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Yesterday the ds had a gig downtown. He had to be there at 2:30 but wasn’t to go on till 4. The dh took him, then came back for me. We got down there shortly after 4, found the place (the dh SWEARS he saw a hooker flashing a guy – that’s the kind of neighborhood it was). The ds called. They weren’t going on yet. We went to the Starbucks by the hospital to wait. The ds called again. They weren’t going on till 7:30. The dh and I decided to go eat at Chipotle’s, then we came home for a bit, and I decided to color my roots.

My hair was still in the towel when the ds called back and said they were going on NEXT (before 6). I yanked the towel off my head, changed my blouse and we bolted, got there for the second of five songs. The place was pretty nice, though, had lights and a sound system and everything. Then the ds loaded his gear in the car, the dh and I came home, then the dh went back to get the boy at 8.

I had almost half a tank of gas when we started. Yeesh.

Okay, back to work today. I kept dreaming it was the first day of school. All I can say is, thank God for Tylenol PM. I thought about stopping for Starbucks, but it's warm today and the coffee really overheats me.

1) get back into a work schedule (it’s testing this week, so shouldn’t be too bad)
2) get ready for critique
3) write at least 25 words on StTA
4) type in revisions on Eden’s Promise and submit to SHOMI contest – what do I have to lose?
5) Start revisions on Vanished
6) publish website
7) figure out best way to make bookmarks
8) pick up ds from UIL practice 2 times
9) pick up ds to take to another HS for Battle of the Bands tryouts tomorrow (glad I cancelled tutoring!)
10) keep up with grades
11) keep up house

What I did over Christmas vacation:

Movies seen: PS I LOVE YOU (2x), I AM LEGEND, BLOOD DIAMOND, ENCHANTED, THE LAST LEGION, RUSH HOUR 3, RATATOUILLE, THE KINGDOM, WHAT’S UP DOC AND ZODIAC

Books read: 5 - ALASKAN FANTASY, DESERT GUARDIAN, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, WATCHMEN and UNFORGETTABLE

Pages written: at least 75

Pages revised: 112 before I decided I don’t think that story’s worth the effort

GH entries judged: 6

Gigs attended: 2

Anniversaries celebrated: 21 (though we only actually celebrated once)

Houses visited: 3 – Mom, Healing Brother and Lucinda

Latest I stayed up: 3 AM on NYE, 2 AM on Friday

Latest I slept: 8:30

Days I stayed in my pajamas all day: 3

Dinners cooked: 5

Christmas goodies baked: 6

Hamburgers eaten: 5

Chick Fil A visits: 2

Taco Garage meals: 3

Bags of Mint M&Ms eaten: 2

Bags of Mint M&Ms bought: 6

Trips to Borders: 3

Phone conversations: 7

Discs of Grey’s Anatomy watched: 3

Also:

1) did my art sheet for Hot Shot
2) made a website
3) made bookmarks – need to take them to Kinko’s, though
4) babysat a dog
5) hurt the hell out of my leg
6) went to lunch with JoAnn and Stacy
7) went to Macy’s the day after Christmas

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Yesterday I walked out to put out the mail and found this on my porch.



Mom bought them for me for watching her dog. WOOT! So many colors....

Yesterday I watched movies all day, and still managed to write 6 pages. I watched The Good German, and had to strain to hear Cate Blanchette in her soft German accent. Clooney got his butt kicked a lot and Tobey Maguire cussed like a sailor.

I watched the first two episodes of Dexter and decided it is not for me.

I watched Zodiac, which is dang long and has everybody in it. Interesting, and more or a resolution than I expected an unsolved case to have. Plus, Robert Downey Jr.

Then I watched What's Up, Doc, the old comedy with a GORGEOUS Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. We had fun picking out familiar faces in the cast. I really like that movie.

Today is Reading Day. I'm ahead of schedule on my small town story, so I'm taking the day off. Well, I'll probably write tonight, but today, I'm going to finish Karen's book and read The Watchmen, at least.

How come I have written Every Day and still feel like I'm not working toward publication. Is it because this book is FUN?

Obsession update: I requested JDM to be my friend on MySpace, then changed my layout so he wouldn't think I was a total nut.

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This is the verse on the card the dh gave me for our anniversary. He reminds me he didn’t write it, but I thought it was Very Romantic.

