Sally as a Nun

After a lovely lunch of fried food, I'm feeling ready to...sit like a slug.

But at least I can do a brief blog post.

Last night we saw *Sally Struthers* LIVE in Nunsense. I expected it, honestly, to be awful. I expected it to be something I would sit through in disbelief and secretly mock, because it was SO bad.

I laughed my ass off.

Sally herself was really funny, though one of the other nuns (Sister Amnesia) stole the show. Her delivery was brilliant. The show's loaded with slapstick, yes, but also is a good balance of singing, dancing, and stand-up. From nuns.

Saturday, for something different: Romeo and Juliet. Don't know if I'll have quite the same reaction!

Finally!

YES!

Sunday was a big day in our household.

Child received her first-ever allowance. I've been meaning to do that for...oh, a year now, but hadn't quite gotten organized enough to do it. You know, chore list (negotiated, with style and format negotiated), allowance amount, schedule, all that type-A stuff. But she did her chores excitedly for a week, so she gets her scheduled $3.

What I wasn't expecting was her reaction, when I handed her three dollar bills from my wallet. She looked at the money, and got quiet.

"You need to make sure we have enough," she said.

I frowned, not understanding, and she looked up at me, big-eyed, serious. "The money that you and Daddy and I share, for all of us. You need to make sure we still have enough if you give me this."

Wow.

Unselfish, thoughtful, worrying. Probably soaking up all this pervasive talk about a bad economy and money worries. This one worry, at least, I could fix. I hugged her hard, and told her we had enough, that we'd be fine.

I'm so lucky (a) that I can say that without question and (b) that I have a kid who would think about it, who would be willing to give it back if she needed to.

A little later that day, she lost her first tooth. There was great excitement, and bouncing, and showing of The Gap. The tooth was tucked in a special pillow for the tooth fairy, and the bounteous tooth fairy brought SIX gold dollar coins, one for each year of how old she is. (I know, I got a quarter too. It's inflation. We only have one kid. I couldn't help it.)

The next morning, she tried to give me three of those dollars. "Because," she said, "I have plenty."

I didn't take them. But Hubby and I decided last night that we'd talk to her about it--and if she wants to, she can take part of that first stash and give to others who don't have plenty right now. We do, when we can, and it's never too early to start.

I figure we have a choice. Squelch that natural generosity, and say "No, spend it all. You never have enough!" Or say "Yes, you're right. You do have plenty. Why NOT share? Let's figure out how we can share."

On a totally different note, I nearly peed my pants laughing at this cat video on Courtney Summer's site. Check out the evil stalker cat!

Apparently it's a linkage Monday...

Partly because I have that floaty-head coming-down-with-a-cold feeling, and I can't manage to post my own stuff. Mostly because the Internet Wisdom is awesome today.

Read Jackson Pearce's post on the friends every writer needs.

Read this!

Later, if I can, I want to post about Child, and new lack of tooth. In the meantime, go read Jennifer Lynn Barnes' post. The woman speaks the truth. (I don't even know her, but I read the whole post and nodded all the way through! YES!)

The WINNER

is latteya!!

latteya, please contact me at susan dot adrian @yahoo.com to choose your prizes!!

Congratulations!

I might do another of these soon. I love sharing book love. Thanks so much everyone for sharing your book picks with me.

Half an hour to enter the contest!

BOOK LOVE! And giveaway.

It's time for some Book Love, Part 2: the more interesting part, wherein I give away free books.

Ready? Sure ya are.

RULES: Post a comment to this entry, listing one book you've read in the past month (and hopefully liked) and one book you're looking forward to reading. Links and friend/self book pimping entirely allowed. Contest will be open until 9 AM Mountain time Thursday. (Sadly, no entries outside the U.S. and Canada this time--the last winner was from Australia, and shipping cost more than the books!) I'll throw the names of posters in a random generator (because I'm lazy that way) and pick one lucky winner. Said winner will get to CHOOSE TWO BOOKS from the following selection:































Okay, NOW are ya ready? GO!!!!!

