Tuesday, July 5, 2016

30 Days Of Gratitude: Day 1...

I have found a post on Pinterest. Yes. Pinterest. I'm addicted. I need an intervention.

It's 30 days of gratitude. I need to focus a little more on the positive side of things and I need to sort of take a break from other things I'm working on.

So here goes:

Day One: What smell are you grateful for?

I absolutely love, love, love the smell of fresh cut grass. That is the one I am grateful for. It brings a lot to my senses and invokes peaceful feelings. I could sit outside on a nice, warm, sunny day and just inhale the smell of cut grass.

That smell brings me back to when I was a kid living in Michigan. I certainly didn't smell a lot of it living in Arizona. Then we moved to Alaska, and I think the first time I smelled it, I about passed out from sheer joy. It brought a smile to my face. I couldn't get enough of it. I even volunteered to mow the lawn just so I could smell it.

How about you? What smell are you grateful for?

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Update From My End Of The Universe...

So way back in ... well, I suppose the end of March or April... holy cow, that was a long time ago! I fell in the street, but open my left leg and twisted my right ankle.

My knee has since healed up, but I still can't put pressure on it right now. My right foot is a whole other story. They never gave me the proper equipment, meaning a boot or brace. I had it wrapped and elevated. Over the months it just got worse.

I have since seen an orthopedic doctor and I basically had a rolling sprain, where my foot rolled inside my shoe. I also have bone spurs on my heel, my arch is falling and I have stress fractures in the ball of my foot. Needless to say, it's been painful.

I have spent the last month in a boot, with a knee walker. If you don't know what a knee walker is, it's a scooter for grown-ups with a foot problem. Lol! I also have a cane and crutches when needed.

Recent visit with the doc and I have two more weeks in the boot. After that, I may need an MRI.

Can I just say it's hell to get old? I mean, really. Doesn't help that I have extra weight on me that surely did me no good. I just want out of this boot!

Aside from that, not a whole lot going on. At least, not that I can disclose just yet. I know. Secrets!!!

I'm wanting to try and look on the positive side of things, so I may do 30 days of gratitude posts. Fair warning. ::winks::

I hope you are all well. I hope those of you in the States have a happy and safe 4th of July! I'll see you all soon.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

More Of An Update...

Well, for a while there, I was on a bit of a roll. I've been derailed once more, however, by that pesky anxiety/depression monster.

First of all, I fell a few months back and injured myself bi-laterally. I posted about that. Injured my left knee, twisted my right ankle pretty bad. Couldn't favor either side very well. Waddled about like some sort of mutant penguin.

My right ankle/foot is STILL not healed and is, as a matter of fact, worse. My financial situation is not so dire that we'll be evicted or anything. Hubs makes some good money, but my income would have paid for medical insurance that I desperately need. But I can't go back to work because of my foot, but can't get it taken care of because we don't qualify for any sort of assistance. I'm in one of the worst Catch-22's of my life.

Needless to say, this has really spiked my anxiety and put me in a funk. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll gladly look into them.

I am trying to keep a positive attitude. But I need to sit with my foot propped up most of the time, so that's why there has been another pause in my posts. I'm trying to work on some crafts to prepare for a Christmas bazaar in November. Figure I might as well get a huge head start on stuff.

Hope this finds you all well and have a great rest of your week. I'll post more when I can.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Getting To Know Me: 19...

Good Monday to you all! Hope you had a relaxing weekend.

It's Monday and that means back to work! And, of course, another GTKM post.

This week's question is:

What do you do to keep fit?

Um. Fit? I lift... my cat?

Honestly. Exercise, even though I know it is important, isn't something I do daily. I'd like to get to a point where I can join a gym so I can walk, or even swim.

I don't weigh 600 pounds, which is a very good thing, but I'm not a skinny girl, either. I do try to watch what I eat so I don't keep packing on the pounds. I'm pretty inactive, I have to say, especially during the winter. So I try not to take in too many calories that I just won't be able to burn.

Exercise is also an issue due to the fact that I get dizzy pretty easily due to some past medical issues. It's interesting how creative I can be to find ways to move around and exercise without causing more problems.

How about you? What do you do to keep fit? Leave me a comment!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Caption This!...

I'm trying to just blog something as often as I can to keep things going, to keep on track. I have all sorts of things I like to post, but sometimes, I just want to be silly.

So here, caption this photo!


Have a great rest of your week!

Monday, May 2, 2016

Getting To Know Me: 18...

Hey all! I hope you had a good weekend. The weather is warming up and it's getting nice out. Time for weekend camping!

Since it's Monday, it's another GTKM post.

This week's question is:

Does your family have a "motto" - spoken or unspoken?

Hmm... I don't think we have a motto, per se. Not as a whole. Unless you count "It's beer o'clock" as a motto.

Haha!

No, that's not our family motto.

I personally have a motto, and that is "Everything happens for a reason". However, it isn't something that is spoken that often. When I get together with my family or kids and we're talking about things that happen in our lives, it is something I tend to say often. Life is full of lessons and sometimes you don't know what the lesson is until it's through.

It's funny how things become clear at the end of it all.

So how about you? Do you or your family have a motto? Leave me a comment!

Monday, April 25, 2016

Getting To Know Me: 17...

It's another Monday post of GTKM! Hooray!

I hope you all had a good weekend.

So this week's question is:

If you were ruler of your own country, what would be the first law you would introduce?

That's easy. Shorter work weeks! I mean, really, other countries have implemented this. Or at least certain businesses. I think a shorter work week would make people more productive. You've got 4 days a week to get stuff done and 3 days to recuperate, regroup, unwind, de-stress.

As Americans, I think we, as a whole, work way too hard. We're all striving to keep up with so much... well, crap. We're consumers, I mean, hard core consumers. We camp out in line at stores for the latest and greatest of the newest gadget that we don't even really need. We give thanks on Thanksgiving for all the things we have, yet we're out the door at 3 a.m. the next morning (or even later on Thanksgiving night) to buy more stuff.

