Snow and Other Weird Things

Right now I'm looking out my home office window at snow. To some of you this may seem uneventful, but for someone who lives in North Texas, this is pretty freakin' eventful! They let us go home early from work as any kind of frozen precipitation brings this little ol' metropolitain area to a complete and utter standstill. So I thought it would be a good time for me and my can of cheddar Pringles to answer John's meme: 6 things that make you weird.

1. I don't think this is really werid but it is my biggest flaw. I can't make it anywhere on time no matter how hard I try. Some people think this is due to laziness, a disrespect for other people or lack of organization. I don't see it that way. I just think I'm afflicted with a case of O.A.O. (overly active optimism.)

2. I love to eat but I hate to cook. Part of this is because I don't like to participate in an activity that takes longer to prepare for than to enjoy. Do you think golfers would enjoy playing a round if it took 4 hours to put your clubs in the car and drive to the course and you only got to play for an hour? I think not. The other part is that I'm surrounded by picky eaters who took the joy and creativity out of cooking a long time ago.

3. I'm a writer. I think that makes me inherently weird. You would understand this if you've ever seen the people who attend a writing conference (especially romance, sci-fi and horror). I like to think that I don't really fit in with those groups of unattractive recluses, but I know it's probably true.

4. (This is harder that I thought. Maybe I'm not that weird after all.) I'm one of those people who drive in the left lane on the highway and force everyone who insists on driving faster than 10 miles over the speed limit to pass me on the right . Some might say this is a flagrant disrespect for tailgaters and speed demons. I say it's simple geometry. The closest distance between two points is a straight line.

5. I'm happy to be an only child. No one has ever told me a sibling story that moved me enough to wish I had one. Most of their tales make me THANK GOD I don't.

6. This New Year's Eve I will have been married for 30...count them THIRTY years. In this day and age that's pretty darn weird. There are several tips I would like to give all the newlyweds. Even if you don't go to bed at the same time, always tuck the other one in with a glass of ice water and some kisses and hugs. If you have separate TV rooms, visit each other during the commercials. And finally, never make enough of a combined income to support two households. Lack of funds is the tie that binds.

I Went For The Gold

I know everyone's been anxiously waiting for the big napkin and napkin ring reveal...

I decided with all the burgundy, the napkin needed to be gold...and not just mustard gold like a Century 21 Realtor jacket. I mean METALLIC gold, which it turns out is pretty easy to find. I decided to save a few dollars and make the napkin rings out of some burgundy and metallic gold ribbon I used on the centerpiece. Besides, I figure a napkin ring is kinda like expensive lingerie...it's only on for a second.



Just FYI, Linens and Things was more expensive than Pier 1...who woulda thought?

Stay tuned for what I like to call "The ultimate test of a marriage": hanging drapes.

To Brunch or Not To Brunch...

Normally on Christmas Day we (the four of us and my parents) make reservations at a nice restaurant. But it can be quite expensive. So this year, since we moved into the new house, I decided to re-create the holiday brunch at home. And with the money we saved I figured I could get new china, and flatware and table linens.
And a centerpiece.
And new drapes.
Okay, it would probably have been cheaper to go out.

Dining room looking like a home magazine centerfold? Priceless.



This weekend I'll be searching for just the right napkins and holiday motif napkin rings.

More as the story develops...

Up, Up and Away...

You gotta love Texas when it's in the mid seventies in the middle of November. What a gorgeous day...full of SHOPPING! When we got home from the mall some hot air balloons were traveling right over the house...

1 state, 2 state, red state, blue state

I don't study politics at all, so therefore I don't vote. I figure I'll let the people who are educated on the subjects decide. And as a fair trade, I don't complain about the decisions our government makes. But I do have to say I like the color coordinated thing going on these days. I'd much rather see my candidates name in red rather than have an elephant beside him...or much worse...a donkey! So, good job whoever came up with that.

On another random note, I got to take one of my flexible Fridays today. That's where my company lets me leave work at 1 on Friday providing I've put in the extra hours the rest of the week. It was a beautiful day today, but as I drove home I was feeling a bit of guilt. My "plan" for my precious 4 hours of free time was to watch Ellen and take a nap. Couldn't I possibly come up with something more constructive with my time? The answer is...no. Ellen makes me laugh and the sound of water splashing from the fountain outside my windows makes me sleepy. In case you're new...here's a pic of the view.



And finally, today I spent some time looking for a new agent. There's some scuttlebutt on one of my writer's e-mail loops about how having a bad agent can actually be worse for your career than being put in the bottom of the slushpile. A really bad agent can land you in the trash. The politics involved in getting published wears me down sometimes. But then I write a new scene I'm really proud of and I feel better. It amazes me the amount of agents who don't accept e-mail queries. Do I really want someone representing me who still does business through snail mail? I don't know the answer to that question yet.

Thanksgiving in June

Jeez, am I glad October's over. What with both of my kids' birthdays, PACE, Halloween and that stupid time change, I'm exhausted. And where does that leave me? Staring straight down the barrel of the holidays. I hate that as I've grown older all the special occasions have turned into things to "get through" as painlessly as possible. But that's the way I feel about it...and my family isn't even all that dysfunctional.

I would like to start a campaign right here and now to offically move Thanksgiving to...uh...how about June. I only see my relatives at Thanksgiving and Christmas so I'd like to spread it out a little bit more. After we visit at Thanksgiving that doesn't give us much to talk about at Christmas. Moving it would also give a much needed summertime boost to the cranberry and turkey farmers. The retailers certainly don't give Thanksgiving any attention where it is...and the weather in June would be much better for the Macy's parade.

Anyway, here are some pics from my daughter and her boyfriend's Halloween party.


My daughter and her boyfriend as Mario and Princess Peach from the Mario Bros. videogame


My son, the grim reaper, and his father, Frank