“You’re still the one I love to catch myself dreaming about,
Still the one I love to talk things over with,
Still the one I love to cuddle next to until we are as close as we can be.
I hope you’re as happy as you make me feel because you’re everything I could ever hope for – the one I love with all my heart and soul.”

Then, romantic fools that we are, after our anniversary dinner at PF Changs (henceforth to be known as Pei-Wei plus 30%), the dh and I went to the library because I had some DVDs and my first graphic novel, The Watchmen (JDM’s next movie), on hold. I ended up checking out 5 CDs – Phantom of the Opera (because I can’t find mine), Rent, Mamma Mia, Van Morrison and Down from the Mountain (the second O Brother Where Art Thou CD). I checked out What’s Up Doc?, The Big Easy and The Commitments, too. Today's not looking very pretty, so it may just be a movie kind of day. Plus I have the first three discs of Dexter.

I’ve gone a little nuts on iTunes the past few weeks. I bought the PS I LOVE YOU soundtrack, “How Do You Know?” from ENCHANTED, “Galway Girl” from Ellis Island, because it was in PS I LOVE YOU, “Gett Off” by Prince, the song Hilary Swank sang during the karaoke scene, “Breathe” by Michelle Branch, from the previews of PS I LOVE You, and “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt, which I thought I already had but I needed for my small town soundtrack (which is the best soundtrack EVER, lemme tell you.)


Here’s ONE of the clips I found yesterday, with Gerry. I can’t figure out how to save the others.

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Today is my 21st anniversary. I've been married over half my life! Wow. And they said it wouldn't last....I still wish I had a scanner so I could show you how young and skinny we were!

I wrote 10 pages yesterday, despite my mini-Grey's Anatomy marathon (guess which episodes?) I haven't watched nearly as much TV as I thought because we've had just beautiful weather, so I sit in my club chair in the sun room and write. That's better anyway, yes?

I'm done with my GH judging, but one entry really stumped me. It was GOOD....the story, anyway. The grammar - not so much. Yes, my pet peeve is apostrophe abuse, but this one also switched from present tense to past tense more than once. And the synopsis had the cast of....well, some show that has a lot of people in it. But the story was GOOD. Different, complex, interesting....so unsure of the score I'm going to give it.

I have trolled the net for clips of my movie (which I almost went to see again last night because both guys were supposed to have band practice but then only the ds had band practice, so I stayed home.) I found several, including Gerry singing "Galway Girl" but I can't figure out how to save/upload them!

You can enter to win Barnes and Noble.com gift certificates by posting this news release on your blog or forwarding to a chapter/group e-mail loop or newsletter. To be eligible, e-mail the particulars of your forward/post to jillmonroe @ cox.net (no spaces) and post no later than January 20, 2008. A random drawing will determine the winner(s) of the gift certificates.

The Wet Noodle Posse had such a great time with our month of Golden Heart prep that we're giving away writing tips...one month at a time. In addition to book and critique giveaways, join Q&A sessions and read guest blogs from bestselling writers like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Gena Showalter.

Check out our line-up of topics!
January-Getting Started (goals, choosing story idea, focus, etc.)
February-Character Development (names, physical descriptions, backstory, etc.)
March-Plotting
April - Conflict
May-Research
June-Business side of Writing (market, marketing, promotion, etiquette)
July-Prepping for Conference (both for national and smaller conferences)
August-Inspiration (for stories and for keeping yourself going)
September-Writer Health (physical and mental)
October-GH Preparation
November-Writing Challenges (NaNo, BIAW, turning off the internal editor, etc.)
December-Editing/Revisions

Get great information in a fun community! Visit http://wetnoodleposse.blogspot.com

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

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I did my cover art sheet for Hot Shot yesterday. I begged for Clooney….I wonder what I’ll get.

Saw Ratatouille and The Kingdom yesterday. I’m having the worst movie luck! Bleh.

I woke up with the BEST story idea. I don’t think I can be funny enough to pull it off, though. And my beloved book is giving me fits. Only managed 4 pages yesterday, but I’m done with my GH entries.


One of my friends sent me this – too funny not to share!

Unwritten rules of Hollywood aka Hollywood cliches



1. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.

2. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets that reach up to armpit level on a woman but only waist level on the man lying beside her.

3. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

4. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.

5. The ventilation system of any building is a perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building without difficulty.

6. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.

7. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.

8. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

9a. When hailing a taxi, merely hold up an arm and one will be a few feet away. Especially in a busy city.

