Yum Yums - Eggnog Float

I've been making these Eggnog floats the past couple days. They're really easy, but so delicious, I wanted to share.

You Need:
Eggnog
Eggnog Ice Cream
Sprite
Maraschino Cherries
Cup
Spoon

Time to Make: 1-2 minutes. This recipe is perfect for lazy people.

Take the cup. Put a scoop of Eggnog ice cream into it. 

Then take the eggnog, pour it until the cup is a little over halfway full. 

\

Then take the Sprite, pour it slowly (Sprite + Eggnog = ultra foam) until it is almost full. 

Got real close to over flowing there.

Spoon in two Maraschino Cherries (or more!). Add some Maraschino Cherry juice for extra deliciousness.

Done! Delicious seasonal treat.

Longer spoons are best...

Yes, the pictures were unnecessary, but they were fun. Wouldn't want you getting lost among all the many steps. Enjoy!

Look What I Made!: Sock Snowmen

I want to share a craft with you today! Sock Snowmen! Aren't they adorable with their little sweaters and hats? They are easy to make too! You'll want to make a large snowman army.

Last year I decided to be crafty. I guess that comes with not having a job and wanting to feel useful. The women in my family participate in a stocking stuffer exchange and I figured making a little craft to put in my stockings to them would be perfect. Well, this year I wanted to do the same, but I found this sock snowmen craft and figured I would make them early so they could decorate with them. I will just have to come up with something else for their stockings.

I found the instruction for how to make these here: ThenSheMade.com. I don't want to redo the directions since the site does a perfect job, pictures included with each step. So, I figured I would share the few parts that I changed.

First off, the supplies:

The initial instruction suggested using old pairs of socks, which is perfect for people who take good care of their socks. I unfortunately treat my socks horribly. I detest shoes and only wear them when necessary, so I often traipse to the mailbox, dump the garbage, chase cats around the yard in only my socks. They are dingy and by the time I want to get rid of them, they are not suitable for crafting. Unless you want you snowmen to look like they were created from a patch of dirty snow, like the piles in parking lots. Yuck! So, a bag of the cheapest socks at Target ran me a little over a dollar a pair. I picked up some footie socks that were on clearance for $.85 at Target too.

I also decided to use different color twine/thread for tying the sweaters on instead of plain twine. It added variety to the snowmen. Black round beads worked best when it came to the eyes. I was able to get about a pound of rice per snowman, so a five pound bag will fill five (I can do math!). I also found multi-colored BBQ picks at Target that already came in orange, no painting necessary.

So, this quick easy craft is a lot of fun and leaves tons of options to personalize them. Christmas themed socks, argyle socks, fuzzy socks, whatever you want for the sweaters. Different buttons for the hats. Anything goes!

Just be careful. If you're like me you'll want to keep them all. I managed to part with a couple and delivered one to my Grandma and Aunt already and they really liked them. My aunt even requested I make five more for her co-workers. Even though I had put up my crafting supplies, I was excited at a chance to create more snowman friends. They're so easy and cute.

So make room for the snowmen - when you get going it will be hard to stop! Happy crafting!

First Draft Completed!

I'm really excited (and actually proud of myself) - last night I finished the first draft of my first novel. It clocks in at ~ 65,000 words. A little short, but that's where the editing process comes in.  I've read in several advice blogs that you should let your first draft rest for a while, even up to months, to let it breathe and then come back and re-access it with fresh eyes. I can't imagine doing that. I'm ready to edit it. I know that I will have several pass-throughs. I already know some of what I want to change, tweak and edit so that urges me to start editing now.

I was so motivated I wrote 1000+ words a day for the last 22 days! There were days where I tried to convince myself I didn't need to write, but as the end drew near, I realized that I could finish it and I did.

So, I will start editing. I like organizing things - I'm a heavy outliner - so I added a little widget over on the sidebar to track my editing progress, by word count. One scene at a time I'm planning on going through. Try to do everything in piecemeal chunks so you're not overwhelmed. That's how I've taken on everything so far, and it's working.

I'm excited to finally have this story on paper. I have it saved on my computer and on an external hard drive. If there is one piece of advise you should always listen to, it's to keep your writing safe. Imagine being almost done and your hard drive crashes - everything lost. That would be devastating. If you don't have an external hard drive, you can save your writing through the internet, like Google Docs, to help in case your computer tries to become the antagonist of your story.

So, don't give up! Just keep writing! It's an amazing feeling to say you've finished your first draft, no matter how rough it is.

Pumpkin Carving - Pomeranian Style

For the last few years I've been challenging myself to carve a pumpkin or two.  And each year I push myself to do a little bit harder design than the year before. Last year it was a couple designs I got in a stencil book from Target.  This year the idea popped into my head to do a Pomeranian design, in honor of our two poms. So, I searched online and managed to find a template here at the Better Homes and Gardens site. They also have a bunch of other dog breeds if you want to craft a pumpkin after your own fuzzy friend.

So, I picked up a pumpkin. Often times that's difficult, especially when you get them from a grocery store.  You have to decide which pumpkins are the best and dig through a few less than worthy pumpkins to find that perfect one with a nice shiny side for carving.

Gutted out the pumpkin, roasted the pumpkin seeds for a delicious snack, then the carving began.

Gooey guts, seeds, pumpkin and my knife of choice.

Perhaps the hardest part was fixing a flat piece of paper onto a round pumpkin. With a mile's worth of masking tape and a lot of patience (and maybe a few curses) I managed to get it to lay fairly flat on the pumpkin. Then I took a floral pin and poked the design into the pumpkin. Honestly, that was tedious and frustrating.  

