Hey, Guess What I Found...

Apparently one of the boys in my daughter's class just discovered his penis. And apparently he felt compelled to share graphic anatomical details with all the girls who sit in nearby desk and were all icked out by him.

Girl: "Mom, he's obsessed with it. That's all he talked about yesterday. He's gross."

Me: "Hmm. Do you suppose he just noticed he has one? Tell him you don't want to hear about his little winky."

Girl: "He's obsessed, Mom."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that he would be for the rest of his life. And guess who just topped the Boys Who Will Never Date The Girl list ....

Jennifer on 02.28.06 @ 08:17 AM EST [Entry Link] [No Comments]

Mom Envy

I was reading a brief article about Mom Envy--what new mom's envy about other mom's. 32% envied other women's organized life. 8% envied the other woman's husband. Nuff said.

Jennifer on 02.27.06 @ 08:54 AM EST [Entry Link] [2 Comments]

Shut-up and Sit Down

I'm sorta glad the Olympics are over. Maybe now Bode Miller will shut-up and sit down. What an egotistical, self-absorbed jack-ass who squandered an opportunity that so many others would have given anything for--in fact there are others who have worked their butts off and put in countless hours of training who didn't quite make the cut. Instead Bode's pleased that he got to party and socialize at an Olympic level. He disgusts me. I hope his mama smacks him up side his arrogant head when he hauls his drunk ass off that plane from Italy.

Jennifer on 02.26.06 @ 08:33 AM EST [Entry Link] [3 Comments]

Rain, Rain Go Away

I'm not sure how the people in Seattle cope with all the rain. Ack. Steady. All day yesterday. Today -- 80%. Yuck. I told Girl we'd spend the morning at the museum with the Andrew Wyeth exhibit and then lunch out but I'm thinking tomorrow is a better day for that instead of schlepping around in the rain today. Hmmm. Maybe I can sell her on piling up in bed for a couple of hours of rainy-day reading (I still have RITA books to read), playing a couple of board games, a home pedicure, and baking cookies. Maybe we can tune in to The History Channel and catch Josh Bernstein. OMG. Is he gorgeous or what? Not to mention that I find the places he goes and the topics he covers fascinating. If you've been deprived, here, I'll be nice and provide a link. http://www.historychannel.com/global/listings/photogallery.jsp?ACatId=12407064&CaseId=12407063&EGrpId=12391521
You're welcome.

Now, got to try to get some pages done before Girl is up. She complained yesterday that all I do is work. Hel-lo. I'm an adult. That's what we do -- ya know, you work and then you get paid so you have money for all the nifty things your kid is so fond of like food and a roof over her head and maybe an outing or two. The Girl has no clue.

Jennifer on 02.23.06 @ 06:44 AM EST [Entry Link] [2 Comments]

Frightening

Out of town for a quick visit to my mom's. Got home with about ten minutes to spare before we had to walk back out the door for Girl's choir rehearsal. Yes! Just enough time for me to reconnect my laptop to the peripherals and check emails. I reconnect and turn on my computer and everything's hunky dory and then...fitz! My laptop dies. Gone. Kaput. I call my husband on our way to choir practice, one thin line seperating me and hysteria. He asks if I plugged it in. Of course I did. I reconnected everything. I spend the next 2 1/2 hours angsting over whether my hard drive can be recovered and where I can take it to have it worked on. I get home. Double check. The power cord's hooked into the back of the laptop. Uh... wait a sec. I plug the power cord into the electrical outlet. Amazing. It works like a charm. Some days I scare myself.

Jennifer on 02.22.06 @ 10:50 AM EST [Entry Link] [3 Comments]

Tactical Error

I made a serious tactical error Thrusday night. My first mistake was stopping by B&N and picking up IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN by Sarah Dunant. My second, and bigger mistake, was sitting down to "just read the first couple of pages." Somewhere around midnight and page 92 I fell asleep on the couch with my glasses on. I didn't dare even glance in its direction yesterday...until the end of the day when I'd finished line edits, gone into the office for a couple of hours, exercised, cooked dinner. cleaned up the kitchen, and then sat down with a glass of wine. I still have RITA books to judge. I had no business buying this and even less business starting to read it...but it's wonderful. How can I resist being sucked into sixteenth century Venice? Venice is possibly the most beautiful city I've ever been to -- elegant and sophisticated and full of intrique.

