Flashback Friday: 806 Woody Hall

March 1987:
I moved into my new dorm room on the BSU campus, and was slightly dismayed at the news I'd have to take the elevator to the 6th floor of Woody/Shales, then walk up two more flights of stairs.  Fortunately, since I was moving in, I could use the service elevator to move my belongings.

My new room was painted in rainbow colors, with lacy pink curtains at the window.  I was to have the bed by the door, and my new roomie had gone home for the weekend.  I later learned her previous roommate had committed suicide over the break between quarters, by overdosing on pain medication while in the bathtub.  Most of the students had already departed; she simply swallowed her meds, took a bath, and went to sleep.  I don't know if she eventually drowned, or if the tub was even full of water.  All I know is a maintenance worker found her the next day.

When Valerie Martin walked in, we instantly clicked.  We were both quiet, and shared a love of the same TV shows.  She already had a television, so I'd sent mine back with my parents.  My friend Carole was living down the road at the Baptist House, and invited me to join the choir.  I also met Shawna, Shawn, and I'm blanking on Shawna's roommate's name.  She had been Homecoming Queen at her HS.  Anyway, I'd gone to the Back To School Dance with them, and when slow dances began, the four of us sat down.  Instantly, four boys came over and snapped the others up, with the fourth one approaching me, but made a detour at the last minute, the expression on his face clearly saying, "Whoa, I don't know you!" 

I didn't take offense; I simply enjoyed being around others and dancing again.

Classes began, and I enjoyed all of them.

Next Month:  Meeting Bob....

******
Present Day:
Mom's had back pain this entire week, and finally went to the doctor on Wednesday.  We've gone through the two chests and weeded out what she wanted to get rid of, plus went through two stacks of papers.  Hopefully today, I'll be making a trip to the post office to mail some packages for her:)  I'll be heading home tomorrow, arriving in time to sing at church, and go to karaoke tomorrow night.

Writing-wise, I've spent this entire week working on a new submission to the Crossroads Antho, as well as cleaning up a previously-unfinished one, to be titled Family Secrets, and replace the other one which was deemed 'too dark and disturbing' a week ago.  Who knew I'd write a story in which a person *might* need a security blanket before reading it?  Sigh.......guess they'd better never read Koontz, King, Andrews, or even Irving!

Spring Forward begins this weekend, so on Monday, I'll be sleep-deprived again.  Fun, fun.  Plus, Mother Nature continues her bi-polarism....the weather's been in the 60s all week, but today it drops into the 30s, with snow expected in my town and southward tomorrow.  Boo....hiss!

Have a great weekend and stay warm!

Flashback Friday: Day Trip With Dad!

March 1977:
Mom was still studying hard for her Master's degree in Health Education, so one day Dad announced he had a special treat in mind for my sister and I.  We would drive to Chicago and spend the day at the Science and Industry Museum.

I remember being fascinated by the Doll House, and longed to spend more time listening to the description, but since we had a lot to do and see, I had to be content with listening to one of the 'phones', then accompanying Dad to other exhibits.

I THINK the submarine was a new attraction; it wasn't in its current 'home'; I remember having to go outside to go through it.  I do remember the joke about the drunk coming out of the bar and being stuck in traffic while the submarine was being moved!

Ten years would go by until my sister made a return trip, bringing me a wax mold of that doll house..."I remember how much you loved it!", and it wouldn't be until 2015 until I returned with my youngest, along with my sister and her two kids, to tour the museum again.  We saw the Doll House (now I know it's actually called the Fairy Castle!), the submarine, the coal mine, and ended the day with a trip to Giordano's Pizza:)

Next Month:  The Circus!

