HAAAAAAAAAAAA! I saw this yesterday at the gym:



I almost fell off the treadmill laughing at that hair. And when he uses his fingers to make air quotes. If you haven't seen it, you must click!

Does anyone else feel like they're in touch with their online friends because they think about them during the day? The various people I've met on these great webby tubes pop into my mind at different times and occasions, which kind of makes me feel like I've been staying in touch.

And then I actually sit down at my laptop for the first time in days, and go, dude! You haven't posted in two weeks. And you haven't commented in as many. Where have you been?

Here! I'm here. I'm overwhelmed at many moments, sometimes by holiday fun, sometimes by life's completely and totally NOT FUN events. But I often think of all of you, and even say things to you in my mind.

Because I'm crazy like that.

I'm not going to do one of those Year Rounduppy things as New Year's approaches. Not this year. For one thing, a recounting of my 2009 might make you want to crack open the mescal and go straight for the worm. But I'm hopeful that 2010 will be better, not just for me, but also for my friends, many of whom have had rotten 2009s. And let's turn things around for the whole country, that would be good. While we're at it, the earth. Also, the solar system. A better year for ALL. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Is a healthy supper, right? Huh? Because . . . um, it has a lot of carbs and you need carbohydrates in this icy weather.

Heya internet peoples! I got knocked down for a few days by a nassssty sore throat virus, but now I'm up again. Well, not up exactly, I'm sitting in my comfy swivel chair. I'm up IN MY MIND, though.

And one of the first things I did was catch up with a little news on CNN today, where I saw a report on World Hunger, and did you know that A BILLION people now suffer from hunger? A billion? I can't really take that figure in. The United Nations World Food Programme is trying to get the online community more active in ending world hunger. They say that there are currently a billion people on our beloved internets, so if the billion online each do a little something, they can make a huge difference for the billion who are hungry.

So I made a little donation, which I would not normally mention except they say it's helpful if you do. Mention it, I mean, everyone knows the donating part is helpful. Here's a handy link, if you're interested: https://www.wfp.org/donate/1billion

I feel a thinky post coming on.

I love the holiday season, all the way from Halloween through New Year's. But I've realized lately that a lot of what I love is ideas, or small moments, or brief fun. Not the actual days themselves very much. I grew up in a ridonkulously dysfunctional family and don't have many good memories of actual Thanksgivings or Christmases. But I still love this time of year.

Due to my pending D-I-V-O-R-C-EEEE, I spent this past Thanksgiving alone. Well, for the most part-- the children's dad didn't get them until 11:00 am. I had some trepidation about the day, since it's a HOLIDAY, and I was going to be ALONE. (echo: alone . . alone . . alone) And I've only spent one other Thanksgiving alone, when I was in grad school.

But it was a wonderful day. Very calm and relaxing. Soothing even, I felt refreshed by the end of it. I've had so many clamorous demands to deal with, and hideous paperwork to do, I was in desperate need of a tranquil day of reading by the fire, and taking the dog for a long walk, and eating pie. Oh yes, there was pie. Mmmmm, pie.

Where am I going with this post? Something about "there is no holiday either good or bad, Horatio, except thinking makes it so." (sorry) It's just fascinating to me lately how much of our experience of events is a direct result of what we think about them. Or maybe it's feel about them. Not so much the actual event itself.

And a bit of Star Wars geekery.

First, the BSG geek moment. Recently, I saw part of one of those Behind the Music shows, about P!nk. And I thought "whoa, she's got such a Starbuck vibe." Because this is the kind of thought I like to think when I'm stressed out. And when I'm not stressed out, for that matter, but it's the kind of thought that especially helps me get through a difficult day.

So I darted online and found this fun thing:



And for you Star Wars freaks, well, if you're a freak, you've already seen this, but if not, look! From Geek Dad: a list 50 great Star Wars band names. I think my faves are Dead Kenobis and Cheap Jedi Mind Trick.

While I was away, contending with my family crisis, I didn't have much time for TV (or movies, or even books, for that matter.) Although I did catch up with all of Leverage, courtesy of Netflix, and that show was just perfect for cheering me up. Total fun. And I also discovered The IT Crowd, which was more uneven, but also intensely fun.

I tried the new version of The Prisoner on AMC the other night, and gah! Blech! Didn't the people who worked on this version understand ANYTHING about what made the first one so compelling and entertaining?

I caught one episode of V, and it seems worth watching again. But the only shows I make a point of catching are 30 Rock and SNL currently.

Are you hooked on anything? Any new favorites? Huh? HUH?

