The Last Day Of Summer

Yes, today is the last day of summer.

So what are we doing today?

We're going to the skate park and having cake and ice cream for my youngest son's birthday! We've done this several years in a row and it's really fun. The boys get together again. So far old friends, his brother, his dad and family, and more are supposed to be there.

I'm wondering if I should take hot dogs too, boys use a lot of energy.

We go to that particular skate park because we used to live in that town. Also, because the skate park is pretty fun, if there's wheels on it, the kids are using it. Skateboards, skates, inline skates, bikes, I even saw a kid on a unicycle there one day. It's not like the skate park here in West Sacramento, they don't allow bikes.

The boys really enjoy it.

Sigh, so Mom had better get busy, the truck needs to be packed up, have to go to the store, etc, etc, etc.

Much to do.

Oh, and yeah, I have a mini TV that runs on batteries. No need to miss ALL of the Raider's game, LOL! Even in black and white, football is FOOTBALL!!

See yah in the Fall!!
(Oh, hey, that's tomorrow, LOL!)

The Weather Is Changing

Yes, it's starting to change. It's getting cooler at night. The leaves on my cherry tree are barely starting to turn.

It seems a little earlier than usual.

According to the Farmer's Almanac, the weather is going to be turning cooler, not warmer.

I'm already feeling it. I need to hurry, I have things to do before the rains come.

I feel the rain, it's coming. It's coming soon.

I think it's going to be a cold and wet winter.

I need to stock up on beans and rice and canned goods. You should too.

The weather is changing. And I don't think it's going to be hotter, per the global warming blather. It's going to be cold this winter.

Get ready.

GO RAIDERS!!

Yes, I'm a proud Oakland Raiders fan.

Yeah, I know, they have issues.

I don't care!

I'm a Raider fan, win or lose, good or bad, Al Davis or not.

GO RAIDERS!!

Way Cool Trailer!

Wow, there is so much to do, but I already love my "new" little '66 Shasta Compact. We went to get her on Sunday, put the new tires on, greased the wheel bearings, added safety chains (of course!) and brought her home.

The inside is pretty much gone, so I have a blank slate. Unfortunately, there was a leak, so I'll probably have to remove every panel and fix them, fix and seal the leak(s), etc. The first thing to go will be all the nasty carpet!


A little work and a good paint job will do wonders for the outside. Yes, it'll be white and the red stripe repainted exactly as you see here.

I must say, it tows like a dream. It's light enough I can easily tow it with my light truck.

I'm excited! There's much to do, but I'm the proud owner of a classic tiny trailer.

Way cool!

Rereading Alan Garner's Books

I've been rereading Alan Garner's books.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Moon of Gomrath, The Owl Service, and Elidor.

I have to say, I've really enjoyed all except Elidor.

Yes, I know that's sacrilege to a fan of Garner's books. But Elidor feels like he just got tired and stopped writing. There's no finish, no conclusion, we're just left hanging at the end, wondering what happened in Elidor.

I hate it when that happens.

All of his other books are magical, well written, full of mystery and folklore. I love them.

But Elidor, alas, it's lacking.

Teachers, I'd add the other three to your reading list. They're great books for any fantasy fan.

Not Elidor.

Sorry.

My New Book

For my friends who've been asking, yes, I'm still working on my novel.

It's going to take a good while, I like my fiction, especially near future fiction, to have a factual basis. I'm not going to just make something up, it needs to be scientifically plausible.

Fortunately, my sister is a geologist, teacher, and fellow sci-fi fan, so when I'm to that point, I'll ask her to read it and see what she says. Trust me, my family is not known for being tactful. If she thinks it's boring, she'll tell me.

But I'm only on Chapter 3, so there is still much writing and then rewriting to do. Since I really only work on it on Sunday afternoons during my son's Skate and Shoot practice at the hockey rink, it's going to take a good while...

Actually, it's going to take even longer, since my ex and his wife have been showing up at the rink. They are simply not capable of leaving me alone to work and my book is NOT ready to share.

Today, being Labor Day, I've got to get busy, I have a LOT of labor to do around the house today.

My "New" Trailer

1966(?) Shasta Compact - 13' total length!

Yes, she needs a lot of work, but for a 40+-year-old trailer that's been sitting out in the weather for at least 5 years, she's in pretty darn good shape.

And a plus, my parents have one just like her, so I have a lot more experience on my side (my dad!) to help me get her in good order.

I hope I don't get into a tight $$ spot and have to sell her, because this is the size I've been looking for -- for years!

This is going to be fun!

I Bought A Trailer!

Well, only a minute today.

I bought a vintage trailer last weekend. I'm not even going to tell you how little I paid, because you'll be mad! LOL!

It's about a 1966 Shasta Compact, only 13 feet end to end, including the hitch.

Yes, it needs a ton of work. But the exterior is intact, the windows are intact, and once it's stripped out and I've checked the framing, fixed the leak in the ceiling, etc, it's going to be great for my son and I. (Daughter says she doesn't like to camp. Yes, I know, that's what she says.)

I've already taken care of the DMV business. Only $41 and that included the $17 for the title. (I always get the title because then if I need $$ and I sell the trailer, it's just so, so much easier!)

So today's project is to roll over there, put the new jack on the front, get the trailer up off that rim so we can remove the flat tire, check everything else, and then head home. I'll get a "new to me" tire at my favorite used tire place and then go back to put the tire on and then carefully limp it home.

Then we can get busy on it.

Yeah, I know, like I need another project.

This will be fun!

Got to run, much to do on this long weekend!

Burning Man Blues

The other night I was over at Wally-World (Wal-Mart) and saw a bus. The paint job of primer grey plus various happy smilies and other art on the sides made me think of the 60s.

Yes, I stopped and asked the kids if they were going to Burning Man.

Oh, those sweetie pies asked me if I was going! Honestly, I was flattered that they'd think I might go.

They looked like they were ready to have a good time, I could see inside the open bus door. The front seats were gone and it looked like they had a couple of sofas up in there. Very cool.

I sort of wish I was going.

And then I think of the dust, the heat, the long drive.

Nahhhhhh.

As I told the kids, nope, I have to go to work in the morning. So I don't get to go.

Burning Man blues...

I kinda wish I was going.

Kinda....

UPDATE
Well, darn, those poor kids went all that way, and I see on the Internet this am (August 31) that a huge dust storm has sent many participants home early. Maybe that "kinda wish I was going" has turned into "Thank You Lord that I couldn't go..."
http://home.peoplepc.com/psp/newsstory.asp?cat=TopStories&referrer=welcome&id=20080831/48ba1740_3ca6_1552620080831-2061622505

Should Roller Hockey Be An Olympic Sport?

This is a conversation we had at the rink last weekend.

Should Roller Hockey be an Olympic Sport?

Heck yeah!

Roller Hockey is a great sport and a lot of the teams are coed times, so it would be great to see our sport at the Summer Games. It's definitely a growing sport, with more interest all the time.

I know that there are a LOT of kids and parents who'd watch Roller Hockey. There are even high school, college and professional teams!! (Bet you didn't know that!)

