Sunday Brunch

I haven't done this for a long time, so here are a few of them.

Sunday, January 30

Books
"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." -Mark Twain

1) Do you use bookmarks? Yes.
2) What is your favorite book? To Kill a Mockingbird
3) Who is your favorite author? Me. Just kidding. Really it's James Patterson ... and William Shakespeare.
4) What is the movie you feel is the most authentic version of a book? I really can't think of one that didn't disappoint me.
5) Is there a book you wish they would make into a movie and why? Actual Malice by Me. #1 Because the fame & fortune would be nice ;) #2 It's a good story that I think would translate well to film.

Sitcoms
"I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens." -Dwight D. Eisenhower

1) What sitcom have you seen every episode of? Too many to name, I think, which is kinda sad and says a lot about my life. lol But let's see ... I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Wings, Cheers, All in the Family
2) What sitcom makes you laugh until you cry? None now, really, but I've laughed til I cried a couple of times at All in the Family
3) What sitcom do you wish had not been cancelled? None. They all run their course & I'm fine with that.
4) What sitcom do you wish they WOULD cancel? Scrubs. I don't get the appeal.
5) Who is your favorite sitcom character, either past or present? Lucy Ricardo, Mary Richards and Brian Hackett (from Wings)

"If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other." -Carl Schurz

1) Do you have a neighbor that just drives you insane? YES!!!! She won't freakin' shut up! And it seems that 9 out of 10 times that I come out of the house she walks out of her house and wants to chat. Ugghhh!!!
2) Does one of your neighbors have something about their home that you covet? Nope.
3) Do you have a neighbor on your street that neglects their home, pure and simple? Not anymore.
4) Is there a neighbor on your street with interesting decorating habits? I don't know about interesting but annoying? Yes. The aforementioned neighbor who drives me insane is the tackiest holiday decorator on the planet.
5) Do you have a neighbor on your street that you find attractive? YES! Well, if being able to see the coach's house from my backyard counts.

Thanks Erica!

Refocusing

I haven't done anything to promote my book for almost an entire month. I need to get working on that again. I also need to get back to editing & writing the next books in the series, as well as a few others. I also need to get back on the diet full time. I have gained any more than a few holiday pounds, but I'm not losing any either. I still have about 30 to go. I need to stop obsessing about guys and start obsessing about me again.

Well, writing about it felt good. Maybe putting it in writing was all I needed to do to get back on track.

New game plan

OK. Here's my new plan. I'm going to stop obsessing & wait 'til the coach's season is over before I do anything. He must be really preoccupied & frustrated right now, which probably means it's not the best time for him to be thinking about women -- even a woman who just wants dinner and/or a movie. His team has lost 11 games this season by a total of about 25 points. I know I'd be frustrated if I was the coach. I think I'd rather lose by 10 than by 1 or 2 the way they've been doing. But, if I'm not mistaken, there are only two seniors on the team this year so he's got something to build on for next season.

Anyway, I had a dentist appointment this morning. No big deal, but now the Novocaine is wearing off & I hate that feeling. I want pizza. Too bad I couldn't eat it now. I'd end up biting my tongue again. After the dentist, I went to Dairy Queen & got a peanut butter cup blizzard. I kept thinking I felt something weird in my mouth. Yep, it was my tongue I kept biting down on. That's gonna feel good once the Novocaine wears off.