9b. When paying for the taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.

10. If you lose a hand, it will cause the stump of your arm to grow by 15cm.

11. Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning, even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.

12a. Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.

12b. In a high speed chase, all vehicles shall have the same screeching sound - that of a race car. Even a souped up Pinto.

13. A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a football stadium.

14. Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.

15. All single women have a cat.

16. Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.

17. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one - especially if said group is "The A-Team".

18. Creepy music coming from a graveyard should always be closely investigated.

19. Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings - especially if any of their family or friends has died in a strange boating accident.

20. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.

21. During a very emotional confrontation, instead of facing the person you are speaking to, it is customary to stand behind them and talk to their back.

22. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

23. Dogs always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.

24. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

25. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch-enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man eating sharks that will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.

26. Having a job of any kind will make all fathers forget their son's eighth birthday.

27. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.

28. It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.

29. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

30. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.

31. All cell phone calls will be crystal clear - no matter the surroundings.

32. The cops will always ask for "one more thing" after the suspect says that magical phrase "I want a lawyer".

33. A computer expert will be able to read binary and assembly language like a book.

34. The above expert can also be able to access any computer from any computer, no matter the security, in minutes.

35. In any haunted house, the ghost will be of a murdered victim. Only murdered people can have supernatural beings.

36, Good guys can get shot multiple times and live while bad guys need merely one shot to die.

37. Two single professional characters of both genders shall offer UST,

38. If the hero is a male cop, he shall be partnered with an equally attractive female of similar age.

39. No character shall EVER be seen paying a monthly bill- rent, electricity, insurance, etc.

40. All ransom notes shall be constructed of letters cut out of various magazine adverts.

41. No man shall go to bed wearing a shirt.

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The boy’s friend called at 6:30 and wanted the ds to spend the night. I was fine with it at first, then I thought…my friend Lucinda lives 4 blocks away from the boy’s friend, and she has a NYE party every year. So I dropped the boy off, went to see PS I LOVE YOU again (still love it) and went to Lucinda’s and hung out for about 3 hours. It was a blast. We missed the countdown because Lucinda was pouring champagne, so her daughter REWOUND it so we could count down, too! Then we rewound it again to hear the dh’s name touted as director. He’ll be home in a couple of hours, I guess.

Here are my goals for the new year…I didn’t do any last year and floundered the first half of the year.


1) Books needing minor revisions: Something to Talk About, Breaking Daylight, Ghost Hunters, Vanished
2) Books needing major revisions: Eden’s Promise, Beneath the Surface, Spy Girl, Vampire Hunters
3) New book: Midnight Sun for Nano – I’ve been wanting to write this book for YEARS.
4) Learn how to promote my books.
5) Always have something out for submission – the way I have my revisions scheduled, I should be submitting every other month.
6) Look into contests for pubbed books, as well as for unpubbed manuscripts of pubbed authors.
7) Limit time online – I’ve been better about this until this month.
8) Work on flexibility.
9) Work on house keeping.
10) Read a book a week.
11) Learn how to relax!!!
12) Lose 20 pounds and take better care of myself – my skin and everything. Stop leaving the house without make-up!
13) Pay off 2 bills.
14) Be better about holiday prep and birthdays – no more last minute stuff.

Are you doing goals this year? What are they?

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I was at Blockbuster and got a call from the Emily coordinator - Breaking Daylight finalled in the Emily!! This gives this book a perfect record in contests, and me a perfect record in the Emily! Hope something comes of it!

My Baby Brother came to get his dog Saturday night and on the way home saw a coyote - IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD! We're less than a mile from the highway, though there has been a lot of development in the area. Still - my kitties!

Completely lazy day yesterday – I didn’t get out of my pjs! I took a shower and got back into another pair! I read 2 GH entries, finished a book that resolved a relatively big conflict in 3 pages ☹, started reading another book (about 100 pages!), did some revisions on my SHOMI contest entry and watched Blood Diamond (good) and The Last Legion (NOT good – I know, Natalie warned me!)

Today, no big plans, unless the boy hangs with his friends tonight. If he does, I’m going to the movies, since the dh has to work. We will hit Blockbuster and Chick-Fil-A, though (have some coupons that expire today!)

