes me tired. All that stalking will do that to you.

Maybe I should take a tip from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Relax. Just do it. But if my cooking is anything like their career, it will never happen.

In the meantime, would anyone like some spinach dip with a side of scrambled eggs?

Moments

2010-09-21T23:01:00.003-04:00

Life is full of moments. The older I get the more I realize this and wish I would've appreciated some of them more. Moments with my father who I miss so much and moments with my son. His childhood is almost over and I wish I could go back and gather all the moments and slowed them down. That little boy with the active imagination who'd run up to me and hug me. I miss that boy. I love the teenager, but I miss the boy.

This evening I was in the grocery store looking for spaghetti sauce when a woman and her little boy came down the aisle. I didn't look at them, but I could hear them talking.

The little boy said, "I found a penny! This is my lucky day!"

The mom said, "Please keep your voice down."

That upset me. He really wasn't that loud and he just sounded so excited. But I couldn't judge her, because I could remember that voice. That was the voice I'd use when I'd start tuning off the chattering and the whining. When I stopped truly listening.

I wanted to go over and say, "Let me see your penny," and enjoy the moment with him. Childhood seems long, but is really so short. I wished I'd thought about that when my son was young. But I didn't. Not always.

I'm not sure what the point of this blog is. For once I don't really have one.

Just make sure you always appreciate your lucky penny. They don't stay around forever.

I'm old and my son is dating.

2010-04-13T21:51:00.004-04:00

My son is dating.

Yes, he's fifteen now. You would think I'd be be expecting this. But somehow I wasn't. I was prepared to deal with him getting his driver's license first and dating later. Then one day I went to pick him up at my mother-in-law's house and there were three girls outside with him.

So it began...

Luckily, he's sticking to only one now, but that almost worries me more. This isn't your typical I'm going out with so-and-so and then they break up the next day. I think this is your first love kind of thing. He's already been on two dates with her. Two. In one weekend! One was a Friday night roller skating date and the other was to a concert. It's scaring the crap out of me.

That's why I decided to come up with a list of helpful hints to help those mothers seeing their little boys date for the very first time. I hope it helps.

1. Denial. This will be your best friend. Couple it with alcohol and you'll forget you even have a son.

2. Do NOT think about what you were doing at his age. You'll lock him up for the rest of his life.

3. Do not buy him anymore expensive clothes unless you don't want to see them again. Especially jackets. Guy's love to give girls their jackets. It makes them seem strong. "I'm so manly I never get cold. Ever. -13 below? Ha! I can handle it. Yes, my skin was always blue. It's cool. Like Avatar."

4. Never track down the girlfriend's Facebook page. You'll read things that will scar you for life. You'll find yourself thinking, "Oh no you didn't say that about my BABY!" Just don't do it. Have you ever looked at your diary's from when you were a teenager? Yeah, it's like that. But shorter.

5. Hope that the girlfriend has an overprotective father. Those are the best. Then you don't have to do the worrying. They do it all for you. Just hope there's no reason for them to take out their shotgun.

6. Get a puppy. It takes care of that whole, "I'm not #1 in my little boy's life anymore." You'll always be #1 to a puppy. Unless of course they attach themselves to your husband. Try to avoid that. If the puppy looks a little too happy with your husband, take him away immediately.

7. Make sure you have an unlimited texting plan. I know it might seem expensive, but OMG, they text like we used to talk on the phone. And even if you think you can restrict it, you can't. Unlike us with the phone (under the covers, whispering), they could text all night long and you wouldn't know it. Just avoid the headache. No reason to live in a cardboard box just because your little boy had to say, "LOL" to his girlfriend five times, which cost you about $2 a piece.

8. Watch out for the Axe Cloud. I'm talking about the amount of body spray/and or/cologne teenage boys seem to think is necessary to smell good. They haven't learned that a little goes a long way. Just don't light a match. And be prepared to smell like a man at work that day.

9. Don't expect a whole lot of support from your husband. To them this is just the way things are. After all, they were all young studs themselves at one point. They might not say it, but inside they are thinking, "That's my boy!"

10. In addition to the cologne, there's a lot of primping that goes along with being a teenage love muffin. If your son has the shaggy hair like my son does then you know that's very high maintenance and involves flat irons and hours in the bathroom. Suddenly, that whole, "I'm so glad I didn't have a girl so I can have the bathroom to myself," is going to come back to bite you in the ass. You don't get the bathroom anymore. It's his. Move on.

Of course all of these tips mostly apply to me. You might have more than one son. You might even have a girl and a boy or just a girl or even more than that. This comes from my experiences with a boy.

Now I'm going to go back to my land of denial, where I don't have a son, and I'm married to Patrick Dempsey. He's decided we aren't going to have kids so he can focus on me. 24/7... Mmm...

Yes, I lied. Again.

2010-03-21T19:49:00.004-04:00

I said I was going to start up my interviews and I really was. My intentions were good. I even talked to someone about doing an interview. But it never happened. I feel guilty for I love this blog. I had some good times on here.

I'm no longer a published author. That has dealt my self-esteem a hard blow. My last publisher was sold and the new publisher wasn't interested in my work. I know it's not my fault or their fault. It just wasn't meant to be. But it left me in a lurch. Am I still a writer if I'm not published?

Then I thought about closing this blog and shutting down my website. What was the point? But something always stopped me. Giving up this part of my life was something I couldn't-something I wouldn't do.

But I'm not writing. I'm not blogging. Ok, that's a lie. If you're my friend on Facebook, you'll see I'm started a new feature called "Melly's Saturday Night Story Snark," where I snark on books I find that are really bad. So I can never seem to give up my writing or give up on trying to make people laugh.

I'm in limbo-land and I'm not sure how to go forward. I start books that I never finish. I think I'm going to start interviewing on here and then I stop. I know it's my fault. I put too much pressure on myself. I have to do something different; something nobody has thought about before. Or that old self-esteem kicks me in the head, telling me, oh, that sucks. You can't write. Why did you ever think you could?

There are a lot of voices in my head. Not all of them friendly. Except Phil. He's cool.

Even now, I'm reading this back, thinking, "Oh God, you're not really going to post this long rambling blog are you?" And I think I will. It's time to move forward. It's time to be myself. "Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!"

I'm not going to make any promises this time. It still might be another year before I post. But I just had to post today when I got a comment on one of my blog posts that made me smile. People are still reading!

Oh and don't forget, you can always find me on Facebook. I'm Melanie Anderson. Just mention that Melanie sent you. I'll know which personality it is...

I miss my interviews...

2009-10-19T17:26:00.002-04:00

I really do. I feel like it's time to come out from my year long hiatus (or however long it's been) and start them up again.

So if you've sent me an email asking for an interview and I never followed up, I apologize and please send me your request again! I will also go through my email as well, and see who I might've missed.

I apologize for neglecting this blog and those who'd started reading it, but I'm back now.

For real this time! :o)

Melly
melly48@gmail.com.

Fore!!!

2009-04-16T22:34:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow I am taking off work to participate in a golf tournament. Yes, you read that right. Me. At a golf tournament. Me, whose idea of a workout is having to go to the other lunchroom far away when the one close to me is out of Mountain Dew. Yes, me.

But before you start thinking you are on the wrong blog, this is for a good cause. You might've remembered me mentioning my husband's cousin Kevin, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident last year. They are having a charity golf tournament. The proceeds will benefit his son's trust fund. So yes, I'm volunteering. A word that is foreign to me as well. It's not that I'm so selfish I don't want to volunteer. I'm just a hermit, plain and simple.

That will all change tomorrow. I'm going to a golf tournament! I'm still not sure what I'm going to be expected to do yet. Wash balls? Heh. I so hope so. That would make a great status update on Facebook! Melanie Anderson is washing balls.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Wish me luck! :D

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T10:23:00.003-04:00

As I was sitting here waiting for my son to wake up so many memories of Easter's past went running through my head.

I can remember as a child waking up and finding the Easter Bunny had come during the night and left baskets and hid our eggs all over the house. I can remember getting that Donald Duck toy that scared me for many years to come. It had huge scary eyes! I used to make my dad take it out of my room at night.

There was that year I got Strawberry Shortcake dolls and then another one where I got a Puffalump. (Those hideous pillows that were popular during the 80's).

Of course it wasn't only about the cool stuff I got in my basket. I can also remember dressing up in my dress and going to church on Sunday. I remember dying the eggs and how excited we were when they start making those egg wraps that melted around the egg when you put them in boiling water. (I'm surprised nobody got hurt making those!)

When I became an adult, Easter changed a little. When I was pregnant with my son, I went with my MIL to Michigan to visit her in-laws. I remember making crafts there. Yes, I made craft. Oh and I remember making peanut butter eggs with my husband's grandmother.

Then there was the Easter we all try to forget. The year my Father-in-law passed away on Easter day. It's been almost seven years now and I can still remember that day like it was yesterday.

Now here we are on Easter day and again we are missing someone so much. This was the last holiday I spent with my father. Unlike Christmas, which my father always claimed to hate, he always made Easter fun. In the morning he'd make or buy hot cross buns and me and my mom would drink Mimosa's. One year they got a crate and he made me a Survivor box. Straight from the show Survivor. He even bought a bandanna from the show.

Oh how I miss him. How we all miss him. His loss is felt so keenly right now. When I see the birds building nests outside, it reminded me of that Dr. Seuss book he'd read me as a child. The Best Nest.

We have a lot of hard days ahead of us. His birthday was May 13th and of course he passed away in June. It's hard to believe it has almost been a year. It still feels like yesterday. The pain is still there like an ache in your back that just never goes away. It might get better for awhile, but its never all the way gone.

That's why I'm focusing on the future, on getting our little house done so we can say here with my mom all time. So we can stay together as a family. I have come to appreciate them so much more than I ever did before.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter with their families.

Lions, tigers and dancing queens, oh my!

2009-04-06T22:20:00.003-04:00

As I sit here with the song, "Dancing Queen," running through my head for no apparent reason-well, except for the fact that I apparently like to torture myself, I thought I should blog a little. Not a lot. Just a little. Baby steps.

What have I been up to? Well, not a lot. I'd like to say that I've been writing, but well, no, I haven't. I had a really good writing jag back in January and thought it was the real thing, but it wasn't. I've mostly been working. And working. Oh and watching TV shows! Not new TV shows (other than my Grey's, of course), but older TV shows on DVD.

My latest obsession has been Gilmore Girls. A couple of my coworkers got me hooked and I haven't looked back since. I started with Season 7 (yes, I'm backwards) and then watched Season 1. Now I'm watching Season 2. I love this show. I do! I would marry this show if I could!

I've actually been watching a lot of movies too. We've been working on our place at my mother's house and since we don't have satellite hooked up in there yet, we can only watch DVD's. I watched Twilight last weekend. It was good. I'd read the book, so nothing was a surprise. I did think Edward looked constipated through the whole movie, but I guess that's the look they were going for. And the drama meter was a little high. But still a faithful adaptation of the book. Maybe I just need to be a teen again. Oh God no. I take that back!! Please don't make me switch places with my son or something! I couldn't take it!

Oh and on a serious note, there's so much going on in the news right now, that I'd be remiss in not mentioning it on this blog. I saw a headline on my Google page and it caught my eye, so I had to talk about it.

Here is the headline:

Gisele's Wedding Dress Details Revealed

Yes. Finally. A hard hitting subject! I'm so glad this subject is getting the kind of coverage it deserves. I mean, how did people expect me to sleep tonight without knowing ALL the details.

*sigh* Well, that's it for tonight. I'm sure I had real stuff to talk about, but again, baby steps.

I've missed this blog.

Broken

2009-02-24T22:15:00.003-05:00

I'm a bad blogger. I am. I keep saying I'm back and then I just disappear again. I'm sorry. I love this blog. I do. But I just lost something last year that I can't seem to get back again.

There were many more interviews I planned to do and ideas that just got lost. That's where I am right now. Lost.

My mind kept telling me I was fine and ready to get back to what I was doing before I lost so much, but then I just find myself sliding right back down. I'm still broken.

That's not to say I can't find my way out of this. There's still a spark there. I'm just waiting for it to grow back into that fire that used to blaze through me.

It will happen again. It's just going to take time.

I'm sure many people have given up on this blog and I don't blame them. But if you're still around, and still reading this, then thank you. I appreciate it. And one day some one is going to be bored enough to visit and find I'm on here blogging away. Back to my old self.

But until then... I'm just going to keep searching for the pieces.

This is a test....only a test.

2009-02-07T14:05:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to see if I can merge my love (obsession) of Facebook with this blog. That way I can have a little of both worlds! I've decided to import my blog entries to my Melanie Anderson fan page. I was thinking of importing it to my personal account, but since that is a mix of business and pleasure, I decided to go this route instead. Why do you care? You probably don't. I'm just rambling. That's what I do on a nice Saturday afternoon when I should be outside.

Ok, that's all I have to say today. Just remember if you want to be my "fan" on Facebook, just click on this: Melanie Anderson.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Bobby's Back!

2009-01-22T13:23:00.002-05:00

I received this comment on my interview with Bobby Ozuna:

Guess who now has their own Internet Radio Show????

My show--The Soul of Humanity--will stream LIVE over the Internet beginning Wednesday February 4th (and every Wednesday there after) at 7PM CST. My first author will be Melissa M. Williams, author of Iggy The Iguana (a childrens chapter book). I would love to return the favor of having me on your site as a guest author, by featuring YOU!

Let me know if you are interested..and please...spread the word!!!

~Bobby Ozuna
Drawing Stories...With Words

So I'd thought I'd do as I'm told...for once! :o)

Thanks for stopping by, Bobby!

I'm back, baby!!!

2009-01-20T07:53:00.005-05:00

Well, kind of. I'm back to writing now. You don't even know how happy I am about that! If I could just beat this Facebook addiction, I might get more done... *sigh*

I do plan on doing more in this blog, but it will be slow going at first. I really had no idea how hard it would be to keep that schedule up. Ask me to write about myself and that's no problem! I can do that in my sleep! But interviews and stuff? Wow...that was work!

But despite the stress, I did enjoy it. It was fun thinking up crazy questions to ask people. I don't plan on giving it up. But like everything else in my life right now, I plan to work on getting back to it slowly.

Oh and thanks to my friend (and fan) Dani, I've created a group on Facebook if you want to be a fan. Melanie Anderson Group Please be my fan!

That wasn't pathetic at all, was it?

Well, I need to get ready for work now. It's going to be quite a challenge to get to work with all the road closures in the area for the inauguration. But it's a great day! A historical day!

The world is ready to turn a new page and so am I...

On Hiatus

2008-12-15T21:21:00.003-05:00

Every day I wish I could blog in here because I hate for it to get so outdated, but honestly, I'm just trying to get through these holidays. Keeping up with everything else like my blog, etc, just seems to be too much for me.

