Adventures in Home Improvement Day 9,452,761

Or at least it feels that way. Thing is though, I’m not actually complaining about doing all of this stuff. We brought it on ourselves on purpose. Maybe we didn’t anticipate the scope within each phase, but the number of projects, yeah, we wanted this life.

There are benefits to spending so much time and money personalizing our spaces, like keeping a few middle-aged pounds at bay and being able to make our home a personal reflection of who we are as people.

As a girl who briefly spent a lot of money on a degree she never got in Interior Design, I appreciate the beauty in a personally functional space. It works for us, how we live, what we enjoy, and I love that. I spend a lot of time in this place.

Life and work happen here.

Conversely, I’m not kidding when I say the end (of projects) is almost upon us and my instant reaction:

Woo-freaking-hoo!

Only a couple things to finish inside the house, and the yard is getting closer to the final phase. For now. Because, of course we have more plans for the yard. But this phase gets us our one newly remodeled space and a little more organized everywhere else.

And we are so close to finished with this I can’t even stand it! Like I did with the last couple updates, I’m telling the story with photos.

But before we get there, speaking of past updates…

If you’re new here and haven’t read about our yard adventures you can start here: Our Journey to a Sparkling Clean Pool, or the first part of the yard re-do: Backyard Landscaping like a Boss.

Or, keep reading to see where we are now.

All brick moved by yours truly.
This is about half what we have stacked all over the yard in brick, retaining blocks, and rocks.
You'll see...

Matt moved the stack of retaining bricks in the background,
then I had a great idea: create a riverbed out of all the large
stones strewn around the yard.
Okay, to be fair we thought of that together but it was my
brilliant idea to do it now. Like we don't already have enough to do.

This isn't even the final tally of brick and blocks we moved.
Also, note the gravel because that gets raked and moved later...

We're trying to eliminate lawn in all but the 2 locations on the other side of the yard.
Matt tilled over here then I got to digging/turning/raking.

Oh look, more huge rocks! AKA: places for weeds to hide.
And ground bees. Matt moved all on the nearside due to that,
I moved all on the far side into our new dry creek bed.

We raked back gravel where we planned to put rocks, then worked around
the existing pile of rocks until it freed gravel.
Which we raked out as well. And filled with more rocks.

Full disclosure, this isn't even finalized, we just needed something
"good enough for now" because the other side is the priority.
When finalized we're adding a water feature and weed block.

I finished raking out gravel, digging out rocks (yes MORE large rocks) and
grass. Next step: add dirt to level out the spot and tamp into place with a 12 lb tamper.
Again, no weed block yet. Frankly, there may never be block here.

It rained earlier in the day (well, hail and rain but we'll get to that)
and I didn't want to track that around the house. Improvise.

After two full days of moving dirt and rocks and grass I think she
looks freaking incredible (if I do say so myself, pat-pat-pat)!

Finally finished brick removal over here as well.
Now Matt can get his half of this project done.

Once again, the before picture.

His second round with the tiller helped get even more grass out.

Tilled, loosened, raked, and ready for plants!

It looks like a tropical jungle, with Matt hiding out in the back.

After returning home on day 1 with the load of plants we realized things were sparse.
Also, unbalanced. So back we went for more.
Day 2:
We added other species that will bring color and all are on the same water schedule.
As we checked out and loaded up the plants in the back of the car I noticed the sky getting darker...

Traditionally, Phoenix's dry months are May and June.
Of course, we planned to landscape on the one weekend where temps
weren't supposed to climb out of the mid 70s so obviously
Mother nature decided to give us Phoenicians "spring" for an hour.
Deluge. (Not complaining though, the backyard flooded just enough so I
knew where we were light on dirt and gravel and it made my job much easier.
Plus it all ended as we pulled into the garage! Perfect timing!)

If you look really close, yes that's hail outside and on the floor at Harbor Freight.

First plant in the ground!

Matt watering the first planted plant!
A little out of order here, this is actually end of day on day 1.
Plants placed so we could see what gaps to fill in on day 2.

Action shot!
Yes, this is day 2. Yes, that is Matt's favorite landscaping outfit.
It makes an appearance in just about every post about our yard re-do.

All plants in the ground and irrigation lines run.
All that's left now is weed block, sand, gravel, patio pavers, and a fire pit.
The weather likely won't cooperate like this again now that summer has arrived.
Slow and steady is the name of this game now. We have until September.
But it's time to get out of here because tired is an understatement...

