tornados and southern living

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I’m here. I’m here. No I don’t want to be. Last night I didn’t sleep well at all…and I’ve actually been checking the time since about 4 a.m. but I refused to get out of bed until 6:30 today. Painful.

I guess I should be grateful I have a bed at all. Tornadoes ripped through Arkansas on Tuesday night, then continued on through to Oxford, MS. Thankfully, nobody I know was injured, but sadly, AR suffered several deaths. I called to check on our house in Oxford, and it’s still standing. No trees or debris or anything.

Tornado season can be pretty scary, but I guess having grown up with them, I don’t really sweat them that much. I’ve only been truly scared as the sirens were going off a couple of times in my life. You can feel a difference in the air when it’s time to get scared. I generally don’t get worried until it gets really, really quiet. Or when the sky turns green. That’s some creepy shit.

Funny though, the thought of a hurricane or earthquake terrifies me. I know, it makes no sense. I guess it’s just what you grow up with.

The tornadoes ripped across the south and many homes and lives were lost. If you would like to help, here’s how.

morning people

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I’ve never been a morning person. As a matter of fact, I used to refer to those blasted folks (Fishdog)who rise from sleep all chipper and shit, as people who suffer from Morning Syndrome.

But as I’ve gotten older lately, I’m realizing I’m becoming one of those people.

I wake up before 6 a.m. every day. On my own. Before my alarm. And I’m awake-awake. Not just “my eyes are open” awake. And for those of you who don’t think “before 6” is early–go away. It is.

Knowing I have to get up in a half hour anyway, I usually just get out of bed. Sometimes I lay there and do some “serious thinking” about my book. (we don’t call it plotting, because what I do is the loosest form of plotting known to man.) This is where I came up with my brilliant new title for my brilliant new YA that I’m working on. I woke up, it was early, and the title just JUMPED into my head. I love it when that happens, though I hate having to get out of bed to act on it.

I wouldn’t mind being a morning person if the bed wasn’t so damn warm and comfortable. I hate leaving my snuggly cocoon, even if I am wide-freaking awake. And sweet Ruby is always burrowed against me and Fishdog’s feet are always keeping mine warm. But no. I must do what I must do. Motherhood calls. Breakfast must be fixed (today was waffles). Kids must be micromanaged (how many times did I tell Rader to brush his teeth today? Anyone care to guess?) The dogs must be fed and let outside. The cats must be worshipped. And the blog must be written.

See the sacrifices I make for you?

Tell me, are you a morning person on purpose? Have you always been? Or are you slowly becoming one as you get older ?

fat tuesday

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I think this is the most underrated holiday ever.

So, I’ve decided today should be a day off of work if you are 10 lbs overweight or more. Now I know 10 lbs doesn’t make you fat, but frankly, I’m trying to include as many people as I can in this holiday. I figure all women will be able to celebrate because, let’s face it, we all think we’re fat. Whether we are or not. Okay, and let’s be real, if you’re not 10 lbs overweight (we hate you) but you vow to devote your holiday to gaining weight, then you can celebrate as well. Everybody wins!

Think of the possibilities! I mean, FAT TUESDAY! A whole day devoted to gluttony. And sloth. A holiday for 2 of the seven deadly sins. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than that. Don’t just save this day for good Catholics…share the gluttony with the world!

Maybe we should petition the government to add Fat Tuesday to our list of Federal holidays. All of those in favor, say AYE!

the unveiling

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Fine. I’ll fess up. This is the one I chose.

This picture (#2 in the line up) was hands down my favorite of them all. I was honestly surprised at how many folks chose the serious looking hand-to-face shot. And though I liked the mug photo, it felt just a little bit too, “Maxwell House” to me.

So it came down to the two “Smiling” pics.

What really surprised me the most was that my favorite was the least favorite of the masses. As soon as I saw the picture, I knew it would be the one I would use. It just felt relaxed and warm and real. Some of the others just looked posed and I really didn’t want to go that route.

Anyway, as the lovely Terri Garey said, you better like the one you pick, because you’re stuck with it for a long time. So, I went with my gut and against the popular choice. But it sure was fun seeing what everyone said.

monday, monday

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Good Monday Mornin’ to ya!

What’s going on today? Well, I’m going to start working on a new YA story. It’s a great idea and I love the main character already. I used my trip home from Kansas City to brainstorm quite a bit and now I’m going to sit down and see if I can hammer out a chapter. Or two.

I have to tell you, I am completely shocked by the number of people who commented on my author photos post. Thank y’all so much. I am also completely shocked by how many of you guys chose the serious hand shot photo. It was totally my throw-away picture. I like it, but I am NEVER going to have a “hand shot-head shot” as my author photo. Those are soooooo overdone. And most times, they are so cheesy, my cholesterol goes up 50 points just looking at them. Aside from the fact that I don’t want a “hand shot-head shot” as my author photo–the picture is also too serious. I wanted something that is warm and fun. So I went with a smile. Deidre was right…I needed something less serious for my target audience.

This picture was probably my all time favorite, but it’s a little too dark and there’s a bit of a flash on my glasses, so it didn’t make it into the final countdown.

My weekend in KC was great, but I am glad to be home. I spent a lot of time with two of my best friends. We ate some great food, did some shopping, and drank a little bit too much. It was almost perfect.

For today’s entertainment, I’m posting my new favorite video. You totally need to watch it. Sarah Silverman is funny as shit…but so is Matt Damon. And if you love Matt Damon…you’ll love him even more after watching this. If you don’t love Matt Damon (what is wrong with you?) then you’ll at least have a newfound respect for him. This was my theme song for the weekend. It’s a very catchy tune. Seriously, watch the video. Totally worth it.