RWA’s National Conference is next week in Atlanta, GA.

I can’t wait.

This will be my 3rd conference and each year they get better and better. Not necessarily because of the workshops, though I do learn from most of them. I think the conferences get better each year because I am growing more as a writer. I know what’s important to me, I know how to milk every moment and apply it to my craft, and I get to meet and hang out with some fantastic people who have similar goals.

It’s a great feeling.

Frankly, if you don’t have a good time or learn anything at conference, it’s your own damn fault.

The conferences tend to be full of buzz and excitement and I can’t help but be revved up when I leave.

Here are some pics from Dallas 2004 , the first conference I attendedGina Black

Jen Breton, Me, Pam Trader, and Maria Geraci dressed and ready for the Golden Heart/Rita Ceremony

Sarah Schroeder, Me, Scott and his famous kilt, MJ Selle, Maria Geraci, Michele Young, Barb Ferrer aka Caridad Ferrer, and Gina Black

And last but not least, me and Maria.

RWA’s National Conference is next week in Atlanta, GA.

I can’t wait.

This will be my 3rd conference and each year they get better and better. Not necessarily because of the workshops, though I do learn from most of them. I think the conferences get better each year because I am growing more as a writer. I know what’s important to me, I know how to milk every moment and apply it to my craft, and I get to meet and hang out with some fantastic people who have similar goals.

It’s a great feeling.

Frankly, if you don’t have a good time or learn anything at conference, it’s your own damn fault.

The conferences tend to be full of buzz and excitement and I can’t help but be revved up when I leave.

Here are some pics from Dallas 2004 , the first conference I attendedGina Black

Jen Breton, Me, Pam Trader, and Maria Geraci dressed and ready for the Golden Heart/Rita Ceremony

Sarah Schroeder, Me, Scott and his famous kilt, MJ Selle, Maria Geraci, Michele Young, Barb Ferrer aka Caridad Ferrer, and Gina Black

And last but not least, me and Maria.

seriously.

I’ve had 1.5 hours of sleep. I’m dog tired. But, at the same time, I’m completely wound up. Still. It’s 8:40 pm, and I’ve not had a lick of sleep.

Of course, Fishdog managed to sleep just fine today. Why can men do that? Just pass out when they decide to?

I bet they lads had no trouble sleeping, either. Hmph.

I laid down for about 30 mins. this afternoon. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

That’s okay. I’ll take a couple of benadryl and force myself into a coma as soon as Fishdog gets home from softball.

Speaking of the lads, I heard from Grant. They drove through some ugly storms but made it to Daphne safe and sound. I’m sure that right now, he’s having a beer and settling in for a good night’s sleep. Here’s hoping the sandman doesn’t waste all his dust on the men tonight.

Yesterday started out with a sweltering hour and a half walk with the fishdog. It was awesome…except for the last 10 mins. I was half-past ready to be home by then. Yesterday’s walk was brought to you by the following cans: 3 Bud Light, 3 Coors Light, 2 Miller Highlife, 1 Keystone, 1 Budweiser, and 1 Miller Lite bottle.

We came home and I spoke with Grant and confirmed we’d come to Memphis for dinner, etc. I made my handy dandy prepaid reservation via Travelocity, got the confirmation, took a shower, and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean.

What a great movie. Wow. Loved it. Want to see it again. Gina was right, the music is phenomenal. (Yes, I know…it should be…but still…I’m amazed when I hear something so powerful and appropriate)

We take the kids to their friends’ house after the movie, go home, pack, and hit the road for Memphis. We made it there in great time. Things were looking good.

Until I walked into the hotel and tried to get my room. “I’m sorry, we have no record of your reservation and we’re overbooked. You’ll have to stay somewhere else tonight.”

Wrong answer.

I explained very clearly that I was sorry they had overbooked but that I had a reservation, a confirmation (which I showed him) and I would be staying at this hotel. I didn’t care if it was a closet with a cot in it…

Keith was my guy (thank all that’s holy) and he was so nice. His boss wasn’t(boo; hiss). I explained to Keith that I would stand at the reservation desk until they had a cancellation and then I would take that room. I sent Mark to the bar and I waited. I never once lost my head and I never said anything ugly or condescending. I hate it when people do that. I told them that I understood their circumstances but that I also knew that somebody would cancel and I wanted to be first in line for that room.

Keith smiled at me–a very sweet smile and he said, “Okay, ma’am, give me a moment.”

The lobby was full of people trying to check in. I watched as Keith offered them a free night at another hotel, just to free up some space. He managed to get 10 people to accept. He came back to me, took my slip of paper, entered my information and gave me a room at half price. I only paid $50 for the room.

The night was looking up.

