314. Never know what you'll find

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

First off, Laci over Long, Slow, Beautiful Dance tagged me! She wants me too all of you out there six odd things about me, so here I go.

1. I have a huge fear of snakes. Even the sight of them on television or on a movie screen bothers me. They showed a preview for snakes on a plane before X-men Friday, and I had to cover my face.


2. I have this horrible habit of biting my fingernails. I have never been able to rid myself of it.


3. I also have another horrible habit of grinding my teeth in my sleep. It’s so bad one of my very back teeth is worn almost all the way down to the gum.


4. I have a fear of flame, any kind of fire. Chemistry labs were fun. I always had to have a partner do anything with flame.


5. I have a huge love for the paranormal. I love ghosts and stories of ghosts. I’ve had a few experiences with them myself, and they just interest me.


6. Although, I love the paranormal, I’m afraid of the dark. Perhaps one too many brushing with ghosts?

I never really like tagging anyone cause I never know who out there is reading, or who has already done this!

My schedule feels all out of whack lately. I’d usually plan my week by what shows were on air that week. Now most of the shows are off for the year. I don’t remember the last time I had nothing to watch and review on a Tuesday night. It’s kind of nice, but it is throwing me off. I know I’m in what is an adjustment period, so I’m sure I’ll get rid of this off balanced lazy feeling eventually.

For those that come here regularly, you might notice a new name for this blog. I had been thinking of changing the name for about a week now. I’d have the same name since I started, and while I liked One Writer’s Rambles, I just thought it was time for a change. I decided on Inside My Wild Mind because for some reason I think it just fits me better. This blog is all me and my mind, and I can be a bit wild in my thoughts at times, so there you have it.

I’ve been making headway I think with my fiction. Sometimes do you ever feel like you have to go back to move forward? I am thinking that might be what I have to do myself. Go back in order to move forward. When I began focusing on my fiction writing a few years ago, I began by jumping into fan fiction. I had a site, and it is still out there somewhere with people still reading. I won’t link it here because I think my writing has improved so much since those early stories.

So I’ve decided to try jumping back into writing by using my roots in fan fiction. I might try a different fandom. I’ve revived my fiction blog, Eroticisms Fiction. I also made a place for my fiction on live journal. I see that is still where most of the fan fiction people seem to hang out. It’s where I got my start, so I know my way around. Maybe some challenges, some prompts and some new directions will wake up my sleeping muses. At least that is what I’m hoping.

Don’t forget to check out my Blog of the Week. NYC Watchdog is still on my sidebar for one more day. Go check out what he is talking about lately. I know I was interested in his thoughts on some of the current BlogExplosion drama.

313. Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday, May 28, 2006

It’s been a couple of days since my last post. I never did get around to Thursday Thirteen, and I’m not sure I’ll continue doing it in any case. I don’t think I have to make a list of thirteen things to find something to write about in here. In any case, I took some time away from blogging the last couple of days because I could. With the television season ending, I’m looking at shows to cover on my review site for the summer. When the year began, I was actually what would happen over the summer. Three months of downtime would kill any blog, but I’ve found four or five shows to cover in the months ahead, and I’m confident that they will work well with my readers and myself. I won’t watch a show just to review it. I actually have to like the show too.

Friday morning, I did go out to see X-men 3. I was there for one of the noon showings, and I really liked the movie. It had its problems, but the movie isn’t supposed to be rocket science. It’s based on a comic. I have my review of the film up now over at One Couch Critic. Just know I totally recap and review the movie, so don’t go over if you don’t want to be majorly spoiled if you haven’t seen the movie.

I really can’t believe summer is here already. It’s been in the hundreds here already, and it isn’t even June yet. You have to expect that though living in Arizona. The air conditioning was so cold in the theater the other day though, I nearly froze. When I was there, I thought I saw my ex-boyfriend. We haven’t talked in a couple of years, and we broke up ten years ago now. Time flies doesn’t it? I could almost swear it was him. Same style dress. Some look. He even stopped for a second to look at me, but my brother says I’m crazy and it wasn’t him. It was just odd and unexpected. I’d see him going to see that movie the first day too.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing lately. I call myself an aspiring writer, but really I don’t know if I fall into that category anymore. When it comes down to it, I’m a writer. I’m a writer that is paid to write. It might not be much yet, but it is monthly and steady. It isn’t hit and miss. So when you think of it, I’m no longer just aspiring. In any case, I was also thinking that being called an aspiring writer is really silly. You’re either a writer or you’re not. If you write, it doesn’t matter if you write articles or stories. For some, it isn’t even about the money. If you enjoy putting down words on the screen or paper, and if you have some skill at it then you are a writer.

Maybe this huge writer’s block when it comes to my fiction the last couple of months isn’t because I’m really blocked. Maybe I know somewhere in the back of my head, what I needed to work on at the time. Maybe I needed to get what I needed done in order to move onto fiction, or perhaps I’m not meant to be a fiction writer at all. I’m still pondering that one. Perhaps, I just need the write story to come to me. Sort of like what happened with the story I submitted. No word on that yet either.

I just love to write. I wrote a fifteen hundred review on a movie, and I didn’t even notice it until the very end. I watch and review shows because I enjoy doing it. I also role-play, and I also enjoy that more interactive type writing as well. I wrote a scene last night with another person, and it was great just bouncing our characters off of someone else. I know I’ve said this before, but writing is just in me. I’ll write what I need to write and what comes to me. Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on myself. Writing should be fun too. If it isn’t fun, then you’re doing something wrong.

Have a great Memorial Day everyone. I might pop in tomorrow, but if I don’t I’ll see you on Tuesday. Don’t forget to check out my Blog of the Week on my sidebar. NYC Watchdog has had some thumbnail issues with BlogExplosion this week, but he’s still over there. Go over and tell him I sent you!

312. This day started bad!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Well, its barely noon in my timezone, but I'm already asking for a do over I think. The day actually started off bad when shortly after midnight my cat decided to have a little accident all over my clothes. I won't say more on that one. Then I went to change for bed, and I found the jersey I always sleep in missing. My brother did a small load of laundry yesterday, and it was in there.

Well, apparently someone stole it from the dryer because he remembers putting it in the washer, then the dryer, but he doesn't remember folding it. Who in the world steals a six year old jersey? I loved that thing. It was the only thing I felt comfortable sleeping in. We used to have this problem with our building laundry before, but I thought we were past that!

To top it off, my review site got hit by some kind of awful spambot this morning before I came on. There were between 20 and 30 emails of anonymous spam comments in my email when I checked just now, and they are throughout the site. I don't even think I'm going to bounce all over and delete them all. I guess I need to turn on word verification over there. I was hoping I wouldn't have to!

Everything isn't bad though. My blog here was finally accepted as a renter on another blog. I'd been trying since last week to find a spot to host me for a week, and one came through last night. So thanks to Valkyrie at Neurotic Nonsense. Don't forget to check out my Blog of the Week while you're here!

I also survived a full television season. When the screen faded to black at the end of last night's Lost, I was done for the year. Lost was great last night, but I hate having to wait until October now. Seeing Prince on American Idol made my night too. I have recaps of both on review site. My summer season begins tonight with the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance. I was hoping to take a week off, but after tonight I'll get my wish because some of the other shows I'm covering this summer don't start for a couple of weeks yet.

I know its Thursday, and I started doing Thursday Thirteen last week, but I'm drawing a blank right now. I know I am still in the picking the meme's that work for me process, and I love Click & Comment and Wordless Wednesdays. So those might end up being the two I stick with. I'll see if I can come up with a list later.

I have a lot more to say, a lot on my mind lately, but right now I can't think of any of it! So I'll save it for next time. Have a great Thursday everyone.

311. New Blog of The Week!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

I have a new blog taking up residence in my sidebar this week, and that blog is A Pile of Dog Bones. I'm more of a cat person, but I didn't let that stop me from renting my blog space to NYC's Watchdog. He is a writer and an EMT, and he is uses his blog to hopefully get rid of that nasty thing called writer's block. I've been reading his blog daily the last couple of weeks, and I really like it there. I think you will too. I particularly enjoy his Oogle Monday posts because writer's always need to find inspiration for their characters wherever they can. Taking a look at his profile, we share a lot of the same interests. Someone that puts down Pump Up The Volume as one of their favorite movies and enjoys Star Wars is a-okay in my book. Why don't you take a moment and hop on over to his place for a bit, let him know Gina sent you! To my other possible blog hopefuls, Jessafran and My Corner Of The Web, please try again in the future.

Wordless Wednesday #2

I can't wait until Friday. Anyone else going to see X3 this weekend?

Only leave your link if you're participating in Wordless Wednesday.



technorati tag: wordless wednesday

309. Wanting More

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Do you ever feel like you’re always searching for something more? Something different. Something that will catch your interest and hold it for longer than just a moment. I feel like that sometimes. I want to do something more. I want something to grab onto me writing wise and not let go. It doesn’t matter what it is.