On Monday, I asked some coworkers about Roller Hockey. All said yes, it would be great to see at the Summer Games. One said, yes, she'd watch it and they need to drop ping pong, that's not even a real sport. (Not my opinion! I'm just repeating her words!)

Olympic Committee, take note, there's a lot more interest in Roller Hockey than you realize.

Roller Hockey should be the next addition to the Olympic Games!

Journey To The Center Of The Earth

My kids and I went to the movies last night. We saw Journey To The Center Of The Earth.

They liked the movie. To be honest, when taking the movie as it is, a fast ride like a ride in Disneyland, it was pretty fun.

According to my preteen son, it was a little slow at the beginning, but once the ride started, it was fun. My teen liked it.

The 3-D effect was interesting, it succeeded in making me jump several times. LOL!

I thought there could be a LOT more to the movie, the 3-D effect could have been used more effectively, the characters were merely OK. Charging an extra $3.50 for tickets, I assume to cover the cost of the 3D glasses, was a bit much.

OK fare for kids and budding sci-fi fans. (My son has expressed some interest in Jules Verne, I'll have to find my copy of the book.) Definitely go to the matinee so you can stop by the library or bookstore to pick up a copy of Jules Verne's book after the movie.

I rate it as a B-.

Children Keep You Young

Yes, that is so, so true.

Children do keep you young.

But then...

But then...

But then they grow into teenagers -- who will age you beyond your years.

I LOVE my kids dearly, but omgosh, when they're teens, I don't always LIKE them very much.

Fortunately, they do eventually grow up.

I want to give some hope to all the other mothers (and fathers) of teens. Yes, they will grow up to be fine young people. Those little flashes that you see bursting out, every now and then, past the drama, attitude, and rotten rude behavior, are the signs of what your teen will become.

Just stay on track. Keep being the bad guy. There is still time to be your teen's friend -- in about 10 more years.

Children keep you young.

Teenagers remind us why animals eat their young.

Thank God, we're not animals!

FYI: A teenager's brain does eventually connect to the body and then the teen will turn into a human being. Sometime between 18 and 22 or so.

Oh, yes, there will still be much growing and learning, but you'll see them growing into themselves, becoming the man or woman they're supposed to be.

And just so you know, no matter how stupid your teen thinks you are today, when he/she has kids, you'll become the all-knowing mom and grandma (or dad and grandpa) that he/she turns to for advice in raising his/her own kids.

So hang in there!

The teen years, they too shall pass, like all the other storms in your life.

Dang it's going to seem quiet...

Is Self Publishing An Option?

Hmmm, that's always a good question.

You probably don't want to be trapped with a vanity press, where they charge an arm and a leg for the books, and you have to do all your own promotion, shipping, etc, etc, etc. Although "How to Shit in the Woods" by Kathleen Myer is a self-publishing classic that has sold well over a million copies, most self published books are not very successful.

On the other hand, trying to get "hooked up" with a regular publishing house can be overwhelming to a first time author. Major publishers see many, many manuscripts and a whole lot of them go straight to the shredder. Aspiring authors usually have a lovely selection of "thanks but no thanks" letters.

However, with computers and the Internet, there are other options.

I've been looking at BookSurge, http://www.booksurge.com/. This company is owned by Amazon.

The basic premise of the company is that you don't have to maintain a large inventory of books. Essentially, the book is printed on demand. So if someone is perusing Amazon and comes across your book, they put in their order and the book is printed and shipped directly to the customer.

Good side, easier for you. Larger royalties per book. No inventory to maintain. BookSurge gets the ISBN number for you. You have choices in hard cover, trade paperback, color, black and white, submitting in .doc, .txt, .rtf or a completely designed book in .pdf.

Bad side, you still have to do your own promotion. You still have to write, edit, design the book or pay extra to have it done. I haven't gotten that far yet, but I expect there are some up-front costs for the book. Cost per book may be higher than a traditional run of 10,000 (but you don't have to pay for that 10,000 all at once, so it's six of one, half dozen of another). You don't get the customer list, so there's no opportunity to do mailings for new books (unless BookSurge does it for you -- haven't gotten that far into the website yet).

I'm still looking into this option, as I'm not ready to go to print yet. I'm still writing the first draft, then I'll have my sister, the geologist and fellow sci-fi fan, review it for accuracy and to bluntly tell me if it's interesting or not. (My family is NOT known for being tactful! LOL!)

So, I thought I'd mention this company today. I'm definitely looking for other opinions and options in publishing, so comments are more than welcome.

www.booksurge.com

The Dark Knight

Yes, we went and saw the new Batman movie on Sunday night.

It was good.

Plenty of action, the plot line was pretty good. Lots of ins and out. Interesting how no one really "got" the Joker.

Most criminals have obvious motives. The Joker, oh my goodness. We never did find out where he came from or what happened to him to make him so psychotic. Heath Ledger's performance was awesome. His death is a true loss, he was enormously talented.

Morgan Freeman was good too. He is such a great actor, underappreciated by most. His performances are often way too subtle for the average person. You have to pay attention, it's not just what he says that's so good, it's the body language, the subtlety of his face and expressions.

I wouldn't recommend this movie for small children, this is the grown up Batman, a seriously damaged man trying to do right in the world. Little kids wouldn't understand it.

I'm definitely going to buy the DVD for my collection.

I'm actually looking forward to the next Batman movie.

Projects, Projects, More Projects

I have been busy.

I do kinda poke along on my projects. By the weekend, I'm hecka tired.

I've been gathering window screens and old sliding door screens for my patio project. Between what I've gathered and buying a roll of window screening (48"x25') next payday, I have almost enough materials to start.

Now to start looking for the wood. Yes, now I need to scavenge for 2x4s for the frame. Then either boards for the half wall or siding. I don't know which yet. It might be easier to go to Home Depot hell and actually buy (gasp! buy???) inexpensive 4x8 sheets of siding or exterior strand board. I'm going to paint it anyway.

Oh, better make a note, put up an ad for exterior house paint. White satin.

Between craigslist.org and freecycle, I expect I'll be ready to work on the room by the end of August. It's truly amazing what people are ready to throw away, all you have to do is ask, and you shall receive!

Projects, projects and more projects.

Sometimes I don't know where to start.

But you know, I'm hot, I'm tired. Maybe I'll go take a nap and work on my yard when it cools off a bit.

EARTHQUAKE!!

Yeah, people were all excited for a minute. One of my buddies called me at work, wanted to know if I knew anyone in Chino Hills.

So I called my son.

He said yes, he and his wife were just leaving the apartment when it hit. They stopped and turned on the TV, yup, there was an earthquake. So they picked up the ironing board that fell over and checked on the cats (the cats were a bit freaked out). Then they went to lunch.

Not to sound cynical, but I'm quite sure that every news station in the LA basin was searching for a liquor store with broken glass all over the floor. I'll watch the 10 o'clock news to see.

I wasn't even concerned enough to turn on CNN.

You see, a 5.4 is a nice little jolt, but it's not all that bad. Enough to rattle the dishes and knock over a few things, that's about it.

I know, we sound so calm about it.