People end up having to run errands on the weekends or doing all their chores that they don't get done during the week. There's very little time to connect with family and rest and relax before having to turn around and do it all over again.

I am, by no means, a lazy worker. I have a pretty strong work ethic, but it breaks my heart to see those close to me working harder and harder to scrape out a living and they don't even get a chance to truly LIVE.

How about you? If you were a ruler of your own country, what would be your first law? Leave me a comment!

Monday, April 18, 2016

Getting To Know Me: 16...

Hey all! I'm taking some time to, at the very least, schedule some posts. It will be a good way to remain as consistent as possible.

So it is Monday and that means another GTKM post.

This week's question is:

Who was your favorite teacher in school and why?

Hmm... I actually ended up having three favorite teachers in high school. My very first, and most beloved, was my Drama teacher, Mrs. Faust. Oh, man! Was she ever a spitfire! She was a much older teacher and I swear, at the time, she had to be in her 60's. But this woman was a firecracker! She barely came up to my chest. And I'm five foot eight inches. Back then I had to be about 5' 6".  In high school, we had a radio contest through the one of the local stations, KRQ. The contest was for the local area schools to win a concert. I can't recall the name of the group now, but I do remember having to write down a phrase on index cards. Talk about cramped hands for weeks!

Anyway, our school ended up winning the contest and when they performed, Mrs. Faust was up on stage with them playing the air guitar. Here is this tiny, older lady, who looked like she could be anyone's grandma and she's up there rockin' out. But my best memories of her were of her coaching me in drama class, trying to get me to break out of my stage fright. I'd get up in front of a crowd of people and just become a shaking bowl of goo. She started me out doing makeup. She taught me how to do it for the stage and then I moved from there to helping with sets, costumes and eventually on the stage. I remember learning the Charleston dance and a couple of other routines for a small part in The Music Man.

Good times.

How about you? Who was your favorite teach in school and why? Leave me a comment!

Friday, April 15, 2016

A Lot Of Nonsense...

That is part of this blog's title. Nonsense.

I was getting back into my groove, things were going well. Then I fell and got hurt. Well, I'm still healing. I haven't worked in almost two months, now, but the good news is, I should be covered by insurance, soon. Sadly, that is all I am waiting for so I can be seen by an orthopedic doctor.

In the meantime, I've been battling with being injured and not working. I've been escaping into my usual world of gaming for several reasons. I'm bored, I'm trying to take my mind off of things, I'm trying not to stress, I'm bored. Oh, and I'm bored.

What's funny, is, I can hear a little voice in my head right now telling kids of the past that only boring people are bored. I must be duller than a used crayon!

I don't have very much inspiration to do a lot. I am trying to work on crafts for a Christmas bazaar. I know. It's not even May.

I'm looking forward to a visit from my mom. She'll be getting to finally meet her great grand kidlet. So that's exciting!

I am trying to utilize my time better. Gaming is not the priority here, but sadly, it's the easy escape. I hope to get back on track, once again, and soon!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Writing Wednesday: World Building...

This is just another small part of world building topics I have wanted to address in writing. Today's topic is jobs and professions.

Again, a lot of the world building stuff I talk about is targeted for fantasy, but you can still take the grains from these posts for just about any genre.

In fantasy, there are a lot of ways to figure out jobs and professions. One way is to look up medieval jobs. Way back then, you had a ton of different jobs to choose from. But back then, there was one major difference than now. You had to apprentice for a lot of those jobs. There were no schools or colleges. If you had any sort of aptitude for something, you were sent off to learn from someone who did that job well. More often than not, if that person lived too far from your home, you were sent to live with them. Not everyone owned a horse. No one could just hop in their carriage and commute to work every day. Work started well before the sun rose and ended when the sun went down.

If you were an apprentice, you didn't earn wages. Your room and board was your payment for having to train you. And you weren't sent off on your own until you learned the craft well enough. Or your master died and you ended up taking over the job because you were the only one who knew how to do it.

If you couldn't learn how to do the job, you would be kicked out of your master's home and pretty much had to figure out your life from there. You couldn't go home, because you were supposed to be learning a craft and eventually making money. So there was a bit of shame in having to return home. If it was a farm you came from, then yes, there would always be a job there for you, but not much of anything else. So if you were ejected from an apprenticeship, you'd have to think fast on your feet and figure out what you might be good at, aside from stealing. You'd have to find someone else willing to train you or you'd have to offer up something no one else was willing to do.

Sometimes, you were born into a job. Your family's family had been making clothes for the King for several generations. It was in your blood and you knew how to sew a hem since you were able to sit still long enough and not poke yourself with a needle. You could do a whip stitch in your sleep, and have! Or you knew cows so well, you could tell who would produce the most milk and the best tasting cheese. Or you could tell what herbs mixed together would be the fastest killer or the best healer because your Grandmother quizzed you since you were old enough to walk the fields with her.

There are a lot of professions and lots of ways to come by them, in writing. You just have to know your history and be just as creative in giving your characters a profession as you are in writing the rest of the story.

Once you figure out the profession, do your research. You need to know as much as you can about it so you can write about it well. You don't have to give all the details and information, just enough to get by. Just enough to make your reader think you have explicit knowledge of that particular job. Which, when you're writing about something in present day, is usually the case. Write what you know. You know how to do data entry, how amazing your character does too!

Have anything else to add to this post? Leave a comment!

Monday, March 28, 2016

GTKM: 15...

Welcome to another Monday! Oh, the time, how it flies. I hope you all had a good weekend!

Today's Getting To Know Me question is:

What three things do you think of the most every day?

Well. Things change so much day to day, but I do know what three things I think of the most every single day.

1. My family. I'm always thinking of someone in my family every day. Whether I'm thinking of my kids, my mom, my siblings and their families or my husband, I'm constantly thinking of my family. I always wonder how everyone is doing. I wonder how my kids are doing and hope they are happy. I think of my siblings and their families and hope everyone is safe and happy. I think about my husband daily, hoping he is having a good day and he's safe on the freeway as he commutes to and from work. I think of my in-laws and hope the same things. So, my family is pretty much on my mind a lot.

