acceptable behavior

Michael Phelps eh

2008-08-16T00:04:00.002-04:00

Does anyone else have Olympic overload? I didn't think it could happen but there it is.

Of course I could be alone out there. I am the only person I know who can only watch 2 maybe 3 seasons of a tv show before getting bored.

Yark.

2008-08-11T22:36:00.008-04:00

Yark. While deadlines make me work faster, I think the new one I have set for myself is going to kill me. I have decided that I am going to finish the next draft of my book by 10/28. I do realize it still need editing after that, but I want to be done. Why 10/28 you ask?

Well 3 things, I am going away for a scrapbooking weekend with Crystal that weekend, and I want to be done before that date. Why before the big weekend? When I get back it will be the beginning of November.

Whats the beginning of November have to do with anything you ask? Well you guys are very inquisitive tonight. Well November is the NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. Where I will write a novel in a month. Thats crazy you say? Well I won last year and I plan to do it again this year. And I don't think I can do it with 'Repeat' hanging over me.

So my goal is to finish it right before the weekend, so I can have some down time, before I start that crazy schedule again. (I will tell you about last year some other time) I have done my spread sheet and it looks like I have to do about a chapter a week. And I am freaked out. Honestly I don't know why it's freaking me out so much, especially since I initally wrote the whole thing in a month. That averages out about 4 chapters a week. (I had to take some time out for work stuff, so I missed a week)

But I have my spreadsheet so I should be fine. So long as no one wants to see me for 3 months. I have already told work that I was not going to be working any more overtime either. Yark.

That was only 2 reasons you say? Right. Thanks for reminding me. November 2 I turn 30. 30. I need to start showing more progress. I have given myself 2 more years. 2 years to show any progress.

Its go time. Now leave me alone, I'm watching what will have to be my last night of Olympics.

Michael Phelps rocks!

Book-a-rific!

2008-08-10T20:48:00.011-04:00

I got tons of free books (the official count for the end of the week was 80). I love the book signings. This is my chance to find out what's being published. But the best part is to give genre's I don't generally read a chance. I have an inspirational (I do have to say they have great titles) and a young adult. I read the inspirational in the airport, it was Wanted by Shelley Shepard Gray. I have to admit I enjoyed it and will probably pick up the next book in the series, or even another inspirational author.

I met some of my favorite authors, perhaps you may have heard of them? A Ms. Nora Roberts (I got her new book Tribute in hardcover signed. I can't wait to read it.) and a Ms. Jayne Ann Krentz. Yes, THE Nora Roberts. I waited in long lines (see pic) and got lots of free books. yay.
Jayne Ann Krentz, I waited for her too. She just signed a book for my friend Aimee.
A few more people recognized me from the conference last year, and I met up with Liza Palmer again. She is still just as cool.

Thursday night Laurie and Shoshi had their party for the From the Heart Chapter. So I was on my own for dinner. I decided to take my first foray over to the food court. There were so many choices! Not only did I have to figure out where I was going to eat, I had to figure out how. I ended up Lurking a place called Coriander, an Indian place. Finally I noticed a woman with a RWA badge on entering the line. I figured if she could do it so could I, plus I might be able to chat her up and find someone to eat with. Dude. It totally worked.

Her name was Marie Harte, and she writes erotica, she was a very nice lady, and introduced me to her very nice friends Cat and Teri. They were just normal regular ladies. I could see them totally fitting in with me and my friends. I hope we keep in touch. After we ate dinner, we went back to the hotel, they took me to the room they shared, gave me free books, and then we went to the midnight bazar. I bought a t-shirt.

We then went to the very loud bar and talked tv.Where is the picture of Nora and I you ask? (Which is the best picture I have taken in a really long time) Well, Ms Greedies, if I give up all the good stuff now, there will be noting to make you listen to my tales later. (If you think my updates gets you out of listening to me when I get back, boy are you in for a surprise)

Can you all tell I've had a Mango Mohito tonight? Shoshi, Laurie, and Shane (the wonderful bringer of Diet Cokes) went to a Mexican Resturant. Yumm.
Smooches from SF
Stephanie

Workshop Shuffle

2008-08-09T22:00:00.005-04:00

Here is the email I sent out on Thursday:

Good lord. For those of you keeping track, I am still alive. And so far head cold free. Now are the times where the days start blending together.

Yesterday was the kick off for the conference, the literacy signing. This year there were over 520 authors signing. Today we found out that we earned over 54,000 for the CA literacy group. Go us. Of course since I was volunteering as a cashier (time to put all my years in retail to work) I am painfully aware how busy we were. After scaring the crap out of us with warnings of mean people demanding free things, the coordinators put us to work. I was sat next to a woman who was very cranky and then proceeded to explain all the horrible things going on in her life making her so cranky. yay. Anyway by the end of the night I was horse from shouting, "I can help someone down at this register!" (thank you Zeb's) and "Would you like to round up for literacy? Literacy. To help people who can't read? It's a good cause, just do it." I had one woman who told me she was told all the books were going to be half off the cover price. I was all like, nope, as a matter of fact, I'm going to ask you for even more money. Would you like to round up for literacy?

After the signing was the clean up and the party for my chapter. Now there are actually people who recognize me and say hello to me in the hallways. Today I met up with Megan Crane at Starbucks (don't worry about me, I am still able to get my daily fix here!) She is one of the authors I hung out with at the conference last year. Of course me being the terrible person I am, never kept in contact with any of them. She recognized me and came over to say hello!! And she realized I had grown my hair out.

The workshops started today and everyone is impressed by how freakishly prepared I am with my conference binder. The rooms are smaller in this hotel for the workshops, so I didn't get into the first round of workshops. Damn my need to pee! We have all quickly learned the workshop sprint. Here's how it goes: Once in a work shop, only unpack the bare essentials. Its best if you don't even take out any paper, write on your hand if you find it absolutely necessary to take notes. About half way through, put pen away, and close purse. As soon as the moderator asks for questions, jump from your seat and run for the stairs. Only amateurs wait to take the elevator. Once you reach the new room, the previous session will still be in progress-- burst in anyway, pick out the weakest attendee, and stare them down until they give up their seat.

I haven't made any new friends yet. I am stalking this one girl who is very friendly and we keep bumping into each other. She doesn't know it yet, but we are going to be friends. Best of friends. Or Else.

Alright I have to go. I need to strategize my day tomorrow. Figure out the exact floor plan, memorize where the stairwells are... Also, the free book signings start tomorrow. Requests? Otherwise I am going to to go with everything I can get my hands on.

Who am I kidding? I'll probably do that anyway.

Stephanie

Here are some pics:

This is from the Ferry building that I went to with Shoshi and Laurie. We got amazing sandwiches and ate it outside. This was one of the few sunny warm days.

This is the display at Bloomingdales. There is this huge fancy mall right by the hotel. Laurie and I were killing time while Shoshi got her hair done. We picked up these fruit tarts (mine was lemon) and it was incredible. I bought it as SF version of a grocery store. They also have this really fancy food court. Yeah I ate there multiple times. But I will get into that in another post.

Opening Games

2008-08-08T22:57:00.004-04:00

Just to break into my vacation reporting...

I love the Summer Olympics. And no, its not because of the Mens swim teams.

Well not completely because of the mens swim teams...

This however, is my first year watching the opening night. What is up with all the hats? USA is all pimped out in its white golf hats. I also have to laugh whenever the cameras pan into the President and the first lady. You'd think they would know the cameras could be on them at any time and would at least act like they are interested. One time when the cameras panned over, both of them were looking at their watches.