Then you begin carving. The template called for just skimming off the skin of the pumpkin in some places, which is actually easier than carving all the way through. Since the template was a little smooshed in places I found myself improvising in some places where the pin pricks were not lined up right, or were not visible enough.

Then, after 2 and a half hours, a sore arm, stopping now and then to help my dad put up dry wall, the task was complete.  With only the knife seen in the above pictures, I had a pumpkin with a cute little Pomeranian face. So, if you have a sick need to torture yourself by carving elaborate designs into pumpkins, just to post them on a Facebook and rot on your porch within a couple weeks, go check out those dog stencils. It will be kind of a blast.

Completed design.

Our poms, Beans and Zeke with the Pom pumpkin.

Glowing cheerfully on the porch.

My cat, Weasley, wondering why I torture him with photo shoots.

Night Music - A Short Horror Story

            The soft, strained music invaded her dreams  at first.  Its melody weaved in and out of her consciousness, and prodded the edge of her mind.  Haley’s eyes fluttered open and she found herself in the dark.  She had napped for longer than she had hoped to; the sun had set, draining the late evening light from her house.  She sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

            That’s when she heard the music again.  She sat up straighter, stilling her movements to hear the sound that floated in through her open window.  The slow, old-fashioned music gently blew in with the night air.  Its tune slightly off as if played on an old record player nearing its demise.  It would have been beautiful if it weren't for the sharp notes and shaky singing.  She stepped up to her window, listening.  The rain fell steadily outside, making it hard to place the source of the music.  The Realtor had told her there was a house a mile out along the deserted road. Perhaps the rain was amplifying the music, sending it further than it usually would travel. They must be interesting neighbors if the was their evening music choice.

            She turned from the window, dismissing the music, then picked up her sweater from the unpacked box next to her bed.  She flicked on the light switch in the hall and headed down the stairs.  Haley was glad to be in her new home, unpacked boxes and all.  The house was cheap since the former owners had wanted to sell it quickly. They were moving out of state to live with family, or retire or something.  She couldn't remember the exact reason.  Her husband, Tim, had to work late, but she couldn't wait to start her first night in their beautiful new home and she didn't trust herself to drive on the dark deserted road to the house at night. So, here she was.

            As she looked at the boxes around her in the living room she sighed.  It would be a pain to unpack them, but she couldn't wait to make the house her own. Her Sheppard mix, Jack, stood next to her, whimpering quietly.  She patted him on the head.  “It’s OK buddy.  You’ll love this house soon enough.”

            Jack walked to the door, tail between his legs and began scratching at it, his signal that he wanted out.  She walked over to open the door before he ruined the paint.  “We’ll need to untrain him of that.” She muttered as Jack ran out into the dark of the backyard.  She inhaled the soft sent of the rain.

“Hurry up, Jack!” She called, shivering as the cold swept in through the door.  She stopped when she heard the soft music again, then turned to the box next to her and dug around in hopes of finding a flashlight.  When she finally found one, she flicked it on and headed into the backyard towards the tree line 10 yards from her back porch.  Jack ran back and forth at wood’s edge, barking towards the trees.

            The music became louder as she approached the woods.  She tilted her head to hear, but Jack’s barking and the constant rain made it difficult to pinpoint its exact location.  She pointed her flashlight into the trees.  The beam illuminated the dark trunks and underbrush, before disappearing into the deep darkness of the woods.  She stepped in, straining her ears and shushing Jack at the same time.  She wanted to hear the music.  Where was it coming from? She took a few more steps, now standing between two trees, the darkness pressing in on her and her flashlight illuminating only a few feet in front of her.  She heard a rustle behind her then a low growl from Jack. 

            She swiveled around and saw a raccoon dart out from the bushes. Haley shrieked. It ran past her into the depths of the woods. Jack barked, refusing to enter the tree line to follow the raccoon.  She shook her head, laughing to herself. She was being foolish.  Going into the woods at night would be a sure way to get lost.  She pictured her husband searching the property for her while she wandered the woods.  She pulled her sweater tighter to her and made her way back to the house, her shoes squishing in the wet grass.  “Jack! Come!” She yelled as he continued to growl at the woods.  He whimpered once more before running to her side

            She stepped back onto the porch hearing the music fading behind her.  As she reached out toward the door she saw that it was open a few inches.  She pulled her hand back.  Had she really left it open? That was unlike her.  But, she chalked it up to her yearning to investigate the music and call in Jack. 

            She went inside, latching and closing the door behind her and peeling off her wet sweater.  Jack sat by the door, crying again.  “What is it?” She asked him.  She knew the new house would take some getting used to for Jack.  His usual cheerful disposition was gone, replaced by a nervousness she hadn't seen in him before.  “Daddy will be home soon.” She reassured Jack and herself.

            She stepped to the nearest box, figuring that she might as well start unpacking.  She pulled out a few decorative items turning them in her hands as she contemplated where in the living room to put them.  At least they had the sense to bring the boxes to the room they belonged in. That would alleviate some of the stress of unpacking.  She rolled her shoulders, eager for her husband to get home to massage the knot from her back.  She blamed all the heavy boxes for her soreness. 

Jack suddenly ran away from the back door and skidded to a halt in front of the basement door.  “What’s the matter with you?”  She set down the decoration, calling Jack to her. She froze.  She heard the music again, this time its muffled tones were louder and coming through the basement door. 