May it be nonfiction, fiction, or some other type of writing. I just want something to grab me. Not a lot is right now. My fiction muses are sound asleep, but I expected they might be with all I’m doing this month. I know the end is near. I just keep looking for things though, and I need to stop doing that. I know that is easier said than done, but I know I need to wake up my fiction muses eventually.

This morning, my kitten Mikey was being a terror. I didn’t get hardly any sleep. He was so bad that I had to leave my room and steal my dad’s bed for an hour until he settled down. Once I came back to my bed, he was as quiet as a mouse. My brother has nicknamed Mikey, The Beast of The Desert, otherwise known as Junior X. So many names for one cat. We’ve also called him Charlie because he loves tuna.

Tonight, I watched the series finale for Alias, and I found it to be a more satisfying end than I did for Will & Grace. Strange, but good. I was sad to see some of the deaths, but they told us people would die. Now we have American Idol and Lost finishing up over the next couple of days. I think I want to see Kat win this week. I heard today she was performing with Meat Loaf on the finale, and I can’t wait to see that. I’m wondering what song she will sing with him. I’m excited for Lost too.

However right now, I’m tired! Don’t forget to check out my Blog of the Week! Utenzi will be wrapping up his stay with me soon.

308. Another Monday!

Monday, May 22, 2006

Did anyone else catch 10.5 Apocalypse tonight on NBC? It was the first part of two. I know the movie is cheesy as hell, but I got a kick out of it. It was nice to just sit and watch something I didn't have to analyze and think about to write on.


Another Monday is upon us. Even though it is not morning yet, I wanted to post this really quickly now before I headed off to bed. I'll be hopping around once I wake up, commenting and checking in on everyone. You can read more about Click & Comment Monday in last Monday's post here.

While you're here, check out my headlines on my other blogs, and if you see something that catches your eye, hop on over and take a look. If you're taking part in Click & Comment, leave your link in the auto-link and let me know! Please don't leave your link if you're not taking part.

307. Preakness upset

Saturday, May 20, 2006

I survived hell week, as I had been calling this week since like two weeks ago. I knew with all the season finales and the upfront in NYC this week, I’d have a lot to write about. Some may think because one writes about television and celebrities, it is fairly easy. No, its not rocket science either, but I have to put my mind to it and focus. I like to give as much detail to my recaps as I can, so if someone misses an episode, they can feel pretty up to date on whatever happened that week, so they don’t feel they missed anything. That takes focus.

I spend anywhere from five to six hours a day working on my reviews and my entertainment blog. Sometimes less. Sometimes more. Now that I know what next season’s schedule looks like, I can start to plan what shows I will cover on my review site. The schedule will stay mostly the same, but I’m already trying to figure out how I’m going to cover three shows in one time slot when my DVR will only let me watch and tape two at the same time. I don’t have one that will tape two and let me watch one, or I’d be set.

Today, I watched The Preakness. A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the first race in the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, and its winner. This weekend, the same horse, Barbaro, was set to win again. This time though tragedy struck. After a false start by the horse, he then injured his back leg and had to pull out mid-race. It didn’t look good, and it is likely the horse will never race again.

In fact, the vet said as much when he was interviewed. The vet did say the injury didn’t look life threatening, but they couldn’t be sure of that until they did X-rays and looked at the horse more closely.  The crowd in the stands was upset as many shed tears over the loss of Barbaro. It is severe fracture, and I hope they don’t have to put him down.

In other news, there was some great television this week. Was I the only one that wasn’t too happy with the Will & Grace finale? Maybe because I hadn’t watched the show religiously in a bit, but it just didn’t feel like a proper ending to me. Now with most of the season finales out of the way, I can turn my focus elsewhere. I’ll only be covering a few shows over the summer starting with the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance on Thursday night. As many of you might recall, I covered that series for Blogcritics last season. Now my reviews will be up on my review site only.

I’ve been looking to change the template on this blog lately, and I thought I found the perfect one today, but it won’t work properly with the javascript from my auto-linker. I’ll keep looking, but for now I changed this one up a bit. I didn’t like the last background so much after I put it up. I think that’s all for now. Have a wonderful night everyone.

306. Thursday Thirteen #1

Thursday, May 18, 2006

As I mentioned back on Monday, I planned to jump into more of the weekly memes. The three I chose to jump in are Click & Comment, Wordless Wednesday and Thursday Thirteen. I'm enjoying getting out there and meeting more bloggers than just those in my little writing blogs corner. Thanks to everyone that stopped by yesteray and commented on my new picture of Mikey. I took that just a few minutes before I posted it. He actually cooperated for once!

As for Mikey, he's doing well. Still tiny. My brother and I are starting to think he might have been younger than they said he was when we adopted him from the animal shelter. Maybe even a couple of weeks earlier. He also seems to have some allergies, but he's growing by leaps and bounds daily, so we're not too worried.


Now onto to today's Thursday Thirteen. My list this week has to do with the fall schedule announcements happening this week. All the networks have now announced their schedules for next season, and I've been covering them for my entertainment blog throughout the week. My thoughts on The CW and FOX schedule announcements from this morning will be posted later on today. With the schedules being announced, we also learned the fate of some shows we hoped would be returning next year, but we now know they aren't.

Thirteen Shows I Wish Were Returning Fall 2006

1. Surface: I really loved this show. I watched it each and every week, and I fell in love with the characters. Sure, the plot was a bit out there, but the series made it work. I just don't think NBC ever gave it a real shot. Only fifteen episodes in a season that ended in February. I had a feeling it wouldn't be back.
2. Threshold: Another series that just wasn't given a chance. This time by CBS. I actually really enjoyed this. Yes, another weird plot, but it felt sort of X-files like, and I liked the cast and their characters.
3. In Justice: I was really sad to see ABC didn't pick up this show for next season. I started watching it when it premiered midseason on Friday's, and it really pulled me in.
4. NightStalker: This series scared me, and I hated how they yanked it so early on in the season. I think Sci-fi channel plans to air the episodes this summer though, so that is a good thing.
5. Pepper Dennis: This is the latest cancellation I've heard about. The CW announced its first fall schedule this morning, and Pepper Dennis was not listed on it. I hope this doesn't mean its gone for good, but I think it does. I really loved this quirky show though, and I thought it was perfect for Rebecca Romijn.
6. Courting Alex: I think schedule moves hurt this show. What I saw of it, I liked, and I think if given a more solid time slot others would have too.
7. Freddie: I really loved Freddie and his family, the best friend across the hall. I loved it all, and I watched every week. ABC had something good there, but it is being let go.
8. Still Standing: I just found this series this year, and it reminded me of a Roseanne in Reverse. I liked it, and when I heard it was ending its run I stopped watching. Why get attached?
9. Conviction: NBC hyped this one up so much this year, and now its being given the ax. I saw it a few times, and it was a good show.
10. Arrested Development: I don't watch this one much, but I know a lot of fans that do. I think FOX screwed them around a bit, and now it looks like there is no hope for this series to return.
11. Commander-in-Chief: The main star of the show wins a Golden Globe, and you put the show on two months hiatus? Then you bring it back, take it off again, and now you kill it? They are thinking about doing a television movie, but still I think ABC really dropped the ball here.
12. Alias: I just got into this show during season four, but I really liked it. I feel they are rushing to end it.
13. Will & Grace: I know its had a long run, but I still wish it wasn't going after tonight's episode.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It's easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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305. Wordless Wednesday #1

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Fresh Picture of my kitten Mikey

304. New Blog of the Week

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

I have chosen my new Blog of the Week. This week we have residing in my sidebar, Utenzi blog, which is the blog of a male scientific researcher. He's a heavy battler over at Battle of the Blogs, so I see him often, and I always enjoy stopping to see his entries. Today is his 45th birthday, so hop on over to wish him Happy Birthday, and read a joke too today!

I'm so exhausted today. Just two more days, and then it will be Friday. I may write about entertainment and television, but my brain is fried. Hope you're all well out there.

303. Some thoughts on Blogexplosion

Yes, another post from me. I think I might have found a second wind with this blog because a bit of time there I was at a loss of what exactly to write. I've made some changes in the past week, so I'm focusing more on this blog, and once things settle down I hope to work hard on my fiction over the summer months. Still no word on the submission, so everyone keep their fingers crossed for me on that one.

As I mentioned in my Click & Comment Monday post, I had some thoughts on Blogexplosion. I've mentioned that site on this blog before a great deal, and it is included in my traffic exchange review report. I still think it is one of the better blog traffic exchanges out there, and things only seem to be getting better as time goes on. They keep adding new things to play with and help you earn credits that will drive traffic to your site.

In the last couple of weeks, Blogexplosion was taken over by new owners, and when something such as that happens, you have to worry if there will be any bumps in the road. There really haven't been though. Things continue to run smoothly. I've been thinking a lot about two of Blogexplosion's services, and those are Rent My Blog and Battle of the Blogs.

I use both a great deal. Rent My Blog is how I get my Blog of the Week every week. I pick a new blog for that spot tonight actually. I'm a picky landlord, and I'm an even pickier renter. I have only rented space on other blog for myself twice. I actually stopped looking for myself for awhile, but lately I've been out looking to rent again, and I've noticed how high some of the rents are for what you get in return.

