Runnin' Down a Dream

Seven Snippets Friday!

2012-02-17T12:03:00.005-05:00

Another week gone by -
and another dose of Seven Snippets Friday!

- 1 -

Easy money: This past Saturday, I was up early to participate in an 8:30 AM taste-test survey at Partners In Research in Totowa. These surveys always seem to come around just when I need that little extra bit of cash; this particular one paid me $35 to sample a breakfast smoothie. It was definitely worth getting up for!

- 2 -

Twist of Fate: As I mentioned in last week's post, I applied for a job at the Haworth Library a few weeks ago. They never got back to me, but in an interesting turn of events, I got an unexpected e-mail on Saturday from the director of the Riverdale Library asking me to come in for an interview - for a position I'd applied for last spring but hadn't been chosen for. They kept my resume on file for nearly a year! Turns out that the person they'd hired found a full time position someplace else and is leaving this week, so they need to fill her spot by next week. I we for the interview on Monday and was really impressed; I felt very comfortable with my interviewers and they were very impressed at my writing and how much I love to read. So I'm hoping that by next Friday's post I'm gushing about my new job!

- 3 -

Good Vibrations: I was over the moon on Sunday when the Beach Boys performed at The Grammy Awards show to celebrate their 50th anniversary. I've loved their music since I was eleven years old, and had seen them twice in concert as a teenager; it really bugged me that there was so much drama going on between the band members all these years - so I'm truly happy that they were able to set aside their differences to get back together again! They'll be touring this summer, too. I hope I can have the chance to see them, because I know it will be a really great time!

- 4 -

True Love: As you know, this past Tuesday was Valentine's Day. My friend Courtney Roth wrote a beautiful, beautiful post on her blog, EB-ing a Mommy about the meaning of true love, inspired by her two-year-old son, Tripp, who died a month ago due to complications from Epidermolysis Bullosa. Only one suggestion as you read Courtney's post - grab some tissues because yes, you're going to shed some tears. I did.

- 5 -

Model Trains are Cool! On Tuesday night, I met the members of the Garden State Model Railway Club in North Haledon. I had already interviewed Tony, the president of the Club, via e-mail for an upcoming article in Main Street Magazine, but Tony invited me over to the Club's headquarters so that I could see the small-scale world they've created. I was totally impressed to say the least; you can view my photos here and here to see just how passionate these guys truly are about model trains. If you're in the northern NJ area, check out their open house from 1-5 PM on March 3, 4, 10 & 11! For more info check out their website.

- 6 -

Spiritual Battles: In March my friend and fellow NJ author L.A. Kuehlke will be seeing the release of Redemption, the second novel in the Pursuit series. Two book signing events will be held during the first weekend of the month - in Hawthorne (Saturday, March 3, at Well Read Bookstore) and Hillsdale (Sunday, March 4, at Cornerstone Restaurant & Bar). Both events feature an acoustic performance by musician Ethan Blake. Check out her website for more information.

- 7 -

Making an Impression. Last but not least, if you've been reading my blog this past week, you'll notice that I've begun including a signature at the end of my posts. I follow several blogs whose writers do this, and I thought that it would be cool if I did that, too. I found a great website called My Live Signature that gives you tons of awesome design choices for your signature. The font I chose for mine is reminiscent of the font used on the record jacket and liner notes of Fleetwood Mac's 1975 album Fleetwood Mac. Being a big fan of the Mac, I thought that would make the perfect blog signature for me. :)

Well that's it for this week's Seven Snippets Friday!

Until next time...

Photo Post: Garden State Railway Club, Inc.

2012-02-15T16:04:00.008-05:00

Last night I hung out for over an hour with the members of the Garden State Model Railway Club in North Haledon. It's been around for over 50 years now. The men I met last night truly let their passion for the railroad shine through in this miniature world they've created...

Isn't this amazing? The landscapes were handmade by Club members (the shrubbery was created using, if you can believe it, insulation from ceiling tiles) and the trains are all controlled by computers. Club president Tony Tofani even let me play conductor and run one of the trains while I was there; it was cool being able to blow the whistle and the horn and watch the train make its way through the miniature world these men had created.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T13:43:00.004-05:00

photo credit

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2012: Year of...

2012-02-12T22:02:00.006-05:00

...the Beach Boys?!

Yes, it's true: The Beach Boys, that famous "surf" band from the 1960s, is BACK! After fifty years of unforgettable music, drug additions, deaths, feuds, and other assorted experiences both good and bad, the original Beach Boys lineup - which included Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston - joined each other onstage at the 54th annual Grammy Awards to perform their hit song "Good Vibrations."

Their historic performance was preceded by Maroon 5 singing "Surfer Girl" and Foster the People singing "Wouldn't It Be Nice." I thought both bands did a really great job; I appreciated the blue-and-white pinstriped shirts worn by the members of Foster the People as a nod back to the original outfits the Beach Boys wore back in the early '60s.

Of course, I was THRILLED to see Brian back with Mike, Al, and Bruce; it brought me right back to 1996 when I saw the Beach Boys in concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

I recorded the entire segment with my...um...VCR (go ahead, laugh)...but I also recorded a quickie video using my digital camera. And it came out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

So here it is, the Beach Boys, reunited onstage at the 54th annual Grammy Awards! :)

The Beach Boys will be touring this summer to celebrate their 50th anniversary; information and tour dates can be found on their official website.

Cuteness Overload!

2012-02-11T10:31:00.007-05:00

Happy Saturday!

It's time for a cuteness overload! It all started when my best friend e-mailed me the link to THIS video:

I started clicking on random video suggestions of adorable animals,
causing me to discover (and fall in love with)...

these kissing/cuddling bunnies

this hamster yawning while eating cheese

this very adorable - and vocal - kitten

yet another adorable kitten

Hope you enjoyed these!

I don't know about you, but now I need a break from all this cuteness...

^_^

Seven Snippets Friday!

2012-02-10T14:12:00.005-05:00

- 1 -

Puppy Bowl VIII: How many of you watched the Giants win the Super Bowl on Sunday? I'm not into sports whatsoever (unless we're talking figure skating in the Olympics), so I watched the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. With the adorable pups, kitty halftime show, hamster cam AND the piggy pep squad, watching the Puppy Bowl was like heaven for me! Total cuteness overload.

- 2 -

Letting Go: This week, I checked out a thrift store/antique store/consignment shop right in my town that I'd never been to before called Then and Now Classics. I gave up several of my old childhood records, some of my old Berenstein Bear books, a handful of Cabbage Patch Kid and E.T. miniatures from my collection, and a kids' plastic Pac-man mug to sell; they told me to check back in a month to see if anything moved and, if not, I can then lower the price on anything if I so choose. The only downside is that if your stuff doesn't sell after 90 days, they donate everything - you don't get it back, and you don't get any money. Let's hope my stuff sells, and I get a check, because even the smallest amount of money will be helpful.

- 3 -

Making Myself Known: Two weeks ago I applied with the Haworth Public Library for a Youth Services Librarian position that opened up, and since I hadn't heard from them in nearly two weeks I decided to follow up with them on Tuesday. Yes, I drove all the way down there, but Don came along with me. The librarian at the front desk said that they were still accepting resumes and would be starting the interview process within the next week, so I'm hoping that they contact me for an interview. The position doesn't require a college degree, but they did specify a love of books, especially YA - which I definitely possess! Don was proud of me for going after something I really want; he says it shows my independence.

- 4 -

Sarcasm is cool! Before I left the Haworth Library, I browsed their DVD collection and found something really great - Daria - the Complete Series. This offbeat cartoon was a spinoff of Beavis and Butt-head and aired on MTV from 1997 to 2002. I remember watching the show, but had forgotten just how hilarious 16-year-old Daria Morgendorffer's sarcasm and deadpan monotone was; it's been a real treat so far making my way (slowly) through the 8 discs full of episodes. Back then I used to come out with some deadpan comments on things myself, and my friend L. even started calling me "Daria." Ironically, all these years later, one of my best friends' name is Daria - but her last name isn't Morgendorffer. ;)

- 5 -

Online Byline: Yesterday I submitted my first ever piece of writing to Hippocampus Magazine for their upcoming rock and roll issue! Given my love of Stevie Nicks I would never have dreamed of not submitting something; what I love about this essay is that I started out writing it with a completely different focus, and yet I love the end result even more than I do my original idea! You can view my essay by clicking here.

- 6 -

Around the world in 80 days: Before submitting that essay to Hippocampus Magazine, I met a woman who is 106 years old. Yes, you read that right! 106! Her name is Mary Planten and she lives at the Holland Christian Home, where my dad works. She could easily write several books with all of the interesting trips she's been on in her lifetime - India, South Africa, Singapore, the Panama Canal...I'm going to interview her for Main Street Magazine AND I'm going to help her record all of these stories for her grand- and great-grandchildren. I can't wait to get started!

- 7 -

Lastly, some controversy. I recently read an article about the mother of one of the little girls featured on TLC's hit series Toddlers and Tiaras that infuriated me. Apparently June Shannon gives her 6-year-old daughter Alana "Go-Go Juice," a mixture of Red Bull and Mountain Dew, to give her an extra "kick" of energy during pageants. I was just, like, WHAT?! I'm petite and thin, and I know for a fact that drinking Mountain Dew and Red Bull SEPARATELY sends my body into a frenzy; drinking the two together would probably kill me. I don't know about you, but what June Shannon is doing is the equivalent of child abuse in my opinion. What do you think?

Flashback: 1984 Montgomery-Ward Christmas catalog

2012-02-07T21:53:00.017-05:00

click image to enlarge - it's worth it!

So, here we are, final "flashback" post for today. Here we have the 1984 Montgomery-Ward Christmas Catalog. I love that cover, because there are three toys of mine in that montage - Montgomery Moose (lower left corner) from The Get-Along Gang, Rainbow Brite and her horse, Starlight (lower right corner), and the plush Firefly My Little Pony (middle right end).

Montgomery Moose is still with me. He spent much of his time during my childhood perched on top of the couch in our den, but I played with him a lot, too - so much so that his corduroy pants got stretched out and had to be fastened with safety pins (still holding fast), his shoelaces stopped staying tied inside his skates, and the plastic snaps on the skates stopped staying together. But my "Monty" still has all of his clothes and his skates, and he's just as cute and cuddly as he was back in '84! Unfortunately he doesn't get out much - he's currently stuck in a box up in the attic with my other '80s plush toys. Rainbow Brite and Starlight are also stuck in that same box in the attic with Monty. I believe 10" Rainbow has lost her dress, but other than that, she's still looking great. And Starlight is near mint with some visible surface stains but he's still got all of his awesome rainbow-colored hair.

Speaking of Rainbow Brite, I also still have my large Twink Sprite doll (the white guy in the group shot in the upper right of the scan). He's - you guessed it - in that box in the attic. I guess I preferred to stick to the main characters and that's why I ended up with Rainbow and Twink, who was Rainbow Brite's pal. But there was also Shy Violet, who had glasses like me and was obviously shy just like I was. I wonder why I never got her and her Sprite I.Q. instead...?

Getting back to Montgomery Moose and The Get-Along Gang, I also still have my miniatures of Montgomery, Dotty Dog, and Lolly Squirrel (you can see Monty and Dotty in the lower left corner in the above scan). I have only ever just had the three of them, though if I ever come across any more at a flea market or something, I know I'd probably have to buy them because they're just so cute!

While I'm on the topic of miniatures, I also still have almost all of my Care Bears minis, too - save for a couple that I can't account for anymore that I know I didn't give away. The one circled in the above scan, Baby Hugs, is one of my favorites. I don't actually have any of the other minis in this scan - but if I ever found the Grams Bear one (top row, last one on the right) I'd just have to buy her to add to my collection.

I also still have my handful of Cabbage Patch Kids miniatures, too, like the one circled in the above scan. There were different variations of each mini, and the one I had wore that same blue dress but she had brown hair. I also used to have one of those CPK purses with matching wallet; I can still picture myself carrying it with me to church on Sundays. I would always have a pen and paper inside for when those grown-up sermons got boring for me...

I also no longer have the adorable CPK doll carrier you see to the right in this photo. But I used to keep my 'kid in there a lot - the carrier came with a plastic bowl and cup set, plus other pretend feeding items, and so I definitely got a lot of imagination mileage out of it!

All right, I have to admit that this last scan was a real joy to find because although I don't remember the doll, Carol, I know I owned one of those canopy cribs for a long, long time. It was given to me by a woman named Mrs. Perna, who was the school secretary at Franklin School in my hometown of Hawthorne, NJ, back in the early to mid '80s. My grandfather was a janitor at the school, and I do still have a very fuzzy memory of me visiting Mrs. Perna at the school once with my grandfather. Unfortunately the canopy on the crib ripped, but I had the crib and that gauzy pink blanket for a ridiculous amount of time - long after I grew up, anyway. I don't know whatever happened to the crib, but I don't have it anymore.

Well that's the end of my flashback trifecta for today! I haven't gone through all the catalogs yet, so be prepared that you might see another post like these in the future!

Flashback: 1983 Sears Christmas Wish Book

2012-02-07T20:19:00.023-05:00

Continuing from my last post, this next trip down '80s memory lane comes courtesy the 1983 Sears Christmas Wish Book.

The Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and Memory board games seen here are still hot toys today, but the artwork on the boxes is obviously much more modern! This is what the games looked like when I got them as a kid, and I still own them today. I love the artwork; the "ice cream float" card in Candy Land and the strawberry, bunny, and cherry cards in Memory have always been my favorites. And of course, both Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land feature typical '70s fashion with those kids in bell-bottoms! :)

"I am the Magic Wand Reader. Come read with me." That circular blue toy above contained a computer inside of it that could read bar codes that were printed underneath the sentences in the accompanying storybooks. I only had a couple of the books - Mac's Big Surprise, about a truck named Mac, and The Droopy Dragon, about a little blue dragon who was perpetually unhappy. But there were a lot of different books, each with a different teaching goal (letters, numbers, rhyming, etc.). In the back of each book was an order form so your parents could buy a huge alphabet poster. My dad ordered this for me, and I still see myself unrolling the long coil of heavy paper onto our kitchen floor to play with it. I kept my Magic Wand Reader until it finally died, and I finally parted with the books last year - but not before I scanned all the pages! :)

Remember Herself the Elf? She's the biggest picture here, the blonde in blue (LOL). I kept her for many years but don't have her anymore. That plastic green stem with the pink cloth flower that she's holding had a bell on it that made a soft little tinkling noise. Her blue rubber shoes were also removable - and always getting misplaced because I had a knack for perpetually losing small accessories that came with nearly all my toys. But I really don't remember anything about her. I think she was made by American Greetings, the same company who thought up the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. And I think she had a cartoon, too - not that I remember watching it, although I probably did...

The Charmkins and My Little Pony are two childhood toy collections I flatly refuse to get rid of. In fact, just last year I even bought two vintage Ponies that I'd always wanted but never had as a child. The only Pony stuff I ditched were two plastic carrying cases that I gave to a much younger cousin, and the Pretty Parlor (Item #4 above), which broke and I'd lost all of the accessories because, as I mentioned earlier, losing small toys and accessories was my specialty. I still have all of my original Charmkins except two that I know got lost (and no accessories, of course) but I got rid of my pair of Charmkin sunglasses (not shown) as well as my Jewelry House (#10 above) and Whipporwill Flower Mill (not shown), though I do actually still have the accessories from those toys. One wonderful Charmkin memory I will never forget is how I came to own triplet Charmkins! My second grade teacher had a Charmkin necklace charm that matched the twin charms that came on the sunglasses, and I boldly asked her if she would give it to me - and she did! She shouldn't have given into me that easily, but I will never forget that she did.

Now, about the Care Bears...

I still have this board game. And I still remember how my parents hated playing it with me! Looking back on it now, the game did seem to go on forever...

Up until last year, I had three of these poseable figures: Love-a-Lot Bear (#19), Birthday Bear (#16), and Friend Bear (#15), but I sold them on eBay to a collector in California.

