A Midwinters Morn Mystery

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning and shuffled outside to get my paper. It was still dark outside, with the light above the garage door illuminating the way down the ramp and driveway. I noticed dark spots on the ramp, but of course I couldn’t see what they were. When I returned to the porch swing to have my morning cig, I noticed a bunch of those splotches over at the end of the first platform, the turn of the ramp. Still, I couldn’t tell what they were.

Fast forward about an hour. Outside for another cig, I sat on the swing and looked over to the end of that platform. The splotches were red, bright in the morning sun. Getting up, I walked over to look closer. Yes, blood. I followed the trail down the ramp; a drop here, one there, nothing like the splotches before. There was a gap of a few feet between the last drop and where they picked up again on the driveway – a trail going around the front of my car. I walked around the car, but the drops were only around the front, like someone walked in front of it and then on to the grass. I turned back towards the house and stopped. There on the top tier of the flower box, level with the porch sits a ceramic cat. Along its side were two larger blood traces. Nothing on the brick in front of it, nor on the brick along the lower tier. I studied the concrete that ran along the front (the part of the sidewalk that shows through. Nothing. That part of the ramp was bare too. It was if whatever it was leaped into the air and landed on the side of this cat and then bounced back out to the driveway.

To be continued …

I know, you love me. :)

The House

My sister is a slob. I’m messy, but she is beyond that. She’s had a rat/mouse problem for a while now but managed to keep it fairly under control until she became bedridden. Then my niece moved in and refused to empty the traps. Or tell anyone that they needed to be emptied. After my sister went into the hospital in January of 05 Bebo found the carcass of a rat in a trap in Cathie’s bathroom. Yuck. No one has lived in this house for a year (except for a few the last couple of months). I should have known something was up when I got into Bebo’s car on Sunday and she said “You will wear gloves”. Huh? “I can’t wear gloves and wrap fragile items.” She told me there were new and old rat/mouse droppings all over the place. You can tell the difference by their size, btw. “I’m not wearing gloves. We should have picked up some sanitizer while we were out.” She had me fish some packets of antiseptic wipes from her glove compartment. We got there and it smelled god-awful like it normally does. After working for a few minutes, I realized that our hands were not the only things that needed protecting. Thankfully she had masks too. We both donned them. I’m a bit claustrophobic when I have to wear a mask, so I only worked 15 to 20 minutes before I had to go outside and breathe. Hence the sinus thing – it was windy and cold. We only worked 4 hours, not the entire day. We’ve decided to limit our exposure to the place to only 4 hours a Sunday. It’ll take longer to do, but its better this way. I wish I still had my half-feral cat MacKenzie. She lived for 18 months out in the elements – she would have been a great mouser. I wouldn’t have had any problem with leaving her out there for a week. The rodents would have been wiped out. Now if it were Texas cockroaches (or water bugs as some people call them) then Neely Shae would be the one you want. I’ve never seen a cat hunt bugs before. She smells them, goes along the floor like a hound dog on the scent. Anyway, I did manage to get four boxes and two large bins packed. We’ll be at it again next Sunday. Pray for me. *gg* Oh, and btw, my sister's house will forever be referred to as "The House".

Groaner Alert

Feeling a bit under the weather, so I'm leaving you with a joke today.

Or at least I think it's a joke. Well, I laughed.

Glenn took his bird to the veterinary clinic, and laid its limp body on the table. The doctor pulled out his stethoscope, listened to the bird's chest for a moment, then shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but your bird has passed away." "What?" Glenn screamed. "You haven't even done any tests! I want another opinion." The vet left the room and returned in a few moments with a Labrador Retriever. The Retriever sniffed the bird on the table carefully from head to toe. Finally, the Retriever shook it's head and barked once (meaning "dead and gone"). The vet took the Labrador away and returned a few minutes later with a cat, which also sniffed carefully over the bird on the table before shaking its head and saying, "Meow" (meaning "he's gone"). After the cat jumped off the table, the vet handed Glenn a bill for $600. The man shook the bill at the vet. "$600!!!! Just to tell me my bird is dead?!!! That's outrageous!" The vet explained. "If you had taken my word for it, the charge would have been $50, but with the Lab work and the cat scan...."