I'm thinking about revamping this blog again after the holidays. I'll keep the interviews of course, but maybe I'll just think of a different schedule or something. I don't know.

So I'll be gone until after the New Year. Now just because I say that doesn't mean I won't blog at all. After all, it's my blog. If I have something to say, I'll be back.

I just need a little time to get my thoughts back in some order when it comes to this blog and my writing. If I'm not back, happy holidays to all! I hope everything finds lots of time to be with family.

In the meantime, you can find me on Facebook...I can't seem to stop that...

Melly's Facebook.

TTFN!

Another Random Post

2008-12-09T07:58:00.007-05:00

Last night I had a dream that there were tornadoes on the way and they were about to hit my house. I ran and ran...and then woke up and realized The Weather Channel was on. *sigh*

I'm sorry I'm quiet. I'm still trying to shake this case of bad luck that just won't leave my back. I'm still sore from falling down the steps last week and Friday I locked my keys in my car and well... I just need some good juju! Where is Addison with her hot chocolate? Yes, I'm aware Grey's Anatomy is fiction, why do you ask?

In writing news... Linden Bay Romance is being bought by Samhain Publishing. I'm still digesting the news, but so far it all seems positive. I've read many of Samhain's ebooks and have always been impressed by the stories and the editing. Not to mention the covers... It's an exciting time and I just wish I had something new to offer. But I'm not going to push it. When it's time for me to write again, it's just time.

I just want to get through the holidays right now so I can get to 2009 and hopefully a better year. Even if I will be 35. Yikes. It has to get better, right?

Oh and one quick rec before I go. If you're looking for a really good country CD, check out Blake Shelton's Startin' Fires. You know how sometimes you buy a CD and you have to kind of let it grow on you before you start liking it? Well, this one was good from the first listen. I've always loved Blake anyway, but this is one of his best.

Interview with Ron Adams

2008-12-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

Today's interview is with the mystery writer Ron Adams. His series of books center around a PI named Joe Banks. In our interview we cover whether he should kill me off in one of his books and we talk about pie!

So without further ado, here is my interview with Ron Adams-the uncut version:

On a scale of 1-10, how awesome do you think I am? Be honest. You can go higher than 10 if you like. (No excuses about how you don’t know me and stuff like that).

On a scale of 1-10, you are off the awesomeness chart for allowing up and coming writers like me a chance to connect further with my audience. I do what I do to help entertain the readers, and this is a nice forum to spread the word about my novels.

I noticed the title of your first book is called Lake Effect. Was that inspired by the term Lake Effect snow? Because I see you’re from the Buffalo, New York area and I hear that term a lot for that part of the country. Maybe because we watch the Weather channel 24 hours a day…but I digress. What’s the book about?

As a matter of fact, the title does come from the winter storms that blow in from Lake Erie. This is the first in the Joe Banks series I am currently working on, and introduces Joe and his family to the audience. In Lake Effect, Joe is called into the investigation of a carjacking and murder on the shores of Lake Erie. He is soon caught up in a blizzard of lies and deceit as he races to solve the murders of two innocent children. It is really a story about families, and how far a man will go to protect everything he holds precious.

And as far as the legendary “snow in Buffalo” goes, let me set the record straight. Syracuse gets much more snow, but let’s face it, Syracuse jokes just aren’t funny.

Your latest book is called Key Line Squeeze, which might explain my sudden craving for pie. Mmm…pie. Anyway, what’s this one about?

Key Lime Squeeze follows Joe Banks as he tracks runaway husband and insurance executive, Robert Boothby, from Buffalo all the way to Key West. But this is no ordinary midlife crisis victim, because he runs away with the money he helped his criminal in-laws steal from his own company, and Banks finds himself saddled with the family’s enforcer for a traveling companion. They soon discover they aren’t the only ones looking for Boothby, leading to a confrontation with Banks’ old mentor-turned-mercenary who is looking not only to recover the stolen money, but also to blackmail the Cantolinos at the same time. The job becomes a game of cat and mouse with the Cantolino crime family, as allies become enemies, and enemies turn to allies, with help coming from a most surprising source. Even the police can’t be trusted when there’s so much money at stake. The story twists and turns to the very end, as Banks discovers who to trust, and who’s in on the squeeze.

By the way, my wife makes an awesome Key Lime Pie. I’d be happy to send the recipe sometime.

I see you write mysteries. Do you think you can name a character after me and then kill me off? That would be cool.

Let’s see how you like this…

[Melanie Anderson entered my office on a warm spring day, carrying a leather folio bag and looking every bit the part of the upwardly mobile attorney. She wore a very flattering navy blue skirt suit with a faint pink pinstripe, the hem of the skirt falling professionally at the knee. The pale pink silk blouse was strategically buttoned to show the appropriate amount of cleavage, enough to distract but not wanton. Her chestnut brown hair was done behind her in a French twist, her makeup and jewelry very professionally understated. The combination of knee length skirt and high heels made her legs look longer. And as legs go, they were worth looking longer. She had an effortless sway to her walk, and I’m sure she was very effective in the courtroom, or the boardroom, or the catwalk for that matter. She extended a well-manicured hand, and handed me her card.

“Mr. Banks,” she said, sitting and crossing at the knees. “You come very highly recommended.”

“By some, I suppose,” I replied. “Not so much by others.”

“The same could be said about me, I imagine,” she said, smiling. “But we all do the best we can, don’t we?”]

How does that work for you, Miss Mel? I mean, I couldn’t kill you off in the first paragraph now could I?

Since you are a mystery writer, can you tell me what happens to all of my son’s pencils? I swear I buy him a hundred of them in the beginning of the school year and they all disappear. That could be a good book! They Mystery of the Number Two…hmm…maybe not.

My wife and have two ten year olds, and I never worry about where the pencils go, but I’d love to know where the time disappears to. Between work, home, activities, and writing, there never seems to be enough time to just wind down and breathe. That is the mystery I would love to be able to figure out. I’d also like to know what happens to all the twist ties on the bread bags in our house.

Time for the hard hitting question… Do you collect anything?

I used to collect rejection slips, and for a short time I was collecting speeding tickets like they were green stamps, but I gave that up. I own a few guitars, a banjo, a violin, and a tippel ukulele but I don’t consider that a collection, really. I guess when you get right down to it, I collect stories. I have stories from my friends, my family, people I meet in line at the supermarket, everywhere. Everyone has a story. I’m just lucky enough to be able to write a few down.

From your website, I see you’re a physical therapist… Which is not the kind of therapy I need, but that’s beside the point. Do you enjoy your job?

I do, Mel, very much. The greatest thing about my job is the difference I get to make in someone’s life everyday, in some small way. I enjoy listening and talking to the people I work with, my patients, and to be honest it beats most of the things I did for a living before I got my degree.

Even if you don’t kill me off (which would be cool, you have to admit!), what are you writing now?

Right now, I have 3-4 projects in the works. First, I have the third Joe Banks novel underway, with the working title of Crossing Midnight. This will have Joe and Solomon taking on a human trafficking ring in the search for a missing girl. Second is a piece of speculative fiction, entitled Wounded Angels. The third piece I have going is an attempt at science fiction called Terminal Jack. And I have written a few short stories lately in the horror suspense genre, so I have been toying with the idea of doing a collection of shorts under the title of Shadows and Night.

Okay, this is your turn to add whatever you want. Promote, etc… I’ll be over here trying to solve the mystery of why there’s never any pie in my house.

I would like to invite you and all your friends to check out any of my sites here on the web. My main site is at www.ronaldwadams.com, where I’ll have information regarding the book release, contests, reviews, and a host of other stuff. I also maintain blogs at www.ronaldwadams.blogspot.com, www.rwadams.wordpress.com, and a short story site at www.shadowsandnight.blogspot.com. For more information, you could also check out my myspace page at www.myspace.rwadams.com. I love hearing from the readers, and look forward to sharing more stories with them for years to come.

Thanks again, Mel, and I’ll be seeing you all on the shelves of your favorite book stores.

Interview Postponed

2008-12-03T10:30:00.002-05:00

I know I promised an interview today, but we found out yesterday that my grandfather passed away (my father's father) and we ended up at staying at my mother's house without internet. I should have it the interview up tomorrow! As for my grandfather, we weren't really close, but it's still sad.

Oh and to add insult to injury (or however that saying goes), I went outside to warm up the car this morning and didn't realize the front porch steps were slippery. I fell all the way down them...all eight, I think. Let's just say it's hard to sit..or move...or walk. Ouch!

I think I need to find a four leaf clover or something...

New Interview Tomorrow!

2008-12-02T08:28:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know it's been awhile, but tomorrow I will have an interview with Ron Adams, mystery writer! I believe this is a first for me. Be sure to come back tomorrow and see if he kills me off in one of his books! ;)

In the meantime, be sure to check out my friend Shiela's, Dark Craving's blog. I helped her with Penetration. Seriously. Check it out. Dark Cravings

Can I Buy a Vowel?

2008-12-01T07:56:00.004-05:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like. My newest obsession *coughFacebookcough* has been taking all my time. To be more specific, the game Word Challenge has been taking all my time.

Well, if it was just me, I could probably quit. Word Challenge is a game where letters are scrambled and you have to make the most words out them. The longer the word the more points you get. I usually suck at these games, but it was a good time waster. Well, one day my husband saw me playing and interested.

Then suddenly he's behind me shouting out words. Yes, it has been helpful except, well, he likes the game a lot. You can either click on the letters to form words or type them out. Typing is a lot easier, but he can't type very fast...or at all really. Since I can type fast (you have a time limit) he needs me to play with him. (heh).

It was Saturday night and we were playing..it was all good. But it started getting later. "One more game!" he'd say. "I know we can get higher!" You can see your friends scores and since I have a lot of friends from Pet Society, plus my own friends, we had far to go up the leader board.

Before we know it, it's two o'clock in the morning and my fingers are so stiff they were like claws. I don't type this much when I'm writing!

"I want to go to sleep," I'd whine.

"Just one more!" he'd say in a soothing Drill Sergeant voice.

Always one more! Last night he tried this trick, but I told him I HAD to go to sleep because I had to wake up our son for school in the morning. I mean, hello?!?

But even after cutting him off, I still had a hard time sleeping. I was constantly forming words in my head.

I'm going to have to teach my husband to type or something. Or pretend like the game is broken. Or the internet. "Aww..I'm sorry. The internet is broken. Yes, all of it. Didn't you see the news?"

*sigh* But hey, it's a nice couple activity. Except when he's yelling out some crazy letters and gets mad because I ignore him until I finally snap and yell back, "THAT'S NOT A FREAKING WORD." Well, I didn't always use the word freaking.

Good times.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T11:01:00.002-05:00

glitter-graphics.com

For those who are in the US, Happy Thanksgiving! This year I'm thankful for all writers and readers who have made this blog so much fun.

It's going to be a hard year for us without my father. He was the one who usually did all the cooking in my family. I can still see him standing in the kitchen, in his "flamingo" stance-one leg on the other. I'd go in there and he offered to let me taste anything I wanted. He knew how I was. I just wanted a little of everything.

But I don't want to be unhappy this Thanksgiving Day. I just want to be thankful for all I still have.

Dad, if you're up there and you can somehow read this blog, thank you all that you've given us. I think it's the sense of humor you gave me that helps me get through this day. And thank you Mom for having Thanksgiving at your house despite it all. Of course I have to thank my mother-in-law for cooking the dinner. I'm not sure we'd be able to.

To everyone else, enjoy your turkey! As my friend said, wear big pants!

Melly

I miss the voices...

2008-11-24T07:06:00.009-05:00

I woke up at 4:30 this morning. Not on purpose, mind you, but once I was up I didn't go back to sleep because I was afraid I wouldn't wake up in time to get my son up for school. So I sat here until 6 and then went upstairs to wake up my son. I got to watch Uncle Jesse on Full House. Whoo me!

As I sit here trying to force myself NOT to go on Facebook (my newest obsession), I think about how much writing I could do during this time if I was writing. Which I'm not. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm not writing because of everything that has happened to me or if it's because I'm just lazy or something. But then I think back to how I used to write all the time and I wish I could capture that feeling again. What made me write before?

Do I want to continue the book I already started or write something else? I've started two books, but neither one of them are holding my attention. I'm not sure where I wanted to go with them. They aren't "talking" to me.

I keep telling people the voices in my head are quiet and that is true. Usually when I'm in the middle of a book, the story is racing through my mind and I can hardly type fast enough to catch up with it. But now...I have nothing.

I tell myself to relax and not force it, but that's hard to do when writing is your passion, your dream... It's all I've ever wanted to do and it's just not working right now.

Maybe if I stop worrying I'll be able to hear the voices again. I hope so. I miss them. I miss writing. Even if it was crap, I was still telling a story.

But until then, I have my blog. I have Facebook. I have my friends. I have my family. (Those were in no particular order. I wasn't putting Facebook above my family. I swear!)

Maybe I just need to find a new kind of story...

Randomness

2008-11-21T08:32:00.007-05:00

I was trying and trying to think about what to blog about and I was hitting a blank. This blogging thing ain't easy! So here are some random thoughts on this Friday morning...

1. Now that the price of gas has gone down, traffic has picked up, along with stupid accidents. Mind you, I'm not complaining! Not in the least! I enjoy paying less than fifty dollars to fill my Blazer. I'm just making an observation...

2. Five people and one bathroom isn't a good thing.

3. Waking up at six in the morning to get my son to school isn't a easy thing to do for someone who made their work hours 10-6. I did that for a reason! I'm just not a morning person.

4. I really wish I could sew.

5. Christmas is coming way too fast. The other day my iPod player picked up someone else's iPod (this happens once in awhile) and they were playing Christmas music. Suddenly I was hearing about someone's chestnuts roasting over an open fire. Make it stop!!

6. Thanksgiving isn't going to be the same without my dad cooking.

7. Facebook, or should I say, Pet Society is like crack. Stay away! (Unless you want to be my friend so I can get more money. Send me a request...).

8. My husband does a great job of cutting my hair and he's never taken lessons or anything! How come he's so good at everything?? And I'm the least coordinated person ever. Not fair!

9. Grey's Anatomy is really, really strange right now. This is the first season I can't figure out what the hell is going on.

10. I miss my DVR. That's all I have to say...

TGIF!!!

Bite Me!

2008-11-19T07:47:00.006-05:00

I have some more pictures of the goofy Tara dog.

She's chewing the tag, but the location of it makes it look a little strange...

Poor bear...It was never the same.