I just noticed this today-- giant dill pickles or giant Hot 'N Spicy dill pickles. What the what?! I said, "Pickles! Do people buy pickles from the ice cream truck?" And the Ice Cream Truck Man replied, "Oh yeah! They love 'em! I sell a ton of pickles."

Huh! I shall have to try one of each next time.

He also sells candy cigarettes, which I didn't realize existed anymore.

In other random news, while I was outside on the back porch this morning, sipping my coffee in the early morning light, a neighbor down the street called his dog to come in, "Stella! Stella! Stellllll-laaaaa!"

Ha! Do you think they named the dog that for that very reason? So they can go out in the back yard and shout, "STELLA!"

And in random TV notes-- do any of you watch or have watched those Real Housewives shows on Bravo? I was surfing the other night and came across one, I think it was Housewives of NJ, and even though the premise is completely unappealing to me, I watched for a few minutes. And those are the kind of women that make me feel like I am not one. They seem so utterly different in so many ways-- how can we be the same gender?

And are akamarykate and I the only ones watching the TV show, MERLIN? It's awful--- oh, the things they're doing to the Matter of Britain. I missed the first ep, but caught the next two this past Sunday and I was all, "I guess Arthur isn't in this because that prince can't be Arthur . . . Oh. Well, that can't be Nimue because she wouldn't . . . oh. Did he call her Gwen? As in Guinevere? But she can't be Guinevere because Guinevere was . . . oh."

And yet, it's fun to watch. Any show with John Hurt as The Voice of The Dragon has something going for it. Plus, Tony Head is Uther Pendragon! Which-- internets, how can you have failed to mention Giles is on Merlin? Especially considering that some of you have probably written fics where Giles is ON Merlin. But perhaps you mentioned it and I missed it because summer is wreaking its usual havoc with my days.

I like Giles'/Uther's scar.

I was away this past weekend. Well, not AWAY away, since due to the cramped economy our family, like so many others, is headed for a staycation this summer. So I've been away from my beloved intertubes because I've been busy with water-loaded weapons, and slippy slides, and swimming pools and trips to Sonic. Also, a trip to a vast, exciting land full of high-speed rides and screaming. Including parents who scream bad words while seated next to six and ten year olds.




Or maybe we were screaming the bad words when we realized our milkshakes cost six dollars each.

It was exhausting, but totally fun. It's been a while since I went to an amusement park. My children are spaced so far apart age-wise that I feel like I've had a baby or a toddler to watch over for fifteen years, which puts a cramp in thrill-seeking. And even though I've lost some of my gumption, and couldn't find the nerve to join my husband on this




a rollicking time was had by all, and I need to remember that and make the effort to go to more often. I love the very idea of amusement or theme parks-- all that technology and engineering put to the use of fun. How could aliens even think of destroying us once they see our formidable pursuit of happiness? "Hold your fire, M'rackz! These creatures build elaborate feats of engineering for mere entertainment. The Universe must allow them to continue to exist."

Or Fairy books. Yeah, I said it! FAIRIES. FAERY. Sidhe! I'm saying it out loud too, as I type! I don't care if you don't like it when people call you FAERIES. Fair Folk, my ass. Bring it, you sparkly mofos!

ahem.

Anyhoo, I've read a passel of these FAERIE centered books (mostly YA) and I'm wishing very much that Granny Weatherwax was in every novel.

that is all

Many of you already know about this, but for those who don't, author Cynthea Liu is celebrating the publication of her middle grade novel, PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE, by holding a fundraiser for an impoverished elementary school in her home state of Oklahoma.



You can read more about it by clicking this link, Take the Dare

She's put together a variety of ways to help Tulakes Elementary get much needed books for their classrooms, but my fave is the Triple Dog Dare-- if you donate a minimum of a mere five dollars, the Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation will double your contribution!

Now THIS is the way to hold a book launch party. I was going to look for a copy of Paris Pan Takes the Dare at my local indie, but if you buy it through the site, Cynthea's royalties will also go to Tulakes Elementary. ::dabs eyes::

Is this one of the coolest things you've ever seen an author do, or what?






Tulakes Elementary Students

All by myself. Well, over two days, but still-- no one else got a single bite.

::cackles::

Mmmmmmm, it was good. Pie is good. Mmm, pie. I NEEDED THAT PIE. My husband has been away for months and months. Well, since Sunday anyway. And I am here with these clamorous PEOPLE who have all kinds of DEMANDS and it's like I'm supposed to take care of them, or something. Not to mention, regarding my last post, that I started revising a manuscript and am also writing a new one, both! at almost the same time! like a nutball.

A pie devouring nutball!

And it's all spectralbovine's fault!