2. My friends. Take number one and insert my friends into that scenario.

3. My finances. I'm always thinking of our bills, things that need to be paid right now versus next week. Will we have enough? I know we have enough, but it's just stuff I think about.

I have a lot of anxieties, so this list could go on and on, but as for the top three, that's pretty much it. I think about work, I think about menus for the week and grocery lists. I think about stories I want to write, school work I have to finish. All sorts of things.

How about you? What three things do you think of the most every day? Leave a comment!

Friday, March 25, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

It's Friday! If you are reading this, it will be my second attempt of going back to work after I fell a month ago.

Wish me luck!

This Friday, my Fave is a T.V. show. I'm giving away my age because I'm going to list M*A*S*H.  I know a lot of people know about this show. But a lot don't. But this was the go to T.V. show in the middle of mid-western winters when I was a kid, before moving to Arizona.

Sometimes, I think this show is where my sense of humor developed. I adore this show. above a lot of others, and that is saying a lot! We used to own the M*A*S*H trivia game, but stopped playing it because it was too easy. We knew everything about that show. And now it's on Netflix and it's in my queue and it isn't going anywhere. If it leaves my queue, I have the DVD's. It always has and always will be an important part of my life. I watch it when I don't want to watch anything else. And I'm sure you can figure out that Hawkeye was my favorite.

On to the funnies!

I might have gotten carried away, but that's okay, they're M*A*S*H themed!







And on that note, have a great weekend! What was your favorite T.V show?

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Keep Your Mistakes!...

Last week, I wrote about just getting it to paper. And I wrote about technology... lol! One of those posts was supposed to be for today. Ah, well. It happens.

So anyway, along the lines of just getting it to paper, we're on to this topic. Keeping your mistakes.

Why keep your mistakes?

Okay, so you are cruising along, you have a few hours to write, you plop down in front of the keyboard and you just go, go, go! It's turning out beautifully! You swell with pride and by the time you reach the end you realize you want to do this:


You started out with a romance and ended up with space zombies taking over the world. And somewhere along the way, the vampires have hacked into the computers and made everyone rich so they would become fat, lazy cows, easy to slaughter.

Hmm...

So why keep this? Because there will be grains in there that you can work with. Seeds you can plant and make them grow into the story they're supposed to be. Maybe your romance started out fine, but you lost track somewhere and you need to find out where, so you can fix it.  Keep the rest, though. Because, well, Vampires hacking into computers and grazing off their dirty work might end up being a killer story.

No pun intended.

And space zombies? Psh... whole other story.

So, see? If you keep your mistakes, you may be able to extract bits and pieces and end up having five or six different stories to work with. Just let your brain pump out everything all in one shot. Getting it to paper, and then finding what gems can be mined from what you just wrote.

I have several mistakes I've kept and have pulled things out of those stories to use in the future.

Have any other tips or suggestions? Leave a comment!

Monday, March 21, 2016

GTKM: 14...

It's monday! That means another Getting To Know Me segment.

This week's question is:

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?


Well, that's only part of what my warning label would say. The rest of it would say:

Handle with care. Feed often. Keep active. Wash on delicate cycle and do not use harsh chemicals. Keep away from large crowds.

How about you? What would your warning label say?

Friday, March 18, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

It's Friday! Another week survived. Woohoo!

This week, my fave is going to be an actor. Jensen Ackles from Supernatural.

Let me just say, I love the show. I'm a huge fan. As far as the actors go, I connect more with Dean. He's the sort, if he was real, that I would have hung out with. Similar mindset, I suppose.

Jensen Ackles portrays Dean Winchester flawlessly, in my opinion. The man has excellent skills. One of my favorite episodes is when Sam and Dean Winchester are tossed into an alternate universe where they play Jensen and Jared playing Sam and Dean. Their real life, in this universe, is a show. Talk about a frikkin' messed up conundrum... but all of the characters involved play it all off beautifully. But that takes some serious acting talent, in my opinion. Even if Jensen wasn't in Supernatural, I'd still watch it. And I will definitely watch anything else Jensen does.

All right, enough fan-girling. On to the funnies!






Haha! I love the last one, personally. Have a good weekend everyone!

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Technology...

Happy Middle of the Week day! It's Wednesday and it's all about writing.

For today's topic, I am going to be using Fantasy as an example for technology. Most of what is discussed is just ideas and how to incorporate any sort of technology into any genre.

Ready? Here we go...

As odd as it sounds, I don't like having black powder guns in my fantasy stories. I feel that it gives an unfair advantage in battle, (which it certainly does) and strips away the honor of the fight. Again, that's just me.

So what do I use on ships for epic sea battles? Smaller versions of Ballista and Catapults. The catapults launch flaming pitch pots. When the pitch hits the deck, it goes everywhere, catching every flammable thing on fire that it touches. Water doesn't put it out, because technically it is flaming oil, so it just spreads further.

As for Ballista, in a somewhat close range battle, you soak the rope in pitch, tie it to the projectile, light it and launch. If you hit just right, it'll catch in the sails and rigging, crippling the enemy vessel. Once the ship is dead in the water, you board and game over.

On land, same thing. Catapults, Ballista, Trebuchets are all good weapons in battle. Most of the time they are built on site and immobile, but you can create smaller, mobile versions even if it slows down your travel time.

Now in lots of other genres out there, you've got black powder weapons, laser weapons for sci-fi and steam weapons in the Steam Punk genre. And can I just interject with how fascinated I have become with Steam Punk? Insert fan girl "squee!" here.

Ahem.