I still have all of my Care Bears mini books! I'll never get rid of them!

And last but not least, Strawberry Shortcake.

I still own an impressive collection of miniatures (#16/#17), though I'll admit that I've gifted a few of them to some of my closest personal friends. Unfortunately, since I kept all of them together and it's been over 20 years, they're all still scented but they don't have their original scent because everything sort of...mixed. It's really quite interesting. And I got rid of my Baby Strawberry Blow Kiss Baby because I lost some of her clothing and her "kiss" went sour. Yuck! :)

This marks the end of this post. Next up, the 1984 Montgomery-Ward Christmas catalog!

Flashback: 1980 J.C. Penney Christmas Catalog

2012-02-06T23:17:00.014-05:00

Talk about a trip down memory lane.

Tonight I found myself browsing the 1980 JC Penney Christmas catalog, the 1983 Sears Christmas catalog, and the 1984 Montgomery-Ward Christmas catalog thanks to Jason over at wishbookweb.com. I discovered this website earlier today after seeing it mentioned on the awesome Plaid Stallions blog (and yes, you should go check out both sites if you are even the least bit nostalgic for all things '80s, as I am).

For some reason I always go nuts when I see pictures of toys and games I had as a kid; I make it no secret that I am hugely nostalgic. I'm surprised I've been able to part with any of my old games and toys at all (I kept many of them for over 20 years), because if I had the space I would keep everything. So of course seeing the photos in these catalogs brought back a lot of memories for me!

Because of all the pictures I found, I'm going to split this into three separate posts.

First, I want to share what I found in the 1980 J.C. Penney Christmas catalog.

Isn't the Little Brown Pony cute? I had one of these as a toddler and still remember the clicking sound the plastic wheels would make on our 1970s (*cough cough*) fake laminate kitchen floor. Years later my little sister, who was born in 1989, would get to enjoy Little Brown Pony, too; not only did she like to ride him but she also used to wear his saddle as a hat. :)

Okay, I'll admit that I totally wish I'd hung onto my 'Lil Lady Buggy (on the left)! I still remember the tinkling sound the bell made in the front of the Buggy, and would take my dolls and toys for "walks" all around the house! My little sister inherited the 'Lil Lady Buggy, too; I posted a photo of her with it (and several of my other childhood toys) here.

Well, that's all for the 1980 J. C. Penney Christmas catalog. Up next: the 1983 Sears Christmas Wish Book!

"For Better or Worse" Comic Strip 02/04/12

2012-02-04T15:38:00.012-05:00

When I read this comic strip in the newspaper today, I was reminded of the words spoken by my friend and fellow writer Don Smith in March 2009:

"It's easy to get published. Getting paid is the hard part."

Lynn Johnston doesn't know Don, but she obviously knows a thing or two about writing!

Seven Snippets Friday!

2012-02-03T16:58:00.009-05:00

It's that time again! I can't believe it's Friday again already. But it is, and so I'm ready to run with a second installment for Seven Snippets Friday!

- 1 -

Temporary insanity: Today I registered with a local temp agency, the same one that a friend of mine is with. They're slow right now, but my friend has been on assignment for the last few weeks so I'm hoping something rolls in for me soon. Anything will be fine as long as I can procure a little extra cash to supplement my writing with Main Street Magazine. Anyone got any temp job stories? Tell me about them!

- 2 -

Are you an enabler? Today I stopped at my town library (which I visit so often that I'm on a first-name basis with just about everyone that works there) and discovered that one of the librarians, Marilyn, had set aside a stack of Babysitters Club books that were donated by a patron so that I could have first crack at them for my ever-growing collection! I. Was. Floored. Touched. It was so cool to know that she paid attention when I talk to her, and that she remembered me mentioning that! Out of the whole stack, I added six of them to my collection. Woohoo! :)

- 3 -

Speaking of Main Street Magazine... As of February 2012, it has expanded! Now there are two editions of the mag, one that has circulated through my hometown and the surrounding area for over a decade (which I've written for since 2009), and a brand-new edition that is focused specifically on two other local towns. I've coined the new mag "Main Street 2.0," and I am really looking forward to getting to know a whole new bunch of interesting people! Check out my contributions to both Main Street editions on Photobucket by clicking here and here.

- 4 -

We're tiny, we're tune-y: Remember the cartoon Tiny Toon Adventures? One of my gal pals still knows the lyrics to this theme song because it was one of her favorite cartoons EVER. I rarely watched it - but I sure watched a lot of other shows on TV growing up! Too many, I think, because this week I discovered an awesome website called televisiontunes.com and ended up downloading over 100 TV theme songs that I knew! I had to burn 2 CDs to fit them all!

- 5 -

Are you a tea drinker? I am. My favorite is green tea, and I try to drink one cup every day. I recently got a free sample of Lipton Green Tea with Superfruit courtesy of the Sweet Free Stuff website, and boy, was it good! They sent me three tea bags of the purple Acai and blueberry flavor, and included a coupon as well. I highly recommend checking this freebie out!

- 6 -

It's a baby. No, it's a dog. My sister's 9-month-old puppy, Lucky, a Fox Terrier/Yorkie mix, has apparently lost interest in dog food, so Jen and Cris have begun feeding him baby food on the recommendation of a friend who had the same experience. Lucky eats it eagerly - so eagerly that he will clamp the car between his teeth and carry it to his favorite spot to finish - so they're going to check with their vet to see if this is okay for now, and how to get him re-interested in his regular food.

- 7 -

I wanted a makeover... For my blog, that is! As you'll see, Runnin' Down a Dream looks differently than it used to. I wanted something nice and something permanent, so I did a Google search and found an awesome website for blog backgrounds called Blogs By Dani. Some of her designs also include a coordinating header, some of which can be customized with photos. I had my friend Andrea help me with that (because, to put it simply, I was clueless), but I embedded the text with a program I downloaded from the Internet.

So that's this week's Seven Snippets Friday. Enjoy your weekend!

Please Help Chicken Boy!

2012-02-02T11:53:00.010-05:00

Four months ago, my author friend Greg Allen submitted a children's book to the MeeGenius Author Challenge. His book, Chicken Boy: The Amazing Adventures of a Super Hero with Autism, was inspired by his godson, Gabe, who has autism.

Here is what Greg has to say about how the book came to be, and why it is so important:

"Every Wednesday night I have dinner with my godson who has autism. I watch his routines as he orders the same chicken fingers, French fries, ketchup and finishes the meal with red velvet cake. One night, his older sister and I started making up a story about a super hero named Chicken Boy and the idea was born for a children's picture book to help spread awareness of autism.

Greg's godson, Gabe.
(Photo credit Greg G. Allen)

That story was entered into a contest this past fall with MeeGenius publishing and got over 2,000 votes in round one without a single picture attached to it. (It received more votes than the other 400 stories in the competition) Now, we are in the finals with 14 remaining books: all edited and illustrated and the public picks the winner to be published.

It is so important to me to get awareness out to other children that may have someone in their class with autism. I noticed that most children's books about autism are from the perspective of a sibling or a friend and never from the mind of a child. This book is told through the voice of that child as a very basic attempt to try and alleviate the concerns of other children around him because of what they perceive as "strange." The story shows that children with autism are just like other children, capable of imaginations full of wonderful pretend games."

Like Greg, I would love to see this book get published because it will give a voice to all of the children living with autism in this world and will help neurotypical kids to understand that kids with autism aren't strange, weird, or stupid - they're as smart, talented, and ABLE as any other kid; they just interact with the world around them a little differently.

Here is a video Greg made about the book Chicken Boy and its inspiration, his godson, Gabe:

So please help Chicken Boy win and be published!

You can vote for Chicken Boy by clicking here.

Voting closes on February 21.

The winner will be chosen on March 7.

Blurry Eyes and Gimp

2012-01-30T17:22:00.013-05:00

photo credit

I went for an eye exam today. It had been three years since my last exam and the lenses of my glasses had begun to get spotty, making it hard for me to see out of them - so I figured I'd better find out if my prescription changed before having new lenses made.

The doctor gave me two rounds of eye drops during my exam; I hate having drops put into my eyes because of how they blur my vision and cause me to blink my eyes for, like, forever. Three hours after my appointment I was STILL somewhat blurry and blinking! Oy vey. But my prescription did change slightly, so I'm glad I had my eyeballs checked. Hopefully I won't have to have another set of new lenses made for another three years - or more!

When I got home, I decided to play around a little bit with a photo manipulation program I downloaded the other night called Gimp. All I figured out how to do so far was embed text onto a photo...

What do you think?

Well, I guess that's all for now. Until next time...

Bye!

Seven Snippets Friday!

2012-01-27T14:06:00.007-05:00

Welcome to my first Seven Snippets Friday! This concept was introduced to me by Andi over at Bringing the Sunshine, which I've been following (as well as her photography site, Violet Films) for a short time now. I must say that Andi and her family are a real inspiration to me. Not only is Andi a great photographer, but she's got two great kids whose special needs don't hold them back from being totally awesome!

{Quick side note before I begin: In Andi's Seven Snippets Friday post today, she mentioned that her 8-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy, is going out for softball. So I want to give a shout-out to Sarah Kate - you go, girl! I have a feeling that it will be a really terrific experience for you, and that You. Will. ROCK! I can't wait to hear how things are going for you in the future.}

And now I will officially kick off my first Seven Snippets Friday...

- 1 -

Attention antique lovers in NJ: Yesterday I visited a new (to me) local thrift store - and made a new friend. Lucy and her husband have owned Second Hand Treasures in Midland Park, NJ for two years, and sell everything from furniture, electronics, and household items to record albums, antiques and other collectibles. Inside reminds me of an old warehouse; it's got three floors and has that great antique-y smell I just adore. It's like heaven on earth to this flea market lover!

- 2-

Book update: The two newest books on my reading pile are Tempered Glass, written by Ashley Wigfield - a.k.a. my cousin - and Discovery at Rosehill by my friend and blogging buddy Kathryn Brown. I intend to read both of them within the next month and will review each one here on this blog upon finishing.

- 3 -

A look into Bell's Palsy: My best friend and fellow writer Don Smith was recently diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, and has been documenting his experience through videos that you can view by clicking here. I applaud him for being so open and honest about what he's been going through, and urge you to check out what he has to say.

- 4 -

30 Rock rocks: In connection with Snippet #2, my cousin Ashley's older sister, Tracey, is a writer, too - for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Yes, she gets to hang out with Tina Fey! Tracey wrote the most recent episode of the show, Dance Like Nobody's Watching, which aired two weeks ago on January 12th. You can watch the episode here. What's doubly cool about this episode is that my cousins' mom, Kathy, has a cameo appearance. Look for her around the 22:39 mark; she's the dark haired lady sitting in the audience behind and to the left (your right) of Jane Krakowski. I took screen caps that you can view here; they're the two newest photos in the set.

- 5 -

Word lovers unite: For nearly a month now I've been getting daily e-mails from Wordsmith.org called "A Word a Day." I haven't yet practiced integrating these words into my vocabulary, but the words I've been learning are pretty cool. Maybe I'll try integrating some of those words into a future Seven Snippets Friday...

- 6 -

What a challenge! For the last 14 days I've been doing something called the 30 Day Stevie Nicks Challenge on my music blog Wild Hearted Gypsy. I discovered the idea on a Fleetwood Mac forum and thought it would be fun to do myself. So far I've been very impressed by the questions. If you're into music, please pop on over! I'm always looking for people to talk to and/or get ideas from for future posts, so don't hesitate to give me your feedback.

- 7 -

Speaking of challenges: If you are reading this post, I offer you my own small challenge of sorts: Learn something new about someone this weekend by venturing over to one of my friends' blogs that you've never read before. Just choose one out of my blog roll, and see what you find at the other end. Then, drop me a line to tell me all about it! :)

The Big 3-0

2012-01-25T17:01:00.007-05:00

My good friend Lucia turned 30 on Sunday!

There was supposed to be a celebratory lunch today but plans got a little, well, messed up and Lucia couldn't make it. So in the end, a few of us went to a nearby diner for a bite to eat and then we ambushed Lucia at work afterward with gifts - and this cake!

Happy 30th Birthday Lucia! :)

"Dating with the Dead" by Don E. Smith

2012-01-23T13:07:00.012-05:00

cover image courtesy Divinity Rose

Attention, fellow bibliophiles!

Do you enjoy horror stories?

Do you like stories that make you laugh?

How about a story that combines the two?

Then check out the BRAND NEW SHORT STORY

Dating with the Dead by Don E. Smith

My best friend and fellow author Don E. Smith just published an eBook called "Dating with the Dead." A well balanced mix of comedy and horror, it's bound to frighten you and tickle your funny bone at the same time!

In the story you'll meet Greg, who lives in a haunted house.
How does this living arrangement affect his love life? Read Dating with the Dead to find out!

It's available on Smashwords for only $1.50 (click here to order)

(P.S. I helped Don edit the story, so I've read it and can honestly say you WILL enjoy this book!)

Happy Caturday!

2012-01-21T17:30:00.001-05:00

Smile...

It's CATURDAY!

This Is Just Fine, Thank You!

2012-01-21T17:10:00.012-05:00

Today we got about five inches of the white stuff here in Jersey. Thank God the temperature wasn't too cold, there was no wind, and the snow was soft and powdery, because I HATE SNOW and would have been a lot more uptight about gearing up and going outside to shovel and clean off cars if the conditions had been worse than what they were.

Needless to say, I was actually kinda happy to go outside today.

Cleaning my car off was a breeze!
Don't worry, I didn't use that shovel. I had a brush.

I used that same brush to clean my mom's car.
That's the brush "sleeping" on top of the snow on the back window. ^_^

(close up of the "sleeping" snow brush - LOL)

I used that shovel I'd propped next to my car to clean the driveway.
When my dad got home from work, he helped me.
We got half the driveway done - just enough for him to park his truck.
Then he made a path to the back porch.

Of course, given how much I dislike snow, I'm hoping that now we are officially DONE for the season! It was bad enough we got a freak snowfall on Halloween, but now that we got this I'm perfectly content not to get anymore snow - or, at least, anything worse than this. You start talking anything more than six inches, freezing rain, ice, wind, or anything of that nature, and you've got me dying to move to Arizona - Stat!

Book Review: "Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace" by K.D. McCrite

2012-01-20T21:52:00.007-05:00

Two nights ago I polished off Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks by K.D. McCrite, the second book in a series about spunky April Grace Reilly. I read the first book, In Front of God and Everybody, last summer (read my review here), and immediately fell in love with the eclectic cast of characters which included April Grace and her parents, older sister Myra Sue, and Grandma; snooty California transplants Ian and Isabel St. James; and retro hippie neighbors Forest and Temple Freebird.

Needless to say I eagerly anticipated the publication of this newest book, which was released in December, just to see what other interesting adventures April Grace would find herself the second time around!

Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks once again takes place in Arkansas during the year 1986, and reunites readers with the Reillys, St. Jameses, and the Freebirds. There are lots of changes happening in April Grace's life during this time, and once again, she records her observations of each situation with complete, unabashed honesty. From having to deal with nice-girl-turned-snob Lottie Fuhrman during her first year of junior high school to helping Isabel direct the church Christmas play, April Grace tells it like it is - and again manages to surprise herself by what she learns in the process.

The plot line I consider to be the best crafted was that which dealt with April's mother's pregnancy. Not only does April Grace have to deal with the fact that she is no longer going to be the youngest child in the family and what this means for her future, but her mother also endures a series of health problems during this time - so April Grace's emotions go through a roller coaster ride throughout the story. Her anger, confusion, and sadness at the situation was palpable, and I found myself truly praying for a good outcome in the end.

So if you are a fan of YA and haven't yet gotten acquainted with April Grace Reilly, I'd say it's about time to do so! After all, not only are you missing out some truly refreshing characters, but book 3 is already on the horizon!

"Thirteen Reasons Why" I Love "The Future of Us"

2012-01-17T22:35:00.014-05:00

Okay, so there's only ONE reason why I love The Future of Us:

I GOT THE CHANCE TO MEET CAROLYN MACKLER AND JAY ASHER LAST NIGHT!