Just Another Post

So, it’s Saturday, whoop-de-do. I only work until 1:00 and then the rest of the day is mine to waste as I wish. I’m in the middle of a project that I had hoped to finish on Friday, but since I got called in to work, it didn’t get done. I’m also in the middle of reading Kink by Sasha White and Saskia Walker. Loving it. I have 4 more books to read and review (two of them I am quite late on, but it’ll get done). I’m having a hard time reading lately. It’s not the books, it’s me – I get this way sometimes when I’m writing. I’m going to lose writing time (at least quality writing time) on Sunday as Bebo and I will be out packing away Cathie’s house, getting it ready to sell. I’m not sure why I’m doing this since she isn’t talking to me. Maybe it’s a reward because she isn’t talking to me? LOL

What’s going on in your world? What are you reading?

Freddy vs. Spam

You think this is good? (I haven’t had any complaints yet.)
This goes on for days. (I think we went through this before. It’s only one blog a week.)
Just you and me (no response, I put this here because it was scary. The sender was “disturbed”. I don’t want to be alone with disturbed.)
Horrify? (If you received spam from someone named disturbed and the message was “just you and me”, wouldn’t you be a bit horrified?)
Don’t look back … (Why? Is he behind me?)
Don’t say we did not mail you. (okay, I won’t.)
Lost Declaration of Independence video. (I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a video camera there.)
Can you tell me? (Tell you what?)
Say “I can have sex all night long!” (Okay, I can have sex all night long.)
You won’t believe how easy it really is. (To have sex all night long? It would be pretty hard for me – and no, that wasn’t a pun.)
I’ll be right there. (No, wait. I’m sure I can get along fine without you.)
It will only take a moment. (I thought you said all night long?)
Don’t expose your sexual life! (Too late for that.)
Your neighbors lost their alarm clock. (Look for someone named disturbed.)
Why look anywhere else? I found it here. (Yeah well, don’t look behind you.)

Applied Mathematics

421 words. That's 421 more words than I've written since last Wednesday. I should be satisfied right? Nope. I was averaging 1,000 words a day up until the wall. It's still there, I've decided not to go around it but rather through it, with my head down. Kind of hurts, but I'm getting there.

And it's Thursday. I never have anything to blog about on Thursdays, but that's never stopped me before. LOL

So here's something to give you a little giggle. Have a great day!

LONGEVITY
Married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die. MEMORY
Any married man should forget his mistakes, there's no use in two people remembering the same thing.
APPEARANCE
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
PROPENSITY TO CHANGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.
DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE
A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
COMPREHENSION
There are 2 times when a man doesn't understand a woman - before marriage and after marriage.
HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED:
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

I Think, Therefore I Am?

Idea hopping so fasten your seatbelts.


I read an insightful post about why we do the things we do; the motives, reasoning behind our every day actions, and to carry it further, how we translate this to our writing. I’d never thought about why my characters make the decisions that they do, at least not in my romances. For me, “getting the guy/girl” has been reason enough. In my mystery, Mahalia Blues, I’ve had to dig deeper, for in mysteries, everyone has an ulterior motive. Just a thought. If you want to read further, visit Dr. Bill’s Harley Wisdom. Oh, and Bill writes romances. Not very many men do this, or at least admit to it, which is strange when you consider some of the most hauntingly beautiful love sonnets have been written by men. Maybe it’s the stigma. It’s “acceptable” for a man to write a love story – in the case of Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook; but not a romance; the latter often associated with bodice ripping and Barbara Cartland.

You will notice that I used the words romance and love story. What’s the difference? IMOHO, a love story is one that includes a romance but doesn’t have the HEA. Gone With the Wind, Wuthering Heights – these would be love stories. A romance has a HEA. I have to admit to my own prejudices. When I picked up the first of the Seven Brides series by Leigh Greenwood, I have to say it was more because of the novelty than any interest in the book, per se. Greenwood proved to be as good at writing romances as any woman. Since then, I’ve discovered a few other male romance authors. I hope to see more spring out of the woodwork as the years go by.

As of this writing I have managed to make it through Tuesday without hurting myself. Maybe the bad streak is over. Keeping my fingers crossed because I’ve had enough accidents in the last couple of days to last a lifetime.

On a final note, I have a SM cat. Bubba. Yep, Bubba the red-necked kitty loves to be spanked. Not lightly patted on the butt, but full out spanked, with the sound echoing through the room. Ask Susie. Anyway, he’ll lift that heiny into the air, head on the floor and just rub against my feet; flipping over, he’ll wriggle on the floor then pop back up for more. What next, leather and hand-cuffs?

If You Give a Mouse

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. If you’ve never read any of these books (If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and If You Give a Pig a Pancake are two other titles), then I need to give you a couple of lines so you’ll understand this post.