There are dozens of countries that have never won any metals. Ever. That is dedication.

Did anyone else know that table tennis is an Olympic game? Isn't that ping pong?

Okay, right now there is a guy marching around in fur cape. Check it out, New Zealand.

Seriously though, I always get hooked on the summer olympics. It makes the goober in me want to cry. All those people, working so hard, so proud of themselves and their countries. Everyone is there for a common goal, no one is booed, everyone is cheered, even the teams from countries you've never even heard of, that have like 4 members total. You know that this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to them.

Did anyone see the little boy who walked next to the guy holding the Chinese flag? He is this little boy who was in the big earthquake. He was in school when it happened and he was able to get himself out, and then went back to help his classmates out. When he was asked later why he stayed, he said that he was a class leader, it was his job to lead the class.

Am I the only one who watches the Olympics with a tissue?

Besides how much fun is it to say Pieter Van Den Hoogenband?

How much fun is it to look at Pieter Van Den Hoogenband?

As a matter of fact after all the tissues, I think we deserve a picture of Pieter Van Den Hoogenband.

Soak it in ladies:

From the Land of Women.

2008-08-07T23:56:00.015-04:00

RWA has descended upon the hotel, and it is women as far as the eye can see. Or the ears can hear.

I thought I walked a lot yesterday. Yesterday was nothing. I spit on yesterday. Today I walked everywhere.

It was a weird day. I took a taxi from my original hotel to the Conference hotel. Due to the earliness of the time, I was able to get a double double room. Considering the fact I had never met my roommate before before, I really did not want to share a bed with her, so yay.

I was wandering around and thought I would see if I could help with and bumped into some women who were talking about the conference, after chatting them up, I found out that it was the president of RWA Sherry Lewis While we were waiting for the office people to come back, Sherry invited us to her room. She had a Suite at the top of the hotel. It had a sitting room, dining room, and an balcony (a big one) with amazing views of the downtown area. Was I so uncouth that I asked to go out there and take pictures? Who do you think your talking to?

While getting lost, I found myself in the natural territory of the gays, The Castro.

Then I went to Golden Gate park, (seriously? So not worth it, nothing like central park) I missed the Bison collection, but I did see the Japanese gardens ($4 to get in).

After that I got lost and ended up in Haight Ashbury. Groovy.

Here are some random picks:

Bambi, you're the devil. (Enlarge to check out just how freaky he is)

Seriously, check out the nipples on this statue-

Lots of Love, and believe it or not, I do miss you all!

Notes from SF

2008-08-07T23:18:00.009-04:00

Hello From the Road,

Today was another very long walky day and I am very proud of the blisters I have to show for it. My original plan for today was to go to the golden gate park, but then I realized it was Monday and the museums were not open today. Instead I decided to take the tour to Muir woods and Sausalito (who knew it wasn't just a cookie?) The tour was at 2 so I went down to embarkadero via the bart, and visited the ferry. After walking around there, I hopped a cable car and traveled back to the warf to catch the bus. It seems like the warf is a big whole that keeps sucking me in. I grabbed a lunch of chowder in a sourdough roll. Yum.

The bus took us over the golden gate bridge. Muir Woods (redwoods) was beautiful, very serene. These trees are magnificent, and I live in a national forest, so I know trees. I met a mother and daughter from Australia on the tour and we wandered around Sausalito together, eating this amazing Hawaiian ice cream. Black cherry cordial. Yum. It was beautiful and sunny in Sausalito, from our side of the water we could see the SF skyline, it was covered in mist, kind of creepy.

When we got back from the tour, my new friends and I went to a lovely place to eat in the italy section, where we bumped into a large group of men, women and babies in red dresses running down the street. Later I found out they were a drinking group with a running problem. After, the warf sucked me back in again and I went to Ghiradellis for an icecream sundae. I ate it as I stood in line for the trolley. Get this-- I rode back to my hotel, hanging onto the side of the trolley. Did I get video you ask? Why yes I did!

Tomorrow I head to my new hotel, and probably to the Golden Gate Park, and if I know SF--- probably the warf.

Stephanie

Good old fashioned Porn

2008-08-06T22:56:00.014-04:00

Greetings and Salutations,

I am ready to come home now. jk.

I finally got to my hotel room at about 5am our time. Yark

Plane ride was great! I went the the automatic check in and noticed that I could change my seating arragngement, so instead of sitting in the middle of 2 people, I got a window seat on the last row. Then my guy moved to another row and I got the whole thing to myself. I officially love JetBlue.

My first day I road the trolley down to the warf, I picked up my first souvi from one of the local street people. No not street people as in the shaking cup at you kind, but one of those street vendors. In SF there seems to be three types of street vendors, scenic photographs, weird knitted hats, and beaded whatnots, bead necklaces, earrings, ect. Anyway my I bought a pic from one of the photograph people, it was of the Muir Woods.

Down at the warf I checked out the submarine they had on display. Believe it or not it is the same submarine they filmed one of my guilty pleasure movies, Down Periscope on.

Then I checked out the mechanical museum, where they display all the things that used to entertain us before video games. I actually really enjoyed it. They even had the pre playboy porn on display. Who was the perv who recorded it? yes that would be me. If I have played my cards right i will be able to figure out how to load it here.

At the end of the day I went home via limo, a smelly sweaty limo. Only in SF I guess.

Every day I have to work up my nerve to leave my cozy hotel room. I don't feel comfortable without a plan, without a guide. I try to remember I am a loud proud woman and I have nothing to be nervious about, but of course you all know me. But eventually I gather, my maps, my money, camera and nerve, and step outside the door.

Go Me!
Here are some more random pics from my first day out...

So there was a guy behind this "bush", he would jump out and scare people, and then they would pay him. One kid tried to sneak up and scare him. Here is what he said, " Kid , there ain't nothing scary about a white guy behind a bush. Unless you're Dick Cheney"

Mmm Sourdough

Hells yeah, I walked up this hell, I mean hill.
Crookedest Street

I'm a bad, bad girl.

2008-08-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

I have been appropriately shame-ed. A year has passed, I just came home from this years conference, where I met up with the lovely Megan Crane. She mentioned me in her blog and linked to this blog. This very empty blog. Bad Girl. And the funny thing is I write these long drawn out emails to my friends, so there is no reason why I haven't. I'm just a bad, bad girl. So for now I am going to load up my emails.

Enjoy!

Its a Small Small World

2007-08-08T23:21:00.000-04:00

One of the weirdest things happened to me while I was at Nationals. Really weird. Weirder than me chillin' with famous people.

There are over 9000 members of the RWA, there was over 2000 members at nationals. In the entire time I was there I didn't meet a single person from New England, let alone New Hampshire.

Enter my stalker. During the Warner 5Spot, Avon(?) and a couple of other publisher book signings I was standing in a line having the ususal conversation (see previous blog). I saw this girl, standing a few people back, reading Conversatioins with the Fat Girl. I of course told her I thought it was wonderful and went back to my conversation. When it came around to my turn and I said NH, I heard from the back of the group, "No way, what part?" Low and behold it was the girl with Liza's book. I said, "It's a little town called North Conway." Her mouth dropped and she told me that she was moving to Conway in a month. Not only was she moving to Conway but she was also moving to the street I grew up on.

WTF?

That wasn't the last time I bumped into her either. I went to the dinner match up and who was there? I was looking for a place to eat breakfast the next morning and who was sitting there? I was leaving for the airport (sick as a dog) hopped into the front seat of a shuttle that was about to leave and who was sitting behind me? Ooooo. Spooky.

What are the chances?