            She took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking hands.  She walked slowly towards the basement door.  Part of her wanted to run the other direction, but where was there to go?  She probably would crash her car driving down that dark driveway.  Where was Tim when she needed him?  She smiled, shaking her head.  That was it! Tim had probably set this up.  He was a prankster and took any chance possible to scare the living daylights out of her.  He loved it even more, knowing she was jumpy.  She could already picture his face, laughing until his sides hurt at her look of horror.  “Oh Haley, you’re so gullible.” She could hear him say through his boyish grin. 

            She firmly grabbed the door handle, taking a breath, then quickly swung the door open, ready to face him and show that she had it all figured out.  She grimaced as the music became almost deafening, the tune even more mutated and distorted than before.  She covered her ears stepping down the first step. 

“Very funny, Tim!” She yelled out, trying to make herself heard over the music.  “Super creepy, but I’ve figured it out!”

She wished that there was a light switch at the top of the stairs.  She made a mental note to do that soon.  The light from the living room only illuminated the stairs before fading out.  She went down a couple more steps.  Even though she knew it was Tim playing a prank on her, she shivered as the eerie music pushed against her ear drums.  She took the last few steps and stood on the solid basement floor.  Haley reached for the light switch, a smug look on her face, to show that she was not fooled. She turned the light on. Everything went quiet.  She shook her head to rid it of the ringing that filled the music’s absence. 

“Tim, you got me, now come here!” She called out.  She tried to still her trembling legs.  She couldn’t see anyone down here.  The dim basement lighting cast the room in an eerie, yellow glow.  She couldn’t figure out where he’d be hiding. 

“Tim? Seriously?”  She couldn’t keep the fear from her voice.  “Why do you have to scare me like this?”  She felt like crying.  She wanted to enjoy her first night in the house but Tim had taken his joke too far and she was starting to get mad.  She tapped her foot impatiently, taking a few steps forward to search the basement for Tim’s clever ruse.

            She heard the basement door creak behind her.  She swiveled around, expecting to find Tim.  Instead she saw a large shadow.  It quietly stood in the doorway. She tried to process what she was seeing. It looked human in shape, but had no solid edges - its was nebulous. She took a step back, her mouth agape. The shadow lurched, flying down the stairs at an inhuman speed.  She screamed, her hands reached out protectively, and then everything went black. 

            “Haley!” The voice was faint at first.  “Haley! Are you alright?”  She opened her eyes, and saw her husband’s worried face.  “What are you doing?” He asked anxiously, his hands moving along the back of her head to check for any bumps or cuts. 

            “Tim!”  She sat up quickly.  Her head spun.  “Tim, there was something down here. There was scary music playing!”  She choked back her sobs. “We have to leave, please.  I know why the former owners left.  There’s something here.  It pushed me. Jack knew it was here” She grabbed his arm firmly, her hands shaking violently.

            Tim’s look of worry turned to confusion.  “What are you talking about, sweetie?”  He held her close to him to comfort her.  “I think you might have a concussion.”

            “No!” She shouted, pushing him away.  She tried to keep calm but she could hear the hysteria in her own voice.  “We need to leave!” Why couldn’t he understand the severity of the situation? “Where’s Jack?”

            Tim pointed to the bottom of the stairs where Jack sat calmly, panting cheerfully.  “I think you hit your head a little hard.”

            She looked around the basement.  It seemed brighter now, less confining than a few minutes ago.  Jack’s happy face was a complete turn around from before.  She took a deep breath. “But I saw something.  There was music.”  But the edge in her voice was wavering and she wondered how hard she had hit her head.

            “It’s ok, Haley.  Jack probably bumped into you on your way down the stairs. You know what a klutz he is.”  He brushed her hair with his fingers.  He stood up holding his hand out to her, a small smile on his lips.  “Leave it to you to hurt yourself the first night here.”

            She laughed shakily, feeling relieved.  Calmness was settling over her.  She gripped his arm tightly as she got to her feet. She felt dizzy. She felt silly now, rambling about a shadow figure. It probably was Jack. She took a deep breath. Her ears were ringing and she just wanted to go snuggle on the couch with her husband. 

“You alright?”

            “Yeah, I think so.”  She put her hand to her chest, “My skin kind of burns here, I must have scraped it.”

            “Let me see.”  Tim pulled down the collar of her t-shirt to take a better look.  His eyes grew wide.

            “That bad?” She asked, patting her collar bone expecting to feel the slickness of blood.  She felt nothing but tender skin.

            His eyes were so wide she was afraid they might pop out of his head. 

“What?”

“It’s…

“Come on Tim, don’t mess with me right now.”

"Haley, it’s a handprint!”

            “A what?” She looked down. She could only see the bottom part of the print.  The round palm was bright red, almost scorched into her skin.  “Tim?”  She asked, the worry seeping back into her voice.

            “Let’s go visit your sister’s for the night.” He said quickly, his voice edged with fear.

            Haley’s eyes widened and she nodded her head.  He took her hand and went up the first step.  There was a loud pop and they were plunged into semi-darkness.  The only light came from the open basement door.

            “Let’s go!” Haley shrieked.

            Tim pulled harder on her hand as he scrambled up the stairs.  Jack let out a loud growl behind them.

            The basement door slammed, enveloping them in complete darkness.  Haley’s heart pounded so hard she feared it might explode out of her chest.  A noise pierced the quiet of the basement, so shrill and unnerving that Tim yelled, yanking his hand from hers to cover his ears.  Haley barely recognized it as the song she had first heard.  Its tune was painfully slowed and monstrously warped, each note like a knife piercing her skull.

            “Tim!” She screamed.  “Go!”

            She heard a horrifying yell then a thump come from in front of her.  Haley screamed, feeling something heavy and solid hit against her legs.  “Tim!”