Just the Sexiest Man Alive

2008-11-18T08:17:00.005-05:00

What would life be like if you had to choose between Brad Pitt and Patrick Dempsey? This is what reading Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James is like. I read this book over a 24 hour period this weekend. I couldn't put it down! It's been way too long since I found a really good contemporary book without any paranormal aspects to it.

Here's a quick synopsis:

Nothing fazes Taylor Donovan-not in the courtroom and not in her personal life. So when she's assigned to coach People's "Sexiest Man Alive" for his role in the next big legal drama, she refuses to fall for the Hollywood heartthrob's charms. Even if he is the Jason Andrews.

The only problem some people might have is that there were no love scenes in it. In fact, the couple don't come together in that way until the very end and even then it's not that explicit. But honestly, I'm one of those people who doesn't notice unless the book really needs them and this one didn't. In fact, I didn't even notice they were missing until the heroine mentions something to the hero about it.

The tension between the couple was great. Taylor really resists Jason even though she can't help but be overwhelmed a bit about having People's Sexiest Man Alive pursuing her. And the writer describes Jason so well that you can't help but feel a shiver every time his eyes meet Taylor's.

I laughed so many times in this book that my husband thought I was crazy...err...more crazy.

If you're looking for a nice quick PG-13 book, pick this one up! You won't be disappointed.

Remote Madness

2008-11-17T08:04:00.006-05:00

What is it with men and the remote control? No, seriously, what is up with that? My husband holds onto the remote like it's the ring from Lord of the Rings. My Precious. If I can't find the remote in the morning, I look in the bed and it's usually there. Sometimes he has his arms wrapped around it like Radar with his Teddy Bear. Ok, that's a slight exaggeration. But not by much.

Now that we're temporarily living in one room at my MIL's house, we only have one television to watch. Usually I'm fine with that since I have my laptop and really that's all I need. And if I ask really nicely, he'll "allow" me to watch shows like Grey's Anatomy and Top Chef. But usually it's not worth the fight to ask for anything else. I think he pouted the entire time I watched the CMA's last week. If watching hot men is wrong, I don't want to be right!

So last night he fell asleep while watching the news. I knew he was asleep because he was snoring quite loudly. I tried falling asleep as well, but I can't sleep with the news on. It stresses me out. (Yes, we keep the television on at night...we just need noise). After trying to sleep for about ten minutes, I searched for the remote (next to him of course) and scrolled through the guide until I found Grey's Anatomy on Lifetime. It was the episode from last season with Seth Green. I rolled over and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I realized I wasn't listening to McDreamy or McSteamy or any of my Mcfriends. I was listening to the news! WTF? I turned over and saw my husband holding the remote. I said, "What happened to Grey's Anatomy? Do you have a sensor that says, 'Melanie is trying to turn the channel...must wake up.'" He ignored me then LEFT THE ROOM.

Seriously! He didn't want to watch TV, he just didn't want me to watch something! Ok, I don't even think he was awake yet. I don't even think he was aware I was watching something. I just think that the first thing he thinks about is his precious.

I won't even talk about the hours and hours spent on The Weather Channel. Ask me the weather for any state in the US! I can tell you the forecast! Did you know it's snowing in Cleveland? It is!

I can't wait until our new place is ready so I can have my own remote again. Oh and my DVR. Because this really sucks. It's 34 degrees in Chicago, BTW.

Maybe one day I'll discuss when they lose the remote and suddenly YOU know where it is even though you're not allowed to touch it. No, I'll save that for another day...

Happy Anniversary Baby Contest

2008-11-15T21:32:00.007-05:00

Most people know how I much I like cake. I don't just like cake, I love cake. All the good things in life involve cakes. Your birthday...weddings... All big milestones are usually marked with some kind of cake. There's even fruitcake for Christmas! Yes, it's the Spam of cakes, but it's still a cake. And honestly, and I'll deny this later if someone asks, I actually like fruitcake. There. I've said. I've finally said it.

Anyway...the other day I was thinking about my free book, Happy Anniversary Baby, and how it involves a cake. And not just any cake...a cake in the shape of a body part, which made me wonder if I'd promoted my free book enough. I mean, it's a free book! So I figured I'd mention it one more time just in case.

Happy Anniversary Baby isn't just about Gary and Pam Foster (the hero and heroine from my first book, On the Run), it also involves cake. So please "buy" my free book Happy Anniversary Baby. It's really very easy. Just go here: Happy Anniversary Baby and add it to your cart.

Just remember...there will be cake. Fictional cake, but cake nonetheless. Send me an email to melly48@gmail.com and let me know what you think. I'll tell you what...the first person to email me after reading Happy Anniversary Baby will get a free ebook copy of one of the other books in the racing series. Either On the Run, Born to Run or Racing for the Shore. Your pick.

How's that? Oh and yes there will be a question to see if you've really read it or not. *grin*

Whoo-hooo!

2008-11-13T15:17:00.004-05:00

We've made it to 9,000 views!!! :D Whooo! Of course some of those were me viewing my own blog (Is that weird?) but still! Even I couldn't look at my own blog 9,000 times! No matter how bored I am at work. ;)

Thank you all for coming back to my blog day after day even when I have nothing new. And I promise to get back to my regular schedule as soon as possible. And to those I STILL owe an interview, I haven't forgotten you! I love my interviews and hope to never stop coming up with them.

For the Record

2008-11-12T10:36:00.007-05:00

Talking to my friends about the 80's last night reminded me of a converstation I had with my son the other day. We were talking about records and how when I was a little girl (*sniff*), we would listen to 45's all the time. But not our own...oh no! We would listen to our parent's 45's. And that could be some strange music depending on your parent's taste.

I still remember my first 45. It was John (Cougar) Mellancamp's Jack and Diane. I loved that record soooo much. A little ditty...

Then I moved into full length albums. My favorite album was Duran Duran's Arena. Oh man... I got it for my birthday one year (not sure how old I was...my memory is spotty) and I still remember what it looked like. I remember the lyrics on the inside and how I used one of my Hello Kitty stamps to put my mark on it. I wore that record out!

Of course I got many other albums after that, but that one always sticks out in my mind. Then tapes came and replaced all the records and before you know it they were in the bargain aisles at all the record stores. (Anyone remember record stores? It's like iTunes, but you had to leave the house. ;)) But I still think back fondly on the pops and crackles the old record player made. And the sound of the needle scratching...

Sometimes it amazes me that I've been alive long enough to see all of this new technology coming alive-computers, cd's, cell phones...but sometimes I miss when everything was so simple. I guess every generation says that. I can't even imagine what new stuff they will come up with by the time my son is my age.

A hologram of the singers in your house?

BTW, tonight is the CMA's and the season premiere of Top Chef. What am I going to watch??? I'm still trying to decide. I can't miss Tom!! But then there are all the hunky country singers.... I miss my DVR...

Good Hair

2008-11-11T23:16:00.005-05:00

What my friend Suz has me watching over and over:

Uncle Jessie, how I love thee... Let me run my hands through your hair...Forever.

Thanks Suz. I think.

Speaking of good hair...

Rick baby!!!

Sunday Thoughts

2008-11-09T23:42:00.004-05:00

I'm going to do something I haven't done in a very long time. I'm going to talk about racing. Really, Melly? Racing? That sport that you center your books around? That's what you're going to talk about? Yes, I am. Because despite the fact I can rarely watch an entire race anymore, I still pay attention to the big news and visit NASCAR.com frequently. Not daily like I used to...but a lot. There was a time I was on there every day and had a subscription to the weekly NASCAR Scene newspaper, which was then called the Winston Scene. Those were the days... Anyway, I digress.

I'm thrilled that it looks like Jimmie is *this* close to winning the championship for the third year in a row. I mean, seriously??? I admit that when I first became a fan it was mostly because he was hot in his fire suit while the racing came second, but I had no idea it would end up like this! I'm just so proud of my guy...even if he did marry someone who wasn't me...but it won't last. I know it. Anyday now! *fingers crossed*

BTW, did you know that Jimmie didn't even win Rookie of the Year? Nope, Ryan Newman did. How do I know? Because I'm awesome of course and know way too much about the man. Plus, that was the year I became a lifelong fan.

But that wasn't what I was going to talk about believe it or not. We all know Jimmie is awesome...that goes without saying. But if I had to pick the NASCAR driver I admire most in the world that would be Kyle Petty. He's just such a great man and does so much for the sport and the world. After his son Adam died racing in 2000, he didn't just quit while cursing the sport that took his son away from him. Instead he went back out and raced week after week using his son's number in tribute to him. He's not even that great of a racer...but just seeing him there week after week made my heart smile. Once in awhile I'd see him help out another driver even though he'd lose his position in the race (as bad or as good as that could be at the time). But he'd do whatever he could to help.

In fact, I modeled Jake from my books after him...not totally him, but just in the way his personality was much more important than his skills as a racer ever were.

Anyway, I wasn't sure what Kyle had been up to in the past few years until I saw an article about him today on NASCAR.com.

Basically it said he's been running a limited schedule while they test out different drivers and that he has a lot of things going on right now (including his awesome Victory Junction Camp he built in memory of his son) and that he wanted to race, but wasn't sure if he would. But what made me want to cry is this:

One minor issue is the use of the No. 45, which Petty began using as a tribute to Adam, who was killed at New Hampshire in 2000. If he remains at Petty Enterprises, the No. 45 would likely be used in only the races Petty drives.

But if he leaves for another team, the number won't go with him.

"The only thing I've asked is that if I'm not driving that number anymore, they put it on a shelf for a season and put some space between it before they use it again," Petty said.

Aww... It just brings tears to my eyes. I just can't imagine a world without Kyle Petty racing in it. The world needs more selfless men like him.

If you want to see what a great man* can do, check this out: Victory Junction Camp

(And his wife Pattie of course. I didn't forget her, I was just focusing on Kyle for the blog).

I can has chat?

2008-11-04T21:39:00.016-05:00

Last night I was chatting with my friends and watching election results when my MIL's dog Tara got into bed with me. Well, she wasn't just happy sleeping next to me...oh no! She had to get ON the laptop.

What is this strange object I'm laying on? Maybe I can eat it?

What??? I can't has laptop for snack?

I'm getting sleepy... All this chatting is wearing me out.

Maybe I'll just take a nap for awhile.

The vet told my MIL that her dog was a drama queen...she sure does love attention. That's for sure!

My weekend

2008-11-02T21:41:00.013-05:00

My mother is starting to move up our way now so my husband spent most of yesterday packing up a big U-Haul truck. But then it was time for the fire!

Fire. Heh-heh. Fire.

My coworker's are always complaining that I never do anything outside of work so when my coworker, Sunny, invited me and my husband to her bonfire I said we'd be there. It's kind of sweet too because that's where me and my husband met many years ago. At a bonfire. Although we were teenagers back then and we'd stay out all night. This time I was tired by midnight. I'm old!!

Today we went over to my mother's new house before going to her house in Maryland (confused yet?) and I tried to take some fall pictures before the leaves were gone.

Then after that we went back to Maryland to finish filling up the truck. When we got as much as we could in there, I followed my husband back to her new house. This is what I saw for many, MANY miles:

This is right before that car to the left cut in front of me.

Sun is starting to go down.

Then we got stuck in some Sunday traffic.

But we finally made it and between me, my husband, my son and my mother we got most of it unloaded. My husband and the guy that works with him will finish unpacking the bigger stuff tomorrow.

I'm tired...I'm not used to doing this much in one weekend. *grin* But it's a good tired... Plus I'm still not used to the time change yet.

Now I must finish washing clothes and then go to bed. *sigh* Another work week here already...

Me and my "little boy"

2008-11-01T13:12:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of me and my son. I can remember his first Halloween when we dressed him up as a pumpkin. *sniff* Time really does fly...

The Black Window (not the spider...)

2008-10-31T22:00:00.009-04:00

I'm sorry Picture of the Day is late. I needed new batteries to upload pictures and didn't get them until after work.

Today I went to work dressed up like a black widow...black dress, black veil, black cape. I even had some dead flowers! It was a lot of fun.

There were a few other people who dressed up as well.

I have a picture of me and my son too, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. My camera is acting up. Stupid batteries!!!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! :D

Why I'm a bad friend...and a new interview.

2008-10-30T07:49:00.011-04:00

I've been a bad friend. Impossible, you say? Oh, it's possible. Do you remember that kaleidoscope I mentioned the other day? Well, while those thoughts were whirling around, I forgot to mention that my friend Shiela Stewart has been having a Halloween party on her Dark Cravings blog all this week:

You can get to it here: Dark Cravings

Today I posted my interview with a very special guest: Melly's Interview with a Vamp.

But please make sure you stop by often from now until tomorrow! There will be PRIZES! Whoo-hoo! Free stuff. ;)

Interview with Elaine Williams

2008-10-29T07:53:00.001-04:00

Today I have a very special interview with author Elaine Williams. Previously published with Silhouette, she has now written a book called A Journey Less Taken: Life After Loss, which is about the period of time after she lost her husband.

As someone who is very familiar with the grieving process, I was eager to hear what she had to say. Oh and she's worked with horses before! Horses seem to come up a lot in my interviews, don't they?

Anyway, without further ado, my interview with Elaine Williams-the uncut version:

On a scale from 1 to 10, how awesome am I? No excuses about how you hardly know me…

You’re awesome for taking on author interviews. How about that?

I see you have teenage sons. Are there any words of wisdom you can give me? My son just started high school and now he’s now a teenager…complete with attitude.

Attitude. Hah! I have you beat. I have a 24, 22 and now 16 year old boys. My youngest just started driving and my children in general wonder, often aloud, how I ever muddled through life until they came along to instruct me in how everything and anything should be done.

Now for the hard hitting question. You ready? What do you carry with you at all times?

Absolutely nothing, unless you count my eyeglasses. I’m blind as a bat without them.

Your book, A Journey Well Taken: Life after Loss, is about grief and the aftermath of losing a husband of 20 years. Since there’s obviously nothing funny about that, is there any advice you can give those who are going through similar loss?

Yes, grief is a funny animal, in that it takes you down a road of which you know nothing and expects you to figure where you’re going before you get there. Strange, huh? The grief experience is individual and yet universal, but totally unexpected until you experience it first hand.. The best advice I can give is to be by yourself to process the grief, but let others in when you need a shoulder to lean on or a hand to help. There is life after loss, it just gets “lost” for a while.

I see your book was a USA Book News Finalist for The National Best Books 2008 awards. (Say that three times fast!) Congratulations! What is that like? Can I touch your hand? Can you sprinkle some of your writing dust on me?

Hey, I’m all new to this award stuff myself. Lol. The biggest thrill I get out of all this is knowing it grants my book that much more exposure. Other women need to read it, to know they’re not alone, and that is my goal.

