The Big Game

Hello people of the blog.  Last week I was noticeably absent.  The tiny dancer and myself were down with the stomach flu from hell.  It would not go away.  It was like the flu only centered in the tummy area.  You’d feel a little better and talk yourself into eating something, and WHAM down you’d go again.  I really wasn’t certain we were going to make it.  We did, after about 6 days.  It really lasted last long. 

As I was so sick last week I didn’t work on anything writing’wise.  I didn’t even read.  I tried, but it was like getting motion sick trying to read.  No thanks.  So, The Full Moon Rises is not done as I really wanted it to be.  I will do my best to catch back up this week and get it finished.

So what do I have on my mind?  The big game of course!

1.  Half-Time:  I’m not a Katy Perry fan. I don’t NOT like her and there a few songs I enjoy but that’s about it.  Now, that being said, when she came out at Half Time riding that giant mechanical lion, I was stupefied.  That was the most fantastic thing I have seen in a long while. I loved it.  I want one!  Seriously, did you see it?  All in all her show was very entertaining.  I was impressed.  I wanted more Lenny, but who didn’t?  Sorry Missy Elliot, you were not exciting and did you actually even sing?  Come on now.  The stage was very cool with its effects and lights and movement.  Yes, I really enjoyed it.  I am shocked, but I did.  Katy Perry, well done. 

2.  Commercials:  As usual, some were good, some were bad, some were stupid, and some annoyed me.  The good:  The Budweiser Ponies and Puppy.  Yes, proof positive I am a girl.  I enjoyed the Dove daddy commercial, until the very last second when I realized it was for Dove Men.  I was not expecting that.  It was Hallmark’esq and then DOVE…weird.  The Viagra/Fiat commercial I felt was stupid and a bit TMI.  The Nationwide one, why?  Yes, it made a point, but why?  Do we always have to make things morbid?  I think after that commercial I stopped watching them.  It ruined it for me.  They are supposed to be fun and silly and you bring in the death of children?  Yeah, didn’t need to see that.  Someone always has to ruin the fun, thanks Nationwide.

3.  The Game:  The whole point of the night.  I tried to read and watched some of the game. Most of the game was well done.  A few bum moments.  A few bad plays.  I’m not a fan of either team, we’re a Pittsburg household, however, I was rooting for the Patriots, because I think the Seahawks are bad sportsman.  Ha!  That sounds funny considering “deflatgate”.  Regardless, I find them to be Ugly people.  I don’t mean by looks either, I mean on the inside.  Not all of them, obviously, but a good handful of them and that tends to ruin the whole team for me.  Then the very last 20 seconds of the game, the Seahawks proved my stance by swinging and throwing punches due to their own stupidity.  Served them right for loosing.  Show some class boys.  Maybe you can win one. 

Today I am working hard on re-re-re-editing Full Moon Rises.  Then I will be making changes and finishing it up to send out to beta readers.  Hopefully, I can get it submitted in the next week or so.  I’ll keep you posted. 

Have a great week! 

Snapping Hip/Sleeping Foot Update

Snapping turtle what?  - Snapping Hip Syndrome is as good as it’s going to get for my tiny dancer.  She will for the rest of her dance life, struggle and fight with the annoyance and sometimes pain of her hip issues.  She has been cleared from Physical Therapy with a list of exercises/stretches to attend to in order to help alleviate the issue, but it is still an issue.  This brings me to my question of:  What the Hell was the point of the PT then?  Why not just give her the exercises and tell her Good Luck.  Oh no.  Instead we spend $300 PER SESSION (that is after my insurance covered a whole $28) for them to tell me, that’s it.  She’s good to go. Yes, it still snaps and grinds and is an issue, but she’s done all the same.  Frustrated?  Oh ho, that is not even close to how I am feeling.  However, I’m glad we are done with the PT.  She has learned some good stretching and strengthening techniques that will be of use to her for the rest of her life.  We met several people that are having way worse issues than we are and it gave us some perspective that maybe we should be joyous in a small way even through her own pain.  Am I happy with the resolution:  No.  Am I happy to have it behind us all the same:  Yes.

Drop Foot – This is another one of those WTH things that I am at a loss as to what to do about it.  The foot is getting better, in that it is no longer asleep or tingly.  She is gaining strength in it, albeit slower than molasses on an icicle, but it is getting better.  She has gone through xrays, where they found nothing, to a movement eliminating boot.  She has gone through no dance for almost 4 weeks (of which I thought was going to kill us both).  She has gone through PT (no, just don’t ask).  She has now gone through an MRI, of which came back perfect and normal and no problems they can see in the spine or the brain stem.  So, now they want to do an EMG.  I kind of want to just say screw it all.  My dancer is going through test after test and pain after pain, and they have no idea what is going on or why.  Yet, it’s getting better, all by itself.  WTH.  I understand that it is the practice of medicine, but can they practice on someone else for a while? 

I have put off the EMG for a few weeks.  If my girl is better by the time the appointment comes up, I’m not having her go through it.  Who wants needles and electricity coursing through their legs if there is not an issue anymore?  I’m lost and don’t know what to do.  Thankfully I have about 3 weeks to wait and see what happens.