            Jack yelped and howled behind her and then it was silent. She couldn't hear Jack or Tim. The music had ceased.  She couldn't move. She was frozen in terror. The darkness pressed heavily against her.  She could feel the presence of something in front of her, but was unable to see it. She felt the hand print on her chest grow white hot.  She reached up to it but found something blocked her way - a hand already placed over her chest.  A wild laughter came from the presence; evil, mocking. Pain enveloped her whole body.  She opened her mouth in a silent scream, before falling to the floor heavily.

         
     A few months later, the old house stood quiet and beautiful among the trees.

     "Oh, it's perfect!" A young woman exclaimed, as she looked up at it from the driveway. She stood with her husband, their baby cooing softly in her arms.  "It has so much space for our family! And the wood flooring is gorgeous."

     "It's quite a ways out."  Her husband said, glancing back towards the dirt driveway that snaked away into the trees.

     Their Realtor smiled her too forced smile. "But the size and the price should make up for that."

     "Yeah, about that. Why is it so cheap? I probably shouldn't say it, but it should be double this price." They young man said.

     His wife elbowed him. "Seriously? You're going to argue it's too cheap?"

     The Realtor laughed. "It is quite a steal. The old owners wanted to sell it quickly. They were moving for the husband's job and didn't have time for it to sit on the market. I would snatch it up, if I were you."

     The woman smiled at her husband. "I think it's perfect."

     He paused for a moment, before a smile spread across his face. "Ok. We'll take it."

     The couple was sharing a celebratory moment when a soft strain of music reached their ears from the distance; slow and hauntingly beautiful.

     "What's that?" The young woman asked. She furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced out towards the woods were the music emanated from.

     "Oh, it's just the neighbors." The Realtor replied, her smile faltering slightly. She cleared her throat. "Let's go sign those papers, shall we?"

The Walking Dead Premiere Review

Spoilers for Season 4 Episode 1!

When I first started watching The Walking Dead, I couldn't get enough of it.  I netflixed the first two seasons and watched them in an obsessive marathon. The combination of a zombie apocalypse and a ragtag group of survivors, both related and strangers, really caught my interest.

But, as the new season approached I wasn't that excited. I have a hard time keeping track of the exact details of what happened on a season finale.  Either I have a bad memory, or the abundance of shows I watch start to blur together.  When the new episode started I found myself trying to remember who all the new people were, if they were actually new or if I just forgot who they were. Where's Snow White? Oh that's not The Walking Dead. The onslaught of new characters was confusing and seemed to only serve the purpose of setting them up, just so they could die.

I miss the traveling aspect of the show. People trying to survive in the wild, going from place to place, avoiding other people and zombies. Now that they've been in the prison for such a long time it's starting to get boring for me.  I'm hoping that the ending of this episode spells a possible infestation inside the prison. This could be interesting if they have to abandon the prison all together and journey out into the unknown again.

I'm not giving up on the show.  I know it sounds like I'm bashing it, but I'm just a little disappointed.  I enjoy the show still and will continue watching it.  I just hope it starts to take a turn back to its roots where there was actually a threat of zombies and the cast was manageable so I could personally get to know each character.

We'll just have to wait for Sunday to find out.

Taste in Music

I've always been a fan of music.  When I was a kid I remember listening to 80's music, even though I was only born in the last year of the 80's, and singing along to the songs with my older sister and mom.  I still love 80's music and need to listen to some now and again. Although, the first song I was obsessed with, that I can remember, was Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. They would play music at nap time at daycare and when that song came on, I couldn't sleep because it was my jam.

My taste in music is much more varied today.  I don't like country music anymore.  Artists that I've liked enough to buy their CDs recently include Imagine Dragons, Justin Timberlake, Florence and the Machine and OneRepublic.  When I was a teenager I would sing along loudly to Eisley and Damien Rice and would listen to soundtracks, especially Disney, all the time.  I still listen to Eisley quite frequently. 

I guess I couldn't tell you just one genre of music I like.  I listen to anything if I like the sound of it.  One of my favorite songs and music videos right now is We Are Brothers by Baddy Paris and Rufus Starlight.  It is a hilarious video two brothers made for their other brother who was getting married.  It is really catchy and you'll find yourself singing it wherever you go.  Watch it if you haven't.

What kind of music do you listen to?  Any specific artist or genre you can't live without?

My Fascination with Ghosts

I was trying to come up with an idea for a blog post when I saw my local news channel posted on Facebook about a recent survey. The survey showed 1/3 of people believe in ghosts. That's pretty impressive. Especially since it seems the majority of people you talk to deny any such belief.  So, the combination of that survey, my earlier brainstorming for short horror stories and the fact that it's getting close to Halloween, I decided to blog about ghosts.

Do I believe in them?  I'm on the fence.  I have a fascination with the idea of ghosts' existence, but I've never had a true experience myself.  I've recently tried to have my own experience, by visiting haunted locations, just to test my own limits. I don't think I'll ever truly believe unless an apparition appears in front of me and there are other people around who see it too.  So, not likely.

I still find entertainment in listening to people's personal ghost stories, watching shows like Ghost Hunters occasionally, and finding a good horror movie dealing with the paranormal. This last summer my sister and I went on a ghost hunt at the Stanley Hotel, the hotel famed for inspiring Stephen King's The Shining.  We also went on a ghost tour there a year ago, December, and stayed on the haunted 4th floor.  All these visits did was prove to us that imagination can run away with you.  People on the tour would turn the tiniest thing into a full blown paranormal experience.  Oh, I felt a chill!  Couldn't be because it's the middle of winter and there's snow on the ground.  That voice box just said the word muffin, and muffin was the name of my dog when I was 4 and I also ate a muffin this morning, it's obviously having a connection with me.  Then that enthusiasm catches on and other people start to get jumpy, feeling like they had experiences too.