Thankfully, I pre-schedule posts so Matt and I are already gone to (and back from) a four-day weekend in California. We earned that mofo. And it was awesome.

• • • • • • • • • • •
In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Updates from the Work and Life Front

It seems the more I write (books), the less I have time to write (blogs). But I guess that’s nothing new over in these parts. Ten years into this blogging life and the only constant has been that I never abandon this space entirely.

And that’s enough for me right now. Something has to fall by the wayside when other things require more time.

Not forever but for now.

With a couple hours to fill today (say what?), it seemed like the right time to reflect and get a new post going.

So, what are my updates, you may ask?

You did ask that, right?

Okay, well, where do I start? I guess the biggest news is the writing that has me not writing over here.

I’m getting really excited for my next release. With final feedback coming in from my Beta Babes on Makeup Your Mind, I should hit my November release date with ease. Next up, the final editing process.

These are the weeks where the story polish is applied and then I get to write stuff like jacket copy, ad blurbs, and other marketing material. But that’s not why I’m excited.

I truly can’t wait for everyone to read Cherry’s story. She’s one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. And I’m not just saying that because she’s the star of the next book coming out. Nope. I honestly think she’s so much fun.

She’s the girl/woman I aspired to be in my early twenties: unapologetic for her choices. I love her.

In other book news, I released 30 Chapters in 30 Days: Write a 50,000 word first draft without feeling blocked earlier this month. You can click the title to learn more but this one is a helpful guide to whipping up big word count even when you don’t have words to write.

Specifically geared for fiction authors and aspiring authors, I’m happy to report this book has actually made it into the top 300 on Amazon for Self-help Creativity, the top 400 in Education & Reference, and the top 500 in Writing Skills!

WOO HOO!!!

For many years I dreamed of being published but never took the first step – writing the damn book. I mean, without a book you don’t have a book to publish. And yeah, I know that sounds all ‘Captain Obvious’ but it’s astounding how many would-be authors talk about wanting to be published without ever having finished a book.

I was one of them, until the day I decided to finish the thing I started. No matter how good or bad it was, I would type The End on a fully fleshed out story. It took me 28 years to get there from the days when I first started writing, but I haven’t stopped releasing work since.

So, now that I’m about to release my tenth title in November it seemed like the right time to take all that experience and help another writer. If even one aspiring author uses the book as a tool to push through until they type The End, then I will be the happiest gal around!

Last month I was interviewed by Pat for Speak Up Talk Radio and the interview was a complete blast. It was really cool to do my first radio interview and the experience inspired me to reach out for more networks and podcasts.

I definitely want to start spreading the word about my books in a major way. You know me. All about the shameless self-promotion. (Tell your friends!)

And in the spirit of promo, I’m going to be the featured artist in an upcoming week of The Foothills Focus. That will be a fun one. I’ve gone back and read a bunch of Shea Stanfield’s articles and look forward to how she helps me tell my writing story.

And thus ends work updates.

Two weeks ago, Matt and I went on a whirlwind road trip spanning from Phoenix to Carson City, NV, and just about everywhere in between. Within an hour of hitting the road I got inspired for Shaw McLeary’s next book.

Like I said on Facebook, leave it to a writer to continue working even when they are supposed to be on a relaxing vacation. Story of my life. And I wouldn’t change it for a second!

Literally, can hardly contain myself to start writing that one but I will wait. I have to. Sorta. But don’t think that doesn’t mean I won’t engage in a little note taking over the next couple months to get that book started in the back of my mind. But, there are others to finish before I start a new one.

Okay, now, I’m done with work updates.

Life and work do tend to bleed into one living thing as a writer. Sometimes it’s hard to separate the two.

But anyway…

Vacation.

I posted some pictures on Facebook but for those of you who I’m not friends with over there, here’s a random sampling of photos on each stop of our journey. It rocked.

Kingman

Hoover Dam

Lake Mead

Las Vegas

Lake Tahoe

Yosemite

Bodie, CA

Road home

Over 2,000 miles spent driving to celebrate fifteen years of married bliss. Great times!

And now that I’m done with the life/work update from last month…

Who thinks I’ll get more than one post up before the next “book release” post?

I’m not betting on it.