Some are charging over between 50 to 100 credits for just one to two unique visitors. To me that seems a bit much. If you're charging that much, I think the person deserves just a bit more than that. I charge about 50 credits, but the renter gets at least ten unique visitors, several entry mentions, and I think I'm an okay landlord now. Before, not so much. You learn as you go. I rent space both on here and on my review site. I have no control on my entertainment blog's sidebar, so I can't there.

When it comes to renting space for myself, I look at blogs where I think my blogs will fit best. Bloggers that share a common interest or similar content. I look back at their histories and see how much they are charging. I've bid on a few blogs this week, but I haven't been chosen yet. I'm learning renting space is not easy. There are so many blogs out there, and people want to rent. As a landlord, I know how hard it is to pick that one blog for the week.

As for Battle of the Blogs, there has been some changes there too. Late last week, the number of credits you could put up per battle was raised. Instead of 10 - 100, battlers could wager anywhere from 25 - 200. This made it just a bit more fast paced, and voters can earn higher credits just by voting. A 200 wager battle earns the voter 8 credits for about forty seconds of viewing time. This is way more than what one can earn surfing. Surfing one earns a half credit for each 30 seconds.

You can make more battling I think. I know that I have this week. I'm still surfing, but I surf battles now too. It helps builds credits, and it helps you get your sites seen and read. That's what we all want in the end. For someone else to read what we have to say.

302. The day everything wants to go wrong

Ever have one of those mornings when you wake up and everything wants to go wrong and does. First thing to go wrong happened before the day even began when I got yelled at somewhere around 4am for letting my cat escape into a room he isn't allowed into in the morning.

Then around 6:30 one of my cats, not sure which, ripped one of my posters off the wall. I got up to fix it. At 7am the phone rang, but whoever it was hung up. Then I banged my hand in the door, burned dinner, spilled water everywhere, and I think you get the idea.

Of course the last couple of nights I haven't been sleeping all that well. This week is crazy work wise, and I'll be glad when it is Friday this week. I just need to make it through then. Tonight was Grey's Anatomy. Check my review site for the recap, and I think I cried once with Doc and again with Denny. I thought Denny was so going to pull through. It was great episode though. I don't know what I'll do this summer without Grey's!

Some good did come out of today too. I won a book in a Mother's Day contest held by author Crystal Inman. I won a copy of her latest, Perfect Timing, in e-book format. It is being added to my to be read pile, but I can't wait to read it. So many books to read. So little time!

Thanks to everyone that stopped by today for Click & Comment Monday. I enjoyed reading and commenting today, so I think I'll probably start joining in every week, depending on my schedule, but I really had fun! I hope you're all well out there. I' to dreamland as soonas I finish catching up on my soap operas from today.

301. Click & Comment Monday

Monday, May 15, 2006

Happy Monday Morning everyone. I hope all of you had a wonderful Sunday, and for those mom's out there, you had a wonderful Mother's Day. Over the weekend, I did a lot of thinking about this blog. I missed posting every day, and I'm trying to get back into that a bit. If not every day, at least more than once or twice a week.

I'm also getting better about commenting, and I'm also expanding the blogs I read. i usually stick to blogs of other writer's I find through the forums I belong to, but I was thinking I see so many blogs as I surf every day at Blogexplosion, I should be a better neighbor and I added a number of blogs to my RSS feeder that I seem to find myself stopping to read the most while surfing or battling at Battle of the Blogs.

I also saw a couple of meme's floating around that are done on a weekly basis, so I'm hoping in on those. One of those meme's happens every Monday, and it is called Click & Comment. We all know comments are blogger food, so I think it is a great idea. I already had a couple of comments from it this morning on my review site.

So if you're taking part, feel free to say hi here or hop on over to one of my others blogs and say hello. My review site and my entertainment blog are in the headlines above, and if something catches your eye and you have something to say about it, hop on over and tell me about it. I like to hear other people's thoughts on my reviews and other things.

This is the information for Click & Comment. I'll be blog hopping, battling and commenting throughout the day, so if you stop by let me know and I'll return the favor. I have some thoughts about some of the recent changes at Blogexplosion, but I'll save those for another entry.


On Mondays, Cat has Click & Comment Day. She posted this to remind you how important it is to comment on other blogs. It truly DOES increase your readership and you most often gain regulars that will visit your blog day after day.

What I encourage is for you to click my renter. Then, you comment on the blog and click their renter or someone on their blogroll. Then you comment on that blog and click their renter or someone on their blogroll. Do this for as many blogs as you can. Sometimes they go full circle, and you end up at the originating blog, then just look up a blog in the blogroll and start the cycle again.

So, let’s get started! Comment here and I’ll either add your name and link to my post or use an auto-link program and let you add your own.

I really encourage you to do this at least to 5 comments if you have ANY time at all. It will give you the joy of sharing a few of your opinions on posts and bring you future readers.

Thanks and enjoy Click & Comment Day!

Are you posting Click & Comment on your blog? Add your name to the list with a link to your blog and I’ll come visit. If you do this you not only gain links but new blog-friends as well.

Enjoy! I’m going to try to do this each Monday. Why not start your week off right?

300. Major League Baseball Goes Pink

Sunday, May 14, 2006

I just heard about this today, so I thought I'd share. For this Mother's Day Sunday, some Major League Baseball players will have special bats to use to hit those homers out of the park. In honor of Mother's Day and to help out the Susan G. Komen Foundation, pink bats will be used during today's games, and once the games are done the player will sign the bat, and it will go up for auction. All proceeds going to the foundation. One team bat will also be signed and that too will go up for auction.

Breast cancer is something that has touched every person's life in some way. Whether it be a mother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin or a friend. Chances are you've known someone that has had this disease. Good news is the disease is treatable when caught early enough.

Television shows in recent years have also stepped up to make people more aware of the disease and its treatment. In recent months on The L Word, Erin Daniels' character Dana died of breast cancer. On Guiding Light, there is a current story line of one of the major long standing characters, Reva Shayne-Lewis, developing breast cancer. I've been tuning in to watch that play out in recent weeks. Both characters are strong women, and seeing them deal with this disease is interesting. Life doesn't always work as the death of Dana showed on The L Word. Fans were angered by her death, but it was played out well.

I applaud Major League Baseball for standing up like this for this great cause. Every little bit helps. Don't forget to check out my Blog of the Week on my sidebar! Today is its last day! I'll be selecting a new one sometime tomorrow. Also, I just noticed this is my three hundredth entry. I never imagined when I began this blog in March of 2005, I'd still be here 300 entries later, but here I am. Here's looking at 300 more.

299. Moving Forward or standing still?

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Do you ever find yourself asking that very question? Are you moving forward or standing still? Earlier this week, I felt like I was moving forward. I was seeing progress. And, yes there is some, but I want to see more. I want to do more. I don’t feel like I’ve done nearly enough with my writing yet. I’m getting there, but instead of a race, it is a slow climb.

Shortly after I announced my new Blog of the Week, the blogger behind it commented me to thank me for choosing them and to tell me that my writing success was an inspiration. That also got me thinking too. I don’t feel like much of an inspiration. Sure, I’ve found some success, but I’m not earning enough income to support myself.

In fact, my monthly income isn’t all that much to get excited about, but I do because a year ago I wasn’t even making that much money at all. In fact, I really wasn’t making any. When I started writing about television shows for Blogcritics, I never imagined a year later, I’d have my own review site and I‘d be blogging for another site that actually paid me to talk about television. I never imagined that happening at all.

Watching television is something I’ve always done. I am one of those die-hard television fanatics, and now I’m sharing my love of television with others that share the same interest. However, I still want more. I still want to be able to say someday that I can support myself and live on my own with my writing income.

I want a place of my own. I want somewhere that if I want to walk naked around my apartment at noon everyday, I can. I want somewhere that I can blast my stereo and sing at the top of my lungs, I can. I don’t mind living with my family. My father is not as young as he used to be, so I know I need to cherish this time I do have with him, especially with mom gone going on eleven years now. I just want to be someplace that I can call my own.

I want everything I do to move towards that goal. Right now, I don’t feel like I’m doing that. There are days where I do, and then there are days that I don’t. My fiction writing seems to come and go. My muses are silent, but I have a submission out right now. I had hoped to put something together for Phaze’s latest contest, but after getting a basic idea in my head, I couldn’t get past a few paragraphs. I tried though. The words just aren’t there right now.

I know this coming week is going to be hectic with all the season finales. By the end of May, I should have a bit more time on my hands, and I really would like to do some more with my fiction. Maybe even find some other nonfiction as well. I know its one day a time, but I still don’t feel much forward progress though. Maybe because I’m in the inside, and the world out there sees me and what I’ve done differently. That could be it I suppose.

I want to take this moment to wish all the mother’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day. My own mother is gone, and usually this time of year I hate seeing all the ads and mentions of mother’s day, but this year it didn’t bother me as much. I’m a mom in my own way, if you count furkids. Perhaps time does help heal.