The other non-error purchase was a Led Zeppelin cd. I'd forgotten how much I really love their music. I was trained at an early age by older brothers. The cd I bought, my brothers owned the vinyl. So. I got back from taking Girl to school and gave my Bose speakers a workout while I made the bed and unloaded the dishwasher. Ya know, Zeppelin is best listened to LOUD! And what better way to jump-start your day? My husband got out of the shower and Misty Mountain Hop was blasting through the house. (Just an aside, but I have to skip over Stairway to Heaven as it's possibly the most over-exposed tune in the universe...well, maybe with the exception of Skynard's Free Bird but that's really not universal, just here in the South.) I'm not sure if the dh thought that was an optimal start to his day or not. He never said...or maybe he did and I just couldn't hear him on his way out the door.

Jennifer on 02.18.06 @ 08:23 AM EST [Entry Link] [4 Comments]

Stuff

I'll be spending the majority of my day reviewing my line edits for the time travel--probably the least taxing but most boring aspect of turning out a book. This is my last-ditch chance to say yay or nay to any changes the line editor has made regarding flow, word choice, syntax, etc. Also need to tweak that last proposal and resubmit.

Very excited to get an email from a cousin this morning. She's going to be in the city and we'll get together one day. It'll be lovely to see her and catch up. I'm not the greatest at keeping in touch with others. I'm usually amenable to visits and hearing from others, just tend to drop the ball at staying in touch. I'm glad she contacted me.

Here's a link to artist Chris Hauck's latest work. I think it's really fabulous. Love the work and the conceptualization behind it. Unfortunately I'm out of town on Saturday evening or I'd be there for the opening. http://www.christopherhauck.com/identity_crisis.htm

Ran yesterday for the first time in over a month--just didn't think I could count on that sleeping off the pounds business. Thought it would be dismal but apparently kick-boxing with its squats and jumping jacks and jump roping is serving me well. 2.6 miles and I could've pushed further (or is it farther--always get those two confused) but my left knee started gimping on me. Got to work on that knee cause the 5K Hunger Run is coming up in March ...yeah, that's soon.

Jennifer on 02.16.06 @ 08:45 AM EST [Entry Link] [3 Comments]

Sleeping it Off

It's right there on the front cover of Prevention magazine this month: Sleep Off Pounds. There you go. I lounged in bed an extra half hour this morning, telling myself I was taking care of a couple of ounces. Maybe tomorrow I'll elbow the dh and tell him to get up and get Girl ready for school--I'm on a weight-loss program.

Jennifer on 02.15.06 @ 08:33 AM EST [Entry Link]

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

My husband just dropped by with a nice Valentine surprise. He brought The Girll a card, some candy with a teddy bear and a dozen pink roses. It's all in her bedroom for when she gets home from school. He brought me two dozen apricot roses (my favorite color roses) and a People magazine. I thought the People magazine was especially sweet because he knows I like to read it but only buy it occasionally. He was smart to skip the chocolates cause I'm a picky chocolate eater (I like the dark stuff without a lot of gooey fillings).

If there are any men reading this, take notes starting now. Or gals, maybe just jot this down for your fave guy.

WHAT WOMEN REALLY WANT:
A woman wants to know that her man has paid attention to what she likes and what interests her.

That's it. Bottom line. Easy.

Jennifer on 02.14.06 @ 09:48 AM EST [Entry Link]

I don't aspire to great wealth -- probably a good thing at the rate it's going -- but I just want to be able to hire out interior painting. My little penny-pinching soul just can't seem to come up with the money to pay someone to paint my bathroom and bedroom. Instead The Girl and I have spent two days stripping wall paper, spackling, and sanding. We still have more sanding and then taping and then priming and then painting and doing all that horrid trim work. I'm not good at it, therefore, I don't like to do it. And no thank-you, I don't want to keep working at it til I improve.