Anyway. the reason I gave above is my main reason as to why I don't like incorporating black powder into the fantasy genre. To me, those battles were hand to hand combat and may the most honorable or the best fighter win. In real life, I don't like cheaters. I'm sort of a competitive person. Okay, sort of might be a bit of an understatement... However, if I lose at something, yeah, I get ticked off. But I get ticked off at myself. I don't ever blame someone of cheating unless it is blatantly obvious. But I get mad at myself for the slightest of things. So I go back and practice and keep trying until I get it right. I try to do it by the rules, because in my opinion, cheating is dishonorable. If you can't put forth the time and the effort to do something right and be successful at it, then why do it?

That's a rant for another day. But that is my mindset when writing battles. I try to make them realistic and maybe someday there will be an introduction of an advanced weapon that turns the tide in battle, but not right now.

But think about the technology of things. Make these things feasible when writing. Don't just throw in some super advanced, high-tech weapon that makes an individual or group invincible. It should be available to all parties who can use/afford it. Make someone more proficient than anyone else and go with that, but don't make it a natural talent. That sort of detracts from the whole having to work hard to be good at it idea. When you are writing, you are giving your readers subliminal messages. Yes, your story must be good and the lessons being learned there should be clear, but when you have an opportunity to "teach" the reader something, let it be hard work and perseverance will win in the end.

Be mindful of the technology you introduce.

Have anything to add to this post? Please leave a comment below!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Just Get It To Paper...

I'm the kind of person that I don't want to write anything unless I have the perfect setting. My house needs to be quiet and I have several hours to block out the world. But if I don't know where I am going with my story, I spend those several, quiet hours goofing off on Facebook or in World of Warcraft.

But I can't afford to do that. I have so many ideas and so many different things to work on that I find myself not goofing off that much because I haven't done anything productive. So I write something, even if it is a blog post like this. This gives me a feeling of productivity, so I reward myself with 15 minutes on Facebook.

I'm starting to save writing prompts to my Pinterest board and finding one that strikes my creativity chord. I've written a stupid little short that would be a great beginning to something, but it needs work, of course. But I'm getting things to paper. I'm just GETTING it TO PAPER.

I even have a dozen composition books with titles of all the ideas I've come up with and have been writing things out by hand. It's getting on that paper! Then, when I'm done with the notebook, I type it all out and fix things as I go.

I think it is important to just get your story out on paper. You can always go back to it later and clean it up. But getting it written  out, from beginning to end, and who cares what it looks like. As long as you get it to PAPER! Get it out. Write it out! Feel accomplished. It helps with the writing process. Then move on to something else and once that's done, go back to cleaning up the first one.

Now, if I could just take my own advice.

Have any other helpful tips? Leave me a comment!

Monday, March 14, 2016

GTKM 13:...

It's another Monday. I hope you all had a good weekend. But since it's over, it means another Get To Know Me post.

Today's question is:

What song would you say best sums you up?

Uh...

I don't think anyone has time for THAT list...

One song? Just one? Wow... um. Hmm.

I don't just ONE song that sums me up completely. I do know I have a couple of theme songs that kind of help me get through some of my anxieties. The main one that comes to mind is "Middle of the Ride" by Jimmy Eat World.

But if I absolutely have to choose a song that sums me up...

"Trouble" by Pink.

How about you? What song best sums you up? Leave me a comment!

Friday, March 11, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

Sometimes I dread Friday, but more often than not, I look forward to it, even if it is a work day for me. You made it to another Friday! Woohoo!

This week, Faves focuses on:

Favorite ORPG (Online Role Playing Game). One of my many favorites, but one I always seem to return to, is World of Warcraft. I don't know why, but that is one game I can play and return to. Even if I go and play other online games, I keep coming back to WoW.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that a lot of games make me motion sick. WoW does not make me motion sick, so therefore, I can stand to play it. I've tried lots of online games, too, don't get me wrong. Even some computer games mess with me. Like Diablo or Dungeon Siege. It also seems to get worse as I get older. I was reading up on it and saw that possibly taking Dramamine might help while playing, but I have yet to try it.

But back to World of Warcraft. I love the toons (characters) and my favorite expansion is Wrath of the Lich King. I have yet to really make it to an end dungeon, but I have hope for the future of my toon.

Okay, on to the funnies! Game themed of course.






All right, thanks for dropping by! Leave me a comment with your favorite game and have a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Use Your Thesaurus!...

Please, for the love of all that is good and pure in this world, use your Thesaurus.

For those of you that think it is a type of dinosaur, walk away now.

All right. So why would I tell you to use your Thesaurus when most of my own, personal posts leave you lacking literary sparkle and whimsical words of enlivenment?

Because I try not to overuse words so much in my writing. I have, in my opinion, come a long way and have worked hard on my skills. Maybe not here, on my blog, but this is the only place where I feel like my "true voice" can be used. Not my Professional Writing Voice.

When you're writing, you don't always see the repetition of your words until later. Even after edits. You know what you're trying to say and how you want to say it, you know what you're talking about. You can see every image in your head. All the details are there. That leather pouch is sitting on the floor, slumped over like a drunk in an alley. However, as you describe that pouch, you keep using the word pouch over and over again. Even twice in one sentence. When you send your manuscript off for editing, sometimes the repetition of the word pouch gets lost for whatever reason. You publish your book and then your reviews start harping on how much you used the word 'pouch'.

Now, you feel like maybe you are part kangaroo because of that word.

One word.

Pouch.

Well, thankfully there are some quick fixes you can do as well as run to your Thesaurus and hug it tight, grateful for its existence. Or just go to M-W.com and use theirs:

pouchnounSynonyms and Antonyms of poucha container made of a flexible material (as paper or plastic) pouch
 and tossed it to the cat>Synonyms poke [chiefly Southern & Midland]bagsackRelated Words carryallportmanteautraveling bagwalletbundlepackpackagepacket,parcelbackpackbarracks bagduffel baghaversackknapsackrucksacksatcheltote;handbagpocketbookpursetote bagditty bagflight baggarment bagkit bagshopping bag,work bagWhile some repetition in writing is good and okay, it really gets to people sometimes. By people, I mean  me. I view writing as an art. If you are going to describe something in detail, don't be repetitive. Try to paint a grand picture using words. I don't want to read about a brown pouch lying on a floor. I want to read about a tattered, dusty leather rucksack that has seen more kingdoms than the owner, carelessly pitched into a corner and forgotten for the moment. Or just cast aside. Or even dropped, flung, hurled and maybe chucked.Then go back over your manuscript and do a search for the word 'pouch' or whatever words you feel you have overused and give them a nice, good tweak.Words have power. Your Thesaurus gives your words superpowers. Make them immortal!
Have anything to add to this post? Please leave a comment.