Anyway, she seems like a really nice lady, and I think it might be good to have another writer so close. Can we say kick in the pants? We have already met up to see the new HP movie. We had one of those cool conversations about authors and books we have (or haven't) enjoyed.

This is a picure of our group at the dinner meet up. Yumm!

RWA members so nice they could be a Disney Ride

2007-08-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

Conference rehash Part Deuce

I believe I mentioned how worried I was about not knowing anyone and the fact I was worried that I wouldn't speak to anyone the entire time I was there.

I am happy to announce that this is not the case.

It started right from the very beginning. After my tussle with the front desk lady I met my first conference ladies at the elevators (actually this is where I met a lot of people at the elevators due to the excessive time spent waiting for the down elevators) Everyone was sooo nice! Always asking how are you doing, are you having a good time, and when I got my first timer flag on my name badge, they would asked how my first time was going.

And this wasn't just us wannabe writers (not that there is anything wrong with being a wannabe writer). Authors I've read before were totally nice to me too. Here were some of my favorites: Karen Rose, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Samantha Graves, and Liza Palmer. There was this one time where I was sitting around a coffee shop table with Liza Palmer, Megan Crane, Michelle Rowan, and Jane Porter. It was a major pinch me moment. If I wasn't afraid of being too much of a geek, I would have gotten a picture, but once invited to the cool kids table, I was afraid of setting myself apart.

Anytime you were standing in a line we could look over to the person next to us and start up a conversation. We were all there for the same reason, we go there knowing you had something in common with the person next to us.

Of course we would have the same conversation over and over again. This is how almost every conversation went:
What's your name?
Where are you from?
What do you write?
You could mix up the order but that was the gist everything.

On my very first night, I went out to one of the hotel restaurants and waited in a really long line just to get to the line, to give them my name. I started talking to the ladies behind me, (actually I inserted myself into their conversation) when it got to be my turn and I told the hostess, "just one." The ladies behind me said "Oh no, you should join us!" and they meant it. I had a very nice evening with them talking about books. At the end of the dinner, we even shared a dessert.

It was actually weird to come home and 1 not have everyone wearing name tags and 2. not be interested in chatting.

I already can't wait for next year!

I'm a naughty, naughty girl.

2007-08-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged for a while. Honestly I haven't written anything of worth for a while either. I thought I'd come back from Nationals raring to go. This has not been the case. Actually I think I might be moving backwards. I will sit there in front of the keyboard and I'm like a kid with ADD high on pixie stix.

I have decided that I need to purchase a new computer. Perhaps I will leave my bad writing Karma here. (Either way it's a pretty sweet computer) But then I think, do I really deserve a new computer?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

2007-07-21T20:40:00.000-04:00

I know it was poofy from the humidity of TEXAS, but after looking at my pictures from last weekend, I have realized that my new haircut has this weird mushroom look to it.

Crap.

On a Stick.

Nationalies

2007-07-18T18:03:00.000-04:00

While I languish here with the killer headcold I developed at the RWA Conference I thought I would let y'all know how fricken cool this weekend was. Let me just put it this way, you remember all the goals I was hoping to achieve? (See previous post) Well I accomplished everyone and have the photographic evidence to prove it.

Meet Samantha Graves? CheckSuper nice lady, who seemed just as excited to meet me a loyal listener of the podcast. (Or maybe in all my excitement I just made her nervous, and she just wanted to shoo me along.) Either way, I got a copy of her new book Sight Unseen. She also took what had to be a very unflattering photo of me doing my "I curse you Lani Diane Rich for getting me hooked on bubbleshooter!"-face. Anyway I was the first one to mention Will Write for Wine and received the prize of the Coaster with the logo printed on it.

I met up with some Smart Bitches over Diet Cokes in the bar, where we proceeded to have the loudest most inappropriate conversations about male genitalia, sexual perversions, and The Office.

I listened to Michael Hauge speak. He was of course amazing... and of course I bought the 6 hour video, I am nothing if not a sucker for a good upsell.

I came home with (not kidding) about 50lbs worth of free books. If I were to add them up, I do believe that I have gotten back the conference fee in free books.
Other Highlights:

I met Sherrilyn Kenyon She is super nice. She is also one of those ladies one would speak of there in hushed, awestruck tones. (You know in the same realm as Nora or SEP)There was a huge line to get her autograph at the signing. I didn't see her there (not a big fan of lines) but I had a stroke of luck at one of the publisher signings. I was wandering about just as she was about to sit down for another signing and was able to get into the beginning of the line. Even then I waited quite a while. But it was totally worth it, she was SO nice, and funny, and pretty.... (I will stop now)

My Bed. The Hyatts food might have sucked, we might have had to wait for the down elevators for too long, the coffee shop's hot chocolate might be the worst swill imaginable, but the bed was uber comfortable

Okay that is all for now. I've decided to save some for additional posts. (actually it's now night time here and the dreaded nighttime tickle cough has arrived and I'm having a little trouble staying focused) Upcoming posts include, RWA members so nice they could be a Disney Ride, Stalking my new BFF Liza Palmer, It's a Small, Small Word, and How I am like Kathy Griffin.

Bye

OMGWTF!

2007-07-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

It has been one of these days, weeks, and months. I am soo stressed at work right now. Its one of those times that I now dread going in. I actually have a dread feeling in the pit during my days off, knowing that I have to go back. Blech. We are just going through one of those times where almost every single person has a problem. Almost every single call is some unhappy customer looking for someone to vent their anger and frustration at. I am honestly not sure how much longer I can keep up this pace.

Who am I kidding? The other businesses in the area where I live cannot support me in the manor to which I have become accustomed.

Blech.

I am almost ready for the conference. I have been shopping like a storm. I believe that I have all the apparel I need. I have been looking into the all the authors who are going to be at the Literacy Signing. Here are the people who I am most excited to meet:
Samantha Graves I haven't read anything she's written but she is 1/2 of the awesome Will Write for Wine Ladies. (I am actually writing this while I wait for the new episode to be posted to itunes.) She writes romantic suspense under the name Samantha Graves and Futuristics under the pen name C.J. Barry.
Liza Palmer She wrote Conversations with the Fat Girl. I loved this book, not only is it on my keeper shelf but reread it all the time.
Heather Osbourn She was a publisher with Elloras Cave last year and she was on a panel for a workshop called "Pillow Talk: Hint, it's not porn". She was so funny.
Michael Hauge He teaches screenwriting. I listened to his workshop from last year and he teaches storytelling, character arcs, ect. One of my favorites last year and he is teaching two different ones this year.

What do they want from me?

2007-06-26T00:19:00.000-04:00

I am so tired my eyes are starting to cross, characters are starting to talk to me. I have decided that my book actually starts earlier than previously intended, so I have been up adding a couple of scenes. These are actually going pretty well. It is so funny how you go into a project knowing something, saying okay this is what the books about, I'm not sure about all the details but this is what the core of the book is. Then you work on it for a little while, finding out what works, what doesn't. In that time one, just one, of your core facts change, and it's like knitting when you should have purled. What seems like a little mistake, continues on in your project, getting bigger and bigger, until you just can't ignore it anymore. Then you must make a decision, rip out all the work you've already put into it, or you can adjust your pattern. Okay that might not be very clear, but it's after 12, pity metaphors left me a while ago.

Lay off. And that goes for the people in my head, as I am going to go to bed now.

Introducing...