Calgon…take me away….

Sia - Elastic Heart

Have you heard of this song?  Have you seen the video?  Apparently the video is making quite the wave of hate on the Internet.  So much so that Sia has issues an apology. 

I am a fan of Sia.  I am also aware of young Maddie from Dance Moms that made a smash hit of the Chandelier song, which featured her in the video.  I watched it and loved it.  I admit it.  It’s a great video and Maddie does a great job whether you like her or not.  So when the new video came out with Shia LeBeouf and Maddie, I went out and gave it a look-see. 

It’s…strange.  It’s a bit off putting.  It’s very weird.  I didn’t hate it.  I didn’t love it. It did however get me thinking about it.  Maddie is a whole 12 years old.  Shia is 28.  There is a bit of…something…not love, not romance, or desire, but maybe…wanting.  I pushed it off as one that I wasn’t going to be in love with and moved on.  Then I saw post after post and hate after hate about the pedophilia nature of the video and I stopped and thought, wait, what did I miss. 

I have now watched it several times as I wanted to make a real, time spent opinion of it.  So what do I think?  I don’t believe that Maddie is supposed to be a girl in the video. I almost think of her as a wild animal.  Not a girl. She changes throughout and becomes less wild and more human’esq, but still that wild beast of the first part, rings true.  Is she a shifter?  Is she a beast that changes to human?  That I couldn’t say, but wild creature she is.  Shia spends the video angry at times running and shouting and swinging fists.  Then others he spends trying to tame the beast.  He is stuck within the cage (physical and metaphysical I think) and can’t get out.  Maddie is able to leave and does so, which at first infuriates Shia and then leaves him broken and sad and maybe dead or dying.  I didn’t find it pornographic or pedophilic and I am a bit of a prude.  Maybe it's an innocent/evil thing.  She is an innocent (then why the wildness???) and he is evil, a monster trying to take or hold onto it.  

Again, I have to say, it’s weird.  It’s very strange.  Not thinking it gets to the point of calling it child porn or pedophilia though.  I think it stays well within the range of artistic insanity.  I still don’t really like it.  However, Shia does an awesome job in it all the same.  It surprised the holy heck out of me.

That’s my personal take on the video.  You can have a different one.  This is mine. 

 Video - Sia - Elastic Heart Utube

Apology - RollingStone Article

Happy New Year - 2015

Welcome to the year 2015.  We made it through 2014. I am not really into resolutions anymore.  I was when I was younger but now I simply don’t have time.  Last year was a very hard year for me, although rewarding in some areas as well.   

So, what did I learn last year?  What do I want to do better this year? 

1.  One thing I would like to do better in the coming years is to take a breath more often for myself.  I spend a lot of time and energy on everyone but myself.  I will wear myself out for everyone and then have nothing left for me.  Not even half an hour for a read.  I put everyone ahead.  Even people that are not family and a few simply acquaintances, will be put ahead of myself.  I spent most of last year utterly exhausted.  I will be trying very hard to say no.  It’s not in my nature, but I am going to work on it. 

2.  I am a grandmother.  Did you know that?  I have a wonderful, full of life, one-year-old Grandson.  When I was a new mother, I would get so much un-needed and un-wanted advice from everywhere I turned.  I hated it.  I have tried very hard not to be that person, to wait until I am asked before giving my opinion.  I cannot tell you how freaking hard that is.  Watching, knowing you could help, knowing you have good information that could be utilized.  Failing miserably at not being that overbearing opinionated person.  It’s very hard on the outside to sit quietly when a baby is crying or getting into trouble or learning something the hard way or sick or whatever.  I hope even with all my failures at keeping my mouth shut that I am not THAT person I so loathed as a new mother.  I will continue to work on this.  I promise. 

3.  I always feel very energized during NANO.  Yes a little stressed and overwhelmed, but I feel good about the writing.  It’s the deadline and the schedule that I seem to thrive under.  I want to continue to feel that energy during the year.  Not just during the month of November.  I tried to keep it going during December, but the holidays crushed any imagination I may have had.  However, I am back up and running and moving forward.  For those that are interested, I finished the first draft of Howl 2, now to be known as:  The Full Moon Rises.  I have already begun my first round of edits and I plan on kicking butt throughout this month to get it done and sent off to my publisher. 

Those are the main ideas for my year.  Maybe to some they are resolutions, but to me, they are life changes that I want to make in myself forever, not just for the new year.   So with that being said, I am off to continue with my edit and hope to have draft 2 done in a few days, if I can find the time to myself.  We all know how I am with that…Happy New Year everyone!

Holiday Season Chaos

It’s 10 days before Christmas – The world is chaos and crazy.  What is on my mind?