The Stanley Hotel, December 2012

Even though the Stanley did not provide us with the proof we wanted, I'm still searching and I want to visit more haunted locations to investigate the unknown.  My sister called me asking me to look up haunted places here in Washington for when she visits this December.  So, our new hobby of amateur ghost hunting will continue.  I don't know how I would feel if something happened that I could not disprove, but I'd like to one day find out.

Do you believe in ghosts?  Have you had a paranormal experience you're willing to share?

Helpful Books on Writing

After my post on Helpful Writing Websites, I actually started writing again.  So, I figured I would do a post on my favorite writing books.  I've been researching writing books from the moment I decided to go through with writing my novel.  Being a beginner, the entire process of writing a book was immensely overwhelming. Trying to sort out characters, story ideas, settings and everything else and then form it into a cohesive story arc all while making sure it stays interesting is difficult.  I've had a couple books that I've tried and they helped me very little, but I've had even more that I've read and they've helped me tremendously.


I knew that I would need to outline my novel.  I could never be someone that just started writing and hope that it ends up going well.  Many people work really well with that method, but not me.  I had no idea where to even start when outlining and that's when I found and bought K.M. Weiland's Outlining Your Novel.  It is an absolute treasure for new writers feeling lost.  It helped me flesh out my story ideas, work on my characters and put everything together into a working outline.

Find It Here

This book came out recently, right when I needed it most.  I was about to start writing the first draft and was feeling anxious about it.  I then saw that Weiland had a new book coming out and was overjoyed to have yet another writing help book from her to add to my resources. Structuring Your Novel helps you understand story structure - how to set things up to keep your book going strong.  Weiland also goes into detail on scene structure, and even briefly touches on sentence structure. Great resource!

Find It Here

The Elements of Style I saw recommended time and time again as essential to all writers.  I couldn't imagine wanting it. But, I had a Barnes and Noble Giftcard and decided I would buy it.  The cashier even sarcastically said it looked like a fun book. However, this book is a tremendous help. It's written in a way that doesn't drag and instead presents everything in a clear and informative way. Reading a little section now and then has helped me rework my sentences to read and flow better.  I now would recommend it to anyone who wants to write. It's small, and useful.  Definitely a must have.
Amazon Link

I just purchased this book a couple days ago.  I've seen it mentioned a few times and had some interest in it, but hadn't taken the plunge to actually buy it.  Then as I was writing, I found myself stuck on how to express someone's emotions, without constantly repeating myself.  That's when I finally bought this gem.  It's wonderful. Look up the emotion your characters feeling and find physical, mental and outward appearances that can cue a reader into how your character is feeling.  It helps you show instead of tell.

Find It Here  (There's even a a free PDF companion piece, Emotion Amplifiers, at their site.)

Personal Tip:  If you also find yourself stuck trying to figure out what your character looks like when they're happy, pissed, scared, etc., I like to try out the expression myself.  It feels a little silly to be writing then stop and pull a face, but I find it helps me better figure out what reaction I would naturally make and therefore what my character might make.  So, go ahead and make a frustrated face or your best look of shock.  But don't worry, The Emotion Thesaurus has your back if you find your acting chops aren't quite up to par.

What are your go-to writing help books?

I Love a Good TV Show

I watch a lot of TV shows.  With the assistance of the DVR, I can watch lots of shows without even thinking about what night or time they are on.  The shows that I've been watching for more than one season now are - Once Upon A Time, Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead, Modern Family, Revolution.

I have a hard time letting go of TV shows, even if they are taking a nose dive.  This Fall season, I'm trying to drop Revenge.  I used to like that show, but the last season was like a prime time soap opera and I found myself just laughing at how ridiculous it was becoming.  The only other show I can think of that I used to watch regularly and then dumped is Supernatural.  I loved the Winchester brothers, but when the show kept going past its planned ending, I couldn't stand it anymore.  So I let it go too.  Sometimes when I see new episodes for Supernatural I look back on it fondly, wondering how it's going, like an old friend, but I refuse to start watching it again. Sometimes you just got to let shows go.  It's tough, but its for the best.

All TV shows should look at Breaking Bad for inspiration.  It had a planned story arc and it went out when that arc ended, when the show was still at its peak of success.  It has one of the biggest fan followings I've seen for a show. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the finale, but dreading it because it meant no more Breaking Bad.  It was a great show.  Involved, dramatic, humorous at times, depressing and altogether entertaining.  I already miss watching it every Sunday, even though it's only been a couple weeks since its finale.

Speaking of Breaking Bad, supposedly there is going to be a spinoff called Better Call Saul.  I'm not too keen on spin-offs, they usually don't do very well.  Remember the Friends spin-off, Joey?  Yeah, no one does, because it was bad.  This fall season we have Once Upon a Time in Wonderland a spin off of Once Upon a Time.  I'm going to watch it, but I'm a little leery of it.  I heard there's going to be a Walking Dead spin-off too. Creating a spin-off while the original still airs irritates me.  I guess I see it for what it is, a way to make even more money off of a successful series.  So I figure there won't be as much attention to making it a solid show since it's being carried on the coat tails of the original.  So I dread Better Call Saul, even though Saul was one of my favorite characters. I worry it will cheapen the memory of Breaking Bad.  Call me crazy, but I'll probably watch it anyways.  Remember, I have a hard time letting shows go.

What shows do you watch?  How do you feel about spinoffs?