I'm so weird sometimes

Yeah, I know. I've mentioned that a time or two before. So, why am I mentioning it again? I didn't go to work today because I felt like crap. So, what did I do at 11 p.m. when it was 20-something degrees and snowing? I got dressed, went outside, stood on my front porch and watched for the coach's truck to drive by so I could then walk down the hill and casually run into him. So, his truck goes by, I walk down the hill. But, when I get to the corner and see him walking from his truck to his house I don't say anything or smile or even wave. I cross the street and walk in the opposite direction! What's wrong with me?! It's not as if I've never talked to him or anything before. I think the problem is that I've never thought of him that way before. I take that back. I have thought of him that way before. When I was 13. Probably when I was 14 and 15, too. I feel kind of 15-ish right now. Actually, I feel more 15 now than I did 30 years ago. You know how they (again, whoever "they" are) say "If only I knew then what I know now ...?" Well, I do know now what I didn't know when I was 15, so why is it harder now? Shouldn't it be easier? Actually, as I'm writing this, I think I'm developing a theory. I think the reason I'm afraid to take the sports guy's advice and ask the coach out for a drink or something because there are only 2 guys in this godforesaken town I'm attracted to -- the coach and, heaven help me, GSG. If the coach says no, then what do I do? Start lookin' for love in all the wrong places again? I mean, it's not as if George Clooney is going to start filming a movie here anytime soon so he can meet me and fall madly in love with me. Besides, I'm not even really looking for love or even a serious relationship. I just want to go to dinner or a movie every now and then. Not even dinner and a movie. Either/or is just fine with me.

Well, it's time to stop rambling and whining. I'm becoming an expert at both.

Just stuff

I wish I could shake this cold or virus or whatever it is that I've had for the last few weeks. Of course it doesn't help that it was 12 degrees below zero when I woke up this morning. It's a whopping 3 above right now. Hey, it's a heat wave! And I won't even mention the freakin' blizzard and having to shovel snow. I didn't even bother digging out the car. We're supposed to get sun for the next couple of days. I'm hoping it'll melt the snow before I have to drive again.

It's times like this that make me miss California. Although, with the crazy weather they've been having, I don't know how much better off I'd be.

It was pretty here this morning, though.



OK. The sports guy tells me I should just call the coach and ask him out for a drink or something. Uh, no. I don't think I could do that. I haven't asked a guy out in almost 20 years. Not only am I out of practice, I'm a chicken and I rejection-phobic. Oh hell, enough of that. I'm going to try to stop thinking about guys. Well, for a couple of hours anyway. ;)

I'm sad about Johnny Carson. There will never be another Johnny. Too bad today's young comedians can't learn from him. Too bad I can't form sentences today to say how I really feel.

I was kinda looking forward to "The Keystone Bowl," although I despise the Steelers and the Eagles. But I'm not disappointed that the Steelers lost. You'd have to be a Bills fan in this town to understand that.

Lunch with my former best friend went really well. It was almost like old times. I say "almost" because there are a few things we didn't talk about and may never talk about. We were both going through some crazy stuff a few years ago and all of that is probably better left in the past, although we're probably the only people we have to talk to about it. Oh well. I'm hoping we'll get together again soon and we can get back to the way we were before.

I have so much work to do in the next week & I just don't know how I'm going to get it all done. The main problem is getting people to schedule interviews. I have a feeling I'm going to be writing 4 stories in one day, the day before my deadline. *sigh* At least two people have cooperated with me so I won't be writing all 6 stories in one day.

Thanks ann marie!

More later, I'm sure.

Should I care? If not, why do I?

A mutual friend of mine and GSG's told me he's on another drinking binge (Yeah, big surprise.) because he's "on the hunt for a woman" and, apparently, can't find one he likes well enough, who likes him, too. Well, hell, what more does he want? If I'm not good enough, screw him.

But ya know what? If he came knockin' on the door right now I'd probably swoon and drool and do anything he wanted me to do. It's not so much low self-esteem or some weird thing like that, as it would have been in the past when I let guys walk all over me. It's just that it's hard for me to let go of the fantasy of who I thought he was for all those years.

Have I mentioned that I think I just need to get laid?

h

A good time was had by all

The party was fun. The only part that wasn't fun was that the guy who retired only did it because he has cancer and can't work anymore. He's been there for 35 years, so he actually could have retired at any time if he wanted to but, he didn't want to. He even said that. But he said he'll be hanging around. I hope so.