This writer was in the presence of YA writing royalty (okay, at least they're royalty to me)!

Carolyn and Jay chose the Barnes & Noble in Princeton, New Jersey as the very first stop on their official book tour to promote The Future of Us. As soon as Jay announced the tour schedule and I saw that they were coming to New Jersey I knew I had to go even though I'd have to travel a LONG WAY to get there. I'd never been to Princeton before so I looked on this as an adventure - and that it was! I finally found the store after traveling over fifty miles in a little over two hours; I also ran into lots of traffic jams on Route 1, the highway the store was located on. I ended up arriving to the event fifteen minutes late, but it was okay because Jay and Carolyn spent the beginning part of the event talking about their books and taking questions from the audience.

Then, after the talk, was the actual book signing!!! Since I'm Facebook friends with both Jay and Carolyn, plus I've been following Jay's blog and I won their last giveaway, I feel like I've gotten to know them kinda personally, so meeting them in the flesh was TOTALLY COOL! I didn't expect them to know me immediately, of course, but after I'd introduced myself and reminded them of the blog giveaway we talked like old friends. Carolyn teased me about the "stack of books" I'd won, hinting that I "have a lot of catching up to do." And when I asked Jay about his one-year-old son, Isaiah, we ended up discussing Skype. And Jay told me that he'd seen my latest Facebook status update in which I posted about coming there. It was, well, somewhat surreal.

The writer in me did plan ahead, though: I also managed to squeeze in some networking by giving both Jay and Carolyn copies of my business card. I mean, you just never know what that simple act could lead to? What if, years from now, I've written my first real novel? It's not impossible to consider that they could both write a blurb for it. Just imagine!

On the topic of books, since I couldn't really meet them without having them sign a book, I'd originally figured I would just buy a copy of the one novel Carolyn hadn't sent me for the giveaway - Love and Other Four Letter Words - but the store had sold out of it, so I decided to do something a little more special and bought a copy of The Future of Us for my friend Margie, since she'd been eager to read the book and had wanted to join me last night but couldn't because she teaches on Tuesday nights.

So, all in all, I had a really good time last night. It was a fun adventure that I'm likely never to forget - but that's okay, because I don't want to! :)

(Just a little side note: I gave Margie the book this afternoon and She. Was. Floored. I got hugged twice because of it!)

Tripp Roth: Heaven's Little Drummer Boy

2012-01-15T15:14:00.008-05:00

photo credit: Courtney Roth

"You fought from the beginning..."
- Stevie Nicks

This is my friend Tripp. He went to be with the Lord yesterday, at the tender age of two years and eight months old.

Too soon for anyone to die.

Tripp was - and always will be - a very special little boy. I never had the chance to meet him, but I loved him dearly. He inspired me daily, and taught me to never, EVER take life for granted. He was born with a rare, often fatal disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa, and by the end of his short life Tripp was unable to walk, talk, eat, or play, and was in constant pain from skin infections and blisters. He was one brave little soul. I met Tripp and his mom, Courtney, through her blog, EB-ing A Mommy, and, along with the thousands of other followers-turned-friends, I walked along with them on Tripp's journey.

I saw pain, but I also saw smiles. I saw frustration, but I also saw joy. Tripp and his mother are an inspiration.

So today, when I read Courtney's blog post telling the world that her son had earned his wings, my heart broke. Eventually, I cried. But then, I turned to what I love most - writing. And I wrote Tripp a poem in honor of his overwhelming courage and bravery. I decided to call it Angel Child, because that is what he is now and always was - a gift from God that inspired thousands of people each and every day.

I also ended up creating a short video tribute to Tripp. Using some of Courtney's photos of Tripp as well as my own photos of the sky/landscapes/etc. and the text of Angel Child, I put everything against a backdrop of the song Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You by Stevie Nicks. It came out beautifully, and I plan on burning it onto a CD and sending it to Courtney along with a hard copy of my poem.

A Very Special Project

2012-01-13T22:40:00.004-05:00

Last May I began creating a special scrapbook honoring Stevie Nicks' two long-time backup singers Sharon Celani and Lori Nicks. I've always felt that these two beautiful and talented ladies don't realize just how much they're truly appreciated, and so I embarked on creating this little scrapbook as my way of doing just that.

I would have loved to finish the entire scrapbook in one sitting, but this was something that required time and patience. So I've taken the process very slowly, and each time I complete a page I'm amazed at how perfect it comes together. This book is something I want to be proud of, and I can only hope that the girls see how much love I've poured into this project.

Tonight I finally conquered what I felt was the toughest part of the scrapbook - the page with my thank you letter to the girls. I had tried writing the letter many times, but because I envisioned a lengthy, wordy piece I never got past "Dear Sharon and Lori." Tonight I realized that it didn't need to be long or have fancy words - it just needed to thank them. In the end, it was short, sweet, and straight to the point - and after finding the perfect way to present the letter on the page, this seemingly difficult part of my special scrapbook finally came into being!

I Heart Emmett

2012-01-12T20:04:00.019-05:00

...and no, I don't mean Cullen. The Emmett I love is Emmett Otter, the main character of the timeless classic Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. The Jim Henson television special has been a favorite of mine since the time I was a little kid, and although I haven't bought the collector's edition DVD yet, I've owned a VHS copy for years and watch it every Christmas. I was smitten by Jim Henson's adorable marionettes (if you look closely, you can see the strings) of Emmett and Ma from the beginning; every time I watch the show I want to reach through the TV screen and hug these seemingly cuddly characters with their round, black button noses and fuzzy, chubby cheeks.

I didn't realize until I was an adult that Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas began as a children's book written by Russell Hoban in 1969. I'd never even seen the book before until just this past Christmas, when I learned about it and checked a copy of it out of a nearby library. I immediately fell in love with the intricate and beautiful illustrations, which look like colored pencil and maybe even some watercolors; and I was happy to see that the characters drawn on the pages of this book are identical to their three dimensional Muppet counterparts that Jim Henson later created for the show. So of course, imagine the thrill I got this afternoon when I happened to be browsing the used book room of my own town library and noticed a copy of Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas lying on one of the shelves! I knew the book had to become a part of my collection...and now it is. It's still got that vintage book-library smell to it, and there's not a single mark, crease, or rip on any of the pages whatsoever.

Here are a couple of my favorite illustrations from the book:

Ma Otter hanging the wash
as she talks to her friend, Irma Coon

Emmett Otter on the lake in his fishing boat

Now, compare these characters to those from the TV special:

Emmett and Ma by the music store
where Emmett first sees the guitar he wants

Emmett and Ma sliding down the icy hill for fun

Basically identical to each other, don't you think? I'd venture to say that Jim Henson definitely went the distance to keep the integrity of Russell Hoban's original characters. No wonder Emmett, Ma, and the other residents of Frogtown Hollow are still so well-loved and fondly remembered over thirty years later!

Reader, Writer, Procrastinator

2012-01-11T11:46:00.013-05:00

From Dictionary.com:

pro·cras·ti·na·tion

[proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn, pruh‐] noun

the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention: She was smart, but her constant procrastination led her to be late with almost every assignment.

photo credit

One goal I decided to shoot for in 2012 was to stop procrastinating. And my year started off relatively well: so far I've submitted six job applications (both online and in person), dropped three bags of clothes off at the Red Cross, did some much needed shopping for supplies like printer paper, and accomplished other tasks that I would usually wait around to do for no good reason at all.

Unfortunately, though, I've already hit a snag in my goal. Not that I didn't expect to - I'm only human, after all - but I was hoping I could really put this habit of procrastination behind me once and for all. Naive, I know. But I've been putting off pursuing two particular writing assignments for a few days now, and I feel really bad because my reasons for doing so are downright ridiculous. One of these assignments came to me from a totally different project that ended up getting scrapped; I've never met these people before, and I'm unsure if they'll even agree to being interviewed - or give me the story I'm looking for. I suppose my procrastination is due to the fear of rejection.

The reason I'm procrastinating on the second story is somewhat complicated yet equally ridiculous, but again that I think the ultimate reason for my procrastination is due to the fear that this potential interview subject will be unwilling to be interviewed and/or not give me the story I'm looking for.

I figure that all writers have dealt with procrastination on assignments or projects, but I also tend to believe that my own personal reasons for procrastinating are unique to me. After all, I might not be as introverted as I used to be, but there is still a small part of me that is - and I think it's that small part of me that is afraid to confront a potential assignment only to have it go differently than I'd hoped it would. Perhaps I'm afraid I'll disappoint my editor or, worse of all, myself, if things don't go as originally planned.

So I ask: If you're a writer, have you ever put off writing something because you were afraid it wouldn't go as planned? And what was the end result of your procrastination?

Book Review: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

2012-01-07T13:26:00.006-05:00

**NOTE** This is NOT a BookSneeze review.

Last night (well, technically 5:30 this morning) I finished reading The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston. The story, which is told from the point of view of Frances "Frankie" Pratt and takes place in the 1920s, is indeed a novel in pictures. For her high school graduation, Frankie's mother gives her a scrapbook and her father's old Corona typewriter, and so the entire story is told through the old photographs, memorabilia, and typed commentary that Frankie adds to her scrapbook for the next eight years of her life. I am not a romance novel/love story type of person, but The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt was a book I couldn't bear to put down because it was so much more than just a love story. It is also a story full of hope, dreams, sorrow, defeat, success, and adventure - all told through Frankie's scrapbook. Frankie, who dreams of being a writer, sets off on a journey to find herself, traveling to New York, Greenwich Village, Paris, and eventually back to her New England hometown, where she comes to realize that what she's been looking for was there all along.

Find out more about The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt at http://carolinepreston.com/.

My Latest Craft Project

2012-01-06T21:50:00.012-05:00

The other day I was thinking about the scrapbooking I still need to take care of, and then I began thinking about how fun it might be to try creating my own homemade scrapbooks. So I did a Google search and found a great website tutorial for making mini scrapbooks out of brown paper lunch bags.

(This one isn't mine, but it sure gave me some good ideas!)

photo credit

Once I had the website up, I grabbed some brown paper lunch bags from my kitchen and began planning what I could do. Unfortunately, I had a sewing needle but no thread, but, being the impatient person that I am, I found a decent alternative and jumped right into this project.

Here's how things are looking so far:

This is actually the back cover. This scrapbook is going to be a birthday gift for a friend of mine, and the front cover is already decorated with their name. And since they sometimes read my blog, I don't want to risk ruining the surprise by giving too much away.

This is what most of the inside looks like - blank. I have the second-to-last page completed, but I'm honestly not sure yet what will fill the rest of the pages. I want to convey to this friend how much I love them, what it is I love about them, and how much I value their friendship.

And this is my little envelope of things I want to try to utilize on those blank pages. I happen to have a penchant for going through magazines and cutting out pictures and words that I find interesting, and then using them for projects like this. Don't you just love that angry-looking kitty cat? He's so perfect for my friend; I hope I can figure out the perfect way to add him to the book!

I'll be very interested to see how this book looks after it's all finished. My friend's birthday isn't for another couple of months, so I've got myself plenty of time to plan out what I want to do on those blank pages.

To be continued...

Colossal Art & Design

2012-01-05T12:58:00.003-05:00

Earlier today one of my Facebook friends posted the link to an interesting article over at blog called Colossal Art & Design. The article and its accompanying photos discussed an artist who created a totally white room and then let a bunch of little kids loose with thousands of colored dot stickers (You can see the results of this experiment here).

Intrigued, I scrolled down to view previous blog posts from that same page and I came across two that totally struck me:

1. Aqueous Fluoreau, about a photographer who published a series of underwater ink photographs. I adore anything having to do with colors, water, and reflection, so this caught my eye immediately.

2. The Chromatic Typewriter, about a painter who modified an old 1937 typewriter into a painting device. As soon as I saw the picture of the typewriter, I was hooked of course! ;)

I urge you to go check out this blog because once you've read one post, you'll find yourself reading more...and more...and more...

Life Matters

2012-01-02T16:33:00.012-05:00

This afternoon found me at a local funeral home; I went there to pay my respects to a good friend of mine whose husband passed away on Dec. 27. Tragically, the man, who was only 36 years old, committed suicide. It's the sort of situation you don't wish on your worst enemy and is one of those things you don't think could ever touch you.

But it touched me. And it has caused me to think about my life and the people in it.

I only had the pleasure of being in the company of my friend's husband one time, when I was invited to their home for the afternoon one day this past spring. It was the first time in a long time that my friend and I were seeing each other again after many years of on-again, off-again communication with each other. Being of Indian heritage, my friend's husband cooked up some wonderful ethnic - and spicy - food for lunch; I truly enjoyed the look on his face when he realized that I was a fan of spicy food. "Maybe you have some Indian in you?" he joked with me as we ate. It truly was a pleasure to meet him because the first impression he gave of himself to me was that of a devoted family man who adored his wife and baby daughter.

But this, of course, is why I cannot understand why he would take his own life. How do you leave your family behind? When my friend posted on her Facebook page that "...it's a very hard time right now, but [we're] okay" someone left a comment that suggested he was dealing with something bigger than himself that he couldn't handle. I can't imagine what he might have been going through that left him in enough despair to take his own life and, again, leave his wife and child behind. It's just incomprehensible.

At any rate, my friend's husband is gone, and I feel terrible for her because I don't think I'd be able to handle going through the same thing. Today at the service she told me that right now she is okay - "but ask me again in a few days and I'll probably tell you differently." I'm sure she hasn't truly absorbed the weight of it yet, but when she does, as I told her today, I am here for her, no matter what. Because that's what friends are for.

To learn more about suicide, contact the Foundation for Suicide Prevention by visiting their website.

In Remembrance of Ashwin Mahajan
1975-2011

2012 is HERE!

2012-01-01T22:33:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year everybody! I hope you all enjoyed your New Year's Eve and that your first day of 2012 went well. Today was a very nice day for me; being it was Sunday I relaxed during the day, but then my parents were invited to spend a few hours with relatives tonight. It was the first time I'd been to the townhouse of my uncle and his second wife since they'd gotten married last year, so I was able to be a little nosy and take pictures of the decor. My uncle's new wife (I hesitate to call her "aunt" - should I?) reminds me a lot of my late aunt, in both her physical appearance and mannerisms as well as her decorating style. It's uncanny how alike they are.

Here are a few photos from tonight:

How adorable is that?

Speaking of adorable, I fell in love with this little guy.
He was part of a whole collection of snowmen in the front hall.

This welcomed people into the living room.

I have high hopes for 2012; of course I have no idea what God has in store for my life this year but I will never give up on the goals and dreams I have for myself. I can only pray that 2012 sees at least one of my dreams finally coming true, and since my seasonal job at Target came to an end last night, I also need to find another paying job as soon as I can. But I already have a long list of places I am going to apply to and at least one of those places is bound to get back to me...right?

I also have to wonder what I will write about here at Runnin' Down a Dream this year. Of course only time will tell...

New Frontier

2011-12-31T15:37:00.006-05:00

This past week over at Eyes of the World, I chose to go with the theme of black & white for my daily photos. Even though I use the camera (almost) daily for the blog, I usually stick with the "auto" setting and don't even dive into the other 32 settings that are included. But now I decided that I would get to know 'ol black & white - or "monochrome," as my camera calls it.

And in the end, not only did I go with the theme of black & white, but all the photos were also book or writing-related as well.

I really had a lot of fun doing a theme, and hope that in 2012 I can do lots of them!

Free Watermarks for Photos at PicMarkr

2011-12-30T02:29:00.006-05:00

The other night I stumbled upon this cool website called PicMarkr, where you can get customized watermarks on your photos for free! All you have to do is upload your photo from your computer (or your Flickr, Facebook, or Picasa account if you have one), choose the type of watermark you want (text, image, or tiled; if you choose text you also type what you want it to say and where on the photo you want it to be), and viola!