Top Ten Events of 2007

10) finishing Breaking Daylight
9) getting my iPod
8) Trish’s sale
7) finalling in the GH and Trish getting to call me
6) reconnecting with friends
5) Chris’s visit in March and getting to finally meet her family!
4) Trish’s visit after conference, wherein we saw Harry Potter at the IMAX and watched all of Robin Hood from BBC
3) celebrating my 20 year anniversary
2) selling Where There’s Smoke, my first book, to WRP
1) selling Hot Shot to Samhain

What were your highlights? Can you believe 2007 is over???

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Several of the books I'm looking forward to this year are first Noodler books. And yes, maybe it's tacky to look forward to my own books, but I've been waiting a Really Long Time ;)


10) Where There’s Smoke by MJ Fredrick



9) Hot Shot by MJ Fredrick - can't wait to see this cover!!!!

8) Tribute by Nora Roberts

7) Fanning the Flames by Trish Milburn

6) Lady and the Vamp by Michelle Rowen



5) Rogue by Rachel Vincent

4) Bound to Love Her by Esri Rose



3) Waltzing with Alligators by Lorelle Marinello

2) The Hollow by Nora Roberts

1) Thunder Moon by Lori Handeland



What books are you looking forward to in 2008?

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1) work on small town story, get at least to 50000 words - UP TO 50,000 WORDS - CAN'T GET MY WORD METER WORKING
2) revisions on Eden’s Promise - UP TO PAGE 112
3) get a website – I played with making one last night on iWeb, but it’s a little bright and cheery ;) -HAVE ONE I LIKE, NOW TO GET A DOMAIN AND AN EMAIL ADDRESS
4) mail requested partial to agent
5) revise and send Breaking Daylight back to Golden Palm
6) research legend for Surface revisions – started this yesterday, too
7) judge GH entries
8) read 2 books
9) driver’s ed stuff with boy
10) boy’s 3 gigs and probably twice as many practices - 2 DOWN, ONE TO GO
11) lunch with writer friends
12) lunch with teacher friends - DIDN'T WORK OUT
13) breakfast with Mom - DIDN'T WORK OUT
14) see I AM LEGEND and NATIONAL TREASURE - SAW I AM LEGEND - DID NOT LIKE
15) clean house - SOME
16) get to UPS, the post office, the dry cleaners and grocery
17) nap as often as possible - SOME
18) Christmas baking - brownies, fudge, sugar cookies, molasses cookies and sugar plums
19) get four more presents
20) celebrate 21st anniversary!


This was the HARDEST LIST! But I made it as I read this year…though I almost forgot Harry Potter! And I couldn’t decide which of Lee McKenzie’s books I liked better.

1) A Man for Maggie by Lee McKenzie
2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
3) Gladiator’s Honour by Michelle Styles
4) Stray by Rachel Vincent
5) Rising Moon by Lori Handeland
6) Heavens to Betsy by Beth Patillo
7) Something Wicked by Evelyn Vaughn
8) Virgin River by Robin Carr
9) To Have and to Hold by Dawn Temple
10) Forbidden Shores by Jane Lockwood

What were your favorite books this year?

10 pages yesterday!

First of all, go to The Wild Rose Press and buy TOO LATE FOR ROMANCE by LM Gonzalez. It’s her very first book, y’all!



Now that that’s done, these are the top ten movies I’m looking forward to this year.



1) The Accidental Husband




2) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (I can’t find any info about this, but the boy and Baby Brother insist it’s a 2008 movie.



3) Cloverfield



4) Fool’s Gold (a funny version of my ms Beneath the Surface, looks like)



5) Iron Man!! (Have I mentioned I love RDJ?)



6) Indiana Jones!!



7) The Dark Knight



8) Nim’s Island (Gerry’s new movie)



9) X Files movie



10) The Mummy sequel (I know, Rachel’s not in it, but…)

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Top Ten (and Bottom Ten) Movies I Saw in 2007

It's 33 degrees and I'm babysitting my mom's dachshund. I opened the door to let her out because she was crying and she just turned around and went back to bed.

13 pages yesterday, despite errands. Yay!

I actually didn’t see that many. Most of my Blockbuster rentals were TV shows.

10) Apocalypto
9) Rocky Balboa
8) Live Free and Die Hard
7) Casino Royale
6) Pirates 3
5) Harry Potter
4) 300
3) Enchanted (I am DREAMING of my true love’s KISS…)
2) Disturbia
1) PS I LOVE YOU

Bottom Ten, not necessarily in order.