Ha! Not really, of course. But he wrote a fascinating post about Neil Gaiman wherein he notes that Mr. G. is often anticlimactic, or in his words, It's like EVERYTHING'S EXPLODING EVERYWHERE HOW WILL WE STOP THIS...and then someone just flips a switch and everything's okay or something.

Mulling this, I realized he's right, and then I wondered why I'd never noticed it, and I think in part it's because some of my own manuscripts have this problem. Ha! I didn't see it, because I do it, and that's just fine and dandy. A whole lotta buildup, and then ta da! All fixed and better. I love that flipping a switch metaphor.

I just realized I should probably be writing this for my other blog. Or maybe not since over here I can be more AAAAAAA! and Ack!

AnyHOO-- For the past few months, maybe even six months, I've had a new MG novel ms brewing. I've been taking a lot of notes, and this week intended to begin actually writing the first draft. But at the same time, I've been learning so much about what does and doesn't work in my earlier mss. Like this latest thing! So now, I'm torn. My monsters, I mean, my children were fairly busy with their own stuff today, so I had a lot of time to focus, and I spent the whole day trying to choose what to do.

I don't think I'll bother with the MG I currently have out on submission, even though I see things there that need amping up. But I have a beloved YA-- currently titled STORY LORD -- some of you have read it. And it has some great stuff, and has garnered some thrilling praise from various agents, but I now see that it's also A MESS. It could really use a major revision, and I'm kind of eager to try that. But I also have this fresh, new, unspoiled-by-me so far idea that I also want to write.

I'm torn!

THAT is the kind of day I'm having. I was having one yesterday too, and the upside of a crazy-busy, or bad day is supposed to be that the next one will be easier. Isn't it?

ISN'T IT?!

So our laptop died this morning. I think. I'm usually able to breathe life back into it, but there's a rattling noise and I think it might really be dead. I have a cute little netbook--that I'm typing this post on and can barely read because of the wee font, ow! my eyes--so I'm still good for writing and the tubes but now the children and their father will be waging battles for computer time on the desktop. Let the games begin! Four hundred quatloos on the teenager!

Did you know it's summer? It's June, even. I'm a little stunned that it's June. I usually make summer plans, but have few to none so far. Except that I've been playing Guitar Hero 2 again, having not yet beat that one on hard, so I've made that a June goal. Yes, the fabulous kellyrfineman is brushing up her Shakespeare, writing well-researched and fascinating posts this month, but I've set a video game goal. That I'm dubious of achieving because Psychobilly Freakout is too freaking hard on hard.

Speaking of movies, ha ha! See what I did there? It occurred to me the other day that books are not the only neglected thing in this age of so many fun things to do. Movies are too, although to an admittedly lesser degree. Way back in the day, when I was in high school, we saw every movie, or almost, when it was released. I just realized that my son and his friends are very take it or leave it about new releases. Almost nothing is a big deal to them. In fact, I can't think of a single release that they were very excited about. And they never go more than once while it's in the theatres. That is such a huge difference from my generation. If we loved a movie, we saw it over and over. And there was NOTHING else to do, so we saw all kinds of crap, like Krull and The Island (the Michael Caine crappy Island, not the Ewan Macgregor one.)

So after the briefest moment of Google-Fu, I discovered reports that Mountain Dew throwback and Pepsi throwback had been purchased in local Wal-Marts. Which I didn't realize because Wal-Mart = shudder for me. But I ventured in and success!




It's yummy! You can really taste a difference and I prefer the sugared variety. Although I don't know if that's because it tastes better, or is just the way sodey pop is *supposed* to taste to my mouth. My teen son doesn't like the fact that it's less fizzy. I wonder if high fructose corn syrup allows carbonated water to be more bubbly?

And in other "I love you tubes, for telling me things!" news, which might not be news to many, but I missed it somehow, and now I'm wondering how many more clauses I'll add to this sentence, did you know Tim Gunn is a superhero?




Well, of course we did, but look at that version! Hee! Oh, and here's a link about it.

In less fabulous news, on Friday I spent what might be my last hour alone in my home until August 25. Hold me, internets.

. . . son, would you take him to see The Hangover?

I think the trailers are hi--larious, and he thinks so too and we are both eager to see it, but part of me is going, What are you? Insane? Or entering the Worst Mom In The World contest?

So would you? Huh?

Speaking of age-inappropriate viewing, this past week our sweet six year old daughter has been repeatedly telling us she wishes we'd named her Katana.

Do you know what a Katana is?




