Tag Archives: misc.

hm. very interesting.

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So, I was looking for something to blog about this morning. I’ll admit the blogging fodder has been a little lacking lately. I haven’t been inspired. Mainly because all I want to do is sleep. It’s the changing seasons, I’m sure. The weather is cool, the windows are open, the bed is calling.

I decided to go back and see what I was blogging about this time last year and the year before…you know, to see if my well of inspiration would fill back up. I discovered something about myself during my trip to past blogs…I am a cyclical dieter and exerciser.

Last week I jumped back onto the health wagon. I had done so well in the spring, but over the summer, I let it go. I stopped exercising, stopped eating right, stopped everything.

Guess what? According to my previous October blogs, every year at this time, I start back on program.

You know what else I found out? Remember the spider in my mailbox a few weeks ago? Well in Oxford in 2006, the very same thing happened to me, only it was a black freaking widow. I had blocked that memory until I reread my blog. Sigh.

This makes me wonder…do we just repeat ourselves year in and year out? Is life just one big cycle of events that we relive at different times in our lives? Or do I just blog about the same things because I have no imagination?

What do you think?

housekeeping…

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Yesterday was busy. I finished a proposal, finished some edits and finished chapter one of Love Sux! the follow-up story to Bite Me! By the time evening rolled around, my mind was knackered.

Today’s blog is some basic housekeeping. Mainly because my house is in major need of keeping and that’s what I plan to do.

  1. The comment issue has been fixed on my blog. Now you can go to the ‘permalink’ or directly from the RSS feed and comment. Big thanks to Chrissy and Fishdog for their work on fixing that mess.
  2. Kitteh (aka, Kristen Painter) has interviewed fashion model and author Carol Alt today over at Fictionistas. Get thee over there and read it. Then comment. There’s a book to be won here!
  3. Have you checked your facts today? Both campaigns stretch and distort the truth and sometimes they flat out lie. But FactCheck.org tells you what’s true. Which lies can you live with? Which truths are closer to your heart?
  4. I have been totally in a Staind mode this past weekend. Like to the point that I’ve memorized all of their songs on their Chapter V album. (Which is seriously the best album ever. Their song PLEASE gets to me in a big way.) Plus at least two of their songs are included on my playlist for three different stories. I heart Staind. I plan to buy their new album today. Illusion of Progress…
  5. Now that I think about it, every one of the books I’ve written has had a scene in it that was inspired by a Staind lyric. Maybe I should write them a letter.

Okay, that about sums up my housekeeping for the day. Perfect timing…since I’ve got to run the kids to school.

BTW: My kid is doing a fundraiser with Ugly Mug Coffee which you guys know I’ve touted and tweeted on several occasions. If you’re interested in helping us out and trying a great coffee, email me!

For your enjoyment, another song of the Chapter V album that I love. Couldn’t find a video for Please…

Find more videos like this on STAIND

hi I’m a writer…

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Okay, since my debut novel Bite Me! will be released next fall, I’ve been thinking a lot about Marketing. Since Fishdog is a marketing man (too bad he doesn’t work on Madison Ave. Then I could call him a Mad Man. *rowr*) we’ve tossed around ideas for a grassroots campaign and other ideas on how to reach YA readers.

It’s important to hit the mark with my audience. Like the Mac ads. Those hit the mark. They are a bucket of win and they make me laugh. They’re funny because they’re true. Take this one about Vista. (which is the reason I switched to Mac…)

I love these commercials. Actually, I spent most of this morning re-watching them. I know. I’m supposed to be working. Sorry. Here’s a link to 15 ads. 7 minutes of commercials that you pretty much can’t stop watching… Those folks at Apple know what they’re doing:

More Mac Ads

Which brings me to the new ads for Microsoft. Or what I like to call exactly what I don’t want to do when I’m marketing. Bore my audience to tears. I don’t get it. It’s not funny. Not even close. And aren’t they two years too late in responding to Apple?

Microsoft missed the mark in my opinion. Instead of spending money trying to ‘one up’ the Mac ads, they might should focus on trying to create a superior product. Because Vista sux ass. And btw, this is NOT the way to revive Jerry Seinfeld’s career.

And this brings me back round to my point. Marketing appropriately is important. And Microsoft? U R doing it rong.

begin rant

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Had to run to the store real quicklike tonight because we were out of beer needed a ream of paper and other assorted sundries.

USA Drug is about a half mile from the house and perfect for a quick errand.

Usually.

I load up my basket with my 6 items. I get in line. And I wait.

and wait.

The clerk seems a little slow (I don’t mean slow as in slow. I mean just not in a real big hurry.) But we finally get to the lady in front of me. She scans her 40 million items and the lady hands her coupons.

This is where my head nearly popped-the-fuck-off.