If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he’ll probably ask you for a straw! When he’s finished, he’ll ask for a napkin. Then he’ll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn’t have a milk mustache. When he looks into the mirror, he might notice his hair needs a trim. So he’ll probably ask for a pair of nail scissors.

Get the picture?

It’s really all Harry Dresden’s fault that I hurt my back. (Which is better, thank you). You see, our cable has A and B channels. The new series based on the Jim Butcher books about Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files, is on the Sci-Fi channel. The Sci-Fi channel is on the B channels. Still with me Raine? You haven’t fallen asleep have you? I have one TV that gets both A and B, with a little switch box. I have this habit of watching things on one side and then forgetting to switch back over. Although Sunday night’s premier episode wasn’t opposite anything that I want to watch, it will be next week when Cold Case comes back on. Two reasons I didn’t want to set the VCR in the den for the Dresden series. There’s a TV in the guest bedroom that was no longer hooked up, but if I went outside I could hook it up to the B channels, thereby not having to worry about any of the aforementioned confusing things. But wait. Little problem. The VCR in there isn’t very reliable. Has a habit of going into “error” mode when set for timed recordings. So I needed to switch VCR’s.

If you give Bailey a series to watch,
She’s going to want to record it.
But before she can record it,
She’s going to have to switch VCRs.
When she goes to switch VCRs,
She realizes that she’ll have to use the one in her bedroom.
But if she’s going to use the one in her bedroom,
She’ll have to replace the VCR in there too.
So she puts the one from her room,
Into the guest room, with the little TV.
Which of course won’t do.
So she takes the TV from the den, for her guest to watch.
Which means she’ll have to bring the TV from the study (and her favorite anyway)
And put it in the den.
But she didn’t want to hook everything up just to do it again later,
So she moved the entertainment center with it.

And so it goes. I’m hardly in the study anymore anyway, and that was the room that had the entertainment center, plus my favorite VCR/TV/DVD player. Oh, and the 5-disc stereo; that’s for writing you know. Anyway, I couldn’t see myself moving all of those things and hooking them up only to unhook everything in a month or two when I could find someone to help me. The TV in the den wasn’t new enough to handle both a VCR and DVD player anyway, which was limiting. Scenario: Wanting to tape something while watching a DVD with a friend. That’s why the den TV was perfect for the guest room, since there would only be a VCR in there anyway. Anyway, that’s why I moved everything. And I have been waiting to do so since October, but could never get anyone to help me. I have a couch that I need to move out, but I’ve missed that deadline (the trash comes either tomorrow or Wednesday), so it will have to go on the weekend of February 24. You see, mom had “accidents” on that couch, and the cats figured if she could “go” on it, they could. It stinks. Anyway, Bebo is busy clearing out my sister's house, on Sunday I'll be over there too, packing. It'll take us a month of Sunday's to get this done. Basically, I guess I'm tired of waiting for other people to find the time to help me get going again. So I do it myself.

The back is better, but we won’t discuss my head, which I banged twice on Sunday – once again the brick of the house and secondly on the sharp edge of a door on the hutch. Hurt too. As did smashing my hand in the sliding doors of the closet. I think I’m becoming a walking accident waiting to happen. And yes Marty, I remembered about the heat/cold thing and did that Monday.

Sheesh

All together now. “Bailey!” No, you’re not together. Try a little harder. Quit slacking Susan. Brandy, leave that cat alone and pay attention. Once again. “Bailey!” Loreth, this isn’t a marathon, slow down. Pacing. Toni, quit shivering. Michele! This is serious. Now, again. “Bailey!” Duchess, nobody’s paying any attention to your hair. Honest. You look fine. Tori, you’re not paying attention. Kate, close that door, you’re letting the wind in. Marty dear, we're over here - yes, quit procrastinating. Okay, are we ready to try again? “Bailey! Why did you move that huge entertainment center literally from one end of the house to the other – by yourself?” Um, because I got tired of waiting for someone to help me? I know, I know – I shouldn’t have done that, plus moving TV’s, etc. and my back is killing me. As in “it hurts to sit up”. So I’m slumped in my chair, thinking about being slumped in my bed. Better yet, thinking about lying down in my bed with the heating pad. Oh wait, a hot shower, with the water beating down on my back, then the bed with the heating pad. I’ve taken some Aleve, so we’ll see. I’ll explain later why I did all of this, when I can sit up a little more. I didn’t realize how much it hurt until I stopped for a while. Later folks. And practice on your synchronized chastising a bit, will you?