• • • • • • • • • • •
In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Last year my sister and her boyfriend were supposed to go on this crazy trip to the Caribbean – super sweet resort, all inclusive, turquoise water, and only 1 stop on the 3400 mile flight – with two of their friends. But between injuries, unforeseen issues, and other necessary delays, the trip was postponed to April of this year.

When they considered rescheduling back in December, Matt & I were first asked if we’d like to take the place of their friends. After having just taken a really long vacation around Thanksgiving there was no way we could do it. I mean, not only the issue of time off but the cost.

My sister told me to get my damn passport renewed anyway (something Matt and I had been putting off for too long) and so we did. And then promptly forgot all about it.

That was, until February when this question came our way:

“So, those guys just moved to Hawaii and can’t make the trip, you guys busy at the end of April or would you like to go to St. Lucia all expenses paid***?”

***(sort of, more on that in a bit)

And so I started thrift shopping for this trip of a lifetime that I never in a million, billion years would have expected to be taking.

Passports showed up, clothes were purchased, but I couldn’t concentrate on the trip. I had a party to plan this past spring.

Matt, my love, was officially joining the ranks of “old man” status with his 40^th birthday. And I’d been planning his event since January. A surprise party. At a baseball game right downtown at Chase Field.

The sneaking around, the lies and deceit, the preparations for 24 people including his family coming in from 3 different parts of the country, friends who were kind enough to pay for their own tickets, meant get-togethers and taking cash from friends on the down low.

The last thing I did from January to early April was think about St. Lucia.

But then it was time to party at Chase with Matt’s mom, sister, all 3 nephews, dad, step-mom, SIL, MIL, BIL , friends. The euphoria was like Thanksgiving dinner – months to plan and cook, over in a matter of hours.

Pictures were shared, laughs were recounted, everyone went home. And then it was mere weeks away from our departure to the Caribbean. I still barely believed it was real.

In fact, if I’m being perfectly honest here, I still don’t believe that it actually happened. It was like I lifted out of my own body and watched someone who looked like me partying in an all-inclusive resort at the edge of the most beautiful water I’d ever seen for a full week.

Things like this just don’t happen to me and Matt. We aren’t wealthy people. We do okay and pay our bills on time and stuff but a trip like this? No. Never before and never expected. Ever.

To tell all the details would bore everyone, trust me. Our entire first day of vacation was summarily stolen by a number of problems with a number of airplanes and we spent 8 un-scheduled hours in Miami International Airport. That story might become a book someday.

After that debacle the week went by in a blurry haze of sun, sand, salt air, vodka cranberry, sunscreen, dancing, laughs, amazing food, and an overflowing level of gratitude that I could hardly contain. It forced me to notice everything, every tiny detail of every tiny moment we all spent together on that island. The people, the scenery, the vibe. Everything.

The trip revived my waning inspiration.

For the past 4 or 5 months I’ve been struggling with Reckless Mind, trying to get the story down but finding it difficult to see the next move, the twists. I’ve started and stopped the book 3 times. One of those times was a complete reboot from the first word.

Before we left I was stressed. So much had happened in the past few years both personally and professionally and no matter how many massages I wanted to get or essential oils I tried to meditate with, nothing seemed to take that stress away.

Some of us like to call it writer’s block.

I like to call it real life taking over the creative thinking process.

There have been so many people to see, things to do, detours that tried to convince me what my path should be when I actually knew all along what really needed to be done for me to find fulfillment.

I needed to write books. Period.

Not freelance blogs, not ghostwriting, not how-to guides or any of the other things I tried to convince myself would be smart choices. No. I need to write books.

Length? Unimportant. Genre? Unimportant. Story? The most important.

As Matt and I walked the beach for about a half hour on the last day (a moment that came way too fast of course), I shared my plan. And it basically encompasses one thing: I’m giving up being a perfectionist.

I’ve said stuff like this before about just writing and not caring. But I never had a clear-cut plan of what that really meant. While we were away I finally put everything together.

In this age of digital reading and the flood of titles out there that’s the number one thing I need – titles. The more you have the more your name is seen. And of course the more it gets seen the more it sinks in, people buy, review, send you to a best seller status.

I have so much work, at least 5 stories I can think of off the top of my head, that I started back when I was a teen or in my 20’s. Most are within chapters of typing “The End” and I finally realized why I might be having trouble writing Mind.

Because I have too many unfinished characters swimming around in my head pool and until I get them out I won’t be able to hear Shaw telling me what she wants me to say.