I was in the Loma Prieta earthquake. Now that one was scary -- and it wasn't even the Big One!

Today, just another day in the life of a California kid...

Frodo Lives

You know, the other day I was talking about Darkover.

It brought back memories of other favorite books, chief among them, The Lord of the Rings.

I can't count the number of times I've read and enjoyed The Hobbit and the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. (Too bad I foolishly lent out The Two Towers from my set, now I need to find another copy or buy another set. Darn it all, and you wonder why I don't lend my books out!)

I was so excited and pleased with the LOTR movies. While some fans may criticize some of the characterizations and changes from the original book, the sweeping tale was very well done.

Let me say, Hollywood at its best. A rare thing.

Being a huge sci-fi/fantasy fan, I've seen some pretty bad movies made from some pretty darn good books. Somehow Hollywood manages to skew the book to fit the flavor of the month.

Yes, the LOTR movies did justice to the books.

Frodo lives. Immortalized in book and movie, Frodo will always be with us.

The New X-Files Movie

Yes, blush, I'm a HUGE X-Files fan.

So my daughter and I went to see the new movie last night.

I enjoyed it, it was interesting. It could've been more complex, more wheels within wheels, but it was good. The ending left a few details hanging, but you know, that's the X-Files. Nothing is ever completely answered in real life and the X-Files has always reflected that.

Faith is a large component of the movie.

Fox WANTS to believe. And so does Scully, although she battles against it. Science vs Faith, which will win?

I'm not going to be a spoiler, but I would recommend it to all of my friends who are fans of the old show.

It could've been deeper, but it was good. Better than a lot of the pap the movie studios put out these days.

Darkover

I've been re-reading some of my Darkover novels, by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Darkover was huge in the 70s.

A complex world, mistaken by Terrans as a feudal culture, Darkover is filled with angst, conflict, death and life. A telepathic society that has already had its Age of Chaos, Darkover chooses to remain independent of Terran technology.

I've really been enjoying re-reading my old friends.

I would recommend starting the series with Darkover Landfall and then working your way through them chronologically. Well, as much as you can, since the books are all loosely set on Darkover, but were written over a long period of time. So the "first" book was actually written much later than the "last" book of the series.

Darkover, highly recommended.

(Hey, you can do a search on the Amazon, just look to the right, I have an Amazon link available for your convenience.)

Wish Upon A Hero

I've recently come across a wonderful website called Wish Upon A Hero, http://www.wishuponahero.com/.

Talk about a wonderful place.

It's all about fulfilling wishes, needs, wants for people.

It's a very simple concept. You post what you wish or want. People comment if they choose, donate if they choose, give helpful hints and often just plain sympathy for the situation. If they choose to donate, they can use PayPal, so their personal information remains private.

It's a neighbor helping neighbor kind of thing.

Just since I came upon it, I've seen people asking for such simple things as a sandwich and much larger things like groceries/grocery money after a power outage wiped out their food.

I'm pretty new, so I'm going to keep checking it out and reading the wishes and wants.

Wish Upon A Hero.

If only we didn't need such websites -- and thank God we have them!!

Still Working On My Little House

Oh me, oh my!!

It's a darn good thing the Lord put a healing on my knees, because I have been so darn busy!

As you can see in the picture, I've been very, very busy working on my white picket fence. It's ALMOST done, I have to paint another half dozen or so pickets, and add 2x4 rails behind a couple of sections, and then I'm done with that part of the project. Then dig the flowerbed behind the right side of the fence and next to the driveway and get that all planted. You can see the tomotoes and morning glories growing through the fence on the left side. I also have an inexpensive arbor to put together to go over my little brick walk in the front.

I would have done more yesterday, but it was 105+ at my house. After I mowed the worst of my weed filled, dried up backyard and wet that down, I was THROUGH. And it was only 9am!!

Anyway, once I'm done with the front, oh my, then I'm going to go into the backyard and start working on my back patio. It has a cover, so I've decided I need to add 1/2 walls and screening to make it into a nice screened room. So I'll be scrounging for building materials.

Ah, the thrill of the hunt!!

I really have done a lot to my little house over the last six years. It's been a struggle, like many people, I basically live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes I get behind, then I catch up.

But I work on my house because:

1) It's something I can do, little by little, to improve the value of the property.

2) I won't live here forever, when I retire, I'll sell and move to be closer to my family.

So, I keep working away at it.

Oh, you probably need a point of reference, don't you? Well, here's the original realtor picture of my house. (The tree had to go, it was rotting and had termites. Believe me, I miss the shade!)

I have been busy...

I Am So Not Happy With The New Andre Norton Books!!

No, I'm really, really unhappy with some of the newest Norton books.

Since she passed, the quality of her books has dropped dramatically. I believe that the editor and/or publisher did her wrong -- especially with the new Beastmaster books.

Now, I don't have a problem with the idea of the books. It's a pleasure to see the old characters and the introduction of new characters. The problem is that the characters are not Norton characters.

She had such a deft way of suspending all disbelief, her words came alive on the page. But the new writer has written himself into the books. The characters react in a way that a Norton character would NEVER act. To put it bluntly, they whine.

"It's not FAIR!"

No, no, no, a Norton character would NEVER say that. Never. They fought against all odds. They never gave up. They never whined.

I can only hope that her family steps up and says "NO, either write in her style, or don't write at all."

I am so not happy with the new Andre Norton books! I am such a long time fan, it is such a disappointment to read books set in her worlds of the future, and know that they fall short of the Norton standard.

A Magical Fantasy

I've recently reread The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip.

The prose, oh my goodness, it's like flowing poetry, like a song from ancient days. The descriptive words of the story fill a space in my heart, my mind, a space that I didn't know was there. Her prose is lush, compelling, it's hard to describe, you have to read it for yourself:

"Sybel sat long among the trees after Gules Lyon had gone. The sky darkened; leaves whirled withered in endless circles above her. The wind was cold as the cold metal of locked books. It came across the snowcapped peak of Eld, down through the wet chill mists to moan in the great trees of her garden. She thought of Tam running bare-armed, barefoot through the sweet summer grass and the tiny wild flowers, shouting at great hawks with the voices of rough mountain children echoing his. Then her thoughts slipped away from her to the silent rooms and towers of wizards she had stolen books from. She had listened to them arguing with one another, watched them working, and then she had smiled and gone quietly away, carrying ancient, priceless books before they had even realized anyone had come."

I really, really like this author. She wrote a series, The Riddle Master of Hed is the first book, that also fills that need for an ancient tale of magic and love and intrigue and revenge. I'll talk about the Riddle Master series later, I want to reread the trilogy again. Let me just say that it's an underappreciated masterpiece that just as complex and magical and wonderful as The Lord of the Rings.

You can find a list of her books and other information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_A._McKillip. More information can be found at www.sfworld.com -- http://www.sffworld.com/author/360.html.

According to the website, she lives in Oregon. I think I may try to look her up one day when I'm in Oregon, invite her for coffee, just so we can talk for a while about her books and poetry.

I really recommend not just reading her books, but buying a set for your personal library. These are DEEP and every time you reread them, you'll find new nuances, new ideas to contemplate. I'd also recommend that teachers put them on the shelf for elective reading.