Monday, March 7, 2016

GTKM 12:...

It's Monday and time for another Get To Know Me post. If you're just now dropping by, I've been answering a "getting to know you" type of question every week. You can still catch up, just look for the posts that have the GTKM in the title.

Okay, so this week's question is:

What celebrity would you like to meet at a Starbuck's for coffee?

Oh man...

Ohmanohmanohman...

At the risk of being totally trampled to death...

It's honestly a toss-up. Either Jensen Ackles from Supernatural or Robert Downey, Jr. Either one would cause a mob. However, if this is going to be a hypothetical thing, then the Starbuck's would be empty.

Okay. I choose RDJ. I love, love, LOVE Robert Downey, Jr. I admire the man. I used to watch him in movies when I was an 80's girl. I thought he was a great actor, then he hit that hard patch. To see him come out the other side the way he did, makes me happy.

I'm not one of these people who have to sit there and read the gossip rags and follow every. Single. Move of an actor or actress. I really don't. I know and fully understand that they are human beings who portray characters (very COOL characters) on television or in movies. I don't pretend to even know what they are like in real life. Not that I would mind getting to know any of them. I'd do just about anything to spend an hour with each person on my list. (It's a short one, that's for sure.) I'd love to hang out and get to know the real person. At the top of that list is Mr. Downey. To me, and this is just my perspective here, he seems like he'd be pretty straightforward and down to earth. The kind of person you could ask, "Hey, do these pants make my butt look big?" and he'd tell you it was just your butt that made your butt look big.

So yeah, he'd be number one. Jensen would be number two. Much as I love Jensen... sorry.

How about you? What celebrity would you like to meet at a Starbuck's for coffee? Leave your answers in the comments below!

Friday, March 4, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

Another week has come and gone. It's Friday!!

So let's see... I think my Faves this week will be:

Food! Of course. One of my favorites is pizza. I'm sure that was obvious. But it will lead me to my all time favorite thing, ever. My newest Marinara Sauce recipe. I tell you what... it is the BOMB! I got it from my brother and I will never, ever buy jarred or canned sauce ever again. E V E R.

If you want the recipe, you'll have to bribe me. And I'm a geek, so I'm easy to bribe.

Okay! On to the funnies!





That's it! What's your favorite food? Leave a comment and have a good weekend!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Wednesday Writing: Origin Tales...

When writing fantasy, origin tales for your entire world are just as important as the rest of it. If you aren't writing fantasy, depending on your story, your origin tales are just as vital.

Origin tales can mean just about anything, though.

They can mean:

* The age old folklore tales told around campfire and hearth fire. These are the origins of how the world was created, who the heroes and legends were.

* The origin of your character. Where they originated. Sometimes, in Young Adult fiction, if the main character is in high school, their classmates might gossip and spread their own origin tales.

* If you're writing paranormal, the origin tales can describe the history of vampires, werewolves or even cursed items.

*Maybe you are re-telling a fairy tale, in which the origin story is the most important part.

While this post may pertain to mostly fantasy, you can still glean some information on why origin tales are important.

Origin tales set up the background of everything. It describes kingdoms, people, places, items. They shape and define entire cultures and personalities.

When the United States decided to break from England, Americans fought hard for their freedom. They fought to control their own lives, their own destinies, to free themselves from tyranny. Now, because of our bloody history and hard fought battles, Americans are viewed as a crass, independent (spoiled) country. Unless someone is in trouble, then we're the savior, because we know how to fight for what we feel is right.

So perhaps you're writing of a kingdom of warriors. Everyone turns to them in times of trouble and need. They'll drop everything to help their neighbors, yet they are honorable enough to listen to both sides before choosing whether or not to send aid. But what happens when they need aid? No one will know how to help them. They aren't used to having to rescue the strongest kingdom in all the lands.

If dealing with a paranormal cursed item, the origins are vital to figure out how it became cursed and how to break that curse. That item was part of a significant moment in time where someone felt they had no other option than to cast a curse on an object to ensure that whoever found it in the future would not only feel the misery of the one who cast the curse, but also understand the need for the curse.

Origins have the power to shape futures, whether it be a person, place or thing. So when you are coming up with your origin tales, think of the complexity of the original story. Also remember that they will have been told over and over again, and we know what happens then. Things get jumbled and mixed up or changed to meet the needs of the storyteller. You'll have to figure out from beginning to end what the origin tales will be, if different cultures had different perspectives.

Have any other suggestions about origin tales? Leave a comment!

Monday, February 29, 2016

GTKM 11...

Ah, Monday. These weeks just keep marching on.

I almost missed last week due to a fall off a curb. I twisted my right ankle and banged up/cut my left knee. After those two things began to heal, other injuries began to appear, like a huge lump in my right thigh and a large knot on my right knee.

I'm slowly healing, though, so it's all good.

Today's question is:

Who was your first crush?

It was a guy in Junior High School. Up until that point, I don't think I ever really had a crush on anyone. I had liked a few boys, but nothing like this guy.

Looking back on it all, I totally made a fool of myself. Of course, that's what we do, right? Make fools of ourselves as we go all ga-ga over someone. I wrote him notes. Too many, which irritated him. His friends would just roll their eyes when they saw me coming. I'm sure I was borderline stalker-ish! I did everything I could to impress him, but I was a tomboy. I didn't do the hair and make-up and cute clothes.