The clerk took each coupon and found the exact item in the bag before she would scan the coupon. The lady gave her at least 10 coupons. She had 5 bags full of shit.

It took the clerk another 10 minutes to scan the coupons. I wish I was kidding.

They did not open another line, so of course, by the time the clerk finished, there were at least 5 people in line behind me.

I nearly screamed at her. Instead, I tweeted. I felt amazingly better after that.

/end rant

stay tuned

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I’m cleaning today. It’s not pretty.

If things go right, tomorrow this blog will be pointing to the new website. Keep your fingers crossed.

Here’s a teaser for ya:

what you think? Are you intrigued?

thank you Chrissy for all your amazing and very fast work. You are a bucket of awesome.

i has a weird

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So we’re ‘home’ here in Oxford.

It’s so weird being here.

I really miss my kitchen. And my closet. I talked to my closet for a long time last night. Told her how much I missed her and how I was sorry we couldn’t take her with us. She understood, but isn’t happy about it.

Ian is mowing the lawn and Rader is just hanging out.

After lunch, I start working on my edits. Then I plan to go out for drinks and swim.

Everyone cross your fingers that we sell the house this weekend so I can continue to drink and feed my family. Those things are very important. I don’t wanna have to revert back to college where we are buying The Beast and eating Ramen 3 meals a day!

a Mel-O-Jumble

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So, I challenged some Divas to help me out this morning because I’m braindead and was having a hard time with a blog-topic. I asked them to shout out random words and I would create a blog from them.

Of course, Kristen Painter was the first to volunteer. She’s funny, that Kristen.

Her suggestion?
fig newtons

Well, let me tell ya, I can blog all day about the ooey yuckiness that is Fig Newton. (not a fan of the fig…but the Apple? Yum.)

Did you know that Fig Newton is a brand name? It’s trademarked by Nabisco. But, Fig Newton has become a bit like Kleenex. Yes it’s a brand name, but it has become the everyday word for ‘fig bar’ here in America.

Another bit of Fig Newton trivia: Paul Newman has a product called Fig Newmans. I found an interview with his daughter that explains how he convinced Nabisco to allow him to use the name:

Q: How did you ever convince Nabisco, the original owner of Fig Newtons, to let you use the name “Fig Newmans” for your fig bars?

A: My dad wrote a very sweet, short letter to the president of Nabisco that said, “My daughter’s got a great idea for a product. Could we sit down and talk about a small royalty deal? All the profits will go to charity.” And the guy just sent back a letter that said, “Dear Paul, I love what you’re doing, we’ll just say it’s a dollar a year, and I’d love to sit down and have a beer with you.” The legal department of Nabisco had a fit, but there was nothing they could do.

That’s good info, aye?

Another Diva, Vivienne Westlake, added stargaze lillies and hells bells to the list.

That’s an easy one:

Hell’s Bells! Stargazer lillies are beautiful, but their frangrance gives me a headache every time!

🙂

And that brings us to the end of today’s Mel-O-Jumble.

The Toe Report (like the Colbert Report only about the toe)

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Today we are better. The swelling has really gone down…but the color is really ugly. Dr. Weed (the most awesome doc ever. I’ve known him since 7th grade, he RAWKS) said that Rader shouldn’t lose his toenail, but after looking at it this morning, I’m not so sure.

He might be able to wear shoes by the weekend. I guess since he can’t play basketball, this means we can go to the lake… LOL

The Mel Report
I’m having a hard time with this back to work thing. I haven’t written anything since I started the job. I haven’t exercised either. I can’t seem to work that stuff into the new schedule because when I get off work, I swear all I do is run the kids around. You would think that leaving work at 1:00 would give me plenty of time to workout, write, and clean my stinky house. But no. I leave at 1:00, run home, pick up Ian, run him somewhere. Come back, to the house, take Rader somewhere else. Buy groceries or run other important errands. Cook dinner. Bitch about the state of my house. Pick up the boys and collapse in the couch to watch one of the reality shows I’m obsessed with. (don’t judge me.)

I made progress last night by opening my latest proposal and reading through it. So maybe I’ll be able to find my groove again. I think part of the problem is the family has adjusted to me being around all the time whereas before, when I got off work and sat at the computer, they would leave me alone. Now…not so much. Plus, the kids have to be driven places here, not like in Oxford where I could just give them $20 and say “Go to the square.” Or I could kick them out and say, “Find some friends and go to the park. Come back before dark.” We do have a park within walking distance here, but their friends are spread out…so it’s like coordinating a military coup. I don’t really miss Oxford, but I miss some aspects of it…like the kid thing and my friends (Hey guys! I know you’re reading this!)

Speaking of friends:
Seven of us are going to see Sex and the City again tomorrow night. Jealous? You totally should be. I can’t wait to see it again!!!