10) The Fountain
9) Norbit (Why am I surprised by this?)
8) The Illusionist
7) Six: The Mark Unleashed (Again, what I endure for Jeffrey Dean Morgan.)
6) The Return. I saw this on my “rented movies” page and couldn’t even remember it, but it had Buffy in it.
5) Spiderman 3
4) Surf’s Up
3) Miss Potter (borrrrring. And predictable. And yes, Dawn, I know we don’t seem to have the same taste!)
2) The Pursuit of Happyness (depressing, depressing, depressing)
1) The Prestige

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I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I got four - count 'em, four - necklaces. I promptly broke one and burst into tears. It was a glass heart and when I tried to thread it on the necklace, I dropped it and the loop broke off. Sigh. My son gave me a gorgeous ring that needs to be sized (along with my wedding ring, and that's been waiting 18 months.) And I need to hit Macy's with returns. Did I mention I don't like shopping?

BUT the boy LOVED his George Orwell t-shirt and book of essays, as well as his Hitchcock videos. The mandolin surprised him, though. The dh wasn't as surprised by his new iPod as I hoped. His old one was 3rd generation, and he called it the caveman iPod. This one's 6th generation Classic. Maybe he wanted a touch one.....but I went for memory over new technology.

Meanwhile, I'm babysitting my mom's dachshund while they go to Arkansas to visit her MIL. My dh put the dog in the crate last night without her bed, poor thing!

Christmas dinner at my brother's was huge - a turkey, a ham and tamales, plus more desserts than you can imagine. I really cut back on my baking this year and still have 4 tins of food AND a plate of brownies AND 1/3 of the coffeecake I made for breakfast yesterday.

Okay, I'm starting my Top Ten Lists for 2007 with the easiest one....TV!

Top Ten TV Shows in 2007

1) Supernatural (duh) - Season 3 more than season 2
2) Men in Trees, which I got into after reading the Virgin River books - I love all the different relationships, but especially Jack and Marin.
3) Friday Night Lights - season 1 more than Season 2, though I'm glad that "body" storyline is done. I love all the complexities, and I hope they smooth Julie out a bit.
4) Moonlight - not at first, but the romance is REALLY compelling
5) Heroes - Season 2 more than Season 1, believe it or not, though I agree it started slow.
6) The Office - Jim and Pam - YAY!
7) Jericho - starting again in February
8) My Name is Earl - this season, with Earl in prison? Priceless. Really really excellent writing
9) Grey’s Anatomy - this season more than last, though I miss Burke. There, I'll say it. He and Cristina were my favorite couple. I do like the new surgeon, though.
10) Lost - can't WAIT to see what they're going to do this year!

What shows did you love this year?

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Not really my sentiment, just thought it was cute. And I do love stretching out the holiday season.

Thanks for your concern, y'all. I'm MUCH better today, a little stiff, but I should be able to drive. I hate this computer chair because it pressed right against the back of my thigh. And I hate changing positions still. I did manage to get my cookies done, and the guys rolled out my sugar plums (whose recipe I halved.) I didn't go to the boy's gig last night and I feel really guilty about it, but he didn't really want us there. I watched a lot of Tivo yesterday, and the Friday Night Lights movie, which was no where near as good as the show!

I read a review for PS I LOVE YOU yesterday where the reviewer said s/he wished the writers had played up how Holly had lost herself in Gerry and now had to find herself again. I felt like they did do this, but what struck me was that I used that theme in my WIP. I've never used it before, don't remember really seeing it before, but it's my hero's sister's concern - he'd lost himself in his first wife and now she's afraid he'll do the same with the heroine. So definitely need to bring that out.

I had the worst time keeping my h/h from kissing yesterday. I let them, then deleted the scene ;) Seriously, I HATE using the phone-callus-interuptus ploy, but I did.

Christmas Eve was always a big deal when I lived at home. We would always celebrate on that night. I remember my grandfather "distracting" us while Santa came, and one time he even dressed as Santa. Every year we eat sandwiches, and back in the day, Handy Andy would sell red and green bread. I would always pass out the gifts and eventually loved seeing others' reactions to my gifts more than opening my own.

We've gone the gift card route the past couple of years, so the unwrapping doesn't take as long. And my little family opens our gifts Christmas morning. I can't wait to see my guys' reactions to their gifts. I just need one...more...thing....