298. When Love Goes Wrong

Monday, May 08, 2006

As a romance writer, I always love a good love story, and I hate to see one go so terribly wrong just as much. News has been buzzing since the winter about the divorce of Jessica Simpson from Nick Lachey. These two were one of my favorite couples, and it looked like they had found their happy ever after so many seek. Then things went wrong, and we're really not sure why.

Today, while I was looking at the various news sites that I use to collect material to write about on my entertainment blog, I saw a story about Jessica saying she didn't want to speak to Nick ever again. He's been out promoting his new CD the last week, and his interviews haven't painted Jessica in much of a positive light.

It really made me sad though. I remember watching the two on MTV's Newlyweds, and how they were. Sure, they had their arguments and problems, just like any other couple. What couple doesn't have problems? When things looked good though, they were really good. Nick surprising her with trips for anniversaries and the like. I was shocked to hear they broke up.

In romance novels, there isn't break-ups, unless they happen in the backstory, and then that person finds their happily ever after with someone new during the story. That is how it works. Life isn't a romance novel though, and sometimes there isn't a happily ever after.

I've listened to Nick's new CD, and some are saying the songs were written post break-up and relate to him and Jessica. There are two sides to every failed love, but the lyrics are so heartbreaking. You really feel for him when you listen. As my brother mentioned to me just a bit ago, Nick is probably a smart man and capitalizing on the break-up, so that means lyrics that could be seen as him getting back at Jessica would sell more records for him. Still its sad though.

No word yet on my submission. I'm still a bit stuck on what to do next. None of the curreent submission calls out there are really grabbing me. I know the next couple of weeks will be a bit crazy with all the season finales, so I'm taking it one day at a time. If something comes to me, I'll grab it then! Check out the new design on my review site!

I also have a new Blog of the Week, The Battle Rock Spot. The blog contains posts about the Battlerockers life and views of the world. Just after a quick inspection of the site, I knew those that stop here on a regular basis would enjoy stopping by! Take a look for yourself. Tell them Gina sent you!

297. Feel Good Kentucky Win

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Earlier today, I was watching the Kentucky Derby with my brother. It is something we do if there is one on television. The Derby is one of the biggest races of the year though, and it is fun to see twenty horses go for it. Today’s winner, Barbaro, was trained by a man that in my mind truly deserved to see his horse win.

Seventeen years ago, Michael Matz was on a plane that crashed just outside of Sioux City, Iowa. He saved three young children on their way to visit their grandparents before running in to save more. Since then he has been an Olympian, and now he trains horses. All three children survived, and they are grown now. They made it a point to be there in Kentucy at Churchill Downs for the race, and they watched the man that saved them train his horse to victory.

I just love stories like these. Good feel good stories about someone that did a good deed and then get that good deed paid back many times over. His horse was favored, but this field of horses was the best they have had in awhile. It really made it hard to see just who would win. Congrats to Barbaro and Michael Matz.

Don’t forget to check out my Blog of the Week! Today is its last day. I’ll be picking a new one by sometime Monday.

296. And the dreaded wait begins

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Well, now the fun begins. Back in September, I submitted a story somewhere, and I got rejected. They did offer some suggestions for improvement, and I’ve been reworking the story ever since. With my schedule, it took this long. With the help of my mentor, I worked hard on this story from January through March. With my goal time the last couple of days, I took one last look at things, and today with my time I formatted the story per the publication’s submission guidelines, and I sent it in just now.

Now I get to wait. The good news the wait shouldn’t be more than a week or two hopefully, and perhaps even sooner. I’ve heard there is fast turnaround with this publication. Back in September, I think it was a few days, so now we’ll just have to see what happens. I’m nervous. I re-submitted to the same publication because I think they are the best fit for the story. I really don’t want another rejection, but if I get one I’ll look elsewhere. I did make a real effort to improve the story, and I hope they notice.

Tonight and Thursday are going to be crazy, so I might take tomorrow off (since I did say five days a week), and then try to tackle something new on Friday. I’m still drawing a blank on what to work on next. There are no stories brewing in my head at the moment.  Hopefully, that will change soon.

295. Fresh month, fresh start ...

Monday, May 01, 2006

May arrives, and with it comes a hopefully renewed outlook and a step forward. I've set some goals for myself in regards to my writing, and this is the day I said would start to work on them. I know I need to get back into the fiction, and there is no time like the present to do it. Now I know some days this month will be a bit on the crazy side with season finales airing left and right. I know this Thursday night will be especially hectic, and adjustments can be made. I want to move forward and not burn out. That won't help.

I'm not setting a page or word count goal because those never seem to work for me. I am setting myself a time goal. I know I can find thirty minutes to an hour each day to work on my fiction. I want to do this at least five days a week. That is my goal. I know I can do it. I'm cutting out some stuff or at least pondering cutting out some stuff. We'll see how keeping to the goal goes right now with my current schedule. Then I can decide if things need to be cut. One step at a time.

As some of you can see when you stop by today, I have a new blog look. I thought the sun was fitting because it is currently 97 degrees, and tomorrow we are reported to hit our first one hundred of the year. Living in Arizona, those only seem to come earlier and earlier each year. Now we'll have the hot weather through October. Fun right?

The poor cats are being kept indoors now. Each day we let the kitten and our older cat out on our back patio to sun and laze around. We live upstairs, so there is nowhere for them to go. Now with the heat, letting them out won't happen as much. They don't want to go out anyway in the heat. When given the option of a free door to go out or staying in, they stay in. Smart cats.

Well, I'm off. Along with the time goal, I set a time of day for me to do it. That time is just about now, so I should find something to do. While you're here, check out my new Blog of The Week, Fragile Musings. It is the blog of another woman and fellow cat lover, so why don't you hop on over and take a look. Tell her Gina sent you.

294. Writing and changing

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Changes continue to pop up. With any person, there is good days and bad days. There are fast months and slow months. The month of April has been a slow month for me, but not totally unproductive. I've been writing, but not writing the things I should be writing. Typing that feels weird because any type of writing should be good writing. As long as you are expressing yourself using words it should help you grow as a writer. I read something today on Jennifer Sando's blog, and it made me think:

There’s a difference between writing for a living and writing for life. If you write for a living, you make enormous compromises, and you might not be able to uncompromise yourself. If you write for life, you’ll work hard; you’ll do what’s honest, not what pays. - Toni Morrison

I'm not really making much for my writing. Not yet. Hopefully someday, but right now I'm content at what I am writing. I right a mix of nonfiction, fiction, and some roleplay type writing, but all of it is writing. Writing is in my blood, my mind, and it is by all means the activity that makes me the most happiest. When I'm not doing one type of writing, I find myself doing another. My work related writing comes above all because it is what pays me, even if the pay isn't the most. I love writing about television, and a year ago when I started doing it, I never imagined I would love it like I do now. Yes, I have nights where I wish I could leave the television off, but those nights aren't many. I do find myself leaving the television off on the nights I can now because sometimes blessed silence is needed.

I know I need to get back on track with the fiction, but every time I do try to sit down and put words down, the words just aren't there right now. Maybe I'm reenergizing at the moment. The last couple of months, I worked really hard with my mentor on my one manuscript. We tore it apart, and then put it back together again. I also finished it, and it was about 75% done when we started. Now I need to read it through and send it off. My mind is a blank at what to tackle next fiction wise. Nothing is jumping out at me plot wise at the moment.

On an unrelated note, but actually the reason why I came to my blog today, do you ever notice that things you used to love and enjoy just don't feel the same anymore? Perhaps a certain author or musician you used to love just doesn't do anything for you anymore. i used to love a certain type of music, and now it just does nothing for me. Is that a sign of change, maturing and growth? Or is it just simply a matter of not liking something anymore? Something happened to me this week like this, and it kind of surprised me. i heard a song that was leaked from what used to be one of my favorite artists, and I didn't get the least bit excited about it. Normally I would have. Times are changing. Perhaps!

In any case, I hope you're all well. I have some things to do before my nightly shows come on. Don't forget to check out my Blog of The Week!

293. Half empty or half full?

Sunday, April 23, 2006

When you look at a glass, is it half empty or half full? Are you more positive or negative? Now I'm not saying you have to be one or the other all the time. We all have our days where our moods just aren't the best. Sometimes something happens that just ruins our moods and puts us off course. That's fine. It is going to happen. I mean when someone always seems to look at things and life in general as the most negative. Nothing is ever positive. No matter what the situation. Instead of looking for the bright side of something, they point out the negative.

I've done this in the past myself, so I really don't have any room to talk about it much. I realized it wasn't healthy in time though. If you always look at things negatively, life won't be as good as it can be. I sometimes look at the people around me, and I wonder how they could look at life as they do. They have their reasons for it, and I won't say they aren't entitled, but life can be good you know? Life can be as good as only you can make it. If you're content to sit and wallow in whatever negativity is around you then so be it, but I know I personally won't do it anymore.