We meet up with all the coaches and meet some new ones, grab our boys and take them to eat at The Butcher Shop. Mercy it was a good steak…though the lads were a little disappointed they didn’t offer Fries..only baked potato.

I realized after we got to the restaurant, I left my ID back at the hotel. Now, I may be 37 but I still get carded quite often. As a matter of fact, the reason I realized I’d left my ID was that I had ordered a pitcher of beer for dinner and our wonderful waitress, Edwina, carded me. (she really was wonderful. She put up with a lot of “banter” from the lads and she played along.)

We call Karl back at the hotel and ask him to please go to the front desk. I call the front desk and speak to my new best friend, Keith. I explain what happened and ask him to please give Karl a key to my room so he can grab my ID. Keith says no problem. He remembers me and will gladly help out. I hang up thinking problem solved.

Karl calls back and says that my new worst enemy, Keith’s boss, nixed the plan. I utter a few choice words because now we have to drive the 20 mins back to the hotel to fetch my ID.

It was okay because we really didn’t miss out on anything since Beale Street is open all night long. We go to Silky O’Sullivan’s first, and order this bucket of poison. It’s called “The Diver”, and it’s the most foul thing I’ve ever tasted. They mix this concoction of beer, some liquors and I think grenadine in a giant bucket and throw in about a dozen straws for the world to share. I tasted it for the story, then quickly ordered a beer.

We didn’t stay there long because it was quite dead and frankly, all the birds were too tall for the lads. Apparently they like their women a little on the shorter side of Amazon.

So, we headed down the street to Alfred’s. Now, that was a party.

We met up with some of the other coaches from the Oxford camp, Karl and Nizzy, as well as some of the new guys. We all danced non-stop until we left between 3:30 and 4:00. We picked up two extra lads (Capt’n and Luke; great guys, btw) since Fishdog was the Designated Driver and we had the mom-mobile. They were all starved so we took them straight to Steak and Shake where we had a late night/early morning snack. My vanilla malt rocked!

Finally, I got to sleep sometime between 5 and 6 this morning. I’m working on about 1 and a half hours of “kip” as the lads say. I haven’t done that in years.

Of course, throughout the night, the lads took every opportunity to remind me how young they were at certain times in my life. It was quite annoying…I have to say. I’m not really old enough to be Grant’s mom. Technically, I could be Si’s….but frankly, I don’t think of myself as old enough…so from now on, I’m going to think of myself as their older, wiser, and much better looking sister. 🙂

“C’mon mum, you love the banter,” they kept saying.

I thought so, until I became the subject of said banter. LOL (not true. I love the banter. All of it. Well most of it. Except for the untrue banter which they will never banter about again…)

It was great fun. We said goodbye this morning, all of us moving quite sluggishly. Grant will be near Mobile, AL this week and Si will be only 40 mins from us…so we’ll get to see him later on this week.

Now, I’m dead tired. I’m hitting the bed for some much needed rest. We rockstars need our kip, you know.

Yesterday started out with a sweltering hour and a half walk with the fishdog. It was awesome…except for the last 10 mins. I was half-past ready to be home by then. Yesterday’s walk was brought to you by the following cans: 3 Bud Light, 3 Coors Light, 2 Miller Highlife, 1 Keystone, 1 Budweiser, and 1 Miller Lite bottle.

We came home and I spoke with Grant and confirmed we’d come to Memphis for dinner, etc. I made my handy dandy prepaid reservation via Travelocity, got the confirmation, took a shower, and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean.

What a great movie. Wow. Loved it. Want to see it again. Gina was right, the music is phenomenal. (Yes, I know…it should be…but still…I’m amazed when I hear something so powerful and appropriate)

We take the kids to their friends’ house after the movie, go home, pack, and hit the road for Memphis. We made it there in great time. Things were looking good.

Until I walked into the hotel and tried to get my room. “I’m sorry, we have no record of your reservation and we’re overbooked. You’ll have to stay somewhere else tonight.”

Wrong answer.

I explained very clearly that I was sorry they had overbooked but that I had a reservation, a confirmation (which I showed him) and I would be staying at this hotel. I didn’t care if it was a closet with a cot in it…

Keith was my guy (thank all that’s holy) and he was so nice. His boss wasn’t(boo; hiss). I explained to Keith that I would stand at the reservation desk until they had a cancellation and then I would take that room. I sent Mark to the bar and I waited. I never once lost my head and I never said anything ugly or condescending. I hate it when people do that. I told them that I understood their circumstances but that I also knew that somebody would cancel and I wanted to be first in line for that room.

Keith smiled at me–a very sweet smile and he said, “Okay, ma’am, give me a moment.”

The lobby was full of people trying to check in. I watched as Keith offered them a free night at another hotel, just to free up some space. He managed to get 10 people to accept. He came back to me, took my slip of paper, entered my information and gave me a room at half price. I only paid $50 for the room.