What are your family traditions?

Merry Christmas, y'all!

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Yesterday after I did my errands and made the fudge, I decided to go put my plants back where they belonged, since we no longer had a freeze threat. I decided to water them first while they were all together.

Mistake.

I moved the hibiscus, no problem. I moved one urn, no problem. Second urn?

Problem.

My shoe (my beloved Crocs) slid on the wet concrete and I fell, one leg in front and one behind. I heard/felt a pop as I was going down, and I couldn't catch myself.

Boom.

I lay there for a minute, catching my breath and praying that pop wasn't a joint. Whatever it was hurt like a SOB. Luckily, my son had just gotten up and was at the computer, so I hollered till he came out. He couldn't help me up - I didn't know how to let him help me, but he got me inside and brought over the rolling computer chair. I was nauseated and soaked and hot, so I sat there a minute before stretching out on my stomach on the cool floor. Fortunately, the dh woke then and got me dry clothes. I was able to hobble to the bathroom and change and hobble back to the couch. It was hard to find a comfortable position.

The dh brought me my choices of medication - Midol or Excedrin. I took the Midol and that eventually helped, but every move hurt. I stayed on the couch while the dh took the ds to band practice, then brought home lunch. Sitting on the hard wooden chair - NOT fun. I managed a nap with no pain, then we went to the ds's gig.

The car seat is the BEST chair in the house, BTW. Sitting an hour at a gig is NOT. I was crying by the time I got back to the car - I had trouble going from sitting to standing. We stopped at Walgreens for Advil and those BenGay heating pads and I spent the rest of the evening on the couch. I managed a shower okay, but had trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position.

I keep thinking someone was trying to slow me down, but they could have done it AFTER I made the Christmas cookies!

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1) work on small town story, get at least to 50000 words
2) revisions on Eden’s Promise
3) get a website – I played with making one last night on iWeb, but it’s a little bright and cheery ;)
4) mail requested partial to agent
5) revise and send Breaking Daylight back to Golden Palm
6) research legend for Surface revisions – started this yesterday, too
7) judge GH entries
8) read 2 books
9) driver’s ed stuff with boy
10) boy’s 3 gigs and probably twice as many practices - 2 DOWN, ONE TO GO
11) lunch with writer friends
12) lunch with teacher friends
13) breakfast with Mom
14) see I AM LEGEND and NATIONAL TREASURE
15) clean house
16) get to UPS, the post office, the dry cleaners and grocery
17) nap as often as possible
18) Christmas baking - brownies, fudge, sugar cookies, molasses cookies and sugar plums
19) get four more presents

I went to see PS I LOVE YOU AGAIN on the way home from school yesterday. Still loved it.

I have a quibble with ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT. How come all the REALLY emotional scenes are in a secondary character's POV? The proposal was in Sam's POV and the good news Robin got was in Dolphina's. What's up with that?

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Yesterday we had a dance at school and I ended up dancing with almost all my ex students. The funny - EVERY one of my ex-students who bought popcorn, came by to offer me some! SO cute.

Last night we went to a one-act play written by one of the SARAs. It was SO good but SO sad! I cried halfway home, just thinking about it. It was performed by the advanced teen acting class and they did a fantastic job.

I'm trying to buy the PS I LOVE YOU soundtrack from iTunes, but it wants me to sign in and I have no idea what the sign in info is, and it won't let me create a new account. I waited till payday and now I have to wait some more. I hate waiting.

Okay, I've sent back the last of the galleys to Smoke. I know Hot Shot will be released on April Fool's Day. Now I need to start promoting.

I know Romancing the Blog has ads along the side of the page that they sell for $30. I've heard banners and stuff like that do well. I see a lot of writers promote on the Wild Rose Press loop and the Samhain loop, but I frankly delete those (200 email a day from both loops - heavens!) I know I need a website and I'll start looking into that next week. But what have you found to be the most effective, promotion-wise?

Off to work, hope we get out so I can get to the 2:10 show of PS I LOVE YOU!!!

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33 more hours.....

I got the last 3 bags of Mint M&Ms at the store last night. I should never have spread the word ;)

One of the teachers and I decided that if they let us out early enough tomorrow (kids get out before 1, but we don't know when we can leave, which kinda makes me mad---seriously, one day a year, let us GO!) we're going to see PS I LOVE YOU before we go home. I cried a lot in that movie. I hope I don't embarrass her.