This is a great alternative for Photoshop-less people such as myself. I've begun using PicMarkr for the photos I've posted this week to Eyes of the World and I really like it! All I have to do is decide what I want the watermark to say. Some of my friends (who have Photoshop) write their names across their photos, some put the (C) copyright symbol before their name, etc. But I am thrilled to have found this program!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T01:05:00.009-05:00

To continue from my previous post, Christmas Day was even cooler than Christmas Eve. To start things off this morning, my parents and I opened our presents to each other. My mother and I both got a pair of adorable snow boots from my dad (although we both hate snow and aren't wishing for any but agree that it's good to be prepared). I bought my father his own copy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail on DVD and got my mom a really cool purse.

Then, just like on Thanksgiving, my parents and I spent the rest of the day with Jen, Cristina, and Ernie (and Lucky), and it was once again a day filled with great people and great food. Cris and Jen went all out: First we had wine and some appetizers (which included hummus and crackers as well as a variety of little breaded spinach, potato, and beef rolls). Then, for our meal, they cooked a delicious glazed ham (with pineapple!) and mashed potatoes, plus there was a plate of cold cuts and pickles, and Jen also made a cold macaroni salad and lemon lime Jell-o salad with pineapple. To top it off my father made a tray of baked ziti as well, so we definitely had plenty of food! After the meal we were all so stuffed that we thought we'd need to be rolled away from the table!

After dinner, we opened presents. In addition to what my parents gave to them, I gave Jen a makeup set, Cris a plush sleep mask that can be both microwaved or frozen to help relieve stress, and Ernie a Crayola Color Explosion set. I also gave Lucky a box of dog biscuits and two squeaky toys. Jen and Cris gave me two spiral bound journals, two notepads, and two sets of pens. Cris joked that Jen had said she wasn't really sure what I liked except that I do love to write. Needless to say all of these gifts will definitely be put to good use!

Once all the gifts had been opened, Jen and Cris tried out Jen's new Just Dance Wii game that Cris gave her for Christmas. I was tempted to give it a try myself, but just like on Thanksgiving I chickened out. Later, several of Jen and Cris's friends stopped over, including a few we'd met before and a few we hadn't. Leftover dinner was brought out for them to enjoy (I ended up eating more macaroni salad), and then we had dessert, which included Christmas cookies and walnut balls that Jen had baked herself plus my dad's homemade cherry cheesecake. Through it all us adults talked...and talked...and talked, while the kids ate, opened presents, and played video games together.

(Since it's late and I'm too tired to post any photos from today's festivities, you can view my Facebook photo album by clicking here.)

So this officially brings an end to the Christmas festivities for 2011, causing me to wonder what sorts of things will happen in 2012 that I will be writing about here....

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-25T00:04:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I had to work the closing shift at Target from 4:30 until 10:00 PM, but that certainly didn't stop me from having a GREAT Christmas Eve!

First, Don stopped by in the early afternoon so we could exchange gifts. He and his wife, Laura, bought me two custom-made pin-back buttons from Zazzle.com featuring original artwork of Laura's. I had already purchased two of Laura's custom buttons a couple of weeks ago, so now I have a collection of four (now I just need to find the perfect way to show them off)!

The second reason Christmas Eve was great was because I chose to dress up a little bit for work: Not only did I wear my brand new jingle bell earrings that I bought at Kohl's on Wednesday, but I'd also given myself a manicure earlier in the day using this great sparkly blue polish and a topcoat of silver glitter polish that I'd bought at Five Below on Thursday.

There's a saying that "the third time's the charm," and that definitely applies here! The third reason why this was a great Christmas Eve was because I got a cool Christmas gift from the grab bag at work - a cool bath & body set with a loofa, body wash, body lotion and body spray in a nice coconut scent. I'd been dying to know who had chosen my name, and so I was happy to discover that that this really nice girl named Jay Jay was my Secret Santa! I was so glad that it was someone I've actually been getting to know! Jay Jay is a lot younger than me and is always smiling, and is one of the people I'm going to miss when my job at Target is over.

So I had a pretty darn good Christmas Eve! Stay tuned for part two: Christmas Day! :)

Ordinary Angels

2011-12-21T17:12:00.011-05:00

This afternoon, I stopped at the post office on the way home from Christmas shopping. I parked my car in the lot and was just rounding the corner onto the sidewalk when I saw something happen that I'd never seen before and hope I never see again.

Up ahead of me, carrying a clear plastic bag full of packages, an elderly man was also walking down the sidewalk. In the blink of an eye, I saw his foot slip and he began lurching forward. It was like one of those slow-motion flashback scenes in a movie; I kept thinking that any second he would catch himself and keep on walking. But he didn't. He landed face-first onto the sidewalk, right near the edge of the curb by a parked car. I thought to myself, please get up, please get up. But he didn't. And then I noticed the blood on the sidewalk.

There was a younger guy who had been walking just behind me, and immediately he said, "We need to call 9-1-1. Do you have a cell phone?" I nodded and pulled mine out, dialing the numbers as quickly as my shaking fingers would let me. As I was talking to the dispatcher, this young man approached the elderly man and started talking to him. He kept trying to stand up, saying "I'm okay, I'm fine," but both the younger man and I kept urging him not to get up. Finally he did, aided by another man who had stopped to help, and leaned him against the parked car.

By this point a small crowd had gathered, so, feeling weird just standing there watching this injured elderly man bleed, I decided to take care of my business inside the post office. When I came back out again two police cruisers had arrived, and one of the officers was holding a cloth to the elderly man's head. "You're definitely going to need some stitches," I heard him say. The elderly man continued to say he was fine, but the officer wouldn't let him get away. "The ambulance is already coming," he said, "so let's get you checked out anyway, okay?" Finally, after a few moments, the officer assured everyone standing around that the man would be looked after, and so I walked back to my car. I was still stunned at what had transpired, not having witnessed anything like that ever yet in my lifetime. But I was also glad that I happened to be there at that moment and had my cell phone available to call for help. Obviously I was meant to be there...

All Ready for Christmas!

2011-12-18T21:02:00.005-05:00

It's funny how sometimes I can take photos of the same things year after year and never get tired of the repetition. Christmas decorations, for instance. While a few things change here and there, the majority of our decorations remain the same - and I can take pictures of the same stuff every year but never get tired of seeing it. Maybe it's because we have some really neat decorations that are unique to my family, or maybe it's because of how my father always sets everything up just so. But whatever the reason, I love documenting how we decorate our home for Christmas!

This year, instead of simply taking pictures, I went one step further and took pictures and video - and then I made a little movie out of everything. I really hope you like it.

Merry Christmas!

Silly Santa :)

2011-12-17T15:59:00.002-05:00

This little wind-up Santa said he would help me find my Christmas spirit...

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Book Review: The Encounter

2011-12-14T15:57:00.006-05:00

Based on two true stories that were blended into one fictional tale, The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn is a beautifully uplifting short story about the healing power of forgiveness. I polished off the entire book in one night because not only was it a quick read at only 140 pages, but the characters' emotions were so realistic that I couldn't bear to put the book down until I knew if and how things were resolved between them.

Abandoned by his mother at age four and adopted at nine, wealthy entrepreneur Jonathan "Gold" Rush has let his resentment toward his mother build up inside of him, causing him a lifetime of hurt that he just can't seem to stop. On the suggestion of his pastor, Jonathan heads to his hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska to hopefully solve the mystery surrounding his abandonment - which would, ideally, heal the emotional hurt he has suffered thus far.

The book's narrative alternates between Jonathan's point of view and that of Ada Guthrie, Jonathan's biological mother, who also still struggles with the decision she made over thirty years ago. As each piece of the puzzle was uncovered, I found myself able to sympathize with both Jonathan and his mother, both of whom need to let go of their hurt once and for all in order to become truly happy. And by the end of the story, I found myself rejoicing at the outcome these two individuals reach.

The Encounter is a beautifully written, uplifting story. If you're looking for the perfect gift this holiday season, "The Encounter" by Stephen Arterburn is a book I highly recommend!

My copy of The Encounter was provided free of charge from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Morgan Farms in Cedar Grove, NJ

2011-12-11T21:08:00.009-05:00

Today my friends Adrienne, Susan, Iris and Amy went to Morgan Farms in Cedar Grove, NJ, as part of the Essex County Holiday House Tour. The inside rooms of the home contain items belonging to the Morgans, the original owners, which reflect what their life was like back in the early 1900s. From antique dresses and photographs to an antique typewriter holding a copy of an old letter that Mrs. Morgan typed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, I was definitely not disappointed by Morgan Farms.

And of course I took pictures...

Purple wool jacket circa 1890s

original keys to the home circa 1850
(the same year the Van Winkles were murdered in Hawthorne)

Maurinura baby doll from the early 20th century

I love these dresses!
The pink one is very Stevie Nicks-ish. :)

The antique typewriter with the copy of the letter
Mrs. Morgan sent to President Roosevelt in 1936.

Bookcase downstairs with Christmas houses on top.
(Books excite me as much as typewriters, LOL)

You can see all of my photos from Morgan Farms on Facebook.

Flashback: The Original "E/R"

2011-12-06T15:23:00.011-05:00

When I hear people talk about the television show E/R, I don't think of the NBC drama starring George Clooney that ran from 1994 - 2009. Instead, I am reminded of the short-lived CBS comedy starring Elliot Gould that ran from 1984-1985. This "original E/R," as I like to call it, remains one of my favorite television shows from when I was a child. I was in kindergarten then, and even though I'm sure a lot of the humor went right over my head, I loved that show. Maybe it was the catchy theme song (which actually had lyrics and was sung by Lou Rawls) - I can't be sure. But for whatever reason, I loved that show! Still do. I discovered the entire series on YouTube today and even now, 26 years after the show went off the air, I still find it hilarious.

In addition to Elliot Gould as Dr. Howard Sheinfeld, the original E/R cast was comprised of a great group of actors that also included Mary McDonnell (Dances with Wolves) as Dr. Eve Sheridan, Conchata Ferrell (Two and a Half Men) as Head Nurse Joan Thor, and Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) as hospital administrator Harold Stickley. And speaking of George Clooney, he actually got his first major acting role on this original E/R as Mark "Ace" Kolmar who, as far as I recall, was Dr. Sheinfeld's nephew but I'll have to watch more episodes to confirm that.

From receptionist Maria Amardo (played by Shuko Akune)'s persistent order to "Stay back from the white line!" and the discovery that 15-year-old patient Sheila Dixon isn't really constipated but actually pregnant - and in labor - to Sherman Hemsley's guest appearance as nurse Julie Williams' uncle (and reprising his role as George Jefferson). After watching the pilot episode this afternoon it was as if no time had passed at all since I'd watched this show, even though in reality it's been 26 years. So many elements of the episode were still familiar to me! It was a great feeling.

Here is part one of the pilot episode:

You can watch the rest of the pilot episode (it's split into four parts) and other episodes from this hilarious '80s television series on YouTube thanks to pmabee. If you're watching for the first time, I definitely hope you find it as hilarious as I did/do. And if you're an old fan of the show like I am, I hope this brings back lots of good memories like it did for me!

Blogger Tech Question. Any Advice?

2011-12-06T10:20:00.004-05:00

There is a particular blog I would like to stop following, but none of the regular options are working.

First, I went the familiar route that I've done with other blogs before. On my Dashboard, I clicked "Manage," then next to the name of the blog I want to stop following clicked "Settings." Unfortunately for this particular blog there was no option to "Stop Following" like for other blogs I've stopped following, so I clicked on "Other Options" and there was an option to "Stop Following" there. But even though I clicked on that and Blogger told me I am no longer following that blog, it still shows up in my blog list and it still lists me as a follower on the actual blog site. I guess because I am following that blog through Google Friend Connect it's different or something?

Just One More Book to Go...

2011-12-03T16:09:00.006-05:00

I got my package from Carolyn Mackler today; she included all but one of her novels which I guess she had to ship separately for some reason. But I am so happy!

This is everything so far:

1. The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
2. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
3. Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
4. Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (no, it has nothing to do with the Disney movie)
5. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
6. Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler

All I'm waiting for is Carolyn's book Love and Other Four Letter Words. It will probably show up on Monday. Can't wait! I've already begun rearranging the bookshelf in my nightstand; I venture to say that I'm set with enough reading material until February! Although, if these books are really good - which I'm anticipating that they are - then I'll probably be unable to put them down so I'll go through this set in half the time! Maybe I'll be done with them by the middle of January instead!

Memory Lapse Makes for a Great Surprise!

2011-12-01T16:21:00.007-05:00

When I saw the white USPS package sitting on our dining room table this morning, I was happily surprised. I love getting mail, and I wasn't expecting anything. There was no return address, either - getting surprise mail is even cooler! I felt the envelope; definitely a book. But I was confused. I had recently requested a new book from BookSneeze, but I didn't get any confirmation that it had been sent yet. So...what could this mysterious surprise package be? Eagerly I cut the top of the padded envelope...

And there were my book wins from Jay Asher!

That's when I remembered. Silly me to have forgotten!

I didn't receive Carolyn's books yet, but I'm sure they'll be here very soon. I can't wait! But in the meantime, I'll definitely have to make more room on the bookshelf like I'd talked about...

Catching Up...

2011-11-30T16:48:00.005-05:00

I was dealing with some stomach issues today and did not feel well (or energetic) enough to be on my feet for five hours at Target, so I called out for my shift tonight. I'm actually feeling pretty wiped out right now as I write this, so there's no doubt I'll be heading to bed early tonight. I hope I'm not catching anything. :(

Since I haven't written a new post in a little while, I thought tonight might be a good time to play catch-up with what I've been up to lately.

Writing-wise, I've got a few projects on the horizon that I'm pretty pleased with. Today I got the okay from Main Street's Albert Stampone to pursue an interview with a woman from North Haledon who is 105 years old. Yes, you heard that right! She is a resident at the Holland Christian Home. What I love about this lady is that she e-mails her children and grandchildren frequently and she recently signed up for Facebook, too! I can't wait to talk to her because I'm sure she's just bursting with interesting stories to tell.

I also recently finished writing an essay that was inspired by a YA book called Extra Credit by Andrew Clements. The book tells the story of two children on opposite sides of the world who become pen pals and what they learn about themselves and each other in the process. It reminded me of my friend Kevin from South Africa and how we became pen pals in 1995, so I wrote an essay detailing the similarities and dissimilarities between our pen pal relationship and that of the kids in the book. I would like to send this essay to Andrew Clements, but I also feel that it should be published somewhere. I browsed my 2009 Writers Market book and have been consulting my fellow writer friends to see where they think this essay would be best suited. So far I've gotten suggestions of Guideposts magazine (a Christian publication) and Chicken Soup for the Soul. I think I will pursue both of these magazines after the holidays are over.

In addition to that essay, I wrote my first article for a new magazine that is set to debut in January 2012. It's actually only sort of new, since it's the second generation of an existing magazine that will target a different area than the original. I'm looking forward to this mag getting off the ground because it's a paid position that will not only involve my writing but I'll also be doing a lot of leg work scoping out interesting interview subjects and other things to include in the publication.

Last but not least, I finished setting up my new Wordpress website tonight! I am so happy with it; I hate to admit it but Wordpress is way better than Google. For me, anyway (just sayin'). If you didn't catch the link included in my last post, you can view the site here. I hope you like it!

To round out this post, I want to encourage everyone to pay a visit to Zazzle.com this holiday season. Not only do I have a store there with some cool items that would really knock your socks off this Christmas, but my friends Laura Smith and Jack McKenzie, both artists, also have stores on Zazzle too (Jack's actually got two separate stores; the other can be found here.) I recently ordered two pins featuring Laura's artwork and they just arrived yesterday; I am not exaggerating when I say that they are awesome. Check them out:

Well that's officially the end of this long post catching you up on what's been going on in my life the last several days. Thanks for reading! :)

My NEW Website

2011-11-29T22:43:00.003-05:00

Recently I ditched my Google website for a nicer one over at Wordpress.

It's pretty much set up and ready to go; I've just got a couple more things to finalize on it.

You can check it out here.