The night was looking up.

We meet up with all the coaches and meet some new ones, grab our boys and take them to eat at The Butcher Shop. Mercy it was a good steak…though the lads were a little disappointed they didn’t offer Fries..only baked potato.

I realized after we got to the restaurant, I left my ID back at the hotel. Now, I may be 37 but I still get carded quite often. As a matter of fact, the reason I realized I’d left my ID was that I had ordered a pitcher of beer for dinner and our wonderful waitress, Edwina, carded me. (she really was wonderful. She put up with a lot of “banter” from the lads and she played along.)

We call Karl back at the hotel and ask him to please go to the front desk. I call the front desk and speak to my new best friend, Keith. I explain what happened and ask him to please give Karl a key to my room so he can grab my ID. Keith says no problem. He remembers me and will gladly help out. I hang up thinking problem solved.

Karl calls back and says that my new worst enemy, Keith’s boss, nixed the plan. I utter a few choice words because now we have to drive the 20 mins back to the hotel to fetch my ID.

It was okay because we really didn’t miss out on anything since Beale Street is open all night long. We go to Silky O’Sullivan’s first, and order this bucket of poison. It’s called “The Diver”, and it’s the most foul thing I’ve ever tasted. They mix this concoction of beer, some liquors and I think grenadine in a giant bucket and throw in about a dozen straws for the world to share. I tasted it for the story, then quickly ordered a beer.

We didn’t stay there long because it was quite dead and frankly, all the birds were too tall for the lads. Apparently they like their women a little on the shorter side of Amazon.

So, we headed down the street to Alfred’s. Now, that was a party.

We met up with some of the other coaches from the Oxford camp, Karl and Nizzy, as well as some of the new guys. We all danced non-stop until we left between 3:30 and 4:00. We picked up two extra lads (Capt’n and Luke; great guys, btw) since Fishdog was the Designated Driver and we had the mom-mobile. They were all starved so we took them straight to Steak and Shake where we had a late night/early morning snack. My vanilla malt rocked!

Finally, I got to sleep sometime between 5 and 6 this morning. I’m working on about 1 and a half hours of “kip” as the lads say. I haven’t done that in years.

Of course, throughout the night, the lads took every opportunity to remind me how young they were at certain times in my life. It was quite annoying…I have to say. I’m not really old enough to be Grant’s mom. Technically, I could be Si’s….but frankly, I don’t think of myself as old enough…so from now on, I’m going to think of myself as their older, wiser, and much better looking sister. 🙂

“C’mon mum, you love the banter,” they kept saying.

I thought so, until I became the subject of said banter. LOL (not true. I love the banter. All of it. Well most of it. Except for the untrue banter which they will never banter about again…)

It was great fun. We said goodbye this morning, all of us moving quite sluggishly. Grant will be near Mobile, AL this week and Si will be only 40 mins from us…so we’ll get to see him later on this week.

Now, I’m dead tired. I’m hitting the bed for some much needed rest. We rockstars need our kip, you know.

It’s 8:45 am and I have big plans today.

Will go walking in fifteen minutes. I didn’t walk yesterday morning so I should have last night, but the heavy heat of summer is finally upon us and I just really didn’t feel like cutting through the humidity for a walk.

We’re finally going to see Pirates of the Caribbean today at 1:00. I can’t wait! I love me some Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Hell, I love me some Keira Knightly. She’s a babe. And the movie will be chock full of accents and since I’m currently in need of an accent fix, I’ll take it.

Both boys have plans with friends tonight. Mark and I are planning to go to Memphis for dinner with the lads and we might *gasp* spend the night! If it doesn’t work out with the lads, we may just go anyway. We don’t get to Memphis much, even tho it’s only an hour away–so since we’re childless for the evening, I’m thinking that we should go no matter what.

Now, I’m off to walk. When I get back, I’m going to write. Then to the movies. Then to Memphis. You wish you were me, don’t ya? Go on, admit it. It’s okay. Sometimes I have to pinch myself just to make sure I’m real. LOL

It’s 8:45 am and I have big plans today.

Will go walking in fifteen minutes. I didn’t walk yesterday morning so I should have last night, but the heavy heat of summer is finally upon us and I just really didn’t feel like cutting through the humidity for a walk.

We’re finally going to see Pirates of the Caribbean today at 1:00. I can’t wait! I love me some Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Hell, I love me some Keira Knightly. She’s a babe. And the movie will be chock full of accents and since I’m currently in need of an accent fix, I’ll take it.

Both boys have plans with friends tonight. Mark and I are planning to go to Memphis for dinner with the lads and we might *gasp* spend the night! If it doesn’t work out with the lads, we may just go anyway. We don’t get to Memphis much, even tho it’s only an hour away–so since we’re childless for the evening, I’m thinking that we should go no matter what.