It's not that I don't love you...

It's just that I've been swamped. Any non-classwork, non-work work, non-family time has been spent collapsed on the sofa. Or twittering. Or watching last week's ANTM debut. I'm not even writing! This last leaves me feeling oddly empty, but I'm working on refilling that well and getting other stuff done for now.

Anyway, I thought it was time for a little book love. This one comes in two parts. Today, I talk about the books I've read over the last little while, every one of which I loved in different ways. So no worries about negative reviews here! Tomorrow, I'm going to have a giveaway and give y'all a choice of some of said books, or maybe a couple others.

Books I've Read this Summer:

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr: Yeah, baby. I love Melissa, and I love her worlds. This one was quite a bit darker than Wicked Lovely, but a very, very smart, suck-you-in book.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson: I loved her blog posts and videos, so I had to check out one of her books. I'll read more. It was pure fun. A quick read, but entertaining, with a likeable MC.

Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead: Well done. Original take on the whole vampire mythology, and I really identified with the somewhat out-of-control MC. Am intrigued.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: I admit it. I wish I wrote this book.

Now I have to go stock up on more books, because I know so many people who have great books coming out! (Bill Cameron, Maggie Stiefvater, Courtney Summers, Linda Gerber, and A.S. King, I'm looking at you.)

Tomorrow: giveaway. Check back!

How I Spent my Vacation

I've been gone for pretty much a full week. The three of us headed off for our bi-annual vacation to our old haunt, San Diego. Awesome. Soul-filling.

Vacation by the numbers (because I'm secretly a stats geek, even though I hate arithmetic):

• Hours spent at major theme parks: 15 (we opened and closed TWO!)
• Rollercoaster rides, different coasters: 17
• Buckets of seawater wrung from clothes, after "visiting" Shamu: 4
• Live performances seen: 4
• Number of times in front row for said performances: 4
• Pairs of new shoes purchased: 6
• Favorite restaurants visited: 7
• Favorite places visited: tons

Beyond the numbers, favorite moments:

• At the San Diego Symphony concert, watching Child enjoy the heck out of the Swan Lake piece, tapping her toes and bobbing her head.
• Same concert, Child in my lap, watching fireworks go off over the bay and jumping at cannon blasts, to the 1812 overture.
• Losing ourselves in the big tank at the Stephen Birch aquarium. We go there every time.
• Touring the USS Midway, all of us listening avidly to info about the planes/ship.
• Seeing The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Old Globe, in the front row, and having Falstaff plop himself 2 seats away from me, briefly, during the show. Walking out by myself and seeing the Balboa Park clock tower lit blue-green against the sky.
• Swimming in the hotel pool together.
• Child's glee at telling us all the riddles in her new riddle book.
• Hanging out with Hubby and Child, without distractions, for almost a week.

Aaaaahhh.

Creature Comforts USA - Art

I laughed all the way through. Perfect!

Hello...

Apologies for not-so-much posting.

I am:

1) working on thesis, which was by far the loudest voice in my head.
2) prepping for Masters classes, which start up again TODAY at 3:00. Ugh.
3) prepping Child for starting 1st grade tomorrow!!
4) watching ANTM cycle 9 on YouTube, because I am a complete and total addict.
5) prepping for next trip to San Diego, coming up soon!
6) eating way too many sweets
7) Twittering about all of these.

All of the above are true simultaenously.

Proof of Insanity

A snapshot of my brain, or What It's Like to Be a Crazy Person Writer:

Me: Aaaah, my revisions are turned in. Time to relax. Take a breather. Maybe zone out for a while. Read good books, watch some movies...

MELODY (popping up in my face): Yay! My turn! My turn! Okay, listen. I've been thinking a lot while you were gone. I've got some really great ideas for this book. You'll love 'em, honest. Okay, so you're going to have to totally scrap that first part, and my backstory, and that major portion of the plot and all, but TRUST ME! It will be BETTER! Totally, completely different, but better. Let's get to work! C'mon!