The Wall

No, not Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I mean THE WALL. The one that pops up from time to time in every writer’s life. It’s here. Right in front of me. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in reading everyone’s blogs for a while, it’s not to let the wall get to me. Normally I’d get discouraged and give up, worry about it until the wall is thicker/higher. Not gonna happen. Now, I’m not going to say that if the wall doesn’t shift by Monday evening it’s not going to start worrying me, but I know it will move, tumble down as long as I keep at it.

I have a new toy. See the meter at the end of the column on the right? I love it. It’s fascinating to see where everyone comes from. There’s a couple of lurkers that have caught my attention, but that’s okay. I lurk. Sometimes a lot. There are days when I don’t have anything to say. I know, me not having something to say? It happens. But I still want to know what’s going on with my friends, so I lurk.

I have to do minor surgery tonight. I got a splinter in the fleshy part of my palm below my thumb. The counters at work at very rough and got me quite a few times yesterday – including once under a nail. I got that one, but this other one is long and right below the surface. It’s starting to swell up a little, so I guess I need to go find a needle, rubbing alcohol and start on it. I hate that, but it has to be done.

Have a great Saturday. I’ll be at work until 1:00, and then nothing until Tuesday. There’s some household chores that I have to do (something about clothes being a requirement), but other than that – it’s writing time.

Arctic Spam

Why is this early? Because after spending an hour trying to get onto the site to write it, I decided I'd better go ahead and post in case it won't let me in later. Blogger hates me.

This was the one recommended to me. (Oh, you hit the “feeling lucky” button on Google, didn’t you?)
Mother Susan. (Are you saying that Susan is a nun, or are you telling me to mother Susan. I don’t think she’s a nun, nor does she want to be mothered.)
I found something! (Does it have a face, numbers and hands?)
Thanks for being there. (Thank you. Call me a sucker, but spam has to go somewhere.)
Done or what? (Don’t get your panties in a wad, it’ll be over soon.)
Be frozen. (Been there, doing that.)
Want to buy almost free software? (How can something be almost free? If you charge something, it’s not free, moron.)
Reply déjà vu. (I think I’ve done this before?)
Hi sweetheart. (Hello darling.)
Do you want your dick to be wallpaper for a computer? (It would be better than those damn flying alarm clocks.)
A man with a small penis is like a car with 3 wheels. (Why? Because he’s not going anywhere?)
Bully. (I resent that.)
This goes on for days? (No, only on Fridays.)
Hang in there girl, stay strong, you are doing great! (Don’t tell me, you’re blond right?)
Must be fit, have nice face to get Chinese baby. (What do you get if you’re flabby and ugly? Mini-me?)
What is OEM software, and why do you care? (I was just about to ask that. Why do I care?)
There’s online dating and there’s this. (Hun, this is better than on-line dating.)
You free? (Almost.)
Instead of sitting here and reading this, you could be enjoying sex. (Hey, wait! Where are y’all going? Get back here!)


Edit: I've heard from Glenice that she hasn't been able to comment. Anybody else having that problem? If so, email me, I'm beginning to feel neglected.

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

Not really, but that’s the name of Kelly’s blog and since today is her birthday –

Happy Birthday Kelly! I hope you have a great day.

Oh, and Happy Anniversary Brandy and Chris!

So, where was I last night? Not on blogger, obviously. I usually post the night before, but for some reason, blogger didn’t like me last night. I couldn’t get on any blogger site. I have it from the best authorities that it was just me. Wonderful. Blogger hates me.

It’s going to be interesting today. We had ice/snow yesterday, and what melted then has re-frozen (is that a word?) over night, so I’ll be facing some possibly slick roads. Fun. That is, if I can get off the porch - the ramp doesn't look all that promising right now. Possibility of more within the next 72 hours. Although one of our stations doesn't think so - but then, this was the same station that said we weren't going to get anything yesterday, that it would stay south of us. Yeah, like I'll believe them this time.

Oh, and while the gums are still swollen, a combination of ibuprofen and boiled cloves has stopped the pain, for now. I’m hoping to get out to my local Vitamin World to pick up some actual clove oil. If the oil works as well as the boiled cloves, then I’m in seventh heaven. I have this book – The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke, Ph.D. – which has been a great source for herbal remedies, since I can’t afford actual prescriptions. I need to pick up some Nettles too, that’s great for sinuses.

Wednesday was a productive day – on the writing front, not the house cleaning. Oh well, maybe the cats can hold it in one more day. (I really need to get those boxes cleaned) The muses wouldn’t leave me alone, so I got a lot accomplished. Yes, my readers, I’ll get it sent out to you.