Seriously, check her books out.

Mother's Day With Love

What a beautiful day it was!

My most beautiful daughter wrote in my card,

"I know I don't say it enough but you are a great mom and I wouldn't know what to do without you! I love you with all my heart! Because you're my mom, duh!"

This is my child that I battle with darn near every day.

Yes, I cried.

And my youngest gave me a gift bag.

And my oldest called me to wish me a happy Mother's Day.

What a wonderful day!

Another Beautiful Spring Morning

Yes, it's another beautiful spring morning.

I love spring, it's my favorite season. The flowers are blooming, the ladybugs are flying around my yard, the hummingbirds are working the feeders. Life is just bursting out all over the place.

It's that quiet time of day, kids are still asleep, my life is my own for a few short sweet minutes.

Of course, I really need to raise up off the computer and get back to work in my front yard. I can't start on the back until I finish the front, and I still have so, so much to do.

I'm going for the white picket fence, cottage garden look in the front. The kids want us to put a tiny pond over by the orange tree (OK, it's really a bush) for goldfish. I like that idea, once the cannas grow up again, it'll be beautiful. But right now, I'm still working on my little fence and the flowerbeds just inside. So far I've planted a Thompson grape, Sweet 100 tomatoes, Yellow Pear tomatoes, geraniums, morning glories and daffodil bulbs that should've went into the ground months ago (hey, they're sprouting, they'll live through my abuse).

I still have to finish the fence. Dig more flowerbeds for more geraniums, tomatoes, maybe a lime tree in the front corner. And somehow weed the existing flowerbeds. Bermuda really is great for this climate, but it really is devil grass too. It's SO HARD to keep it out of my flowerbeds. Sigh.

One apricot tree is loaded, only one year old. The almond tree has a few almonds. The orange and lemon trees are blooming. The passionflower is waiting to be planted.

Oh my gosh, I have SO MUCH to do before I can even start on the backyard.

But it's a beautiful spring morning.

I think I'll have another cup of coffee and work on my other blogs before I get to work in the yard. (No, I don't want to talk about housework.... Not today.)

Lord, it's beautiful out there today. I'll be outside soon.

Soon.

It's My Birthday Today!

Wow, where are the years going?

I'm having a quiet day. All of my kids called me and wished me a Happy Birthday.

I went to work, just like always. Thank God no one noticed, my boss knows I don't like fuss about it being my birthday.

We're going to celebrate on Sunday, after church.

I have so much to do, and you know, I'm starting to feel like time is getting shorter and shorter.

I have so much more to do.

And another birthday has come and gone.

I'd better hurry up...

I Read A LOT!!

I read a lot. In fact, I have a lot of books.

It's amazing to me, how people read a book and then get rid of it. Huh? I don't get it. You're not going to go back and revisit old friends, old stories? You're not going to reread to delve for deeper nuances?

My books are my friends. They tell me things I never thought of, never dreamed of. They open a world that's out there, but I'll never be able to visit. Sometimes the door they open is to the imagination. I dream the author's dream. There is more out there than I can imagine by myself...

Yes, the Internet is great, I use it all the time. But the Internet doesn't open to the page where I left off. It doesn't smell like a new book smells, I can't feel the pages turn under my hands.

It's not the same. I love the Internet (in fact, that's the only reason I keep a house phone, so I can hook up to the Net), but it's just not the same as a book.

And old books. Mmmm, faintly musty smelling at times, I open the book and there's information that just isn't available out there any more. There are fascinating differences between my 1934 Encyclopedias and the modern versions. It's not just informational, there are vast cultural differences that can be mined from old books.

I understand my own family history a little better when I read history or fiction of the era they grew up in. I understand the context of their world and can draw comparisons to the world I live in today. I can see the difference and, sometimes unfortunately, the parallels in the train of thought that people had and still have today.

My books are my friends.

Not the same as my human and animal friends, of course, but still my friends. My refuge when life is just getting too stressful. I can retreat, revisit Pern, or Hobbiton, or Rivendell, or Narnia, or the Little House in the Big Woods. I can relax into a space opera or a murder mystery. Or I can choose to learn about great women, or the San Francisco earthquake, or World War I (yes, I have the 1919 set about the Great War), or urban survival, or black holes, or space-time continuums. It's all there on the bookshelves, waiting for me to come home and open the book.

Books are a comforting constant in my life.

Grandma Loved The Hummingbirds

I'm sitting here in front of my computer, the rain is coming down, the wind is blowing. It's nasty outside.

From here, I can see the hummingbird feeder. The hummers have been eating and fussing all day, chasing each other away from the feeder, perching for a minute, then flitting away again. I've seen them in Oregon in a snowstorm, huddling at the feeders, all fluffed up and sipping the warm nectar my Mom put out for them.

Grandma always loved the hummers. She lived with my parents before she went to the home. The feeders hang outside the breakfast nook, where Grandma could watch them every morning while she was having coffee with my Dad, her son.

The morning sun glinted through the red nectar and the hummers would be busy as bees. Swooping in and out, sipping and then slipping away when a more aggressive hummer would zoom in. Brave little creatures, I've stood out there next to the feeder and they've buzzed me, too busy defending their territory to pay attention to a mere human.

Grandma loved those little hummingbirds. I think it was because she could relate to them, being tiny herself.

She was also a speedy little thing. In her younger days, a good trip from Los Angeles to Washington meant that she didn't get any speeding tickets.

She always flew, whether it was in her car or her little airplane. I didn't know until her wake that my dad hadn't ridden in any kind of a vehicle with her since 1953 -- at least as a passenger. LOL, that was the year she took him up in her airplane and that was the end of that for Dad!

I think she loved those hummers because they reminded her of her freedom, when she was younger and could pack up and go at a moment's notice. Like the hummers, she was always ferociously independent. She could and would cuss you out like a mule-skinner if you got on her bad side.

Grandma always did exactly what SHE wanted to do. No matter what anyone else said or thought. In fact, I suspect that's why she became a pilot. My birth Grandpa wanted to learn to fly. Supposedly, Grandma said she didn't want to learn, but then she changed her mind.

Knowing my Grandma like I do, what really happened it that Grandpa said "Women can't fly!"

Then Grandma raised herself up, said something unprintable, and proceeded to get her pilot's license.

Ironically, Grandpa never did get his pilot's license.

Yes, Grandma used to go and sit in the breakfast nook every morning, her sharp little eyes seeking the hummingbirds out, watching them flit here and there, chirping and whirring.

I think they watched her too. They knew that kindred spirit that lived in her.

Today I watched the little hummingbirds, in the middle of a California winter, raining and blowing, still hovering at the feeder. I bite my lips, tear up a little.

I miss her feisty little self.

And I'm sure when I get to the other side, she's going to meet me there and tell me all about me writing this. In unprintable words.

Then she's going to point out the hummingbirds feeding on the flowers that twine around those Heavenly Gates and take me to see the rest of the family.

And knowing my family, Jesus will be having a piece of homemade apple pie with Grandpa Jack (Grandma's fourth husband and her soulmate) and playing cribbage -- the cheating way...