I see you train and ride horses. Many of the people who read my blog know that the only horse I’m familiar with usually come in pastel colors and you can brush their tail and mane. What kind of horses do you work with?

I used to work with Quarter Horses. I have a lovely little farm I live on, perfect for animals. My youngest son plans to bring in some beef cows so we don’t have to mow the lawn anymore.

I see you also enjoy outdoor sports. What is your favorite outdoor sport? I’m pretty good at “walking my lazy butt to the car” myself. If only it was in the Olympics…

I love anything outside, but especially kayaking and hiking. Thus far, I’ve learned to walk faster than I can eat, but it’s a close race at times.

It’s your turn now to talk about yourself. Promote, etc… I’ll be trying to think of another outdoor activity I do. Does walking to the mailbox count?

I wrote this story about two and a half years after my husband passed away. We’d been together 23 years, married 20 with 3 boys. I began this as a journal to myself. I was having a difficult time with the grief process, and always being a writer, (previously published by Silhouette books) I had to get my angst out on paper. It’s not pretty or neat, but it’s my story, and the story of many women who lose a spouse. When I was satisfied I was done with it, I kept getting this voice that said other women needed to read it. Since it is so personal, I resisted for about six months, then I decided to put it out for all to see, and knew that ultimately, it would end up where it needed to be. It’s been and is a very rewarding experience, one that has helped me heal on my grief journey, as I hope it helps others heal on theirs.

Thank you for the opportunity to talk about A Journey Well Taken: Life After Loss. My website is located at http://www.ajourneywelltaken.com and from there you can access my blog, grief/loss related links and articles -- and even buy the book.

Where's Melly?

2008-10-28T16:28:00.006-04:00

You might be wondering where I've been. Or maybe not. Maybe you haven't noticed I haven't really blogged in awhile. I don't know. But in case you have, I'm still here. I'm doing fine. Just haven't been able to come up with a blog post for you. Lately, my thoughts have been going around and around like a kaleidoscope and I haven't been able to catch a single thought long enough to write anything.

Maybe I'm crazy. Hell, I know I'm crazy! But that's beside the point. What is the point? I don't know. Where was I?

Ahh...yes. What have I been doing? Well, working for one. That has gotten busy again. Oh and I did join a group of coworkers to make chili for our chili cookoff! I know, I know.... Me? Cook? Yes. Well, I cut the onions! And if you need proof, here is a picture:
See! I told you I could prove it!

Other than that, I've been watching the leaves change and trying to stay warm. I do have an interview tomorrow with Elaine Williams. It's going to be great!

Our company is letting us dress up for Halloween this year and I'm so excited! If only I knew what I wanted to wear! lol If you have any suggestions, please post them here. :o)

Until tomorrow!

Interview with Marcello and Karate Cat!

2008-10-22T09:14:00.001-04:00

Today's interview is with Marcello, an author and graphic artist. He created the cute little Karate Cat, Ronin, which is now the Melly's Spot mascot. He'll also lie for the sake of the interview, so now he's my favorite! ;)

So without further ado, my interview with Marcello, the uncut version:

On a scale from 1 to 10, how awesome am I? No excuses about how you hardly know me…

A definite 10, this is the funnest interview I've done!

Your book is called Karate Cat. Ronin, the cat, is sooo cute! Can he please be the official Melly’s Spot mascot?

He's all yours! He even does birthday parties!

Karate Kid was one of my favorite movies growing up. Does Ronin do any “wax on, wax off” in this book? Are there any older gentleman grooming bonsai trees?

Most definitely, its a homage of sorts because kids of the new generation probably don't know about the great karate movies of the 80's. This has all the the fun cliches from all the old genre movies I love. You have the whole 'Wax On' Montage where he goes through a transformation, and the book wouldn't be complete without an old sensei with absurdly long eyebrows to mentor him.

I also see you’re a graphic artist. Can you make me a picture of a shape-shifting hamster?

Karate Cat's original form is a hamster!! But 'Karate Shape-Shifting Hamster' didn't have a good ring to it.

Now for the hard hitting question… Are you ready? Do you have any strange phobias?

Oh, I can't stand it when there’s time left on the microwave. If you put something in there for 30 seconds and you pull it out at 28 and leave it like that, it drives me nuts!! Sometimes I fear walking into the kitchen because of this.

Are we going to see any new adventures for Ronin?

Most likely, so far this book has exceeded my expectations as far as sales and general attention. I might take a break and create something different, but sometime in the near future I see myself coming back to do a sequel.

I see you’re from Texas. When I interviewed Bobby Ozuna, he mentioned he was a Cowboy’s fan. Are you? Because if you are, I might not be able to post this interview. ;)

You'll be hard pressed to interview a Texan that isn't a Cowboys fan. But for the sake of this interview.....I'm......a......Redskins fan? Yup, Redskins all the way! *looks around*

It’s your turn now to talk about yourself. Promote, etc… I’ll be over here trying out my “paint the fence” moves.

Don't hurt yourself now!

If you would like to purchase 'Karate Cat' you can head on over to www.Amazon.com and type in Karate Cat in the search bar or visit: http://www.amazon.com/Karate-Cat-Marcello-Milteer/dp/1440415161/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224076926&sr=8-2

I kept a book creation blog that has inserts, additional information, and news about Karate Cat that you can find here:
http://cello-man.blogspot.com

You can also contact me here:
www.myspace.com/celloman
artstateofmind@gmail.com

Good Advice

2008-10-17T09:59:00.003-04:00

Seen on a church sign on the way to work:

Stop, drop and roll does not work in Hell.

Hmm... Well, there goes my whole plan!

Actually, I thought it was pretty clever and definitely grabs people's attention. Now, whether or not it draws people into their church or keeps them away is a whole other story...

I wish I could've taken a picture of it for my Picture of the Day, but unlike other people I know, I don't take pictures while driving. ;)

TGIF!

Interview with Bobby Ozuna

2008-10-15T07:35:00.005-04:00

Today my interview is with Texas based writer Bobby Ozuna. As a Redskins fan, I usually wouldn't allow a Dallas Cowboy fan on my blog since there should never be a reason for anyone to Google Dallas Cowboys and get to MY blog. Unless I write something like Dallas SUCKS. There...now I feel better. Where was I?

Seriously though, Bobby also has a blog that gives tips for other writer's trying to market their books. It's very helpful! He even featured my blog on there which shows he has good taste! (Other than his choice of sports teams...)

So without further ado, here is my interview with Bobby Ozuna-the uncut version:

On a scale from 1 to 10, how awesome am I? No excuses about how you hardly know me…

Haha…straight and to the point Melanie…that automatically earns you a 10 in my book!!!

I see from your website, that you focus a lot on marketing. Would you agree that asking various people to rate your awesomeness is a good marketing technique?

Hmm, another deep methodical question from the world of Melly’s Spot…not sure how to respond, but let me say this: I am not sure if asking people to rate your awesomeness can be considered effective book marketing, but it does (at the very least) get people talking about you—which is a good thing. I would say anything that makes people aware of your dukedom will surely help in the long run. It’s truly worked for me and my Mojo is through the roof these days!!!

What advice can you give me? My newest idea right now is to make a t-shirt saying, "I'm with Awesome" with an arrow pointing to the right (where I will presumably be standing). It will be part of my fall Mellywear line. What do you think?

I think it reminds me a lot of a shirt I wore as a kid (early 80’s) that said something like: “I’m with stupid.” Again, if anything positive were to come from this T-shirt idea (which we know is sparked from true genius…the same way Forrest Gump (the one people call Forrest Gump) helped that man sale t-shirts that said, “Have A Nice Day”—I say go for it! I think it’s ironic that today we are conducting this interview and all week leading up to this moment I was working to determine my Fall fashion for this coming season. Problem solved! Thanks!!! Can’t wait for my shirt!

I see from your website that you are the father of four children. Are you crazy? Err…I mean, that's great! Are any of them interested in following in their dad's footsteps and becoming a writer?

Not crazy for having four children…just getting crazier as the days and nights go on!!! My children are wonderful and I am very fortunate to be part of their lives. They range in age from my 13 year-old volleyball/softball player Elizabeth (Stay away boys!!!), to Lazaro my 12 year-old soccer player, followed by Mini-Me—Dominic—who plays baseball like his Daddy and lastly, Damian, my very big 2 year-old. I think he will be a wrestler when he grows up. Oh! And I have a wolf-hybrid…his name is Akai.

Both Elizabeth and Dominic have shown interest in writing with my daughter already writing a couple of short-stories; Dominic contributed to a school book where he wrote some text and illustrated a picture of the “Sneaky Snake.” I have learned [that] when you include them in your passion for the (or any) arts, you show them the power of creative and free thought and the relationships which seem to lack in so many households is fortified when you give them time…which is all they really want from us. Our time.

Now for the hard hitting question… Are you ready? What is your favorite website to visit?

Oh that’s easy! Melly’s Spot!!!! (Do I win a free “I’m with Awesome” T-shirt or something for that???) Seriously? Is this an adult only website? Careful Bobby…careful. Okay, I’ll keep it clean. Well, I don’t have a favorite. I subscribe to roughly 20 different blogs ranging from writing, editing, publishing, marketing and technological aspects of blogging, to cooking sites (yes, I cook), money/tax tips and (of course) the Dallas Cowboys. If the content is good…then I am all over it…responding…commenting, etc…and if they post new material frequently enough…I subscribe. (Like I want my fans to do with my blog!! Hint, hint!)

Your book Proud Souls seems very deep. If I was to read it, are there any big words that might trip me up?

Big words huh? No, nothing to fear here…Proud Souls has a little bit of everything a reader could possibly want from a book…I know…I was a reader long before I became a writer… How about a summation? A quick list of key words found throughout Proud Souls??? Consider this your literal book trailer…

Accident…Wife… Son… Lost… Buried… Forgotten… Fart… Bar… The Hawk’s Nest… cheap whiskey… old pickup truck… masturbation… balcony… bath time… reputation… alcohol… arguing… love me? Ignore me? Leave me alone! Understand… God… answers… giving up… tearing down… kicking in… leave him alone… Why? Pebbles in the pond… choice… Life… Death… grocery store… church… cabin… naked… sex… leave me alone… push me away… fall to sleep… hold me… wake me… it’s hot…it’s raining… he’s horny… cemetery… closure… defend… gunshot… NO!

I see a lot of people write to you for advice on writing as well. I have a friend who is having a hard time writing. This person (who shall remain completely anonymous) is blonde and can't seem to get the characters to speak to her-uh-this completely anonymous person. What can I-uh-they do about it?

Well, the first step towards getting past any form of writer’s “block” is to write—daily and often. I know you post content regularly on your blog site (or rather, if she were just like you, she would be posting content regularly) but that isn’t necessarily enough. We write one way when we blog—informative—and another way—creative—when we are drawing a story. I make it a habit or goal to try for five new pages of (creative) content per day.

If you want the characters to begin speaking to you, you have to start working with them like an artist. Give them personality traits, like you would a stick figure on canvas. Give them hair, arms, legs, movement, speech, and most importantly—a background and some history into their life. The more you focus on them—in the stillness of your life—the more they will reveal themselves to you. Take what you learn from them and write it…create it…and then as I say, draw their story…with words.

I see you help coach PONY baseball. I love pony’s as much as the next girl, but I didn’t think they had very good catching skills. What is PONY baseball?

Well it’s hard to get them adjusted to wearing cleats but after hours of practice, they adjust…

Honestly, PONY stands for Protecting Our Nations Youth and what started out (long time ago) as an organization to help protect children and keep them active with sports, has become one of the nation’s largest youth baseball organizations in this country. Essentially PONY baseball is “Little League” baseball, but “Little League” baseball is its own regulated association. I have been coaching since 2006 and I love it as much as I love the game of baseball.

Now it’s your turn to say whatever you want…promote, etc. I’ll be over here brushing my My Little Pony’s hair.

First I want to say thank-you…thank-you for giving me this opportunity to entertain your audience. I hope I have made an impression. Here is my closing argument…my final thoughts…for all your fans…

I am the author of the novel, Proud Souls, which you can read for FREE (well, 90% of it) online via the Search Inside feature on Amazon.com. My website and blog URL’s are listed below. I pride myself in helping as many writers as I can on their journey, whether it’s advice on marketing, book and author promotion, writing and publishing, being I am an independent author. I answer every reader’s questions with relation to my writing career as I can and I post many of those “reader interviews” on my blog as part of my “PS: We Wanna Know” category.

I can be found on Facebook, MySpace and The Book Marketing Network (among a few others). If you have questions about this literary business, ask me, I’m not reclusive. On the contrary I think an artist should be available to any other artist seeking their help and advice and especially the fans. I don’t know everything about the literary/writing world…but I’m resourceful enough to help you find the answers…

I look forward to hearing from each of you!

~Bobby Ozuna

Website: BobbyOzunaOnline.com
Blog: “Drawing Stories…With Words”
Bobby on Facebook
Bobby on Myspace
Proud Souls on Amazon

Monday Ramble

2008-10-13T08:24:00.004-04:00

This past weekend was spent getting used to this big hole in our lives. Every time I go out to the garage where Sheena lived for the past couple weeks, it feels so empty. I was so used to stepping over her to make my coffee or go into the refrigerator. My husband took out her bed and her blanket. I guessed he couldn't stand to look at it anymore.

Saturday I spent all day in bed with a heating pad. If you're a woman, you'll understand what I mean. I was going to watch some movies but instead ended up watching a Living Single marathon on TV. I love that show! This was a celebrity costar marathon as well. It was really funny. I wonder if they have that show on DVD yet? No, Melly! Bad girl!

*cough* Sorry about that.

Sunday I read some ebooks and did laundry. Not to mention watching football...of course. I watched the Redskins get beaten by St. Louis. But I had already predicted they would. When I saw how bad St. Louis's record was, I said, oh yeah, they are going to go into this game thinking easy win and then choke. And I was right! Sadly, enough. Three turnovers??? WTF? C'mon!

Crap...now I need to hurry up and get ready. I'm moving slow this morning. Oh, but I do have an interview set up for this week! And I'm still working on the many other I need to do. This blog will be back to normal in no time! Whatever normal is...

Happy Columbus Day! To those who have the day off... I hate you! ;o)

Bye Sheena

2008-10-09T23:00:00.000-04:00

We lost another member of our family today. Sheena has been laid to rest at my mother's new house. I'd been planning on writing a long blog entry, but I find I can't.

All I can say is that Sheena was the best dog anyone could ask for and that her lost will be felt for a very long time. When my husband took me to the spot he buried her at, I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. All I could say was, "Bye Sheena."

No matter how much you feel you're ready or how much you tell yourself it's for the best, it still hits you like a ton of bricks. For the past five or so months, we have gone out of our way to make sure she was comfortable and even though we knew her life wasn't the same, she was never without love.