It took awhile for me to just let it go. Which, I did. I tried to act all aloof and "over him" when I saw him. When I started acting like that, it seemed like the universe decided to throw us together as often as possible.

Later on, in high school, after having moved away for to a new school district, I ended up running into him and his friends. None of them recognized me, of course, because I had changed so much. I had the hair and make-up and what I considered cute girl clothes. I actually got to go out with him for a little while.

Ahhh... memories.

Okay, so spill. Who was your first crush? Leave me comments!

Friday, February 26, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

It's Friday! Another week done and a weekend looming on the horizon.

This Friday, I'll tell you one of my favorite television shows:

Supernatural.

Ooooh, how I love this show. From the first moment I saw it, I was hooked.


I mean, seriously... There are many, many reasons why I love this show. It's a good show, it keeps my attention, which is kind of rare. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. Yes. I said cry.

I also like this show from a writing perspective. I mean... OH. MY. GOD! What awesome characters. What great dialogue. What a cool story! And the fact that it's on its 11th season helps, too.


Outside of the show, there are also lots of reasons to love Supernatural. Jared Padalecki has admitted to battling depression. There are now, that I know of, two t-shirts to help campaign for this disorder. One I battle myself. The cast seem like a tight knit group and that makes the show even better. Of course this is all part of the fandom and I could go on and on and on, but I won't.

On to the funnies!







There it is! The end of the post! Have a good weekend everyone!

Monday, February 22, 2016

GTKM: 10...

Monday, Monday...

You're going to have that song stuck in your head all day long, now. So sorry. Sort of.

Today's question is:

What is the most interesting thing you can see out of your office or kitchen window?

Well, since I have neither, I'll go with my living room window.

Trees. And a train occasionally. Apparently, when I was a baby, we lived near train tracks in Illinois. My first words were "Choo-choo". I have no memory, as we moved into our house when I was three, I think. Who knows.

Anyway, we live near train tracks in my town. It doesn't matter where you are in this town, though, as you can hear that whistle blow. I don't mind, but sometimes it seems like that engineer is being a jerk with those blasts. Then there was the one that played "Jingle Bells" at Christmas. I only heard that once. I hope he didn't get in trouble.

How about you, what is interesting out your windows?

Monday, February 15, 2016

GTKM: 9...

It's Monday! Don't shoot the messenger...

I hope you all had a good weekend. I work most of the weekend. Then, the one day I do get to spend with hubs, is spent doing laundry and grocery shopping for the week.

It works. It's a good routine!

Okay, so today's question is:

On a scale of 1-10, how funny would you say you are.

10. I'd say a 10, Bob.

(In case you are wondering, I am speaking to Bob in my head like he's a game show host.)

Seriously, though, I'd have to say like a 4 or 5. I think I'm funny, but I'm sure most people don't get my wacky sense of humor. I have even considered trying to do stand up comedy, but I'm a chicken in front of a crowd. I get stage fright so bad. Which is also why I don't sing in front of people.

Ask me to act like a pirate for a play, though, and I'm all over that. Go figure.

How about you? How funny are you on a scale of 1-10?

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Language...

Before we get started, I want you all to know I participated in an author interview on Natasha Orme's blog. You can see the interview here. Now, on with the post!

I'm not talking about vulgarity in writing, although, that could be a whole other topic one of these days...

No, what I'm talking about is creating a language or using an existing one in your writing.

For those writing any sort of fantasy or sci-fi, sometimes you'll have some pretty weird languages. How do you present the language? Do you just type up some garbled nonsense and pass it off as the language of whatever species you've dreamed up?

"I told you, I'll pay you the rest of what I owe in a few days."
"Glkwer lkdjfi beedok crazzt fluker!"
"Don't you swear at me like that!"

I'm sure it's doable. Sort of. I mean... how the heck do you pronounce any of that??? Most of the time, people just sort of gloss over the different languages. Me, I'm sort of a purist and will try my damnedest to try to pronounce each word.

Not everyone can be Tolkien, though, and be a linguist and create their own. I'd love to, actually, but ... no.

Personally, I've combined an Elven language with Latin and have come up with some pretty good results. I'm so stereotypical fantasy, though, that most of my stuff has a lot of apostrophes. Don't know what to tell you, I'm just that sort of fantasy author.

There are a lot of language generators out there, so you'll want to think about using those and maybe coming up with your own combinations. Especially if you are a fantasy author. And I'm sure as far as sci-fi goes, you can just use grunts and clicks, maybe some chirps to get the point across.

Most world building should include ancient texts of a language long gone and very rarely will there be anyone left alive that can read it. Or perhaps there is one person who has such a desire to learn ancient tongues, he's learned how to read these things. This is something to consider in your world, just as much as the more common, current languages of other races.

To have everyone speak the same language the world over, well, that's rather boring and very simple, but I'm sure it'd be acceptable. But choose wisely. We fantasy/sci-fi people, we can be very opinionated about this sort of thing!

Have any suggestions or tips you'd like to share? Leave a comment below!

And don't forget to stop by and read my interview! Have a great day!

Monday, February 8, 2016

GTKM: 8...

::Sings:: It's Monday, it's Monday... please don't shoot me...

It happens every week. The weekend ends and Monday doesn't creep up on us, it explodes in our faces with the fury and vengeance of a woman scorned.

Ahem.

So it's Monday! And it is time for another Getting To Know Me post.

Today's question is:

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

On a beach. In the Carribean. Napping.

Well, I'm only half kidding about that. But in all seriousness, I see myself living in a home built by me and hubs. There's a garden out back with all sorts of veggies. A greenhouse with other plants that we grow year round.

Of course, we're both still working, but he's finally able to work his dream job while I do my job from home. I want to have a place where the family visits regularly and grandkids come for the summer. In the winter, we travel for a couple weeks and then start all over again.

I don't have huge, grand schemes. I'm pretty simple.

How about you? Where do you see yourself in ten years? Leave your answers in the comments below!