Whew! It's a relief to go to work this morning. At least I don't have to face that bathroom...until The Girl gets home from school and cracks her project whip. :

Jennifer on 02.13.06 @ 09:19 AM EST [Entry Link]

Jump Started

I was beginning to worry about myself. What was wrong with me? I flipped through People magazine's sexiest men and for the most part it was "Nahhhh." Watched movie previews and thought "Okay." Was there no one out there that could cause my heart to race, my breath to catch? What was wrong with me? (I know I already said that once) What was wrong with all the leading men?

In sharing this with my friend Rhonda, she suggested I google Eric Bana because he'd "crank my tractor." He's okay, but my John Deere still wasn't running.

Then, we went to see Nanny McPhee yesterday. Thank you, Colin Firth. There is nothing wrong with me and a whole lot right with you. I've been jump started and my tractor is cranked and running just fine. I think I'll just leave it there before I say too much in a public forum.

And on another aside, check out Rhonda's revamped website www.readrhondanelson.com. She's a hoot and it's a fun website.


Jennifer on 02.11.06 @ 09:03 AM EST [Entry Link]

Sick

The Girl is home sick today. No fever, but a wicked sore throat. She's sleeping on the sofa outside my office door and the dogs are all piled on the rug around her. Am going to try to power through my pages while she's resting so I can treat her to Nanny McPhee if she's feeling better by mid-day.

Jennifer on 02.10.06 @ 08:51 AM EST [Entry Link]

Proposal Submitted

Am I the only one that thinks Teri Hatcher looks like she could take you in a bar brawl and enjoy the fight?

Woohoo!! Proposal is finished and submitted. Keep various and sundry body parts crossed that it gets the thumbs up.

Back to work on this novella....

Jennifer on 02.09.06 @ 08:49 AM EST [Entry Link]

Pet Peeve

I love my cell phone. Some days I like it better than most of my family members. We're close. I understand having a cell phone, loving your cell phone, and using it often, BUT, (you could see that big BUT coming, couldn't you?) it reallly annoys me when people carry on a loud, obnoxious conversation in a bookstore.

I'm in B&N checking out whether my two favorite mystery/suspense writers, Minnette Walters and Jill McGowan, have something new out. One aisle over, I hear, "Oh my God. Oh, MY GOD. OH, MY GOD. ARE YOU OKAY?" It's annoying but I think someone must've just died or found out she needed an organ transplant or something equally heinous to warrant the concern at that decibel.

Uh...no. Cause this goes on...and on...and on. I'm not eavesdropping. I'd love to not hear it, but she's in my section of choice and I can't get away from her big fat mouth turned up to high volume. I seriously thought about tapping her on the shoulder and suggesting she take her cell phone and her conversation outside. But, if she's rude enough to carry on that way she'd probably just suggest something unpleasant or anatomically uncomfortable, perhaps even impossible.

But please, folks. Bookstores are sacred. Leave the phone in your car or turn it off when you're inside. Show a little respect.

Jennifer on 02.08.06 @ 08:40 AM EST [Entry Link]

Dinner and a Laugh

Met a writer friend for dinner last night. We usually only see each other once a year, but we keep in touch regularly via e-mail. She's truly amazing. Juggles a high-level corporate job that demands a grueling travel schedule, publishes two books a year, and is still a very involved wife and mother. She's incredibly organized and driven. Very pragmatic and practical. I've always admired her focus and ability to compartmentalize.

So, she flew into Atlanta for business and we met for dinner. It's always awesome to spend time with her and last night was no exception. We were enjoying a nice glass of zinfindel and catching up when she mentioned she'd been doing tarot readings which you're supposed to keep the results in a notebook. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open because it's just so not my business-oriented friend. Then she went on to say she tracks her tarot readings through an Excel spreadsheet she set up. ROFLMAO!!

Jennifer on 02.07.06 @ 08:26 AM EST [Entry Link]

Finished...Next

I finished the revisions on my time travel yesterday. Really glad to have that done. The up side to having them done is that...well, they're done. The down side is that I have totally lost all perspective at this point. I have no clue as to whether it's overwritten, half-written, poorly written, or well-written. All I know is that it's written.

Today I'm working on a proposal for a book I'm really excited about. I'm not being coy in not mentioning any details. It's not sold yet, so I'm not saying a word until I get the thumbs up. And then there's the little matter of that novella that's due soon....

