the power (ballad) of love

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(if you’re reading this on FB, you’ll have to go to my website to see the videos…if that’s what you’re into…)

Some days a girl just needs to rock out with her heart out. (oh, I know what y’all were thinking I was gonna say there. But seriously. This is a family blog. *snort* yup, I said that. Out loud.) Anyway, some days are power ballad days: and today is one of them.

It started this morning when Def Leppard’s LOVE BITES came on the radio. (Really, can’t everything be blamed on Def Leppard one way or another? Or is that just me?)

How can you hear that song and not feel their pain? Heart wrenching. Or at least it was way back when. Music is kinda like a time machine though, isn’t it? Or at least it’s like a Way Back Machine. I’m not sure music has transported me anywhere into the future yet, but it definitely always takes me back.

So I got to thinking (yes, that’s what that burning smell was. I carry a fire extinguisher with me at all times just in case I happen to have more than one thought at a time) what were some of my favorite power ballads from way back when?

There’s Ozzy and Lita Ford CLOSE MY EYES FOREVER

Skid Row I REMEMBER YOU (a personal fave)

Poison EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN

Dokken ALONE AGAIN

Cinderella DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT TIL IT’S GONE

Guns -n- Roses NOVEMBER RAIN

I’m sure I missed several, but these are the ones that always pull me back to my angsty late teens/early twenties when the world was going to end if that boy didn’t love me like I loved him.

Did I miss your fave power ballad? Or were you power ballad ignorant til this educational post?

manic mondays

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I’m interviewing my friend and fabulous Ghost Huntress author Marley Gibson over at Fictionistas today. Pop by and comment for your chance to win a copy of book 2 in the series, Ghost Huntress: The Guidance.

This weekend, we had fabulous, fall-like weather here in the Rock. Very unusual, but very welcomed. I honestly don’t remember an August with such cool weather.

So Saturday morning I was interviewed on Daybreak (which is a local, very popular news show). I’m working on getting a copy of the interview to post here and on my Facebook fan page.

I really enjoyed the experience. I wasn’t nervous like I thought I would be. I think the laid back, casual atmosphere in the studio helped that alot. Todd Yakoubian and Jason Pederson were both very fun, funny, and helped set me at ease. My only concerns were that 1: they would say something funny that would make me snort on air (I’m a snorter, you know) 2: they would ask me a question and the first thing out of my mouth would’ve been something um, inappropriate.

Neither happened, so it’s all good.

I’ve received tons of glowing feedback from family and friends, which means they love me unconditionally and know better than to tell me the truth.

I watched the interview once and haven’t been able to watch it again. I want to fix the way I answered a couple of questions, I want to stop talking with my hands, I want to actually look at the camera once and not the TV (sheesh, what a n00b) and I want to lose about 45 more lbs….

Yeah, I know. I’m my own worst critic.

Hopefully I’ll have a copy of the interview soon and you guys can decide for yourself.

Thanks to Jessica Childs for contacting me and to KATV, Jason Pederson, Todd Yakoubian and the very funny camera guys for treating me like a Hollywood super-star. Y’all rocked!

Also interviewed on the same day was Big Brothers and Big Sisters Auction and RazorRock

Pop by the auction and bid on something. the proceeds go to a very worthy cause! And pop by RazorRock and learn what it’s like to be a Little Rock Razorback Fan!

Woo Pig Sooie!

Mel on TV

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Tomorrow morning, I will be interviewed on KATV’s show Daybreak. It’ll air early–in the 7:00 hour; they think around 7:10. So if you’re in Arkansas, set your dvr (if you’re not awake) and watch me make a fool of myself in my first ever television interview.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

10 things I’m into right now

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Here are 10 things I’m into right now:

  1. Royal Pains, Leverage, and Raising the Bar: These are summer shows that have totally taken me in. Leverage and Raising the Bar are TNT shows; Royal Pains is USA
  2. Dresses/Skirts: Not sure when I became a ‘girl’ but I’m totally into skirts/dresses right now.
  3. Girl’s Night Out: My girls make me laugh and help me get through bad weeks.
  4. Country Music: Um, I really don’t know how this happened.
  5. Flip Flops: I love them. Will probably wear them in the winter. I need to move to the beach.
  6. Four Leaf Clovers: I found well over 100 this summer.
  7. Tattoos: Okay, I’ve always been into them, but since I got mine this year, that love has grown. I want another one so badly…
  8. Cowboys: Must have something to do with the country music thing. I dunno. But damn, I love me some cowboys.
  9. Guacamole: mmmmmmm
  10. Exercise: I do this so I can eat guacamole.