**************
Present Day:
I've been hard at work the past week, to reformat all my AU books with page numbers and headers, as well as updating the copyright page.  Finished #7 yesterday, which means today, I get to turn my attention to Kenzie's three books (Wild At Heart, Heart's Last Chance, and NiKoh's Chosen), so they all match the interior of Kira's Slice of Pizza:)

I'm also hoping to send off the check for the booth rental at the Eagles Craft Show on the 18th.  Local author NE Riggs (fantasy genre) may join me, which will give her an idea of what to expect next month when we're at Karen's Book Barn in La Grange, KY:)

This weekend, I'm off to Mom and Dad's again.  Mom wants to go through a couple of chests, as well as finish the jewelry inventory.  I was supposed to leave tomorrow, but just discovered my Teen (he turned 13 on Wednesday!) has a band concert on Sunday.  So can't leave until then, sigh!

Going to the church's Fish Fry tonight, then off to the Open Gallery for the kick-off of the First Fridays again.

Weather this week has still been good, in the 50s and 60s, and we had rain on Wednesday.

What words set your teeth on edge?  Kenzie's blogging about that today.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

March Reading List

Apparently, I had a productive February!  Edited and released Kenzie's new book, Kira's Slice of Pizza, in both e-format and print, plus accomplished most of what I set out to do:

-Finish cover request and send partial payment  Check:)  It's beautiful!!!!

-Finish Ghost Story  I've added at leat 600 words to it:)

-Add words to Heart Song  Nope

-Buy copies of Hotel Stories Nope

-Get more decorations up on walls still working on it:)

-Finish watching Downton Abbey Check:)

-Finish Kira edits and start early promo  1st round finished, plus cover art shared:)  2/23:  Book Released!  Now working on print version.

-Lose 5 pounds Won't know until March

-File taxes  Check:) Got them back a week later!!!

Health:  Finally got my voice back!  I was getting aggravated with my limited range.

Books Read:  4
           Print:  2
        E-book:  2
            DNF:  1

Songs Added To Good List:  8, even though I had no voice for most of the month!

So What About March's Goals?
-Buy copies of Hotel, Orion, and Kira (check!)
-Do well at Eagles Craft Fair  Bleh....sold 0.  Hardly anyone showed up.
-Finish Ghost Story
-Buy copies of Crossroads Antho (releasing March 15th!) Not arriving until April 3rd now.
-Start gathering promo for April signing  Check:)
-Lose 5 pounds
-Finish formatting previously released books (already did 1-4 of AU:)  AU 5-7, check:)  KM's Chosen, check:); WAH, check:)
-Pay cover artist(s)
-Watch King's Speech and Le Mis, plus classic TV DVDs

March Reading List:
Print:
A Kings Christmas-Jean Joachim  DRR!  Loved this!

Shogun-James Clavell  Enjoyed certain parts....maybe need to watch mini-series again?

E-Book:
To Live Again-VI Edwards  LOVED It:)  DRR!
Christmas Valentine-Jamie Carie  DRR!  Loved it:)
Just Another Rainy Day-Amber Skyze  Very good:)
It's Always Something-Nikki Lynn Barrett  DRR!!!  LOVED THIS!

Karaoke Songs:
Thurs:

We Don't Need Another Hero-Tina Turner Did moderately well:)

Friends and Lovers-Gloria LoringlCarl Anderson  LOL....think I did better on Carl Anderson's part!

Hard To Say I'm Sorry-Chicago  Nailed it:)  Was disappointed Get Away wasn't included.  I wanted to do the dance that our color guard performed our senior year, lol!

We Don't Talk Anymore-Cliff Richards  Not too bad.

We Got The Beat-Go-Gos  Nailed it!

Hard To Say It's Over-Sheena Easton  DNH

Left in the Dark-Barbra Streisand  DNH

We Just Disagree-Dave Mason  Ugh.

Lifeline-Papa Roach  DNH

We May Never Pass This Way Again-Seals and Crofts  Ugh.

Sat:

Lyin' Eyes-Eagles Bleh....don't think I was on the right note.