So I was thinking about other movies that make me cry. I usually like cheery movies, so this list was hard. The top two are what my son used to call "gray" movies.

1) Mrs. Miniver - great WW2 movie set in England.

2) So Proudly We Hail - great WW2 movie set in the Pacific

3) March of the Penguins

4) Signs

5) Glory

6) Cinderella Man

7) The Lion King

8) Field of Dreams

Help me out, here, y'all.


Not really loving the moustache - must be for WATCHMEN.

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Yesterday was our only evening with nothing planned. I cancelled tutoring and looked forward to an evening of DVDs and writing on the couch.

My MIL was here. I tried to crochet, but that yarn is AWFUL. Skinny, then fat....ugh. We invited her to dinner, so my evening didn't start till almost seven, and I found out I had the galleys for Smoke in my inbox, so I did 100 pages of proofreading last night. You'd be amazed at how many mistakes I found. She had flowery shampoo one minute and fruity the next. And I'm not the only one reading this! So that was my evening. Then I spent the morning today rebuilding my "soundtrack" for my WIP. When the dh changed the OS, all my playlists went bye-bye. They're still on the iPod, but not on the puter.

In a couple of hours, we'll have our teacher Christmas breakfast. A parent will watch my class. Do you know how HARD it was to find a parent to watch my class? Last year I had three show up and two more volunteer!

At the SARA party, the hostess was talking about how much she likes the show Dexter, about the serial killer, and how she never thought she would like a show like that.

I had the same reaction when I first saw Sex and the City. I never thought I could like a show where the women talked like that, so open and blunt. But the friendships hooked me and I love that show.

When V for Vendetta came out, Trish went to see it with another Noodler and for the life of me I couldn't picture the two of them at that movie. But when I saw it - MAN. It is a GREAT movie.

Recently, Kill Bill was on TV so I Tivoed it. It was a movie my brother and his wife liked and we do NOT have the same taste. But I ended up really enjoying it.

BTW, I've moved Dexter up in my queue. What movies or shows did you not think you'd like, and ended up liking?

We had free passes to the sneak preview of PS I LOVE YOU last night. We got to the theater about an hour before showtime (NOT my idea - I would have been there right after school, ya know?) and the line was scary long. There were about 4 security guards patrolling the line, looking for cell phones and any other electronic devices, including iPods! They made people take them back to their cars! Can you believe it? They did purse checks and wanded everyone, and during the movie 4 security guards were posted. We joked that we thought we were watching a movie, not getting on an airplane.

Anyway, the movie. You know how you look forward to something for so long and you end up being disappointed? (I mean, Gerry started making this movie back when I was regularly posting pictures of him!)

Well, I wasn't disappointed.

I cried a lot but it wasn't maudlin. I'm not a big Hilary Swank fan (okay, I'm not a fan at all) but I really felt her grief in this movie. She did such a good job. Gerry was his charming self, Harry Connick was hilarious and JDM made me proud.



While it was sad as an overall story, there was a lot of humor, too. The audience really liked it (though I wondered if they'd seen the previews, because they were laughing at everything that was in the previews.)

The story was told in a combination of real time and in flashbacks. It was very sweet and romantic, and when I see the movie again, I'm going to learn some of the lines that were just so insightful and moving.

I loved the mom, Kathy Bates, I loved the birthday party - though it had a bit of a kick in the gut emotionally - I loved the Ireland trip and there is one scene in there that made the whole movie for me. When you see it, you will know JUST what I'm talking about. I will definitely go see it again.

It was a hair long at just over 2 hours, and I felt some scenes could have been shorter, but overall it was fast-paced. It covered a little over a year, so I guess it needed that. But it was REALLY romantic and funny and sweet and sad but hopeful. Take tissues.

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Wow, I woke up 2 minutes before the alarm went off. Feels good. Of course, on the coldest night of the year so far, someone turned the heater down to 60---brrrrr!!!

Third round of American Title starts today! Vote for Trish!



Going to see PS I LOVE YOU tonight and I'm really hoping it's good. At the SARA Christmas party, the hostess and I agreed we only like movies that make you feel good, movies with happy endings. Some movies I'll watch over and over are the first Harry Potter, the first Pirates, Dear Frankie, O Brother Where Art Thou, Princess Bride Pride and Prejudice and Two Weeks Notice.

What are your feel good movies?