I told Matt out on that beach that I was looking forward to getting home and he looked at me like I had turned into a crazy person. Maybe I had become a crazy person. Crazy inspired.

So when we got back, after the jet lag wore off, I extracted the first journal out of my big box of languishing work that I’ve been toting around since age 14 and started transcribing.

That story? It started out as character development and about 600 words. Now? After 4 days of non-stop work it’s almost done and hovering around 6,000 words. Just shy in fact. And I already have cover art in mind.

The title. Locked in.

After that one I plan to start with the 5 stories that are long and close to done. All of them, every last one, will be released this year.

My sister was shocked that I’d gotten over my need for perfection but I told her that wasn’t exactly true. I still want the stories to be terrific. I’m still going to edit like crazy. Because the basis for the work might have been okay but I was also 15 when I wrote some of that stuff. It will need major polishing.

But polish I will. And you want to hear a pretty cool side benefit? Since almost finishing this first one I’m hearing the main character, Carol, less and Shaw just a tiny bit more. I even got a bit of her story developed at the same time. That book will see light this year too.

My resolve for what I do has been 100% revived. I’m in love with my job again. So I guess it’s time I got out of here and did it, huh?

I’ll keep you posted as titles drop.

Like rain in the tropics.

***the larger percentage of cost for this trip was fronted by a fantastic person who I will not name here on this blog, but none of it would have been possible without them. My sister and her man also fronted some cash for the trip. So Matt and I are splitting that cost. That was the deal we worked out with the original friend who couldn’t go, because that person just wouldn’t hear it about paying them back for anything. I literally feel my heart swelling with thanks every time I think about how grateful I am to have had this once in a lifetime opportunity. Saying thank you seems a weak sentiment but I feel so thankful, it’s all I can seem to say! Thanks again to all of you amazing people in my life. I am a lucky girl indeed!

• • • • • • • • • • •
In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Back in Action, Sort Of

After a nice long vacation to Martha’s Vineyard last week I returned home to find a virtual shopping mall of boxes stacked beside my front door. Looks like I will be very busy for the next month or so doing product and service reviews for Green Leaf Reviewer, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way; I absolutely love my job.

Boxes loaded with stuff like toilet paper, a self filtering water bottle, 8+ boxes of cereal, aluminum foil, canvas bags, produce bags, kitchen scrubbers, a raw foods “cook” book, soap, paper towels, sugarcane plates and granola bars arrived while I was gone. Not to mention a CD from a musician I reviewed recently, Peter Mulvey.

It is so cool to know that I don’t have to buy many household items these days because Green companies are responding to my marketing gal’s request with such vigor! I truly feel so blessed to have such an amazing job; in fact it is the exact job I asked for a year ago -- I made a declaration that I wanted to blog for a living and well, here it is.

So this year, in my ever so frequent “reevaluation” fashion, I am making a new request. While continuing to write daily for Green Leaf Reviewer and watching it take off like a bullet, I also want to ensure I schedule a good chunk of time to work on my two near and dear writing projects -- my fictional character novel and the poetry/photography coffee table book my mom and I are collaborating on -- so they will be completed, edited and put out into the world for sale within the next six months.

With that said I am sorry that I have to slow down a little bit on posting the Labor of Love series here because I actually had some content from one of those posts stolen and republished as if it was their own work. I filed a claim and Blogger has taken it down but it still nerves me that my real writing has been copyright infringed. That one I am shopping though so if it gets published as a novella I will be sure to let everyone know!

For all of you who are posting anything on your blog that could be stolen (and seriously, that’s everyone) I can not encourage you enough to set up some Google Alerts. I never would have known about my content being republished if it wasn’t for an alert on nothing more than my blog title.

There are a bunch of things that I need to shore up in my personal life as well and once they are behind me I will be able to move forward in a much more meaningful way, here and everywhere else. I guess what I’m really trying to say is I am taking the pressure to post off of myself and if I feel up to it I will but if not I am not going to force it anymore just to stay current.

So I may not be here as often for a while, writing or commenting that is, but I assure you I will still be reading all of you. It’s funny, this blog has gone through a slew of changes in its short 2 year lifespan (blogiversary was on the 13th of September, yea!) from short blurbs to haiku and prose to lengthy diatribes, has covered a range of stuff all over the map and has gone through phases from daily to barely weekly posting. I guess that’s why I titled it Random Lunacy.