Even in her last days she would still lean against me asking to be petted. Losing a dog leaves an emptiness behind that can't be described. The kind of unconditional love they give you can never be replaced.

I hope she's up there with my dad and all of the others we have lost recently.

Bye Sheena...we miss you already.

(Below is a slideshow I put together of our last trip with her this past Sunday)

The iPod Experiment

2008-10-09T07:08:00.006-04:00

About an hour before I left work yesterday, my coworker came up to me and asked if she could borrow my iPod. Her iPod had died and she was going on a bike ride with one of my other coworkers. I hesitated. As you know, I listen to mine in the car and that's a long ride home listening to nothing but the radio and God forbid, commercials! ACK!

She noticed my hesitation and suggested we swap them for the night. My car iPod player would charge hers while it played so it didn't matter that it was dead. I was intrigued. Different music? That would make the ride interesting.

After we agreed we both got a little apprehensive. We knew we had similar tastes. She listens to country, but not as much as I do. She listens to groups like Dave Matthews Band, who have never really done anything for me. But it wasn't like she listens to opera and I listen to rap. It couldn't be that much of a culture shock, could it?

We thought about it for a second and then immediately started warning and apologizing to each other about our music. I explained how I had a lot of Conway Twitty on mine and she mentioned Dave Matthews again.

As I was driving home it occurred to me how private an iPod could be. The iPod for the most part was designed to be listened to with headphones. Yes, there are devices you can buy that will play them out loud, but for the most part, people use them for things like working or exercising. That way none of your coworkers will ever know that you are listening to Barry Manilow and not someone cool like The Pussycat Dolls. (Are they really cool? I had to look at the Billboard website. Yes, I am a dork).

My point is that suddenly someone is looking into that private place you hardly show anyone. And that's why me and my coworker made a pact that we would never discuss what we learned from the iPods. And I'm still honoring that pact. Kind of.

I do have to say though that it was totally cool that she had The Beatles on her iPod too. She's almost ten years younger than I am and it amazes me how The Beatles will appeal to every generation. Even my son is a big fan of theirs now.

Oh God. I hope she didn't get any Neil Diamond! Why didn't I clear that off??? Dammit. OMG...

Air Supply.

Yes, we will never discuss the iPod. Maybe we should've sealed the pact with blood or something...

Happy Anniversary, Baby

2008-10-08T16:50:00.009-04:00

Some of you might've noticed the book cover that has been in the sidebar of my blog. It's a short book I wrote called Happy Anniversary, Baby and is now available to steal. Why do I say steal? Beecause it's FREE! Yes, you read right. FREE!

This book revisits the characters we first met in On the Run: Pam and Gary Foster. Here is the blurb:

It’s Gary and Pam Foster’s wedding anniversary. Gary’s been so busy, it seems he’s forgotten. Deep down Pam knows that her marriage is fine, but there is a small kernel of doubt, the kind of doubt that only Gary can erase. Will Pam run away again, or will the hot-shot racer get to her in time?

Because it's a free book, it's only available in ebook format, but it's so short, you won't even notice! And if you've never read any of my books, this is a good way to meet the characters from my racing world.

Here is where you can "purchase" it at: Happy Anniversary, Baby

And yes, the title does come from the Little River Band song. *grin*

What now?

2008-10-08T06:30:00.006-04:00

Funny Stuff & Myspace layouts

Right after I posted yesterday's blog, I walked outside to leave when I noticed my hood was up and my driver's side door open. Umm...WTF? I knew immediately this wasn't right. I walked back to the house to get my husband. He told me to try and start the engine. It wouldn't turn over. He looked down into the engine and said, "Someone took your coil wire."

What?

Yes, someone overlooked my BIL's expensive car and went straight to my Chevy Blazer. And..stole...a...coil...wire. My husband went out and bought a new one for $39.99. And it only cost that much because you have to buy all the wires in a kit. This was worth committing a crime over?

My glove compartment was also opened and my registration on the floor. I'm not sure what that was about. Our only theory is that they needed to know the year of the car.

We called the police and an officer from the sheriff's dept came out and took a report, but WTF? I'm still not sure who would do this, but my husband had me park the Blazer in front of the house (so he can look out and see it) and lock it tight.

*sigh* What is this world coming to?

The New House

2008-10-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we went to see my mother's new house...

No, that's not it! That's a dog house! But isn't it cute? It's going to be named Sheena house after our dog when she's not with us anymore...

Here is the house:

Isn't it pretty? That's actually the side of the house since it was put in sideways.

This is what you see when you pull in:

The stables: (Where I'll keep my pony I've always wanted, but not really...)

The first thing my mom did was put my dad's boots in the garage:

Dad's home!

I have more pictures, but I really needed to get going. This is where we'll be living in the near future...

Ok, I lied...

2008-10-06T17:36:00.004-04:00

We had internet for a couple hours last night and then it cut us off again. Grr... I'm not sure if it will be fixed when I get home tonight or not. *sigh*

On my downtime, I've been doing my critique thing with Shiela's new book (soooo good!) and reading a book called, Novelist's Boot Camp, by Todd A. Stone. 101 Ways to Take Your Book from Boring to Bestseller. Yes, it's gotten to that point now. I need boot camp! But this is a great book. I know I've said this before about my hundreds of other writing books, but this one is great because it's broken up into many small chapters (or missions) and gives you ways to get the book done in a very direct manner. Which is what I need!

Even if it doesn't help, it definitely can't hurt! Oops, almost time to go home. Maybe we'll have internet! Fingers crossed!

I'm Back!!!

2008-10-05T20:28:00.002-04:00

Whoo-hooo! We have internet!!! I'm so relieved! But hey, I did get out of the house this weekend, which is always a good thing. ;o) Right?

We went to my mom's new house and where we will eventually build something to live on. It's very nice!

I'll be back this week with updates and pictures from the house! :o) Stay tuned!

Get a free ebook!

2008-10-01T13:26:00.004-04:00

Maybe even mine... ;o)

A message from All Romance ebooks:

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Help us spread the word to those that read eBooks and to anyone you think might like to try one. We have All the romance you need from all the publishers you love—and now we're giving it away!

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*one click buys and bundles excluded

Fashion Challenged

2008-10-01T07:59:00.003-04:00

glitter-graphics.com

I went shopping yesterday. It was some retail therapy to cheer me up since I still can't find anything I need. It's awful when you have no access to your "stuff".

I bought a few new outfits for work since a few pieces are still missing and because what I do have is getting a little ragged. Does anyone else still get excited about wearing new clothes? It was like when I was in school and I couldn't wait for everyone to see my new outfit. I wake up all excited to take my shower and put on my new clothes. It's not like these clothes are really very exciting. Just some slacks and tops. But they are new!

My son also picked out some new clothes for himself. On the way to the store, I told him he needed clothes and he whined and cried about how he had enough clothes. But when I got done in the woman's section, I found him in the men's section (men's!) with a cart full of clothes-including jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts. He even bought a hat! And he doesn't usually wear hats. It cost me an arm and a leg, but I'm happy to see him interested in his own clothes. I used to just pick out things for him and it was always hit or miss whether he'd like them or not. It was a PITA.

He seemed to be a little more upbeat about getting ready to go to school this morning too. He was dressed in all new clothes and was out to the bus stop early! Although, as I was watching him get on the bus, he did lose his shoe. He was stepping on the bus and oops! Shoe fell off. I gave a little sympathy groan for him, but I'm sure he played it off. *grin* He is my son! "Shoe fell off? I meant for that to happen. Yeah...that's how I roll."

Now it's time for me to get ready for work. In my new clothes!!!

P.S: I still need to work on interviews. So again, if you're waiting for one, please be patient with me! My routine is all out of wack so it'll take me a little while to adjust.

Rock Star!

2008-09-30T10:46:00.000-04:00

My father loved to play the guitar. My best memories from childhood include him playing Beatle's songs for me and my friends when we'd all sing along. Somewhere there are some tape's of our sing-a-long's, but I have no idea where. My dad was the one person in this world who thought I was a good singer. He'd play Bob Dillon records at barbecues and have me sing for everyone. Yes, alcohol might've been consumed by the adults, but they still wanted to hear me! SUPER STAR!

When he was younger, my dad was in a band. I wish I could've seen that. I've seen pictures, but somehow it's not the same.

My brother also loves to play the guitar. I tried, but never had the patience for it. I learned to type instead, which seems to be the better choice for me. *grin*

Now my son has decided to learn the guitar. At first I was afraid it was like the time he wanted to play the violin (which lasted all of five seconds), but he seems to be serious this time. My mother paid for lessons for him and he's been to two so far. I recorded a clip of him tonight just to mark his progress.

It's grainy since I didn't have a lot of light and his playing is raw, but I do detect talent there. I'm soooo proud! I feel like I'm getting back a piece of my father through my son. He even has the long hair! ;)

If only I could get him to learn Twitty....

A blog about nothing

2008-09-29T07:36:00.002-04:00

I really don't have a lot to blog about. After the move, I did nothing all weekend. I watched Grey's Anatomy Season 4 on DVD since I never finished it.

I finally found most of my clothes yesterday. I spent the weekend in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Definitely not the most productive time of my life.

I meant to put together interviews and maybe even get back to writing, but my brain wasn't working, so if I owe you anything, I'll be working on it this week! I feel rested now and ready to get back to life.

This past summer and now September has been a crazy time in my life, but I'm hoping its calming down a bit now.

Now it's time to get ready for work...blah...Monday.

Until the Cows Come Home...

2008-09-26T09:58:00.009-04:00

I think the cows came by to say goodbye this morning.

I will miss looking out the window and seeing them out there chomping on the grass.

The other day one of them was out there rattling the gate. It seemed to be saying, "Yo. Let me over there. I want to chill in your crib." Or something like that.

As you can tell, it was a pretty dreary morning, which pretty much matched our mood. But that's ok. I was too tired to care. I think I finally fell asleep around 3:30...4:00?

I woke up again at 7:00 and went to take my son to school. I got back close to 8:00 and sat down for a little while. When I finally got up to take my shower, there was a knock on the door. It was the power company ready to turn off the electricity. Crap! The house is on a well, and you need electricity to run the water. But luckily there was enough pressure and hot water left for me to take my shower. I couldn't dry my hair, so ponytail it was! At least I made my coffee first...

Now I'm at work and sleepy. My husband is at home finishing up. Bye cows, we'll miss you! Bye house, we'll miss you too! But no, we won't miss you, landlords...

TGIF...kind of.

It's 2:30 in the morning...

2008-09-26T02:36:00.001-04:00

And I'm still working. Help! Send professional movers! ;)

Clothes Monster

2008-09-26T00:22:00.002-04:00

It's 12:22 in the morning and I'm neck deep in clothes. Not just clothes that we wear day to day, but somehow a pile of clothes grew in our closet. It's insane. So how come I can never find anything to wear???

I'm tired. But I drank some coffee so I'm in it for the long haul. Sleep? Who needs sleep? We need to be out of here by noon tomorrow, so it has to be done.

Oh! I did get to watch Grey's Anatomy and it was GREAT. I was sooo excited to see that they're pulling the team together and acting more like a hospital. But I won't say more for those who DVR'd it. After all, I haven't seen The Office yet and don't want to be spoiled. I guess I'll have to look online for it this weekend.

The mountain of clothes are mocking me for sitting here. They are taller than I am. Of course I am sitting on the floor, but that's beside the point. I was really trying to be organized about this, but now I'm thinking I'll get bag it all and sort it out later.

Pray I don't get strangled by a pair of rabid khaki's....

TV Update

2008-09-25T08:10:00.001-04:00

So today is the day! Grey's Anatomy and The Office season premiere! Whooo-hooo! Although, my husband unhooked our DVR so I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this. *sniff* I can't choose...it would be like choosing between my two children...if I had more than one. I'm sure I'll go with McDreamy. I always do. I'll just have to catch up with The Office online.

In other TV news, is anyone watching Project Runway?

*spoiler alert*

What's up with Kenley? I thought for sure last night was her night to go! Or I was hoping anyway. I guess she has won challenges before while Suede has been on the bottom a lot. Poor Suede. I'm sure Suede is upset. Suede wanted to go to Bryant Park. Melly is soooo going to miss his 3rd-person-talking self.

But OMG...when LL Cool J laughed at Kenley's "hip-hop" outfit. That was priceless! I just wanted to watch it over and over again. (Which I could do if I still had my DVR...*sniff*)

I've been trying to watch Top Design on Bravo (a Top Chef, Project Runway show, but with interior designers instead), but it's just not very interesting to me. I could care less about the designers and the judges just aren't very exciting.

The one show I do like on Bravo right now is Tabatha's Salon Makeover. Tabatha is a hair designer who goes around making over other people's salons. It reminds me a lot of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare's, but with a female. The same scathing reviews done in a really cool accent. I LOVE this show.

Other than that... I'm still watching Bridezilla faithfully while waiting for the mid-season shows like Scrubs and Friday Night Lights.

I hope my schedule doesn't change when I move...Or maybe I watch a little too much television? Hahahaha. That's like saying you can eat too much chocolate. Impossible!

Until tomorrow...

Procrastination-er-Moving time

2008-09-24T09:25:00.006-04:00

I'm at home today, packing up all the odd's and end's that just won't jump in the boxes by themselves...dammit. What's up with that?

But if you get a chance, please check out the blog, "Drawing Stories...With Words," where my blog is featured!

Drawing Stories...With Words

Me and my friend Shiela were discussing her Halloween plans for her blog, which got me thinking I'd like to do something fun here too. Any suggestions? Funny costumes? Where people can send me the funniest costumes they've worn? And I'm not talking about the costumes you wear at night when it's not Halloween. ;o) Not this time anyway...

I've also had a couple requests for interviews (yay!) so I'll try to work on those too while I'm avoiding packing...er...I mean, when I need a break from all the hard work I'll be doing!

Now I need to get some coffee... Hmm...No fridge-no half and half...guess I need to go out! Darn. There goes valuable packing time!

Random Thoughts...

2008-09-22T17:37:00.002-04:00

Don't you just hate it when you're reading a book and they mention doing the Macarena at a wedding and now you can't get that damn song out of your head??? Grr...

And of course the only part I can remember, "Hey, Macarena!" So it's on an endless loop in my head. It's enough to make someone want to stick a pen in their ears... Ugh.

My Interview!!

2008-09-22T10:11:00.003-04:00

My interview with the Interviewing Author blog is up this week!!! Please check it out for a chance to win an ebook copy of one of my books! The interviewer Crystal is such a sweetheart and bought so many authors to my blog. She's the bomb!