Now, I’m off to walk. When I get back, I’m going to write. Then to the movies. Then to Memphis. You wish you were me, don’t ya? Go on, admit it. It’s okay. Sometimes I have to pinch myself just to make sure I’m real. LOL

Appetizer
Name one thing nice that you could do for someone else today.

I could do the laundry tonight for Fishdog. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

Soup
When was the last time you were frightened by the weather?

During Katrina. Fishdog was out of town and the lights went out. The wind howled like I’d never heard it and I truly expected to be taken to Oz.

Salad
What would you say is the most useful website or blog that you visit?

RWA Online Chapter, of course.

Main Course
Who was your favorite singer/group when you were a child?

Depends on what time during my childhood. When I was little, it was The Jackson 5. In Middle School, it was Air Supply. In Jr. High, it was Prince. In High School–I’m not really sure. Probably Van Halen. Maybe not, though. I still loved Prince. In college, any band with long hair and make up.

Dessert
Do you have any rituals? If so, what are they?

Hmmm. Well, when I played sports, I was very superstitious. When we were on a winning streak, I wore the same underwear, the same socks, (clean, of course!)my hair the same way and ate the same meal before each game. If we lost, I’d switch up for the next game…

But, nowadays, I’m pretty ritual free.

The Weekend

So, the lads will be back in Memphis tomorrow night. If things work out, we’re going to drive up and have dinner with them. Maybe go out afterwards. If that doesn’t work out, we’ll go see Pirates of the Caribbean. Or maybe we’ll do both.

Either way, I need to hear an accent. Soon. I love it when Grant calls me, but sometimes, I don’t catch everything he says. It could be a bad connection or it could be that he talks so bloody fast that it sounds like a foreign language sometimes. LOL! Si and I have messaged a couple of times but no real live conversations. So, if we can’t see the lads tomorrow, we’ll go see Johnny Depp and that will take care of my fix.

Gonna write this weekend and see if I can pound out another chapter.

Hang loose y’all!

Appetizer
Name one thing nice that you could do for someone else today.

I could do the laundry tonight for Fishdog. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

Soup
When was the last time you were frightened by the weather?

During Katrina. Fishdog was out of town and the lights went out. The wind howled like I’d never heard it and I truly expected to be taken to Oz.

Salad
What would you say is the most useful website or blog that you visit?

RWA Online Chapter, of course.

Main Course
Who was your favorite singer/group when you were a child?

Depends on what time during my childhood. When I was little, it was The Jackson 5. In Middle School, it was Air Supply. In Jr. High, it was Prince. In High School–I’m not really sure. Probably Van Halen. Maybe not, though. I still loved Prince. In college, any band with long hair and make up.

Dessert
Do you have any rituals? If so, what are they?

Hmmm. Well, when I played sports, I was very superstitious. When we were on a winning streak, I wore the same underwear, the same socks, (clean, of course!)my hair the same way and ate the same meal before each game. If we lost, I’d switch up for the next game…

But, nowadays, I’m pretty ritual free.

The Weekend

So, the lads will be back in Memphis tomorrow night. If things work out, we’re going to drive up and have dinner with them. Maybe go out afterwards. If that doesn’t work out, we’ll go see Pirates of the Caribbean. Or maybe we’ll do both.

Either way, I need to hear an accent. Soon. I love it when Grant calls me, but sometimes, I don’t catch everything he says. It could be a bad connection or it could be that he talks so bloody fast that it sounds like a foreign language sometimes. LOL! Si and I have messaged a couple of times but no real live conversations. So, if we can’t see the lads tomorrow, we’ll go see Johnny Depp and that will take care of my fix.

Gonna write this weekend and see if I can pound out another chapter.

Hang loose y’all!

Mmmmmm. Now that’s a beer.

So, tonight the gang played softball. It wasn’t quite the same without the lads. My Mexican Wave of 1 pretty much was lost on the crowd. Plus, my fake accent of “hit it!” and “catch that” pretty much sucked.

But, our team won. It was a great game for us…we were vying for third from the bottom…so tonight’s win was very important. We’re the best of the worst!

We went out to celebrate. We tossed a few back and threw a few darts. I thought I was at my maximum when I turned around to discover I had a whole ‘nother beer to drink. Bevan took it upon himself to put me one over. Thanks, Bev. You’re a peach. I’m not so young anymore. I can’t just party all night then get up at the buttcrack of dawn and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed like I used to.

So, I’m one over right now, but still managing to type just fine. The Black & Tans were fab, the game was great, and Fishdog hit 2 homeruns. So life is good. The only thing missing from tonight? The lads.