To send myself off on the virtual three week cruise ship, here are a few pictures from our recent vacation for all of you to enjoy. Check you later.

This is no joke. Every year, without fail, at least three people can be heard screaming and we all turn to watch as a seagull flies away with their sandwich or bag of chips.

The little dudes, known in these parts as Hammer and Anvil, totally enjoyed their first Vineyard trip.

We discovered a hidden gem of a spot in the Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary. Nice light hiking trails and they end up on the beach. Simply gorgeous and serene.

This is our favorite beach, Long Point. The temperature was about 68, mostly cloudy and the winds were gusting at about 125 miles an hour it seemed this day. We were the only people out there and it was fabulous.

At Mytoi Japanese Gardens on Chappaquiddick Island we sat and watched this little dragonfly for a few minutes. He was blind in one eye but seemed to be doing just fine.

Our last full day on island; I managed to only chop off a little bit of Matt’s hat this time. This is us in Mytoi.

BTPTh The Countdown Is On

So we have been invited to a Halloween costume party this year and I think we both really want to go. It has been ages since either of us has gotten all costumed up and I have to say its kind of exciting coming up with just the right thing.

The last costume party we went to we dressed up as white trash.

That was an awesome costume; I carried my Bud around in a cozy all night that I put in my overalls front pocket. Matt looked like he had just come from his job at the convenience store. The costumes were perfect and now we have to do something even better but still go as a couple.

Of course it has to be very us and can’t take a lot of prep time to create or find it. All of the individual pieces from this costume we already had in our closet its just that when put together they became quite the trashy ensemble.

The toughest part is conceiving the costume.

In three short days we go on vacation. This is our annual trip to Martha’s Vineyard with our friends and there is no way to possibly express how excited I am for this adventure. It is so time to get away for relaxing book reading.

Lists upon lists have been created for items not to forget and things to pack. We will probably even squeeze Rock Band into one of the cars. On top of the stuff to pack I have been front loading like a freak for Green Leaf Reviewer and I only have 2 posts to go to ensure I have one post a day scheduled. Between yesterday & today I wrote one from yesterday through a week from Monday. Whew!

Research is a lengthy process. But I wouldn’t have it any other way; it is way too fun writing every day!

The skunk population in the neighborhood is getting worse, it is just about every night now we either see one, smell one or both. I am starting to wonder if the early summer rain had something to do with it.

Tonight is dinner at Mum’s and that should be nice. Hmmm…I should text her to see what we are having so I will know what kind of wine to pick up.

Because my brain is swimming I am going to leave this a short but sweet post tonight.

Before I forget, here is the rest of the crew of homies. Bree, Bridgete, Ginger & KC. Check em out, they are fun and only bite if you ask nicely.

What Does It All Mean?

Last weekend involved driving out to Fitchburg to start on a fairly hefty sized paint job that my dad has hired me for. The job will be a super easy one because it is straight up paint everywhere -- prime it all, flat white ceilings, semi-white trim and linen white eggshell on all the walls -- plus there is carpet almost everywhere to be ripped out later so it is acting as a drop cloth. The point however is that there is a whole lot of road between my house and Fitchburg, a lot of music that can be played and a lot of sky to be seen.

A really freaky fleeting thing happened. We were just about in Leominster when I happened to glance out the driver’s side of the windshield (Matt was driving). Suddenly I noticed a cloud in the bright blue sky. There were not too many around so it stuck out as prominent before the tree line rose up to somewhat hide it again. Just as I was pushing the radio dial scan button I thought to myself ‘huh, that cloud is shaped just like Africa’. No sooner did the thought go through my head but I hit the button to go on to the next station and what is playing but Toto’s “Africa”. I just started laughing and Matt asked what was up so I told him the story and pointed out the cloud. He agreed it was very Africa esque.

So then I am catching up on blogs I enjoy and on Tuesday I come across this post by Experiments in Mediocrity. Are you serious?

I suddenly felt like “Preston Meyers” in Can’t Hardly Wait when he hears “Mandy” on the radio and thinks to himself that it must be a sign to talk to the recently single girl he loves named Amanda because he hadn’t heard the song in about a decade. Then the radio announces it will play the song every hour to celebrate Barry Manilow’s birthday and “Preston” just sinks.