Interview with Melanie Anderson & Contest

Yes, once in awhile people interview ME as well. And not just me interviewing myself. ;)

C-c-c-changes

2008-09-22T08:15:00.003-04:00

There is a lot going on in my world right now, so if I seem a bit distracted on my blog, I apologize. In addition to my son starting high school (which has brought on its own changes, some good and some bad), we are going to be moving out again--probably this week, and my job is not going to be the same come October 1st. I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen with either of these things since it's still kind of up in the air at the moment.

But in the meantime, I don't want to neglect my blog, so if anyone would like a shot at guest blogging, let me know! Oh, and I'm always looking for interviews!!! Please put the word out there to any writers or anyone who you'd think would have fun with it.

Yesterday I was watching a NASCAR race. My first race in a long time and it brought me back to where my whole writing dream began. I want to find that magic again. I'm hoping I'll be ready soon. It's time.

Fall is upon us. A season of change. Whether we like it or not...

I miss summer already.

Friday Glow

2008-09-19T07:30:00.005-04:00

Since I'm on a new laptop and haven't been able to transfer my old files over yet, I only have one picture on here.

Isn't it beautiful? Just bask in the McDreamyness. Mmmmm.... September 25th!!!

TGIF!!!

An Interview with Anne Douglas and a lesson on Kiwi's.

2008-09-18T08:52:00.015-04:00

Today's interview is with writer Anne Douglas. Anne is a frequent commenter on Melly's Spot and has been sooo patient with me the past couple weeks.

A New Zealand native, she now lives in Florida and enjoys long walks along the beach and...wait, this isn't a dating blog. ;)

So without further ado, I give you my interview with Anne Douglas, the uncut version:

On a scale of 1-10, how awesome do you think I am? Be honest. You can go higher than 10 if you like. (No excuses about how you don’t know me and stuff like that).

You know, Melly’s been feeling a bit under the weather lately, so I’m going to go with a 12, just to make her feel good. I’m nice like that. But I’ll be brutally honest if you ask me if your ass looks fat in those pants.

I read that you are from New Zealand. G’day to you! Wait, is that Australian? Hmm… As you can see, we do our research here at Melly’s Spot. Ok, I have a real question: Why are people from New Zealand called Kiwi’s?

Kia ora! Ta’loa’fa, Hello to you and me! Oh wait, that’s the theme song to that preschool kids progam, isn’t it. G’day mate’s a little universal between NZ and Aussie, but those Aussies make a hash of it with their horrendous phonics. Seriously.

Now some might think we are called Kiwis because of a certain little round, brown, fuzzy fruit… but they’d be wrong.

The little round brown fuzzy fruit got named after a certain endangered, round, brown, fuzzy, flightless bird: The Kiwi.

And for some fun Kiwis:

You might have to think about this one a little, it’s really quite sweet and touching along with being funny:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs

And before tv went 24hrs in NZ it used to shut down around midnight/1pm then the midnight Kiwi used to play: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2H2BOGGUbm4

Do you know any hobbits or orc’s?

My palatial mountain peak hideaway (right beside Helms Deep) is free of all Orc and Hobbit infestations at present. Pesky little bastards, they leave stains if you kill trap them so we had to go to catch and release - they’re worse than trying to catch a cat for a flea bath!

I see you now live in Florida. I’ve asked this before, but maybe I’ll get lucky this time. Do you know my grandmother? Maybe my uncle?

Was she that old lady down at the beach with a string bikini on? At least I think it was a bikini… la la la la la la la I don’t want to think about it. Hell, who am I to talk. I haven’t been to the beach this summer for fear that they’d call out Green Peace and the whale watch!

I guess I should ask about your writing now. In your coming soon section, you have a book called Curious Intimacies, which involves a threesome. Do you have an inspiration for that? Are there any hobbits in it?

Hobbits, no - although it’s set here on the beach in Florida, my guys might know your granny. As for inspiration… fantasies baby, fantasies. Especially this short story as its more erotica with a nice ending than anything else. Oh and Porn. Porn is good. Although the plots? Oy Vey! Maybe I should write a porn screenplay? I’d be good at that, especially if I get to be one of those screenwriters who’s on the set to make on the fly revisions to the script. Oh yeah babeee!

Your book Husbands and Wives: Par 3 also involves a threesome of sorts. This book sounds like a real hole in one! I’m sure you had a ball writing it. Are you tired of the golf terms now? Do you play golf? (That was the real question).

I don’t play golf. I don’t think I’d mind it, but my Father’s never offered to teach me. But then again after the disaster of attempting to teach me to drive, play field hockey, ride a push bike (I have a whoa, how’d I end up on my face bad sense of balance), waterski, back a trailer he might have just given it up as a bad deal. Then there was the incident of me being dragged around the course as a ‘caddy’, a bunch of pine tree’s, a Magpie, a driver and me being left with a humongous scrape and bruise that ran up my chest and ended at my chin. Seriously, if ever confronted by a Magpie on the offensive throw away the golf club your holding before you duck and cover…

As for the book? (Look Dad I DID learn something!!) This story came together really fast as I’d pitched it as part of a trio of books (with my cp’s Amanda Young and Michelle Cary). Loose Id tossed it around a little then sort of said we need the first story NOW. There was a lot of swearing, hair pulling and late nights, but got done it did. And yes, I did have a bit of fun with this one as I set it back home in NZ. I never have a problem with the ‘background’ when I write stories set back home, although sometimes I give myself a bit of homesickness.

Now for the hard hitting question… You ready? Who is your favorite author? (You can say me if you want…really, it’s ok. Nobody will think you are sucking up).

GENA SHOWAL… oh wait, wrong interviewer. CRAP!

I like your cover for Accidentally Were, which is about werewolves and looks really funny. Can I have the werewolf? I’ll treat him good! I’ll make sure to walk him every day…

(whispers… he’s a bear, honey. A big ol’hairy beefy bear - I don’t think he’d take to a leash too well.) Mmm, Rex. I LOVE that cover. It’s so pink and sparkly! This is actually the second version. I hope they do as well for the second cover (I just signed a contract for the next in the series - my editor and I are still debating title options)

Okay, this is your turn to add whatever you want. Promote, etc… I’ll be over here looking up what exactly an Orc is. It’s all about research on this blog!

Curious Intimacies is about to be released Sept 19th - WOOO that’s like tomorrow - my first Ellora’s Cave release. Here’s the blurb:

Ready for a night of sports and beer Shane’s straight best friend, Jason, throws Shane a curve ball with the words “Kiss me”. Shane’s gay, but Jason’s not…right?

Jason’s got a problem. His girlfriend’s got a strap-on, and she’s not afraid to use it…on him…and he likes it. Where does that leave him? Straight? Gay? Or in between?

Lucy’s not afraid of sexual experimentation in a safe situation. Who’s safer than your best friend—especially when he’s already curious about your sometimes not-so-private love life.

On a hot, humid Floridian night, friends find being curious can be very intimate indeed.

It’s all about sexual experimentation - seeing if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. It started life as a short story for another publisher, by 3-4k in I couldn’t make it work, so I dumped it and started on something else that was rejected but became Red Skirt, Cool Fountain once I added about 20k and sent it to Loose Id. When I went back to the story a couple of months later I instantly saw what was wrong: I was trying to make the story have a happy ending when it didn’t need one - it wasn’t a romance, it was erotica. Once I’d figured that out the rest of the story came easily and I sent it to EC for their Exotika line. It’s short, but it packs a punch. :)

Thanks for reading everyone, and to Melly for interviewing me!

You can find Anne at: http://www.annedouglas.com/

BBAW - Book Blogger Appreciation Week

2008-09-17T06:38:00.004-04:00

I wasn't able to get the interview I had planned for today up because I realized I didn't have Word on my laptop yet. Duh! But I'll work on that for tomorrow. In the meantime, I wanted to mention that I'm participating in BBAW-Book Blogger Appreciation Week, which is being put on by My Friend Amy Blog.

Below I'm including the list of participants:

1 More Chapter
2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews
248 Book Club
The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness
49 Writers No Books
4 the Love of Books
A Book Lover
A Bookworm's World
A Guy's Moleskine Notebook
A Hoyden's Look at Literature
A Lovely Shore Breeze
A Mom's Book Blog
A Peek At My Bookshelf
A Platypus with a book walks into a bar...
A Reader's Journal
A Well Watered Garden
A World in the Pages
A Writer's Dream
Adventures in Reading
Age 30 - A Year of Books
Alabama Book Worm
All I Have To Say
All the Saints
Allison's Attic of Books
Alpha Heroes
Amateur de Livre
The Amazing Adulthood of Alexis
Amber Miller - Author, Writer, & Web Site Designer
Amber Stults - Book Reviewer and Author
Amy's Corner of the World
Antique Books
Apooo Bookclub
Apprentice Writer
Arch Thinking
As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves
At Home With Books
Aunt Rowena sez:
Babbling Books Review
Badger Books
Bart's Bookshelf
Becky's Book Reviews
Bermudaonion's Weblog
Better World Blog
Between Sundays
BiblioHistoria
Bibliolatry
Bibliophile Support Group
Blacklin's Reading Room Reviews & More
Blog Book Tours
Blog Business World
Bloggin' 'Bout Books
Bloody Hell, It's a Book Barrage!
Blue Archipelago
The Bluestocking Guide: Reviews by a Partial, Prejudiced, and Ignorant Reader
Bobbi's Book Nook
Boats Against the Current
Book-a-holic
Book Binge
The Book Blog
Book by Book
Book Chatter and Other Stuff
Book Chic
Book Club Girl
Book Crazy
Book Critiques
Book Dads
Book Dweeb
Book Escape
The Book Girl
Book Hangover
Book Junkie Melissa
Book Kingdom
The Book Lady's Blog
The Book Mine Set
Book Minx
The Book Muncher
Book Nook Club
Books and Movies
Books for Kids
Books on the Nightstand
The Book Reader
Book Review Maniac
Book Reviews
Book Reviews Today
The Book Smugglers
Book Tsunami
Book Zombie
Booked Books
Booking Mama
Bookish Ruth
Booklorn
Bookroomreview's Weblog
Books 'N Border Collies
Books and Authors
Books I Done Read
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Bookshelf
Bookshipper
Booksweet
The Bookworm
Breaking the Spine
Breeni Books
BTripp's Books
But If You Look At Me Closely...
Café of Dreams
Candid Canine
Caribousmom
Canadian Book Worm
Cheryl's Book Nook
Cheryl Rainfield
Chick Lit Teens
Christian Bookworm Reviews
Christian Children's Book Review
Christian Novels
A Christian Writer's World
Cindy's Love of Books
Civil War History
Clear Shining After Rain
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Confuzzled Books
Critty Joy
Croak
Cubie's Confections
Cupid's Chokehold
Cynsation
Damn Heart...
The Dark Phantom Reviews
Deborah Vogts
Devourer of Books
Diary of an Eccentric
Dog Ear Diary
Dolce Bellezza
Elizabeth Willse
Everyday I Write the Book Blog
Experiments in Reading
Fashionista Piranha
Fizzy Thoughts
Fnord Incorporated
The Forgetful Faerie Queen
The Fox Reads
Free Spirit
Frequency of Silence
Fresh Ink
The Friendly Book Nook
Fyrefly's Book Blog
Grasping the Wind
God-Writing
Good Reads
The GRITS Online Reading Club
Heather's Books
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Hope's Bookshelf
I Read What??
I Smell Books
Iced Tea - Books, TV, Etc.
In Laurie's Mind
In Spring it is the Dawn
The Indextrious Reader
Into the Fire
It's All About Books...
Jace Scribbles...
Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
Janicu's Book Blog
Japanese Literature Challenge
Jen's Book Thoughts
Jenn's Bookshelf
Jennifer's Random Musings
Journey to the End of the TBR Pile
Joy's Blog
Julie's Jewels
Just A (Reading) Fool
Just Your Average Carpool Queen
Katrina's Reads
Kawzmik World
Kimani Press
Kittling: Books
Kristina's Favorites
Leafing Through Life
LadyVampire's Lair
The Lair of the Undead Rat
Lesa's Book Critiques
Lesley's Book Nook
LesleyW's Book Nook
Letters On Pages
Library Hospital
Life According to B
Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker
Lighthouse-Academy
Linus's Blanket
Literanista
Literarily
Literary Escapism
Literary License
The Literate Housewife Review
Liv's Book Reviews
Lori's Reading Corner
Lost In Books
Loud Latin Laughing
Love To Read
Lucky Ladybug
Lurve a la Mode
The Luscious Literary Muse
Madeleine's Book Blog
The Magic Lasso
Mama Bear Reads
Marilyn's Romance Reviews
Marireads
Marjolein's Book Blog
MarysLibrary
Maw Books Blog
Mayra's Secret Bookcase
Me, My Book, and the Couch
Medieval Bookworm
Melanie Anderson
Melody's Reading Corner
Mervi's Book Reviews
Michele - only one 'L'
Midnight Twilight's Book Blog
Minds Alive on the Shelves
Mirek's Blog--Reading Books
Miss Daisy Anne
Mistress of the Ancient Revelry
Mog's Blog and More...
Mrs. Magoo Reads
Muse Books Reviews
Musings
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
My Christian Fiction Blog
My Fifty Book Challenge
My Friend Amy
My Life in Books
Mysteries in Paradise
Necromancy Never Pays
Never A Dull Moment
Nose in a Book
The Novel World
The Nursery @ The Literate Housewife
OCD, Vampires, and Amusing Rants, Oh My!
The Octogon
Off to Turn Another Page
On My Bookshelf...
One For The Books
Out of the Blue
The Page Flipper
Pages Turned
Paper Bridges
Patricia's Vampire Notes
Peeking Between the Pages
Pop Culture Junkie
Popin's Lair
Presenting Lenore
The Printed Page
Quiverfull Family
Ramblings on Romance
Read, Read, Read
Readerbuzz
Reader's Respite
Reading and Ruminations
Reading Keeps You Sane
Reading Romance Books
Reading, Writing, and Retirement
Reading Room
The Reading Spot
Reading with Monie
ReadingAdventures
Reading Circle Books
Readingjunky's Reading Roost
Real Life is Overrated
Rebecca Reads
Red Lady's Reading Room
Relz Reviewz
Reviews by Jesse Wave
Reviewer X
Rhapsodyinbooks's Weblog
Rhonda McKnight on Urban Christian Ficton
Rip My Bodice
Romance Author Buzz
Romance Book Wyrm
Romance Rookie
Romancing the Desert
Ron's Baseball Bookshelf
Rose City Reader
S. Krishna's Books
Sassymonkey Reads
Savvy Verse & Wit
Seaside Book Worm Blogger
See Ya On The Net
She is Too Fond of Books
She Reads and Reads
She Reads Books
She Treads Softly
Shelf Life
Shhh I'm Reading
Shooting Stars Mag
Should Be Reading
Simply Books
Simply Romance Reviews
The Sleepy Reader
SmallWorld Reads
Smiling Sally
SMS Book Reviews
So Many Books... So Little Time
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Socrates' Book Reviews
Sophisticated Dorkiness
SORMAG's Blog
Southern Sunshine
Stacy's Place On Earth
Stamped With Grace
Stephanie's Written Word
The Story Siren
Straight from Hel
Strategist's Personal Library
Stuff as Dreams are Made on
Survival of the Book
Talk About My Favorite Authors
Tara's View on Books
Teen Book Reviews
Teen Troves
Tempatt
Terra's Book Blog
That Book Addiction
Things Mean A Lot
This Book For Free
Thoughts from an Evil Overlord
Thoughts of Joy
The Thrillionth Page
Through the Looking Glass Book Review
Tiny Little Reading Room
TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog
The Tome Traveller's Weblog
Too Many Books
Tower of Books
Traci's Book Bag
Tree Swing Reading
Trish Perry - Reading, Writing, and the Stuff In-Between
Trish's Reading Nook
Under the Cover
Vixen's Daily Reads
Well-Mannered Frivolity
Walking on Sunshine
Welcome to Married Life
Wendi's Reading Corner
Wendy's Minding Spot
What Came Down Today
What Cheesy Reads
What Vanessa Reads
Window To My World
With Intent To Commit Horror
WORD up!
Worducopia
World According to Books
Writer's Block Reviews
Writing By Faith
Writing On The Edge
Yankee Romance Reviews
Young Readers
Zensanity

So go ahead and check out a few or hopefully all of them! Maybe you'll find a new favorite! Now I need to go get ready to drive my son to school, go to the dentist and then work. Fun! I love my glamorous life.