2007-06-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

I was lurking around Dogs and Goddesses and I found the coolest thing. They did a layout of all the characters of the book they are working on. I had already collected a bunch of pictures as its actually really helpful. Looking around for photos you clear in your head who the character is by eliminating who the character isn't. You know or it could be a huge delaying tactic as it took me forever to do this. Big shout out to Mary Ann who suggested Power Point. Anyway the characters are coming together really well. Now I am going to go and figure out how to put this picture on my computer as my wall paper. Oh yeah and WRITE while I am so excited.

The Sky is Falling!

2007-06-22T23:16:00.000-04:00

Good lord. I was away from work for 2 days and the world fell in. Now don't misunderstand me, I am no overlord, it probably would have caved in whether I was there or not. The last two days I have put in so many hours my butt is numb from sitting at the computer all day. Not generally a bad thing, but then when I come home and I am faced with my own computer... Needless to say not much is getting done.

Something good, something good... Lets see, oh yes this weeks episode of Will Write for Wine just came out. This is the little treat I have for my car ride in tomorrow. They are discussing Chocolat, which I have to say I didn't really enjoy. Kate was all, watch it you'll love it, I know you. I was able to say after all that "You don't know me at all", which didn't faze her any. The only redeeming quality of the movie was the Johnny Depp character. And not because I drool over JD. His was a really interesting character. I hear his next movie is Sweeney Todd. Somehow that suits him.

Ooo something else I love, I am really enjoying The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas on sundays on my ride home from work they are playing on my local radio station. I went online and they offer a couple of free downloads. At this moment I am listening to Ring a Ding Girl. Check them out

Anyway I can't spend one more moment in front of the computer, so I am off!

Thats what Authors do

2007-06-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

It's official, I'm an author. And I have the business card to prove it:

Now I just have to get published. You know or finish something. I have a lot to do to to live up to my business card. Isn't it pretty!?

Why would an unpublished writer (not that there's anything wrong with that) have a business card you ask? I am going to my very first writers conference! It is the Romance Writers of America (of which my the ink on my membership card isn't even dry yet) National conference, which is taking place in Dallas. I am SO excited about it. And I am going by myself so I am wicked nervous as well.

Of course I am not a member of any local chapter, so I really won't know anyone. And to be perfectly honest I am not the outgoing type (at least when I don't know anyone). That was okay at first because I am really there to take the workshops anyway. But then I realized how much 'free' time we were given. I am totally going to be that girl in the corner who finds her drink very fascinating. They say this is a great time to go meet people. You know, go up to a table at lunch and ask if the empty chair is taken. Of course if it were me, when I ask if I can sit, the table will be full of very popular published authors, and they will be like "Umm... No. This is the popular kids table?" THEN they will be all offended that I didn't know who they were. (right because people can recognize authors. Show me a picture of your cover and then I'll know who you are) Already I am making enemy's and they don't even know me yet.

The dress code is business casual. Of course business casual for one state is not necessarily business casual for another. In NH business casual means khaki or even jeans and a nice top. So I am packing for everything. I went shopping with Amy this week and apparently I am going to be skirt girl. Even though I didn't know what business casual was, I was sure what it wasn't. I told Amy, I need my clothes to convey a particular message. I need people to look at from my spot in the corner, and say "Look at that lady in the corner, the one with what must be a really interesting drink, her clothes are telling me she is a really interesting and unique person. I feel compelled to go over and introduce myself" Can you do that with a $200 budget?

Oh and get this, there is a full on formal night, which believe it or not I already had a dress for.

Anywhoo, I am not shopping anything, which I think is a good thing. I can go experience this without an agenda, learn a lot, and scope everything out. My big goal is to meet some interesting people and to hopefully come out of this energized with a great critique group.

You know 'cause that's what authors do.

BRB

2007-06-16T15:51:00.000-04:00

'Allo Guvnah'

I now have external conflict for my character! I thought it was cool when the internal conflict fell into place. I knew what the external conflict is for the hero, but that doesn't really work for her. I didn't think it was such a big thing, until I was reading He Wrote She Wrote.

If there is anyone out there trying to write anything (fictional) should definitely check it out. Much worth the time.

Anywhoo, I am house sitting for the next couple of days without an Internet connection. So bad for you because I won't be posting anything but good for my writing because I won't have any of those web distractions.

Unfortunately they do have movie channels which get me every time.
Dang.

Gift with Purchase

2007-06-14T00:05:00.000-04:00

Reading through my previous blogs, I found that I had already mentioned the jobbie. Here is a gift to you: Hottie Mchothot.

Yeah I am not ashamed to admit my hero is patterned after Mr. Hot, really who can blame me?

What've I been doing you ask? Causing trouble. See below:

2007-06-13T23:16:00.000-04:00

Holla Chicas! Wow I didn't realize how long it had been since I had done this. Okay that is a total lie. I am a bad bad person. I am hanging my head here. Okay that's a lie too. If I hang my head down I will miss the crazy shit going down on the new season of Top Chef.

I have updated my links, check 'em out.

There has been a lot of changes here. The biggest one is that I have officially admitted I am a reality show junkie. Top Chef, Project Runway, Americas Next Top Model, the list goes on and on.

Lets see what else is new? Oh Yeah my job. Not only do I have a new job but I am now lower to middle management. I am now the sales manager of an internet company. While it is great to be working at a place that not only do they think great things of me but I also get to use my brain. (The money doesn't hurt either) Of course the downside is my job is so stressful it makes my blood pressure go up 20 points.

Lets see I am now an official member of the RWA, thats the Romance Writers of America for all you schlubs out there who didn't know. I am even going to the National Conference. Wahoo! I won't talk too much about it here because I am sure I will bore you all with it later.

Anyway this is just a quick post to reintroduce myself.

Hello.

Buckets

2006-08-04T18:39:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the night! Necked locals. Well it will be a nice change gfom my boxes and bags, boxes and bags, boxes and bags. The painting will come next. It's looking like I have to paint every wall in this house. Concidering the fact that I live in a condo that's 3 stories. I'm sure that whatever time I have gained so far will be sucked up then.

Ring, Ring

2006-08-01T23:10:00.000-04:00

I am so tired my eyelids feel like they are sticking to my eyeballs. It would be just my luck to be packing up the whole house during a heatwave. Of course it doesn't help that I am doing it alone and I am so stressed out about work. I don't know if I am going to be able to do this. It is one thing to deal with pissed off people every now and then but now it is my responcibility to deal with each and every one of those people. And its not just little things either, little things other people can handle it by themselves-- I get the truly, messed up, pissed off people. Right now I am dealing with one lady, who, even though it is my days off, I am stressing about. I also know that I tend to blow things up in my mind. I mean really, its not as though this lady can come through the phone at me. She will yell at me and I will take it and we will move on. However I must say that I do love saying that I am the manager. Besides what will I do? Go back to Zebs? I don't think so, this is just Stephanie becomes a better person part 7. Personal Growth is not easy.

I think that I am going to go and get something to eat. There is still alot of time- alot of things to do before I have to go to bed.

Alright end on a good note, end on a good note, hmm....

hmmm....

Lovley Things

2006-07-31T15:14:00.000-04:00

I swear I haven't forsaken you, between my hinky internet conection and moving I have been crazy.

Two of my new favorite things,
NCIS- Kate bought the first season on DVD, it's great

Black Garbage Bags. Not just for trash anymore, no boxes? No problem, just use a trashbag. (just make sure not to mix up the piles)

On Wednesday C and I traveled over an hour to go to Cinamagic. Let me tell you it is magical. I saw the Lady in the Water, we had stadium seating all to our selves. Woa!
Next Thursday I am going to see a local production of the Full Monty. Naked locals, should make for an memorable evening.

PS since I wrote this I have to add that another one of my new favorite things is Amy, she and her brother Josh have been incredibly helpful in this whole crazy moving process.

