76 and some cheese

I had another post lined up for today, complete with pictures.  But then this popped into my head and refused to go away. 

Feel free to laugh at the cheese. o.O 

And don't ask because I have no idea where it came from either.

76

76 D-men
Walking thru the air
I could not guess what “D” meant
Nor 76 chairs

One for each to sit in
To listen to me speak
76 D-men
Waiting for their peek

I looked out thru the curtain
And saw their red black eyes
76 D-men
Searching for their prize

I glimpsed their smokey longing
Their snarling smirking smiles
76 D-men
Scampering down the aisle

I did not want to see them
I did not want to speak
76 D-men
An auditorium full of freaks

They pulled me to the open
They would not let me go
76 D-men
Howling for a show

Biting, scratching clawing
Until I could not breathe
76 D-men
Who would not let me leave

Staring at the ceiling
Laying in my bed
76 demons
Dancing thru my head

ConDFW Adds New Author/Stalkers to my List

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I changed weekend plans in order to attend ConDFW - a Sci-Fi/Fantasy writers convention.  It became part of my VDay gift and fit right in with my steampunk and pirate themed gifts obtained earlier in the week.

One of my favorite writers (whom I lovingly stalk on the Internet) was attending - Cherie Priest.  Of course, I had to work on Saturday <damn the need to pay my bills!> so we were only able to trek over to Dallas on Sunday.  Most of the excitement was over by then but I still had a geeky giddy time.  I believe I actually clapped my hands and jumped up and down upon receiving my first autograph.  Yeah, I'm THAT girl.

Cherie Priest graciously hanging like we're actually acquainted.

The best part about hitting a Con on the second day - there is a smaller crowd.  And in this case it was a tiny crowd.  I was able to talk to vendors, got up close and personal seating at the panel discussions and met several writers who were milling about between speaking engagements. SQUEE!!

I have new authors to stalk.  I've already searched Twitter and the blog-o-sphere to find them.  A big nod goes out to Yard Dog Press, a small publishing house with some fun titles and friendly people.  You should really check out their authors. 

My new Author/Stalkers in no particular order...  Rachel Caine <Morganville Vampire YA series, Weather Warden series>; Larry Atchley Jr <read Lawyers in Hell and look for Rogues in Hell this summer>; Lou Antonelli <picked up a short story collection from YDP so seriously, go check them out>; Selina Rosen <Bubbas of the Apocalypse and owner of YDP>

Shew!  That's a ton of new folks to stalk.

And of course I made it home with a shit-ton of swag. ^_^  In addition to the books I brought home and the Stargate t-shirt the kiddo weaseled out of me, the Hubby picked up a steampunk book he'd been searching for

I got a pirate game,

and I purchased a lovely little fairy to add to my collection

http://www.strangeling.com/

Yeppers, a great time was had by all.  Well, at least by me anyway. o.O

Five Sentence Fiction - Exquisite

Hello Tuesday!  It's Five Sentence Fiction day again; Lillie McFerrin's weekly word prompt.  This week's word is Exquisite.   I'm going outside of my box for this one.

His hand cradled the back of her neck as he whispered, “The idea of engaging the mind and the body simultaneously is intriguing don’t you think?”  She closed her eyes as lines of Shakespeare trickled into her ear; she bit down on her lip as his thumb slid gently across her collarbone in time to the iambic pentameter.  The familiar words swirled through her head, creating sensations that spread like lightening to any area his hands caressed.  Her mind, body, and spirit were on fire, engaged in an intensity beyond anything she had ever experienced.  She sighed passionately, hoping he had memorized every word to the play.

VaVaVoom!

Yeaaahhh... <blushes>  Not really sure how I feel about this week's sentences but there you have it.

Batman Cookies of Luuuuv

Our Valentine's day was low key this year.  We are fixing up two houses and getting ready for the kiddo's entry into college so CHEAP is the word of the year.  I received a homemade pirate and steampunk bracelet (totally not cheap and very thoughtful).  Yep, the Hubby knows me well.  But I know him too.  I made heart shaped hamburgers. ^_^ 

I also made cookies.  I used a simple sugar cookie recipe.  I dug out all my old cookie cutters and invested in stamps (the kind used for scrapbooks).

I mostly used heart shapes and things traditional to the holiday.  It mostly turned out well.

But after a while my nerd came out and the bat cookie cutter was used to make bat-a-rang cookies.  Because who wouldn't want Batman themed cookies, right??

Yeah, Batman rocks. ^_^

A reason to write of mermaids

I am really late to the game with this one but I won fourth place with my blog hop post from a few weeks ago.

You should definitely check out the other winners.  Seriously, I'll wait.  Read them, be amazed, then come back for the rest of my post...

1st Ruth Long
2nd Donna McNicol
3rd Jo-Ann Teal
4th Jenn – That's me!!
5th Gwen Tailios

Right, now on with the show.