GG (sitting in corner, muttering): Nobody loves ME. I don't see why you're not rewriting ME. But oh no, go for the new and shiny after spending a whole month on JENNA. That's okay. Don't mind me. I'm just the middle child, sitting here alone. In the dark.

THESIS: OMG YOU BETTER WORK ON ME RIGHT NOW! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A YEAR! I AM ALMOST DUE AND YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING! NOW NOW NOW!

Me: Shut up! All of you!! I mean it! No, I don't really mean it. But for a second? Please?

JENNA (emailing me from agent's desk): I miss you.

And finally...

Revisions turned in.

*THUD*

That's better.

A much better horoscope today:

You're going to shine today, and everyone will be unanimous in their praise of you. Don't start blushing when people keep going on and on about how smart and helpful you are -- just soak it in! This is the start of a very positive phase for you and your people.

Yeah, baby. Me AND my people. And since if you're reading this blog you're one of "my people", it's a positive phase for you too! Go us!

Actually it IS a very positive phase around these parts just now. I'm well on track to finish my revisions on deadline, which is Friday. Work is just the right amount of busy to be fun. I...er...kind of stopped the thesis work again while I was crunching on deadline, but I WILL pick that up again next week. At least I've made some good progress.

And we've been having some fun. We drove to Idaho this weekend for a friend's wedding, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I've only driven through a corner of Idaho before, so I had no idea of the spectacularness (yes, that is a word now. My word.). And the wedding was perfect and full of happy tears.

And...if I'm a good girl and get my revisions in...we get to go to Yellowstone this weekend. Yay!!

A big fat pshaw to you, sirs

This line was in my horoscope today:

Daydreaming about your future is a lot like playing pretend -- lots of fun, but not very appropriate for grownups.

I'd find it hard to disagree more. Daydreaming about the future is critical: if I didn't have the daydream of a book contract, keeping my head down every day working on revisions might seem pointless.

And who the heck deemed playing pretend as "not appropriate for grownups"? Pshaw.

I do get the point it's trying to make: focus on today instead of tomorrow. Okay. But I'd rather like to keep focusing on both, thanks.

{HUGS}

It's pretty common in online circles to give each other {HUGS}. (Or (HUGS) or [HUGS] or even ((((HUGS))))--you get the idea. When a friend or acquaintance is depressed, lost someone, is sick, or is just having a hard day, {HUGS} are sent and returned.

It's not the same thing, we know that. Supposedly real-body hugging actually increases the body's endorphins, a chemical reaction that can give us mild euphoria.

I like me a little mild euphoria.

But it's the best we can do without being anywhere near our friends. My "closest" friends are scattered over two countries. {HUGS} convey that we wish we could hug each other, give each other comfort and support, and it does help.

I'm incredibly lucky at this point in my life that I also get lots of real-life hugs. A six-year-old daughter is the tops in hugging. Plus husband, family...I get hugged every day.

It was not always so.

When I was 19, I set off for a year of study abroad in southern England (University of Sussex, woo-hoo!). I was part of an organized program, so I was taken care of. I lived with other students from the U.S., from England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, the Seychelles, Portugal, everywhere. I had people I hung out with. I had fun.

I was also, simultaenously, desperately homesick and lonely. By December Christmas was coming and I knew that (a) I didn't have anywhere to go--the dorms closed down, and all my friends already had plans; and (b) I still wasn't going to see my family for at least 4 months, and I wouldn't be home for 6 months. One of the program directors offered to host the Christmas holidays at his house in London for whichever Study Abroad students wanted to come.

I didn't know what else to do, so I went. I think eight of us went, all studying at different schools across the U.K., guys and girls mixed. None of us knew each other. We'd only met the director once, in our whirlwind entry in September. We were going to stay at his little London apartment for a week, bunking in the two beds and the floor in rotation, doing whatever we decided to do.