I guess I've personally closed off a lot lately from a lot of people. I wasn't as happy as I could be, so I worked towards making myself happy. I'm the type that believes only you can really create happiness in your life. Others can help, but some are the way that no matter what happiness in life is presented to them they still aren't happy. I find myself wanting to distance myself even more, or perhaps I'm noticing the distancing others have from me. You know when you can sense something is off, so in turn you back away as well. That's what I feel like doing, and in fact I've already done so.

I'm not the same person I always was. A year ago, I was the type to always look for the negative in life, and now I look for the good in life. If something isn't making me happy, then I fix it. If that means leaving it behind then so be it. I think when I started focusing on my writing more, it changed a lot of things. Now I only need to work on balancing my work related writing with my fiction writing. I know the next few weeks with the end of the television season will be busy. Things have been a bit slow the last couple of weeks, but that will change some this week with two of the shows I review returning. Once the end of May arrives, I'll take some time to focus on my fiction while covering only a few summer shows on my review site.

Right now, my main focus is American Idol. The show is hot right now, and as things continue on til its end, things will only heat up more. I cover American Idol on both my review site and news blog, but let me ask this really quickly here too. Those of you out there watching and reading here: who is your favorite on American Idol in the top six? For me, I like Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee the most. I think they have what it takes to make it to the top three. Hopefully, they do.

I haven't been working as much on my fiction this month, but I'm really hoping to change that soon. I've had my allergies kicking up something awful, and with the heat rising I've been getting headaches again. I'm keeping up with my work related writing because you have to keep to deadlines and schedules, but my fiction is suffering. I don't really have much of a schedule there. I thought about setting one, but that doesn't seem to work for me. Anyway, I think I've written in here long enough today! Check out my new Blog of the Week, Southern Expressions, the blog of a southern writer just starting her writing path. Make sure you to stop by and check out Andrea's blog!

292. The Best Laid Plans ...

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Well my goal for Monday was to start on some things. I wanted to do another read through on my current work in progress, and then move onto my new one. Well, shortly after I posted on Sunday, I got sick. I'm not sure how it came on, but I caught a cold. Good thing my family celebrated Easter on Saturday right?

I'm on the mend now, but I'm still not feeling the best yet. Yesterday was the worst of it. I couldn't even think about eating. So I have to adjust my schedule a bit. I'm still pushing forward with my other blogs, but my fiction will have to wait just a couple of more days while I try to find my brain and creativity.

I hope all of you had a Happy Easter. Saturday was spent with friends that stopped by. We still have leftovers in the fridge. I haven't even touched the Easter candy that was given to me yet because I got sick.

Don't forget to check out my Blog of the Week on my sidebar! I'll be choosing a new one by the end of the week.

291. Happy Easter

Sunday, April 16, 2006

As Karen said in her comment earlier, another week slips away.  This week has been one of those crazy ones, and I did the bare minimal I had to in order to keep things going. My two other blogs need updates almost daily. Although my review site is slowing down some because the television season is almost done for the year, I still have things to do. I'll pick a few of the summer shows to review, but it won't be nearly as busy as it is for me during the year.

The temperatures here in Arizona zoomed up to past 90 and nearing 100 this week. This usually doesn't bother me at all, but when you live in a building that controls when you're air conditioning and heat go on, then you have a problem. When I called back on Monday, they told me it wouldn't turn on until this coming Monday.

As soon as I heard that, I knew this week would be one to just get through. It's hard to do much of anything when you're hot. You can't think much. It is hard to sleep. It's hard to concentrate. It was pretty unbearable for the most of the week. I told myself once things cooled off, and I was able to do things without complaining about how hot I was every ten minutes, I'd start to get more things done.

I half a list of things I want to get back to regularly. I want to get back to blogging here more. Perhaps not everyday but a few times a week at least. I actually have had ideas for blog entries, or things I wanted to say in here, but my mind just hasn't been clicking all that well lately. I also want to get my current work in progress out the door to some places and submitted. I wanted to do that this week, but I wanted to give it another read through for edits before I sent it off.

I also have an idea for Phaze's latest contest. It is a departure from gay erotic romance I'm currently writing. It is back to the good old male and female meet and fall in love, having some hot sex along the way. I haven't done well in writing those type stories in awhile, and I might end up switching my head to a male/male if I can't manage it, but I'm up for at least trying to see how it goes.

I thought of the idea for it this week. I had a manuscript that I started and went nowhere that I might try pulling out and re-working it. If not, I can start from page one with my characters because they story's plot fits the Latin angle Phaze wants this time around. So in a way, I did get some done this week. I just need to focus now.

The good news is the air conditioning was switched on early. It came on Friday, which was a welcome Easter surprise. It is supposed to be hitting the 90's again this week, so it is definitely nice to have our air working. I knew this weekend would be a bust because of the holiday. I had family come in yesterday to spend the weekend with us. We actually celebrated Easter last night with dinner. So I'm not sure what we're doing today. We have a lot of leftovers!

I feel bad this blog has slipped a little, but it is just hard to find the time to get everything in when I'm doing so many things. I'm going to work at getting better because I have the time to do it, and I have the ideas to write about it in here. It is just a matter of doing it.

To everyone that comes across this blog, I want to wish all those that celebrate a Happy Easter. I hope you have a wonderful day spent with family and friends. While you're here, check out my all-new Blog of the Week, Saturday Night at the Movies. This is the blog of Lee, and he writes a great deal more than just about movies. Hop on over there to take a look at his site!

290. Where did the week go?

Saturday, April 08, 2006

I'm not sure how time moves by so quickly, but it does. It doesn't feel like I last updated in this blog on Monday. Here it is already Saturday night, and a new week is about to begin. I'm keeping busy as always, and it seems summer is already starting, even though for most its only Spring. It was pushing ninety today. It is supposed to do that again tomorrow. Some nights this week I was unable to sleep because the heat, even in the middle of the night, is so unbearable.

Most of my writing this week has been worked related. I did write the finale scene back on Monday like I wanted, and then I had my former mentor look at it. The Divas mentor program is now over, but we plan to keep working together beyond it. She's been wonderful, and I really did learn a lot from her in the short time we were able to work together.

Now all I need to do is go through the manuscript and submit it off. I submitted this story before in an early form, and it was quickly rejected. I've done a lot to the story since then. It's doubled in size and it went from a straight erotica piece to an erotica romance story.

I guess I'm a bit nervous to throw the story back out there. I worry it'll only get rejected again, and I've spent so much time working on this story. Most of my time is devoted to my entertainment writing that what little time I've had for fiction writing has gone into this story. I know I need to resubmit it, and I know it is a much better story than what I had originally. Every writer fears rejection.

I think most of my stalling on this project now is the whole what to do next? Once this project is out the door so to speak, I need to pick something else to work on. Is that one of my other works in progress or is it something entirely new? I know of at least two contests that grab my interest. Both are relatively short pieces and one of them has a due date of June that is certainly workable. I'd need something new though because nothing I have in the works currently will fit.

So I need to figure out what's next, so I can work towards it. Sounds easy right? Sounds like a plan in any case. I have a new Blog of the Week, Ripple Me This. Click here or on my sidebar to read the thoughts of Michael.

289. And its Monday already?

Monday, April 03, 2006

Another week begins, and the month began over the weekend. Spring is here, but I know summer is not far behind, especially here in Arizona. Its already been hitting over eighty here for days now, and some days it is just completely miserable. Living in a building that controls the time that the air conditioning and heating turns on every year certainly makes it for a few miserable days at the beginning of the hot and cold seasons. It has made me a bit restless really.

Things seem to keep changing around me as well, and it is a bit unsettling. Words seem to flow from the fingertips and mouths of others, and that is all they feel like really. Just words without no meaning behind them. Some do, and those are the words that I latch onto. The ones that I know don't come easy to say. Others seem to throw around words of love and friendship so damned easily, and after awhile you wonder if those words are really coming from the heart or if they are just so easy to say by now that you wonder if they are based on anything real.

I know I'm tired of hearing or seeing the words that don't really mean a thing. They are just words. It kind of reminds me of that line from that Rob Thomas song, Lonely No More. "Words are only words. Can you show me something else?" Words don't mean much without the meaning behind them.

As a writer, we want our words to mean something even. We want our readers to feel something both during and after they read whatever words we put forth for them. If they don't feel anything at all, then we really haven't done our job. So words bear importance both when it comes to our writing and our personal lives. With our writing we want our writing to touch the hearts and minds of our reading, and in our personal lives, at least in mine, I want to feel the realness behind the words being spoken. If the feeling isn't there, it starts to show through eventually, but sometimes we hold onto that hope that the words do mean what we want them to. Sometime though we need to stop believing and just let the words go.

On the writing front, I'm not sure what it is about Monday's lately, but that seems to be the only day of the week where I can find myself in the mindset to pull out one of my works in progress and write. The rest of the week is so busy and I have a set schedule almost. I know Tuesday through Thursday, I'll have things to watch and review on television. Fridays, my brain has usually turned to mush, especially since Wednesday and Thursday are my craziest nights. Saturday I have my two weekly features to prepare for my media village blog, and Sunday is usually known as a day of rest, so I take it. That is until Grey's Anatomy airs that night. all this on top of my standard news items appearing each day, once again on my media village blog.