MacArthur Park-Donna Summer Abridged version and did well!
Mad About You-Belinda Carlisle  Nailed it:)
Magic-Olivia Newton-John  Nailed it, plus people sang along!

Magic Carpet Ride-Steppinwolf  Wasn't too bad; just had never practiced 2nd verse!

Magic Man-Heart  Did well on this one; bar patrons cheered and even had one guy looking enthusiastic!
Magnet and Steel-Walter Egan  Did okay on it.

Magical Mystery Tour-Beatles DNH

Make Me Lose Control-Eric Carmen  DNH

Makin' It-David Naughton Did fairly well...

Making Love Out Of Nothing At All-Air Supply  Elaine took the low part; I took the high, and we knocked it out of the park:)

Mama-Genesis  DNH

Mama He's Crazy-Judds  Did fairly well:)

Mama's Broken Heart-Miranda Lambert Wasn't too bad; flubbed a line on the 2nd verse though...

Disney Mambo #5:  Rocked it:)

Flashback Friday: Super Bowl!

Feb 2007:
The Super Bowl was set!  Colts vs Chicago Bears.

Since my oldest son's antics during the playoffs had threatened the shelf lives of everything on the piano, we completely cleared it off before friends arrived.

I'd acquired Colts PJ pants and a Peyton Manning shirt, so I changed right before the game began.  We snacked on Chicken Broccoli Braid, bacon-tomato cups, chips and dip, and whatever the spouse decided to fix.

Prince played the halftime show, in the rain, w/o missing any notes.  He was awesome!

In contrast to the playoffs, the game was a subdued affair, and the Indianapolis Colts won their 1st Super Bowl:)

For Valentine's Day, the spouse showed up with chocolates, as well as a stuffed Mama Tiger and cub for the daughter:)

We tried to eat at Garfield's restaurant, but the wait was too long, so we went across the street to the Dogwood Amish Buffet.

Next Month:  Joining The Online Community!

*************
Present Day:
Kenzie's 10th book released yesterday!  Go here to check it out and enter her contest:)

The weather the past two weeks has been outstanding!  Temps in the 60s and 70s....the only reason I've even worn a coat is because of rain!

Rehearsals for the Community Choir's Once Upon A Tree have begun:)  S and I also drove up to Ben Davis last night for MDQ's choir concert.

Filed our taxes last Sunday; we're getting $800+ back from Fed, but have to send $900+ to the state.  Bleh.

I did sing at a funeral on Wed, and had a disaster strike during the Responsorial:  G had one version; mine was completely different!  We only 'synched up' during verses 2 and 4, as well as the response.  OOPS!  Still, I like being paid to sing:)

Have a great weekend!  Hopefully, we'll be doing some cleaning up of the front yard and maybe the storage unit.

Flashback Friday

Feb 1997:
Valentine's Day was just another day; our taxes had been filed, but the refund hadn't arrived yet.  I fixed a nice dinner for the kids, bought them a modest amount of chocolate, AND we discovered we'd been approved for our new home.  We'd found some land in Morgan County, but now had to decide which lot we wanted.  I liked #26, but D liked #14 better.  When we met with the owners, it turned out the lot I liked had already been sold, so we settled for the other one, and chose the display model house.  All we had to do now was come up with a down payment and sign the papers.

Meanwhile, my baby girl was thriving in her pre-school class:)  She was making friends, enjoyed her teacher, and looked forward to every Wednesday.

After our refund arrived, we had a nice meal and paid off some debts.  D even attended a meeting and made the decision to sign up with QuikStar, a spinoff of Amway.  I wasn't thrilled, but he was excited about it, so I reluctantly agreed to go along to the next meeting.

I also began chauffeuring two kids home from school; I took the neighbor's daughter to school and even picked her up sometimes; the twins' mom made the decision to pull them out of their preschool, so I now had them all day long.  I did enjoy the money I was making:)

Managed to see T for a while, but his attitude was not the greatest; I began to think maybe that two months in a row was a bit much; he needed more time to 'departmentalize' his feelings toward me.