Helpful Writing Websites

My intended writing blog is more of a daily life blog, nothing wrong with that.  The problem is that I've fallen off the writing wagon.  I was doing well, pumping out 1000-1500 words a night and feeling good about my rough draft - well, as good as you can feel about a rough draft.  I then went away for the weekend and haven't been able to pick it back up.  I've been staying up to date with The Ultimate Blog Challenge, but not with writing my novel.  I want to finish this rough draft.  It will hopefully be the first novel I've seen through from start to finish.  So, to help get me motivated I'm going to share a few websites that I find helpful for getting my thoughts together and finding motivation.  There's only three of them for now, but they are all excellent and have a wealth of information to keep you busy for a while.

1. /r/writing on Reddit

Usually Reddit is a fun place to stop by and look at anything and everything from around the web.  It's usually not too serious and often times a little immature, which isn't necessarily bad when you just want a fun entertaining break.  However, if you find the right subreddits they can be tremendously rewarding.  The writing subreddit is incredible for writing help.  It connects you with a vast array of other writers, from beginners, to seasoned writers and even a couple editors.  You can submit your current work for critiques, get links to advice blogs and discuss problems you are running into as you write.

2.  K.M. Weiland's Blog

I'm not sure how exactly I found this blog, but I've been following her for a long time now.  Her books Structuring Your Novel and especially Outling Your Novel have helped me tremendously as a first time writer. Her posts and books have helped me gather my thoughts and get out of the idea stage and into the writing stage.

3. Young Adult Highway

My book is in the Young Adult genre.  Recently I found this site and it's really helpful for giving advice, giving you updates in the Young Adult writing world and also fun other tidbits to keep you entertained.  Even if you're not writing in the Young Adult genre, I feel it's a great site for beginner writers.

A quick tip. When I am going through different writing sites and finding different writing advice articles, if I find something even remotely interesting I save it as a bookmark in my 'Writing Advice' folder.  Then, when I feel like reading some articles I go through and see which ones are good and delete those that aren't quite what I was looking for.  That way I have a nice collection of writing advice to read when I need some motivation.

Do you have writing blogs or sites that you visit often to help get you motivated?  If so, please share!  I can use all the help I can get.

Seattle Redux

This last weekend I went to Seattle to visit my good college friend that I haven't seen in over a year.  Wait, the fact that I've been out of college for over a year is making me feel old.  Anyways, on this visit my friend and I decided to find places in Seattle that we hadn't been to before.  This wasn't too hard for me.  When I was in college I rarely went out and explored new things without a lot of encouragement from someone.  If I could drag myself out of my apartment and go to the grocery store on the weekend I would give myself a pat on the back.

When I arrived in Seattle Friday we went to Red Robin, a restaurant that for some reason the both of us only visit when we hang out.  I indulged in an egg burger.  It had a fancy name, but I refer to all burgers with an egg on it as an egg burger.  Egg burgers are delicious.  Go find one and eat one.  Now.  Then, whenever you have a burger you will long for it to have egg on it and when you find a place that has an egg burger you will make a fool of yourself in your display of excitement.  Again, that may just be me.

Saturday we went to the Seattle Art Museum.  Lots of interesting art to see there.  We spent over an hour exploring the maze-like wonderment of the museum displays.  I enjoy most forms of art. That was until I saw two blocks of wood piled on each other that I assumed was part of construction, but, to my surprise, this was part of the art exhibit, taped off with a plaque and everything.  You can't tell me that's art.  There's a whole pile of logs in the garage, can I display that at an art museum?  I guess I'm not cultured enough to enjoy a couple of two-by-fours.

We then went to Pike Place Market.  I haven't been to Pike Place Market since I was a kid.  It was a lot bigger than I remember and a hell of a lot busier.  It was near closing time on a Saturday and trying to even look at any of the stands was impossible.  My main goal was to survive and keep the antisocial, introvert in me from completely losing it.  My friend seemed to be enjoying it however, and I had a crepe so it wasn't a complete loss.

Lens glare.

Sunday we decided to do a marathon of cool places.  We started with the Japanese Gardens.  Absolutely stunning.  Have a look.

I have 4 trillion other pictures if you're interested.

We then went to volunteer park and climbed a gorgeous old water tower.

Lens glare working its magic again.

There were around 170 steps up to the top.  I don't know about you, but when I go up or down long stretches of steps my eyes start to go all wonky on me and I try to skip steps and end up looking like a blundering idiot.  Thankfully there weren't a lot of people on the steps so not many people witnessed my embarrassment.   

We then went over to the Asian Art Museum, took a quick look around since we got in for free with our Seattle Art Museum passes.  Then we checked out a Dahlia garden and watched some LARPers having a beanbag battle of epic proportions.  We also saw some people dressed like fairies in another part of the park.  It felt like I was transported into some medieval fantasy world. 

We decided to see Gravity at the Pacific Science Center IMAX 3D before I had to catch a ferry home.  We checked in an hour before the movie, planning to go grab something to eat before the show, but the woman helping us said that we should stand in line instead, since it was sold out.  We grabbed popcorn and my friend went on a burger run so we could brave the hour wait in line.  It felt like there should have been a fun ride at the end of all that waiting.  At least Gravity was a great movie.  I even wrote a review on it, which you can find here.

Sorry for my long posts.  I enjoy rambling on it seems.  And I can never limit the number of pictures I put in the post.  I need you to see them all!

Gravity Review

No spoilers in this review beyond what can be seen in the trailers.