That’s really all for now. I know, another brilliant post Bailey. Don’t know how you manage to be both informing and entertaining at the same time. (this is where I need the goofy grin smilie) Hey, some days are like that – usually Thursday’s. Poor neglected Thursday. I still say I need a bear.

Wednesday wordage:

2,028 words (yeah, you’re reading that right)
Total words: 9,809 WhooHoo!

Wednesday Blahs

To answer Dru’s question, I don’t know what the final word count will be. Before, I would write to a certain format, like category for example, but this time I’m just going to let it be what it will be. A short story, category, stand alone – I have no idea.

I was watching American Idol tonight, shaking my head at the terrible singers and their families who continue to tell them how good they are. It got me to thinking about writing. We write something and our friends, family, CP’s, etc tell us that it’s good, great even. Then we send it in and the editor, judge, whatever, tears it apart. It’s one of the worse pieces of writing they’ve ever read. Do we believe them, or do we continue to write in a world of delusion? Just something to think about.

Not a lot to blog about. My sinus infection is better, but it’s really making my gums hurt, which is setting off this bad tooth that I have, so I’m in constant pain. I’m swigging liquid Orajel like there’s no tomorrow and it only takes the edge off. Until I get the money or insurance, I’m going to have to deal with it.

Y’all have a great Wednesday.

Rambling Road

So I’m sitting here watching the Golden Globes Awards and you know what? I’m bored. It was nice seeing George Clooney, and I’m glad Hugh Laurie won, but I’m so out of touch with the movies that are out now that I don’t have any one favorite. In fact, there aren’t that many nominated, except for Dreamgirls, that I’d like to see. Anybody else having this problem? That’s one thing that I haven’t done since my new-found freedom – gone to the movies. I recently saw World Trade Center and United 93, impressed by one, bored by the other; I also bought Lakehouse, but I’m waiting until I can watch it with Bebo. I want something funny and/or romantic, not intense and tragic.

We interrupt this blog for the following announcement:

American Idol season debut Tuesday night!!!

Now back to this rambling blog post.


Speaking of American Idol, has anybody seen You’re the One That I Want, the Grease thingy? I watched it Sunday night and I may watch it again. I missed the first episode, so I’m not that into it yet. I like train wrecks like the auditions for American Idol – I know, I’m bad. I think it’s the part of me that says “Oh yeah, I know I can do better than that.” Then when it’s down to the good singers, I feel left out because I’m not that good.

The book is going well. At least the first draft. A big Thank You to my test readers. I know they have to put up with a lot of left out details, but they’re carrying on. I don’t go into a lot of detail when I’m getting the story down. I know what the characters look like, so it’s not so important the first time around. Writing the 1,000 words a day has been interesting. And hard. I didn’t realize how hard writing was. I’ve always been a “when I’m in the mood” writer, so this sitting down and making myself write at least so many words a day has been a trial. Especially when I’m not feeling well. I am going to give myself a Tuesday and Thursday break since I work 9 – 5 and am usually brain dead by the end of the day. But still 5k words a week is different for me.

Monday’s wordage:

1,274 written today.
7,781 total.

Feline Physics

Law of Cat Inertia - A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force - such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse.

Law of Cat Motion - A cat will move in a straight line, unless there is a really good reason to change direction.

Law of Cat Magnetism - All blue blazers and black sweaters attract cat hair in direct proportion to the darkness of the fabric.

Law of Cat Thermodynamics - Heat flows from a warmer to a cooler body, except in the case of a cat, in which case all heat flows to the cat.

Law of Cat Stretching - A cat will stretch to a distance proportional to the length of the nap just taken.

Law of Cat Sleeping - All cats must sleep with people whenever possible, in a position as uncomfortable for the people involved, and as comfortable as possible for the cat.

Law of Refrigerator Observation - If a cat watches a refrigerator long enough, someone will come along and take out something good to eat.

Law of Electric Blanket Attraction - Turn on an electric blanket and a cat will jump into bed at the speed of light.

Law of Random Comfort Seeking - A cat will always seek, and usually take over, the most comfortable spot in any given room.

Law of Bag/Box Occupancy - All bags and boxes in a given room must contain a cat within the earliest possible nanosecond.

Law of Cat Embarrassment - A cat's irritation rises in direct proportion to her embarrassment times the amount of human laughter.

Law of Cat Disinterest - A cat's interest level will vary in inverse proportion to the amount of effort a human expends in trying to interest him.

Law of Pill Rejection - Any pill given to a cat has the potential energy to reach escape velocity.

Law of Cat Composition - A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-Matter + It Doesn't Matter.