Friday, February 5, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

It's Friday, it's Friday! Woohoo! Well, for the many of you who have weekends off, you get to celebrate and relax. Me, I have to work, but that's okay. I love my job!

This week, my Faves topic is going to be Animals.

One of my favorite animals of all time is the wolf. I love wolves. I can't explain it. When I was around 22 or 23, I got my first tattoo. I got a wolf on my right ankle. I'd like to get more tattoos and maybe another wolf or even the tribal wolf paw. I have lots of time to decide.

Okay, on to the funnies!






All right, that's it for this week! What's your favorite animal? Tell me in the comments!

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Writing Wednesday: Problem Solving...

Okay, so near the end of my last post, I briefly mentioned Problem Solving Techniques. I said they were extremely important, mainly for your readers.

Problems in your character's lives are as important as drama. They ARE the drama. However, they don't have to be so dramatic. They can be simple or huge. They can seem silly or be very serious.

Whatever the problem your character is facing. Whether it be one or many, your readers will connect on a personal level if they feel it is something they are going through.

You want this personal connection. You need it. Your readers need it.

But here's the tricky thing... if you've never been through a situation similar to your characters, how can you write and relate?

A few tips that will help:

* Find someone who's been through what your character is going through. Ask them if they'd be willing to help you work it out.

* Look for books on the topic and find suggestions on how to deal with situations.

* Research online on other author blogs with similar genres and similar styles. Lots of authors post writing tips.

The fact is, there are so many articles and blogs out there with lists and lists on different writing tips, techniques, that you are bound to find something. I am just stressing the importance of getting your readers and characters to relate.

There is also a quote, from Pixar (apparently): "Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating."

You shouldn't make anything easy for your character. Some things will come naturally, of course, and there will be a significant amount of luck. But if everything just falls neatly into place, you are misleading your readers, your character and yourself.

People hope and pray and plead for every speed bump in their lives to either just go away or fix themselves. At the risk of sounding like a negative jerk, that's just ridiculous. Nothing ever fixes itself. You can think about a situation for hours, days, even weeks. Sometimes longer. Sometimes the solution does seem to just drop in our laps, but that is mostly due to the fact that we've figured it out already, it's been sitting right there in front of our face, but we were so consumed by the problem we didn't see the solution right away. Other times, it takes walking away from the problem to see the solution. And in other cases, you'll dream about a solution.

Remember, your mind works in mysterious ways. So will your character's. Every situation has a solution, some more permanent than others. Make it believable!

What are your thoughts about this post? Have any tips to share? Leave a comment below!

Monday, February 1, 2016

GTKM: 7...

It's Monday! Please don't shoot me. I'm not that excited about it being Monday, but I am excited to be posting regularly again.

I'll get to it so the masses don't start to become unruly.

Today's question is:  What was your first job?

My first job was working at McDonald's. I was in high school and, of course, there weren't many jobs that would hire teenagers.

Since then, I've worked a lot of different jobs. Cashier is the main one. I have done that job over and over again. But I have worked as a receptionist in a dental office, briefly. Another high school job. I've worked Tech Support/Password Security for two different places.

Password Security was at America Online. I was there when we celebrated having one million simultaneous users on the internet. *Gasp!* How exciting! Think about that, now.

Tech Support was at Intuit for Turbo Tax. And yes, people actually did ask if the CD player was a cup holder.

I worked in an Assay Lab, grinding down rock samples for Geology labs. Dusty work!

I've worked in a Print Shop, helping people figure out the end result of their business cards and flyers as well as formatting templates for the printer.

And now, I work at Michael's, where I help people with their craft projects (THAT's a long list, too) and am studying to do Medical Transcription.

Okay, your turn. What was your first job? Leave your answer in the comments!

Friday, January 29, 2016

Friday Faves & Funnies...

I know, I know, I know... it's been forever!!!

This is just one of those things I'm trying to work on getting back on this blog. I'm trying to work up a writing routine and right now, scheduling things is going to be my friend until I get back to it.

Okay, so I'm going to offer up some topics for my Faves section of these posts. There will be Food, Music, Comics, Authors, Books (because there is a difference between authors and books!), Animals, Movies, T. V. Shows, Actors, and Games.

Phew!

Today, the Favorite topic will be Food!

I'm sort of becoming a foodie of sorts. Hubs and I watch Food Network a LOT. Makes me so hungry... However. I loooove tacos. While watching "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", hubs saw a recipe for black bean tacos. Oh. My. God! I think I will never do typical tacos ever again. Plus, I sort of need the iron the beans provide. So that's my fave!

On to the funnies!







Okay! That's it for today. Hope you have enjoyed this. Also, tell me what your favorite food is in the comments below! See you next week!

Monday, January 25, 2016

GTKM: 6...

It's that time again. It's Monday! And also, the latest in the "Getting to Know Me" series.

This week, there are two questions to answer, simply because one is well, simple. In case you were wondering, I'm working from a list of questions.

So, question numero uno for today is:

How many languages do you speak?

One. I speak one, Bob. Although, I did take French in high school and am picking it back up with my phone app, Duo Lingo. I also have the CD's to learn Russian and Mandarin Chinese. Ambitious, aren't I?

Okay, next question:

If you could join any past, or current, music group, which would it be?

Oh, the decisions. First, let me just say it would have to be as a Roadie or something, because I don't sing well enough to be part of a group. And I play a mean kazoo.

I'd have to say past group, first of all and that would be The B-52's. I don't know. They just seem so fun. But there are so many to consider because I'm like all about music. I love so much of it. I'd even consider becoming a part of the Philharmonic Orchestra or even Mannheim Steamroller. I just want to be a part of creating the music, too, but that's something else for another post.

How about you? How many languages do you speak? What group would you join?

Monday, January 18, 2016

GTKM: 5...

It's me again. If you are seeing this post, it means, sadly, the weekend is over. Sorry to harsh your buzz.

Good news is, it's another Getting To Know Me post! ::Throws confetti::

This week's question is:

What is your favorite family holiday tradition?