Photo Post: Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:20:00.008-05:00

Today my parents and I spent Thanksgiving with Jen, Cristina, and Ernie at their place. It was the very first time my parents and I didn't go to our favorite Italian restaurant, Colucci's, in Haledon, and didn't have the multi-course Italian Thanksgiving dinner that has been a tradition with our family for over a decade. Personally, while I always enjoyed going to Colucci's, spending the day with Jen, Cris and Ernie was MUCH more fun! I hope we can do this again next year!

dinner table set with lovely flowers and candles

LOTS of food, prepared by Jen and Cris

Apple cinnamon cake for dessert, baked by Jen

Jen, Cris, and my parents played Wii bowling
which was hysterical to watch!

And of course Lucky was as adorable - and wound up - as always!

Wishing You Thanksgiving Blessings

2011-11-23T14:17:00.005-05:00

desktop photo found here
with center photo from i-love-cartoons.us

Winning Streak

2011-11-20T22:13:00.007-05:00

I'm not the bragging type, but I have to admit that 2011 is definitely a lucky year for me in regard to winning books because yesterday I won *another* blog giveaway! That brings me up to a grand total of four book wins this year!

This newest book win comes thanks to YA authors Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, whose collaborative effort The Future of Us comes out *tomorrow*. I follow Jay's blog, and every Friday for the last thirteen weeks he and Carolyn have been giving away an advanced reader's copy of The Future of Us along with other various goodies that somehow relate to the book; all us blog readers had to do to enter to win was answer a question or two in the comments section.

But for this thirteenth and final giveaway, everything was different. Instead of asking about the past or the future, the question was about the present (What are you most thankful for?) and the "other various goodies" were signed copies of Jay and Carolyn's prior novels - a grand total of seven books and eight autographs. As I've done for all but one of these weekly giveaways, I submitted my answer to the question (that I was "thankful for all of the writing I've been able to do [and have published] this past year and all of the wonderful people I've been able to meet and network with") and promptly forgot all about it. Until yesterday, of course! So now I've got seven autographed books that will be arriving within the next two weeks - an early Christmas present, if you will - which means I'll have to make some more room on my nightstand now! :)

It sure is a good thing that I love reading! :)

R.I.P. Mark Hall

2011-11-20T15:13:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I was reading the obituaries in our newspaper, as I do every morning, when I noticed an article about Mark Hall, co-creator of the '80s Brit cartoon Danger Mouse. Apparently on Friday morning, Hall passed away from cancer at the age of 75.

As I posted back on October 5, Danger Mouse was - and still is - one of my favorite cartoons EVER. And so, although I didn't know anything about this man who helped create the White Wonder, I am saddened to hear about Mark Hall's untimely passing.

You can read this NY Times article about Mark's death for the full story.

And of course, in Mark's honor, I must share a couple of favorite Danger Mouse moments via YouTube:

1. The Show Intro/Theme Song. It's "the greatest!"

2. Just one of the many times Penfold loses his head
And Danger Mouse tells him to "SHUSH!"

Last but not least, you HAVE to check out this awesome behind the scenes video featuring the actors who gave their voices to Danger Mouse, Penfold, and Silas Baron Greenback here (unfortunately embedding was disabled by the creator). After over two decades of being a Danger Mouse fan, it's great to finally put faces to the voices of my favorite characters!

R.I.P. Mark Hall...
you helped to create one of the best cartoons of my childhood.

The Colors of Autumn, Part II

2011-11-19T16:52:00.010-05:00

These photos were taken across the street from my house on Friday, November 18th.

I loved how the sunlight looked on the fallen leaves here
(and the fire hydrant added something...extra)

All of these pictures are of the same tree.

Celebrate the Holidays with SabiPhoto on Zazzle

2011-11-18T16:25:00.012-05:00

photo credit

As I'm sure you've noticed, I now have a widget here on this blog displaying products I'm selling on Zazzle. After several years of honing my photo-taking skills, I've decided to showcase some of my favorite photographs on Zazzle - and hopefully let them make me a few extra bucks in the process.

So far I have created custom mugs, necklaces, drink coasters, and mouse pads, plus a keychain, a Blackberry Curve cell phone case, a tote bag, and even a poster - all using photos that I snapped myself. I'm still getting a feel for what photos work best on what products; I know I will be adding more products in the future. In fact, I just added the Blackberry case and the poster within the last two days.

With Christmas literally right around the corner, please consider my Zazzle store when shopping for unique and special gifts for the people on your list. And if you see a photo you like but it's not on the particular product you're looking for, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll create it just for you!

You can visit my Zazzle store through the widget or by clicking here. And whether or not you choose to buy something, I'd appreciate it if you let me know what you think of my products!

Book Review: Heaven Is For Real

2011-11-14T13:29:00.006-05:00

I am a born-again Christian who has been taught the Biblical view of heaven – what it is and what it will be – through church and school for my entire life. And I have to be completely honest here: reading the book “Heaven is for Real” by Nebraska Pastor Todd Burpo left me both confused and curious.

Not long after surviving an emergency appendectomy in 2003, four-year-old Colton Burpo told his parents that he’d died briefly during surgery and had actually gone to heaven. Colton’s parents, Todd and Sonja, are of course taken by surprise, especially when Colton reveals that he had been able to look down on them both, seeing them in different areas of the hospital as they cried and prayed for him – something that was completely true yet downright impossible for Colton to have seen while lying unconscious on an operating table. Over the next weeks, months, and years Colton continues to divulge more details into his heavenly experience, and although Todd is able to back up the majority of Colton’s words with Scripture, both he and Sonja are consistently taken aback with each bit of information. From everyone having wings and not being old (even if they died at an old age) to meeting both his great-grandfather and the baby girl his mother had miscarried – neither of whom Colton had met because they’d died prior to his birth – Colton’s stories of heaven become more and more intense as time goes by. And by the end of the book, Colton informs Todd that he will be fighting in the Battle of Armageddon someday.

My confusion with this book lay in the fact that although Todd Burpo was able to back Colton’s claims up with Scripture, some of what Colton saw simply didn’t mesh with what I was taught in church and school. However, this sparked a curiosity in me to do my own research. It’s been awhile since I’ve really delved into Scripture so I’d most likely be doing myself a favor – and hopefully strengthening my faith in the process – by looking up the passages to back up Colton’s claims myself.

However, let me say this: I did enjoy reading “Heaven is for Real” and would definitely recommend it to fellow Christians. The book is a mere 154 pages so it is a quick read, and this book WILL make you think.

My copy of Heaven is for Real was provided free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

The Colors of Autumn

2011-11-11T20:52:00.006-05:00

I forgot to post these photos I took back on Monday (Nov. 7) of some of the beautiful fall foliage in my neighborhood. So here they are. And even though my camera is more than three years old, there are still some moments where this little cam simply amazes me with its capabilities!

Case in point: Check out the vibrant blue of the sky against the equally vibrant golds and reds of the leaves in these photos. It's definitely something else!

I also zoomed in on a skywriter flying by...

The wild berries on this tree made a good photo as well.

Main Street Magazine Feat. Gregory G. Allen

2011-11-10T16:15:00.007-05:00

Hawthorne resident Gregory G. Allen is a talented actor, playwright, and author who has a lot to be thankful for. His second and most recent book, Well With My Soul, was released on October 10 of this year and has already received many wonderful reviews! The novel chronicles 15 years in the lives of Noah and Jacob Garrett, two brothers whose paths couldn't be more different as they make choices in order to reach that elusive "inner peace" that everyone craves (Greg actually posted a great "interview" with them on his blog that you can read here).

I interviewed Greg for the November issue of Main Street Magazine. It was fun to "talk shop" with a fellow writer, but Greg has also had some very interesting acting jobs as well. Like working on Saturday Night Live...and touring the world as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle...

Click on the thumbnails below to read the full interview.

Flashback: 70s Clown Lamp by Dolly Toy Co.

2011-11-06T21:18:00.011-05:00

I spent a good chunk of today watching videos of my favorite '80s kids' shows on YouTube. Some of my favorites included early Nickelodeon fare such as Danger Mouse, Pinwheel, Picture Pages, and Today's Special. Tonight I was scouring YouTube for specific episodes of Today's Special that I actually still remember from when I was little. One such episode is "Hospitals," in which Muffy Mouse is hospitalized with tonsillitis. Another episode is "Imagination," in which Sam the night watchman discovers the musical trio Sharon, Lois and Bram (of Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show) singing on the roof of the Simpson's department store where Jodie and Sam work. It's in the early scenes of this particular episode that I made a very interesting connection. Check out these screen shots:

See that balloon lamp behind Muffy?

Here's a better view of the whole lamp:

I actually had that very lamp on my dresser in my bedroom from the time I was born until I was probably six or seven.

Here's a much better closeup shot of the lamp that I just found in a listing on eBay - someone actually has one for sale!

I remember that if you clicked the switch once, the balloons would light up, and if you clicked it again the box would light up as a night light. According to the eBay listing - and this I do not remember - if you click the switch a third time both the balloons and the box light up together. It's an adorable lamp, isn't it?

Target: Day #3

2011-11-05T01:13:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was my third day of training at Target. I was back on the floor again just like on Wednesday, but this time I had a little bit more fun. First of all, the powers that be had delicious empanadas brought in for the employees. I'd brought leftovers from home to eat on my meal break but I'd never had an empanada before so I couldn't resist trying one. There was beef. chicken, or cheese but they weren't labeled and all looked the same so I just took one from the very first tray and it was chicken. It was so good! It ended up being way better than my leftovers, so I didn't even finish eating my own food.

Another reason I had more fun was because everyone was just more friendly and playful than during my other days there. Maybe this was because it was Friday and everyone was looking forward to the weekend, but whatever the reason it really helped me feel like I'd been accepted into the Target family. My trainer, Stacy Ann, and I talked and laughed together a lot more, and she even showed me a picture of her little nieces, nephews, and cousins. And as it got closer to the end of our shift, all of the associates on duty helped each other finish zoning (straightening up the items on the shelves) and doing "re-shop" (putting away returned or exchanged items that were left at the Guest Services desk during store hours).

The really great thing about yesterday was knowing that I had the entire weekend off. Paramus stores are closed on Sundays under the blue laws, so I knew I'd get Sunday off, but I wasn't even scheduled to work today, which Stacy Ann says is rare. She told me that she had to come in today, as did Kathy, a fellow co-worker who was hired at the same time I was. I am scheduled to work next Saturday, so I was truly happy to get today. What's more, it's time to set the clocks back, so I also get an extra hour to sleep tonight! :)

Target: Day #2

2011-11-03T23:30:00.004-04:00

Well, it's official: I survived cashier training at Target today! Thank God for a shorter shift (five hours versus last night's eight), a relatively quiet night, a patient trainer, and patient customers! I hate to admit that it was kind of fun once I got the hang of the basics, although my bagging skills suck (my own personal opinion) and when it comes to some of the harder stuff like tax exemptions and rain checks, well let's just say that I'm going to need more practice. But as far as the basics, I think I've got it. Besides, the registers are high-tech computerized ones now and pretty much tell you what to do - and catch you if you do something wrong. Which of course is comforting for somebody like me who had never done this sort of thing before!

This first - and only - day training as a cashier at Target was interesting to say the least. My trainer, Stacie, first had me watch her ring up several customers' orders one by one so that I could get the feel for the general process. After awhile Stacie stepped aside and let me take over, staying with me to not only see whether or not I could handle it but also to "rescue" me if I had any problems or needed to clarify how something was done. Later on the evening, after we'd come back from our break, the store got a little busier and Stacie was called to open the register in front of mine so I had to fly solo for a little while! It was scary but she was within earshot and told me to call her if I needed her - which I did right away! Wouldn't you know that as soon as Stacie had left me, a foreign diplomat gets on my line and has a tax exemption form - the one thing Stacie had mentioned earlier as something she'd go over with me but would be difficult if I didn't actually have to do one for a customer! And now I had one! Stacie couldn't leave her register to help me, so the manager, Claire, talked me through it. Claire was thrilled that I was getting exposed to this right off the bat; I was secretly wishing that I could have been able to simply stick to the basics. But everything worked out fine in the end, of course! Several customers even wished me well (I wore a magnetic name tag that informed people I was a newbie) and complimented me on how well I appeared to catch on to the task on my very first day. How's that for a confidence booster?!

As I said before, I did sort of enjoy cashiering to a point today. I think that if it's not too busy I would be able to handle being on a register alone - and I'll admit that I'd like more practice. But honestly, being that I was hired as a backup cashier, part of me would also not mind if I never had to bother being behind the register ever again! I hope that there are enough cashiers and more experienced backup cashiers to cover as the dreaded busy holiday season approaches, because I think that type of crowd will definitely send me over the edge!

But for now, at least, I am not doing anymore training on the register. I have five more days of floor training, and I'm not sure if I'll be doing the same section I was yesterday or if I'll be getting exposed to other sections or departments. I would love it if I could branch out to other departments, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see! And, thankfully, I get this Saturday, as well as next Thursday and Friday, OFF!

Once again, to be continued...

Target: Day #1

2011-11-03T14:25:00.007-04:00

(photo credit)
So yesterday was my first day of training at Target. I worked the closing shift from 4:30 until midnight and let me tell you I was EXHAUSTED! For one thing, I've never worked retail in this capacity before; I held a seasonal position at Bath & Body Works several years ago and they never even trained me on the register before letting me go. Plus, unlike Bath & Body Works, Target sells just about everything: toys, clothes, groceries, medicine, pet items, electronics, perfume, makeup, and tons of other stuff. So I was on my feet for six hours and forty-five minutes (I did get a 15 minute break and a 30 minute meal period) and pretty much re-stocked and organized shelves for that entire time - and I was only assigned to one department of the store! The experience was interesting at first because it was new to me, but it became boring, monotonous, and annoying by the time I'd returned from taking my supper break at 9. Already I'm thinking that I may never go grocery shopping ever again, nor do I think I ever want to see another bottle of laundry detergent or bag of dog food ever again for as long as I live! If nothing else, this first day already gave me a whole new appreciation for what store associates do; I've never seen so many broken packages and items laying in the wrong place before! It gives me a whole new perspective to say the least.

Tonight I only have to work until 9:30, but I'm getting trained on the cash register. This intimidates me, but everyone I've spoken to about it at Target says it's easy. I'm praying that they're right!

To be continued...

Hi! Can I Help You Find Anything?

2011-10-31T16:03:00.011-04:00

This is to be my new mantra thanks to Target.

About two weeks ago I filled out a job application with a local Target store. They followed up with me a few days later, and scheduled my official interview for Tuesday, 10/26. The interview definitely ended well, because after three long hours - most of which I'd spent sitting in the break room watching Captain America on a flat screen TV along with twelve other applicants - I'd successfully met with three HR execs and was verbally offered a position as a sales associate. I accepted the job and was informed that I needed to go to a lab about a half hour away to take my required drug test within 24 hours, which I was able to complete easily the following afternoon. I passed, of course.

The next day I got the call with my orientation date. So today, at 9AM (and I am not a morning person), I rejoined my other fellow applicants from the interview, in that same break room, except this time we sat for almost four hours, watching videos and being lectured on rules, regulations, core values and procedures. The only time I wasn't horribly bored or confused was when the on-site security guard took us back and showed us the booking room where they hold shoplifters - which even had a metal bench with a set of handcuffs on it! That was interesting.

At 1:45, we were finally finished and permitted to leave. We'd all gotten our projected training schedules for this week and next week, and I have tomorrow off before officially starting on Wednesday afternoon. I'll be working in several departments - electronics, automotive, and grocery, among others, which, aside from toys, clothing, and jewelry is called "hardlines" - during the closing shift from 4:30 PM until midnight. I chose this shift because I have a new paid writing opportunity starting in November and I wanted to keep my days free to schedule interviews and scrounge up story ideas. I hope I can make everything work! On Wednesday and Friday I'll be training on the floor from 4:30 PM until midnight, and on Thursday I'll be learning the cash register from 4:30 PM until 9:30 PM. All next week I'll be on floor training from 4:30 until midnight. It's going to be tiring and tough because for nearly two years I've fallen into the comfortable non-structured schedule of working from home, but I think that once I get used to my duties at Target and have gotten accustomed to whatever sort of schedule I'll have to follow to coordinate both my writing and this retail job, I can make everything work together Because between these two things, I want to be able to actually start saving some money again!