When my editor and I went to get our first of our two free drinks, I saw that the bartender was someone who I went to high school but who always pretends she doesn't know me. (There were 62 people in our class. How could she not know me?) So when she gave me the drink, I thanked her and used her name. That's how I knew she was pretending she didn't know me. The look on her face didn't say "How does that woman know my name?" Besides, it was a party for the newspaper. My byline is in the newspaper so she knows I work there. Wouldn't she be able to put 2 and 2 together and figure out it was me. Not that it really bothers me. I was never friends with her in high school. Actually, she was one of the "mean girls." But, anyway ...

After the party, my editor, the sports guy and I went to the casino. That was fun, too. It was my first time and the sports guy, who goes there regularly, showed me around and gave me some tips and stuff. I didn't know we were going, so I didn't take a lot of money with me. That's probably a good thing. I only lost $5. They lost more than that. But it was still fun.

Liberation

Have I ever mentioned that GSG is only about an inch taller than I am? Because of that, I haven't worn heels in about 2 years. Before that, whenever I knew I was going to see him for a work-related thing I wouldn't wear heels. But now that I'm over him (Well, kind of over him. I'll never be completely over him.) I can wear heels again. I went out and bought a pair of boots to wear to the party I'm going to tonight. Not just heels. Two-inch heels! Yeah, I'm having a little trouble getting used to them but, I'm sure after a couple of hours I'll be fine. Who would have thought wearing heels would be so liberating?

I've been thinking about this a lot in the last 26 hours but I forgot to mention it. My former best friend and I are going to lunch on Thursday. I'm excited because I miss her so much! She's the best female friend I've ever had as an adult. She was kind of like the female version of Steve. There's so much we need to catch up on after being estranged for 3 1/2 years. I can't believe it's been that long! I hopoe this is the first of many lunches, and other things. Besides that, maybe her husband has a couple of friends he could hook me up with. Actually, her stepson works with the coach, so that could be good. Maybe they can slip a bug in his ear.

Sometimes I have a one-track mind, and it bothers me.

Outside the box

I was thinking about how I'm going to explain my creative writing class what we're going to attempt to accomplish. I was thinking of saying I want them to start thinking outside the box. Then I realized that's not a very creative or original way to start a course that's attempting to get students to use their imaginations. So, I came up with an exercise I'm going to use.

You've all heard of the phrases "Not the sharpest knife in the drawer," "Not the brightest star in the sky," etc., right? Well, I thought they should come up with a couple of new ones. These are a few I thought of (or that popped into my brain through osmosis. I'm not entirely sure.): Not the hottest coal on the barbecue. Not the coolest ice cube in the tray. Not the brightest light on the Christmas tree.

Now, how 'bout something instead of "One can short of a six-pack" and "A couple of sandwiches short of a picnic?" A couple of stars short of a constellation. A couple of colors short of a rainbow.

More to come.

I worry myself sometimes ;)

The coach's team lost the game (miserably). It was an away game so he didn't get home until 2 1/2 hours past his bedtime. Then, he couldn't find a parking space. He needs a woman (namely, me) to help him deal with these things. The woman (again, me) could probably find a way to make all his problems go away, at least for a couple of hours. How do I know what time he got home and that he couldn't find a parking space, you ask? It just so happens that I was walking past his house just as he was getting home. Yes, I swear it was just a coincidence (*cough* *cough*). It's not like I'm stalking him or anything. It's totally possible that I could have been just taking a walk at that time of night.

Anyway, at work we were talking about someone (other than me) who hasn't had a date in a while. One of the wittiest, most clever women I know said she doesn't consider this person heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual or even asexual. She considers this person "egosexual" and says if there isn't a full-length mirror above the bed, it's probably on the bathroom door so this person can practice self love and not feel so alone.

So, kids, the new word is egosexual. Remember it. Use it. Pass it on.