I was absolutely GIDDY about the placement.  I wasn't expecting to place and my biggest hope was that I might win the book prize.  So I did the Snoopy dance around the house for a while then sent texts to the Hubby and sister while doing the Snoopy dance.  And then I got a tweet from Surly Muse letting me know I could send him my pages any time.  Umm, what's that?  Pages??  The Snoopy dance turned into the panicked sweat of dread as I realized I now had to share more of my writing.  10 PAGES MORE.  And not just with anyone, with an actual writer.  I had to give my words to a writer writer for critique.  Yeah, he still doesn't have those pages yet.   I'm still sifting through crap to find the least crappy crap to send. (lovely sentence, isn't it?)

So rather than working on my ten pages, I've decided to procrastinate and participate in another blog hop instead.  This one is host by Yearning for Wonderland and is another flash fiction prompt.  300 words describing a first person encounter with a mythical being.  It's great fun and you should give it a try.  Details are here.  There are some great entries so make sure you head to the site and read them all.

via www.johnwilliamwaterhouse.com

End of Days

Vacation.  I needed a break from everything and everyone; from the tedious monotony of work, from the mundane of the everyday.  Hello Mazatlan with your umbrella drinks and sandy beaches.  I had taken to walking those sandy beaches in the pre-dawn light.  The crowds were gone, the beaches quiet and serene.  The morning air gave everything a new and mysterious vibe.  This particular morning I had stopped at the mouth of a cave, complete with stalactites and a reservoir of water stretching far into the recesses.  I was staring into the lovely midnight pool when I first noticed the eyes.  They were cat yellow staring back at me, about a hundred yards away. I moved into the darkness, leaving the warmth of the rising sun behind.  The tawny orbs moved toward me in a fluid, unblinking motion.  It was creepy and captivating at once.  I stepped deeper into the cave, ignoring everything but the swimming eyes.  As I inched closer, the creature began to take shape.  I could just make out a white face set against hair as fiery as last night’s sunset. I moved closer still and discerned a delicate nose, high cheek bones, and perfect mouth.  One step nearer and her porcelain cream skin gleamed beneath the inky water.  She stretched out a dainty hand and I instinctively reached toward it, water dripping down my own arm.  She pulled me within inches of the rare yellow eye, her stare intimate and entrancing.  My sight wavered like heat rising on a hot afternoon as she continued to pull me close. I glanced the flip of a tail, felt the rough cut of scales but was locked in the intense eyes as she pulled me into the darkness.  I barely noticed we were headed to the end of my days.

Yes, I did notice the dark leaning again.  Oh, well.  I'm just going to have to deal with it I guess. o.O

400 Days of Pain followed by Lots of Chocolate

I'm going to let you in on a little secret; I use to be a long distance runner.  I KNOW!  It is hard to believe what with the wine and the beer and the food... o.O

But I did run for fun.  I was addicted to the Half Marathon distance (13.1 miles) and I wanted desperately to run a marathon.  Then I fell down. Uh-huh, I fell the ____ down.  For no reason at all other than I'm a total klutz.  I tore the ligaments in one of my ankles which ended my running follies.

A couple of "No, you can't run" months turned into eight or nine months followed by a few jog/hobble months.  Yes, I have gained like 1,000 pounds and according to the Hubby I've become a cranky exercise recluse.  So in order to fit back into my pants (and keep peace in the household) I've started trying to get back on the running wagon.  It's a bumpy wagon that hurts like hell and is super easy to fall off of but some of that may be the whole klutzy thing again.

At any rate, I ran my first 5k (3.1 miles) since the accident this past weekend.  My sister, her friend Shannon, and I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k benefiting the Ronald McDonald House.  It was cold, my ankle ached, my lungs exploded around mile 2 and my sister literally had to drag my ass across the finish line.  But I finished.  And after my initial "I think I'm gonna hurl all over my shoes" moment I was actually happy to be with thousands of strangers in the freezing cold.  Of course, the chocolate fountain at the end of the race didn't hurt. ^.^

Sacred

I only have three readers unless it's a bookclub post. o.O  And since my three readers are family I'm going to gamble on these writing posts and assume they will continue reading because they are family. ^_^

And because I promise food posts soon.

But today is Five Sentence Fiction day; Lillie McFerrin's weekly word prompt.  This week's word is Sacred (I skipped last week's entry because my sentences were a little too dark, even for me).

She read through the ancient texts, books from a populace long since gone.  They spoke of things she knew nothing of - war, hatred, passion, love.  The Old Ones had so many feelings, emotions they called them; but the texts about love intrigued her the most.  She had spent hours in the Hall of Trees pouring over writings, wondering if the humans truly experienced such connections to each other. She wondered if any other world in the universe could teach her how to love like the story books.


Later this week - running, cookies, & guns!  Oh, and a Fairy Ring Blog Hop.

How NOT to follow directions

I am fairly good at winging it in the kitchen.  I can see something online or watch a tv show and replicate the process even if I don’t follow ALL the directions.  Most of the time it works out.  Last night, not so much. 

I saw this great idea on Can You Stay for Dinner; a total must try - petite lasagnas.  The concept was simple, bake lasagna in muffin tins.  Easy enough, right?  I scanned the recipe, looked over the pictures and decided I could definitely create these babies.  I was amazed at how square her “noodles” looked but didn’t bat an eye as I closed my laptop and headed to the store.