Snowstorm in October?!

2011-10-29T12:11:00.007-04:00

Yes, you read that right. Today over here in my lovely state of New Jersey, we experienced what was either a nightmare, a sick joke, a total fluke of nature, OR a little of all three of these.

We had a snowstorm - in OCTOBER! Can you imagine?

It's two days before Halloween. The leaves have begun to change color but haven't really begun to fall off the trees yet. Pumpkins, scarecrows, and other autumn- and Halloween-related decorations adorn peoples' front lawns and homes. Scary movies have been airing on television for at least a week now. But when I woke up this morning and looked out my window, I saw...

SNOW.

Check it out:

The street in front of my house
(you can see where my mom's car was parked)

My car

Our magnolia tree

I need to point out here that I am NOT fan of winter or cold weather; I hate having to wear a million pieces of clothing just to stay warm and I hate walking in, driving in, and shoveling snow. If I had the money I would definitely move to Arizona. Or California. If I never saw another drop of this disgusting white stuff again, I'd be thrilled.

It's a good thing that tomorrow is supposed to be clear and sunny! The next week looks good, too. I'm glad.

It's nearly 9PM now. The storm has pretty much tapered off to nothing and I am watching one of my favorite scary movies on IFC - The Shining! :)

All Fixed :)

2011-10-28T21:51:00.004-04:00

Last night before I went to bed - and after I'd written that short blog post with my BlackBerry - I discovered that the television signal was faltering too. On some channels, the picture was coming in pixelated and choppy, while some channels weren't coming in at all. But the problem with the TV was isolated to my personal television set, as my father and I quickly found out after testing the other two television sets in the apartment. Hmmm. All the more reason I was glad that the Cablevision tech would be coming today.

Then, around 9:15 this morning, I woke up to hear the phone ringing. I heard my mother take the call, and suddenly it hit me - the phone was ringing! Immediately I put my glasses on and took a look over at our cable modem, which is on my computer desk - and all the lights were on as they should be! I tried my TV, and sure enough, all of the channels I'd had trouble with last night were fine; I turned on my computer and brought up my e-mail, Facebook, and this blog as easily as if nothing had ever been wrong.

So what did I do then? I got on the phone and cancelled the appointment with Cablevision, of course! Whatever the problem was appeared to have fixed itself, and I was glad. I took it as a gift from God because, to put it simply, this has been a very stressful week for my family and I. It was nice for this problem to resolve itself.

Two Out of Three IS Bad!

2011-10-27T21:21:00.003-04:00

tonight after supper i came into my bedroom and sat down at the computer only to discover that we had lost our optimum online and optimum voice services. this came as a surprise because everything had been fine all day and what's more we still had our io tv. so i got on the phone with cablevision and did a little troubleshooting which didn't work so a tech will be coming over some time between 11 and 2 tomorrow to hopefully fix us up. in the meantime i am stuck writing this blog post on my blackberry so i apologize for the lack of capitalization lol i guess this smartphone isn't as smart as it appears - or maybe i don't know everything there is to know about it yet. at any rate i will be back in business tomorrow!

Autumn Love

2011-10-21T13:15:00.005-04:00

The other day I took a walk around the neighborhood and was happy to see lots of fun autumn decorations outside. I noticed a lot of cute scarecrows, which really made me smile.

I also noticed Halloween decorations. This adorable little iridescent ghost is all ready for Halloween!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Autumn and a very Happy Halloween!

22 Things I've Never Done

2011-10-20T13:51:00.004-04:00

I've never...

1. Ridden in a hot-air balloon

2. Had a front-row seat at a Stevie Nicks concert (but I got 14th row in '08)

3. Owned a cat (or a dog)

4. Read Gone with the Wind (I've watched some of the movie)

5. Eaten oysters

6. Gone sailing

7. Driven stick-shift

8. Made a million dollars

9. Worked for a fast food chain

10. Written a novel (that's an attainable goal, though)

11. Learned Italian

12. Gone water skiing

13. Been an extra on a TV show or commercial

14. Run a marathon

15. Traveled to a foreign country

16. Owned my own business

17. Taken a photography class

18. Gone to a rodeo

19. Attended Comic-Con

20. Been married

21. Been in the studio audience of a talk show

22. Climbed a rock wall (or gone rock climbing)

(Inspired by JennieB at Anyone Want a Peanut?)

The Big 4-0

2011-10-17T00:18:00.009-04:00

My friend Ernie celebrated his 40th birthday on Sunday! My sister, Jen, lives with Ernie and his sister, Cristina, and they threw Ernie a really great party at their apartment in the evening. My mom and I had a great time! Cris's best friend Maggie also came with her husband, Barry, and their little boy Isaiah. Cris and Jen cooked Alfredo chicken and pasta, and had bread and salad with it as well. Everything was delicious! Ernie got some great gifts, which included non-alcoholic beer and a bag of Hershey's Kisses (his favorites).

Cristina and Ernie

Ernie's awesome birthday cupcakes
(the red velvet ones were to die for!)

Their dog, Lucky, got LOTS of attention from everyone.
But seriously, who wouldn't pay attention to that little face?!

I also made Ernie a cool birthday card with glitter and stickers. You can see a picture of it here.

Happy Birthday Ernie!

'80s Toys Recycled

2011-10-14T11:55:00.014-04:00

This last week I've been sorting through tons of family photos, and I found a bunch from when my sister, Jen, and I were younger. I came across several photos that include many of my old toys. I am a huge nostalgic, as you know, and while I'm definitely not a hoarder, I kinda wish I had held onto all these toys because they were totally '80s - and totally cool. At least from a kid's standpoint. My parents handed many of my old toys down to Jen, and many of them eventually went onto toy heaven.

Of course I had a Caboodle!
Behind me is my old Pumpkin Farm toy (1981)
which, of course, was given to Jen.

Jen also inherited my old Dolly Pops Fashion Show set.

Jen also inherited
my Playskool Lil Ladybug
Playmates turntable and records
and my Magic Wand Speaking Reader by Texas Instruments.
I've since reclaimed the record player/records, and everything still works!

Jen had been playing with my Cabbage Patch Kids Colorforms
but was interrupted by an important phone call. ;)

Jen also dressed up in my old Halloween costumes.
This particular year she chose Apricot from Strawberry Shortcake.
(I wrote about them all here)

One particular toy wasn't really a toy at all - it was my old Strawberry Shortcake tricycle, and it was inherited twice! My dad bought it new for me in the early '80s, then Jen inherited it in the early '90s, and finally it was passed on to my cousin Kailey in 1997. I loved how happy she was to use it, oblivious to the fact that it was a hand-me-down from her 18- and 8-year-old cousins!

(and the bike still looked great!)

"Moonlight" Becomes Her

2011-10-14T11:55:00.007-04:00

I am very happy because the music video for Stevie Nicks' song Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream) is officially out! Moonlight is one of my favorite songs because not only is it a beautiful song, but Stevie's inspiration came from The Twilight Saga. This video is also my favorite because my favorite lady - next to Stevie, of course - is actually in a few scenes in this video, walking through a forest. Yes, I'm talking about the one and only Sharon Celani.

First, if you haven't seen it yet (or if you can't get enough of it, like me), check out the video:

I of course took screen caps of Sharon during a couple of playbacks; I had to watch the video twice to catch everything. Sharon looks so good in the forest scenes - in fact, I think that Sharon should have been cast in the Twilight Saga films because I feel she totally fits the part of a vampire!

Check her out - I dare you to tell me I'm wrong!

So, am I wrong? Sharon would make a GREAT Twilight vampire! Of course, would she be a part of the Cullen family or would she make a great addition to the Volturi? Now there's a question! Hmmmm...

Ghost Investigator - The Comic!

2011-10-12T22:12:00.007-04:00

My friend, writer Don Smith, recently joined forces with his friend Linda Zimmerman and self-published his very first comic book, the first in a series called Ghost Investigator. Linda is the original ghost hunter, coming on the scene long before those two plumbers from the SyFy Channel TV show. Inspired by Linda's experiences (which are chronicled in Linda's "Ghost Investigator" book series), Don decided to re-tell some of those stories in comic book form starring the fictional character of Elle Zee (Get it? "Elle" = L and "Zee" = Z...as in Linda Zimmerman's initials).

Photo credit: Sabrina Steyling

Photo credit: Laura Smith

To buy your own copy of the first issue of Don and Linda's Ghost Investigator comic book, e-mail Linda Zimmerman directly at lindazim@optonline.com. And be sure to check out Don and Linda's blog as well!

Lil Sista

2011-10-10T21:54:00.008-04:00

I came across a box of old pictures today and, being the nostalgic that I am, I couldn't help but look through to see what I'd find. And I was pleasantly surprised! I found several cute ones of my younger sister that I just had to share! :)

April 1990 - my 7-month-old lil sis was dedicated at church.
This was at our grandparents' house afterward; I love the look on her face!

October 1990. I was 11, and sis was barely a year old.
Check out that retro Trapper Keeper next to me on the couch!

Summer 1991 at the Jersey shore.
I'm 12, sis is almost 2.

Sis and Gram in May 1993.
Check out our retro Hedstrom swing set!

Letting sis play my Atari in my bedroom in 1993.

There are still lots of photos to go through; stay tuned for more! :)

Book Review: Thunder Dog

2011-10-08T19:13:00.010-04:00

Why not?

"...those two words are my secret behind blind power," writes David Hingson in his 2011 memoir, Thunder Dog. Blind since birth, Hingson has defied the odds in all possible ways thanks to his "Why not" theory. "Why not ride a bike or play darts or earn a PhD in physics?" he asks. "Why not try it all, just to see if I can do it?"

But nothing prepared Michael Hingson for the ultimate challenge - of getting down 1,463 stairs of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Thunder Dog chronicles the tense journey of Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, as they exit the North Tower on that fateful day of 09/11. Hingson does a wonderful job of sharing his unique viewpoint as a blind person with the reader, interspersing memories of his growing up years to further explain how he became the courageous, bold, independent man he is today.

In the back, Thunder Dog also contains informative sections for readers containing courtesy rules, resources, and a glossary of terms related to blindness.

Thunder Dog is a beautiful story of courage and teamwork, and has definitely caused me to stop and re-think about how I deal with challenges and changes in my life. If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry, and most of all think, I highly recommend Thunder Dog.

My copy of Thunder Dog was provided free of charge from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Crossroads

2011-10-06T22:44:00.003-04:00

Tonight has been really emotionally draining. A friend and fellow Patch reporter/freelancer told me that Patch slashed their budgets, thus leaving all freelancers out of work. My first reaction was to get very upset because, well, I've got bills to pay, of course. But this friend talked with me for a long time and helped me put everything in perspective and - believe it or not - I actually feel a lot better now. I'm still annoyed with the bigwigs at Patch (which is owned by AOL Media), but I won't dwell on that. I can't. And I do have another paid writing opportunity in the works - I want to believe that God closed the door on Patch so that I could focus solely on this other thing. My friend also agrees with my theory. What's more, I also recently applied for a part time position at a local library so I am hoping that this means I might get this job as well.

In the meantime please pray for me! Thanks :)

Secret Agent Man - Um, Mouse.

2011-10-05T17:07:00.007-04:00

Last night I dug out one of my DVD boxed sets that I hadn't watched in awhile.
And I was quickly reminded that...

Danger Mouse is the GREATEST secret agent in the world!

Clockwise from left:
Penfold, Colonel K, Danger Mouse, Stiletto, Baron Silas Greenback, and Nero

When I was a kid in the Eighties, Danger Mouse was one of my favorite television shows. It was a British cartoon that aired on Nickelodeon from 1981 until 1992 and chronicled the exploits of secret agent Danger Mouse, a white mouse with an eye patch, and his perpetually frightened hamster sidekick named Penfold. Receiving their orders from Colonel K, Danger Mouse and Penfold attempt to rid the world of evil, usually stemming from the devious plots of their arch nemesis Baron Silas Greenback and his henchman Stiletto (and Baron's cute but equally evil-minded white caterpillar, Nero). Danger Mouse is silly, funny, and witty, and is still my one of my favorite cartoons to this day! I've had the first four seasons on DVD for years now and just ordered the DVD set of the 5th & 6th seasons on eBay (an incredibly unbelievable bargain at just $1.95).

Check out the great theme song and intro:

Weekend Woes Part II

2011-10-04T11:58:00.007-04:00

I got a good night's sleep last night thanks to a very expensive little bottle of pills.

Now, before you start accusing me of being a drug addict, let me explain. As I posted about on Saturday, I'd developed an annoying lower back pain the day before. Well, I woke up yesterday morning after yet another sleepless night, still in pain, so I made an appointment with the doctor. I had never been seen or treated by this doctor before so I had to fill her in on my medical history - which included the hydrocephalus I've had since birth and the scoliosis I developed as a teenager - in addition to telling her about my current back pain. After looking at my back and having me bend, the doctor said that it appeared to her that the curvature in my spine was triggering spasms in my lower back. She then wrote me a prescription for Metaxalone, the generic form of the muscle relaxer Skelaxin.

The sad part of this whole experience was that the pills - even in their generic form - cost me over one hundred dollars that I really didn't have. But that fact aside, I took one pill before bed and was thrilled to realize, as I got under the covers, that I was pain free. And when I woke up this morning I did have a dull pain at the original site in my lower back, but I was thrilled because I'd been able to sleep through the night! I took a pill with breakfast and only noticed a dull pain tonight after supper which was bearable enough not to have to take another pill.

So I'm hoping that the pain is ultimately on its way out. Even though I paid dearly for those pills, it would be nice if I could stop taking them altogether by the end of this week. The doctor talked about the importance of exercising - which I don't - or at least stretching my body during the day, and she gave me a couple of papers with simple stretching exercises I can do so that I can prevent the back pain from coming back again. And that would be the best thing.

Weekend Woes

2011-10-01T21:20:00.006-04:00

I am in pain. Back pain, that is, and lower back pain at that. I've had this happen to me twice before in the last year, and it's very mysterious. The pain arrives out of nowhere, stays a few days (just long enough to annoy me), and then vanishes. This bout of lower back pain began yesterday and was tolerable; today, it's still pretty tolerable but definitely worse than yesterday. I tried applying some IcyHot to the area but that did nothing. I also tried taking pain medication but that didn't do the trick either. I'm stumped as to what could be causing the problem and my overactive imagination is producing thoughts that I've become afflicted with some terrible malady that will have me dead in a week. Never mind the fact that, as I said, I've suffered with this same problem twice before. I shouldn't be that worried about it, really.

Ironically, I was on the phone with Don this afternoon and when I told him of my dilemma he said, "You too? I started having back pain yesterday too!" Believe it or not, it is rather comforting to know that your best friend is also suffering from the same ailment and has an equally overactive imagination that also sees him as having a horrific and fatal disease.

Don says he's convinced we're just getting old. He and I are 37 and 32 respectively, and while part of me laughs at the thought of "getting old," I don't totally dismiss his theory because I remember hearing somewhere that once a woman hits 30 that either brain cells start beginning to die off or bones start deteriorating or...something. I forget. My point is that - well, he's got a point! Maybe I - we - are just simply "getting old."

At any rate, whatever it is, I hope this pain goes away by Wednesday because I have a writers group meeting and I always have fun at those and I don't want to be distracted with back pain. I remember that this same pain hit me last year during a writers group meeting and I was miserable.

Things I Love Thursday

2011-09-29T21:40:00.020-04:00

Thanks to my buddy Rhiannon over at Her Three Birds, I've decided to try my hand at Things I Love Thursday - except that my list is a mix of things I love and things that I am currently happy about.

1. I'm happy that I'm busy every day for the next 6 days. But that's a good thing, because at least 3 of those days involve interviews/articles for which I'll be getting paid for!