What are you into right now?

BTW: This song/video/guy MIGHT be the reason I’m into cowboys and country music right now…

40 things to at 40: an update

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  1. Run a 10K (I ran a 5K) Not sure if I’m going to run a 10K or not because I’ve discovered, I really don’t like running. But I do like walking, so maybe that’s the way to go.
  2. Train for and run a half-marathon. This is still a plan though I will be WALKING the half instead of running.
  3. Get a tattoo. Done and I love it!
  4. Visit a place I’ve never been before While in Florida, I climbed a lighthouse at Ponce Inlet. Had never been there, or even seen a lighthouse in person, so that counts….right?
  5. Get waxed Done and again, loved it!
  6. Meet with a financial planner
  7. See a professional (insert sport (preferably football) here) game
  8. See Staind in concert Oh yes I did.
  9. See Springsteen in concert Not looking good. Still have hope though.
  10. Lose 2 sizes I’m definitely down 2 sizes and still losing.
  11. Buy myself a nice piece of jewelry I bought myself a beautiful garnet ring while in DC.
  12. Get a passport Not yet, but soon!
  13. Visit NY Sigh, this isn’t going to happen like I had hoped. Not yet anyway.
  14. Skinny dip in the ocean
  15. Go deep sea fishing
  16. Teach my son how to drive a stick
  17. Take a shot (or 2) of Patron Yup.
  18. Take an unplanned road trip
  19. Take up SLR photography again
  20. Write a short story or novella
  21. Go camping in the mountains
  22. Plant a new gardenia bush
  23. Steal a summer kiss at sunset
  24. Take a winter vacation somewhere snowy
  25. Face time with each of my out-of-state friends this is a work in progress but I’m doing pretty well for me.
  26. Try at least 1 type of new (to me) food
  27. Go golfing or LEARN to golf
  28. Write a letter Letter writing is not as easy as you think it would be
  29. Have a book launch party 😀 and it was a kick ass party tyvm
  30. Grow my hair out for 1 year definitely still working on it.
  31. Find a Flamingo Pez dispenser or convince Pez to make one. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEZ THAT THEY DON’T MAKE A FLAMINGO PEZ DISPENSER
  32. Schedule speaking events at schools in the fall
  33. Buy AND WEAR the Star Trek Bustierre
  34. Go to a Razorback football game (haven’t been to one in 2 or 3 years)
  35. Ride a motorcycle (I’ll gladly ride bitch, I’m not ready to learn to drive one yet…)
  36. Finish this list (for Marcus) Still working on finishing the list.

I think I’ve made a pretty good dent in my list, don’t you? I’ve got til March to finish this badboy up. I know there are a few things that probably won’t happen, but hey, a girl’s gotta try!

What do y’all think? Any ideas for the last few things I could try?

getting ready

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I’m not sure what’s up here lately, but fall has definitely been in the air here in The Rock. And that’s just not right for August in Arkansas. Usually, it’s 110 degrees with 120% humidity right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not complaining. I’ve really enjoyed sleeping with the windows open and the cool mornings on my back porch with my cup of coffee. It’s been very nice.

And it’s also making me VERY ready for football.

Now I know y’all all know I love me some soccer. Both my boys play, and seriously, the grown up soccer players are just fun to look at. This is a soccer household no question.

However, I’m a football girl at heart. Especially college, though I love to watch high school as well and will watch professional, but I think of most of them as spoiled rotten overpaid babies who have stopped playing for the love of the game. Plus why hasn’t Matt Jones been picked up yet? I’m seriously bent out of shape about that. He was one of my favorite Razorbacks…

I’ve decided I’m going to some games this year, come hell or high water. I talked about it last year, but never really made it to any. Sure I love to watch them on TV, but there’s nothing better than being in the stadium…Have you heard a Hog Call live? It will bring you chills.
Click here to listen…then pretend you’re in a filled stadium and hearing it live.

and just for fun, here’s my favorite Arkansas fight song…performed by Shirley Q. Liquor.
“The Razorbackses is up in here, YES LAWD!”

Woo Pig Sooie!

K*I*S*S*I*N*G

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I’m talking about my first kiss ever over at Fictionistas today. Pop by and check it out.

Kissing can be good (very good), bad (very bad), and sometimes it can be downright ugly. And yes, even very ugly.

This is a story about a downright (very) ugly kisser. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

I was in 8th grade and in love with a boy named Conan*. Conan was everything I thought I wanted in a boy. He was funny, handsome, tall, athletic and did I mention handsome? I wanted me some Conan like I wanted the newest pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.