Gots ta Go- I'm home on my lunch break!
SAK

THe other shoe

2006-07-23T22:55:00.000-04:00

Now there is even more things going on right now!

Guess what? I am now a manager! Not only do I have a new job that I love, employers that think I am the shit, but now I have the power to go crazy. I am dizzy with power. Bwa-haha! No just kidding, I am more nervious than anything. I just tell myself that it is just like Zebs except now I have to actually fire people. Actually the thing that makes me more nervious is the fact that if they don't like the job that I am doing, they will take it back. I totally wouldn't be able to work there anymore.

I was talking to Cand K the other day and I still cant believe all the weirdly wonderfull things that keep happening to me in the last few months. Since I have cleared out the oppressive things that have loomed over me, it has been nothing but good times, difficult yes but I think it it has been- grossly put- a real growth time for me.

I am await the other shoe.

For now POWER POWER POWER

hurry hurry

2006-07-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

Yea Project Runway! Yea My Life on the D List! I have had so many things happen to me in the last week I can hardly keep up. First up? I am moving. I am moving to the boonie house. We will be moving by the end of next month. At the moment it is still exciting but I am sure that will wear quickly. Now I am in the process of hoeing out 7 years of crap. And I am a pack rat of the highest order. This means that there will be no more piles. I will sort, pack, and mostly throw out everything. Of course by the end I will probably toss everything into a box, which will sit until I move again. I've got to go before I get kicked off again.
SAK

Flashing Bald Spots of Insperation

2006-07-09T20:35:00.000-04:00

THE SECRET IS OUT!
I am actually being a very good girl right now. I am hard at work on my very first novel. Well lets hope that it will be a novel when it is done. It is one of my goals to finish a novel and I decided that there is no time like the present. I have made a pact with myself that I will finish it by my birthday. You heard it here folks. 11/02/06. I will be finished (a rough draft of course) 11/2/06. Of course I will immediately burn it to a cindiery ash.

I write 3 hours a day everyday, with a hopeful goal of 10 pages per day. Of course that is assuming that the stupid Microsoft program. Also I am reading Steven King's On Writing. I'm finding it very helpful.

Oh my god, I am watching the Fishbowl on amazon.com. There is a interview with Kevin Smith on and there was a shot of the back of his head and he totally has this huge bald spot. I can't believe that he is still playing Silent Bob with a bald spot. The people of my generation are already starting to show signs of wear and tear-- its all down hill from here on out folks.

Alright it is just about 9 so I have to go, you know everyday that I write it gets just a little bit easier. Yesterday I even had this huge bolt of inspiration hit me. A whole plot line figured itself out. Just as Steven King predicted, spooky.

Rise Up!

2006-07-07T23:34:00.000-04:00

damn microsoft with their errors, their error reports let us know what happened to better help you in the future. Fuck the future man, where are my 5 pages you ate tonight? Blah blah blah save as you go everyone says. I say forget that, how about you make a GD program that is not crap! STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID. That is all because now I have to go and rewrite those pages so I can move onto those other 5 before I can go to bed. If I am tired and pissy tomorow at work I am going to kick Microsoft's ass!

Charlie lets go to the candy mountain!

2006-07-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

This is the fuckingist funny thing that I have scene in a long time. Check it out right now. Click on the link that says watch movie.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/280260

Ode to Lifetime movies

2006-07-06T22:28:00.000-04:00

Lifetime Movies how do I love thee, let me count the ways. Oh how there is nothing like a Lifetime movie that cam pick up a girls spirits. There is nothing like a good plucky girl in trouble story, it'll suck me in everytime. There is a formula one must follow to be a really good Lifetime Movie, here I will try to break it down for you:

1. It must star a once famous actress for who this is their last stop before infomercial and those where are they now shows. Now on frequent rotation that girl from Facts of Life, the mom from Family Ties, and that anorexic girl from that tv show with Kirk Cameron. Right now a surprising addition is that crazy one who was Ellens girlfriend.

2. Someone must be in peril. Either they have a bad relationship where they are being cheated on, beaten, or otherwise milined, they have to be sick-- real sick, cancer preferably, or their lives must generally be in danger by being abandoned, kidnapping, becoming a prostitute, or by murder. A really good show has any combination of these.

3. Someone a person loves is in peril, see above and they turn amateur detective to find out who done them wrong.

4. There must at some point be an empationed speach.

5. The title generally includes "based on a true story" or "inspired by real life events"

6. The man gets it in the end, it doesn't matter how, it just has to happen.

Here are some of my top favorites:
'Caught in the act"where the girls husband cheats on her she learns to become a private eye to catch him in the act and then her friend is killed by her husband and she investigates that and catches him (see rule 2 and 3),

That one with Sabrina the Teenaged witch's boat sinks at sea, and they have to wait for someone to find them while only her and the other romantic lead survive. Its called something like two left or something

The Betty Broadrick story where the crazy woman shoots her husband,

that one where Farah Focett shoots her kids "Small Sacrifices"

Ooh and that one with Yasmine Bleeth where she is married to that guy who ends up being a con man and shoots his best friend's daughter in law and steals the grandchild-- gives it to Yasmine as an adopted child and she had to investigate him. Love that one.

That one where that girl from Charmed plays a girl who after her birthday cheats on her, she makes him kill the other girl to prove his love to her. And that other one the Charmed girl is in where her mom is being beaten.

I could go on and on. Actually I already have. In conclusion, I heard that Lifetime is changing the format of their station and this is my plea: Less Golden Girls more Lifetime Movies!

Sincerely,
Stephanie

KNUMB

2006-07-01T00:08:00.000-04:00

butt.is.numb. brain.is.numb. and I keep wanting to spell numb with a K. I think it is time to go to bed.

Knighty.Knight
SAK

Lake-Schmake

2006-06-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight was my friends and my weekly night out. We try to see each other once a week every week usually on wednesdays. We became friends after working together at Zebs. Generally you are not able to translate work friends to actual friends but C and I managed it. However we found that if we left our meetings to chance we never saw each other. So wednesdays became our thing.

Tonight we saw The Lake House. Can I say--who didn't see that bus coming? Also the whole movie I was like why doesn't she just google him? You can find anyone on the internet nowadays. At the end of the movie I looked over and both C and Kate (yes she was able to drag herself away from her homework for the evening) both had the tears. Not so much with me. Don't get me wrong I was sad but for another reason. I was going to write a whole blog about it but as I was catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs and I found one that Liza Palmer wrote in her Conversations With the Fat Girl blog. If you are reading this go there now. It is justs what I was going to write, just done better. Do we really set us up for a fall with all of the books and movies that we see nowadays? Who can match up with the ideals that are built up over the years?

Oh yeah and what happened to the dog? Did it die? Was it the one casualty of the time loop or whatever?

Anyway if you need me you can catch me standing out by the mailbox. Right after I buy one.
SAK

Painful things

2006-06-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

I am actually writing! It is still pretty painfull but not as much as this would be. (Thank you Viggo) Just a quick post tonight because I have written 10 pages and my fingers feel like they are vibrating. I can't wait for tomorrow to write some more. But tonight Monarch of the Glen!

I just wanted to take this time to tell Kate that I don't hate her for moving. You have to do what will make you happy and eventually I will support you of course but right now I am just feeling very sad. We both knew that we couldn't live together forever like we planned when we were kids because --well we are not kids anymore. That doesnt mean that I relish that this day has come, I will miss you sooooooo much! And I know that we don't say it enough but I love you bunches.