1.  Still Seren, my little broken dancer.  Did my wish from last week come true and she is miraculously all-better?  Ha!  No!  She is worse.  While sitting on the floor stretching out her legs, her foot went to sleep and refused to wake back up.  We spent the afternoon and half the night at Children’s hospital and God knows how much money, for them to tell us…they had no idea what was wrong.  We were referred to a specialist…again.  On Tuesday we saw said specialist who advised us, that somehow, someway, my little dancer has pinched/abused/bruised a nerve in her leg/ankle/foot.  They immobilized her foot in a boot from HELL and told her no dancing for about 2 weeks.  I have had one distraught sad little chicka to content with.  When I again asked what caused this, why did it happen, what do you think they told me?  Ready for it…that she is growing.  What the holy hell?!  I do not want to believe that growing is causing all this to her little body.  I’m so frustrated, partly because my girl is so upset and partly because what their action plan is additional physical therapy, that’s it.  Can you hear me sigh from your end of the computer, because it’s heavy over here.  Yes, I know…deep breath mama.  I’m trying.  I’m trying. 

2.  Christmas – Yes, I finally decorated, both the inside and outside of the house.  The tree is cute.  We have so many personalized ornaments at this point that we don’t have to use really any non-personal ones at all to fill the tree.  I guess 22 years of buying and adding to the collection has paid off.  The outside is a zoo of animals and lights.  If I only had the knack to add music to the lights it would be awesome, and yet, I am not sure I could do that to my neighbors, few that they are. 

3.  Still plugging away at Howl 2.  With all the hip/foot/leg drama of Seren last week, I didn’t have a lot of time to work on it.  However, I did add in another 5,000 words so, I made some headway.  I am almost done.  I really am.  I need a big block of time to sit and finish without any interruptions.  Not thinking I will get that anytime soon though. 

That’s really it for me this week.  Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season.  I’m getting there.  Yay.

End of the Year - What's new?

Since everything is a bit crazy for me this month, I thought I would do a quick update on several things going on.

1.  Howl 2 – Still don’t have a title worked out for this book.  I am open to suggestions, just saying.  I did not quite get the first draft completed last week.  I plan on trying to give it a finish this week if at all possible.  Then the “real” fun begins with editing.  If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that this is not fun for me.  I hate editing and trying to make sure I have all the grammar correct and set up.  If I ever make enough money writing, the first thing I will do, is hire myself a personal editor so that I don’t have to fight with it anymore. 

2.  Author Event - Last weekends author fair at the Orange Library went very well for me.  I met several fun authors, and got a few good books to read over the holidays.  Yes, I also sold quite the handful of books too.  Yay!  It was a good day all in all.  I will have to make sure to look for that one again next year.

3.  Seren’s Hip – She is going to therapy for her hip twice a week and she has been doing special exercises every single day.  So how is her hip?  About the same actually. I am not noticing any real improvement.  Plus I’m aggravated in that I feel like my concerns with the PT people are shoved under the rug a bit and excused off with “these things take time”.  However, it’s been a month and there isn’t any improvement?  Shouldn’t she be seeing something?  She had issues walking distances now, too.  I mean like a trip around the mall.  We have to take breaks and let her sit or stretch before continuing.  She limps a bit more lately, and her legs seem to be more sore and achy on a daily basis.  Questions to the PT people are answered with:  “Well, we are working her muscles so we expect soreness and aches”.  This gets under my skin too, as Seren is not out of shape. She is in awesome and better shape than I ever was, and she works her muscles daily.  Why would she suddenly not be in shape and be sore?  I’m not counting out the PT.  I simply wish they would be more open to discussion.  They have another 2-4 weeks to go.  Let’s hope that like magic her hip and tendons and muscles suddenly and inexplicably just get better. 

4.  Christmas – I’m set with the picking out and the shopping.  I am only waiting on the deliveries at this point.  I am holding two packages that need to go out for a shipment that should have come by now.  I mean seriously?  I ordered on November 19^th.  What is taking so long?  Otherwise, aside from finding a day to sit down and wrap, I think I’m pretty well set.  What about the rest of you?  Are you ready?

That all the time I have for now.  I’ll catch you next Monday.  Have a great week everyone.  

End of Nanowritmo - 2014

I am happy to announce that I was able to complete my nano novel in time.  I validated at 50,060 words, around noon on November 30, 2014.  Woo Hoo.  It was a crazy month of finding time to write, but I persevered and was able to write almost every single day, with a few exceptions for the holiday.  Slow and steady is me. 

However, the book is not done.  I still have about 10,000 – 15,000 more words to write before I get to the end of the first draft.  It got exciting and action packed and took a few weird turns. Even after all that, at this moment I feel like I am writing a pretty good story.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, it is a very rough draft, but it definitely has great potential.  I will be working on it daily even though Nano is over for the year.  I’m excited about it, ad want to finish it.  I can’t wait for my readers to get it. 

I would love to put out an excerpt, but I don’t know where the book will end and I don’t want to give anything away.  What I can tell you is that it is a sequel to my previously published book, A Howl in the Night.  I still don’t have a title for it.  I am thinking along the lines of Dawn Breaks or The Morning Comes.  I don’t know.  It’s a work in progress.  I’m sure I will figure something out.

Just a quick plug – I will be at the Orange Library in Lewis Center, this Sunday, December 7, 2014 from 2:00 – 5:00 to meet the people and talk about writing.  I will also have books should you need one and I am always happy to autograph. 

Library Author Event Information

Have a great week.