I purchased everything I would need, including lasagna noodles.  I was confident.  I was completely sure I could wing this recipe.  I was completely clueless.

This is what I was going for…

Source - CanYouStayforDinner.com

This is what I got…

Do you see the resemblance?  Yeah, me neither.  I cut the noodles just like I SAW in the pictures.  Except the site didn’t actually show noodle cutting.  It just showed pretty square noodly stuff.  After the fail, I opened up the laptop and took a second look.  You know what those pretty square patches were?  Wonton wrappers.  Yeah, wonton wrappers.  I was foiled by a wrapper.   Well, actually I was foiled by my own laziness and lack of reading.

I will probably try this again at some point.  In the meantime, I highly recommend trying the Can You Stay for Dinner recipe.  It works much better than my lame-ass attempt.  DOH!!

Five Sentence Fiction - Clandestine

I know I said I wouldn't do this very often but...

I was amazed by the responses I received on my Blog Hop entry.  And I seem to have tapped into a wonderful community of writers.  The amount of advice flying around, the "jump-start" prompts everyone seems to have, the encouragement and enthusiasm for writing; it has all helped in pulling out my hope and dusting it off.  Maybe what I've really been missing is the camaraderie of fellow wordsmiths.

This is where the panic sets back in and my palms start sweating, though.  I have to start posting my writing so I can kick this crazy fear of others reading my work.  The best way to improve my writing is to let others critique my writing.

Which brings me here - to Five Sentence Fiction.  Lillie McFerrin, one of the writers who hosted the blog hop, has a weekly word prompt used to create 5 sentences of awesome.  My sentences won't be awesome but this assignment is short and to the point.  It's a great way to dip my toes into the writing pool until I get my floaties securely fastened around my arms and waist.

Last week's word - Clandestine.  (I don't have the timing down yet and it seems a new word has already been selected for this week. Doh!)

Here are my 5 sentences:

“Can a person be clandestinely happy,” she wondered aloud.
“Only if you are a spy or belong to a secret organization,” he said as he tucked his pillow in half and situated it so he was inches from her face.
She smiled playfully, “I have a secret evil laugh, does that count?”
He smirked and kissed her bare shoulder.
“I suppose it might.”

Summer Food Happiness

January in Texas - you gotta love it.  We have oscillated between 30 and 70 degrees all month.  So one day it's stew and the very next it's smoothies and salad.  On one of the warmer days, I whipped up a smoothie to use a mango the Hubby picked up a few days before.  I threw in some of the fruit I placed in the freezer over the summer because we were out of ice.   

Um - YUM!  Yummy enough to post the recipe even though it is still winter for everyone else.  When it warms up TRY THIS!

Mango Honeydew Smoothie
    •    1 ripe mango
    •    1 cup frozen honeydew
    •    2 cups milk (oat milk works wonderfully)
    •    1/2 TBS ground flax seed
Method:
    1.    Blend until smooth 
    2.    Drink and dream of summer, swimming, & sunshine 


So easy and so worth it.  Well, except for that damn mango.  I obviously don't know how to peel and chop mangoes.  I ended up sticky with the Hubby having to pry a knife out of the counter.  Who knew my normal "slam the item into the counter with the knife already inserted method" wouldn't work on a mango seed.  o.O

Another great year for food - erh I mean book club

 
This weekend was the first 2012 meeting of the Brewed Book Club.  We decided to turn over a new leaf; to have a new year with more food - no wait!  more books for everyone.

Um, Yeahhhh.  We are still really a food club with a reading problem.

The foodie win for our first 2012 meeting - hand made fortune cookies creatively filled with bookclub appropriate quotes.  PROPS to Ms. L for this amazing & fun dish.

Our January reads were The Oath by Frank Peretti and The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks.

The Oath was considered a long read but a good one.  This particular book brought on a great discussion about shame, fear, sin and faith.  And of course the dragon. ^.^ <you can take the girl out of the fantasy world but you can't take the fantasy world out of the girl!>  The Oath was a thought provoking book to say the least and was enjoyed by all.

The Best of Me was deemed predictable, especially for those who had read other Sparks books.  At some point, it seems fairly certain Sparks was or knew someone who was spurned by an over-bearing mother.  It was an enjoyable read, it just wasn't a great read.

To end the night we picked our next book and devised a new method for presenting book choices.  Each month will belong to a letter of the alphabet.  In February, come with an A book - either by title, author or content.  (The Art of Racing in the Rain or The Scarlet Letter both apply).  We will then read an A book for March and present B books for the next selection.  It may not translate well in the blogosphere but it sounded like great fun in the meeting!

At any rate, our next book is A Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

For you Austen fans - yes, that Pemberley.  For those who have always preferred dragons to petticoats, it might be helpful to read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a intro to the story. o.O

Our next club meeting will be 2/24 at 7pm hosted by the Slaughter's.  As always, if you would like to join virtually just shoot me a note and we will set something up.

Until then - Happy Reading!
BrewedB