Big Love and Bigger Peace
SAK

Ach ye bonnie lass

2006-06-25T20:21:00.000-04:00

Okay- I spent the entire evening watching episodes of Monarch of the Glen. The whole night. When I finished one disk I just went out side and grabbed the next one from my car. That crazy clan! I wonder if I could get a job easier in Scotland than I can in Ireland. Right now the Highlands are looking pretty good to me. One of the items from my life list is to live abroad for a year. Could you imagine it? None of my friends have ever done that before. Talk of throwing oneself out of ones element.

Every day I feel like I need to get moving on this list. I feel that every day is just slipping from my hands like water. Days are slipping to months, which then slip to years. I am helpless to stop it. I have a lot of grandeious ideas on my list and yes I do chip off a couple each year but it is just not fast enough for me. How does one even begin to pack up your life and move to a new place. The ties that hold me here grow stronger- well they feel stronger anyway. When you make a list of it the only things that are holding me here is my job and my few close friends. I am not in contact with any of my family, I am perenally not in a relationship, and I have no idea where I am going to live in about 2 months. My friends have there own lives that I feel like I can’t horn in on. I can’t expect others to base their life on me and I wouldn’t want them to. (okay who wouldn’t want that.) I am just saying that my friends are not sitting around making decisions with me as a deciding factor.

If I knew what was best for me I would take the opportunity of Kate leaving to make a run for it myself. I mean god-damnit already grow up!

Okay once again that was very maudlin. End on a good note- Things that I have accomplished from my list
1. I have been to Ireland
2. I have signed up to be on the bone marrow registary
3. I have learned to scuba dive.
4. Plans have begun for Italy07

Soon I will have scene all of the Monarch of the Glens and I will be able to get back to my life. Perhaps for Halloween this year I will be a bonnie lass. Did I mention that Hottie McHotHot is Scottish?
Luba-Luba,
SAK

in-sper-a-tion!

2006-06-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day, a very good day. It was one of those days where you find a bag of the good cookies hidden away. Okay so that may have been the only thing that was good today but it was the really good ones--I'm talking Pepperidge Farms Soft Baked Dark Chocolate Chunk. You don't get any better than that. I looked on the other side of one of the couches and poof there they were. Almost a whole bag--yum.

It was so busy at my job today that we had trouble keeping up. Those days are fun, the hustle bustle, the willy nilly, the hurley burley. Okay now I am just high on Nantucket Cookies.

Also my writing drive came back! I thought it was gone forever, that perhaps it had left me because I was doing nothing with it other than writing notes on orders at the store. My insperation said 'hey you- you suck! I'm leaving you for the death metal band next door.' I am going to eat dinner and try my hand at some writing tonight. Of course this may just be because Netflix sent me the wrong disk and I have nothing to watch tonight. I am refusing to watch tv.

Wish me wit, creativity, and nimble fingers.
(And more cookies because I have already polished off my bag)
SAK

Bad Moon On the Rise

2006-06-22T23:36:00.000-04:00

I am sad. Bad things are on there way, I can feel it in my bones. Summer is never a good time for me. Last summer was a horrible. I think that this one has the potential to be even worse. I should have known when I went to my financial planner brimming with personal and civic pride only to be shot down by a young man sporting a dry erase marker and smiley faces. Smiley faces and frown faces. Not kidding. When he started to 'explain' mutual funds by saying that when they go up we're happy (insert smiley face here), but then sometimes they can go down which makes us unhappy (insert frowney face here). I don't know if he was doing it because I looked stupid, like I had never taken an economics class in my life, or if he did it because I am a woman and math is to difficult for little ol' me. I really hope that its just because I was stupid. I hate it when people think that I can't do things just because I am a woman. I think that I will keep looking for someone else to keep my business.

The worst is on its way. I will fill in later. I ran out of time. Work was crazy busy, not just with orders but every call was someone with a big problem. Today is Thursday, usually those days are just on Monday and Friday.

Wa Wa Wa... must. write. something. cheery. I love this artist. I have never seen one in person but I look forward to the day that I do. I later I will talk more about Parkeharrison.

Oo- and another good thing! I finally got my email a settled ireland05@adelphia.net also I found that I am able to go to the adelphia web site on other computers and check my email... wahoo!

Batton down the hatches- stormy weather ahead!
SAK

Adult Behavior

2006-06-21T14:26:00.000-04:00

Man I am beat, I have had a sinus headache for what feels like one week. It has been so humid here that the air just feels like it is pressing down on me. You can feel it slam into you as soon as you walk out a door.

Tomorrow I am planning the rest of my life--my financial life that is. I am talking with a financial planner at my friends bank. I don’t know whether I am feeling proud that I am being a responsible adult or depressed that I am now a responsible adult. All I know is that I don’t want to be one of those really people who are eighty and have to work full time to survive. Maybe this will give me the same feeling that voting does. If you don’t know that feeling one your stupid especially if you’re a woman and two go out and vote. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big election, local, state, secret society, there is nothing quite like the feeling that voting give you.

VOTE! PLAN FOR THE FUTURE! HELP OLD PEOPLE ACROSS THE STREET! RECYCLE!
(okay strike the old people one, they give me the hebie-gebies)

Big Love and a Big Mac
Stephanie

Ahoy there! Crappy movie ahead!

2006-06-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

What's the Upside of Anger? I am guessing more anger. Could she was angry because her movie was so stupid. I haven't felt this angry at a movie that in a very long time. I am talking The Hours angry people. Now there was two hours of my life that I will never get back. There should be a warning on these movies. You know just a heads up that says "hey crappy movie with no plot, where everyone obseses about how unhappy they are ahead." Just a suggestion.

On the upside it was Kates netflix so I didn't have to waste one of mine on a bad one. My netflix is another that Donna recommended Monarch of the Glen. I am hooked.

Oh well I popped in a new movie to try to clear off the depression of the last one. Mirror Mask. I have scene it before. It is very innovative, I definatly reccomend it.

he-he!

2006-06-16T22:47:00.000-04:00

All right I admit it-I spent the rest of the evening watching National Treasure. Did anyone really expect anything else?

Card Carrying FOGS

2006-06-15T21:21:00.000-04:00

For all of you in the know I have added on a new link to on this site. The first blog that I ever read was Zack Braff's FOGS (Friends of Garden State) blog. Anyway he has now moved over to his own website now and it looks really good. If you ever want a real laugh check out the old one. It was written while he was finishing GS and all through the publicity tours for it. He is one witty guy. I always enjoyed reasons it because it would make me laugh the things that he came up with. How does someone think like that, I wonder? That is the sort of personality that I strive to have-to mixed results.

I don't know if you guys saw Garden State or not but if you haven't I reccomend you put down your computer and quickly make your way to the nearest video store. I rented it one night and the very next day I bought both the movie and the soundtrack. To this day year later I still listen to the soundtrack at least a couple of times a week. It is on permenant rotation on my ipod. I would watch the movie more often, but I lent it to a friend who- if she doesn't return it soon will become a frienemy.

This movie just speaks to me, the lonliness, the anger that he feels, the belief that there should be something more to our lives than what we allow ourselves to experience. Do you get angrey at the people around you for how your life has turned out or do you get angrey at yourself for allowing things to happen to you while your just along for the ride?
This is the only life that I have and I want to be happy.

It is scarry when you realize that because then you have to figure out where do I go from here? I think that the thing that I love most about Garden State is that it ends on that very question, it is not wrapped up in a happy little bow like most movies are nowadays. Where do we go from here? Who knows.

Viva La Video!

