Reading

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on writing. No shock there, right? I'm pretty sure, though, that writing has something to do with reading. So, in preparation for Tristi Pinkston's most excellent challenge, I've read a few books to get the creative juices flowing. The latest novel was The Count of Monte Cristo. Before that I read Wings by Aprilynne Pike, the ARC for The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Currently, I just read Graham Bradley's MS of Sidewinder (totally awesome!) and I'm in the middle of Donna's MS of Riptide (I can't wait to see this one in print!). I think I may have shot myself in the foot with The Count, though, being my most recent read. I mean, come on! There's a reason it's a classic. It's witty and intelligent, has depth and meaning. Oh! and it talks about God, redemption, revenge and the complex human state. All within the constrains of reality. No fantasy. No magic. No machines squashing humans like bugs. No alien invasions. No vampires or faeries. Just people living their lives. I think it might've hit a little too close to home in some respects, but then, a good book should have that affect on you. I mean, if it doesn't evoke even a glimmer of emotion in you, then what's the point in reading it? Don't get me wrong, I love action. LOVE action. But without the motivation...I just can't get behind it. And that right there is the standard I'm searching for. The bar that I may never reach. But I'm crossing my fingers that I might come close.

Face-ing Reality

I recently joined Facebook, the mother of all social networking. I worried about joining because, by nature, I am a very social person. In my mind I started seeing the hours of wasted time spinning out of technological control, my goals being side tracked by an addiction to communicate with the outside world. But when I finally joined, what I found was not what I expected.


Is it just me, or is Facebook a little silly? I read such comments as, "Out grillin' for dinner", "Going shopping today" and "Having taco's for lunch". My question is, who cares? I could see that my worries of flushing time down the proverbial toilet were all for nothing. Now certainly there were some good comments, and good uses of Facebook, but not even close to a majority.


I recently read a talk by Elder Bednar (for the non-LDS out there, he is an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). He talked about how we as a society are disconnecting from things as they really are and placing more emphasis on our "cyber relationships" than our real life one's. I have a tendency to agree. To read the talk yourself, click here.


I have come to realize that Facebook is not the mother of all social networking, but more the junior high of it. If I want to talk to someone, I think I'll run for the phone a lot faster than logging into my account.

Middle Ages

We're still in California enjoying sun, fun, and family. We also got a glimpse of the Michael Jackson hysteria on Hollywood Blvd. yesterday. Interesting...

One of our outings was to a kids' discovery museum in Palm Springs. My husband and I and our two little ones (ages 4 and 6 months) went with my best friend from California, Denise, and her four year old daughter.

As we approached the museum entrance, strollers and kid gear in tow, an elderly gentleman greeted us by saying, "Oh, it looks like the grandparents are taking the grandkids out today!" Now, granted I turned 40 this year, but nothing will take the bounce out of your step faster than being called the grandparent of your own children!

Denise, who is 44, reacted the fastest by immediately setting the gentleman straight and telling him the rugrats were, in fact, our own offspring. This sent me into a fit of giggles and Brent enjoyed a good laugh.

Now, this has happened to Brent and I once before, but it was in Utah where families are traditionally younger and it didn't shock us as much as hearing it in Cali. Also, Brent's hair has been gray since his 20s, so he is often mistaken for older than he is (notice how I blame it on him).

In any case, I've frozen the image of the elderly gentleman who assaulted us into my memory so I can base a character on him for a future project. He'll likely be either a villain or a total doofus - TBD. ;)

Good News

My work just announced that for the month of July, they're letting employees work through their lunch break and either (a) leave an hour early that day or (b) accumulate an hour each day and leave at noon on Friday!

It's very progressive of them, and we're all ecstatic!

Outstanding.

Read all about it!!

Extra...Extra...News of the week!!

Our group had dinner with Aprilynne Pike on Wednesday night and she was a delightful guest. I enjoyed her stories immensely and learned quite a few extremely useful tidbits about the publishing world. We missed Arlene, DJ and Linda, but Graham joined us which proved delightful. I'm sure that there will be other posts detailing the dinner so I won't put any spoilers here. Thanks Aprilynne for visiting with us.

Latest Update...

I finished I Am Not a Serial Killer (at 1 am!) While I will probably never be a fan of horror stories, I really am a fan of Dan's writing. His main character is provocative and his plot is intriguing and with the amazingly gross stuff in between there are also some rather witty lines. John Cleaver is creepy and likable at the same time. (Kind of like Dan Wells.) He swears the book is not autobiographical and I guess we have to take his word for it. The emotional tension at the end of the story is haunting and completely necessary to the plot. Well done, Dan.

Because I had not planned to read serial killer stories after dark, I also read Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston this week. Not reading about demons at night was a good plan right? Yeah, except that Tristi's book was so fun and so well paced that I read it all in one night. I just couldn't wait to see what would happen to poor Shannon Tanner and her 'Aunt Anita.' Okay, I also wanted to find out more about the yummy FBI agent, Rick Holden. Those of you who are looking for an intense thriller, suspense novel this is NOT it, but if you want characters who are fun to spend time with and a good bad guy to hate, then this is a good choice.

Now to avoid any nightmares of the Mr. Monster variety.

I'll need to grab Wings, by Aprilynne Pike as my nighttime distraction. Fairies I can handle in the wee hours. Demons should only be allowed out in the daylight.

Bottled Water

I'm in Lake Arrowhead California. Of the Arrowhead water fame. Several years ago we were visiting a local park and I thought it funny that a nearby family had a big jug of Arrowhead Water. Would they be shunned if they had a jug of Safeway water? Does the company have exclusive rights to bottled water in the area?

I don't like Arrowhead Water. I prefer Kroger brand or Kirkland brand bottled water. Something about the spring water there.

Hmmmm, that reminds me of the BEST water I've ever had! On a unplanned detour near Le Grande, OR a good Samaratan took us to an Artesian well on Katherine Creek. I have NEVER had such amazing water. It poured constantly from a pipe and ran into the creek. It was cool and crisp. It was by far the best water I've ever had.

If you find yourself driving through Le Grande and are feeling parched, take the exit for Union and drive up Katherine Creek for a refreshing taste of pure water.

Argh!

I am at a loss for what to write today. Why you ask? Because I'm tired (a frequent occurence in my life) and because I'm gearing up for that pesky writing challenge. Now, to be clear, I'm excited for the challenge, but I can't very well tell everyone what my story is about, so that topic is out. And nobody wants to hear about why I'm perpetually exhausted. This dilemma requires me to go in a completely different direction. Here it is, my favorite buttermilk pancake recipe:

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 C. buttermilk

2 eggs

4 T. oil or melted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients. Mix the two together. Voila! Pancake batter.

Too much you say? Who wants to cook at a time like this? Well....I do. It's WHAT I do when I can't think straight, need some me time, or just want to eat something really good. My point is, when in doubt, do what you love. This mantra keeps me rockin' most of the time. I hope it works for you, too.