Next Month:  Signing the Papers!

**********
Present Day:
My parents are arriving later today, to spend some time with their grandchildren and great-grandchild, and for Mom to finally see the house:)

Tomorrow, I believe the daughter and I will be going to see 50 Shades Darker.

Sunday, I have to sing at the 11am service, and I will finally finish watching SE6 of Downton Abbey.  I also borrowed the movie Suffragette, and have to watch it this weekend:)

Kenzie is talking music!  Go visit her here.

Have a great weekend!  Our weather is supposed to be in the high 60's!  In FEBRUARY!

Flashback Friday (Yes, I know It's Really Saturday!): Heartache

February 1987:
Brief Recap:  After graduation, I returned home to temp at a local craft factory while waiting for the Spring Quarter to start in March for BSU (providing I was accepted).  JF and I agreed to do the long-distance thing, and in January, for his birthday, we had a long-awaited reunion that was magical....

What followed, though, can only be called my period of rebellion.

I missed JF so much, I began to call him on a daily basis, whereas previously my phone calls had been weekly.  My work at the factory was good, though one day I was called to be in the Stuffing area, and since we'd been told that if we were placed in an area, we were to stay there until being reassigned, it stunned me two days later when I was the only one working in that area.  I resented it, until I asked someone about it and they told me to return to my table.  I did, and felt better, though I began every day by asking my mother to pray that I wouldn't be recalled to that area!

My work on the then-titled Love On The Rocks continued, and I was counting down the days until I could return to JF's for the weekend.  The day before I was scheduled to go, I called him, and received a blow.

"Don't bother coming down; we're done.  Goodbye."  He hung up.

I stared at the phone, then slowly replaced the receiver and walked, in numb shock, to my room.  How could this have happened?  I was so numb I couldn't even process the news, or even cry.  I returned to the kitchen (remember when the family phone was only in one place?) and called my BFF, to see if I could sleep in my old room that weekend; I'd drown my sorrows with her.  The next day, I drove down, still trying to process the breakup.

EY commiserated with me, then apologized; she had plans with her b/f for the evening.  I told her to go ahead; I'd amuse myself for the evening.  I called TH, my 'FWB' guy from the previous summer, and told him what had happened.  He took me to dinner, along with DW, the guy with whom I'd had the one night stand at Halloween.  Thanks to DW, I discovered JF had been cheating on me the last three weeks, and had confided that my suddenly clingy attitude was getting on his nerves, and he was preferring the more mature behavior of someone in his evening class.  That news put me over the edge, and the tears finally fell.  Knowing I'd just had a blow, DW offered to take me dancing at a new nightclub, The Bank.  I agreed, but TH had plans.  When a very good-looking friend of DW's showed up and on crutches, I invited him along, since I did NOT want to be alone with DW.  We had a wonderful time, with me dancing with my new friend CS on the slow songs, due to his sprained ankle.  We left around midnight, and dropped CS off at the dorm.  Needing something, but not knowing what, I drove by JF's trailer and discovered a strange car parked outside, then drove over to Illinois to simply see my AF officer's house.  DW had been making hints about going back to his room, but I was most definitely NOT in that sort of mood.  I timed it so we returned to campus after Open Vis was over, then I went to my old dorm room and cried myself to sleep.

I did meet with TH the next afternoon before heading home, and the next day brought news of my acceptance to BSU; I was to move in to my new dorm room in LaFollet Complex, Woody Hall, Room 806 the second Saturday of March.

Next Month:  A New Chapter Begins!

*************
Present Day:
I've had a lazy two days.  I've binge-watched Seasons 4 and 5 of Downton Abbey, and will begin SE 6 tomorrow.  Today, I'm helping serve lunch to the Men's Retreat, then choir is singing at the 5 pm service at Sacred Heart.  I'm praying my voice will cooperate, since it refused to do so Thursday night.