It seems Monday is the only day of the week where I don't have much demanding of my time. I need to find another day though, and I need to find the time today to take out my work in progress and write this one last scene. I want to hopefully have it submitted by the end of this month. I'm also pondering other plots for other stories at the moment, but one thing at a time.

Also an update on the protest here at the school next door I mentioned in my last entry. Turns out the students were instead giving written warnings with suspensions forthcoming if anything else occurred. This was a much better solution. My Blog of the Week also had some thoughts on student protests following my last entry. Hop on over there to take a look. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find her entry, but why not take the time to look at some of her interesting entries the past few days.

288. Suppressing the voices of tomorrow

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Living in Arizona, a border state, there is a law currently being battled about in Washington that will have some affect here. That is the law on immigration, and it would make being an illegal citizen a crime. I've listened to the debate and discussion on the topic in my own house, and while I think some regulation is needed this might be going too far. The law has no provisions for day laborers that come here to work during the day in the border cities. These individuals would also be breaking the law.

I think what has caught my interest most of all in this situation in recent days are the student protests. Students are walking out to protest the law, and today I had my own experience with this. As I've mentioned before, I live next door to a junior high and there is an elementary school right next door to that on the other side.

Earlier this morning, I was standing in my kitchen talking to my brother when I heard some hollering outside, I looked and dozens of junior high students were walking past my apartment building. They had walked out in protest. It reminded me of a similar walk out I had done during my junior high years in protest of Desert Storm. It lasted all of half an hour, but I did something.

Later on this afternoon, my brother told me that one hundred and five students had walked out, and they were all going to be suspended for doing so. This bothered me. Yes, they walked out, but when I did the very same thing about fifteen years ago, I wasn't suspended for the action. I believe they have the right to peacefully protest. The school feels otherwise I guess.

Do you think suspending the students is right? I know they left campus, but they seemed to return just as quickly. The fact is they did what they could to make their voice heard. I think that's important. To me it almost feels as if by suspending the students it is suppressing their rights to speak up and be heard. They might be only in junior high, but I've met some teenagers that age who are quite intelligent. These youngsters will be voting in just a few years time.

On another note, I have chosen a new Blog of the Week. This week, I'd like you to hop on over and say hello to Lisa at Fragile Industries. She is another writer working in several genres from nonfiction and poetry to BDSM. She emailed me this afternoon shortly after placing her bid, and after taking a look at her blog I knew there was not one doubt that it would be chosen for this week's Blog of the Week honor. I'm sure you'll find her thoughts quite interesting, so please take a moment to hop on over to her blog and say hello! Tell her Gina sent you over.

287. Editing and a sick Mikey

Monday, March 27, 2006

Mikey wants to say hello to everyone. He is actually sitting in front of monitor as I type, watching the letters as they appear on the screen. He is doing a bit better. As I mentioned in my last post, he had come down with a cold. We thought he was on the mend Thursday, but he had a really bad day on Saturday. So bad that I was ready to take him to the 24 hour vet if need be.

The poor little guy was so congested it sounded like a freight train in my room. I kept an eye on him, and Sunday he woke up a lot better. We went to get him some meds to help the congestion, and today he's doing even better. He just needs to get rid of his sneeze. That is taking a bit longer, but the meds we got do seem to be helping. He isn't sneezing nearly as much today.

I think I even developed a sympathy cold because I had the sniffles all weekend too. I was so worried about my little guy that I didn't get much done at all. I have gone through another round of edits on the short I've been working with my mentor on. While working on it today, I had an idea for another scene. My mentor had mentioned the short possibly needing one more scene involving the heros having sex, and I think I found a way to do it and throw in a twist as well. I'll try to work on that later on tonight or during the week at some point.

My main priority is making sure Mikey gets all better from his cold. He's so tiny he had me worried. I hope you're all well. More soon.

286. Blogiversary

Thursday, March 23, 2006

It's been a few days since my last update. I've been playing nurse to a sick kitten. Yes, Mikey came down with a case of the sniffles. He looks to be on the mend, but he wasn't feeling all that great. It looked like it was a reaction to one of his vaccinations. Just as when humans get their flue shots, they get a little bit of live virus in order to combat a worse outbreak of the disease. The same happens with kittens, and he came down with symptoms on Monday. Yesterday, looked to be the worse of it, but today he woke up and he was his old self again.

I knew I couldn't let this day go by without posting though because it is a very important today in my blog's history. Today is my first blogiversary. It is also the one-year anniversary of my now oldest cats arrival into our family. A very special day on those two accounts.

JJ is a little over a year old, and he is enjoying his new companion. JJ has actually quite taken with Mikey. He acts like a big brother or father to the little guy. It isn't shocking to find Mikey actually lying curled up on top of the older cat, and yes I did take a picture with my camera. I'll post that when I get the roll developed.

A year ago when I began this blog, I wasn't all that sure how long it would last. I didn't know if I could find content to fill it with. I didn't know if anyone would even care to read anything I had to say. I thought it would be something I started, and it would die off as many other blogs have done.

Well, here I am a year later, and I am still blogging. Now I know I don't update every single day like I used to, but when you manage three blogs that becomes harder to do. My review site and my blog at Media Village both need daily updates for me to stay on top of things in regard to the entertainment world, so sometimes my personal ramblings need to wait a bit.

I've changed a lot in the last year. I know from time to time I might have a post full of cryptic ramblings about people and events in my personal life, but I figure writing about things troubling my mind is better than letting the thoughts sit and fester there.  I have changed though. A year ago, I was in a much different place than I am now. Both personally and professionally. I know I have a long way to go, but I know I'm getting there.

I've made so many wonderful friends since I've began blogging, and I know I need to be a better blogger and get back to commenting more again. I still do comment where I can, and I read a good number of blogs daily. Sometimes I wish there was more hours in the day to get all I want and need to get done completed, but there isn't. I've learned so much about the world and those in it by reading the blogs of others, and I don't see myself stopping blogging anytime soon. So Happy Blogiversary to One Writer's Rambles!

285. Kittens are like babies ...

Saturday, March 18, 2006

They are on their own schedule, and they don't care what time you went to bed the night before either. So the past few days, I have found myself getting up earlier and earlier. I think I was up at 9am today, and I already find myself getting sleepy now, and it is only 11pm here. I had wanted to edit today, but I've been tired all day.

Today I attended a chat over at Divas, and I won one of the chat giveaways. I'm excited to receive a copy of The Prey by Allison Brennan. She led a wonderful workshop this past week in the Diva's classroom, and I plan to print out and go over her lectures tomorrow or Monday.

Tomorrow, I will be going to the annual fair at my family's church. It's a family event we go to every year. My dad and I spend a few hours together eating junk food and going through the bake sale and white elephant sale. All the money goes to a good cause, our church, so it is an afternoon well spent. My going though means Mikey and JJ get their first test alone for a few hours. I'm hoping I come back to two happy cats and my room in tact.

Check out my new Blog of the Week. I had a number of blogs to choose from this week, and I wish I could have picked them all, but this week I went with Confessions of a Stuffed Lamb. I went for the cuteness factor! The blog tells the tales of a stuffed lamb as it travels the globe, going from person to person. I think its an inventive idea, and everyone should go take a look! Tell them you saw them on Gina's blog!

I'm tired now, so I'm heading off. Maybe even heading off to bed. Busy day tomorrow!

284. Update on Mikey and Writing

Thursday, March 16, 2006

First off, Mikey says hello. I took this a couple of hours ago. I found a different web cam capture program that worked a bit better than the one I was using. He's been here at home over forty-eight hours now, and he's doing well. Other than one accident, a little eye muck, and an upset tummy because he had been digging into the older's cat food, Mikey has been completely fine.

He was too young to give him some of his vaccinations. Some you can't give until he's at least ten to twelve weeks old, so I was told to keep an eye on him since he's only going to be seven weeks old. What people don't know is I'm the type of person to look at my cats if they even sneeze. So every thing Mikey has done over the last couple of days has me heading over to google and reading several sources. I know you can go overboard, but I'm just making sure everything will move along well with the new addition to the family.

He's an active little guy though. No sneezing, and the eye muck is a normal color. He is always near me, and he is getting along with the rest of the family just fine. This morning he woke me up at 8am biting and scratching my head and other places. He wanted attention. Little did he know that I went to bed at 3am.

Last night, I put the last period on the current work in progress I've been working on since September's failed submission. I took the suggestions the editor made, and it turned into totally different story. I would have had it done sooner, but I was working on another work in progress, and my non-fiction writing took precedence. Things are finally slowing a bit with the season of the television nearing its end soon, so I'm hoping to really tackle things this summer.

I've been working with this current work in progress with my mentor the last month and a half, as I've mentioned before, and she's giving me some great suggestions as well. Now that I have sort of have an end, I can work on polishing it and submitting it again. I've already decided which of my two works in progress left to tackle, and I did a little editing on it today.