Whenever I turned on the TV in the last couple weeks, it seemed all I saw were trailers for the movie Gravity.  Honestly, I thought it looked a little boring.  When I went to visit my friend in Seattle, the commercials were everywhere again.  We went to Red Robin, a commercial played on a TV at the bar, and when trying to choose a movie we kept seeing it pop up.  We both weren't really interested in it.  Then I read a few reviews on it and saw the ratings and my friend and I decided that maybe we could see it.  How could a space movie warrant so much attention?  We wanted to see a movie in IMAX 3D but found Gravity was sold out so we preordered tickets for the following day. We waited in line for 45 minutes to get good seats for a sold out show.  We sat patiently, hoping that our faith in this movie and the time we had dedicated to see it would pay off.  It did.

Gravity follows Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Ryan Stone, in real time throughout her harrowing ordeal following a space shuttle accident.  The entire 90 minute film is in space, often looking through Dr. Stone's eyes. It is unlike any film I have seen.  Alfonso Cuarón did a fantastic job of shaping a movie with an incredibly small cast into an enthralling experience.  George Clooney's character, Matt Kawalski, supplies a lot of heart and humor into the otherwise intense movie.

I experienced sadness, joy, awe, terror, stress, and even slight nausea.  A couple times I had to look down or close my eyes from motion sickness. This sounds negative, but to the contrary, these dizzying shots of space and Earth, as well as scenes in small confined spaces help the audience feel like they are actually with Dr Stone, in space, cheering her on through her journey.  

It is an emotional roller coaster.  When the credits rolled, the theater was stunned into silence.  It was an incredibly powerful movie and leaves you with a deep respect for those who venture into space and an appreciation to be securely planted on Earth.   It's box office shattering record is well deserved.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a one of a kind movie going experience.  If you can, see it in IMAX 3D.  

9/10

Seattle I love you, but you're bringing me down.

pic credit: (tripadvisor.com, 12bosox, Nov 2006)

I'm trying out this "Schedule" thing to post while I'm out of town for the weekend. I will not fail with the Ultimate Blog Challenge!  I was mulling over what would be best to write an entry about and since I will be in Seattle when this posts (hopefully), then why not write about Seattle?

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest all my life, just a short trip from Seattle.  I'd been to Seattle many times, but it wasn't until I attended the University of Washington that I actually got a chance to live there for a couple years.  I developed a unique relationship with the city of Seattle during that time.  City life had its ups and downs.

The positives.  Everything was within walking or busing distance.  I didn't need to drive, and since I have a fear of driving, that works out nicely.  When I lived in the U district I had four Starbucks within a 5 minute walk from me, takeout restaurants all around, a nice shopping center next door and I could walk to the grocery store easily.  It was nice.  If I was going somewhere new, just check the bus schedule, it was usually pretty easy to get there. I also enjoyed the sounds of the city.  Going to sleep with the sounds of cars, other people and the hustle and bustle of the city might bother some, but it was comforting to me. As long as the drunk kids kept their yelling to a minimum.

On the flip side there were a few sounds that drove me nuts - one in particular.  Cars honking.  Everyone honks constantly in Seattle (and probably every big city).  Hey get out of my way! HONK! The light's been green for a second! HONK! How dare you use the crosswalk when you have a walk sign! HONK!  It started to drive me nuts.  When you're walking and honks are coming from everywhere you start to get a little tense. Are the honking at me?  Why are they honking?  Stop honking!

One plus, but mostly a negative, of living in Seattle is I developed the skill set of being a defensive walker. I nearly got hit by cars and bicyclists frequently.  By the time I got back to my apartment I'd be muttering curses under my breath. Bicyclists really started to bug me.  DISCLAIMER: Not all bicyclists, some are very nice, others are horrible and bring the whole group down. There were the mean bicyclists who didn't follow the rules of the road and would yell at you if you got in the way of their reckless bicycling. Then there are the multitasking bicyclists who are a little amusing as long as they're not nearly taking you out.  A few examples - talking on your phone, carrying your takeout, or sporting an umbrella while biking (if you can master this, I can see the usefulness).  My favorite bicyclist was a guy who had a bike that looked like a banana.  As he zipped past me on the Burke-Gilman Trail I was inspired to find what this strange bike was. I found it here. And for a little under $8,000 you can have a banana bike too!

But even with its ups and downs I find that after living away from the beautiful Emerald City, I miss her, even if Seattle has left me with a permanent case of Bitchy Resting Face. After a year apart - Seattle and I really needed a break - I'm heading back to Seattle to hang out with a good college friend of mine and I'm happy to see the city again.

What have been your experiences with city life?

Born and Raised a Gamer

The Club Nintendo stuff I've received for buying far too many Nintendo games.  That Mario figurine in the back is awesome.  I was going to call it cheaply made, but then while setting it up for the picture I accidentally tossed it across the room and it didn't break, so I take it back.

I like to play video games. I've played games for as long as I can remember. My parents and older sister would play Atari and the original Nintendo while I looked on.  I couldn't have been more than 6, but I always wanted to play, usually I was told I was too young, and they were right.  Whenever I would get a chance to play I would fail miserably and get frustrated because it looked fun when they played, but when I did, it was just a mess.  But with time I've mastered the fine art of gaming. I dare say I'm the best of the family now. Take that!

So, what games do I play?  A large variety.  I've always been a fan of Zelda and Mario. Still debating whether I want to get the new Windwaker for Wii U.  Windwaker is my favorite Zelda game, but dishing out $50 for only revamped graphics is tough.  

I got into playing Grand Theft Auto a few months ago when I borrowed by dad's GTA IV and promptly became addicted.  I also had an old GTA game for the PS2 that I mostly liked to steal cars and then follow the rules of the road while I drove them around.  Yeah, that was what GTA was made for. I was eagerly awaiting GTA V, only to find out a few days before the release date that it was not yet releasing for PC.  My face was one of sad.  I'm still fuming over not being able to get my hands on it.  It looks amazing, but I'm trying to be patient.