I Love Craigslist

Oh man, I LOVE Craigslist!

You've never heard of www.craigslist.org? Oh my goodness!

Free online classifieds, forums, community.

Yes, like any internet forum or website, there are people acting like fools (we call them trolls). But I just love CL!

For example, I had Tuesday off and I was FLAT broke.

But I had some things listed for sale on CL. Yes, it took some time, I'd listed these items on Friday. I got e-mails, then phone calls, had to coordinate buyers and hope that they wouldn't flake on me.

But let's just say, I sold enough stuff to make it worth hanging around the house on my day off -- well, at least until the kids got home. But I did still have a couple of nickels left even after they got through with me!

Man, I LOVE Craigslist!

Best Super Bowl I've Seen In Years!

Man, that was the BEST Super Bowl I've seen in years! Exciting, not a blow out, plenty of hard hitting and a few fights trying to break out.

That was a GOOD game.

And I was even rooting for NY!

Being the rabid Raider fan that I am, I had to pick a team and I sure wasn't going to root for New England (think: tuck rule). Oh heck no!!

But you know what. The ads sucked.

And the one with the energy drink and tow truck driver, omg, I will NEVER be able to look one of those in the face again. All I'll think of is that guy with the jumper cables.... UGH! Who came up with that? No, no, no.

The only ones I even thought were decent was the Coke ad with the floats, the lizards dancing to Thriller, and the Clydesdale with the Dalmation. Although I did laugh when the giant pigeons dropped the car into the office, and dude cut the car alarm -- it was his own car.

But in general, what the heck?

Happily, I was watching the game and I really had a great time. And we were all jumping up, on our feet and yelling when NY got that last touchdown.

And there's always NEXT YEAR! GO RAIDERS!!!!!

Oh, and Jordan Sparks did a fine job on the National Anthem. I was proud of her.

Think Before You Drink

Alrighty then!

It's a windy day here in West Sacramento. At least it's not raining.

I have a few things to take care of around the house, pop the chicken in the oven so it's ready to go to my buddy's house. No big party, just some friends kicking it while we watch the game. None of our teams made it, so we have a hard choice.

I think I'll root for NY.

No alcohol for me though. I have to drive home and even though it's only about 10-15 miles, I just can't afford the problems that a DUI would cause. Thousands of dollars in fines, lawyer fees, insurance costs, DUI classes, and losing my drivers license. And I'm a commuter, so it would RUIN my life.

No, no. If I decide to have a drink, it'll be after the game, after I get home, when I'm chilling before bed.

My friends out there in cyber space, think before you drink!

A few brews just aren't worth the time, money, jail and just plain hassle you'll go through.

Think before you drink.

Please.

It's WAY Past Time To Write Another Book

Life is so busy and it's hard to sit down and write.

Yet, more and more, I feel the need to sit myself down and write another book.

I had started one a long time ago, but I've misplaced the printout, and the text is on an old big floppy, so I don't even know if I can get it moved onto a diskette or CD anymore. Hmmm, but it came to me as I was writing that my mom might still have an old computer with a big floppy drive. I'll have to ask her. I just want to copy the file, so maybe it'll work...

I also started a small cookbook, but I've neglected it. With my daughter growing up and getting ready to leave home (or at least that's what she says), she's going to need this so I'd better hurry up and get it done!

Anyway, the book I'm thinking about right now, well, it's been floating around in my head in the last week. I keep thinking about it.

I need to start working on it. This one is going to be fiction. Kind of near-future science fiction.

My kid is going to be taking a class on Tuesday nights, so you know what, I have a little QuickPad, so I can work on it during the three hours of her class. If I write a chapter every week, it'll be done by the time she's done with the class.

Hmmmm, you know, that's a plan, isn't it?

It's way past time to write another book. And now I have a plan.

I guess I don't have any more excuses -- it's time to write.

Believe In Yourself

Ijajee's Story
Charlotte Declue (Osage)

When you are traveling
and find yourself alone,
it is not wise
to think of yourself as ignorant.
Because when you travel alone
you have no one to depend on
but yourself.
And would you trust someone
you thought to be ignorant?

Just say, "I do not understand."
These things that you do not
understand.....
put them into a
carry them over your shoulder.
As time goes on,
the bag will get empty.

Songs From This Earth On Turtle's Back, Contemporary American Indian Poetry,
Copyright 1983 The Greenfield Review Press
Edited by Joseph Bruchac

------------------------------

Self reliance, confidence, believing in one's self...

The poet hit me it right where it hurts. I can't be doubting my Path. I need to just put the things I don't understand in a bag and carry them along. All will come clear in time.

All will become clear in the end...

In The Ocean Of Night

I love that title.

It has images that flow through my mind when I read it. I can feel the crashing of the waves of imagination, the sense of being connected to the spiritual whole of our conciousness. In the ocean of night, I'm just one tiny creature peering up into the vastness of the universe.

I really like this book. Gregory Benford is a very talented storyteller who weaves a fascinating tale of an astronaut who isn't afraid to do the right thing when humans find their first alien artifacts. The book, published in 1972, has aged pretty well -- umm, anyway, if you kind of ignore the dates. The nineties have long passed.

Benford pulls together fact and fiction along with great insight into human nature and politics to make a great sci-fi story.

I really need to read the next books in this series.

In fact, in the new year, I really need to spend more time reading and relaxing. I've had a really stressful year, but I'm looking forward to 2008. It's going to be a good year.

A New Concept - Book Swim

As you can see, I do have ads on my blogs.

Why? Well, honestly, there are a lot of things I'm interested in, and I assume readers are too. So, with the holidays rapidly approaching, I thought I should give readers the opportunity to shop. You know, that one stop concept. Come read my blog, then do a little holiday shopping, then peruse other interesting topics on the 'Net or turn off the computer and step back into real life.

Anyway, I've added a new company. It's called "Book Swim" and the ad is on the very bottom of the page. The concept is very similar to Netflix. You pay a monthly fee and you get to make a list of books you'd like to read. They're shipped out to you, you read them, put then into the postage paid box and send them back. Then the next book(s) on your list are shipped out to you. If you fall in love with a particular book, you can pay for it and keep it.

What a GREAT idea!

I'm actually surprised no one else has come up with this before! This is the modern equivalent of the old bookmobile. Yes, yes, I'm showing my age, that I actually remember the bookmobile. It was always a fun day when the bookmobile arrived. I'd return the books I'd borrowed the last time and pick out new books to read. Being an avid reader, this was a high point of my childhood.

Today, I live in an urban area, so I can go to the library or a bookstore. But there are still a lot of people who live out in rural America where there may not even be a library within a hundred miles. In addition, small town libraries are often limited on their selection of books. Unfortunately, small budgets force librarians to make hard choices on what types of books they buy.

Anyway, I don't often endorse a business or product, but Book Swim is a great idea for shut-ins, stay-at-home moms, rural and small town residents and others who may not have access to libraries and bookstores.

I hope they are as successful as Netflix!

(Ummmm, yes, I know the art for the ad isn't the greatest, but it's a very new company, I'll swap it out when they have a better ad -- OK?)