Hmm... which holiday?

After deliberating over this question, I have decided to choose New Year's Eve. My favorite family tradition is writing down wishes and prayers on scraps of paper and burning them throughout the night.

I've even gone a step further with this one and have started to collect little origami stars through the year.

We write down our wish or prayer on a strip of paper. Then I fold it into a little star and drop it in a container. At the end of the year, on New Year's Eve, we toss the stars into the fire. During the year, it's a cute, colorful display. It's also a way to be positive throughout the year. Then, New Year's Eve, we toss them in the fire and let the smoke take the wishes and prayers up to the heavens.

How about you? What is your favorite family holiday tradition?


Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Writing Wednesday: There And Back...

Okay, so in last week's post, I mentioned how the series I had so been looking forward to ended up falling flatter than a pancake.

Here's what happened: In the space of three, rather short books, (novellas?) we meet the main character and he's gone from Farm Boy to Hero. Not only does he run away from home, he saves the life of the King, befriends the Prince, falls in love with the Princess, who falls in love with him, too. And goes on this grand adventure. As if all that other stuff wasn't grand enough.

Now. As you are reading the books, it seems like maybe a few months have passed. But I honestly don't know if this was a time-line error on the authors part, or what, but the author writes it out that it happened in three to four days.

Days!

In between those few main points up there, so much happened in the author's world, too.

When you have such a busy timeline scheduled for your character(s), you have to allow them a chance to breathe. Your reader, too. That is why flow is so important. Action, followed by action and more action gets tedious. Breaking it up with a paragraph or two of the MC reflecting on all of it and how fast things happened to it, is not necessarily "down time" for the reader to catch their breath. It also doesn't make for a good story flow.

There is so much advice out there on the flow of a story, it is pretty much personal preference. For me, I like to build up the action, then slow things down a bit to begin building up the next bit of action. I put in parts and take out parts here and there in order to make sure things are moving along at a quick pace, but not so quick as to make the reader think it is unrealistic and put the book down.

So. Figure out your pace. Think about how long your book is going to be, and work from there. If you are writing a trilogy, what will happen in each book? If it is a longer series, plan it out for things to happen a little slower. In my opinion, the series I am talking about could have taken one or two of those main points up there and spanned at least one good book, taking up the threads again in the next book and making them secondary. Then one or two other plot points could have been focused on, instead.

Example: The first book, the main plot points could have been the MC running away from home and falling in love with the Princess. The secondary threads could have been befriending the Prince and planning for his grand adventure.

In book two, the main points could have been planning for the adventure and saving the life of the King. Which would make the secondary points the ongoing romance and friendship. The start of his adventure could have been moved to the third book, and so on.

Don't have too many things happening at once. Make them obstacles for your MC, not the reader. You squish them all into a few short pages and things get kind of confusing, not to mention there was no real process. Things were too easy. Problems arose, and were solved almost as fast with no real problem solving techniques. Those are so important to your readers!

What did you think of this topic? Leave your comments below!

Monday, January 11, 2016

GTKM: 4...

Hello, all! I hope you had a good, restful weekend. Are you ready for the week? Yeah, me either.

Well, let's continue on with my Getting To Know Me posts. Maybe it's a bit of fun for you.

This week's question:

Who is the most intelligent person I know?

Well, I know a lot of intelligent people. And they all have like, intelligence specialties, if that makes any sense.

I have a lot of friends who are very knowledgeable about computers. I certainly don't have that kind of intelligence!

But one person, who is the most intelligent? I may have to go with my father-in-law. Just the stories I hear about him, and ones he's told himself, things he's created. I would never have thought of half of that stuff! My husband's side of the family has pretty high IQ's. I have a decent IQ number, but not like that.

My sister-in-law, Cheri (the other Chesley author!), she has some super intelligent children. They get very bored in school and have extremely good grades and pretty much know what they want to do with their lives. And they're not out of high school yet! It's crazy.

Yet, I can't pick just one. Oh, well.

How about you? Who is the most intelligent person you know?

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Writing Wednesday: History Repeats...

I'm sure you have all heard the phrase, "History repeats itself" more than once. I'm of the mind that history does, indeed repeat itself until we, as a whole, the human race, learn from our mistakes.

What does that have to do with writing? Well, if you are writing a series of stories, you will find you have to repeat yourself. Mainly to keep the reader focused on what is happening, overall, but also to remind them what happened in previous books. You give them a down and dirty refresher course, especially if they've put down the series for a bit and are picking it back up.

But those aren't the only reasons to repeat. Some story lines have repeating, or similar plots, for a lot of reasons. One being, the plot works. It might get boring and repetitive, but it is mirroring real life situations.

Let's be honest. The battle between Good vs. Evil doesn't end after one battle. Someone else will pick up the mantle on either side and the struggle will continue. It's never-ending. A lot of the time, it's a repetition of battles of past days.

A lot of people don't like repetition. Some do. I'm not a huge fan of it, quite frankly, I get irritated with an author who reminds me of what's going on, every other page. I started to read a series I had been collecting for a while, now. One I was really looking forward to reading. Each book would become available for free on my Kindle and I'd snatch the installment and hoard it away like a dragon clutching to his treasure. Finally, I had all the books in the series, and still, I put off reading it, afraid of disappointment.

I began reading the series and got to the third book before I was just fed up. I was being reminded constantly of what was happening, which dragged the movement of the story down to a slow crawl, yet everything that happened to the character, happened in a space of three days. A LOT happened! Enough happened to the Main Character, that this series could have taken each event and had a whole book for each event. But that's another topic for another time.

The repetition in the story, the reminders of what was happening, started to come across as nagging. ("Don't forget to take out the trash!")

Remind your readers, if you are writing a series, in the beginning of the book and move on. If something pops up that requires explanation of an older story, make it into dialogue to keep things rolling. As for repetitive plots? Write and repeat until your characters learn the lesson, hear the message of what their universe (you, the author) are trying to tell them.