Sundays wordage:

Written - 1,003.
Total - 6,507 (and boy were those last 14 words hard to do)

Still fighting the hacking cough and the dizzies, but I'm better.

Just in Case

Well, they (being the power company and meteorologists) say that there could be power outages with this ice storm we are having. Great. This is one of those times I wish that dad had gotten around to building that fireplace. Have I mentioned that our gas furnace has an electric starter? And our stove is electric? Have I mentioned that it's going to be in the 20s? This could be interesting. So, if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, I may have lost my electricity. And with the roads purportedly being covered by inches of ice, I'm not going anywhere to get warm. Once again, this could be interesting.

Edit:
1,388 words written tonight.
5,504 words total.

It's midnight:11 and I'm off to bed - there's an electric blanket with my name on it.

Ahem

1,364 words today.
4,116 word total so far.

And did I mentioned that it's getting cold here?

And why are you reading this when I said no blog post until Monday?

See how you listen to me.

Day is Done

Cold, windy day. A solemn pall cast over the mourners, the sound of the bagpipes playing as the piper led the carrying of the casket to the graveside. Men in uniform stand at attention as it is lowered to the ground. A minister, known only to the immediate family, says a few words of comfort. A cousin at my side, Bebo behind me; strangers beyond the tent. Two soldiers step forward, one at each end of the casket. A slow salute before reverently folding the flag. The President of the United States … grateful nation … the words a blur as I watch him hand the flag to my Aunt. Then another salute before they walk away. The bagpipes start again, the haunting melody of Amazing Grace fills the air, gradually fading as the piper walks away. Silence, except for the wind, wraps us in our sorrow. Now the man who put out tiny flags for soldiers now gone waits quietly for one of his own.

Rest in peace Uncle Bill, rest in peace.


Thank you for all of your support and hugs. They were greatly appreciated.

The blog will resume again on Monday, January 15.

Uncle Bill

To go with the post below. I always called him Unka Bo because I couldn't pronounce "L's" when I was little. If I had been born a boy, my parents were going to name me William after him.

Newspaper publicity for The Great Raid.



This is their wedding picture.


The funeral will be Wednesday morning.

Enough

I've had enough of death to last me a lifetime. This wasn't what I had planned on posting today, but sometimes things happen. My beloved Uncle Bill, the man who was like a father to me, passed away Saturday evening. My heart, still unhealed from the loss of my mother, is broken again. In some ways, I loved this man more than my own father. He was a hero. Just rent the movie The Great Raid and you'll see what he did. He was one of the Rangers in WWII who liberated the Bataan Death March prisoners (The famed Ghost Soldiers) from the Japanese concentration camp Cabanatuan in the Philippines. It stands to this day as the greatest military rescue in history. It's beginning to feel as if death has decided to camp at my door - Mom in October, another uncle in December, and now this. He was 88 years old. I'm glad I went to his 60th wedding anniversary party - I would have regretted it if I hadn't.

Sunday, Egads!

So, I woke up Friday morning feeling pretty good. Did some blogging while sipping my coffee and eating crackers (I'm not a breakfast person). Then took off for Office Depot (I have a wireless mouse now) and Wallyworld (new tennis shoes, couple of DVD's - one needed, other a manic buy). It was 11:00 before I got home. Made lunch and then ... disaster. I didn't eat enough before and then put food on a stomach full of sinus drainage. Ouch. So I slept most of the afternoon. Lost time that I had hoped to work on the desk. Still feel queasy, so took it easy and watched a movie tonight (World Trade Center). I work a 9 - 1 schedule on Saturday, so that leaves me with Saturday afternoon to finish getting the desk cleared. Saturday night will be the playoff game. Not gonna talk about it. (But I think we should win.)

Sunday. Have I mentioned lately that I don't get along well with my sister? (She thinks we do) The nursing home she was in kicked her out (something about not paying them - go figure). So she moved closer to me. Did I make that clear? She.moved.closer.to.me. She also came to the conclusion (finally) that she will never be going home. She going to sell the house to one of those "we buy ugly homes" companies - ASAP. Sunday. Have I mentioned that she's in a nursing home? Guess who has to pack up her house? Sunday. Bebo and I. Just us. Alone. Why am I doing it? Because it's what mom would want. Sunday. So there might be something posted on the blog that day for you to laugh at, but I won't be around. I'll be packing. Sunday.

Oh, I did manage to get some laundry done. Bubba helped.

