K is for...



This is one of my favorite films from the past few years.  Yep, it's got death in it.  But it also has life.  I love the kid who wants to be a superhero.  Nicolas Cage is totally weird and wonderful, but the film really belongs to Chloe Grace Moretz.  She is this totally bad-ass twelve-year-old with a potty mouth and the skills of a ninja.  I've gotten into some heated arguments with people over this performance.  Some people are totally shocked by what she says and does and I'm like, "Hey, it's just a movie and it's about freakin' time that a young woman got to kick some ass." 

I found it refreshing.

Did you see it?  If not, what movie is your guilty pleasure?

J is for...


I use this word way too much.  It's like a crutch.  What I really need to do is just do it.  Ya know?  Like in the Nike ad campaign!  Just sit my ass down, write brilliant prose that shows what's going on (never tells), that illustrates what's at stake (um, I still don't know) and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

It probably wasn't the best idea to quit nicotine lozenges this week.  I'm a little on edge.  I hate my book.  I hate that I can't give a good enough reason that I explored death other than, I wanted to explore something that scared me and that  also allowed me to get my MFA at the same time.  I hate that writing a book is like water-boarding yourself on purpose.  (I didn't say that, my editor did.)  I hate that this editor is going to read my book in about three weeks and will probably want to stab me with a fork at some point next month.

Why can't writing be easy?  You don't have to answer that.  I'm just bitching and moaning.

If you want to comment, please tell me your favorite book and why it's your favorite book.  I'll start...

"Catcher in the Rye"  Boy is that a cliche choice or what?  It's one of the few books that I have read more than once.  I like Holden Caufield.  He's nuts, but I like him and he meant a lot to me when I was a teen.  He was like my first book crush.  Okay, now you go...


I is for...

Illness

On Sunday, my husband poisoned me.  He didn't mean to do it, but he did it just the same.  We were making bacon, eggs and potatoes for breakfast when we realized we didn't have an onion.  So, Erik says, "I think there's one in the garden," and out he went to forage through the dirt.  He came back in with what looked like an overgrown green onion.  He diced the bulb, threw it in with the potatoes and that was that. I'm new to this gardening thing, so it felt kind of neat to procure a needed food item in the backyard instead of having to hop in the car and drive a mile to the nearest Kroeger.

But, and I'm sad to say there is a but, about ten minutes after consuming our tasty breakfast, Erik looks at me with a worried expression and says, "I don't feel so good."  I'll spare you the details and just say his body rejected the perfectly crisp bacon and everything else he'd eaten that morning. Right after he exited the bathroom, it was my turn.  

I was convinced we had a stomach bug, since one is going around, but after the initial "incident," we were fine.  No fever, no aches or pains, no more technicolor heaving.  Plus, our kids weren't sick and neither of them at the potatoes and we did.

The night before last, I awoke to the sound of my daughter throwing up.  She walked in my room to announce this fact. I think I said, "I'm sorry.  Put a trashcan by your bed."  I feel like a horrible parent.  I made it up to her yesterday with the whole, wet wash cloth, cracker and chicken broth routine.  So, now I'm not so sure if it was the onion, if indeed it really was an onion or just something masquerading as one. 

I feel queasy today.  It could be I'm sick.  Or it could be I'm jonesing for nicotine.  Or it could be that panic is setting in.  I have eleven days to finish.  

But, I wrote something and that's a start.