I've been addicted to Skyrim for a while. Made the mistake of asking for it for my birthday while in college.
After the studying was done and I was avoiding sleep, Skyrim and Tropico 4 kept me up late being a badass, female Dovahkiin and building up my own personal paradise.

Skyrim being gorgeous!

I've also been known to play games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing.  Only Harvest Moon can make it interesting to run a farm in almost real time.

One of my long time favorites are the Nancy Drew games.  I received the first three PC games for Christmas one year when I was young, as a joint gift between my mom and grandma.  I have been addicted ever since. The 29th game in the series is coming out this month.  I've already pre-ordered it and am eagerly awaiting solving another mystery with Nancy.  I will play these games until they stop making them.

My Nancy Drew games!  Collecting and playing since 1991!

The Sims! How could I forget the Sims.  I got the original Sims game for my 11th birthday, and I've stuck with it through the years.  Now, with The Sims 3, I download masses of custom content so I can make pretty Sims and then after spending an hour putting a Sim together, found I've exhausted my want to play the sims and exit out.

Riding home from from your wedding, still in your dress, on an aquasled?  That's just the everyday life of being a Sim

I can't really be labeled as one type of gamer or another.  I play a variety of games, mostly for the PC or Nintendo consoles and like games where I have some sort of free will. I like sidequests.  Sometimes it's essential to take a break from the main game play and go on a side trek.  Oh, Skyrim's in the middle of a civil war, hold up, I need to go deliver a book to someone.  Ganondorf has kidnapped Zelda?  Let me go collect some bugs real quick. I was really proud of myself when I reached 100% on Assasin's Creed IV even though it involved crouching and staring at people on the homestead for extended periods of time "documenting" their everyday tasks. Why was that even part of the game? I don't know, but I needed that 100%!

So, do you play video games?  If so, which ones?  Do you share some of my favorite video games?  Tell me about it!

My Life as a Sample Hoarder

Who doesn't love free things? I've become a little obsessed with them.  A few months back I found a page on Facebook called Freefly's that links to different samples you can get online.  I thought it would be some kind of gimmick and you would have to buy something to get the sample, or it is only free if you sign up for e-mails.  Well, it turns out this stuff actually is free.  These companies want you to try their stuff and tell them how it is and share it with your friends.

The thing is, I have this weird habit now of getting whatever I can free, even if it doesn't apply to me.  Men's shampoo?  Yes, please.  Vitamins in all flavors? Definitely. It's always fun to get something in the mail that isn't junk mail, a bill, or a dental visit reminder.  Whenever I get a sample I get a little rush of excitement, even if it is toilet paper.  Yeah, seriously, look at the picture.  That is a box of toilet paper.

And what do I do with all these samples?  Well, it turns out I hoard them and stash them in that basket you see there.  Useful things like Excedrin, a razor, toothpaste, shampoo, random tests of perfume - all in the basket they go.  I guess I'm saving them for some special occasion.  What that occasion is, I don't know. Apocalypse? Maybe.  When I become poor and homeless? Perhaps. I can see that Excedrin being a real life saver when the zombies arrive. I've used a few things, tried a few of the perfumes, but for the most part I stash it in that little basket that is now overflowing onto the dresser around it - that same dresser that holds my giraffe collection and pirate ship from previous posts.  It's a busy little dresser.

Anyways, my advice is give free stuff a try.  It's free, why not?  Yeah you might have to sign up for e-mails, but just unsubscribe when you get your first e-mail.  But learn from me, use the stuff. Don't be a weird hoarder like me.  I'm probably getting put on the sample blacklist right now.  "She's not using the samples! No more for her!"

By the Seaside: Day 2

Seaside Trip continued...

Second day in Seaside we visited Camp 18, an old logging camp turned Restaurant.  They have cinnamon rolls the size of your head and pancakes, which they have named "Flat Cars", that are even bigger.

My breakfast of "flat cars", eggs, bacon, sausage and clogged arteries.

Next we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where workers make cheese while you stare at them from a platform behind glass like they're animals in a zoo. Then you visit the gift shop and buy a ridiculous amount of cheese and other cheese related souvenirs.

Cheeeeeeese!

I ended the day by visiting the Aquarium with my dad where we fed fish parts to adorable seals. There was one baby named Pinni that was too adorable; I tried to get a picture of her, but they were splashing too much and I was afraid my camera would fall victim to the seal waves.

At the Aquarium there was also a fish that had traveled for two years inside a Japanese fishing boat, eating off of the marine life that accumulated in the boat, after the 2011 tsunami.  I found it fascinating.  There is a little bit about it at the Seaside Aquarium site here if you're interested.  

They also had a whale skeleton.   I've always had a fascination/fear of whales.  (Used to think they were hiding in the deep end of swimming pools).

I also bought a souvenir pirate ship because why the hell not?

Here's the ship pillaging and plundering Dresser Giraffe Land.  Run giraffes, run!

We finished the day at the beach as the sun set.  I always aim to dip my toes into the ocean but usually end up submerged up to my rearend, thoroughly soaking my jeans.  I can't resist that freezing cold ocean water. 

Beautiful ocean, I wish I could live closer to you.

The next day as we headed out of rainy Seaside we got a flat tire so we visited a wonderful little shop called Les Schwab, where we ate popcorn for breakfast and watched a history channel show on how truly creepy Benjamin Franklin was, while our tire was fixed. Then followed up by a 4 hour drive home. Perfect end to a vacation.