::slinks off to enter Worst Mom contest::

Not that I'm trying to comprehend you anymore. But every now and then, you flabber my gast anew. Admittedly, it's partly my fault because sometimes I start taking you seriously. I nod and murmur yes, of course when you say debut manuscripts must be fresh, not the same old, same old thing, and have high stakes--lots of urgency-- and be very compelling. And also have great likable characters, with a main character who faces obstacle after obstacle, and romance always helps, and blah-to-the-blah-BLAH.


I'm currently reading Cindy Pon's SILVER PHOENIX.



And it has everything you say you want! A very fresh take on fantasy, with a fabulous world that we've never seen before, and red-hot page turnability, and sweetly compellling characters, and even kissing parts.

But Dot, you say. It's a debut novel. And getting lots of buzz.

Yes, I don't think it took her agent long to find a publisher, so that soothes my troubled mind. But I know it took the author an arduous while to find representation for this novel and that's the part that bewilders me. How could so many agents have turned this one down? It has everything they say they're looking for! The sense-- it makes none!

Have any of you seen the new/old Pepsi or Mountain Dew in stores yet? Do you know what I'm talking about? The product they're calling Pepsi throwback and Mt. Dew throwback:




Made with sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. I'm very curious to try some and see if I can taste the difference, or if it brings back a rush of memories from the decade when I burned holes in my teeth from the sugar and holes in my brain from all the caffeine. But so far I haven't seen any locally, even though Cincinnati is so cutting edge!

For any of youse who might be interested. I still want to keep this one for staying in touch with friends and being geektastic. Also for maybe saying bad words sometimes. Yeah!

But now that I'm writing fiction again, I want to yak about it. Again. So, I'm doing that, over here.

Did you have a fun, relaxing three-day weekend? We had some fun, but not so much with the relaxing. It was one of those three-day weekends that makes me wonder if this upcoming Summer Break is the one that I won't survive.

::whimpers::

But back to the fun. I watched a fabulous bad movie over the weekend, almost as bad/good as PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE. And definitely as bad/good as CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS.

It was




Did you know Gene Kelly is in this movie? GENE KELLY. Did you know there's a lot of rollerskating in this movie? Including GENE KELLY on rollerskates? You also get Greek mythology-- Olivia Newton John as one of the muses, which means sometimes she's outlined in bright yellow and sometimes in blue




and Mount Olympus looks a lot like TRON




But wait! There's more! SO much more. A hi-larious number where GENE KELLY tries on many many awful clothes at a store staffed by disco freaks. A musical number where ONJ and the male lead turn into cartoon birds, and then cartoon fish. Was this a drug movie?

If you have any taste for bad films, add this one to your list, because it is a must-see.

I just came across this trailer:



Wow! And Whoa! And HOW MUCH DO I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE?! I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW!

Did you know anything of it? Has anyone read the manga it's based on? I have to scurry off to other parts of the intarnets to find out more about it. But before I go, Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Do you have fun plans? We have few plans as of yet, but there will be hot dogs. Hebrew National hot dogs. Although I'm unsure as to whether they'll be grilled because our grill rusted through at the end of last summer and we have yet to replace it.

brian_ohio! I hope it's funtastic!

Here's a little gift for you, in case you, or anyone else who wants to laugh at Trekkies, missed it:

each passing day. I realized this morning that just because I've been keeping up with other LJs and even commenting regularly lately (with the exception of the weekend which is a new internets rule of mine-- to Keep Out on the weekends. . . more or less) I have not actually posted to my own for a whole week.

Woops.

So, what do I have to say for myself on this sunny, but way too cold for fricking MID MAY morning? I feel randomness coming on . . .

I see from glancing at my f'list that spectralbovine posted that NBC has renewed CHUCK. Woo to the HOO! That is such a fun TV show. It gladdens my heart that it isn't ending yet. Although I just Googled and pulled up an article that says big changes have to be made, including getting rid of a regular character. Which dampens my glee.

Speaking of spectralbovine, he recently recommended certain graphic novels to me, among them Scott Pilgrim and Y The Last Man, so I've been on a comics reading jag. Also, my ten year old, Andy, has become a fan of the X-Men, so I pulled out my copy of 1602 by Neil Gaiman for him and I reread it.


I've always had trouble reading comics* and therefore haven't read as many as I would have if I were normal. But this time as I've read I noticed something new. They have a compulsive quality to them. I mean creating compulsion in the reader. It's a curious thing, akin to hunger. As I'm reading one, I want to gobble the whole thing down, except that's difficult for me, due to my weird problem. Many books are page-turners of course, but this feels different. Like a flavor you only get in comics as opposed to prose novels. Comics are a very particular way to tell a story and they put the reader in a very particular place, that shares a quality with all other good comics, but not with any other form of storytelling.