A mutual friend of ours was having a party and it was going to be my first boy-girl party. (shut up. things were different back then.) Unfortunately, my mother decided to chaperone said party as well, but that’s a different part of this story and one that will remain locked in the vault.

That night, I decided to try to look like a girl. I wore my hair down (it was always in a hat or a ponytail), put on makeup (according to mom my eyes looked like spiders from an Alfred Hitchcock movie) and even wore a shirt without a sports logo on it. See? I could totally be a girl.

Conan noticed me and we flirted and slow-danced all night. Finally, the moment had come and it was time for Conan to kiss me. (I believe it was a Lionel Richie song that was playing)

He didn’t so much kiss me as he did eat my face.

And his tongue? It wasn’t so much as touching mine as it was filling my mouth. I’m pretty sure I was chewing on it, in hopes to survive without choking to death.

It was the biggest let down ever. A dude with so much potential, a dude I had crushed on for several months, a dude who couldn’t kiss worth a damn.

I was shocked and of course, completely disappointed. But Conan was everything I wanted except for the kissing part. Maybe I could help him improve? I tried that night several times but unfortunately, his tongue kept getting bigger. I found myself wondering how he kept that thing inside his mouth.

So here’s my question, can a bad kisser be retrained? Or do two bad kissers just wind up together because nobody else wants them?

*not O’ Brien 🙂

I’d like to thank the acadamy…

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My pal Kait Nolan nominated my little blog for a Kreativ Award. I like this being nominated and stuff… Pop over to Kait’s blog aptly titled Shadow and Fang where you will find her waxing poetic about anything from writing about werewolves to recipes.

Now I’m honored to be nominated and despite my irritation with the spelling of Kreativ, I will gladly participate. (I have an issue with Ks used as Cs…Like Klassic Kuts. Ugh. really? would you want to get your hair cut there? /end rant)

Here are the rules for the award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. (see below)

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

7 Things People Might Find Interesting About Me:

  1. I’ve taken the Myers-Briggs personality test multiple hundreds of times and the answer always comes up the same: ENFP
  2. I have a tendency toward being slightly oppositional. I become a dog with a bone when I’m told I can’t do something. It can be a little scary at times.
  3. I’m very impulsive and unorganized (see ENFP above)but the majority of my good friends are practical and uber organized. I guess we balance each other out pretty well.
  4. I’m owned by a black pug named Ruby.
  5. My dream car is a 1968 or 1969 Camaro SS Convertible. (preferably canary yellow with black racing stripes down the hood or powder blue. Or black. Okay, any color is fine.)
  6. Two of my favorite animals are birds: Flamingos and Pelicans (shhh. don’t tell Ruby)
  7. I still remember the first poem I wrote. I was in 2nd grade and it was “published” in my school’s literary magazine:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a gate
Humpty Dumpty went on a date
Humpty Dumpty let out a holler
“Let’s go to the pizza parlor!”

Yes, I rhymed holler with parlor. Obviously my wordsmithing skillz are very sharp.

My nominations for the Kreativ Award are as follows:

  1. Maria Geraci
  2. Louisa Edwards
  3. Marilyn Brant
  4. Kwana Jackson
  5. Stinkydog
  6. Karma Laundrette
  7. HelloHaHaNarf! (Midnight Cliff)

movie moments

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Can movie moments happen in real life?

You know, like when Mark Darcy marches out of Bridget’s apartment and she thinks things are over…that he’s totally pissed because he saw her journal, but really all he’s doing is buying her a new one for a fresh start? And of course, she runs after him, (in her underwear in the snow) desperate to stop him, desperate to explain…but there’s no explanation necessary. And then they kiss. and Wow what a kiss.

Or when Johnny shows up at the final show after being fired, walks over to Baby’s table and admonishes the dad, “Nobody puts baby in a corner.” And then they dance and everyone knows it’s true love.

Or like in What Happens in Vegas when they get the divorce and he knows it was the wrong thing, he figures out where she is and goes after her and asks her if she would like to be married to him again. On one knee, on the beach with a lighthouse in the background…man what a moment.

Or this famous Crash Davis speech that makes every woman I know swoon:

Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman’s back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.

We all love a good movie moment, but do they happen in real life? We daydream about the person of our dreams surprising us in a way that will make us melt, but how often does that really happen? Is it realistic to believe in real life movie moments? Have you ever had one?

And what are some of your fave movie moments?