2. I love Petey. Yes, he's a stuffed animal and yes, I'm 32 years old, but let me tell you that hugging this soft little guy is the best therapy I could ask for - and it's free! Plus, I've had him since I was twelve, so it's a sentimental thing, too.

3. I love Family Affair. I'm a huge nostalgic, and spent the last week watching the entire first season of this popular '60s television show starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot on DVD. My favorite characters are the little kids, Buffy and Jody; whenever there was a scene where Uncle Bill (Keith) is hugging them, I would just melt (and the theme song is addictingly catchy, too)!

4. I love reading great blogs. Recently I began following three new retro-themed blogs that are just fantastic! Do yourself a favor and check out Fourth Grade Nothing, Plaid Stallions, and Flea Market Gold. You'll be glad you did!

5. I'm happy that I recently got a bunch of old toys and games together to donate to a worthy cause. The nursing home that my father works at is going to be having a garage sale in October, and I wanted to do my part. And in doing so, I once again learned that things I once held dear don't mean the same to me as they once did, so why not give someone else a chance to love them instead?

6. I'm happy that I gave this blog a makeover! I think it looks great. (Do you?)

7. I'm happy that I was one of the first one million students to sign up for a spot in Oprah's new Life Class - and that I was able to snag one of those free journals, too! You know how I feel about journals, after all...

8. I'm happy that I've finally begun writing something for myself! My old writers group recently got back together, and it was just what I needed because I'd gotten so wrapped up in writing articles for Main Street Magazine and The Patch that I never wrote anything for me anymore. But I've thought about writing some sort of memoir, and so now I am finally beginning to do just that - and I'm having fun with it!

9. I'm happy that I found my old, battered copy of The Trumpet of the Swan this week.

10. I (still) love kitties! Especially my "nephews" Merlin, Banjo, and Bobby (in photo). Merlin and Banjo are even on Facebook! :)

Reunion with Louis

2011-09-27T16:48:00.010-04:00

When I was little, one of my favorite books was The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White. If you've never read the book, The Trumpet of the Swan is the story of Louis, the voiceless offspring of two trumpeter swans who build their nest in a the pond off a small island during the summer of 1968. To compensate for his lack of a voice, Louis' father steals a trumpet for him to use instead, and Sam Beaver - a young boy who discovers the swan family while on a camping trip and who manages to earn their trust - teaches Louis to read and write. It's been years since I read the story so I don't remember exactly why I loved the book so, but I do remember getting a kick out of the fact that Louis falls in love with a female swan named Serena, whose name is nearly identical to my own. =)

I most likely ordered my copy of The Trumpet of the Swan through the Scholastic school book club, which is how I acquired the majority of my books "back in the day." I still remember my elation when my teacher would hand me my order of books. Sometimes I would even get extra goodies, like a bookmark or stickers or something. It was like Christmas Day multiple times a year! =)

Last night I was nosing around my younger sister's book shelves (she's ten years younger and moved out awhile back, but she has yet to clean out all of her stuff) and there, wedged between a small collection of Madison Finn American Girl paperbacks, was my copy of The Trumpet of the Swan! I'd forgotten all about it, honestly, figuring that it had inadvertently gone with books I'd donated through the years. But it hadn't! I was thrilled. =)

Check out that yellowed (more like browned) inside cover! Believe it or not, I love how that looks! I obviously bought this book on January 13, 1989, when I was in fourth grade (1988-1989 school year). My paternal grandfather was big on stamps, so it's also very likely that he gave me those two trumpeter swan stamps on the title page. =)

Now that I have the book back, I am totally going to have to get reacquainted with Louis and his family. I can't wait! =)

Wake Up Call

2011-09-25T13:01:00.005-04:00

I'm a late sleeper; it's an unfortunate habit that I developed and was never able to break. I'm also not a morning person. So of course I did not appreciate being woken up this morning by the sound of amateur musicians on the street corner roughly a block away from my apartment!

In my town, the weekly Farmer's Market kicks off around 9AM and lasts until 2PM. I don't know when I first woke up to the loud music; I didn't look at the clock. I did, however, assume that the guy and girl I heard singing were part of the Farmer's Market. Then I threw both pillows over my head and shoved my fingers in my ears in an attempt at some peace and quiet. But no matter what I did, I couldn't drown out the sound of those musicians.

I laid in bed for as long as I could, forced to listen to their repertoire of songs; they went on for about an hour before taking a break. Whoever they were, they sang all kinds of songs, their vocals mixed with both a guitar or two as well as a karaoke backing track. The guy could sing pretty well, while the girl...not so much. She strained to hit the high notes and was often off-key; she also screamed a lot. Plus, while a few of the songs they performed were just fine - such as Take Me Home, Country Road by John Denver - others were just not made to be performed with just a guitar. I tolerated Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett and Top of the World by the Carpenters, but threw the pillows back over my head when they sang Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond and Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain & Tenille.

What also annoyed me was that not only did they obviously have some heck of a speaker system set up (if you'd told me I was in an open field at some sort of outdoor concert instead of in my bedroom I would have believed you), but the girl also lacked an attention span because she would keep talking to the crowd during the song! She and the guy would be singing a song when suddenly she'd leave the guy hanging while she said hi to people walking by! That totally bugged me.

I was relieved when the musicians suddenly stopped singing at 11:30 and were replaced by radio music. I thought that they were done. But no, about five minutes later they were at it again. But by then, I was almost having fun waiting to see what songs they would perform next just to see how it would sound. I heard them sing Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce, and Dancing In the Street by Martha and the Vandellas before they threw in a few unfamiliar tunes. And through it all, the guy continued to hold his own while the girl just kept proving to me that she needed some practice.

Around 1:30 I noticed that the mysterious musicians were no more; the only sound left was that of car motors and kids yelling. I was relieved - and I certainly hope that they don't decide to return next Sunday!

Introducing...Wild Hearted Gypsy!

2011-09-23T19:41:00.006-04:00

With the door closing on my 365 Days of Blessings blog project this week, I have chosen to open a new door and embark on a new blog project called Wild Hearted Gypsy. Celebrating the music of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, this blog will feature all kinds of interesting posts including interviews with and stories from the musicians, their friends, and the fans who love them.

I look forward to the launch of my new blog with its debut posting this weekend, and hope that you, my followers at Runnin' Down a Dream, will join me in helping make Wild Hearted Gypsy a success as well.

You can also "Like" Wild Hearted Gypsy on Facebook by clicking here.

Little Girl Lost

2011-09-23T13:09:00.009-04:00

Over the years, I've become fond of several famous, talented people who left this earth way before their time. In a way, I feel gypped because I will never know these people beyond the work they did prior to their death. But at the same time, I also feel honored to be a fan of these people because I can play a part in keeping their legacy alive for future generations.

In 2002, I discovered the talent of a little girl named Anissa Jones. This pigtailed, cherub-faced little girl played the role of Buffy Davis in the '60s sitcom Family Affair, which aired on CBS from 1966-1971. But the first time I ever heard of Anissa was when E! aired an episode of their True Hollywood Story series about her. That's when I found out that just like Cass Elliot, Dennis Wilson, Heather O'Rourke, and countless others in the entertainment business, Anissa Jones died tragically before her time. The victim of a drug overdose at the age of 18, I immediately fell in love with the Anissa I met through the photos and video featured on the documentary. And I wanted to learn more about her.

I don't remember when I first watched an episode of Family Affair, but when I did, I fell in love with both Anissa and the show itself. The product of a bygone era - and being the nostalgic that I am - Family Affair was (and still is) a huge hit with me. And, just like I had for those other long-gone stars I came to love, I began to wonder what would have become of Anissa had she lived. What would her life be like now? When Family Affair ended in 1971, Anissa was 13 years old. She'd dropped out of the entertainment business and attempted to live a normal life, going to school, hanging out with friends, and getting a job. But the stress of having been on a hit television show and having lots of money, combined with an incredibly strained relationship with her mother and the recent death of her father had already taken its toll on Anissa. She got involved drugs, and five years later, she was dead.

But what could Anissa have done with her life had she had the chance? The late Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne Freeling in the Poltergeist films of the 1980s and who died from a bowel obstruction at the age of 12, had aspired to become a director when she grew up. Had Anissa had those same dreams? We'll never know. But I think that if her circumstances been different, and had she managed to live through her turbulent teenage years, she might have gone on to get married and have a family. Perhaps she would have become an advocate for future generations of child stars, much like Paul Petersen, who starred on The Donna Reed Show and now runs "A Minor Consideration," a non profit foundation that provides guidance and support to the young entertainers of today.

It's unfortunate that we'll never know what Anissa could have grown up to become. But in its place, all five seasons of Family Affair are available on DVD, as well as the film The Trouble with Girls, in which Anissa stars alongside Elvis Presley. We can enjoy the beauty, charm and talent that was Anissa Jones - a child star forever frozen in time.

Creative Juices

2011-09-23T12:05:00.006-04:00

It's a well known fact that drama in one's love life makes for great songwriting material; the 1977 Fleetwood Mac album Rumours - which came into existence thanks to the five band members' highly complex romantic interludes - is to this day the third best selling album of all time.

Well after last night, I've discovered a similar yet not quite so dramatic theory: that insomnia creates great poetry. On second thought, let me rephrase that: maybe not great poetry. But definitely pretty good poetry to say the least.

Fact Number One: I only ended up getting about four hours of sleep last night. I don't really know why - although I am highly suspect of that teeny tiny hot pepper I ate before going to bed. At any rate, I spent more time looking out my window and listening to the sounds of the crickets last night than sleeping (which makes me wonder how I'm even the least bit coherent to formulate this blog post, but I digress). I would stare out the window, then lie down for awhile and try to sleep. I thought that the crickets would help me, but that didn't happen. I kept tossing and turning, sitting up then lying down, going from window to mattress and back again.

Fact Number Two: In between all that activity, I wrote two poems. In my attempt to fall asleep, while I was lying down I would force myself to think about something - anything. My mind gravitated toward two sets of thoughts: current ones about trying to get to sleep, and memories of my past. Once I even got an idea for an introduction to the memoir I've begun working on, but by the time I forced myself up to write it down the idea had disappeared. I did, however, manage to grab my journal in enough time to jot down two poems, as well as a few lines of what could become a third poem if I decide to elaborate on it.

In my eyes these poems are raw forms; they'll definitely need some polishing. But I could be wrong, of course. I think I will read both full poems at the next writers group meeting along with whatever else I (hopefully) do on the memoir - and here they are for you to read as well.

Poem #1 (written 4:30 AM)

Outside, fog curls around my town like a blanket
The crickets serenade me with their song.
The rumble of trucks on their journey...
The whir of a plane overhead.
Inside, shadows dance on the walls
As I lie awake in my bed.
I look at the clock -
It is four thirty A.M.

Insomnia.

Poem #2 (written 5:15 AM)

Memories
They come at me when I'm trying to sleep
Flashes of detail, so long ago
I need their help to pull me in
But they don't stay...
Won't stay...
I can't sleep
So I lay awake
Remembering my life gone by...

Writing the Book

2011-09-22T22:32:00.007-04:00

A couple of years ago, an idea crept into my head about the desire to write some sort of memoir. Unsure at first what to focus on, I eventually decided that it might be interesting to explore the aspect of growing up as a child with hydrocephalus; not only was my childhood somewhat different from that of "normal" kids, but I also still had many memories from that time that I'd never committed to paper. Soon after I'd gotten the idea, some of these memories manifested themselves as essays that I kept for myself, but I never considered these as material. The only time I wrote anything remotely connected to "the memoir" was a few months ago when I'd written a paragraph from the viewpoint of a girl about to go under anesthesia on an operating table. It had confused Don when he read it, and, unsure of whether I wanted to keep going along that route, I set the piece aside for awhile.

Then, last Monday night, I was in the shower when a different idea for "the memoir" suddenly popped into my head. As soon as I was back in my bedroom I wrote it down, feeling confident that this was the beginning of some serious thought to this project. On Tuesday I wrote a little bit more, and although I only had one paragraph and the first sentence of a second paragraph, I felt really good about where this writing might go.

So I decided to share what I'd written during the next writers group meeting. Despite it being such a short piece, I was pleasantly surprised by my friends' reactions to it. Everyone liked how I'd begun with the sentence "The first time I ever stole anything, I was about four years old." A couple of them told me that they had already gotten hooked on the story even with that small bit and had wished I'd written more. We talked about whether I was going to write it as straight non-fiction or if I planned on fictionalizing it - which I'm still on the fence about - but agreed that opening the story talking about my four-year-old self and then going back to the beginning of my childhood after that (which was how I'd planned to write it) was a good route to take.

I'm not sure where this writing project will take me or what it will end up becoming, but I do know that I want to keep working on it. I'm eager to finally put my memories down on paper once and for all, because I've noticed that they're steadily becoming fuzzier and fuzzier in my mind and I don't want to lose them forever before I have the chance to preserve them.

Caturday!

2011-09-17T11:32:00.010-04:00

Here are some brand new photos of my
three feline buddies, Banjo, Bobby, & Merlin!

Banjo
(looking slightly demonic)

Merlin
(looking MUCH more demonic than Banjo)

Bobby got several photos taken of himself
so he's the star today...

looking at birds from the living room window

looking at birds from the kitchen window

...and hanging out in the living room.

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeVille!"

~ HAPPY CATURDAY, MY FRIENDS ~

"George Washington Slept Here."

2011-09-16T21:13:00.013-04:00

He really did. At the Dey Mansion in Wayne, that is. George Washington used the home, which was built between 1740-1750, as his headquarters during the Revolutionary War. I visited there today with Don. He'd been there before, but it was my very first time seeing the place. And I loved it! I'm not a confirmed history lover like Don is, but I'm into old fashioned/retro sorts of things, and this place didn't disappoint. The whole place had an old sort of smell to it, the floor boards creaked under your feet, the attic had a narrow, steep staircase, and the fact that George Washington at one time lived in the place, well...

Plus, rumor has it that the Mansion is haunted. Our tour guide, Maggie, told us that she was giving a tour once and heard footsteps upstairs even though no one was up there, and patrons have also reported seeing a lady dressed in Colonial dress looking out of one of the bedroom windows. Also, once Maggie was up in the attic with her co-worker and heard someone whistling as if trying to get her attention, but again, no one was in the building. Fortunately/unfortunately (depending on your point of view) nothing weird happened while Don and I were there. But I still enjoyed hearing the stories of the Mansion's history and looking at all of the interesting artifacts and things that are displayed throughout the building.

replica of the Declaration of Independence

adjuncts office

The girl in this portrait died when she was 6 years old.
But the artist painted her as a projected adult.

The creepy thing is this:
When you looked at this portrait on a certain angle...

The image of a skull appears where the girl's face is.

Can you see it? I could.
Creepy!

View all of my photos from the Dey Mansion on Facebook.

Photo Post: Rainbow Connection

2011-09-15T19:37:00.005-04:00

Tonight, around 7:15, we noticed a rainbow stretching across the sky.

(click to enlarge photos)

Looking Back: "Get-Along Gang" and "Wuzzles"

2011-09-14T23:20:00.011-04:00

Today I stopped at a local public library to take photos for a Patch article. Before I left, I made sure to look over their used book table where I'd picked up several Baby Sitters Club books in the past. While I didn't find any BSC books, I found a couple of rarer gems - Montgomery Moose's Favorite Riddles, featuring the Get-Along Gang, and Win One for Bumblelion featuring the Wuzzles.

If you've never heard of them, both the Get-Along Gang and Wuzzles were '80s cartoon characters that were the subjects of TV cartoon shows and a line of kiddie merchandise. The Get-Along Gang was created in 1983 by American Greetings Corp. for greeting cards and were later developed for a CBS television show which ran from 1984-1985. The Wuzzles were created by Disney specifically as a Saturday morning cartoon (and ironically took over the Get-Along Gang's time slot on CBS) that ran from 1985-1986. I was between the ages of 5 and 7 when these adorable animal characters became popular and of course I had my favorites.