True Love

2008-09-16T07:57:00.004-04:00

I am so enjoying my Conway Twitty box set. It's all I've listened to in the car since I got it. I'm serious. It's ALL I listen to.

But I do have to admit that I'm not always a fan of the Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn duets. Yes, I know they won lots and lots of awards for them, but that doesn't mean some of them aren't....well, cheesy. I was driving home today and I heard the song It's True Love. In addition to being repetitive (something that drives me CRAZY), some of the lyrics just made me crack up. So....here we go.

I couldn't find a good lyric site for this, so I'm going to type them.

It's True Love, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn

Conway: See that mountain over there? I'll move it for you.
Loretta: Ahh, I know you would.
Conway: You know I'd move it for you.

The first time I heard this song I was like, Awww...that's so sweet. He'd go to any lengths for her! *sigh* Love you, Conway!

Loretta: See the color of my hair? I'd change it for you.
Conway: Mmm... You'd do that for me?
Loretta: You know I'd change it for you.

Wait. He'd move mountains for her and all she's willing to do is dye her hair? A little Clairol is showing love???

Both: Baby, it's true love.
Loretta: And I've never had this feeling.
Both: It's true love.
Conway: And I can't believe it's real.

It's not. She just said she'd dye it for you.

Loretta: No more broken hearts for you.
Conway: Girl, I feel the same way too
Both: 'cause it's true love. Brand new love. With you.

Umm...exactly how many broken hearts has he had??? Maybe he should grab some protection for her as well.

*piano*

Conway: See that star up in the sky? I'll go get it for you.
Loretta: Aww honey, you don't have to do that.

Major eye rolling moment. She does know he can't really pull down a star for her, right?

Conway: You'd know I'll get it for you.
Loretta: See these tears in my eyes? You're making me cry.

Me too. But not in a good way.

Conway: Hey, did I do something wrong?
Loretta: 'cause I'm so happy inside.

*gag* Oh please. Where are my boots? I'd be more impressed if he'd say, "See that diamond in the display case over there? I'll get it for you." And yes, I write romance books. The point is...?

L&C: Baby, it's true love.
Loretta: It's a supernatural feeling.

Supernatural: of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.

Ok...I'll go with that.

L&C: It's true love.
Conway: And this time I know it's real.
Loretta: No more broken hearts for you.
Conway: Girl I feel the same way too.

We get it. You're a male slut. Moving on...

Both: Because baby it's true love. And I've never had this feeling. It's true love. And I can't believe it's real.
Loretta: No more broken hearts for you.
Conway: Girl I feel the same way too.

Didn't we just say this???

Both: Because it's true love. It's a supernatural feeling. It's true love. And I can't believe it's real. It's true love. It's a supernatural feeling. It's true love. And I can't believe it's real..fade out.

By this point in the song I'm screaming (in my mind), "Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP!"

Let's recap: He's moving mountains; she's going to the salon. He's stealing stars from the sky; she's crying. A little unbalanced relationship, eh?

And it's true love because they've never felt that way before. It's supernatural. Unexplainable. Abnormal. And he's apparently had his heart broken a lot. Or he's broken a lot of hearts. I'm not quite sure which.

Now I'm just picturing Loretta sitting on her mountain with blonde hair and a big ball of gas hovering right above her. Do I take things too literal? Hmm...maybe...

But in my world, true love takes Visa. (Songwriters, feel free to use that).

My New Precious!

2008-09-13T22:46:00.005-04:00

My husband went out and got me a new laptop tonight! Well, my mom gave us the money and my husband picked it out. I just sat at home being lazy. ;) Actually, the stronger antibiotic I got on Tuesday are just kicking my butt. I feel sooo sick and drowsy. But it's working, so I can't complain too much!

Anyway, my new laptop is a Gateway and it's awesome! I'm still transferring all my old files over from the other laptop. I just hope it stays up long enough to finish! (That's what she said).

Okie-dokie, time to go back to playing with my baby. Just need to figure out what I need to do next. I guess it's time to stop petting it while saying, "My Precious"

It's sad that I have to give up the laptop my dad picked out for me, but my husband said he felt like my dad was with him tonight helping him pick out the computer, so that will do.

Thanks Mom and Dad.

A Visit from Tara

2008-09-12T07:51:00.009-04:00

Meet Tara.

She came to stay with us last weekend when my MIL was in the hospital. She loves looking out the window.

Then sometimes she likes finding strange crap and chewing on it. Like a toilet paper roll.

But mostly she likes looking out the window. Oh! Wait! What is that? Is that cows? Let me put my paw on the window and see if I can touch it.

Must get more comfortable.

And then I'll bark all morning long while Melanie has a toothache. Kind of like this:

The End.

Feeling Better

2008-09-11T06:56:00.008-04:00

I'm feeling so much better today! It's just been crazy! I don't know why everything always has to be so difficult for me when I have a toothache.

Tuesday, I got ready for my appointment, determined I was going to demand pain killers this time. Enough was enough. For the last day or two before that, I'd practically been in tears thinking they didn't care and wanted me to be in pain. (I get emotional when I hurt).

I get to the dentist at nine, which I'm positive is the time they told me, but they tell me my appointment is at 10. Fine, whatever. I leave and go to Target, which is in the shopping center right next door. No, I did not plan that. Ok, maybe I did. ;) Grey's Anatomy was out on DVD (I have my priorities!) and I'd planned on going after my appointment anyway.

I kill time in Target. I buy two books, Grey's and some stuff from their dollar section. The office manager at the dentist office had told me to go get some coffee or something, but I'm one of those people who won't eat or drink anything before seeing a dentist since I'd just brushed my teeth. So I'm definitely not drinking coffee!

When I get back to the dentist office, there's not a parking space to be found. There's a big gym a couple doors down, which must've had someone famous in there or something (Richard Simmons?) because a hour ago the parking lot was almost empty. Whatever. I park out back.

After I hike back to the dentist office, I sit down and start reading Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. When they call me back, one of the dental assistants asks me, "How are you?"

I tell her, "I'm in a lot of pain."

When the dentist walks over, the first thing I notice is that it's not the same dentist I had before. I'm pretty sure this guy is like the main dentist. I tell him what happened, and how Sunday my husband had paged them since I was in so much pain I was crying, and how no one answered the page. They knew all about this since someone did finally call my husband Monday. So while I'm sitting there he makes it a point to call in his office manager and tell her that they need to fix the answering service. Today. Immediately.

He then explains to me that the lady I'd had the week before had given him my file to look at. I have a rare nerve in my tooth that does not just go straight up and down, but forks like a V. He tells me that he could open up the tooth and try to help me, but there is no guarantee, or I can go to an Endodontics Specialist who has a better chance of helping me. When I agree to that, he tells the assistant to call the one they refer people to and to make me an appointment. He tells me that the money I spent for the root canal on Wednesday will be refunded to me.

The assistant comes back and tells me that they will see me in an hour...and it's in another town. When she asks me if I know where it is, I must look confused (and blonde) because the dentist tells her to Map Quest it for me. They were very nice and kissing my butt, which tells me that they know they made a mistake.

The next thing you know I'm in the car on the way to the endodontist. It was one of those surreal moments where you're wondering, "How did I get here?" I didn't even call work because I thought it was just a consultation or something. Oh, how wrong I was!

When I get there, I have to fill out millions of forms. Then they call me back. I wait for a long time, but I guess that's because they had to fit me in. When the specialist finally comes to see me, he's very nice and very concerned. He wants to drain the abscess and do another root canal. He explains to me what the other dentist explains to me; that I have a rare tooth and that even for him, it will be tricky.

Let me just say right here that I'm glad I know why the first dentist wasn't able to complete my root canal, but that I wish someone had properly explained that. I also wish someone had given me an antibiotic the first day or told me that it might become abscessed. I've never known a dentist or doctor causing more pain than before you walked in. I'm still not even sure why it became abscessed. Everything was such a blur on Tuesday. I wasn't expecting to go through such an ordeal of pain as I did.

I'm not going to go into details about the procedures I had done or the root canal. It's not for the squeamish. Let me just say that there was no going to work for me after that.

When I left they gave me more painkillers (two different kinds) and a stronger antibiotic, so now I'm on two of them.

My chin is still a little puffy, but not as bad as it was. It still aches at night where they drained it at. I have to go back next Wednesday and I'm not really sure what he's going to do. I'm a bit scared.

What really sucks is that while this was going on another tooth started bothering me. *sigh* I don't even know what to do about that. Do I go back to this dentist? Was what happened a fluke? Should I trust them? Not to mention, I think I've used all my insurance on this one tooth.

Then there is my laptop, which keeps shutting down without notice. It's shut down like five times since I started this post. I'm not sure what to do with it since my dad was the one who always fixed my computers before. I'll probably have to buy a new one and give this one to my brother to play with, but it makes me sad. My dad gave me this one and it even has the Jimmie Johnson wallpaper he made me for me on it.

So there's a lot going on right now and not just with my tooth and I'm dealing with it. But man... I would just like to have one good week.

It's 9/11 today and I feel like I should say something, but I'm not sure what. Seven years. It's hard to believe it's been that long.

Well, need to finish this up before my computer shuts down again...grr.... I'll be back tomorrow with pictures! No, don't worry, it's not of my tooth. ;)

BRB

2008-09-09T18:26:00.004-04:00

I'll probably be missing for a couple days. My computer is giving me problems and I went back to the dentist again today. They made me an emergency appointment with an endodontics specialist, who drained my abscess and did another root canal. Fun! But I did get pain killers...finally.

Anyway, I'll be back soon and I'll have another interview! :)

New Sitcom Coming Soon

2008-09-08T05:40:00.003-04:00

After my post from yesterday, I got to thinking about how much I miss the old sitcoms. So me and my son came up with a new one. It's still a work in progress, but the title is:

Plastic Sporks

Here we are, face to face
A couple of Plastic Sporks
Hopin’ to find, we’re two of a kind
Are we a fork? Are we a spoon?
Together, we’re going to find our way.
Together, taking the time each day.
To learn all about those foods you just can’t scoop or fork.
Two plastic sporks together
You and I together (We’re going to find our way)
You and I together (We’re going to find our way)
You and I together.

Stay tuned!

What I'm Watching Now

2008-09-07T05:18:00.007-04:00

Two Silver Spoons together...you and I.

I bought Season One of Silver Spoons because it had been so long since I'd watched this show, I could hardly remember what it was about. It's not a show that has been in syndication much.

The first thing that brought it all back of course was the train. Who can forget the train? That was really cool back in the 80's. Who else had a train in their living room? Ricky had the "cool" dad.

The thing I'd totally forgotten about was that Jason Bateman was Ricky's first friend. I'd remembered Alfonso Riberio of course, but he's not even on the first season.

My favorite episode so far of Season One was the one where Ricky's father (Edward Stratton the third) hired Mr. T to be Ricky's bodyguard from the bully at school. When Mr. T busts into his classroom, I was laughing so hard I had to call J down to watch it again with me.

There was another episode where Arnold (Gary Coleman) is a school reporter and comes to Ricky's house. They end up in trouble when Ricky hacks into a gov't site on his computer and Arnold photographs secret plans for a fighter jet. I just couldn't help but laugh when Ricky predicts that soon everyone will be using computers for banking, for shopping...for everything! How right you are Ricky!

Oh and Pac-Man is a big part of the Silver Spoon's trip down memory lane. Since Edward has all those video games in his living room they play Pac-Man a lot.

Me and J keep laughing at how bad sitcom's used to make their sets. This was supposed to be this huge mansion and yet you only see the two main rooms. Oh and Ricky's bedroom. That's it. And when you look outside the doors (which open by remote control, don't forget) there's these steps leading down to the doors. But if you look at the picture they show in the opening credits, there are no steps!

But hey, it was the 80's. Things have come a long way since then. Honestly, maybe too far. All the shows now or so serious or edgy. There just aren't too many good corny shows anymore.

Thank God for DVD's...

Still in Pain

2008-09-06T14:09:00.000-04:00

After the root canal on Wednesday, my jaw started to swell up and hurt...a lot. But I thought that was probably normal after a root canal. Well, by yesterday, the pain was worse than before I went to the dentist and I couldn't take it anymore. Even my coworkers noticed how swollen and red my jaw was.

I left work early and they fit me in for an appointment. They took me back and the dentist (a different one from the one I had before), filed down my tooth a little. She said that I was biting down on it wrong, which was causing the problem. She also gave me an antibiotic.

When I mentioned the pain, she said that the filing it down and antibiotic was going to make the pain go away. Oh really? Because that's what they told me Wednesday and look how well that worked out!

So last night I had another restless night. I have a schedule of OTC drugs down to the hour. I have to write them down so I don't take too much. I've also been taking the antibiotics but they haven't kicked in yet. My chin is still swollen and red and sometimes I feel myself want to drool a little. Fun!