2006-06-14T00:23:00.000-04:00

My local video store is going out of business and I cant help but feel responcible. With the evolution of online rentals such as the netflix that I am such a fan of, I hardly ever went to rent a movie. At four bucks a pop it wears on a working girls budget. Plus I have an addiction to off-beat widescreen movies. I find that so many video stores have the idea that if it isnt a mainstream full screen flic than it is not worth having. This particular video store while yes it did have a foreign movie section, they crammed it in with the pornos. They were even in a seperate room. I would have to sneak in there everytime I wanted to watch something with a subtitle. If you havent caught it already, I do not live in a very cultured town.

Sometimes I just want to move away. Funny though Kate wants us to move to Madison. When I say that I want to move, I really wasn't thinking of moving to a more rural area. Madison is a crappy suburb of the crappy town that I live in. The place that she wants us to go is not even close to town, I swear it is a fourty five minute drive into town. That towns movie store is two shelves in a gas station. I am not happy.

To the victors go the spoils though. The video store is selling all of their stock dirt cheap. I have bought like eight movies in the past two days. Haha!

day of sloth

2006-06-07T23:05:00.000-04:00

Today I had oneof my favorite sort of days. A day of sloth. I stayed in bed reading and then moved to the couch where I remained the rest of the day. Since it was a cloudy, rainy day, my projector was visible in the middle of the afternoon. I finished watching The Thin Man series- who knew that there was like six of them.

From then I moved onto watching special features of other movies that I hadn't done before. I love special features. The whole movie making process facinates me. Tonight it was the special features for Moulin Rouge There were a ton of them. I have owned this movie for well over a year and I had yet to watch a single one.

Nowadays before I read what the movie is about, I check out what special features are listed. I hate it when dvd's are skimpy with the extras. For two reasons 1. because I want to know more and 2. because there is always the chance that the movie companies are trying to scam you into buying two copies of the same movie. They do this by first puting out a crappy disk with special feature that they boast as a trailer and an option for subtitles. (wofrickenwho) They then a while later put out a special edition dvd with all the previously withheld buckets of special features. Let me tell you I fall for it. Sometimes I just cant wait and because there are probably more goobers like me out there, those companies will continue to get away with it.

I don't know if you have gleaned this yet but I love movies. I will really watch any sort of movie but I especially admire movies that are done in a different and unique way. I find that most movies have become so boring and formulaic (is that even a word?) Baz Luhrman really has an eye and I also enjoy Scott Free productions like Man on Fire or Domino. OOH also individual movies such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Amelie.

I just realized what time it is and I have to work tomorrow. Which means that I have to pry my ass off this couch and haul it upstairs to go to bed.

Hottie McHothot

2006-06-07T00:25:00.000-04:00

As a reward for those of you still tuned in here is a little dish I like to call- Hottie McHothot. He is the absolute sexiest thing alive. I own a movie that he is in where he plays the mysterious stranger. That's how he is billed too, the stranger. That just makes him sexier.

Enjoy Ladies!

Alright it took all afternoon but I hace finally had it out with not only my bleeping cable company but also the company that makes my wireless router. Trust me this is how my afternoon went-- "It's not our fault its theirs" to which they replied, "Nu-uh!" Either way here I am.

Lets see I have so much to catch up on. We should take another look at Mr. McHothot to fortify ourselves. Ahh... okay, I am ready now.

I no longer work at Zebs do da! Do da! I no longer have to wear an apron to work. And the very best part is no wicked witch known as D. No actually the very best part is that I have received a substantial payraise better benefits to work basically the same job. The job I work now is pretty much a desk job were I work on computers all day. Get this one of my responsibilities is to write up articles for their blog. What a hoot! Of course they don't know that even though I wrote on my resume that I liked to write, I did not say that I was a good writer.

Of course as with every job there is the inevitable down side. We are what is considered the first line of defense or if you are a chess player we would be considered the pawns. I am quite the wuss so I dread those angry phone calls. I tell myself that putting myself out there like this, making myself deal with conflict is making myself a better person. While becoming a tougher person is on my todo list, until I get used to it I am quite uncomfortable. I just try to think of all of the people who have to be strong and deal with unhappy people every day. I think of what Josh said to Charlie when he was getting the job as the presidents body man. He said, "There are going to be times where people want things or more time than the president wants and some of these people will be presidents or kings." Something like that.

Okay I think that I am done for the evening. (Check it out I figured how to do links in the text!)

f#%ing internet connection

2006-06-06T11:41:00.000-04:00

It has been so long since I have blogged that my own site didnt even recognize me. I signed on and it was all like "Do I know you? You look like someone that I used to know, but you cant be that person because she has obviously forsaken me" I appologized and it has let me back in on a trial basis. I have to say that I think that I am the only person in the whole wide world who cant get her cable internet to work for any amount of time. The worse thing about it is that the connection totally knows its smarter than me. All the time it teases just saying "Ha Ha, you just think your connected right." Now it wont connect me at all. I am currently sitting outside my friends house (she's not home) sponging off her service. Oh dont worry about it, I'm paying for it--- In blood. Being that we live in the wilds of NH I am being eaten by bugs.

I don't know how much longer I'm going to make it.

Lots of new things to report, however I do not have enough blood in my system to write it all now. Lets just say Ding Dong the witch is dead, the straw finally broke the camels back, it all came out like a barrel of monkeys.

I no longer work at Zebs!

I think that I will leave you at that beacause I am going to be scratching the rest of the day as it is. (and my laptop battery I swear lasts no longer than a half hour)

F*#%*ing internet connection, its on now!

The bulging eye of death

2006-04-24T00:05:00.000-04:00

Long time I know everything is crazy right now. As an apology presenting himself for the very first time is the hep-est cat GUS.

I finally finished HP scarf for my bestest friends daughter. I know one wouldn't picture me as a softy but there it is. I have an interview tomorrow for a new job. Of course that means that my eye has decided to do this bloodshot thing. The whole eye. Bright red. Yep just the other one is crystal clear. And unfortunatly after a terrible made for tv movie I have an unnatural fear of eye drops. I swear I look like that teacher from Daria- you know the one with the bulging eye. I look like I have pink eye.
"Hello, I would like to join your team."

I have a trip with my girls to DC in a couple of weekends, unfortunately I have to give up my last vacation to get my new job. Blech.

I am beat and yet I still have so much to do. I need to shower tonight so that my hair is completely dry by tomorrow. Just the start of all of the preparations for what will be most likely a 15 minute interview.

bonzi!

2006-04-08T01:23:00.000-04:00

It is one in the morning and I am officially running on a adrenaline high. I- Stephanie Kurze, with the courage of a small yipping dog, just took on the death metal band.... Thats right take it in, I'll give you a moment.... Okay now that everyone has started breathing again let me admit that it wasn't the actual band that was playing come to find out and after I beat on the door I found that everyone over there is probably to drunk (or something else) to actually remember it in the morning. BUT I WILL!

Let me set the scene. I am exhausted. I have spent the better part of my vacation moving in very large pieces of furniture and actually getting rid of all the piles in my room. I know illusions of grandeur right? Lindsay is sleeping in the living room, here for the girly movie night that will take place tomorrow. I spent the entire day in the car with Jeanne a woman I work with, going to a show for work (yes on my vacation, which I will not get paid for). A good portion of that looking for the mall of NH which we never did find. We left at 10 this morning and I got back around 830. Needless to say I am beat. I actually went to bed around 11 I was so tired.

Fast forward to 1AM. I am woken out of a deep sleep by what I assumed to be the Death Metal Band that lives next door. I am incensed. Let me tell you they have been working my last nerve ever since they got those amps. Amps in a condo, you ask? Yes ma'am amps. I have decided that I had enough. I go down stairs and bang on the wall. (Sometimes this lulls them into a temporary quiet.) No luck.