Jennifer on 02.06.06 @ 08:09 AM EST [Entry Link]

Stellar Start

My morning is off to a stellar start. The Girl and I went out for breakfast before school -- we maybe do this once a month. We're sitting at breakfast and she's telling me about her soccer practice yesterday.

First, let me set this up for you. My girl is big for her age. She's half an inch taller than I am. She's tall and while she's not fat by any means, she's not a stick girl either. She's a good kid and more than once she's stood up to bullies on behalf of her friends. Much like her mom, she won't back down from a fight, but she doesn't go looking for it.

Well...we've had a situation on her soccer team. There's this skinny kid who might come up to my daughter's shoulder. They've played soccer together all through rec league and moved up to adademy together last year. This other kid can be incredibly obnoxious. In the fall, The Girl would tell me that at almost every practice this kid would sneak in a kick and send my girl's ball way out so my girl had to go chase it down. There are 30 kids practicing on the field and if my kid positioned herself away from this other kid, the other kid would find her. If they were juggling the ball, she'd reach over and foul up my girl so she'd have to start over. She's made fun of my daughter's hair, called her gross in front of her teammates, ragged her out in front of her teammates when she was playing keeper and allowed the other team to score. You get the picture. But this kid is smart and sneaky. She pulls this stuff when there's no adult watching. I considered having a talk with the other kid's parents, but I think the parents have no control over this kid, so I didn't think it'd do much good. And my girl takes it because she's so much bigger, she doesn't want to look like a bully. Actually, it's a case of reverse bullying. I thought about taking the kid aside and having a talk with her myself but that didn't quite feel right either. So, she simply got away with it.

Anyway... over breakfast, The Girl tells me that Mary (name changed to protect the not-so-innocent) once again sent my girl's ball flying over the fence. She looked at my daughter and said, "Fetch, girl." First soccer practice of the spring season and Mary's already started in on my girl again.

However, this time one of the coaches caught it. He told her, "You have two choices. You can give her your ball to play with for the rest of practice and go get hers now or you can put yours down and go get hers now. Either way, you will go get her ball now." This brazen little bully just looks at him. He claps his hands and says, "Chop, chop, Mary. Now." YES!

I'm afraid I couldn't contain myself at this point in the recounting and cheered aloud in the middle of the restaurant. My poor child covered her face with her hands and muttered, "Mom, you're embarrassing me." But she had a big grin on her face.

Me? I've been smiling ever since. My day is off to a stellar start.

Jennifer on 02.03.06 @ 08:40 AM EST [Entry Link]

Not that I'm Obsessive or Anything

I just finished my time travel earlier this week and now I'm settling in for revisions. This has been the coolest book to write -- I know it's taken me forever and I've moaned and complained but it really has been interesting. The hero's last name is MacTavish. So...I actually found the MacTavish tartan on-line. I think I have to order the mini-kilt made from the MacTavish tartan. Got to have it. Perhaps even an item made from the MacTavish tartan for my July contest giveaway, hmmm. I also ordered the clansman dvd, just to fact check... really it has nothing to do with hoping that there's a bunch of men in kilts. Honest. Really, it's all about the facts. And this morning we had Scottish oatmeal, also known as porridge, for breakfast. I think, however, we'll skip the haggis experience.

Anyone interested in having a look at the MacTavish tartan, here's the link:

http://www.scotsconnection.com/uploads/html/MacTavish_Tartan_654_1.htm



Jennifer on 02.02.06 @ 10:29 AM EST [Entry Link]

No Rest

As was recently pointed out, there's no rest for the wicked.

The Girl: Mom, I just wanted to remind you that you said you'd paint the bathroom when you finished that book and since you turned it in yesterday...

Me: I've got some bad news for ya, Pete.

The Girl: What? Revisions?

Me: There is that and I have a novella due.

The Girl: When?

Me: Two weeks.

The Girl: Mom! Don't tell me you haven't started it!

Me: I have some pages.

The Girl: But this bathroom is getting on my nerves.

Me: What? You don't like the look with half the wallpaper ripped off? Come on, Baby. Maybe after the novella and the synopsis for that other book....

Jennifer on 02.01.06 @ 08:53 AM EST [Entry Link]