From the Get-Along Gang I owned (still do) a plush Montgomery Moose; he wore slip-on brown shoes, blue plastic roller skates, and a pair of yellow corduroy pants. The skates would often come unsnapped and fall off, and the elastic in his pants eventually got so stretched out that I had to fasten them to his shirt with safety pins! I also owned PVC miniatures of Montgomery, Dottie Dog, and Lolly Squirrel.

Here's plush Montgomery Moose
with his tiny PVC counterpart.

(I forgot to dig Monty's brown shoes out of the attic for this photo)

When it came to Wuzzles, I loved Butterbear best. All of the Wuzzles were hybrids; Butterbear being a cross between a butterfly and a bear. Each of the plush toys came with a book about that particular character featuring a human child who would help that particular character out of a tough situation.

My plush Butterbear and her storybook:

(she looks unhappy, doesn't she?)

So you see, finding these two books at the library today was very cool. In fact, I almost felt it my duty to take them and wondered who in their right mind would donate these to a library? Sell them on eBay for crying out loud! But I digress.

And now, for your viewing and listening pleasure...

Get Along Gang intro & theme song

Wuzzles intro & theme song

9/11: Where Were You?

2011-09-11T17:09:00.005-04:00

Today, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I had wanted to try to write something, about where I was that day and I how I felt. Well, over on LiveJournal, the daily Writer's Block question was "9/11: Where were you?" Here is my answer.

________

Even after 10 years, I can still remember where I was and how I felt that morning.

I was 22 years old and had been working as a secretary at my very first full-time office job for three years. I worked for a small, family-owned and operated insurance agency, and the office was above the garage of the owner's home. I don't remember arriving at the office or preparing for the day, but I do remember having a routine. The owner was usually downstairs in his kitchen having coffee and watching the news (I could hear the noise of voices from the TV) and his son, who was the VP, hadn't arrived yet, so it was my job to get the computer server up and running, check the list of clients I needed to follow up with that day, change the date on the postage machine, and turn on the radio.

Details after that fail me somewhat, but I do remember some things vividly. I won't forget how I inwardly began to panic once things started to happen. The radio station we listened to that day was 106.7 Lite FM, and as more things began to unfold there was no music, only the DJ's voice talking, talking...I vividly remember thinking that any minute I would hear the trumpet call and see Christ coming out of the sky to take me home, and getting more and more upset because I truly thought the world was about to end and I wasn't ready yet!

I remember my boss, the owner, being upstairs in the office with me and saying something about kamikaze pilots. I remember him going back downstairs to his living room, where I caught a glimpse of his giant flat screen television before he closed the door. I remember him racing back up that small staircase and opening that door again and calling to me and his son, "Get down here NOW! You HAVE to see this!"

As ridiculous as this sounds, as I stood in my boss's living room in front of that huge TV set - I refused to sit down, I was so freaked out by what was happening - I actually remember thinking for a brief moment how this was the very first time I'd ever been downstairs in my boss's house, and that it was kind of cool. But of course that thought didn't last long in my mind. Eventually my boss's son and I went back upstairs to the office where he told me to shut all of the computers off and go home. He left to go pick his kids up from school.

I remember driving home. I still felt like any minute I would witness Christ's return, and my stomach was like a legion of Mexican jumping beans as I drove the fifteen minute drive along the highway back to my house. I remember standing in the living room with my mother sitting next to me, the TV fixed on one of the main channels as we watched those now iconic images of the towers being hit and, eventually, crumbling to the ground like a stack of giant steel and glass pancakes.

Today my 10-year-old cousin messaged me on Yahoo and said, "Boy, I can't believe it's been ten years from 9/11." I agreed with her, saying that I could still remember where I was when everything happened that day. She answered me with "Yeah, I was only 5 months." I didn't say it to her, but I wanted to tell her how lucky I think she is that she wasn't old enough to understand the full impact of that day. Because no matter how many years pass, while I might not have been in New York City at the time those towers were hit and subsequently fell, I will never forget where I was that day. I think it's a blessing that my cousin can't say the same.

About Me A-Z

2011-09-09T15:16:00.005-04:00

My friend Rhiannon did this survey on her own blog as a way of getting to know her newest followers, and encouraged everyone to do the same on their own blogs. Some of these questions were kinda offbeat (at least to me), which was intriguing.

So...here we go! About me, A to Z:

A. Age: 32
B. Bed size: Twin. I know, lame. But it's my dream to get a full sized bed...someday.
C. Chore that you hate: Vacuuming. I love a clean pad, but honestly, vacuuming just takes wayyyy too much time. :(
D. Dogs: None. I've had 3 hamsters and one Betta fish in my lifetime. And besides, I'm a cat person at heart.
E. Essential start to your day: Green tea
F. Favorite color: Purple
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5' 1.5"...I think. I haven't measured myself in awhile, but I know I'm short. ;)
I. Instruments you play: I used to take piano lessons during 3rd and 6th grade, but I never followed through with it.
J. Job title: Freelance writer
K. Kids: None, although I wouldn't mind one of each...someday.
L. Live: New Jersey
M. Mother’s name: Ruth
N. Nicknames: Most of my close friends have taken to calling me Sabi, although my best friend Daria calls me Bree - and she's the only one that has the right to calling me that!
O. Overnight hospital stays: Don't even get me started. I was born prematurely and developed hydrocephalus (I also had other "issues" as well) so I've had more than my fair share of hospital stays. Luckily, it's been 20 years since my last hospitalization, so I'm happy about that.
P. Pet peeves: Slow/old drivers, disrespectful kids/teens, and dozens of other things.
Q. Quote from a movie: "A woman's entitled to change her mind." Spoken by the late Heather O'Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling in Poltergeist III (1988).
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: One sister who just turned 22 yesterday.
T. Time you wake up: All right, I'll admit it. Being a freelancer and working from home has its perks, which could also be viewed as a curse; I wake up between 11 and 11:30 every morning without fail.
U. Underwear: Ummm...
V. Vegetable you hate: Butternut squash. My Friend Adrienne loves it, and I never understood how.
W. What makes you run late: Nothing that I can think of...
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Refer to "O" above.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Recently I concocted my own version of pasta salad that I'm pretty proud of using elbow macaroni, chopped banana peppers, and ranch salad dressing.
Z. Zoo animal: I haven't been to a zoo in years, but I recently visited a local environmental center and fell in love with a beautiful peacock there. Like my friends Denise and Tiffaney, I love the vibrant colors of their feathers.

Why not keep this going and complete this survey on your own blog? I love getting to know my blogging buddies and followers better.

Introducing...Lucky! :)

2011-09-05T22:19:00.003-04:00

Tonight I met my sister's new puppy, a 4 month old Fox Terrier/Yorkie mix named Lucky. He's already fully grown and only weighs about 3 pounds. He's playful and joyful, and except for the fact that he was teething (and kept taking it out on my shoelaces and my fingers), I think he is the most adorable puppy dog ever!

Doo Wop (and Other Stuff)

2011-09-04T16:51:00.020-04:00

Today Susan and I went down the shore. It was a long but fun day, and I'm glad we had the chance to be together. In fact, this was the third time this week that I've had the chance to hang out with Susan, and if I didn't know better I'd say God was trying to tell me something...

But I digress.

Our primary destination was Ocean Grove, because I'd won two tickets from CBS 101.1 FM to their Doo Wop Extravaganza concert being held at the Great Auditorium tonight (I still think I meant to enter a different contest, but that's another story). When I found out that the annual craft fair was happening in town during the day - right across the street from the Great Auditorium, as a matter of fact - it just made sense to drive down this afternoon and experience both things instead of waiting to drive down until tonight just for the concert.

There were a lot of different items to browse.
Soaps, clothes, candles, jewelry, pillows, even dog treats!

After the craft fair ended, we walked onto the beach
to get a look at the ocean.

After we'd enjoyed the lull of the waves for a little while, we got back onto the boardwalk, walking straight out of Ocean Grove and into Asbury Park. It was there that we were overloaded with interesting sights and sounds, including street musicians and a magician on the boardwalk itself, and lots of cool items for sale inside the shops by the Grand Arcade (which is no longer a real arcade, just an open area which houses several stores and eateries, as well as Convention Hall, where concerts are held). I immediately fell in love with one shop because there were old record albums for sale, as well as items made from those albums including scrapbooks, clocks, and bowls. I was happy to find my favorites...

Clock made out of a copy of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

Scrapbook made from the jacket of a Tusk album by Fleetwood Mac.

By then it was getting late and we hadn't eaten supper yet, so we bid farewell to Asbury Park - but not before I took Susan's picture in front of the Stone Pony...

and I got a photo of the sunset over the water.

It turned out that the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which coordinates all of the events at the Great Auditorium, had volunteers cooking hot dogs and selling snacks right outside the Great Auditorium, so Susan and I could just have our supper right there. Talk about convenient! Of course, first things first...

I needed to get my hands on my FREE tickets!

(they're folded one over the other)

Then I could eat. I topped my hot dog with mustard and red onions (very yummy). I also bought two packs of Mentos candy, one of which I devoured later to keep me awake during the drive home!

The concert itself was pretty cool because although I thought I didn't like doo wop music, these bands kept me clapping my hands and tapping my feet all night long! I was, however, probably the youngest person in attendance, but whatever. I had a good time!

The lineup included:

Kenny Vance & the Planotones
(click here to visit their website)

Jimmy Beaumont & the Skyliners
(click here to visit their website)

and Martha Reeves (of Martha & the Vandellas)
(click here to visit her website)

So today was a really great day. By the time the concert ended, we walked back to our car and then got on the road, we didn't get home until after midnight - but I slept really well!

St. Joseph's Feast

2011-09-02T22:10:00.016-04:00

Tonight my friend Susan Clark, who is a reporter for the Community News, invited me to join her for the first night of the St. Joseph's Feast in Lodi. The local Catholic church in my town has a similar Feast every year at the beginning of June, and since I hadn't been to theirs in many years I thought it would be cool to check out St. Joseph's. Plus, it was an excuse to hang out with Susan, of course! :)

We didn't go on any of the rides, primarily because we didn't have all kinds of money to spend on tickets, but also because, well, quite frankly they all looked geared toward young kids. But it was fun watching kids go on the rides, laughing and screaming and having a great time!

They strapped you in standing up in this ride

and then it spun really REALLY fast!

Susan and I definitely ate some Feast-y food, though! We split a sausage and pepper sandwich, which was delicious, and we tried this cool new thing called a Chipstix, which is basically a single potato on a stick that is spiral cut on a special machine into one long potato chip and sprinkled with flavor powder. Totally cool! We also bought some wonderful fresh-squeezed lemonade, too.

After we'd walked around the entire grounds, I took pictures of the sunset, which made everything look really pretty.

You can check out all of my photos from tonight on Facebook.

Kitchen Innovation

2011-09-02T00:09:00.007-04:00

I am the first to admit that I don't cook. It's not that I don't like to, but I've never really tried. My mother hates cooking, so meals at our house are pretty...well, simple. Not that I'm complaining, because it's what I've been raised on.

Not that I haven't had the urge to learn, of course. I have had surges of creativity where food is concerned. When I was little, my grandmother says that I used to help her cook; I do recall memories of me squishing raw chop meat in between my fingers, whether for meatballs or helping her mold a meatloaf. And as an adult, every once in awhile I'll come up with an interesting way to combine leftovers or whatnot. Like tonight.

Tonight I created my own version of pasta salad using leftover cooked elbow macaroni, banana peppers (they're not sweet, despite the name), and ranch flavored salad dressing. And I must admit, it tasted really good. My tummy was very happy after that creative little snack!

...and considering how good that creative little snack was, I'll share my "recipe" with you! :)

(The picture isn't really that tiny. Darn Blogger! Click for full size)

Sabi's Super Pasta Salad

Ingredients (based on a single serving):

- 1/2 cup cooked and cooled elbow pasta

- 1 pepper, any variety, sliced into small pieces

- 1/2 cup Ranch dressing

Directions:

1. Combine pasta, pepper slices, and Ranch dressing in a bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly until pasta and pepper is coated in dressing.

3. Eat and enjoy!

But if you try this and don't like it, please don't blame me... ;)

Artwork by Lab Partners

2011-08-30T21:56:00.008-04:00

The most recent post over at The Fox Is Black features awesome artwork by the husband and wife design team of Sarah Labieniec and Ryan Meis, otherwise known as Lab Partners. Intrigued by what I saw, I ventured over to LP's website to see what else they've done - and I found a few really cute pieces on their blog that I wanted share here!

photo credit

These images remind me so much of my best friend Debra, who is a very talented and creative graphic designer. I will have to show these to her because I know she would definitely like them a lot! :)

Irene Slams Hawthorne

2011-08-29T20:57:00.018-04:00

Big discussion topic of the weekend (and possibly the rest of this week): Hurricane Irene. She covered a lot of ground this weekend, including my home state of New Jersey. She did some major damage to our beaches and boardwalks, and left several towns completely submerged underwater. My particular neighborhood didn't see any significant water damage, but the Passaic River overflowed, flooding out Wagaraw Road, one major street in town that isn't too far from my house. It was close enough that I was able to walk over there tonight and snap some photos of the flooding from Lincoln Street, a side street that was also beginning to get waterlogged from what Wagaraw Road couldn't handle anymore.

The corner of Wagaraw Road and Lincoln Street

Luckily Lincoln Street is on an incline

so I don't think the whole street will flood.

Rumor has it that the Passaic River is supposed to crest tomorrow, so I'm sure that what I saw tonight will definitely be worse after that! I figure that it's going to be at least a week before cars can travel on either of these streets safely again...

Bloggers Beware

2011-08-28T13:51:00.005-04:00

Recently my blogging friend Crystal Jigsaw discovered that another blogger was copying her posts and, after altering them slightly, claiming them to be her own. I was appalled to hear this, and immediately wondered who this incredibly stupid person could be. I completely understand CJ's frustration because, as a fellow writer, I know that we put great thought and consideration into our posts before putting them out there for the world to read. As writers, we love words, and they mean a lot to who we are as people. To have someone take that away from us is not only disrespectful and unkind, but it really shows a total lack of common sense. I mean, if you're going to have a blog, you must have something from your own mind that you want to say. Why steal from someone else? Why claim ownership of something that isn't yours? Of course, I had no idea that copying blogs is apparently a common practice, which makes me even more upset over this situation.

So I urge my fellow bloggers to be careful. Don't stop blogging (especially if writing is your passion, as it is mine and CJ's), but be aware. While reading her most recent post about this very situation, I noticed that CJ put this disclaimer up on her blog site and I am going to follow suit:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

At the very least, it will hopefully make potential "blog stealers" aware that they're being watched. And hopefully it will make them think twice about trying to take our words away from us.

The Goffle Road Murders

2011-08-27T22:40:00.004-04:00

My best friend Don's newest historical novel, The Goffle Road Murders, has finally been released! After putting in at least eight years' worth of work on this book, Don had his very first book signing at our local indie bookstore, Well Read New & Used Books.

Even with the threat of Hurricane Irene on the horizon,
the crowd that showed up was pretty decent.

After talking about his research and answering questions,
Don signed copies of his book.

(That's his friend Nicole, who I met for the first today)

I am SO proud of Don! He is a great guy, a terrific writer, and has been such a supportive friend to me in these last several years, always willing to lend a helping hand or listening ear in regard to my own fledgling writing career.

Being that I am the Queen of Shameless Plugs, of course I am going to urge you to buy Don's book! It's available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as directly through the publisher, History Press (search "Goffle Road Murders" to find it). Whether you're a current or former resident of Hawthorne, New Jersey, a fan of local history, or a history buff in general, I guarantee that you will enjoy this book! Even if you're not into history at all, this book will surely appeal to you because of the way it was crafted. In the words of local young adult novelist Margie Gelbwasser, "[the book] reads like your favorite thriller only it's more frightening because it's fact."

So if you'd like to get the inside story of the grisly murder that happened in Hawthorne, New Jersey, on January 09, 1850, pick up your copy of The Goffle Road Murders by Don E. Smith today! :)