Oh, The Drama!

Oh me, oh my!

Oh, the drama! My darling girl dropped her cell phone at the doctor's yesterday evening, in the bathroom. She didn't realize until we were leaving, so she RAN back and omgosh, it was gone!

The doctor felt bad too, she was just leaving when we were. So she checked with housekeeping, daughter checked with Security.

No phone.

And Mom is broke as a joke this week. Double oh no!

Now, we do have insurance on the cell phone, so off we go to Verizon. Sigh, a $50 deductible AND you have to file the claim with the 800 number, so the phone is shipped to you.

Another oh no!

So, Mom starts thinking outside the box. Wait, Dad used to have Verizon, does he still have his old phone? Call him, quick!

Yayyy, Dad has his phone and is willing to give it to her. So off we go, the mad dash to pick up the phone and get to the other store (closer to his house). We made it in plenty of time. So the nice lady who's going to transfer the number to the old phone starts the process.

Oh no! That old phone is not 911 compliant, so it can't be done. At this point, my head is throbbing and I'm grateful she's scheduled to spend the night at her friend's house.

Sigh. OK, Mom has done all she can do.

Daughter is dropped off at her friend's and I head for home, kinda bummed out for daughter and also because there was this surplus sale with some GREAT old chairs that I missed out on. (Darn it all, they went for only $16 each, and I wanted these for my own house, not for resale on http://www.craigslist.org/. That's Mom's little hustle for extra cash. But daughter is more important than chairs, I can always buy more...)

So now I'm driving home and talking to my sister. She offered to mail us her old phone and we're talking about it. I'm nearly halfway home. The phone beeps. I switch over and it's a young man's voice "Did your daughter lose her cell phone?"

Oh me, oh my! This sweet young man found the phone and forgot to turn it in to Security on his way out! So he remembered and called me. I made a U-turn and headed back. Got lost on the way to his house, but did find it and picked up the phone.

You should have seen that girl's face when I showed up on the doorstep with her phone in hand. She was so darn happy!

"I knew it, I knew it was that white boy with his mom in the lobby!"

LOL, I had to gently correct her. No, it was the cutie pie with dreads. Ooh, she was hoping he'd left his number then, but of course he hadn't, he'd called me on her phone. (Girls!)

My point of this is that you can't tell me that kids today are bad kids, my experience is that today's kids are WAY honest. Probably a little too honest and definitely lacking in tact. But I really believe that the next generation are good kids that will grow up to be great adults.

Last night just completely reaffirmed my faith in God and our teens. I prayed a short one for her and it took a few more minutes, but as always He came through for us. The one kid that was most likely to return the phone is the one that found it.

Smile.

Thank you, young cutie pie, and thank you God for the lesson!!

Published Works

I've written before about how I used to work in book publishing. Well, I'll be honest with you. I've actually written two books.

My first book was published in 1988. Ghost Towns. It's out of print now, but you can still find copies if you search. It was a really interesting project, I worked really hard on finding information about the first ghost towns of North America, then moved on to the various Gold Rushes, from Georgia to California to the Yukon. From the first white settlements, to gold to silver to black gold, the book covers a lot of ghost town history.

My second book was published in 1998. (Note the ten years between -- writing books is HARD.) I did this project for Bluewood Books, 100 Medical Milestones That Shaped World History.

Again, this book was really hard. I don't have a medical background and don't laugh, back then my little computer had all of 2400 bps. So gathering the information was a very, very slow process. Fortunately, my years as a graphic artist/book designer worked in my favor. I had spent many long hours in the past digging up photography and information for the many books I've worked on, so this was just another kind of research. Hard, but not impossible.

There is a LOT of research involved in doing a book. People have no clue about how much work is required.

First, of course, the client decides which projects they're interested in. Whatever was selling well last year is a first priority. Publishers want the same thing -- only different. IE, perhaps the same topic from a different perspective. You can't just copy the competition's books, you have to come up with other ways to present the information. (The movie business is very similar. Note that The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe have done so well, you'll see a bunch of similarly themed movies over the next few years. Some may even be pretty good. Honestly, most won't be that great, they've been gathering dust in the movie companies' warehouses. Now they're being rushed into video to capitalize on the current movie trends.)

Next, depending on the project, you have to familiarize yourself with the style of the book. 100 Medical Milestones is one of a series of books, so there is a particular way that the information is listed and presented. The pages are formatted in one style, with the topic, who discovered/invented/developed it, when that person or persons were born, an image of the person, place or thing. It's very strict, even to the word count on each page.

If the editor is lagging as you send in the text, you can really get screwed on your deadlines. Or, in my case, I had a computer glitch and lost half my text. So I had to rewrite half the book. ARRRGGGGHHHH! Fortunately, I had all the info in a pile next to the computer, so I could recreate it all. And by then the editor had gotten back to me, so it actually was a blessing in disguise. I'd have had to make some major revisions anyway, this gave me the chance to incorporate them during the rewrite. Sigh. It still sucked.

Oh, and both projects were "work for hire". That means I don't get any royalties on the books. I was paid a flat fee. One third upon completion of the approved outline of the book, one third on submission of completed manuscript (that includes incorporating all editorial changes), and one third upon publication. This is standard procedure for many books. (Please note the Amazon search box in the right column, you can do a search for and purchase my books by accessing Amazon from my blog. Please do, it gets me an extra nickel or two to help cover my teenager's cell phone bills. LOL!!)

I'm working on a couple of new projects these days. They're my own projects, so I'm not going to discuss them right now. I don't want to be swooped on the topics. Oh, yes, that happens more than people know. And you know, realistically, you can't copyright an idea, so it's usually better to keep your mouth shut until the project is completed. I really haven't decided if I want to self publish or shop it around once it's done. Self publishing is a lot of work. Plus the upfront costs involved in printing the book.

On the other hand, if I self publish, I can design the book myself. I don't have to argue with someone about the page design. Being a designer, I have strong ideas about the layout of my books.

So, then, here I am. Still writing, still designing. Still researching new projects. And looking forward to the next book. It's been nearly ten years, it's time to write and publish another one.

I think I've recovered from the last book...

Always On The Run

Oh my gosh, do we ever get to slow down?

This weekend, little road trip (1 1/2 hours away) to take my son to see his brother play football. The boys don't get to see each other often, and my son plays roller hockey on most Saturdays. This will be the only chance he has to see his next older brother play this season. So off I go.

Oh, the complexities of relationships. Luckily brother's mom and I are on good terms, despite the fact that the boys' dad is a multiple ex-offender and has a nasty habit of not finishing a relationship before he's moving on to the next. Well, enough said about that!! No negativity today!

Dang. How do we do it? I honestly don't know. I'm tired. Hecka tired. But we do what we have to do for our kids. I am looking forward to watching the game. In fact, need to get that old behind in gear, past time to get ready to go.

Tomorrow, I've committed to docent for two hours at a local house tour. It's only two hours, so it'll be fun for me. I enjoy seeing the beautiful old houses, wonderfully rescued and restored. My dream home is a Craftsman bungalow. Probably never be able to afford one, but a high water bungalow would be ok. Or a nice little cottage.