So I'm hoping now that things finally seem to be settling down on the cat front, the writing front can take off. I still miss Bobo, and he's only been gone six weeks. I still haven't given up hope though.

283. Meet Mikey

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Meet the newest addition to my family, Mikey. He is a seven week old red tabby male that my family brought home from the local animal control today. We first saw him on Saturday morning with his momma and two sisters. They had been brought in together last week. He became available for adoption yesterday, and we were fortunate enough to be able to grab him before another family could.

He's feisty and a bundle of energy already. That kind of surprises us because he just had surgery to have him neutered this morning. When we picked him up at 12:30 this afternoon he was raring to go. My other cat, JJ, seems to be getting along with him fine. JJ wants to play already, but Mikey is still a bit unsure of his surroundings still.

This picture doesn't give you a true sense of how adorable he is because it was taken with my web camera while I was holding him. The little guy wouldn't stay still. I do have a roll with some free shots, so expect better pictures soon.

The kitten business has distracted me from my writing the last week or two, but now that we have found our perfect match and he is home, things should pick back up in no time.

282. Coming Clean

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

I love when things go as planned. When you develop some kind of routine really. You know when things happen, and when you need to do something. I may not be the most organized of people. My room is a bit of a mess. Clothes more than anything because I keep everything. I have some clothes I've probably had since my high school days in my closet somewhere. I just don't throw much out. I guess that makes me a bit of a packrat.

When it comes to getting things done, I like to know my schedule. When I add responsibilities in my life, I even like to know when I'll have time to focus on those as well. I like to fit things in, and when I know something isn't going to work I can easily take it right back out. I know sometimes things can come in and screw up your schedule, so some flexibility is always good. My family always wonders how I get anything done with the messiness of my room. I just do.

I guess I do the same process when it comes to other areas of my life. If something isn't working and I know it isn't, I figure out how to make it work. I always hear the only one that can fix you is you. Before I used to depend on people to fix me, but they never really did the job. You're the only one that can pull yourself back up when you're spread on the ground.

Sometimes I've felt that I was on a train going in circles. It was moving, but it wasn't moving forward. The people around me were all sitting there on this train with me, and all I wanted to do was get off. I got off the train about a week ago. I knew things were making me unhappy, and I knew something needed to change.

My focus is on other things now. Things kept pulling me away, forcing my focus elsewhere. I knew that couldn't keep happening. I've said this before - in life sometimes you need to make the unpopular decision in order to find your own happiness, in order to get things done. Only you can make your life work. I guess it took me a bit longer to figure out what had to be done.

281. Sick kitty and the Oscars

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Well, I got some bad news on the kitten I was planning to adopt today. We were supposed to bring home our new addition yesterday, but he wasn't feeling all too well. They asked us to leave him there until today. Well, when we called this morning, we were put through to the pound vet and told the kitten has an irregular heartbeat, and they weren't sure he was the best fit for us because of it.

They know we just lost a cat recently, and while the kitten might live a full and happy life, there is a chance he might not. They don't want us to go through the pain if something happened to him. I appreciate them being honest with us. We do still plan to make that addition to the family. We just need to find the right kitten for our family.

The pound said they have some new kittens available tomorrow, and my brother has a girl on the team he coaches whose family just had a litter of kittens too. There is no lack of kittens looking for good homes. It just takes finding the right one for you. We want one that will fit with our family.  Our cat JJ needs the perfect best friend too. I'd have hated to adopt the cat we had originally planned to, and then put JJ and us through the loss of another family member.

In other news, all you Oscar buffs out there, come join me today over at the Media Village forums to dish all about the Oscars. I will be holding a live discussion with a fellow Media Village forum leader starting with the Red Carpet coverage and moving through the final curtain drop tonight. Head on over to here to join Libby and I. She's already there talking, and I'll be joining her soon! Join us!

280. Changes

Friday, March 03, 2006

First of all, I've changed the backdrop and colors on my blog here. I had been meaning to for the last couple of weeks now, but I just hadn't done it yet. I was actually pondering doing a complete overall to my blog's look, but I haven't really found a template that I like that someone else doesn't already use. I want to be a bit unique.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Things have been changing. As odd as it might sound, every few months or so I make these changes in my life because things change. People drift away, or I lose touch with them. It isn't because of any negative reason. Change just happens. It's a part of life.

This time around the change was sort of forced on me with the disappearance of my cat. The day it happened it was actually the day that would have been my mothers 68th birthday. I found it a bit odd he chose that day to run off, but he did. My cat was truly my best friend. I used to be with him almost 24/7, and I thought if I ever was to lose him for one reason or another it would destroy me.

A year ago, I was in much different frame of mind. I honestly thought there was a chance that I wouldn't be here. I didn't want to be on this planet anymore. I'm not sure what changed my outlook. I started this blog, and I got a kitten. You really can't be sad and depressed when you're taking care of a six-week-old bundle of energy. It's impossible really.

I thought if some major change was to come to pass, it might take me right back down into that well of despair I found myself last year. If any major change could do it, I thought it would be the loss of my cat Bobo.  Sure, it was hard to lose him, and I still hope he returns. However, by losing him I learned how much stronger a person I now was. I didn't break. I didn't shatter into a million pieces as I suspected I might. I'm dealing with it.

Seeing this strength in me that I didn't think I had made me think about my life. I'd been feeling everything was perfect except in one front.  No matter what I did I knew I wouldn't be totally happy by not changing things on this one front. I know I might not be the easiest of people to get along with. When it comes to my friends, I want people to be there that I know think of me more than just this person they know through so and so.

Friendship is one those things that I've noticed changes all the time too. I don't know why it does. People drift apart and then come together. People sometimes totally drift apart. Sometimes one changes and the other stays the same. When that happens, sometimes the friendship just ends.  It's hard when you try to talk to someone and nothing clicks anymore. Their interests are no longer your own. It's all a part of life though.

I've spent a lot of time on my own lately. I've spent my time writing, and in some of my downtime I've returned to a hobby I used to once enjoy a great deal. I found a way to make it new again, and I'm finding myself enjoying it again. This hobby is role-playing, the act of putting yourself into the mindset of a character and then portraying that person. I've done this for years, and I see it as another form of writing.  You talk to people as your character, and you don't who it is truly on the other side. You just know them as this character. I'm having fun though, and I'm not letting it interfere with my work or my writing. It's a nice little release at the end of the day.

This weekend and this month I know I need to tackle some more on my work in progress. I want to get it done, and then submitted somewhere. I need to do one thing at a time though. I'm trying to get back into blogging again. I need to be a better commenter too. I still read. I just went into my little shell for a bit. Hope you're all well. More soon.

279. Dry Spell

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Where does the time go? Here it is already the first of March. Sometime this month is my one-year anniversary with this blog. I'm not sure exactly when, but I know it is this month. I know I don't update this blog daily like I used to, but I haven't had all that much to say lately. Perhaps, I'm going through some type of dry spell. I'm busy working on my other sites, and things are also moving along fiction wise. A bit slow, but they are moving forward.

I'm up to the point of confession in my work in progress. My one guy has to tell his best friend that he wants him, and I have a great way to do it. I wrote the scene that leads up to it a few days ago, and now I just need to write the confession. My plan is to hopefully tackle that this weekend.

I know Sunday will be crazy. I'll be hosting a live Oscar discussion over at Media Village with a fellow blogger and forum leader. We'll start with the red carpet and go through the last award. It'll be an all day event, but I'm looking forward to it.

No word on my cat. Thanks to those of you that keep asking on him. Today is actually his tenth birthday, so I'm missing him a bit. This weekend, my family has decided to adopt a new kitten. We're prepared if my cat is found or decides to come home to take care of all three. My brother found us an adorable kitten at the local pound. We just needed to wait for the waiting period to end for his family to come claim him. They found him in a box with his littermates outside of a school a week or two ago. Sad story. Six weeks old and dumped. I'm sure he'll enjoy living here.  We look forward to bringing him home Saturday at the latest.

I hope to put an end to this dry spell with this blog soon. I'm just dealing with a lot of changes, and it is making me think a lot. While you're here make sure you check out my Blog of the Week. I have a new one this week, and I'm sure you'll find this week's choice interesting!

278. Checking in

Thursday, February 23, 2006

This week has been nice and light. I actually liked the bit of a break I found myself having this week. With the Olympics on-going, many of the television programs I cover were not on, so this allowed me some freer nights. The only shows I covered this week were American Idol and Dancing With The Stars. For you American Idol fans that start watching when the vote goes to the public, check out my blog each week for my thoughts on what happened each and every week. Also over on my entertainment news blog, Thoughts from the Couch, check out there for breaking American Idol news as it happens!

On the fiction writing front, things are moving slowly along. I am now working on the ending to my current WIP while I impatiently wait to hear back from my mentor on the changes I made to the rest of the manuscript so far. I think I'm taking her suggestions and the things she's taught me and applying them to my writing now. I think she's made me a stronger writer in just the short amount of time we've been working together.