Symbols and their meanings can be interpreted in just about any way we really want them to, whichever fits best into our convenient definition of ourselves, and that means that no matter how I interpret all of this it is going to be the most convenient way to fit into my life right? That is why when two people share the exact same experience, they really don’t.

Currently, I am pursuing a writing career and doing not too bad a job of it I might add. I start thinking, well, Africa is where everything allegedly began so maybe I am supposed to go back to the beginning. So I pulled out the dusty old, barely hanging on, Crate and Barrel box where I keep all my handwritten stuff and begin unloading the fifteen or so half full journals, loose leaf papers, tiny little scraps of paper and small random notebooks that contain all of the writing I have kept; dating back to at least 1986. I wonder if I should be transcribing the oldest one I can find. I wonder if I should be transcribing all of it.

Then I remember I saved my date books back to 2004 so I could go through and start writing stories based on the things I had done. Kind of like a modern memoir. I locate them and clip them all together and put them in the box that is now bursting at the seams. It is time for a bigger box.

Since music is such an inspiring factor in my life I decide to look up the song lyrics and see if there is some deeper hidden meaning within them that really speaks to me. After all, when the song came out I was about nine years old and while I likely enjoyed it for its gratuitous 80’s keyboard solo, I am fairly certain I didn’t understand what the song was about back then.

Africa
By Toto

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, hurry boy, its waiting there for you

Chorus:
Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what’s right
Sure as Kilimanjaro
Rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what’s deep inside,
Frightened of this thing that I’ve become

Chorus (repeated)

Huh. Nope not really screaming out to me about anything other than the fact that Africa sounds like a pretty cool place to see and the song is cool; I like drums, I like ancient words, I always wondered what a Coyote sounds like at night. And I still don’t really know what the song is about.

The last bit of the happenstance in my freaky little scenario is the sky and cloud. Now, I am a big lover of the sky, there are times I wonder how I never pursued a career as a Meteorologist because weather and anything that is a direct result of the sky fascinates me. Clouds and the cool shapes they take on are no exceptions to this.

I don’t think there has been a moment in my past when I have seen a cloud that looks like Africa before that moment. However I have seen countless clouds that remind me of the shape of one of my favorite islands, Martha’s Vineyard. I see them everywhere and it always makes me smile because that place is where time has no meaning. For a person that is somewhat rigid, but at the same time believes time is a totally crap concept, getting there is like coming full circle; it is difficult to explain. Sometimes I enjoy the fantasy of dreaming of becoming a whole new person in this new land. Most of the time I just dream of lying on the beach at Long Point though.

This year we are not going until September, when typically we would have just gotten back recently because the week after the 4th tends to be the time we go. This year S & B wanted to wait until the twins were a little older to really appreciate it and also so they could enjoy it without having to mix formula and all that ‘still under one year old’ crap. We are going in September also because it is going to save us over $1000 each. Luckily we will not be there when the Obama family hits East Chop for their August vacation. I suggested they should hit Ben & Bill’s for the best ice cream on the island since they will be so close by.

So what does any of this really have to do with each other?

Maybe I am looking for someone to tell me all the cool places to go in Africa? Maybe I am in need of my annual vacation and do not want to wait another two months to take it? Perhaps going from a month of rain right into mid 80’s and muggy sun was too much for my brain to wrap around? Should I pullout Can’t Hardly Wait and watch it on this lazy Saturday afternoon? Maybe I am simply sad because I got no iTunes gift certificates for my birthday this year so stocking up on 80’s pop is going to be a slower process? Perhaps I should learn the keyboard or how to write a song?

In the end, I chalk it up to the fact that there really was no nuance of semblance behind these random things, except to provide a truly sporadic, yet somehow cohesive, blog post just shy of 1400 words.

Either that or it really is time for a long road trip far from home full of big sky and fantastic music.

Stuck in Your Head All Day

When I woke up this morning I thought to myself how nice it would be to go back to bed for like three hours, which is something I never do. As much as I do not enjoy getting up with that alarm, the minute my eyes open, I am awake for the day. I tend not to nap during the day, even when I am sick, and although I am up early-ish every day, it is typical I stay up until midnight or later. I refuse to miss anything and it has been that way since I was a kid. This is how I came to love cheezy, syndicated, television programs like Hawaii Five-0.