If the pain doesn't go away by tomorrow, I'm never going to this dentist again. Well, I might go back Tuesday to get the crown done so that this tooth doesn't fracture, but then that's it. Who heard of a dentist that doesn't try to help with the pain? I was almost crying yesterday. If they don't like prescribing pain medication, they could just give me a couple days worth. All this OTC medication cannot be good on my stomach.

Anyway... The other morning I was up and in pain and I found something on YouTube that made me smile. Does anyone remember the "Carlton dance" on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Well, someone made a compilation of his dances. I love Alfonso! :o)

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Big Duck Party

2008-09-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

The other day I was leaving work when I realized I wasn't alone. I looked to my right and apparently I'd interrupted Happy Hour...for the geese. Or big ducks. I call them ducks by mistake a lot. My husband is still waiting for me to actually find a real duck so I'll be right one time.

Zooming in. You can kind of see how our parking lot is full of their "droppings". You have to watch your step.

Bonus Picture:
My Precious

Actual conversation last night between me and my son on the way to the store:

"Mom. Do we have to listen to Twitty all the time?" Reaches for iPod.

"Don't you touch that!"

"But I don't want to listen to it..."

"You'll listen to Twitty and you'll LIKE IT!!!"

TGIF! I hear Hannah is supposed to visit us this weekend, so I guess I'll go rent a boat. ;) Stay dry!

I'm Back!

2008-09-04T06:50:00.004-04:00

see more puppies

Yes, I only missed a day of blogging, I know. But since I really didn't have a real blog Monday or Tuesday either, I feel like I'm been missing for awhile.

Yesterday, I finally called in sick and went to the dentist. I was feeling achy and sick and was afraid the tooth was infected.

I went to the dentist expecting to get antibiotics and painkillers and instead got a root canal. How rude! Most dentists I've been to in the past will refer you to another dentist first, but these people just did it right there! They numbed me up (oh how much I hate when they do that. You'll just feel a little pinch...uh-huh, right) and started drilling away.

The other problem was that they had fit me into the schedule, so the dentist had other patients she had to see. I'm sitting there all numb and she'd just leave me there for awhile. It seemed to go on forever.

Next week I need to go and finish the crown. Fun! But it really doesn't hurt that much right now. My jaw is sore and stiff, but that's to be expected.

I'm also beginning to think I was actually sick on top of the tooth pain since my son woke up this morning with a fever. I'm just glad the dentists wear masks and gloves at all times. It's a good thing I did stay home!

I'm feeling better this morning. Tired, but better. In between feeling like crap and going to the dentist yesterday, I did finish watching my Season 4 DVD's of The Office. That season was way too short. I also got my Conway Twitty box set!!! You don't know how happy I was to see Twitty's box on my porch when I got home!

Anyway, I'm going to start working on interviews, so I can get back on track. Don't forget if you want an interview to let me know! I'm also thinking about doing a guest blog kind of thing too. If you want to be a guest on my blog...say you want to interview your sock monkeys, please let me know!

Well, I'm going to go make me some coffee and get ready for work. Yay. Thanks for your patience! I'll be back to normal in no time! Well, normal for me...

Owie!

2008-09-02T07:07:00.000-04:00

I wanted to blog about something, but I've been fighting a toothache for days. And of course I have way too many deadlines to take off, so I'll have to go to work before calling a dentist. *sigh*

Have you ever noticed the more pain you're in, the less together you are? I can't find crap this morning and I'm running in circles like a dog chasing his tail. And this is before I even start getting ready! It's going to be a long day...

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

glitter-graphics.com

Not much to say today. I'm enjoying the day off by chilling and maybe even getting some writing done. It's about time!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and for those down South being hit with Gustav, stay safe!

Heeeeeere's Mothie!

2008-08-29T07:53:00.001-04:00

Wednesday night, we had a visitor at our house. It was a moth. But not just any moth, we are talking an alien moth! Actually, we looked it up and it's a Luna moth. Whatever it's called, this sucker was HUGE.

Here are the pictures:

Hi, my name is Mothie. I think this is a good spot to stay.

No, I don't need a quarter, thank you very much.

Why does this lady have a wreath with a Voodoo doll in it? I don't think I want to know. Maybe she should invest in some Windex instead.

Ooo, now strange blonde lady is getting brave and coming outside to look at me.

Maybe I should fly into her hair and freak her out. Or maybe not... She looks pretty soft. Psssst. Hey you in there. Do you have any clothes I can chew on? How about a small puppy?

Let me tell you...if that thing would've taken flight while I was outside, my screams would've been heard miles and miles away.

For those in the US who are going out of town, Happy Labor Day!

Random Thursday

2008-08-28T07:24:00.011-04:00

more animals

Today I'm just blogging about some random things on my mind. Yes, sometimes I do think. And it's just me talking. I'm not interviewing my couch or anything. ;)

First off, I'm asking for a few thoughts and prayers for my family today. My husband's grandmother passed away yesterday, and although we were expecting it, it's still hard on all of us. She was a great woman and will be missed.

Now, onto the other things on my mind.

What I've bought recently:

The Conway Twitty Box set! Yeah, baby! Give me more Twitty! It even has Hello Darlin' in Russian! I'm going to have to take some stuff off my iPod to fit it all, but soooo worth it!

Silver Spoons, first season. I know what you're saying... That's AWESOME. And I will have to say in return, I KNOW!!! I haven't seen this show in forever and I'm really looking forward to seeing little Ricky Schroder again!

What I've been watching lately:

From G's to Gents. My husband has a tendency to watch reality shows on MTV (last time we watched every episode of Rob & Big), and the other day he caught a marathon of this show. It's so bad in such a good way. Basically they makeover these "G's" (I had to ask my husband what "G" meant. He said gangsta. I had no clue! I'm old!) into gentlemen. Yes, pretty obvious, but it is kind of a Mrs. Manners show, but for men. Here is the blurb:

From executive producer Jamie Foxx, From G's to Gents schools diamonds in the rough on how to lose the front, learn self-respect, realize their self-worth and market themselves accordingly. The wannabe gentlemen learn everything from style and grace to etiquette and chivalry. The G's discover that with the right tools, they can become true gents.

They even had a male stripper! Of course that's not the reason I watch it. ;) I think the best thing about it is the dude's names. They have names like Creeper, Shotta, E6 and my favorite J-Boogie.

What scared the crap out of me this morning:

I was sitting on the couch and my laptop was next to me as always. I was checking on my little virtual villagers when suddenly a mouse jumped out from behind my laptop and leaped onto the end table. WTF!! I am proud to say that I didn't scream. I just ran upstairs and told my husband. About five minutes later, I walked back downstairs, but I was still creeped out. I sat back down and it happened AGAIN. The mouse jumped from behind my laptop to the table and then to the floor. This time my husband came downstairs and moved the couch to make sure it was really gone. I knew we had a mouse, but as long as it didn't bother me, I wasn't too concerned. Now that f-cker has got to go!!!

What I'm looking forward to:
All the DVD's coming out in September!! I'm going to be at Target every Tuesday for the next three weeks...at least. lol Starting next week with The Office Season 2! Whoo-hooo!

Well, that's it for today. Now back to Saved by the Bell-er, I mean, time to get ready for work.

She's Been a Very Bad Girl! My Interview with Paige Tyler!

2008-08-27T07:49:00.001-04:00

Today's interview is with the very nice, but very naughty, author, Paige Tyler. Her books will make your cheeks turn red! And I'm not talking about the one's on your face! Ha! (Where's my rim tap?)

Anyway, without further ado, here's my interview with Paige Tyler, the unspanked-uh, uncut version:

On a scale of 1-10, how awesome am I? No excuses about how you don’t know me…

LOL! Well, I've heard you're pretty awesome!

I see your newest book, Animal Attraction, is about werewolves. Can I have one for Melly’s Spot? It will be a nice addition to my collection. As long as it doesn’t eat my shape-shifting hamster.

LOL! Sure! The hunky hero has been known to bite, or at least that's what the heorine tells me, but that's only during more intimate moments, so I'm pretty sure he won't eat your shape-shifting hamster!

I see you live in Florida. My Grandma lives in Florida, too. Do you know her?

Probably not. Florida is pretty big. LOL!

Now for the hard hitting question. Brace yourself! What was your favorite toy as a child?

I have to say my Barbie dolls! I loved to make up stories for them to act out! Oh and I totally had Barbie marry Ken! See, I was a romantic even then! LOL!

Is it true you write spanking good books? Literally? Are they a spanking good time? Okay, I’ll stop now.

What can I say?! It's true! They are! LOL!

Looking at your cover for The Cutler Brothers series, I change my mind about the werewolf. Can I have that guy instead? Or can I have both?

Well, actually, they're are two Cutler Brothers, which would give you three guys? You up for that? Though you might have to fight the heroines for them, so I guess the question would be, are you up for that? LOL!

I see you have a book titled, Bridezilla. One of my favorite shows is called that too and I think they all need a spanking—but not in the good way you write about. Just out of curiosity, were you a bridezilla?

Me? No, actually, I wasn't. My mom and aunts took care of most of the prep for our wedding, so I didn't have to do too much but get my gown and pick the cake! LOL! But Bridezilla was a fun story to write! It's a fun read, too! The heroine totally needed a spanking, for sure!

Can you name a character after me? But if I get spanked, can you go gentle on me? Well, I mean if one of your heroes spanks me, not you. Umm…What was I saying?

LOL! I could totally name a character after you! And yes, you'd probably get put over some handsome hunky hero's knee for a yummy spanking, or at least your character would! But she'd definitely like it!

Okay, your turn. Here’s where you can say whatever you want. Promote, etc. I’ll be over here thinking what a bad girl I am. Wait! Not that bad. Just a little bad. Like a feather’s worth. Really.

LOL! Okay, while you do that I'll do the shameless promotion thing! I'v had several of my bestselling stories just come out in print and Amazon Kindle, as well as eBook, inlcuding The Cutler Brothers, Spicing Up Her Marriage, The Magic Spell, and Cindra and the Bounty Hunter, which was a Blue-Ribbon Favorite over at Romance Junkies!

My hot paranormal erotic romance Animal Attraction comes out from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid on September 1, and I'm already working on the sequel! I also have another book coming out with Whiskey Creek Press Torrid in January, a contemporary erotic romance called Librarian By Day, as well as a contemporary erotic romance coming out with Liquid Silver Books called Protective Custody.

Readers can a get the scoop on all of my books by visiting my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com They can also find links to my blog, as well as MySpace and Facebook pages!

Thanks so much for interviewing me, Melanie! I totally enjoyed it!

Grocery Store revisited

2008-08-26T19:51:00.003-04:00

On the way home from work, I stopped at Shoppers for some dinner. As I walked in, I grabbed a basket, swearing this time I was only going to buy a couple items...

...15-20 minutes later, I'm trudging to the register, chips in my right hand, overflowing basket on my left arm. Frozen pizzas are gorging into my sides and Marie Callender dinners are teetering on the edge of falling to their frozen death. At least my pants weren't unbuttoned! I don't think they were...

Why do I do this to myself? Why can't I just commit to a cart? What happened to the list?

*sigh*

I need help. Maybe I'll consult with the sock monkeys...

This Morning's Visual and Interview News

2008-08-26T10:10:00.003-04:00

I wanted to include a picture with my Monkey blog earlier, but I'm not able to download pictures on my laptop, since it has Windows 2000, and my camera isn't compatible. But I can at work! So here is Fred and Cassie:

Oh and while I'm blogging again anyway, I wanted to let you know I have a new interview tomorrow! No, not the monkey's again. This time it's an author! Her name is Paige Tyler and she's going to spank me good! I'm serious. You won't want to miss it!

Monkey Business

2008-08-26T07:42:00.008-04:00

My son bought me back two Sock Monkey's from the beach. Their names are Fred and Cassie. They wanted to talk to you today.

Fred: Hi! I'm a sock monkey that sits on the top of Melly's TV stand.

Cassie: Hello! I sit next to Fred, but for some reason I don't think he likes me.

Fred: I like you. You're just sitting a little too close to me.

Cassie: What do you mean?

Fred: Well, for starters, you're kissing my arm.

Cassie: Is there something wrong with that?

Fred: All the time??? My arm is getting chapped.

Cassie: Anyway, we weren't here to talk about that.

Fred: What are we talking about then?

Cassie: We're here to talk about Melly.

Fred: What about her?

Cassie: Well, all she does is sit on the couch on her computer.

Me: Hey! I thought you wanted to talk about something important.

Cassie: This is important. What do you do for all those hours???

Me: Well, I....

Fred: I'm sure she's writing.

Me: Yeah! What he says!

Cassie: If you're writing, then how come I rarely see you type?

Me: Well, umm...

Fred: Good point, Cassie. What are you doing, Melly?

Me: Ok, well, I did get a new game.

Cassie: Ah-ha! We're onto something!

Fred: What game?

Me: *mumbling* VirtualVillagersTheSecretCity.

Cassie: I didn't hear you.

Me: Fine! I got Virtual Villagers, The Secret City.

Fred: Uh-huh. Well, I'm sure that's important.

Me: It is! This whole village depends on me!

Cassie: Really? They depend on you, huh? The way your son depends on you?

Me: Exactly!

Fred: What did you do before you drove your son to school?

Me: Umm...

Fred: And what did you do when you got back from driving your son to school?

Me: Err....

Cassie: This is an intervention. You need a life.

Me: Wait, my two sock monkeys are holding an intervention? Somehow this wasn't how I pictured one of these going.

Fred: We wanted the refrigerator to join us, but sadly it's a bit empty at the moment.

Me: I was going to go grocery shopping.

Cassie: Give her a break, Fred. She did buy some potato chips last night.

Me: I've been busy!

Fred: Feeding your fake village?

Me: *pouting* Sock monkeys aren't as cool as I thought they were.

Cassie: It's a bit dusty up here.

Fred: I have allergies! *sneeze*

Me: I like my virtual friends better.

First Day of School

2008-08-25T07:56:00.000-04:00

Today was J's first day of high school. Let me tell you, for someone like me, six in the morning comes pretty quick. It was still dark out! That's just WRONG. Then when I went to take him to the bus stop, my car battery was dead. Yes, dead. Stupid thing.

I had to wake up my husband so he could take us both. While me and B were sitting in the truck, he thought we should leave so J wouldn't be embarrassed by having his parents sitting there watching him get on the bus. But he's my baby! I couldn't just leave him there! I guess one day I'll have to let go...when he's 20 *cough* 18.

His bus didn't even come until close to seven, but I'm assuming that's because it was the first day. He was worried about where he was going to sit on the bus. Man, I remember those days. Kind of.

Hopefully he'll be able to find his way around. He was all worried last night because he couldn't find his map of the school. But we found it.

High school...man. This is it. The last stretch. Why am I so sad?