It was an amazing Christmas. For whatever reason--enforced company, similarities, chemistry--we all bonded straight off. We had long, wine-fueled talks into the night. We laughed our asses off trying to cobble together a Christmas meal in a minuscule, unfamiliar kitchen with recipes that measured in metric. We sang Christmas carols, comparing American and English versions. We walked together, through lightly falling snow, to midnight Christmas mass in St. Paul's Cathedral.

And I realized, on that Christmas Eve, after hugging every one of them, that I hadn't had a hug since I left my parents. That I NEEDED hugs. That maybe part of my loneliness was that lack of touch.

So I was touched by this guy. Yeah, maybe it could be a little creepy. But I think he just realized that some people don't have hugs in their lives, bone-crushing squeezy real hugs. And everybody needs one, now and again.

{HUG}

Stuff

I keep hoping to have a gap-toothed picture to share with you--Child's first loose tooth is sooooo loose it's gotta be soon, but it's still hanging in. Watch this space (for an impending space) {g}.

I seem to have cursed myself by saying yesterday that the next part of revisions would be easier. I was absolutely positively WRONG. I battled with myself yesterday over every word, questioning every flippin' comma, and I'm not sure I made anything better. And I only plowed through 8 pages, which I have to go over again today anyway. *grumble*

Kids, don't listen if anybody ever tells you ANY of this job is easy. *bangs head quietly*

I also want to do a quick YAY shoutout to my girls, who are all pounding away on their keyboards this summer, staying focused, and kicking ass. Vic, Rosie, Linda, Jule, karen, Pam, Sara, Deb, Kathy, Kreek.... You guys keep me sane, and are my inspiration all.

Oh, I forgot how much I love this song.

http://www.pandora.com/music/song/toad+wet+sprocket/walk+on+ocean

Fleeting thoughts (thank goodness)

Status:
Step 1 of Major Revision: Check.
On to Step 2, much less stressful.

Meanwhile, random thoughts I had while attending a jazz concert (trumpet/piano duo) yesterday:

--Is it bad to fantasize about chopping the head off the Amazonian sitting in front of me, so I can see? Her neck level would be just about right.

--(craning around Amazonian) Wow, it's crazy what the pianist is doing with his hands when you can see them.

--These guys are good.

--I despise people who get all agro on other people. Amazonian actually got visibly angry at (a) the slight pump of someone's oxygen machine (head-turning, "what is that noise?") and (b) the 80+ old man humming along happily to himself under his breath. She SHUSHED him. I think if you're 80+ and you've made it to a concert, especially in a natty suit, you should be allowed to happily hum quietly to yourself, thank you. It wasn't bothering anyone else. Reasons to chop her head off: 2.

--Okay, they're good, but I do wish every once in a while they would play the actual melody. Just, you know, once through. I think perhaps I am not a true jazz person.

--Ooooh, there's a nice melody...no, gone now. I shall just sing in my head until they get back to it.

--My child is the youngest one here by FAR, and is extremely well-behaved. Yay.

--Hmm, perhaps it's actually healthier for Amazonian, who expresses her annoyance to everyone, than me, who seethes silently at her. Something to think about. I wish I was one of those people who don't even notice these things.

--*singing in head*

Usually I think of plot points, or daydream about my characters, during these concerts. Yesterday I was a little burnt out on all that, so this is what I got. :)

Also, last night I had a dream that George Balanchine (yes, I know he's dead) created a ballet just for me, all on skateboards. Hmmm.

Not really a post.

Still writing. Still an achingly dull and empty blog, for now.

I apologize.

In the meantime, Maureen is having adventures,

Gary is making very funny lists of what not to do in murder mysteries,

and Rose is having yummy drinks.

I did get to see an exhibit this weekend wherein I saw the originals of: the Wicked Witch's hat from the Wizard of Oz, George Clooney's Batman costume, Indy's leather jacket and whip, Darth Vader's cape and helmet (I looked into his eyes and got a little chill), and a whole mess of other Star Wars and Star Trek stuff. Very coolio.

Break over...later, gators.