Probably why I feel a bit depressed, lol....

I did manage to finish the 1st round edits on Kira, and have paid the 1st installment on my shiny new cover:)  You can see it here.

Have a great weekend!

Wait....What Happened?

In case you were deep in a cave or some remote island with no wifi, there was a big game that was played on Sunday, Super Bowl 51, NE Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons.  NE was the heavy favorite, but my household is a divided one, with my older son and I cheering loudly for the Falcons.  I'm just tired of 'Brady Fever' and think it's high time another team won.  In case you've not noticed in the nearly ten years I've had this blog (has it really been that long?  *gasp!*), I often cheer for the underdog.

Opening Ceremony:
I love Luke Bryan, and thought he did an awesome job on the National Anthem:)

I was also thrilled to see the stars of Hamilton perform God Bless America, and giggled when they inserted 'and sisterhood' into the last stanza!  No, I did not view it as 'political posturing' or 'standing up for women'.  It's a song, people....get over it.  I was neither offended nor burning my bra in favor of it.

I was also thrilled to see Frmr Pres HW Bush and Barbara, who had recently been hospitalized, do the coin toss.  Though the coin flew into the Falcons' line up.....it still went Atlanta's way.

1st Qtr:
Both teams tried hard, and it soon became a running joke between my daughter and I if either team would ever get the ball past the 50 yd line and into their own territory.  Score at end:  0-0, and I tossed out the idea, 'Hey, wouldn't it be neat if the entire game went into overtime, scoreless?'  My daughter sniffed.

"Brady won't let that happen."

2nd Qtr:
Atlanta put up 3 TDs AND sacked Brady 4 times.  I started cheering whenever the Pats finally moved the ball past their own 30 yd line, but was thrilled when the Falcons kept them from a TD, and they had to settle for a field goal.  Score at halftime:  21-3.  Never in the history of the SB had a team ever come back to win from more than a 10 pt deficit.  I was also slightly put out because we hadn't seen any *good* commercials.

Halftime:
OMG, Lady Gaga rocked!  She pulled a Pink stunt, being hoisted on wires and flipping end over end from what seemed to be the top of the stadium.  Very classy!  She began with a line of God Bless America, then segued into This Land Is Your Land.  After landing on the stage, she went into Pokerface, Born This Way, Telephone, and Bad Romance.  Time for a quick change before slowing it down for a new one, even saying hi to her mom and dad, before jumping back into Bad Romance and exiting with a mic drop, a catch of a ball, and jumping down off camera.  Very well done and very classy!  No scandalous politicking!

3rd Qtr:
I joked that the thumping heard wasn't due to the music, it was Brady chewing out everyone and kicking some a$$.  It seemed to work, though the Falcons did get another TD, but ran into some holding issues.  Where previously they'd force a 4th down punt, this time on the 3rd down, defense would get penalized for holding and the 5 yd penalty would result in 1st down.  Thus the Pats marched down field and scored their 1st TD finally, but could not connect on the extra point.  Score at end:  28-9.  Both Brady and Coach looked furious.

4th Qtr:
Pats seemed to wake up, or maybe they had simply worn out the Falcons?  Because nothing the Falcons did worked.  Brady and Co scored two TDs and another field goal to tie, sending the SB into its 1st OT in the history of the SB.  Score:  28-28.

OT:
Pats won the toss, and pushed the Falcons all the way to the 2nd yd line, then scoring a TD.  Rules in OT say whoever scores first wins, so there you have it.  34-28, an awesome comeback for the very tired Brady!

As per my daughter's requirements, I spent yesterday in her Tom Brady jersey.

I also joked about needing a teddy bear, counseling, and the need to riot because my team didn't win.

The game echoed our political climate, and I decided to put my tongue in my cheek in reference to those on the other side. You knew I had a twisted sense of humor, right?  ;)