On the personal front, no word on my cat. Thanks again to all of you keeping him in your thoughts. The other night a neighbor had heard about Bobo's disappearance and brought over a kitten of hers she couldn't find a home for. She gave him to me, but it wasn’t meant to be. He just seemed to have a bit of an attitude, and I could quickly tell it wasn't a match. He hissed at me, my brother, and he got into a bit of a fight with my baby cat.

My brother has told me he has put a new kitten on hold for as well at the local animal control. If all goes well, I'll have him soon. I just wish my cat would come home. My brother says with our luck, we'd get the baby and then our cat will come waltzing home. I'd take him in a second. I know I have enough love to give three furballs if that happens.

277. Pimping and Writing

Sunday, February 19, 2006

About a year ago, my then critique partner, Laura Bacchi, asked me to take a look at a story she was working on to send to Amber Quill. I took it and read it, and offered my suggestions to her. A year later, the story is now available for purchase. It was accepted by Amber Quill, and she now has four stories out with that publisher. I remember reading it a year ago, and it was truly a wonderful story. I haven't had a chance to read my copy of the finished result yet, but I plan to soon. I just wanted to let you all know to check out Chosen: The Chronicles of Winter from Amber Quill now!

In personal writing news, I finished another round of editing on my current work in progress, and I sent them off to my mentor earlier today. Now all I have to do is wrap up the story by writing a few ending scenes. I have an idea of what is going to happen next. I just need to actually write it down, or in this case, type it.

I hope you're all well. Thank you for all the comments wishing me luck with my cat. No news yet, but I'll keep you all posted. Check out my sidebar for my newest Blog of the Week!

276. A renewed outlook ...

Thursday, February 16, 2006

You never realize how one small thing can change your mood. I've always been one to believe in dreams. My mother had this uncanny ability to tell what things might happen by her dreams, and she has passed this ability on to me, in a somewhat milder form. The week before my cat ran off I mentioned having some disturbing dreams, and they left me a bit unsettled. I knew something bad was about to happen, but I didn't know what. That is until my cat ran off that next week.

Well, last night I dreamt again. I usually only dream so vividly with a purpose in my mind, and in this dream my cat came to me and returned home. I know it’s a bit silly to allow a dream, even one of this nature, to get my hopes up. I am a bit through. The dream was just so vivid and real. Most of my dreams of this nature are.

So I'm hoping that my cat will return to me soon. If not, my brother has mentioned getting a kitten next month. However, in my heart I want my baby back more than anything. He's just been going to our local pound three times a week, and he says there are so many baby kittens that need good homes. I see no better way to help treasure Bobo than open my home to a new fur baby needing of a home.

In writing news, my renewed spirits allowed my muses to peek out earlier today, and I was able to edit the second third of the WIP my mentor and I are working on. I'm hoping to get to the last third tomorrow. The words were just flowing, even if I was cutting and editing more than actually writing. I'll have to see how things go tomorrow.

Work wise, things with television are really slowing down right now because of the Olympic coverage. I think a good many of my shows are off air this coming week, so that should give me even more time to work on my WIP with my mentor. The past couple of weeks have really slowed me down, but things should pick up soon.

I hope you're all well.

275. Going through the motions

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions? Just a bit disconnected from it all? That's how I've felt lately. I'm trying to be creative and work on my fiction, but with all that has happened the last few weeks, the words just aren't coming. I had a good start with the mentor program as well, and I know I'll get back on track. I never really realized how a much a huge part of my life my cat was, and now that he is gone, it is a bit weird. I'm still hoping he finds his way home, but with each day that passes I'm feeling a bit that is going to be less likely to happen.

With the Olympics, my schedule is a bit lighter work wise, and I am taking advantage of that. I'll only have one truly heavy night this week, and that is Wednesday night with a lot of good shows on with new episodes. Lost, Bones and American Idol.

Am I the only one that isn't all that thrilled with this season's American Idol. I'm just not enjoying it as much. I'm hoping things improve once we know who the top twelve are and the competition goes to the American public for their votes. That is tomorrow night. I do have a few favorites, and I was glad to see most of them included.

I'm really trying to get back into things. 2006 just hasn't worked out as I hoped it would so far. I hope you're all well.

274. Death, Taxes and blog wars

Sunday, February 12, 2006

I haven't been the best of bloggers lately. At least, not in my mind. Since the beginning of the year, I haven't been quite sure what to say in here. January was just a tough month, and then my cat, which is more like a child to me, ran off. Still no sign of him yet, but I'm not giving up hope yet.

Yesterday, I did my taxes, my federal ones in any case. For the first year in many, I actually had reportable writing income. It was a nice feeling, but I really didn't make enough to make it worth actually filing for the less than stellar return. My father always said there are two things in life you must do – die and pay taxes. Well, I don't have any taxes to pay – this year. We'll have to see about next year when that happens.

I've been slacking on my blog reading a bit lately, but I've kept up as much as I possibly could. It seems I missed a bit of battle this week with inspirational author, Brenda Coulter. The battle started when she limited her contest to only U.S. readers, which is her right. However, the way she went about things, and some of the things she said in her blog posts about erotic romance authors is really bothering me.

I read her blog on a regular basis. I even link to her blog because I have found some interest in it. She has linked me back in return. However, right now after reading some of the things she said about erotic romance authors I'm a bit offended. I'm an erotic romance author, aspiring, but still I'm on my way to publication. It is just a matter of time. I don't hate anyone. I'm not controversial. I stay out of the line of fire so to speak. I'm also quite intelligent. However, according to Brenda, erotic romance authors are just out looking for a fight and they are selfish and stupid. That is where I got offended.

She has taken a simple matter of a contest and her reasons for not allowing non-US entrants and blown it into this huge debate. However, she won't debate it. Her opinion is the only one that matters, unless that opinion supports her side. I won't comment her entry. I won't email her. I really see no point in going in and saying anything. It looks like anything I have to say will fall on death ears.

As writers, when we decide to blog, it is a matter of promoting our writing and ourselves. That is what it really boils down to. Our blogs are our platforms to our readers. They can see what we think, feel and see our work all on one place. We blog in hopes of finding more readers. So this is what I don't get, how is being rude and mean and insulting to a whole genre of readers and writers promoting something good? I think it is actually more negative publicity. Then you have to remember the saying as well – any publicity is good publicity.

273. Trying to get back on track

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

It's amazing how one thing can change everything. Still no sign of my cat, and it is weird not having him around. This cat was literally attached to my hip 24/7. He was never five feet from me if I was home. I'm not giving up hope. I've heard stories of cats finding their way back to their homes months after they had run off. So I'll be patiently waiting for him to hopefully return. In a month or two, I know in my mind the chances will get slimmer, and I do plan on getting another kitten. Partially to keep my younger cat happy, but partially for me too. I'm used to having two felines running under foot.

I'm trying to get back into things. I'm working on my site first, and then I'll pick the fiction back up. With the events of the last week, I haven't been a very good mentee, but my mentor has been very understanding. I'm sure things will pick back up soon on that end. Linda has been very helpful, and she has already given me some great suggestions on how to improve my writing. I just need to get my head back into the game.

I also keep pondering Phaze's new Surge contest. An idea I had been planning on writing once I was done with my current WIP would be a perfect fit for the contest, but I'm not sure if I want to add yet another WIP on top of the others I'm already working on. I'm giving it some more though, and I guess I'll wait and see what happens next. The past week three has totally thrown me out of whack, but I think it really helped me focus my priorities as well. I hope you're all well. Have a great night.

272. Checking in

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Hi everyone. I just wanted to check in since I know it's been awhile since I posted anything in here. My cat is still MIA. People think they have seen him here and there and everywhere, but I've not caught up to him yet. I thinking its possible someone took him in. We've even checked the local pound, which is not even five minutes from here. We plan to check again today, just on the off chance someone was able to catch him.

My poor kitten is moping around too. He's lost his playmate. I'm going to try to get back into gear with things this week. I just knew I had to keep looking for him everyday because the longer he's gone, the less likely he will be found. I'm putting more flyers up tomorrow and expanded the area with those. It looks like he might have gotten out of the complex area, which is huge really.

If he doesn't turn up in a couple of more weeks, I plan to go down to the pound and rescue a kitten, so that my younger one isn't so lonely. He's always been around other cats - first, when he was a baby with his litter of brothers and sisters, and then he had Bobo all these months. I just hope he isn't out there running around, and perhaps someone took him in. I'd rather him be inside where it is nice and warm and he has food to eat. Of course, I'd rather it be here with me. I just miss him.

I really haven't even been on the computer much. I turn it on, and leave it on to check email. I took the weekend off totally from writing. I didn't even work on my sites at all since Friday. I know I need to get back into the swing of things though. I think having my cat go missing opened my eyes to a lot of things too. I can definitely see some changes being made. Maybe I needed him to go away for a bit, so I could make some positive changes in my own life. I just wish he'd come home now because I see things a bit differently now. Funny how that works huh?

Quick note: I have a new Blog of the Week. Check out my sidebar for the musings and ramblings of The Rock Bitch! I promise I won't be gone as long this time. I just couldn't think to write anything in here. It was hard enough getting my necessary writing done.