*I have extreme motion sickness--there are many video games that I cannot even watch people playing, much less try to play myself and I got instantly queasy at the top of Seattle's Space Needle because you can feel it shifting slightly in the wind. Even reading comics can bring it on. It's getting better as I age, though, at least as far as graphic novels go-- I haven't been in the Space Needle in about 10 years.

I don't think so!

Also, my loot included this:




A handmade pop-up card. Cool eh? But do you see the little figure in the middle? My son said, "And see this person? In the circle? That's Mom. Because she jumps through hoops for us."

Uh oh.

and WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO and HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I loved it. The best ST movie evah. It's a total ride. The characters are spot on, the actors are great, the story is engaging, even if it has a moment that made my high school science-fiction-devouring self go, "but that's ridonkulus." It has that fun blend of edge-of-your-seat action with unexpected humor that felt so fresh back when the first Indiana Jones movie came out, but subsequent films are often way too heavy-handed with.

megthelegend I am dying to hear what you think of this McCoy. I lurved this McCoy. And Scotty. And Uhura. And Spock and Kirk and Spock and I want to see it again! Like tomorrow!

And I don't know why it's getting so many negative reviews. I thought it rocked! Maybe because I'd heard and read that it got so many negative reviews? So I went in half-heartedly? Expecting disappointment? And why am I talking in questions? Like an elementary school student?

Anyhoo--

I enjoyed the whole entire film. A great start to the fun action-movie side of summer movie-going.

Is that children are endlessly entertaining. And that's what I primarily seek in my relationships, right? Entertainment value.

Here are a few quotes from yesterday. Just one day.

"Ugh! I hate it when you eat like that. Mom! Make her stop eating like that. It sounds like someone repeatedly squishing a brain."

***

Madeleine: "Zeow! Zeow! My laser attack shot you! You are all burned up from my laser attack!"

Andy: "No! No, I'm not! Because see this huge red button I'm holding? When I press it, the whole world will be Andycized!"

Madeleine: "Zeow! Zeow! ZEEEEE-OOOWWWW! I have double laser power! You are dead!"

Andy: "Okay, I have to press the button. Boop. There. Now all living creatures in the whole world have been ANDYCIZED!"

***

"I wish we didn't have that little flap of skin that holds our tongues down. The one underneath your tongue? Kind of in the back? If we didn't have that, then we could really MOVE OUR TONGUES ALL AROUND."

**

And maybe less entertaining, but gratifying to me, I was watching the first season of Angel with Andy. After seeing a frightened young woman, wearing a long, baggy peasant skirt, and an oversized, schlumpy-looking blouse, running from a vampire, he said, "Who is that girl? Is that Cordelia? Wait. No, it couldn't be Cordelia. She would NEVER wear clothes like that."

I'm a little late to post this, so perhaps you already know, but if you don't, the date has FINALLY been chosen to air the new season of Project Runway. August 20, at 10:00 EST on Lifetime. I don't even know what channel number Lifetime is on my cable service. And I'm kinda harrumphy about it taking so forever to get the new season. Not to mention it will be so much later than the Fashion Week it centers around.

Hmpf.

But still! New PR! Scary, funny Heidi! The Deeeeziiners! I can't wait!

But until then, I suppose I'll give Bravo TVs PR copycat, The Fashion Show, a look-see.

I saw this riveting documentary over the weekend.

98% at Rotten Tomatoes!

And here's a link to the official website:

http://www.surfwisefilm.com/

It's possible I may have been more engrossed than the average viewer because I grew up in a household that similarly dropped "off the grid" but I think anyone who enjoys documentary films even a little bit, will find this movie engaging and thought-provoking. I was especially moved by the fact that the father is simultaneously a hugely charismatic, appealing character and hugely flawed. I think such startlingly greater-than average, more-awful-than-average individuals encapsulate humanity, in a way. The fact that we're capable of such breathtaking good and evil.

In other viewing news, NBC! PLEASE! DON'T CANCEL CHUCK! Last night's episode was completely delightful! No other show on TV is or has ever been so consistently fun!

Woo to the hoo! I just got back from grocery shopping and look! Lookee what I found!



Have you seen them?




Sorry for the pic quality-- I had to use the webcam because the digital camera isn't speaking to me today.

The kids got Klingon toys and I got the one for Starfleet command. Why yes, I did buy three boxes of cereal today. And choose who got which toy. What? Kids like Klingons. They can learn a special language and everything.




I can't wait to see this film! What? Yes! I know I look a little wild-eyed in the pic! I just got a new toy! Plus, so many cool movies to see next month! Eeeeeeeeeee!