I say to myself-Self what is staying over here, not saying anything getting you? Same old thing, that's what. If you don't set boundary's, they can't know that they are crossing them. So I crammed some sneakers on my feet, searched for a sweater to wear over the gross top I was wearing ( I may have been very anger but I still thought about how I looked).

Then I did it. I stomped over there banged on the door, and when it opened-smoke poring out- I said, "Turn it down!" Yep that was me. They then asked me if I wanted to party I wanted to party with them. Um,yeah cause it looks like I am ready to party in my flowered Pjs. I turned around and left.

Of course afterwards the mom came over, I do like her, I do. She told me that her son had gotten married and this was the overflow party. So not the actually metal band (something should have tipped me off when I didn't hate what was blaring through the walls, I just resented that it was blaring and at 1am.) but this is the home of the metal band and these are the metal band people, so I am hoping that the message sinks through, or that this will start a dialogs about appropriate noise levels for a condo.

Of course that is if they remember it in the morning.

Congrats on the wedding Rory.

Have I turned into a grumpy old man? Or was I merely born that way?

Good lord, now there is brawling in the parking lot.
I hate neighbors.

2006-04-04T02:17:00.000-04:00

You Are Edward From "Edward Scissorhands."

You are very shy and often misunderstood. Innocent, sweet, and artistic, you like to pass your days by daydreaming and expressing yourself through the arts. You are a truly unique individual. Unfortunately, you are quite lonely, and few people truly understand you.

Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!

I love these little quizzes. Lets see I have taken 'Find out which west winger you are', 'Find out which house you would be sorted into', 'Which Lord of the Rings caracter are you?', and last but not least 'Are you a Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, or a Samantha?" How can you go wrong- find out exactly who I am in six easy questions.

And for anyone wondering: Sam (until I cheated to be more like CJ)
Gyphendor
Legolas
Miranda
I dont know I might have to take another crack out of the JD one, with my latest fetish for Rum I think I might be channeling Jack Sparrow himself.

Gadzoinks!

2006-04-03T23:58:00.000-04:00

Finally my internet is working again! Kate and I have found out that we don't know what to do without it. I had done all that I could do by jiggling some wires to no avail. Today I was so anger I was just looking for something to be angrier about so I thought I would try again and what do you know--it worked.

Ah so much to think about. On Friday Kate and I went to the premiere of Hansel and Gretel at the Pine Tree elementary School. Is it wrong to heckle little kids? Oh well I was probably going to hell anyway. Who knew that kids that little could remember so many lines. 2 hours. That's all I have to say. Talia (the girl we were there to see) she and I say this with no bias at all, was the best of the whole bunch. I don't know what was funny- watching her ham it up, or watching her mother trying to snap pictures.

I had to tell off my roommate tonight. I am generally one who says from any sort of confrontation, however I am not carrying his sorry ass any more. After about three days of ducking me, I caught him. I couldn't believe how well I did. Now if only I could do the same for the death metal band next door. You would think that a condo would be very un-metal but there they are.

I started my vacation today! I plan to work very hard during it though. I am determined to get this house into order. I have already started by shoving the television into the armoire that Graydon brough over today. It is decorated in a southwestern style and that paired with the southwestern patterned couch Kates parents donated to the cause, it seems as though we are being dragged kicking and screaming into a total makeover. I will try to refrain myself from putting one of those big painting of a dead cow scull.

I have been trying to get my Ireland slide show burned to a dvd all evening. I am going to dive it one more evening. Geek-like I know, but if I comfort myself in the knowledge that if I were a real geek, I would have had it done a long time ago. There is hope for me yet
Later

Ireland Fund

2006-03-29T23:13:00.000-05:00

Howdy-doo! How great is it that Steven got his snotty-ass, holyer than thou, I am the bestest chef in the whole wide word, smacked down. I didnt think that I would get into it but the new Top Chef has hooked me in. I think that everyone is a jerk on it, which just makes it funnier.

I figured that since I showed a pic of my last trip, I should have a pic from my favorite one. On Tuesday it will be exactly one year since Lyric, Sue, and I left for Ireland. Ireland was my very first big trip. I came to the realization that if I really wanted to accomplish something I just had to stop automatically thinking of things as undoable. Once you take the first small step, everything after that just details. My first small step was not telling Lyric that I would go- talking is easy, I am a master talker but was actually opening up that savings account. I called it my Ireland Fund, funny thing is even now, saving for my third trip I still call it my Ireland Fund.
Now I am trying to apply the baby step method to the rest of my life. I'll keep you updated.

Ugh. Tomorrow is work, at least next week I am on vacation. Woohoo!

piles

2006-03-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken by my best-est friend Crystal on our most recent trip. I don't know whether she meant to have it come out this way, but it was one of my favorites of the whole trip. My favorite pictures from all my trips seem to happen by accident.

Anyway, today was a day off and I spent it shuffling the piles on my bedroom floor from one spot to another. Every time I do manage to get it clean (don't get excited-clean to me is when the piles move from the floor to the closets or under the bed.) I swear this time I will keep it in some semblance of order to no avail. One of these days I will accept the fact that I am just a disorganized mess, its just in my DNA.

Today I also started my annual 'crap, I have to see myself in a swim suit in a couple of months' diet. Crystal was great and helped me finally set up my treadmill. Since I bought the thing with the leftover money from my trip, it has sat in the middle of the living room in pieces. It made a nice spot for my straightening iron and Gus enjoyed his very expensive cat bed. It has been a very long time since I have been on one of those. I am beat.

The girls and I went bowling tonight, I haven't been since stirrup pants were in style. Man do we suck. Kate has the cutest bowling stance, she calls it the old man. We all got a good chuckle-so did the other lanes around us. Funny thing was she would get it dead center every time. We were so bad and messed up so often, the wizened old man working the counter, moved closer and closer until he was standing behind us, where I swear he could be heard muttering "Fer Christs Sake, press zero---Zero!" I think that it will be a while before anyone of us hits the pro bowling circuit. I cant wait until the rest of the group can get together, the girly movie group will have a blast.

Any-who, I am now sitting in front of the TV watching one of the Thin Man movies, this is the second one, not nearly as good as the first one but its a trip to see Jimmy Stewart as a bad guy. But because of all of my activities today I am beat, and thinking of all the piles facing me in the morning, I don't think that I will make it through to the end. In a moment I will head upstairs, clear off the pile on my bed, and get to sleep.

Tata

It's on like Donkey Kong-Bi-atch

2006-03-24T23:08:00.000-05:00

While generally my job sucks big christmas balls, it was remarkably it was a good day.I need a job where I can put to use my now serious addiction to television. There has got to be a job like an episiode previewer--won't that look great on my resume. You know what the ultimate job would be? One of those hotel testers--ooh look at me getting paid to drink fruity drinks while reading at the pool. Someone has to have that job and who ever has it should watch out because I'm a-comin' for ya.

beginnings

2006-03-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

Starting this blog as a lark. At the moment I am trying my best to be breezy or witty, to start this thing off on the right foot, however I really am just feeling quite tired. I have spent the last few days really getting back into reading and I found out that both of the authors of the books that I had been enjoying had blogs.
Kate and I finally paid a coworkers teenager to come and figure out how to get our cable internet working, we figured we were paying for it we might as well actually figure out how to use it. Of course he came in and was able to hook us up in less than five minutes.
I spent the next-not kidding six hours reading Jennifer Wieners blog. And for better or for worse I have decided that I want one.
And here we go...