Of course, my decorating style is pretty eclectic. I like to tell people that my decor is "Future Collectible" and I get everything pre-distressed. Since I have kids, we continue distressing the furniture. So it should be pretty valuable someday. LOL!

Honestly, a cottage probably better suits my color choices, since my favorite color is blue -- in every shade -- and my palette is what I like to call "Caribbean Bright". Yup, all the cobalt, teal, lime, fuchsia, not so much yellows and oranges except as accents. And yup, lucky I have nice neighbors, because I have garden art, painted the house a lovely celedon (on the blue side) with bright white trim. Ah, another project that needs to be finished though, the front looks great, but oh no, the sides and back still need to be finished. I MUST work on that next weekend. As well as the new shed that needs to be put together, the vintage furniture on the back patio needs to be cleaned so it can be put in the house, and so on, and so on...

I'm telling you, a woman's work is NEVER done. Too many projects, not enough time. And thus, off we go to watch football. Because honestly, all of the stuff is just stuff, the kids come first.

And it's all good with me.

The Party Days Return!

For one night anyway!

Last night was my old roomie's big birthday bash. Oh, man, was it fun! I had a wonderful time. No drinking for me, I was driving, but it took me Back, Back, Back to the old days.

My darling teen would be shocked if she saw us all partying like it was the 80s. Blasting music, tons of alcohol and food, omgosh the food. Ribs and wings and hot links and mac n cheese. People just out having a great time at a house party. It was packed! My old roomie, in so many ways, hasn't changed a bit. He's a great person. Yet another one I probably should have dated.

And you should SEE his DJ system. He still has turntables! (Actually, so do I, and a mixer too!) The music was BOOMING. And the kidlet would be shocked, we were all dancing to stuff I tell her to turn down while I'm driving. But you know, it's different when you're dancing at a party, and when you're trying to have a conversation while you're driving.

Of course I had some guy trying to talk to me. The same one that earlier had told a Brother and I that we shouldn't be Fellowshipping at a party. (Do men really know what they do to shoot themselves in the balls BEFORE they try to "talk" to a woman???) Another long hair fetish kinda guy. And insisted that he'd seen me before at some bar I'd never heard of. LOL. Silly man. I told him I'd check it out, but you know I'll never be there. He was kinda cute, but not cute enough to overlook his control issues...

Funny things happen at these parties. Met someone who works for the same County I do. LOL, that is funny, very nice man. Child Support Division. Super nice guy. He recognized my name, I do a lot of work to promote events and different things, he probably has seen my name on many things. (Or on my child support cases, it's NOT a common name!)

His brother is cuter though. And works right up the street from my job. Pretty hefty guys, but as I've gotten older, I've realized that decent looking doesn't include whether or not they need to lose 50 pounds. Better to be a chunky but funny nice guy than a mean and ugly person.

Ah, it was nice to return to the old days for a minute. And then I drove home.

It was all quiet and dark at my house. The kids were asleep in their beds, peaceful and beautiful as all kids, even teens, are when they're sleeping. The Chihuahua wanted to be walked of course. And then I rolled into bed and dreamed of music and dancing and fun.

Another Day, Another Nickel

Another day, slogging through paperwork, posting things to the company intranet, planning some special events. Locked in a cube. (Actually, I stay in it as much as possible, better to keep a low profile so when the axes fly, I can duck my head and keep working.)

On the good side though, I got my truck back from the body shop last night, good as new! It looks GREAT. You'd never know someone had clipped me, and it's a black truck, so you know everything shows. They do custom work too. They are good! I've been using the same body shop for about 20 years now. The funny thing is that I haven't been in there for at least 10 years, and the boss remembered me as soon as I mentioned my old muscle car. Dang, wish I still had that car...

Got rear ended in that one too, three different times, the insurance wouldn't pay for it to be fixed the last time. I was SO upset, I loved that car. But let me tell you, never, ever buy an orange car. I'm serious, don't buy an orange car.

Question: How can you miss an orange car?

Answer: You can't, it's a drunk magnet. Might as well paint a big bulls eye on the back of it! They just home in and KA-BLOUW!! Rear ended again.

I've been told many times I had a nice rear end, but that had nothing to do with cars, LOL.

Well, it's past my bedtime, time for the anti-inflamatory for my knees so I can still walk in the morning...

See ya!

Hit and Run (Not for fun)!!

Ah man, got ran into on Monday night on the blasted freeway. Had already merged completely onto the freeway, easing along in the slow lane. Slow and go traffic. All of a sudden, squeal of tires and BANG, dude hits me on the back corner of my truck, drivers side.

So I'm kinda like DANG!! He'd swerved, I assume trying to miss me, so was in the next lane over, I'm still rolling, waiting for him to pull in front of me and over to the shoulder. That's when I saw him change to next lane to the left and I realize he's taking off.

DANG!!!

So I pull over to the shoulder. There was already a clean up on a previous accident back on the shoulder next to the merge lane, tow truck, cars, CHP. As always, no one is answering 911 on the cell, lines are hecka busy. So I get out, check my bumper. Tail light assembly all smashed, bumper squashed a bit on that side, rumpled back corner to the wheel well. Then started walking back to where the CHP was.

Local yokel sees me and pulls over. I tell him what happened, he radios it in. So I go back to truck to wait. Call insurance. By the time the CHP gets to me, I have the report to insurance made, claim number, telephone number to adjusters, and found out that my favorite body shop is a preferred vendor, so there won't be any problem using them.

Doctor gave me a slip, I can go back to work on Monday.

But a hit and run? And get this, I recognized the truck, I've seen it on the freeway before. Black older model pickup, with a big decal in the back window, big white letters "STREET SMART". With luck, they'll be stupid enough to keep driving it with front end damage and all, and I'll eventually be able to get the plate number. I WILL be watching! And my friends are watching too, when I described the truck, more than one person said, "hey, that sounds familiiar!"

But what really sucks, is that because I didn't get the plate number, I have to pay my $500 deductible. At least I was smart enough to have a fairly small deductible and really good insurance. And rental car coverage. (Another $100 gone from my budget for the deposit on the car.)

Sigh. It could be worse. I drive a truck so damage is relatively minor, initital estimate is only $2600. It was slow and go traffic, so was going less than 30mph. I leave room in front of me, so plenty of room to get popped and not hit anyone else. I sit pretty straight up in the seat, so didn't have a lot of room to get slammed forward and then back into the seat and headrest. With only a little bit of stiff neck and shoulder, I should be fine by the end of the weekend. Truck is in shop already, should have it back in a week or so. And that PT Cruiser that I'm driving right now is a pretty cool little ride. I need to check the miles per gallon on it, I like it, drives well, feels more solid than the last rental I had.

But anyway, as always, the good Lord was watching over me and keeping me safe from any real harm.

Thank you Lord!

A Woman's Work Is Never Done...

It's a beautiful Saturday morning. I should be working on my eBay. If I could find any of the stuff I had intended to sell... I still have a room full of boxes to go through.