The Da Vinci Spam

Gotta Sec? (For you? No.)
Do you want to have a long list of lovers? (Can we start with Hugh Jackman?)
A new look for the new year. (You’re a little late for that, I started without you.)
Which chocolate is your favorite? (The one that’s next to me.)
Tell me more. (Well, preferably dark)
Make your dick longer than the Great China Wall. (Okay, I have to ask this again … why? And isn’t that the Great Wall of China?)
Now you will be able to do it more often. (More often? I wouldn’t be able to move!)
Especially in open areas. (With a dick that long, everywhere would be an open area.)
Several mental facilities. (Are looking for you, right?)
Recently admitted. (Good place for you. I’ll send a care package … wrapped in spam.)
Rene (You’re talking to my blogsters again, what did I tell you the last time?)
Brilliant ruled perfectly. (I try to be a perfect ruler.)
Your neighbors lost their alarm clock. (You know, if they would just get a Lojack.)
That tragedy. (They’ll get over it.)
Anything else you need? (Did I mention Hugh Jackman?)

I Knew I Hated Cleaning

I knew there was a reason I’d been avoiding cleaning my desk. I have to have it cleaned off, and the study in at least respectable order by Monday, so I really only had today and maybe a little bit on Friday and Saturday afternoons to work on it. (Sunday is out – more on that in another blog) I found a way that worked for me. Since I’m still in that beginning of the story stage, where everything is exciting and you can’t wait to work on it – I used writing as a reward. Clean something, write for an hour, clean something, write for an hour. Today, I managed to take out the garbage; fold a hamper and a half of clean laundry and get it put away (I know, and I don’t iron either); and clean approximately ¾ of my desk. That’s when I discovered why I’d been avoiding the pile on the desk. The top of the pile wasn’t hard – just things I’d thrown up there recently. It was further down that threw me. Mother. Man, I wasn’t expecting that. Her hospice papers, cards she had given me full of words of love; and smack, dab in the middle of it they broke in to the show I was watching with President Ford’s funeral in Michigan. Flags, God Bless America (mom’s favorite), the whole enchilada and suddenly I was reminded of my father’s funeral – and well, put a bit of a damper on my afternoon.

But I did manage to get 1,456 words written. Yeah, you read that right, 1,456 words; 2,489 total word count. It’s going well. The grammar is terrible, and some of the details aren’t fleshed out – I’m just writing to get the story down, I’ll go back and fix the other stuff later.










Oh, and that’s Baileyboo (also known as BooBear) and Aidan.






Oh, I almost forgot. I need your help. I can't go a lot further without knowing what Jake, Jared's brother, looks like. Remember, Jared is Brendan Fraser. Anyway, Jake is about 28 years old, an EMT who's changing his career to fireman. Tha's about it on him now, but I need to know what he looks like because he's integral to some scenes (one I'm working on now). Just give me your suggestions.

Pretty Boy

For some reason blogger wouldn't allow me to download this picture in the post below, so I'm going to give him his own post. This is my Aidan, such a sweet and gentle boy. He's part Maine Coon cat - full of spunk and mischief, and an affectionate baby. Everyone (well, except for those who hate cats) who meets him loves him.


Wednesday morning edit: Don't forget to go to the next post and wish someone a Happy Birthday, and see an excerpt from Operation Eden.

Message from Jason Evans: I've opened a new contest over at The Clarity of Night called the "Silent Grey" Short Fiction Contest. The last one was a huge success. I hope this one is too.

Even if you don't participate, go over and read the entries - you'll see some of the best writing, I guarantee it.

I'm Too Sleepy

I don’t really have anything to blog about today. I had a bad night – it was after 2:00 a.m. Monday night before I fell asleep and then for some unknown reason I overslept – I could have sworn I set that alarm. I spent the day trying to catch up, but just couldn’t do it. I’m so tired that I don’t think I’ll any problem sleeping tonight. I’m going to try and do a little writing before going to bed though.

So I’ll post the Satellite Twin’s opening for Chapter One. I’m doing this for two reasons. The first – what else am I going to put up here? Secondly, Lis likes them and …..

Happy Birthday Lis!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You’ve been a wonderful friend, a source of strength and support for me in the last year. I hope your day is as special as you are.

“Good evening everyone. It’s a beautiful Friday night here in the Metroplex, warm and balmy. We hope you enjoy this evening’s show. I’m Bud Nelson and this is my partner Ernie Warren. Say hello Ernie.”

“Hello Ernie”

“Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain.”

“What man?”

“I’m referring to you Ern.”

“I’m not behind any curtain.”

“You should be. You know this is a wonderful night for romance.”

“Yeah, the breath of life, the fountain of youth, the …”

“You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”

“Romance. Fabio. Flowing hair and bulging bi-ceps.”