Back so many years I can barely remember the actual time frame, but somewhere around age eleven, I would fall asleep with the television on. My sister and I shared a room and she would be snoozing away while I laid wide eyed and transfixed on the Hawaiian State Police force catching the bad guys at 1:00 in the morning. Right from the opening credits it had everything -- a catchy theme song, hula girls, lava, big waves and of course the freeze frame of Jack Lord. Hawaii Five-0 was the show that paved the way for programs like Law & Order, Miami Vice and all those fast paced forensic shows like NCIS. In fact, the leading men on Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS had quite a bit in common.

On NCIS Mark Harmon plays Jethro Gibbs, a former Marine with a propensity to scowl for the full hour episode, but you love his gruffness because it is understood that although his past is something that hardened him as a man, he is a softie for the ones he loves. Touching. On Hawaii Five-0, Jack Lord played former Navy officer Steve McGarrett. He too had a tendency to avoid smiling unless absolutely necessary and almost always wore a full suit but he did a whole lot of running if I recall correctly. And Jack had much better hair.

After staying up most nights to watch it there is no doubt how I became fascinated with all the wonders Hawaii has to offer from towering waves and picturesque waterfalls to live volcanos and breathtaking sunsets. I would imagine being able to move my hips like a hula girl or having the guts to surf triple overhead. My renewed fascination with the show brought a resurgence of the interest in learning to surf.

I have wanted to try my hand at surfing since I was about eleven, back then it looked like a cool sport to try and I had no fear of the ocean because I had learned how to swim at such a young age. I can not remember when I found out but my dad used to surf in Humarock every summer; he has this amazing handmade wooden board just begging to be ridden again on the wall of the beach house in the basement.

Every year when we go on vacation with S&B to Martha’s Vineyard, B is boogie boarding but there are always a few surfers out there on longboards, catching the same small waves but looking like they are having a blast doing it. This year I decided, since we are going so late in the season (September instead of our usual July), the ocean will have warmed up significantly and it is the year I need to try gliding on water. In the spirit of not holding back, trying new things, and wanting to get into better shape, it seems like the right thing to do. And finally feels like the right time to do it too.

No question I will sleep like a baby after a day of salt air, falling over, and paddling. I’ll use the theme songs to Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS as my motivation to amp up. I don’t even care if I never stand up but I am sure going to give it my best shot.

All the Dorks In the House Put Your Hands Up

For the past couple of months, I have had almost no desire to write. Well, let me clarify, I have had no desire to write the convoluted insanity that I used to write almost every day either in this blog or my journal. Instead, I am filling up volumes with posts about eco-friendly products and moderately serious prose. This does not upset me, save for the fact that I kind of tried to deny to myself the reason why I was in that mode in the first place -- I had temporarily misplaced my humor.

As an Irish gal growing up in a punny family, a witty personality is something I was just born with. Generally I can find the hilarity in any situation, extract it, and plunk it on out there so everyone else can laugh about it too; even if it is an “in-joke” situation. But I have been in this recoculous introspective place lately, because many serious things have happened in my life, and rather than spit them out after they lost their flavor, I was continuing to chew on them. Then my sister came to town.

There are some people in my life that just get me going and I fall right back into that awesome place of humor and goofy stupidity where my timing is freaking perfect and its just on without even having to flip the switch. Wendy is at the top of the list of those people.

This past week while she and her boyfriend were here there was more laughter (and drinking and smoking and late nights) than had happened in this house in a long time. Immediately after dropping them off at the airport yesterday afternoon, as always happens, I missed her. But Matt and I were in full on “go” mode to get the house cleaned and then pack because we are cat and semi house sitting for a friend for the next couple weeks. We spent limited time back here just to pick up the $4 in returns from beer bottles (sorry, I mean beah, ya know, what we drank while eating pitzr; as we say here in Bahstin), grab some food in a cooler, toothbrushes and a night’s worth of clothes then jam.

This morning, back home to work, I got my over tired, highly nicotined ass into detox mode by drinking about five glasses of water, and then I finally opened the mail that had piled up. I fully expected to be ecstatic by the quiet that I would be surrounded by but something interesting occurred. I sat down at the computer to start paying bills online and it was like the laughter of sixty people was hanging like a fog in the air. The energy in my living room was infused with awesomeness, fun and about a billion movie quotes and I sat here smiling for no good reason other than I was happy to continue to soak it up.

Every time I sit in bumpadabumpa traffic nexta a Dunkin Donuts now I will think of yas.

And for anyone who lives in Bahstin, ya know that’salat.