Or maybe I should be cleaning house. Or weeding my front flower garden. Or painting the outside of the house. Or finishing the painting on the inside (I didn't paint the hall yet, I knew when they moved my stuff back in, I'd have to fix the bumps and bruises anyway).

Or maybe I should build that new shed. Or unpack some boxes. Or get some of that furniture that's supposed to be inside, wiped down and inside.

Or put those shelves up over my bedroom windows, so I can unpack my collection of California Raisins, they'll have a place of honor above my bed. And finish unpacking the M&M toys, they go in the living room on the very top shelves.

Well, I do have some laundry in the washer.

LOL, a woman's work is never done.

Instead of all the things I SHOULD be doing, I think I'll spend a little time and hook up my whole stereo system. Find some of my jazzy CDs and fill my house with music. Fill the hummingbird feeder so I can enjoy the antics of the little darlings. Plant some bulbs before the Chihuahua succeeds in stealing them and chewing them up. Take a little time for myself before my son wakes up and we get busy with the day.

Then I'll be busy, have to go to the recycling plant and drop off a load of cans and bottles. Go to Play It Again Sports for some inline skates for roller hockey. Maybe make it to Home Depot, I need a 1x10 cut to short pieces for some extra supports for my new shelving unit, just to be safe. (Books are HEAVY.) Put some free stuff on Craigslist. Plan the Labor Day BBQ, make a menu and a guest list.

Sigh, a woman's work is never done...

So I think I'll have another cup of coffee first.

On The Road Again

Well, getting ready to leave on a mini-vacation.

Actually, I need to go pick up my son from Grandma and Grandpa's house. He's been having a BALL with his grandparent, aunts, uncle, cousins. They've got him playing ice hockey and he loves it. When he gets home, luckily, while the ice hockey rink is a little far, there's a roller hockey within 15 minutes of the house and the league is on Saturdays. Yayyyy! Perfect for this working mom!

He's been having so much fun, I'm sure he's going to be asking again when we're moving up to Oregon. Hey, can't retire from this job for five more years, so by then he may feel differently. I hope not.

I also hope the housing market is back and rising in five years. My experience here in Cali is that it adjusts every 10 years or so, there's a bad time of about two or three years, then rebounds higher than before. So we'll hope for the best. Otherwise, well, then I guess I'll be renting the house out, since I really won't be able to afford to retire and stay here. Or if the child doesn't want to leave yet, then work for a couple more years until he graduates from high school.

Of course, the plan is to retire from this job, then just move on back into my career of writing and art. But you never know, if I see a good little job up that way with a bit of a retirement plan and medical benies, I may work "for the man" long enough to be vested, ie, get that retirement too. Nothing like double-dipping!

Anyway, I'm not really planning on doing any more work-for-hire books, the next ones will be my projects. I may even self publish, there's some very interesting things going on these days in the self publishing world. It's changing so quickly, with the Internet. Of course, that's not all good, there's a lot of really bad "design" work being done. And I'm being charitable by calling it "design". People have NO clue of what good design is, I know I make it look easy, but I've been doing this for a long time. After 20+ years, it should look easy!

Well, finished my cup of coffee, time to get up, pour another, and start getting ready for the six or seven hour drive. Still have to pack, fill all the feeders, load the cooler, etc... Oh, and get the teen out of bed!

See you all next week!

Ayyyy, Teenagers!

Oh, man, what is it with teens?

Mine went and downloaded a program the other day. Does she ask? No. Is it her computer? No.

But oh my, did I get the attitude just now when I was removing the program. She acts like I did something wrong by taking her program off the computer. And, on top of that, when I told her for the upteenth time, "DO NOT load programs on my computer," she's trying to tell me that I've never told her that. Huh.

Sigh.

Teens! Really, they're not deaf, they just have selective hearing.

Now she's invited her friend, a boy, to go to Oregon with us. Ayyyyy! And she's saying his mom said yes, he could go.

I didn't say yes, but I didn't say no either, so apparently there's an implied OK in this scenario. Well, guess what, the boy is NOT going with us on my tiny bit of a vacation! I'm not going to be responsible for someone else's son while I'm trying to have 3-4 days off. It's bad enough that I can't even stay the full week because of the plumbing disaster earlier this year, so I don't have enough vacation time to take a proper vacation. But to have to be responsible for another teen? One that I just met today? No, I think NOT.

The girl is totally a DIVA too. OMG, the drama that never ends. Once her cousin said, "When she comes into the room, it's like a light switch is turned on." That is so true of my beautiful girl.

And you know, when she does finally grow up and leave home, I will miss her terribly...

Books, Books, Books

Sigh, some days I really, really miss the publishing business. I miss designing the pages, making the pictures and text and captions all fit together. The thrill of finding JUST the right picture to go with that page of text.

I miss the thrill of the hunt, of going out and buying pictures in Hollywood for the books about movie stars. It was so much fun. Work, yes, but fun.

The smell of freshly printed books, when we'd rip open the boxes, open the books and see the culmination of all our hard work, it was like Christmas all over again.

So many kids don't seem to like books anymore. My kids complain about all my books. I have literally walls of books in my house. It's the feel, the smell, the texture. The look of the words on the page. And a book is portable. We can go off to the dog park or the skate park and I can post up with a book, escape the bills, my little skateboarder (OK, he's almost as tall as I am), my teenage diva, the job, the housework for just a little while.

For a little while, I'm lost in a strange new world, exploring Forerunner ruins, hearing the hissing speech of a Zacathan or the trill of a Trystian, or hiding from a Dark Rider. Alas, all too soon the kids, the house, work call and back I come to the "real" world.

I put the bookmark where I leave off, and put the book back on the shelf.

Soon, soon, I'll be back....

So Here I Am

Well, it's about darn time I started a blog.

Been a graphic artist and writer for a long time. But since the book publishing business took a fat dump in the mid-90s, I went and got a gov't job. It's ok. It's a living and I'll be able to retire in 5 more years.

So what will I do?

Well, depending on the housing market in 2012, I'll sell and move closer to my parents and sisters. It's cheaper to live there, I'll have family close by, there's a lot of art stuff going on in the area, and so on.

Of course, I'll be another of those blasted Californians moving north, driving up the cost of real estate, contaminating the area with my "liberal" views. LOL, hey, I'm totally a moderate, with major swings on some topics. Like we have too many laws and don't enforce what we already have. Layer upon layer of laws, like the transluscent layers of acrylics I use in my paintings. I do it to intensify the colors, the depth.

But why do we need so many laws about things that, to be brutally honest, are no one's business but our own? What's the deal with that? We don't need laws, we need to butt out of people's medical decisions. We need to butt out of people's bedrooms. And we sure need to butt out of the marriage business.

If you ask me (and no, I know you didn't), we should eliminate marriage as a legal term. EVERYBODY gets a civil union with all the privileges and responsibilities, tax write-offs and so on, and then you can go over to your church and get your religious ceremony if that's what you choose to do.

Oh, man, my first blog post and I'm already ranting. Well, guess it's that artist in me. Or maybe it's the Welsh and Cherokee combination, stubborn, hard-headed, opinionated, outspoken.

So here we go.....