Good night at work

Turned out to be a good night at work after all. In August, I did a story about a little boy who needed a liver transplant. Last night, his grandmother sent us pictures from right after the surgery on Dec. 23, then one from Tuesday. She also told us the little boy's mother donated a kidney to her father 10 days before her son's surgery. Amazing, huh? So I called the mother, talked to her for a while, then wrote a cool story. Now, that's the kind of story I like to write. Makes it all worthwhile.

I need a vacation

Actually, I think I just need to sleep for a week or so. Even 8 hours straight would be good. Here's one dumb thing I did that tells me a need a break. I was putting out the trash last night. No big deal, right? Well, at 3:30 a.m. I woke up and, as I was getting back into bed, I noticed a small bag of trash near the bed. Know what I did? I put trash in a bag that had leftover Christmas cards, stamps and other Christmas stuff in it, then put that bag in the big trash bag and put it out at the curb. So, at 3:30 a.m. with several inches of snow already out there, and freezing rain coming down, I went outside, got the trash bag, dug through it for the "good" bag and replaced it with the trash.

Also, during my dentist appointment the dentist used this clamp-like thing to keep my mouth open (or something. One of these days I need to ask what he's actually doing in there.). So, as he's taking it out it gets stuck and he had to cut it out, which left a small hole in my gum. Before I went to bed, I brushed my teeth but forgot about the little hole. I broke the scab and my gum bled for about 10 minutes. I really hate the taste of blood. Worse yet, it started hurting, too. I hadn't had to take any ibuprofen or anything before that, which I usually do because of the pain from the novocaine shot. So, I took a Darvocet, which knocked me out for 4 hours. That kind made the trash incident even worse because I was so out of it when I had to be in the snow, cold & freezing rain. If it wasn't for the stamps and my light-up snowman necklace, I would have blown it off.

Anyway, happy 12th Day of Christmas to those of you who realize this is actually that day. The day the three wise men brought the gifts, ya know?

Would you believe I have neighbors who have their Valentine's Day decorations up already? Ridiculous! I wonder if I'm thinking that because I really hate Valentine's Day.

I don't think I have anything else to say right now. If there's another slow night at work, I'll be back.

OK. Back to WEBoggle.

Is this too much to ask for in a guy?

1.Intelligence. Doesn't necessarily have to be a brain surgeon or rocket scientist. I'd be happy with someone who knows about current events and is willing to discuss them with me.

2.Sense of humor. Doesn't necessarily have to be as funny as George Carlin or Steve Martin (back when he was funny). I'd be happy with someone who "gets" Seinfeld and who makes me laugh every now and then.

3.Good job. Again, doctor or lawyer (especially lawyer) isn't necessary. I'd be happy with someone who goes to work everyday and brings home a steady paycheck so he isn't bumming money and stuff from me.

4.Reader. Must like to read all kinds of books, including mine.

5.Sports. Yes, I've met guys who aren't into sports as much as I am. That's just not good. I need someone who likes basketball (especially NCAA), football (being a Bills fan would get him huge bonus points) and, unbelieveably enough, golf. He also has to know enough about baseball to care about the playoffs and World Series and, when the Mets aren't out of the running by July, be excited with/for me.

6.Movies. Must like all kinds of movies and be somewhat knowledgeable about more stars than Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Enjoying classic movies, in black and white, is a huge plus.

7.Sexuality. Preferrably heterosexual but, bisexual with a preference for women works, too.

8.Tolerance. Must be tolerant of alternative lifestyles, all races and religions.

9.Kindness. Speaks for itself. Would be a huge plus if he got excited at my excitement over random acts of kindness.

10.Probably the most important because this has been the downfall of my last three previous relationships. Don't take me for granted. A little goddess worship would be nice but, just remembering my birthday, or even my scheudle, would be good.

So, seriously, is that too much to ask for?

Snap out of it!

I felt fine most of the day, especially after I found out my 4-year-old nephew thinks I'm "da bomb" but, all of sudden it felt as if a black cloud just enveloped me. Now I'm so depressed -- about what, I don't know -- that I could burst into tears any second. I hate that feeling.

Maybe I just need to get laid.