“That’s only in books, moron. Have you ever experienced romance?”

“I had a ring once.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It was a promise ring.”

“A girl gave you a promise ring?”

“Yep, said ‘if I give you this ring, will you promise to stay away from me?’”

“Smart girl. But I’m talking about relationships.”

“I have relationships.”

“Did they all give you rings?”

“That’s not funny Bud. I have lots of relationships. I have Uncle Vito, Aunt Molly, Cousin JoJo …”

“Those are relatives, birdbrain. You don’t have relationships with relatives.”

“Don’t tell Aunt Trudy that.”


Happy Wednesday everyone!

New Year, New Look

Yeah, you're not in the wrong place, this is it. I got tired of that green, tired of things put in bold not showing up very well because of the background color. So I switched it.

Most of the work I did Sunday and Monday morning on Operation: Eden was, well, not exactly for nothing, but I did take out most of it. I'm making some changes, mostly with Eden. I've decided that I couldn't be funny enough with her as a disc jockey, so Eden Cantrell is now a ... ready for it ... pet psychic. Yeah, I can be funny there. I've also found her, Eden - the actress' name is Joanna Going - some of you may know her from a long time ago on the old soap Another World, then in the remake of Dark Shadows, or the movie Still Breathing with Brendan Frasier. In fact, it was pictures from that movie that made me decide to use Brendan for my hero. My goal this week is to see that movie (haven't seen it before), so I have the video here, just have to find time to sit down and watch it. I want to see the chemistry between them.

I also dropped Psycho Bill from the radio program in the book - it's just the Satellite Twins and they'll introduce each chapter. We'll see how that will work. Anyway, I work a 9 - 5 on Tuesday, then "stuff" to deal with on Wednesday, 9 - 5 on Thursday. So I'll see if I can fit some writing in on Wednesday. I'm usually so sore on Tuesday and Thursday nights after lifting boxes of books, reaching up to high shelves, stooping to low shelves, etc. But I'll see if I can work some writing in on those two nights, especially if I do Friday's spam on Wednesday so I don't have to sit down after work Thursday night and do it.

I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this writing stuff right now - voices are talking to me almost constantly. No nekkid muses yet, but I'm sure they're just held up in Bermuda or something and will show up soon.

Y'all have a great day and I'll check in periodically from work - I just can't answer from there.

I'm Tagged

Olga tagged me, so here goes my favorites for the year 2006:

Favorite Book: This one was really hard because I’ve had so many favorites this year, so I took my top four picks and then scrambled them behind my back and picked one. A Sultan’s Ransom by Loreth Anne White.

Favorite Movie: I haven’t seen any of this years movies, just a few DVD’s from last year’s crop, so I’m going to say Batman Begins, which I saw earlier this year, so it counts.

Favorite News: News as in personal news, or News as in news stories? Personal – Let’s Pretend by Raine Weaver and Deadly Mistakes by Denise Belinda McDonald came out in print.

Favorite Show: Oh this one is hard too. If I had to pick one, I’d say CSI: Crime Scene Investigations.

Favorite Song: Huh? Don’t have one from 2006 – I don’t listen to a lot of “new” music. Oh wait – I do love Clay Aiken’s rendition of Without You.

I’m not going to tag anyone since the year has gone and the new one begun. But I vow to watch more new movies this year.



On another note – sorry I wasn’t around much yesterday (Sunday). I had a quiet day – sitting in my big ol’ chair reading something for someone (waving across the Trinity), then I wrote a little. That’s what I said, wrote a bit. Sitting in my big ol’ chair in the den, away from the study. And I don’t write longhand. I can’t keep this secret any longer – I have a laptop!!!!!! A new one. An “I can’t believe I spent that much money” laptop. I had to do something because my old computer, you know Damien the hemorrhoid, kept crashing Word and I can’t write without a computer. But then again, I’m not doing very good with this keyboard – I’ll get used to it. I’m not on-line completely with it because I have to wait until the 8th and the Circuit City tech comes here and puts in the encryption stuff – but when I turned it on the first time it automatically picked up the router and I couldn’t help myself. Raine says I deserve it – and I believe everything Raine tells me …

Hope y’all have a great January 1, I have some cleaning to do – yes, I know, write – but you don’t understand, the tech will be here next Monday and there is no way he’ll be able to maneuver anything on this desk, set up the docking bay, transfer some files, etc. with Mt. Everest threatening to become an avalanche of paperwork at any moment, and I don’t know what’s going to happen next weekend (long story, another blog).

Jan first test page